For better or worse, my life changed on December the eleventh, 2020.
Our company was reeling from all the COVID fallout.
People would show up to work one day, the next they were out for two weeks with the virus.
Those of us who managed to stay well were running out of steam, and upper management was taking a head-in-the-sand approach to it all.
People were at the breaking point.
That's when Paul walked into the scene.
Paul was hired to fill the second-in-command spot at our facility.
Paul quickly took the reins and began the difficult process of bringing order out of chaos.
He developed a system of incentives to keep our skeleton crew motivated and working.
He was the backbone our management team was lacking.
His ideas simply worked, and he quickly gained a reputation as a fair and competent leader.
He also gained a reputation as a man not to be trifled with.
He got his way.
Period.
Not because he was a spoiled brat, but because the decisions he made always turned out to be the best way.
When he spoke, that was the final word. He was seldom argued with. And if you did, he would look into your soul with those steely blue eyes and one of two things happened:
You backed down because you knew he was right, or you rebelled.
There were very few who rebelled, simply because his way always worked. Those who did, well, I'm sure they enjoy working wherever it is they work now.
But for the most part, people liked Paul.
The guys all liked him because he got things done.
The girls especially liked him because, on top of his managerial prowess, he was very attractive- by anyone's standards.
He had a full head of salt & pepper hair, was well-muscled from work, the aforementioned piercing blue eyes, big hands that engulfed a mere mortals' hand when he shook it.
I worked closely with Paul in my position, and as the months passed we grew to be good friends.
As friendly as we were, there always existed that invisible line that separated he and I.
And it was not to be crossed.
There was a couple times when I disagreed with a decision he had made.
Rarely, he agreed with me.
Other times, he would peer into my soul with those steely eyes, and simply say, "No.", and the subject was closed.
Last summer I was eating lunch, and I was enjoying some fresh sliced tomatoes from our garden at home.
I say "our" because my wife did most of the day to day tending, while I did the occasional grunt work. And eating, of course!
While i was salting a slice of tomato, Paul walked up.
"Your homegrown tomatoes, i assume?"
"Fresh out of the garden!"
"What do you grow?"
"Besides the tomatoes, lettuce, carrots, okra, green beans, strawberries, cucumbers..."
"Sounds good. When can I come by and see your miniature farm?"
So we made arrangements to meet at my house Saturday morning.
9 am Saturday morning there came a knock on the door.
I opened the door and there stood Paul.
"Hello Paul, come on in."
"Thanks, John. You have a charming house.
And who's this charming lady?"
"Paul, this is my wife, Mary. Mary, this is Paul."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Wood." Mary said, extending a hand.
"The pleasure is mine, and please, call me Paul." he said, taking her hand.
I hadn't thought about this before, but I forgot about the effect Paul had on the ladies, and Mary was no different. I could see a little schoolgirl-like reaction in her manner.
I wasn't worried, of course.
Paul could have his pick of any female he wanted and, let's face it- we all belonged to the salt and pepper hair club.
I probably would have reacted the same way Mary did, had our roles been reversed.
"Paul, would you like some coffee?" Mary asked.
"Yes, please. John, would you do the honors?"
"Uh, sure. I'll be right back."
They began talking about seeds as I was leaving the room.
I poured three cups of coffee, and returned to find them sitting next to each other on the loveseat looking at the heirloom seed catalog that Mary orders a lot of her vegetable seed from.
I placed their coffees in front of them, and took a seat in the recliner off to one side. At one point, Paul picked up his cup and sat back.
And that's when I saw it.
His khakis had developed a rather large, and quite long, bulge.
I think I heard Mary gasp slightly, choking on her coffee a bit.
"Are you ok?" Paul and I asked simultaneously.
"Yes, it just went down the wrong way," she said.
After she settled, she went back to droning on about the different seeds, but my gaze fell back to Paul's lap.
The bulge had increased a bit in size,.and seemed to be moving slightly.
Mary was having difficulty staying focused, and I was just plain mesmerized.
I started daydreaming that Paul opened up his pants and started stroking it, and Mary was getting undressed.
I was jacking off watching the two of them, when I realized I was actually getting hard, just as Paul asked me,
"JOHN, Do you find this as fascinating as your wife does?"
"What? What do you mean?" I asked rather defensively, looking up from his crotch.
"The seeds- Mary seems to take a keen interest in these heirlooms."
"Oh, ah, well- I'm more interested in eating them. The produce, I mean, not the seeds..."
Paul said nothing, but the look he was giving me said, 'I just caught you checking out my crotch.'
Mary said, "You two will have to admire the garden without me. I have an appointment, although I could cancel it..."
"Nonsense," said Paul. "Keep your appointment. John and I have something work-related to discuss anyway."
"Well, it was nice meeting you Paul. John, I'll be back in a couple of hours."
She shook Paul's hand, gave me a kiss and then left.
"Let's look at your garden then, shall we?"
"Of course - this way."
I led him out to our garden area. I pointed out the various vegetables, and the different constructions we did.
We were out there for maybe fifteen minutes when he abruptly turned and walked inside the house.
