Chapter Three - Picture That
This was the worst night of my life and it wasn't over yet. Losing the softball game bet, getting stripped and then turned over to the other team by my own guys, having to endure being naked and on display in someone's front yard, finally getting left behind Walmart while I waited for my own guys to come get me, then having a jack off contest with a guy from the other team, and finally getting home to my clothes and my car should have been the worst I could imagine, but the night wasn't over.
I went inside really fast and began looking for some clothes to take to Yancy. I hoped he was still safe there behind Walmart. At least it was midsummer, and nobody could catch cold from being naked on steamy nights like this. I looked through my stuff, remembering he was shorter than me. I wasn't sure what would fit. He had a good body but he wasn't bulked up any.
Thoughts of his body made me cringe. I didn't like thoughts about a guy's body. This night was just too weird. My only hope was that tomorrow would be better.
By then I had grabbed a shirt and an older pair of short pants, figuring he could go commando to get inside his house. I didn't really have spare shoes so I grabbed a pair of sandals and hurried downstairs to my car. At that time of night the streets were basically empty, and the drive to Walmart didn't take long.
As I swung around into the almost total darkness out back, I saw him peeping up from behind a dumpster. I came to a stop, lowered my window, and called out.
He broke into a grin and came running. The headlights picked up his lithe body and for an instant I wished I knew a girl with that kind of... But I stopped myself in disgust. Damn! This weirdness was getting to me.
He climbed in and settled down next to me. I passed the clothes to him and he started dressing while giving me directions to where he lived. He was so relieved I had come for him, I think he'd have done anything in the world in return.
As it turned out, my clothes were too big for him and too baggy, but they'd get him safely inside. For an instant I was sorry I didn't have an audience so I could make him dress in front of the headlights like my team had done me.
"My mom and I live with my aunt and uncle," he said after telling me the route. "I want to move out as soon as I earn enough to have a place to live. Right now my money goes to my mom and aunt since mom isn't able to work any more. We stay there for free, but I try to help out."
I nodded, not sure what to say. Finally I said "This has been some night."
"Right, but at least nobody put their dick in your mouth." He sounded defeated. "And the worst part is now that they've made me suck on a dick, they'll tell other people. I'll be known as the guy that sucks dicks. They took pictures. They can show them around." He sort of withdrew into the seat.
"I'm sorry, Yancy. I'm sorry it happened to you and I'm sorry it was me." That was true, but what was also true was I liked the feel of my dick in his mouth. Rita wouldn't really give me a blow job, she'd just sort of kiss it and play with it. Yancy had done the whole shebang on me. I felt a twinge deep inside when I thought about that. Then I pushed the idea out of my head.
A new thought hit me. "How will you get into the house if the team has your stuff?"
"I have a key hidden outside."
"What about tomorrow? They have your ID and wallet."
"They usually give it back, along with my clothes."
The use of the word 'usually' really blew my mind. What have people done to this kid? I kept quiet for a minute or two so as not to scare him off.
"'They usually give it all back?'" I quoted back to him, then asked, "Does this happen often?"
He squirmed around on the seat, just the way a teenager would. "That's kind of personal," he said.
"Well you're the one who said they usually give your stuff back. So I ask again, how often does this happen?"
He sighed. "Not often."
If I've learned anything in my 20 years of life, it's that when someone says "Not often" they are saying that it does happen. "But it does happen sometimes?"
"Yes."
I wondered what was going on in his life, and what was happening at the store where he worked, or maybe on the team. Finally I went ahead, "Yancy, do they get other guys too?"
"I guess."
"Have you ever known them to get anybody but you?"
"No."
"Why are they doing this?"
His voice cracked and I was afraid he was going to start crying. "I don't know. I try to get along. I do whatever they say. And still they do stuff to me."
I felt real sorry for him. I reached across and gently gave him a bump on his arm. "That's awful."
He took a deep breath, cleared his throat, and said, "They only stripped me two other times. One time was when my shift ended and they took my stuff out in the parking lot and were going to drive off so I had to run out there naked and get my clothes back. The other time I just stayed inside the storage room and one of them came back in awhile and brought me my stuff."
"If they treat you that bad, why don't you report them or change jobs?"
"You know how hard it is to find a job in this economy?" he asked bitterly.
I knew how he felt. "What about talking to the manager?"
"I was afraid. They told me if I tried to report them, they'd only do worse. You've seen Rico. You know what stuff he might try to do. And they said they might even convince the manager I was lying. They'd all been working there for a while, and I was new. I just couldn't run the risk. I need my job, Eric."
"I see." We rode along in silence.
Then suddenly he turned to me and with an almost desperate tone in his voice asked, "Do you know what I hate most about it all? Even more than them stripping me naked and making fun of me? It's that they like it. They really do enjoy doing that to me. What kind of guys enjoy doing really mean things over and over to the same guy?"
I had a suspicion I was about to have the same experience myself. "I don't know, Yancy. I'm learning I may have done mean things that I didn't realize at the time."
We were nearing his street. The neighborhood had changed, gone down, and many places had weed infested front yards. The houses were smaller now, matchbox places where formerly the cotton mill employees had lived. After the mill closed, it became some of the lowest priced homes available. But more than that, it no longer looked like a safe neighborhood.
Then we were at his house. It was a small frame one-story house. It didn't look like it had any extra room in it. I realized how cramped it must be for him...and his mom.
"It looks small for all of you. Where do you sleep, Yancy?" I wasn't sure if that was too personal, but with all we had gone through tonight, I figured we knew each other well enough for me to ask.
"They put a cot in the corner of the living room for me. I try not to get in their way." He didn't elaborate and I didn't think it was right for me to ask anything more.
As he got out he leaned back into the car and offered his hand. "Thanks for your help tonight. I'd have been lost. And...please don't take it personally about what I said about hating to have had a dick in my mouth."
"Don't worry, Yancy."
"Well don't ever let anybody know this, but your dick in my mouth...it wasn't so bad."
He turned to go, calling over his shoulder, "I'll get your stuff back to you tomorrow." As I went home I realized he'd have to being the stuff to the store since he didn't know where I lived. I should have offered to pick them up...but I didn't have a number for him and the phone would be in his aunt and uncle's names.
On the way home I got to thinking that maybe he hadn't lived here very long and the others considered him an outsider. Maybe that was why they picked on him.
Well all that thinking got me home, and I locked the car and went upstairs to my apartment. I got a shower and felt clean for the first time in hours. I got on my computer and checked my email. Fortunately there was nothing bad there. I felt safe so far. Then I went to bed. I was too tired for anything, but as I went to sleep I realized I was dreaming something about Yancy. It was good.
I heard my alarm go off before I opened my eyes. It was a bright sunny Saturday morning. I cut off the alarm and rolled out of bed with my usual morning erection. I went to hit the shower and found while soaping up that my penis was still sore from its rough treatment last night. Even though I was boned, I was afraid to do much since I could accidentally make it sore all day. Still, I wanted to get off really bad. It had become such a habit it was hard to go without, even after my double dose last night. Still I decided to wait until later. As things turned out, that was a mistake.
I didn't try to eat any breakfast since we had a vending machine in the break room. I wanted to see if anything had been in the morning paper about our game last night and my problem on the field. Someone usually brought a paper and that was true today. I checked and there was nothing. I breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe we all could just let by-gones be by-gones and get on with our work and our lives.
Then I remembered all those camera phones and snapshots, both from our guys and from Kevin and his henchmen. Maybe if nothing turned up today, I'd be safe. I clocked in and was about to begin my usual assignments when Lloyd passed me. He stopped and grinned. I could tell he was up to something.
"Come here a minute. There's somebody I want you to see back in my department." Lloyd was the assistant head of the meat department. At 6'2" he was the tallest guy here, although Ted came in a close second.
Stupidly I followed him back to the meat market. Marcus Garner was the head of it. He was about 35, a big beefy man with a perpetually red face. His eyes had a gleam when he saw us.
"Marcus," Lloyd said with a falsely jovial tone of voice, "you're a good judge of meat. What do you think of his?" He pointed at me.
With a grin Marcus replied, "From the pictures I'd say it's prime, but I'd need to examine it first hand to be sure."
"Well Junior Assistant Manager in Training, let's let Mr. Garner give you his expert opinion." Lloyd must have had French ancestors because he always had sort of dark circles under his eyes. It showed prominently because his skin was light olive and his hair was black.
I was flabbergasted that he would say that. I looked at Lloyd and saw he really was serious. That meant he had shown him some of the pictures from last night. We were just inside the meat counter area, but would be visible to anyone going by. I was not about to unzip and show myself to him or anybody else.
"Back here" Garner said, opening the door to the freezer locker. Lloyd was behind me and pushed me inside where the door was slammed.
"What are you doing?" I asked Lloyd.
"Mr. Garner is an expert on meat. Some of the team want his expert opinion on yours. I mean if someday these pictures come out, we want to be sure any claims we make about it's size and texture are correct. We can't say it's prime meat unless it really is."
Garner looked at me. "Well?"
"What?"
"If you don't whip it out soon, it'll shrink from the cold and I can't judge prime meat if it's all wrinkled."
"Oh I don't think his ever shrivels" Lloyd said. I inwardly winced, sensing that with Lloyd as his assistant, he and Garner were going to play me for all they were worth.
Reluctantly I unzipped, but Lloyd put a restraining hand on my arm. "That's not going to really show him what he needs to make a proper judgment. He's got to see the whole works."
I flushed red and Garner chuckled. Rubbing his hands together he said "Yes, little assistant manager in training, I need to get a really good look at things."
With that he began putting on one of those disposable plastic gloves they use for handling meat. I dropped my trousers and before I could pull down my boxers, Lloyd had them down at my ankles.
"Now hold your shirt up to your neck" he said.
I was really embarrassed. Mr. Garner crouched down in front of me. He was clearly loving this. With a tentative finger he moved my dick to the side, letting it swing back. Then he lifted it on his forefinger as he checked my balls.
"Prairie oysters" he said.
"Huh?"
"That's what they call buffalo and bull testicles." He poked my balls and I shifted.
"Stay still, friend. The more you move the longer this examination will take." I could feel his fingers probing, finally lifting between my balls, separating them. I gave a shudder because it felt so good.
"See, Lloyd, he likes that."
Lloyd put his hand on my butt. "I bet he'd like some other stuff too."
Someone outside hit the bell on the counter. "Get that, Lloyd" he said. When Lloyd had gone, Mr. Garner asked "What did they do to you last night?"
I shifted, and he pulled on my dick like a chain holding me still. "I've seen some pictures. Do you and that other guy do this stuff much?"
I was appalled at his question. While he waited, he moved my dick to the side and let it swing back and forth. As it did, he tapped it lightly before continuing, "Because if you do, there's a stag party this Friday and we'd pay you each $50 if you could put on a show like that for us. It'll just be the husbands in the neighborhood. We do that when the wives have a 'girls night out.'"
"No way. We didn't want to do that last night and we sure wouldn't want to do it again."
He was back to holding my dick like it was a leash or something. "Well you sure looked like you two were loving every minute of it. Just give my offer some thought. I'm broadminded and I won't hold it against you if you enjoy doing that for fun or whatever."
I tried to pull away but he didn't let go. He frowned. "Hey, hey there. Slow down. I haven't finished. I need to see that thing hard."
He let go and stood up. I looked at him and then realized he meant for me to get hard. I reached for my dick, hating every minute of it and just wanting to get this over with, when he slapped my hand away.
"Plastic glove! You don't handle meat with your bare hands. Why do you think I'm wearing one?"
I looked around. I wasn't sure where he had gotten his from.
"There's some on the counter outside" he said.
I couldn't believe that. Then he grinned and slapped me on the shoulder. "Just giving you a bad time. Here, we keep a supply on that shelf."
I put a glove on and started trying to jack. The problem was the glove just rubbed on me but needed a lube or something.
"Having trouble getting started? If you'll reconsider my offer for the stag party, I can get you some lube."
I decided I really hated him. I spit in my hand and finally got started. Lloyd came back in with a grin when he saw what was happening. Whipping out his cell, he snapped a picture. I stopped jacking.
"It's good enough" Mr. Garner said. "Yes, that 's good meat." He began stroking it. "Good texture. Nice quality. Good muscles." I got really hard then, and hated myself for the reaction. I couldn't help it, but both of them were really getting a kick out of all this.
"Here, Lloyd, you want a taste?" He laughed at his own joke.
"Hell no. Just looking at it makes me sick."
"Think we need to measure it?"
I was getting worried. I looked at Lloyd. Garner was leaving it up to him.
"Not this time. There's a lady out front with a special order. I told her I'd come back here and find you. We can do the measuring another time."
I was totally boned. Garner was ready to go up front. Lloyd gave me his most innocent grin.
"You better get back to your job, assistant." I pulled up my clothes and went out, but my dick was still hard as steel and I knew people could see it. Going by the bakery the girl there smiled and blushed. I didn't know if it was because my trouser leg was pushing out or whether she had seen any of last night's pictures.
I passed Mr. Penser who gave me a funny look. I hadn't realized he was here in the store today. His being here this soon was a little unusual since he is senior person all day Sunday and consequently comes in late on Saturdays and only briefly. I decided as soon as my erection subsided I'd go by and get a sense of whether he knew anything about last night.
My cell phone rang. I saw it was an incoming picture. I clicked and there was a shot of me in the meat locker, trousers and underwear at my ankles, plastic glove on my hand, working away on my dick. I looked up and saw Lloyd grinning in the distance.
"Eric?" a voice behind me said. I nearly jumped out of my skin. It was Mr. Penser. I snapped the phone shut, hoping he hadn't seen anything over my shoulder. Then I turned to face him. He's kind of short, so he probably couldn't see the picture, but unfortunately his face was now not much higher than my chest so he could easily see how my erection was poking against my pants' leg.
"Sir?"
He glanced down gathering his thoughts and then he saw it. I could tell because he made a little gasp, blushed, and then tried to pretend he hadn't seen it.
"Oh...um...let's go in my office and sit down."
I followed him inside. When he was seated behind his desk he asked "How was the game last night?"
"We lost. But it's the last one of the season. Better luck next year maybe."
"Did anything odd happen?"
"Why" I asked, "is something wrong?" He obviously knew something.
"You're the captain of the team. You're supposed to show some leadership. In fact your job here demands leadership."
Ok so I guess he knew. "Mr. Penser, I made a stupid bet with the guy from the other team, and I lost. I know that was stupid."
"You represent the store when you're on the ball field. It's our store's team, reflecting the good name of the store. When I hired you into the training program, I emphasized it was built on honesty, dedication, and integrity. It doesn't sound like last night had any of those things in it. "
"Mr. Penser, tell me honestly, how bad is this?" I figured if he was going to fire me or drop me from the training program, we'd better just get it over with.
"Well I heard someone from the team was running around the field with no clothes on. How could you let this happen?"
"It wasn't like that. It was at the very end, the game was over. We were about to leave and go home. The crowd was already leaving. It was just a prank."
I was so caught up in the realization that he didn't know it was me, that I stood up to emphasize my point. Unfortunately my erection jumped into his line of vision. He shook his head.
"Eric, um...er...you are wearing underwear aren't you?"
"Yes sir. I always do."
"Well then take a break, go to the break room and fix yourself up properly." He paused then abruptly waved me out of the office. "That'll be all for this time. And don't ever let any team member do that sort of thing again. Remember when I'm not around, you're supposed to be in charge of things."
I was relieved and went to the break room. I thought I'd stop by the restroom on the way and maybe jack off and get my dick under control. I had never done that at work before. I mean the public uses the restroom too, so you don't have much private time. Obviously it wouldn't be much fun to be jacking on the toilet when someone starts knocking on the door.
The men's room door was locked meaning someone was in there. Not many of the customers need to use it, so it would be someone on the staff. I went on to the break room and was greeted by Mark's grinning face.
"Heard you starred in the meat market this morning." Then seeing my trousers he pointed and squealed out "Boner! Boner! First one today! Boner!"
"Stop acting like a jerk" I said blushing.
"And I haven't got my camera" he laughed. He griped me. He was just too immature for his job.
I sat down on the sofa and he was about to leave when Lloyd came in.
"Don't go," Lloyd told him. Turning to me, he opened a bag he held and took out a small cheap digital camera. "Well, Ear-RICK, here's your first assignment." Turning to Mark he said "You might enjoy hearing this, Mark. Eric is to take this home and take a nude picture of himself every day. Then he is to print it out on his computer and bring it to me each morning. The first picture I want you to make, Eric, is you nude, facing the camera, with your legs spread wide and your hands clasped behind your head."
Mark nearly fell on the floor with glee. "Oh wow! Great! Hey can I chose a pose too?"
"Maybe. For right now, you just keep ideas running through your head. So listen carefully Ear-RICK, I want this to be a good clear picture. Keep practicing until you get a really good one. Got that?"
I looked at him flabbergasted. I was about to tell him where he could go, when he said "Remember we have last night's pictures. Mr. Penser wouldn't like that at all. So be sure to bring me a good picture tomorrow. Don't try to put it in my locker, you bring it to me personally."
"But you don't work tomorrow."
"That's not your concern, Eric. Just do it."
I was still boned. Even this new punishment hadn't gotten me soft. Mark couldn't take his eyes off it. I had hoped to take a break, sit down and relax, and get myself under control. Instead I got up and went out with Mark behind me patting my butt. The most stupid things seem to make that guy so happy. I couldn't figure it out except that he was only 18 and hadn't started to grow up. I put the camera in my locker and went to use the restroom. The door was locked again. There was only room for one person in there with just a basin and toilet, so everyone naturally locked the door. I wondered if I should step into the women's restroom but decided it would be a really stupid mistake. But if I wanted it to go down, I needed to provide it with some relief.
I walked over to the produce department where Robby worked. Until last night I thought we were friends. We were both the same age and had gone to school together. He was my height, with white skin and dark hair. He had a good build for someone who hadn't played football. I suddenly remembered he had known Kevin in the past. I wondered if they were in this together. He saw me coming and deliberately stared at my protruding trouser leg.
"Robby, this stuff from last night has to stop."
He gave me an innocent look that was totally unbelievable. He always had a zombie look with those eyes and skin, which made him seem almost mysterious sometimes. "Eric, man, none of us made that bet with Kevin and his team. That was you all by yourself."
"Yeah but you guys let me down and we lost and I got screwed."
He looked down, idly wrapping his hand around a cucumber. "Not my problem."
Customers moved past us, everyone busy with Saturday shopping.
"Help me get out of this, Robby. We've known each other since grade school."
He picked up the cucumber, holding it carefully, and moved it toward me, pointing it slanted down. I instinctively moved back, and he flashed me a grin. "This cucumber's just about your size, isn't it? I mean if you had this in your pants and compared..."
Ted came by going on a break. "What's up?" he asked, noticing there was something between us.
"Eric's up, judging by the front of his trousers. I don't think he can hold that thing inside; it wants to get out."
Ted grinned, and those perfect white teeth flashed out at me. Some guys have all the luck mouth-wise. "So?"
"I think we ought to get Ear-RICK to compare what he's got with this nice cucumber."
I almost lost it on the spot. This was ridiculous. I tried to walk away when Ted put a heavy hand on my arm.
"You don't walk away from us, got that?"
I didn't like the look on his face. Then he said "Let's go in the supply closet a minute."
There wasn't much room when the three of us got in there. Robby said "I can't stay long."
"This is just for a comparison. Drop your pants, Eric."
"No."
"Drop them or you'll really regret it."
I went ahead and complied. When my pants and shorts were at my ankles, Robby held the cucumber beside my erection and they both grinned.
"And here we are with no camera" Ted said.
"He's dripping on the vegetable" Robby laughed.
Ted was taller than any of our team except Lloyd, and he was equally as strong. When he grabbed you with his long arms, it was hard to get away. That was the case now.
"Yeah" Ted said. "Lick that stuff off the cucumber. You don't want customers seeing your precum on our produce."
They looked at me and I looked at them. Ted relaxed his grip. That was when I started to move toward the door. Ted stuck out a muscled arm and stopped me. His blue eyes flashed. "Do it or I'll push you out there with your clothes down at your shoes. Mr. Penser wouldn't like it and our customers wouldn't either."
I put the green thing up to my mouth and sort of kissed the precum off.
"No, Eric. Lick. You know how to lick, don't you? Like it was a popsicle."
They cracked up at my attempt. It was so unwholesome and unwashed I almost gagged but I got it done. Then I pulled my pants up and we all three left.
I thought the worst of the day was over until a couple of hours later when I saw Lloyd and Ted talking. I didn't like their conspiratorial manner, particularly when they kept glancing over my way. Mr. Penser had gone home for the day, but he asked me to check some things in the stock room in the back.
I was going into the stock room when the two of them joined me and then pulled the door closed after us.
"What are you two up to?" I asked, since obviously they were away from their stations. Lately staff had been lax about that when Mr. Penser was off duty. In fact I had called down Lloyd and Ted just a few days ago. But now things were different because of what happened last night.
"I was telling Ted about your daily camera duties from now on."
Ted's grin was happily red faced and I'm sure he was thinking of possibilities. "I've got an assignment for you too, Eric." He paused, then said "Give me your underwear."
"What?"
"It's obviously not doing you any good. You might as well leave them off. Any time you've gotten hard today it's visible to everybody. It's almost obscene."
Lloyd starting laughing. "Yeah, Mr. Penser's eyes almost popped out of his head when he saw it. I thought he might steam up his glasses he was looking so hard."
Ted obviously liked that. His blue eyes gleamed. "Bet it would be the first time he had ever seen anything even remotely sexual." They relished their dislike of the manager. "Ok hand them over."
"No. I can't walk around with no underwear for the rest of the day."
"It's not just for the rest of the day" Ted said. "No undies for you at work any more. Ever. Let that thing of yours hang long, man. Starting now."
He lunged at my belt and I pushed back but Lloyd had me from behind, grabbing me around the waist. It was only seconds before my trousers and boxers were pulled off. While Lloyd still held me, Ted walked over and threw my boxers in the box compacter and turned it on. I heard the compacting noise and I knew that pair of boxers was gone forever.
"Put your pants back on" Ted said. "I don't want to have to look at the dick of yours any more than I have to."
I pulled them back on as fast as I could. We got ready to walk out when Ted said "You'll be inspected every day to make sure you are not wearing underwear. Do you understand?"
"Go to hell" I said and opened the door.
Ted moved beside me, escorting me over toward the seafood department. It adjoined the meat marker, but didn't connect directly to it, having a partition between the two and its own entrance on the far side. That meant he was taking me to Mark, who was part time but acted as assistant manager there on weekends. I wondered what he was going to tell that little pipsqueak about me. Lloyd had left us. I was glad that he at least knew enough to get back to his duties in the meat department.
Safely behind the display cases facing the public in seafood, Ted said "Mark, guess what Eric is without?"
"I don't know, what? His mind? Good sense? Normal relationships? It could be any of those."
That little brat would pay for this.
"Show him, Eric."
"What? Here in public?"
"You've got counters with seafood on display between you and the public. The tops of the two counters have all sorts of cardboard displays. Nobody can see what you're doing. Go ahead now and show him. If you can't, I can do it for you, and I guarantee it'll be a whole lot worse."
I knew if he wanted to, Ted could push me around into the front where customers were, and I wouldn't be able to live that down. Reluctantly I dropped my trousers.
Mark's face lit up like it was Christmas. I started thinking maybe deep inside that little dweeb was really a pervert.
"Wow! That's cool!"
It's odd how simple things can make simple people so very happy.
"Not only that, Mark, but he'll be going commando every day. Now here's the best part: I'm appointing you to be my assistant and to check him out daily to make sure he stays commando. Think you can handle that assignment?"
Mark still couldn't take his eyes off my crotch area. "Sure thing. Wow. Thanks, man." He couldn't keep beaming. I decided he must definitely be gay.
"Ok then I guess we're through here." He paused a moment. "Later before you go home, Mark, you might want to check him again to make sure he's still this way."
"Right!" he said with more enthusiasm than was really necessary.
I pulled my trousers back up and hurried out. I was determined to keep busy and not think about stuff. Things were beginning to pile up on me. I figured maybe tonight at home alone I could think over the different guys on the team and try to see which ones I could count on to be my friend in a jam.
One good thing was that Mr. Penser would be here all day tomorrow, and Lloyd would be off. I guess I'd have to take that damn picture he wanted, but maybe I could avoid a lot of other stuff.
It was almost 4 when I looked up and saw Yancy standing in the produce section. He was carrying a small backpack. I knew that would be my clothes. I smiled and went over.
"Glad you got here, Yancy."
"Yeah." He looked sad. "They were giving me a hard time at work."
I didn't want to set a bad example by standing around talking so I said, "Want to hang here and I can give you a ride home afterward or maybe we could grab a hamburger somewhere? We can talk then."
He seemed to cheer up at that. Then I looked toward the meat department and saw Mr. Garner watching with a really wicked grin on his face. I thought of his sick offer of wanting Yancy and me at the stag thing, and I knew what he was thinking. I got back to work.
Later, Mark paged me from seafood using the code for a problem customer. I had been busy, but I stopped and hurried over. When I got there I could see he had done that deliberately.
His brown eyes had that mischievous gleam in them, like some overgrown kid. "I just wanted to check you out one more time before we got off for the day," he said rubbing his hands together enthusiastically.
"Like hell you little shrimp." I knew he hated that nickname. Guys would tease him, referring to him as 'the little shrimp in seafood'. "I'm going back and don't ever page me like that again."
I was bigger than him so he couldn't put out a hand to stop me. Instead he grabbed the phone and using the p.a. asked if Mr. Garner could come over to seafood. Lloyd had gone home so I guess this was his only muscle power. I knew I had to do something. If Garner came over things could get a lot worse.
Hoping for privacy, I saw that some displays on the counter facing the public gave me waist high protection. But with Mark I couldn't depend that he wouldn't pull something and try to let people see me. I leaned down and quickly dropped my pants, but he didn't cancel the request.
"Mark, hey don't let him come here. I'm doing what you want." I hated to plead, but sometimes that's the only way out.
He just smirked. I pleaded again. "Come on, man. This hasn't been my day all day long. Let me have a little peace, ok?"
"All right, but just remember, you owe me. You'll follow orders, agreed?"
"Yes, but please hurry and stop him." I didn't want to have anything more to do with that man today. He'd already handled me enough.
Mark sent the cancel message and then smiled down at me where I crouched behind the counter. "Show me your ass."
"Huh?" I was already bent over, trying to stay hidden. What more could he want?
"You heard me. You're bent over but get that ass up high and part your cheeks."
I did what he wanted. Nothing happened. Then he patted me happily across the butt, circling the cheeks with his hands while he chuckled quietly. "I've been waiting for the chance to do this ever since you started acting like such a jerk."
I hated that. I hated his hands on me. Then he stopped. I could sense he was moving around. Then he said "Ok, we're going to the next phase now. Get those cheeks wider. I want to see that hole of yours and I want a clear view of it." Then he paused some more. I guess he was admiring the view. I was glad he didn't have a camera. Finally he said "There, that's better."
I heard the glass door of the counter slide open and then shut, and suddenly I felt something cold on my hole.
"What are you doing?"
"A present. Now push back against this."
With that he shoved something icy cold inside me. It wasn't that large but it sure hurt. Then after a little it started to feel very warm.
"Now pull up your pants and go away. And listen carefully and get this straight. If you pull it out, you'll have to eat it. I don't think you'd enjoy that very much, right?"
"What is it?"
"A frozen shrimp. A great big one. Part of the first giant Gulf shrimp we've gotten since the oil was capped. I made it special for you by putting some Mexican hot sauce on it. Now get going or I'll call Garner again."
That damn shrimp burned and froze my hole at the same time. I went back to my office and was going to pull it out when there was a knock on my door. It was Yancy.
"Sorry to bother you, but the guy in seafood said I was to check and see how your shrimp was. What did he mean by that?"
"Nothing. Forget it. I was about to leave for the day anyway. I've put in enough extra time around here."
Yancy looked uncomfortable, like he was playing a role he didn't enjoy. "Um...I'm sorry Eric, but he said you had a camera and I was to take a picture of your shrimp. And he said he'd tell Kevin and the guys at my store if I didn't. He has those pictures of what they made us do last night."
I took a deep breath and decided to tell him. "I've got a camera in my locker and Mark must mean he wants you to snap a picture of the shrimp and show him." I realized it also meant I would be expected to print out a copy and bring it to him tomorrow. "Come on, let's get the camera and then you can take the picture."
Yancy was still in the dark about all this. When we were back in the office I closed the blind on the glass door, and dropped my trousers.
"Wow, you go commando?"
"Now I do, but not by choice" I grumbled.
"Where's the shrimp?"
"In my butt."
Yancy burst out laughing. "No kidding? Let me see."
I would have been happier if he hadn't been so eager. I leaned over and spread my cheeks.
"Hey the tail is sticking out. And what's the red stuff smeared around it?"
"Mexican hot sauce and it burns. Now take the picture, show him, and we'll get out of here. Once we are outside, I'm pulling that thing out and to hell with it all."
"Ok, but it'll make a better picture if you spread your cheeks a little more. The tail looks great the more you spread the hole."
"Just take the picture, Yancy."
He paused. "If it isn't what Mark wants, we'll have to do it over again. Let me make sure it's all the way in, except the tail."
"Why?" I gave him a murderous look.
His innocent eyes were pleading. "Eric, I'm just trying to do my best."
"Well ok." With a groan I pushed it further in.
"Not too much. Maybe you better pull it out a little."
Right then I could have hit him. I reached back but before I could feel it, he said "Here, I can do it. Just let me."
I guess that was nice of him, but I swear I don't think he has very good judgment. I spread my cheeks wide, and he took the shot. Then he dashed back to show Mark, while I thought of things I'd really like to do to Mark. Some were so hot I was ashamed of myself, but I was angry. And by now I was also hard. He returned all smiles.
"He said I did a great job on your pic, and he said he might have some more assignments for me."
I had no idea what that meant, but at that point I really didn't care. Once I discarded the shrimp, my day was done.
A little later we headed out. I was never so glad to get away from the store as I was then.
(End of Chapter Three)
Eric and Yancy are going out to eat, and something unexpected will happen there. Plus Ted and Lloyd are sure to torment Eric tomorrow about the pictures and no underwear, but what else lies in store? Does Mark have some plans too? And what about Garner's stag party? If Saturday was bad, Sunday is going to be worse. Comments and reactions appreciated. - Bart384@yahoo.com