“Oh my gosh this is going to be soooo much fun!”
Hannah Hammond couldn’t have agreed more, as the prospect of having Rachel Elvers back in her clutches became more and more real with every passing moment. Her fond memories of having helped slide her roommate down the slippery slope that had led her to weighing a whopping four hundred and fifty pounds felt palpably real—though Rachel had managed to slim down some since then, Hannah was not one to be deterred so easily. That was why she’d given her the coveted position of being her personal assistant.
“It’ll be just like when we were in Buttercombe!” Rachel tittered inanely, “Except, you know, I’ll be the one taking care of you! Instead of, you know, you having to help me study all the time.”
“Then maybe I’ll consider us even.” Hannah smiled coyly, “Did you get your Welcome Aboard Basket?”
Rachel’s round eyes gleamed in excitement, the finely-tuned immediate gratification parts of her pleasure center clearly still ran the place. Wriggling excitedly in her seat, she leaned forward ever so slightly to the boss’s desk, gripping the thread of her slacks with sausage link fingers.
“Ooh, no I didn’t…” Rachel said in an amazed, low voice, “With all of the money you put in to make your guests happy, I can’t imagine what kinds of goodies you put into the welcome baskets for your employees!”
“They’re pretty spectacular, if I do say so myself.” Hannah cocked an eyebrow, “Come on, I’ll show you around.”
Most of the Hammond Hotel’s employees had been with the company for at least a few years. With all of the perks that Hannah made sure to offer them, such as discounted meals and competitive pay for relatively less work than anywhere else than where they could work in Daven’s Port, it was no surprise. Consequently, most of them were more than a little heavier than they had been when they’d been hired on.
Maids were plump-rumped and spilling out of their uniforms thanks to the special vouchers that Hannah gave, allowing them alone a discount to the vending machines that littered each and every hallway. Those employees lucky enough to work at the desk seemed to grow faster, due to their relative lack of mobility and the “hard” rule against taking lunch in the lobby, one that didn’t extend to trips to the continental buffet bar. Even the janitors sported pot bellies and soft bodies, their more labor-centered jobs unable to shake the masterfully crafted atmosphere of temptation that could only be found in a hotel run by Hannah Hammond.
But the Candy Counter Girl was a special position—one that, until Rachel had resurfaced into her life, Hannah had taken with pride.
“Ms. Hammond!” the flabby-faced puddle blushed bright red, “I-I’m sorry, I know that I’m not supposed to—”
“Easy, easy Caroline.” Hannah offered with two outstretched hands, “I’m just showing our newest associate around.”
In a perfect world, Hannah would have given Rachel this job. It was the one sure-fire way to blow her back up to immensity and beyond. Surrounding any unsuspecting employee with all of these treats was enough temptation to guarantee a little slip, but having made sure to only assign the greediest folks this job in the past and amplify their issues with self-control via inhouse subliminal marketing ostensibly meant for the customers (if asked) had meant that it was practically a death knell for diets to work there.
Fortunately for the fat former flag girl, her boss had developed quite the soft spot for her—snacking on the job was far from the least of her worries.
“We’re just here to pick up Rachel’s Welcome Aboard Basket.” Hannah said after their brief introduction, “Oh no, hun, don’t get up—I’ll get it from the back.”
Squeezing into the back room, where at least a few of the employees kept their personal belongings while on the clock, Rachel could only warily eye the delicious treats that hung so thick on hooks and shelves that she couldn’t see the hotel through its products. A nervous, hungry gulp was music to Hannah’s ears; the small-voiced admittance of temptation already escaping in the form of a joke between friends.
“I can see how working in a place like this could get dangerous!” Rachel laughed as she eyeballed her enormous gift basket, “It’s a good thing that I’m still on that diet!”
“Good thing.” Hannah winked, “What do you say that we go over some of the finer details of your responsibility—as my assistant—back in the office?”
She grabbed the basket’s handle and lifted it from the table, handing it off to Rachel despite her small amount of reluctance.
“You might want to bring this—I’d hate for Caroline to think that she could pick from another welcome basket.”
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