An Exercise in Team Building

"Well, you didn't shut down our customer. Homer remembered having another mill cutter in his bench that got tossed when we sorted. We found it in the dumpster and we're running again. What are you going to do now?"

Muriel smiled.

"Well, the more I thought about it, the more I thought I could make the Toyota methodology work if I tailored it to your business model. It would take me some time to understand everything, but since I don't work for Blaine anymore, I have a lot of time. I talked with your plant manager this morning, and basically told him what you told me last night about why the program failed. Then I told him what I'd do that was different than Blaine's method, and I said if he'd give me one department to work with, I'd do it for ten percent of the money I was able to save. I uh...I told him I wanted that department to be yours."

"What did Joe say?"

"He said he never believed in what Blaine wanted to do, but your CEO forced it on him. Then he said he liked what I proposed, but would probably get fired if he hired me as a consultant. Instead, he'd hire me as a manufacturing engineering technician and let me try it out. I still have to find an apartment, but I start next Monday and I have a year to show some results."

"Muriel, after what I said to you last night, why did you pick my department?"

"Jeff, it's because of what you said that I did. If I've learned one thing from all this, it's that there's no cut and dried solution to any problem. You were honest with me last night, and if what I want to do is going to work, I need somebody who's not afraid to tell me I'm wrong. I didn't think you would be."

It took Muriel two months before anybody trusted her. She worked on that by talking to each person individually, told them why she was there, and offered any help she could give them. Betsy was the first to point out that she'd already made a suggestion and it had been rejected.

Muriel apologized for misleading her, and then asked if there wasn't something about the way her machine worked that she didn't like. Betsy said the tool board was a good idea, but it was in the wrong place, because she had to walk back and forth every time she had to change a tool. She also said the woman who ran the machine on second shift wasn't very tall and she couldn't reach some of the tools without getting a box to stand on.

When Muriel got maintenance to move the tool board to a location all three shifts agreed on, and then told them to try it out and if it didn't work, she'd move it again, Betsy spread the word that maybe Muriel wasn't like all the other consultants.

After that, the suggestions started coming, real suggestions that were about real problems. Muriel worked with all three shifts to get an agreement about what to try and then made sure it happened.

After six months, Jeff was happy because he was operating under budget, his people were happy, and he basically didn't have to supervise anything. His employees just came to work, started on time, and produced the required number of parts every shift with time left over to clean the machines at the end of the shift.

That cleaning only took five minutes now instead of fifteen, because one of the operators said they were cleaning stuff every shift that had already been cleaned by the shift before. Muriel had worked with all three shifts so each shift had specific machines they were responsible for cleaning and a lot of that cleaning was done during the day when the machine was in cycle. The extra ten minutes of production time gave them half an hour a week on company time to meet with Muriel and discuss new problems and possible solutions.

It was almost six on a Friday night when Jeff walked into Muriel's cubicle and found her there working on her production charts. She didn't hear him until he said, "Looks like you have everything headed in the right direction. You should be proud of what you've done."

Muriel turned around and smiled, and this time, the smile was genuine.

"Coming from you, that means a lot, Jeff."

"Well, you deserve it. Wanna go grab a burger?"

Muriel wrinkled up her brow.

"Why would you want to do that?"

In truth, Jeff hadn't planned on doing anything other than telling her he appreciated the job she'd done so far and tell her he was going to help her in any way he could. It was when she turned around that made the idea pop into his head.

Muriel had let her hair grow and started dressing in snug jeans and tops instead of blue uniforms that didn't fit, and in six months, she'd gone from looking pretty masculine to looking very female and more than a little sexy. Her face, the same face that before had looked severe even when she smiled, now looked soft, round, and overall, pretty. She still didn't wear much makeup, but the pale pink lipstick she did use accented her sensuous lips.

He'd noticed the change before, but that day, she'd worn a buttoned blouse and had left the top three buttons undone. Because she was sitting and he was standing, Jeff could see part of her bra and some very sensuous cleavage. It struck him then that Muriel was actually attractive. That's why he'd asked, but he couldn't tell her that.

Jeff shrugged.

"I just thought you might like a little reward for everything you've done. If you don't want to, that's OK. I've been pretty rough on you in the past, so you have a right to not like me."

Muriel smiled a real smile again.

"I guess I could do that, if that's all it is. I don't want any rumors to get started about us. God knows there are rumors about everybody else. I didn't realize how much people talk about other people in a place like this."

"Yeah, well, it's just part of what they do. You get used to it. At one time, they said I was sleeping with six different women in my department. Why don't you put that stuff away and let's go get that burger."

Jeff felt good when he went home that night. What they'd talked about was mostly what Muriel was doing, but it was different. Instead of always saying, "This is how it should work", Muriel was saying things like, "If Herman hadn't explained it to me, I'd have tried something that would never have worked", and "you know, I didn't believe you at first, but Maxine said you've always done what I'm trying to do".

Jeff had smiled, but not because of what she was saying. He was smiling because Muriel was seeing what he'd told her, and she was using that insight to help his workers do the best they could. He'd already heard them saying they liked having her work with them because she got things done the way things should be done.

He was happy too, because he'd seen a different side of Muriel, not the side that was all business but the side that was starting to understand how people think and that they understand what they hear based upon their background and experience, not by logical thinking. Muriel was smarter than he'd given her credit for being and that just made her more attractive.

Muriel was surprised when the next Friday Jeff asked her if she'd like to get a pizza, but she said she would. She didn't know why she said that except that his face told her he really wanted to. When she thought about it when she went to bed that night, she decided she'd liked it both times.

Jeff was a lot different when he wasn't in the plant. She'd never seen him really laugh at the plant. He'd chuckle when somebody said something funny, but he really didn't laugh. She could tell by his face that he was listening, but at the same time he was supervising. She understood why. He'd told her that a supervisor has to keep a little distance between him and his workers. If he got too friendly, some of them would think he was showing favoritism to the others. There were some workers he liked better than others, he'd said, but he had to keep the same distance there because if he didn't, it would be awkward to do anything if they messed up somehow.

When they were alone, Jeff seemed to let his guard down. Things she said she'd seen that she thought were funny made Jeff laugh, really laugh. Things she related hearing about him made him smile or frown, but both were genuine emotions, not like at the plant where he'd smile if he thought that's what people wanted to see him do.

She started hoping he'd ask her to have a pizza or burger again about four the next Friday afternoon, and felt like jumping for joy when he did.

After that third time, she started dressing a little better on Fridays. She told herself that was because she liked looking soft and feminine now that she could, but the real reason, one she couldn't admit to, was what Beverly had whispered to her one day.

"I think Jeff has a thing for you. He always looks at you when you're out here, and he always has this stupid smile on his face. I tried and tried to get him to ask me out and he never would, but Jenny saw you two having pizza last Friday. I'm jealous as hell."

Blaine had a dress code that said women should wear clothing that didn't attract attention because some female workers might think that woman was trying to foster favoritism from the male workers. In order to do what she thought he was saying, Muriel had started wearing bras that flattened her out when she was working. The Saturday after that third time, Muriel went to the mall and bought three bras that were designed to accent her breasts, not minimize them.

While she was there, she bought some blouses that weren't very revealing but would hug her new figure, and some jeans with decorations on the hips instead of just being plain. She tried out all three the next Friday morning.

When she looked in the mirror, she grinned. She looked a lot more feminine and sexy because she had a figure that showed. She still wouldn't admit it to herself, but secretly, she hoped Jeff would notice.

Jeff did notice as soon as he saw her, and Muriel saw the smile Beverly had been talking about. It wasn't his regular smile, but she didn't think it was stupid. It was the same smile she'd seen other men at the mall make when a sexy woman walked by.

She was thrilled when Jeff came to her cubicle at four and asked if she'd like to try out the new Italian place in town. She tried to tell him she probably wasn't dressed well enough for a real restaurant, but he just grinned.

"Nah, you're dressed just fine. It's supposed to be a casual place, and you look great."

That night, when they left the restaurant, Jeff had lifted his arm, and Muriel had slipped her arm in his. That was something most women wouldn't do anymore because it was what they called "anti-feminist", but it just felt right to her. It was like Jeff was saying they were together instead of just two people.

After another two weeks, she was aching for Jeff to hold her and kiss her, but she didn't think that was something she should initiate. After another week, she couldn't stop herself from turning to face him when he walked her to her car. She put her hands on his chest and smiled.

"Jeff, I...well, I don't know if it's something you think is right or not, but I have to say it."

When she just kept standing there, Jeff chuckled.

"Are you going to tell me or are you going to make me guess?"

"Well, it's hard because I've never done this before."

"All you have to do is say it."

Muriel took a deep breath.

"Beverly told me she thinks you like me."

Jeff chuckled again.

"That's what was so hard to say?"

"No...Well, yes, because...well...oh, dammit."

Muriel put her arms around Jeff's neck and then raised up on her tiptoes and kissed him. She didn't kiss him for very long, she just pressed her lips to his and then eased back down, but Jeff felt that kiss make him tingle all over. He looked at her for a second, then put his arms around her.

"Beverly was right. If you're trying to say you like me too, I think I got the message. Can I send you one back?"

Jeff didn't let her answer. He just bent his head down, put his lips to hers, and kissed her until she purred a little moan into his mouth. He broke the kiss then, and grinned.

"So, do we have a consensus?"

Muriel pressed her breasts into his chest. Before, she just wanted him to kiss her. Now, she thought that wasn't nearly enough.

"We do about this. Where do we go from here?"

"Well, if you were Beverly, you'd probably ask me to take you home and spend the night. She's been known to do that. I don't figure you're ready for that, not yet."

"If I did ask, would you do it?"

"If I thought you were serious, I would."

"What would I have to do to convince you I'm serious?"

"Just tell me you're ready. Don't do that tonight, because I won't believe you. Think about it and what it means first, because once we do, I don't think I'll want to stop."

Muriel did think about it. She thought about it for most of the next week and especially before she went to sleep at night. Would it be like her first time? Would it be his first time?

She doubted both. The first time, she'd been in college and the guy didn't really know what he was doing, or at least it didn't feel like he did. All she'd felt was a little stab of pain and then not much of anything until he pulled out. He'd worn a condom, so maybe that was why she hadn't felt much, she didn't know, but that had kept her from trying it again.

She didn't think it would be Jeff's first time either. He was a good looking guy and most of the women in the department had said they'd think about it if they hadn't been married or had a boyfriend. Beverly had just grinned and said she'd fuck him senseless if she got the chance. No, he had to have done it before. Maybe he'd know what a woman liked.

By Thursday, she still hadn't come to grips with how she felt and what Jeff had said. It was Helen, a woman who ran a turret lathe and had to be at least sixty who gave her the best advice.

"I've seen how you two look at each other. He looks at you like my Matt still looks at me, and you get all flushed when you see him. Honey, if you really like Jeff, you need to let him know. If you don't, you'll lose him."

Muriel had asked Helen how far she should go to let him know that. Helen leaned closer.

"Well, when I was your age, girls weren't supposed to let a man touch them until they were married, but most of us liked to neck. Matt and I got carried away one night, and I didn't want to stop him. We did it in the back seat of his old Chevy. I didn't like that first time much, but after the second time, I couldn't wait to have him do me again. It was like we were really together when we did it. We still do, just not as often, and it still makes me feel the same way. You'll have to decide for yourself, but if I was you, I'd find out if he makes you feel that way. If he does, you're going to want him to keep doing you. If he doesn't, what have you lost?"

Helen grinned then.

"I suppose your mama told you about rubbers. Just make sure he uses one or you might get a surprise. Our first was a surprise because Matt ran out. Thank God we were married by then, or people would have said really bad things about us. You don't want that to happen to you."

That Friday, Muriel put on the black panties and black lace bra she'd bought on Thursday night, and then picked out what she thought was her sexiest jeans and blouse. All day long, she kept watching Jeff to see if he was watching her, and when he smiled at her, she felt her cheeks grow warm.

That night, after they finished eating at Hattie's Grill, she put her arm in Jeff's and he walked her to her car. When they got there, she put her arms around his neck and looked up at his face.

"I've thought about what you said last Friday."

Jeff circled her waist with his arms.

"Oh. What did you think about?"

"I thought about every reason I want to and every reason I shouldn't. That was after all the women in the department told me what I should do."

Jeff frowned.

"Oh, God. Don't tell me you asked every women in the department what you should do."

Muriel grinned.

"No. You know I wouldn't do that. They already suspect anyway. They just told me what they'd do."

"So, what would they do."

"Well, most of them would like to sleep with you, all except Helen. Beverly went a little further. She said she'd fuck you senseless. I don't think I want to do that.

"Only Helen gave me a suggestion that made sense to me. She said if she was me, she'd find out how you made her feel."

"I'd never have expected Helen to say something like that. She's everybody's grandmother."

Muriel pulled her breasts into Jeff's chest a little tighter.

"She's not quite as innocent as she lets on, and I feel the same way right now."

Jeff stroked Muriel's back.

"So what are you telling me?"

Muriel raised up on her toes, kissed Jeff, and then whispered, "I want you to take me home with you so I can see if you make me feel like Helen said."

In her work uniforms, Jeff thought Muriel was probably thin with not much figure. In the jeans and tops she started wearing, he knew she had a nice, feminine figure. As they lay on their sides on his bed, naked and facing each other, he was fascinated by how small Muriel really was and also by the fact that her breasts still seemed to be large for her size and her hips had such sensuous curves.

In her jeans and blouses, he knew she was small, but she looked strong. Naked, she looked like a fragile, pale sculpture. Her skin was so soft, her breasts so firm and yet yielding to his gentle touch, and stroking her hips stirred his cock more than had any other women he'd ever been with.

As soon as he'd taken off her clothes, Muriel had looked at him with hope in her eyes.

"I hope you're not disappointed. I don't have everything Beverly has."

Jeff had just kissed her and then said, "Yes you do, and you've made me forget all about Beverly anyway."

Muriel had been quiet, at first, and let Jeff do what he wanted. What she soon found was she couldn't keep her hands off his back and couldn't stop pulling him down to kiss her. That lasted until he nuzzled her right breast and then kissed her nipple. Muriel felt the shock and then the sensation of her nipple stretching long and taut. That sent another tingling sensation racing to her core and she moaned. It hadn't been like this the first time, even at the end, and they'd just started.

Jeff had teased her nipples until they were swollen tight and raised off nipple beds wrinkled and bumpy in arousal, and Muriel found herself craving the feeling of Jeff laying on top of her with his cock inside her. She was almost to the point of telling him that when he slipped a fingertip between her lips.

She caught her breath, then moaned when that fingertip stroked over her rippled inner lips and then up to the underside of her clit. She knew that feeling because she'd caused it herself. When she did it, it was nice and if she did it long enough, she'd have an orgasm. When Jeff did it, it was agonizingly erotic, so erotic she felt her body open and then the warm flow that spilled from her entrance and then dribbled between her cheeks. She tightened her arms around Jeff's back, and when he did it again, she curled her fingers into claws and pressed her nails into his back.

Jeff kept doing that until Muriel was beginning to breathe hard, then moved that fingertip down to her entrance and slowly pushed it inside her. Muriel moaned, and her hips lurched up when Jeff curled his finger up and moved it in and out. She spread her thighs as wide as they would go, and then pulled on his shoulders.

"Oh Jeff, I want you so much."

Jeff didn't stop his curling finger, and Muriel gasped when she slipped a second finger inside her and started moving them in and out. It wasn't until she was grabbing at his back and her hips started to rock into every stroke of his fingers that she felt him move between her spread thighs.