Carol's Condition - Kevin's Story

This is a work of fiction. All characters are 18 or older. In my fictional world there are no STDs. Some characters act in fictional and irrational ways. I am indebted to my beta readers and editors Amber_Embers, brewster926 and DawnJ you all are the best. Thank you also to Burnt Redstone for his sage advice. This is my first story so any and all comments are appreciated.

Kevin's Story

Chapter one: Brian is not my friend

"OK, looks like that's all the forms you need to fill out," said Lisa with a smile.

Lisa was my very attractive HR onboarding assistant and this was the end of the third day of forms and company policies for what I hoped was going to be my new career. She opened her laptop and gave me a look.

"I see you're going to be assigned to Brian Osterman."

"Is that bad?" I asked with a lump in my throat.

"Oh no," she smiled as I watched her try to backpedal. "It's just, Brian is a Principal Engineer and rarely mentors junior engineers. I can't recall him ever working with a new hire fresh out of school. But you'll be fine." Was she a little flushed? I could certainly see her nipples poking out now. I knew they weren't before. I'd been watching.

"Great I thought, the first week at the company, and I'm going to be working for some old fart who is going to expect perfect work." I could feel myself starting to sweat.

"Anyway, it's almost five so I'll take you down to Engineering and introduce you now so you can get going right away in the morning," she said with what I thought was a forced smile. Yep, nipples definitely out, her satin top pulled tight against some major league breasts as she stood up.

Lisa had what the guys would call 'hips to breed' and I watched her sway them with deadly effect as she lead me through the building. The four-inch heels and pencil skirt that hugged her ass were nice bonuses. Too bad she was at least ten years older than me. I wouldn't mind gazing at her smoky green eyes first thing in the morning. I was hoping she'd be around checking up on me.

Three corridors and two cube farms later we were standing outside an office with B. OSTERMAN on the door. I quickly adjusted my dick in my pants so it wasn't so obvious just as Lisa knocked, opened the door and then stepped aside pushing me forward.

"Come on in," said a gruff baritone.

I stepped in. The light was low with just the glow from the monitors illuminating the room.

Behind me, Lisa said, "Brian this is your new assistant, Kevin."

"Close the door and take a seat," he said not looking up.

I turned around and Lisa was gone. I checked both directions in the hall but she must have run out of there like an Olympic sprinter. What the hell!

So I sat in one of the two chairs facing his desk as he stared at the two monitors and the drawing spread out before him. He was about forty-five I guessed, with dark hair with a little gray on the sides and a strong face. He resembled Harrison Ford but not enough that you would remark on it. He was deep into solving whatever problem he was working on, and so I sat there and waited.

Finally, after eleven long minutes, he looked up.

"I'm Brian," he said. "I am not your friend." He stood up and reached out with his hand.

Remembering my father's advice, I shook his hand with a strong grip. "Wouldn't expect you to be," I managed.

He smiled at that. "Your cube is directly opposite my office. The IT gofers have been setting up your workstation all day. They probably fucked it up as usual but we'll get it straightened out tomorrow. Hope you can drink from a fire hose because it's the only way to learn this job."

With that, I was dismissed. Stepping out of his office, I took a deep breath. I can do this, I thought, trying to pump myself up.

************************

It certainly was like trying to drink from a fire hose. Brian was a demanding taskmaster, but he was there every step of the way, making sure I didn't make too much of a mess. So much to learn, and not just the technical things. I spent most of my time learning the company systems and processes, and who did what.

For the first six months I was Brian's shadow. I ran his errands, analyzed test results, and reviewed all his reports. One day reading through his presentation for a design review I found a mistake. It was quite rare for me to find a problem or even a mistake in the paperwork, "Nice catch," he mumbled over his shoulder as he walked away.

Oh, high praise indeed.

************************

I noticed that Brian had few visitors and those that did stop by his office usually only stayed for a couple of minutes. He never talked with the others on break or at lunch and kept to himself for the most part. The engineering department was only forty people, thirty-five guys, and five women. Brian never socialized with the rest of us.

Lisa did come by to check on me. She had told me that it was her job to make sure I had a smooth integration into the company. She came by every couple of weeks to chat and see how I was doing. She always gave me a nice view of her ample cleavage as she leaned over my desk. I always pulled my chair forward so she couldn't see my bulge as I fantasized about my shaft surrounded by those puffy lips with that creamy red lipstick. Sometimes I think she read my mind as she pouted her lips at me and then gave me a quick smile. But what I think she was actually doing was wiggling her ass for Brian. But I noticed that if Brian did open his office door she was quick to stand up and walk away not even glancing back to look at him.

I didn't report to Brian but he did report on my progress. I tried my best to keep him happy. I guess I was successful. My reviews went well and as the months rolled by I continued to move up the corporate ladder.

"You must think you're hot shit with all the promotions you get," Lisa said one day after my two-year anniversary. But I noticed her nipples were out again and she was smiling. She stood up to leave flipping her long brunette hair over her shoulder and then leaned over to me. I thought she was going to whisper something but she just softly blew into my ear and then walked away. I inhaled her perfume and got hard.

************************

In the department meeting in March Dave, the Engineering manager announced that we had been awarded the Navy contract for the NA45Y or at least that part of it that we were qualified to design and develop.

"Brian, I want you to head up the project." said Dave. "This is going to be a crushing schedule and we can't be late."

Brian nodded and said, "I want Brad and Kevin, and Stacy on the team and we'll need three lab techs. If I had my choice I'd prefer Amy and Dennis, and Greg."

Dave just nodded and it was done. Holy shit I thought. I'm on one of the most important projects this year.

************************

Stacy and Brad and I formed an easygoing, but focused team, taking instructions and direction from Brian. The days flew by and soon we were testing the prototypes. The techs, Amy in particular, were on the ball, and we rarely had to explain what we wanted twice. Everything was moving along much faster than expected. Dave started talking about the project being completed in half the time. Brian didn't say anything.

In August we hit our first roadblock. Then another in October and another in January. We started working 60-hour weeks then 70 and then 80 hours per week. We were all exhausted. We had no life outside of work.

In February Dave started wondering out loud if he had put the right team on the project. Nothing like working your ass off and then getting no support from management. We were all grumpy and tense. And all of us stopped talking to Dave.

Finally, things started coming together. Driving to the finish, we delivered a fully functional prototype to manufacturing at the end of April. I felt a ton of stress lift off my shoulders. Stacy, Brad, and I started talking about maybe being able to take vacations.

My promotion to full Engineer came through the next week. "Fastest anyone has made it to full Engineer in the last twenty years stud," Lisa told me and gave me a little hip bump. After two years of flirting, I still couldn't figure Lisa out. She made it clear she wouldn't violate company policy against dating 'even if I were old enough', but she sure liked to push my buttons. She delighted in teasing me about my 'lack of experience' especially in front of Stacy or Amy.

That Friday Brian stopped at my desk. "Up for getting a beer?" He asked.

My jaw must have hit the floor but I grabbed my jacket and followed him out.

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Chapter 2: Brian opens up

So, of course, Brian didn't pick the same nearby bar the rest of the gang went to. I followed him to a run-down little place in a part of town I'd never been to. There were only two other cars in the parking lot.

I followed Brian in and saw him nod to the bartender. He went to a booth against the back wall. I slid in across from him.

"So I figured if we were going to be working together we should get to know one another."

I just stared at him. What were the last two years?

But Brian didn't even pause and went on like we were just meeting for the first time. He told me about his home up north, where he went to high school, where he got his engineering degree, and his hobbies, fishing and hiking.

So I told him about growing up in a military family, and how we moved around a bit. Not as much as most but I still went to two elementary schools and two high schools. Mom and Dad lived in Florida where Dad was currently stationed and he was due to retire soon. Dad was an accountant in the Air Force. I smiled and said, "Join the Air Force and add up numbers around the globe." Brian liked that.

We talked for a couple of hours and drained a pitcher of beer. Agreeing that we had to do this again, I drove home still confused on what had brought on this change.

The next week Brian asked If I wanted to grab lunch on Wednesday. He suggested another out-of-the-way diner that I didn't know existed. Brian was interesting and had a lot of stories to tell about how the company had changed over the years and about our customers. I told him about places I'd lived and how I wished I could go back and take all my classes again now that I was using them. I'd pay much closer attention rather than concentrating on just getting the grade this time.

We kind of fell into a pattern, one week the bar, and the next lunch. A few weeks later Lisa took me aside in the break room.

"OK, spill," she said.

"What?"

"What's with you and Brian?"

"I don't know we're just hanging out."

"What do you mean by hanging out? He doesn't hang out."

"Well, that's what we're doing," I said.

"Is he, has he, are you guys friends now or something?"

"No, I don't think so. We're just getting to know each other."

Lisa gave me a long hard look, "I know it's none of my business but you need to be careful around Brian."

"What the fuck does that mean?"

"Well, think about it, why you? Brian doesn't interact socially with anyone else in the department. He's like a robot, all business 24/7. But with you suddenly he has a drinking buddy. Don't you wonder why?"

I had to admit she had a point. It kind of put me on guard and for the next month or so as we talked I observed Brian. I couldn't find any hint of him being anything other than just a guy. We talked about sports, the news, movies we liked, and even politics. Just a normal guy.

But my observations had not gone unnoticed. In the middle of lunch one day he kind of glanced down at his sandwich and said, "you probably noticed I don't have many friends." He took a breath and looked up at me. "I have found over the years that my life and work go much smoother the fewer relationships I have."

I gave a long drawn-out "Ohhhkay."

He shrugged and explained, "I'm an engineer, we analyze things. I hate office politics, and relationships, I've found, get in the way when hard decisions have to be made. I like being the best at what I do. You like that too, don't you? Being very good at what you do?"

"Well yeah, but I haven't found that friendships have ever caused me big issues or set me back. I kind of view them as expanding my world."

Brian shook his head. "It doesn't work like that for me. Every new relationship adds complexity, more things to handle, and more variables. People get hurt feelings, and people get ignored. I have just found it easier to keep a very small group of friends. A very small group."

I thought about that for a minute and then smiled at him. "Whatever turns your crank," I said. It didn't make sense to me but I'd met some guys that had even weirder hangs ups in my life so I could live with this.

The next week, over a beer, Brian invited me to his house to meet his wife. "Labor day weekend is coming up. If you don't already have plans why don't you come over Sunday and we'll grill some steaks and you can meet Carol."

He gave me directions to his house and we agreed on 3:00 with Brian saying that would give us time for a couple of drinks before dinner. That sounded good to me. I hadn't had a home-cooked meal in quite a while and a three-day weekend wasn't long enough to go home to visit the parents.

I decided to rib him a bit. "I guess we're friends now, huh?"

Brian just fixed his eyes on mine. "We'll see."

What did that mean I wondered.

************************

Lisa came by to see me the next day. "How are things?" She asked.

"Good. Going to have a BBQ at Brian's Labor day weekend," I said.

Lisa's eyes went large and I watched the color rise from her chest to her cheeks.

"He's asked you to meet his wife?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I.....No, look Kevin it's none of my business. I gotta go."

She walked away but I caught up to her.

"What do you know? What is going on?"

"I-, Kevin you're a good looking guy and I mean I think we're friends, right? I mean I wouldn't want you to get hurt. I mean, oh shit, I gotta go."

What the fuck I thought as I watched her walk away.

************************

In the middle of lunch the next week Brian stopped and looked at me. "Um, Carol might ask you some personal things this weekend and she might come on a bit strong. It upsets some people but I'm counting on you to have an open mind, okay?"

I nodded.

"So, I'm going to ask that you just go with whatever direction she takes, okay?"

"Sure, I can take it. No harm, no foul, right?"

"That's the spirit."

So I thought, the obvious options are; 1, Brian's wife was an axe murderer. 2, She was a witch who wanted to harvest my bones. Or 3, She wants to sign me up for some pyramid sales scheme. I laughed, Whatever, it gave me something to anticipate.

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Chapter 3: Brian is my friend

Brian had a nice split level on a corner lot in an older neighborhood on the edge of town. An older house but in excellent repair. I rang the bell and in a minute Brian came around the corner of the house and motioned for me to follow him into the backyard. It was a nice backyard with a brick patio, a pool, and a couple of large trees surrounded by a tall wood privacy fence.

Brian introduced me to Fred his next-door neighbor who had to be about seventy. Fred was slim with a groomed gray beard. He gave me a tight smile and a firm handshake. I immediately thought 'Ex Military'.

Brian called out to Carol, "Kevin is here. Could you bring out a cold one for him?"

A minute later the slider opened and there she stood. Oh-My-Word! I've never been so attracted to anyone so quickly in my life. Immediately my dick was trying to bust through the zipper on my shorts. She walked over and handed me the beer and said with a dazzling smile, "you must be Kevin." All I could do was nod.

Fred laughed. "Close your mouth Kevin or you'll catch flies."

"Carol, honey, I think Kevin needs a minute to drink it all in," said Brian.

Carol did a little pirouette smiling at me. She was tiny, five foot, five one maybe. She was wearing white short shorts that hugged her ass like a second skin. She had on a button-down blouse that, as she turned, made it clear there was no bra supporting two very nice orbs sitting high on her chest. She had long blond hair and a button nose between two sky-blue eyes. She giggled and I thought I was back in high school. Here was my dream come to life.

I looked back and forth between Carol and Brian and did some mental math. This girl had to be my age. How is Brian with her? But wait a minute, I remembered that Brian had told me that they had been married for almost twenty years. How was this possible? I studied Carol. Her skin was perfect, no wrinkles or crow's feet on that beautiful face. I did a quick inspection of her hands, usually a good indicator of age, they were smooth and firm with nice nails with a pink shade of nail polish to match her glossy light pink lipstick. Her dimples deepened as she smiled at me. She looked like the prettiest college cheerleader I had ever seen.

I suddenly remembered to breathe sucking in an audible lungful of air.

"Don't hurt yourself with the mental gymnastics Kevin." Brian said, "Her mother is sixty-one and still stops traffic".

Fred agreed. "Ain't that the truth."

I think we had steak and salad and a few other sides. I know we swapped stories and laughed a lot. But in truth, I couldn't tear my eyes away from Carol. Instead of images, I was storing an entire film for my spank bank. I did notice that she was very handsy. Whenever she stood or walked by Fred or Brian or me she was touching or running her hand over our shoulders and neck or through our hair. I saw Fred shiver a couple of times at that. Whenever she handed me a dish or a drink she made sure our hands touched and our eyes met.

The sun started to get lower in the sky when Fred said, "Well as much as I'd like to stay for the next part, it's this old man's bedtime. You kids enjoy the evening and I'm sure we'll see each other soon."

With that, he was gone. I thought 'the next part'?

We gathered what was left of dinner and made our way to the kitchen. I offered to do the dishes as they had provided the food and drinks. Carol argued that I was their guest and should just sit and relax. In the end, we compromised with me washing and Carol drying and putting the dishes away.

She chatted and smiled while asking me about my family, what I liked about my job, and how I liked our town. It felt very comfortable, like any other family holiday dinner except, every time she bent over to put away a dish I got a quick view of her spectacular ass with just a little bit of camel toe or a very nice view down her blouse with a full view of the girls. Her nipples were erect nubs centered in oval pink areolas about the size of a half-dollar coin. I noticed that a couple of her top buttons were now open. I became aware that she knew I was staring and that she wanted me to. It was suddenly hot in the kitchen.

My dick tried another assault on my zipper.

Carol and I moved to the living room where Brian had a game on but wasn't watching it as he sat in a recliner reading a fishing magazine.

I sat on the couch and Carol sat right next to me with her hand on my arm. Brian didn't even look up at us. Carol whispered in my ear, "Open your shirt Kevin I want to see your chest."

I was buzzed from all the drinking but I still glanced over to see what Brian was doing. Nothing. So I let her unbutton my shirt. She ran her hands over my chest and smiled up at me.

I thought I was ready for anything but then she ran her hand over the front of my shorts, squeezed my shaft, and said out loud. "Kevin, I'd love to see your cock."

No way Brian didn't hear that. I started to sweat and looked over at him.

Brian lowered the magazine a bit and said "No harm, no foul, right?"