My name is Lincoln. I’m your average alligator working 9 to 5 at an IT company in New Orleans. I get social anxiety pretty easily. It makes it pretty hard for me to hang out with crowds of people, or join social gatherings. That’s why I appreciate getting a desk job. I work alone, focused on whatever tasks I am given, and the conversations I have with my coworkers are brief and pleasant. This job isn’t anything spectacular, but it keeps my income stable.

There is one thing that makes this job hard on me though, and that’s my boss. His name is Nolan, and he is the director of our building. His job is overseeing our work, and he often observes me the most. I get nervous being around him, because he’s so big, tall, and intimidating. I’m a lean alligator, but he looks double my weight and size. Sometimes my imagination gets the better of me, and I wonder what he’d do if I ever upset him. I don't know why he picks on me in particular, but I can at least turn my anxieties into energy, and work more productively at the office.

Then one day, something unbelievable happened that turned my world upside down. It all started during lunch. I love to cook, and I made a special lunch for myself; A sunny turmeric tahini sauce with chickpeas, roasted sweet potatoes, kale, and brown rice. Opening the lid, I felt awash with joy at the delicious aroma. I let out a content sigh, and got up from my desk. The breakroom is just next door, and I was excited to go and eat.

Then, before I knew it, that was when my joy turned into fear. Director Nolan walks into the office room, and I bump right into him. My lunch box splatters all over, getting sauce, rice, and potatoes on his tight button up. I fall on my butt, feeling sauce and rice run down my arm and chest. I shook my head, groaning from landing on the hard floor. Before I can even stand, I feel my boss’s piercing gaze at me, and shudder.
“Hey! Did you even notice I was coming in, Lincoln!?”

His booming deep voice traveled all the way to the end of the room. Our coworkers hear this, and stare at us. I can feel their eyes at the back of my head, and it only added to my stress. I get up, shuffling in place and bowing my head to him. “A thousand pardons, sir!” I kept my eyes to the ground, hoping he would stop yelling at me.

“Here. Use this and pick the food off my shirt.” He hands me a handkerchief he kept in his pocket. I grab it, get closer, and start picking rice and potatoes off his body. As soon as I made contact, the sensation I felt made me freeze in place. Nolan has a very large chest and belly, but his body felt firm to the touch. It’s like he had muscle underneath that layer of fat. My eyes widen, and my hands slow down. I couldn’t help but stare at his round belly while I cleaned his shirt. Before I stared off into space, his voice snapped me out of my state. “Hey.”

“Eep! Yes?”

“Why are you so stiff? Clean my shirt.”

I nod, and finish picking off the rest of the rice and potatoes. It was all in my hand, so I wanted to toss it in the nearby waste basket. Before I could, though, Nolan grabbed my paw, and pressed it against his belly. “You missed a spot.” He starts slowly moving my hand up and down that stain on his shirt. I gulp down saliva, trying my best to remain calm while helping him wipe that stain. His body feels so firm. I couldn’t get over it.

He finally lets my hand go after a minute. When I looked back at Nolan, he was scribbling something on a piece of paper. “Here. This is the bill for my dry cleaning.” He shoves it in my shirt pocket, pushes me aside with his big belly, and walks away. I remained still, that sensation of his body left me red in the face. Two of my co-workers stare at me with puzzled glances. I really didn’t want to be more embarrassed than I already am, so I went into the breakroom before they started asking questions.

“Man. He must think I’m so weird now.” I sit down, letting out a tired groan. I never told him that I was gay, so I can’t imagine what he’s thinking if he noticed I was admiring his body. Hopefully paying for his dry cleaning makes up for that scene. I looked at the slip of paper he gave me, and my eyes nearly popped out of its socket from what I've read; “My number is 555-1609. Call me after work. PS: Dry cleaning is 1099 leaves.” He gave me his phone number? W-why does he want to call me? What’s going on? Am I in trouble? I better not linger on that thought. Just eat what’s left of your lunch and get back to work, Lincoln.

5 ‘o’ clock is when we get off work. I didn’t see Nolan at all for the rest of the day. My friend mentioned he was locked in his office, focused on paperwork after lunch. I guess he wasn’t avoiding me on purpose. Before I can relax though, I need to call him. I stand beside the office building, dial his number on my phone, and wait a couple of rings before he answers. “Hmph. I didn’t think you’d actually call.” I can just imagine his smug smile.

“Well you said to call you. Is it about your dry cleaning? Do you need me to drop off your clothes? Or you want me to pay for it now? I can-”

“Uggh will you relax? It’s not about my clothes. Look. I’m going to the tavern tonight. Wanna join me for a drink?”

“Huh? You want me to hang out with you?”

“Is that a problem?”

“No no! I uhh- I’m not doing anything tonight, so sure.”

“Good. Meet me at the Creature tavern at 8pm.”

“Right. See you tonight.”

He hangs up without even saying goodbye. I stare at my phone, then add his number to my contact list. He sounded different on the phone. Usually he spoke with authority and pride. Like a captain of his crew, he motivates us to stay focused and work hard in IT. Just now though, that growl in his voice was gone. It was deeper, softer. I don’t know why he’s behaving this way, but maybe I’ll find out when I join him at the tavern. Guess I’ll go about my day as usual until then.

Three hours passed almost in a blink of an eye. I spent like an hour of it getting cleaned up and dressed properly. I’m going to a tavern, so a simple button up and jeans should be good. Nolan will probably dress casually too, and I do not want to get teased for being overly dressed for a hangout. Once I’m all ready, I lock up my house, and drive to the Creature tavern down at the commercial district. This is my first time ever being alone with my boss outside of work. I need to stay calm before my head is full of all kinds of worst case scenarios.

The tavern looked lively tonight. Inside is a bright, jazzy atmosphere. Lots of anthros are together, cutting loose after a long day of work, moving to the sounds of a live jazz band, and sharing pleasantries with each other. It was hard to make out Nolan from the crowd, so I had to zig zag between anthros until I came out of the other side of the crowd. A mix of relief and stress washed over me when I found Nolan at the tavern table.

I slowly make my way to him, sitting on the rotating chair next to him. To my surprise, he was dressed nicely. A white button up with a cameo printed tie, gray jeans, and a silver watch strapped around his left wrist gave him the look of a noble. His body looked lucid and relaxed. There’s a large glass of beer next to his plate of steak, fries, and lettuce, so he must have already been drinking before I arrived. Before I say anything, a puma waitress walks up and sets the exact same plate of food in front of me, and a glass of beer.

“Good timing. I already ordered you food.” He takes a large swig of his beer.

“Huh? Uhh-”

“What? You don’t eat steak?”

I shake my head, and a fork and knife. “I do. T-thank you. I’ll eat right away.” I cut a piece of steak and ate it. Its juicy, spicy flavor sends my taste buds dancing. I could tell the chef here used the perfect amount of italian seasoning, garlic powder, and pepper. I take another bite, smiling from cheek to cheek. “So good!”

“This tavern’s food is highly praised by a lot of people online. I had no doubt you’d like it.”

“Is the beer good too?”

“Damn right it is.” He guzzles the rest of his beer down, slams the cup on the table, and lets out a content sigh. “Waitress! Hit me!” The puma bows her head, and fills Nolan’s glass with more beer. My eyes widened from the glistening liquid pouring out of the bottle. Just how much beer is he planning to drink? He flashed a thumbs up, signaling her to stop. Then takes a quick sip from his cup. “Haaa. I needed this after the week we’ve had.”

“Yeah. We had a long conference about optimizing the latest phone apps for the new smartphone models. It took a lot of debugging and programming to make sure they all ran smoothly.”

“Not to mention the paper work. I had to dip my hands in a bowl of warm water before my fingers got sore from typing on that damn computer.” Nolan scarfs down a handful of fries down his large jaw. We alligators can easily eat large chunks of food and swallow them down, so I wasn’t worried that he would overdo it. “Our company is good, Lincoln, but I don’t settle for good. I’m like the captain of this ship, and it’s my job to make sure that ship and its crew are running at 110%. You understand?”

“Y-yes sir.” I did not expect him to vent about work here. He makes some good points, and I was never one to complain about anything. If it’ll help him relax, then I’ll gladly lend an ear while he lets out his frustrations. This beer outta helps me relax too, so I take a sip of it.

“And it ticks me off that our coworkers find me aggressive and intimidating when all I’m doing is my job. You know what happened when I asked Susan for her lens cleaner?”

“She… willingly let you borrow it?”

“Hah. I wish. He shuddered, handing me her spray with quivering hands.” He lets out a huff before taking another swig of beer. “Everyone seems to like you, Lincoln, and you’re an alligator. How are they not scared of you?

“Me? I uhh… I just talk to them, and help them with whatever they need.”

He tilts his head, looking at me like I said something silly. “That’s it?”
“That’s it.” I kinda want to say more, so I gave it a shot. “It would help if you uhh, toned down your voice?”

“What? Like not yell?”

“Yeah. You can be stern with us. Just don’t raise your voice. A lot of people don’t like that.” He looks away, ripping a piece of his steak and chews while resting his head on his hand. I clear my throat, and take another sip of beer before I continue talking. “If it helps, Wayne and Victoria say that they respect you for motivating them to work hard.”

He glanced at me with furrowed brows. “You’re not just saying that, are you?”

“Not at all. You’re a great boss, Nolan. If we didn’t like you, we would have quit a long time ago.”

We were silent for a moment. The background noise of the tavern fills the air. Nolan looks away for a moment. When he looks back at me, I see the faintest of smiles on his face. It’s so rare to see him look so vulnerable. I feel like I’m seeing another side of him. “That’s a weight off my mind. I’ll try not to yell so much in the future.” He gives me a gentle pat on the head. “Thanks, Lincoln.”

“You’re welcome.” I smile at him. We turn back to our food and continue eating. The night went on. We share some small talk between bites and drinks that aren’t work related. It was really nice. Nolan is much more chill than he looked on the job. I’d like to do this with him again sometime.

I finished my food and beer. I was so into our conversations that I didn’t realize how fast I drank my beer. I start to feel a little intoxicated, holding my head and taking a deep breath. Maybe I should leave my car here and walk home tonight. I wonder what Nolan is going to do? He’s on his third cup of beer. Lifting the cup skyward while guzzling it down, I can see his thick neck gulping it down, all the way to his stomach. He must have a high tolerance for alcohol if he can chug it down so easily. Once he’s finished, he sets it down, and belts a loud, deep burp that gets some of the anthro’s attention.

“Haaa. Damn, my shirt feels tight.”

T-tight? My face turns red as soon as I stare at his rotund pot belly. The buttons are straining, holding his shirt together for dear life before it rips. The drunk Nolan slaps his belly, swaying left and right while letting out a soft laugh. He totally overdid it. I better take him upstairs into a private room. “We better get you to bed. Uhh waitress? We’re done. Can we rent a room, please?”

“Certainly. I’ll just add a night's stay to your bill.”

I nod. Nolan mumbles okay before laughing and leaning forward. I hear one of his buttons pop, revealing his under belly for all to see. I gasp, and help him off his chair. “Come on. Let’s go upstairs, Nolan.”

“Hic! Okay, Lincoln. Hahaha.”

After the waitress gives me a key to our room, we wobble upstairs, down the hall, and into the room. It’s a spacious room with a closet, a small monitor hanging on the wall, a table with two chairs against the wall, and two beds by the window. Nolan sits on the bed, his large body sank in the mattress while he laughed. I sit by him, rubbing his back while trying to think of a way to help him sober up. “Umm… do you need anything? Water? A cool rag?”

“Heh heh. Just your company, Lincoln.”

“Oh. Well, I can stay the night then.”

“Cool. Thanks.” Much to my surprise, he puts an arm around my neck. His thick, heavy arms nearly make me sink into the soft mattress. I gasp, and stare into his soft yellow eyes. “Haaa. I hope you had fun. Cause I did.”

“...Yeah. I did.”

“Good.” He leans closer. I could smell beer from his warm breath when he spoke. “Hehe. You like my belly, don’t you?”

I nearly froze up. My eyes widen, and my face turns red again. “W-w-what brought that up?”

“Aww don’t be shy. It’s just us. I’m an open book. You can be honest with me.”

Is he implying something? Is he setting me up to get made fun of? I dart my eyes around the room, struggling to decide whether to be honest or not. The longer I stay silent though, the more he stares at me with a mischievous grin. I really don’t want things to be awkward between us, but… “I. Do.”

“I thought so.” He playfully boops my nose. “I noticed when you were whipping your lunch off my shirt. One touch and you froze up.”

I lean my head down and put my hands together. “I’m so sorry.”

“Why are you sorry? I thought it was cute.”

“Huh?”

“Hmph.” He pulls his arm back, folding his arms and resting them on his belly. “I have no problem with you liking my body. In fact, I like it.”

“Y-you do?”

“Yeah. I’ll admit it, I like you, Lincoln. The way you're so shy around others, how productive you are at working, the kindness you express to others. It just bothered me that you’re so stiff and stutter your words a lot. That’s why I needed to kick you into high gear, to bring out that potential in you.”

“So, you didn’t yell at me because you didn’t like me?”

“Oh hell no. Like I said earlier, I was doing my job.” He grabs my hand, and places it on top of his belly. “And part of the job is motivating my coworkers. Did this motivate you earlier today?”

I look away for a moment, gulping down saliva before I look back at him. “I uhh- I was.”

“Good. You know we succeeded in our hardest week of IT work ever because of you, right?”

“Oh uhh I can’t take all the credit. Everyone else did a great job- you especially.”
Nolan let out a laugh. The sensation of his belly jiggling made me bite my lip. Calm down, Lincoln.

“You just keep making me like you more, Lincoln.” He lets my hand go, and starts unbuttoning his shirt. Slowly, his large upper body spills out of his shirt, until it is entirely exposed. “Would you like me to give you a reward?”

He really wants to do this? I don’t know if it was the alcohol or not, but looking at his incredible body, it stirred a strong desire in me. “Are you sure, sir?”

“I wouldn’t be offering if I didn’t like you. If it’s too soon though, you can say no.”

He’s so understanding. The big tough boss of my work turns out to be a big softy? I can’t help but love that about him. Love, so this is what it’s like to feel love. To show my answer, I grab a ‘do not disturb’ sign from a drawer, and hang it on the other side of the door. Then I lock it, take my shirt off, and get on my knees in front of him. “Thank you. I promise I won’t overstep any boundaries.”

“Tch. I’m not worried.”

It’s really happening. My first intimate moment with someone I like. He’s letting me worship whatever parts of his body I want. I start with his belly. Running slow circles at the upper part, then working my way down to his sides. It feels so firm, yet soft. He remains silent, smiling and watching my every move. I dig my hands underneath his belly, and lift it up slightly. It felt heavy from all that food and beer he drank. When I let go, it lands on his lap with a thud, and he laughs from it jiggling.

Next, I put my hands flat on his pecs. Like his belly, they felt firm and soft. However, I can also feel some muscle underneath them. “You work out?”

“Yeah. I have guys and girls staring at me when I’m lifting weights. Want a closer look?”

I take that as consent to lay my body on his belly and put my head between his pecs. He wraps his thick arms around me, running his hand down my back. His dark green scales are so firm. Dry, and hard, like sandpaper. Underneath all that mass though, is some solid muscle. He wasn’t kidding, this must be the result of years of working out. I could stay like this forever.

“You’re so thin, Lincoln. I gotta get you to eat more.”

“Haha. I like my size already, sir. I do love to cook though, so I can easily make high protein meals for more muscle.”

“Think you’ll do it if I motivate you?”

“Maybe.” I said in a playful tone.

“Oh getting sassy with me? Don’t make me eat you up.”

I froze up again. I really hope he’s joking. Knowing him though, he might. Then much to my surprise, he playfully nibbles on my neck and shoulder. I let out a laugh, and started tickling his sides. “Hahaha! Hey that tickles!”

He chuckles, then stops to let out a sigh. He nuzzles against my neck, then pulls me in to lay on the bed with him. He wraps his legs around mine, and squeezes me with a hug. “Getting kinda tired, Lincoln. I’ll give you a few more minutes before I pass out.”

“Then… Can I see your thighs?”

“My thunder thighs? Haha. Sure. The pants are coming off.”

He wasn’t kidding. His thighs are so huge. I run my hand down his thigh. I can feel some muscle underneath that layer of body fat. It felt so good, I couldn’t help but keep feeling them for another minute. “I feel so happy right now.” I crawl back on top of Nolan, and try to wrap my arms around his wide body. “Thank you, Nolan. This is fun.”

“No. Thank you.” He said while hugging me back. We stay like this for a minute, until I hear a laugh full of mischief from him. He rolls to the side, putting me on top of him. He looms over me, his belly pressed against mine. His eyes shone a glimmer of desire. I smile, eagerly ready for what he wants to do next. “Ever wanted a weighted blanket?”

“More than anything.”

“Heheh. Then enjoy it. Goodnight, Lincoln.” He lays right on top of me. Being between his warm, huge body, and the soft mattress under me, I feel like I'm going to have the best sleep of my life.

The next day, we both woke up with a hangover, but we were happy. We put our clothes back on, and walk downstairs. The tavern was quiet, only a couple of leopard mercenaries were together resting breakfast before leaving for work. I walk up to the waitress, and pull out my wallet. I needed to chip in for the bill, but Nolan surprises me by handing her his credit card.

“Everything is on me. You can pay for my dry cleaning.”

“Oh. Yes sir.”

He smirks, walking over to pull me in for a side hug. “Enjoy your weekend. I’ll see you Monday for work.” He leans in close, and whispers, “Mate.” That word filled me with so much joy, that I hugged him back. He lets out a laugh, and goes on his merry way home. I stay in place, savoring every second of my joy. I never thought a shy, socially anxious person like me would start dating my boss. Everyone is probably going to be so surprised. Things are going to be different from here on out, and I couldn’t be any happier.

The end!