Chapter 1: A Paradigm Shift

Sidney Dickens was having the best of times in the worst of times. The downturn in the markets had shrunk his investments like everyone else's but his business was booming. It seems that manufacturing 'knock-off' clothing was a growth industry these days. With the well to do not so well anymore but still interested in keeping up appearances Sid's quality replica clothing passed all but the closest expert scrutiny thanks in large part to his beautiful younger wife.

When he'd opened the business ten years ago it was really Julia's brainchild. She said that when she saw an article of clothing that she could immediately envision the cutting patterns that would be required to produce it.

In those early days they'd catered to the discount department stores—high volume but low margin. Once a garment when into production Julia's work was done, so she started her own business creating custom patterns for the larger players in the sewing and fabric retail trade. She became a subcontractor to her own husband.

Lately he'd acquired contracts with a couple of more upscale specialty chains and his new profitability had him thinking expansion and re-investment. Even having just celebrated his sixtieth birthday, slowing down and retirement was the furthest thing from his mind.

Dressing quietly in his walk-in closet so as not to disturb his sleepy-head wife he pulled on his Ralph Lauen polo shirt complete with the name sake logo. It was amazing that just by changing the position of the polo mallet ten degrees he couldn't be sued for trademark infringement. The baby blue of the shirt was complimentary to his eyes; or so Julia repeatedly told him. The grey Pierre Cardan slacks were also one of his more popular products.

Checking his appearance in the full length mirror he wouldn't say he was pleased but he wasn't surprised. Short and now slightly paunchy, the only improvement was the Lasik surgery relieving him of the glasses he'd worn for the first forty odd years of his life. He thought it was somewhat ironic that eye glasses had attained a certain chic especially since he was now free of them. They certainly had been anything but fashionable when he was in school. His small un-athletic body, Poindexter appearance and nerdy demeanor made him a social outcast throughout his formative years.

Sid was looking forward to getting to the office today even more than usual. He was assured by the equipment moving company that the programmable cutting machine would be delivered by noon. He'd picked up the exorbitantly pricy piece of equipment at auction for a fraction of its sticker price. It was the first step in doubling his production capabilities. The next hurtle on the horizon—get someone on board who could program it and make it run.

It was a shame that Julia had turned down rejoining the company to oversee it. The technology was so far advanced from what she was used to that it would take some work but she had such a talent for it that Sid felt that he'd probably never find a better candidate than his own wife. He had other candidates but the experienced ones were being very well compensated by their current employers. The recent college grad that he was scheduled to interview this evening didn't have the track-record but she did have the most up to date education and probably a more palatable salary expectation.

Sidney stood for a moment beside the bed where his trophy wife lay sleeping. It had taken almost ten years after college to advance in power and authority in industry to the point that his physical appearance and basic personality no longer impeded his opportunities with the opposite sex. Along with his professional success had come handsome financial rewards. It was a life changing development when the money and power trumped physical attributes—or lack thereof. For quite a few years he'd basked in his nouveau sex appeal gaining confidence, and then along came Julia. Looking down her dark red multi-toned hair was an unkempt mat obscuring part of her beautiful face. Julia was eighteen years younger than him and looked thirty years younger.

He was the General Manager of the flag ship plant of a large clothing manufacturer when she'd come to work there as an assistant in the design department. Her job was considered sort of menial; it was anything but. Julia converted the designs to a pattern which prescribed the cutting of the fabric, so that when it was sewn it would match the original design. As such they came into contact regularly each time a new design went into production. She was drop dead gorgeous and he was determined to relive the sexual revolution of the sixties; a decade when he'd barely been able to get a date much less get lucky.

He leaned down and kissed her gently on the forehead. Twisting and stretching pulled the sheet off her and when her hands went up over her head Julia's very substantial breasts distorted and tried to escape from her white satin nightie.

"Let's go to the club for dinner tonight," she sighed sleepily without opening her eyes.

The clothing plant owner wondered in passing what she was going to do all day if not at least prepare one meal.

As she spoke she twisted fully onto her back and scooped her melons up onto her chest. Her green eyes twinkled when she applied her thumb nail to her satin covered nipple and sent it into a growth spurt. The entrepreneur felt his manhood jerk in his pants and the previous thought was lost.

"I maybe a little late, but I'll call you when I'm about ready to leave," he informed the vamp he had married as he reached for the bedroom door handle.

"Never mind just meet me at the club," she called after him.

Thirty seconds later he was backing the Benz out of the driveway and hoping the erection Julia had inspired was gone before he reached the plant.

Sidney Bing was putting on his leather football jacket in preparation for the trip to school. It was his first day of school but not the first day of school. As an Honor Roll student he had no trouble getting permission to miss the first week. The rural road construction project that he'd worked on all summer had run long because of the crappy weather.

He had no qualms whatsoever about catching up with the school work that he'd missed. He knew that he would catch and pass ninety percent of his classmates by the end of the month. What was weighing on his mind was his position on the football team. He'd missed a week of practice—that was bad.

Sid was a significant part of the reason that the Grand Valley High Rams had won their division championship the year before. It was his good luck and Gary Robson's bad that put him at the pivot in only his junior year. It wasn't written in stone but the usual was that seniors play.

Robson thought he was pretty hot shit when he got the motor cycle for his birthday and continued to hold that opinion right up until the day he wiped-out and broke his leg. Two games into their ten game season it was show time for young Mister Bing and he didn't disappoint.

'I've gained twenty pounds since last season ... and it's all muscle thanks to all that slugging in road construction, ' he comforted himself as he started down the front steps of his house.

He had no doubt that he was stronger than ever; what concerned him was speed. The Rams' offense required a mobile quarterback.

'Suppose the extra weight slows me down too much?'

The one hundred and eighty pounds densely packed on his six foot two frame made him as big as some of the linemen in the league. Tackling him even if they could catch him was no mean feat.

Sid pulled the baseball cap off his head as he entered the school. The sandy colored and unfashionably long hair never looked combed even when he tried so he just ran his fingers through it to make himself at least slightly more presentable before entering the main office.

Mildred Stern the school's long time secretary felt her heart flutter as the incredibly handsome athlete entered her domain.

'I swear they get better looking every year, ' the middle aged widow thought and refused to recognize the needy feelings so low in her belly that they were nearly in her crotch.

"Good to see you back Mister Bing," she greeted the gridiron hero.

The mister part was somewhat tongue in cheek.

"I've got this letter they told me to bring," Sid explained pulling the legal sized envelope out of his inside jacket pocket.

The secretary rose from her desk and approached the counter that separated the staff space from the student and visitors' part of the office.

Mildred dressed conservatively but certainly not frumpy. The blousy type print dress she wore showed off the widow's figure very nicely.

Sid's eighteen year old's hormones were raging as Missus Stern came toward him. His pecker twitched unexpectedly in his blue jeans.

'God I bet she was a knock-out in her day, ' he mused.

'Never mind in her day, ' he amended. 'She could knock me out today!'

Mildred felt herself blushing and her nipples were suddenly itchy and she didn't even know why. It was something in the star quarterback's eyes. She took the envelope from him.

"I'll see that Miz Hubbard gets this as soon as she comes in the office," the slightly disconcerted secretary assured the senior student.

Picking up a large manila envelope from under her side of the counter with S. Bing written on it, she passed it over. Their hands touched just for an instant and Mildred felt an electric jolt shoot directly into her pussy—she yelped.

Sid wasn't sure exactly what had just happened but the older woman across the counter was as red as a beet.

"Static electricity," Mildred speculated.

It came out as a croak and she knew that there was nothing static about the sensations that were coursing through her. Smiling sweetly as she tried to get a grip she said,

"You'll find your time table, locker assignment and pretty much everything else you need to get started right in the envelope."

"Thanks," Sid responded as he exited the office, still unsure of what had actually taken place.

Mildred felt the twitching begin, watching the hard athletic ass molded into the tight blue jeans. The widowed secretary knew that she was going to have to deal with this problem or she'd never get any work done.

The rest of the high school senior's day was pretty mundane. Renewing connections with his friends, borrowing notes so he could catch up. He saw Jennifer, his ex, briefly. They'd broken up in the spring for a number of reasons, not the least of which was that he was going to be gone all summer. It did sting that his cheerleader girlfriend was now dating a linebacker from a rival team.

When the final bell rang Sid was in a full sprint to the equipment room.

Jake had been the equipment manager for three years and was also a senior. They swapped summer stories while the athletically ungifted classmate assembled his gear. Carrying his neatly nested pads in one hand and his practice uniform in the other, Sid headed for the locker room.

"Not so fast Bing," the coach's voice took him by surprise.

He turned to face the well respected former NFL special teams player.

"New rules from the State Education Department nobody gets suited up without a physical."

Sid was well aware that incidents of student athletes dying on the playing field or court had made the legislators paranoid. They had to show due diligence or risk a law suit. Players had always undergone an annual physical but in past years it was just a formality that was conducted en-masse, usually in the gym, sometime before the first scrimmage. He was disappointed but actually not surprised that it was now mandatory.

"Before I can even practice?" Sid moaned.

"Don't worry hot-shot I made arrangements knowing that you'd be back today."

Coach Riglieri handed him an appointment card.

"Dr. B. Chapel

Mon. Sep. 8 - 4:00 pm"

The incumbent QB looked from the card to his head coach as the information sunk in.

"That's today ... uh now!" he exclaimed, glancing at the clock that hung in the center of the hallway.

"No ... You've got about half an hour ... it's not far," the coach chuckled. "Stow your gear and get a move on. Let's see if you're as fast as you used to be."

There was no time for pleasantries. He acknowledged the welcome backs from his teammates dismissively and within five minutes he was jogging quickly the four blocks to Maddox Road.

Sid was proud of himself that, even after the jog and bounding up the two flights of stairs at the medical center, he had barely broken a sweat. He only needed to pause outside the doctor's office for less than a minute to catch his breath.

Getting the suite number in the lobby was easy enough. The alphabetical listing showed that Chapel, Dr. B. was the tenant in suite number 206. Now as he reached for the door handle the name beside it hit him in the gut.

"Dr. Barbara Chapel

Family Physician"

'She's a woman!'

Sidney did not recognize the redundancy in the thought.

Suddenly the happiness he'd felt at proving he wasn't as out of shape as he might have feared lost its meaning. As he stepped through the door into the empty waiting room his mind shot forward to the obligatory hernia check. The thought of a strange woman having her hand on his balls made the boys jump and sort of clench.

Sid could see just the top of a head above the counter at the far side of the room. His confidence was a little shaken but he was macho enough not to let it show. He crossed between the facing rows of chairs and marched up to the counter like he owned the place. The woman of indeterminate age behind the counter immediately passed a clip board over with a pen tied to the clip.

"All your information has already been entered Sidney," she smiled. "I just need you to check it over in case anything has changed since it was last updated."

The Rams QB sat down and got to work.

Barbara Chapel fluffed her chin length under-turned dark brown hair and scanned the mirror in the private washroom attached to her office for any traces of silver that she knew she wouldn't find. She paid handsomely to be sure there wasn't.

The lines on her face were another matter. The doctor looked at the wrinkles her fifty-five years, high stress occupation and two failed marriages had imposed on her once flawless complexion. She would have been happier without them but she wasn't unhappy about her appearance in general.

Her early morning runs and weekly aerobics classes kept her body toned. Thanks to good genes she could still easily pass for someone ten years younger in spite of the lines. What was more, she didn't feel fifty-five. Once again she had to attribute it more to her lineage than any personal effort. She was vigorous, vivacious not to mention horny more than half the time especially now that she'd parted ways with hubby number two.

Last week had been exquisite torture doing physicals on the Pleasant Valley High football team. Getting to run her hands all over the buff jocks clad only in their gym shorts was hard enough. Pulling out the waistband of the shorts and jockstrap to do the hernia check had left her with saturated panties. The thing was that the whole team, not to mention the coaches, were milling around in the gymnasium. The little privacy screen that shielded the player being examined and herself from the other people present wasn't privacy at all.

'Would it have changed anything, if I'd done the physicals in the office?' she couldn't answer the question, but owing to the straggler in her waiting room Doctor Chapel concluded that she was about to find out.

It only took Sid a minute, sitting opposite the reception counter, to verify his basic information. He really didn't have a medical history other than the usual childhood diseases. He'd just risen to return the clipboard when she walked through the frosted glass door from the back area of the medical suite.

"Oh fuck," Sidney said under his breath watching the beautiful brunette pick up the clipboard that he'd just laid on the counter.

'Why couldn't she be old, or fat, or ugly ... Jesus... ' the senior quarterback actually felt faint.

"Mister Bing," the doctor said looking up from the form, "come with me please."

When she turned and started to walk away the sway of her hips under the knee length white coat did nothing to alleviate Sid's problem. Following her down the hall he caught the slightly floral fragrance of her delicate perfume. He wished she smelled like alcohol or formaldehyde anything but an alluring feminine scent.

Sid was no stranger to stressful situations, but the anxiety he was feeling right then was up there with what he'd felt in the moments before the championship game last year. It fact he had pretty much already decided that this was worse—he just couldn't figure out why. He didn't grasp that what was aggravating his anxiety was the sexual component.

The doctor was two or three strides ahead and turned a hundred and eighty degrees to face him when she pushed open the door to the examination room. He didn't want to look but there was no way to avoid it. The white medical coat parted as she stood with her right arm extended from the shoulder. Under the coat she wore a simple black and white shirt dress in a sort of geometric pattern. The black belt synched in around her waist gave her the classic hourglass shape. Sidney wasn't sure if it was the belt or the billowy style of the dress top that made Doctor Chapel look a bit top heavy.

'Big tits too!' the high school senior lamented as he passed the doctor and entered the examination room.

Every card in the deck was stacked against him.

"I need you to get undressed down to your under shorts and then you can take a seat up on the table," Doctor Chapel instructed as she'd done hundreds of times before.

Barbara didn't fully appreciate the effect that the never before heard command would have on her patient but she was quite aware that the familiar words were having a very unusual effect on her. She had the feeling that if she looked down she would see a glow from under her skirt.

'I better go clean up before we start ... this could get uncomfortable, ' she recognized and headed for her washroom.

Sid pulled his T shirt over his head and laid it over the back of a chair.

"Get a grip Bing," he challenged himself out loud as he worked the button on his jeans.

Sidney Dickens was finally back in his office. He'd spent the entire afternoon watching the machinery movers position level and grout his new toy. A very profitable toy if things worked out according to his plan.

It was late in the day. The dayshift would be leaving soon to make way for the nightshift. If it weren't for his interview with the recent college grad he could have been down at his favorite watering hole. Instead he sat behind his desk and pulled out the envelope containing the young woman's resume. He'd decided to give Melissa Somers and interview over a week ago, before he'd even read a word.

What does it say about her that she paper clipped a five by seven of herself to the front of her cover letter?

'I don't think I've ever seen that when applying for a manufacturing position, ' he thought.

Nevertheless the photo had accomplished the mission without the text; it got her an interview.

Sid was looking forward to getting a closer look and having a chat with the very pretty young lady. His roving eye hadn't roved in a while and there was always the possibility that perhaps more than his eyes would get to roam.

According to the clock on his computer screen he still had over an hour. Taking the glass of single malt and a glass from the bottom drawer of his desk, Sid filled the rocks glass and sipped while looking at the auburn haired applicant's picture.