A Hefty Hideaway: Chapter 1

Liam was in the midst of his daily fifty crunches when he noticed an email from his editor. He opened the message and scanned through the assignment. It was a long term investigative opportunity in Mississippi. That was good, it meant a healthier paycheck. Apparently there was a retreat house called The Little Brick Inn that former college athletes across the South were flocking to. The roster primarily included recent grads who had left or been kicked off their sports team for one reason or another.

Liam was being asked to pose as a college grad and check into the retreat for three to six months. He was rather flattered to be considered for the position. At twenty eight he wasn’t quite within the demographic. He surmised it helped that he was in peak physical condition and played soccer in his youth.

Within two weeks Liam was locking up his apartment in West Hollywood and jetting across the country to Mississippi. The plan was for him to go by his real name but claim he was a recent graduate from UCLA decompressing before moving to New Orleans for work. Easy enough, anything else he could improvise.

He arrived at the Little Brick Inn with a clean shaven face and wearing the most Gen Z clothes he could muster. He was greeted by the owner of the Inn, a man named Scott who immediately set off Liam’s gaydar. Scott evaluated Liam with the subtle glances that only a gay man is capable of. Still, something about him seemed oddly closeted or secretive.

After a brief induction with Scott, Liam was handed off to a staff member, a quite obese man named Hugo, who showed Liam to his room. Liam had to exert much patience ascending the staircase, as Hugo slowly plodded up one step at a time, his wobbling ass cheeks in Liam’s face all the while. Liam was taken aback by the man’s sheer girth. Surely, this was not an easy job for a man of his size?

Once inside his room, Liam was pleasantly surprised. It was luxuriously furnished, with a stocked refrigerator, a large soaking tub and shower, and an opulent basket of chocolates and wine. On the desk sat a suggestive agenda for each day of the coming week. Liam scanned over it. The agenda included spa treatments, movie nights, crafting classes, and a mandatory three meals a day with “snacking events” in between. Liam was pleasantly surprised. It sounded like he was getting paid to take an extended vacation!

It was mid afternoon and Liam decided to explore the grounds and check out the current snacking event- a local bakery showcase. Exiting his room he ran into another guest. The man was young and sporty looking, as expected, with a noticeable paunch around the waist. They nodded at each other and kept moving. Liam headed down the stairs and outside.

Behind the Inn was a nice pool surrounded by lounge chairs, a fire pit, and an overgrown garden. Tending the pool was a man around the same size as Hugo. He was so large that his shirt did not contain his stomach as he struggled to clean the leaves from the pool. A bit removed from the pool was a hot tub that looked enticing and beyond that a newer looking building set against the woods.

Liam approached this building with curiosity. As he got closer, he realized it was full of activity. Sounds clanged from inside, windows were fogged up, and steam escaped from multiple chimneys. Liam wiped the fog from one of the windows and peered in. It was an industrial kitchen filled with workers, all of them obese! What was it with this place? Liam knew that people were overweight in the South, but this seemed unusually excessive.

Heading back to the main house, Liam ran into another guest. This one was similarly young but considerably more plump, with a belly that probably weighed about twenty pounds on its own. Liam struck up a conversation with the man, whose name was Gregario. Gregario spoke of the Inn with stars in his eyes, describing it as the best three weeks of his life. Before they departed, Gregario patted his belly in an obvious manner and said: “You’ll see, this place is great.”

Once inside, Liam headed towards the dining room which was filled with people. Several booths were set up with representatives from a variety of local bakeries. Their tables were piled high with treats that filled the air with a delicious aroma. Liam figured a good majority of the Inn’s guests were in this room as it was hard to navigate. All were young guys in their early 20s and all were stuffing their faces.

Liam couldn’t help but feel a twinge of arousal at entering a room full of virile athletic men. Normally, he wasn’t attracted to younger guys but the sheer level of testosterone filling the space got him excited. It was the same feeling as entering a gay bar on a packed night, only these were assumedly straight twenty-somethings stuffing their faces with baked goods.

The atmosphere was filled with good spirits with everyone enjoying themselves. Liam shrugged and decided to dive in alongside them. He was beginning to realize that he’d have to forego any notion of a diet these next few weeks. Wedging his way to the front of one of the booths he was dazzled at the array of treats before him. He grabbed a couple and moved on to the next booth, munching along the way. By the time he exited snack time, Liam had a basket full of goodies he was hauling back to his room. It was all in the name of journalism! At least that’s what he told himself.