Tim and Jeff had been working at Cornucopia Advertising for about a year since completing their graduate work at UCLA. They had become close friends with a healthy competitive edge. It was late one Friday when Bob Myers, the President of the prestigious company, asked to meet with both guys. As their hearts pounded, they went to the meeting, not knowing quite what to expect. Soon after the door closed, to typically brief Bob Myers made the announcement that Cornucopia had just landed the Baskin Robbins and M&M Mars accounts in a corporate deal! This news was huge in more ways than one.

Tim was asked to lead the Mars development team while Jeff got the Baskin Robbins account. Big wins for both and a major career boost! They guys were dismissed with clear marching orders "Don't fuck this up!" They exited the office with a big high five and a trip to the local watering hole which had been the source of many of their greatest brainstorming sessions. The promotion was great news and it meant they could continue the wild, indulgent single life they had pursued since completing grad school.

They entered the bar and announced a round for the patrons, mostly other LA Yuppie young career dudes. The guys pounded beer after beer for hours. That night was "Wacky Contest Night" The more the evening wore on the more bizarre games got. There was everything from the standard wet T-shirt to best celebrity impressions and more!

During the "Whose Pet Do You Resemble" contest, Jeff finished a shooter and glanced at his buddy Tim's belly. He couldn't help but notice that the brewskis were putting major stress on the buttons of his dress shirt. He was looped enough to step over the bounds he grabbed a good three inches of gut on Tim and said "Check this shit out! Look at your gut! Where the hell did, you get that?"

Tim embarrassed by the crack tried to quiet his buddy and said "I've been sucking this fuckin' thing in for about six months, pulling my pants up, sucking it in all day, hell, I even bought a pair of those Manshape, GIRDLE underwear to get in the 34" pants"

"You are kidding me man," Jeff said, "ya' know, I noticed your face was a little fuller and you looked wider but I never knew you had a gut like that." Going for another grab he said "What are you weigin'?"

Tim admitted to about a 20 lb. gain in the past year which put him at 185 on his 5'10 medium frame!

Still stunned Jeff admitted that the job had made staying in shape tough and that at 5'11 he was up to 180 from the slim 170 range. He un-tucked his shirt and unveiled about a two-inch roll of flab that was not there last year. Tim smiled knowingly. At just that moment a woman who was eyeing both guys shouted out "That's it! How about a "Best Beer Gut" contest? I can see two contestants right here"pointing to Tim and Jeff.

Given they had both really just discovered this about themselves. It seemed a bit soon to make a public display of their soft fleshy bellies. But in a bar at midnight, majority rules and both guys along with about five other contestants were in line on the dance floor.The crowd was pretty mixed by now and both the men and women were very polluted.

They all started shouting "take it off!" The DJ announced that the contest was judged on four things Gut Shape, Size, Shake and Attitude! To get the seven guys into it the prize was a year of unlimited Bud and two Super Bowl Tickets. Jeff and Tim looked at each other and you could tell they decided to go for it.

The DJ stared the music "Do you Think I'm Sexy" (of course) and the shirts started to come off. All the guys were in about the same boat. You know late 20's early 30's gut gone to pot, all still thinking they wear 34's when 36's and in some cases 38's would have been a better choice! As the shirts came off one by one and the shaken and grooving began the most amazing thing was to watch the guys on stage, most of who knew each other casually stare in amazement at each others fat guts. It seems all of them, like Tim and Jeff, had worked very hard to hide the result of long days at the office, little gym time and plenty of beer. The guys all began poking, pinching and grabbing each other's love handles. At one point they all did a version of the bunny hop holding on to each others love handles! Amazingly, everyone held on just fine. The guts ranged from hairy to smooth, from light skin to dark, from flabby to firm. A literal microcosm of the results of micro breweries!

At this point five of the guys including Jeff and Tim were sporting a noticeable bulge in their pants. No doubt the freedom of just letting their soft flabby bellies go in public and together was an incredible turn on. As the song ended Terry, the DJ took of his shirt and exclaimed "I think I can win this thing"! Sitting behind his turntable you would have never known what this guy was packing. He was easily 6'2" and always wore blousy shirts so when he revealed his soft fleshy slightly hairy belly to the crowd it was a revelation to those who thought they knew him well. He was easily 230 lbs. All gut! He paraded around letting all the other smaller guys pat his gut and really has their way with him which they clearly enjoyed! As packages swelled the music finally ended and the judging began.

During the judging there was a final round of playful belly bumping along with each guy sticking out his gut, pinching love handles etc. as his name was called. Even Tim seemed to truly let go of his self-conscious attitude and somehow his belly looked bigger than ever which Jeff continued to notice out of the corner of his eye. After the contest the winner should clearly have been Terry, the DJ, but since he was ruled ineligible, the winner, much to his surprise was Tim! He was mortified. His belly surely was not the biggest in the crowd but the women and men alike love it. His shy demeanor must have cinched it. As he accepted the prize Still shirtless, the DJ asked members of the crow what it was about Tim's belly they liked. One woman in the audience said "He is just so cute and I like the way his belly jiggled it's so flabby and cute and those love handles"

One other guy said "Yeah and it helps that his pants are so god damn tight its gut looks even bigger what a beer gut that guy has, he's a damn Jelly Gut!"

Just as Tim thought the humiliation was nearly over, the DJ took out a tape measure and said "Let's see what the winner is packin, he's not the biggest guy here that's for sure" as he shook his own huge fat gut. Terry measured Tim's waist (something Tim had not done in easily a year and the tape showed 38."

"Nice start on a fat beer gut there man, jeeze your only 5' 10!." Tim was visibly shocked but kept up the act. As soon as the contest was over, Tim took the tickets and the voucher put his shirt on, tapped Jeff on the shoulder and said "Let's go"

The guys left the bar. On the way back to the parking garage, Tim asked Jeff if he really never noticed his gut. Jeff said, "I never really gave it much thought but man look at both of us we really have gone to pot in the last year"

Squeezing his ample, full belly Tim said "Yeah literally I cannot believe my waist is 38", Last year at this time I was till in 32' jeans, I don't get what has happened to me, it's like in one night I thought I was celebrating this promotion and now I feel like I was selected as the new Pillsbury Dough Boy Mascot."

Jeff smiled patted his buddy soft fleshy, prize winning gut and said "Hey man I am only a few pounds behind ya'!"

A Month Later

Both guys had been on the road for a month each at new product training and demonstrations to become more familiar with what they will be advertising. They talked on the phone and decided since they both got back to LA they should meet at the gym for a game of racquetball Saturday morning.

The court was reserved for 10:00 Jeff was a bit early so he went into the locker room and changed as customary he hoped on the scale to see what damage a month of expense account eating and relentless product testing of new ice cream flavors had done to the old waistline. Damage indeed, up from 180 to 190 in one month! No wonder the 34 pants were tight! He shrugged it off and thought the work out would do him good. He went to the course where Tim was waiting. Jeff was shocked when he saw his beer bellied buddy.

Tim was wearing what he usually wore for their game's sweat shorts and a T-shirt, the same T Shirt he usually wore except it looked like he was wearing some child's clothes.

His thighs had lost almost all muscle tone and were poured into his shorts. His T shirt hugged his belly and enveloped his love handles which looked at least like he added 4 inches to his already bloated waistline. Jeff wasn't sure if he should comment or not, he almost thought that Tim bought the clothes too tight to accentuate his fat gut!. But he knew these were the same clothes he had always worn to play racquetball. He chose to say nothing and just make conversation about other things, after all they had a lot of catching up to do.

They began to play and both guys were clearly not having an easy time. The sweat poured off both of them after only minutes of play. After about 10 minutes Tim said "Man, I am beat, I must be tired after all that travel ya' wanna' just play to 10"

Jeff couldn't resist the opening and remembered how much the belly talk excited him before." Maybe it's that extra weight buddy" grabbing Tim's belly like he had become fond of doing lately.

"Actually, I got in a few runs while at training and thought I've leveled off" Jeff starred at his buddy in disbelief and thought Tim was clearly in denial.

"Tim either you shrunk your clothes two sizes or you gained some major lb.'s this past month"

Casually. Tim said "Nah., I don't think so just tired" Tim then went over to his buddy, lifted his shirt and said "But you my friend what is this shit?"

Jeff said "It's about 10 lbs, that's what it is! Hell buddy, I am 190!"

"No shit" Tim exclaimed "man you are outta control, but I got to tell ya', It looks good on you, you really needed the weight!" Jeff though that maybe his weights gain made Tim feel more comfortable about his either way his hard on raged!

They agreed to end the game and went to the locker room. Both nude with towels wrapped around them they went to take in a sauna. They entered the room and were the only ones there. The towels came off and Jeff could not help but respond both physically and verbally to what he saw. "Tim! What has happened to you! Look at your gut! Do you honestly think you have maintained!? How much fuckin' candy do you eat?!" He caressed squeezed jiggled and endlessly played with his friends' new found flesh, obviously enjoying himself. Tim truly looked like he was his belly for the first time. He had simply ignored his weight gain.

He asked Jeff, "Do I really look bigger? I guess I did have a ton of candy this month and hell all those dinners. I Gotta tell ya' man I went to buy a new suit to celebrate and the sales guy measured around my gut and it was a fuckin' 40" I guess I have really just ignored it man. I knew suits are always bigger than jeans."

"Did you notice how you gym clothes fit"

"Well yeah but I thought I shrank them, I don't know..."

"Tim buddy," Jeff said, "you are getting really soft, man I mean that is a real jelly belly" Tim could not help but notice that while he had one big roll his 190-pound buddy had two smaller rolls. "I got to tell ya' I like it on you too!" Tim admitted that he had weighed that morning and had topped 200. Jeff was pleased and somewhat shocked. "200! You are a FAT BOY!"

"Yup. I just said fuck it and mail ordered all new pants while I was at training cause I couldn't fit into anything. I have never even been close to 200 lbs, I ordered 36's and I got them and they were too tight, my gut hung over a good 4 inches and I couldn't even wear them low"

At this moment another well-built guy came into the sauna. Quickly the guys covered up with a towel as too not display their excitement over the current conversation."Trying to sweat off some beer weight huh guys" he said, then launched into a litany about not being able to spot reduce and all kinds of get rid of your gut tips. He soon left then both Tim and Jeff looked at each other smiled, patted their guts and said "look like these are here to stay" They sat quietly for a few minutes taking in all that had just happened, all the while feeling a rush of emotions.

Tim broke the silence "What is the deal? We are both hard as a rock?" Jeff approached the door of the steam room to block the entrance of others, motioned for Tim to come to him, they embraced belly to growing belly........ That was the beginning of a new dimension to their friendship.