She really enjoyed her drink

Carrie found the thickening syrup on the counter and saw that a little of it was on the outside. The thick, cloudy liquid she licked up was sweet and salty, making her wonder if they had a new thickening agent for the drinks. The old syrup had just been agar and sugar in water. This new one reminded her slightly of cookie dough, but not in an unpleasant way. She didn't know that what she had just swallowed had been Tom Calvin's hand churned special syrup, though she was enjoying the sensation on her tongue. She made herself a drink and relaxed for ten minutes before returning to work, oblivious to the changes happening to her.

As the day went on, she did as Tom asked, and with each task she completed and each compliment she gave him, she felt happier. It's so nice of Mr. Calvin to give me such good feedback, she thought.

Tom, meanwhile, noticed that Carrie's outfit was getting a little tight. Her apron seemed to be pushing against more of her, and her shorts seemed shorter. But he knew it wasn't proper to comment on her outfit, and he didn't want Carrie to feel uncomfortable. He just shrugged it off.

At the end of the night, the two of them cleaned the store, and Carrie let out a small giggle with each "Good job," and "Thanks" that Tom gave her. She felt knots in her stomach when she said "Thank you, Sir," and "You're welcome, Sir," to each comment.

After her shift, he counted out the tip jar and gave a portion to her, while placing the remainder of it aside for his morning opener Julia, in an envelope with her name he put into the locked box in his office. He had made the boxes as a way to make sure no one thought he was stealing tips - he wanted to do this all correctly. Carrie smiled as he handed her the envelope with her portion of the tips.

"Thank you, Sir," she said with a giggle.

"You deserve it Carrie. You're a good girl," he said to the Korean co-ed. She was just a hair over half his age, and he couldn't help but notice, without the apron, that her shirt buttons straining. Had her boobs always looked that good? He wasn't sure. "Lock up on the way out, I need to do some bookkeeping," he said to her.

Tom retreated to his office in the back of the storage area and put his head in his hands as he let out a huge groan. They were barely breaking even before this, and a rent increase would ruin him in four months. As tears began to well in his eyes, he heard a knock at the office door and looked up.