#retail clerk Jensen

[365daysofj2]

Sweet as a Hot Cocoa Bomb (Factory Boys, 5/?)

Jared wakes up at 4:15pm on Christmas Eve. He stayed up all night after he left Gilligan’s so he doesn’t get totally off his night shift schedule. He’s meeting Jensen at the house he rents in Hummelstown, not far from Jared’s own condo just outside the Hummelstown Borough line. He’s dropping his stuff off there so he can spend Christmas Eve night and Christmas Day with Jensen. Jensen’s taking him to the 7:00pm church service, and then they’re going to have hot cocoa and watch a movie. Where it goes after that…well, Jared has a few ideas that will definitely land him on the naughty list. 

Jared showers and packs up some comfy clothes for Christmas Day: red plaid flannel pants and his ugly sweater, which looks like an elf outfit and has actual bells hanging from the collar. He also packs a regular black t-shirt for underneath. Then he packs the shorts and Penn State t-shirt he sleeps in, as well as the phone charger he keeps on the nightstand. He washed everything overnight, since he had to do something with his time. He gathers together his toothbrush, razor, hairbrush, and deodorant, figuring he can just use whatever toothpaste, body wash, shampoo, and shaving cream is at Jensen’s house. Then he’ll smell like Jensen—and Jensen always smells amazing, so clearly he has good taste. 

Jared eats a frozen burrito bowl for dinner and brushes his teeth. Then he puts all his bathroom stuff in his gym bag. There’s still about half an hour until he has to leave for Jensen’s house. Jensen only lives about 10 minutes away from him. He lives across the street from the Hummelstown library, which is down by the railroad tracks. It’s a little annoying to get to from Jared’s end of town because of the one-way streets around it. But that’s a small town for you. 

Jared doesn’t know why he’s feeling a little anxious. It’s not like he has to impress Jensen’s parents or anything. He’s just spending the night with the man he’s head over heels for. Jared guesses he’s just nervous because he hasn’t been with anyone in a couple years. He dated a fellow plant worker, Genevieve, for a while, but she broke up with him to pursue a security guard that she’s now engaged to. 

Jared has the impression that Jensen hasn’t had much luck in the romance department either. He’s never said anything, but he’s awfully shy, and he hasn’t mentioned any recent relationships. Jared wonders whether his strict religious upbringing, which probably required him to at least act straight, is responsible for that. He did mention that the church ladies were trying to fix him up, but he didn’t say that any of them were successful. So Jensen’s probably at least as nervous as Jared is, maybe more.

Finally, Jared gets to leave for Jensen’s house. When he arrives, the street is nearly parked full already. He ends up parking a couple of houses away. He wonders which car is Jensen’s.

He knocks on the door of Jensen’s house. Jensen answers almost instantly. “Jared! Hey, I’m glad you found me.” He steps aside to let Jared in and closes the door behind him. The living room is small and neat, with two overstuffed gray couches and a black leather recliner facing the adjacent wall, where the TV is. 

Jensen motions to Jared’s bag. “You can put your stuff in the bedroom.” He gestures for Jared to follow him upstairs. There are two bedrooms with a bathroom in between, and Jensen points into the one on the left. Jared sets his bag on the bench at the end of Jensen’s bed. The room is medium size but sparsely furnished, and there’s a blue plaid comforter on the king-sized bed that takes up fully half of the room. 

They go back downstairs, and it’s clear that Jensen’s pretty nervous too. “Do you want a drink or anything?” he asks. 

“Some water would be great, thanks,” says Jared, just to give him something to do.

Jensen pulls a pint glass out of the cupboard. It has a Rubber Soul logo, which is the craft brewery in town. He fills it with ice and water from the dispenser on the fridge and hands it to Jared. “You look really nice, by the way,” he says with a small smile.

Jared’s wearing the best church clothes he could find: a gray v-neck sweater over a black button-down, and gray checked trousers he last wore when he interviewed for his current job. He smiles and sips the water. 

“Thank you. You look really great too.” Jensen’s wearing a dark green patterned shirt that makes his eyes look gorgeous, with neatly pressed black trousers and shiny black boots. 

Jensen’s cheeks color. “Thanks. And thanks for agreeing to come with me. I hope you don’t feel like I pressured you.”

Jared reaches out and squeezes Jensen’s shoulder. “I don’t, at all. I know it’s important to you, and I want to support you.” 

Jensen nods, but he doesn’t seem convinced. Jared smiles widely and takes Jensen’s hand in his. “I promise you, it’s okay. I’m not offended, and I don’t feel pressured. I want to share this with you.” Jared takes a deep breath. “You’re not the same as your family. I know your intention is pure. Please stop worrying.”

“You’re right,” Jensen replies softly. “Thank you. I just—I guess it’s just habit.” He glances at the clock. “We should go.”

“After you,” says Jared, letting go of Jensen’s hand. 

Jared follows Jensen to his car, a green Subaru Forester, which is parked halfway between his house and the neighboring one. It doesn’t take long to warm up, and they head toward Hershey.

The church parking lot is full when they get there, so they park in the municipal lot next to it. Jensen leads Jared through the back door of the church and up the stairs to the sanctuary entrance. They hang their coats in the coatroom first, and Jensen is warmly greeted by several parishioners. A couple of kids are darting about, weaving through the small crowd, but no one seems to mind. 

A petite elderly lady walks up to them and says hello to Jensen.

“Hi, Kathie,” Jensen replies warmly. “Jared, this is Kathie. I used to work with her at the museum.”

“Nice to meet you,” says Jared. 

“She sings in the 8 o’clock choir,” Jensen tells Jared. “They did a really nice job at the early service.”

Kathie smiles. “Thank you.” She gestures to the doorway, where ushers are waiting with programs. “We should go in. I think Greg’s about to start the prelude.”

Jared follows Jensen and Kathie to the sanctuary. He accepts a program and a candle from the elderly usher. He and Jensen sit in an empty pew several rows back from the altar. The middle-aged woman at the other end greets Jensen. She’s sitting with her teenage daughter, who appears to have some sort of developmental delay and is wearing pink Christmas pajamas. 

The organist starts playing, and Jared glances through the program. There are prayers written down on both pages, and there are hymns listed with page numbers. Jared can’t sing to save his life, so he hopes Jensen isn’t expecting him to sing along. There are prompts for the audience to stand in a couple places. 

The pastor steps up to the altar and asks everyone to stand. She reads a prayer, and the audience recites the response lines printed in the program. Jared joins in and tries not to feel awkward. 

Immediately afterward, everyone starts singing “O Come, All Ye Faithful.” Jensen gets out the hymnal and tilts it toward Jared so he can see. Jensen’s singing voice is pretty damn good, which just makes Jared feel more out of place than ever. He sings along as quietly as he dares, following the tune  as best he can. After that, there’s another communal prayer. 

The pastor asks them to sit, and then there’s a lot of music and kids’ pageant stuff. Jensen rests a hand on Jared’s knee and gently nudges Jared’s shoulder with his own. Jared looks over to see Jensen smiling encouragingly. “You’re doing fine,” he whispers as a group of young girls in angel costumes recites Scripture.

After the pageant and the sermon, the whole church prays the Lord’s Prayer, the offering is taken, and then the lighters come out to light the candles they each hold. An usher lights the candle of the person sitting on the aisle, and then the parishioners pass the flames to one another.  Jensen lights Jared’s candle with a small smile. There’s another call and response prayer, and then the lights go down. The whole assembly sings “Silent Night,” and it’s rather moving. Jared finally feels at ease, like he actually belongs here. Jensen sings beautifully next to him, and he’s content to just listen to him and feel the love that seems to fill the darkened sanctuary. 

After that, the lights come up and the praise band plays another song. They all stand, and Jensen presses himself into Jared’s side. His fingers lightly brush Jared’s, and Jared grins. Jared intertwines his fingers with Jensen’s for a brief moment. After that, the pastor bids them farewell, and the organist starts the postlude. 

“See, that wasn’t so bad, was it?” asks Jensen.

“No, it wasn’t.” Jared follows Jensen to the aisle. “It’s just been a really long time since I’ve done any of this.”

“You did great,” replies Jensen with a smile. He takes Jared’s hand as they walk down the aisle to the back of the sanctuary. The pastor is speaking to an elderly couple, but she waves to Jensen as they pass. Jensen waves back and grins. 

They retrieve their coats from the coatroom. Jensen waves to Kathie but doesn’t stop to talk, for which Jared is grateful. It’s clear that everyone really likes Jensen, and he’s happy that Jensen fits in so well here. Jared just doesn’t think he ever will. 

It’s really cold as they walk to their car, and it takes forever for the heat to warm up. “Thank you for being such a good sport,” says Jensen as they head down Chocolate Avenue. “I’m sorry it was so awkward for you.”

“No, it’s not your fault,” Jared assures him. “I mean, I went to church as a kid, but I didn’t go to one that was so…interactive. That’s just not my thing.”

“Well, I appreciate you making the best of it.” Jensen grasps Jared’s hand and squeezes it. “I promise I won’t make you sing for the rest of the weekend.”

Jared chuckles. “I guess I should have warned you that I can’t carry a tune in a bucket.”

“God doesn’t mind,” Jensen assures him. “And the rest of us don’t, either.” He smiles. 

When they pull up to Jensen’s house, his parking spot is still open. Jared’s a little surprised. They get out and go into Jensen’s house, which is fully dark. Jensen takes him into the kitchen, where he puts some milk on the stove to warm up. He grabs a Hershey Company tote bag from one of the dining chairs and takes two hot chocolate bombs out of it. “They handed these bags out last week with all this free candy. It’s a pretty decent selection.” He sets a bag of Christmas Rolos and a Reese’s Pieces filled candy cane on the table. “Help yourself.”

Jared’s not really hungry, but he takes a couple of Rolos anyway. Jared knows they were run in September, but he doesn’t mind. Some of the line workers refuse to eat any candy unless they can get it straight off the line, but that’s pretty hard to do. The stuff in the candy store comes from the warehouse, not straight off the line, even though that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. 

Once the milk is heated, Jensen pours them each a mug and drops a chocolate bomb in. The bombs have mini marshmallows in the middle, which bob up to the top. Jensen hands a navy blue mug with writing on it to Jared. He glances at it, but he can’t understand what the words say. Jensen chuckles. “It’s a Shakespearian insult mug,” he explains. “The English honor society sold them as a fundraiser.”

“Were you an English major?”

Jensen shakes his head. “No. One of my roommates was. I majored in occupational therapy and minored in religion.”

“Interesting. Why didn’t you get a job in that?’

“I did,” replies Jensen. “I worked as an in-home OT therapist. But I kinda burned out, and I stopped working full-time. I applied at the museum because it was a nonprofit and I was trying to get my student loans forgiven, but they didn’t give me enough hours. And the church doesn’t either, but at least it pays better.”

Jared notices that Jensen looks uncomfortable, like there’s more to the story that he doesn’t want to talk about. So he decides to change the subject. “So, you said we were going to watch a movie. What have you got in mind?”

Jensen motions for Jared to follow him to the living room. They sit down on one of the couches and Jensen turns on the TV. He pulls up Netflix and turns on The Christmas Chronicles. Jared doesn’t really plan to watch the movie, and he hopes Jensen doesn’t either.

They finish their cocoa by the fifteen-minute mark, and Jensen takes their empty mugs to the kitchen. When he comes back, he runs a hand through his hair a little nervously before he sits down.

“Look, we don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do,” Jared assures him. Once Jensen sits down, Jared reaches over and rests a hand on his knee. “I’m happy just to spend time with you.”

Jensen leans back against the couch cushion and takes a deep breath. “I just—I haven’t done this since college. And it wasn’t exactly romantic.”

“Man, Christian colleges are a lot different than I imagined,” says Jared, mostly to break the tension.

“Hey, I’ll have you know that I played Rocky in the Rocky Horror shadow cast four years running,” says Jensen with a smirk. “My roommate was Eddie and he dragged me into it. I sort of accidentally stole Riff Raff’s corset.”

Jared frowns. He’s seen RHPS, of course, and he knows that Riff Riff never wears a corset. 

Jensen clocks his confusion and chuckles. “Etown has a 75% female student body. Riff Raff and Frank were girls. And Brad was a girl once too. We were very progressive for a Christian school. But actually, the administration was really supportive. Except for the time they tried to put a transmasc prospie in a girls dorm. But then, it was the early aughts.”

“Yeah, that’s not cool,” Jared agrees. “But I love that you were in a Rocky Horror shadow cast. I went to all the midnight showings in University Park and I knew all the lines, but I was never brave enough to join the shadow cast because I can’t sing for shit.”

“You coulda been a Transylvanian,” says Jensen. “Or don’t you like drag makeup?”

“I act about as well as I sing,” replies Jared. “That’s why I did debate instead of theater.”

“So you were a nerd and I was the lead in West Side Story.” Jensen grins. “I don’t think we’d have been friends in high school.”

“I was a mathlete too,” says Jared. “And Science Olympiad. I don’t think we’d have been in the same social circle.”

“I mean, I was a male cheerleader,” admits Jensen. “But I played baseball, so that helped.”

“See? You were a jock and I was a nerd.” Jared chuckles. “I’m man enough to admit that.”

Jensen laughs, and the corners of his eyes crinkle up in the cutest way. “Does it help if I learned to knit so I could help with the LGBT Allies fundraiser? We used to knit scarves and sell them at Homecoming, and the Residence Life admin who taught us to knit would give us stuff to raffle off at Rocky Horror.”

“That’s fucking adorable,” says Jared with a huge grin. He can’t help himself, Jensen looks so relaxed and happy that Jared surges forward and kisses him. Jensen seems taken aback for a split second, but then he relaxes into the kiss. Jared stretches one arm across Jensen’s back and uses his other hand to card Jensen’s hair. The corners of Jensen’s mouth turn up, giving Jared tacit permission to go deeper. He thrusts his tongue deep into Jensen’s mouth, pressing against Jensen’s own, and Jensen hesitates for a second before responding. 

Jared runs his hand down Jensen’s neck to his shoulder and pushes him down onto his back. He swings one leg over Jensen’s and straddles him. He can feel Jensen’s half-hard cock pressing against his thigh. Jared’s almost completely hard already. 

They kiss for another long moment before Jensen pushes him up. “Not here,” he breathes, gesturing at the front window and the open blinds. “Upstairs.”

“Lead the way,” murmurs Jared. 

They go up to Jensen’s bedroom and shed their good clothes. Jensen makes sure to neatly lay Jared’s nice clothes flat on top of the dresser before covering them with his own. Then he pushes the comforter down to the end of the bed, revealing light blue sheets. Jared decides to show off a little. He scoops Jensen up in a bridal carry and lays him out prone on the unmade bed. 

“Holy shit,” gasps Jensen, now flat on his back and fully hard. “I didn’t know you had enough free time to work out.”

“I don’t,” says Jared, smirking. “That’s just from lifting machine parts on the floor.” He nods at Jensen’s nightstand. “You got stuff in there?”

Jensen nods. “Yeah, lube and condoms are in there.” He gives Jared a coy smirk of his own. “I stocked up yesterday on the way home from work.”

“Well, safety first, you know,” purrs Jared. He pulls a condom and the bottle of lube out of the drawer. He’s achingly hard and already leaking. Jensen looks really fucking good naked. He’s slim, but he doesn’t have a six-pack or anything. Jared really doesn’t give a shit. He’s an office worker most of the time—he’s allowed to not be built. It’s kind of adorable, actually. 

Jensen’s face falls. “Jared?”

“I’m sorry, I was staring,” Jared explains. “Sorry, I’ve just been dreaming of this moment, and now…it’s actually happening. You are so fucking gorgeous I can’t even think, baby.”

Jensen’s cheeks color, and he slowly breaks out into a smile that lights up the whole room. Jared is awesome. He rolls the condom over his cock and flips open the top of the bottle of lube. He coats his fingers with it and delicately slides his index finger into Jensen’s hole. “This is all about you.”

Jensen’s breath catches. “Shit, I haven’t done this in…God, like a decade.” 

“I’ll be gentle,” Jared assures him, and gently starts to open Jensen up. When Jensen seems relaxed, Jared adds a second finger and starts to scissor ever so slightly. He slides his other hand up Jensen’s belly to his chest, and circles one finger around his nipple. Teasing it into hardness, he bends down and grazes his teeth over it as he adds the third finger. Jensen moans, deep and throaty, and it goes straight to Jared’s cock. 

“Jesus fuck,” groans Jensen, his voice ragged and guttural. He drops his head back, and Jared takes the opportunity to lick a stripe up from his nipple to the hollow of his throat. He gently sucks the soft skin in between his teeth, not hard enough to leave a mark, but hard enough that his hole tightens against Jared’s fingers.

“Relax,” Jared murmurs. “This is all about you.”

“Then fuckin’ do it,,” Jensen urges him. 

Jared slicks up the Latex and does just that. Jensen hisses when Jared enters him, but Jared searches for approval in his eyes. Jensen nods and makes a sincere effort to relax. Jared runs one hand through his damp bangs and rubs his thumb down Jensen’s jaw. “You are so fuckin’ hot, you have no idea.”

Jensen just moans in reply, pressing both hands to Jared’s sweat-slick shoulders. Jared presses his lips to Jensen’s and plunders his mouth, mirroring the way his cock is currently sinking deep into Jensen’s hole. Jensen breaks the kiss a moment later and sucks in his breath sharply as Jared starts to thrust. “Jesus fuck,” he gasps. “You’re a fuckin’ animal.”

“I aim to misbehave,” Jared murmurs, grinning. 

“You are a nerd,” replies Jensen.

“Hey, you recognized it,” Jared points out, thrusting a little bit deeper. Jensen lets out a low, guttural moan and drops his head back. Jared takes the opportunity to kiss the cords standing out from Jensen’s neck.

“I’m so close,” breathes Jensen, and Jared can tell. He hits home once, twice, and on the third time he buries his cock as deep in Jensen’s hole as he dares. Jensen comes with a bitten-off shout and shoots ropes all over Jared’s belly. Jared thrusts a few more times to achieve his own release, and pulls out just as Jensen goes completely limp underneath him. Jared pulls off the condom and ties it off, tossing it into the trash can on the other side of Jensen’s nightstand. Then he gives Jensen a short, sweet kiss on the cheek. 

“Oh my God,” Jensen gasps. “You’re fuckin’ amazing, you know that?”

“You make it easy,” replies Jared, and he means it completely. He lies down next to Jensen, pressing his side into Jensen’s and throwing one arm over his chest. “I wanted to make you feel good.”

“You made me feel God,” Jensen replies, still breathing rapidly. He folds himself into Jared and tries to catch his breath. “Holy fuck. That was…I don’t even have words.”

Jared laughs soundlessly. He doesn’t care if it’s too soon, he just wants to fucking say it. “I love you.”

Jensen pushes himself up on one elbow and looks Jared straight in the eye. “I love you too,” he replies, and kisses Jared. 

“Well, look at that,” murmurs Jared. ‘It’s a Christmas miracle.”

Jensen rolls his eyes, but he’s grinning ear to ear. “Sap.”

“I learned from the best.” 

Jensen can’t argue with that. “You’re the best Christmas present I ever got.”

“Likewise,” Jared replies, and drifts off to sleep.

[ao3feed-j2]

Sweet as Chocolate Kisses

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/Ys4Jpon

by sinnerforhire

Jared works at a chocolate factory. Sparks fly when he meets Jensen, who's filling in for the normal store clerk one morning before Christmas.

Words: 898, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Series: Part 1 of Kisses verse

Fandoms: Supernatural (TV 2005) RPF

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: M/M

Characters: Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki

Relationships: Jensen Ackles/Jared Padalecki

Additional Tags: Engineers, Alternate Universe - Retail, Alternate Universe - Candy Shop, Churches & Cathedrals

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/Ys4Jpon

[nerdygeekypastrychef]

40 Questions — Meme for Fic Writers! 3, 4, 5, 20 and 23! GO!

3-Is there a trope you wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole? Uh…. not really? I mean. Coffee-shop AU is not really my thing but I have in the past written a fic with a rich character coming to “save” the retail clerk character from humdrum life, lol, and isn't that the same thing? I have written genderswap before but… eh. Would I do it again, probably not. For various reasons...4-How many fic ideas are you nurturing right now? Care to share one of them? SO MANY. Literally can't count them all. My j2 Bb for 2018 is exciting for me though…. Jensen “wins” Jared in a game of poker from Stephen Amell who claims that he is a well trained submissive. It's gonna be a total departure for me, but I'm excited to work on it.5-Share one of your strengths. I think I'm pretty well versed in realism, especially with love scenes. Cause the way I write is to picture the scenario and describe it, so if I can't “see” it in my head, I can't write it.20- Describe your perfect writing conditions. Quiet. Coffee. Comfy chair. Full charge on my laptop. And finally inspiration, lol.23- If you were to revise one of your older fics from start to finish, which would it be and why? http://archiveofourown.org/works/9610172What ended up getting posted was not what was originally in my head. I wanted it to be longer, more in depth. I wanted it to have a lot more substance. In the end, I wanted it posted and away from me, lol.

[caplofan]

View: Millennials Face Second Age Of Underemployment In 2020

View: Millennials Face Second Age Of Underemployment In 2020

In a matter of weeks, the financial hit from the coronavirus has actually erased a years’s worth of work gains.

On Thursday, a report revealed United States unemployed claims increased by another 4.4 million, bringing the five-week overall to more than 26 million.

That’s the steepest recession for the American labor market considering that the Great Depression. More unpleasant for any long-lasting healing, nevertheless, might be those who keep their tasks however view their professions stall.

Here’s where a lesson from 2008 may be useful.For lots of millennials, the Great Recession wasn’’ t a crisis of joblessness even task stagnancy and underemployment –– putting in less hours than wanted, or not tapping one’’ s complete variety of abilities and efficiency.

I lived my own variation of this, having actually begun my very first genuine task a month after the collapse of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.

Grateful just to be utilized, I looked past the unglamorous job of composing profits headings from news release, which are now cranked out by algorithms.

I was generating a mid-five-figure wage and seemed like a millionaire.My thankfulness gradually calcified into aggravation as I discovered myself stuck at the exact same desk for 4 years.

I wasn’t alone. For every single story like mine there was a sales agent too dissuaded to look for that regional-manager function, a part-time retail clerk who couldn’t get a routine weekday shift, or perhaps that sorry banking expert who couldn’’ t development beyond plugging information into Excel.

All this has an expense: While the United States shed more than 30 million tasks and $10 trillion in home wealth throughout the monetary crisis, the stack of profits lost to underemployment reached $148 billion in the last 3 months of 2009, by some estimates.

The effect from the coronavirus will be even worse.

The International Labour Organization anticipates 195 million full-time task losses internationally, and anticipates a “ considerable increase” in underemployment.

As aggravating as it might be for white-collar specialists to get stuck, the hardest struck will consist of low-wage employees and the less-educated, who never ever actually discovered their feet after 2008.

That fractured bedrock indicates we’re a lot more susceptible entering into the Covid-19 decline than we were simply over a years ago.

This may look like a vigorous turn of occasions.

As just recently as February, the U.S. taped its most affordable joblessness rate in half a century.

Dig one level much deeper, however, and you’ll see why that 3.5% doesn’t inform the complete story.

A more holistic gauge of labor-market health might be the so-called U-6 classification, that includes those who aren’t working however show that they desire a task, along with those who desire full-time work however need to choose less hours.

Even in February, that figure was double the main level –– at 7%. If there’s something to enjoy, it’s the space in between these 2 numbers, states Torsten Slok, primary financial expert at Deutsche Bank Securities.

That might show the strength of any healing. Remember, however, even the U-6 classification does not catch task stagnancy amongst the completely employed.

The concept that underemployment is underappreciated isn’t brand-new. In 2019, Dartmouth College teacher David Blanchflower released the book, Not Working: Where Have All the Good Jobs Gone?”

He utilizes the U.S. and U.K. workforce to show the puzzle of very little wage development and record low joblessness. Economics 101 informs us it ought to be simply the opposite —– a tight task market need to increase salary.

The catch, he states, is underemployment.

Consider Hank, the part-time employee who’s too downbeat to use to a full-time gig.

He snaps on the news and sees motivating headings about the task market. Stirred to dust off his resume, he feels fortunate to land a deal reasonably rapidly.

Since he’s been running at half-speed for so long, Hank has extremely little bargaining power when it comes to income settlements.

While it’s heartening that he’s been included to the labor force, Hank’s not contributing much to greater typical wages.

Other research study reveals simply how pernicious working listed below capacity can be.

In 2014, Tim Slack of Louisiana State University and Leif Jensen of Pennsylvania State University mentioned that underemployment continued long after the healing from the worldwide monetary crisis: After balancing 15.5% from 2002 to 2008, the rate increased to approximately 22.4% from 2009 to 2012.

It’s totally possible that we see a fairly fast rebound in joblessness once the coronavirus subsides: Deutsche Bank anticipates the figure to increase to 12% in the 2nd quarter and approximately cut in half by the end of the year.

Underemployment, nevertheless, might haunt the labor market for several years to come.

The knee-jerk policy reaction has actually been to increase welfare, including $600 to the weekly quantity provided by states, a minimum of briefly.

Comparable procedures have actually worked in the past: Every dollar of costs on the extension of such help produced $1.61 of financial activity in the very first quarter of 2009, according to the Brookings Institution.

One watershed part of the U.S.’s coronavirus relief expense was consisting of protection for gig-economy and part-time employees.

The latter might correspond to more than 25 million Americans, if not more.

Yet joblessness workplaces around the nation are so overloaded with demands –– and besieged by ancient innovation –– that there’s little time, cash or political will to dedicate resources towards opening more chances for individuals who’ve currently got tasks.

Numerous states are rapidly lacking funds.

In Connecticut, the 40-year old computer system that processes welfare can t manage four-digit payments: Adding the additional $600 will press the greatest qualified payment to $1,249, the Wall Street Journal noted.

For the out of work, the response is larger stimulus checks.

The $1,200 handout numerous Americans will get appearance generous in the beginning; if you think about a typical weekly wage of approximately $900, nevertheless, that expense purchases bit more than a week or more for numerous families, Slok notes.

For the underemployed, who have the advantage of time, an easy option would be to make job-search costs tax deductible once again –– a step that ended with the passage of the Trump administration tax cuts in 2017.

There are lots of eulogies drifting around for millennials nowadays. Now sandwiched in between 2 financial disasters, we’ve acquired a great deal of financial obligation, conserved really little and flooded into casual tasks with couple of employee securities, such as paid authorized leave and retirement advantages.

The Atlantic is calling us the “ lost generation,” while the Journal has actually recorded the results of  economic downturn anxiety.

By mishap of birth, I had access to an education that’s opened doors– and I’ve definitely handled to discover my method.

Even with this golden passport, it took me a number of years and moving throughout continents to get where I desired.

Countless other Americans aren’t so fortunate.

  Original Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com

Curated On: https://www.cashadvancepaydayloansonline.com/

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[rolandfontana]

Increase in Female Inmates Linked to Opioid Crisis, Poverty

Lee Hays waited three hours in a holding cell deep inside the century-old Westmoreland County Courthouse in  Greenburg, Pa., before being brought into a first-floor courtroom.

Hays wore a white long-sleeved shirt under her dark-blue jail uniform as she sat next to her attorney in front of the courtroom railing. It was a week before Christmas.

The 57-year-old woman renewed the plea she had made for 22 months: Get me out.

The room inside the downtown Greensburg landmark had mostly cleared when her name was finally called. Hays stood before the judge. Her straight, light-brown hair fell to her lower back. A rose and vine tattoo marked her wrist. A few friends and her son’s girlfriend sat in the first and second rows, listening intently.

Her attorney suggested that the judge reduce the $500,000 bail that had kept her in the county jail on accusations of being part of a heroin trafficking ring.

“You’ll be heard in February,” the judge said.

Hays broke into tears.

“Love you,” her friends said as a sheriff’s deputy escorted her out in handcuffs. “Hang in there a little bit longer.”

Hays is part of a trend of more women being arrested and jailed in Westmoreland County and across the country.

Nationwide, the female jail population has swelled dramatically since 2000, when about 70,000 women were incarcerated at the mid-year mark, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS).

By mid-year 2014, that population had grown to nearly 109,000 women locked up in county or municipal jails.

Two years later, according to the most recent data available from BJS, the figure had decreased slightly to 102,000; but that tally was from the end of 2016 when a prison population is typically lower than during the middle of the year.

The Westmoreland County Prison has seen a similar influx.

In 2008, the county lockup in Hempfield saw 824 commitments of women. By 2017, jail officials took in 1,269 — a 54 percent increase. During the same time period, the number of men committed increased 3.5 percent, from 3,440 to 3,560.

“The fact that there’s a 50 percent increase of females is very concerning,” said Judge Christopher Feliciani, who hears criminal cases and helps run the county drug court that started in 2015.

Many county officials were hesitant to point to a specific reason driving such a sharp increase in the number of women locked up locally, citing a lack of hard data. The Westmoreland County Clerk of Courts office does not track the types of offenses charged against female inmates, and the county Prison Board does not break down annual figures on top charges for jail inmates by gender.

Some speculate the increase is the result of the ongoing drug epidemic, whether women are getting hooked or engaging in criminal activity to support their habit.

Since 2015, retail theft and possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia were the top three most common charges for which an inmate was committed to the jail, according to prison board reports.

People who are addicted to prescription opioids or heroin are more likely to be involved with the criminal justice system, according to a study published last year in JAMA Network Open. As the person’s addiction progressed, so did their involvement, researchers found.

“It’s been going up,” said jail Warden John Walton. “I attribute it to the drugs.”

Lower Pay, Higher Burden

About half of incarcerated women in the United States are in local jails. Sixty percent of women in local jails in 2018 were there pretrial, meaning they had not been convicted, according to the Prison Policy Initiative.

One reason could be the fact that women earn less than men, making it less likely they can afford to post bail, said Wanda Bertram, a spokeswoman for the group based in Northampton, Mass.

A woman in jail who is unable to make bail has an average annual salary of about $11,000 prior to incarceration, initiative research shows.

“When a man is in trouble, it’s common for women to rally around them,” Bertram said. “But for women, it’s the opposite.”

It’s unusual for a woman to have bail set as high as Hays, who was one of eight people police arrested in 2017 and accused of being part of a large-scale distribution ring that brought at least 20 bricks of heroin into the county.

Only one other woman arrested in Westmoreland County in 2017 had a bail set equal to Hays’ bail.

“I didn’t know what to think,” she said of when a district judge set her bail at $500,000 — an amount she could never afford.

Being jailed has been a financial struggle. Friends and family are helping Hays pay bills and taxes and keep the heat on at her childhood home in Youngwood, Pa. Her business that once provided pressure washing and painting services is gone.

“I’m from right here, and I have a house and I have a business,” Hays said. “It’s not like I was going to take off.”

Many women remain behind bars because they cannot afford bail — even ones set at low amounts.

County records show that many women remain behind bars because they cannot afford bail — even ones set at low amounts.

Of all women jailed in Westmoreland County in 2017, 426 — or about a third — couldn’t post bail at the time of their arraignment, a Tribune-Review analysis showed. Of those, approximately 300 received a bail amount of $10,000 or less for mostly nonviolent offenses — including half who were accused of possession of drugs or drug paraphernalia.

Regardless of bail amount, three-quarters of them remained behind bars because they couldn’t afford to post bail, records show.

Experts said low bail amounts can be out of reach for some who get arrested.

“$10,000 might be like $5 million,” said Brittnie Aiello, an associate professor in the department of criminology and criminal justice at Merrimack College in Massachusetts. She researches maternal incarceration and punishment by gender.

Mothers Behind Bars

In addition to earning less than men, many women also have added burdens of providing for children.

“A lot of these women are single parents; they don’t have expendable cash,” chief public defender Wayne McGrew said. “These could be women that are just coming into their first time of being involved in the criminal justice system just because of the drugs.”

Experts say the majority of women in jails are mothers, and many have experienced some kind of trauma or abuse and mental illness, more so than male offenders, according to Bureau of Justice Statistics research.

“Women are required to go back and be mothers,” said Tom Plaitano, member of the Westmoreland County Criminal Justice Advisory Board.

“That’s an added burden on them.”

An estimated 80 percent of woman jailed in 2018 to be mothers, with U.S. jails expected to house 150,000 pregnant women last year, the Prison Policy Initiative estimated.

From Jan. 1, 2016, to Oct. 30, 2018, there were 13 instances in which a child was transferred to custody of the county Children’s Bureau after the mother was incarcerated, according to bureau statistics. Between 2013 and 2018, the jail housed 190 pregnant women, many of them addicted to heroin, Walton said.

Incarcerated mothers have fewer resources than male counterparts and can face a tougher road when they get out, Aiello said.

“You have to rebuild your life, which is a huge uphill battle … and the kid’s life, too,” she said.

Jillian Jensen knows what that’s like.

The 31-year-old mother was once an inmate at Westmoreland County Prison. She later worked there as a certified recovery specialist, visiting the jail for 18 months to hold group sessions for men and women.

While everything changes when you wind up in jail, Jensen said the negative experience can be used as an opportunity to reach women while the burdens of daily life — kids, work, home — are on hold and feelings that may have been repressed flood in.

Her time behind bars forced Jensen to address her drug addiction and start to get clean.

“Being incarcerated saved my life. Having that fear of going to prison for five, 10 years scared me,” said Jensen, now a stay-at-home mother of three. “I think women need empowered … to know that they’re worth more than this lifestyle.”

Breaking the Cycle

During her prolonged stay at the county jail, Hays has seen the same women cycle in and out.

“They’re in here, they seem like they want to do good,” but when they get out, they run from drug rehabilitation or don’t finish it and end up back in jail, Hays said.

“I don’t know that these people have the structure of a job and going to work and feeling good about themselves.”

The county would like to start a re-entry program for inmates, though officials continue to search for funding after being denied for an earlier grant. Such a program could offer services — vocational training, transportation, drug and alcohol treatment and life skills — to select inmates inside the jail and after they are released.

The idea would be to reduce rates of people being incarcerated again and help them better their lives, said Plaitano, who is on the steering committee for the Pennsylvania Re-entry Council.

An easy way to reduce prison population is by changing the cash bail system for certain offenses, such as misdemeanors and other nonviolent charges, advocates say. There are people who can be released and others who are violent and should be jailed, said Cherise Fanno Burdeen, executive director of the Pretrial Justice Institute.

“There’s nothing about sitting in jail … that improves your life outcome.”

“There’s nothing about sitting in jail … that improves your life outcome,” she said.

The county’s drug treatment court has succeeded in getting high-risk, high-need people out of jail while they work through the program, coordinator Eric Leydig said. Between September 2015 and November 2018, 190 men and 147 women applied to the program — with 66 men and 50 women accepted, Leydig said.

“We try to make jail priority cases,” he said.

Hays tries to stay busy while awaiting her Feb. 25 plea hearing.

She works at the library once a week and mends clothes, sheets and blankets for a couple of hours each day. She attends a nondenominational Bible study and church service every week. While inside, she earned a high school equivalency certificate — even though she said she already had one from the 1970s.

Prior to her drug arrest two years ago, Hays spent time in jail on work release in the early 2000s on a drunken-driving charge and a couple of years before that in a state prison for an aggravated assault charge, according to court records and her recollection.

Renatta Signorini

Now, she just wants to see her two children and three grandchildren again.

“I miss them a lot,” she said, crying.

This is a slightly edited version of an article written by Renatta Signorini, a staff writer for the  Tribune-Review, as part of her project for a 2018 John Jay Rural Justice Reporting Fellowship. Read the full article here. 

Increase in Female Inmates Linked to Opioid Crisis, Poverty syndicated from https://immigrationattorneyto.wordpress.com/

[365daysofj2]

Sweet as a Pomegranate Margarita (Factory Boys, 4/?)

The last day before a holiday always seems to drag. Jared has a lot to do during his shift, but it’s all routine stuff that he could do with his eyes closed. There’s a little bit of excitement when he gets pulled into fixing a Kiss depositor, but even that doesn’t take him more than an hour. 

Jared checks his watch for what feels like the 300th time since his shift started. “That’s not gonna help,” says Jim, who helped him dismantle the sealer they’re currently working on. 

“You got a hot date or something?” jokes Briana, the line worker they’ve displaced.

“As a matter of fact, I do,” replies Jared with a smirk.

“Anybody I know?”

“Depends. You been into the candy store lately?”

Briana’s jaw drops. “You mean, that really hot guy who just started?”

“His name’s Jensen,” says Jared. “He’s filling in until the holidays are over. He usually just works Thursday afternoon. And yes, I mean him.”

“You are so lucky.” Briana crosses her arms and leans against the safety railing. “He’s amazing. I know a lot of girls who go in just to see him.”

Jared chuckles. “I don’t think he’s noticed.” He finishes screwing the cover back onto the machine and puts his screwdriver back in the toolbox. “We’re gonna do a test run. You want to load it up?” 

Jim loads the empty bags back into the machine and turns it on. They run a few bags of Miniatures before stopping the machine to check the seals. All of the bags are fully sealed with no gaps, and the glue seems to be holding, so it looks like he and Jared fixed the problem. “Let us know if there are any more problems,” Jim tells Briana. “But I think you’re back in business.”

“Well, thanks for the break,” says Briana as Jim and Jared pack up their tools. Jim signs the work order and hands it to Jared so he can sign it also. “And have fun on your date.”

“I plan to,” Jared replies. “Thanks.”

Jared and Jim take their tools back to the shed before they go to the electricians’ office to file the work order. The interns are off, so the office is empty. Jim checks the computer, but nothing’s come in since they left. “All’s quiet on the western front,” he tells Jared.

They both sit down in cubicles. Jared checks his watch again and is pleased to see that there’s only 20 minutes left in his shift. He wishes he could text Jensen, but the store’s closed today so it’s too early to bother him. He knows Jensen starts at the church office at 9:00, but it’s not even 7:00 now so he assumes Jensen’s still asleep. 

Jared just kills time on his phone until it’s time to clock out. They both go up to the locker room and change. When they go out to the parking lot, they see it rained overnight. They’re both parked way in the back of the lot, but in different directions. The lot is pretty empty now since first shift is off today. 

When Jared gets home, it’s just starting to get light. It sucks that it’s dark when he gets to work and it’s still dark when he leaves. Winter isn’t Jared’s favorite season by any means. When he gets home, he drinks a bottle of water and eats a protein bar before he goes to sleep. 

When he wakes up, it’s just after 4:00 pm. He drinks some water and shaves before he texts Jensen. How was your day?

Busy. How was your shift? Jensen writes back.

Long. It seemed to take forever. I couldn’t stop thinking about you.

Jensen texts back the blushing smiley. That’s so sweet. Wish I could say the same, but I didn’t really have a minute to myself the whole time. Too much to do and too little time.

I’m sorry, Jared replies. But I hope I can take your mind off it later. He finishes with a winking face.

Sounds fantastic to me, says Jensen. I can’t wait to see you. It’s been too long.

It has been pretty long. Jared stopped by the store on his way out on Wednesday, but Jensen was busy ringing out retirees with huge baskets full of candy, so they didn’t get to talk. And Jared wasn’t willing to go to work an hour and a half early to see Jensen before the store closed yesterday. 

It really has. I’m glad we have the whole weekend to be together, Jared writes back. He’s especially glad that the shift he was supposed to work tonight got cancelled. Jared still doesn’t want to get up early to go to the 2:00 pm church service tomorrow with Jensen, but luckily Jensen understands and is willing to go to the evening service instead.

Me too, Jensen replies with a red heart. 

Their reservations are at 6:00, so Jared has to start getting ready. I’m gonna go shower and get dressed. See you soon. 

Can’t wait, Jensen replies. 

Jared sends the heart smiley back and gets into the shower. He shaves when he’s done and gets dressed in a black button-down shirt, dark jeans, and a metallic black leather jacket. He doesn’t want to get super dressed up and hopes Jensen won’t either. He combs his hair and pops a candy cane Ice Breaker that he bought from the candy store on Monday. 

When he gets to the restaurant, Jensen’s waiting inside the vestibule. He’s wearing a gorgeous green suede jacket, a patterned button-down shirt, and black trousers, and he looks so good it takes Jared’s breath away.

“Holy shit, you look amazing,” breathes Jared. 

Jensen’s cheeks go pink immediately. “Thanks,” he says, smiling self-consciously. 

Jared wraps an arm around Jensen’s shoulder and kisses him on the cheek. “Apparently all the girls at work would kill to be me right now,” he murmurs into Jensen’s ear, and that has the desired effect. 

Jensen chuckles softly. “Well, I only have eyes for you,” he replies, stepping back from Jared. “And you don’t look half bad yourself.”

Jared opens the door to the restaurant and they’re shown to their booth in the dining room. There are a lot of tables pushed together to accommodate large groups, and all the booths along the wall are full. They’re seated by the window, which is nice.

“Do you want a drink?” asks Jared, glancing at the Christmas drink specials.

“Are you getting one?”

“I might.” Jared hands Jensen the drink specials. 

���Sorry, I just wasn’t allowed to drink for so long that I don’t want to overdo it, you know?” Jensen looks over the card. “This pomegranate margarita sounds amazing.”

“That’s the one that caught my eye, too,” replies Jared. “I’m not going to judge you for having a cocktail or two at dinner. I’m not like that.”

Jensen nods. “I know. It’s just…old habits die hard, I guess.”

“Your church doesn’t give you a hard time about drinking, do they?”

“No, no, not at all,” Jensen assures him. “It’s more my family and the church I grew up in. It was insanely strict. To the point that Pastor Kim calls it religious trauma.”

“Oh my God, I had no idea,” says Jared. He reaches over and covers Jensen’s hand with his own. 

Jensen shrugs. “It’s not a big deal or anything. I just have weird reactions to completely normal things sometimes.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Jared says, not really knowing what else to say. This is something that’s completely outside of his experience. “You’re completely safe with me—you know that, right? I like you just the way you are.”

Jensen grins. “Thanks, Billy Joel.”

Jared hadn’t even thought of that. “I swear I’m not actually a Boomer in disguise.”

That prompts a laugh from Jensen that diffuses the tension. He opens his mouth to say something, but the server arrives then. They both order pomegranate margaritas, and Jensen orders a glass of ice water as well. Then they both end up laughing again when it turns out they both want the prime rib special, medium, with mashed potatoes and asparagus. 

“Hey, you can take the man out of Texas, but you can’t take the Texas out of the man,” says Jared once the server leaves. 

“I guess not,” replies Jensen. “I was ready to leave it behind, though.”

“There’s a lot I don’t miss,” admits Jared. “Like the hundred-degree summers and the tornadoes.”

Jensen nods. “Yeah, I thought I was getting away from humidity when I came here. Then I found out this place is even worse.”

“I don’t notice it as much since I don’t go out during the day,” says Jared. “That definitely helps.”

“I bet it would.” Their drinks come then, and Jared holds his up to toast. “Merry Christmas, Jensen.”

Jensen clinks his glass against Jared’s. “Merry Christmas, Jared. You definitely made it a happy holiday.”

[365daysofj2]

If You Like Piña Coladas (Factory Boys, 3/?)

Jared can’t wait for his shift to end Friday morning so he can go see Jensen in the store. Jared texted Jensen after his shift ended, but Jensen was too tired to talk much. 

The last hour of Jared’s shift seems to last all day. He’s not doing much, which doesn’t help. Production is slowed down in anticipation of the break, so there aren’t too many repairs to do. Jared ends up hanging out in the engineering office with the interns and his boss Mark. One of the interns, Osric, seems pretty cool. He’s from Penn State as well, but he goes to the campus in Middletown, two towns away from Hershey. He wants to go to main campus for grad school, so Jared shares about his experience up there. 

Finally, it’s time to clock out. Jared punches out and changes his clothes in the locker room. It’s really cold, and the sun won’t rise for nearly an hour. This isn’t Jared’s favorite time of year. But all that falls out of his head when he walks into the store and sees Jensen. He’s ringing up a customer’s order, and Jared recognizes him as one of the deaf employees. At the end of the transaction, Jensen signs “thank you,” and the man smiles. 

“Hey, Jensen,” Jared says once the customer is gone. “How’s it going?”

“It’s picked up,” replies Jensen. “Good to see you. Sorry I couldn’t talk last night. Yesterday was brutal.”

“What happened?”

“Not only did they send Valentine’s, they mixed our regular order in with it,” says Jensen, scowling. “So we had four skids to sort through, on the floor, to find our weekly order.”

“Yikes.” Jared glances at the gum and mints on the shelf near the counter. 

“Yeah, dodging forklifts isn’t my idea of a good time.” Jensen opens up his stapler and starts loading new staples into it. “We brought two carts up and it took us about an hour to put it all out. And then we had a big delivery from 19 East to deal with as well.”

“Sorry you had such a crappy day.” Jared brings two bottle packs of grape gum to the counter. As Jensen reaches for one, Jared clasps his hand and squeezes it. Jensen’s cheeks color and he smiles shyly. “At least the busy season is almost over.”

“That’s true,” replies Jensen as he scans Jared’s gum. “I’m ready for it to slow down. We keep running out of handle bags because people are buying so much.”

“Man, y’all can’t catch a break.” Jared waves off Jensen when he pulls out a small paper bag. “I don’t need a bag. I’ll just stick them in here.” He sets his lunch cooler on the counter.

Jensen sticks the paper bag back under the counter. “No problem. That’ll be $5.34.”

Jared pulls out his debit card and taps it on the credit card machine. “Man, this is so much better than the old one.”

“Tell me about it,” says Jensen. “I don’t miss that piece of crap at all.” He hands Jared the two bottle packs and the receipt. “Are you going straight home, or…?”

“I can stick around,” Jared answers with a grin. “Keep you company.”

Jensen smiles, clearly pleased. “I won’t pass that up.”

Another customer comes in then, but she goes straight to the baking chips and comes to the counter with an armload of peanut butter and chocolate chips and two cocoa tins. Jensen rings it up and bags it for her with a practiced efficiency borne of experience. She pays and is off in just a couple minutes. 

“Are you still working this shift after Christmas?” asks Jared.

“Yeah, up until New Year’s,” replies Jensen. “Then Ruth comes back and I get to stop being late to my other job.” He smiles to take the sting out of the words.

“So, I have to ask,” says Jared. “How do you go from being a candy store clerk to a church secretary?”

“I used to work at the museum,” says Jensen. “The church is right across the street, and one of my coworkers sings in the choir there. She mentioned that they were looking for an administrative assistant, and she recommended me. I worked in the development office at Etown, so I had experience. And once I got the job, I started going to services. It’s a great church. I think you’d like it.”

Jared nods. “Well, if you like it, that’s good enough for me.” Jensen smiles. “How’d you end up here, then?”

“I wanted to start paying more on my student loans,” says Jensen. “So I applied to Chocolate World, but they wanted too many shifts. They recommended I apply to the employee store because it’s more flexible. So I did, and here I am. Originally I worked Tuesdays and Thursdays both, but I stopped Tuesdays because our boss changed the start time to 11:00 AM and that conflicted with my church hours. So I cover this shift when I can instead.”

“You don’t mind getting up early?”

Jensen chuckles. “Getting up at 4:30 isn’t my idea of a good time, especially in the winter, but I’ve learned to go to bed early.—both before and after.”

“Well, I’m glad you do, because I wouldn’t have met you otherwise,” says Jared.

Jensen grins. “Yeah, you’re definitely the best perk of this job.”

Another customer comes in then, so Jared moves away from the counter. But she doesn’t seem to know what she wants, so he goes back to talking to Jensen. “So, you’re off next Friday, right?”

Jensen nods. “Yeah, y’all are too, right?”

“Well, I work my normal shift Thursday night, but then I’m off Friday night,” replies Jared. “So do you want to do something Friday night?”

Jensen smiles. “What do you have in mind?”

“How about dinner?”

“That sounds great. You have a place in mind?”

“Well, what do you like?”

“Just about anything,” answers Jensen. “Pretty much anywhere outside of Hershey is fine.”

Jared chuckles. “Yeah, good call. How about Gilligan’s, the one on Jonestown Road? I could make a reservation.”

“That sounds fantastic,” says Jensen. “I haven’t been there in ages.”

“Well, then, it’s a date.”

The woman comes up to the counter with a bunch of Twizzlers, so Jensen rings her out and gets her on her way quickly. 

“I haven’t been on a date in years,” Jensen says quietly.

“I won’t hold that against you, I promise.” Jared smiles encouragingly. 

Jensen glances at the clock. “Crap, my boss will be here any minute. I didn’t realize it was so late.”

“No problem. I’ll get out of your hair.” Jared hoists his lunch cooler onto his shoulder.

“You probably want to get home, anyway.”

Jared shrugs. “I’m not that tired. But you’ve got to go, so I’ll text you when I get up tonight.”

“Sounds good to me.” Jensen smiles, that thousand-watt smile that makes Jared’s knees go weak. 

“Have a good day at the office,” says Jared with a big smile of his own.

“I’ll try.” Jensen opens the register and sticks an envelope in the bottom of the cash drawer. “Thanks for sticking around. You made the time go faster.”

“My pleasure.” 

Jensen reaches across the counter and grasps Jared’s wrist. He pulls Jared in and leans over the counter to give him a soft, sweet kiss. Jensen tastes like piña colada Ice Breakers, which are Jared’s favorite. Jensen must have a pack stashed behind the counter. “Good night, sweet dreams.”

Jared grins so wide he feels the stretch in his cheeks. “They will be now.”

[365daysofj2]

Sweet as Chocolate Kisses (Factory Boys, 1/?)

It’s the last week of normal work before the Christmas holidays, and Jared can’t wait for the break. He’s been running himself ragged fixing problems on the chocolate factory’s production line 5. He really hopes he’s not the one who gets assigned the overtime to replace components while the lines are shut down over Christmas weekend. 

He puts his tools back in the toolbox and heads back to the electricians’ shed. He’s got to stop by the employee store on the way out to get more miniature Reese’s peanut butter cups for his sister to make cookies with. He got her a 2-pound bag of them a week ago and she’s already out. She’s promised Jared a dozen for helping out. 

Jared clocks out, changes out of his uniform in the locker room, and heads toward the employee candy store at the main entrance. When he walks in, he expects to see Ruth, the tiny redhead who works on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, when the store is open from 6:00-9:00 AM for the end of third shift and the 12-hour overnight shift that runs from 6:00 PM-6:00 AM. 

But instead, there’s a younger man standing behind the counter, and when Jared rounds the corner and gets a look at his face, his breath catches. The man is stunning. He’s got huge green eyes framed by the longest and most luscious eyelashes Jared has ever seen on a man. He has perfect pink cocksucking lips, a chiseled male-model jawline, and freckles dusted across his nose and cheeks like the chocolate cookie pieces in the Cookies & Creme bar. Jared can’t believe his luck. 

The guy clears his throat, and Jared realizes that he’s staring. “Sorry, man, long night.”

“Not a problem,” he says, and his deep, throaty voice makes Jared’s cock twitch. It’s the kind of voice that would sound really fucking hot talking dirty. 

Jared stops at the counter. “I haven’t seen you in here before,” he says, happy that his voice doesn’t betray the lust he feels for the gorgeous guy in front of him.

“That’s because I work Thursday afternoons,” the guy replies. “I’m Jensen. I’m just filling in for Ruth while she’s in Scotland.”

Jared smiles. “Nice to meet you, Jensen. I’m Jared.”

“Are you on third shift?”

Jared nods. “Yeah, at least until summer. Then I might have a chance to move to second.”

“Then I’d see you more often,” says Jensen, and the tone of his voice seems to imply that he would like that. “I only work this shift when Ruth is off.”

“That is a shame,” says Jared. He takes a deep breath and decides to press his luck. “Because I’d definitely like to see more of you.”

Jensen’s cheeks turn slightly pink, and he grins. “The feeling is mutual.”

Jared pulls his phone out of his pocket. “I don’t want to be a cliche, or harass you, but would you mind giving me your phone number?”

Jensen grins wider. “You’re not harassing me. You <I>are</I> a cliche, though. Can’t help you there.” He recites his phone number, and Jared adds it to his contacts.

“I usually get up around 3:00 or 4:00,” says Jared. “I’ll text you.”

“Well, I usually get off from my other job at noon, so that’s fine.”

“Oh, where else do you work?”

“A church downtown,” says Jensen. “I’m the administrative assistant.”

Jared can’t help but chuckle. “You don’t strike me as the church secretary type.”

“It’s not that kind of church,” Jensen assures him. “The last AA had tattoos and purple hair and demon stickers on her car.”

“Sounds cool,” replies Jared. 

“I wouldn’t go there if it wasn’t,” says Jensen. “I promise, I’m not a Jesus freak or anything.”

“Good to know,” says Jared. “But hey, I grew up watching Veggie Tales and I was in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes in high school. I just never really found a church to join when I moved here.”

“I think you’d like mine,” says Jensen. “But I don’t want to pressure you.”

“You’re not,” Jared tells him. “I mean, if it would let me see you more, I’d be willing to do just about anything.”

Jensen’s cheeks color. 

Jared looks down at his watch. “Crap, I gotta run if I want to catch my sister before she leaves for work.” He glances over at the Christmas candy shelves and locates the big bag of Reese’s miniatures. He takes it to the counter for Jensen to ring up.

“You’re leaving, right?” asks Jensen.

Jared nods. “Yeah, you don’t have to staple it.” Bags from the candy store need to be stapled shut if they’re going back into the plant. 

Jensen puts the bag into a paper sack and hands it to Jared. “Have a nice day.”

“I bet you say that to all your customers.”

Jensen smirks. “Actually, I don’t. You’re just that special.”

“I’m flattered,” Jared replies with a grin. “I really have to go. But I’ll text you later.”

“I’ll be waiting.” Jensen winks at him, and Jared’s knees go slightly weak. Jensen is really, really cute. Jared doesn’t want to leave him, but Megan will kill him if she doesn’t get her candy. “Talk to you later.”

“Definitely.” Jared grabs the paper bag and heads out to the parking lot. He doesn’t stop smiling until he’s halfway home.