chapter 4

At thirty-two pounds from her initial weight, Mallory's jeans are fit to burst. She carries most of her weight at her stomach, which is deliciously round, but there is evidence of gain at her thighs, too, where the denim has begun to strain. Feedings become increasingly harder, so Jackson switches tactics. Rather than filling her to the brim and stretching out her stomach, he gives her high calorie, fattening food. While he does miss the sight of her straining belly, he likes watching her outgrow her clothes almost as much. (Almost.)

A couple pounds later, Jackson knows she simply cannot wear the jeans anymore. But he does want one more bang for his buck, so to speak. So he rouses his charge and smiles down at her. Mallory returns his smile sleepily, and then yawns, shifting in her padded bindings.

"Up and at 'em, sweetpea."

He puts the bed into an almost upright position, watching her chubby belly start to bunch up, severely restricted by her too-tight pants. Discomfort flashes across her face, and he stops the mechanical ascent. With a light tap to her nose, Jackson undoes her bindings and steps away from the bed.

"C'm here," he encourages.

Mallory shifts awkwardly toward the edge of the bed, hating how tight the jeans are on her thighs. She hopes that her bulging stomach is an illusion of the tightness of the jeans. Her belly quivers when her feet find cool, tile floor, and when she stands, she almost falls again. She feels heavy on her feet, bloated and big. Whether the idea that she is not big in Jackson's eyes is comforting or loathsome, she does not know. With her increase in width, she does not quite know how to walk, but she manages, feeling awkward and heavy. She can feel herself jiggle with every step.

Jackson grins at her, and she feels a queer lightness in her chest. When she reaches him, he crouches down, fingers finding the button of her jeans. It comes loose, and although her belly comes bouncing forward, she cannot care. Mallory breathes deep and long and traces her fingers along the angry red marks the jeans had caused.

The zipper of the jeans is spread impressively, her round tummy taking up the space in between. With an empty stomach, her shirt rests an inch above her belly button. How he had managed to get the jeans closed before, he did not know, and she must have gained five pounds since then.

Fighting the urge to whistle, Jackson nudges her toward a recliner and secures her to it. Her stomach rumbles, and he cannot conceal his grin.

"What do you want to eat, pretty girl?" he asks.

"Surprise me?" she inquires with a tilt of her head.

Jackson grins, not wolfish or predatory, but genuine and kind. Mallory looks away when her stomach flutters, and writes it off as hunger.

"Hmm...I'll see what I can do."

. . .

When he pushes the last bite of pancakes into her mouth, Mallory wrinkles up her nose. He has given her nothing but sweet things to start with, enough to make her comfortably full but also dissatisfy her, make her crave something savory. Now, he produces a square carton from the warming drawer (a great investment, if he said so himself) and she perks, eyes brightening with curiosity.

This time, his grin has an edge, but she takes a bite from the burger nonetheless. Big Macs are something she has never allowed herself to have, and they are not wonderful, but it's a breath of fresh air, from the cloying sweetness of the pancakes.

Feeding her the burgers is strangely intimate, Jackson thinks. More than anything, they are messy and made for hands, rather than silverware. Sauce drips onto her shirt, so he moves closer to compensate, closer than he normally sits when he hand feeds her. A few inches closer, and he would be able to feel her body heat.

As it is, though, his left kneecap almost brushes her right thigh, long arms easily reaching to keep the burger together so she can eat easily. Two hands. There is nothing to distract him, so he can only watch her. Mallory's lips brush his knuckles with every bite. A few weeks ago, he thinks she would have bitten him, out of spite. Now, she does not, and he relishes the step forward.

By the end, when she turns her mouth from the burger, he can feel that his cheeks are flushed, and his breathing is deeper than it ought to be. There is still one burger left, and he fully intends for her to eat it. Jackson swallows hard, and then rallies, rolling his desk chair to a position slightly behind Mallory. He puts a hand on the side of her belly, rubbing slowly, and holds the burger in front of her.

"Mallory," he says quietly, his first words since he had begun to feed her. She jumps slightly, and he waits for her to relax before he speaks again. "I want you to eat this last burger, okay? And then we'll be done. I promise."

Mallory makes a low noise of protest in the back of her throat, and Jackson returns a similar noise, though slightly less of a whine. She takes a small bite, and he hums his approval.

"Good girl." Jackson's touch on her tender stomach is light and almost soothing, and Mallory takes another, bigger bite. Her belly aches, fuller than she remembers it ever being, but she pushes through. There is something about the way he murmurs (calling her pretty, encouraging her, promising that they're almost done), that makes the flush of exertion and heavy carbohydrates turn to one of embarrassment.

Suddenly, the burger is gone, and Mallory groans. Jackson's other hand comes to the other side of her belly, rubbing lazy, and when she has stopped her low whining noise, he gets to his feet and shuts off the video camera. He snaps a couple pictures, at various angles, trying (***ing *trying*) to be at least somewhat professional.

He had truly missed the sight of her stuffed belly, but this was better than before. For the first time, her belly was allowed to swell forward, unencumbered. The sheer amount of food in her encumbers her breathing, and she has spread her thighs to accommodate the bloat of her stomach. He thinks he can see the beginnings of stretch marks on her sides.

Beautiful.

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A/N: I'm so glad that you all enjoy this story, and I'm so sorry that it took so long for me to get this chapter up! I had a major case of writer's block. The next chapter is something I've been planning basically from the beginning, and I'm very excited to write it. There'll be a bit of a time hop, though nothing too drastic.

As always, if you have a particular fantasy that you'd like to see in the story, shoot me a message or leave it in the commends; I love to please :D