Chapter 4 - shopping date [part 1]

The following week Charlie was kept busy, as his employers' induction training was a very intensive course and the trainers set homework most evenings for the following day. However, the training group was told that there would be a team social on the Thursday evening, and that they would be given the Friday completely free. Since his train didn't leave until Friday afternoon, Charlie promptly messaged Melissa to ask if she was still up for a Friday-morning shopping trip.

They met at 11am at the main mall in the centre of town. The weather was warm and Melissa was wearing a patterned summer dress. It wouldn't have been particularly revealing, but for the fact that it was very obviously too small for her, and her body simply bulged out of it in every direction. Charlie watched appreciatively as she jiggled towards him, her fat bouncing beneath the light material.

"Right," Charlie said as she reached him and kissed him on the cheek. "Let's go shopping! It looks like somebody might have grown out of a few of her clothes..!" He put his arm around her waist and gave her chunky love-handle a little squeeze.

She giggled. "I'm afraid I've grown out of all of them...! I've lost control of myself a little bit recently, and I think it's showing."

She led him onto the escalator up to the broad first-floor gallery, and went on: "Before shopping, though, let's get something to eat... it feels like a long time since breakfast, and there's a great pancake place up here!"

The place in question was an open counter-service restaurant in the middle of the mall's busiest concourse. As they approached the counter, Charlie suddenly became aware that people were staring at his companion - in particular, he noticed a group of teenage boys hanging around a few metres away who began sniggering and pointing. Charlie, having had a late breakfast in the hotel, just ordered himself a coffee. As he did so, he thought he heard a pig-like snort from the teenagers, and out of the corner of his eye he saw Melissa glance in their direction. He noticed how her round stomach pressed against the counter as she eyed the menu above the server's head.

"I think I'm going to have... a medium banana fudge pancakes, and a cappuccino. Actually, make the pancakes a large, please. And I'd like some of the apple doughnut fritters too please, with extra cream."

The teenage boys had obviously been listening to her order and now burst into renewed laughter, mixed with much more obvious pig-snorts. Charlie wasn't sure, but among the sniggering he thought he caught the words 'fat bitch'.

Melissa's eyes darted towards them once more, but otherwise she and the young guy behind the counter both studiously ignored the interruption. The server was clearly under the impression that Melissa hadn't eaten here before, saying helpfully: "Actually, madam, we usually recommend the large pancakes as a sharing dish for two, and the fritters are a pretty big portion too. Unless you're really hungry I'd recommend saving those for next time?"

Charlie, remembering their last date, saw an opportunity to tease her a little and jumped in. "Oh, believe me, she's got quite the appetite. I mean," - and he patted her plump belly - "just look at her!"

The server leaned over the counter and surveyed Melissa's corpulent figure, then a new light of understanding dawned on his face. "Ohh, I see," he said, and looked back up at Melissa's face with a beaming smile. "Eating for two, are we? Congratulations, when's it due?"

Melissa's eyes widened and she flushed pink, folding her hands across her stomach. "Oh, I'm not... I'm actually not pregnant, he just means I've put on some weight recently."

There was a fresh bout of open laughter and oinking from the teenagers as the grin died on the server's face. Mortified, he apologised and stuttered through taking Charlie's payment, before disappearing into the back room.

As Melissa and Charlie walked to a table in silence, he worried again that she might be offended. But as they took their seats she leaned across to him, and he saw in her eyes a look of pure animal lust. "Tease me more," she breathed in his ear.

Moments later the shame-faced server brought out their order, heaping the plates in front of Melissa without meeting her gaze. Charlie said to him in a conversational tone, "Don't worry, it's an easy mistake to make. I mean, she has let herself get very round. It could almost be twins in there." He reached over and patted her bulging stomach again, making it wobble.

The waiter looked even more flustered and mumbled another apology. As he retreated and she began to eat, Charlie addressed himself quite loudly to Melissa. "I've told you before, honey, it's no wonder people think you're pregnant when you stuff yourself like this and parade your big belly around for everyone to see. You're practically bursting out of that dress."

Melissa looked up from her pancakes and spoke through a mouthful. "But I like this dress! I know I may have gained a few pounds, but I still think it looks good!"

Charlie laughed scornfully. "Just keep on eating, you pudgy little glutton. The dress won't be an issue soon anyway, because you won't even be able to squeeze into it. I seriously don't know how you managed to cram yourself in there this morning."

Melissa sat back for a moment, breathing heavily through pouting lips, one hand draped across the bulge of her protruding stomach, which rested heavily on her upper thighs. The pancakes were almost finished and she had eaten one of the four cream-smothered apple fritters.

"Come on, finish your food, greedy-guts. Don't try and tell me it's a case of 'eyes bigger than belly' - not with a belly that size!" He reached across and poked a finger into her fat, watching it jiggle. Obediently, she picked up her fork and tucked back in, but Charlie saw that her other hand had vanished beneath the table-edge. She looked into his eyes as she shovelled food into her mouth, and her breathing was that much quicker, more rhythmic. He had a feeling that this naughty little fatty was getting very excited by this brunch session, and he kept teasing and taunting her until she had finished all the calorific food.