chapter 4

Cadence prepared a classic dinner of beef stroganoff and garlic bread. She wanted something delicious but also easy for her to make, as she was a bit distracted by the anticipation of having her chubby neighbor over. Her nervousness increased as time crept closer to his time to arrive. She wanted to look good for him, but not like she was trying to hard, so she went with doing her makeup, hair and clothes in her usual style. She applied a matte red lipstick and swiped on a little black mascara. After giving herself a few sprays of one of her favorite perfumes, a sultry vanilla, she tied back her straight blonde hair. She decided to go simple with the outfit and chose an oversized gray turtleneck and black leggings.

The dinner went well. They chatted and they got to know each other a little better. He worked from home as a consultant for an insurance company. He had two cats. He had traveled extensively in South America after graduating college. His cheeks flushed red as he admitted his huge weakness for anything sweet.

Cadence was a little disappointed though that he didn't put away much of the beef stroganoff. Sure, he had seconds, more than her, but politely declined thirds, citing his fullness. She wondered if he was self-conscious of his eating.

"Dessert?" she offered.

"Of course."

She stepped into the kitchen and brought out a single pain au chocolat. He accepted and ate it, getting flaky crumbs all over.

"You're such a great cook. Your pastries are amazing. I could seriously never get tired of eating them."

"Really? Thanks. I've been trying out some new things, like new cake flavors, or new cookie recipes, but it's hard for me to tell if they're any good sometimes. I need an unbiased opinion on how things taste. I'm not sure how to go about it."

"You aren't able to tell yourself? But you went to culinary school."

"Yeah but I have to admit something. I don't actually have that much of a sweet tooth myself. At a certain point, everything tastes too rich and I can't tell any flavors apart."

"Well, I consider myself something of a connoisseur." He looked down bashfully at his large frame. "I'd be happy to help you out. You know, trying things."

"Ok," she forced herself to conceal her excitement, "If you want to come over tomorrow, I'll probably have some things I'd like you to try."

"Sounds good."

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Saturday was her day off, but Cadence showed up to her bakery anyway and made pastries for a few hours. Luckily, she was able to sneak them to her car without her employees noticing. She made a few more types of pastries at home before taking a hard-earned nap. She expected Marco to arrive around five or six but she wasn't sure if he was having dinner first or if he was just coming to sample some pastries, but she decided to make dinner anyway, a delicious baked risotto. While it was baking, the daydreams started again. In this one, Marco arrived, fatter than ever, waddled in, and immediately began gorging himself on the baked goods she made. He was unable to stop and with each croissant or turnover he grew more plump until he couldn't stand any longer and had to splay his soft, fat body out on her floor while she took over began feeding him entire cakes by the hand full.

Her fantasy was interrupted by a knock at her door. "Great, I'm all wet and worked up," she thought, embarrassed. She opened the door.

"Hey, how are you?" Cadence asked. "Come on in."

"Hi, uh good, a bit hungry I guess."

"Oh great, I have a baked risotto in the oven."

"Oh I can smell it. I bet it's so delicious."

The risotto was done shortly and Marco began coyly with the dish but ended up putting away three sizable portions. Cadence turned on the TV and gave him a break before it was time for dessert.

She laid out seven of her creations on a tray and carried them out to him. His brown eyes lit up as she set them beside him. He started with the Australian lamington. She closely monitored his reactions to her detailed descriptions of her recipes, and could tell that he delighted in the information. After the fifth pastry, a donut with apricot frosting, he insisted that he was done, but Cadence was able to coax him into eating the last two treats through tiny moans of fullness and pleasure.