chapter 1

How on earth did she allow things to get this bad?

Skye felt herself begin to tremble; saw it in the ripples that appeared over her pale flesh.

She had known that she was gaining weight. She wasn't blind or stupid - she'd noticed the softening of her belly, the red marks left from her bra straps and the elastic waistband of her panties, the strain on the buttons of her blouses.

It was she who had had to purchase new, larger clothes, wasn't it?

"It makes no sense!" Skye groaned, slapping a hand against her burgeoning belly. She watched in dull shock and disgust as her belly actually squished around her palm.

And truly it didn't make sense. Despite the fact that she hadn't been as committed to her normal active lifestyle since starting her new job she was still getting out to the gym weekly. Despite her diet not being as strict as it had been in the past she was still eating healthy foods in reasonable portions.

Hell, she was even dating a nutritionist!

Vanessa's beautiful face came to mind, causing a flush of mortification to creep up her chest to stain her cheeks.

When they had first started dating in college Skye had weighed 110 pounds, sitting well on her leanly muscled 5'3 frame. Four years later, there was nothing 'lean' about her. A fact that Vanessa was beginning to remind her in not-so-subtle ways.

"Hey babe! What are you doing in... oh." Vanessa's beautiful full lips turned down into a grimace as she took in the sight of Skye standing in front of mirrored doors of their bedroom closet.

She stood there, watching with cool eyes as her girlfriend squeaked in surprise and hurriedly tugged her top down over her gut.

As if that hides anything... Vanessa thought. It looked like Skye was going to have to go up another shirt size, if the bottom 4 inches of her gut peaking out from the hem of her t-shirt were anything to go by.

"I was just about to head to the gym." Skye mumbled without meeting her gaze.

"Of course you were dear." The derision was clear, both in Vanessa's tone and her pointed look at the squishy love handles that oozed over Skye's tightly packed jeans. "I've brought home dinner. Why don't you wait until later tonight and we will go together."

Not waiting to hear a yes or no, Victoria left the porky woman and strode away. It was only when she reached the kitchen that she allowed the slow smile to spread across her face.