Chapter 8 - budding

My fattening influence had consumed each of my coworkers, and I reveled in my victory. I still had much bigger plans, but they had all started the downwards spiral into obesity. And, although I tried my damnedest to ignore it, even Elizabeth's waistline was suffering from my efforts.

Madeline would have undoubtedly been the thinnest girl at Senza's if not for Laci's corruptive presence. She was probably still the lightest, but her small stature made every pound all the more damning. However, as Elizabeth had avoided becoming the focus of both myself and Laci, her gain was the most gradual.

But goddamn, once the first few pounds attached themselves I was the first to notice.

She had gained a little over 5 pounds to add to her 130ish weight. Maybe 10 if I was being generous. I couldn't exactly coax my coworkers onto a scale. Not yet, at least.

But even her modest gain was clearly visible. Her body had been pretty average and, as a result, had lacked any defining curves. Even now, her ass, hips, and breasts saw almost none of her extra weight. There wasn't too much to go around, to be fair.

From what I could tell, her jawline had softened just a little and her cheeks were a little more fleshed out. She had a bit of extra cushion on her thighs, but she could still pass for a track runner.

What really, truly caught my eye, however, was her belly.

Pushing at the hem of her shirt was a singular, soft, protruding roll of flab that stuck out just over the waistband of her shorts. It pulled the fabric of her tee a tiny bit tighter, but was a far cry from causing her clothes to ride up.

Compared to what I had seen from Laci and Alyssa, this was nothing extraordinary, right?

Wrong.

Every extra pound on any of the girls thrilled me, but this was tremendous progress from what had once been a flat, albeit untoned, stomach. It was especially exciting because the others held most their weight in their thighs, hips, ass, and tits.

Elizabeth, though, from first glance, was all about the belly.

I was about to bear witness to the full spectrum of gaining. I was ecstatic. But god, that lone belly roll was only the beginning.

Elizabeth and I had been wordlessly working on pizzas side by side with little issue, aside from me stealing glances of her budding belly, when she broke the silence.

"What're your plans for the weekend? Anything fun?"

I was taken aback. She had always been chatty by nature, but never seemed too interested in my personal life or plans outside of work. No fucking way was she flirting with me. It was just small talk, I figured. Just not her usual script.

"Nah, not really," I laughed, "just keeping my nose to the grind. You?"
"Well, I do have a wedding to prepare for... so there's that. I think I should try and lose some weight for it."

I raised an eyebrow. She had mentioned her gain so nonchalantly. I was surprised; the other girls either hadn't noticed, cared, or had altogether embraced the damage I had done. Elizabeth didn't seem upset, though. I smiled inwardly. I could talk her out of losing her fledgling pudge.

"Why?"

"I don't know. I just guess I've gotten a little chubby since track season ended."

"Really? I honestly haven't noticed. I think you look great."

It pained me to maintain a casual facade over my building lust, but she wouldn't buy it if I was overeager. I had to play it cool.

"Thank you, Michael," she smiled, "you're right; I'm probably making much to do about nothing."
"Who's wedding is it?"
"My cousin's."
"I mean, you're not the one getting married, so it isn't like you have a wedding dress you need to fit into. Why worry? It's a wedding; you should be enjoying yourself."
"Alright," she snickered, "that isn't a bad idea."
"Honestly, thick is in. Look around. Curvy girls are starting to thrive in the mainstream. Even if you do end up putting on a few, you'll be in damn good shape."

Elizabeth paused, and, for an awful moment, I thought I'd overplayed my hand. Then she smiled.

"Thanks for this. It really helped. I always enjoy our talks, Michael."

Internally collapsing with relief, I returned the sentiment.

"Hey, anytime. I'm always happy to help. Let me know how that wedding goes! The shop won't be the same without you."

As arrogant as it would be to laud my own silver tongue, I still felt as though I earned this small victory. Step by step, pound by pound. When you watch the forbidden fruit ripen, it's always best to play the long game.

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Al though this was one of the shorter chapters, I do have the outlines for the next 15 or so planned out. I hope to get the next one written in a few days. Strap in my friends!