chapter 3

Emily ordered the roasted chicken with vegetables and a mashed potato. Cassi ordered the prime rib with a baked potato loaded with gravy and bacon. Christina though timid at first followed Cassi's lead and got the prime rib. The first thing the waiters brought out was several bowls of freshly baked bread. Emily picked up a small loaf that seemed to be just for her. It was warm, and the crust was so crispy and flaky. She cut it in half and took a deep whiff of the fresh baked smell. "MMM. So good." She lathered it in some butter and took a big bite. Looking up she noticed the girls were each on their way with their own bread, but Ryan had seemed t be watching her closely. She would have thought more of it had the taste of the bread not been so amazing that she seemed overcome. She hardly noticed that she finished the small loaf when the waiter cam back with a plate of salad for her. She had never been one for salad before, at least not without a bit of dressing. The salad came out and she found a small bottle of oil and vinaigrette. She poured on an ample amount, almost too much so. The cool crisp salad crunched as she bit it but the coating of oil definitely eliminated any possible health benefit associated with the salad. She could feel a bit of oil escape the corner of her mouth and run down to her chin as she chewed.
"Excuse me Emily, you have a bit of..." Ryan trailed off as he pointed to the oil on Emily's chin.
"Oh, excuse me." Emily blushed, realizing again that Ryan had been watching her as she ate. She reached for her napkin to dab her cheek and chin but was just a little to late as the drip left her chin and dropped to her breasts below. Her gown for the evening was nice and it left a bit of her cleavage exposed. She took her napkin and dabbed her chest looking down at the table in front of her. She felt Ryan's eyes on her and she was embarrassed. She finished her salad quietly as the other girls did with theirs, not seeming to notice the tension their friend as facing.
The waiters came and took their salad away and dropped of the main course. Emily's chicken was a sight to behold. The roasted breast glistened as the meat was clearly well based while it had cooked. The mashed potatoes looked extra fluffy and light and the vegetables roasted with salt. She added a dollop of butter and dug in. The taste was overwhelming. It had been a long time since she had experienced such fine dining and tonight alone was ruining her. She ate each bite and savored the taste. She ate and ate until her plate was cleared. She leaned back in her chair stuffed from the delicious meal.
"Ohh, I don't think I could eat another bite." Emily said relaxing.
"Same here." "Me too." The other to added.
"That's a shame," Ryan said in a disappointed tone. "I've heard their desserts are to die for."
With that the waiters came back and collected their plates and brough out a small trolley of desserts and each girl looked them over.
"Oh which should I get, they all look so delicious." Christina said.
"If you wish ma'am, you may take more than one." The waiter answered.
"Well if they are to die for, then that is the way I would want to go." Christina said reaching for a slice of cheesecake with a raspberry dressing and a hefty dollop of whipped cream, and a plait of 3 large chocolate chip cookies.
"Same here." Cassi said as she reached for a slice of blueberry pie that had a dark flaky crust with blueberry filling oozing out with a scoop of ice cream. She also grabbed a chocolate pudding covered in whipped cream.
It was Emily's turn. She too wanted to dive right in. She reached for the decadent cheesecake and could feel Ryan's eyes on her once more. She took the plate and considered taking the cookies, but the she set her eyes on a large eclaire. Cleary this dessert was not mean to be held, but instead cut into. She touched the plate, hand trembling as she felt like she was being judged. Emily had lived her whole life judged for her weight, but with her friends with her she was confident and took the rich dessert.
The girls looked each other over and then smiled at one another and dug in. Emily was taken aback by the sweet cheesecake. The soft creamy texture and the tart taste of the raspberry sauce was o die for. The granola crust was savory in her mouth and rounded out the dessert. Bite by bite she worked her way through it. She scraped the plate with her fork to collect the last drippings of the raspberry sauce before she set her sites on her next conquest. She could feel her dressed straining to contain her belly, but this pastry was calling to her. She slid the plate closer, taking her fork and cutting into the flaky exterior. Almost immediately the overstuffed cream center began to our out slowly. She scooped a bit of cream and pastry into her mouth and had to stop from the pure bliss and euphoria from her taste buds. The dark chocolate topping was so rich and the cream so sweet she couldn't hold back and dug in without abandon. She realized she was done once she had again begun scraping the plate with her fork.
Christina was the first to speak, "Please don't tell me we are going to eat like this every night."
"No," Ryan answered. "Generally formal dinners suh as this are held the day that we are either departing or arriving in port. It gives everyone a chane to show off some of the clothes they may have just bought. Speaking of which you girls do have an allotment of $500 per week for wardrobe as you need it."
"I may need it." Emily thought she had said this softly enough, ut again she could feel Ryan looking a little too intently at her. Feeling uncomfortable she attempted to stand and excused herself. She had not yet gotten her selegs however and as she moved past Ryan she began to stumble.
"I've got you," Ryan said as he moved in to support her.
Emily found herself paused there in his strong arms. "Th Thank you," Emily finally said in a trembling voice.
"You look tired, lets get you up to the room. Ryan walked with Emily all the way back to the room. Cassi and Christina followed behind discussing how delicious everything had been, pointing out interesting parts of the ship, and complaining of having to walk back to their room.
"Here you are," Ryan said as he opened the doors and led Emily to her private room. He set her on her bed sitting up.
Emily felt dazed almost ready to collapse in a food coma. She looked up at Ryan, her belly pushing against her dress, breasts lifted higher as she arched her back to relieve some pressure, looking up to meet his gaze. "Thank you for everything Ryan."
"N No problem." It was the first time Ryan's voice seemed to crack He backed out of the room quickly and closed the door. "Goodnight," Ryan called out from behind the door.
Emily fell back in a daze. One hand rubbed her swollen belly as she drifted off to sleep.