chapter 3 - cravings

Megan was disgusted with herself. Why did she eat so much? She gained weight far too easily to eat even a slice of cake, much less a whole 3-layer cake. She felt so full and bloated now. The thing is, despite being angry with herself for eating it, she wished there was more left. She could have cake for lunch too then.

"Stop it! Control yourself!", Megan said to herself.

Megan worked as an RN and she was glad she had 3 more days before she had to go back in to work her 3 - 12-hour shifts. She couldn't imagine having to work this full.

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James could not believe how well the formula worked. He had expected Megan to maybe eat a second slice, which would have been a first for her given how much she watched her diet. Never in his wildest dreams would he have expected such a strong reaction.

James' lab assistant Dan met him as soon as he walked into the lab that morning.

"You need to see this.", Dan said, then turned and walked back to the lab mice cages.

When they arrived at the cage, the mice were all staring like pointers at the empty food bowel.

"They have been like that all morning.", Dan said.

James reached down into the cage, pulling out the food dish. As he lifted it out of the cage, the mice turned and watched the bowel in unison.

James filled the bowel with mice food treated with R384 and placed it back into the cage. As he lowered the food dish, the mice started jumping up at it. He didn't even have his hand out of the way before they jumped in, no attacked, the food bowel, fighting each other for the food.

"Wow.", James said.

"I know, I think they would kill each other for it if came to that.", Dan replied.

"Have you weighed them?", James asked.

"Yes, they are all gaining weight at a greater rate than what their calorie intake, higher as it is, would indicate they would.", Dan replied.

An administrative assistant knocked and came into the lab.

"James you have a call. Says her name is Megan, she would not let me take a message.", the administrative assistant said.

"OK", James said and turned to follow her. He worried that Megan may have had some kind of reaction. She never called him at work like this.

The call was parked on his office phone, he picked up.

"Is everything OK.", he asked.

"Can you make me another cake. Like the one for my birthday. I need you to make me another one.", Megan said on the other end of the line.

The request surprised James.

"I guess I can tonight.", he replied.

"What time are you going to be home?", she asked.

"The normal time, 6:00 PM or so.", he said.

"You can't get out early?", Megan asked.

"Hmm.. I guess I can.", James replied.

"I want the cake now.", Megan said.

"I can't make it right now. I have to work.", James replied.

"Make it for me as soon as you can.", Megan said and hung up the phone.

James was astounded at this. She was acting as though she was going through withdrawals.

There was a test kitchen in their lab. He went to it and started making another German Chocolate Cake, this time he doubled the amount of R384 in it to see if her reaction would be dose dependent. He also added extra butter and sugar to it to increase the caloric density of it. By the time finished his lab shift, the cake was cooled and frosted. He put in a portable cake plate and carried it home with him.

When he got home, Megan's friend Claire was over. They were standing the kitchen drinking a beer together.

"Hi James, what do you have there?", Claire asked.

"It's a cake.", James replied.

At this, Megan turned and began to stare at the cake plate. James sat it down on the counter and Megan pulled a fork out of the silverware drawer, walked up to it, and started eating it whole.

Both Claire and James watched her eat the cake, not even bothering to slice it. Finally, Claire said, "Wow that must be good."

"You can't have any. He brought it for me.", Megan snapped at her.

"OK, OK, I didn't mean anything by it.", Claire replied, puzzled at Megan's aggressive response.

Megan leaned over the cake, as if to protect it as she ate it. Claire and James watched in disbelief as Megan ate fully half the cake before she was too full to continue.

When Megan could eat no more, she put the cover back on the plate and carried it to their bedroom, saying "It's mine, no one else can have it."