chapter 6

It had been two weeks since he had last visited the dungeons, and Nate had been in a feeding frenzy the entire time. Ava’s sudden dismissal of him had been a bitter disappointment, and in his mind, the only way he could see of gaining back whatever ground he had lost with her was to return to the dungeons having put on some weight without her, to prove he was committed. He was snacking until he felt queasy between his meals, and taking double portions of everything. It had been liberating, if he was honest with himself, eating with complete abandon and allowing himself to order whatever he felt like. When he felt unable to consume anything more, he would slink off to his room and scroll through the photos Ava had sent him until his appetite returned. He felt like a man possessed. The mistress had not contacted him since she had sent him away and he was uncertain if he needed to ask before turning up again. Then again, perhaps he didn’t need an appointment now - Ava had called him “her special pet” after all. Surely a special pet was allowed to come and go as he pleased?

His mind made up, Nate stumbled up from the kitchen table and into the shower, soaping and shaving his bloated body with as much speed as he was able to muster. He felt dangerously close to slipping into a food coma as it was. He was supposed to be at work the next day, but he would figure that out when it came up, hell, he’d bring his laptop and answer emails from the dungeon if it came to that. All he could think of was being cared for by his mistress again. He grabbed a random shirt from the wardrobe and noted with some excitement that it was feeling very tight. Ava was bound to notice that too. Wanting to greet her with the best impression he could, he chugged down a pint of milk whilst waiting for the taxi to arrive, feeling the pressure in his already stuffed stomach getting worse with each long swallow.

He walked up the driveway to the house very slowly, leaning against the front door as he rang the bell. There was no immediate answer. He pressed the button again, leaving his finger on the bell for a little longer this time. Still no answer. He wondered what Ava and Butler was up to - his imagination ran wild. He was about to press for a final time when the door opened and Butler greeted him - his appearance was as neat and well put together as always. His black mask was obscuring all but his eyes, which regarded Nate with interest, but not surprise.

“Master Nathan, what a pleasure,” he said, “I didn’t realise we were expecting you this evening.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t call ahead, I just… wanted to see her,” Nate said, slightly embarrassed now. Of course she was busy. She had other clients. Of course he should have called. “Is this a bad… should I come back another time?”

“No, no, not at all, sir,” Butler replied silkily, “The mistress will, I’m sure, be very happy to hear that you’ve come back. Please, come in.”

Nate allowed himself to be shepherded into the bar, where he sank heavily into a leather chair and accepted the cold pint and bowl of snacks which Butler had wordlessly brought to him. He downed the beer easily, acutely aware of how much more it was bloating his overtaxed belly. His shirt was ridiculously tight. He grazed mindlessly on the salty treats he had been given, barely noticing when Butler was refilling the bowl. He was only really focussed on waiting patiently for Ava. An hour passed, along with several more drinks, and although he was feeling anxious to see the mistress, Nate found that he was also comfortable and at home in the house already.

“I wasn’t sure if she wanted to see me again,” he admitted to Butler as he waited. “Last time… *hic*... last time she seemed in a real hurry to get rid of me.”

“Last time was, ah, unfortunate,” Butler said carefully. “Something urgent came up. But I can assure you that you made quite the impression on the Mistress, and, if I may say so, I’m certain she will be very pleased to see you looking so… well fed since your last meeting. It’s clear you took her words to heart.”

Nate grinned a little bashfully. His gain was that noticeable, then. Perhaps an observation like that from someone outside of these walls might have been a little humiliating, but all he could feel at the moment was a strange sort of pride. The long wait seemed like minutes now, and his excitement was building again. Placing a hand on his packed belly, he gave it a tentative shake, feeling his breath leave him as he realised exactly how hard and full he was. Still, there was perhaps room for more, he thought, yes, perhaps room for more before Ava got here. He was going to make her proud. Belching softly, he picked up the empty bowl that he had been eating from and awkwardly shook it in Butler’s direction. He thought he could see a smile behind the mask as the manservant took the bowl and left the room, coming back a few minutes later not with more snacks, but with a huge meatball sandwich which dripped with cheese.

“Something a little more substantial?” Butler said politely, and Nate grinned back. He took a large, messy bite, revelling in the fact that he was still eating, beginning to feel a little delirious from how full he was. He was gearing up to take another huge mouthful, feeling as though he would need to unhinge his jaw like a snake to fit the enormous sandwich in, when the door to the bar opened and Ava strode in, making a beeline for him. In his surprise, he missed the sandwich a little, dropping a meatball on his clean shirt with a heavy splat. He hurried to chew and swallow his mouthful, his cheeks bulging, as she approached. He was thrilled to see that she was smiling at him. He could see her nipples brushing up against the silk blouse she was wearing, and a pretty flush of colour in her otherwise pale cheeks.

“Nate! How sweet of my little pet to come and pay me a visit,” she exclaimed, looking him up and down appreciatively, “Look how gorgeous you are, I’d almost forgotten.”

Nate swallowed deeply. He didn’t particularly feel gorgeous in this moment. His mouth, and fingers, were covered in marinara sauce, crumbs littering his chest and the top of his hard gut. Glancing at the stain that was no doubt already setting on his shirt from the dropped meatball, he decided to go whole hog. The shirt was ruined anyway. He picked up the stray meatball and popped it into his mouth, belched unabashedly and patted his belly again, wiping his fingers on the white fabric and leaving long trails of sauce behind. Ava’s eyes widened for a moment, and her smile became decidedly more wicked.

“Gorgeous,” she repeated. She took another step forward, towering over him, beached as he was in the chair. “And you’ve been eating so well. This is quite impressive progress, little pet.”

Nate beamed back at her, thrilled. “What can I say? You *hic* inspired me.”

“Well, my sweet, I’d say all this hard work has earned you a little further… inspiration,” Ava replied, her voice dripping with unspoken temptations. She unbuttoned the shirt, gasping delightedly at the engorged gut she found beneath it, and threw the garment over to Butler. “Have this cleaned, “ she instructed, “And find Nate a replacement that will fit him a little better when he goes home again. I doubt he’ll have much use for this one soon.” She turned back to Nate, who was gazing up at her dozily. “Come on, cutie pie. Up to bed. I’ve got all *sorts* of uses to put that hungry little mouth of yours to.”

Nate scrambled to follow her, wincing at the weight of his belly as he stood for the first time since he had entered the bar. He couldn’t think why he had stayed away for so long. It looked as though he was in for a long, long night.