chapter 3 - chocolate pie

After a week of testing each individual component, Molly decides to make the chocolate caramel pie. She share’s her bench with another recipe tester who specialises in white chocolate desserts… and talking incessantly. “You see, I had to stop taking desserts home, I put on 2 stone the first 3 months I was working here! I was taking home a case from the reject box every day, it was insane! Soon enough the sight of chocolate made me feel sick. For the sake of my job, I thought I better put a cooler on it. Now I’m at fat busters and I’ve lost one and a half pounds in the last 3 weeks so it’s going really well!” Molly tried to seem interested as Sally went on and on about her life, kids, caravan holidays and how long she’d been working at ‘Sweet Cheeks’.

As Sally yammered, Molly couldn’t help but compare their body types as her mind drifted. It certainly seemed like Sally had taken advantage of the free treats available from the reject box. Molly stood at five foot eight while Sally was quite a bit shorter and carried her substantial weight around her middle. The chef’s jacket she was wearing had two popped buttons where the fabric was strained across her sizable belly, but Molly was too embarrassed to point this out. She also couldn’t help but notice that Sally’s double chin wobbled as she talked animatedly about her upcoming caravan trip. Focusing on her own work she began to fill the pie tin with the rich buttery pastry. “And I said to Tommy “If you think I’m squeezing into my old bikini you’ve got another thing coming!” I mean, these are much bigger now that I’m seventy percent chocolate!” Sally continued, hoisting up her boobs, causing one more button to pop on her jacket, “Oh for goodness sake! I’ve gone through three new jackets this year alone; I’m going to have to start wearing a tent to work” she throws her head back to cackle at her own joke. Molly smiles politely at Sally, while putting her pastry into the oven. “So, Sally, what are you working on at the moment?” she tries to change the subject. This sets Sally off on a dreamy eyed, ten-minute monologue about a creamy Madagascan vanilla and bourbon cheesecake with a salted caramel base.

Wow, that sounds delicious. I’ll have to swipe one of her testers from the reject box if she doesn’t take them all home herself!

Molly stirred the thick caramel sauce, taking it off the heat to cool slightly before adding it to the tart. As she stirs the caramel sauce, she notices a lack of talking coming from Sally’s station. Looking over, she sees Sally leaning across the countertop inhaling the buttery pastry aroma emanating from the oven. “Oh Molly, that smells delightful!” as Sally practically climbs the counter to get closer to the smell of butter, Molly notices her jacket straining to the point where it looks like it might tear off her there and then. Molly closes her eyes to appreciate the smell with Sally. Even though she had been smelling and tasting caramel, buttery pastry and melted chocolate all week, Molly’s mouth still watered. Imagining the finished product, buttery pastry, creamy slightly salted caramel, and dense, fudgy chocolate all filling her mouth at the same time, Molly could practically taste it.

I’ve got the best job in the world, even with Sally’s jibber jabber. Restrict myself to taking only one case from the reject box a month? This woman is crazy. This pie is going to be wonderful once it’s finished. I’d pile it high with sweet, whipped cream, maybe have it with a tall glass of frosty chocolate milk, also topped with whipped…

“Molly! Your pie!” suddenly she was snapped out of her chocolatey daydream by Sally screeching her name… Molly hadn’t noticed but Sally had made her way around to her side of the bench to peer into the oven at the pie crust. Joining Sally she saw that an edge of the pastry was slightly more brown than she’d like. She’d been a bit too swept up in her daydream about the finished product.
I wish I could say that’s the first time I’ve been distracted while fantasising about food.
Pulling the pastry out of the oven, Molly looks at it sadly. It wasn’t totally ruined but definitely not good enough to present to her boss.

Oh no… I guess I’ll have to take this one home with me…

Molly smiles to herself as she finishes off the first pie, pouring a generous amount of thick caramel sauce, then topping it with a liberal helping of the glossy chocolate ganache. As Molly makes a start on the second attempt, she takes care to set a timer, hoping to avoid another victim of her food-oriented fantasies. After finishing off the second pie, she puts it into the refrigerator, leaving it to set ready to present to her boss tomorrow. Packing up the chocolate pie with the slightly burned crust, she turns to Sally “I’ll try this out on my boyfriend, get a second opinion before presenting it to Henry tomorrow”. As she puts on her coat, sally takes off her strained chef’s jacket to follow suit, also calling it a day “Well, he’d be mad not to devour the whole thing there and then, it’s certainly what I would do!” Sally chuckled, slipping a container of leftover cheesecake base into her bag. As Molly looks on, Sally catches her eye “Oh, cheesecake base is fantastic crumbled over ice cream, it’s going to be my naughty treat for this week I think” “Sounds lovely Sally, I’ll see you tomorrow” Molly smiled at Sally, then turned to leave. As she made her way to her car, Molly smiled to herself.

I think more of that cheesecake base and filling ended up in Sally’s mouth than in the tin today. No wonder it’s taking her so long to lose weight! I don’t know why she’s bothering, better to be fat and happy I say.

Her growling stomach getting the better of her, Molly stops at the corner shop on the way home for some supplies to complement the decadent chocolate pie sitting on the passenger seat beside her. Strolling around the shop she thinks to herself what would go well with this dense pie?
A can of whipped cream for sure… maybe I should get two just in case? Yeah, that sounds good. Oh, Chocolate milk, I’ll get the two litre one to make sure I have enough…
Satisfied, Molly head’s back to the car to finishes her journey home.

Dumping the shopping bag, box with the chocolate pie and handbag down on the kitchen counter, she sighs with relief. Reaching down to give Gingie a pet, Molly begins to wonder where John is.
I thought he’d be home by now, I’ll give him a call to see when he’s home and what he fancies for tea.

Taking her phone out of her handbag she see’s a missed call and a voice message. “Hey babe, I’ve been called down to London for a job. It looks like I’ll be staying tonight and tomorrow, I think they’re setting us up in the motel next to the office block we’re wiring so nothing glamourous. I’ll message you when I get there. Hope you had a good day at work, love you.” As Molly finishes listening to the message, she checks the clock in the kitchen. 6:45pm. Replying to John, Molly writes “Aw, that’s a shame. I’m going to miss you! I was just wondering what we were going to eat tonight as there’s nothing in. I brought home another treat, maybe I’ll be having chocolate pie for tea” attached to the text, Molly sends a picture of her holding the chocolate pie up to her face as if she’s about to take a bite out of it.
Smiling to herself, she set’s the pie down and goes upstairs to change into her pyjama shorts and top. As she descends the stairs, she hears her phone buzz in the kitchen.

Rushing back to her phone she see’s that John has replied “I think that sounds like a sensible idea, I’m sure you’ll have no trouble finishing it off”

Cheeky!

As she tuts, she replies to John “Is that a challenge? I’ve bought some complementary sides to go with it to make the experience more enjoyable.” along with the text is a picture Molly has taken with the cans of whipped cream and chocolate milk standing next to the chocolate pie.
I know I joked about this but… I’ve been smelling this for days and I can’t think of a better dinner.

Collecting a lap tray from a cupboard she loads it up with the treats before her. Letting her hand hover over a glass for a moment, she thinks to herself.

Why bother with the glass? I’ll just drink it straight from the container.

Putting the large bottle of chocolate milk, along with a knife, on the tray, Molly makes her way to the living room. As she plops herself down on the sofa, she notices her phone light up with another message from John. “Wow Molly, you’ve gone all out. I wish I was there to share the experience with you” “I could always video call you if you want?” Molly was a little confused.

Did John want to share the pie with me? Or is he saying he wants to watch me eat the pie?

“I wish. I’ve just got to the motel and I’m sharing a room with Rich”. Well, if he wanted to see her eat the pie then she would gladly oblige.

Ten minutes later and absolutely stuffed; Molly sent four attachments through to John.

The first was a picture of the tray in front of Molly, the pie had a quarter cut out and topped rather generously with whipped cream. Attached to this photo was a message “This was the amount that I intended to eat”. The second attachment was a GIF, Molly was holding a can of whipped cream above her which endlessly squirts cream into her mouth. “I needed something to refresh my very refined palette between halves of pie”. The third picture was of the tray which once contained the pie. In the picture, the pie plate was empty, save for a few pastry crumbs. The can of whipped cream was on its side, seemingly spent and the chocolate milk was almost empty. Apart from the tray, her lap showed the consequences of Molly’s ravenous eating. Her bare thighs can be seen by the tray where her shorts have risen. They are covered in crumbs and smears of chocolate where Molly had seemingly not missed a single bit of chocolate or caramel which had escaped her mouth. Attached to this picture was the message “And this was how much I actually ate” The fourth image was taken selfie style at an angle above Molly which showed her face, body, and lap to the camera. Molly’s cheeks were smeared with chocolate and crumbs. It seems that in the feeding frenzy crumbs had also dropped into her cleavage and onto her lap. Her pyjama shorts had rolled up her substantial legs, meaning that her bare legs were also decorated with crumbs and drops of caramel and chocolate which had escaped her eager appetite. In the photo, Molly looked into the camera and poked her tongue out slightly to lick her lips. “I rather enjoyed that. I can’t believe I ate the whole thing. That was the best dinner I think I’ve ever had. I meant to save some for you, but it was too good.”
As Molly send the photo’s through to John, she started to feel a little embarrassed.

I sent those through thinking he’d find them funny but what if he just thinks I’m a pig? Oh no, maybe I shouldn’t have done that. What it…

Her thoughts were interrupted by her phone buzzing. A message from John, “Wow you look like you really enjoyed yourself. I can’t believe you finished the whole thing. Is it strange that I’m turned-on seeing pictures of you covered in chocolate and crumbs?”
Turn him on? Me… eating?