chapter 1

He fired up the oven and tried to remember when 'double-pizza-Wednesdays' had become a thing. He then looked down at his belly and remembered why. Some days the urge in him to grow was just too strong.

He had already been out that night with work colleagues, to sink four or five beers, and a sharing platter, of which he ate the most. But he was still hungry now once he'd arrived home.

‘None for me thanks.' She dropped her gym kit bag by the washer, also arriving home late. 'I am starving though,’ she added, and proceeded to grab an apple and a banana from the fruit bowl and a pre-prepared ‘clean’ pasta salad from the fridge.

‘Sure you’ll manage a slice or two of pizza?’ he asked.

‘I think you probably need them more.’ She dropped her eyes to his waist and grinned.

‘Hey, what’s this?’ she asked, before approaching him with a lick of her index finger and mopping some stains away from his work shirt.

He looked down. ‘Must be hot sauce,’ he said.

‘Wings?’ she asked.

He nodded.

‘How many?’

‘Six, … perhaps?’ He scratched the back of his head as he tried to count.

‘Oops.’ She prodded his belly and dipped her head down to check in on the oven. ‘And now you’re having two pizzas and some garlic bread too?’

‘It’s the beer,’ he said.

‘Sure,’ she replied, kissing his lips, then picked up her clean pasta salad and gave him the first bite.

'Too dry,’ he replied, referring to the lack of oil.

‘Too fattening.’ She gave him a sly wink. ‘But I can fix you up a better batch later if you'd like?’

‘You’re taking advantage of me now.’ He stuck out his tongue at her.

‘You might as well max out on the carbs if that's your plan for tonight.’ She rolled her eyes at him as she placed her hand on his waist.

‘Let me try another bite then.’ He looked down at her pasta salad again.

‘Gladly.’ She raised another forkful to his lips.

He mused a little on his second bite.

‘Whip me up a batch later then,' he said. 'And I’ll see how much I can eat.’

‘This belly’s made you quite “deee-man-ding” I see.’ She prodded him in the gut lightly with the base of her fork. ‘You didn’t even say the magic word yet.’

‘Please?’ he offered.

‘No.’ She blew him a kiss. ‘Free-reign.’

‘Fine,’ he replied. ‘Make it as fattening as you want. It’s not like you won’t.’

‘Living dangerously with your waistline there.’ She grinned at him as she ate another bite of her pasta salad. ‘Don’t you think you’re fat enough?’

She had a look of provocation in her eye.

‘And what do you think?’ He answered back.

And she loved it when he did that; because it meant open-season for her hands on his waist.

‘Well let me see.’ She finished up the last of her pasta and freed her hands in order to work them from his front to his sides.

She shook a little at his belly's weight in an attempt to judge. And also just to marvel at the sheer amount of excessive consumption he had packed on lately.

‘I’d say you probably need maybe ten or more so pounds.’ She offered up her view, a little tentatively.

He gave her a slightly disparaging look.

‘Twenty?’ she offered further, now starting to blush at the greed.

He seemed to reason with that number in his head, then shook it in decline. He pointed his finger up.

‘More?’ She gasped, given that he was already so fat.

He nodded a yes in reply.

‘Thirty then? …,’ she asked, a little disbelieving now.

‘Yeah,’ he said, finally considering the prospect out aloud for the first time. ‘I guess that’d be a good round number for my waist.’ He rubbed his belly and grinned.

‘Ha!’ she exclaimed, sensing an opportunity in his eye. So she picked up her banana, opened it, and suggestively took a bite as she maintained eye contact with him.

‘Some breaking news just in folks,’ she added, now placing her index finger in her ear. ‘That’s right,’ she continued, confirming the news story arriving in her imaginary earpiece. ‘We have a very fat local man here, who’s just confirmed to me that he’s going to devour an incredibly fattening - but well prepared if I do say so myself - pasta salad live on tonight's show. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is on top of his chicken wing and double pizza and garlic bread feast!’

‘Funny,’ he remarked, as she placed the open banana by his lips like a pretend microphone.

‘And we can go live to that man right now,’ She added, back into the banana.

‘So then Sir.' She placed the banana back by his lips. 'Any thoughts for our viewers at home?’

He took a small bite of the banana and rolled his eyes at her, but was smiling all the same.

‘Well Jennifer.’ He turned to the imaginary camera crew by her side. ‘My wife has a bit of a thing for men who can’t help but put on a little weight. So I’m only doing my best to be a loving husband, despite the reports in the press. Or what she’s told you ... I'm just not as greedy as she claims!’

‘Fascinating Sir.’ She brought the open banana back to her lips. ‘And can you confirm to me whether she’s a feeder? We have received some reports of this in the past.’

‘Too early to judge.’ He turned to her camera crew again. ‘But if you’re listening out there ladies - lock up your husbands tonight - unless you want them returning home very fat.’

She stuck out her tongue at him this time.

‘Oh,’ she said, placing her index finger back in her ear. ‘It's just been confirmed to me that your potential feeder wife is now going to feed you a very fattening dessert later after tonight's feast.’

‘Can I get your live, on-air, response to that now please Sir? She held the open banana back by his lips, with a grin.

‘Well, I guess she can try,’ he replied, a little smugly, glancing to the camera crew once more.

‘And is that,' she paused, then turned to her imaginary camera crew too. 'Ladies and gentlemen at home, really the response of a truly loving husband would you say?’

‘Hey!' He grabbed at the banana in her hand and drew it back to his lips. 'I'd just like to add Jennifer - for your viewers at home - that I’m actually very much looking forward to that. And to eating her ou…’

‘Excellent,’ she said, punching him in the arm with a playful grin as she cut him off, and turned back to her camera crew. ‘So there we have it folks,’ she continued her closing link. ‘We have a very overweight and local fat man here gaining even more weight live on tonight’s show. And he’s just confirmed to me that he’s at least looking to gain thirty more pounds.’ She turned to wink at him. ‘By Spring.’

‘So come join me back in the studio later, when I’ll be going live with my “lets-buy-him-some-new-pants” appeal.’

‘And yes Stacy,’ she added further, laughing as she confirmed the imaginary question in her ear. ‘I can definitely confirm that he’s already gonna need some bigger slacks after tonight’s show!’

She giggled to herself as she fed him the last bite of her banana and placed its empty skin in the food waste bin to his side.

‘You’re a kook.’ He rolled his eyes at her.

‘But a loveable one.' She fired him another sly wink. ‘So I’ll hit the shower then,’ She turned for the kitchen door, but glanced over her shoulder as she did. 'But we can have a little more fun with this later on, can't we?' She patted her butt.

‘Bon appetite!’ she added further - from the stairs this time - as she heard his oven timer ping.

‘Merci!! … my little reporter in the field!’ He shouted back, and proceeded to open up the oven door. He just hoped, that he hadn’t bitten off more than he could chew.

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