chapter 5: the plot thickens

12/15/24 R&D Final Meeting, UT

"Right, well. So far we've blown you out of the water but hold your hat, we're not done. For a place to be able to be a paradise we have made a sustainable food source, an adaptable environment and a caretaker to make sure nothing is a stress on the people but this goes farther. I think this next part verged on the line of morality that we didn't really want to walk but..." Ryan leaned in and widened his eyes.

"What? What did you make? Weapons systems? A new creature? At this point you literally cannot stun me more. Speak up Scott!" Scott stopped and stroked his beard briefly.

"Well we made the most powerful aphrodisiac ever seen. He pulled out a silly tiny vile of pinkish liquid. Actually one of our team members in human research made it happen and told us it worked, we all laughed and asked how he knew. Poor guy couldn't have been more embarrassed" He let out a heavy laugh and clutched his gut.

"Anyway, this guy dares us to leave a drop by the coffee machine and see what happens. Jenny, down in the chemist jungle, stopped by to grab her coffee and began moaning while waiting for it to pour. Steve, the security guard, came up to grab some and was a little more than shocked to see her licking her lips and staring at him. You wouldn't believe the look on poor Steve's face." Scott let out another beefy laugh and slapped Ryan on the shoulder.

"Point is, you want people to enjoy each other in a community like this. So, maybe once in awhile the AI selects a few people and entices a nice night with a microscopic drop of this stuff." Ryan shifted and thought about how he wanted to reply.

"This really works?"

"Hell yeah it does, we call it "Love Bug"

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1/10/25 Paradise, Ashley's Home, CA

Ashley lay strewn on the couch, bag of chips next to her as she watched the local news. Jane the primary anchor was in town talking about how many residents had quickly started to pack on the pounds since the town's opening. She was standing next to one man in an alarmingly tight shirt who looked like he hadn't bothered to size up clothes yet. She popped another chip in her mouth as she got up to stretch and brush the crumbs off her body.

Lately she had started to notice that she wasn't the only one who had taken a liking to Paradise. People all over the town seemed to be enjoying themselves enough to grow a bit. Nothing drastic, no one would be considered fat or even chubby for the most part. Simply hints of a substantial gain, girls seemed to be filling out their jeans a bit more and have much less toned stomachs. Guys had noticeable beer guts forming and showed wider faces. She too was a testament to how enticing the idea of paradise could be with her large and ever growing bubble butt. Grabbing the bag of chips she tossed it on the counter and moved to the stairs but stopped to watch the end of the news segment.

"...And Tod I too am subject to a lack of willpower here, I've noticed my clothes getting a little tight and even had trouble fitting into one of my favorite little black dresses. Back to you at the station."

"Well I still think you look lovely Jane, and for all of you out there living it up in Paradise, stay tuned for more information on this and other news. In the meantime get out, go to the gym and burn some calories." Ashley turned away as a story on puppies came onto the screen and trudged up the stairs. Lately her waistline had gone from a little chubby and moved closer to "verging on fat". While she knew that it was something she had to get to the bottom of, so far she didn't see it as a problem.

Of course it was an issue with how her clothes were fitting but really there wasn't anything inherently wrong with it. Her regular health checkup actually showed that she was healthier than the average person. Every day in the mirror she stared more and more at how she could sway her hips and how her thighs perfectly accented her rear end or how her belly was actually quite cute. It wasn't like guys stopped paying attention to her, if anything they seemed more interested, so why did she feel like it was such a problem? She bit her lip as she glanced in the mirror. Ryan certainly seemed more interested, and willing to enjoy her. However a knock at the door broke her trance. N.E.A. chimed in.

"Your neighbor Scarlett is here, it seems that she wants to stop by and say hello."

"Oh, I'll be right down." Ashley rushed to the door to welcome her neighbor. Scarlett had a big smile on her face and waved.

"Hi Ashley, I was curious to know if you'd want to come over tonight. Andrew and I were going to have a movie spa night but he thought I should invite you so we could all get to know one another. Ashley bit back fear at the thought of her fitting into her bikini swimsuit but realized, looking at Scarlett that she wouldn't be the only one who looked pudgy.

"Sure, I can swing by about 6 does that sound good?"

"Of course, although, you'll be missing the movie, bring your bikini and get ready to loosen up."

"I dunno if I can get much looser."

"Good! One last thing though, we're not sure what we might want for dinner so I was thinking we could leave that up to N.E.A. unless you were craving something." Ashley's brain started to fight, half of her wanted nothing but vanilla cake and the other half of her thought that she could do better with a small salad.

"I'll get back to you on that. Maybe cake for dessert?" Scarletts eyes flicked to her neighbors hips before smiling.

"Sure, we can have a nice fat cake ready for all of us. I'll see you at 6 then."

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Later that night, Scarlett's home

Scarlett looked down at the swim suit before her and immediately felt self conscious. Her once trim body was giving way to new curves and bulges that she didn't feel totally comfortable showing yet. Biting her bottom lip she decided that she couldn't look that bad in it, and that her new C cups were if nothing else a huge improvement even if they came with a muffin top. Slipping into the baby blue bikini she felt it pull snug around her hips and even more snug around her chest. She wondered if it was decent but shrugged as she realized that Ashley would probably look no better in her suit. Finally she threw on a cover and made her way downstairs. N.E.A. raised a small bottle from the counter as she made her way down.

"Scarlett, the spa is warmed and ready, tonight I've prepared hot dogs and milkshakes with nachos as an appetizer and a funfetti ice cream cake mix topped with whipped cream. The bottle I just dispensed is a bubble formula you may add if you like to the spa to help entice a more romantic atmosphere. It contains a fraction of an amount of Love bug a powerful aphrodisiac." Scarlett stopped and walked to the counter to pick up the bottle. It was a small pink bottle with a tall neck and a small round base.

"How much do I add?"

"Just a drop will do."

Scarlett walked outside as she inspected the label of a ladybug with heart shaped feelers. "Lovebug Bubble Bath: Spice your night up!" She her the door ring and hastily undid the top and let a drop fall into the spa. She corked it and left it on the table to be taken away as she hustled to let her friends in. Andrew and Ashley were both ready and waiting at the door. Ashley had brought over a plate of grapes and Andrew had brought some beer and soda. It really wasn't needed with the technology they had on hand but if was a nice gesture.

"Haaaaay! Come in come in!" She gestured to both of them, getting a kiss from Andrew and a small hug from Ashley. Andrew was wearing red board shorts and had a black T-shirt on that seemed to be getting slightly too tight. Ashley had on a flowing dress that covered her up but immediately Scarlett could still see her pear shaped figure even through the cover. Laughing and catching up on the happenings of the day all 3 friends walked out to the back porch where the deck and spa were. There the spa was beginning to ooze pink bubbles.

"Oh hell Scarlett!" Ashley ran over to dip her hand in. "You added stuff for a bubble bath? It's like I'm 5 again. And that smell." She took a deep breath and giggled. "Ugh, I just want to get in now. C'mon you two." Ashley pulled off her dress to reveal what she had been hiding. Sure enough her lack of any sort of diet showed on her body. Her indulgences piling on her lower half creating large hips that held two globes of fat and thighs that rubbed together. She pulled one leg at a time up and over into the spa letting her pitch black pony tail sink into the water with her body.

Andrew's mouth was agape which left Scarlett feeling almost hurt. She thought that it might be best to try and reel him in. Pulling her own cover off and bending over ever so slightly she showed how her own eating had contributed to her bulging tits and slowly expanding belly. For once Scarlett felt gorgeous. Not just good looking or nice but like she had physical power with her curves. Sure enough her show worked and Andrew had to sit down to try and hide his obvious hard on. Eyes bugged as he watched Scarlett jiggle ever so slightly while she was hefting her body in.

"What's wrong Andrew? Stop just sitting there and join us." Scarlett beckoned with a finger and a wink. Tossing caution to the wind and realizing they probably saw his hard on he got up and threw his shirt off to jump in after them. The girls exchanged knowing looks and smiled. Tonight Was going to be fun.