Chapter 1 - rescue

After picking up a sobbing and incoherent Gracie, Melissa drove around the neighborhood slowly until the girl had composed herself enough to relate the events of the evening. Melissa's chin dropped in shock as she heard the unbelievably cruelty that jerk AJ had carried out on her darling Gracie. Quickly, Melissa devised a plan.

"Sweetheart, I know you're so upset, but you can't go home like that. What will your mother think?"

"Oh no," Gracie moaned, "I hadn't even thought of that! What will I do??" She looked like she would burst into another round of sobbing, and though Melissa very much would have enjoyed the sight of sobs wracking that jiggly, exposed belly, (smeared in cheesecake?!) she wasn't cruel.

"I know just what to do. Call your mom and let her know you'll be staying the night with a friend so you won't worry her. I'm going to call my friend Carmen. She's amazing in a crisis."

30 minutes and a few phone calls later, they had arrived at the end of a long tree-lined driveway at the edge of town. A palatial Italian style Villa stood at the end of the secluded drive like a castle, and as the girls parked the car, they could already see a deeply tanned, dark-haired curvy beauty waving from the colossal carved wooden doors.

Gracie was immediately conscious of the fact that she was wearing a tablecloth over a ripped, smeared dress with a painful belly prominently displayed, not to mention her smeared makeup and malicious streaks of cheesecake still on her cheeks. She blushed deeply. She was so mortified.....her idol Melissa had been so amazing to rescue her, but Gracie was convinced she would never want to be friends with someone so "un-classy!"

She didn't have time to think of anything else before she found herself being dragged out of the car by a loud and vivacious Carmen.

"Oh God!! Melissa told me there was a crisis, but I had no idea!! Lord, girl....you need a drink! Get inside this minute!"

Gracie gasped in awe....the inside of Carmen's villa was just as magnificent as the outside. Gracie felt like she was in a museum. Marble floors, crystal chandelier, palatial spiral staircase, Italian art, and a thick, gorgeous Persian rug. Gracie's self-pity and embarrassment were almost forgotten as she gasped. Melissa and Carmen were chattering a mile a minute, Gracie realized, and she struggled to keep up.

Carmen's dark eyes flashed as she heard what "that devil boy" had done to Melissa's friend. "She is not even fat! Not in the least!" Carmen turned an assessing eye over Gracie's bloated but still relatively small figure.

"I will fix this," she said imperiously. Melissa grinned as she saw her friend's nurturing personality take over. Taking the girl to Carmen had been such a good idea. Melissa left for the kitchen as Carmen herded Gracie upstairs, presumably for a bath and change of clothes. The kitchen was as grand as the rest of the house. Granite counters, stainless steel appliances, but best of all, the door leading to the wine cellar. Melissa selected a few bottles of champagne of a rare vintage before turning to the giant refrigerators lining the back wall of the kitchen.

Carmen had been a Spanish soap opera star before an American millionaire had scooped her up as his trophy wife. His company was one of Melissa's clients, and so she had gotten to know Carmen gradually over the years before she even moved to Bayside. The two became very close. Carmen's husband always seemed to be off on 'business' and so Carmen found herself lonely and in need of attention, which Melissa was more than happy to provide to the curvy, soft-skinned Latin beauty.

When Melissa discovered that Carmen's husband had been conducting an affair, she was able to discreetly inform Carmen, who then took the man for everything he owned in divorce court! The divorce was tabloid-headline worthy, and as a result, Carmen became a well-known lady.

She was now a wealthy socialite while her husband was cursing his bad publicity and bad luck. Melissa and Carmen had been good friends ever since. Carmen enjoyed her new-found fortune as a philanthropist and legendary hostess. Her parties and charitable events were the most coveted invitations in not only bayside, but the surrounding towns.

As one might imagine, all of that entertaining meant employing a full time chef, with orders to always keep the house ready in case a last-minute event arose. Carmen had been naturally curvy to begin with, but with a mansion constantly full of delicious food and the freedom to do whatever she wanted, Carmen had rapidly ballooned to the more than ample proportions she currently possessed. She could have cared less.

"I have to show people how well-off and comfortable I am!" she joked to Melissa about her ever-increasing size. She had a perfectly round butt like two giant basketballs, a soft, round, and firm belly, and large breasts that perfectly evened out the proportions of her generous hips and backside. Though breasts of that size would normally have shown some signs of flattening or sagging, Carmen was not above a little cosmetic 'help' to keep them high and perky.

Melissa loved spending time around Carmen because she had absolutely no qualms about indulging her ever increasing appetites. She was a naturally sensual woman, and never showed the slightest shame about her expanding figure. She was very vain, and kept her skin free of stretch marks, evenly tanned, and perfectly conditioned, which Melissa thought was a particularly nice touch.