Chapter 1 - part 1

Clara slipped through her apartment doorway and quickly shut it behind her, leaning against the door. Her forehead was littered with beads of sweat which she wiped away with the back of her hand. "Finally," she said, kicking her heels off her feet. "I thought I wasn't going to make it to the end of the day!"

Just then, there was a muffled grumble from the woman's stomach. "Oh shut up," she hissed. "I want this stupid thing off, too." She quickly got to work, unbuttoning her blazer with delicate fingers. She threw it off to the side before removing her button-up shirt to reveal a large black band adorned with metal clasps on the front. Clara immediately took to removing the last line of defense between her and her complaining stomach. She whispered a few curses under her breath as she fiddled with the clasps. Her stomach growled again, this time a bit louder. "Be patient! I'm almost there..." Clara replied. Finally, she managed to remove the last silver clasp. As soon as she did so, her belly surged forward, eliciting a sigh of relief from Clara. She threw the waist trainer over to where her blazer and shirt were and slumped down to the floor. "Fucking finally...," she whispered, massaging her stomach.

Her belly was a sight to behold. The soft, doughy mass was like Play-Doh beneath her hands. It went beyond just giving her a muffin-top. It was a genuine pot belly at this point when left unrestrained by her waist trainer. It was easily her biggest feature, even more so than her perky chest and tight butt. Despite that, she was certainly prouder of the latter two assets than the first. She was slender everywhere else but her tummy, which had apparently missed the memo. "Stupid belly," Clara grunted. She gripped it in her hands and lifted it up before letting it drop into her lap. It jiggled for a good minute after she released it. Ugh.

Her expert massage turned into a lazy single-handed rub as combed a hand through her curly auburn hair. God, she hated this stupid belly. It was one of the things she hated most about herself. It had been a pain in her side since college. The Freshman 15 hit hard and apparently had no intention of leaving. She went through great lengths to hit her massive midriff, investing in waist trainer after corset and even avoiding swimsuits all together. She tried dieting, exercising, and everything in between, but nothing seemed to get rid of it. Well, that may have been due to the other thing she hated most about herself...

Her gut growled again, but rather than begging for release from that prison of a waistband, it instead wanted something else: food. Clara hadn't eaten since lunch, which was a good while ago. She needed to eat something before she called it a night. She stood up and walked over to her fridge, her pale stomach jiggling the entire way. She had started another diet in an attempt to get rid of this stupid fat belly, and this time she invested in a food service that sends her pre-made meals every so often. This way, she knew exactly what to eat and when to eat it, eliminating any temptations other foods may bring. Opening the fridge, she retrieved a small black container and opened the lid. Strips of grilled chicken, about half a cup of green beans, and some yogurt to serve as a dessert. Her belly let loose a dissatisfied grumble. This is hardly a meal at all! Clara could practically hear it shouting, but she was having none of it. She knew how ... out of hand her hunger could be if left unchecked, and these pre-made meals gave her a nice security measure against her own appetite. She didn't even bother to heat up the meal as she grabbed a fork from the drawer and dug in right then and there. The entire meal was gone in a little over a minute, leaving a desolate tray in Clara's hand. A small burp escaped her stomach as it got to work digesting the meager meal. She threw the carton in the trash and gave her stomach a quick pat. "Welp. Time to get out of these clothes and go to bed," she said to no one in particular.

...

She didn't move at all.

Her hand rested on her gut. She could feel the rumbling coming from it, begging her for more sustenance. She knew she shouldn't eat any more food. She really shouldn't. She didn't need to. She just needed to get to her room, change clothes, and go to sleep. Hell, she didn't even have to change if she didn't want to. She just couldn't stay here, in her kitchen, with all of this food. All of this yummy, tasty, delectable, divine, heavenly-

Clara shook her head. She couldn't let her appetite win out again. She nearly got the chance to move her legs when she heard a voice in her head. "Hey!" it shouted, catching Clara off guard. "You've been doing a really good job with your diet, huh?"

"Yeah ..." Clara said to herself.

"Two months of nothing but those itty bitty meals. That sure takes some discipline!"

"Thanks ..."

"Don't you think you deserve a reward?"

"Huh?"

" ;You know. A little cheat meal!"

"I don't know. I have nothing but junk food in here."

"What about those diet meals?"

Clara had just received her new shipment of the meals yesterday. A month's worth of meals laid in her fridge. Three meals a day, with some snacks for good measure. All perfectly diet-worthy, of course.

"Those things are supposed to be healthy, right? Eating one more wouldn't be that bad. Hell, it'd probably do more good than harm!"

Clara's mouth watered at the prospect of eating more food. She felt like she had been starving herself these past two months. "Just one more couldn't hurt, right?" she asked the voice in her head.

"Oh, absolutely! You earned it!" it reassured her.

Clara grabbed another carton from the fridge. This one had some fish, a roll of bread, and some mini-potatoes. She scarfed down that meal as well, even faster than the first. Her stomach grumbled, happy with the extra food but still unsatisfied. Hm. That really didn't help much, did it? the voice asked.

"I'm still so hungry, but-"

"Then why not eat until you feel satisfied? That can't take any more than one or two of those meals, right?"

The woman already gave into temptation once, so it didn't take much prodding to eat another meal. She tossed out the tray she was holding and grabbed a new one. Oatmeal, fruit, and a little box of orange juice. Clearly this was meant to be a light breakfast. Clara wolfed it down in under thirty seconds. She threw the trash in the general direction of the trash can, missing by a small margin. Another carton was already in her grasp. A veggie burger, sweet potato fries, and a cheese stick. The small meal didn't stand a chance against Clara's voracious appetite. She threw the carton aside, not even aiming for the trash can. Steak, mashed potatoes, and- Oh. It's already gone. Next. Clara continued devouring meal after meal, her kitchen floor becoming progressively more cluttered with trash. She was so caught up in eating, she didn't even notice how her belly was slowly inching outward. As a month's worth of food found its way into her stomach, it stretched and expanded to accommodate the increase in volume. By the time Clara was halfway done (which took her no time at all), the button on her pants had popped off from the pressure put on it by her swollen tummy. She merely began giving her gut quick rubs in between cartons. God, how had she managed to live off these things for two months? These barely felt like an afternoon snack.

After about forty minutes of nothing but eating, Clara had finally exhausted her food supply. She shoveled the last meal (pork chops, peaches, and some stuffing) into her gullet before letting out a monstrous burp. Her hands flew to her distended stomach. The soft flesh had become slightly more unyielding, have a bit less give to it than before but still being a big ball of dough. It looked like she was due to have a baby any minute now. Eating thirty days worth of food would do that to a stomach. Clara stared at her belly with a mix of disgust and anger. This is the exact situation she wanted to avoid. She let out a defeated sight followed by another burp. She then heard a growl from her belly, and her heart sank. "Please God ...," she quietly prayed, hoping that the rumble was the result of a bit of indigestion.

"Still hungry?" the voice asked in a half-mocking tone.

"I-I really shouldn't-"

"When was the last time you had pizza?"

Clara's eyes lit up. It had been forever since she last had some pizza. God, a nice, warm pizza sounded soooooo good. Pepperoni and sausage with extra cheese, maybe some peppers for good measure. No pineapple though. That would be heresy. She whipped out her phone and called the local pizza joint. Fortunately, she had them on speed dial. "Hello!" said an all-too-cheery voice. "Thank you for calling Joey's Pizzeria! What can I-"

"Two extra-large pizzas with pepperoni, sausage, peppers, and extra cheese," stated Clara, cutting right to the heart of the matter. "Actually, make that three pizzas."

"Wow, big party huh?" asked the employee.

"... Yes."

"In that case, might I suggest our party-sized pies? They're even bigger than the extra-large!"

"Yes!" Clara was a bit too excited about that. "I'll take three party-sized pies."

She paid by debit card and was told the pizza would be there in twenty minutes before hanging up the phone. Her stomach growled, clearly unhappy with the wait time.