Chapter 1

I parked the car, then leaned over to give Ashley a kiss. “Thanks for the date,” I said.


“Anytime, handsome. But if you’re feeling handsy, maybe wait until after you take the babysitter home.”


“Fair point, babe,” I grinned, opening my door. She did likewise and we began walking, arm in arm, to the front of the house.


“How much you wanna bet Lucy cleaned out the snack stash?” my wife asked.


“Oh, come on, Ash. That’s so mean.”


“Maybe, Matt, but you’ve got to admit she’s really porked up since she started babysitting the kids.”


I fought to keep my expression neutral, not wanting to betray my inner thoughts. “I don’t see how that’s any of our business, Ash. We’re not her parents. We’re not even old enough to be her parents.”


“Yeah, yeah, I know. I just…if I were getting fat, I’d want someone to let me know.”


I laughed softly. “Do you really think she doesn’t know?”


My wife considered for a moment, then shrugged. “You’re probably right,” she allowed.


“So…you won’t say anything?”


“Fine. I’ll keep my mouth shut. Where she can hear me,” she added, almost under her breath. I rolled my eyes but held my peace. Ashley was an incurable gossip, so that was probably the best I could expect given the circumstances.


I opened the door and took a step back to let Ashley go in first. “We’re home, Lucy!” she called, taking off her coat and hanging it by the door.


“Hey, guys!” came a light, feminine voice from somewhere near the back of the house. “Did you have fun?”


“Absolutely! Thanks for watching the kids. How were they tonight?”

“Angels,” Lucy replied. “As usual.”


“Maybe for her,” I said softly. Ashley swatted me on the shoulder and whispered for me to nice. I rolled my eyes at the irony, but still offered an apologetic nod.


“Glad to hear it, Lucy,” she said, loud enough for the babysitter to hear. “Let me get you some money, and then Matt can take you home.”


“Sounds good!”


While Ashley went looking for the cash, I wandered towards the kitchen. As expected, I found Lucy leaning against the counter. A small bowl of chocolate frosting sat in front of her, and she was busy spooning it into her mouth.


“Hey, Luce,” I said, giving her a wave.


“Hey, Matt,” she said, without a hint of embarrassment. “How was date night?”


“Great,” I replied, then pointed to the bowl. “I didn’t think we had any frosting here.”


“You didn’t, so I had to make it from scratch.”

I shook my head. “Okay, I’ll bite. Why did you have to make frosting from scratch?”

“Because I made a chocolate cake, of course.”


“Of course,” I repeated, looking around the counter. It was completely clean, save for the bowl. “And where is the cake?”


“I ate it,” she said casually.


“The whole thing!?”


She put another spoonful of frosting into her mouth and smiled. “Yup.”

“Why?”


“Well, you know how Ash is trying to lose a few pounds?” she asked. I nodded. “I didn’t want her to worry about it, so I decided to remove the temptation. Don’t worry, Matt,” she added with a wink. “It’ll be our little secret.”


“You know, Luce, if you’re not careful, your little secret is gonna be out in the open for everyone to see.”


“Oh, it’s far too late for that, Matt,” she said, standing up straight. At the sight of her, my eyes nearly bulged out of my head.


I couldn’t remember when I’d first discovered Lucy’s little secret, or when she’d decided to start flaunting it for me. But I still remember the day I first met her. Ashley had found her, freshly graduated from high school and looking for some spare cash.


Her hair had been a bit shorter then, and her manner quite a bit more reserved. She’d also been kind of chubby, carrying a few pounds more than what was socially acceptable. Lucy hadn’t seemed to mind that much, which I’d found rather refreshing for a girl her age.


If only I’d known.


“Oh, my god!” I breathed softly.


Lucy grinned at me. “You like it?”


She wore her customary t-shirt and pants, but the pants had been pulled low on her hips while the shirt had been hiked up, covering little more than a crop top would have. In between the two, Lucy’s massive gut was on full display. It drooped heavily over the waistband, just kissing the tops of her thighs. A vast web of angry red stretchmarks crisscrossed her skin, an indication of just how enthusiastically she’d been gorging herself.


“Oh, my god!” I said again, unable to tear my eyes away. When had she gotten so big? “What are you doing to yourself, Luce?”


“I didn’t really have a choice,” she said coyly. “Someone was going to eat the cake, and you wouldn’t want Ash getting fat, would you?” She ran one hand sensuously down the round curve of her belly until she was cupping it underneath. She hefted it slightly, then let it drop, sending a ripple through the accumulated flab. “I’m doing you both a favor.”


“You’re doing us a favor?” I asked incredulously. Lucy gave me a knowing smile.


“One of you, at least,” she said. “By the way, Matt, you need to restock the snack stash. It’s looking a little…” she traced a finger along her gut, “bare.”


“A cake and the snack stash?” I swallowed hard. “How hungry were you?”

“Greedy,” she corrected. “How greedy was I.”


I opened my mouth to say something, but the words caught in my throat. She smiled at that, then helped herself to another spoonful of frosting. That was enough to break me from my paralysis.


“You know, Lucy, I wonder if this isn’t getting out of hand,” I said. “Aren’t you the least bit worried you’re taking this too far?”


“I’m taking it too far? You’re the one who keeps stocking up every week. The cookie jar, the ice cream, the fully loaded pantry. Hell, the fact that you have a snack stash means this…” she wobbled her belly, “isn’t entirely my fault.”


I froze. Did she…


“Oh, calm down, Matt,” she laughed, resting a hand on the soft flesh above her hip. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost. To be honest, it’s kind of sweet.”


“Sweet?” I croaked.


“Making sure I’ll never go hungry,” she said. “You’re the ultimate enabler, Matt, and you clearly don’t mind one bit.” She used her finger to scrap the bowl of frosting clean, then put it into her mouth to suck it clean. “But, if you’re really that bothered, I guess I could ease up a bit.”


I cleared my throat. “Yes, well, that’s probably…”


“The thing is, Matt,” she said, putting the bowl into the sink. “I don’t think this bothers you. Not really.”

I opened my mouth to argue, but nothing came out. Because she was right. There was something about the sheer audacity of it—the way Lucy had so thoroughly let herself go—that I couldn’t ignore. Which is why I’d been subtly trying to enable her.


Turns out I suck at subtly.


“No, Luce,” I said, shaking my head. “This isn’t…I can’t…it’s not…”


She waddled around the corner and came to a stop right in front of me, her soft belly pressed against my side. I could feel the warmth of her skin even through my shirt.


“It’s okay, Matt,” she said. “No one’s getting hurt. I get what I want. You get to watch the show. And Ash…” she grinned. “Ash doesn’t need to know anything about our little arrangement, does she?

“Arrangement?”


“No going back now, Matt,” she said. “It’s all out in the open. Just keep providing the snacks and see where the road leads.” She flicked her blue eyes over my shoulder before coming back to my face. “Anyway, I’m sure Ash is wondering where we’re at. Shall we?”


Lucy started walking down the hall, pausing long enough to grab her fuzzy sweater off the back of a chair. Even as big as she was, it was baggy enough on her to completely cover her drooping, wobbly belly. If I hadn’t already seen what lay underneath, I never would have guessed just how fat she really was.


“Thank you so much,” Ashley was saying as I emerged into the front room. “I don’t know what we’d do without you.”


“No sweat,” Lucy said, somehow managing to tuck the money into her front pocket. “You guys are my absolute favorites.” She turned to me for a moment with just the barest suggestion of a smile. “I’d do anything for you.”


“Same time next week, then?” Ashley asked.


“Definitely!”


I held my tongue, not trusting myself to speak as I opened the front door. Lucy passed through, and I followed just to the edge of the porch, ostensibly lingering to watch her get into her car, but I’d be lying if I said it had nothing to do with the exaggerated sway of her generous hips.


It was an odd feeling, watching her so openly. I’d spent so long trying to hide this, to pretend the attention I paid was something other than what it was. Now that things were out in the open between us, I felt…remarkably at peace.


Ashley stepped up beside me, waving to Lucy as she got into her car. “If that girl’s not careful, her ass will need its own zip code.”


I put on a stern face, hiding what I really felt, and turned towards my wife. “That’s not very nice, Ash.”


“But it’s true, Matt! She used to be so---well, maybe not skinny, but she was a lot smaller than this. I swear, that girl gets fatter every week!”


“Well, I…” I took a breath, trying to calm my racing heart. “I guess you’ve got a point, Ash. She is getting pretty big.”


“Well, I guess it’s like you said: it’s not really our business, is it? If she doesn’t care enough to change, then she can just keep on letting herself go.”


“If that’s what she wants.”


Ashley looked at me with a curious light in her eyes, as though processing my words. Then, with a noncommittal grunt, she went back inside. Alone now, I watched Lucy drive off into the night.


I couldn’t wait for next week.