“What do you mean you don’t know?”
“I mean that I don’t know.” He looked somber and thoughtful, staring at the wall with unfocused eyes.
He didn’t seem angry – that was good. She waited for as long as she could before she pushed against his chest lightly. “Love? What are you thinking?”
He blinked, and his grey eyes slid down to her face. He kissed her forehead, and hugged her tighter. “Sorry sweetling. I am exhausted.”
He leaned on her heavily, breathing in deeply and sighing. It caused his belly to push against her. “I suppose I am rethinking my entire life.”
He paused for a long moment before continuing slowly. His deep voice rumbled through his chest into her own, he held her so tightly. “Harry said something this morning….he said I always had everything. I always felt like my appetite and weight limited me. I believed it in my bones. And yet, now I am married to a beautiful woman who not only tolerates my greatest weakness, but finds it sexually appealing, while my brother, who I always thought more handsome and talented, is alone.”
“Not true - your greatest weakness is your temper,” Kitty informed him helpfully, then grinned as he wrinkled his nose at her. “But seriously, how do you feel about it?”
“Well, I am not sure how I feel about it. Curious, worried, disbelieving. "
“So…you don’t mind me liking your body?”
Raoul snorted so her she was jostled. “Mind it? I showed my little kitten of a wife that I was a disgusting pig, so she jumped my bones like a tigress and rode me –“
“Like the stud you are,” Kitty interjected again, sexually sated but still more than willing to have another go with him.
He rolled his eyes “- and told me she would not only tolerate my appetite, but wouldn’t mind if I grew even fatter.”
His eyes grew doubtful. “I suppose I am wondering at what point you wouldn’t find me attractive anymore. I mean, what if I grew as fat as….as your friend Telford? Would you still find me attractive?”
“Geoffrey?” The thought of her once muscular husband slowly softening and expanding to Geoffrey’s size was thrilling and terrifying. That would take a lot of eating….Would he let her feed him like before? Laying back in their bed, slipping morsels between his lips….
“Yes. What if I got even fatter than Geoffrey?”
The thought of that dried her mouth and made other areas moisten.
“I told you that I used to be fatter. Years ago, a woman I thought I loved turned against me because of it. I think if I heard those words from you it would break me.”
He caught her chin, staring into her eyes.
“I don’t think I will have the strength to lose the weight again, once I go down this path. You have just told the alcoholic that you enjoy not only watching him drink, but enjoy the scent of alcohol on his breath and the way he staggers about. I don’t have the strength to resist this!” He looked truly wretched, wanting so desperately to believe her while his willpower slowly eroded.
Kitty stilled her tongue from giving him immediate reassurance. She thought she knew the answer at once, but she realized instinctually that unless she truly gave his words serious consideration he would continue to fret perpetually. “Can I think on it?”
“Of course…” He gave a grimace he obviously intended to be a smile. He kissed her forehead, then wandered away to the bell pull.
What would he look like at Geoffrey’s size? Right now his stomach surged outwards, looking odd, stuck as it was between his still muscular chest and legs. If he grew even fatter, would his legs plumpen and rub together? Would those muscles she adored in his chest and arms disappear? She hoped not. She loved being picked up and twirled.
After a few long moments he tugged on the bell pull, belly bouncing lightly as he walked to the door. Would that taut belly widen, soften, and sag even more? She had never seen Geoffrey with his clothes off, but his belly was big enough that it obviously rested on his crotch.
Would she still find Raoul sexy when he waddled instead of striding? When he got fat enough that if she tried to ride him like she did today, that she would have to lift his belly up and rest it on her thighs because it would completely cover his manhood? What if his belly took up so much of his thighs she couldn’t even sit on his lap, surging towards his knees? If he would be forced to lay down on his back? That if he was on top he would have to lift his stomach out of the way so he could enter her?
She nearly swooned at the thought, licking her dry lips. Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh yesssssss. Oh yes, she would. Her knees felt weak, and she sat down quickly to avoid falling.
When the door opened, he intercepted its progress with his hand, speaking softly to the servant through the door. He faced away from her until clothes were discreetly passed through. The latch clicked, and he turned towards her, expression neutral. He placed her dress on the piano forte before he put his own clothing on deliberately, facing away from her. He shrugged into his waistcoat. She couldn’t see his face, but she could see the fabric strain across this back before his shoulders slumped and he took the garment off.
Stepping into her own dress gave her a few additional moments to collect herself. When she was done, she found him looking at her, expression apprehensive despite the outward appearance of calm. She slipped into his arms. Normally hot to the touch, he was cold, especially his hands. She tried to wrap them in her own smaller hands. “Yes.”
“Yes what?” Even his shirts, designed to be loose, clung to his round belly.
She smoothed the fabric down the slope of his sides. “Yes, I would still find you handsome. Very handsome. Handsomer, in fact.”
The doubt on his face was obvious, but he didn’t voice any of them out loud. Instead, he allowed her to cuddle into him on the couch quietly as the shadows lengthened across the floor. Her right arm was behind him, cheek on his chest. Her left hand idly skated across the softness of his shirt on his middle.
The only sound in the room was their breathing and the loud gurgles as his stomach digested the food. Eventually even that quieted. They stayed that way for what Kitty assumed was several hours, until a loud squeal from his stomach startled them both.
Expressions flew across his face. Irritation, defensiveness, fear, shame. Kitty couldn’t help but wonder at the emotions, after her confession, but it dawned on her that he had always been that way around food and eating, even on their first trip to the part together. Or, more specifically, his expressions after eating. Finally, his face settled into sheepishness.
“I….” His throat and mouth moved. He swallowed hard, licking his lips. “I’m hungry...again.”
She suppressed a grin, instead responding as neutrally as possible. “I’m not surprised, you skipped breakfast, and it is nearly dinner.”
Dark brows raised. “But I ate a huge lunch.”
Poor man, he played devil’s advocate with himself. She resisted the urge to have him overeat again. This wasn’t the time or place, and seeing him simply enjoying food was more important than him stuffing himself for her pleasure.
“And what of it? Just eat until you are full at dinner. When you are full, stop eating. If you are hungry later, you can simply eat again.” Raoul seemed to struggle with the concept. She looked at him, brows raised, until he threw his hands up in defeat. He might feel hungry, but that belly of his was still stuffed from the distended shape. It impeded his attempts to rise, forcing him to jut his hips forward and push himself up to stand.
Dinner was a quiet, intimate affair in their home. Even the addition of Harry did not put a damper on the small, social feeling of the evening. Unlike some families who sat at opposite ends of the table, they tended to cluster at one end, laughing and talking. Tonight was no different in that regard. What was different was Raoul – he was looking at the food like he expected it to bite. They had just settled down when they heard booted steps approaching down the hall. Raoul, nervous, dropped his spoon and cursed.
Harry grinned at them both from the door.
“The servants are all atwitter – the master and mistress apparently cut their clothes off and made love in the parlor. And - they did it in the middle of the day,” He said the last with a mocking, shushed voice. “The middle of the day! Can you imagine?”
Kitty felt her neck and cheeks warm. She tried to turn away, but the warm and gentle pressure from Raoul’s hand held her there gently. Her brother in law was just teasing, she realized. It was difficult to meet his eyes.
Harry sprawled carelessly on the chair opposite her, beside Raoul. He was eyeing them both with a sort of bitter admiration and jealousy. His gaze touched on Raoul’s distended stomach, but all he said was “Martha is still the same woman. I came down to see her and she beat me with that bloody spoon.”
Raoul laughed aloud. “I don’t know why we put up with her.”
“You put up with me because I am the only one who put up with you since you were babes.” Martha called out from the hall. Both men laughed, and the matronly woman smiled broadly as she past the door.
Kitty had come to like the outspoken, friendly woman. She ran a tight ship, allowing her more free time to enjoy her husband.
Harry was shifting restlessly in his seat, only quieting when Raoul’s eyes locked on his own under lowered brows.
“You look just like father when you do that,” he complained.
Raoul ignored him. He speared a potato and put it on his plate. The golden surface of the potato broke, revealing white flesh. Silver caught the candlelight as the knife slid downwards, meeting with the plate with a small tinking noise. Slowly, he slathered a generous portion of butter on it. The piece balanced on the edge of the fork that was slowly brought to mobile lips. The room was so quiet that Harry and Kitty both heard the noise of pleasure he made.
For Kitty, it echoed like a gunshot. The entire process of watching him slowly and methodically cleaning his plate was captivating. It was so intimate, she looked at Harry involuntarily. Did he know?
The young man’s face was perfectly still, grey eyes following the fork travelling from plate to his brother’s mouth. His chin was propped on his hand, elbow resting casually on the table. His own plate was nearly empty. She had actually never really seen him eat. He seemed utterly riveted by the spectacle.
Raoul didn’t seem to notice, wholly focused on the slow dance of food across tongue. It was only when his plate was cleaned that he looked up. Realizing him eating had been the centre of attention, he flushed angrily. “Why aren’t you two eating?”
Harry pushed the potatoes closer to him with a finger. “I’m a little man, it doesn’t take much to fill me up.”
Raoul looked at the potatoes with a hungry expression on his face. Slowly, regretfully, he pushed it away. “No. Perhaps later.”
“Later?” Harry raised dark brows. “You were never one to turn down food. And later would be in the middle of the night. ”
He seemed to gather strength from the glance he stole towards his wife.
“And why not?” Raoul leaned back in his chair, hands clasped over his bulging belly, eyeing his little brother. “My wife has informed me I should eat what I want, when I want. If anything, I was thinking I would enjoy eating more – maybe have a second dinner, later tonight.”
Kitty watched this byplay, proud of her husband. She fully expected Harry to tease him, and was ready to do – something. What that would be was unclear to her. Nothing of the sort past his lips, however. The younger man only looked at her with an expression of jealousy, shoving a potato into his mouth to avoid answering. Why was he jealous of her?
Eventually, Harry spoke, pushing a carrot around his plate with his fork absently. “I was thinking that after Aunt visits that I might head back to London.”
“Already? But you have barely been here!” Kitty protested.
“I have to admit I am not the country type. I get bored easily. I miss the bustle of London. Besides, as usual, Raoul is subtly reminding me of my responsibilities. I really should stop playing and try to find a wife.”
“You make it sound so cold!” Kitty laughed.
Her brother in law shrugged and grinned back easily. “Both sexes do it, for different and similar reasons. My big brother is married, I have a sister, and soon, I may even be an Uncle!”
He patted her hand at her blush. “Its time for me to grow up, too.”
Raoul was rubbing his chin with a huge hand. It was a habitual thinking gesture she found charming. He looked at his brother seriously. “Will you take care of some items of business I have unfinished for me?”
“Of course,” Harry said, looking surprised and flattered at the trust. Whatever compromise they had come to was still new and tender. “But let us not talk about leaving, I don’t plan to do anything until after Auntie comes to visit.”
(Continued in post 83 on page four of this thread)