Denise took one more glance at the invitation in her hand to be sure she was at the right place.  The hall seemed quite lavish for a ‘dessert tasting’ to be held, but the signs displayed as she walked in the door verified that it indeed was the place.

She had received the invitation in the mail a few days ago, almost throwing it away before looking at it.  It would have seemed innocent enough for most people, but to Denise the photos of delicious desserts on the flyer brought back awful memories: it had been only a few years ago that desserts had gotten the best of her…

 

…The young, attractive brunette had just graduated from college, and gotten a job teaching history and geography at her former high school.  That fall she discovered a new bakery in town that was run by one of her former classmates, Andrea.  She found herself stopping by the bakery every day after school, and soon after for breakfast as well.

After a month she discovered that her clothes didn’t seem to fit as easily as before; by the time Christmas break arrived the athletic, curvy young woman had gained 60 pounds, tipping the scale at almost 200!  She didn’t want to stop going to the bakery, but what she saw in the mirror was shocking – what choice did she have? Her next visit to the bakery, she would have to tell Andrea that she would not be a customer any longer.

As she opened the door, the petite blonde behind the counter beamed.  “There’s my best customer!  And you are looking especially radiant today!”

Denise looked down as she approached the counter.  “I wish I could eat and eat and eat and stay as tiny as you, Andrea, but I can’t.  I got on the scale this morning – 199 pounds!”

“Well I would say you look much better than you did a couple of months ago, honey.” She picked up an éclair and offered it to Denise.  “Here, I just made these, it’s a new recipe and you’re the first to try!”

“Andrea, I can’t.  I can’t…I can’t eat any more of your wonderful, delicious pastries, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, but I’m turning into a butterball, all my clothes are tight, I couldn’t even get into my favorite skirt this morning, I have to go…I’ve been eating too many sweets!” Tears were streaming down her cheeks.

Andrea’s face turned red.  “You can’t do this to me, you are by far my best customer, if you stop coming here I might not survive the winter!  You know you can’t stay away; I’ve watched the way you stuff your face with my tasty treats.” She waved the éclair in front of Denise’s face again.  “You told me you were going to tell your friends to start coming here – I guess that’s not happening either!”

“Your food is so good, too good, I just can’t help myself, I’ve turned into a pig! If I don’t stop now I won’t fit through the door soon!”  She turned to walk away.  “I’m so sorry…”

“Whatever.  Run away, little piggy.  Maybe if you weren’t always so self-absorbed you would see how your actions affect people around you.  Just like when we were in school – you got everything you wanted: prom queen, head cheerleader, Miss Popularity – but tell me truthfully: were you ever as happy as you’ve been since you started coming in here?”

Denise couldn’t answer; she pushed open the door and ran out.

 

 

It took her a few months of disciplined eating and exercise, but Denise managed to shed the weight and get back down to her previous size and stay there.  As she stood in the hall, she told herself she was fine, she could handle this.  Sure, she had barely touched anything sweet in the last four years, so maybe it was time.  She could sit down, sample a few items, and walk out and be totally okay and get on with her life.

She glanced down at the pretty red sundress she was wearing, remembering how she had bought it as a reward for getting her weight back down to the 130’s.  It was loose-fitting and very flattering, showing off her chest and legs to their best advantage, and was one more reminder that she would never again ‘let herself go’.  Sure, she was still single, but she never was hurting for dates.  Appearance is everything, she reminded herself, tapping one of her gold-colored high heels on the wooden floor, as a young well-dressed woman approached her.

“You must be Denise,” she exclaimed.  “We have a table all ready for you if you’ll follow me.”

“I am,” Denise answered.  She glanced around the room; other than a few uniformed servers, there wasn’t anyone else in the large hall.  “Am I early?”

“No,” the girl chuckled, “you’re just the first.  The others will be here shortly.  Here’s your table, have a seat and enjoy!”

Denise took the seat offered, looking at the rather large spread of desserts on the table.  “This is just a tasting, right? These look like full desserts to me.”

“Feel free to eat as much or as little as you like.  Once you’re done, I’ll bring a survey over so you can rate each one.”  And with that, the girl walked away, leaving Denise seated in front of a table full of pastries.  There were chocolate éclairs, a dish filled with assorted chocolate candies, a plate of something covered with whipped cream and chocolate syrup, and a glass of what appeared to be soda.

‘I can do this,’ Denise told herself.  ‘Just a little bite of each and then I’m out of here.’  She picked up one of the éclairs and placed it on the empty plate in front of her.  Then she reached into the dish and took one of the chocolates, taking a tiny bite.

“Mmmm,” she smiled as she took another tiny bite.  It was a chocolate-covered cherry, and it was delicious!  She hadn’t tasted anything so wonderful since…well, since the last time she was at Andrea’s bakery.  Without realizing it, she had finished it off and was lifting the éclair to her face.

“Oh my god, that’s so good,” she said out loud as she took a hearty bite of the éclair.  In a moment, all of the wonderful feelings she had experienced at Andrea’s bakery came rushing back.  “So good,” she mumbled between mouthfuls.  She glanced down to her hand a minute later and saw nothing but a few crumbs left.  

“I guess that qualifies as a taste,” she asserted as she pulled the plate with the whipped cream-covered dessert towards her.  Lifting her fork, she took a large portion of it and stuffed it into her mouth.  “Oh my God, that is so yummy!”  Her head began to tingle as she ate; it was a most wonderful feeling.  She took another forkful, her head spinning a bit.  It was so delicious and she simply couldn’t stop herself!

“Ooooh,” Denise gasped, leaning back in her chair, feeling extremely dizzy all of a sudden.  “I think I…ate too…fast…” Her whole body was tingling now, feeling heavy and sluggish.  “Desserts…so…yummy…” She started to lean towards the table again, staring at the two éclairs sitting on the plate.  

“Too…many…sweets…” And she pitched forward, her head dropping to the table, just to the right of all the desserts.  Her face was turned to the left; her eyes were still staring at the éclairs just a few inches away.  She was aware, but she couldn’t move; it was as if her body had decided it simply wanted to be still, and her mind was too foggy to care.

Denise was dimly aware of a pair of hands around her waist, lifting her, pulling her up and onto the table faceup; her head was just barely supported by the front tof the tabletop, and one of her heeled feet was up on the chair.  She stared straight up at the ceiling, as a familiar face framed by blonde locks came into view.

“Andrea,” she breathed, still not moving.

“I’m so happy you remember me.  Did you enjoy my sweets? I made them just for you.”

“Too…many sweets…but so…delicious…” Her lips barely moved as she spoke.  “Can’t…move…”

“Of course you can’t move, honey.  I can’t have you running out the door again.  You’re my best customer, remember?”

“Best…customer…”

“That’s right.  You do remember.  But maybe you don’t remember how I had to close my bakery after you left, how I had to declare bankruptcy, how I had to start all over again, all thanks to you.”

“No…I had no clue…”

“Of course not.  Always so self-absorbed.  There’s a secret ingredient in my newest desserts, a little mind-altering drug if you will.  The more you eat, the more you will want, and the less you will want to leave.  Even now you are having difficulty just lifting your arm, aren’t you?”

Denise tried to raise her left arm, but her mind was just too sluggish, and after going up a few inches it fell onto her stomach.

Andrea grinned as she lifted one of the éclairs off the plate, placing it directly in front of Denise’s face.  “Ready to become my little piggy again?”

“I,” Denise opened her mouth hungrily, “please,” and Andrea pushed the end of the dessert into her mouth slowly.  “Mmm,” she moaned.

Andrea held the éclair steadily with her left hand.  “So delicious,” she smiled as she slid her right hand down onto Denise’s thigh, letting it slip underneath her red sundress.  “You want more?”

Denise wasn’t cognizant of anything except how yummy the éclair was. She was oblivious to the fact that she and Andrea were the only ones in the hall, and she certainly had no clue how aroused she was getting – that is, until Andrea’s hand found its way between her legs squeezing gently, just as Denise was taking another bite of the éclair.

“Mmm…ohhh!” Denise gasped, her eyes widening and her back arching as she shook with an unexpected orgasm.

“Oh, I forgot,” Andrea chuckled, as Denise continued to nibble on the éclair, “there’s another ingredient I added.  You just had the first of what will be many ‘food-gasms’; soon your mind will only associate eating desserts with the most wonderful pleasure.”  She withdrew her hand from under Denise’s skirt and licked her fingers.  “Now there is a delicious dessert! Perhaps when I reopen my bakery I should put YOU on the menu…after all, here you are on the dessert table, right?”

“I…menu…table…” Denise’s mind was still a mess from the unexpected climax.

“Then it’s settled! I’ll have the servers wrap you up so I can take you home with me.” Andrea stepped back and pulled the chair away from the table, watching as the dazed young teacher started to slide to the floor.  She reached out and cradled Denise’s shoulders before she could completely fall, lowering her carefully down, then rolling her over and onto a cloth a few feet away.

Andrea knelt down next to Denise’s prone body, stretched out on the canvas.  “Finally, I am getting what I want.  What is it they say – about karma being a bitch and all that?”  She looked up at the two strapping young men who had just walked over.  “Roll her up and put her in my trunk.” She patted her own stomach with a wink.  “I’ll just have to finish my dessert when I get home…”

 

THE END