DENIED by Anonymous

Note:
This is a story entry for the Writing Contest.
The 10 participating writers will remain anonymous until 20 November.
For more information on the contest timeline, visit this post.

Related Work & Context: Sequel to Delayed.

-

As anticipated, Penelope's life changed dramatically after the birth of the triplets. She was, frankly, left to reel in shock as the dust settled.

The most pressing was her legal troubles. Richard was a good lawyer, but the ones Brad could afford were better. Penelope was able to keep joint custody of her first five children and full custody of the newborns, all while avoiding penalty. The only requirement was that Brad, having shown precedent as a father figure, stay in their life as well.

It wasn't so bad. Brad truly did take care of them. He was great with the kids, and his money allowed Penelope to quit her streaming and retire at the ripe age of twenty-six. After the legal matters were settled, Brad moved them all into a massive new house, with nannies to assist in housekeeping while Penelope recovered from the grueling natural birth of three overdue babies. Weary, Penelope went along with it all. But, knowing everything, she couldn't help but feel...uneasy.

Brad had stalked her. Manipulated her and her body, put her life and her babies' lives at risk for some sort of...fantasy? Obsession? Penelope had a hard time processing it. At times her gut screamed at her to leave. But how could she live without him now? Separate from Brad and she could also say goodbye to the money, the care, and worst of all, her children. So, she learned to live with him and focus on the good. After all this time, they did care for each other. And he obviously wasn't as dumb as he came off to be.

Weeks turned into months as she settled into living with Brad in their new mansion. After his...reveal, he had somewhat returned to regular Brad behavior. He was a natural caretaker, and Penelope loved him for it. He pampered Penelope and wasn't even overbearing with his affection. He even treated the kids as if they were his own.

Speaking of, Richard was hardly in the picture any more. Even when it was time to hand off the other kids, they exchanged little to no words and only saw each other for five minutes at most. He was undoubtedly furious after the outcome of the court dealings, and wanted little to do with her anymore. Perhaps it was good. Richard was volatile, stubborn, easily jealous, and had caused Penelope a number of problems. But there were days she had to stop herself from wanting to see him more.

It had been almost a year since the triplets were born when Penelope noticed she was missing her periods. She'd been through it enough times to know, but still took a test to confirm- she was pregnant again. And this time, with Brad's baby.

It left her with a lot of thoughts and mixed feelings. She didn't mind being pregnant- heaven knows she was used to it by this point. But after eight children and some traumatic births, she wasn't quite sure if she was ready for more. But Brad, of course, was over the moon with excitement at the news, and after all the support he'd given and love he'd shown for children that weren't even his, Penelope thought he deserved a child of his own.

And so, as time went on and her belly grew, Penelope accepted the pregnancy and tried to enjoy it. Without the streaming duties she was free to relax and keep things to herself. Well, to herself and Brad.

If he hadn't been pampering her before, he was really doing so now. She wasn't even into her second trimester and he was giving her daily foot massages, feeding her anything she craved, rubbing lotion into her belly, the works. He treated her like a queen, almost to the point of it being...overwhelming. One day she was laying on the couch doing nothing, as per usual. She heard Brad walking about and called out to him.

"Brad? You've been doing so much lately...are you sure you wouldn't like me to go do the grocery shopping...?"

Immediately, Brad came over to her. "Oh, honey, it's all right! No need to worry." He knelt down next to her, kissing her forehead and resting a hand on her belly. "I don't want you exerting yourself in your condition, so I'll handle it."

"Okay...if you're sure." Penelope said, with some hesitance. Brad smiled, then got up and left. Penelope continued to eat and rest. She was getting a bit stir crazy, but perhaps it was all in her best interest.

As the weeks went on, Brad's attachment only grew. Penelope tried to believe it was all only out of love, but she had the feeling it was her body that was playing a part. He would often come up to her as she was standing around the house just to hug her and kiss her belly. As they lay in bed together, he would rub her swell for extended periods of time, talking about how beautiful she was. And of course, their sex life was only getting more active. Penelope tried not to imagine what he was thinking when she would catch him just staring at her, with an odd look on his face. The bigger she grew, the more it felt like obsession to her. A man who used to pay to watch her through a computer screen, now with unlimited access to her in person.

One night, as they were getting intimate, Penelope made a mistake. She was twenty-two weeks pregnant at this point, and had the distinct, rounded potbelly to match. Despite Brad's occasional creepiness, he was undoubtedly good in bed. One of his favorite things to do was start by kissing her and then work his way down her body.

It always felt nice when he sucked on her breasts, but throughout the pregnancy, her hormones were making everything that much more sensitive. Her breath caught when he would delicately bite at her nipples.

Of course, he spent extra time on her belly. She allowed it, for the skin there was sensitive as well, and he was so gentle about it. He kissed around the curve, rested his head on the mound. Shivers ran down her spine when she felt his warm breath against her skin. After a good amount of kissing, he moved his head between her legs.

The sensation was enough to immediately make her quiver with pleasure. "Mmmhh...ohh yeah, that feels nice..."

His skills were nothing to bat an eye at. He knew how to hit every spot, leading her to reach down and grip his head by the hair. "Yes- hhh- god, keep going!"

A few minutes more, and Brad was continually picking up the pace, moving his tongue faster and harder. Penelope's breathing quickened...she felt an orgasm building.

"Oh god...oh, yes...yes...oh, Richard- !"

The room suddenly went still as Brad stopped. Penelope had tried to cut herself off, but it was too late. She sat there and quietly let go of Brad's head as he sat up and away from her. The look on his face was unreadable.

"Brad, I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean it, it just came out-" Penelope started.

"It's okay, I understand," Brad replied. He tried to act unfazed, but his tone had changed. He got up off the bed, grabbing his clothes. "I get it, really."

A bit ashamed, Penelope kept watching as he abruptly made his way for the door. "...I love you!"

"I love you too," Brad said. "I'm going to take a shower."

::::::::::

Things changed more after that point. From then on, Brad wouldn't even let Penelope see Richard when it was time to hand the kids off for visitation. He took the trips himself, insisting it was a "bad idea" for her to keep seeing Richard. And Penelope supposed that was true, to some degree.

He became even more protective of her, hardly letting her leave the house at all. He did all the shopping and errands and brought all her meals to her. For doctor's appointments, he would drive her and stay right by her side at every moment. Whenever she questioned it, he would always say the same sort of thing. "You're my queen, and you're carrying my baby. I don't want anything bad happening to either of you."

With the constant feeding and lack of exercise, Penelope was starting to feel out of shape. It didn't help that her rounding belly made her feel like a beached whale on the couch as she went through her third trimester. Though she was only carrying one baby instead of triplets, it felt like she was putting on just as much weight.

Brad had begun cataloguing more of her pregnancy as she got bigger. He would often ask to take pictures of her; in different poses, wearing certain outfits, flaunting her belly. Sometimes she'd catch him do it without asking. He would take a tape measure to her belly once a week to see how big she was getting. Again, things that weren't inherently harmful, but were beginning to make Penelope more and more uncomfortable. It made her secretly wish for the pregnancy to be over as soon as possible.

Though, that seemed unlikely as her due date approached with no sign of a contraction or even Braxton hicks. Her belly had become enormous for a singleton, and she carried it low and heavy. Most days she didn't feel like she was capable of getting out of bed or off the couch even if she wanted to.

One day, Brad delivered one of his signature meals to Penelope on the couch. She all but grimaced when he came near with the plate.

"Brad, I'm not even feeling that hungry right now," she groaned, grasping her gravid belly.

"Oh, hush," Brad said, setting the hefty plate beside her. "You're eating for two right now, it never hurts to have a little extra."

Begrudgingly, Penelope reached over and grabbed the plate, sitting it atop her belly like it was a table. "Well, you don't have to cook like this for me all the time. Why not get one of the nannies to do it?"

"Because I like taking care of you," Brad said as he started back toward the kitchen. "And I like to add my special touches."

Penelope went to pick up her fork, but paused. That last sentence stuck out to her. Special touches...She recalled something Brad had said back when he watched her give birth. "I planned everything. I added hormones to your food, pumped everything you consumed with oils and calories"...

A thought crossed her then that unsettled her. The extra weight she was gaining...the feeling that she was nowhere near giving birth, even though she was at 39 weeks...was there something he wasn't telling her about the meals he was preparing...?

She was reminded of how overdue her last pregnancy had run, how overburdened her body had become. It was almost traumatizing to look back on.

It was then that Penelope decided she needed to take back some control in her life.

::::::::::

She began by forcing herself to exercise more while Brad was at work. It was hard going at first; she had grown so big and sedentary that even walking around the house tired her out. But every day she did a little more- sets of squats. Yoga. Even a light jog when she could.

She also began eating different foods...at least, whenever she had the house to herself. She would browse delivery apps and order the spiciest items she could find. She'd never been one to enjoy spicy foods, but she had to do something.

All this, of course, was to encourage labor to come on sooner. And yet, her due date came and went. Though she exercised to the point of exhaustion, she felt heavier each day. The baby was sitting low on her now, yet still not quite ready. It was starting to worry her more and more. Was she going to be left trying to push out a twelve pound baby?

One day she did something against her better judgement. While Brad was still away, she went to the house phone and dialed a number. Said number had been blocked and removed from her cell phone months ago by Brad, but she knew it by heart.

"...Penelope?"

"Oh, Richard, thank god you picked up," Penelope gasped.

"Thought you'd want nothing to do with me anymore," Richard replied, voice low and grumbly. "Fancy house, rich husband, another baby on the way..."

"Listen, I don't have time to get into it," Penelope said with exasperation. "I-I just...you're the only person I could talk to,"

"Haven't you had enough with kids by now, anyway? Thought after last time you'd learn a lesson."

"Listen! I'm-ugh," she groaned, cradling her gravid swell. "I-I'm worried. This pregnancy has gone on too long, and I think Brad-"

"Too long?!" Richard scoffed. "Yeah, like you'd know a thing or two about that. I'm not getting involved with this shit again."

"Richard, please, I- Richard?"

But he'd already hung up.

Penelope cursed and put the phone back on the receiver. Just then, she heard the front door open, followed by footsteps.

"Honey? I'm home!" Brad's voice called. He came around and found her by the phone. "...Were you calling someone?"

"Oh, uh...just got off the phone with a friend," Penelope said. She waddled over to him and put her arms around his waist, bulging belly pressing into him as a distraction. "How was work?"

"Good! We're making plans for the board meeting next week."

"Right," said Penelope. She held him even tighter then, so her whole body pressed against him. "Hey, I know it's a little forward, but...do you wanna have sex again tonight?"

Brad tried to hold back his excitement. "Again? You've sure been wanting it a lot lately."

"Hormones, I guess," Penelope murmured. "And...I guess I'm hoping maybe we can get this baby to come before your big meeting."

He smiled and put a hand on her belly. "Well, I guess we'll see. We don't want to rush it."

Penelope looked toward the floor, not wanting to look right at him. "It has been a while since my due date...maybe we should think about a C-Section?"

"No, no!" Brad said, almost too abruptly. "I mean...I don't think that's necessary. And besides, I want to enjoy you this big and beautiful for as long as I can." He knelt down, planting kisses on her belly.

Penelope sighed. This wasn't going to be easy.

::::::::::

Brad's big supermarket board meeting came on the same day that Penelope officially became 44 weeks pregnant. As the owner, Brad had wanted to host the meeting, and of course he elected it to be held at their house. Their massive dining room was set up with a long table and chairs to host about a dozen high-level executives from the chain. At present, Brad and Penelope were getting ready in their bedroom while a small catering crew prepared food in the kitchen.

Penelope waddled out of the bathroom, wearing only underwear after having just showered. She braced her back with one hand and cradled her belly with the other. It had gotten so big at this point that one would swear she was having twins.

Brad was sitting on the corner of the bed, putting socks on when she came in. He turned to her and lit up at the sight of her nearly-nude, swollen body. The first thing he looked at was still her belly.

Penny exhaled as she approached him. "Hooo...I don't know if I'm even going to fit in that maternity dress."

"Oh, I'm sure you will," Brad said, bringing her close and putting his hands on her massive swell. "Besides, you look gorgeous. And I'm going to love showing you off to everyone."

Penelope giggled. She was still anxious, but her spirits had lifted somewhat- what she hadn't told him yet was that she had been feeling the start of contractions since the day before. It was almost time to finally have this baby.

She came closer, and he pulled her in until she was sitting on his lap. "I love you, Penelope," he breathed, before craning his neck to kiss her. She kissed back, holding his head in her hands as he reached up and began to toy with her breasts. They were full and engorged with milk, barely fitting in her bra. She moaned as he squeezed.

"I love you too, Brad," she said, and she meant it. Despite how he was acting, and the implication that he'd yet again been purposely delaying her labor, she still cared for him. She even hoped that after the baby was born, and he was cut off from his obsession, things might even feel normal...

She leaned in and pushed him down onto the bed, which wasn't hard with her extra weight. Her tight, packed belly pressed against his torso as they made out. He rubbed big circles around it with his hands, feeling the kicking inside as he spoke between kisses. "You're so big..and hot...I love it when you're pregnant!"

"Oh, babe, I-" Penelope stopped as she felt a tightening in her belly. It was a contraction, but stronger and different than the ones before. "I-o-oooohh!"

Suddenly, release. Penelope's whole body tightened as a gush of fluid erupted between her legs, drenching her panties and the bedsheets.

"Oh, fuck," she gasped, immediately sitting up. "Brad, that was my water. The baby's coming!"

"Oh..." Was all Brad could say, struck speechless as Penelope heaved herself off of him.

She went to the dresser as Brad slowly got up and walked over to her. "Quick, get changed," she said. "We should make it to a hospital."

"...I don't think so." Brad said with strange calmness.

Penelope turned to him. "What do you mean?"

"There's a meeting to attend." His entire demeanor had abruptly changed, and his face was once more unreadable.

"Okay...so drive me to the hospital, then you can come back and-"

"No!" He snapped, gripping Penelope by the shoulders. "Listen. You only give birth for me, you understand?"

Penelope's jaw hung open in shock, heart suddenly pounding. "Brad...?"

"We're going to the board meeting. You can give birth after that, but only when I say. I need to be there to watch."

Penelope was appalled. "T-that's insane!"

Brad ignored the remark. He grabbed his clothes from the dresser and went off to change. "Put that dress on. Guests will be arriving shortly."

It was now Penelope's turn to be left speechless. The heavily pregnant young woman sat back on the bed, resting a hand on her belly, now tight with the tenseness of contractions. She was more than taken aback. But what leverage did she have in this situation? Right now, she had to do what he said.

After a moment, she stood back up and retrieved her dress. It would be okay. After all, she'd held out before, right...?

::::::::::

Somehow, Penelope was able to wrangle her engorged body into the green sparkly dress she was provided. It was uncomfortable and stuck to her like glue. She'd be surprised if it didn't burst open at the seams before the day was over.

She waddled her way downstairs to find Brad standing by the dining table, dressed in his suit and a matching green tie. He glanced at her as she approached, grimacing and clutching her belly.

Penelope came up next to him and grasped his arm. "I don't- ngghh- think this baby's gonna wait all day," she whispered, voice straining. Since her water broke, the contractions had been coming increasingly strong and more frequent. With her past experience, she knew it wouldn't be long before the baby dropped.

"It will, don't worry," he said, unbearably nonchalant. "I know you can hold out for me. Now come on, the first guests are arriving."

He led her to the front door, though she couldn't move very quickly in her condition. Penelope tried to straighten herself up a bit and force a smile as Brad opened the door.

A number of professional-looking people entered and began to gather in the dining room, all officials from Brad's grocery chain. Heads of finance, corporate HR reps, store managers. This was one of their big semi-annual gatherings, where they would discuss everything related to the business side of the chain.

Brad introduced all of them to Penelope, showing her off like she was his trophy. They shook her hand, congratulated her and Brad on the baby. Penelope tried to act pleasant, but she was sweating. The baby kicked in her as she felt it push lower, pressing painfully on her dilated cervix. As the guests took their seats around the table, she rubbed the underside of her belly and moaned under her breath.

"Keep it together," Brad muttered at her. He led her back to the table, where they took seats next to each other at the front end.

Penelope didn't know if she could. As the room quieted and Brad stood up to begin a toast, she felt the strongest contraction yet. Her body shuddered and she bit her lip. She was sure the baby was entering her birth canal.

"Thank you for coming, everyone. It's great to see you all," Brad announced. "I'd like to extend my gratitude to our caterers, who have provided a wonderful luncheon to accompany today's meeting..." He paused to reach a hand down and pat Penelope's shoulder. "...And of course, I'd like to thank Penelope, for supporting me and for carrying my child."

The guests clapped while Penelope felt like she was about to explode.

Lunch was served first. Penelope didn't feel like eating much. It was all she could do to lift her fork in her condition, much less chew and swallow. She just kept caressing her belly under the table as she rode out the contractions.

Brad must have noticed her expression. He leaned over and whispered in her ear. "You should eat something, love. You're acting strange in front of the guests."

"I can't," she retorted, voice hushed. "The baby's coming, Brad."

"Just don't push, whatever you do," he said, before returning to his meal.

It was easier said than done. Feeling the head inch through her, she wanted nothing more than to bear down and scream her baby out. She felt the need to spread her legs wide, but her tight dress would only let them go so far. Instead, her thighs quivered, and her belly heaved.

Lunch went by painfully slow. The sound of forks scraping and mouths chewing was enough to drive Penelope insane. She just had to hold the baby in...there was still the actual meeting to sit through afterward. But her endurance was waning as time passed and the pressure grew.

At one point, a particularly strong contraction gripped her, and she felt the head push right up against her exit. She wasn't able to stifle the moan that escaped her throat. "Mmmm- ooaagghh..."

People glanced up from their plates at her, looks of concern and confusion on their faces. Brad stared at her intensely.

Penelope was quick to try and save face. "Urgh...ah...sorry, don't mind me. Just a bit of...gas, is all."

The odd looks continued, but people turned back to their plates.

She was fighting the urge to push, now. The head inched forward relentlessly, stretching her, her sex bulging. Her dress was plastered to her, hair matted to her neck with sweat. The pain was starting to make her dizzy. As everyone finished their meals, she squirmed in her seat, leaning back and putting her hips to the edge of the chair, just so she could spread her legs a bit more and get some relief. She gripped her massive, rock-hard belly tightly as she felt her pussy lips opening, the first hint of the head starting to press out into her panties. God, she couldn't stop it!

At that moment, Brad cleared his throat. "All right, if I could have everyone bring their dishes to the kitchen, that would be appreciated. I'd like a moment alone with my partner, and then we'll start the meeting."

The guests all got up to clear their plates. Brad waited until they'd all wandered out to turn toward Penelope.

"How are you holding up?" He asked her.

Penelope gasped for breath, voice croaking out between gritted teeth. "Nghh...it's crowning, Brad, it's coming out!"

Without warning, Brad reached over and put a hand up her dress. Her breath caught as she felt his hand against her hot sex, gently feeling the bulge of the baby's head escaping her.

"You can't push it out yet," he said sternly. Then, he pressed on the head, forcing it back inside her. Penelope bit her hand to keep from crying out in pain. Brad didn't stop until the head had retreated back inside her fully, her lips closed around it once more.

"God, Brad, please..." Penelope sputtered.

"Hold it there until the meeting's over," he ordered, removing his hand and getting up from his seat. "I'm going to wash up. We'll start the proceedings soon."

Penelope knew she wouldn't be able to hold it that long. After only a moment, the head was starting to crown again, though she was fighting tooth and nail not to push. She tried squeezing her thighs together, sitting with her groin against the chair, anything. But it was becoming unbearable.

The guests started milling back into the dining room and taking seats around the long table. They began pulling out laptops, papers, and notes, some with stacks of them. Penelope knew it was going to be a while.

She was afraid of giving birth in front of all these people. Doing it in front of a camera was one thing, where she could at least feign some sense of privacy; here there were more than a dozen sets of eyes that could be watching her in her most vulnerable state. She had to hold the baby in, but she was getting exhausted.

Brad returned to his seat, and the meeting commenced. They began by discussion shipping and storage to their stores and warehouses. A lot of it was business talk that Penelope didn't care to try and comprehend.

As an older man across the table talked about forklifts at various locations that needed repairs, Penelope felt the searing pain of the head crowning. She bit her lip and clutched her contracting belly, desperately trying to keep from crying out. Every moment she wasn't pushing was like torture, the baby stuck stretching her with no sense of relief. She felt her panties slowly tenting out as the mass emerged further.

The next portion of the meeting was dedicated to marketing, where Brad and two uptight-looking women discussed their latest ad campaigns and social media strategies. Penelope could hardly hear what they were saying at this point. Her ears rang as the intense pressure gripped her mind and body completely. Don't push. Don't push!

"Sir...is she all right?" One of the women suddenly asked. She was looking at Penelope, who was not looking in good shape, despite trying her best to maintain her composure. A couple other heads turned toward her as well.

Brad placed a hand on Penelope's shoulder. "She's fine. What were you saying about TikTok?"

Penelope kept her mouth shut, trying without much success to prevent the head from reaching a full crown. She reached a shaky hand between her legs, feeling the increasing bulge of the head behind her underwear. She would have pushed it pack in herself, but she didn't have the strength. If not for the panties, it surely would have popped out already.

The marketing discussion dragged on, and Penelope was reaching a breaking point. With the head nearly at a full crown, she couldn't stop herself from bearing down. She had a white-knuckle grip on the sides of her chair, feverishly attempting to hold back, even as her body forced her to push. No, No!

At once, the head surged forward and popped out of her, filling her panties completely. "Fuck!" Penelope hissed, not quite under her breath enough for people not to hear.

Brad ignored the outburst, clearing his throat as he addressed the group. "All right, our next order of business is to discuss finance. As the owner, I'd like to make a statement."

Penelope trembled in her seat. She couldn't last another minute. She had to push this baby out now!

Then, the head of finance, a tall man with a thin face and serious expression, stood up at the table. "Actually, sir, we have a statement of our own."

Suddenly, there was the sound of the front door being slammed in. All eyes turned as a pair of police officers stormed into the room, followed by...

Penelope's eyes widened. Was she dreaming? She couldn't believe what she was seeing. "R-Richard...?

Brad looked around, confused and furious. "What's the meaning of this?!"

The head of finance spoke up. "We received a tip and looked into our records. Do you remember making a ten million dollar transaction sometime last year, sir?"

Brad was dumbfounded. "I- Huh?"

"Bradley Johnson," One of the police officers said gruffly, approaching Brad with a pair of handcuffs. "You're under arrest for misappropriation of company funds."

"This is ridiculous," Brad said, starting to panic as he was taken into custody. "You can't do this to me!"

"Save it for the judge," The officer said, beginning to drag him out of the house.

"Wait, wait!" Brad called. "Penelope- she's giving birth! I have to be with her!"

Richard, who stood in the center of the room, stared at Brad with what could only be described as contempt. "I'll take care of her from here."

"No, no!" Brad cried as he was pulled out the front door. "She's mine, I have to be here! I HAVE TO WATCH!"

And then he was gone. The executives, all baffled, stood up and followed to see the chaos of their owner being arrested. Penelope could barely speak, reeling with shock as her ex-husband approached her in the chair.

"Richard..." she breathed, gritting her teeth now as she pushed.

"Did some digging after your phone call," Richard said, approaching her and kneeling beside her. "I knew that guy was a fuckin' creep."

"Richard, I..." There were so many things she wanted to say, but it would have to come later. "...AAGGHH! G-God, Richard, help me! It's coming out!" Penelope screamed, feeling the baby's shoulders ready to pop out.

Without a word, Richard helped her off the chair onto the ground and did what he always intended to- took care of her.

END