Andrea was bored out of her mind. The summer job she took at the department store wasn't the exciting, fun-filled adventure the human resources woman made it out to be. But she needed the money, and because she had waited so late to look for work, all the cool jobs at the mall were taken. She really wanted to be at Chucky's Burgers in the food court, since both her best friend Jilly and her current crush Mark worked there. But being the lazy ass she was, all the positions were gone by the time she got around to filling out the application. Jilly was pissed, but at least they were both in the mall and could meet for lunch everyday.
Hanson's was the biggest store in the mall, and although Andrea hated the work, she did like the 15 percent discount that came with he job. All Jilly got were free burgers and shakes, which didn't do anything but make you fat and give you zits.
They had made Andrea a "floater," someone who isn't assigned a regular department, but fills in to help whichever area is short of personnel. Most of her time was spent taking clothes out of the dressing rooms, hanging them up and putting them back on the racks. She was stunned at how sloppy women were, and felt more like a maid than a sales clerk. She was also amazed at the crap that was left behind in the dressing rooms. She had cleaned out half-eaten chicken nuggets, stained panties, dirty diapers, and just about anything else that could be imagined. What was more upsetting than anything else was getting her paycheck and seeing just how little she was making after working so hard.
"I think I'm gonna quit," complained Andrea to Jilly, as she dipped a French fry in ketchup and shoved it in her mouth while they ate lunch at the food court. "This is stupid. I'm nothing but a glorified janitor, and it sucks. If I wanted to pick up clothes all day, I'd start in my own room!"
"Andrea," sighed Jilly, "this is your third week on the job. It can't be all that bad."
"Easy for you to say," Andrea shrugged. "You get to be with Mark all day. I'm such a dope for not getting my application in early."
"Yeah, you are," smiled Jilly. "Maybe next summer. But for now you have to stick it out, since it's already July and there are zero jobs left in this crummy town."
"I know, I know. I guess I'm just going to have to find a way to make it work for me," Andrea devilishly grinned.
"What are you talking about, Andrea?" asked Jilly warily.
"Well, because I spend so much time in the stockrooms, I've had a chance to do some exploring. I know where the cameras are in the ceiling, and I also think I know how to avoid them. I bet I can get a five-finger discount on some clothes, since my crappy paycheck is so small that even with the real discount, I can't buy all the stuff I thought I was going to."
"That's just dumb," Jilly said shaking her head. "If you get caught, you could go to jail!"
"I might be willing to share some things with you since we're the same size, so be nice. Shit!" Andrea said glancing at her watch. "It's almost one o'clock; I gotta get back. I'll let you know how it goes. Call ya later!" she shouted, as she sprinted toward the far end of the mall.
By 5:30, store traffic had slowed down. Most people were home eating dinner; it didn't get busy again until after 6:30, when those who don't have air conditioning at home escape to the mall to cool down. Andrea was back in the stockroom again. She had hidden a pair of $200 designer jeans under a stack of out-of-season sweaters that were slated for shipment to the outlet store. She checked the jeans once again, making sure the security tag she removed earlier was the only one, and then glanced up toward the ceiling, noting that the camera was not angled in her direction. She was sure the section she was in was out of view, and was feeling confident she could pull off the heist. In her eyes, Hanson's owed it to her for all her hard work but minimal pay.
Finally, at 9 p.m. when the store closed, Andrea went down to the employee area and grabbed her backpack, pretending to head out for the night.
"Night Robert," she smiled seductively at the security guard. She knew Robert liked her, especially since he never looked at her eyes, but stared at her tits when he watched her, which was quite often. As soon as her hands touched the exit door, she turned around with a panic look on her face.
"Shoot! My cell phone! I must have left it upstairs!" Before waiting for an answer, she ran past Robert and shouted, "I'll be right back!" Robert watched her, but didn't follow or ask her to leave her backpack. She really didn't give him much of a chance, but Andrea knew he wasn't going to harass her.
Andrea flew up the stopped escalator, ran to the storeroom, grabbed the jeans, and shoved them in her backpack. She made it downstairs in record time, and tossed a wave and a shout to Robert, holding up her cell phone to prove why she went back, as she sprinted through the exit doors. She practically ran to her car, and when she saw nobody was chasing her, she slowed a little and allowed herself to breath again. It was a gutsy move, but, Andrea thought to herself, it certainly made working at Hanson's a lot more fun that day!
When she got home, Andrea tried on the jeans and admired herself in the mirror. She looked hot. The jeans hugged her ass, and after checking her body from all angles, decided that Hanson's was a much better place to work than Chucky's.
"Guess what I did?" Andrea said to Jilly on the phone, as she rolled on her bed wearing only her new jeans.
"I don't want to know, do I?" Jilly replied. "Maybe I better come over. It's late, but I'll tell my dad you're having a hair emergency, and that I won't stay long. See ya in a few."
Since Jilly lived only three houses away, she was at Andrea's in a flash. "Oh my God, those are awesome! Weren't those the jeans we saw in Cosmo this month?" Jilly asked, diving for the magazine on the floor in Andrea's bedroom. "They are! And they're expensive! Girlfriend, you're crazy!" Jilly laughed.
"Wanna try them on?" said Andrea, unzipping her new favorite pair of pants.
"Hell yah," Jilly shrieked, grabbing for them before Andrea even had them off. They fit perfectly on Jilly, and the two spent the next 15 minutes deciding who was going to wear them and when.
After Jilly left, Andrea was so pleased with herself and her boldness, she thought she'd go a step further and called Mark. She was surprised how talkative he was, and she even finagled a pizza date Saturday night, to which she was going to wear her new jeans.
Over the next week, Andrea took more things, mostly small items she could smuggle in her bra or down her pants. She took a great pair of Dior earrings, a small evening bag, an adorable—but thin—peasant top, and some new eyeshadow. Andrea realized she loved being a floater now; it gave what she called "sampling" a lot more variety! She almost had a complete outfit to wear on her date with Mark. Everything but the shoes, and she spent the next day trying to get scheduled into that department so she could pilfer that cute pair of Stuart Weitzman wedges in her backpack. She had shared everything with Jilly, and told her as soon as she had her date, Jilly could wear it all.
On Friday, Andrea was working in the Boy's department when Robert came up to her at the counter. She was wearing a too-tight T-shirt, and Robert often stopped by to ogle her, so Andrea wasn't concerned.
"Miss Andrea," Robert nodded politely. "I need you to come with me. Security wants to speak with you."
"Security? What for?" Andrea's heart jumped in her throat.
"I don't know," replied Robert. "They just told me to come get you."
Andrea, trying to be calm, followed Robert up to the top floor. She was pretty sure the cameras couldn't have seen her take anything. Maybe someone else saw and ratted her out. Well, it would be her word against theirs, and she'd stick to her story.
Robert opened the door to security, and as soon as Andrea stepped inside, he closed it behind her. Andrea stood there alone with three big men she didn't know.
"Andrea Green, I'm Mr. Hollister. Please sit down," the biggest man in the room said, pointing to the chair in front of his desk. Andrea sat down, but kept quiet. "It has come to our attention that you have been stealing merchandise from the store."
"I have no idea what you're talking about, Mr. Hollister. I just started working here. Why would I take anything? Did someone say they saw me or something?" Andrea squirmed in her seat.
It didn't go past the men that Andrea Green was a budding beauty. They let her sit there, suffering in silence for a few minutes while they checked out her oversized breasts, tiny waist, and wavy brown hair. Mr. Hollister secretly wondered if her hair was wavy all over.
"No, Miss Green, no one has said anything to us. But we do have you on videotape putting jeans in your backpack from the storeroom."
Andrea just sat there with her hands folded in her lap, her chin down. She couldn't bear to look at any of the men in this tiny office.
"It's our duty, Miss Green," said the youngest man in the room, who didn't bother introducing himself, "to call the police and have you arrested for shoplifting." He picked up the telephone receiver. "Even though you are 18, you will need to notify your parents, as well as secure the services of a lawyer. The penalty for shoplifting can include jail time, fines, and community service. Also, depending on the total amount stolen, you will either be booked on a misdemeanor or a felony charge, which carries a much more serious sentence."
When Andrea heard the word felony, she began to cry. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry. I've never done anything l-l-like this bef-f-ore," she sobbed. "Please don't turn me in to the police. I'll do anything. I don't want to go to jail," she cried louder.
The third man in the room took the phone out of the other one's hand and set it back down. "I can see you're upset, Miss Green, but you understand what you did was against the law."
"I-I-I know I was stupid," sniffled Andrea. "I was ju-ju-just trying to impress this guy, and I couldn't afford the clothes on what I was m-m-making here."
"Mr. Hollister," said the third man, "I think Andrea is showing a fair amount of remorse for what she did. Perhaps we can find a solution to this problem without putting this offense on her record. What do you think?"
Andrea looked up. She wasn't sure she heard him correctly. Were they really considering not calling the cops? "Yes, I'm extremely sorry. I have never done this before, and I will never do it again; I promise," Andrea looked in the eyes of all three men with as much humility and sincerity she could muster at the moment.
"Well, Craig," responded Hollister. "I think you're right, she seems sorry. But Andrea, you know we just can't let you go. You must be punished somehow, as well as return everything you've stolen. Do you understand?"
