I want to give thanks to NoSnow for editing and helping me write this story.
My name's Dave and I just graduated from High School and my Dad told me that I needed to find a summer job before going to college. He told me to stop by a department store in the mall and ask for Mark. He was an old friend of my Dad's from his school days. I had been out all day looking for a job and it wasn't looking good. So I did what my Father told me and went to the department store. Mark wasn't there so I filled out the application for the job. Then I went by my best friend's house Bob to see if he was having any luck in finding a job. Bob was telling me he thinks he will be working for the local nursery. I told him that I put in for a job at the local department store as a security guard. Bob and I both just turned 18. We are just normal grads getting ready for college and needed a summer job so that we would have some spending money at school. We were not jocks or nerds just average kids. While at Bob's, his Mom, Jane Apple, came in from work. She is a 38 year old mother of 3 kids with Bob being the oldest. She has stayed in shape. No she doesn't have the body of a young women but she still turns heads when she walks into a room. She is a very conservative person, works for a big company as a department head, and is very much involved in her church. She saw me and asked me what I was doing for the summer and I told her about me putting in for the security job at the local department store. She wished me luck.
Mark called the house to tell me I got the job. I didn't know until I reported to work that Mark would be my boss and he was a hard ass kind of person. He told me what happens here has to stay in the store, because we don't want to hurt people reputations. I said what if we catch someone shoplifting. His answered kind of shock me. He said yes we do press charges against people who are caught, but we sometimes will try and keep the police out of it.
I said "What do you mean?"
He said "It depends on the person's attitude what we do. They all will tell you they didn't steal anything, or how did that get there. Once you call the police they are going to court and depending on the amount will go to jail."
I asked "How do you know who you call the police on and who you don't?"
He answered "Most will rather have us do the search, because they don't want to end up in the paper or go to jail. Some do it as a dare, while others think it's a sport. You will catch on as time goes by. They don't want to mess up their family's or their own reputation."
"If you find something on them, then what?"
"Well, again we could bring the police in or we ask them if they would like us to punish them. Most don't want the police so we come up with kind of punishment. And that depends on how I feel that day."
Then he told me that when they were bored they might just pick on someone to mess with them. I just looked at him and he just smiled at me.
I was working that weekend watching the security cameras, and in walked Mrs. Apple. I was just watching her walk around the store. I always like the way she looked. Mark walked into the room and said what's up? I said I just saw my best friend's Mom walk in. He said let me take a look, I pointed her out. I said she is the one dressed in yellow shorts.
He said "I've seen her in here before. Not bad looking if I may say." Mark told me to tell him about her and I did. "Well it is a very slow day and I was going to tell you to go home but would you like to have some fun with her?"
I asked "What do you mean?"
"Well, we can set her up, bring her up into the interviewing room and mess with her, could be fun."
Then he asked if I have ever seen her nude.
I said, "No, but I have seen her in her bathing suit more than once. I have been best friends with her son for years and they have a pool.
He just looked at me and, then said, "Remember, what happens here has to stay in the here."
I replied, "Yes I know, so why are you reminding me."
Mark said "If we mess with her you just don't know how things will turn out. So are you in for some fun or do you want to take the rest of the day off?"
I said "Sure lets have some fun", not really knowing what he meant by it. "I'm not going to learn anything if we don't catch anyone.
Mark got on his radio and got hold of the other security guy, Rick, on the floor and asked him if he wanted to set someone up today. Rick, answering over the radio, responded "Ok, who?"
Mark said, "The woman in the yellow shorts."
Rick asked, "Are you sure? She's a little older then we normally mess with."
Mark replied, "Yes, I know, but she is the Mother of Dave's best friend, could be a lot of fun for Dave."
Rick said, "Give me a few minutes to set it up."
I looked at Mark and asked, "Set it up?"
"Yes, he will plant something on her then claim she was shoplifting."
"How does he go around doing something like that."
Mark said, "Rick is an ex-pickpocket and I don't ask him how he does it. I have tried to catch him doing it, but never have. He did tell me once that it is easier to plant something then to lift."
I asked, "What happens if she don't play along?"
"They all normally play along just to keep the police out of it, no one wants to go to jail."
"And if they don't play along?"
Mark just looked at me, "Then the police are called."
"I don't want Mrs. Apple to go to jail."
He said, "Don't worry kid I won't let it go that far."
I stood there looking at the cameras watching Mrs. Apple. I saw Rick get close to her but didn't really notice him doing anything. Mrs. Apple picked up a few items and headed towards the cash registers. Mark told me to just stay there as he went to the floor. As Mrs. Apple finished paying for her items she started to depart from the store and the alarms went off.
Rick got her by the arm and said, "You need to come with me."
Just then Mark arrived by her side. I could see Mrs. Apple say something but Mark just shook his head and motion for her to come with him. Mrs. Apple just started to follow Mark with Rick still holding on to her arm. They took her to the interview room. It had a short table, kind of like a coffee table you find in a front room of your home with a few chairs. Mark told her to have a seat and they will be right with her. As they were walking out you could hear Mrs. Apple say I didn't do anything. They closed the door and came over to the room where I watching the screens.
Mark looked at me and said I could sit there and watch what happens on the screen or come on in when he calls for me. I said I would come in when he called for me. He reminded me what happens here stays here. It's better for us and her that nobody finds out. I let him know I understood. Mark walked over and turned on the cameras in the interview room and turned up the sound and hit record, Mark looked at me and said sometimes we make copies to watch later at home.
"I'll make sure you get a copy of this one Dave."
I was still a little confused about what was going to happen. Then Mark walked into the room with Mrs. Apple. He gave her a mean look and said "We can do this a few ways but it depends on you and how you would like for this to go."
