The Assignment

Anne Richards was reading the latest edition of Feminique magazine. Her interview with the supposed psychic took up four large pages. Anne was only twenty six but she had achieved a lot in her short career with Feminique. She had interviewed actors and actresses, singers and stars. She also regularly interviewed, doctors and health experts about weight loss treatments and diets. Her salary was also really good too. Anne had not wanted to work for Feminique. When she graduated with a degree in journalism, Anne was hoping for a job at a major newspaper, covering style and fashion. Despite that she was happy at Feminique, only her boss irritated her. Gladys Stevens was a perpetually angry old woman. She never had anything nice to say about Anne and she was always trying to bring her down. Anne always thought that her boss hated her because because Anne was pretty and drew looks from a lot of men and a few girls as well. She was only five foot three inches but she had C cup breasts, beautiful, long, soft brown hair, teeth as white as snow. In contrast Anne thought that Gladys Stevens looked like an especially angry old frog.

Anne did not let that bother her as she emailed a request for an interview to a manager for James Mcallister a famous singer. Every request for an interview from a celebrity had been answered. She was hoping that James Mcallister wouldn't be the first to deny her request. Her thoughts were interrupted by Gladys at her desk.

"Anne my dear, please come to my office now," said Gladys in her dangerously sweet voice.

"Why?" replied Anne.

"Just come with me."

Anne followed Gladys into her office. She had been in the office many times before and she had always hated it there. The bright green walls had always made Anne feel uncomfortable. She hoped that she would be out as soon as possible. She was surprised to see a man sitting in on an armchair in the office. He had a cropped white beard and mustache with sideburns framing his face. He was clearly much older than Anne. His shoulders were broad and he looked intimidating in a navy uniform suit. His gaze was making Anne uncomfortable. Gladys introduced them.

"Anne I would like you to meet Robert Donaldson, he is an old friend of mine. Robert this is Anne, one of my reporters," said Gladys

Donaldson stood up, he towered over Anne. "Pleasure to meet you Anne," he said in a deep voice as he shook Anne's hand. Anne winced, his grip was very strong. Gladys gestured Anne to another armchair. Anne sat down.

"Robert is an old friend of mine and he happens to run the prison down at Norris Park. We went to school together, he is here to help me on an idea I have for a story. Isn't it good that old friends still help each other out after all these years Robert," said Gladys with a smile.

Robert smiled back at Gladys. Anne wondered how a prison warden would be able to help Gladys with a story for the magazine. Anne was more astonished that Gladys, being the vile creature she was, had friends in school. Maybe Gladys allowed Robert to feel her up when they were teenagers, she thought.

"This magazine always goes for stories with actresses and singers and stories about diets and fads. All very good of course but I think our readers would like something new, don't you think Anne?" said Gladys.

Anne did not answer, Gladys didn't mind. "Most if not all of our readers are good, decent people. They would never dream of being anywhere near a place like your workplace Robert, no offense." Gladys giggled and Robert chuckled politely. "I think it would be interesting if our readers got an insight into what happens to those who have gone off the wrong path," Gladys continued. "I thought we should get an article from someone who has been in such a place and has spent a fair amount of time there. I think you would be the best writer to go in there and then right us a story," Gladys said gently.

"You mean I go in there visit and look around and maybe talk to the inmates?" asked Anne.

Gladys turned to Robert and giggled. "No no silly, you stay for a while, live amongst all those poor women locked up. Know their stories, be one of them for a while and then come back to us, and turn thoughts into the words, the way you always do, darling."

"Stay in prison. Me. You have to be joking, no way. I can't do that no way!"

"Please dear, it will only be for a month. It will be good for your career. Remember how Jane spent that month living with the women in that African tribe in those primitive conditions, she had no running water for a month for heaven's sake. It can't be worse than that. Robert assures me that no harm will come to you," said Gladys.

"I will make sure that you will not be harmed in anyway and that by the end of your time in Norris Park, you will be healthy and well" said Robert Donaldson with a smile.

"Mr Donaldson with all due respect. I don't think I could endure a stay in your prison," replied Anne.

"That's such a shame Anne. I think it will be a lovely experience for your career," said Gladys with a sad look on her face.

"Excuse me Gladys I must return back to ah the office. I have been here too long. Thank you for your hospitality. Let me know if Anna was it, agrees to your idea," said Donaldson as he walked to the door.

"Goodbye Robert, I shall see you soon I hope, and I will let you know for sure," said Gladys.

Donaldson left the room, closing the door gently behind him. Gladys peered at Anne through her glasses. Gladys sighed sat down on her office chair. "You know Anne, this idea is mine. I have always thought it would be a good idea to have someone go into that prison and see what it was like. I thought you would be the one most suited to it."

"I am sorry but I can't do that, really I'm sorry," said Anne.

Gladys sighed. "That is a pity Anne. My sister has a daughter you know, talented little thing, reminds of me of you sometimes. She wants a job here. I told her that all there are no places for her here, of course if one of our employees were to lose their job, then my dear niece will have her dream job,"

"So if I don't take the job, you will fire me, is that what you are saying."

"I will have no choice but to tell the authorities that you have been hiring men disguised as tradesmen and police officers to bug the houses of some of our countries most beloved stars. I cannot hope to keep you employed after that," said Gladys sardonically.

"That was your idea!" said Anne shocked.

"Maybe, maybe not" said Gladys with a smile. "Who hired those men though, what was that person's name, I think it was Anne Richards, wasn't it," said Gladys.

Anne was trapped, she knew she would be in big trouble if her bugging operations were revealed, but she had no intentions to go anywhere near Norris Park. She had heard a few rumors about the place, very little of it good. She was scared of Robert Donaldson. She didn't really have much of a choice though. The bitch Gladys would have her in deep trouble if she didn't go to the prison.

"I-I-I w-" began Anne.

"Don't worry dear you can tell me tomorrow afternoon. Until then cheerio," said Gladys with a wicked grin on her face.

Sleep came hard for Anne that night. She tossed and turned, she woke constantly, thinking about her fate. She considered resigning straight away. That was a win-win for everybody, she thought. Gladys could have her precious niece working in Feminique. She realized though that she wouldn't find a job that easily. She also knew that there was a good chance that Gladys would reveal her bugging to the media or police. Gladys was retiring soon, she didn't care if Feminique got closed down soon afterwards. She could easily dismiss it as the act of a rouge employee.

Anne stayed at her desk the next morning, trying to focus on the tasks at hand and trying to keep Gladys and Norris Park Prison out of her mind. She realized she would have to face Gladys soon. That moment came after lunch, when Gladys summoned her to her office. Anne felt nauseous as she looked at the bright green walls.

"Well Anne, my dear. Have you made your decision about what we talked about yesterday?" asked Gladys.

"Yes I guess I will do that assignment then," said Anne.

Gladys hugged Anne and kissed her on both the cheeks. Anne awkwardly returned the hug. "I knew I could count on you, thank you so much." Gladys released Anne. "I will tell Robert that you agreed to this, he and I will plan your um adventure hehe and you can come to my office after you finish work today and I will tell you the arrangements. Goodbye now."

Anne burned with fury as she left Gladys' office. She had been blackmailed and caught like a mouse in a trap, by her evil boss. To top it all off Gladys had hugged her and kissed her. She was angry, she wanted to break something and snap at someone. She couldn't do either, so she just put her head down and worked for the rest of the day. She nervously looked down at her watch, at five she would have to go to Gladys' office again. The only bright spot of her day was that she managed to secure an interview with James Mcallister, the singer. With that positive thought it mind, Anne headed to Gladys' office.

"Hello Anne, nice to see you," said Gladys.

"Good afternoon ma'am," replied Anne in a voice that was polite but cold.

"I called Robert and him and I have made arrangements for your little stay at Norris Park. Next Wednesday you will begin your stay. Since you have to have committed a crime to stay there, we are going to say that you were put in prison for two months on a negligent driving charge. I've seen you drive Anne, that isn't hard to believe," Gladys laughed. After a while your lawyer has gotten your sentence halved, so you will be out in exactly four weeks from next Wednesday. Do you understand that?"

"Yes"

"Very good. I personally will drive you to the prison after work, that is all for now, bye bye dear," said Gladys dismissing Anne.

Anne told her family and her friends that she was on assignment for a month, and that she couldn't be contacted in that time. She didn't tell them that she was going to prison. Her mother would have been shocked, no one in the family had ever been to jail. On the Monday before her incarceration, she interviewed James Mcallister. She went to bed on Tuesday night, knowing it would the last time for a month that she would sleep in her own bed. She slept well that night. On Wednesday morning she got up. Her routine was the same, she picked out her outfit, this time it was a black coat, pink blouse, black skirt, black pantyhose and black heels. She put her hair up in a bun and applied her make up. She then set out for work. She didn't have much to do at work and she tried to avoid Gladys as much as possible. She looked at the clock, hoping that the hands would stop miraculously forever. That was never going to happen though and at five in the afternoon all her work colleagues left. Some of them hugged Anne and told her they would miss her and wished her good luck. Anne thanked them warmly with all her heart. Once they had all left, Gladys called Anne over.

"We are going, are you ready Anne?" Gladys asked.

"I guess so," Anne replied.

Gladys drove towards Norris Park. Anne just kept looking down at her shoes, she was scared and nervous. Occasionally Gladys would say something to her, Anne would only nod and whisper back. After around forty five minutes of driving, they arrived at Norris Park Women's Prison. The sun had set and the silhouette of the prison building looked eerie to Anne. Gladys got out of the car and even opened the door for Anne. "Thanks." Anne muttered in response. A guard met Anne and Gladys at the door. Gladys asked to be taken to the warden. The guard took them both to the warden's office. Robert Donaldson stood up and greeted Gladys. She gestured for Gladys and Anne to sit down.

"Nice to see you again Gladys, and er you too Anna wasn't it," said Donaldson.

"No it is Anne."

"Ah so sorry Anne."

Donaldson went to his desk and picked up some papers. He kept two to himself and gave one to Gladys and one to Anne. "I need you to sign these forms, it takes away any legal responsibility if Anne here is seriously injured or killed. Not that it will happen of course, but still we have to get it signed." Anne and Gladys both signed the papers and handed them to Donaldson. Donaldson thanked them both.

Donaldson addressed Anne. "Okay Anne what will happen is that you will be held here for two months for a road offense. You will get a reduction in your sentence and you will be released after four weeks. Since you will write your story about life in my prison, you will have to be treated like any other inmate. Only I will know that you are a reporter. The guards, the inmates will not know that you are no criminal. This is not just for your sake though. The prison department won't be ah sympathetic to me if they find out that I do activities such as this, so best keep this a secret. Good for you, good for me. Since Gladys will not be hanging around too long, I will order your arrest once she leaves, Anne. You will then be processed Anne. Anne I must implore you to follow all the rules, we take a firm stance on indiscipline here and you will not be given any special favors, is that understood?" Anne nodded.

Gladys shook Donaldson's hand. "I must be leaving now," said Gladys. Gladys looked at Anne and then to Donaldson. "Take care of my dear Anne, okay Robert," implored Gladys as she walked out the door. Donaldson farewelled her then barked a command at a tall and lanky guard. The guard cuffed Anne's hands behind her back and marched her out of the room. Anne was walked down a corridor. The guard stopped her at a door with the sign "Processing" labeled on it. The guard opened the door and led Anne in. Inside the room there were three female guards. One was a blonde, tall and skinny. Another guard was holding a clipboard, she was one of the tallest women Anne had ever seen. She was stocky and very broad shouldered. Only her large breasts gave indication of her gender. The other guard was shorter than Anne and blonde. She directed Anne to sit down at a desk. The tall large guard put her clipboard down on the desk. "Read and fill", the guard ordered. Anne read the papers. They asked her for her full name, age and sex and for to confirm that she wasn't pregnant, hadn't taken drugs or was allergic to anything. Anne signed it. The short blonde guard took the clipboard away.

"Inmate W220514, Anne Danielle Richards, we are about to begin your processing, step over here now," ordered the short blonde guard. Anne obeyed the guard and the guard fingerprinted all ten of Anne's fingers. Anne was then led to the height chart at the left hand side of the room. The tall skinny guard went behind the camera. Anne was made to stare at the camera and then turn to her left and to her right. Then the photos were done.

The short blonde placed a clear plastic bag on to the desk and a small box. Anne was ordered to remove her jewelery and place it into the box. Anne didn't like it but she complied. She took off her watch and bracelet and put it in the box. Her diamond necklace was next, and then her pearl earrings. She was worried that she would lose them forever, she wanted to ask about them, but the words wouldn't come out.

"Inmate, take off all your clothes piece by piece and hand them to me," ordered the short blonde guard.

Anne's hands went to her coat. She hesitated slightly, the guard stared at her. "Do I have to undress here, can I do it somewhere more private?" asked Anne.

"No, strip now, do as we say or you'll be sorry, girl."

The door burst open. Anne turned around and saw the tall lanky guard that escorted her from Donaldson's office. "Did I miss anything?" he asked.

The guards laughed. "No you didn't," said the tall large guard. At the same time the short guard walked towards Anne, she drew a baton and touched Anne's chin with it. "Undress now."

"No please not in front of him, please ma'am I beg you," implored Anne.

"Take off your clothes now, if that coat is not off in thirty seconds, I will take you the punishment room and have you whipped for disobedience. Take it off NOW BITCH!" said the guard forcefully.

Anne did as she was ordered, she took the coat off and handed it to the guard. The guard put her coat into the plastic bag, then gestured at Anne's shoes. Anne took off her black high heels. The guard held them up for the other guards to see then put them in the bag. Anne heard their smirking. "Keep going," ordered the guard. Anne fumbled with the buttons of her blouse, her hands were shaking as she tried to undo them. "Hurry up," called the guard. Finally Anne had got her blouse off. The guard placed it in the bag and pointed at Anne's skirt. Anne undid the zip of the skirt and let it fall to her feet. She picked it up and gave it to the guard. Then she peeled off her pantyhose, stepping out of it a leg at a time. She winced as her bare feet felt the cool floor. She handed over the pantyhose to the guard. Now down to her matching white bra and silk panties, she stared blankly at the walls. "Keep going inmate, get the bra off and get your tits out now," barked the guard. Anne's hands slowly found her bra hooks. She slowly unhooked her bra, making sure that her hands covered her breasts. She handed the bra over, keeping her breasts out of view. The bra joined the rest of Anne's clothes in the bag.

"Hands by your sides, do not cover your tits, girl!" yelled the guard. Anne reluctantly moved her hands to her hips. She could feel every pair of eyes on her as her breasts came into view. The lanky male guard had moved places to get a better view of Anne's bare breasts. He smiled at her, approving of what he saw. Anne looked away from him, down at her feet. Tears filled her eyes.

"Inmate, the panties now," called out the guard. Anne used her right hand to pull down her white silk panties and tried to keep her bush covered with her left hand. "Hurry up" barked the guard. Anne's panties were at her feet. She bent over to pick them up. The male guard moved again to get a good view of Anne's bare butt. Anne ignored his movements and handed her panties to the guard. She kept her head down and used her hands to cover her pussy. Anne raised her head, she saw that the lanky male guard was now holding her panties. He raised the panties to eye level, he stared at them. The three female guards looked amused. Then he put Anne's panties to his nose and sniffed. The three female guards started laughing. Anne tried not to burst into tears.

"Of course you would do that wouldn't you," said the short female guard, as she received Anne's panties from the lanky guard. She put the panties in the clear plastic bag. The guard's smile died as she looked at Anne.

"Hands to your sides NOW!" she thundered. She stepped towards Anne and looked her in the eye. "If you cover yourself up again, just one more time, you will be severely punished. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I do," said Anne in a quiet voice as her hands went to her sides.

The guards could now look at Anne's nude body, they were seeing parts of her than only her ex boyfriend saw. They always had sex with the lights off, so this was the best view, anyone had of her naked body. As the short blonde guard stepped back, the leering male guard stepped forward. He moved towards Anne. Anne stepped back nervously but the large female guard held her by the arm. The male guard looked Anne straight in the eye. His gaze then moved down her body. He spent an extra long time looking at Anne's breasts. He touched Anne's right nipple. Anne would have moved back but the female guard still held her. The creepy guard's gaze moved down Anne's belly and down to her pubic area. He stared at the pubic area and ran his fingers through her pubic hair. His gaze then moved down her legs and towards her feet. Then he backed away. The female guard didn't let go of her arm. Instead the guards escorted her out of the room, down the corridor into another room. This room resembled a doctors surgery. There was a small desk and an examination table. Anne was released from the guard's grip. The tall female guard took went to the desk and put on a pair of rubber gloves. The tall female guard walked over to her.