It Happens All The Time

Lisa found Ken on the sales floor, and kissed him square in the mouth. He smiled at her, "Complicated plots to get someone naked always make you this happy?"

"Not sure, as that this is my first. Maybe just the ones that are this successful. Ready for your part?"

A few minutes later, Claire heard a knock at the door in front of her. Even though it was gentle, she still jumped as if it was gunfire.

"Hey...hey Claire, it's Ken. Sorry, I had to check on Lisa. She really rolled that ankle. Found her crawling toward the front. So, what do you want me to do?"

"Can you open it or force it or something?" Claire blushed at the thought of Ken seeing her naked, but he was definitely preferable to any random stranger who worked in the mall.

Ken spent a few moments banging and jimmying at the door. "Damn, Claire, I'm sorry. The shirt must be in the lock mechanism."

"Can you come get me? Do you have clothes?"

"Well...I..sort of can't. I mean, I'd loan you my shirt in a second. But Lisa can't walk, so I can't leave her here alone. Actually Claire, we've got another problem. You see, since I was going to be taking Lisa off your hands, I hit Peter up for a favor. He was going to take her last two hours. He said he had some deliveries coming anyways. Plus, mall security has been on the hunt for some kids running around like idiots. We've really got to get you out of there."

Claire set her head against the cold wall behind her for a second. Great, she thought. So either Petey sees me naked, some delivery guy, or a horde of teenage boys. Why me? She though miserably. What did I do wrong?

"Let me get Lisa. I'll...I'll carry her back here or something. She'll have a plan."

Lisa was standing two feet away. Ken motioned to her. She shook her head, threw her arms apart and posed on her toes. Ken fought off the urge to laugh, lifted her up and set her in front of the door.

"Claire?"

"Lisa, what am I going to do?"

"Oh God, Claire. Going left would get you out almost immediately, but that's probably the door that Peter will come through, and that parking lot is really busy. I've...I've got another option. You know Discount Circuitry above us, next to the parking garage? They closed last week and they've got an entrance/exit door near the old parking garage. I'll send Ken around to that door. It's your best bet. Virtually no one is over there. I just wish you knew the Bat caves better."

Claire groaned again, suddenly warm despite her nakedness. She could hear voices already, but she wasn't sure which way they were coming from.

"Oh God. Okay, okay. Which way am I going?"

Well, you're facing this door, right? So, you'll go right toward the spine, cut up the stairs on the left side, right? Then make another right past The Games People Play, a left so you're out of the main path on the right. Then it's just another left, through the double doors, right? And then one last left and you're out on the right."

Claire stared blankly at the door. "What?"

"Okay, Claire, it's right, left, right? Then right, past The Games People Play, a left to stay away from the right, another left, through the double doors and right there will be your left. Find the double doors."

Claire was about to speak again but she heard the door to her left open and took off running to the right.

Lisa heard her tear off and turned to Ken, smiling. "And now we're even."

Ken smiled back. "So should I head up to the door? Were those even real directions?"

Lisa laughed. "Oh they were real. We've got time. Claire runs and is in great shape, but is miserable with written directions much less intentionally confusing ones. And there's about six sets of double doors. Half of them are one-way doors that need a key to get back through. I doubt Claire would make it there in less than an hour, if at all."

"Hmm. Just in case, let me text a guy I know from The Games People Play. I owe him a favor, since he got me this job."

A few minutes later, Pete knocked on the back room door. "Hey guys, why's there a shirt in the back door?"

Ken unlocked the door, opened it, and gave Pete a smirk.

"It's the reason there's even odds you're going to get a video message or text from Dave in the next hour which guarantee that you will never stop thanking me for asking you to come in today to cover for Lisa."

_________________________________________

A half hour later Claire was shaking. Even for someone as in shape as her, this sprinting back and forth was taking it out of her. She'd already had three close calls, the worst of which was her getting smacked on the butt twice by a door while hiding against a wall when TwistyPretzel threw their garbage out into the hall. The Bat Caves were mostly dark, with the exception of a few service lights, and the directions were long forgotten, except for the part about passing The Games People Play. Claire had never set foot in the store but had passed it on her way to the food court for coffee. Video games and board games were not her style, and the place was always packed with employees and customers. She knew she had to be close, because she had gotten up the second level, but had made so many twists and turns she had no idea where she was.

Hearing no footsteps, Claire stopped for breath, panting hard, standing with her hands on a railing next to a second set of stairs for a few minutes. She had to hold herself up to keep from slumping on the ground. She was looking at two different doors off to her side, wondering which one was correct. She heard a squeak to her right. Standing there was a guy no older than twenty in black pants and a black button down shirt.

Claire immediately wheeled and covered herself, and was about to run when she saw the gold lettering on his shirt, bright enough to be seen in the darkness. The Games People Play. Swallowing her embarrassment, she made herself stand still. "Can...Can you help me?"

"Uh, maybe. What do you need?"

"I need to get to a friend. Where's Discount Circuitry?"

"Uhh, they're over through the left door and through the second set of double doors. But if you're trying not to be seen, I wouldn't recommend it. They've got workers all through there setting up the store that's taking over. I'd tell you to go through the first door on the right and make sure to go..."

"Duuuuude." The guy from The Games People Play was interrupted from a voice from Claire's other side. Standing there holding phones were a group of four mall employees, led by a teenager in a TwistyPretzel shirt. "I told you I saw a naked chick back here."

Claire screamed and took off running.

As she left, Dave turned to the group of mall employees and smiled. "Wanna compare footage?" He jerked a thumb over his right shoulder, pointing at the security camera that had been pointing at Claire for the entire time she had been resting.

Claire had plunged through the door. She saw double doors to the right and plunged through them, am was momentarily blinded by the light. She bent over slightly, with one hand on her knee and the other shielding her eyes, waiting for them to adjust.

She heard the mixed gasps and laughter first. Her eyes pulled focus. She was in the food court. She immediately turned and slammed into the double doors and pulled. Nothing. The handle didn't even move. She turned again and covered herself trying not to think about the laughing crowd.

__________________________

Not quite another hour later a handcuffed Claire was walked into OfficeOptions by two security officers. As she came through the entrance the small blanket mall security had thrown over her shoulders fell off again, as it had seven times in the walk around the security and five more on the way here. Not that it mattered; even when on her, it merely draped over her shoulders, stopping before the base of her spine' leaving her breasts and butt exposed. Claire tried not to look at how many people watched her pass on the way her, still wondering why they couldn't take her through the back, or why she had to be led by the hands instead of being allowed to cover up.

One of the two security guards picked up the blanket and slung it over his wrist. The other uncuffed her.

Peter said, "Uh, hey Claire. Lisa and Ken are out looking for you."

Not being able to even look at Peter, Claire sprinted into the back room.

The second officer looked at Peter, who was so agog as to look like he'd been hit. "You're welcome," he mouthed softly. The first officer nodded toward Peter. "Are you going to fire her?"

"Are you kidding?" laughed Peter and gestured toward his phone, which hadn't stop vibrating in the past hour. "From all the stuff I've been getting on her, I'm hoping this will happen all the time."