Andrea's expression tells me she's feeling guilty. Outwardly, she looks calm. I know the difference, having worked with her for many years. It's subtle, the way her eyelids droop, or the slight wrinkle between her eyebrows. She tends to tilt her head lower when she's feeling this way. When I make a request, she's always quick to acknowledge it with a 'Yes, Boss', or something similar. Her silence speaks volumes. It's tics like these that make me so good at reading people. There's nothing she can hide from me.

After what she put me though, I'd hope she's feeling bad. I've never seen negligence like this before, let alone in a situation so delicate. It makes me regret putting myself in her care. I'd have asked her to pass me to someone better, but I don't know anyone as loyal. That said, her loyalty stops being a factor if I end up dying while in her care. if you can call what she's put me through 'care' in the first place. Now that she can hear me, I'm going to be much harsher than before. Hopefully that'll be enough to stop her from nearly killing me once every fucking hour.

"So." I say, causing her to flinch as I break the silence. "What is it that the big, forgetful, giantess needs from little, old me?"

"She- Or rather, I, need to some questions answered. I cannot handle all of your affairs on my own, nor can I deal with your associates in your absence." She clears her throat and picks up her notebook, flipping to a specific page. Her eyes scan for something while she mutters under her breath. She then looks up, in my general direction. "First of all, we currently owe money to a...Mr. P?"

"Mr. Peterson sold me the semiconductors for this month's projects. I was supposed to pay him sometime this week."

"Sometime two weeks ago, sir."

"Crap. He's not the type to deal with strangers. Even if I gave you the money, he wouldn't take it. This whole mess couldn't have happened at a worse time." I groan loudly, pacing around. "We can worry about him later. If he can wait two weeks, one more shouldn't matter."

"I will make a note."

"What's next?"

"There have been several calls to the workshop. Your private line, to be exact."

"Those are probably from anxious clients. They heard the news and want to make sure my arrest won't lead back to them. Not like it matters, since they're not gonna find me."

"I suppose they would not want a stranger to return their calls."

"Yeah, unfortunately. That's how connections work. There ain't no one who can be me other than me." I chuckle. "I say ignore them too. They can wait until this is sorted out."

"I am impressed, sir." Andrea sighs, loosening up. "You seem so confident. You must have a solid plan. Are you certain there is nothing I can do to help? If you would just fill me in, I am confident I could be of use to you."

Suddenly, I go silent. Despite my carefree demeanour, I'm still at the starting line with no plan to speak of beyond becoming small and hiding. I keep saying that I'll have this sorted in a week, but that's just me being optimistic. I can't show fear or worry around my subordinates. The Boss doesn't get cornered. He's the one who corners. 

"Of course I do." I lie, the words leaving my mouth with inflated assurance. "And didn't I already tell you that I could handle things on my own? This is for me to know and for you to find out later. Someone betrayed me, that's a fact. Until I figure out who it was, I'm not sharing shit with anyone. Not even you, Andrea."

For the first time ever, I see Andrea display some genuine emotion. The ever-cool and collected woman reacts to my words. For a brief moment, it looks as if she's hurt. I feel no guilt, as I think about all the danger she's put me in. My remarks work a little too well. Suddenly, I feel like saying some more not-so-kind things, but I hold off. I'm not a child, I can refrain from saying the first thing that pops into my head.

"I..." Andrea whispers. "I understand."

An awkward silence follows. Yet again, I have to be the one to break it.

"Moving on..." I say, with tone that expresses my impatience. "Is that all, or did you need something else?"

Andrea brushes her hair over her ear and purses her lips. She takes another few seconds before speaking again. "There are some numbers I would like to go over with you. In light of this month's increased business, we have to wash more money that usual. Also, some of the numbers do not quite add up."

That catches my attention. My eyes light up at the prospect of a clue, something to lead me in the right direction as to finding my rat.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?!" I snap at her. "Go on, show me. I need to see this."

"Right away, Boss."

Andrea begins to read out numbers from her notebook, referencing purchases and sales of our contraband. After just a few numbers, I begin to feel dizzy. It's tough for me to work with things that I can't see for myself.

"Stop. Stop, before I lose track."

She pauses, looking at me curiously. "Was I going too fast? I apologize if so."

"Let me read for myself. Bring me over there." I order her.

"Sir?" She looks at me witha puzzled look. "Are you asking me to put you on the notebook? As in, on the page?"

"Basically." I shrug. "Think you can handle that? You know, moving me there?"

She simply nods, leaning forward toward the table. She places her finger before me, nail touching the table, for me to climb onto. I make my way up the hard, polished slope. Once I've hiked up to a safe spot, she transports me over to her notebook, sitting in her lap. Tilting he nail, she slides me off onto the page. I don't complain this time, seeing as it's a relatively short distance and doesn't put me at risk. Upon landing, I realize I'm going to have to cling to the paper, since she's holding the entire thing at a slight angle with her other hand. 

"Is this better for you? I hope you are not too close to see."

Indeed, I am too close to make anything out. Each handwritten digit is huge. The penstrokes themselves are wider than I am tall. Clearly I didn't think this through. Though, I have no intention of admitting that after requesting to come here.

"It's fine. You worry too much about things that don't concern you, focus on doing your job, yeah?"

She resumes going over the numbers, while my mind wanders. I can't make heads or tails of what any of this means, so I just nod and occassionally give her an 'mhm' or a 'yeah'. She knows what she's doing. I'm sure she's just worries about her own work out of self doubt.

As my mind wanders, so do my eyes. I turn my head to look at her, marvelling at how enormous she is from way down here. It's the same feeling I had when I was at her feet yesterday, only the view is a lot nicer. My eyes shaemlessly trace the contours of her modest chest in that button-down shirt of hers. I stare, enjoying the fact that she can't notice.

"Boss?"

"What?" I ask, snapping out of my trance. I haven't been listening for a while.

"I need to turn the page. I was asking if you would like me to move you?"

"Yeah, I heard you!" I lie, again. I become defensive, for no apparent reason. "I was going to get down on my own. See?"

I try to climb down from the paper, moving slowly to the bottom. I aim for her thigh, below. While I could slide, it's a considerable distance to the bottom. I'd rather not take chances. Up above, she watches me patiently, keeping still while I struggle to cover what is ultimately a pathetic distance. In my frustration, I try to speed up, which results in me slipping. I slide down the page, accelerating right until I reach the bottom. 

I land on the edge of her thigh pretty roughly, tumbling a few times. Having come too close to the edge of her skirt, I start to slide again, right off the side of her leg. I fall once more, landing hard on the surface of the sofa cushion below, breaking my fall by landing on my arm. I'm pretty sure I heard several cracks along the way. Picking myself up, I roll my shoulders and hug my very sore arm.

"Boss! Are you alright?" Andrea looks down, locating me beside her. She looks genuinely worries, but all I see is pity. I look for my walkie talkie, finding it not too far away. I go over and collect it, gritting my teeth as I hold down the button to speak.

"You idiot! Didn't I say I could do this on my own?!"

"Boss, I-"

"You moved! Your little movement caused me to lose my footing..." I say the first thing that comes to mind. Whatever will fit my narrative. "And then I fell! I could've died! My arm's all busted up now, thanks to you! I swear, you're fucking incompetent!"

Andrea holds her tongue, accepting the blame without so much as a complaint. "I should have stayed still. That was careless of me, sir. It will not happen again."

"It better not!" I yell, huffing angrily. I take a minute to catch my breath and calm down. "I'm done listening to numbers. Sort the rest out yourself."

"I will do my best." She nods, moving her finger toward me. She places it down so that I can climb on.

"Are you shitting me? You want to move me again? What, did you not get enough of a laugh out of me falling just now?"

"I would never laugh." She says, gazing at me intensely. It's enough to make me nervous.

"Whatever, fine. Let me stay here. I'm comfortable sitting on the couch, like normal people do."

"Alright, but if you change your-"

A sudden ring of the doorbell cuts our conversation short. One look at Andrea tells me that she is as surprised as I am. I thought she wasn't the type to invite guests over? She looks down as me before carefully rising from her seat. I'm pulled in toward her as the cushion fights to return to its form, now free of her weight. She walks over to the door of her apartment, peeking through the peephole. I fully expect her to return to me, but to my surprise, she begins to unlock the door.

It opens, revealing an older, heavier woman with graying hair. She is shorter than Andrea, but at least twice as wide. She looks too different to be a relative and way too old to be a friend. She might be a neighbor.

"Hello, dear! I'm sorry to drop in so suddenly, but I need some help reading a letter." The older woman smiles.

"It's alright, Mrs. Ruth. You are welcome anytime. May I see it?"

The woman hands Andrea an envelope, which Andrea proceeds to inspect. In the meantime, the woman begins to walk inside. She's still pretty far away, but her size is intimidating. It's hard enough dealing with one giantess, let alone two.

"My eyes aren't what they used to be." She sighs. "I wish I didn't have to bother you, but I recently lost my glasses."

"It is no trouble, ma'am. You are never a bother." Andrea gives her a warm smile.

"Bless you, Andrea." The woman says, as she walks over to the sofa. I feel a growing anxiety as she makes her way over to where I am, looming over me. "I hope you don't mind if I sit down."

The unaware giantess turns, showing me her enormous backside as she places her hand on the sofa's arm to brace herself. Suddenly, Andrea bolts over to us, stopping the older woman before she can lower herself. In a moment of panic, and with no time to spare, Andrea turns around. She forces her hip against the other woman, pushing her over to the other cushion.

"O-Oh my!" The giantess cries out as she falls onto the sofa. Her voice indicates surprise rather than in pain. In the process of saving me, Andrea drops the envelop onto the sofa, landing across from me. I'm so relieved that I don't even blame her. Her quick thinking saved me...

"Y-You should not sit there, Mrs. Ruth! Because... B-Because..." Andrea struggles to think of an excuse.

The older woman laughs, amused by the situation. Rather than get angry, she simply waves her hand dismissively. "You young people are so picky! I didn't mean to take your spot, dear." The lady then reaches over to collect the envelope. She looks my way, but I don't worry since she claims to have such poor eyesight. To my surprise, she begins to squint. The expression on her face changes, and I can tell beyond a shadow of a doubt, that she's seen me. "What is-"

Andrea catches on, realizing my cover is about to be blown. She's quick to react, turning around, and lowering her body to sit down. I have no time to react. The last thing I see is Andrea's enormous rear descedning upon me, before all goes dark. I feel an intense pressure and heat on top of me as my body is pressed into the sofa face-down.

"Thank you for understanding! I know it is silly, but I am partial to this spot. I always do my reading here. So, shall I read you your letter now?"

"Oh, please do. I would be so grateful."

I listen to the two giantesses talk as I struggle beneath the incalculable weight of Andrea's ass. Before I can get too angry, I question how I'm still alive. By all means, I should be a red smear on the back of her skirt right now. She seems to have adjusted her position, aiming to sit in a way that places me in the tiny pocket of space where her body won't press on me. I crawl forward, to a place where there's enough room to stand upright. It's dark, so I have no clue where I'm going. 

"Bitch actually sat on me..." I shake my head in disbelief. "Trapped under an ass. Never thought I'd end up here."

As Andrea tries to keep up appearances, it becomes clear that the older woman is feeling quite chatty. Until she gets up to leave, I'll be stuck here. If Andrea so much as shifts her posture, she'll end up killing me. I guess this is as difficult for her as it is for me. I'll save my complaints for after I'm out of here. 

"Something tells me she wants me to find my way out on my own. Fine by me, I was getting sick of her 'help' anyway."

Given her size, as well as the size of the sofa, I reckon it's going to be at least a kilometer trek. Given how careless my loyal but careless giantess is, I wouldn't bet on her staying still for long. I should hurry. I pick a direction at random and begin running towards freedom, through the maze of wrinkles that is Andrea's skirt.