Chapter 13 – Oversight and Coverup

Paige looked over at the passenger seat a few times and grinned as she drove back to the Agency offices. Inside the container, Carlos stared out at the glove compartment. He could feel the gel was hardening around him. His mind was filled with thoughts of Deborah, combined with a terrible feeling about his current captor and what she wanted with him.

Her phone rang several times before she pressed the button on her steering wheel. “Yes?” she spoke. A deep male voice responded. “Mitchell.”
“Yes.” she responded.
“Davidson here. I want you in here in the next thirty minutes. We have a situation.” the voice commanded.
“Yes sir.” she replied. “I will be there in twenty.”
Pressing the end call button, she sighed and said out loud. “Such an idiot. I should have taken care of him when I had the chance.”

Turning on to West 52nd, the phone rang again. She pressed the button and said “I told you twenty minutes!” There was a pause as she waited for a reply. She looked at the Bluetooth screen in the dashoard. It showed “Private number”.
“I need an update Paige.” a female voice said.
“I'm working on it.” she replied, knowing exactly who was on the other end.
“My contacts are getting nervous.” the voice said. “You've already received three transfers to your numbered account.”
“I understand. We had a few setbacks, but I have the last of the antibodies secured. Once we extract them, we will be ready with the final serum within a week at the most.”
“I don't like what I am hearing from Washington.” the voice said. “The program has been leaked to the Senate Oversight Committee, and now it's on CNN.”
“What?” she asked, totally shocked. “That's impossible.”
“Turn on CNN. They're all over it.” the voice said. “You have a mole in your team. I suggest you find out who and deal with it.”
“I will. You can be sure of that.” she replied.
“You have one week.” the voice said. “I would strongly advice against giving me any more excuses.”
“I'll do what I can. I might need more time, I'm going to.....” she said, before realizing that she was speaking to nobody.

Across town, a female hand pressed the end call button on an iPhone. “I don't know if we will be able to contain this sir.” she spoke.
A male voice spoke from the back seat “How close is she to getting the serum?”
“She says a week, but I'm sceptical.” she replied. 
“We have to contain this. If that formula gets into the wrong hands, we could be facing a catastrophe at levels never seen before.” the man replied. “Does she suspect anything?”
“I don't know. She's a little unpredictable, but as long as the money is flowing, I think we are okay.” she replied, turning her head slightly.
“How much has been transferred so far?” he asked.
“Twenty million.” she replied.
“The oversight committee is meeting tomorrow.” he said. “Who to you have on the inside?”
“Right now, nobody. I had someone in the NYPD.” she replied. “But she has gone off the grid.”
“NYPD?” he asked, sounding surprised.
“Yes, she has been helping us since we first got wind of this program.” she replied. “We are trying to locate her now.”
“What is her significance to the operation?” he asked
“I was informed this morning that she is carrying half the antibody that is needed to complete the compounds.” she replied.
“Very significant indeed.” he replied. “But she has only half?”
“Yes, there's a slight complication sir.” she replied. “The other carrier is also missing.”
“I'm quite concerned that we are loosing control of Mitchell. She may have bought Orolov and Blevich.  Find out. If this is the case, I will need to speak to the President.”
“Yes sir.” she replied, then motioned to the driver to pull into traffic.

Paige arrived at the Agency garage. She parked and grabbed the container off the seat. She got out and took the bag from the back seat before heading for the elevator. She unzipped the bag and tossed the container with Carlos into the bag and zipped it closed. The elevator stopped at her floor and she got off and walked briskly to her office. She took the container out of the bag and put it on the shelf with the other ones already sitting there. She glanced into it to see his terrified little face. She winked at him and walked out of the office. 

She got back in the elevator and went up two floors and got out. She headed to an office at the end of the hallway to her left. She opened the door and walked into a large office with the CIA crest on the floor. “They're waiting for you.” a young lady said, motioning her to pass through a pair of glass doors. Once inside, she saw five men sitting around a conference table.

“Have a seat.” the man at the end of the table instructed her. She walked over and pulled out the chair and sat down. “Davidson” he said, pointing to her immediate superior across to his left. “Tells me that you've got some sort of program or op running that we're not totally clear on it's objective?”
She looked at Davidson, then back at the man asking the question. “I don't believe we've met sir.” she said.
“I am Deputy Director Everett Wiley.” he replied. “Now, what is this program all about?”
“It's a program to find an antibody that can be used to eliminate certain threats.” she responded.
“Antibody?” he asked, looking quite sceptical. “What is this antibody supposed to do?”
“I don't know the exact medical, or technical terms, but it's supposed to affect the immune system.” she continued.
He looked at her for a moment, then down at a folder and flipped through some papers, stopping at a particular page. “And we're into this over fifty million already?”
“I believe so.” she replied.

Closing the folder. He sat back in the chair, holding his index fingers against his lips. “Okay. Okay.” he said. “I want to know.” he said, then paused. His voice raised to almost shouting as he continued “I want to know who's fucking wet dream this was and who the fuck authorized it.” Slamming his hand on the table, he pointed at Davidson and said “I've got two senate committees up my ass, wanting to know.” He turned his head to Paige and continued “why they then don't even know about this program. We're not talking about a few bucks here people. Someone has been using this program as their own bank account, and I want to know who!”

Neither Davidson or Paige said a word. The man beside him leaned in ad spoke into Wiley's ear. He opened the folder again and looked through a few papers. “Who is agent Ryder?” he asked “and why do we have him in a holding cell downstairs?”
“Her.” Davidson said.
“What?” Wiley asked.
“It's a she sir.” he responded. “Agent Ryder is a her.”
He looked back and forth at Paige and Davidson, not feeling very good about what he was going to find. “Okay.” he said pointing to and agent across to his right. “You get this agent Ryder up her right now. I want to know exactly what this program is.”
The man to his left whispered something. “NYPD?” Wiley asked in a surprised tone. “What's the involvement of the NYPD?”
“It's a cover sir.” Davidson said. “NYPD detective is her cover.”
The man whispered again and Wiley, almost shouting, said “Jim Ryder!” He looked at Davidson and Paige and said “Tell me you didn't recruit Jim Ryder's daughter. Jesus Chsist!”

Paige looked genuinely surprised and looked across at Davidson. “You two numb nuts. He's on the Committee investigating this program. This just keeps getting better and better.” Wiley shouted at them.
“I'll go down and get her sir.” Paige said, getting up from her chair.
“You sit down.” he told her. “You're not leaving this room.”
“Go now.” he instructed the agents. “Get her up here.”

Paige sat in her chair, thinking about what to do. There was no way she was going to let this set her back. She had been working on this for too long and had twenty million in an offshore account. She was not about to let it slip away. The new formula was close to being perfected. She had to buy some time. She looked across at Davidson and motioned with her head for him to join her at the other end of the room. He got up and walked over to the table that had a water cooler and coffee. Paige joined him at the table. Wiley looked up at the pair and watched them for a few seconds, then went back to flipping through his file. She leaned over slightly and whispered “Get him off my back Ed, or I swear you'll go back to bwing two inches tall. And this time, I'll squash you like a little fucking bug.”

She stirred her coffee then turned to him and looked into his eyes. He had been her first test subject. She had reduced him down to a two inches a few months back, so he knew full well what she was capable of. Paige had kept him in her back pocket just for such an occasion. She returned to her seat and Davidson did the same. Wiley ordered that this session be recorded. “You both know the drill. I want this on the record.” he told them. “So this so called program, I still don't know what the objective is.”
Flipping through the file once again, he held up a sheet of paper and asked “You have two scientists on staff, to the tune of two million a year. What could they be working on that warrants a million a year each?”
Paige looked at Davidson, but he didn't answer. She slipped her foot out of her pump, slid down in her chair a bit, then reached across with her foot and pressed her toes into he shin. He tried not to react, but Wiley saw he was quite uneasy and asked “You alright over there?”
“Yes, fine sir.” he replied. “Those uhhh....expenses go the two.....uhhhh....scientists.....”
“Yes?” Wiley asked, looking at him intently. “I just said there are two scientists.”
“Well....It's ummmm....a little complicated sir.” he stuttered.
“Ed.” Wiley said. “Don't try and bullshit me with the it's complicated routine.”
Paige piped up and intervened. “What I think Ed is trying to say sir.” she said. “is that he approved all the expenses.”
He looked at Paige for a few seconds, then turned his attention to Davidson and asked “It this true Ed?”
“Well yes, but it's a little more complicated than what Miss Mitchell is saying.” he explained.
“How so?” Wiley asked.
“I need to uhhh....get some documents together to explain better.” he replied.
Wiley was growing impatient. He took his glasses off and put them down on the table. He put his hands behind his head and looked at the two of them. “So let me get this straight. You have spent, not millions, but tens of millions on a program that nobody seems to know about or can even explain, for that matter. And it's nowhere to be seen on the oversight committee reports.”
Lowering his hands and shaking he head, he continued “What do I do here?”

“I have all the documents in my office. I would be happy to prepare a report and drop it by your office this afternoon.” Paige told him.
“You have a document that will explain all this?” he replied smugly, tapping his fingers on the file folder. “I would love to see that report.”
“Perfect. I will come by your office later this afternoon.” she said, getting up from her chair. Wiley motioned her to sit down with his hand just as an aid told him something. “What do you mean she's gone? Wasn't she in holding?” he asked the aid. The aid continued to speak quietly to Wiley until he said “Okay, that will do. I understand.”

“What does Agent Deborah Ryder have to do with all of this?” he asked. Reading from the file again, he said “It says here that she has been working undercover in the NYPD as a homicide detective with a uhhhh.....Carlos Munoz?” 
Paige wanted to know what happened with Deborah. She asked “Is she not joining us? She is the best person to answer that question.”
“Well is seems that nobody can find Miss Ryder right now.” Wiley answered her sarcastically. “So I'll ask again. What was she doing in the NYPD?”
“Shit.” Paige said to herself.
“Excuse me?” Wiley asked with a frown.
“Oh nothing.” she replied. “I bit my lip.”
Looking at Wiley, then Davidson, she saw that he was not about to fry himself, even if he knew what she could do to him. “A number of years ago, it became clear that organized crime was deeply rooted inside the NYPD, and for that matter the FBI and even the NSA. We were approached by the NSA to come up with a way to dispose, if you will, some of the key figures that were under investigation.”

“So Agent Ryder is, who, in this?” Wiley asked.
“She was using her cover to infiltrate several crime families.” Paige replied.
“As a detective?” he asked, seeming to not buy this story at all. “And what did this Munoz character have to do with it?”
“Nothing.” Paige replied. “He just the one they chose to pair her up with.”
“Uhhhhh...huh” he mumbled, still reading from the folder. “So he has no role in this, that's what you want us to believe?” he asked.
Paige shifted in her chair, feeling a little uneasy. She usually had no problem making up a story, but he seemed to have quite a bit of information that she thought nobody knew. She started to wonder if she had a mole in her department.
“Mitchell?” Wiley asked. “I'm waiting for an answer.”
“He's just a detective.” she replied. “He's not an agency target if that's what you're asking.”

Wiley stared at her for a few seconds, then said “There are phone records that indicate otherwise.”
He picked up another sheet of paper and read “There was a call from a Captain Morris asking you to check on Munoz?”
“Morris is aware that Agent Ryder is CIA. Munoz does not. He called me because he got a strange call from the guy about his brother. I didn't even take is seriously. I don't even know why he would call me in the first place.” Paige explained.
Wiley read the transcript of the call and saw that she was telling the truth, so he let that go and moved on.

He looked over at an agent standing to his left and asked “Where are we with Ryder?”
“We have still not located the subject sir.” the agent replied.
“This stinks.” he said. “This entire program stinks to high heaven.”
Paige sat silent as he stood up and closed the file. “I'm heading back to Langley tomorrow morning. I have to come up with something for the oversight committee.”
“I'll take care of it sir.” Paige said. I'll be by your office in an hour.
“Fine.” he said leaving the room, obviously angered by the lack of explanation of the program. His aids left after him, leaving Paige and Davidson alone. Paige shook her head at him and said “You.....You snivelling little prick. You just sat there like a lump!”
Standing up, he pointed at her as she stepped toward him. “Get the fuck away from me.”
He stepped back and said “I'm serious. I'll.....I'll” he stuttered.
“You'll what?” she said, walking up to him and putting her hand around his neck. “You'll what?” she asked again. “I should have scraped you off the bottom of my foot when I had the chance.”
He pushed her away and walked quickly to the door. “I didn't sign up for this.” he said as he exited the room. Shaking he head and a smirk, she said “What a wimp. ”

She was going to have to do something with Davidson, but her main concern right now was Wiley. He was not buying her story and she had to do something. She had twenty million in an offshore account, and she wasn't about to give that up.

Returning to her office, she walked over to the shelf and looked into the container to see Carlos, with his eyes closed. She would have to get him out of there and hand him over to Orolov so he could extract the antibodies, but right now, she had to deal with Wiley. He could derail everything.

She grabbed a bunch of papers and put them into a classified envelope and sealed it. She had no intention of producing a report, she just needed something in her hand. She walked to the elevator, got in and pressed twenty-three, then stepped back against the glass wall, waiting, thinking about her next move. “Where's Deborah?” she thought to herself. “She's in this building, I now it.” Getting out at the 23rd floor, she headed down the hallway, looking into the offices as she strode, making sure there was nobody left. It was after six pm, and a Sunday, so most everyone was either off, or had left for the day.

Entering Wiley's outer office, she reached over the desk and shut off the cameras, then opened the door to his office. He looked up momentarily, then back at what was in front of him on his desk. “Come in a sit down. I'll be with you in a minute.”
She stepped slowly towards his desk as he continued to write on a pad. He was a pretty young looking fifty something. Not slim, but not fat either. He had black hair and wore steel rimmed glasses. Looking up at her, he held out his hand and asked “Is that it?”
Paige strode around his desk, stopping beside him. “What are you doing?” he asked her.
“You wanted me to show you what the program is all about, didn't you?” she asked.
“I did, but I can read.” he replied. “Leave it on the desk and let yourself out.”
“No!” she said in a commanding tone.
“Excuse me?” he said.
She reached around the back of his head and grabbed his hair, then pulled his head back and stood with her face directly over his. “You are going to do exactly what I tell you to do.” she said.
He tried to move his head, he she held it in place and said “Exactly what I tell you.”
Wiley nodded, not even knowing why.

Paige releasewd his head and lifted herself up and sat on the credenza behind his desk. She removed her sling-back pumps and dropped them to the floor. Wiley looked down as her feet landed on his lap. She extended her leg and caressed his erection through his pants with her toes. “Do you know what every man wants from a woman Everett?” she asked. “Control. Every man wants his woman to control him. Make him do what she wants.”
“You are on dangerous ground Mithcell.” he said, looking up at where the cameras where placed.
“I shut those off.” she told him. “It's just you and me.”

She used her feet to pull his chair closer, then lifted her right foot and placed the ball on his mouth. Wiley was falling right into her trap. The poor bastard was stuck in a marriage with a wife that was meek and mild mannered. He longed to have a strong woman that could do what she was doing. He was about to find out what the program was all about first hand, and unfortunately, it would probably be the last.

Paige raked her long, slender toes, with gleaming black nail polish across his lips. She lowered her foot and adjusted her position on the credenza so her feet were dangling over the edge. She looked at him and said “Get up off that chair and get down on your knees.”
Wiley was stunned at her forcefulness, but he was totally aroused and did as she said. She lifted her foot and dabbed a little of the antibody onto her big toe. She lowered her foot to his face and held her toe at his mouth. “Open.” she commanded. He felt butterflies in his stomach as his mouth dropped open. Paige inserted her big toe inside he mouth and said “Suck on it.”
He did as she said. She bit her upper lip, knowing her was hers now. She removed her toe from his mouth, then slid off the credenza and stood over his cowering form. She stepped closer so he had to crane his neck to see her face. She reached down and grabbed his tie, pulling it up with a snap. “You're all the same. You act like you're so in control, but you're not.”
She rubbed is rock hard member with her foot as she pulled his tie tight. “Look at you. On your knees at my feet where you belong.”

Wiley started to feet burning in his arms and legs. Paige pressed down on his penis with her foot as he started grunting and groaning. She held his head up with the tie as he started to shrink. The look on his face was priceless as he saw her start to get bigger. “Whats happening to me.” he yelped. “Just shut-up and shrink.” she told him.

Within a minute, his tie slipped off his head and he clothes were huge. He tried to stand up, but tripped over his clothes. Paige knelt down and started to remove his baggy clothes. “What have you done?” he blubbered.
She looked at him and said sarcastically “What do you think I've done. I've taken control of you.”
“You can't do this!” he scremed.
“Yes I can.” she replied, then tapped his mouth with her finger and said “And not so loud.”
She finished removing he clothes, then looked him over. He was less that three feet tall. She got to her feet slowly then stood up to her full height and stared down at him to see him staring up at her in disbelief. “You have to stop this and put me back to normal. I won't say anything.” he told her.
“I know you are not going to say anything Everett.” she said. “You'll be too small for anyone to hear you soon enough.”
“Wait a second!” he shouted, putting his hands up. “What do you want from me?”
“What do I want?” she questioned, shaking her head. “You size. I want your size.”
“This is crazy. Help!” he shouted.

She reached down and took him under his armpits, lifted him up and tossed him into the chair. She knelt down and cupped her left palm over his mouth. She put her right hand on his legs and held him firmly on place. “I would love to drag this out Everett. But I'm in a bit of a rush, so I'm sorry, but I need you to give me some of that precious size of yours.”
“Don't” he blubbered, struggling to get free. He couldn't believe how strong she was.

Paige lowered he head and caressed his penis with her tongue. She pressed down on him with her hands, holding him in place. She continued sucking until she felt him start to shake and flail around. She raised up and watched with a satisfied grin as he started getting smaller. He gritted his teeth in pain as he watched Paige grow larger. Paige wiped the corners of her mouth with her finger. “The things I do for my country.” she said, looking down at the now, dramatically smaller Wiley. He had passed out from the shrinking and was lying motionless on the seat. She stood up and put her pumps back on, while looking down at him. “I've got to get him down to stepping size, but could take an hour.”

She took a pen-shaped object from her shirt pocket and held it in her hand. “I guess there's no time like the present to give it a try.”
“Everett?” she heard a female voice in the outer office. She kicked his clothes under the desk and straightened hers. “Can I help you?” she asked as woman opened the door and entered his office. She had short blond hair, stood about five-foot nine and was elegantly dressed, with a shawl over her bare shoulders.
“I'm looking for my husband, Everett Wiley.” she said.
“Sorry ma’am.” Paige answered. “As you can see, he not in his office.”
She walked toward her and held out her hand and said “I'm Paige Mitchell. I work with Mr. Wiley.”
“Oh, okay.” she replied. “I'm Jennifer Wiley. Everett never mentioned you. I thought I knew all his staff.”
“I'm not actually on his staff ma'am.” she told her. “I'm working on a few classified reports that he needs for his trip to Langley tomorrow.”
“Of course.” she said. “Do you have any idea when he is expected? We have a fund-raiser to attend.”
“That explains the beautiful dress.” she said.
Looking a little embarrassed, she said “Thank you. It's not that often we get to attend a function together.”

Paige heard him stirring in the chair. She walked back behind the desk and looked down to see him moving around. He was coming to. He groaned and Jennifer asked “Did you say something?”
Thinking fast, she stepped sideways and lowered herself down to the chair. Wiley opened his eyes just as Paige's perfectly-shaped ass came down on top of him. She wiggled a bit, placed nicely along her butt crack. She sat back, silencing the shrunken man.
“No, I didn't say anything.” she replied.
“Oh damm.” Jennifer said.
“What's wrong? Paige asked.
“Oh it's nothing.” she said. “I just noticed a big chip in my nail polish. It's not a big deal.”
Paige looked over the desk, down at her feet. Her right big toe had a chunk of the nail polish gone. She was wearing very revealing high heel sandals. There was no way to cover it up. “Oh  that doesn't look so good, does it?” she commented.
“Well it will have to do. I can't get that redone now.” she replied.
A devious grin crept across her face as a brilliant idea popped into her head. A shrunken couple would be just priceless.

“You can't go to a thousand dollar a plate fund raiser with a chipped toenail. I have some polish in my office. Let's get that fixed up for you.”
“You don't have to do that.” Jennifer said.
“Nonsense.” Paige said. “I insist.”
“Really? I don't want to put you out.” she replied.
“It's not problem.” she waved her hand at her. “I've had that happen to me and it's the worst. My office is 1842. You can head down there now and I will lock up here and meet you down there.
“I can wait.” Jennifer said.
“Actually, I have to ask you to exit the office if you don't mind. I have classified documents that I need to put into the safe.” Paige told her.
“Of course.” Jennifer said. “I'll uhhhh... make my way to your office then.”
“Thank you ma'am.” she said. “I'll be no more that five minutes.”

After Wiley's wife closed the door, she got up off the chair. Wiley coughed and gagged, trying to catch his breath. Her weight had sank him into the chair cushion and cutoff almost all his air. She looked down at him, holding the pen in her hand. “I would have loved to take your size bit by bit, Everett. But your lovely wife came by and, that has kind of forced me the speed the process up a little.”

“What are you doing with that?!!” he screamed as she clamped her hand and around his small skull and twisted it, exposing his neck. She took the pen, pressed the top and a needle popped out. She inserted it into his neck ad pressed the button again. He yelped as he felt something foreign enter his body. He got to his knees and yelled up at her “What the fuck did you do to me!”

He fell forward as a burning sensation filled his body. He reached up for her as he started to reduce in size. He fell off the edge of the chair to the floor, continuing to flail around. Paige stared at him as the serum did it's job. She grinned, knowing that her scientists had found the formula. Now she only needed to extract the antibodies from Deborah and Munoz she they could replicate the serum over and over.

He was less that a foot tall now and still getting smaller. When he passed below an inch tall, she looked at the pen and realized the dose was for a normal sized person. “Oh shit.” she said to herself. She looked back down and he had been reduced to a mere spec. She could just make out his miniscule form squirming around on the linoleum floor. 

She was about to end his existence with her foot, but stopped with her foot perched on the heel of her pump. A thought cross her mind and she smiled and said “Oh you're good.”
Wiley was screaming, staring up at Paige's impossibly massive sole. She was so huge that he couldn't even comprehend what wad just happened. He lay silent, preparing to be crushed like a bug.

To his astonishment, her gigantic foot lifted and moved away. Paige looked around the desktop and took the cap from a water bottle in her hand. She grabbed a piece of paper and knelt down the floor. She leaned down as close as she could, and saw Wiley. “Oh my God.” she said with a chuckle. “You're a bug.” Wiley was still trying to come to grips with her size, and how something so huge could move so fast.

Paige slid the piece of paper on the floor toward him. He saw it coming and tried to run, but the edge to the sheet took his feet out from under him and he landed on the white surface. “Gotcha” she said as she curled the paper in he hand and stood up. Carefully, she tipped the paper, causing him to slide down into the cap. Wiley had been reduced to a millimetre tall. The walls of the cap he was in looked a hundred feet tall.

Paige put the cap in her palm and looked down at him in the centre of it. “I think I went a little overboard.” She said. “I was going to ask you if you feel small, but that would just be rubbing salt in the wounds.” She put the cap on the desk and straightened up. She gathered his clothes and shoes and put them into the garbage can. She took the bag out of the can and tied it up. Looking around, she left everything as it was before she got there. She took the cap and her envelope, grabbed the garbage bag and left his office. Walking out the door and down the hallway, she tossed the garbage bag into a cleaning cart as she passed.

She looked down at the cap in the elevator and shook her head. “Such a tiny little bug.” she said down to him. Wiley heard her and lay on the cap surface, crying. How could such a brilliant career end like this? Paige opened the door to her office and saw Jennifer standing in front of the shelf looking at her collection of travel mugs, or so they seemed. “You have quite a collection.” she said as Paige sat down at her desk. “I've been collecting them for a few years.” she told her.
“This one seems to have something inside.” she said, pointing to the container that had Carlos inside. “It is a candle?” she asked, not being able to make out what it actually was.
“Yes, it is a candle.” Paige replied. “Good eye.”

Paige placed the pen on her desk, contemplating how she was going to reunite Jennifer with her husband. “I don't know how you do it.” Jennifer said.
“Do what?” Paige asked.
“This.” she said, lifting her hands. “This whole CIA thing. I feel like I've given my marriage to this Agency. Are you married Paige?” she asked.
“Me? No. I'm not married.” she replied.
“Good for you.” she replied. “Oh. I'm sorry, I don't mean you shouldn't get married.”
“I understand Jennifer.” she said.
Jennifer looked at Paige and said “Everett asked me to just stick with it for a while, but that was twenty years ago. I just wish he would stick with me sometimes.”

“So, lest get that polish fixed up so you don't miss that dinner.” Paige said, standing up. She took a chair and slid it in front of Jennifer. She sat down and removed her heels. Paige opened a door on her credenza and took out a bottle of remover and some nail polish bottles. Pulling another chair over to where Jennifer was sitting, she sat down and patted her lap. Jennifer lifted her leg and placed her right foot on Paige's lap. They talked as Paige removed the red polish from her toes. After finishing all ten toes, she held up the bottle and said “All I have is this teal color.”
“Oh that's pretty.” Jennifer said. “That will be just fine.”

“I've noticed that Mr. Wiley is a bit of a controlling individual.” Paige said as he laid down the first coat of polish.
With a chuckle, she said “You have, have you? Try living with him for twenty five years.”
Paige looked at her and Jennifer said “Don't get me wrong, I love him, but his job is his first love. I've come to accept that.”
Wiley could hear his wife telling Paige about their marriage. He sat quiet with his head in his hands.
“Pardon me for saying, but that's not right.” Paige said. “I hear that all the time. It seems there are so many men, especially in this agency, that forget the women behind the scenes.”
“You're exactly right.” Jennifer replied. “I just wish he would realize that I have feelings. He disregards everything I say as unimportant. It's pretty terrible really.”
“If I had my choice, I would make him stick with you. Take over, and give him no choice.”  Paige said.
“Well, I doubt that will ever happen. I just don't want to wake up one day and realize that I've wasted my life away waiting for him.” she replied. “I'm fifty three, and I've spent most of my life, just waiting.”

“Colour is done, we just need a coat of clear and you are ready to step out in style.” Paige said.
“You're spoiling me, seriously.” she said.
“If only you could get your husband to do this.” she chuckled.
“Sure. Fat chance of that.” she laughed.
Paige applied the lacquer to Jennifer's toenails, then she got up and picked op the cap in her fingers. She dabbed the brush on the edge, cleaning it off. Bits of dried lacquer and some lumps of partially dried landed in the bottom of the cap. “I like to clean the brush.” Paige said. Wiley covered his eyes, protecting them from the from the fumes.

“I'm almost done. I see that O have missed a spot.” she said as she dipped the brush into the clear lacquer and carefully lowered the tip of the brush down to Wiley. He screamed as the powerful fumes of the lacquer burned his eyes. He was lifted as his tiny body adhered to the clear liquid. The brush lifted with incredible speed, then lowered down just as fast.

Paige carefully placed a dab of the lacquer containing Wiley on his wife's right big toe nail. He was deposited on the blue surface, right at the base of her cuticle. Wiley was able to lift his face out of the lacquer, gasping for air. He was totally disoriented, and wasn't really sure where he was. A sea of teal blue stretched out in front of him, and he was lying, bruised and battered, with his back against a wall of what looked like skin. As his incredibly gigantic wife flexed her slender toes, he realized what Paige had done. He tried to move, but the lacquer had already started to dry. Paige had cemented him in place on his wife's toenail. 

Blowing on her toe, Paige sped up the drying, making sure he was firmly affixed to Jennifer's toe, then she looked up and said “We're done.”
Jennifer looked down at her feet and saw her gleaming teal toenails. She said “Wow. That's an incredible colour.”
She stood up and placed her right foot into her high-heel sandal. Then did the same with the left. She admired her perfectly manicured toes one more time and said “You did a really great job. How can I thank you.”
Paige took her arm and walked her to the door. “You can thank me by putting a little pressure on that husband of yours to stop working so hard.”
“Sure.” she replied. “He got so much pressure from Congress as it is now. Any more pressure and he'll just pop. Speaking of Everett, it's strange that I haven't heard from him.”
“Oh I'm sure he's afoot somewhere in the building. Probably stuck on something as we speak.” Paige replied.
“Yes, of course.” she said, looking at her watch, oblivious to what Paige had done. “he's always stuck somewhere.”
“Give me you're number. I'll text you if I hear from him.” Paige said.
“Oh. Sure, that would be great.” Jennifer replied. “And thank you again for taking such good care of me.”
“My pleasure.” she said. “Have a nice time at the fund raiser.”
“I will. Thank you and please text me when you head from Everett.” she said as she walked down the hall way.

With each footfall, Wiley almost passed out from the upward and downward motion of his wife's foot.  She stopped about halfway to the elevator and pressed her husband's number on her phone. She idly tapped her right foot on the cement floor as the phone rang. Such a simple motion was a thunderous pounding to him. He weeped, “Jenn” as she continued to tap her foot. The total helplessness of his situation was sinking in. He was going to die on his wife's toenail, it was just a matter of when.

Ending the call at hearing his voice mail, she spoke to herself in a frustrated tone. “Stuck on something. He's always stuck on something. How about being stuck on me for a change.”
She put her phone back in her purse and said “He can stay stuck wherever he is. I'm going to the fund-raiser.” She continued down the hall, totally oblivious to the fact that her husband was, in fact, stuck on her.