Paid in Full

Michael sat at his desk smiling to himself. He had been smiling to himself for a few weeks now, he couldn’t help it. He couldn’t believe his luck. Madeline, his tall, shapely secretary, some 20 years his junior, had finally become his official partner after a 5 year affair. He knew it was hard on Trudy. He didn’t try and justify his actions, he knew that he was morally in the wrong, but that didn’t change his feelings. She would just have to accept that their marriage was over. No hard feelings, keep the car etc.  

Life had become much easier once he had left her. A weight seemed to lift from his shoulders the moment he’d told her, and he was only momentarily chastened by the undeniable look of hurt that entered her eyes. She wasn’t angry, at least not them, just that accusatory look, that “Why me?” look.  

Michael checked his watch. Only an hour to go before his working day was over, then the 2 week holiday with Madeline. He smiled again, thinking of the admiring glances he would undoubtedly receive when they were walking arm in arm on the seafront, or holding hands in a candlelit restaurant. Just then, Outlook trilled its 2-tone music to let him know that an email had arrived. It was from Trudy, asking him to call round to get the remainder of his stuff. Otherwise, she said, she would dump it in the street.  

Michael cursed inwardly. Trudy knew about his holiday, though while the deception was still ongoing, she thought it was a conference. This was just her attempt to be difficult on the night before his holiday, when she knew full well that he would have preparations to make. Little did he know that she had much more on her mind than being difficult. Michael ran his hand through his grizzled grey hair, wondering how best to proceed. It wouldn’t be great if he collected Madeline before collecting his possessions, but it would be the easiest logistically, as they had planned on an early dinner before putting the finishing touches to their arrangements.  

“Honey,” he said when Madeline picked up. The days of her secretarial work for him were now understandably over. “I’m really sorry, but we’re going to have to go over to Trudy’s before we go out, she’s given me an ultimatum to collect the rest of my things otherwise they’ll be next week’s trash.”  

“Do we have to?” Madeline said plaintively, “Do you need it anyway? You can just replace it can’t you? We don’t want to be too late tonight.”  

“It won’t take long,” Michael reassured her, “Most of it was packed when I walked out. I just couldn’t take it all with me.”  

Some 30 minutes before Michael had received his email, Trudy walked into the fashionable apartment block where she had so recently lived with the love of her life. She was finding it difficult to come to terms with Michael’s desertion, not least because she hadn’t seen it coming. She had been stupid, she thought, but in reality this judgement on herself was probably a little harsh. True, Michael worked long hours and had to be away a lot, but he was a middle ranking sales executive, so this was hardly unusual. Even with the benefit of hindsight, there weren’t really that many signs for her to interpret.  

As she entered the building, she saw her neighbour on the stairs. Tina had moved into Trudy and Michael’s block a few months before. She looked to be in her early 40’s, about the same age as Trudy herself, but there the similarity ended. While Trudy was New York designer thin even now, this could not be said of Tina. Tina was a heavyset woman, with broad shoulders and a large stomach. She had thick arms and legs, and despite her weight, she looked to Trudy as though she could look after herself.  

“How are you dear?” said Tina, smiling at Trudy. Tina could not have failed to notice that Michael had walked out on Trudy, though the two women were not close and hadn’t overtly discussed the topic.  

“Oh,” said Trudy, “You know.” Trudy realised that there was no point in trying to put a particularly brave face on it. She was forced to do this at work, the PR industry did not welcome those who weren’t cheerful, and her self esteem required her to put on a front to her friends. With a neighbour and a stranger, she decided, she could afford to let her guard down as there would be no recriminations.  

“You poor thing,” said Tina, rubbing the top of Trudy’s arm, “Why not come in for a coffee?”  

“But you were just on your way out,” said Trudy.  

“Oh that was just to the mailbox,” said Tina, “That can wait.”  

Trudy thought of the lonely afternoon and evening stretching ahead of her. She wasn’t a friend of the bigger woman, but she seemed neighbourly.  

“Thanks then,” Trudy said, “I could do with the company.”  

Tina smiled at Trudy as she turned round, and went back up the stairs. She was slightly ahead of Trudy, so the latter did not see the look that came into her eyes. A hungry gleam, which coincided with Tina’s tongue passing across her luscious lips.  

“I hate him you know,” said Trudy, surprising herself. “I didn’t when he left, I blamed me. But he’s just taken up with a young tart who wants his money, I wish there was something I could do to get back at him.”  

“I know how you must feel dear,” said Tina, “Now you just take a seat while I fix coffee.”  

As she clattered around in the kitchen, the germ of a fantastic idea occurred to Tina.  

“No,” she thought, “Trudy would never buy it. But what if?”  

Tina came back into the living room with two cups of coffee on a tray. She had planned to add something to Trudy’s coffee but she had decided to desist for a moment.  

“So tell me more about how you feel,” Tina encouraged.  

“Well that’s it really, I just hate him. And I wish there was something I could do to him. No, that’s wrong actually. I mean something I could do to them.”  

“Like what?” asked Tina.  

“When I’m lying awake at night, unable to sleep and with the other side of the bed cold, listening to the silence, I wish they were dead. Oh, I was married to Michael for almost 25 years, isn’t that a terrible thing to think?”  

“Oh I don’t know,” Tina said, “He’s traded you in for a younger model. I’d be pretty angry if I were you. The question is, what are you going to do about it?”  

“Do?” queried Trudy in surprise, “Nothing obviously. Get divorced and move on.”  

“But what if you could do something to get back at them and there would be no reprisals?”  

“How could that be possible? And what would I do?”  

This, Tina knew, was where she would be taking her biggest risk. But at the same time, she thought, licking her lips, she didn’t really have anything to lose. If Trudy didn’t buy it, then Tina could resort to Plan A.  

“Well,” said Tina, “I have this rather unusual ... hobby.”  

Trudy was non plussed.  

“Oh yes,” she said, “And what’s that?”  

“I enjoy eating people.”  

Trudy had obviously misheard.  

“Pardon?”  

“I said I enjoy eating people.”  

Trudy now became worried. Not because she believed Tina, but the woman was obviously unhinged in some way. Trudy’s scepticism and concern must have shown in her eyes, for Tina chuckled and walked over to the sofa. She knelt in front of Trudy and opened her mouth wide.  

In spite of herself, Trudy gasped. The much larger woman was inches from her, her hot breath blowing against Trudy’s face. Trudy could not believe how far the other woman’s mouth had opened, Trudy didn’t have to get any closer to know that it could easily engulf her head, and who was to say what else. If Tina constricted Trudy’s arms, then it looked as though maybe her shoulders could fit too. Tina’s tongue darted out then and licked Trudy’s face. Trudy yelped and drew back as far as the back of the couch would allow.  

“Sorry,” chuckled Tina, closing her mouth. “I couldn’t resist.”  

“That’s impossible!” gasped Trudy.  

“No honey,” said Tina, and a note of deadly seriousness had crept into her voice, “It’s not.”  

Trudy just sat there for 20 seconds or more.  

“So how about it?” said Tina.  

“I don’t really understand,” said Trudy, “Are you saying you can eat people? And what? You would eat them for me?”  

“Well I’d want to eat one of them,” said Tina, “But you would eat the other one.”  

Trudy could not believe she was having this conversation.  

“But I can’t do that!” said Trudy, “I physically can’t open my mouth that far.”  

“There are other ways,” said Tina, “There are also liquids that will shrink people.”  

Trudy pressed her hand to her temples, the afternoon was turning increasingly surreal.  

“That’s impossible,” she said, not for the first time.  

“I think you said that before,” said Tina.  

Tina had not moved from her place in front of Trudy. If the latter refused, she would not have long to react.  

Trudy didn’t know what came over her. She still didn’t believe that Tina could or would actually eat someone, or at least she didn’t think she did. And as for the shrinking liquid, well that was clearly impossible. But it would be funny to play a joke on Michael and Madeline at the very least, and that view down the big woman’s throat, with her breath on their faces, would certainly lead them to think twice.  

“Ok!” said Trudy recklessly, “Let’s do it.”  

“You need a pretext to get them over here,” said Tina.  

“That won’t be difficult,” replied the other, “They’re inseparable at the moment. Michael still has his things here, and he’s going on holiday tomorrow. I’ll tell him he needs to collect his things if he doesn’t want me to throw them into the street.”  

“That’s good,” purred Tina, “After we’ve finished our coffee, let’s go to yours.”  

“It’s ok,” said Trudy, “I’ll call you when they arrive.”  

“I’d rather come over now if it’s all the same to you,” replied Tina. Tina did not want Trudy getting second thoughts about this plan, and she certainly did not want their previous conversation to be reported.  

Trudy pulled out her BlackBerry and emailed Michael. Before the two women left Tina’s apartment, she stopped in her kitchen to pick up a small bottle.  

Michael left the office some 30 minutes later, and picked up Madeline from the hospital where she had taken a temporary job. Now that she had Michael, she wasn’t planning on working for long. Michael’s old apartment wasn’t exactly on the way home, and he cursed Trudy not for the first time for her ultimatum. As they pulled up outside the apartment block, Michael turned to Madeline.  

“I’d like you to come in,” he said.  

“I think I’d rather stay in the car, Trudy intimidates me.”  

“Intimidates you?” he laughed, “You’re younger, taller and much more attractive,” he said, stroking her thigh.  

“It would feel wrong going into her flat,” she demurred.  

“Honey, I think we’ve wronged her about as much as we can. Coming into the apartment isn’t going to make any difference.”  

Reluctantly, Madeline popped open her door and walked round the front of the car to join him.  

Michael hadn’t taken the key to the apartment off his keychain, but it felt wrong to use it. He pressed the buzzer and, a few seconds later, Trudy buzzed them up.  

“Michael, Madeline,” she said frostily, as they entered. “I’ve just made some coffee for Tina, you’re welcome to have some while you make sure your things are all out of this apartment.”  

Michael was put out by Trudy’s attitude. He was incapable of seeing how deeply she had been hurt, and wanted to try and put some amicability back into the situation.  

“Coffee would be great,” he said. As Trudy went into the kitchen, Tina emerged from the living room. She nodded stiffly at Michael and Madeline, without saying a word.  

Madeline shuddered involuntarily at the sight of Tina. She was only an inch or two taller than Madeline, but the older woman was much bigger. She also had a glint in her eye, which did not match the wooden expression on her face.  

In due course, Trudy returned from the kitchen with the coffee cups. As Michael and Madeline drank, she watched in amazement as they swayed on their feet, and collapsed to the floor. Before her eyes, they began to reduce in size.  

“See,” smirked Tina, “I told you so.”  

Trudy was speechless.  

“Which one do you want?” asked Tina.  

As Trudy looked on, and saw Madeline and Michael shrinking, what she could only think of as her darker side made its presence felt. She unconsciously mimicked the bigger woman by licking her lips, “I want to eat both of them. I want to pay them back, pay them in full.”  

“Sorry honey,” said Tina, “No deal. I’m having one of them.”  

Trudy considered. Did she want to eat the man who had betrayed her after the better part of 25 years of marriage, or the bitch who had stolen him.  

“I’ll take her,” she spat finally, and grasped her hand around Madeline.  

“Ok,” said Tina, picking up Michael.  

Slowly, Michael came round. At first, he didn’t know where he was or what was happening to him. He was lying on a soft but slightly rough and lined surface, with warm air blowing on his face. He couldn’t believe what he saw when he looked up. Tina, his large neighbour, had now taken on gigantic proportions. She looked at him with a broad smile on her face, eyeing him the way a cat eyes a mouse.  

He looked over, and was stunned to see an equally huge Trudy. Despite the now enormous size of her hand, he saw the shrunken form of Madeline nestling in Trudy’s palm, who had clearly come round before he had.  

“What’s happened to me?” she cried, “What have you bitches done to me.”  

“Ah,” smiled Trudy, all traces of anger leaving her voice, “You’re about to find out what happens to women who have stolen a husband”. Her calm voice and smile belied the look in her eyes however, which had become smouldering black points. 

“And you,” purred Tina, “Are about to find out what happens to guys who cheat on their wives.”  

“What are you going to do to us?” shouted Madeline.  

Trudy caressed Madeline’s face with her tongue.  

“Oh honey, you’re about to become a lot more acquainted with my tongue.”  

Madeline stared at the giant face of the woman in front of her. Trudy was some 20 years older than Madeline, and the lines on her face were magnified. Trudy’s hand moved slowly towards her face, so that waves of warm breath engulfed Madeline’s entire body.  

Madeline was petrified. She knew how deeply she had wronged this woman, she had seen those smouldering eyes and she knew how helpless her new situation made her. She screamed.  

Trudy moved her hand forward, placing Madeline’s shivering form on her tongue. Her glands had already gone to work creating saliva, and Madeline’s naked frame was instantly sodden. The saliva was warm to Madeline’s body, and the tongue rough under her form.  

Madeline began to feel her body being sucked on, tossed around that cavernous mouth. Hot breath deafened her, as did Trudy’s laughter, magnified by Madeline’s reduced size and presence in Trudy’s mouth.  

“Shall I swallow her or chew her up,” asked Trudy, holding Madeline in one of her cheeks.  

“Up to you honey,” said Tina, still holding Michael in her hand. “She’ll stay alive in your stomach for a while before you digest her, which I guess will be painful, but the pain of being chewed up would be quite excruciating even if it doesn’t last as long. I’ll wait before I eat this one, so that he can see you eat his bitch.”  

Trudy smiled broadly, and opened her mouth.  

Michael was stunned to see Madeline’s wriggling, crawling form on Trudy’s tongue.  

“Let her out!” he shrieked hysterically, “Let her out you bitch.”  

Trudy made her decision. Madeline had managed to extract her head and neck from Trudy’s mouth, when she bit down hard. There was an audible snap as her teeth came down on Madeline’s upper vertebra, despite her reduced size. Michael couldn’t tell whether Madeline had screamed or not, but he certainly did.  

Trudy’s tongue pulled Madeline’s broken body back in her mouth, chewed a little more and swallowed without dismembering what was now Madeline’s corpse.  

Tears streamed down Michael’s face as Tina placed him in her mouth. She licked his eyes along with the rest of him as he lay there, too tired, traumatised and stressed to move after what he had seen and been through.  

Tina sucked noisily on Michael’s body staring at Trudy. Trudy wandered over so she was standing in front of Tina, and watched Tina’s lips. She got occasional glimpses of Michael as Tina’s lips parted from time to time.  

“I like the way you’re playing with him,” said Trudy, as Tina continued to suck on Michael’s body.  

“Yep,” sighed Tina, “But all good things come to an end.”  

Michael hadn’t exactly got used to what was happening to him – how could he? But his senses were becoming dulled. Without Warning, he slid down the back of Tina’s tongue and dropped into her open throat. The sounds around him changed from the sound of breath, to the sound of liquid gurglings and rumblings, and he dropped into her stomach. Liquids began to tingle on his skin, his muffled screams could be heard by both Tina and Trudy. Tina increased the flow of stomach acids by rubbing her stomach, and Michael’s reduced size meant that he was no match for those acids and enormously powerful muscles.  

“Wow!” gasped Trudy, impulsively throwing her arms around Tina, “Thank you so much. That was such fun.”  

“Oh honey,” Tina whispered into Trudy’s ear returning her hug, “It certainly was. But what about my fee.”  

“Fee?” asked Trudy, “What fee?”  

“You got your pay back,” said Tina playfully, “What do I get?”  

“Well you got to eat Michael,” said Trudy, “What more do you want?”  

“Well he was very small,” complained Tina, and her arms squeezed Trudy in what was now a bear hug.  

Tina began to laugh, and for the second time that afternoon, licked Trudy’s face.  

“When I invited you in for coffee today,” she said, “I was all set to eat you up for dinner. But then you started to talk about your ex husband, and I had a better idea. Why not get two meals for the price of one.”  

“Let me go!” gasped Trudy, “Let me go.”  

“Oh no sweety,” said Tina, her breath hot on the other’s face, “I can’t do that. You know my secret now.”  

“But I’m like you,” Trudy protested, “We could eat people together.”  

“No can do honey,” said Tina matter-of-factly, “You’ve had pay back, I want payment in full.”  

Tina’s mouth opened to that unbelievable extent. Her arms slid up Trudy’s body until her hands were on the back of her neck, and she guided her head forwards.  

Trudy screamed. Her head was in that terrible mouth that had eaten Michael just before. The tongue probed her face, her nostrils, her eyes, her mouth.  

Tina’s arms slid back down Trudy’s body, and Trudy felt a powerful suction at her head as Tina took a gulp. Her body inched forward, and vainly she tried to resist what was happening to her. But she had no chance, none against the powerful body of Tina, none against those arm muscles, none against that constricting throat, none against that terrible mouth.  

Tina swallowed again and exhaled as best she could. Her tongue was tasting Trudy as she was being pulled further and further into her mouth, her only regret was that she had been too eager to eat Trudy to remove her clothes. She paused to rectify that mistake at least partially by removing Trudy’s skirt and shoes. The distraction that this posed Tina did not allow Trudy to even contemplate escape. Her air was growing thin, her head was pounding and she was beginning to realise that the enormous size and strength of the other woman meant that her fate was inevitable.  

Tina’s tongue stroked Trudy’s lower abdomen, with what could have been described as a lover’s caress in other, less terrible circumstances. Tina was aware of whimperings coming from inside her, as Trudy’s head entered her stomach.  

Tina continued to suck and swallow, until Trudy’s thighs and eventually her feet were in her mouth. Eventually, she swallowed.  

Trudy could scarcely move, her prison that was Tina’s stomach was constricting, and she was growing increasingly weak. She was almost deafened when Tina spoke to her one last time.  

“It’s a pity I waited so long to eat you,” she said, “If I’d eaten you sooner you would have been able to re-eat Michael before I digested him,” and she let out a rich belly laugh.  

The effect of this was to constrict Tina even further, and to cause a flow of stomach acids to sting her skin.  

Trudy began to cry in the bigger woman’s body. She cursed himself for her stupidity. If this woman had helped her dispose of Michael and Madeline, why hadn’t she realised that the same fate could be meted out to her.  

It was some few hours before Trudy fully lost consciousness. She was in pain by that point, but not a terrible pain. Her last thought was that she did finish off Madeline in the right way.  

Tina was particularly pleased with her days work. She had never watched someone else eat a person, and she had got to eat two herself, for the first time. She walked contentedly into her bedroom, and settled down for the night.

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01.02.14