Kari was home watching daytime TV when the phone rang. It was Stella from Uptown Models, a modeling agency that she was registered with and had taken jobs with from time to time. Kari was a student at a local community college and had taken jobs modeling in order to supplement her income as a sales clerk for the boutique at a local athletic club. These modeling assignments paid much better than the department store, which made her always, exited to hear Stella's voice on the phone.

Usually the modeling assignments meant being involved in a small fashion show sponsored by one of the department stores, usually Dempsey's the largest department store chain in the region. Most frequently it was on a Saturday morning and involved her and three or four other girls walking a short runway. Occasionally she would be invited to a photo shoot for a catalogue, a direct mail piece or a newspaper ad.

A few of those newspaper ads involved lingerie and even though the pay was good, she felt a little embarrassed having the entire city seeing her in her underwear. Sometimes they would have her wear bras that were for a much fuller figure that needed extra support. Although she had a nice figure, they often had to give Kari a little extra padding to fill out the cups. But that was okay, the padding helped her feel more modest.

Once her parents came to visit and her mom opened the newspaper only to find Kari on the back cover wearing a black bra and panty set. Her mom was very upset and made her promise to never model lingerie again. But Kari didn't keep the promise. Her folks lived in Springfield at the other end of the state and wouldn't likely see any of her work. There weren't any major stores in Springfield, although they had been hoping for a mall for years.

Last year when she modeled bras for Dempsey's she was aghast to she the sale bill in the Sunday morning paper. She was in three different photos in the sale bill and in one of them you could see her nipples and a trace of her aereola. Nipples were okay, but the aereola was going a little too far. She called Stella to complain and Stella said she would relay her complaint to the client, but there probably was nothing she could do about it. That day in class she felt like all the guys were glaring at her. One of them even had the ad with him, tucked away in his binder. She was really glad her parents lived in Springfield, although she worried that her mom might somehow see the ad.

There were so many different types of modeling that Kari never new quite was to expect when Stella called. A few years ago she offered Kari a position doing "mannequin modeling" -a type of modeling where the person models the clothing in the store acting like a mannequin. At first this type of modeling was a little strange, but it came to be her favorite type of modeling. She enjoyed freezing in a pose and watching passerby's trying to figure out whether she was real or not. It did get people to stop and look and her and the clothes. It was hard standing still for a long period of time but after a while she learned to focus her mind on other things and the minutes quickly turned to hours. It was really an escape from the stress of the real world she lived in and it turned out to be a very therapeutic job.

"Well Kari, I've got another interesting one for you," Stella said. "I know you enjoy mannequin modeling and when this job came across my desk, I immediately thought of you. Dempsey's seems to be having some trouble with shoplifting in the jewelry department and they can't seem to pick up anything on their cameras. They've come up with another unique idea. They want to hire a model to pose as a mannequin in the display directly across from the jewelry department. They would need to make you up to look like a mannequin so that no one, not even the sales clerks, would know that you are real. You could then keep an eye on the jewelry department and report any findings to the manager at the end of the day."

"Listen Stella, I've done modeled like this before but I've never stood still for an entire day. I don't think anyone's capable of doing this."

"I brought up the same concern. They are planning to do this on a Sunday, when the hours are noon to five. They'll work with you to make sure your pose is comfortable and that you have something to lean on. It'll still be tough, but you're the only one I know that can do it."

"What about my eyes? It's a sure giveaway when I blink my eyes."

"They'll let you wear some lightly tinted sunglasses. That way your eyes can even roam a little bit as you look for the shoplifters. This can work, Kari," Stella put on her full sales pitch, "the pay is double your normal rate with a $1,000 bonus if you go the entire day undiscovered. And if it works, they'd like to use you in other stores. Kari, You can't pass this one up, they have twenty-three stores!"

Kari smiled, you just never knew what kind of job Stella would come up with. "Okay, when do we do it?"

"They'd like to start this Sunday at their Rosewood Mall store. They'd like to have you there at nine so they can have you ready when the store opens up at noon."

Kari quickly leafed through her appointment book. Today was Friday and Sunday looked good. She'd just have to spend Saturday writing the paper for her Psych class. "I guess that works for me."

"Oh, I almost forgot, there's another perk to this job," Stella mentioned in a cautious voice. "They'd like you to stop by Adelle's Salon on 9th Avenue Saturday afternoon at 3:00. They will pay for a complete body waxing in preparation for Sunday."

"Wait a minute," Kari responded with skepticism, "What exactly do you mean by complete?"

"Every hair on your body except your head and eyebrows. Even your arms and pubic hair."

"Don't you think this is a ridiculous request!? I mean I could wear long sleeves to cover my arms and why, oh why, would anyone care about my pubic hair?"

"This is a requirement for the job, they won't back down. If you won't do it I'll have to ask Jackie." Jackie was another one of Stella's "girls" and she had an annoying, aggressive personality and Kari disliked her intensely.

Kari paused for a moment. This was a little kinky. But . . . she did need the money and . . . she really didn't like the idea of Jackie getting the work over her. What if this was a really good opportunity? It was Dempsey's after all, they were the most prestigious store to model for. If this worked out to mean all twenty-three stores, this could pay like a full time job for only working on Sundays. "Okay, I'm skeptical, but count me in?"

"Great!" responded Stella. "The first thing is to be at Adelle's at three tomorrow afternoon. Ask for Michelle, she's the person who'll do your waxing. Then be at the employee entrance to the Rosewood Dempsey's at nine sharp, Sunday morning. Ask for Todd Marshall or Debbie Moore. They are both from Dempsey's corporate office. Todd is the VP over visual merchandising and security, this was his idea. Debbie is Todd's assistant. I'll stop by on Sunday and see how you're doing."

Kari hung up the phone and slumped back in her chair. Stella was very good at selling an assignment to a model and she had outdone herself this time. Kari wondered if she could really hold still for five hours. In past assignments like this she tried various things for clear her thoughts and remain motionless, but this would clearly be a challenge.

*********

Sunday morning came quickly and Kari got up out of bed. She immediately felt funny without having any body hair. Her smooth arms felt airy and sensitive. And, although she had often shaved tight around her crotch and had trimmed her pubic hair, she had never even thought of shaving it all off. But that's exactly what Michelle did. It took her over three hours and she meticulously waxed every square inch of Kari's body. Only her dark brown eyebrows and her shoulder length hair remained.

As she looked at her naked body in the bathroom mirror she tried out a few mannequin poses and felt that she really did look like a mannequin. The absence of her pubic hair reinforced the look. She was now glad Michelle had done such a meticulous job waxing her body. It left a feeling that would help her to make the entire day without being recognized. She was beginning to get exited about the challenge that lay ahead of her.

Her usual routine would be a large glass of orange juice, but not today. She had thought ahead and determined that she needed to keep her bladder as empty as possible. She wondered about other foods and decided that she needed to eat something in order to keep her stomach from growling and giving her away. In the end she ate a granola bar, a banana and a small yogurt.

**********

Upon arriving at the store Kari walked around the outside entrances until she found a side entrance marked "employee entrance-please knock." It was exactly nine o'clock when she knocked on the door.

"May I help you?" squawked a voice over a loudspeaker near the door.

"I-I'm Kari Renner, I have an appointment."

"Please come in, we've been waiting for you." The door buzzed and Kari cautiously went in.

"Welcome Kari, I'm Debbie Moore." The voice was confidant and in-control. Although this was a Sunday morning, Debbie Moore looked made up and almost ready to be a mannequin herself. She was very proper and representative of Demsey's.

Right behind Debbie was a man I assumed to be Todd Marshall. He was of average height, had sandy blonde hair and was a little effeminate. He was wearing black pants with a purple silk shirt. His hair was cut very short. "I'm Todd Marshall, I so glad you were able to help us with this project. Follow Debbie and she'll get you started. We've got a lot to do before noon."

"I-Its good to be here" was about all Kari could muster up. She felt a little overwhelmed by their confidence. Debbie motioned Kari to follow her across a large stockroom toward a door at the end.

Once through the door, Kari saw a well-organized room full of display equipment. To her left along the wall were numerous display racks and sign standards. To her right was an open area with a workbench and a couple of chairs. Behind the workbench she saw racks of display forms and mannequin parts. To the far right were a couple of female mannequins fully assembled.

"Have a seat," Todd motioned to the chairs, "I need to fill you in on some details."

Kari had never been in a display workroom or storeroom and her eyes were wandering around to the extent that she was having a hard time looking Todd and Debbie in the eye when talking with them. She sat down in the middle of the three chairs. Todd sat to her right and Debbie to her left.

Todd leaned forward and began speaking. "Kari, you probably have a number of questions about this job. Let me explain it to you, I can probably answer most of your questions. Let me start with why you're here. We've been experiencing a lot of inventory shrinkage, or stealing, in our jewelry department. We're not sure but we think it might be a staff member that's doing it. We think most of the stealing is happening during our Sunday shift. We have detectors that employees go through at the end of the shift but we've failed to turn up anything. We've also watched the department on security cameras-again nothing. Our strategy at this point is to have you, a live person made up made up to pass as a mannequin, to observe the department during the course of store hours. We're hoping you'll help us catch the thief." The explanation was well thought out and Todd and Debbie both breathed mental sighs of relief, as it appeared that Kari bought the story.

"Next let me explain how we think you'll pass as a mannequin. Debbie is our makeup artist. She'll spray your entire body with a cream that will color your skin and add a plastic sheen to it. The cream will dry to the touch in a half-hour, although it will continue to harden over the next few hours. The plastic shell formed comes off easily at the end of the day, but its hardness will actually help you hold your pose. This is why we had Adelle's wax off all your body hair. Any hair caught in the plastic shell would cause the removal of the shell to be very painful. "We've also adapted a mannequin's pedestal to help to stand."

Todd pointed to a mannequin stand that was an oval glass base with a metal support rod. On top of the support rod was a triangular pad that Kari correctly assumed was to sit just under her buns and help her remain steady. The stand seemed like a good idea. The explanation made sense to Kari and somewhat eased her mind as to why she had to have her entire body waxed. It also eased her mind to know that the covering would help her hold her pose. "But won't the shell make her hot and sweaty inside?"

"A little bit," answered Todd. "But others haven't complained." In reality the others never had the chance to complain.

Debbie interrupted, "as you've probably heard, Dempsey's has always used mannequins that have a unique look. We looked over each model in your agency and felt that your look is very much the Dempsey's look. You should fit right in." Debbie wanted to offer Kari a level of reassurance.

Todd continued. "Kari solving this problem is really important to us. You'll need to be perfectly still and undetectable for the entire day. Only your eyes can move behind your sunglasses. We don't want the employees know we're spying on them like this. The person we suspect has been known to sue previous employers. This is why we've set such a high bonus for making it the entire day as a mannequin. We don't want you to be discovered. We'll have you on our cameras and even the slightest move will cause you to lose the bonus."

Todd paused and looked at his watch. "It's 9:15. We need to get going. Debbie can take it from here. Do you have any questions?"

"Yes. What exactly do you mean by the slightest move losing my bonus?" Kari wondered if they would find a way to cheat her out of her bonus by some slight quivering of her body.

"I'm talking about a move that would give yourself away. Something like repositioning your arm or changing your pose. I realize that you might slightly waiver in your pose-we wouldn't penalize you for that. But it is extremely important that you not be detected. Any other questions?" After a short pause Todd started out of the room. "Good luck Kari, you're in good hands with Debbie."

*****

Debbie followed Todd to the door and locked it after he went out. "The first step is for you to take off all your clothes. The bathroom is in the far right corner. Your can take off your clothes there and go to the bathroom one last time. You want to make sure you get everything out! When you're done come on out and we'll start."

Kari did just that. As she took off her clothes she neatly folded them and stacked them. She also made sure that she got everything out, going to the bathroom twice-once before she undressed and once after. She looked at her nude hairless form in the mirror. All this attention to her body was unusual, even for a model and she was more than a little nervous. The cold bathroom had given her goosebumps and had made her nipples firm. She opened the door a crack and peeked out. Debbie was waiting. She even had a space heater going.

"Come on out, we've got to get started."

Kari went out and stood before Debbie.

"We'll start with your body and finish with your face. You can sit down for a moment, you'll do plenty of standing today."

Debbie went over to the worktable and came back with a flesh-toned piece of plastic that was shaped like a maxipad. "This is to cover your sex. It would be very uncomfortable to have any of the cream on the inside of your body. It has a light adhesive to it. You can apply it yourself." With that she handed the item to Kari, who then applied it between her legs. Its color nearly matched her skin and with her pubic hair having been shaved off, it definitely made her look more like a mannequin.

Next came more flesh-toned plastic in the form of adhesive bra cups. Kari had seen items like this in women's magazines but had never worn them. "Our mannequins don't wear any underwear and neither will you. Please sit up straight while I put these on you." It hadn't occurred to Kari that she wouldn't be wearing any underwear. She decided not to say anything. It seemed that Debbie and Todd had thought of all the details and weren't too flexible about any modifications.

Debbie manipulated Kari's breasts to make sure that the cups fit perfectly and without any creases. They were very thin and covered only the bottom half of her breasts, but they supported her breasts surprisingly well. Her nipples were barely covered. Kari found that Debbie's hands on her breasts actually turned her on a little bit and she also found the adhesive bra to be comforting.

"You can remain seated while I get the spray gun ready."

Kari sat down and wondered why she hadn't really said anything so far. Debbie seemed in control and the more Kari thought about it, she had been hired as a body. Her only modeling skills needed in this job were the right body and the ability to stay still for five hours. She sensed that Debbie and Todd viewed her as just that. There really wasn't a need for her to speak. She'd just do as she was asked for the day and make damn sure she got her bonus.

Debbie slipped a plastic hair net over Kari's hair and put a surgical mask on both their faces. The spray gun was electric and Debbie held in firmly in her hands. "Kari, I need you to stand straight with your feet two to three feet apart. Hold your arms out from your body at a 45-degree angle. I need to make sure I spray your armpits and sex, but we'll hold off on your head."

Kari obeyed and Debbie began spraying. The fluid was white at first and then turned a light fleshtone. It was thicker than paint, but yet it sprayed on like paint. In the mirror that Debbie had placed in front of her, Kari could see that the cream covered every part of her body. Any freckles or tan lines were gone. Kari could feel her nipples being aroused as the spray touched them.

After about fifteen minutes of careful spraying Debbie declared that Kari's body was finished. "You'll need to stand like this for about 30 minutes to let the solution start to dry. Then I'll work on your face. I'll be right back."

With that, Debbie unlocked the door and left the room. Standing still and alone in the room, Kari started to feel more like the display fixtures neatly stored around her. She dared not move, she didn't want to risk her bonus.

Finally, Debbie came back into the room. She walked up to Kari and began feeling all over her body-even her breasts and between her legs. "I think we can start on your face, you're dry enough that you can sit down for a while." Gratefully Kari sat down. As she sat down she could feel the stiffness of the drying solution on her body.

Debbie took off Kari's mask and left Kari's hair covered. "Close your eyes now, I'm going to spray your face." Kari again did as she was told and Debbie meticulously sprayed Kari's face.

Once finished with Kari's face, Debbie took the net off Kari's hair and combed it back to normal. Kari's blonde hair was fairly straight and didn't need much combing. "I need you to stand up again. I'm going to leave for a few minutes. I'm going to get your outfit. When I come back we'll dress and pose you."

Debbie's absence seemed shorter this time. As promised, she returned with an outfit. The outfit was black skirt with a sweater top that buttoned up the front. The sweater top had large horizontal black and maroon stripes. Debbie also had a new box of pantyhose and a pair of black shoes with high blocked heals.

"Stand up, let's get you dressed," Debbie commanded. As Kari stood up she could feel the stiffness of her body as the solution continued to dry. She looked at her hands and they even had a plastic shine. The solution had covered up the color differences in her fingernails and she really did look like a mannequin! It wasn't going to be as hard as she thought to go the day undiscovered.

The first item of clothes was the pantyhose. It was shear and black in color. Then Debbie had her slip on the skirt. It was shorter than it looked, that made her a little nervous in that she always thought she had thick calves. After the skirt Debbie had Kari slip on the shoes. The heels were high enough that it took Kari a moment to adjust. Then came the top. Debbie slipped it on Kari's arms from behind and then came around and buttoned it up. Kari could see in the mirror that the sweater's V-neck collar showed a little of her cleavage. That was okay, she was proud of her bust.

"You look great," announce Debbie. "Let's take you out on the sales floor. The staff are in a sales meeting and we'll be undetected. I'll apply your facial makeup and finish your hair out there." Debbie put the glass base and stand on a cart that had a shelf with various makeup stuff-hairspray, makeup, eyeliner, lipstick, etc.

Kari felt strange as they walked out on the sales floor. She suddenly noticed the faces and positions of all the mannequins. She somehow felt she understood them now, she looked just like one of them.

The walked past the jewelry department and Kari could see her spot ahead in a corner display. The display was elevated about six inches and was about six feet wide. On the right hand side of the display was a striking brunette mannequin that looked a lot like Jackie. She was wearing a burgundy knit dress with black stockings. The dress was accented with the image of a black rose woven on the right shoulder and breast. Kari's outfit would compliment the other girl's outfit. Next to the other mannequin was a small single-pedestal table with a vase of silk roses on top.

Debbie placed the glass base in the open part of the display, where the table would be between Kari and the mannequin that looked like Jackie. She also placed the metal post in the base and then motioned to Kari, "Well . . . here's your spot. You'll be standing next to this other girl. You might as well get in position. I'll pose you and then do your hair."

Kari stepped up on the pedestal and lifted the back of her skirt over the top of the metal post. She was feeling stiffer by the moment due to the covering on her skin and as she rested on the pad at the top of the post, she knew she had a good chance of getting her bonus.

Debbie posed Kari with most of her weight on her right foot. Her left leg was extended forward as if she was going to step in that direction. Her hips were facing directly at the jewelry section. Debbie then leaned Kari's shoulders back and moved them so they were distinctly aimed to her right. She then moved her head back left and pointing toward the jewelry section. It seemed easy for Kari to stay in whatever position Debbie moved her.

Kari's left arm was left straight with a slight, elegant bend at the elbow. Debbie moved Kari's left hand so that the index finger was slightly pointed with the other fingers gently cupped. Kari's right arm was much in the same position, only it was positioned back behind the plain of her hips. This position seemed a little uncomfortable, but Kari could feel that it accentuated her breasts.

"Any last words . . . uh, for the day I mean." Debbie cursed inside that she almost gave it away.

Kari couldn't think of what to say. "I-I-I'll see you at closing."

They both heard talking at the far end of the store. "Staff meeting must've let out. Your time has officially started, no more movement. Let me adjust your smile and put on your makeup. Oops, I almost forgot your sunglasses." With that Debbie quickly ran across the store and came back with a pair of sunglasses. After putting them on Kari, she spent what seemed like twenty minutes applying makeup and working on Kari's hair. Having finished, Debbie stepped back and looked proudly at Kari. "You look as beautiful as any mannequin in the house. Well the front doors are opening, good luck, I'll see you later."

*****

Kari could hear voices and figured that the store was now open. She stood still trying her best to be a mannequin and not be noticed. But she was nervous. After a few minutes the first customer came to the jewelry department. It was an older woman with a younger child, maybe her grandchild. They browsed for a few minutes and then left toward the escalators before the sales clerk could help them.

Eventually people came in front of Kari at a steady pace. A few slowed down to look at her and the other mannequin. Most acted like they didn't even exist, their minds were obviously on other things.

Three young girls stopped in the jewelry section. They were a little noisy and Kari wondered if they might be the types to shoplift. She tried to watch them carefully. Then a thought occurred to her, what if she saw them shoplift? What was she supposed to do? Should be break pose and yell at someone to catch them? Neither Debbie nor Todd had told her what to do if they saw a theft. Since she was told very explicitly not to break her pose, she decided that she would try and keep mental notes of what she saw. That would even help the time pass!

After a period of time, that could've been an hour, Kari found herself zoning in and out of a kind of sleep or daydream. With the pedestal to lean on and the cream on her skin hardening it was surprisingly easy to keep her pose. During one of her daydreams she actually wondered what it would be like to really be a mannequin.

Little did Kari know that her first big challenge was coming, as her consciousness was abruptly broken. "Mama, what's wrong with this lady? She doesn't move." The voice was one of a young girl maybe four years old. She was up on their pedestal and shaking the other mannequin, trying to make it move.

"Stop that Heather! You might knock her over." Mom came running.

"What's wrong with her Mama?"

"She's just a dummy. She's not real." Mom lifted the girl up to the other mannequin so that she was looking in her eyes. "See she's not real. They use her to show off the clothes. Now come back her with me, Mommy needs to look at these dresses."

The girl went back with Mom, but she wasn't happy. Behind her fixed view, Kari could hear the girl rummaging around under the racks. Mom was constantly telling her to settle down. Then before Kari knew what was happening, the girl was standing up under Kari's dress!!

Kari's immediate urge was to jump away and push the girl back. But she thought better. She wanted her bonus and she didn't want to cause a ruckus in the store. She remained true to her pose. The girl put her hand up underneath Kari's dress past her sex and up in front of her tummy. Part of it hurt and parts of it tickled. Kari held her pose. On the way down, the girl's hand pulled Kari's pantyhose so that it felt like it was lopsided and baggy around her right knee. The girl started to yell underneath Kari's dress. She liked the echo her voice made.

"Heather, Heather what are you doing? Come with me, I've found the dress I want. I just need to buy it and we'll go home. Do you want to split a cinnamon roll on the way out?" The cash register made its sound and soon they were gone. Kari had held her pose! And she was proud of it.

Soon after they left, the sales clerk came around and looked at Kari and the other mannequin. "What did she do to you two dears?" she said outloud in a motherly voice. The sales woman was in her early fifties and fit right into the image of a person you would imagine to work in the dress section of a department store. She was nicely dressed and Kari could smell the strong scent of her perfume. It was Odyssey, the same perfume Kari's mother wore.

The woman first worked on the other mannequin's hair. From what Kari could see out of the corner of her eye that the mannequin's hair was a little disheveled from the girl's shaking.

The woman didn't adjust Kari's hair. It must not have needed it. She did kneel down in front of Kari and run her hands up her legs to straighten out her pantyhose. It felt good to have the pantyhose pulled back up, but it still wasn't right and Kari longed to use her hands to get rid of that lopsided feeling. But she didn't. The woman finished Kari by pulling up her skirt and straightening it out a little bit. It was a little better, but not quite right.

Then they were on their own. People came and went. A few women stopped to comment on Kari's dress and some even felt the material. One man in his late thirties sat down on the pedestal with the two mannequins. He seemed to be waiting for his wife and was becoming impatient. After quite a while his wife came out to show him a dress she was trying on. It was the same dress the other mannequin was wearing. He voiced his approval and she went back to change clothes and buy the dress. Mannequins do help sell things, thought Kari.

After the man's wife went back to the dressing room the man stood in front of the other mannequin, and, after carefully making sure he wasn't being observed, he quickly touched the other mannequin's breast. He then went back to check on his wife. Kari tried to think of what was going on in his mind. What did he expect? Did it turn him on? Why was he so curious? She didn't have any answers, she was just glad he didn't touch her breast.

Then it occurred to Kari that there had been so much action around her that she really hadn't been watching the jewelry department. But it had been really slow. The two sales clerks spent most of the time talking to each other and pacing back and forth, hoping for customers.

Time passed and Kari again mentally checked out. She felt so much like a mannequin that at one point she wasn't sure she could move if she wanted to. What if she couldn't remember how to move at the end of the day?

Kari was startled to see Debbie standing right in front of her. ." She whispered words in Kari's ear while she pretended to fix her hair. "You're doing great. Its four o'clock-only an hour to go. I think your going to get your bonus."

Wow! Only an hour more. She still hadn't caught any shoplifters, but so what! All she had to do to make the bonus was to make the day without losing her pose. This was an okay job, she might even consider doing it again, but they probably wouldn't do it again since it really hadn't been successful--she hadn't seen any shoplifters.

Kari noticed two women started talking right in front of her. They were both in their thirties and both had sandy blonde hair like Kari's. She thought they were probably sisters. One of the women felt inside the collar of Kari's dress. "This is really nice, I bet it'd be very comfortable. I think you ought to try it on, you look great in these colors. This might be just what you're looking for." The other woman agreed and said she might try it on. The walked past Kari to the racks behind her.

Thing were quiet again. Then the sales clerk was beside her. Very quickly the woman stepped up on the pedestal and reached behind Kari's neck. "This one's a medium. You can try it on." Evidently they had liked the outfit enough that they tried to find it on the rack. When they couldn't the sales lady had offered to check the size that was on the mannequin-Kari!

Kari wondered how they would have her change clothes as to not be detected. Maybe they would end her job a few minutes early and just have her step into a changing room. All too quickly, Kari found the answer. The sales woman stepped in front of Kari and began to unbutton her top. Kari nearly panicked and wondered if the thought translated to her face. She remembered Debbie's words, nothing could cause her to loose her pose-and so close to closing.

Kari decided to stick with her pose. This was definitely beyond the call of duty, she might even get a bigger bonus. As Kari thought about her options, the woman fully unbuttoned the knit top. Kari felt a coolness to her chest. Then the woman quickly pulled the knit top off Kari's shoulders and down over her arms and hands. "Here you go, you've already got the skirt in a medium. Here's the top. I show you our dressing room."

After thanks from the younger of the two women, they walked away toward he dressing room. Kari was left standing topless in the middle of a department store. She felt cold and embarrassed. But she knew there would be no doubt that she would get the bonus. That thought carried her forward. She tried to remember how the body cream and the adhesive bra cups disguised her nipples. She probably did look just like a mannequin that on any given visit to the store you might find naked.

Kari hoped that the sales clerk would find a replacement top quickly, but it seemed like forever. Kari began to focus her attention on the people passing by. Most of them didn't seem to pay attention. A few men would give her casual glances, trying not to be too obvious or glaring. She heard a young voice, "Mommy, that lady's naked." The voice was accompanied by a quick retort, "She's only a dummy, it doesn't matter." It did matter to Kari, she felt so exposed. Her uncovered breasts seemed as large as watermelons and it seemed like the entire world was ogling her. But a part of her felt it was exciting to be able to pass undetected as a mannequin--it was even flattering. Weren't mannequins, after all, based on the most beautiful women in the world?

After a bit Kari saw the two women walk past her toward the main mall. The younger of the two had a Dempsey's bag in her hand and had undoubtedly bought the outfit Kari was modeling. A moment later Kari noticed the sales women in front of her. "Honey, you need to be dressed in public," she lectured Kari, not knowing that Kari was an alive woman who heard everything she said. "I wish I was young again. I used to have a figure as nice as yours."

The woman momentarily took off Kari's sunglasses and slipped a back turtleneck dickey over Kari's head. Kari stared straight ahead. The woman was careful to put Kari's necklace on the outside of the dickey and then put Kari's sunglasses back on. Then Kari saw the woman go behind her and in a moment she felt the woman putting her arms through the sleeves of a jacket. Although she couldn't see what color it was, it felt to Kari like it was a blazer. In fact it was a double-breasted maroon blazer. The woman used her fingers to adjust Kari's hair and then stepped back and said, "You look as good as new."

Kari dosed off and awoke to see Debbie in front of her. The sales lady was talking to her. "Someone bought the knit sweater she was wearing. I redressed her in this blazer and turtleneck. I hope that's okay."

"It's quite alright, you just need to know that you can always call visual merchandising to help you." Debbie smiled as she thought of Kari's predicament being stripped of her clothing in the middle of a department store. Just a preview of things to come, she thought. "I need to take her back to do some makeup, I'll need you to restock her clothes after I take them off."

Then Debbie, acting as if Kari really was a mannequin, began to remove her clothes. First the blazer, then the skirt and shoes. Then another familiar voice. It was Todd. "How's it going Debbie."

"Everything looks just fine. Really fine." Debbie had a cautious smirk on her face. She couldn't let the sales lady have any idea of the truth.

Kari was getting pissed. Here she was standing in the middle of a department store wearing pantyhose and a black dickey around her neck. I think I've done my time, to hell with surprising the sales clerk, I'm moving. In the next instant she realized that she couldn't move. She tried harder. But no movement. She tried to scream. Nothing. What was happening to her? Had she forgotten how to move? What had Debbie and Todd done to her? Had she been duped into becoming a real mannequin?

Debbie took off the dickey and then lifted Kari off her stand and down to the floor on to a handtruck. Todd spoke up, "I'll get that, you take the stand." He then stepped behind Kari and tilted the handtruck back. Kari was horrified. She found herself looking up and the ceiling lights as Todd pushed her through the store and into the display shop. Once there he lifted her off the handtruck, took off her sunglasses and pulled off her pantyhose. He then put her back on the stand.

Todd and Debbie stood back to admire their latest acquisition. "She had no idea did she Deb?"

"Clueless. The security mannequin ploy works every time."

Clueless! Clueless! She hated that word. It implied the picture of an airhead and just being a dumb blonde. She wanted to defend herself. It did seem like a legitimate idea! She knew that stores had problems with shoplifting and she had read that many times the employees are to blame. She fell for it. She could just kick herself, only she couldn't kick anything. She was a just a mannequin, nude and posed for the world to see. It was awful.

Todd stepped forward sprayed something into Kari's face and began to talk to Kari. "I guess you know by now that we really don't have a security problem. We do have a mannequin inventory problem, though.. We're opening a new store in Springfield next month and need a number of display mannequins. I'm glad you decided to join our team. You've read that Dempsey's has always prided itself in unique beautiful mannequins that can't be found in any other store and that we design our mannequins internally. Well, now you know how it works."

Todd put his hand on Kari's shoulder as he continued. "Our plan is to recruit three new mannequins from each of our exiting stores. The girl standing next to you was our first. Her name is Jackie, we finished her last weekend."

Oh shit, thought Kari. No wonder the other mannequin resembled Jackie--it was Jackie! Stella had conned her too. And with the same dumb story.

Todd continued, "The body paint that Debbie has applied to your skin has already hardened to the point where you are unable to move. It will continue to harden and permeate your body until your entire body is as plastic. That'll take about a week. At that point we'll install the pivot points at your wrists, shoulders, leg and waist to complete the process. The mist I sprayed in your eyes has already frozen the movement of your eyes. As you've been watching me your eyes haven't moved and I'm guessing they can't move anymore."

He was right. As much as Kari tried to move her eyes, she couldn't. They were fixed straight forward in a blind stare. She couldn't even blink. Holy shit, she thought. What am I going to do now? Nothing was the answer. There was nothing she could do.

"Bye, bye Kari." Todd and Debbie spoke in unison as they left the room and turned off the lights.

On the outside Kari was firm and confident. But the inside was another story. She had many questions. How could someone have done this to her? She was a good person. What would it be like being a mannequin? Probably just like today only forever. A forever of being naked in public, being a dummy, being at the mercy of any human that wanted to touch, fondle or dress her.

How long would she retain consciousness? Would she be dead when the process was finished? She cried a tearless cry. She cried herself to sleep.

The girl who was hired to look for shoplifters, had herself been shoplifted.

Where will Todd and Debbie find their third mannequin? Part 2 coming!