I awoke to the electrical hum of the monitor and whirring of the fan from the computer were the only things that I could hear. Pushing back on my chair, the floor was eerily silent. I stretched and strained before anxiety struck my body. I looked at the time, my muscles tensing in terror as I realised that I now had to meet with Abigail. Letting the time wander away like this, knowing that she was waiting for me, panic crept into my system as I hastily left my cubicle. In my quickened stride, it felt uncomfortable to be wandering down the empty rows of workspaces, heading through the maze towards her.

Darting around all the twists and turns of the labyrinth, I passed through by the hollow enclosures until I saw the windows. On the other side, just beyond the glass panes, snowflakes wafted daintily through the air only to disappear into the darkness of night. The lights below on the street revealed small groups of people wrapped up tight in their coats and scarfs. The men darted between the legs of the women that passed by them, the ladies refusing to slow down their strides to allow anyone below pass them with ease. Rubbing my eyes, I walked back, following the grey wall until I came to face a great wooden door, more akin to a gate to some ancient fort or castle. I pushed against it as a test, yet the thing refused to move a single inch. Such a thing achieved its purpose. Unless you were a manager, you were not getting into that office.

Knocking upon the door, I wondered if anyone inside could even hear such a dull and weak noise. My answer came swiftly as I felt my body bounce up and down on the spot. Tensing up, I prepared myself as best I could to meet with Abigail. My mind raced. Flashes of any possible infraction I could have made as I struggled to conjure up excuse after pathetic excuse. Each step that unleashed such quakes hastened the unravelling of my thoughts. The tremors only intensified until I knew she stood just beyond the door, yet it did not open immediately. Was she savouring the notion of how horrified I must be? What sick and twisted glee must Abigail be getting just imagining what terror she could inflict just by walking to the entrance of her office?

The barrier between us parted, revealing that much of the upper part of Abigail’s chest had been tucked away beyond the top of the door frame. She squatted down to make eye contact with me with that look of contempt ever present on her face. I shot a glance straight up to try and meet her, only to baulk at the last moment and turn my head, afraid of peering into those azure eyes of hers. Out of the corner of my vision, Abigail tapped her foot, her heels impatiently smashing against the floor. Each insignificant tap for her rattled my body, forcing me to keep balance as best I could. 

“You were meant to be here two minutes ago.” The giant manager boomed out from on high.

Cold sweat dripped down the back of my neck. “I was-...”

“I don’t care for your excuses.” She cut me off, her voice overpowering my meek mewling. “Get in my office this instant.”

The looming figure stood to her side, allowing me past her colossal form until I had fully entered the room. With a hefty push, Abigail slammed the door shut, sealing me in this room with her. The office made me feel even smaller than I once thought possible. From her finely crafted oak des, the opulent and luxurious executive chair, the towering shelving units to the mighty monitor at her workstation, everything had been designed to shrink me down further. It was as if I had crossed the barrier into some strange world in which all the usual trappings of life had grown exponentially around me.

The first great rattling step by Abigail brought me back as her mountainous form marched over to the desk. I followed just behind her towards the chair placed in front of her grand workstation. As I reached the chair, the horrifying reality dawned on me. The front of the seat came just above my head. Even it were to be lowered, I would still struggle to clamour on to the thing. I reached my hands over, attempting to gain some sort of leverage to hoist myself up. The smooth silky leather made it slip from my grasp time and time again. Abigail came to my side, startling me from my all too humiliating attempts at trying to seat myself. I jumped back slightly out of instinct, thinking I were to be flattened if she came any closer. 

“Having some problems?” Abigail said, staring down at me. For a scant infinitesimal second, I could have sworn that scowl of hers had been replaced with a slight grin.

“I, err… I can’t get onto the chair.” I replied back as I pointed to the huge seat.

No sooner as I had uttered my words, Abigail had bent down and wrapped her hand around me. In one swift and decisive movement, before my senses could attempt to register what she was doing, I found myself planted squarely into the middle of the chair. The massive manager still dominated my vision. At least now, I sat closer to chest height with her, rather than be forced to contend with the brawn of her legs. Still, I felt nothing but humiliation giving way to soul shredding indignity. To be handled like a child just to be seated, this had to be a ploy by Abigail. Such things were intended to make me shrink further and further away from her. Then the question popped into my mind. Why?

I could not ponder such a thought as Abigail made her way to the other side of the desk. She seated herself before leaning forward, resting her elbows and clasping her hands like a makeshift bridge to hold her resting head. A quick glance down and I came to see her chest and a slit between the buttons of her shirt revealed the depths of her cleavage. I knew her gaze remained fixed onto me, so I seared such an image into the forefront of my mind as I swiftly met with her gaze. Where I thought I would see her scornful look of pure disdain, instead Abigail’s slender face rested in a dull and bored stare. 

The manager allowed the silence to remain between us. I squirmed in my seat as Abigail refused to break the stillness. Each passing moment heightened the discomfort I felt. I needed an outlet. I began tapping my foot onto the leather and jogging my leg to release the mental strain. She could see me doing this and yet she remained as composed and unmoving as a statue, her focus never budging for an instant. My fear welled within me until the turmoil compelled me to act.

“So, uhh...” I blurted out. 

I clamped my lips shut in a feeble attempt to stop any more inane utterances. The frozen figure before me finally broke as a lush eyebrow raised itself in peaked curiosity. 

Prompted by such a reaction, I carried on to ask her, “What did you want to see me about?” 

The manager rolled her eyes, “You are here because of your conduct.”

“W-What?” I sputtered as shock coiled through my body. My eyes darted about the place as visions and images were conjured forth from the depths of different memories around the office. It couldn’t be that she had noticed before. She couldn’t have. I always made sure she never noticed.

At that moment, any feigned pretence of innocence that I had disintegrated into nothingness. 

“Do you not think I’ve seen you peaking and glimpsing at me?” She said as I froze to the chair whilst Abigail leaned over her desk, squarely fixing me into position by her gaze alone.

Taking my silence as an admission of guilt, the mountainous manager continued by saying, “I’ve always had my suspicions.” 

She lent back into her chair, a slight satisfied grin emerged on her face for a split second. Abi must be trying to hide just how much she was revelling in the drama. Her frosty demeanour returned as she said, “I made sure to drop stuff around your cubicle before, just to confirm to myself that you were looking at me.”

Unable to handle the burden of guilt, I squirmed about in my seat. “B-But why?” I asked.

“Truthfully? I enjoyed it.” My jaw lost all tension and dropped slightly at the admission. For the first time since this meeting began, I could match her look, as if that looking into her eyes would reveal why. 

The smile appeared again, giving warmth that alleviated her cold conduct. 

“When I first joined, no one dared to take advantage. Everyone was scared and rightly so. I’m sure the men had heard all the rumours.” She heaved a sigh and stared off at the wall as if struck by a sudden urge to reminisce. 

Sparked by all the hearsay that spread about the office at the time, I’m sure even the other managers caught wind of the things being said about Abigail joining the company. At first, emails had been fired to one another with each subsequent message constructing a terrifying image. A pure-blooded amazonian, they used to write, this twenty-foot tall monster that bullied and attacked her underlings. 

One incident stuck out in particular. A one on one meeting had been called between some employee and Abigail. This brave soul had apparently tried to talk back to her at best, or at worst, scolded her performance of handling the team’s workload. Some say she had stamped on him afterwards or kicked him across the room. Others believed that Abigail took off her high heels and stepped on him, forcing him to hold up her foot. She had slowly pressed down upon him, making that poor man endure the pain and humiliation of being overwhelmed by a woman’s sole.

Whatever happened, the guy had to be carted off to some hospital for injuries after meeting with Abigail. After the incident, she had been forced to relocate to a different branch, which could not have proved easier for her, considering that her mother ran the entire corporation. Of all the places she could have gone, all the bad luck in the world conspired to have me be stuck with her as manager. 

I kept idle, refusing to provoke or stir her from whatever thoughts she was entertaining. If anything should come of this meeting, I would endeavour not to add that rumour mill. Looking up at her, Abigail had one finger idly twirled her luxurious hair, curling it and uncurling a small strand in succession. The room remained eerily still until her fantasy broke once she realised I had dared to stare at her. 

She lent over the desk further, the faint smile from before leered itself once more, “Do you believe what they said about me?” she said. 

Primordial fear took hold. Whatever answer I tried to give her lodged itself in my throat. Every micro instant in which I refused to reply prompted my gut to twist and turn as it had never done before. My innards were in an uproar, convulsing and churning as if my body was in its death throes. I knew I had to say something, but what? If I deny what I’ve heard about her, would she find that insulting? Would she take offence if I did take some form of stock in the hearsay? 

The titanic manager must have seen my dilemma and, taking an ounce of pity, decided to answer in my stead by saying, “Some of it was true. I may have been a bit too rough with the poor man.” 

She rested her head on her palm. The icy exterior gave way to this ever-growing yet increasingly foreboding smile as she continued. “But I’m sure he enjoyed it at some point.” Abigail licked her glossy rose-tinted lips in ravenous anticipation, no doubt savouring the terror that wracked my mind and body.