Elizabeth and Alex are quite fed up with their working conditions at Prin's fashion company so they decide to take it up with him personally. Little do they know just how far things can go south when you piss off this flamboyant shapeshifting CEO...

Chapter 1

Word Count: 3613

Added: 03/21/2025

Updated: 04/04/2025

One might expect that the offices of a company specializing in luxurious designer clothes and the finest fabrics on the market would have equally luxurious and comfortable office spaces for the employees that keep the enterprise afloat. Surely a business that catered to the choosiest clients, human or otherwise, could afford to provide a workspace where one could stretch their legs and be proud to give their time to the company. This was not the case in this company.

Instead, Elizabeth found herself coordinating and delegating her sales team within a maze of gray and beige cubicles that made a toilet stall look like the Hagia Sophia. At all times she had to mind her elbows lest she knock over a sheaf of reports to the floor or a cup of coffee on her keyboard. It was made worse by the fact that she was a smidge on the tall side, enough that, according to her team, the meager partitions were barely enough to hide the top of her head as she sat. They were packed like sardines, but at least sardines had the luck to be dead before they went in the can.

“I’ve had enough.” Elizabeth announced to her neighbor, Alex, as she stood, “I’m going.”

“Going where?”

“To have a word with upstairs.”

“But didn’t Ryan already-“

“Yes. And his desk has been empty since.”

Ryan Flowers was one of their team members who, like the rest of them, was fed up with the conditions of the office. Last week he decided to go straight to the big man himself. As team leader Elizabeth was responsible for maintaining a chain of command and would have never condoned anyone going over her head, even if she didn’t disagree with the meat of his concerns. Best case scenario was a reprimand or worse, being fired and being asked to clear out their desk.

Except Ryan never came back to clear his desk. It sat just as it did when he left, save for a half cup of coffee and some leftovers that were discarded by the end of the day. Elizabeth had sent multiple emails asking for a confirmation that he was released, and if he had, why he hadn’t come to clear his desk. Not once did Elizabeth get an answer. Every call she made to his personal phone went to voicemail and every text she sent was unanswered. She even asked the janitor who eventually came around to empty Ryan’s belongings into a wastebasket. Still no explanation. It was as if he simply dropped off the face of the earth.

“There’s no excuse for it Alex, for any of it. The CEO practically gets a floor to himself while expecting us to work in these boxes. And the moment someone complains, they go who-knows-where and we’re expected to just deal with being a head short. As team leader, I, more than anyone, deserve to know what the hell happened to my team members, but instead they expect to keep all of us in the dark . But you know what? We deserve better.”

Alex’s eyes lit up during Elizabeth’s incensed speech. She prided herself as a team leader, one who could lead them through obstacles of corporate negligence. Alex, the newest member of her team, seemed to benefit particularly from her pep talks. He came aboard as a shy, somewhat bumbling worker but his productivity blossomed under her wing and now he was one of her most dependable workers, albeit still rather shy.

“You really think they’ll listen?” He asked.

“I’m a team leader. I’ll have a little more sway than Ryan ever did, but I’ll have even more if I have a bit of backup.”

Alex stared at her for a few moments, not quite catching on.

“I meant you, Alex.”

“M-me? But.. I don’t really know what I can do…”

“You’re my go-to man, Alex. Whenever I need something done, you get it done in record time. I’m not sure if there’s anything more I could ask for to get this done than to have my star worker at my side backing me up.”

“W-Woah… You really mean that, Elizabeth?”

“Every word.”

Alex looked down at his feet and readjusted his tie. He cleared his throat a few times before replying, “Well, if you have my back… then I guess I got yours.”

===================

Elizabeth and Alex were the only ones on the elevator as it rose to the floor of the head corporate offices. They asked around their floor for anyone else willing to come along and back them up but found no takers. None of them wanted to risk getting chewed out by their boss or worse. Still, Elizabeth had no plans to back out of the idea, and Alex’s resolve seemed to only grow with each passing moment.

“We got a couple of signatures on a petition at least,” he said as the elevator rose to the top floor. “That should be worth something even with just the two of us.”

The doors finally dinged and slid open, “I really hope so,” was her response as they stepped out, “fingers crossed.”

To simply say the CEO had the entire floor to himself was an understatement. The elevators opened to an expansive foyer, the centerpiece of which was a marble fountain with gentle dribbles of water cascading down. The ceilings rose twice as high as any of the floors below it, sacrificing an entire floor of potential office space to make room for luxurious light fixtures. Technically, there were other corporate offices on the same floor for those who worked immediately under the CEO, their doors spaced evenly through carpeted double wide halls. While not quite as large as the CEO's, their offices were certainly much more comfortable than the cubicles on Elizabeth’s floor.

The way to the CEO’s office wasn’t hard to spot. Just beyond the fountain was a set of huge, oaken double doors. As the two approached Elizabeth noticed the nameplate fastened to the doors,

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
REGINALD “PRIN” O’REILY
DO NOT DISTURB

“Short for ‘princess’” Elizabeth muttered to her colleague.

“Excuse me?” asked a hushed voice, “Do you have an appointment?”

Just to the left of the oaken doors sat a short, brown haired man at a desk with more space than Elizabeth’s and Alex’s desks combined. Much of that space went unused save for a computer, telephone, and a pair of pens carefully laid out. He stared at them through a pair of glasses with wide, saucer-like lenses. His suit fit loosely on him which, together with the oversized desk and doors, made him appear woefully undersized for his surroundings.

“No.” retorted Elizabeth, “It’s an emergency meeting of sorts concerning workplace conditions–“

“Uh uhh N-no you can’t! You absolutely can not go in without an appointment. Prin– Mr. O’Reilly you see is very… preoccupied with some important business at the moment and absolutely can not be disturbed.”

Before Elizabeth could respond, a voice with regal air about it blared through the telephone's intercom system, “Victor, there’s a spot on one of these bananas. Send for a replacement right away, you know how I feel about bruised foods.”

Elizabeth shot Victor a hard glare and tried hard not to crumple the documents in her hand with a clenched fist. She checked on Alex who likewise was giving the secretary the evil eye. “Important business, huh?” She motioned Alex towards the huge oaken doors. Victor cried after them.

“Wait! Wait! I might be able to squeeze you in for next week!” but Elizabeth had already shoved her way past the doors.

If the foyer was luxurious, then the CEO’s office was a monument to sheer opulence. The ceiling rose even higher here, complete with baroque vaulted ceilings and a chandelier that glittered with the sunlight coming through massive windows on the far end of the office. The walls were lined with towering bookshelves, a bar stocked with countless wines and spirits, and even medieval suits of armor with swords and maces on full display. Racks of designer suits and jackets were clustered into a far corner of the room near an enormous room divider that looked as if you could hide a single story home behind it. Elizabeth and Alex walked across a crimson carpet covered in elaborate floral designs that stretched the nearly tennis court distance from the doors to the main desk, a ridiculous mass of polished mahogany. Behind that desk sat the CEO who everyone, purportedly even himself, referred to as ‘Prin’.

Nonhuman people were not unknown in the world, but pinning down exactly what Prin was was difficult. He was a man of a relatively skinny build with ruby red hair that complimented his mahogany skin. His pointed, nearly twelve inch long ears and prominent, pointed nose gave him the vague resemblance of a bat, albeit one with a long brush-tipped tail. Whatever he was, he dressed the part as CEO of a fashion empire in his tie, vest, blazer and purple eyeshadow, all from the most exclusive pages of his company’s catalog of products.

“You’re not Victor.” he remarked as Elizabeth and Alex approached, “and that certainly doesn’t look like a basket of fruit in either of your hands.”

Alex was the first to speak, “It’s a formal complaint and petition.” his tone was firm yet wavering and he stood just a step back behind Elizabeth. She didn’t blame him for stay a bit behind, it took some serious guts to stand up to your boss. “We can’t work in these cramped conditions any longer!”

Prin brushed what appeared to be a perfectly good banana off his desk into an unseen wastebasket, wearing a frown of measured annoyance. “I’m sorry, but you two must be lost. Unless Victor got the nameplates mixed up I don’t believe that door reads ‘Complaint Department’. He’ll be more than happy to provide you with a map of the office, I’m sure.”

“Your ‘Complaint Department’ is a joke!” Elizabeth shot back, “It’s nothing but a bureaucracy designed to stifle dissent and keep employees from speaking up!”

“It most certainly is not!” Prin balked. The edges of his mouth seemed to stretch and shift supernaturally with his expressions. Together with the long ears that rose and fell with his tone, expressive eyes, and broad gesticulations punctuating every other sentence, it made for a very dramatic performance. He continued, “and even if it was, which it isn’t, it doesn’t seem to be working considering the two of you managed to find your way into my office anyways. Honestly, if it was their job to keep you quiet, which, again, it isn’t, I’d expect them to do a much better job of it if that was a thing I happened to pay them for…which, for the record, I don’t.”

“Hold on,” Alex sounded like his mind was still catching up, “you pay them to… not do what?”

“It’s doing exactly what you want it to.” Elizabeth talked past Alex and Prin, “But now you have no choice but to listen to what we have to say.” She slapped a sheet of paper onto the desk and pushed it towards Prin. “This is a list of demands. More desk space and floor space afforded to each employee in the sales department in addition to greater transparency in company management.”

Prin’s face scrunched with disgust as he held the sheet between his clawed thumbs and forefingers as if the document was fresh from a dumpster or the very act of having to acknowledge it caused him pain. “Blegh. Organized labor…not to mention the penmanship of these signatures is atrocious. It’s like a middle school yearbook. And transparency?”

“In particular with regards to layoffs and firings, prompted of course by the radio silence from corporate on what became of Ryan Flowers.”

Prin stared at Elizabeth. He didn’t wrinkle his nose in annoyance or spit a thinly veiled insult, he simply focused on her. Elizabeth felt the tone in the room shift. She wasn’t sure if it was for better or worse.

“Who?” he asked plainly.

“Ryan Flowers.”

“Doesn’t ring a bell.”

“A member of my sales team that after going, without my permission, to corporate has not been seen in or out of the office since. Not by his coworkers. Not by his neighbors. Not by anyone.”

Prin chuckled, “Darling, this is a fashion company. Not a detective agency-

“Do NOT ‘darling’ me!” Elizabeth slammed her fist on the desk’s polished surface, earning a nasty glare from the beastly CEO. “Are you saying that it isn’t in a company’s interest to know what happened to an employee who suddenly vanished?”

“What I’m saying is that I know nothing about the man!”

“Last time anyone heard from him he said he was headed to your office.”

“Perhaps this Ryan Flowers got lost on the way there, considering I never saw him!”

“Horseshit.”

Prin nearly knocked over his leather chair as he suddenly stood, slamming his palms on his desk. His ears were pulled back like an enraged cat and his teeth were barred revealing sharp, pearly fangs as he spoke. “You. insolent. Little– do you honestly expect me to keep track of every employee that walks in here complaining about how tiny their desk is? You three barge in making demands when I’m bankrolling your company blazers–“

“So you did see him?” Alex asked sheepishly.

Prin’s voice lowered as both he and Elizabeth turned to him, “Pardon?”

“W-well you said ‘you three’. It’s just Elizabeth and I right now so… Ryan must be the third.”

Elizabeth turned back to Prin. He shifted uncomfortably as he leaned on his desk. He drummed the polished surface with his claws and rapidly tapped his foot. He looked down and around the two of them, like he was literally searching for a counterpoint floating nearby. Even his tail swished about in a frantic pattern behind him, something he seemed to notice when he forced it back behind the desk.

Prin opened his mouth several times before finally getting the words out, Elizabeth could tell the CEO was trying hard not to lose his composure, “Well now that you mention it… ah! Yes! You’ve refreshed my memory, Mister…

“Alex-

“Whatever. Yes, he did come by. Something about elbow room. Of course since he shirked the proper chain of command he had to be let go, not quite unlike another two employees of mine if they don’t leave in the next sixty seconds.” He pressed a button on his desk, “Victor, get these miscreants the door.”

“So do you know where he is?” Elizabeth asked.

Prin had turned his attention to a document on his desk, not bothering to look up, “No. Fifty-five seconds.”

Elizabeth didn’t move, neither did Alex. Even when the doors far behind them opened.

His tone grew more stern, “Forty-five seconds…”

“There’s something you know that we don’t.”

“Forty-”

Elizabeth slammed her hands back on the desk, “How about we sue you through the ass?”, she shouted at her boss.

“Fucking hell! Could you not?”, Prin barked, his razor sharp teeth clearly visible as his brow furrowed with rage, “I just had this refinished–”

“–and don’t think for a second that when we do that we won’t find some shady-ass shit going on here.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“I think the boss sitting in his own little Taj Mahal while his employes are working in a fucking mosh pit is going to look a little suspect to the average jury. People might think there's more to this company’s problems than just elbow room. Pretty soon they might even see fraud in big red letters written all over it.”

Prin was on his feet again, his amethyst eyeshadow added a glamorous flair to his icy glare, “You dare accuse me-”

“I’m not accusing you of anything. Just observing what’ll pop up in a courtroom.”

“OhohohoHo! So this is a threat, then?”

Alex nudged her, “Elizabeth…”

“–We have him on the ropes. Call it a promise, Prin.”

“Do you really think you want to come to blows with my legal department?”

“Don’t have to if you tell us what happened to Ryan.”

“Are you FUCKING BRAINDEAD, woman? For the last time, I know nothing!”

Their screaming match echoed in the cavernous office. Elizabeth refused to relent, “As far as anyone can tell he never stepped off this floor! So unless you don’t want to come to blows with me, I suggest you spit it out!”

One of Prin’s eyebrows rose behind his ruby red bangs, “Was that another threat?”, he asked more inquisitively this time.

“It’s whatever it needs to be.”

Elizabeth and Prin stared each other down for nearly a minute, neither of them saying another word or even taking their eyes off of one another. Elizabeth knew she probably crossed essentially every professional boundary there was, but at this point she didn’t care. She’d rather be carried out of the building standing up for her team than take the corporate neglect and abuse lying down.

Prin was the first to speak. A smirk had stretched on one side of his face, though he looked far from happy, “Oh well, I suppose negotiations are in order then?”

He pressed the button on his intercom again, “Victor, the doors.” The huge doors on the far end of the hall closed again. With another press of a button the curtains of the huge windows behind him were drawn together as the lights in the ceiling brightened to compensate.

“We won’t take any less than-

“Oh, you two will get your answers and new accommodations soon enough,” he chimed with a dismissive wave of his hand, “but right now I’d like to make myself a little more comfortable before we carve out any deals. If you’d excuse me.”

Prin pushed away his leather roller chair and walked towards the massive room divider that cordoned off an entire corner of the room. It was three times larger than necessary and the fact that Prin was a bit shorter than Elizabeth made made the divider even more ridiculous. Perhaps he meant for it to cover his ego?

“We didn’t come here to see you try on a new pair of pants!” Elizabeth called out after him, though Prin didn’t bother responding as he disappeared behind the screen. She had half a mind going after him, but seeing your boss in their underwear probably didn’t do wonders for negotiations. Maybe in other contexts it did, but that wasn’t the case here.

Elizabeth really hoped that wasn’t the case here.

She and Alex stood waiting for Prin to come out so the negotiations, whatever they might be, could start. Before long there was a bit of a commotion of scraping and heavy thuds from behind the screen, as if Prin was rearranging furniture back there. Probably just more nonsense to waste more of their time.

Still she waited, feeling more impatient as more inexplicable sounds emerged from behind the screen before finally Prin’s tail poked out. At least, it looked like Prin’s tail. It had the same Ruby red brush of hair at the tip like his and still the same mahogany brown as the rest of him. Only bigger.

Much bigger.

“Uh, Elizabeth?” Alex nudged her again.

“Just some expensive trick.” She assured him, “Probably thinks he can scare us into running out empty handed with a giant puppet of his tail.” For how life-like it was it was quite a trick for sure. She wondered if he tried to pull the same trick on Ryan when he came last week. No doubt Prin would give up after a minute or so and reveal the wires and pulleys he used to pull it off and use it as an excuse to flaunt his wealth or genius or whatever.

She kept that idea up until the rest of Prin walked out.

At least, it looked like Prin? Some of it did at least. The upper part, the redhead with the smug, punchable face and torso dressed in a sky blue shirt and brown vest was still definitely Prin but below his waist– below his upper part’s waist –was something else.

Elizabeth could best describe it as being in the shape of a dragon. Prin’s brown skin took the place of scales though he was a shade lighter on his underside than his back. All the way down his monstrous back his deep red hair extended as a mane that terminated at the tip of his tail. Most striking of all was the number of limbs. Below his ‘normal’ waist Prin sprouted a pair of arms ending in clawed hands clutching his trousers. Below that were a third set of limbs themselves followed lastly by a set of thickly haunched hind legs that together bore his weight on the carpeted floor. Again, nonhuman persons weren’t uncommon in the world and Elizabeth had met quite a few, but she had never seen anything remotely like this.

Not to mention he was impossibly huge. Earlier, Prin probably couldn’t have touched the top of the room divider even if he stood on Elizabeth’s shoulders. Now, he draped the blazer he was wearing earlier over the divider’s top edge without so much as needing to pick up the mid legs of his draconian body. The three story ceiling suddenly seemed a lot less superfluous.

“So.” Prin addressed the two of them with an almost cheerful tone. He rested his chin on his hand as his more monstrous arms dexterously creased out the folds of his trousers, “You want to know what became of Ryan?”

Chapter 2

Word Count: 5740

Added: 03/21/2025

Updated: 04/04/2025

The question felt something like a Sphinx’s riddle coming from the now more monstrous Prin. The fact that only now he seemed willing to share what happened to their coworker after being so stalwart in denying he even existed didn’t sit well with Elizabeth. She found herself afraid of the answer, without really knowing why. Her mouth felt dry as she tried to speak, “How… what…”

“My, my. Finally at a loss for words dear?” He gently laid the trousers atop the screen as he stepped towards them with a low thud. “If I had known this was what it would take to stop your bickering I would’ve done this soooo much earlier. It does feel good to stretch one’s legs after a long day of desk work wouldn’t you say?”

Prin continued to thump towards them at a leisurely pace. Elizabeth stepped back, instinctively motioning Alex to stay behind her, “Where… is he?” She finally muttered.

Instead of flying into an irritable rage like earlier, Prin’s smile only grew wider across his smarmy face. “Hmhmm~ It’s quite ironic, really. You’ve been wondering where your dear team member was when in a way he’s been here all this time.”

To Elizabeth’s surprise, Alex asked first. “What does that even mean? Did you hide him in…your office?

Prin’s smile grew a toothy grin. He looked as if the whole thing was an elaborate joke and holding back the punchline. “Oh, that’s adorable. No darling. You’re looking at him– what’s left of him at least.”

An icy chill ran down Elizabeth’s spine. What’s left of him? Absolutely none of the words in that sentence were good. All of them pointed at a grim conclusion and yet the how was still missing. “What do you mean?”

The monstrous CEO’s grin finally broke into laughter, a cruel cackle from deep within the monster’s chest. “At the risk of sounding cliche, dear, I suppose you could say he caught me in the middle of lunch.”

There was a pause as Prin let the various hints he laid out for them sink in. Elizabeth connected the dots but she didn’t believe it. She didn’t want to believe it. She only now realized she was shaking, and it seemed Prin noticed it too. His colorful eyes met hers and Prin licked his lips.

He ate Ryan.

“No…” was all she could say.

“I– I don’t understand.” Alex spoke up, his voice trembled, “What does that have to do with Ryan? What… what did you do?”

“No? Still not quite digesting what you’ve heard?” Prin’s spoke in a condescending voice. He dropped down lower, resting on his bestial forelimbs as he leaned in dangerously close. “In a sense I had to relocate him but it turned out he couldn’t handle the churn of his new workspace for long.” As if on command, Elizabeth heard a low, unmistakable groan from deep within Prin’s monstrous form.

Elizabeth continued to step back, extending an arm in front of Alex as if he could hold back the monster from her coworker. She wanted to tell Alex the truth, but the words kept getting caught in her throat.

“You’re not making any sense!” Alex stammered, “Is he here or not?”

Prin’s eyes narrowed and his tone began to harden again, “Still not getting it? Perhaps I did too good of a job working him off? Poor man went straight to my thighs.” Elizabeth could tell he was losing patience. She worried if she didn’t tell Alex soon their monster of a boss was liable to snap his neck.

Again, Alex got the first word, “You sat on him?”

Prin pinched the bridge of his nose and squeezed his glittery amethyst eyelids shut as he spoke through grimaced fangs, “You dense little… NO!” He screamed and lurched closer to Alex, shouting inches from his face “I ate him! You understand now? I ate him! How on earth did we hire you in the first place?” He rose back off his bestial forearms with a huff, looming over the two once more as he fixed his tie and hair, “Nuance really is a waste on some of you humans…”

Elizabeth couldn’t look too closely at Alex on account of keeping her eyes on Prin, but she had no doubt he was on the verge of falling into hysterics. “You won’t get away with this!” she said, “Once people find out–”

“But dear, don’t you see?” Prin returned to his cheerful, regal tone, “I already have. This wonderful body of mine is quite efficient at erasing evidence,” he patted the side of his draconic lower half, “and my darling secretary is loyal to a fault. Nothing, and no one, leaves this room unless I say so.” He punctuated the statement by taking another heavy footstep closer, sending tremors through his employees. “And even if you did, what makes you think anyone would believe anything as ridiculous as the prima donna CEO Prin gobbling up his insubordinate employees?”

A raw feeling of dread had started to well up inside Elizabeth, “Y-You’re a monster…”

“Flattery will get you nowhere, dear.” Another heavy step forward. “And just in case one of you isn’t catching on, I am going to make myself very… very clear.” another low, gurgling groan erupted from deep within him. He licked his chops before speaking with cold, careful annunciation, “I am going to devour the both of you. Alive. My, it does feel rather lovely saying that out loud.”

Elizabeth’s legs tensed. She grabbed a handful of Alex’s shirt. She was bracing herself to run and drag her team member with her.

Prin continued to talk, he was visibly salivating, drips rolling down his chin as he eyed them like pieces of meat on a grill, “Now I know you’re probably wondering ‘have we backed up enough that we could reach the door before he catches us?’ Well…” he let out a dark chuckle as he dropped down on his bestial forearms again, his back rearing up like a voracious lion ready to pounce, “Why don’t we find out, shall we?”

Elizabeth wasn’t going to risk stalling any longer. Prin was terrifyingly confident about catching them, but they still stood a better chance going for it than being paralyzed with fear. She yanked on Alex’s shirt as she turned, shouting the only word he needed to hear as they bolted.

“RUN!”

As it turned out, she and Alex had backed up a little less than halfway across the length of the oversized office. A few minutes ago the distance from the doors to the desk was a nuisance at best, now it was a threat to their very survival. It would only take a few moments to reach the doors at their breakneck pace, but it was their two legs against the larger Prin’s six.

Elizabeth felt the floor tremble as a barrage of footsteps erupted behind them. She pushed her legs to move faster than they ever had before. “Faster!” She screamed at Alex. She was about to say they were almost there before Prin rushed past them.

She flinched, like narrowly dodging out of the way of a speeding truck. Prin galloped on six legs, a thundering blur of red, brown, and designer clothes rushing past before skidding to a stop, cutting them off from the door. Elizabeth caught barely a glimpse of Prin flashing his glistening fangs before she tugged on Alex to turn tail. She wasn’t sure where they were running anymore. They just needed to get away.

The floor shook again as Prin took after them again. A cruel chuckle was barely audible over the rapid thump-thump-thump of footsteps until, almost as soon as they had turned around, Prin pounced ahead with a terrible thud and cut them off again. His tail, long and serpentine, was corralling them on their left and behind them, leaving only one option. Elizabeth yanked on Alex’s shirt again and took a hard right. She tried to push down the growing idea in her mind that it was just an exercise in futility until they came face to face with a wall.

“I must thank you for the cardio, you two.” His voice was sickly sweet, “Really works up a gentleman’s appetite.”

He didn’t give them time to turn around on their own. Instead, his bestial arms reached out, palmed a shoulder of each, and forced them around before pressing against their chests, pinning them to the wall. Elizabeth wrestled with the clawed hand and got nowhere fast. Prin’s skin was rough, almost like sandpaper, and with the mass he had behind that arm she might as well have tried to lift a steamroller. A familiar feeling of helplessness was welling up in her, but she refused to let it take over.

“You can’t do this!”

“As a matter of fact, I can! It’s simply a matter of choosing which one of you to eat first.” He had dropped all pretense of maintaining any sort of composure. He looked them over with vibrant half-lidded eyes. He was audibly panting, his freakish tongue slavering over his glistening fangs and dribbling chin. More frequently Elizabeth could hear the expectant groans and churns of Prin’s stomach as he spoke, “I know either one of you would feel absolutely heavenly going down my throat~”

He rested his head on his palm again, tapping his finger against his chin as he looked over the two of them. Alex was whimpering, letting out the occasional, barely audible plea and Elizabeth continued to pull and claw at the arm pinning her, accomplishing little more than scraping up her palm all while Prin muttered to himself, “which one…which one...”

“Elizabeth… was it? You seem to rather pride yourself in your team members, don’t you?”

She stopped wrestling with the arm and looked up at Prin like a deer in the headlights. Another chill.

“I’ll take that as a yes. I can see why, given how loyal Alex must be to come along all the way up here with you.”

“You- leave him alone-”

“You’ve been quite protective of him since you came in, haven’t you darling? Quite deliciously so…”

Alex stammered, “Please no.”

“Aren’t you the lucky gentleman, Alexander?” The clawed paw against Alex’s chest loosened as Prin grabbed him under his arm with his regular hands, “Don’t be so hard on yourself, dear. I’m sure you’ll taste lovely.”

Prin’s standard arms were deceptively strong, hoisting Alex up without so much as a grunt of effort. The young man was hysterical, his rapid fire ‘nos’ and ‘stops’ doing nothing to slow down Prin as he turned him upside down and began to tug on his shoes, “Shoe leather is hell on my stomach, rest assured it won’t have any trouble with the rest of you. It can’t be too bad, I very rarely hear any complaints…”

Prin was the only one chuckling at his dark humor. He discarded the black shoes and took a grip on Alex’s legs while his free lower hand clutched a shoulder. Alex and Elizabeth were shouting over each other, Alex with pleas and Elizabeth with demands for him to be let go. She watched as Prin’s mouth opened wide, almost ear to ear, wider than any human being ever could, revealing ever more clearly rows of perfect, fang-like teeth and the gaping empty space behind them. It sounded like Prin was muttering something, but it was muffled as he closed his jaws around Alex’s ankles.

Their protests were almost drowned out by the deep, pleasured hum coming from Prin. Elizabeth could only watch as Alex tried to yank his feet out only to be shoved in past his knees. Alex reached out desperately towards Elizabeth and she reached in turn but not before Prin parted his jaws and dragged her friend and coworker out of reach with a throaty *Gglmphhh*.

Alex’s hands moved to Prin’s face, trying to brace himself against the pull of the depraved monster’s throat as his hips sank in. Prin acknowledged his prey’s efforts with a lilted, muffled chuckle before dragging the man’s hips past his jaws with another powerful swallow. It was more than just swallowing, with his rhythmic gulps dragging his employee deeper inside he was practically drinking the young man, and nothing Alex did or said was slowing him down. Elizabeth watched in horror as the writhing bulge in the monster’s neck and torso grew as more of her friend was swallowed.

“S-stop!”, he pleaded again and again. His right hand got caught in Prin’s maw, leaving him with just one hand free as his elbow and chest were pulled in, then up to his neck. Alex became only more frantic as Prin’s jaws closed on his head, forcing his face into the monster’s tongue before disappearing in the dark. Prin let out a deep, billowing sigh as he pulled in Alex’s arm until all that was left were his fingers, clutching desperately on his lip.

Elizabeth wanted to look away, but Prin had other plans. She found herself hoisted up, face to face with Prin who opened his jaws wide, displaying her coworker’s saliva coated hand reaching from his throat like it was some trophy. His hot, humid breath washed over her face as he kept his jaws open, giving her full view of the last of Alex disappearing inside him.

“Gulk…gglcuk…gulummph” the swallows were wet, disgusting, and almost deafening. A human sized lump squirmed and writhed beneath Prin’s luxury attire before descending deeper into his monstrous body. And then it was gone.

“My compliments to you for choosing to bring him with you, darling~” He sighed into her face, “For such a meek boy he squirmed rather exquisitely. He’ll do well to tide me over to the main course~”

Elizabeth was still processing what she just witnessed. She watched this thing swallow Alex alive, and he made no attempt to hide his enjoyment. Prin was smiling ear to ear, mouth half open, not paying any mind to the drool dripping over his lip as he panted into her face. It was moist and uncomfortably warm as its gusts rustled her bangs, though it did nothing to quell the shiver running through her.

“Hmmm~ Personally I usually go for headfirst, though feet first certainly has its… moments.” Prin spoke slowly and deliberately, pausing intermittently to sigh or stifle a dark chuckle. Elizabeth noticed Prin’s cheeks were just a bit redder than before, he was blushing. “Can’t quite put my finger on what I loved more about it, his heartwarming little attempt to grab your hand or feeling his fingers slip past my lips–”

“YOU SICK FUCKING–” Elizabeth screeched as she flailed, clawing at the monster’s rough, leathery skin, “FREAK!” She kicked her legs out, jabbing her foot into wherever she could land a hit. Fight or flight was kicking in again, and after hearing her boss wax poetic about eating her friend, she was choosing fight.

“And this is why I wanted you last, Darling.” Prin’s cadence barely shifted even as she wailed on every part of his body within range, “Nothing quite like a fighter to round out a meal.”

“I’ll break your damned jaw!”|

“Doubtful. And as much as I’d love to humor you with a sparring match, dear, I think it's best you save that energy until you’re inside me. You’d lose, anyways.”

Prin’s arms grabbed her by the shoulders and hoisted her up as easily as a doll, lifting her over his head until she was looking down at his voracious, slavering face as he spoke.

“One last thing. When you see Alexander, tell him the uniforms are coming out of your paychecks.”

Prin’s jaws opened wide again like a bear trap, ready to clamp down on Elizabeth to ensure her no chance of escape before dragging her in. In a stroke of luck, or simply by Prin being too absorbed in gloating, he had neglected to secure her legs. In the panic of the moment, Elizabeth didn’t even realize this herself until her flailing legs landed a solid kick right in the center of Prin’s nose.

Prin let out a screech that was somewhere between a wounded animal and a damsel being startled by a cockroach. Elizabeth was dropped without warning as Prin’s hands cupped his nose while his other limbs scampered backwards, giving Elizabeth a generous window to make a run for it.

Instinctively, she began to bolt towards the oaken double doors before she remembered Alex. It was her fault that he was there in the first place and now he was going to endure a fate worse than anything she could have ever dreamed of. She couldn’t just leave him. There was still time to save him, right?

On the opposite side of the grandiose office were several suits of armor, the closest one brandishing a knightly sword in its gauntlets. Without further hesitation she changed course, nearly crashing into the suit as she grabbed the hilt of the blade. It was stuck.

She glanced over her shoulder, expecting Prin to be barreling towards her, jaws agape. Instead, he was looking in the opposite direction at a massive, ornate mirror mounted to the wall. He muttered to himself, “If she broke anything, I swear…is that a bruise?” as he turned his head every which way. He was preoccupied, but she couldn’t count on that for long.

Elizabeth yanked on the hilt again. It was bound to the manikin with wires that she had no time to untie and each time she pulled the plates of armor rattled together loudly. She knew she didn’t have the luxury of picking another weapon. It was either get the sword or take on the truck sized monster barehanded. With another vicious yank she tore the blade free, just in time for an enraged Prin to turn around.

“Do you realize just how much work it takes to keep this face beautiful?” His shadowed eyes and long ears twitched erratically as he growled.

Elizabeth gripped the sword white knuckled and pointed it directly at Prin, “If you lie down on your back I might make it quick, you bastard.” She spat.

“And just what do you expect to do with that little blade of yours, or rather, min? But, If you want to play hero and save your dear Alexander, I suppose you’ll get that sparring match after all.”

Elizabeth charged, “His name is Alex!”, her arms braced, ready to plunge the blade into the beastly CEO. Before she even got halfway across the room Prin turned his body and swung his tail. Long and thick, it slammed into Elizabeth and the suit of armor at breakneck speed, catching her in the side and sending her tumbling to the floor along with the smashed fragments of medieval plate mail.

Her trousers and blazer saved her from rug burn as she skidded along the carpet away from the exit. The sword landed within reach, though she winced from the ache in her back and shoulders as she clutched it and fought to bring herself back to her feet.

“Never tried striking someone with my tail before, how amusing,” Prin noted as he closed the distance at a casual pace. His wide, toothy grin was back, “Could do without the collateral damage though I suppose that will have to come out of your paychecks as well.”

Elizabeth aimed the sword towards Prin again, having significant trouble keeping it steady. This time Prin moved first, his six legs breaking into a thundering gallop barely softened by the carpet. Even if she could get a clean hit, At Prin’s speed it would be like stabbing at a runaway truck. Instead of crashing, however, Prin leaped, landing behind Elizabeth and past the arc of her attack with an explosive THOOM. The floor shook so violently from Prin’s landing she nearly lost her balance.

“Goodness, you humans can be so pathetically slow, it’s a wonder any work gets done at this company at all!”

How could something so big move so fast? Elizabeth needed to think ahead if she was going to get out of this office. Expecting another swipe of the tail, which was mere inches from her head, she raised her sword to try to catch Prin with the cutting edge. Instead of getting swatted by his tail, however, she felt a vicious blow against her back as Prin bucked his powerful hind legs and slammed his paws into her, launching her into the air. The sword fell from her hand again, out of reach this time, as she face-planted into the carpet. She was lucky she hadn’t landed on the blade, but her aching back kept her from appreciating the fact. Prin was simply too big, too fast, and too strong for her to handle. She knew it, but she refused to accept defeat, even as she heard his heavy footsteps thumping closer and closer. If she did admit defeat, what did that mean about her? About Alex?

Elizabeth pushed herself up to try to drag herself within reach of the sword, only for a heavy paw to press into her back and drive her back down to the floor. She heard the bassy groan of Prin’s stomach churning above her. “Was that a rough landing dear?” his tone excessively taunting, “I’m just so used to simply gobbling people up I sometimes forget my own strength!”

The hand on Elizabeth’s grabbed her by the shirt and flipped her over. Prin loomed overhead with three of his arms resting on their respective hips, the fourth was fanning his face as he continued to gloat, “All that putting-you-in-your-place really took a lot out of me. You don’t mind if I take a load off and rest here, do you?”

The clawed paw lifted from her chest as Prin took several steps forward, straddling Elizabeth and placing her directly underneath his bestial underbelly. Light brown skin stretched across her field of view just a few feet above her, held aloft by legs with strength enough to carry his ponderous bulk with enough to spare to bat her effortlessly across the room. The monster’s legs only held her attention for a moment as her focus turned towards the belly positioned directly over her, distended, rumbling, and slowly moving towards her.

Panic spiked again in Elizabeth and she reflexively raised her arms to hold him back and try to avoid getting crushed. His skin still bore a somewhat sharkskin texture but the rough points of skin were spaced out with wide, smooth patches that were pudgy and supple rather than stiff and leathery. Her palms immediately sank in a few inches, soft flesh bulging around them before she felt the brunt of his weight. Good god he was heavy. It felt like bench pressing an overweight draft horse. It wasn’t long before her arms began to tremble, how long could she keep this up? She cursed herself for not rolling out of the way as she brought her legs up despite her aching back, hoping her stronger legs could buy her some time until she thought of something to get away. She heard a deep chuckle as she braced a foot against the gut looming over her.

“My, my, Elizabeth.” Prin cooed, “Each of your attempts to slow me down is more adorable than the last. Please tell me you don’t actually think you’re holding me up, do you?” Prin let out another chuckle, a harsh, cruel one that made Elizabeth’s chest seize up. “No, darling, That’s just the tip of the iceberg. Here, allow me to…enlighten you~”

“N-no!- shit…”

Elizabeth had a number of choice words for Prin but no time to go into detail as the weight she was trying to hold up rapidly increased. Within seconds the weight went from that of a draft horse to what felt like trying to hold up an elephant. In her peripheral vision, Elizabeth could see Prin’s legs slowly bending to lower himself while the rumbles and grounds of the gut came closer and closer. Her legs buckled and were pinned awkwardly as Prin’s hind legs settled his lower half on the carpet. Elizabeth tried to shout a profanity at Prin before he let his forelegs fall away, dropping the rest of his weight on the helpless human. She was powerless to stop him as her arms gave up on her against his unstoppable mass.

Equally worse as the weight was the sound. With an ear forced against the beast’s stomach, the occasional groan was now a constant flow of almost deafening churns, gurgles, glorps, and rumbles, drowning out any jeer or taunt from Prin as he shifted his weight to grind his warm, immovable bulk into Elizabeth’s small, aching frame to insure she was as uncomfortable as possible.

As hundreds, if not thousands of pounds of Prin bore down on her, Elizabeth heard another sound amid the churning stomach. It was intermittent and muffled beneath the layers of skin, muscle, and fat but vaguely familiar. It was accompanied with the occasional prod and bump from within. Oh fuck. Elizabeth finally realized it, Alex was still alive in there. He’s calling for help.

Elizabeth would have called back if it weren't for the crushing weight engulfing her. She tried even harder to escape from beneath Prin but she still could only manage a few futile squirms. She had gone too long without a breath, and even if she could there was too much of the monster for even a hope of budging him. The only movement came from Prin himself as he rocked and shifted, focusing more of that unbearable mass across her human body like a sadistic steamroller. Dread welled up in her oxygen starved mind on what part of her would break first under the pressure or if she’d just suffocate beneath her employer's stomach with her friend churning inside

Just before either fate was realized, the weight rolled away. The ceiling lights were almost blinding as Elizabeth wheezed in her first breath of fresh air since he laid on top of her, followed by a coughing fit. How long was she under him? It couldn’t have been more than a two or three minutes but from the way everything ached from Prin’s weight it might as well have been an hour.

“Feeling properly tenderized, yet?” Prin was lounging beside her, his entire body rested on its side, proudly displaying the curve of the gut she was buried beneath moments ago. His head rested in his hand as he lay, making no attempt to restrain her. “I hope I didn’t overdo it. As lovely as it feels to have your pretty face mushed under my beautiful body, It’ll be even lovelier to feel you writhing inside it~” Saliva dribbled from Prin’s mouth as he spoke, “From the way you’re glaring at me I take it you heard Alexander in there? Felt him perhaps? I certainly can, the boy is still putting up quite a delicious struggle…”

Another wave of anger washed over Elizabeth. She forgot that her battered back was aching as all hell as she rolled herself over to pick herself up, fists clenched. Prin still made no attempt to restrain her. Instead he stretched out all eight of his limbs, trembling slightly as he let out a loud yawn before rolling back onto his feet. “I’m sure he’ll appreciate your company when you join him.”

Elizabeth, somehow, also pushed herself back onto her feet, though with far more difficulty. She threw a punch at Prin, landing a solid blow just under his second set of arms. As solid as it was, he didn’t flinch.

“A headstrong and determined woman such as yourself would’ve made a wonderful executive, Elizabeth.” His bestial hands wrapped their clawed fingers around her shoulders before she could pull away and lifted her up. “Almost a shame the closest you’ll ever get to the boss’s chair is as padding on my haunches~”

Elizabeth swung her fist again, hoping to catchy the pompous monster in his pointed nose again. Instead her wrist was caught by Prin wearing a warm, friend eating smile. “As fun as our little tussle was, I’m afraid my stomach is getting a bit impatient for its second helping.” Elizabeth heard that familiar rumble, as if to make a point.

Elizabeth threw one more punch with her free hand, only to be stopped short and restrained. “Let’s end this charade already, I’ve waited far too long to get a taste of you. Save it for when you’re inside.”

One of the clawed hands left Elizabeth’s shoulders to grab her under the chin, keeping her face in place as Prin leaned in, jaws open. His warm breath brushed against her face again as his tongue rolled out and touched her cheek. His tongue was longer than any human being’s and wide enough to cover half of her face as he dragged it upwards like she was a living lollipop, humming with delight all the while.

Prin smacked his lips as he withdrew his tongue, leaving her face soaked with saliva from her chin to her hair. “Oh my, you were well worth the wait, dear.”

His slavering jaws opened wide with an Aaaaah as he leaned in for another lick, giving her a clear view of rows of glistening fangs, strands of saliva stretching from tongue to palate, and the shadowy depths of his throat. She sputtered as she was pressed face first into his tongue. When she tried to pull away she found herself stuck, Prin’s clawed hand having since moved from her chin to the back of her head to keep her in place. His sighs, hums, and moans were almost deafening so close to his throat and they only became louder as Prin pushed her deeper and began to close his jaws around her head. Elizabeth continued to writhe and thrash, anything to pull herself from Prin’s jaws and avoid being sent down his throat. She tried to tear her hands free from Prin’s grip so she could pry her head out, but he’d already forced her arms to her sides, allowing him to easily push in her shoulders.

Elizabeth shouted as she fought against his grasping hands and jaws, “LET ME GO YOU DISGUSTING BASTARD!”

He answered back with a long, wet sssluuuurp as her head was pushed into his throat. It was unbearably tight and only became tighter as the muscles gullet closed around her and pulled her deeper and deeper with each disgusting swallow echoing around her. Gluck... Glmmph... Gulmph...

She fought hard against the idea that her fate was more certain as ever, even as she felt Prin’s jaws reach her hips. His tongue seemed to have more power than her entire body as it began to pull her in without the aid of his hands, soaking every inch of her with every slurp and swallow. She grasped desperately for something to stop her descent but found no purchase as her upper body descended behind Prin’s chest. Glmmmph... Gllmph... Glmmmmlck...

Was this really happening, she wondered? Was she really being swallowed alive by her boss? Just a few minutes ago she was sitting in her cramped cubicle and now she was being crammed down the CEO’s throat. This had to be some horrific fever dream she thought to herself as another, deep gulp dragged her knees in. The air was hot and humid and she could hear and feel the steady thump of Prin’s beating heart. Or did she? Maybe she’d wake up in her bed and the saliva drenching her to her bones was really just cold sweat? That has to be it, she thought as Prin slurped in her shins. The moment she fell into his stomach she’d wake up in her bedsheets and then she could go right back to sleep. Right?

Right?

The swallows continued and the rhythmic contraction of the walls picked up the pace as she sank deeper inside of the monstrous Prin. His the sound heartbeat faded behind her as the inner workings of his gut grew louder ahead. Her entire body was inside of him as she felt her feet slip past his tongue. Hot, slimy walls pressing in on all sides as she sank until the tight confines of the throat gave way to the cavern of Prin’s lower stomach.

Instead of the familiar softness of her bedsheets, Elizabeth crashed head first into a shallow pool of hot, viscous liquid. As she scrambled to pull her head out she realized it wasn’t so shallow, but instead there was something just below the surface. Or rather, someone.

“E-lizabeth?” sputtered a familiar voice.

“Alex?” it sank in that it wasn’t a dream after all, “We- we gotta get out”.

“But…”

Elizabeth got on her feet and stood as much as she could in the cramped confines of the stomach. She couldn’t see anything in the murky darkness but she could feel it was about a third full of liquid and just barely large enough for the two of them. She pressed her hands against the walls as her feet pressed down, “Just help me already! Maybe if we both-”

Elizabeth was cut short as the stomach lurched, knocking her off her feet and sending her crashing on top of Alex sitting in the juices. They were tangled with one another as they tried to keep off of one another as the stomach sloshed about.

"G-get off!" Alex sputtered.

"Trying-" The confines of Prin's gut only seemed more hopelessly cramped as Elizabeth tried to find some purchase on the walls to push herself up. She tried not to think too hard about the liquid that soaked every inch of her. Eventually she was kneeling again and lent Alex a hand to do the same.

"Just keep... keep hitting... here?" Elizabeth threw a punch above her, hoping to catch a sensitive point.

"But what if-"

"Alex! Just-" Again the stomach lurched and the two lost their footing. Elizabeth yelped as she felt her college fall face first into her chest, though personal space was the last of her concerns. The sounds of Prin's inner workings seemed to be getting louder and it felt like the stomach was getting more and more cramped with each passing moment.

"Elizabeth?” Alex whimpered in the dark, “I-I think it's getting deeper..."

Chapter 3, Aftermath

Word Count: 503

Added: 03/21/2025

Updated: 04/02/2025

Prin let out a deep sigh as he lay down on the carpet. One hand got to work undoing his tie and vest buttons while the other five went to work caressing his great underbelly. It had been quite some time since he swallowed two people in one meal. It was hell on his waistline but it was worth every pound to feel those delicious insubordinates struggle inside him, and goodness were they putting up a struggle.

“That’s right,” Prin cooed as he pressed his gut with his hands, he could feel a punch here, a kick there, “Fight me like you mean it, darlings.”

It was a powerful, euphoric feeling unlike any other to eat someone alive. Prin’s head swam as he tried to count all the lovely nuances, from the look on their faces when he makes his intentions clear, the savory taste of their face on his tongue, their futile writhing as their crammed down his throat, down to the muffled sounds of protests barely audible beneath his skin. And then there was the power.

Sure, as the CEO of a multi-million dollar company, Prin exercised a fair bit more power than any average person could even dream of. But he wanted more. After all he wasn’t just any person. He was Prin. He couldn’t just settle for financial power, he needed absolute power, and nothing was more absolute of a show of power than swallowing someone alive and savoring their futile attempts to avoid being part of his exquisite body…

Prin realized he was drooling on his shirt again, he’ll have to send this one to the dry cleaners. Again. He checked the time on an ornate grandfather clock and rolled over to stand, pausing to appreciate the feel of Alex and Elizabeth tumbling about inside of him. His footsteps were slightly heavier now as he galumphed over to his desk and dropped down belly first beside it with a heavy thump. Again he paused, paying close attention to the change in the struggle of his prey as they were no doubt now pinned between his great bulk and the inner walls of his stomach, their kicks and shoves becoming squirms to push him up from within. It was such a rush to inflict such a fate on another being using so little effort, it almost made him lightheaded. “Ah… lovely~”

Finally, Prin pressed the button on his intercom, “Victor? Be a dear and cancel the rest of my appointments today. I need time to help these two malcontents…acclimate to their new accommodations…”

Victor’s reply came as it usually did in these circumstances, anxious and stammering in a way that Prin couldn’t help but find endearing, “Y-yes sir…”

“Oh! And once you’re finished with that, I could use an extra set of hands~”

“Er, uh Prin? I really don’t-”

“Thank you, Victor! That’s very generous of you. I’ll see you within ten. Oh, and one last thing, tell the sales floor ‘you’re welcome’ for their newly vacant desk spaces.”

A Corporate Leviathan by ParisGreen

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3, Aftermath