A Piece of Cake

A sequel to a previous story (Bare Naked Ads) which had several people calling for another story. Happy to comply! Of course, any resemblance to people, living or dead is purely coincidental. All rights reserved, no portion may be duplicated without the express written permission of the author.

Now, when we had last left our intrepid duo, they had mounted (so to speak) a successful ad campaign for Nude Day.... They were ready to celebrate. Perhaps with a....

Piece of Cake

The advertising campaign that we had done for Nude Day was quite successful and noticed by 'the powers that be'. Not so much with a raise of formal recognition, but with a quick 'attaboy', a request for more in that style and the real payoff of more autonomy. Joan and I were left alone with biweekly reports to our VP, Ms. Jenkins.

"The clients have almost unanimously agreed that they got a bump in new contacts as a result of our event. The Bodypainting event is coming up soon, so the clients who joined in our '2 for 1' offer should see even more results." Joan sipped her coffee. It was the morning after the first night we had spent together.

"And they, along with the VPs will want to know what we have planned next. Any thoughts? The trouble with success is that they become used to it and want another one, bigger than the last one." I replied and looked at Joan. She wore one of my shirts, better than how I wore it, and it gapped seductively exposing a good portion of her breast.

"That doesn't always happen, James. You were very successful last night and I haven't gotten used to it and don't necessarily want a bigger one. Yours fits just fine." She sipped again and her eyes sparkled devilishly.

"Thanks for the review. Can I get a written reference? You know, in case I have a performance review?" I smirked. "But really, thank you. It really was nice. Do we need to have 'the talk' yet?"

"The talk? I'm not sure what you mean. I know pretty much what the birds and the bees are about, you don't mean that, do you? If you do, you are a little late." Joan cocked her head and sat back.

"Yeah, that ship sailed off into the sunset a while ago! No, the talk about where we are headed in this relationship. The last few weeks have been pretty intense."

"OH. THAT talk. I guess we could clarify a few things, but honestly, I'm fine. If things progress, great. If we remain work friends, that is great also. With benefits, yes, please. But I don't see a need for getting all serious and committed, exclusive and all that. Why don't we not try to 'fix' something that isn't broken? Explore some and see how it goes." Joan's eyes were serious now. Still pretty and deep, but not the twinkle from before.

"That works for me, but let's just leave it that either of us can ask the other for a status report at any point. But that is kind of what buddies do."

We finished our coffee and prepared for the day. The commute was pretty nice, we planned to work from home, actually, I was working from home, Joan was sharing work space.

"Okay, so Bodypainting Day is pretty well set, the sponsors are set, we have the artists on board. Should be a nice follow up event to Nude Day, without us having to do all the work! Since it is the 10th annual event, they changed the format some and it is limited to 50 artists and 75 models. Darn, I was hoping they wanted 76 and I could get painted again. This time by a professional." Joan smiled at the dig she couldn't resist.

"Yeah, that paint job from Nude Day was pretty lame. I might have to use the other end of the brush on you." I shot her a fake stern look. "But yeah, I am looking forward to seeing those professionals in action. Both the artists and the models. And did you see they are hopping on a double decker bus to ride around town when they finish? Now that will be interesting!"

Our phones chimed almost simultaneously which meant there was probably a text from work. We checked, and that was exactly what it was. A summons for a meeting in a half hour. Via online with our VP/supervisor and two others.

"Well, there goes casual day at home. Or at least top half casual. I'm leaving the jeans."

Joan snorted. "Oh, boo-hoo, slacker boy. I have to put a harness on along with a top that doesn't look like I spent the night rolling around in it. I assume you have an iron if I need it?"

We jumped up to get ready. "I wonder what they have in mind with such short notice?" I stripped and watched as Joan did the same. I know I got the better end of that deal. "Normally they give a bit more of a heads up. Say what you will about Ms. Jenkins, she at least doesn't surprise you with a pop quiz." I found a decent shirt with a collar and buttons and threw it on.

"Men. So much easier to get dressed. I'll have to check my makeup, I know I don't need much, but some so I look a little alive." Joan squirmed a little as she pulled on her top. "Oh, and I think we need to be in separate rooms so we don't have the same background and it will cut down or eliminate the feedback and echo." She applied a bit of liip- gloss and dusted her cheeks. "There. Good enough. I'll keep the lights low and it will be fine."

"Good call. I hadn't considered that, not that there is anything to keep quiet, but they might wonder why we are telecommuting together. We might start a thing - 'bandwidth sharing'. You know, like ridesharing?" I went to my computer and unplugged it to move to the bedroom. "I'll close the door to keep the noise down. Looks like we are set, even a few minutes to spare."

We logged back on and went to the virtual room for our meeting. The notice let us know we were in the right spot, but that the host had not arrived yet and that we would be recorded in this event. "Hey, we beat them here! Always good protocol." I shouted at the door to Joan.

"What? Oh, yes, we are in the queue. That is good, can barely hear you in here." A muffled voice reached my ears. Nice. Not hiding anything, but no need to broadcast things, either.

"Ding." The computer made a sound and the screen popped up with 5 boxes, two of which were Joan and I. Our VP, Ms. Jenkins occupied one and the other two were unfamiliar to me, and I assumed Joan as well. "Thanks for joining us on very short notice. We were also caught a bit on the short side as well. My colleagues Mr. Jackson from Research and Development and Mr. Andrews from Communications." She paused as the two gentlemen waved when their name was called. I noticed that Mr. Andrews had his microphone on mute.

"Why are we here? I'll start off with an overview to fill James and Joan in on the project. But first off, great work on the Nude Day event. It has gotten a lot of exposure" She smiled at her own witty remark. "Yes, pun intended. And now comes the Bodypainting Day follow up that you dovetailed in so nicely as a 'value added' event that made our clients quite happy. So happy, in fact, that they want you, Joan and James, to throw them a party following the Bodypainting exhibition." Again, she smiled, but I wasn't sure if this one had been intended. "Gentlemen, does that sum it up?"

Mr. Jackson nodded. I saw Mr. Andrews mouth move, but there was no sound. I decided to go for broke. "Mr. Andrews? Your mute is on. We can't hear you." Great introduction, right?

He searched the screen and we could see his hand moving the mouse around. The hand became more frantic, his eyes shifted from side to side.

"The microphone icon on the right side at the bottom - it will have a little line through it..." Me. Teaching a VP how to use the communications program. Wonderful start.

"Ah there's the little fucker. Got it." Andrews joined our meeting completely. "Oh. Sorry for the colorful introduction. I usually have someone to set my system up for me. Going solo today. But yes, a good summation, Jenkins. One 'special guest' in particular is who we wish to impress with the festivities is Mr. Wong. He contacted us about the Nude Day event after the fact, but is quite interested in possibly doing some advertising through our agency. David, is that your impression?"

Mr. Jackson, David, nodded.

"There you have it." Jenkins continued the meeting. "I don't like to give you too much detail because you are doing an extension of your own idea and concept. The more we fiddle with it, the more it shows what I call the 'Frankenstein' syndrome. It will look cobbled together. So there is the idea. We want the two of you to make it happen. Send me your outline by tomorrow morning. Thank you. Anything to add, Mr. Jackson? Mr. Andrews?

Mr. Jackson shook his head.

"Thanks for the technical help on this call, uh, James, is it? I'm in your debt. Good luck, not that you will need it. You have youth, energy and creativity on your side. Cheers." Mr. Andrews waved.

Ms. Jenkins moved her hand and her square went blank. "Ms. Jenkins has left the meeting."

Mr. Jackson made a few motions and his square also went dark. "VP David Jackson has left the meeting."

That left Joan, myself and Andrews. "Well, this is embarrassing. How do I exit gracefully like my colleagues? I guess I could shut the goddamn thing off. Or I can ask for a favor. Either of you know which place I click? A helluva VP for Communications is what you must be thinking. Trust me, I'm better than I seem."

I jumped in. "Shutting it down is one option, but you will see on the right, about halfway down a button that says 'End session'. Just..." The screen went dark. "Okay then." I ended my link and I heard Joan get up in the other room, so I figured she had as well.             

My door opened. "Well, that was interesting. I kind of like Anderson. Cute old fellow. I bet he is better than he showed on that call, but ironic that he was muted. If it had been Jackson, nobody would have known!" Joan stood in the doorway, smiling.

"Yeah, I could see sitting down with him and having a drink, just shooting the breeze. But what about the post party? What do you think? Do we have time to pull this off? Ideas, please. We have a week until the day." I tried not to sound as nervous as I was.

Joan came in and sat in the chair across from the bed where I was. "It's tight, but here are a few ideas. Feel free to add in ideas and details, but here's what I am thinking."

She was the detail part of our team. Organized and practical. She literally laid out a 'to do' list of items. Venue. How many? Invite some artists and models. Catering. Photo booth, photographers. All the way down to lighting, uplighting and music. It gave us a rough plan to divide up and begin to nail down. One thing we didn't know was budget. A quick note to Ms. Jenkins that we would need a rough budget target at tomorrow's briefing.

By 5pm we had made calls, lined up a variety of service options, come up with more ideas and exhausted ourselves. "Let's go somewhere. Let someone else feed us, and clean up after us. What do you think?" I put my laptop away and put my phone on a cord to charge.

"Deal." Joan stretched with her arms raised up. I noticed she had, at some point, taken her bra off for comfort. "How about where you ordered the pasta from? They have an actual place, right? Not just carryout."

"Yes, and they are right around the corner, before you say it, you look just fine to go out. Still a little make up on and the dress is casual. They like people to be comfortable. Oh, and they do have wine or we can BYO." I twisted and worked out a couple of kinks as well. "Need your shoulders rubbed?"

"Yeah, but if we start that, I'm afraid we might miss dinner." Joan smiled at the offer. "Maybe later, I do want to go over a few things at dinner. Just see what we have before we present it to Ms. Jenkins tomorrow. I wonder what her first name is. I don't recall ever hearing it. No matter, Let's go pick up some wine and head to dinner. I'm kind of hungry."

Off we went for dinner. We went over the details we had filled in and noted what we still had to confirm. Several things depended on the budget, with options in line for things like the catering and the venue. But we had a good proposal that would at least show we had worked hard on the idea.

"I have to head back to my apartment, James, I'll need some fresh clothes for the meeting tomorrow. And honestly, I would enjoy nothing more than that back rub and a night of reckless abandon, but this pitch tomorrow morning needs us fresh." Joan sounded fine, but her eyes looked a bit sad. I guess she really did want to stay and repeat our previous evenings activities.

"Not a problem, Joan. Remember, we said we would keep things casual; we are buddies and co-workers first. And yes, we want to look all bright eyed and bushy tailed tomorrow for Ms. Whatsername."

We returned to my place where I helped her collect her items from around the apartment. Not bad, it all fit neatly into her bag along with her laptop. "Okay shoot me a text when you get home. You know how I worry."

"You joke, but it is nice to know you care. I've had some other... um... experiences where it was less than chivalrous. More like 'Don't let the door hit you on your ass on the way out.' So, it is nice to be noticed and a little concern." Joan looked up and smiled.

"Hey, we're a team. I am concerned and I do recognize that you contribute more than your share. We are each good, but together? We're a force! Need me to walk you down to the station? It's no problem." I opened the door, and was prepared to honor the offer.

"Nah. I'm good. But I will text you." She rose up on her toes and gave me a kiss on the lips.

"Okay. See you tomorrow. This should be fun." I shut the door after I watched her go to the stairs.

The next morning, I went over a few details and then logged on to our link. I wasn't surprised to see Joan already there. "Good morning. Sleep well? I did."

"All good. I went over our notes and was out like a light. Totally ready for this." Joan sipped a cup of tea.

We exchanged a few comments back and forth and a third box appeared. We had our meeting members and jumped right in.

After basic greetings, Ms. Jenkins got to the point. "Okay, let me hear what you have. I have some rough budget figures, but I want to hear what you have first."

I deferred to Joan since she had some of the best items that could set the table. "First off, we wanted to find a venue that could accommodate our group and seemed to fit the theme. I called in a favor and the film academy is available and it is right across from the park where the event is held. The artists and the models will be returning to Union Park after their bus ride, so it will be easy for any that want to attend to come over. Invitations will go out to all 50 artists and the 75 models and the main room can accommodate 400 easily. I estimate at least half of the artists and probably about two thirds of the models will attend, so we have space for 300 to 350 other guests." Joan nodded almost imperceptive to me for the exchange.

I took the ball and continued. "The theme for this 10th anniversary is 'Artist's Voice', and the film academy has a great audio/visual set up which will allow us to show various clips and quotes from artists in different forms as the evening proceeds. For the food, the Institute for Culinary Education can feature several food stations from appetizers, small plates and desserts. I've seen their work, and the students are truly more artists than students." I paused.

Joan brought the pitch home. "We also have a limo company on hold for our use, to bring the clients and company management to the event. It happens to be a limo company with ties to several news outlets who will send photographers when they hear about this event."

The silence of a pause can be louder than a spirited discussion. Jean and I waited and watched as Ms. Jenkins absorbed the information. She looked down at a few notes she had taken and then back up to the screen.

"Anything else? This is a good base on which to build, and especially given the short time frame, I am impressed." Our boss seemed pleased.

Joan and I had anticipated the question. Joan again took the lead. "Two more details. We plan to have gift bags for all attending, the artist and models receiving ones featuring the clients' products and our clients receiving art pieces as well as other items. James will tell you the other item."

"As the old saying goes, 'a party without a cake is just a meeting', so we will have a cake to reflect the day. Instead of someone jumping out of a cake, we will have a model of our own, but instead of wearing body paint, she will be wearing cake. I, we, think all attending will be impressed." It was our turn to sit back and let silence take over.

Ms. Jenkins put a finger to her mouth and clearly was considering this new bit of information.

"Write it up and send it to me with any cost estimates. Based on what you are telling me, I don't see funding being an issue. Book those venues and caterers, proceed with all haste. Get me the names and addresses for the models and artists, I have the clients, so at least I can work out doing the invitations. Let me take that off your plate and we can also keep track of the responses. If there is nothing else, proceed. I will tell the business office to expedite any invoices that you submit." She looked at the screen and then her square went dark.

"Black Dog coffee shop in 15 minutes, OK?" I was half out of my seat and on my way.

Joan answered "I can make it in ten."

We both arrived at almost the same time, I was just quick enough to hold the door. "After you, Joan."

"Why, thank you James!" Joan scooted in and grabbed an open booth. "I'm impressed with us. In under 24 hours, we pulled together quite the event. And that was great of Ms. Jenkins to handle the invitations and responses. That's a big headache off our list. She must have been impressed." Joan was clearly excited, and rightly so.

"Yes. Or she wanted to 'make sure the invitations were handled correctly, meaning 'her' way. No matter, it is still impressive. Oh, and good morning." I leaned over to kiss her cheek.

"Yes, good morning. I could handle starting each day like this." Joan blushed slightly after saying that.

"I don't know. I'm not sure I could handle the stress of a video chat with our boss each morning. Oh, you mean a kiss and coffee." I felt a jab on my shin under the table.

"Okay, mister. We have work to do. You take your items and I will get on mine. Think of items for the goodie bags and how to assemble them and we can touch base tonight. Sound like a plan? Oh, and try to get some hard prices. While she doesn't seem to mind the costs, I think we should give her harder figures." Joan switched into her organized side. Quite sexy to see her in this 'take charge' mode.

"Sounds good. And speaking of 'harder figures', I plan to go for a workout later. Besides being healthy, it is also a good stress reliever. Care to join me? I figure we will be eating a lot of good food over the next few days - sampling, the event itself, carryout... I want to be proactive and get ahead of the weight gain."

"Great idea. I'll meet you at the company gym at say 5:30?" Joan pulled up her phone calendar to make a note.

"Sounds right. Kind of funny, isn't it? We work remotely most of the time, but go to the company facility for recreation? What a twist in our work lives!"

"It is a twist. But I kind of like it." Joan finished her tea and slid out. "Okay, I am heading to the film academy to get some shots of the room and to hammer out the deal. Keep in touch and we'll compare notes over the treadmill."

"On it. I'll start with the culinary crew. It's short notice, but those student chefs are used to that. See you at the gym." I got a cup to go and headed out.

I dashed around with the caterers, lined up several 'hungry' student chefs for the event as well as some of their friends as servers and assistants. Several suggested that they serve in a body paint 'uniform' which I thought might be a fun twist, but added my own caveat, "As long as it doesn't violate the food code." Next up were some ideas for the gifts and the cake. The very special cake.