Romancing the Sale

After a busy day in traffic and sales, Bill returns to the apartment about five. As he opens the door, the fragrance of something good is cooking and reaches his nostrils quickly. Dani is in the living room reading a magazine. Her hair is wet and it's obvious she just got out of the shower. He looks around and the apartment is shining and has a fresh fragrance all its own.

To set the record straight, Bill is not a slob, but some things, like dusting and polishing the furniture, is just not his thing. Dani has attacked the apartment with a vengeance and it really looks and smells pleasant.

"Wow, what a great job!" he says, excitedly.

She grins at him.

"I'm only half done. Tomorrow is the kitchen and floors and I didn't want to go into your bedroom unless I asked you first."

"I have no secrets, Dani. You may clean everywhere. What's for dinner?"

"Osso Buco."

"What's that?" he asks.

She chuckles.

"It's a veal shank in a heavy gravy sauce served with saffron risotto."

He asks, teasing her, "Would you translate that to English for me?"

She laughs.

Then he asks, "Are you a cook or a secret chef?"

She shines and grins at his compliment. Dinner is as good as yesterday's and he doesn't withhold his praise for her cooking abilities.

Tuesday is a repeat of Monday and now the apartment is really clean. He belatedly thought about the dozen condoms in his bedside night stand, but then thought maybe that isn't a bad thing for her to find. Dinner for Tuesday is Chicken Cacciatore, green beans, garlic bread and a Caesar salad. It's as good as the Osso Buco and Beef Wellington from the nights before.

"What are you going to do tomorrow, since the place is absolutely clean now, thanks to your excellent work?" he asks and wonders.

Dani replies, "I was going to ask you where the library is, do a little research and maybe look in the newspaper to see what jobs are out there."

He thinks for a few seconds.

"Do you know how to use a laptop?"

She smiles, "Of course. I'm computer literate. I used one in high school and then took computer courses in junior college. I was on and off the computer all day for the three years I had a job."

He suggests, "Good, then why don't you put off the library trip for a day and spend some quality time tomorrow with my extra laptop and put together a resume. It shouldn't be more than two pages, but be sure it includes all your computer and business experience. Once I see your resume, I can start going to the companies I call on and see if they have a fit for you."

"But, the newspaper has jobs advertised," she says.

"Yes, it does have some legit jobs, but there are also scams by headhunters and companies who often lie about what the job really is. My customers won't lie to me."

She stares at him for a second and then grins.

"Okay. For a second there, I forgot you're the boss this week. Right?"

He smiles and nods.

Before he leaves the next morning, he sets up the extra laptop and connects the slow printer to it. When he returns later that day, he finds a two page resume on the kitchen table and he can hear Dani in the shower.

He makes a drink, sits down on the sofa with her resume in hand, and skims the two page document first, then goes back and reads it slowly. He's pleasantly surprised, maybe kind of excited. Dani came to him as a desperate person with a low self-esteem who grew up poor and had a terrible one year relationship with a jackass. What she didn't say is that she is a straight A student who has excellent computer experience and three years of business experience that emphasizes her computer skills and business knowledge.

The resume is technically perfect and he can see things she did in formatting the resume that only a person with word processing skills can pull off. It's a creative and professional document by anyone's standard.

He's lost in thought when he hears a little cough. Dani is presenting herself to him with a faint smile on her face. It's the same dress she wore the previous Saturday, but she appears to be even more beautiful wearing it this time. He thinks it probably is the five or six pounds she's gained since they met. She has gone from skinny to slim and he swears her breasts have grown so he assumes they are a full C cup, not that he cares, or maybe he does.

"What do you think?" she asks, looking at him.

"They're perfect," he says, looking at her and replies without thinking.

She stares at him while wondering, then her face turns red and finally giggles.

"I'm talking about the resume."

"Shit, busted again!"

He recovers as she laughs.

"The resume is extremely professional and I like it a lot. Can I get you a drink before we go so I can ask you some questions about your business background?"

"A light drink would be nice," she answers.

They spend twenty minutes talking and in the first five minutes, he already knows what he's going to ask her to do for work. He doesn't want to get her excited yet so he keeps his thoughts to himself.

They have a great dinner at the restaurant and Dani's real personality breaks out. He gets her talking about coming from a dirty, beat up, desperate girl on the brink of disaster, to becoming a beautiful, witty person with a great personality. Then she manages to get him talking about his background and family. Every time his talking slows down, she nudges him with a word or grin and he babbles on some more.

He's thinking to himself that cupid has sunk the arrow in a little deeper this time.

Chapter 10 The Proposal

They are back at the apartment having a nightcap and she's talking about things she can do for work.

As they sip the wine, he says, "Dani, I've been thinking about your resume and I'd like you to do something for me, if you're willing."

"Sure," she replies, not sure what's up his sleeve.

"Tell me what you think about this... I sell a business software package for small and large businesses. I get a good commission when I sell and install it and if they ever upgrade to the middle or full package I get another commission. My problem is not necessarily the software, although that could use some improvements as well, but the operating manual has given me the most headaches by far. I get a lot of complaints that it's too long, too large, too heavy and too confusing. If you are interested, for the rest of the week, would you read the manual, use the program and maybe offer suggestions how the company can improve it?"

He can see a spark of interest in her eyes.

"Sure I'll read the manual. Is the program on the laptop I'm using?"

"Yes, and you can print out the examples if you want."

Dani grins, "I'll start first thing tomorrow."

He stands, goes to his office, gets the manual down from the top shelf, brushes off the dust and places it on the coffee table. Then he returns to the office, gets an NDA (Non Disclosure Agreement) for her to sign and returns to his seat.

"I need the NDA for legal reasons which the company insists on and here is the manual, all five hundred and four pages of it."

She reads and signs the NDA as he finishes his drink. He stands while she's looking at him.

"I really enjoyed dinner tonight. You got me talking like a little kid and that's normally my trick... It's time for me to go to bed though. I have five calls tomorrow and it's going to be a long day," he explains.

Dani puts her drink down, stands up, faces him, then stares.

"Bill, you're my best and only friend I have since I've been here. I can never repay you enough for what you're doing for me."

He starts to say something, but her lips cover his and she pulls him into her. He can feel her breasts pushing against his chest as her tongue presses against his lips. His tongue meets hers as his expanding cock pushes against her. Dani's hands slide down his back to his butt and pulls him into her pelvis. The kiss lasts a long minute before she finally breaks it off. He's breathless, horny, and shocked.

She grins at him and says, "That's not a thank you. That's because I like you. Okay?"

He nods, still dazed by her sudden aggression.

"Go to bed, Bill. Sleep good and dream of me, because I will be dreaming of you."

He nods again and goes to his bedroom like a robot, but sleep doesn't come easy. Dani is getting under his skin. He guesses worse things can happen to him as his eyelids get heavier and heavier and finally, Bill succumbs to sleep.

He wakes up about midnight to use the bathroom and when he goes back to bed, he can see, under his bedroom door, the lights are on in the living room. Dani is still awake.

This time, he falls into a deep sleep for the rest of the night.

* * * * *

He wakes up the next morning feeling great, makes coffee and finishes reading the news on his tablet when Dani pads into the kitchen.

"Are you sure you don't want me to make you something?"

"Positive, Dani. Five calls today and I need to be at full speed out the gate. Thanks for asking though."

A few minutes later, he wishes her a good day, heads for the door and to his car.

In mid afternoon, he calls her and says he's running late and should be home at least an hour later than normal. She tells him dinner will be ready whenever he gets home and wishes him luck for the rest of the day.

When he walks into the apartment before seven that night, Dani is watching the news and smiles at him as he walks to her.

He grins, "Only two sales today, but it means my commission check next month is still growing. You're still my good luck charm, but I didn't spend enough time on research before I approached them. I should have had at least three sales, maybe even four."

She grins back.

"You got more than I would have, maybe because you're a good salesman."

"And I'm still learning how to sell the product as well... How about a drink before dinner so my ego can come down a little bit from my efforts?"

She nods and he makes the drinks, then he toasts her.

"To a beautiful good luck charm."

She blushes, then giggles. He can see a twinkle in her eyes and he's not sure what that means. So far, she's been full of surprises and she's getting under his skin. Unfortunately for him, she's fun to spend time with, but he doesn't want to get to far ahead of himself, just yet anyway.

Chapter 11 The Challenge

They sip for a few minutes and then he asks, "Have you made it through the first 100 pages of the manual yet?"

"Yup," she replies, "and then some."

"More than that?"

"Yup."

"Why are you being so vague with your answers," he asks.

"I'm just answering your questions," she replies with a smirk on her face.

"Okay, how far did you get?"

"To the end."

"Dani, no one can get through all five hundred pages in a day and understand it. It just can't be done."

She smiles and says, "Wanna bet?"

He replies, "A bet wouldn't be fair to you. You can't win."

She answers with a challenge in her voice.

"Okay, Bill, make up a list of questions or give me reports to edit or change using your software. If I do them right by the time you get home tomorrow, you have to wash the dishes tomorrow...and I'm warning you that what I'm making is going to be super messy."

Bill is actually surprised, yet delighted with her challenge. While she's preparing dinner and even after dinner, he creates a list of the most common call back problems he experiences with his new customers, chooses the ten toughest and writes them out. He shows them to Dani and she asks a couple of clarification questions and he gives her the answers, then he goes to get some beauty sleep.

As he's walking away, Dani says, in a mocking voice, "I hope you remember how to wash dishes!"

He wakes up at one in the morning for a bathroom trip and sees the living room lights still on. He grins to himself and thinks if she gets five of the ten correct, he will call it a success.

Chapter 12 Lesson Learned

Dani comes into the kitchen the next morning with a smile on her face, and a little weary from a lack of sleep.

He teases, "Late night for you?"

She smiles.

"Not real bad."

Bill only schedules three sales calls today and comes back about 2pm. Dani is in the kitchen doing some preparations for dinner and her answers are on the table waiting for him. He picks up the papers, heads to the livingroom and sits on the sofa and relaxes.

She yells, "Hi, I'll be right out."

A short time later, she walks into the living room with a smudge of flour on her forehead, nose and other places too numerous to mention.

"I haven't made this in a long time and it's really messy in there."

"Who's going to clean it up?" he asks.

"Why, you are, of course," she smirks. "But there is one problem we have to talk about first."

"What?"

"The last question can't be done right because there is an error in the software."

"Impossible," he says.

"Wanna bet?"

"Sure."

Dani giggles, "If I'm right, that there is a software error, you wash the dishes Sunday night too."

"Deal," he agrees, then realizes he didn't even ask what he will win if she is wrong.

The short story is, she nailed the first nine questions perfectly, showing what she did and printed out the final reports.

On the tenth problem, she shows him where the software did not carry over a column to the next screen, then shows him a work around as a band-aid for the problem.

From this he learns she is a very smart girl and now he definitely wants her to work with him for more than one reason.

He's amazed and delighted, making no effort to conceal his emotions. Dani relishes in his praise. It's obvious that his happiness with her is a huge boost to her ego. He has to give her a big hug in return, but it turned into a rather long hug.

As they are hugging, he asks, "How late were you up last night?"

She looks at him sheepishly and mutters, "Maybe about three. The first nine questions were easy and I answered them quickly, but I spent lots of time on the last one because the numbers weren't adding up and they should have."

"Dani..."

She interrupts, "I hate to lose a bet! You didn't say I had to sleep last night."

"You're right, but I need an explanation. How is it you can you read so much so fast?"

"Curious, are you?"

"Very curious."

"Nice... While in junior college, I took a speed reading course they offered hoping it would reduce my study time and it did so today, I can read very fast."

"Impressive, young lady."

* * * * *

For dinner, she uses more dishes than he thought he owns. However, the meal is her best yet and now he has to do the dishes. It seems he's putting on weight since she has done the cooking for the last few days, but he's hoping she will help him take off the pounds.

As he's washing dishes, she gets behind him, wraps her arms around his waist and gives him a hug.

"Thank you, Bill."

"For what?" he asks.

"For being a man of your word."

He absorbs her words and says, "Always have been, always will be."

Then she takes mercy on him and helps him clean up the mess she created. Before leaving the cleaned up kitchen, he gives Dani a long kiss and hug to thank her for the help.

"I should thank Karen you're here with me instead of with her," he whispers into her ear.

"I'm glad she wasn't home as well," she whispers in his ear.

Shortly after, she decides to crash and recover from a lack of sleep the previous two nights.

Chapter 13 A New Plan

She cooks breakfast the next morning and after they the get the kitchen cleaned up, they walk to the park. They circle it once and find themselves at the same table they sat at a week earlier, probably with the same ducks swimming in the same pond, but maybe not.

"Do you think week one went well?" he asks.

"It was perfect," she says.

"Want to hear my plan for week two?"

She nods, watching him, then puts both her hands on top of his.

"Before you start, I have to tell you something I should have told you last night. Yesterday morning, I saw Karen. She got back late Thursday night and her mom is going to be okay. She was really embarrassed that she forgot about me and asked if I would stay with her now," she tells him and waits.

"And you replied?" he asks.

"I said no, that I'm okay where I am, but I thanked her for the offer... She had some nice words to say about you too."

"Good answer... I guess I trained her well," he replies, watching her grin with relief.

Then her grin turns into laughter as Bill chuckles.

He continues, "Okay, onward we go... The plan calls for another shopping day. At a minimum you need to buy another summer dress and something appropriate for business calls."

"But I have a dress," Dani protests.

"One dress and you look beautiful in it, but you've worn it twice now and I would like to see you in a different dress tonight," he says."

Her smile lights up the room.

"But what's with the business clothes?"

"Well, that's part of week two," he says. "Week one you were the apartment cleaner and cook. Week two, we share cooking and cleaning because you're going to be a working girl."

"Working girl? Doing what?" she asks, not connecting the dots.

"I've been thinking about this since I saw your resume and my interest piqued when you nailed all ten questions perfectly. You know I make money selling a business software package, but selling the product involves three steps."

"First is the actual approach and sale. I can do that with one or two calls on the customer."

"Second, is the installation and getting the customer trained to use it. Then they have sixty days to reject the product and if they do, I lose the commission."

Third, I have to go back roughly a dozen times, show them how to install it so they can do it without my help, and teach them how to use the software. I also have to solve any problems they are having. Most times, the actual user hasn't even read the manual, probably because it's too long, too large, too heavy and too confusing. The software is not necessarily complicated, but the manual is confusing and can avoid leading the user to a process completion. It's a thorn in my side because nobody wants to use it."

"So instead of making new sales, the majority of my time is spent retaining the sales I've already made. I love the sales part of the business, but I have to do call-backs out of necessity. So, my plan A is to have you follow up with the installations, training and call-backs which will free me to spend more time in sales and making money."

"If we are successful, I will split the commission with you. If you're not interested in plan A, I will go to plan B, which will have me approaching some clients to find you a job with them. They may have a job opening that you like better than those in the newspaper."

"Do you think I can do what you're asking of me?" asks Dani with a nervous frown on her face.

"Dani, there is no doubt in my mind you can do this," he answers. "If you want to try plan A, Monday morning I will take you to my first customer. He bought the software six months ago and likes it, but he just lost two key employees and the replacements are having problems with the software. He's a really good guy. I would do it anyway since his company is growing fast and a year or two from now, he will likely buy one of the upgraded versions, so it's good business for me to help him. If you don't want to try this, please let me know and I will work on plan B."

"Will you be with me?" she asks.

"I'll introduce you to the owner and hang around for a while. When it feels right, I'll take off, make a couple of call-backs and pick you up at noon."

"Are you sure I can do this?" Dani wonders as her nervousness shows through.

"Absolutely," he replies, "and to repeat, who's the boss?"