Sex Sells Ch. 05

The other guests were watching her with eyes wide. They erupted in shouts and laughter.

"That was awesome!" Kyle said.

Kim gave a courteous bow.

"Sexily?"

"No," came the chorus of voices.

"Suggestively?"

"You're close, but no cigar," Jerod said. "Better try another clue."

Denise turned to the group.

"OK, Brandon, I want you to describe our sailing experience in the manner of the word."

Brandon smiled and scratched his head, thinking.

"OK, OK, I got it," he said.

"So there we were," he began, whispering in a low, sexy voice. "We were gliding across the water, the smooth, velvety water, in our sailboat with one big, tall, stiff mast, and we felt the warm afternoon breeze on our bare skin, and we got so hot in our bodies, we had to get in the water, so we took off our clothes, and dove in, feeling the silky water envelope us completely, but even that wasn't enough to cool the heat we felt deep inside."

There was a pause. Then everyone laughed and applauded.

"Nicely done!" Kim said.

"Poetically?" Denise asked. "Metaphorically?"

"No, no" came the chorus from the crowd.

"You were closer before!" said Kyle.

Denise turned, scanning the faces in the group.

"Sonia. I want you to stand up and dance in the manner of the word."

The group laughed and whooped in anticipation. She jumped up, her full breasts bouncing beneath her sheer blouse.

She started to sway her hips. Slowly. Hypnotically. She pulled her blouse tight over her chest, showing off her luscious breasts. She turned in a circle, slowly, rotating her hips. She lifted her blouse, revealing the bottoms of her full breasts, rocking her head from side to side. Then she slowly sunk down, lower, lower, like she was lowering her pussy onto a hard cock, and slowly rose back up again. Then she smiled and sat down.

"Whoo-hoo!" Brandon hollered.

"Smokin'!" Kyle yelled.

Kim gave Sonia a high five.

"Whoa," Denise said. "Arousingly? R-ratingly?"

Everyone laughed.

"OK," Denise said. "Kyle. I want you to feed Sonia some chips and guac in the manner of the word."

The group laughed and murmured with excitement.

Kyle moved next to Sonia. She was wearing a sheer blouse and, with no bra on, well, let's just say this would be an easy one to act out.

Kyle looked at Sonia intensely. He looked down at her body, her breasts, her legs, and back up to her lips and face. His tongue licked his lips. Then, he looked over at the bowl of guacamole. Then he looked back at Sonia. He smiled as if inspired in the moment. He reached down and casually, assuredly, took a chip and deftly scooped some guacamole onto it. Then he slowly moved closer to her. He turned his back to her, then turned back towards her, holding the edge of the chip between his teeth. He leaned slowly toward her face. Slowly, approaching her lips. She heaved a sigh and opened her lips. To take it inside her. He brushed her lips with the guac. Her tongue caressed it. Finally, she opened her lips and sucked the chip slowly into her mouth. They finished with a gentle kiss.

Everyone broke out laughing.

"Bravo!" Kim shouted.

Sonia wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

"And I swallowed it all," she said, matter-of-factly.

Everyone laughed again.

"Erotically?" Denise asked.

"You're so close," Kim squealed.

"Seductively?" Denise asked.

"Yes!!!!" everyone yelled in unison.

"OK, the person who gave the last clue is the next person who's 'it'," Denise explained.

They continued playing as the sun sank into the horizon. The temperature dropped quickly and it was time to head back up to the house.

And so ended the third test. Could they fulfill the acting requirement in Fantasy Enterprises' sales calls? The answer was an unequivocal "Yes".

Inside the kitchen/dining room, Jerod had put out a bottle of champagne and six flutes.

"Let's drink a toast to Denise for reaching this major milestone," Jerod said, untwisting the cage from the bottle.

"Yes, congratulations girl," said Kim. "It's quite an accomplishment."

"To Denise," Kyle said, grabbing her shoulders playfully. "At least one of us made it through college."

Jerod poured out six glasses. He raised a glass in the air.

"As the poet once said: To accomplish great things we must not only act, but also dream. Not only plan, but also believe. To Denise, who has the wisdom and perseverance to turn her dreams into action."

They clinked glasses.

"Great toast," Brandon said. "Which poet said that?"

"I dunno, some French guy," Jerod said.

They all laughed.

Jerod eyed Denise and signaled her with his eyes. He wanted to talk to her separately.

After excusing themselves, Denise and Jerod were soon in the upstairs bathroom, whispering urgently.

"What do you think?" Jerod asked. "I thought we'd have narrowed it down by now."

"I don't know," Denise answered. "I like them all."

"I do too," Jerod agreed. "They've passed all the tests so far. There's not a weak one in the bunch."

"There's one more test to go," Denise said.

"Yeah," Jerod said. "The big one."

"Listen," Denise said. "Suppose they all pass that one too. Could we use them all? Could that work?"

"I suppose we could," Jerod answered. "We could have three teams working, instead of two. I just don't know how many furniture buyers there are out there."

They looked at each other for a moment.

"What if we weren't selling furniture," Denise asked.

"We still need something to get us in the door," Jerod said.

"What if it was something we could sell more of," Denise ventured. "You know, repeat sales."

"Like what?" Jerod asked.

"Like ... lingerie," Denise answered.

Jerod had an aha moment.

"Jasmine?" he asked.

Denise nodded her head.

"It's like my pitch," Denise said. "Except it's not virtual."

"Not yet, anyway," Jerod said. "Knowing you, it'll be virtual soon enough."

Denise smiled. Jerod's belief in her never wavered.

"Do you think we could get Jasmine over here tonight?" Jerod wondered.

"I'll give her a call," Denise answered.

Jasmine Ardavan was the manager of Bustier of Dallas, a high-end lingerie store in downtown Dallas. Denise was a regular there, buying assorted French and Italian lingerie for business and pleasure. Jasmine had introduced her to the world of quality, imported undergarments after giving Denise her first private fitting.

Denise had also picked Jasmine's brain for details to inform her startup pitch for school. Since then, the two women had gotten to know each other well. They were both young, passionate, and had heads for business. Their idea of a good time was to toss around creative business ideas over drinks. Besides, they both found each other incredibly attractive.

As Denise soon learned, Bustier of Dallas was actually owned by Jasmine's family. Her mother and father had opened the store in the mid-80s after fleeing Iran following the revolution. Jasmine and her sister were born in Dallas, and they both learned the business from their mother after their father passed away.

Denise liked hanging out with Jasmine because she saw in her what she herself would like to become -- a successful entrepreneur.

She caught Jasmine at the store just as she was getting ready to close. She invited her to come to the house to talk about a business idea she had. She asked if she could bring some of her products for her guests to try on. She provided the sizing information as best she could.

Downstairs, Jerod was chatting with the foursome. They were sipping champagne and buzzing from the fun afternoon of sailing, swimming, and game playing. Kim was recounting a funny story from earlier in the day.

Denise came down the stairs and joined them. She gave a nod to Jerod -- Jasmine was a go.

"Hey everybody," Denise said, "why don't we all go into the living room. There's something I want to tell you."

The crowd took their glasses into the adjacent room where two large couches dominated the room. The guests sat two to a couch. Denise and Jerod pulled up two chairs and sat facing them.

"We asked you all here today to help me celebrate a big event in my life. I'm so glad you're here, I've had a great time with you all. But there's a second reason we invited you here. Jerod and I want to talk to you about a business proposition."

The four guests looked mildly surprised. They hadn't seen this coming.

"For the past couple of years," Jerod said, "I've had a business selling custom services here in Dallas. About a year ago, Denise joined the company as a sales associate and soon became my partner. We're looking to expand our sales team."

The four glanced at each other. This was getting interesting.

"Jerod and I work as a team," Denise went on. "We find customers, we go to their homes, we meet with them, we discover what they need, and then we fulfill those needs. It's been highly profitable for us and we think it's time to expand the business. That's where you come in."

"We feel like we've perfected a sales model that can be replicated. We've worked out the operations so that it's efficient and profitable. We're thinking of adding two more sales teams to the mix and running three parallel operations."

"To be honest with you guys," Denise said, "we were planning on selecting two of you. But, Jerod and I talked, and we really think highly of all of you, we think all four of you can be extremely successful."

The four guests were intrigued. Sonia leaned forward.

"What are we talking about from a pay perspective?" Sonia asked.

Denise glanced at Jerod.

"Well, our payment is primarily from tips," Denise explained, "and so there is some variation. But, when I started as a sales associate a year ago, I was making a grand a week."

The group nodded, digesting this.

"But since then," Jerod added, "we've made some improvements to the system and I think you can do even better than that."

"How much better?" Kyle asked.

"To be perfectly frank," Jerod answered, "I'm not sure. Denise ran the numbers initially based on one additional sales team, not two. Plus, we're thinking about expanding our products beyond furnishings to clothing and that could be really big for us because of the prospect of repeat sales. So, I can't guarantee a return at the moment but I think it's safe to say you could realize at least $1250 a week."

"That's a lot more than I get lifeguarding," Kyle said.

"Or I get waitressing," said Kim.

"But before you go quitting those jobs," Denise said, "we want to have a kind of dry run first. To see if this is your kind of work."

"What do we have to do?" Brandon asked.

Just then, there was the sound of a car outside.

"That must be Jasmine," Denise said. "Hold that thought."

She got up and walked to the front door. Jasmine was at the back of a van with "Bustier of Dallas" emblazoned on the side.

"Hey there," Denise called from the front door, "thanks for coming."

Jasmine smiled and gave her a wave. Jerod went out to help her. Jasmine gave him a European style kiss, one on each cheek.

"We're glad you could make it," Jerod said.

"Happy to," Jasmine said. "I'm excited to brainstorm with you guys."

Jerod helped Jasmine unload a clothes rack full of lingerie from the back of the van. They wheeled it to the front door and into the house.

"Everyone," Denise said to the group, "this is Jasmine. She runs Bustier of Dallas."

Hellos were shared all around. Jerod produced a chair for Jasmine.

"As I was saying," Denise continued, "we have kind of an exercise in mind for you all. It's an improvisation. It'll give you an idea of what the work would be like and help you decide if it's right for you."

Denise was standing in front of the group, legs slightly spread, making eye contact with each person. They were all listening intently.

"Our sales process has three parts: the call, the pitch, and the demo. The call helps us find the right customer at the right time. It gets us in the door. The pitch sets the context and the mood. It gets the customer in the right frame of mind and gives us insight to their needs. And the demo? That's where the money is made."

Denise was like a CEO in a boardroom. Jerod couldn't have been prouder.

She reached behind one of the couches and pulled out a wedge pillow.

"This, and other pillows like it, have been the products we've been marketing up to now. It's called a Love Pillow. It's part of a product category called sex furniture. It enhances love making."

She handed it to Brandon sitting on one couch. He examined it and passed it on.

"We have had a highly successful run selling these products. But we think we can be even more successful selling these products."

She gestured to the clothes rack full of assorted lingerie.

"Both of these products do essentially the same thing. They make sex more exciting. More intense. More frequent. However, we feel we can do more repeat business selling lingerie than we can with pillows. Why? Because people are used to replacing their clothes. They upgrade them regularly. They refresh their wardrobe. That means, repeat sales."

Jasmine smiled. The idea of repeat sales of her company's products was music to her ears.

"How, you may be asking yourself, do we generate such big sales volumes? How do we earn such big tips? One word -- Sex. Sex sells. We offer the prospect of a richer, livelier, more satisfying sex life. You've experienced sex? Well, you've never experienced sex like this. You've had orgasms. You've haven't had an orgasm that touches this. We offer the peak of peak experiences. The most orgasmic of orgasms. And that's where the demo comes it."

The group were watching with rapt attention. No one was even blinking.

"As a member of our sales team, you'll personally demonstrate exactly how our products can supercharge your sex life. How you can take ordinary sex and turn it into an out of body experience. How you can achieve an earth-shaking, soul-rattling, total body orgasm that actually makes you scream with pleasure."

The guests were starting to shift in their seats. She was getting to them.

"Before we start, I need to ask you. Does anybody want out? Is this, for whatever reason, not your cup of tea? Cause if it isn't, you can get up right now and leave. No hard feelings. Just more money for the rest of us."

No one moved an inch nor made a sound. It was time for the final test.

"During the third phase, the demo, you have succeeded in upselling the customer to a personal and private demonstration of the product. You and your fellow salesperson will enact a skit that shows just how hot sex can be when our product is used."

Denise stepped towards them, raising her voice for emphasis.

"Tonight, we want to see how you perform in this third and final phase. We want you to pair up, confer with you partner, and then come back to his room and improvise a scene as if you are in the customer's living room. We want you to imagine a scenario that will speak to the customer, typically a married woman alone in her home, and appeal to her deepest fantasies and desires. Remember, it's all about the customer."

She scanned their faces.

"Jasmine, I was hoping you could play the part of the customer."

Jasmine nodded.

"OK," Denise said. "One last piece of advice -- keep it real. Jerod and I find we get the best results with our performances are realistic and relatable. The customer should be able to see themselves in the scene. And don't forget to use the lingerie on the rack. Jasmine supplied a variety of sizes, you should be able to a size that fits you. Any questions?"

Kim raised her finger and spoke up.

"How much time do we have to prepare?" Kim asked.

"We were thinking about thirty minutes," Denise answered.

Kim turned to Kyle on the couch.

"Do you want to be partners?" she asked.

"Sure, let's do it," he answered.

Sonia and Brandon turned to each other.

"I guess we're doing it," Brandon said.

"Guess so," Sonia answered.

"One team can use this room to prepare," Denise said. "The other can go upstairs and use the second floor bedroom."

"We'll go upstairs," Kyle said, taking Kim's hand and heading up the stairs.

"It's seven ten," Denise called out, "let's meet here at seven forty sharp."

While the teams prepared, Denise, Jerod and Jasmine poured themselves a drink and went out on the deck. Both teams were energetically rehearsing and they didn't want to get in their way. Plus, there were business details to work out.

"I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to discuss this with you in advance," Denise said.

She was taking Jasmine by the arm and walking to the outdoor furniture out on the deck.

"The fact is," Denise continued, "Jerod and I just got the idea of using your lingerie tonight."

Jasmine placed her warm hand on Denise's.

"It's fine," Jasmine said, "I'm flattered you want to include me in your plans."

"We thought of you immediately," Jerod said. "There's no one else we would rather work with."

They sat on the chairs. It was dusk and fading sunset rimmed the horizon over the lake.

"I was thinking your store could play an important role in all of this," Denise explained. "It would be our goal to sell multiple items to each customer. We think the dramatizations will inspire a lot of sales."

"Most of the women we sell to," Jasmine explained, "harbor fantasies that intimate apparel will spark a new chapter in their relationships. If you can tap into that somehow, with the dramas, I think it would resonate with them."

"I totally agree," Denise said. "Lingerie purchases are aspirational. They're about the life you want to have."

"Exactly," Jasmine said. "It's wish fulfillment."

"On the logistics side," Denise said, "I was hoping the sales teams could pick up and return the clothes to your store, along with the money they collect. You're centrally located and it makes perfect sense if they're selling your lingerie."

"Then we could come by the store and settle up a couple times a week," Jerod added.

"I think that would be fine," Jasmine said. "I could tell my mother we're experimenting with door-to-door sales to see what kind of uptake we get. She doesn't need to know about the rest."

"We'd want to make sure you're fairly compensated for your contribution," Denise said. "In addition to the profit you make from lingerie sales."

"I appreciate that," Jasmine said, graciously. "Perhaps an appropriate percentage of the tip money makes sense?"

"I'd like a chance to run the numbers again," Jerod said, "before we propose a number. If you don't mind of course. I want to make sure the sales team is fairly compensated and that we get our partner fee as well."

"Of course," Jasmine nodded. "Do your due diligence and then let me know what you're comfortable with."

And with that, a partnership was formed between Fantasy Enterprises and Bustier of Dallas.

At seven forty exactly, the teams gathered in the living room.

The first team to go was Kim and Kyle. Jerod had arranged the couches so that the audience -- Jarod, Denise, Sonia, and Brandon -- could watch from one couch while Jasmine sat alone on the other.

Kim had donned a black fishnet and lace halter neck body stocking with matching thigh high stockings and garters. The lace teddy was see-through -- to say she could stop traffic would be an understatement.

She looked incredible.

Kyle was nowhere to be seen. Apparently, they were starting the scene with him off-stage.

Kim was totally in character. She was standing at the window, watching something outside, moving from an easy chair to the window and back again. It was as if she was looking for something. Or someone. But they hadn't appeared yet.

"Kyle, Kyle," she was muttering. "You're usually right on time on pool cleaning day."