Steve and the Indian Booth Babe

As usual, Bela had gone well beyond what was required. "Bela, I think our marketing department will love it."

#

Bela was a new employee and on a six-month probation. I was asked to perform her review. I gave her top marks in every category. I pressed management to give her the highest raise allowed. I also managed to get her a quiet office with a window overlooking the forest surrounding our facility. She now had a door. Unfortunately, when the building was designed someone decided that only managers could be trusted with privacy. All the offices available to engineers had a glass wall so the occupant could be monitored from the hallway. It was probably for the best. I cannot imagine what Himnish would have thought of me sitting with Bela in a closed office.

I heard from Himnish's manager that his six-month review was marginal. He took credit for other people's work and often maligned people behind their backs. His manager showed me some of Himnish's work that couldn't be ascribed to his teammates. I recognized Bela's neat coding style but kept it to myself. I didn't want to lose Bela and knew she would follow her fiancée if he were let go.

#

It was barely eleven on Sunday at the Trade Show when I smiled at Bela. We had completed setting up our booth, and the InspeX 200 passed every test Bela and I threw at it.

I said, "Congratulations, Bela. The system is working perfectly. We're ready for tomorrow's opening. You can take the afternoon off to explore Las Vegas."

I was just about to turn off the system when an odd couple walked up to our booth. A short, chubby man wearing a Hawaiian shirt with an open collar and heavy gold chain around his neck was escorting a tall, leggy blond with a gorgeous ass. Oh yeah, for those of you who care, I should mention she had impossibly large breasts.

It took me a second look to recognize the man because it is hard to recognize someone when you are staring at their leggy companion. He was the CEO of a large food packing company. I had attended last year's convention shortly after coming to work at Paradox. At that time, we were still marketing the first-generation inspection system. It had been revolutionary when it was introduced, but competitors had since introduced new systems that outperformed ours. This man had stopped by our booth to complain about the reliability and performance of the units he had purchased from us. It seemed our marketing guy had promised him an upgrade, and he was getting tired of waiting.

He said, "I'm John King the CEO of Global Foods, and this is Ashley Morgan, our communications manager. I remember seeing you here last year. Your Director of Marketing said you were managing the upgrade to the system. If you don't have an improved system soon, I'll be replacing your units with ones from Eagle Vision."

I held out my hand and said, "I'm Dr. Steve Williams, and this is my software engineer, Bala Shinde. If you have a moment, I'd be glad to show you our new InspeX 200. It's a radical enhancement to the old system."

John glared. "Please wow me."

"You probably remember the old system was designed for 4 oz. baby food bottles and could barely process 6 oz. bottles. I have the track loaded with 16 oz. bottles only because our demonstration system cannot handle the larger bottles the InspeX 200 can process. Not only can we handle larger bottles than before, but we can also detect much smaller pieces of glass."

I explained all the enhancements in detail. I was happy that the CEO asked lots of questions. I remember being told that John had begun his career as an engineer. I put on the test bottles, and we watched the system kick out the contaminated bottles. I had a cigar box filled with pieces of glass from a bottle I had broken. I gave John a test bottle and told him to seed it with any of the glass shards in the box. I was nervous when he chose the smallest piece of glass in the box. I thought I had gotten rid of the smaller pieces. John pushed his piece of glass into a test bottle and screwed on the painted lid. He added his bottle to the track, and we watched as it entered the unit. I grinned when I heard the system kick out a bottle and watched as John's bottle slide out the reject chute. Bela showed John the image of his jar on the computer screen. She then showed him several screens of production statistics without halting the inspection system.

John said, "Very impressive. None of your competitors are even close to this level of performance. I love the fact I can look at the production statistics while the system is running. Now, all you have you do is convince me of the reliability."

The old system had crashed several times a day. The electronics used to fire the converted dental X-ray head produced interference that crashed the computer. I explained that the new electronics and higher power X-ray were CE certified and produced no interference. Also, all the components were commercial grade and ultra-reliable.

I said, "We have nearly 3000 hours on the new hardware. Although the software is new, it has gone through rigorous review."

John said, "I have a dinner engagement with your marketing director tonight. I would like you and Bela to join us for dinner. If the price is right, I can see us buying a couple of systems this quarter."

I smiled at Bela and said, "We would be happy to join you for dinner. Fred and his assistant will be arriving this afternoon. He'll be pleased with your interest in our new system."

After Johns and Ashley had left, I said, "Thanks, Bela, you did great. Global Foods has dozens of production lines and already has five of our old units. If we can sell them two of the InspeX 200 systems, we will be a long way toward meeting our quota and have the potential for new sales in the future."

"What do you mean quota?"

I realized I had slipped up. Only management was supposed to know about the company's financial problems. Our Board of Directors was losing patience with the food inspection division and putting pressure on the CEO. He told Fred and my boss if they didn't write up five sells at the trade show, the board of directors would force him to sell the inspection business.

My boss would likely find a new position in Paradox, but everyone else in the division would be out of work. I had no desire to return to Silicon Valley and work for Eagle Vision. I preferred the access to the outdoors and the low cost of living in Upstate New York. You can have the crowds and too perfect weather in California. It only takes me thirty minutes to drive to the local ski area instead of five hours in good weather from Palo Alto to Tahoe.

"Bela, I'm sorry. I wasn't supposed to tell you about the quota. I didn't want to worry you, but our CEO said he would sell the division if we don't sell five systems at the trade show. Please don't be concerned. Fred knows the business, and said we should be able to double the quota in the first quarter."

Bela stared at me for a moment. "What would happen to my job if we fail?"

"I'm sure whoever buys the division will want to hire the staff."

"But I can't leave Himnish."

"This is one of the reasons why I wasn't supposed to tell you about the quota. Don't worry. We have an excellent product."

"Have we ever sold five systems at the trade show?"

"I've only been at Paradox for a little over two years, so I don't know for sure. Last year we didn't sell any because our system was obsolete. I think we sold two InspeX 100s at the first show after it was introduced. Anyway, it is out of our hands. We built the best inspection system available on the market. We should trust marketing to do their magic."

Bela looked close to tears. I changed the subject. "We have four hours before Fred will arrive. We should take a break while we can. The next few days will be hectic. I'm going to go for a jog and then maybe swim in the hotel pool. I know you like to jog. You can join me if you'd like."

Bela tried to smile. "I don't own a swimsuit, but I did pack my running clothes. A long run sounds nice if I can keep up with you."

We locked up the system and headed back to our room. As we entered the hotel lobby, I got a call from Fred on my cell phone. I hoped he was having a better trip than Bela and I had yesterday.

"Hey, Fred, what's up? Do you need us to pick you up at the airport?"

Fred's voice sounded weak and tired. "We had an accident on the way to the airport. There was a downpour, and we hit a pool of water on the Thruway. I flipped my fucking Porsche. The State Troopers said we rolled it at least three or four times. It's a total loss."

"Damn Fred, are you Ok?"

"I'm in the hospital with a broken leg. They loaded me with painkillers. I'll be here several days."

"Oh shit! What about Tiffany?"

"She has a fractured pelvis. She's still in surgery. It looks like you will be running the show in Las Vegas."

"But I don't know anything about selling stuff, and you know how our CEO feels about our engineers talking to the customer's about contract details."

"Screw that. Marketing isn't rocket science. Just demonstrate the product and answer the visitor's questions. You shouldn't have any trouble telling them how great the new system is. I'll be available by phone if you need any guidance."

"Maybe you're right. John King from Global Foods stopped by after we had everything set up. Bela and I gave him a demonstration, and he was impressed. He wants to talk over dinner about buying two systems. He invited us to join you an Tiffany, but neither of us brought dress clothes. All we have is either casual or our Paradox lab coats."

"That's great news about John. You and Bela will have to go. Don't worry about the clothes. I have that taken care of already."

"I don't understand."

"I called a shop at one of the Casinos on the Strip. They will take care of everything. They are expecting you and Bela. You need to take a cab right now."

"Bela?"

"Yeah, she's our new booth babe."

"Are you serious about Bela? Do you have any idea how shy she is? How much pain medication are they giving you?"

Fred laughed, "Not nearly enough. In case you haven't noticed, Bela is a woman and a very good looking one. She may be a little exotic, but if we dress her up, she'll do fine. Besides we don't have a choice. In case you forgot, all of our jobs are on the line."

I had an image of Bela's brown ass when she was in bed this morning. She was definitely a good-looking woman, but I had no idea if she would be willing to be our booth babe. It had been hard enough convincing her to come to the trade show. I had promised her she could perform her software magic out of sight at the convention.

"Ok, but I don't have any idea what to wear, and I doubt Bela will be any help."

"You have a smartphone. Just stream a video to me, and I'll make sure you two are dressed appropriately. All you need is a suit. Bela needs an outfit for the booth, a party dress, and a swimsuit. There is a big private party for all the food packing executives on Wednesday. It's critical because that is where all the agreements are made. She can wear the same party outfit we get her for tonight's dinner. Monday and Tuesday nights there is a lot of activity at the Bellagio's pool bar. Both of you need to be there to market our product."

"Thanks, maybe we can make it work."

"Buddy boy, we don't have a choice. I'm not interested in finding another job any more than you are. Now get in a cab, and I'll give you the address."

I told Bela the plans and watched her turn pale. Despite her reluctance, she got in the cab with me. On the way, I told Fred about our problem sharing a hotel room.

Fred laughed, "You'd better hope Himnish doesn't find out. You do know that his name is another name for the Hindu god Shiva. That god has six arms, and each holds a sword. One of the swords will slice off your dick and balls while the rest chop them into hamburger."

I heard Fred laughing so hard he started choking. When he calmed down, I said, "What about the rooms you had reserved for you and Tiffany?"

Fred said, "Sorry. I already called my secretary before I called you. She canceled the room. The Bellagio was so happy to get the room back, they didn't even charge us a cancellation fee."

What did I say about the trip from Hell? Maybe this was the beginning of the second wave of catastrophes. I was also annoyed that he had reserved a room in a luxury hotel for himself while Bela and I were booked in a dump. I realized he said one room. Fred was married with a couple of kids in college. The bastard had planned on rooming with Tiffany who was in her early twenties and a drop dead gorgeous leggy blond.

When we got to the Strip, Fred directed us into an electronics shop where he had us buy Bluetooth earpieces for our phones. He promised to guide us every step of the way at the trade show.

Christian Couture was close by in the casino shops. Bela and I had to force ourselves to walk into the upscale establishment. I expected they would take one look at us and demand we leave immediately. Instead, they were waiting for us. I was whisked off to the men's department. Fred told me I wasn't going to be the center of attention but still needed to look presentable. He settled on a classic Brooks Brothers suit. With shirts, ties and a couple of pairs of shoes, the bill was $3600. The tailor promised to have the suit altered by 5 PM. I'm glad Fred didn't want to splurge on me.

Fred called me and said, "You need to get back to Bela. Her phone died, and I need to see her try on the outfits we selected for her."

Bela was in the changing room when I arrived. I put my phone on speaker and started streaming video as soon as she walked out. Fred nixed the first three dresses selected for working the booth.

Bela walked out in a long backless dress that looked designed for a prom. She was a little unsteady on her platform heels. Fred asked her to spin around. The silky off-white fabric clung to every curve of her burnt almond body. I knew she had a great ass, but I hadn't realized she also had generous perky breasts that were barely concealed by the low cut V neck. The dress fell all the way down to the tops of her shoes with a slit up the right side to the middle of her thigh. Her back was bare to just above her trim waist, and I realized she wasn't wearing a bra. The V-neck plunged down the valley between her unconstrained breasts and revealed some delightful cleavage. The dress wasn't warm enough for the air-conditioned room, and her nipples were perceptible poking against the thin fabric. I knew the air-conditioned convention center would present a similar problem. Bela looked embarrassed.

Fred said, "That's the one. Definitely perfect for our little booth babe."

Bela shook her head and said, "Booth babe? I can't wear this dress on the convention floor."

Fred told me to hand my phone to Bela. I couldn't tell what he was saying, but I could hear the threatening tone. Bela kept shaking her head until her shoulders slumped and she said, "Ok, I understand."

Fred said, "Now we need a party dress. Steve, hand your phone to the courtier."

I watched the sales lady purse her lips and nod. She broke into a smile and handed the phone back to me. She and her assistant selected several items and took Bela back into the changing room. Fred nixed dress after dress until she came out in a flouncy little bit of nothing. The flared bottom of the dress ended just a couple of inches below her shapely ass. Her back was bared so far down that she showed a hint of butt cleavage. You could see a red string around her waist joined to one that disappeared down her ass. Evidently, Fred liked V-necked tops except that this one was cut down to her waist and exposed considerable more cleavage than the other gown. The two flimsy strips of cloth running up her chest were held up by strings tied behind her neck. The almond tinted fabric set off her brown body to perfection.

She wobbled out of the dressing room in four-inch ankle strap heels. I doubt she had ever worn heels. I noticed her unconstrained breasts jiggling under the thin fabric as she stumbled into the room with a look of horror on her face. My hand shook as I pointed my cell phone at her.

I smiled at her but managed to hold back a whistle. Of course, Fred whistled and shouted, "Yeah baby, that's the one."

Bela started to protest, but Fred cut her off. "Bela, don't you even start with me. All our jobs depend on a successful trade show. I planned on telling you later, but I'm going to give both you and Steve commissions on any sells you make at the trade show. How does splitting 2% sound to you? Think about that while you two hustle your asses for just three short days."

I did a quick calculation. Each of our systems went for a cool $1.2 million starting price. Training and spares were extra. We'd get at least a $24,000 commission for each system we sold. Of course, it would be meaningless if we missed our quota.

I think Fred was getting tired because he approved the first bikini swimsuit and wrap combination Bela tried. She walked out of the changing covered in a red and gold wrap that fell almost to her knees. She looked even more nervous than she had when she modeled the skimpy party dress. I wondered for a moment if Fred had chosen a Brazilian string bikini.

She hesitated when Fred told her to take off the wrap. Fred irritably repeated his request, and she dropped the wrap. She was wearing a sleek swimsuit that was rather modest compared to the skimpy party dress. Once again, the boutique staff had chosen a delicate off-white fabric. The bottoms consisted of two large triangles that tied at the hips. They concealed everything except the sides of her hips. The top piece covered her perky breasts and was tied in the back with a matching bow. The flimsy top provided no support to her youthful breasts which fortunately didn't need any. My only concern was several curly black hairs peeking out of the bottoms. I'm not sure if it was the renegade pubic hairs that were upsetting Bela or just the amount of flawless brown skin exposed.

The courtier's assistant mentioned that the swimsuit wasn't designed for swimming, but it would be perfect for the pool bar. I didn't give her comment any notice, and I don't think Bela even heard her.

Fred said, "The only thing left is Bela's grooming and makeup."

The courtier said, "We have a salon next door. We can have her ready in time for her dinner date. We'll also give her some practice walking in heels. Bela is a naturally beautiful woman, and she will be stunning when we are done."

Fred sent me to a hair stylist. Normally I part my hair on the side, but they completely restyled my hair with a swept back look. When I looked in the mirror at my swept back hair, I no longer saw an engineer. Fred had remade me in his image as marketing director.

Even with the elaborate hair styling, I had time to kill. I browsed a bookstore until it was time to pick up my new outfit. I had never been dressed by another person since I was a child. The tailor and his assistant fussed over me until they were finally satisfied. They stood me in front of a mirror and watched my reaction. My transformation to a marketing executive was now complete.

After trying on my new suit, I put in my earpiece and called Fred. I was transferred to the nurse's station. I was informed that my boss had been given something to help him sleep, and he wouldn't be available until tomorrow morning. I'd forgotten about the three-hour time difference. I was nervous about dinner with John King. I was a thirty-year-old project manager and didn't feel confident negotiating a contract with the emperor of Global Foods. He had a reputation for getting what he wanted. Hopefully, tonight we would only be talking about his requirements and our capabilities to meet them.