The Lynx/Axe Effect

"Come on people. We need some new fucking ideas. I want something original. We have to grab the attention of morons who are glued to their phones. I want something that's going to worm itself inside their head so they can't sleep at night!" Don Anderson barked, spitting out each sentence at his petrified employees.

He had been in charge of Anderson Advertising for the last five years taking over from his dad and he wasn't the type of man to suffer fools. Advertising was a dog eat dog career and as far as Don was concerned if you weren't coming up with new ideas then you were useless to him and expendable. He had just landed a huge contract to advertise the new Lynx fragrance and he needed it to be a success.

"It's time you idiots earn your pay. Prove to me that your fancy degrees are actually worth the forty fucking grand you're paid!" He snarled.

"How about having a scrawny twenty-year-old man? He's really ugly but is surrounded by absolute gorgeous supermodels and..."

"Get the fuck out!" Don spoke calmly cutting off the well-groomed young man.

The younger man chuckled nervously in response but stayed seated and cleared his throat to continue speaking.

"I said get the fuck out!" Don glared, "pack your things and leave this building you're fired!"

The young man paled noticeably when he realised that Don wasn't joking. Avoiding the blazing fury in Don's eyes he slowly picked up his notepad, got to his feet and stumbled from the room.

"Now the rest of you morons had best come up with something fucking original. A fucking ugly guy?! Give me a goddamn break I need something original!"

"Mr Anderson... um... Do you mind about courting controversy? I've got an idea but I don't think it will go down well with the media." One woman spoke up before cowering when Don glowered at her.

"There is no such thing as bad publicity!" He snorted, "you've got 'til tomorrow to come up with two pitches for me and if you haven't, then don't bother coming in." He let the threat hang in the air as he turned on his heel and left the room.

As soon as the door shut the room erupted into a chorus of noise, from complaints about their tyrannical boss to ideas being thrown around. Pretty soon the room emptied leaving Jack Davies alone deep in thought.

At only twenty-two years old Jack was the youngest person in the meeting. He had been employed for several months and though he had worked on other people's projects, he had yet to come up with a solo pitch. He knew that his time was running out especially with the way Don got rid of his employees.

Jack was unremarkable. Standing at six-foot-tall he wasn't toned or muscular; instead, he was slightly larger than average due to his fondness of sitting on his arse, playing video games and drinking beer but with cycling to and from work he had nothing to worry about.

Noticing that he was the last one in the meeting room, he raced out, shoving his jacket in his bag before pulling on his helmet over his thick blonde hair. Firing off a text to his mum asking her to get him some food ready he hopped on his bike and began to pedal.

As he weaved in and out of traffic he began to think of advert ideas. Growing up he had seen his fair share of Lynx adverts, replaying them in his mind he tried to think of something original. Slowly an idea to shoot the advert in a POV-style came to him.

I'm standing in a supermarket when I spot a can of Lynx. A cut scene plays a montage of old Lynx ads and I laugh at how ridiculous they are. I go to walk away then stop, turn back, pick up the can and spray it. The camera zooms in on the spray as I coat my arms and chest.

I leave the store and head to work. Getting on the train I notice women sniffing and looking at me. The carriage is suddenly full of women becoming infatuated with me until a supermodel appears wearing nothing but a bikini and licks her lips...

"No, you idiot! You can do better than that!" He loudly admonished himself causing several people to do a double-take as he cycled past.

How about going back to school? There could be an attractive foreign exchange student! It could pay homage to the American Pie film! We could tie it into the new one coming out...

"Holy fuck that's perfect!" Jack exclaimed as he freewheeled into his parent's driveway before jumping off his bike.

"One down" he muttered, locking his bike away before entering the house.

Lost in his own thoughts, Jack ran upstairs to go to his room. When he got to the top step the sight that greeted him brought him back to reality.

There was his mum, Bethany, bent over putting away the bed linen inside the hallway cupboard. There was nothing unusual in that, his mum was a housewife so she was usually at home clearing away, however it was what she was wearing that caught Jack's attention.

Having recently come back from a tennis lesson his mum hadn't changed and was still wearing her short white skirt. Being bent over meant it had ridden up leaving her panty covered round arse on full display to her son.

Obviously, Jack knew his mum was an attractive woman, his friends told him often enough! It definitely helped that Bethany worked hard to keep her body in shape as she reached her late forties. In the gym, she focused on toning her voluptuous body and now her son was staring at the result of all that work.

The succulent looking cheeks stretched a pair of thin panties to the max and it took all of Jack's willpower not to reach out and have a feel. Licking his dry lips it suddenly dawned on him that he had been standing staring at his mum's arse for a while and it would take a lot of explaining if she caught him.

He was lucky that her long black hair was hanging over her face blocking him from view and she was busy humming to herself loud enough to not hear her son's heavy breathing.

"I... I didn't realise there was a full moon tonight!" He announced, his voice breaking despite his attempt to sound normal.

"What the hell!" Bethany shouted, jumping with shock. Her skirt dropped to cover her arse as she spun around to see her son with a grin on his face, "you idiot! You nearly gave me a heart attack! What are you doing home so early?"

As she tried to calm herself after the fright, her chest heaved underneath her shirt. Despite her sports bra flattening her breasts, it didn't hide how large they were and Jack couldn't help but stare as they swelled up with each breath.

"Sorry Mum," he chuckled, "everyone got sent home early to work on a project. I'm just going to get a drink before I head to the study. Did you want one too?"

"No thanks love, I need to recover first!" She laughed, patting her generous chest, inadvertently wobbling her breasts, making Jack groan quietly, "I'll have some food ready for us in a bit. Let me know if I can help with your homework."

Heading into her room, she closed the door and moments later there was the sound of the en-suite shower.

"Homework..." Jack spluttered, shaking his head in bemusement, he went into his room and launched himself onto his bed.

*

The rest of the day passed quickly, his dad was out of town for the next ten days attending a conference and so it was just him and his mum in the house. Diving into his work he tried to concentrate on finding another advert pitch but he couldn't get his mum's perfect round arse out of his head.

The next morning he made his way to work still desperately trying to think of another idea. When he got to the conference room he was surprised to see a lot of empty seats. Yesterday there had been close to forty members of staff there and now there were only a dozen. Jack had only just sat down when the door flew open and Don marched in.

"Well, this is a nice surprise. I thought no one was going to be here! At least you fuckers have some balls, and I can appreciate that. Now let's hear what you got." Don barked and looked around the room before pointing to the young man sitting next to Jack, "you. Speak."

Don listened as one by one his employees laid out their pitches. None of their ideas interested him and with a shake of the head, each one left until there were only four left and Jack was next.

Trying to calm himself by taking a deep breath, Jack accidentally burped causing his boss to look at him in disgust. Before Don could fire him, he quickly began explaining his idea.

"... So he comes into band practice where three girls are practising the flute, they see him and the smell of the Lynx goes up the flute into their noses. They drop their instruments and pounce on him. The camera zooms in on his pleased face then it cuts to one of the girls holding a flute. She looks at the camera and winks. The final shot is his shocked expression and the squeaky note of a flute that stops abruptly... you see it's been shoved up his..."

"I know what you meant!" Don snapped.

"So you want to do an American Pie advert?" Don questioned but held up his finger stopping Jack from replying.

Finding his phone Done spent the next couple of minutes doing some research, ignoring the rising tension of his subordinates in the room.

"The next film isn't due out until the end of next year, so bad luck. To be fair kid, it's a good idea just a year too early!" Don said.

He wasn't lying when he said it was a good idea and now it was his good idea. He had fired off a couple of emails to his contacts in the film industry and was already taking credit for the idea. Smiling to himself he went to point at the next person when Jack jumped in.

"Wait! I have another idea but it's kind of inappropriate..."

"Do I look like I get shocked easily boy?!" Don sniffed, "let's fucking hear it then!"

"Right, so a young man wakes up, sprays the Lynx, and makes his way downstairs. In the kitchen, his mum hugs him and we see her inhale deeply. The camera zooms in on her eyes to see the pupils widen as she is filled with lust. Suddenly, she rips off her son's shirt and attempts to mount him. The advert stops, and the Lynx logo smashes the screen followed by a slogan saying Lynx! Irresistible to all women... Use with caution!"

When Jack finished talking the room fell into silence as everyone waited for Don to have his say. Unsettled by the silence Jack spoke again.

"I know it would shock a lot of people but they would all be talking about it. I know there will be complaints from the press and religions groups but, you know, that's free publicity! I mean it's completely original and some people will find it funny..."

While he spoke, Jack couldn't stop thinking about his mother's arse. How it would feel to touch, to watch it jiggle as he spanked her and inevitably, he felt his cock stiffen.

"You can stay." Don finally said, breaking the tension in the room.

One by one he pointed to the remaining people, dismissing them with disdain after they had voiced their pitch. Eventually, it was just him and Jack left.

"Walk me through your second advert again," Don said, closing his eyes so he could visualise the idea as Jack once again explained his pitch.

Using incest was an interesting concept, Don thought. It would be one of the most talked-about adverts in years but there was a reason why it hadn't been done. There would be an immediate barrage of negative publicity, though that had never been a bad thing, he reasoned and yet, even for him, incest might be a step too far.

It was when the younger man coughed that Don realised he had been mulling the idea around in his head for over fifteen minutes. Looking across to Jack, he could see sweat forming on his nervous face.

"You might actually have a future in advertising, boy. It's a ballsy idea you've got here and if there's one thing I like, it's balls. So I'll tell you what I'm going to do. I'm handing the lynx advert project over to you. You're going to have complete control of it."

Don sat back looking smug. If the advert was a success then he could take the credit, on the other hand, if it became toxic, he could use Jack as a scapegoat.

"Thank you, Sir, you won't regret taking a chance on me." Jack stuttered, sounding more confident than he felt.

"For your sake, I hope not," Don replied.

Scribbling on a bit of paper he handed it to Jack, "take this to Darla and she'll get you sorted for a film crew and set. You have two weeks to get the ad together. You do this right and you can consider yourself my protégé."

With an awkward bow, Jack left the room and hurried to where Darla sat outside the boss's office.

"Hi Darla, Don said to see you about a film crew and..."

"Yes, he's already let me know what you are doing." The frumpy, middle-aged woman interrupted, the disgust dripping from her words.

"I've arranged for you to have a look around the Lynx research and development laboratory this afternoon. You have an office at Coolers House for your auditions on Monday and I've booked a house with a film crew for Wednesday. Here's a talent agency for you to find your actors."

She pushed a USB towards him before handing him a Lynx identity card, then ignored him as she went back to her computer screen.

"Thanks, Darla... um, haven't you got a son?" Jack wondered aloud.

"Get out you dirty boy!" She screamed causing Jack to hightail it out of the office floor.

*

Four hours later, Jack was wearing an oversized lab coat and watching a very fat man waddle towards him.

"Hello there, I'm Doctor Filler. Lead scientist for research and development for Lynx. You must be the young man with the advert that's going to make Lynx the talk of the world!"

Jack noticed the older man struggled for breath after each word. The doctor was nearly a foot and a half smaller than Jack yet he was nearly twice the width. With his wild hair and frantic eyes, Dr Filler looked every inch the crackpot scientist.

Jack allowed the doctor to lead him inside the laboratory. After a quick tour, he was taken to a table where several test tubes and Bunsen burners stood.

"I'm in charge of how the products smell, mixing chemicals together to find that perfect intoxicating scent. Lately, I've become fascinated with pheromones." Dr Filler said happily.

He left Jack standing looking at the bubbling test tubes while he shuffled around to pick up a pair of scissors, needle and swab.

"Your little pitch this morning has got a lot of people here talking about the morality of it all, and though I'm looking forward to the inevitable backlash from religious groups that doesn't concern me. I'm much more interested in trying to make your idea a reality!"

He smiled as he motioned for the bemused looking young man to sit on a stool.

"Now, I have been experimenting with creating smells that attract women. Obviously, that might sound like a fantasy to you but I promise you, it's not."

"My research shows that there are some smells that turn females into sex-crazed fiends and it all comes down to pheromones. Then when I heard your advert pitch, it gave me an idea."

While Jack was thinking over what he had just heard, Dr Filler had used the scissors to clip off a lock of his dark blonde hair. When Jack opened his mouth to complain, a swab invaded it and soon after he felt a sharp pain as a needle pricked his arm.

"What the hell? What the fuck do you think you are doing?!"

"Well, I needed to take a sample of hair, salvia and blood from you obviously!" Dr Filler snorted disdainfully, "now just wait here and let me work. It won't take long."

Scuttling off to a table, he turned a bunsen burner higher, heating up a jar of liquid to scalding temperatures before dropping in the hair. Taking it off the heat, he mixed it with the DNA from the swab and Jack's blood then quickly plunged it into one of the ice vaults. The steam billowed out yet before it froze solid, he pulled it out and secured it in a contraption that shook it vigorously.

"This will be your own, personal spray," Dr Filler said as he stopped the machine.

He waited for the liquid to settle to a light brown colour before pulling off the lid and wafting it under Jack's nose.

"Smells a little like you right?" He asked but got no response from the thoroughly confused younger man.

"Now, I'll just fix on a spray head and you're good to go!" He giggled as he sprayed Jack twice then ushered the dumbfounded man from his lab.

Jack had to take a moment to gather his thoughts. Everything had happened so quickly, from his hair being cut to being sprayed with his own scent, he still didn't know what had actually happened but he knew that he didn't want to be anywhere near the mad scientist.

"Let me know how it goes, my lad." Doctor Filler shouted as Jack sprinted for the exit.

Throwing his pass at the receptionist, Jack didn't stop rushing until he was safely on the train. He decided to go straight home leaving his bike at work, he didn't fancy explaining what had occurred inside the crazy laboratory.

Lifting his shirt, Jack inhaled where the doctor had sprayed. Immediately, he recognised the smell of his own body odour, but there was something more to it. There were other sweeter and nuttier smells meaning his body odour wasn't overpowering. Jack found the smell hard to describe. Sniffing again he began to feel more masculine.

*

It was late afternoon when Jack finally got home. Grabbing a coffee, he set up his work laptop on the kitchen table. Uploading the casting photos Darla had sent over, he saw that she had already filtered them so only actresses who were older than forty showed. Deciding to send out a group email to them, he composed a message.

Are you a mother who loves to act? Do you have a son who is a budding actor? We are looking for a mother and teenage son to star together in a Lynx advert. You will need to be extremely comfortable around each other and open-minded. Acting experience not required but knowledge of Lynx adverts is recommended. If interested contact me.

Copying the message he pasted it onto several acting forums and websites before printing it off so he could place one at the local town hall where an amateur dramatics class rehearsed.

He had showered and was just about to leave the house when the front door opened and his mum came in.

"Hello, love. Can you help me unload the car?" She said as she dumped a sack of potatoes in his hands.

With a little bit of grumbling, Jack did what his mother wanted and it didn't take too long before the car was unpacked and the fridge was full.

Picking up his flyer, Jack made to leave when his mum began to ask him about his day. Handing him a drink Bethany sat down in the living room expecting him to join her.

Jack sighed with frustration. He had wanted to get the advert up before the amateur dramatics class started. Walking into the living room, he saw that his mum was sitting on the couch and patting the empty seat next to her.

"So how was your day? What did your boss think about your idea?" Bethany asked.

While he began to speak, she found that there was a very faint yet confusingly familiar odour in the air distracting her from listening. Subtly, she sniffed her armpit. She frowned as the smell of her flowery perfume invaded her nostrils, but underneath that, the same smell that was confusing her was there.

Jack was now acting out his American Pie advert, his arms waving around and the manly fragrance smell was getting stronger. Staring at her son, Bethany began to think that there was something different about him. Something irresistible. Almost seductive.

Suddenly she began to feel warm. Her logical brain told her it was because she had been pushing a heavy trolley around the supermarket yet she knew that wasn't the reason.

Grabbing the bottom of her jumper, she pulled it over her head leaving her in just a white vest top and jeans.

"So... wow, um... he said he liked it and..." Jack spluttered to a stop.