I am 43 years old and have been married to my current husband since I was 28. I have 2 boys ages 23 and 19 from a previous marriage. Just to paint an accurate picture, I am 5'2" tall and weigh 140 pounds- not fat really but not skinny. I still wear a two piece swimsuit on vacation and I look great in jeans. I am a brunette and yes, I color it a bit now. My hair is generally worn straight and it goes just past my shoulders but I will wear it up or in a pony on occasion. My eyes are brown. I am Italian but more fair skinned than you might think. I have D cup boobs (which usually get me into these kinds of situations) but two kids and gravity have had an effect. I had liposuction done 8 years ago. I have a flat tummy and good shaped thighs and butt β although I have added about 20 or so pounds since. I still need to work on that.
I work full time in an office and my husband is in sales with a good income and lots of travel. I go with him whenever I can get off work and when he goes someplace good. He goes on fishing and hunting trips with his friends a few times a year. I go to Mexico or Florida with friends when I can to shop and relax.
About six months ago, I received a promotion at work and was given an opportunity in our sales department. It was a commission position but I received my normal salary as I trained but the company subtracts fixed salary from later commissions. I felt that I could be a good salesperson but I struggled with the technical part of the job and had trouble closing any deals. Now six months later, my boss is dropping comments and getting increasingly unfriendly. Until this story took place, I was getting pretty anxious about closing a big sale so I could show him I was able to do this job.
Two weeks ago, I finally got an appointment with the purchasing manager of a large company in town where we met for lunch for my presentation. His name was Frank and he was friendly looking man, about 55. He was a big man in average shape with a full head of brown hair, somewhat graying. He had blue eyes and a warm friendly smile and demeanor.
We had a nice lunch and shared the normal stories for a first business meeting. He was married with 3 kids and lived only a few miles from me. We discovered we had some similar interests in travel, movies, and music.
After lunch, we returned to his office where I made my presentation and a somewhat desperate pitch to sell my wares. He seemed genuinely interested and watched my presentation attentively. After nearly an hour I was feeling good but he finally said that he had meetings set up with two other salesmen and would need to compare features and costs. He asked my bottom line price for 50 units and I gave it to him.
Frank promised to call me back with his decision. I had heard all of that before and knew full well that I had just wasted a lunch and an hour of my time, again. I knew I was going to have to find a new job after this meeting. My boss was not going to stand for more excuses. My husband was not going to be happy. He has a good job but we rely on both incomes to maintain our lifestyle and my shopping. Something was going to have to give, very soon.
To my surprise, Frank called me the very next day and asked for another appointment. But he said he would buy dinner and we should meet that night downtown.
Of course I agreed. I called my husband with the news and agreed because he knew my job was dangerously close to ending. He was working out of town all week so I did not have to deal with any of his plans that night.
I will admit right here that I dressed as sexy as I could while still maintaining business attire. I know men, all men, no matter how polite and professional they appear, can be charmed by the right sexy outfit. I meant to flirt a little and still do my best at selling the technical aspects of my company's product. I wore a knee length evening dress with some cleavage showing but not a lot. I wore a push up bra and high heels. I used a little more makeup than usual but wanted to look my best. I was going to close this deal somehow.
I arrived at the restaurant in full control of myself and prepared to run this meeting and close the deal. I studied the material again and practiced my pitch in the car. The hostess took me to his table where he got up and greeted me as a perfect gentleman. We sat and he ordered a bottle of expensive wine. I know he checked me out as I approached but still maintained his manners and looked me in the eyes across the table as we talked. Most men get distracted by cleavage but not Frank. We finished the bottle and he ordered another before I could object. We chatted more about our personal lives and continued to find common interests. Wine has the effect of making people chattier and less inhibited. I was very tipsy as dinner arrived and we finally got to talk about business. After a few bites, and before I could even start my final sales pitch, he said he was ready to make a purchase and he would pay my price and take 50 units, just like that.
That meant a $500,000 sale with a 5% commission to me. I would get $25,000 with half going to pay off my previous draw (salary) and the remaining amount to me. I was finally going to close a deal. He toasted me and we both downed our full glasses. I was so excited.
Then he said, "One more thing Tina. You did not have the lowest price. I will need additional value from you to justify this purchase. If I am going to make this purchase, I need a little more incentive."
Of course I said, "Sure, just name it. I will see what I can do." I was thinking baseball tickets, future discounts, or an extended warranty which I was authorized to give.
He looked right in my eyes and said, "OK, Let's get a hotel room."
I think my mouth fell open and I could only stare. It seemed like several minutes passed as I contemplated his request. It was so uncharacteristic of him based on all of his manners. I stuttered and stammered a bit as I considered it. I was elated just a moment ago with the news of the agreement but was now facing a huge condition. I needed the sale but could I do this?
He said, "Do you want the deal or not?"
I took a while responding but finally nodded yes. I reminded him we were both married and his was not a good idea though.
He replied, "I can still buy from another vendor."
I quickly said, "No, no. I will go with you. I need this deal."