This is my entry into the
April Fools Day Story Contest 2024
. I always like to reinforce that like my author name says, all of the stories I tell here have a basis in truth and are always based on actual events from my life. That being said, I do like to add some twists & embellishments to keep them interesting for the readers.
Please remember, authors & our stories thrive on ratings. We get better with feedback, so PLEASE leave your comments on our stories. I also love when people guess in the comments what parts are "Truth" and what I added for "Twists"
Everyone in the story is 18 years of age or older.
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I sat down at the large conference table at the hotel for the weekly staff meeting. I was part of a team that was installing a new management structure for my boss who had just purchased the hotel. As part of my job, I was the temporary Hotel Manager. I was teamed up with Claudia my on-again, off-again WFWB (Work Friend with Benefits). Over the course of a year or so, we had hooked up in various cities when we were assigned to the same projects.
She was of Spanish decent (and pronounced her name with a, "juh" sound in the middle, making her even more exotic) with a mane of dark brown hair with blond highlights. She was always perched on high heels and dressed like she stepped off a fashion runway. Her skirts danced on the line of "work appropriate" and her blazers did just enough to conceal the large set of tits that were under her tight tops. She wore makeup that seemed like it was professionally applied to highlight her blazing eyes and pouty lips.
When the meeting got to her turn, I perked up a bit. Not only because I loved the sound of her accent but also because she oversaw sales, convention bookings and I was the Manager on Duty for the weekend. That meant that I would be spending Friday and Saturday nights staying at the hotel and if anything happened that required management (at any hour) I was on call.
"On Saturday" she started, "The Carrie May convention will have their final event. Since it's April 1
st
, they are doing a 'Festival of Fools' celebration. It's from the movie 'Hunchback of Notre Dame' the Disney one. It's basically a version of a Mardi Gras party with games, dancing, contests. They've booked some acrobats, jugglers, magicians - that sort of thing.
"They're using all three parts of the ballroom, plus the foyer. Total count is 470. Starts at 7:00, ends at midnight. They want desserts brought out in a "parade" at 11:00. That's when they are crowning the 'King and Queen of Fools'."
"So let me get this straight" I interjected. "I'm going to have 300-plus women who sell cosmetics, drinking from 7:00 until midnight, at a Mardi Gras party, with a dessert parade? What did I do to offend you, Claudia?"
"Considering they are bringing in over a half a million dollars in revenue, I think you'll manage." she shot back.
Claudia was a sales superstar and if I'm being honest, drove me crazy when I first met her. She was demanding, could be rude, and spoke to everyone like they were slightly beneath her. The facts were that she backed it all up by bringing in high-priced clients like this convention that kept us all employed. She ran through the rest of the details for the group, including the brunch scheduled for Sunday morning. The rest of the meeting progressed as normal and we all picked up our folders and went back to work.
As we left the boardroom, Claudia turned to me and said quietly, "You should be thanking me. The group is mostly women who will be drinking and partying all night. Plus, you have a room here. Even someone with your lack of skills should be able to pick up someone that night."
Before I could even come up with a retort, she gave a wink and blew me a kiss before striding down toward her office. At least I was able to watch her ass sway as she walked.
As the week progressed, the feeling of dread about Saturday night continued to grow. The convention was 80% women - all who sold makeup in home parties to other women. Because of this, they were all extremely outgoing and energetic. They spent the week cheering and singing and having motivational meetings with outside trainers. Every day when I came in, I was hearing the stories of late-night parties in suites that had to be quieted down.
On Friday, I went to Claudia's office to check-in with her prior to the weekend.
"The good news is," she started, "they are going off-site Friday night. So, it should be quiet. Saturday is a different story. You should see what they are bringing in. They have a whole area for carnival games, food stations everywhere, they are putting a float on the stage for the band and for pictures. Oh, and the 'King and Queen' thing? They have one of those thrones that they are going to put them on and have them carried around the room, leading the dessert parade."
"Fuuuuuuuuck." I replied. "Please tell me this is an April Fool's joke on me? Maybe it's really a convention of nuns that will all be in bed by 9pm?"
"Sorry, baby." She said as she closed her laptop. "Good news is, I must be on site for this one, then back again in the morning for their farewell brunch. You mind if I crash in your room?"
"Not a problem. I just hope I'm there enough to make use of the time."
Claudia was correct. Friday night was a breeze. They hotel was quiet until the convention's buses came rolling back in around 11pm. I was in my room by Midnight and the only call I got was at 1:30 because someone's husband had passed out in the lobby. We managed to wake him up and get him on his way back to his room.
The next day was a bustle of activity in the ballroom. In addition to our staff trying to set-up the buffets and dance floors, there were multiple outside contractors setting up the room for the "Festival of Fools" party. Claudia was also 100% correct in her preparations for the meeting. Being built on the stage was a giant Mardi Gras float adorned with the company's trademark purple, white and green color scheme. There were streamers being strung along the ceiling and balloons everywhere. An entire carnival was set up on one side of the ballroom. Standing in the middle of all of this was Claudia. She wore her usual fitted top and pencil skirt but had sacrificed her heels for a pair of sneakers.
As I approached her, she was directing traffic with our staff and the contractors reminding them of the timelines.
"Anything else I need to know?" I asked.
"No. Nothing has really changed from the event overview. I just want to make sure it's all set up in time."
"Cool. I'll be back down around 6:00. I have a radio if you need anything before then. Oh, and here." I handed her a room key card. "I'm in 233. Feel free to put your stuff in there whenever."
Claudia said a quick "thanks" before she walked off toward someone who was letting a bouquet of balloons come a little too close to a chandelier for her liking.
When I returned at 6pm, I was amazed at the transformation of the room. Our team was putting the final touches on the tables and the ballroom was a sea of purple, green and white. I had a quick meeting with the servers and captains, and we steadied ourselves for the upcoming party. A few minutes before seven, we could literally hear the party approaching us. Like a wave of sound, the partygoers were singing and chanting to drums and music toward us. The banquet manager ordered the team to open all the doors and when we did, we saw the group coming toward us.
All 400+ attendees were being led down the halls by small bands with drums, horns, and noisemakers. They swamped us like an invading army as they spread out to the various food stations and activities around the massive room. In all my years of working in hotels, I had never seen a group as energic as this one. As the drinks from the open bar flowed, the group partied harder and harder. Then, at 8:00, the company's founder took the stage.
Carrie May was a 70-ish woman with a mane of platinum blonde hair, perched on a set of high heels. She wore a jumpsuit in the company's trademark purple and was truly electric in her speech. She talked about hard work, motivation, and why the company was something special. She had the crowd laughing, cheering, and crying for nearly 30 minutes. Even I was watching in rapt attention as she extolled the virtues and rewards of the company. At the end of the speech, someone handed her a tote bag (purple of course).
With the flair of a showman, she exclaimed, "Let the Festival of Fools officially begin!" She then reached into the bag and threw something into the air toward the crowd. Before I could see what they were, I saw similar things flying from all corners of the room, glittering in the lights. It was when some fell to me that I caught them and saw what they were: beads. Just like at Mardi Gras, beaded necklaces in purple, green and white were being thrown to the crowd. Women were scooping them from the air and floor, decorating their arms, necks, and hips in various ways.
One woman ran by me, screeching to her friends, "OH MY GOD! I CAUGHT ONE FROM CARRIE MAY! I CAUGHT ONE FROM CARRIE MAY!" In her hands she was gripping a strand of beads that were bigger than the rest and seemed to be glowing in her hands. Apparently, the necklaces being thrown by Carrie May had some sort of glowing liquid in them, making them even more desirable to her acolytes.
Within minutes, the dance floor was full of pulsating bodies moving to the beats of 70s hits. Virtually every member of our team had a beaded necklace or two around their necks, getting into the spirit of the party. As the party continued, various people were brought up on stage to "audition" to be King and Queen of Fools. The 'acts' ranged from bad karaoke, to dancing to a rotund fellow doing a dance that ended with him doing the worm across the stage. Everything took a turn, when one woman got up on stage did a rather provocative dance and at the crescendo yelled, "give me your beads!" and proceeded to lift up her shirt and expose her large breasts.