Welcome to Mailgirls Down Under Spotlight. I edited these excerpts out of the main story for the usual reasons -- they didn't work in the original stories, they didn't fit in the timeline, Jackson did not approve at the time, that sort of thing. There are more which I will publish in this series every so often. Sometimes it will be obvious where they fit in the Mailgirls Down Under Universe, sometimes not so obvious. But hopefully they will be as much fun as the regular series.
Firstly, a quick recap for those not immersed in the story: The Japanese boss of Harada Industries ordered the Australian subsidiary to introduce mailgirls, which they already have in their offices in Japan and The States. The local management struggled with how to introduce naked mailgirls down under, given Australia's restrictive workplace laws. After lawyers and other experts turned down the task of drafting the mailgirls' contracts, the Australian office boss Mitchell Johnson turned to Marjorie "call me Jackson" Jackson, a union official who usually works with sex workers, to help Harada Industries come up with a mailgirls employment contract and to start a program that is acceptable to the Japanese boss and the Australian authorities.
To her surprise, on the eve of their mailgirls launch, that local boss, Mitchell Johnson, invited Jackson to become an inaugural mailgirl on a short-term contract, ostensibly because they need her expertise to ensure that the mailgirls program ran smoothly at the start. Now she had to make up her mind whether to accept the role. Is that something she would like to do? Did she expect this not too old, handsome man to ask her to work naked for him?
Excerpt 1 -- Jackson discusses whether to become a mailgirl with her friend.
Fanny Durack sat across from Jackson stirring her coffee and looking eager. But then Fanny Durack always looked eager when she knew she was about to share a confidence. Always seeming to be busy, the trainee psychologist was studying mailgirls for her thesis which was why Jackson had chosen to drop her bombshell on her. Jackson knew that meant Fanny would give her the third degree when she broke the news. Still, Fanny was a friend she could trust. And the one who knew the most about mailgirls.
"Out with it!" Fanny insisted with a smile.
Jackson took a deep breath and looked Fanny in the eyes. "I'm going to work for Harada Industries," she revealed.
Fanny beamed. "The mailgirl company!" She stared at Jackson with hopeful expectation. "You're not?" With wide eyes, the works.
Jackson tried to tamp the excitement down. "I've been helping them write their employment conditions, making sure that they're acceptable to the Fair Work Commission. And, well, making the rules a bit more female friendly than they had originally planned."
"And they want you to become one." Fanny was excited.
Jackson shrugged. "They want me to be there to help with the launch and making sure everything goes smoothly."
"You could do that with your clothes on."
"But that's not what they've offered. And..."
Fanny's eyes lit up further, if that was possible. "And?!"
Jackson looked embarrassed. The thin, seriously dressed, usually assertive women looked down at the table in front of her, trying to avoid Fanny's enthusiasm. "And the money. They're paying a lot. And," she faltered a little, "I am curious."
Fanny sat there for a moment, cogitating. "I'm trying to imagine my upright diligent friend running errands, naked in an office. Have you agreed to?"
"Well, I'm thinking about it..." Jackson started.
Fanny reached across to clasp Jackson's hand in hers. Which forced Jackson to look up at Fanny. "Okay, you want some advice from the mailgirl expert. You want to know what you're going to get yourself into? Let me explain. First of all, have you seen the videos?"
Jackson nodded. "Some of them, I guess."
"And when was the last time you were naked in front of more than one person?" Jackson smiled sheepishly at that but did not answer. "Don't tell me it's one of your fantasies!" Fanny exploded. Jackson's smile remained coy, defensive.
Fanny realised she should change tack. "How about your career?" Fanny asked, shifting to something safer. Jackson shrugged. They had talked often about Jackson's dedication to her job, the excessive hours that she was putting into it, and the question of where she expected her career to go. Still Jackson looked squeamish, still she did not answer.
"Are you planning to prove a point?" Fanny tried.
Jackson found some oxygen there and invoked one of her standard concerns about sex work. "That a girl can exploit and be exploited at the same time? Don't worry, I wrote the contracts. I thought about that."
Fanny gave her friend a confused look. "You may have written the contracts. But the job is essentially spending your day going around an office naked, you know, with people looking at you. And getting punished for anything you stuff up."
Jackson smiled. And perked up as she shook her head knowingly. "I wrote the contracts. There is no punishment. Only incentives for doing the job better than expected." Now she smiled with pride.
Fanny looked impressed. "Neat, that's different to The States. I didn't expect that. Now I have to find out how this is going to work." She thought for a moment. "Girl, no wonder they wanted you. This is radical. Apart from the other thing." She gave Jackson an enigmatic look.
"What other thing?" Jackson asked.
"Well despite what you think, you're pretty good looking. I'm going to make a guess here. Someone in that company decided that they want to see you without any clothes on." Fanny's look strongly said 'come on, tell me who it is.' Jackson pretended that she had no idea who. So Fanny went onto her academic interest in the subject. "This is really interesting, it's not going to be mailgirls as we know it. From what you told me so far. And I'm going to guess there's more?" Jackson stared at Fanny, didn't say anything, rather let her continue. Fanny, excited was speaking quickly now. "Knowing all that, I am now getting behind you. You have to become a mailgirl. Why? So I can see how this social experiment plays out. You will report back to me. And even better, this is all happening in my home town too. This time I don't have to try to work out what is happening thousands of miles away." Fanny looked very pleased. "I get to sit ringside while you tell me everything."
Jackson nodded a vague promise to do that. But she needed to hear more from Fanny. "Look, I'm happy if my sacrifice is going to help out your research. But seriously what do you think it will do to my career?"
Fanny put on her serious face. "Okay then, about you. What about your career?"
Jackson stirred her coffee. "This is 2023, what is a career? What am I going to be doing in five years' time. Still fighting for the rights of sex workers? And if I take, I don't know, two years away from that?" She pulled a pretended disgust face. "What if I enjoy doing it?" And then she got serious again. "But me, working naked. I mean that was never part of the plan. Will this close doors for me? I don't know, what doors it might open..."
Fanny gave Jackson her serious 'over the top of her glasses' look. "And the man who made you the offer..."
