---The Breastie and the jog---
Hello everyone, it's Tia! Your fierce fashion reporter never shying away from the challenge. You know, deep investigations are a twisting, pulse-quickening road. Covering the latest news is always a race against time. You need to be fast to keep up. So, I took a deep dive into training methods that make you faster and stronger. And I can guarantee, it was a hell of a jog! So, buckle up, folks!
You could say, I was on a roll with two successful investigations in a row! Most recently, I had taken a deep dive into fashion marketing and discovered a talent for brand promotion. After all, the coupon campaign had been a total triumph! Despite this promising start to my journalism career, however, I had to shift my focus. My job security was in jeopardy. Once again! As you know, I need to turn this internship into a success story. I couldn't risk a bad report card because it would hurt my future career prospects. And premature termination was totally out of the question as the consequences would be devastating.
Sadly, all my promo work didn't translate into a sustained sales increase. Shortly after my advertising tour, sales dropped back to their previous low. Ultimately, marketing can only do so much when the substance is lacking! And it's a well-known fact that our products don't meet the current trends. The problem is homegrown! The owner has made his son Morris the head designer. He's young and energetic but has no sense for market demands. And that's a big problem in the fashion world. You're either the next big thing or a has-been! And Vonderstone has been old news for far too long. So, long story short, the label is slowly running into financial troubles. Facts!
Meanwhile, I was still busy dealing with the repercussions of my promo tour. Remember, at the end of my marketing campaign, I had run into my neighbor on my way to my boss' car. His name was Ray, a man in his late 40s who lived next door to Holly and right across the street from my parents. As a red-blooded man, he had an unkempt appearance and long beard. Loving his freedom and his motorcycle, he was a member of a biker club, which made him the absolute opposite of my conservative father. And yet, they had worked together at the local machine factory. They had been colleagues for years until they had suffered the same fate when the factory closed about 5 years ago. Since then, all the laid-off workers had a hard time finding new jobs and neither Ray nor my dad were exceptions. As a result, all the fellow factory workers had stayed in contact. They weren't real close, but they had mutual respect. Facts!
"Hey Tia, just wanted to say hi." My neighbor addressed me in the parking lot.
To be honest, he sounded surprisingly friendly, so I breathed a sigh of relief. Ray had known me and Holly since we were born. In fact, Holly's dad was one of his best friends and he had always been nice to me. He was a sociable guy who liked to have loud barbecues with the whole neighborhood, and he always invited my parents over. But of course, they refused to go because his biker friends were too rowdy. That's why Holly and I loved sneaking into these parties in our teen years. I even drank my first beer there. Swear to god!
"Saw you earlier." The biker added. "You know, at the car wash."
Holy shit! This was exactly what I had hoped to avoid. I didn't want a familiar face to see me like that! But it had been an official marketing campaign, so I had a good excuse. And that's why, I quickly dismissed it.
"Oh, no... not just when you entered the wash bay. You left the door open a crack, so I saw you washin' that damn truck. Man, I saw it all n there was a helluva lot to see." The neighbor stunned me.
Oh fuck! That changed everything! I hadn't planned for that.
"Wonderin' what your parents gone say when they hear 'bout this." He followed up. "I've known you since you were little, so it's my fuckin' duty! You know, my supervisory responsibility."
Oh god, oh fuck! This couldn't be happening! My parents were too conservative, they wouldn't understand. They'd lose their shit and kick me out of the house. No doubt about it! I had to prevent this before it was too late, whatever the cost! And so, I promised my neighbor anything I could think of... like mowing his lawn and doing his laundry.
Apparently, my determination impressed the old-ass biker. I bet he hadn't expected me to go this far, because he only knew me as a good girl and eager beaver. So, he said he'd think about my offer. After all, he only wanted the best for me. And then he assured me that he'd keep silent about my extracurricular activities... at least for the time being.
OK! That sounded pretty damn vague. But whatever! It was the best I could have hoped for. I was safe... for the moment. And that was all that mattered. So, I didn't waste another thought on the idea that I could find myself in debt to a biker. Especially as nothing dramatic happened at home over the next few days. I didn't even see Ray in the neighborhood, so the matter basically sank into oblivion. Out of sight, out of mind, right?
Instead, there was a completely different development at work that needed my full attention. After I had stepped into the line of fire for my bestie, Mr. von Stein had a change of heart. He finally gave Holly a second chance. But of course, it wasn't that simple. Nothing ever is with this stone-cold family! First, my soul sis had to successfully complete an obedience training to get her job back. And she did it with flying colors! You know my bae! When she puts her mind to something, she sinks her teeth into it and won't let go again. She's fiercely resolved like that and I'm happy for her success!
And yet, Holly remains a troublemaker because she's caused me quite a few problems. The biggest of all is the fact that Vonderstone has hired a temp to replace my bae. Her name is Isabelle, but everyone calls her Belle, which is enough to annoy the hell out of me. What's even more annoying, though, is the fact that she's a natural blonde with big natural boobs, just like me. In many ways, she's a younger version of me... at least in terms of looks.
As for her work performance, she's done a much better job than me since joining the company. Unlike me, Belle has no problem admitting that she's a dizzy blonde. She even uses it to her advantage. Acting completely clueless actually helps her make big sales! In comparison, my old upselling trick looks pale because my Vondermove has become pretty basic. As a result, she has become a serious competitor as the store can only afford two temps! Holly and a blondie...
Of course, my poor sales figures haven't gone unnoticed. Instead, my low motivation and lack of focus attracted negative attention. Not even my success as the face of the label helped my cause. And so, the big boss decided that I'd have to undergo the same obedience training as Holly to prove myself. To be honest, that didn't sound too bad. After all, there was still a kink on my bucket list: taming! Come to think of it, taming through training sounded kind of logical. What sounded bad, on the other hand, was the threat that came with failing the training. The temp would get my job and I'd be out on the street. But that will never happen! Promise!
