Summary: Perhaps it's the ultimate sexual gift a woman could give to her husband... Hayley gives Steven the keys to the kingdom, a pill that makes her comply with whatever fantasies he is willing to attempt, and at the same time, show that she trusts his judgment completely, because she won't remember a thing afterwards.
This is a 3 Chapter series.
Prologue
It felt good to be "on stage" again! Hayley had taken a year off from the convention circuit, and home life with the new baby had been all she had expected and more. Not surprisingly, her priorities had changed but detaching herself from her career had come more slowly than she would have thought. Her agency had persisted with offers from time to time, and she accepted the compliment. There was a multitude of professionals they could ask, and a new generation of younger talents were pining for the wages and benefits of world travel and expense accounts. Still, she just hadn't wanted to travel and leave her daughter at home. It had been a precious year, and she wanted to be there for the years to come. And with the hours that the job required, there was no chance that she could take Samantha with her.
But even while telling the agency a polite "no," she had known that her addiction to being the center of attention would eventually win out. She
liked
her work, and she would do it again. So, while her workout regimen had been necessary for her general health, a more honest motivation for her daily trips to the gym was the prospect of returning to work. Sometime. When the time was right.
The agency called, and the timing had been right. Maybe it was her mood, maybe she had watched all the streaming content she could manage, maybe it was the fear of becoming fully domesticated, and maybe it was the satisfaction she felt when she got a call. As an independent contractor, those calls mattered. And when they had asked her to go to Chicago for a pharmaceutical convention, everything aligned in her favor. It was an easy flight from Atlanta, the convention would be a typical four and a half days, and the pay was outstanding for this client.
And here she was, in Chicago, at McCormick Place, North America's largest convention hall, its largest cavernous space filled to its walls with vendor exhibit booths lined up in columns and rows. It was amazing to think that in just a few days the hall would be emptied and set up again for whoever was next in town. Booth set-up and dismantling, fortunately, was not in her job description.
Selling was. Give her a crowd, or even a small group, and she always created an electricity with her audience. It was one thing to direct an interactive presentation and give a sales pitch. Any pro could do that.
Regardless of the product, vendors needed someone like her to seduce the attendees to take a seat and remain throughout the presentation. Her looks alone were enough to do that for most shows. A carefully selected skirt and blouse that invited the imagination was even better, and the coaxing tone of her voice sealed the deal... even for the erudite hordes at a pharma show. Sure, women were in pharma, or life sciences, or however they wanted to spin it, but sex sells... when you need to sell it.
The irony of this particular drug, however, was that, of all possible drugs, she would be asked to present Cialis, a heavyweight combatant in the erectile dysfunction market, one that Eli Lilly Corp was pushing hard while they still had a year remaining for their patent rights.
It was a significant compliment from her agency to trust her with such a high value assignment, because the product was certain to draw large crowds. More so, though, was that Lilly had demanded both a seductive body and a suggestive voice as their spokesperson and had chosen her from the agency's plethora of options.
It wasn't like she was actually selling Cialis, but image is everything...at least in advertising. Lilly also provided a M.D. who would handle the minute details of questions that might possibly be asked by an informed audience, but she had researched the product trials, adverse effect reports, and testimonials and was prepared to handle most questions. And it still nagged at her... was a four-hour erection a harmful side-effect or a marketing ploy?
It was nice to earn a little spending money too. Steven had an ample income for their needs, but a little discretionary spending fund was always a good thing for a woman to have... And, the agency had graciously advanced her the money for a new wardrobe. That wasn't their usual deal for their contractors, but she knew that the gesture was to woo her into the next job, and the one after that. She'd see about that. And, to be sure, shopping for clothes when the agency was paying for it had certainly made the buying decisions easier.
It was going well. Each presentation lasted about 30 minutes with a Q/A afterwards, and after the hectic opening day and a busy start on day two, she was thankful for a mid-afternoon "lunch" break. She found a small café with "open air" seating along one of the main hallways and ordered a grilled chicken salad and ice water with lemon. It was mediocre and expensive, but her feet were too tired to search for anything else.
And, it was a good vantage point to people-watch. When she was "on stage," she was always focused on the topic, even while making eye contact with as many as she could or teasing at the edges of adult humor for this particular product. Despite that, she had difficulty recalling any specific person who had attended so far, especially with this rather sedately dressed bunch.
But now as she watched physicians and various medical trades people of all sorts walk by, it made for an interesting comparison to other trade show groups she had seen... these attendees were professional, represented a wide variety of ages, and were well-groomed and intelligent looking... as medical professionals should be! No Dilbert T-shirts like the geeks at the technology show where she extolled data correction software for servers, or faded overalls and CAT boots at a Kubota tractor booth...
Her thoughts were interrupted by a hand on her shoulder. She looked up to see... Carolyn?! It was indeed! A glance revealed that Carolyn had gained a little weight and had discernibly aged, but it was always great to find a friend at these shows, especially a friend so extroverted and fun.
Hayley asked, "It's been what? Five years since I've seen you?"
Carolyn replied, "Probably about that, yes. San Diego, was it, I think? I can't image what you've possibly done to keep yourself entertained without me around!"
"Well, it was difficult, but when you're traveling alone, there's room service, and a TV where I get to choose what I want... Some might say it's boring..."
"I'd say!" said Carolyn.
"Yes, but, in the wake of your absence, you know, I forced myself to believe that I was past due on my gentle slide into maturity. In other words, I pretty much gave up the bar scenes without you."
Carolyn laughed. "That's so sad! Well, we need to get you out then! I've been back in the U.S. for about six months, but I'd been wondering if you were still in the business. And now I see that you have a shiny ring on your finger!"
"Well, I got married maybe a year after you left. I met Steven through a friend of a friend. We had a whirlwind romance, and off to the altar we went. I didn't quit the biz until I started showing when I got pregnant, and I've been enjoying the mommy life for a bit."
They caught up on old times and newer ones, including baby facts and photos and the latest on their friends in the business. Carolyn, as expected, did most of the talking, but she was a good listener too... even for the baby stuff.
"So," Hayley asked, "last I heard you were in love with Singapore and Bangkok and all those places. I thought you planned to stay half a world away?"
Carolyn took a moment to answer, quickly masking a small frown. She looked a little tired. "Well, the international shows finally took their toll. I needed a home to go to rather than another motel."
Carolyn was quiet for a moment and then looked curiously at Hayley, assessing her perhaps. The silence wasn't yet uncomfortable, so Hayley spoke to move this mystery out of the way. "Okay, what?"
"Well, first, you look absolutely gorgeous. I know you've had a baby, and I don't mean this in a negative way, but you look... fulfilled, for one. Content." Carolyn looked at Hayley's breasts. "And you look more filled. As in, a new bust line. I don't remember you having much in the way of cleavage."
"Well, Steven calls it a blessing of motherhood. I went from a 34B to a 36C. In fact, I was quite larger, but I seem to have settled here. They're kind of fun, if you know what I mean... a better tease for Steven. There's a couple of small stretch marks for wear if I look for them, but I came out pretty well. Plus, I had to buy new clothes. You know how I hate doing
that
."
Carolyn laughed. "Wow! Well, don't tell anybody or the plastic surgeons will go out of business! I can only hope to look so good should I ever have a kid. But I guess I should get married first!"
"Well, you know...we didn't have any problems getting our drinks paid for when we used to pal around... I guess I could step outside of my room at night and be your wingman, or wingwoman, if you want to go out. If we find Mr. Right, I can help send him your way."
Carolyn brightened at this. "Well, I'd have to see if I brought something that presents my assets so nicely as yours, but yes, that would be fun! By the way, I hope you don't pop a seam...you might spill out."
"Oh, hush. It's not that tight."
"I wasn't looking for an argument. If you got the cleavage, you may as well use it!"
"Exactly. The agency suggested that I be 'alluring, but not trashy. Sexy, but not tacky. Sophisticated, but available.' It helps to draw a crowd, not that Cialis wouldn't." As she said this, she knew she shouldn't have, as the notoriety of the product made for stiff competition between her peers, but Carolyn would have found out anyway.
Carolyn looked somewhat surprised. "Oh! Well... that's you then! I haven't walked the show, but I heard from... well, I heard that some doctors were taken with you. One said that the Levitra rep was, and I quote, 'but a scrawny girl compared to that wondrous woman at the Cialis booth.'"
Hayley laughed. "Well, we both know that scrawny girl may develop into tomorrow's wondrous woman!"
"Yeah, like you. I can't believe it. You always had a great figure anyway, and that blouse!"
This was good feedback, Hayley admitted to herself, both professionally and for self-esteem. If Levitra wasn't showing as favorably, she knew the agency would be very pleased.
"Well, I guess I bought the right stuff then," Hayley said. "It feels great to know that sex appeal is alive and well as I start the countdown to 40. Plus, I admit I've become kind of evil in my way already. Whenever I think I'm losing the crowd to irrelevant or boring questions, I just drop my pen. And then, oh my! I've got to bend over and pick it up! It gets them right back on track. I've had to do it twice already when someone asks questions going back to the clinical trials. I've got improved assets, so I figure I might as well use them."
Carolyn laughed. "That's a good tip. I'll try to remember it..."
It was time to move on. Carolyn's body language suggested she was tiring of the comparison, and that wasn't healthy for either of them. "Hey, speaking of falling out of my blouse, I heard from Jenn, who is in the booth behind me, that someone fell out of her dress last night at my hotel."
Carolyn looked... curious? "Which hotel are you at?"
"The Marquis, why?" asked Hayley.
"Yeah, we missed out on the view of the river! I'm there, too. Why don't you tell me what you heard?"
"Well, Jenn said that, and keep in mind she was out pretty late, I gather... though she seemed to be alert enough this morning...I'm sure someone here has a drug for that! But anyway, she said that she was coming off the elevator and several of the hotel staff were assisting a woman in the hallway, near a stairwell. She said she only caught a glimpse, but that the girl or woman was messed up -- clothes half off, hardly able to stand. Can you imagine? And, she was certain she saw one of the employees fondle the woman's boob as they were straightening her up. Like I'm sure that was an accident..."
"Well, it could just be the effects of liquor and a bad date," suggested Carolyn.
"Jenn might disagree. She thinks a guest found her on the floor, then called for help."
"Exactly," Carolyn said, brightening. "But actually, it wasn't a bad date. It was the result of a good one."
