A Bad Rep

This is a submission for the Summer Lovin' 2024 Contest. It's my first entry to a competition and I'd appreciate your vote!

A Bad Rep

"I'm not going to last five minutes here."

Alex was close to tears. Coming to Spain had been supposed to give her a new start, to take her mind off the painful break-up with Darren. It had started promisingly, everyone seemed nice and fun. The weather was amazing, and she was getting a lovely tan.

But she hadn't considered that being a holiday rep might actually require some hard work. Perhaps not hard to some people, but the type of in-your-face selling that they were required to do was completely alien to her.

"I couldn't do it either."

Anne-Louise, who shared the small studio apartment at the back of the hotel with Alex, was sympathetic. "I never realised they actually set targets for the reps to sell those trips. Look, if it's really not for you, I'm sure there's other work over here. You could probably get some shifts at BCM, I can ask for you?"

Alex was grateful for her friend's sympathy. But she was not going to throw in the towel just yet. Whilst this sudden U-turn in her life hadn't been taken for financial reasons, she'd been pleasantly surprised to learn how much money a rep could make, if they sold well.

Moreover, she was enjoying most parts of the job. Alex had been very focussed through school and university, and she had always felt she'd missed out on just letting her hair down and having fun. Despite the other, pressurised side of the job, there was also a lot of fun to be had.

Late nights dancing with beautiful people wasn't something she'd ever craved, but she was loving it. And a rep never paid a penny for a drink. Rent was also absent; accommodation was provided.

So, whilst the money wasn't amazing, the almost complete lack of outgoings meant that she was hoping to return home in the autumn with a significant contribution towards a deposit on her own place. She had no intention of moving back in with her parents, not at twenty-eight.

"No, no. I just need to find a way to convince them. The others can do it."

"OK then. So clearly it's not impossible. Maybe you could ask for some help?"

"To be honest, I know what it is. The other reps, the girls. They are so pretty and so confident. The guys are really happy to just be talking to them. I think that's what I'm missing."

"There you go then! Slap a bit of make-up on, flutter your eyelashes, make them feel special. If it works for them, it'll work for you!"

"Fuck off Lou. Nobody would look at me twice when some of those girls are around."

"Don't put yourself down! You do a good job of hiding it, but you are a beautiful woman!"

Alex squirmed a bit. Confidence was not a strong trait of hers, and a five-year relationship with very little positive reinforcement from a boyfriend who showed little interest in her, preferring his PlayStation unless there was a special reason for them to go out, had left her feeling pretty unattractive.

She'd also had a volatile relationship with a mother who would sometimes take pleasure in telling Alex she was nothing special, and that she'd be lucky to find someone who wanted her. It was a big reason why she'd stuck with Darren for so long. This all meant Alex didn't know how to take a compliment.

"Come on. Who's going to pay me any attention? It's always the boys I'm going to be selling to, they make the guys sell to the girls. A guy isn't going to look at me twice.

"You'd be surprised; everyone goes for different types. But you could definitely..." Anne-Louise hesitated for fear of offending her friend. They'd only known each other for a couple of weeks.

"Go on. It's OK, you can tell me. What could I do?"

"I just mean, you've got a pretty face, but your hair hides it a lot of the time. And you've got such perfect cheekbones, but your make-up could do so much more to accentuate your features. And, sorry, but if I had a body like yours, I'd be making sure it wasn't a secret. Sometimes I feel like you don't want people to know how attractive you are."

"You think?" Alex sometimes wondered if she'd benefit from therapy. She was so unused to hearing kind words from anyone, she struggled to believe it.

"Definitely. If you like, we can have a morning makeover! I've got loads of ideas, and you don't have to start until six today, right?"

This was true. Alex worked seven nights, but today was one of her two late start days.

"That does sound like fun. Makeover morning!" the girls high-fived.

Even just from a mental standpoint, the time with Lou did Alex the world of good. They laughed and joked, and Alex realised she hadn't had girl time like this since she was a teenager. She had seriously missed it.

Alex even found herself confiding in her friend about sex, which was a subject she'd not usually talk about. Lou was a lot more experienced than her, and Alex was shocked to hear of some of the things she'd done. She was embarrassed to recall the dull, lights-out missionary position intercourse she occasionally 'enjoyed' with her ex, and her eyes widened as Anne-Louise made her realise just how inexperienced she was.

But even more than her state of mind, when Lou pulled her hand away which shielded her eyes, and her new look was unveiled in the full-length mirror on the back of the wardrobe door, she audibly gasped.

"Oh my god!" Alex turned this way and that, and Anne-Louise positioned another mirror so that she was able to see a rear view.

"I'd never have dreamed I could look like this!" Her outfit was like nothing she'd have chosen herself. Dark, dowdy and loose was replaced by bright, eye-catching and flattering. It was nothing ground-breaking, just a short skirt and a tight white top which accentuated Alex's not inconsiderable chest. But Alex felt like a new woman.

"Is this really OK? Look, you can see the side of my boobs." Alex turned and lifted her arms to demonstrate.

"Yeah sweetie, that's kind of the point." Lou rolled her eyes.

Alex continued to check herself out. Anne-Louise knew what she was doing. Her make-up job was transformational. Alex couldn't break eye contact with herself, such was the magnetic effect of the eye shadow job Lou had done. And her shoulder-length hair was brushed into a sleek and shiny bob. Her lips glistened and shone, scarlet and extremely kissable.

It couldn't be argued that Alex looked better. But such a drastic change was going to take some getting used to.

"Oh wow. I've never left the house in anything like this. And you really think it will help me get some sales?"

"It's definitely not going to do any harm Alex. But you need to own it. Flutter your eyelashes, have a bit of a flirt."

That was going to be easier said than done. How exactly do you flirt? Anne-Louise googled, and the girls found there was plenty of advice out there. They spent some time watching videos which contained a surprising number of useful tips.

It was a newly emboldened and, on the surface, confident Alex that checked in for her shift that evening. There was a pub crawl later, but the two or three hours before that commenced left a big window open, and Alex meant to use this time to get the guys to sign up to the several trips the company was offering.

There were four trips in total. To purchase individually, the price was sixty Euros each. But if all four were signed for, that came in at a total of two hundred Euros. Fifty Euros from that would go directly to the rep who made the sale, so there was a big incentive to push these to the holidaymakers.

There was lots of scope for flexibility in pricing when selling individual trips too. In truth, for most of the trips the cost to the company was recouped once eight to ten people had signed up. The rest was pure profit. But there was value to ensuring lots of guests subscribed, a busy event was something that was very desirable. So, boosting numbers was a prize in itself. When push came to shove, making sure someone was coming at any price was a much better result than holding out for a full-price sale.

But for the rep, the more money they charged, the more they earned. So there was a real incentive to sell at the highest price they could.

The real prime-time for selling was the twenty-four hours after arrival. That ship had sailed this week, but there were still plenty of opportunities to be had.

"I'm confident. I'm oozing confidence," Alex lied to herself as she forced eye contact with the groups of guys dotted around the reception area. Things moved fast, there were plenty of them still preparing to return to their rooms and start getting ready for their night out, whilst others were starting to meet and gather, all dressed in their 'going out' gear.

She settled on a group of four lads she recognised from water polo yesterday. They seemed nice enough, and she knew that they'd yet to sign up for anything. They wanted to have a think and chat amongst themselves was what she remembered.

"Hi guys!" Alex's forced 'relaxed' face had been practiced to death, but she was quite confident it portrayed what she wanted - a laid-back rep just checking in and making sure everyone was happy and had all the opportunities they needed to have an amazing holiday.

"Oh, hello." Alex immediately homed in on the 'ringleader', as her training had indicated she should. There was always one who would lead the others, so getting him on board should be her number one priority. Once he signed, the others would follow.

"Now then!" she said, again forcing eye contact and inviting the same from the three young men sitting nursing a glass of the local lager, all dressed up in their nice trousers and shirts in preparation for a big night out. "It's only fair I tell you that the four-trip packages are almost gone. I can definitely still get you signed up tonight, but tomorrow will be too late, so it's really your last chance to save that money."

The boys glanced at each other. Alex could sense their indecision.

"Don't forget, if you miss this and decide to go for three of the four, you'll be paying nearly the same price as for the four together. Honestly, if there's one piece of advice I could give, it would definitely be to go for all four when you have the chance."

Everything Alex was saying was straight out of the training handbook. And it certainly seemed to be providing the guys with pause for thought. She raised her eyebrows, trying to make their decision seem inevitable. They glanced at each other, and she sensed she was losing them.

It was time to try her new secret weapon. Casually raising her arms to tie her shoulder-length brunette hair back, she made sure the 'side-boob' was visible. She kept her hands up there, fiddling with the band, until she was sure all three had taken a good look. She'd won the fight against the intense urge to clamp her arms firmly against her sides to block their view.

Alex noted each of the boys' eyes being irresistibly drawn to her chest. And she felt a warm sense of gratification when each lingered longer than might have been expected, and returned to refresh their memory every few seconds the view was available.

She had also noted previously where the group's gaze had been centred, which was on a group of eight girls of a similar age across the pool area. Now it was time to go to phase two.

"Most of the girls have signed up already. A lot more girls than guys actually." She glanced around airily. "These girls are definitely signed up for all four trips. And those too."

Again, this was sales 101. Alex had no idea whether the girls were going or not, but if she could persuade the boys to sign up, that would make it easier for one of the male reps to sign up the girls. And there was no money back guarantee if the people they wanted or expected didn't turn up to one of the trips.

This had definitely given the boys a nudge. One started whispering in another's ear, and they both giggled, before clearly eyeing Alex's side-boob again. Alex felt herself wilting, but again determined that she was not going to back off and give up.

She made eye contact with the 'ringleader'.

"I'll be sad if you don't come. It will definitely be more fun with you there." As she said it, she adopted a pouty expression, exactly like the girl in the video Lou had shown her.

It was as if she'd found a secret password. As her eyelashes fluttered, the guy relented.

"You are going on all the trips too, right?"

"Are you kidding? Not a chance I'd miss any of them! I'm so glad you guys are coming too; it wouldn't be the same without you!"

This was her closing technique, and she was amazed to find that it worked. Three signatures were bagged, and Alex felt a surge of excitement and opportunity. Glancing around the reception area, which opened up to the pool, surrounded by a number of similar groups of guys, she wondered whether maybe she could do this job after all.

Armed with a new sense of purpose, she wandered around, trying to use her new weapons without making it too obvious. She was enjoying the attention her new look was bringing.

It was surprisingly gratifying. Male attention was never something Alex had craved, but now it was beginning to be forthcoming, it didn't feel like a bad thing. She began to recognise the eyes lingering on her legs and chest as opportunities and encouraged them with a smile.

Alex managed to sign up two more to the four-trip deal, but the rest were much harder work. She didn't want to appear desperate, so shrugged and smiled when they announced they'd like to think a bit more about it, but she set a hard deadline of midnight to sign up for all four trips. This was actually genuine - the first trip, to a wine-tasting up in the mountains, departed at ten tomorrow, so any guests needed to be signed by then.

Hopefully once they have a drink, they'll be a bit more pliable, she told herself. Five sign-ups for the full deal meant two-hundred and fifty euros - but only if she hit her target. She needed ten. If only she'd been using this method earlier, she was sure she'd have the required numbers already. And after that, every sale just added further commission.

Alex had already learned the hard way that keeping up with the guests on the pub crawl was a really bad idea. So, she'd join them in shots, but they wouldn't get swallowed, and her beer which she nursed all night was rarely topped up.

This gave her another advantage over her potential customers. And her first advantage, the fact that they almost drooled over her newly refurbished body, seemed to become stronger with each drink the guys finished.

As some started to slur their words, she recognised that she needed to act fast - before long they wouldn't be able to stand up, let alone sign their names.

"Hey Craig!" Craig immediately put his arm around her. She felt herself freeze a little - this was quite inappropriate. But she knew there would be no chance of a sale if she threw him aside and protested at his behaviour. So, she relaxed her shoulders and allowed him to remain, whilst firmly moving to one side the hand which was hanging dangerously close to her breast.

"Only an hour or so left for you to sign up. It's a big waste of money if you don't, remember?"

"Yeah, sure." Craig was speaking directly to Alex's breasts. Alex knew she should find this offensive, but it was a new feeling for her, and she actually found it fascinating. Just by exposing that tiny amount of flesh, letting it bulge out of the side of her top for Craig to see, she had him completely entranced.

"Can I sign you up then?"

"What are you doing later?"

Craig was totally uninterested in the trips. But he was completely focussed on her breasts. How could she turn this around and use it to her advantage?

"Later I have to do all the paperwork and make sure everyone gets their tickets. It will be amazing tomorrow, it's so beautiful up there, and there's loads of free wine. If you are interested, you can learn all about..."

"Yeah, OK. Are you going?"

"Sure I am. And I'd love it if you were too!" Alex would actually prefer if Craig wasn't there. She found him a little intimidating. The way he looked at her wasn't something she'd experienced before. She felt like a mouse might feel when cornered by a cat. But she could sense she was close to his signature.

"What will you be wearing?"

Now this was completely inappropriate. What the fuck was it to Craig what she'd be wearing tomorrow? She could wear whatever the fuck she wanted!

"I don't know. What will

you

be wearing?" It was a lame answer to a lame question. She saw Craig visibly lose interest. This wasn't fair - he was so close! Craig was the 'Alpha' to at least four others. If she could get him to sign, the others would surely follow.

"Shorts and a fucking t-shirt," he muttered. Alex desperately searched for the right reply.

"Oh, nice. So, we'll get to see those legs anyway." As she said it, she slid her hand briefly up Craig's thigh. She could feel almost every sinew in her body trying to make her retract, and then curl up in a ball and die. But she was not going to give in to her urge to back down. Craig's reaction told her they were back on. He attempted to follow suit, but as his hand found Alex's knee she stood. It was now or never.

"Shit! I'm going to have to get these papers back, I didn't realise how late it was. Listen, seriously you have about five minutes. Coming or not?"

Craig actually had five others with him, and just as the training manual had said, as soon as he was on board it was a simple job to get them signed up too. So, Alex went home extremely pleased with herself. Eleven were signed up for all four trips, so this week's total was already at over two grand, and she'd made target. Any more she could sign up this week were a bonus.

Lou was still up when she got home, and Alex retold with glowing pride how she'd managed to get eleven guys to sign up.

"What did I tell you!" Lou was a little tipsy, as she was every night after a shift - drinking on the job for a barmaid wasn't just tolerated, it was almost compulsory. "Sounds like you might need to watch this Craig guy though. What was he like?"

Alex had to think before answering. Craig could have been just a wallet on legs, for all she cared. But she eventually managed to focus on a face.

"Yeah, OK, I guess. A bit of a lech though, couldn't take his eyes off my boobs."

"If he could, you probably wouldn't have made the sale," Lou said knowingly. She had a point. It was inarguable that none of tonight's sales would have happened without Lou's advice and makeover.

"You are right. I'm going to need some advice for what to wear tomorrow - got to be up in a few hours!

As there was no requirement to make any sales on the trip, Alex could have dressed down. But she'd enjoyed the eyes on her yesterday. She felt like the old Alex had had her chance, and needed to continue the momentum she started yesterday. So, she'd daringly spent the day traipsing around the vineyard in short-shorts and a cropped t-shirt which hung over her unsupported breasts.

She'd practiced various poses before leaving and knew that even if she had her hands behind her head, lifting the top a considerable distance, no nipple would be visible. But a good amount of 'underboob' was on display if she did this.

She didn't dare to adopt this pose at all during the day but did allow the odd stretch or accidental adjustment of an earring or her hair when she knew eyes were on her. And each time she felt eyes on her, it boosted her confidence still further.

She was pleased to see Craig and the other lads she'd signed up had taken to a group of girls of their own age, and her waves and winks were all that was required from her on the trip. With no pressure to sell, she started to relax and just enjoy the day.