Hard Sell

By Ann Bailey

It’s 1992, and The Memphis Club is the place to be seen in Memphis. But for Kent Hamilton, the daily grind and hard sell at the club is taking its toll. When he’s offered a free trip to Key West by the club’s owner, he jumps at the chance. All he has to do is pick up one package while he’s there. Little does he know, the contents of that package and that trip will draw him into the underbelly of The Memphis Club where there’s only one way out and it’s not the front door.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ann Bailey
• Release date: Aug 30, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301114436

Ann Bailey

Nancy Parish is a Cincinnati-based freelance writer and the founder of the Cincinnati SCBWI group. Her column, “Footnotes,” appeared on the Guide to Literary Agents Blog for several years. Her writing has also appeared in Children’s Writer’s and Illustrator’s Market, Better Marketing, The Startup, and Catness. When she is not writing, she is teaching her cats how to fetch their toys.

Book preview

Hard Sell

By

Ann Bailey

Copyright 2013 Nancy Parish writing as Ann Bailey

Smashwords Edition

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This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.

Adult Reading Material

Chapter 1

Kent Hamilton hit the snooze button and pulled the covers over his head. All he needed was five more minutes of sleep. The mornings were coming too fast and days at The Memphis Club were lasting too long. He had spent the last year working 70 hour weeks selling health club memberships to people who didn’t really want to work out, but for whatever reason, they wanted the status of belonging to The Memphis Club.

The job came easily to Kent and the money was good. Someday he would actually be able to spend some of it. His few minutes of peace were interrupted by the buzz of his alarm clock. He reached over and turned it off. He could not be late again. Not today, he had been summoned to Bill Jamison’s office. A fact that made him want to stay in bed. But he sat up and placed his feet on the cold hardwood floor. He had just enough time to shower and get dressed.

Kent checked his watch as he pulled into The Memphis Club parking lot, five minutes to spare. He put the car in park and turned off the ignition. He took a deep breath and then reached into the backseat, grabbed his duffle bag and got out of the car. He walked around to the side of the building, where he could enter and attract the least amount of attention from his members. He fumbled with his keys before he found the right one. The smell of chlorine assaulted his senses as he opened the door to the pool area. He walked around the pool and through the men’s locker room. He waved hello to the receptionist as he climbed the stairs and walked through the small hallway and knocked on the door to Bill Jamison’s office.

Bill, its Kent.

Kent, come in, Bill Jamison answered.

Kent opened the door and walked inside. Please take a seat. I hope I didn’t get you up too early on your day off? Bill said. He smoothed his hair with one hand and pointed to a chair with the other hand with the ease of a flight attendant instructing passengers.

Oh no, I’m always up this early, Kent lied.

"Well Kent, I’ll get right to the point. I’ve noticed your sales have slacked off a bit the last few months. I know you’ve hit your quota each month but you’ve lost some of the motivation you showed when the club first opened. Vincent and I have big plans for you in the company and we don’t want you to blow any opportunities because you’ve burned out.

That’s really flattering. I’m just going through a bit of a slump. Really, that’s all it is, Kent said.

Well, even so, I want to help you get back on track. Mr. Busconelli and I are sending you to Key West for a few days. That will give you a chance to re-charge your batteries a little bit, Bill said as he pulled out an airline ticket from his desk drawer.

Wow. This comes as quite a shock, Kent said, staring at the airline ticket.

We do ask that you pick up a package for Vincent. You’ll meet the caretaker of his summer estate in Key West. Here are your itinerary and the instructions for your meeting, Bill said as he placed a folder on the desk next to the airplane ticket.

There’s always a catch, huh, Bill, Kent said as he reached for the papers.

Kent, I’m sorry if you feel this is an inconvenience for you, Bill said. I’m sure Shelby or Rich would appreciate this opportunity if you feel you’re to busy.

No worries. I do appreciate this. It’s just a bit of a surprise, Kent said, trying to ease the tension between them.

Okay, that’s more like it. You probably have some things to take care of before you go, so you can get out of here. I’ll ask Shelby to cover for your shifts the rest of the week. I expect you to take this time to relax, Bill said.

Thanks again, Bill. Kent stood up and shook his hand.

Bill pushed the button to his intercom. Beth, will you page Shelby to my office.

Yes, Mr. Jamison, The receptionist answered.

Bill listened intently until he heard the receptionist page Shelby. He then went back to work.

Shelby, please come in, Bill said when he heard the knock on his door.

You wanted to see me? Shelby asked as she took a seat across from Bill’s desk.

Yes, I did, Bill said. Kent is going out of town for a few days, so I’ll need you to cover for him. That includes helping to train the new girl who starts today. Her name is Nikki Murphy.

That’s fine, Bill. But we need to talk about the extracurricular work I’ve been doing for you and Mr. Busconelli. I think I’ve paid my debt by now.

Your debt is paid, when we say it is. Don’t ever forget that. Do you understand? Bill said. His face flushed. How did she have the audacity to think she could decide when she was finished working for him?

Yes, but there’s one thing you need to know. I will not continue doing your dirty work for very much longer. I’m just not comfortable with this arrangement anymore, Shelby answered. You need to find someone else—and soon.

This conversation is over, Bill said as he reached for his phone.

Shelby took her cue and walked out of the office. She continued down the stairs to the lobby and kept walking until she was out the front door. She needed air. She knew that she had blown it—showing her desperation. That was bad news with Jamison and she knew it. She walked across the parking lot and sat on a park bench. She needed to figure a way out of the mess that had become her life. But her options were limited.

Tears slowly welled up in her eyes and began to stream down her cheek before she wiped them away. She took a deep breath, looked over at The Memphis Club building and just watched the members file in and out of its doors. None of them, she thought had any idea what really went on between those closed doors. But what if they did Shelby thought to herself. That was it; she finally knew what she needed to do. She dried the rest of her tears and walked back into the club. For the first time in weeks she could relax. She was finally going to get her life on track.

Chapter 2

It was an eight-hour trip from Cincinnati to Memphis but it seemed much longer than that when she finally pulled into the Wyndham Pointe Apartment complex. The place she would call home in Memphis. Nikki Murphy had left the familiarity of the Midwest for the unknown South. She was beginning to wonder if her impulsive decision was the right one. She knew the lure of warmer winters had played more of a role in her decision than she was willing to admit. She hoped moving to Memphis would give her the time and distance she needed to put the loss of her mother in a different perspective.

It had been a difficult couple of years for Nikki. First her mother's stroke and then her inevitable death took a toll on her. Somehow she was able to find the strength to finish college and then attend graduate school but it was a difficult time for her emotionally. As She packed up all of her mother’s belongings so that they could be put in storage or given away, she cam across one item that she wanted to keep. It was a locket that her mother had packed away in a box. Inside there were two pictures. One she knew was her mother at about age eighteen. But the second one she did not recognize. The picture was of a young man. Nikki suspected the picture was of her father—the man she never met. She hadn’t taken off the locket since she found it. It was the only possession of her mother’s that she had brought to Memphis.

It took Nikki several minutes to maneuver her Toyota in front of the apartment building; unit 306 was on the third floor in the rear of the building, a location chosen for its view of the Wyndham’s manmade lake. She brought one load of suitcases up to the apartment with her; the rest of her belongings would be arriving by moving van on Saturday. She stopped to watch the joggers going around the lake; it would be a welcome change for her to be able to take her morning jog not surrounded by the slush and mud left over from Cincinnati’s worst winter in one hundred years. Yes, the snow was one thing from the Midwest she would not miss. She looked at her watch and realized that she didn’t have much time before her 3:00 meeting at The Memphis Club. She needed to get herself settled and then find her way to the club.

When she walked into The Memphis Club, she heard the pounding music of the aerobics class. She was a few minutes early for her meeting with Bill Jamison.

I’m Nikki Murphy; I have a 3:00 meeting with Bill Jamison.

Welcome to the Memphis Club, My name is Beth, is this your first visit to the Club? The receptionist asked as she handed Nikki a form to fill out.

Oh no, I’ m not here to buy a membership, Mr. Jamison recently hired me to work in sales, Nikki said when she saw the heading, Fitness Profile for New Members.

I’m sorry, I misunderstood; I thought you were a guest. I’ll let Bill know that you are here, the receptionist answered.

Nikki wondered if she would ever get used to the southern drawl, the Memphians spoke. Her attention was drawn to the interior of the massive lobby of The Memphis Club. The walls were done in a black synthetic marble accented with pastel hues of blue and purple. The walls vibrated as the intensity of the Aerobics class reached a crescendo. This produced an energy that pulsated through the club. She noticed that as the members walked into the club; their expressions changed instantly from a task-oriented glaze to a relaxed, almost unhurried smile.

While she waited, she leafed through the promotional material that Bill had given her in their first meeting. It was clear to Nikki why The Memphis Club grew to be the talk of the city in just eight months, grossing over 10 million dollars during that time. The club’s extra amenities it provided helped pull in many of the new members; amenities that included, the traditional towel and post-workout massage service but also included valet parking and 1 hour dry cleaning. The club had drawn all of the old families of Memphis as well as a new breed of up-and-comers. The Memphis Club had become the place to see and be seen in Memphis.

It was no surprise when Bill Jamison had explained the capability of her making in excess of $50,000 her first year. We have several sales consultants on pace to make $70,000 their first year out of college and they don’t have your background or the credibility that a masters degree will bring to you. It’s a lot of hard work, he said. But the rewards are tremendous.

Just then Bill Jamison greeted her, shaking her from her reverie. He was a man in his thirties with a receding hairline that he attempted to cover with a generous sloping amount of bangs. He was dressed in a steel blue Armani suit with a floral tie. In their first meeting he impressed her with his charm, but she could not shake the strange feeling she had about him.

Nikki, it’s good to see you again, how was your trip? he asked.

It was good, She said as she walked into his office.

I’m glad to hear it, Bill said. Please, have a seat. He pointed to one of the chairs in front of his desk.

Nikki, I want to take some time to review some of the basics that you’ll need to know. If you follow these rules, you will succeed,