Something sexy, but still professional

"Do you have any girlie beers?"

"We have a radler."

"Sure, I'll take that."

Katie nearly collapsed onto the barstool as the bartender turned towards the fridge. Her feet were screaming. Whose idea was it to wear heels that high anyways? She knew the answer, well the two answers, but she felt the comic need to pose the question regardless.

The convention was nothing like she expected, not that she knew what to expect going into it. She had mildly pictured a boring stuffy conference, the kind where you sit around tables in a banquet room and listen to a myriad of guest speakers talk about how to seize the day. What she walked into was more like a festival within a popup city built inside an event center. The vendors' booths were all built like little buildings. Some even had two floors! And everyone was excited to show off what they brought.

Katie still didn't understand what the underlying theme of the convention was. There was one booth that looked like a giant chicken egg from the outside, and they seemed to be a software company selling business solutions, but they also produced fitness watches. Another booth promoted a vegan protein powder and complete supplements for any diet, and they had a yoga studio built above the shop. Weirder still was the fishing company who built a pirate ship with a bar in the galley and had waitresses seemingly pulled straight from the porn parody of Pirates of the Caribbean.

Katie slipped her feet out of her black pumps as she remembered the misery of scaling the plank to board the faux pirate ship. It was not built with stilettos in mind. The bartender placed a can in front of her and Katie murmured her thanks. His eyes seemed fixed on her plunging neckline. Katie felt a small thrill from being checked out and she blushed in kind. As nice as it felt to be checked out, and as relaxing as the **** was going to be, she was mostly grateful to have a relatively quiet place to sit. She was feeling a little overwhelmed from all the people, so the otherwise empty booth sang to her. It was one of many booths that seemed to be built solely as a bar. This one was designed to look like a dimly lit speakeasy, which probably explained its lack of patrons. It seemed to be overlooked, placed between the Augmented VR booth and the personal hover Segway obstacle course. Both of which were flashy and colorfully lit. She glanced over to Mr. Cowall who was waiting in line for one of the booths. She couldn't really tell which.

Katie took a sip of her radler and wondered what the rest of the convention was going to be like. Were they actually going to learn skills to help with running a business, or was it just like a product tradeshow? She couldn't find any sort of a schedule or itinerary. Everyone there just seemed to know where they were going and when to be there, just like Mr. Cowall. Well, all the men did, at least. That was one theme that Katie seemed to recognize. Misogyny... Ok, maybe not that far. Patriarchy? Who knows? There didn't seem to be a single businesswoman there. The audience was overwhelmingly male, and the women there were seemingly draped on their arms like an accessory.

Katie was shocked when she initially entered the hall and discovered that even after her outfit change, she was still one of the more conservatively dressed women there. In her hotel room, she decided to keep the white blazer and pushup bra, but paired it with a plunging black tank top that really showed off her breasts, and a red pencil skirt that ended halfway down her thigh. She wore dark eye shadow and ruby red lipstick to match her skirt. While her outfit was enough to draw a few gazes, it was hard to compete with women who had no shame. She lost count of the number of fake boobs stuffed into schoolgirl outfits.

She really felt like the women there were competing for a "Most Slutty" trophy, but when she brought it up to Mr. Cowall, he merely reminded her that it was a private event and people should feel comfortable to dress however they wanted. While Katie really couldn't argue with him there, it was still very frustrating to be so overlooked by every male there, especially with her feet throbbing as much as they were. If she was going to sacrifice comfort for sex appeal, she really wanted to feel some kind of reward in return.

Katie took another sip from her radler and looked back at Mr. Cowall. He was still in line, but his attention was focused on a pair of women walking by wearing mini-kimonos. He joined a group of five other men who craned their necks to watch the women walk by. Katie chuckled a little, even if she felt a small pang of jealousy. She'd need to step up her game over the next few days if she wanted to be noticed, but she really didn't know if she had the guts to wear anything as scandalous as that. Especially since she wasn't planning on having sex with any of the men here.

Katie wanted to be ogled, admired, watched, but she didn't want to be hit on. Not only was she completely devoted to Jake, but the men here were hardly her type. There were a few men her age, but most of them were at least a decade older than her and decidedly unfit. None of them would be able to keep up with her during a hike or a bike ride, and that was a definite deal breaker.

A nearby female voice caught Katie by surprise, "I'll get a Cosmo, darling."

Katie spun around to see a blonde woman wearing a gold bolero jacket and sporting fake boobs stuffed into a tight red minidress. Her heels were impossibly high and Katie had no idea how she managed to approach the bar without making a sound. Katie's sudden movement obviously caught the woman's attention. She returned Katie's gaze and cast a smile the gleamed even in the dim lighting of the bar. "Hiya, cutie," she said. Her voice bounced with a vapid Brooklyn accent, "You having a good time?"

Katie quickly shook off her shock. "Oh, ya, I guess," she replied, not really sure how to respond. She never really felt comfortable on social settings with new people, but the woman had an aura about her that let Katie feel a little bit at ease.

The woman's smile somehow widened even further, vaguely resembling the Cheshire cat. "Lemme guess, it's your first time here, right?"

Katie nodded and fidgeted with her can slightly.

"Oh my God, you're so cute! I just wanna eat you up!" She grabbed the stool next to Katie and sat beside her. The woman leaned over to Katie and her boobs threatened to burst out of her dress. "What's your name, cutie?"

"Katie." She turned her body back to the bar and her eyes towards the radler in her hand to avoid gawking at the woman's breasts.

"Kitty? That's so cute! Oh my God! My name is Carmella, kinda like caramel 'cause that's how sweet I am!" As if it was choreographed to punctuate her introduction, the bartender set Carmella's Cosmopolitan in front of her just as she finished. Carmella grabbed the martini glass and took a sip of the pink drink.

Katie looked back at the woman, unsure whether or not she should correct Carmella on her name. She figured she'd just let it slide for now. A brief, one-time encounter was hardly grounds to worry about minor details. "How many times have you been here?"

Carmella set her drink on the bar and looked up to think. Her black and blue eyeshadow made her cerulean eyes really pop. "Lemme think. Five or six years or so?" She beamed at Katie again, "Each year gets better than the last, Kitty, trust me."

Katie had to resist rolling her eyes. She was sure this convention was popular amongst its demographic, but she felt like an outsider. She grabbed her radler and took another sip, looking away from Carmella once again.

"You don't believe me?" Carmella reached out and place her hand on Katie's shoulder, "Sweetheart, just wait. You'll find what your lookin' for here."

"I doubt that," Katie replied, "I came here to learn things about business, not marvel at kickstarters and ogle at fake boobs. No offense." She made a small motion towards Carmella's hefty chest.

Out of the corner of her eye, Katie could make out Carmella putting on a show of a pout. "Well, ain't you a sour puss?" She took a sip of her drink and regained her composure. "You're just lookin' at it wrong, that's all. Look at all the people here, all the brains, all the cash. This place is perfect for networking, doncha agree? You can learn so much from everyone here."

"What was that?" asked Katie. Something that Carmella said seemed to affect Katie. Like it caused her brain to glitch or oause and she needed a brief moment to catch up, but before Carmella could speak again, Katie was able to parse through it all.

And what Carmella said made sense.

Even if Katie wasn't expressly being taught things, there was still so much she could learn from anyone and everyone here. They all must have been successful at something, so why not learn what they could offer? Even the women here, who appeared to be mostly eye candy, have probably brushed shoulders with enough intellect to have some knowledge and lessons to impart. Katie chastised herself for jumping to conclusions so quickly. She really needed to keep more of an open mind. She was here to learn new things, after all.

Katie began to face Carmella, suddenly eager to learn what other wisdoms the woman had, but she felt a little dizzy doing so. The radler must have snuck up on her. She steadied herself on the bar briefly before tuning back into the woman's speech.

"All I'm sayin' is give this place a shot. Open your mind, chat with some folks, and have some fun while you're at it. Who knows? Maybe you'll even catch the eye of one of these sexy guys." Carmella primped her hair and took another sip from her Cosmopolitan.

"W-wait. You think the men here are... sexy?" Katie asked. She may have felt tipsy, but there was no way she was drunk enough to find any of the guys here attractive.

"Oh, of course! Look around you!" said Carmella pointing around. Katie's gaze followed while she continued to steady herself on the bar. She looked back at the lines of men waiting to try new VR goggles or hovercraft. They all seemed oafish, even if they were successful businessmen. Mr. Cowall was gone from her view, but all she saw in the men were bellies, male-pattern baldness, and a complete absence of fashion sense. Nothing screamed "sexy" to Katie. She preferred her men with muscle, charm and an edgy style. Yet Carmella continued, "These men are special. They have what you want. Guys with cash and power? They’re just somethin' else, you know? There’s nothin' sexier than a man who knows what he wants and has the means to get it. Doncha agree?"

Katie listened to Carmella. Her head swam through a fog, but Carmella's voice shone through like a lighthouse. There was no mistake, the men here weren't traditionally Katie's type. She usually liked men who were athletic, like her. She looked for guys who could share in her lifestyle and go hiking or kayaking, and guys who weren't afraid to get their hands dirty. She loved feeling their strength in the bedroom, too. Fuck, Jake could pick her up and position her like a doll, it was always so good. The men here... well, she'd have to do all the work.

But would that be a problem? Other than the idea of cheating on Jake, of course. She'd never do that... But it wouldn't hurt to imagine what the women here saw in their suitors.

While Katie loved being tossed around a bed and having her man take control, she also thoroughly enjoyed being on top and determining the pace, and maybe for these men that would be a nice break. They spend all day being in charge, they'd probably appreciate a girl like her taking the reigns and riding them ragged. She could see the appeal in that. While she was happy with Jake, the idea of dominating a man who held such authority amongst others... Well, it sounded nice.

And so what if he couldn't go on a hike with her? If he made enough money to support her, she could just go hiking while he worked, leaving their free time for... other things. Not only that, but interests change. Would she really want to go hiking as much when she turned forty or had a few kids? If she was with a man of means, he could support any endeavor she wished. It really did make sense to be attracted to men like that. Maybe there was more to sexiness than just rugged good looks.

"You know, it's like when you see a guy who's got that confidence, that swagger, and he's not afraid to show it. It's like, he walks into a room and you just feel it, you know? It makes you weak in the knees, doncha think?" Carmella rambled.

Katie nodded while she stared at the men out there. Yea, she could see how power and confidence were sexy. They looked strong in their business suits, not physically like Jake, but socially, and they commanded the attention of all the women around them.

"And then when he starts talkin', you can't help but listen, 'cause he's got this way of makin' everything sound so interesting. Like, he's not just talkin' about his job or whatever, he's talkin' about life, and you're hangin' on every word. It's like, damn, that's the kinda guy who knows how to make things happen. That's hot. That's sexy, doncha think?"

Katie bit her lip. She wouldn't admit it, but she was getting a little worked up, a little flustered. As much as she had a fiancé back home, she never considered the effect so much raw masculinity could have on a girl. She would still be faithful to Jake, but a girl could fantasize too. It'd be nice to not have to work and save for a down-payment on a house. With the men here, they'd provide for her, and she'd provide herself in return.

Katie shook her head. The **** must have really gotten to her. She didn't usually think this way.

"Anyway," said Carmella, "I hope you change your tune there, sour puss. You'll have lots more fun if you try." She slipped some cash under her empty martini glass and stood from the stool. "I'll see you around, Kitty. Be sure to say 'Hi!'"

And with that, Katie was left alone at the bar, and she felt like a hot mess.