Kembe and The Tanning Salon

"Improve huh?" Joe ate. "How can we do that?"

"Better product placement, adjusted hours, and sales." Kembe replied, sounding like he had given this much thought. Joe looked at Anne and they shared a look of contemplation.

"You think you can do that?" Joe asked in earnest. Kembe nodded as he finished his plate.

"Yes... may I be excused?" Both Joe and Anne nodded in return, releasing Kembe from the table. He made for his room quickly.

"Maybe you should talk to him about it? Sounds like he's ready." Anne said to Joe.

"Let's clean up. I'll see what he says."

Later that evening, Joe knocked on Kembe's bedroom door. "Come in." Kembe called out from within. Joe walked in to find Kembe laboring over his desk, the whole room only lit by the desk lamp. There were tools strewn about the working surface, small canisters and green computer boards along with a solder iron.

"What are you working on?" Joe asked.

"I am working on a product placement display." Kembe held up the canister in his hand. "I am fillng this with some air freshner to work in conjunction with this sensor display." He then held up the computer board with loose wires unsoldered. "When somebody walks past this sensor, it will trigger the sound and air spray." Kembe tested it for Joe. He noticed Joe's look of surprise. "This will capture the customer's attention and improve product visibility."

"I get it!" Joe called out. "Apply to the senses and get them thinking about the product." He patted Kembe on the back. "That's great work!" Kembe smiled and nodded. Joe watched him further as he worked on the device. He couldn't help but feel proud at what the boy had accomplished. It only reinforced Joe's confidence in Kembe. "You know Kembe. I feel really good about the work you've done at the shop. Now I want to ask you a favor." Kembe looked up from his work. "You know your mom and I have been working pretty much since we got you. And during that time, we haven't had a lot of time for ourselves to take a break. So we have been thinking about taking a vacation." Kembe's eyes sharpened seeking clarification.

"Vacation?" Kembe asked.

"Yeah, vacation." Joe said. "It'll only be a month or so. Just seeing how you've been able to manage the business over the past few weeks makes me feel good that you'll be able to handle it."

"Handle the business?"

"Yeah Kembe, I want you to take over the operations while we're gone. You're good with the books and I think you can manage the schedule pretty easily. And we'll only be a phone call away." Joe watched Kembe, for any reaction as Kembe appeared to stare off into space.

"By myself?" Kembe asked again and Joe nodded smiling. "But what about the salon?"

"Well... Patty will handle all the operation there. You will just have to do the books there. She will keep track of it, you just make sure the budget looks good. You think you can handle that?" Joe asked again. Kembe stared blankly in the distance again for a moment and then nodded eagerly. "Great! I'm going to tell your mom that we're good to go. I'm glad you're up to it." Joe got up and walked to the door, just stopping short of opening it. "But you know... if you don't want to do it and want to come with us, we can find someone else to do it." Joe said, offering another option.

Kembe shook his head. "No, I will do it." He smiled and gave Joe a thumbs up. Joe returned the gesture and exited the room. Kembe turned back and continued to solder the board. He looked at the loose wires and attempted to identify the points that they would be soldered upon. When he realized he couldn't recall them, he opened his laptop nearby. On the screen, the blueprints for a tanning bed console were displayed. Kembe studied them carefully, occasionally glancing over to the next tab in his browser titled "sleep mist - search".

===

A few weeks later...

"Alright, just pull up right over here." Joe said, pointing to the terminal with their carrier name. Kembe did as told. The family got out of the car and Kembe retrieved the bags from the trunk. They stood awkwardly for a moment. "Well, we better be going Kembe."

"Call us if you need anything. You have our reservation information, I left it on the fridge." said Anne.

"If you need any money for school or for the shop, just send me a text or e-mail. I can wire it to you." Joe added. "We'll see you before graduation!" Kembe nodded happily. "Okay, they're not going to let you park here for long," Joe added with urgency. "Let's go Anne... Take care Kembe." They hugged and Kembe returned to the car. He waved to them as they entered the terminal. As he drove away, it dawned on him that he would be free to do as he pleased for the next four weeks.

Once he made it home, Kembe raced up the stairs to his room and grabbed his backpack, racing back to the car. He maintained the speed limit through his drive to the shop. He couldn't afford to be pulled over and risk having his parents shortening their trip. The hardware store was already closed when Kembe pulled up to it. Inside, he began looking over the ledger and any notes his father had left for him. He noted when most transactions took place and when there were fewer customer in the store. Accordingly, Kembe changed the operating hours. He found that he could close a few hours earlier and open a few hours later than currently. This would work to his advantage, Kembe thought. They would save more money in energy efficieny, something he could present to Joe.

Kembe grabbed a few tools from the shelves and set them aside. He looked over the shop once more and went next door. Inside, Patty looked up from her book. "Hey Kembe, how's it going?"

"It is going well. How are you Patty?"

"I'm alright. Just got an hour and half to go."

"Yes. I am here to do some paperwork. Is it back in the office?" Kembe pointed behind Patty. She looked down and around the counter.

"Oh yeah. I got it right here." Patty held the papers up. "It's just this week's though."

Kembe accepted them as she handed them over. "That is all I need. Thank you." He looked to the door and produced the key for the office. Inside, he gave the papers a once-over and added them to the ledger for the salon. Joe hadn't told him what a lucrative business it was. As far as Kembe was concerned, they could have expanded the salon to the rest of the hardware store space and made a killing. Eager to get to work, he went back to the counter casually. "Business was good today?" He asked Patty.

"Yeah it was packed til about an hour ago. I think it's winding down now." Patty answered.

"Oh that is good. If you want to go early, I can close it down." Kembe offered with a smile. Patty's face lit up.

"Really? Is that alright with you?" She asked.

"Yes, you work very hard." Kembe agreed and laughed. "You go relax." His teeth was bared.

"A-alright... I will!" Patty said hesitantly but assured. She hurriedly threw her belongings in her purse. "Thanks so much!" Kembe waved it off casually. "There's only one person left and I did all the cleaning already except for that room." Kembe looked back to see the purple glow coming from the farest room in the hallway. He turned to look back at Patricia but she had already made it to the door. "Well, I'll see ya tomorrow!" She waved. He returned the gesture as he saw her round the corner and disappear into her car.

He pulled the sign-in clipboard from the counter and looked at the various crossed-out entries. It had indeed been a busy day. The final customer still had some time left before closing. Kembe took the opportunity to head back to the office and unload his backpack. He had an extra pair of clothes stowed on top of all of the equipment. After changing quickly, he looked in the mirror thinking this is what he would've looked like had he remained in Bongui. The short drab red shorts and gray t-shirt were unflattering on his skinny figure. Nonetheless, they would give him better range of motion and mobility.

From the backpack, Kembe pulled out the canisters, a soldering iron, some screw pin-hole cameras, and a handful of miscellanous tools. He laid them neatly on the table, with enough material, though small, to use in each room. At the bottom of the backpack was a small box with cables and an antenna, the receiving device. He counted everything to make sure it was all there. Then he checked his watch, the time for the final customer was nearly up. In to the lobby, he turned the sign on the door to "Closed" and made his way back to the room adjacent to the last customer's. He found the familiar chair and stood on it, comfortable in knowing the purple glow continued in the next room.

Over the partition, Kembe saw that the bed was still occupied. The clothes strewn about the floor were similar to Kembe's previous viewing. This time it was a white tank top with a gray sports bra and a white skirt with a nested gray thong. One of the white flip flops was flipped next to a work-out bag, under the chair. While he wanted to stay and watch her finish her session, Kembe felt the dust under his finger from the wall partition and remembered there was work to be done.

In the office, he began to assemble individual room kits of each item. He had planned it out since his first time in visiting the salon. The small screw pin-hole cameras would blended into the fixtures of the mirrors in each room. The full length mirrors were already mounted. Kembe had searched for full-length two-way mirror replacements, but it would have been costly. Instead, the screw spy cameras would be perfectly concealed. The canisters attached to computer boards were to be implanted into the consoles of the tanning beds. Joe had not skimped on providing the best technology to improve the customer's experience.

Kembe taught himself the moderate schematics of the tanning bed model. They had an aromatherapy feature that provided gentle misting around the user. Kembe planned to replace the canisters with his own that contained a modified sleeping mist. The computer boards would control the heat from the lamps in the bed as well as the amount of mist that was concentrated. Kembe took a moment to also check his smartphone to test the app he created to provide and monitor feedback from the devices.

Before he could open the app, there was a ding in the lobby. As he peeked out from behind the door, he was surprised to see the sandy-blonde haired woman standing at the counter. A moment later, she too was surprised to see him. "Can I help?" Kembe asked as he moved behind the counter.

"Yes... um... am I supposed to give these to you?" She asked as she held up the keys to the room. "I didn't see the lady up here earlier so I didn't know." She moved a few stray strands of hair behind her ear.

"Yes I can take." Kembe held his palm out to accept them as he looked down to the clipboard, checking off the box of "Keys Returned" and "Paid." He looked up to see the lady searching in her purse. Kembe took the moment to admire her slender shoulders and lithe upper body. She had clearly forgone the sports bra underneath, as Kembe didn't have to strain to see her nipples beneath the tank top, responding to the cooler lobby.

She began to pull something out and accidently dropped her sunglasses as they hung from her purse. Kembe sprung to retreive them from next to her before she had a chance. Around the counter, as he rose with the sunglasses, he witnessed her golden thick legs. While she was only working with a taut b-cup on top, her lower half was sight to behold. The skirt terminated just above mid-thigh and it would've been criminal if Kembe lingered for too long. "Here you go." He handed them off to her.

Behind the counter again, Kembe noticed she was holding her payment card out to him. He accepted it and looked at the clipboard again, handing it back. "It is good, you done." Kembe smiled. The lady looked surprised.

"Oh there must be a mist--." She began and Kembe quickly pointed to the clipboard pointing to her name. "Jean McGraw" and then pointing to the Paid column, which was checkmarked in her row. "Oh ok..." Jean trailed off. She was strangely appeased by his big smile.

"You want to schedule next time?" Kembe asked, breaking Jean's mesmerized state.

"Oh-- yes, I would like to do that."

"Very good. Same time next week?" Kembe tried to up-sell.

"No no, how about two weeks?" Jean said, leaning over to look at schedule with Kembe.

"Yes, two weeks open." Kembe affirmed. "This good for you?" He held the pen ready in his hand to mark it down.

"Yes, it is. Thank you." Jean confirmed.

"My name Kembe." He held his hand out, registering at Jean's surprise at how large it was. "I from Bongui. Nice meet you." His palm engulfed her small hands, shaking her entire arm with vigor.

"Oh hi Kem-bay. I'm Jean. It was nice to meet you too." Jean added, hesitantly as she let his hand go. He began to wave as she walked towards the door. She waved back. "Thank you!"

Kembe stared up her legs and focused on the back of the skirt, continuing to way. "No thank you!" He called out as she left the salon. Once out of sight, he returned to the office and began moving to the rooms to install everything. While he worked through the evening, he couldn't believe he had reverted to acting like an African foreigner with the customer. He would have to remember to maintain the image.

The following week, Kembe periodically checked on his video feeds from the hardware store to make sure everything was working properly. In the evening, shortly before closing the salon, he would relieve Patty from her post and take over to note how the aromatherapy adjustments were working. Kembe developed a rudimentary system to identify how much of the solution to use on the various customers, based on his data collection for the week. A petite woman would naturally require less than a larger woman. Kembe kept this information in his notebook ledger. Before Patty left, he felt ready to use his equipment. This coupled with the fact he had been glued far long enough to the video feeds.

"Why don't you take the weekend off Patricia?" Kembe asked her.

"Because I gotta make that money Kembe! You wouldn't understand how much that overtime pay helps out!" Patty cried out.

"No no, I am asking if you want to take the weekend off. I will cover for you. You work very hard here." Kembe noted the change in expression in Patty's face at the compliment.

"Well, you know that would be great. Still wish I could get that over time though..." She trailed off.

"I cannot do the overtime, but maybe one of the days will be a paid vacation. Would that be good?" Kembe asked. Patty's face lit up.

"Yes! That would be great! I'll have to let my daughter know that I've got the time off. Thanks so much Kembe!" Patty grabbed her purse and put her sunglasses on, grabbing the clipboard list of customers. She flipped the page for the next day. "So these are the ones that confirmed for tomorrow," Patty pointed to the list, "They've already paid and are on that program for unlimited visits. You think you'll be okay for the weekend? It can get busy."

"I will be fine. You enjoy your time off."

"Great!" Patty hugged Kembe and whirled out of the lobby.

Kembe looked at the list for tomorrow's reservations and put them aside to tally the day's total. Business was good and he hoped that the weekend would provide a steady stream of entertainment for him. He made a note to not book around the end of the day, since he was still trying to figure out how to get away from the desk for extended periods of time.

--

The next day Kembe took great care of himself before opening the salon. He had shaved and showered, both his face and private areas, used generous amounts of cocoa butter lotion to hydrate his skin, and practiced his smile in the mirror. He felt the that projected image of good customer service will help put the customer at ease. In the general cases, his feelings were validated.

The morning rush proved slower than usual as he looked over the ledgers for previous Saturdays. There were a few reservations that did not show and Kembe was less than excited about some of the less attractive customers he was viewing. On more than one occasion, he had to turn off the live feeds from a room because it just turn him off. This was something he didn't completely expect.

Noon was a typically slow time and after Kembe checked out the last morning customer, he considered grabbing some lunch and shutting down the place for the hour. However, just as he rose to lock the door, he consulted the reseravation list and noticed there was a person scheduled for 12:30pm. The clock on the wall read 12:26pm and he decided to count it as a no-show. Pen took to paper just as he heard to door open.

Hurriedly rushing in, a tall thin brunette wisped in, putting her oversized sunglasses up above her forehead with her phone in hand. "Hi, I have an appointment for 12:30?" She smiled to Kembe. He looked over the list at the entry he had just marked out. "Hey girl, I have to go. I'm at the tanning place now." Kembe looked up to see she was still on the phone. On the list, he read her name as he got her attention.

"Katherine?" Kembe asked. His gaze had shifted from her large bust to her red lips parting for a smile. Katherine nodded as Kembe looked to his paperwork again. He looked at the computer and looked back at her, examining the fine figure of the customer. "Okay great, you are on the unlimited plan. So you can have as much time as you like tanning and complimentary towels." Kembe handed her a stack of towels. "You will be in room #6, it is down the hall and last door on the right after you turn the corner." He motioned the directions while Katherine nodded in understanding as she took the key and headed for the room.

As she grabbed her bag, Kembe appreciated her long thick legs and short sweat shorts. The brown university tank top clung to her wide chest (at least a D cup Kembe had ventured). He watched her turn the corner and saw the door close from the mirror in the hallway. At this moment, Kembe rushed to the lobby toward and switched the sign to "Out to Lunch." He retreated back to the office and shut the door behind him. The executive chair was comfy and cool since the blinds had been drawn all morning. Kembe dropped his shorts and immediately began stroking his cock. In his other hand, he pulled up the app for the cameras and selected room #6.

The live feed began streaming and Kembe starting stroking. Katherine was facing away from the camera, which had been embedded in the mirror frame. She labored over the controls of the tanning bed first, turning it on and turning her attention to her bag on the chair. After unzipping it and briefly looking inside, her hands took to her waist and she gracefully dropped her shorts. Kembe got rock hard at the sight of Katherine's taut ass. A tan line had made itself visible from her underwear. She then peeled off the brown tank top, only revealing her tits in profile for Kembe's view. But as soon as she turned to lift the top of the bed, Kembe was greeted with the naturally swinging D cups.

He felt like he could burst at any moment just at the sight, but the nerves of taking it to the next level enticed him further. Katherine was now gettng into the tanning bed, after having applied the lotion to her body. Kembe checked the table in his notebook regarding the customer height/weight and concentration needs for the aromatherapy. The app on his phone showed that Katherine had selected a scent with low concentration. He was relieved that she was laying on her back as the concentration would work quicker. With a few taps on the application, Kembe blended in the sleep solution with her chosen scent. He had forgetten to build in a timer for this part of the process, so he used a stop watch to mark the time that it would be in full effect.