Be Mine(18)

The door opened and Emily came out, dressed for work. She kissed him on the cheek.

“See you at work, darling,” she said, and slipped away from him. He followed her to the door, but stepped back when she opened it.

“Dammit, Emily.”

She wiggled her fingers at him and left, closing the door behind her.

“Very funny.” He stalked back to his bedroom to get dressed.

* * *

RICHARD TRIED TO CALL her when he got to work, but Jane said she wasn’t in. He stormed downstairs and past Jane, but her office really was empty.

“Where is she?” he snarled at Jane.

“Who the hell do you think you are?” Jane asked calmly.

He stopped, stunned.

“She’s your partner, not your property. She does not have to be here in case you want her,” Jane said, folding her arms and glaring at him. “And if you have any brains at all, you’ll start listening to her, because she’s very good at what she does. She made four million dollars for this company in the last six months. So far you haven’t brought in a dime.”

Richard glared at her, his blue eyes steely with anger.

Jane glared back, unfazed. “If you won’t listen to her because she deserves to be listened to, perhaps you’ll listen to her to save your job. Because if Sizzle flops because you didn’t give her the money to do the job, it’s not going to be her neck on the line.”

“She throws money around like it’s water,” Richard said, his glare fading. “She needs me.”

“Absolutely.” Jane smiled. “She’s a complete loss at budgeting. But you’re a complete loss at marketing. And budgeting never sold perfume yet. Emily can sell perfume, but only if you listen to her. Instead of ignoring her, listen to her and find her the money she needs. She gave up a lot of things she wanted on this campaign because of you, and that’s good. She’s learned a lot from you. She’s been careful and focused on the two most important things, the things she felt were vital to sell Sizzle—rubies and the product placement. And you haven’t even tried to help her. You just said no. You didn’t even try.”

Richard’s glare faded to a wince. “I didn’t listen, you mean.”

“She’ll be at the meeting in an hour,” Jane said.

He started to say something, then turned and walked to the elevator. When he was gone, Jane went to the ladies’ room.

Emily was sitting on the vanity waiting for her.

“He’s gone,” said Jane.

“And?”

“I don’t know.” Jane leaned against the wall. “I told him all the stuff we’d agreed on. He looked like he wasn’t used to taking that kind of talk from secretaries.”

“If he still thinks of you as a secretary, he’s not paying attention.”

“Well, that is his problem.”

“So what now?”

“Are you going to drop your bomb at the meeting?”

“Yes.” Emily scooted off the counter. “Both of them. You coming?”

“Absolutely,” Jane said. “I’ll run the VCR.”

* * *

EMILY WAS BRILLIANT in the meeting. She introduced the perfume, had the other executives try it on so they could feel the tingle, and then began to talk about the target consumer and the marketing program. She could feel Richard looking at her, but when she looked up she didn’t see the glare she expected.

She saw pride. He thought she was wonderful. And he should, she thought. I am wonderful.

“We’re using a campaign that’s analogous to Paradise, but different,” she continued, putting the large mock-up advertising had done for her on the easel. “You’ll note that the bottle is the same as Paradise, but it’s black, instead of white, with a ruby-glass stopper, instead of a diamond-glass stopper.”

They nodded.

“We’re confident that the consumer will make not only the connection with Paradise, but will also subconsciously pick up the dualism here. She’ll wear Paradise when she wants to feel sexy, but sophisticated and in control, Sizzle when she wants to feel sexy and wanton. She will, for example, put Sizzle places she wouldn’t dream of putting Paradise.” A couple of the male executives looked thoughtful and interested to mask the erotic thoughts that leapfrogged through minds. One of the female executives picked up the sample bottle.

“And since there’s a little bit of angel and a little bit of devil in every woman, every woman will need both these perfumes,” Emily said, and the female executive grinned at her. Bingo, Emily thought. Get a note to advertising.

“Will we be using the rubies at the openings and the showing like we did with Paradise?” Henry Evadne, the vice president, asked.

“Yes.” Emily looked straight at Richard. “We bought the rubies. I’m sending the purchase order up to Mr. Parker this afternoon.”

Richard raised his eyebrows.

“Did you say something, Mr. Parker?” Emily asked. “I’m afraid I didn’t hear you.”

Oblivious to the byplay, Henry said, “Good idea. The diamonds were a big hit. Helped add class to the product. Very good idea, Emily.”

“Thank you, Henry.” Emily paused. “But I haven’t told you the best part.”

Richard sighed. He knows what’s coming, Emily thought.

“Sizzle is a natural for a product placement,” she began. “I called L.A. to find a movie that would be big and glitzy and sexy, and I found one, but Mr. Parker felt that the fee they were asking was outrageous—” she hesitated as Richard frowned, probably trying to remember if they’d ever talked about any movie in particular “—and, of course, he was right.”

He lifted his eyebrows at her again.

“So I went back, and thanks to Mr. Parker’s good advice, I found the perfect vehicle.”

She took a deep breath. This was the gamble.

“It’s a low-budget film made by a man just out of UCLA. But he’s a genius. This film could be the next Sex, Lies, and Videotape. It could sweep Cannes. And our product will be in it. When the press starts obsessing over every detail in the film, Sizzle will be in every magazine in the country—free.”

Henry was shaking his head. “A little art movie. It could do nothing.”

“Then it does nothing.” Emily smiled confidently. “Life is a gamble. We gambled on Paradise. And I know this is going to work.”

Henry frowned. “I don’t like gambles. Where did the money for this come from, Richard?”

Emily tensed.

“We trimmed some of the other areas,” Richard said.

Thank you, Emily said with her eyes. Even though she’d sandbagged him, he’d come through for her. In fact, he was lying through his teeth for her.

“If you’ll look at this rough budget,” Richard said, passing around sheets of figures, “you can see how we can afford the placement by cutting back on the print media. If the placement comes through for us, we won’t need that much, anyway. The rubies are actually a capital investment and should be purchased through investment funds, not advertising.”

Emily looked at the sheet he handed her. It wasn’t a lie. He’d really tried. In the hour before the meeting. This time, he’d listened and tried and done it.

She loved him so much she ached with it.

Henry nodded. “Still, a movie with an unknown director and unknown actors...” He shook his head.

“But this movie is going to rewrite the cinema history books on eroticism.” Emily picked up the ball from Richard. “Of course, I don’t expect you to take my word for that.” She nodded to Jane, who pushed the play button on the VCR at the front of the room and turned off the lights.

“They’re shooting the scene with Sizzle this week,” Emily said, as the two actors on the screen began to move toward each other. “Therefore, I can’t show you the actual product placement, but this scene should give you an idea of the movie’s potential.”

She moved around the table and sat down beside Richard as the two actors embraced. The scene still had an amazing erotic effect on Emily, even the second time around. Midway through, Richard put his hand on her knee and ran it slowly up her thigh, pushing her skirt up as he stroked her.

Richard and I have got to keep this tape, she thought. It’s an instant aphrodisiac. Not that we need one. But you never know...

When the clip was over, Jane turned the lights back on and the VCR off, and Richard moved his hand away.

Richard and I have got to have a meeting after this, Emily thought. A very intense private meeting. Immediately.

The executives around the table had slightly glazed looks.

Henry cleared his throat and straightened in his seat. “I’m not happy about cutting back on print, but this budget Richard has proposed is obviously still a very tight one. And the movie will certainly be, uh, stirring. Although not pornographic,” he added quickly.