It was Monday morning. Avery was in the office, and she had a thousand and one things to do. That was why the sight of Parkerpretty, petulant Parkermade her bristle.
Hi, Avery, hows it going? Parker said with that blazing bleached smile of hers. Then she sashayed into Averys office like it was her own, plopped down onto the sofa, and crossed her legs.
Things are hectic, of course. Arent they always?
Avery was the president of Flair, the cosmetics company she had founded four years earlier. She had started out mixing up small batches of mineral-based makeups in her tiny kitchen. Little by little, thanks to her talent, passion, and tenacityand Finn Adamss moneythe company had grown, but it was still miniscule by industry standards. Today, Flair was housed on one floor of a former warehouse building in Manhattans far West Twenties and had almost fifty employees.
Avery was in the middle of developing her first perfume. She wanted the scent to be her signature product, one that would give Flair a defining image and catapult it into the big leagues where it belonged. It would be the realization of her dreams, and the fulfillment of her promise to Finn.
What are you working on? Parker asked. As if she was really interested in the nuts and bolts of the company.
Setting up consultations with perfumers, meetings with the ad agency, talking to buyers, arranging focus groups, Avery said.
I want the perfume to have a sexy name and image, Parker said in that entitled private-school voice of hers.
That was so Parkerwaltz in and make a sweeping pronouncement. She had no background in the cosmetics business, no idea what it took to run a company, to create a brand, to move a product from concept to reality. And she didnt grasp what Avery wanted to convey with the perfume. She wanted it to be romantic and sensual, not crass and overtly sexy. The marketplace was inundated with perfumes and beauty products that relied on a blatantly sexual image. Avery was determined to stand apart from the pack. And not to let Parker stand in her way.
But dealing with Parker was complicated for Avery; it triggered a swell of conflicting emotions. After all, she was Finn Adamss daughter. And she had inherited 51 percent of Flair two years earlier when her father died. It had taken them four days to find the floating debris of his plane in the Caribbean, just south of Puerto Rico. Finns body was never recovered, claimed by the sea and its hungry creatures.
After he was officially declared dead, Parkerhis only child, the product of his first marriagecame into the bulk of his fortune, including the controlling interest in Flair. When Parker turned her head a certain way or tapped her fingertips impatiently on the edge of a table, she seemed so much like her father, the first man Avery had ever fallen in love with...the man she loved still...
Sometimes Avery just wanted to tell Parker, Your father and I were in love. But she and Finn had vowed to keep their love a secret until the day they could announce it to the world. The day that now would never come. But Avery felt it was important to stay true to their pact, to their secret. She carried it with her, a talisman, a touchstone that gave her strength and helped to keep Finn alive in her heart.
In so many ways, Parker was the opposite of her father. The pampered product of privilege, she had never worked a day in her life, and she treated Flair like her latest toy. If it failed, she could just shrug it off. For Avery, failure would mean the end of her lifelong dream. She wasnt going to let that happen. No way! She had worked too hard to get this far, to pull herself up from her bitter, twisted childhood in that shabby little house in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Shed been paying her dues in the cosmetics business for over a decade. Unlike Parker, nobody had handed her anything.
Avery, you seem tired today, are you all right? Parker asked with insincere concern. She seemed very keyed up, and kept running her fingers through her long frosted hair and checking out her perfect nails. Parker had the best body money could buypolished skin, toned limbs, gravity-defying breastsand she clothed it in small clingy dresses twelve months a year.
Im fine, thanks, Avery answered, just swamped.
Thats the problem with having big pretty eyes like you dothe circles really show, Parker said.
Can we discuss the perfume another time?
No, Parker said. I want the perfume to have a sexy image.
Avery stood up and walked around her desk. Parker, I know sexy sells, but I also know that romance sells. Believe it or not, there are a lot of young women out there who long to love and be loved more than they yearn to be tacky sex goddesses. Theyre my market for the perfume.
Parker took all this inand then tossed it out. Well, I like sexy, she said with a determined pout.
Guess what, Parker? I founded this company and its my baby. You may own a big chunk of it, but you dont own me.
Touchy-touchy. Oh, by the way, hows Marcus?
Marcus is fine, not that its any of your business, Avery answered.
How dare Parker ask about Marcus Roland, the man she had been seeing for the past year? The man who had helped her finally accept that Finn was never coming back, the man she was getting serious about. The reason she was prying was obvious, of course. Parker wanted Marcus for herself. In fact, Avery had met Marcus at a party at Parkers downtown loft. Parker had been making a play for him, with no success. She was just jealous. After all, there are some things that even a bottomless bank account cant buy you.
You certainly keep him on a tight leash. I havent seen him at any of the clubs for ages, Parker said.
If Marcus is on any length leash, hes there of his own free will. Were both adults. So keep your nose out of our relationship. Avery took a deep breath. She crossed to the display of Flairs products that she kept in her office. She looked down at the array of foundations, lipsticks, mascaras, powders. She picked up a powder compact. Have you tried this new powder? Its been selling like crazy. It has a dusting of ground gold in it, for just a touch of sparkle. I think it would be fabulous on you.
Parker took the compact, opened it, and rubbed a little powder on the back of her hand. Nice, she said. She snapped the compact shut and handed it back. Too bad its not my style.
No, nice isnt your style, is it? Avery said. Listen, I have a conference call with a group of buyers out in Chicago. I need some time to prepare.
Parker shrugged. Oh, that reminds me, I have an appointment with my personal buyer at Barneys. She crossed to the door and turned. Ciao, darling, work hard. Then she was gone.
Avery closed her office door. She went over to the couch where Parker had been sitting, picked up the loose pillows, shook them out. Waltzing in and issuing edicts about the perfume was bad enough, but Parkers probing insinuations about Marcus were completely over the line. Avery was going to put a stop to them once and for all.
There was a knock on her door.
Who is it?
Its me.
Come in.
Justin Fowler walked in. Justin was Averys right-hand everything. He pretty much ran Flair, leaving Avery free to concentrate on the products themselves and on shaping the companys image. Justin was pushing fifty, a battle-savvy veteran of the beauty biz. He was gay, a bit rotund, and wore round glasses that gave him an owlish appearance. Although he cultivated a jovial, charming persona, under it lay a tough, cunning customer who knew how to work every angle. Avery had seen him in action when she was working in the PR department at Clinique, and when she got her backing from Finn, he was the first person she called. He loved a challenge, but it was Averys promise of 20 percent of profits that sealed the deal. Averys instincts had been rightthey hit it off immediately; he helped her navigate the intricacies of a cutthroat business, while she invigorated him with her passion and drive.
You look all in, kiddo. Is everything all right? Justin asked.
Parker was just in here, making trouble as usual.
Did she seem wired?
She was pretty keyed up, Avery said.
My spies tell me shes been out at the clubs every night, partying hard.
At least shes good at something.
As you know, Parker has a history of serious drug binges that have led to some very bad behavior. Justin crossed to Averys desk and said, We have to treat her very gingerly, no matter how insufferable she gets.
Its not easy.
Remember, Avery, if Parker goes down, she can take the whole company with her.
