Part 11 (1/2)
”Which one of these two can handle heavy flirting?” Isabel continued. ”Which one screams, 'Do me with a dollop of whipped cream'? Which one would a guy go for?”
She took a swig of her drink. Then she faced Audra, her sweet face hard with determination.
”For the first time in my life, I want to be leather and studs,” she declared.
Audra's eyes widened. Come on over to the dark side, Come on over to the dark side, she wanted to say. Afraid to jinx this breakthrough, though, she swallowed the invitation. she wanted to say. Afraid to jinx this breakthrough, though, she swallowed the invitation.
”What actually happened?” she asked instead.
Isabel took another look at the designs, then rolled her eyes. ”Did you ever meet a guy who made you want to give him a bath with your tongue?”
Jesse's face flashed through her mind. She hadn't considered a tongue bath before. But now that she did, it had definite possibilities.
”I showed up this morning for my appointment. I was supposed to finalize everything and sign the contracts, right?” Before Audra could comment, Isabel continued, ”I'm waiting in this guy's office and he's like twenty minutes late. I'd rather walk out, you know? Because the last thing I want to deal with is a rude client. If he's late for meetings, who knows what other bad business habits he has?”
Audra had barely finished nodding when Isabel barreled on. Now, though, she was pacing. Her wide-flying gestures didn't bother Audra so much as the open can in her hand.
”Finally, just as I decided no account, no matter how pretty a feather in my cap, was worth that rudeness, in walks this guy.”
”The manager?”
”I wish. I've met the manager. He's balding, short and has an overbite. This guy is tall, hot and s.e.xy. I guess he's the general manager or something.”
”General manager? That's good, though, right? I mean, he's got the power to hire you for a lot of malls, not just one.”
Isabel winced.
”Did he turn you down? He reneged on the verbal agreement?” Audra growled deep in her throat. Anger, rarely expressed, surged through her. With swift strides, she started pacing the length of the boutique, too. ”I'll go to that mall myself and kick his sorry a.s.s. Where does this guy get off?”
”He didn't renege, Audra. I ran.”
Stopping so fast that her spiked heels should have been smoking, Audra squinted at her friend. ”Huh?”
”I ran. He came in, all hot and s.e.xy and I got tongue-tied. All I could think of was stripping his suit from his body and having him for breakfast. Then he...”
”He what?” Images flashed through her mind, none of them pretty. Her stomach cramped again.
Her voice so low that Audra had to strain to hear her, Isabel said, ”He flirted with me.”
Huh?
”Did he take his clothes off while he flirted?” Audra asked, perplexed.
”Of course not.”
”Did he make kinky suggestions? Make you feel pressured to put out? Invite you to a threesome with the balding missing manager?”
”Don't be ridiculous. He didn't do any of that. He was just...you know, flirty. Like he was interested.”
”So you ran away? Not only from a hot dude who'd likely give you a nice lube job, but from a huge business deal?”
And Isabel had worried Audra would blow her her career? career?
”It sounds stupid when you say it. But I was overwhelmed. I'm not like you. I'm not used to such intense interest from a guy. I guess I ran from it. From him.”
Isabel tossed her empty can into the trash and threw up her hands. ”It's not like it really matters, right? I mean, I don't have to move on to the next stage of my business plan yet. I've improved the flower shop a lot already, right? Money is okay. So I've hit a career plateau.”
Audra thought of her own struggles lately. That plateau seemed to be going around. Sure, she'd got a fancy promotion to head designer, but she was starting to feel that it was an empty promotion. Pretty words, no substance. Since she'd been fighting that particular perception most of her life, she should recognize it when it stared her in the face.
”No law says I have to move up now, now,” Isabel continued. ”I'm fine waiting a few months. Maybe years.”
”Years? Oh, my G.o.d, no way.” The glaring comparison to her own situation was too obvious to ignore. Audra smothered the thought with a determined jut of her chin. She wasn't waiting years to have her cake. And neither was Isabel.
”Years, my a.s.s. You get your b.u.t.t back to that mall, s.e.x that guy up and get that account.”
”s.e.x him up? You're insane.”
”You don't really have to sleep with him. Just flirt. Give him back the same as he's giving you. You know, go for the gusto.”
”Isn't that a beer slogan?”
Audra rolled her eyes. ”You know what I mean. You want to be leather and studs, go for it. Who's to say you have to take it slow? Don't you owe it to yourself to give every shot one hundred percent? Even if it might not be the perfect time?”
”I can't mix business with pleasure like that,” Isabel objected. ”It'd be like using my body to get the account.”
”Jeez, Isabel. You were already promised the account. So go get it. If you use your body at this point, it's to celebrate the success. Quit making it a crime to have s.e.x.”
”Meaningless s.e.x.”
”There's no such thing,” Audra reminder her. ”Even M&M's satisfy.”
Considering her words, Isabel flicked a finger over the leather design board. ”I haven't seen any designs like this in the boutique. Are you branching out? To be honest, this is the kind of thing I'd always imagined you designing. You know, something that screamed naughty s.e.x.”
Audra contemplated the leather-studded design she'd been doodling. Isabel was right, this was was one of the things that had attracted her to lingerie in the first place. And exactly what she intended to market. Some day. one of the things that had attracted her to lingerie in the first place. And exactly what she intended to market. Some day.
”We don't carry this kind of thing yet, it's just something I'm working on. You know, kind of like cleansing my palate. I'm on overload right now and was. .h.i.tting the point that if I had to draw one more pink rosebud, I'd scream.”
”Well, this definitely isn't pink.” Isabel wrinkled her nose and looked around the boutique. ”Of course, I'm sure carrying something like this here is way down the road. After all, this store caters to the sweet, wedding trousseau styles. I doubt this will fit your target market or Natasha's marketing plan.”
Audra sniffed, but didn't answer. Instead, she tidied up the counter and focused on building Isabel's confidence back up so she could take that manager by storm.
Five minutes, a few pats on the back and a satin chemise later, she waved Isabel out the door. Audra eyed the stack of custom designs she was sending to Natasha. The courier was due any second. Lips pursed, she eyed Leather Submission, as she'd t.i.tled the teddy she'd just finished, and the tie that had been its inspiration.
It wasn't a big deal to include it. She was just showing Natasha a few options. With a sly grin, she cut a chunk off the tie and stapled it to the design board. Natasha would recognize it from their conversation and realize the b.u.t.t-ugly tie had inspired a design, just like she'd predicted. Audra slid the tie-decorated board and the other designs into the mail pouch going to China and sealed it all with a kiss.
Sure, she got the whole careful planning thing. She did appreciate the progress. Slow and steady. But dammit, she wanted the whole dream. Designing things that inspired her. For women like her.