here.” He rattled the doorknob, but it was locked.
“Emily!”
“I can’t hear you, Richard,” she called back. “The water’s running.”
The water continued to run for what seemed an eternity. When she shut it off, Richard tried the door again. “Emily, come out here! I want to talk to you.”
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.
* * *
R ICHARD 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.”
* * *
E MILY 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
“Emily!”
“I can’t hear you, Richard,” she called back. “The water’s running.”
The water continued to run for what seemed an eternity. When she shut it off, Richard tried the door again. “Emily, come out here! I want to talk to you.”
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.
* * *
R ICHARD 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.”
* * *
E MILY 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
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