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Ace blew them both off. They were right. But he didn’t need to tell them.
The day passed quickly. Everyone prepared for the afternoon’s meeting. Just before she headed home, Frida walked into his office. “They’re here, Ace. Tyler is already in the conference room.”
“Make sure they’re comfortable. I’m on my way.”
Frida nodded and left. Ace looked at his watch. Four thirty exactly. London, on time? He stood, a slightly smug smile on his face as he buttoned his jacket and reached for his tablet and phone. If she kept offering nice surprises like this, their partnership might go better than he imagined.
* * *
London admired everything about OTB’s offices. The decor was sleek and classy, just like its owner. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been nervous at a meeting. If she ever had. But there were little butterflies fluttering around her stomach. When Ace entered—no, sauntered, strolled, ambled into—the room, the butterflies took off flying, causing other areas of her body to flutter, as well.
“Good afternoon,” he said as he walked over to give a handshake and cheek kiss to London’s agent and publicist.
“And to you, London, the star of the OTB runway.” He leaned down for a hug. “Thanks so much for coming and for agreeing to represent our new line.”
He smelled like daring and machismo and good lovemaking. His body was hard, his hug nice and firm. She took in his perfectly coordinated look. They could have done a photo shoot on the spot. Her off-the-shoulder tan mini with faux-fur trim was the exact same color as his shirt. She too wore gold jewelry laced with black onyx, tying together her ensemble with her black Taylor Plateau pumps. Her hair had been pulled back in a high ponytail to expose her flawless skin, high cheekbones and long neck. She’d considered showing up in jeans and a tee. She was glad her agent had changed her mind.
London watched as Ace walked to the front of the conference room. He was poised and commanding, looking every inch the company exec. She saw him in a new light. The brightness looked good on him.
“Again, thank you all for coming. I know everyone’s time is valuable, so we’ll get started right away. London, on behalf of my partners, Tyler Dent and Mira Jacobs, we couldn’t be more excited about you joining us for these upcoming shows. You’ll rock these looks and ensure that during the course of these shows all over the world, OTB Her is all everyone is talking about. The head of our design team, Lucien, has put together a video presentation of the new line and has also created muslin mock-ups for the featured pieces. So, without further ado, I present OTB… Her.”
Ace connected his tablet to a wall projector outlet. With the push of a button near him, the room lights dimmed. The projector started and into the room burst picture after picture of bold, unique looks done in various shades of tan, accessorized with bright primary colors. Few comments were made as two dozen images were cast against the projector wall. But when the final piece was revealed, the room was filled with a collective gasp—London’s among them.
The end of the presentation was met with applause. The room brightened once again. There were smiles all around.
“Ace, you’ve outdone yourself. That last piece is stunning…more than that, really. I have no words. The way it’s designed, though, with all of that crinoline and the funky train, it will be a beast to walk in and looks to work better on someone seven feet tall.”
“Which brings me to my next question,” Ace calmly countered. “Can you walk in stilts?”
London’s look to her agent read, are you kidding? Then she voiced the question.
Ace met her skepticism with laughter. “Totally appropriate response, but hear us out. We have someone designing a special set of eighteen-inch stilts that will take us head and shoulders above the competition, literally. All our models will wear them. That finale piece that you raved about will require stilts two and a half feet tall. I think you can handle it, London. And be the talk of the town.”
They discussed specifics about the line. London agreed to try the stilts. Once all the questions about the runway shows had been answered, Ace had just one more question.
