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“Something tells me you’re going to have plenty more hot and heavy encounters with these two.”
Scarlet mentally crossed her fingers. “From your lips to God’s ears, girlfriend.”
“Talk to you later.”
They disconnected the call and Scarlet went back to her business, with forbidden thoughts simmering in the back of her brain, keeping her sexually charged. And brimming with anticipation of what might come next where Michael Vandenberg and Sam Reed were concerned.
TWELVE
“This redesign of the department stores is fantastic,” said Anna Christie, Senior Vice President of PR and Marketing, as the group sitting around Michael’s executive conference room table viewed the final mock-ups on a projection screen. “Revolutionary, even.”
“It’ll put us a bit off our budget,” added Michael’s CFO, Thomas Vance. “A couple million over, but when I do a reforecast we might be able to balance the scales better.”
“We’ll make those two million back immediately following the reopening of each store,” the COO chimed in.
“And then some,” Thomas concurred. “Especially since we’re retooling the restaurants in each one.”
“I want Rory St. James to work up the menu,” Michael announced from the head of the table. “Internationally acclaimed and his and Christian Davila’s restaurants hold three Michelin stars. We’ll have a formal dining room at the top of each of our buildings and I want every one of them to be starred.”
“He won’t be easy to hire,” Anna said. “Not with the success of his newest steakhouse and culinary show.”
“Or cheap,” Thomas lamented.
Folding his arms over his chest, Michael told the group of senior execs, “Our department stores will rival Harrods from the onset. But I want them to surpass that benchmark. Exceed expectations. The restaurants are critical when it comes to elevating the prestige of our collection, just like the locations I selected: Dubai, Paris, Milan, and New York.”
“Chef St. James has a restaurant in Paris,” Anna noted. “Do you think he’ll open another restaurant in that city?”
“We’ll make it worth his and Davila’s while,” Michael assured everyone. “I’m already laying the groundwork.”
Thomas lifted his hand in the air. “Now, Michael. I already said we’re going to be over budget on this project. This isn’t like our usual mergers and acquisitions. We’re keeping this collection of stores in our portfolio. The operational costs alone—”
“Will not impede our profit margin,” Michael interjected. “We’ll make a fortune on this acquisition once we’ve remodeled and relaunched. The crowning jewel will be St. James / Davila-designed dining rooms. The epitome of elegance, the height of sophistication. Panoramic views, an impeccably trained staff, and a menu that will put us up there with the ‘best of the best’ restaurants globally.”
For over half a decade, he’d been dreaming of this transformation of a well-known chain that hadn’t been keeping up with the changing times and was hemorrhaging cash at a horrific rate. Michael had watched the decline over the past six years as location after location was closed. The flagship store was in New York, and even though Michael would be gutting the place and almost starting from scratch—not to mention he was adding his name to the original branding—he wanted to maintain the exclusive Fifth Avenue address and the centuries-old history of the chain.
It’d taken a long time and some very bold and daring investments to reach the point where he could purchase the flagship and the square footage in his other desired cities. But it’d finally all come together. He’d signed on the dotted line following that dinner meeting at the Crestmont. Intuition told him this most enterprising endeavor would also be his most lucrative one. Particularly if he could get Celebrity Chef St. James onboard.
Michael wrapped up the meeting and headed down the corridor to his office. He had a number of calls to return and e-mails to read, as well as additional meetings scheduled for the afternoon. But he managed to find a few minutes to phone Scarlet.
“I was starting to feel the sting of a brush-off,” she teased. Though Michael did not miss the hint of vulnerability in her voice.
“My apologies,” he sincerely said. I’ve been busy. And … I figured you were immersed in your investigation.”
“Yes. Montana turned out to be an adventure. Scenic, hazardous, and a dead end.”
“So you went to see Sam.” Michael hadn’t had time to follow up with his stepbrother. Nor had Michael been able to project how long Scarlet might be with Sam. A couple hours? A couple days? So he hadn’t pestered her. Let her do her work. Though he was curious as to the outcome of the visit, so he asked, “How’d the two of you hit it off?”
She said, “I definitely enjoyed his company.” Now there was a suggestive tinge to her soft tone.
Michael grinned. “I’m sure. Most women do.”
“Speaking of … Why didn’t you mention that he was in the guesthouse with you and your ‘wildly passionate brunette and luscious Scandinavian blonde’? I do believe those were your exact words.”
“Beautiful and a mind like a steel trap.” Michael chuckled. “How is it that you’re still single, Scarlet Drake?”
“Answer my question first, please.”
Michael knew better than to be evasive. She’d pin him down one way or another. So he told her, “I was just trying to get a rise out of you the night we discussed my alibi.”
