Addy gasps.
“You’ve been separated for a year?”
I think for a moment.
“Longer than that, to be honest. We were married straight out of design school, but she moved out of our shared apartment … I don’t know, maybe two years ago? Like I said, our marriage has been on the rocks for a long time now.”
Addy blushes.
“I had no idea,” she murmurs. “You guys were always so professional at work.”
I nod.
“Yes, we tried to be. We didn’t want the House of Steele to suffer because we were no longer interested in one another personally. Our business is our baby, and just because we’re getting divorced doesn’t mean our child should suffer.”
Addy nods, her eyes still wide.
“Yes, of course.”
At that moment, the waiter shows up with our bottle of wine. He pours me a test, and I sip it slowly. It’s excellent.
“That’s great, thanks.”
“I’m glad you like it, sir.”
The waiter pours us each a glass and leaves the bottle in a bucket of ice on our table.
“To us,” I remark. “To a fabulous partnership.”
She blushes.
“To us,” she repeats in a small voice. I grin, loving how my double entendres get under her skin. She’s going to be wonderful to toy with. We clink glasses, and then take small sips of the wine.
“I want to know what your plans are for the future of the company,” I say smoothly. “How can we improve the House of Steele?”
Addy brightens immediately and perks up in her seat. Wow, the curvy girl really is interested in the business.
“Well, since you’re asking, first off, I think it’s silly that we’re not allowed to listen to music on the design floor. It might seem small, but we’re creatives. Listening to music, even classical stuff, helps stoke our creative fires.”
I nod.
“I agree. Marissa was weird about that. She needed dead silence. But you know what? She’s gone now, so music it is.”
Addy blushes.
“So fast?”
I grin.
“Yep. It pays to be the boss.”
She nods and bites her lip again.
“Thank you. I also think the designers should be allowed to work remotely outside of the office. Marissa was worried it would slow down output, but I think the opposite will happen. I know a lot of designers find inspiration in the natural world. Heck, some of my favorite designs came to me while strolling in Central Park. There are a lot of beautiful places around the House of Steele offices, and I think it’d be good to allow our designers to leave the office to work. We’ll hold them accountable for the same level of output, but I think it’ll help with creativity.”
I nod.
“Done.”
Addy gasps again.
“Are you serious?”
I nod, my blue eyes twinkling.
“Yes. We’ll hash out the details later, but it sounds like a great idea. I don’t want to stifle you guys in any way. Consider it settled. Is there anything else?”
Addy bites her lip nervously. “Well, there is one more thing.”
“What is it?”
“I know that high fashion has always catered towards skinny women, but I’ve been thinking that it might be nice to release a line of clothes for regular women like me? There’s a huge market for plus-sized fashions, I swear. We’re always asked to wear ugly, shapeless gunnysacks, and it’s absolutely ridiculous. It would be nice to have clothes that women like me can wear and feel beautiful in. I know it’s not exactly on-brand for House of Steele, given that we’re a high end line, but …”
I put my hand over Addy’s on the table.
“That sounds like a great idea, Addy. Just so you know, it’s been on the table for a while now. We know most American women are size 14’s, which isn’t something that we offer.”
She nods, blushing.
“But wouldn’t it be great if we offered sizes 14-20?”
I think for a moment.
“I don’t know. Dior, Chanel, Gucci? They don’t do it and it’s because they’re snobs. They’re our competitors, so we tend to move as a unit when it comes to this kind of thing. But maybe Steele should be different. Maybe we should expand our horizons and be forward-thinking. I can’t say yes or no right now, but in the meantime, do you want to get some samples ready? It’ll be good to see what they look like.”
Addy gasps.
“Really?”
I squeeze her hand.
“I can’t promise anything, but let’s see how those plus-size samples turn out. Will they represent the House of Steele? Will they fit with our style and our message?”
Addy nods furiously
“I’ll make sure that they do.”
I nod with satisfaction.
“Yes, I know you will. You’re a talented designer who can bring the impossible to life. If anyone can do it, you can.”
She blushes again as my eyes rove over Addy’s body. She’s wearing a form-fitting dress today, but she’s right when she says bigger women don’t tend to get sexy, beautiful clothes. Right now, of course, I’d love to tear that dress right off of her, but the waiter arrives with our appetizers.
“Monsieur, Madame, the calamari and the French onion soup. May I take the rest of your order?”
To my satisfaction, Addy orders steak frites with an extra side of fries, and I get the same.”
She giggles.
“I guess we’ll have four servings of fries total then.”
I laugh too.
“I guess so. But you know what? It’s totally worth it.”
With that, the dinner continues, the food and conversation flowing. I know I made the right decision promoting this beautiful girl. After all, she clearly is good at her job and loves working at the House of Steele. The problem is, can I get her to be more than just a designer? Will I be able to convince Addy that she needs me, as much as I need her?
6
Addy
My plate
