Nick Douglas managed a weak smile. Trapped in his badly fitting suit, drinking wine he knew he could not afford should David not offer to pick up the bill, Nick had felt uncomfortable since lunch had begun and his friend’s harsh assessment of the business’s prospects hadn’t helped. ‘Thanks for the vote of confidence,’ he mumbled, poking dispiritedly at his moules-frites, ‘But seriously, do you think we can raise enough cash to do this thing or are we wasting our time? We have to launch in June or we’ll miss all the summer trade – not great for a travel and style mag. The only other option is to leave it for another nine months, by which point I’ll be jobless and bankrupt.’
David Goldman let his eyes wander across the restaurant to a curvy blonde in a tight short skirt wiggling across the room. ‘Well, the other problem you face, of course,’ he said, turning reluctantly back to look at Nick, ‘is the amount of money you want to raise. How much is it again?’ he asked, flipping through the pristine business plan that Nick had placed in front of him. He nodded and pursed his lips. ‘One point five million quid?’ There was something about the way he said it that made it seem an insignificant amount of money.
‘What’s wrong with that?’ asked Nick anxiously. ‘Too much? Not enough?’
David put his glass of wine down on the business plan cover sheet, leaving a claret-coloured mark. ‘Difficult amount, that’s all. A bit too much money for most individual investors, a bit too small for the venture capital companies. They usually deal in investments well over five mil. Even then, they don’t like start-up companies.’
Nick and Cate looked deflated. Since their first meeting a little over a week ago, they’d worked fifteen hours a day creating a convincing business plan. Now they were sitting in one of the City’s hottest power-broking dens, multimillion deals bouncing off the walls around them, and it was beginning to sound as if it had all been a waste of time.
‘Is there any good news?’ asked Nick grimly, his large hazel eyes searching his friend’s.
David slowly gave something that resembled a smirk.
‘Look, if it wasn’t you two sitting opposite me, I’d turn this gig down right now. It just wouldn’t be worth my while when frankly I think it’s got a fifty-fifty chance – at most – of raising the cash. But …’ He looked over at Cate and flashed her a brilliant row of straight white teeth. ‘… there is something quite sexy about investing in a glossy magazine.’ He laughed, his gaze still fixed on Cate. ‘It’s certainly a damn sight more glamorous than putting your money into widgets; although widgets are a much better investment in my opinion. However,’ he continued, running a finger up and down the stem of his glass, ‘I reckon that’s how you get your investors. By appealing to their vanity.’
He picked up the business plan and thrust it into a calfskin leather briefcase sitting on the seat beside him, snapping it shut with a click.
‘I tell you what, I’ll sound out a few of the VC firms for you – see if any of them are interested in a small media project, but I think your best bet is to get a handful of high-net-worth individuals to chuck in some cash. All you’re asking is for two hundred thousand pounds each to say they own a slice of a fancy magazine, and that’s a day at the races for some of these guys. Maybe you could even chuck in a dinner-date with your sister, Cate?’ He looked again at Cate in her fitted Alberta Ferretti black silk dress and corrected himself. ‘Actually, forget Serena, chuck in a dinner-date with you.’
Cate laughed politely, carefully moving her foot away from David’s, which seemed to have slipped next to hers under the table.
‘So we’re looking for investors with a few quid and a bit of time on their hands,’ said Nick. ‘Blokes like Cate’s old man, for example?’
David perked up, his financial radar sensing a kill. ‘That’s a point, Cate – your dad and some of his mates might want a punt at this. It would really help me get the ball rolling with other investors if I say we have some initial investment, particularly from high-profile investors.’
Cate felt some colour drain quickly from her face. ‘I don’t know about that,’ she stammered.
‘Come on, Cate, give old Daddy a ring,’ chided Nick. ‘Why not call him now? I’m going to call Tom to see if he’ll chuck in a few quid.’
‘Our family doesn’t have money coming out of its eyeballs, you know,’ she replied firmly. ‘And I don’t think he’d take it too seriously anyway. I’ll speak to Daddy if we have to, but …’
After only a week in Cate’s company, Nick had come to recognize her resistance when the name Oswald Balcon was mentioned. He flashed David a look.
‘OK, OK,’ said David, checking his watch. ‘If money from your family is not an option, do we have any other source of initial investment? Can you two bring any money to the table, for instance? Can we get a mortgage on any property?’
Nick laughed again. ‘Like I’m rolling in money. I’ve been unemployed since Christmas.’
Cate said nothing, suddenly feeling very sick. The last thing she wanted to see was her adorable Notting Hill mews house, the beautiful haven into which she’d ploughed every last penny she’d earned, slapped with a fat mortgage.
‘Well, you’d better find something quick,’ said David, draining off the wine in his glass and running his tongue over his lips. ‘Investors are going to want to see something from you two other than good looks and a good idea.’ He clicked his fingers to summon the bill and turned his attention back to the blonde in the miniskirt. The meeting, it seemed, was over.
‘That didn’t go too well, did it?’ said Cate, pulling up the collar on her cream cashmere coat as a cold northeasterly wind slapped against her cheeks. She stuck her hand out to hail a black cab.
‘Well, it could have been worse,’ replied Nick, climbing into the taxi behind her. ‘Anyway, where are we going? Your house?’
She smiled. ‘My house? You mean our office.’ She laughed, thinking of the cramped top floor of her house, tucked away in the eaves, that had become their makeshift studio, the floor strewn with magazines, the walls papered with pictures and ideas.
‘Oh yes, the office,’ laughed Nick, giving the driver the address and sinking back in the seat as they rumbled down the street. The laughter was soon replaced by a gloomy silence, however.
‘Well, I don’t see how you can possibly think that went well,’ said Cate after a while, looking out of the window at City workers scurrying through the drizzle. ‘Basically he said we’ve got to find a dozen billionaire gamblers or we might as well forget it.’
‘Yes, well, don’t underestimate the sort of people that man knows,’ said Nick. ‘Believe me, he knows everyone. How else do you think he got to be head of corporate broking at the age of thirty-five? Anyway,’ he added, ‘he certainly seemed to like you.’
Cate blushed furiously and pretended to stare out of the window.
‘Don’t be silly,’ she said.
‘Oh, I’ve seen David Goldman’s slick seduction moves before and he definitely fancies you,’ teased Nick, poking her in the ribs and trying to get a reaction. ‘Some people consider him something of a catch, you know. Although as his halls-of-residence roommate for twelve long months, I can tell you that his personal hygiene is terrible.’
Now Cate twisted herself around to face him and slapped the back of his hand playfully.
‘Will you stop it?’ she said, her voice flushed with embarrassment. ‘And anyway – you shouldn’t even be suggesting such impropriety. It’s not professional.’
They both began to laugh, the tension of the meeting finally broken. Nick ran a hand through his