“It was very good of you to come all this way to meet me,” she said, stretching out one long, elegant hand toward him. “I trust you had a comfortable flight?”
Amersen nodded and shook her hand. “Yes, thank you. Supplying the jet for my trip was very thoughtful of you.”
She shrugged lightly and then waved a hand. “Would you prefer to converse in French?”
His curiosity deepened. “You speak French, Ms. Fortune?”
“Some,” she replied. “And please, call me Kate.”
He nodded. “I’m happy to speak in English.”
She smiled a little and motioned for him to take a seat on one of the sofas. “Yes, well, you speak it very well. You studied business at Cambridge for several years, correct?”
Amersen’s brows rose fractionally as he sat down opposite her. “You’ve done some homework.”
“Of course,” she said and shrugged lightly. “I like to know who I’m going into business with.”
“Is that what we’re doing?”
Her mouth rose in one corner. “Time will tell, I suppose. No doubt you’re curious as to why I asked you to come here.”
“Yes.”
She sat back. “You’ve heard of Fortune Cosmetics?”
“Of course.”
She nodded approvingly. “It’s no secret that the business is very successful in this country, but I want to extend the reach of our products. To bring something new to the brand. A kind of European flair, for want of a better expression. And I wanted to discuss that idea with you.”
Amersen frowned. “You do know that I own a nightclub and a winery? I mean to say, I don’t have any connection to the cosmetics business in my country.”
“I know that,” she replied. “But when it comes to my company, I like to approach opportunities from different angles.”
Amersen linked his hands together. “I know you founded the company, but I thought that Graham Fortune Robinson was now CEO of Fortune Cosmetics.”
“He is,” she said. “He took on the role over a year ago, and he’s doing a wonderful job.”
“But?” Amersen prompted.
“But Fortune Cosmetics is still my company, and I’m working on several projects at the moment. Including this one.”
“I’m a project?” he asked, biting back a grin, thinking about the garden nymph and how she’d suggested he was being interviewed and how it actually felt like he was. He was almost tempted to ask Kate who the woman in the garden was. But didn’t. This was the time for business.
“Potentially,” Kate replied. “I want to promote the brand into Europe, and into France in particular. I would like you to help me do that.”
Stunned, Amersen straightened his back. “And how would I do that, precisely?”
“I have a few ideas.”
“Why me?” he asked bluntly.
She smiled lightly. “Because I think you know the French. I think you know Europe. I think you know what people want, and without sounding condescending, I believe you can recognize a good business opportunity on a level that’s rarely seen in someone so young.” When he opened his mouth to speak, she raised her hand a little. “Yes, I’ve done my research. I know much about you. I’ve read your blog and I’m familiar with your accomplishments, including your financial success, and I must say, I’m impressed. You have a knack for getting right down into the core of things...and people respond to that. I particularly enjoyed the blog you did recently about society’s almost insatiable appetite for celebrity gossip. And since you’re something of a celebrity yourself, I imagine you were speaking from experience.”
Amersen shrugged. “In general terms. If you put yourself in the public eye, gossip and innuendo almost happen organically. I have a reputation for writing the truth along with a good dose of cynicism... If I’m prepared to dish it out, I have to be prepared to take it, as well.”
Kate nodded and laughed softly. “Yes, exactly. You know, you and I are a lot alike, Amersen. We’re both ambitious and driven by the need to have more than just an ordinary life.”
Amersen stilled, wondering if she was going to mention the family connection—if that was why she believed they shared similar traits. He’d prepared himself for her questions when he’d made the decision to fly to Texas and would certainly tell Kate the truth if she asked.
“I’ve lived a life that many consider glamorous and entitled,” she went on to say. “A life that many have envied. But I’ve had to work hard for every inch of my success. Much like yourself, I suspect.”
Amersen waited for her to slip Gerald Robinson’s name into the conversation, figuring she had the perfect segue. But to his surprise, she didn’t. “Perhaps.”
She nodded agreeably. “Which is why I believe that a Beaudin/Fortune product would be a huge success. Something that would make the consumer feel a little bit of that glamour...even if it’s for only a moment.”
Amersen’s instincts were piqued, but he wasn’t about to rush into an agreement about anything. Despite his reputation for being a little wild and impulsive, at the core he was prudent when it came to business. And he wasn’t about to do anything that could damage his reputation. Or his bank account.
“What kind of product are we talking about?”
“A men’s product, of course,” she replied. “A fragrance...something that is innately masculine, but also aspirational.”
A cologne? It seemed a huge stretch from his established nightclub and wine brand. But he was intrigued by the idea and the opportunity. “And you want to put my name on the box, is that right?”
She nodded again. “Yes.”
Amersen stood straighter. “It sounds risky.”
“Of course,” Kate said and chuckled. “But good business is often about risk. Didn’t you take a risk turning that old warehouse into a nightclub five years ago?”
“Indeed. Everyone thought I had lost my mind and that it would be a complete disaster.”
Her brows rose. “And everyone was wrong. I believe in risks...in taking chances. I believe in you, and I think we could do something special with this idea.”
Amersen was curious, but cautious. “I need to think about it.”
“Certainly,” she said and smiled knowingly. “But let’s not wait too long to pull together a plan. Opportunity like this doesn’t come along very often, as you are no doubt aware.” She got to her feet with an elegance that defied her years. “I would like to offer you a tour of the Fortune Cosmetics headquarters in town while you are here. Of course, that’s if you intend to stay in Austin for a few days?”
The same headquarters where Graham Fortune Robinson worked? Amersen wasn’t sure that was such a good idea and remained noncommittal. “I have a room booked at a hotel in town. I’ll think about your offer and get back to you.”
“Okay, we’ll speak again soon.”
He was being dismissed, but he didn’t mind. He had a lot to think about and needed solitude to do so. “We’ll talk tomorrow,” he promised.
Amersen shook Kate’s hand and left. He walked from the house, glancing once toward the rotunda before he got back into the limo. He pushed the memory of the woman in the white dress from his thoughts and tried to get his mind back to business. Fortune business. The thing was, he wasn’t sure he wanted to get into bed with the Fortunes.