“Bloody hell, Emma. That’s a lot of directives. I am due in Zurich, you understand.”
“Big Ben’s ticking,” I replied. “Be glad I’m not suggesting we include your outfit in Sao Paulo.”
He managed both and I corralled band management and Thomas
Schuman into the Churchill penthouse. Over tea I offered assurances that any further demands on the boys’ time would be minimal. Thomas reported he’d secured enough fresh video for a series of mini-movies. The productive session closed with handshakes, optimism, and the usual penthouse historical trivia. I remained to review details of Julian’s on-site visits and Asian updates. The inventory to be produced in less than six months required an unprecedented amount of work. “Three continents working on Mayfair should enable us to supply distributors and retailers on time,” I said.
He gave me a sly smile. “You know the Chinese Year of the Rat kicks off a month-long holiday? I used my wit, charm, and contacts to convince our container manufacturers to continue cap and spray pump production during the celebration.”
“A completion guarantees to box millions of perfume bottles?”
“And delivery. Who’d have guessed my career would include meshing a fragrance, with a boy band, and Madison Square Garden?” He slung his arm around my shoulder. “If it weren’t for you, Emma, I’d have sleepless nights over this project. Masterful job, spectacular skills, mate.”
I leaned into his hug, then put my weight on both feet.
“That means a lot.”
Julian dropped his arm. “Simpatico. Speaking of the Garden, heard from Ethan?”
“Not in a few days.”
“Since I was in the city, we took in the Knicks-Bulls game. He’s quite the knowledgeable fan.”
“Ethan! I’m sure he talked your ear off. He’s devoted to all things sports, as you know.”
“Quite the game, quite the evening. Excellent company and just the thing before jumping back into boy band hysteria.”
We said goodnight and I took the six flights of stairs to the lobby to clear my head.
Julian would manage the fragrance raw materials well.
Our spontaneous hug had been nothing more than gratitude.
Why hadn’t Ethan told me about a sports night with Julian?
My pondering continued across the Atlantic. I hit Manhattan exhausted and wrung out, exchanged greetings with our doorman, and let myself into the apartment.
“Emma that you?” Ethan appeared from the kitchen. “You couldn’t pick up the phone and tell me Julian took you to a frigging Knicks game? I had to hear it from him?”
“Hang up your coat before you jump into your tirade.”
“This is huge, Ethan. I need to know things like that.”
“Like he was part of the ticket package this time? I knew you’d be home in forty-eight hours. Plus obviously he told you.” I glared as I hung up my jacket.
“Okay, Julian called our land line. ‘Blimey, bloke, I’ve been handed last minute courtside seats to the Kicks game. Seven tonight. Care to join me?’”
“It’s no joke.”
“I should have turned him down, a frigging team owner?”
“Forget it.”
“Right. Your solution to everything. For god’s sake. He was generous; I was grateful. He was staying at the New York Athletic Club and suggested their Tap Room for a quick dinner if I didn’t mind the dress code. Are you jealous? Worried I embarrassed you? I survived our first meeting fine. Since labels are everything to you, this time I wore the Ralph Lauren blazer with that linen shirt and my Cole Haans. I clean up nice, Emma.”
“That’s uncalled for.”
“So’s your insane tantrum. I didn’t give away any family secrets. He didn’t discuss your work ethic. He sports a Lacroix et Barre watch with multiple time zones. We played with it. Six o’clock in the Tap Room, one in the morning in Cape Town, and ten in Sydney. A gift for underwriting Zurich hotshot sailors in the Volvo round-the-world thing.”
He thrust out his banded wrist. “I showed him the Tag Heuer you bought me. He said you’d mentioned replacing my Timex. We had a good laugh.”
“That’s enough sarcasm.”
“Then knock off your hissy fit. It was a great game. We won. I was much more impressed sitting within spitting distance of Jerry Seinfeld and other celebs than by his Swiss chronograph time piece that costs sixty K. Don’t correct me, I Googled it when I got home.”
I rolled my carry-on into the bedroom.
He followed to the door. “You want the fucking truth, Emma? I drank Guinness with Julian Petrenko, and sat next to Spike Lee. It was such an awesome, fucking, out-of-body experience, I’ve been counting the hours for you to get home for the full scoop. When this Petrenko gig started you loved me being curious, and supportive. You loved exposing me to all his upper class, finger snapping perks. Now I take advantage of them and you go ballistic. How many hours, weeks, months have I listened to you? How many time have I ignored that even when you’re half dead from work, you glow like your radioactive? I knew you’d want every detail. I waited so I could spill it all in person.” Oh God. I turned around.
“How was I supposed to know that?”
“Because you know me like nobody else does or ever did. Screw that. You used to. Not anymore. Not in a long fucking time.” He left for the computer.
I couldn’t reply, couldn’t name what fuelled my anger. Frustration with Julian getting too close to home? Shock at their easy camaraderie? Ethan’s perks resulting from my blood, sweat and tears? I hauled my suitcase onto the bed and yanked at the zipper. It caught on my favourite pashmina shawl. Freeing the silk from the metal teeth ruined it but I stepped out of my clothes, threw the shawl around my shoulders, and slithered between Ethan and the computer.
Professionally, late nights became the norm, sometimes until midnight. Jennifer was generous with her occasional Xanax. I did the right thing, made time for a tuck-in medical appointment and got an updated prescription I’d let lapse since my Platinum Beauty stint.
Bill Grose, our hand-picked Operations and Product Development vice president, added demand planning staff and an analytics assistant to ensure accurate inventory levels for all brands. With Asian operations on a twelve-hour time difference, the marketing team often worked around the clock. Bill could have used his own multiple time zone chronograph time piece. I condensed the twelve-month process into nine by bringing coordinators and interns to the New York marketing group. We couldn’t have shaved the months off without Bill. I planned an off-cycle bonus for all of them.
