Loving War(34)

It’s like he actually cares, which is making me grin like a fool. “No. I need you to tell me how to keep people interested long enough to make it to the proposal portion of the meeting.”

He frowns as he looks down at me.

“I can do that, Tria. Whenever you want.”

Wearing only one of his T-shirts and my panties, I roll over to straddle his waist, staring down at him as I prepare to recite my presentation. “Beauty Graffiti has been developed by some of the—”

“I’ll buy in,” he says, grinning down at the lacy red panties his fingers are strumming over.

Rolling my eyes, I continue, “Has been developed by one of the industries newest and brightest minds. It’s a mineral compound that guarantees anything from light acne coverage to fine line coverage that is only found in products that cost twice as much to manufacture—”

“You need to move that to the front of your entry,” he says more seriously, running his hands up and down my legs. “If they know they have a good product for half the price, they’re immediately intrigued. Lead with that, and have valid proof ready to show them. Maybe a binder with that as the first, non-introductory page. That’s what would sell me. Don’t mention the one who manufactured it unless you have a name worth dropping. That’s essentially saying you have someone no one has heard of yet.”

That’s actually helpful, and I lean over to grab my phone and make a note of it. He grins up at me as I finish typing it into my notepad app, and then I put my phone back down.

“Keep going,” he says.

His fingers start tracing lines on my legs as I continue, trying to remember the rest of my key points.

“The urban style packaging will appeal to anyone from ages thirteen to forty—”

“Age gap is too much. Slim it down, since it sounds unrealistic. Even if you have studies to prove it, it still seems too farfetched, and it will make them apprehensive about trusting any of your other information.”

Again I make a note, because that makes perfect sense. “Thirteen to thirty?” I ask.

“Better. You can always add styles to represent other ages, then add that to your explanation as to why the age gap is so vast.”

I grin down at him and brush my lips over his in a silent show of appreciation.

“Keep going,” he prompts, and I do. I finish the entire speech, only pausing for him to insert his notes. It’s amazing how much better my opening sounds by the time he has it tweaked. What I wouldn’t do to constantly have him around to bounce ideas off of.

He has built numerous businesses, so I trust he knows exactly what he’s doing. And he’s explanatory, giving details as to why certain things should be omitted or should be expanded upon. He shifts the order of some things around, and by the time we’re finished, it’s a masterfully prepared presentation.

What I thought was going to be a playful bed conversation, turns into a two hour event, and I’m excited instead of nervous about my business for once. We’ve broken out a bottle of wine, spread out a makeshift workspace on the bedroom floor, and turned this into a fun tweaking session.

He helps me rearrange my binders, sitting with me and talking about the graffiti styled casing, brushes, and bags that go with it. He’s actually wowed with the visual appeal, because he believes it’s definitely going to catch eyes.

Graffiti is safe, because it’s something that has always been cool in a bad sort of way. It’s also classy when used right, and I rode the thin line of hip and refined.

“This is really impressive,” he says, grinning over at me as we finish the last of the binders. “I see this taking off for you, as long as you find the right people to present it to.”

For the first time since I started this line, I feel completely and totally vindicated. The sting of all those rejections slowly fades away, because Kode Sterling doesn’t bullshit to spare your feelings. When he says it’s good, then it’s good.

“That’s what I’m working on,” I say with a sigh.

“You’re aiming mostly at smaller department store chains, right?” he asks, taking a sip of his wine as he leans back.

“Yeah. They’re the only ones willing to even pretend to take meetings with me.”

Great. I sound like I’m pouting.

He studies me for a moment, looking intense. “Can I suggest changing your strategy?”

I shrug, willing to take any guidance he has.

“Department stores expect merchandise at their demand, so that’s the main reason they’re dismissing you. You won’t be able to outsource the manufacturing if this takes off. It’s fine to outsource for samples and such, but it’s not a long term plan.”