Ari walked to the window and looked out. His body broke out in sweat as he waited.
"I can't think right now, Dylan. I need some time alone," she said in a quiet voice that was almost a whisper.
"Okay," he said cautiously. "I'll call you tomorrow?"
"No. Please don't contact me."
He inhaled sharply. "Well, when do we talk again?"
"I don't know. But don't wait around."
Oh, shit.
"Ari, please." All he wanted to do was plead and plead and plead until she forgave him.
"Dylan, please. Give me time to think."
"Okay," he choked, his heart distressed and frightened.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Ari checked and double checked her budget spreadsheet, hoping to see an item or category she could further cut or reduce from her expenses.
No matter how many times she looked at it, the answer remained the same. If she didn't find a new job, or get more customers within the next three weeks, she would be in real strife.
She diverted her attention to the business plan she'd been working on just in case. There was one possibility she could see that could dig her out of her financial black hole. But it meant spending a large chunk of cash she had set aside for her rent.
Well, it was make or break time. She had no job and no prospects of finding one soon. She might as well take the risk.
If it didn't work, she would just have to move in with her sister and Kenny to Port Macquarie and find a job there waiting on tables or something. With that distance, she might as well forget about Dylan for good.
Her eyes teared up at the thought of him. She missed him terribly.
But while her heart begged to be with him again, her mind rebelled at the thought of Dylan discovering the extent of her financial woes. Knowing the reason why he'd become leery of women's intentions, she knew she would always wonder if every word she shared about Kenny's needs would be suspected as a subtle way of taking advantage of his wealth. What kind of relationship would that be, where there was no openness and trust?
She simply couldn't see a way around that.
*******
"Ari, it's been a long time. It's great to see you again."
"It has been. Thanks so much for seeing me, Gwen. I really appreciate it."
"No problem. When you called me to say you wanted to show me your own range of lingerie, I was very excited. I didn't know you'd set out on your own."
"I thought it was about time," Ari replied with a genuine smile for Gwen Desanti, the lingerie fashion buyer she had met a couple of times before, when she was still employed at Eros.
"Well, let's have a look, shall we?" Gwen said.
Ari opened her carry bag, grateful that her hands didn't shake. While she maintained a calm, confident exterior, she was quaking inside. Would Gwen like her designs? More importantly, would she order and stock them in their stores around Australia?
She pulled out an ivory lace and silk chemise and laid it on Gwen's table. Then she took out a nude-coloured silk bustier with baby blue lace panelling, followed by a black wireless silk bra with lace appliqué. Then she placed the matching briefs alongside each of them.
She was proud of these garments. The materials she'd chosen were luxurious, delicate, and of high quality, not to mention expensive. It would have been ideal if she'd had samples ready for all of her designs, but these were the only ones she'd been able to put together in the extremely limited time she had.
"These are only the first of my samples, just to show you the quality and design you could expect from my creations," she explained, watching Gwen's reaction carefully.
"Ari, these are exquisite," Gwen said with awe in her voice.
She let out a quiet sigh of relief. "Thank you."
"These are certainly a few notches up from the items Eros manufactured," Gwen commented.
"I really want to go for the top end of the market. When I was thinking of buyers to show these to, I thought of you straight away. When you declined the Eros designs, you said they were great quality, but not high-end enough for your boutiques."
Gwen carefully inspected each garment while Ari waited patiently.
She was humbled to even have this opportunity to show a fashion buyer like Gwen her new creations. The company Gwen worked for usually only dealt with established suppliers, not a one-man-band like Ari, who didn't even have a business card to speak of. Well, she did use her name as her clothing label. Arielle.
Gwen leaned back on her seat and looked at her. "You've only just started out, Ari. I was wondering how you would cope with production if we do decide to order from you."
Ari's heart thumped hard in her chest but she reigned in her excitement. "I've already spoken to a trusted seamstress I've worked with many times before. Her team is ready and available to work with me at any time. There are also a couple more on my list who I can call on, if need be."