Scent of a Woman by Joanne Rock Read Free Book Online Page A

brother was going to kill him.

    But it wouldn’t matter as long as he could convince Danielle he wasn’t the two-faced jackass he appeared to be.

     

    W HEN HE FINALLY FOUND Danielle, she was seated at the wine bar on deck six, her dark hair knotted into an elegant twist that showed off the delicate back of her neck. Relief flooded his veins after almost an hour and a half of searching the ship and ringing her room, dodging people from the fragrance conference who wanted an appointment with him.

    The relief didn’t last long, however, as he realized she was engaged in a conversation with a tall foreigner who bent his head to hers to catch every word she spoke.

    He had no right to be jealous of the man in wire-rimmed glasses and charcoal suit that had to be custom-made. Yet there it was—a sharp pang of envy for the guy who stood close to Danielle.

    “Excuse me?” He joined them at the bar before he’d fully thought out what he was going to say. He nodded to the other man before turning to Danielle. “I’ve been looking for you and—”

    “Ahmed, have you met Adam Burns of Prestige Scents?” She cut Adam off with her sweetly spoken introduction, gesturing to the other man to include him in the conversation. “Adam, you know Ahmed Ramnathan of International Markets?”

    Aw, crap. This was the UAE retailer he was supposed to be impressing this week and Adam had just interrupted the guy. He recognized the man’s face from his business bio now.

    “A pleasure to meet you, Ahmed.” Adam shook his hand and reminded himself to thank Danielle profusely for saving his butt before he rattled on in front of the guy about standing her up. “I believe we have a meeting later in the week.”

    Only then did Adam notice the perfume bottles on the bar. Had the two of them been discussing Danielle’s fragrances when he interrupted them? She’d hate him forever if he’d messed up her chances with a major account.

    “Indeed we do,” Ahmed confirmed in unaccented English. “I am glad to meet you in person ahead of time. Danielle and I were just sharing our thoughts about a few of the new brands being launched this year.” He looked down at the bottles on the bar and tapped the top of a familiar magenta-colored stopper. “We are both impressed with your new Reckless brand.”

    “It’s delightfully subtle and surprisingly fresh,” Danielle added, her manner flawlessly professional despite the fact that she had to be annoyed with him for what she’d seen on the pier in Corfu. “I like the direction your brands have taken in the last five years.”

    They spoke easily for a few minutes about the new research director at Prestige’s laboratory and Adam wondered how he could excuse himself from the conversation so he wouldn’t take away from Danielle’s time with an important contact.

    But then the conversation turned abruptly as Ahmed picked up another bottle, this one labeled “Obsidian.”

    “And what of Zumer’s newest scent, Adam? Did you find it pleasing?”

    Damn. Adam smelled a trap with the question, though the other man’s face gave nothing away. He had no idea what the perfume might smell like or what the industry consensus on the launch might be, but he did recall the Zumer brands were affordably priced and the company had posted growth in the last two years.

    “I think they know their market.” Adam glanced over at Danielle, who sat listening intently. “You can’t argue with two years of growth.”

    “Unless you begin to rush your products to market.” Danielle set down her wineglass and retrieved the perfume bottle, removing the stopper to sniff the blend. “I think there is a risk involved when you are held accountable by a board of directors to show unceasing profit. Occasionally the creative process requires more time to develop.”

    Danielle passed the bottle to Adam and he took the required sniff, wondering if he’d ever get her alone today to apologize. It was bad enough