All He Needs

by Shirley Hailstock

“I can’t. I already have plans.”

  Renee was seeing one of the wedding gown designers over lunch, and she would be discussing using some of his designs in her magazine. Justin Millard was relatively new to the business and she felt she had a good chance of picking him up before the world of fashion understood that he was destined to be a force in the business.

  Renee said goodbye to Blair and left the expo for her appointment. She and Justin were getting together off-site—Renee didn’t want any prying eyes to notice who she was meeting. Teddy had brought him to Renee’s attention. Both had looked at some of his designs and felt they would augment her magazine. Justin came prepared for a presentation, even though they were in a restaurant. Renee looked through his work, forgetting her meal. She liked what she saw, and when she emerged an hour later, they had an agreement. One of Teddy’s designs would be on the front cover, but Justin would get the center of the magazine. He went away smiling and agreed to come to the offices in a couple of days so they could finalize everything.

  Renee went back to the convention center after lunch. The crowds were now massive, and she ended up only a row from the Hampshire display when she came face-to-face with Carter.

  “Well, hello.”

  Renee nodded. Seeing him was like getting a narcotic elixir pumped into her blood. “I saw Blair. Things appear to be going well.” She glanced toward the booth, but the crowds prevented her from seeing straight through.

  Carter looked in the same direction. “I guess you’ll be here next year with your own displays.”

  “Probably not as large as the one Hampshire is taking up, but I put in a request.” The trade show was a major event for sales and marketing. Booking space a year in advance was common.

  “You were always thinking about the business.”

  Carter smiled at her and suddenly she wasn’t thinking of business at all. She had a mental picture of the two of them rolling around on the bed. Business had been the last thing on her mind then.

  “It gives me something to do between breakfast and dinner.” She almost said between breakfast and bedtime, but caught herself. She didn’t want any references to bed.

  “What do you do after dinner?”

  Color rushed up her face into her hair. Renee had walked into that one. “I sometimes go out with friends.”

  “Anyone I know?”

  “I doubt it,” she teased.”

  Renee didn’t ask if there was anyone in his past. She knew there had to be, but she didn’t care to have it confirmed. It had been three years, and there could have been many women between then and now. Knowing Carter had shared his days and nights with someone else tortured her. Renee pushed aside any thoughts of Carter and another woman. She focused on the magazines in front of her, but saw only a blur of color.

  “Renee.” She heard her name called and turned to see a friend rushing toward her. “I’ve been looking for you. That guy you wanted to meet is in the booth now. Come with me.”

  Renee looked at Carter. “Jean, this is Carter Hampshire of Hampshire Publications,” she said. “Jean Raymond. She’s the—”

  “Art director at Wineman and Sons,” Carter finished for her.

  Jean offered her hand and the two shook.

  “Your reputation precedes you,” Carter said.

  “As does yours,” Jean replied.

  “Carter, I’ll see you later,” Renee said. She was glad to have a reason to leave the aura that seemed to surround him. Renee felt as if she couldn’t pull air into her body whenever he was near.

  “I need to get back, too. Nice meeting you, Jean.” He left them.

  “What a hunk,” Jean said. “Who knew he was so good looking? Much better than any photo I’ve ever seen of him.”

  “Where’s the booth?” Renee asked.

  She glanced toward Carter’s retreating back before the crowd swallowed him up.

  Chapter 8

  It had been a mistake to let her go, Carter thought making his way back to the Hampshire booth. Not only was she beautiful, but she was intelligent and had a sense for the market. He had no doubt that the magazine she was developing would be a success. He’d seen what she had done with his own bridal magazine. And she had Theresa Granville designs. They were new to the market, a fresh look, and from the reports he’d seen women were falling over themselves to get one of her originals.

  That alone would make the magazine sell. But he felt Renee had another surprise up her sleeve. She was an innovator. He wasn’t totally unaware of her methods as a wedding consultant. She’d done some pretty fantastic weddings. Even though he was two floors above the bridal division at Hampshire, Blair often came up to give him a rundown of Renee’s work. She was good at what she did.

  He wouldn’t do anything to discourage or sabotage her efforts, but he wished she was on his side instead of part of the competition.

  He wasn’t sure what would happen between them after she launched, but he was determined to make sure any conflict between them was settled.

  * * *

  Launch day for Designed for Brides was only a breath away, but before that the marketing department had set up a prelaunch party to get the buzz about the magazine started.

  Every detail of the demonstration was ready, and it was time to share it with the world. Renee inhaled deeply, glancing at her staff. Wanda, Pete, and her marketing director, Stacy Costain, each gave her a smile and a double thumbs-up.

  “We’re ready,” Stacy whispered encouragingly.

  Renee walked to the head of the room. An array of bloggers, journalists, trade publication executives and influential news people stopped their conversations.

  “By now you’re all wondering why you were required to sign a confidentiality agreement before entering.”

  There was a smattering of laughter and a few groans that followed.

  “The windows have been blocked, the waitstaff has left the room and there is security outside the doors.”

  A murmur went through the crowd.

  “Don’t worry,” Renee stated. “We haven’t locked you in. However, it’s extremely important that we keep what you’re about to see confidential until our magazine, Designed for Brides, launches.” She paused. “We’re giving you a sneak peek at our creation so you can have your blogs, columns and interviews ready to go in three days when the magazine hits the newsstands.”

  Renee surveyed the gathering. They looked inquisitive, skeptical and confused.

  “You should all have received your wristband. We’re called it a DR Device. DR stands for Dress Rehearsal, and it allows every bride to instantly see what she looks like in a designer gown.”

  Looking at the doorway, Renee saw the staff was ready. Again they gave her smiles and nods.

  “Ladies,” she said, extending a hand to them. Her staff funneled into the room carrying the first edition of Designed for Brides. It had a slick cover sporting the latest gown by Teddy. They placed copies of the magazine in prearranged locations, then moved to stand behind Renee.

  “Wanda,” Renee called.

  Wanda walked to the center of the room amid applause. Smiling, she turned around in a full circle as if she was a runway model.

  “Wanda has agreed to demonstrate. Please notice her attire and her shoes.” Dressed in multicolored leggings with a long red T-shirt and her signature stiletto heels, she looked nothing like a bride.

  “Show them,” Renee said.

  Pushing the pink button of her DR, Wanda’s projection flashed across the open space, showing her dressed in the gown from the magazine’s cover.

  A collective ahh came from the crowd. Renee watched as eyes opened wider and mouths dropped. Three seconds of silence held the room in awe before questions flew from frenzied reporters.

  “How did you do that?” someone
called.

  “Does mine work?” came another.

  Others shouted louder, each trying to be heard and to get an answer. Questions came fast and from every direction. Renee fired replies as fast as she could.

  The chaos died down and Wanda pressed her device button, returning her image to her personal attire. The room quieted and Wanda joined the small group behind Renee.

  “Your devices are operational,” Renee told the assembly. “Feel free to try them.”

  “It’s working,” Pete stated as the room filled with projections of one of the four gowns that beamed from the open books.

  “We’re going to stomp the competition,” Stacy said. “I can hardly wait to see it.”

  “I want to see the look on Mr. Carter Hampshire’s face when he hears about this,” Pete said.

  Renee turned to look at him.

  “And when he sees it,” Wanda said, then she noticed Renee’s stare. “I mean, he’s handsome as the devil, but he’s got nothing like this.”

  “No,” Renee agreed. “He’s got nothing like this.”

  * * *

  “What’s going on down there?” Carter asked the moment Blair came into his office.

  “I haven’t been able to find out anything. The glass doors are blacked out and anyone who’s come out of there refuses to speak about what they learned. The only thing that appears strange is they’re all wearing a bracelet.”

  “A bracelet?” Carter’s brows rose.

  “The same bracelet. It has a little pink jeweled button on it. When I asked what that was for, the only thing I got was that it was a gift for attending.”

  Carter paced the room. Renee was up to something. It had to be big if she’d gotten the bloggers and media people to remain closed-mouthed about what was going on.

  “I heard they had to sign a nondisclosure agreement. So they can’t talk about what happened.”

  “Nothing here has ever been that secret.” Carter spoke more to himself than to Blair.

  “I know. There were even hired guards. I tried to get in, but my name wasn’t on the list and they barred me totally. I tried every approach, even called Renee’s cell. I got a message saying the line wasn’t accepting calls or voice mail.”

  “She launches in three days,” Carter said. “Someone has to know what happened.”

  “True,” Blair said. “I know it’s intriguing, but it doesn’t really affect us.”

  Carter glared at Blair. “Our sales are declining. This is a new venture by someone who used to run our bridal division. She’s planning something that directly affects us.”

  Blair walked to where Carter stood. Putting her hand on his arm, she turned him to face her and looked directly into his eyes. Carter didn’t want her to see anything there for fear of what he might reveal, but he didn’t look away.

  “What’s this really about?” she asked. “In three days we’ll know everything. We’ve never been this concerned about a start-up before. Is it the magazine that’s bothering you, or is it Renee?”

  Carter kept his eyes from wavering. Several answers flashed through his jumbled mind, but in the end he opted for the truth.

  “A little of both.”

  Blair waited a moment before dropping her head and her hand. “Did you answer her invitation yet?”

  Carter cleared his throat. It was suddenly clogged.

  “It doesn’t matter,” Blair said. “Like I said, we’ll know everything in a couple of days.”

  Blair left him staring through the window. He looked down wishing he could see into Renee’s offices. But more than that, he wanted to see into her mind. What was going on there? He hadn’t seen her in a week. And when he left the office each night, he’d pass a delivery guy bringing in food for the whole staff on the 18th floor.

  The truth was, Carter wanted to see Renee. He wanted to be close to her, to spend time together, eat together, and make love early and often. He wanted to know if she was thinking of him. Did their conversation in the park have an affect on her? He realized it was a gradual process with Renee. Their history put an obstacle in his way and negotiating it was a delicate operation. He was making progress, but it was slow.

  Renee no longer flinched at his touch or pushed him away when he got close enough to take her arm. She accepted his kisses and he knew his touch penetrated her defenses. But he wanted more, and he was sure she did, too. Even if she refused to admit it. Yet their history had burned her deeply. Somehow they needed to reach a point where she would allow herself to trust that their relationship had enough strength and promise to survive a future together.

  * * *

  The entire staff from Weddings by Diana arrived for launch day. The magazines hit the stands at four o’clock in the morning, and Renee hadn’t been able to sleep the previous night. Her stomach was tied in knots when she stepped into the office. The day looked ordinary. They wouldn’t know anything about the sales until later in the morning.

  Would her plans work? As she’d hoped, buzz about the magazine had been building in the streets of the bridal district. Phone calls and email had clogged their lines and inboxes, but her staff had remained tight-lipped. The bloggers’ help was greater than she’d anticipated—they were already alluding to a coming tide of change, without saying what it was. But they invited their readers to return on launch day for the anticipated reveal. Preorders of the magazine tripled as Renee had expected. And she’d been approached by the morning shows to appear because of her revolutionary game changer, their words. She’d agreed, and now she found herself in the studios of one of the major morning talk shows. Teddy and Diana were with her for moral support, but Wanda opted to watch from her apartment. And Pete said he wouldn’t miss a single moment of the unveiling.

  Renee’s knees knocked as she was led from the greenroom to the on-air studio. She was microphoned and seated. Teddy gave her a smile and a thumbs-up signal as the lights came on and the anchor took her chair. Pete smiled, something he didn’t do often. Renee relaxed as the interview began.

  * * *

  It was customary to invite your competition to the launch party. It was also usual for them to refuse. But Carter and his bridal division staff accepted. Rumors abounded about something radical, brand new, never before seen that was coming from Renee’s new venture. Unfortunately, he hadn’t been able to discover what it was. He’d gone to her offices, and while she no longer barred him from her presence, she was extremely uncommunicative about what her plans at Designed for Brides involved.

  The party would begin at eight in the evening, and it was only seven in the morning now. Carter knew she was on a talk show today; she’d mentioned it herself during one of his drop-in visits. He’d picked up one of her magazines from the newsstand in the lobby on his way to his office.

  There didn’t seem to be anything different except a few thick pages. Soon he and the rest of the industry would find out what all the hoopla, not to mention secrecy, was about. In the back of his mind, he closeted the hope that she’d live up to the implied promise. Anything less would devastate her and kill her business, not to mention the impact it could have on their relationship. Carter switched on the live streaming of her interview on his computer.

  He’d missed her introduction and the quick banter thanking Renee for appearing. The commentator went right to the meat of the interview.

  “Ms. Hart, from what we’ve seen, you’re about to revolutionize the magazine industry.”

  Renee’s face filled the screen. She could be a model herself. She looked gorgeous in a high-necked lace dress that could have been a wedding gown. The unexpectedness of it hit him like hot water. He thought about the photo Dana had mistakenly sent him. Renee would be a gorgeous bride, and he wanted her to be his.

  The launch of a magazine wasn’t usually newsworthy. Crossing his arms, he paid silent
homage to Renee for the marketing efforts she was orchestrating. Yet he was still a little apprehensive that she could pull this off.

  “We have a new invention that will allow every bride to model the designer wedding gowns in our issues,” she said.

  Carter frowned. This was the rumor he’d heard.

  “There’s nothing strange about that. Brides often try on as many as twenty dresses before they find the one they wish to buy,” the commentator said.

  Renee smiled. Carter could tell by the way his heartbeat accelerated that there was more to come, and she knew it.

  Then he noticed the bracelet on her arm, a black velvet strap holding a rectangular box the size of an elegant watch. In the center there was a stone that looked like a pink tourmaline or pink topaz. It was faceted and shaped like a heart. Blair had mentioned this gift item when Renee held her secret meeting.

  “That’s the average,” Renee was saying. “But many don’t get to try on the designer dresses they find in magazines.”

  Then the commentator asked the question that was on Carter’s mind.

  “How is your magazine going to make that happen?”

  “May I demonstrate?” she asked.

  The commentator nodded. Carter moved closer to the screen.

  Renee stood up and took a step forward. Whatever she faced, the camera didn’t show. While she positioned herself, the commentator continued.

  “This is the new magazine, Designed for Brides.” The anchor held the glossy cover up to the camera. Carter noticed the design, the placement of text on the cover, the font used as a branding element. It was well designed. He wouldn’t expect any less of a product that had Renee’s name attached to it. And it was the same magazine that lay in the center of his desk.

  The camera panned back so both Renee and a portion of the studio floor were visible. Nothing appeared in front of her. Raising her arm, she pushed the pink heart on the bracelet and a life-size version of herself seemed to step off the page and become a 3-D projection on the floor in front of her. She appeared to be fully dressed in the gown shown on the cover. There was an audible gasp from the crew in the newsroom.