The Night Before Christmas. Tawny Weber

spent all night obsessing over this. Now that it was time to pitch it, she hoped like hell she’d obsessed in the right direction.

      “Clearly you have two very strong lingerie lines to choose from,” Hailey said, starting her pitch by offering Gage her first smile, then going right back to trying to pretend he wasn’t there. “The question is, which one do you think is going to garner the best publicity and success for both Rudolph department stores and for Cherry Bella?

      “Your theme for spring is A New You. Your strategy is to inspire makeovers, redos and taking chances. And where better to begin such a journey than with how a woman feels about herself. Lingerie goes beyond physical support. It provides emotional support. The right lingerie inspires a woman to believe in herself. It validates her femininity. Merry Widow Lingerie is more than a fashion statement. It’s an empowerment statement.”

      Hailey paused, gauging their expressions. The interest in Rudy’s combined with the agreement in Cherry’s was great. But it was the concern on Gage’s that rocked her. With that as encouragement, she continued her presentation. She pulled out graphs and sales figures, passed around a few samples of the merchandise in all its frothy lace beauty and put her entire heart into the pitch.

      “It really comes down to messaging,” she wound up. “What message do you want to send women, and what message do you think women will respond best to? I think you’ll find that romance, with its empowering belief in love and happy results, will be a stronger selling point.”

      Pleased with her speech, and that she could sit back down and pretend she wasn’t nervous enough to hurl, Hailey offered Rudy and Cherry a warm smile. Then, her body boneless, she slid into the chair next to Gage’s. As soon as she did, he stood. Clearly he wanted to erase her impression as quickly as possible from the others’ minds.

      “Since it’s just the four of us, let’s be honest,” Gage said in a persuasively amused tone. “We all know what sells. Especially when it comes to lingerie.”

      “And that is?” Cherry asked, clearly not willing to let him take the easy way through his pitch.

      “Sex. Empowerment and emotions are all great between the pages of a book or at a self-help seminar. But nobody thinks that when they are buying lingerie. What women, and more importantly men, are thinking about when they look for lingerie is sex.”

      Hailey’s mouth dropped open. It took her a solid five seconds to force it closed.

      He’d thrown her under the bus. For the first time since she’d seen him all wrapped up in that green fur costume, she wanted to kick him. Gage wasn’t the Grinch, she realized. He was a flat-out shark. A shark standing there in a very expensive suit, looking as though he owned the whole damned world.

      “Now, as sweet and appealing as Merry Widow’s lingerie is, let’s face it...there’s nothing that says sex like black leather.” To emphasize his point, Gage lifted a presentation board from his portfolio and continued his pitch. Hailey barely heard him, though; she was too busy focusing on the photo of a leggy redheaded model swathed in leather and holding a microphone, a blatant play to Cherry.

      To try to keep from hissing at being dismissed as sweet and appealing, as if those were stupid things, Hailey shifted her gaze toward Rudy and Cherry. Were they as disgusted by the hard sell as she was?

      Her stomach sank.

      Instead of disagreeing, Rudy was nodding away, his eyes on the leather-clad model’s photos and his tongue practically draped over his tie.

      And Cherry... Well, she was staring out the window, her expression as far away and morose as the gray clouds engulfing the bridge.

      Gage just kept on pitching, reiterating and reframing the presentation he’d offered ten minutes before. He alternated between numbers that seemed to make Rudy drool and flattery that, thankfully, Cherry wasn’t paying much attention to. Instead, the woman looked pensive as she stared out the window.

      Her teeth clenched, Hailey wanted to yell no. They were smart business people, weren’t they? Shouldn’t this decision be based on an overall logic? On what fit best for the line? On the designs that’d appeal to the widest demographic?

      As Gage finished his pitch, sliding the cover over his presentation board and taking a seat, Rudy’s decision was clear on his face. Hailey’s heart sank into her very cute shoes. He was clearly a man who’d made his fortune thinking a little south of logic.

      “Well, thank you both. This was a very informative morning,” the older man said. “Why don’t we break for lunch now so Cherry and I can discuss this, and we’ll notify you by this afternoon of our decision.”

      Her stomach plunged into her adorable shoes fast enough to make Hailey nauseous.

      He was going to choose Milano. Despite the fact that Cherry had overruled his preference, Vivo’s shoe designs, he was still going to pick the ugly leather.

      And that would mean the end of Merry Widow Lingerie.

      Oh, sure, she could eventually get a job doing design elsewhere. Maybe. But what about her employees? Her clients? Her dream?

      She took a deep breath, trying to accept that she couldn’t change the man’s mind. She couldn’t jump up, stomp her feet and insist he choose her. She’d tried that a few times over the course of her life, and had always been the one standing there alone with sore toes.

      But...

      She couldn’t just let it go.

      “Wait,” Hailey cried, halting everyone midrise, their butts four inches from their chairs. Rudy and Gage frowned, but Cherry sat right back down, her expression warm and encouraging.

      “I think he’s wrong. Gage clearly has a strong grasp of basic marketing. And he’s right. Sex Sells 101 is often an effective advertising ploy.” She paused, letting the emphasis on the word ploy sink in. “But is that really what you want? A ploy? Gimmicks only go so far, don’t they?”

      She addressed that question to Cherry, who suddenly looked very tired. As if all this talking had sapped her energy.

      “Gimmicks have their place,” Cherry said, her shrug indicating that their place was nowhere near her.

      At her words, the men settled back in their chairs. Gage’s expression was guarded, but Rudy was watching his muse like a hawk.

      That was her hook, Hailey knew. No matter how much Rudy might want to see women prancing down his runway come February wearing tiny strips of leather and stilettos, he’d defer to what Cherry wanted.

      “Sex sells.... In this case, it’d sell to a very specific market. But you want to make this year’s debut extraordinary, don’t you, Mr. Rudolph? This is the first year you’ve ever built a line around a person rather than a theme.”

      “That’s true. Although Miss Bella hasn’t signed the agreement yet,” Rudy said with a jovial sort of laugh that did nothing to disguise his concern over that detail.

      “Once I know exactly what I’d be representing, I’ll make my decision,” Cherry said, her words friendly but firm, with just a hint of impatience. “My image, and my personal comfort levels, must be in sync with anything I do.”

      “Which is why Merry Widow is perfect for you,” Hailey said, leaning forward and clasping both hands on her knees. “It’s a line that focuses on the image of romance, of the ultimate in feminine empowerment, while ensuring you feel so real you can’t be anything but comfortable.”

      Out of breath, Hailey forced herself not to grin. She was proud of herself. That’d sounded pretty awesome.

      “I beg to differ,” Gage broke in. His tone was smooth-as-silk friendly, but the look in his eyes was diamond hard. And, Hailey noted, just a little surprised. Obviously he really hadn’t expected her to be any sort of competition. Just a bit of fluff, like her lingerie.

      He turned to Cherry, charm oozing from every pore. Hailey wanted to hate