LITMIR.BIZ

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laid her hands over her hips. “And I still do. There isn’t anything you can’t do when you put your mind to it, Kayla, and that’s why I know you’re going to make this work.”

      “Thanks, doll.” Kayla patted her hand and then proceeded to take a big bite of the chicken salad on croissant that Victor had made for them.

      “No matter who the investor is?” Courtney asked, and placed a forkful of pasta salad in her mouth.

      Kayla wiped her mouth with the nearby napkin. “What do you mean by that?”

      “Ethan Graham?” The name landed like a missile in the air.

      “What about him?” Kayla looked down.

      “Oh, nothing.” Courtney shrugged. “It just seemed like back in the day, you may have had a thing for the man.”

      Kayla laughed nervously. “That’s utterly ridiculous.”

      “Is it?” Courtney asked, twisting open the cap on her water bottle and taking a generous sip. “The man is handsome as sin. Are you blind?”

      Kayla inhaled sharply just thinking about him. Was it obvious even to her sister that she’d once had feelings for Ethan that had gone unrequited?

      “No, I’m not blind…” Kayla responded. She remembered every detail about the man, even if it had been a year or so since she’d seen him. Who could forget those smoldering dark eyes of his or that broad expanse of shoulders? She sure couldn’t. She had fantasies about what it would be like to have his arms wrapped around her.

      “But I feel there is a ‘but’ coming in there,” Courtney finished her sentence.

      “I don’t feel that Graham International is the right fit for us,” Kayla replied. “They have their hands in so many markets—clothing, perfume, leather goods. Their cosmetics division is small.”

      “Which is why Ethan will jump at the chance of being part of Adams Cosmetics. Why are you so against this, Kayla?”

      “I’m not, but there are tons of investors out there. Why does it have to be Ethan?”

      “Because he’ll have not only a monetary investment but a personal stake, as well. I doubt Ethan wants the company to fail.”

      “Are you sure about that?” Kayla asked. “Look at the way Dad treats him. He’s always thought that the apple didn’t fall too far from the tree.”

      “That’s because of what happened with Dad and Ethan’s father. It doesn’t mean Ethan is as ruthless as his old man.”

      “Courtney, you are so naive. Ethan Graham is exactly his father’s son, how else do you think he grew Graham International? He has to be as cutthroat as Carter Graham ever was, if not worse.”

      “Everything is coming along nicely,” Daniel told Ethan later that morning after a late lunch and game of racquetball. They were sitting in Ethan’s study and discussing his strategy.

      “So you’ve put the word out to potential investors that Adams Cosmetics is mine?” Ethan asked.

      “Yes,” Daniel stated. “I got my hands on their short list. I will make some confidential calls and advise you are prepared to match any offer an investor may make for shares in AC.”

      “Good.” Ethan nodded. “And the bank?”

      “Still on the fence.”

      “Then it’s time I place a call to Perry Lee,” Ethan said, rising from the sofa and walking toward his desk.

      “You’re going to call Perry on a Saturday?” Daniel asked.

      “Why not?” Ethan asked. “My banker should always be ready for the unexpected.” Once he’d called Perry and asked him to wire a quarter of a million dollars to Monte Carlo for a poker game he was playing. Perry had thought he was out of his mind, but when Ethan had doubled the money and wired back the cash, Perry had learned to never underestimate him.

      Daniel shrugged.

      Ethan dialed Perry’s personal cell phone number. “Perry, it’s Ethan.”

      Daniel listened to snippets of the conversation and knew that Ethan would soon go for the jugular.

      “We need to discuss this Adams Cosmetics deal…hmm…yes, I understand I am asking for a large sum…The bank is concerned about the risks…Have you ever known Graham International to default on a loan…Then there should be no problem with you getting this deal approved…Well, if you don’t think you can handle it…Then perhaps I should start looking at other banks…Great, I look forward to hearing from you. Please do tell Annette I said hello and enjoy the rest of your weekend.”

      Daniel watched Ethan walk back to the couch with a smug expression. “Now that’s how you get things done.”

      “A threat here, a threat there…”

      “Perry just needed an incentive to get the job done.”

      “If you don’t mind my asking, why is this so important to you?”

      “If not for my father, there would never have been an Adams Cosmetics. Carter refused to compromise and so our fathers went their separate ways. We should have all been one great big happy family. The times I spent with the Adams family were some of the best of my life. There was room for everyone at the top, but my father was too pig-headed to see that.”

      “And now you’re trying to make things right?” Daniel inquired. “It sounds altruistic, but I think there’s more to it than that, otherwise you wouldn’t be asking for majority interest.”

      Ethan rubbed his jaw. “Well, yes, I will get something out of this arrangement.”

      “When are you going to make your move?”

      “Soon. In the meantime I need to get ready for the Tyler Perry premiere this evening.” He was sure a certain statuesque beauty would be present for the festivities.

      Kayla stared back at her reflection in the pedestal mirror in her room. She was Daddy’s girl and looked just like him, while Shane and Courtney were the spitting image of their fair-skinned mother. She looked darn good in a one-shoulder black charmeuse gown that ruched tightly at her waist and had a front slit from floor to thigh. The silky fabric clung to her every curve. No one was going to miss seeing her this evening. Was it a little over the top for her? Yes. Courtney was usually the provocateur, while Kayla dressed more conservatively. So why was she pulling out all the stops tonight? Kayla told herself she was dressing this way for her own benefit, but in the back of her mind, she knew she was dressing this way because a certain someone was sure to attend tonight’s event and she wanted to show him what he could have had.

      “You ready, sis?” Shane knocked at her door.

      “Come in.”

      “Wow!” Shane’s jaw dropped.

      Kayla smiled at the bemused expression on Shane’s face. “You like?” She twirled around.

      “You look gorgeous, but I might have to beat the men away with a stick.” Shane came to stand behind her and Kayla glanced at the reflection of them in the mirror.

      Her brother was a tall drink of water in any woman’s book. He stood several inches taller than her five-foot-nine inches and had the most stunning pair of hazel eyes she’d ever laid eyes on. They never knew where he’d inherited them from, as both their parents had brown eyes. But Kayla was sure that pair had seduced many a women. And looking as dapper as he did in his tuxedo, she was sure Shane would be on the prowl tonight.

      “Let’s go.” Kayla tucked her arm in his and headed for the door. When they walked down the winding staircase to the bottom of the foyer, their parents, Byron and Elizabeth, and Courtney were waiting for them.

      Kayla knew some people would think it was crazy that she and her siblings

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