Page 116 of Unbind

Gossamer

A Wright Holdings Company?

68

NATALIE

This can’t be what I think it is, surely? I look up at him, but he shakes his head smilingly.

‘Take a look inside.’

I do as he says, opening the heavy cover to see that it’s divided into sections:

The Pitch

The Numbers

Wright Holdings

I turn to the first section. If the house keys had my heart thudding, now it’s beating wildly beneath my skin. This looks like Adam’s pitch to acquire—or take a stake in—Gossamer, and my head is spinning with possibilities.

‘Just keep an open mind, that’s all I ask,’ Adam says, squeezing my hand. ‘I’m suggesting a minority stake to allow you to avail of all the opportunities I believe are out there for you, nothing more. It would still be your brand.’

The first page is a montage of beautiful products with the logos of Adam’s luxury goods brands superimposed on each product. Vega’s there, obviously, as are Elysian, Obsidian and Whitechapel Leathers. Front and centre is aGossamer campaign shot from last summer’s collection. Below the montage is a single line:

Demi-couture brand Gossamer aligns well with the rest of Wright’s high-end luxury portfolio.

‘I think it looks good there,’ he murmurs next to me as I stare at the montage. He’s right. Whoever’s put this together has a good eye. The Gossamer dress is palest pink, and the other brand shots are also heavy on pink, blush and cream. Not only is the overall effect cohesive, but Gossamer pulls its weight in the montage.

‘It does,’ I whisper, brushing the glossy paper with my fingertips.

I flick on.

This first section is a suggestion of the doors that being a Wright brand could open for me by way of their expertise, connections and cash flow, and it’s glorious. More than glorious, actually—it’s like looking at some insane version of my brand on steroids. Adam has reached inside my brain and reproduced my most ambitious, outlandish fantasies for Gossamer.

There’s a mockup of a trunk show in a fancy hotel attended by elegant women. There’s one of a concession in Selfridges, the Gossamer space chic and feminine with thick white carpet and chunky brass fittings. And, best of all, in a section entitledProduct Extensions & Licensing,he’s got someone to generate an image of a beautiful bedroom furnished in various versions of Gossamer’s wisteria print, from the wallpaper to the curtains and cushions.

I clap a hand to my mouth. ‘Oh my God. How the hell did you do this?’

‘A very clever associate did it,’ he admits. ‘She did a great job. But it looks good, doesn’t it?’

Yes. It looksreallygood.

Especially the next double-page spread. On the left is Omar Vega’s studio, with the captionAccess to our ultra-modern studio space in central London,and on the left, a behind-the-scenes shot of his latest Kensington Palace location shoot. The caption?Wright invests heavily in industry-leading photographers for its brands’ seasonal campaign shoots.I grin at Adam, my brain whirring with all the magic I could weave for Gossamer if I had this kind of backing.

In the PR section, his clever associate has once again worked her magic, dressing some of the world’s most beautiful women in Gossamer. I have no idea how she did it, but the images show Jennifer Lawrence wearing us on the red carpet in Cannes and Emma Watson at what looks like the Met Gala.

‘We work with Emma Forrester PR globally,’ Adam tells me, ‘and with Halo PR in Hollywood. You don’t need me to tell you the access they could get you.’

Holy shit. Both of those names are the absolute dog’s bollocks when it comes to fashion PR. The doors they could open. Their retainer is probably thousands and thousands of pounds per month. I let out a little groan that tells him how close to orgasm I am from this PR talk, and he laughs.

‘It gets a little less exciting from here,’ he says, turning the page for me. I can feel the boyish excitement coming off him, and I grin at him before glancing down.

The next page is entitledCentralised Functions & Streamlined Operations.Not the sexiest title for sure, but as I take a look, I begin to smile.

‘You’re proposing taking my book-keeping and HR off my hands and you don’t think that’s exciting?’ I ask him, and he laughs again.

‘Fair point.’

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