Page 207 of Savage Suit
I steeled my resolve and stiffened my spine. “I do not.” Swiping at an errant tear and glad my back faced everyone, I pushed forward. I turned and met every man’s gaze, even if my eyes flickered quickly away from Reid and brushed past Noah even faster. “The name Amage has so many meanings. For instance, it is a commune in theHaute-Saônedepartment in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France, the site of the ancient Battle of Megetobriga. Amage recallschevaliers and gendarmes.”
“Gendarmes are armed police officers,” Claude said with biting amusement.
Ialmostcalled that motherfucker a motherfucker. Instead, I smiled sweetly. “In modern times,monsieur. From the late middle ages and into early modern terms, agendarmewas a heavy cavalryman of noble birth.”
“Tais-toi,Claude!” Leo ordered.
I had one better but I keptferme ta gueuleto myself.
“Proceed, Ryan,” Boyd Andrews said, his side-eye to Claude quite gratifying.
“Amage was also the name of a Sarmatian queen. She acted as her dissolute husband’s regent. Medosacus led a bacchanalian life. Completely debauched. She served as judge, repulsed enemy invasions, and was so successful a ruler that she was known in all Scythia, not merely on the coast of the Euxine Sea where her kingdom was located. Therefore, Amage is a noble name that represents wisdom, strength, and intuition.” I paused. Met each man’s gaze. Only Claude’s was inscrutable. The others, even Noah, looked at me with rapt attention. “But those examples mean little to you as a family,messieurs. They are abstract definitions that have no personal bearing on you or your new fragrance. So I asked myself what was the story behind the newest fragrance?”
“We aren’t interested in using a pitiful story to garner the world’s sympathy,” Clause said.
He just didn’t know how to shut the fuck up.
Despite myself, I noticed the pain that skipped across Noah’s face, which made Claude’s words all the more egregious. “You should have something, Mister Amage,” I said briskly, uninterested in appeasing him by using his native language. “Before your company fails miserably, when it doesn’t have to. You’re bleeding money. Why? Becauseyouinsist on releasing pillar fragrances like clockwork. I’ve read the reports in the course of my research. You ignore all advice. Flankers might help boost some of your pillars, sir. Astoryto add a soul to your releases, instead of the mindless cash grabs they are. A name that is memorable and has meaning. Whether KMG wins the contract or Sauncier, no one can perform a miracle without your cooperation.”Asshole. I placed my hands on my hips. “Dorset left very detailed notes. I saw every idea you shot down. I read how Mr. Andrews and Mr. Powers tried to change your mind.” I looked him up and down, like the little man he was. “How dare you imply Noah’s sincere wish to honor his mother is a ploy when everything is just a game to you. What is absolutely incredible to me is how you blocked some of Dorset’s best ideas when he was your project manager at KMG but greenlight everything he comes up with at Sauncier.”
A couple of KMG managers, still in touch with Dorset, had filled me in.
Claude intended to stonewall me at every turn. Now that I’d lost my temper, my chances of winning the contract for KMG and leaving in a blaze of glory was nil. I turned, intending to remove the boards for their pillar fragrance and replace them with the smaller ones forLa Nostalgie.
I needed to leave. I felt Noah’s gaze boring into me but if I looked at him, I’d break down.
“What is your vision for our story, Ryan?” Hugo asked.
A tear had slid down my cheek again, so I had to take a moment to compose myself. Swiping at the wetness, I sniffled and turned, ignoring the way my eyes burned and my throat ached because I refused to cry.
“Your story is you,” I said quietly and have him a sad smile, hurt to my very core. “It is each of you,monsieur. It is the Amage Brothers and what each of you contribute to the House of Amage. It is your individuality and how that has made your perfume house such a worldwide icon. In the broader sense, the name Amage means so much: optimism, perception, romance, innovation, insight, charity—” I side-eyed Claude and pursed my lips. “The name Amage as it relates to your family means sophistication, opulence, and glamour. It represents the dedication and determination that brought your family from the ranks of the poorest to the pinnacle of the wealthiest. That’s what we want to hear. Life has meaning.Familyhas meaning. Despite quibbles and foibles, we will be true to each other and love is the bedrock of all that we do.” At that, I almost doubled over. Instead, I blinked and somehow managed to hold back my tears. “I purchased one of your fragrances,Luxmot. I had just gotten my first paycheck from my new job after I graduated college. I wondered what the name meant. What was the story behind it? Of course, it’s taken from the words luxury and bergamot.” I smiled. “But it didn’t matter to me. It was from the House of Amage. Furthermore,Icould afford to buy the perfume. Itsparfumwas still out of reach but there is exclusivity attached to the House of Amage. Nowadays, the consumer has so many choices, even the wealthy clientele you cater to.” Fuck, especially them. “You will have loyalists, where they will buy whatever you roll out. It’s just no longer enough. Fragrances with celebrity names attached are bestsellers. Why do you think that is? We might not know who the hell put the perfume out on behalf of the celebrity but we know that person. We know theirstory. We listen to their songs or watch their movies and read about them on gossip and news sites. With the launch of your new fragrance, you have a chance to give the world a small glimpse of Amage.The Amage Brothers. Don’t invite them completely in and ruin the mystique. Just the tiniest fraction will do. And suppose the pillar is named Amage. You can wait three to five years to roll out another pillar. Meanwhile, you can release six flankers—Claude, Hugo, Guy, Leo, Sacha, and Denis. Or you can take a characteristic from each of you and name your fragrances.” Although I doubted the name ‘Motherfucker’ would make a good selling point.
I couldn’t read any of their expressions and I was done with my presentation. When I began removing the boards, Noah and Reid hurried to assist. The silence in the room was heavy with tension as I waited while my other boards were put on the easels. Once Noah and his cousin returned to their seats, I looked at everyone again.
“Messieurs,La Nostalgie,” I said with a lavish flourish of my hand, just as I had when I began my previous presentation. “The Nostalgia, in English. We thought it best to go with a French name, to honor the heritage that Réjane was so proud of.”
Claude scowled. I refused to contemplate Noah’s various emotions. Clearing my throat, I nodded to the first board, showing the design of the rounded bottle topped with a vintage style atomizer. “A hobby of Réjane’s was collecting antiques. The shape of the bottle reflects her love of the past.”
I allowed the impact to register and went to the last board, where the box design was. “We chose a simple, clean design with packaging that can be repurposed as decoration or storage for small knickknacks. Green was her favorite color. Mint green is understated and elegant and works well with the minimalistic font.”
Surprisingly, Powers looked impressed. Boyd Andrews kept a neutral expression, while the other Amages paid close attention.
I walked to the trunk and grabbed the folders with the information from my first presentation and this one. At this point, it was just a formality. I couldn’t remember my grand finale, meant to wow the Amage executives. Over the weeks, each part had been approved, so there was nothing more for me to say. I didn’t intend to stay on at Keegan Media Group, so my enthusiasm was gone.
Besides, if I had to choose between winning a contract and having the love and support of my family, I’d pick the latter. Money meant little in a cold, solitary world.
Chapter Forty-Two
“Ryan, we need to talk.”
We’d just boarded the elevator and I had six floors to plead my case. She’d accepted her laptop, although that didn’t guarantee she’d read or respond to my emails. This was my one chance for a face-to-face conversation. If we reached the ground floor and the doors opened, she’d sprint away.
“We don’t,” she announced, facing forward, refusing to look at me or Reid, though we flanked her.
I hoped the elevator paused, but it didn’t. We were nearly at ground level.
“Where are you staying?”
I scowled at Reid’s question. His interruption stole my last chance with Ryan because the doors opened and she dashed out, as I knew she would. The heels of her black pumps clipped across the marble floor. I dropped the handle of the trunk to go behind her.
