Lost Without You. Yahrah St. John

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      Chapter 1

      “Thanks to Hypnotic and the backing of Graham International, Adams Cosmetics is back in the black!” Kayla Graham announced during a midweek board meeting in early March at the Adams Cosmetics corporate office in Atlanta. “The holiday sales numbers are in and the outlook is promising. We are beating our competition, Jax Cosmetics, in every division from cosmetics to skin care to fragrance.”

       “Was there ever any doubt?” Shane asked.

       Kayla smiled at her brother’s confidence. “Of course not, we—” she pointed to the other family members present: her husband, Ethan Graham, and younger sister Courtney “—know how talented you are.”

       Shane had graduated at the top of his class at the Fashion Institute of Technology with a bachelor of science degree in cosmetics and fragrance marketing. He’d then gone to perfumery school in Paris before apprenticing at the Fragonard perfumery in Grasse, France.

       Kayla knew her brother was well trained to bring Adams Cosmetics into the twenty-first century, but he needed help. He’d already been spearheading developing new products for the past six years, but they couldn’t continue to rely solely on him. Otherwise, he would burn out.

       “Thank you,” Shane replied. “Andrew Jackson must be spinning on those alligator heels of his.”

       Andrew Jackson owned Jax Cosmetics, their main competitor. Theirs was a bitter rivalry that spanned back to the days when their father, Byron, and mother, Elizabeth, went to college together. Their mother used to date Andrew, and when she chose Byron over Andrew, the feud began.

       “We need to capitalize on the momentum Hypnotic is bringing,” Ethan Graham said as he joined the conversation. He was happy to see that Adams Cosmetics was finally starting to break even. It would make his board of directors very happy, considering they hadn’t been pleased when he’d decided to purchase Adams Cosmetics last year for his company, Graham International. He hadn’t cared, though, because thanks to his acquisition, he’d fallen in love with Kayla and she was expecting their first child, a son, in a few months.

       “I couldn’t agree more,” Shane returned. “I’m working on the next fragrance.”

       “How’s it coming along?” Courtney inquired.

       Shane rubbed his goatee thoughtfully. “It’s coming.” Truth be told, he was having a hard time coming up with just the right notes to finish the fragrance on top of all his other work.

       “We don’t mean to pressure you.” Kayla could see the tense look on Shane’s face. “But we’re hot now.”

       “I’m well aware of that fact.”

       “Is there anything we can do to help?” Courtney asked. She wasn’t good with chemistry, but she had a degree in marketing and finance.

       “I have a solution,” Ethan stated.

       Kayla turned and looked at her husband. They’d discussed his solution at length over the past several days. She’d hoped that Shane would have better news about his progress, but since he didn’t, they didn’t have much choice but to proceed with Ethan’s suggestion. Kayla held her breath and braced herself for the blowup she knew was about to come.

       “Oh, yeah?” Shane swiveled around in his chair to face Ethan. “What’s that?”

       “We bring in another head chemist.”

       Shane jumped to his feet. “What the hell did you just say?”

       Ethan held up his hand. “Shane, listen. This would help to ease the load on your shoulders.” He knew this decision would be met with hostility, much as his decision last year to remove Courtney as the Adams spokesmodel had. Hiring his ex-girlfriend, Noelle Warner, as her replacement had proved disastrous and had nearly destroyed his marriage and cost him his child. This time, he’d consulted Kayla, and she’d been in agreement that giving Shane some relief was in the best interest of the company.

       “I don’t need to ease my load,” Shane replied harshly. “I had been running the cosmetics and fragrance lab for six years before Graham International ever came along.”

       “Shane, this is in no way a condemnation of your work,” Kayla responded. “Everyone needs help every now and then.”

       “I don’t need any help.”

       “Yet, you haven’t come up with a new fragrance even though you’ve been working on it for several months,” Ethan returned.

       “In case you haven’t noticed, I have created several new lipsticks, shadows and nail polishes for the cosmetics division in that same time.” He didn’t appreciate Ethan honing in on his territory. Just because he’d learned to get along with his brother-in-law did not mean he’d forgotten how Ethan had come to own half of Adams Cosmetics.

       Ethan sighed. “Of course we’ve noticed what a great job you’ve done with cosmetics, but I also think giving you some help is needed. We all want to see Adams Cosmetics thrive and expand, and that can’t happen if you’re being stretched too thin.”

       Shane turned to his sister. “Are you in agreement with this?”

       Kayla hated when Shane’s hazel eyes pierced hers. Sometimes it was as if he could see right through her. She reached across the table and grasped Ethan’s hand in hers. Last year, they had made a pact to run the company as equals and share in the decision making. “Yes, we are.”

       Shane rose and shrugged his shoulders. “Fine. I’ve been outvoted. Why is that always the case with you, Ethan?”

       Ethan was about to speak, but Kayla touched his arm.

       “Shane, please don’t be angry with us.”

       “And may I ask whom you’ve chosen as my counterpart?”

       “Shane, we would never choose someone without your input. You’re the one who has to work with them on a day-to-day basis. It’s your lab.”

       “How gracious of you,” Shane replied sarcastically.

       “But we do have a candidate in mind,” Ethan added.

       “Enough with the suspense,” Courtney said with a sigh. She’d been silent for long enough. “Just spit it out.”

       “Gabrielle Burton.”

      * * *

      Shane paced the laboratory floor. Of all the names he’d expected to hear, Gabrielle Burton was not one of them. She was an excellent chemist, but she was also his archrival. They’d gone to perfumery school together and no matter the forum, the five-foot-six brunette had always competed against him.

       Once near the end of the term, they’d competed to see who created the best fragrance. Their peers had to vote on their favorite scent. Shane and Gabrielle had tied for first place, СКАЧАТЬ