Read Online Threads Of Desire (Creative Hearts Book 3) by K.M. Jackson - Free Book Online Page B

about the work. Despite whatever personal shit had happened with Dono, business was business, and she needed to be able to separate the two. In this Nick was right, Gabby told herself, as she stood at the conference room table, taking in the skeptical expression of Giovanni Caberrera and the even more displeased expression of his wife Margo. She’d just finished showing them her presentation for the spring line, which they’d show to buyers come September if they okayed it, but from the looks on their faces, there would be no okaying today. Her theme boards, which she’d spent so many late nights on, were flawless—they conveyed the feeling of timeless elegance perfectly and even had just the right touch of that Zenia flash to keep the Caberreras happy. There were countless hours of time and thought captured in those sketches. Her heart, her hopes, and a little bit of her soul were on that table.
    “But where are the sequins?” Margo asked, her voice bouncing off the conference room walls. She looked down at the boards, stabbing her red talons on one sketch. Her mouth was turned down in displeasure. “And what’s with these new figures? We don’t do a plus-sized line,” she spat out.
    Gabby had to control her emotions. She couldn’t show them how much she really cared. If she did, she knew for sure they’d rip the rug right from under her. She knew from experience. You show your heart, you only get it handed back to you raw and bloody.
    She fought to keep her voice even. “I’m not suggesting doing a designated line. I just thought we should expand the sizing across all our lines to be more inclusive.”
    Margo gave her a dismissive up-and-down, her dark eyes brushing disdainfully over Gabby’s curvy frame. “Hmm, I bet you do.”
    Gabby wanted to throttle the woman. As if she’d ever let these cheap-assed fabrics grace her body—no matter if she designed the pieces or not. She looked at Margo, forcing her gaze to flatten and kept her voice chilled. “Well, as it is, I’m too young to be a Zenia’s customer.” She looked at Giovanni and smiled, knowing she’d scored a hit with that subtle dig about the line’s old-skewing appeal. “But maybe if we brought in some of these newer fabrics and expanded the sizing line, I could be. How about we try it for one season for a capsule line?” She was doing well. This was not begging; this was business. She prayed she didn’t sound desperate, though if she spent another season designing samples of sequined crap, she knew she’d lose her mind.
    Margo’s cheeks reddened through her tan. “What the hell are you trying to say?” She turned to her husband, who had remained silent. “What is this one getting at, Gio? I don’t see any reason for this ‘updating.’ All my friends think the line is just fine. And if this upstart doesn’t like it, I’m sure we can easily get someone to take her place.”
    Gabby sucked a breath in through her nose and exhaled quietly through her mouth. She raised a brow at Giovanni Caberrera, but refused to respond further. He could take it for what it was. She was tired of designing the same old costumes for the same old women with the same old results.
    But Gio surprised her by speaking up. “Now, dear, Gabby wasn’t trying to get at anything. She was just pointing out that there are different looks for different kinds of women. You—being the more sophisticated customer—will of course have a richer taste and demand a bit more flash and luxury in your garments.”
    Gabby bit back her snort when she saw the sweat popping out on Gio Caberrera’s brow despite the full blast of the air conditioning. Maybe she should cut him some slack, but she wasn’t feeling all that generous. He’d been promising her an update to the line for so long—
    ever since she first started working at Zenia four years ago, in fact. It was time to pay up, one way or another. Besides, she knew—and she knew that  he knew—this was the right