Gold Diggers

‘You’re going to have to do something special.’

Karin had agreed to have dinner at Adam’s Knights-bridge duplex, but had maintained a frosty and aloof manner throughout the filet mignon and asparagus tips, concentrating instead on watching the London skyline spread out in front of them. Karin knew she was playing a dangerous game, but she wasn’t going to take Adam’s behaviour lying down: she simply couldn’t. If she sat back and accepted it without a grumble, where would it end? Even if she did get him up the aisle, Adam would still assume she was the dutiful, unquestioning consort, prepared to turn a blind eye to absolutely anything. No, she would be giving him carte blanche to fuck anything that moved – and she had no doubt he would take full advantage of it. Of course, they both knew he could have any woman in London he chose, but Karin had a sneaking suspicion that Adam would respect a woman who played hard to get and who put her foot down. So she had carefully selected an outfit of skinny jeans, high heels and a fitted McQueen jumper and she had been encouraged to see that Adam had pulled all the stops out. His chef had prepared a fabulous supper of meltingly rare beef followed by a pistachio soufflé and the wine was an excellent Chateau Lafite ’83. The lights were low, the music soft. Unless she was much mistaken, this was his way of saying sorry. But Karin wanted to hear Adam say it out loud.

‘So, what did you want to talk about?’ she asked with faux innocence.

Adam shrugged, breaking off a corner of Poilâne bread and swirling it around a small, shallow dish of olive oil.

‘I want to talk about Anguilla,’ he said.

‘I thought that conversation was closed,’ she said coolly, enjoying her moment.

‘It is,’ said Adam. ‘I don’t want to talk about that, I want to talk about you.’

Karin was taken aback. ‘Don’t you mean you want to talk about us?’ she said.

Adam looked at her, gauging her, assessing her. ‘Anguilla was my first proper brush with the Karenza brand and I was impressed,’ he said, ‘very impressed.’

‘Are you referring to seeing a Karenza bikini up close? Oh sorry, I forgot; Tessa wasn’t wearing one.’

Karin immediately regretted saying it, but she couldn’t help herself.

A silence prickled between them, but Adam wasn’t going to be deflected by Karin’s sniping. He carried on, ignoring her comment. ‘As you may know, the Midas Group acquired a building in St Tropez last year,’ he continued. ‘It’s a prime location right by the port and we’ve spent the last nine months developing it.’

‘Residential?’ asked Karin, immediately interested, her business instincts sensing an opportunity.

Adam shook his head. ‘No, a hotel, which opens next month, under

management by the Sarkis Group of Hotels. However, twenty-five thousand feet of the ground floor is being kept aside for retail. A couple of luxury brands are taking units there, plus a yacht charter company, all pretty high end. However, one of the best units has just become vacant; you know what I think it would be perfect for?’

Butterflies were fluttering around Karin’s belly. ‘Karenza St Tropez.’

Her breathing had quickened now. She had long realized that if she was going to launch the swimwear brand on a global scale, she had to expand internationally. She was stocked in Fred Segal in LA, Neiman Marcus in Miami and a select handful of other concessions in upmarket shopping districts, but a store would give her brand identity much greater impact.

‘It’s something I’ve already considered,’ said Karin, trying to keep the excitement out of her voice, ‘either a Malibu, Palm Beach or St Tropez outlet. But I would need to look into financing, and location obviously is key. It is possibly a little early for expansion so, if we are going to do it, we need to hit the bull’s-eye first time.’

Adam smiled. ‘I think you’ll find there is no better retail location in St Tropez. It is also a small unit, so you shouldn’t be overstretching yourself.’

She looked out at the twinkling London skyline, adrenaline coursing through her like a sexual thrill. Karenza St Tropez! It was perfect! But she was damned if she was going to show her enthusiasm to Adam.

‘Well, it’s a big decision …’ she said, toying with the stem of her glass. ‘Somewhere like Palm Beach would possibly be better as a first international outpost – more year-round appeal. St Tropez is a ghost town out of season.’

Adam went into sales mode. ‘But Palm Beach means expanding into America – that’s a big step. Too big, possibly for now. I would have thought St Tropez is a better initial fit. Granted you’ll only be in business for six months of the year, but for those months the market will be brisk and the target audience perfect. Plus it’s close to London so you can keep tight control on it.’

His eyes flirted with hers. ‘Why don’t we fly down this weekend at least and have a look at it?’

‘Adam, slow down, please,’ said Karin, excited but still wary. She stood up and took her wine to the window, staring out into the dark night. She was tempted, really tempted. Business wasn’t about remaining static, it was about moving forward – and now was the time. Worldwide sales were brisk; her financial director Ed Sassoon had been urging her to find other sites while turnover in both Karenza UK stores was so healthy. Not that Karin was afraid of the expansion, either. She wanted Karenza to grow from a niche swimwear line into the ultimate jet-set brand as soon as possible but, for that, she needed serious investment. Jimmy Choo had pulled it off, while Erès had been bought out by Chanel after thirty years. Well, Karin Cavendish wasn’t going to wait thirty years. She looked into Adam’s eyes. ‘I really must look into the company’s financial position before we continue this conversation,’ she said, suddenly the in-control businesswoman. ‘Karenza is wholly owned by myself and I want it to remain that way for the foreseeable future.’

‘In that case, don’t you want to hear me out?’

Karin eyed him suspiciously. ‘What are you proposing?’

‘That I take a small percentage of the business in return for the St Tropez outlet. I can get Marcus and our team to work out a fair shareholding …’

‘You have got to be kidding!’ she said fiercely. ‘You could be potentially getting something as valuable as Gucci – and for what? The price of the rent on a beach boutique? I really don’t think so!’

She saw that Adam was chuckling. He beckoned her back to the table. When she was close, he curled his hand around her waist and pulled her onto his knee. She tried to move away, but he was strong, nuzzled his lips into her neck. ‘This isn’t always how I conduct my business negotiations,’ he murmured into her neck.

‘Well, I have made my position clear,’ she said, trying to remain firm, but a small smile beginning to curl on her lips.