New Beauty and the Beast: Storyteller Cosmetics, #6

New Beauty and the Beast

Chapter One

As the images danced across the screen in front of him, Tom sat back, his face a mystery. Samantha watched closely. She'd seen the presentation a hundred times by now, and knew it word for word. What she was more interested in was Tom's reaction. He knew about the product line, of course, but he'd only approved the general idea, not the specifics. And now it was decision time.

For the last six months nearly everyone in Storyteller had been working on this line. Samantha thought back to all the late nights, the endless meetings, the rewrites and new ideas, the breakthroughs and disappointments. She thought of the evenings when she hadn't been there to tuck Jo Lee, her daughter, into bed, the days when she'd been sick but had come into the office anyway. This line was more than close to her heart, it was like another child. She believed in it so desperately, and now it was being presented and there was nothing else that she could do but watch and hope that Tom was liking what he saw.

She was holding her breath as the music swelled and suddenly stopped, the screen turning blank for a second and then the Storyteller logo flashed up, followed by the words Beauty and the Beast. The room was completely silent. Still holding her breath she stood and switched the main lights back on before sitting back in her seat.

Thank you, Tom said, nodding in her direction. An amazing presentation as always. Then he turned back to the rest of the board. Gentlemen?

As CEO of Storyteller Cosmetics, Tom Cooper would have the final say on any new product line, but he still had a board of directors to please, and looking from face to face, Samantha could see that most looked confused.

So, what's the general idea then? asked one man, an older man, someone who had once served on the board when Howard, Tom's father, had been CEO. I mean, I'm not sure that I completely understand, can you run it by me one more time?

Samantha? Tom asked, turning to her.

She thought carefully for a second, not wanting to ruin her chances with a throw away comment. Beauty and the Beast is for everyone, she said, finally. It's the first complete product line that's designed for absolutely anyone, man or woman, beauty or beast. It doesn't differentiate between, for example, a male scent and a female one, everything in the line is unisex, and everything is designed to be used by anyone who wants it. It's all inclusive.

Has this been done before? the man asked, and Samantha could see that he was smarter than he might have looked.

Not by Storyteller, certainly, she replied. And not to this extent by anyone else either. Of course some companies produce unisex products, but this is the first dedicated and entire product line to be unisex.

Good potential then, the man grunted. Good, good.

If you'll turn to the papers you have in front of you gentlemen, Tom said. You'll find projection reports and profit potential. The finance department have put everything together, and I think you'll find the numbers impressive.

As a man, all the board members began rustling through their papers, and Samantha sat back and relaxed a little. She'd done her part, done all she could. The only thing left to do now was wait and see if what she'd done was enough.

Three agonising hours later, the boardroom door closed behind the last of the members, leaving Samantha and Tom alone. Tom grinned at her and went over to a small refrigerator, pulled out a bottle of champagne, popped it open almost casually, then poured two glasses.

I think you deserve this, he said.

The board had voted a resounding yes on the new line, and were anxious to start production. That meant a new stage of the project for Samantha, a whole new plate load of work, but right at this second her heart was happy.

Thanks, she said, as Tom handed her a glass and sat opposite her. And you, what did you think? Honestly.

Tom smiled and shook his head. You people always seem to amaze me, he said. You know, I always think that our latest line is brilliant, but then it always worries me, what are we going to do next? How do we beat this brilliance next time? But this, this is inspired. It's a truly unique line and one that's going to make Storyteller a household name, it's that simple. I've got a good feeling about this, Sam.

He raised his glass to her and drank, Samantha did the same, feeling the sharp bubbles in her throat, and the cold burn of the alcohol in her stomach.

So, the line's a go, she said, swallowing. I've got the go ahead to start on the advertising and marketing side of things?

Absolutely, Tom said. But first, I think that you need to take the rest of the day off, then the weekend, and then you need to come back to work on Monday with a clear head. You've been working too hard and you need to relax for a while. And yes, that's an order.

Finally, Samantha grinned back. Yes, boss, she said.

Going back down the stairs to her office she was surprised to find that it was only a little after three in the afternoon. And a beautiful, bright sunny afternoon at that. She'd expected to find her partner, Sydney, in the office that they shared, but Syd's desk was empty, her computer switched off. Samantha sighed. She loved Syd, she truly did, and had thought that having a partner who worked alongside her would have made them both more understanding of the demands of the job. But lately Syd had been grumpy, distant, annoyed at the amount of work that Samantha was putting into the new line.

Sam grabbed her purse from her desk drawer. She'd been hoping to persuade Syd to play hookie along with her so that they could enjoy a little down time before Jo Lee came home from school, but it looked like she was on her own now. Fine. Maybe it was better that way.

Leaving the Storyteller building, she felt the warmth of the sunshine on her shoulders and relaxed little by little. On an impulse she rounded the building and went down to the beach, kicking off her shoes and carrying them so that she could walk along the sand. The breeze whipped her long, auburn hair, and she laughed at the thought of the sight she must present. The tourists must think her crazy, walking the beach in a business suit with no shoes. But she didn't care. Right now she was so happy that the line had been accepted that she didn't care about anything else, she wasn't going to let anyone or anything ruin these few moments of pure pleasure. She walked closer to the ocean, let her feet be tickled by the waves.

Yes, there were problems, and she knew that there were. On the home front, Syd was going to need some TLC. If she analysed her feelings closely Samantha was a little disappointed that Sydney hadn't been more supportive of her work, particularly since Syd had put so much work into the project herself. But she could also admit, if she were being honest, that she had neglected her beautiful Sydney a little too much over the last few months, and that was going to have to change. And it was going to change right now.

Struck by a sudden idea, Samantha practically ran back up the beach, putting her shoes on as she reached the boardwalk, then jogging home. She had plans to make.

WHAT? WHAT'S ALL THIS?

Sydney stood in the doorway of the apartment, her mouth wide open. Music was playing gently on the stereo, light jazz, the room smelled of perfume, candles were flickering on the table by the large balcony doors which stood open to the coolness of the evening. But Samantha was nowhere to be seen.

Frowning, Syd called her partner's name, then her daughter's, nothing, no one. Until the bedroom door slowly opened to reveal a tall and elegant Samantha dressed in a clinging red dress, her hair up revealing her neck, looking absolutely breath taking.

Dinner will be half an hour, she said, her painted lips smiling. Which gives you enough time to shower off your day and get ready to join me.

Now she was just confused. After endless arguments and late nights at the office, suddenly Samantha was here and all dressed up and cooking dinner. What was all that about?

Where's Jo Lee? she managed to stutter.

Spending the weekend with her beloved Grammy and Gramps, Samantha said. Your parents were overjoyed to have her, but possibly not as overjoyed as Jo Lee was at the thought of being spoiled rotten for the next two days.

And... but... she still didn't quite understand what was going on. What... the new line, did they approve it?

Yes, Samantha said. And that's the last time that work gets mentioned for the rest of the weekend, got it?

Sydney nodded and felt a smile begin to cross her face, she saw what was happening, and she liked it. She'd missed being with Samantha these last few weeks. Missed the connection that they had. And she so desperately wanted her partner back, the one that she knew and loved. Now Samantha was trying to make things up to her, and she was glad. Glad that maybe they could recapture their old selves.

She hurried off to take a shower, leaving Samantha to finish getting dinner ready. She had been unreasonable, she thought, as the hot water washed her clean. She knew that the line was important, she knew that Samantha had to work hard. It had been unfair of her to criticise Sam when she was just doing what she believed in. The problem was that there was something she needed to talk to Sam about, she'd been waiting for the right time for months now, but with all this work the right time had never come. But it would this weekend, she promised herself.

THE HOT MIAMI SUN BURNED down on the deck of the boat where Samantha lay roasting herself, idly turning the pages of a magazine. Sydney's parents had been happy to lend them the boat for the day, and it was the perfect respite. Cooler than the beach, far away from the shouts and yells of the tourists. They were moored a little way out to sea, and the calm stillness was the most relaxing tonic that Samantha could think of.

Juice, my lady?

Sam looked up and saw Sydney, her dark green bikini leaving nothing to the imagination, holding too ice cold glasses of Florida orange juice. Exactly what she needed.

You're an angel, she said.

Sydney put the juice down in front of her and came to lie next to her on the towels they'd spread out on the deck, dropping a kiss on Samantha's shoulder before she settled down.

What are you reading? she asked.

Eh, just something I picked up at the Bodega this morning, nothing interesting, Samantha said, continuing to flip through the pages of the magazine.

Can I talk to you then?

Sure.

Just as she said the word, a small article in the top corner of a page caught her attention and she leaned in a little to read it more carefully.

Well, there's something that I've been thinking about, I mean, something I'd like to talk to you about. I'm not completely decided or anything, I just, I mean, we'd need to decide together, you know, and... Samantha? Are you even listening to me?

Sam looked up guiltily. Of course I am, darling, but here, look at this, just read this paragraph here.

Sydney sighed. Was there really ever going to be the perfect time for the discussion she wanted to have? But she bit back her impatience. She knew that this weekend was about Samantha just as much as it was about her. Sam needed to rest, needed to relax and get away from work. So she took the magazine and read the short article that Sam had pointed out to her.

So? she asked, as she finished, looking up at Sam who was now looking excited.

Don't you see? Sam said. That's the perfect spokesperson for the new line. I can't think of a better Beauty and the Beast role model than that, can you? We need to get our hands on that book.

Although she was a little mad that Sam was talking about work when she'd promised not to, she could see how excited she was and didn't want to ruin it, so she read the article again, more closely this time. It was a brief description of an about to be released book. Called My Ladybird Story it was the memoir of a male to female transexual, written by her and her current female partner. And in the corner of the page was a small photograph of a smiling woman, her features strong and her eyes kind. Sydney thought about this for a moment, the gears in her mind turning and evaluating the idea. Sam was right, this woman was perfect. Absolutely perfect.

Joyce Bird, she said, looking at Sam. We've got to find her. She's exactly what we need in the spokesperson for Beauty and the Beast.

Sam nodded, a smile of satisfaction spreading across her face. The spokesperson for the new line had been a touchy subject around the marketing department for a while now. They all knew that they couldn't use a traditional model or actress, not for a line as special as Beauty and the Beast. They needed something more, someone unique. Someone ordinary and yet not ordinary. And here she was, staring out of the pages of a magazine just waiting for them to find her.

So you think she'll be interested? Samantha said. I mean, she's a writer, she might not necessarily want to be on camera.

She'd be crazy not to, Sydney said. I mean with a new book about to be released we could help her as much as she would be helping us, right?

Sam was practically jumping up and down in excitement. We've got to find her and ask her.

Um, I think we should probably run this past Tom first, don't you? Sydney asked, amused.

Ugh, yes, you're right. I'll call him right now.

No, Sydney said. "Let's call around and see him and Cindy. He needs to see this for himself to get excited about it. Come on, I'll turn the boat around, they're sure to be up at home around the beach on a day