Trust in Advertising (48 page)

“Very nice to meet you, Mrs. Marradesi.”

“Francesca,” she corrected Lexi with a smile. “I meant to tell you at the gala, your dress was extraordinary.”

Vincent’s hand found the small of Lexi’s back and pressed gently, encouraging her to relax.

Even though she was not good at taking compliments, especially from someone as wel known in the fashion world as Francesca Marradesi, she adapted.

“Thank you very much, Francesca. It was my mother’s.”

“And you both remember my brother.” Dante simply stood up and gave a little nod to welcome both Lexi and Vincent before returning to his seat beside Francesca.

Vincent reached for the chair next to Dante and held it for Lexi, allowing him to sit between her and Paolo.

“Welcome to Bravo. My nephew has planned a wonderful dining experience for us. I hope you’re hungry.” Pride filled Paolo’s voice as he smiled up at Angelo.

“This is a fantastic restaurant. How long have you been open?” Vincent asked as he took in the small details of the room, like the wrought iron accents and the gorgeous fresco on the wall beside their table.

“Four months,” Angelo said, beaming.

“My nephew designed everything from floor to ceiling. He based the decor on my mother’s house in Sicily, and a number of the recipes that we will be enjoying are hers. You must try the spicy calamari salad. It was her specialty.”

Lexi gave Vincent a little kick under the table, knowing he was squeamish when it came to spicy foods ever since the Thai incident. “Sounds delicious.”

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Vincent kept a perfect smile plastered on his face. The only indication Lexi had that the word spicy even registered with him was the tiny kick back.

With great pride, Angelo listed all the one-of-a-kind dishes he was going to prepare for them this afternoon, and then returned to the kitchen.

While they waited for the food, Paolo told numerous stories from his childhood about the trouble he and Dante used to get into, driving their poor mother crazy. Often they were chased around the villa with pots and pans, not only by their mother but the women of the neighborhood as well. Apparently, they were quite the cads, breaking hearts and becoming known as “those Marradesi boys.” Mothers warned their daughters to stay away from them, and fathers often threatened to kill. Francesca grew up in a town nearby, and the reputation of the brothers had traveled the miles to where she lived. So one day, when she heard that the infamous Paolo Marradesi was coming to town, a saucy seventeen-year-old Francesca put on her best dress and made sure he noticed her the moment he walked into the local market.

Food began filling the table—pasta, calamari salad, and antipasto served in courses. Each portion was small enough to allow them to taste everything offered. When Vincent’s calamari salad arrived, he pushed it around the plate to make it look like he had eaten it. Lexi noticed and took mercy on him, eating hers quickly then playfully picking pieces off of his plate to lessen the eating load.

“Can I have a bite?” she grinned at Vincent.

“Didn’t you just eat a whole plate of squid?” He played along with her ruse.

“I think a few of mine fell off onto your plate. Oh, look, that one was mine … and that one too. Wow. A lot of them escaped.” Lexi began jabbing her fork into the stretchy rings.

Vincent rolled his eyes dramatically at Paolo, who watched the whole exchange with great amusement.

“A woman who likes to eat, now that’s my kind of girl,” Paolo teased as Lexi stole another piece from Vincent and he watched Francesca do the same thing with his last bite of squid. The women shrugged and savored the flavor of the calamari, unashamed.

The conversation flowed easily among the group. Lexi and Vincent both understood that eating and socializing came first, business second. Rather than try and muscle the conversation in that direction prematurely, they happily shared stories about their childhoods and families with their guests. Dante remained quiet, but the occasional smile escaped his lips.

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Amidst the discussions, the Marradesis occasional y commented to each other in their native language. During one particularly lengthy exchange, Lexi bumped her knee into Vincent’s under the table. When he turned to see what was up, she smiled and put her hand on his forearm, tapping her finger repeatedly. He took the hint and wrapped his arm around the back of her chair then made a point of leaning closer. He took the opportunity to whisper in her ear.

“What’s up?”

Keeping a serene smile on her face she softly said, “Do you understand any Italian?” When he subtly shook his head no, she sighed. “Lucky for you, I do.”

When Vincent raised an eyebrow in disbelief, Lexi rolled her eyes. “I studied a lot of things to pass the time while Harry was sick. Italian happened to be one of them.” She turned toward Vincent a little more and pointed to the fresco on the other side of the room as if that was the topic of their private chat. “From what I can tell, they like us, even Dante. Paolo is concerned about our age, so act mature, please.”

“I can do mature. What else?”

“They feel comfortable around us, especial y Francesca, so keep charming her.”

Absentmindedly, Vincent’s fingers trailed down Lexi’s bare arm. “If there’s anything else I need to know …”

Lexi smiled sweetly at him. “I’l just kick you again. It can be our secret code.”

“I think I’m starting to get a bruise,” Vincent chided. “Can’t we do something like tap our fingers on the table?”

“Baby.”

As they chuckled, he and Lexi looked across the table and found Francesca watching them careful y. She leaned into Paolo and a single word passed between them.
Amanti
.

“Lovers,” Lexi whispered, but Vincent heard it clear as day. She gently tried to shift her body language and move away from Vincent, but as he turned and spoke to Dante, he shifted his chair closer to hers, not al owing her an escape. He saw Francesca’s secretive smile turn into a full blown grin when Lexi’s eyes met hers. She casually tipped her wine glass at Lexi in approval.

After they had gorged themselves on the main course, a tray of sweets arrived at the table. “I hope you saved room for dessert, Lexi,” Paolo teased with a wink.

“I always have room for dessert, especial y something as delicious as this.” Lexi took another big bite of the extravagant Italian cake in front of her. “This is the best tiramisu I have ever eaten. What did you soak the lady fingers in? It isn’t rum.”

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Angelo beamed proudly at her astute palette. Paolo and Dante laughed as their nephew rambled on about his preparation method from start to finish for his premier dessert. Lexi politely nodded her head and listened to every detail.

When Angelo finally stepped away from the table, Francesca laughed out loud. “I’m sorry, dear. We should have warned you that Angelo is very passionate about his cooking. Once you get him started, well, he can be impossible to stop.”

“He’s lovely,” Lexi replied. “I just hope I can remember everything he said.

I want to make this for my friend.”

As the dessert dishes were being cleared, Vincent sensed the shift in atmosphere among the group. Paolo and Dante became more serious, preparing for the business side of the meal. Even Francesca toned things down, whispering more frequently in Italian with Paolo. When he felt Lexi’s leg battering against his, he knew something was up. She passed him a piece of paper from her bag and began pointing to random words, giving him an excuse to huddle closer so Lexi could whisper information.

“It’s Francesca.”

“What is?”

“She’s the person you better present to. She’s going to make the final decision.

Does she own the company or something?”

“She is the majority stockholder, but Paolo is listed as the owner in any papers you read.” Vincent traced his pen on the page aimlessly to make it look like he was busy.

“She likes you. I know you can do this, but don’t speak exclusively to Paolo and Dante when you discuss things. Make sure you ask her opinion on everything, ask for her viewpoint. A woman like Francesca Marradesi doesn’t like to be ignored.”

Her astute assessments of people impressed Vincent more than he could ever say. She read everything about everyone around her, knowing what to press and where to tread lightly. At times it scared the living hell out of him when he wondered how much she probably knew about him and his feelings only from her observations. Things that he tried so hard to keep hidden were exposed to Lexi.

She had been amazing all through lunch, interacting with Francesca, asking al the right questions. Vincent had been teaching her how smal bits of seemingly inconsequential information would be monumental in their business. Their professional partnership was a good one, he could see that. Lexi was the sweetness to his more rigid, formal stance. She drew the people in with her radiance, and 293

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he kept them there with his business savvy. Lexi pulled off her part, now it was time for Vincent to work his magic.

“Thanks for the heads up,” he whispered, his eyes locking on hers.

“No problem, partner. Go make us look good.”

Paolo sipped his espresso, and then leaned back in his chair. “Tell us about Hunter, Vincent. Why are you the right company for us?”

“Hunter Advertising is the company for you for a number of reasons, Paolo.

I believe we have the right team in place to design and execute a successful campaign here in the States to make Marradesi Cosmetics a household name.

I can supply you with a number of references, from small business owners to multibillion dollar corporations. All were pleased with our final product. We have range, we have big ideas, and I believe we have the passion,” he smiled at Lexi and continued, “to make this work.”

Vincent paused to gauge their reaction. Dante rubbed his chin thoughtfully, and Francesca watched Vincent, her posture rigid, but not unhappy. What Vincent didn’t realize was that he had Paolo eating out of the palm of his hand.

He just had to work Francesca.

“That’s a little about us. If you don’t mind, I’d like to find out a few things about your company to get a feel for where you might like to see this campaign go. Francesca, I know your company is concerned with finding a niche in the American market. Can you tell me where Marradesi Cosmetics has made its home in the European market?”

The words had no sooner left his lips than a slow smile spread across Francesca’s face. He watched her glance at Paolo and give a little nod before she began answering Vincent’s question at length. She was a woman with definite ideas. She talked a lot about Europe and what worked there, but she also understood that advertising in the US was a different matter altogether. She didn’t give any ideas about where she wanted the new campaign to go; she preferred for them to develop a few proposals from which to choose.

“Lexi,” Dante started slowly, “I was wondering if you could tell us more about yourself. We’re familiar with Vincent’s work, but you seem to be new to Hunter. I’m curious where
you
see this campaign going, in general, if you don’t mind me putting you on the spot.”

There it was—a test. Dante had done his homework. He knew Lexi was an unknown in the industry. He wanted her to prove her worth on the fly.

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Just when the color began to leave Lexi’s face, Vincent gave her a playful kick under the table. She glanced up at him, both of them knowing that if she said the wrong thing it could cost them the client. He nudged her foot under the table one final time, trying to wash away her self-doubt.

“Come on, Lexi, I’d love to hear what you think,” Vincent said and he smiled confidently at Dante. “She’s been spot on so far.” Vincent raised an eyebrow and waited for her to do what he knew she was capable of. She just needed to believe it.

“W-well, I think that from your past campaigns, you were marketed as an avant-garde brand in Europe where women tend to use more makeup product in general, but specifically the edgy, brighter color choices and hues for eyes and lips which your line spotlights. American women are not as fashion forward as the woman in Europe or into trends, but we all want to be. My suggestion would be to market the line in a different direction here, make it less intimidating, if that makes sense?” Francesca gave a little nod of understanding. “It can still be edgy, but market it as attainable beauty rather than being high fashion. It’s all about making the woman feel better about herself, not overwhelmed with color palates and product.”

Silence fell over the table. Vincent leaned back in his chair, smiling like a proud papa. But Lexi’s eyes scanned between Paolo, Francesca, and Dante, who had all begun whispering amongst themselves in Italian.

“You were brilliant,” Vincent whispered, his warm breath tickling her neck.

When he saw tears welling in her eyes, Vincent gave her shoulder a squeeze.

“Breathe.”

“I like you,” Francesca offered out of nowhere. “You remind me of myself.

I apologize for Dante. I think it was rude to put you on the spot. In his defense, he can be a bit overprotective, and I assure you, he meant well. But you handled it beautifully.” The air rushed out of Lexi’s lungs in relief.

Paolo shrugged as he nodded toward Francesca. “It’s her company. She’s the boss. I just write the checks. ” Dante gave the smal est of nods and remained silent.

“I would very much like to see what the two of you come up with for Marradesi Cosmetics. I would be honored if you would present us with your idea in a few weeks.”

Vincent rose to his feet and pulled a stunned Lexi up from her chair. They had done it.

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“I thank you for meeting with us, and I know we will be able to come up with something fantastic for you.” Vincent turned to listen to the conversation Paolo and Dante were having about the next meeting, but he couldn’t help but eavesdrop on Lexi and Francesca.

“Well done, Alexandra.” Francesca wrapped her arms around a very shocked Lexi. “That brother-in-law of mine can be a pain, but you, you didn’t waver. You just spoke from your heart. It was honest and very observant. I had a feeling you were up for this challenge, but men … you know them. They doubt more than they trust.”