The Beauty and the CEO

Everything came down to the Creative Design Director position. From what he’d seen, Zoe’s work still did not pop to him. The work Will had seen—not just in her portfolio but also album covers for musicians and rap artists—was more for shock value. The bold colors and designs could have been considered art. Will liked to see a woman who looked like a woman, not a walking art gallery. Will thought of the Get line. The product titles were catchy—Get Him, Get Him Back and Get Revenge—but at the end of the day, vintage colors, such as bold red, soft pinks and basic nudes, stood the test of time; meanwhile, a majority of the trendy products were discontinued and in his opinion, a waste of time and money. Will recalled old photographs of his relatives over the years in their dresses and makeup. They started off with vintage red lipstick and natural eyebrows; as the family members grew, they experimented with the trends from the seventies, from heavy, bright blue lids and oversize lashes to funky colors, then the grunge fad, and eventually returned to the basic “less is more.” Zoe was a trend. He wanted classic. How was he supposed to have both?

She was haute couture. He smiled at his use of the phrase. Dana would be so proud of him. In just a few short weeks he’d grown. He recognized the names of the Ravens Cosmetics Zoe left in the bathroom and ignored the competitors’ products.

The sleek black cell phone on the nightstand by his bed lit up. It was the first time all week it had rung. Will expected to see Marcus’s or Donovan’s face on the screen, but instead it was his sister. Speak of the devil. He smiled just the same. “Hey,” he said, accepting the FaceTime call.

Like all of the women in the Ravens family, Dana was extremely beautiful. She’d begged their parents to allow her to be part of an RC back-to-school runway show, and her modeling career had taken off at the age of thirteen. Now, at almost forty, with three kids of her own, Dana was still as beautiful as ever.

“Hey, little bro,” Dana said with a bright smile. From her position, Will could tell she was seated at the utility table in her kitchen. A bowl of fresh fruit sat on the island bar behind her and the refrigerator door opened and closed without a head bobbing over the countertop. One of the kids was sneaking their own snack. Will kept that tidbit of information to himself. “How is the country life treating you?”

“Bad news spreads fast,” Will said.

“I wouldn’t say bad news, more like gossip.” A crash from another room sounded and distracted Dana for a moment. “Tell me about Southwood. Are you wearing overalls yet?”

“I haven’t gotten that sucked in yet.” Will laughed as he said it, but the small town was growing on him. The walk around the lake had sold him, or maybe it was the company he kept.

Dana narrowed her eyes and leaned in close to the screen. “You sound and look relaxed compared to the last time I spoke with you.”

“It was just last week that we spoke, and that was after I had to tell a room full of interviewees that we’re going to have to get back with them about the job interviews that I was late to, thanks to Dixon.”

Nodding, Dana rubbed her chin. “I heard Titus was in the running. He’s worked a few shows I walked in.”

If his memory served him correctly, Titus was the six-foot-five artist from the interviews. Truth be told, out of everyone in the pile, Will had preferred Titus’s body of work. Women looked like women, not art. On top of being a great makeup artist, Titus being a man in a female-dominated field made it fresh and new. The idea of hurting Zoe didn’t sit well with Will, though.

“He is.”

“And what about Zoe Baldwin? The twins told me she’s at the pageant.”

Will rubbed his hand over his mouth to cover the smile that the mere thought of Zoe evoked in him. “She’s talented.”

“And very beautiful,” Dana added.

Secrecy was never at the forefront for the Ravens family. Will shook his head and sighed. “Okay, what did Donovan say to you?”

“It wasn’t just Donovan,” Dana said. “Marcus picked up on some sexual chemistry between you two.”

“Marcus and Donovan? Our brothers who both have issues with dating women from the office?”