Scent of a Woman
Mediterranean Nights (Book #2)
July 2007
When it comes to one's company, two's a crowd…
Danielle Chevalier has a taste for the finer things in life, especially the lush, exotic scents she creates at her fragrance business. Under pressure from her brother to sell the small company, Danielle is thrilled when she's invited to an exclusive conference aboard the cruise ship Alexandra's Dream. There she hopes to gain the contacts necessary to rally her business and avoid the devastation of a takeover. But Danielle's dreams have a harsh run-in with reality when she meets Adam Burns, a representative from a major U.S. competitor who is determined to outmaneuver her in negotiations.
Fighting off the advances of a competing fragrance company is hard enough, but resisting her attraction to Adam may prove the real battle... and mixing business with pleasure just may cost her both.
Reviews
"A steamy tale with truly terrific characters. Adam is far from a stereotypical rich playboy and Danielle has a seldom-seen depth and maturity. Perfect for the beach, but it's got a little something extra."
— Romantic Times: 4 stars
"Scent of a Woman has impressive characterizations, emotional intensity and blazing sensuality"
— CataRomance: 4.5 stars
Other Books in the Series
- From Russia, With Love by Ingrid Weaver
- The Tycoon's Son by Cindy Kirk
- Breaking All the Rules by Marisa Carroll
- An Affair to Remember by Karen Kendall
- Below Deck by Dorien Kelly
- A Perfect Marriage? by Cindi Myers
- Full Exposure by Diana Duncan
- Cabin Fever by Mary Leo
- Island Heat by Sarah Mayberry
- Starstruck by Michelle Celmer
- The Way He Moves by Marcia King-Gamble
Preview the first book in the series, From Russia, With Love.
Read the Excerpt
"Can I get you a drink, miss?" A handsome young server in white livery held a notepad in his hand, his accent hinting at Russian descent.
"Sparkling water with a lemon, s'il vous plaît." Danielle Chevalier would put off that martini for a little while to focus on business and to enjoy the cruise atmosphere with nothing to dilute her impressions of the place.
The server nodded and hurried away, leaving her to make her way to an empty spot at the rail. A soft wind blew her hair away from her face as she soaked up the moment, using all five of her senses to appreciate the day on every level the way her mother the painter had said life should be enjoyed. Many perfumers took the same approach, a fact attested to by the wealth of workshops offered on the connection between fragrance and the senses, as well as explorations into how food and beverages could inspire fragrance notes.
"Monique?"
An older gentleman in a pinstriped seer sucker suit paused beside her at the rail, forcing his friend-a younger man dressed more casually in khakis and a black polo shirt-to stop beside her as well.
She recognized the older man as the retired owner of one of England's few top notch fragrance companies.
"It is Danielle, Monsieur Nordham," she greeted him easily in English, knowing she looked a great deal like her late mother, "and it is wonderful to see you. Are you attending the conference with your daughter?"
"Forgive me for my mistake, Danielle. You look so much like your mother when I first met her." He rapped his forehead. "My daughter says I live in the past more often than the future."
"I consider it a compliment to be mistaken for my mother, monsieur. And how is your daughter?"
"She's at home taking care of my first grandchild at long last." A wide smile broke over his weathered face as he retrieved a monogrammed handkerchief from his breast pocket. "I don't tell her how to run the company now that I'm out of the business, but I can still lay down a few laws as a father and I insisted she stay home with young Jonathan."
The old man beamed with pride as he mopped his forehead beneath a white straw hat.
"Congratulations," Danielle spoke the word in the same breath as Monsieur Nordham's younger friend.
His younger, extremely attractive friend, she noticed. The man was tall with wavy, dark hair and blue eyes that could have belonged a German or Dutchman, yet Danielle would bet her new fragrance line that the man was an American. A restless tension underlied his movements even when he stood still, almost as if standing still was an occupation that was foreign or uncomfortable to him. Danielle had noticed the same restrained energy in many of her American friends and business associates.
Although none of them appeared quite as wickedly handsome as this man, even in attire that was decidedly casual for the perfumers' set.
"Pardon me, where are my manners?" Nordham shoved his handkerchief aside and made room for the server bringing Danielle's water. "Danielle, may I introduce Adam Burns of Prestige Scents? Adam, this fetching young lady is Danielle Chevalier, and she runs one of the most innovative and exclusive French fragrance companies on the market today. Les Rêves has been making organic scents since long before the current trend toward natural products."
Shifting her glass of sparkling water, she extended her hand.
"Pleased to meet you, Mr. Burns."
"The pleasure is all mine," he returned, squeezing her hand in a grip that wasn't exactly forceful, but neither did he soft-stroke the gesture the way most European men would.
Curious about Adam Burns and why his name hadn't been in the program for Prestige's representatives, she found herself holding his gaze along with his hand, peering into his blue eyes. He looked vaguely familiar, although she felt certain she would have remembered if they'd met. A woman did not forget such a sharp physical reaction to a man and Danielle could count on one hand the number of times she'd felt that in her life.
Of course, as Marcel would be quick to remind her, each of those meetings had only hurt her in the long run.
"You are not Joseph." She didn't realize she'd spoken the words aloud until a short bark of laughter escaped Adam's lips.
Mr. Nordham backed up a step.
"Will you young folks excuse an old man while you get to know one another? The heat is a bit much for me and I have heard rumors that there is an English tearoom on board."
"Certainly," Danielle assured him, realizing belatedly she still held Adam Burns' hand. She eased her fingers out of his palm and cleared her throat. "I think the ship map said the tea room is on deck six. Maybe I will join you tomorrow?"
"That would be lovely." Mr. Nordham was off with a wave, leaving Danielle to speak to the entirely too good looking Prestige representative.
"Don't let him fool you," the American said in a conspiratorial whisper. "He needs to get out of the heat because he keeps a flask of some vilely strong alcohol in his jacket pocket. It's been twenty minutes since he offered me a nip and my throat's still burning."
She liked the feel of sharing this small secret with him, their lowered voices creating the illusion of intimacy. And yet, that sense of being able to share confidences had once tricked her into revealing far too much.
Straightening, she resisted the urge to lower her voice.
"He offered to share his brandy with you?" Danielle wondered if he knew what a compliment that was from the older man. "He must have been impressed with you since he guards his stash like liquid gold, no?"
Really?" Adam moved closer to the rail next to her, out of the flow of servers and passengers congregating near the buffet line snaking its way through the pool area. "In that case, I wish I hadn't lapsed into a fit of hacking."
Simon's agency had been working with CIA operatives overseas to get the missing women back home, but he would be more directly involved with shutting down the operation on this end. Months of investigative work had led up to this weekend and he wouldn't blow it by letting their personal history get in the way.
"If you take tea with him you can pour your nip into your Earl Grey to take the edge off."
"Ahh. It pays to be an insider, I see." He leaned on the rail with his forearms, his tanned hands drawing her eye even more strongly than the Greek coast. "But since I'm a stand-in for my brother on this cruise, I have to learn all the subtleties of the fragrance world for myself."
"Your brother is Joseph?" she clarified, more curious than she should be. But then, she told herself, this had been part of her brother's directive for her during the cruise.
She was supposed to seek out the Prestige rep. It was hardly her fault that he just happened to have the smile of a Hollywood movie star and the physique of a World Cup player.
"Joseph is my brother," he confirmed, catching her staring at his hands. "He called me yesterday to beg off this trip because of a few broken ribs and a busted-up leg."
With a wink and a smile he turned his attention from her to the miles of blue water catching sunlight and refracting it off every ripple. She was grateful he didn't seem inclined to press her into flirtation even though she'd been staring at him.
Then again, did that mean he wasn't interested? The moment of mild indignation told her she had better set boundaries with this man. Fast.
"Many people would be thrilled to sail the most romanticized stretch of water in the world." She spoke English to Adam as she had to Monsieur Nordham.
All around them, however, a mix of languages could be heard as conference attendees found ways to communicate. During the workshops, information would be translated simultaneously into English, French, Spanish and German so that everyone could be easily understood.
"The itinerary sounds great," he admitted, eyes sliding over to her again. "But I'll let you in on a secret."
She would not let herself lean any closer to the enticing Mr. Burns. Not with the fate of her store in Nice on the line this week.
"I am listening."
"I know far more about the marketing of our product line than the actual fragrance aspect."
Now that was interesting.
"How perfectly shocking. I would not repeat that to anyone else here." She peered behind them toward the passengers who were sunbathing or swimming, mingling or munching the reception food. A tall, tanned man wearing the captain's hat strode among the guests, briefly shaking hands with a handful of passengers, flanked by two other officers.
"Not knowing much about perfume is going to get me in a lot of trouble?"
"No." She looked back to Adam and was startled to see him staring at her with far more intensity than when she had gazed at his hands earlier. A little thrill shot through her at the same moment she remembered this attraction was a very bad idea. Unsure of herself, she kept talking to cover the awkward moment of awareness. "Your knowledge would certainly be envied by this crowd when so many of the old fragrances houses are sliding into bankruptcy. But to admit you do not know the finer points of perfume making? Sacrilege to this people. They love their scents the way a vintner rhapsodizes about the subtleties of his grapes."
"I see." He nodded thoughtfully, clearing his expression of the heated focus that had been there a few moments ago. "Maybe if you had time this week, you could share a little knowledge with me, just to get me through the cruise."
Spend more time with an attractive man who stirred longings she had in suppressing ever since the last time a man had burned her in dramatic fashion? A potentially dangerous proposition. Especially when she needed to cultivate a professional relationship with Prestige Scents as a security measure for Les Rêves' future.
Danielle would just have to make sure their relationship maintained certain boundaries.
"Actually, I planned to seek out the Prestige Scents representative this week for a meeting about Les Rêves." She sipped her water quickly to quench a sudden thirst. "Do you have time tomorrow?"
She could have asked anyone else on board for an appointment without flushing, but could not quite manage the task with Adam.
"You want a meeting?" He nodded to a man in a dark suit that hurried by carrying a silver tray crammed full of perfume bottles.
"Yes."
"I was thinking more in terms of a date."
She froze.
"What?"
"A date. You know, one man and one woman. We talk about each other instead of business." He gestured back and forth between them to stress the personal nature of what he was proposing. "Have fun instead of scrambling to impress each other with how many accounts we're servicing."
He paused after his little diatribe, looking to her for a reaction when she didn't have the slightest idea what to say. She was tempted. Lord, she was tempted. His speech fed into every "live for the moment" fiber of her being.
But she was trying to change.
"So what do you say, Danielle?" he pressed, his powerful body shifting ever so slightly in her direction. "Why not take a chance?"