Chapter Ten: Something to Believe In

Emma gave her the signal that the consult room was set up so Devon went back to Carol who was slowly sipping her tea. "If you'd like to follow me, I'd like to give you a formal consult on what we could offer you." She clutched her notebook. She hadn't really had time to plot out the new business venture that she had wanted to launch but there was nothing like going into the lion's den blind. She could do this, she was a good businesswomen and this wasn’t the first time she had gone in all guns blazing.

Carol raised her brow, nodded and rose to her feet. "Do you always offer a walk in a free consult, or are you trying to impress me?"

Devon smiled easily. "I have a certain standard of care just like I am sure you have a certain expectation for standard of service." She showed Carol to the back room and Emma took her purse and coat and hung them up on the coat rack. Carol settled herself into the plush lazy-boy and Devon lowered herself onto the stool beside her.

"How long have you been doing this?" Carol asked as she clasped her hands together on her stomach and the many rings on her fingers glinted in the light.

"About five years in all. I've always been interested in beauty and skin care." She picked up Carol's hand and smoothed her hand over it. "You have remarkable skin, you clearly take care of yourself."

"Of course I do." She snapped. Jesus, how could Jon's mother be so different from him? In all honesty she’d expected Jon to be like this but he just wasn’t.

"And tell me, how did a girl like you end up in Soho owning what looks like to be a very successful business?"

Damn, fry my balls why don’t you?

"I went to beauty school when I left high school and I worked as an apprentice for some years. It's always a dream to own your own place and work for yourself, I made it a reality."

Carol pressed her lips together. "How in the world did you get enough money to set up here? I know what this type of real estate costs.”

Devon grinned. "A woman never tells her secrets." Especially not those secrets. She fussed around with her clipboard and made a couple of notes. "I'm just a very good businesswoman Mrs Bongiovi."

She half laughed. "Well that is true-- you did get my son to agree to beauty treatments. I'm just not sure if that's the only reason he raved about you." Her gaze slid over her head to toe. Devon rested her clipboard against her chest. "Why don't you let me book you in for a facial and then you can make your own mind up about that?"

"Oh you're good.” Carol huffed and shifted in the chair. “What I want to know though, Miss Scott, is what makes this salon better than the one I frequent now? They have all the right products and beautiful premises, and they do a good job. What makes your salon the one worthy of my money?" She knew that was a lie as Jon had already told her that his mother was unhappy where she was going but she played along. Carol was obviously the type of woman that made you work for her respect and trust and that was understandable when you had a son like Jon. She was sure that people sucked up to her in all kinds of ways.

Devon smoothed her hands down her apron. "Well, apart from as you say excellent products that are not tested on animals and superior care. We custom care. Each time someone walks back in my salon, it becomes their salon. Besides that I'm about to launch something very special that I think will separate my salon from the others.” Devon smiled into her clipboard as she dangled the carrot.

"Oh? And what is that?"

"Instead of your average salon experience alone, I know that there is one thing woman want. And that is their friends around them. I'm launching a number of packages that involve spa days at my clinic with a theme. "

"I'm listening."

Devon rounded the chair and slid onto the stool. She was making it up as she went but the adrenaline of a perfect idea took over. This could be big, really big. "It’s a spa day set up in a private part of the clinic for you and say, up to five of your friends. You custom make everything, food, drinks, music and of course the treatments through the day. We're putting together a number of different packages, bridal showers, and girl’s day out, teenage girl’s packages, glamorous ladies as well as any occasion. The brochures came to life in her head as she ratted through all the options. "It comes custom-made with your own dedicated member of staff all day." Guess she'd better bring this one up at the next staff meeting.

"I see."

Devon refrained from rolling her eyes and wondered if anything would actually crack a smile on this woman's face. "If that’s something that interests you, you would be the first client to trial it.”

Carol lay back in her chair. "I'll think about it."

Whew. She blew out her breath and reached for her hand cream. "I'm going to give you a complimentary hand massage today, if I may?"

Carol nodded and closed her eyes extending her hand. Devon cupped it in hers and applied a small amount of lotion and began the massage. "How often are you going to your salon at the moment?"

She shrugged. "Once a week. I alternate treatments."

"Do you find that is helpful or would you prefer spending a day, like once a month and making a day out of it?"

"Hmmmm."

Devon took that as making a good point. Hell that was the best she was going to get from the woman. She finished one hand and changed to the other.

"Your accent is very different isn't it?"

She raised her brow. "Well, yes. I've been told that it's a mix between an Australian and British accent." Devon continued to pitch the salon and services to Carol while she fired back zingers at her. Carol wasn't her only client and in all honesty she knew she was only here because of Jon but she wanted Carol to want to come and spend time here, not just because her son told her to.

"So that's really about it. I really hope we can do business together is there anything you’d like to ask me?"

Carol pursed her lips and looked at her hands closely. "What intentions do you have with my son, Miss Scott?"

Devon's eyes widened and she cleared her throat. She did not just ask me that. "Well, he's a nice man and we’ve only been out once. Nothing to worry about at all." She wondered if she was a good enough liar about that subject. The truth was she wasn’t entirely sure what her intentions were with her son.

Carol's gaze flicked up to hers and then down to her hands. "I see. Well, thank you Miss Scott, you've given me a lot to think about. I'll be in touch if I require you further."

"Sure and you're welcome. If there's anything, any questions or anything don't hesitate to call and ask for me personally."


~

Devon wrapped her coat around her and dug her hands into her pocket as her boots clicked across the cobblestones of Mercer Street. She was running a little late as Carol's impromptu visit pushed her day out twenty minutes. That woman was tough work man and she didn't even know if she had nailed the sale or not. She was pretty sure that Carol thought that she was some girl trying to squeeze millions out of her son. She didn't have a problem with showing her own wealth off however, she knew nothing about Jon's relationship with her but assumed her high end silk clothes and solid gold jewelry was partly from Jon's wealth.

The bell tinkled as she pushed into the cosy wine bar across the way.

"Can I help you miss?"

She shook her head as she spied Jon tucked away in a corner booth on his cell phone. "It's ok, I'm over here." She shook off her day as she walked through the bar and tucked her hair behind her ears. Her belly fluttered as he lifted his gaze to hers and smiled instantly melting away any tension she had left. He laughed on his call and then disconnected it as she slid into the booth opposite him.

"Hey you, how were the gates of hell?"

She sank into luxurious leather and her body relaxed. "Your mother is lovely."

He snorted. "Liar."

He signalled to the waiter. "I hope you don't mind I've already ordered."

"Great, I'm dying for a drink."

He cocked an eyebrow. "It was bad wasn't it?"

"I wouldn't say bad, she's just so...shrewd. God, sorry I know she's your mother but she doesn't miss a beat does she?"

He chuckled. "That's her. She didn't grill you too much did she?"

"Not at all. All clients ask me how I established my business, how much money it took and what intentions I have with their son."

Jon bit his lip, to stop himself from laughing she thought. "That bad huh?"

"I pitched my fabulous idea for her and her friends, she listened but gave me no clue whether she was impressed. I mean a smile really wouldn't have gone astray you know." She blew out her breath and then winced. "Sorry, I shouldn't be saying all this."

The waiter poured her a glass of Pinot Grigio and he slid it in her direction. "Here, you've earned this. Believe me. I know what you mean. You had an hour or so of it. I have had forty plus years, baby."

She smiled with ease and fingered the stem of the glass. "This is true. She certainly knows how to get what she wants." Her gaze flicked to hers. "Something she has in common with her son I suspect." She took a long sip and settled on the flavours.

Jon held his glass out. "To successful business ventures."

"Well I have no idea if it's successful, she said she'd be in touch but I'll raise my glass anyway."

Jon clicked her glass and then grinned. "She just called me, that's who I was talking to when you came in."

Her jaw dropped as he took a sip. "And? You're such a shit."

"Yeah, I am but it was fun to see you sweat."

Devon shifted uneasily as his blue gaze rested on her. "Well, are you gonna tell me?"

Or just flame my panties off by staring at me like that.

"Bossy thing aren't you?" He laughed as she rolled her eyes.

"And you haven't even bought me flowers like you promised. You know I only came for that right?"

"How do you know I haven't?"

"Well they're not on the table..." She stopped mid-sentence as the waiter brought over a bouquet of daisies. "I really hate you and you did that on purpose." Her cheeks flushed as the waiter rested them down on the table. Jon plucked one out of the bunch and handed it to her. This man had a way of always surprising her. "They're gorgeous."

"You're welcome, are you hungry? I could go for a grilled chicken salad, I haven't eaten since breakfast."

She nodded. "I could do that." She had a night of crunching numbers ahead of her so it would be good to get some food into her and not have to worry about it later.

Jon ordered them both a salad. "So do you want to know how ridiculously fabulous my mother thinks you are or not?"

Her eyes widened. "What? Don't toy with me like that!" She was going to kill him. She’d dealt with worse than Carol Bongiovi's on a regular basis, but what was more important apart from the fact she was Jon's mother, was she had pitched her idea to her for the first time. God, she hadn't even had a chance to run it past Jonathan and the rest of her staff to see what they thought. Talk about diving in head first but it seemed only fitting after this week and the man that was sitting opposite her in the booth.

He laughed. "I'm not kidding. She was really impressed with the location, the way the salon was presented. But she was most impressed with the owner, said she was innovative, smart and knew what she was doing." He leaned forward over the table and cupped his wine in his hands. "She went as far as even to say your customized packages were brilliant."

"Yes!" She sighed happily. It wasn't often she'd had brilliant ideas and she had hoped she was onto something big with this one.

"No where she's been to have done that and she was very keen to get a group of her friends together to try it out."

Devon shook her head and couldn't hide the grin that spread across her face. "Thank you."

"What? You did all the work."

"Come on, you got me the gig. This means a lot to me, it really does." The opportunity to make some money and finish her renovations and pay back most of the money from her stash was liberating.

"You closed the sale. I just gave you the clients. You did the work, I knew you would. You've got a way..." He trailed off and brought his wine to his lips. "I feel very relaxed around you."

"Thanks, I think."

Her heart banged against her chest as he slid out from his side of the booth and into hers. He leaned in and ran his knuckles lightly under her chin. Christ, was he going to kiss her again? Bless the seat she was in. The spicy scent of him was tempting her to just melt into him. His gaze fell to her lips and she curled her toes as his lips brushed against hers. He took a quick taste before covering his mouth over hers. He tasted like Pinot and God, he so warm. Her fingers curled around the lapels of his coat as she tried to stop her body but it leaned into him. She could easily lose a few hours with Jon and that scared her as she hadn't felt like that in a long time.

His thumb stroked her neck slowly as he broke the kiss and her eyes fluttered back open. "You've really got to stop doing that."

His hand slid around to her jaw and still held her steady. "Devon." His eyebrow arched and that sneaky grin played on his lips.

Jon was like a big diving pool and she was standing teetering on the edge, did she jump or did she plunge head first? She would be lying if she didn't think she wanted to. This here, with him now was fine. But they couldn't stay in this cocoon forever, his life was far too public for that but yet something inside her just failed to let go of him.

It was her this time that inched forward and kissed him. Her finger tips grazed over the day old stubble on his chin and her gaze locked with his. She'd let him in and there was now no going back. He smiled and lifted the bottle of wine. "More?"

She nodded. "More." Maybe just a little. It wasn't just the wine and she knew it.