CHAPTER FOUR

      Neve

      JUST FOR THE fun of it, I went toe to toe with him on the next pitch before making a tactical withdrawal.

      He knew what I was up to, of course, and his gaze grew increasingly assessing as the next contestants entered the den.

      I redirected my gaze to where Chinese screens with colourful frames were being erected. There were six in total and, having learned on the first day to take my cue from the crew’s excitement, I paid closer attention. I’d researched the past shows, knew there was a solitary gem that stood head and shoulders above mundane pitches.

      My instincts screamed this could be it.

      Surreptitiously, I noted Damian’s interest and plastered on my poker face as the crew finished setting up, noting the mastery in the hand-stitched embroidery etched in the red silk cloth that covered the frames.

      The cameras started rolling.

      A man and woman of similar height and colouring entered, their smiles open and friendly.

      ‘Hi, Raiders, I’m Sam Weston and this is my brother Tyler,’ the woman said. ‘I earned the right to speak to you first today because I’m three minutes older than him.’

      ‘What she means is, she didn’t really give me a choice,’ Tyler replied.

      Chuckles echoed through the room, lightening the mood.

      I angled my body subtly towards Damian, crossed one leg over the other, and immediately sensed tension rise in his body.

      ‘We’re here to ask for a seven-hundred-and-fifty-thousand-dollar investment in return for a twenty-five per cent stake in our business,’ Sam stated. ‘It’s a huge sum, we know, but what we have to offer in return will blow your socks off.’ She shared a smile with her brother. ‘Please allow us to let your fantasies come true.’

      They approached the Chinese screens, drew them to one side and, in sync, tugged away the silk cloth to reveal a set of large photographs.

      One picture was a replica of a scene from Alice in Wonderland, the other a Victorian-era agency parlour. They unveiled the next frame to reveal a French boudoir, and the one after that a late-nineteenth-century Wild West drinking saloon.

      The last two were equally eye-catching, every vivid detail in the picture depicting scenes familiar to book and movie lovers.

      ‘Our business is called Fantasy Rooms. In short, we give you the room of your fantasy in any hotel room of your choice. You can be a Regency duke or an explorer for the duration of your stay and, with just three days’ notice before you check in, we can transform any room to suit your ideal fantasy and provide the costumes and the props required to make your stay one hundred per cent authentic.’

      A wild dart of excitement arrowed through me. When I was a child, my one guaranteed escape from the unpleasant roller coaster of watching my mother and the revolving door of unsuitable men she entertained had been through the magic of books.

      My library card had been my most treasured possession almost from the day my father had walked out when I was eight. And as soon as I could afford it, I’d filled my reading tablet with more romantic fantasy books than any other.

      The idea of bringing those two worlds together, incorporating them into my business, wrapped itself around my heart and held on tight. I needed to use my business head for this but I took a moment to indulge in the possibilities of what this could mean for me. For Nevirna.

      I snapped into focus.

      ‘Three quarters of a million is a hell of a lot of money. Why such a big budget?’ Nate asked.

      Tyler stepped forward. ‘We’ve only worked with a few small hotels on the East Coast. We’re looking to expand to the West Coast and eventually go international. The budget will go towards investing in manpower for a year. Ideally we’re looking at six teams, four in each team, to be available to transform the rooms with the three-day notice we aspire to. We’re also looking at hiring costume designers to produce bespoke equipment that isn’t readily available on the market.’

      ‘Bespoke,’ Damian echoed. ‘That’s expensive.’

      ‘But ultimately worth it,’ Sam replied.

      ‘You said you’ve been working with smaller hotels. Who are they?’ I asked.

      Tyler named a chain of hotels based in Florida. They were good but not worthy competition.

      ‘I want an exclusive partnership.’ I boldly staked my claim.

      Damian glanced my way but I kept my gaze trained on the Westons. They exchanged smiling looks before glancing my way again.

      ‘Nevirna Resorts is on our dream list, and, yes, we would consider an initial exclusive arrangement.’

      My stomach dropped. ‘Explain initial,’ I pressed.

      Sam smiled. ‘We really admire you, Miss Nolan. You cater to the type of clients we’re after. We’ve done tons of research and know you’re working on expanding your resort into Europe and the Caribbean. Our dream is to be bigger eventually and we’d welcome the chance to grow with you but we don’t want to be locked in if...things don’t work out. We need to start somewhere and we think that your resort would be a good fit for us for a couple of years. Ideally we would both grow together.’

      Disappointment welled up. Their concept could be huge with the right partnership. But I wasn’t done fighting for the right to be their long-term partner even if all they were offering right now was two years. ‘I’ll offer half a million for the twenty-five per cent stake for a five-year exclusive contract with Nevirna,’ I stated boldly.

      ‘This hasn’t been tested on a large scale, has it? It could be a success story or it could be a huge money pit. Convince me it’s not the latter,’ Damian challenged.

      ‘It’s new and largely untested, yes, but we believe in the concept and in our ability to make it worthwhile to your clients. We’ve also had strong interest from the Stardust group of hotels. But we think a partnership with the Raiders will better fit us.’

      With a compulsion I couldn’t stem, I turned my head. Surely enough, Damian was staring at me, a hard, shrewd smile twitching his lips.

      He knew I wanted this deal. Knew it and relished taking me on.

      Tyler cleared his throat. ‘If we may be so bold, our ideal objective would be to secure a semi-exclusive partnership with Nevirna and The Mortimer Group.’

      Hell, no. ‘That doesn’t work for me at all.’

      Damian’s gaze veered from mine to lock with Sam’s. My heart dropped to my toes. He was about to chop me off at the knees.

      But I wasn’t down and out yet. ‘I’ll offer you six hundred thousand for a thirty per cent stake and a three-year exclusivity agreement,’ I countered. ‘But more than that I’ll offer you a true partnership, not one where you’re just another gimmick that’ll easily get overlooked in a big conglomerate’s fanfare. The Mortimer Group is impressive, sure, but do you want to get lost in all their