All the Right Places (RILEY O'BRIEN & CO #1) by Jenna Sutton Page A

or less. Five, four, three . . .”
    “Okay, okay.” Cal swung his legs to the floor and rose to his full six four. “I just got the preliminary report from the firm we hired to conduct market research for the women’s division. The research team is going to be here next Wednesday to present the findings. You might want to think about attending the presentation.” He exhaled loudly. “Thefindings are going to upset you, Quinn. They made me sick to my stomach.”
    His stomach soured just from the look on Cal’s face. “Why?”
    “Because the research proves what we’ve suspected. We’re so far behind our competition that we’re not even in the race. We’ve lost more market share than I expected. Frankly, I’m not even sure it’s possible to reverse the trend.”
    Cal was sharp. Very little slipped by him, and he had the education to back up his instincts. His brother was finishing up the final quarter of his MBA at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, the number one business program in the nation.
    The school had an extension program in San Francisco that competed directly against Stanford, where Quinn had received his graduate degree. Undoubtedly, he and Cal would argue over which one of them had the best education, and he had plans to deface one of Cal’s Wharton sweatshirts with a big red S.
    Taking a seat in front of Quinn’s desk, Cal speared him with his icy blue gaze. “You know the saying ‘Using a Band-Aid to stop a hemorrhage’? That’s where we are.”
    Scrubbing his hands over his face, Quinn exhaled roughly. “Do you have anything good to tell me?”
    Cal considered his question. “Demand for apparel, and jeans in particular, is still strong.”
    “That’s good since we make jeans,” he said sarcastically.
    Cal continued as if Quinn hadn’t said anything. “Sales of accessories continue to grow across all categories, including handbags, belts, and shoes.”
    “That sounds like opportunity to me, especially since we’re doing this line with Amelia.”
    Cal nodded. “The most encouraging research finding is that none of our competitors are pairing jeans and accessories and selling them as a package, and none of them are doing a good job capturing demand for boho-chic items, which basically describes Amelia’s style.”
    “So we made a good choice?”
    “Teagan made a good choice,” Cal reminded him. “Amelia has more name recognition with younger adults than weexpected, and more than any other designers who might have partnered with us. So, we just need to make sure we keep her happy, at least until she finishes the project.”
    Quinn nodded, thinking it shouldn’t be too hard to keep her happy, as long as he kept his hands to himself. But then his amoral alter ego chimed in.
    Maybe you could make her even happier if you didn’t keep your hands to yourself.



Chapter 10
    Cal had been right. The market research findings about the women’s division were depressing as hell.
    After Quinn talked with his brother last week, he’d taken Cal’s suggestion and cleared his schedule for this afternoon so he could attend the official presentation.
    Because of an unexpected phone call from one of the banks that provided financing for Riley O’Brien & Co., he’d been late getting to the collaboration area and all the seats were occupied. Although he stood in the back of the room, he was still able to see and hear the presentation clearly.
    The presenter, a woman named Shelby Carruthers, headed up one of the best market research firms in the nation. The firm focused exclusively on apparel and apparel retailers, and Shelby knew her stuff better than anyone else in the business.
    This wasn’t the first time Riley O’Brien & Co. had worked with the firm, but it had been several years since the company had conducted a comprehensive market research study. And it was the first time any research had been done specifically to find out how consumers felt about Rileys