Free Midnight in Montmartre: A French Kiss Sweet Romance by Chloe Emile

adorning her slim wrists. There were two rings on her fingers, but none on her ring finger. It was surprising that some rich mogul hadn't proposed to her already. Or perhaps a few had, and she’d rejected them. Beth was a businesswoman, after all, but Mia wouldn't have been surprised if she had to beat men away with a stick.
    Poker faced, Beth passed copies down to the other members on her team.
    Adam, the man in his thirties, laughed immediately. Laughter was a good sign. Beth hadn’t laughed, though, and her opinion was the one that mattered most.
    "'Keep Your Valuables Protected,'" Beth finally said. "Clever slogan."
    "Yes," a brunette named Giselle remarked. "It certainly stands out."
    "I don't know," Anton, the other older gentleman, said. "We're trying to sell lingerie, not guns. While guns are commonplace in countries like America, in France, we don't use them to sell women's underwear. It can be controversial."
    "But controversy's not necessarily a bad thing, Anton," Giselle said. "It's an homage to classic movies, and I think the gun holsters are cute. So much so that I'm tempted to suggest we make them part of the line."
    "That's precisely the problem," Anton said. "What's the message we're sending here? That women need guns to protect themselves from the big bad men out there?"
    "That's ridiculous," Giselle said. "It's obviously not an antirape campaign. It's still doing what it's supposed to: sell lingerie. Plus, I think it's pretty funny, but I guess, as usual, Anton, you fail to see the humor in the situation."
    "Let's put away the boxing gloves," Beth interjected. "Why don't we go over this campaign rationally?"
    "You know where I stand," Anton said. "We know what sells lingerie. Sure, this campaign has a degree of creativity, but let's face it. Sex sells. The new lingerie line is sexier, so it makes sense to have a sexy campaign. Now, this is a major international campaign. We can't afford to make any mistakes. The stakes are incredibly high. We want to convince our customers that wearing our lingerie will make them irresistible to men. I'm not at all sure that this campaign conveys that message."
    Beth nodded, taking Anton's opinion in. Which worried Mia. She had to speak up.
    "With all due respect, women don’t always buy lingerie for men."
    All heads turned to Mia. It was intimidating in that silent boardroom, but she willed herself to continue.
    "When we use these beautiful models for advertising campaigns and turn them into pieces of meat, like so many companies do, we're doing them, and women in general, a huge disservice. Women buy lingerie for the same reasons they buy clothes. When they look good, they feel good. And if they happen to attract attention from the opposite sex, great. But if their main objective in life is to please men, their self-esteem must be in the gutter." Mia looked Beth in the eye. "It's bad enough that society has already conveyed this message loud and clear—that a woman is only as valuable as her looks and her body—so do we have to continue to perpetuate it? We could do something more revolutionary here. We can run a campaign that empowers women without being preachy. It's fun. Giselle is a woman, and she gets it. In fact, she's our target market."
    Giselle beamed. "I do. I feel inspired by the ad. It's fresh. It's funny. It's powerful."
    " Power ," Mia stated. "That's what the gun symbolizes. It's just a symbol. It's about women taking back control."
    "Anton," Giselle said. "I doubt that our customers are going to rush out and buy guns because they’re in a lingerie ad. Besides, even if they do, you need a license to use guns. They're not easily accessible here in Europe anyway."
    "In the States, you have to take classes for gun safety," Mia added. "Although that's beside the point. The point is, women want to feel strong and confident, even if they don't know it yet. A lot of the young women are misguided these days from what's in the media. Victoria's Secret Angels