Blaze (7 page)

Here Ali's head jerked up and she glanced around, seeing others were also surprised.

Nina lifted her glass of champagne as if to salute them. ‘Yes, I intend to take an extended break to enjoy myself. I know I leave
Blaze
in very competent hands.'

Ali lifted her head expectantly, waiting for Nina to announce who would be taking over as editor. Instead Nina dropped her bombshell.

‘I am moving back to Australia. We at Triton Communications,' and here she beamed a smile down at the Baron, ‘have decided to launch
Blaze Australia
, to resurrect the original magazine that I started all those years ago, perhaps a little too ahead of its time, before merging with Triton and moving it to New York. Sydney is ready now to become the latest international city of style and taste, to join New York, London, Paris, Rome, Tokyo . . . to have its own edition of
Blaze.
Yes, I'm going to do it all again!'

There was a united gasp, a tinkle of laughter and wild applause as the audience rose to its feet, muffling Nina's final, ‘Thank you for coming.' She raised her champagne glass in a salute.

‘Dear God, she's amazing!'

‘She's mad! Who'd want the headache of starting from scratch at her age?'

‘She loves the power.'

‘Australia's too small. They'll blow their money in two years.'

The reactions buzzed around the candlelit tables as the Baron leaned over, kissed Nina on the cheek and clinked champagne glasses with her.

‘As always, my dear, you stun, stimulate and cause a sensation. You never give up, do you?' he said. Then added softly, ‘And nor will I, until you agree to marry me.'

Roberto Iano raised an eyebrow to Manny Golan beside him. ‘Australia? That sounds like going backwards to me. Even if she grew up there, why on earth . . . ?'

‘Australia produces and sells more magazines per capita than just about any other Western country,' said Ian Marcello, Nina's Australian lawyer who looked after her international affairs and had timed one of his frequent trips from Sydney to celebrate Nina's birthday. ‘It's very competitive. Don't forget Rupert Murdoch cut his teeth there and he's moved production of some of the Fox movies down there. I hear more than a few actors are buying up real estate in Sydney.'

‘It's supposed to be a combination of New York and LA, pretty sophisticated yet laid-back,' said Larissa. ‘Ali, you'd know, you come from there too. How is it really?'

The others at the table stared at Ali in surprise. She looked and sounded like a total New Yorker. Only those at
Blaze
, or within the small world of publishing, knew of her Australian roots. While many successful Australians in New York trumpeted their origins, Ali didn't broadcast the fact.

‘How would I know . . .
really
?' she said, looking slightly put out. ‘I've been here eighteen years without any contact with Australia. I have no relatives there to speak of. I don't keep up with anything Australian. Ask me about Milan, London, Cannes.'

No one took up the offer.

Larissa changed the subject. ‘Nina is very hands-on. I wonder how long a break she's taking.'

‘She's earned a long one. I can't recall her ever taking much time off,' said Manny.

‘With her money I'd gladly rest on my laurels and live it up in Europe,' declared Roberto. ‘Trust Nina not to retire quietly with a large share portfolio and drift into the sunset,' he added, concealing his irritation at not knowing of this intriguing development before now.

‘Days of the big golden parachute will soon be gone, Roberto,' Manny reminded him. A job for life was becoming a forgotten concept, even for pampered executives.

‘Nina has guided
Blaze
for so long, that she and the magazine seem inseparable,' commented Roberto, glancing at Ian Marcello, hoping for a bit of inside information.

The dark-haired, twinkle-eyed lawyer merely smiled. Nina was more than another client on his impressive list. They were friends who trusted, liked and respected each other. If she ever had a doubt about a decision, she dined with Ian who loved fine food and wine. At the end of an enjoyable meal, Nina came away satisfied in every sense. Ian's advice, questioning and analysis, sandwiched between courses, always proved invaluable.

Larissa looked at Ali and wondered what was going through her mind. With Lorraine sadly out of the picture, the path was clear for Ali to intensify her campaign for the editorship, a position Larissa suspected Ali had been quietly lobbying for in recent months. Larissa didn't have the ruthless dedication to a career that drove Ali. Probably because she had a stable personal life with a man she loved, whereas Ali – as far as anyone knew – was very single. And very single-minded. Ali was thinking rapidly. If Nina stayed out of New York long enough, she could entrench herself with senior management and implement her ideas. Already Ali was assuming her appointment as the next editor of
Blaze USA.

She glanced at Manny and the three other vice-presidents of the Triton company who were sitting at the same table. That was where the power was concentrated. She hadn't worked her butt off as deputy editor to impress Lorraine Bannister or Nina Jansous. Ali had slaved hard and made sure she'd been noticed by the male hierarchy . . . Even if it sometimes meant resorting to sexual innuendo and low-cut tops that showed her braless, small, pointed breasts. They controlled the money. And whoever controlled the money had the power. They ran the company. While Nina had powerful input, it was always the dollar that underscored the big decisions.

Nina was certainly no figurehead, but since Triton had recently gone public, and although she held substantial A-list shares, she had less say in running the corporate flagship. Now the company had to answer to shareholders, meet the responsibilities and obligations of a public company, be even more disciplined over profit margins, and watch out for possible takeovers.

Manny reached into his pocket for a cigar, but it was then he remembered his wife had removed the temptation as the invitation had politely requested they refrain from smoking. He picked up his brandy and spun the goblet between his pudgy hands. ‘So what do you make of this, Roberto? She's not doing it for money. In fact, they could blow a helluva pile. The Baron must have agreed to the idea. Is he indulging Nina or does he want to make money? If Triton is backing this, he must think she can pull it off.'

Roberto agreed. ‘Though why would a woman at her stage in life, with so much achieved, want to start over again? A helluva risk. People remember the failures, not the successes. Why is she bothering?'

‘The challenge,' chimed in Larissa. ‘It's fantastic to think that when you turn sixty you could be starting a whole new life.' She gave the two executives a wide-eyed look. ‘What are you both going to do when you turn sixty?'

Neither man wanted to answer. Manny changed the subject. ‘There's always politics, eh Roberto? In fact, I wondered whether Nina may be considering running for something, or working on someone's campaign in the near future.'

‘Nina has always been a political animal,' agreed Roberto. ‘Though she's never let her views interfere with her job as far as I can tell. Tempting when she wields so much power.'

‘Yeah, it always amazes me that a magazine has such political influence. I mean
Blaze
isn't the
Washington Post
.'

‘Do you read it?' asked Roberto with a grin.

‘
Blaze
? Yeah. But then it's part of the job,' confessed Manny. He quickly turned to Ali and Larissa, ‘Not that I don't enjoy it, of course.'

The girls rolled their eyes.

‘I bet you don't read everything Triton publishes,' said Roberto.

‘You mean other than the financial reports?' Manny downed his brandy. ‘Yeah, I find the mag interesting. Gives me a few controversies to debate with my sons who think they know everything now they're costing me private college fees. Mind you, I don't need to know about women's circumcision in Eritrea.'

Larissa was about to argue the point, but Ali kicked her under the table indicating there was no need to antagonise the executives.

 

T
he call Ali was waiting for came two days later.

She smoothed her hair, added another coat of lip gloss, waved the atomiser of Georgio around her head and went to the bathroom.

Then she walked calmly down the hall to Nina's office.

Nina was relaxed, cool and somewhat preoccupied with a field of paper, which unnerved Ali. Nina waved at the sofa and Ali sat down feeling slightly nervous, but she managed to rearrange her face into what she hoped was an expression of studied nonchalance.

Nina closed the folder then moved to the sofa opposite Ali. She gave a half-smile. ‘You might remember our last conversation.' Ali nodded slightly. ‘We were not to know the tragic events that would unfold. Fate has a strange way of stepping in at times. However, that is not changing any of my plans.'

Ali said nothing, but her stomach began twisting. Surely, without Lorraine, she had to be appointed the new editor.

‘I have been reassessing my life and, as I said at the dinner, I have been thinking about how I want to spend the next few years,' began Nina.

It sounded so calm, so reasoned, belying Nina's sleepless nights, the anguish of losing her mother, her fear of being alone in old age. In the few months since Clara had peacefully died, Nina had begun to seriously rethink her life. No ripple showed on the outside to indicate her inner turmoil. Most people would have been shocked to think that the celebrated, exquisite Nina Jansous was suffering insecurities, confusion and melancholy. She had decided to plunge ahead with the resurrecting of the Australian edition of
Blaze.
And to try to bring a level of coherence to the mental flashbacks that plagued her. She knew they were linked to her growing up in Croatia. Secretly she had made a tentative plan. But first she needed time in Australia, not just to settle in the staff and infrastructure for the first edition, but also to be clear in her mind why she was feeling the way she was. Ali was tempted to fidget, but kept motionless. What had Nina's life plan to do with her, here, now? Get on with it, Nina, she urged silently.

‘As you now know, I am temporarily easing out of
Blaze
here in the US – though it's been a wonderful and fruitful relationship. Since the company went public, my role has not been so hands-on and, I have to say I miss it. So, after discussions with Baron Triton and the other members of the board, we have agreed to start a new
Blaze –
in Australia.'

‘So you mentioned the other night,' said Ali, trying to calm her impatience.

‘It may seem a strange move in some people's eyes, but it's what I want to do. After all, it was where
Blaze
started and, now that the magazine is so highly regarded internationally, it is not as if we're faced with launching an unknown name into a competitive field.'

Ali shifted and recrossed her legs. She really was not interested in Nina's plans. What about her future? Sensing her impatience, Nina leaned forward slightly.

‘It will have to be an excellent magazine to live up to the
Blaze
standard. Like the other international editions,
Blaze Australia
will carry a number of features from
Blaze USA
, which will always remain the flagship magazine, but it will also have an identity of its own, purely Australian. It will have the opportunity to be very contemporary – technologically and creatively – so I want the best people in there. There will be a lot of reorganising to create the slick and classy magazine I envision will reflect the character of this young yet sophisticated country.'

‘Are you starting from scratch or taking over an existing magazine?' asked Ali, feeling that she needed to show at least a bit of interest.

‘I have bought out an independent Australian magazine started by a woman who was backed by a financier, apparently with very deep pockets. She tried to do what I had done with
Blaze
decades ago. Unfortunately for her, it didn't work.'

‘I imagine it's difficult to survive without being part of an . . . empire,' finished Ali, after searching momentarily for the right word.

‘That's right. Most Australian magazines have traditionally been run by Packer or Murdoch. News Corp dominates the newspaper industry, but they have also started to move into the magazine market. With Triton's backing, I intend
Blaze
to target a unique quality market in Australia, as it has in other countries.'

Ali recalled Nina telling her when she first started working for
Blaze
that she'd used her own money inherited from her late husband to start her magazine
.
It was one of the early lessons Ali had learned and filed away – money equals power.

Nina continued, ‘So, my best people must be right up there. Ali, I'm asking you to be the founding editor of
Blaze Australia
. You are ready to take on what will be a formidable job . . .'

‘Australia! An editor in Australia!' Ali couldn't stop the exclamation that exploded from her.

Nina interpreted her stunned response as surprise and didn't appear to hear the negative shock that registered in Ali's voice. ‘The Triton board has moved quickly to accept the recommendation of Irene da Costa as editor of
Blaze
here in the US following Lorraine's tragic death. This is one of the cream jobs in publishing. Naturally, Irene has accepted.'

It took a minute for the fact to register that someone else had already been appointed editor of
Blaze
in New York. Ali fumbled to make a sensible comment while her mind was spinning. ‘Irene's leaving
Bazaar
?' Ali knew the glamorous da Costa. ‘She must be nearing forty. Is she up on today's issues and tastes?' asked Ali with a hard edge to her voice.