The woman thought to herself, observing the crowd around Bette, that everyone who knew Bette eventually developed at least a small crush on Bette, male or female, gay or straight.  The fact is life soon assumed a more interesting side to it when Bette Porter was around you.  Amongst other things, soon after arriving in the LA scene, she had quickly developed a well-earned reputation of effortlessly captivating any audience she faced, whether it was a crowd of hard-to-please cognoscenti, or an audience of one, such as the case of her latest conquest, the redoubtable Chairman of the Charles de Gaulles Airport in Paris. “She does know how to seduce, a modern-day Scheherazade, our Bette,” the woman murmured to her husband.

Bette’s story tonight was indeed, the culminating chapter of a tale of seduction, carried out successfully on an initially redoubtable giant, in the guise of the gallic Chairman of Paris’ main airport, gateway to France.  Bette was negotiating rights to land an exclusive business jet service in the leading Paris airport, as it was the linchpin in her plans to launch ultra luxe services for her clients, including business travel combined with singular cultural experiences, and access to unique sources of premier wines, perfumes, and food in France.  And art, which Bette’s main focus was.

”So what did the stern Monsieur say about that, Bette?” asked the woman whose husband’s idea of an entertaining evening was to hear Bette Porter read the phone book to them, as she walked gracefully towards the brunette.  Bette turned to greet the elegant couple approaching her with a warm smile.  Diane and Niall were one of the earliest clients she booked when she moved to LA to establish her gallery. Once they came onboard, her client list expanded from strength to strength, to the formidable one it was today.

“Did he hold fast, or did he realize he couldn’t deny Bette Porter what she wanted?” her husband rejoined, smiling also as he joined his wife walk towards Bette, and the circle of their dear friends surrounding this most exquisite of women.

Bette flashed one of her signature 1000 watt smiles, laughed, and continued her story, “We were taking a break from negotiations, when he poured me some cognac from his private stash. The lawyers had left the room, so it was just the two of us.  As we drank, we exchanged witticisms.”