Ivy laughed, her cheeks growing warm. But she did and pressed publish. “Julien Innes?”
“Yes, indeed. Ivy Powell. Nice to meet you. You come highly recommended by my great friend Ella. I’ve asked around about you.”
“You have?” Ivy flushed.
“Yes, it’s a small town. Lots of people at Metric thought you should have taken the spot of Fitzgerald junior. Other people thought they gave you too much too soon that you didn’t earn your stripes.”
“Some of those people thought a fat girl wouldn’t look good in the company photo.” Ivy spat out the words, surprising herself. She hadn’t voiced that out loud toanyone. It was in the background, and she tried not to let it get to her, but her not fitting into the company’s image was there.
Ivy looked down, twisting a ring on her finger that her mom had given her for her last birthday. “I put in the long hours, I made friends with editors and writers and all the ad agencies I could. I worked tirelessly on the phone. They did me no favours.”
“Especially when they fired you and lost three accounts you were handling.”
“Really?” She couldn’t help the slow smile spread across her face.
“Yes, really.” Julien steadied her with his calm gaze, and Ivy pushed her hair back behind her ears. She had heard a rumour of that from Emery but hadn’t dared to believe it.
“I’m good at what I do, Mr. Innes.”
“Julien is fine. So, here at Quest Media, we have numerous publications and content creation avenues. We’re always striving to push boundaries. We have a new show coming up, calledSpeak Darkly. This is where I need you. I need a co-host for the podcast, which will be streamed. This co-host ofSpeak Darklywill also write a weekly column inWild, an advice columnist on sex, on kinky sex.”
Ivy’s face paled. “I haven’t done any broadcasting, well, not since university. I don’t think I am the right person for you.”
“You know how to craft a good story. My source tells me you’re the one who handled the pieces for the Sawyer divorce.”
Ivy couldn’t help the prideful smile that spread across her face. The celebrity divorce had been one of the biggest scandals, and she had managed that narrative.
“I can’t say what I worked on, Julien.” Her lips quirked, and she blushed as he raised an eyebrow at her.
“Fair. I found recordings of your university days. You have a perfect radio voice. And you seem comfortable with your sexuality.”
“I don’t know about that, Julien. I made one post, and it destroyed my life.”
His eyebrow raised. “Did you delete the post? Because I’m not sure what you are talking about. But going through your social media accounts, I see pictures of you wearing a collar.”
“The collar wasn’t that noticeable,” Ivy bristled, wondering why she was suddenly feeling shy with someone who was so open about it. Isn’t this how she wanted Gabe to be? Was it because this was the last thing she expected to come up in the interview?
“Ella says you are very patient with new submissives.” He raised an eyebrow at her.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve been to one of Ella’s submissive nights. And we were all new once.”
“Here, tell me what this is and give me a couple of lines.” Julien reached into his bag and held out his palm to her, the sun hitting the two small orbs.
Ivy took them, spinning them around on her palm. “These are magnet clamps. Usually used for the nipples or the clit but can be played anywhere on the body between the flesh. Even on lips.”
She knew she was blushing. And she so wanted to go home tonight and ask Gabe to use their pair on her. Damn, she had missed kink.
Julien smiled. “Personal experience?”
“Is that part of this? Do I have to share my real-life experience?”
“To a point. Telling readers about who you are and what you’ve enjoyed and tried would be a draw. I want someone people can connect with. And sponsors would send you all kinds of products. What about this?”
Ivy stared at the hollow silicone tube in Julien’s hand. She swallowed, took a breath and met his gaze.
“It’s a hollow butt plug. During anal penetration, it keeps you more open than a standard anal plug. A penis or toy can be inserted into the sleeve. For deep anal penetration.”
“What does it feel like?” Julien raised an eyebrow at her.
