When I gawked instead of answering, Sawyer’s smile fell. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to take over the conversation.”
“No, it’s fine. I was just too busy being impressed to answer. Like I said, I tried to hire people before, but they either backed out the minute they found out what I did for a living, or they were in it for the wrong reasons. I had a couple of fans apply, but then in the initial meeting, all they did was hit on me.”
Sawyer made a face that smacked of disapproval. “That’s shitty of them. I’m sorry.”
Shrugging, I turned my attention to my sandwich. It was almost too thick for me to get a proper bite of, and I had to squish it down. I finished the first half as we ate in comfortable silence. I liked that about Sawyer. How confident he was about what he knew, and that he didn’t feel the need to bury every silence in endless chatter.
“Can I ask why you want to write this?” Sawyer grimaced. “I mean, I just have this opinion, and it’s going to sound super shitty, but bear with me. I think a lot of people think their lives are more interesting than they are. It’s natural to feel that way, you know. Because we are the main characters in our lives, so why wouldn’t people want to know about us?”
“I should be insulted.”
Sawyer flinched and curled in on himself.
“Ishouldbe, but I’m not. I definitely didn’t follow the normal path of growing up, graduating, getting into college, marrying, and popping out kids. I’m thirty-six, but I’ve been through enough shit to fill two biographies. But what I’m most interested in is being open and honest about what it was like to get into this industry when I was so young and vulnerable.”
“Thirty-six? Damn. I need to get your skin care routine.” Sawyer laughed.
“It’s a combination of sunblock and good genetics. The occasional mask, but nothing fancy, to be honest.”
“Ah yes, pale is the new tan. And me with my perpetually rosy complexion. It’s a curse.”
“I wouldn’t call it that.”Damn it, Lukas. Do not flirt with the writer.“So, contract. How long do you think that will take?”
Sawyer cleared his throat and pretended that I hadn’t flirted with him. It was a shame that he was so perfect for what I needed because I was genuinely attracted to him. But after he heard my life story, I highly doubted he’d want much of anything to do with me.
“Probably a week or so at least. I want to make sure I research a fair rate for the both of us, and then find an agreement that protects both our interests. But I’m definitely interested. I’ve read a few biographies over the years so there’s different ideas I have, depending on the tone of your story.” Sawyer winced. “Sorry, I can get carried away sometimes.”
“No. Don’t apologize. It’s nice to meet someone who takes shit seriously.”
The alarm on my phone went off, indicating that I had an hour to get back to the set and get ready for the next shoot. I was loath to leave Sawyer’s company, though.
“Sorry, I have somewhere I need to be. Truthfully, if I’d known that today was going to go so well, I would have given us more time to talk.”
The grin Sawyer flashed me was brilliant. “If your meetings had gone as bad as you say, I don’t blame you for having an emergency exit planned.”
“I really did enjoy meeting you.”
“Likewise.” Sawyer reached into his pocket and grabbed his wallet, but I stopped him.
“No, let me pay. It’s a business expense anyway.”
Sawyer hesitated but nodded and put his wallet away. “Thank you.”
I paid for lunch and walked Sawyer out of the restaurant. I had half a mind to invite him for a behind-the-scenes look, but I had a newbie shooting later, and I didn’t want my attention to be divided between them. Then I heard Jax’s voice in my head. He was a fellow adult content creator and a friend. We’d met years ago when we were both still filming porn. Jax was often my voice of reason, and this time he had my back by telling me not to be weird.
We paused on the sidewalk, both of us seemingly unhurried to part ways, but it couldn’t be helped. I stuck my hand out and shook his, my entire body heating at the way his hand felt in mine. His firm grip was delivered by soft, warm skin.
“It was a pleasure to meet you, Sawyer. I’m excited to work with you. I think this will be a great opportunity for both of us.”
“I feel the same way.” Sawyer pulled his hand away and tucked it in the pocket of his coat. Spring was trying to come tothe state, but the wind still had a distinctly winterish bite to it. “We’ll talk soon. Take care.”
Sawyer turned and went the opposite direction that I had to go, but I watched him walk away for a few moments before I turned and forced myself to go back to work. I sent a text letting my assistant, Ash, know that I was on my way back to help with the shoot, and then I pushed Sawyer and all thoughts about him out of my mind.
THREE
SAWYER
Things moved quicklyafter our meeting. I got in touch with Thurston, who steered me toward a lawyer who dealt with stuff like this all the time. I’d put my own work on hold for the week while I read a bunch of biographies and mapped out different ideas for how we could approach his story.
