Page 14 of The Hook Up
“No problem,” he said. “Which box should I stuff this in?”
“Uh—right here.” Ellie pried open the flaps on a pink plastic crate and as Ty deposited the Buzzy Butterfly clitoral stimulator inside. “Thanks.”
Thirty minutes had passed since the last guest departed, but Ty was still here. He could be home watching TV by now, but it was a relief to have his help. At this rate she might make it home in time to tuck Henry in for the night.
“You don’t have to clean up,” she said. “I’ve got this, I swear.”
“I’m atoning for my sins,” he said. “For all the douchey- sounding things I said the first time we met.”
“For the last time, it wasn’t douchey.” Ellie folded a black lace teddy and tucked it into one of her crates. “You thought you were talking about bowling balls, and I thought you were giving me tips on being a new business owner. It was an honest mistake.”
He eyed her curiously for a moment. “I never actually gave you any tips, did I?”
“Sure you did. I know more now about bowling pins and ball-washing than I ever used to.”
Ty laughed and closed the top on a pink crate before stacking it on her wheeled cart. “No, I mean actual entrepreneurial tips. Miriam asked me to give you a hand, and instead I talked dirty to you.”
“It’s fine, Ty. Although now that you’ve watched one of my sales presentations, I’d be interested in any feedback you have.”
“I thought you did great.”
He was probably being nice, but her confidence had grown the more she talked. Still, there was room for improvement.
“Seriously, I’d love your two cents on how tonight went,” she said. “Public presentations are more your thing than mine.”
“Video is my thing,” he said. “I leave the public presentation stuff to the other partners. But if you want my opinion on that, I think you’d be terrific on camera.”
Ellie snorted. “What, you mean hawking sex toys on late-night cable commercials?”
“No, I’m talking about product demos.” Ty leaned back against a bank of cabinets and folded his arms over his chest. “Classy little how-to videos embedded on your website to show potential customers what something looks like or how it operates.”
She grimaced and shook her head. “The women in the PTA at my son’s school would have a heart attack.”
“You wouldn’t be broadcasting it on the five-o’clock news,” he pointed out. “You could even put them in a password-protected section of your website so only trusted customers would be able to view them. And you’d keep things very tasteful.”
Ellie considered it. She liked that he’d said “tasteful,” which meant he wasn’t suggesting she do anything too sultry or suggestive. Just the same sort of things she talked about in her presentations.
But the idea of being on camera made her queasy. She thought about bright lights and microphones and her annoying habit of tripping over her tongue when she got nervous.
Then she thought about working with Ty. Like magic, some of the queasiness evaporated.
“Is it expensive?” she asked. “Video, I mean.”
“It can be,” he said. “But there’s a friends and family discount you’d get through Miriam.”
“Really?” Ellie wondered if that was true or if he was just being nice. “That might help.”
“Actually, I was wondering if you’d be open to trade.”
Ellie blinked. She imagined herself exchanging sexual favors for professional editing work.
Wait. What?She swallowed hard. “What do you mean by trade?”
“You have a terrific voice,” he said. “I was noticing that during your presentation. Great enunciation, just the right pacing. Maybe you’d be up for doing a little voiceover work.”
“Voiceover work?” Her voice cracked, and she wanted to smack herself in the forehead for repeating his words like some sort of deranged parrot.
Ty, bless his heart, didn’t seem fazed. “There’s a whole series of commercials I’m producing over the next few weeks,” he said. “I’ve been looking for just the right female voice to use, and I think you might be a good fit.”
