Page 3 of The Hook Up
Hottie video guy began talking again, so Ellie reminded herself to pay attention. And maybe to start thinking of him as Ty and not “hottie video guy.”
“I had to admit I was taken aback when I visited your website,” he said.
Ellie clutched the armrests on her chair. “You already visited my website?”
God, please don’t let him be a prude.
She sat up straight and did her best to look like a smart, capable, professional woman and not a perv.
“It was very eye-opening,” he said. “I had no idea there were so many different styles and colors and options available.”
Ellie smiled and tried not to sag with relief. “We pride ourselves on having something for everyone,” she said.“After all, no two people have the same tastes and preferences and turn-ons, so it’s important to offer something to make everyone happy.”
Was it her imagination, or did his eyes widen a little when she mentioned turn-ons? Maybe she should be playing this cool, not getting too explicit about any of Madam Butterfly’s products.
“I see what you mean about being passionate about your products,” he said. “I’m betting that really shines through to your customers.”
“I hope so,” she said. “I’m just getting started with the more face-to-face stuff, instead of just online marketing. To be honest, I wasn’t sure that’s the way to go.”
“I can tell within five minutes of meeting you that you made the right call,” he said. “The personal touch goes a long way in your business.”
“That it does.” Ellie smiled and tried to figure out if he was making a sex-toy joke or just being professional. Hello, awkward.
“I was impressed by some of the new products the company is rolling out,” he continued.
She nodded, amazed he’d done so much homework. Miriam wasn’t kidding about how seriously he took his job. Ellie tried to think of something smart to say about Madame Butterfly’s new offerings. Something Ty might relate to.
“The new Gentleman’s Choice line will take some guys’ game to a whole new level.” Ugh. She wanted to kick herself. Would he take that as a come-on?
But Ty just smiled and folded his hands on the desk, and Ellie tried not to ogle his biceps. Or his forearms. Or his chest. Or—really, she should just study his pencil holder or something.
“I was noticing that new glow-in-the-dark line,” he said. “There’s some terrific visual marketing appeal there.”
“That’s a great point.” Dammit, she should have brought a notepad or something to write this stuff down.
Ty picked up a letter opener and tapped it a few times on the edge of his desk before setting it down again. “If you’re open to making a few videos, we could do some cool things in the studio with the glow-in-the-dark stuff. Maybe switch off the lights and have you hold one up and move it around a little. It’s not too heavy for that, is it?”
Ellie laughed and shook her head. “No. It’s definitely one of our biggest models, but I can handle it.”
Ugh, did she sound too eager? He was right—the new Glow Bright Joy Stick vibrator was an awesome product, but no way in hell was she waving one around on camera. Showing it at a party was one thing, but video was different. Besides being camera shy, she didn’t want to sit there in the carpool line wondering if the other moms had watched footage of her wielding a giant, glowing penis.
But if an average, slightly-exhausted single mom could embrace her sexuality and talk candidly about adult products, maybe she’d inspire other women to do the same.
“I guess I’m open to considering video,” she said carefully. “Is there a way to, um…keep it subtle?”
“We’d play it however you like,” Ty said, shoving his shirt-sleeves up and distracting Ellie with his arms again. “The important thing is for customers to actually see the products. I also think you’d get a lot of mileage out of how- to videos.”
Ellie swallowed hard. This wasn’t what she’d expected, but she should keep an open mind.“What do you mean?”
“Maybe something where you showcase some of the different techniques. Like I was reading up on ‘angle of entry’ and how not everyone understands the importance of that.”
“Oh. Right, yes, it’s very important.” Ellie forced herself not to frown. He was offering free advice, so it wasn’t her place to shut him down. And he’d clearly done his homework if he knew about Madame Butterfly’s line of g-spot vibrators angled for maximum pleasure. It was true plenty of women didn’t know how that worked. Maybe an educational component would be helpful.
He was still talking, so Ellie told herself to listen instead of fretting about the prospect of starring in some trashy late-night cable TV infomercial. She could politely decline later, right?
“Reading about the angle of entry stuff was actually pretty fascinating,” he continued, “I had no idea a four or five-degree shift can have such a huge impact on the strike pocket.”
Strike pocket? Huh. Plenty of her customers used cutesie slang terms for their vaginas, but that was a new one on her. Ellie licked her lips. “It certainly makes a difference,” she said. “The sensation is totally different when you have it just right.”
