“I’m so effing excited to meet you in person. I’ve been low-key stalking you for weeks and am fangirling right now!” She seemed genuinely excited, but I reminded myself that it was her job to be excited.

“And finally…” Alex waved to a dark-haired white guy who looked like he probably played racquetball and refused to go down on his wife. “My agent, Chad.”

“Lady Elena.” He nodded, shaking my hand in that annoying way some men do where they grasp your fingers as though they’re going to kiss your knuckles, but do a limp little shake instead. “And I see you’ve brought a friend along!”

“This is my attorney, Ophelia.” She was a rare exception who used her real name in both worlds. What she did on the side was an open secret among her clients who were thrilled to discover she was a dominatrix in real life and not just in their fantasies.

“I wish my lawyer was as hot as you, but I’m stuck with Rami here!” Chad slapped Rami on the back. He just didn’t know when to shut up. “Ophelia, huh? Never met one of those before! Can I call you Big O for short?” The laughter died in his throat when he got nothing but icy stares from both of us.

Ophelia turned to Alex. “Is he serious? Is he trying to be funny by being a walking stereotype?” She turned back to Chad, looking him up and down with distaste. “Brad, is it?” She waved dismissively when he tried to cut in. “If we could keep the frat-tastic behavior to a minimum, this will be much less unpleasant for everyone involved. Do you have the maturity to discuss this agreement or do we need to drop you off at daycare and go find a grown-up to represent Mr. Chase?”

Apparently undeterred by the withering look she continued to give him, Chad blurted, “Hell, you’re the one who should be a dominatrix! I’m kind of terrified of you.”

“I am a dominatrix.”

I met Alex Chase’s eyes and couldn’t quite fight down a smile at the delighted amusement twinkling in his expression. We were both enjoying Ophelia destroying Chad. He grinned when he saw me crack, so I narrowed my eyes, but he didn’t look away.

Thankfully, Rami said, “Have a seat, Brad, and let’s get started.” He cut the tension by sliding a set of documents across the table to us. “Shall we walk through the final thing quickly together? It’s a pretty standard contract arrangement. The term is 31 days. Let’s focus on the “dates” Lady Elena and Mr. Chase will have, which are outlined on page 37. Some of these are appearances Mr. Chase has scheduled and others will serve as meetings to train under the guise of a date. Asha will appropriately notify the press of your movements and leak information as necessary. Asha, can you discuss the strategy for the dates and what we hope to accomplish? ”

Asha said, “Here’s the overall plan. We capitalize off your current notoriety and stage a few good photo ops to make people lose their minds wondering what’s going on between the two of you. We won’t give any official statements or interviews right out of the gates, but I’ll offer enough candid photo ops and anonymous quotes that the public will be foaming at the mouth.”