I was pissed at myself for being hung up on his use of the word obviously. Why was it so obvious we wouldn’t really date?

Focus. Does what he’s suggesting even solve the problem?

I raised a brow. “You don’t think the studio would be suspicious you’ve hired outside help if we suddenly start dating?”

He blew out a breath. “At that point, they won’t give a shit if you’re teaching me at the same time. Have you seen how viral you are right now? There’s an entire TikTok trend of people begging you to do things to them and even a petition demanding they cast you as Lucas Steel. I start dating a notorious dominatrix and people will lose their ever-loving minds. All eyes will be on us as the casting decision is announced. They can’t buy that kind of press.”

I considered him. “Why would I agree to that kind of public scrutiny?”

“Besides the pleasure of my company, you mean?”

Alex Chase was clearly used to charming anything female that moved.

He was annoyingly relaxed as he said, “You have a responsibility to the fans, to the kink community, to help me get it right.”

Shit.

He’d turned my own words on me. I did feel a sense of responsibility. I was capable of helping, possibly one of the few people who could if he was struggling as much as they thought he was. How could I pass up the opportunity to help them get such a monumental character right?

But at what cost?

I smoothed my skirt even though it didn’t have any wrinkles in it, a nervous habit I thought I’d long ago overcome. “I don’t owe anyone my privacy. What’s left of it anyway. I need to let the VP mess blow over, not drag myself into what could easily turn into another scandal.”

He shrugged. “From where I’m sitting, it looks like you have an image problem no matter what. Secrecy is fundamental to a large portion of your client base, right? But like it or not, you’re in the spotlight now. All your clients have to be a little nervous they’ll come under scrutiny. The stakes are higher if it gets out they’re clients. That leaves you with two choices. Lay low and hope it passes without disrupting your income…or lean into it and embrace this newfound fame, leverage that into whatever career choices you want—TV show, book deal, branding opportunities.” He winked at me. “I’ll even let you break up with me. Thanks to that video, you’re infamous. We could make you famous.”

It would be easy to think this guy was just a pretty himbo, but he was alarmingly perceptive and knew just which buttons to push.

I paused to consider the disadvantages. I’d worked in total secrecy for my whole career, but I didn’t have anything to lose from people finding out besides my privacy. I wasn’t secretly a pediatrician like one of my coworkers and didn’t have any family to think of. My mom died when I was a kid and I hadn’t spoken to my dad in almost a decade, so his feelings were irrelevant. It could hinder me if I wanted to go back to a mainstream career choice, but I was beginning to think going back would be impossible anyway.