Chapter 129
We’ve eaten and now are talking. He’s shown me the NDA hist person has signed to confirm they won’t discuss the footage he has to edit. It all is legit..
“How much do you get? Is it a set amount?” He looks at me.
“I get 40 per cent, that is after the costs of the studio are taken out, the cost of editing, and everything else.” It might seem like I should get a lot from the work I do, but when you consider the cost of editing the footage, the workers who shoot it, and everything else, it drops.
“I just can’t see the math adding up, Alexis. If you consider the fifty I was giving him, you were getting ten per cent of it. Now, I’m not sure who he uses, but five thousand is 40 per cent of about 12.5. I’m good with numbers, that means, he’s paying out over thirty thousand in editing costs from this video that he didn’t need to hire people to film as I had the cameras set up.”
His head tilts, and he looks at me. Shit. Technically, Lshould be getting far more than the five thousand Elon offered me.
“Average?” He looks at me. “What is your average take–home pay a month or year?” he asks.
“About two hundred thousand a year, before tax, before the cost
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of new clothing, as that all has to come from me. Health checks and such, again, have to come from me. Insurance I have to pay as well.” It sounds like a lot, but that two hundred thousand drops quickly after all the things need to pay for coming out of
it.
“I think you need to ask to see the contracts for your work.
Those who request you, Alexis, as the buyout amount is typically worked out based on how much the company will lose over a few months of you not working, not the length of the contract.”
“I don’t understand.” What does that mean?
“I’m saying, your two hundred thousand buyout is what they predicted they would lose if you didn’t work for a few months. If they are earning that amount from you in months, you should be getting seven figures a year, Alexis,” he smirks at me.
He could be wrong, right?
“Consider it. Let’s discuss a new business arrangement, Alexis. I buy you out of your contract, and you work for me.” He smiles at
me.
“Work for you? Doing what?” He isn’t in the line of business I do.
“Anything. I can find you a position around the office. If you don’t like the idea of me paying, you can repay me slowly out of what you earn.”
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So I could get out of the entire business and do something else? One thing is for sure, Eros is right. Something doesn’t add up with the contracts and money. I never questioned it, as I knew he had to pay the costs out before paying me.
“I need time to consider it,” I reply, and his smile widens.
“You should consider it, even if it takes months for you to decide to buy yourself out. Consider it,” he says, and I nod. I need to think things over and consider everything.
I know he offered me a job, but I’m not entirely comfortable working for him.
“May I know why you got into the business?” He looks at me.
“I was twenty–one and foolish,” I shrug my shoulders, and he laughs.
“That narrows that down a lot.”
“It’s a fact. I was twenty–one, bored in life, bored with sex and all that. I saw the ad for a place and just decided to do it. I’ve met some amazing friends doing it. Ultimately, I had loans to pay off and debt to clear after my husband ran off.”
His head tilts.
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“You’re married?” He stares at me.
“I am, although I wouldn’t say I’m married as I’ve not seen him in over eight years.” He disappeared and is good at it.
“How did you end up in debt?” he asks.
“My husband ran up debts, and because everything was in both our names, it meant I lost the house and everything. Finding him to get him to pay was impossible. I’ve filed for a divorce on the grounds that he’s disappeared and hasn’t made contact in over eight years.” My debt now, however, is paid off. It didn’t help that he used one of the credit cards after he left for months, running up more debt.
“You, Bunny Wild, are a very interesting person. What age did you marry?” He leans over the table.
“I was eighteen,” I say. His eyes widen.
“So you were only married for three years?” he asks.
“Two, for a year, I tried to fix the debt with normal jobs. I didn’t get enough, so that was when I became a working woman.” I was twenty when Jack left. Twenty–one when I realised the debt he had left me in wasn’t easy to get out of.
He sits and stares at me. He has more questions, but the look in his eyes says he is refraining from asking. To be fair, there’s not
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much more to say. I thought I was in love; it turned out he used me for money.
I watch as he takes out his phone and does something before turning it to me.
“Put in your details. I will pay you tonight and see you tomorrow, yes?” He looks at me, and I nod.
“Tomorrow is fine. I’m not working at all, so any time you want me there, let me know,” I say as I type in my bank details and hand him the phone back.
He looks up and smiles after a minute. “The money should be in your account, and I will drop you off at home.” I watch as he throws money on the table, my eyes rolling at the amount. He guides me out, and again, everyone stares at me.
Eros doesn’t seem to care, however; he’s still grinning like it doesn’t matter, and I guess to him, it doesn’t. He comes across as someone who doesn’t give a crap what others think.
Stopping at mine, he walks me to the door.
“So tomorrow?” He looks at me, and I nod.
“Yes. Tomorrow.” I will do this and then consider the way forward with Elon and my contract. Maybe I could just buy the bare minimum needed to buy myself out of the contract myself?
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“I will get a car to collect you at about one?” he asks, and I nod.
“One is fine. Thank you for tonight, Eros, and for the advice,” I say. It was valuable advice; I hadn’t realised how much Elon was getting. He nods and takes a step back.
My hand reaches for the handle, and he moves suddenly. I find myself pinned against the door with his mouth on mine. Hel kisses me so hard and violently I’m barely able to breathe. My hands tangle into his hair as I drown in the taste of him, the same taste from that day.
A whimper claws at my throat, and he steps back suddenly.
“I apologise, I…” His head shakes. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” he turns and rushes to the car. What the hell was that? I walk in
and consider it.
Tonight wasn’t a date, or at least I told him it wasn’t a date, but the way he kissed me. I still have the feeling of butterflies in my stomach.
A knock has me walking to the door, opening it, Eros looks at
me.
“I came to apologise again for my behaviour that was unacceptable, I just felt like something more was needed than a simple goodbye.”
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“You don’t need to apologise, Eros; you didn’t overstep the mark or do anything unacceptable.” Confusing? Yes. I’m very confused as I was so sure today was a business meeting, but that kiss threw me and had me considering if it was actually a date in his mind.
“Good night, Alexis.” He goes to shake my hand as I go to hug him: We step back, and I blush. I fucking blush! Me! He moves to hug me, and I inhale deeply. His scent wraps around me.
“Good night, Eros,” I say as he pulls back and looks down at me. My tongue darts over my lips, and he leans down to kiss me again. I don’t stop him, although I probably should. I grip him and pull him closer to me, hearing him groan before he steps back and walks away.
Okay, he can’t walk me to the door anym