Page 62 of With Stars in Her Eyes

Thea

A knock came at the door of the photography studio. I didn’t know who I expected, but it certainly wasn’t a male stranger dressed like his only goal in life was to star in a reboot of Entourage, complete with Bluetooth earpiece and visible chest hair.

“Are you Thea Quinn?”

Part of me wanted to respond with a “That depends on who’s asking” in an accent like I was in a second-rate cop drama that would probably air on CBS in prime time, but I was in no mood to do a bit right now. I’d sent the card to Courtney a week ago and hadn’t heard anything yet.

“Yes. Is everything okay?”

The speed at which he flicked his card at me seemed preternatural.

“Richard Knotts.” He didn’t actually hand me the card though. He just flashed it like it was needed to bolster his story and then pulled it back after I’d read it.

Richard Knotts Knotts Entertainment Management LLC

Offices in Los Angeles and London

An irrepressible instinct to laugh came over me at the memory of Courtney trying to subtly explain the confusing lore behind Omegaverse fanfic while in the children’s section of the bookstore.

“I’m here because the Violet Trikes would like to book your services for a photo shoot in the Great Sand Dunes National Park and to shoot their show in Red Rocks Amphitheatre the week after. Mr. Adeyemi said you would be aware of why.”

“I thought he had changed his mind…”

“He hasn’t. The details are in this paperwork.” He handed over a folder.

I turned to the first page and damn nearly fainted.

“You’re going to pay me… how much? Is this a joke?”

“Mr. Adeyemi insists that we pay all artists a living wage for the duration of the time they will be working with us and that’s in addition to the flat fee for the photography work itself, which is very competitive and based on industry standards. It is also nonnegotiable as it is quite generous.”

“Holy shit.” I was calculating exactly how much was left in my student loan accounts. Paying everything off quicker would mean so much money saved by not having to pay any more of the ludicrous interest that was accumulating on them.

“We’ll give you a few days to consider the offer.” He cleared his throat in the way I associated with former smokers. “And after doing some research on you, I think you’ll be most interested in paragraph four-b of that contract.”

“What?”

Richard gave a small nod at the paperwork.

I flipped forward and skimmed the page. “A no-fraternization policy?”

“I’m no longer taking chances with people who are applying for this kind of position just wanting to get close to a celebrity.”

My stomach dropped. Well, this is deeply ironic.

“No, I don’t think you understand, I didn’t—”

“Our internet search on you connected you to a Reddit fan account, Stargirl703.”

“Oh, fucknoodles.”

“So it was you that wrote ‘Demetrius Adeyemi is a snack. I’d like to eat him for dessert like a cupcake, and I’d let him frost my—’”

“I was really drunk, and Golden Hour had just dropped, and I was trying to make a joke about the song ‘Twilight Sugar,’ but it was just supposed to be a joke.”

“So was it also you who tweeted ‘Three seconds of listening to Demetrius Adeyemi’s voice in interviews could make a woman squir—’”

“Ahhh, stop.” I wanted to melt into the ground and become a puddle rather than finish this conversation. “Please don’t finish reading that. I’m not trying to get with Demetrius, okay? I didn’t even approach him about this.”

“Ms. Quinn, as I said before, I am no longer interested in taking chances or listening to excuses. Mr. Adeyemi is a very noble person, and I will not let someone with a questionable background take advantage of him again. He insists that you are the only person he’s willing to hire for this job, but I’m going to have to ensure that you understand this does not mean you will have a personal relationship of any kind with Demetrius Adeyemi. ”

“Jesus Christ on a goddamned Triscuit, I do not want a relationship with Demetrius Adeyemi.”

“So then it wasn’t you who wrote on Instagram that you had to, quote, ‘wring out your panties,’ after listing to Demetrius Adeyemi’s lyrics on ‘Seraphim’—”

“I never thought I would meet the man in person. Good lord, it’s not a crime to appreciate his talent.”

“And if you sign this contract, you will only be appreciating it from behind a camera lens. Is that clear?”

“Done. Fine. I’ll sign it. Easy peasy.” I picked up the pen and scribbled my name. “See. I had no intention of trying to get with Demetrius. Are you happy now?”

“Splendidly happy.” The sarcasm might have been actually dripping off Richard’s jowls.

“While your enthusiasm is laudable, in the future I might recommend you actually reading a full contract before signing it.” He sighed.

“Although, as you might have ascertained, Demetrius Adeyemi will not allow anyone in his employ to use predatory contractual language, but many people in this industry aren’t quite so scrupulous. Scrupulous meaning—”

“I know what it means.”

“With all of your time spent in various academic programs, I’m glad to hear the University of Alabama afforded you such a thorough education.”

I scowled. “Let me guess, you attended Oxford or Cambridge?”

“Yale, actually. And the London School of Economics.”

“Well, coolio for you.”

Richard picked up the contract and then pulled out a second folder from beneath the first. “All of the arrangements are in there for your travel. You’ll be on the bus with the crew for two weeks starting October twelfth. See you then.”

“It will be such a pleasure.”