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Plus, we’d both joked on numerous occasions how we wouldn’t work in a relationship, how we didn’t fit in each other’s world—not because of wealth or status, but because of how fundamentally different we were.
Asher sipped his scotch, then shrugged. “I’ll always be hopeful,” he said. “But it’s a battle. You’ve seen that.”
I nodded, and Asher flashed me a soft smile.
“But I don’t want to talk about my business anymore today,” he said, and I arched a brow at him. He was almost always happy to talk about the day, and today had been quite a successful one for him, seeing as no meetings ended in arguments and he wasn’t late for a single thing. “I want to talk about yours,” he said.
“Really?” I asked, taking another drink. “What do you want to know?” I held my breath as the server brought out our food, the anticipation killing me. He’d read over my shoulder during a sex scene and we’d fallen into a kiss after I’d asked him for some fact-checking help. Who knew what he’d ask me after all that?
“Tell me a little bit more about self-publishing,” he said, picking up his knife and fork and cutting into his steak. “I’ve watched you write this month, but you haven’t really spoken about the other side of it.”
I popped a bite of sea bass into my mouth, barely containing a moan as the flavors hit my tongue. “Well,” I said after I’d finished the bite. “That’s because I’m not on that side of it in the project yet.” Asher motioned for me to go on. “Every author is different, but I have my own process. First, I plot the book, then I write the book. Then my editor edits the book, and I fix everything she says. Then and only then do I worry about the business side.”
Asher nodded, finishing his bite. “It must be hard,” he said. “To have to do both sides of it. The creative and the business.”
“It is, but somehow, you get used to it. I separate it into those stages, so it’s easier for my brain to focus. It’s incredibly hard to think about marketing when you’re in the middle of creating a world for your characters.”
“So, are you almost on the marketing side?”
I shook my head. “I still have a handful more chapters to write until I’m finished, and then edits.”
“And what’s the marketing process like?”
I blew out a breath. “For self-published authors, it’s a multitude of things. Running ads, pulling and creating teaser lines, posting on all social media accounts, buying spots in popular newsletters, contacting influencers in the hopes they’ll enjoy your book and post about it.”
“And you do all that yourself?” Asher asked before wrapping his lips around another bite, and damn him, he made me want to be that piece of steak.
“Yep,” I said.
Asher furrowed his brow. “Couldn’t you hire someone to do all that for you?”
I laughed just as I was taking a sip of my drink, spitting half of it back into the flute involuntarily. I quickly set it down, dabbing my lips with a napkin.
“What was funny?” Asher asked, but at least he was smiling. I half expected him to gape at me in mortification for my lack of manners in the fancy restaurant.
“Nothing, really,” I said, reeling it in. “It’s just that you looked so confused and it was totally adorable.”
“Still not following.”
“I could hire someone to do all that for me. I’ve tried using some PR agents in the past, but they’re pricy and for good reason. They do a ton of work, and yes, it would lift a lot from my plate, but I can’t justify the cost when I’ve been doing it on my own for years now.” I shrugged. “I’d rather put in the work and keep the money. That’s where I’m at right now. In the future? Who knows? If I’m making enough where I can spare the expense, then maybe I’ll do that.”
“Ah,” Asher said, nodding as he took a drink. “Now I see the joke.”
I raised my brows, smiling at him.
“Sorry,” he said. “I’m used to delegating.”
“No sorry necessary,” I said, waving him off. “I get it. You run several different empires. You need your personal assistants and chefs and lawyers to make all the companies run smoothly. I couldn’t imagine trying to carry the weight of all that you do.”
“I think you’d be great at it,” he said, and I gave him a chiding look. “No, I’m serious,” he said, laughing. “You underestimate yourself. You have a knack for getting what you want, you’re talented and creative, and you obviously know how to run a business. Just because you don’t call yourself a CEO doesn’t mean you aren’t one.”
I pursed my lips, holding my glass out to his. “CEO Daisy,” I said, clinking our glasses together. “Has a silly ring to it.”
