Lust or Love (The Love Vixen #2) - Jeannette Winters Page 0,34

to need an extended lunch break because we have a lot to discuss,” she added.

“Yes we do…partner,” I replied.

It looked like Allison and I had plenty to keep us distracted for a while. Now, how am I going to break the news to The Love Vixen?

Chapter 14

Jack

I loved that Deidre was driven and ambitious, but working day and night was a lot for any person. Not that I agreed with Robert on much, but Deidre needed some help. If her line of work was literally anything else, I’d offer to step in. All I could do is help in the warehouse. That didn’t feel like enough, and wasn’t very fulfilling on my end.

There had to be another alternative. I’d never admit it, but while she worked last night, I was up researching a variety of sex toy websites. None of them represented Deidre. Some were very bold and others, well, I think they offered more than just the toys. Deidre had managed to be discreet about what she sold, so her marketing needed to be the same.

She needs a website designer and I know just who to call.

Pulling out my cell phone I searched through my old contacts. I hadn’t talked to Marty since the Olympics a few years ago. He worked with a few of the vendors to sharpen their brand. Not sure if he had the time to take on a new client, but if so, I was willing to engage his services. What better Valentine gift than showing her I support what’s important to her?

“Hello, this is Marty.”

“Hi, I don’t know if you remember me. This is Jack Payne. We met at the Olympics four years ago.”

“I don’t normally forget a gold medal winner. How are you doing, Jack? Are you still competing?” he asked.

“No. And I’m calling for a friend. She runs her own business, but doesn’t have a website. I was wondering if you were still in that business.”

“I am. What service does she provide?”

I couldn’t believe the words that were about to come out of my mouth. This is for Deidre. “Adult toys.”

I heard Marty clear his throat. “You mean…sex toys?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“Well, I have never done one of those before. The last one I designed was for a cupcake business. This would definitely be a change.”

“But you’re willing to do it?” I asked hopefully.

“Why not? My wife doesn’t have a sweet tooth, but maybe she’ll show more interest in critiquing my design on this one,” he laughed.

I was sure she’d have an opinion, one way or another. “Excellent. Do you have time to talk about what I’m thinking now?”

“I’m about to go into a meeting. How about I call you back in an hour? And in the meantime, you can shoot me an email with more detail.”

“Sounds good,” I said. Marty rattled off his email address and I went straight to work. I knew I wasn’t going to be able to present a finished product to Deidre tonight, but at least I could tell her the good news about her website-to-be.

Sitting on the bed in my hotel room, I grabbed my laptop and started writing up everything I could, mostly about Deidre. She was a huge part of what the website needed to look like. Shy but bold. Confident. It wasn’t as easy as I had thought.

What I ended up doing was providing Marty links to websites I hated, with the word “NO” in big red letters next to each link. I linked him to a few others I liked that sold items outside the adult toy industry and marked those with a big “YES.” He was the professional, and I trusted him to come up with something appropriate for Deidre’s vibe.

I knew I was overstepping, but the possibilities were worth the risk. If Deidre could get online sales, that would not only increase her revenue, but it would give me something to handle in the company. Granted, processing orders, packaging, and shipping weren’t much, but at least I’d feel productive, useful.

It wasn’t like I was turned off by the toys, I just didn’t want to be in a room filled with women talking about them. Well, any woman besides Dee. She could talk or use whatever she wanted around me.

I looked at the clock and it was almost time for Marty to return my call. Still, I wanted to hear Deidre’s voice, even if for a few minutes.

“Hi, Jack,” she answered, sounding stressed.

“Is everything okay?” I asked, worried.

“Yes and no. A shipment