The bottom dropped out of Lee’s stomach. “I beg your pardon?”
“I know, I know,” Jerry said. “It sounds like a rotten, underhanded thing to do.”
“Yes, it most certainly does.”
“But here’s the thing,” Jerry went on, sounding like he’d leaned forward to speak more directly into his phone. “They’re willing to pay you seven figures for it.”
Had the bottom dropped out? It turned out there was a basement underneath the bottom.
“I can’t do that,” Lee said, not willing to even entertain the idea. “I couldn’t do that to Drew.”
“One of the publishers has also agreed to a four-book deal for the series you’re working on right now,” Jerry went on. “For another seven-figure advance. That’s a lot of zeroes, Lee. And they’re willing to negotiate a clause that would allow you to continue to self-publish, within a reasonable timeframe of your traditional releases.”
Lee was stunned into silence. He’d never heard of anything remotely like the offer before. A guaranteed four-book deal was something even seasoned authors were barely ever offered these days.
“Oh, and this publisher thinks they could option the film and television rights to this series on top of the zeroes,” Jerry added.
If Lee hadn’t already been sitting, he would have fallen over. Deals like this didn’t happen. Not in a million years. If it went through, there was a possibility he might end up even more famous than Drew.
He couldn’t speak. The whole thing was too huge for him to think, let alone speak.
“I have no idea what to say,” he breathed out.
“Don’t say anything right now,” Jerry said. “Think about it for a few days. These guys are eager. They’re not going to rescind this offer overnight. We’ve got time.”
Lee wasn’t even sure how the rest of the conversation went. His brain had short-circuited. He managed to say goodbye to Jerry and to sink lower into his couch, staring at the turned-off telly.
Everything he’d ever dreamed of and so much more was within his reach, right at the end of his fingertips. Everything Dan had always wanted for him and encouraged him to pursue was right there. His mum would be so proud. His writer friends would lose their minds.
And all he had to do to get it was sell out the man he was falling in love with.
seventeen
. . .
Drew had a hell of a lot to think about over the next few days. First and foremost was the fact that Lee had been right about the two of them not jumping into bed at the end of a day that had been weird at best and blazingly uncomfortable at worst.
Then again, maybe fucking it out would have made them both feel better. His ego still stung a little bit at being turned down. He hated to be that guy, but he hadn’t had anyone say no to sex with him for ages, if ever. Not only had the rejection smarted, he also felt guilty for sulking on top of that.
New relationships were a fucking minefield. Even if Lee had been a woman, things would have been challenging. His career was not conducive to dating, no matter how much time he tried to set aside for Lee over the next week. The production was entering a period of night shooting, which meant his schedule, his body, and his free time were totally messed up.
And he wasn’t entirely certain Lee had forgiven him for their sort of fight the other night.
“Are you sure you want me here while you’re working?” he asked Lee three days after that night, as he reclined on Lee’s sofa, reading and resting up for his mid-afternoon call.
“Yeah, it’s great having you here,” Lee mumbled, distracted, as he stared at his computer screen. He’d told Drew earlier he was editing that week, which, as far as Drew could tell, meant him staring at the computer as he scrolled through an endless document, occasionally changing something.
“Can I get you a tea or something?” Drew asked, moving like he would get up.
“No, I’m good,” Lee said, his voice as distant as if he were in the Andes.
“Okay. Let me know if you need anything.”
He sat back down again, picked up his book, and frowned at the page, reading the same paragraph three times before he could make sense of it.
Something was wrong between the two of them, but he had no idea what it could be.
Unless it was the obvious. Unless Lee was somehow still bent out of shape about the other night.