Page 13 of Moon Blind Hearts
I can’t explain any of that, so I just shrug and reach into the folder Ivy hands me for my own papers, trying to change topics. “Anyways, I have a pretty extensive NDA. If you’d like to take a day or so to read it over while I’m here, that’s fine. I’ll do the same for yours.”
Passing them the printed off legal paperwork, a replica of the ones I’d attached to the original email, I watch as their eyes take in the wall of words. Cash hardly spares it a glance before pulling out his pen. Oak looks like he’s actually reading the words first to make sure they match the one from before. Sawyer hands his to Cash, clearly trusting him to tell him if he should sign or not.
“You’re gonna have to read it to me if we’re doing this now,” he murmurs.
“Oh! I have the digital file as well that you can have the AI read to you if that’s easier?” I offer. I hadn’t even thought of that before but I don’t want him stressing about not being able to see it.
“You worried I can’t read?” Cash teases, winking at me. “I’ll have you know I can almost read the whole picture book now.”
I snort, but can’t help but smile. “You said you have paperwork as well?”
Oak’s face immediately goes blank and I stare at him curiously as he reaches for a single piece of paper and passes it to me. Not only is it a single piece of paper, but it’s also literally a single sentence written on it with a line for a signature.
“You will not speak about your partnership with The Velvet Rodeo, nor leak the identities of those participating,” I read out loud. Ivy leans in to check it out, too, her eyes widening. My brows furrow and I look up at him. “That’s it?”
“That’s the only thing we’re worried about,” Oak explains.
“Oak,” I breath, holding it up. “This will never hold up in a court of law. You need limitations, clauses, breach requirements, stuff like that.”
He glances at Cash and then back down at the stapled packet I’d given him for my NDA. “Yours seems to cover damn near everything.”
“It does,” I nod before sitting down on the couch and tapping the extra packet I have. “If you’d like, I can go over the important bits so you don’t think I’m trying to screw you over.”
Oak hesitates while Cash immediately plops himself down on the couch beside me. Sawyer takes a gentler approach and sits on the couch opposite us.
“I promise it’s not ridiculous,” I tell Oak, thinking he’s hesitating because he’s rethinking out partnership.
He shakes his head. “I have no doubt your NDA is ironclad. It’s just . . . we should have known better.”
“You’re still new,” I remind him. “To be honest, I’m glad you haven’t been taken advantage of yet and that I can warn you before you got to that point. Sometimes, this industry is cutthroat and if someone thinks they can get more views by releasing your identities, they’ll do it.” I wince. “Ask me how I know.”
It’d been one time, at the very beginning, when someone had tried that with me. Luckily, I’d had access to enough money to pay them off and my family name has enough weight that they were scared to go further, but it’d been close. I still live in fear that she’ll talk to the wrong person, say the wrong thing, and reveal my identity.
“That’s shitty,” Cash murmurs, flipping through the paperwork, scanning the bold parts. “I notice the number of sessions and stuff like that have been left blank.”
“That’s so we can fill it in together,” I reply. “I wasn’t sure of your set up, or how I can fit into all that.”
Cash leans back and grins. “Oh, we can certainly explain all that,” he purrs. “The Velvet Rodeo is set up where we each have a solo session once a week, and then there’s a group session once a week. In between all that, our subscribers can pay for extras, and so things like that may pop up, especially when we announce your partnership. That’s our normal set up, and of course, that can all be changed up. We know that your process is different from ours.”
I nod, setting the paperwork down and crossing my arms. “My face is never shown. Ever. Not in its entirety. I’ll either be wearing a mask, or whoever is filming will make sure to only get glimpses of my face, artistic framing such as my lips, a hint of a jawline, stuff like that. If my face accidently makes it into the film, I expect that to be edited out.”
Oak nods. “We knew your channel focuses on anonymity, and we’re prepared for it. We’ll be able to honor that with our equipment and angles.”
“I understand your channel does not, so I did bring plenty of masks just in case. In group settings, these sorts of things happen, so it’s usually safest to wear a mask anyways,” I offer. “Partnerships are a give and take, so I don’t want you to feel you have no creative control. I expect us to discuss each scene before we start them so that there are no surprises.”
“Like a dick in a box,” Cash says seriously, nodding his head. “How do you feel about glory holes?”
“I’m not opposed to it, however, since I’m the only woman, it may be more beneficial to use restraints and a blindfold rather than a true glory hole. Unfortunately, at this time, I no longer do collaborations with other women.”
A stipulation I had to add on account of another streamer, a woman, decided she was going to try and remove my mask in a moment of vulnerability. And she wasn’t even the first. It’s happened almost every time I’ve collaborated with a woman, so for now, I’ve paused those collabs simply to figure out a better way to approach them.
“If you’re doing a collaboration with us, it makes sense we wouldn’t bring in anyone else,” Oak nods. “It would dampen the partnership announcement.”
“Exactly,” I say, smiling gently. “Too many moving parts can muddy the water. Now, how many sessions a week are you expecting from me?”
“At least two,” Oak says. “One one-on-one and one group session of some sort. Three weeks total. Plus, any requests by subscribers that you’re okay with. These will be a mixture of live and pre-recorded videos, and we’ll also take photos before, during, and after each session.”
“Perfect. I’d also like to add at least one session a week tailored specifically to my subscribers, either audio or video, or both.”
