Page 86 of The Producer: Aaron

“Come with me,” I suggest.

She turns to look at me, puzzled.

“Seriously? Tracy has more experience than me. She could help you convince her.”

“You’re a fan of the series. You are the one who adores her books. You managed to get me to read a fantasy romance. I’m sure you’ll be able to get her to read the contract.”

She watches me for a few seconds, as if trying to understand if I’m making fun of her.

“Prepare the contract. We are going to visit her today.”

***

Two hours later, we are sitting at a café in front of a woman with blue hair and a bewildered look named Linda.

“You two have completely gone crazy.”

Dakota just explained that she’s a fan of hers, that we’d like to use her books for a series, and that we have a contract ready for her to sign. I must say that I would have the same reaction if someone came to the table where I am drinking coffee and told me that they have a contract that could change my life.

“We are very serious. We want your saga to be the first series produced by Aaron’s company.” The smile that Dakota hason her face is something to frame. I have never seen her so enthusiastic about proposing her idea to someone. Because, in the end, I have to admit that this was her idea, I just followed it.

“Tell me if I understood correctly. You would like to offer me a contract to sell you the rights for a TV show when you don’t even have an office for your new company? Do you have at least a budget for the series? Or to pay me? I understand that you have experience, given what you did for your father’s company, but you have no financial guarantee. By the way, congratulations for having the courage to leave what you worked for all those years. It takes balls to make such a decision. I still have to find the courage to give up my job as a lawyer despite being a seven-figure author,” she says with a firmness that tells me she knows what she is talking about.

I nod and hand her another document the company’s lawyer and financial advisor have prepared for me. I expected doubts from her.

“Here you can find the financial situation of the company, the names of the lenders who have already agreed to finance the project, and the business plan that will allow us to produce the first season and, assuming it is successful and renewed, also the second and third. I didn’t plan for other seasons because it would have been just speculation with numbers impossible to predict.” I offer her the sheets, and I find her pleasantly surprised by my preparation.

“Did you manage to prepare all this in two hours?” Dakota asks me with wide eyes.

I smile at her and shake my head. “No, I’ve been working on it for months in the hope of being able to put her under contract one day. I just couldn’t find her.”

The smile that spreads across her lips is priceless.

“And you give me all this documentation without making me sign a confidentiality agreement on this meeting?” Linda rightfully questions me.

I raise an eyebrow. “Would you have signed it at the beginning when two crazy people sat in front of you to interrupt your afternoon?”

“No, I would have you kicked out of this place and called the police.” She grins.

“Do you want to sign it now?” I ask her hopefully. If my lawyer knew what I just did, he would kill me, but I had to win her trust first.

“Yes, give me that piece of paper.” She raises her lips in a half-smile aware of the game I played.

I don’t know what kind of lawyer she is, but I’m sure she knows this is not the standard procedure to option a book. She also understands that I came here playing all the cards I had in my hand, hoping she would sign. She could take this transparency of mine as a weakness because I am desperate or as my way of making her understand that I am so confident this series will be successful that I exposed myself personally. I just hope she doesn’t use my proposal to raise the price and sell the rights to the competition.

“I’ll take the contract home and the documents you gave me and read them. That is the best I can promise you. I exposed myself publicly once by publishing these books and almost found myself on drugs because of the threats I received. As much as I like to see my stories on screen, I don’t trade my mental health for success.”

This is enough for me. It is an outstanding achievement that we have already managed to convince her to give us a chance.

“We know what happened to you, and I’m already moving to build a street team of teenagers who will help me keep negative comments away. Our social media team can filter out bad comments. Still, I’m convinced that by giving the right people a voice, we can create a positive environment where people who like to stir up controversy won’t find fertile ground,” Dakota says with a fervor that makes me smile.

I like how she usesusto describe this project. Linda also smiles in front of her fervor.

“Have you decided not to pursue an acting career anymore? It’s a shame because you would be perfect as the protagonist.” Hers is a genuine regret of not being able to see her on-screen as the character she described so accurately in her books.

The smile that appears on Dakota’s face is priceless.

“No, have you gone crazy? I’m already preparing for the part because I intend to participate in the auditions.”

---