Page 33 of The Billionaire Mismatch

“Okay…”

“And then he left. Without coming inside. Without sleeping with me. Not that I want to sleep with him, I don’t. But it’s kind of hard to use and abuse a guy when he kisses you deeply under the light of a street lamp and then just walks off,” I say. “And to make matters worse…he said he’d call me. He’s going to call me, Sadie! For a third date!”

“That’s great,” she says.

“You forgot the sarcasm in that answer,” I say.

“That’s because there isn’t any. Olivia, this is perfect. I mean, a shutdown would have been great. A little crack in his ego. But this…this is even better.”

My face twists in confusion. I am starting to think everyone has lost their minds.

“How is this better? Or good at all?” I ask. “I have to go out with him…again.”

“Exactly!” she says. “You’re going to go out with him again. And maybe even again. And then, when he least expects it, you break him.”

“Right…” I say.

But nothing about that feels right. Because jerk or not, I don’t do things like that. I don’t use and abuse men. Or anyone for that matter. It’s not who I am. Before I can overthink it, I go to bed.

The next morning I grab a coffee before heading upstairs to the studio as usual. But unlike the usual, I open the straw and enjoy the first couple of sips before going inside, knowing full well that I am going to be bombarded by my gossip hungry co-workers in three, two, and…

“Why are you just standing out in the hallway?! Get in here!” Kiersten literally yanks me into the studio, and I nearly drop my coffee.

“I’m not even late, what’s the rush?” I ask. But I know what the rush is. They want to know about the date.

“We need to know what happened,” Henry says eagerly.

“All of it,” Kiersten adds.

“Aren’t you going to find out about all of it on the air?” I ask. “We are still doing that, right? Smearing my personal life all over the internet.”

“Hell yeah we’re still doing it,” Henry says. “But we want the unfiltered version.”

“The unfiltered version,” I echo as I situate my things. God, I am glad I got coffee before walking in here. If anything, I wish I hadsomething stronger to put in it. Maybe I should start keeping shooters of Bailey’s in my purse. Just until all this blows over.

“Yes!” Kiersten prods, and I know they’re not going to drop it. So once again, I summarize the insanity that is my quote-unquote dating life right now.

“The date went well. Bougie and delicious–”

“Are you referring to Luca or the food?” Henry winks and they both laugh.

“I did what I was supposed to. I laid it on thick. He drove me home. He kissed me,” I say.

“And then?” Kiersten asks. They are so far at the edge of their seats they are practically sitting on top of me.

“And then…that was it,” I say flatly as I organize my space and look at my notes.

“What do you mean? What was it?” Henry asks.

“I mean…I invited him inside. And he just left.”

“He just left,” Kiersten parrots.

“He just left,” I say again. “Well, he said he’d call me. But yeah. He just left. Which is terrible because I wasn’t able to butter him up enough to call him on his shit and–”

“No, this is better,” Kiersten cuts me off in the same place Sadie did and with a similar response. “Yeah. This is definitely better. The plan is working. He wants to see you again, which means feelings are getting involved.”

I snort out a laugh. “Yeah, I don’t know about that. He’s charming, sure, but he’s kind of…robotic. I’m not sure the man has ever been in love.”