Page 45 of The Billionaire Mismatch

“I know, I know, I just…”

“We also have to think of the podcast,” Henry says. “I agree,” Kiersten nods. “Our number of followers has skyrocketed since we started this series. If we stop now, we will most likely lose all our new listeners and maybe even some of our regulars.”

“Not only that,” Henry says. “But if we admit we were wrong about this, people are going to wonder what else we are wrong about on our podcast. It could be detrimental.”

I bite my lip. They aren’t wrong. From a business standpoint, it’s a risky move to back out now. Still, I don’t like it. Something about it, after everything I’ve experienced in the past two dates, makes all of this feel wrong. There is a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.

“Olivia,” Sadie says. “You’re not falling in love with him, are you?”

“No,” I say immediately. “Of course not.”

“Because that would be…so fucked up.”

“I’m not,” I tell her, and for a moment we just stare at each other. Then I add, “I promise.”

“Alright well, I guess we keep rolling then,” Henry says.

“Yes,” Kiersten nods. “This next episode is going to be epic. The dinner, the beach, the kiss. People are going to eat it up.”

Everyone digs into their food, but I just stare at my plate. Something about all of this is making me lose my appetite. Something about it feels off altogether. But I know what I have to do for the sake of our jobs and for my friendship with Sadie. I just hope it’s the right thing.

Chapter 15

Luca

“You wanna knowthe difference between people who are in favor of online dating and the people criticizing it? The nay-sayers have to check their notifications in private. In other words, they’re lying,” Matt says as he takes the conversational lead at the Monday morning stats meeting.

Like any other industry, we have a meeting every Monday. But the difference between us and other industries is that they are talking about the week ahead. We are focused on the weekend behind us. Because that’s when people are free. That’s when they go on dates. And that’s when our numbers change.

“Either that or they’re miserably single,” a blonde at the end of the table adds, and I shoot her a glance. She takes it as attention. My intention was to point out that I don’t know who she is, and if I don’t know who she is, she shouldn’t be talking at a board meeting about numbers.

“Peyton is right,” Matt says, pointing at her and earning himself a smile and an eyelash flutter.

Peyton?

“So I don’t think we need to say any of this,” he goes on. “You can all read. You all follow our numbers. And you know they’re up. And we mean up,” he says as he glances at me.

“Matt is right,” I say as I take over. Despite being the CEO, I actually prefer Matt doing a lot of the talking. He has the personality for it. And despite the fact that my work-brain never turns off, I don’t exactly come to work bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. I am ready to tackle the day and all its problems, but entertaining a table of people is not one of my problems. That’s what Matt is for, thank God.

“Real Talk is going viral,” I go on. “It’s the first messaging app of its type. Unlike text, it isn’t linked to personal information like address, area code, or search data. There is also no disappearing text. Any messages that make women or men feel unsafe will be flagged, and the accounts they come from will be frozen. But it’s more private than messaging directly on the app. Photos can be sent, but only when solicited. People feel safer and freer at the same time.”

“And we make more money,” Matt adds. “Because Real Talk is an in-app purchase.”

Everyone is impressed with that, and they should be.

“I think we need a round of applause for the King of Love, don’t you?” The Peyton chick says, and everyone goes along with it. Meanwhile, I cringe and talk over the crowd.

“We also hold the record for most second dates out of any dating app to date,” I say, and everyone cheers more.

“I think a celebration is in order,” Matt says, and the room gets wild. But I stand.

“Not yet,” I say. “While the stats are good, it’s not time to pop the champagne just yet.”

“First place isn’t good enough?” Matt asks, but the smirk on his face tells me he knows how I feel about it.

“No,” I say, and it deflates the energy in the room like helium from a balloon. “So we have the record for the most second dates. Big deal. Third dates are common even when there is no commitment. And that’s what Realr is striving for–commitment. Commitment that leads to monogamy. Monogamy that leads to a ring. Rings that lead to forever. That is what we are striving for here at Realr. The real forever. And we will celebrate when those stats are met. Every one of you has a job to do. A reason why you are here. So let’s get to it.”

With that, I watch as everyone files out other than Matt and me. The blonde is the last to leave, tossing Matt a smile and me a salute and a tongue click as she goes in her too-tight pencil skirt.