Page 8 of The Billionaire Mismatch

“Yeah, I think we already established that,” she says, nursing her water.

“You know what happens to catfish in the Unmatched dating world?” I ask her and Sadie just blinks. “They get caught.”

“Okay, now I’m the one not following. What are you proposing?”

“You want to get even, don’t you?” I ask.

“I mean…I’d love to see him get beat at his own game,” she admits.

“Exactly! And what better way to do that than catfish him?” I ask. “I know I sound crazy. And I know this sounds like something I would never do. But this man isn’t just a Realr date that wined, dined and dumped you. He was your boss. He made the personal professional. Which loops back to making it personal.”

“Okay… I’ve had a lot of wine,” Sadie says. “You’re going to have to dumb this down a bit.”

“He’s the CEO of Realr!” I blurt out. “Which means not only does he pull shit like this. He runs the industry that supports other people doing shit like this! Because of him, it’s never going to stop. Unless he is stopped.”

“So, what do you think we should do?” Her frown slowly turns into a smile.

“We catfish him. We set him up on a date. And just when he’s about to pull his usual stunts, we turn the gun. Beat him at his own game. Embarrass him. Defame him. The only obstacle is going to be finding a woman who will agree to do it,” I say, taking another sip.

“What about you?” Sadie asks, and I just stare at her.

“Me?” I laugh.

“Yeah! Think about it. You know the situation. You know all about the dating world. And no one would ever suspect,” she says.

And while I don’t love the idea…it’s not a bad idea.

“How would we execute it, though?” I ask. “It’s not like I’m just going to run into him somewhere.”

But Sadie holds up her phone and wiggles it, the Realr app on the screen.

“No,” I say. Then I narrow my eyes and grab the phone. It’s showcasing Luca’s profile. “Wait…is that him?” I ask.

“Yep. Hot, right?”

That is not even the word for him.

The man…is nothot.

Hot is what you call the captain of a rugby team. Hot is the lead singer and guitar player of your favorite band. Hot is the tattooed, dreamy-eyed ER nurse who makes scrubs look like the next best thing in male stripper attire.

This man is not hot…he’sgorgeous.

Olive skin. A smirk that hints at the possibility of dimples if he ever allowed himself to fully smile. A dark brow that implies he rarely does fully smile. A sharp nose. Sharper jawline. And perfectly groomed yet still completely tousle-able hair that is the chef’s kiss combination of dark salt and pepper.

“He’s alright,” I say while resisting the urge to fan myself. I take a sip of water instead to bring my internal temperature down. “Are you sure my making a Realr profile is the only way to go?”

“It’s the most efficient,” she says. “If you want to beat him at the game, Livv, you’re going to have to actually play the game.”

I sigh, biting my lip in hesitation. But unfortunately, she’s not wrong. So I stop biting my lips, and I bite the bullet.

“Alright, let’s do it. I never thought I’d say this, but…let’s make a dating app profile.”

Chapter 3

Luca

The lights are bright.Brighter than I’d prefer. Especially when I have a room of over a hundred people staring at me, waiting for me to make my speech.