Page 193 of Pure Recklessness

ELLIE

Tonight was the night.

It was Tuesday and I was at the SatisFya announcement event.

No wonder Joe was worried about the huge guest list. The venue where we were hosting the announcement event was packed.

The décor was red and black, giving the space a dark, mysterious, boudoir theme which fitted perfectly with the app’s vibe.

I weaved my way through the crowd, almost crashing into one of the serving staff who was carrying a tray of champagne flutes.

My eyes popped as I spotted another bookish celebrity. There were so many influential people here. Sated authors, famous BookTokers and Bookstagrammers as well as the book industry press and online media editors.

This was exactly what we’d hoped for. All these people had the huge followings and readerships we needed to spread news of the app far and wide.

I checked my watch. I needed to get backstage. Blake would be announcing Jake Myers’ involvement in just seven minutes.

Once security had cleared me, I went straight to the room where Blake was with Jake and his fiancée, Halle.

‘Hi!’ I said, my heart skipping a beat as I caught sight of my man. Blake looked incredible, dressed in his new tailored black suit, and I resisted the urge to kiss him. ‘I’m Ellie.’ I smiled at Halle and Jake, holding my hand out.

It was a little shaky because I couldn’t believe that Jake Myers, the biggest rockstar in the world, was in front of me.

‘Lovely to meet you!’ Halle ignored my hand and gave me two cheek kisses.

‘Ellie!’ Jake kissed my cheeks. ‘Great to finally put a face to the name. Thanks again for the opportunity. I had a blast narrating that story. Damn it was hot!’

‘But very enjoyable to listen to.’ A mischievous grin flashed across Halle’s face.

‘We’re so glad you could do it,’ I replied.

‘Oh, the pleasure was definitely ours.’ Jake gave Halle a naughty smile.

‘Yep. And something tells me a lot of subscribers will agree,’ she said.

‘That’s exactly what we want,’ Blake added. ‘I’m going to do the introduction. Ready, Jake?’

‘Sure am!’ he said, following Blake out the door then waiting in the wings.

Loud chatter and soft music filled the air, but as soon as Blake took to the stage, the room fell silent.

Pride bloomed in my chest. That was how respected and powerful my boyfriend was. As soon as he stood in front of people, they had no option but to stop whatever they were doing and take notice.

‘Ladies and gentlemen,’ his voice boomed. ‘Thank you for joining us tonight. For almost three decades, Sated has provided millions of women with market-leading products, novels and inspiration to help maximise their pleasure. Now, we’re thrilled to announce our next venture: a groundbreaking app everyone will want to satisfy their needs and desires. Introducing: SatisFya.’

Blake signalled to a screen where an advert showcasing the app played.

‘As you can see, SatisFya will offer spicy romance and erotic short stories written by a plethora of talented Sated authors and narrated by the industry’s finest voices. Including some very special celebrity guest narrators,’ Blake continued.

‘Like who?’ a journalist called out from the crowd.

‘I love your excitement!’ A small smile touched Blake’s lips. ‘That was what I was about to reveal.’

‘Sorry!’ She winced.

‘I’m delighted to unveil our very first celebrity narrator who has already recorded an exclusive short story. Please put your hands together for multi-Grammy award-winning artist, the one and only, Jake Myers!’

Whoops, cheers and screams of delight exploded around the room.