Chapter 1
Olivia
Ethan grabbed my hands and squeezed. I'd been on edge all morning waiting for this meeting and it was time. The entire board was gathered, the few investors we had left after a few had pulled out. The PR guy, Adam, stood in the door with a dirty scowl on his face because I refused to take his advice, and all that was left was the pitch.
"Remember they love you. Focus groups have proven your algorithm works ninety-eight percent of the time. That's like three times as well as your closest competitors, Liv." He kissed my cheek and smiled at me affectionately, like a big brother who's proud and waiting to hear the results. "Go get 'em tiger."
"Just watch," Adam chimed in, "they're going to spout off a dozen reasons why we'll tank. They have the same data available to them that I do, Olivia." Adam pushed off the wall and walked toward me menacingly. Yes, I hired him to do a job but I fucking hated how smug he was. "They're going to tell you the public won't trust your image."
He'd been spouting the same drivel for weeks and I was so over it. I wanted to fire him but so far everything else he'd said had been correct. Besides, Ethan wouldn't let me. He said Adam was the best. I let my hands fall from Ethan's grasp and stepped backward. He and I shared a close bond we'd had since college, but Adam and I were perfect strangers. At least I was to him. He studied me like a textbook the week of cramming before finals in college. It was his job.
"How do I look?" I asked them both.
Ethan's suave personality and looks always charmed our supporters, but Adam made me work on my look and my edge. I was a boss bitch and I knew it. Total resting bitch face wrapped up in a "sporty hot bod and luscious locks" as Adam would say.
"You look fantastic. Remember to smile," Ethan said encouragingly, and I returned his smile with one of my own.
"He's right. Smile so you look happy. We know you are, but they have to see that And the power suit was a bit over the top, but it works. Red is your color. Remember to keep the creases out of your forehead--" as he said it Adam pressed both thumbs into my forehead and smoothed the lines "--and don't talk too much. Keep answers simple and to the point, but casual. Don't use a tone."
I swatted his hand away from my face. At least they smelled like the hand soap in the men's room and not something gross.
"Okay, Dad," I chided, pushing past him. "I have a meeting to do."
One step in front of the other, I sashayed off through the door and out of my office toward the conference room. My spiky heels clicked on the tile floor announcing where I was going before I got there. This pitch was incredibly important. With Dating Game in the final round of focus groups, I needed to know our board and investors were in agreement with us. I was the CEO of the first-ever dating app exclusively for gamers and the unique sell had taken a lot of energy and effort to pull off to begin with. Now that we were so close, two of our largest financial supporters had pulled out. We needed more money, and we needed it fast. Launch for the app was coming up and without the infusion of capital we'd kiss it goodbye. No marketing equals no success.
"Hello everyone!" I burst into the room with all the warmth and happiness I could muster. Seven board members, three investors, and several members of the press and secretaries sat around the large table. Each of them had a glass of water and a notepad in front of them, though a few had tablets in their hands. "Thank you all so much for coming."
Victor stood and buttoned his suit jacket. As chairman of the board he was in charge of organizing and hosting meetings. At times he overshadowed my role as CEO but he was the sort of man who was uncomfortable with female leadership--old fashioned and stuck in his ways. I intended to win him over wholly and fully with my charm and personality, which Adam said was a disaster waiting to happen.
"Ms. Bennett, we're eager to hear your update." Victor's no-nonsense approach to business was comforting at least. From the moment we voted to make him chair I knew he was the man for the job. Whether he liked me or not, he believed that the person with the idea who takes the initiative should be the leader and that was me.
"Good, good..." I stood at the head of the table as he sat back down and undid his coat. Thirteen sets of eyes were on me expectantly waiting for what I'd say. Now was the time to make Dating Game shine. I wasn't much of a gamer, though I dabbled a little in college. Still the algorithm was good enough to take my likes and dislikes from years ago and select several "perfect matches" for me. I was certain no matter who used it, it could do the same.
"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. I would like to start by telling you our focus groups are tracking at ninety-seven percent." The tests revealed almost every person who used the app was satisfied with their matches, and those who were less than satisfied with match one or two were thrilled with three or four, grateful to have used the app itself. "We're projecting ten million downloads in the first quarter after launch as it stands, but we've made a few improvements based on those focus groups and--"
"Cut to the chase, Ms. Bennett." Sylvia pushed her glasses up her nose and glared at me. She was a hard-nosed bitch who demanded answers. The only reason she was here--to keep us accountable financially. She seemed to have other interests today though. "Your public is going to hate you. You are the owner of a dating app and you can't get a date? What does that say about your success on the app?"
Adam's words were coming back to haunt me just like he said they would. I was prepared for this though. My sordid past of broken relationships and drunken one-night stands wasn't anything to boast about, but I wasn't interested in settling down. I knew if I was, the app would help me find a great selection of candidates.
"Sylvia, I hardly think that my personal love life has any bearing on how well the app performs." I sucked in a breath to continue but she cut me off.
"What it says to your fans and followers is that it's not even performing well enough to get the CEO a date, and she's a very popular, wealthy woman, with a very public image to maintain." Sylvia's words dug at my chest the way Adam's always did when he lectured me. He'd told me the same thing just in different words. "It says, Olivia Bennett can't get a date."
"With all due respect, I don't want a date. I don't approve of society thinking a single woman is an unhappy or unsuccessful woman. A man on my arm does not make me any more successful or happy or fulfilled." My blood pressure was rising quickly. I hated being grilled like this. I wanted Ethan here to defend me. He understood.
