TEN
Go Back Where You Came From
I woke up on cloud nine, smiling from ear to ear. At twelve this morning, Amoré Nights moved from beta; no longer was it being tested by a small group. Finally, like in Spain, all of the United States was searching for love on my app. Despite my conflicting feelings on the subject, I needed each woman on the app to have more faith in the four-letter word than I did. The men, well, I'd never presume to know what they were truly searching for. I was now certain I knew nothing about men and probably never would. As I swung my legs to the side, a scent hit me. Shit! Months ago, I'd hired Dominic to cook a launch-day breakfast. I'd forgotten to cancel, and now the last man I wanted to see was in my kitchen.
The memory of that night I slept with him barged into my head, unwelcome, souring my appetite even more, but I wouldn't overthink things. He was an employee, nothing more.
Everything felt different since sleeping with Bruno.
The way I looked at it, the chef got an early end-of-year bonus when I gave his dick a ride. Not about to hide in my bedroom, I walked into the kitchen. "Smells good. What are you making?"
"Cinnamon French toast," he said, flashing an expression that looked more like a smirk than a smile.
Ignoring him, I took a seat and waited. Dominic set the plate down in front of me, though nothing on it looked appealing. A large sausage sat right in the middle. Maybe he thought it was enticing or funny. It was neither.
"Eat up!"
I rolled my eyes. The truth was the sausage was bigger and thicker than what he had in his pants. He foolishly made me compare the two. I reached for a knife and sliced the sausage into pieces but never put any into my mouth. Instead, I pushed it off my plate and forced all my attention on the French toast.
"Where's the coffee?"
I refused to let a hired cook make me feel uncomfortable in my own home. I ate and ignored him, then left to get ready for the day. After a shower, I dressed in a rush as my heart pounded with excitement. How many people had downloaded the Amoré Nights app by now? Were they setting up dates for tonight? Pride pushed past the mix of emotions racing through me.
When I left the condo, I promised myself I'd tell Dominic his services would no longer be needed. But I knew how that would go. I always let useless people linger because it was easier than making time for the confrontation. I walked out the front door of my building and into a busy New York City street, with eight point three million people rushing in every direction. I stood on the sidewalk, grinning from ear to ear; the city was alive, and so was I. For once, in a long while, it felt like I had a path set ahead, and I lifted a hand for a taxi to stop. After one slammed on its brakes in front of me, I slid inside. "Take me to Sixty-Third and Madison."
We sped through the streets, and I practically floated out of the cab, then upstairs, and stood in front of the Amoré Nights logo, which was proudly shining outside my suite. After wavingat the new receptionist, I stood for a second outside the office door, listening to the lively voices and other noises on the other side; my team was busy at work.
Soon as I entered, Eliana rushed to my side. "We're live."
"Yes. We are," I agreed, then gave her a concerned look. "But does anyone know? What are the numbers of new users?"
When her lips curled and eyes beamed, relief filled me. Nobody smiles that wide over bad numbers.
"One million users in the United States already. The media blast worked," Eliana said.
"Yes," I said, pumping a fist into the air.
People smiled around me.
"The influencer events Greenslate added might've been the key," one employee added.
Eliana kept a watchful eye on me. "All our efforts worked."
I nodded, then walked away, intending to phone the girls. They had to know these numbers.
"Where are you going?"
My secretary's words made me freeze. I spun around. "To my office. Where else?"
She pointed in the other direction. "You told everyone to meet you in the conference room, remember?"
"Oh…yes, I remember," I lied, then handed her my coat and bag, and I walked in the opposite direction. I didn't get far down the hall before I saw Bruno approaching on the opposite side. Just like that, the excitement left my body, replaced by uneasiness. For a while it looked like he'd pass me, but for some reason my feet dragged and then finally stopped when he was beside me.
"Are you coming to the meeting?"
Bruno looked back in the direction I pointed to. "No, I'm heading out. Just grabbed my stuff from the office."
"Amoré Nights is in business."
