Later that morning, we sat around the boardroom signing contracts with Flirtify’s legal department. A wave of pride radiated from the three of us. Here we were in New York City, about to earn a life-changing amount of money from an offbeat idea we had concocted together. It felt bizarre, extraordinary, incredible.
I couldn’t help wanting to reach out to Philip, to tell him. I wanted him to be proud of the businesswoman I was becoming. I wanted to share with him my cheesy photo signing the contract. But I still hadn’t heard a thing since he left me, and I was too stubborn to make the first move, even if deep down I missed him. Though I couldn’t specifically saywhy. I didn’t know if I missed having someone around most days – someone to message and talk to, someone who paid me compliments and made me feel good. In reality, maybe I just missed someone who ate me alive most nights like Hannibal Lecter, someone who knew exactly how to please me. Or perhaps it was a combination of everything.
After the legalities were settled, Katy, Zola and I headed to our office. There we found a small group of people hovering around the door.
‘Hey,’ I said, smiling at them.
A few raised their heads in acknowledgement. Then I heard a loud voice behind us.
‘Good morning! Did y’all sleep well?’ Jimmy asked as he swept over to us.
I felt myself blush immediately, remembering how the orgasm I had to his face and abs had me out like a light.
‘Yes, we did, thanks,’ Katy answered.
‘Yeah, we all had a nice quiet night in,’ Zola said, smirking in Katy’s direction.
‘Wonderful.’ He grinned broadly, and my body tingled nearly as hard as it had last night. ‘I thought it would be a good time to meet your teams. I don’t know how you ladies prefer to work, but we’ve got a whole team of specialists to help you. Though be sure to tell me to back off if I’m overstepping.’
I glanced at my friends, who seemed as intrigued as I was.
‘So, Katy, I picked up that you were more of a market researcher kind of girl, right?’ Jimmy continued.
Katy gulped, nodding. ‘I suppose you could say that,yes.’
Fuck, I thought. Market research was all she’d been doing since she hit New York. I wondered who the lucky guy would be tonight.
‘Well, I’ve teamed you up with Tanya. She’s the best we have at Flirtify – she delves into all the latest social media trends and fads. I thought you two would work great together on delivering the key features of the app and finding out what women really want to know when they’re reviewing men.’
Katy turned to Tanya, who had bright orange curly hair and equally colourful clothing.
‘It’s great to meet you,’ Katy said.
Tanya hugged her tightly. ‘I’m so excited about this one!’
‘And Zola, the whizz kid. I’ve paired you up with Darren and Ethan. The brains behind almost all of my operations. But Darren is heading off on paternity leave soon, so it will be Ethan, our head IT specialist, who’s mostly working on this.’
Zola nodded, utterly impressed. She turned to the pair on her left: one was an older gentleman wearing brown cords and a grey cardigan, the other a young, handsome guy in an Illuminati T-shirt and Japanese denim jeans.
‘Nice to meet you both,’ she said politely and smiled.
‘Likewise.’ The older of the two stuck out his hand and shook Zola’s. She turned to the younger one and he bowed his head quietly.
‘Which leaves Ella,’ Jimmy said, turning to me. ‘I’ve teamed you up with Britney, head of our PR and marketing team, and Fee, who you’ve already met. Fee helps develop apps and is our go-to for her great creative ideas. She’s in a meeting right now, but will check in with you today.’
I waved over to Britney, an older woman dressed in a wide-legged pinstriped suit. She was writing notes and didn’t lift her head.
‘We’ve also scheduled you a media interview tomorrow with a journalist we know pretty well; she will run a piece on Apple News about the three women aiming to rid America of its toxic dating culture. There’ll be photos and a chat, so be prepared. We don’t want any of the app’s features to be revealed until it launches, so for the interview we’ll focus more on safety and how the dating world has changed, mostly for the worse, in recent years. Got it?’
I gulped. Jesus, this was such a big deal. I suddenly felt more than a little sick.
‘Everyone happy?’ Jimmy asked the group.
There was a scattering of ‘Yep’ and ‘Sure thing’ as everyone acknowledged his introductions.
‘OK, let’s get to work then, people!’ Jimmy clapped, making me jump.
This deal was enormous. Huge. Worldwide. Apple News? I could feel my pulse in my hands throb so hard like the blood was trying to escape my body. Then I felt Zola and Katy at my side.
