Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 100523 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 503(@200wpm)___ 402(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100523 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 503(@200wpm)___ 402(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
It’s Monday night and I wait at the bar for both of them. I’m so badass, I have to send my brother a text.
Carter: Guess what I did? I arrived early to a meeting.
Axel: Good. When I have my signing tomorrow night, will you come early to set up for me?
Carter: You wish.
Axel: Come on. You’re the nice brother.
Carter: Only because you set the bar so low.
Axel: Fuck you and your early arrivals.
Carter: Fuck you and your iron trap of a memory.
When Zena sweeps in a few seconds later, I type a hasty “gotta go,” and put the phone away. The Date Night founder looks like San Francisco tech royalty in casual jeans and a sweater, blending in with the crowd. Such a California billionaire. There’s not a speck of a designer label on her.
But there is nothing unassuming about her approach. She’s a tenacious woman who goes after what she wants. When she spots me, wheels are turning in her eyes already.
Bet she’s going to ask me for a favor. I can smell it like it’s her perfume.
She power-walks to my side and extends a hand. “So good to see you, Carter. I only wish I’d signed you up for more than five videos. Our customers are going wild for you two.”
She’s not the only one. I kind of wish I owed them more than five, too, then I’d have an excuse to spend more time on Rachel’s girlfriend lessons. There’s so much I could still teach her. In bed, out of bed. Hell, we haven’t gone on a bowling alley date. A proper dinner date. A workout date. An art gallery date. I haven’t walked in on her fucking herself with a toy either.
Shame.
Yeah, several more dates would rock. Maybe we could extend this whole thing…indefinitely.
“I’m glad it’s going so well for you,” I say.
“It really is. And I think it could go even better. For both of us. I have a few ideas,” she says, setting down her purse and gearing up for a big ask.
“Oh?” I ask offhand as I scan the doorway just over there for Maddox. I need my buffer, stat.
“Yes. Let me tell you more about what I envision,” she says, not even giving a fuck that my agent isn’t here yet, but when the door swings open and he’s right on time, I’m infinitely relieved. She has the diplomacy of a snowplow. Maddox strides up to us and claps me on the shoulder. “Good to see you again.”
“You too,” I say.
Once he says hello to Zena, we all head to a table. After we order, Maddox guides the conversation through small talk and then Zena clears her throat, ready to do business.
She locks eyes with me. “So I wanted to tell you under NDA about a new feature we’re rolling out,” she begins, her chunky gold bracelet adding to her Wonder Woman vibe. “We’re launching a new section of the app called The Friend Zone. We want to help people connect on all sorts of levels, including a friend level, and since you and Rachel are such good friends, we would love for you to host the kickoff event for us in a few weeks. It’ll be a fun warehouse-type of party with music, games, photo booths, pool, board games—all sorts of friend-centric activities,” she says.
Great. Just great. I’ll forever be known as the friend.
But just because I want more with Rachel doesn’t mean that more is on the menu. Besides, I’m trying to detox from girlfriends. I stay too long in toxic relationships because I like women too much, dating too much, romance too much.
I need to change my own habits. This expiration date with Rachel is healthy for me. It really, really is.
“And we’ll invite influencers and some of our regular users in the area, and the media of course,” Zena continues as I do my best to focus on the business side of her request.
Fortunately, Maddox jumps in and says, “What do you have in mind exactly? An extension of the deal? Will there be additional compensation?”
I love this guy. He does the hard stuff.
Zena smiles. “Of course. We’ll pay you an appearance fee. And Rachel as well,” she says, then shares a figure. “You’d both get it, of course.”
Wow. I don’t think Rachel’s ever nabbed an appearance fee before, but I bet she’ll be stoked.
“But I also had a special idea,” Zena says, her tone suggesting she has an ace up her sleeve. “At the kickoff party, we’ll have goodie bags for all the guests, and I thought perhaps we could have the bags branded with the name of Rachel’s store. Would that work, too, for compensation?”
Zena looks to Maddox expectantly, but I’ve got this covered. “I’ll check with her tonight,” I say, and I can’t wait to tell Rachel.