Chapter Fourteen

Booker

I think hearts might be a little over the top.

I glance at the clock and realize I’ve been working for hours into the night on this marketing platform. It’s nothing new and different, really. I like working at night. Oftentimes, it’s when I get my best stuff done.

Not like I could sleep after my little session with Angel, anyway.

Oh, Angel. What a delectable creature. I can just imagine what she looked like, legs spread as she toyed with herself, pleasing herself at my direction. There is so much to be said for sexting, but I wonder what she would be like in real life. I wonder what her skin would feel like. How she would taste.

I turn my attention back to my laptop screen and shift an image around of the Cupid’s Bow logo. What’s a good catchphrase here?

Find the love of your life, then see them for the first time.

Does that sell it? I’m not convinced. Maybe I do need to get some sleep. My brain might be busted.

My phone buzzes and makes a little noise. My eyebrows narrow in confusion as I open the app. It’s not Angel. I’m sure she must be sleeping soundly after our little interlude. What is the app trying to tell me?

“Congratulations! You have chatted long enough to reveal images. Good luck in the next phase of your relationship!”

My stomach drops. Kieran was right. It didn’t matter how long we put off answering the question. In the end, the app made the next step for us. There is a Next button to touch to see the clear image of the woman I’ve been giving tiny pieces of my soul to all this time. Maybe I can hack into the app and find a way to delay the reveal.

A small box appears on the top corner of the screen.

“Your partner has seen you!” it says. So cheerful. So excited.

I release a breath and prepare for what’s next. I tap the button, and Sasha’s face appears, bright and clear as day.

Fuck.

With that little bit of blur, I was able to hold out hope that there might be a chance this wasn’t our situation. Now things are going to get messy. I don’t know how to handle messy.

I only know one person who does.

I tap in Kieran’s phone number and press the Call button. It rings twice before he answers.

“This is Kieran’s late-night secretary. How can I direct your call?”

“Don’t you ever sleep?” I ask.

Kieran laughs. “No. I’m just getting in from the club. Some pretty hot ladies there. I almost brought a few home, but I’m trying to cut back on chances of STDs.”

“Great,” I say. I regret calling him. Maybe I should hang up now.

“What’s up, Bo? You never call me at this time unless it’s something terribly unimportant. You working on the marketing plan?”

“Am I that transparent?”

“Yes,” he says.

There’s a pregnant pause while he waits for me to get on with it.

“Before I go on, I need you not be an asshole about this. Are you capable of that?”

“Hmm, not sure, but I can try. Did someone die? You sound like someone died.”

Yeah, my first potential relationship with a human being. No big deal.

“Remember when you made the assumption that I had been dating someone using the app?”

“Yes. I take it that relationship isn’t going well, now?”

“It’s Sasha.”

“Who’s Sasha?”

I frown. Just the other day, Kieran was mooning all over her, hitting on her right in front of me. Tonight, he can’t even remember her name.

“My assistant,” I remind him.

He hoots into the phone. “Oh my god. The hot redhead? You’ve been dating her in secret this whole time? You fucking dog! No wonder you were so snippy with me when I talked about asking her out!”

“I wasn’t snippy with you. And I didn’t know it was her until just now when our time ran out and revealed our pictures. I can tell that she’s seen mine, too. How the fuck are we going to navigate this, Kieran?”

Kieran laughs into the phone. I might slam it against my desk. I don’t have time for this bullshit.

“Kieran, this isn’t a fucking joke. We could be in serious trouble here if she decides to file harassment. You feel like losing all that money we’ve earned?”

“Well, I still have my parents’ money to fall back on, so that’s not really a threat to me. Also, she clicked the accept button when she signed on to that account. It renders her a consenting adult to whatever activity may have gone on. If she was going to report you for misconduct, I should hope she would have used that option already. Besides, were you abusive to her?”

“No. But we… we…”

Kieran bursts into laughter again. I’m so glad he’s getting such enjoyment out of my ruin. Fucker.

“What, so you had virtual sex with each other? Is that even considered sexting when it’s through an app? I wonder if we can coin a new phrase and circulate it around social media. It can be the new sex trend. We could start a sex trend!”

The business part of my brain agrees. We could sell to a lot more people if we do that. I store the idea away. The other part of me wants to punch Kieran in the face.

“Kieran, can you be serious for one fucking minute? I’m fucked here, and you’re laughing in my face. Be a fucking friend.”

That seems to dull his mood a little.

“All right, all right. So, you accidentally had relations with your assistant at work. Neither of you are at fault here. How were you to know that you were talking to each other? All you were doing is researching to recreate the consumer experience.”

I feel minutely better at those words.

“Now you can work together to create the sex culture that will change the world!”

There’s humor back in his voice. He was able to be serious for approximately thirty seconds. Why am I friends with this asshole again? Because he was there for me as a kid? Does that even hold clout anymore?

“You can get some practice in at the office now, too, now that you know who you both are.”

“Fuck off, Kieran,” I growl.

“You fuck off. You’re the boss. You can fuck whomever you like. You think you’re the first person to screw his assistant? Are you living under some kind of rock? That’s kind of what CEOs do.”

“Kieran, when did you become such a repulsive person? Have you always been like this, and I’ve just never seen it?”

“Chill out, Bo. I’m just telling it like it is. This is the way of the world. Women get fucked by men, and then we move on. It’s a short end of the stick for them, but hey, it works to our favor, doesn’t it?”

“Fuck you, Kieran. That is not the way things work. If I find that you’ve been disrespecting any of the women in my office, I will fire you on the spot. Do I make myself clear?”

“Ooh, big scary boss man comes out. This whole Sasha thing has you messed up in the head. I recommend you get some sleep. When you wake up, you’ll realize that this really isn’t a big deal. You’re both adults. Act like it. Adults have sex and get on with their lives. Don’t turn it into some kind of drama.”

Clearly, this phone call was the biggest mistake I’ve made, just short of creating a damn profile in the first place. I can’t count the number of mistakes I’ve made at this point. It’s impossible. I’m such a fucking mess.

“Yeah, sure. Thanks for the pep talk, friend.”

“Any time! I’ll be in early tomorrow to watch the two of you be uncomfortable around one another. Can’t wait.”

“I don’t think that will be necessary. I require you in the office uptown.”

“No, you don’t. You can’t ship me off just because you don’t want an audience to your humiliation. That’s what friends are for!”

Something tells me after all these years that my friendship with Kieran may need to be reevaluated.

“Regardless, I have a new staff member starting in our branch office, and I need you to be there to welcome them and give them the tour in the morning. I’m looking ahead to the next project, and that person will be able to help. It’s not a request, Kieran. I want you uptown tomorrow.”

“You have never once ordered me to be anywhere. Are you seriously going to try this now? How about this, instead. I catch a flight to Aruba and spend the rest of the week there. Would that suit your fancy?”

“Whatever. I just better not see your fucking face tomorrow. I’m sorry I ever called you.”

“Aw, come on, Bo. Don’t be like that.”

I hang up the phone. I can’t stand to hear his voice a moment longer.

I lean back in my chair and think about when I met Kieran. We got into some crazy shit together as kids. He was my best friend. I lived with his family for the rest of my tenure as an orphan. Do I owe him my friendship still? I’ve paid him back tenfold with the businesses I’ve managed while he flitted around, taking half-credit for investing.

Anyway, Kieran is the least of my problems at the moment. I glance back down at my phone. The screen has gone black with disuse, so I poke it awake.

Sasha’s smiling face looks up at me. A part of me must have known, on some level. I pictured her face when we fucked. Something in me has wanted her this entire time, even knowing that I would never really be interested in my own assistant.

I poke through our conversations, and my heart pounds in my temples. I told her so much. So many personal things. Things I would never in a million years want a worker of mine to know. What was I thinking? How could I let myself get so caught up in the mystery of it all, in the game?

Obviously, the premise of the app works. If it worked on me, it will work on anyone.

I frown as I scroll and scroll, reading through our overt sex conversations. There is now written proof of my indiscretion. If she decides to take me to court for any reason, she has everything I’ve said in writing. Was that her plan all along? To find me out, trick me into a relationship with her, then bilk me of my money?

I can’t believe Angel would do something like that, but would Sasha? She seems like an ambitious person. How far is she willing to go for her own success?

I click through the settings. Now it’s time to test one more thing, and let’s see how easy this part is. A few more taps and I find myself at the area to delete my account. I tap the button. It asks me if I’m sure.

Oh, I’m sure. I’ll never do anything as foolish as this again. I can’t stand myself for letting it happen in the first place. I confirm that I want it to end, and just like that, the login screen appears, asking me to create an account.

Goodbye, Angel.

A heavy weight sits on my chest as I lean back in my seat. I’ve lost something big tonight, without meaning to. Now I’ve got to face the consequences of my actions. I have to find a way to get Sasha to move on from this, so we can both move on.

It’s over.