Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 56885 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 284(@200wpm)___ 228(@250wpm)___ 190(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56885 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 284(@200wpm)___ 228(@250wpm)___ 190(@300wpm)
A laugh of appreciation escapes me when I see the answer to the first question. She tilts her head, smiling and somewhat shocked. I’m shocked, too. I’ve smiled and laughed more with her than I usually do in a week in this office.
“Your favorite novel is The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck,” I say.
“Yeah…”
I open my bottom desk drawer and take out a dogeared copy of the novel. Piper’s eyebrows shoot up adorably. “Whoa,” she mutters.
“I suppose when you’ve struggled and strived and want to find a better life, it’s a natural choice,” I say.
She nods enthusiastically. “My thoughts exactly.”
I want to ask her more and discuss this further, but I have more work to do today. And this is supposed to be an interview, not a date.
“You can type ninety words per minute.”
“I taught myself in college,” she says. “I know it’s unnecessary for copywriting, but it could help if there’s a tight deadline and we need to get moving.”
“And you’re willing to work overtime… for free.” I shake my head. “Piper, you shouldn’t tell employers things like that. I’m glad you’re willing to put in extra effort if our timeline calls for it, but you will be paid, and paid well, for your work.”
She shrugs, seeming suddenly naïve. “I just want to do a good job.”
“And you will—for a fair wage.”
She reaches up and twists a strand of her hair around her finger, then lets her hand drop when she realizes what she’s doing.
“You’d be willing to give presentations to clients,” I say, nodding.
She wraps her arms across her middle.
Fuck.
It makes her body shift so temptingly I almost lose it. It’s like I’m existing on two levels. The CEO who’s interested in her talent as an employee, and the goddamn savage who wants to tear off her shirt, make her buttons pop, bring my mouth to her perfect…
“I’d be nervous, but yeah, I’d do it. After college, I’m done letting nerves dictate my actions. It’s like in Wrath. I have to try. I have to keep moving.”
I nod, placing the questionnaire down. I don’t want to be over the top with her, but it isn’t easy. Every word speaks to me on a deep level. We share something fundamental, something that goes beyond the physical.
I thought this interview would mean resisting my desire to kiss her, touch her, own her. I didn’t know it’d mean resisting her emotionally, too.
“Let’s move on to the product,” I say. “Tell me a little about Forever Love.”
“It’s a dating app that uses advanced algorithms to match lovers,” she replies, sitting up and uncrossing her arms. Her subtle blush betrays her nerves, but she pushes bravely and impressively through them. “It’s designed for the users to find their one and only, so the app will ideally delete after it has done its job.”
“What do you think about it as a concept?” I ask. “Imagine you were a potential customer.”
She taps her finger against her chin without any self-consciousness. She probably has no clue how gorgeous she looks. “I don’t know if it would apply to me.”
“How do you mean?”
“I’m not looking for my one and only.”
A brutal, possessive thought fires into my head.
Good.
If I can’t have her, I don’t want anybody else to have her, either. I push it deep down into the graveyard of thoughts and desires I can never acknowledge.
“A man might be forgiven for saying you’re too young to be so pessimistic about love.”
She stares into my eyes with meaning. I’m almost certain she’s thinking about the kiss. Am I? How? It happened so long ago.
“Imagine,” I growl, making her flinch, which wasn’t my intention.
“If I was interested in dating,” she says softly. “Forever Love would be the perfect app for me. I’ve never wanted to play the field. And I’d want to find somebody who matches well with me.”
“What does ‘matches well’ mean to you?” I ask out of pure professional curiosity. That’s the fiction I need to believe stubbornly.
“I think it would mean somebody who wants the same thing out of life. It would mean somebody who supports me, and I want to support too. I think the main thing would mean being a team.”
I nod, captivated, wondering if she’s doing this on purpose.
“What about you?” she asks.
Her question shocks me. “Me?”
“In the information packet, it says you’re the mastermind behind this product. Some people might say that’s surprising.”
The edge of her lip twitches in one of her enthralling smiles. Is she teasing me? The desire to flirt with her is almost physical. I yearn to smile but somehow stop myself.
“Market projections show that dating apps will see an uptick in the near future and that apps specifically geared toward genuine relationships and connections will be of interest as more and more people become disillusioned with hookup culture. It has nothing to do with me.”