The host, Sheri Carmichael, introduced Lazer and me. We sat with her on set, sitting on her sofas in her living room environment, pitching Pair Us.
I tried to gauge the audience reaction to our ideas. They seemed intrigued. But were they sold?
At times, Sheri fancied herself a serious journalist. But she threw us mostly softball questions. The interview was going well, mostly because the female audience was in love with Lazer. When it came out that he was our client and looking for a wife, the audience swooned as one.
We were winning them over. But we needed a homerun. Lazer was a prize that seemed almost a fantasy. Only one woman would win his heart.
And then we called the men out, and you could almost see the audience's jaws drop and watch them start drooling. Especially when Austin, who came out last, walked on stage. Even from where I sat, I could hear the comparisons to a certain hot, and very popular, Scottish actor and the character he played.
Even Sheri fanned herself exaggeratedly and laughed when she stood to greet the men and each one hugged her in turn.
"I think I'm going to swoon!" Sheri laughed. "These men are hot." She turned to the studio audience. "Aren't they gorgeous?"
The audience applauded.
Sheri hung on to Austin. "This one especially. I've never seen such a handsome redheaded lad." She stroked his arm. "Where do I sign up?"
The men, who were still used to being largely ignored and overlooked by women, as they had been their whole lives up till now, were embarrassed. Their humbleness, the fact that you could see they really didn't believe they were anything special to look at, nearly brought the audience to their knees. The women went mad for them.
Sheri interviewed each of them, flirting madly. I was largely forgotten. Which was fine with me. I beamed like a proud mother. And watched the audience, studying their reaction to everything the men said and every bit of information we let out.
We were on the right track. This business could do it for us. Set me up for life. Make our fortunes.
I glanced at the men. I had no doubt that soon my Seattle dating pool would be filled with women who wanted to meet these men.
I wasn't wrong about that.
After the show, Sheri's producer pulled us aside. "Your promo crashed our website. When we gave out your contact info, we were overwhelmed."
Sheri overheard. She'd been flirting with Austin. "Didn't I tell you? I knew these guys would be good for ratings." She smiled at Austin before looking to Lazer. "You'll have to come back and give us an update. Especially you men. I love my men in flavors from tall to redhead."
After the show, we had a team lunch at a trendy pizza place downtown known for its innovative "pies." There was a feeling of camaraderie in the group and a whole lot of flirting going on. I wondered how long to stave it off before releasing the men to ask the women out and letting the full-on matching begin.
The success of the men on Sheri's show had given me second thoughts about turning them loose to date one of my Manhattanites right away. Didn't the women of Seattle deserve a shot at them? Dylan, Jeremy, Austin, and Cam were local boys. If I could find them a local girl, one with no pull to move back to New York, one who loved the area as much as they did, wouldn't that be better?
I was beginning to think my adorable nerds turned hot men could prove almost as valuable a draw to Pair Us as Lazer. Maybe it was way too early to risk taking them out of the pool. Because unlike Lazer, they were serious about finding wives. And if this business had taught me one thing, it was that once a person was in a marrying state of mind, finding a spouse was a done deal, given a similarly minded partner.
The timing of all of this was delicate. I was baking a love soufflé spiced with business. If I took it out of the oven too soon, the whole thing would collapse into a runny mess. That was the best metaphor I could think of.
My head spun with details. As I'd found out when I opened Harte Strings, that was the thing about business. An idea sounded good in your head or on paper. But it was when you got down into the details of getting it off the ground and running—that could make or break it. It was also like peeling an onion. Each layer you peeled back exposed another set of problems or challenges you hadn't even known enough to consider in the beginning.
Yet your success hinged on every decision you made every step of the way. Now I was torn about what to do with the men, just like I was about Lazer. Lazer had to go out and date someone to gin up PR and show the public he was in "good faith" using our service and looking for a wife. But maybe I could hold off on the other men until things got off the ground just a bit more.
As a team, we returned to our Pair Us conference room after lunch to test the app in-house before heading to the field. Beta testing sounded exciting until you realized the mundaneness and detail-oriented nature of it. Each of the women had to test every step and option in the app and every combination of steps that could be taken, looking for bugs. Links that didn't work, for example. They also had to write down their thoughts about the app in general. What did they like about it? What seemed intuitive? What confused them? Were the instructions clear? What could be improved?
Having designed it, the men were too close to the app to see the flaws. They watched as the women went through it. Dylan and Austin were particularly concerned about security. As the women went through the app, directed by Cam and Jeremy, Dylan and Austin tried to hack into it. Tried to hack the women's phones. Pretended they were stalking one of the women and tried to determine any identifying information on her.
I watched the process for a while. It was fascinating from a matchmaking perspective. The men, who had been shy and awkward around women, were now in their element. They were kind and attentive toward the women. In awe of them, yet in their element now around them. Their confidence, knowledge, and sense of command were sexy. The women reacted to it. And to the attention they were being shown. After being used to being taken for granted for so long and overlooked, the women ate up the male attention.
I really should have called a social science prof to come study this. It was a fascinating social experiment. Maybe someday it would make it into a book. If I ever wrote another one.
Lust is an animal attraction. But falling in love happens in the brain as much as anything. The men had no idea how much they were furthering their cause just by being them.
I thought again of my little soufflé in the oven. Timing, timing, timing…
Field testing would begin tomorrow. That would really be exciting. Or devastating, depending on the results.
I went to my office, which was set up and ready for me. All I had to do was add a few personal touches and it would be perfect. Doctors and lawyers put their diplomas and certifications on the walls. I thought about hanging up some of the wedding invitations, wedding pictures, and copies of marriage licenses I'd been sent over the years from happy Harte Strings clients. It would be good advertising. But part of me wanted to wait and start over fresh here. To proudly hang only Pair Us success stories. To watch the structure in the lobby be covered with heart locks.
I had a brand-new, top-of-the-line desktop computer that one of Lazer's IT staff had loaded with all the latest software and everything I needed. It had now been nearly three hours since our appearance on Northwest Mornings. Time to check out Sheri's statement that we'd crashed her website.
I logged in to look at the signups to our dating pool database, and nearly fell out of my chair at the number that had come in. And continued rolling in.
I leaned back in my chair. A big database was one thing. Now how did I begin screening? And did we have anyone signing up as potential clients?
I checked the potential client submissions and shook my head in wonder. So many clients. From all over the state and British Columbia. Even the Canadians wanted in on this venture. I'd have to clone myself three or four times over to have enough of me to tackle this volume of interest. And we hadn't even opened our doors officially yet.
There was nothi
ng to do but roll up my sleeves and dig in.
A knock on my office door startled me so thoroughly that I jumped in my chair and put my hand to my heart.
"Watching porn at work?" Lazer lounged in the doorway, looking so delectable I could have licked him.
"Engrossed in my work." The way I looked at him didn't lend much credence to my denial. I rolled my shoulders and tipped my head side to side.
It was dark outside already. I glanced at the time in the corner of my computer screen. It was past eight. The office was empty. People had left and I hadn't even noticed. This was typical of me when I was in the zone and concentrating on my work.
Lazer stepped into my office and surveyed the crumpled energy bar wrapper and empty coffee cup on my desk. "Dinner, I presume?"
I laughed and stretched. "No, dinner was pizza at lunch."
"What are you doing here so late?" He took the chair opposite my desk.
"I could ask the same of you," I said.
"Working."
"Me too." I wiggled my fingers and did a few of my desk yoga moves. "Have you seen how many client inquiries we received just since this morning? It would take four or more of me to get through them."
"You've been processing client inquiries all this time?" he said.
I nodded. "And I haven't even made a dent. It's like bailing water from a sinking ship. As fast as I bail, more flow in."
"What are we getting—mostly men or mostly women?" He appeared both interested and amused.
"Take a wild guess. Sheri's show is mostly women, and we just dangled a hot billionaire and four of his smoking friends in front of them."
He laughed. "The guys will be thrilled to think they're smoking. But they'll never believe it. They've been nerds too long. Their core nerd image is engraved on their psyches."
"It's what makes them so adorable and attractive," I said. "Every mom and grandma in that audience today wants one of them, or you, for their daughter or granddaughter." I paused and rolled my eyes. "Amateur matchmakers."
He laughed. "The guys are going to make a liar out of me, that's what I'm hearing. How will anyone believe me that we have a shortage of women here when our database is suddenly swamped with them?"
I grinned at him. "Which brings me to my next quandary." I brought up my dilemma about matching the men. "You know, it wasn't easy getting the right mix of women to come to Seattle. To find women who were both matches to one of the men and who have an honest interest in relocating." I frowned.
We'd only been in Seattle a few days. Excitement was running high. But already I'd heard a disparaging comment or two about the differences between New York and Seattle. And a few more about being homesick.
"What if there are better matches for the men here? Local women."
"Give it some time," Lazer said in a laid-back tone. "Let's see how this startup phase and beta go before we get in too deep with them. Give them free rein over the app. Betas and startup pressure tend to bring out the worst in people. All the stress. Some can handle it. Some can't."
"So we continue to dangle the men like candy before a baby for a while longer?"
"Exactly," he said. "Do we have any men in our database?"
I tilted my head side to side. "Plenty—" I threw my hands up. "Crap! I missed our segment on the evening show that was supposed to air tonight—"
He got out of his chair, came around behind me, and began massaging my neck and shoulders. He leaned down and whispered in my ear. "Don't worry. We have it on DVR. You were brilliant. We probably crashed their site, too."
His touch was magic. I felt the knots and tension in my back and shoulders melt away. Unfortunately, it was replaced with sexual tension and a desire for his touch in all the places I shouldn't want it.
"This is a delicate operation," he said thoughtfully. "Timing is everything."
He got it. That was one of the things I loved about him.
I nodded and let my fears and frustrations out. It felt good to discuss them with someone.
He listened and commented and calmed my fears. "This is the way of startups. One of my friends once described the feeling of starting a business like this—it's like standing on the edge of a steep cliff and leaning out over the edge. Below are sharp rocks and dangerous ravines. All that's holding you up and keeping you from crashing over the edge is a stiff wind. Every day you pray the wind doesn't stop. And every day you're positive it will."
"That's it exactly!" I leaned back against him without thinking, the way I used to with Ruck. My head was right at his bellybutton height. I leaned back into a hard six-pack.
There was so much wrong with that. And so much right. When Ruck used to massage my neck and I leaned back into him, I would rub my head against him like a contented kitten and look up into his eyes with invitation. And then I became a kitten indeed, a sex kitten, and we ended up in bed. Ruck used to tell me he gave me backrubs because the view from above down my blouse turned him on. Lazer had that same view, and I had no intention of obstructing it.
I'd never been the kind of girl who fantasized about sex at the office. But I was dreaming about it now. Right here with Lazer. When I looked up into his eyes, it was obvious he was having the same thought.
When was he going to realize who his perfect match was? Was I playing fair by throwing him off the scent?
I patted his hand that rested on my shoulder. In a friendly, almost patronizing way. It was the only way to stave off temptation.
I shut down my computer. "That's enough for the day." Enough of everything. "Time to head home." I left the word "alone" unsaid, but it was clear he got my message.
"I'll walk you out." He waited for me to gather up my things.
We chatted about nothing really, just small talk, until we reached the main lobby of the building.
"Not Erica," he said out of the blue.
I turned to him with a puzzled expression. "What?"
"Erica's not my perfect match. Am I right?" He smiled smugly.
Somehow I found his smugness, and the way he'd been thinking about his perfect match, endearing. "What makes you think she isn't?"
"You're not going to make this easy, are you?"
I laughed. "What would be the fun in that? So?"
He shook his head. "I asked her, 'What in your life do you feel most grateful for?'"
I shot him a stern look. "You're not using the shortcut to bonding questions?"
He looked totally fake-innocent. But his grin was charming. "What? Am I banned from using those, too? I wasn't told I couldn't. I didn't see it in the fine print."
I shook my head. "Remind me to write up an amendment that forbids them."
He laughed. "Good luck getting me to sign it. As I recall, a contract is a meeting of the minds. And mine is meeting being restricted and having the rules change midgame."
I shook my head. "What about Erica's answer makes you think she's not perfect for you?"
He shrugged as if the answer was obvious. "She said she's most grateful for the opportunity to meet me."
My eyes went wide. "I'm stunned. Playing to your vanity doesn't turn you on? I didn't peg you for humble."
He opened the door for me. "When a woman is too impressed with me, and she doesn't even know me, it's the kiss of death. I don't want a sycophant for a spouse."
"I thought you didn't want a spouse at all."
"True," he said as I walked through the door out onto the street. "But if I did, I'd want a partner. Not someone who puts me on a pedestal." He pointed. "There's your car."
"All right. Point taken. I'll add it to my file on you—no idolizing the billionaire."
"Good." He walked me to the waiting car and opened the door before the driver could get out. "Back to my original point—am I right?"
I smiled at him. "Lazer, darling, love, you know the answer to that already. You don't need my confirmation. If you don't think she's right for you, of course she isn't the one. But, to answer your question about the scientific end of it,
and our experiment, no, she isn't your perfect match." Impulsively, I kissed him on the cheek and slid into the car.
Chapter 8
Ashley
The field beta test was so much more fun than the first day. It was like a great, big, citywide game of hide-and-seek. I spent the morning in mission control with the men as they tracked the women who were out and about in the city.
It was fascinating watching the men try to figure out what woman was where as they tracked the number of single available women from place to place.
They'd built safeguards into the app so that it wouldn't show a lone person, or even a group of people, walking along the street. Or at home. Or at any private residence. The app only showed available single people at public eateries, bars, and singles' hangouts. And even then, it didn't show their exact location within an establishment. For safety reasons, obviously.
I watched the men work with another objective.
"I think this is Kelsey and Steph here," Austin said.
Jeremy frowned. "What have you seen? Did you hack them? Why them? Why there?" He sounded alarmed as he checked his code and Dylan looked over his shoulder.
Austin shrugged. "Chill. I'm just making an educated guess. Those two are friends. They headed out together. And they mentioned wanting to try this place."
Jeremy relaxed and the tracking continued. It was a bit like watching scientists track migrating birds on an animal documentary. They were tense when fewer than fifteen pink single women icons appeared on the app. And relaxed and applauded when they reappeared.
Late that afternoon, right in the middle of happy hour, Lottie and I took the app on the road and joined the Where in the world is the matchmaker and her women game.
"Let's follow some of the women," I told Lottie. "And see what they're up to."
Lottie grinned. "You mean spy on them?"
I nodded. "Naturally. I want to see if they're attracting attention out in the wild."
"Devious."
"No one ever said I wasn't," I said. "Let's see how good their flirting skills are and how well they relate to the Seattle men." I laughed.
Dating Lazer: A Jet City Billionaire Romance (The Billionaire Matchmaker Series Book 4) Page 8
