CHAPTER TWO
Ray Matthews hated tardiness, his own and that of others.
While thick traffic and delays due to a fender bender on the main boulevard contributed to his white-knuckled drive into downtown, Ray refused to make excuses.
Given the importance of his appointment, he could have set his alarm to ring earlier, and devised a Plan B to avoid possible mishaps on the commute.
He’d own up to his mistakes and hope they didn’t count against him today.
Gwen Johnson was a good friend. She expected him at eight o’clock sharp for their interview, and here he was gasping for air after running two blocks from the parking garage in order to beat the clock. Not the best first impression.
He held onto positivity. We’ll have a nice interview, and Gwen will offer me the job on the spot.
No need to wait for her partner’s approval because he’ll love me sight unseen.
Ray was also glad to finally learn the nature of Gwen’s entrepreneurial endeavor.
Why she kept it secret mystified him. Whatever it was, he had the skills for it otherwise Gwen wouldn’t have called.
The front door opened right as Ray blew out the last of his exhaustion, and he felt the contents of his backpack shift.
Straightening his posture, he smiled as his friend, a statuesque platinum blonde in a short-sleeved blouse and black pencil skirt, showed off a smile of perfect white teeth framed in blood red lipstick.
“Ray!” She extended her hand. He spotted a small tattoo of a heart with two sets of initials on the underside of her forearm. “Right on time,” she said. “Come on in and see the place.”
“It looks great from here.” Ray admired the setup, an open office concept with high-walled cubicles and exposed brick walls showing the vintage beauty of the building’s interior.
Bare bulb light pendants clustered at various points on the ceiling bridged the different architectural styles of the workspace.
Gwen looked as flushed as he felt, as though a busy morning kept her on her toes. “Thanks. I’ve been dusting for the last hour. Phil’s currently at the vet with a sick Beagle, so it’s just me.”
“Oh, that sucks. Should we wait?” Such an emergency should take priority over any meeting, but Gwen carried on with the tour, explaining that her partner would arrive as soon as possible.
In the meantime, he studied the reception area as Gwen invited him to remove his jacket and make himself comfortable.
“Actually, I see it as fortuitous that he’s not here yet,” she said. “It gives me time to explain the business, and you can decide if you want the position. If yes, you’ll meet Phil later and get to know his role.”
“Sure, sounds good.” Why waste the man’s time if Ray declined?
Ray paid attention as Gwen gestured to the four cubicles behind reception. Phil and Gwen had already tricked theirs out with family photos, Gwen with her husband and Phil with Radar the Beagle, and assorted knickknacks.
Ray eased closer into Phil’s space, admiring the computer equipment and looking for further clues into his future boss’s identity. He saw one photo of Phil flanked by an older couple, maybe his parents, but none of him with a significant other. “Is Phil mated?”
Gwen came up beside Ray. “He had a partner, but his Omega died in an accident about two years ago.”
“I’m sorry.” That answered another question. He wouldn’t be the only Alpha working here.
Gwen clapped him on the shoulder and led him to the extra chair in her cubicle.
Ray shed his backpack before sitting. “He’s better about it now,” she said.
“In fact, losing Doug inspired Phil’s idea for this new adventure of ours.
” Settled in and facing each other, Gwen crossed her legs and folded her hands in her lap.
“We are going to launch a matchmaking service designed exclusively for Alphas and Omegas.”
“No Betas?” Ray cringed, angry with himself. Duh. You know what exclusive means, you knob.
Gwen shook her head. “Nothing against them,” she said, touching her neck to indicate her status as one, “but the market is saturated with Beta-centric services.”
Ray let Gwen’s words sink into his mind and roll around for a few seconds. “So,” he said, “you’re developing an app.” A dating app, when at least half a dozen such platforms existed for everybody.
His enthusiasm waned, along with hopes for having extra money to spend every month after making rent. When they’d texted last night about setting up this interview, Gwen implied she and her partner were planning something unique and innovative. This wasn’t it.
“We aren’t developing an app, Ray. We are launching an agency to match Alphas and Omegas. Our model is different.”
“How?” Ray pressed his hands on his lap to keep from pulling out his phone, showing evidence to the contrary. “That is literally what a dating app does. You sign up, create a profile, and they suggest potential matches. You know how it works.”
Gwen wrung her hands, her agitation evident as the tone of her voice switched to “explain it like they’re five” mode. “You don’t understand, Ray. Our company is different.”
“Okay.”
“We’re starting in the regional market, with plans to expand,” she said.
“Phil and I are taking a holistic approach to helping people find their mates, in that we meet our clients face to face or through online conferencing. We are collecting data on each client and using specialized research to determine the proper matches.”
“You’re using algorithms.” That’s it, here came the phone. Ray called up his home screen. “Just like all of these dating and mating apps available to download here. I use two exclusively to look for Omegas.”
With a heavy sigh, Gwen leaned back in her chair and folded her arms. “Let me ask you something,” she said. “Are you looking for a forever Omega? A mate.”
“Uh, yeah. Once I’m settled back into a job I’d like to find my other half.” Mate for life. Start a family.
Gwen pointed at his phone. “How long have you been using those apps?”
Ray thought for a moment. “About two, three years. Since I broke up with Joey.” That was inevitable, what with Joey being a Beta. They were having fun until the inevitable talk of future plans spoiled it. Despite the initial explosion following their breakup, the two remained friendly.
“Found any good Omega prospects lately?” she asked.
“No.”
“What is the longest relationship you’ve had with any Omega you’ve matched on an app?”
“Uh… one date.” The last of which, by Ray’s estimation, amounted to about four hours for his personal best. Given that many of his first dates were movies, that meant he and his Omega companions spent at least two hours not speaking to each other.
No point in mentioning it to Gwen. Her expression radiated victory, and she came in for the kill. “Thinking of all the people to whom these apps matched you,” she said, “are you confident in saying that every single one suited the profile you submitted?”
“No, but…”
“Exactly!” Gwen’s triumphant exclamation rang loud, startling Ray so much he rolled back in his chair. He gripped the armrests for support when Gwen leaped out of her chair and paced outside her cubicle.
“All those apps are bullshit, Ray,” she said, “created by people who know nothing about the psychology of mating. All they care about is the bottom line, paid premium subscriptions and selling ad space. What Phil and I are building here will make all those fraudulent companies obsolete.”
“That’s rather ambitious.”
“We’re bringing the human element back into mating.” She rested her elbow on the top of her cubicle wall, towering over Ray. “You have a degree in Social and Behavioral Sciences,” she said.
“Yes.” He’d worked as a high school counselor before the county budget cuts. This job was to have saved him from a long purgatory of dashing food to his former students to pay his bills.
“I have a Master’s in Psychology, and Phil has an MBA.
” She flicked her gaze to his cubicle. “The idea is for clients to come to us personally with their wishlists for an ideal mate. We will assess each case and hand pick from a pool of candidates. No feeding profiles into machines and trusting a soulless algorithm. With success we will hire a fourth person, but I need somebody right now before the big launch.”
Ray relaxed his hands and shoulders. He liked that Gwen radiated confidence in her project, but at the end of the day it remained an untested concept. “That sounds amazing,” he said, speaking slowly in an even voice, “but for this to succeed you need a pool of candidates.”
“That’s Phil’s job. He’s in charge of marketing the business and he’s already started that part.”
Ray nodded. “Marketing the business which doesn’t yet have a name.”
Gwen wasted no time with the volley. “We’ve narrowed it down to four possibilities,” she said, pulling herself to stand tall. “We’re aware of the importance of branding, Ray. This isn’t some flight of fancy hobby we came up with while drunk at McShane’s one night.”
“I’m not saying that, Gwen. You’re a competent person. We’ve been friends forever, and I’ve never known you to approach anything half-assed.” Ray told the truth, this wasn’t simple lip service to boost Gwen’s ego. However, he couldn’t let one fact go unsaid. “But, Gwen, you’re a Beta.”
“Yes, and…?” Gwen blinked. “Why should that disqualify me from matching Alphas to Omegas and vice versa? That’s what sets this agency apart from those useless apps.
An impartial Beta provides a unique point of view to the mating process.
Not only can I spot qualities in potential mates that someone in heat or rut might otherwise miss, I have a solid track record. ”
To prove her point, she held up her hand, showing off her wedding ring set. Ten years of Beta marital bliss trumped years of dating app failure in her eyes, and Ray supposed that argument might work for some people.