Chapter 10 Go Back Where You Came From
TEN
Go Back Where You Came From
I woke up on cloud nine, smiling from ear to ear.
At twelve this morning, Amoré Nights moved from beta; no longer was it being tested by a small group.
Finally, like in Spain, all of the United States was searching for love on my app.
Despite my conflicting feelings on the subject, I needed each woman on the app to have more faith in the four-letter word than I did.
The men, well, I'd never presume to know what they were truly searching for.
I was now certain I knew nothing about men and probably never would.
As I swung my legs to the side, a scent hit me.
Shit! Months ago, I'd hired Dominic to cook a launch-day breakfast. I'd forgotten to cancel, and now the last man I wanted to see was in my kitchen.
The memory of that night I slept with him barged into my head, unwelcome, souring my appetite even more, but I wouldn't overthink things. He was an employee, nothing more.
Everything felt different since sleeping with Bruno.
The way I looked at it, the chef got an early end-of-year bonus when I gave his dick a ride. Not about to hide in my bedroom, I walked into the kitchen. "Smells good. What are you making?"
"Cinnamon French toast," he said, flashing an expression that looked more like a smirk than a smile.
Ignoring him, I took a seat and waited. Dominic set the plate down in front of me, though nothing on it looked appealing. A large sausage sat right in the middle. Maybe he thought it was enticing or funny. It was neither.
"Eat up!"
I rolled my eyes. The truth was the sausage was bigger and thicker than what he had in his pants.
He foolishly made me compare the two. I reached for a knife and sliced the sausage into pieces but never put any into my mouth.
Instead, I pushed it off my plate and forced all my attention on the French toast.
"Where's the coffee?"
I refused to let a hired cook make me feel uncomfortable in my own home.
I ate and ignored him, then left to get ready for the day.
After a shower, I dressed in a rush as my heart pounded with excitement.
How many people had downloaded the Amoré Nights app by now?
Were they setting up dates for tonight? Pride pushed past the mix of emotions racing through me.
When I left the condo, I promised myself I'd tell Dominic his services would no longer be needed.
But I knew how that would go. I always let useless people linger because it was easier than making time for the confrontation.
I walked out the front door of my building and into a busy New York City street, with eight point three million people rushing in every direction.
I stood on the sidewalk, grinning from ear to ear; the city was alive, and so was I.
For once, in a long while, it felt like I had a path set ahead, and I lifted a hand for a taxi to stop.
After one slammed on its brakes in front of me, I slid inside. "Take me to Sixty-Third and Madison."
We sped through the streets, and I practically floated out of the cab, then upstairs, and stood in front of the Amoré Nights logo, which was proudly shining outside my suite.
After waving at the new receptionist, I stood for a second outside the office door, listening to the lively voices and other noises on the other side; my team was busy at work.
Soon as I entered, Eliana rushed to my side. "We're live."
"Yes. We are," I agreed, then gave her a concerned look. "But does anyone know? What are the numbers of new users?"
When her lips curled and eyes beamed, relief filled me. Nobody smiles that wide over bad numbers.
"One million users in the United States already. The media blast worked," Eliana said.
"Yes," I said, pumping a fist into the air.
People smiled around me.
"The influencer events Greenslate added might've been the key," one employee added.
Eliana kept a watchful eye on me. "All our efforts worked."
I nodded, then walked away, intending to phone the girls. They had to know these numbers.
"Where are you going?"
My secretary's words made me freeze. I spun around. "To my office. Where else?"
She pointed in the other direction. "You told everyone to meet you in the conference room, remember?"
"Oh…yes, I remember," I lied, then handed her my coat and bag, and I walked in the opposite direction.
I didn't get far down the hall before I saw Bruno approaching on the opposite side.
Just like that, the excitement left my body, replaced by uneasiness.
For a while it looked like he'd pass me, but for some reason my feet dragged and then finally stopped when he was beside me.
"Are you coming to the meeting?"
Bruno looked back in the direction I pointed to. "No, I'm heading out. Just grabbed my stuff from the office."
"Amoré Nights is in business."
"Yeah, you guys no longer need a babysitter."
Nervously, I looked around, unable to meet his eyes. "Thanks for the help."
"I'd do anything for you. Even leave when it's hurting me."
His words lodged in my chest like a stone. I stared hard at the wall, refusing to blink, because the last thing I wanted to do was cry.
"Stay safe, Bruno."
Before my eyes betrayed me, I hurried to the conference room. When I pushed the door open, celebratory words and cheers greeted me. Every face in the room was smiling, so I forced one onto mine and hoped no one caught how strained it looked or how it masked a choice that would cost me sleep.
After the meeting, we actually got to work at Amoré Nights.
There was more press to line up. Investors who wished to congratulate me.
The telephone was held to my ear for the remainder of the day, and my arm was starting to hurt, but this was the best-case scenario.
As the day wrapped up, I removed my shoes, leaned back in the chair, and for a brief moment enjoyed the peace and quiet. I did it.
With my eyes closed, I heard my office door open—no knock. Guess everyone forgot themselves with the celebration. When I looked and spotted James, I squinted. Damn, I hadn't fired him yet. Well, today seemed as good a day as any.
"You can't knock?"
He wore an expression I couldn't place. "Why? What if you were fucking one or two of your boyfriends on the desk, and I wanted to see the show?"
His words made me sit up straight. Regardless of all the shit I talked, I'd never had sex with anyone from work, much less on my desk. For a bit I stared at him, shocked and furious. "Your time is up, buddy boy. You're fired."
James laughed. It was unexpected and quickly made me uneasy. For a man who I'd just fired, he was too calm. I stood. "What the hell is so funny? Get out of here." When James didn't move, I added, "Don't make me call security."
"Call them," he said, lowering himself into the chair.
I reached for the phone. Something didn't feel right.
"Before you do, I should mention I saved all your slutty activity from the beta. The dick pictures men sent you and every dirty conversation."
I dropped the phone. Shit.
James' smile grew, and the son of a bitch winked.
"You're a whore, a pretty one, but still a hoe with way too much authority. Can't have you dragging Amoré Nights down. If your reputation becomes public, what will the investors do? Can you imagine the press?"
Lowering myself back into the chair, I processed the situation calmly. The company's success was tied to me. I was the face, CEO. James was right; Amoré Nights would be ruined. Still, I wasn't about to roll over. "It would be your word against mine. Why would anyone believe a word…"
"You aren't listening. I have evidence. I tracked every move you made on the app: the chats, slutty photos, everything."
James handled back-end analytics since the first beta. He'd had access to every scrap of data.
Inside, I was breaking down, but I held it together. "What do you want?"
"Well, originally, I was going to order your ass on top of this desk and introduce you to a real man. But you're a slut, so I'm not interested. I want a monthly payoff and the CEO title."
I glared at the man. "You'd run my business into the ground. I might as well go down with the ship."
He laughed again, and I fought every urge not to reach for the heavy paperweight. Prison sounded like a better option than what he was giving me.
"The truth is, I don't even want to work. Just give me some money, and I'll settle for COO position. What do you think, my little heiress?"
The confident way he spoke irked me, but I had to stay calm. This man was now holding the one thing I held dear in his hands. "I'll get back to you."
"Don't you even want to know how much cash I'm asking?"
"If I say no, it won't matter."
He never took his eyes off me. "You won't say no. This company is your baby; no woman turns her back on a baby," he said, then stood to leave. "Don't keep me waiting too long."
I glared at him and nodded but noticed he didn't leave.
He leaned back and smirked. "Shit! Maybe I'll still take that fuck on top of this desk another time. The sky is the limit."
The door slammed shut, and I sank into the chair, anger growing, but this time mixed with something else: fear.
The problem with blackmailers is they're never satisfied.
First money. Then power. Next sex. After that, who knows, maybe a kidney.
I couldn't allow a man like James to twist me into knots.
I needed help. Damn, life would be so much easier if you never needed anyone.
Time and time again I had pretended I could handle everything singlehandedly and ended up with egg on my face.
The sad thing is I believed that needing help was a sign of weakness.
Screw pride. Amoré Nights was too important.
I reached for my cell phone. Instinctively, I thought to call one or all of the girls, but I shook the thought away. I didn't need a custody lawyer, part-time model, or fashion executive. They couldn't help. I needed someone ruthless who could get down to James' level.
My stomach turned at the only name left on my list. Calling him meant swallowing my pride. But this blackmailing piece of shit left me with no choice.
I pressed his contact. The phone rang in my ear, each tone louder than the last, and even though my hand trembled, I didn't hang up. I'd eat crow and beg for help from him. I just hoped he answered.
Finally, the ringing stopped.
"Padre."
"What's wrong?"
The moment my father asked, the sobs burst free. I tried to explain, but the words caught in my throat, and I fell apart crying.