Page 79 of Fake It For Glory

Christian laughed, clearly amused. “She wanted a sugar daddy.”

“No shit. At dinner, she looked up the purse online, it was five thousand fucking dollars. We hadn’t even had dinner and she was asking me to spend that kind of money on her. It was crazy.”

“Okay, she might not have been good for you, but she was pretty.”

“Yeah, well, not for me,” I said.

Christian chuckled. “You know, I think you’ve found the real deal this time. I’ve never seen you so smitten before.”

I smiled, thinking about her. “Yeah, she’s amazing. I can’t get enough of her.”

“That’s it,” he said, raising his beer. “To love.”

“To love,” I echoed, clinking our bottles together.

“What’s with the tech?” he asked. “Lox.”

“It launches in two weeks,” I said with a sigh. I was both anxious and dreading the launch.

“Is it ready?”

I winced. “Ready, but I’m always worried about the last little things that always come up. Every day until we launch is going to be intense. It’s crunch time.”

Christian nodded, understanding the pressure of launching a new product. “Well, I’m sure it’ll be a huge success,” he said encouragingly. “You’ve put so much work into it, and it shows. You should be proud of yourself.”

I grinned, feeling a sense of pride bubble up inside me. “Thanks, man. With all the press I’ve been doing for it, it has to be perfect.”

“That’s a lot of pressure to put on yourself.”

“I know, but it has to be perfect. Do you know how many people would love to see me crash and burn?”

He nodded. “You’ve made yourself a target. That’s what happens when you’re at the top.”

“It’s kind of a shitty feeling,” I said. “I’ve busted my ass to get to the top. I’ve had to claw my way up, pushing back against everyone that wanted to tear me down. It’s cutthroat. I have no doubt Reid is going to be gunning for me now. I cannot afford a single mistake.”

“No, you can’t.” He shook his head. “You put yourself in a hell of a position.”

“Thanks,” I muttered.