The Start-Up Read online

  Blaine was the complete opposite. Where Adam slacked in dating girls, Blaine made up for it. The house was a revolving door of women. Crawford didn’t know how he even kept them straight. Always a serial monogamist kind of guy, he even asked him one day out of curiosity.

  Blaine had roared with laughter. “I don’t!”

  He put up a fight about the no dating rule, but Adam supported Crawford’s decision. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but you are doing great things for Luv Maite, but don’t you think if you put women on hold, just for a short while, while we are working like dogs, you could do more?” Adam asked Blaine.

  Crawford added, “All these gorgeous chicks around while we are trying to work in the same place we sleep is honestly distracting.”

  Blaine relented. “Okay. I can stop for a little while.” His face tensed in thought. “You know… I don’t think I’ve ever gone for a significant amount of time without dating.”

  Adam had clapped his hands. “See! Good! This is good. We are all going to be focused on growing our company. We don’t need women!”

  Was it selfish of Crawford to ask his best friends and business partners to halt their romantic lives for him? Maybe? But, he’d played rugby growing up. His coaches always had a no girlfriend rule during the season.

  “Women distract from your focus,” Coach Durden said.

  The truth was Crawford was raw with pain after Jessie took off. What hurt the most was that she hadn’t taken all of her things. He didn’t tell the guys this, but she kept in contact with him through e-mail. She’d write every few weeks or so. She’d hooked up with an older rich guy, who whisked her away to Tuscany. It was that easy for her to be with someone else. Although, her emails were littered with I miss you and I still love you. Crawford held onto hope that one day she would return. When Luv Maite was a huge success, she’d come back to him.

  That was six months ago. It seemed things were changing. The guys seemed antsy. They didn’t need women per se, they just needed one in particular. Fi.

  Crawford took another sip of beer before pouring the rest of it out off the balcony. It was too gross to finish.

  If only she wasn’t so beautiful!

  Chapter 3

  Fi was genuinely surprised when Adam called her to tell her she'd gotten the job. There were several points in the interview where she felt she'd done well. But Crawford seemed like the loose cannon of the group. She could tell he was apprehensive to have her join the team.

  After not hearing from them for the next two days, her doubts weighed in on her. Maybe she’d bombed the interview. Maybe she wasn’t as good as an engineer as she thought she was. Had they looked at her code samples and realized she wasn’t a good fit?

  You’ll never be as good an engineer as you want to be. Just being honest.

  That’s what Trevor had said to her. She thought she’d proven herself by getting a job at Gipton, but he, her boyfriend, wasn’t convinced. He’d even told her that he was only telling her the truth because he loved her.

  From all the jobs she’d applied to, Luv Maite was at the top of her list. And that was before she knew the company was run by three incredibly hot guys. She meant what she said during the interview. At Gipton, she was never given the opportunity to work on projects she wanted to work on. Artificial Intelligence intrigued her. Luv Maite’s proposal of using machine learning to determine suitable partners was cutting edge and to a tech nerd like Fi, it was romantic.

  But what did Fi know about romance? Not much. She’d only had one boyfriend, Trevor. He certainly wasn’t romantic. The most romantic thing he’d ever done for her was take her out to a nice dinner to only reveal over dessert that he’d been cheating on her. He’d been smart to take her to a public place where she couldn’t just lose it on him.

  With melted fudge brownie in her mouth, he’d said, “I’ve been cheating on you for the last six months.”

  She couldn’t say it was a complete surprise. She thought working at the same company would bring them closer, but Trevor seemed miffed she’d gotten a job at Gipton.

  “You don’t even have a computer science degree!” he protested.

  She shrugged her worries away, thinking that similar jobs would bring them closer. It didn’t. It only made them drift further apart. Obviously. Since, he’d been cheating on her for half a year.

  Her heart was set on working for Luv Maite, but the responsible thing to do was to keep applying to the other companies and go on interviews. In the words of Tessa, the universe will guide you down the right path. You just have to listen to it.

  By the time Adam called, Fi was sure the universe hadn’t planned on her working for Luv Maite.

  “When can you start?” Adam asked.

  Fi wanted to scream into the phone and jump around like a school girl. She held in her celebration and said with nonchalance, “Tomorrow.”

  She could hardly sleep that night. She was finally going to work on a product that resonated with her purpose. She giggled to herself. Tessa’s spiritual universe talk might be on to something.

  At the start of the drive over to Palo Alto from Berkeley, she was pumped to be part of an amazing team. Was she a little nervous about seeing the three hot guys again? Yes. But she had to focus. She was there to work.

  I am capable and confident. She repeated the meditation over and over as she drove. The fact that her co-workers were smoking hot had to be pushed to the side. She couldn’t let their hotness shake her confidence or worse, interfere with her job performance.

  She remembered what Blaine had said about the company’s headquarters not currently being in a traditional setting. She assumed it would be at a co-working space. When her GPS led her to a gorgeous Georgian mansion in a posh Palo Alto neighborhood, she felt her confidence shake.

  This was not what she expected.

  Taking several deep breaths and repeating her mantra she knocked on the door. The door swung open.

  Adam, shirtless and holding a towel, said, “Fi! Welcome!”

  She stood stock still, staring and not trying to stare, at his bare chest. “Um. Did I come at a bad time? Is this right place? Should I come back?” Questions flew out of her mouth.

  Adam laughed. “Of course, you have the right place! Come in!”

  I am capable and confident.

  Fi followed him into an expansive living room with an adjoining kitchen. The living room was set up like a work space with two large tables and chairs. Blaine, also shirtless, waved at her from the kitchen island. “Fi!”

  I am capable and confident. Who am I kidding? No, I’m not! Two of the hottest guys I’ve ever seen are shirtless!

  Blaine raised his hands. “Welcome to Luv Maite! This is where we eat, sleep, and work.”

  Adam said, “Not Gipton luxury, but it’s fun. We hope you will feel at home here.”

  “There is a gym upstairs. Pool out back. You’re welcome to use all of Luv Maite’s facilities.”

  “We just got back from a run.” Adam gulped down a bottle of water. He motioned to the tables. “Have a seat and get comfortable. I’ve sent you links to the code base. Look it over and get acclimated while I hop in the shower.”

  “Sure. Okay,” Fi said, taking out her laptop.

  “I’m hitting the shower, too,” Blaine said. “Make yourself at home.”

  Alone, Fi looked around at her new work place. This was the first start-up she’d ever worked for. She joined Gipton right out of college. Not having a Computer Science degree, she was astounded when she was accepted. Gipton was a huge company with over four hundred engineers. As luxurious as the office was, it wasn’t a place where Fi could feel comfortable.

  There were photos on the wall of the three guys. One out on the beach. Another with them at a bar. They were good friends as well as co-workers. The photos gave her a warm vibe. But one of the photos made her stop. She leaned in closer. It looked as if they were on a camping trip. The guys were shirtless, which Fi guessed was something she’d have to
get used to. But that wasn’t even what made her stop.

  Crawford had his arm slung around a petite blonde woman. She had her hand on his stomach and he leaned into her comfortably. She was beautiful.

  “How are you enjoying your new digs?”

  Startled, Fi spun around. It was Blaine with an amused look on his face. Heat crept up her neck. “It’s great! This is a beautiful house.” She sat down at the table and turned on her laptop.

  Blaine poured himself a cup of coffee. “It’s my parents’ place. We don’t plan on working out of here for much longer though. If we can get into the Z-Combinator and grab some seed money, then Luv Maite will get on solid ground. We’ll be able to have a real office.”

  Z-Combinator was a highly competitive program that selects two companies per year to sponsor. The chosen companies are given seed money, advice, and connections. A spot on Z-Combinator’s roster would catapult Luv Maite.

  Blaine’s phone rang and he answered it. “This is Blaine. Bill, thanks for getting back to me!” He slid the glass door to the patio open and continued his phone conversation outside.

  Fi steadied herself as she hid behind her computer. She hoped he hadn’t noticed which the particular photo she was studying. She wondered if and when she would meet the beautiful girl in the photo.

  Chapter 4

  Ever since Crawford set the no dating rule, Blaine’s life drastically changed. He hadn’t realized it before, but women took up a huge part of his life. Women. Not one woman, but many women at one time. Most guys would have scoffed at Crawford’s request, but Blaine new Crawford was really hurting inside to ask for such a thing. That was thing about Crawford he never spoke about his feelings directly. Blaine used to think it might be an Aussie thing, but as the years went by of being best mates, Blaine reasoned that Crawford was just a closed off kind of guy. He went along with it. It was the least he could do for his hurting friend. Jessie had torn his heart out.

  To be honest, she had been a pseudo girlfriend to all them in a way. She celebrated Luv Maite’s victories and losses along with them. It was a true shock when she walked out. It felt like she walked out on all of them. Crawford, Blaine, and Adam weren’t just business partners; they were all best friends. With Jessie around all the time over the years, she became part of their group. Ultimately, she didn’t believe in Luv Maite, didn’t believe in them. So, she left.

  Blaine had never had a girlfriend before, in the real sense of the word. He had girlfriends, girls he went out with on a shallow level. He didn’t have a girlfriend like Jessie was to Crawford. People might have called Blaine a player, but he preferred to label himself as a women connoisseur. He couldn’t settle on just one of anything. He had FOMO for women in the worst way. He put time and money on his womanizing hobby. It was what he cared about the most.

  Then, suddenly all of it came to a halt.

  Luv Maite was the first thing he ever felt truly part of. Right out of business school, he’d become CEO. Adam, his longtime friend, approached him with the idea. The technical details didn’t readily make sense to him, but the idea of it was genius. Finding a mate, a partner, using AI.

  Was it possible that the analysis of his personal data could result in a match, a woman, who he could truly love?

  Probably not. Blaine wasn’t like other guys, but he could see how the idea of it would be attractive to others. It seemed best suited for someone like Adam, who never dated. The kid always claimed he wasn’t good at meeting women. Blaine kept trying to tell him he didn’t need to be good at it. He was good looking enough to net any hottie. Adam never bought it. Blaine could see how Luv Maite could earn billions. He invested some of his own money into the company and jumped headfirst into being the Chief Executive Officer.

  His grandfather had come up in the same way, only with oil. He didn’t have to always be Blaine Gregory of the Gregory oil fortune. He could be Blaine Gregory of his very own fortune. His father, a man that still had a flip phone, wasn’t onboard with Blaine’s career choice. He wanted him to work in the family business. He didn’t buy into the mumbo jumbo ‘tech’ industry. Oil was where the solid money was at. But all Blaine wanted was to be his own man.

  The no dating rule was a perfect time to take his career seriously. Besides, Blaine wondered what life would be like without the constant revolving door of women. It had been a full six months of not dating and giving up his casual dating lifestyle. He was chomping at the bit to just interact with a woman.

  Of course, the new engineer they hired happened to be a gorgeous one. After four days of being around here, he couldn’t help himself. It wasn’t just her looks. She was exceedingly intelligent and talented. Adam had told him she’d been able to knock out a few troublesome bugs in Luv Maite’s codebase.

  She came in every day dressed in chic dresses showing off her curves and long legs. Beautiful, intelligent and fashionable? That was too much for Blaine to resist. He was a man for godsakes. He couldn’t stand idly by while a supremely gorgeous woman was around.

  She came to work one morning, not in a dress, but yoga pants and tank top. She had a gym bag in tow. She’d never looked so gorgeous. She put her stuff down at her workspace and said, “Do you mind if I use the gym upstairs?”

  Thinking about her sweaty in their gym made him fumble his words, “No. Of course! Do you know where it is?”

  She giggled, “No, but I’m sure I’ll find it.”

  Blaine, already showered after his morning run, said, “I’ll show you. I don’t mind.”

  “Great!”

  He led her up the stairs, just as he had so many beautiful women before. His heart pounded in his ears. Her tank top fit snugly over her voluptuous breasts. His mouth watered. It had been so long since he’d seen a woman naked. His mind raced ahead of him to what she must look like completely nude.

  Out of habit and preoccupied with his lustful thought, he led her to his bedroom. Opening the door, he realized his stupid mistake. He laughed it off. “Oh, sorry.”

  She laughed, “If this is the gym, I’m intrigued! What kind of exercises do you do here?”

  Blaine felt his cock twitch. She was flirting with him. Was she? No.

  He closed the door and answered, “I mean… I can show you if you’d like?”

  Fi’s face blushed adorably as their eyes met. Blaine was so close to her. He wanted to grab her, open his bedroom door, and throw her on the bed.

  Another door down the hall opened. Crawford came out and saw them.

  Fi looked away with an awkward giggle.

  “What’s going on here?” Crawford asked.

  Blaine answered, “I’m showing her where the gym is.”

  Crawford’s eyes narrowed. He looked at Blaine and then Fi. Suspicion clouded his face. He pointed at Blaine’s room. “That’s not the gym.”

  Blaine said, “Oh, ya. We just took a detour.”

  Crawford’s eyes returned to Fi. “Right. Will you excuse us for a moment?”

  “Sure,” Fi said, now looking at the floor.

  Crawford stalked away. Blaine said to Fi, “The gym is right down the hall.”

  She tiptoed down the hall, but then stopped right in her tracks.

  “Just what the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Crawford asked.

  Blaine said, “I’m not doing anything.”

  Crawford huffed, “Were you about to fuck her?”

  “What? Me? No! What makes you say that? Jesus, Crawford!”

  “I just caught you two about to go into your room!”

  “No. That was a mistake,” Blaine said.

  Crawford groaned. “Can you stop thinking with your dick for once? You can’t fuck this up for all of us. I know Daddy usually pulls you out of your messes but don’t you think it’s time for you to grow the fuck up?”

  “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

  “It means: Don’t fuck our employees,” Crawford roared.

  “For fucks sake, dude. She’s hot, okay! But I wasn’t trying
to fuck her. Come on!”

  “You’re our CEO fur fuck’s sake. Have you ever heard of sexual harassment in the workplace, you fucking idiot? Is that the kind of shit we need while we are trying to establish more investors?”

  Adam walked by Fi with just a towel on. “Sorry about this.” He bust into Crawford’s bedroom door. “Can you guys keep it down?”

  Blaine said, “This asshole started it.”

  Crawford retorted, “This asshole is trying to fuck Fi. We can’t afford those kinds of relations in the work place right now. I mean – how can we even know we can trust her?”