“You must be Alex!”
Alex turned to see a bright-faced blond man striding toward him, one hand out. He was a few years younger than Alex, in his twenties, and wore a watch that could probably have paid for the hotel they were in now.
“And you must be Patrick Hale,” Alex said, his tone much less enthusiastic than the other man’s. He immediately disliked the other man, both based on what he observed and on Patrick’s reputation.
“You know about me,” Patrick said brightly, pumping Alex’s hand. “I’m flattered.”
“By reputation only,” Alex replied.
“You’ve heard good things, I’m sure.”
“I’ve heard that you started a dating app,” Alex said. He didn’t add that Patrick was using his billionaire father’s money, nor did he point out that Patrick was the kind of man who’d never had to work hard for anything in his life. “It’s called something like Boink.”
“That’s the one,” Patrick agreed. “Try not to be threatened, all right?”
Boink had been in all the news lately as a new app focused on hookups and one-night stands. It was a very flashy app with lots of features, but Alex got the feeling it would crash and burn sooner or later. The core programming was nowhere near as good as MatchupNow’s, and there were already complaints about the way people interacted on the app.
In the years since Alex had started his app, he’d seen numerous apps like this come and go. He didn’t feel threatened at all.
“I’ll try,” he said dryly.
“Please do. AlthoughSV Weeklydid say we were the biggest up-and-coming app of the year, so…” Patrick shrugged as though this told Alex everything he needed to know.
“Congratulations.” Alex looked over Patrick’s shoulder, hoping to spot a way out of the conversation, but Patrick just scooted over so he was in Alex’s line of sight again.
“You know, I wanted to compliment you. And the rest of the old guard. Your app has been quite successful—even if your business model is all wrong.”
“My business model is all wrong?” Alex asked. His tone was so dry now that it made the Sahara look like a tropical paradise.
“Well, sure,” Patrick said. “MatchupNow is all about finding soulmates or something old-fashioned like that. You’re essentially putting yourself out of business. When people find long-term connections, they leave the app, right? Seems silly. You have to keep people coming back for more if you want to stay relevant.”
“Well,” Alex said slowly, “it’s a little more complicated than that. People are ready to move away from swipe culture andtoward something real. Sure, I might only have each user for a little while, until they find the right person, but then they’ll recommend the app to their friends because they found a perfect match there.”
“Yeah, but not everyone wants something real,” Patrick said. “Some people like the thrill of a new partner every night. At least, those of us who can attract the ladies do.”
“Some people are looking for something more casual,” Alex agreed. “And that’s why it’s good that there are plenty of different apps out there—to accommodate everyone. I bet your app offers something different.”
“It does,” Patrick agreed. “Successful apps get people excited about the next great thing. I always keep my users wondering if someone better might be past the next swipe. But I shouldn’t have to explain dating to you! You’ve been in the business for decades.”
“Adecade,” Alex corrected. Then he shook his head to clear it. Patrick was clearly trying to rile him up for some reason, and it was better not to give the younger man the satisfaction. “Well, it was nice to meet you, Patrick. I wish you all the best with your app.”
“Thanks,” Patrick said. “I’m sure we’ll meet again. Maybe I can even give you some pointers! Wisdom over age, you know.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Alex said.
“Although I wonder sometimes,” Patrick continued, “do people really take you seriously as the CEO of a dating app when you don’t date?”
“Goodbye, Patrick.”
“You’re leaving?” Patrick’s eyes widened. “I hope I didn’t offend you. My mom always taught me to be polite to my elders.”
“I actually have to get back to work,” Alex said. “If I could giveyouone pointer, I’d say that nothing replaces hard work.”
“True. That’s why I have employees! To do the hard work for me!” Patrick laughed, but Alex didn’t crack a smile. He just nodded politely and headed for the doors. Usually, he’d have stayed for dinner and tried to make small talk, but tonight, he’d go back to the office and lose himself in work for a while. Nothing was worth spending another minute talking to Patrick. Or to the many other people like him who attended these events.
Spending time with people like this made Alex glad for his childhood. It had been hard at times, especially trying to pay for college and get his business off the ground without much in the way of savings, but at least it hadn’t turned him into an entitled jerk like Patrick and his ilk.
If Alex ever had kids (which he doubted he would—he was far too busy for a family), he’d have to make sure they didn’t grow up spoiled by his wealth.
