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My eyes widened involuntarily. “Oh, I didn’t realize you were married.”
He must have noticed my surprised expression because a warmth crept into his cheeks, and he absentmindedly twirled the gold band around his ring finger—a detail I hadn’t noticed before.
“Yes, we just got married this year. I know there are a lot of articles and stories out there about me and my past.” He blewout a breath. “I hope my reputation doesn’t precede me too much. I’m definitely not that guy anymore.”
“Of course not,” I said hurriedly, although his reputation did indeed hold a lot of weight. It’s all everyone had been talking about since the merger. Although the revelation that Ben was a happily taken man would disappoint some, I personally felt relief that at least one of the men running this company seemed to have respect for women and the sanctity of monogamy—important prerequisites for running a successful dating company, one would think.
“I think this integration with Pulse might be exactly what we need,” I added.
“I could say the same thing about Love Linked,” Ben said. “Look, I know a lot of uncertainties and questions arise in situations like these, but I can guarantee you Nathan and I just want to create growth opportunities for both companies and a new brand that thrives.”
I nodded and smiled. While his words seemed sincere, I always hesitated to trust any form of corporate leadership. I knew they always had their best interest in mind over everything else.
“That’s great to hear, Ben. Speaking of Nathan, I’m headed to a meeting with him now.”
“Right,” he said, waving me off. “I’ll be joining that too. I just have a quick phone call to make. I’ll see you in there.”
I gave a small wave before hustling down the hallway and entering the conference room. By the time I breezed through the door, introductions had already started.
Shit.I hated being late.
I set my things down. Before I could say anything, Nathan shook the senior manager, Will’s, hand.
“You must be Charlie,” he said. “Head of product, right? I’m looking forward to working with you.”
“Actually,” I started, stepping forward. “I—”
“Is there a reason you’re late?” Nathan leveled me with a hard gaze.
I gulped, my mouth agape at his bluntness. While I appreciated timeliness as much as the next person, it hardly seemed appropriate to call me out for being less than two minutes late.
“I know this might not be how things are done here, but when I schedule a meeting time, I expect it to start at that time.”
“Of course,” I said through a tight-lipped smile. “Sorry about that.”
He turned away from me, and I had to quell the inner rage burning in my gut. The nerve of this guy. I didn’t care who he was or how much his company made. He was a dick. Between him and Don, I’m sure this place would become insufferable quicker than the time it took for people to swipe through our apps.
“Anyway, Charlie,” he said, turning back to Will. “Our collaboration on this is crucial. I need to make sure I have all of the pertinent information available about your latest algorithm and application.”
I sighed at his resistance to look my way. “I’m sorry, but—”
“I really don’t care to be interrupted,” Nathan huffed, turning his gaze toward me. He crossed his arms and stared down at me from the other end of the conference table.
Narrowing my eyes, I stared right back into his unfriendly face. If he was going to learn one thing about me today, it’s that I didn’t back down easily.
“And I don’t care to be ignored.”
Nathan drummed his fingers irritably against the wood grain. “And you would be?”
“Charlie, Head of Product.”
Nathan did a double take from me to Will who shuffled his feet, looking like he wished the earth would swallow him whole.
“I’m actually Will the senior manager,” he mumbled.
Nathan raised his eyebrows in surprise.
I stood, moving to the other end of the table. “Nice to meet you,” I said, thrusting my hand out. “And nice of you to assume the only male in the room is the one in charge.”
