“Did you two really meet on a dating app?” one of the men asked politely.
All of the paparazzi were politely standing there and filming us. It was a delightful change compared to what had been going on in New York. Perhaps because they had been invited there, the photographers were being nicer, or maybe Los Angeles paparazzi were just more easygoing.
“Yep, we met on Instamatch,” Dean said before I had a chance to answer.
“Do you recommend the app for others to find love?” another man asked.
I reached out and grabbed Dean’s hand and squeezed it so he would give me a chance to talk. I had thought a lot about the app and about the love I had found with Dean.
“You can use phone apps, online websites, or traditional ways to meet the person of your dreams. But no matter what happens, it’s always going to be up to you to make that relationship work. I recommend people do what feels right to them as they search for their perfect match.”
In the background, we heard the studio executive as he announced that Dean and I would be starring in an upcoming blockbuster together. It seemed like the perfect combination of marketing and teasing for the public.
“So are you two officially a couple?”
“What do you think?” Dean said as he dipped me down dramatically and kissed me.
PART III
Chapter 1
Merrick
“So, Merrick, can you tell me why you’ve chosen Millionaire Matching to help you find your match?” the young brunette asked.
“My friend Wyatt here says you are the best. And to be honest, I get asked for a big rock from just about every woman I date. I thought it might be more fun to go into the date knowing that the woman just wanted me for my money,” I said flippantly.
“Yes, I have a couple friends who have gone through your program and were matched up with women that were perfect for them. Merrick has been playing the field for a long time, and he’s ready to find the woman he will marry,” Wyatt said as we sat in the middle of the lavishly appointed office of Patty Stillman, chief matching guru of Millionaire Matching.
I hated that term ‘playing the field,’ it didn’t have anything to do with what I did with the women I dated. As much as Wyatt didn’t understand my dating style, it worked for me. There were natural lulls in my business when investing calmed down, and the people who worked for me seemed to all be handling things perfectly, that was when I dated. I didn’t date when business was busy and I didn’t have time for women who wanted to stick around all the time. Business was always my top priority, well at least up until recently. I found nice women, hot women, whatever I wanted in a woman for that moment, and we spent a few wonderful days together.
Skipping the emotions of a long drawn out relationship had worked very well for me as an adult. I had an upfront style with my women and never lied to them about what I could offer. A week of dating maybe two, then we would go our separate ways and be perfectly content with the relationship that we had.
My female friends were appalled at my dating choices for the longest time. How could I not want to find a woman to marry? Why was I wasting these women’s time if I didn’t intend to have a relationship? They were all very valid questions, and I had very valid answers for them. I wasn’t ready for a marriage or even a long-term commitment. I was giving what I could in the way that served me best. But things had started to change over the last couple of years.
I’d started to have the urge to have a woman around when I got home from work. I’d began to think about what it would be like to go on vacations with the same woman more than once. In general, I started to see the benefits of having a long-term relationship.
“No offense to you, Wyatt, but I really would like to hear from Merrick on why he is here. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Oh, yeah, I’m sorry. I’m just here for moral support.”
The truth was, I wouldn’t have come at all if Wyatt hadn’t kept harping on me about it. Even though I had been thinking about relationships, I wouldn’t have had the guts to come to an agency like this one. The near-miss disaster at our bungee jumping a few weekends before had also contributed greatly to my thoughts of the future.
I was content being single; I really hadn’t thought about getting tied down much, only the utmost of initial ideas about relationships until I was laid up in bed for a week and unable to move after throwing my back out. Of course, I could hire people to come help take care of me, but it was the first time I’d realized how nice it would have been to have a woman who loved me there to look after me.
“I threw my back out a few weeks ago while bungee jumping. It was scary, and an eye-opener. I really don’t want to die a single man. I’m a bit jaded when it comes to women though, I’ll admit it.”
Patty Stillman was the top matchmaker in the Millionaire Matching organization, I knew there was no reason to bullshit her. She was known for dealing with the toughest cases and I expected she was use to the lies that men often told when they came to her. I’d done my research on her before agreeing to come in with Wyatt. She was tough and a no-nonsense sort of woman. I knew bullshitting her wasn’t going to be helpful at all.
“Alright, that’s a little better. I do still want you thinking about why you want to find love, though. You know there’s a big difference between finding someone who will marry you and live with you compared to finding someone who actually loves you.”
Boy, she hit the nail right on the head with that statement. I knew exactly what she meant. I certainly could find a hot girl to marry me. The women were constantly throwing themselves at me and willing to do anything I asked of them. I could probably call a half a dozen women right there at that moment and ask them to marry me, and they would say yes. I didn’t want that sort of relationship. I didn’t want a woman who was going to use me.
Time had taught me that relationships were much harder than I was often capable of putting up with. I’d only found a few women over the last ten years that I could keep around for longer than a few weeks. It seemed nearly impossible to find a woman that matched my intellect, sexual drive, and love for life, and who was willing to stick around without a full-on commitment. But that was why I had finally caved in and come to Millionaire Matching; they guaranteed a match, and for the amount of money they charged, they should have guaranteed a marriage as well.
I was open to the idea of a commitment now, not a marriage, but an actual relationship. The trick was going to be finding a woman that I connected with in all the areas that were important to me. A sexual woman wasn’t the only thing I looked for; there had to be more between us. There had to be a spark.
“I’ll think more about it,” I promised Patty. “I can tell you that I’d really like to find a woman who could replace the demand for a big Rock with a demand for a big Co…”
“Okay, let’s not go there,” Wyatt interrupted me.
“What sort of woman do you normally date? Not the one-night stands, I mean the women you actually date and let meet your friends.”
“Usually independent and very intelligent. Sometimes they are free spirited and artsy, but more often than not, I date women who have careers. Even the one night stands typically have well developed careers.”
“What do they look like? Is there a hair color preference? Height? Body type?”
“To be honest, I love women of all shapes and sizes. Out of the women I’ve actually dated, I would say there were more redheads than anything else. I love redheads. Also, I prefer a curvy figure as opposed to a slender one.”
“Really?” Wyatt asked as he looked at me in shock.
“Yeah, I’m all for healthy women. I don’t want my woman starving herself to death just to fit in a size two. A size six or eight is just fine with me. Even larger as long as she is comfortable with her figure.”
“I can work with that,” Patty said as she took notes. “What do you do in your free time? I understand you run a large corporation, and you were recently bungee jumping. Wh
at else do you like to do?”
“I work a lot, but I do get to work from anywhere I’m at. I enjoy extravagant trips and wild outdoor activities like bungee jumping, obviously. I like anything that gets my blood pumping.”
“Do you go to the theater or anything like that?”
“We are friends with Dean Morrison and Angelina Kent, so yes, lots of traveling to movie premiers, and I love the theater here in New York. Although, I don’t go nearly as often as I should.”
“So Wyatt, tell me what Merrick is like when he’s in relationships?”
“I don’t know. He’s not in them too often. I’d say he finds women who are a little crazy and not mentally stable. When things are going well, and it seems like he has found a good match, he will usually acts like an ass, so the relationship ends. But somehow the women still love him.”
“Really?” Patty said as she looked at me. “I thought you liked dating intelligent women?”
“Okay, I have dated a few women who turned out to be a little wild and crazy. I just find it hard to turn them down. But they are very smart in their own ways. I’m an equal opportunity dater.”
Patty continued taking notes for what seemed like forever as I glared at Wyatt. He was supposed to be helping me out, not selling me out to the matchmaker. I was done dating the crazy women. I wanted Patty to match me up with totally stable women who weren’t going to give me a bunch of drama.
“Here’s the problem I anticipate happening here, Merrick. If you are used to dating dramatic, wild women, it is going to be hard for you to match up with a stable, intelligent woman. I understand you are looking for stability, but I don’t want you to feel bored with the matches I bring you.”
“I understand what you are saying. All I can say is I’ll be honest with you when the matches don’t work out, and I’m open to going out with women you think I’ll match up well with.”
“And there is no sleeping with the women before you have a committed relationship with them.”
“What!” Wyatt exclaimed. “Is this the nineteenth century or something?”
I saw the look that Patty gave to Wyatt and knew that this was not a negotiable aspect of her business. Her eyes narrowed in on me in anticipation of me reacting like Wyatt had, but I wouldn’t dare do that.
“I understand.”
I really didn’t mind waiting. I could have any woman I wanted outside of the program if I really wanted to bring a woman to bed. It wasn’t that big a deal, and I knew the more I fought it, the more pissed off Patty would get.
“Really?” Wyatt asked.
“Sure, I’m looking for a ten out of ten woman. If Patty finds me that caliber of woman, I’m happy to make a commitment to dating her exclusively. That’s what I’m here for.”
I was laying it on a little thick, but Patty was the key to me getting matched up, and I wanted her to work hard for me. Money could buy you a service, but being polite and agreeable was the only way to make a service worker give their all to your cause.
“I’ll send over some paperwork for you to review. Are you interested in the online program or would you like to attend mixers as well?”
“I’m willing to look at both, but the online is probably better.”
“Okay, then that is all I have for you today. You’ll need to complete the online questionnaire I’ll be sending you, and I should have a date set up by next week. Typically, I’ll send you some matches online and feel free to go through them and set up initial dates. Ideally, I’ll find a really good match, and I’ll make sure and point her out to you. That means I expect you to take her out.”
I shook her hand and made sure to make eye contact with her as Wyatt, and I stood up to leave. Patty was known for her matchmaking skills, and it was exciting to have her on my side. I didn’t know for sure what I was looking for yet, but I knew I wouldn’t have to settle as long as she was working on the case.
“How many girls do you think I’ll get to sleep with through this program,” I teased Wyatt as we left the building.
“What was all that mumbo jumbo about committed relationships you gave her? And did you seriously almost say ‘cock’ in front of the dating guru. Come on Wyatt this is a high class lady.”
“Hey, I said rock with a C. And I can commit to one woman at a time. That’s not an issue. I’ll just date them for a couple of weeks then move on. Seems like a good commitment to me.”
“Oh, man you’re bad! I thought you were actually considering this?”
“No, no, I really do want to find someone, but I doubt it’s going to happen very quickly. I’ve dated most of New York City already. This might take her longer than she thinks. I’ve got this picture of my perfect woman in my head and if I’m actually going to settle down she better damn well fit my perfect woman.”
“Let’s go to Roy’s and watch the game. All this lovey dovey stuff has me really bored. You need to stop looking for perfection. You certainly aren’t perfect. Do you really think the perfect woman of your dreams would fall for a shmuck like you?” Wyatt laughed as we made our way over to Roy’s.
“Call your wife already, you know you have to,” I joked.
“What? No, I don’t need to call her. I mean, I am going to call because I’m a responsible husband. But I don’t have to.”
“Sure Wyatt.”
Wyatt and Dakota had only been married a few months. She was the perfect woman for him, and there was no denying it. He loved her and was madly willing to do whatever it took to keep her happy. Someday, the two of them were going to have perfectly adorable babies and live in the suburbs. I needed to take advantage of the time I had with him since they were still in the city.
As we made our way into Roy’s, we grabbed a standing table and ordered some food. It wasn’t ideal since the place was packed, but it would do for the time being. As soon as Roy saw Wyatt and I standing there, I knew he would find us a table.
“Dakota is coming over,” Wyatt said.
“Great, I should grab a woman then so I’m not the third wheel.”
I moved over to the bar where there were a couple of young college co-eds pretending to watch the game. The rough mahogany wood contrasted the softness of their sweet smiles perfectly. I knew their game very well because there were always young women in the sports bar who weren’t actually watching the game. Of course, there were women who came to actually watch the game too, but those women were looking at the televisions and not around the bar at all the men. The girls who just pretended to watch the game spent their time talking to their friends and looking around the bar to see if they could catch the attention of one of the men.
“I’m about to have dinner with my friend and his wife. Come join me,” I said to the blonde with a perfect hourglass figure.
I didn’t ask her to join me; I simply told her to join me. I’d found that women were more decisive when I could be more decisive with them. By eliminating the need for them to say yes or no, I took a whole step out of the process. If she really did not want to go have dinner with me, she was going to have to say something; otherwise, she could just take my hand and come to my table. That was just how simple it was, my smile and the soft touch were ultra convincing.
“Oh, just like that? You don’t think I have anything better to do?”
“I think you’re sitting here waiting for a nice looking guy who has money to come hit on you. So here I am, and I’d like to have company for dinner tonight. Come join me,” I said as I held my hand out for her.
She giggled and looked at her friend for approval before she grabbed my hand and let me lead her over to the table that Roy had just brought Wyatt to. It was the largest table with a direct view of the big screen, perfect for our evening. Wyatt was Roy’s investment broker, and we had all been friends for several years. There was a kind of loyalty a man had for you when you were able to make him money like Wyatt had done.
“I’m Merrick,” I said as we reached the table.
“Gina, it’s nice to meet you
.”
“Wyatt, this is Gina. She’s going to join us for dinner if you don’t mind.”
“Sounds good. My wife Dakota will be here shortly; I’m sure she will enjoy having someone to talk to while we watch the game.”
Wyatt barely took his eyes off of the television long enough to say hello. He wasn’t interested in college co-eds anymore; he had his very own bombshell blonde.
“So what do you do for a living?” Gina asked as we sat down.
“I’m in finance. I own Stanley and Associates.”
“Holy shit! You’re Merrick Stanley. Wow, I’ve heard of you. You’re super famous in the finance world.”
“Well, I think super famous is more of a Hollywood thing. But, I do know a lot of people in the industry. What do you do for a living?” I asked in an effort to distract her a little.
It was normal that women started to recognize me after we talked for a little bit. I was often the subject of magazine covers and newspaper articles throughout New York. As one of the youngest financial firm owners, my job often meant that I needed to show up at elite events which were always covered by the media.
“Oh, I’m a senior at NYU. I’m majoring in counseling, but my friend over there is a business major. I’ve seen you on the cover of one of her magazines. She’s going to be super jealous when I tell her who you are.”
“She’ll be even more jealous when you tell her you had your way with me tonight.” I winked.
She turned bright red and covered her face with embarrassment. This was going to be a fun evening. I loved finding the shy girls. They were a challenge, and this girl seemed like the perfect combination between shy and flirty. Her breasts were pressed up and practically exploding out of her top; she certainly wanted to get a man’s attention for the evening, and I was happy to oblige.
Gina sipped on her drink while she pretended to watch the game. It was a bit much for me to assume she would be coming home with me, but then again, I knew women, and I knew by the way she looked at me that she would welcome the opportunity to bed me. She’d be bragging to her girlfriends for weeks to come.
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