Page 132 of Levi

CHAPTER32

Levi

A month later

My eyes stretch outto the horizon, soaking in the majestic view. Even though the ocean is within reach, sometimes you have to leave Los Angeles to truly appreciate its beauty. And there’s no better place than perched on top of the deck of the gorgeous Catalina Island house I rented for the next three days. I take a sip of my coffee, smiling around the rim of the cup.

This will be a hell of an extended weekend.

I move my eyes from the blue ocean to the iPad, re-reading the screaming headlines.

‘FIT THONIX: THE CROWDFUNDING SUCCESS STORY OF THE YEAR.’

‘FIT THONIX BREAKS CROWDFUNDING RECORDS!’

‘CYCLETHONIX REDEFINES HOME FITNESS.’

‘CYCLETHONIX MERGES GAMING AND FITNESS TO CREATE THE ULTIMATE HOMEWORK OUT.’

‘WHO NEEDS A GYM MEMBERSHIP? GET A CYCLETHONIX INSTEAD!’

The list of glorious accolades goes on.

Three days later and the press is still buzzing.

Honestly, so is my head.

The excitement and high from our big day lingers on.

My feet haven’t touched the ground yet, and I doubt they will for a very long time.

When we all gathered at Jules’s office and huddled inside the conference room, we were confident we had a stellar product. After all, my girl, Alice, Collin, Shane and I worked our butts off. Not to mention, one hundred high profile celebrities had snatched up our first batch of bikes. So many had done a spectacular job at being honorary brand ambassadors, fanning interest among their followers. Still, we didn’t expect the crowdfunding campaign to take off like a rocket launching into space. Joseph Crane didn’t disappoint. We watched, shocked, as the second lot of one hundred bikes sold in the blink of an eye. Collin’s idea for the Fit Thonix VIP 100 Club knocked it out of the park. People were practically fighting over each other to secure spots at the different levels. It was wild. The comments were hilarious to read. But that’s not it. Right in the middle of the crowdfunding frenzy, our website crashed. The site wasn’t hacked or anything like that. People who couldn’t get into the VIP Club were placing pre-orders at a mind-boggling rate. Surprisingly, we have a large number of international orders. We didn’t account for that. That’s going to require a little extra legwork, but we’re all up for the challenge. The six of us––including Alice and Joseph––practically lived at Jules’s office to respond to the overwhelming demand. Even with the extra temp staff we hired, it simply wasn’t enough manpower.

When things somewhat calmed down, I whisked my girlfriend away for a little break. Shane, Collin and Alice are holding the fort. I considered a seven-day getaway in a tropical destination, but Fit Thonix is on fire. Not to mention, I have another company to run. I simply can’t afford to be away from LA that long. Don’t get me wrong, Catalina Island is nothing to sneeze at.

“Good morning,” a sleepy voice says.

I lift my eyes from the iPad.

“Good morning, sweetness,” I smile as my girl steps onto the deck.

I chuckle when my eyes land on the slogan across her chest.

‘DON’T FUCK WITH THE BOSS LADY!’Her morning hair completes the look. When I saw those nightshirts online, I couldn’t resist. I bought her one in every color. It’s not only fitting for her new position, but it’s also a fuck you to Hillary.

Jules saunters over to me, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

I circle my arms around her waist, pulling her close.

I place a soft kiss between her breasts.

She giggles and places one on the top my head.

“Do you want breakfast?” I ask.

“In a minute. I need some vitamin D first,” she says, pulling away from my embrace. She sits across from me, closes her eyes and salutes the sun. “Why did you let me sleep so late?” she asks, her eyes still closed.

“It’s only nine o’clock,” I point out. “That’s hardly late. You’ve been working like a dog.”