Unlikely Venture (The Venture Series Book 1) (4 page)

Jessica tossed a pillow at her and picked up the room service menu. “I’m tired, can we just get something delivered up here? I really don’t feel like going out.”

“Oh no you don’t.” Lisa shot her a warning look. “You’re coming to the gym with me. One of the guys at the office gave me trial passes to the athletic club around the corner so we don’t have to use the crappy hotel gym. Now
change
.” She threw Jessica’s workout clothes at her. “You’ll feel better after a run.”

“You’re so pushy. Has anyone ever told you that?” Jessica pulled off her dress and tossed it on the bed. “Hey, do you remember one night a while back? You called me to meet you at Aero, you were with those hedge fund guys?”

“Oh,
yeah
.” Lisa sighed, a wistful look on her face. “I definitely remember
that
night. Why are you bringing it up now?”

“Well, I’m sure you didn’t realize it at the time, but, um…I didn’t make it home that night.”

Lisa tilted her head and raised an eyebrow. “Really, Jess? Did you think I was
that
far gone not to realize that you were leaving with a guy?”

Jessica’s mouth dropped open. “I was so careful…I even had him meet me at the door.”

“Not careful enough.”

Jessica shook her head. “I can’t believe you knew and never called me out on it.”

Lisa shrugged. “If you wanted me to know, you would have told me. So, whatever.”

“Well, I ran into
whatever
at Stanford this afternoon.”

“He was a
student
?
Younger
than you?” Lisa’s voice filled with excitement. “He lied about his age to get you to sleep with him?”

“He definitely didn’t lie about his age. And no, he isn’t a student. He’s actually an alumnus, but that’s beside the point. I’m not really sure why he was there, to be honest.”

“Wow, Jessie, so your seedy past came back to haunt you.” Lisa pulled her hair up into a ponytail. “Did he recognize you?”

Jessica bent over to tie her sneakers. “I have to tell you who he is before I answer the rest of your questions because you’re going to flip.”

“Well, don’t keep me in suspense!” Lisa screeched.

Jessica allowed a tiny little smile. “Paul Emerson.”

Lisa stared at her for a minute. “Are you kidding me, Jessica?”

“No. I most certainly am
not
.”

“
Whoa
. You know he’s ridiculously successful, right? Owns the top venture capital firm in the country for technology start-ups? He’s also
brilliant
and graduated with honors from Stanford.”

“None of that stuff came up when we met. Neither did his last
name
, which is why I freaked out when he introduced himself.”

Lisa giggled. “So you spoke to him? And he recognized you? How did you even leave it that night?”

“Well, I slipped out of his penthouse the next morning before he got up. You know I was in a bad place back then and he was a fantastic diversion. But we never exchanged contact info or anything. We barely even talked. I figured I’d never see him again. And now I’ve got an offer for a business meeting that can really help me get that promotion.” Jessica shook her head. “Crazy, right?”

Lisa giggled. “Agreed. What happens now? Are you totally turned on by him? I can’t believe you! One of the most powerful business people in the country and you went home with him, leaving him all high and dry the next day. I bet
that
never happened to him before!”

Jessica laughed. “That was probably the biggest impression I left. It was the first thing he mentioned.”

“So what are you going to do now—call him and set up a meeting? You
could
play hard to get and wait for him to call you.”

“Having him as a connection would be great, but I don’t want it to go any further.”

“Jess, are you
insane
? You’re dismissing Paul
Emerson
? If he wants to see you again, I think you’d be
cracked
not to give it a shot. Do you even understand what kind of doors he could open for you and your new business venture?”

Jessica furrowed her brow, studying her reflection in the mirror. “Come on, you know I’m not an opportunist. And nothing happened anyway. It’s not like he asked me out or anything. He made an offer, but I feel like it has strings attached.”

Lisa smiled. “He’d be a fool if he didn’t want to see you again. He’s probably just playing it cool. After all, he does have quite a reputation as a ladies’ man.”

Jessica scrunched her nose. “Yeah, that’s not really me, Li. You know I don’t go for that kind of guy. That’s more Rochelle’s type.” Both of them laughed at the too-true reference to their old college roommate. “I don’t know, I mean, he’s hot as hell but not really genuine. There has to be more than just a physical attraction, Li. I mean, at least there does for
me
.”

“Touché, Jessie. I know you’re going to do what you want but just consider his offer. You’d have power with his connections,
think
about it. And who
knows
what it might blossom into?” She flashed a wicked smile.

Jessica shrugged. “I know it
sounds
tempting. But I’m not anxious to get involved with a guy on any level right now.”

“Jessie.” Lisa put a hand on her shoulder. “I know you’re going through a lot and it’s scary. But closing yourself off isn’t the answer. Not every guy is going to be like Drew. And if it’s not Paul, then fine, but do you want to risk not finding the happiness you deserve because you were too afraid to give someone new a chance?”

Jessica groaned and collapsed on the mattress. “Don’t I have the right to be at least a little gun shy right now? The guy who told me he was going to love me
forever
took off when I needed him most. Do you know what that kind of rejection feels like? No! Because you’re smart and you don’t let anyone in! Li, I’m scared to death about my future. I have no idea what’s going to happen to me and I can’t deal with any more uncertainty.” She peered up at her friend and grinned. “I want to be like
you
.”

“Jessie, you could never be like me. It’s just not the way you’re built. And that’s a really good thing. You have so much to offer, stop being afraid. Drew was an ass. Don’t let his bad judgment hold you back.” Lisa grabbed her iPod from the nightstand. “Plus, we’ve already established the fact that you’re not the love ‘em and leave ‘em kinda girl. A pro would
never
have been as sloppy as you.”

Jessica snickered. “That was a nice pep talk, Li. I’m still not convinced, but good effort.”

Lisa swiped at her. “Gee
thanks
. Now move your ass off that bed. We need to get out of here before we lose any more motivation. I’ll treat you to some frozen yogurt afterward, though it pales in comparison to Paul Emerson. Come to think of it, adding him to the mix would be
a
much
more delicious treat, don’t you think?”

Jessica sighed. “I really should have kept my big mouth shut.”

JESSICA STRETCHED HER hamstrings in the privacy of the cardio room, grateful for some peace and quiet. Lisa opted out of running when she spotted all the eye candy in the main weight room.

She set the belt speed on the treadmill to medium and popped in her ear buds. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead only a couple of minutes later. “Jeez,
already
?” The air was so thick with humidity and she gulped some water. “Why it is so freaking
hot
in here?”

She hopped off the belt without bothering to pause the machine and set one of the wall fans to the highest speed. “Mmm,
so
much better!” She stepped back onto the treadmill, closing her eyes as the strong breeze passed over her.

Jessica squealed as her body yanked backwards from the force of the belt, her feet struggling to keep up.
Shit!
Arms
flailing, she grasped at the sides of the machine to regain her balance but the belt speed was too high. With a muffled scream, Jessica flew off the treadmill and landed on her backside with a thump. She sat still for a second, stunned and out of breath, but thankful that nobody else was around to witness her crash landing.

“Wow, that was some fall, are you okay?”

She didn’t turn around. Instead, she covered her eyes.
Please tell me I just imagined that.

“Excuse me? Are you okay?”

That voice again. She wasn’t alone after all.

Taking a deep breath, she turned to acknowledge the worried bystander.

He was holding her iPhone for the second time that day. “Foo Fighters, good choice.”

Jessica did a double take as she locked on those brilliant blue eyes. “You again.”

He laughed. “I suppose that tone indicates that you
are
, in fact, okay.”

“The word
okay
is relative.” Jessica tried to stand. The young man rushed over and held out his hand.

“Thanks.” She grimaced as the pain shot down her leg. Her right knee must have twisted mid-flight. As if numb feet weren’t enough. “Dammit.”

“Come on, let’s get you to a chair.” He put an arm around her as she limped to the sitting area.

“I’m such a disaster.” Jessica surveyed her ripped running tights. “I loved these too…”

“Does your leg still hurt? Do you want some ice?” She looked up and smiled at the concern in his voice. It felt nice to have someone worry about her. Nicer still that it was a hot guy with a heart-melting smile.

“I think I’ll survive.” She cleared her throat. “Listen, I’m so sorry for the way I treated you this morning.” She blurted out the apology, still embarrassed at her behavior. “Why are you being so nice to me? I don’t deserve it.”

“Um, because you’re hurt and I’m not a monster?” He winked. “I just want to help. I’m sure you’d do the same in my position.”

Jessica smiled. “You don’t even know me, and here you are giving me all this credit I may or may not deserve.”

“Yeah, sometimes, I just get a feeling about people.”

Sitting back in the chair, she regarded the handsome young man standing in front of her. How strange that they should meet twice in the same day, at a gym she didn’t even belong to, while she was on business in
California
. Maybe it’s fate…no, no,
no
, that’s just a ridiculous concept. She didn’t believe in that crap. Coincidence, yes, but
fate
? Way too strong a word. “Will you please tell me your name now?”

“It’s James. Thanks for finally asking.” His playful smile tugged at her heartstrings.

“James. That’s a nice name.” She tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear as the voice in her head erupted.
Argh, I wish I didn’t care what your name was! But I’m still here. And judging from the pain shooting up my leg, it looks like I’m going nowhere fast.
She smiled at him.
But maybe that’s not such a horrible thing.

“So glad you like it,
Jessica
. How’s that leg of yours doing? Think you’ll run again?”

She flexed her leg to loosen the muscles. “Feels a little better. You know, I
thought
I was by myself when I flew through the air. I didn’t realize anyone else came in. I feel a little humbled right now.”

James laughed. “We all have our moments. Lucky for you I don’t hold a grudge.”

“Lucky, indeed.”

Her phone bleeped with a text from Lisa.
So many hot guys out here! When are you going to be done?

She clicked off the phone and returned her attention to James. “Thanks so much again, for everything. I don’t want to hold you up at all, if you have to go…”

“It’s cool, I already finished my workout. I was just going to run until my friend gets back. Not that I wanted to. You saved me.”

“As long as I could return the favor.” Jessica’s heart skipped a beat.
Did I really call this guy a total asshole before?
Hmm, maybe I’m the asshole. He’s got no reason to be nice to me after how I behaved. Stressed or not, I was horrible.
She swallowed a smile.
He’s obviously a pretty patient guy. Well, that or a glutton for punishment.

James went to the vending machine and brought back two bottles of water. “Are you thirsty?”

“Yes, thanks. A fall like that takes a lot out of you. I don’t get this winded when I’m running!” Laughing, her phone beeped again, this time with a text from Jake in New York. She breathed a sigh of relief as she read the message. He came through for her after all. At least there was one person at work she could trust. That data was imperative for her meetings tomorrow. Just one less thing for Charlie to bitch about.

Jessica sent a reply and then shook the phone in the air with a triumphant smile. “Sorry, I was waiting for something from my home office.”

“Where’s that?” James asked.

“New York. I’m out here on business—we got in a few days ago.”

“Really…so what do you do?” There was a trace of disappointment evident in his voice. He couldn’t be…
interested
in her?
Could
he?

She launched into an explanation of her new venture. “Do you know much about the whole technology start-up industry?”

James nodded. “I run an interactive gaming website here in Palo Alto with my best friend. Started it up a few years ago in Cambridge when I graduated from MIT.”

Jessica let out a low whistle. “MIT, impressive. I graduated from Boston University a few years ago, too. Why are you out here now? I mean, why’d you relocate?” She straightened her leg again and massaged the hamstring.

“I needed a change of pace to work on some potential investment opportunities. Tech companies fare better out here, at least early on.” He averted his eyes with the quick response.

Jessica suspected something else was behind the move, but she let it go.
Why so evasive, James? What happened in Cambridge?

“So, tell me more about this consulting practice.” James sipped water as he turned the focus back to Jessica’s work.

“It’s a brand new idea and I’m
so
excited about it! We build strategies for taking start-up companies public and get them in front of potential investors. We take care of all the paperwork, planning, accounting and legal matters. It’s a niche market right now and Silicon Valley really is the place to be. There’s a ton of moneymaking potential if we pick the right clients up front, and I’ve been doing a lot of research to figure out exactly which companies should be on our hit-list.” Jessica paused, a teasing smile on her lips. “Am I boring you with all this?”