Unlikely Venture (The Venture Series Book 1) (28 page)

“Professional?
Seriously
? With his tongue down your throat and his hand on your ass? Is that the new definition of
professional
?” James paced around the foyer, not wanting to hear any more but unable to drag himself away.

“James, I never wanted anything with him! I met Paul months ago and we…we…well, it was only one time, and…I never thought I’d see him again. It was so long ago and I was afraid to tell you about it because I thought you’d think less of me. But—”

“But you
did
see him again, didn’t you? You
slept
with him and made a point of not telling me when you knew we were working with him? You lied about your plans to see him the other night, lied again last night about knowing him and now you expect me to believe that nothing else
happened
? Do you really think I’m that much of a moron to actually believe you?”

“James, please, I know should have told you about him and I’m sorry! You have to believe me!” Tears streamed down her face but he was impervious to her evident despair.

“You know, I thought we really had something, Jessica. I
trusted
you. I opened myself up to you…and I-I fell in love with you. I wanted to make things work. I didn’t care about any of the challenges we’d have to face with your health, geography, our work. None of it mattered to me because I’d have you and we could have faced those obstacles together. But now I can see how badly I misjudged you and what we were building. You obviously aren’t the girl I thought you were.” He pushed his hair back in frustration. “How could you…I just—I can’t even be around you. I’m so fucking
done
.”

James stormed out of the apartment, the heart wrenching sound of Jessica’s muffled sobs plaguing him with every step.

“HERE’S YOUR BOARDING pass, Miss Latham. Enjoy the flight!” The bubbly airline representative handed her an envelope with a wide smile.

“Thanks.” Jessica adjusted the sunglasses shielding her puffy and bloodshot eyes from the world. She slung her laptop bag over her shoulder and hunched forward with a shaky sigh.

How many more tears was she going to waste over this guy? Radio silence for days. No responses to her texts, calls or emails. James made a decision to erase her from his life.

And he had the nerve to say he fell in love with me?

That admission was infuriating.
Sure, you love me but you can’t trust me. What kind of bullshit is that? If he really loved me, he’d want to work through this. He’d at least listen to my side.

She dug around in her pocket for a tissue and sniffed. Justin gave her a few extra days to tie up loose ends before she started in the new role but she couldn’t wait around Palo Alto any longer hoping James would have a change of heart.

It’s over. I need to move on.

She scanned the boarding pass.
Could the gate be any further away? Are there at least any bars in that terminal? A glass of wine might numb my thoughts. Two would probably blunt the anger. Three would…oh crap I need to get on the plane at some point.

TGI Friday’s called to her. It was the most decent option available and it was loud enough to drown her thoughts.
Perfect. That’ll be a good start.
She surveyed the restaurant for an empty table, sunglasses still in position despite the dim lighting.
Darn it.
The only available seats were at the bar. She dumped her bags on an empty stool and searched for a bartender. Her eyes narrowed as they focused on a voluptuous figure hunched in the far corner.

Rochelle. That fucking whore!

All thoughts of alcohol vanished. Before she realized what was happening, Jessica grabbed a fistful of Rochelle’s thick curly locks. The force yanked Rochelle off the stool so they were facing each other.

“What did you
do
?”

“
Hey
! Ow! What the hell are you—”

“You sent that picture, didn’t you?
Why?
” Jessica tightened her grip on Rochelle’s hair and pulled her face closer so they were practically lip-to-lip.

“Get the fuck
off
me, Jessica!” Rochelle dug her long fingernails into Jessica’s hand, making her yelp. She glared at Jessica, her face beet red. “Think you can just come in here and assault me like that?” Rochelle downed the remaining clear liquid in her glass as other patrons observed the scene with rapt attention.

A manager rushed over with an aggravated look on his face. “This kind of behavior will not be tolerated. Please step outside
now
or I will call security.”

Jessica managed a weak smile and held up her hands. “I’m so sorry, sir. I promise this won’t get out of control. You don’t need to call security.”

He glared at Jessica and then glanced at Rochelle’s empty shot glasses lining the bar. “This is your only warning. If I see anything go awry, you’re both out of here, understand?”

Jessica nodded. “Yes, thank you.”

The manager backed away with a warning look.

Jessica turned back to Rochelle. “Why did you do it?” She fought to keep her arms still, although therapeutic visions of pounding Rochelle into oblivion flashed in front of her eyes.

Rochelle’s lips curled into a nasty smile as she patted her hair. “Do you know how it feels, Jessica? To be discarded by the man you love?” She picked up another shot glass and consumed the liquid in seconds. “I mean, you do know
now
, don’t you?”

Jessica’s mouth dropped open. “Is this about Drew? Are you still mooning over that asshole?”

Rochelle tapped the bar. “Another please.” The shot went down without a moment’s hesitation. “Ahh. So smooth. Dulls the pain.” She turned back to Jessica. “To answer your question, no. I don’t give a shit about that prick. It was all a game.
This
has nothing to do with Drew.”

Jessica stared at Rochelle, flabbergasted. “You’re hammered out of your mind and I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Nothing was making sense at all.

“Oh Jessie, I know all about you and Paul.” Rochelle took a few unsteady steps forward in her stilettos, still clutching the empty shot glass.

“You made that pretty clear the other night when you accosted me at the cocktail party.” Jessica took a few steps backwards in an attempt to evade her aggressor.
The last thing I need is a shot glass to the head.
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the manager watching their exchange, cell phone in hand.

“Yes.” Rochelle sighed. “But Lisa didn’t spill the beans like I said. I’ve known about you for
months.
”

“I don’t understand. What are you talking about? Nobody knew, I never said anything to any—”

“I was there. I saw him take you into the building. I planned on surprising him and instead the surprise was on me. Oh, I tried to ignore the fact that I’d been cast aside. For
you,
of all people. And I might have put a little something in your drink the night of the concert to keep you away from him. But it didn’t matter. I saw how he looked at you. It was the way I wanted him to look at me. He crushed me that night so many months ago. I lost him to
you
and I wanted you to find out what that pain feels like.”

“You fucking
drugged
me? Are you insane?” Jessica pressed a hand to her forehead, feeling sick to her stomach.

Rochelle smirked. “It was an
Ambien
for chrissakes. Don’t be so dramatic. It made you fall asleep. You weren’t even drinking. I made sure of that before I popped the pill into your water. I’m a somewhat responsible villain.” She let out a drunken giggle.

Jessica’s voice dropped to a caustic whisper. “I hate you for what you did, you selfish bitch.” She rubbed her temples. “But don’t give yourself too much credit. You didn’t break us up. Things ended because James wasn’t as committed to me as I thought and he ran at the first sign of trouble. If it wasn’t you, it would have been something else.” She leaned closer. “Make no mistake, I’d love to pummel you into the ground right now. You’re a pathetic excuse of a person. No wonder Paul didn’t want you. He found out what I already knew, that you’re a self-centered, malicious asshole. Just so we’re
clear
.” She turned on her heel and stalked away.

“I’m going to London,” Rochelle called out.

“Congratulations.”

Rochelle’s slurred words tumbled out, making Jessica pause with interest. “Maybe I might have mentioned my little fling with Paul to a couple of people at work and just
maybe
it might have gotten around to my boss. Within a day, I’m being dumped in London to handle a new account…far away from California.” She flipped her hair. “So maybe I should have been a little more discreet about our little
affair
. Paul had me taken off his account two days ago and now I’m being shipped over to England. Forced out of the country by the man I loved, can you believe it?” She snorted and took another shot.

Jessica spun around and smiled for the first time in days. With her middle finger, she slid the sunglasses further up her nose. “Oh honey, that’s just a little thing called karma. And it’s a bitch,
just like you
. Cheerio.
”

“HEY, I’M HERE! Where the hell are you?” Lisa sang into the phone.

“I’ll be right in. Opening the door now.”

Lisa waved her to a nearby table. “Finally! You know, I’m actually a busy woman, too, Jessie! You think you’re all mighty and powerful now that you’re running a multi-million dollar organization. No regard for the little people anymore, huh?”

Jessica pursed her lips, feeling the early morning migraine intensify with each passing minute. “I’m sorry. I’ve just got a lot going on right now with budgeting and forecasting for next year.” She fumbled in her handbag for a bottle of Excedrin and popped two in her mouth.

“I know, sweetie, don’t be so sensitive. I’m only kidding. Here, I got your fave.” She slid a chai latte across the table. “How are you feeling? You don’t look too hot…”

Jessica glanced at her phone. “Thanks, I feel like crap actually.”

“Did you go to see Dr. Martin? Did you get the test results yet?”

“I’m going this afternoon.” She rubbed her temple. “I know something’s wrong, Li. These headaches are practically blinding. The numbness and tingling haven’t gone away either. I don’t understand how the MRI didn’t show anything a couple of weeks ago. When Dr. Martin called me in California, I thought for sure they found more lesions. But there wasn’t any change. These other tests have to tell us something.”

“Do you want me to come with you?”

She shook her head. “My dad is taking me. I think he feels guilty for his behavior. How ironic is that? We finally turn a corner where he’s okay with my romantic endeavors and while we’re on the road to recovery, bam! Jessica and James are no longer.”

“I take it you haven’t heard anything from him?”

“No.” Jessica frowned at her nails and sipped the latte.
I need to put all this behind me. It’s time to focus on my health and my career, just like Dad said. I only wish I’d listened to him before. Could have saved myself a lot of grief.
“It’s better this way. I’m not going to turn myself inside out to get him to listen to my side. He made rash judgments and obviously has no interest in knowing the truth. So, whatever.”

“Do you really mean that? I’ve barely seen you since you got back from California. You’re burying yourself at work, not going out at all, and the few times we’ve been home together you look and act completely lost, Jess. Don’t you think that means something?”

Jessica sighed and held her head. “It doesn’t matter, Li. He doesn’t want anything to do with me. I tried reaching out, calling him, emailing…he doesn’t care. It’s like I’m dead to him. So how I feel is kind of irrelevant. I have a lot going on right now anyway and I need to be focused. This is a great career opportunity, everything that I’ve been working so hard for. Thankfully, it all came together even after that bastard Charlie stabbed me in the back. I almost passed up this job because of James, and for
what
? It’s over.”

Jessica wriggled her toes in the new ballet flats.
How did things go from perfect to hellish so quickly?