Venture Forward (2 page)

“Of course. I’ve been working with the public relations team on some different options. What do you think? Are you game, Avery?”

She gnawed at her thumbnail, chipping the purple nail polish. People would give up a hell of a lot to be in her position. But nerves trumped any modicum of excitement. If word ever got out about her true identity… Christ, the last thing she’d want was to be perceived as some bitter antagonist. Everything could crumble around her like a house of sand. She’d worked too hard to build her business, and would do nothing to jeopardize its future. Treading with caution was an absolute must. “Okay, let’s do this.”

PAUL STALKED INTO HIS
corner office and tossed the Wall Street Journal on the large white-oak desk. An early morning surf and rescue of the Wicked Witch of the West had not been on his agenda. Where the fuck did she get off reacting like that? And who the hell surfed in that getup, anyway? There wasn’t even enough material to qualify it as a damned bikini. When did it become his responsibility to keep track of the pieces while he dragged her sorry ass out of the water? He gritted his teeth. Forget about that ass, perfect as it was.

Sunlight streamed through the large, full-length windows lining the expansive space. He sank into a plush leather chair. A quick glance at his computer monitor confirmed several meetings with lackluster start-ups eagerly seeking funding. Blue Coat Capital was the top venture capital firm in the country for technology start-ups, so there was never a shortage of pitches flooding his and his associates’ calendars. But he was too fired up about the girl to focus on anything else at that moment. Her response to him was unsettling, like she’d been offended at his rescue attempt. Truth be told, she hadn’t fallen at his feet, and that pissed him off to no end. Hers hadn’t been the typical reaction of most women, and, while his comments had been equally out of line, he’d felt the need to knock her down a few pegs.

One of his senior associates, Mia Bradshaw, appeared in the doorway. A bright smile lit up her sun-kissed face. “How were the swells this morning? I didn’t expect to see you until much later.”

“I got a little sidetracked, so I headed back early.” Another image of the half-naked blonde flashed through his mind, annoyance actively battling his unwelcome arousal.

“Well, there’s plenty here to get you back on task.” She handed him a stack of folders.

“What’s your assessment? Are any of these companies going the distance? Which ones are we bringing in?”

“Some have really good revenue potential, but I found one that stands out from the rest.”

“I’m listening.”

“It’s called Ticket Me. They’ve built a search engine that crawls travel sites all over the Internet and identifies the absolute best time to purchase a plane ticket based on fare adjustments and pricing algorithms. I’ve seen the demos. I think it’s a real winner. Big acquisition potential. Tons of money to be made.”

“Who’s scouting them? Have they gotten any offers yet?”

“Several, but they haven’t accepted any. Word on the street is that they’re holding out for us.”

“Interesting. How do you want to handle it?”

“They want airtime with you, so I had Alison rearrange your schedule. We shouldn’t snooze on this opportunity.”

“Good. What else?”

“I know you want to expand Blue Coat’s reach into the media and entertainment industry, and I found a few solid contenders. It’s still a bit early for some of them, but they’ve demonstrated some great innovative ideas, and I think they have potential.”

“I’ll take a look. We bypassed a lot of those start-ups in the past because we didn’t have the right skillset on staff to give them the support they needed, but with you leading the charge, I think we’re better positioned to make those investments.”

“There is one in particular I want you to consider. It’s called CrowdRok, and it’s run by a friend of mine.”

“Avery Hunter. I just read an article about her in
Disruption
. Why the hell is she running a social network for
American Idol
wannabes? She’s a trained engineer, isn’t she?”

“Yeah.” Mia shifted her weight, a look of discomfort settling over her features. “Some unforeseen circumstances kind of changed her direction.”

“Mmm-hmm.” Avery Hunter was widely reputed to be the dominant force of the online entertainment world, but, before hitting that pinnacle, she’d left a promising career as a biomedical engineer, very suddenly, according to the article. Something pretty major must have been behind that move, but
Disruption
wasn’t known for investigative journalism, and the look on Mia’s face begged him not to press.

“There may be a good opportunity to invest in her company. If we really want to expand into that space, a stake in CrowdRok would be great for the media fund. It can attract a whole niche of new investors.”

“I’ll keep it in mind.”

“She’s rejected a few buyout offers over the past six months. Not quite ready to let go, I suppose. If she does eventually sell, it’ll be huge.”

“It doesn’t sound like she’s in the market for partners.”

Mia grinned. “Yeah. Stubborn as hell, but I’ve never met anyone as driven. She’s exactly the type of CEO that would make our investors a bundle.”

“Listen, I appreciate your enthusiasm, but I’m not looking for more headaches. CEOs who think they know it all and have no interest in taking advice aren’t top on my list of viable partners. I don’t need the soap opera drama.”

“Trust me, it’ll be a goldmine. Avery isn’t the easiest person to deal with, but she’s brilliant and has a huge network. Getting a stake in CrowdRok would be great for our bottom line and really solidify our reputation as a venture fund specializing in digital media investments. Just take a look. If you’re not impressed, we’ll drop it.” A sly smile lifted the corners of her mouth. “The two of you may not exactly be a partnership made in heaven, but you’d have me as a referee.”

“Fine, I’ll review the paperwork. Do you have the financials?”

Mia pulled one of the folders from her original pile. “Keep an open mind. I’ve never steered you wrong before.”

“Deal.” He tossed the folder on the desk. Avery Hunter might look better after a double espresso. Or a few shots of Macallan. It was a possibility, albeit remote. “How’s the wedding planning?”

Her tanned face lit up at the mention. “Great! I can’t believe it’s almost here. It feels like we’ve been planning forever.”

“Sounds like your fiancé’s been pretty busy while you’ve been handling floral centerpieces and dress fittings. He and James have been hard at work on a new venture. I’m intrigued.”

“I won’t steal their thunder. I know they’re excited to talk to you. But no meetings during the honeymoon. Got it?”

“Fair enough. Do you think Chris can handle two weeks of radio silence?”

“No need to worry about that. I’ve got plenty to keep him occupied.” Mia flashed a wicked grin. “Okay, I’ll leave you to your reading. Don’t forget about the meeting with Ticket Me.”

“I’ll be there.” As usual, Mia was right. Ticket Me was by far the most promising. After an hour of reading, the numbers blurred. Forget the double espresso. Make it a triple.

He tossed the pile of folders onto a coffee table, rubbed his eyes, and opened the final packet for CrowdRok. Avery Hunter’s unique concept wasn’t one of crowd funding, but crowd selection and awareness. She offered an online microphone to aspiring singers and musicians, and the world voted on their favorites. Then, leveraging her extensive network of record executives, she’d negotiated lucrative recording contracts for multiple artists over the past year, making CrowdRok millions in royalties and agency fees.

Maybe it was time to take a look. The numbers were stellar, and there was a bundle to be made.
But dealing with a neurotic Type-A CEO? He didn’t need that bullshit in his life. There were plenty of other solid companies clamoring for funding. Besides, he wasn’t one to beg for anything. People ran to
him
, not the other way around. And that was how he liked it.

Paul rubbed his temple, trying to block out visions of the voluptuous beach blonde for the umpteenth time. Hell, there was a supreme example of someone he’d never consider partnership material. Or anything else, for that matter.

“
I’M SO GLAD YOU
moved up here. I know things were rough for you in LA.” Mia sipped her latte, a sympathetic look on her face.

Avery managed a smile, even though the thought of the life, or lack thereof, in LA made her insides clench. “It was the right choice for me. Thanks for pushing me to make a change.”

“I had an ulterior motive. I wanted all my bridesmaids close.”

“So we can take turns managing your Bridezilla tendencies?”

“Touché. I know I’ve been a little stressed lately. There’s just so much to do. Thank God, you guys haven’t all revolted.”

“I wouldn’t worry about that. Chris already paid us off to make sure we keep you happy.”

“Aha. So that’s why you’ve been sending an endless supply of wine and chocolate. He must have made a pretty sweet offer.”

“You know your fiancé. He only does big. New BMW M5s, can you believe it?”

Mia snickered. “Actually, no, since he’s an Audi guy. But nice try.” Her bright smile waned as she stirred more sugar into her latte. “How’s your mom?”

“Same, I guess. Our last conversation left me all warm and fuzzy, as usual.”

“Have you spoken to her at all? I mean, really had it out since Tara died?”

“It wouldn’t matter. She resents the relationship I had with my dad before he split, resents my decision to leave for Pittsburgh, and let’s not even
talk
about what I did to Tara.”

“You have to stop blaming yourself.”

“How can I not? My decision could have been the difference between her living and dying.”

“It was also fully supported by her doctors. You made the right call, even if your mom disagrees. As a parent, she’ll never be satisfied knowing she might have been able to do something to protect her daughter. But—”

“Don’t you see? That’s just it.
She
might have been able to do something, and I stopped it. That’s unforgiveable in her eyes.”

“You did exactly what Tara needed. Nobody could have predicted the outcome. This guilt is going to eat you alive unless you let it go, Ave. And, for what it’s worth, I think you need to have a conversation with your mom. You’re all she has left. Make her understand what you’re going through. It’s not too late to fix things.”

“I wouldn’t even know where to begin. Tara’s gone, and I have to deal with the fallout, just like I dealt with everything else before she died.”

“Isn’t it worth a shot?”

“Yes. But it’s not entirely up to me. So much has happened, too many hurtful things said. Words are weapons, and once the damage is done…” She shook her head. “…I don’t know. I can’t make her care enough to fix things between us. But enough about my problems. I refuse to rain on your parade. Can we chat about happy stuff now? How does Miss Chloe look in her gown? Do you have a picture?”

“You have to ask?” With a bright smile, Mia pulled out her phone. “She looks absolutely gorgeous.”

“Oh…” Avery breathed a sigh as she gazed at Chloe’s beaming face. “…just like a princess.”

“She’s so excited. It’s going to be amazing once I iron out the rest of the details. What the heck were we thinking, planning a wedding in six months?”

God, to find that one perfect person… to experience the completion of herself in another. She’d fooled herself into thinking baseball-star Kevin Albright was that guy. Their intense, yet short-lived, relationship had claimed the attention of the tabloids for months, but it had just never felt right. She’d gone through the motions, hoping her feelings might eventually blossom into something deeper, but they hadn’t. After Tara died, it had been comforting to at least have someone, until said person started banging his publicist. That’s when the tabloids became relentless. Seeing her picture plastered across the cover of those rags for weeks, right alongside her successor… argh, it was so infuriating. The paparazzi and their incessant stalking were equally aggravating. Everyone was so curious to know how she felt about Kevin’s new flame. How did they think she fucking felt? She was alone — betrayed and rejected by the one person she thought she could trust. So yeah, finding the one? Nice in theory, but the risks far outweighed the rewards, at least according to her fractured heart.