Venture Forward (8 page)

Fatal Attraction
was an apt reference
.
Rochelle was unpredictable and dangerous, not a combination he wanted in his life. A short-lived fling had taught him a valuable lesson. Don’t shit where you eat.

“I’ve got to get back. Thanks for the heads-up.”

“Please make sure Chris gets home in one piece.”

“Done.” He walked back to the table, his head spinning. Rochelle Harrison.
God help him.
What the hell did she want? And why was she back in California when the terms of her so-called work arrangement clearly stated she was to remain in London?

“Hey, Paul, you know Avery Hunter, right? CEO of CrowdRok?” A wicked grin confirmed Chris knew the exact answer to his own question.

The beauty gracing their table obliterated all thoughts of Rochelle. Long, blonde hair cascaded over her shoulders, thick, dark eyelashes fluttered over cobalt blue eyes so bright they actually twinkled. Heart-stopping. It was the most accurate way to describe Avery’s effect on him. And that was just unacceptable. He needed to get a grip
fast
.

A wide smile lifted her full, glossed lips.
“
Yes, we’re old friends, aren’t we?”

Ha! What a freaking joke. What kind of
friend
inspired the kind of lustful thoughts that’d been plaguing him since their last encounter? That morning on the beach… he hadn’t forgotten those moments — how she’d snuggled into his chest, the minty scent of her silky hair, the way her taut body filled that skimpy bikini. Her vulnerability had captivated him. Gone were the acerbic tone, sharp tongue, and angry glare. She was suffering, that much had been clear. From what? And did all his baggage allow him the luxury of caring about someone else’s problems? Was he even capable of handling any more? “Oh, um, yeah, nice to see you again.” Great, he could string together a more coherent sentence when she was half-naked beneath him, but seeing her fully clothed had him stuttering like an adolescent?

With a quick glance at his watch, Chris jumped up from the table. “Guys, it’s been great, but I need to pick up Chloe from basketball practice. Jay, can you give me a lift to my car?”

“Yeah, I just need to grab my bag from the clubhouse. I promised Jess I’d take her to that new Thai place for dinner.”

“I’m going to run too.” A.J. stood. “I’ve got some, um, legal documents to prepare. You know, contracts and all that.”

It was high school all over again, although the prospect of being alone with Avery made his pulse pick up speed. The sooner those clowns left, the quicker he could find out more about the woman who’d somehow managed to scale the walls blockading his very fractured heart.

Chris gave Avery a quick peck on the cheek. “Ave, great to see you. Paul…” His voice dropped to a whisper. “…real
smooth.
”

“Don’t pass out on your way to the car, Camden.”

Chris snickered and gave him a little salute, following James and A.J. out of the café.

Before that morning, Avery had been a hot piece of ass with a pretty large chip on her shoulder. Women didn’t usually have such intense reactions to him until
after
he’d made them scream for hours on end and then disappeared before they could say
“thank you.”
But despite her obvious disgust at his existence, he wanted her. And when that icy veneer finally cracked, he knew he had to have her. “So.”

“So…” she replied in a soft voice, “…here we are.”

“You’re a golfer?” Weak. Fucking
weak
.

“Hardly. But it’s a great way to network.”

“Seems like people should be coming to you, not the other way around.”

“I try to be flexible.”

“Good to know.”

“What makes you think you’ll ever be on the receiving end?”

“Well, let’s see… I
did
save your life… and your shoe. I’ve already seen you naked from the waist up. It’s just a natural progression
.”

Her face flushed crimson. “I’m not one of your little groupies.”

“I have groupies?”

“That’s what I’ve heard. And seen.”

“Hmm. What else have you heard?”

“That you’ve made some pretty bad business decisions in the past.”

“Really. Give me an example so I can learn from my mistakes.”

“You’re mocking me.”

“Not at all. I’m a businessman. It’s my job to make money. But I’m not clairvoyant. I go with my gut. It’s usually right, but it’s been known to fail me on rare occasions.” Yeah, two words. Rochelle Harrison.

A glossy strand of hair fell over her eye. His fingers itched to tuck it back into place, to feel its silky smoothness against his skin… and when he was done with her hair, he’d very much like to feel her naked body against his skin.
Oh God, yes. Now.

“You passed on funding my company.”

What was she talking about? He’d never met her before those days on Pietro Point.
“I work with a lot of start-ups, and, to be honest, I don’t recall a meeting with you.” The corners of his lips lifted. “I think you’d be pretty difficult to forget.”

“We never met. I pitched to one of your lackeys, some guy named Dan Harris. He told me you weren’t interested, that CrowdRok was a dead end.”

So that’s why she hated him. Fucking Dan Harris. What a tool. “So let me get this straight. You think I passed on funding your company, and you’re clearly harboring some pretty intense rage. Things make a lot more sense now.” He smirked. “But in reality, I never knew about the pitch because Dan Harris couldn’t make a single good investment decision the entire time he worked for me. Hence, the reason I
fired
him.”

“You didn’t know?”

“Do you have any idea how many meetings I take on a given day? Including weekends, by the way.”

“Do I look like your assistant?”

“I only see the finalists, the pitches that make it through several rounds of analysis. Sometimes really good companies slip through the cracks because one of my associates doesn’t share the same vision. Regrettably, that seems to have happened with CrowdRok.” He took a long gulp of his beer. “So am I forgiven? Can we get back to your flexibility now?”

She burst out laughing, the melodious sounds reverberating through him. God, did he want to bend her over that table and bury himself deep inside her. Hearing that voice scream his name in ecstasy… the mere thought made his cock twitch. “You’re pretty relentless.”

“It’s one of my more endearing qualities.”

“I guess I owe you yet another apology.”

“I really hope this isn’t the extent of you being flexible. I feel like I’m being cheated, and now I definitely deserve to experience it firsthand.”

“I’m amazed at your laser focus. You missed out on an incredible opportunity to fund my company, and all you can think about is—”

“Missing out on another incredible opportunity.”

“I wasn’t aware one became available.”

“It’s still pretty early. How about another drink?”

“It won’t change anything.”

“Maybe it’ll loosen you up.”

“I think I’m just fine.”

“Are you sure about that? You don’t sound convinced.”

“It’s life. We have good days and bad days. You caught me on a couple of the bad ones.”

“I’m sorry something made you so upset.” He blinked.
Wait, what
?

A surprised look flashed across her face.

Shit. Fix it!
“I know you don’t want to talk about it. Forget I mentioned anything.” Staring into those soulful eyes had turned his brain into Jell-O; one flash of that perfectly white smile made it melt away to sugary nothingness. He was so fucked.

Avery shook her head, long blonde waves glinting under the soft recessed lights. “It’s not that. I’m just a little surprised. You don’t strike me as the type to — and don’t take this the wrong way
— care.
”

He recoiled in mock horror. “You really don’t think very highly of me at all.”

“Paul, I—”

“No, it’s fine. You’re not the first one to air your grievances, and I guarantee you won’t be the last.”

The deep blush crept down her neck. “I’m sorry if I misjudged you.”

“You’re in good company. I’m not so bad after all. How about that drink?”

“I’d really like that, but I have to get going. Dinner plans.”

“Boyfriend?”

“Jealous?”

“Maybe.”

Their eyes locked. He could have any woman he wanted, but this one was about to slip through his fingers, and nothing could stop it.

“It was nice meeting you
again
.”

He grasped her outstretched hand, feeling a jolt in his lower half. Those full pink lips beckoned, and he longed for a taste. To feel them pressed against his, so warm and soft… No, a taste wasn’t nearly enough. He wanted more,
needed
more.

Dropping his hand as if she’d been stung, she backed away from the table. The guarded expression was back. What the hell had just happened? Had she felt it too? “Have a good night.”

Paul let out a slow breath as she scurried out of the café, high heels making her long, toned legs go on for eons. What he would do to have those firm thighs wrapped tightly around him, to run his hands over that soft, velvety skin…

But her rapid exit assured him those fantasies were one-sided.

Women normally fell over themselves for a shred of his attention, but Avery Hunter couldn’t escape fast enough. What was it about her that had him inside out?
Peoples’ opinions meant nothing to him. Why was he so intent on changing hers? And, more importantly, what would happen if he succeeded?

AVERY SPRINTED TO THE
parking lot as quickly as she could, her four-inch Jimmy Choos clicking on the concrete. Oh God, oh God…

The engine roared to life, and she careened out of the parking lot, her pulse throbbing. What the hell was happening to her? Liking him wasn’t an option!
Forget that morning on the beach and whatever the hell just transpired in the café. She’d fingered the wrong freaking guy. Forget that said guy was the reason her heartbeat was thundering in her ears. What kind of a head case was she for letting that bullshit story overshadow her entire life?

The cell phone rang, jolting her from the jumble of thoughts polluting her mind.

“Where are you? I’m swimming in champagne and appetizers. You need to get here
fast
.”

“Sorry, I’m on my way now. I, um, got held up.”

“Okay. I’ll try to restrain myself. Make it snappy.”

No need to get crazy. It was a novel, for chrissakes. Fiction! Made-up! It didn’t matter anyway; she was protected. T.A. Powell had written that book, not Avery Hunter. Paul would never even find out about it. If only she could dismiss the effect of his searing blue-eyed gaze on the parts of her that were crying out for so much more than a fleeting glance.

A few minutes later, she scampered through the door at Baume. Tina handed her a glass of champagne, and she didn’t even sit before downing the fizzy sweetness.

“What the hell happened?”

Avery collapsed into the chair, dropping her Chanel clutch onto the table. “I met a couple of investors at the golf club, trying to diplomatically ward off yet another buyout offer, when I ran into Mia’s fiancé. Guess who he was with?”

Tina’s brown eyes were wide with interest. “Who?”

“Paul Emerson.”

“Why is that cause for excessive consumption of alcohol?”

Avery popped a lobster canapé into her mouth. “Because I may have been wrong about him.”

“Wrong
how
?”

“What if the character I created is really further from the truth than I thought? I found out some things that I didn’t know before, things that would have changed—”

“It’s a freaking novel. Sure, you embellished here and there, but what’s the big deal? You’re a first-time author. It probably won’t even gain any traction.” A wicked smile appeared. “Oh shit. You’ve got a thing for Peter Everly.”