Unlikely Venture (The Venture Series Book 1)

by Luciani, Kristen

  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?

  “You have to appreciate how it must look to James. He gets the picture, confronts you about it and finds out you conveniently forgot to mention you knew Paul and oh by the way, slept with him. If the tables were turned, would you be so willing to listen to him?”

  Jessica’s eyes widened. “You even agreed I shouldn’t say anything! Are you on his side now?”

  “No, no! Of course not. I think you were right not to say anything. I knew it would be ugly if you told James the truth, but I never imagined it would come back to haunt you like this if you kept it quiet.” Lisa shook her head. “But maybe now, since a little time has passed, you could try to reach out again
. Isn’t it worth another shot? I never saw you happier than when you were with James and I want you to think about that before closing the book on him forever.”

  “Look, Li, I’m really not sure why you want to open up old wounds, but the bottom line is, I can’t be with someone who doesn’t trust me and whatever relationship I thought we had was just rubbish. I didn’t do anything wrong here! I withheld information, hurtful information yes, but I didn’t have a malicious intent, nor did I cheat! So, screw him if he doesn’t want me any more. It’s his loss, not mine.” Tears stung her eyes and she looked at her watch. “I have to go. Justin wants to meet with me in half an hour and I need to finish up my documentation.” She picked up the cup and gave Lisa a rueful smile. “I’ll catch up with you later.”

  Jessica stepped into the crisp afternoon, blinking back the tears that threatened to fall. Lisa’s right. I’m an emotional wreck. And even though he crushed me, I miss him so much.

  Work can’t fill this void anymore. I don’t care about the promotions or the accolades. None of it matters if the one person I want to share it with doesn’t want me around. James changed me, gave me hope when I really needed it. He made me feel happy, fulfilled and inspired. He didn’t care about my MS or the challenges it posed. He promised we’d work through it together.

  But he lied. He said he loved me and then he walked away, just like Drew.

  JESSICA HUNCHED OVER the desk with a pocket mirror attempting to repair her smudged eyeliner. She ransacked her drawers in search of some concealer and breathed a sigh of relief. The tube was about three years old and it looked a little cakey, but it would have to do. Never know when your roommate is going to initiate a line of questioning that will drive you into hysterics before a meeting with your boss.

  She dabbed on some of the liquid and evaluated her appearance. Not too horrible. At least the concealer erased all physical evidence of her anguish.

  The phone rang, jolting her from a series of unpleasant thoughts. She wrinkled her forehead when Justin’s name appeared on the display.

  “Hi Justin, what can I do for you?”

  “Jessica.” Panic was evident in his voice. “Can we push our meeting up? I need you to come down here right away.”

  “Of course.” Jessica grabbed her notebook. “I’ll be right there.”

  She bolted out of her office and opted for the stairs in light of the apparent urgency. Gritting her teeth, she flashed a bright smile at Pam as she passed. Bitch can’t even smile back? What the hell is up with that?

  Justin hung up the phone as soon as she walked in. “Thanks for coming down so quickly. We’ve got a problem.”

  She sat in a chair and waited for the bombshell to drop.

  Justin sighed. “There’s an issue at Barclay Investments. The consulting team over there is really screwing up the engagement.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Charlie’s handpicked team has done a fantastic job of alienating the very people paying us to reengineer their systems. I’ve gotten a boatload of complaints in the past two days and I just got off the phone with Michele Hanson. She wants you out there as soon as possible to manage the rest of the engagement or they’re going to pull the plug.”

  “How can I possibly go out there right now? We’re in the middle of budgeting for next year and I’m still—”

  “I know, I know. The timing isn’t ideal. But Barclay is a huge client and you were the one who landed the account. Michele knows you can turn things around and she specifically requested you to come on point.” Justin smiled. “You have to rescue this engagement. Everyone is counting on you.”

  Jessica’s eyes widened with alarm. Can’t go back there…too many memories, too much hurt…need to stay away.

  Justin shot her a questioning look. “Are you okay with this plan of action?”

  She cleared her throat and forced a small smile. “I just don’t feel comfortable walking away from all of the work I’ve prepared over the past couple of weeks. We have a strict timeline for submitting forecasts for next year and I—”

  “Don’t worry about it. You won’t need to stay out there for the length of the project. Take a week, get things back in order, make Michele and her team feel comfortable with our direction and then head back. If needed, we can look into you doing periodic visits. We’ll figure that all out later. Right now, I need you to do damage control, asap.”

  Jessica nodded, defeated. “Okay. I’ll leave as soon as I can.”

  “I’ll have Pam make your travel arrangements. Really appreciate it, Jessica. Let’s touch base when you’re out there. I can hold off on sending anything to Finance until we finalize everything.”

  “No problem.” She exited the office in a daze.

  “Jessica, I’ll make sure your tickets and confirmations are emailed to you before the end of the day so you can prepare to leave first thing tomorrow.” Pam addressed her in a clipped tone and Jessica stared at her, open-mouthed. “How did you—”

  Pam gave her a curt smile. “Justin already informed me of the immediate need for this trip. I’m making arrangements now.”

  “Thanks, Pam.” Jessica slinked back to her office and collapsed into her chair.

  So much for moving forward.

  PETER CLASPED JESSICA’S hand as Dr. Martin flipped through her chart. “Whatever it is, we’ll get through this, Jess.”

  She leaned into him, her pulse racing. What do the results say? Are my worst fears about to be confirmed?

  Dr. Martin folded his hands. “Jessica, as you know we did two additional tests to track the progress of the MS – a spinal tap and the evoked potentials test that measures electrical activity in the brain. I’m afraid both confirm the disease has progressed since your initial diagnosis. There are new lesions causing the migraines and numbness. Sometimes the lesions don’t appear in the MRI and we need to use these other tests to get an accurate diagnosis. I’m so sorry.”

  Jessica’s eyes welled up. “Oh my God…”

  Peter looked at Dr. Martin. “Geoff, what can we do? She’s in a lot of pain right now. Do you have any idea how long these symptoms will last? What’s the long-term prognosis?”

  “I know this is really difficult for you. Unfortunately, there’s no way to predict any future disability resulting from the disease. We can try different treatments to relieve the symptoms but unfortunately, I can’t tell you much more than that right now.”

  Jessica sniffed and she wiped her eyes. “I want to find out more about these treatments. I need something that can make the symptoms more manageable. I have a job, I can’t be incapacitated all the time.”

  Peter put his arm around her shoulders. “Is it safe for her to begin the medication right now? What are the options?”

  Dr. Martin folded his hands. “There are injections you can take. The drugs won’t cure you, but they will reduce the frequency and severity of attacks. They can also prevent new brain lesions from forming. Basically, the drugs slow the progression of the disease. At this point, I recommend we proceed with this form of treatment.”

  Peter looked at Jessica. “What do you think, Jess? Are you good with this?”

  Jessica nodded and let out a shaky breath. “Yes, I’m ready. I’ll do whatever you think is best, Doc.”

  “JAY, WE HAVE to give them our answer in three days, enough of this bullshit! It’s over, okay?”

  James slapped his hand on the desk. “I know you don’t understand this, Chris. But I can’t do it. I can’t be around him, much less look at him. I don’t want his money. If Blue Coat has enough faith in LazerShark to offer us that investment, I’m sure we can get the same from another firm.”

  Chris gaped at him. “Are you fucking kidding me? We aren’t walking away from this! You aren’t calling the shots here, Jay. Remember, we’re partners! We have a responsibility to the company and to our employees. It isn’t all about you!”

  James forced his chair back and stood up. “You can be a real jerk sometimes, you know that? Don’t you get it? I can�
�t separate myself and make it all about LazerShark. Maybe it would be easy for you, but it isn’t for me. I’ve tried to move on, but it’s killing me. Not having her in my life is killing me! All I think of when his name even comes up is what she did with him, what she did to us.”

  “Look, you need to get your damn priorities straight. You have a responsibility, as a principal of this company, to all the people who’ve been working their asses off for a chance to live the dream. They’ve given up a hell of a lot to be here, working ridiculous hours for barely any pay. Now we actually have a shot to give back, to make that dream a reality, and you want to walk away?” Chris glared at James, his eyes steely. “You don’t get to make that choice, Jay. I’m not letting you take this opportunity away from everyone.”

  “You don’t understand anything. But how could you? You’ve never gotten close enough to someone to care. Maybe that makes you a hell of a lot smarter than me, but it doesn’t give you the right to dictate how I should run my life!”

  Chris looked taken aback by his acidic tone. He narrowed his eyes. “I’m actually looking out for your wellbeing, you jackass. I told you how selective Blue Coat is—nobody else can give us the same things. It goes well beyond the money.” Chris put his hands on James’s shoulders and his voice softened. “I know you’re hurting. I’m not trying to be difficult, but I don’t want you to throw away a once in a lifetime opportunity. Please think about what you’ll be giving up. Do you really want to lose everything?”

  James was silent for a minute, his anger fading to sadness. “I feel like I already have. I’m sorry.” He grabbed his laptop bag and stomped out of the office.

  What the hell have I done? She’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me and I fucked it all up because I was jealous and insecure. Those are my issues, not hers. I broke my own promise to never walk away. No wonder she hasn’t returned my calls. I ignored every attempt she made to contact me those first few days. I knew how much she wanted to make things right between us and I rejected every effort. I’m the reason why she left California. I destroyed everything and if there’s a shot to make this right, I have to take it. I don’t care what’s at stake. Nothing is more important to me than Jessica.