Obsession: (Billionaire Venture Capitalist #5) A Billionaire Russian Mob Romance

by Ainsley St Claire

  I let Suzanne know I won’t be back, then knock on Thomas’s office door before entering. “Hey, Cynthia testified yesterday and again this morning with the grand jury. I’m going to sit with her while she debriefs with her attorney. The Banner Pharmaceuticals proposal gets a green light.”

  “Yes!” He does a few fist pumps. “You know that means we’re going to have a killer year.”

  “Get the team working on it. I’ll be back in tomorrow morning, if they don’t whisk us off into witness protection.”

  “Don’t even tease about that.” He looks truly pained at the thought. “Please give Cynthia my best. Elizabeth’s too.”

  “Thanks, Thomas,” she says from behind me. “Let’s all get together soon.”

  He smiles broadly as I close his door, and we head out. The car is waiting out front with a member of our security team, and I ask him to drive us the ten blocks to the pizzeria.

  Over lunch, we talk about plans for the weekend. She doesn’t know we’re headed to Los Angeles in a private plane, or that we’ll be staying in Malibu at the beach. I even bought her a new bikini. It isn’t much more than scraps of material, but I’ll enjoy seeing it on her. We have a lot to celebrate, and hopefully, after this afternoon, we’ll have even more. I’d like to put Dimitri Kuznetsov far in our rearview mirror, and I think this will be just the thing to do it.

  After lunch, we head to Marci’s office and take our seats in the conference room. She arrives in a flourish, flushed and out of breath, her blonde curls disheveled.

  “You didn’t have to rush on our part,” Cynthia teases.

  “Don’t worry about it.” She takes a few deep breaths and a big swig of water, then begins. “Cynthia, you did an amazing job with the grand jury. Walker was impressed, and he feels confident that between your testimony, the testimony of his embedded agent, and those of some of the other partners and executive staff of BrightStar, he’s going to be successful.”

  “But where does that leave me?”

  “Part of the reason I was late was that the grand jury returned eighty-six indictments. They include a troll farm in Russia, Dimitri Kuznetsov, and Jeffery Bratva. We can see the light at the end of the tunnel. We’re almost out of this.”

  Cynthia sits back in her chair and lets out an audible breath of relief. “You mean I can let my security team go, and I can move back into my apartment?”

  I sit up straight. Wait. What? “I don’t know if that’s what we want to do…, err, at least the moving back into your apartment part.”

  Marci smiles. “I’m not getting in the middle of that, but I think you need to work with Jim to determine if you can drop your protection detail. He may have some other ideas.”

  Mason called for a partners’ meeting at his home this evening, since several people are headed out of town for the weekend. All of the advisors are able to attend, so I get to join them. It’s nice to be able to talk to Cynthia about what we have going on and how it affects us. Mason has been invited to participate in an advisory capacity at Morgan Wealth Management, so they have full knowledge of what we’re doing too.

  Mason’s dog, Misty, greets us as soon as we arrive. The beautiful golden retriever escorts us to Mason’s living room, which opens up to a huge garden in the back. Joining everyone else, we sit in a circle to eat the Chinese takeout we ordered for dinner.

  “Mason, thanks so much for ordering the vegetable egg foo young,” CeCe exclaims. “It’s my favorite.”

  “I didn’t know that. It’s one of my favorites too,” Mason shares with her. They smile at one another, and I can’t help but think those two belong together. I know Mason’s living with Annabel, but she’s annoying, and I know he could do so much better.

  CeCe’s been splashed all over the tabloids lately for dating some European prince. She’s told us all it’s nothing, but with her, you never can be sure.

  After we’ve all filled our plates and taken our seats, Jim stands to address the group. “As many of you know, we’ve all been wrapped up in the BrightStar investigation. The FBI also went after a troll farm in Russia with ties here to Silicon Valley. Despite all that’s happened, it’s believed that the threat with our corporate espionage still exists, and it’s not over.”

  “Are you kidding?” Emerson asks with obvious disdain. Under her breath, she mumbles, “When will we catch a break?”

  “I wish I was. The hackers who went after Pineapple Technologies left a few gifts for our tech team. We know they were in Pineapple’s servers on multiple occasions, gaining access due to an employee who built a back door that was exploited. They used a troll farm to drive up the discourse within the user groups and social media before releasing the content. When we map out the espionage with you and the competitors, we see the majority’s being directed at SHN, so we feel confident that you’re the primary target.”

  There’s grumbling throughout the crowd. “Is this ever going to stop?” Dillon grouses.

  “We keep getting closer. They made some mistakes with Pineapple, and we know at least part of the bad actors involved in this are local. It’s unfortunate that these actors destroyed a great company.”

  “What are we doing to figure this out?” Sara asks.

  Cameron adjusts in his seat. “We’re pulling Parker from the software analyst team to work with the FBI’s cyber security teams and me to look through everything. We’ll also pull in some admin resources from your team, Emerson.”

  She nods her agreement.

  “Do I need to create any spin?” Greer asks. “I know we’re letting Pineapple die a slow death, but we’re in the process of reinventing the technology team into another company.”

  “I don’t believe we need any spin—though of course you can change my mind,” Mason offers to the group. “But right now we know Dimitri Kuznetsov’s not part of our mole issue.”

  I know this only adds to Cynthia’s anxiety and guilt. We don’t know if this means that Kuznetsov has wide-reaching arms from prison, and she adores her friends and coworkers. Any harm that could come their way bothers her greatly.

  The rest of the meeting goes through our regular paces, with the typical updates from various departments. Once we finish, Cynthia and I say goodbye to the team as they head home late on a Thursday night, then wait patiently for Jim and Mason to end their private discussion.

  “I hope you don’t mind that I’ve asked Mason to stay. This affects the security team.” Jim looks at us and waits for our approval. Once we give it, he continues. “There’s been a bit of a hostile takeover of the Russian mafia. It seems our inside man has a track on what to expect, and it appears they’ll be taking the business in a different direction, far away from you.”

  “Does this mean I’m still in jeopardy?” Cynthia questions.

  “No, you’re of zero interest to the new regime.”

  “That’s good, right?”

  “We think so.”

  Mason interjects, “I still would prefer you have a driver around town for a while. We’ll keep a team at the office, along with the key fob to enter our floor without an invite, just in case anyone still loyal to Dimitri crawls out of the woodwork looking for you.”

  I nod in agreement. “I think she needs to remain with me in my apartment too.”

  Mason holds his hands up in surrender. “That’s between the two of you.”

  “Let’s talk about it tonight.” She pats my leg, indicating the end of that particular subject for the time being, and I begin to fear that I won’t see her every day. She turns her attention back to Jim and Mason. “What will the new organization be focused on?”

  “The typical organized crime—drugs, women, and sex. But don’t think the Russian government’s going to back away. While they aren’t behind our problems, they were behind BrightStar. They’ll always put pressure on the organization to produce information on technology that can help them.”

  We stand to leave, and I shake Jim’s and Mason’s hands. “We appreciate all you’ve done f
or us these past several months.”

  “No problem. That’s what we’re here for,” Jim replies.

  “When do you leave?” Mason asks.

  Cynthia looks at me, puzzled. “Where are you going?”

  I smile down at her. “I thought we’d get away for the weekend. Maybe go find some sunshine.”

  “Sunshine?” She turns to Mason and Jim. “Can you see why I just love this man?”

  Both men seem a little uncomfortable at the question, but I just laugh it off and shrug.

  Chapter THIRTY-SIX

  Cynthia

  We got in late last night and went right to bed. When I woke up and he wasn’t lying next to me, I was disappointed to be alone again.

  We discussed our living situation this weekend. He wants me to move in, and I understand his argument—we both work hard, with constant long hours, and see so little of one another—but at the same time, I don’t want to move in with him and ten years from now wish we were married. I tried to explain that keeping my place isn’t a bad thing, but he said if I’m not going to sell, I should rent it out. I don’t know what to do, except I won’t make any demands. He either wants to marry me and we work our way in that direction or he doesn’t and I don’t want to waste my time.

  I replay it over and over in my mind as I work out, get dressed, and go into work. My best friend from college talked her boyfriend into getting married, and it was a mistake. He was never that into her, and they’ve struggled for years. I don’t want that for me. For us.

  “Someone went somewhere warm this weekend,” Constance greets me when I get off the elevator, grinning from ear to ear.

  As much as I want to tell everyone how excited I am, I also want to keep some of my personal life personal. “We went down to Los Angeles. The weather was warm, and we sat by a pool all weekend.”

  “Well, as cooped up as you’ve had to be lately, you deserve a bit of time away. You’re positively glowing. I hope that cute boyfriend of yours got to go with you.”

  “He actually organized it.”

  Constance stops and looks at me. “If he does dishes or laundry, you better put a ring on him.”

  I laugh. “We’re not quite there yet. He’s still courting me.”

  She smiles. “Enjoy it. You deserve it.”

  She is so sincere that I know she means it. “Thank you, Constance. We all deserve to find a man who reveres us—and that includes you.”

  I walk back to my office, tired from my weekend away. Though I don’t know why, since we did almost nothing. Todd secured the rental with Cameron’s friend, and the five-bedroom, six-thousand-square-foot beachfront house was perfect for us. We enjoyed most of our time sitting out by the pool, listening to the ocean, and making love all weekend. It was a much-needed getaway.

  My cell phone pings with an incoming text.

  Todd: I have reservations at McCormick’s tonight at 7. Jim’s team will be ready for you at 6:30.

  Me: I love that you’re a planner. McCormick’s?

  Todd: Yes. I know it’s a bit touristy, but the view is spectacular, and we have yet to explore Ghirardelli Square. There must be some sort of music trivia for the waterfront.

  Me: I’ll let you know. See you soon.

  Now to get back to work.

  Just as I pull out some paperwork to review, my phone rings, the caller ID telling me it’s Frederic Hanson of DribbleDabble.

  “Hey, Frederic,” I answer.

  “That pesky caller ID gives me away every time.”

  Chuckling, I say, “I’m sorry, was it supposed to be a surprise?”

  “No, um… look, I had a great meeting with Cameron and Dillon last week, and I think the ball is in my court. Or, at least that’s the impression I was left with.”

  My heart beats a little faster. “Frederic, are you ready for an NDA?”

  There’s an audible sound of relief on his end. “Yes, please.”

  I quickly type out an e-mail to Sara telling her we need an NDA for DribbleDabble and cc Dillon and Cameron. This is a big win for us. It may even be our next PeopleMover. “I’ll send it over as soon as I get it from Sara. Can I set some time for Cameron and his team to sit down with you?”

  “Sure.”

  Cameron walks in and gives me a quiet high five.

  “It looks like he can meet with you on Wednesday,” I tell Frederic. “Is two days enough time for you to review and return the agreement?”

  “That should work. Does Dillon want our financials?”

  We have him. My heart soars at where this could take SHN. “The NDA will outline everything, but you can give him and Mason access once Cameron vets the technology.”

  “Oh thanks. I’m excited.”

  “Frederic, let me assure you, so are we. Talk to you this afternoon.”

  I hang up, and Dillon and Mason come into my office with Sara right behind them. “This is huge.” I beam.

  “We’ll have to celebrate,” Mason announces.

  “Well, let’s get the contracts signed.” Turning to Sara, I ask, “When can you have those to me?”

  “I did them after the guys met with Frederic last week. I just came in to tell you it’s in your inbox.”

  I sit down hard in my seat, a giant smile on my face. DribbleDabble is a real feather in my cap. While I never doubted my place here at SHN, I now know I’m secure for a while at least.

  I look around at the others, talking amongst themselves. “Okay, y’all, I need to reach out to Jon at Caring. You’re welcome to stick around, but you must be quiet.”

  “This is why I love this woman,” Mason exclaims. “One win isn’t enough for her.”

  The phone rings to Jon’s private line, and he’s on speaker so everyone can hear. “Cynthia, my love! Dillon tells me you’re about to get engaged?”

  I look at Dillon confused and he shrugs. “Oh, Jon, I don’t know about that. I’m a take-it-slow kind of gal.”

  “Well, he’s a fool if he doesn’t realize what a catch you are.”

  My cheeks heat at his compliment. “Why, Jon, I think that’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard you say to me. I was only calling to find out if I could get Sara to send over our NDA so you and Cameron can kick this off.”

  He’s quiet for a moment. “You know Stephanie Pierce at Benchmark has been after me.”

  “We figured as much. Your AI work is revolutionary, and Benchmark doesn’t have any AI to draw from in their portfolio. We have TalentSearch in ours. Great guys to network with.”

  “Cameron mentioned that. That man scares the shit out of me, but damn, is he smart.”

  I look at Cameron, who shrugs, then say to Jon, “I don’t want to put any pressure on you, but if you’re up for the NDA, I’ll get it sent over. If you’d rather work with Benchmark, I’d be disappointed, but I’d understand.”

  “Wait, no. I want to work with SHN.” He’s quiet, thinking about it a few moments. He finally sighs loudly and says, “Have Sara send me the paperwork.”

  I do a fist pump, and the others join me. “Jon, that’s great news. I think you’ll be very happy with SHN. If Sara can get that to you today, do you think you can have it looked at by your lawyers and signed by Thursday? I’d like to set some time up with Cameron and his team to begin looking at your technology.”

  “I can make that work, but make sure he understands we’re still working on some of the math.”

  Cameron nods, eyes wide in understanding.

  “We get it. This is your first round. With our team’s help, we can find you some great developers to get this over the finish line and make you a billionaire.”

  “Thanks, Cynthia. Don’t forget you promised to deliver the check yourself.”

  “Sounds like a plan. Talk to you next week.”

  As soon as I hang up, the entire office celebrates. I’m getting tons of congratulations from all around. I keep telling everyone that this was a team effort, and they keep telling me that they only did a small part. It’s very sweet
of them.

  Dillon is quick to tell me, “I needed him to back off you romantically so I may have exaggerated your situation with Todd.”

  “Just don’t tell Todd, it could frighten him,” I tease.

  “I promise you, that is what scares him.”

  “How are you and Todd going to celebrate tonight?” Mason asks.

  “Believe it or not, we’re headed to McCormick’s in Ghirardelli Square. We’re back doing our neighborhood tours, and the plan is to see that part of Fisherman’s Wharf.”

  “That sounds like a lot of fun. Don’t work too late.”

  “Jim’s team will make sure I don’t.”

  It takes some time, but the office eventually calms down and I’m able to get back to work. Before I know it, Todd texts me.

  Todd: Jim and his team will be ready in ten minutes.

  Crap! How did he know I’d forget and lose all track of time?

  Me: I’ll be ready.

  I begin to pack up and notice it’s somewhat quiet in the office. I’m surprised Mason is gone.

  I wave to Sara. “Thanks for sending that over.”

  “Of course. Have fun tonight. Trey sends his congratulations.”

  I walk downstairs and jump into the waiting SUV that whisks me across town. Even in the terrible traffic, I manage to make it on time, though just barely.

  Climbing the stairs, I look out at the view of Marin and the bay, my heart skipping a beat at the sight. This is exactly why I live here.

  That and the beautiful man I’m about to meet.

  I tell the host who I am and he walks me back to our table, though I’m surprised when he leads me through the dining room to a private room. When he opens the door, everyone I work with plus Todd all yell, “Surprise!”

  I look at Todd, confused.

  “I guess you had a pretty good day at work, so they decided to crash our dinner.” He grins.

  I laugh because it’s just like them. All of the partners are here, as well as our advisors.