Free Venture Forward by Kristen Luciani

I’d worn my turkey-eating pants. I already undid my top button.”
    “Thankfully, my skirt has an elastic waistband.” Tina picked up her glass. “Now let’s get back to Paul Emerson.”
    “He didn’t pass on CrowdRok.”
    “ Really .”
    “Nope. He never even knew about it.”
    “So you’ve been harboring a grudge all this time for nothing?“
    “That’s right.” The memory of Paul’s heated stare sent little tingles down her bare arms. “He’s so sexy . But this book…”
    “It’s the big ugly elephant standing in the way of you two surfing into the sunset.”
    “It may not be the only thing. He’s still got a reputation I’d rather not experience firsthand.”
    “Sometimes you need to leap before you think. You’re into this guy, so for once, be adventurous and take a chance. Forget the damn book.”
    “It’s not just the book.”
    “Look, I know you’ve dealt with a lot – with Kevin, with your family. But as your best friend, I’m telling you to let some of it go before you snap like a freaking rubber band. You hold on to way too much, and, unless you get past it, you’ll never find the happiness you deserve.”
    “I wish I could. I’m just—”
    “A little too controlling for your own good. That book is actually a great example. You wrote it to get revenge on someone you didn’t even know because of something you think he did — or didn’t do — as the case may be. Does that sound healthy?”
    “It was therapeutic.”
    “But extreme. Just give him a shot. If you really feel something, go for it!” Tina clasped her hands as the sommelier approached with two bottles of wine to complement their main courses. She took one of the glasses he poured and swirled the deep red liquid before taking a sip. A low moan escaped her lips. “So delicious, thank you.”
    Avery tapped her fingernails on the crystal. “You make it sound so easy, and it’s not. What happens if—”
    “Enough negativity. I’m ordering you to check your baggage and explore what— or who as the case may be — obviously has your panties in such a bunch. What happens if he’s the one you were meant to find? What if Peter Everly is the guy?”
     

CHAPTER NINE
     
    PAUL STARED AT THE array of periodicals lining the newsstand, registering none of the headlines. In a daze, he leafed through The Financial Times . His focus had been shot since the other day at the golf course when Avery Hunter had officially become a permanent fixture in his mind. Going through the motions at work, making half-hearted attempts to engage with his associates, pushing more off on Mia with the excuse that he was preoccupied with SportSensor. It was uncharacteristic and, quite frankly, a little disconcerting. Make that extremely disconcerting.
    Obsessing about a woman who’d carried a grudge against him for the better part of three years and then blew him off for some other guy was nothing short of pathetic. Maybe some therapy would do him good after all.
    Twizzler Bites, Starburst, a copy of Venture Scope magazine, and he was ready to head back to work to do something, anything , other than fantasize. Maybe the sugar would help screw his head back on straight.
    Popping a piece of orange Starburst into his mouth, he paged through the copy of Venture Scope , hoping to find a distraction, anything to make him forget how she—
    His eyes narrowed at the tiny black print.
     

     
    “What the fuck? ”
     

CHAPTER TEN
     
    AVERY DRAINED THE REST of the champagne and grabbed her clutch from the smooth leather bench seat. Taittinger was her kryptonite. It only took a couple of glasses before the cobwebs set in. Time to make the switch to non-bubbly.
    Mia nudged her. “This is going to be the craziest bachelorette party ever! Think they’re ready for our crew?”
    Jessica, James’s wife, dangled the empty bottle in front of them. “Not a chance, but we’re dry. Let’s kick it.”
    The girls teetered out of the gleaming white Hummer