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

  Venture Capitalist:

  Obsession

  Book 5

  by Ainsley St Claire

  Contents

  About Obsession

  Other Books by Ainsley St Claire

  Chapter ONE

  Chapter TWO

  Chapter THREE

  Chapter FOUR

  Chapter FIVE

  Chapter SIX

  Chapter SEVEN

  Chapter EIGHT

  Chapter NINE

  Chapter TEN

  Chapter ELEVEN

  Chapter TWELVE

  Chapter THIRTEEN

  Chapter FOURTEEN

  Chapter FIFTEEN

  Chapter SIXTEEN

  Chapter SEVENTEEN

  Chapter EIGHTEEN

  Chapter NINETEEN

  Chapter TWENTY

  Chapter TWENTY-ONE

  Chapter TWENTY-TWO

  Chapter TWENTY-THREE

  Chapter TWENTY-FOUR

  Chapter TWENTY-FIVE

  Chapter TWENTY-SIX

  Chapter TWENTY-SEVEN

  Chapter TWENTY-EIGHT

  Chapter TWENTY-NINE

  Chapter THIRTY

  Chapter THIRTY-ONE

  Chapter THIRTY-TWO

  Chapter THIRTY-THREE

  Chapter THIRTY-FOUR

  Chapter THIRTY-FIVE

  Chapter THIRTY-SIX

  PROLOGUE

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  A few words…

  How to find Ainsley

  Also by Ainsley St Claire

  Coming Soon

  About Ainsley

  Copyright 2019 Ainsley St Claire

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a production of the author’s imagination. Locations and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions or locations is completely coincidental.

  Venture Capitalist: Obsession/Ainsley St Claire—1st edition

  About Obsession

  A scorching romance is all theirs… if the mob doesn't get to her first.

  Cynthia's corporate whistleblowing against the mafia turned her life upside down. Throwing herself into a new high-powered job, she tries to ignore how her past decisions might come back to bite her. Her plan to keep everyone at arm's length fails when a gorgeous billionaire takes her breath away, adding a potential target to the crosshairs…

  Tired of gold-digging women, Todd's stunning and brilliant new neighbor makes him feel like more than a billion bucks. He can't wait to invest his mind, body, and soul into her and her life. If only he could figure out why she's holding back…

  When Cynthia learns the Russians want revenge, she has no choice but to spill her secrets to Todd and pray he doesn't become the next victim.

  With hitmen hot on their heels, can Cynthia and Todd keep their love alive before the mob bankrupts their future?

  Obsession is the fifth standalone book in the steamy Venture Capitalist series of romantic suspense novels. If you like powerful heroes, confident women, and scorching-hot action, then you’ll love Ainsley St Claire’s tantalizing tale.

  Other Books by Ainsley St Claire

  If you love Venture Capitalist: Obsession, you might enjoy the other sensual, sexy and romantic stories and books she has published.

  In a Perfect World

  Venture Capitalist: Forbidden Love

  Venture Capitalist: Promise

  Venture Capitalist: Desire

  Venture Capitalist: Temptation

  Venture Capitalist: Flawless

  (April 2019)

  Venture Capitalist: Longing

  (June 2019)

  Venture Capitalist: Enchanted

  (September 2019)

  Venture Capitalist: Gifted

  (November 2019)

  Venture Capitalist: Fascination

  (February 2020)

  This book is dedicated to my soulmate, life partner, father of my children, and my husband. Daniel, I will love you always and forever.

  Chapter ONE

  Cynthia

  The room is overflowing with people. I'm stunned as I see the hotel ballroom decorated in red, white, and blue balloons and filled with people of every size, color, and sex, many carrying signs that say, "Jennifer Chang for Congress." The crowd's going crazy, and the news cameras are here to capture it all. Food tables are almost empty, and across the room, I see who I'm looking for.

  Waving, I walk over. "CeCe!"

  “You made it.” She gives me a tight hug.

  “Sorry I’m late. I got hung up with a client in San Jose, and the traffic was terrible all the way up. I swear I could’ve walked here faster.” I glance around and take in all the craziness. “Did I miss anything?”

  “The food mostly,” she says as she surveys the buffet tables. “The polls closed, and they just announced Jennifer’s win, so we expect she’ll be out shortly to give her acceptance speech.”

  “That’s wonderful news.”

  “Oh, Cynthia, let me introduce you to Todd Wellington. He’s a friend of mine who recently moved here from New York City.”

  The man standing next to her oozes money in his tailored suit and expensive loafers. He has over a full foot on my 5’2” frame, ash-blond hair, and chocolate-brown eyes with gold flecks. Without trying to be too obvious, I notice two of the most adorable dimples when he smiles, and I’m overtaken by his beauty. I know men aren’t supposed to be beautiful, but damn! He makes the Hemsworth brothers look old and unattractive. I swear he walked out of a print ad for Ralph Lauren. Unfortunately, he’s with my friend, and I understand from Greer that he moved out here for her, making him completely off-limits.

  CeCe leans over and whispers in his ear, then excuses herself. “I’ll be right back.”

  We stand together and wait for our new congresswoman to come out and make her acceptance speech.

  It’s a bit awkward standing here with CeCe’s friend. I’m usually good at making small talk—I work in business development, after all, and it’s my job to make small talk—but for some reason I’m at a loss of what to say. This man’s beauty has me tongue-tied.

  Turning to me, he asks, “Didn’t CeCe say your name is Cynthia?”

  I’m puzzled by his question. “Yes?”

  He points to my chest. “Your name tag says Courtney Love.”

  I giggle. “Yes, well, I hate wearing name tags, so I use random names.”

  “That’s quite the name.”

  “I’m a Hole fan.”

  He has a deep laugh and a smile that reaches his eyes. His brown eyes light up, making him even more handsome, but I remind myself that he’s here with one of my close friends. “It’s a good thing I know the band Hole and Courtney Love’s the lead singer. That could have so many different connotations.”

  I turn a shade of crimson, not realizing the implication until he pointed it out. “I’m impressed.”

  He leans in close, the scent of cedarwood, sage, and impending sin distracting me. “I met her once.”

  “You did? Now I’m re
ally impressed.”

  “She was interested in investing in one of our funds.”

  “Your funds?”

  “I’m an investment banker.”

  “Oh, now that makes more sense. I didn’t realize there were many investment bankers outside of New York. What brings you to San Francisco?”

  “I moved here to open our West Coast office.”

  “Todd?” we hear, and I could recognize her voice from anywhere. It’s Greer from my office and her fiancé, Andy. “Cynthia? You made it. Mason said you were stuck in traffic on the 101.”

  Giving me a kiss on both cheeks, she turns to Todd and does the same. “I’m looking for CeCe.”

  Todd points into the throng of people. “She went that way.”

  Greer thanks him and heads in that direction with her fiancé behind her, waving as she goes.

  He turns back to me. “How do you know CeCe?”

  “I went to business school with CeCe. How did you two meet? Boarding school?”

  He chuckles. “Definitely not a boarding school. I actually met her through Greer’s cousin in New York earlier this spring.”

  I want to ask more questions, but I’m surprised when CeCe takes the stage, tapping the microphone. The room quiets and is ready to celebrate Jennifer’s victory.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, my name’s Caroline Arnault, and I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know Jennifer over the last few months. Her grit and determination have been stalwart as she’s dealt with criticism on both sides of the aisle. She will represent us well in Congress.” The crowd is so loud that CeCe begins to yell into the microphone to be heard. “It is time for a new generation of leadership in Congress! Put your hands together for a shining star, a woman who understands the diversity that makes our city great, our congresswoman, Jennifer Chang!”

  The crowd goes crazy.

  Jennifer gives a wonderful speech, and I’m glad I voted for her.

  The team from SHN has migrated together and share a table. Dillon studies us sitting around the table and tells Todd, “Three years ago, it was only Cameron, Mason, Sara, and me. I can’t believe how lucky we are to have such a rock star team and all the success.”

  Todd holds up a half glass of beer. “To the continued success of SHN.”

  Everyone agrees, and it makes me happy to be a part of this team. Dillon’s right, we have some rock stars in the venture capital world. We have solid investments, and we also work hard with those investments to help them become as successful as they can be with support from our team.

  Todd fits in well with our group. He takes the ribbing from Cameron and Dillon easily and dishes right back. He’s quick to smile and he’s really funny.

  “How are you enjoying San Francisco?” Greer asks.

  “The weather is a huge improvement. It became so cold in New York last night that it forced the flashers to describe themselves to people,” Todd snickers.

  “That’s awful,” I tell him, chuckling.

  Shrugging, he says, “I try.”

  I hear Annabel telling some strange woman about one of our clients, something that isn’t true, and I don’t hear what Todd is saying. “Courtney? Are you listening to me?”

  “What? Oh? You can’t remember my name?” I flirt.

  “I remember your name is Cynthia, but you chose to call yourself Courtney this evening, remember?” He grins.

  “I guess that’s better than calling myself Hole,” I reply simply.

  “Sure. Most people would then assume your first name is Ass.”

  I’m laughing so hard my sides begin to hurt. “Better than Deep.”

  “Oh! That’s just tasteless. Funny but awful.”

  Lying in bed later that night, I think of the fun I had with Todd. I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time. I know most people have heard of Courtney Love, but they see her as Kurt Cobain’s widow and not a singer herself. He understood my warped sense of humor and seems to like music as much as I do. And his smile. He smelled so good, too.

  Just wow.

  All the good ones are taken.

  Chapter TWO

  Todd

  I really had a nice time last night at the victory party for Jennifer Chang. I’m new to San Francisco and was invited by Caroline Arnault, or CeCe as her friends call her.

  I met CeCe earlier this spring when she brought her company to Fashion Week. We were introduced by my boss, Angus Morgan, whose wife, Vanessa, was working with CeCe at Fashion Week.

  I knew who she was the minute we met. She isn’t just rich, she’s eight generations of wealthy, but I was most impressed by how she uses that wealth. She isn’t sitting back and putting her money up her nose or lounging at the beach—she runs a successful independent cosmetic company. Not only is she beautiful, with long chestnut brown hair and big brown eyes, but she has an air of confidence I find to be a turn-on. Plus she’s the first woman I met in a long time that didn’t hear the words “investment banker” and hang all over me. I was gonzo the first night we met.

  My cell phone rings, bringing me out of my daydream. The phone number is blocked, but I have several clients who are very private, so I answer regardless.

  “Todd Wellington.”

  “Todd? It’s CeCe.”

  I relax into the call. Since I moved to San Francisco, CeCe and I talk every few days. “Hey, what’s up?”

  “Did you enjoy yourself last night at Jennifer Chang’s event?”

  “I did. You have a great group of friends. I’m playing golf with your brother and a few others this weekend.”

  “That should be fun. If they invite Emerson, she’s good enough for the pro tour, so don’t let her take any of your money. She’s really hard to beat.”

  I laugh. “Good to know.”

  “When do you close on your new place?”

  After getting tired of living in a hotel, I met with a real estate agent and made an offer on a beautiful apartment. I’ve lived my entire life in New York City, so San Francisco is brand-new to me. “Next week. I’ll invite a bunch of people over for a party once I move in. Of course, I don’t have much.”

  “I have a designer you should call. Trey used her for his place in the city. Where did you buy?”

  “It’s in Telegraph Hill at the base of Coit Tower. I don’t understand the significance of the neighborhoods here, other than it’s an eight-story building and I have the eighth floor with an awesome view. The agent tells me, if I need to sell, it’s a desirable neighborhood.”

  “Oh, that’s a great area, and the views are spectacular.”

  “That’s what she told me.”

  Almost as an afterthought, she asks, “How did it go with Cynthia last night?”

  “Did she ask about me?”

  “No, I’m just asking. You both seem to have a lot in common.”

  “What are you up to, CeCe?”

  “Just looking out for my friends. Something I do.”

  “She’s definitely cute.” It is a little odd telling her this. When the opportunity to move to San Francisco to open this new office for my firm came up, I jumped at it. CeCe’s beautiful by anyone’s standards, but she’s kept me at arm’s length. I wanted to date her. I tried to talk her into letting me stay with her when I arrived, but she politely told me she’d made reservations for me at the Fairmont Hotel. She’s made it clear that she doesn’t want to be anything other than friends, and she’s been great at introducing me to new people. She was at least gracious enough to not destroy my ego in the process.

  “Well, I may just have to work on that for you.”

  I don’t usually like to be fixed up, but CeCe is really trying to introduce me to a group of people around town both personally and professionally. “Are we still on for lunch today?”

  “Red Herring still work at noon?”

  “See you then.”

  CeCe and I will only ever be friends, and I understand why she’s right. I liked her, but there wasn’t a spark. I realized I liked her because she did
n’t jump all over me when I told her what I did. That isn’t enough. I never thought men and women could be friends, but I see how it works for us now, and it’s a nice place to be.

  Ever since I rose in the ranks of my company, women have chased me. Not only is working for Morgan Wealth Management a magnet, but I’m considered a good catch—tall, blond, I work out and have a firm stomach, and I’m a self-made billionaire. If I walked into a club in New York, a woman would approach me and it’d play out like this:

  “Hello, handsome. What’s your name?”

  “Todd. What about yours?”

  They would tell me their first name, then “What do you do?”

  “I’m an investment banker.”

  And that was it. I could get laid three times a night if I wanted it and, in the beginning, I did. But mindless fucks got old fast. I wanted a real relationship, not someone who did a credit check before they could fall in love.

  The great thing about setting up our offices and meeting with clients since moving to town has been the introductions made by CeCe. Opening a new office in a new city brings a lot of long days, but it’s been great getting to know a new city. I’ve traveled here for years as we helped public and some private technology companies looking for infusions of cash for various reasons. I only get paid if I make my company money, so it can be a little feast or famine, but it’s been a long time since I saw much famine.

  I sit out in my garden and enjoy the view, watching the cars zigzagging down the other end of Lombard Street, and I’m reminded of CeCe’s comment about Cynthia.

  CeCe didn’t bring it up again during lunch, but Cynthia and I did have a lot in common. She was intriguing, with a smooth southern drawl that was more pronounced when she had a second drink. She made me laugh with her Courtney Love name tag. I have a passion for music, so I enjoyed her humor. Cynthia’s easily a foot shorter than me, but that’s par for the course. I could tell she’s a real spitfire, as she had strong comebacks each time I pushed, and I watched how she managed the team she works with—never quietly taking it but pushing back when needed. She was dressed in what I’m learning is California casual, which is essentially jeans and a formfitting sweater that hugged some stunning features.