Page 73 of Triggered By Love
Jason thanked Larry and took his phone out to tap in the names. While doing it, he took a silent picture of Larry Leach’s cross-trainer shoes with his phone.
He let himself out, satisfied that he had rattled information so easily out of Larry. There was no crime in giving Avery a box of chocolates, but there was definitely a connection to the hypercompetitive fashion design world. Why would Richie attend a design seminar? As for Ivanna, her attendance showed she was interested in becoming a designer in her own right. No crime in that, but was there a conflict of interest? She worked for Avery and had access to her design notebook. Could she be copying the sketches for her own use or to hand to a competitor?
Who should he speak to next? Ivanna or Richie?
Both needed to be investigated. Since Ivanna hadn’t answered the door at her place, Jason decided to try Richie. He called the congressman’s office and dropped Avery’s name, along with her interest in a pair of tickets Richie had promised her.
The congressional aide flirted with Jason and confirmed Richie’s location at a beach house in Southampton where a fundraiser for his father was being held.
Chapter Twenty-Six
A smile tickledAvery’s face as soon as she stepped through the glass doors of the lobby of Slipstream Entertainment, Damon’s company. The large screen over the receptionist’s desk showed scenes from multiplayer video games. She’d designed most of the video game’s costumes, and she was especially proud of the life-sized models wearing space opera costumes for Damon’s latest venture,Planet Wargames. Movie posters showed the various video games released since the first one,Planet of Thieves.
The receptionist, a brunette named Stacy Sparks, looked up from her computer screen. Avery caught a glimpse of a social media page before she x’d out the window.
“Avery, you got anything for me?” The loudmouthed woman always wanted a favor from her.
“I had a box of chocolates, but I beaned a cop with it,” Avery said, signing in, even though Damon didn’t require her to.
“It’s not chocolate I want,” Stacy said. “Think you can get me an autograph from Matt Swanson?”
Typical Stacy. Only thinking of herself.
“My sister almost lost her life, and all you can think of is getting Swanson’s autograph?” Damon’s booming voice came from the direction of the elevator.
Apparently, Damon was on the same wavelength. It was a twin thing.
“Oh, my!” Stacy clapped a hand over her mouth. “Wasn’t Matt such a hero? He saved your life. And now, someone’s threatening him. Do you have any idea how hard it is for Matt to be dating you?”
Avery ignored Stacy when she saw Damon’s first two employees, Cory Adams and Eliza Lewis, exit the elevator. While Cory was your typical engineer, Eliza was a sharp-eyed and sharp-nosed financial genius. She was the one who finagled the deals with the investment bankers on the preliminary rounds of funding.
“Avery, I’m so glad you’re okay,” Eliza said, reaching for a hug. As a female, she was free to dole out hugs whereas poor Cory, who had a crush on Avery, had to hold back.
Cory was harmless, though. He was a typical engineer who spent more time in front of the computer screen than on personal hygiene and grooming. He was friendly and personable, and Damon was always on Avery’s case to spruce him up a bit and make him more presentable.
After Eliza released her, Avery held her hand out to Cory.
“Slipstream!” Cory hailed her with his trademark greeting. “Boy, am I glad to see you safe. Are you okay? That’s a large bruise on your head.”
“I’m okay. It looks worse than it feels.” She shook his pudgy paw. “Heard you and Damon had an all-night coding session. How’s the latest game coming along?”
“We had to undo most of it,” Cory said. “But we got plenty of pizza for tonight.”
“Avery isn’t here for the pizza,” Damon interrupted. “I got her a chicken salad. Do we have the Club Cockburn demo ready?”
“You bet!” Cory lifted his hand for a high five. He used to hang out at skate parks, and he was always high-fiving or low-fiving people.
Avery slapped his hand. “I can’t wait to see the demo.”
Damon’s latest business venture was a virtual dating app called Club Cockburn, offering love and romance in a gaming world. It was a great idea for people who didn’t actually want to physically meet their romantic partners, at least not at first. Obviously, it would appeal to a different audience from the quickie hookup crowd.
“Are you okay with the duplicated name?” Eliza asked. “I know you two are in completely different businesses, but there could be confusion on Wall Street.”
“It’s fine. I don’t own the Cockburn name,” Avery said. The new dating service would be technically Club Cockburn Dating App whereas her fashion label was Club Cockburn Designs.
“Since you were first to trademark Club Cockburn Designs, Eliza wants you to sign an agreement.” Damon led the way to the elevator. “Why don’t we talk about it after the demo?”
“Will you be the first guinea pig?” Avery glanced at her twin’s womanizer features which he rarely used, being oblivious and more interested in computer code than mating and dating rituals.
