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He slides his suit jacket off, and I long for him to open each of the buttons on his white dress shirt.
He does. He unbuttons them one-by-one and as he reaches the last, he stops and rests both hands on the glass.
I hold my breath wanting more, but then he turns abruptly, walks away from the window and leaves me wondering when I’ll see him again.
Chapter 2
Rocco
“The ask is substantial, Silas.” I glance at the man sitting next to me. “What makes you think I’m interested in something like this?”
He moves to get a look at what’s displayed on my laptop screen. “We both made a fortune on Jewel Jinx. History is about to repeat itself.”
Jewel Jinx was a once-in-a-lifetime investment. I put a mid-six figures check in his hand and a year later, I was depositing one in my account for ten times that. My equity in the company has paid off in spades. I’m still receiving bi-monthly payments because the gaming app has a strong base of diehard fans that haven’t deleted it to leap on the next craze.
“This is nothing like Jewel Jinx.” I lift a hand and point at the laptop screen and the graphic that was included in the presentation package he sent to me via email late last night.
“That’s the beauty of it, Rocco.” He blows a strand of blond hair out of his eyes. “We’re jumping into a solid space with a new twist on what people are craving. I’m telling you this is going to be bigger than Jewel Jinx.”
I trust his intuition, but I trust my consultant, Lilly Parker’s, insight more.
She’s a tech wizard and when I ran the idea for Jewel Jinx past her two years ago, she was so excited about the app that she bought in too. Her percentage was a lot less than mine, but she’s made more than pocket change on the deal.
“How married are you to the name of this thing?” I rake a hand through my dark brown hair.
“Word Wize?” he hisses the z out for emphasis. “There are millions of game apps. We need to stand out. The name does that.”
It rubs me the wrong way. I’ve invested in dozens of ventures since I retired from professional gambling. I’ve always listened to the pitch, considered the pros and cons and relied on my gut instinct to guide me.
If I don’t feel a connection to the product, business or person pitching their idea to me, I’ll bow out.
I’m not prepared to do that yet. Silas didn’t steer me wrong with Jewel Jinx, so I’m still on board, at least until I talk to Lily.
“I’ll sit on it for a day or two.” I look around the large conference room we’re in. “Does your boss know that you meet potential investment partners for your side business during your coffee breaks?”
That earns me an unexpected laugh from the twenty-five-year-old. “My dad doesn’t give a shit what I do as long as I show up here every day in a suit. One of the perks of working for him is I get to set my schedule. I spend ninety-nine percent of my time developing apps, and the other one percent listening to him bitch about everyone else who works for him.”
A decade ago when I was his age, I was breaking my back at a fish market on the Lower East Side during the day and my nights were spent tending bar at a club uptown.
“So I’ll see you by the end of the week with the fifty thousand in hand?” Silas pushes back from the table with a sly grin. “The second you fund this, I can take it to the races, Mr. Jones.”
I smile at his mention of my surname. The only time he resorts to using it is when he wants more of my money. “You made as much on Jewel Jinx as I did. Why not keep this one to yourself? You can bankroll this on your own.”
He tosses his head back and laughs. “Dude, I bought a penthouse and a boat.”
It’s a rookie mistake and one, I, fortunately, avoided.
“Live and learn, Silas.” Standing, I snap my laptop shut and pick it up. “I’ve lived in the same apartment for twelve years.”
“I’ve been to your place. You live in a shoebox close to midtown.”
“I live in a two bedroom apartment that has more than enough room for me.”
“I’ll give you that.” He sets his hand on my shoulder. “You must have thought about moving out of there at some point. Your neighborhood is teeming with tourists.”
“I’m not complaining.” I face him. “Every corner of this city has its distinct charm, including where I live.”
“To each his own.” He starts toward the conference room door. “I get the allure of Tribeca. That’s why I bought a place there. Nothing could convince me to move to your neck of the woods. I’ll never understand what keeps you there, Rocco.”
