The Property Brokers: A Billionaire Romance Page 7

  “Bella.” He walked towards me and placed his hands on each side of my face. “I am so sorry.” I could see the tears form in his eyes as I stared into them. “The last thing I wanted was to hurt you. But you need to understand we were sixteen years old, and it was never going to work. We were young and naïve. I just thought it was better to stop it after you left than to further get involved and make it harder on both of us down the road. I’m sorry I hurt you. I truly am. That was so long ago and we’ve both changed. We’ve grownup, Bella. I’m sorry. And for the record, I didn’t use you. Trust me when I say that.”

  I swallowed the lump that formed in my throat as our eyes stayed locked on each other’s. When he softly ran his thumb across my lips, my body trembled, and I quickly turned away from him.

  “Okay. I think we’ve cleared the air. You should go now.”

  “What if I don’t want to.” I felt his hands grip my shoulders from behind and my legs tightened.

  He leaned in and I felt the warmth of his scotch ridden breath against the flesh of my neck. I knew better and I should have loosened myself from his grip, but I was paralyzed. His lips grazed my jawline, and while I shuddered at his touch, I lost all my senses. Just like I did fourteen years ago. I turned around and our lips met with force. My head screamed at me to run, but my body begged me to keep going. I hadn’t had sex since Ian, and I was desperate. We broke our kiss long enough just to undress as I pulled off my shirt and pulled down my pants and he took off his shirt.

  “My God, you are so beautiful,” he said as he took down his pants.

  Wrapping his arms around me, he lifted me up, and I locked my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck. Our lips tangled as he carried me to the couch, sat down, and kept me securely on top of him. The feel of his hard cock pressed against me made me quiver. As our lips were locked tight and our tongues explored each other’s, his hand reached behind and unclasped my bra.

  Grant

  I’d always fantasized what she would be like when she was older. She was pure perfection and I wanted to explore every inch of her body with my tongue. I broke our kiss and stared into her beautiful eyes before groping her perky breasts and wrapping my lips around her hardened nipple. The light moan that escaped her turned me on even more. Her C cup breasts were perfect, natural and a delicacy to be savored. As much as I wanted her to bounce up and down on my cock on the couch, I needed to explore more of her first.

  “Let’s take this to the bedroom,” my voice whispered as I ran my finger across her lips.

  Her legs tightened around me, and I stood as my hands held her up by her tight ass. When we made it to the bedroom, I laid her down on the bed, hovered over her and took her breasts in my mouth before my tongue traveled down her torso. Her goddess body was everything I dreamt it would be. Hooking my fingers around the waistband of her black lace string panties, I slid them down and let my mouth explore her southern region. She tasted sweet and intoxicating. The wetness poured from her like a water fountain, and I couldn’t get enough. Her moans heightened as her fingers tangled through my hair. I couldn’t believe I was tasting her again and feeling the softness of her skin against mine. Her legs tightened around me, and she came while letting out a pleasurable moan. The anticipation was killing me. I needed to be buried deep inside her and to feel her once again.

  I hovered over her and held her face in my hands.

  “I have to get a condom from my wallet. I’ll be right back.”

  As soon as I rolled the condom over my hard cock, my lips met hers as I slowly thrust inside her, inch by inch. A feeling of warmth enveloped my cock as I buried myself deep inside while soft moans escaped both our lips. As I hovered over her, I stared into her eyes and the memories of our first time filled my mind. The one night I’d never forgotten and thought about more than I should have over the years. I picked up the pace as her body gave way to an orgasm and her nails dug into the flesh of my back. Pushing deep inside her, my cock spasmed and exploded, like fireworks on the fourth of July. My heart raced at the speed of light as I lowered my body on top of hers and tried to catch my breath.

  Chapter 16

  Bella

  He rolled off me and laid on his side. Placing my legs over the side of the bed, I sat there for a moment until they stopped trembling. Grant sat up and placed small kisses on my bare shoulder.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  “I’m fine.” I turned my head and gave him a small smile.

  “Bella—I.”

  “It was only sex, Grant. Let’s not make a big deal about it,” I said as I stood up and slipped on my robe.

  “I know and I’m not making a big deal about it. But it was amazing.”

  “Yeah. It was.” A light smile crossed my lips as I walked out of the bedroom.

  I went into the kitchen, took down a glass from the cabinet and filled it with water from the fridge. A few moments later, Grant emerged fully dressed and walked over to where I stood.

  “I should go. It’s really late.” He gripped my hips.

  “Yeah. We both have to be up early.” I looked up at him.

  “Are we good?” His lips softly brushed against mine.

  “We’re good.”

  I walked him to the door and after I shut it, I slid down until my ass hit the floor and brought my knees up to my chest. Duchess walked over and rubbed her head against me. How could I have let sex with Grant happen? My body quivered at just the thought of it. So what if he was a god in bed. So what if he made me have multiple orgasms like I’d never had before. So what if his abs were a muscular six-pack. So what if his strong arms made me feel protected. And so what if he smelled like a goddamn walk in the woods. I was horny and he was there. Period.

  I picked up Duchess and took her the bedroom with me. Setting her on the bed, I climbed in and pulled the sheet over me. She walked around my head a couple of times and then went and laid down by my feet. The scent of him lingered on my sheets and no matter which way I tossed and turned it was there.

  “Ugh!” I said as I threw the sheet off me and ripped the bedding from the bed.

  I took them to the laundry room and threw them in the washer. Grabbing a new set from the closet, I made the bed and climbed back in.

  I could barely open my eyes when the alarm went off. I’d thought about skipping my run today, but I needed the fresh air to clear my head. As I headed out the door, I sent Ami a text message.

  “Are you up?”

  “Just climbed out of bed. Not going for a run this morning because I got a whole lot of exercise last night.” She sent the winky face emoji.

  “I slept with Grant.”

  Within a second my phone rang.

  “Please don’t shrink me,” I said as I answered.

  “Girl. What the hell were you thinking?”

  “I wasn’t. That’s the problem.”

  “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah. I guess. Aside from my stupid body that is still trembling, I’m fine.”

  “We’ll talk about this later. Lamar just started the shower and it’s going to take me a little longer this morning to get ready for work.”

  “You never let guys stay the night,” I said.

  “I know. But I let him. I’ll fill you in later. Love you.”

  “Love you too.”

  Just as I ended the call, I heard someone from behind call my name. When I turned around, I saw Grant running up to me.

  “I thought that was you. Good morning.” The corners of his mouth curved upward.

  “Morning.”

  “I didn’t know you ran.”

  “Every morning,” I said.

  “Me too. I wonder how Amy and Lamar did last night?”

  “I’d say they did very well since he stayed the night at her place.”

  He let out a laugh. “Damn. I don’t blame him though. Ami is a very attractive woman.”

  “So, you want to sleep with her?” I glanced over at him.

  “No. Of course
not. Why would you even say that?”

  “You said she was very attractive.”

  “So what. I think a lot of women are very attractive. It doesn’t mean I want to sleep with them. Do you?”

  “With women?” I arched my brow.

  “No. With attractive men?”

  “Wouldn’t you love to know.” I smirked as I picked up the pace and ran ahead of him. “I’ll see you at the office.”

  After I got back home, showered, and dressed for work, I made a green protein smoothie. When I heard the knock on the door, I looked at the clock on the stove. It was seven twenty-five. Opening it, I inhaled a sharp breath.

  “Miss Marcus?” A sexy six foot three-inch-tall man in his thirties smiled with teeth so white they practically blinded me.

  “You must be Samuel.” I grinned. “It’s nice to meet you.” I extended my hand. “Come on in. I’ll be ready to go in a second. Can I make you a protein smoothie?”

  “No. Thanks. I’m good.”

  “By the way, you can call me Bella. I don’t believe in formalities.”

  I walked to the kitchen and started cleaning up the mess I’d made. Duchess emerged from the bedroom to greet our new guest.

  “Well, hello there,” he said as he picked her up. “You’re quite a beauty or handsome.”

  I let out a laugh. “Her name is Duchess.”

  “Duchess. A beautiful name for a queen.”

  Damn, Grant. Thank you.

  “I’m sure she just coated you with her fur,” I spoke as I wiped down my marble counter.

  “That’s okay. A little cat fur never hurt anyone.”

  Note to self. Thank Grant for hiring such a swoon-worthy guy.

  He was tall with sandy blonde hair. His sides were cut short, and his top was longer that swept over to the side with a light wave to it. His eyes were piercing blue, and he had the cutest little dimple on the right side of his cheek when he smiled.

  “So, do you like Samuel, Sam, Sammy?”

  “Samuel.” The corners of his mouth curved upward.

  Reaching in the drawer, I pulled out a lint roller and handed it to him.

  “Would you like to de-fur before we leave?”

  “Thanks.”

  After grabbing my purse, I said goodbye to Duchess, and we headed down to the lobby.

  “The SUV is right down here.” He pointed to the black Navigator.

  “Is this your SUV?” I asked as he opened the door and I climbed inside.

  “No. It’s the company’s vehicle.”

  As I sat there in the back seat, I took in the new car smell.

  “Is this new?”

  “I guess so. Mr. Roman’s assistant said he’d just picked it up when I met him last night to get the keys.”

  “So, Samuel, why a personal driver?” I asked.

  He chuckled as he looked at me through the rearview mirror.

  “The pay is good, I have a good sense of direction, I like to interact with people, I’m not confined in an office all day, and I love to drive.”

  “Well said.” I smiled.

  “I’m also a model on a part-time basis. Mainly on the weekends.”

  Shit. That didn’t surprise me one bit.

  “Really? What do you model?”

  “Mostly men’s underwear. But sometimes I model designer suits.”

  I swallowed hard at the image in my head.

  “Nice. This isn’t your first time driving someone around, is it?”

  “No. I drove for an older couple on the Upper West Side for five years.”

  “Why aren’t you driving for them anymore?”

  “Mr. Conners decided to move his home base for his business to Florida. There’s more to that story which I’ll save for another time.” He smirked.

  “I love juicy gossip. Why don’t you park the car and come up to the office with me? I need to leave soon anyway to meet Pete. You’ve met Grant already, so you can meet the rest of the staff.”

  “I haven’t met Grant.”

  “You haven’t? I don’t understand.”

  “We did a phone interview and after he ran a background check on me, he called back and offered me the job.”

  “Okay. Well then, you can meet him.”

  Samuel parked the car down the street, and we walked into the building and took the elevator up to my office. When Samuel and I stepped inside, Grant looked up from his computer.

  “Hey, good morning,” he spoke.

  “Morning. Grant, this is Samuel. Samuel, Grant.” I gestured.

  “It’s great to meet you,” Grant extended his hand as a weird look splayed across his face.

  “You too, Mr. Roman. Thanks again for hiring me.”

  “No problem. Your credentials were stellar,” he said as he continued to stare at him.

  “Samuel, the coffee room is around the corner. Why don’t you get yourself a cup?”

  “I think I will. Can I get either of you a cup?”

  “No. I’m good,” I said.

  “Me too,” Grant replied.

  “Thanks for hiring him. He seems really awesome.”

  “No problem. You’re welcome. I didn’t realize he was—”

  “Sexy?” I smirked. “He’s also a part-time underwear model.” I chewed my bottom lip.

  “Seriously?” Grant’s eyes furrowed.

  “I can’t believe you would hire him without meeting him first.”

  “You needed a driver ASAP, and he came highly recommended by his previous employer who heard I was looking for a driver.”

  “Good job.” I grinned as I patted his chest. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go meet with Pete.”

  Chapter 17

  Myles

  Picking up my phone, I sent Grant a text message.

  “Are you in the building?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Come on up. I need to talk to you.”

  A few minutes later, Grant walked into the office.

  “What’s up, Dad?” he asked as he took the seat across from my desk.

  “How is Bella doing? Anymore sales?”

  “She’s only been here a few days. Right now she’s meeting Pete.”

  “For what? I thought she already sold his penthouse.”

  “Apparently, he has three apartments his company is trying to sell. They had used them as rentals for when their international personnel came here. Why?”

  “I want you to start working in the development division here.”

  “What?” His brows furrowed.

  “I want to focus more on developing properties here in New York and Chicago.”

  “We have properties around the country already.”

  “Only a few. I want to expand to hotels and for me to focus on that, I need you working on the development for New York City.”

  “Hotels? Really? We’ve talked about that before, and you didn’t seem interested.”

  “I want to expand, Grant. I think it’s time.” I leaned back in my chair. “If Bella can pull off the dollars in sales I think she can, then I’d want her to take the team over and be our lead broker. You’ll develop the properties and she’ll sell them. I want to start with the building on West 21st Street. There’s a total of 104 apartments, and I want you to split it in half with her.”

  “You want her to sell fifty-two apartments herself?”

  “Yep. You don’t think she can do it?”

  “I don’t know, Dad. She just started here, and you already want to overwhelm her. Have you forgotten she just came from L.A. where she sold houses, not buildings?”

  “It’s all the same real estate, son. I want those apartments sold quickly so you need to get working on it right away.”

  “What timeframe are we talking, Dad?”

  “Six months.”

  “Impossible.” He shook his head.

  “Nothing’s impossible, Grant. I need that money for a new project. Take her to the building, show her around and split up the apartments. And just s
o you know, I’ll be unavailable tonight. I’m taking Cassandra to dinner.”

  “So, you finally called her, eh? Good for you, Dad. Enjoy your evening,” he said as he stood up from his seat.

  “I will. Let me know what Bella says.”

  “I will.”

  Grant

  I was out of the building most of the morning at a couple showings I had lined up, and when I got back to the office, Bella was sitting at her desk on the computer.

  “How did it go with Pete?” I asked as I set my briefcase down.

  “It went good. He hired me to sell all three of his apartments on Mercier Street.”

  “How much are they listed for?”

  “$7.550 each.”

  “Good job.” The corners of my mouth curved upward. If you get asking price, that will be one hell of a commission check.”

  “I’ll get asking price.” She smirked.

  “Can you have dinner—”

  Before I could finish my sentence, Tom escorted the first interviewee into the office. After completing the first interview, the second one stepped inside. I could tell Bella wasn’t thrilled with either of them. She was going to be very hard to please and I wouldn’t put it past her if she was doing it on purpose.

  Bella

  If I was going to spend a lot of time with a person, I needed to feel a connection. As nice as the two girls were Grant and I interviewed, I just wasn’t feeling either of them. Then Tom sent in Cody Baxter.

  “Hi, Cody, I’m Bella Marcus.” I extended my hand.

  “Oh my gosh, you are simply gorgeous.” He grinned as he placed his hand in mine.

  “Why thank you, Mr. Baxter.” I smiled. “This is Grant Roman. He’ll be sitting in on the interview as well.”

  “Nice to meet you, Mr. Roman.”

  “You as well. Please have a seat.” Grant gestured.

  “So, Cody, tell me why you think you would be the best fit to be my assistant?”