The Property Brokers: A Billionaire Romance Read online

  Myles

  “What a wonderful dinner.” Cassandra smiled as she hooked her arm in mine and we walked out of the restaurant. “Thank you, Myles.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  “Do you think my faucets are fixed?” she asked.

  “They better be. I guess we’ll find out shortly.”

  Mitch stood holding the car door open and we climbed in the back seat.

  “We’re taking Ms. Peters home, Mitch.”

  Cassandra reached over and placed her hand on my thigh. I glanced over at her and placed my hand on top of hers while I stared into her beautiful eyes.

  “I’m hoping you’ll stay for a nightcap when we get back to my apartment.”

  “I’d love to.” The corners of my mouth curved upward.

  We took the elevator up to her place and the second she unlocked and opened the door, I went to the kitchen and checked the faucet. Turning the water on and off, I watched for any signs of a drip.

  “It appears to be fixed,” Cassandra said as she stood next to me and placed her hand on my back.

  “So it does. I’ll go check the bathtub.”

  “And I’ll pour us a drink.” She grinned.

  After checking the faucet in the bathroom, I saw Cassandra sitting on the couch with a drink in her hand. Taking the seat next to her, she handed me my drink from the table.

  “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.” She smiled. “Tell me again why you’re still single?”

  “I don’t believe I told you a first time.” I smirked.

  “True. You didn’t. So how about you tell me now.”

  I stared at her for a moment and debated what to say, because she wouldn’t want to hear the truth.

  “I had my chance at marriage, and it didn’t work out.”

  “Nobody said you had to get married again.” A smirk crossed her lips. “You can be in a relationship without that piece of paper.”

  I reached over and took a few strands of her curly blonde hair between my fingers.

  “I’m not a relationship type of guy anymore, and I’m happy with my life the way it is. I run a real estate empire and I have a son. That’s all I need in my life. What about you? Have you been in any relationships since your husband passed?”

  “I’ve been on a few dates here and there. Nothing serious. I’m not opposed to getting into another relationship if the right man crosses my path. Life throws us curve balls, and my husband’s death was certainly that. But it doesn’t mean I’m going to cut myself off from enjoying someone else in my life. He would want me to move on and be happy.”

  “Well, I think our situations are a little different,” I said as I leaned in closer to her lips.

  If she was suggesting she wanted a relationship with me, she was going to get hurt. But I didn’t want to worry about that tonight. The only thing I wanted was to get her into bed and enjoy her body.

  “Maybe not.” She stared into my eyes as our lips were mere inches from each other’s.

  Our mouths met for a soft and tender kiss, and my cock grew harder the second her lips parted, and our tongues tangled. Rose, vanilla, and a hint of jasmine made up her scent. An intoxicating scent which had me turned on since the moment I picked her up for dinner.

  “Let’s take this to the bedroom.” She broke our heated kiss, stood up from the couch and took hold of my hand.

  The corners of my mouth curved upward as she led me to her room.

  Chapter 20

  Bella

  I stepped into my apartment and placed my fingers over my lips. I could still feel the warmth of him. Pulling my phone from my purse, I dialed Ami. She had called while Grant and I were at dinner and I declined it, but I quickly sent her a text message and told her I’d call her later.

  “Girl. I’ve been dying all night to talk to you. What is going on? Why were you at dinner with Grant again?”

  “It was a business dinner. He took me to go look at a building and then to dinner to discuss the fifty-two apartments I need to sell within six months.”

  “What? That’s crazy. He’s not at your place now, is he?”

  “No. But not as if he didn’t try. I stopped him on the street in front of the building.”

  “May I ask why you let last night happen?”

  “You’re the shrink. You tell me,” I said as I fell onto the couch and Duchess jumped on my lap. “He came up to my apartment after we left the bar because he was pissed about the way I was treating him. He started yelling and wanted us to talk and get everything out so we could move on.”

  “Did you tell him how he made you feel when he never called?”

  “Yes, and I told him how bad he hurt me and how I was in love with him.”

  “What did he say to that?”

  “He was sorry and that we were only sixteen and it was never going to work. He said we young and naïve and he thought it was better to stop it after I left than to make it harder on us down the road.”

  “Okay. This is what I think. You slept with him because you’re either still in love with him or you did it so you can turn around and do what he did to you. And if I know you, it’s the latter.” She laughed.

  I stayed silent for a moment because she was basically right.

  “Listen, Bella. You got the answers to the questions you’ve been mulling over for the past fourteen years. You have your closure. Now what you choose to do with that is up to you. I know trust is a huge issue for you, but I don’t doubt for a second there’s a tiny piece inside you that still has feelings for him.”

  “There’s not.”

  “If you say so. You’re in New York now. You just got out of a relationship, you’re starting a new life and you have a fantastic job. Focus on those things. You need to let that shit go with Grant. You got your closure, Bella. Don’t get caught up in the revenge game. That’s not who you are. And another thing, you can’t move forward with your life until you settle things with Ian.”

  “I know,” I quietly spoke.

  “You’re going to be okay, my friend. Even if I have to tie you to a chair and shrink you to death.”

  I smiled as I let out a light laugh.

  “Thanks, Ami. I think I’m going to head to bed now.”

  “Okay. Good night. I love you.”

  “I love you back. Talk to you tomorrow.”

  Grant

  I headed out the door and over to Central Park to meet Lamar.

  “Hey man,” Lamar said as I approached him, and he held out his fist.

  “Hey.” I bumped my fist to his and we started running. “How did things go with Ami?”

  The moment I spoke her name, he glanced at me with a wide grin across his face.

  “Damn, Grant. She is one fine woman. Not only is she gorgeous, but she’s also smart. Like, really smart. And we have a lot of things in common.”

  “Like?” I looked over at him.

  “She loves to hike. Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve met a woman who loves to hike? We have the same taste in music.”

  “Oh yeah? She likes Bob Dylan?”

  “Loves him, bro. That night after we left the bar, we went back to her place. She put on some Bob Dylan, and we talked. Then the talking led to some other things.” He smirked.

  “Sounds to me like you really like her.”

  “I do. She’s coming over tonight and I’m cooking her dinner. I can’t explain it, man, but I’ve never felt so connected to someone in my life.”

  “You don’t have to explain it. I’ve been there.” I glanced over at him.

  “Speaking of…how are things between you and Bella?”

  “We slept together.”

  After I noticed Lamar had stopped running, I halted.

  “Say what?” he asked.

  I turned around to face him as I tried to catch my breath.

  “I was tired of her attitude towards me, and I demanded we talk about it. We went back to her place and hashed it out. Then we slept togeth
er.”

  “Are you two cool now?” Lamar asked.

  “I don’t think so. Honestly, I don’t think she’ll ever fully forgive me.”

  “She will.” He walked over and patted my back. “Just give it some time.”

  “She told me last night that sleeping with me was a mistake. No woman has ever told me that.”

  Lamar chuckled as we started running again.

  “Time is on your side, my friend. You have fourteen years’ worth of catching up to do. She’s not going anywhere. Just be patient with her and let her work out her hatred for you.” He chuckled.

  I was walking down the hallway to my office when Bella walked out of the bathroom, and we collided.

  “Oh my God,” she said.

  “Good morning.” The corners of my mouth curved upward as she gripped my arm.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t see you.”

  “It’s okay. You have nothing to apologize for,” I spoke as we headed to our office. “We need to discuss the plans for an open house at the West 21 building.

  I set my briefcase down and leaned against my desk with my hands tucked into my pants pockets.

  “What are you thinking?” she asked.

  “First we need to stage one of the apartments and one of the penthouses.”

  “Did I hear the word ‘staging’?” Cody asked as he walked in. “Hello, darling.” He kissed Bella’s cheek. “Good morning, Grant.”

  “Good morning, Cody.”

  “I love to put rooms together and decorate. If you need something staged, I’m your man to do it.”

  “Really?” Bella cocked her head at him.

  “Yes. Really. I worked at a furniture store for a year and did all the displays. It’s one of my many talents.”

  “Well, we have a company we use,” I said.

  “And I’m sure that company is very expensive. Maybe we should give Cody a try and pay him a separate staging fee,” Bella said.

  I stared at her from across the room. Damn, she was sexy, and I found myself not being able to say no to her.

  “Okay. Cody, the job is yours. I’ll have Tom give you the layout of the penthouse and the apartments to be staged and you go do your thing.”

  “Yay! Thank you, Grant. I appreciate your confidence in me, and you won’t regret it.”

  “You’re welcome. Go tell Tom to give you the layout of penthouse A and apartment 40B for the 21 West building.”

  As soon as Cody walked out, Bella walked over and stood in front of me.

  “That was nice of you to give Cody a chance.”

  “Well, I’m a firm believer that everyone deserves a chance,” I spoke with seriousness as I stared into her eyes.

  “Me too. But if they intentionally screw things up the first time, then their chance is revoked.” She turned and walked back to her desk.

  I knew that was a dig at me. I let out a sigh as I took a seat behind my desk.

  “I thought we worked things out the other night.”

  “Huh?” She turned around and faced me.

  “I thought we worked things out the other night.”

  “We did. What are you talking about?”

  “Your response was a dig at me.”

  “No, it wasn’t. Is this how things are going to be now?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Every time I say something you’re going to take it personally.”

  “Really, Bella?” I narrowed my eyes at her.

  Chapter 21

  Bella

  As Grant and I were in the middle of what was about to become a heated discussion, my phone rang.

  “Hey, Ricky,” I answered and put it on speaker.

  “Hi, Bella. My client wants to make an offer.”

  “Music to my ears. What are they offering?”

  “$4.2 million. That’s their best and final offer.”

  I let out a roaring laugh.

  “You’re kidding, right? That’s a million under asking price.”

  “They want to do some remodeling.”

  “That is not my seller’s problem, and he shouldn’t take a hit on the asking price because your clients want to remodel.”

  “They love the apartment and the location, but they feel the apartment is choppy and they want to knock out some walls to open it up. Plus, they want to replace a lot of the fixtures and redo the bathrooms. And you know as well as I do, Bella, it’s overpriced.”

  “Actually, it’s a fair price for today’s market. Let me give my client a call and tell him the offer. I’ll call you back.”

  I took in a long deep breath before dialing my client’s number and putting it on speaker.

  “Bella. What’s up?”

  “Hi, Tim. I have an offer for you.”

  “And?” he asked.

  “$4.3 best and final offer.”

  “That’s an insult, Bella, and you know it. Why the hell would you even present that to me?”

  “Because I have to.”

  “$5.2 and not a penny less. Don’t waste my time again.”

  “I’ll try not to, Tim. Have a great day.”

  I looked over at Grant who was staring at me.

  “What?”

  “Nothing.” The corners of his mouth curved upward.

  Rolling my eyes, I called Ricky.

  “Hey, Bella.”

  “My client came back with a firm $5.2 million and not a penny less.”

  “My clients won’t do it. They were very adamant.”

  “Okay then. I have another property I’d love for your clients to see. It’s only a few blocks from the other place. Give them a call and let me know what time. But you have to act fast because I already have someone interested.”

  “I’ll give them a call now and I’ll text you.”

  “Thanks, Ricky. Talk to you soon.”

  “What are you showing them?” I heard Grant ask.

  Turning around, I gave him a smile.

  “One of the apartments at West 21.”

  “Isn’t that out of their price range? They already offered a million less for the other apartment, and you are not to sell below asking price on any of the West 21 building. I want to make that very clear.”

  “Yes, sir!” I saluted him and he shot me a dirty look.

  “You’re wasting your time when you could be finding buyers who are in the price range.”

  My phone dinged with a text message. When I looked at it, Ricky said he and his client could meet me in a half hour. Sending him the address of the building, I grabbed my purse and walked over to Grant’s desk.

  “You don’t tell me how to do my job, and I won’t tell you how to do yours. Deal?”

  “I mean it, Bella,” he spoke in an authoritative tone.

  I stared into his sexy brown eyes. He was even hotter when he was angry.

  “I need the building key.” I held out my hand.

  His eyes narrowed at me for a minute before he stood up and put his phone in the pocket of his dress pants.

  “I’m coming with you.”

  “Why?” I asked.

  “Because I have the key and I can. Good enough reason?”

  “Whatever.” I sighed as I walked out of his office.

  We climbed into the back of my car and Samuel gave me a smile.

  “Where to, gorgeous.”

  “The West 21 building in Chelsea,” I answered.

  The ride to Chelsea was silent as Grant focused on his phone. The fact that he insisted he come, irritated me. All he had to do was give me the key. When Samuel pulled up to the curb, Grant and I climbed out and headed inside the building where we stood in the beautifully modernized lobby and waited for Ricky and his client.

  “Hey, Bella. Grant,” Ricky spoke as he extended his hand to us, and we greeted him.

  “Mr. & Mrs. Mathers. It’s good to see you again.” I smiled. “This is Grant Roman, my boss. If you’ll follow me, I’ll show you one of the apartments.”

  “Is this building empty
?” Mr. Mathers asked as he looked around the lobby.

  “For now, it is. The building was just renovated, but we have a huge waitlist. People are banging down the door to get in here. Now, I know you and Mrs. Mathers won’t settle for anything less than the fifth floor and up. And the last apartment you looked was on the tenth floor, so, I want to show you Apartment 10A through the private key-locked elevator.” I grinned as I gestured for them to step inside. “That’s right. Your own elevator to your apartment.”

  When the door opened, the five of us stepped into the thirty-five-foot-long foyer.

  “This is the foyer/gallery. It’s a perfect spot to place a collection of artwork, a collage of photos, or anything you want. But here’s where the real magic begins,” I said as we stepped into the great room.

  “Wow. Look at this space,” Mrs. Mathers said as her eyes lit up.

  “Right?” I smiled. “It’s an open floor plan like you wanted. You have 3,016 square feet of open space throughout with an outdoor terrace of approximately eight hundred square feet.”

  “The one we were interested in is 3,100 square feet,” Mr. Mathers spoke.

  “You’re right. But it didn’t have an eight hundred square foot outdoor space.”

  “What’s the price of this apartment?” Mr. Mathers asked.

  $5.995 million.”

  “That’s more than the other apartment,” Mrs. Mathers spoke.

  “Isn’t your time and peace worth it?” I asked. “You offered $4.2 million because you want to remodel. Let’s be realistic here for a moment. You said you needed to be out of your apartment within sixty days. A remodel of any apartment could take up to a year. Do you really want to deal with all that disruption? Not to mention the dust everywhere. But this. This is a brand-new space no one has ever lived in before. It’s an open floor plan like you really want, a chef’s kitchen with top-of-the-line appliances, plus that amazing terrace which is great for entertaining. You could go out there in the morning and enjoy your coffee as the sun rises, put down a mat and do some yoga or meditating, or simply enjoy a nice glass of wine and stare out a the brightly lit city at night.”