by Sandi Lynn
“I’m so happy you’re here!” she screeched.
“It’s so good to see you.” I hugged her tight. “Thank you for helping me find this place and sending videos.”
“You’re welcome. I’m glad you’re back in New York.”
Ami Liu had been my best friend since the night she slept with my boyfriend when we were eighteen years old. To her defense, he never told her about me. I couldn’t blame him for wanting to sleep with her. She was gorgeous with her long black silky hair, petite body, and beautiful brown eyes. To be honest, she did me a favor. I’d been putting off telling him that I wanted to break up. After I caught them in his bed and stormed out of the house, she came running after me trying to explain. We went to a 24-hour café and talked until the wee hours of the morning. That was the night a new friendship was made.
“So,” she hooked her arm around me, “tell me how you’re doing. And no bullshit, Bella.”
“I’m doing okay.”
“That doesn’t sound too convincing.”
“I’m fine, Ami. I swear.”
“You’ve been through a lot over the past year and the last time we spoke about it was after your parent’s funeral. Then you broke up with Ian, via text from Hawaii, and really haven’t said much about it. Now, you’re back in New York and you’re going to see Grant for the first time after all these years, which you didn’t have plans on doing.”
“Are you shrinking me now?”
“Yes.” She laughed.
“At least you’re honest.” I smiled. “You can shrink me later. I promise.”
“Deal. I brought some champagne to celebrate.” She grinned as she reached in her bag and pulled out the bottle. “Where are the glasses?”
“Umm.” I looked around as I bit down on my bottom lip. “In one of those boxes.” I pointed around the room.
“Who needs glasses when we have the entire bottle.” She smirked.
Grant
“Marcy, how many agents/brokers with potential buyers are coming to the open house?”
“About twenty.”
“Fuck. That’s it?”
“We received hundreds of emails, but they said they don’t have any buyers in the market right now that are willing to pay that much.”
“Print out the list and bring it to me,” I said as I walked back into my office and sat down behind my desk.
Opening my bottled water, I took a sip and set it down as Marcy walked in and handed me the list. Looking over the names, I stared at the last one on the list: Bella Marcus. I’d never forgotten the Bella Marcus I once knew fourteen years ago. The extremely shy and beautiful girl I’d met in Hawaii who was going to college to study teaching. I thanked God this wasn’t her, for I’d never called her after I left Hawaii like I promised I would. I had my reasons, and I blocked her number so she couldn’t get a hold of me. I was worried this could be her. Nah, she was passionate about teaching. There had to be millions of women named Bella in the world and Marcus was a common last name.
“Tom, let’s go,” I said as I grabbed my suitcoat. “We need to get over there and set up.”
We arrived at 325 Fifth Avenue and began setting up the glasses of champagne and hor d’ourves. I’d already spent a fortune promoting this place, so I decided to keep it simple. Especially since only about twenty people were coming. Walking around the penthouse, I made sure it was immaculate. A cleaning crew had just been in this morning and cleaned the place from top to bottom. This had to work. It was the only option I had left.
I heard the ding of the elevator, so I walk into the grand foyer and welcomed everyone.
“Welcome to 325 Fifth Avenue, Penthouse 43A. I have hor d’ourves and champagne waiting for everyone, so grab a glass and a plate and let me show you around this magnificent penthouse.”
While everyone was grabbing a glass of champagne, I heard the elevator ding again, so I walked to the foyer and when the door opened, my eyes locked with the beautiful crystal blue eyes from fourteen years ago. The same eyes that always made my heart beat a little faster.
Chapter 4
Bella
I was a nervous wreck, and I shouldn’t have been. So what if I was seeing the guy who took my virginity, stole my heart, promised to call me and never did. The same guy who made me feel like a woman but also shattered my heart.
He stared at me with the same dreamy brown eyes. His face taut as he shifted his body.
“Hello, Grant.”
“Bella?” His brows furrowed.
“Yeah.” I managed a small smile.
“My God. I can’t believe this. What are you doing here?”
“I’m here to sell this penthouse for you.”
“I didn’t know you lived in the city.”
“Grant, Nelson needs to speak with you,” a man spoke as he approached us.
“Yeah. Okay. Tom, this is Bella Marcus. Bella, this is Tom Thompson, my brilliant assistant.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Tom.” I extended my hand.
“The pleasure is mine, Bella.”
“Take Miss Marcus and get her a glass of champagne. I’m ready to start the tour and then we can talk after.”
“Okay.” I gave him a nod.
I followed Tom to the kitchen, and he handed me a glass of champagne.
“So, are you an agent or a broker?” Tom asked. “I don’t remember ever seeing you at any of our open houses.”
“I’m a broker, and I just moved here from Los Angeles.”
“Wow. An L.A. girl. Nice.” He smiled.
I glanced over at Grant as he stood talking to another man. He still looked the same, only older. He went from a hot and sexy boy to a hot and sexy man who grew an inch or two. His hair was still the same. Dark, shorter on the sides, and a medium length wavy textured top. He sported a light mustache and a thick five o’clock shadow that graced his masculine jawline. He was slender, but muscular, and his boy body had turned into a man’s body. I remembered one day we went to the fitness center in the hotel, and he put a pair of five-pound weights in my hand and taught me how to do bicep curls. He’d told me working out made a strong mind. I hadn’t stopped since.
A group of us followed Grant around the 4,109 square foot, four-bedroom and six bath penthouse. It was gorgeous and perfect for my client. After everyone started to leave, I stayed back to talk business with Grant.
“Would you mind if I did a virtual tour with my client? They’re in Germany and I think this is perfect for them and exactly what they’re looking for.”
“No. Not at all. Go ahead. I’ll stay out of your way.”
I sent a text message to them first to make sure they were home. Within seconds, they Facetimed me.
“Hi.” I grinned as I saw Dan and Riley on my screen.
“Hey, Bella. We’re really excited to see the place.”
I took them on a tour, starting with the upstairs and made my way to the beautifully designed kitchen, saving the private wrap around terrace for last.
“The penthouse includes one parking space and two large storage units. What do you think?”
“I think we love it.” Riley grinned.
“It’s totally turn-key ready and just waiting for you to move in.” I smiled.
After discussing the price, I ended the call and went back inside.
“Well?” Grant spoke as he walked towards me with one hand tucked in his pants pockets.
“They want to make an offer.” The corners of my mouth curved upward.
“YES! What’s their offer? Please tell me it’s full asking price.”
“No. They’re offering $11.5 million.”
“The owner won’t accept a penny less than listing price.”
“You do realize in today’s market it’s overpriced. Right?”
“He won’t budge. He made it very clear.”
“I’ve done my research, Grant. This place has been on the market for over a year. It’s overpriced for this area.”
“I know. But he’s the client.”
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“Just call him and tell him the offer and see if he comes back with a counter.”
“If I call him with anything less than $13.5, he’ll fire me on the spot.”
“I see. He’s one of those.” I narrowed my eye.
“One of what?”
“I want to meet him. I’ll present the offer to him.”
“No way. He won’t meet you. He’s a very busy man and he doesn’t like people wasting his time. I’m already in deep shit with him as it is.”
“Call him right now and put him on speaker.”
“Bella, I—”
“Call him, Grant,” I spoke in a stern tone.
After letting out a long sigh, he pulled out his phone, dialed his client and put it on speaker.
“You better be calling me with an offer,” Pete spoke.
“Actually, I do have an offer, Pete.”
I grabbed the phone from him.
“Hi, Pete. This is Bella Marcus. I’m a broker who just showed your beautiful penthouse to one of my clients, and we have an offer for you. But I want to give it to you in person.”
“What the hell is going on, Grant? Is this some kind of joke?”
“This is no joke, Pete,” I spoke.
“Listen lady, I don’t know who the hell you think you—”
“I’m the lady who’s going to sell your penthouse that has been on the market for over a year and won’t sell. So, you can either meet with me tomorrow to discuss the offer, or your penthouse can sit on the market for another year or possibly two. All the while you’re losing money.”
“Do you know who you’re speaking to?” he shouted.
“I know exactly whom I’m speaking to.”
He went silent for a few moments, and I glanced at Grant with a smile.
“You know what? I’ll agree to meet you, and only because you have some balls doing what you’re doing. Tomorrow morning, eight a.m. at the penthouse.”
“Excellent. Bring the coffee, please. I take mine black.”
Click.
I handed Grant his phone.
“I guess I’ll see you tomorrow morning at eight a.m.” I smiled as I walked to the elevator.
“Wait a second!” he shouted. “I have no idea what just happened, but you,” he pointed his finger at me, “just cost me this listing.”
“We’ll see.” I gave him a smirk as I stepped into the elevator and the doors closed.
Chapter 5
Grant
I looked over at Tom who stood there with his jaw dropped.
“Who is that woman?” he asked.
I paced around the room, rubbing my forehead.
“That is not the same girl I met fourteen years ago!”
“What do you mean, Grant? You know her?”
“I did, for like five days.”
“Wait a second. I’m confused.”
“We were sixteen years old at the time and we were both staying at the same hotel in Hawaii. We met by the pool. This is payback. That’s what this is.” I shook my finger. “She’s getting back at me.”
“What are you talking about? For what?”
“For sleeping with her and then promising to call her. Which I never did because — I had my reasons.”
“Whoa. Slow down.” He put his hands up. “You slept with her when she was sixteen?”
“Jesus Christ, look at her. Wouldn’t you? Ugh. I’m totally fired.”
“Calm down. Maybe not. She seems to know what she’s doing.”
“No. She doesn’t. She’s doing this to get back at me. It’s her revenge. And if she thinks she’s coming to work for me, she has another thing coming! I can’t believe she told him to bring the coffee!”
After we cleaned up, we headed back to the office. I was so fired up, and I couldn’t think straight. Hers was the only offer that came in. Everyone else contacted their buyers they thought would be interested, but when they told them the price and it was non-negotiable, they declined.
The moment we got back to the office, I got online and looked up Miss Bella Marcus. She was a real estate broker in Los Angeles for the past seven years and she also carried a New York broker’s license. She’d previously worked for Glassman & Ellis. I knew Walt Glassman, so I decided to give him a call.
“Glassman here.”
“Walt, it’s Grant Roman over at The Roman Group in New York. How are you?”
“Grant. I’m good. How are you?”
“I’m doing well. Listen, I had a little bit of a run in today with one of your ex-brokers.”
“Let me guess. Bella Marcus?”
“Uh, yeah. What’s up with her?”
“What did she do?”
“She called a client of mine and demanded they meet so she can present the offer to him. An offer he will refuse. I’m already on a thin line with this guy and she just made it a whole lot worse.”
I could hear his chuckle on the other end.
“She’ll get him to accept it. Don’t worry. Bella does things her own way. She doesn’t follow protocol so to speak with clients. She gets inside their head and works her magic. She’s one of the best damn brokers I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with. She’s made this company and herself loads of money. I hated when she told me she was moving to New York, but she still has a small team here and she promised me she will continue to do real estate here.”
“Why did she leave L.A.?”
“Personal reasons. That’s her story to tell. Anyway, don’t worry about your client. Everything will be okay. She’s been there, what, two days and she’s already causing trouble. Gotta love her.”
“I’m not so sure about that. Thanks, Walt. I appreciate you taking the time to speak to me.”
“No problem, Grant. If you’re smart, you’re going to want to snatch her up before someone else does.”
“I highly doubt it. Take care, Walt.”
I ended the call and let out a sigh. What happened to her? She wasn’t the shy beautiful girl I knew all those years ago. Now, she was an incredibly sexy and tough woman. She was the same height at five feet seven inches. Her brown hair was longer and wavier than I’d remembered. She was still slender, but more fit and toned. The one thing I couldn’t help but notice was that her breasts were bigger than they were. Either they grew or she had a boob job in L.A. And those eyes. Those crystal blue eyes that reminded me of the ocean on a perfectly sunny day. I couldn’t believe she was here. What a way to make an entrance back into my life.
“Marcy?” I yelled from my office.
“Yeah?” She walked in.
“Do you have the phone numbers of all the agents and brokers that were at the open house?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“I want you to get me Bella Marcus’s number.”
“Sure. I’ll be right back.”
A moment later, she walked into my office and handed me Bella’s number.
“Thanks,” I said as I picked up my phone and sent Bella a text message.
“What the hell were you thinking?”
“By the way, it’s Grant.”
“Wow. How nice of you to finally text me after fourteen years.”
I stared at her text as I could feel my blood pressure rising.
“I can explain that.”
“That’s what they all say.”
“Listen, if this is some kind of revenge thing for you because I never called, I’m sorry.”
“Revenge?” She included six laughing emojis. “This isn’t revenge. This is me trying to sell your listing.”
“Trying to sabotage it is what you mean.”
“Think whatever you want, Grant. I don’t really care. I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”
I didn’t even respond.
“Anyone up for some drinks?” I asked my team as I stepped out of my office.
Chapter 6
Bella
“He could explain my ass,” I spoke out loud as I organized my kitchen. “Revenge?” I laughed. Revenge wasn’t
my style.
I thought seeing Grant again wouldn’t affect me, but it did. Hurt had consumed me after I returned home from Hawaii. I’d felt used, angry, and betrayed when I didn’t hear from him as he promised. I’d sent him a few text messages the first month after, but they never went through. I was nothing but the stupid, naive young girl who gave her virginity up to a boy she believed. But from that experience came inner strength and also the inability to trust guys, which led to many self-sabotaged relationships.
Now that my bedroom and kitchen were organized, I still had more boxes to go through. Opening the one labeled: pictures, I took out the 5x7 photo of me, my dad, and my stepmom. I missed them both so much, and I was still healing from their tragic death. Wiping the tear that fell from my eye, I placed the frame on the end table next to the couch. I was too tired to unpack anything else, so the rest would have to wait.
“Welcome to the next chapter of your life, Bella.”
I was up at five a.m. and went for my daily morning run. When I was in California, I’d start at the Santa Monica Pier and run towards the Venice Boardwalk. Surfers would run by with their surfboards tucked under their arms, others would skate by on their rollerblades, and then there were those who would ride by on their bikes, going for their morning bike rides before starting their day. Now, I’d run through Hudson River Park and take in the beauty of the Hudson River and the New Jersey skyline every morning.
Just as I walked into the 325 Fifth Avenue building, I saw Grant standing at the elevator.
“Good morning,” I spoke as I stood next to him.
“Morning,” he mumbled without even looking at me.
“You’re still mad?” I asked as we stepped inside the elevator.
“I was up all night thanks to you.”
“I honestly don’t understand why you’re so upset.”
“Really, Bella? You come to my open house out of nowhere and demand to speak to my client. You don’t know this guy. He’s a real asshole and he’s going to rip you to shreds.”
“I can handle, Pete. Trust me.”
“Well, I don’t.” He shook his head as we stepped off the elevator and into the foyer.