The Property Brokers: A Billionaire Romance

by Sandi Lynn

I took the steaks over to the grill and Bella stepped out and set my glass of wine down on the table.

  “Are we eating out here?” she asked.

  “We can if you want to.”

  “I’ll go get the plates and set the table.”

  “They’re in the cabinet to the left of the stove and the silverware is in the drawer below.”

  She was trying to put on a happy face and act like she was okay, but her eyes told me a different story.

  “By the way, how do you like your steak cooked?” I shouted.

  “Medium rare is fine.”

  “A girl after my own heart!”

  She returned to the terrace and started setting the table for dinner. I wanted to ask her about Ian, but I wasn’t sure if I should. The steaks were done, so I took them off the grill and placed them on a plate in the center of the table.

  “Can you grab the salad from the refrigerator while I take the baked potatoes out of the oven?” I asked.

  “Of course. This is a great looking salad. You made this?”

  “Yeah.” I grinned.

  “Just like you baked those potatoes on the ‘warm’ setting in the oven?” A smirk crossed her lips.

  Busted.

  “The only thing that matters here is I grilled the steaks.” I gave her a wink.

  She slowly shook her head with a smile as she took the salad out to the terrace. After we took our seats, I picked up my glass of wine and held it up to her.

  “To Bella. Congratulations on the sale of the first penthouse in the West 21 building. May you sell as many more as quickly as possible.”

  She let out a laugh as she tapped her glass against mine.

  “Thank you. I think Cassandra is already head over heels where your father is concerned.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “When I stopped in the bakery on my way here, I asked her how their date went, and she was beaming from head to toe. She said they’re going out again tomorrow night.”

  “Yeah. My dad told me he was taking her out again. I’m not reading too much into it. He’s not interested in having a relationship with a woman ever again and Cassandra won’t change that for him.”

  “That’s sad. They look cute together.”

  “I agree. But it’s how he is.”

  I wanted to change the subject and quickly before she decided to ask questions about my mom.

  “Are you okay, Bella? I mean, from the events that transpired this afternoon?”

  Chapter 24

  Bella

  I took in a deep breath for I knew he was going to ask me about Ian. I was surprised it took him this long.

  “I’m fine, Grant. You really cooked these steaks to perfection.” I smiled.

  “Thanks, but don’t change the subject.”

  “I don’t want to talk about it. Okay?”

  “I’m sure you don’t but there’s something I need to get off my chest.”

  I stared at him from across the table in disbelief that he wouldn’t drop it.

  “What? What do you need to get off your chest?”

  “The fact that you did the same thing to him, I did to you. But somehow you see it differently and feel that it’s okay to treat me like shit, when you did the same damn thing. Only you were completely in the wrong because you two had been dating for over a year. I just don’t see how you can think that’s okay.”

  “Are you serious right now?” I set down my fork. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “I think I do, now that I know the whole story.”

  I let out a condescending laugh.

  “You don’t know shit, Grant. You’re only basing your opinion on what you heard Ian say.”

  “Then enlighten me, Bella. Tell me what I don’t know.” He picked up his wine glass.

  “I didn’t realize you were such a relationship expert and knew what’s acceptable and what’s not? Boy, you’ve come a long way since you were sixteen.”

  I could see the anger cross his face and the rage in his eyes.

  “There’s a difference between being a kid and being an adult,” he snapped. “It’s obvious you haven’t grown up.”

  I took in a long deep breath to calm myself.

  “Is this why you came to New York? To torment me?” he asked.

  My heart was racing a mile a minute as I felt the uncontrollable anger rise through my body.

  “I can’t believe I ever fell for you.” I got up from my seat and as I walked past him, he grabbed hold of my wrist.

  “Where do you think you’re going?”

  “Away from you.”

  “Nah, sweetheart. I don’t think so,” he said as he stood up and placed his face mere inches from mine. “I know you don’t want to leave.”

  “Yes, I do.” I slightly struggled to get out of this grip.

  He brought his other hand up to my cheek and smashed his mouth against mine. My brain was telling me to stop him, but my body told me not to even think about it. He let go off my wrist he’d held captive and I wrapped my arms around him as our tongues tangled. Our heated kiss continued as he pushed me inside the penthouse. In one swoop, Grant picked me up in his arms and carried me up the stairs to his bedroom. In a matter of seconds, our clothes were lying on the floor and my body on the mattress of his bed while he hovered over me. His mouth explored my bare breasts as his hand traveled down south and stroked the area of me that couldn’t get enough of him. His finger dipped inside me as we both let out light moans. My back arched from the bed as his touch deepened, finding the spot that threw me into oblivion. My breath hitched while my heart pounded out of control, and I fell over the cliff and into a tantalizing orgasm. His eyes stared into mine as he watched the pleasure take over me.

  He rolled me on my belly and his lips caressed every inch of my backside. The tearing of the condom wrapper excited me for I knew what was coming. With the slight turn of my head, his lips met mine and he thrust inside me.

  When we were finished, he went to the bathroom to dispose of the condom, and I grabbed my clothes from the floor.

  “You don’t have to leave,” he said. “I’d like you to stay.”

  I looked up at him as he stood over me, and an overwhelming need to tell him about Ian crashed over me and I didn’t know why. Maybe it was because I wanted his approval.

  “I did it for him,” I spoke.

  “What are you talking about?” Grant asked as he sat down next to me on the bed.

  “All Ian wanted was to join Doctors Without Borders. Even though he said it wasn’t that big of a deal, I knew it was. We weren’t going to be together for the rest of our lives. I knew that. One night when we were at a get together with friends, one of his colleagues told him he joined, and I could see the jealousy and sadness in his eyes. He wouldn’t do it because of me.”

  “Did he tell you that?”

  “Yeah. He did. He was determined to hang on, even though he knew I wasn’t in love with him the way he was with me. It was easier to do it while I was in Hawaii. And it wasn’t because I was a coward. I wanted him to hate me, because I knew that would drive him to do what he always wanted to do.”

  “I’m sorry, Bella.” He placed his hand on mine. “I never should have said—”

  “I’m not the cold-hearted bitch you think I am, Grant,” I said as I got up from the bed and finished getting dressed.

  “I don’t think that.”

  “Are you sure about that?” I stood there with my arms folded.

  He got up from the bed, walked over to me and gripped my shoulders.

  “I don’t think that at all. I was just pissed off at how you treated me and then you went and did the same thing to someone else. But I understand now why you did it the way you did. Don’t you think you should tell him?”

  “No. Let him hate me. It’s better this way.”

  I didn’t dare tell him what Ian had said about how no man could compete with him.

  “What was all that about with s
ome girl named Marley?”

  “I’ll tell you over a piece of apple pie.” I gave him a small smile.

  “Excellent idea. Come on.”

  He grabbed hold of my hand and led me down to the kitchen.

  “You go sit down and I’ll cut us a piece.” He smiled.

  I took a seat on the comfy couch and brought one leg under the other. After Grant handed me a piece of pie, he sat down next to me.

  “Marley was a new doctor at the hospital where Ian worked. She was always very flirty with him, even in front of me. One night, we had plans to go out and Ian cancelled because something came up with a patient. He needed to eat so I decided to bring him dinner to the hospital. When I got there, the staff had told me that he’d left a couple hours earlier. I asked if Marley was around, and they said she had left the same time he did. I figured they went to dinner, so I drove to his favorite restaurant. I knew he probably took her there, and I was right. I saw the two of them sitting at a table by the window.”

  “Did you confront him about it?”

  “No. I didn’t have to because he ended up telling me a week later. I guess the guilt got to him. But it didn’t matter, I knew it was time for me to leave anyway. I’d been thinking about it for months. As much as I liked California, after my parents were killed it didn’t feel like home anymore. Even when I was with Ian. So, I knew if I left, he’d finally do what he’d always wanted to do, and I could start somewhere fresh. When my client called and asked me to come to Hawaii to help them find a house, I figured that was the perfect opportunity to put everything in motion.”

  “I’m confused. How did Ian not know you were packing up your things?”

  “It just so happened he was leaving for a medical conference a week before I was set to go to Hawaii. So, I told my boss my plans, packed up everything I could, had Ami help me find my apartment here and hired a moving company. That’s why I flew right here from Hawaii. I’m not proud of how I did it, but deep down I knew it was the best way.”

  “Well, it worked. You’re starting your new life here and Ian joined Doctors Without Borders. Can I ask you a question?”

  “Sure.”

  “Does New York feel like home?”

  “I don’t know yet.” I got up from the couch with my plate and walked it over to the kitchen sink. “I better go. Duchess is probably wondering where the heck I am.”

  Grabbing my purse, I headed to the elevator and Grant followed me.

  “Thank you, Bella.” His hands gripped my hips.

  “For what?”

  “For opening up to me.”

  “I just wanted you to the real reason why I did what I did.”

  He leaned in and softly brushed his lips against mine.

  “Goodnight, Bella Marcus.”

  “Goodnight, Grant.”

  “Okay, I’m ready,” I spoke as I walked into the living room and saw Ami sitting on the couch with Duchess in her lap.

  “I love this cat, and I’m not even a cat person.”

  I let out a soft laugh.

  “She loves you too.”

  Ami and I were going to spend the day at a fair on Long Island. It was a huge production that was put on every year. Thousands and thousands of people drove from all different states just to attend. They had rides, games, different kinds of markets, booths with homemade pies, jams and honey. They had different food tents for every type of food you could imagine. There was face painting, temporary tattoos, artwork, everything you could imagine. It was a wonderful girls’ day out until…

  “Oh look!” Ami pointed. “A psychic tent. Let’s go.” She grabbed my hand and pulled me behind her.

  “No, Ami. I don’t believe in that crap.”

  “Me either, but it’ll be fun. Let’s see what our future has in store for us.” She grinned.

  I let out a sigh as we stepped into the tent.

  “Hello there.” An older woman smiled as she sat behind a small table covered with a black cloth. “If you’re interested in a reading, my prices are on the board over there. They vary depending on what type of reading you would like.”

  We walked over to the board and looked at the prices.

  “This is kind of expensive,” I whispered.

  “She’s just trying to make a living like the rest of us. Can we both be in here at the same time when you do our readings?”

  “If you would like. I just ask that the person who isn’t being read, doesn’t touch anything on the table.”

  “I’ll go first.” Ami smiled as she sat down across from the woman.

  She took hold of Ami’s hands, turned them over and studied them. Then she spread out a deck of oracle cards and had Ami touch them. Picking four cards from the pile, the woman turned them over in front of her.

  “You’ve recently entered into a relationship with a new man. First initial, L. He’s tall, dark and very handsome. He’s a successful businessman and his family means everything to him.”

  “We’re not in a relationship,” Ami said.

  “Don’t worry. You soon will be.” She smiled at her. “The two of you are very spiritually connected.”

  The woman told her a few other basic things. Nothing out of the ordinary. But the fact that she nailed it with Lamar had me a little concerned about what she was going to see with me.

  Instead of having my cards read, I opted for a tea leaf reading. While she was giving Ami her reading, I sipped on the tea she had given me.

  “Are you finished with your tea, dear?” she asked as Ami and I switched seats.

  “I am.”

  She took the cup from me, turned it upside down on the saucer and asked me to turn the cup counterclockwise three times. I watched her study the leaves and noticed a strange look on her face.

  “Is something wrong? Am I going to die or something?” I let out a nervous laugh.

  “No, dear. Do you know you’re pregnant?”

  “No, I’m not.” I furrowed my brows.

  “It wasn’t planned. But it did indeed happen.”

  “Thanks. But I’ve heard enough.” I got up from my seat and walked out of the tent.

  Ami came running after me and grabbed my arm.

  “Are you pregnant?”

  “No. What the hell, Ami? Don’t you think I’d tell you if I was? I told you I don’t believe in that crap.

  “Well, she was right on point about me. You did tell me you’ve been really tired lately and feeling a little nauseous.”

  “That’s because of the move and all the stress I’m under between Grant and Ian.”

  “When was your last period?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “You don’t keep track?”

  “Yeah. I do.”

  “Then humor me and look.”

  “Fine,” I sighed as I pulled out my phone.

  Looking on my calendar, the last entry was six weeks ago.

  “So what. I’m late. That’s to be expected considering all the stress I’ve been under.”

  She stood there shaking her head and suddenly, my heart started to race.

  “I think it’s time we head back to the city,” I said. “We’ve done just about everything here.”

  “Yeah. I agree. But we’re stopping and getting a pregnancy test.”

  “No, we’re not. Don’t be ridiculous.”

  “Bella, you’ve been drinking and if you are pregnant, you need to know. Like, right now.”

  “Fine. And when the test comes back negative, you’ll admit to me she’s a fraud. Deal?”

  “Deal.”

  When we got back to my apartment, Ami took the box out of the bag and handed it to me.

  “Time to pee,” she said.

  I read the directions on the box, pulled out the stick and peed on it. Setting it on the counter, I washed my hands, walked out of the bathroom and shut the door.

  “How long does it say for results?” she asked as she lay across my bed.

  “Three minutes.” I laid down next to he
r and grabbed her hand.

  Chapter 25

  One Week Later

  Grant

  Bella had been acting strange all week. When I’d ask her if she was okay, she’d tell me she was just tired. But I knew something wasn’t right with her. She seemed off. I had asked her out a couple times and she declined. One night she had plans with Ami and the other night she just wanted to go home, take a hot bath and relax. I asked her if she wanted company and she said she wanted to be by herself. I thought we were good. Everything was fine that night she left my penthouse. Then something changed over the weekend. I barely saw her at the office. She was busy with private showings and pitching listings. Cody and I had a conversation about it, and he said she told him the same thing: she was just tired.

  It was the open house for the West 21 building. I had asked Bella if she wanted to drive together, and she said she’d meet me there. I arrived an hour before it was to start to make sure everything was set up. When I walked into the lobby, I saw Cody and Tom had everything under control.

  “This looks great.” I smiled.

  Food was sprawled out over two eight-foot tables, champagne was poured into glasses that sat on a separate table, and over towards the corner was the dessert table. I spared no expense for this party since we needed to get people in here and sell as many apartments as we could tonight.

  “Is Bella here yet?” I asked Cody.

  “No. But I’m sure she’s on her way.”

  I let out a sigh and when I looked over at the door, she had just walked in.

  “Sorry. Traffic was terrible.”

  “That’s why we should have ridden together. Go grab a glass of champagne and we’ll go up and look at the apartments Cody staged.”

  “I’m good,” she spoke.

  I gave her a strange look and grabbed a glass for myself.

  “Cody, come up with us and show us what you did.”

  “Coming.” He grinned as he stopped by the dessert table and grabbed a napkin and cookie first.

  We took the elevator up to one of the two-bedroom apartments before heading up to Penthouse B.

  “Wow. This looks amazing.” Bella smiled. “Good job, Cody.”