“Brody.”
“No. I’m not ready to face dear old dad yet. I might get another job actually.”
Aiden unclenched his fist and cocked his head, wondering if he heard Brody right. A Montgomery-West has worked as CEO for Montgomery-West for almost one hundred years. The reason for the merger was so that Aiden and Brody could be partners and continue their families’ legacies.
“What?” was all Aiden could manage to say.
“I’m hoping you could keep it quiet. If you don’t mind, I wanted to get the E penthouse. I know it will be your building so I was hoping you could swing me to the top of your list. I’ll pay and everything.”
Brody offered a sheepish grin, draining his glass. Aiden was speechless. This would solve everything and ruin everything all at the same time.
“Can you ask your decorator friend if I can talk to her?”
Aiden scoffed, thinking of how Anna looked at him before he left.
“Maybe you should, man. I saw her tonight and I doubt she wants to ever see me again.”
“Oh really?” Brody asked, with a raised eyebrow. “Then maybe we should see her together.”
*****
Anna stirred awake as the loft door slammed. She had fallen asleep on the couch shortly after Aiden left. Her neck sent shooting pains down her back as she adjusted from the awkward fetal position she was crouched in.
“You’re asleep?” Keith asked, dropping his duffle on the floor and glancing at his watch over his eyeglasses.
“I must have passed out,” Anna croaked, stretching her neck. “Wait, why are you back so early?”
Keith let out a deep sigh as he walked over.
“My sister and her ex-husband are making up again and it’s just awkward. He showed up out of the blue and now they want to call off the divorce—again. It’s ridiculous.”
“Oh. Good Lord, their lawyers must hate them.”
“Please, what lawyers? They both bluff. For being shrinks they are two of the craziest people I have ever met. Anyway, the drive back gave me a lot of time to think and do some internet searches. We need to talk.”
Anna sat up straighter, curious what Keith was getting at.
“Am I going to like what you’re going to say?”
Keith smiled, leaning back in the leather sofa.
“Did you know that the party boys’ families are merging?”
“Wait, what? That’s—that’s—”
“Billions of dollars, I know. I don’t know yet how the Excalibur plays into this but rumor is that their daddies are retiring sooner rather than later. Meaning—”
“Meaning the party boys will be our major clients,” Anna said, rubbing her forehead.
This suddenly felt more complicated.
“I—I know I said no before but we have to think of the future of our brand. I say we play nice until the water settles.”
“So, we are taking the Excalibur or the E as the cool kids call it?” Anna said almost laughing at herself.
“What’s so funny?” Keith asked, looking at her curiously. “I’m allowed to be wrong once in a while.
Anna raked her fingers through her hair, debating if she should tell Keith she slept with Aiden. She and Keith had few, if any, secrets yet her tongue felt heavy and the words would not come out.
“Anna? You okay?”
“Yep, I think you’re right. I’ll draw up a mock-up if you get the permits,” Anna said with a forced smile.
Keith appraised her but nodded after a beat and rose from the sofa.
“I’ll get on that now. I need something to keep my mind busy. You sure you’re alright?”
“Um, yeah. Just tired.”
Keith pursed his lips and turned for his bedroom. Anna let out a sigh of relief, glad that Keith did not push the issue. Her stomach felt like it was filled with lead weights, just pure dread at the thought of seeing Aiden again. She wondered if she could circumvent Aiden all together and just go to Brody. Anna stood, pacing the floor and muddling the idea over in her mind. If the companies were going to merge then there really was no reason to meet with them together. It made sense in her head, even if she thought it childish to do so. Another snag was that the merger could take ages and she, being an outsider, had no idea how long such proceedings would take or if it had even started yet.
She walked over to the bay window where she watched Aiden just last night wave up at her. Then her mind flashed to Brody sitting across the table from her after they waited over an hour for the meeting. He was so carefree and handsome. He was trouble incarnate. Perhaps she made the wrong decision with Aiden. Aiden seemed the safest of the pair of them, yet he stormed out of her place like a sniveling coward. She could not imagine Brody storming out like that after making love to her.
“What to do? What to do?” Anna muttered to herself.
She grabbed her phone from the window sill and found Aiden’s phone number. She skimmed passed it until she got to the B’s. There it was Broderick Montgomery-West. Prior to the meeting, that both men were very late for, their assistant emailed both men’s phone numbers. Her thumb hovered his phone number, dropping like she would dial it then lifting like her phone was hot coal. Anna took a deep breath and dialed the number. Her mind was racing a mile a minute as ring after ring came through the phone. Aiden was just a stupid one-night stand. She was stronger than this. This was business.
“Brody. Who’s this?” boomed through the phone.
Anna jumped and cleared her throat.
“Mr. Montgomery-West, this is Anna Smith.”
“Anna! Well, this is pleasantly convenient.”
“Um, excuse me?”
“What I mean is I was planning on calling you.”
“Oh, well, I just wanted to let you know that Keith and I have reconsidered taking your project.”
The line went silent but Anna had an odd feeling that Brody was smiling at her. In fact, she knew it.
“Great. I think you would like the building. It has a certain flair if you can ignore the cobwebs. I can take you to it today if your free.”
Anna blanched.
“No, I think we will wait a few days. We need to get our mock-up ready.”
“I see,” Brody said, sounding disappointed, “how much time do you need?”
“A week. We will need to requisition permits and reach out to our decorators. It will take time.”
“Then take your time. Can’t wait to see you again. Talk soon.”
Then the line went dead and Anna’s hand dropped to her side. A smile spread on her face. She clearly had chosen the wrong party boy, but she would be fixing that sooner rather than later.
*****
It took less than a week to get everything they needed. Every designer in New York was calling them. The best way to spread news among the elite was to say it was a secret and then suddenly it’s on everyone’s lips. Anna and Keith had a team of designers working on acquiring the best furniture from every corner of the world, paintings from Italy, rugs from the Middle East, and dishes and silverware that once belonged to Napoleon himself. All of the old items in the Penthouse were being dusted and wiped down for auction and the auction houses were already buzzing with the news of the impending sale. Anna had done her very best to avoid both Aiden and Brody, though both kept her phone buzzing.
“You can’t ignore them forever; you know that right?” Keith said, plopping a stack of city permits on Anna’s desk.
“I’m not avoiding anyone. Are these all of them?” Anna asked, unrolling the architect’s drawings and scanning them.
The space really was filled with so much potential. Sure, there were many unnecessary walls and small rooms leading nowhere, but that was typical of many buildings built during that time. Now that the walls were knocked down in the drawing it was on track to be a masterpiece.
“I know you heard me, Ms. Smith,” Keith said, a trace of humor in his voice.
Anna looked up, feeling her face grow pink with heat.
“I—slept with one of them,” Anna said, tucking her hair behind her ear.
“I see. Which one?” Keith asked, shutting her office door.
“Does it matter?”
Keith proffered a weak smile and shrugged.
“I guess not. We’re in pretty deep at this point. You really want to quit now?”
“No, it’s just—”
“You’re a grown woman. No judgment here. I think they’re both idiots but to each their own. Are we both in, all in, with this project? I mean there is a lot of money on the table, more than we have ever made. We’re partners.”
“I still want to do it. I can be a big girl I suppose.”
Keith smiled and nodded before he turned to leave.
Anna slumped back in her leather office chair and pinched her eyes closed as her phone rang again. It was Brody.
“Hello,” Anna said, sitting up straight.
“She lives,” Brody said with a low chuckle.
“We’ve started gutting it, but it’s still in the works. I’ve been very busy making your new, let’s see, brothel.”
“You’re as funny as you are pretty. I know you said a week, but I was wondering if you could meet me at the E.”
“Meet you there? It’s under construction.”
“Well, I had a room fixed up nice so that I could say thank you. It’s simple to be sure, but I figured you could give me a tour and I could say thank you with a bottle of French champagne.”
“Sounds tempting.”
“Is that a yes?”
“I can’t build your brothel if I’m having champagne.”
“It’s not a brothel. I plan on having a family there someday. My children will run those halls.”
“Ha. And how many women will father these children?”
Brody laughed loudly in the receiver and Anna could not help but laugh too. She was liking Brody more and more every day.
“Fine, I’ll come, if you behave.”
“Now, you and I both know you don’t want me to behave.”
Anna bit her bottom lip and hung up the phone. Her schedule was full, but she was too curious. Anna buzzed her assistant, Evan, and had him clear her schedule for the day. From the stony look on his face, Anna could tell he thought she was ill.
“Are you sick?” Evan asked.
“Nope, just on a mission.”
Evan narrowed his green eyes at her, but said nothing. Anna had never taken a day off in all the time Evan had worked for her. She once came in with swine flu, before anyone in New York knew what it was and how dangerous in was. She was the consummate workaholic.
Anna grabbed her purse, pinched her cheeks and headed out the door. Keith watched her walk by him, whipping around to see her enter the elevator and offer a mock salute as the stainless steel elevator doors shut close. She never ever took a day off. She never took chances, especially with men. It was all work, but now she wanted something else. She wanted to experience more out of life besides work.
“Taxi!” Anna yelled, jogging out of the building.
A yellow cab skid to a halt and took off before Anna had the door all the way closed.
“You in? Sorry, traffic is a damn nightmare,” the cab driver said gruffly speeding off down 8th avenue.
Anna nodded that she understood and rattled off directions. The cab driver looked at her like she had three heads.
“That building’s been abandoned for decades, sweetheart. Hell, a big-haired ghost might get you,” the cab driver said with a dry, hacking laugh.
Anna smirked and stared down at her phone. Brody had not texted her, but she hoped he at least expected her.
“You buying that place or something? I think I’ve seen your face on the billboards on 34th street.”
“Ha! Me? I couldn’t afford to do anything but decorate it.”
“Well, New York will be interesting if that place comes back. God, my dad used to tell me stories about it. This is his cab, you know.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yep. That’s where husbands would go to forget about their wives and families. Bad reputation.”
Anna’s stomach sank and she thought of Brody’s words about a family.
“It can be different,” Anna said after a long pause.
“Or it just can be the same.”
*****
The elevator, the largest Anna had ever been inside of, creaked and groaned like a root being pulled from the earth. According to the city documents the elevator was safe but the shrieking noise it made as it came to a stop at the penthouse level begged to differ with the city inspector. The massive grey penthouse was like a maze with many rooms leading nowhere. The smell was a mixture of a room that had been sealed off for too long and a breeze that seemed to be coming from nowhere.
“Hello?” Anna called out.
She walked deeper into to the space, careful to step over paint cans, plastic tarp and scaffolding. As the presumed living room came into focus, Anna saw a large fur rug placed on the floor with a basket. She grinned at it and looked around for Brody. She jumped as she felt hands cover her eyes.
“I intended to meet you downstairs, but you are a little too punctual for me,” Brody whispered in her ear.
She tried not to grin, but his energy was infectious. She whipped around to face him and he did not disappoint. He was tanned and his perfect white teeth dazzled against his bronzed skin. He was wearing a five o’clock shadow proudly and his long tousled hair was framing his boyish face. He looked like trouble and apparently, trouble was making Anna very wet.
“You look beautiful,” Brody said, tucking her hair behind her ears.
“Are you usually so forward?” Anna asked, stepping backward.
“Is forward the same as honest? If so, yes.”
Anna bit her bottom lip and turned away from him trying to compose herself.
“So, about all of these walls will be knocked down,” Anna said, jutting her chin to the jigsaw-style walls.
“Are you changing the subject intentionally?”
Brody closed the gap Anna created between them and Anna felt her cheeks warm.
“Look, I know what you’re doing, Brody. I’m flattered, but—”
“Why’d you come here?” Brody asked with a cheeky smile.
“To show you the work we’ve done so far.”
“Ah, I thought you’d say that. So, you won’t mind that I brought Aiden?”
Anna blanched and felt her eyes widen. From behind one of the obtrusive walls, Aiden walked out looking sheepish.
“Hey Anna,” Aiden said, waving.
He looked handsome in a polo shirt and jeans despite his clearly guilty expression.
“What is this?” Anna asked, crossing her arms.
“An apology from me,” Aiden said, touching his chest.
Anna relaxed slightly, looking up at Brody and then Aiden. She was torn. While she was happy to see Aiden, a part of her wanted a moment with Brody. Now that they were both here, she had no idea who she wanted.
“I’m the mediator,” Brody said, “and I wanted to see your gorgeous face again.”
“Look, I appreciate the apology, but I’m not—You both—God, I’m not making any sense,” Anna said, touching her forehead.
“Oh,” Brody said, tilting his head to the side, a grin spreading across his face.
“Oh what?” Aiden asked, looking confused.
“I know that face,” Brody said.
“What face?” Anna asked, knotting her fingers together.
“You want—both of us,” Brody said, raising an eyebrow at her.
Anna stepped back, trying to look affronted.
“Is that true, Anna?” Aiden asked, his expression unreadable.
“I—well—crap,” Anna said, backing into a wall.
Aiden and Brody looked at each other and then back at Anna.
“We’re yours, Anna. What would you like to do with us?” Brody asked, looking at her darkly.
“What?” An
na asked, feeling chills run down her body.
“You heard him,” Aiden said, flashing her a crooked smile.
Anna straightened up, realizing they were serious. She walked closer to them and they approached her—together. She looked left at Brody and then leaned up and kissed him. It was rough and deep. She felt his hands run down her spine and cup her ass gruffly. Then she turned and kissed Aiden. It was soft, smooth like honey. He was touching her face, tangling his fingers in her hair. She could hear Brody unbuckling his pants in the background and she kept kissing Aiden.
“Take your clothes off,” Anna said to Aiden.
Aiden winked at her and obeyed. Anna pulled her dress over her head, dropping it on the floor as Aiden pulled her over to the rug.
“Well, how would like us?” Aiden asked, cupping her chin in his large hands.
“Lie down,” Anna said, breathlessly to Aiden.
Aiden obeyed and Anna climbed on top of him, after pulling off her panties. She signaled Brody over. He smiled and came over, leaning her forward and straddling her from behind. Anna could not believe it. She was filled with two of the most beautiful men she had ever seen it her life. She was soaking and Brody took inch after inch of her ass. Anna grinded slow against Aiden, feeling him swell inside of her. Aiden held her thighs, guiding her, holding her steady as she climaxed hard on top of him.
She was so slick and shaking with pleasure as Aiden pulled her into a deep kiss, and also gave Brody better access. Brody slapped her ass hard as he came loudly behind her. Brody collapsed beside them and Anna looked back down at Aiden. He flipped her over, so she was on her back looking up at him.
“You’re so beautiful,” Aiden said, biting her bottom lip.
Anna grinned into his kiss as he dove inside of her again.
“I hope you enjoyed that because I’m never sharing you again,” Aiden whispered in her ear.
Before Anna could answer, he sucked on her nipple hard, forcing her to arch her back. He stroked harder and faster inside of her until her body was coated in sweat. Anna moaned loudly as every nerve in her body was awakened under Aiden’s touch. They came together and Aiden collapsed on top of Anna. Brody laughed and Anna sat up, suddenly remembered they weren’t alone.
In Time to Love Page 76