Risking It All

by Ambrielle Kirk

  She could do this. She could do last week’s laundry, wash and change the old bed sheets, mop and sweep the first floor, prepare for listing several new properties for posting at midnight tonight, answer many emails and a dozen phone calls, research properties that would be of interest to Quinton, go to the grocery to grab the ingredients for tonight’s dinner, go meet and show Quinton a few properties on his list, and then come back home before five and have dinner ready on the table for Michael before six. She’d run around like a chicken with its head cut-off before to get things accomplished and she would again.

  **

  It was about eleven when her business cell rang. She placed the digital camera she had been fumbling with on her desk. Without looking at the caller id, she took the call. “Julissa Lorenzo.”

  “Hi, Beautiful.”

  Her heart jumped and the phone almost fell from her hand when she heard Quinton’s voice. Even though, she was expecting his call, she was so caught up in getting the new properties listed that she had almost forgotten about her plans with him. It appeared that he had no problems researching her company in the phone book and obtaining the number to her direct office line.

  “You still there?”

  “Uh…yes…”

  “If I caught you at a bad time, let me know. I can call you back or give you my cell number and you can call me when you’re less occupied.”

  Quinton’s voice sounded so refreshing. She only wished that she could see his face right now.

  “No…now’s a good time. Actually, I need to know what you’re interested in, so I can check the properties and contact the owners, if necessary.”

  “How’s the housing market here in Atlanta? I was thinking about starting out with a duplex or small apartment building or something like that. Possibly a property with tenants already on site.”

  “Any particular side of town?”

  “An up and coming, growing area.”

  “Great! I’ll make a couple phone calls and make it happen. I have a few friends that close on properties like these all the time, so I’ll call them about some listings.” Julissa jotted some notes down on the pad in front of her. “Can you meet me at the same hotel at about two?”

  “Yes, I’m there.”

  “Alright, see you then.” Julissa prepared to hang up.

  “Wait a minute, baby. Are you trying to run me off the phone?”

  “No…I didn’t know you had something else to say.”

  “How has your morning been going? Are you doing alright?”

  “It’s been a busy morning, but I’m getting things done. Thanks for asking. And yours?”

  “Okay so far. Got some work done earlier this morning at the hotel, believe it or not. It’s good to hear your voice again. You left out kind of early on Saturday.”

  “Oh. I was a little exhausted.”

  “Me, too. Well, guess I’ll see you here around two.”

  “See you, then.” When Julissa hung up, she held the cell phone in her hand for a long time staring into space. She ceased daydreaming when the sound of her computer ringing informed her that she had a new email message.

  Smiling, she started with her next task—searching property listings for the afternoon ahead.

  **

  Feeling surprisingly nervous, she pulled into the parking lot of the hotel where Christina had just had her wedding on Saturday. Julissa hadn’t felt this nervous in a long time. In fact, she could only remember feeling this way when she showed her very first client a property. Now, she was feeling the same way over again. Not only was it the excitement of working with a new client for the first time, but she felt something extra. Something she couldn’t really explain at the moment.

  She picked up her cell phone and dialed Quinton’s phone number. He answered after the first ring. “Hello?”

  “Hi, it’s Julissa. I’m parked out front.”

  “I’ll be right down.”

  Julissa took the few minutes to straighten out her hair with her fingers and reapply her shiny lip gloss. When Quinton appeared through the revolving doors of the hotel, she paused for a few seconds to admire him. He was the tallest and finest man standing under the entry way. He stood at least six feet four inches tall.

  He stopped in his tracks and looked from left to right, obviously trying to spot her in her car.

  Julissa opened the door, got out, and waved him over. Even though, he was far away, she noted the big smile that spread across his face.

  He started walking towards her car, and the way he moved with each step was like watching a movie star or a famous music artist step across the red carpet. What was it called? Swagger. And Quinton had it. His look was casual today with black dress pants and gray knit Polo shirt.

  “Hi.” He was so close to her, that she could smell his intoxicating cologne. “These are for you.” He held out a flower arrangement to her. “I appreciate you doing this for me despite my impromptu request.”

  “Thank you.” Julissa blushed, and lowered her eyes to the yellow and white arrangement of lilies, roses, and daisy. “They smell nice. But you didn’t have to since this is about business.”

  “Yes, I had to.

  He checked out her attire…maybe even her body. She wore a low cut blouse, black jet set knit pants, and sandal pumps.

  His eyes met hers. “You look nice, as always.”

  Julissa didn’t miss the way he licked his top lips ever so slightly. She gestured towards her car. “Well, shall we start driving.”

  “I will drive if you like—”

  “No, besides, I have all the listings programmed in my GPS system. From what you told me, you’ve never been to this area of Atlanta before, so we don’t need to get lost.”

  “You sure? You can bring your GPS system in my truck, can’t you?”

  Julissa slid her bottom in the driver seat of her car. “No need for all that. Trust me, I’ll do the driving, and you just jump in on the other side.”

  He laughed quietly and gave her a suggestive smile. “I admire a woman that likes to take charge.”

  As Quinton closed the door and walked over to the other side, she tried desperately to wipe the giddy schoolgirl smile off her face. When he was comfortably buckled in his seat, Julissa turned towards him. “I actually found five listings that may be of interest to you. We may not get to every listing today, but we will certainly try.”

  She had no problems putting on a professional demeanor in the most uncomfortable situations. Besides, this was about business, and nothing else.

  “The first property is about twenty minutes away. It’s a small duplex building with about 10 three bedroom units. There are six units already occupied.”

  Julissa backed out of the parking lot and began to maneuver her car onto the highway. “The property has been on the market three months, the owner has relocated overseas, and the price has been reduced by at least twenty thousand within the past month.” She reached for the notepad tucked conveniently in the sun visor. “Built in the 1990s, slab foundation, all brick exterior, approximately—”

  “Wow!” Quinton interrupted her. “All this information you’re throwing at me…I might as well have taken some aspirin.”

  “What type of information do you usually gather about a property to make your purchase decision?”

  “To tell you the truth…I don’t really go out and scout properties for myself. Not as often as I should, anyway. I give my agent the details and they go look for me. I get involved only after the inspection has taken place.”

  “Oh. So, I take it you have people who work for you?”

  “Something along those lines. I work with a company that handles the management aspect of it.”

  “So, this is the first time that you’ve actually gone out on your own to look for a property?”

  “Not quite. In the beginning, when I started up, I did all these things myself. I’ve made hefty returns from my investments, so I’m thinking about managing most of my own operation
s. I guess this will be the first step.”

  “That sounds like a good idea.”

  “I’ve been procrastinating on this for about a year now. I figure that if I just get started and make things happen, then I won’t have the opportunity to procrastinate.”

  “Not trying to discourage you, but what makes you believe that you can do this all on your own now. I mean, you just told me that you hire people to manage your properties in Florida, but have you experienced what it will actually take to make your business successful?”

  “I have a pretty good idea. Besides, I won’t be all on my own. There will be certain aspects that I will have to contract out.”

  “I see.”

  “Of course I would need someone like you, a realtor, on my team.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “That was supposed to be a question, Julissa.”

  “Huh? I don’t have experience in commercial properties, Quinton, I told you that. I wouldn’t be of any real value to your business.”

  “Yes, you would. Richard said that you’re a great realtor. He told me how many homes you close on a weekly basis.”

  “My client base is from referrals. I started out with a first time homebuyer base and that base grew when first time clients contacted me again when they were ready to upgrade. Besides, I close residential, not commercial.”

  “That would be perfect. Part of my business plan is to expand into the residential market. Interested?”

  Julissa stole a glance at him and couldn’t stand to say no to that face. “I’ll do what I can to help.”

  “Can I ask you a personal question, Julissa?”

  “Yeah…” Julissa replied, slowly.

  “Are you…uh…you know, never mind, not important.”

  “What? What were you going to ask me?” Julissa pulled up in front the first property on their list.

  “Is this the place?”

  “Yes.” Julissa parked the car and turned off the engine.

  Before she knew it, Quinton had jumped out of the car and was on her side to open the door for her. At least Julissa could say that he had proper manners.

  They both stayed close together as Quinton toured a couple vacant units and spoke with some of the tenants standing outside about the condition of the apartments. After taking a few notes on his Blackberry, he nodded his head in approval and asked if she was ready to see the other property.

  At the second property, she could tell that Quinton wasn’t the least bit interested. The townhomes were a little bit older and appeared to be unkempt compared to the previous property. He showed his disinterest by making small talk with her about her experiences as a realtor. She decided that she had time to show him one more. Another multi-dwelling property featuring townhomes and flats. The building was only thirty percent occupied and most of the units needed interior renovations. From the way, Quinton combed through every inch of some of the vacant units, Julissa could tell that he was very interested. Being a realtor for some time now, she knew what to look for when trying to tell if a client was mildly interested, very interested, or not interested at all.

  While he was studying the units, Julissa couldn’t help but study him. Everything about the man seemed perfect, from the way he rocked the outfit he was wearing from the way his hair was lined up and well-groomed along his face. And how could she miss the bulgy arm muscles protruding from his short sleeved shirt? She had never touched any man with muscles that tight. Julissa was certain that he looked like the male strippers under all his clothes that she, Christina, and Shanice had enjoyed weeks ago at Christina’s bachelorette party.

  The three buttons to his polo shirt were not fastened and she longed to get a peek at what else was under that shirt. Quinton reached one arm up, without struggle, to examine the light fixture hanging from the galley kitchen. On instinct, Julissa’s eyes went to the bulge in his pants. He had a nice sizable package. If she didn’t know any better, she would have sworn the bulge was just dying to be freed from the pants that hid them. She wondered if he wore boxers or briefs?

  The sound of Quinton clearing his throat made her snap out of thought. His hands had suddenly fallen to his sides, apparently while she’d literally drooled from ogling him. Had he realized…?

  Her face felt like it had just gotten fifty degrees hotter as she felt the blood rush to it. “I’m sorry. I, I just…” She was caught and she didn’t even know how to play it off.

  Her cell phone rang. “Excuse me…” She released the device from the holster on her hip. “Julissa Lorenzo.” She lowered her eyes from Quinton as the caller revealed herself.

  “Julissa…it’s Martha.” Martha was her boss at the office. “Are you busy?”

  “I’m showing a listing to a client.”

  “Okay. I didn’t see that here on your calendar. You must have forgotten to put it in. Anyway, don’t you have a closing tomorrow, Hon?”

  “Yes, Martha. The Smiths, at ten tomorrow morning.”

  “Oh, that’s right. Julissa, I need to ask you a favor. I’m still in New York on a conference and training that has been extended. I have an interview for the new realtor position scheduled for tomorrow at eight in the morning. Do you think you can handle that interview and give me the details when I get back?”

  “Uh…I’d have to push up another engagement to that afternoon, but that shouldn’t be a problem.” Julissa had always been Martha’s go to girl when she needed help. Julissa was flattered by it, but most of the time Martha asked for favors at the very last minute.

  “Thanks, Hon. I appreciate it. Her name is Jenna Barnes. I left her resume and application in the top drawer of my desk. I’ll shoot you an email tonight. Adios!”

  When she hung up the phone, she looked up at Quinton, who was leaning on the kitchen counter, one leg crossed over the other, making notes in his Blackberry.

  “How do you like this one?” Maybe they could both forget about the embarrassment a few moments before.

  “I like this one a lot.”

  “It’s bank-owned. Been on the market for thirteen days.”

  “I’m sending an email to my banker down in Florida. I’ve also arranged for an inspector to come out tomorrow to take a look at it. I’ll be able to tell you pretty soon if this is a go.”

  She didn’t expect that. “You’re really serious about all this, aren’t you?”

  He laughed. “Yes, I’m really serious. What did you think? That I was wasting your time. That I just made up a story to be with you.”

  Julissa paused before speaking, trying to read between the lines. “No, I should hope that you’re not wasting my time.”

  Quinton steadied himself, walking closer to her. “The truth is...I really did want to spend time with you.”

  “You did?” Suddenly, she was uncomfortable and started walking towards the door.

  “Yes, I did.”

  “That’s nice of you, Quinton. I enjoyed showing you these properties.”

  “Call me Q, please.”

  She slammed the door to the unit shut. “Alright, Q. Shall we move on to the next one or are we done for today?”

  He opened the car door for her. “I’m pretty exhausted. I know you are, too. Can I treat you to dinner, instead?”

  Suddenly, Julissa remembered something and she looked down at the time on her cell phone. “Oh, shit!” It was four thirty. She told herself that she would be done by four and back home by five, so that she could prepare dinner for Michael. “I really need to get home. I’m sorry.”

  Quinton frowned. “I understand. Maybe next time.”

  On the drive back to the hotel, both were really quiet. She could tell that he was a little disappointed that she’d turned down his invitation to dinner.

  “I’ll give you a call tomorrow,” Quinton said, as he exited the car.

  “Yes, you do that. I’ll have some more details for you about the last property.

  “Well, until next time, Julissa. Thank you for doing this for me.”

>   “It was no problem, Q.”

  Quinton shut the door and Julissa sped off not even waiting to see him walk thru the door of the hotels. It was almost five o’ clock and there was no way that she could beat Michael home in time to make dinner.

  Julissa punched a few keys on her GPS system. Picking up her cell phone, she dialed the number that was displayed across the LCD screen.

  The phone rang three times before someone picked up. “Island Grill Mexican Restaurant. Are you calling for delivery or pickup?”

  **

  When she got home, Michael was not sitting on the couch as usual in front of the television. His car was in the garage, so Julissa knew he was there. It had taken longer than she thought for the Mexican restaurant to prepare the food, so here she was walking in the house at six fifteen. She placed her bags on the kitchen counter, leaving the bouquet of flowers that Quinton had given her on the counter. She’d put them in the vase on the kitchen window sill later.

  Michael’s voice from upstairs confirmed he was in the bedroom. When she walked in, he was on his cell phone. What really concerned her was seeing his suitcase opened on the bed. Was he packing? What was going on? Was he upset about her not having dinner on the table?

  She turned the corner and spotted him in the walk-in closet, cell phone in one hand, clothes hangers in the other.

  “I have no idea, Teddy…Yeah…seven a.m.…too many problems, just too many…alright.”

  Seeing that he was occupied, she sat on the bed beside the suitcase and waited.

  “We’ll talk later.” Michael dismissed the person on the other end, and then turned around. He didn’t look surprised to see her.

  “Honey, what’s going on? Why are you packing?”

  “Julissa, what usual happens next when people pack their bags.” He strolled over to the bed with no expression on his face and began folding the garments neatly into the suitcase.

  “Are you going somewhere? Don’t tell me you’re mad. What did I do this time?”

  Michael looked at her and lifted one eyebrow. “You’re quick to think I’m mad because you’ve been doing something wrong. So have you done something wrong?”