by Haley Travis
“Thank you for helping me order everything I need for my new home,” he said. “At least, for now.”
I kissed him again quickly, then went inside, flopping on my bed and wondering how the hell I got so lucky. He was utterly perfect. I adored the way I felt about myself when he was around. I didn’t even know that was possible.
I was going to have to make Joel understand. If he could just see us together, or get to know Steve a little better, I knew that he would lighten up. If not, I might suddenly have to get another job in a heck of a hurry.
CHAPTER TWELVE
* Steve *
Sunday afternoon, while movers and decorators were unpacking and arranging everything, I hid in my office to set everything up the way I liked it. I was grateful that the staging company could recommend some personal assistants to help with the tasks at hand. I didn’t care what it cost, I simply wanted everything done and settled as quickly as possible.
There were some occasions when throwing money at a problem really did make it go away, and made life much easier. Since I had no particularly expensive habits, I felt that it was reasonable. Yet I couldn’t quite bring myself to begin working on a Sunday. Instead, I called Heather in the early evening.
“Hello, gorgeous. How is your day going?”
“Pretty good,” she said. There was some shuffling as if she was getting settled in a chair.
“You won’t believe this place the next time you visit,” I said. “I think it will be pretty much complete in another hour.”
“Wow,” she breathed. “You don’t waste any time, do you?”
“Time is never to be wasted,” I chuckled. “If you know something is right, run with it.”
I heard a tiny sigh. “I hope that works with us.” She sounded worried.
“As soon as Joel finds out that our relationship will not change your work life one bit, he will probably relax. Won’t he?” I asked.
“I’m not sure,” she said. “He really is quite overprotective, and you’re a stranger.”
I nodded to myself. “Okay, I’ll take care of that.”
Heather laughed lightly. “You can just snap your fingers and make everything turn out alright?”
“It won’t be quite that simple, but yes. There’s always a way of making things work out fine.”
“I like that about you,” she said softly. “I like that you see a problem, and just jump in to fix it.”
“Of course. Problems never get fixed if you leave them alone. So, what are you doing with the rest of your day?”
Heather told me about the wonderful book she was reading, and her haul from the local farmer’s market that morning. “Maybe next week I could come with you,” I suggested.
“Oh.” She sounded surprised. “You want to go vegetable shopping?”
“I’d like to do absolutely anything if you are my company,” I chuckled. “But I do prefer buying things directly from the farmers when I can.”
“That would be great,” she said.
“Well, I should probably let you go and check on the state of the kitchen,” I said. “All of the dishes that you selected are being washed and put away.”
“I can’t believe you went with all of my choices.”
“You have excellent taste. And I want you to be extremely comfortable in my home.”
“I think I already am,” she said. I could just picture her soft eyes looking up at me with that shy little smile.
“I’ll see you soon, sweetheart,” I said softly. “Miss you already.”
“Miss you too.”
After checking all of the activity in the kitchen and living room, and handing everyone a generous tip, I was alone in my charming, slightly extravagant, properly furnished condo. Strolling to the window, I could already tell that this corner was going to be my spot to watch the water and think.
There must be a way to ease the tension with Joel, and make him understand that I was a great match for Heather. Perhaps simply opening the door would help him give me a chance.
The next morning, I finished all of my work by three, then called Heather at work. “Highfield Real Estate Brokerage, Heather speaking, how may I help you?”
“Hello, Heather. This is Steve Oxford calling. I was wondering if Joel was in the office right now?”
“Oh. He’s in a meeting, but that should be finished up in about fifteen minutes.”
“Excellent. I’ll just be dropping by for a moment.”
She hesitated. “May I ask what this is pertaining to?”
“I simply wanted to thank him for his assistance,” I said. “Thank you, Heather. I’ll see you shortly.”
Fifteen minutes later, I walked into their office just as two men in dark blue suits were leaving. Joel looked surprised to see me, especially when he saw my hands were full.
“I’m sorry to barge in, but I wondered if you had just a few minutes?” I asked.
He nodded, leading me to his office. I paused at Heather’s desk. She was so pretty, in a crisp white blouse and dark blue skirt, her blonde hair elegantly pulled over one shoulder.
I placed a bouquet of pink daisies on Heather’s desk, giving her a wink as I closed Joel’s office door behind us. I handed him a gift box.
“What’s this for?” he asked.
“It’s a thank you gift,” I said. “Many other real estate agents would have puttered around for weeks, touring endless properties simply so that they could tell their clients how many times it had been shown. You didn’t waste my time. I ended up with precisely what I needed. I appreciate that.”
He looked a bit wary, but opened the box. It was a rare Irish whiskey, and I could see from the look on his face that he was extremely impressed. I may have done a little research last night on his social media page to find out that he was a fan of fine whiskey.
“Thank you, Steve, but this is a bit much.”
“Not at all. I hope that you enjoy it.”
I sat back in my chair a bit more. “I was also hoping that you had a moment to discuss something far more important.”
Joel’s eyes narrowed. “My sister. Don’t think you can bribe me in order to–”
I held up my hands. “I would never bribe a soul. This is simply a conversation.”
He gave me a flat stare. “Go ahead.”
“I completely understand the urge to be overprotective around a sweet young girl. I really do. If I were in your position, I would probably be giving the guy in this chair the same look.”
Rule number one of business negotiations was always to establish that everyone in the room was on the same team. He nodded, so I hoped it was working already.
“I was not expecting to find the woman of my dreams on my first full day in town,” I tried to smile warmly. “But these things happen. The last thing I would want to do would be to create stress between the two of you, or interfere with her job in any way.”
He pursed his lips. “And the fact that you’re at least ten years older than she is?”
“It doesn’t bother me in the slightest. It doesn’t bother her. She’s over twenty-one. Beyond that, I don’t think it matters.”
“I think it matters that you’re some rich guy swooping in to pick up a naïve young girl who is easily dazzled.”
“I’m hoping to drive her to the farmer’s market next weekend,” I said with a smile. “I don’t know how that rates on the dazzle scale.”
To my great relief, Joel chuckled.
“Listen,” I continued, “I know there are a lot of wealthy men who treat women like accessories to be shown off. I’m not like that. I adore her. I hang on every word she speaks. I don’t want her as a plaything, I want to treat her like the sweet, precious queen that I think she is.”
Joel leaned back, his fingers drumming on the polished desk. “I certainly wasn’t expecting that.”
“Neither was I,” I shrugged. “I came here to purchase a home. But the second I saw her, the first time she laughed with me, she had my heart.”
He nodded. “I guess if you’re open enough to share that with me, you’ll probably be open and honest with her.”
“Absolutely,” I said. “The only thing I’ve kept from her is why I came to see you today. And I’ll be informing her in just a moment.”
Joel laughed, reaching out to shake my hand. “Okay, Steve. I’ll back off. As long as you continue treating her like a queen, and really listen to her, carry on.”
“Thank you,” I said, standing up. “Now please allow me to tell Heather that everything is alright, since she is probably worried sick.”
Joel nodded, waving to the door.
I rushed out to Heather’s desk, where she was practically cowering in her chair. I dropped to my knees, wrapping my arms around her. “It’s alright, precious. Take a breath.”
Joel leaned over her desk. “Heather, I’m sorry that I interfered. He’s a pretty good guy. At least, I think so. I’ll stay out of your way, as long as you give me occasional reports that he’s treating you well. Is that fair?”
Heather looked back and forth between us, stunned, then nodded.
“And I’ve promised not to interfere with your work,” I said gently. “What time do you finish today?”
“Five. Um, maybe five-fifteen, I have to finish a few things.”
“I’ll be in a coffee shop downstairs,” I said. “You take your time, and text me when I can drive you home. Alright?”
Her sweet smile and nod made my heart sing. “Sure. Thank you.”
I stood up to shake Joel’s hand again, then hurried out so that she could focus.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
* Heather *
Joel hovered over my desk for a moment after Steve left. “Listen, I’m sorry. I want you to be careful with that guy, but I shouldn’t have made you so worried. Are we good?”
I nodded. “Yeah.”
“Okay. What else do I have today?”
My eyes flicked to the schedule. “You have a few conference calls, and then Erin Connor will be here at five.”
Joel nodded. “That’s the interview for the assistant for David and Brad?”
“Yes. I skimmed her resume as you asked, and although she doesn’t have a lot of experience, she seems eager.” I smiled up at him. “Enthusiasm counts for quite a bit, doesn’t it?”
“Absolutely.”
“She was also very sharp in her email.”
Joel nodded. “Good.”
I knew that Joel was desperate to find a good assistant for the other two agents. They were both excellent salesmen , but they often missed the little details. Double booking meetings, and arriving everywhere rushed and late did not make a very good first impression.
I genuinely hoped that Erin would connect with Joel and be hired immediately. It would certainly take a tiny bit of work off my plate so I could focus on larger things.
Erin arrived right on time, and I showed her into Joel’s office. Finishing a few extra tasks, I was finished at quarter after five. I sent Steve a text from the elevator, and he met me in the lobby, pulling me in for a close hug.
I couldn’t believe I was so absolutely comfortable with him as he kept an arm around me, leading me to his car and driving me the short distance to his place.
As we went inside and slipped off our shoes, he said, “I want to see your home, Heather. I want to know absolutely everything about you. Perhaps on Sunday, we can go to your farmer’s market, then I can drive you and your groceries home.” He flashed me the most adorable smile. “I can attempt to make you dinner if you like.”
That was the last thing on the list. Being open to fancy extravagant dates, and just hanging out. I couldn’t believe it. This handsome, caring, brilliant man checked off every single box on my list, plus he seemed utterly infatuated with me.
“Hey,” he said softly, gently caressing my back as we walked toward his new dining room table. “Are you okay, sweetheart?”
I nodded. “The table is perfect in the space,” I said.
He slipped off his suit jacket and tossed it over a chair. “You seem distracted. Is something wrong?”
“I…” Looking up into his stunning deep eyes, I couldn’t hold back any longer. “It just hit me all at once that you’re really the one, and you’re everything I’ve been looking for. I feel like I should be flustered, or overwhelmed. Instead I just feel… Relieved. And so incredibly happy.”
Steve led me to the window, wrapping his arms around me and holding me gently as he kissed the top of my hair. “I’m incredibly grateful to hear you say that, Heather. I’ve already fallen for you completely, and I’m glad we’re on the same page.”
“Really?” He nodded slowly, his eyes positively glowing with love. Looking up at him, I blurted, “I still don’t quite get it.”
“Get what?”
“Get how someone like you could be interested in someone like me. I mean… I’m glad, of course. It’s just a bit strange.”
“My beautiful sweetheart,” he murmured. “Don’t worry, my angel. I’ll help bring you out of your shell if you like. You have a partner now. We’re a team. So hopefully every little stress you’ve ever had will either disappear or at least be cut in half, since I’m here to share it with you.”
“You always say the most perfect things,” I smiled.
“I hope you’ll still think so after I say this,” he winked. “I would really like to spend a little time with you lying on my new couch.”
Feeling his hand at the base of my spine, his lips skimming across my cheek, and the enchanting way he was looking at me, something deep inside me shifted. I’d never felt lust before, but I was pretty sure this was it. Shocking myself, I said, “Or, we could go to your bedroom.”
Kissing along my eyebrow, then down my jaw, he murmured, “Anything you like, sweetheart.”
Steve took my hand as we went down the hall to his enormous master suite. His arm snaked around my waist, pulling my hips and lips against him at the same time. He kissed me with his entire body. I realized in that instant I was prepared to give myself to him completely.
“I know that I’m already too obsessed with you,” he whispered, tickling his lips down the front of my throat as he tilted me backward. “I want you so badly, Heather. But I will happily wait as long as you like, for anything and everything.”
I clearly had a choice to make. I could either let myself feel overwhelmed, or I could give in to what I was truly feeling, and live in the moment. My hands made the decision for me, reaching up to loosen his tie and slip it off, throwing it behind me.
His grin was positively dazzling. “I see that my sexy new girlfriend likes making a mess in the bedroom.” He reached for the zipper on the back of my skirt, waiting for me to give him a tiny nod before proceeding.
I slipped off my white blouse while he grinned. As soon as I wiggled out of it and the fabric hit the floor, I was proud of myself for being so bold. Steve was absolutely staring at me as I stood before him in nothing but a dark gray silk bra and panties.
“You’re breathtaking,” he whispered.
Sweeping my hair back, he kissed along my neck, my shoulder blade, as I unbuttoned his shirt. I could feel myself getting hot and wet, my panties suddenly feeling tight as one of his hands skimmed along my ass. His lips nuzzled along my skin, reaching the top of my breast. He unhooked my bra, sliding it off and immediately pulling my nipple between his lips. Suddenly I was so turned on I could hardly breathe.
“Heather, my sweetheart,” he murmured, his voice husky with desire as I watched his dark eyes. “May I taste you? I’m so hungry for this gorgeous body, and need to make you feel amazing.” His burning eyes locked on mine. It was so strangely intense.
“Yes,” I whispered.
Immediately he picked me up, laying me gently in the center of his bed. He kissed along my stomach, around my hip, then lazily wandered back to my other breast, sucking my nipple until I moaned beneath him. My hand lashed out to grip his bicep.
“I lo
ve how expressive you are,” he murmured, tracing the curve of my breast with his fingertip. “I wonder what little noises you’ll make for me if I meander down here…”
He kissed me gently, dreamily, as he slowly pulled off my panties. I’d never felt this open to anyone before, but instead of fear, I felt excitement. It was shocking how much I wanted him, and I could feel tiny sparks of pleasure everywhere he touched me. As his fingers gently explored between my legs, I gasped into his mouth.