Chapter 1
The Franklin Brothers. The mention of their name alone turned heads. People associated the name with business savvy and wealth, and the huge offices they inhabited on Wall Street. In business and in social settings, they were the epitome of success. They were squeaky clean in reputation and in appearance. The older brother, Adam Franklin, was thirty-two, but looked like he was in his mid-twenties, with his mysterious dark green eyes , a full head of reddish-brown hair, and the constant playboy smirk on his boyish face. Blake Franklin was only thirty years old, but he seemed older and more mature than his brother. And his shocking dark blue eyes and pure red hair made him the more striking of the two.
Sophia had seen their pictures, of course. Their faces were often in Forbes, a magazine she religiously pursued for business information and opportunity. Sometimes she also spotted them on the cover of Esquire and other men’s magazines in racks all over the city. They were local celebrities, names that everyone knew. Their financial prowess and wealth, their presence in the splashy Manhattan social scene, and their appearances at every big event or party, made them staples in the glitzy New York society.
But Sophia never expected to ever meet them in person. In fact, the Franklin boys were the last things on her mind which was totally occupied by her move to a new condo on the twenty-seventh floor in the Upper East Side and her new life there. Sophia had much bigger things to think about at the moment.
She sighed and shook her long, beautiful black hair over her shoulders as she carried her next load of belongings into the elevator. She had not even bothered to put her hair up or wear makeup today. Though she was lovely, she hardly looked polished or sleek, like the new columnist for the New York Times that she was.
While Sophia was thrilled with her glossy new title, at the job of her dreams, and her new condo, she was not able to shake the sense that she had somehow failed. The dissolution of her marriage and the distracting absence of a wedding band on her ring-finger kept her down. It was hard to accept that her predestined marriage to Tony was officially over. She should have seen it coming, but was in denial. Anyway, she was now a single woman, living alone in NYC. At least she got to keep the condo.
Just as the elevator doors started to slide shut, she heard two boisterous male voices fill the glossy lobby, talking avidly about some party. She barely caught a glimpse of them running towards her and telling her to hold the doors, before the doors clamped tight shut and the elevator began to ascend. “Great, I hope I don’t have a bunch of boys living in my building,” she thought wryly. “The last thing I need is to be surrounded by partiers. But it somehow made sense that Tony would have bought the place if it was some sort of swinging party pad. Clearly this was why he had moved into the building - , so he could have his own private place to hold parties and entertain his women. Sophia wondered if his mistress, Claire, the one he had cheated the longest with, had stayed with him there. It was sickening, but she tried to put it out of her mind. It was her condo now!
The elevator arrived at the twenty-seventh floor and she stepped out, hefting a box up against her ample chest. Many more such boxes waited in the U-Haul parked down at the back of the building. With a shaky hand, she shook out her keys and fit one into the lock of Apartment 27A. What would she find inside? Had Tony been decent enough to clean the place? Or would she be faced with evidence of his other life?
This place was where the trysts had happened. It was a beautiful penthouse, but could she really live here? Knowing what had gone on behind her back? She pictured Tony laying women across the white leather furniture, or one the counters of the chef’s kitchen. She imagined him showing ladies movies on his entertainment center which more closely resembled a spaceship with all of its switches and lights and devices. She imagined him chopping vegetables by the sink, about to prepare some gourmet Mexican dish that would blow his date’s mind because he really was an amazing cook. Would she find sexy little panties or earrings in the bedroom, left behind after some scandalous escapade performed like a slap in her trusting face?
The door opened and she swiftly stepped through into the stunning foyer. Sunlight and a view of the city spilled through the huge glass doors that opened onto a stone balcony which boasted a hot tub. There was shiny stainless steel chef’s kitchen, and a huge TV with countless entertainment devices arranged around it. Surround sound speakers were strategically hidden throughout the walls. When Sophia had agreed to take this place as part of the divorce settlement, she had decided to live there since it was in Manhattan, not far from New York Times headquarters. It was agreed that Tony would leave the place furnished, and clearly Tony had followed the instructions and left the main pieces of furniture and accessories in place. She hadn’t been made aware just how decadently expensive the furnishings were. But with Tony’s corporate attorney salary, he clearly was able to leave everything and buy new stuff for his newer and larger apartment further uptown. He had been pretty glum to hand over the keys, though. And small wonder why.
And of course he had not wanted to share this place with her. It was his city hideaway, far away from their family home near their parents in Long Island. It was apparently where he brought all of his girlfriends and had his outrageous parties. The news kept trickling back to Sophia but she did not believe it at first. How could Tony, steadfast and lovely Tony, Tony whom she had known since they were playing in diapers at his mother’s house, Tony who nearly died from starvation when he forgot to eat while studying law at Yale – how could Tony have this hidden cheating side she knew nothing about? Then the gossip started, and when she finally saw photos, her illusion that this man could be trusted was finally and irrevocably shattered. Her world had been spun upside down before it totally crashed to the ground. But she eventually picked herself up and put herself back together. And now she was here.
Somehow, though, she wanted to be here. It was like spite. Some sort of vengeance, a way to get back at him. By living here where he had hurt her so deeply, and now being free to have her own trysts, she was reclaiming herself in the face of his ultimate betrayal. She was forming her new identity in the ashes of what had defined her before, her marriage. For indeed, she had known Tony all of her life and he had been there as she formed into the woman that she was now, or at least the woman that she had thought she was. She had depended upon him totally for everything. He had meant everything to her. As a good wife, she had always asked for his approval and done what he wanted. Even when he had misgivings about sending her to Journalism school, she had only gone when he relented and had given her real permission.
She set the heavy box down on the floor with a grunt. Though she had tried to pack lightly, time proved how heavy her things really were. The thought that twenty more boxes waited for her downstairs made her groan heavily. Moving always was the worst. She really should have hired a mover.
As a child, Sophia did plenty of moving together with her mother, Lupe, and her grandmother, until her Mom finally married and settled down on the Island. They had drifted all over the city, trying to find a place to call their own. They must have moved four or five times, and without the help of her father who had died in an industrial accident when she was little.
Life as Mexican immigrants was hardly easy, and her childhood proved that. Things only got easier when she married Tony, proving that men just made life easier, especially when you allowed them to take care of you. But could she really live that old way the next time, letting a man pay her bills and thus have control over her? This time she would break out and live more independently, paying her own way, making her own decisions and doing her own thing. She did not really understand exactly what would be involved, but the idea was appealing. And now that Tony had broken her heart, he proved to her that relying on a man was just not worth it. No matter how much easier it might make life.
Just then, the elevator dinged open down the hall. The two loud men from the lobby came down the hall, still jabbering about that party, and paused at her door which she was holding open with her hip. “Do you need some help?” the younger-looking one offered. “It looks like you might need some.”
Sophia turned with a smile to decline their offer. Then she momentarily froze, and then did a double-take, and then blurted out, “You guys are the Franklin brothers”, as if they didn’tknow. But they were standing right before her! And they were even better-looking in person than in the magazines. As discretely as she could, but without a bit of shame, she scanned the ripples in each of their tight T-shirts which revealed their excellently toned muscles. Continuing down, she noticed the obvious bulges in their khakis. These guys were built!
She was a single woman, after all, and it had been many months since she had felt the touch of a man. Sometimes she even found herself fantasizing about the pizza guy who often delivered at her house in Long Island. But these were the billionaire Franklin boys, handsome guys that she had never imagined meeting in the flesh. They were even more stunning and exciting in person!
“Yes, we know,” Adam laughed. “I’m Adam, and this is Blake.”
Blake reciprocated Sophia’s look and quickly checked out her fabulous form, unable to comprehend how a woman could be so curvy and shapely without any unsightly fat. She was not thin like a supermodel, but she should be one. Blake thought he would love to see a woman like that on the runway, making clothes look as full and flattering as she made her clothes look. She wasn’t even dressed that fancily and she had no makeup on but she was absolutely stunning. His eyes could not stop tracing the hourglass shape of her figure as she stared him down with her piercing dark eyes.
“I’m Sophia,” she said, feeling suddenly self-conscious under his stare. Then she realized that Adam was also staring at her in the same way. Her face grew hot. These handsome brothers were billionaire bachelors, surrounded by lots of hot women, yet they stared at her like she was the most beautiful thing they had ever seen! She suddenly felt attractive and flirty. This was kind of nice! Sophia couldn’t remember when a man had last looked at her like that. Well, other than workmen on the street, but they were not high-quality guys, and eligible bachelors, like these two.
“Sure!” she agreed. “I could really use some help. There’s a lot more boxes downstairs. The movers were supposed to help me but they never showed up,” she said, telling a little white lie.
“Let’s go,” Adam declared. He led the way, clearly the more dominant and outgoing brother. But Blake lagged behind to smile at her and ask her about her move and when she had taken over the penthouse. They clearly had no idea who she was. Of course not. Tony had never brought her here; she had never even seen the interior of the place. It was supposed to be his pied-à-terre – his place to stay while he worked late in the city, but of course it had become his getaway from his wife and his boring life in the suburbs.
The two brothers helped her with the rest of her move carrying all her remaining boxes and other items, emptying the U-Haul. She quickly began to unpack a light box containing items of her Catholic heritage. It was bad luck to move into a house without first hanging up a cross near the entrance. Then she stopped and wiped the perspiration from her brow, grinning at them. “Thanks for all of your help. Can I ask you guys for one more thing?”
“What’s that?” Adam gladly volunteered his full attention. Blake hung back, clearly the more reserved brother.
“I need a nail and a hammer.” She held up the cross. It had been a gift from her grandmother before she had passed a few years before.
“Sure thing, I’ll be right back.” Adam almost ran to his apartment, while Blake lingered awkwardly in her suite.
“So you just got this place?” he asked, taking everything in. He seemed impressed that this gorgeous woman not only owned one of the penthouses, but also owned such expensive furniture and had such great TV and sound system. Sophia knew what Blake’s next question was going to be, before he even asked. “What do you do for a living?”
“I’m separated and got the condo in the settlement.” Sophia gave a bitter laugh, then reigned her emotions in. “It’s a nice present from my ex-husband.”
“Ah, Tony Garcia was your ex-husband?” Blake seemed taken aback. “He seemed nice enough. I met him a few times up here or in the elevator. But I never knew he was married.”
Sophia shrugged. “He certainly has his good side. But yes, I’m sure he kept his marriage as secret from you as he kept his girlfriends from me.”
Blake looked seriously uncomfortable and Sophia briefly wondered what Blake knew about Tony and his many trysts. But she shoved the thought from her head. After all, it was in the past and she didn’t want to let it cause her any more pain.
Sophia decided not to respond. Just then, Adam appeared with a hammer and a few nails. He asked Sophia where to hang the cross and she directed him.
“Well, thanks, guys.” She looked from one to the other, then smiled. “I bet there’s beer in the fridge. Would you guys like one? I sure could use one.”
Both brothers nodded and grinned widely. They clearly didn’t want to leave.
She opened the fridge and smiled at the rows of fine Mexican beers on the bottom shelf. There were also containers of limes. Tony was still reliable old Tony. She had known him all of his life and knew his taste in beer well. Pulling out three bottles, she expertly popped off the caps and served the guys who had taken seats at the kitchen bar. “It looks like we have tequila too,” she offered.
“Nice,” Blake said, surveying the label on his bottle of beer. “I love Modelo.”
“Want a lime?” Sophia asked.
Both brothers nodded their heads. They seemed mesmerized by her and could not stop looking at her. She felt her chest swelling with heat as she sat next to them and began to sip her own beer. For the first time in a long time, she felt sexy. And she hadn’t even tried today! But she knew that she was one of those lucky women who get away without makeup. Her skin was smooth and poreless, her face beautiful, her lips full and a rich pink, and her eyelashes long and curly. She was a stunner, even when she felt low and at her worst.
“Well, we would hate for you to spend your first evening in the condo alone. I get divorce can be pretty debilitating,” Blake went on, finally warming up from his accustomed shyness. “If you want something fun to do, we are having a get-together in our unit. We live just down the hall in 27D.”
Sophia hesitated. She had not partied since college. Sure, she had beers with her girls sometimes and living in a Hispanic household entailed nearly endless get-togethers with all of her cousins coming over for a few drinks. But she had been endlessly loyal to Tony and she knew that he would not approve of her going out. This would be her first party since she had graduated with her Master’s in journalism at NYU.
“Sure,” she surprised herself. “It will be better than settling in alone.”
“Yeah! Welcome to the building!” Adam cheered.
As they left her condo, the boys again told her their suite number, making sure she hadn’t forgotten. Almost as soon as the door closed behind them, Sophia began to plan what to wear. She imagined that not only should she impress these hot brothers, but the party would probably also be a great networking event - a way to meet successful business people in Manhattan who might help her at her new job. A good journalist never stopped trying to meet new people and find new sources for information. Since her column concerned finances and the brothers were deeply involved in that field, she imagined it would be a great opportunity for her.
“Welcome to my new life,” she said, raising her beer and toasting herself.