Julian

 

 

"Do you want my advice, Julian?"

I scrub my hand over my face. I'm paying her for her advice so the answer to that question should be clear. "Of course, I do, Chloe."

She stands in front of my desk. "As I told you on the phone, Isadora has retained counsel to represent her interest in the company. She has no intention of quitting. Her attorney stressed that point when she called me."

I'm not fucking surprised. Isadora's life has been consumed by this job for the past three-and-a-half years. She has no family to speak of. Bishop Hotels and our relationship are all she had. If she can't have one, she'll fight tooth and nail to hold fast to the other.

"Get to the advice part."

"A quick question first." Her hand smooths her messy bun. It's obvious she's put in a full day at her office. I asked her to meet me at mine after I'd left Maya at the bar. I don't need the prying and curious eyes of my employees around to witness this meeting. Too many of them are loyal to Isadora.

Although Isadora is aware that I've brought Chloe on to help negotiate her severance, she doesn't need the reminder of it being thrown in her face when she comes back to the office. She requested an extended leave of absence, which I readily agreed to. That won't last forever though.

"What's the question?" My patience is waning. I'm frustrated and tired.

"Has Isadora ever mentioned wanting to work for another company?"

I cock both brows in answer to that. It's a ridiculous question. "What do you think?"

"I think that if you can find her a better job than the one she has here, that she'll gladly take a substantial offer to nullify her contract with Bishop Hotels."

"Are you pulling that idea out of thin air or is this coming from Isadora's attorney?"

"I'm speaking from experience." She drops into one of the chairs in front of my desk. "I've had several clients in the past who were dead set against leaving their posts, but as soon as a more attractive offer was presented at a different company, they left the job they claimed to love."

It's difficult for me to imagine Isadora wanting to work anywhere but here.

"Where did Isadora work before you hired her?"

"At a firm in Philadelphia." I hang my head. "We met while I was there scouting for a new location."

"Would she be interested in going back?"

I shake my head. "Hell, no. She hated that job."

"Fine." She stands again. "I'm wiped out, Julian. I'm heading home. Give some thought to what we just talked about. If Isadora has a dream job beyond Bishop, your problem might be solved."

I nod. She needs to find a different approach to deal with Isadora. I need to get some sleep.

 

***

 

"As you can all see, this is an exquisite property with views that are priceless," Maya speaks clearly to the gathered crowd. "One of the reasons I wanted you all here was so you could witness the sun setting from this vantage point."

Almost every head turns in the direction of the west facing windows.

"Imagine your clients eating dinner to that view every night and bear in mind that the master bedroom faces east so they'll be greeted with sunrises that are equally as breathtaking."

I inch closer hoping to catch a glimpse of her.

"I'm available to answer any questions you have about the property and the hotel amenities." She lowers her voice slightly. "Please enjoy the beverages and snacks. Have a look around and consider which of your clients are going to want to call this place home."

The crowd of people starts to thin as some wander the corridor that leads to the bedrooms while others move to explore the other wing of the penthouse where the library and private gym are located.

Even though she didn't invite me to the broker's open house, I wanted to be present. Not to watch her every move over her shoulder, but to get a sense of the interest.

I finally see her standing next to a man with red hair. She's talking to him, her eyes trained on his face.

She's dressed in a simple black dress and heels. Her hair is falling loosely around her face. She may look younger than her twenty-five-years, but her voice is confident, her presence strong.

I walk toward her, slowing as I near her.

"I can meet you and your client here at noon sharp tomorrow, Rob." She reaches to touch his forearm through his suit jacket. "I already have two other showings lined up, so please stress to your client how time sensitive it is. If she wants the apartment, she'll need to be here for that appointment."

"I'll have her here, Maya." He smiles down at her. "We'll be here at noon. Maybe the two of us can grab a bite after?"

"Maya," I say her name to interrupt Rob's attempt to secure a lunch date with her. If I don't have a shot, I'm going to make damn sure this guy doesn't either.

"Julian?" Maya peeks past Rob's shoulder to look at me. "I didn't know you'd be here."

"Julian Bishop?" Rob turns to face me. He's as unfamiliar to me as virtually every face in this apartment. If I had given the listing to my father as the board wanted, I doubt he would have had a broker's open house. He would have been hell bent on selling this penthouse on his own.

I intentionally didn't go with my dad's firm because I made a promise to my grandfather that I'd never involve my dad in the business.

His ego is his biggest competitor and it's cost him more business than he'd ever admit.

"Julian, this is Rob Norton." Maya once again touches Rob's arm. "Rob works with me at Carvel."

I shake his hand. "It's good to meet you, Rob."

"You as well." He finally drops my hand. "I've long admired your work, sir. Your branding for your hotels is on point."

I have a stellar marketing department to thank for that, but I'll take credit. "Thanks, Rob."

"I should call the client we talked about, Maya." He reaches to squeeze her hand. "I'll meet you here at noon."

She nods as he wanders off with his phone in his palm.

"Can I get you a drink?" Maya motions toward the kitchen were a man dressed in a tuxedo is serving glasses of champagne on a tray.

"No, but thank you." I take a moment to look around the room. "I'm impressed. You've brought out a lot of people, Maya."

"They all work for Carvel." She rests her hip against the wall. "Every agent and broker has their list of contacts, so they're all putting out feelers to see if they have interested buyers."

I want her to sell the penthouse not only because of the monetary benefit to Bishop Hotels but for the sole reason that she deserves a chance to shine.

"I'd like to meet with you early tomorrow afternoon to talk about those brochures you had printed that are now in every room of all the Bishop hotels in this city. It's a brilliant approach to sell the penthouse."

I was in awe when one was placed on my desk earlier today. It's a tasteful brochure with vivid images of the interior of the penthouse and a brief rundown of all the benefits of owning it. Her contact details are front and center along with photo credits to Falon Shaw.

I have no idea when she managed to pull it all together. I do know that she spoke to the director of marketing who gave her the go-ahead to distribute the brochures to our hotels in Manhattan.

"Thank you." She runs her finger over her bottom lip. "Let me guess. You want to meet me right after the private showing I have with Rob and his client. You overhead our conversation, didn't you?"

"One o'clock in the restaurant downstairs, Maya. I'll be the one with the smile on my face."

"For the record, I wasn't going to have lunch with him."

I lean forward to whisper against the shell of her ear. "For the record, you smell incredible."

That brings a bubble of laughter from deep within her. "Flirt."

"Enjoy your evening, Maya." I inch back so I can look into her eyes.

"My rules haven't changed, Julian."

My jaw twitches as I fight the urge to kiss her. "Yet, Maya. Your rules haven't changed, yet."

She turns away from me as someone calls her name from the kitchen. "I need to get back to work. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Tomorrow, it is," I reply as she walks away without looking back.