Julian

 

 

"Do you have a minute or two?"

I look up to see Maya standing in the doorway to my office.

I wasn't expecting to see her. I'd spent last night with Griffin and Sebastian eating Greek food and talking about our days playing high school football.

I was tempted to call Maya on my way to the subway after dinner, but I didn't. She'd left me a voicemail telling me that she was going to spend time with her sister, so I didn't want to interrupt that.

She takes a step forward before I can scramble to my feet. I push back from the desk and round it quickly. "I didn’t expect to see you here."

She looks back into the common area outside my office where a few employees are gathered with laptops.

I brush past her to close the door. "Do you want anything? Coffee? Water?"

She shakes her head. "I'm fine. I'm good. I can't stay long. I'm meeting Charles Warton in a few minutes."

I take a step closer and tug her into my arms. She's dressed as stylishly as always in a blue dress and nude heels. She takes care in presenting herself to her clients in a soft and approachable way. It's just another reason why I'm so insanely attracted to her.

"Did you have fun with your sister?"

"I did. Her blind date was a bust, but we hung out for a bit. I told her about you."

I step back so I can look at her face. "You told her about me?"

"Not every detail." Her eyebrows dance. "I mentioned I was seeing someone and that his name happens to be Julian Bishop."

I feel something I can't place. Maybe it's pride or excitement, but I like that her sister knows that we're together. I want more people to know but that time will come after I've closed the last chapter of my life. "I'd love to meet her sometime."

The corner of her mouth curves into a small smile. "I'd like that too."

"Maybe the three of us can grab a bite sometime?" I don't push to make plans now because I want Maya to set the pace for this. I'm more than happy to spend every second we do have together alone, but I won't pass the opportunity to get to know someone who is important to her.

"We can make that happen." Her eyes drop to her hand when her phone chimes. She swipes her finger across the screen before she lets out a deep sigh.

"Is something wrong?" I study her face, watching her brow knit.

She makes a frustrated noise. "I saw a man I used to date yesterday. Jason. This is him texting me now."

Irritation simmers inside of me. I know who he is. Jason Hunt, a doctor. He was with Maya for months before they ended their relationship. "Where did you see Jason?"

She shifts her feet. "On the street. He's looking for an apartment. He asked if I could help him find a place to live."

I trust her. I know that she's not the type of woman to fuck one man and then crawl into another's bed the same day. "Are you considering taking him on as a client?"

"It would be awkward. I suggested he talk to another broker from Carvel, but he said he wants to wait to see if I become available to help him."

"If you become available to help him?" I arch a brow.

"I told him I was involved with someone. I didn’t want him to have any false hope."

I'm relieved. I'm also annoyed that he's confident that she'll be available at some point to help him find a place to live or a place to fuck her. "It sounds like you took the best approach with him."

"Have you told Isadora about us?" She pushes her phone into her purse.

"No," I answer truthfully. "I see no reason to bring your name into what's going on between us."

"What is going on between you?"

I see confusion written all over her face. I want to soothe her and chase it away, but that's impossible. Isadora called earlier demanding a meeting. My assistant directed her to Chloe, but she's insistent on speaking to me directly.

I'm days away from securing Isadora a new job, but until that happens, I have to keep her at bay.

I rake both hands through my hair. "I'm leaving it all to my attorney. She's handling Isadora."

It's not enough of an answer to satisfy her but her time is limited. I can tell when she glances at the clock hanging on my wall. "I need to meet Charles."

"Can I see you tonight?"

She chews on the corner of her lip. I already know that's a sign of agitation for her. "Can we figure that out later? I have a full day. I'm not sure when it will be over."

I'm disappointed, naturally, but I won't push for more than she wants to give me. "I'll be thinking about you, Maya. I always do."

The corners of her mouth curve into a soft smile. "With or without my clothes on?"

"You're determined to leave me with a hard-on." I curve my arm around her back to press her body to mine. "I'll have to go fuck my fist if I want to get any work done today."

"I think I just came." She kisses me softly. "I want to watch you do that."

"As long as I get to watch your fingers slide over your tight little pussy."

She inches even closer. "I like you, Julian."

"I like you too, Maya." I kiss her one last time before she leaves me, and my aching cock, behind.

 

***

 

Being a ruthless son-of-a-bitch is a requirement if you want to get ahead in this town. That is one of the most common misconceptions out there.

A man, or a woman, can be an honest, hard-working soul and they'll work their way to the top, right next to those who step on others on their way up.

I've never considered myself an asshole, but there are certain people who bring out the bastard in me. The man sitting in my office now is one of them.

"The deal I worked out is with Isadora." Bruce Tortin runs his finger along the edge of my desk. "I want her in this meeting. I won't negotiate with you, Julian. You can go to hell."

I want something he has and I need to find a way to get that without involving Isadora. "Bruce, Isadora is on leave. I have a highly qualified legal staff. You can pick any of them to come to the meeting if you feel the need to have my counsel present."

He should have his lawyer here, but Bruce doesn’t waste money on essentials like an attorney skilled in the art of negotiation. He's been working strictly with Isadora to hammer out a deal to sell Bishop the four boutique hotels he owns in California.

All four of them are currently running with a loss. I have every intention of changing that.

My plan is simple. I'll purchase them, rebrand them as Bishop Properties and redesign them. I just need his signature on the dotted line.

"Get Isadora in here now or the deal is off."

I need the deal on. I've already purchased six other hotels in the state that I'll rebrand and launch at the same time. If I don't secure Bruce's hotels, it puts the entire investment we've already made in jeopardy.

"You're being unreasonable, Bruce."

He moves to stand. "Get her down here, Julian, or I walk."