Maya

 

 

I gasp when Anne pops the lid off the bottle of champagne in her hands. "You officially sold the Warton apartment, Maya. Congratulations!"

I'm ecstatic. Charles was thrilled with the offer I presented him with, and the buyer is eager to move in. The deal will close in thirty days and barring a catastrophe, I'll have my commission check in my hand soon after.

"It's my biggest sale to date." I take the glass of champagne from her hand. "I'm hoping that by the end of this month, we'll be toasting again."

"Faith, Maya." Anne takes a sip of the bubbly. "Have faith and the buyer will come."

The truth is that I'm losing faith. I've put most of my eggs in the Clarksons' basket. They'll be back in New York in four days, and if I can convince them that the Bishop penthouse is the ideal place to dance their nights away, I'll close on that sale soon too.

All of our other leads have dried up. 

"What are you going to do to celebrate?" She puts down her glass. "I can't indulge anymore right now. I have a meeting with our junior agents in ten minutes."

I giggle. "You can take the rest of the bottle home to share with your husband after work."

"That I will do unless you want it to share with your special someone."

I have other plans for Julian.

When I visited him at his office earlier today, that was on a whim. I didn't know what to expect, but the flirting was hot. I haven't been able to shake the image of him masturbating from my mind all day, so my plan is simple.

I'll show up at his office again unannounced with a surprise under my trench coat and a smile on my face.

I'm betting that it'll be a day both of us will remember for a very long time.

 

***

 

"He's in a meeting." Julian's assistant looks over her shoulder toward his slightly ajar office door. "I'd let you say hi, but it's an important one."
I scratch the back of my neck. I feel exposed even though my black silk bra and panties are covered by my coat. The only other thing I'm wearing is a pair of shoes. They're the same strappy heels Julian tried to fix for me. "Is there a place I can wait?"

She gestures to a sofa that is situated a few feet from her desk. The office is set up to be a welcoming space for all employees. They come and go as they please, stopping to chat with his assistant or to park themselves down in one of the chairs or the sofa while they work.

I take a seat even though I'm tempted to ignore what she said in favor of seeking out Julian. I don't because I want him to respect my work and in order to do that, I have to respect his.

I tug my phone from the pocket of my coat and text a quick message to Jen asking if she's been able to reach Simon, the man who viewed the apartment the other night.

She doesn't respond immediately which isn't surprising. I have her working her ass off right now, trying to conjure up more potential buyers.

"Can I get you a coffee?" Julian's assistant asks. "I'm heading down for my break and I can bring you back one."

I sigh. If she's expecting me to still be waiting by the time she's done her coffee break it might be time for me to pack up and head home. "How long do you think Julian will be?"

She shrugs as she pushes back from her desk. "Let's give it ten minutes. I'll come back from my break early and if he's still in there, I'll poke my head in his office and see what I can find out."

I smile. I like her. "That's a deal and I'll take a coffee."

As she heads around the corner, I stand. I tug on the belt of my trench coat to tighten it. The smooth black fabric slides through my palm easily.

I look down at the watch I'm wearing. It says it's seven p.m. I wish it were true. By that time tonight, I'll hopefully be in Julian's arms or in his bed.

"I'll always come when you need me, darling."

I look toward the sound of that voice. It's the unmistakable voice that I listened to during a lecture about women in business. It's the same voice that greeted me at the launch party last month when she thought I was making a move on her boyfriend.

I glance at Julian's office door as she exits with him on her heel. "I'm grateful, Isadora."

"You know how important this is to me, Julian." She turns so her back is to me. "I'd fly to the ends of the earth for you."

I can't see his face because her head is blocking my view, but I can hear every word that he's saying. "I do appreciate it. Thank you."

"So, we'll meet at seven at Normand's?"

"Axel Tribeca," he corrects her.

She inches back on her heels. "I'll see you there."

He doesn't notice me when she turns to make her way toward the elevator. Instead, he walks back into his office, shutting the door behind him.