Claimed by My Steadfast Soldier

Chapter Seven

Hali’s POV

‘Carlos, I’m telling you, though my client likes the property well enough, he needs it at that price. I understand that your client wants the most he can get but it’s only worth what someone is willing to pay. If we can’t get it for the right price then we are going to have to walk away, I have a couple of new properties that have just come on the market that also tick his boxes. I had to really work to get him to see the potential in your seller’s building, I don’t want my buyer to walk away just because of a few dollars.’ I cross my fingers as I listen to the young man on the other end of the phone huff out a deep breath, the clicking of a pen echoing down the line a sure sign that Carlos is tempted by my offer.

‘Dammit Hali, you make my job hard’ he grumbles finally, defeated.

I fist pump the air, almost jumping up out of my chair because I'm so excited. ‘So you will go back and talk to your seller again?’ I push quickly, ‘my guy already has his money sorted, he’s ready to pull the trigger, all we need is for your client to agree. Remember, we also have no chain as my guys are renting space right now on a rolling month contract, we could get this done and dusted in a few months. Your seller could be out on a yacht, drinking mai tai’s by the beginning of the summer, does he really want to throw that away over a couple of grand?’

Carlos chuckles, the sound deep and rich, and I can hear the click of a pen again, this time followed by scratching sounds.

‘That’s good Hali, I’m going to shamelessly steal that when I talk to him’ he states in amusement.

My smile hurts my face as I force myself to remain stoic, ‘I appreciate this Carlos, I swear, if you get this for me, I owe you a drink.'

‘A drink?’ the man scoffs back, ‘more like a steak dinner woman, you are cutting into my damn commission with your ninja haggling skills. I might not be able to afford a pack of candy with what you just took from me.’

I laugh, ‘OK, if this closes, I will take you out for a free steak dinner’ I promise, ‘and I’ll even throw in that drink as well.’

Carlos chuckles, ‘you, Miss Montgomery, have yourself a date, and I will be ordering a prime cut so don’t even think about trying to stiff me with the cheap stuff.’

‘As if I would’ I reply with fake offense, already running through the cheapest restaurants with steak on the menu. I can’t really afford to buy the guy dinner, but if he gets this discount on the offices, my commission from the purchase will just have to stretch. I’ve lived off baked beans and price reduced loaves of bread before, I can do it again after all.

We say our goodbyes, Carlos promising to get straight back to me when he gets an answer from his seller, and hang up our phones.

Picking up my cup, I take a sip, pulling a face and glaring down at the offending brown liquid that is now stone cold.

‘You have one job’ I scold it, ‘stay warm enough so I can drink you and keep going enough to keep a roof over our heads, but you couldn’t even do that, could you?’

I push back my chair from the desk and stand up, heading into the tiny kitchen behind my main office and dumping the freezing cold drink down the sink before placing it on the side and pouring a new cup of the cheap swill I lovingly call coffee into the now empty mug.

As I stir in some sugar, I hear the tinkle of the bell above the door, informing me that someone has walked in.

‘Hey Zara’ I call through the door without turning around, ‘I’ll be out in a few seconds, just leave the post on my desk.’

I pick up the mug and hurry back into the main area of my ridiculously small office, stumbling to a halt when I find myself not looking at Zara, my post lady delivering me even more red letters to remind me how much I owe.

Instead, I’m faced with those familiar mesmerising blue eyes of none other than Gage Cadell. I wrap my other hand around my mug, trying to stop it from slipping through my fingers as I stare at the man in front of me, trying not to let drool run down my chin.

‘Hi’ he greets me, leaning a hip against my desk, arms folded across his chest and that sexy as hell smile on his face, damn him.

I try to formulate a reply, but somewhere between my brain and my mouth, everything gets skewed, and instead, I blurt out, ‘why are you here?’

If I’ve offended the muscular man, he doesn’t let it show, instead, he pushes away from my desk, taking a step to the side, and settles himself in the flimsy guest chair that I bought at a garage sale, that sits across from my seat, his grin widening.

‘Are you not going to sit down?’ he asks me, waving a hand toward my chair in invitation.

Not able to find a reason not to do as he’s telling me, I lower myself into the seat, perching on the very edge as I grip my mug, my body in a fight or flight mode.

‘Why are you here?’ I ask again roughly, scrambling to get my body under control as it seems to have forgotten that it's part of professional, go getter Hali and is all about popping a few buttons on my shirt and laying myself out on my chipped desk like a buffet.

Gage shrugs, ‘you said that you are working for us? Yes? Do your clients not come to your premises to see you?’

I take a sip of my drink to avoid answering straight away, not really wanting to admit to the stunning, enigmatic man in front of me, that he is, in fact, the very first person to enter my office. Well the only person other than my mail lady and a guy who wanted me to convert to some new religion he had founded that worshiped alien beings, it seemed that he and his three other members, were recruiting in the hope of raising revenue, for when the aliens arrive in their space crafts to come and take over Maine and would need housing of some type.

The s*x on a stick, wet dreams are made of these, wall of testosterone, looks around the room, and I’m pretty sure that he’s silently judging the bare walls and dingy furniture.

‘Nice place’ he comments finally, and I can’t stop the snarl of annoyance that forces its way from between my lips. I'm sure with his designer jeans and hair cut that probably set him back a few hundred dollars, that my little office looks pretty shabby, but I set it up on my own and I'm damn proud of my accomplishment.

‘Are you just here to poke fun Mr Cadell?’ I demand, bristling with irritation, as I glare at the man across from me, refusing to look at how much more handsome he is when confusion sweeps his features. ‘Because, if you are, trust me, I have more important things to do than sit here whilst you judge me and my business premises.’