Chapter 2
1922 Words
Chapter Two
Carm
After Kevin messaged me to say he was running late, I kept busy by looking up comps, but I see now that the enemy has successfully poached my client and I wasted my time.
“Kevin, great to see you again.” I cross the hallway, hand extended, boisterous voice and permasmile plastered on my face as always.
He hesitantly looks at the she-devil then back at me, extending his hand. I pride myself on reading people and I don’t need Braille on Kevin’s palm to know that I’ve lost his account. He’s asked me time and time again about the for-sale-by-owner companies popping up in this city like damn Starbucks. He’s a smart businessman and with success comes confidence. I admire the fact that he thinks he can sell his own condo, but I know I can sell it faster and for more money than he can. Not to mention handle the vetting of prospective buyers. The fact is, no one sees my value until they don’t have me. He’ll learn his lesson the hard way.
“Can we talk?” Kevin says.
The worst part about my job is the fake bullshit that comes with it. I can’t just say go to f*****g hell and good luck with Gingersnap over there. She’s not going to stage the property, nor does she have Manhattan’s best photographer on speed dial to make it look as though it’s worth the inflated price he’s demanding. Instead, I smile, open my office door, and allow him in, giving Miss Scott my back as though I couldn’t care less that she stole my client.
Jot this down—don’t ever let the competition see you upset. Horrible rookie mistake.
I don’t bother taking Kevin to my office. Instead, I pull him into the conference room while my right-hand man, Justin, watches from afar, probably wondering what the hell is going on. There are clients you wine and dine and there are old faithfuls. Kevin was in the latter category until five minutes ago. Hell, maybe I messed up and should’ve wined and dined him.
I shake my head. Nah, I’m never wrong.
“So you’re trying your hand at going FSBO, huh?” I ask, sitting at the head of the table.
Kevin slides into the chair to my left, his hands clasped in his lap. He’s not going to act ashamed because he’s not. To him, I provide a service to fulfill his needs. In his mind, he doesn’t need me. But I’ll see the ashamed Kevin when he comes crawling back in three months because no one has bought the condo he thinks is such a hot commodity it can sell itself.
“I have to, Carm. You know I’ve been wanting to.”
“Anything I can say to change your mind?” I ask.
“I’ve already signed the contract.”
I nod and put out my hand. “I wish you luck.”
He smiles and extends his hand. I use my friendly, confident handshake. The one that says, “Hey we’re still friends, no worries.”
We’re not, for the record.
“Thanks for understanding, Carm.”
“You gotta do what you think is best for you.” Think being the operative word in that sentence. “I’m here should you need me—and actually, hold up a second.”
You’re about to witness why I’m better than any other agent in New York City.
I leave Kevin at the conference room door and approach Justin. “Pass me the market analysis on Kevin’s place.”
He picks it up off the corner of his desk. “Is he ready to sign? I have the paperwork ready to go.”
I rip up the contract I had written up. “Nah, he’s going FSBO.”
Justin’s face distorts into a what-the-f**k expression. I smile, wink, then walk back to the conference room.
“Here.” I hand the papers to him.
Kevin thumbs through them and looks at me in disbelief. This will ensure that when his “sell my own place” experiment is over, he’ll still come back to me. I’m not arrogant enough to think someone else couldn’t steal him from me with a lower commission rate. “Thanks, Carm. Sorry you went to all that work for nothing.”
He’s second-guessing his decision right now, so I’m going to f**k with his head. I slap him on the shoulder. “No big deal. Who knows, maybe it’ll sell by tomorrow.”
It won’t.
We both chuckle.
“And if not, you know where to find me,” I add.
“You’re the best.” He holds up the papers.
I walk him to the door. I just lost a potential hundred-grand commission. Time’s ticking and I have to go make up that money until he returns.
“Good luck.” I open our office door and walk him to the elevator. I even press the down button for him. “Let me know how it goes. Maybe one day I’ll hop on board the FSBO train and actually have a social life.” I laugh. Not my real laugh. The one reserved for clients.
He steps into the elevator, presses the ground floor button, and waves as the doors close.
Instead of going to my office, I head right into my brother’s Enzo’s advertising firm’s office. I need to cool the f**k down before I go apeshit on the redheaded she-devil across from my office. I barrel into the Mancini Agency, the door slamming behind me alerting their five employees of my arrival.
Annie glances up from where she’s talking to the receptionist, a smirk on her face. “You look flustered.”
I narrow my eyes because I can’t help but think she knows something about why I am, but why would she? Still, that look on her face…
“I need to get she-devil evicted. Will you be my accomplice and say she’s running an escorting business out of her office?”
Annie glances at their receptionist and says her goodbye before sliding her arm through mine and escorting me to my brother’s office. “I met her, and I think she’s lovely. Very friendly.”
“Yeah, she’s friendly. She stole my client who was on the way up to see me.”
“I saw them both on the elevator and she wasn’t even talking to him,” Annie says.
She opens the door without knocking and Enzo holds up his finger, phone to his ear. Annie takes the chair across from the desk, and I sit on the couch by the window, which has a shitty view of an alley. Sometimes I think Enzo fell so fast from his Manhattan skyline view because of what? The woman sitting next to me. How scary is that thought? He left a partnership offer to start his own company and all because of love.
Enzo’s acting much like I did moments ago with Kevin Henderson. Kissing ass with the hopes of hooking a client.
I return to Annie’s comment. “Whose side are you on? Do I need to remind you that I’m basically family?”
She laughs, the one only Annie can get away with without pissing me off more. Sometimes I see why my brother fell so hard. Not that I like her like that, but I can appreciate why my older brother does.
I shake my head. “I think I’m going to plant a desk in the lobby, so my clients don’t have the option of running into her.”
She laughs again, eyeing Enzo. He winks and smiles, his hand on the receiver as though he’s preparing to finish the call.
Annie stares at my brother as though he’s a god, all dreamy eyes and desire oozing out of her. “He’s trying to get this client to jump ship from Jacobson and Earl.”
“You’re no better than the she-devil. No wonder you like her.”
Her eyes shoot my way with that look of judgment I swear she learned from my ma. “It’s not the same. I don’t think she’s trying to steal any of your clients. Like I said, she didn’t even talk to him in the elevator.”
Enzo hangs up, stands from his desk, and sits next to me on the couch. I’m sure he’s pissed he’s sitting next to me and not Annie.
“So?” Annie’s hopeful voice conveys that she cares more about this client than the fact that I’m going to be out of business if the she-devil continues to reside across the hall from me.
“He’s willing to hear our pitch.” Enzo smiles and winks.
A low moan falls out of Annie like she wishes I would disappear so they could celebrate in private. Not today. They’ll have to taper down their ridiculously high libidos. “You’re the best.”
He winks again.
I hold up my hands. “Enough. Let’s talk about me now.”
Enzo blows out a breath and my head volleys between their non-verbal conversation. I’m not sure if it’s about me or about how they’re going to f**k as soon as I leave. The whole fraternization thing is going to bite them in the ass when two of their employees think it’s okay to lock the office door and screw like bunnies.
“Hello?” I say, waving my hand between them.
They both snap out of their lovesick haze. God help me if this ever happens to me.
“Sorry, what’s up?” Enzo relaxes in the corner of his couch, loosening his tie.
“She-devil just stole one of my clients while he was on his way up to sign listing papers with me.”
“And?” Enzo asks.
I hate that love has mellowed him out. He no longer runs on high like Dom and me. It’s annoying as f**k.
“And it’s my business. So I was talking to Annie… we need to sneak in there and destroy the place so they evict her, or maybe we complain to the landlord that strange men are coming and going at all times.” I’m still thinking of how to orchestrate this when Enzo and Annie burst out laughing.
“We’re not fifteen, Carm,” Enzo says once his laugh is stifled enough that he can speak.
I point at Annie and stand from the couch. “You ruined him.”
“Me?” Her eyes dart to Enzo as though she’s telling him to deal with his brother.
“Yes. He would’ve been on board with this before you. But you and your body and your constant s*x has put him in some orgasm-filled hypnosis.”
Annie’s eyes widen, and she bites her lower lip to stop herself from reacting. “I’m… sorry?”
I roll my eyes. “You should be.”
“Handle it like an adult, brother.” Enzo doesn’t even look at me. He pats the couch next to him, eyeing Annie.
She shakes her head. He pats again.
“I’m out of here. I’ll leave you two to play your cat-and-mouse s*x games. Thanks for nothing.”
Laughter rings out of them both until the door shuts behind me. Their employees watch me leave.
“Put your earbuds in, folks. Enzo’s about to crown Annie employee of the month again.”
They laugh because they can’t be so naïve they don’t know what’s going on in that office during work hours.
As I leave the Mancini Agency and step into the hallway, she steps out too.
The she-devil.
The hallway is long, but she must feel my seething eyes on her because she stays in place instead of heading to the elevators. For a moment, I wonder if this is what it felt like, back in the Wild West, to be in a standoff with your hand on the gun.
Then her heels click on the floor as she makes her way toward me and the elevator. I step forward and match her pace, not willing to be outdone by her, even on this.
“I think we need to get a few things straight.”
She giggles. “Carmelo Mancini, I presume?” She smiles and extends her hand when we both reach the elevator. “Huh. I thought…” She inspects me, her eyes moving down and up, then leaning around my body to gain another view. “So you used a body double for the billboards, huh?”
She just amped this fight up another notch.
- Writer
