Total pages in book: 123
Estimated words: 114467 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 572(@200wpm)___ 458(@250wpm)___ 382(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 114467 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 572(@200wpm)___ 458(@250wpm)___ 382(@300wpm)
The car ride to the plane is silent, and when we get on the plane, I take the seat in front of Matthew. The attendant comes over and asks if we would like something to drink.
“Water, please,” I answer. She just smiles at me and then turns her attention to Matthew, who orders the same.
I’m not expecting Matthew to say anything, or at least to wait until we are in the air, but again he throws me for a loop. “I bet you’re wondering why I signed you?” he asks me, and I just stare at him.
“I know why you signed me,” I tell him, trying to hide the fact that I am, in fact, wondering why in the world he actually signed me. “You’d be a fool not to sign me.”
I look at him while he puts his head back and laughs out loud. “You think very highly of yourself,” he says, and I just shrug. “But I can’t ignore that when you’re on fire, you are on fire.”
My thumb taps the table “And that’s why you signed me.” The plane finally takes off, and I look outside and then look back at him. Sitting there in his suit, the new general manager of the New York Stingers has been on the job for two years. Before retirement, he was the captain of the team. If you ask me, he still had a couple more years left in him. The attendant comes and places two glasses of water on the table. I pick up my glass and pray that my hand doesn’t shake.
“You’re right, but I didn’t sign you for the bullshit you’ve been pulling for the past two years,” he tells me, leaning back in his seat. “Listen, I’ve been down. Fuck, my career was nonexistent when I went back home with my tail between my legs, but I got a second chance.” I don’t say anything as he spills his story. “And now I’m giving you yours.” I don’t know what he expects me to say, so I just wait for him to finish. “We are piss testing you weekly until I think it’s good enough. If you don’t like the terms, you can leave now.” I glare at him.
“I need to find a realtor,” I tell him. “I have my stuff waiting to be shipped from LA.”
“Already ahead of you there. My sister Zoe will meet with you tomorrow afternoon,” he tells me. “She is the best there is, and if there is a house out there, she knows about it. You can stay in Max’s loft for the next month until you get your stuff settled.” I nod my head and then turn to the attendant as she comes over and places two plates on the table. Each of them contains a steak with potatoes and a side of lobster tail. We don’t talk while we eat because, really, what more is there to say?
When the wheels finally touch down, I look at Matthew. “Welcome home, Viktor. Welcome to New York.”
What he doesn’t add, but I can hear loud and clear is don’t fuck this up.
Chapter Two
Zoe
“I have three houses to show you tomorrow.” Pressing my shoulder to the phone, I say, “All are in your budget.” I make sure to mention that since it’s the first question he’ll ask me.
“I will tell the missus,” he says gruffly. “She was talking about switching firms and maybe having better luck with someone else.” I roll my lips and say a silent prayer to whoever is listening at this point. This will be the seventh time we are seeing houses, and they have said no to the previous twenty listings I’ve shown them.
“That would be a shame.” I pinch my nose, closing my eyes. “I have one that was just emailed to me. It’s not even listed yet, and it’s in the exact neighborhood you wanted.”
“Okay, dear, we’ll give you another shot,” he mumbles, and I open the listing that came to me two hours ago that I was going to turn down.
“Perfect. I will see you tomorrow.” Hanging up, I toss my phone on the desk, then lean back and stretch. It’s almost five o’clock. I can’t believe the day is almost over.
Looking out the little window in my home office, I close my eyes for just a second, but my mind doesn’t shut down. Instead, it makes mental notes on what I have to do next. My job is my number-one priority in my life, and I work my ass off. Four months ago, I closed on twenty-two houses in one month, a top record for my firm. I’m one of the top players in the real estate game in New York City. It’s fucking cutthroat, harsh, and it’s anyone’s game. I may look nice with my long strawberry blond hair and angelic blue eyes, but you fuck with me, and I’ll cut your balls off. I will also use my charm to get the deal and close it. I will flip my hair if you want and bat my eyes as long as I know you will be signing on the dotted line.