Andrea shook her head, “No, just intense. He can be extremely imposing, and he’s not the kind of guy that you really want to disappoint.”
Erin grinned and said, “Well, he’s going to be disappointed if he thinks he’s going to push me around just because he’s accomplished there and a little sexy.”
“A little?” Andrea scoffed, “He literally looks like he just stepped off of a magazine cover.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Erin took a long sip of her cola and sprayed ketchup all over her fries. “It’s not like I’m looking for that sort of thing anyway, walking past Porter lying on my couch for the last three years has kind of spoiled my appetite for men.”
Andrea chuckled and ate a piece of her sandwich. “Well, don’t be surprised if you suddenly find yourself feeling a little hungry.”
Chapter 2
Erin sighed as she swiped her finger across the screen on her phone. A message from Porter was at the top of her inbox and in bold letters, the first few lines of it read:
I miss you. Let me know when you’re going to come to town.
She shook her head and looked straight forward at the numbers on the elevator; it seemed to move up each floor with lightning speed. I can’t let Porter’s drama distract me.
Her ex-boyfriend, Porter, had been trying to wedge his way back into her life for the last few weeks, he left voicemails and sent text messages about how he’d ran into her mother at the store, and that he missed being apart of her family.
Erin had decided that she was done with Porter’s excuses the day that she threw him out of her apartment; if she listened to any of them, it would be too easy to invite him back into her life and she’d be back in New York before she knew it. And she didn’t want that.
Erin had completely fallen in love with Boston over the last six months.She loved the feel of being in a city that wasn’t quite as big as New York. She loved having lunch with Andrea every day and feeling free to do whatever she chose now that her mother, sister, and cousins weren’t just a few miles away.
As the doors to the elevator slid open, Erin blinked and pulled her lips into a smile. She twisted her head and did a quick check of the dark red skirt and blazer that she wore, and when she didn’t find any smudges that someone could knit pick, she stepped out of the elevator.
A young woman with her arms wrapped around three sets of binders hustled past her. Erin moved throughout the office, her eyes fell onto the various projects that were scattered on her coworkers’ desks. She stopped just outside of Roger’s door and pushed her knuckles against the glass in a timid knock.
Roger looked up from behind his computer screen and when he noticed Erin, he stood up and pulled the door open. He grinned, “Good Morning, Erin!” He stepped out into the hall and shut the door to his office behind him.
He slipped his arm around Erin’s shoulders and said, “Alright, let’s get a few things out of the way.” The two of them took a sharp left down the hall and they entered a section of the floor that Erin hadn’t remembered seeing last time.
The hallway was dimly lit, but a faint glow spilled out of the windows of each office on either side of her. Roger stopped just before the third door coming up on the right and said, “This will be your office. This is the listing agent wing.”
Erin nodded and followed Roger inside. The office was a significant upgrade over the desk setup that she’d had when she was interning for magazines back in New York. She was accustomed to a small desk in rooms with little to no light, and bumping elbows with the person next to her.
This office offered ample space, with a full sized, L-shaped desk on one end of the room, and a sofa and bookcase on the other. Erin clapped her hands together and said, “This is perfect, thank you!”
Roger nodded, “I’m glad you like it. There’s a listing team meeting going on right now and I’d love for you to sit in on it and get a feel for what your colleagues has been up to this quarter. You’ll find them in the conference room down the hall.”
“I’ll make my way there now,” Erin grinned and stepped out of the office. She strolled down the hall, the sound of her heels clicking against the floor bounced off of the walls.
She slowed her steps just outside of the only room with a five foot wide window. The blinds were shut, and a faint light emanated from behind them. Erin took a deep breath and wrapped her hands around the doorknob. She pushed it open and stepped inside.
Several faces diverted their attention from the man at the front of the room and set their eyes on her.
Erin shifted uncomfortably and smiled, “Hello, everyone. I’m the new listing agent, I’ll be sitting in on this meeting.”
The other agents that sat at the long, boardroom table were silent. Callum’s voice was the first to break the silence from the front of the room. He leaned against the whiteboard behind him and said, “Well, try to be on time next time. We only have these meetings once every quarter, take your seat.”
Shit. It’s my first day on the job and I’ve already irritated Callum. Erin smiled and sat in a seat at the edge of the table. She folded her hands and directed her gaze towards Callum and the other gentleman at the front of the room.
“Well, everybody, this is our new hire, Erin Kahn. We’re happy to have you, Erin.”
The other agents turned their curious gazes towards Erin and Erin fiddled with the ends of her sable colored hair.
“Thank you,” she mumbled.
Callum smirked and stepped forward, “Now let’s go over these numbers, I want to address our For Sale By Owner conversion rate. Does anyone have any suggestions?”
A couple of the agents leaned back in their chairs uncomfortably and glanced between one another. Erin crossed one leg over the other and lowered her eyes to the floor.
Callum sighed and asked, “Is it everyone else’s first day too? Is everyone just as clueless as Erin?”
The muscles tightened in Erin’s jaws, and she clenched her fingers around the edge of the table. A redhead at the other end of the table tentatively raised her hand and Erin’s assured voice cut through the low chatter that had begun at the other end of table.
“According to research, you’ll convert more For Sale By Owner properties if you pursue cold calling and continue to check up on the owner until they agree on a meeting with you,” Erin smirked and sat up straight in her chair. “Persistence is key.”
Callum raised his eyebrows and uncapped his dry erase marker. His hand flew across the whiteboard behind him and the word PERSISTENCEappeared on the whiteboard.
He nodded at Erin and then turned his intense gaze on the rest of the listing team. “Persistence. Does anyone else have anything to add?”
***
Erin’s thighs were stuck to the chair and she turned her eyes towards the analog clock that hung on the wall. What kind of meeting lasts two and half hours? She shook her head. It’s fine, this is what you signed up for. I may not even have to attend these things in a year.
Callum set his dry erase marker onto the edge of the whiteboard and announced, “And that’s all for today. If anyone else has any ideas, they’re more than welcome to stop by my office.”
The other agents pushed their chairs back and began to file out of the room. Erin swiped her hand across the back of her neck and frowned at the sweat that had collected in between her blazer and skin. Her thick curtain of dark hair was to blame as well, and she swung it over to the other side of her head.
She headed towards the door of the conference room and fell in line behind a man that shuffled towards the exit with his shoulders slumped and his eyes to the floor.
Erin gasped when she felt a muscular hand on her shoulder. She craned her neck and frowned when her eyes landed on Callum.
Callum grinned and said, “You did great today. Most people don’t even speak in these meetings for their first six months.”
Erin shrugged and replied, “I’m not most people. I figured that you’d
learn that sooner or later.”
He chuckled, “Oh, you’re still upset about before? Listen, I’m sorry for giving you a little shit when you sat down, I do it to everyone that’s late.”
Erin rolled her eyes and rested her hand on top of the door handle. “And are you also rude to people that you’ve just met in the hallway? Is this going to end with you admitting that you’re just rude?”
A low whistle slid past Callum’s lips, “Someone likes to hold a grudge.” He pressed his hand on the small of her back and whispered into her ear, “I’d be happy to make it up to you, let me take you out to lunch.”
A chill ran up Erin’s spine and she tried her best to ignore the warm feeling that spread throughout her cheeks.
Erin scoffed and stepped into the hallway, “I’ll let you know if I need anything, Callum.” She pumped her legs down the hall and kept her eyes low to the ground. Erin pushed open the door to her office and fell back against the door.
The cold metal of the door was an instant relief for the heat that was traveling throughout her body. What’s wrong with me? It’s like I’ve never seen a drop dead sexy man before.
Erin’s mind wandered to what Callum’s body might look like underneath his suit, and how it might feel to slide her hands along his sweat-soaked chest.
Erin exhaled, and lifted herself off of the door. Maybe I just need to get laid.
Chapter 3
Andrea held a bottle of red wine over her head as she stepped into Erin’s apartment. She waved it out in front of her as she walked across the hardwood floors. “Erin! I brought wine and I’m ready to hear all about your first day!”She walked around the corner to where Erin hovered over a pot on the stove. Erin’s fingers were tightly wrapped around the worn handle of the pot, and her hair had been scooped into a thick bun that sat at the base of her neck.
Erin lifted her eyes towards Andrea and welcomed her friend, “Hey, thanks for the wine.” Without looking up from the pot, she pulled the wine bottle out of Andrea’s hands and set it onto the counter beside her.
Andrea frowned and leaned against the wall. “What’s up? Did you burn your pasta again?”
Erin chuckled and stuck a pasta spoon into the pot in front of her. “No, I’ve learned how to cook since I’ve graduated. Although, I will admit that I miss Porter’s cooking, even if I don’t miss him.”
Andrea grinned and moved further into the kitchen. She pulled out one of the kitchen drawers and grabbed a corkscrew. As she drove the tip of the screw into the wine bottle, she said, “I think that you just miss having a man cook for you.”
Erin scoffed, but Andrea went on. “Seriously. Have you even tried to go on a date since you’ve moved here? I’m sure that you’ve been asked on at least one date by now, tall brunettes don’t stay single for long in Boston.”
Erin spooned some pasta into a couple of red bowls that sat by the stove. “No, I haven’t been looking for anyone. I don’t want another loser taking up space on my couch. Although, Callum kind of asked me out to lunch earlier today.”
Andrea’s eyes widened as she pulled a couple of wine glasses out of the cupboards. “What? Callum?”
Erin nodded and asked, “Is that unusual for him? He kind of seems as the guy that’s used to getting what he wants,” Erin wrinkled her nose, “I could see him bedding every new hire that walks through the doors at Johnson Realties.”
Andrea chuckled, “It’s extremely unusual. He’s more of a stay-to-himself type - the rest of us have a joke that Callum probably even birthed himself, he’s so self-reliant. He doesn’t take an interest in anyone.”
Erin rolled her eyes and said, “I suppose that makes me special. Maybe he’s interested in me because I didn’t take any of his crap at the listing meeting today.”
Andrea gasped and wondered, “You had a back and forth at the meeting?”
Erin spooned marinara sauce on the pasta. “He challenged me, I couldn’t let a guy like that think that I was clueless.”
Erin passed Andrea one of the pasta bowls and Andrea handed her a glass of wine. They moved into the living room, a small area that had been decorated with used furniture from the Mom and Pops furniture store around the corner.
Andrea settled onto the grey sofa beside Erin and stabbed her fork into her food. “Hmm… you definitely improved your cooking skills since school! Anyway, you’ve got to start stopping by my office to tell me things like that.It’ll be so much more fun to listen to than Roger’s rambling.”
Erin giggled and they ate in silence for a while before Andrea said, “You know, I know a guy that you might really like.”
“I’m not dating some weirdo that you met in line at the drugstore, Andrea. Not again,” Erin mumbled and Andrea set her pasta onto the edge of the glass dining table in front of them.
“Seriously. He’s an accountant for another real estate agency across town. He’s handsome, newly single, not at all weird. I can set you up on a date with him for tomorrow night.”
Erin sighed and stuffed a spoonful of pasta into her mouth. “If I go on the date, will you promise to not bring this up for at least a month?”
“Done. I’ll call him up in a second.”
***
Erin sighed and slouched over the small tabletop in front of her. When she arrived at The Isle, a newer restaurant in North Boston, she’d been immediately shown to a table that was in a cramped corner of the building. The hostess assured her that she’d be moved to a bigger table when her date arrived. Erin scanned the tables in front of her: couples cozied up next to each other and picked at the loose strawberries from their desert.
If I see one more couple finish up their meal and then hurry out of here to jump into bed, I’m going to start screaming. Erin narrowed her eyes and yanked her cell phone out of her purse, she dragged her thumb across the screen and checked for missed calls.
Seriously? I’m going to rip Andrea a new one the next time I see her, why would she set me up with an accountant that couldn’t keep track of time?
The waiter approached the table and fumbled with his guest pad as he pulled it out of his apron.
“Are you ready to order yet?”
Erin sighed and said, “You know, I don’t think my date is coming, so I’m just going to head out in a second. Can I just have another glass of water?”
The waiter nodded, “I’ll be right back with that.”
Erin sat back in her chair and peered around the restaurant. It’s a shame, this would have been a nice place to be wined and dined. I don’t think that anyone is here alone. Her eyes moved around the room, and each table had two to four people at it.
There was only one table that sat in a section not too far from hers that held one person. Erin’s eyes widened and she slapped her hand over her mouth.
Callum. What the hell is he doing here?
As if he could read her mind, he raised his eyes from the small bundle of papers in his hands and saw her. He grinned and pointed at her, then waved towards her.
Erin frowned and shook her head. She mouthed, “I’m leaving.”
Callum shook his head, and pushed his chair back. Erin pressed her head into her hands as he moved towards her. She nodded her thanks at the waiter that brought her drink.
Erin took a sip of water and said, “I’m heading out, you didn’t need to interrupt your evening because of me.”
Callum sat in the seat across from her and said, “You’re not interrupting anything, I was just going over a brand new contract that I received earlier. That couple with the three-storey ranch is going to list their home after all.”
“That’s wonderful,” she said. “Sorry, but I’m going to get going now.” Erin swung her legs out and pulled her purse into her arms.
Callum pointed at her things and asked, “Were you waiting for someone? I can’t imagine that someone would keep a woman like you waiting.”
Erin rolled her eyes and admitted, “Well, they did. You can
imagine why I don’t want to sit across a colleague from work and talk about it.”
Callum shrugged. “I don’t see what the big deal is. I just happened to be working on some things at the other end of the restaurant. Why don’t you come and have dinner with me at my table?”
Erin scoffed and protested, “I’m not going to intrude on your meal, I’m just going to get going.”
Callum set his hand on top of Erin’s and said, “You’re intruding. I’m inviting.” The glow from the pendant lights that hung above them bounced off of Callum’s eyes and Erin felt that warm feeling from the other day spread throughout her chest.
Erin sighed and put her purse back on the table. “Maybe I could use a drink after all,” she mumbled.
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