Little Secrets--Holiday Baby Bombshell

by Karen Booth

  He made another turn and switched to freestyle, the stroke that had won him three Olympic golds. He always ended his swim this way. It was a powerful reminder of what had once been, of everything he’d worked so hard for and, most important, what it felt like to win. Coming out on top was a high unlike any other, and after his retirement from swimming six years ago, he’d been working his butt off in real estate just to get a taste of that feeling. He lived for that moment when you’re invincible, standing at the top of the mountain, looking down at everyone else that couldn’t match up to you. There was no roar of the crowd or medals awarded in real estate, but the money helped. And there had been a lot of it, not that there wasn’t always more to earn.

  He skimmed along in the water at the end of his final lap, came to the surface, pulled off his swim cap and tossed it onto the pool deck. He scooped water into his hair and hoisted himself up out of the pool, grabbing his towel. There was one other person still in the pool—Gabe Underwood. Gabe had taken up swimming a year ago, when he also set his sights on knocking Michael from his perch of top-selling real-estate agent in Manhattan. Gabe certainly knew he wasn’t in the same league as Michael when it came to the sport that had won him Olympic medals, but he insisted that he wanted to remind Michael that he was on his heels and closing in.

  It was annoying, but Michael couldn’t stop the guy from swimming laps at the same time he did. They were both members of the club, and all the money in the world wasn’t going to help Michael put an Olympic swimming pool in a Manhattan apartment. That would have to be for later in life, when he retired out in the Hamptons or Connecticut.

  Michael trailed into the locker room and quickly took a shower. The hot water felt fantastic on his muscles. There was definitely a part of him that could have stood beneath the spray for a long period of time, but he had to be on his way. Sawyer Locke and the Grand Legacy apartments were waiting. Towel wrapped around his waist, Michael made his way into the dressing area, where his suit was waiting, freshly pressed by the club staff. His black leather Italian wingtips had been given a polish as well.

  “I beat my own time today, Kelly. I’m making big progress.” Gabe’s voice grated on Michael like little else.

  “Yeah? Good for you.” Like I care. He went ahead with getting dressed, hoping Gabe would take a hint, hit the showers and leave him the hell alone.

  “Just like I’m closing in on you in sales. With everything I have lined up for January and February, I’m very close to replacing you as the top agent in the city next year. I have to say, it’ll be a sweet reward and very well-earned.”

  Michael didn’t want to take the bait. He wasn’t going to take it, but damn, it was hard. Michael fed on competition, but he couldn’t let someone see that he cared about their achievements. Focusing on his own was the best way to maintain the steely demeanor necessary for winning. “I’ll keep doing what I do, but thanks for the heads-up.”

  Completely uninvited, Gabe perched on the locker-room bench. “What do you have in the hopper these days? Anything new and exciting? Some big fish on the line?”

  “Always. But I’m not about to share that information with you.”

  “I heard you landed the Grand Legacy residential units.”

  Dammit. Michael worked his feet into his shoes. He wasn’t about to spill the details. It was all sewn up, but there was no point in bragging. He’d let news of the sales filter through the circles of the real-estate world on their own.

  “No comment?” Gabe asked. “I get it. Trying to be the mysterious Michael Kelly. Well, I’m psyched for you, but just so you know, I’ve worked on several properties with Sawyer’s brother, Noah. I even snagged an invitation to Sawyer’s wedding. Pretty sure those guys are eager to work with me.”

  Michael cast his eyes at Gabe, but only for a moment. The less he acknowledged him, the better. “I know the game you’re playing because I invented it. Don’t try to go up against me. You’ll only regret it.”

  “Is that some sort of threat?”

  “I don’t need to make threats, Gabe. Threats are for people who can’t deliver. I always deliver.” With that, Michael grabbed his suit coat. “Have a good day.”

  Michael strode to the elevator and took it down to the parking garage, where his car was waiting. He was one of those guys—the ones who insisted on having a car in the city, even when it was generally a pain in the butt. He didn’t like waiting around for other people, he didn’t like barking orders from the back seat. He knew the best way to get where he wanted to go, and driving himself was the only way to get there.

  Traffic wasn’t too heavy, so he arrived at Sawyer Locke’s office in twenty minutes and nabbed a spot in the lot next to his building. He took the stairs and still arrived five minutes early.

  “Please have a seat, Mr. Kelly. Mr. Locke is finishing up a conversation with his sister. Can I get you a cup of coffee while you wait?”

  His sister? Charlotte’s back in town? Michael shifted in his seat, finding it more than a bit uncomfortable. “Uh, No, thank you. I’ve had two cups already this morning.”

  “It shouldn’t be more than a few minutes.”

  Michael had learned long ago that there’s a bump in every road, especially when you’re sure everything is going to go smoothly. Apparently, today’s bump was going to be Charlotte. He’d probably jinxed himself by daring to think the Grand Legacy was a done deal. Now he had to hope that Sawyer didn’t mention who his ten o’clock was with, opening the door for Charlotte to rail on Michael, call him a jerk or insensitive or any of the things she’d called him the day she’d ended it with him.

  The thing was, Michael had had no choice but to open the door for Charlotte to break things off with him. Three months of monogamy was a lifetime for him, and all signs were there that Charlotte was taking things much more seriously than he ever would be able to. He just wasn’t built for focusing on a relationship. There was nothing to win. He’d be lying if he said he was looking forward to speaking to Charlotte. He could only imagine what she might spout off at him. But he was most certainly looking forward to seeing her, even if it might be as she huffed and stormed past him in the lobby of her brother’s office.

  Lily’s phone buzzed. “Yes, Mr. Locke?” She glanced over at Michael. “Certainly. I’ll send him right in.” She hung up and rose from her seat. “Mr. Locke will see you now.” She stepped out from behind her desk and headed for Sawyer’s office.

  “I thought you said he was meeting with Charlotte.”

  Surprise crossed Lily’s face. “You know Ms. Locke?” She gently tapped her forehead. “Of course you know Ms. Locke. You both work in real estate.”

  Michael cleared his throat. That’s not the only reason. “We’re acquainted.”

  “Well, good. Mr. Locke won’t need to make any introductions.”

  Michael was beyond confused, eyeing the door as Lily rapped on it lightly. “I’m sorry. I guess I’m running a step slow today. My meeting was with Sawyer. It’s an important one, too. If he’s busy, perhaps I should come back another time.” And cut out of here before Charlotte lops off my head.

  The door opened. Sawyer waved him in. “Michael. I understand you’ve already met my sister, Charlotte.”

  Two

  Michael did not like to go into meetings unprepared, but he did love a challenge. He first saw Charlotte only in profile, her long, golden-blond hair framing her rosy cheeks, full lips and adorable chin. She sat straight as a pin in a dark purple jacket and black skirt, poised on the edge of her seat. That was Charlotte. Beautiful, but always on the edge. She turned toward him, her vivid blue eyes immediately putting him on notice. She was still angry. He not only saw it, he felt it, as if her eyes were slicing right into him.

  It was pretty hot.

  Just seeing her brought back the day they first met seven or eight months ago, when she’d
come to interview for a position in his agency. She’d been professional and polished, but her résumé was thin. As they talked, he became more and more enchanted by her as a woman, but he knew she wasn’t cutthroat enough to work for him. She smiled so easily, almost as if she couldn’t help it. She laughed in much the same, affable manner. She was clearly beguiling, but he couldn’t see her playing hardball in a negotiation, or putting up with an ultrademanding billionaire client. He’d told her as much. That hadn’t gone over well. In fact, she’d argued with him about it, giving him that first vision of the fire behind those eyes. In the end, she didn’t get the job she wanted, but he called her a few weeks later anyway. He asked her out and she said no, but then she started peppering him with questions about real estate, and the next thing he knew, they’d been on the phone for an hour, the conversation ultimately drifting to more personal topics. Three or four more marathon calls after that, he asked her out again, and that time she said yes. The rest—all three months of it—was history.

  “Michael, hello.” Charlotte’s words were polite enough, but the tenor of her voice was rigid. She’d never taken that tone with him before, not even when she left. That day, she’d only had tears and gasping breaths. Crying was one of his weak spots when it came to relationships. He never knew what to say. So he often didn’t say much of anything.

  “Charlotte. It’s nice to see you.” He reached out to shake her hand and it was clear she was thinking twice about it. When she finally reciprocated, she was quick to retreat, but even a lightning-fast brush of her skin against his brought back memories of just how white-hot their connection had been. Charlotte might be a handful, but that was also the reason she was impossible to forget.

  She folded her hands in her lap as Michael took the open chair next to her and Sawyer sat behind his desk. Michael’s full attention needed to be on Sawyer at this moment, but he had to steal a glance at Charlotte’s legs as she crossed them and sat even straighter. She was wearing jet-black heels today, and he would’ve been a fool not to take his chance to admire her, while his mind flashed to what the rest of her looked like naked as she did the simplest of things, like padding from his bed to the bathroom and back.

  “Michael, the reason I’ve asked Charlotte to sit in on this meeting is because I’ve decided to make a change with the Grand Legacy condos. I’m giving half of the listings to Charlotte.”

  Michael always did everything he could to keep his cool in a business meeting, but he did not like surprises. Not at the last minute. “You’re what?” His voice betrayed him. The anger was apparent and quite possibly too strong, but as far as he was concerned, he had every right to be mad. He glanced over at Charlotte, only to see her fighting back a smile. He knew that look—the corners of her plump lips twitching while she was trying everything she could not to laugh.

  Sawyer held up his hands in defense. “I know this is a surprise, and it’s not the way I like to do business, but the timing just wasn’t right on this one. You were already on your way here when Charlotte and I talked about it this morning.”

  “You do realize I can sell those units ten times faster than she can, right?”

  Charlotte’s hair whipped through the air when she turned to Michael. “Excuse me?” She was no longer close to smiling. Her mouth was slack and gaping with disbelief.

  “It’s the truth.” Michael shrugged and sat back in his chair, reminding himself to stay cool and calm, however angry he might be.

  “Look, I hear what you’re saying,” Sawyer said. “You’re a rock star of an agent. There’s no denying that.”

  Tell me something I don’t know.

  “But Charlotte is family,” Sawyer continued. “And she brings some unique qualities to the table that, quite honestly, I hadn’t considered and no one else has.”

  “Like what, exactly?” Michael couldn’t imagine that anyone had a talent that he didn’t possess. If he was lacking in some way, it had yet to materialize in his life in a formidable way. If he didn’t know how to do something, he learned. Quickly.

  Charlotte huffed and shook her head. “I have a history with the hotel. I know it almost as well as Sawyer. And I have the Locke name. That counts for something.”

  She had him on that. “I can always introduce a client to your brother, Charlotte, if they want to meet a member of the Locke family. Of course, at that point, the only name they’ll truly care about is mine. They’ll get experience with me. How many properties have you even sold since you became an agent?”

  “I didn’t come here to share my résumé with you. Sawyer doesn’t care about that.”

  “It’s not that I don’t care about it. I’m simply willing to see past it in order to make a compromise,” Sawyer said.

  So that’s what this was. A compromise. Michael was not a fan. “Sawyer, I have buyers lined up. It’s just a matter of giving me the go-ahead, and I can start showing units later today.”

  “I already have a buyer for one unit in the building and she’s ready to make a full price offer today,” Charlotte piped up.

  Michael had plenty of potential buyers and other interested agents on the line already, but no one had seen the condos yet. Sawyer had kept everything under lock and key. “She’s bluffing.”

  Charlotte turned, narrowing her vision on Michael. Her jaw tensed. He could only imagine what was going through that gorgeous head of hers. Murderous thoughts, probably. “I’m not bluffing. I don’t need to bluff.”

  “Then where is this mysterious buyer?”

  “You’re looking at her.” She thrust her chin into the air.

  Michael laughed and shook his head at the irony. “You sure you want to do that? You might not like your first neighbor.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Michael gave me a verbal offer on a unit for himself a few weeks ago,” Sawyer said.

  “I’m dying to get into the hotel. It’s so much closer to my office. My commute takes way too much time.”

  “Are you serious?” Charlotte asked.

  “The more important question is, are you serious?” Sawyer asked. “It’s a big commitment.”

  Charlotte twisted her lips tightly. “Yes, I’m serious. I need a place to live. I gave up my apartment when I went to England. I’m already living and working out of the hotel. I can quite literally do a showing at any time, day or night. And these apartments will be the only thing I’m working on. You’ll have my undivided attention, unlike with another agent, who might be such a hotshot that he’s juggling hundreds of properties.”

  “She might have you there,” Sawyer said. “You can’t deny that’s a compelling argument for her half of the listings.”

  Michael had a long string of counterarguments cued up in his head, but the reality was that Charlotte was Sawyer’s sister. In Michael’s experience, family won out over nearly everything. Sometimes, it even won out over money. Michael needed to focus on his long game, especially with Gabe Underwood on his heels. Sawyer Locke and his brother, Noah, were quickly becoming some of the most prominent real-estate developers in the city. The sooner Michael aligned himself with them, and elbowed Gabe out of the picture, the better. That meant playing ball.

  “I’d never want to get in the way of family,” Michael said. “I understand it’s important you give your sister this opportunity.”

  “Thank you,” Sawyer replied earnestly. “I really appreciate it. Truly. I owe you one.”

  Music to Michael’s ears. “Happy to do it.”

  “We can get the paperwork in line later today and be on our way.” Sawyer rose from his seat. “I’m ready to get these sold. It’s one of the final pieces of the puzzle for the Grand Legacy.”

  “I’m so excited to work together. Thank you so much for the chance,” Charlotte said, embracing her brother. That was the reason Michael hadn’t stood a chance when he walke
d into this room. Family bonds were always the strongest.

  Sawyer walked them into the lobby, but didn’t have time for long goodbyes, as his admin let him know he had a call. Charlotte was putting on her coat. Purely out of habit, Michael lifted the empty sleeve for her. She yanked it from his hand. “No, thank you. I’m good.”

  “I’ll go down with you.”

  “I’m taking the stairs.”

  “Me, too.”

  “Suit yourself.” Charlotte held on to both railings as she descended the stairs, preventing Michael from walking next to her.

  He stopped her when they reached the lobby. “Charlotte, hold up for a second.” He grasped her arm, but dropped his grip immediately when he saw the disdain on her face. “You gave up your apartment when you went to England? Were you planning on staying?” The timing still seemed odd to him. She’d dumped him, disappeared from his life altogether, and then he’d heard from a friend that she’d run off to Europe without saying goodbye to anyone.

  “I didn’t know how long I was going to be in London, but my lease was up, so I just put my stuff in storage and left.”

  Michael shrugged. “Must be nice. Running off at the drop of a hat, no responsibilities to tie you down.”

  “I was regrouping. And spending time with my aunt.”

  Regrouping. Michael wasn’t sure what that meant, but he knew very well that it was Charlotte’s inclination to leave when she had a problem. “You know, you can’t run away every time you hit a rough patch. My dad practically drilled that into my head.”

  “You can stop right there, okay? You don’t even know why I went to England. Don’t assume.”

  “So tell me.”

  “Um, let me think.” She set her finger against her temple. “No.”

  Good God, she was stubborn. “All I’m saying is that you have to keep going when things get tough. This was a problem when we were together. You were always letting the little things get to you. And you were always coming to me with your problems, expecting me to fix everything.”