by Cher Etan
“I would hate to ever have to cook for you. I rarely cook, except when I make stew, or chili…or pot roast. Those I can kill at,” she boasted.
“You would kill?” Steven asked, looking at her.
“That’s American for how great I am,” Julie answered..
“And do you ever bake?” he asked.
“Sure. I make great blueberry muffins.”
“Maybe I should give you a few recipes from my country. Spotted dick would be a good start,” he said. Julie looked at him in shock..
“Spotted what?” she asked, surprised and horrified at the same time.
“Spotted dick…It’s not what you think. It’s just a pudding made with currants and served with custard. Trust me, you Americans haven’t tasted great dessert till you have some of that,” he explained.
“Yeah, you might consider changing the name though,” Julie suggested as she watched him walking around the kitchen. Steven laughed at Julie's comment.
“I love this and I want it,” he confirmed.
“But you haven’t seen the pool yet,” Julie told him.
“That’s just a plus, I’m sure,” he replied confidently as he followed her out. The pool was more than perfect. It had a cave-like setting, complete with a rocky waterfall and a mid-pool bar, a bachelor’s dream. “If I didn’t want it before, I most definitely want it now.”
Steven walked towards the pool.
“I take it you are a party animal?” she guessed.
“Not really, but I have a big family back at home and I would need something to keep them occupied when they are here. This is perfect,” Steven told Julie will a smile.
“Well, the property is also in a great school district, I must add,” Julie said as she looked around. Steven turned to look at her and smiled.
“I’m afraid that wouldn’t be much of a selling point as far as I’m concerned.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I just assumed…” Julie felt her cheeks flushing as her words trailed off. “I just assumed that a man as fine as you would already be tied down with a couple of kids on the way, that’s all,” she thought as she looked at him. “I shouldn’t have said that,” she stammered, feeling a little bit embarrassed.
“Don’t you worry about it,” he said as he looked at her.
“So, Mr. Davenport, do we have a deal?” .
“Definitely, Miss Parker,” Steven said as he turned his attention to her. “So how far will this set me back?” he asked. Julie looked at him with a grin on her face. For a man of his stature, she was sure that a couple hundred thousand wouldn’t be much.
“Not that much. Two hundred and twenty five thousand,” she revealed looking at him.
“I’ll have my office process the paperwork today,” he told her as they walked back into the house. Julie couldn't hide her amusement. Normally, people would try to bargain and get a better price, but clearly this man was worth a whole lot more than she initially thought.
“Great,” she said as they walked towards the front door.
“I didn’t notice a car when I came in. Would you like a ride back to town?” he asked as they walked out. Julie looked at him and nodded. He walked round the car and opened the door for her. Julie was a bit taken aback by his gesture. This never happened with some of the men she met. The car looked as great on the inside as it did on the outside. She slowly ran her fingers on the rich brown leather as Steven walked to the driver’s side of the car. When he got in, she buckled up and a smile played on her lips as she thought of the commission she was going to be getting. “So, Miss Parker,” Steven started as he pulled out of the driveway.
“Julie,” she said looking at him.
“Alright, Julie. How long have you been at Larson Properties Inc.?”
“A while, almost three years now,” she said. “What about you, Mr. Davenport. What do you do?” she asked.
“I'm like you, I deal in properties,” he explained. “And it’s just Steven. Mr. Davenport is my father.”
“You are a realtor?” Julie asked looking at him surprised.
“Well, yes. Why do you sound surprised?”
“My boss told me I was showing a house to a property mogul, but I didn’t really think she was serious,” Julie admitted.
“Really, it’s just a glorified title for a realtor,” he confessed.
“Do you have any tips for me. I mean, I would like to drive a car like this just by selling houses,” she joked.
“Maybe you should stick around then,” Steven said.
“Oh you better believe I will,” Julie chortled.
“Maybe that way I could introduce you to some of our best desserts too,” Steven teased. Julie smiled and shook her head. She wasn’t sure whether she was blushing at his attempt at flirtation or at his accent. She looked at him as he pulled out of the driveway with the smile still firmly on her face.
“So long as the dessert doesn’t have the same name as a human anatomy, I’m game,” she jested, surprising even herself that she would say something like that. He smiled at her as he drove out into the open road. Julie found herself fantasizing about living in such an area. It was perfect. All the privacy you could ever need. Even though the prospect of kids was not on his mind, she was most definitely thinking about it. The area was perfect for long bike rides on Saturday afternoons. And the schools in the area…in her opinion, they were the Harvard of education from kindergarten all the way to high school.
When they got to the office, Steven looked at Julie and smiled.
“I will be sure to tell Dana that you were of great help today,” he promised.
“I will appreciate it,” Julie responded looking into his intensely warm brown eyes. “It was nice meeting you.”
“The pleasure was all mine, Julie Parker,” Steven said before she exited the car. She gave him a smile before she walked into her building, fully aware that he was watching her all the way. By the time she walked into the office, she felt like she was walking on a cloud.
“Judging by that smile, I’m assuming that everything went well?” Dana said when Julie walked into the office.
“It was perfect,” Julie mused as she took a seat at her work station.
“So you closed the deal?” .
Julie looked up at her and nodded.
“The paperwork will be processed today,” she bragged. .
“Up top,” Dana exclaimed as she gave her a high five. “You know what, you can leave early today. You deserve it,” she added. Julie looked at the time. It was a few minutes past one, way too early to leave. “You could use the time to take your car to the shop and get it checked out” she said with a smile on her face.
“That sounds really great,” Julie said gratefully.. “I think that’s exactly what I’ll do.”
She picked up her bag and got ready to leave.
“Oh and Julie,”
“Uh huh?” Julie said looking at her.
“Get yourself a louder alarm clock for Pete’s sake,” Dana demanded before walking away. Julie laughed and shook her head before she walked out of the office. Dana was right. She did deserve to leave early. As she walked out into the street, she almost felt guilty that all she could think about was Steven.
“Get a hold of yourself, Julie. You just met him,” she scolded herself as she waved down a cab.
Chapter 2
When she left the mechanic shop on Thursday morning, Julie was feeling a little cheated. Whatever the deal was with her car, it had just cost her six hundred dollars. She hated the idea that she had paid this much just months after she paid almost two grand to have it fixed a second time. But she was happy that she had her car back. Subways and cabs were just not her cup of tea. Something always seemed to go wrong when she was supposed to be using public transport. When she arrived at the office, Dana had a few properties she wanted Julie to handle.
“I’m guessing the deal with Steven opened a lot of doors,” Julie questioned Dana as she looked at the listings. They were all high end p
roperties, almost the same as the one she had shown to Steven earlier that week.
“You could say that or you could say that I have a little more faith in you than I did a few months ago,” Dana said smiling.“Speaking of Steven, he called me and he would like to see some other houses. Two of the three I have handed to you are actually houses that he would be interested in,” she added.
“Okay,” Julie said puzzled, unsure of where Dana was going with this.
“So, you are showing them to him at midday. You've got to hustle,” Dana concluded and walked away. For some reason, Julie found herself wondering if she was appropriately dressed. She didn’t know why her appearance was suddenly a big deal. She was sure that the royal blue sleeveless pencil dress was just fine. She looked under her desk and pulled out the nude shoes she had left there the night before and changed out of the strapped high heeled sandals she had on. She did not know why she felt like she had to look perfect now that she was going to meet Steven. God knows she had never felt this way with any other client. She felt a little silly as she walked to the elevator, but the feeling quickly disappeared when she caught a glimpse of herself in the elevator’s reflective doors. She looked stunning. The fact that she had chosen not to straighten her hair that morning only made her look even more attractive, exotic even. The first house she was supposed to show Steven was almost near her own house.
“This is going to be a long day,” she thought as she drove to her first appointment. Getting to the other side of town was going to take her almost an entire hour. It was going to be a close shave, but she wanted more than anything to ensure that the day went smoothly. Two hours later, after she was finished with the first property which she thought was just divine, she set out back to the suburbs where she was to meet Steven. She got to the first property just minutes before Steven arrived. It was a beautiful condo which had a perfect view of the city in all its glory. By the time Steven got there, she had already taken a tour of the house and familiarized herself with every room in the property. She was looking out of the window when she heard the elevator bell. She turned around and walked towards the entrance and looked at Steven as he walked in. “You look perfect as usual,” she thought as she looked at him.
“Miss Parker,” Steven greeted as he walked towards her.
“I thought we were on first name basis by now,” Julie argued. She smiled and switched her tablet to her left hand so that they could shake hands.
“I’m so sorry, Julie,” Steven said smiling. He looked her up and down before adding “You look stunning.”
“And here I was feeling a little underdressed,” she muttered.
“Why would you feel that?” he asked confused. She looked at him and shrugged.
“I am wearing a simple dress and you, you have a full suit and everything,” she said. Steven laughed and removed his jacket before he loosened his tie and removed that also. He then undid the top two buttons on his shirt and looked at her.
“Better?”
“So much better,” she giggled. “Shall we start the tour?”
She turned around and looked out the window.
“Please,” Steven said.
“I think the natural lighting and the view speak for themselves,” Julie started.
“The view is something,” Steven admitted as he looked outside the window, feasting his eyes on the city below.
“There is also a modern electric fireplace, perfect for those winter nights,” she informed him with a smile.
“And do all condos come furnished?” Steven asked as he turned around.
“Most of them. But most clients choose to furnish the newer models themselves,” she explained as she walked into the dining area. “The dining room connects to the kitchen, which as you said the first time is a major perk for you. It has all the counter space you may need as well as a high dining table for four.”
Steven looked around the kitchen.
“Really good,” he agreed as he followed her down the hallway to the bedrooms. “The bedroom is lovely,” he marveled, as he looked around the guest room complete with a forty inch TV that was mounted on the wall.
“You haven’t seen the master bedroom yet,” Julie said as he led her out of the guest room and into the master bedroom. She was right. The master bedroom was a haven to say the least. It not only had its own TV mounted on the wall, but also a mini bar. In the bathroom was a huge black tub that complemented the black and white walls. The entire condo was perfect but the master bedroom was everything. She looked at him as he looked around the bathroom.
“Are all your clients always this lucky?” he asked.
“Well, I try,” she said smiling. She looked at him and shrugged. “Do we have a deal?”
He looked around the bathroom and then walked out into the bedroom. He stood next to the window and smiled at her.
“Yes we do,” he said still smiling. Julie returned the smile, and then shook her head.
“Don’t get me wrong, Mr…er, Steven, but why do you need so many properties? I thought you had already found your ideal house on Monday,” she queried as she looked at him.
“I never said that,” he said turning to look at her.
“But you said…something about having a big family and…” her words trailed off as she felt suddenly confused. “Okay, I have no idea of what I’m saying anymore,” she admitted nervously, as she tucked a curly strand behind her ear. Steven laughed as he walked over to the bed. He sat at the edge and looked at her.
“I did say that I have a big family and that a house with a pool would be perfect in case they visit, but I am not in the market for my house,” he said looking at her. She raised an eyebrow and looked back at him.
“ Why are you checking out all these properties then?” she demanded as she looked at him.
“Like I said, I’m a glorified realtor,” he replied with a smile. She looked at him and shrugged.
“This time I have to ask, what exactly is a glorified realtor?”
“Well, I cater to clients of a certain kind and having said that I need properties of a certain kind. Properties that a real estate company like Larson would consider a bit too shard to move,” he explained.
“Talk about smart business,” Julie said grinning . “So you are not in the market for a house?” she asked. Steven shook his head and returned her grin.
“No, I moved to the States some months back and by then I had already found myself a nice condo. But now that I have seen this one I feel like I might have been a bit too hasty in making a decision. The monochromatic color scheme in this one is amazing,” he said looking around.
“Really? What is the color scheme at your place?” she asked.
“Red and black. I went all bold,” he said. Julie smiled and nodded.
“Bold indeed,” she replied in agreement as she looked at her tablet. “We need to get going if we are going to look at the other property by two,” she urged as she looked up.
“Sounds lovely, but I must ask, Julie. Are you always this serious?” he questioned as he looked at her. Julie smiled at him.
“No, just when I am working with super-hot English men,” she thought as she looked at him. “Well, I do try not to get fired for fraternizing with the clients,” she blurted. As soon as she said the words, she almost wanted to slap herself. She looked at him and shrugged. “Sorry, I kind of just yap when I am nervous,” she apologized as she tried as hard as she could not to tug on a stray strand of her hair, something she always did when she was nervous.
“Nervous? Do I make you nervous Julie?”
“Kind of,” she admitted sheepishly as she avoided looking into his eyes.
“Why?” Steven asked looking a little shocked.
“I can’t really think of a reason right now…maybe it’s the fact that I am counting on you for my next paycheck,” she said with a smile. Steven looked at her and smiled back.
“Why don’t you come here?” he said as he patted the bed next to him. “Maybe if
you knew me a little more, then you wouldn’t be so nervous about being around me,” he said. She didn’t want to say it, but now, she was more nervous than ever. She looked at him and reluctantly walked over to where he was and sat down.
“We still have another house to check out you know,” she whispered in a lower voice than she had originally intended to.
“So what? The day is still young, isn’t it?” he asked as he looked at her. “Did anyone ever tell that you may be this nervous because you are always a bit too serious? Uptight even?”.
“Uptight? Me? Never!” Julie retorted, almost annoyed.
“Really? When was the last time you left the office early just to go home and chill out in front of the telly?” he quizzed.
“Well…” Julie started and then paused when she realized that he was right.
“Been a while, hasn’t it?” Steven grinned as he looked at her.
“I guess so,” she sighed.
“Tell you what, tell me two things I don’t know about you,” Steven said as he looked at her. She looked at him and shook her head.
“I am not the most interesting person,” she admitted.
“I’m confused. Is that a confession or one of the two things I asked for?” Steven asked.
“A bit of both really,” she replied, unsure of why she would admit that to a perfect stranger. “And you were right. I haven’t had time to myself in forever.”
“Well, you already know a whole lot about me. So I guess we are even,” he said.
“Really? Like what?” she asked as she looked at him.
“You know I am British obviously, you know what I do for a living and the fact that I like to cook. In my opinion, I am already one fact up compared to you,” he added. She looked at him and shrugged.
“I guess you are,” she agreed.
