Hot Property (Kingston Bros.)

by Tamara Larson

  These meetings usually resulted in her trying unsuccessfully to convince him that she would make an ideal girlfriend. He always rejected her as gently as possible, but she knew that eventually he would realize how perfect they were for each other. This went on for a few years. She went on a few dates with other boys because it was expected of her, but her heart wasn't in it. As far as she knew, Mark dated college girls but never anyone seriously. When he'd been in high school, there'd been rumors about him dating a much older woman, but he'd never admitted to anything. He was very close-mouthed about his romantic life. This just contributed to Serena's misguided belief that he was waiting for her to be old enough and then he'd step up and be her boyfriend. But it never happened.

  When she'd turned eighteen, however, something had changed. Occasionally, at family functions, she would catch him watching her. Not like another cousin, but like a man. That was all the encouragement she needed. She'd schemed and plotted, but nothing seemed right. Then the wedding had happened. She would make her move then. A few glasses of champagne had bolstered her courage and she'd asked him to dance, hoping and praying that finally he would see her as both an adult and a woman.

  It had worked a little too well. He'd seen her as a woman all right, but she'd acted like an innocent child. Apparently that innocence had been a complete turn off. Clearly, she wasn't experienced enough for him and he didn't want to be the one to initiate her. She wished she'd allowed some of the boys she'd dated to paw her a little more because at least it would have prepared her for parking with Mark.

  Instead she'd humiliated herself. Her cheeks would still flush at the thought of her clumsy attempt at seduction that night. What had she been thinking exactly? She'd practically begged him to let her touch him. And he'd allowed it. Until it had been obvious she had no idea what she was doing. Then he'd been repulsed by her awkwardness. She wasn't sure what he'd expected. Was she supposed to know what to do? Was there something wrong with her because she didn't intuitively know how to please him?

  The unfairness of his expectations and his impatience with her innocence struck her as uncharacteristically cruel. Mark was usually so kind and giving. So surprisingly sensitive for a man who looked like he ate iron filings for breakfast. She wondered if she had just imagined all the noble characteristics she idolized in him. Maybe he was just another jerk after all. A jerk who'd taken a drunk girl parking and then rejected her because she didn’t act like an accomplished seductress. Not exactly the hero of her dreams.

  He'd tried to explain on the drive home, but her pride would not allow her to acknowledge his lame excuses. He had finally rejected her too many times, and she was done trying to prove herself to him. He wasn't worth it. She'd paused in front of his truck on her way into the house that night, but he hadn't even tried to stop her. He'd just sat there. And watched her with a blank expression on his gorgeous face. He'd left the next day for Dallas. She hadn't seen or heard from him in nine years. And that was when Jack had re-hired him to work for Kingston Bros., without even consulting her.

  She shook he head and brought her thoughts back to the present. Mark was standing next to Jack at the kitchen island with his arms crossed, but he wasn't looking at the site plans. He was glaring daggers at her. She fought the impulse to stick her tongue out at him, or possibly flip him the bird. Instead she scowled back at him and reached out to pat Karl familiarly on the forearm as his story concluded. She laughed dutifully up at him and asked him what he thought of the crown moldings in the den. Turning her back on Mark, she walked Karl past the front staircase and into the lovely room at the front of the townhouse with the bay window and French doors.

  Just as Karl was giving her his expert opinion on crown moldings, Serena noticed Lacey Ferguson entering through the front door. God, Serena thought to herself, was everyone she knew going to show up at this Open House today? No wonder she couldn't sell anything with all these distractions going on. Clearly she needed to set some ground rules with these people. They were treating her work environment like a coffee shop rather than her place of business.

  Lacey waved at Serena as she passed but didn't stop to greet her or meet Karl. She was making a beeline for Jack. Serena couldn’t help to notice how stunning Lacey looked. Her recent tropical vacation had darkened her olive skin to a warm latte shade and her yellow scrubs just accentuated her exotic coloring.

  Serena watched from the entryway as Lacey affectionately squeezed Mark's shoulder in a friendly greeting and then launched herself into Jack's waiting arms. They began kissing passionately and Serena thought about spraying them with the stainless steel pot-filler faucet to get them to quit pawing each other like randy teenagers. Not that it would deter them. They'd probably use it as an excuse to get naked.

  The only saving grace to this unprofessional behavior was Mark's discomfort. He looked like he would gladly burn his eyes out with acid rather than witness anymore of their exuberant display of affection, which seemed to involve an embarrassing amount of both baby talk and tongue action. Yuck.

  Serena was so busy watching them that she didn't even notice when Karl stopped talking. She tore her gaze away from Mark's delightfully tortured expression and prepared to make her apologies to Karl. He wasn't looking at her. He was staring past her into the kitchen at Jack and Lacey. He clearly wasn't amused by their antics. The look on his face couldn't even be called mild disapproval. It was genuine disgust.

  "Karl," she said in her most jovial tone, squeezing his arm to distract him. "Please ignore my cousin and his girlfriend. They're recently engaged and have a tendency to overdo the PDA. Why don't we go check out the Master Bath now?" She started walking towards the stairs, but Karl wasn't moving. He was too busy staring. Glowering was actually the most accurate term she could think of to describe the expression on his handsome face.

  "That's your cousin?" Karl asked, not even looking at her.

  "Yes. He actually built this place. If you have any questions for him, I'm sure he wouldn't mind if we interrupted." Actually, he would probably mind a lot, but that was really just a bonus as far as Serena was concerned.

  Karl swung his gaze towards her and the look he gave her was positively icy. "No, thank you, Miss Garrison. I really must be going. But I appreciate your time. Enjoy the rest of your day." With that he spun on his heel and began striding towards the front door like he was afraid of catching a disease.

  Miss Garrison? Karl had been calling her Serena for weeks. What had just happened here to make him suddenly so distant? Serena panicked. Karl was the only semi-serious home buyer she'd encountered all week. She was getting desperate to make a sale, and she couldn't just let him walk out like this. She practically chased him into the hall, glaring furiously at Jack and Lacey as she passed. They were completely oblivious to her death-stare, but Mark watched in fascination as she grabbed Karl's arm and gave him her most dazzling real estate agent smile.

  She pulled a business card out of her skirt pocket and tucked it into his hand, giving his knuckles a little caress as she pulled her hand away. "I understand completely if you have to go, Karl, but I hope you'll call me if you have any questions I can answer regarding this property. Please feel free to contact me anytime. I'm always available for my clients." Jeez. What was she doing? That sounded like some kind of lame booty call invitation.

  Karl paused in his escape and turned to look down at her with a puzzled expression. Serena couldn't really blame the guy. Before today she hadn't encouraged his personal interest at all. Now she was practically throwing herself at his Gucci-covered feet. No wonder he looked so confused.

  "I'm glad to hear that you're available. For your clients." Karl said with a pervy little smirk.

  Ewww. Serena smiled in return but internally wondered if inferring she was a call girl was his twisted manner of flirtation. So not sexy. What a shame that a guy this good-looking had no idea how to talk to women. Maybe she was reading too much into his behavior. Perhaps she just made him nervous and he was prone to putt
ing his foot in his mouth when dealing with women. She'd give him the benefit of the doubt if it meant a possible sale.

  "Do you have a card, Karl? In case I come across a property more suitable for you?" She asked, amazed at her own boldness. She usually asked visitors to sign the Open House guest-book and leave their contact information if they wanted No pressure. She never asked for cards because as far as she was concerned, real estate agents who did so were the stereotypical pushy ones who hounded everyone they met. Until today, she'd been determined to never come across as that desperate or intrusive. But here she was, crossing that line too.

  She felt pathetic. When did her job become so important to her exactly? It was consuming her. Financially, she was fine. She didn't even need the sale, but she felt like she was losing her touch. She couldn't accept another failure. Not now, when her job was really all she had.

  Karl reached into his back pocket, pulled out a surprisingly ancient-looking brown wallet, and fished out a creamy vellum business card from one of the compartments. He handed the card to her, and gave her another lecherous smile.

  Serena couldn't help but notice how thin and dry his lips were and gave a mental shudder at the thought of kissing that mouth. It would be like making out with a piece of frozen liver, rubbery and cold. Yuck. Was it just her imagination or did his giant, unnaturally white front teeth look almost exactly like Chiclets? And were his canine teeth just a trifle too long and sharp looking? Why did the Big, Bad Wolf from Little Red Riding Hood just flash across her mind?

  "Yes, please call me if you have something for me. I'm looking for something really special. Not quite so common as this." Karl said, waving his arm to indicate their surroundings.

  Serena nearly gaped at him. The townhouse wasn't huge, but it contained all of the upscale finishes a home buyer could possibly desire. Kingston Bros., built really fine homes and she was more than proud to represent them. No matter how annoying and unprofessional they were at times, her cousins were not common. She really had to restrain herself from lashing out at Karl, the pompous ass. She managed another fake smile and began walking him out the door. "I'll keep an eye out for the perfect property for you, Karl. Thanks so much for coming out today."

  He held out his hand to shake hers and she hesitated. She really didn't want to touch him, but wasn't sure how to avoid it without alienating him completely. Gingerly she shook his hand, trying not to visibly recoil as his clammy flesh closed around her fingers. She looked up in surprise when he gripped her hand just a tad too tightly.

  "I really hope to hear from you soon, Serena." Karl said, drawing out her first name and staring into her eyes with an unblinking intensity that made the skin on the back of her neck crawl.

  She eased her hand out of his grip and looked down at her watch. "I'll be in touch. But right now I really must go."

  Karl's brow furrowed. "Oh. Do you have big plans this evening? A date perhaps?"

  Serena thought seriously about lying to him, and saying yes, but despite his newfound creepiness, she really didn't want to discourage him completely. Rejecting him outright at this point would guarantee that he didn't buy a property from her. It was unfair but it was true. If he felt deceived by her he'd take his business elsewhere. "No. Unfortunately not. I have to meet a buyer out on Old Carriage Lane in about an hour. Like I said, I'm always available for my clients."

  Karl's smile became wider as she reiterated that statement from earlier. "I can see that you're very dedicated to meeting the needs of your clients. I find that very admirable. Enjoy your meeting. Good-bye, Serena." With that, he let go of her hand and left the townhouse, heading for his dark blue Mercedes sedan parked at the curb, behind her own convertible.

  Closing the front door with Karl, thankfully, on the other side, Serena closed her eyes, took a couple of deep breaths and turned back towards the kitchen with her head held high. Creepy Karl may have escaped the brunt of her anger, but the three people in the next room were not going to be so lucky.

  Chapter Four

  Serena was surprised to find that Mark had followed her into the hallway. His arms were crossed over his hard chest and he was leaning against the archway, blocking her route to the kitchen. She could see Jack and Lacey over his massive shoulders, but they were completely oblivious to what was happening outside their couple cocoon.

  Serena frowned up at him and attempted to dodge around his overgrown frame, but the damn football player still knew how to block. He'd probably move if she asked politely, but she was so not in the mood to obey the social niceties. She would have to touch him to get him to move. The idea both thrilled and horrified her. The last time she'd touched him had been the most humiliating experience of her life. But some small part of her longed to see if his body was as hard and hot as she remembered from that night. Only one way to find out.

  "Mark," she hissed. "Let me by." She gave his shoulder a good shove, but it was like trying to move a refrigerator. A very sexy refrigerator.

  "What was that about?" Mark asked casually, pretending not to notice that she was trying to manhandle him out of her way. He was being a bully, but couldn't seem to help himself. He needed to know if Serena was actually interested in the prig who'd just left.

  "What?" Serena replied rudely as she attempted to nudge by him. Her breasts accidentally brushed his muscled forearm, and her nipples became instantly erect. She glanced up at him and was humiliated to find that his eyes were glued to her breasts. She covered them by crossing her arms and wondered exactly how hard she would have to knee him in the groin to get him to move.

  "That whole thing with the gay guy? What was that about?" He waved one hand at the closed door.

  "Karl? You think Karl is gay?" Serena nearly screeched in disbelief.

  "Yeah. Obviously. He didn't even check out your ass when you turned around earlier."

  "And that makes him gay? Maybe he's not an ass man; did you ever think of that?"

  "Doesn't matter. Any straight guy would check out your ass."

  "I can not believe I'm having this conversation with you. Karl is a gentleman and he doesn't objectify women." She enunciated her words carefully, as if explaining a challenging concept to an idiot.

  Mark frowned and scowled at her condescending tone. "You can't possibly be that naive. Straight guys check out women's asses. It's not about degrading women, it's about admiring them. We can't help it. It's ingrained in us." He shrugged as if he was helpless to the natural order of the universe.

  "No, it's ingrained in you to be a male chauvinist pig. Karl, however, was ingrained with some class. He doesn't ogle asses."

  "Right. I bet he does ogle asses. In the men’s locker room."

  She put her hands on her hips and glared at him. "What a homophobic thing to say."

  "What? No way. I'm a landscaper. Do you have any idea how many vendors and florists play for the other team? Trust me, I have no problem with gay guys. More of them the better as far as I'm concerned. But I don't think you should be getting all hot and bothered over a guy who prefers sausage." His voice softened. "You deserve better."

  She ignored his concerned tone and focused on the part of his statement that didn't make her melt inside. "I am not getting 'hot and bothered' over him. Who even says that anymore? I was trying to get him to buy a house. He keeps popping up at my Show Homes, and I thought I could work on him a little. Get him to seal the deal."

  "He's been to more than one of your Open Houses then?" He asked, furrowing his brow in concern

  "Yeah. Several in fact. Condos, detached family homes, and townhouses. He's shown up at all of them."

  "And you don't find that weird? Or downright creepy?"

  "Not really. I often run into the same people. Looking at real estate is kind of a hobby, I guess." She uncrossed her arms and gestured towards the kitchen. "Look at Lacey and her mother. Before she met Jack, those two had been to every Open House in town. They were recreational real estate hunters."

  "But a single guy? Cruising
around, checking out Show Homes on Saturday. That's not normal." He shook his head as if describing someone who lights fires in his spare time. "You're sure he's single, right?"

  "It was one of the first things he mentioned to me.” She said sweetly. “So yeah, I'm fairly certain he's single. I think he said something about living with a grandfather who recently passed away. He's looking for a change from the old house, and he's not sure what he wants. That's why he's been to such a variety of properties."

  "So, you don't think he's stalking you then?" Mark raised one speculative eyebrow at her.

  "Mark. You're not making sense. If you think he's gay, why would he be stalking me? Because he admires my personal style so much?" She gestured down at her fabulous patent leather Mary Jane pumps with the thin ankle straps, but references to fashion were lost on Mark. He looked blankly at her shoes, but his gaze warmed up considerably as his eyes travelled over her curvy calves in the black-patterned tights.

  "I don't know why a gay guy would be stalking you, but there's definitely something off about him. You should lose his card. And maybe you should reconsider being alone at these Open Houses all the time. He could be dangerous."

  "Karl? Dangerous? You've been smoking your rose bushes, haven't you? That's just crazy." She chose not to think about her unease when the blonde man had touched her hand or his creepy smile. In retrospect, she'd been entirely too hard on Karl. She must have been imagining how unnerving his stare had been. He was a normal guy. Just because he wasn't an imposingly confident alpha male didn't make him a predator of some sort. He was just a bit lacking in social skills. And really, that was a good thing. A man like that could be trained. Unlike this big, sexy beast in front of her. The woman who fell for Mark would have a hard road trying to get him to bend to her will. She felt real pity for that woman, whoever she was.