SimoneAs I walked into the office the next day, I felt like everyone was looking at me. It was like walking into a room and realizing that they'd just been talking about you. What could they possibly have to say? I'd been there less than a week, and I was already showing homes to two clients. Maybe I wasn't a candidate for Employee of the Month, but I wasn't doing a terrible job.I looked at Mandy, who just rolled her eyes and shook her head, trying to communicate to me that whatever was going on wasn't a big deal. Of course, that meant that something was going on. There was a heavy weight in my stomach."Hey, girl," Crystal said in that snarky voice of hers. "So brave of you to show your face today!"I rolled my eyes and sat down, shooting her a mean look."What do you mean by that?" I asked warily."Oh, just that you've been showing houses to the richest basketball player in the country, and you haven't sealed the deal yet."I felt my blood run cold, but I knew there w
SimoneHolly Malone was the only agent in the office with her broker's license, besides Jake, of course. It gave her a lot more freedom to pick and choose which houses she could sell. Technically she didn't have to work for Owen's Group, but she was a good friend of Jake's, and she brought in a lot of business. They had a mutual understanding–he never turned down any property she brought him, and she always split the commission with the firm.That's how I ended up standing in the most stunning home I'd ever seen in my life. Home wasn't the right word. It was more like a single-family hotel. It was about thirty thousand square feet and was on the market for sixty million dollars. It was hard to comprehend anyone having money like that to spend on a house.Molly was hosting an open house and all the agents in the firm were invited. More accurately, we were all politely told that our presence was mandatory. There were other agents and brokers from other firms, and it was more of a c
Simone"Oh, my God, you suck at telling stories," Mandy complained as I retold the story for the tenth time that night.The event had officially ended over an hour ago, but apparently, it was a tradition for all the agents from Owens Group to stay after an event like this for a social hour. Frankly, I was exhausted, and my feet hurt. All I wanted was to take a hot bubble bath and freak out over the events of the night by myself. These girls were not going to let me off that easily, though."Okay, so he and his bitchy girlfriend were arguing in the kitchen," Mandy said.The girls "oohed" and "ahhed" as if they hadn't already heard this. Half of them had witnessed it. I did notice with some interest, though, that Crystal had kept her mouth shut."So they're fighting and yelling, and Nick totally storms off and barrels right into Simone," Mandy said excitedly. Her hands were moving wildly as she reenacted her version of events. She was definitely hyperbolizing some things, but I
SimoneIt was hard separating everything else that was going on from my time with Michael. There was something strange about showing him houses and knowing I was also going to be touring houses around town with two other very attractive, wealthy men. Michael was the only client who'd made a real commitment, though. It wasn't that I liked him more than my other two clients; I just spent a lot more time with him. Also, there was the undeniable chemistry between us.When we met up a few days later, we were touring a smaller condo near Rodeo Drive. The commission wasn't nearly as high, but he told me he was considering something smaller for himself, that he may decide to get a home in the valley and a condo in the city. That would be great for me if it happened. One thing at a time, though.I knew the second he got out of his car that this was a mistake. I immediately started fantasizing about him pushing me up against the car and taking me right there. I was dripping wet before h
SimoneIt had been three weeks since Michael left our listing. Or, more accurately, since I begged him to leave. I'd been so guilt-ridden over it, that I barely put in any effort at work. I'd pulled a few more listings for Rob, but we hadn't had a chance to schedule a showing yet. He'd been so busy with some merger that took him out of the country for an entire month.Nick had similarly been hard to nail down. I'd called him not long after the open house, and he told me he was still considering his options. I couldn't help the sinking feeling that I was just on his string. With the stress of it all, I wanted to curl up in my bed and forget the world. It was tempting.I didn't, though. I came into the office every day and showed my face. I smiled at all the girls, especially Crystal, as if I was on top of the world. When they asked how my listings were going, I kept my answers intentionally vague. I tried to engage more in conversations about their listings and recent interactio
SimoneI felt so much lighter after my talk with Mandy. It felt so good to unburden myself and share my deepest insecurities with someone I trusted. It was also good that the person I trusted knew firsthand the problems I was facing. She'd been a struggling agent once too. She'd had to deal with Jake's mean side. Now, she was thriving. I knew that I could achieve the same one day, I just had to keep my head above water.It didn't help when my phone rang as I was driving home from work. The Bluetooth on my dashboard told me Michael was calling. The same Michael I'd forced to leave and fired as my client. The same Michael who'd given me one of my top ten orgasms ever.I answered the phone hesitantly."Simone, thank you so much for taking my call," he said in a rush. "I've been wanting to text you. Or e-mail you. Or send you a carrier pigeon."I giggled at this."I don't like the way we left things. I wanted to give you some time and space to process everything, but it's been
SimoneI took another look at myself in the mirror, making sure I looked okay. I'd chosen to downplay my look because I was so freaking giddy. I was sure if I walked into the office with my normal hair and makeup done, everyone would see my glow. My hair was in a messy bun, and I'd chosen a more natural makeup look. I wore a dark blouse and pencil skirt. My thought process was that if I looked a little more subtle, no one think I looked freshly f*cked.It didn't matter, though. The second I walked into the office, I could tell that everyone was in gossip mode. They were all looking at me and giggling. It reminded me a lot of walking through the restaurant the night before. Rationally, I was sure there was no way anyone could know what happened. Yet, my insecurities reared their ugly head. "You should have just dressed normal," I thought."Well, if it isn't Michael Hightower's new baby mama," Crystal catcalled. I rolled my eyes and took a seat at my desk, my back to her."Wha
SimoneRob called me that night and told me he'd had a slight change of plans. I immediately felt my heart sink, thinking he'd decided to go with a more experienced realtor. In reality, the opposite was true.While he'd been away, his listing agent had been arrested for not paying his taxes. Now Rob had no one to sell his house and was in desperate need of a new agent. Instead of trying to find someone else at the last minute, he'd immediately thought of me."I'm already comfortable with you," he'd said. "I can't stand the idea of trying to find someone else at the last minute. Plus, I've been talking it over with my financial advisors, and they all agree that this is the best move. I know it's a lot of work, but you'll get double the commission. I think it's a win-win for all of us."Indeed, it was. Not only would I get a double commission from this one client, but I'd be able to rub it in Crystal's face. He didn't just trust me to find him his next home; he trusted me enough