She chose me to bare her dream to? I feel humbled…and guilty. I was a bit curious, sure. But mostly I wanted ammunition I might use to convince her to help me sink Griff. That probably makes me sound like a terrible human being. At least I’m honest.
I have to press forward. What else can I do? I would be stupid to put a girl I haven’t even known twenty-four hours before the business I’ve worked a lifetime to build simply because the sex was fantastic and I like her as a person. Time to put on my big boy britches. I need to compartmentalize my wants into a mental slot below my responsibilities and do my job.
“How many classes are you taking a semester? A full load?”
She shakes her head. “One or two. It’s all I can afford. And time is usually tight since I still have to earn multiple paychecks to keep a roof over my head.”
“So you’re a handful of classes short of graduation?”
“Four, yeah.” She sighs. “So close but so far away, just like my goal. Even if I get out of school soon, I’ll be stuck working for someone else while I build up enough savings to buy a place. Oceanfront won’t be cheap, and I’ll probably have to do renovations. But I’ll figure it all out eventually.”
She has dreams but lacks capital and knowledge. Now I’ve got real leverage…
Why am I feeling suddenly squeamish about using it?
Fuck that. I have to forge ahead or Griff wins. “What if we could help each other?”
“How? Do you know someone willing to be an investor?”
“Not someone. Me. I need a favor. And I could help you in return. You have goals and are lacking some resources to meet them, right?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m in the same position, actually. Remember I told you I was working a big deal? I’m actually in competition to list one of the premier estates on the island.” I hesitate. After Keeley bared her soul to me, this conversation is uncomfortable. Since all’s fair in business, I shove the feeling away. “I have one competitor. He’s good, but I’ll do a better job. The heirs of this estate lost their mother and want to be rid of the house quickly. I can get them top dollar. Landing this listing would give them everything they want monetarily during their time of grief while helping cement my recovery from the past. A win for everyone.”
“Where do I come in?”
I have to tread carefully. “The person I’m competing against is Griff. After romancing my ex-girlfriend so shortly after our separation, he walked away from our business and left me in a lurch. I had to start over entirely. I’m still building back. Now he’s trying to elbow me out of this critical deal.” Well, it’s sort of the other way around but… “He’ll do his best to stab me in the back again. I can’t lose.”
“I see why you two don’t talk. He doesn’t sound like a great guy.”
Actually, he can be. We were not only brothers but best friends once. One terrible week changed everything.
“He’s not the same man he used to be.” He stopped listening to me, stopped trusting. He turned even more cynical and ruthless than me.
“I’m sorry. It must have been hard. I don’t have siblings so I don’t completely understand, but…”
After losing Griff as both a business partner and a confidant all at once, I grieved as if he had died. “Damn hard, yes. So I was hoping you could help me move on. Would you be willing to lend me a hand to land this deal?”
“I won’t be much help.” She chuckles at herself. “Remember, I’ve got no head for business.”
“Don’t worry.” I flash her a smile. “I have that part down.”
Keeley shifts in the bed, sips her juice again, and pauses. “What do you want me to do?”
I brace myself with another sip of strong brew, then set the mug on my nightstand. This deserves my undivided attention.
“I know my brother well, both professionally and personally. I know his strengths and weaknesses. I know this isn’t the right listing for him…and I know how to ensure he doesn’t get it.” I clear my throat because it feels incredibly tight. I’m nervous. Damn it, this never happens to me. “He’s not good with multitasking. If you’d be willing to…distract him for a couple of weeks, he’ll lose focus and the heirs will choose me as their Realtor.”
She frowns, clearly thinking. I sit back and let her. Rushing her won’t help my cause. Suddenly, realization dawns across her face. “I’m confused. Do you want this listing…or do you want revenge?”
“I’m not trying to stab him in the back.” Much. Just enough for him to feel the sting. I don’t wish him actual harm. “It’s just business. It’s survival, in fact. I would compete hard against any other agent who wants the same seller.” And that’s true. “It’s just a coincidence that Griff and I are related. The heirs of this estate will absolutely come out on top if I list their property. But I need your help to make that happen.”
“So…this is nothing underhanded?”
“He’d do the same to me.”
“That doesn’t make it right. And you didn’t answer the question. Tell me what you mean by ‘distracting’ your brother.”
I shrug like it’s no big deal. “Talk. Be friends. Invent a few small problems he can help with. He can’t resist a damsel in distress. If you disrupt his focus for a while, I’ll give you a hundred thousand dollars—cash—the minute I get the listing. Think of the student loans you can pay off or the down payment for a B and B you can start accruing interest on. That money could solve a lot of your problems.”
“Money isn’t everything.”
“Sure.” I say the words to humor her, though it’s pretty damn important in my book. “But this could turn your life around. All you have to do is say yes, and you could be starting your future.”
“What about integrity? Six figures is a lot of money simply to ‘spend time’ with your brother. In order to earn this small fortune, do I have to sleep with him, too?”
What are the odds that he won’t try to seduce her? Big, fat zero. I try not to wince. The idea that Griff might put even a finger on Keeley makes me want to punch his teeth down his throat. But I want this listing more than I want anything. Not for the money. Not even for the prestige. But I can’t let the chance to beat Griff and return the big “fuck you” slip past me because I’ve got a soft spot for this woman I barely know.
Hopefully, I can make her see that my business maneuvers have nothing to do with how much I like her.
“I’d rather you didn’t sleep with him, obviously. I had a great time last night. I usually don’t have much interest in seeing a woman beyond the morning after, but I want to see you again.”
That’s as honest as I can be. If she digs much deeper into my motives, I’ll be coughing up the details of my life tragedy and showing her all my battle scars. I never share that with anyone.
“Seriously?” She sounds incredulous—but not in a good way.
“Look, I’m in no way trying to offend you. I would never ask you to sleep with someone else, especially a guy you don’t want.”
“Well, that’s good to hear,” she replies tartly.
“On the other hand, after one night, I don’t have the right to ask you to be exclusive. You don’t strike me as a girl who’s looking for permanence right now, anyway.”
“I’m not, but what if flirting and acting a little helpless isn’t getting the job done? What if the only way I can pull his atten
tion from this listing is to drop my dress and climb between his sheets?”
I shy away from that visual because if it scrolls across my brain again, I might lose my composure. Damn it, this is unlike me. I try to focus on what to say instead. Normally, I’d mumble some platitude about everyone sacrificing to get what they want in life. But I doubt Keeley would ever give up her scruples to get ahead. The realization makes me feel a little guilty. No, kind of like a shithead.
I’m unfamiliar with those feelings. Being with Keeley Kent is exhilarating—but confusing.
“Um…”
“What you’re really saying is that if your brother likes me and I’m motivated to screw him, you won’t be thrilled but it’s all for a good cause, and you’ll pay me handsomely for my efforts.”