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  “You know me,” I said as I took another long swig of my beer. “I’m used to negative attention. This isn’t about me. It’s about Charlie.”

  Chase took a swig of his own beer, smacking his lips. “Damn, this home brew is good.” He set down his mug and looked at me. His pointed look. Like he could peer deep into my soul and extract my darkest secrets. “You sound like you already have feelings for this girl, Nolan. You’re protecting her. Going to bat for her. I need to meet her.”

  “After subjecting her to my mother yesterday, I wanted to keep the meet and greets to a minimum.” I set the mug down on the leather coaster and leaned back in my chair. I didn’t want to expose Charlie to another doubting Thomas.

  “I’m not any friend.” Chase pounded his fist against his heart. “I’m your fucking best friend.”

  “We’ll arrange something this week,” I said just to placate him. “You know my mother is arranging an engagement party this Saturday. You’re invited.”

  “Yeah, all the reason for me to meet this girl before then,” he argued. “She needs someone besides you in her corner.”

  “True.” I swiped another stick. “You order us anything else? I’m starving.”

  “Two medium-rare cheeseburgers, on the way.” Chase pointed at the incoming waiter holding the platter of meat with mountains of fresh-cut steak fries. “Here they are.”

  As I took a huge bite of burger and swallowed, I brought Chase up to speed on the business deals I had going. Now that he was back in the city, I could use his help in closing them. “I’ve got this sweet thing going with Raminsky. He’s finally selling me that office building I’ve had my eye on the last three years. I’m going to gut it and turn it into luxury office buildings. You know commercial space is at a premium in that area. Also, he has an empty lot next to it. Charlie is going to head up developing a low income housing project.”

  Chase laughed. “The only city where you can sell premium office space next to a housing project.”

  “It’s going to be done right, dude,” I speared Chase with a glance. “This won’t be just any housing project. I’m talking granite counter tops, high end appliances, upgraded everything. We’re gearing it towards single moms and dads. You know, Charlie was raised by a single dad. Her heart is in the right place.”

  Chase put both hands up in the air, palms out. “I meant no disrespect, man. I love what you’re doing.”

  I raised my beer mug to Chase in a mock toast. “Then come to work with me. You can head up my development team. You still have your real estate license, right?”

  Chase shook his head. “No hard feelings, man, but I’m leaving for Costa Rica soon. The waves there are epic.”

  “You’ve surfed the beaches of Tamarindo before. I’m talking about doing something good for a change,” I said, appealing to Chase’s humanity. If he had any left.

  “Playa Grande is where it’s at,” he said, a wistful look crossing his face. “Surfing, snorkeling, zip lining through the jungle with a little Tico by my side.”

  “I tell you what. You work with me for six months on this deal. Then I’ll pay for both of us to take a two week surfing trip to Costa Rica.” I chased down the last of my burger with a drink of beer. “I know that trust fund has got to be running low. You’ve been on the run for three years now.”

  Chase laughed. “I haven’t been running from anything. Except maybe a gold digger or two. Or three. I’ll think about it.”

  I wiped my face with the napkin and pushed my plate away. “I know you’ve been running away from somebody.” I let those words sink in for a moment. “How long are you going to let her fester under your skin?”

  Chase placed his elbows on the table and leaned toward me. “We made a pact, over a bottle of tequila if I remember correctly, to never, ever mention her name again.”

  Amanda Kimble was a hot piece of ass. And Chase’s ex-fiancée. He’d found her in his dorm room with her legs spread and Tim Withers’ cock inside her, balls deep. Tim’s face has never looked the same.

  After Withersgate, Chase collected his trust fund and fled. He’d been a rambler and a rover ever since. Every time he came home, the memories ended up infesting his brain and heart like lice, and he ran again. But I would know. Running only ends up making your legs tired. You can never escape the past or the unwanted emotions associated with it.

  “Chase, it’s time for you to come back home,” I said. “It’s been long enough. You know – she’s married now.”

  Chase shut his eyes. As if doing so would black out her memory from his mind. From his heart. That didn’t work. I’d tried it yesterday with Charlie. “I hadn’t heard.”

  Because no one wanted to tell you, dipshit. No one wanted to utter the words that would break the one final sliver of your heart still intact.

  “She got hitched over the summer, to some hot shot stockbroker on Wall Street. They live in Connecticut and he commutes. She’s probably alone a lot if it makes you feel any better.”

  He sank into his chair. “No thought that involves her makes me feel anything other than numb.”

  The waiter came by with the check and before I could get my wallet, Chase threw down a hundred dollar bill. “Keep the change,” he told the kid. Probably an actor.

  “Come on,” I continued. “Give it a few months. If you don’t like working with me, you can hit the road again.”

  “My license is still active,” he answered. “I guess I could earn a few bucks. The fund isn’t as lucrative as it used to be. That will give me time to rock some investments too.”

  I knew he had a few million in the bank. He really didn’t need the money. But he probably needed a friend more. So did I.

  “Be at the office tomorrow at nine. I’ll bring you up to speed on the new development. Of course, you can meet the long suffering Charlie too.” I stood up from the table. “Thanks for lunch.”

  “More like short suffering,” Chase snorted as he stood up. “She won’t be long suffering until she suffers more than one month with your mother. Don’t forget your promise about dinner. I want to get to know this girl.”

  “You got it,” I said and gave him a bear hug before walking out of the deli.

  My best friend was coming to work with me. Today was shaping up to be a good day after all.

  Chapter Six

  “Congratulations,” Katie said brightly. “We’re all so happy to hear that you and Charlie got engaged over the weekend.”

  “It’s the best news, yet!” Michael enthused. “It must’ve been a big surprise to everyone at the Gala.”

  “Are you going to have an engagement party?” Callum asked. “Hopefully, we are all invited, right?” He let out a guffaw.

  That motherfucker rubbed me wrong. I’d heard through the grapevine that Charlie had dubbed him “hot as hell” her first day here. He’d better keep his freshly manicured fingers away from her or I’d separate them from his palms.

  All my senior employees were gathered around the conference table for our afternoon de-brief. Charlie sat at the far end, looking like she’d just been handed the black hood for her own execution. We were getting blasted, as each one leapt in with their congratulations and well wishes, trying to blow smoke up my ass.

  I winked at Charlie. She took it well. Again. Dressed in a red power suit, her beautiful hair hung loose around her shoulders in glorious waves. I wish I could scoop her up and take her to my office. Push up that red skirt and dive my head between…

  “Everyone settle down and let’s get started,” Charlie interrupted my thoughts of finding out the color of her panties. It was just as well. I was probably breaking her archaic rules just by thinking of having sex with her. No doubt she could read my thoughts right now. No. Her lush body remained stiff and unyielding. If she were thinking about us naked together, she’d be flushed that delicious shade of rose I loved so much.

  According to this morning’s New York Daily, Nolan Banks and Charlene de Monaco were the power couple in
New York City. The next Brangelina. The next Jay Z and Beyonce’. The next Tom and… forget that shit. I’m not even sure that guy bats for the correct team.

  “Thank you all, but as Charlie said, we need to get to it,” I talked over the whispers to stall their latest tidbits of gossip. The move got everyone’s attention as they sank into their seats like I’d cracked the whip at them.

  Charlie nodded to her assistant, who shut off the lights. “Today’s presentation is two-fold. We have the new development of the Banks Building, which will be located at 25 Broadway in the financial district. This opulent office building will be a twenty-two story limestone structure with a neo-Renaissance façade.” She clicked through the Power Point presentation with the drawings our architect had brought over earlier in the morning. “However, it will be the marine inspired interior that will set us apart from other luxurious office buildings.”

  I watched as the real estate team was furiously scribbling notes on their laptops and yellow legal pads. This was the one project that would practically sell itself. Chase would have an easy job heading up the sales team and I couldn’t wait to share all this with him. I just hoped Charlie would welcome him to our new team with open arms. I had yet to have a chance to tell her that my best friend was coming to work with us. Seems I’d suddenly developed a penchant for nepotism. First Charlie. Now Chase.

  “The leasing price will hit all-time highs for the financial district,” Charlie continued. She clicked on the projector, which displayed impressive trends in a bar chart. “Fifteen hundred per square foot for floors three to fifteen. Higher floors with the best views will start around seventeen hundred. The top floor will be designed to house a restaurant and bar, and we already have some interest from a celebrity chef.”

  There were some delighted gasps around the table. We hadn’t had this kind of captive audience since we’d developed a harbor front residential unit that made our sales teams a nice sum of money. College tuitions were paid off and retirement incomes were padded from that project. This project would make my small sales team millionaires if they worked their asses off.

  Charlie leaned forward and placed both hands on the mahogany table in a confident posture. “Everyone should have the complete packets in front of them. We plan on closing next month on the next building. However, we can do some pre-sales before closing. No print or internet ads will be secured until after we close escrow. All the information is in your packet. Familiarize yourself with it. We’ll have a sales team meeting on Friday at noon. Lunch will be served.”

  The lights flickered back on. “Any questions?” Charlie asked.

  “Who will be heading up the team on this one?” Callum asked, his appreciative gaze traveling from Charlie’s flowing hair to her sexy bare legs. All the women in the office had forgone hose ever since Jasmine’s demise. He’d heard rumblings that a burning party had been held in the break room. Like he’d stop it. Why in the hell would he ever want bare skin covered up with some scratchy synthetic crap?

  Callum’s gaze finally fell to his packet. Damn well better look away, asshole. If not, you’re fired. Donald Trump style.

  “Actually, I have some news about that,” I said and looked at Charlie, who raised an eyebrow at me. Caught. Seething with petty jealousy. “Chase Bradenton will take the lead in sales,” I announced. “He starts tomorrow. I’ll make sure he meets the team before our meeting on Friday.”

  An intern raised her hand. “I have a call list of all our past clients and prospects from other ventures. Can I give that out to the team today?’’

  “Give it to Charlie,” I instructed. “She’ll handle warm lead assignment until we can bring Chase up to speed on the project.”

  “Anything else?” the young college student asked. “Will we have an on-site office once the building is complete?”

  “I hope to sell-out before we even break ground,” I said.

  “We need fifty-two percent of the building leased or sold before we can begin construction,” Charlie said. “After that, we can put a sales trailer on the vacant lot next to the building and run our sales office there. It will be important to have professional three-dimensional renderings done.”

  “What she said.” I pointed and everyone laughed with me. “Now if there aren’t any more questions, Katie will head up our new ad campaign.”

  Charlie sat down as Katie Stewart, my marketing director, took the helm. The lights dimmed again as the projector whirred to life.

  “In 1946, Jonathan Banks founded the company that would become Banks Real Estate Sales and Development. Today, more than sixty years later…” The projector spit out pictures of my family through the ages – my grandfather and father working at their desk, various officers throughout the years in their business suits, several real estate projects that made up New York City. The last picture, the one that caught me by surprise and left a lump in my throat was of Charlie and me at the Gala, smiling at the camera. “It’s one of the last family run businesses in New York City,” the projector droned.

  I glanced over at her. Only a sliver of light filtered in through the blinds and the glow from the projector made her even more beautiful. And vulnerable. Charlie couldn’t hide her feelings as much as she wanted to. She’d felt something when she’d just seen that photo of us as a couple. Taking on the world. Together. I reached under the table and laced her fingers with mine. She didn’t pull away.

  The last picture featured the Banks Real Estate Headquarters – where we were all now seated around the table – with fancy lettering that showed our company’s new motto: Banks Real Estate and Development. Our Family Helping Your Family. One Generation at a Time.

  The lights flickered on. “This new ad will put us at the forefront of residential sales. Not to mention our shareholders are going to eat this up at the next board meeting,” Katie said. “It’s marketing gold.”

  I caught Charlie’s eye. She was just as surprised as I was at the picture that featured both of us. Usually, I had to approve the ads before they were run to the media, but Katie had squeaked this one by me. And it didn’t really matter. I approved.

  “Thank you, everyone. Good work, Charlie and Katie,” I acknowledged. “I’ll see you all on Friday at our next meeting.”

  As everyone filed out, I grabbed Charlie by the arm. “I didn’t know about the photo,” I whispered in her ear.

  “I figured as much,” she whispered back.

  “Are you upset?” I asked.

  “No, are you?”

  “As long as you’re happy…”

  “It’s just a business deal…”

  “Touche,” I said.

  “You’re the brains of this operation. I just have to sit here and look pretty.”

  I laughed and put my arm around her shoulder. “Let’s head to my office. I want you to meet someone.”

  ***

  “This is Candy Carmichael,” I announced as I stood back to let Charlie go before me. “She’s the crème da le crème of wedding planners. Anne Banks tested and approved.”

  “I know who you are,” Charlie said, her eyes widened and she let out a little gasp. “So pleased to meet you.”

  Candy Carmichael was the shit when it came to the perfect wedding. Carmichael Productions had their home base right here in Manhattan. My mother had called me before the meeting to let me know she was sending Candy over. She’d called in a favor. I’d made a valiant effort to object, but in the end, why bother? I also knew that Charlie would be upset at the thought of having a wedding planner, but I couldn’t say no to my mother. Not on this. Some things just weren’t worth the fight and battles had to be chosen wisely.

  “I said no wedding planner, Nolan Banks. You agreed to that rule,” she whispered through gritted teeth. “We’re wasting this woman’s time. We’re keeping another bride from her dream wedding.”

  “Look at it this way,” I said, trying to compromise with her. “Candy is here to assist us with our engagement party. You don’t have to lift
a finger.”

  She smiled, but it was more of a baring of teeth. “We’ll talk about this later, Nolan.”

  “Is there a problem?” Candy asked, spinning around and noticing the whispers. Her arms were full of bridal magazines and a large white binder that I could only imagine was stuffed with a ton of girly things that I’d never given a shit about.

  “No problem at all,” I assured her. “I’ll leave the planning of the party to you and Charlie. I’m sure it’s in good hands.”

  “Oh no,” Candy said. “Your mother told me that this will be an intimate little affair with several hundred of your closest friends and family.”

  Charlie’s face turned white and she wobbled. I reached out a hand to steady her.

  “No worries,” I said in a soothing tone as I stroked her back. “It’ll be an intimate affair. Just us and a few family and friends.”

  Charlie looked at Candy for reassurance.

  Her words came out in a croak. “I don’t even know several hundred people. This is not what I signed up for…”

  “Darling, everything is going to be okay,” Candy said, consoling Charlie.

  I imagined that dollar signs flashed in Candy’s head like an orange neon sign. A catered affair with that many guests didn’t come cheap, not to mention the extra fee to rush the arrangements. But I knew my mother and she only threw parties that people talked about. It wasn’t a party unless it was featured in every gossip rag between here and Connecticut.

  “I’ll take care of it all. But, if you have any ideas. Any ideas at all,” she threw a sympathy look my way, “here’s my business card. You can call my cell phone morning, noon or night. Whatever you need. Mrs. Banks is one of my best clients.”

  Mrs. Banks is like a fucking ATM on Jimmy Choos.

  Candy extended the card to Charlie with a sympathetic nod before gliding out of the room like an exquisite dancer from the New York City Ballet Company.