I lifted my glass. “No, I haven’t yet, but I will. To be honest, I only saw the champagne.”
“Understandable.” He flashed me an easy smile that revealed perfectly straight, perfectly white teeth. “I tried some earlier and they definitely splurged on the good stuff.”
“Yeah, well, the real-estate agent is probably going to add double what the cost was for all the fancy snacks and drinks to their commission at the end of the day. It’s daylight robbery, but that’s just what agents do, I guess. I’m Elsie, by the way.”
“Taydom.” He extended his hand, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips and amusement dancing behind those eyes. “I’m the real-estate agent, by the way.”
Oh, God. I groaned, feeling my face turn beet red. Just move on, folks. Nothing to see here, just Elsie being the most awkward duckling of them all. Again. Urg.
Foot meet mouth. Then again, the two were old friends by now. Unlike me and the gorgeous man in front of me. We would never be friends or anything else.
In fact, I was pretty sure I was about to get escorted off the property.
Chapter 6
Taydom
“Don’t feel bad about talking shit about me,” I said as I tried not to laugh at the horrified girl in front of me.
I’d spotted her the second I’d come back downstairs after giving yet another tour of the mansion, and I’d instantly known she wasn’t the buyer I’d been hoping this open day would attract. But that hadn’t stopped me from approaching her because hot damn, she was sexy.
It had been another long week and I figured I deserved a little treat. Since the options around here were limited, I’d decided to reward myself with a few minutes in the company of a beautiful woman. Then I’d go play agent again.
What had made me decide on this particular beautiful woman out of a room filled with them was simple. She was the only one who had curves like an old Bentley, which automatically made her the sexiest girl in there.
The long shiny black hair piled into a messy ponytail behind her head and the striking, emerald-green eyes were simply cherries on top. As were her plump lips and the little upward flick of the tip of her nose.
Unlike a lot of men who claimed to like curves because it gave them something to hold on to or whatever other crude reasons there were, I liked curves because I genuinely loved the female form.
Those bony chicks Andrew tended to like did nothing for me. Fucking them, to me, was like cutting a hole in an ironing board, attaching a fleshlight to the back of it, and sticking your dick in there.
I had to suppress the shudder the thought brought to mind. No, thank you.
“I wasn’t talking shit about you,” her sweet voice said, yanking me out of the nightmare that was imagining fucking an ironing board.
Turning my attention back to Elsie, I lifted my eyebrows. “Oh really? Because I’m pretty sure you just said the real-estate agent was going to rob these people blind, and I happen to be that agent.”
“I didn’t say that.” More pink spread across the apples of her cheeks.
Sexy and cute. I like it. “It was what you meant, though, am I right?” I asked, cocking my head as I waited for her answer.
“Yeah, I guess so.” She sighed and took a long sip of her champagne, wincing as the bubbles burned their way down her throat. “I’m sorry, but the champagne and the fancy snacks and everything? It’s all just a little bit too much, don’t you think?”
“I do think.” I moved to stand beside her and leaned down so she’d be able to hear me even if I kept my voice low. “To be honest, it would be pointless to try robbing these people, considering that they’re selling because they couldn’t afford the place anymore.”
She let her head drop back against the wall as she laughed. Then she stopped abruptly. “Wait, are you serious?”
“Yes and no.” I chuckled. “I was joking about it being pointless to rob them obviously. I mean, there’s still a ton of valuable shit in here. Like that painting and the—”
She jabbed me in the side with her finger, which cut me off and surprised the ever-loving fuck out of me. I hadn’t had anyone do that to me in years, and certainly not a woman I’d just met. Like I was her best friend or something.
“What was that for?”
She shrugged, but her mouth tilted up at the corners. “I needed you to stop. You can’t go pointing out all the valuables to me. What if I’m really the one planning on robbing them?”
“Oh, I don’t know. I trust you.” I grinned as I nudged her with my elbow. What? Two can play that game. “Want to know where the safe is?”
Elsie let out a soft laugh and shook her head. “You’re the worst real-estate agent I’ve ever met. Remind me to never hire you if I have a house to sell. I wouldn’t have anything left to furnish my next house if this is the way you conduct your open houses.”
“I’m legitimately the best real-estate agent in the city actually.” I smirked, unable to help it. Then I tapped the side of my nose. “But let me assure you, I’d never point your valuables out to anyone.”
She laughed again. “Thanks, that’s very kind of you.”
We lapsed into a comfortable silence for a minute as we surveyed the others who had come to look at the house. I couldn’t keep my attention on them, though. Out of the corner of my eye, I kept looking at Elsie.
She sipped her champagne and held the glass to her chest when it wasn’t against her lips. A thin silver ring encircled her index finger, but otherwise, she wasn’t wearing any jewelry.
Her shiny lips were parted ever so slightly and her eyes flicked to mine. “Shouldn’t you be working the room or something?”
“Nah. I’ve already shown most of these people around. The ones who are serious anyway. The rest of them are just here to check out the house because they’re curious.” I tilted my head. “Which brings me to you. Why are you here if you’re not interested in the house?”
“I thought I was interested in it, but then I realized it wasn’t for me.”
“So you really are house hunting? Just not for this house?”
She nodded. “This is way too big for me. I thought I might like the cottage, but it turns out I can’t buy only the cottage.”
Reaching into the inner pocket of my jacket, I pulled out one of my business cards and held it out between two fingers. “I don’t do residential real estate much anymore, but give me a call sometime. I’d love to help you find your first house.”
“I’m not sure whether I want to rent or buy yet,” she said with a glance up at me. “You might not want to waste your time on someone like me.”
“It could never be a waste of my time to find the perfect place for a client.” Okay, so maybe helping her find an apartment to rent wouldn’t be the most productive use of my time, but there was something about her that made me want to do it anyway. “Why are you conflicted between the two?”
She shrugged, twisting the ring around her finger with her thumb as she took another sip of her drink. “Buying is a big decision, but it’s also a much better investment. I’m working toward finishing my doctorate, so I don’t know where I’ll end up yet, which means I might end up buying in one place and needing to live in another. On the other hand, this is a good area with lots of possibilities for me once I graduate, so putting down roots here seems like a good idea.”