“You’re not giving me a choice, are you?”
“No.”
“Then I’m excited to get started on my first project.” She smiled.
Her smile was infectious, and one couldn’t help but smile back at her. I noticed it in the office, and I noticed it when we were out.
Harley walked over with two plates in her hand.
“For you,” she spoke as she set down Harper’s plate first. “And for you handsome.” She winked at me.
“Thanks, doll.” I flirtatiously smiled at her.
Harper picked up her sandwich and bit into it.
“Oh my God! You weren’t kidding. This is amazing.”
“I told you. One of the best Reubens in New York City.”
I sat across from her and watched as she enjoyed her sandwich. She had a glow. An inner peace that I could feel radiating from her. The more time I spent with her, the more I wanted to fuck her. To feel the warmth of her all over my cock. I could only imagine what it felt like to be buried deep inside her. Skin to skin. No condom needed since she was already pregnant. No worries, no care. She had a piece of sauerkraut hanging from the corner of her mouth, so I reached across the table and softly wiped it away with my thumb.
“You had a piece of sauerkraut.”
She picked up her napkin and wiped her mouth as her pink colored cheeks became more prominent. She was blushing, and it was cute.
“Thank you.”
I gave her a smile as I picked up my sandwich and finished it.
As soon as we arrived back to the office, my phone rang. Pulling it from my pocket, I saw my grandfather was calling.
“Grandfather. To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“I’m leaving for Santa Barbara tomorrow and I was hoping we could have dinner tonight.”
“Of course, where?”
“Daniel at seven o’clock.”
“I’ll be there.”
Ending the call, I sighed as I placed my phone in my pocket. Tonight would be the perfect night to tell him about Harper so he could get that ridiculous notion out of his head about handing the company over to Alfie.
I stayed at the office until it was time to leave to meet my grandfather. Climbing out of the Escalade, I told Damon I’d catch a cab home and that he could leave for the night.
“Enjoy your dinner, Grayson.”
“With any luck, it’ll be the best dinner of my life.” I grinned as I shut the door.
Walking inside the restaurant the hostess walked me over to where my grandfather sat.
“Hello, Grayson.” He nodded.
“Hello, Grandfather.”
“Good evening, Mr. Rhodes. May I start you off with a drink?”
“Yes, Carlos, I’ll have a bourbon. Make it a double.”
“Long day?” my grandfather asked as he sipped his scotch.
“It was. The deal is closed on the Park Avenue property. We bulldoze the building next week.”
“Excellent. And the plans for the new high-rise are ready?”
“Not yet. But they are being worked on.”
“I haven’t been hearing anything about you lately. Have you been behaving yourself?”
“Actually,” I smiled as Carlos set down my drink, “I’ve met someone.”
He sat there and steadily narrowed his eye at me like he always did when he needed to decide if he believed me or not.
“Interesting and quite quickly may I add. Remember what I told you, Grayson, about trying to pull a fast one on me.”
“I can promise you that I didn’t meet her because of what you told me. I actually met her standing in line at Starbucks. Her name is Harper Holland. We got to talking and it just so happened she was looking for a job. She’s a graphic design artist and we were in need of one.”
“I don’t recall needing another graphic artist.” His brow furrowed.
“We did. I brought her in for an interview and not only is she good with graphic arts, she’s a phenomenal architect designer. You should have seen the buildings and houses she designed.”
“I see. Are the two of you seeing each other?”
“I’ve taken her to lunch and dinner and I’m hoping to see a lot more of her. There’s something about her, Grandfather.” I smiled. “I can’t explain it. I feel different when I’m around her and I want to know everything about her.”
“I want to meet the woman who has captured my grandson’s heart.” He finished off his drink.
“You will as soon as you get back from your trip. We’ll all go to dinner.
“You do know, Grayson, that it’s not wise to mix business with pleasure.”
“I know, but this can’t be helped. I really like this woman. For the first time in a very long time, I actually want to spend my time with someone.”
“Does this Harper feel the same way about you?”
“I think she does.” I grinned. “She’s the one I’m having design the high rise.”
“Why? We have a company who designs our buildings.”
“Why not? She’s good and we can save time and money by having it done in-house.”
Carlos walked over and before he could set my grandfather’s drink down, he took it from his hands and held it up.
“Here’s to the start of a beautiful relationship.” He winked, and I tipped my glass to his.
Once dinner was over and we said our goodbyes, I climbed into the back of a cab and headed home. Convincing my grandfather that I was interested in Harper was easy. But then again, I was always good at convincing him of things. Once I had Harper Holland in the palm of my hand, things would be a lot easier. I wouldn’t have to try so hard or feel the need to see her all the time. But for now, I needed to do everything I could to get her to fall in love with me.
Chapter 18
Harper
When I arrived home from work, I cooked myself dinner and then started a rough draft of the high rise. This building was for the elite; the wealthy. The ones who wouldn’t flinch at spending twenty million plus to live there. The pressure was on because I’d never designed anything worth this much. A project like this was meant to be in the hands of a high-powered architect firm, not in the hands of someone like me. I couldn’t stop thinking about Grayson and the lunch we had today. The way his thumb gently wiped away the sauerkraut from my mouth was unnerving and every inch of my body trembled. As I was trying to concentrate on designing the building, my phone dinged with a text message from him and instantly a smile crossed my lips.
“Hey there. What are you doing?”
“Hi. I’ve just started the design for the high-rise. What are you doing?”
“I just got home. I had dinner with my grandfather. He wants to meet you.”
“He does?”
“He’s leaving on a trip tomorrow, but I told him we’d have dinner when he returns to New York. Is that okay with you?”
“Sure. I’d love to meet him. Why does he want to meet me?”
“Our entire dinner conversation may have revolved around you. I told him what an amazing woman you are.”
I could feel the heat rise in my cheeks as I read his message.