The Player + The Pact = I Do (New York City Billionaires #2)

Chapter 15

FIFTEEN

Leo

Jules has just messaged that she’ll arrive outside of New River in about two minutes, so I call the lift to go meet her. It will be good to have a few moments alone to compose ourselves as a couple. This is a high-profile event and we need to look like the newly engaged pair I want the world to believe we are.

Thinking about it, we probably should have started off a little slower—maybe had dinner out in public together. I’m used to Jules the assistant: grumpy, efficient, chastising. And I’m used to Jules the roommate: effortlessly cool, funny, and a master at mac and cheese with a little bit of vulnerability simmering below the surface. But who will Jules the fiancée be?

My heart starts to pound in my chest as the lift descends and I realize I can’t wait to find out.

The doors open and she’s on the other side of them.

When she realizes it’s me standing in front of her, she breaks out into the biggest smile. “Hi! ”

“Hi,” I say, slightly breathless. Slightly dazzled.

“Are you okay?” she asks. “Are you leaving?”

I shake my head and hold the doors open so she can walk in. “I came down to meet you. So you wouldn’t get lost.”

“That’s nice,” she says as she steps in and the doors close. “Is everything going to plan?”

“I think so. My realtors have done all the party aspects. My team just had to have everything ready on time.”

“You look handsome,” she says.

“ You look stunning.” Her dress comes to mid-thigh, one-shouldered and red with ruffles everywhere. It’s not too sexy, but just sexy enough. Her lipstick matches her dress and somehow it makes her lips look bigger and more tempting.

“Thanks,” she says. “Bergdorf’s did okay, right?”

“I’m not sure Bergdorf’s can take the credit.”

She smiles again. I want to press the emergency stop button and see if her lips are as soft as they look. But I don’t. I just return her smile and wonder what she’s thinking.

We reach the twentieth floor and the lift doors open. “Oh,” she says. “It’s all done. I was expecting a construction site.”

“Just the lobby and this floor. Just to give people a taste of how everything will look.”

“You’re so smart,” she says, not a trace of sarcasm in her voice.

I start out of the lift toward the door of one of two planned penthouses.

“Leo,” she whisper-shouts.

I turn back, and her eyes widen like she’s expecting me to remember something I’ve forgotten.

“You should hold my hand,” she says .

I take in a breath and nod. She’s right. I should. Except…

I glance over at the waiters and waitresses pouring glasses of champagne and organizing trays of canapes. I turn back to Jules, who’s standing right in front of me. She reaches for my bow tie, giving it a little tug. “Very cute.”

“Cute? Don’t you mean commanding, powerful, with a little danger mixed in?”

She wrinkles her nose. “So, so cute.”

I chuckle and shake my head. When she’s finished, I scoop up her hand and lead her through the penthouse entrance and into the main living area.

“So this is the penthouse to New River,” I announce. I hope she’s impressed. Construction and the realtors have worked their asses off to get this ready for tonight’s launch.

“Do I get a tour?” she says, squeezing my hand.

“Sure, let’s start with the kitchen and see if it meets your high standards.”

“Tell me about the kind of buyer you expect to want a place like this,” she says.

“Well, it’s a five-million-dollar apartment, so I’m hoping they have some money behind them, but they can be young and self-made. This kind of place doesn’t require your parents to be rich. It’s aimed at someone who would have bought downtown ten years ago but is just priced out. They’re making money downtown though. I see our target buyers as young professionals who want to stay in Manhattan, who don’t have kids, or maybe older people who’ve moved upstate, want a pied-à-terre in town, but don’t want to pay Upper East Side prices.”

“Makes sense.” I watch her as she traces her fingers along the countertops of the kitchen, opening cabinets, peering into the oven. “It’s nice,” she says. “Modern with a twist.”

“Right. That was the look we were going for. And the finishes are good, right?”

“Better than you’d normally see in the area?” she asks.

“Right. The area is up and coming and this is one of the first new-construction residential blocks. People need an incentive to come here. They want a good price for good space and finishes.”

“I’m sold,” she says. “When do we move in? You can carry me over the threshold.”

Our eyes lock and I can’t help but picture that—her heels kicking in the air as I carry her inside. “We’ll have to find another place. I told you, I’m not living in my own development again.”

“Oh yes, that’s right. Does Bergdorf’s sell houses? Maybe I can pop out on my lunch break tomorrow and pick one up.”

I grin at her and we just stand there, facing each other and smiling like idiots. If I hadn’t had my ass handed to me by Nadia over the summer, if everything was different, I would have to kiss Jules right now.

Aesha interrupts. “Leo,” she calls, appearing just a second later. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt, but Tyler Groves is here and I thought you’d want to say hi.”

“Thanks, Aesha.” She’s right, I do want to say hi. He’s a dick, but he’s also one of the top agents in the city. I’ve known him since my bread delivery days. His father set up in competition with Caroline’s, and I remember Caroline being really cut up about it.

Jules slides her hand into mine and we head out. I glance down at the ring on her left hand and heat fills my chest. It’s a sense of possessiveness I’m not used to. I like seeing her wear the ring I bought her—a not-so-subtle message to the rest of the world that this woman is mine.

“Tyler,” I call as he spots me across the living space. His hair is slicked back and he has that year-round perma-tan. Some things never change. I drop Jules’ hand only long enough to shake Tyler’s. “Good to see you.” We greet each other and shake hands and his eyes slide to Jules.

“This is Jules Moore. My fiancée.”

“Whoa, congratulations,” he says, eyeing Jules up and down. “I didn’t know.”

He and Jules shake hands before Aesha calls me away to meet someone else. She asked me for names of people I wanted to make sure I spoke to tonight, and I gave her five. She said she’d make sure I saw them all, and so far, she’s being true to her word. She’s a good assistant. Jules did well recruiting her, not that I’m surprised.

I greet Andrew Feinstein, who is looking to invest in my next project in Harlem. I show him around and talk to him in more depth, but wherever we go, I’m aways aware of Jules. It’s like she’s my energy source or something, and I need to stay tethered to her in some way to avoid depleting my tank.

“Thanks for coming tonight,” I say. “I thought it would be a useful comparison to the development we’re talking about doing together. It’s similar, but with important differences.”

He nods, his gaze skirting the room. “It’s interesting. I haven’t been up in this area for a while.”

I’m so fucking lucky to get Andrew here tonight. He’s the kind of money man who doesn’t leave his desk, and I knew the idea of developing in this area didn’t sit comfortably for him. It was too risky. Being here will make all the difference.

My gaze catches on Jules. She’s laughing at something Tyler’s saying to her. I want her next to me. “Let me introduce you to my fiancée,” I say.

“You’re engaged?” he asks, a note of shock in his voice.

“It’s recent. We haven’t actually done any kind of formal announcement yet.” I lift my chin in her direction. “She’s the one in the red.”

“I should have brought my wife,” he says. “Maybe the four of us can go out to dinner?”

“Absolutely. Let me get her so you can meet.” Andrew could meet her at dinner, but it’s a useful excuse to get her away from Tyler.

I stride towards Jules and hear her talking to Tyler.

She laughs. “He’s actually very kind and thoughtful.”

He mutters something low and a little too close to her. She noticeably moves her body away from him. What’s that asshole saying? I bet he’s hitting on her.

Someone I don’t recognize stops me and shakes my hand, congratulating me on the development. I smile and thank them, but I’m listening to the conversation Jules is having with Tyler.

“No,” she says, a little more forcefully. “I don’t think that at all. He’s a good man.”

She looks up as I join the two of them, her eyes filled with relief and gratitude. Instantly I want to punch Tyler in the mouth. Jules is tough. She doesn’t need saving, so why is she so pleased to see me?

I slide my arm around Jules’ waist. “Excuse me, Tyler, I’m going to whisk my fiancée away.”

I don’t give him time to respond, guiding Jules away from him, my hand on the small of her back .

I lower my lips to her ear as we walk. “Are you okay?” I ask.

“That guy’s a dick.”

“Couldn’t agree more. Was he rude to you? Inappropriate? I can have him kicked out. Hell, I can kick him out myself.”

She shakes her head. “No, he wasn’t rude to me. I mean, he came on to me, which was?—”

“Came on to you?” I growl, glancing back toward where we left that absolute shit stain.

“It was fine. I told him I wasn’t interested.” Jules tugs at my lapel to get my attention, and I look down into her eyes. “He’s not a good guy. He was rude about you. I would have kneed him in the balls if this wasn’t your party.”

That makes me smile. “You’d have assaulted him because he was rude about me or because he came on to you?”

She slips her hand into mine and a sense of peace settles over me. “He was really rude about you.”

“Don’t sweat it,” I say. “He’s rude about everyone. I’ve known him a long time. I don’t take it personally.”

“You guys are friends?”

I chuckle. “Absolutely not. He wouldn’t even talk to me when I was starting out in the business. Now he’s always trying to collaborate. I keep him around to torture him.” He’s not the only one. It’s exactly the same with Hammonds.

“He was trying to convince me I shouldn’t marry you.”

“How ironic,” I say. “So when you were talking to him and describing someone as a good man and kind and thoughtful, were you…?” I trail off.

“He doesn’t know you at all,” she says.

I glance down at her. She’s right, he doesn’t. But does she ?

“Andrew,” I say, as we arrive back where I started, “let me introduce Jules. Jules, Andrew and I might be working together on another Harlem development.”

“It’s such a cool building, isn’t it?” Jules says, the perfect, devoted fiancée. It’s a role that seems to come easily to her. “And just what the area needs.”

“Couldn’t agree more,” Andrew says. “I was just saying to Leo that you and my wife should join us for dinner.”

Jules doesn’t miss a beat, doesn’t throw me a look that says, “Is this on the schedule?” As far as fake fiancées go, I got a good one. “That would be lovely. Is your wife here tonight?”

“She’s not, she’s working. Lawyer, big case—you know how it is.”

“Jules just started working as manager of The Mayfair,” I say. I’m not showing off exactly, but Jules is clever and capable and should get kudos for that.

“Oh nice. That sounds like a lot of work.”

As she smiles, she practically radiates positivity. “It’s a lot of work, but also a lot of fun. My background is in hotels. Worked in them since I was sixteen. I don’t really know anything else.”

Sixteen? I don’t think I knew that about her. Had she mentioned it when she was trying to sell me on the idea of her managing The Mayfair? I wonder if she was polishing mirrors in a fancy hotel while I was delivering bread to the kitchen of the same place. Our paths could have crossed a million times in this city, although I am a little older than her. I slide my hand onto her hip and pull her toward me, wanting her closer, as she and Andrew continue to talk.

I tune back into their conversation just as Andrew says, “ If you’re ever looking for another job, let me know. I have plenty of contacts in hospitality.” He hands her a card.

She shoots me a smile and thanks him, ensuring him she’ll be in touch. It’s certainly on-brand for Jules—always keeping me on my toes. But the more I get to know her, the more I know I’m going to work hard not to lose her. She’s too valuable… an employee.