Risking It All (10 page)

“But
you have your business and career back in Florida. That’s why I don’t understand why you want
to purchase property here
.” Julissa shook her head.

“You sound just like Jake, my banker. Actually, that’s part of what I wanted to share with you tonight. I’m thinking about moving back to Atlanta.
Permanently.
” Quinton paused, maybe waiting for her to comment. “I’ve had a lot of time to th
ink about some things while here
over the past few weeks.”

“But, what about your properties there? What about your job?”

“Those properties are well managed by the company that I hire to do that job. I make most major decisions, yes, but those decisions never required me to live in Florida for the long term. Also, there are some tempting job positions here in Atlanta that will be will
ing to hire me at much more than what
I’m being paid now as a computer programmer.”

Julissa wondered what actually made up his mind about moving to Atlanta indefinitely. Was it really the real estate market? Was it real
ly the higher paying positions?

“But
how are you so sure that you will get a position?”

“I’ve been on three interviews so far. I’ve already been offered one.
The benefits are a bit lacking, so if I accept I’ll have to negotiate a bit on the suggested salary.
”

“I see. I guess you understand that you’re taking a big risk.”

“I do.” He
nodded. “I still have my rental income to fall back on in Florida if the job offers don’t go well here. I also plan on taking a different approach to my current hobby. Instead of managing so many properties at once, I plan on doing something a little different.
”

Quinton was smiling, so she figured he must have already thought this through and the odds were in his favor.

“What do you mean?”

“Have you ever heard of investors buying properties that are in need of major repairs or renovations? These investors buy properties well below market value, flip these properties, and sell them for a hefty profit. That is the direction that I plan on going
with my business
.”

Julissa smiled. Quinton was a smart man. She liked that. Smart, successful, obviously financially stable, and a true entrepreneur. “I think you have a good idea going there. Have you ever
done anything like that before?
”

Quinton nodded. “I assisted a colleague of mine on a project before about eight months ago in Florida. With the right people on my crew, I think I can fair pretty well. Basically, I can either flip and sell a home or flip and generate rental income from that home. There’s no going wrong with either.”

“May I start you guys off with some drinks or appetizers?” The waitress had interrupted their conversation.

Quinton looked at her.

She smiled.
“I’ll have a White Russian.”

“Hennessey and Coke,
please.” Quinton said
.
“
What about a s
ushi sampler for an appetizer?”

“Sure.”

When the waitress was gone, they were quiet for a while. Julissa was looking at the lighted candles in front of them and listening to the music, which had
suddenly gone from hip hop
to slow romantic jazz.

“Julissa, my business plan includes you.”

“Q, you hardly know me. We only met for the first time this past Thursday and by the end
of this week, you’ll
be on your way back to Florida.”

“I want to get to know you, Julissa. I know that our circumstances may not allow us to…well, for me to get to
know you in the context that I’
m thinking about, but…”

“In what context were you thinking about, Q?” She dared
herself
not to make eye contact with him.

“In the context of a relationship. I would like to go out on a couple of dates with you, like now, and we can get to know each other.”

Julissa looked him in the eyes. “This is not a date.” What was she thinking when she agreed to come here with him? She should not be here ri
g
ht now.

“Quinton, I don’t think we should…I mean, I
—
.” Julissa shook her head. She was at a
loss
for words. What did she mean? What did she think? There was no way that she could date Quinton while in a relationship with Michael. She was far from a player. She was not Shanice, who played
men like a game of chess
.

Quinton reached out and grabbed her hands which had been folded t
ightly on her lap. He rubbed her palm
with his fingers until the tensi
on and tightness there
were no more.

Julissa didn’
t pull away.
It felt too good.

“
I’m going to cut to the chase. I’m not going to pretend that I’m not feeling you. I am extremely attracted to you. In a way that I have never been attracted to any woman and I barely know you. I know you think that I’m trying to
pull a fast one
, but believe it or not I want you more than you know.”

“You’
re
just ignoring the fact that I’
m already invo
lved,” Julissa whispered
.

Quinton’s face was merely inches from hers.
“I’m not ignoring anything. Right now, I could care less about your relationship and I know it’s selfish. But, I want you so bad that I will be with you however I can.” He interlaced his fingers with hers.

“Are you suggesting that I
be unfaithful
t
o my boyfriend?” How
could
he blatantly
suggest that she cheat o
n her boyfriend to be with him?

“Julissa, I think you would have turned me down from the beginning if you were not interested in me. The fact that I needed your help looking for a property only made it okay for you to see me. Would you have seen me if I had just asked you outright?”

Julissa was a little embarrassed that Quinton had just figured her out. His words were the truth. Of all the guys who had pursued her while she was still with Michael, she turned them down without hesitation. No one could measure up to Michael. And that’s what she thought until Quinton came along. That’s wha
t made the whole thing so scary. S
he barely knew this man and th
e feelings—
sex
ual and emotional—
she felt was a first for her.

“Yes, I would have. If you had asked me outright…I would have.” Julissa couldn’t believe she had just said that.

Quinton breathed a sigh of relief. It was a happy sigh of relief. “So, what do
we do now?”

She swallowed.

“Look, I would never intentionally come in between what you have going with Michael. Not now, at least. But, I think we should be able to get to know each other more and…and…if it is meant to be then…”

“Then
what?”

Quinton lifted his free hand and ran it through her hair.
“Then
I would want you for myself.”

Julissa closed her eyes when his hands rested on the back of her neck, sending shivers up and down her spine.

“You are s
o tempting, Julissa, and
I want you right now to myself.”

“I want
—
”

The waitress interrupted their intimate moment by clearing her throat to ann
ounce her presence,
and
then placed
both drinks down on the table
. Another waiter came over and place
d
a plate of sushi, bowls, and chopsticks in front of them. They both managed small talk while enjoying the sushi, but Julissa couldn’t help but replay the entire confession that Quinton made in her head over and over again.

After dinner and dessert, Quinton drove them back to the hotel and walked her back to her car. She wanted it and there was nothing she could do to make her body ignore the feelings inside. How much was she willing to risk to find out if she and Quinton were meant to be? How much of her current relationship would she put on the line? How much trouble could she stay out of with Michael before possibly being exposed?

“I’ll call you tomorrow.” Quinton was still in the doorway, as if not wanting her to leave.

“Okay.”

The kiss he gave her on the
hand befor
e closing the door
seal
ed their
deal
...the deal that could cost her everything
.

**

The next morning, she was in the office preparing the contract offer that Quinton had plac
ed on the property. As she looked across the table
at Quinton,
s
he hoped that the reason for his sudden business adventure and plan to move to Atlanta was not because of her only. She needed to tell Quinton that she couldn’t promise him anything, especially where Michael was involved.

“Should I cross my fingers and hope for the best,” Quinton smiled, tapping the pen on the conference table looking at her.

“
This is a pretty good offer. If it comes back
unaccepted
, we’ll just be prepared to negotiate a little.”

Julissa got up and placed the contract face down on the fax machine. They both watched as the fax went through.

“By the way, I got that second job offer that I was looking for. I have about a week to accept.”

“
Wow. Congratulations.” Julissa smiled. “
You seem hesitant,
though.”

“Not at all. I’m only hesitant about going back home to pack and then hauling all my stuff up here. Luckily some of the guys are coming down to support me and help pack.”

“It’s been over a year since I last moved, but I have to agree…it is a hassle.”

“Are you living with your boyfr
iend?” Quinton asked out of the blue.

Julissa nodded. “You seem shocked.”

“No, just that…I thought…you aren’t married or anything, so I didn’t expect…anyway, it doesn’t matter.” Q
uinton mumbled
.

“Well, that’s pretty much all we can do for now.
” Julissa turned away from the fax.
“If I hear
anything, I’
ll call you immediately.”

It was time for Quinton to go. She wasn’
t about to converse with him
at her place of employment with her nosey boss, Martha, within earshot, in the next office.

When Quinton arrived at the office, Julissa didn’t know if the women in the office were staring because he was drop-dead gorgeous or that he was oddly intrigued with Julissa, or both.
The point was, there were curious ears right outside her door.

Quinton got up and she walked him
out the door. This time, he
noticed several smiles from some of the nosey women peering over their cubicles as he passed by.

“I’ll call you if I hear anything, Mr. Brennan,” Julissa spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear her.

“I will be waiting for your call, Ms. Lorenzo,” Quinton shot back at her, smiling.

Julissa wanted to giggle at the sound of being called by her last name by someone she was clearly on a first name basis with, but she decided against it.
It would look too suspicious.

They learned that the owner’s accepted Quinton’s offer the next morning, with clo
sing pushed up from twenty
to fifteen days. Quinton was ecstatic and felt a little better that the first property he would buy in Atlanta would require little renovations and repair, while at the same time generating income for him while he settled down.

After a staff meeting at the office, Julissa checked her voicemail and confirmed that
Michael
, Quinton, and Shanice were in her missed calls in her cell phone. The only one that left a message was Shanice
requesting a call back
.

“Hello?” Shanice always answered the phone fairly quickly whenever she called.

“It’s Julissa, you called?”

“Yeah? What’s up?”

“Nothing. Heading home. J
ust finished up at the office.”

“I heard you helped Quinton find that property that he’s about to buy.”

“Yeah. Word sure does travel,
”
Julissa said, with exaggeration and all.
It didn’t surprise her.
After all, she did have a very close nit group of friends.

“Oh, you know Brian tells me everything. He’s trying to get back with me, you know?”