I love the flirtation but I can't even look her in the eye right now. "It will need to wait."
"It can't wait." She reaches down into her bag again and fumbles for something. I watch her every move until another paper appears in her hand.
"I also have this." She slides a second offer sheet across the table toward me and my stomach clenches into a tight knot. "Full ask, no contingencies, thirty day close and all cash."
Fuck.
I scrub my hands over my face. It's so fucking impressive that I'm at a loss for words.
"I received the second offer less than an hour ago." She tugs on the corner of the offer sheet. "It's from Tom and Irene Clarkson. They want to spend the rest of their lives there, dancing their nights away, drinking their morning coffee on the terrace."
"I can't accept it." My voice sounds foreign, broken and sullen.
"What?" She laughs. "You can't accept what?"
"The Clarksons." I don't look at her. "I'm accepting the other offer, Maya."
I know what that means to her. The lost extra commission and the call she'll have to make to Tom and Irene explaining that their ideal offer was rejected.
"You're not making sense." She pushes the offer sheet toward me again. "This offer is exactly what you wanted. You have to take it."
"I can't take it." I push it back at her. "I'm accepting the other offer."
CHAPTER FORTY
Maya
I sit in stunned silence.I can't wrap my mind around what's happening. I just presented Julian with two offers for the penthouse, and he wants to accept the weaker of the two. It's less money, horrible terms and a ninety-day close.
"I deserve an explanation." I look at him, but he's facing the doorway. "I worked my ass off to sell that place, and something isn't adding up."
"Senator Carney is behind that shell corporation." He throws his head back against the chair. "I made a deal with him, Maya. He's giving me something in exchange for the reduced price on the penthouse."
That feels like a boot to the stomach. Not only am I missing out on a nice chunk of commission but Julian is essentially telling me that he pre-negotiated this deal. I had no real part in it which means technically I didn’t sell the property.
I've been wasting my time trying to sell an apartment that he'd already agreed to sell.
"What is he giving you?" I spit the words out in anger. "What the hell is he giving you that is worth that much?"
"Freedom." He pushes back and stands.
I know who Senator Carney is and I know for a fact that he didn’t tour the penthouse with me. Both Todd and Simon are too young to be the senator. Neither of them mentioned anything about him. My head is spinning in confusion.
Senator Carney's son, Bert, was accused of killing a man. He beat the victim's face in with a rock until he was completely unrecognizable and then he got off on some technicality. I dated his lawyer briefly which is how I know so much about the case. Everett, Bert's attorney, couldn't shut up about it. I was so appalled that I left him during dinner one night without another word.
"Does this have to do with that murder case?" I ask quietly. "You're not involved in that, Julian, are you?"
"Fuck, no." He finally looks at me. "Maya, no. I would never. "
"What then?" I push to my feet. "You said you were buying your freedom. What does that mean?"
"I need Isadora gone. She admires the senator, so I put out some feelers to see if he had a position for her. He called me and asked what I could offer in exchange. I told him I wouldn't deal that way, but then he became aware of the penthouse and expressed an interest in it."
"That's illegal." I sit back down. "Isn't it bribery or something?"
"No." He shakes his head. "I had two lawyers look it over, Maya. It's all above board."
Two lawyers. Two people who knew about this when I didn't have a clue.
