Shoving off the counter, he tucked one hand into his pocket as he sauntered toward me, a predatory gleam in his eyes. Voice smooth as silk, he purred, “I’m prepared to purchase the most expensive home still available of the ones you’ve shown me.” There was a pause before he tacked on, “If . . .”
Mouth gone dry, I darted my tongue out to moisten my lips—a move that Levi tracked with searing intensity.
“If?” I prompted.
Levi brought a hand up to tuck an errant curl behind my ear, and I shivered when his fingertips made contact with my skin. It was almost as if I were caught in a trance—I couldn’t move, I couldn’t breathe. I was on the edge of my seat, waiting to hear what he had to say.
“If,” he repeated, “you’ll agree to go out on a date with me.”
A gasp tore up my throat as I jerked back, seething, “How fuckingdareyou?”
The man standing opposite me wasn’t deterred, taking a step forward to eliminate the space I’d put between us and caging me in against the island.
Ooh, if it wouldn’t cost me my job, I’d lift my knee to nail him in the crotch.
“Arizona,” Levi chided playfully. “Don’t pretend like you can’t feel the energy between us.”
That was beside the point. This was completely inappropriate. Not only that, he’d spent the last three weeks fucking with my livelihood.
With red filling my vision, I bit out, “I can’t be bought.”
Not anymore.
His amused hum filled the charged silence. “Ah, I see. You’re playing hardball.” Seriously, had this guy ever had a woman say no to him? “What if I offer you exclusivity, hmm? No other women so long as I’m with you.”
Wry laughter burst from my lips. “Wow. Is that supposed to make me feel special?” I shoved at his chest with two hands, forcing him backward just enough that I could duck under his arm and flee to the opposite side of the kitchen.
Not picking up on my sarcasm, he replied, “It should. That’s not something I’ve ever offered before.”
God, what a pig.
I shook my head, muttering, “Unbelievable.”
A cocky smirk pulled at a corner of his lips. “Thank you.”
Digging my fingers into my temples to ward off the headache beginning to brew, I dared to ask, “Are you even seriously looking to buy a house? Or was this whole thing just a game from the start?”
Levi reared back. “You think I like living in a hotel? Of course I’m looking to buy.” Tugging on the back of his neck, he added, “Honestly, I didn’t think it would take this long to drop the pretenses.”
My jaw hit the floor. “This whole time, you were waiting for me to do what? Drop to my knees to make a sale?” Bile rose up my throat, and I had to swallow it back down. “You’re a good-looking professional athlete. Is it really so hard for you to get laid that you had to fuck with my ability to put food on the table?”
He preened. “You think I’m good-looking?”
That’sall he heard?
“I can’t do this anymore.” I snatched my purse off the counter on my way out of the room.
“Wait, you’re leaving?” Levi called out to my back.
I spun around. “I wish you the best of luck in your home search, Mr. Nixon.” He flinched at my switch to formality. “But I don’t think it’s in my best interest to continue as your realtor. When I return to the office, I’ll be passing you off as a client to one of mymalecolleagues.” No way in hell would I subject one of the women I worked with to this type of sexual harassment. “This is the end of our relationship, professional or otherwise.”
He stared at me in stunned silence, and I used that as an opportunity to make my escape.
By the time I made it to my car—thank God we’d driven separately today—I was shaking. Panic clawed up my throat as it sank in that this stunt could cost me my job if he complained to my bosses. I absolutely could not afford to be unemployed, not with how much it took to support Mom’s medical needs.
With only a GED, this was one of the few jobs I was qualified for that paid enough to cover her assisted living expenses while still supporting myself and Austin.
You know there’s one place you can go to make some fast cash that would hire you in a heartbeat.
