Eva Cipriano
"Hi there! What can I get for you guys today?" A bubbly lady asks as she pulls out her little notepad. I recognize her instantly and a cheesy smile takes over my features.
"Oh my god, Eva? I haven't seen you in forever!" She squeals and I stand up to hug my friend.
"Hi Ally, yeah I know. I haven't had time to come in as often as I used to." I explain and sit back down. She studies the table and the two men across from me and smiles.
"Business meeting. Alright, well I'll get your usual. What will you two gentlemen have?" She asks and Rafael smiles widely at her.
"What do you think is the best?" He asks and I look at the exchange between the two people. She shifts awkwardly and lets out a little laugh.
"Well, um. It all depends on personal preference. But I like the waffles best." She answers and he nods, closing his menu.
"Then that's what I'll have." He smiles and hands her the menu.
"Good choice, and for you sir?" She asks Mr. Moretti and he looks at her with stern eyes.
"Just a grilled cheese." He answers and hands her his menu.
"Alrighty. I'll be right back with that. Good to see you love." She rests her hand on my shoulder before walking away. I look at the men and notice Rafael watching her walk away. Ally was beautiful, deep auburn hair and bright green eyes. Her face is littered with freckles and she's thin, but she has a great figure.
"Raf quit staring." Mr. Moretti commands and Rafael keeps on looking.
"No can do boss, I think I just fell in love." He says and I can't help but laugh.
"Alright, we came here for business. Not pleasure," I send a quick look to Rafael. "So, lets get down to business."
"I agree. I want the bar, but we need to talk numbers. How much is the original asking price?" He asks and I look at him, confused.
"The original asking price is much higher than the price now. Why would you be concerned about it?" I ask out of curiosity and he smirks.
"Tesoro, don't worry. Just tell me the price so we can begin talking about me buying." He says and I'm a little surprised at the name he calls me. Nonetheless I pull out my file and grab the paper with the original asking price.
(Sweetheart/treasure)
"Two hundred thousand." I answer and he nods his head.
"Here you go sweets. Your guys' food will be out in a jiffy." Ally sets my spinach chicken wrap down and I smile up at her.
"Thank you." I thank and watch her and Rafael share intimate eye contact.
"Of course." She smiles back and walks away. I grab one half of my wrap and take a bite, savoring the delicious flavor.
"Two hundred. Good, and the price now is what?" He asks and I swallow my bite down and look through the papers.
"One hundred fiftteen thousand, like I said. The value has dropped a lot over the past three years due to lack of interest." I answer, explaining the price difference.
"I see." He says and looks at the papers. I pick them up and hand them to him, which he takes quickly. He looks over the papers, flipping through them and mumbling to himself in Italian. I have to say, it's odd to hear someone speaking Italian. I haven't heard it in so many years.
"Of course, the price drop is significant. But there is lots of potential, and a very good property value. Mulligan's is in downtown New York which doesn't have much night life. Also, there's plenty of restaurants and other shops around to bring value up more." I explain to him, trying to make the bar sound more appealing.
"Oh, I'm aware. I'm not worried about that. Like I said, I want the bar. I'm just simply talking numbers. The bar is worth a lot more than one fifty." He says, making me lean forward expecting him to say something else. Instead, I lean back, calming down, and take a bite of my food.
"Well, I can certainly talk numbers. But, first I have to ask. What's your budget?" I ask and Rafael laughs lightly and I look at him questioningly.
"Alright folks, here's the rest of your food," Ally trails off. She sets down Mr. Moretti's food and then sets down Rafael's waffles. They have whipped cream and strawberries on the top and my mouth almost starts to water.
"Anything else I can get for you today?" She asks and wipes her hands on her apron.
"No, I think that's it. Thanks so much, Ally." I thank and she smiles widely at me.
"Of course Eva, I'll be back in a bit to check on you guys." She smiles and walks off.
"I don't have a budget. If I want something, then I get it." Mr. Moretti answers and picks up his grilled cheese, taking a bite.
"Well, you can just go around getting everything you want. I'm sure that something is too expensive." I laugh and take a bite of my food, looking back up to see his stern expression.
"Trust me, as long as it could be good for the business, nothing is too expensive." He says and I look at him quizzically.
"What business do you two work for? I know big corporations buy lots of properties all the time. But not bars." I say analytically. Rafael and Mr. Moretti share a look before Rafael clears his throat.
"It's a family oriented business, based out of Italy. You wouldn't be familiar with it." Rafael answers me and I nod my head, slightly confused at their weird attitudes.
"Well, alright. So, now I know you have no budget. I need a price, how much are you willing to pay?" I ask and finish off my first half in a few quick bites. Mr. Moretti looks through the papers one last time and then looks up at me.
"I'll pay the original asking price." He answers and I damn near choke on my food. I let out a small cough and take a drink of water.
"Um, that's ninety five thousand more than the asking price now. Why would you pay more than you have to?" I ask them and meet both of their eyes.
"Well, to be frank, Miss Cipriano-"
"Please, Eva." I interrupt and watch as he clenches his jaw. The muscles give the slightest hint of a bulge on his cheek and I look further down. Even in his business suit I can tell he's extremely fit, and built.
"Eva." He corrects himself in a small whisper. My eyes shoot to him and my pulse sky rockets. The way, he said it.... The way my name rolls off his tongue so effortlessly. I want to hear him say it again. I stare at his mouth as he begins talking but all I'm thinking of is his full rosy lips moving. Then I see a hand in front of me, snapping. I shake my head and look him in the eyes clearing my throat.
"I'm sorry, I was spacing out. What was that?" I ask, trying to cover up the fact that I was totally checking him out and imagining him shirtless and on top of me.
Oh god. Cue the face palm.
"Yes, you were clearly distracted." Mr. Moretti stabs at my actions and I feel the heat rise from my abdomen up, making my whole body feel warm. I know that when I get nervous, my chest blotches and I panic.
Fuuuuuck!
"Well, please. Go on." I mumble and grab the water that's been sitting in front of me, barely touched. He clears his throat as I attempt to drown myself in my very seat and I finally finish, wiping my mouth with my thumb. My eyes move back to his deep brown ones and I'm shocked at his expression. His head is lowered but he's making eye contact with me, with one eyebrow raised. He looks like he's ready to jump my bones right here, right now.
Oh Jesus save my soul.
"Yes, well. As I said earlier, when you were distracted. I would like to pay full price because you're one of the best realtors I've worked with. Also, I feel like the bar should be bought at what's its worth. As I've previously mentioned, money is not an issue. So I don't want you arguing with me on this subject." He says smoothly and I can't help but to think about what he looks like shirtless. I nod my head and stand up, wiping my hands down my hips. A habit I've come to develop over the years.
"If you'll excuse me, I need to use the restroom." I mumble quickly, my voice almost cracking. I make sure to walk at a normal human pace, but once I'm in the bathroom I shove the door closed. A sigh fills the silence and I bring my hand to my forehead.
"What is wrong with you Eva? He's a client, a rich client. Get your shit together." I scold myself as I move in front of the mirror. Staring my reflection down. Sure enough there are tiny red splotches forming on my chest and I groan, grabbing a paper towel. I quickly wet it and dab my chest, then move on to my cheeks. The cool water feels relieving and I let out a small breath. One hand lands on the sink, and the other tosses the paper towel in the trash.
"You're gonna go out there, and you're gonna make it one hundred percent PG ." I command myself. With one final look at my appearances, I decide I'm happy with my little pep talk and walk out. When I walk out I see the two men eating, and talking quietly amongst themselves. I walk up to the table, smiling and clear my throat.
"Sorry, about that. Now, let's get back to business." I comment and slide back into my seat. Mr. Moretti's eyes are on me the whole time and when I look up, he gives me a little nod.
"Agreed, back to business." He echoes me and I smile.
"Well, I should start with thank you. For the compliment about my status. Even if you might think that I'm a good relater, you really should be considering only paying what's asked. That's an extra ninety five thousand, which is an insane amount of money to pay just because you want to." I explain and he chuckles. It's deep, and it sounds guttural.
Is he laughing at me??
"Eva, I insist on paying the full price and nothing you say will change that. So just drop the topic of money, let's start talking about how I can pay for my new bar." He speaks in a condescending tone. My left eyebrow shoots up and I tilt my head a little.
"Excuse me? Mr. Moretti, do not speak to me like I'm a child. I'm telling you, you're choosing wrong if you want to pay ninety five thousand just because you feel like it. But don't disregard what I have to say, and then talk to me like I don't know what I'm doing. I've been selling real estate for 6 years, I know what I'm doing. So, I'm not going to tell you you can't do it. I'm telling you it's crazy. But if you wanna talk about payments, then we can go back to my office. I'll have you work with our financial advisor and he'll help you from here on out." I argue with him, letting it all out in just a couple breaths. I feel my irritation start to boil over when he smirks at me.
Wipe that smug little smirk off your face.
"And that is why I like you Miss Cipriano. You're a spitfire, and you're not afraid to call me out. However, you can tell me I'm the craziest person you've ever met, and I probably am, but that doesn't change the fact that I'm paying two hundred thousand no matter what. And I don't want to work with the financial advisor, I want to work with you." He explains to me and my jaw almost falls through the floor. However, I sit there looking unfazed by the words that just came out of his mouth.
"Well, unfortunately I'm not a financial advisor. So you have to work with him, whether you like it or not. I'm just the real estate agent, I'll help you get all settled. I'll work with you to get all the papers signed and everything filed. But after that, you'll be working with Mr. Johnson. And with that said, I think this wraps up our little brunch meeting." I say professionally and look around to find Ally. Our eyes connect and she starts walking towards us.
"Great, we can talk more in your office." Mr. Moretti comments and I almost want to roll my eyes. He is such a confusing and frustrating client.
"Are you folks all done over here?" She asks and stands my the edge of the booth.
"Yes, just put the check on my tab. I'll come back later and pay." I tell her and she smiles, pulling out her little notepad.
"Alright, will do. Do you want a box sweety?" She asks me and I look down at my second wrap, half eaten. I shake my head and smile at her.
"No that's okay, thank you Ally." I answer and she smiles at all of us.
"Alrighty then, you all have a good day." She says and turns around, walking away. I look back at the men and get up out of the booth.
"Hey, wait, excuse me. Um." I hear someone call from behind me. I turn around to see Rafael walking after Ally. She turns around and smiles up at him and he smiles down at her. I watch them talk, and he rubs the back of his neck with his hand. She laughs, and he laughs. Then I watch as she pulls out her notepad, scribbles something on it and hands it to him. He leans down, whispering something, then walks towards us smiling like a little kid.
"I like her." He says and I laugh, turning back around and walking out.
"You fucking idiota." I hear Mr. Moretti scold from behind me, but I can't help but giggle quietly. They'd be cute together, Ally and Rafael. I think their personalities would match.
The three of us got into the car and it was quiet. Weirdly quiet though, it was uncomfortable. So I did what I always do, I connected my phone and started playing my music.
The first song to come on was a song by Sam Smith, and I couldn't help but sing along with him. I wasn't bad at singing, but I sing quietly because I don't necessarily want the men to hear me.
"Why is your music so sad?" Rafael asks from behind me. I turn it down and look at him through my rear view mirror.
"When people are sad, they use all kinds of ways to cope through the pain. To get through it, for me it's music. There was actually a psychologist who did a study and found out that listening to music that matches your emotion helps you process your emotions." I explain, probably oversharing quite a bit. I watch as he scrunches his eyebrows, then I look back to the road.
"So your sad?" Mr. Moretti asks from next to me. The question throws me off and I look at him quickly.
"Uh, well I mean. Yeah, but no. Wait." I fumble my words around and my whole mind goes into a frenzy.
"Yes, I'm sad. Who isn't? But that's not why I listen to sad music occasionally. I like Sam Smith, and I relate to his songs. When I'm sad, I listen to sad music more often. But this was just the firs-" I cut myself off and sigh, turning the radio off. I let out a frustrated sigh and roll my window down. In a couple more minutes I'm pulling in front of my building. I park, turn off the engine, and we all get out of the car. The two men are on my tail as I lead us through the building. Soon we're walking up a short flight of stairs, and towards my office. I see Johnson coming out of his office and he walks in front of me, stopping me.
"Good afternoon Eva, why did I have a client calling telling me that you pushed your meeting with them?" He asks and I roll my eyes.
"Hello Johnson, and it's because I had a meeting run long. This is Mr. Moretti, and he's buying Mulligan's." I explain and he looks at the two men behind me.
"Are you sure you're not going to lose this one too?" He asks spitefully and I ball up my fist. Instead of snapping at him, I smile and shake my head.
"Oh Johnson, just stick to numbers. Because pretty soon you'll be working with Mr. Moretti, and he's buying at full price by the way. He's a very wealthy man, and I'd think twice before being so childish in front of him. You don't want the bossman to get another bad review about you. Do you?" I ask, smiling and walking away. But not without patting his shoulder first. I open my office door and hold it open for my clients, smiling at them as they walk in. I take one last look at Johnson to see him walking back to his office, shaking his head.
"Is that the financial advisor?" Mr. Moretti asks. I sit down in my chair and nod my head.
"Unfortunately, yes." I answer and let out a long sigh. I grab some papers from my desk and go through them, trying to find the right ones.
"Why is he such a dick towards you?" He asks and I almost laugh at the question. I look up at him and smile a little.
"I said no to going out with him, multiple times. And I took his job. He used to be the real estate agent, but since he had an accounting background our boss made him the financial advisor, because I'm better at this job then he is. So, it's your typical office rivalry." I explain and finish rummaging through my papers, whispering a little 'yes' when I find what I need.
"Well at least you stand up for yourself." Rafael comments and I smile at him, putting the other papers back in their place.
"I don't tolerate a lot of things, especially his bullshit. Alright, this is the title to the building. We can just fill this out, talk about some other important details and then you'll go see Johnson for the final process. After that, Mulligan's will be yours." I smile at him and fill out the portions I need to.
"Can't wait." He says and I smile. Finishing the paperwork and handing it over to him to fill out. I watch as he carefully reads through everything before signing and writing anything down. Once he finishes I grab the paper and nod my head.
"I'll need your drivers license, I need to make copies of both this and your license." I explain. I watch as he pulls out his wallet and hands me the little plastic card.
"Thank you, you both can head over to Johnson's office. And come back in here when you're done, we'll get it all finished and you'll be an owner." I smile widely and the two of them stand up.
"Alright, see you in a bit Eva." He comments and walks out of my office. I watch as the two of them walk away and let out a sigh.
"Another property sold." I whisper and take a second to revel in my success.
•••••••••••••••
And the second chapter is here! If any of you guys are readers who read the original, how are you liking it so far? Good? Bad?
I would love some feedback. I really like the new version so far. For the most part I'm trying to keep the characters as similar as possible, but my writing has improved and I have many different ideas then I did the first time I wrote this book.
I hope you all are enjoying it so far! I'll be starting on the third chapter right away!
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