Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
Bella
The elevator reached the thirty-eighth floor, and the doors opened into an entirely different world from the lobby.
“Wow,” I said.
The space was beautiful with its dark wood, pale stone, and glass walls with the Montclair Development Group name stretched across the wall behind the mahogany reception desk.
“Impressed?” He smiled.
“Very. This is beautiful.”
We started down the hallway. People greeted William as we passed, but without staring at me first.
“Why is everyone looking at me?” I leaned closer to him.
“Because you’re walking on the executive floor with me.” He smiled.
William stopped in front of a large, dark wood desk across from the double doors to a large office. Behind the desk sat a woman with two computer monitors, a phone, a stack of folders, and a vase of beautiful mums.
“Mr. Montclair.” The woman behind the desk stood up.
“Sonia, I’d like you to meet Bella Castle. She’s here to see Simon.”
“Oh yes. Security called. I was just on my way down to get you.” She smiled.
“Is he still in a meeting?” William asked her.
“Yes, but he should be finished shortly.”
“I can wait,” I said.
“No need.” William turned around and opened the door to Simon’s office.
I stepped inside and looked around the large space. Everything was immaculate. Dark wood, cream stone, black accents. I walked over to the floor-to-ceiling windows that stretched across the back and stared at the incredible view of the city.
“God, this view,” I said.
“It was one of the reasons why Simon chose this office.”
“I would have chosen it too.” I smiled.
I turned and noticed several framed photographs on a console table.
They were family pictures, which surprised me.
Simon didn’t have any photographs displayed at his penthouse.
I picked up one of Simon's frames from when he was younger.
He was standing between William and a beautiful, dark-haired woman I assumed was his mother.
It looked like it had been taken on vacation.
“He was cute,” I said, setting down the frame.
“There’s one from when Simon was six where he’s missing his two front teeth,” William said.
“Where?” I looked at the pictures.
“This one right here.” William pointed.
“Dad?”
William and I turned around and saw Simon standing in the doorway. He didn’t look too happy.
“What are you doing?”
“Showing Bella some pictures.”
“I can see that.” He stepped inside and removed his suit coat.
“I found the poor girl sitting in the lobby because nobody would let her up,” William said. “Is that any way to treat your house guest, son?”
“Dad, I told —”
William put his hand up. “Doesn’t matter, Simon. You should have just told her to come up. It was good to see you again, Bella. I have work to do.”
“Thank you, William.” I smiled.
“You’re welcome, sweetheart.” He walked out of the office.
Simon walked over to his desk and set down the folder he was carrying.
“This office is really nice. It’s very you.”
“What does that mean?” he asked.
“Everything is perfectly organized and matches. It’s very controlled.”
“There’s nothing wrong with being organized,” he said.
“I didn’t say there was.”
“You said ‘controlled.’”
“Because it is. Just like your penthouse.”
He shot me a look and sat behind his desk.
“The view from up here is amazing. I don’t think I’d ever get any work done. I’d just sit here all day and stare out the window.”
“That’s probably why you don’t have an office on the thirty-eighth floor,” he said.
“There he is.” I grinned.
“Who?” His brows furrowed.
“The asshole I live with.”
“Very funny, Bella.”
I walked over and sat on the dark brown leather couch.
“So, this is where Simon Montclair rules his empire.”
“I don’t rule an empire.”
“Your last name is plastered all over this building, Simon.”
“It’s a company, Bella.”
“Your company.”
“My father’s company. But it will be mine once he retires.”
I stood up from my chair and walked to the wall displaying several architectural models.
“Is this one of yours?” I pointed.
“Yes,” he said.
“Where is it located?”
“SoHo.”
“And you built this?” I smiled.
“MDG did.”
“You know what I mean.”
He got up from his desk and stood next to me. “We acquired the property six years ago. Construction took a little over three years.”
“How many apartments are there?”
“Forty-two,” he said.
“How much does it cost to live there?” I asked.
“The least expensive unit sold for a little over seven million.”
“Seven million dollars?” My eyes widened.
“Yes.” He nodded.
“For the cheapest one?”
“Yes.” He tucked his hands into his pants pockets.
“Damn. What did the most expensive one cost?”
“Forty-eight.”
“Million?” I stared at him.
“No, Bella. Forty-eight dollars,” he sighed.
I smacked his arm, and he let out a chuckle. That was the first time since we’d met that I’d heard him laugh. Maybe he was human after all.
“You live in a completely different world than I do.”
“It’s just real estate,” he said.
“Simon, people spending forty-eight million dollars on an apartment is not just real estate.”
“It is to me.” He shrugged.
I caught a whiff of his cologne. That damn cologne.
“Seeing you here is weird,” I said.
“Why?”
“Because at home you’re just the guy who gets irritated by pumpkins and yells at me for touching things.”
“I don’t yell.”
“You absolutely yell.”
“I speak firmly. There’s a difference.”
“Of course you call it that.” I laughed.
“And here? You said at home I’m just the guy who gets irritated by pumpkins. What am I here?”
I brought my finger up to my lip as I looked around. “I don’t know.”
“Well, that’s disappointing,” he said.
“I’m thinking. Got it. Important.”
“Important?” His brows furrowed.
“Very.” I smiled.
“Okay.” He nodded. “I’ll take it.”
“And powerful,” I said.
“Obviously,” he smirked.
“Oh, and intimidating.”
“Am I intimidating you, Bella?” he asked in a sultry voice and caught me off guard.
“No.”
“Not even a little?”
I shook my head. “Sorry. Not even a little.”
“You’re not sorry.”
“No. I’m really not.” I smiled.
His eyes dropped to my mouth, and for a moment we shared something. Until his phone rang. Simon let out a breath and walked away.
“I should probably let you get back to being important.” I grabbed my purse.
He declined the call. “You don’t have to leave.”
“I don’t?”
“No.”
For some stupid reason, my heart started to race.
“Careful, Montclair.” I smiled.
“About what?” he asked.
“You almost sounded like you wanted me here.”
“Don’t get carried away, Castle.” He stared at me.
“I’ll see you at home.” I headed toward the door.
“Bella?”
“Yeah?” I stopped and turned around.
“How about we go out to dinner tonight?”
“Are you asking me out on a date?” I smiled, and he hesitated.
“It’s only dinner, Bella.”
“I’d love to have dinner with you. By the way, I think Harold would look cute in here.”
“Get out.” He pointed.
I laughed as I opened the door and walked out.