Chapter 10 – Office Space
It felt good to sleep in the next morning. I woke up well after 10am and moved around my morning routine with no urgency. The house was quiet, as both Penny and Vivian had left for work already. I showered and threw on a golf-shirt and a pair of jeans. I had a bagel and cup of coffee as I waited for noon to arrive.
Brooke was right on time as the clock struck 12. She rang the bell and I headed for the door. I locked up as I exited the house and got in Brooke's car. I closed the door and before I could buckle my seatbelt she tore out of the driveway.
Brooke raced to our first destination. She was driving like a woman possessed, weaving in and out of traffic and darting through the streets. We didn't speak as she drove, allowing her to fully concentrate on driving. Finally, the car screeched into the lot of a small, two-story office building. Brooke parked close to the front door of the building and killed the engine.
She didn't waste a moment, snapping the door open and stepping out of the car. I climbed out of the passenger side and saw that Brooke had passed me and was heading for the front door. I stopped in my tracks, noticing for the first time how hot she looked today. I was completely and totally blown away.
Brooke was wearing a one-piece black collared jumper mini dress. It barely fell past her ass, allowing her gorgeous legs to be shown in full, all the way down to her black 5-inch pumps. I could not move watching her walk with a purpose towards the front door. When Brooke finally noticed that I was not following her, she stopped walking and turned her head around to look at me. She knew I was staring at her fabulous figure and terrific ensemble. She pressed her lips, pink with lipstick, together and blew me a kiss before continuing towards the door.
I bolted from where I stood to catch up with her. I passed her just as we reached the door to the building. I held it open for her and watched her walk through. I am sure she shook her ass an extra time or two knowing that I was watching. I followed Brooke past the elevators and she opened the door to the main level office suite. We entered and I looked around.
"This is option number 1," Brooke announced. "It occupies 2/3 of the first floor space and has plenty of room for our operation. Any questions or thoughts?"
"Yeah, I have a question," I replied. "Did you wear that to torture me or just to ensure you had my complete attention?"
"Hmm, why don't you give me your full attention and we'll see what happens," she giggled. "But torturing you is always fun."
"What was with the crazy driving," I asked.
"I wanted to get here fast so you could see what I was wearing," she admitted with a chuckle.
"I see, so you did wear it to torture me," I stated.
"Do you have any questions about the space," Brooke huffed.
I looked around and really started to take in the space she was showing me. There was plenty of room for all of us. There was a small conference room and a small desk area for Nikki to go with 7 offices and a conference room. I was a little indifferent about it, though I had some questions.
"What is the rent," I asked.
"$14,400 per month," Brooke revealed.
"What company is upstairs," I inquired.
"It is a not-for-profit church group," she revealed.
"Yeah, I am pretty sure they won't like us," I chuckled. "Any chance the building is for sale?"
"No, it's not," Brooke disclosed.
I turned and walked out of the suite. This was not for us; it just didn't seem to fit. I headed back to the car and waited, which allowed me to watch Brooke as she followed me. We headed for the second location and she drove with much less urgency this time, allowing me to stare at her phenomenal legs as she drove. I would have loved to have just gone back to her place and ravaged her body, but I did have a job to do.
I watched the scenery change as Brooke drove. We were no longer in the large collection of office buildings that made up the main part of town; we were now in a more rural portion of the area. Brooke made a sharp right onto what appeared to be a gravel road. As we reached the top of the small hill we were climbing I realized that it was not a road but a driveway to a small, one-story building well off the beaten path.
She parked and we entered the building through a thick oak door. It appeared that there was no current tenant occupying the premises. I took in the sight of the space, which had a good-sized conference room in the center flanked by 3 offices on either side. The offices were a decent size, each with a window to see into the office area, and the two corner offices were somewhat larger. There was a large circular workstation in the center for a secretary, flanked by small sitting areas on both sides for guest and clients. The bathrooms were to the right and a small kitchen area was off to the left. The space had a lot of natural light and felt professional yet it was not at all stuffy. This was definitely more like it.
"What's the damage on this place," I asked immediately.
Brooke seemed to study me as I surveyed the office.
"$15,000 per month to rent," she confessed.
"And to buy," I pressed her.
"A million six," Brooke confirmed.
I flipped open my cell phone and started dialing. Penny answered her office line immediately.
"Hey, how's it going," she asked.
"Pen, go in the conference room with Emma and Leslie and call me back," I said and I snapped my phone shut.
I stared at Brooke, not sure if she knew what I was doing, but sure that she was the sexiest creature I could fathom at that moment. I walked over to where she was standing and stood behind her. I kissed her on the cheek and then the neck. She giggled slightly as my cell phone rang in my pocket.
"Hello," I answered quickly.
"What's the emergency, stud," Emma called out.
