Until I Met You

  CHAPTER 2

  Today was the day!!

  I was about to embark on a new journey to a completely different part of the world. Today was my first official day, and I had already had a brilliant time so far. Jonathan was great at getting me settled in. He helped me unpack, brought us back some lunch from the local store, and generally made the whole moving in process a lot less painful then it could have been.

  That first evening he took me to the local supermarket so that I could get stocked up on some shopping. I insisted on cooking him dinner for helping me, but he told me he had to get back to work and make sure everyone was okay. It was probably just as well. The big silver fox was way too tempting!

  I also made sure I rang back home to let my parents know I was settled. I called Mindy as I hadn’t heard from either her or David since I saw them both that night. Turns out they headed straight over to David’s house and hadn’t left his bed since then. When I asked her why she hadn’t thought about David beforehand, she said she didn’t know. That the kiss just somehow turned a switch on, making her see him in a completely different light. I ended the conversation by telling her how happy I was for them both and to send David my love. Thankfully my meddling paid off.

  But today was a brand new day, and the start of my new budding career was now ahead. I was feeling good about my choices more than ever, but my first working day was the major hurdle that had to be jumped.

  Yesterday was great. I was introduced to Shelly first, as she will be the one I’m sitting next to during my career at Francis and Co. She was very polite, with an eager smile and rosy cheeks. She had long auburn hair, light brown eyes, and was rather small in size. She must have only been around five foot tall, if that.

  I was then introduced, in order around the room—from nearest to my desk, to furthest—a red haired guy in his thirties called Anthony. Another guy with brown spiky hair and brown eyes called Brad—which most of them all got a kick out of—and then there were the miserable bastards, the ones I thought I would keep at arm’s length. They were called Timothy and Daniela. Timothy looked like he had a broom stuck up his arse and Daniela wasn’t too far behind that look. Both seemed to be in their late thirties, snobs of the highest degrees.

  They both said hello, but with a level of distaste. The other three were great, very warm, very friendly. I could see why Jonathan had put me close to the other three, and I was grateful to him for that.

  I got to Francis and Co a whole half an hour earlier then opening time. I knew Jonathan would be there and it gave me a chance to settle in before everyone else turned up.

  Sure enough, Jonathan was just opening up when I got downstairs. “We’re keen, aren’t we?” he asked with a mischievous grin.

  “Raring to go,” I answered back.

  Placing my bag down beside my desk, I went to make coffee with Jonathan. We were in the middle of discussing his biggest client when Shelly walked in.

  “Hi, Angelina. So nice to see you again,” she said eagerly.

  “Excuse Shelly’s excitement, I think she’s just glad to be getting some friendly female company,” Jonathan explained.

  Shelly beamed from ear to ear. “I think it’s great. You’ll be the only girl in this office, apart from me, who doesn’t look like she’s chewing a wasp.”

  We all started laughing, easing any last nerves I may have about working here. It would seem my first impressions were bang on about Timothy and Daniela.

  “So, what were you talking about?” Shelly asked.

  Jonathan smiled and grabbed his coffee mug. “Mr Jacobs, my biggest client.”

  Shelly’s face suddenly lit up. “Oh yes. I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting him yet. I haven’t been working here that long myself and he always wants to meet Jonathan at the properties. I’ve been told he’s a bit of a male whore.”

  “Really?” I asked intrigued. He was probably one to avoid, but certainly one to get all the gossip on.

  “Yes, he’s a big property mogul around here. He saw an opportunity when he was eighteen to buy his first three properties and do them up. He hit gold and hasn’t looked back since. He’s been making a nice tidy living from all his buying and selling. He likes the old, run down properties. Ones he can do up and sell on later for a huge whacking great profit. Alright for some I suppose,” she said rolling her eyes.

  I saw her expression and laughed. “We’re not jealous at all, are we?”

  “No, of course not, Angelina. I don’t want any of the vast millions he must have sitting in his bank account doing nothing but adding interest every day.”

  She turned to leave and I followed her out of the door, with Jonathan close behind.

  “Shelly, is it okay if you could show Angelina a rundown of our client list, so she familiarises herself with some of them? Also, if you can show her some of the houses on our listings so she knows in advance what they look like before she visits any?”

  Shelly smiled sweetly. “Of course, Jonathan, it would be my pleasure.”

  Nodding to both of us, he smiled as he trotted over to his office. “You all call him Jonathan here then?” I thought I had better ask. I’m so used to calling him Jonathan, but I couldn’t do it here if everyone calls him Mr Francis.

  “Yes, he insists on it. In fact, it was one of the reasons why I took this job when offered. Jonathan seems more down to earth then some of the other stuck up agents around here.”

  That was good to know. I think it would feel strange calling him by his surname after all this time of just calling him Jonathan.

  Shelly took a swig of her coffee and was about to speak when she looked up. “Ah, Anthony and Brad are here.”

  “Hi Angelina,” Anthony and Brad said together.

  “Good morning,” I chimed back. “I take it that you two are the other friendlies in this establishment?”

  Brad gave me a knowing smile. “Oh, you noticed that yesterday?”

  “Just a little,” I answered.

  “I think it’s fantastic that we have our very own Brad and Angelina working side by side here,” Shelly beamed.

  “I wondered how long it would take before that was brought up,” I replied. I noticed their smiles when his name was mentioned yesterday. “I suppose you and I are going to be the butt of a few jokes from now on?” I looked up to Brad, who was rolling his eyes.

  “It would seem so, although you haven’t been here the whole six weeks since we knew you were coming.” He took his stance, hand on hips and glared at Shelly and Anthony. They both just laughed and turned their attention back to me.

  “So,” Shelly began. “Why didn’t Jonathan introduce you to us when you came to stay here before?”

  I shrugged my shoulders. “I don’t know. Maybe he didn’t want to put pressure on me. Maybe he wanted to be sure himself.” Just as I was about to rant on, both Timothy and Daniela walked in. “Maybe,” I said with a whisper, “he didn’t want me put off by Victor Meldrew and Hyacinth Bouquet over there.”

  Shelly was off in hysterics. She obviously knew who I was talking about, but her laughter radiated that much that it caught their attention. They both turned, scowling at me as they made their way to their desks.

  “I can see I’m their favourite person here.”

  “I wouldn’t take it personally. They’re miserable with everyone. They sell well, and as long as they’re doing that there isn’t much Jonathan can do about them. I can’t for the life of me understand how they do it though. Maybe they just like brown-nosing with the rich and famous, I don’t know.”

  I smiled, agreeing with her one hundred percent. “I should imagine you’re probably right.”

  “Right, I better get cracking on with this list with you before Jonathan finds out we’ve been gossiping instead of working.”

  I nodded in agreement and we set to work. First of all she went through all the clients who were much like the famous Mr Jacobs, but not as successful. There were a handful of them, some nice, some not so very nice. Sh
e then went through some clients who are waiting on certain areas, or certain apartment blocks for sale. She took me through each folder on my computer so I knew where to go when the need arises. She then went through the list of properties for sale and even brought out a map so she could show me where each one of them was. It was a lot of hard work for her, and she must have had the patience of a saint because I don’t think I could have done all that.

  “You’ve got to watch out for a lady called Belinda Charmers when she comes in here.” Shelly placed her pen on the table and winked at me.

  “Oh, why is that then?”

  “She likes the ladies,” she explained. “She’s very attractive, in her thirties with mousey brown hair and long eyelashes that she likes to flick a lot whenever she’s in here. I’m not gay, so it’s completely wasted on me. She likes to flirt a lot though despite the fact, so watch out for her. Unless of course you’re…?” she probed.

  “Me? No,” I protested. “That would be completely wasted on me also. I like my men too much.”

  “You and me both. Although—I must say—in the abundance of men around here, they sure seem in short supply of the good ones. It’s hard to find anyone worth the while getting to know. I put it down to being in such a big city with too many people.”

  Shelly slunk back in her chair and took a deep breath. I started to wonder about whether I could find a ‘go to’ guy now that I’m living here. That really does sound awful.

  I regarded Shelly for a moment as she twiddled with an elastic band. “Are you originally from London?”

  Shelly straightened her posture. “Yes, I was born and bred in Battersea. I love the London life, but pretty soon when I meet someone and settle down, I don’t think living here is going to be an option bringing up children. That’s my opinion anyway. I’d probably want to move just outside, somewhere like Surrey, Enfield, or Kingston Upon Thames.” She smiled at me and paused for a moment. “So what about you? Cornwall girl born through and through? Did you break any hearts to be up here with us?”

  Leaning over the desk, I nodded. “Yep, born in Cornwall and most of my family are there. They didn’t want me to come, but I’d rather try and think of my career at the moment. I’m not into marriage and children, never have been. Makes no difference whether I stay in London or not. If I like it here, I’ll stay, if not, then I will have to think of something else.”

  Shelly looked at me for a moment before speaking. “So, you don’t want to get married? Have you ever fallen in love?”

  “No, and I don’t need to. I like my life the way it is. It’s uncomplicated and free. I don’t have to answer to anyone and I can come and go as I please.”

  “What about sex though?” she asked, shocked.

  “Oh, I get by,” I said. And that was all I was going to say. Shelly could see I wasn’t going to elaborate, so she kept quiet. She still had a smirk on her face though.

  “So you’ve never had feelings for someone? Not just a little bit?”

  I thought about poor Brian and what I put him through. I care enough to know that it hurts me that I hurt him, but that’s as far as it goes with me. “Nope. There’s not a man out there that can change the way I feel, or even goad some sort of reaction from me.”

  Oh boy. Little did I know—that in three weeks time—I’d be eating my own words.

  CHAPTER 3

  Three weeks later I had settled in nicely. I had made seven sales already—which Jonathan was ecstatic about—and I was slowly, but surely, getting to know the area a bit better.

  I had met the infamous Miss Charmers and boy did she try to. I showed her around a house on Royal Avenue and I swear she touched my arse. I looked around at her once I felt it, but she was looking elsewhere. I didn’t know whether I was imagining things, but as quickly as I could, I went round that house like a bullet. I don’t think she knew what hit her after that. I think it must have been the quickest viewing in history. It didn’t help the fact that she was learning Spanish and was trying to say as many ‘cutesy’ Spanish words to me as she possibly could.

  She didn’t take the house and I felt I had to say something to Jonathan. He thought it was funny, but assured me that if she came in again, he would ask Anthony, Brad, or Timothy to take her. This soon changed on Wednesday afternoon.

  I was at my desk as usual when Jonathan called me in to speak with him. I made my way into his office and shut the door.

  “Angelina, how have you been getting on? I know we haven’t had much time to talk, but I wanted to make sure you were okay and settling in well.” Swivelling in his chair slightly, he grinned, that swoon worthy grin of his.

  “I’ve been fine, Jonathan. It’s certainly been an experience here, and you do get to meet some characters.”

  He stopped swivelling and placed his elbows on his desk. “Yes, you certainly do. Talking of which, Mr Jacobs rang. It would seem he is looking for some properties again. I didn’t think it would work, but I have told him about some brand new properties. I had a penthouse that was bought off-plan, but the buyer has just pulled out. I told Mr Jacobs about it and he’s interested in seeing it. I mentioned that I thought you would be the best person for the job.”

  “Me?” I asked, shocked.

  “Yes, and why not? I think you’ve been doing exceptionally well these past three weeks. I have every confidence that you will be able to deal with him—as always—in your efficient, professional, and pleasant manner.”

  I smiled from ear to ear at Jonathan’s compliment. “Okay.”

  “Excellent. Let me know your schedule for tomorrow and I will call Mr Jacobs to make further arrangements.” He pulled his elbows off the table, ending our little meeting. I thanked him and excitedly made my way back to my desk.

  “What’s put that smile on your face?” Shelly asked.

  “I’m meeting the famous Mr Jacobs tomorrow.” I was so giddy at the prospect; I forgot how this might affect Shelly. I think I would be pissed off if some newbie came along and snapped up all the high end clients. As it turned out, Shelly was a very unselfish person in that respect. She just high fived me and wished me luck.

  Upon checking my schedule, I could see an availability at twelve o’clock. I had a viewing for the same penthouse at two, and I thought it only fair that our VIP gets to see it first. I told Jonathan and he was pleased. He soon confirmed the appointment via email and told me that Mr Jacobs would meet me here.

  “That’s unusual,” I said out loud.

  “What’s that?” Shelly asked.

  “I thought Mr Jacobs always met at the property?”

  Shelley’s head snapped up. “He does. That’s why I’ve never had the pleasure of meeting him,” she giggled.

  “He’s coming here, tomorrow, at twelve o’clock.”

  Shelly could hardly contain her excitement. She was certainly desperate to see this famous ‘man-whore’, as she called him.

  I thought my day was going pretty well until Jonathan called me back in the office. I walked in and he looked like a man who was about to receive a telling off. I didn’t like where this was going.

  “Take a seat, dear Angelina. I think you’ll need to sit down.”

  “What is it?” I asked, now concerned. A million things were flying around my head right about now.

  “Miss Charmers has just been on the phone. She wants to see that house again and she insists on you showing it to her.”

  I tried speaking, but Jonathan just put his hands up to stop me. “I tried telling her that you were fully booked, but she still insisted.”

  “Fuck!” I blurted. I looked up to meet Jonathan’s eyes and I could see that little cocked eyebrow telling me off. “Sorry,” I said, begging him to forgive me. “If I’m fully booked, I’m fully booked. What can she really expect us to do?” I was pleading now and I knew it, but I could see that Jonathan called me in here for a reason, and it wasn’t just to tell me I wouldn’t have to do it if I didn’t want to.

  “Angelina, she is one
of our biggest clients. I know you thought she tried it on with you, but you can’t say that for certain, can you? Besides, you have obviously made quite an impression on her. It’s not the normal procedure for someone like yourself willing to turn down such high commission if she decides to buy.”

  I looked angrily at Jonathan, but I knew there was no way of getting out of this. It was four o’clock already and I didn’t have any other appointments scheduled, so I couldn’t really say no.

  I sighed deeply. “Okay, but if she touches my arse again, I’m off.” I stood there with my hands on hips, having a right old dolly strop. All Jonathan did was laugh and shake his hands in front of him.

  “Of course, of course. It’s a deal,” he said, chuckling.

  I very reluctantly rang Miss Charmers to schedule her in for five o’clock. All the while, Shelly was giggling in the background. She was going to pay for this.

  “You owe me a drink after work.” I glared at Shelly as I waited for the ever so charming Charmers to answer her phone.

  “Yes,” she said, seductively.

  “Miss Charmers, it’s Angelina here.” I was about to go on but she interrupted me.

  “Oh, Angelina, how nice to hear from you. I thought you may have been trying to run away from me,” she said laughing.

  I laughed too, but it was more of a hysterical—I’m about to lose the plot—laugh, more than a genuine, hearty laugh. Shelly decided it was time to play games and thought it hilariously funny to turn away from me and rub her hands up and down her back, like she had someone kissing her. I so wanted to kill her right now.

  “No, Miss Charmers, I’ve just been very busy, that’s all.” I grabbed the nearest thing I could find—which was a rubber—and threw it at Shelly’s head. She turned toward me and giggled.

  “Sounds like you’re having a party in the office. Can I join?” she asked, laughing again.

  My high pitched, nervous laugh had everyone looking. Including Victor and Hyacinth.