“Daniel! There you are.” A dark-haired Latino man rushed toward him. Similar to Daniel, he was stylishly dressed in a designer suit, and it was clear he had a good barber, because there wasn’t a hair out of place.
“Eduardo.” Daniel extended his hand. “Good to see you.”
Eduardo eyed Angela at his side. “And who did you bring with you? A buyer perhaps for my amazing condo?”
Angela smiled. She was glad she was wearing Dolce & Gabbana today and looked like she could afford to buy a place like this.
Daniel gave her a cursory glance. “Afraid not. Eduardo Torres, meet Angela Trainor, one of my agents I’m mentoring. Angela will be working with me on this project.”
Eduardo gave him a grin. “I can see why.” He eyed Angela from her stilettos to her face. “Eye candy will be good for business.”
Angela opened her mouth to tell Mr. Eduardo Torres a thing or two, but Daniel shook his head.
“Come, let’s talk.” Daniel placed his massive hand on Eduardo’s narrow shoulders and started walking toward the table that had the model of the building.
Angela had no choice but to follow behind them. She didn’t like how Eduardo made her feel, as if she were irrelevant and only there for show. She was a darn good real estate agent and getting better every day. She would have to assert herself so he saw her as something other than a pretty face.
“When are you going to have the marketing campaign ready?” Eduardo inquired. “It’s important that the project make a splash on the market and we maybe get some offers at the launch party.”
“Relax, Eduardo,” Daniel said in a soft tone to calm the highly charged man. “This isn’t my first rodeo.” He used Angela’s turn of phrase from earlier. “I’ve steered several projects toward full occupancy before the buildings were built.”
“But none of this size,” Eduardo responded quickly. “This building will have eighty units. That’s a lot to sell in eighteen months.”
“And I—correction, we—” Daniel glanced over at Angela and despite herself, her heart fluttered in her chest “—will sell out these units. You’ve come to the right firm, Eduardo. You just have to give us time to come up with the right plan to market to these hip millennials. Trust me, we’ll have this place filled in no time.”
After Eduardo departed, leaving them alone in the sales office, Daniel turned to her. “This project is a big deal for Cobb Luxury Real Estate.”
“And you’re going to do great,” Angela commented. “I mean, we’re going to do great.”
“You say that like you mean it.”
Angela’s brow furrowed. “I do mean it. I came here because of your reputation. Everyone’s talking about you, Daniel. They know you have your pulse on the real estate market in South Florida. Everyone wants to emulate you, be you.”
Daniel stood back and regarded her. “Including you?”
Angela locked eyes with his. “Of course. I would imagine you get a thrill out of having all of us lowly peons looking up to the great Daniel Cobb for advice and guidance.”
Daniel chuckled. “It’s not always easy being at the top. There’s a long fall to the bottom.”
“Ah, but you’re one of the Millionaire Moguls,” Angela responded. “With their backing behind you, I’m sure the members alone could buy up this place in a heartbeat.”
“So you’ve heard of us?” There was a smile in his voice.
“Who in Miami hasn’t? You’re synonymous with wealth and tradition.”
Daniel pointed his finger. “See, that’s the image I no longer want for the organization. It’s time to bring them forward to the new millennium.”
“And you’re just the man to do that?”
“One of them,” Daniel said. “Speaking of the Millionaire Moguls, I’d like you to join me for a dinner we’re having on Friday night.”
Angela cleared her throat. Had she heard him correctly? Was he asking her out? “Join you?”
“Yes,” Daniel replied, “I think it would be great for you to meet some of the influential members of the organization. Could be potential clients for you. What do you say?”
There was no way she was turning down an invitation to rub elbows with the rich and famous. She gave him her most dazzling smile. “Count me in.”
* * *
Why in the hell had he just asked Angela to join him at the Millionaire Moguls monthly dinner? It was usually reserved for members and their spouses or significant others, of which Angela was neither. Yet there was something about her that Daniel liked. She was smart and confident and spoke her mind. He liked that in a woman. Not to mention the fact that she was hot as hell.
Of course, he had no intention of going there with Angela. He was just curious to learn more about her. It had been a while since a woman had piqued his interest. Made him want to see what was under the hood rather than just admiring the package. And Lord knew, Angela was one helluva package.
Take today for instance. She’d shown poise and professionalism when Eduardo treated her disrespectfully by speaking solely to Daniel even though he’d told the Cuban that Angela would work on the project with him. Instead of reacting, she’d quietly stood by and when the moment was right, she’d interjected herself into the conversation with pointed information on the Miami market. Slowly, he’d seen Eduardo warm up to the notion that this beautiful woman had a head on her shoulders.
He, too, had admired the authority with which she spoke. It’s why he’d uncharacteristically asked out an employee, something he never did. But she didn’t need to know that. All she would think was that he was her mentor and showing her the ropes.
“Excellent,” Daniel commented on her acceptance of his offer. “I’ll swing by and pick you up at your place.”
“Oh, that’s not necessary. I’ll just meet you at the office.”
He frowned. Even though she was his employee, he always liked to escort his women home. “Are you sure?”
“Absolutely.” Angela smiled at him.
* * *
Once Angela made it to her apartment in Coconut Grove that evening, she kicked off her shoes at the door and plopped herself on the microsuede sofa. It had been a long day, made even longer by the fact that she’d been wearing four-inch heels. Lying back, Angela rubbed her aching feet and thought about her day.
She was thrilled that Daniel had finally taken her under his wing to assist him with selling this new development. She’d been waiting for the opportunity when she could show him that he hadn’t made a mistake in hiring her.
What she hadn’t been expecting was Daniel to ask her out. Oh sure, he disguised it as a business dinner, saying she was merely joining him at an event for an organization he was active in and it would broaden her contacts. But from all angles that she could see, it was a date. She would be his companion for the evening, when she was sure other men would be bringing their spouses or partners.
Should she be concerned that they were mixing work and pleasure? Angela didn’t think so, nor did she care. She wanted the chance to meet other affluent men and their wives who might need a real estate agent. If she played her cards right, the business that might come her way would be worth the time spent with Daniel.
Not that it would be a hardship to be his date for the evening. Daniel was a fine specimen. He was the type of man a woman could easily get addicted to if she let herself. But romance wasn’t on Angela’s agenda. Or so she told herself. She needed to wow. To impress.
Rising