Chapter 14: Real Estate

Thursday, 8:50 am

"It's been over twenty-four hours since the story broke about the death of famous billionaire Colin Gerard and still we have no details on the whereabouts of his grandson Marcus Upton." The blonde woman from Channel Seven was back at it again this morning.

As I lay on the couch waiting for a text from Erin to let me know she was downstairs, I watched the updated coverage of my grandfather's death. It was one of the larger newsworthy items on the news. Strangely, I had only heard of Colin Gerrard in passing before last week, but now that he'd died, it felt like the only thing anyone was talking about. After Bobbi left, I texted Helen to ask why, and she explained that it was because of the scandal and how many people it affected. No one in my grandfather's circle had known about my existence. I guess I could understand why considering what my mother had told me last night.

"That's right Julia," the blonde reporter's partner said as the camera panned to him. "And with the death of the majority owner of one of the largest corporate empires in the world, many shareholders are concerned with what's next, and the lack of answers has many of them worried about their immediate financial futures."

A message from Erin alerted me that she was downstairs with a car, pulling my attention away from a man behind a podium who was reassuring the public that the death of Gerrard wouldn't affect the day-to-day operations of VistaVision. I rolled off the couch I'd slept on last night and grabbed a hoodie off the small pile of clothes my assistant had bought me yesterday. Then I proceeded downstairs of the Dunbar building. Having experienced sleeping on the office couch naked, I had opted to keep some of my clothes on last night, resulting in much better sleep than the nap I'd taken. I felt refreshed, and the world didn't seem as bad as it had yesterday. In all honesty, how could it? I was a freaking billionaire! Not only that, but I was the richest one by a huge margin! I probably didn't have a right to feel bad even if I did have the world looking for me. As long as I played everything smart, I could probably do anything I wanted. Fortunately, I made the correct move by hiring intelligent people to watch my back.

When I exited the elevator on the first floor, I spotted Andrew as he approached me. "Hey, Marcus," he said, "sleep well?"

"Yeah, man. It's amazing how comfortable a couch can be when you pay enough for it. Hopefully sleeping here was just a one-time thing," I said. "At least, for now."

He fell in beside me as I walked toward the door and said, "What do you mean, 'for now'?"

"I want to keep that top floor private and remodel it to make it a living space. Helen said that the purchase is off the books, so it won't be easy to trace this place back to me, aside from the fact that I used to work here. Does anyone here besides you know that I bought it?"

"Just my guys. I thought they needed to know who signed the checks."

I wasn't thrilled about that, but Andrew probably hadn't been told to keep quiet about it, so I didn't bother voicing my displeasure. "Whichever company bought the place signs the checks. They'll all get raises. I'll get Helen to draft an NDA for them to sign. I'll need you to do the same. Of course, you'll get a raise too."

"Thanks, Marcus. Sure. I don't think any of them will have a problem signing anything. Especially if there's a raise attached to it."

"No problem. Erin will probably be getting with you about making the renovations. I'd like you to work with the construction crews and keep things as low-key as possible. You met her, right?"

"Erin? Tiny girl with purple hair? Cute as a button? Yeah. I met her, and the construction won't be a problem," Andrew said. "Anything else?

We were about to reach the doors, so I slowed and glanced through the large windows, trying to spot anyone suspicious outside. "Anyone outside that I should be worried about?"

"Nope. Shawn and I have been taking turns to take laps around the block to see if we can spot anyone suspicious. There was a strange van sitting across the street for a while, but I went out there after about an hour and asked them to leave. It looks pretty clear right now, so no one should notice you."

"Good deal, man. I appreciate you guys keeping an eye out."

"Sure," Andrew said, pushing open the door to let me outside, "Let me know if there's anything else you need."

"Will do. Thanks."

I emerged into the mid-morning sun and the door to the large black suburban opened, showing Erin inside, "Your chariot awaits, my lord."

I quickly climbed in and sat on the bench seat across from her, shutting the door behind me. I felt the suburban take off as I gave Erin a look. She was dressed in a dark skirt with black leggings under it, with leather boots that climbed most of the way up her calves. She wore a white, flowing blouse that hung loosely from her shoulders and a pair of thick, dark-rimmed glasses. Her purple-tinged silver hair was pulled into two space buns that sat high on her head.

Erin closed her laptop sitting next to her and examined me with a grin. "You ready for one of the most fun parts of being stupid rich?"

I grinned back at her. Erin could make me smile regardless of how I felt, and I was already feeling great. I really did make the right call with her. "House hunting?"

"House hunting," she repeated and hopped out of her seat to drop beside me, phone in hand. She opened her phone and pulled up some screenshots. "My realtor has about five listings for us to choose from if we want, but I'm positive you're going to be sold on the first one."

"I can't wait," I said as I leaned back in my seat, throwing my arm along the length of the headrest. Erin used the opportunity to snuggle herself into my side, making her almost feel like my girlfriend rather than my personal assistant.

It took over an hour to get to this part of Manhattan, but Erin made the trip enjoyable. She told me how she had acquired a card and dropped it off at the front desk of Bobbi's hotel. I told her about what happened while she was out of the office and the discussion with her last night. Halfway through the retelling, Erin twisted to face away from me and leaned her back against me while slipping her hand beneath her skirt. As I filled her in on the details of how I'd dominated Bobbi and set the terms for our relationship, she stared up at me with her big brown eyes and bit her lip, her breathing getting shallow. When I finished my story, she removed her hand from under her skirt and offered two of her fingers to me, placing them against my mouth. I could feel her damp fingertips smear some of her juices across my lips and parted them. Her digits invaded my mouth, and I tasted her juices for the first time. Her flavor was unlike the two women I'd tasted in the last few days. Helen and Bobbi had bold, musky flavors and scents. Erin's was less intense and a bit sweeter. I wanted to dive between her legs and lap that juicy pussy till she screamed. We didn't take things further, and she didn't bring herself off, but the look in her eyes promised more to come.

Our ride finally pulled up to the front of a high-rise, and Erin exited the vehicle with me behind her. A young woman who appeared to be in her early to mid-twenties stood in front of the doors. Her thick mane of coal-black hair was pulled into a simple ponytail, contrasting beautifully with her porcelain skin. She had dark mascara that made her gold/green eyes pop and had a deep shade of crimson lipstick painted on her pleasantly plump lips. She was a couple of inches taller than Erin and wore a knitted, sleeveless grey blouse that showed off lovely shoulders dusted with a generous amount of freckles. A black skirt stopped about two inches above her knees and showed off a gorgeous pair of legs. As she approached, she gave us a luminous smile that would have been at home on a dental commercial.

"Danni!" Erin bounded toward the other woman, throwing her arms around the other woman's neck.

"Oh my god, it's good to see you!" 'Danni' replied, returning the hug.

Erin eventually broke free released the other woman and turned. "Danni, this is my boss, Marcus Upton. Mr. Upton, this is Danielle Holland. She's a realtor with Vanderburg and Associates. She's here to show us the apartment you're interested in."

Danielle held out her hand and smiled, "Hi Mr. Upton! It's so good to meet you." Her carefully manicured fingernails matched the color of her crimson lipstick, and I took them in my hand, giving them a gentle squeeze.

"Hey, Danielle. Please, call me Marcus. It's nice to meet you. Thank you for taking the time to show us this place on such short notice."

"Are you kidding?" Danielle laughed, softly, "It's my pleasure! This place has been on the market for four months without a buyer. When Erin described your situation, I couldn't think of a better fit... especially considering some of your specific requests."

"Sounds great," Erin said, "Can we see it?"

"Please! I'd love to show you around!"

Danielle led us to the lobby doors, which were opened by a doorman - something I'd never witnessed in person before. I smiled and nodded my thanks to him. The lobby was a work of art with marble floors, carpet, and extravagant maroon furniture with brown accents. The entire place screamed wealth and prestige.

My realtor led us to an elevator and used a key to take us to the top floor. On the way up, Danielle and Erin made small talk. It sounded like they hadn't seen each other in months and were playing catch-up. I used the opportunity to take a closer look at Danielle. Where Erin had a dark olive complexion and silver hair, Danielle was the complete opposite. Seeing the two contrasting beauties together was a work of art.

Once we reached the sixty-fourth floor - the only number on the elevator, I noticed - Danielle removed the key she'd used in the elevator and the doors opened.

"There's a stairway entrance in case of emergencies, but it's reinforced and locked," Danielle said. "The elevator door here is too. By the way, this elevator is private and only for this apartment. You can grant access with a key, a special code, or from here remotely."

I could barely pay attention to her though. I was too distracted by the massive room I was in. "What is this? The living room?"

"Uh-huh," Danielle said, her tone amused as she walked toward the middle of the room and slowly spun around what looked like a fully furnished living room complete with several couches, chairs, and a massive television over a stone fireplace that you could walk all the way around. The far wall was nothing but transparent glass that showed one of the most gorgeous skylines of New York I'd ever seen from inside a building.

"Jesus Christ..."

There was an open kitchen to the right. Pots and pans hung over a large kitchen island and a massive cutting board was built directly into the marble countertops. Two sets of balconies ran around the three sides of the living room roughly ten to twelve feet high in a way that reminded me of a fancy hotel. Several doors and hallways lined the walls to signal that there was so much more to this apartment than what I could see at first glance. Two sets of stairs wound up to the balconies on either end before continuing past the ceiling.

"Both sets of stairs," Danielle said, pointing to one of the hallways on the third floor of the apartment. "Near the end, there's a stairway that leads up to the gardens. The elevator will take you there too."

I looked at her, "Gardens?"

She smiled at me almost piteously. "Mm-hmm. The original owner loved the outdoors and invested in the garden. There's a helipad up there too, but he made sure it didn't take away from the aesthetics."

"Helipad?"

Erin giggled at the incredulity in my voice and said, "Would you like to explore it a little, Mr. Upton?"

I glanced at Erin, still a little taken aback. "Um... yeah. Yeah, I would."

"You guys go ahead. I'm going to give you some space while I fill out some paperwork down here."

I followed Erin up one of the flights of stairs and called back to Danielle, "We can just go wherever?"

"Mm-hmm!" Danielle nodded. "Feel free to try out whatever. There's a nice bath on the second floor that I think you'll really like. There's a fully-furnished gym, and a hot tub and swimming pool outside. Enjoy!"

Ascending the stairs, I watched her pull a laptop out of the bag she'd been carrying, wanting to make sure she was actually okay with us doing whatever we wanted. When she glanced back up and gave me another smile, I finally turned and followed Erin up the stairs.

Fuck... being rich was so cool.

Erin and I spent the next half hour touring the apartment, and it was nothing short of amazing. Every room was furnished, and all the amenities worked, including the hot water. I decided to test how long it would last by turning on one of the first showers we came across while, letting it run while we continued to explore the house. Eventually, we returned to the same bathroom and I confirmed that the heat hadn't waned. After shutting off the water, I found Erin in the bedroom next door.

"Danielle told me all the furniture is newly purchased by Vanderburg and we can keep it as part of the purchase, or you can request it all removed and start from scratch, or you can just keep the stuff you like," Erin said. She was in front of a large window beside the bed, pushing the curtains aside to the side to peer outside.

"I'll probably keep it all for now," I said. "Maybe I'll replace some of it over time, but I don't want to move into a house that isn't fully furnished."

Erin spun, leaned against the window, and smiled at me. "Yes sir."

The sight of her leaning against the glass while standing more than sixty stories up made me uneasy. "You might not want to lean against that."

"What? This?" She knocked on the glass above her head, "It's bulletproof. I did some reading on it last night. It has a UL level 6 rating. It's enough to stop several shots from a nine-millimeter." She closed her eyes, lifted her other arm above her head, and stretched; her shirt pulled tight against her chest and its hem lifted enough to give me a tantalizing view of the bottom quarter of her midriff. She grinned at me, "I'm around one hundred pounds. I should be okay."

I involuntarily bit my lip and wondered if Danielle meant I was free to do whatever I wanted in this house. Erin and I were alone in a full-furnished bedroom and she looked incredible. So far, I received precisely one lap dance and one blowjob from her. I wanted more, and her body language suggested she did as well. I decided to take the initiative and joined Erin next to the window, keeping her between me and the glass. Her eyes fluttered open, and her chocolate brown eyes tracked where I was, looking up at me through long, dark eyelashes. A slow smile crept across her very kissable lips in a way that reminded me of a cat. I leaned forward, and pressed my hands to hers, trapping them against the glass as I lowered my head. She raised hers and our lips met in a heated kiss. Our tongues immediately slid past our lips and sought out each other. I felt her body arch into me, pressing her small breasts into my chest as her delicate fingers slipped between mine and gave them an affectionate squeeze.

The kiss deepened, and I pushed back against her body with my own, grinding my hard-on into her stomach as my weight forced her back against the glass. She squirmed beneath me, seeking friction wherever she could, and I could hear her breathing becoming more rapid. Our tongues wrestled with each other for a long time before I felt hers retract. She turned her head to the side, breaking the kiss and streaking her dark lipstick across both our faces. I used the opportunity to explore her jawline and the expanse of her neck, smearing some of her lipstick across her flesh. I nipped playfully and sucked my way across her smooth skin as she took long, gasping breaths and stroked her crotch against my thigh. I could feel warm dampness seeping through my pants where she ground against me.

I extracted my fingers from hers and dropped my arms to wrap them around her waist, pulling her into me as my teeth and lips continued their exploration. Her hands now free, she laid them on each side of my face and placed just enough pressure to get me to pull back so we could look at each other. Her glasses sat slightly crooked and whispy strands of dark brown hair had slipped free to hang around her. We both studied the other's faces, and I could see the look in her eyes. They shined with the same desire I felt.

"Follow me, Mr. Upton," she whispered. "There's something I'd like to show you."

She twisted free from my grasp and straightened her glasses before heading to the open doorway. I followed her. She hadn't let me down yet, so I trusted that she knew what she was doing. I let her lead me out of the bedroom, down the hall, and up the main flight of stairs. Since we passed the top balcony in the living room, I looked for Danielle but didn't see her. I did notice an entire other wing to the apartment opposite of me. I'd been too preoccupied to notice it my first time through. As I followed Erin onto the roof, thoughts of the extra wing evaporated.

"Well? What do you think?" Erin asked.

She looked up at me as we strode into a large garden atop the skyscraper. It was beautiful, with paths that wound out of sight through the thick, green foliage. Lattice work and trees lined them, making it feel like some secret sanctuary completely removed from the bustling metropolis of New York. All I could hear was a few birds whistling at each other and a light breeze blowing through the flora. I'm not a plant enthusiast. I couldn't identify most of them, but there had to be four or five different types of trees. One had some sort of apple growing on them. I recognized some azaleas and junipers. There were daylilies, ferns, and marigolds, and I saw honeysuckle climbing the latticework. It was all laid out in an eye-catching way meant to calm the soul, and it worked.

"What the hell?"

"I know. It takes up most of the space on the roof. It's ridiculous, but you have ridiculous money. Here, follow me. You haven't seen the best part." She grabbed my hand and tugged me down the stairs toward one of the paths.

"How is this not the best part?"

We wound around the path for a few minutes and I took in the sights - statues, a fountain, benches, large flowers, and ivy growing in eye-pleasing ways. Paths converged on each other, and I wondered what the actual dimensions of this garden were and if it was possible to get lost.

Finally, we emerged onto a large patio surrounding a massive pool. It currently had a canopy over it, shading the entire pool from direct sunlight. The patio surrounded three sides of it, while the fourth side butted up against what appeared to be a clear wall that allowed for another beautiful view of New York's skyline. Forgetting for a moment that Erin was even with me, I slowly approached the sight.

On the length of the patio, near the middle of the pool was a bar that appeared to be fully equipped with an assortment of alcohol and mixers. It was equipped with a short fridge that I opened to find full of mixers that needed to be kept cold, as well as an assortment of snacks including a fresh charcuterie board. Danielle had gone all out for my visit. Were all the listings Erin requested fully stocked like this, or was she simply confident I'd want this place?

I glanced at the water and had to do a double-take. It didn't look as blue as the water I was used to seeing in pools, and the reason why quickly became apparent. The bottom and sides of the pool were clear glass. A third of the glass floor hung off the edge, and I could see the distant New York streets through the water of the goddamn swimming pool. The other two-thirds of the pool's glass bottom showed portions of the house - some sort of dining room or breakfast room, judging by the table and chairs.