Page 5 of The Money Shot

We walked the three blocks in the heat, dodging tourists and office workers alike, until finally, we turned the corner onto Jackson Avenue and saw it. The building.

And it was... beautiful.

“You’re kidding,” Liam muttered, stopping in his tracks. We all did, really, taking a second to take it in. It was one of those new, modern high-rises, the kind you usually see further uptown or somewhere in Manhattan proper, not here in Long Island City. Sleek glass walls, sharp lines, and from what I could tell, it was angled just so to overlook the East River and the whole Manhattan skyline. I could already picture it—waking up to that view, coming home to it after work.

Bradley grinned, a smug look on his face. “Told you it was a find,” he said, as if he’d somehow designed it himself. “Hell of a lot cheaper than anything in Midtown, too.”

Liam gave him a skeptical look. “A three-bedroom this close to Manhattan, with views like that, and at this price?” He shook his head. “It’s gotta be a scam.”

“It’s not a scam.” Bradley rolled his eyes, the irritation in his voice as thick as the heat hanging in the air. “Some of us just have an eye for opportunity.”

I resisted the urge to laugh. Liam wasn’t wrong—everything about this felt a little too good to be true. Nevertheless, it was hard not to be at least a little excited. I’d lived in a crappy Airbnb since I first arrived in the city, and the thought of having plenty of space—an actual bedroom that didn’t double as a kitchen or a closet—was a dream I’d almost forgotten.

We walked up to the building, and this older guy behind the desk gave us a look that clearly said we didn’t belong. He raised a single eyebrow and looked Bradley up and down, then me, then Liam.

“Who are you here to see?” He barked in a thick Russian accent.

Bradley opened his mouth, probably to pull some line about “business opportunities,” but Liam jumped in first. “We have an appointment to see an apartment,” he said, all professional-like, probably trying to match the guy’s tone.

The doorman grunted, picking up a phone from the desk and dialed with slow, deliberate presses of each button. He muttered something into the receiver, his eyes never leaving us, and finally, after a moment, he hung up.

“Vanessa will be right with you,” he said, his face giving nothing away.

We stood there in silence, the three of us suddenly a little out of our element. It almost felt like we were kids pretending to be adults.

I shifted from one foot to the other, trying to shake off the awkward silence and the doorman’s laser-focused stare. The guy resembled a stone carving, with his face locked in a permanent scowl that made me feel about three inches tall. Figured I’d try some small talk and break the ice.

“So… uh, been working here long?” I asked, giving him my best friendly smile.

The doorman’s scowl deepened, if that was even possible. He didn’t say a word. Just stared at me with these dark, unimpressed eyes like he was silently willing me to drop dead on the spot. Liam stifled a laugh behind me, and even Bradley looked like he was struggling not to roll his eyes.

Just as I was about to back off and let the silence swallow me whole, the elevator at the far end of the lobby dinged open, and out came… well, there’s no other way to put it—out came a force of nature.

She strutted across the marble floor like she owned the whole damn building. Cherry-red hair, bright and wavy, practically glowing under the harsh lobby lights, paired with heels that made her seem about six inches taller than she probably was.Her jacket was this wild, patchwork of colors that I couldn’t tell if I loved or hated, but it was impossible to look away from. And her smile? It was like she was on the cover of a magazine, beaming straight at us.

“Gentlemen!” she said, voice thick with an accent I could barely understand. Bronx, maybe? New York for sure. Whatever it was, every word came out as a burst of energy, and I had to pay attention to catch it all. “I’m Vanessa Martinez, but you can call me Vanessa. Or Nessa. Or whatever else you want, honey.” She flashed an enormous smile, her gaze sweeping over each of us like she was sizing us up for a new suit. Or maybe like we were the last three men on earth, and she was picking which one she’d take home. I swear, I’d never felt more like a piece of meat in my life.

She took Bradley’s hand first, giving it a firm shake, then did the same for Liam, her eyes twinkling as she held onto his hand for a second too long. Finally, she turned to me, her fingers warm and her nails just the right amount of sharp as they dug into my palm.

“Well, well, look at you three,” she said, the words rolling off her tongue like honey dripping down a spoon. She turned back to the doorman. “Dimitri, you see these boys? I found the building’s newest tenants. I can just tell by looking at them.”

Dimitri grunted something I couldn’t understand, though he didn’t look half as pissy as he had a second ago. His mouth even twitched—if you squinted, it could almost pass for a smile.

Vanessa spun on her heel and shot us a look over her shoulder, crooking her finger. “Come on, gentlemen, follow me. We’re going to make sure you get the grand tour.”

We trailed after her like ducklings, crossing the lobby under the disapproving gaze of the marble statues lining the walls. Once we were all in the elevator, she hit the button for the tenth floor, then spun around, her perfume filling the tight space in aninstant. It was strong and sweet. Vanilla, perhaps? I knew little about perfumes, but this one seemed to vibrate off of her.

She looked over at Bradley. “So, you boys work in the city?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Bradley replied with that same smug tone he always used when he was trying to sound more important than he was. “Associate partner at Bronson and Bronson Law Firm.”

Vanessa’s eyebrows shot up, and she let out this delighted laugh that made the walls vibrate. “Ooooh, we got ourselves a lawyer, huh? You’re gonna love this place then. Got a lot of hotshots just like you living here. You’ll fit right in, honey.”

Bradley beamed like a proud puppy, and I had to bite my tongue to keep from snickering. Vanessa turned her attention to Liam next, and her expression softened, eyes narrowing like she was trying to figure him out. “And what about you, sweetie?”

Liam cleared his throat, looking slightly uncomfortable under her gaze. “I, uh, work for a tech startup. Crypto currency.”

She leaned in, her gaze playful. “Crypto, huh? So you wanna be a billionaire.” She gave him a wink. “They say billionaires make the best lovers, you know.”

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