Page 18 of Unmasking Love
I hate sending you in there alone but I'm going to need proof the primary bedroom isn't a boomer sex dungeon.
I'll head over there this afternoon and send you a text.
Felix wants to know who I'm texting. I can't lie so I'm telling him it's you. You've been warned.
I laugh and go back to my message inbox. Sure enough, within a few seconds, a new text from Felix arrives.
Atta girl Harper! Our boy is connecting! He's texting with you from the road! I'm so happy I could kiss you.
I'm in the business of making my clients happy.
But I’m not into you that way, Bud.
The house I sent to Aiden isn't far from where I’m meeting Wes for lunch. I'll stop in and take a picture to prove the room is safe.
***
"Okay if we make one quick stop on the way back?" I ask Wes who is sitting in my front seat.
"Sure, I don't have meetings until 2. Where are we stopping?"
"I've gotta take a picture of the bedroom in this house and send it to Aiden."
"Oo getting kinky with the client!" Wes teases.
"No, it's not like that." Wes looks at me over the top of his sunglasses. "It's not!" I insist even as I feel my cheeks warm because I have thought about it more than I’m willing to admit. But explaining to Wes why we have to make this stop should help cool me down. "We stumbled upon a geriatric sex portrait in the first home we toured together and now he’s making me prove there's nothing weird in the bedroom at this listing."
"Was it at least tastefully done?" Wes asks.
"It was,” how do I put this? “Detailed." I manage to admit. I don’t think I can find the words to truly describe that piece of work. "And almost life size." I admit quietly.
Wes's eyes widen. "You're going to have to show me this."
"No way! I'm not putting myself in front of it again!"
We pull up to the new listing. I honestly don't think Aiden is seriously interested but after the fun we had at that first house and the few texts we’ve exchanged since he left, I figured I'd keep him as warm as I could with frequent interaction. Some clients you can tell like to be left alone to make their decisions. Others need the contact. Aiden needs the connection, even if he says otherwise.
Wes follows me up to the primary bedroom and I take the photo, text it, and turn to leave.
"That's it?" Wes asks.
"Yeah, I mean he'll need to do the full tour in person if he wants to and the team isn't back unt-" I stop when a FaceTime call comes in. "It's him!" I whisper to Wes. No, no, no, no, no. “What do I do?”
"Answer it!" Wes hisses at me.
"Really?" I ask as the room starts to spin a little bit. Wes nods and shoos his hands at the phone so I ignore my pounding pulse and suck in a breath as best I can. "Hi Aiden!" I greet brightly but it isn’t him.
My eyes scan the screen trying to figure out who I’m talking to. It must be one of his teammates. The guy slides the phone back and I can see Aiden in thebackground shaking his head. I hear Felix call out "Hi Harper! Be right there."
"Hi Harper!” the man on the screen says. I don't know him but his smile is nice, if not a little calculating. "I'm Bryson and we wanted more than a picture of the property. Are you still on the premises?"
"Why are you talking like that?" Aiden asks behind him. "You're not a detective."
"Dude," Bryson turns to him and the screen turns up to reveal a tiled hotel conference room ceiling. "She's good at what she does but the first home she showed you had medieval porn on the wall and you sent us that shit. I'll never unsee it. So, yeah, I'm gonna detective the shit out of this so you don't end up in some weird fucking house."
"Bryson?" I ask and he bounces the screen back to him. "Hi," I smile, "I'm still at the house. Would you like a tour?"
"Yes please, but don't just flip the camera around. I want to see your face because you could be showing us some other house on video or something."
