Page 6 of Greed

I’m the odd man out, and I’m fine with that.

“Don’t worry about it.” I toss her a smile as the elevator crawls up to my floor.

The building I live in is one of the most sought-after residences in the city, but it’s ancient. That’s evident not only in the architectural details in the common areas but in the workings of the elevators and the noises that emanate from the walls and crevices.

When Ava stayed with me briefly a few months ago, she deemed the structure haunted. If anything, it’s haunted by the beauty it contains. It’s rich in history, which is one of the reasons I bought my apartment.

You can’t beat old New York City charm.

“You wanted her to come up to your place,” she states. “I know it.”

“If that’s true, you would have walked away when you noticed her in my car,” I counter.

She blinks twice. “Why didn’t I do that?”

The elevator slows as it signals its arrival on my floor. I motion for Ava to exit first, which she does with a bounce in her step.

I follow behind, loosening the bowtie around my neck.

Ava approaches the door and calls back to me. “I’ll key in the code.”

She does just that, pushing a four-digit PIN into the keypad. The light above it flashes red, so she tries again. The second attempt is another failure.

That spins her around to face me. “You changed the code?”

I move around her, dropping my gaze to her furrowed brow. “I did.”

Her hands fall to her hips. “Why?”

“Why do you think?” Turning my back to her, I key in the new code.

It’s far from a secret. If she asks for it, I’ll give it. Ava lives in a brownstone with her fiancé, but she knows that if she wants a brotherly shoulder to lean on, that’s offered here.

“Because of me?” Her voice is laced with a tinge of sadness, or maybe it’s surprise.

I step aside to give her entry to my home. “No, Ava. I hired someone new to clean. I changed it then.”

Relief settles over her expression. “Good. Although, I’m sure you’ve noticed that I have been calling before I show up.”

“I have noticed.” I follow her into the foyer, shutting the door behind me. “Until tonight, that is.”

Facing me, she shakes her head. “I know I screwed that up, Decky. Can’t you ask Rygar where he took Abby? You could show up at her place with a dozen roses.”

“I’m not going to stalk the woman.”

“Stalk, chase.” She pauses to sigh. “Pursue. That’s what it would be. You’d be pursuing her.”

I don’t pursue.

I won’t tonight.

My brief encounter with Abigail opened the door for more. She knows where I live, and even though she pretended not to know who I am, I’ve caught her looking at me in the lobby of the building we work in.

I’m confident tonight was a prelude to what will be at least one night of good, hard fucking in the future. When that happens depends on whether or not the guy in the ill-fitting suit is still in the picture.

I keep my hands off of women who have theirs on other men.

“Get your composition book,” I say to ensure she’s out of my home within the next five minutes because I need to decompress. I spent tonight shaking the hands of Manhattan’s elite at a fundraiser for the music school my sister works at. Teaching piano has fueled her creativity in ways she hadn’t expected. “I’m taking brunch to Sean and Callie’s tomorrow morning. If you’d like to join us, that would be great. Bring Harry too.”

---