AllFreeNovel
Share Us
ChapterOne
Luke
It was a typical morning. Same as yesterday and it would be the same tomorrow. My life was boring, but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. It was time to get ready for another day at the real estate firm where I worked as a lawyer with or for, depending on who you asked, my very good friend, Leo. I rolled out of bed, took a shower, and stepped in front of the mirror to shave. The jagged scar on my jaw was fading a little more every day. It was a stark reminder of my recent near-death experience. I got dressed in my usual work attire. I put on my sharp black suit, a crisp white shirt, and a bright red tie. I looked good. Working for one of the top real estate firms in Boston meant I had to dress the part. We dressed like we were money. At least, I did. Leo tended to be a little lax. The guy was blue-collar and didn’t try to hide it.
I was blue-collar, but law school changed me. I had to present myself a certain way if I wanted people to take the nobody raised by a single father seriously. I wasn’t a rich kid growing up. I wasn’t the coolest kid, either. I was a charity case. Thankfully, that charity had paid off. I was where I was because someone gave me a chance. I was not going to squander it by wearing cheap suits that were unbefitting of my station.
I walked into the kitchen of my twenty-sixth-floor condo that was already filled with morning light. I quickly made a cup of coffee in the Keurig machine and checked my phone for any urgent messages or emails. I couldn’t resist walking to the window of my corner unit and staring at the city below. When I was younger, I used to look up at the tall buildings and wonder if the people who lived in the luxury apartments could see me down below.
I used to pretend my dad and I lived in one of the fancy apartments with an elevator to take us all the way up to our apartment instead of climbing six floors every day. At least until we moved in with Mr. Limonsatta and his family in his massive Chestnut Hill mansion. We had been given a couple of rooms under the guise of making my father, Mr. Joey Limonsatta’s chauffeur, readily available anytime the guy needed to go somewhere. I had a feeling it was an act of charity. Just like everything else Joey did for us. I appreciated his charity, but looking back, my pride tended to get in the way just a little.
There were a lot of good memories growing up in that big house, but I never forgot I was the help’s son. I wasn’t part of the family. I never fooled myself into thinking he thought of me as an actual son. I never imagined I would ever be able to have a house like the one I got to live in. Now, after my education and landing a damn good job with my buddy, it was actually a possibility.
I poured my coffee into my to-go cup, grabbed a banana from the fruit bowl, and headed out the door. The morning rush hour traffic was heavier than usual, but I was used to it. I turned on my favorite morning radio show and tried to relax as I made my way to the office. Once I arrived, I headed straight to my desk and fired up my computer, ready to tackle the day’s workload. I sipped my coffee and ate my banana while filtering through emails and requests for information.
I reviewed a few contracts and made notes to keep us from breaking any laws. I enjoyed the challenge of my job and found satisfaction in helping Leo navigate the complex world of real estate law. Leo was smart, really smart, but he tended to be more about kicking ass and taking names. He preferred to do something and ask for forgiveness later. I was the guy who kept him on the right track to keep his ass from being sued until he didn’t have a penny to his name.
Throughout the day, I worked on several projects. I prepared a few legal documents needed for a new project and kept an eye on the time. As the day wore on, I felt a sense of accomplishment. I glanced at the clock and packed up a few things for my meeting with Leo.
“You’re sure you can handle this?” Leo asked me for at least the third time.
“If you don’t think I can handle your cushy job for a couple of weeks, then why are you leaving me in charge?”
“Cushy job?” he scoffed. “I’m still sporting the scars of my cushy job.”
“You’re sporting the scars of a jealous, unhinged dude who didn’t like you messing with his girlfriend,” I corrected.
He just grinned. “You mean my fiancée. The woman I’m going to marry. That piece of shit is rotting in prison where he belongs.”
Leo had been beaten nearly to death by tenants of a building he wanted to renovate and make better for them. The mob had been whipped up by Leo’s future wife’s ex-boyfriend. It had been terrifying. I wasn’t even the one who’d got my ass beat all that bad. I got knocked around, but he had been hanging at death’s door.
“The woman you hated and were trying to figure out how to vote off the island,” I joked. “I still can’t believe, out of all the women you’ve dated, you settled on the one you hated. The one woman on the planet who got under your skin and had you fleeing any room she was in.”
“I guess my wires were crossed for a long time.” He laughed. “I thought it was hate I felt for her, but I guess it was passion. Love. Admiration. I’m crazy about her.”
“I know, I know,” I muttered. “I hear about it all day, every day.”
He grinned, completely crazy about the woman. “Anyway,” I said and tapped my tablet. “Try and focus.”
He smirked, obviously not giving a shit about my bossy attitude. In this particular meeting, I supposed he was my boss. I was his attorney at his firm. I was the guy who made sure all his Ts were crossed and Is were dotted. I made sure he didn’t break any laws or do anything that would land us in court. Well, we did land in court often, but that was just people being assholes and trying to stop him from developing or buying.
“First things first, make sure the rent is collected on time,” he said. “With all the projects we’ve got going, I need the money. I want you to be on top of any late payments and make sure we’re not losing any money. I’ve been nice but that’s got to stop. Those apartment buildings are costing a small fortune.”
“And you were warned,” I told him.
He nodded, his pen poised over his notepad. “Got it. Rent collection is a top priority. It’s not something we typically paid a lot of attention to, but I need it to be a priority. I don’t expect you to go door to door, but I do need you to stay on the team that should be doing it.”
I nodded. “Got it.”
“I want you to keep an eye on any maintenance issues that come up,” he said. “I know that is out of your wheelhouse, but just direct the people who own that wheelhouse. “We can’t afford to let anything go for too long or it will end up costing us more in the long run. That’s something else I’m working on.”
“Understood,” I said, scribbling down notes as he talked.
“Don’t forget about marketing. We need to keep our properties rented out and keep our occupancy rate high. Make sure we’re advertising in all the right places and attracting the right tenants. I’ve got that handled for the most part, just pop in and make sure everyone is doing their thing.”
“I’ll make sure we’re on top of all our marketing efforts.” I nodded and jotted the note down.
“You’re in charge while I’m gone. But if there’s anything you need, don’t hesitate to reach out. I’ll be checking in periodically to make sure everything is running smoothly.”
