Selling it All by Josie Daleiden Page A

suss
out that the newlywed Mrs. Padma was the pants wearer, and
proceeded to work her from then on out. After they left another
handsome, young couple came to the door, and behind them more were
slowly ambling in to sample cookies and other little snacks left
out by her.
    The warm Saturday afternoon slid by, and by
sunset she had already received offers from two families. She knew
that Monday morning would bring at least one more offer, and a
brisk bidding war would ensue. As the thought of climbing
commissions danced in her head, she packed up her laptop and her
other assorted tools of the trade. The amber light that came in
from the nearby coastline glinted off the reflective granite
counters of the large kitchen as she hefted her attaché case onto
her shoulder.
    On her way to the door, she heard the
growling engine of an exotic sports car as it slid to a stop in
front of the house. With one last snarl the engine died out, and
she could hear the door open. “ Only one door...,” She
thought to herself.
    As she reached the doorway, she was expecting
a young bachelor with his parent's money. A man looking to buy a
house to settle down in, and fill with a trophy wife and uber-Aryan
babies. She was greeted with the one thing she should have
expected, but still was caught off guard.
    A male figure sauntered up to the doorway
right as Sarah was struggling with the lock box on the door. She
looked up, and her big blue eyes got even bigger as they finally
processed who it was she was looking at.
    She gasped in spite of herself, as the man
took off his sunglasses and tucked them into his shirt pocket. In
one smooth motion, the man slid her heavy bag off her shoulder and
held the lock box so she could slide the house key back into it.
She was close enough to smell him. His scent held a note of Old
Spice aftershave, with a little bit of whatever body spray he was
wearing. The cocktail seemed to really work for him, as he smiled
down at her with polite dominance.
    “You must be Miss Bella.” He finally said.
His voice was deep and resonant, and his tone hinted at easy going
superiority. This was the legendary Joseph Blake. His image was
peppered all over park benches and regional publications in Rancho
Palos Verdes, California. In this odd world of cut throat LA area
real estate, he was at the top of the food chain. The true alpha
dog supremo that reigned over everyone else. Not only in sales, but
in reputation as well. He was maybe ten years older than her, but
he maintained himself so well it was hard to place his age. His
rugged good looks could have put him in the movies if he actually
cared what other people thought of him.
    She knew that he had a weird way of selling
houses, but it always worked. He would sometimes demean clients
into thinking they could only afford some little shack in the
slums, and then sit back and smile as the unsuspecting rube would
insist on seeing his most expensive property. It was reckless and
irresponsible, and his actions had led to more than a few short
lived buys that ended in foreclosure or divorce. He didn't care. As
long as the client was pre-approved, he would make sure to get them
exactly what they wanted.
    With her right hand now free, she
instinctively jutted it out his way for a handshake. He smiled down
at her as he took the proffered hand and shook it with a grip that
let her know that he was being deliberately gentle with her. Sarah
struggled to find words as this dashing, charismatic man stood
there letting the handshake die out into an awkward silence.
    “Your new to this aren't you?” He asked with
a cocky little smirk.
    Sarah finished securing the key in the lock
box and held out her hand to receive her bag. She was already
feeling like a deer in the headlights, and she knew that he knew it too. “I'm not that new. I've been doing this since I got
out of college three years ago.” She harrumphed defiantly.
    “That's new in this game sweetie. You're one
of Aaron's girls aren't