Not About Love

Chapter Fifteen

Antonio Giamatti's leasing office was in a nondescript five story brick building located in East Hollywood. The office itself consisted of a larger inner office lined with Ansel Adams prints and a huge bay window overlooking the street, and a small anteroom complete with a secretary in a tight short skirt and a scoop neck blouse showing off her considerable cleavage. Underestimating Carla, though, would get you in trouble. The woman could put her hand on any tenant's file within ten seconds. Poofy hair aside, the woman was terrifyingly efficient.

Her slick red lips spread in a wide smile as I burst through the door, quickly morphing into a consternated expression as I stalked past her and shoved open the door to the inner office. I shut it in her face as soon as I walked through, planting my hands on Tony's cherry wood desk as I waited for him to get off the phone.

He took one look at the murderous look on my face and said a hurried goodbye. "I, uh, see you got the summons from Miller and Parker."

"What did I ever do to you, Tony? I know that look. You're going to agree to it. Why? Why would you want to screw me over?"

He gestured magnanimously to one of the visitor chairs in front of his desk, which I ignored in favor of continuing to loom over his desk. He sighed. "It's business, Lisle. You know that."

"Fuck business," I hissed. His eyes widened in surprise. "This is not business. This is Brennan's dangling a big fat check under your nose. This is corporate greed. Tell me, did you bother trying to interest Brennan's in any of your other properties?"

"Well, yes, a couple of them-"

"That's something." I straightened and crossed my arms, glaring at him the whole time. "I think Julianne may have been right. You don't care."

Tony's face darkened at the mention of Julianne's name. "You know that's not true. If it was, I would have sold it to them without a second thought."

The fight went out of me and I sighed. "It's the only hammer I've got. You and Brennan's have me backed into a corner, so what do you expect me to do? You brought it on yourself," I said as I sat down. "I realize Brennan's were the ones to suggest moving the date. You choosing to go along with it rather than give me the chance you'd promised me will make you look just as bad in my book. It's been a difficult few weeks. I'm in danger of losing my livelihood here. I'm not worried about playing nice anymore."

His whole body sagged, the lines of his face falling into weariness. "Can I be straight with you?"

"Please." Dear lord, please please please.

"We're both fucked at the moment. Brennan's is refusing to budge on the location because your store has already proven to generate a steady stream of revenue. A third of my properties are vacant, and I just had to evict another tenant last week. I've sold off a few properties and raised rent on a few others, but I've reached a point where I have to take a hard look at any cash flow that comes my way." He scrubbed a hand over his jaw, the weariness of the gesture poking through the last of my waning anger.

"I didn't realize things were that bad." Bad as they were, though, I was still the one in danger of being without a job. "Look, there's no polite way to say this. You might be fucked, but I'll be worse off than you. Even though Brennan's would pay us both, I'll be the one out of a job, and so will Derek, Tracy, and Craig. I've been a model tenant for the past four years; I'm never late with my rent, and I keep the store in good shape. I know it's business. But I am your business."