She gives me a knowing look. “To eat with Faith.”
“Yes,my nosy-ass assistant. To eat with Faith.”
“Good,” she approves. “You’ve been alone too long. And on that note. I’m going home and leaving you alone.”
She heads for the door and I reach for the envelope, opening it up to find a check for sixty thousand dollars and a note:
Nick,
You promised to take this and I believe that you’re a man of your word. And I owe you this and so much more and I’m not talking about money. I’ll be waiting on you when you get home.
Naked.
Faith
My lips tighten and I re-read the note a total of three times before I set it on the desk. I don’t want her damn money, but I do want her. And naked or not, I like the idea of going home to her. I exhale and tap the desk, and while it matters to me that she isn’t in this for the money, I want her to take the damn money back.
My cellphone buzzes where it rests on my desk and I grimace at my broker’s number on caller ID yet again.ButRitaisright. The man has a shit ton of my money.
I take the call. “Ned,” I greet.
“What the fuck is this fucking shit you’re fucking doing to me?”
“Once a New York fuck-mouth, always a New York fuck-mouth,” I say.
“I’ll fuck-mouth you, Nick Rogers.” He pauses. “No. No I won’t. Fuck you for even tricking me into saying that. I got you out of Blue Textiles. They were tanking.”
“I had 200 in them. How badly did they tank?”
“I got you out before you lost your original investment and fifty more.”
“I was up a hundred and fifty.”
“Fucking call me back when I call. In case you’ve forgotten, I shouldn’t have pulled you without your approval. Bottom line. I got you out fifty up, man. And I have a deal now that will make up your loss and then some. This is a 200k buy-in and it’s hot. I need you in now and the money will be big and fast.” He gives me the pitch and it sounds worth the risk.
“Do it,” I say, and when I would hang up, I hesitate, “And,” I say, an idea hitting me. “Do a separate buy-in of sixty thousand dollars, under the name of Faith Winter. Whatever you need on Faith, Rita can get you tomorrow.”
“That’s one hell of a gift.”
“Do it without comment,” I say, ending the call.
And now, I feel good about taking Faith’s money.
It’s two hours later by the time I’ve finished my prep for tomorrow’s meeting, and I’m just about to call Faith and see if she wants me to pick up dinner, when I hear footsteps in what I’d thought was the empty offices. A few seconds later, Faith appears in my doorway, the sight of her setting my blood to pumping, and not because her black jeans and light blue t-shirt accent every one of her many curves. It’s simply because she’s here. She’s Faith. And she rocks my world.
“Hey, sweetheart,” I say.
“Hey,” she replies, leaning against the door frame and looking a bit tentative. “Rita helped me get past security.”
“Remind me to give her a raise tomorrow.”
She pushes off the door, shuts it and the leans against it. “So, I’m not interrupting?”
“Come here,” I order, softly.
She gives me one of her seductive looks that tells me she’s feeling out of control, which means sex is her weapon, her way of getting it back. That’s going to be a problem because in this, I’m not giving it away. She walks toward me, the sway of her hips a seductive, sweet dance, and I don’t remember a woman ever making me this hard and hot this easily, but Faith does. She rounds my desk, and I roll my chair just enough to allow her between me and the desk, my hands settling at her hips.
Her hands going to my hands, her perfect backside resting on my desk. A fact that I’m certain I will think about many times in the future. “I like you in this office, behind this desk.”