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“No. I’ll wait.”
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 reread 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 two hundred 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 two-hundred-k 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 office. 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 doorframe 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 then leans against it. “So, I’m not interrupting?”
“Come here,” I order softly.
