Honor

Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

R eid

I step into the washroom attached to my office and close my eyes.

The same delicate floral scent that often greets me is lingering in the air. I’d recognize it anywhere. It’s the fragrance that my assistant wears.

The fact that she’s helping herself to my private washroom before I get to work should warrant a warning, but she’s doing a remarkable job otherwise.

I’ll overlook it for now, and besides, I can’t say I mind the smell of roses.

“Mr. Hunt?” she calls to me in her soft voice. “How was your coffee today, sir?”

I glance in the mirror since that was the reason why I walked in here. The wind has taken the city hostage today, and although my brown hair isn’t long enough to be pushed out of place by it, I could use a trim.

I glide a hand over my jaw before I step into the view of my assistant.

She rakes me from head to toe, so I return the favor.

Today, she’s wearing a light blue dress. The fabric clings to her every curve, and the fact that she’s gathered her long dark hair into a high ponytail accentuates her neck.

She’s beautiful, brilliant, and an exceptional assistant.

I knew she was ideal for the job the moment I met her, and she’s proven how perfect she is in every way since then. Miss Starling doesn’t make mistakes. She never half-asses any task I assign her. I’ve yet to meet another person who is as flawless as her.

“The coffee was fine.” I don’t offer more because we established that one of her daily tasks is having a coffee on my desk each morning.

The only days that she’s spared that is when I meet up with my two business partners for breakfast to talk about anything but work.

Vance Elliston and Baden Cutler have been my closest friends since college. Launching Vidori Capital was a move we made collectively on a whim shortly before we graduated.

With some seed money in the form of a loan from a few people who love and trust us, we’ve grown this business into the mammoth success it is in just under ten years. We’ve since paid back every penny of that loan, along with a fair bit of interest and a hell of a lot of gratitude.

“I printed out the revised notes for your upcoming meeting with Mr. Shaffer.” Miss Starling gestures to a piece of paper in the center of my desk. “Vance wants to know if you have time for a sit-down with him before your day gets rolling.”

The fact that she calls him by his first name says it all.

She tried it with me once, shortly after she started working here. The moment “ Reid ” left her lips, I admonished her with a look that shut her up.

She stood strong, though, not breaking eye contact as she apologized for the slip of her tongue.

The entire exchange would have been comical if I hadn’t enjoyed the sound of my first name falling from her ruby red lips.

If there’s one thing I can always depend on with Miss Starling, it’s the color of her lipstick. It’s a deep shade of crimson that should be outlawed because it’s that alluring.

Jesus, I need to get laid.

It’s been a minute since I took a woman to bed. I blame that on work. We’re ironing out the wrinkles on a few of our biggest deals to date.

That’s left little time for sex, but I’ll change that soon. I need to.

“I’ll handle Vance,” I tell her since I have something to share with him and Baden before they hear about it from anyone else.

We keep each other in the loop, whether that’s in the office or outside of it. The fact that I agreed to stand up as the best man at a wedding in a few weeks is news that my friends will get a kick out of.

The groom happens to be a former client of ours. He was one of the first clients we had.

We purchased his family bakery for market value and turned a profit on it two years later when we sold it to a nationwide chain. The business may have lost some of its indelible charm in the deal, but the employees all held onto their jobs.

In the end, Randall Fitzpatrick and his two sisters became millionaires overnight and never had to bake another sweet roll. That was all any of them wanted.

“All right,” she says. “I’ll start on my work for the day.”

Since I assigned the majority of it late last night in an email, I nod. “I’ll be out of the office for lunch today. Move my one o’clock to six.”

A frown mars her pretty face when she realizes that means she’ll be stuck in this building tonight while I negotiate a potential deal with a member of Vidori’s legal team and a lawyer representing a small winery located on Long Island.

I expect Miss Starling to be present whenever I’m conducting a meeting in the office in the event I need her to make a call or find a file for me.

I’m more than capable of doing both myself, but I pay her well enough that she can save me from mundane tasks.

“I need you to pick up my dry cleaning,” I say without a shift in my expression. “Drop it off at my apartment before noon.”

There’s no rhyme or reason to the timing, but concise instructions leave little room for misinterpretation.

I’ve never seen her jot down anything I’ve told her to do for me, and yet, she’s never failed to do exactly as asked.

“Is that all, sir?”

Hardly.

“Water my plants while you’re at my home, and check on the schedule for the cleaning crew. They mentioned something about needing to come Thursday, but I want them there tomorrow.”

“Of course. Is there anything else I can do for you, Mr. Hunt?”

“Arrange a birthday gift for my sister. It will need to be delivered to her in Denver on Friday.” I don’t provide more detail than that because I’m curious to see what Miss Starling will come up with.

“Not a problem.” She glances over her shoulder. “I’ll get back to my desk to answer a few pressing emails sent to you overnight, and then I’ll take care of everything else.”

I have no doubt she will.