Honor

Chapter 61

CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE

E vie

I step off the elevator and take a long, deep breath. This is it. This will be my first day working alongside my lover. I’ve never mixed business and pleasure in the past, but that’s not surprising. The opportunity to do so has never presented itself. Beyond that, I’ve always been fearful that fooling around with someone I have close business ties to would result in me losing something, be it my job or my dignity.

After what I shared with Reid in East Hampton, I’m confident I can fulfill my commitment to Vidori until my contract expires. I also feel certain that I’ll remain proud of the work I’m doing. When we’re in this building, I’m first and foremost, Mr. Hunt’s assistant. Outside of it, all bets are off.

I round the corner and see Reid sitting in my chair with his gaze stuck on his phone screen.

A slow smile creeps over my lips when I realize there are a dozen perfect pink roses in a tall glass vase in the center of my desk. Next to that is a cup of coffee from the café that Reid prefers. It’s the one that overcharges to the point that it should be criminal.

“Good morning,” I say to lure his attention to me.

The reward is a look so devilish that it makes me weak in the knees. He glances at the royal blue skirt and white blouse I’m wearing. It’s tame office attire, but I’ve paired it with a white lace bra and panty set because I have no idea if he wants me to stay after work to take care of anything. Preferably the ‘ anything ’ in that scenario would be his cock.

Blowing him in the office has become a new favorite fantasy of mine since I realized how delicious it is to take him in my mouth and watch the stoic business persona morph into a man hell-bent on getting off.

“Good morning, Evangeline.” He pushes to his feet, his hands jumping to button his dark blue suit jacket. “How was your weekend?”

I almost bark out a laugh, but then I hear footsteps on the approach. He must have heard them a second before I did.

“My weekend was fine.” I glance over my shoulder just as Cleo comes into view. “Yours?”

“The best yet.”

“What’s the best yet?” Cleo’s gaze volleys between us before it drops to the flowers on my desk. “Is that another thank you for being my maid of honor bouquet?”

I ignore that question and instead do the job I’m paid to do. “What can we do for you, Cleo?”

“I need time with him.” She jerks a thumb toward where Reid is still standing behind my desk. “I have good news to share.”

I already know what that is since late last week, Cleo mentioned the acquisition she was working on. “I’ll hold your calls,” I say to my boss.

“Good.” He shoots me a grin. “Once Cleo leaves, I’ll head across town for a meeting that will take most of the morning. I’ve emailed you a list of required tasks for the day, Evangeline.”

Cleo lets out a pained sound. “You have my sympathy, Evie.”

He must have sent that email while I was exiting the elevator because I cleared out every unopened email I had waiting in the queue when I was on the subway headed here this morning.

“My office, Cleo.” Reid motions toward his office door as his gaze remains on me. “Call Basil and have him meet me out front in twenty minutes.”

“Twenty minutes?” Cleo groans. “I need at least thirty.”

“You have twenty,” he tells her. “Talk fast.”

I’d be beyond disappointed if the list Reid sent me didn’t end with the task I’m handling now.

I’ve spent hours running around Manhattan doing what I always do. I picked up two of his suits at the cleaners and dropped a watch that was in his top desk drawer off at the same jewelry store where I met Lottie weeks ago. The only person I met there today was a woman who was frantic because she’d lost a diamond out of a ring she had inherited from someone who was obviously important to her.

I hung around to offer her moral support after I dropped off my boss’s watch. She cried in my arms and on the garment bag containing the suits when the jeweler told her he could replace the diamond with a comparable stone that was much less expensive.

After that, I stopped by the library to drop off two books that were due back tomorrow. My last stop was a record store called Vinyl Crush. My sole mission there was to find a copy of a record produced more than thirty years ago. I know why Reid is searching for it. It’s a gift for Norbeta. I saw her mention it in an email she sent him over the weekend. Since she copied me on it, I had already jotted a note into my phone to seek out a copy for her.

I came up empty at Vinyl Crush, so I’ll find one online and have it shipped to her apartment as a surprise from her former boss.

I glance around Reid’s bedroom. I hung up the suits I picked up from the drycleaner and watered his plants. They’re still barely hanging on. I can finally take care of that final task on the list.

It was numbered tenth, and since there isn’t an eleventh task listed, I assume that means I can take as long as I like to complete it.

I head toward the bathroom attached to his bedroom.

It’s a masculine space, but has definite feminine touches, including a spot of pink on a small glass dish that sits on a shelf near the mirror. I step closer to find an earring with a pink stone in it, along with a tie clip.

The clip is embossed with a silver H, so I know it belongs to Reid. There’s not a piercing anywhere on his body, so the earring must have been left behind by a woman.

Jealousy soars through me. I attempt to chase it away with a simple reminder to my reflection in the mirror. “You’re not his first lover. You won’t be his last.”

That slays me, but it’s the truth. If I lose sight of the fact that our fucking is fun and not based on a mountain of emotions, I’ll come out of this with my heart intact. That’s what I want most.

My finger trails over the bottle of luxurious bubble bath from Matiz Cosmetics. It’s not surprising that I’d find it here next to his large tub. After all, the last and final task on the list was to enjoy a bubble bath break and not to leave before he arrives home.

I check my watch as I remove it. It’s not quite four yet. I’m not sure if I should indulge in the bath now or wait until closer to six since that’s when he tends to leave the office for the day.

“Fuck it,” I whisper with a laugh. “I can take two baths if I want.”

I start filling the tub before I pour in some bubble bath. As a rose scent fills the air, I undress quickly, carefully folding my clothes before placing them on the bathroom counter.

I take one last fleeting glance at the earring before I lower myself into the tub, knowing I’ll be the only woman he’s thinking of when he gets home.