Chapter 3
3
VANCE
“ M r. Valentine, there’s someone on line one for you,” my secretary, Jane, says and follows me into my office. She’s carrying a stack of folders that need my attention.
Even more piled onto an already packed day, and I’m sure, like the rest, they’re all urgent.
“Isn’t there always?” I grumble, heading for my desk.
“You’re also late for your meeting with?—”
“I know. My mom kept me longer than expected. Which room are they in?” I don’t mean to be rude, but surely telling me I’m late is time better spent elsewhere.
“Conference room four. Will the delay have a knock-on effect on your meeting with Mr. Anders and company?” Jane places the stack of folders on my desk next to another smaller pile.
Christ, sooner or later, I’m going to be drowning in papers.
“No, it shouldn’t. This one shouldn’t take long.” I’ve set aside an hour, so it won’t be more than forty-five minutes. Trying to stay ahead of the current, I buy myself enough time between meetings wherever I can.
But it shouldn’t be much longer now for things to finally calm down. With the La Superiorite deal coming to a close, my attention won’t be divided between my normal day-to-day and the biggest contract this company has seen in years. All I need to do is take it one step at a time, and we’ll be through with it in no time.
“What abou?—”
“Jane, please. I have someone on the phone and people waiting. I’ll give you a better report of my times once I finish in conference room four. Is that acceptable?” I don’t sit when I lift the phone’s receiver to my ear. Comfort is a luxury I can’t afford, and if I allow myself even a moment, I might not want to stand again.
“Yes, Mr. Valentine.” Jane sinks her eyes to the floor and shuffles out of my office. I feel bad, for the seven seconds I’m allowed to have any feeling that isn’t rush .
“Vance Valentine speaking,” I answer the call.
“Mighty formal, wouldn’t you say?”
I know that voice. Why can’t I put a face to it? It’s my business to keep names and faces in my head. Knowing what people like, what makes them tick, and how to best sway them onto the Valentine Group side. And now, I feel like I’m at a loss.
A voice should be enough. Has been in the past and certainly will be in the future.
“As one must while in office.” I’ll play along for now until I can figure it out.
“I can almost hear the confidence dripping off those words.” The mysterious speaker giggles, and my brow jumps up and down in confusion. “I guess you’ve had a change of clothes, and your bits aren’t on display to the world?”
It’s her. Hana. I can’t believe it took me this long to realize it. A voice like hers should’ve been carved into my mind. Playing on repeat a thousand times over. And suddenly, with my realization, the confidence she heard felt like it was sinking into a pit in my belly.
“Holy shit, you called.” The words blurt out of me, exposing my sudden drop in self-assuredness. “I wasn’t expecting it so soon.”
And what perfect timing, too, having just stepped into the office. Unless she’s been waiting a while. Both options make me smile wider than I’d ever admit if she asked me.
“Oh, God, it’s too soon, isn’t it?” The pitch of her voice changes to a panicked whine. “It’s too soon. I’m embarrassing myself. I should’ve used the three-day rule.” The sudden stream of consciousness is no doubt meant for herself more than me, but it makes me chuckle.
“I’m gonna be honest. If you waited three days to make the call, I’d have thought you forgot about me.” And just as the sentence slips out of my mouth, Victor and Vaughn, my brothers, step into the office.
They’re pulling funny faces at what I said. Victor even goes so far as to flutter his eyelashes at me, like Hana and I have already fallen in love.
Ah, the mockery of brothers.
“I don’t think anyone can forget about you once you’ve barreled into their lives, Vance.” Especially with a rock-hard cock dangling in their face . God, my cheeks still can’t handle the embarrassment of it, and it’s been ages. “But you know, I was thinking . . .”
“That’s usually a sign of bad things to come.”
Vaughn’s turn and he makes kissy faces at me in some schoolyard gesture of teasing. I wave a hand at both of them and turn sideways to avoid any more of their taunting.
I refuse to let them get in the way of whatever’s coming from Hana.
“Not this time. Unless you weren’t serious about that massage,” she says.
“My hands on your body? How could I turn down an opportunity like that?” I ask, feeling my loins swell again.
It doesn’t take much with Hana, and I haven’t decided if it’s a good or bad thing yet.
Victor lets out a verbal ha at my flirtation. Again, I fend him off with a dismissive wave of the hand.
“You can’t. My body needs it.” Her tone turns sultry, and it makes me gulp nervously.
“My hands or the massage?”
“What if I said both?” Then she giggles with mischievous delight.
“Then it’s a date. I’ll be sure to bring the appropriate oils and?—”
“Don’t finish that sentence. Leave some of it to mystery.”
I wasn’t going to say anything naughty, but the way she ended her phrase leads me to believe she wants it to be. Well, better have more than massage oils handy then.
What Hana wants, Hana gets.
“Do me a favor and leave your number with my secretary. I’m in a bit of a rush, but I’ll text you the details of our…” I trail off and face my brothers. They’ve taken a seat on my double-length sofa, and they’re flicking through a stack of records I keep in the office for me time .
“Got it. You go get them, tiger.” She growls at the end of her sentence, but it quickly becomes a tamed purr that makes me want to crawl out of my suit.
God, this woman is something else.
She hangs up the phone, and I turn to Vaughn. “Well, aren’t you looking dapper in your monkey suit? If you cut your hair, I might’ve thought you were a real part of this company.”
He scowls at me and opens his mouth to retaliate, but Victor jumps in first. “Haven’t you heard? Our little boy is part of the company. It’s his first day.”
“Of course, I heard. It’s not every day you get to see a caterpillar turn into a beautiful butterfly. But I think it’s time you two spread your wings and flew the hell out of here.” I gesture with my head toward the door. I’m not fully serious. They can stay here as long as they like, but I have to get going.
“Not until we’ve spoken about dinner.” Victor stands, and Vaughn joins him. “Tonight. The Baron Steakhouse. The Valentine boys painting the town red.”
“You were here the whole time.” I look around my desk to make sure I didn’t somehow slip through a wormhole to some different reality. “I’ve got a date, and it’s not with you two.”
Victor smiles while Vaughn’s face sinks.
“Something about this is oddly familiar,” Victor says, but his smile only grows wider.
“Bad timing for one while the other has some fun?” I ask. Not too long ago, he dropped me for a celebration in favor of taking his now-wife to dinner.
If luck’s on my side, I might find myself in a similar position with Vaughn sometime soon.
“All right, well, fine,” Vaughn says, “but you owe me.”
“And I’ll pay it back in spades once you’ve survived a month without crying to Mom that it’s way too hard.” I wink at him while his face grows increasingly red with annoyance.
Little brothers. Always happy to give, but never to receive a good teasing.
“But I’ve gotta get out of here.” I grab a few things off my desk for my meeting and start walking to the door. Both follow me out.
Onto the slog of my day, at least I have something to look forward to once it’s all done.