Page 55 of Beni

“A position with Manic Media.”

“Alessa’s company.”

“You know her?”

“My mother grew up in the Chicago Outfit—I know everybody who is anybody here, and my ma is friends with Alessa, too.”

“Oh.”

“Manic Media is a good company, though. They do a lot of good work for the communities, and the youth of Chicago.”

“I know. That’s one of the draws.”

“And the holdout is …?”

Because, of course, there was one.

“The move. The change. I’m an only child, so I would be leaving my parents behind. It also feels like starting over, in a way, when with my current company, I have finally just started getting what I wanted. I don’t know … I just haven’t given it enough thought, if that makes sense.”

Beni’s arms wrapped her tightly, his embrace a safe place, she found. “I get it, actually. Well, not the only child part, but—”

“You have four brothers, right?”

“How do you know that?”

August’s cheeks flushed.

Shit.

“And what’s that for?” he asked, waving a finger at the red color in her cheeks. “But damn, I do like it when you blush, bella.”

Well, she might as well just admit it, right?

“I might have asked around about you, that’s all.”

She tried to play it off.

Be cool.

It wasn’t a big deal.

Beni grinned like it was.

Cocky man.

And yet, she liked that, too.

“Did you?” he asked.

August sighed. “You’re going to make that into a thing, are you?”

“Maybe I just like that you asked about me. What did you find out?”

“Nothing too bad. Seems everyone likes you, and you’re a decent guy, if not a little wild spirited.”

“They’re not telling lies.”

August giggled, and glanced away. “I guess, I just wanted to know who that man was who looked at me from across a club, and made me think wow. So yeah, I asked some questions. None of them had bad answers.”