Page 53 of Beni

Black slacks, and a white button down that was rolled up to the elbows. A blazer hung over his arm, forgotten, likely because of the current summer heat sweeping through Chicago. No tie, she noticed, but that was okay because he’d left the top two buttons of his shirt undone, giving her a peek at the golden skin of his throat, a couple days’ worth of facial hair covering his jawline, and the way his Adam’s apple bobbed when he looked her over, and swallowed.

So good looking.

Did he know how he looked?

Because Jesus …

At least, August didn’t feel underdressed standing in front of him, considering she had thrown on a black dress with elbow-length sleeves, a scoop neck, and a pencil skirt that fell to her knees. Black pumps matched the dress, and she went for a simple, rose gold necklace and matching earrings to draw attention to her little makeup, and the braids she had piled high on her head in a spiraling bun.

She did have a meeting today—one that involved talks about a possible job. She had to look professional, didn’t she?

“No work today?” she asked.

Beni flashed her another one of his sinful smiles. “Nah, I had better things to do.”

Was she one of those things?

He was here.

So … yep.

August liked that.

Too much.

There was something about a man that made a woman his priority that did it for her. Beyond sex, a man that cared enough to put in effort … it was all about the fucking effort with a woman like her.

She appreciated it.

“And you didn’t answer me,” he said. “Is this the second date?”

She gave him a look. “We didn’t really have a first.”

“Well—”

“That was not a first date.”

Beni chuckled, shoving his hands into his pockets as he looked her over from head to toe. There was something about his slow perusal that had her heating up from the inside out, butterflies beating hard in her stomach all the while.

What was he doing to her?

“So, we consider this a first date, then?”

August nodded. “And depending on how it goes, well, we’ll see about another one.”

His dark, husky laughter coated her in something sinful and wicked as he stepped alongside her to wrap a strong arm around her waist. He pulled her into his side for a one-armed hug, his mouth coming down to press a quick kiss to her soft line of baby hair along her forehead.

“Never stop doing that,” he told her.

August tipped her head back so that she could stare up at him. “Do what?”

“That—keeping me on my toes. Nobody ever does that anymore, and I like it.”

Noted.

“So, what did you have in mind for today?” he asked.

“I only have a couple of hours—something to do later—but I thought we could take a walk somewhere, maybe.”