Page 42 of Beacon

I extend my hand like a crossing guard to him and turn my attention to the rest of the room. Matthias smiles at me, Edwin is lost in his phone, and Finn has his lips parted like he’s about to say something.

“Yeah, I’d think twice about whatever smart ass comment you’re about to say, asshole.” “Asshole” is my term of endearment for the boys.

“I think what we all want to say, Sandra, is he must be the reason you’ve been nicer to us in the last month or so,” Matthias jests.

“I’ve been nice?” I bring my arm to my chest, as I’m about to faint. “I had no idea.”

“So, are we going to get his name, or are we left to guess at the man who makes you smile?”

They’ll hound me for days until they get what they want. “His name is Dominic Torano. He’s a landscape engineer. He was born and raised in Chicago. And he’s a great guy.”

“Torano?” Reggie asks. “That sounds familiar.”

“You’re thinking of Daimen Torano. And he has both a husband and wife. They’re related, I assume?” Finn asks, taking a giant bite out of his sandwich. In the five years I’ve known him, he’s never been around me without some sort of food.

“Wait, is your boyfriend related to Daimen Torano? They sort of look alike now that I remember. We met him at a gala once—Daimen, not your boyfriend,” Caleb explains, asking the question I want to answer, hoping to move on.

“Daimen is his brother,” I answer, and their mouths drop open.

The entire room swings their head at me. “You’re dating Daimen Torano’s brother? Is he a billionaire too?” Reggie asks.

“Dom does well for himself and makes his own way in this world. Like I said earlier, he owns a landscape design and development company.”

All of these men are trust fund babies in their own right. Daimen wanted to set Dom up for life. Daimen helped him get started with his business, but Dom has paid him back in full. Dom wanted to make his way on his terms.

After answering ten more questions, I’m done appeasing them. “Okay, can we get back to what you’re paying me for?”

“If you insist,” Finn teases. “But, the next time he drops by we should buy him a box of chocolates, as a thank you for making you a nicer person.”

The subject is dropped as we discuss marketing for the newest video game, but yeah, Dom makes me happy.

“He’s expecting you, Sandra,”Sherman Hennessy’s secretary says the second I step off the elevator to the executive suites. Sherman and I have a standing lunch date once a month, but today he called me, asking me to swing by his offices after I was done for the day. That has never happened, and though I work for Matthias at his grandfather’s persistence, I don’t divulge parts of the company to him, even if Sherman owns a tenth of it. He’s given his shares to Matthias to manage and it’s one reason Matthias has controlling interest in the company, plus he brought over fifty percent of the capital needed to begin.

“Sandra, my dear. It’s been too long.”

I begin to chuckle as he stands from his office desk and brings me in for a large hug. “You say that every time, old man. You know where I work, by the way.”

“Yes, that I do,” he returns, and he points to a chair in front of his seat.

“I feel like I’ve been called to the principal’s office, Sherman. Am I in trouble?”

“Always a smart ass, Sandra. And no, you’re not in trouble, butI amtroubled about something, and was hoping you’d shed some light on the matter.”

“Sherman—” I begin, and he brings his hand up to stop me. He knows business talk has to go through Matthias, and not me.

“This isn’t business related. It’s personal.”

Not sure that’s much better. I frown at Sherman. “It depends on what it is, old man.”

“I’ve known my grandson was bisexual well before he came out to me a couple years ago. It was his time, and I’d not force him, and as you know that kid could never do any wrong in my eyes. I’d give him the world if he wanted it. Sure, I helped him get started, but he brought most of the money and men behind him who were good for his business plan. So, you must know I don’t give one fuck about Matthias having a boyfriend.”

“Never thought otherwise, Sherman.” Sherman raised Matthias after his only child died in an airplane crash, along with Matthias’s mother.

“But, I’m concerned about this Nate kid. Not only does Matthias run a multi-million-dollar video software company, he stands to inherit a multi-billion-dollar tech company. He’s never been loved for who he is, not in a romantic way, and I worry he’s vulnerable and a little shell-shocked at this attention. I’ve had Nate Williams checked out, and where Matthias described him as a self-made man, my detectives have unearthed that he’s really nothing more than a successful con man.”

He pushes the files my way. “I can’t go to my grandson with this because it will cause a divide between us. He’ll accuse me that I’m jealous of the time he’s spending with him, instead of me.”

He stops for a few seconds as I leaf through his financials, and it’s obvious Sherman is onto something. My heart sinks.

---