Page 13 of Knocked Up by my Best Friend's Brothers

“I haven’t seen my aunt since I’ve been back. Surely you remember what a difficult relationship we had.”

“I remember. That’s why I asked. She misses you, you know.”

“I doubt that very much.”

River sighs deeply. “The woman is a hard-ass, I’ll give her that. Tactless. Foot-in-mouth syndrome. Whatever you want to call it. But she does care about you.”

“I’m sorry. Did I walk into a job interview or a family therapy session?” I quip, my nerves bouncing all over the place.

Cassius shakes his head slowly. “We’ve been worried about you. And for good reason, I see. You’re different, Christa. Something happened in Los Angeles, didn’t it? Something you’re keeping hidden behind this NDA.”

“If you don’t want to hire me, that’s okay—”

He cuts me off. “I didn’t say that. We think you’re a perfect fit for the job.”

“Oh.”

I don’t know why I didn’t see that coming. I’m usually quite confident in my experience and abilities.

“If we’re to start this professional relationship, it has to be built on trust, honesty, and transparency,” Cassius says. “Knowing you on a deeply personal level…” He pauses with intention, and I can’t help but give River a quick glance, my cheeks burning, “gives us special insight into you. If you can’t be honest with us on a personal level, how can we expect you to be honest with us on a professional level?”

“There’s one thing I can promise you, Cassius. Whatever I do for this company, I do only with your best interests in mind. In here, you have my full cooperation and transparency. But where my past is concerned, I’m sorry, but right now, what you see in my resume is all I can disclose.”

“Do you expect that to change soon?” Nathan replies.

“I do, yes. But I don’t know when.”

What I’m not telling them is that it depends on how quickly the FBI takes out the rest of the Mancini crime family. I still dream of them sometimes. I still see Brett’s life slipping away right in front of me. I shudder and push the thought away.

“Take it or leave it,” I add with a cool smile. “That’s the best I can do.”

“We’ll take you, then,” Cassius says.

“You will?” I ask, my face practically ablaze. Are the double entendres intentional or am I just being paranoid?

“You’ll make a fine asset to the company,” Nathan says agreeably. “And we’ll be working together closely. Cassius directs day-to-day operations and our expansion projects. River handles our finances, and I head up security. We need your input in each of these sectors.”

Teagan had said that I wouldn’t be working with any of them directly. “I’m sorry,” I say. “Not to look a gift horse in the mouth or anything, but I was told that our paths wouldn’t cross much within the company.”

“Teagan told you that?” River asks.

“Was she wrong?”

“She was insufficiently informed,” Nathan says.

“Insufficiently informed,” I say, while trying to figure out the best way forward. There’s no denying the attraction among the people in this room. It weighs me down, causing my shoulders to droop and my core to ignite. And it’s not just River I’m talking about. Oh no. I recognize the hunger in his brothers, too. I feel their desire echoing mine. But it’s wrong on so many levels.

“Okay. In that case, perhaps we should draw up some kind of agreement going forward,” I decide.

“An agreement?” Cassius asks.

“Something that sets some boundaries between personal issues and business,” I reply.

River laughs. “You had that locked and loaded, didn’t you?”

“What did you expect?” I ask, giving Cassius and Nathan another shrug. “Oh, come on. Do I seem blind or stupid to any of you?”

“Absolutely not,” Cassius says quickly.

---