Tommy paused mid-bite and gave me a long hard look. “I think you know by now that I like it the other way around.”

I squeezed my thighs together, remembering how he’d used his belt to tie his own hands last night.

“Anyway…” he began with a little smirk. “There’s actually a ton of work waiting for me at home. I closed on a Gold Coast mansion restoration before I left. It was built in 1888 by the same firm that designed Chicago’s Opera House.”

“Cobb and Frost?” I asked, my interest piqued.

“Yeah,” he said with a grin. “It has all of this detailed woodwork, art glass windows, Santos mahogany hardwood floors… It’s going to be a real beauty once we’re done, but it’s gonna take a lot of work. I’m kinda dreading my inbox right now.”

“Maybe I’ll get a chance to see it next time I’m in town,” I said. As many times as I’ve been to Chicago to visit Jared, I’d only had lunch a handful of times with both him and Tommy. Now I wondered how I would be in the same zip code without winding up in his bed.

Jesus Christ, what am I doing?

“Yeah,” he said, looking down at his half-empty plate. “I would like that,” he finished quietly, leaving what needed to be said unsaid.

“You must be really excited,” I said after clearing my throat. “Sounds like a dream job.”

“Definitely, and it will drum up more interest for my equitable housing foundation, too. The buyer has some influence with the mayor.”

I set down my coffee cup, leaned my chin on my hand, and just looked at him. “This is probably going to be weird for me to say right now, considering we’ve seen each other naked and all, but… I’m so proud of you, Tommy. I’m proud of you and the man you have become.”

He bit the corner of his mouth, blushed, and took a moment to gather himself. “Thank you,” he said finally.

“I just made it weird, huh?”

He shrugged and gave me one of his boyish grins. “Maybe just a little, but I liked hearing it anyway. I respect you, and what you think of me matters, Darcy. You’re a brilliant businesswoman, and you do your job with heart. I only hope that I can live up to that someday.”

“Don’t be silly, Tommy. I just sell houses and land.”

“But you focus on helping people retain their heirs’ property too. There’s so few people who even know what that is or why it’s important to help Black people maintain ownership of their ancestral land.” He picked up his napkin and wiped his mouth. “If you’re proud of me, I must be doing something right.”