“Uh… just saying,” I butted in, and both of them looked to me. “You don’t want to do the talk. You don’t know how to do the talk. But you know about eight guys you can call on who are tight with Sniff and found a woman where sex means what you want it to mean to Sniff who can talk to him.”

Shirleen’s eyebrows nearly hit the edge of her enormous afro. “Lordy, are you sayin’ you think one of the Hot Bunch should give my boy the sex talk?”

“That’s what I’m saying,” I confirmed.

“Are you crazy?” she asked.

“No,” I answered.

“Well, just sayin’ right back at cha, all ‘a those boys have been in the saddle so often before they got their Rock Chick, it’s a wonder none of them are bow-legged,” Shirleen remarked.

“Doin’ the business doesn’t require the man to have his legs open,” Daisy muttered, and Shirleen swung her glare to her.

“It’s been a while for Shirleen, but I remember that part,” she snapped.

Seemed it was time we hooked Shirleen up.

“Personally, I think we should ask one of the Hot Bunch,” Daisy stated, her hand reaching to the phone on her desk. “And tape it. That I would love to see.”

Holy shit!

I would, too.

Totally.

“Call Mace,” I ordered, immediately losing interest in our earlier subject. “That would be awesome.”

Daisy nodded, her hair nodding with her, and she started jabbing buttons on the phone with the tip of a nail.

“Daisy girl, put that phone down,” Shirleen demanded.

Daisy held the receiver aside and lifted her eyes to me. “I’m changin’ my mind. Luke.”

I shook my head and grinned. “Hector. Totally Hector.”

Shirleen’s hand darted out, pulled the receiver out of Daisy’s and slammed it in its base while Daisy’s head snapped back and she yelled, “Hey!”

“Fuck it,” Shirleen muttered, stomping to the door. “I’ll do it.”

“Shirleen,” I called.

She turned, hand to the handle, and bit out, “What?”

“Hank,” I said softly. “And while he’s at it, get him to talk to Roam, too.”

Her face got soft.

She got me.

Hank would be perfect for the talk, and we both knew it.

“Hank,” she said.

“And, just so you know, any other issues with the Hot Bunch, your Hot-Bunch-in-the-making at home or anything, you wanna come over and gab. Do it. But bring coffee instead of attitude next time,” I said.

She rolled her eyes, turned and was gone.

I turned to Daisy. “Right. Crisis over. Anything I need to know?”

She nodded. “Roxie’s got the beta version of the website good to go, so you need to look at it. And Ava sent the finals for the letterhead and business cards that you need to approve so we can go to print. I sent all that shit to you, it’s in your email.”

“Cool,” I replied.

“And Smithie called. He wants me to have a sit down with JoJo this afternoon, so I’m takin’ off to do that. And tomorrow they’re puttin’ our plaque on the wall in the hall.”

Tomorrow they were putting our plaque on the wall in the hall.

I smiled at her.

She smiled at me.

Then I hauled my ass to my office and booted up my machine.

I was clicking through the website Roxie designed for me when Daisy called from my door, “I’m gettin’ a sandwich, darlin’. Want me to get you one?”

I shook my head. “I’m not here long. I’ve gotta go meet Matt and go over our strategy for tonight. I’ll pick something up on the way.”

“Gotcha,” she murmured and turned on a wave and a, “Later.”

I watched the door close on her.

Then I thought about my plaque in the hall and meeting Matt later.

This brought me to thinking about Hank and Lee.

This sent my hand to my phone.

I called Shirleen.

“Girl, I just got done rappin’ with you,” was her greeting.

“You know,” I told her, getting to the point of what was really upsetting her, “they’re gonna grow up and when they do, they’re gonna leave.”

She said nothing, but I felt the vibes, and they were not good. Not angry, just unhappy. So I kept speaking.

“But what you need to know and never forget is that the love and stability you’ve given them since you’ve had them is the most precious thing they’ve had in their lives. And they’ll never forget that either. So they’re gonna grow up and they’re gonna live their lives. And because you gave them that, you are not ever gonna lose them.” I took in a breath and used Duke’s words. “But now, you need to give them freedom to fly.”

She again said nothing and I waited.

Then she said something.

“You’re right, child.”

“I know, Shirleen.”

“Still, gonna kick his ass if he knocks up some skinny white girl.”

I laughed and said, “I’ll help.”

“Good to know,” she murmured. “Later.”

Disconnect.

I put my phone on the desk and my eyes to the computer. I had them there approximately three seconds before the door to the suite opened.

Ren was sauntering in. Trousers. Dress shirt.

Delicious.

“Hey,” I called, getting out of my chair and moving around the desk.

His lips were quirking when he said, “You know, you don’t have to get up, babe.”

I made it to him, got on my toes, put a hand to his abs and touched my lips to his before I replied, “Yeah, I do.”

He shook his head, lips still quirking, and he asked, “Got a sec?’

“Sure,” I answered.

He jerked his head to my desk as it hit me we hadn’t broken that in yet, and I made a mental note to schedule that for the near future.

I moved to sit in my chair. He moved close and leaned against my desk, arms crossed on his chest, chin dipped, eyes on me.

“Vito and I just had it out,” he declared.

Shit.

Ren kept going.

“It was ugly and I’m done. I resigned.”

Fuck!

Ren wasn’t done.

“I got shit to tie up and Marcus isn’t quite ready. Vito’s got a month of me around to make the transition. Then I figure you and me can spend a couple of weeks on a beach. That’ll give Marcus time so when we come back I can get down to that.”