eat carbs or sugar.”
The gorgeous man beside Brent raised his glass. “Oh, Monica. If I’m going to overload on calories, it will be with a few more of these.” He tilted the glass to his lips, emptying the contents, then inspected it with a playfully panicked expression. “Oh dear. I seem to be out. Let’s fix that.” He scanned the room, spotted the server, and lifted the glass.
Having been in the food industry for his entire adult life, such a motion would typically trigger Casper, but the way the man had done it, with a charming smile flashed at the server, somehow managed to avoid seeming entitled or belittling.
Casper addressed the man when he returned the empty glass to the table. “You might change your mind on that. I can personally attest to the quality of the desserts here.” He was never overly comfortable talking to such beautiful men, and, to his embarrassment, he felt his cheeks flush as the man looked at him. Hopefully the room was dim enough that it wasn’t noticeable.
“Oh, sorry, Casper. I wasn’t thinking. Brent mentioned you were the head chef here. I didn’t mean to insult the food. I just really like good wine.” He shrugged in a unassuming manner. “Sorry, I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced. I’m Kevin.”
Casper didn’t correct his position at Savor. He got tired of making the distinction. “No offense taken. We have a wonderful sommelier; I guarantee you’ll be satisfied.”
Kevin grinned. “I’m well on my way.”
At that moment, the server, Christine, Casper thought her name was, arrived, bringing a tray of drinks, and then taking his and Monica’s dessert orders.
DESPITE BRENT’S awkward introduction, Casper was glad he’d come. The table fell into an easy buzz, splitting off into pairs. The two on the opposite end, whose names he couldn’t remember, Brent and Kevin, and he and Monica, who turned out to be a riot. So much so, that between Monica’s irreverent humor and over-the-top makeup, Casper wondered about the possibility of her being a drag queen. The desserts passed his inspection, and the second glass of port made the softly lit room fuzzily romantic and pushed away the thoughts of returning to work here the next afternoon.
In between laughing bouts with Monica, he found himself nearly staring at the man across from him. Kevin was stunning. His short-cropped hair was dark, so dark that Casper couldn’t tell if it was a deep brown or actually black. His eyes were similar, dark brown with flecks of green that caught the light. A five o’clock shadow darkened his cut jaw and lightly cleft chin. He seemed small, probably about the same height as Casper, though it was hard to tell with them both sitting, but it was easy to see Kevin kept in shape. Again Casper found himself thinking about sex as he looked at him, imagining the muscles and lean body that waited under the designer clothes.
He’d glanced at Brent occasionally to see if Brent noticed his “boyfriend” inspecting Kevin so closely. Every time he looked, Brent’s full attention was honed onto Kevin as well. If Casper was reading Kevin’s expression correctly, it seemed that Kevin wasn’t exactly comfortable with Brent’s intensity or his nearness. He did a good job hiding it, but it was there. Or maybe it was just the buzz Casper had going.
One of the name-forgotten women on the opposite end interrupted Casper’s lustful inspection. “So, Kevin, now that Sylvie isn’t here to get teary every time we try to bring it up, tell us about this wedding dress shop you’re buying.”
Looking relieved to have a place to direct his attention, somewhere other than Brent, Kevin cleared his throat nervously. “Well, I’m hoping to buy a building, and I’m hoping to open a wedding dress shop there. The loan is in progress. It’s been about three weeks. It’s taking forever with all the different angles we have to cover, but I think it’s looking good. If all goes
The gorgeous man beside Brent raised his glass. “Oh, Monica. If I’m going to overload on calories, it will be with a few more of these.” He tilted the glass to his lips, emptying the contents, then inspected it with a playfully panicked expression. “Oh dear. I seem to be out. Let’s fix that.” He scanned the room, spotted the server, and lifted the glass.
Having been in the food industry for his entire adult life, such a motion would typically trigger Casper, but the way the man had done it, with a charming smile flashed at the server, somehow managed to avoid seeming entitled or belittling.
Casper addressed the man when he returned the empty glass to the table. “You might change your mind on that. I can personally attest to the quality of the desserts here.” He was never overly comfortable talking to such beautiful men, and, to his embarrassment, he felt his cheeks flush as the man looked at him. Hopefully the room was dim enough that it wasn’t noticeable.
“Oh, sorry, Casper. I wasn’t thinking. Brent mentioned you were the head chef here. I didn’t mean to insult the food. I just really like good wine.” He shrugged in a unassuming manner. “Sorry, I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced. I’m Kevin.”
Casper didn’t correct his position at Savor. He got tired of making the distinction. “No offense taken. We have a wonderful sommelier; I guarantee you’ll be satisfied.”
Kevin grinned. “I’m well on my way.”
At that moment, the server, Christine, Casper thought her name was, arrived, bringing a tray of drinks, and then taking his and Monica’s dessert orders.
DESPITE BRENT’S awkward introduction, Casper was glad he’d come. The table fell into an easy buzz, splitting off into pairs. The two on the opposite end, whose names he couldn’t remember, Brent and Kevin, and he and Monica, who turned out to be a riot. So much so, that between Monica’s irreverent humor and over-the-top makeup, Casper wondered about the possibility of her being a drag queen. The desserts passed his inspection, and the second glass of port made the softly lit room fuzzily romantic and pushed away the thoughts of returning to work here the next afternoon.
In between laughing bouts with Monica, he found himself nearly staring at the man across from him. Kevin was stunning. His short-cropped hair was dark, so dark that Casper couldn’t tell if it was a deep brown or actually black. His eyes were similar, dark brown with flecks of green that caught the light. A five o’clock shadow darkened his cut jaw and lightly cleft chin. He seemed small, probably about the same height as Casper, though it was hard to tell with them both sitting, but it was easy to see Kevin kept in shape. Again Casper found himself thinking about sex as he looked at him, imagining the muscles and lean body that waited under the designer clothes.
He’d glanced at Brent occasionally to see if Brent noticed his “boyfriend” inspecting Kevin so closely. Every time he looked, Brent’s full attention was honed onto Kevin as well. If Casper was reading Kevin’s expression correctly, it seemed that Kevin wasn’t exactly comfortable with Brent’s intensity or his nearness. He did a good job hiding it, but it was there. Or maybe it was just the buzz Casper had going.
One of the name-forgotten women on the opposite end interrupted Casper’s lustful inspection. “So, Kevin, now that Sylvie isn’t here to get teary every time we try to bring it up, tell us about this wedding dress shop you’re buying.”
Looking relieved to have a place to direct his attention, somewhere other than Brent, Kevin cleared his throat nervously. “Well, I’m hoping to buy a building, and I’m hoping to open a wedding dress shop there. The loan is in progress. It’s been about three weeks. It’s taking forever with all the different angles we have to cover, but I think it’s looking good. If all goes
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