B01HLCU8FG EBOK

by Mathew Ortiz

  “Excellent,” I replied. “I would love to do your cake but I’ll have to assemble it at the venue. Four tiers, correct? And are you sure on the color?”

  “Maybe not so purple. Perhaps lighter.” Emmett said and nipped at his lower lip.

  Hmmm, gay but not wanting a super gay cake.

  “I still want the hearts and the unique swirls,” Alex interjected quickly. He looked over at Emmett for confirmation and got it. “We saw it on a TV show and fell in love with it.”

  I stepped away and came back with a color fan deck. I flipped through the violets on the colors and pointed to a soft lavender. All three heads bent over the example and Alex and Emmett beamed.

  “Perfect!” Alex squealed and Emmett grinned. Even Mr. Uptight seemed to like it.

  “Okay, here’s the breakdown. I charge by the slice, which are double the standard size. I can’t stand skimpy slices and you won’t find a bakery as generous with its servings as us. You can have as many flavors as you want. I’ll need you two to come back in a few weeks to finalize the design and I have some additional cake flavors to run by you both. You can have either standard or Italian buttercream and we come out, set up, and stay until it’s served just in case of last minute tweaks. When I start, I won’t be able to do any major changes. Seventy-five percent up front—”

  “Seventy-five?” Robbie barked and I swung my head in his direction. I’d wondered when he was going to speak. “Standard is fifty percent.”

  “My rule is seventy-five. I figure if you two stiff me and bail at the last minute, I’m covered for my cost of materials.” I mildly demurred. His blue eyes flashed and his lips thinned.

  “That’s way too much. I mean really, fifty should cover your costs,” Robbie snapped.

  “Them’s my terms.” I wasn’t budging. We’d had clients back out too many times and were left with a huge cake and no cash. “You won’t be disappointed. I’m the best in the city.”

  “Think much of yourself, Myer?” Robbie drawled.

  “I’m the best, buttercup. You can view my work on our website, just click on my portfolio.” I boasted proudly. “My work is superb.”

  “You mean like that horrendous cake behind you?” Robbie snidely pointed out.

  Everyone looked at Brittany’s cake. I shrugged and answered him. “I made the cake the bride wanted. While I may not like the style of cake they want, I always do as the client desires.” I scrunched up my nose. “It looks like an explosion of lace and fussiness but it’s what she wanted and what the bride wants, the bride gets.”

  I had to reassure them so I offered them one last tidbit.”I won’t disappoint you two. Marilee would have my ass if I did. Not to mention my future brother-in-law, Martin.”

  “Avery Myer is your brother?” Alex asked. Emmett perked up and Robbie stared at me. “None of us have met him yet!”

  “Yep, he’s my identical triplet.” I loved the surprise on people’s face when they found out I was a triplet.

  “There are three of you?” Robbie sputtered, aghast.

  “You got it, golden rod. Avery, Boone and Cotton Myer.” I stood and shifted on my feet. “Listen guys, I won’t let you down. If you decide to go with me, I’ll make sure that when the guests see the cake they’ll be dazzled.”

  Emmett and Alex visibly relaxed and I knew I had the commission. Robbie Gaither was another matter. He was still scowling but I caught him looking at my legs and the heat in his gaze was unmistakable. Hey, I’ve got great legs and Mr. Fussy Pants was drooling over them like a hungry man with a steak in front of him. Oh yeah, he was interested.

  Alex looked at Emmett and nodded. Emmett smiled at his guy and turned to me. “You’re hired.”

  “Wonderful!” I exclaimed and shook their hands. I pivoted to Robbie and leaned on the table, giving him a good view of my ass. “Like what you see, handsome?”

  Chapter 3

  Robbie

  Damn that man is infuriating!

  Boone Myer wasn’t like anyone I had ever met. Lord the man had a mouth on him and an answer for everything. I chided myself for acting like a bumbling fool at the bakery. I was supposed to be in charge and I had been, for about two seconds. I let that cupcake tosser bowl me over. I was still fuming as we left the shop.

  I wouldn’t normally pay him any mind if I passed him on the street. I don’t usually go for the bearded hipster types, preferring a more polished GQ type of man. Nothing about Boone Myer ticked my usual boxes. First off, he had a beard. I like a smooth, clean shaven jaw. It was rounded at the bottom, bushy, deep brown and at least five inches from his chin. Dark and lush, it framed his face and although I could barely see his lips, he had one killer of a smile. His brown eyes sparkled as he talked to us at the bakery and I found myself staring at him, dumbfounded. Secondly, he was inked. I didn’t go for the tattooed types, and thirdly he was so... so… gay! I mean, come on, that T-shirt he had on was so faggy. Out and loud gays made me cringe.

  I had to admit, albeit begrudgingly, he had looked absolutely fuckable in those skin tight shorts and I couldn’t help staring at his butt and legs. I love long legs and his went on for days. Long and dusted in dark hair, his legs led up to a tight, succulent little ass. His body shape was ectomorphic, lean and thin and he obviously worked out because he was tightly muscled. His biceps swelled as he moved his arms and his uber tight T-shirt was stretched over a flat stomach and taut pecs.

  Emmett and Alex had gone back to Tatesville after leaving the bakery. They had razzed me about Boone from the second we left and I took it all with a grain of salt. I picked up my latte and sipped it as I scanned my emails. It was midweek and I was already swamped with consultations.

  I wonder if his beard smells good?

  Tamping down the errant thought, I went back to my emails. I answered as many as I could, set up appointments for two clients and confirmed four meetings. Infinity Events had a full docket of parties to plan. I glanced at my phone and saw the time.

  Shit! I’m going to be late.

  I grabbed my phone and laptop then hurried out of my office down the hall to the conference room. As I approached the corner, Spin fell in step beside me. Spin had come to work at Infinity about a year before me and specialized in concerts and music venues.

  Alberto ‘Spin’ Ricardo was a born and bred Georgian. Tall and gorgeous with skin the color of roasted coffee, dressed all in black, he was the same height as me but had way more muscles. The tang of his citrusy cologne tickled my nose as he bumped my shoulder and I grinned at him. We share an office so I guessed he must have been coming back from a consultation.

  “Almost missed it too?”

  I nodded vigorously. “I was going over my emails and lost track of time. Do you know what this is about?”

  “Nope.” He ran his hand over his tight fade, smoothing out nonexistent imperfections as he slipped into the conference room ahead of me. I followed and found my seat.

  Lily Burr sat across from me and barely acknowledged my arrival. She hated me. She’d been the golden girl until I came along and resented me getting the Autumn House contract. She had been gunning for it and was none too happy when I was chosen. I think she secretly hoped I would fail. Rail thin with perfectly coifed, extension-filled blonde hair, Lily had a severe case of resting bitch face. I avoided her as much as possible.

  Beside her sat Alvin Brampton, our boss. As usual, Alvin was dressed to the nines in a perfectly fitted suit. He oozed confidence. He and his business partner, Jessica Wildman, opened Infinity Events ten years ago, during which they’d built a solid reputation for being scrupulously honest and giving the client the most bang for their buck. Jessica was not here today and with good reason. She had just given birth to her fourth child, a little girl named Riley.

  I adored Jessica and she was the one who’d hired me in the first place. I gathered she thought Lily was getting too big for her britches at the time and Jessica had decided to bring in fresh blood. After she hired me, I noticed she put me in
direct competition with Lily. So far Lily had been in the lead, gaining more contracts. That was until Autumn House fell in our laps. I ran with it and with Jessica’s encouragement I nailed it. Now we were both offered new events equally.

  “Let’s get started.” Alvin’s voice broke my train of thought. “As you all know, Jessica is going to be out for the next eight weeks on maternity leave.”

  “Eight? Isn’t that a bit long, Alvin?” Lily tapped her pen on the table. It was no secret she didn’t like Jessica.

  “It wasn’t up for debate, Lily,” Alvin snipped and Lily backed down. “What is up for debate is what we are going to do with her events. There are four she had on the burner when she went into early labor—”

  “I’ll take them.” Lily tossed her hair and stared at Spin and me, daring us to say anything and being the juniors, we remained silent—for now.

  “Normally, I would hand them all to you but two are large events.” Alvin pursed his lips and I swear he was hedging for dramatic effect. “Spin, I’m giving you the Pascale Art Exhibit. I figured with it being a modern art museum with a hip young curator, you would fit the bill nicely.”

  “Sweet. I’m on it boss.” Alvin nailed that assignment. Hip and young were Spin’s specialty.

  “Lily, I’m giving you the Bosche Party and the Denton Building Opening.” She nodded regally as if she was the only logical option.

  “Robbie, I’m giving you the D’Argento Wedding.” I blinked.

  Nah… it couldn’t be.

  “Wait a minute Alvin, that’s a huge wedding, over five hundred guests and it’s only three weeks away.” Lily shot me a totally fake look of sympathy. “It might be too much for Robbie with his current work load.”

  My daddy always told me that hate was a destructive emotion but right now, I hate—no. I can’t stand that skinny, Olive Oil wannabe. The whole passive aggressive attitude grated on my nerves. I did my best not to take the bait. However some days I wanted to shove a cheeseburger down her throat.

  “Oh no,” I replied smoothly, my voice like a silk encased blade. This bitch was not getting one up on me. “I’m fine with taking the D’Argento wedding. In fact, I’ve already seen the sketches of the proposed cake.”

  That brought her up short and she glared at me. “How did you manage that?”

  “My secret, Lily.” I needled her and her gaze darkened.

  “That’s settled then.” Alvin cocked his head at me and his lips twitched. He pushed out of his chair and handed us each the files on our events. “Have a good day people.” After he’d left the conference room we all milled out slowly. I could feel Lily’s stare burning a hole in my back as Spin and I headed back to our office.

  “You coming out with us on Friday night to Inferno?” Spin might be straight, but he loved the music at Inferno and all the single women, who came to dance with their gay friends at Atlanta’s biggest gay club. Inferno was three floors of music, men, women and booze and was currently the reigning hotspot to be seen at in Atlanta.

  “I wasn’t planning on it but Evan, Peter and Flip have been on my ass to go,” I said as we entered our office. “I’ve put them off for so long, their bitching is getting to me.”

  “Cool.” He grinned but his smile faltered when he realized what I’d said. “Did you say Peter was going to be there?”

  I smothered a laughed. Peter Chang had made no bones about the fact he was hot for Spin. Every time we all got together, he hit on Spin shamelessly. I had to give him credit, Spin was a good sport and all the while, he politely fended off Peter’s rather pushy advances.

  “Why don’t you let him blow you?” I teased him, sitting down at my desk. “Who knows, you might like it.”

  “Dude, I’m straight,” Spin huffed as he also sat.

  “I’m not saying you have to marry him, just feed a load.”

  “Ew, that’s gross, man.”

  “You never know.” I laughed as I tapped the security code on my computer. “Gay men worship cock and love giving head. And we swallow!”

  His dark skin colored a deep burgundy and he laughed nervously. “I like women.”

  “I—” My phone trilled and I held my hand up. “Bear with, bear with.”

  “God, that is so queer.” Spin rolled his eyes at me and I flipped him off.

  “Yes, Flip. Yes. Me, you, Spin, Evan and Peter,” I ticked off my friends list. “We will have a good time. Stop futzing. See you then.” I tapped the phone off. “I’m back.”

  “Oh, call TMZ. The golden boy is back.” Spin snickered and went back to his computer. I stuck my tongue out at him, which he ignored. My email alert blinked at me. I sighed and went to work.

  *

  Inferno was packed! I rode with Evan and Flip and we found parking and rolled up to the entrance. Before getting out of the car’s back seat, I checked my look. Hair: perfect. Outfit: labeled and banging. All ready for the night. After paying our way in, the three of us gazed about, trying to spot our friends—not an easy task. The first floor of Inferno was primarily the bar and the main dance floor. The second and third floors were wraparound mezzanines with lounging couches, private cubbies, satellite bars and small dance squares. All leading up to the ceiling filled with lighting equipment. The whole place was painted black and the floor was a black and white checker board. The music was booming and it hit me like a physical force.

  Inferno’s popularity hadn’t waned over the years. Mostly due to the new owners keeping the music fresh, not watering down the booze and maintaining excellent security. It may be 2016 but gay bashing still happened and thanks to the bouncers and walkers no one had been harmed in years on their way back to their cars.

  A riot of colored lights flashed from the ceiling, illuminating the dance floor. Bodies undulated to the rhythm and boys and girls ground against partners or danced alone with zeal. I bumped Evan and Flip and nodded to the long bar. Peter and Spin were already there at a table and by the looks of Spin, he needed saving. Peter was all but crawling up him.

  Evan nudged me and smirked. I headed over to them and Evan grabbed Flip’s hand and followed behind me. As usual we turned heads: young, successful, upwardly mobile and hotter than hell. All eyes were on us as we wove our way through the crowd to the bar. I saw looks of desire, envy and I took them all in. People wanted to be me, fuck me or be fucked by me.

  Losers.

  I spotted several guys eyeing my two friends in front of me. Evan and Flip met in college during their last year. Evan worked as a junior advertising exec at Markham and Slocomb and did he fit the part. Slender with a conservative haircut, his black hair never moved. Serious and driven, Flip’s irreverent attitude balanced him out and reminded him to have fun. Flip was just the opposite of his boyfriend. A shaggy blond, Flip worked for the fire department in dispatch and was working on securing a job in the Atlanta Crimes Department. Baby-faced and always smiling, who would think such a cherubic face masked a 160 IQ? Flip was finishing his doctorate in criminal forensics and most likely the two would move if he didn’t get the job at ACD. I would miss them if they did. We’d hung around together the last few years at University and I didn’t want to even contemplate them leaving Atlanta.

  I reached the spot where Peter and Spin were standing and saw the relief on Spin’s face. I tapped Peter on the shoulder and he spun, squealed and hugged me hard. Tiny, whippet thin, Peter Chang was dressed in the current gay couture and sported a severe hair style. Shaved on the sides with a pronounced part to the right, his ebony hair fell perfectly over his smooth forehead.

  “Bitch! About time you got here!” he shouted over the music. He nodded to Evan and Flip. “Romeo, Juliet.”

  Evan rolled his eyes as Flip hugged Peter. Evan and Peter had a love/hate relationship. Evan was one of those straight-acting gay men, who didn’t like queenie men. Peter was queenie with a capital ‘Q’. I had to admit, I sided with Evan. I preferred manly men.

  “Hey, Peter, Spin.”

  Spin looked so relieved I
almost laughed out loud.

  “Hey, Robbie.” Spin handed me a beer from the bucket on their table. Fang and Barley… not bad. I’m such a beer snob and prefer micro brews to domestic.

  “Man, the place is bumpin’,” Flip noted and we agreed wholeheartedly.

  All types came to Inferno looking to dance, drink and hook-up. I saw bears, twinks, trolls, thugs, hags, lezbs, straights, woo girls… you name it, they were there. All twisting and swiveling to the music.

  “Been surveying the man meat,” Peter observed as he took in the crowd. “A bit common for my taste.”

  “I thought breathing was his taste,” Evan muttered and Flip elbowed him in the ribs.

  “I heard that, bitch,” Peter snapped.

  “Meant you to, slut,” Evan shot back and they fake smiled at each other. “But I do agree. Hmm… poor, fatty, troll, wannabe, sugar-baby, Splenda-daddy, tweeker, Wallyworld label… yeek.”

  “I know. Slim pickins.” Peter sniffed disdainfully.

  Spin was scanning the crowd and his face lit up. A few woo girls, young and pretty, sat chatting at a table six feet away from us. He smoothed his shirt, grabbed a second beer and winked at us. “Time to pour on the charm. Later, moes.” He glided over to the table and we watched as he introduced himself. The girls giggled and one put her hand on his arm.

  Yep, he’s getting lucky tonight.

  Peter’s face fell and I patted his arm. “You know he’s straight.”

  “I know.” He shrugged sadly. “When we’re alone though I get mixed signals.”

  Flip took a long drag of his beer and belched. Evan frowned at him. “Excuse me.”

  Flip grinned at him. “You’re excused.” And started laughing. Why Flip was with Evan I don’t know. I guess opposites do attract. The music shifted and a favorite song of mine came on. The music flared in my soul and my hips started to move.

  “Come on, guys,” I tugged at Flip. “Let’s dance.” I grabbed Peter’s hand and swirled over to the dance floor.