by Mathew Ortiz
“You behave or I’ll tell Avery.” He warned as he gently buttoned his shorts.
“It was totally worth it.” I got off the table and put my shorts on and hobbled over beside him. “Come on. Time for our pedicures.”
Martin paled and huffed. “Now? Now you want me to sit for a pedicure with my nether regions on fire?”
“Sorry but Donna and Shirley were booked up before.” I clapped him on the shoulder and steered him toward the door. I gazed over my shoulder and thanked the girls.
“Anytime, Boonie-boy.” Dulcie grinned.
“Tell us if your man like your smoothie!” Mai called out and Martin rolled his eyes. “Remember, no hanky panky until late tonight. It too tender right now.”
“Oh God,” Martin muttered and I laughed and pushed him to the nail section of the shop.
It took more than five minutes to finally sit down but within minutes, the warm water around our feet in the bath made us both moan appreciatively. Martin sat next to me, eyes closed and an expression of pure bliss on his face. I guess now was as good as a time as ever…
“I made out with your cousin Robbie.”
Martin’s eyes flew open and he slowly turned his head to me, pure amazement on his freckled face. “You what?”
“I ran into him at Inferno.” I idly picked at my thumb nail. “I pulled him into one of the privacy cubbies and we kissed. Hell, we were basically dry humpin’ each other.”
“And?”
“And nothin’,” I replied. “He acted like he wanted more but I wasn’t gonna put out at Inferno. I like dick but I draw the line at public sex. Shame though, has a nice fat prick from what I felt and damn if I didn’t want to ride it. Instead I told him thank you and he should call me and ask me to dinner. I left him all wound up.”
“You thanked him?”
“Martin, close your mouth,” I chided and his mouth snapped shut. “We kissed, nothin’ more.”
“I-I-I’m speechless.”
“That’s a first.” I smirked and he punched my bicep.
“What did he say?”
“Not much.” I sighed and relaxed into the chair. “He’s a wild man.”
“Robbie?”
“Yeah, why?
Martin paused and said. “He’s so conservative, like his father. I can’t imagine him gettin’ down and dirty.” He peered at me intently and I wondered if I had a booger hanging out of my nose. “You’re not his usual type either.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked, mildly offended by his tone.
“Don’t get mad but Robbie likes the business suit type and he usually goes for straight actin’, professional gay men,” Martin hurriedly explained.
“Oh and I’m too queenie for him?” Now I was offended. I jerked abruptly from pain as the girl cleaned my left big toe a tad too aggressively. Martin meanwhile was trying to be serious yet he obviously wanted to laugh as his nail tech shaved his heal smooth. It did tickle when they used the grater on your heels sometimes.
“I didn’t say that but really, Boone, you are a bit more out there than your brothers.”
“Pot, kettle, queen!” I shot back and Martin scowled.
“I shouldn’t have said anythin’.”
“I can’t believe he’s one of them!” I grumbled.
“One of what?”
“A gay man that doesn’t like us out and loud gay men.” That deflated me a touch. “How disappointin’. I liked him, Martin. If I’m too queenie for him, then fuck him!”
“I don’t feel that way and neither does Avery,” Martin touched my arm. “I’m sorry, Boone.”
His face was like an open book and I saw Martin’s distress as plain as day. “I know you didn’t mean anything by it. You’re forgiven. Still… what a shame.”
“Why is that?”
“He’s hung like a horse!” I wiggled my brows at Martin and he and both attendants laughed.
*
I sauntered out of the walk in freezer with the remaining samples I planned on showing to Emmett and Alex. Yes, I knew the flavor Emmett had requested but I wanted him and Alex to taste a few more options. It had been over two weeks since my encounter with Robbie and this would be the first time I’d see him. I hadn’t decided if I was going to make him sweat or play it cool. Dodging Ria and Mikey, I set the three plates down by the other three already on the table. I shifted them around to make them pretty, refolded the crisp white napkins and rearranged the bottled waters. I fussed and fretted and made myself a little crazy.
By the time I was satisfied, it was about fifteen minutes to twelve. I dashed over to the bathroom and did an all over check in the mirror. My hair was spiked and tight. My beard trimmed and smelled nice. I snickered at my T-shirt. I’d worn it because Robbie was coming. In big bold letters it read, ‘You touch my beard, I touch your butt’ and was bright blue. My skinny jeans clung to me and my black converse were surprisingly spotless despite working all morning in the bakery.
My phone pinged and I read the message. It was from Penny. They’d arrived. I shot off a text back to her to bring them back. I smoothed a palm over my beard and strode over to the entrance to the kitchen and almost fell over my own feet as Robbie Gaither came into the room.
Damn he gets better looking each time, handsome as hell and once again a disapproving scowl. The only time he seemed to smile is when he was cumming. I didn’t expect him to be here but I secretly hoped he would turn up. God bless his inner control freak. I somehow knew he wouldn’t let Emmett and Alex make the final decisions alone. The contract still needed to be signed and all Emmett and Alex had to do was finalize flavors.
“I wasn’t expectin’ you to be here.” I crossed my arms over my chest and waited.
Robbie stopped and clasped his hands behind his back. His cornflower blue shirt stretched over his wide chest and his tan slacks hugged some powerful thighs. Thighs, I knew were covered in a soft hair. I struggled to curb my growing desire. His mere presence made my pulse leap and my heart flutter.
“I always am with my clients when dealing with such important details.” His voice was gruff and deep and oh did it make my nuts tingle.
“Really?” I countered and sauntered over to him until I was less than two feet from him. “It’s a final tastin’. Nothing earth shatterin’.”
“Regardless,” Robbie voice trailed off as Emmett and Alex arrived.
“Hey, cuz,” Emmett clapped Robbie on the shoulder and Alex gave him a quick pat.
“Come on in gentlemen…” I waved to the seats at the table. “And Robbie.”
That got me some raised eyebrows from the prospective grooms. They both found seats and Robbie followed suit. I rounded the other side of the table and took a long slow breath. Time to sell myself.
“Okay gents. I know you told me what flavor you wanted but I have six alternatives I want you to try. If you don’t care for any of them, we’ll go with your original option but here at 350 Degrees we like to think out of the box. First three are the Salted Dulce de Leche, Bitter Sweet Coffee and the Butter Rum cream.” I pushed the three plates forward and handed each of them a fork.
Emmett took a bit of the Salted Dulce de Leche and Alex sampled the Bitter Sweet Coffee. Robbie poked at then tasted the Butter Rum.
Emmett face lit up like a Christmas tree. “Whooeee! Damn, Boone. This is incredible. Sweet and salty and ohh…” He closed his eyes groaning in pleasure. Alex did the same as soon as the bitter sweet coffee cake touched his tongue.
“I love coffee and dark chocolate.” He took another bite. “Emmett you gotta taste this.” He offered his fiancé a bit and Emmett did the same for Alex.
I smiled at the looks of ecstasy on their face. Robbie slowly chewed his piece, swallowed and a wry smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Damn, that’s good.” He pushed his plate over to the boys and they echoed his words.
“Wait, wait!” I pushed the next three plates in front of them. “Here we have the Mango/ Pineapple cake, the Vanill
a Chai and the Oooey Gooey Butter cake.”
They each took bites and the ‘yums’ ensued. Pride swelled in me and I grinned at them.
“Emmett, I know I said you had the say so over the cake flavors but…” Alex cast a puppy dog gaze at Emmett. “I really like the Bitter Sweet Coffee.”
“I know, so do I. I also like the Oooey Gooey and the Vanilla Chai.” Emmett snapped up another bite of the Vanilla Chai. “I’d be willing to part with the raspberry and the marble if we could agree on two new flavors.”
“Deal.” Alex gave Emmett a quick kiss and speared another piece of the Oooey Gooey Butter cake and fed it to Emmett, who moaned appreciatively.
“I’m impressed, Mr. Myer.” It was the first thing Robbie had said since sitting down. “These are amazing.”
“Mr. Myer is it?” I lowered my gaze to his lips. Those soft, luscious lips. Heat flared in his blue eyes and I’m pretty sure he was thinking the same thing. “Thank you, Mr. Gaither. These are all my recipes.”
His gaze flew to mine. “You created these combinations?”
“Yep, I—” My monitor pinged. “Excuse me.” I fished out my monitor and frowned. All during the set up, I had been sampling cake and not eating my normal lunch. Too much sugar and not enough protein had a deleterious effect on my blood glucose. The screen read two hundred and ninety-seven.
Damn!
I dialed up a loading dose of insulin and set it to infuse over the next fifteen minutes. Pocketing my monitor, I resolved to eat my lunch after we were done.
“What’s that?” Robbie’s voice interrupted my train of thought and I saw all three of them staring at me.
“It’s my insulin pump and monitor. I’m a diabetic and this helps me monitor and control my glucose levels.”
“I’m sorry.” Alex offered and I tamped down my annoyance. Why are people always sorry? I wasn’t dying. I just have diabetes. “Is Avery one?”
“No, neither is my other triplet, Cotton.” I steered the conversation back to my cakes. “I’m glad you liked the tastin’. I’m always experimentin’ with new flavors and the Oooey Gooey is my mawmaw’s recipe.”
“Did you learn to bake here?” Robbie inquired with a curious look on his face.
“No.” I slipped my monitor back into my pocket. “I followed Avery into the Cordon Bleu school but I hated cookin’. I found out they had a pastry program so I switched and was much happier. I guess I knew I was goin’ to be a baker.” I got my wallet out and pulled out a dog eared picture and handed it to Alex.
Alex smirked and handed Emmett the photo and he snickered. Robbie took it next and gaped.
“Is that an Easy Bake Oven?”
“Yup.” I smiled unashamedly. “I asked for one when I was eight and my momma got it for me. I was hooked from that point on. I used up all the package and it got kinda expensive so Momma sent me to the kitchen with Mawmaw. She’s the baker and she taught me all her recipes and secrets over the years.”
“That’s so sweet.” Alex rested his chin on his hands and gave me a goofy smile.
“Baby, you’re such a sap.” Emmett chided and Alex huffed in indignation. “But that’s what I love ‘bout you.” And he softened his words with a gentle kiss.
Robbie turned away but not before I saw the longing in his eyes. I had to admit the two of them made me think there might be true love out there for me. I mean, hell, I never thought Avery would ever meet a good guy and in walks Martin. Those two are so much in love it’s nauseating at times. I didn’t picture myself ever settling down. No man had ever held my interest long enough for a third date. I preferred to find ‘em, fuck ‘em and forget ‘em. Yeah, that’s kinda ruthless and I make no apologies about it. It’s who I am… still.
“You two are too cute!” I snickered and pulled out my tablet from under the table. Punching up their account I changed the cake flavors. Granted the wedding was five months away but I liked planning ahead. “Any more requests or changes, ‘cause if not. We are a go. Is the date still set for May 1st?”
Emmett tore himself away from Alex long enough to speak to me. “Yes. Saturday, May 1st at three in the afternoon.”
“I’ll be coming with my co-worker, Elaine. Ria is on vacation then but never fear. We’ll make sure the cake is gorgeous.
Emmett and Alex rose and shook my hand vigorously then Alex turned to Robbie. “We’re all set then and thank you so much for helping us, Robbie. We can’t thank you enough. Did you still want to be in the wedding party?”
“Sure.” His confidence was annoying. “I’m the last groomsman to walk down the aisle, so I can oversee everything to the last minute. Don’ worry, guys, it’s going to be beautiful.”
Emmett exhaled deeply, looking very relieved. “Thanks, Robbie.” He checked his watch and tapped Alex’s wrist. “We gotta go, babe. Momma and Pa are expectin’ us tonight for dinner. Thanks again, Boone.”
I shook both their hands one last time and they exited the kitchen, but not before Alex looked over his shoulder and grinned at me and Robbie. I waggled my finger at him and Robbie rolled his eyes. The door closed, leaving me and my snooty stud alone.
“About that night…” Robbie began. He looked so uncomfortable.
“Hey, don’t sweat it.” I gathered up the tablet and stored it. I had a busy day and didn’t really want to do this. “It was a kiss, nothin’ more.” I set about tidying up and he frowned.
“What do you mean? It was just a kiss?”
“Listen, Robbie, no offense. You’re a hot guy an’ all but way too stuck on yourself for my taste.” I scooped up the forks and plates on which there wasn’t a crumb left behind, and brushed past him. “You’re one of the guppy social snobs.”
“Hey!”
“Are you denyin’ it? I’ve seen you before at Inferno. You and your posse stand around in your designer clothes, drinkin’ oh so expensive top shelf booze and judge everyone around you.” I deposited the dishes in the sink and washed my hands. Toweling them off, I walked back to him and put my hands on my hips.
“You’ve seen me before?”
“Oh yeah. You have a type for sure.”
“And what type do I have?” His frown deepened and damn if it didn’t make him cuter.
“Label lovin’ preppy boys. You’re all about the look.”
“That’s not fair.”
“Oh isn’t it? I heard what your friends were sayin’ about me,” I countered, my own temper rising. I hadn’t gone straight back to the bar that night after we’d fucked. “I was ‘round the corner in the bathroom and was comin’ out when you all walked by. Some pretty bitchy queens you call your friends.”
“How dare you?” He fumed. “You know nothing about my friends.”
“I know they’re snobs and mean ones at that.” I poked his chest. “It would have hurt what they said about me but in truth, what do I care what some wannabes think of me? I know who I am and I like who I am.”
“You shouldn’t have been eavesdropping,” he admonished.
“You should’ve defended me!” I shouted back and we both shut up, stunned at my outburst.
Robbie wouldn’t look at me for a minute and when he did, there was a blush splashed across his handsome cheeks. “I should have. I’m sorry.”
“’S okay. I’m a big boy and it’s not like we’re a couple.” I sighed, suddenly tired. “Overall though, you were one of the best kissers of my life.”
“Thanks… I think?” Bewilderment was such a good color on him. “I-I was wondering if you were free for drinks later?”
And with that, I damn near walked into a support post. I hadn’t seen that coming. “Ah, I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”
He frowned again—it seemed to be his favorite expression. “Why not?”
“I don’t like you.”
“What?” He fairly snarled and stomped closer to me until his warm breath fanned my face. “You dry hump your ass on my cock and you have the nerve to say you don’t like me?”
&n
bsp; “Louder please, the front of the bakery didn’t hear you!” I snapped as heads turned our way. Damn, I didn’t need this. I grabbed his arm and unceremoniously yanked him down the hall and out the back door. Once it slammed shut and we were alone I lit into him.
“I know your type. The self-hating gay man who can’t stand queenie guys. You make a face every time you see my shirt, you do your damnedest to act and talk straight, and you’re all about the look and not the substance. Shallow and plastic.” There I’d said my piece.
He got right up in my face and snarled. “One: I am not self-hating. Two: I prefer my men to act like men, not women. Three: Your shirts are ridiculous and—”
“My, my. You get all defensive when the truth be told.” Damn but I knew how to push a body. Steam prit near poured from his ears and a dull flush spread from his neck to his face. “I will give you one thing. You’re a good man when it comes to your family. Emmett and Alex speak nothin’ but good ‘bout you. Now if you’ll excuse me. I’ve work to do.”
“I will not be dismissed!” he raged.
“But ya just were, darlin’,” I sang as my hand touched the door. I gasped as strong hands dragged me back into the hall and summarily slammed me against the wall. Blue eyes blazed at me and my breath hitched in my chest. Fury rolled off Robbie and I winced as his fingers dug into my arms. I thought I’d been teasing a kitten when in fact; I was poking a sleeping lion. I nibbled my lower lip and he followed my motions. I tilted my head to the left and a low, guttural growl surfaced from his chest and my arm hairs stood on end. For the first time, I saw him as a man, a powerfully confident man.
Robbie inclined his head the last few inches separating us and flicked out his tongue to lick the corner of my mouth. I stifled a groan as he outlined my lower lip. He reached around, cupped my ass and he pulled me closer.
“Open your mouth for me, Boone.” It was a command, not a request and I did as directed. The moistness of his breath fanned my face and he kissed me thoroughly. He tasted of my Butter Rum cake.
He must have been the one who finished it.
Beneath the rich rum was his underlying flavor, masculine and slightly tart. I clung to his shoulders as he plundered my mouth. He didn’t just kiss me, he possessed my mouth, made love to it and I shuddered under his expert ministrations. When we fooled around a few weeks back I must have only scratched the surface of Robbie Gaither.