Tempt Me: Tattoos and Temptation Book 5

by Mia Monroe

  “Benefits are welcome. Apollo said so many lovely things about the shop and the people who work here. That matters to me above all else. I want to be part of this.”

  “Well then, you’re hired, and I’m buying a lottery ticket after work. I can’t believe you fell into my lap like this.”

  “It is serendipity, no?”

  “It must be. Welcome to Dulce Santo.”

  “Merci beaucoup.” I shake my head. “Thank you. I slip into French sometimes.”

  “It’s totally hot,” Genesis says, waving his hand. “Keep slipping.”

  “Gen,” Briar groans, shaking his head. “No filter. Want to meet the other guys?”

  “I would love to.”

  We stand, but before we go, Genesis taps my arm. “Two questions. Are you gay, and are you single?”

  “For fuck’s sake, Gen,” Briar says.

  I laugh. “It is okay. Yes, to both questions.”

  “Okay, cool. That sexy one with the dark curls over there?”

  I look through the glass. “Yes.”

  “That’s my man.”

  Briar shakes his head, rubbing his forehead.

  “Ah. No worries, mon ami.”

  “Mon ami?” he repeats.

  “My friend. If I may call you that.”

  “You can. I like you.”

  “I like you too.”

  Briar grabs my arm and pulls me away. “Sorry about him. He just says what he thinks, obviously.”

  “It is fine, Briar. I wanted to assure him I would not like to date at work anyway, but I did not want to offend him since he obviously is.”

  Briar smiles. “You’ll find out quickly, we’re a tight group. My husband works at Black Heart, and Gen and Cairo’s other man does too. Saint, who owns the bakery, is engaged to Casper, who also works at Black Heart.”

  “I am excited to be part of such a close-knit group. Except for Apollo, I have no friends here.”

  “You do now.”

  We walk down a short hall to an opening with a swinging door. Briar pushes it open and we step through, the sudden noise of customers and activity accosting my ears. He leads me to the back where the kitchen is, then past that to some offices.

  “I want you to meet Saint.”

  “Of course.”

  He knocks on the door, and a deep, gravelly voice directs us to enter. On the other side of the door is a man who makes my mouth drop open. He’s very tall, standing in front of a filing cabinet, and wearing a dark-blue kilt with a crisp white shirt, the sleeves rolled to his elbows, his flesh covered in tattoos.

  “Saint?”

  He looks up, his face relaxing into a welcoming smile. He’s got a beard, because of course he does, and his soft, ginger-brown hair is pushed back from his face. He is incredible.

  “This is my new hire,” Briar says. “Felix Marchand. Did I pronounce that correctly?”

  “Close,” Saint answers instead, with a soft Scottish accent. “A little softer on the d?”

  I nod. “Yes. Marchand,” I repeat as an example.

  “I’ll work on that,” Briar smiles. “This is Saint. He owns the bakery.”

  “Pleasure.” Saint shakes my hand. “Briar shared your background with me. Impressive.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  “No, no. Call me Saint.”

  “Felix accepted the offer.”

  Saint nods. “We are lucky to have you.”

  “I’m the lucky one.”

  “I’m going to introduce him to the others.” Briar frowns. “Oh, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t assume. What pronouns do you use?”

  “Oh.” I am pleasantly surprised. “You’re correct. He/him.”

  “Me too.”

  Saint nods. “Welcome.”

  “Thank you, Saint.”

  We leave his office and walk up to the front where it’s busy. We stand back as Briar points to people. Tate, a sweet-looking blond, quickly refilling trays of depleting pastries; Cairo, the stunning man Genesis pointed out; Xander, a tall, good-looking man with black hair and pale skin, and Elliot, a freckled ginger with a big smile. A woman is behind the register. She’s Egypt.

  “We’re hiring for this side too,” Briar explains. “We’re expanding again to have more offerings. The space next door is moving to a larger location down at the corner, and they have a patio on the side so we can offer more seating.”

  “What kind of offerings?”

  “Light lunch type of things. A full coffee bar. As you can see, we can support it. We’re so busy we turn people away in the afternoon to close up.”

  “That is a good problem.”

  “It is. But on our side, it’s insane. We have a long list of orders every day, and now a waiting list for the holidays. It’s not even September, and people are booking us for December events.”

  “What is your most common event? Weddings?”

  “Weddings, birthdays too. Lots of catered events where we make hundreds of pastries.”

  “I am good at high-volume from working in so many hotels.”

  “Awesome. God, I’m so glad I met you.”

  “Me too.”

  “I’ll get your email and send you a formal offer and some paperwork. When can you start?”

  “Maybe next week? Give me time to...euh...acclimate. I get a little tired mid-day.”

  “Oh, of course. You just got back?”

  “Yes, a few days only.”

  “Monday works for me.”

  “Perfect.”

  “Is four too early?”

  “No. I am used to that.”

  “Great.” He extends his hand. “Such a pleasure, Felix.”

  “Mine as well.” I glance out the door. “Apollo mentioned I could stop into Black Heart to say hi.”

  “Oh.” He looks at his watch. “I can walk with you. I’m due for a break. I always like to stop in and see my hubby when I can.”

  “If you are sure it’s not a bother?”

  “Not at all. Let’s go.”

  We exit the bakery and walk to the corner, waiting for the light to change. As we cross, a grin pulls at my lips.

  “This is a great area,” I note. “It’s so alive.”

  “It really is. Day and night. There's great restaurants and clubs nearby. We’ll take you out if you want.”

  “I would love that. Have you worked for Saint long?”

  “Yes, a few years now. He’s amazing. Really fair, smart, he’s like a big brother. I used to think of him like a father figure, but his fiancé calls him daddy, so I can’t anymore.”

  My eyes widen. “This is true?”

  “Oh yeah. You’ll find out soon enough we’re a very open group. If you're worried about being yourself in any way, don’t be. We can take whatever you deal out.”

  “Yes?” I glance at him for a moment. “What if I tend to wear clothing traditionally assigned to women?”

  “Bring it,” he says without flinching.

  “And makeup?”

  He shrugs. “Whatever turns you on. All are welcome here.”

  A smile pulls at my lips as happiness spreads through me. Yes, coming home was the right thing to do.

  Briar opens the door to Black Heart, and we step inside. With its dark walls, leather, and wood floors, it is a stark contrast to Dulce’s vibrant colors. Briar waves at two women at the front, who are checking in customers.

  “The blonde is Elizabeth. She’s Jude’s cousin now. She married his cousin a few months ago. The brunette is Jerica.”

  “Okay.”

  We walk behind a half wall to see chair after chair full of people, the buzzing of tattoo machines creating a pleasant backdrop to the hip hop music playing over the speakers. Briar points to different people in the room. Luca, who is Cairo and Genesis’s man, Greyden, Casper, who is Saint’s fiancé, Sam, Micah, some new people whose names he doesn't know yet. He then leads me to a space near the back with two offices. One door is open, the other with the door ajar. Briar taps the ajar door
, then pushes it open.

  A man behind the desk looks up and beams, causing Apollo to twist around to look at us. When he sees me, his face lights up, and an explosion of joy detonates in my chest.

  I watch as Briar walks around the desk, leans down, and kisses his husband. It’s sweet, but mostly it makes me so happy to see open displays of affection between men.

  “Felix, this is my husband, Jude. Jude, my new baker, Felix. Of course, you already know him, Apollo.”

  “I do,” Apollo says.

  Jude stands and offers his hand. “Nice to meet you, man.”

  “You as well.”

  “We’ll let you two lovebirds have a minute,” Apollo says, standing. “I'll entertain Felix.”

  “Talk to you Monday,” Briar says.

  “Yes.”

  We leave the office and go into the one next to it.

  “So it worked out with you and Briar?” Apollo asks, leaning on his desk and crossing his arms over his chest. Today, he’s wearing a gray T-shirt with a splattered black heart on it, the colorful ink on his arms on full display. His jeans are so tight, it’s not hard to see the bulge there.

  “Euh, yes, it was a wonderful interview. I’m going to love it there. I can tell.”

  “I thought so.” He studies me for a minute. “You look nice.”

  “Thanks. So do you.”

  “In jeans and a T-shirt?”

  “Yes.”

  “Thanks. We should celebrate. Dinner?”

  I grin. “Tonight?”

  “If you can.”

  “I can.”

  “Good. What are your plans as far as moving out? You gonna wait it out a bit?”

  “No. I want to live near here I think.”

  “Places are pretty expensive.” He laughs. “Right. Doesn't matter.”

  “It does matter. I live off my earnings. I don’t use my trust fund unless I have to.”

  “Just like Lucien.”

  “It was his suggestion. Then we know we will always have a safety net for our later years, no?”

  “Very smart. I would’ve blown through that in a year.”

  “Impossible. Well, not impossible, I guess, but hard to do. I don’t know my salary yet, but when I get it from Briar, I will figure it out.”

  “There are some cool places near me.”

  “You can show me.”

  “Good. Want to keep it casual tonight? Maybe get some tacos?”

  I smile, nodding. “Yes, tacos. I would like that.”

  “Cool. I’ll text you later.”

  “Okay. Thank you again, Apollo. I really appreciate your help in getting my feet in the deep here.”

  He tilts his head. “Um, did you mean getting your feet wet?”

  “Oh.” I nod. "Yes, that’s it, I think. Is there some phrase with deep?”

  “Jumping in the deep end?”

  “Ah.” I smile. “That’s it. My idioms are rusty.”

  “We’ll get you caught up. You know, it’s okay if you just speak like you.”

  “It is so charming though. Genesis called me ‘boo’. I thought this was for lovers, no?”

  Apollo chuckles. “Genesis calls everyone boo. It’s more like his generic term for everyone.”

  “Ah. I see. Briar was so respectful. He asked for my pronouns. No one in Paris ever asked me that question. Americans are so awake, no?”

  Apollo grins. “Woke. The term is woke.”

  “Americans are woke? That is not grammatically correct.”

  “No, it’s not.” He unfolds his arms, gripping the edge of his desk. “I should have asked your pronouns as well. Have they changed from before?”

  “No. I use he/him.”

  “Okay cool.”

  “I learned on the internet, in a group I found, that I am gender non-conforming. I love that term. It embodies freedom to me. I can dress how I want, look how I want. I don’t give a fuck about gender norms, but I am still very much a man. I adore it, in fact. I love having a cock.”

  Apollo laughs, throwing his head back. “I never thought about it like that, but yeah, I love having one too.”

  “I’m obsessed with mine. They are nice, no?”

  “Yeah. They are.”

  His voice turns a little raspy on me, and now his cock is the only thing on my mind. “Well, I should go, and let you get back to work.”

  “I’ll see you for dinner.”

  “Yes.”

  I turn to leave, but his voice stops me.

  “Felix?”

  “Yes?” I reply, twisting around to face him.

  “When you were younger, you used to love to hug. Did you grow out of that?”

  “No.”

  “Oh. Good to know.”

  A jittery laugh leaves my lips. “Tonight?”

  “Yeah.”

  Instead of leaving, I boldly walk toward him and open my arms. Apollo grins, righting himself and stepping into my embrace. He holds me close, giving me the chance to inhale his cologne. I’m shorter than him, so my chin barely reaches his shoulder, but I'm close enough to feel my entire body pressed against his.

  This is lovely.

  Perfect.

  Dangerous.

  I pry myself away, internally cursing my burning cheeks, giving me away once again.

  “À plus tard,” I murmur.

  “What?”

  I chuckle, searching for my composure. “Later. See you later.”

  “Ah, okay. See you tonight, Felix.”

  “Yes.”

  Once I step outside, I take a deep breath. Even the sticky summer air is welcome after nearly suffocating on lust. I have to get myself together, and I have to do it soon.

  Apollo is not an option.

  Someday, I might get the message.

  Two

  You Belong with Me

  Or say you won’t let go

  Apollo

  “Soooo…” Luca says, leaning on the doorframe to my office. “Felix is cute.”

  I look up from my payroll audit, chuckling. “He is.”

  Luca sips his coffee, gazing at me with a smirk on his lips. “Option?”

  “No.” I set my pen down. Over the last few months, Luca and I have bonded over coffee. We click, and I’ve come to consider him a friend. “If you remember Lucien, Felix is his brother. Lucien is extremely protective. I don’t think he’d go for it.”

  “Oh. Got it. Too bad. I could see y’all vibing.”

  “We do. We get along better than I thought.”

  “Why better than you thought?”

  “Ten year age difference. In my head, Felix was still a kid, but I was wrong. I don’t know about deeper things though. We’ve only been out once for dinner, and that was mostly just catching up. He might be in a different place in life than I am.”

  “Which is what? You figure that out yet?”

  I laugh, dragging my fingers through my too long hair. I need a haircut.

  “Yeah, I figured it out. I’m ready for what you have. I want to fall in love, get married, settle down, ya know? My challenge, though, is I went too hard too fast on this dating men stuff.”

  “I know. It can be hard. I was so frustrated before I met Cai and Gen. Sometimes I think you just gotta believe that your time is coming. All this bullshit is preparing you so when the perfect one shows up, you’ll not only know it, you’ll be ready for it.”

  I nod. “Yeah. Good advice. Honestly, if Felix wasn’t Lucien’s brother, I would’ve asked him out already. Romantically. I’ve asked him out as friends, but that’s it.” I could see us together. We click. But I can’t go there.

  “Don’t count him out, and don’t underestimate Lucien. He might not be as opposed as you think.”

  “Maybe, but for now at least, Felix is a friend, not a romantic option. Even if he does flick the switch a little.”

  Luca laughs. “He’s got good energy. You can feel it off him.”

  “Yeah. He’ll be working at Dulce. I hooked him up with Briar.”r />
  “Oh, he’s a baker?”

  “Yeah. Real fancy shit too. He’s been in France for a decade, working there.”

  “No shit? That’s pretty badass.”

  “I agree. He went for what he wanted, and he got it.”

  “Why is he back?”

  “Ready to slow down. Settle in at home again.”

  “Oh, sounds exactly like you.”

  I throw a balled-up piece of paper at him as he ducks to avoid it.

  Luca laughs. “Just saying.”

  “Yeah, yeah.”

  “Seriously though, Apollo, he’d be lucky to have you. You’re a great guy.”

  “Thanks, Luca.” I exhale slowly. “I’ll find my person soon.”

  “That’s the spirit. You want to grab some lunch later?”

  “Definitely.”

  A few hours later, after a quick shower, I finish getting dressed, choosing a pair of jeans and a black T-shirt. Simple, comfortable. I throw gel in my hair to keep it off my face, and after a spritz of cologne, I’m ready to go out and pick up Felix.

  In the car, my phone rings, the Bluetooth displaying Lucien’s name on the screen.

  “Hey, man,” I answer.

  “Apollo. How are you?”

  “Great. On my way to pick up Felix for dinner.”

  “Oh, I know. I just spoke to him. Thank you, mon ami, for helping him get settled so quickly. He is bouncing off the walls with joy over this new position.”

  I smile. “Yeah, he seemed really happy. I had a feeling it would be a good fit.”

  “I appreciate it. It feels so good to me to know he has you looking out for him.”

  “Always. You know that.”

  “Thanks. Where are you taking him?

  “A taco joint that's close to work. I felt a celebration was in order. Pretty soon, I’ll get him out with the guys.”

  “Fantastic. Did he open up to you about anything in France?”

  “Not really. Just talked about how he basically got burnt out.”

  “Yes, okay. He shared the same thing with me. He seems okay to you? No broken heart?”

  “No, he seemed really sincere about his reason. He doesn’t strike me as the type to hide the truth anyway.”

  “This is true.”

  “Speaking of, um, do you know about his style choices?”