CHAPTER FOUR
“Riley, can you hand me a spatula?”
“Sure,” Riley Dashwood searched the counter. Where had he left the spatula? Oh, there it was. He passed it to Susan.
She scraped down the sides of the mixer and added an egg to the Italian-cream-cake batter.
“How are we doing on time?” Riley asked.
“We’ll make it.”
Riley wasn’t as convinced. This was the biggest order Susan’s fledging catering business had gotten yet. He was thrilled to have the opportunity to work with her. She’d lived next door to his family when he was a kid, but they’d become close when they took the same cooking class several years ago.
While Riley wasn’t ashamed of the work he did as Dash, he didn’t intend to fuck men for money much longer. He wanted to get an associate’s degree in baking and pastry arts, and he’d been saving so he could finally enroll. If things went well, he’d be able to take some classes after the start of the year. Being an escort beat the hell out of waiting tables or taking whatever crap job he could find in a restaurant kitchen with no training or professional experience.
His job also gave him time during the day to cook and bake; after several friends asked him to make cakes or other desserts for them, he got the idea to start charging. Then Susan had approached him about starting a small catering business, mostly desserts but some savory hors d’oeuvres as well, and he’d loved every minute of it so far. Sure, it was stressful when you knew the food had to be the best, but it gave him almost as much of a thrill as fucking a client he was really into.
He turned off the mixer he was using and tasted the devil’s-food-cake batter. “Mmm.”
“Good?” Susan asked.
“Heavenly.”
Susan had suggested espresso powder and just a touch of red pepper, enough to add interest without heat. The extra ingredients had perked the batter right up.
“You had a new client last weekend, right? How did that go?” Susan asked as Riley started filling the mini muffin tins he was using to make tiny cupcakes.
“You do realize how inappropriate this conversation is, right?”
Susan had never been bothered by Riley’s job. In fact, she took glee in embarrassing him by asking about it. Probably, she was just trying to make sure he was staying safe and that he was truly okay with what he was doing.
She laughed. “We’re both adults, and I like to check up on you. Besides, it’s nice to have you doing something exciting since Lilah’s job’s so boring. Not many fun stories from her accounting office.”
Susan’s daughter was a source of consternation. She’d turned out straitlaced and all business despite her mother’s rather vivacious personality. But in truth, Riley’s job was less exciting than most people imagined.
“Friday night was interesting.” Riley continued scooping out batter, trying to keep each muffin cup even without spilling drops on the tray. Mini cupcakes were damn cute, but they were also a pain.
“Interesting good or interesting bad?”
“Good. The new client is an uptight-as-hell businessman, but I like him.” Riley tensed as he heard the slightly wistful tone in his voice. He more than liked Thorne. The man intrigued the hell out of Riley. He couldn’t wait to go back and see what else he could do to help Thorne let go. He wasn’t sure where he’d gotten the nerve to push Thorne so hard the week before, but something about him called to Riley. He’d had uptight clients before, but Thorne seemed desperate for something. The longing in his eyes when he’d looked at Riley after his shower had been so intense. Riley hadn’t thought Thorne would give in to the suggestion that he stay longer, but he’d been thrilled when he had. Licking cake off him was one of the hottest things Riley had ever done, and that was saying a lot.
“Uh-oh,” Susan said. Damn, she had caught his tone.
“What?” Play it off.
“I’ve never heard you use that tone when talking about a client, or anyone else for that matter.”
“I’ve enjoyed plenty of clients.”
“Not like that.”
True. He’d jerked off to thoughts of Thorne most nights that week. He’d even imagined Thorne when he was with other clients. He’d often pictured an actor or a porn star, sure, but never another client. Was he getting himself in trouble? Should he cancel their appointment that night?
Riley imagined Thorne sitting at home alone, working, lonely, and tense because he didn’t show up. Or what if Sheila sent someone else to fuck him?
No, Thorne was his.
Fuck, that kind of thinking was definitely a bad sign.
It’s good money. I’d be crazy to cancel. Thorne had left a mind-boggling tip.
“Riley, are you okay?” Susan asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
“This guy must be rather impressive.”
“He is. Totally hot.”
“Young like you?”
Young clients were rare, in part because of the expense. Riley didn’t come cheap, which was why he was going to be able to start culinary school very soon.
“No. He’s forty-two.”
“Ha! That sounds young to me, but I guess not to you. This old geezer must keep himself in shape.”
Riley grinned. “Yes, he does.”
“Too bad you can’t introduce me.”
Riley shook his head.
“I suppose he only goes for men, anyway.”
“That’s not something I ask.”
“I guess not, too personal. Even if you’ve had your dick in his ass.”
Riley made a strangled noise. “Susan!”
She ignored his protest. “The Italian cream is ready to go in the oven. What about the cupcakes?”
Riley slipped the trays of mini cupcakes and the round pans of cake batter in the oven, and Susan set two timers.
“Are you seeing him again tonight?” she asked.
“Yeah; he used to have a regular Friday night thing with Marc. I’ve taken that over now.”
Susan smiled. “How is Marc?”
“He’s fine, I guess. I haven’t heard from him in a few days.” In part because he was avoiding talking about Thorne. “He loves his new apartment, and his first day of work went well.” Marc had been the one to get Riley hired at the service. He and Riley had shared an apartment for several years, but Marc had followed his new boyfriend to California, though Riley thought the guy was a dick.
“You can go if you need to,” Susan said. “All that’s left is icing these and delivering them.”
“Are you sure?”
“You were out late last night, and you will be again tonight. Go take a nap.”
“Actually, Thorne keeps to a strict schedule. He was writing a report for work when I left last week. I kinda feel sorry for him.”
“The man lives in a penthouse apartment and has enough money to hire you? He’s probably doing okay.”
Riley smiled. “True enough.” And yet, he wasn’t so sure. “I’m happy to stay and help with the icing. I doubt I could sleep anyway, and I enjoy practicing when I get a chance.”
“Okay, we’ll have some extra cupcakes. You’re welcome to take them.”
Riley imagined what Thorne would say if he showed up with cupcakes. “I think I will. They really are awesome with the pepper.”
“I knew you’d like that trick.”
Maybe one day he’d teach Thorne how to make a cake.
I don’t hire men for companionship. Thorne’s words echoed in his mind.
Maybe Riley would change that. Maybe he would also get Thorne to admit how much he enjoyed submitting.