Marcus
“So, what are you thinking?” There were too many options that all looked good. Not healthy, but good.
Eric was decisive and didn’t think about it at all. He didn’t even bother to look at the menu. “Burger.”
Laughing, I shrugged one shoulder. “That’s what you had for lunch, but okay.”
The mention of lunch made him blush, and he looked down at the menu. He was so cute. “I thought you liked your hamburger and toy?”
Eric mumbled something, then pushed his face closer to the menu.
“What?”
He sighed and gave me a look like he knew what I was doing, but forced out an answer. “I did.”
“I’m glad. I had a good time watching you play with it.” Once he’d gotten over his initial worries, he’d had fun playing with his toy. I’d initially planned on us spending some grownup time together before we went out to dinner, but after seeing how vulnerable lunch had made him, I’d changed plans.
He’d spent the afternoon in his diaper, playing in the nursery and watching cartoons. By the time we’d needed to get ready for dinner, he’d been much more relaxed and centered. Telling me about his childhood and reliving the experience seemed to give him some distance from it. Hopefully, the next time he got one, he’d be able to simply enjoy it and not let the old memories chase some of the happiness away.
Eric shifted in his seat, and heat flashed through his eyes.
“I was too rough with you.”
He glanced around and blushed as he looked back at me. “Marcus!” His whispered word clearly was intended to make me behave, but it wasn’t going to work. At least, not until Nathan and Gabriel arrived. Luckily, they’d texted just as we were leaving the house, explaining they were running late.
“What? I was.” I didn’t feel that bad about it. I loved knowing he was marked as mine, but I’d have to make sure to be more careful in the future.
“No, you weren’t…” He looked to make sure no one else could hear him before he continued. “It was…hot.”
Reaching out, I ran my hand over his. “I still should have been more careful. The way you’re wiggling makes that obvious.”
Now blushing a vivid tomato color, he shook his head. “No…I…God, Marcus, you’re doing this just to make me nuts. No, I like it when you…when you go all caveman.”
Before I could say anything about how sexy he looked when he blushed…and when he encouraged me to go all caveman, Nathan and Gabriel walked up to the table. Nathan missed the obvious signs of my teasing Eric, but Gabriel just grinned.
“Do you guys need a minute?”
Eric shook his head, giving us both a disgruntled look, while Nathan watched us, confused. I just laughed and gestured to the other chairs at the table. “Sit down. We’re starving.”
Nathan perked up. “Me too. Gabriel—”
“They don’t need to know why we’re late, Pup.” Gabriel smiled, clearly unconcerned at Nathan’s tendency to overshare.
“Oh, you’re probably right.” He blinked and reached for the menu on the table. After giving it a quick glance, he looked up. “Does anyone else’s menu look weird?”
Having never been there before, I wasn’t sure what he was talking about. “What do you mean?”
“Well, look.” He laid it flat, but I didn’t see what the problem was, it looked just like mine. Not getting the expected response from Gabriel and me, Nathan turned to Eric. “Look.”
Eric leaned over, frowning. “Weird.”
Nathan just nodded, like Eric had said something brilliant. I was still incredibly confused, however. “Would someone care to explain?”
Obviously deciding not to leave the conversation to Nathan, Eric opened his and started to show us what Nathan was talking about. “See this page in the middle, where they have an insert with the logo and some advertising on it?”
“Yes.” The conversation still wasn’t making sense, but at least we were starting to get somewhere. Gabriel just listened. Living with Nathan, he was probably used to taking his time with a conversation.
“There’s a whole page of food options missing. There used to be a page of pastas and salads, not just the burgers and appetizers that are in here now.” Eric turned the menu over in his hands like he expected to find the page somewhere else.
He looked at Nathan. “Was it here last time we came in?”
“Yes…maybe…” He got a lost look on his face, then nodded absently. “Yes. It was there. I remember debating what to get because there were too many options.”
Before the discussion could continue, a young-looking waiter with a fake smile trying to cover his frustration came over. “Hello, gentlemen. Can I start you off with some drinks while you look at the menu?”
“Um, speaking of the menu, what happened?” Eric spoke up, glancing down at the missing page. “There used to be a lot more options.”
“I apologize about that. We’ve had some staff turnover, and it has affected our menu for the moment. I’m sure the kitchen will get it fixed shortly, though. For now, we have our burgers and appetizers, and I can also do a side salad but not the usual selections, I’m afraid.” His canned speech was well-rehearsed; it was clear he’d given it multiple times already.
“You mentioned last time about the change in ownership.” Eric leaned back, talking confidently with the waiter.
The young man looked at him again, then you could see the recognition coming into his eyes. Something about his posture changed, and he went from a frustrated waiter to someone with more authority. “Yes, I’m sorry. I didn’t remember you gentlemen. It’s been a busy night. They’re still at it, and the head chef got so fed up he quit on Friday. It’s been interesting. I’m sure they’ll have it back in order soon. They’ve been talking to him and trying to get things ironed out for him to come back.”
He was just the waiter, right?
Eric nodded but didn’t seem to believe him completely. “People like that just keep fighting.”
The waiter shrugged one shoulder. It was easy to see that he agreed with Eric. Dropping his voice a little so other tables couldn’t hear him, he spoke again. “The family lawyer said that the best thing to do is sell since they can’t agree on running the business. I knew the owner, and I think that’s what he was planning on doing anyway. He mentioned several times that the rest of the family wouldn’t be able to work together. Too many…leaders and not enough…followers for it to work.”
Something about the way he said it and the slight hitch in the explanation gave the impression there was more to the story than he was saying. And something about him was familiar…I just couldn’t place him.
“Any idea when it’s going to be sold? It’s always been a favorite place to hang out, but lately…” Eric’s voice trailed off a little like he didn’t want to badmouth the place.
The waiter’s lips turned up, and it was clear he was trying not to smile. “It’s not quite the same.”
Eric just nodded. Nathan wasn’t as gracious. “They need to sell it before it goes under. Just the sheer number of meals you’ve probably had to comp is likely cutting into the financials significantly.”
Everyone at the table turned to look at him. Nathan looked around, confused. “What?”
“Nothing.” Gabriel just reached over and rested his hand on Nathan’s shoulder. “They were just curious how you noticed.”
Yeah, that was it.
Nathan glanced around and looked at everyone else like it was obvious. “He’s comped at least three tables since we came in, and that table of women over there got free dessert. The accountant is going to go crazy when he sees the receipts.”
Nathan shouldn’t surprise me—but he did.
The waiter finally gave in and smiled. “He’s going to kill me, but that’s okay. I’m going to tell him one of the owners told me to. They’ll never remember they didn’t.”
Nathan’s mouth started to open, but he stopped, giving Gabriel a questioning look. Gabriel just shook his head and Nathan sighed, closing his lips. Eric tried not to laugh and had to look away. Moving his attention back to the waiter, he did his best to ignore Nathan. “I’m sorry it’s going that bad. This has been a favorite hangout for years.”
The waiter shrugged. “Not much anyone can do until it sells or they get their heads out of their—Well, I shouldn’t say that to a customer.” Grinning, he stepped back from the table. “Now on to pretend to be professional. Do you guys need more time or are you ready to order?”
“Give us a few minutes, please.” Gabriel spoke up, glancing away from Nathan long enough to join the group.
“Of course, let me know if you have any questions.” He smiled and took our drink order before walking away quickly toward another table.
“It really is terrible.” Eric looked around the restaurant and frowned.
“I know.” Nathan seemed to be focused on the food. “My favorite stuff isn’t on the menu anymore.”
“I don’t think that’s what he meant.” Gabriel grinned.
“Oh, about the place probably closing?” He nodded and went back to finding something for dinner. “Are nachos a good idea?”
“No.” Gabriel shook his head decisively, and Nathan sighed.
“Okay.” Nathan gave another exaggerated sigh and continued studying the menu.
“Why do you think? Is it going to close?” Eric leaned closer to the table.
“I see it all the time at work. Families get greedy and things just fall apart before they can make the decision to actually sell. Who knows, they might get their act together and manage to act like Doms.” Nathan’s head came up and he looked around, slightly worried. “That’s what he meant, right?”
Gabriel chuckled, and Eric and I shrugged. If I was honest, I wasn’t really sure. “That’s what I was thinking, but I thought it was just my imagination.”
“No idea, but the waiter looks familiar, so it’s possible.” Gabriel pointed to the menu. “Look for something to eat that’s not layered in fat and cheese. And a vegetable would be great.”
Nathan looked like he wanted to say something, but just gave Gabriel another sigh and went back to looking at the menu. “Burgers have tomatoes and onions…onions are a vegetable…they grow in the ground…that might be two…rewards for that…”
His voice got lower and it was clear he wasn’t talking to us, so we went back to talking and left Nathan to browse and debate vegetables. I glanced around the restaurant and went back to focusing on Eric. “Have you ever met any of the owner’s family?”
“No. I’m not even sure I could have picked out the owner when he was alive. There were a few people who were always here, but I’m not sure if any one of them was the owner. I just can’t believe how much things have changed.” Eric’s gaze went around the room and then back to the menu, and he frowned.
“It’s probably the conflicting instructions from the different people trying to make decisions. When the chef or waiters are constantly being told different things, it doesn’t give them any reason to work hard.” It really was too bad. Just looking around, it was easy to see the place was well-liked.
Even with the problems with the staff and in the kitchen, the restaurant was busy and there was an interesting mix of people. Eric had said it was a place all his friends felt comfortable, no matter how they identified, and that was clear to see from the customers.
“I wonder how much longer they can make things work.”
“Well, the waiter seems to be doing his best to smooth things over, but I’m not sure how much longer he can continue to do that.” From just the little Nathan had noticed, he was giving away a lot of food to appease customers, and that just wasn’t reasonable in the long run.
“Mushrooms.”
“Are not going to count as a vegetable.”
“Not even with onions in them? They grow in the ground…see, vegetable.” Nathan’s grin was infectious, and I couldn’t decide if he was making Gabriel crazy on purpose or not.
“Nathan.”
“Okay.” He leaned sideways and rested his elbows on the table, staring intently at Gabriel. “How about burger and fries but side salad too?”
Gabriel grinned. “That works.”
It seemed we had the food picked out, but we’d lost our waiter. As many customers as there were, he seemed to be the only person helping them. He’d tried to give us a hopeful outlook, but just a glance around the room let me know the place was closer to going under than he’d been willing to admit. Frustration was clear on everyone’s faces, and I wasn’t sure how that would translate into repeat customers.
****
“That was all right, but I hate to say it…whoever is cooking now isn’t quite as good.” Eric looked guilty that he’d criticized the new chef. “It’s not bad. There’s just a difference you can taste.”
The food hadn’t been bad—I’d liked it—but to Eric and Nathan, it was a big change. I think part of it had to do with how emotionally invested they were in the business. They’d been going there for years, and the idea that it was falling apart and might close was hard for them.
“I’m sure someone will buy it once it’s put up for sale. This area is still growing and there are a lot of young people from the university who live close by. It’s a natural location for a restaurant.” It wasn’t an area that I’d worked in, but from what other people on the force had said, it was a decent neighborhood.
I might have checked it out when Eric said it was someplace he liked to hang out on a regular basis.
Dinner had been fun, but the disappointment over how the place was doing hung over the meal. Nathan was looking at it from an accounting perspective and maintaining some distance, but to Eric, it was different.
Between the issues with their friend and now the state of the business, he was struggling. He’d had a hard time with Allie’s anger and accusations at Nathan. Watching people that he’d known for years judge Nathan, or at the very least fail to defend him, hurt Eric more than he wanted to admit.
It made him realize he’d been right not to open up to most of them, but he was still carrying around some guilt for not talking to Nathan sooner. It was something he was working through, though, so I didn’t push. Just the fact that Eric had been able to talk to Nathan about what his friend needed in a relationship was huge.
Eric nodded, picking at his fries. “You’re probably right.”
His gaze was drawn to a group of college-age people who were obviously a mix of genders and preferences, if the T-shirt slogans and flirting was any indication. I knew he was comparing them to his own group of friends who’d started coming to the restaurant right around the same age.
“I just hope the new owners have the same open-minded tendencies. The place is inclusive but has a nice, almost family feel, and it would be a shame for it to change.” Eric started to say something else, but then he covered his mouth as he yawned.
“And I think that’s our cue to head home.” Smiling as Eric gave me a disgruntled look, I shook my head. “No arguing. You have a long week at work.”
He’d been asked to pick up some extra shifts, and he was going to be putting a lot of extra hours in for at least the next week as well. Eric was going to need the sleep and plenty of time in the evening to decompress. Eric must have realized that I was right, or that it just wasn’t worth arguing with me, because he nodded and set his napkin on his plate.
Eric turned to Nathan, probably to say goodbye or something like that, but before he could open his mouth, Nathan spoke. “He does that a lot, doesn’t he?”
“Huh?” Eric had missed what Nathan was trying to ask.
I caught on faster and hoped that Eric wouldn’t have an issue with it. Nathan started to say something else but then looked over to Gabriel, who seemed to understand.
“I’m sure Eric will tell you if your question is too personal.” Gabriel’s comment was seemingly aimed at both guys—Nathan, to point out that it might be too personal, and Eric, to make sure he realized he didn’t have to answer.
“Marcus…takes charge, I guess? Maybe that’s not right. He makes decisions and…it’s part of taking care of you, right? Part of the daddy thing?” Nathan was obviously trying not to upset Eric and wasn’t sure how to phrase his question.
Eric nodded, and his hand slowly went down to his pocket. It took him a few seconds to answer, but he didn’t stumble over the words. “Yes.” There was another, shorter pause before he continued. “He takes care of me in a lot of ways. Like making sure I get enough sleep.”
I was so proud of him.
“Gabriel does that too.” Nathan nodded like it was no big deal and went back to poking his salad. He’d take a bite, then look up to make sure Gabriel had noticed he’d eaten some. Nathan didn’t seem to want the salad, but he also didn’t want to upset his master.
Eric was just doing his best not to react and seemed to be praying that Nathan didn’t have any more questions. When nothing else came up, Eric relaxed back in his seat and almost smiled. “I think we’re going to head out. It was good to see you both. Nathan, give me a call this week if you want to do something.”
I think that having a friend that understood who he was and didn’t judge meant the world to Eric. It was slowly getting him used to opening up to other people who were in similar relationships. It also seemed to make him feel more confident each time he answered one of Nathan’s questions.
“You guys have a good week. We’re just going to wait for Nathan to finish his dinner.” There was a glint in Gabriel’s eyes that made me want to grin, but not wanting to embarrass Nathan, I held back.
I shouldn’t have worried.
“Will I get punished if I don’t eat it all?” He was entirely too excited about that possibility.
“How about you get a spanking if you finish it, instead? I’m not rewarding bad behavior. You talked your way out of a healthy lunch and you’re not doing it for dinner too.” Gabriel obviously knew his boy very well.
Nathan grinned and took a bigger bite. Eric just shook his head and tried not to blush. Stepping in, I took Eric’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “I was going to tell you to have a good night, but now I’m not sure that’s appropriate. Talk to you later. Thanks for meeting us for dinner.”
Gabriel grinned. “We’re going to have a wonderful night. Just as soon as he finishes his dinner.”
Eric lost the fight with his blush, but Nathan just took another bite of salad, determined to get his spanking. Making sure I grabbed my card from the little black tray that the waiter had brought by earlier, I tugged Eric closer. “Come on. Let’s go home.”
I loved the way that came out so naturally. I’d half-expected it to be a little difficult, but we were falling into it so easily I’d stopped worrying. Having a place that he could be himself and be taken care of when he needed it seemed to make him feel even more secure and loved.
He was finally home, and he knew it.