backed away down the alley out of hearing, Isaac muttered to himself, “Yeah, I’m his new boyfriend; he just don’t know it yet.”
After returning to the table as if nothing untoward had occurred, Isaac slid into his chair, avoiding the questioning eyes of his tablemates. The cake still sat on the table, untouched. “I think this cake needs cutting, what you think?” he asked no one in particular.
While he passed around slices of chocolate gâteau, he willed his body to relax, the adrenaline rush of his earlier encounter making him jumpy. If he were at home he’d exhaust the nervous tension in the gym. With that option unavailable, the best he could hope for was not to vent on some undeserving soul. No, he’d rather save it in case Victor decided to come back later.
That thought hit him hard. What if the asshole did come back after hours, waiting until Thierry was alone? Or worse, followed the man home? A smile eased across his face as his mind formed a plan. He might be able to kill two birds with one stone here, cementing his claim in Victor’s eyes while officially putting Thierry on notice. Oh, he could always play it off as friendly concern if Thierry were unreceptive, but he fully intended to wait around and thank the Frenchman personally for the cake, making sure his favorite chef was safe and uninjured. Then he’d offer an escort home. And if asked to stay for coffee or a nightcap? Well, it was his birthday, after all, and he shouldn’t have to end the evening alone.
“You look like the cat that ate the canary.”
Isaac snapped out of his musings to find Paul studying him intently, one eyebrow raised in question.
Deliberately ignoring the hint to divulge what had happened, he replied, “Maybe not a canary, but I’m definitely gonna eat some of this cake.” He made good on his words by taking a bite. Mmm… The gooey chocolate confection exploded on his tongue. Damn! If he’d ever eaten anything this good before, he certainly couldn’t remember it. He looked around the crowded restaurant for blond curls, still hoping Thierry might join them, but the chef was nowhere to be found. Isaac’s appetite vanished. Had Thierry been badly hurt? Suddenly, he regretted letting Victor off so easily.
One by one, his friends finished their dessert and coffee, and then they demanded that he open his presents. His gaze swept as much of the restaurant as he could see from their private room, his concern growing when Thierry never appeared. He finally caught a glimpse of the big, blond bear talking to Maurice and breathed a sigh of relief. Thierry appeared to be okay after all. He also looked busy, so Isaac decided to let it go—for now.
Theresa handed him a brightly wrapped package and he ripped the paper off with abandon to find a hand-knitted throw in his favorite team’s colors. William, Martha, and Bernard had gone in together for two tickets to a Lakers game, which they’d tucked into a birthday card. He smiled slyly when they inquired who he’d be taking with him. Paul and Alex’s gift was strangely small and flat. When he opened it, a colorful brochure fell out.
“Aruba?” he asked, looking up with wide eyes, clutching the flyer.
Twin smiles answered him. “Well, we saw how interested you were during that special on the travel channel,” Paul said.
Isaac stared down in disbelief at the two first-class airline tickets and an itinerary for a week’s all-inclusive stay at the same new resort featured on the show. Wow! His bosses really paid attention. “Thanks!”
They all walked out together, his coworkers bidding him goodnight and climbing into Theresa’s car. That left him and his employers. “Good luck,” Paul said before driving off with his lover. All night the two had been exchanging suggestive looks.
It was going to be an interesting evening once they got home. Alex had taken Paul out shopping earlier, after instructing Isaac to buy every single red rose he could find and fill the house in their absence. He smiled, imagining Paul’s reaction when he found Alex’s gift. If only it were his own man Isaac had done that for. He sighed, the smile leaving his lips.
Never in his life had Isaac had a serious relationship like Alex and Paul’s, and at thirty-one years old, it was high time he did. Sure, the Los Angeles nightlife offered a lot to an attractive single man, but going home with strangers and