Chapter 2
Anthony nodded. “Anything for you.”
David cleared his throat and pouted. “Hey, what about me?”
Anthony rolled his eyes. “You’ve been here many times over the past one year or so, and I’ve custom-made plenty of orders for you.”
“How come you’ve never invited me to this bakery, Dave?” Vincent interjected before David could respond to Anthony.
David scoffed. “I have! Many times!”
“Really? When?”
“But, David, I need to maintain my sexy, curvaceous figure. Oh, David, I wish I could, but my thousand-pack stomach doesn’t just appear on its own,” David said in a high-pitch tone.“Do I need to continue?”
Vincent could feel the heat of embarrassment creeping up his neck and cheeks, but he took David’s teasing in stride. “I never said anything like that. I certainly don’t sound like that. Ever.”
“A thousand-pack stomach?” Anthony asked with his eyes zeroing in on Vincent’s stomach area.
Vincent became a little self-conscious. He wasn’t ashamed of his body. He didn’t have a low self-esteem. He worked hard at the gym to get into the best shape of his life. However, he found Anthony extremely attractive, and he couldn’t help but shiver and fidget a little when he noticed the bakery owner’s appreciative gaze on him. Or rather, on his stomach area. He might be fully clothed, but he felt somehow naked at the moment.
“David exaggerated.”
“Maybe you should lift your shirt up and let me be the judge of that.”
Vincent’s lips went dry in an instant. “May…maybe another time, man.”
“How about dinner tonight?”
Vincent stared at Anthony in shock. “What?”
“Dinner. Tonight. With me.”
Vincent gaped for a few seconds longer before speaking up. “Like a date?”
“Yeah, man. Unless you already have a boyfriend. I don’t poach on someone else’s territory. It’s not my style.”
Vincent ignored his wildly beating heart and nodded while doing his best to act calm and unaffected. “I’m single. Very single and available. Din…dinner sounds good.”
“Okay.”
“Great.”
Vincent and Anthony smiled at each other, and they were both taken aback when David cleared his throat loudly. Vincent rubbed the back of his head while Anthony suddenly found the floor to be interesting and exciting. David patted Anthony on the shoulder and pointed at something on the menu
“As much as I enjoy the highly amusing mating ritual between the two of you, may I have a slice of chocolate and butterscotch pudding pie with a scoop of chocolate ice cream on top?”
Anthony’s cheeks grew impossibly redder. “Yeah. Absolutely. Vince, what about you?”
“I want—”
“A nice, long, hard, thick sausage and two eggs with the white, creamy Anthony-sauce lathered all over them, I presume?” David cut Vincent off midsentence.
Vincent was mortified, and he glared at David, who appeared unrepentant. “Dave, can you shut it?”
“I can, and I’m sure Tony here will find a way to render you speechless by stuffing your mouth with—umph”
Vincent placed his palm over David’s mouth and turned toward Anthony in exasperation. “I’m sorry. David has zero filter whatsoever.”
Anthony chuckled. “It’s fine. I’m very entertained.”
Vincent struggled to cup his palm over David, who was thrashing and snickering at the same time, while grinning at Anthony. “Surprise me with something.”
Anthony nodded. “All right then. Have a seat anywhere. There are a few empty tables left near to the entrance.”
“Okay. Thanks, man.”
“You’re welcome. I’ll be right back.”
Vincent ogled Anthony’s sexy and perky jeans-clad buttocks for a few seconds longer before dragging a laughing David all the way to one of the empty tables. Once they were seated, David gave Vincent a mocking grin.
“Anthony and Vincent sitting in the tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G.”
Vincent showed David both of his middle fingers. “You’re a menace.”
“And you’re embarrassed. You look really cute right now with your red cheeks and all.”
“Fuck you.”
David chuckled. “Sorry, man, but I’m saving myself for Toby. Besides, Tony doesn’t strike me as the sharing type.”
“Whatever. It’s just a date.”
David snickered. “He likesyou.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Liar. He asked you out on a date earlier.”
Vincent forced himself to regain a little bit of his self-control. “Maybe he just wants me as a friend. Like a friend-date.”
“Keep fooling yourself. Tony looked at you earlier as if he wanted nothing more than to sex you up for all eternity. For that matter, you drooled at him just as badly.”
Vincent couldn’t deny that. “I did. I still do. He’s hot.”
“Duh!”
“Just…just don’t tell the other guys about my date with Tony later. I’ll tell them tomorrow.”
David smirked. “That’s not possible.”
“Why not?”
Vincent realized he sounded a little whiny, but he was ready to plead with David if he had to. He wanted a quiet, peaceful date night with Anthony without his overly protective friends checking up on him every few minutes. He knew they cared for him, but his best friends could go too far sometimes.