Free Serving Mr. Right by Sean Michael

 

Chapter 1
     
    Tone looked around the place as he waited for his appetizer. Decadence was a lot smaller than he'd expected. Of course the size of the restaurant accounted in part for the months-long wait for a reservation. He'd gotten lucky, having been given a reservation by one of his clients. It had been for two, but he wasn't with anyone right now, so he'd come on his own.
    He had to admit, the menu looked amazing. There was a blue corn enchilada with queso fresco snow, prawns and glass noodles, and a polenta dish with osso bucco. He'd gone for the prawns, which came with a scallop appetizer and air chocolate mousse for dessert. He had to admit his mouth was already watering.
    The place had only four tables, one that sat four, three that sat two, and they only did two seatings an evening. Tiny, but the decor was pure luxury, the wine list was breathtaking, and the service so far had been beyond impeccable.
    His scallops arrived and he had to try very hard not to drool. They were served with a crisp, apple flavored white wine. Seasoned perfectly on top of a lovely tart salad, the scallops literally melted in his mouth. The chef was pure genius.
    The prawns, when they arrived at the perfect interval after he'd been served his appetizer, were spicy and fresh, the basil sharp and herbaceous.
    The best food of the evening, though, was the mousse. Oh, God. It really was like flavored air.
    Tone hadn't had food this amazing in a long, long time.
    He heard a smattering of applause as the chef came out, wearing a bright red jacket, greeting each table warmly. He was the last table to be touched, and he heard a soft gasp. "Tony? Tony, oh my God! Welcome to Decadence! I didn't know you were going to be here."
    He looked up into Finn McCready's big blue eyes, the wide smile. His mouth dropped open. Finn was the last person he'd expected to see. Not that Finn hadn't been a great chef--because he had been--but because he'd never expected to see Finn again after their rather...volatile break-up.
    Finn's smile faltered. "Or maybe I have you mistaken with someone else. My apologies. Was your food to your liking?"
    He managed not to roll his eyes at Finn. "You know full well it's me. Sit down, Finn, and let me stroke your ego."
    "I was offering you the out. You looked so shocked."
    "I was shocked. I should have known it was you from the food, though--you always were a genius in the kitchen."
    Finn shrugged and grinned. "I've got a good thing going here."
    "I'll say--I've seen the prices. And you're booked solid until you die." Only a slight exaggeration, he was sure. He grinned back, though, letting Finn know he wasn't bitching. The food had been the best he'd had. Ever.
    "It's the perfect place--a good size, warm, nice kitchen. I'm happy with it." Finn held out a hand. "It was great to see you, Tony. You look amazing."
    He offered his hand to Finn and nearly fell off his chair at the fucking electricity that sparked between them. Looked like they still had chemistry in fucking spades. That had never been their problem.
    He didn't let go of Finn's hand. "And you're looking better than ever." Happiness had softened the angles of Finn's face a little. He'd always been handsome, but there used to be a harshness to Finn that gave him a hard edge. Tone liked this version of the man a whole lot better.
    "Thank you." He got another one of those smiles, genuine and warm. "I don't suppose you'd like to meet for coffee or something? I have to close out and help with the kitchen, but I'm free in an hour or so."
    It might have been a bad idea, Tone couldn't say, but he also couldn't say no. He didn't want to say no. "That sounds good. Is there someplace around here open late?"
    "Miguel's. Great coffee and I can have some supper."
    "I'll find it. An hour, you said?"
    "An hour, yeah. And you can't miss it--it's three doors down. Big pink neon gorilla in the window."
    "You're not joking, are you?" He knew Finn wasn't. He wouldn't be surprised if it