Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 78464 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78464 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
“Theo.”
I rolled my eyes. “You’ll tell him to like it.”
“I won’t.”
“And even if you don’t, he’s not going to insult his best friend’s wife.”
“He’s not my best friend. He’s my brother.”
“Isn’t that the same thing?”
“I’m not the kind of guy who has a best friend.”
“What about me?” I asked. “I’m not your best friend?”
“You’re definitely not in the friend zone, baby.”
“You know what I mean.”
“Trust me, I don’t see you as a friend. Never have and never will.”
I smirked slightly. “Well, I feel like in order to have a good relationship, you need to be friends. If that weren’t true, then all we would do is fuck and do nothing else in between. We’d just sit there in silence.”
“If it were up to me, we would be having more sex.”
“What?” I asked incredulously. “We do it every morning and every night.”
“And if you didn’t get sore, there would be a lot more in between.”
“Wow, I had no idea.”
His hand reached to my ass and squeezed it, right in front of the people behind us. “With a pussy as pretty as yours, you shouldn’t be surprised.”
I smacked his arm away. “People are staring.”
“I don’t blame them.” His arm moved around my waist, and he tugged me close into his side. “I’d be staring at your ass too.”
“Not everyone is obsessed with my lady bits like you are.”
“Oh, trust me.” His lips moved to my ear. “They are.”
Aldo escorted Theo into the kitchen. “What can I get you to drink?”
“He’ll have what I’m having,” Axel said.
Aldo nodded then poured him a scotch—on the rocks.
He left the room, and Theo took the spot next to Axel on the barstool as I cooked in the kitchen.
Theo clinked his glass against Axel’s before he took a drink. “Never had a woman cook for me before.”
“That’s not true,” I said as I turned back toward them to use the sink. “I made you those pistachio cannoli.”
“Oh, that’s right.” Theo grinned at the memory. “They were good.”
“Really? Because you didn’t eat much of it.”
“Well, I don’t have a big sweet tooth.”
When I looked at Axel, I stilled at the rage on his face. He normally wore a smile with a dash of arrogance in his eyes, but now he looked like he wanted to rip the faucet out of the sink and bash a hole in the wall. “I’m just teasing him—”
“Do me a favor and never bring that shit up again.” Axel tilted his head back and drank his scotch in one go.
Theo smirked before he clapped him on the back. “It’s all good, Axel. She got the guy she wanted.”
Axel grabbed the bottle and refilled his glass, obviously still pissed.
Theo and I exchanged a quick look.
“What are you making?” he asked.
“A couple things.” I listed off the entrees and the starters, a fusion of European flavors, some Mediterranean tastes with a bit of French cooking.
“That sounds good,” Theo said. “I eat the same shit over and over. Will be nice to have something different.”
Axel still didn’t talk, more interested in the booze in his glass.
“Axel thinks I should open a restaurant, and I would love to have an honest opinion,” I said. “He says his feedback is truthful, but I still wonder if he’s a bit biased because I give him sex.”
“Good sex,” Axel added before he took another drink.
“Well, I’ll give you my ruthless and honest opinion,” Theo said. “Because I don’t give a damn about offending anyone. If your food tastes like shit, I’ll tell you.”
“Thank you,” I said.
Axel was still in a sour mood, but it started to lessen as time went on. The kitchen filled with the aromas of hot food, and my own stomach started to rumble. The hardest part about cooking was keeping everything hot and serving it all at once, but since Axel had a full chef’s kitchen, I was able to manage it. “Alright, let’s eat.” I plated the food and brought out everything at once, the salad, the soup, and the main entrée.
Axel sat across from me, while Theo sat beside him. For the first few minutes, we ate in silence, utensils scraping against plates occasionally. I didn’t ask Theo what he thought of the food, letting him give his own opinion when he was ready.
“I’m not a fan of lemon,” Theo said. “And it’s potent in this chicken.”
“Okay, I used too much lemon.” I made a note to myself.
“But damn, it’s good,” he said. “Nice texture. Cooked well but still juicy and tender. And what is in this?” He pointed to the orange sauce that went with it.
“Tarragon.”
“Good shit.” He continued to eat. “It’s all good.”
Axel grinned at me. “What did I tell you? This guy would not eat dog shit.”
“What?” Theo asked quizzically.
“Nothing,” Axel said quickly. “Don’t worry about it.”
“Who eats dog shit?” Theo asked.