Page 91 of A Hard Sell

“Five now,mon dieu. C’est trop! It is too many, but I seem to collect them. Do you like dogs?” He poured a sample of the wine for Rory to approve.

“I do. I always wanted a dog growing up, but my parents said no. I figured I’d get one as an adult, but I never did.”

“They can be a lot of work!” Dimitri continued pouring wine around the table. “If you decide to get one, please let me know if you have any questions. I am somewhat of an expert!” He laughed.

“I will, thank you.” Luka took a sip of his wine. Oh, it was good.Veryexpensive. It was so rich and smooth, the flavor bursting on his tongue. He took another sip.

It was clear Dimitri was an excellent server, very knowledgeable about the food and attentive to their every need. He answered their questions without hesitation, fawned over the newlyweds and always appeared the instant they looked for him.

As the night went on, every time Dimitri asked Luka a question or cleared his plate, he would gently touch his shoulder. It was nice—it made him feel important and appreciated. But once he started watching for it, he could see that Dimitri didn’t do the same thing with the other three. They just got the odd tap, maybe once or twice each.

For dinner, they each had a taste of the two main courses—there wasLemon Poussin, roasted chicken stuffed with duck confit, served with truffle risotto and thyme and rosemary braised lamb shoulder with slow roasted vegetables. Every single thing was heavenly, and Luka was sure he would eat until he wouldn’t be able to walk home.

“So, are you moving into Finn’s place?” he asked Rory, after savoring the first few bites. The risotto was particularly exquisite.

Rory furrowed their brow. “I’m trying to remember the last time I slept in my apartment. I don’t even think I’ve been there in weeks. But yes.” They leaned over to kiss Finn. “I’ll be giving my notice tomorrow.”

“Will you go on a honeymoon?” Thomas wondered.

“Hmm, we haven’t talked about that. What do you think, love?” Finn asked Rory.

“Yes, please. Can we find a cabin somewhere without cell service, and just hike and sit around a campfire and read and…just be together, only the two of us? For at least a week!”

“That sounds perfect.” They kissed again. Finn reached up to push a piece of hair behind Rory’s ear. Luka sighed.

The evening was winding down, their plates almost empty, when Dimitri brought up the topic of dessert. “I hope you have saved room?”

“Oh, gosh. I couldn’t possibly.” Luka groaned and rubbed his stomach.

“Je suis désolé, the chef requires that I bring it out as a gift fromL’Empereur.”

Luka realized that Dimitri was primarily talking to him. Finn and Rory were in their own little world, feeding each other bites of food and whispering sweet nothings. And Thomas… Well, Thomas was glaring at him as Dimitri’s fingers fluttered over his shoulder again.

“Five dogs, hmm?” Thomas said, out of nowhere. “You must have dog hair all over everything.”

Luka looked at him askance but Dimitri didn’t seem to notice the jab. “Eh,peut-être. Three of them do not shed and I have a robot vacuum.C’est pas mal.It is not bad.”

“Do they chew your furniture?”

Dimitri chuckled. “You are not a fan of dogs, Thomas?”

“Oh, I like them fine. I also like my apartment being in one piece.”

“Bien sûr. But the feeling of coming home to such an outpouring of love? It is worth it,non?”

Thomas glowered in silence.

What’s his problem?Luka wondered. Dimitri was charming and—Wait, is he mad that Dimitri isn’t flirting with him?To be fair, Luka wasn’t sure how anyone could see Thomas and flirt with him instead.

He looked at Dimitri again as he loaded his tray. He should feel an attraction to him. Cute, friendly, hardworking, clearly a decent human… He looked over at Thomas. He was looking back. His stomach flipped when their eyes met.Fuck.There’s no hope for me. I’m destined to love a man who doesn’t want me back.

It was approaching midnight when Dimitri cleared the last of their dishes.

“Mes amis, the first bottle of wine was a wedding gift from me, and, as I have said, the desserts were on the house. And the rest of your bill has been taken care of.”

“What?” Finn blinked at him.

“By whom?” Rory wondered. They looked around the table. Thomas was avoiding their eyes. “Thomas! You didn’t!”

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