Page 60 of Mayhem
Cruz turned the boat around, backing up until the end of the boat was on the shore, before dropping the anchor. Erin stood, and Paetyn exited the boat, helping her down. When she was on her feet, she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down and kissing him. Paetyn wasn’t sure what it was for, but he wouldn’t complain. When she pulled away from him, she turned to Cruz and kissed him.
“This is beautiful. Thank you both,” she said, focusing on the setup.
They’d had a tent set up with a dinner table, a beach bed, and pillows. There were rose petals spread about and four large lanterns for when the sun went down, along with the candles on the table.
Paetyn refrained from telling her that she didn’t need to thank them and instead told her they wanted to do something special for her. They led her to the tent, and Cruz pulled her chair out while Paetyn bypassed it to ensure everything was ready—the caterer he’d hired set up behind the tent.
“Mr. Silva.”
“Ray, how is everything coming?”
“It’s ready. I’ll bring out the main dishes now and leave the dessert on the warmer for when you’re ready. We’ll be back at midnight to do the cleanup. Does that give you enough time?”
“It does. Thank you,” Paetyn responded before returning to the tent and sitting at the table.
Ray brought their dinner out only a few minutes later, and Paetyn saw the approaching boat. He knew it was Ray’s partner, who’d set up the tent area, coming to get him until they needed to come back for cleanup.
They watched the sunset as they ate, and once finished, they walked along the river for a bit before returning to the tent. Paetyn sat Erin on the bed, pulling her sandals off and placing them on the ground. He pushed her backward and ran his hand up the inside of her exposed leg as Cruz placed kisses across her exposed abdomen.
“I thought we were having dessert after our walk,” Erin stated.
“Weare,” Cruz informed her. “You can have yours after we finish.”
“So,” Paetyn started, leaning down and licking her thigh. “Let us do our job of keeping you warm.” He nipped her thigh, and Erin gasped.
“Take this off, Maly.”
Paetyn pulled away as Cruz helped Erin sit up, and she slipped out of his jacket. Paetyn pulled his wallet from his back pocket, took out the two condoms he’d placed in it before they’d left, and put them on the bed. Cruz removed a small bottle of lube from his jacket pocket and handed it to Paetyn.
“I take it one of you plans on carrying me when we leave,” Erin stated, her eyes going to the condoms and then the lube in his hand before meeting his eyes.
“Of course, Angel. Since we’re going to have your legs nonfunctional.”
“I expect another massage tomorrow,” she told them with a smirk.
“And you’ll get one. But first, I’m going to massage this sweet little pussy,” Cruz informed her.
Erin moved back on the bed, pulling her panties off when she was situated. “Well,” she started tossing the panties toward them. “Your dessert is waiting.”
Paetyn smirked at her as he toed his shoes off. He planned on getting his fill of dessert and then some.
16
Paetyn leaned against the prep station as Jonathan made the third requested dish. He didn’t give the other man any instructions and took away the recipe guides. Paetyn wanted him to make them from memory, or at least as much of it as he could.
The first two had come out okay. Jonathan had forgotten something for each, and they didn’t taste how they were supposed to. Though they hadn’t tasted bad, their customers would be coming for the authentic dish, not a cheap imitation.
He was doing fine with the third dish so far. He hadn’t added anything unneeded or forgotten something that went into the recipe, but there were still other things to add.
He’d given Jonathan a copy of the recipes he planned to incorporate in the bistro once he found a location he liked. Paetyn wasn’t sure that Jonathan was studying the recipes, but giving him these dishes proved he was. The dishes he’d chosen weren’t easy to remember.
Paetyn glanced at his watch. One to see how long Jonathan had been on the current dish, and two because he had a meeting with his real estate agent to look at two properties. He was searching last night and came across the two buildings. From the pictures, either of them could have been what he was looking for. Though, he’d been set on the original space a few blocks fromErin’s studio. However, at the last minute, the owner decided they didn’t want to sell.
He texted his agent and received a call that morning, saying he’d set up appointments to see them that afternoon.
Jonathan’s dish typically took eighteen minutes, meaning he only had four left. This exercise wasn’t just to test his memory but also his efficiency. His potential was undeniable. Paetyn knew he needed to get comfortable cooking from memory and within the dish timeframe.
When Jonathan finished the dish, Paetyn was impressed that he hadn’t forgotten an ingredient or added an unnecessary one. Once it was plated and the garnish added, Paetyn grabbed a fork and tasted it. Just because he’d added the correct ingredients didn’t always mean the taste would come out right, especially since Jonathan hadn’t tasted as he cooked.
