Chapter 2: Chapter 2
“You’re so close, aren’t you?” The words were a harsh whisper. It reminded Nick of too many cigarettes and too much whiskey. It was a voice he wanted to hear more of. He was almost tempted to blurt his name, just so he could have the pleasure of hearing it rolling around the man’s sinful mouth. “I want you to come. I’ve wanted that since the moment I saw you. Standing alone in the sea…like some sort of offering. Like you’re mine now.”
“Wait…”
Nick didn’t have time to form his protest. His throat closed, blocking breath and sound, and pleasure threatened to break his body in two as he thrust into the stranger’s hand. The water crashed forward, as if hungry for the freshly spilled fluid. Nick’s sigh of pleasure was lost in the rush of sea against sand.
* * * *
Dinner was a strangely formal affair. They all wore jackets and filed into the room like the polite gentlemen they were, carrying on murmured conversations as they found their seats. The dining room was a large, open area, with only three walls. It never got cold on the island, even at night when the breeze blew in from the sea. Consequently, the fourth wall was unnecessary and would have served no purposes except blocking the amazing view of the beach. They were only a few steps from the shoreline, and Nick figured he could have caught his own food if he wanted to. Tiki lamps and moonlight lit the room, reflecting off the elegantly simple table settings. All in all, Nick had to admit, the effect was extremely romantic.
The Greek Island Resort wasn’t actually anywhere near Greece. In fact, it wasn’t even on the same side of the world. The romantic dining room had obviously been designed for the couples who vacationed there, but the resort did not just cater to the gay lovers who wanted to get away from the world for a week or even a month. It also catered to men like Nick. Men who didn’t have a relationship and didn’t want a relationship, but still wanted to experience the tropical fantasy.
As a result, all of the waiters were gorgeous. Most of them were young and obviously didn’t know the first thing about working the dining room, but they had been hired for their looks and for their skills out of the dining room. Nick fully appreciated that, and he liked to watch them wind in between the tables, their eyes flirting even when they weren’t saying a word. A particular dark-haired, dark-eyed beauty with an olive complexion kept catching Nick’s eye, and he made a mental note to find out the young man’s name, at least.
The menu was very simple. He had honestly been disappointed his first night on the island, wondering if he was really paying thousands of dollars for the right to dine in a restaurant that essentially offered five things to eat. But he realized that they made up for the lack of variety with their extensive wine and liquor list. Not to mention the perfect food. He wasn’t exactly a gourmet, but he knew exceptional food when he tasted it. And exceptional wine. Now the five items on the menu seemed like far too much. How was he supposed to choose between five fresh and perfectly prepared dishes? The same way he was supposed to choose between the number of young men who populated the paradise he’d found.
“Is this seat taken?”
The polite question pulled Nick from his perusal of the menu. He looked up into the smiling eyes of a man he didn’t recognize. A quick glance around the room confirmed that he was only the only person seated by himself. Which made sense. Nobody went to the Greek Island Resort to be alone, even if they stepped off the plane without a companion.
“Sorry, yes.”
The man’s smile flickered and faded. “Oh, okay.”
“Sorry,” Nick repeated.
He glanced at the empty seat, then looked over the full dining room. Nick could see the question in his eyes, but he ignored it. He clearly wasn’t holding that seat for anybody. It would have been a very small thing to invite the stranger to join him. In fact, it might have even been a pleasant experience. It wasn’t that he didn’t enjoy company while he ate, but he wasn’t in the mood for what amounted to a date. They would exchange small talk and feel each other out, then maybe Nick would invite him to his private cottage. He could have stopped the stranger with a word.
But he kept his mouth shut.
As the interloper walked away, Nick scanned the dining area for the man he’d met on the beach. It wasn’t difficult to find him. He was seated at a small table, enjoying drinks with another man who looked to be about half the stranger’s age. They were both laughing, and as Nick watched them smile at each other, he realized they were a couple.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone