Page 33 of Sweet Thing

chapter 16

The dinner party

Emily Raven opened her front door and smiled with delight when she met the curious, wide-eyed gaze of her final dinner party guest. It appeared that Simeon had excellent taste—well he had a thing for Pieter, so she supposed that was a given! Emily hadn’t been introduced to Bastian Roth before, only glancing at him from afar at the exhibition. The man had purchased the majority of her last collection and left the venue before she could thank him. Emily was fascinated to know what he was planning for the collection. Were the paintings an investment, or would they be exhibited?

Bastian Roth was rather dishy. Tall, well-built, blond, with a pale, angular, Scandinavian face and light blond stubble hugging his jaw line. He had bright blue eyes. Visions zipped through her artist brain of how good he would look naked, and more so, how amazing Bastian and Simeon would look splayed on a bed and entwined passionately as they posed for a painting. Emily shook her debauched thoughts away and offered a hand to her guest.

“Bastian, good to meet you at last! So glad you could make it”, she said, allowing her tiny hand to be clasped warmly in his large masculine grip.

Bastian leaned in and gave Emily a peck on each cheek. “Thank you for inviting me. A most unexpected pleasure”, he said his baritone warm and friendly.

It had been a week since the picnic in the park with Simeon. Pieter and Sim had been arguing about who was the best chef and so now that Lukas was at his granny’s for the night, there was to be a ‘cook off’ competition. Emily was providing the starter, Pieter, the main course, and Simeon was creating the dessert. Unbeknown to Bastian, he was the judge.

Both Emily and Pieter thought that Simeon needed a proper boyfriend—an anchor, someone dependable who he could rely on and, on paper, Bastian Roth was quite a catch. Secretly, Emily and Pieter were on a mission to help Simeon and Bastian find one another, and after their less than ideal first tryst, the couple decided to nudge things along with an intimate dinner party. Simeon was oblivious to their ulterior motive!

Emily inhaled Bastian’s spicy scent—cinnamon, cloves and a splash of the sea. She felt the rasp of his stubble against her skin and shuddered. Bastian Roth was a whole hunk of sex, and if he was not gay and Emily was not virtually married, she would get a rope and climb the man. Her heart well and truly belonged to Pieter, so Emily would ensure that Simeon would be the one climbing him.

“This is for you.” Bastian leaned to the side of the front door and picked up a small hamper from KaDeWe, one of Berlin’s most well-known, expensive department stores.

“Oh gosh! Thank you”, Emily exclaimed, surprised by the generous gift. It was only a low-key dinner party, and she hadn’t expected gifts. Emily gripped the handle of the hamper with her left hand and then grabbed Bastian’s hand with her right and pulled him through the door, “Come in, please, come in” she beckoned. Emily nudged the door closed with her ass and then strolled off down the hallway carrying the hamper. Bastian followed along behind.

“Hey, Peety! That’s not fair.” Simeon shrieked dodging a whack on the butt from the tea towel Pieter was using as a weapon. Pieter’s main course was roasting in the oven. He was childfree for the night and so was playfully trying to sabotage Simeon’s efforts.

“Gaah’d… Stop it. I mean it. You know this is time sensitive.” Sim whined. Simeon was melting gelatin sheets in warm water. He would then add to his cream and raspberry mixture for the Pavlova filling.

“I swear to God, Bayer”, Simeon snapped, “If you come near me with that tea towel again you’ll be wearing this dessert, not eating it.” He glared murderously, and then at hearing a snicker, glanced to his left.

Emily saw the blush rush to Sim’s cheeks as his eyes darted from her self-satisfied face to that of the tall, blue-eyed, blond man standing behind her. His gaze widened in horror.

“Our final guest has arrived”, Emily announced triumphantly, and her eyes mischievously met those of her partner-in-crime, who had come up with the master plan to challenge Simeon to a ‘cook- off.' Pieter returned her stare and smirked. Simeon’s jaw dropped, and then he stopped poking at the softening gelatin.

Emily knew they had done the right thing when she saw the way both men stared at one another, their eyes as large as saucers. The electricity between them was palpable. Simeon could be a bit of a motor mouth, but on seeing Bastian Roth standing in the kitchen, Simeon Duchamp appeared to be lost for words.

“Good to meet you,” Pieter said, stepping in to break the awkward silence and offering a hand to Bastian. “You have great taste in art”, he joked.

“Ah, yes, the collection”, Bastian smiled warmly, shaking Pieter’s slender, elegant hand in both of his own. “How could I resist. Your partner is a very talented painter. She captures your beauty so well.” Pieter blushed then too. Bastian turned and strolled behind the kitchen island to greet Simeon.

Sim looked nervously up through his dark lashes, and the two men paused for a moment, just staring.

“I, uh, didn’t know you were invited,” Simeon said, his voice surprised, breathy, and as light as a whisper on the wind. Simeon leaned in and gave Bast the traditional French greeting of "Faire la bise,” reserved for family, friends, and intimate acquaintances, kissing him on both cheeks. Bastian kissed him in return, and when the men drew back a little, both looked flushed from their closeness. Bastian leaned in again.

“Emily and Pieter invited me to dinner. I had no idea you would be here either,” he said privately to Simeon’s ear. “It appears we’ve been set up.”

The penny then dropped. Bastian was correct, and Simeon was outraged. He had never needed to be set up in his whole life. Sim’s gaze darted to Pieter and Emily who both bit their bottom lips and glanced innocently at the ceiling and floor. He shook his head, pursed his lips, and then said: “A moment,” to Bastian, excused himself, and stalked away. Simeon grabbed Pieter by his forearm and dragged him down the hallway. Pieter’s giggle could be heard echoing from the direction of Lukas’s bedroom.

****

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Simeon said, sounding outraged, while jabbing Pieter in the ribs with his bony index fingers. Pieter shrieked with laughter; Simeon knew his most ticklish places by heart.

“We just thought we’d help nudge things along, you know.”

“But I’m doing just fine. I told you. I met him for coffee last week, and we had a chat. We both said sorry. It’s all cool. I was letting nature take its course.”

“But it’s been a week. A week is a long time. Did you call him? Did he call you? ”

“Well, no. It’s, uh, complicated.” Simeon gave a shrug.

“Sometimes nature needs a little push. You told me you want to see him again. What’s complicated about that?”