Ginger and the Wolf by Kerry McBoyd

Author:Kerry McBoyd [McBoyd, Kerry]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: NineStar Press, LGBT, gay, age gap, businessman, college
Publisher: NineStar Press, LLC
Published: 2018-04-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eight

MARK HAD STUDIED the Mercer’s menu thoroughly before his date with Scott, but that was only one part of the experience; it didn’t prepare him for the ambiance of the restaurant, which was quiet and intimate, and he felt like a fish out of water. He was used to an environment where there were always conversations going on, or people didn’t care who overheard them. Granted, there were other diners talking, but everything seemed to be in a low murmur.

Scott put his menu down and smiled at Mark. “Thanks for agreeing to this. It’s hard to go wrong with a good steak.”

“I like steak, yeah. This all seems like a lot though. I’m not really sure what I’m ordering. Is wag-yoo good? What’s dry aged?” He reached for the wine menu.

“Wagyu is beef that comes from Japanese cattle, and dry aging is aging the beef so you get more flavor out of it.”

Mark’s nose crinkled. “The meat just sits there?”

“No,” Scott said, grinning. “It’s a carefully controlled process to make sure the meat doesn’t spoil. You pay for it, obviously, but dry-aged beef is spectacular. Is that what you’d like?”

“I guess?”

“I think you’ll enjoy it.”

As if on cue, the waiter appeared to Mark’s left and he jumped when the server asked, “Are you gentlemen ready to order?” He noticed Mark’s surprise and apologized. Mark wasn’t sure if upscale restaurant waiters were trained to be ninjas and thought he preferred being able to tell when a waiter was going to sneak up behind him.

“We’ll have two dry-aged Wagyu strip steaks, rare, please. And could you ask the sommelier for a recommendation to go with it?”

“Certainly, sir. Will there be anything else?”

“Not at the moment.” Scott handed the menus back. “Thank you.”

The server nodded and glided away. He soon returned with a wine bottle and turned it to show the label to Scott. “This is a Barolo from 2005. Would you like to try it?”

Scott shook his head. “No, the sommelier hasn’t given me a wrong pairing yet. We’ll absolutely go with the Barolo. Thank you.”

The waiter left and returned with two wineglasses, efficiently pouring the wine and nodding to Scott. “Please let me know if you need anything else.” Scott thanked him and he left.

Scott held up his glass. “Here’s to surviving the week, and hopefully a good weekend is in store for us.”

“Depends. Wining and dining will only get you so far,” Mark smirked, and clinked his glass against Scott’s before taking a sip.

Scott leaned forward. “While we wait, tell me about yourself.”

“About what?”

Scott shrugged. “Whatever you feel like talking about. You’ve mentioned your family before. They have a farm in Oakwood, right?”

“Yeah, but it’s not much. It’s really just fields of corn.”

“It sounds like it could be peaceful.”

“It usually is.” Mark paused. “We’re not a very dramatic people. Even being gay didn’t cause any grief. My dad just told me to be safe. I think he was secretly glad I wasn’t about to knock up some girl from school.

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