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The meeting place Ares recommended was a little French restaurant called Mon Petit Amour, located just outside of downtown Paris.
Matteo insisted that Chase travel with him so that he could use Chase as leverage if things went south. Marc and Alex agreed to come together but insisted on being allowed to arrive thirty minutes early so that they could ensure that the restaurant was not a trap and free of listening devices—under the watchful eye of Ares, of course. Ares may have a reputation for being a professional businessman, but Marc also had major trust issues and only trusted one man completely—his husband, Alex. Matteo agreed to such conditions.
It was just after nine p.m. when Matteo’s entourage arrived. The only ones allowed into the restaurant were Matteo, Chase, and Levi at the insistence of Marc. All others had to remain outside under the protective care of Ares’s men. There is nothing like watching two teams of angry, testosterone-filled men, watching each other from opposite sides of the street, just dying for one man to say the wrong thing so that they have an excuse to fill the other team with bullets.
“It’s good to see you again, old friend,” Ares greeted as Matteo walked into the dimly lit restaurant.
He walked over to Matteo, hugged him, and gave him a kiss on both cheeks. It appeared that both men had some sort of history together.
“I could have gone a while longer without seeing your decrepit old face,” Matteo grumbled back. It appeared that perhaps their history wasn’t so cordial.
Ares smiled at the man. “Oh, come on, you wound my lonely heart.”
Matteo walked past the man without acknowledging his last comment and headed over to the table where Marc and Alex were standing, waiting for their arrival.
“Gentlemen,” Matteo greeted, reaching for Alex’s hand first, then shaking Marc’s right after.
“Matteo,” Marc noted, giving the man a slight nod as he gripped Matteo’s hand firmly.
“Hey guys,” Chase added, smiling at both of his friends. “This here is Levi. He’s been… showing me around.” He felt his cheeks flush. He didn’t like lying to his boss, but at this point, they didn’t need to know that the two of them were boning.
“Now that we got that out of the way, gentlemen, please sit down,” Ares announced, taking a seat at the head of the table and signaling for Marc to sit to his right and Matteo to sit to his left. This way, both men could stare each other down, while Ares kept both of their manhoods in check.
“So, how do you two know each other?” Marc asked, nodding between Matteo and Ares.
Chase sat next to Alex and couldn’t help but notice the way Ares’s lips turned slightly upward before being cast down by Matteo’s reply.
“We’re old… acquaintances,” Matteo answered, eyes burning a hole into Ares’s chest.
Their host’s eyes narrowed as he returned Matteo’s glare.
Clearly, the two men had some unresolved issues. Chase hoped that whatever it was wouldn’t affect their investigation.
“Let’s just say that I know Matty here a little better than he’d like,” Ares responded, his jaw clenching as he spoke. “But before we start.” He clapped his hands, and four waiters came out carrying trays of dishes.
Chase watched as the serving staff laid out plate after plate in front of each of them while another server went around the table pouring each of them a glass of red wine. The scene was like something out of the movie The Godfather. Copious amounts of food were set out before them as “The Don” sat at the head of the table, keeping watch. When they were done, all the servers nodded to Ares, then walked out the front door once they were excused.
“I’ve asked my staff to wait outside with the rest of the goons while we eat dinner and discuss… private matters,” Ares noted with a simple gesture of his hand.
“You own this place?” Marc asked.
“Among many other establishments. It’s good to diversify your portfolio and spread out your wealth. This way, the authorities won’t be able to seize all your money at once. It’s harder to seize what they can’t find.” Ares gave Marc a wink.
“And how do you know they won’t say anything?” Matteo asked, nodding toward the door. Always the cautious man.
“Because I pay them well,” Ares said, reaching for his glass of wine. “I use this place to talk private business all the time, and they all know that if they say anything, they will end up face down in the Seine. So far, no one has said anything.” Ares smiled. “Now, a toast. To working together as civilized men and not letting the sins of the past keep us from returning phone calls when friends reach out,” Ares toasted, giving Matteo a side-eyed look that didn’t go unnoticed by the group.
“Santé,” they all responded, raising their glasses before taking a sip.
“Now! Sorry for bringing out all the food at once, but I didn’t want us to be interrupted. For the main course, we have a lovely coq au vin, which is chicken braised with wine, mushrooms, and bacon. Delicious if you ask me. Then we have a mushroom risotto because I know how much Matteo loves the risotto here.” Another awkward pause and glance in Matteo’s direction. “Then we have your standard veggies, green beans, and salad with olive oil and vinegar—that’s how we older Europeans make salad dressings for you young things,” he explained, glancing over at Levi and Chase. “Then, for dessert, I have some lovely macarons we can all share over coffee. I was told that macarons were your favorite,” Ares finished, looking over at Alex. Judging by the smile on Alex’s face, the rumor appeared to be true.
“Yes, they are! But how did you know…” Alex trailed off, his smile diminishing slightly.
Ares simply shrugged his shoulders, then took another sip of his wine. It appeared that Ares had done his homework as well.
“Thank you, Ares, this is a lovely meal,” Marc offered, reaching for his fork.
“If you don’t mind, I’d like to get down to business,” Matteo barked, glancing between Marc and Ares.
