Let There be Love - 2. Part II

“Hello, beautiful, welcome to Prime. What can I get for you and your boyfriend?” The girl was stunning. Her long brown hair, with a hint of golden highlights, cascaded over her shoulders and seemed to caress the top of her breasts. There was no fancy hairdo, almost no makeup, and barely any jewelry; her silky-looking tresses and radiant dark brown eyes were sufficient adornment.

“Hello yourself, stud. How about a couple of dry martinis with blue cheese olives? And he’s not my boyfriend. Angus plays for the other team if you know what I mean. When you write your name and number down, just pick which one of us you’d want to take home with you tonight.”

There was no possible way I could contain the laughter which erupted from deep within me after that remark. Flirting was part and parcel of a bartender’s job; it made customers feel good and often led to more generous tips. But this one comment went above and beyond anything I had heard in a long time. “Well, aren’t you the confident young lady? It’s a pleasure to meet you, Angus. I’m Anthony. And your name, beautiful?”

“I’m Angela, but you can just call us both, Angie.”

A mischievous grin played on the girl’s face as she shook my outstretched hand. Without saying a word, I looked from one to the other and inquisitively raised an eyebrow.

“Don’t say it, Anthony, don’t even think it! She loves to introduce us as Angie and Angie and watch people’s reactions. Just call me Angus or Gus; it’s easier when I’m around her.”

“You got it, buddy. Make sure you don’t remove those wristbands the security guys gave you. Unless you have them on, you won’t be served. Here are your cocktails. Excellent taste, by the way. That’s my poison of choice too. Would you guys like to open a tab?” As Gus reached into the front of his jeans, I took a second look at him and realized what a handsome man he was. Tall and muscular his bright smile was just as captivating as Angela’s eyes. He pulled out a shiny silver money clip with a few bills and removed an Amex from in between the currency.

“Here, go ahead and run that tab for us, please,” said Gus as he handed me his card.

“Perfect―and about that phone number Angela asked for? See the blonde guy working at the other end of the bar?”

“Yummm!”

“Down, girl, down. What about him, Tony?”

“That’s Colt, my other half. And he can be kinda jealous, so probably not a good idea for me to share that bit of information with you.”

“Crap, Angus, they play for your team, but they’re taken. Just our luck!”

“I don’t think either one of you will lack attention tonight, guys. Both of you are at least a nine in my book. Hey! No frowning at being a nine, Colt’s the only ten in the joint. He and I met right here at the bar on New Year’s Eve two years ago; maybe some of that Prime magic will rub off on you tonight.”

“Troy! Mario! About fucking time you guys showed your faces around here. Tony and I were wondering if we were ever going to see you again.” It had been only a month or so since we’d last been around them, but I was used to running into Mario a couple of times a week at WOOF, and Troy had quickly wormed his way into our hearts as another brother.

“Sorry about that, bro. Troy and I’ve been swamped, and this is our first play night in weeks. We couldn’t take being locked up anymore.”

“Damn, Colt, you look hot as shit in those slick red sweatpants without a shirt on; Tony’s a lucky fucker.” A smiling Troy licked his lips. “Anyway, Mario’s been studying his ass off, and I’ve unfortunately been busy at work.”

“What can I get you, boys? The usual?” Tony and I had developed an affinity for dry, Bombay Sapphire martinis, straight up, with extra olives―stuffed with blue cheese being our primary choice. It’s an acquired taste that Mario had latched on to over the past year while spending time with us. Troy quickly joined our little fellowship-of-the-gin after a couple of days with us over the holidays in December.

“Yeah, you and my brother have got us both hooked on those damn martinis with the stinky cheese olives.”

“Stinky cheese? I’ll have you know that’s top-of-the-line imported Italian Gorgonzola! What’s wrong with work, Troy?” The olives were magnificent, and the cheese they were stuffed with melted in your mouth. Our supplier just happened to be Martellini Import & Export, one of the many enterprises controlled by Don Martellini.

“Getting tired of having someone looking over my shoulder all the time, Colt. They hired me to create menus and oversee food preparation, and I agreed to a lower salary than I could have gotten in different positions so I could gain more experience in the kitchen. I’ve proven I can handle it, but they won’t get off my back and try to micromanage everything. Plus, I end up performing the duties of a general manager way too often, spending less time with actual food prep, but I’m still drawing the lower compensation.”

“Ouch, those meddlesome employers can be a bitch. And not being paid for the job you’re doing makes matters worse. Let me start asking around, and I’ll let you know if I hear of any good opportunities.” Troy had worked his ass off with the food and the overall management of the three parties his employer catered for us at the end of December, and Mario raved about the work ethic his roommate had shown in the month they had been living together. I’d definitely try to help the man out.

“Thanks, Colt. I think I’m ready to move on.”

”You guys going to enter the Mr. Valentine contest tonight?” Both these guys were good-looking and took excellent care of their bodies. Troy was a little shorter, but his personality took over any space he occupied and made him appear a giant. I’d asked the question of both of them but had stared at Mario as I spoke. I knew he’d never go for it but figured I’d have some fun with my little brother.

“What? No way!”

“Don’t be such a wuss, Mario. All you have to do is strip down to your underwear and flirt with the crowd; there’s a two hundred and fifty dollar bar tab as the prize for the winner, Not that you guys ever have to worry about a bar tab around here…” I had no doubt he could win the contest; I might have been biased since I was hopelessly in love with his older brother, and the two of them shared the Martellini family's good looks.

“Oh, I’d pay to see that. My straight roomie, who always goes commando, dropping trou in the middle of a bunch of slushy gay boys. I’m taking pictures! Come on, Mr. Valentine, let’s go say hello to your brother.”

“Helloooooooooooooooo Chelsea! I’m Shandy Lier, and I welcome you to Prime, the hottest spot in town with the hottest men in town. Tonight this joint is really hot! H O T, hot. It’s Valentine’s Day twenty-fifteen, and many of us are still looking for Mr. Right to come around and sweep us off our pumps. Maybe he’s here already, and we’ll be bumping into him before the night is over. But hell, if he isn’t, we’ll settle for Mr. Right Now if that’s all that’s available.

“Please make sure you say hi to the Gotham Knights Rugby Club. Its members are those beefy boys running around in their red panties selling their cherries as a fundraiser. Wave your hands, boys. Wait… what? Oh, my bad. I’m being told those are not panties; micro gym shorts is what they’re called―who knew? And unfortunately, they’re not selling their cherries; they’re selling cherry Jell-O shots as a fundraiser for their club. I’m sure for a little extra donation, you’d be able to lick those cherry shots off of any part of their body not covered up. And if the donation’s large enough… well, ‘nuff said about rugby players and large things.

“Also raising funds for the Knights are Tony and Colt, our guest bartenders for the evening, and one of the ten hottest couples in Manhattan, according to New York magazine. Tony’s the dark-haired Italian stud with the brooding good looks, the hairy chest, and the kissable lips. The blond Adonis with the tattoos working with him is his other half, Colt. And just so you know, Tony’s the owner of Prime and Colt’s the owner of WOOF, the fabulous neighborhood gym down the street. Remember, all their tips tonight go to the Gotham Knights, so be generous.

“In a little bit, we’ll begin our Mr. Valentine contest. If you signed up to participate, make your way to the right side of the stage. In the meantime, let’s have some music and let’s have some fun! It’s Valentine’s Day, guys. Let there be looooove!”

“Damn, but it’s good to see you guys; text messages and emails are just not good enough. Do you ever leave Brooklyn for anything other than work or school? Are you in the nesting stage now that you’ve moved into the new place? Come give me a big hug, Mario. You too, Troy. You’re now part of the family, you know?”

“Shut up, big brother, don’t you start on me too. Your boyfriend’s been giving me grief already; he wants me to enter the Mr. Valentine contest tonight. Fucking pain in the ass.”

“I think you should. What about you, Troy? Are you signing up? What do you think, Angela?”

“They should both definitely enter. I’d vote for them.”

“Ha! Hear that, guys? The woman’s one smart cookie. Of course, you should both enter. Hey boys, I’d like you to meet my two new friends, Angie and Angie. They’re both martini drinkers too. If we bring Colt over, the six of us could put away a serious amount of gin.”

“Fuck you, Tony! I can’t believe we just met, and you’re already giving me shit by calling me Angie. Please ignore the bartender, gentlemen. He’s obviously been sampling the inventory. I’m Gus, and this lovely lady’s Angela.”

“Hi boys, did I hear Tony say the two of you live in Brooklyn?”

“Yes, you did, Angela. Troy and I moved into my brother’s co-op on Washington Street last month. He’s now here in Chelsea shacked up with Colt, and we have a great apartment with a pretty good location.”

“That’s so cool, guys. Angela and I are both students at Brooklyn Law School. We don’t live that far away from y’all.”

“Great, three students and one working stiff. I wanna go back to school.”

“No, you don’t, Troy. You need to help support your boyfriend. You guys make a cute couple. How long have you been together? Hey! What the hell was that, Angus? Did you just pinch my butt?”

“What are you talking about, woman? Of course, I didn’t. You’re not my type, remember?”

“I felt the same thing, and my butt’s against the bar, so no one’s behind me to pinch it. Maybe Prime’s haunted? And to answer your question, Angela, Mario, and I are not a couple. We’re strictly friends. Hell, we don’t even play for the same team!”

“Excuse me, guys; I need to hit the restroom, don’t go anywhere.”

“Hang on, Mario, I’m following you. Angela, please order me another drink? And get the boys a refill too. Tell Tony to put all four on my tab. Ouch! The damn spirit just pinched my butt. Look, Mario’s rubbing his rear end too. We both got hit at the same time. I’m still sober, so whatever’s happening isn’t due to alcohol consumption…”

“Go pee Angus, and we’ll hold the fort down. You two make sure you wash your hands when you’re done.”

“Tony, can you get us four more, bro? Angela, those will go on my tab that seems to get lost at the end of the night every time I’m here. Tell Angus to add a nice big tip since it’ll go to whatever organization they’re supporting tonight.”

“Will do so, sexy. “Now, back to you and Mario not being a couple. I guess things are looking up for me. I was despairing about finding a straight guy tonight. We girls have needs, you know? This could work; I think Mario and Gus can hit it off. I’m sure they’re checking each other out right now. Wait, what are you laughing about now?”

“Sorry, Angela, I think Mario and Gus will hit it off, but not that way. I’m gay. Mario’s the straight one.”

“Ooops!”

“Yeah, oops’ right. Here come the guys now, and based on how red Mario’s face is and how Gus can’t seem to look at anything but the floor, I think they just had a conversation similar to ours. This is definitely going to be a fun night!”

Upendo: “Oops!”

Kærlighed: “You dimwit! Oops? Is that all you have to say?”

Upendo: “Whateva, mon. Chill pill time for you. We fix da problem, easy.”

Kærlighed: “I told you to lay off the Jell-O shots, silly. No wonder you missed your arrow shots.”

Upendo: “Got confused, okay? Plus, it was fun to prick it; he have a lovely bum anyway.”

Kærlighed: “So does the straight one; you’re funny when you’re plastered. I can’t believe you’re such a lightweight.”

Upendo: “Not used to drinking, mon. Been in Jamaica for five years, and the ganja dere is real good!”

Kærlighed: “Great, I’ve got a pothead on my hands, and he doesn’t even share.”

Upendo: “You cool to smoke, mon? Me and you fire one up together later?”

Kærlighed: “Hell yeah, I’m gonna need it. Let’s get back to those four, pay attention this time.”

Upendo: “Yeah, mon, I know… we gonna keep shooting at dem all night now?”

Kærlighed: “You got that right. It’s going to take a lot to fix that stupid mistake.”

Upendo: “I be good. I promise.”

Kærlighed: “Fine. But lay off the damn Jell-O shots.”

Upendo: “Okay, okay, alreddy. No more shots for me tonight.”

Kærlighed: “You can stare at the big boys without having to pinch a little cup every time they walk by!”

“She’s real good, Tony. You should consider giving her a permanent slot in a rotation. She would love the security of a steady gig, and you could lock her to Prime for a while.”

“That’s a great idea, babe. I’ll have a chat with her next week and sound her out and see how she feels about it. Been meaning to ask you, Colt, have you noticed anything strange going on tonight?”

“Oh, you mean something like the salt and pepper duo with little white wings on their back, wearing diapers, carrying little bows and a bunch of arrows?”

“Exactly! What’s up with that?”

“You notice not a single other person seems to be aware of their presence? They move around without bumping into anyone, but the black one keeps lifting Jell-O shots from the trays carried by the rugby guys. Sometimes, they seem to shoot arrows at random, and at other times they concentrate on a pair of individuals and shoot at the same time. The arrows all vanish as soon as they hit, so I think those two are Cupids, and the only reason we see them is some sort of residual effect from our experience with Santa last Christmas.”

“Hey! Cut it out! Damn it, Colt; the fuckers just shot at us. Little arrows are sharp when they hit, scared the crap out of me.”

“Scared the crap out of you? You’re just saying that, but I think our winged friends will need fresh diapers.”

“What happened?”

“To say they were surprised when you acknowledged their existence is an understatement. You were looking at me, but I was staring right at them, and there was shock written all over their faces. Fuckers ran away towards the restrooms. Funny shit if you ask me.”

“Anyway, at first, they were shooting arrows all over the place, but for the past hour, they keep aiming at Mario, Troy, and the Angies. At first, I noticed the guy hitting on Mario and the girl on Troy but they seem to have straightened that shit out.”

“The Angies?”

“Yeah, the Angies. They’re both students at Brooklyn Law, her name’s Angela, and she’s straight—nice Italian girl from Jersey. Get this, the dude’s name’s Angus. Old Scottish family from Savanna, and he seems to be well off. She insists on calling him Angie, and he keeps asking to be called Gus. Nice pair, and they drink the same stuff we do. They can’t be all that bad. Oh, and Gus’ gay.”

“Hmmm, does that mean our boys are getting laid tonight? You know something? I’ve quickly fallen in love with Mario and Troy. I know they’re not much younger than us, but I get all paternal whenever I interact with them. They’re both such ‘No, you first, my dear Gaston!’ types. If I ever have kids, I hope they grow up to be just like them.”

“So you see kids in the future? Maybe they’ll get lucky, but I wouldn’t bet on it. The way those four have been talking, I think there may be more in the cards than a hookup. And since the cupids have been paying them so much attention…”

“Yeah, I’ve always wanted kids at some point. Since meeting you and your family, even more so. The way you guys interact and care for one another is the way I want to raise a family.”

“Husband? Is marriage on your radar screen also, babe? All this stuff I’m finding out is pretty cool. Especially as I’m discovering it today, on Valentine’s Day.”

“Marriage’s been on my radar for a long time. I’ve been waiting to find the right man willing to stick by my side ‘till the end of time. As for our boys and the Angies, maybe Prime will work its magic on them as it did on us, sweetheart. Shandy did say let there be love.”

“Angus, how the hell did you and Troy get so sweaty, and where are your shirts?”

“They’re right here, mommy. And we got sweaty dancing. You might have seen us out there moving to ‘Sugar’ by Maroon 5. That’s such a great song, and it gets my booty in gear the minute it comes on. I love the video of them showing up at a bunch of weddings in L.A., wearing tuxes, and singing the song live.”

“Yeah! What he said. And this boy was a wild man out there on the floor.”

“Troy, you kept up with me pretty well, sugar.”

“Sugar. Eh? I’ll give you some sugar later, babe.”

“OMG! Mario, I think my bestie and your roomie are talking about doing the nasty with each other!”

“Stuff it, Angela. At least Gus and I weren’t just standing there making out like you and Mario were.”

“Okay, okay, ohhhh-kay… I’m calling timeout, and since my brother owns the joint, I get to play boss-man. I think the four of us made a connection as friends and maybe a bit more two by two. You guys looked good dancing, and there were a lot of boys drooling when the shirts came off. Angela and I just enjoyed being with each other, which helped keep guys from pinching my butt.”

“Oh, so that’s why I was there… to serve as a shield against butt pinching by the gay boys.”

“Listen, missy; you got yours pinched a couple of times too.”

“Yeah, but I thought that was you doing the pinching!”

“No comment…”

“I think Mario’s right. We all got lucky tonight and met some nice people. I’m taking Troy out for dinner sometime this week, so we can get to know each other better. But maybe the four of us could hang out for a bit next Sunday? Brunch somewhere?”

“I like that idea, Gus. I’ll call Angela, and we can all plan for Sunday morning.”

“I caught the tail end of your conversation; sounds like you’re having a good time. You guys ready for another round?”

“Actually, Tony, could we just close out our tab? Angela and I are ready to head back to Brooklyn.”

“Not a problem. Gus, wanna keep it on the Amex?

“Yeah, that works.”

“Hey guys, I’ve seen you hanging around with Troy and Mario all night but haven’t had a chance to come over and say hello―I’m Colt.”

“Hi, Colt. Tony told us all about you already. We’re the Angies.”

“Forget it, Angela. I’m on to you and your ways. My man warned me about your twisted evil treatment of your handsome friend. Nice to meet you, though. You too, Gus. I hope you had fun at our place, and we’ll see you again soon.”

“I think you will, Colt. Even if Angela doesn’t feel like coming out. I’ve traded numbers with Troy, and I’ll drag him out back here sometime soon. I like to hang out at a place where everybody knows my name.”

“Here you go, Gus. All I need’s a signature. Mario, Troy, another round for you guys?”

“Nah, big brother, thanks, but I think Troy and I are also ready to go. We won’t need to crash at your place tonight. We’ll share a cab with Angie and Gus. The four of us can go home to Brooklyn together. I think you may have been right about that Prime magic after all.”

The End