Taming Arrogance (MalexMale) 《COMPLETE》

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

My fingers are stained with grease, and I can feel a bit of sauce caking around my lips. I wipe my mouth using the wadded up paper towel next to my plate, and then resume my pizza indulgence with slice number four. I slurp the cheese into my mouth, enjoying the slight burn of heat as it slides down my throat.

Blake sets down the half-eaten crust of his third piece and dusts off his hands on his jeans. If I didn't know my boss personally, I'd assume he was just a normal guy wearing jeans and enjoying a late night outing for food. I glance around the sparse pizza place, and the few patrons who are here exchange a look with me. They probably think we're just two normal guys too.

Oh how wrong they are.

Well, I'm normal. The person who I'm dining with, however, is an overbearing loony tune. The waitress approaches our table for the final time and smiles. She looks to be in her mid-to-late thirties, and her interest is clearly more focused on Blake than me.

"Can I get you gentlemen anything else?" she asks with a slight rasp to her voice.

Blake looks at me and nods to the last piece of pizza left on the tray.

"You want to bring that back to the hotel with us? Or do you have room to finish it off?"

The waitress raises a brow at his words. The way he phrases his questions makes it seem like him and I are...a couple. I shudder at the mere thought. Blake is either oblivious to his most recent words or he did it purposefully. If I was to make a guess, I'd opt for the second. He's too smart of a man to let words just stumble out of his mouth without a reason behind them.

"Ah....a box," I finally say.

The waitress nods and rips the check away from her notepad. It settles directly in the middle of the table, and for the first time since this trip started, I feel like uncomfortable with Blake paying for me. At first I just waved off all the expenses as needed business purchases. Since I'm here for work, I had zero problem letting Blake pay for it all.

And I mean, of course I have to eat to keep this body looking as good as it is...but was a sit-down dinner really necessary?

I start reaching for my wallet and Blake's eyes flicker to mine.

"Put it away," he instructs. "You're not paying."

His words are softly spoken, but the determination and the dominance behind them is undeniable. My hand freezes at his words, eventually slumping back down to my side in obedience. I can't even explain why I'm listening to him. I'll chalk it up to a huge lack of sleep and coming off of a nasty hangover.

"Yea, I am," I say, despite the fact that I'm no longer making any attempt to do so. "That chick thinks we're a couple now. If you pay for me, that'll be it. We'll officially leave here with her thinking we're a couple of fagtoids."

Blake sets a fifty dollar bill on top of the check and clears his throat. "Callum, out of respect for both human kind as well as for your own sibling, do not refer to gay men as 'fags.'"

"I didn't. I said fagtoid."

"I won't ask again, Callum."

His voice is deep and raw, and hearing my name roll off his tongue sends another shiver down my spine. His bossiness is beyond intolerable. Yet there's something about seeing him act like this that makes me want to keep pushing him further and further.

The waitress comes by to drop off a take-home container for me and then swipes up the check and money. "I'll bring you back your change."

"Please," Blake corrects her. "Keep the change."