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barreling out of the kitchen, his arms held out. Jacob stood to accept his friend's welcoming hug. The familiar embrace gave him a warm feeling. For Jacob, Milo would always be the big brother he never had. "Alice is going to be disappointed she missed you."
    "I'll be sure to give her a call," Jacob promised. Alice was a sweet, quiet girl, the perfect foil for her exuberant husband.
    "I have a shrimp risotto with truffles that I'm going to prepare for you. Just sit tight and I'll send out appetizers and a salad so you don't starve. Is this your date?" Milo turned and Jacob heard his friend gasp. "I'm sorry, Mr Franks. I didn't know you were here."
    "That's because your staff was far more interested in my date." Before Jacob could argue, he was smoothly removed from Milo's arms and tucked beneath Guy's shoulder in a proprietary move.
    Milo looked at the pair for a moment. "You look good together." He lowered his voice. "Jacob, have you talked to your mother lately?"
    Jacob shook his head. "I was going to call her in a couple of days for her birthday."
    "Call her sooner. She called my place and told Alice she was coming to New York to visit you as a surprise. She seems to think we still live together."
    "I'll talk to her." It had been years since he and Milo had shared a place. He wondered if his mother was losing her grip on reality again. She tended to go through cycles; this sounded like one of her bad ones. "How did she get your number?"
    Milo shrugged. "Probably from the phone directory. We're not unlisted."
    "True." Milo was the only person Jacob knew who didn't have an unlisted number. He refused to bow to the phone company and pay extra.
    "I have to get back to the kitchen. Jacob, call me next week and we'll talk." Milo's eyes said they had a lot to talk about. Jacob nodded obediently. He didn't want Milo to worry.
    "You have a lot of people looking out for you," Guy commented. He pulled out Jacob's chair and seated him like a gentleman. Jacob kissed Guy on the cheek, charmed when his date blushed.
    "Things like that won't help me concentrate on Milo's food."
    "Shame, since it's so good here," Jacob agreed.
    Just as Guy sat, a bowl of fresh bread and two spinach salads were presented with a flourish. The waiter set a glass of white wine beside Guy's plate and a glass of water before Jacob's. "The chef thought this would complement your dinner."
    "Thank you," Guy said, not taking his eyes of Jacob. "Don't drink?"
    Jacob shook his head. "I hate losing control. My mother was addicted to alcohol and drugs when I was growing up." As Guy continued to stare at him, Jacob felt a blush staining his cheeks. Weird, he rarely blushed, but there was something about the intensity of Guy's stare that made him self-conscious. The other man's gaze was intense, as if he wanted to know everything about Jacob and had sexy ways of finding out.
    "I think it's a miracle you've done so well for yourself."
    Jacob shrugged off the compliment. "What is it you actually do?" Jacob asked. He wanted to divert attention away from himself but also satisfy his curiosity about the man sitting across the table.
    "I do a variety of things. I own some businesses, dabble in the stock market, run an investigation firm." Guy shrugged off the question as if he didn't want to talk about himself, strange since Guy didn't strike Jacob as the shy type. "This restaurant is one of the few things I went into with a plan to sell to my business partner. Milo will buy me out in a few years, and I've already gotten an amazing return on my investment."
    Jacob ate his salad as he listened to Guy talk. After a bit, Jacob reciprocated by sharing some of his more entertaining tales about the modeling world until the waiter brought out their food. Jacob enjoyed everything about dinner, the food, the company and, most of all, the sexual attraction crackling between them. If he asked, Jacob knew he'd let Guy take him home.
    Watching Guy's lips as he talked brought up memories of