The other man chuckled. “What made you think I was sick?”
“There’s something going on with you. I heard it in your voice last night.”
Darwin grunted, a low growl rising from his midsection. Mecan noted his brother’s avoidance, his eyes dancing around the room, hesitant to meet his.
“Yep. Something’s up with you. Spill it.”
Darwin heaved a deep sigh as he finally met Mecan’s gaze. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, an attractive woman with a rich blue-black complexion moved to the table, a pen and pad in her hand. She smiled warmly, a brilliant row of pearl-white teeth greeting them.
“Hello. My name is Mina. I’m going to be your server today. Would you gentlemen like to start your meal with drinks and an appetizer?”
Darwin nodded, almost grateful for the interruption. “I think we’ll start with a charcuterie plate, please.”
“Very good, sir.”
“And, for the entrées, my brother will have the crab tower salad, and I would like to try the North African risotto.”
Mina nodded as she jotted their orders quickly. “Will that be all, sir?”
“No, why don’t you bring us a bottle of that Bootleg Sauvignon Blanc. And, just to get it out of the way, for dessert we’ll try the cheese sampler with the bûche maître seguin, the fiore sardo and the tomino, and two pots du crème.”
“Yes, sir.” Mina smiled sweetly as she gathered their menus, her gaze sweeping from one dark face to the other.
Mecan moved his head from side to side as the woman made her way to the rear of the restaurant and into the kitchen to place their orders. “You kill me! Have we ever gone out to eat together where I got to order my own food?”
Darwin shrugged, the two men laughing warmly together. “Old habits die hard. Just stop me next time.”
“Don’t worry about it. You must have been reading my mind, ’cause I really wanted to try the crab. Now, what the heck is all that other stuff you ordered? The charcuterie and that cheese thing?”
“Their charcuterie is just like an antipasto. It’s a variety of salamis, pickled peppers, olives, and almonds. On the cheese platter, the bûche maître seguin is a goat’s milk cheese served with a black fig jam, the other is sheep’s milk cheese with paprika and almonds, and the tomino is a soft cow’s milk cheese wrapped in Cullatello and served with fresh honey.”
Mecan shook his head. “Do I dare ask what the cream pot is?”
His brother laughed. “Pots du crème! It’s caramel and mocha custards with Valrhona chocolate and cinnamon.”
Mecan adjusted his napkin into his lap. “Well, it sounds like I’ll be eating well this afternoon.”
“I told you I wanted to show the chef some love. You do that by ordering and eating well.”
His brother leaned back against his cushioned seat. “Now, let’s try this again. What’s wrong with you?”
Darwin cut his eye toward his brother, then dropped his gaze back down to the table. “Nothing.”
“Liar.”
“Says you.”
“Says anyone who knows you.”
The two men locked eyes, Mecan raising his eyebrows knowingly. “I know because it’s not often that you ignore a beautiful woman trying to get your attention and you’ve ignored two of them.”
“What two?”
Mecan shook his head. “I won’t even talk about our hostess, but how could you miss the eyes our waitress was giving you?”
Darwin looked over to the woman at the bar, casting furtive looks in his direction as she stood in conversation with the hostess and the bartender. He shrugged again. “You’re crazy. And how do you know they weren’t looking at you?”
Mecan tossed him a look of annoyance. With his elbows propped against the edge of the table he spun the gold wedding band on his left hand between the thumb and forefinger of his other hand. “I think the fact that I wear a wedding band and you don’t might have been the first clue.”
His brother rolled his dark eyes and tossed the woman a second look. This time she smiled nervously, embarrassment flooding her face as she almost dropped the platter she’d been carrying.
Leaning forward, his fingers still entwined in front of him, Mecan’s expression turned serious. “What’s wrong? Don’t tell me nothing. I can see it all over your face. Something’s not right with you.”
Holding his brother’s gaze for a second time, Darwin suddenly felt like the younger brother. He leaned forward in his own seat and whispered as if the duo were conspiring together.
“Yeah, but I don’t know what it is. It’s like…” He paused, gathered his thoughts, then switched gears. “After I talked to you last night, I went to visit an old friend. She and I kick it every so often.”
“Kick it?”
“You know.” Darwin rolled his eyes. “We have a sexual understanding.”
“Is that what they’re calling it these days?”
“You want to hear this or not?”
Mecan gestured for him to continue.
“Well, my girl set the mood right. Candlelight, a bottle of wine, some chocolate syrup…”
Mecan grimaced. “Too much information.”
“Don’t interrupt me.”
“Sorry.”
“We spent some time doing a little cuddling, a little tickling, then jumped in the Jacuzzi. Well, when the moment was just right…” there was a moment of hesitation as Darwin felt his cheeks flush with heat “…I couldn’t perform.” He let his last three words fall quickly from his mouth.
Mecan nodded, fighting not to let a smile cross his face, the muscles pulling against his resolve. Clearly, Darwin didn’t find the problem to be a laughing matter. His brother’s expression was too serious, a sudden wave of anxiety sweeping over the man. Mecan attempted to assuage his discomfort. “Well, that just happens every now and then,” he finally managed to say, his smile not quite a smile as he struggled to keep a straight face.
“Has it ever happened to you?”
Mecan tossed a quick glance over his shoulder, then cast a gaze around the room. He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again, words failing him.
“See. It doesn’t just happen. And that’s not all,” Darwin said softly.
“You mean there’s more?”
“I mean this isn’t the first time. I haven’t been able to get or keep an erection for weeks now,” Darwin confessed, embarrassment painted in his expression.
“Have you seen a doctor?”
He nodded. “The official diagnosis for my problem is—” he paused, leaning in closer as his voice dropped another octave “—erectile dysfunction, and they can’t find anything medically wrong to explain it. He thinks I should see a shrink, that maybe it’s related to something emotional,” he whispered.
“So, what are you waiting for?”
“I’m waiting for it to fix itself,” Darwin whined, exasperation balancing his words.