<span style="font-size: 15px"><span style="font-family:Open Sans">“This is New York dining,” Marcus spoke with a laugh, not so worried about the prices. He had a good job, and he wasn't one to spend frivolously. He had a nice little nest-egg set aside for when he decided to stop renting his one bedroom apartment, enough to buy a comfortable home. He could certainly afford to take someone like Luca out. It was the upside of dating an older man; financial stability. Something that little tart of a waiter would not be able to provide.<br/>
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“I'm not late. Sometimes I work outside of the office,” Marcus explained, indicating with his hands the outdoors. He'd been with his company nearly ten years, and he had plenty of people who answered to him. The few people who he answered to didn't care just so long as the work was done.<br/>
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He leaned over at the word Luca was pointing to.<br/>
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“Something to pick at before a meal,” Marcus explained. The waiter was encroaching, and on top of all around irritating Marcus, he also seemed to be confusing Luca. As he started to walk off, to hover around them, Marcus asked him to bring them calamari as an appetizer, and a water for him as well to go along with the coffee.<br/>
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“Luca, please, get whatever you want. My treat. The halibut here is good. You should try it,” he told him, speaking evenly. “Cost doesn't matter.” He waved his hand to indicate he wasn't worried about it, in a more even mood now that the waiter wasn't hovering around them like an incessant insect.<br/>
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Their drinks were brought out, and he could tell the young man was interested in lingering longer than necessary. Marcus had taken his share of what he'd allow.<br/>
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“Your other patrons look thirsty. Might need to work a bit on your time management,” he told him, smiling pleasantly, but it was clearly a fuck off. The waiter was hastier the next time, bringing the appetizer and taking their orders. Marcus ordered the pan seared chicken with orzo pasta and yellow squash and insisted that Luca order something he wanted, without letting the waiter get a word in edgewise. Once he was gone, Marcus indicated to the breaded calamari.<br/>
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“An appetizer,” he explained, “to share.” He offered the basket his way before taking a bite himself. After waiting and smelling the food, he'd worked up a bit of an appetite, and after Luca's run, hopefully, the young man had as well.<br/>
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“How long have you been here?” Marcus questioned, “In New York, I mean, from Brazil?”</span></span>