Luckily, it was empty, and I sequestered the roll cart and brought it into the room. Gleaming silver domes covered dishes occupying two shelves. A bottle of wine sat on the third, tucked into a bucket of ice. Knives, forks, dishes, carefully stacked off to the side with napkins folded in the shape of swans.
I parked the cart near the small kitchen.
Butter, mixed with salt, and a plethora of rich spices intensifying the flavor of meat in the air.
Dog stood by the cart.
“This isn’t for you.”
He licked his chops.
“No, it’s not.”
He sat and raised up his sad brown eyes.
“Fine, maybe a little piece, but I don’t want you to get sick at your stomach.”
He jumped to all fours and did a little dance turning in a half-circle.
“What’s that?” Morgan came out of the bathroom, hair wet clinging in loose curls close to his scalp. He wore a robe just like mine and it enhanced every line of his thighs, ass, and I’m pretty sure his cock, but that could have been my imagination.
He walked over and tipped up his chin, and I pecked him on the mouth. “Hope you’re hungry.”
Morgan tossed thoughts. “There’s hungry and then there’s feeding an army.” He touched each one of the food covers on the top shelf. “Is there something you’re not telling me, Grant? Did you pack an army?” He smirked.
“No, I just ordered several different things since I wasn’t sure what you’d like.”
“You know what I like.”
“Yeah, okay. I do know what you like. I didn’t know what you’d like that was on the menu.” I picked up one of the silver domes, revealing a lobster surrounded by scallops and baby red potatoes. “And their menu had a decadent selection.”
Morgan leaned to the right. “Are you sure you know what decadent means?”
“Yes, I know what it means.”
He leaned to the left. “So do I, and that’s not decadent.”
“It’s lobster. You can’t get much more decadent than that.”
“It has eyes.”
“They cook them whole.”
“I don’t eat food that can stare at me.”
“It’s cooked. It can’t stare at you.”
He pointed until his hand retreated back to his temple. “Those eyes are looking right at me.”
“We don’t eat that end. We eat the tail and claws.”
“Still staring, Grant.”
“You eat the cows at Mr. Newman’s farm.”
“There have never been eyes attached to my hamburger or hot dog.”
True. “Yeah, but you’ve actually petted them.”
“Not the same.”
“Why not?”
“It’s just not the same, Grant.” He shook his head. “I’m not eating something with its eyes still attached.”
I put down the dome. “Okay, what about filet?”
“Filet what?”
“Mignon.”
“Filet isn’t decadent either. It’s just really good steak.”
“Well, when you eat it from a place like this, they do a bit more than toss it on a grill.” I removed a couple more lids and set them on the counter. Butterfly shrimp surrounded a bowl of pulled butter on one plate. Another had filets wrapped in bacon accented with asparagus, a third crab legs, a fourth oysters on the half shell.
Morgan stood on his toes. “I’ll have a hamburger and fries. The straight ones, not the springy round ones, everyone puts too much salt on those.”
“You can eat burgers and fries at home. I got this because I wanted you to try something special.”
“But I don’t want anything special. Just food.”
“This is food. Very good food.”
“I don’t like it.”
“You haven’t even tried it.”
“They put bacon on a steak. Why would anyone put bacon on a steak?”
“Because it makes the steak taste better.”
“To who?”
“A lot of people.” Dog woofed and smacked his lips. “See, even Dog thinks it’ll make it taste better.”
“Dog eats deer pellets. His opinion doesn’t count.”
I exhaled a frustrated breath. “Then will you trust me when I tell you it tastes good?”
Morgan rocked back and forth, tossing thoughts.
“Please?”
He tapped his fingers against his palm.
“Just a small bite?”
“I’ll use the cell phone and see if I can find a place that delivers pizza.” Morgan escaped into the bedroom.
I rubbed my temples and Dog bumped my knee with his shoulder.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m sure you’d love to eat what he doesn’t want.”
He woofed.
Lobster, filet, shrimp, fancy vegetables, with buttered sauces. Now the most expensive dog food on the market.
While I’d never had a problem eating macaroni when I had to, I admit, good food had been a pleasure I’d enjoyed while living in Chicago. There, restaurants raged war against each other for customers.
I put one of the filets on a plate and set it on the floor. Dog gave me a look like he was waiting for a punchline.
“Go ahead, eat it.”
Strings of saliva hung from his bottom lips.
“I’m serious, might as well. Just going to go to waste.” I pushed the plate closer with my foot.
Dog sniffed the steak, then with both eyes on me, made it disappear in a single bite.
“Did you even taste it?”
He belched.
“If you’re going to feed him the filet, take off the bacon. It’s bad for his pancreas.” Morgan walked over to Dog, dropping his wayward hand to the animal's head and squeezing the wrinkles of skin gathered between his ears.
“I’ll do that.” I picked up one of the fancy dishes. “Did you find a menu?”
“No. I decided I’ll try the food.” Morgan’s shoulder jerked. “A small bite. Of the steak. Maybe the shrimp. As long as it doesn’t have eyes. But I’m not eating the giant scorpion.”
“It’s a lobster.”
“It’s an arthropod, same family, still not eating it.”
“Shrimps are related to lobster.”
“Like I said, as long as it doesn’t have eyes.”
“Okay, what do you want to try?”
“I don’t know. You pick. You picked the food.” He clenched his fist, pulling the skin on Dog’s head tight enough to warp his adoring expression. Damn animal continued to wag his tail.
“Will you help me pick?” I lifted a serving fork sitting in the dish of vegetables.
“I don’t know how.”
“I’ll ask before I put it on your plate. And if you okay it, I’ll add it and if not…” I shrugged.
Morgan ground his jaw and nodded.
“Vegetables, okay?” He nodded again, and I put a small helping on his plate. “Shrimp?”
A tic pulled at his shoulder.
“Just a couple pieces?”
“O—” His muscles in his arms jumped. “Okay.”
It took a while, and more than once, I had to rearrange the food so it wasn’t touching. The remaining filet, without the bacon, went on his plate. Morgan carried it over to the small table and pulled out a chair.