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Dorian smiled at Shade's new acceptance and even.....was that a hint of excitement?.....to go up for their date. He had to say, he enjoyed that the little imp was more at ease with him in the very least. But as the imp became more comfortable, it seemed that Verdant was growing more and more hesitant. Dorian frowned softly, and placed a reassuring hand at Verdant's back rubbing the small of his spine soothingly.

"I promise you pet, all will be well. Ah, the elevator's here, let's get on with it then, hm?" he smiled happily, quite content in his standings as of right now. He had to lovely, sweet young men by his sides, and in the back of his mind he was congratulating himself on such a feat. Even at his age, he could still charm the pants off of a monk if he tried, and it boosted his ego a bit. Leading the pair into the elevator, it was a short, uneventful trip to the top, well.....if you counted Dorian crowding the two beside him in the corner so he could nibble on Ver's neck to make his troubles go away while gripping Shade's waist possessively uneventful. While he didn't nibble on Shade, he was a bit forthcoming in copping a feel of the young imp's backside, then feinting it off as a slip of the hand, putting it back firmly on his waist with a 'oops, was that me?' look of amusement on his features.

When the doors opened, the concierge smiled at the familiar face of Dorian Cromwell, and graciously led them to Dorian's old usual spot. It was a romantic table on the terrace floor, which was the revolving section of the restaurant (since not everyone likes to rotate while they're eating), and as the windows were tinted today, the chandeliers were dimmed above all the tables to create a romantic mid-day ambiance. Upstairs on this level was decorated much in the same opulence as below, and Dorian smiled and waved at the concierge as he departed, pulling out each of the chairs for Verdant and Shade graciously, motioning for them to sit.

"Come now, my dears, no need to be shy now, please, sit," he smiled warmly, practically beaming with pride as some of the older regulars that knew of him and his.....less than celibate ways, marveled at how he managed to ensnare TWO lovers instead of one this time. Though the good doctor didn't ignore the glaring heat from a particular woman over in the corner, seated closer to the ballroom floor in the central stationary area than he and his two little birds were. All in all, he felt she'd be a problem that needed to be dealt with eventually today, but at least he saw everyone was in mostly plain clothes. Plain clothes that looked like they were designer plain clothes, but still, quite a few of them were in designer t-shirts and jeans just like him. It would make his two lovelies feel a little better at least, or he hoped so.

Verdant nodded his head in understanding at Dorian's acerbic remark, sneaking a glance back at the woman that had brought on such spite from the doctor. The nymph, though he showed no signs of any discomfort or displeasure, began to grow a bit... concerned about Dorian's words. Would Dorian one day refer to him in such a manner? Would he feel the same way about Shade and Verdant, dismiss them as soon as they no longer held any interest to him? Needless to say, the very thought was enough to upset him, but, strange as the gesture was for Verdant, feeling so insecure was just one of his peculiar ways of showing how much someone meant to him; the fact was that Verdant was jealous of that woman, for he was certain that Dorian had slept with her and had yet to sleep with him. It only saddened Verdant more to realize that Dorian must be feeling the same way about Shade. Verdant wanted to tell Dorian that it was he who had made the first move, he who wanted the relationship with Shade in the first place, that there was no need for him to feel so jealous. For God's sake, Verdant wanted Dorian as much as he wanted Shade; if there weren't so many people, he'd have his way with both of them right there on top of the freakin' table, but he wasn't in the mood for spending an eternity in the slammer, so he kept it in his pants... for now. Verdant would be waking up in Dorian's bed tomorrow morning, of that he was very certain.

Of course, that was later. Right now, here in the restaurant, there was something Verdant needed to take care of. Dorian may have rebuked that woman over by the ballroom floor, but here she was, still trying to take him- but now she was trying to take Dorian away from him. The doctor was not wrong when he had pegged Verdant as the lustful possessive type and he never went down without a fight- and he was also a firm believer in that actions spoke louder than words, which is exactly why he broke his vow to never snog with anyone, regardless of the situation, and pulled Dorian into one of the most passionate kisses he could remember ever giving. For the sake of any children in the room, he used his hair to veil his actions, though that hand rubbing the inside of Dorian's thigh probably wasn't that easily hidden.

Verdant moved back in his chair, giving Dorian some room to get comfortable in his lap. Hell, this date was just getting better and better, now wasn't it? He was in the company of a libidinous doctor and a cute teen, he was in a fancy restaurant, and hey, he was gonna get some tail later tonight! What could possibly ruin this evening?

Well, maybe that furious platinum blonde bimbo that was approaching the table could...

Whoa, whoa, whoa! Who the hell did this b***h think she was? How dare she even bring up Marianna?! If Verdant couldn't, if it hurt Dorian so much for the topic to even be brought up in passing, how DARE she act like she had any right to talk about her, refer to her as "that long-dead corpse"?! Then speaking of Claudia so... Jesus, ********! This whore was asking to get her a** handed to her! He almost got up out of his seat to say something incredibly rude and witty when he heard her speak again. Drug spells? Verdant turned to Dorian with something bewteen confusion and disappointment in his expression. "Dorian, is she..."

Then SLAP! and Anita was no longer quite as confident or angry, just very, very scared. Verdant got up and planted himself firmly between Dorian and the b***h. He pushed the doctor back, held him back really, and glared venomously at the stupid, stupid woman who was so clearly obsessed, not in love, obsessed with his Dorian. HIS Dorian.

"No. No, he hasn't told me about the drug spells. He hasn't told me about the nightmares, he hasn't let me in enough to know about that just yet." His voice was a bit shaky, but otherwise calm and composed. He was furious, anyone could see that, but what was the point of screaming and yelling? This was a matter between the four of them, though the room had gone silent enough for even the people seated in the farthest table from them could hear his words clear as day. "You're the one who has no place in our world." He reached back and held Dorian's hand tightly for emphasis. "You can be as spiteful and rude towards me, I could care less, but don't you ever speak of them that way. You are nobody, you are nothing, just an insignificant speck." He let go of Dorian shortly, just so he could walk up to Anita and stare down at her diminutive frame. Her eyes met his vindictive gaze and Verdant found himself imagining a serpent glaring at its helpless prey, a rat immobilized by the fear of its impending demise. "You are nobody, you are nothing. Don't you dare pretend like you mean something to Dorian because you don't. I'm his lover now, not you, so get over it- and yourself. Now get out of here before I really lose my temper." To be truly honest, Verdant couldn't possibly get any angrier; hell, this was a whole new level of rage for him.

Not caring to see whether or not Anita left, Verdant pulled Dorian back into his lap, his arms wrapped gently around him. He rested his head on the doctor's shoulder, his mind already turning back to what Anita had said about the drugs and nightmares. Was she just saying those things to piss them off? Oh, how he prayed that was the case...

In all the turmoil, Shade had been completely ignored. Verdant glanced over to him and reach out, placing his hand on Shade's. He gave it a tight squeeze and smiled weakly; he was going to make it up to Shade and Dorian for causing them so much trouble, somehow.

Dorian didn't know what to say, he was still furious, regardless of Verdant's open affection and concern. Turning his head ever so slightly, he peered over at Shade. What could the boy possibly be thinking at this point? If the shoes were on Dori's feet, he knew he'd be bolting by now, considering himself and Verdant far too much drama to have to put up with. Though perhaps that was his jealousy popping up again, since part of him really DID want Shade gone. A little boy had no business trying to be in a grown-up relationship. One of the three of them was sure to get ignored constantly, and Dorian knew it sure as hell wouldn't be him if he had anything to say about it.

And yet the boy looked at such a loss, so confused and bewildered, that Dorian's paternal instinct to care for him kicked in. Sitting up slowly and leaning over, he brushed some hair out of Shade's face, tucking it behind his ear. Cocking his head a little, his eyes seemed to ask 'Are you alright?' to the imp. Bah. Curse the father in him that made him want to take care of others. He couldn't even handle his OWN life, let alone theirs. Who was he fooling in all of this? With a sigh, he looked up to the ceiling, glancing over to notice that Anita had retreated all the way out of the restaurant. That was good. He wouldn't have to hear from her again.....oh wait, they had a group meeting later, didn't they? Damn.

As his thoughts turned to the meeting, he grew even more somber. Today would be a bad day, because the boss had mentioned Claudia SPECIFICALLY. He didn't know how Claudia had come up, but one of his friends and coworkers had warned him he'd be going over something about her today. It didn't sound great, but maybe it was? You never knew, he HAD proposed a few radical ideas.......maybe they'd gotten approved by some miracle? You never knew at meetings. Usually lots of things were covered, and the team jumped from one topic to the next with reckless abandon as if they WEREN'T affecting the lives of millions with what they accomplished everyday.

The waiter had come over while he was thinking, and looked at the three oddly, giving Dorian an out with one of those 'man looks' where you know someone will cover for you if you'd like to just bolt. With a soft sigh, he ruffled in his pocket and pulled out a key, sliding it into Verdant's hand and closing his hand around it, giving the nymph a peck on the cheek.

"Mmm. It's about time I left for that meeting.....I'm sorry our time was cut short by that insufferable witch........here's the apartment key I promised, Marius will let me in later, so don't worry. Feel free to go back to my place if you want, I'll be home sometime later this evening. Probably around six, the driver will take you wherever you want to go, work is close enough that I can walk," he said, more tired sounding than anything else. Nodding to the waiter, the man bowed and knew to place anything the two ordered onto Dorian's account which was on file. With that, the doctor took Shade's hand, gave it a quick kiss, stood, and kissed Verdant one last time before walking towards the elevator.

((Do you guys want to wrap this up? I feel like I'm really behind as far as timelines go for Dorian. oAo;; Everyone else is so far ahead and I'm waaaaay back here. ))