Turkish Delights

Excerpt

Garrett, Kyle and Emir walked the streets of Sultanahmet in the Fatih district. It was almost a carnival-like atmosphere. The energy was so different from the daylight hours over the past four weeks. White lights strung across the street glowed in the darkness and music filled the air. Delicious scents enticed Garrett's stomach, resulting in a rumble. He'd heard there was a huge celebration at the end of the month, but he'd never imagined something on this scale. There was laughing and singing, the streets spilling over with people.

"You are enjoying the celebration?" Emir asked while looking over at Kyle and Garrett.

Garrett put his hand on Emir's arm, squeezing it gently. "Yes, thank you. This has been a night I will never forget. I know you haven't eaten yet. I made the three of us reservations at the Terrace Marmara Restaurant at the Blue House Hotel."

Kyle whistled. "Fancy."

He shrugged. "We're celebrating, right? Besides, after the construction begins in earnest next week, we'll all be too tired at night to do more than robotically feed ourselves, then collapse into bed."

"For the two of you, maybe, but I've been hard at work carving your columns and fountains for several months already. However, I make sure not to work beyond what's reasonable. It would be a shame to give up all the activities I enjoy-especially those that require great stamina. Now then, thank you for your consideration of making the reservations. A delicious meal is almost the perfect way to end the evening."

"Almost?" Kyle asked.

Emir smiled, "Well, the thing that would make it perfect is not something we are ready for yet." He looked at Garrett. "Soon, I hope."

The honey sound of Emir's accented voice washed over him, its promise blatant. Emir had been very careful about not touching either of them anytime they were in a public place, but Garrett's skin frequently burned from even the most casual touches when they were in private. Standing here in the middle of a crowded street, Garrett hoped his desires weren't as plain to see on his face as he feared they might be.

Garrett looked at Kyle and saw his smirk. Apparently, Garrett's acting skills weren't worthy of the West End. Kyle moved toward Emir and stood next to him. One pair of obsidian eyes and one pair of blue ones stared at him in expectation. All he had to do was concede, and the three of them would finally get to work burning off the caldera of lust that had been churning deep inside them, waiting for the perfect moment to erupt.

"If we don't hurry, we'll be late for our reservations."

It only took them a few minutes to walk to the hotel from the park. As they rode the lift to the rooftop restaurant and the host escorted to their table, Garrett felt Emir's and Kyle's focus on him, and the weight of their expectation hung heavy in the air.

The summer breeze blew gently as they sat at their table. The blue mosque showed in the darkness across the street. Its immense size completely obscured the horizon. The minarets speared the inky sky. A plate of appetisers rested on the table. Garrett particularly enjoyed the pacanga. He watched as Kyle sipped his wine and Emir drank his water.

"So, have we non-Muslims properly celebrated Ramadan?"

"In Turkey, we call it Ramazan, and yes, I believe you can now say you have celebrated our holiest of months."

Garrett sat back as the server placed a plate of Ottoman kebabs in front of him. Kyle hummed appreciatively at his chicken cordon bleu, and Emir quickly dug into his sultan kebabs. Of course, Garrett probably would be hungry as well after fasting all day. He knew Emir had eaten a light meal shortly after sunset, but for a man of his size, he needed fuel regularly.

I guess reflecting on your blessings and thinking of those less fortunate, like those who are starving, is part of the whole being an observant Muslim during Ramazan.

Garrett wasn't a religious man, but he could appreciate Emir's faith and beliefs. It was like how he felt when he'd first come out. His family had said repeatedly that they didn't understand it. What was it that made him the way he was? Garrett's response always had been, 'You don't have to understand it, but I ask that you respect it.' He looked at different religions the same way. Garrett smiled at Kyle and saluted Emir. Then he dug into his meal.

Garrett watched as the excavator dug out the land for the hotel's foundation. It was day one and things were officially underway. He saw Kyle standing off to the side, speaking with the general contractor. Hopefully, the workers would pour the footings and basement walls in the next week. Then it would be a long twenty-eight days before the real construction would begin.

They wouldn't utilise Emir's talents on site until there were actual walls, but as he'd said, he'd been hard at work since signing the contract. Emir had also said that he planned on creating cast mouldings that would surround every arched door in the building. The ending design of the hotel had drawn inspiration from the great mosques and historical buildings, such as the Hagia Sophia and Topkapı Palace. However, the guest suites would have all the modern conveniences such as Wi-Fi, Sub Zero outfitted mini kitchens, high-definition flat screens and multiple dual-line telephones. Not to mention, of course, the custom furnishings, top-of-the-line linens with genuine Turkish rugs and wall hangings, floor-to-ceiling windows that would take advantage of the views of the Bosphorus, marble bath suites with deep soaking tubs and personalised concierge service.

Garrett waved to Kyle, and he started walking his way. It had been a week since their adventure during the last night of Ramazan. Kyle's prediction hadn't come true that evening, as Garrett had managed to resist the two men's temptations. However, watching Kyle's sleek form stride across the construction site dissolved Garrett’s resolve a fraction more. He’d been on hundreds of construction sites since he became a project manager. Never had the visage of a hard hat turned him on or a sturdy pair of work boots made him think of the owner's elegant feet walking around Garrett’s flat barefoot.

"You needed something?"

"Yes..." Garrett cleared his throat and looked down at his tablet with the workflow schedule. "Um, so everything seems to be going smoothly. The soil isn't giving the excavator a hard time or anything?"

"No, once we get through the sixty to seventy meters of sediment, we'll reach the substrate, which, based on our survey, comprises a combination of chert, sandstone, claystone, greywacke, shale, and crystallised limestone. Assuming we don’t hit any major limestone deposits, we should be able to lay the footings within a week."

That went along with the schedule, so Garrett was happy. His job as the project manager-superintendent was basically to run the three-ring circus. The general contractor and any independent foremen reported to him, and Garrett was the one who scheduled the work, ordered the supplies, and kept things running on time and on budget.

"Good. I was planning to check in with Emir this afternoon. Do you want to come and see what he's been working on?"

"Sure. I have to say that I'm most excited to see the hamam pieces. He said a couple of days ago that he's always wanted to work on a hamam. He's had some ideas for the mosaics, the fountain and the carved back décor for behind the kurnas floating around in his head for years. The drawings were amazing, but listening to him talk about the process the other day really got me excited."

"You saw him the other day?" Garrett hadn’t seen the Turk since the night they'd all gone out.

Kyle nodded and looked over his shoulder as one of the crew gave a shout. "Yes, we met for supper, then he took me to see the palace. It has been very handy having a personal tour guide. He knows all the best local places and is so much more invested in telling the history of his city at the tourist stops."

Garrett wasn't sure how to feel about Kyle's revelation. He hadn't realised that Kyle and Emir were spending so much time together. On one hand, he was glad for the two men. Just because Garrett had rules for personal involvement and business didn't mean that Kyle and Emir needed to—or even should—restrict themselves. On the other hand, his insides churned with jealousy.

"Sounds as if you had a good time. I've been meaning to visit the palace, especially since several areas served as inspiration for the interior."

Kyle took a step closer to Garrett. "I'm sure he'd be happy to take you."

Garrett didn't want to impose on Kyle and Emir's time together. He gave a little smile. "We'll see."