I Was A Male Order Bride by Tagsit, Lorie
Summary:

Justin mistakenly gets sent to Brian by one of Brian‘s Eastern European clients as his ‘mail order bride’. 


Categories: QAF US Characters: Brian Kinney, Daphne Chanders, Emmett Honeycutt, Gus Marcus-Peterson, Justin Taylor, Michael Novotny, Original Male Character, Other Cast Regulars, Ted Schmidt
Tags: 100k+ Word Count, Anti-Michael, M/M, Wedding
Genres: Alternate Universe
Pairings: Brian/Justin
Challenges: None
Series: None
Chapters: 25 Completed: Yes Word count: 106372 Read: 24608 Published: Apr 12, 2022 Updated: Jun 19, 2022

1. Chapter 1 - Much Ado About by Tagsit

2. Chapter 2 - We May Be Better Strangers by Tagsit

3. Chapter 3 - Fame For A Pot of Ale by Tagsit

4. Chapter 4 - Drink Down All Unkindness by Tagsit

5. Chapter 5 - Confusion Now Hath Made by Tagsit

6. Chapter 6 - Two Or Three Probable Lies by Tagsit

7. Chapter 7 - Kill All The Lawyers by Tagsit

8. Chapter 8 - Faithful Friends Are Hard To Find. by Tagsit

9. Chapter 9 - Mine Eye Hath Played The Painter by Tagsit

10. Chapter 10 - Made With The Fume Of Sighs by Tagsit

11. Chapter 11 - Tonight Let Us Assay Our Plot by Tagsit

12. Chapter 12 - Too Wise To Woo Peaceably by Tagsit

13. Chapter 13 - Good and Ill Together by Tagsit

14. Chapter 14 - Toil and Trouble by Tagsit

15. Chapter 15 - An Open Arse by Tagsit

16. Chapter 16 - Clean Enough To Spit Upon by Tagsit

17. Chapter 17 - In Nothing Else So Happy by Tagsit

18. Chapter 18 - Would We Were All Of One Mind by Tagsit

19. Chapter 19 - What We May Be by Tagsit

20. Chapter 20 - Wing The Midway Air by Tagsit

21. Chapter 21 - Whether You Will Or No by Tagsit

22. Chapter 22 - Who Wooed in Haste by Tagsit

23. Chapter 23 - Best Safety Lies In Fear by Tagsit

24. Chapter 24 - Try The Fair Adventure of Tomorrow by Tagsit

25. Chapter 25 - All’s Well That Ends Well by Tagsit

Chapter 1 - Much Ado About by Tagsit
Author's Notes:

Welcome to Camp NaNoWriMo! Get ready for some fun with this one. Lorie & TAG



Chapter 1 - Much Ado About.



Justin Taylor took out his almost empty wallet and pulled out three Euros to pay for the coffee he’d been nursing for the past hour and a half. He probably shouldn’t have wasted even those measly three on a coffee; he should have bought a sandwich or something more filling. He was down to his last fifty Euros and if he didn’t find a way to get more cash soon he was going to be shit outta luck. 



But sitting there amid the beautiful old buildings of the ancient city of Split, nursing his now cold drink, it was hard to get too worked up about anything. There was something about the laid back atmosphere of the Croatian resort town that made it difficult to be too serious about anything. The people here were philosophical about life. Over the centuries this town had seen it all. The Dalmatian coast had gone from a Greek settlement, to a Roman resort town, to a City-State rival of the prosperous Venice, to a vassal state of the mighty Byzantine and Ottoman Empires. It had been bombed repeatedly, in several wars, and been traded back and forth between stronger nations enough times that the populace tended to forget who they were supposed to belong to at any given time. So many wars had been fought over this territory that the people had become inured to anything short of an all out invasion. Most of the citizens still didn’t trust this whole independent nation thing; Croatia had only been declared ‘independent’ in 1991, and that seemed like a mere moment in time to a city that had been around for almost three thousand years. So, yeah, it was understandable that Justin had taken on the same languorous attitude as the populace around him since his arrival in the city.   


It didn’t help that it was already almost 30C that afternoon. Even in the shade of the tall building where the cafe was located, and further protected by the umbrella over his table, it was ridiculously hot and humid. But then again, what did he expect for the end of July on the Mediterranean? He should probably head north, at least until summer was over, to avoid the worst of the summer heat in the south. Assuming, that is, he managed to find the money to go anywhere. 


That thought, unfortunately, brought him back to the contemplation of his sorry financial state. 


Justin still wasn’t sure how he’d ended up stranded in a coastal resort town in southern Croatia. The past year and a half had passed in a bit of daze. Ever since he’d gotten kicked out of Dartmouth he’d just been drifting around, going wherever his fancy took him, and not really giving a damn that he didn’t have a real plan. He didn’t have anything to go back to in the States. Justin‘s parents, especially his father, Craig, had pretty much given up on him. In fact, they were probably happy he was out of the picture, bumming around Europe, so long as he was out of their hair. 


Craig still hadn’t forgiven his son for the scandal he’d caused at the old man’s alma mater. It was bad enough that Justin had struggled from day one, getting terrible grades, partying way too much, and almost failing out his very first semester. Craig had given the recalcitrant student a serious talking to when he’d come home for winter break and told Justin he didn’t give a flying fart if the boy hated everything about the school, starting with the fact that he hadn’t wanted to go to business school in the first place. As a Taylor, it was Justin’s duty to go to Dartmouth, just like his father, his grandfather, and his great-grandfather. He needed to buck up, straighten himself out, and do the family proud. 


Unfortunately, Justin hadn’t listened. His second semester had been going even worse than his first when he got caught in a dubious situation that ended his Darmouth career for good. Apparently, the Dean did not approve of his son being caught on camera at a frat party getting sucked off by one of the house’s newest pledges. Maybe if the video hadn’t gone viral on TikTok, they might have been able to sweep the distasteful affair under the carpet. But, after about the millionth-plus view, Justin had been summoned to the Dean’s office, told to pack his bags, and been warned never to be seen on campus again. 


Craig had been even less pleased about the circumstances of Justin’s expulsion than his buddy the Dean. Justin’s mother had warned him that it would be best if he let his father cool off before returning home. So, trying to make the best of a bad situation, the unrepentant former student had decamped for Europe and spent his time wandering around from city to city, enjoying the fuck out his free time, while he waited to be summoned home again. 


Bumming his way around Europe had been a blast for the first six months or so. Justin had traveled around the continent, visiting all the great cities he’d read about, and done all the requisite touristy things, until his savings had finally run out. When he’d called home from a coffee house in Amsterdam, informing his father about the dire money situation, Justin was told flat-out that Craig didn’t give a damn about his son’s high-end problems. Craig declared point-blank that he wasn’t going to continue to finance Justin’s ‘degenerate lifestyle’ and promptly hung up on him. Since then, Justin had managed by ingratiating himself to a series of rich, trust fund kids, who were also sowing their wild oats and partying their way across the continent, and who had more than enough money to spare. It was a life.


Which was how Justin had ended up, sitting in a cafe in a small Croatian beach town, after having just been dumped by the latest in the string of hookups he’d been using to finance his rambles across the continent, down to his last fifty Euros with no appreciable prospects for the future. 


While he sat there, contemplating his nebulous future and wondering how much longer he could occupy a table without ordering anything before the waiter would kick him out, Justin’s attention was drawn to the next table over. The two women sitting there were arguing rather loudly, so it was hard not to overhear their conversation, to be honest. He definitely wasn’t anywhere near fluent in Croatian, but he did understand a little bit; he heard the words lijepa (pretty), and pedercina (gay). 


Well, he thought, I’m both pretty and gay so maybe I should see what they’re talking about. It wasn’t like he had anything better to do, right? And you never knew where - or from whom - you might pick up a tip that would help you find your next meal ticket. 


Justin noticed that the older one seemed upset about something and kind of sad. The younger one appeared to be trying to explain what she was doing, the way a young adult would try to convince a parent to agree to something that they really wanted to do, even when the parent disapproved. The women’s body language and vocal inflections were apparently universal. After several minutes of this disagreement, he heard the younger one call the older one “Mama” - well, at least he’d got that part right - and then the daughter said, “ne zanima me!” (I don’t care). This was followed by a string of increasingly animated exchanges between the two, but the only words Justin got out of it were “America” and “Green Card”. 


This conversation just got a LOT more interesting, Justin concluded, prompting him to lean a little closer so he could hear better. 


Justin had been thinking for a while now that he should maybe contemplate heading home. The whole backpacking through Europe thing was starting to get a little old, to be honest. Plus, not only was he homesick for the good old U.S. of A., he also really missed his best friend, Daphne. But, since his family was still refusing to shell out any money unless he agreed to toe the line and follow his father’s edicts, he hadn’t yet come up with a way to finance that trip home. 


And, even after finding himself stranded in the middle-of-nowhere Croatia, he wasn’t ready to give in; he knew that if he wanted to get back on his father’s good side he’d have to promise to ‘give up the whole gay thing’, clean up his act, and go back to Dartmouth. Assuming, that is, that his father’s money could grease the wheels sufficiently to get him readmitted. Going to any other college was unacceptable - his father’s words - Dartmouth was ‘where the men in this family go’. It didn’t matter that Justin had absolutely no interest in business. He was expected to join the family business whether he wanted to or not. It didn’t matter that what he really wanted to do was go to art school; he was an artist, and a damn good one at that, but his father refused to believe drawing pretty pictures constituted an acceptable career path. Even more galling, it didn’t matter one iota to his homophobic family that Justin was gay, had always been gay, and would always be gay, whether they liked it or not. In his sexuality, like everything else in his life, Justin wasn’t given any choices. Craig Taylor held the family purse strings. Justin either had to do as his father said, and live his life the way his father dictated, or he would be permanently cut off from the family and their money. 


So, since Justin wasn’t willing to kowtow to his father’s unreasonable mandates, it appeared that he’d have to find some other way to finance his trip home.


He returned his focus to the two women when he noticed the younger one waving something in the air that looked like an airline ticket envelope. He heard her say, “dva sata” (two hours). Then the older woman nodded and, looking resigned, Mama pulled her daughter into a long hug. The goodbye scene got a little drawn out after that. First Mama got teary-eyed and then the daughter did too. They stood up and hugged again, the daughter absentmindedly shoving the ticket into a larger manilla envelope which she left on the table next to her purse so she’d have her hands free for more hugging. Even without understanding the language, it was a very touching scene.


Which was when Justin did something he’d never done before. Something reprehensible. Something he didn’t let himself think about for even a second because, if he had, he would have talked himself out of doing such a despicable thing.  


Biting his lip, Justin got up quickly, turned abruptly as if he’d just then meant to leave, and intentionally dumped the remains of his coffee all over the two women. While they were yelling curses at his clumsiness, Justin apologized profusely and reached across the women’s table, presumably to grab a napkin to help with the clean up, surreptitiously grabbing the envelope with the ticket inside. Then, before the women realized what had happened, he turned on his heel and high-tailed it out of there as fast as he could without drawing too much attention to himself. He made it across the piazza and caught the first cab he saw. The taxi was already pulling out into traffic when he heard the first raised voices yelling after him. “Stop! Lopov!” Luckily the thief was already a half a block away by then and on his way to the airport with his ticket home in his pocket!



Ted headed into Brian’s office, hoping that he would still have a job after he explained to his boss what he’d just found out. 


He had just gotten off the phone with the assistant for their newest international client, Aleksi Kacmar, the owner of Princess Mia Resorts, a huge hotel chain with locations all along the Adriatic from Croatia to Greece. Kinnetik had signed a contract with Kacmar that could easily net the firm ten million dollars over the next three to five years. It was the largest international client Kinnetik had ever won and would go a long way towards getting Kinnetik’s advertising seen in Europe and beyond. Because of that, Brian was eager to do whatever it took to make Aleksi happy. 


To that end, Brian had feted Aleksi extensively when the Croatian entrepreneur had come to Pittsburgh the week before to finalize the deal with Kinnetik. Brian had shown Aleksi and his latest wife - a brainless, blond bimbo, with tits the size of floatation devices, who was at least twenty years younger than her filthy rich husband - all over town. The charming AdMan had taken the couple out to dinner at all the best restaurants provincial little Pittsburgh had to offer, got them tickets to an Ironmen game, and even, on Ted’s recommendation, accompanied them to see Carmen at the Pittsburgh Opera House, despite the fact that Brian detested opera. 


On the Kacmars' last day in town, while Aleksi’s wife, Petra, was enjoying a last minute visit to the hotel’s spa, the two men had gone to lunch at a nearby chop shop. Brian had used an interpreter to help out with communications during all their official business meetings, but since this was just an informal lunch, and all the contracts were signed and sealed already, Brian hadn’t thought he needed to invite the interpreter along. That might have been a mistake, though, because Aleksi’s English was not very good and Brian didn’t speak more than a dozen words of Croatian. The conversation was a little stilted but at least the good beer they were drinking along with their steaks made the experience bearable.


When the meal was winding down, Aleksi mentioned something about Petra. Brian couldn’t really understand everything the man said, but he nodded along and pretended to agree. Based on the lewd gestures Aleksi was making as he spoke, Brian assumed the man was just bragging; ‘so-and-so is great in bed’ sounds the same in almost any language. When Aleksi had segued into asking Brian something about his own sex life, Brian had merely smiled and tried to look coy. He hadn’t really wanted to bring up the topic of his sexuality yet, not that he was trying to hide it or anything, but he didn’t know Aleksi well enough to get into that topic. Besides, it wasn’t really any of Aleksi’s business. 


So, when Kacmar had questioned Brian about ‘why a zgodan muskarac like you no have a dobra zena’, he hadn’t really known how to answer or even what the man had really asked him. With a little more back and forth, Brian finally understood that Aleksi was asking why he wasn’t married. Brian, jokingly, had replied that he guessed he just hadn’t found the right person to settle down with. That had caused Aleksi to spout off, rambling on for quite a while about something Brian couldn’t understand at all, but he agreeably nodded along anyway because he didn’t want to seem rude. It didn’t really matter, though, because Kacmar would be on an airplane back to Split in just a few hours and Brian could finally turn off the fake charm.


Ted remembered Brian coming back from that lunch meeting all smiles. He’d given Ted a general recap of what had been discussed at lunch and they’d laughed about how the het clients always seemed to feel the need to brag about their sexual prowess. Like Brian would care, even if he hadn’t been gay. But part of the job was humoring the clients and playing along like it mattered what they said.


Ted specifically remembered asking his boss if he thought Aleksi had known Brian was gay. Brian had just shrugged. Part of the discussion during the meetings over the direction Kacmar wanted to go with his advertising had been about the acceptance of gay couples and their families at the hotel chain, so they’d at least thought that the man would be accepting if he found out about Brian’s promiscuous gay lifestyle. But other than that it hadn’t really come up. Now, though, Ted was wishing they’d taken the time to have that conversation before Kacmar had left the States.


Because, from what Ted understood based on the phone call he’d just taken, their newest businessman client had definitely NOT got the message that the owner of his new advertising firm was gay.


Ted knocked on Brian’s door and was granted entrance. “Brian, I just got off the phone with Aleksi’s assistant . . .” he started.


“Is there a problem with the contract?” Brian asked, looking up with concern from the Princess Mia boards he’d been examining.


“No, not with the contract . . . Um . . . What, exactly, did you two talk about at lunch that last day Aleksi was here?” Ted questioned.


“I already told you, just general stuff about our lives. He was going on and on about his bimbo wife. Just BS, mostly. Why?”


“Well, apparently, Aleksi got a lot more out of that conversation than you did, Brian,” Ted offered, biting his lip nervously. “Kacmar’s assistant just called and told me her boss is sending you something and we need to get to the airport to pick it up.”


“What the fuck would he be sending that we need to pick up at the airport?” Brian shook his head, unhappy that his work day was being interrupted.


“Well, from what I gathered - and that’s assuming there weren’t some serious translation issues - I think she said he’s sending you a ‘bride’.”


“A WHAT?” Brian dropped the boards, letting them fall to the floor in a jumbled heap.


“Aleksi is sending you a ‘bride’,” Ted repeated, almost as shocked as Brian. “From what I understand, that day at lunch when you were talking about his wife, Aleksi apparently asked you why a handsome guy like you wasn’t already married and he claims you said that you just hadn’t ‘met the right woman’ yet. Or, at least, that’s what he thought you said. So, he’s generously taken it upon himself to help you out. According to the assistant, Kacmar is sending you one of his ‘girls’ so you won’t be working too much to have fun. Her words, not mine.”


“Oh, holy fuck, Theodore. You’ve got to be kidding! What the fuck am I going to do with a bride?”


“Don’t ask me, Boss. I’m gay,” Ted replied, supressing a laugh.


“Well, what the fuck am I?”


“According to our newest client, apparently, you are someone in need of a bride.”


“I need a fucking bride like I need another dick . . .” Brian mumbled, running his fingers through his hair agitatedly. 


“Well, then, you may need to get bigger pants,” Ted answered with a smirk. “Because, it seems, she’s already on her way. The assistant emailed me the flight information and your intended should be arriving at Pittsburgh International in . . .” he looked at the time on his phone and nodded, “just over an hour.”


Shaking his head, cursing under his breath, and shutting down his computer, Brian commented, “Shit. I guess we better get going. We can’t afford to insult Kacmar by letting whoever he sent wait at the fucking airport. This isn’t an account we want to lose. Although, I have no idea what the fuck I’m supposed to do with the woman once we meet her at the airport. But, whatever. We’ll have to figure it out on the way.”


Since Brian hated the hassle of driving to the airport and looking for parking, he made the executive decision to use his car service. Taking the car service had the added advantage of allowing him and Ted to sit in the back and brainstorm about the situation. They needed to figure out how they were going to handle this nightmare. Plus, after they’d picked up their ‘package’, the car would be waiting right outside of the Departure doors so they could make a quick getaway.


Once the car arrived and they were on their way, Brian turned to Ted. “So, when we find this bimbo Aleksi is sending me, Theodore, what the hell are we supposed to do with her?”


“Don’t ask me, Boss. That’s a little out of my job description. I don’t know shit about women,” Ted replied, looking as lost as Brian felt. “Do you know what to do with one?”


“In bed? Actually, yes,” Brian admitted with a shudder. “Don’t ask. It was a combination of too much booze and some really bad drugs.” Brian chuckled at Ted’s very shocked face.


“Okaaaay. Well, first things first, we’ll have to put her up somewhere until we can straighten things out with Aleksi. Any suggestions on where she’ll be staying?” Ted asked.


“Shit. I don’t know. Can’t we just check her into a hotel or something?” Brian suggested. “Oh fuck. Did Aleski say if she even speaks English?”


“He didn’t say. That could definitely be a problem, though. Do you know anyone that speaks Croatian? Or should I call the interpreter we used before?”


“I would prefer to keep this as quiet as possible,” Brian answered, pinching the bridge of his nose and shaking his head. “If we do get the interpreter involved we’ll need to have the lawyers beef up the Non-Disclosure Agreement he signed because I don’t want something like this being spread around Liberty Avenue. Can you imagine the shit storm that would cause? Plus, until we get this resolved, I don’t want anything getting back to Aleksi.”


Once inside the airport they quickly found the right screen among the dozens on the wall. After figuring out where they needed to be, they headed off in the proper direction. Luckily there was a Liberty Air VIP lounge near the concourse the plane would be coming into. They settled in there and Brian ordered a JB to take the edge off while they waited for the announcement that the flight they were meeting had arrived. 


“So, what do you think she’ll look like,” Ted asked, sipping his own club soda. 


“Knowing Aleksi, I’m guessing she’s blond and has a bigger bra size than her IQ,” Brian guessed, looking disgusted at the mere thought of a woman’s breasts.


“No doubt,” Ted agreed with a chuckle. “Remember the way Aleski kept talking about his wife’s ‘bazongas’. I suppose he thought it was a compliment, but . . . Anyway, I’m guessing it’s a given that whomever he sends you will have the same attributes.” 


“That’s ALL I need,” Brian moaned. “And, knowing how much Aleksi likes them young, I’ll be surprised if she’s even out of high school. Hell, she’ll probably be too young to stay in a hotel room alone.” 


“It could be worse,” Ted teased. “I’m pretty sure she’s at least old enough to fly on her own, or else Aleksi’s assistant would have had to send over the paperwork so you could take custody of an unaccompanied minor.” 


“Fuck you, Ted.” Brian looked scandalized. “You don’t think he’d do that, do you?”


“I don’t know, Bri, although I was just reading this article in the Times last week about the problem with child brides in the slavic countries. Apparently, it’s a cultural thing. It’s kinda big over there,” Ted went on, enjoying how panicked Brian looked as he yanked his chain. Brian, it seemed, didn’t know you couldn’t send unaccompanied minors on international flights. Which made it just that much easier to tease him. “But, I think they have to be at least twelve, or have their parent’s permission, so you’re probably okay.”


“I am so fucked,” Brian moaned.


Just then the PA system announced a short delay in the arrival of the flight they were waiting for and Ted reached over to pat his friend sympathetically on the shoulder. “If she’s too young to marry, maybe you could adopt her,” he commented, before moving off quickly to talk to the concierge at the VIP lounge’s customer service desk.



 

End Notes:

4/12/22 - Welcome to our Camp NaNoWriMo 2022 Story! Since TAG didn’t get a chance to write a new story in November for the big NaNo event, we are doing one now. And Lorie thankfully agreed to join in and add her special talent for humorous one-liners and sexy times. We’re hoping to meet our goal of 50k words in one month, so wish us luck. Hope you like this one! TAG & Lorie.

 

If you want to come write with us online, we’re around most every night and we’d love to have company and/or help. You can access the working doc here: Male Order Bride - Working Doc

 

Croatian Words: 

-Lijepa - Pretty

-Pedercina - Gay

-Ne zanima me! - I don’t care

-Dva sata - Two hours

-Lopov - Thief

-Zgodan muskarac - Handsome guy

-Dobra zena - Good wife

 

Chapter 2 - We May Be Better Strangers by Tagsit
Author's Notes:

Ready for more? TAG & Lorie



Chapter 2 - We May Be Better Strangers.



Over the course of the fifteen hour flight from Croatia to the US, Justin managed to go through the rest of the documents in the envelope he’d stolen. It wasn’t easy. It took forever to type all the words and phrases he didn’t understand into Google Translate so he could painstakingly decipher their meaning. In the end, though, he was glad he’d taken the time to figure it all out. 


It appeared that the younger woman he’d observed at the cafe had contracted herself out to be a mail order bride for some rich American. The translation wasn’t precise, so he didn’t understand all the nuances of the contract, but it seemed like someone named ‘Aleksi Kacmar’ - who might have been the woman’s boss back in Croatia, if Justin was reading the documents right - had brokered the deal and was responsible for paying the woman’s way to the states. She was obligated to stay with the man she was being sent to for a minimum of five years or else she’d owe this Aleksi guy some ridiculous amount of damages. No wonder the woman’s mother had been upset by what was going on. This woman had basically just sold herself into slavery in exchange for a chance to get to America.  


One thing that Justin was surprised to find when he’d first looked at the tickets in the envelope, was that the woman was being sent to his hometown of Pittsburgh, PA. It truly was a small world, right? Anyway, it looked like Justin really was going home after all, which worked for him. He didn’t really have anywhere better to go and he was looking forward to surprising his friend, Daphne, when he showed up at her door. 


He’d also come across a picture of the man that was the purported groom in this transaction; a man by the name of ‘Brian Kinney’. Justin had spent quite a while staring at that picture. Mr. Kinney really did look too pretty to be straight if Justin was any judge of the matter. No wonder the women he’d eavesdropped on had come to the same conclusion. And that line of thought had brought up interesting possibilities. Justin fell asleep laughing about the thought of taking the place of the young blond woman and landing himself a rich, sugar-daddy husband. 


At least that would solve all his financial problems. 



Back at the airport in Pittsburgh, Brian and Ted were trying once again to explain to the attendant at the concierge desk why they weren't completely clear on who it was that their client Aleksi was sending. Ted apologized to the confused woman who’d been trying to help them, pointing out that Aleksi’s command of English wasn’t very good on the best of days, and what he had gotten had come third-hand through an assistant. All Ted had been told was that Brian needed to meet someone who’s name Ted couldn’t pronounce - he’d tried to approximate the name when he wrote it down but apparently it didn’t match any of the names on the flight’s manifest - who was coming in on a particular flight. He didn’t even have the complete flight information, so he had no idea which airport the passenger’s trip had originated from or what other connections the traveler would have made to get to Pittsburgh. All he knew was the flight number for the last leg of the trip from New York to Pittsburgh. 


“Great, Theodore. So, how are we supposed to recognize this chick if we don’t know her name or have any idea what she looks like?” Brian complained, walking away so he could pace off his frustration while Ted and the concierge went on discussing the matter.


After a little further explanation, the airline rep promised to do her best to track down the arriving Croatian passenger for them. Ted went back to where he and Brian had been seated at the bar and ordered another drink. There was no use in getting too worked up about it all. There couldn’t be that many Croatian passengers on this flight, could there? He figured the airline people would work it out. And, in the meantime, he’d try and amuse himself by thinking up a few more ways to tease his flustered boss about his new bride.



The plane had already landed and was taxiing towards the airport terminal when, in the middle of the usual spiel about remaining seated until the aircraft had arrived at the gate and was completely stopped, a different voice interrupted the set speech to ask that the passenger from Split, Croatia, please push the flight attendant call button and wait until after all the other passengers deplaned before leaving. 


Justin immediately jumped to the conclusion that he was in deep shit. Had he been caught for stealing the ticket? Was he about to be arrested? And, when he didn’t hit the call button as directed, one of the flight attendants actually got up out of his seat and came over to talk to him. 


“Are you the passenger arriving from Croatia, Sir?” the sweet-faced young man asked. 


Justin didn’t know what to do or say. He was too fucking panicked to speak. So he just stared at the guy with a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.


The nice flight attendant didn’t seem fazed by his lack of a response, though. The man just patted Justin on the shoulder with a kind expression on his face. “Don’t worry. I’m sure we’ll figure this out.” Then, using gestures to indicate that Justin should stay put in his seat, the man added, “just stay here until all the other passengers have deplaned and someone will come to get you.”


What could he do after that? It's not like he could go anywhere or somehow escape the plane without being caught. He was trapped in a fucking metal tube on wings with only one exit. He spent the next fifteen minutes, while the plane rolled closer and closer to the terminal, just sitting there, panicking, practically paralyzed with fear. He briefly contemplated trying to sneak out with the other passengers when they all stood up and started to shuffle down the aisle with their carry-ons in hand, but he could see that one flight attendant who’d spoken to him standing right near the door, and knew he’d never make it. So he just sat there, waiting to find out what his doom would be, and wondering if he’d be sent back to Croatia or if he could do his prison sentence here in the states.


When all the other passengers were gone, and the flight attendant came to get him, Justin didn’t put up any fuss. He just grabbed his backpack out of the overhead bin and followed along, mutely, trying to mentally prepare himself for whatever was about to come. When his guide directed him to the VIP lounge instead of some airport jail cell, however, he started to wonder what the fuck was going on. Something here just didn’t feel right. Still, he didn’t want to give himself away if he didn’t have to, so he kept quiet and didn’t respond to any of the kindly flight attendant’s comments, waiting to see what would develop. 


As soon as Justin and his escort walked into the VIP lounge, he was surprised to see the same beautiful man whose picture he’d found in the envelope he stole back in Croatia. That was unexpected. Or maybe not. Maybe they were just waiting for this guy to point out that Justin obviously wasn’t the woman he’d been waiting for before the cops showed up to arrest him? However, after scanning the vicinity, he still didn’t see anyone that looked like a cop. So what the hell was going on? 


“Oh good. Here he is,” announced a woman who came out from behind the airline desk and approached the beautiful man who seemed to be waiting for Justin. “Good thing there was only one passenger on the flight who was arriving from Croatia.” The woman smiled at Justin. “Welcome to the United States, Sir.” 


Justin just stared at her as if he didn’t understand what she was saying. Actually, he did understand what she was saying, he just didn’t understand why she was saying it. Weren’t they going to arrest him? I mean, he HAD stolen the ticket, after all. It was pretty clear he wasn’t the woman they expected. So why were all these people standing around smiling at him? You would think they’d be angry or something, right? 



“But . . .” the gorgeous brunet turned to the airline woman, seeming like he was about to complain, then stopped and gave Justin the old elevator eyes thing. “You’re not a blonde bimbo with big tits.” The brunet turned to another man standing nearby and repeated himself. “He’s not a blonde bimbo with big tits, Theodore.”


“I noticed that myself, Boss.”


“I thought you said Aleksi was sending me a fucking ‘bride’, Theodore. Doesn’t that imply female? Or am I missing something here?” Brian questioned. 


“Not really sure what is going on right now,” Ted answered, pulling out his phone and sending a clarifying text to Aleksi’s assistant. “Let me try and get in touch with Kacmar’s secretary.” He typed away for a minute or so while Brian and Justin continued to stare at each other, both equally confused. “Okay. I sent her a text, but we may not get any response for a while since it’s the middle of the night there.”


“So what the fuck are we supposed to do with HIM in the meantime?” Brian asked. Addressing the new arrival directly, Brian questioned, “do you speak English? Do you know where you’re supposed to be?”


Justin, whose mind was still reeling as he tried to figure out the best way to deal with the situation, didn't know what to do or say. It seemed like, at least so far, nobody had cottoned on to the fact that he’d stolen the woman’s ticket. They just assumed there had been some kind of mistake. But, if he spoke up and revealed that he did indeed understand English, then they were sure to start with the interrogation and no doubt he’d be asked a bunch of questions he really didn’t want to answer. Maybe, if he continued to play dumb, though, he’d find a chance to escape? At the very least, he hoped to be able to delay the inevitable until he’d thought up some kind of excuse. So, obeying the old adage that silence was the better part of valor, Justin pretended he hadn’t a clue what they were all saying and just offered up his most angelically innocent smile. 


The pretty man’s friend smiled back, approached with one hand held out, and offered to shake Justin’s hand. “Hi. I’m Ted and this is Brian.” Ted introduced them both, gesturing emphatically towards first himself and then the pretty man next to him.


No one was really expecting Justin to answer anything, since they assumed that he didn’t even understand what they were asking. Justin took the man’s hand and stupidly nodded around at everyone looking at him without saying anything more. To anyone watching the odd exchange it probably would have looked like a bunch of people just smiling and nodding stupidly at each other, with the occasional word or two thrown in for effect. If Justin hadn’t been pretending ignorance, he would have been laughing his ass off at how ridiculous the whole situation must look to anyone who was paying attention. 


While Ted continued to try talking and gesturing to Justin, Brian was trying to think of anything other than what he wished he could do with the sexy blond who he was trying not to stare at like some horny frat boy. He didn’t usually react to blonds at all, especially blond twinks. He typically went for the more muscular, dark, smoldering type. Which is why he was so surprised by his reaction to this particular blond. There was just something about this kid; Brian didn’t understand it, but he didn’t want to fight it either. At the very least, this hot little blond twink was a definite upgrade on the bleached blonde wanna be ‘bride’ he had expected to find.


While Ted kept pantomiming at the kid, who clearly didn’t understand a word of what anyone was saying, Brian was busy imagining all the nasty things he’d like to do with his new ‘bride’. The first thing he’d do was to get the blond twink naked, then spread him out on Brian’s midnight blue sheets, where his pale skin would glow under the lighting in his bedroom like fresh fallen snow in the moonlight. Brian licked his lips, wanting to taste the nervous sweat that he was imagining on that slight little body. Glancing down quickly, he could see that the package inside the kid’s pants looked larger than it should be on someone his size. Not that he’d ever wanted any kind of ‘bride’, but if he had to have one, this kid looked like he’d fit the bill.


“Sorry, Brian, but I don’t think I’m getting anywhere here,” Ted apologized after about ten minutes of useless sputtering and gesturing. “I don’t think he understands anything I’m saying.”


Brian huffed with annoyance. “Great. So he doesn’t speak English and we can’t get a hold of anyone in Croatia to tell us what the hell is going on?” Ted shrugged, acknowledging the awkward situation they were in. “What the hell was Aleksi thinking, sending this kid here? And what the fuck are we supposed to do with him until we figure it out?”


“Well, it’s pretty clear he isn’t the ‘bride’ you were expecting,” Ted teased him.


“No shit, Theodore. That doesn’t answer what we’re supposed to do with him. Can’t we just return him or something? 


Seeing the frustrated look on Brian’s face, Ted pulled him aside, out of the hearing of the hovering airline concierge and their seemingly nonverbal guest. “I know this is a pain in the ass, but I don’t think we can just blow this off, Brian. Not without potentially pissing Aleksi off. You and I both know that, contract or no contract, if he wanted to he could still walk and there’s not much we could do about it. We don’t even have the first payment from Princess Mia Resorts yet; he’s not obligated to wire that installment until the preliminary boards are approved and that won’t be until at least the end of the month. So, I think we should just play along with this for now and see what happens, Boss. Unless you have a better idea?”


“Fuck . . . You’re right. I guess,” Brian conceded, pinching the bridge of his nose to fight off the headache this mess was causing. “But what do I DO with him?”


“Well, we can’t send him off by himself to a hotel,” Ted asserted. “He doesn’t speak a word of English. It would be cruel to just leave him on his own like that without any way for him to communicate.”  Then, with a sardonic snicker, he concluded, “And, since you just happen to have a fully-remodeled guest suite that’s never yet seen a real live guest, maybe this is fate telling you it’s finally time to put your guest room to use?”


“I don’t do guests,” Brian argued stubbornly. 


“It looks like you do now,” Ted corrected him, ignoring Brian’s frown. “Hopefully, it’ll only be for a few days. I promise to contact Aleksi first thing tomorrow so we can figure out exactly who the kid is and why he’s here. In the meantime, I’m sure it will impress Kacmar that you’re welcoming your new ‘bride’ into your home so graciously.” Brian scowled at Ted’s snickering. “Buck up, Bri. I’m sure any inconvenience will seem worth it as soon as that first wire payment hits Kinnetik’s bank account.”


“Fine,” Brian grumbled, turning back to face his new house guest. “I suppose I can put up with him for one night.” Gesturing to the young man who was still grinning stupidly at everyone around him, Brian led the way out to the concourse. “Welcome to the Pitts, Kid.”



After finding out that their visitor had no luggage other than the backpack he’d carried with him on the plane, Brian called the driver to bring the car around. They loaded their visitor in the back of the town car and Brian gave the driver his home address. Nobody said much on the drive because it felt weird to have a conversation in front of the guy they thought didn’t speak English and Justin was still reeling as he tried to figure out what, exactly, was going on. Luckily, the traffic was lighter than usual and they made it from the airport to Brian’s in under a half hour.



Brian had recently finished remodeling a former firehouse into a gorgeous townhome for himself. Ironically, if that particular firehouse had not been closed, he would probably still have his old loft. The previous winter, while he was away on business, some drunk broke the lock on the street door to the building, probably to get out of the cold. Then, they stupidly lit a fire in a trash can in the back hallway to keep warm. By the time someone in the neighborhood noticed and called the fire department - which took forever to arrive since they had to come from farther away - the building couldn’t be saved. After which, Brian had sued the city over the lack of coverage for the area and had received a tidy settlement. That money had allowed him to buy the old firehouse, which he got for almost nothing.


For now he was using the garages on the first floor for his cars, considering the lack of parking in the area and the fact that having a garage also meant he didn't have to go outside in the rain or have to clean the snow off his vehicles in the winter. The back section of the ground floor, where the firehouse’s administrative offices used to be, had been revamped to become a den, complete with a big screen television, a wet bar, and a pool table. Mikey had been thrilled when Brian had let his old friend help pick out the theater seating and advise on the sound system. He’d already had the guys over a couple of times to try out the facilities and they’d all loudly voiced their approval of his ‘man cave’. Nextdoor to the den, Brian put in a small but efficient gym. He figured that as long as he had the space, why pay for a membership and put up with the trolls hanging around just to stare at guys in the shower. And, just because he could, he also had a nice little home sauna professionally installed next to the gym. 



For the living space on the upper floors, he had hired the best contractor he could find. He wanted only the best for the place he designed for himself. An elevator was installed next to the stairs for the times he needed to move things in or bring in more than he could comfortably carry. He kept the open floorplan that he’d had in his old loft, except this time the bedrooms and bathroom were closed off. Wherever he could he left the open brickwork. Ceiling fans were placed from one end to the other which, along with the twenty-foot high ceilings, should help keep the place cool in the humid Pittsburgh summers. 



The living room was set up near the front windows, looking out on the street. For the design here, he’d gone with a more relaxed family style, complete with comfortable sofas, chairs, and a fireplace; for when you just wanted to relax and read. It was less fuckpad-modern than his old loft, but fit the more airy and informal atmosphere of the firehouse better.



At the other end of the main floor space was a dining area, in case he decided to have company over who didn’t want to sit on the rug with a pizza box and a bucket of chicken. Next to that was a gourmet kitchen, not that he could cook, but it looked perfect in case anyone ever did want to make a meal there and his contractor had convinced him it would add significantly to the resale value. The balcony outside the kitchen had a propane grill and a small table, allowing him to barbecue the occasional steak, which was more Brian’s speed. Off to the side, next to the longest span of uninterrupted wall space, he had a small office set up where he could work without distraction when things were crazy at the office.



Brian’s bedroom, located at the back of the house behind a hidden door next to the kitchen, was his sanctuary. It had a low, comfortable bed that didn’t move or bang against the wall when he rode someone hard. The bedroom was peaceful and comfortable, but it was still a showplace for the king stud. The closet was actually a small room all by itself, with rods, drawers, and a separate shoe closet. Best of all, for Brian, it held all brand new clothes, since his entire previous wardrobe had been lost in the fire at his old loft. The adjoining bathroom still had the utility-style sinks left over from the dormitory area of the old firehouse, but the newly installed shower was big enough for an orgy. And, unlike his old loft, this bathroom had an extra long claw-foot tub, where he could soak and relax after a hard workout.



The third floor interior area was smaller and only took up half the space of the lower floors. There was a small guest room that he’d only minimally decorated with a small queen bed and a table. Next to that was a room he’d set aside for his son, Gus, which he’d decided he would allow the boy to decorate however he wanted. That was something Brian had always wanted to do himself as a kid, but was never allowed to do; he thought Gus would get a kick out of creating his own space in his father’s house. There was also a small bathroom sandwiched between Gus’ room and the guest room that was still mostly undecorated. The next time Gus came for a visit they were going to sit down and design these spaces together. 



The front part of the third floor - which was basically the roof of the living room area below - Brian had turned into a rooftop deck area. This was where Brian spent most of his time when he was just relaxing. He’d equipped the area with comfortable seating arranged around an outdoor fireplace and he’d even splurged on a hot tub. 


Needless to say, Brian was rather proud of his new home and just a little excited to show it off to someone new, even if the person he was showing it to didn’t speak any English. 


Justin was thoroughly impressed with the place. It wasn’t much to look at from the outside, but the interior was luxurious as fuck. Now, this was the life! He supposed there were worse things in the world than being shipped off to be this guy’s mail order bride. No wonder that woman back in Split had been so eager to get over here to meet Mr. Kinney. For half a minute, he even felt a little bad for causing her trouble and maybe making her miss out on the opportunity to land a rich fish like Brian Kinney. 


“I gotta get going, Bri. Blake and I are supposed to be having dinner with his boss from the clinic, so I can’t be late,” Ted announced as soon as he’d deposited Justin’s backpack next to the door in the living room of Brian’s fabulous house. 


Brian looked a little panicked. “You’re just leaving?” He looked back and forth between Ted and his unwanted guest. “But, what am I supposed to do with him for the night?”


“I don’t know,” Ted replied with an evil little smile. “But, since it IS technically your wedding night, I’m sure you and the little missus will want to be alone . . .”


“Fuck you, Ted,” Brian growled. “No, seriously. What do I do with him?”


Ted finally got serious and offered the best solution he had on short notice. “It’s Friday night, right? So, just take him along with you and do whatever you’d normally do on a Friday night. Show him the town and buy him a beer. I’m sure you’ll figure it out, Boss.” When Brian still looked lost, Ted relented. “How about Blake and I meet you at Woody’s after we’re done with this dinner? Say about ten or so? That way you’ll only be on the hook for entertaining him for, like, four hours, okay?”


“I suppose I can do four hours . . .” Brian did not sound convinced of that fact but since he didn’t have any better ideas, it sounded like he’d be taking his new ‘Male Order’ bride out for drinks.


 

 

End Notes:

4/13/22 - So, what do you think so far? These first few chapters are mostly just setting up the plot, but the hope is to make this story mostly humorous and fun. If you want to help add some jokes or catch some typos for us, come by and write with us online! TAG & Lorie!

Chapter 3 - Fame For A Pot of Ale by Tagsit
Author's Notes:

Happy Friday! Lorie & TAG



Chapter 3 - Fame For A Pot of Ale.



“So, um, this is the guest room,” Brian explained as he gallantly carried Justin’s backpack into the room for him. “I know it’s not much - I just moved in about three weeks ago and I haven’t really finished decorating in here or anything - but I suppose it’ll do. The bathroom is right next door.” 


“Hvala vam,” Justin replied, happy that he at least knew how to say ‘thank you’ in Croatian and hoping that Brian didn’t detect how bad his slavic accent really was. 


“Yeah . . .” Brian clearly didn’t have a clue so he just nodded. “So, I’m guessing you’re probably hungry, right? I mean, it’s got to be a long flight from Croatia?” When Brian didn’t get any response from his guest other than a vacuous smile, he huffed annoyedly. Then he remembered he still had the google translate app on his phone - an expedient he’d used fairly heavily while Kacmar was visiting - and quickly typed in a few words so as to get the proper Croatian translation. “Feel free to get a shower or whatever and we’ll leave to go get some dinner in about a half hour.”


He held out the phone to his twink guest and Justin was able to read the English sentence as well as the Croatian translation. “Ah. Vecera. Da!” he replied and nodded. 


“Okay . . . Good.” Brian backed out of the guest room with a little wave and gratefully retreated downstairs to the sanctuary of his own bedroom where he didn’t have to deal with unwelcome foreign twink guests. “Note to self,” he muttered as he made his way into the bathroom of his own suite, “memorize how to say, ‘wanna fuck?’ in Croatian so I won’t need Google Translate if the opportunity to get into that tight little twink ass ever comes up.” Then he hopped into the shower and spent the next twenty minutes or so envisioning just how he’d like to teach the kid that particular English phrase. 


Justin waited until he heard the man’s steps recede into the distance before he closed the door and flopped down onto the comfortable guest bed. 


Fuck, he was so confused! Nothing that had happened since his plane landed in Pittsburgh made any sense. What the hell was going on? And - an even better question - what was he supposed to do next?


But, since no good ideas came to him while he was lolling there in confusion, he decided that he needed some help to figure this thing out. Digging into the front pocket of his knapsack, he pulled out his phone and tapped at the icon to call his best friend, Daphne. Daphne had always been great at making plans and talking him down off whatever cliff he was on at the time. She’d know what to do, right?


The phone only rang twice before the call was answered with a high-pitched squeal on the other end. “EEEEEE! Justin! You’re calling me and not just texting. Does that mean you’re finally somewhere that has actual phone service?”


“Actually, it does!” Justin assured her. “In fact, I’ve got good news; I’m back!”


“Back where? In the states? When? How?”


“Better! I’m back in the Pitts even,” Justin announced, earning himself another happy squeal. “I just got in about an hour ago.”


“This is so great! But how? The last message I got from you sounded kinda desperate. Weren’t you in Slovakia or someplace, destitute and friendless after Gunter abandoned you for fucking his best friend on the beach after that big, coked out, mafia boss party?” Daph sounded scandalized but also sorta impressed against her better judgment. 


“Well, yeah. Except we were in Croatia, not Slovakia; nobody goes to Slovakia, Daph. And in my defense, I was so drunk that night I had no clue who the hell I was fucking.” Justin was still a little bitter about that whole embarrassing scene. “Gunter didn’t have to be an ass about it and have the hotel manager literally throw me out. But, thankfully, I managed to land on my feet . . . Well, sort of.”


“Tell me!” Daphne prompted eagerly, always happy to live vicariously through her globe-trotting best friend. 


So Justin launched into the whole sordid story of overhearing the mail order bride in the Split cafe and stealing her ticket to America and getting called aside by the flight attendant and then thinking he was about to be arrested. 


“Damn, Justin. You’re so fucked!” Daph moaned. “Please tell me you didn’t use your one phone call from jail to call me, cuz even though I’m pre-law, I have no clue how to get you out of this mess.”


“No. I’m not in jail. At least not yet. But that is why I called, because I have no idea what the fuck is going on . . .” He continued with the story and brought Daphne up to speed through the moment his host had left him alone in the guest room of his fabulously luxurious home. 


“Okay, that’s . . . Weird,” Daphne agreed with him. “So, this guy was waiting for the woman you stole the tickets from but, for some reason, he didn’t really seem all that upset that you showed up in her place? What’s up with that? I mean, you’d think the kind of grade A asshole who has enough money to order himself a wife from Eastern Europe would be a little peeved when she didn’t show up. Especially if he got some unknown dude in her place. Wouldn’t he be throwing more of a stink about that kind of mess up? I would, in his place.”


“Right?” Justin agreed with his friend’s assessment. “If anything, he seemed kinda relieved that I wasn’t the woman he was expecting to see. I think the phrase ‘bimbo with big tits’ was used at one point. Meaning that he was surprised I wasn’t one. Although he really doesn’t look like the type who would want a plastic Barbie doll for a wife.”


“Bet he was surprised to get a Ken doll instead,” Daph teased and Justin laughed along with her. “So, anyway, what I don’t get is how you ended up at his place? When it turned out they weren’t going to arrest you, why didn’t you just thank them and take off?”


“I don’t know. I guess I was still too freaked out to know what to do,” Justin confessed with a sigh. “It all happened so fast. One minute I was thinking that, as soon as this Kinney guy had figured out that I’d somehow taken his bride-to-be’s place, they’d call the cops and have me hauled away to an interrogation room somewhere. And then, the next minute, bam, Kinney and his buddy had dragged me off in their town car. Since I was totally lost, and didn’t want to say anything that would make things worse, I sorta just played along. They all assumed that I only spoke Croatian, so it wasn’t that hard to act like I didn’t understand what they were saying. Before I really knew what was happening, we ended up here and, instead of my ass being locked up in a jail cell, the guy was showing me to his fucking guest room.” Justin laughed at himself and his crazy circumstances. “I honestly have NO clue what the hell just happened, Daph.” 


Daphne was chortling away on her end of the call. “Only you would end up in that kind of crazy situation, Justin. You always have led a charmed life. Even when we were little, you’d find a way to squirm out of whatever trouble you talked me into.”


“It’s a curse; this innocent blond thing,” Justin joked.


If she’d been in the same room with him, Daph would have probably thrown a pillow in his face, but instead she just asked, “But what are you going to do now, Jus? Do you think you can get away somehow? I can borrow my roommate’s car and come get you, if you need me to . . .”


“I don’t know what I want to do,” Justin admitted. “I mean, if I try to run away, they’d probably just find me, right? I had to use my real name and passport to get on the plane - by the way, you would not believe what a hassle that caused at the airport; luckily the hottie ticketing agent in Split believed my story that it was my mother’s name on the ticket and, after a little light flirting, he changed it for me - which means they have my identity if they want to come after me for impersonating this guy’s mail order bride. I think I might be better off sticking around here and trying to charm my way into this guy’s good graces so he doesn’t press charges. It shouldn’t be too hard. I just have to convince him it was all a big mistake and that little ‘ole me would never do anything nefarious like stealing his girlfriend’s ticket.”


“I don’t know,” Daph sounded doubtful. “Your powers usually only work on guys if they’re gay, Justin, and I’m assuming that the dudebro who was waiting at the airport for his Eastern European bride, is probably straight.”


“I don’t know, Daph. The way he was looking at me . . .” Justin chuckled. “I don’t think he’s all that straight; at the very least, I think he’s OPEN to the idea of not being straight.”


“Damn, Jus. Sometimes I think you and your hot blond bubble butt could turn a monk gay. They should put a warning label on that thing or something.” Daphne laughed so loudly at her own joke that Justin had to pull the phone away from his ear. 


“Whatever.” Justin was already aware that his charisma - and his ass, apparently - was legendary. “Besides, you should see this place where he lives, Daph. It’s aaaaamazing. It’s a remodeled firehouse on the west side of downtown and it’s, like, a showroom. There’s a fucking game room and a home theater in the basement and a hot tub on the roof. I’d definitely rather stay here, at least until I figure out what my next move is, than sleep on the floor in your dorm room.”


“I don’t blame you, but you can’t just stay there forever, can you? As soon as they figure out you’re not really Croatian, the jig is up, right? Didn’t you say that the only reason they brought you along to this Kinney guy’s house was because they thought you didn’t speak any English and they didn’t want to just abandon you at some hotel all by yourself? Well, as soon as they realize that you not only speak the language, but were Valedictorian at the swankiest prep school in the city, they’re going to toss you out on your ear. And probably be so pissed off that they reconsider those criminal charges.”


Justin thought about that for a minute and had to concede his friend was probably right. “I guess I could just keep playing dumb. At least for the time being. Once I’ve figured out what’s up with this guy, and can be reasonably sure he’s not going to have the cops hunt me down and throw my legendary ass in jail, I’m sure I can find a way to duck out gracefully.”


“So, what? You’re just going to magically learn to speak fluent Croatian overnight or something? Because you can’t just say NOTHING for days on end while you’re staying with this guy. Can you?”


“I’m sure I’ll get by,” Justin assured her, his boundless self-confidence buoying him up. “I picked up a few phrases during the month or so Gunter and I were in Split. I’m sure it’s at least enough to fake it for the few days it’ll take to convince this guy I’m legit.”


“I have a really bad feeling about this, Jus.” Daphne didn’t sound convinced.


“Don’t worry, Daph. I’m sure it’ll work out. Besides, what’s the worst that could happen?”


“Kinney could press charges and have your ass shipped back to Croatia - the locus of the crime - and you could get thrown into a dank, musty, slavic prison for the next decade of your life where you really will become a bride. To your sweaty cellmate, Salim.”


“You’re catastrophizing again, Daph,” Justin attempted to placate her. “Statistically, that’s a pretty remote possibility. I think. The Croatian government isn’t going to go to the trouble of extraditing me all the way from the US for a lousy $800 plane ticket.”


“Well, I’m not sure being thrown in jail in the US is much better, Justin. You’re way too cute and blond to do prison. I don’t want you becoming the love slave of some mass murderer with facial tattoos named Bubba, either.”


“Always with the doom and gloom, Daph? Besides, I’m sure Bubba and I would get along smashingly,” Justin kidded his friend and they both chuckled at the images in their heads. “It’ll be fine. Like you said before, I always manage to get out of trouble, some way or another.”   


“I hope so. But, just in case, you know you can always call me if you need me to organize a covert extraction team and I’ll do my best,” she offered, mostly kidding.


“Will do, Daph.” Justin got up and started to shuck off his travel-rumpled clothing. “But I better let you go for now. I’ve got to hurry up and jump in the shower. My host is taking me out for dinner and drinks. Bye, Daph.”


“Lucky dog . . .” Daphne was muttering as Justin ended the call and headed off to the bathroom to make himself pretty for his newest mark. 



After both Brian and Justin had taken showers and changed, Justin headed down to the main floor to meet up with his host. He was starving and hoped that the guy had been serious about heading out to get some dinner; he’d run out of money by the time his connection had taken off in Amsterdam and hadn’t had more than the cheap pretzels they served in economy class for the last two thirds of his journey. He could have eaten a horse, he was so hungry. 


While they’d been apart, each getting cleaned up in their own rooms, Brian had looked up a few additional words, so he could at least explain to Justin that they were going out to eat. The little blond trotted along quite happily as he led the way down to the garage on the ground floor. Once they were in the Jeep, Brian told him where they were headed. He thought the kid seemed impressed at Brian’s language skills when he announced they were going to a ‘restoran’ for ‘hrana’. In response, Justin took out his own phone and pushed at a few buttons; Brian assumed he was using a translation app the same way Brian had earlier. 


Keeping his phone turned away from Brian so the man couldn’t see that he hadn’t really needed any help translating the words, Justin answered him, “da. Thank you. I very hungry. Need to eat.” Justin hoped that his rather bad, fake-slavic accent was at least good enough to fool Kinney.


Brian smiled, thankful that the kid was finally trying to communicate and, even if he was hard to understand, at least the blond’s low tenor voice was sexy and easy on the ears. That should make the rest of the night a little less dismal. He hoped the gang would already be at Woody’s when they got there, though, to help him entertain the kid. He didn’t think the few words he’d looked up were going to make for much of a conversation. Although, now that he thought about it, he wasn’t sure how the fuck he was going to explain to the guys about this latest development and his new foreign house guest.


Pulling up near the Liberty Diner, Brian got out, walked around the Jeep to open the passenger door, and gestured Justin towards the entrance. That was easier than trying to use words to explain to the foreigner where they were going. The kid smiled and walked quietly beside him down the block.


Before going in, Brian, who’d realized on the silent drive over that he still didn’t even know this kid’s name, quickly googled ‘what is your name’. “Kako se zoves,” he asked Justin. Then, with a hand against his own chest he repeated his name, “I’m ‘Brian’.” 

 

“Justin” he answered in his adopted accent. In Croatian, it sounded more like ‘Yous-teen’, but at least the name was common in both languages, so he hadn’t had to make up some pretend name for himself in order to keep up his charade. 


Nodding his head, Brian replied, “Nice to meet you, Youstin,” and opened the door for his guest. 


As soon as they stepped through the door, they were greeted by an unwelcome welcoming party. Brian had been hoping to avoid this particular introduction for at least a little while longer. “BR IIII AAAA NNNN,” was screeched at them from the gang’s regular booth. 


Placing his hand against the small of the young blond’s back, Brian propelled Youstin toward the unavoidable. 


Once they got to the booth, and before they could even sit down, the inquisition started. “Hey, Brian. Where have you been? You’re late. And who the fuck is that? Why is that kid with you?” All these questions were shouted at him without a breath in between. 


Jerking his head at Emmett so that the big nelly queen would move to the other side of the table, Brian pushed Justin down into the seat and sat down next to him, then he turned to face Michael. 


Without a pause, Michael started in again with his whining, “Why are you sitting over there with that guy? I saved you a seat over here, Bri. And I haven’t talked to you all day - because, apparently, you forgot how to answer your phone - so I figured you’d want to catch up.” 


“If you would shut the fuck up and take a breath, Michael, I might be able to answer ONE of your questions. And since when do we have to save each other seats like we were in Middle School? You CAN talk to me without sitting on me. We’re all grown up now, Mikey,” Brian commented, annoyed at Michael’s possessive attitude, which had been ramping up a lot lately. Then, turning towards his blond companion, he announced, “this is Youstin. He’s from Croatia. He just got in a few hours ago. Ted and I had to go to the airport to pick him up, which is why I didn’t have time to call you back, Mikey. And, before you ask, he’s here in conjunction with a new client Kinnetik just signed, so be nice.” 


That was all Brian could get out before Michael started again. “Even if he is a client, that doesn't mean you have to bring him with you when we already had plans to go out and have fun. You’re not a babysitter. Can’t he entertain himself for one night?” 


Brian started to respond, but Michael was already opening his mouth to ask another question. “Michael, if you want an answer, you need to shut your mouth until I’m finished. And, if you say one more word, Youstin and I will go eat somewhere else,” Brian finished. 


Michael petulantly crossed his arms and pouted until Brian finished telling them the whole story about Aleksi, their lunch, the mysterious phone call Ted had received, and rushing to the airport for the ‘package’ he had to pick up. The guys seemed to think the entire story was hilarious. They spent at least ten minutes giving Brian shit about being sent a ‘bride’ by his client. It was pretty clear from their jokes that Brian was the last person on the planet who would be interested in a mail order bride. Then they laid into him and started calling Justin his ‘husband’ instead. Brian repeatedly cursed them out but that didn’t seem to stop the teasing.


‘Well’, Justin thought, ‘at least I know I was right and Brian really is gay. It also makes sense now why the hell I wasn’t arrested. It seems like Brian didn’t know I was even coming until right before I arrived. This situation definitely has possibilities.’ 


Brian’s recitation of his crazy story continued long enough that they’d already ordered and the food had been delivered before he finished. Justin had managed to order for himself by pointing to the pictures on the menu. Brian got his usual, as did the others, while Justin simply sat there, eating quietly and listening to the conversation, while observing the dynamics between the other three men sitting at his table. 


Even in that short period of time, he was able to glean quite a bit of information about his new acquaintances. The dynamic between these men was quite fascinating. The two men sitting on the other side of the table seemed to idolize Brian and at the same time were rather judgmental towards him. Justin wasn’t sure why Brian was even friends with anyone who ragged on him as much as these two did. Also, who the fuck WAS this Michael guy? He acted like he owned Brian, even though it was pretty clear that they weren’t a couple. What was up with that, anyway?


After a while the teasing became a little nasty and Michael started to pull Justin in with his derogatory comments. If he weren’t pretending that he didn’t understand what they were saying, Justin would have taken this jerk down a peg or two. He normally didn’t put up with shit like that and was known to have a pretty sharp tongue of his own. When it finally got to be too much, and Justin was in danger of breaking his voluntary vow of silence in order to take this whiney little bully down a peg or two, he decided to get his revenge another way. 


“Like YOU would ever be interested in some skinny little blond twink like this?” Michael laughed, pointing derisively across the table at Justin.


Justin, still pretending like he wasn’t aware of what was being said at the table, made as if to reach across the table to grab the salt, which was conveniently located right next to Michael’s water glass. Then, using the pretense of acting startled when Michael’s next outburst of laughter rang out even louder than usual, he flicked his wrist backwards and expertly tipped the entire glass of ice water over. Thankfully, the icy cold splash of liquid landing in his lap shut Michael up pretty quickly. 


But, unfortunately, the blissful silence didn’t last for long. With Emmett offering wads of napkins and advice, Michael had soon mopped himself up and then went right back to ragging on Brian’s blond house guest. Justin was happily surprised, though, when Michael’s comments started to get a bit too cutting and Brian threatened to take Justin to another table. After that the little twerp shut up, at least while they were still eating. 


When they were almost through eating, Justin reached for Brian’s phone, asking with a glance for the man to unlock it. Brian acquiesced and handed the device over to his mute blond. Justin pulled up the Google Translate app that he’d seen Brian use before. Holding the phone so nobody else at the table could see what he was doing, he typed ‘bathroom’ into the translator and then quickly copied and pasted the result, ‘kupaonica’, back into the translation box, switching the direction from Croatian to English. When he had the word translated back to the English equivalent, he held the phone out and tapped on the speaker icon so the phone would say the word aloud. 


“Bathroom,” the phone said, and Justin copied the word in his bad Croatian accent. “Bassshroom.”


Brian smiled and got up so Justin could slide out of the booth, then pointed him towards the back of the Diner. Justin nodded his thanks and headed in the direction his host indicated. Once he was safely ensconced in a stall in the tiny restroom, he pulled out his own phone - which he hadn’t wanted Brian to see since it clearly had all the apps on the homescreen labeled in English - and texted to Daphne. 


Justin: ‘I was right! He’s totally gay.’


Daphne: ‘No way! So, then, why the Croatian bride?’


Justin: ‘It was all a big mistake. I’ll explain later.’


Daphne: ‘Does this mean you can escape? If he’s gay, and it was just a big mistake, he shouldn’t be angry that you took the woman’s place. Want me to come get you now?’


Justin was about to type out his assent but then he paused. What DID he want to do? Did he want to just walk away?


Daph was probably right; he could easily just leave already. It was pretty clear that the cops weren’t coming after him - not yet, at least - so there was no longer any compelling reason for him to keep up this silly charade. He could simply walk away from this whole mess and get on with his life. Although, if he just walked out the back door of the Diner and disappeared into the night with Daphne he’d likely never again see his backpack and other personal stuff, which he’d left back at Brian’s house. Not that there was anything irreplaceable in there. Other than his iPad, there wasn’t even anything of real value in that bag; he’d been traveling pretty light for a while. Then again, since he didn’t have a current source of income, he didn’t want to simply abandon the few possessions he still had.  


Which meant he’d either have to wait until Brian took him back to the house and then do a runner, or he could come clean, confess all his sins, and beg for forgiveness. Brian didn’t seem like a bad guy. Or like someone who was particularly vindictive. He didn’t think Brian would get overly angry or call the cops on him when he explained why he’d tricked him like he had. At worst, Brian might demand that Justin reimburse him - or his client, since it sounded like that was who had paid for the plane ticket - for the cost of the airfare. Justin figured that was fair; he could probably even borrow the money from Daph and then just pay her back later. 


But . . . For some reason he didn’t want to analyze right then, Justin didn’t want to leave yet. 


The thing was, Justin had always considered himself an intuitive person. He wasn’t the type to overthink his own motives. What Daphne had said about him living a charmed life was sorta true. He’d always chalked it up to being intelligent and adaptable enough to roll with life’s punches. But he also believed in trusting his instincts. And this time his instincts were telling him not to be too hasty. 


Or, maybe it wasn’t his instincts, but his dick - which was telling him that Kinney was totally fucking gorgeous and, judging by the comments the guy’s friends had been making earlier, would probably be a great fuck - but either way, he wasn’t in a hurry to go crash at Daphne’s for the night. 


Justin: ‘Thanks, Daph, but I think I’ll stick around here for a little longer.’


Daphne: ‘WTF?’


Justin: ‘I promise I’ll call you later tonight and you can talk me down then.’


Daphne: ‘You’re crazy, you know?’


Justin: ‘Nothing new! Wish me luck.’


Daphne: ‘Luck!’


Justin stuffed his phone back in his pocket, finished up his business in the john, and hurried back to join his host. He didn’t know what his next step was going to be. But, in the meantime, Justin decided that he would sit there and pay attention to what his gut was telling him. He trusted himself enough to figure out what the right thing to do would be and when he should do it. In the meantime, it wasn’t exactly a hardship to spend more time with a gorgeous stud like Brian Kinney.



 

End Notes:

4/15/22 - So far, it sounds like you folks are enjoying our punny little story! Yay! We have lots of hijinks planned for the boys, so stay tuned. Don’t forget to come by the working doc and play with us if you get the chance - we love company and we’ll make sure to give you credit if we use your ideas! Lorie & TAG

 

Croatian Words:

-Da - Yes

-Hvala vam - Thank you

-Vecera - Dinner

-Restoran - Restaurant

-Hrana - Food

-Kako se zoves - What is your name? -Kupaonica - Bathroom

 

Chapter 4 - Drink Down All Unkindness by Tagsit
Author's Notes:

Justin meets the 'gang'... Enjoy! TAG & Lorie



Chapter 4 - Drink Down All Unkindness.



When they had all finished eating, Brian tossed some money on the table and announced “It’s still early, let’s head to Woody's.”


Indicating to Justin that they were leaving, he gestured for the blond to get up. Justin quietly followed Brian’s lead, sliding out of the bench seat, waiting for Brian to get up, and then trotting along behind the taller man as he strode through the front door. Without looking, he knew that both of their table companions were following as well.


Once they got to the car, Michael rudely elbowed Justin aside and tried to get in the front passenger seat. 


“Michael, either sit in the back with Emmett or walk,” Brian stated firmly. 


Pouting, Michael climbed in the back, glaring at the blond interloper the entire time. Justin simply got in the front seat as directed and grinned back at the little tyrant via the rear view mirror. It was nice that Brian had once again stood up for him, a total stranger, even against his own friends. The longer he spent around this enigmatic man, the more pleased and intrigued Justin became. There was definitely something about Brian Kinney. No wonder Justin was so reluctant to come clean and take his leave.  


The drive to Woody’s was short. As soon as they arrived, Brian ushered Justin inside, ordered drinks for all of them, and then led his guest to an open pool table. He motioned to Justin, pantomiming shooting pool, by way of asking if the young blond wanted to play. Justin nodded. He loved to shoot pool. 


“Great. Youstin, you can be my partner,” Brian announced, which left Emmett and Michael to team up against them. 


“But, Brian, I want to play with you. I’m always your partner,” Michael whined. 


“You are not always my partner, Michael. Stop acting like a child. It’s just a fucking game,” Brian scolded his friend, annoyed at the constant whining. 


Reluctantly, Michael picked up a cue and shuffled off, around the table, to stand next to Emmett. Brian waved to his guest, mutely offering to let the newcomer break. Which Justin did quite well, sinking both the nine ball and the fourteen ball on his first try. He managed to pot another stripe on his second shot but then missed the next time, which finally allowed Michael to take a turn. Unfortunately, neither Michael nor Emmett were great pool players, so Brian and Justin beat them easily. Even allowing the losers to break didn’t give them much of an advantage in the second game. There seemed little reason to bother with a third game.


Justin noticed that, throughout the pool playing, Michael had constantly been trying to monopolize Brian’s attention. Any time Brian had even attempted to converse with Justin, Michael had butted in, insinuating his own opinions on whatever Brian had asked Justin about and physically trying to direct Brian away from the little blond. When that tactic didn’t work, Michael tried focusing Brian’s attention on any of the many good looking men who were constantly wandering by the pool tables, all of whom seemed eager to catch Brian’s eye. Brian, though, was trying to be a good host and mostly ignored his fanclub so that he could concentrate on the game of pool he was playing with Justin. By the time they’d lost their second game of pool to the Brian/Justin team, Michael’s pouting had reached epic proportions. 


In one last effort to distract his friend, Michael interrupted right as Justin was lining up to take his final shot which would sink the eight ball and win the game. “Wow! Look at the guy over there. The one in the metallic silver shirt. I haven’t seen him here before. Have you, Brian?”


Justin paused long enough to look at the guy Michael seemed so impressed by. Justin had to give the twerp credit, the hottie in the silver shirt was pleasing to the eye: over six foot, trim build, biceps that bulged out from beneath the short sleeves of his shirt, and even a cute little dimple in his well-chiseled chin. Under other circumstances, Justin would have definitely made a try for the guy. He was hot. Brian, however, didn’t seem in the least bit interested. He barely even looked over at the man before gesturing to Justin to go ahead and take his shot at the pool table. 


“What the fuck is wrong with you tonight, Brian?” Michael questioned, darting a critical look in Justin’s direction. “That guy is exactly your type. And judging by the way he was smiling at you, I’m sure he wouldn’t say no to a trip to the bathroom with Liberty Avenue’s reigning stud.” 


“I’m not interested, Mikey.” Brian waved his friend off and then, after watching Justin pot the winning shot, added, “Tonight, I just want to hang out, shoot pool, and have a few drinks with my friends. I didn’t come out looking for tricks.” 


Brian smiled at his expert pool companion and handed Justin a fresh beer to celebrate their win. “Not bad, Youstin. Not bad.”


“I guess that answers the question of whether or not they play pool in . . . Where did you say he was from, Brian?” Emmett asked. 


“Croatia,” Brian answered. 


“Well, all I can say is, if all the boys in Croatia are this cute - and this good at pool - I should probably get a passport and start planning a vacation there!” Em declared, offering Justin a flirty wink that would have conveyed his intentions even if Justin really hadn’t understood the words.


“Good luck with that, Emmy Lou,” Brian laughed at his nelly friend. “You don’t speak the language and have never been further away than New York City. You’re not exactly what I’d call a ‘world traveler’, Honeycutt.”


“Don’t call me ‘Honeycutt,” Emmett immediately corrected him, before returning to his blatant flirting with Justin. Slipping one arm around Justin’s shoulders and giving the younger man a familiar squeeze, he added, “I’m sure there’s ways we could communicate without words, right Baby?” 


Justin had a hard time pretending he didn’t understand the pass Emmett was making. He wanted to laugh so badly. Not that he didn’t find Emmett attractive, but the big queen wasn’t really his type. 


Brian, however, wasn’t having any of it. Stepping up and deliberately peeling Emmett’s hands off the blond, he pulled Justin further away from any potential additional groping, commenting, “hand’s off, Honeycutt. I’m sure he didn’t come all the way to the States just to be molested by Pittsburgh’s biggest bottom boy.”


Justin didn’t say a thing when Brian possessively turned him around and wrapped his arms around Justin’s chest so that Emmett couldn’t get to him again. He rather liked the feeling of those strong, warm, sexy arms encircling him. However, judging by the scowl Michael was shooting at him over Emmett’s shoulder, and the look of confusion Emmett himself had on his face, Brian’s friends weren’t as happy with this particular development as Justin was. 


“Hey, Brian. I think it’s your turn to buy the next round,” Michael piped up, distracting his friend, and shoving two empty beer bottles into Brian’s hands so that he was forced to drop his grip on Justin. 


Brian didn’t raise any objection to this prompt and left a minute later to get the requested beverages. Justin didn’t think Brian even saw the jealous look that Michael shot at the blond as he was leaving. Yeah, there sure were some weird dynamics going on between those two, Justin concluded. 


For the rest of the evening, Michael redoubled his efforts to keep Brian and Justin separated. He continually tried to tempt Brian to leave with one random hottie after another. It got so bad that it was almost pathetic. At first Brian just laughed off Michael’s extremely obvious attempt to redirect his attention away from Justin, but after a while you could tell he was getting pissed off. Justin was impressed at the way Brian seemed able to keep his cool, simply repeating, ‘not interested’ to each and every one of the guys Michael tried to get him to hit up. 


“Fine,” Michael finally said, after Brian rejected Michael’s fourth suggestion in a row. “I guess you’re just saving yourself for when we get to Babylon.”


Brian didn’t bother to correct him.  


Around ten, the crowd in Woody’s started to thin out, which motivated Emmett to declare it was ‘Club O’Clock’. They all finished their beers and then, as a group, followed the rest of the exodus headed to Babylon. The minute they got inside the club, Michael resumed looking for prospects to push on Brian. Justin didn’t get it; one minute Michael was glomming all over Brian, acting uber-possessive, and the next he was trying to get him to head off to the backroom to fuck some attractive stranger. What the hell was with this guy? At first he’d thought that Michael was a typical case of ‘romcom best friend crush’ syndrome, but now he wasn’t so sure. If Michael really did want Brian for himself, you wouldn’t think he’d be constantly pushing him to leave with some rando hottie, right? But, then again, the angry, possessive, jealous looks the little bully boy kept shooting Justin’s way told another story. Whatever was going on here behind the scenes was confusing as hell and probably something Justin wouldn’t figure out till he knew the parties a little better. 


In the meantime, Emmett had found his ‘Mister Right Now’ and had headed off to dance. Brian had ordered both himself and Justin bourbons. Michael just stuck with beer. They stood around, holding up the bar and looking around for a few minutes, while they admired the constant parade of pretty boys filing past. Justin had to admit, the view was nice. If he’d been here on his own he figured he could have hooked up at least a half dozen times already, judging by the interested looks he got from just about every guy who’d walked past. But, one warning look from Brian Kinney and each of them just continued on their way. That was certainly an interesting development, and something Justin would have to think on more later. 


After about twenty minutes of this, Brian turned to Michael, “I’m going to take a piss. Keep an eye on the kid for me?” Then he motioned for Justin to stay put where he was and headed to the bathroom. 


The second Brian was out of sight, Michael motioned for Justin to follow him to the dance floor. Justin shrugged and followed, curious why Michael was all of a sudden seemingly being nice. After they had been dancing for only a minute or two, Michael backed away from his dance partner, leaving Justin on his own. Justin hadn’t even noticed at first that Michael had left; he liked to dance and was enjoying himself, dancing with his eyes closed most of the time, as he let the thumpa thumpa beat flow through his body. But it didn’t take long before several men began moving closer to the petit blond. Before he knew it, Justin was surrounded by hot, hard, mostly naked, male bodies. 


Back at the bar, Michael was leaning back and drinking a fresh beer when Brian returned from the bathroom. 


“Michael, where’s Youstin?”


“I tried to stop him, but he headed off to the dance floor,” Michael answered innocently, waving his arm off in the opposite direction of where he knew he’d left the blond. 


“I told you to keep an eye on him,” Brian grumbled. “You know he doesn’t speak English and he’s probably not used to a place like Babylon.”


Michael just shrugged. 


Brian continued muttering under his breath, pissed off about Michael being less than helpful, as he headed out through the throng of dancing bodies to find his missing ‘bride’. It wasn’t difficult; he just looked for the most densely packed corner of the dance floor and there, surrounded by a bunch of muscle-bound beefcakes, all pressing in tightly around the desirable fresh meat, Brian found his blond. Justin, who’d been getting a little concerned by how aggressive the men grinding on him were being, was actually glad for the rescue. If Brian hadn’t arrived when he had, Justin might have had to deck the one big guy wearing the leather vest who was being a little too handsy for his taste. Pulling Justin against his side, Brian headed back to the bar, and Justin was more than happy for the escort. 


Michael, however, was pissed off when Brian came back, his arm protectively draped around the blond. “What is with you tonight, Brian? You should be in the backroom getting laid, not minding some wannabe ‘bride’ that you were sent by mistake who can’t even speak English.” 


“Back off, Michael. It’s not Youstin’s fault he’s in this situation. He probably has no idea what’s going on and, since I haven’t been able to figure it all out myself, I don’t even know what to tell him, assuming I could even figure out how to explain without speaking Croatian. Besides, maybe I don’t feel like getting laid right now. Did that ever occur to you?” 


“Well, that would be a first. Brian Kinney, stud of Liberty Avenue, doesn’t want to get laid?” Michael laughed, and Justin could see Brian getting more pissed off as the seconds ticked by. Of course, the twat made it worse when he added, “well, I hope you don’t plan on taking your ‘bride’ home and fucking him. You never know what you could catch from someone like that. From the looks of him, he’s probably nothing but a dirty, diseased rent boy.” 


“You know what, Michael? FUCK YOU!” Brian yelled, loudly enough that you could hear him even over the music, and causing several of the other clubgoers nearby to look their way. Even then it looked like Michael was going to continue to comment. To cut him off, Brian did the first thing that came to mind, leaning down and pulling a very surprised Justin in for a long, insistent kiss. “Don’t call me, Michael. If I decide I need to talk to you again, I’ll call,” he stated when he finally came up for air. 


Then, taking Justin’s hand, Brian stomped away from the still-pouting Michael, leading Justin back towards the exit. 


It bothered him that Michael was acting like such an ass about Youstin. The young man had done nothing to warrant such nasty treatment. How Michael had jumped to the conclusion that Youstin was a hustler, was beyond Brian. Nothing Youstin had done so far would indicate the young man was anything other than just a sweet kid who’d gotten caught up in this mess without having much say in the matter. The poor guy probably didn’t have a clue what the hell was going on and he was being a lot more acquiescent than Brian probably would have been had their positions been reversed. Youstin had been deposited into a foreign city, with an entirely different culture, dragged around town by complete strangers, and he didn’t even understand the language, let alone what was happening. And yet the kid hadn’t once complained or caused any trouble. Which was more than Brian could say for his supposed ‘best friend’. Brian was actually kinda impressed at the way the blond was handling things despite how confused he must be. 


Brian had to confess, if he was being honest, that he’d taken a bit of a liking to the young man. Youstin was not only agreeable, he’d been a pretty good companion all evening. He shot a damn fine game of pool. He wasn’t annoyingly chatty. And, unlike Brian’s so-called friends, he didn’t complain or pressure Brian to do anything Brian might not want to do. On top of everything else, the kid was definitely easy on the eyes. I mean, what wasn’t to like? 


So, when Brian had seen the blond dancing, with all those men circling him like he was fresh meat and grinding on him, Brian hadn’t even thought about it before he’d rushed in and pulled the kid away. He wasn’t sure why he’d acted like that, or why he’d felt so instantly pissed off, and right then he wasn’t inclined to examine his actions too closely. But he did have to admit that seeing Youstin like that had knotted his stomach up. Maybe he was just feeling protective because the kid was so clearly out of his element here and probably hadn’t understood what was happening. That was probably why he’d felt compelled to kiss the kid when Michael had attacked him like that too. Yeah, that had to be it. 


Justin, meanwhile, was pondering the same events along a parallel thought path. He hadn’t meant to cause trouble between Brian and Michael. He had been trying to just go along and enjoy himself. He was glad, though, that Brian had come into the crowd to get him. If things had gotten any more intense out on the dance floor, Justin may have had to blow his ‘I don’t understand’ cover. But that still didn’t explain Michael’s constantly trying to pressure Brian to go off and fuck all those random guys or his jealous anger aimed at Justin when Brian refused. That guy needed some serious therapy. It was too bad, though, that Michael had pissed Brian off so much that the night was ending on such a bad note. Justin would have loved to stay and dance, provided that the dancing was with his gorgeous host, Brian Kinney, and not the meat grinder guys. And, well, he wouldn’t have minded exploring more of that kissing thing with his lovely host either. 


Both men were still wrapped up in their thoughts as they got to the door and saw Ted and Blake just arriving. 


“Hey, Brian. Sorry we’re late. dinner ran long.” Seeing the odd look on Brian’s face, Ted asked, “is everything okay?” 


“No. No, it’s not. Tonight has been a total shitshow already,” Brian answered. “Michael is being a fucking ass and I can’t be around him right now. I’m taking Youstin home.” 


Brian didn’t wait even long enough for Ted to reply before he was tugging on Justin’s hand and leading him out the door. Once they were in the jeep, Brian headed directly back to the firehouse. Justin, of course, didn’t comment. 


The entire drive, both Justin and Brian were caught up thinking about the direction the evening had gone and the kiss that had come as the culmination of everything. That kiss had surprised the both of them. Neither had really minded though. In fact, the whole drive back to the firehouse, they were both secretly contemplating how much further they could take this thing that seemed to be developing between them.


Justin, in particular, was conflicted. He felt guilty for staying with Brian under false pretenses. He really liked the man, or at least what he’d seen of Brian so far, but if he was going to take things further, he felt he needed to be honest with him. Maybe this ‘go with the flow and keep up the charade until he figured out a better plan’ thing was the wrong approach? Brian had been so considerate towards him, looking out for him and even standing up to his friends in order to protect Justin, that it just felt wrong to take advantage of his kindness like he was. Going beyond the kissings stage would only make Justin’s guilt worse. And, since he was definitely interested in going to the next stage with his beautiful man, something would have to change.  


Brian was having similar thoughts. Since they really couldn’t communicate easily, and looking up every word as they went along was far too time consuming, Brian was reluctant to do much more with Youstin. He didn't want to seem like he was taking advantage of the blond or make him feel pressured just because Youstin was staying in Brian’s home. On top of that, Brian still wasn’t clear on what Youstin thought his relationship to Brian might be - did the kid think Brian was supposed to marry him or something? - yeah, like that was ever going to happen. It had to be confusing for the kid, though, and moving past kissing to more serious activities would only make the confusion worse. Fuck, it was confusing for Brian too.


Brian decided that maybe, if he took it slowly, things might work out better. Hopefully, they’d figure things out and could clear up any mistaken assumptions before Brian moved on to what he really wanted to do to this scrumptious blond. As a compromise, and to let the kid know he was still interested, Brian reached for the younger man’s hand and squeezed it when they stopped at a traffic light. The answering smile told him that the blond was comfortable with what he was doing. Brian figured that was at least a start.


When they got to the firehouse, Brian led Justin to the den and indicated that he should sit down. He went over to the bar and pointed out the liquor bottles arrayed along the shelf behind the bar, then pointed to Justin, trying to ask what he would like to drink. He blond indicated that he wanted the whisky, a selection Brian approved of. Brian poured two glasses and sat next to his guest on the sofa. 


Taking Justin’s hand, Brian brought it to his mouth and kissed it. In return, Justin leaned forward and kissed Brian’s cheek. Brian, encouraged, reached up and cupped the blond’s jaw as he turned his face toward his guest.


The ensuing kiss started off chaste until Brian used his tongue to gently pry open the soft pink lips so he could get a taste of what was inside. After that, the kissing quickly got more heated and soon they were lost in the pleasure of their mouths and lips and tongues doing what felt so natural. Before he realized what was happening, Justin was straddling Brian’s lap and both men were moaning. But, after several minutes of this, and before he lost control, Brian ended the kiss and pushed the younger man away.


“I would love to continue this, Youstin,” Brian whispered as he gently extricated himself from the little blond’s embrace, “but I think we should wait until we figure out exactly what it is you're supposed to be doing here. Don’t you?” He knew the foreigner couldn’t answer him, but he assumed the kid would get the gist based on Brian’s moving away.


Justin, meanwhile, was having trouble understanding what was happening despite the fact that he could speak perfect English. He had let himself get a little carried away. And it was no wonder, when that kiss had been so perfect. Each touch, each kiss, from Brian had excited him a little more until he was practically panting for this man. His cock was throbbing so hard it felt like it was about to explode. 


He wished he could just confess everything, rip off his clothes, and beg Brian to fuck him. But, since he couldn’t do that, he just settled for looking sad and confused. Brian tried to pantomime that they needed to wait, even though he was in a similar state to Justin. Finally, he just motioned that they should both go to sleep. 


Justin sadly followed Brian to the elevator and both men went to their separate rooms. Before either one went to bed though, both took showers and jerked off, thinking of those kisses and where they would have preferred the evening to end up. They might have even gone so far as to call out each other’s names as they finally reached their lonely releases.     


 

 

End Notes:

4/16/22 - Hot or not? That is the question… Also, not a lot of humor in this chapter but we plan to get to that. Just setting up all the plot lines here. The next couple of chapters are where the fun really starts. Soon coming! Lorie & TAG

Chapter 5 - Confusion Now Hath Made by Tagsit
Author's Notes:

Time to spice things up! Lorie & TAG



Chapter 5 - Confusion Now Hath Made.



In between vivid dreams about Brian and what he hoped would happen between them, Justin tossed and turned. He was feeling very guilty about deceiving the beautiful man who had been nothing but kind and generous to him since his arrival. When he woke up, he made the decision to confess everything and hope Brian could forgive him. 


Justin wasn’t sure precisely how he felt about Brian. They’d sort of started off on the wrong foot, but at least the other man hadn’t sent him to jail or seemed mad at him for not being the missing ‘bride’. Brian had actually been pretty amazing, all things considered. But did that translate into Brian being someone he would want to live with, sleep with, just spend time with, or what? Was there any possibility for more? What would it be like to have a man like Brian in his life full time? Justin hadn’t really thought seriously about settling down into a real relationship with anyone but he could maybe, possibly, see himself with Brian in that role. Only, in order to do that, he would have to come clean to the man first. 


Since he wasn’t exactly sure what to say to Brian, he figured the first order of business would be to call Daphne for some advice. She never led him wrong; at least not when he let himself follow her wise direction. There had to be some way to confess to Brian without seeming like he was the baddie for his temporary deception. It would just take a little extra finesse. 


As he started to reach for his phone, though, it rang. Looking at the caller ID he saw a foreign number that he didn’t recognize, so he rejected the call. As soon as he did, the same number called again, and again he rejected it. The phone then rang a third time with the same number showing in the display. By now he was curious, so he tapped the icon to accept the call. 


“Justin Taylor?” asked a man with a deep, Croatian accent. 


“Who are you and how did you get this number?” Justin replied, curious and a little nervous. He had only answered because he thought it might have been someone he had fucked while he was in Europe, but the voice of the man on the phone wasn’t one he recognized and the speaker sounded too old to have been someone he would have slept with. 


“I am Aleksi Kasmar. How I get your number is no your business. What is my business is you! I see you steal ticket for the plane from Laura. NO ONE STEALS FROM ALEKSI! You hear this? No one! Nemoj me jebat! Anyone even TRY to steal from me gets trouble! You get trouble, Justin Taylor. You fuck up my plans and you be sorry now!” 


“I don’t know what you are talking about. I’m not a thief,” Justin replied nervously. 


“I know who you are, Justin Taylor. I know people everywhere. I find you and I make you pay for fucking up my plans. Ti si mrtav covjek, Justin Taylor. Ubit cu te!” 


Even though Justin couldn’t translate the last few words, he knew from the context and the tone that he was being threatened. Scared now, he hung up the phone and blocked the number. He immediately tapped at the icon on his favorite’s list to call Daphne. 


Before she could even say ‘Hello’, Justin started talking excitedly. “Fuck, Daph. You wouldn’t believe the phone call I just got. I think I’m in deep, deep shit . . .” 


“Slow down, Justin, I can barely understand you,” she shouted into the phone halfway through his disjointed explanation about the threatening phone call. 


That got his attention at least. Justin took a breath and calmly continued his story. He told her about the phone call and the man’s threat, then he told her what he had originally planned to call her about, and what had happened with Brian the night before. 


“Crap, Justin! How the fuck do you get yourself into this kind of shit? It’s like you’re living in Rick and Morty’s Mobster Movie or something,” Daphne teased him. 


“Daph, could you please be serious for a minute?” Apparently, Justin didn’t see any humor in the situation. “What if this guy really is some top guy in the Mafia over there? I heard Gunter’s friends talking about them - they call them YACS - it’s like the Yougoslavian mob. And, from the way people talk, they make the Italian mafia look like Disney. These guys are fucking dangerous if you cross them.” He paused and then, in a whisper, suggested,  “Maybe I should call the cops. Or the FBI. What do you think?” 


“No, Justin, you can’t,” Daph responded instantly. “That could be even more dangerous. Didn’t the guy say he knew people everywhere; what if he has connections to police in the states? You know how corrupt the police are these days. Until you know what’s going on, I think you should just stay at Brian’s and hide. He shouldn’t be able to find you there, right? If he’s looking for you, he’ll probably start with your family and friends, so you can’t go home, or for that matter, come stay with me. But you have no connection to Brian, right? He’s not likely to look for you there.” When Justin made a sound as if he were going to object, Daphne immediately shushed him. “For once in your life, Justin, listen to reason. This isn’t like Boris and Natasha planning to take out Moose and Squirrel; this is real life gangsters. They torture and kill you slowly. After they get what they want from you, that is. I’m telling you, you need to just lay low and wait this out.”


“I think you’ve been watching too many crime dramas on Netflix, Daph,” Justin joked, but then he too got serious. “You’re not wrong, though. But what about Brian? How am I supposed to keep living here without telling him the truth? Especially when I really like the guy . . .”


“Don’t you see,” Daphne rushed to explain it to him like he was a slow kindergartner, “that’s why this set up is so perfect. Brian doesn’t know anything about you and, since he thinks you don’t speak English, he can’t ask you anything either. He doesn’t even know your real last name, right? You’re safer staying there, where nobody has a clue who you really are, than anywhere else. He’s even paying for everything, right? That means you won’t have to use your bank cards or anything. You are basically 100% off the grid right now. It’s the best possible hiding place. And as long as you don’t tell Brian anything about you, he won’t be in any danger either, because he doesn’t know enough to get him in trouble with the YACS guys.”


“Fuck. I hadn’t thought about that,” Justin admitted. “I don’t want to put Brian in danger either.”


“That’s why you can’t tell him anything about you, Justin.”


“But . . .”


“Justin! No. Just sit there, keep your mouth shut, and wait until the coast is clear.”


“Fine. I’ll keep quiet for now, even though I don’t like it. But you’re right, Daph, the most important thing is that I make sure Brian is safe. I don’t want anything to happen to him,” Justin told his friend.


“Good. Now, hang up and turn your phone all the way off so nobody can track you using your number,” Daph ordered. “And, just in case they get to me, I don’t want to know anything more about where you are either. They can’t torture out of me what I don’t know. Don’t call me unless you’re about to be kidnapped and whisked away to be human trafficked. Good luck, Justin!” And then she hung up on him.


“Fuck my life,” Justin moaned and fell back onto the bed in a funk. 



Brian had approached the guest room door without even thinking about it. He’d wanted to see if his blond guest was awake and hungry. There was this little bakery about two blocks over that he’d been wanting to try ever since he’d moved in and having a visitor seemed like a good opportunity to make that happen. 


As he approached the door, he heard his guest speaking. It wasn’t like he was eavesdropping or anything; Youstin was talking quite loudly, so it wasn’t difficult to hear what he was saying, even through the door. Brian paused before knocking, curious about whatever it was that had the kid so worked up. In doing so, it quickly became clear that his guest was talking to someone, and the phone was on speaker, meaning that Brian could hear every single word of the conversation.


What was surprising, though, was that Youstin - the guy from Croatia who everyone thought couldn’t communicate - was speaking in perfect English.  


“Fine. I’ll keep quiet for now, even though I don’t like it. But you’re right, Daph, the most important thing is that I make sure Brian is safe. I don’t want anything to happen to him,” Brian heard the young man say. 


Then, a female voice responded, “Good. Now, hang up and turn your phone all the way off so nobody can track you using your number. And, just in case they get to me, I don’t want to know anything more about where you are either. They can’t torture out of me what I don’t know. Don’t call me unless you’re about to be kidnapped and whisked away to be human trafficked. Good luck, Justin!”


What the fuck? What the hell were they talking about? Human trafficking? And why would Brian be in danger? Who the hell was this kid anyway? It wasn’t bad enough that, apparently, his guest had been lying to him the whole time and pretending he only spoke Croatian, but it sounded like the guy was mixed up in some really nasty shit. Maybe he’d somehow got Brian mixed up in it too, it seemed? Seriously, what the actual fuck!


Brian backed away from the guest room door and quietly made his way back downstairs where he could have some privacy to think this thing through. He grabbed the cup of coffee he’d already poured himself off the kitchen island and carried it with him as he paced around the furniture in the big open-concept main room. Walking usually helped him get his thoughts in order, but this time he was really struggling. How the fuck was he supposed to make sense of what he just thought he’d heard.


Based on the tiny portion of the conversation he’d listened in on, a couple of things immediately became clear. The young man he’d been introduced to as ‘Youstin’ was clearly a fraud. He obviously wasn’t Croatian; the man staying in his guest room spoke English fluently and that accent was as American as Brian’s. He didn’t know how the kid had ended up in Split or how he’d somehow taken the place of the woman that Aleksi Kacmar had tried to send Brian, but it was clear that there was something underhanded going on. 


What wasn’t clear was whether or not Brian was the target of whatever con game was going on. Brian had clearly heard the kid say that he wanted to make sure Brian was safe and that he didn’t want anything to happen to Brian, but what was it he thought he was protecting Brian from? And what did the woman he was speaking to mean by her reference to kidnapping and human trafficking? How the hell could such an innocent looking kid be mixed up with that kind of crap? More to the point, what the fuck was Brian supposed to do now that he’d found out their little secret?


He’d paced around the entire floor at least ten times and finished his second cup of coffee before he came to any sort of conclusion. He didn’t understand everything that was going on, which was part of the problem. The only thing he thought he did understand correctly was that the kid - Justin, not ‘Youstin’, the way he’d pronounced it when he was pretending to have a slavic accent - was actually trying to protect Brian. Which, he supposed, was admirable, although Brian would have preferred not to have gotten dumped in the middle of this heaping pile of shit in the first place. But, whatever. That ship had apparently sailed without Brian even being aware a ship had even existed. At least the kid seemed like he had good intentions, right?


Well, two could play at the protection game, Brian decided. 


First thing he needed to do was somehow get more information. He couldn’t make any real decisions until he’d figured out what, exactly, was happening and how not to get burned. Hopefully, if he played along with the kid’s charade, he could find out more without letting on that he was any wiser. He knew ‘Youstin’ could understand everything that he was saying, but ‘Youstin’ didn’t know that. Not yet. So, perhaps, the best course of action was to just do nothing, play dumb, and keep his eyes and ears open. As long as the kid didn’t know that Brian was onto him, he could surreptitiously pump him for information and, maybe, eventually, whatever was going on would become clearer.  


In the meantime, he’d have to let the kid continue to freeload in his guest room. As much as he wanted to be pissed that the kid had lied to him, until he found out more, he needed to keep Justin close to him. Though, to be honest, if what he’d overheard wasn’t just another part of the con, and the blond really did want to protect him, Brian didn’t really mind. He was touched by the kid’s concern, actually. What Brian really wanted to know though was what, exactly, the blond thought he needed to be protected from. So, as much as Brian didn’t like the idea of snooping and spying, it was probably what he needed to do in order to figure this whole thing out. 


As soon as Brian had resolved on a plan of action, he felt much better. On his next circuit around the living room he stopped off at the kitchen and put his coffee cup in the dishwasher. Then he emptied the rest of the pot of coffee into a second cup, put that on a tray along with a small ceramic creamer and the sugar bowl, and headed back up the stairs to wish his guest a good morning. 


Maybe, Brian thought as he trudged up the stairs mulling over his plans, he could have some fun with this while he was pumping his visitor for information? It was actually a pretty fucking amusing situation, right? He knew that Youstin could understand everything he was saying, but the kid couldn’t let on about that without betraying his play-acting. Brian could say any shit he wanted and Justin couldn’t react at all. There could be some definite humorous opportunities there. And it would serve the kid right for trying to trick Brian in the first place. 


Brian paused at the top of the stairs, listening for a minute or so until he was sure the kid wasn’t making any more phone calls, before knocking on the door. 


“Co . . .” Justin began and then added a quietly whispered, “shit.” 


Brian was still trying not to laugh when the door was opened and he was greeted by the bright smile of his houseguest. “Good morning, Sunshine. I come bearing coffee.” He held out the tray. “And, when you’re done with that, I thought you might want to get something to eat?” Just to play along with the farce, Brian pantomimed eating. 


Justin looked nervous but gave a hesitant smile and nodded his head without responding verbally. 


“Great! Well, then, hurry up and get that luscious bubble butt of yours into some clothes before I throw you down on the bed and eat YOU for breakfast,” he said, maintaining a casual smile and making sure that the tone of his voice wouldn’t have given away the meaning of his words to someone who didn’t understand the language. Pointing to his watch, then holding up his hand with all five fingers splayed out, he added, “I’ll give you five minutes and if you’re not dressed and downstairs, I’m going to come back up here and fuck the living shit out of you.”


‘Youstin’ looked at him as if Brian had gone insane. But, quickly realizing his reaction was going to give him away, the kid expertly wiped the flustered look off his face and replaced it with the same blank, semi-confused look he’d maintained the entire evening before. Brian held up the five fingers again and Youstin nodded to indicate he understood. With one last completely innocent smile at his guest, Brian went back downstairs, laughing under his breath the whole way. 


Yep. This was gonna be fun! 


Justin made his way downstairs a few minutes later, dressed in a tight, bright yellow t-shirt that set off his blond hair and blue eyes to perfection. Brian wished for half a second that he didn’t have to play this stupid game of pretence. The kid was smokin’ hot and, if Brian wasn’t worried that getting involved with him might end up being physically dangerous, he might just have said ‘fuck it’ to breakfast and taken the kid back upstairs so he could do the thing he’d teased him about earlier. As it was, though, he was rather glad he hadn’t fucked the kid the night before. For once he’d been thinking with the head between his shoulders and not the one between his thighs. He didn’t think it was a good idea to fuck someone who may, or may not, be involved in some kind of plot to physically harm you. Especially not when, if he treated Justin the way he normally would any other trick after he was done with them and kicked them to the curb the morning after, he wouldn’t be able to worm the truth about this potential threat out of him. Nope, this once, it was a good thing he’d held his libido in check. 


That didn’t mean, however, that Brian wasn’t going to fantasize about what it would be like to plow such a sweet, perky ass into his mattress over and over and over again or that he wouldn’t keep right on teasing the little charlatan with the suggestion of it.


On the way out, Brian grabbed baseball caps and sunglasses for both of them from a shelf near the door. He pointed up and squinted at the sun, so his guest would understand why he was offering the headcovering. Justin was happy for the semi-disguise and glad that it was a sunny day so he wouldn’t have to look like he was trying to hide, which would have probably have made Brian suspicious. He gratefully accepted both offerings with a smile for his considerate host.


Once they were outside and on their way to the bakery, Brian surreptitiously looked around, keeping an eye out for anyone who looked out of place or seemed like they might be watching his guest. Nobody stood out, though, which was reassuring. They made it to the bakery and ‘Youstin’ happily pointed to several pastries that he wanted for his breakfast. Brian made do with a couple of chocolate biscotti, a banana, and more coffee. 


They grabbed a small two-top table in the corner and made themselves comfortable. Justin immediately laid into his croissant, devouring the whole thing in less than a minute while, at the same time, happily slurping up a healthy dose of his hot chocolate between bites. Brian, however, took his time, enjoying the aroma of the Kona blend coffee that the bakery served. He waited until he was sure that Justin had slaked his appetite enough that he was once more paying attention to his breakfast companion and then made a show of picking up and slowly peeling the banana. Making sure Justin was looking at him, Brian ostentatiously licked his lips before deep throating almost the entire banana, sliding the meaty part in and out of his mouth a couple of times before biting off the tip. 


"Some of my skills are good for many things," Brian announced innocently, watching Justin‘s widening eyes. “Bet you wish that was you, huh, Sunshine?”


Justin, who wasn’t sure what the hell was going on or how he was supposed to react to his host’s little demonstration, almost choked to death on his next sip of cocoa and ended up spitting the warm chocolate concoction all over the front of himself. 


“Careful there, Youstin,” Brian responded, offering a napkin to help the boy clean himself up. “I wouldn’t want you to choke to death. Unless, of course, you were choking on my dick.”


Justin didn’t know what to say, so all he offered was a confused, “hvala vam,” the translation for ‘thank you’ being one of the few Croatian phrases he’d already memorized. 


Justin was quickly mopped up and, after they had finished breakfast without further antics, Brian led Justin back to the firehouse. They only made it as far as the den on the first floor, though, before Brian stopped his guest. With a few translated words and a lot of gestures, he explained that he needed to go to work and that Youstin was welcome to stay there and watch television or find something else to do. Justin, who was just fine with putting some distance between himself and the gorgeous brunet who had spent the entire morning teasing him, pretended to look up words so he could ask for paper and pencils. When Brian seemed confused by the request, he pointed to a lovely pencil sketch on the wall behind the bar - a drawing that his friend, Lindsey, had given him of his son, Gus - and then pointed to himself, miming that he wanted to do some drawing of his own. Brian easily found what Justin asked for, handing him an old sketchbook that he kept around for when he needed to make rudimentary sketches of ad concepts for his art department, and then headed for the door into the garage. 


Before leaving, he made sure to turn towards his guest, telling him, “stay inside and don’t answer the door.” Justin thought that was an odd request, but he nodded his head in agreement. "Good, because I want to be the only one you let inside," Brian added with a virtuous smile that didn’t match his words at all.


Justin was still just standing there, looking gobsmacked, struggling to control not only his facial expression but his body's reactions to Brian’s suggestive comments as Brian closed the door behind him.



 

End Notes:

4/18/22 - Now the fun can really start! Thanks to Winnie for the suggested reference to Rick & Morty’s Mobster Movie (Ep 5x07). It’s on Hulu if you want to watch! Also, if you haven’t stopped by the Male Order Bride - Working Doc, why not? We would love to get your ideas for other ways Brian can tease Justin! Come write with us! TAG & Lorie

 

Croatian Words:

-Nemoj me jebat - Don’t fuck with me

-Ti si mrtav covjek - You are a dead man

 

-Ubit cu te - I will kill you


Chapter 6 - Two Or Three Probable Lies by Tagsit
Author's Notes:

Ready for some sexy? TAG & Lorie



Chapter 6 - Two Or Three Probable Lies.



“Get your fucking ass into the office right fucking now, Theodore,” Brian screamed into the phone the minute he walked through the doors at Kinnetik. “I don’t give a fuck that it’s Saturday morning. I need you here yesterday. We have a major problem.”


Brian hung up before Ted could manufacture any objections to being pulled into the office before noon on a weekend and spent the twenty minutes it took for his CFO to arrive pacing restlessly around his office. 


Ted blew through the door, panting from having sprinted all the way from his car, and skidded to a stop in front of his boss. “I’m here. What the hell is so dick-on-fire bad that I had to run through three traffic lights to get here?” Ted asked. 


“I’m pretty sure my mail order bride is a fucking conman,” Brian answered. 


Ted made an ‘you might be right’ grimace and nodded his head. “What, exactly, clued you in,” he asked, taking a seat on the comfortable leather couch in Brian’s office seating area. 


“Why don’t you don’t sound surprised?” Brian questioned.  


“You first, since I could have easily waited until Monday for this lovely conversation. Some of us are lucky enough to have someone cute at home to fuck in the morning, you know, and being interrupted, just to come listen to a queening out boss, is not part of my job description,” Ted prompted, resignedly leaning back against the couch cushions, prepared to hear his Boss’ tale of woe. 


Shaking his head at the blatant insubordination, Brian commented that, “being a smart ass isn’t in your job description either and yet here we are.” 


“Touché,” Ted grinned up at him insouciantly. “Continue, please.”


So Brian launched into the explanation of what he’d overheard that morning while standing outside his guest room door, complete with dramatic cursing to punctuate all the myriad indignities of the situation. “Basically, that little shit has been lying to us this whole time, Theodore. He’s not even Croatian. He’s American,” he repeated, unable to get beyond that part of the deception. 


“But you said he mentioned something about not wanting YOU to get hurt, right?” Ted ignored the indignant ranting and steered his boss around to the critical issue. “I think the most salient concern here is, who is he trying to protect you from and how much danger are we talking about?”


“I don’t know!” Brian roared with frustration. “I only heard the last part of the conversation. That was enough to totally freak me out, though. The woman he was talking to mentioned kidnapping and human trafficking, Ted. I mean, what the fuck?”


Ted didn’t respond for several minutes. Brian was still pacing frantically around the room, his hands rifling through his hair at random intervals, depending on how upset he was. Ted, on the other hand, was so deep in thought that he looked like a marble statue, not moving at all and barely seeming to breathe. Finally, when Brian had worked himself up so much he felt like he was about to jump out of his skin, Ted took a deep breath, shook his head, and looked up at his confused friend. 


“It doesn’t make any sense. If he really is trying to con you, why the fuck would he say he wants to protect you?”


“You’re just grasping that conundrum, Theodore?” Brian scoffed.


“No. I mean, yes. But, what you overheard doesn’t jibe with what Aleksi’s assistant told me last night.”


“You got through to someone in Split?” Brian seemed to think that feat would have solved all their problems, but Ted was decidedly less enthusiastic. 


“Yeah, I got a hold of Kacmar’s assistant, Lucija, last night. That’s part of the reason why Blake and I were late getting to Babylon. She returned my calls from earlier in the day as soon as she got to the office, which wasn’t until, like, one our time,” Ted explained. “Although I’m not sure what she said explains anything.”


“Well, what the fuck did she have to say?” Brian pressed.


“Lucija was thrilled that your ‘bride’ had arrived. By the way, have I ever mentioned how weird women get when they start talking about weddings? It’s like their brains short circuit or something. Anyway, I pressed her, repeatedly, about who it was they thought they’d sent and she specifically said the word ‘bride’ over and over again - and you know that Lucija speaks fairly decent English, even though her accent is heavy - so I’m pretty sure she meant that the person they intended to send on that plane was supposed to be a woman. And, as far as I could tell based on the substantial package that kid is sporting, I’m almost entirely sure that Justin isn’t a woman no matter how pretty he is.” 


“Enough with the humorous commentary, Lenny Bruce. Get on with the story,” Brian interrupted. 


“Getting on, Boss.” Ted sycophantically agreed. “So, when I asked her why in the world Aleksi would have wanted to send you a ‘bride’, that’s when she went all wedding-brain on me, and just took off on a tangent about how much her boss had liked you, and how nice you’d been to him and Petra, but that Aleksi had been sorry for you because you didn’t have someone in your life who would make you happy the way Petra had made Aleksi happy, and on and on. To be honest, I kinda tuned her out about halfway through the conversation because I was getting grossed out by it all. But suffice it to say that the goal was to get you set up, ready for happily wedded bliss, and then have Aleksi fly back to attend your ‘fancy, big, American wedding’.” Ted made air quotes as he related the conversation. Brian made a gagging noise in response and Ted looked sympathetically disgusted. “Like I said, I’m almost a hundred percent sure they THOUGHT they were sending you a wife, not a husband.”


“So how the fuck does the little con artist who’s holed up in my guest room come into the picture?” Brian asked again. 


“No idea. Unfortunately, we didn’t get that far,” Ted continued. “Lucija was just getting to the part where she was explaining how Aleksi already had a vacation house picked out for you and your new bride in Miami, which he was apparently planning to give you as a wedding present, when I stopped her.” Ted paused and looked up guiltily at his employer. “Please don’t kill me, Boss, but I just . . . She was getting so carried away, you know, practically picking out the wedding theme and flower selection already, and I had been trying to get a word in edgewise for so long without her letting me stop her and . . . Well, when she finally took a breath, I sorta blurted out how you didn’t want a ‘bride’ because you were gay.”


Brian sputtered and waved off Ted’s concerns. “It would have come out eventually, one way or another. Me showing up to my own wedding with a trick in tow probably would have given it away.” 


That got Ted laughing. “You might be right, Bri. But, after I spilled the beans, Lucija got kinda quiet. I think I might have shocked her. She seemed to think I was the one who was mistaken. I had to reassure her a couple of times that, no, Brian Kinney didn’t want anything at all to do with any women, let alone need a bride.” Ted chuckled again, remembering the woman’s scandalized voice. “She even tried to use the old ‘once he settles down with the right woman, he will change’ line.”


“Yeah, no. That is NOT fucking happening, Theodore. Not even for Aleksi’s multimillion dollar account.”


“Which is what I told her, in slightly more politically correct terms, Bri,” Ted agreed wholeheartedly. “She still tried to argue with me, though. At least until I told her it was all a moot point since the ‘bride’ they’d tried to send hadn’t made it anyway. Which really flipped her switch.” Ted stopped for a moment and thought about the phone call again. “She actually sounded really upset about my news that the woman they’d tried to send you never showed. She broke off into Croatian for a bit - swearing like a sailor, judging by the tone - and then immediately started promising that she’d find out what happened and make sure ‘Laura’ was on the next plane.”


“Even after you told her I’m gay, she was still trying to get this bimbo here to marry me? What the fuck?” Brian was too annoyed for words.


“Yep. But when I mentioned to her that there was a young man who’d arrived in the woman’s place, she got even more flustered. She said she needed to check with Aleksi and would get back to us and then she hung up.” Ted concluded. “I didn’t even get a chance to ask her who the kid was or what they wanted us to do with him.”


“That’s probably a good thing, Ted,” Brian cautioned. “We still don’t know what the fuck is really going on here or why the hell our guest thinks someone is coming after him. And maybe after me too. Until we have a better idea of the type of shit sandwich we’re in the middle of, it’s probably a good idea not to give out too much information. The kid sounded relieved that nobody knew he was staying at my place, and I think we should keep it that way. At least for now.”


“Probably a good idea, Boss,” Ted agreed, getting to his feet. “Something seems off about this whole situation. I think we need to do some more research before we get in any deeper. I, for one, want some answers.”


“Yeah, me too,” Brian readily agreed. “Starting with who the fuck the guy staying in my guest room really is and who’s trying to kill him.” 


Ted hesitated a moment or two before voicing his next concern. “Yeah, maybe you should rethink letting the kid stay with you, Bri? I mean, you have no idea what the hell he’s involved in. It could be anything from just a scheme to rip you off to something more sinister like international gun smuggling. You really don’t know anything about him at all. Now that I think about it, maybe we should just go to the police with all of this and let them figure it out.”


“Gun smuggling? Seriously, Ted?” Brian snorted contemptuously and rolled his eyes. “We need to wean you off cable television, and soon, before you turn my twink house guest into the next Jason Bourne.”  


“Okay, well, you’re probably right about the gun smuggling. Youstin doesn’t look like the gun runner type,” Ted conceded with an embarrassed blush. “But still, the only thing we know about him is that he’s involved in something dangerous and probably criminal. It would probably be wise to get out of the way and let the police do their job here.”


Brian thought about the sweet little blond with the innocent smile and the soft warm lips. He thought about their make out session the night before and how nice the pliant body pressed against his own had felt. He thought about the comfortable silences they’d shared both the night before and that morning at breakfast and how he’d rarely experienced that level of ease with anyone else. He knew that Justin couldn’t talk to him out of fear of giving away his secret, which obviously accounted for his silence, but there had been something more to the quietness between them. Brian somehow thought that, even if Justin could have talked to him, they would still be able to share that same sense of wordless quietude. And, it wasn’t like Brian was the sentimental type, nor was he gullible enough to believe that veneer of innocence went more than skin deep, but for some reason he couldn’t pinpoint he simply knew that Justin was different. He wasn’t hiding anything sinister behind that innocuous exterior. He wasn’t inherently ‘bad’. No matter what the kid had gotten himself tangled up in, Brian didn’t think Justin would intentionally hurt him.


“Let’s hold off on that for now,” Brian advised, moving around to sit behind his desk now that all the adrenaline had been bled off via his pacing and worrying. “I want to know more before we take any kind of action. As it is, we don’t know for sure that anything illegal has happened, and I don’t want to get the kid in trouble with the cops for nothing. Besides, he isn’t hurting anything. Not yet, at least. He’s just hanging out in my guest room and drawing and hiding from whoever is looking for him. I don’t see the harm in any of that.”


“And if he’s really just casing the joint and waiting for his accomplices to come clear out all your electronics?” Ted suppositioned.


“That’s what insurance is for, right?”


“If you say so, Boss,” Ted got up off the couch, shaking his head, and stared down at Brian as if he thought the man was off his rocker. “But, in the meantime, I’m going to do some more checking and see if we can find out about this ‘Youstin’. Do you even know his full name?”


“Nope,” Brian responded, rubbing the back of his neck to relieve the tension building there. “Only that he introduced himself as ‘Youstin’, which I assume is the Croatian version of ‘Justin’, the name I heard the woman he was talking to use.”


“Maybe I can get more information if I call the airline,” Ted suggested with a crafty little smle. “It helps that Kinnetik does the advertising for Liberty Air and we have contacts there.”


“Good idea, Ted. And while you’re at it I think we should take another look at Aleksi Kacmar too.”


“Kacmar? But we already vetted him when we did the initial due diligence on his company, didn’t we?” 


“I know, but there’s something about a guy I hardly know sending me a ‘bride’ that doesn’t make sense. Even if I was straight, that would be weird, right? Who does that kinda shit?” Brian pressed his lips together into a flat line while he thought about how to express his nebulous suspicions. “From the sound of it, Kacmar and his assistant had practically planned my whole wedding, clear down to some honeymoon in Miami. That’s just plain . . . Wrong. It’s all way too fast and too intrusive. And what about that strange comment about giving me Florida real estate as a wedding present? Something stinks about this whole thing, Ted.”


“I agree, Brian. It does seem a little strange. It’s definitely more than just a mistake in translation.”


“Exactly!” Brian agreed immediately. “But, make sure you’re discreet about whatever additional research you do, Ted. I could be totally off base here. Maybe Kacmar really is just a crazy romantic fool who regularly goes around providing all his casual acquaintances with wives and real estate. We don’t want to alienate Aleksi if my suspicions don’t pan out; we can’t afford to lose the Princess Mia account while we’re chasing some conspiracy theory down a rabbit hole.” 


“Got it, Boss,” Ted confirmed, pulling out his phone so he could make notes for himself about the tasks he needed to accomplish, a habit of the always-organized CFO. “While I’m doing that, I suggest you try to get closer to your ‘bride’. Maybe you can get a little more info out of him that way.” 


“I suppose I could pump him for a little information,” Brian suggested with a lewd waggle of his brows. 


Ted chuckled. “Sounds like something that’s right up your alley, Bri.”


“We each bring our own special talents to a problem, Theodore,” Brian replied, flashing his trademark sexy smirk. “Remember, ‘teamwork makes the dream work’.”


“I suppose,” Ted huffed in amusement, “but for some reason this sounds suspiciously like that time the coach of the football team tried to convince me that my job as the towel boy was just as important as the quarterback. Unfortunately, the towel boy wasn’t the one getting laid that time either.”


“Say ‘hi’ to Blake for me,” Brian called out to Ted’s back as the accountant made his way out of Brian’s office and back down the hall to start his investigations from the privacy of his own office. “Now, where to begin with my ‘probing’ of the hot little blond . . .”




“THIS is the life,” Justin murmured to himself, stretching out on the lounge chair under the big umbrella that protected him from the afternoon sun. 


He’d come up onto the roof deck a couple of hours earlier and was thoroughly enjoying himself. He loved Brian’s amazing house. He had immediately taken advantage of the luxury, and the fact that he had it all to himself for the day, to pamper himself a little. It was a warm July day - albeit not nearly as hot as it had been in the southern Adriatic - and the view was hazy from the high humidity. Still, there was a slight breeze that cooled the rooftop area; he thought the idea of putting the deck up here was brilliant because that little breeze probably didn’t make it all the way down to the ground level. Without that occasional whiff of air, it would have definitely been too hot up here to hang out for long. As it was, though, Justin found the conditions perfect for lazing around in the sun, working on what little tan his pale ivory skin would allow him to get, and sipping at a cool glass of iced tea while he desultorily sketched variations on Brian Kinney.  


All the pleasant warmth and relaxation, however, were starting to make him sleepy. He yawned and stretched again, his arms reaching over his head until his hand bumped against the railing that ran all around the roof’s edge. He gripped the railing with both hands, using that leverage to flex his arm muscles, enjoying the feeling as his biceps, back, and spine lengthened and then contracted. He flexed his legs next, pointing and flexing his toes, then tightened his glutes so that his hips arched up slightly. He felt languorous and content, like a cat who’d found a sunny place to take a nap. 


“There you are, Youstin,” Brian Kinney’s baritone voice caused a frisson of liquid startlement to ripple through his already-warmed muscles. 


Justin looked up from where he was lounging and offered his host a smile. 


“I looked all over the house for you and was beginning to think you’d run out on me,” Brian said, coming closer, a sexy smirk decorating his sensual lips. Then, without any change to his expression, the brunet added, “but, since the tv was still there, I figured you must not have had time to make a clean getaway.”


Justin had no idea how he was supposed to hide his reaction to that accusation, said in such a way that, had Justin really been a foreigner, he wouldn’t have understood. It just added to the confusion he felt about Brian Kinney. Everything about the man was a contradiction, from the totally inappropriate things he said, to the kindness of his actions, to the gentle way he’d kissed Justin the night before. How the fuck was he supposed to respond to a man like that?


While his brain was still muddling through this quandary, Justin’s body had already come to a very immediate conclusion about the way it wanted to react. It reacted by sending all the blood that would have normally occupied his brain directly to his cock. His dick didn’t care what the brain thought, it was swelling so fast that Justin found himself uncomfortably hard in less than ninety seconds after Brian had appeared. The fact that he was wearing only the very tight, very skimpy, square-cut Colisha swim trunks that Gianni - his Italian fling from before he’d met Gunter - had bought for him in Corfu, and that his full cock was already starting to push its way past the loosely tied waistband, made his interest in Brian rather obvious. 



Ignoring the flush of embarrassment that washed over his skin, Justin reached down and rearranged himself in the trunks so that his problem wasn’t quite so blatant. Brian just stood there, leering down at him, apparently enjoying Justin’s predicament judging by the self-satisfied grin on his handsome face. Justin wished, not for the first time, that his complexion wasn’t so fair, because it always showed everything he was feeling. And right then he was practically on fire as a bloom of heat crept over his skin, causing him to blush clear down to his abs. He really needed to get a fucking grip on himself, he thought. He wasn’t some neophyte who got flustered simply because a good looking man smiled at him. He hadn’t been a blushing virgin for a long, long time. But, if this kept up, Brian was going to think he was a total noob.


“It seems like you’ve been keeping yourself busy. The tan looks nice. Maybe I should strip you out of those ridiculously tiny shorts and lick the sunscreen off you so I can taste that tan as well as look at it?” Brian commented, folding his lips in as if he were trying to hide his smile at Justin’s discomfort.


Justin was so flustered by Brian’s comments that he didn’t know what to do, or say, or even where to look. He was now blushing so hard that he was sure his face looked like a ripe tomato. He should be furious at this man for saying such inappropriate things to him, but he wasn’t. He had never in his life been so fucking turned on. But he shouldn’t be because he wasn’t supposed to even understand what Kinney was saying. Damn it! He needed to do something, soon, or his fucking traitorous body was going to give away his secret. 


His eyes slid sideways and thankfully fell on a distraction. Picking up the sketchbook that he’d been doodling in, he turned back a page to the drawing he’d just finished and held it up for Brian to see. “I make. Brian. Da?” he said in his pretend accent, the name ‘Brian’ sounding more like ‘bree-Onn’.”



Brian took the proffered drawing and nodded approvingly. “Not bad, Youstin. Not bad at all.” 


Justin was actually quite proud of that drawing himself. It was a sketch of the way the man had looked that morning at breakfast. It showed Brian Kinney in profile, his face in repose as he looked down at the newspaper he’d been reading, his longish hair straggling down over his brow and cheek. Justin needed to work on the forehead a little more, and maybe finish the background, but it was a pretty good likeness all the same.


“So you’re not only a pretty face, huh? You’ve got talent too. That’s a dangerous combination, Sunshine,” Brian surmised,     


Justin, who’d thought he had come up with a way to redirect the conversation, blushed all over again at Brian’s compliment. What the fuck was up with this guy? Why did everything Brian say come out sounding like a proposition? And why the hell couldn’t Justin control his reaction to his man. Considering the huge numbers of men he’d slept with over the past two years, Justin shouldn’t be this easily shaken up by one mere man. Even if he WAS a drop-dead gorgeous man who said the most irritatingly delicious things.


“Shit, it’s hot up here today,” Brian declared. 


Justin was so grateful for the interruption to his trainwreck of thoughts that he closed his eyes and sighed. Yes, talk about the weather. He could handle that. He opened his eyes and smiled at Brian.


Of course, then his host went and ruined the distraction by ostentatiously unbuttoning the casual blue denim shirt he’d been wearing, undoing the buttons one at a time, slowly revealing more and more of his golden-tan chest as Justin stood there salivating. 


Fuuuuck! That was just too much. Brian Kinney was ravishing when fully clothed, but with each inch of additional skin revealed, Justin became even more fascinated. And, when Brian finished with the last button and shrugged the unnecessary cloth off his shoulders, Justin thought he might spontaneously combust right there on the rooftop deck; not from the heat of the sun but from the heat of lust that almost swamped him just from looking at Brian’s well-toned pecs and those rock-hard abs. 


Brian wasn’t finished though. Oh, no. He was just getting started on his plan to seduce the truth out of his visitor. And he was going to use all the weapons in his arsenal; the most lethal of which, by far, was his own, spectacular body. 


With that in mind, Brian hooked his thumbs into the waistband of his perfectly distressed, Scotch & Soda, Ralston jeans, and then slowly slid both hands forward until they came together right over his fly. Justin’s eyes were riveted on that spot and Brian almost laughed when he saw the boy biting at his bottom lip and panting like he couldn’t get enough oxygen. Enjoying the power he had over the young blond, Brian made a show out of popping the buttons of his fly very deliberately, one by one, until the material was flapping loosely and his audience could clearly see that there wasn’t anything under the jeans. Finally, with intentional nonchalance, he gave a little shove and the pants slid down his slim hips into a puddle of fabric on the ground. 


Justin whimpered. 


With the smugest of smug smiles, Brian stepped out of the remains of his clothing and sauntered unhurriedly across the deck to the hot tub. With his back to the transfixed boy who was watching his every move, he lifted off the cover, switched on the jets, and then slowly lowered himself into the bubbling water. It was almost too hot of a day to be sitting in a hot tub in the sun, but the warmth flowing through Brian’s muscles felt good too. It would bake away all the tension and stress. He let himself float over to the submerged shelf that extended along one side of the square tub, lying down so that the well-placed jets would massage down the length of his back. It did not escape his attention that Justin followed him until the young man was standing at the side of the spa, watching with avid interest as Brian’s cock floated just under the surface of the water, peeking up every now and then through the bubbles when his body would float higher.


“You’re welcome to join me, Youstin,” he purred, his low, gravelly voice just loud enough to be heard over the hum of the jets. With one crooked finger he summoned the boy even closer, allowing him to grab the hem of Justin’s swim trunks, before adding, “but this is a clothing-free spa, I’m afraid, so these,” he tugged the fabric down just far enough that the pretty pink cock underneath poked its head up from behind the waistband, “need to come off.”


Justin froze. He’d kinda forgotten that he wasn’t supposed to understand what Brian was saying. His brain had been mostly offline since the moment when Brian’s pants had hit the decking. After that he was just operating on pure lust. So, when the gorgeous naked man in the hot tub had demanded that he take off his trunks and join him in the frothy water, he did exactly what he’d been told. Ten seconds later the trunks were lying forgotten on the ground and he was vaulting into the tub, all decorum abandoned, along with his clothing. 


Brian was almost as captivated by his first sight of the naked boy as Justin had been by him. Only his ego kept him from drooling over the scrumptious, slender, youthful body, its curves and hard planes in all the right places, with that better-than-average-sized prick pointing proudly out of a nest of glorious dark-blond curls. Fuck, this kid was absolutely mouthwatering. Brian wasn’t usually into chicken - or even near-chicken, like Justin was - but for this boy he’d gladly break out of type. If only there wasn’t the uncertainty of possible criminal involvement hanging over them, he wouldn’t have held back at all. He’d have had that soft, golden, twinky body bent over the closest deck chair with his cock buried as deeply as it could go before you could say ‘fuck me!’. As it was, though, Brian didn’t quite trust himself that far. He’d have to settle for just looking - and maybe a little touching, because who could resist THAT - at least for now. 


Curling the toes of one long leg around the boy’s thigh, Brian jerked the slim body forward until Justin was close enough for him to wrap a hand around the pretty pink prick that was bobbing just above the water level. Using that handhold, Brian gently tugged the younger man closer and then, without letting up for even a second, he quickly and efficiently jerked the kid off. It took hardly any time at all; Justin was so aroused he probably could have got the kid off with just a few words. 


As soon as he was done, his mission accomplished, Brian got up, leaned in to deposit one soft-lipped kiss against the panting, popsicle-pink mouth, and then left. Justin continued to stand there, in the middle of the hot tub, for several more minutes, until his brain finally rebooted and he was capable once again of rational thought. 


“Fuck me,” Justin mewled, slumping down onto the underwater spa bench and letting the bubbling water slosh up around him. “Being Brian Kinney’s house guest might just fucking kill me before the Croatian guy even finds me.” 


 

 

End Notes:

4/20/22 - Sorry about how long this chapter got. TAG got carried away on the hot tub scene. We know you hate that. Please bear with us. Also, if any of you have ideas for other ways that Brian can tease Justin or other sexy scenes you’d like to see, please come by the working doc and leave us a comment with your requests. We need all the ideas you can give us to draw this out as long as possible. Poor Justin! Finally, credit for the AMAZING Brian sketch goes out to frayach.deviantart.com. (I wish I could draw like this!) Thanks for reading and all your great comments. TAG & Lorie 

Chapter 7 - Kill All The Lawyers by Tagsit
Author's Notes:

It's time to up the plottiness of this story. Get ready for the bad guys to do their thing... TAG & Lorie



Chapter 7 - Kill All The Lawyers.



“Beckestany,” she answered the phone, frowning because she recognized the number and really wasn’t in the mood to deal with this particular client this morning. 


“Why you fuck me over, Beks? I pay good money and you no do your job!” the angry voice of Aleksi Kacmar growled through the satellite connection all the way to her cell phone in Pittsburgh. 


“Hang on a minute, Aleksi. What the fuck are you talking about? I did everything you asked me to do,” Beks argued, getting pissed off right back at him. 


“Then why my plans all sjeban?” Aleksi yelled. “You supposed to give me full write up on Brian Kinney, no? How you miss that he a pederu? Huh? This fuck up everything!”


“Slow the fuck down, Leks,” Beks ordered, unable to keep up with his rapid-fire pigeon English and randomly interspersed Croatian references. Her own Croatian was rusty - she’d picked up the language as a child from her grandmother, but rarely spoke it now, since the woman had died more than ten years before - and it didn’t help that Aleksi’s accent was heavy. “I gave you everything I had on Kinney. Besides, I thought that deal was already done?”


“Only first part done. We get him to agree to advertising is all. This just the start. How you say, a footstep?”


“You mean, a ‘foothold’?” she asked to clarify.


“Yes. This. A foothold. So we have base for future operations,” Kacmar continued. “But you screwed me up, Beks. Plan was to send my Laura to this Kinney. Get my girl in place. Then Laura can take over. You no tell me Kinney pedercina! This no work for us!” When Beks didn’t respond right away, it was clear that she didn’t understand, so Aleksi explained again. “He pederu! No like girls! Kinney jebe boys! Zajebao si me, Beks!”


Okay, she finally got it. Kinney was gay. She didn’t know how that would have fucked up her client’s plans, but at least she understood what the problem was now. “Look, Kacmar, you hired me to do a complete financial workup of the guy. Which I did. I got you everything available on the guy’s personal and business finances, down to the last penny in his bank accounts. If you wanted more, you should have said something.”


There followed a long string of cursing in Croatian that Beks didn’t think it necessary to translate exactly to know just how pissed off Kacmar was with her. But what the fuck did the scumbag want? How was she supposed to have known that Kinney’s sexual orientation was somehow pertinent to Kacmar’s plans? If he’d wanted that kind of depth, he should have told her when he hired her to investigate the guy. And he should have paid her a lot more too. Not that she was going to say any of that to Aleksi himself. She knew enough to know that Kacmar wasn’t just a simple foreign ‘businessman’ who’d been looking for an American advertising agency to handle his international marketing. She had done other work in the past for Kacmar, and for some of his friends as well, and she wasn’t proud of it. But a buck was a buck, and her low-rent, strip-mall-based law practice wasn’t exactly making her rich, so she had just done her job and tried not to ask too many questions. It wouldn’t do to get on this guy’s bad side, though, so some ass covering was definitely in order.


“Look, Aleksi, I didn’t know about Kinney being gay. It didn’t come up in my research. I was just looking at his finances,” she admitted without actually apologizing, because that would make her look weak, and looking weak was not something you wanted to do around Kacmar. “So, what do you want me to do now to fix things?”


In his broken English, with a lot of interruptions so she could ask clarifying questions, Beks eventually teased out the gist of the situation. It seemed like part of Kacmar’s plan had been to set this Kinney guy up with a female operative from Aleksi’s organization with the hope that she would be able to ingratiate herself into the guy’s life in a more permanent way. Sort of a ‘Red Sparrow’ kind of thing, she supposed. Beks didn’t want to know what the woman was supposed to have done after she wormed her way into Brian Kinney’s life - and presumably his bed too - but suffice it to say that Kacmar was not at all pleased to find out that Kinney’s sexual orientation had apparently fucked up that part of his plan. In the meantime, Aleksi wanted Beks to go back to her sources and find out more about Kinney in the hopes that Kacmar could reconfigure his plan. It didn’t sound like the Croatians were giving up on Kinney yet, poor guy. 


“Get me EVERYTHING on Kinney this time,” Aleksi ordered. “I will know what he eat for dinner, who he jebe, when he wipe his dupe. You understand me, Beks? I want ALL!”  


“I get it, Kasmar. I’ll put together a full dossier for you. As much as I can get,” Beks promised.


“Good. Ne zajebavaj ovaj put,” Aleksi snarled and she didn’t have to understand Croatian to know she was being threatened that if she fucked up again she would regret it. “By one week, da? Friday!”


“I’ll do my best,” was all she conceded. 


“You do better than best or I do for you too,” Kacmar warned, his voice sounding as cold and hollow as the steel barrel of a gun. “Also, find this Justin Taylor. The lopov who take my Laura’s tickets. I know he somewhere there in Pissburgh; airline tell me. He will pay for taking what is Aleksi’s.”


“Uh . . . You got any more on this Taylor kid than just a name? Taylor isn’t exactly an unusual surname here, Mr. Kacmar. I don’t know how fast I’ll be able to find him with only a name and nothing more,” Beks hedged. 


“I send you photo. You find so I can break his fingers for take my property.”


“If you tell your American lawyer that you’re planning to commit a crime, then not only will she be unable to continue working for you, Mr. Kacmar, but she could be compelled to testify against you in court. If it came to that,” she cautioned, receiving only a grunt from the other end of the phone call. “For now, I’m going to assume that was only a joke, right?”


“Of course,” Aleksi backtracked immediately. 


“Good. I’ll get you whatever I can by the end of the week, Mr. Kacmar,” she said and immediately hung up the phone. “Fuck me. Why did I ever take that loser’s call in the first place?” 




“Mmmnnn . . . Oh, yeah . . . Fuck, yes . . . Justin, yes . . .”  Brian moaned as he pulled the head of his cock through his fist one last time, giving it a delicious little twist right at the end, before erupting in pleasurable spurts of jizz that painted the tiles of his shower. “Damn.” 


He’d really needed that release after the scene that had played out just a little while before up in the hot tub. Normally he wouldn’t have gotten that hot and bothered just from giving another guy a hand job, but . . . The kid might be a fraud or a con man or maybe even an outright criminal - Brian didn’t know what to think yet - but whatever else he was, the guy had a damn beautiful dick. It was just right. The heft and the weight of it in Brian’s palm had felt perfect. And the rest of the kid’s body wasn’t bad either. The slim, slightly-defined muscles, trim waist, and soft curves were mouth-watering. Brian had wanted to bend him over the edge of the hot tub, lick every droplet of steamy water off that pale ivory skin, and then spear him like a shish kebab. But, since that wasn’t an option, at least for now, he’d been forced to take himself off to the shower for a lonely whack off before he’d totally lost control.


Happily relieved, Brian got out of the shower and toweled himself off. He was going to have to avoid another scene like that in the future. He didn’t think he could hold off from attacking his not-so-foreign guest a second time if he saw the kid in those ridiculously sexy little swim trunks again. And he’d already decided that it wasn’t wise to fuck Justin. At least not until he knew more about him and the mysterious reasons behind the kid’s appearance in Brian’s life. It was one thing to tease and goad the guy, but Brian didn’t want to go beyond that stage until he was sure Justin wasn’t up to some nefarious purposes. Of course, since he hadn’t yet come up with a way to pump Justin for the information he needed to suss out those purposes, it was beginning to look like it might be a long time before Brian would be relieving his Justin-induced erections any other way than by a solo workout in the shower. Which was a fucking shame, considering that dick he’d been fondling not that long ago.


Brian sighed and tossed his towel into the nearby hamper before striding out of the bathroom towards his closet. He hadn’t even made it all the way across the room, though, before he was sidetracked by the ringing of his phone. It was Lindsey’s ring tone - Mama Mia by Abba - so he knew he had to take the call. If he didn’t, Lindsey would just give him shit about how it could have been an emergency with Gus and ask him why he was always so irresponsible and then come up with some other reason why she was going to cancel his next visit with his son, etc. He didn’t need to hear the speech again. It was easier to just take her calls and pretend to listen to whatever she was prattling about.


“Hey, Lindz,” he answered, putting the call on speaker so he could set the phone on the dresser and continue getting dressed. 


“Thank goodness I got ahold of you, Brian.” Lindsey sounded out of breath and, for once, grateful to hear Brian’s voice. “I hate to do this last minute, but I have a HUGE favor to ask . . .”


“You’ve finally come to your senses and left Mel and you want me to pay for the divorce attorney?” Brian teased. “Done!”


“Stop, Brian!” Lindsey laughed in spite of herself. “No, you nut. Just the opposite, actually. Mel and I are doing a wedding this weekend.” When Brian sputtered as if he was choking on his own spit, she relented with a giggle. “Gotcha!”


“Fuck you, Lindz. Don’t scare me like that unless you want to give me a fucking heart attack and leave Gus fatherless.”


“You deserve it with all your teasing. But, no, it’s not our wedding; it’s for our friends, Trisha and Bet. Aaaaannnnd . . .” She drew the word out for dramatic emphasis. “That’s the reason I’m calling. The bachelorette party is tonight and our sitter just called and canceled on us. She got food poisoning from eating at a food cart pod last night and can’t make it.”


“And this is my problem because . . . ?” Brian questioned even though he’d already guessed the answer. 


“Because I thought you might enjoy the chance to spend some more time with your son?”


“More like, Debbie’s working tonight and you couldn’t find any other suckers to take the kid so that you and your husband can go get your rocks off to some slutty lesbo strip tease,” Brian surmised. 


“As opposed to slutty gay strip tease?”


“Got me,” Brian smiled at the fact that she knew him so well. “Well, it IS Saturday night and I do have a guest staying with me . . .”


“A guest? You have a guest? Staying at your house?” Lindsey sounded shocked, as if Brian had just announced he had grown a twat. “Since when does Brian Kinney have guests stay over? Other than the occasional trick who you forgot to kick out before you passed out, that is.”


“Ha, fucking, ha,” Brian replied, miffed that she didn’t think him capable of hosting a guest like any other adult. “Yes, I have a guest. And he’s not a trick. He’s . . .” How exactly did he explain Justin at that point? “He was sent here by one of my overseas clients. Since it seemed like he didn’t speak any English, I offered to let him stay with me.” There, that was simple enough and not a complete lie.


“Wow! Brian Kinney voluntarily inviting house guests over? That’s very adult of you, Peter,” Lindsey kidded him. “In that case, though, I don’t suppose you’d want to have Gus over . . .”


“I didn’t say that,” Brian rushed to interrupt before he lost out on the rare chance to have his son spend a few days with him. “I’m sure Youstin won’t mind if Gus joins us for the night.”


“Well, I wouldn’t want to intrude on your work,” Lindsey hesitated. 


“You wouldn’t be. I wasn’t planning on working tonight anyway.”


“And this Youstin, he’s okay with kids being around? I mean, do you know anything about him?” Lindsey asked, being the perpetually over-cautious mother. 


“Fuck, Lindz. It’s not like I’m going to abandon Gus with the guy and leave them to their own devices all night. I’ll be here as well,” Brian insisted. “Besides, Youstin is something of an artist, it seems, so maybe he can help me and Gus with a project I’ve been planning.”


“A project?”


“I’ll tell you about it when we’re done,” Brian promised. “So, do I get to have the honor of bailing your asses out as the backup babysitter or what?”


Lindsey only hesitated a moment or two longer. He could tell she was desperate to go to her bachelorette thing, so she couldn’t afford to play hard to get. Brian really was excited to spend time with Gus, too, and she knew he would take whatever time she’d allow him with the boy. So, it wasn’t really a surprise when she graciously gave in and agreed to let Gus stay over with his father for the night. They quickly made arrangements to drop Gus off in a couple of hours and then ended the call. 


Brian spent the next half hour or so on the computer, preparing for Gus’s visit. When everything seemed ready, he decided he should probably go and explain to Justin about their overnight guest. Besides, he hadn’t seen the younger man since their hot tub adventure and was starting to wonder if he hadn’t scared his guest off for good. He first went up and knocked on the guest room door, but got no answer, and peeking his head inside proved the blond wasn’t hiding in his room. Next, Brian went back up to the roof, but he didn’t find the resident artist up there either. Finally, with no other options, Brian went all the way down to the lounge where he was happy to find his guest shooting pool. 



Justin was so absorbed in his task, he didn’t even notice Brian’s arrival. The guy had changed out of the skimpy swim trunks into some cutoff jeans shorts that were almost as revealing. The way he was stretched out over the red baise of the table, Brian got quite a show. The sight was distracting enough he almost missed when Justin potted the tricky bank shot he’d set up just so he could practice. The guy really was good at this game, he had to admit. Brian, though, was happy to just hide in the shadows, admiring not only the kid’s skill but also his plump posterior as the young man bent over the edge of the table to line up his cue for a second shot. 


“You know, with an ass like that, and those shorts, you could make a fortune hustling pool,” Brian spoke up after the kid had sunk three impossible shots in a row. “Guys would be so flustered they’d be chalking up their dicks instead of their sticks and ready to shoot all over your balls.”


Justin had startled at the sound of Brian’s voice, looking over his shoulder towards the doorway where Brian was standing, but since he’d still been procumbent, lying halfway across the table, having just made his last shot, he couldn’t do much more than lie there and be ogled in his awkward position. The fact that he was blushing so furiously that his face was almost as red as the pool table was proof, if he’d needed it, that the kid had understood Brian’s little joke perfectly. Brian had to bite his lip to stop himself from laughing at how bad Justin was at this particular acting job. At least he made up for it by being absolutely adorable with all those fucking blushes. 


Brian, who’d shocked himself with that last thought - and his mental use of the word ‘adorable’ - quickly rushed to change topics, moving on to the subject that had sent him looking for his guest in the first place. "Hey, Youstin," Brian greeted him as he approached closer, “didn’t mean to scare you.” He waited until the kid could crawl off the pool table, adjust his shorts so all his pieces and parts were once again covered, and then put on his amiably blank mask. "I just wanted to let you know that we’re going to be having some company tonight." At Justin’s feigned look of confusion, Brian started again. Luckily he was prepared, having already looked up a few of the words in Croatian he would need to explain who Gus was, in order to make it look like he wanted to communicate in Youstin’s native language. "Moj sin, Gus," he started again, pulling out his phone in order to display a picture of Gus by way of demonstration, only to receive an even more confused and concerned look from the other man. 


"Vas sin? Kako?" Justin asked, with a very strange expression on his face. 


Brian looked up the words and laughed. Then, instead of looking up the words to answer, he picked up an empty glass off the bar and mimed jerking off into it. When Justin got what Brian was telling him, he nodded, although he still looked vaguely confused. 


“Yeah, it’s a long story,” Brian responded with a dismissive wave of his hand. “Trust me, I still don’t believe it myself sometimes.”


Justin, still pretending he didn’t understand anything, said only, "vas sin, da. Sjajno," while smiling his beautiful, sunshiney smile and nodding at the man.


Brian walked over to the rack on the wall where the rest of the pool equipment was waiting and selected a cue for himself. “But, since Gus won’t be here for at least another hour, how about we play a game or two?” He walked around the table till he was standing right in front of Justin and tapped the butt of his cue against the one that Justin was hiding behind, as if the inch-wide piece of wood could provide him cover. Hell, even soft, Justin was too wide to be able to cover his reaction to Brian comments. “Why don’t you show me what you can do with that stick between your legs, Sunshine?”


His words raised yet another vicious red blush and this time Brian didn’t bother holding back his laughter. He got such a kick out of teasing the kid when he knew Justin couldn’t respond. He didn’t care if the lesbianic word ‘adorable’ popped into his head again. He couldn’t argue with the sentiment. The kid really was fucking adorable in so many ways. And, the more time he spent around ‘Youstin’ the more convinced Brian was that the kid couldn’t possibly be some kind of grifter; nobody who was that bad an actor could ever pull off a real con. 


But, whatever Justin’s final objective might be, it didn’t mean that Brian couldn’t enjoy himself as long as the guy was staying with him. “Rack ‘em up, blond boy,” Brian ordered, pointing with his cue to the table, “and stand back while I show you how a real man plays with his balls.” 



 

End Notes:

4/23/22 - Ooooo! The plot thickens! LOL. Yes, we had to bring in an evil lawyer, just because. Next up, some adorable Gus time while Justin continues to struggle to keep up the pretense of his foreignness. Lorie & TAG could use any suggestions you might have for other ways Brian could mess with Justin’s head for the next few chapters, though, so if you want to leave us your ideas in a comment, or come by the working doc and leave a note there, we’d be soooo appreciative. Please & Thank you. TAG & Lorie

 

Croatian Words:

-Sjeban - Fucked up

-Pederu - Faggot

-Pedercina - Gay

-Zajebao si me - You fucked me over

-Jebe - fucks

-Dupe - Ass

-Ne zajebavaj ovaj put - Don't fuck up this time

-Moj sin/Vas sin - My son/Your son

-Kako - How -Sjajno - Great!

 

Chapter 8 - Faithful Friends Are Hard To Find. by Tagsit
Author's Notes:

It was another glorious day here in the Pacific Northwest and there was much writing done! Come read what we made for you! Lorie & TAG



Chapter 8 - Faithful Friends Are Hard To Find.



It turned out that Brian and Justin were fairly evenly matched when it came to billiards. 


Justin won the first game with a ridiculous shot where he managed to chip the cue ball over the top of one of Brian’s stripes in order to pot his next solid. Brian was too much in awe over that shot to recover after that. In the second game, Brian took a smarter approach, playing a more defensive game and managing to squeak out a win by never leaving his opponent any clear shots. The next time Justin broke, he ran the table without ever giving Brian even one shot, a feat that Brian admitted he hadn’t seen outside of the professional pool circuit. 


“Damn, Youstin,” Brian said with a tongue in cheek smile. “Where the fuck did you learn to play like that?”


Forgetting himself, Justin was about to answer, when he was saved at the last minute by the sound of the buzzer at the street-level entry door. 


“DADDDEEEEE!” The high-pitched, drawn-out squeal was followed by the slap-slap-slap of a pair of tennis shoes hitting the imported black marble tiles of the entryway hall and then, only seconds later, an adorable gamin face appeared at the open door into the den. “Daddy! I’m here! I get to stay wiv you all night!”


“Sonny Boy!” Brian tossed aside his pool cue and totted over to meet his offspring halfway across the room, scooping up the boy in a twirling hug. 


“You have no idea how excited he is,” an elegant blonde woman following on the boy’s heels declared. When she reached Brian’s side she leaned in and left a lipstick-smeared coral-pink kiss on his cheek. “I hope you’re ready for this, Brian. He’s going to be a handful, I’m afraid.”


“Gus and I will be fine, Lindz,” Brian declared, finally setting the boy down on his own two feet. “We’re going to be too busy to get into trouble this afternoon.” Looking down at the face smiling adoringly up at him he added, “We have a special project we’ll be working on this weekend . . .”


“Again with this mysterious ‘project’? What ARE you up to, Brian?” the blonde woman questioned, raising a well-groomed eyebrow to punctuate her query. 


“It’s a surprise,” was all Brian would say. Then he turned and beckoned Justin closer. “Hey, Gus. I want you to meet a friend of mine. This is Youstin. He just arrived yesterday from Croatia. That’s a country clear on the other side of the world. Can you say ‘hi’?”


Gus, like all four year olds, became instantly shy the moment he realized there was a stranger nearby whom he was supposed to address. The little carbon copy of Brian Kinney pivoted and hid his face against his father’s pant leg. Brian affectionately ruffled the child’s hair, giving his guest an apologetic smile. 


“Hello, Youstin,” the mother stepped up and greeted the young blond man in her son’s place. “I’m Lindsey Peterson. Gus’ mother. Welcome to Pittsburgh.”


“Zdravo,” Justin replied, accepting the hand the woman held out to him. “Uh . . . Hello.” 


In his fake accent the word sounded more like ‘halo’. Brian had to turn away so that his smile didn’t give away how humorous he found the kid’s acting. Luckily, he had Gus to serve as a distraction. He hefted the child up off the ground, flipped the small body upside down while zooming Gus around in circles, and then flipped him again with a toss in the air so that the giggling boy landed on his father’s shoulders. 


Justin smiled. Watching the interaction between the two Kinneys increased his admiration for the man who so obviously loved his son. If he hadn’t been attracted to Brian before, he certainly would have been after watching the big and little Kinney boys goofing around like that. They were so sweet together. He hoped that Brian would let him help with whatever this mysterious project was so he’d have an excuse to spend more time with both the father and the adorable little boy. 


Lindsey, who was standing next to Justin, equally entranced by the charming sight, turned towards Brian’s guest as if she was about to comment. Justin had a moment of panic, unsure how he was supposed to respond when he couldn’t reveal that he understood what she was saying. Thankfully, Lindsey’s phone rang before she could try to start a conversation with the blond. 


“Lindz, are you still with the asshole?” Mel asked.


“Yes, Mel, I’m still with Brian, why?” Lindsey answered, annoyed that Mel continued to call him that, no matter what the man did for them.


“Trisha just called and asked if we could stay the whole weekend. The hotel where they’re having the bachelorette party is comping them a second room and they’re offering it to us for free. So, do you think you could ask Brian, if he can keep his son for a few more days?” Mel asked.


“Yes, I’ll ask Brian if he will please keep his son for a few more days,” Lindsey answered.


Brian, who had heard the conversation from both sides since Mel was very loud on the phone, had already started rearranging his schedule in his head. His assistant Cynthia was probably gonna have his balls for messing up Monday’s schedule, but he’d deal with it. He knew he had to seize any opportunity he got to spend time with his son; the munchers were often fickle when it came to his parenting time so he had to take what he could get when he could get it. 


Once Lindsey hung up the phone she turned to a smirking Brian. “Well, I guess you heard all that. Can you do it?” Lindsey asked.


“Yes, of course I can do it; I own the company. And yes, I will do it, because I want to spend time with my son. But next time, when I ask to see him or take him at a time that I choose, hopefully you’ll still remember that he’s my son then too.”


“I will, Brian. And thank you.” Lindsey squeezed Brian’s arm affectionately, offering a simpering little smile by way of charming away his prickliness. 


It took a few more minutes to make the necessary arrangements before they got rid of Lindsey and then Brian bustled them all into the car. Gus, who’d gotten over his shyness around Justin already, kept up a steady stream of questions and comments aimed at his father, allowing Justin to simply sit there and say nothing. Meanwhile, Brian got on the freeway and drove them clear out to the suburbs, ending up at a high-end shopping mall that, incidentally, wasn’t far from Justin’s parents’ neighborhood in Edgeworth. 


When Brian pulled the car up in front of the Rafa Kids store, Justin had to smile; his mother used to take him window shopping at this store back when he was younger. Jennifer Taylor had always admired the sleek, modern lines of the furniture they sold, although she’d never bought anything there, her practical nature winning out. She’d said that, while the furniture was lovely, it was far too overpriced. She’d never pay that much money for what amounted to no more than IKEA for children. It seemed, though, that Brian had no such scruples. 


“Come on, Gus. Time to pick out the furniture you want for your bedroom!” Brian announced, lifting the kid out of the Jeep’s back seat. 


“YAAAAAAAYYYY!” Gus screeched gleefully, grabbing hold of his father’s hand and tugging at him to get Brian to walk faster. 


Justin merely smiled at how adorable the two were together and followed behind without comment. 



Inside the store, they were surrounded by a large expanse filled with nice quality, well-designed, kid-friendly furniture and accessories. All the display furniture was made out of blond wood and had ‘Swedish Modern’ lines. Justin didn’t hate it, but it wasn’t what he’d choose for himself. It was too sparse and minimalist. But he could already tell from the man’s expression that Brian had fallen in love with the store and everything it contained the second they walked through the doors. 


“May I assist you, Sir,” the clerk who approached them asked, his British accent screaming ‘pretentious asshole’. 


“Yes, please,” Brian seemed gratified by the prompt service. “I need to look at bedroom furniture for my son.”


The clerk, momentarily confused, looked first at Justin and then down at Gus, like he wasn’t sure which boy was the son in question. Justin covered the laugh he couldn’t stifle with a cough and looked away. Brian gave the blond a sideways look, telepathically ordering him to shut the fuck up, before turning back to the clerk with a frown.


“My son,” he put a hand on Gus’ shoulder to direct the man’s attention in the correct direction, “and I are decorating his room at my house for when he comes to visit. He needs a bed and a dresser and anything else you think appropriate.”


“Very good, Sir,” Pretentious Clerk responded. “Right this way, please.” The wannabe Brit smiled obsequiously at Brian, silently pleased that he hadn’t lost the sale over his apparent gaffe.


Pretentious Clerk started to lead the way to the far side of the showroom where all the bedroom displays were set up, making his standard sales pitch about the products they passed. Gus, however, got distracted along the way by the more entertaining children’s play sets that were situated right in the middle of the store. Before Brian could stop him, Gus was climbing up the steps of the nearest slide and swooshing down the metal shoot with a joyous, childlike squeal. Mr. Pretentious paused, trying not to let the customer notice his annoyance at the child who was distracting his father and interrupting a possible sale. Justin covered his mouth with a hand to stifle the giggles that wanted to come out at the conceited fool’s obvious irritation. Luckily for Pretentious Clerk, Brian wasn’t paying any attention to him and therefore missed the dirty look the man had shot Gus’ way. 


“Gus! Get off there, Sonny Boy. We’re here to look at bedroom furniture, not playground equipment,” Brian told Gus, trying to grab the little urchin as the preschooler zoomed out of his father’s grasp. “When we’re done finding you a bed, we can come back and I’ll help you pick out some play things for your room.”


“NO! I don’t want a bed. I want a slide,” Gus insisted, climbing back up the ladder of the little playset and then giggling as his well-padded butt went down the slide again.


“We are not here to buy a slide, Gus,” Brian insisted. 


However, Brian’s son was just as opinionated as his father and wasn’t at all interested in boring old bedroom furniture. The boy had already skipped over to another playset which offered not only a slide but also a pole that he could slide down like a fireman and a secret chamber underneath the slide that he could crawl into through a hole in the side. Brian tried to catch the tyke when he hit the ground at the bottom of the pole, but Gus somehow managed to squirm out of his grip and dove through the hole into the base of the playset where Brian couldn’t reach him. Gus apparently thought this was hilarious and was laughing so hard at his dad that you could practically feel the glee seeping out through the little windows and holes of the structure. 


“Come on, Gus. We don’t have time for this,” Brian insisted. 


“I wanna slide, Daddy. Not some boring old bed.”


“You can’t sleep on a slide, Sonny Boy.”


“But I want one!”


Brian looked around as if seeking help, only to find both Justin and the Pretentious Clerk quietly laughing at the situation. Brian pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. He huffed angrily at the fact that his orderly shopping trip was being tripped up by a not-quite-five-year-old. And then he came to the realization that he wasn’t going to win this time and caved like a building under a demolition order.


“Fine. We will buy the slide.” Brian capitulated. “But you still need a bed too, okay? So, come out of there and help me pick a bed or you’ll be getting nothing and we’ll just go home right now.”


Taking the win, Gus happily complied with his father’s request, crawling out of his hidey-hole and heading over towards the bedroom sets, looking once again like a perfect angel rather than the normal, bratty preschooler he’d just proven himself to be. Justin couldn’t help it; he burst out into loud, gut-busting laughter and had to sit down on the closest chair before he collapsed. Brian shot his visitor a withering look, flashing him the finger just to underscore his point, and then followed behind his son and the clerk. 


“Damn, these two are fucking adorable,” Justin murmured to himself when he was sure Brian was far enough away that he wouldn’t be heard. “I’m not sure which one is more stubborn - Gus or his father - but it’s pretty clear who won this round. Not that I’d be able to say no to that precocious little monster either. It’s a good thing he’s so cute . . .” And, still laughing under his breath, he followed behind the rest of them to look at beds.



Gus quickly saw what he wanted and picked out a bunk bed set in gray and blond. The top bed had a built-in ladder and the bottom bed was on wheels so it could be pulled out and moved around the room but would take up less space when it was tucked away. They found a matching gray and blond dresser, toy rack/bookcase, and a desk with a chair. Once that was finished, Gus dragged Brian back to the playsets and pointed out which slide he wanted for his room. Thank goodness the room Brian had set aside for Gus was fairly large or there was no way they could have fit all this in there. Brian headed up to the front of the store and arranged for delivery and set-up, then paid the bill without even flinching. Justin shook his head, unable to stifle his reaction at the amount Brian had spent in less than thirty minutes. 


On the way back to the firehouse they stopped off at the grocery store so Brian could stock up on the kind of food that a preschooler would eat. Justin enjoyed that part of the shopping trip immensely; he loved to cook and was actually thrilled with the idea of getting to use Brian’s amazing kitchen. So, while Brian and Gus were picking out a selection of Mac & Cheese, Lunchables, graham cracker animals, and ice cream, Justin was loading the cart up with all the ingredients he’d need to cook real meals for the three of them for the duration of the child’s visit. When Brian came back and saw how much shit the blond had accumulated in the cart he did a double take but, other than giving his guest an inquisitive look, which Justin answered with a nod, he didn’t voice any objection. They ended up leaving the store with more than seven heaping bags full of supplies and more than enough food to keep them fed for the rest of the week. 


The rest of the drive back to the firehouse was spent in a discussion about how Gus wanted his room painted. Brian was trying to prompt his son to think about decorating schemes and paint and all sorts of things that Gus clearly didn’t understand. Brian was indulgent enough, though, to let the kid gush about all sorts of wild ideas. In the end, Gus told his father he wanted bubbles, smiles, and happy stuff on his walls. 


“Bubbles, smiles, and happy stuff?” Brian sighed. “I’m not sure how to do that, exactly, Sonny Boy, but we can try.” If he hadn’t been certain that his very quiet houseguest was paying close attention, and working out exactly what would be perfect for the walls in the boy’s room, he would have put up more of a fight.


Once they were back at the firehouse, Gus darted off while Brian was still unloading the mounds of groceries, announcing that he wanted to walk around his room and think about his new stuff. Brian only had time to yell after him not to run on the stairs before the child had disappeared. The sound of feet galloping up the staircase proved that he’d ignored his father’s warning. 


“Shit,” Brian grumbled, trying to shift two bags of groceries so he could grab a third without the head of lettuce in the last bag rolling out on the ground. “Hey, Sunshine? Can you go keep an eye on Gus for me? I’ll be up in a bit after I put all this crap away.” He made a jerking motion with his chin, pointing towards the stairs, so that ‘Youstin’ would have understood his request even if he hadn’t known what the words meant. 


Justin nodded his agreement and was off after Gus without a word. He also ran up the stairs, taking them two at a time, and managed to make it to the third floor just a few paces behind the child. After stopping in to retrieve his sketch pad out of the guest room, he followed Gus into the other top floor room and sat down on the floor just inside the door. Gus skipped around the room, one hand trailing along the bricks, circling the large empty space five or six times. Meanwhile, the visiting artist opened up his drawing pad and started to sketch out a design for the back wall of Gus’ room. Gus eventually gave up running in circles and pulled two small toy cars out of his jacket pocket, which he began to roll around on the floor, making appropriate car zooming and crashing noises as he pretended to make the vehicles do all sorts of tricks. 


Totally into his drawing, Justin soon forgot that Gus was close by. He had a vision of exactly how he could make bubbles and smiles appear on Gus’ wall. He hadn’t ever done a mural like this, but the idea enchanted him, so it was easy to get lost in his artwork.


“That boy is so lucky to have someone love him so much,” Justin commented in English, not even realizing he was speaking out loud as his pencil flew over the sketch pad. “I can’t imagine Craig ever letting me buy a slide for my room, let alone offer to paint it however I wanted.” He didn’t look up until a few moments later when Gus tapped Justin on the knee. 


Startled, Justin looked into the bright hazel eyes regarding him closely. “How come when you say stuff to Daddy you talk funny, but when he’s not here you talk right?” Gus asked.


“Um . . . Um . . . Well, Gus, it’s kind of hard to explain. See, your daddy doesn’t know that I speak English - that’s the language we’re speaking right now - and I can’t tell him that I know English right now because there’s a lot of complicated grown up stuff going on. But I do want to tell him. Soon,” Justin tried to explain to the small boy.


“Okay . . . But you gotta promise to tell him real soon cuz it’s not nice to not tell the truth,” Gus commented with a disapproving frown.


“I promise, Gus. I’ll tell him as soon as I figure out how to do it without anyone getting hurt. But, in the meantime, can you help me out? Can you keep my secret and not tell your dad about me speaking to you?”


Gus looked conflicted for a minute or two but when Justin smiled at him he easily relented. “Okay. I won’t tell him. But only because you make my daddy smile bigger than anyone, ever, and I like seeing him be happy.”


Justin smiled and hugged the adorable little boy. Then Gus climbed up in the artist’s lap and pointed to the things he liked in Justin’s drawing. Which is how Brian found them when he came upstairs a few minutes later; huddled together, pointing, and giggling at the pictures Justin was working on. Brian just watched the two of them for a few minutes, happily surprised that Gus seemed so comfortable with Justin, since the boy was usually wary around new people. 


Gus was the first to notice his father standing there. “Look, Daddy, You-sin is drawin’ pictures to paint on my walls. Isn’t they great?” Gus asked excitedly.


Brian came over and looked down at what Justin had drawn for Gus’ room. The mural the two had designed was really good. Somehow the blond had managed to incorporate Gus’ bubbles and smiles and happy stuff all together into a comprehensive whole. Brian approved. 


“How did he know what to draw for you, Gus?” Brian asked, wondering if Justin had spoken to the boy in English.


“He did panting-mine with his hands and told his phone to talk to me,” Gus answered, looking at Brian like he was mentally challenged.  


“Panting-mine?” Brian asked, confused.


“Like this, Daddy,” Gus answered, pantomiming drinking water.


“Oh, you mean pantomime, Gus,” Brian clarified.


“That’s what I said, Daddy,” the boy answered, shaking his head and rolling his eyes at his father.


“Well, if we are going to get this painted before the furniture comes in two days, we better get the paint bought so we can pick it up first thing in the morning,” Brian declared before looking up something on his phone and then having it translated for Justin - while showing him the screen with the English version - in order to ask him if he knew how much paint they would need.


“Da,” said Justin after he read the message - and the unnecessary translation - on Brian’s phone. “I make.”


Brian looked at his guest and mumbled, just loud enough that only Justin heard him, “Yeah, you make. You make me hard too, but since Gus is here there’s not much either of us can do about that, is there, Sunshine? If you can hold out till after he goes to bed, though, we’ll see what else you can ‘make’ happen then.” Which had the blond once again trying not to blush at his host’s blatantly sexual comment.


 

 

End Notes:

4/24/22 - Who’s enjoying the Brian & Justin Tease Each Other Show? Hehehe. Still looking for suggestions on other places you want to see the boys do their teasing thing or ideas on how Justin can get back at Brian without admitting he understands English. Please leave a comment with your ideas or come by the Working Doc and write with us there! And, thank you for all the warm reviews; we’re thrilled to hear how much you’re liking this story. TAG & Lorie

Chapter 9 - Mine Eye Hath Played The Painter by Tagsit
Author's Notes:

Gus and cooking and painting, oh my! Lorie & TAG



Chapter 9 - Mine Eye Hath Played The Painter.



With Youstin’s sketch for the wall mural in hand, they all went downstairs and used Brian’s computer to order the paint they’d need to create Gus’ masterpiece of ‘Bubbles and Smiles’. 


It took a while - Gus was even more particular than Justin about selecting just the right shades of blue and red - but Brian was happy to let his boys flex their creativity. Besides, by having Justin do the painting he was probably saving a mint; he was getting a custom-painted room for only the cost of the paint and the businessman in him considered that a win. When both Justin and Gus were satisfied with their order, Brian pushed the purchase button and was happy to note the paint would be available for pick up bright and early the next day, which worked perfectly with his plans.


Leaving the ‘kids’ to play on the computer - Brian had a design app on there that Justin seemed to know how to use and the boys were employing it to figure out exactly how to set up Gus’ furniture - Brian went back down to the jeep to bring up the one purchase they had brought back from the store with them. Brian wasn’t sure about the oversized bean bag chair Gus had selected for his room but, since he’d already promised Gus he could decorate however he wanted, it looked like they were getting a beanbag chair. 



Carrying the mammoth, six-foot wide, bright red, plush bag, along with the matching footstool bag, up to his son’s room, Brian dropped it with a whoosh. That thing was heavier than it looked. Gus, who’d trailed along from the main floor behind his dad, immediately plopped down in the middle of the huge bag, which looked like it was swallowing the small boy up. Brian had to concede that it looked like fun and at least the chair was well-made. Hopefully, it would hold up to the ravages of a four-year-old. 


Brian pulled Gus’ iPad out of the boy’s backpack and handed it over. “You can stay up here and watch your shows until I call you down for dinner, Sonny Boy.” 


“Thanks, Daddy,” Gus replied, already enraptured by some cartoon adventure or another. 


Leaving his son to entertain himself, Brian went back downstairs and, grabbing Justin’s hand as he passed the computer desk, he pulled the blond along with him in the direction of the kitchen.


“Vrijeme za kuhanje” Brian explained, having already looked the phrase up on his phone. 


Justin, who actually didn’t recognize that phrase, just followed along as he was dragged across the room. It was clear what Brian meant, though, when Brian steered him over to the fridge and waved his hand between that appliance and the stove. Justin smiled and immediately started getting things out to make a meal. He didn’t need to be able to converse for this. He was more than comfortable in any kitchen and loved to cook. This he could do in any language.


First he dug around in Brian’s well-stocked but seldom-opened cupboards and found a muffin pan that looked like it had never seen the inside of an oven. Next, Justin took the roll of pre-made crescent roll dough out of the fridge to let it warm up. Then he pulled out the fresh peppers, red onion, and parsley he’d forced Brian to buy at the store and set to chopping. His plan was to make Gus one of his own favorite treats from when he’d been a kid - Mini Pizza Cups. If he’d had time, he would have also made the pizza sauce from scratch but that would have taken more than an hour and he was too hungry to wait that long, so sauce from a jar would have to do this once. At least the peppers and other vegetables would help to make this a reasonably healthy meal while still being kid-friendly.



At first Brian just sat and admired the proceedings. It was clear that Justin knew what he was doing with a chef’s knife. But, after watching Justin bend over too many times while he was ‘looking’ for things, Brian couldn’t take it any longer. He went around the counter and stood directly behind the blond, pressing his own body closely against the smaller man’s back, while helping him reach for things he might need. In the process, Brian made sure that his groin repeatedly rubbed up against the younger man’s plump little bubble butt. It was exquisite torture which Brian was rather getting off on. And, to make matters even more intense, every time Justin would try to turn and look at him, Brian would drag his tongue over the blond’s earlobe or nip at it. 


Justin tried to ignore Brian, concentrating on cooking dinner, and hoping that his host would leave him alone so some of the blood in his body could return to his brain instead of it all pooling in his cock. If Brian wasn’t careful, Justin was going to end up so distracted that he’d mistakenly cut off some essential body part instead of mincing the onion he was working on. But, despite the ’help’, Justin eventually managed to assemble the pizza dough in the muffin cups, scoop in some sauce, add the cheese, veggies, and top it all off with some pepperoni slices. Of course, by that point Justin was so fucking horny that he barely remembered to turn the oven on before he basically gave up and let his body sag backwards against the warmth of Brian’s hard chest. Brian’s strong arms reached around him, took the muffin tray out of Justin’s hands mere seconds before he dropped it, and deposited their meal into the oven for the overwhelmed chef.


Once dinner was taken care of, Brian was hoping for some alone time with the attractive cook. He was incredibly turned on; who knew simply watching the confident way the younger man had moved around the kitchen, making himself at home and efficiently dealing with the meal prep, would have been made Brian so fucking hot? What was it about this kid, anyway? Brian didn’t remember ever before being this bothered by any other guy. Maybe it was the fact that Justin was still mostly off limits? 


Brian equated the situation to what he called the ‘Cookie Jar Syndrome’; if you tell a kid that he can’t have what’s in the cookie jar, that’s all he’ll be able to think about, but as soon as you give in and let the kid have a cookie, he’s off to find something else to do. Justin was like that forbidden cookie to him. He assumed that, once he could satisfy his appetite and get a bite out of that blond twinkie, he’d no longer be obsessing over him. But, in the meantime, he’d have to make do with another makeout session while they were waiting for dinner to be done. 


Unfortunately, right as he’d picked Justin up, hefting the blond high enough that his voluptuous ass was resting atop the marble of Brian’s countertop, the ringing of the damned doorbell interrupted him. 


With a whimper, Brian let his head drop so that it was resting against the blond’s shoulder. It wasn’t fair. Between Lindsey, Gus, the Pretentious Clerk at the furniture store, and everything else going on, he was getting seriously cock blocked this afternoon. But the repeated buzzing from the street door proved that whoever his visitor was, they weren’t leaving anytime soon. Actually, it sounded like whoever was buzzing was leaning on the damn buzzer with more than the usual amount of determination. Brian picked up his phone, tapping on the doorbell app to check who it was, and was definitely not pleased with what he saw. With a second tap he remotely opened the door, and mentally prepared himself for the imminent whining that he knew was about to happen.  



“Took you long enough to answer the fucking door,” was the first thing heard out of Michael Novotny as he emerged at the top of the stairs.


“Michael,” Brian greeted the new arrival icily, deliberately not moving away from where he was standing, his body positioned in the vee of Youstin’s thighs and his lips still wet from the last kiss he’d left on the delicious-looking, popsicle-pink lips. “Did you need something?”


“Do I need an excuse to see you these days, your highness?” Michael joked as he sauntered over to stand at the end of the kitchen island, giving Brian and his guest a disapproving look.


“I told you that, if I wanted to talk to you, I would call,” Brian pointed out, not even looking at Michael as he played with a long strand of Youstin’s hair.


“It’s been days, Brian, and you never called, so I came to you.”


“I just saw you last night, Mikey,” Brian corrected him while lifting his other hand to tip back the blond’s head in order to take another taste of the tempting twinkie. 


“I guess it just felt like longer. But, anyway, I want to go out tonight - Ben’s still at that teaching conference and I’ve got no reason to stay home - so let’s go already. It’ll be JUST you and me. Like old times,” Michael demanded, staring daggers at Youstin and wishing the interloper would disappear already.


“I can’t, Michael. I have Gus with me for a few days so I’m not going anywhere. At least not tonight. Besides, we’re working on a project that I expect will keep us busy the entire weekend.”


“You need your eyes checked, Brian. That’s not Gus, that’s just some blond whore that was sent to you by mistake,” Michael responded with a sneer for the blond in question.


Brian grabbed Youstin’s hand and sighed. Michael thought for a moment that his friend was about to erupt and, knowing Brian’s legendary temper, it might be a doozy of an eruption. But, after a moment or two of simply holding the younger man’s hand, it looked like Brian managed to calm himself down. Michael sighed himself - thankfully, it didn’t look like Brian was going to be throwing Michael down the stairs - but before Michael could get too relieved by the seeming reprieve, he saw Youstin squeeze Brian’s hand back while rubbing his thumb against Brian’s palm and Michael instantly saw red. What the fuck was this foreigner up to? Why was he acting like he had some claim on Brian? This was so fucked up . . . Michael was too upset by what he’d witnessed to really pay attention to what Brian was saying for a moment or two until he heard Brian saying his name.


“Gus is upstairs in his room, Michael, not that it's any of your business. And I don’t appreciate you calling my guest a ‘whore’. What Youstin is doing here, and the circumstances under which he arrived, aren’t your concern. I am perfectly capable of dealing with my own life and deciding who gets to be a part of it, without your input, Mikey,” Brian corrected, the edge of disdain clear in his voice. “I’m afraid you’re on your own tonight, Mikey. I’m busy. So how about you get the fuck out of here and let me get back to my dinner and my guest, huh?” Brian dismissed his old friend without even looking at him. 


“But Brian . . .” Michael whined.


“No, Mikey. I SAID I was busy.” Michael made a little sound of protest but Brian was done humoring him. “What part of ‘no’ don’t you get, Michael?” 


“You can’t honestly tell me you’d rather stay home on a Saturday night with HIM, Brian?” Michael whined again, finally earning enough of Brian’s attention that he broke off playing with Youstin’s fingers and turned to dart a scathing look at his friend.


“Enough, Michael. I’m not going out tonight and that’s final,” Brian stood firm, staring down the much shorter brunet with an iron glare. “And, please, DO NOT call me in an hour to ask again. Like I said, I’m going to be busy for the next several days. I promise, if and when I need to speak to you, I will call you. Now, skedaddle off to wherever you were going and let me get back to the appetizer that I was planning to partake of while we’re waiting for dinner to be ready,” Brian ordered, already turning his attention back to Youstin’s waiting lips and totally ignoring Michael’s jealous pouting.


With one last furious glare, aimed Youstin’s way, Michael turned and stomped down the stairs. As he let himself out the street door of the firehouse he was muttering to himself about how pathetic Brian was acting. It was almost like he actually cared about the skanky blond. Which made no sense because the Brian Kinney Michael knew would have just fucked the kid and then sent him on his way. 


Michael didn’t understand why Brian was acting so different around this particular foreign twink. Youstin didn’t seem like anything special to him. He definitely wasn’t someone the old Brian Kinney would have wasted more than a night on. Michael didn’t get why Youstin hadn’t been kicked to the curb before dawn just like every other trick Brian had ever shown any interest in. 


But, regardless of the reason, Michael was definitely not a fan and he wasn’t going to put up with much more of this kid. If Brian wasn’t over him by the time Gus went home, Michael would have to figure out some other way to get rid of the little golddigger. If Brian couldn’t see what this unwanted visitor was doing, it would be up to Michael to protect him, both from the blond and from himself.



Justin peeled off the dirty, sweaty t-shirt he’d spent the day painting in and tossed it in the hamper. He was absolutely beat, but in a good way that meant he’d accomplished a lot. Not that there wasn’t still a lot of work to be done to finish what they’d planned for Gus’ room. 


Starting the night before, after they’d devoured the pizza cups he’d made for dinner - something that Gus declared was the bestest meal he’d ever eaten - Justin and Brian had given the old brick walls that lined two sides of Gus’ room a thorough scrub down with soap and water. The goal was to make sure there wasn’t any dirt or dust on the wall that would prevent the new paint from sticking. Gus had helped out for the first twenty minutes or so before the little tyke had given out on them. It had already been a pretty eventful day for the boy and he was more than ready to head to bed. Brian had set him up on a blow up mattress in his room before coming back upstairs to help Justin finish the scrubbing job. That had taken the rest of the evening, meaning that they hadn’t got around to finishing the make out session they’d started before dinner; the one which had been interrupted by Brian’s nosy friend. Although it had probably been for the best since Justin had been almost as bushed as Gus by the time they’d finished up for the night. 


First thing Sunday morning, Brian had rousted both Justin and Gus and taken them out to breakfast at the same bakery they’d eaten at the day before. Then he led his merry band of room decorators off to pick up the paint they’d ordered. It was a good thing Justin was there, because Brian had no clue what kind of supplies were needed for the kind of job they were about to tackle. He made sure to guide his host towards the durable, synthetic-bristle brushes, which were the only kind that would work on rough brick, as well as pointing out the right kind of primer to use on such a porous surface. Between all that, the paint itself, and the usual supplies like painting tarps and tape and such, it was a rather expensive shopping trip. Justin was glad he wasn’t paying for all that shit.


Back at the firehouse, they’d dived right into the prep work, allowing Gus to be in charge of the painting tarps while Brian and Justin climbed around on ladders and taped off the ceiling and side walls. Next, they’d all put on some of Brian’s oldest t-shirts and started slathering the primer all over the wall. At Justin’s direction, they were using a clear primer that would double as a sealant so that the surface would work better with the interior latex paint they’d be using for the mural. Gus loved that part of the job and happily went at it with his paintbrush, getting almost as much of the primer on himself and the floor as on the walls. It was a good thing it was clear or Brian would have been cleaning up a lot more mess. 


While they were waiting for the primer to dry, and Gus was taking a nap, Justin spent some time refining his mural design. He was actually enjoying that part of the project quite a lot. Gus had been hilarious when they’d been working out the design, directing Justin about exactly how he wanted the bubbles and smiles to look. But, all-in-all, Justin thought the design they’d come up with would look pretty amazing. Gus was a great kid. And, for a not-quite-five-year-old, he had a fairly good eye for color. Justin was really looking forward to seeing what the boy could do when they got to the part where they were actually painting the wall; he’d decided on a way to set up a grid network with the tape so that he could let Gus paint little pieces of the wall himself without messing up the overall design too much. Justin hoped it would work because Gus was super excited to paint his own mural.



After about four hours, when the primer was completely dry, Justin took the fat carpenter’s pencil he’d directed Brian to purchase at the paint store and began to transfer the design he’d come up with from his sketchbook onto the wall. Gus acted as project supervisor, ordering Justin to make whatever changes he deemed appropriate, until Brian realized that the painting job would never get done at that rate. So, to hurry things along, he took Gus off on an ice cream run, leaving the artist to finish that part of the job in peace. After that, it went much more quickly. Justin had the design marked on the wall by the time the ice cream contingent returned with a double-scoop, chocolate-dipped cone for their favorite blond artist. 


“Sweets for that tight, sweet ass of yours,” Brian whispered as he purposely tapped the leaking tip of the ice cream cone against Justin’s nose. 


Because he couldn’t say anything in retort, Justin simply accepted the ice cream and used his sleeve to wipe away the mess on his nose. He hoped the cold treat would help quench the fiery blush he couldn’t help. And, while he licked at his cone - watching Brian and Gus goofing around together as they admired the sketch on the wall - Justin silently vowed to find some way to get back at Brian, even though he might not be able to do it verbally. 


When the rough sketch of the design was marked on the wall, Justin used the painter’s tape to create his grid on the wall and made the same grid on a full-color print-out of the design. This would allow them to properly transfer each design block from the paper to the wall without stepping on each other’s toes. He figured Gus and Brian could do the basic background colors and shapes, then he would come along behind them to refine the images, and finally, he’d add the more detailed finishing touches in the morning after the rest of the paint had dried. He just hoped this plan would work as well in practice as it did in his head. 


After all the ice cream was consumed, Justin got his painting crew started on the real work. Gus was allowed to slather turquoise paint all over most of the bottom left grid squares. Justin would follow after him later, delineating the ‘bubbles’ with black paint to create oblong and semi-circular shapes, and highlighting the bubbles with splotches of darker or lighter blue and white accents to create a more 3D look. Brian was given the top-most grid squares to work on, as these were not only too high for the others to reach but also required a little more finesse in the application of the base colors. Justin would use a ladder to climb up and do the finer details on those bubbles too. Meanwhile, Justin himself started on the bright yellow ‘Smiles’ sections that would later be surrounded by even more blue bubbles. 


They were all having fun while they were painting. Brian and Gus were joking and laughing pretty much the whole time. Gus was being a bossy little tyke, ordering his father around, but that only made Brian laugh more as he followed directions and made one bubble bigger and another brick more red or blue. Justin couldn’t join in on the joking without revealing his secret, but the smiles aimed his way by both father and son made him feel included nonetheless. 


Justin felt privileged to be a part of this project and share, if only at a distance, in the love and fun being created that afternoon. Brian and Gus were so cute together. He couldn’t imagine his own father ever doing something so messy and fun with him; not even back before Craig had discovered his son was gay. Brian, on the other hand, was such a great father in so many ways. And Gus was pretty much the sweetest, most creative, and most enjoyable child Justin has ever met. Justin had only known the boy a little more than a day and he was already in love with the precocious tyke.


Even so, Gus’s painting focus only lasted about an hour, which Justin actually considered quite good for a four year old. After that, Brian was mostly too busy minding the cranky and tired preschooler to help much with the painting. Luckily, Brian ordered Thai for dinner that night so Justin could keep on with the painting rather than stopping to make food. After Gus was finally deposited in bed for the night, Brian came back upstairs and helped out for an hour or so more. All in all, Justin thought, the simple mural went up fairly quickly. Except for some final touch ups that Justin could do the following morning, they were done by about ten that night and Justin was pleased with the results. 



“I admit that I had no idea how you could paint ‘bubbles and smiles and happy stuff’, but you did it, Sunshine,” Brian praised, standing back to look at the wall with an appreciative eye. “This is amazing.”


Justin turned to face Brian, beaming at the praise he wasn’t supposed to understand. The admiration he saw in Brian’s face made him prouder than he’d felt in a long, long time. Instead of the derision and disregard he’d felt from his own parents when he tried to tell them he would rather be an artist than a business major, Brian was giving him approval and praise for his artwork. That meant so much to Justin. But, because he couldn’t reveal that he understood Brian’s words, he wasn’t able to even respond to the praise with a ‘thank you’. If he hadn’t been second guessing his decision to deceive Brian before, he certainly was then. 


“Dobro, da?” Justin asked, the only Croatian he could think of without translation help that applied in the moment. “Good?”


“VERY good, Youstin,” Brian had agreed, leaning down to leave a kiss on the artist’s cheek before bending to pick up the brushes and an empty can of paint in order to start the clean up process. 


Which is why, after helping Brian with the rest of the clean up, Justin was still feeling so conflicted as he crawled into the shower following his long day of painting. He’d had so much fun with Brian and Gus that day, which only made him feel even more guilty about all the secrets he was keeping. If it weren’t for the fact that he wanted to protect the man who was unknowingly offering him a safe haven, he would have immediately come clean and spilled everything. But, he supposed, he’d have to keep silent for at least a while longer. No matter how hard that was proving to be. 



 

End Notes:

4/26/22 - Don't you love Justin’s mural? It’s exactly how a Justin Taylor mural should look. We did not see an attribution on the pic we downloaded off the internet, but we loved it. If you know the artist, please let us know so we can give credit where it’s due. And we also gave you a little heat in the kitchen . . . More to come. Lorie & TAG

 

Croatian Words:

Vrijeme za kuhanje - Time to get cooking

Dobro, da? - Good Yes?

 

Chapter 10 - Made With The Fume Of Sighs by Tagsit
Author's Notes:

Feel the fire and the frustration! Enjoy! TAG & Lorie



Chapter 10 - Made With The Fume Of Sighs.



Once the painting shit was cleaned up, Brian wandered downstairs to the gym. 


It had been a long day, what with wrangling Gus between painting stints, but not all that physically demanding. Plus, between Justin’s arrival and then Gus coming for a visit too, he’d had to skip his regular workouts the past two days. So, since it wasn’t that late and he was already sweaty and stinky from the painting work, he figured he might as well get in a real workout before bothering to get cleaned up for the night.   



Since he was feeling tight, all his muscles cramped from the awkward and unfamiliar exertion involved with the painting, Brian decided to start off with fifteen minutes of fast cardio work. That would loosen him up and allow him to take his time with the weights. He jumped on the stationary bike, cranked up some tunes, set the tension on the bike to a middle range, and then started to peddle as fast as he could. 


While he was biking, Brian’s thoughts drifted through a kaleidoscope of memories from the past two days. He’d actually had a lot of fun that weekend. Shopping with Gus and Justin, cooking with the blond and playing with Gus the night before, and then painting with his son and the artist today, had been pleasant. Even as domesticated as it had all been, Brian couldn’t remember the last time he’d enjoyed a weekend that much.


It seemed like Gus and Justin were already fast friends. He’d watched as Gus ordered Justin around, directing the artistic endeavors for HIS room, with Justin always capitulating with only a smile. He’d caught Gus whispering things to the visitor in English several times, but had alway pretended like he was too distracted by something else to notice, so the boys had assumed their secret was still safe. Whenever they thought Brian was paying attention, Gus had made a show of ‘panting-mining’ what he wanted Justin to do. It was hilarious - and harmless, he hoped - so he’d let them play their little game. 


Brian had also enjoyed the ongoing teasing between himself and his guest. He loved being able to poke and prod at the blond pretender, saying provocative things and making blatant sexual advances that he knew Justin couldn’t respond to without revealing himself. It was fun to watch the kid break out in a furious blush every single time. Brian was definitely getting a kick out of the power he held over the other man and he looked forward to more of the same for the foreseeable future. Maybe he’d put off figuring out a way to pump the kid for information about the reason for his appearance in Brian’s life a little longer. That way he could keep enjoying the little game they’d been playing.


When the timer went off, a quarter of an hour later, Brian was roused from his musings; he was feeling loose and warm and ready for the more intense phase of his workout. 


Brian was only halfway through his upper body workout, though, when he heard a noise at the doorway behind him. He turned to find his houseguest standing just inside the entry to the Gym. Justin looked freshly showered, his damp hair a darker shade of blond than it would be once it dried, and he’d changed into a pair of skintight, threadbare sweatpants which were so tight you could easily see that he wasn’t wearing anything underneath. The sweats were topped off by an equally tight tank top that molded itself to his slim torso. He looked fresh and innocent and way too fucking young. And Brian was so distracted that he forgot he had over fifty pounds on the machine and, when he relaxed his arm in the middle of the biceps curl he’d been doing, the weights dropped back with a clang and almost pulled him off balance. 


Justin merely smiled at him via the wall mirror as he passed, heading to the thigh machine Brian had set up in the far corner of the tiny gym. Brian couldn’t tear his eyes away. With those super-tight sweats on, he could see every bulge as the younger man’s cock twitched below the surface of the fabric. He cursed under his breath and tried to will his own cock to behave. 


Meanwhile, Justin took his time setting up the thigh machine, ostentatiously bending over to reset the weight, and then grinning up at Brian as he seated himself with a little wiggle. Brian was practically drooling on himself by that point. But the young man looked totally unfazed as he spread his legs wide enough to hook one thigh around each of the extended stirrup pads. 


Brian had forgotten his own workout and was just standing there, staring, fascinated by the way he could see every muscle in the young blond’s body as they contracted and relaxed. When Justin closed his eyes and squeezed his thighs together, all Brian could think of was how that would feel if he were the machine and those lightly furred thighs were constricting around him. By the time Justin had reached his tenth rep, and the sweat from his exertion was starting to bead up on the lustrous pale skin, Brian was done for. He wasn’t going to get any further with the weights that night. It was time for a different sort of workout. 


When Justin was finished with the thigh machine, Brian grabbed his hand and tugged him over to the built-in sauna in the corner. Brian started to strip off the too-tight tank top with Justin happily letting himself be undressed. Brian moaned as soon as the top was removed, leaning in to lick off a bead of perspiration that had trickled down the younger man’s chest and was purling at the tip of the small brown nipple below. Justin responded with a moan of his own and arched back so Brian could have better access. When Brian moved over to pay attention to the other nipple, tugging at the small gold ring Justin sported on that side, they both moaned again, this time in unison. And, while he was still teasing at that nipple, Brian’s hands pushed the sweats down over Justin’s hips, letting the fabric pool around Justin’s ankles and leaving him bare as an egg. Twenty seconds later, Brian had removed his own clothing as well. 



Once they were naked, Brian grabbed a few towels from a nearby cabinet and held open the sauna door for Justin. Inside, he placed a towel at each end of the raised bench that lined the wall and indicated that Justin should sit at one end while he sat at the other. It wasn’t a huge sauna, so when they were seated facing each other that way, their legs and feet easily tangled together. Brian cranked the controls and the steam started billowing through the small enclosure only seconds later. While he waited for it to heat up, Brian proceeded to play footsie with his companion, slowly moving his toes up the blond’s softly furred leg. Justin reciprocated, allowing his own foot to crawl up Brian’s leg. Both of them were already hard and throbbing. It didn’t take long, sitting as closely as they were, before their toes had reached each other’s crotches and the tickling digits were caressing the very obvious signs of arousal each was sporting. Which made Brian chuckle a bit because, while he’d been on the receiving end of many a hand job in his life, this had to be the very first foot job he’d ever experienced. 


Unfortunately, toes just aren’t as adept as fingers, and the tentative touching simply wasn’t enough to get either of them off. The only thing they accomplished was getting each other even harder. So, after a few minutes of this foot play, Justin was the first to lean forward. With a sunshine grin, Justin licked his lips before leaning close enough to take a quick taste of the precum bubbling up from Brian’s cock. Brian moaned at the teasingly wet tongue and the barely-there touch of Justin’s tongue. It was maddening and arousing and so good but not nearly enough all at the same time. 


“Youstin,” he grunted as the provocative pink tongue darted out again for another taste. 


Justin, however, wasn’t about to be rushed. He kept taking the most infuriatingly tiny licks of cum, his seductive tongue flitting so tentatively along Brian’s throbbing cock, causing it to jump up and try to follow as Justin’s tongue retreated. After continuing to tease him this way for several long, overstimulating minutes, the sexy blond sat up and looked at his host with a slow, sensual smile on his lips. 


Which was when Brian finally realized that this whole thing had been a set up. He’d been teasing the kid relentlessly for the past two days; all those sexual innuendos that he knew Justin couldn’t react to without giving himself away. He’d been thoroughly amused at how fun it was to prod at the kid like that. And this - the seductive clothing, the sexy act with the damn thigh machine, and the infuriatingly stimulating but tenuous touches and licking - this was Justin’s way of getting back at him! 


The fucking tease was teasing him back. 


But Brian couldn’t let him know that he knew what Justin was doing without letting on that he knew Justin was pretending not to speak English. Fucking little prick tease. Maybe Brian had been wrong in his assessment that Justin wasn’t tricky enough to pull off a real con. Judging by the way the kid was able to provoke him with that too-hot twinkie body, maybe his act was better than Brian knew?


Brian responded the only way he could in the situation. He took hold of the towel Justin was sitting on and used it to pull the blond quickly forward until they were sitting so closely that their cocks were leaking all over each other. He then grabbed both cocks in his one big hand and, using their shared precum as lube, proceeded to jerk them off together, his other hand wrapping around Justin’s neck to pull his mouth close enough for a kiss. 

Less than a minute later both men were groaning through their releases as they shared a tongue filled kiss.


When he’d caught his breath again, Brian leaned back and regarded the smugly grinning blond. “You’re a little shit, Sunshine, aren’t you? But don’t think I don’t know exactly what you’re doing. You, my sweet little Croatian ‘bride’, are what we here in America call a cock tease. And I am fully aware of just how dangerous you are, my dear.” Then, to soften his words just a little, he left one last kiss on the plump, kiss-reddened lips before exiting the sauna and heading upstairs for yet another lonely shower. 



Gus woke up on Monday morning very excited. His new room would be all finished by the time his mommies would be there to take him home. He couldn’t wait to show it to them. It was going to be the coolest room ever!


Quietly, he slipped into Justin’s room to wake him up. The blond had promised to make him pancakes for breakfast before finishing up his ‘happy wall’. Gus loved pancakes almost more than painting. 


He climbed into bed with Justin and hugged him as he whispered into his ear, “It’s morning, You-sin, and I’m really hungry.” 


Justin, who had already been on the verge of waking up, quickly turned over and enveloped the little boy in a hug. Gus reminded him so much of Brian. It wasn’t just that they looked alike, but they had almost the same personality too; they were very bossy, opinionated, and liked to be in control. But in a very endearing way. 


Gus giggled and wiggled away from Justin, climbing down and exerting his bossy side by ordering the blond to, “hurry up, You-sin!” 


Pulling on his sweatpants over his boxers, Justin followed Gus down to the kitchen and started the process of creating pancakes. Gus watched with interest from the other side of the counter as Justin got all the ingredients for their breakfast ready. Justin loved the curious tyke and how interested he always was in everything around him. It reminded him of himself as a child. But, instead of shooing the child out of the kitchen the way Justin’s mother would have, this chef was happy for the help. 


After filling a coffee filter with the right amount of grounds, Justin called Gus over and let the boy push the button to turn on the coffee pot. Then he set Gus up on a high stool before he started mixing all the ingredients they’d need for the pancakes in front of the boy. With a few directions, Justin spent the next few minutes guiding the boy through the fine art of cracking eggs and whisking up pancake batter, to Gus’ absolute delight. 


As soon as the coffee finished brewing, Brian appeared. “Something smells good in here,” he commented, kissing first Gus’ head and then Justin’s as he reached for a cup to get himself some coffee. “Of course, I’ve always been fond of the aroma of twinkie in the morning.”


Justin again blushed, silently cursing his pale complexion and wishing he could once and for all tell Brian ‘The Menace’ Kinney off. 


Meanwhile, Brian poured himself some coffee, added enough sugar to give a horse diabetes, and walked around the counter where he could sit and admire his son while Justin directed Gus’ pancake batter ladling through the process of creating smiley faced pancakes for everyone. 



After breakfast was eaten, Brian and Gus took over clean up duty in the kitchen while Justin headed back up to Gus’ room to finish the final details on the mural. Once it was finished, he turned on the fan that Brian had brought up to help dry the wall more quickly. Then he stepped back so he could admire his work. 


Justin was rather proud of the way the painting had turned out. It was whimsical and happy and added so much joy to the room. It was the perfect space for a fun-loving little boy like Gus. Justin wished he’d had a room even half as fun while he was growing up. He had to run to his room and retrieve his cell phone - turning it on just long enough to take several photos of the mural - looking forward to whenever he could safely contact Daphne again so he could show off his work to his best friend. Then the artist headed down to the living room to hang out with the Kinney men while they waited for the furniture to arrive. 


When he reached the living room and saw the two of them, Justin wished he still had his camera. 



Brian, who was seated on the sofa, had Gus on his lap and was reading him a story, complete with silly voices and animated hand gestures. Justin didn’t recognize the story, but caught a glimpse of the beautifully illustrated cover, and saw that the book was titled, ‘Voices In The Park’. Appropriate, considering the way Brian was hamming it up while he acted out the voices of the story. 


Justin quickly and quietly turned around and ran up to his room to grab his sketchbook. He wanted to draw the scene as a gift for the man who, against his will, he was falling hard for. Creeping back downstairs, he hid out in the shadows of the staircase as he quickly scratched out a drawing depicting Brian in four variations, each a different character, as he acted out each ‘voice’ he was imitating while reading through the enchanting children’s story. The four personalities depicted were all so different, and yet they were all overlaid on top of the ‘real’ Brian, who showed through with even more animation and joy every time the boy giggled at his father’s antics. Damn, these two together were just so irredeemably adorable it hurt Justin’s heart!


Justin had barely finished a rough outline of the scene when he heard the door buzzer. Brian was startled out of the idyllic pose, setting Gus aside so he could get up and retrieve his phone. Justin emerged from the shows and set his sketchbook on the kitchen counter, intending to come back to the drawing later. He joined Brian and his son who were waiting at the top of the stairs, excited to watch the delivery and set-up men work. 


Frankly, Justin was almost as excited as Gus to see the room all put together. It had been a labor of love for all of them. He hoped it would turn out to be a place that the boy would feel comfortable in for years to come. 


The three firehouse residents traipsed up the stairs to the third floor while the delivery men made good use of the elevator to get the heavy boxes all the way up to Gus’ room. Brian and Gus settled down on the beanbag to watch the men work. When Brian saw Justin standing there next to them, he pulled the blond down against himself and wrapped his arm around him. Gus wiggled around until he was on top of both men before settling down to watch his furniture being assembled. Brian just smiled and laid his head against Justin’s. It was a very comfortable perch from which to watch the show as the delivery guys unboxed and assembled all of the furniture. 



The company had sent three men, all of whom appeared to know what they were doing, much to Brian’s delight. One of them started off assembling the shelving unit that would be equipped with brightly colored baskets in which to store Gus’ toys and books. It also had two built-in cupboards, a couple of drawers for clothing storage, and a tidy little shoe rack on the bottom shelf. This unit took up almost the entire half-wall next to the door. When it was assembled, the man attached big wooden block letters to the wall above the shelves spelling out the word, ‘RECESS’. 


While the shelving man was doing his thing, the other two workers got started on Gus’ slide. Gus had determined that this item would take up center stage in his room, positioned so it would be supported by the unpainted, exterior, brick wall. The assembly of this piece was a little more tricky because it had to be strong enough to handle a very active four-year-old jumping and playing on it. This meant there were lots of stabilizer bars and anchors that had to be drilled into the floor and the wall to hold the unit in place. A couple of times the assembly guys even had Gus come over and test out their precautions by intentionally jumping on parts of the platform or going down the slide. Brian, the protective father, was happy to see how seriously the men were taking this part of their job. 


After these two larger pieces were assembled and positioned, the assembly of the remaining couple of items was simple. The bunk bed, small nightstand/dresser, and the desk went together relatively quickly. Brian and Justin simply sat and watched while Gus ran around ‘helping’ by asking lots and lots of questions. The whole time, Brian hadn’t had to get up out of his bean bag chair or leave off absentmindedly fondling his resident artist even once. Which was precisely how Brian liked his manual labor to happen; without any actual labor on his part. Even better, it had all been done without too much fanfare and without him having to figure out how to use a gratchet. 

 

Once everything was set up, the workers tipped and on their way, the firehouse contingent made the beds and fixed everything up exactly the way Gus wanted it. After a quick lunch, Gus insisted he wanted to take a nap in his new room before going home. That was the first time Brian remembered the boy volunteering to take a nap since he’d been old enough to talk, so he was happy to comply. And, after all the excitement over the past few days, the little dynamo dropped off to sleep almost the minute his head hit the pillow. 


After which, with the boy down for a nap, Brian dragged his blond visitor downstairs for some celebratory makeout time. 


Justin wasn’t at all opposed to the idea, especially after having spent the past hour or so sitting on Brian’s lap while the man petted and played with him. All the while, Brian had been surreptitiously whispering the filthiest innuendos in his ear whenever he was sure Gus was far enough away he couldn’t overhear. The infuriating fucker had him so worked up Justin didn’t know whether to be turned on or pissed off at the way the man just wouldn’t let up. So, yeah, the flustered blond was more than happy to let himself be dragged away. He’d let Brian take him anywhere he wanted just so long as he helped relieve the aching erection that Justin had been fighting ever since he’d first been dragged down onto that evil bean bag chair. 



They only made it as far at the long dining room table. Brian kicked the chair at the head of the table out of the way in the same motion as he spun the youthful twinkie around so Justin’s butt was shoved up against the edge of the wooden surface. He seized the tender lips of his victim and kissed them violently until the pink turned a darker, bee-stung rouge. Then he flung Justin backward, across the polished walnut wood, the smaller body hitting the solidity of the table with a resonating thud. Justin, however, was too frantic with lust to care about the rough handling. He was just one, big, aching nerve ending by that point. 


“Damn it, Sunshine,” Brian growled, grabbing hold of Justin’s legs and pulling the seemingly weightless body back down the table until he had one fully-clothed knee tucked up under each of his long arms. “How dare you sit there with your fucking perfect ass grinding up against my dick for that entire time? With my son right there so I couldn’t do anything about it? Are you some kind of fucking sadist? That was cruel and unusual punishment, Sunshine, and now I’m going to make you pay.”   


Justin barely had time to catch his breath before Brian was on him again. With his legs doubled up like twin pretzels, caught under Brian’s armpits so he couldn’t get them free, the larger man draped himself over the supine form on his table and pinned both Justin’s hands together over his head. At the same time, Kinney had found his mouth again and was nibbling and biting at his lips with such lust-driven hunger it felt like he was being eaten alive. And, just when Justin thought it couldn’t get any more intense, Brian began to frot his bulging crotch against Justin’s equally swollen nether parts, causing the friction from his jeans rubbing over his dick to amplify every motion till it almost drove him crazy.


With all those sensations pummeling him at once, and all that friction stimulating his pent up cock, Justin’s brain must have simply short-circuited. Because, one minute he was lying there, desperately trying to hold back his orgasm long enough that he wouldn’t cum in his pants, and the next, a strange disconnected memory came flittering through his head. 


It was part of a lesson from one of the only classes at Dartmouth he hadn’t hated - Intro to Physics - when the TA had been explaining about the physics of friction. If he recalled correctly, friction was measured in units of force and it was determined by how many pounds were applied to any given load. Which meant, right then, he was the load and Brian, who was pounding him pretty hard, was the force. And, since they were both objects in motion, this could be considered kinetic friction - okay, now it all made sense; Kinney, kinetic, and hadn’t Brian mentioned his business was called Kinnetik - yep, it was all just physics. 


‘It’s the physics of sex,’ he thought to himself, remembering at the last minute to bite his lip so he wouldn’t just blurt out the words in English. And then, right before he creamed his pants like a horny high-schooler, his unhinged mind added, ‘and the coefficient of friction is dimensionless . . .’ 


But, out loud, all he said was, “Jebati!”   


“If that means, ‘Thank you’, then you’re welcome, Sunshine,” Brian panted as his big body slumped over Justin’s. 


They both lay there for several minutes, just breathing, waiting for their heart rates to come back down out of the stratosphere. Judging by the wet patch blooming in Brian’s own jeans, it seemed like the big guy had come to the same sticky end as Justin had. Justin enjoyed the weight of the man above him. He liked the feeling of being held. Contained. It was a safe feeling. It had been a long time since he’d felt that safe and protected. Maybe he’d never felt that safe, not ever, or at least not for as long as he could remember. Which is probably why he regretted it so much when Brian finally began to stir, grunting softly as he pushed himself up off his Justin mattress.  


Untangling himself from Justin’s legs, Brian smiled as he backed away. But first, before he let go of Justin completely, he said, “I really appreciate all your help with Gus’ room this weekend. You made him really happy. Thank you, Sunshine.” Then he offered a hand to help pull Justin back up into a sitting position. He ran his fingers through the soft, blond strands before leaning down for one last kiss to the abraded dark red lips. “I still think you’re evil as hell, though, and your ass should probably be declared illegal under the Geneva Convention.”


He was gone a second later, and Justin was left with only a memory of that saucy, mischievous smile, cramps in his thighs from having been bent at impossible angles for far too long, and soggy, cum-filled jeans. 


“Jebati,” he repeated.



 

End Notes:

4/28/22 - I seriously want to know if you’ve ever read another ‘toe job’ scene, because I think this is a first! LOL. Also, apologies for letting TAG’s inner science nerd escape during that last sexy scene. Can’t help it sometimes. You get the jist of it, though, right? Also, we’re soooo close to meeting our CampNaNoWriMo goal of writing 50,000 words in one month. Send us all your eloquence vibes to help us get over that finish line... TAG & Lorie.  

 

Croatian Words:

 

-Jebati - Fuck!

 

Chapter 11 - Tonight Let Us Assay Our Plot by Tagsit
Author's Notes:

Chapter dedicated to gotb30 who asked for more about the 'mystery'. Your wish is our command! TAG & Lorie



Chapter 11 - Tonight Let Us Assay Our Plot.



Lindsey and Mel arrived soon after Gus got up from his nap and they were immediately dragged upstairs by their son to look at his ‘Happy Room’. 


Brian got a kick out of watching the women’s faces; they seemed awestruck at how much effort Brian had gone to in order to decorate the room for ‘their’ son. Like it was somehow a hardship for Brian to do something nice for his child. Apparently, they’d never expected someone as inept at parenting as Brian Kinney to actually care about anything other than his latest business or sexual conquest. What-the-fuck-ever! Brian was done trying to win when it came to the munchers. 


Even now - seeing how happy Gus was - they weren’t exactly effusive with their praise. Lindsey seemed to think it had all been Youstin’s doing, and spent an excessive amount of time complimenting the young artist’s work. Justin, still pretending not to understand what she was saying, merely nodded vacuously at her and said ‘Da’ a lot. Mel, meanwhile, completely ignored Brian in favor of focusing on Gus’ long-winded explanations about how they’d done everything. But all that really mattered was the way Gus’ eyes glowed every time he looked up at his father. That was why he’d done it all and the rest of the world could just go fuck itself. 


As soon as he could get rid of the lesbian contingent, after first securing promises from them to let Gus come stay over in HIS room again the following weekend, Brian made excuses to Youstin about needing to put in an appearance at the office, and got the fuck out of there. Even as enjoyable as the weekend had been, he was already getting an itchy feeling caused by too much enforced domesticity. He needed a few hours of twink-free time. And, he imagined, Justin was probably equally ready to have some time to himself where he wouldn’t have to constantly act like he didn’t understand what was going on. 


Ted pounced on him almost the second Brian walked into the building. Judging by the fretful look on the CFO’s face, Brian already knew that whatever Ted wanted to tell him wouldn’t be good news. He ordered Cynthia to hold all his calls and keep the hordes away from his office before ushering Ted inside. 


Perching on the edge of his desk, Brian ordered, “Spill, Theodore!”


“You might want to sit down for this, Boss,” Ted cautioned, taking a seat on the sofa for himself. 


“If it’s that bad, it won’t matter if I’m sitting or not,” Brian reasoned, gesturing to his accountant to just get on with it.


“So, I did what you asked and dug a little more into Aleksi Kacmar,” Ted prefaced his disclosure. “What I found out . . . Well, it’s not good.” Brian merely crossed his arms over his chest but didn’t say anything, so Ted continued. “So, as you know, when we did the original due diligence on Kacmar and the Princess Mia Resorts, we were mostly focused on the company’s financial situation. As we always do, we pulled a D&B and ran a full international credit report as well as getting confirmation of his financial statements from his banks, both here and in Europe. All of that came back clean as a whistle. No red flags anywhere. But . . .”


“This may be the one time that I’m NOT happy to hear about a butt, Theodore,” Brian commented dryly without even cracking a smile. “Spit it out already.”


“Well,” Ted reluctantly continued, “because Kacmar looked so great on paper - financially, I mean - I only ordered a criminal background check on him for the US. Based on the financials, there just didn’t seem to be a need to do a full international criminal check, which can be difficult, not to mention expensive. Plus, Croatia isn’t very forthcoming on criminal records anyway. So, I didn’t bother.”


Brian thought about getting pissed off but then realized that he probably would have made the same call. “I looked at the financials too, Theodore. There wasn’t anything there that would have caused me to second guess the guy. From everything I saw, Kacmar looked squeaky clean. Not to mention the fact that, after I saw all those zeros in his bank accounts, all I thought about was how much of that green we could get him to transfer into our bank accounts.” 


“Exactly. But, after everything that happened with Youstin and then that weird conversation I had with Aleksi’s assistant, I figured maybe it was time to correct that oversight,” Ted explained. “Since Croatia is kind of a pain in the ass when it comes to that kind of investigation, though, I figured I would start by running a criminal check in some of the other countries where Princess Mia resorts have locations, like Greece and Italy, which are easier and much cheaper. And . . . I hit paydirt.” 


Ted pulled a folded piece of paper out of his inner jacket pocket and handed it over to Brian. Brian looked at the printout, which appeared to be a report from some background check firm in Italy. Skimming over the irrelevant stuff at the top, Brian quickly focused on the one pertinent entry near the bottom of the page. There it was. A ten year old criminal prosecution against Aleksi Kacmar from the Republic of San Marino.


“San Marino?” Brian questioned, trying to remember his European geography and failing to place the name. 


“Yep. It’s, like, the world’s tiniest independent country. Or close thereto,” Ted expounded like the nerd he was. “It’s located on the west side of the Adriatic, just inland from Rimini, Italy. Their entire economy is based on tourism and . . . Of course . . . The finance industry.” 


“Finance, as in, a great place to hide your money tax free?” Brian surmised.


“Bingo! You got it in one, Bri.” Ted nodded with a tense smile at his employer. “From what I hear, San Marino happens to be a favorite haunt for the money launderers of Europe. And, based on what it says on the report you’re holding, it also appears that our dear Aleksi spent some time there awhile back. Which was when he was convicted on illegal procurement charges.”


“Procurement?” With a scowl of disgust, Brian tossed the report onto the coffee table in front of where Ted was sitting. “As in, he’s a pimp?”


“Basically, yeah. By the way, did you know that prostitition is legal in Italy, as long as it’s not what they call ‘organized prostitution’ - like running a brothel - probably because of the close association between that and the mafia . . .”


“Oh, fuck!” Brian moaned. He also took that opportunity to sit down in the chair across from Ted, because all of a sudden his knees felt like they might not hold him up much longer.


“Exactly my reaction, too, Brian.”


“We just signed up to do the advertising for the mob?”


“Well, mob-adjacent, at least,” Ted clarified. “Do you remember Aleksi telling us about his ‘silent partner’? The guy who brought in all the money they used to remodel the resorts about five years back?”


“Some guy by the name of Duke, I think?” Brian remembered seeing the name in some paperwork but not much more about the guy


“Yeah. That’s him. Although his real name is Duje Petrović. Duke is just a nickname, I think,” Ted continued, retrieving another sheaf of papers out of his pocket and handing that over with even more of a frown than he’d been wearing before. “When I asked Aleksi about Petrovic, he totally blew me off, insisting that Duke had just provided some interim financing to cover the remodeling, but that the loan had already been paid back, so I hadn’t pushed for more. The financial statements backed him up on the claim so I didn’t ask for more, although I did make a note to follow up on Petrovic later; it was one of the few unchecked items on my due diligence list. But, as soon as I saw Aleksi’s criminal check, I figured I better follow up on the silent partner too, and . . .”

  

Brian didn’t know what he expected to see on this second report, but he knew it wasn’t going to be good. And he was right. This Petrovic guy had a page and a half of criminal charges on his criminal check. Some of them were serious crimes, too. It looked like Ted had found charges in both Italy and Greece, going back more than twenty years, including pandering, theft, and even extortion. For all that, though, the guy had never done serious jail time. Brian had to wonder if he’d just gotten a bad rap or if he’d somehow managed to pay his way out of some of those more troublesome criminal convictions. But, even so, what was there was bad. If he’d seen it before the deal with Princess Mia had been finalized, it would have been a major red flag and probably would have tanked the deal altogether. 


“Damn it.” Brian tossed that report aside too. “So you’re thinking this Duke guy is what, Croatian mafia, and that Aleksi must be involved because of the money the guy sank into the resorts?”


“That’s what I’m afraid of,” Ted confirmed Brian’s fears. “The only thing we don’t know is how deep Kacmar is in this mess. He could be an innocent businessman who didn’t know he was being an unwitting front for a money laundering operation,” Ted paused, dramatically, letting Brian hope for a moment that he’d overreacted, before completely dashing his employer’s nascent hopes. “However, if you look closely at Petrovic’s rap sheet . . .” 


Ted flipped to the second page and directed Brian’s attention to an entry near the bottom that had been highlighted in bright neon yellow. “Fuck!,” Brian cursed again. “That procurement charge? It's the same date, time, and location as the one on Kacmar’s criminal report. So, they were in on this together?”


“It would seem so. Which makes it a lot more plausible that Kacmar is in deeper than we’d like with his criminal pal from the past,” Ted summed everything up with a sigh. “I’m so sorry, Brian. I can’t believe I missed this. I just never even thought to look . . .”


“Don’t beat yourself up about it, Ted,” Brian leaned back in his chair and ran anxious fingers through his hair. “I was just as blinded by Aleksi’s money as you. The question is, how does Kinnetik figure into whatever their plans are? Because I’m assuming they want more out of us than advertising. And, since I suspect these are the kind of people you don’t want to piss off without good reason, we probably can’t just back out of the deal and walk away.”


“I was thinking the exact same thing. But, until we know more, all we have are vague suspicions,” Ted concurred. “I mean, we could try going to the cops or the FBI but, since no crime has actually been committed yet, I’m not sure what good that would do.” Ted was hunched over, looking smaller than normal, clearly as worried as Brian by that point, and obviously feeling guilty for his sloppy due diligence. “Have you found out anything more from your houseguest? I still can’t figure out how sending you a bride, who turned out to be not-a-bride but an American kid, pretending to be a Croatian, figures into this whole mess. I keep thinking I’m missing something. But, even if ‘Youstin’ isn’t part of Aleksi’s plans, maybe he at least knows something more that’ll help us figure out what the Croatians are up to.”


“And how to keep our asses out of the line of fire,” Brian agreed. “Unfortunately, I haven’t found out anything much yet. I haven’t figured out how I’m supposed to pump Youstin for information when I’m not supposed to know he understands English. Especially since, if there’s any possibility he might be in on this whole scam, I don’t want to show my hand just yet.”


“Yeah, I agree. We’re better off playing it safe for now. But, while you’re working on the Youstin angle,” Ted got to his feet and assumed a more determined air, “I’ll keep digging. My next step is to contact the US Embassy in Zagreb to see if they can help me do a full criminal check on Aleksi in Croatia.”


“Good idea.” Brian got up too, but laid a restraining hand on Ted’s shoulder before the other man could step away. “Just to be on the safe side, though, let’s not make further inquiries directly through Kinnetik. We don’t want it to get back to Aleksi that we’re checking up on him. Use that investigation service we hired for the Kip Thomas litigation. They’re sneaky and fast.”


“And expensive, if I remember correctly.”


“I’d rather be out a few thou than beholden for the rest of my life to the fucking mob,” Brian directed, getting a nod of agreement from his employee. “And, I’ll try to find another way to get my hot little twinkie visitor to spill all his secrets.”


“Any chance you’d trade jobs, Boss?” Ted asked, his mouth curling up in the first real smile Brian had seen since he’d arrived at the office that afternoon. 


“Not on your life, Theodore. Besides, you already have your own blond. Justin is mine . . .”



Justin paused in his sketching and looked down at the page. With the tip of his right pinky, he smudged the pencil line that delineated Brian’s jaw, creating a darker shadow there and emphasizing the man’s strong, angular jawline. Yes. That was perfect. 



He dropped his pencil and shook out his hand. It was stiff. He glanced over his shoulder toward the wall next to the kitchen where there was a clock. It was the most curious clock, made out of some kind of shiny metal, with odd knives, forks, and spoons sticking out from behind the clock face to indicate where the numbers should have been. Justin loved that little bit of whimsy in the otherwise very put together house. It reassured him that there was more to Brian Kinney than you’d expect from his elegant and cool exterior. 


Which made perfect sense to Justin after seeing the man with his son all weekend. Gus seemed to bring out a softer side in his father. Justin suspected that maybe Gus might have had something to do with Brian’s choice of this particular clock. And the child was probably also the reason for the strange little painting of a cartoon squirrel with a pile of acorns on its tail that was hung just next to the kitchen utensil clock. Both pieces of ‘art’ made the artist in him smile.  


Since the little hand on the clock was pointing towards the knife handle where the number seven should be, and the big hand was almost down to the fork with the curled tines that would be a six on any other clock, he figured it was seven-thirty. Which meant Justin had been sketching for more than three hours. No wonder his hand was tired. But it was the first time in days that he’d had time to just relax. He’d been enjoying the solitude, not to mention the chance to get lost in his drawing. He’d had lots of fun working together with the Kinney men on Gus’ room all weekend, but it had been too busy the past few days to get any time to himself, and he was due.


Justin was also glad to have some time away from Brian’s constant teasing and sexual innuendos. That man! He was so . . . 

Justin struggled to come up with a word that would adequately describe the man. Brian Kinney almost defied description. Which was saying a lot for someone like Justin, who considered himself quite eloquent. Hell, Justin was the kid who’d had the Thesaurus bookmarked on his phone just so he’d always have the perfect word at his command. But now, when he tried to think about the man whose house he was hiding out in, he was practically wordless. Brian was simply too large, too much of everything, for mere words to encompass it all. 


Looking back down at the sketch he’d been caught up in for the past several hours, the only word Justin could think of was, ‘Compelling’. Which seemed like a good title for the drawing. With a smirk of satisfaction, Justin wrote the word in the bottom right corner of the sketch and signed his name below the way he always did, ‘J.Taylor’. 


The sketch was the one he’d started earlier while spying on Brian reading to his son. It showed the regular Brian sitting on the couch with Gus in his lap but with four other Brian faces surrounding the central scene. And, when he’d started the drawing, he’d meant to depict the four funny voices Brian had been imitating as he read the story. However, the longer he played with the drawing, the more it became a testament to his confusion about the man who’d so quickly become such a central figure in his life. 


These were all the faces of Brian Kinney. There was the serious Brian; a little somber, with his mouth a straight line, his eyes dark and his gaze inward. There was the playful Brian; laughing at his son, his hazel eyes glittering with greener glints, his beautiful lips curling up at the corners like a cat, and his whole expression somehow lighter. There was the ominous Brian; the one who looked like he might be dangerous, with nostrils flared and the vee formed by his brows angling downward, dipping all the way to the bridge of his nose, his mouth a pinched little bud of displeasure. And, finally, there was the sexy Brian; the one whose eyes turned a darker brown as they smoldered with desire, a mischievous grin on his sensual lips, and an intensity to his gaze that seemed to penetrate to a man’s very core. 


How could any one word - or even a handful of carefully chosen words - describe all that?  


Justin chuckled at himself as he tossed the sketchbook aside. Just looking at that damned picture had caused him to pop a boner. He didn’t know what the fuck had come over him. He had never before reacted so immediately to any other man. And Justin had had his fair share of lovers over the past couple of eventful years. He’d slept his way across Europe, for fuck’s sake, so it wasn’t like he was some naive little twink who didn’t know what he liked. But, then again, he’d never met someone as compelling as Brian Kinney, either. 


Which only made it more difficult for Justin to figure out what he was going to do. Thinking about all the fun they’d had, and how mixed up his feelings about Brian were, made him feel even worse about continuing to deceive the man. He couldn’t just stay there forever, hiding out in Brian’s guest room, pretending to be someone he wasn’t, while waiting for some guy he didn’t know to hunt him down. He wished he’d never stolen that fucking plane ticket. But, now that he had, he didn’t know how to get himself out of this mess. 


His options were limited. If he’d had any money, he could’ve left and quietly disappeared somewhere. But, since he barely had enough spare change on him to buy a bus ticket that might get him as far as the airport, disappearing wasn’t an option. He could still go to the police, admit to stealing the ticket - with a promise to pay back the money if need be - and ask the authorities to look into the guy who had called and threatened him. Just because the guy had said ‘he knew people everywhere’ didn’t necessarily mean he was ‘mafia’. Perhaps Justin had overreacted? Even if Kacmar was YACS, the US government should be able to protect him, right? I mean, it was only one lousy stolen plane ticket, right? How big a deal could that be? Either way, he couldn’t just stay there, pretending he didn’t speak English, and hiding in Brian Kinney’s beautiful remodeled firehouse forever, while his host tormented him with lustful innuendos until he thought his dick was going to explode. Could he?  


“Fuck my life,” Justin whimpered, getting up off the sofa and bending down to retrieve the sketch that had brought on all this fruitless contemplation. “I need to figure out a way out of the mess I’ve got myself into. Somehow.” With a deep sigh he started towards the stairs, intending to go back to his room and take a shower, hoping that would shock him out of this melancholy mood. “I wish I could at least talk to Daphne and get her to help me figure out some kind of plan . . .”


 

 

End Notes:

5/2/22 - Look at all that annoying plot interrupting the sexy teasing scenes. Don’t ya hate it? But we do have to advance the story somehow, so I guess you’ll have to put up with a little plot. We promise to have less of it in the next chapter, though, so please bear with us! Also, congratulate us because we successfully met our CampNaNoWriMo goal of writing 50k words in one month! Hoorah! Not that this story is done yet, though. There’s still LOTS to come. Enjoy! Lorie & TAG

Chapter 12 - Too Wise To Woo Peaceably by Tagsit
Author's Notes:

How about a night out at Babylon? Enjoy! Lorie & TAG



Chapter 12 - Too Wise To Woo Peaceably.



By Wednesday night, Brian was feeling trapped just sitting at home with Justin. It wasn’t Justin’s fault; he mostly enjoyed being around the blond, even if they couldn’t have any real conversations yet but, between Gus’ visit over the weekend and the past two nights of working late to catch up after taking all that time away from the office, Brian hadn’t been out to a bar or club for way too long. All that enforced domesticity was starting to get to him. So Brian decided that a night out at Babylon was definitely in order. 


After using his phone to look up what he needed to tell Justin, he wandered up to the rooftop deck to find his houseguest. Justin was again lounging around in those ridiculously skimpy swim trunks, catching some sun, and lazily playing in the sketch book he always seemed to have close by. Brian had taken a peek at the drawings in there and been quite impressed by the kid’s skills. If they hadn’t been playing this stupid game where Justin was pretending he didn’t understand Brian, with Brian pretending he didn’t know that Justin knew what he was saying, Brian might have made a point of asking him about it, but that just seemed too difficult under the circumstances. What he had seen was good, though.


Justin looked up and smiled that bright, shiny, innocent grin at him the moment Brian opened the door to the roof. Fuck. This kid really was far too hot for his own good. Not to mention how distracting he was when Brian was still trying to come up with a good way to interrogate him about Kacmar. He still had no idea how to do that while maintaining their game of deception. But who could blame Brian for losing focus when the kid always looked so fucking beautiful that it caused all the blood to drain out of his brain and into his dick? 


“Youstin,” Brian greeted his guest with a smile of his own and tried to ignore the fact that even just a glimpse of that sleek, lightly-muscled body, and the acres of pale skin, made him want to drop to his knees and eat the kid alive. “I thought we’d get out of here tonight. You up for a little entertainment? I figured we’d hit the Diner for dinner, then maybe Woody’s for pool and a visit to the club afterwards?”


Justin, as expected, pretended to be confused at Brian’s little speech. Brian remembered his phone where he’d already typed it all out and proffered the device to his visitor so Justin could play act that he was reading the translation. After scanning the words on the phone, the boy sat up straighter and, with another totally disarming smile, nodded his acceptance of the offer of a night on the town. 


“Da! Is good,” Justin said, again with the laughably fake accent. 


“It’s very good. And seeing you shaking your ass at the club, hopefully in something tight and slutty, will be even better,” Brian commented, rather enjoying the blush he was always able to rise from his victim. Just because he could, and because he enjoyed the power trip he got from those blushes, he gave the kid his most lascivious wink and added, “Hurry up and get dressed. I’m hungry . . .” 


Brian supposed that, even if Justin didn’t speak English, he would probably have gotten Brian’s meaning from the way he growled after declaring his hunger. It was pretty clear that he wasn’t as interested in the menu at the Diner as he was in the possibility of biting into his delectable house guest. The sight of Justin’s cock plumping up so nicely under those skimpy shorts was all the evidence Brian needed that the kid clearly understood his real meaning. 


If only Brian could act on those words.


But, instead, Brian grumbled and took himself off to the shower for some private time with his own, poor, neglected dick.  


Once they were both showered and dressed, Brian led the way downstairs to the garage and held the door for Justin while the blond got in the Jeep. Brian had almost decided to forget going out, and just drag Justin off to bed, when he’d seen what the younger man was wearing. The blond had come downstairs adorned in a pair of midnight blue leather pants that looked like they had been spray painted on and a skintight net shirt the same cornflower blue as his eyes. Brian had teased the kid about wearing something tight and slutty but the outfit he’d appeared in went beyond Brian’s fondest wish. As it was, he’d had a hard time concentrating on the road, what with the smell of leather, some crazy sexy cologne that gave off hints of bergamot and patchouli, and the aroma of the blond’s clean skin, all mixed together, wafting off the man sitting next to him. Damn. If he’d thought Justin was appetizing before, he was practically ravenous after that short drive together. 


He was relieved when they arrived at the Liberty Diner and he was finally able to put a little distance between himself and the blond. If they’d been trapped together in that car for much longer, Brian might have broken his promise to himself and fucked the kid out through the top of the sunroof. Brian never thought he’d be grateful for the familiar funk of the greasy-spoon diner. At least while they were eating, that too-tempting aroma would be dampened enough to be bearable. 


Justin smiled at his host as Brian held the door to the Diner open like the gentleman he was. The minute they were through the door, however, Brian was further distracted from his delectable guest by the sound of someone yelling his name from clear across the restaurant. With a groan, Brian huffed in resignation before ushering Justin over to the booth where Michael was waving frantically at them.


“Brian!” Michael jumped up to kiss his best friend, pulling Brian down so that he could leave a wet one on the taller man’s lips. “I didn’t know you were coming out tonight. It’s about time. I was beginning to think you’d disappeared.”


“You really need to get a life of your own, Mikey. We’re not in high school anymore. You ARE allowed to go out on your own a few nights a week. Besides, don’t you have a husband hidden somewhere?” Brian asked as he gestured to Justin to slide into the empty side of the booth before following quickly so that he wouldn’t be pulled down to sit next to Michael. 


“Ben is being kind of a bitch lately. He keeps giving me shit about wanting to go out dancing ‘on a school night’. Which just totally pisses me off, you know, because I’m not in school. And even if I was, he’s not my mother . . .”


“Uh, don’t you think he means that it’s a ‘school night’ for him?” Brian suggested. “Ben’s a teacher, right? I’m assuming that means he has early classes that he has to teach most weekdays, so perhaps he’s trying to tell you that he doesn’t want to go out partying all hours when he has to work the next day?”


“But you go out all the time and still make it to work in the mornings, Brian,” Michael insisted, aiming an adoring grin up at his hero.


“Not everyone is me,” Brian stated succinctly. “I work for myself, so it doesn’t matter if I come in all fucked out and hung over. Nobody can fire me. And, I’m sorry to break it to you, Mikey, but even I can’t party every night like I did back in my twenties. We all need a night or two off every now and then.”


Michael immediately launched into a multitude of denials, refusing to believe that Brian Kinney was anything less than a superhero, able to fuck his way through Gayopolis by night while still taking the advertising world by storm come day, and doing it all without benefit of sleep. Brian ignored his babbling. He’d already heard Michael’s, ‘you’ll always be young and beautiful; you’re Brian Kinney, for fuck sake’ speech far too many times. He didn’t need to hear it yet again.


Brian knew he remained hot - even as he was knocking at the door of thirty-five - and was happy that he could still pull practically any guy he wanted whenever he wanted. But even he knew he’d have to slow down sometime. At a certain point everyone grew up, despite themselves, and eventually even Brian had realized there was more to life than the next circuit party. He was a successful businessman with a multimillion dollar company to run and a son to provide for. There were people who depended on him to be rational and in control. He’d fought it for a time, but by that point in his life Brian was reconciled to the fact that he had better things to do with his life than troll the clubs night after night. 


Michael, however, seemed stuck in some perpetual juvenility. And he wanted nothing more than for Brian to join him in that pursuit. Brian actually felt a little bad for Ben, who had to be a fucking saint to put up with Michael when he acted like this.


Of course, he didn’t bother saying any of that to Michael, who was congenitally incapable of hearing anything he didn’t want to hear, especially when it had anything to do with Brian not being at his beck and call to go out whenever he wanted to drag him out. 


“You know what you want to eat, Sunshine?” Brian asked his blond dinner companion instead. 


He typed, ‘what do you want to eat’ into his phone and then showed the device to Justin so the young man could pretend to read the Croatian translation. Justin only gave the phone a perfunctory glance and then pointed to his menu. Brian held back a laugh; he didn’t think it prudent to point out that, if Justin really didn’t speak any English, he wouldn’t have been able to translate the words ‘Bacon Cheeseburger’. Ridiculous little twat. Good thing he was hot.


“Brian? Brian, are you even listening to me,” Michael demanded when he finally realized that his friend was paying more attention to the mute blond in the corner than to him.


Luckily, Brian didn’t have to answer since Debbie arrived just then with her usual cheery banter and an offer to take their orders. 


“Evening Boys.” Debbie did a double take when she saw the hot little twinkie sitting in the booth next to her lone wolf pseudo-son. “And just who is this adorable little morsel, Brian?” Deb asked. 


Before Brian could even take in a breath to answer, Michael started whining, “He’s just some immigrant one of Brian’s new clients sent him as a ‘bride’. One that has been taking up ALL of his free time so that he barely gets to leave home to go anywhere,” he groused, annoyed as always when Brian’s attention wasn’t focused on him.


Brian gave Michael a withering look. But, since the whiney man had finally stopped to take a breath, and Brian was at last able to get a word in, he explained, “Deb, this is Youstin. He arrived here from Croatia just a few days ago and, as far as anyone knows, he doesn’t speak English. We’re still trying to work out with my newest client exactly why he was sent to me. Unfortunately, your son is being a little bitch about things because he feels left out. Apparently he thinks we are still in Middle School and shouldn’t ever not speak for more time than it takes to sleep,” Brian told her while wrapping his arm around Justin, just to annoy Michael. 


“I don’t care where he’s from or what language he speaks,” Deb declared with an exaggerated wink at the blushing blond. “He’s fucking adorable, that’s what he is!”


Justin looked down, pretending to be involved in his menu in order to hide the fact that the waitress’s words were making him blush such a deep red that it felt like his skin was going to melt off. 


Brian laughed in spite of himself. He had to agree that the kid really was fucking adorable. Those impossible blushes that seemed to light Brian’s dick on fire somehow got to him every damn time. He’d never thought of himself as particularly prone to romantic thoughts, but when he was around Justin, Brian didn’t seem able to help himself. He just couldn’t stop the word ‘adorable’ from popping into his head all the fucking time. And, now that Debbie was echoing those thoughts, he figured he was done for. He’d probably have to cut off his dick and resign himself to becoming a fucking lesbian since he couldn’t stop all these ridiculously romantic sentiments from invading his psyche every time he looked at the annoyingly adorable blond . . .


In a vain attempt to derail all those invasive lesbionic thoughts about how cute Justin was, Brian busied himself with ordering dinner for the both of them. He got himself his customary turkey on whole wheat, dry, and a cup of coffee, and ordered Justin the bacon cheeseburger he’d requested along with fries and a soda. Michael, meanwhile, sulked on his side of the booth as he ordered a burger and fries for himself. Deb shook her head at her hard-headed son but didn’t bother to comment as she went to put in the dinner orders. She knew that her son was never going to get what he wanted from Brian, but no amount of talking or trying to reason with him ever seemed to make any difference.


Once the food was delivered, everyone ate quietly. Michael was still sulking. Justin ate like he was starving, although with much better table manners than Michael had ever displayed. Brian merely picked at his own food, seemingly very intent on watching Justin’s mouth as the younger man ate. He didn’t want to voice his thoughts aloud and set Michael off again, but the whole time Brian was busy thinking of several, much better, uses for the tongue that kept peeking out to lick away any stray juices that tried to escape from Justin’s plump pink lips. He was seriously worried by that point because his brain just kept repeating the word ‘adorable’ over and over and over again and he didn’t seem able to shut it up. He’d never experienced anything like this before. He’d heard of ear worms, but this was more like an ear serpent, and he couldn’t even blame his condition on being drunk because he hadn’t had a drop of alcohol yet that evening. What the fuck was happening to him?


After they finished and Brian paid the tab, he ushered his wordless blond out, planning to make a stop at Woody’s for an hour or two of drinks and pool before heading to Babylon. The entire walk over to the bar, Michael kept up a constant stream of babbling, trying to usurp Brian’s attention. The few times that Brian stopped to ask Youstin a question or pay any attention to the blond, Michael would protest and his eyes would emit laser-sharp beams of hatred in the kid’s direction. Brian was borderline alarmed at how much blatant animosity Michael was displaying. He’d always known that Mikey was a possessive little shit, but this was taking things a little too far. Brian feared he was finally going to have to do something to wean his friend of this envious streak. Enough was enough. 


The minute they walked through the doors of Brian’s favorite Liberty Avenue bar, they spotted Emmett waving to them from over near the pool table. 


Emmett ran to them and effused “Oh, good! You brought Youstin. Can I play with Baby tonight Brian, please?” 


Brian thought about it for a moment before replying. “Fine, Honeycutt, but only if you keep your hands to yourself,” he told the tall queen. 


“You take the fun out of everything, Bri,” Emmett commented with an exaggerated pout while totally ignoring Brian’s warning, linking his arm through Justin’s, and immediately leading the young man away without a glance back at the bossy brunet. 


Brian smiled at the departing duo but almost changed his mind when he heard Michael mumble, “About fucking time. Now I get to play with my best friend.” However, since Em and Justin were already halfway across the bar, Brian just rolled his eyes and followed in their wake without commenting on Michael’s jealousy.


As soon as a table was available, everyone grabbed a cue and Brian set up the table. Justin broke. He and Emmett got stripes. Brian could tell Justin was intentionally playing down to the level of the other players, though, when Justin missed the next easy shot. Brian moved over so he could stand next to Justin and kissed his temple as Michael stepped up, took a shot, and promptly missed. 


“What the fuck Brian, you’re supposed to be playing with me,” Mikey complained. 


“Well, if you would look at the balls on the table and not the pair between Youstin’s thighs, maybe you could sink a few,” Brian answered snarkily. 


Em tittered and Justin looked away to hide his own smile. Michael glared at everyone before stomping away to gulp down another beer. Meanwhile the game went on. 


Emmett sank two balls on his turn and then missed a third. When Brian went to shoot, Justin stood at the corner of the table where Brian was aiming, his crotch snugged up tightly against the corner pocket, with his very visible bulge right in Brian’s sight line. Cheeky little fucker!


“Hey, Sunshine, you better hope I don’t miss and hit the ball into that huge package you’re displaying,” Brian commented, taking the shot very carefully while Justin pretended not to know what he’d said. When the ball clunked into the hole, the impertinent little blond gave a dramatic little groan and shook his hips so that his leather-encased dick waved back and forth. Brian momentarily forgot about the pool game. He envisioned how he wanted to push the irritating little twinkie face down over the green felt baize of the pool table, peel those fucking leather pants off, and sink into the hole he knew was hiding inside until his own balls slapped against that perky ass. Now that would be a hole in one! 


“Brian? Brian! What are you waiting for? It’s still your turn,” Michael interrupted the filthy fantasy Brian had been having with his vexatious grumbling, causing the stud to shoot his friend a scathing look that was just as accurate as his next pool shot. 


The game continued with both Brian and Justin teasing and baiting each other the whole time despite the fact that neither said a word out loud. The silent teasing was fucking hot, though. Brian was hard as a rock before they’d even finished game one, and by the time they were done, he felt like his dick was ready to bust out the fly of his jeans. Thankfully, just before the end of the third game, Ben called Michael and asked if he could bring him something to eat from the Diner to tide him over while he finished grading the papers he needed to get back to his students the next day. Brian was more than happy to get rid of the bitchy man. He happily loaned Michael the jeep, grateful to have a small reprieve from the nasty looks and snarky comments, at least for a while. Michael promised to come back as soon as he’d taken care of Ben, and would meet them at Babylon. As soon as Michael was out of the picture, the others walked over to Babylon to get started on the rest of their evening. 


Brian would have loved to be going there to get laid - except for the few relatively tame encounters with Justin, his dick hadn’t seen much action yet this week - but unfortunately, unless Ted or Emmett were willing to watch over the blond, he couldn’t leave the kid alone while he went off to get himself serviced. And, yes, he knew that ‘Youstin’ wasn’t really as helpless as he pretended, but he couldn’t just leave the guy there where he would have to continue to play mute. Although, Brian supposed, it might be kinda humorous to watch. Whatever. Brian supposed he could figure it out later, but in the meantime he’d just stick close and keep an eye on his guest. 


Bypassing the long line of hopefuls out front, Brian’s group headed through the chains that served in lieu of a door and into the throng of gyrating bodies. Brian and Justin quickly pushed their way up to the bar. Brian ordered drinks for himself and Justin then leaned back against the bar to watch the parade of men passing by. They were soon joined by Emmett, who had stopped to talk to someone, with Ted and Blake showing up a few minutes later. Brian nodded at the trio and bought a round for all. They all stood around and did the club thing for a bit, making snarky comments about various men they knew or admiring the attractive qualities of anyone considered fresh meat. It was a familiar scene and, without Michael there constantly jabbering in his ear, Brian actually let himself relax and enjoy it all. 


When Justin seemed to be paying more attention to the dancers than to Brian, he leaned over to Ted and Emmett and quietly said, “Hey, could you guys keep an eye on Youstin for me? I’ve got some business I need to see to in the back.” 


“Sure thing Brian,” Em responded at the same time that Ted answered, “Not a problem.” 


Not even waiting for Brian to leave, Emmett took advantage of the twinkie protector’s imminent departure to wave for Justin’s attention and pantomimed dancing. Justin looked at Brian, who nodded and motioned for him to go with Emmett. Em clapped and jiggled with glee, like he’d just be given a present. 


Brian shook his head at the tall queen, adding with a shout over the noise of the crowd, “hands above the waist, Honeycutt.”


“Fine, your highness. And don’t call me Honeycutt,” was the response Brian got. 


Once the two dancing queens were out of sight, Brian quickly headed for the backroom. When he got there all he had to do was lean against the wall; soon enough he had a couple of guys lined up to get him off. Brian couldn’t choose so he did the ‘eenie-meenie-miney-moe' thing, landing on a rather nice looking ‘Moe’ who had wide lips, a lanky swimmer’s build, and who acted like it was an honor to drop to his knees and service the Stud’s cock. Brian was more than happy to indulge the poor man’s fantasies, running his hand through the mousy brown hair of his newest admirer as the man made quick work of undoing Brian’s belt and then diving down to suck at the treasure he found there. 


And it was good. Really, it was. I mean, Brian didn’t have any trouble getting off - he never did - and an orgasm was an orgasm, right? But it wasn’t exactly anything mind-blowing. It was just your ordinary, run-of-the-mill, backroom blow job. Which should have been more than enough to satisfy him. If he caught himself a couple of times looking down and feeling vaguely disappointed that the head bobbing at his crotch wasn’t blond, what did it really matter? Although, it wasn’t like him to be so picky when it came to a hook up. 


Back out by the bar, after he’d emerged from his time getting to know Moe, Brian noticed that Michael had arrived. He frowned and took a deep breath, forcing himself to continue towards the group of friends. He kinda wished that Ben hadn’t been busy grading papers that night so he could have been there to distract his husband. It would have kept him away from Brian at least.  


As he neared the group, Brian overheard Michael shouting at Ted, “Have you seen Brian? He didn’t find tonight’s fuck and leave already did he?” 


To which Ted shook his head and replied, “he’s around somewhere.”


Brian hung back, using a group of leather bears as cover, while watching what his friend would do. Looking around, Michael scanned the crowd eagerly. Brian could tell when Michael spotted Justin and Emmett dancing. When he didn’t see Brian out on the dance floor with the other two, Michael’s smile grew. Finally, he looked behind him and must have spied Brian heading toward the bar, apparently coming from the backroom, because the smile on his face seemed to get somehow crueler as it stretched from ear to ear. 


Pretending he didn’t see Brian, Michael turned his back on his friend, waiting for the best time to comment. Brian wasn’t sure what was about to happen but figured he’d already been found out so he might as well face the music. He cut through the den of bears and continued to make his way back to the bar. Once Emmett saw Brian headed towards the others, he led his blond dance partner back to the gathering at the bar. 


Michael spoke up first, before Brian had a chance to get a word in, commenting, “Hey Em, did Brian at least pay you to babysit the foreign whore while he visited the backroom?” 


To which Emmett replied, “he didn’t have to. I like Youstin. Now, don’t be a jealous little bitch just because someone else has a toy that you won’t ever get a chance to play with, Michael.” 


Brian glanced at Justin to see if he would react to Michael’s comment. The blond’s eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly and he darted a withering look at the bitch in question. It was only a quick flash, but Brian saw it. He liked the feistiness he saw there and, if it hadn’t meant he’d be giving away the fact that he knew the kid’s secret, Brian would have praised him for it. 


Instead, Brian’s response was to grab that fiery little blond and give him a toe-curling kiss before threading his fingers through the blond’s. “Come with me, Sunshine. I need you to translate for me. I need to know how to say, ‘on your knees and get your hot mouth on my cock’ in Croatian.” 


While Ted snickered and Emmett pretended to be shocked, Justin flashed a quick smirk at Michael. He didn’t resist at all, though, when Brian started towing him away from the group. Brian led Justin to the backroom, navigating his way to a more secluded spot near the back, the compliant little blond willingly trotting along at his heels. When he found an open section of wall he leaned back, pulling Justin against him for a very thorough kiss, before ostentatiously opening his pants and then pressing down on the blond’s shoulder. 


Justin quickly got the message and smiled up at his host as he gracefully dropped to his knees. He made a show of licking his lips, with that same teasing little grin that seemed to drive the brunet wild. Brian felt something in his gut clench and he shivered despite the muggy heat in the room. He’d just had a perfectly decent blow job less than ten minutes before but the second Justin looked up at him like that he was instantly hard again. He didn’t know what the fuck it was about this kid, but somehow the youth managed to invoke a response from Brian that was wholly unexpected. 


Brian didn’t have time to examine his reactions for very long though. Justin seemed eager to have a full taste of the huge cock he’d only gotten to toy with up till then. He dove down on Brian’s prick with the same relish as a starving man served a feast. Brian was more than happy to let him have at it, enjoying every lick and suck. And, when the talented blond swallowed around the sensitive head of his cock, hollowing out his cheeks and creating enough suction that it felt as if was going to physically extract Brian’s orgasm out of him whether or not the Stud was ready, Brian completely forgot to think at all. After that, all he could do was moan and shake as his body rocked through pulse after pulse of pleasure until he felt completely drained. When Justin was done, he daintily wiped his mouth on the cuff of Brian’s jeans and then efficiently tucked Mr. Happy away before doing up Brian’s fly. 


Brian concentrated on making sure his knees didn’t give out before his brain could come back online and, in the process, decided that Justin gave pretty amazing blowjobs. Better by far than Moe, if he was being honest. He hoped that, regardless of whatever was going on with Aleksi, he’d be able to continue to enjoy more of the same for the foreseeable future. 


It was Justin who was leading Brian as they headed back to the bar. Brian noticed the scowl on his best friend’s face as they approached so, as soon as they stopped, he wrapped his arms protectively around Justin from behind and commented, “I should have just started with the best. It’s not often that you find someone who can edge you until you are ready to beg to cum. Youstin has the best mouth I’ve had in forever.” 


Michael looked like he had just eaten rotten sushi. Justin smiled innocently, giving his best clueless imitation, as Brian kissed his neck from behind. Ted, Blake, and Em were giggling amongst themselves. 


Brian was very confused by his feelings for the blond, who he hadn’t yet even had any kind of real conversation with. It didn’t make any sense. He had never in his life been drawn to slight, young, blond men; he usually preferred men similar to himself or even more muscular. But he couldn’t seem to get enough of this young man, and it seemed like the more he touched him, the more he wanted from him. Also, why the fuck did he keep warning Emmett to not touch Justin and to keep his hands above the kid’s waist? The only thing that did make sense was how much he was enjoying the way Justin’s presence seemed to annoy the fuck out of Michael. Now that was amusing. 


And so, because he loved to make a dramatic exit just like any other queen, especially when it would get Mikey’s panties all in a twist, Brian took that opportunity to lean down, kiss Justin’s ear, and stage whisper loudly enough that Michael couldn’t help but overhear, “I think we should do more of that when we get home.” 


Even though Justin schooled his face so as not to betray any emotion, he wasn’t able to stop the excited shiver that ran through his whole body at Brian’s comment. Brian felt it, of course. And suddenly they both wished that they were at home, alone, rather than in some hot, crowded, and noisy club. 



 

 

End Notes:

5/7/22- How was that? Hot enough for you? We have the boys all cozy together and enjoying their growing mutual attractions. Now, onto the plot development! Stay tuned. Lorie & TAG

Chapter 13 - Good and Ill Together by Tagsit
Author's Notes:

This one is for the plot pigs. Enjoy! TAG & Lorie



Chapter 13 - Good and Ill Together.



Beks had been staring at the email from Aleksi Kacmar for nearly thirty minutes, but still had no idea what to do next. 


Apparently he wasn’t satisfied with the carefully worded report she’d sent him the day before. It wasn’t her fault that Brian Kinney was gay. Clearly, though, that fact was causing her client to have to significantly revamp his ‘plans’. Plans that - although she didn’t understand them completely - Beks already knew she didn’t want to have anything to do with.


Over the past several days the lawyer had managed to turn up a lot more information about Brian Kinney. She wasn’t sure how Kacmar had missed the fact that this guy was a raging homo, even if that fact hadn’t been in the financial dossier she’d sent him earlier. Kinney was about as out and proud as it was possible to be. The guy was a known donor for several local and national LGBTQ+ charities - although he tried to play that fact down - and had even been interviewed by the local gay rag, ‘Pittsburgh OUT’, when he’d first opened Kinnetik. When asked about his sexuality, Kinney had been quoted in the magazine article, saying, “Of course I’m gay. But if I’m not fucking you, what does it matter?” 


Beks would have thought Kacmar’s people would have vetted the guy better than they had. Especially since it appears their plans seemed to hinge on Kinney. It was beyond sloppy for Kacmar to have missed how truly and outrageously gay Kinney was, even if that fact hadn’t been in her initial report. 


However, this clearly was NOT the outcome that Kacmar had wanted to hear from his US contact. The responding email she’d received was scathing. Kasmar seemed like he was taking Kinney’s homosexuality as a personal affront. Or, perhaps, more like a failing that they would be able to use as leverage against the man to help them attain their aims? Beks wasn’t sure how that was supposed to work. You weren’t going to be able to use his sexual orienation against a guy who flaunted the fact of his gayness as often and as loudly as he could. 


Kacmar, though, was unable to accept that conclusion. If Beks was reading this latest email correctly, her client was insisting that she find something he could use to force Kinney to capitulate to his plans. She read the email again and then just shook her head. It made no sense. What possible leverage did Aleksi think she might find that would be enough to tempt Kinney to forget he was gay and accept Kacmar’s offer to send him a Croatian bride? 


Reading between the lines, though, it was pretty clear to Beks that Kacmar wanted her to find him something he could use as blackmail against Brian Kinney. No, he hadn’t worded it that way, of course, but that was the only interpretation that made sense. Aleksi wasn’t satisfied with the publicly available documentation she’d sent him. He was now asking that she ‘intensify her investigations’ and provide a more ‘in-depth and personal analysis of the subject’. He specifically stated he wanted photographs. 


Fine. Whatever. Beks supposed she could spend a few nights tailing Kinney around town and taking photos of him. He seemed to have ties to several of the more popular clubs and bars down on Liberty Avenue, so she should be able to get more info about him with some judicious questions in that neighborhood. Not that Beks thought it would give Kacmar what the Croatian was looking for; no way was Kinney ever going to agree to take on Aleksi’s ‘Red Sparrow’. But that wasn’t her job; Aleksi was only paying her to investigate Kinney and whatever he used that information for was none of her business. She didn’t want to be involved in any of that shit. 


Slightly more problematic, though, was the fact that she still hadn’t been able to find out anything substantive about the mysterious ‘Justin Taylor’. Aleksi was not happy about that fact either. But the only information Beks had on the guy was a name, a blurry photo, and the address he’d given to the airline when he’d checked in for the flight from Split to the US. That address had turned out to be an apartment building in Hanover, New Hampshire, but the current residents there - a group of stoner Dartmouth dropouts - claimed they had never heard of this Taylor guy. It was a total deadend. The name alone wasn’t any help at all; according to a quick online search Beks had run, there were about five hundred and fifty ‘Justin Taylors’ in the US and another thousand or more ‘J. Taylors’. That was not much to go on.


She’d asked Kacmar to get her any other info he had on the guy the last time she’d written. It sounded like Aleksi had gone back to the woman, Laura, who was supposed to have been the one sent to Kinney in the first place. This Taylor guy had apparently lifted the plane tickets off Laura in a public cafe - not the best OpSec on Kacmar’s part, letting his operatives carry important papers out in the open around town like that, but whatever - but despite extensive questioning, Aleksi hadn’t gotten much more info on Taylor in the almost week since the theft had taken place. Kacmar had found out only that Taylor had been in Split for about a month before he took the ticket, had been traveling around Europe with a bunch of different guys for several months before that, and seemed to have a lot of rich influential friends. Kacmar seemed to think, based on the skill the guy had used in stealing the plane tickets from right under Laura’s nose, that he was either a professional grifter or that, maybe, he was working for a rival European ‘Organization’. The second option was the possibility that had Kacmar the most worried, which was why he was pressing Beks so hard to keep looking for the kid. 


Not that she thought she’d be able to find him, even if he was still in Pittsburgh. It was a big city and, if Taylor really was a professional, he’d likely left town already or was at least lying low. Of course, Kacmar’s demand that she keep looking hadn’t been worded as an optional request. And you didn’t dare say no to a direct order from someone like Aleksi Kacmar. So it seemed Beks would be continuing the fruitless search for a young blond man who maybe went by the name ‘Justin’ while she staked out Brian Kinney. 


Fuck it all. When had this become her life, anyway? And how could she get out from under the thumb of Aleksi Kacmar?



Now that Justin had had a taste of the cock he had been fantasizing about, he was determined to get even more of it. 

But, as soon as they got home from Babylon, Brian had headed into the house, telling the blond ‘Goodnight’, before literally turning his back on the hot and bothered blond. Justin wasn’t sure what had happened. They had been all over each other in the car and then, once they were back at the firehouse, it was like someone had poured cold water on Brian.


Well, Justin wasn’t going to just give up and head to bed, horny and alone. 


As Brian headed to the fridge, Justin started stripping, right there in the kitchen. Brian took a bottle of water out and turned to see a naked blond walking toward him, smirking. Brian stood there biting his bottom lip, his cock now swelling in his pants. Justin made sure to shake his hips a little, his arms held out in a ‘This Could Be Yours’ gesture, enjoying the way Brian’s eyes widened. Then, with a chuckle at his own audacity, Justin winked at his intended prey. Brian set the bottle of water on the counter as the blond walked right up to him and grabbed the back of his neck, pulling his head down so he could get to the taller man’s handsome mouth. 


Justin proceeded to gently lick the brunet’s lips until they opened for his invading tongue. Once inside, Justin tongue fucked Brian’s mouth until the man was moaning and hanging onto the counter behind him as if that were the only thing keeping him upright. Justin then lowered himself to his knees, keeping all his motions slow and deliberate, before he carefully undid the button and lowered the zipper on Brian’s pants. 


As soon as the beautiful, hard cock was released, Justin dug his tongue into the tip, releasing a rush of precum. Brian reached for the soft blond strands to get Justin’s mouth back where he wanted it. Justin resisted, slowly licking, nipping, and sucking at the swollen cock until Brian couldn’t take any more. 


“Stop fucking around, dammit. I need to cum,” Brian admitted. 


Looking up through his long blond lashes - those huge, blue, deceptively innocent eyes locked on Brian’s hazels - Justin finally took the cock all the way down his throat and swallowed hard a couple of times. Brian didn’t even last a full minute before he began to cum so hard that Justin had to push him against the counter to hold him up. The blond eagerly swallowed all Brian offered, then backed off enough to allow himself to kiss and lick the softening cock clean. When he was done, he politely tucked Brian back away in his pants and redid the man’s fly for him.


After he got his mind back, Brian pulled the blond up and gave him a toe curling kiss. 


Justin responded by kissing Brian’s nose, saying, “Goodnight,” with a bad Croatian accent before picking up his clothing and heading, still buck naked, up to his room.


Justin was still smiling to himself as he shut the door of the guest room behind himself. He loved this feeling of power. He liked knowing how much control he had over the otherwise self-contained businessman. Even Brian Kinney wasn’t immune to the temptation of Justin Taylor at his best. He had finally gotten back at Brian, a little, for all those lecherous comments he was always shooting Justin’s way. 


He knew he couldn’t answer Brian outright - not without giving away his secret - but he really was getting a little annoyed by the man’s constant teasing and sexual innuendos. Well, two could play that game. If Brian was going to constantly make erotic comments, then Justin would simply shut him up by acting on them. Although, maybe he really should be playing a little more hard to get. Just because he’d taken the place of the potential mail order bride didn’t mean he had to act like one. It had been fun to make Brian weak in the knees with one of his best blow jobs, though. Let that be a lesson to the big tease; best be careful what you ask for because you just might get it. 


Of course, sucking Brian off for a second time in one night hadn’t done anything to relieve Justin’s own horniness. He was so worked up by that point that he thought he might explode. And he really was getting tired of jerking off alone in the shower. Maybe he’d rethink that playing hard to get thing. Perhaps he should just walk right back down there and crawl into Brian’s bed, confessing everything, and beg the man to please, for the love of all that’s gay, fuck him already?


But that would entail Justin admitting to the fact that he’d been deceiving Brian all week and . . . He didn’t know how that would pan out. Brian would probably be so furious that, rather than fucking him, he’d throw Justin out of the house. That’s what Justin would have done if their positions were reversed. He felt so guilty about not being up front with Brian from the start. If he were to jump into Brian’s bed without confessing first it would only get worse. 


Fuck. He was going to have to tell Brian the truth. He knew it was the right thing to do.


Continuing to hide out here in Brian’s house under false pretenses wasn’t tenable any longer. Not when Justin was starting to have real feelings for the other man. He didn’t want to keep playing this stupid game they were caught up in. He wanted Brian to break his back, fucking him so hard they both collapsed, until he screamed out the other man’s name. But, before he’d let himself have that, he was going to have to figure out a way to explain to the man why he hadn’t been honest with him from the beginning. 


It was time, though. Justin was going to have to figure out a way to tell him. The only thing that was still holding him back at all was the fact that, by telling Brian about the guy who had threatened him, he might be putting his kind host in danger too. Justin hoped that potential was remote enough, though, that Brian would be able to find a way to protect himself. And, maybe, telling him would be better in that respect too; knowing about a potential threat was better than having something like that hit you completely unsuspecting, right? Plus, Brian was smart; if Justin explained what was going on, Brian could help him figure out what Justin was supposed to do. Just hiding here for the rest of his life certainly wasn’t a viable option. Not when it was causing him to be so horny it was giving him blue balls. 


Justin pulled open the door to the shower and turned on the water to let it heat up. He looked at himself in the bathroom mirror as the room slowly grew steamy. He knew it was time for the truth to come out. He was going to have to face the music eventually, and the sooner he confessed, the sooner he would be able to throw himself at Brian Kinney with a clear conscience. 


He would do it, he promised himself. Soon. He just had to find the right moment.



Ted rolled into work the next morning, finding Brian already hard at it in his office, and couldn’t help but make a snarky comment. “I didn’t expect to see you here so early. Judging by the exit you and ‘Youstin’ made last night, I figured you’d be too fucked out to make it in before noon.”


“Yeah, well, you figured wrong then,” Brian grumbled. 


Sensing some juicy gossip, Ted closed the door behind him and made himself comfortable on the sofa in his boss’ office. “Don’t tell me, the Kinney charm has finally failed? The horror! This is truly a sad day for all of Gay PA!”


“Fuck off, Theodore.” Brian shot his CFO a look that would have annihilated a lesser man. “My ‘charm’ is fine. And so is my dick. I’m just not sure I should be letting either have full rein with a guy who might, possibly, be casing me out for the fucking Yugoslavian mafia.”


“Point taken,” Ted conceded with a contemplative smile. “So, I suppose you haven’t gotten anywhere with the plan to pump the kid for more info about Aleksi?”


“How the fuck am I supposed to do that when I can’t have an actual conversation with him?” Brian shot back, the frustration in his voice evident. “There’s actually been very little pumping, I’m afraid. We’ve got each other off a few times, although I haven’t actually fucked him yet. I just don’t feel comfortable doing that when I still don’t know if he’s part of this thing with Aleksi. And I’m starting to think this little plan you came up with was intentionally designed to bust my balls.” Brian stood up and began to run his fingers through his hair. “I can’t ask Justin what, if anything, he knows about Aleksi without letting on that I know he really isn’t who he says he is. As it is, I have to type out the every single fucking conversation on my phone and then translate it into Croatian - which, by the way, is a pain in the ass - not to mention the fact that I have no idea if he even reads Croatian, so I always have to show him both the Enlish and Croatian versions . . .” Brian held up both hands, fingers curled into claws as if he wanted to tear something apart, and growled. “Just asking him what he wants for dinner is a whole production, Ted. I’m not going to try and have a conversation about the mob affiliated goon who may be targeting me via Google Translate.” 


“Sorry about that, Boss,” Ted replied, sounding genuinely apologetic. “I can understand how difficult the situation must be for you. And I promise - Scout’s Honor - I did not intend to cause you or your balls any torment with my suggestion about letting a hot little blond you can’t fuck stay with you.” Then he let a crafty little smile escape, adding, “no matter how humorous I find the situation now. I’m sure it must be very stressful.”


“Fuck you, Theodore.” Brian shot his CFO the bird and then shifted uncomfortably in his seat because even the mere thought of the enigmatic blond - no matter how frustrating the situation was - had caused him to sprout a boner. “Fucking little cock tease,” he added under his breath, causing Ted to grin even wider. “The only reason for letting Justin stay with me in the first place was to try and get more information out of him about Aleksi. But I can’t do that without letting on that I’ve known he was American almost from day one. Assuming he really is in on this with Kacmar, he’ll probably just up and disappear the moment he knows that I know what his boss seems to be trying to do. Then I’m back in the same position of still not knowing anything. And I still probably won’t have gotten to fuck him. So why am I still playing this stupid game? It’s a fucking Catch-22.”


Ted sat back and crossed his arms, looking thoughtful. “I’m afraid I haven’t found much more about Aleksi either. The investigator is still waiting for the criminal check from the US Embassy in Zagreb. Apparently, they’re not known for their promptness. Nobody at Princess Mia Resorts is returning my calls either. All my calls to Lucija have been going straight to voicemail and the only response I got was an email saying she was out of the office for the rest of the week.” 


“Do you think they’ve realized we’re onto them?”


“I hope not,” Ted replied with a shudder. 


Brian felt goosebumps rise on his skin and only barely held back a shudder of his own. “Well, either way, I’m not about to sit around here waiting for the next shoe to drop,” Brian declared. “I think it’s time I confronted my little blond freeloader and find out exactly what’s going on. I’m not going to be some pawn in whatever game Kacmar is playing. I’d rather he find that out now, right up front, before Kinnetik gets dragged into this any further. And if Justin is part of Aleksi’s crazy plot, then it’s time for him to get the fuck out of my house - and my life - because I don’t need a ‘bride’, male or female.”


“Agreed. Even Princess Mia’s millions aren’t worth getting caught up in something illegal,” Ted proclaimed, getting up off the couch to offer a reassuring pat on his boss’ shoulder. “I only hope that Justin isn’t part of whatever’s going on. I kinda like the kid. He’s grown on me, you know. And it would be a shame to find out it’s all been just an act.”


“I know. Trust me, Theodore, I know,” Brian agreed wistfully, palming his swollen crotch for emphasis. The kid had grown on Brian too. His eyes went unfocused as he thought back to the phenomenal blow jobs the little blond had bestowed on him the night before and how much he’d regret not being able to pursue all his plans for the kid’s hot little bubble butt. Then he realized he was just being a lust-addled fool and added, “but, either way, he better have a damn good reason for all the shit he’s pulled. I don’t appreciate being lied to. And if he thinks he can play Brian Kinney, he better think again.”


“Actually Bri, if you ask me, it seems more like your young blond wants to play with you,” Ted commented, enjoying watching his boss changing his position every time the blond in question was mentioned. “Or, at least that’s what the gossip on Liberty Avenue is saying after his performance last night in the backroom.”


Brian replied by looking away and shaking his head, not denying that Ted was probably onto something there.



 

End Notes:

5/9/22 - Plot, plot, plot. So much plot. But we’ve got to move this story along eventually, so we have to have some plot... The good news is that we’re getting to the good stuff here. There should be more sexy fun times very soon! TAG & Lorie. 

 

PS. Don’t forget - you’re all invited to come play with us in the Working Doc! We’d love the company and you can help us figure out how to end this still story! Or, if you’d rather, come help write the sexy scenes that should be coming up soon...

 

Chapter 14 - Toil and Trouble by Tagsit
Author's Notes:

Prepare yourself - it's a Michael chapter - but totally necessary for the plot, so please bear with us... Thanks. Lorie & TAG



Chapter 14 - Toil and Trouble.



Michael was getting tired of being ignored whenever he called Brian. 


His best friend had been blowing him off more and more frequently of late and it was really pissing him off. The way Brian kept hammering home the point that he had better things to do than hang out with his oldest friend kind of hurt. He didn’t need to always rub it in how much richer and more important he was. Michael got it - Brian had Kinnetik and, occasionally, Gus - but whatever. It’s not like Michael didn’t have responsibilities too. He had his comic book store, Ben and Hunter, Ma, but he still managed to find time for his friends. Brian was being an asshole if he refused to do the same for Michael. 


Take the night before, for instance. When Michael had called to see if Brian wanted to go out, he’d used the fact that Gus was coming over to back out. Again. Which, Michael wasn’t even sure he believed - hadn’t Gus just spent the prior weekend with Brian - but even if it was true, couldn’t he hire a fucking babysitter or something? The Brian Kinney he’d grown up with would never, not in a million fucking years, give up a night of fucking and sucking at Babylon to stay home with a five year old. Oh, how the mighty had fallen, right?


And why the hell couldn’t that foreign skank stay home with the kid in Brian’s place? When Michael had suggested as much, Brian had practically bitten his head off. The fucking freeloader didn’t have anything better to do with his time. Brian was letting the guy stay at his house for free; the least Youstin could do was watch Gus for a night so Brian could have a few hours off baby duty. But, no. Brian had insisted that he couldn’t leave Gus alone with only the kid to watch him. So Michael had been stuck at home watching ‘The Justice League’ for the tenth time while Ben helped Hunter with his algebra. Not exactly a thrilling Thursday night. 


Michael was also tired of the fucking blond being attached to his best friend like a barnacle whenever they had gone out. He’d barely gotten to say ten words to Brian on Wednesday night because the stupid blond never let him get within ten feet of his best friend. So, yeah, he’d probably said some snarky shit to the blond; the guy was fucking annoying as hell. It didn’t matter that Brian had every right to be pissed at him for the comments he’d made about the blond. In Michael's mind he had every right to say whatever he wanted because Brian belonged to HIM. But, whatever the reason, this thing with Brian ignoring him had gotten a lot worse since that Youstin had shown up.


Now, though, it was Friday night and he wanted to go out with Brian. He wasn’t going to take another polite blow off. Michael could count on one hand the number of times they’d missed a Friday night out over the years; there was no way Brian would be staying in again tonight. But, just to make sure Brian didn’t have time to manufacture yet another excuse, Michael decided that he would stop by the firehouse when he got off work and drag the man out, kicking and screaming if he had to. It was high time to get Brian away from the blond interloper for a night. The fucking foreigner could find his own entertainment.


Brian had given the whole gang the access codes to his new place - just in case any of them had to cart his drunk ass home after a night out on the town - so Michael planned to just let himself in and wait for Brian. He’d done that several times before, helping himself to Brian’s bar while making use of the amazing home theater system. It was as good a place as any to cool his heels while he waited for the work-a-holic to finally drag himself out of the office. And that way Brian wouldn’t be able to escape Michael’s plans because he’d be lying there in waiting. 


So, after closing the shop for the night, Michael changed into his ‘clubbing clothes’ - one of his comic tee shirts and faded jeans - and headed for the firehouse. He peeked through the garage window and saw Brian’s jeep parked inside, so he knew the man was home. Which was odd, because Brian almost never left work early, even on a Friday afternoon. But, whatever. It just meant that they’d have more time to hang out together, which was okay with Michael. 


Instead of ringing the bell or knocking, the way a guest should, Michael just punched in the door codes and walked into the entertainment room as if it was his own place. He wasn’t a guest; he’d known Brian for more than half his life and they’d never stood on formalities with each other. But, this time, maybe he should have knocked. Because, instead of needing to go upstairs to find Brian, Michael received quite a shock from the sight that met him when he opened the door between the front hall and the den. 



Brian and the kid were sitting on one of the big, overstuffed theater-style chairs right in the middle of the room. The skank was straddling his best friend’s lap and they were going at each other’s mouths like kissing was going out of style or something. Both men were naked, at least from the waist up, and were wrapped around each other like ivy on a brick tower. From what he could see - with his line of sight partially blocked by another chair back that was in his way, and judging by the way Youstin’s body was writhing around - it looked to Michael like they were fucking. Right there in the middle of the room. 


For several minutes Michael felt frozen in place. He didn’t know if they realized he was there. He just stared at the sight, his stomach curdling the longer he watched. It was like watching a train wreck, you just couldn’t look away no matter how sickening it was. But the longer he watched, the angrier he got, until he felt like a simmering tower of rage.


In his mind he was screaming, ‘What the fuck!’ but the words stuck in his throat and all that came out was a strangled grunt before he turned around and walked out the same way he’d come in. 


He was both in shock and furious at the same time. What the hell was going on? It was one thing for Brian to offer to let someone his client sent stay with him for a few nights, especially if the guy didn’t speak English. Michael could kinda understand that, even if he didn’t like it much. And, the other night at Babylon when Brian had dragged the kid to the back room to suck him off, well, that was pretty much routine for a night out with Brian. It didn’t mean anything. But what he’d just seen was something altogether different. 


First of all, Brian had a STRICT ‘No Repeats’ rule; he’d already had the kid back at Babylon, so that should have been it, right? Secondly, Brian never let any TRICK stay over, especially at his new place. He’d repeatedly told everyone who would listen that, now that he’d moved up from the ‘fuck pad’ of his youth, he wasn’t going to be turning his new house into just a more elaborate version of the same. He’d even refused to let Michael and the guys stay over, kicking them out at four am one night after they’d stayed up late watching movies and drinking. Brian had said that it wasn’t a flop house and they could either get the fuck out when he said or never be invited back again. So they’d left. But, apparently, none of those rules applied to the blond fucking interloper who seemed like he’d moved in already. 


Brian wasn’t actually going to keep his ‘bride’ like some live-in fuck-buddy or something, was he?


Michael was still stomping down the street when he was several blocks away from the firehouse and his fury was only getting more intense the longer he thought about what he’d just seen. What right did that fucking foreigner have to be wrapped around Brian that way? Couldn’t Brian see that the kid was just taking advantage of him? Who the fuck was this ‘Youstin’ anyway? Did Brian know anything about him at all?


Well, Michael certainly wasn’t going to let the little leech get away with it. If Brian wasn’t going to kick the kid to the curb, like he should have on day one, Michael would have to figure out a way to do it for him. He was going to get the rest of the gang together and together they would put a stop to this. 


He was so furious that he didn’t even take the bus to Liberty Avenue; he practically stomped all the way there. When he got to the diner he was still so pissed that he didn’t know what to do with himself. The place was almost empty and none of the gang had arrived yet, so he didn’t have anyone to vent all his anger to. Instead, he sat at their regular booth and tapped his fingers impatiently on the table. 


Kiki came over a minute or so later, bringing him a soda, and took the seat across from him. “You okay, Michael, Honey? You look like you want to tear off someone’s head,” the waitress commented. 


“I would love to,” he snapped. “That fucking kid that Brian’s client sent him is trying to take over his life. They’re over at Brian’s, fucking away, as we speak.” 


Kiki’s interest perked up when he mentioned the part abut fucking. She was a sucker for juicy gossip, just like any other queen. To his annoyance, though, Kiki didn’t seem even a little bit interested in hearing his complaints about Youstin; she just kept asking about the fucking. Michael didn’t think she quite understood the import of the situation. He tried to explain but before he could get very far a bunch of customers came in and distracted the waitress. 


“Sorry, Michael, I have to see what they want,” Kiki told him as she stood, seemingly glad of the excuse to leave, and trotted over to take the newcomers’ orders. 


Michael scowled at Kiki’s back. Why was it that nobody but him could see how serious this was? Brian wasn’t acting like himself lately and this thing with the foreigner was the icing on the cake. They needed to do an intervention or something. Shock Brian back into being the Stud they expected him to be. He texted Emmett to find out what the hold up was and ordered him to hurry. He needed some back up and a friend who was going to take this threat as seriously as he did.


While Michael was angry texting, he noticed out of the corner of his eye when the woman sitting in the next booth over - the one wearing the business suit who looked completely out of place in the Liberty Diner - got up and walked towards him. He looked up from his phone and gave her a once over, trying to figure out from her appearance what she was doing there. He didn’t recognize her, even though Liberty Avenue was a pretty tight-knit community, so she must not be a regular. 


This woman was rather tall and was wearing heels that gave her an additional two or three inches, which meant she towered over Michael where he was seated. She was a little on the plump side, not that it made a difference to Michael. Her long brown hair was pulled back into a messy bun with one of those fabric hair ties. She was smiling, but her eyes were a dull, humorless gray-blue that made you realize the smile was empty. There were lines of worry around her eyes and the corners of her mouth, making the woman look older than she probably was. She didn’t look like a happy or a kind woman. She looked like the kind of perpetually busy person who didn’t have time to be happy. Michael felt a little intimidated by the fact that she was approaching him and didn’t like her inquisitive expression.  


Slipping into the seat across the booth from Michael without bothering to wait for an invitation she said, “excuse me, Sir. I couldn’t help but overhear you talking with your friend earlier. Were you speaking of Brian Kinney?” 


“Who are you and what the fuck business is it of yours who I’m talking about?” Michael snapped at the well-dressed woman. 


“Forgive me, Sir. I should introduce myself; my name is Beckestany, but everyone just calls me ‘Beks’.” 


She held out her hand to him and Michael accepted it, noting that the woman, for all her elegant manners, chewed her nails. 


“Michael. Michael Novotny.” 


“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Novotny.” She gave him that empty smile again before continuing, “I work for a man by the name of Aleksi Kasmar. I’m his liaison here in the United States. And, if we’re talking about the same Brian Kinney - the one who owns Kinnetik Advertising -  then I think I might be able to help you. I believe you were discussing a young man who’d recently arrived from Croatia? Is that correct?”


“Maybe,” Michael answered, still unsure how much to tell this stranger.


“Well, if so, I’m afraid your friend, Brian, could be in danger,” she announced smoothly, her smile getting wider in direct proportion to the look of alarm on Michael’s face. “You see, my client has been trying to find that same young man.”


“You’re looking for Youstin? Why would you want to find him?”


“If we’re talking about the same person, his real name is Justin Taylor - not ‘Youstin’ - and he’s not Croatian. He’s an American. He was also, most assuredly, NOT sent by my employer,” the strange woman informed Michael. 


“I’m sorry but what is this all about?” Michael questioned, curious but still a little wary of some stranger who’d just come up to him out of the blue and who was asking about Brian.


The cool-as-a-cucumber woman didn’t seem fazed for even a moment. “As I said, I’m working for Mr. Kacmar. He’s a client of Kinnetik’s and he hired me to look into the whereabouts of Mr. Taylor, who we believe is here in Pittsburgh under false pretenses, perhaps with the intent to undermine Mr. Kacmar’s American business dealings. And, with your help, we may be able to save your friend, Brian, from getting further involved with this . . . person.” 


That sounded bad. Really bad. Michael didn’t want Brian to be involved with anyone that might put him in danger, so he answered immediately, “Tell me what’s going on and what I need to do to protect Brian from that guy. Brian is my best friend. Whatever it takes to make sure Brian doesn't get in trouble, I’ll do it. In fact, maybe I should just call Brian right now,” he told the stranger, pulling out his phone. 


“No. Don’t call him. If Taylor is there with Mr. Kinney right now, and you call him, it might tip the guy off and put your friend in even more danger. We need to be careful how we handle this situation,” the woman advised Michael. 


Okay, this Beks woman had Michael’s total attention now. He’d known that ‘Youstin’ was a problem from the minute he’d seen the young blond, but even he hadn’t thought that Brian might be in actual ‘danger’ because of the guy. From the sound of it, though, the kid was serious trouble. It was a good thing Michael had met Beks and found out in time to save Brian’s ass. Which is what a good friend would do, right? 


As he sat there, listening to Beks explaining about Taylor being a thief and grifter who had apparently been working his way across Europe as he took advantage of one rich young mark after another, he got even more worried. Brian had no clue what he’d gotten himself into this time. In his mind, though, Michael was already envisioning how he would come to Brian’s rescue. He thought that, if he could ‘save’ Brian, then maybe his friend might finally see him in a different light. If he was the one protecting Brian, instead of the other way around for a change, Brian might admit to himself just how much Michael loved and cared about him. If things went the way he imagined, he might even end up in the same position he’d seen the ‘dangerous blond’ in earlier at Brian’s. Which is exactly where Michael had always wanted to be. And then he would also be rid of the kid. It would be a win-win situation for everyone. Well, everyone except the fucking freeloader skank.


So Michael proceeded to tell the stranger everything he knew about Brian’s ‘guest’, and about Brian himself, answering Beks’ questions for most of the rest of the night, and of course putting his own spin on things.



‘I think I might have found your Justin Taylor’, Beks typed into her phone. 


Then she stopped and stared at the unsigned text message. Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to send that text just yet. She didn’t want to promise something she wasn’t sure of. When it came to Kacmar and his ilk, it was always better to underpromise and over-perform. And just because the info she’d got from Novotny sounded solid, it didn’t mean he’d follow through. He seemed like a flake to her. It would probably be better to wait until she had something concrete before relaying anything to Aleksi.


Tapping at the delete key, she carefully erased the text and set her phone aside. Opening her laptop, she started a blank document and began to type out her notes from her meeting at the Liberty Diner. It had been quite an eye-opening discussion. It was ridiculously easy to get information out of Novotny. In those couple of hours she’d learned pretty much everything anyone would ever want to know about Brian Kinney. She would be forever thankful that she didn’t have a ‘best friend’ who had such a loose tongue. Poor Kinney. With a ‘friend’ like that in your corner, you’d never have any privacy.


As she typed, she thought about all the intimate details Michael Novotny had let slip about the target of her investigations. There was a lot there that wasn’t public knowledge. Like the fact that he had a son with a lesbian couple, one of whom he’d been friends with since college. That had surprised her since, on paper at least, Kinney didn’t seem the fatherly type. His public image was so brash and unapologetic. So ‘in your face’. But, based on everything she’d heard tonight, Kinney was a lot more vulnerable than he would ever let on to the world at large. 


Sitting back in her chair, Beks read over the paragraph she’d just written and frowned at her computer. There was a lot there that someone like Kacmar could use against Kinney. Family ties and children left you exposed. Those were the kinds of openings an unethical person could exploit. 


A person like Aleksi Kacmar.


Beks stared at her fucking computer screen for almost a half hour, reading the words she’d written over and over again, thinking about what it would mean for Kinney if that information got into the wrong hands. She thought about her own son. Noah was only a few years older than the child Novotny had told her about. She didn’t see him often, since the boy lived with her ex and her work kept her too busy to be a full-time mother, but that didn’t mean she didn’t care for him. It didn’t mean she wouldn’t do anything in her power to protect him. And, if he was threatened, she knew she would capitulate to whatever was asked of her in order to keep him safe. 


Beks didn’t know Brian Kinney. When she’d taken this assignment she hadn’t thought twice about the man Kacmar wanted her to investigate. She’d thought it was about a business deal; just money and power. She had no problem researching a businessman for a potential rival. That was all just part of doing business, right? But this was completely different. If she gave Kacmar this, the whole game would change. 


“Fuck it,” she murmured as she highlighted the paragraph and then intentionally pushed the ‘Delete’ key. “I’m not going there. I don’t care who the fuck Aleksi Kacmar is or what influence he has. I’m not that person.”


She’d give him all the other stuff. There was a ton of other information that Novotny had babbled on about. The names of Kinney’s other clients. The stuff he’d told her about Kinney’s finances. Where he liked to hang out. Even the embarrassing stuff about his sex life; from what little she’d already learned about Kinney, she didn’t think he’d give a fuck who knew about the trainload of guys he routinely fucked. Kacmar could have all of that. Maybe he’d be able to make use of it, and maybe not. Her conscience wouldn’t bother her for giving him that shit. 


Nobody needed to know about the kid.


When she’d finished typing up all her notes, she saved the document, got up from her desk, and turned off the lamp. Novotny had said he’d call her when he knew when and where Kinney and Taylor would be next. She’d wait to finish her report until after that encounter. That should be plenty good enough for Kacmar. She’d done enough for one day. 


It was still early enough that, if she left now, she’d have time to stop off and see Noah. 


 

 

End Notes:

5/12/22 - Awww! The bad guys are getting closer. Are you getting worried yet? We are! Now, we just have to figure out how to fix this for our boys... (Feel free to stop by the working doc and help us if you think you know a way out of this mess. Please and thank you!) TAG & Lorie.

Chapter 15 - An Open Arse by Tagsit
Author's Notes:

Who's ready for the good stuf? *wink* Enjoy! TAG & Lorie



Chapter 15 - An Open Arse.



By Friday night Brian had decided that enough was enough; he needed to know exactly what was going on. 


He had meant to confront his house guest on Thursday night, as soon as he got home from work, but that plan had been derailed by Gus. Brian couldn’t turn the little tyke away when he called and begged to be allowed to sleep over in his new room. Since the pre-school had the following Friday off, his moms agreed he could spend the night with his dad. So, being the big softie he was, he’d immediately agreed and he and Justin had rushed off to pick up the boy, take him to the Diner for food, and then spend a pleasurable evening together.


Come Friday, though, he no longer had any excuses. Justin had been staying with him for a full week by that point and Brian was still no wiser about what was going on. Something had to change and soon.


Brian had dropped Gus off at his mothers’ after breakfast and then hustled into the office. Ted informed his boss that there still wasn’t any response from Kacmar’s office and the criminal check hadn’t been finished yet either. Since neither had any other ideas how to proceed, Brian knew it was up to him. 


He spent the rest of the morning planning what he was going to say to Justin when he confronted him that afternoon. It was pretty clear, even from that one brief conversation that Brian had overheard, that the kid knew more than Brian did. Which wasn’t tough because Brian knew bupkis. Brian had also noticed the way Justin would constantly look around every time they would leave the house and how he tended to wear a ball cap and sunglasses to partially disguise himself. Whatever the young blond artist was hiding from had to be serious and Brian did not like not knowing what he was up against. If there was some kind of serious threat, he needed to understand it in order to protect himself. He needed to know what Justin knew. 


Brian left work early, too anxious to wait any longer. He made his way inside the firehouse as quietly as possible, trying not to alert his guest to his presence. His plan was to take Justin off guard so the little pretender didn’t have time to deflect or evade Brian’s questions. The house was almost silent when he padded up the stairs. Clearly his visitor hadn’t expected him home at that time of the day, which fit in with Brian’s plan perfectly. 


When Brian walked into the kitchen and saw Justin sitting at the kitchen bar facing away from him he spoke up right away, asking, “Hey, Justin! What do you want to order for dinner tonight?” 



Justin, who had been concentrating on a new sketch of Brian, didn’t even look up at the familiar voice greeting him. He’d skipped lunch, which meant he was definitely hungry. So, without even thinking about the fact that Brian had called him by his real name and had asked him a question in English, he just answered. 


“How about Chinese? I haven’t had . . .” 


Too late, Justin realized what he had done. He looked up to see Brian staring at him, eyebrows raised, and his expression unreadable. Swallowing hard, Justin got up from the table, unable to look away from the hazel eyes that seemed to be penetrating directly into his guilty conscience. When Brian didn’t say anything after several long minutes of mutual staring, Justin exhaled dejectedly, hung his head, and left to go pack. He knew he’d been found out and, judging by Brian’s expression, he probably wasn’t welcome any longer. 


When he got to his room Justin let the tears fall. He’d ruined everything. He’d been planning to confess to Brian, tell him everything, and beg his forgiveness, but just hadn’t found the right opportunity. Now it was too late. What had happened downstairs was definitely NOT how he’d wanted Brian to find out about the little deception he’d been practicing. Brian now knew he was a liar and it felt like it was too late to explain everything the way he’d have wanted to. Brian would never want anything to do with him again. The worst part was that he had started to have feelings for the man. So much for sticking around long enough to see if anything might come of the closeness that seemed to be developing between them.  


Justin pulled out the ratty backpack he’d been living out of for most of the past year and a half and began stuffing his clothing into it. His thoughts were whirling crazily. He needed to make some kind of plan, but had no idea what that would entail. He still had no money and nowhere to go. He couldn’t just go home - even assuming his father would welcome him back - or to Daphne’s without fear that he’d put the people he loved in danger. He didn’t know for sure if that Aleksi guy who’d called him was still pissed off about the stolen plane tickets but he didn’t want to risk it. It had only been a week and guys like Aleksi were known to hold a grudge for a lot longer than that. He needed to find somewhere to hide where Aleksi wouldn’t find him; someplace he could continue to lay low for a long while yet. 


The one good thing about Brian finding out, he supposed, was that by leaving the firehouse he’d be removing any threat to  Brian. And, by extension, to Gus. If the bad guys were still looking for him, it was better for all if he was a long way away from Brian and his son. He did not want to put Brian in danger because of what he’d done. So maybe leaving now was for the best even though it hurt to know he’d probably never see the kind, sexy, totally irresistible man or his adorable son ever again. 


Heading back downstairs, Justin saw Brian pacing the kitchen, smoking a cigarette and shaking his head. Without saying a word, he headed straight for the stairs that would take him down to the street and away from the man. He didn’t want to leave but there seemed no other alternative. Was it any wonder that he was dragging his feet, walking at about the same pace as his arthritic old grandfather on a cold winter morning?


It wasn’t until Justin reached the bottom of the stairs that Brian, who’d seemed caught up in his own thoughts, realized the blond was leaving. He moved quickly, practically leaping down the stairs after his retreating guest, and grabbed Justin’s arm. Justin let himself be spun around, assuming that Brian would be angry and probably wanted to yell at him a bit BEFORE officially kicking him out. 

 

“Where do you think you’re going?” Brian asked. 


Justin stammered, “I . . . I’m sorry, Brian. For everything . . . I’m going to go . . . I . . . I . . .” 


He wasn’t sure what to say or how to explain everything. He felt so fucking guilty for taking advantage of Brian’s generosity like he had. It was unforgivable. Where did he even start? But suddenly he realized that he owed it to Brian to at least warn him about Aleksi before he left. 


So, taking a deep breath and letting his backpack fall to the floor beside his well-worn sneakers, he started to tell Brian everything that had happened. 


“I’m sorry I wasn’t honest with you about who I am, Brian. My name is Justin - not ‘Youstin’ - which I guess you must already know . . .” He got a little distracted for a moment but then shook his head and endeavored to plow on. “As you can obviously tell, I’m American; from Pittsburgh even. I was only in Croatia because I got dumped by this guy I’d been traveling with and . . .” 


Justin spewed out the entire story, without pausing, barely stopping long enough to take a breath here and there. He confessed everything, from the moment he’d stolen the plane tickets until he got the angry phone call from a mysterious stranger who called himself Aleksi Kacmar and who threatened to get back at him for ‘fucking up his plans’. When Justin mentioned Aleksi’s name, Brian looked startled. He grabbed Justin by the shoulders and, after pulling him into the den and shoving him down onto one of the plush theater chairs there, Brian demanded that Justin tell him exactly how he knew Aleksi and what had been said in that phone call. 


“I don’t remember it word for word,” Justin admitted. “I was kinda freaked out and panicked. I just remember him saying that he’d seen me stealing the plane tickets from the woman - I think he called her Laura - and that had somehow fucked up his plans. Then he said that NOBODY fucks up his plans. He intimated that he had ‘people’ working in America and that they were going to find me and make me ‘pay’ . . .” 


Justin bit at his bottom lip and took a shaky breath, the mere thought of that phone call making him feel spooked all over again. Looking up into Brian Kinney’s warm, hazel eyes, he almost felt like crying again. Brian had barely moved the entire time Justin had been talking, just standing there, his arms crossed over his chest, his eyes hooded and his face a careful blank.


“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you then, Brian,” Justin continued. “I shouldn’t have lied to you like that. I just didn’t know what else to do or where to go. I was afraid to go to the police because I didn’t want to get in trouble for stealing the plane ticket. And then, when I told my friend Daphne about the call, she got me even more freaked out, talking about the slavic mafia and all. She warned me not to go to the police because you never knew who they’d corrupted and all . . . I guess I thought, maybe, I could hide out here for a while until this Aleksi guy had cooled off. But then, when I realized that by staying here I might be putting you in danger too, I didn’t know what to do. I wanted to tell you everything but it felt like it was too late, and . . .” Justin’s voice faded off into nothing as his confession sputtered to an end.


Once he had finished telling Brian everything, Justin waited as patiently as he could to find out what his punishment would be. He thoroughly expected to be screamed at, accused of all manner of crimes and offenses, and then thrown out on his ass. But Brian merely paced around the room for a minute or two, hands nervously threading through the baby-fine chestnut tresses, his face screwed up in thought.


Justin was about ready to give up, go retrieve his backpack and make his escape, when he got the shock of his life. Instead of yelling at him or throwing him out, Brian pulled the backpack out of Justin’s hand, tossed it aside again, and pulled the smaller man into a crushing hug. 


“You’re not going anywhere, Justin. You’re going to stay right here where you’ll be safe and we are going to figure out what the fuck is going on. I’m not sure myself what, exactly, he wants, but it’s pretty clear that we’re BOTH somehow caught up in Aleksi’s plans,” Brian insisted, sitting down in the chair that Justin had only recently vacated and pulling the blond down so Justin was perched on his lap. “Aleksi Kacmar is the client who hired me to do the US marketing for his eastern European resorts. He’s the one who attempted to send me a fucking ‘mail order bride’, which is why Ted and I were there at the airport to meet you; we thought you were sent by Kacmar. I wasn’t sure what the mix up between sending a woman and a man was all about, but I thought you must be in on whatever Aleksi had planned, which is why I didn’t let on that I knew you were American and spoke English.” Brian looked slightly sheepish as he confessed, “It looks like I owe you just as much of an apology as you’ve given me. I knew who you were almost from the beginning, Justin. I overheard you talking on the phone to your friend the first day you were here. I wanted to try and get information out of you about what Aleksi was up to before I let on what I knew, so I didn’t say anything.”


That caused Justin to snort with laughter. “So, we were both being too sneaky for our own good? Is that what you’re saying?”


“So it seems,” Brian admitted. Then he gave the slender young man sitting on his lap a teasing squeeze and added, “although, it was amusing, spending the whole week teasing you when I knew you couldn’t fight back.”


Justin gave Brian a backhanded slap to the chest and muttered, “fucker!” in an affectionate tone that took all the sting out of the word.


“Not yet, I’m not,” Brian answered while taking advantage of the moment to pull Justin around so the other man was more comfortably straddling his lap. “I didn’t think it was wise to be fucking someone who might be an international conman casing out my home and setting me up for the Croatian mafia.”


“You thought I was part of the mafia?” That had Justin giggling like a nutcase. “Actually, I kinda like that. Only, I wouldn’t be part of the mob. I’d be an independent operator. ‘Justin Taylor, International Man Of Mystery’! I could be, like, a blond Ocean’s 11-type George Clooney, using my hot twink body to lure rich men everywhere into my web of crime and then disappearing with all their money before the cops show up.”


That got Brian laughing too, and they both chuckled along together at the absurd image, until Justin let himself lean forward and ended their laughter with a deep, relieved kiss. Brian was more than happy to kiss back. All the tension that had been building up between them all week was suddenly gone. That little niggling seed of doubt that had held him back from really enjoying his teasing fun with Justin had disappeared. He let himself be kissed by the younger man and, for the first time, he enjoyed it completely without any shade of worry that he shouldn’t let himself go. 


Justin, likewise, felt much freer. Now that he wasn’t pretending to be someone he wasn’t, and his conscience was finally clear, he was a lot less restrained. He took charge of this kiss, demanding entrance to Brian’s mouth with his tongue, nipping and nibbling and devouring the other man’s mouth without abatement. Somehow, in the midst of the kissing, Brian’s fingers had snaked up under the hem of his shirt and, before he knew it, they had to break off the kiss long enough to remove the material. While they were stopped, Justin thought it advisable to do the same to Brian so that, when they did get back to the kissing, they wouldn’t be interrupted again. A second later Brian was also naked from the waist up, which was certainly preferable, because kissing always felt better when there was a lot of warm skin available to touch at the same time.


When they finally separated to get some much needed air into their lungs, Brian cocked his head to the side and asked, “did you hear something?”


Justin, who was too focused on getting back to Brian’s lips, replied with a sunshine smile, “only hot moans and all my blood rushing south.” 

 

Which must have been the right answer because Brian returned his attention to the way Justin was biting at his bottom lip, a task that kept them both occupied for a long time thereafter. 


Just about the time when the kissing seemed like it would be moving on to something better, Brian pushed him away slightly. Justin whimpered a little. He really didn’t want to stop just when it felt like things were finally resolved. Happily, he soon realized that Brian’s intent wasn’t to stop, but rather to move them to a more comfortable venue. 


“You know, I always did want to fuck George Clooney,” Brian announced, shifting his weight and gripping Justin tighter so that he could stand up with the blond still held tightly in his arms. “But I suppose I’ll settle for ‘Justin Taylor, International Man Of Mystery’ this time, Sunshine.”


Justin laughed, blushing at Brian’s teasing tone, and wrapped his legs around Brian’s waist. “I’ve been meaning to ask, why do you call me ‘Sunshine’?” 


“Because of that amazing smile that lights up everything,” Brian answered, biting his bottom lip when the uncharacteristic confession just came out without him even thinking about it. 


Justin - who apparently didn’t mind the lesbionic sentiment - looped his arms around Brian’s neck and smiled even brighter than before. “Does this mean that, now that everything's out in the open, we can dispense with the teasing and going to bed with blue-balls, and finally get to the good stuff?” 


Brian responded with a growl, leaning in to claim Justin’s lips yet again, grabbing the blond’s hair as he crashed their mouths together in a punishing kiss. Justin got a little lost in that kiss, but when he did finally resurface enough to look around, he found that they were in the elevator on the way up to the main floor, his thighs still wrapped firmly around Brian’s waist so that they didn’t have to stop kissing for even a second as Brian carried him from the lift back to the bedroom. Fuck he loved this side of Brian. Being totally manhandled had always been kind of a thing for him; strong men did it for him every time. Brian certainly fit the bill nicely.



When they reached the bedroom, Brian peeled the blond’s arms from around his neck and dropped the lithe little body in the middle of his mattress. Then, for several long moments, he just stood there, towering over Justin, as if contemplating his next step. The hungry look in those gorgeous hazel eyes made Justin shudder. He wanted this so badly he could barely contain himself. 


But, after another full minute or so, when Justin decided Brian was taking way too much time to get started on the fucking, he decided it was time to take matters into his own hands. Looking up from under his long blond lashes, he caught the gaze of the gorgeous hazel eyes, and held onto that connection as he reached out and started to slowly undo the fly of Brian’s dress slacks. Brian rumbled an approving noise in the back of his throat that made Justin’s cock jump in his own pants. He sped up his motions and managed to get Brian’s fly opened in no time. Justin then used his hold on Brian’s sagging pants to pull the man down on top of him, allowing him to reach the smooth planes of his lover’s chest. Meanwhile, using his nimble toes to complete the removal of the annoying pants, Justin rededicated his mouth to Brian’s upper body, nipping and licking the bronze chest, and moaning as he ran his hands all over the acres of Brian’s uncovered skin. 


They had each done so much mutual teasing over the past week that it almost seemed like they couldn’t decide where to start. Brian’s hands seemed to be grappling at Justin’s skin almost frantically. When his hands finally made their way down far enough to encounter the material of Justin’s jeans, he literally growled. Pushing himself back up to his knees, he opened the buttons on the blond’s jeans, bending down to inhale the manly scent of the sumptuous youth he was finally going to have his way with. Then he viciously tore the younger man’s pants off, almost flipping Justin over as pulled his legs up and yanked at the offending garment. Not that Justin cared when, ten seconds later, Brian was licking a bead of precum from the tip of his cock and pulling delicious moans out of him.


“As a rule, I don’t usually give blowjobs, Sunshine,” Brian declared, smiling up at him from between his thighs. “But I’m definitely going to make an exception with you. I’ve been waiting all week to get a taste of that cock that you’ve been teasing me with since you got here.” 


Justin couldn’t remember how to form words so he simply moaned his assent. Brian reached for the dark pink cock that was standing there waving at him. Licking his lips, he covered his teeth and dove down to envelope the pretty pink prick that he had waited much too long to taste. Soon enough, loud moaning was coming from both men; Brian because he was enjoying what he had been waiting to taste, and Justin because he felt like he was turning inside out from the pleasure he was receiving. 



Brian found himself having a surprising reaction to the blowjob he was giving Justin. Usually, when he was with a trick, he was much more reserved. He wasn’t the type to volunteer a BJ, let alone to get off on it while he was in the act. But this time, without even realizing it, he had started rubbing himself on the lightly furred leg of the blond and, when Justin tapped Brian on the head to warn him that he should pull off if he didn’t want a mouthful of cum, the more experienced man seemed almost as far gone as Justin. Ignoring Justin’s warning, Brian sucked harder on the cock in his mouth, and rubbed his own cock harder on the blond’s leg. With shouts and heavy moans both men exploded; Justin filling Brian’s mouth and Brian shooting all over Justin’s leg. 


Brian managed enough strength to move up beside the blond and then they collapsed together on the pillow. “As soon as I recuperate from that, I’m going to fuck you,” Brian declared matter-of-factly. 


“Good, because even though I’m a top, I don’t think I have the strength to fuck you right now,” Justin replied. 


“I don’t bottom, so it’s just as well,” Brian answered. 


“We’ll see about that,” Justin said, just as conclusively, before rolling against the hard bronze chest and settling his head down over Brian’s heart to take a quick nap. 


Normally Brian would have shut down that line of discussion without any hesitation. He had surprised himself when he’d actually considered the idea, even if it had only been for a fraction of a second. This blond apparently did something unexplained to him. Brian Kinney, the Stud of Liberty Avenue, would never bottom for some annoying little blond twink. But, for a minute there, the idea had actually had some appeal. And it wasn’t like the kid’s cock was at all lacking in any respect. It actually might not be too bad . . . 


Before he could let his mind drift down that dangerous path, Brian told himself not to be an idiot, erased the thoughts from his brain, then he wrapped his arm around the blond and joined him in his nap. 


An hour later, Justin woke up and, finding a still slumbering Brian, apparently decided he was now ready to get fucked. Justin licked his lips then ducked his head under the covers and shimmied his body down to locate the equipment he most wanted to become acquainted with. Brian woke up soon thereafter to the wonderful feeling of his cock being expertly licked and sucked to attention by his blond bedmate. 


Brian threw back the covers and, reaching down to run his fingers through the golden locks, caused Justin to look up. Their eyes met; the cornflower blue meeting the beautiful hazel. Tightening his fist in the blond hair, Brian lightly tugged on the thick tresses and used his leverage to pull the slim youth up towards him. Justin let go of the huge cock he’d been worshiping and slithered up to kiss the raspberry lips of his host. As they kissed, Brian reached for the necessary supplies waiting on the nearby nightstand. Then, rolling Justin on his back, Brian positioned himself between the pale legs, running his hands along the back of Justin’s thighs. 


“Please go slow, Brian. I almost never bottom,” Justin pleaded quietly. 


“I promise, Sunshine. I’ll be very careful,” Brian replied, carefully warming the lube on his fingers before slowly reaching down to stretch the blond wide enough to take his cock. 


Once Justin was as open as Brian could make him, he slipped on a condom and covered it in lube. Positioning both himself and Justin carefully, he looked into the trusting blue eyes he could easily drown in, leaning down to kiss the blond as he slowly entered him. Justin grimaced at the first slight pinch, but the smile that followed proved the sensation had immediately turned to pleasure. He was soon trying to pull Brian into himself. 


Once he was all the way inside, Brian stilled momentarily before slowly starting to rock his hips, trying to get Justin used to the feeling. Judging by the vice-tight grip around his cock, he believed the kid’s assertion that he rarely bottomed. It felt exquisite to Brian, who tried to squelch the ensuing groan of pleasure so it wasn’t too obvious that he was barely able to hold back his own mounting pleasure. When he pushed against the blond’s sweet spot, and Justin bucked up begging for more, Brian almost lost it. The kid was so fucking responsive. So vocal. Brian caught himself moaning along nearly as loudly. 


They quickly got into a rhythm and were fucking like rabbits in heat. Brian was almost disappointed how fast his orgasm hit him. There was no slow build up. He never experienced that moment of struggle when he felt he had to chase after his pleasure. It was all just THERE, washing over him in a rush, before he even knew to expect it. It didn’t matter that he’d already come just a short while before. The minute his dick was inside Justin, it was as if he was lost to the tidal wave of sensations that hit him. Brian barely had time to suck in a deep breath before he felt the rush of liquid fire flowing through every synapse of his body, burning white hot and icy cool all at once, until he convulsed in pleasure. Then, all too soon, Brian found himself sad that this first, phenomenal fuck was coming to an end. 


Brian, who was slightly embarrassed that he’d lost control and cum first, politely reached for Justin’s cock to bring him off, but the blond pushed his hand away, “I don’t need it, Brian. Just don’t stop. You’re going to fuck the cum out of me,” he said, writhing with Brian for a few last strokes before he shouted his release, decorating Brian’s chest with thick ropes of viscous white. 


“I certainly hope you’re not planning on kicking me out of your bed now that we’ve fucked, because I really don’t want to give up that cock anytime soon,” Justin stated honestly with a cheeky grin. 


Brian answered just as honestly, “I don’t have plans to give up that ass any time soon, Sunshine.”


And then they fell asleep again, a tangle of arms and legs and stickiness, both feeling like they could finally relax after a week of tension. 


 

 

End Notes:

5/16/22 - Oh, yeah! Finally! Did you like this chapter? If so, please let us know. We love writing the sex scenes!!! Lorie gets most of the credit for writing the Big Reveal Sex scene - please show her some love. Now, on to resolving the plot... So much good stuff is still to come! TAG & Lorie.

Chapter 16 - Clean Enough To Spit Upon by Tagsit
Author's Notes:

We think you're gonna like this one... Enjoy! Lorie & TAG



Chapter 16 - Clean Enough To Spit Upon.



The rest of Friday night and a good portion of Saturday morning passed by in a blur of pleasure. 


They had napped for a little while after Brian fucked Justin for the first time Friday night and then they’d taken their act to the shower. After Brian fucked him a second time in his luxurious, party-sized shower, they’d gone back to bed and slept some more. Some time in the middle of the night they’d mixed it up with a round of 69 before passing out again for several hours, only to wake up late on Saturday with Brian’s morning wood knocking once more at Justin’s back door. So, after that, it made sense that they’d have to take another shower, right?



Standing under the huge triple showerheads and letting the hot water soak away the soreness from an ass that wasn’t used to that much activity, Justin moaned appreciatively. Brian seemed to think this was the signal to begin soaping up the smaller man’s body from toe to head with his Dior ‘Sauvage Shower Wash’. Of course, there were enough kisses interspersed between the washing that the subject of all that cleanliness almost forgot about the twinges in his ass and the fact that he hadn’t had breakfast yet. He was instantly ready to beg for round . . . Whatever. He’d lost count. 


When Justin thought it was about time to move on from the kissing and soaping to something more serious though, Brian spun him around and asked, “Who else here knows that you’re American and speak English?” 


Justin, who was momentarily confused by the abrupt change of pace, answered, “just my friend, Daphne. Well, my parents, too, I suppose, although they don’t know I’m back yet.” This time it was Brian who looked confused, so Justin explained further. “I told you last night that I was from Pittsburgh, remember? I grew up in Edgeworth and my family still lives there. They’d obviously recognize me if they saw me, of course, but I never spent much time around Liberty Avenue. I wasn’t really ‘out’ before I left for college - and my father doesn’t approve of my ‘lifestyle choice’ - so I was on the down-low back then. I doubt anyone in this area would know who I was. And nobody besides Daph even knows I’m back from Europe,” Justin elaborated. 


“Well, Ted knows too. He’s been trying to help me figure out what it is that Aleksi is scheming,” Brian declared, rubbing at his chin in a thoughtful way. “But we haven’t told anyone else about you, and I think we need to keep it that way. Not only because it’ll keep you safer - hopefully, anyone he has looking for you is looking for a blond who speaks English - but also because we don’t want to tip our hand yet . . .” 


“What do you mean, tip our hand?” Justin questioned, sounding doubtful. 


“Well, the way I see it, Sunshine,” Brian answered while continuing to swirl the body wash around so as to soap up every single inch of the younger man’s pale ivory skin, “we still don’t know what Aleksi is up to. I was counting on you either being part of Aleksi’s plot or at least having more information than you do. But, since you’re as much in the dark as I am, I’m concerned about giving too much away. Kacmar is obviously up to something nefarious, and it appears his plans involve Kinnetik in some way, which fucking pisses me off. There’s no fucking way I’m giving him any more ammo to use against us. No. Until we figure out what he’s up to - and how to stop him - we need to play our hand close to the chest.” 


At the word ‘chest’, Brian’s hand drifted up to tug at the small gold hoop that pierced Justin’s right nipple. After all the stimulation from the last twelve hours, every single part of Justin was so fucking sensitive that he felt like a live wire. It was no wonder, then, that a simple thing like tweaking his nipple caused such an immediate response to his cock. There seemed to be a direct line between the two erogenous zones that morning. Justin groaned as his cock obeyed the signals and started to swell so fast that he almost felt dizzy as the blood rushed south. 


Mr. Kinney, fully aware of just how much control he had over the situation, smirked evilly down at his shower companion. Justin groaned again because he knew what that look meant. He might have only known Brian for a week, but he’d already learned that the man was nothing if not creative. And evil. But in a creative and thoroughly sexy way. So it wasn’t much of a surprise when Brian reached over to the left-hand wall where a series of brushed aluminum shower caddies climbed up the tiles between two sturdy metal shower security bars that were anchored to the wall. The bottom caddie, which was bigger than the rest, had a lid that Brian flipped open to reveal a mini shower toy box full of interesting items. Stirring the contents around for a few seconds, Brian found what he’d been looking for and pulled out a sleek silicone cock ring with what looked like a built-in vibration mechanism. Justin groaned again. 



“I don’t know, Brian,” he had to admit. “I’m not sure my ass can . . .”


“I know you said you don’t usually bottom, Sunshine, but you’ve done so well,” Brian purred, his smooth voice barely audible over the sound of the shower. “And I know you’ve got at least one more round in you.”


Justin looked longingly down at the toy, which Brian switched on right then with a confident grin. 


“I promise, I’ll take good care of you, Sunshine. I know your ass is probably a little on the tender side after last night but, trust me, I’ll make it so good for you that you won’t care.”


Between the sight of the little buzzing toy and the twinkle of arousal in Brian’s eyes, Justin pretty much forgot he’d ever had any objection. By the time Brian leaned down to kiss him again, he was energetically on board with whatever Brian’s plans for the intriguing toy might be. After that they both got caught up in the deep, demanding kissing for the next several, long minutes. Finally, though, Brian paused long enough to pull a condom out of his toy box as well, deftly unrolling it along the length of his hot hard nine inches, before sliding the cock ring on as well. Justin felt himself drooling at the sight of Brian’s meaty dick swelling even larger after the silicon band started to constrict his blood flow for a few seconds. Of course, that brought back the niggling worry he’d had before about his already well-used ass and his resolve faltered for a moment. 


“Shhhh. I’ve got you, Sunshine. I promise,” Brian whispered, depositing one last kiss before reaching across the blond boy’s body, grabbing his left shoulder in a firm grip, and then forcefully spinning Justin around to face the tiles between the two perfectly placed handholds. “Hang on. It might get a little bumpy here.”


Justin laughed in spite of himself at the corny pun. He took Brian’s advice though and grasped one handle with each hand. Then, still a little worried, he tried to make himself relax as he heard the snick of a lube bottle and felt Brian’s body moving closer. A second later he felt the man’s long, sure fingers gently prodding at his hole. But, despite expecting to feel a certain amount of pain, all he felt was a soothing coolness that actually helped a ton.


“I told you. I’ll take care of you, Sunshine,” Brian cooed and applied more of whatever slippery substance he was using to lube Justin up.


“What is that stuff?” He looked over his shoulder and saw Brian put the small bottle of lube back into one of the shower caddies. “BioNude? Never heard of it.”


“It’s the best. But I only break it out for special customers and amazingly hot little blond boys with super-sensitive asses,” he teased, adding another slick finger to thoroughly spread the healing lotion around. “And, now that I’ve taken care of that item, it’s time to take care of business.”


Justin was glad that he’d still been holding onto the secure shower security bars when, a second later, Brian’s massively swollen cock pushed against him, demanding admittance to his most-intimate entrance. Thanks to Brian’s magical lube, though, he only felt the usual familiar pinch. He loved the way the lube stayed cool even as Brian’s hot flesh filled him; the contrast was invigorating. It gave Justin something to think about other than how enormous Brian’s dick felt as he slowly pushed deeper and deeper inside until, finally, when he didn’t think he could possibly take any more, he felt Brian’s balls snug up against the tender skin of his perineum. 


Then they both just paused for a minute or two. Justin breathing deeply as he struggled to relax his body around the intrusion and Brian slowly running his hands up and down the slender flanks to calm his skittish partner. When Justin managed to unclench his muscles, allowing Brian a little more leeway to move, the big brunet leaned his head down to nibble up the pale column of Justin’s neck.


“Now, just relax and let me take you where you’ve never gone before,” Brian whispered, the buzz of the words matched a second later by a very noticeable buzz down below as Brian switched the vibration mechanism in the cock ring on. 


“Oh . . . Fuck!” was all Justin could say as the joint stimulation of Brian slowly pulling out while tilting his hips so that his balls continued to hold the vibrator in place against Justin’s sweet spot. 


It was all too much and somehow Justin still couldn't get enough of it. Brian was everywhere at once; wrapped around him, kissing his neck and shoulders, one big hand reaching around to pull at Justin’s nipple ring while the other pushed and pulled at Justin’s hips, and also inside him, filling him up to the point he felt like he was about to burst. And, with the constant stream of filthy suggestions, Brian was even in Justin’s head, the words almost more stimulating in a way than the touching or the vibrating or the fucking. But all of these combined meant that Justin’s senses were on overload from the very beginning and the mounting arousal just seemed to swell within him like the swelling of Brian’s cock in his ass as they both got closer and closer to nirvana. 


When he felt like he couldn’t take any more, Justin tilted his face up, letting the warm pattering water streaming down on him from the shower head above, sluice over him. He let his head drop back till it was cradled on Brian’s shoulder. He didn’t think he remembered how to stand. The only thing still holding him up was his grasp on the handlebars in front of him and the constant pumping of Brian’s dick from behind, stroking in and out. 


“Brian. Brian. Brian . . .” Someone was chanting so loudly that the name echoed off the tiles around him, amplifying the sound until it appeared that there was an entire chorus in the shower with them. 


“That’s it, Sunshine. Fuck, yeah. Your ass is so fucking perfect. I could do this forever. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.” 


The chorus of curses joined the one’s repeating Brian’s name but neither of the men really noticed any longer. Brian began to pummel into Justin’s ass even harder. With the warm water pelting at his face and the cooling lube surrounding Brian’s hot, vibrating cock in his ass, Justin’s body was getting too many conflicting signals. He started to shiver, maybe from the temperature fluctuations or maybe from the pleasure, he didn’t know which. Each time Brian slid inside, the vibrator in the cock ring pressed insistently against Justin’s perineum with a jolt of pleasure. Eventually all those little jolts coalesced into an unending stream of electrical impulses that slowly crescendoed until the fire inside him seemed to finally burn away the coolness of the magical lube. After which, all Justin could feel was a white hot blaze of passion that arced through all his synapses until his whole body was seizing with wave after wave of pleasure. 


“Brian!” his last repetition of the name came out in a shout of pure joy at the same time his cum erupted against the tile wall in sigils of erotic white.


“Justin!” Brian replied a moment later and he sank into the convulsing ass one last time, finding his own orgasmic ending.


Justin, meanwhile, held on to those security handles, unable to focus on doing anything else. He resisted weakly when someone’s hands began to pry his cramping fingers away from the metal. But then, a minute later, when he felt strong arms lifting him up and carrying him back to the safety of Brian’s bed, he sighed. Brian was keeping up his end of the promise and taking care of him. That was all he needed to know. He let that thought soothe him as he drifted off to sleep again, secure and warm and happier than he’d ever thought possible. 


As he drifted off to sleep he heard Brian softly whisper, “I only fuck one blond boy.” 



Beks saw the name that came up on her caller ID and groaned. She’d been putting off Aleksi for several days, not returning his emails, and knew that she was going to have to take this call now. She also knew it wasn’t going to be a pleasant conversation.


She hit the ‘accept’ button on the phone and answered, “Beks.”


“So, you remember how to answer phone, huh?” the angry male voice on the other end sneered.


“Mr. Kacmar. What can I do for you?” she replied, not taking the bait.


“You can answer my fucking emails. Not make me waste my time calling you on the jebeni phone,” Aleksi growled. “I know you - how you say - blow me off. And you know what happens to people who waste my time.”


“Sorry, Mr. Kacmar,” Beks rushed to placate the man because, yes, she did indeed know what he could do to her, even for something as relatively minor as not answering his emails. “But I haven’t been blowing you off. I’ve been working on your case. And I think I might have found Justin Taylor for you. I was just holding off sending a report until I’d confirmed it.” 


Beks hadn’t wanted to tell Kacmar about the Taylor kid until she was sure about her information. Her source, Michael Novotny, had proven remarkably reliable so far, at least as to the stuff about Kinney that she’d been able to confirm with outside parties, but there was something kinda skeevy about him. Bottom line, she didn’t trust the guy. All that being said, he had recognized the picture of Taylor and seemed enthusiastic to get the guy away from his ‘Best Friend’. She’d just gotten a call from Novotny about an hour previously, letting her know that Kinney and Taylor were meeting Michael later that evening, and inviting her to come see for herself if the guy who was staying with Kinney was the one she’d been looking for. 


“I’m meeting a source later tonight,” she advised her impatient client. “I should have more to report then.” 


“You found the little pederu? Excellent!” Aleksi sounded pleased. “That is very good news. Very good! My people here in Split have been doing investigation too. Taylor is not a good boy. We found his last boyfriend - some rich vilinski djecak - who is not happy with the blond boy. Gunter say the fucking lopov stole from him too. He was happy to prosuti about the little pederu and his wealthy American father who is also not happy about his son’s choice of lovers. Now, if you say true, and Taylor is there with Kinney, we may be able to use this.” 


Kacmar fell silent for a bit, and Beks waited, already dreading what the creep might say next. 


“Yes. I think this work very well. We can use this,” Aleksi continued. “Since Kinney is pederu too, and refuse my offer of bride, we will have to offer him husband instead. You find me Taylor and make sure he is with Kinney. Then I will make Taylor offer. He will take Laura’s place and Aleksi’s plan will work even better. And if the pederu not cooperate, then we make sure to let his father know all about son’s many, many boyfriends all across Europe. Yes. This will work just fine. We have kompromat. Taylor has been a very bad boy, which is good for us, because it means he can be broken.” 


“Again, I need to remind you that, hypothetically speaking, if a client were to reveal to their American attorney an intention to commit a crime - say the crime of extortion or something similar - that would not be covered by the Attorney-Client privilege and the attorney could be compelled to testify against the client if their crimes were discovered. So, please, you have to stop with these jokes about Taylor,” Beks warned, getting a queasy feeling in the pit of her stomach at the obvious insinuations Kacmar was making. No way was she going down for Kacmar. And, if law enforcement was watching him - something not at all outside the realm of possibility - they would surely be watching her too. “In the meantime, Mr. Kacmar, I promise to get back to you as soon as I know something for sure about Taylor.” 


“Dobro! Is good!” Aleksi sounded much more pleased than he had when they’d started the conversation. “I start working on the Taylor pederu on my end also.” Then he ended with another barely veiled threat, adding, “do not fuck this up, Beks!” before ending the call.


Beks lowered the phone from her ear, her hand shaking slightly, so that the device almost slipped from her grip. “What the fuck am I doing?” she asked herself in a quiet voice. “Whatever it is he’s planning . . . Damn it. I don’t want to be part of whatever it is Kacmar is thinking up for the Taylor kid. But how the fuck am I going to get out of this shit . . .”


Unfortunately, she didn’t have long to sit and contemplate how, exactly, she was going to dig herself out of the mess she was in. Her phone alarm went off just a few minutes later, notifying her that it was time to go meet Novotny at the Liberty Diner. She would have preferred doing literally anything other than working on Kacmar’s investigation but she didn’t think she had a choice at this point. Somehow, though, she really needed to make a plan for how she was going to back away from her association with Aleksi Kacmar and his Croatian mafia friends. 


When she arrived at the Liberty Diner a few minutes later, Beks found Michael already waiting for her outside. He was sneakily peering in the window and had a nasty scowl on his face. That did not bode well, Beks thought to herself.


When Michael saw Beks approaching he didn’t bother with any type of polite greeting, merely commenting, “about time you got here. That sneaky fuck is hanging all over Brian like he owns him. It’s disgusting. And he’s doing it right in front of Brian’s kid too.” 


Beks looked in the window over Novotny’s shoulder and saw Kinney, Taylor, and Kinney’s son sitting together at a table with two women. She didn’t recognize the blonde one who looked like she was flirting with Kinney. But then her face dropped as soon as she noticed that the second woman was someone she did know. 


Beks hasn’t seen Melanie Marcus since graduating from law school, but it was impossible not to recognize her one time fling. They’d stayed friends afterwards, and run into each other at various Bar events and CLEs, but hadn’t spoken in quite a few years. She’d recognize that beautiful brunette hair and those kissable lips anywhere, though. 


Turning to Michael, trying to get whatever information from him she could, Beks innocently asked, “who are the women at the table with Kinney?” 


“Oh, them? Those are Gus’ mothers, Lindsay Peterson and Melanie Marcus. Brian donated sperm to Lindsay so they could have a kid. Melanie doesn’t like Brian. Although, personally, I just think Mel is jealous because everyone knows Lindsay would leave her in a minute if Brian were to switch teams,” Michael snarkily answered. “Too bad for her he doesn’t go for pussy. Or blonds.”

 

Beks noted the adoring way Brian was looking at Justin and decided that Michael was very likely delusional. Brian was eyeing at least one blond like he couldn’t wait to get him alone. Michael, however, continued on about Justin and how they needed to protect Brian from the ‘gold-digging whore’. Like she’d thought; delusional. 


Beks wasn’t sure exactly how to go about things from then on. One thing she did know was that she couldn’t just walk into the Diner with Michael without being immediately recognized. She needed to talk to Melanie. Privately. Beks was keenly aware that, even though Michael said Mel didn’t like Kinney, she would answer honestly about him if she was asked. Mel was scrupulously honest, even with people she didn’t particularly care for. Mel wouldn’t let her ‘jealousy’ - if that’s what it was - get in the way of the truth, no matter what. And right then, Beks desperately needed to talk to someone who would give her some real answers. Which clearly wasn’t the obviously biased and slightly creepy Michael Novotny.


“Well, that’s him, right? That’s the kid you were looking for? The one you said was a ‘danger’ to Brian? So, now what? Can your client help us get rid of the little shitstain so Brian will finally be free of him?” Novotny pressed.


“I’m not sure what you mean by ‘get rid of him’,” Beks replied, trying to keep her words neutral but increasingly uncomfortable with Novotny’s angry vitriol. “You do realize that you’re suggesting something that might result in Taylor being injured or detained. It might not be pretty.”


“I don’t care. I don’t give a flying fuck what you do to that freeloader as long as he’s removed from Brian’s life. Permanently,” Michael replied without even pausing a second think about his words.

 

Beks groaned inwardly. Why the fuck was she even contemplating working with a little toad like Michael Novotny. Her every instinct told her to squash the horrid little man under the heel of her boot, not work with him to bring down that happy family she saw eating dinner together inside the Diner. And now that she knew Mel was part of that family, she was even more reluctant to do Novotny or Kacmar’s bidding. If only she could figure a way out of this whole shit show; one which wouldn’t put her own family - and her son - in the same risky position as Kinney’s family already was.


“Mr. Novotny,” she interrupted the man’s ongoing screed against Taylor, which she hadn’t been listening to anyway. “We need to go somewhere else and talk about what happens next. We can’t be seen speaking out here in the open where we risk being overheard. Besides, there are far too many people in the Diner who might recognize either you or me. I propose we return to my office where we can discuss this further . . .”


Thankfully, that got Novotny to shut the fuck up. Like an over-eager puppy, he trotted along at her heels as she led him away from the Liberty Diner. She could use the walk to think up some way to get rid of Novotny and then, hopefully, she’d figure out a way to approach Mel to get the real answers she needed.



 

End Notes:

5/22/21 - It’s time for all our plottiness to come together! Watch us plot! Never fear, though, now that we’ve got the boys together, we plan to intersperse a LOT more sexy fun times amidst the plot stuff. So, yeah, the rest of the story is going to be pretty much sex scenes alternating with mafia stuff. And you know how TAG tends to get carried away on those sex scenes. That’s good with y’all, right? LOL. Hope you enjoyed this one. TAG & Lorie.

 

Croatian words: 

 

Jebeni - Fucking

Pederu - Faggot

Lopov - Thief

Prosuti  - spill Vilinski Djecak - Fairy Boy


Chapter 17 - In Nothing Else So Happy by Tagsit
Author's Notes:

Hang on to your hats, things are getting spicy. Lorie & TAG



Chapter 17 - In Nothing Else So Happy.



Brian was sitting at his desk on Monday morning, reminiscing about the weekend he’d just had with Gus and Justin. He couldn’t get the smile off his face. Okay, so maybe it hadn’t been one of Brian’s typical weekends full of drinking, drugs, and dick, where Brian would fill his nights with various nameless tricks and faceless orgasms, but he supposed there was something to be said for a touch of domesticity every once in a while too. Which isn’t to say Brian hadn’t had enough sex, because his very own ray of Blond Sunshine had certainly taken care of that part of his weekend. Hence the smile. 


After a two day marathon of sex, Brian and Justin had met the girls at the Diner on Sunday evening where he’d been talked into taking his son for an after-dinner adventure. Gus had been very pleased when they got to the Jeep and he found out that Justin had kept his promise and confessed to Brian that he could speak English. Gus had jumped out of his car seat and wrapped both men in a spontaneous hug, so excited that he didn’t have to keep any secrets anymore. To celebrate, the three of them had gone to a little petting zoo, where Brian had offered to let Justin and Gus play while he stood outside and took pictures. It had been a ridiculously family-oriented affair, and normally Brian would have balked at that much time acting like a fine upstanding parental figure, but the pictures he’d taken of Gus petting a very affectionate goat while said goat tried to eat Justin’s hair were too fucking adorable for words. How could he object to anything that made smiles like that appear on his son’s face?


After dropping Gus off at home - and again swearing him to secrecy so he wouldn’t reveal Justin’s secret to anyone else yet - the blond teased Brian all the way home about not wanting to go in with the animals. Brian promised the brat that he’d regret all the teasing, but Justin had simply smiled even more. By the time they arrived back at the firehouse Brian was very glad that he had not given in and agreed to Gus staying the night with them. He and Justin had another energetic night and he had his revenge for all the teasing at least five times over.


So why shouldn’t he be sitting there smiling as he replayed those memories? He’d fucking smile if he wanted to. Fuck it all. 


Brian was glad he didn’t have any meetings that morning, though. Because, when his thoughts repeatedly kept drifting to the parts of the weekend that had involved the blond whirlwind in his bed, he realized he wasn’t going to get any real work done. But he was the boss and there wasn’t anyone who could complain when he took an extra long morning break to go into his bathroom and take care of the problems all that smiling had raised. It was either that or let his unstoppable thoughts have free rein, come in his pants like a lovesick teenager, and then have to make an unscheduled trip home to get another pair of slacks. 


Safely locked in his private, soundproof bathroom, Brian suddenly remembered the week before when he’d taken Justin with him to the backroom at Babylon. He could have used his boy’s talented mouth again right then. The memory of the way the younger man had blown him, edging him to distraction in front of all those other people, made Brian even harder. It really didn’t take much for him to get off after that. 


Unfortunately, it really seemed that once was not going to be enough for him that morning. 


The memory of their Babylon escapades had also brought to mind the prior week’s unending teasing while they were both pretending they didn’t know Justin’s secret. He wasn’t sure what it was about this kid; he didn’t remember ever reacting that way to any other guy. But he totally got off on teasing and joking and playing around with Justin in a way he’d never even contemplated with any previous fuck. 


Brian normally took a much more serious approach to fucking. Finding the right trick, tracking him down, and then pursuing him until Brian had succeeded in his conquest, was almost an art form in his capable hands. Sex with Justin, however, wasn’t just hot and sexy and orgasmic, it was fun! They laughed and joked in bed. They goofed around like kids. And, for some incomprehensible reason, that made the fucking somehow better. 


Brian didn’t understand it but he couldn’t deny that he liked it. A lot. And he simply couldn’t stop thinking about the blond and all the teasing that had led up to the past weekend. All those times that Justin had tempted him on purpose with his hot little twinkie body. Fuck, it made Brian so unbearably horny he couldn’t think straight. And it was all Justin’s fault. So, to get back at his blond nympho - for the blow job, the edging, the teasing and laughter, not to mention Justin’s week-long deception - Brian decided that a little payback might be in order. 


“What the fuck,” Brian muttered, admitting that there was no way was he going to get any work done. 


Packing up his laptop and a few files, he decided to leave work a little early. His plan was to surprise his hot blond friend . . . Boy . . . Guest . . . Whatever the fuck Justin was to him. So, telling Cynthia he was leaving and that Ted could handle anything that came up, he headed to Ted’s office to let his CFO know what was going on. 


“Hey, Ted,” Brian said as he walked into his office. “I have some work to do at home. I told Cynthia to let you know if anything important comes up. Otherwise, I don’t want to be disturbed.”


“Fine, Brian. But one of these days I may want to ‘work’ from home too and let you handle whatever may come up,” Ted replied with a knowing smirk, already surmising why his boss was leaving early. 


“You do know that I’m the boss and can fire your ass, right, Theodore?” Brian answered with a smirk of his own as he walked out the door and left the building. 


Twenty minutes later Brian arrived at the firehouse. Looking around before he punched in the garage door code, he was once again glad he’d changed all the lock codes on Saturday. He’d felt like there were eyes on him the entire weekend but hadn’t been able to confirm that he and Justin were being followed. Maybe he was just being paranoid, but he was pretty sure that he’d heard someone or something the other night when he and Justin had been making out down in the den. He hadn’t said anything to Justin at the time because he didn’t want to make the young blond any more nervous about Aleksi than he already was, but it would be stupid not to take precautions. He’d justified the changing of the lock codes to Justin by explaining that he didn’t want the gang showing up and catching them talking. Still, Brian couldn’t shake the feeling he was being watched and he hurried to pull the corvette inside, watching carefully until the overhead doors closed completely.  


Once inside, Brian jogged up the stairs to the main floor, calling out to the blond along the way, but getting no response. He quickly headed up to the third floor and immediately noticed that the door to the rooftop was ajar. Smiling, he realized that Justin being up on the roof fit nicely into the plans he had for that bubble butt he was looking forward to playing with. So, returning to his room, he changed into a pair of loose cut-off sweats and nothing else, before he headed off to surprise the sunbathing beauty. 


Creeping up the stairs again, Brian moved quietly, careful not to let Justin hear him. When he stepped onto the roof, his cock was suddenly hard as a rock. So much for his surprise; the blond had beat him to the punch. 


Justin was lying there on the lounge chair, naked and moaning, slowly stroking his cock, and gently tugging on his nipple ring. 


After taking a few deep breaths to calm himself, Brian quietly walked up to the lounge chair, blocking the sun from the blond before speaking, “Nah, uh, uh, Sunshine. You need to wait for me,” he said, causing Justin to turn red as a beet and jerk his hands away from himself. 


“Brian. Uh. I-I-I wasn’t expecting you back this early,” the blond stammered. 


“Well, if I’d known what I was missing, I probably would have been here even earlier,” Brian commented, trying not to laugh as Justin tried unsuccessfully to cover himself. 


Brian grabbed Justin’s hands and pulled the youth up to give him a proper hello kiss. Justin moaned. His still-hard cock rubbed against Brian’s obvious erection, which was barely concealed by the loose-fitting sweats. Brian finished with the delicious kiss and then lowered the younger man back down to the lounge chair before straddling Justin’s legs and wrapping one large hand around the dark pink, throbbing cock. Stroking Justin’s cock slowly, Brian leaned forward to take the nipple ring between his teeth and tug on it, causing Justin to raise his hips and moan. 


“Oh, fuck, Brian. That feels so good. Don’t stop. Please, don’t stop,” Justin begged, his breathing already so ragged he was panting. 


Brian obeyed. He kept up the stroking and the nibbling at first one nipple and then the other until he knew the blond was on the edge of cumming. Then he stopped all movement. 


“NOOO. Brian, don’t stop,” his victim begged pathetically. 


“Sorry, Sunshine, but you deserve a little payback,” he chuckled evilly. “First you lied to me, then you teased me, then you edged me in the backroom until I was on the verge of begging, and today I come home and you are getting off without me. That’s not very nice of you. So I think you need to make it up to me, don’t you?” Justin groaned and let his body sag deeper against the cushions of the lounger. “How about we do a little experiment; see how well you can hold out. Don’t worry, though. I’ll let you cum . . . Eventually,” Brian promised. 


Justin bit his bottom lip and looked worried. Brian assumed that Justin had already concluded that Brian was right, and he probably did deserve some kind of punishment, but he obviously was still unsure about whatever it was Brian was planning to do to him. That made Brian smile. He was going to enjoy torturing his boy. 


With a seductive smile adorning his face, Brian resumed stroking and playing with his guest, stopping whenever Justin got close. Justin was doing an admirable job holding out, to be honest. Every time Brian noticed the blond losing focus he added in an extra little twist to the boy’s cock, or a few more feather-light kisses in unexpected places. All the while, he never let up on the comments about all the dirty, nasty things he wanted to do to Justin. Brian loved making the kid squirm and moan. 


Finally, when he had Justin so worked up that the kid’s dick felt like a water hose that had been sitting in the sun and tied in knots, hot and pulsing and so swollen that it was ready to burst, Brian bent so that his lips were only millimeters from the other man’s ear and bit the tender, pink lobe. Justin groaned so piteously that it made Brian’s own dick throb and leak. And then, with another twisting pull at the swollen hose in his hand, Brian whispered the single word, “Come.” 


After that it was like when the water in that sun warmed hose was turned to full blast and the pressure, which had been building and building behind the obstruction, simply exploded. Justin couldn’t hold back any longer; begging and mumbling incomprehensibly, he began to shudder. Brian saw the tears that Justin couldn’t stop and knew it was time to give his boy the release he’d earned. 


Leaning down, Brian took the hot garden snake into his mouth and swallowed. Justin screamed and emptied buckets of cum down Brian’s throat, unable to quench the uncontrollable tremors shaking him to the core, until he’d completely passed out. 


Brian, who was a little concerned, retrieved a cool washcloth, using it to revive his exhausted companion. 


“Thank you, Brian,” Justin muttered contentedly as soon as his eyelids fluttered open. 


Brian didn’t bother saying anything in response. He simply stretched himself out behind the boy on the lounger, taking the still-trembling body into his arms. Then he kissed Justin and held him close. And that smile he’d been trying to fight off all day at work returned to his lips, because yes, this was indeed the most fun he’d had in a long, long time.



Justin might have stayed there, wrapped in Brian’s arms on the comfortable lounge chair in the shade forever if it hadn’t been for his stomach growling. He tried to ignore it the first half dozen times, but eventually it got so loud that it woke Brian up too. Not that waking Brian up was a bad thing. He rather liked the way a freshly-woken Brian nuzzled at the back of his neck and nibbled at the small hairs there. But when even the promise of more sex didn’t seem to quell his rumbling stomach monster, he decided it was time to get up and find some dinner. 


Instead of ordering take out, Justin was determined to make use of Brian’s amazing gourmet kitchen. Considering the big lug’s almost complete lack of any cooking skills, the poor kitchen was sorely neglected. It deserved a chef worthy of its magnificence who’d treat it with the respect it deserved. And Justin thought he was the person for that job. 


So, after rummaging through the fridge and cupboards, he found all the necessary ingredients for Pasta Carbonara with Grilled Chicken and set to work. Brian sat at the kitchen island and watched as Justin got out the garlic, bacon, chicken, pasta, eggs, parmesan cheese, and fresh parsley. He seasoned the chicken and set it aside, then filled the pot with water and set it on to boil. While he waited for the water to heat he peeled and chopped the garlic, chopped the parsley, and cut up the bacon. He put the bacon in the pan and added the garlic. While that cooked, he beat the eggs and set them aside. When the water was bubbling, he added the pasta and put the chicken on to grill, drafting Brian to help keep an eye on the chicken while he continued with the sauce. When the pasta was ready he added it to the bacon and garlic along with about a cup of the pasta water. Then he slowly drizzled in the beaten eggs, adding the parmesan cheese and the chopped parsley. Taking the grilled chicken off the pan he sliced it up, then he laid the pasta on the plates and laid the chicken slices on top. Brian looked on, amazed at the speed with which Justin had served up something that looked so amazing. Justin grinned at Brian as he took the first bite of his meal. The smile on Brian’s face as he tasted dinner rivaled one of Justin’s sunshine smiles.  


They were only halfway through the magnificent feast, though, when their repast was interrupted by the insistent buzzing from the street-level door. Brain sighed and pulled out his phone to check who it was, mumbling under his breath about killing Mikey if he was the one cockblocking him. Since he merely made a worried face and tapped at the door release, though, Justin figured it must be someone other than Michael. 


“Hey, Boss. Sorry to invade in the middle of dinner,” Ted announced when he arrived at the top of the stairs a minute later, a large sheaf of paperwork held out in front of him like a shield. “Hi, Justin.”


Justin gave his dinner companion a questioning look. “I told Theodore everything this morning at work. He’s the only one though. But I figured we’d need him and his excellent research skills to figure this out.”


Justin nodded and offered a shy smile to the CFO. “Sorry about lying to you, Ted. I didn’t mean to . . .”


“No need to explain,” Ted quickly cut him off before pulling out a chair next to Brian and laying his file of paperwork next to the boss’ plate. “After looking at all THIS, I think you were probably smart to keep quiet.” Ted opened the file and pulled out an official-looking piece of letterhead with a big blue and gold seal decorating the top margin. “I finally got the criminal background check from the US Embassy in Zagreb. I’m afraid it's worse than we thought, Boss.” 


Brian looked at the document Ted held out to him for a moment and then complained, “what the fuck is ‘YACS’?”


Justin reached across the table and grabbed the paper out of Brian’s hands. “It’s what they call the organized crime family in that area. It stands for Yugoslavian/Albanian/Croatian/Serbian Crime Group. And they’re seriously dangerous.” He set the criminal report aside and bit his lip. “Damn. That’s what I was afraid of when your friend Aleksi first called me. I heard a lot about these guys while I was traveling over there. I was hoping that I was just catastrophizing but, looking at this, it seems like I was right . . .” 


The criminal report that Ted had obtained showed that Aleksi Kacmar had a long criminal history in Croatia with several prior convictions. Most of the convictions were for minor stuff from several years earlier. But there were at least two more recent pending matters - one for bank fraud and another for extortion - that were concerning. The most alarming item on the report, however, was the notation at the very bottom where the Embassy had noted that there was an outstanding Interpol alert for Kacmar pertaining to ongoing international banking regulation violations. 


“Banking regulations?” Justin asked, pointing to that section of the report.


“Read: Money Laundering,” Ted interpreted. “Or, at least that’s what I’m assuming. But since it’s just listed as an ‘alert’, they must not have anything concrete on Kacmar, otherwise they’d have put out a warrant for his arrest and he wouldn’t have been able to travel to the US to meet with us just a few weeks back. This is certainly not good though.”


Brian was reading the report again and cursing under his breath. “That fucker.” He flung the paper back at Ted with a frown. “How much do you want to bet his plan was to somehow get Kinnetik involved in all this shit? Isn’t that how these assholes operate? They find some unrelated US business to invest in, and use that to launder their dirty money. No wonder the guy was acting like he wanted to be my new best friend.”


“It also explains the weird offer to buy you and the ‘bride’ he was sending you real estate in Florida,” Ted continued. “Miami is said to be one of the easier places to launder your money. You just use a shell company to buy overpriced real estate, hold it for a couple of years, then sell it on to the next buyer for an even more inflated price and, voila, your dirty mafia money is clean as a whistle.” 


“Yeah, well, fuck that. I’m not interested in becoming Aleksi Kacmar’s newest money bitch,” Brian declared, pushing away from the table. “He can take his account and shove it up his ass. I don’t care how much cash he has to wave around. It’s not worth it if it means he’d somehow get his hooks into Kinnetik. Or me.”


“Except, it’s not that easy, Brian,” Justin chimed in, looking a bit green as he stood up and moved so he was blocking Brian’s pacing. “You’re already involved. Kacmar isn’t going to take you backing out of the deal well.” Brian made a gesture as if to wave off Justin’s concerns. “Brian . . . You didn’t hear him when he called and threatened me. And that was just for stealing a fucking plane ticket. Imagine how pissed off he’s going to be if you back out of representing him here in the US and fuck up his plans even more. If he really is YACS, he probably has connections here in the US - just like he said when he warned me he would find me - and they wouldn’t hesitate to hurt you if Kacmar ordered it. You need to be careful, Brian.” Justin looked at the worried faces of the other two men and bit at his lip as a new thought dawned on him. “Shit. What if it was more than being angry about stealing the tickets? He said I’d messed up his plans . . .” Justin looked up at Brian, the panic welling up in his eyes. “I think my showing up here instead of that woman he was sending was probably a bigger deal than I originally thought. No wonder he was pissed off. I bet he was sending that woman here as part of the money laundering op and I fucked it all up without even realizing it . . . Shit. I need to warn Daphne. And maybe my parents too.” 


Justin ran out of there as if his hair was on fire. He took the steps up to the third floor two at a time, throwing open the door to the guest room and grabbing up his backpack. He rummaged through the bag for a couple of seconds before he found the phone he’d turned off and stashed in there the week before. He hadn’t dared to even turn it on for fear that Aleksi would use it to track him. But now he had to risk it; at least for long enough to warn his friend and family so they could protect themselves from the mobster who might be coming after them in order to get to him. 


Powering on the device, he waited impatiently for it to cycle through the start up protocols. However, when the home screen finally did appear, he groaned at the little notification number that showed up in the corner of the phone icon. He tapped at the icon and groaned again when he saw that he had a dozen missed phone calls and ten waiting voicemail messages, three of which were from the same unknown number that matched the last call he’d taken before switching the phone off.


With shaking fingers, he tapped at the last of those unknown messages, recoiling at the angry words that erupted out of the speaker on his phone.


“You stupid malo pederu! You think you hide from Aleksi? Ha! I find you so easy. How you Americans say? Piece of Cake. Yes? Stupid American. I know all about you and your boyfriends and your rich businessman father and everyone else you ever meet. You can not hide! Now you help me fix this mess that you fucked up. You want to take the place of my Laura? Fine. You can take her place with that asshole Kinney and you will fix this! Cujete li me? If you fuck this up for me I will send my people. And then I will visit to everyone in your family too. Call me back! Or you will NOT be happy vilinski djecak, pederu!” 


“Fuuuuuuck,” Justin moaned, looking at his phone as if it disgusted him. 


This was way too much. He was in far too deep. It was time to get serious help. 


With his phone in hand he sprinted down the stairs, only to be brought up short when he arrived to find Brian and Ted now had company. Gus’s mother, Mel, was there, sitting on the couch next to a brunette woman whom he didn’t recognize. He slid to a stop next to the chair Brian was sitting in across from the two women. 


“Brian, Ted, this is my friend, Beks,” Mel was saying and then she looked up at Justin with a penetrating gaze that caused his stomach to lurch. “We need to talk to you about your house guest.”



 

End Notes:

5/28/22 - Dun, dun, dunnnnnn! So, the bad guy has found Justin! Now what’s gonna happen? You’ll have to keep reading to find out… Lorie & TAG

 

Croatian Words:

Malo - Little

Pederu - Faggot

Cujete li me - You hear me?

Vilinski Djecak - Fairy Boy

 

Chapter 18 - Would We Were All Of One Mind by Tagsit
Author's Notes:

Time to move the plot along here . . . Enjoy! TAG & Lorie



Chapter 18 - Would We Were All Of One Mind.



Mel had been both happy and very curious when Beks called and asked to meet up with her. They hadn’t talked in quite a while, but it was still nice to hear from an old friend. However, judging by Beks’ tone, she sounded almost frantic to get together. Mel scanned her calendar to confirm she was free for the rest of the afternoon and made a snap decision to leave early. She’d told Beks to meet her at her favorite coffee shop, The Love Cup, in thirty minutes and then ended the call.


Mel arrived first and grabbed a table before ordering her own fat-free, caramel macchiato. Beks sidled in, looking around her almost guiltily, before moving towards Mel’s table. Mel immediately stood up and offered a friendly hug, which Beks seemed to appreciate, clinging a little at the end before finally letting the other lawyer go. After greeting each other they sat down to talk. 


“Thank you for meeting with me, Mel. I could really use some level-headed advice.” Beks paused and thought a moment before she continued; Mel held her peace so as to let her friend gather her thoughts. “What I need to talk to you about is important. It also needs to stay just between us, at least for the time being,” Beks said cryptically. 


“Okay. I can do confidentiality,” Mel tried a bit of humor, seeking to lighten the mood, but Beks’ expression remained serious. “You’re not in any kind of trouble are you?” Mel asked, hoping that it was just Beks being dramatic. 


“No. At least not so far,” Beks answered before continuing. “How well do you know Brian Kinney and what can you tell me about him?” 


“Beks, is Brian in some kind of trouble?” Mel asked, worried now. 


“Sorry. I’m starting this off all wrong, Mel. Let me start over from the beginning,” Beks answered, and proceeded to explain to Mel about Aleksi, Brian, and Justin for the next twenty minutes as they sipped their coffees. 


“Shit, Beks . . .” Mel paused trying to assimilate the crazy story her friend had just related. “Okay, this is what I can tell you,” Mel said, launching into the full story of Brian Kinney, the one and only. “Brian is a narcissistic asshole. He will fuck anything with a dick and then toss the guy aside without another thought. No one ever gets a second fuck with him. There’s no way you - or this Aleksi - can use his sexuality against him because Brian just doesn’t give a fuck what people think about that side of him. And there isn’t anyone close enough to him that would care about his sexuality either. On the other hand,” Mel paused and weighed her words, then proceeded with a resigned respect, “he is also one of the most honest and generous men I know. He will do anything for the people he considers his friends. Although he hates it when anyone even acknowledges that side of him, and he refuses to accept offers of gratitude.” 


“I’ve heard a little about that already,” Beks admitted. “I called around and found out about some of his ‘anonymous’ charitable donations. All the organizations he’s supported said about that same thing.”


“I’m not surprised,” Mel agreed. Then she looked Beks over with a critical eye, assessing the changes she saw in her old friend, before deciding to offer her the whole truth. “Brian is also Gus’ biological father. Gus is my son with my partner, Lindsey, and Brian was our sperm donor. But, surprisingly, he’s become a much bigger influence on Gus than I would ever have thought. A good one, too. Anything we have ever needed for Gus, Brian has given us without any complaints. He also pays monthly support for Gus without ever having been asked. So, before you go thinking about doing anything to hurt Brian, you should know that it would hurt me and my family as well, and I would kill to protect my family, so be warned.”


“I don’t want to hurt anyone, Mel,” Beks rushed to assure her. “That’s why I came to you. The moment I realized that Brian was somehow related to you, I knew I had to tell you what was going on. I don’t know what to do, though. I’m already knee-deep in this shit, Mel . . .”


Mel didn’t respond to that appeal immediately, reserving her judgment for the moment as she continued the explanation she’d already begun. “As for Justin, well . . . I don’t know the kid that well yet. I’ve only seen him a few times but Gus raves about him. It’s ‘Youstin’ this and ‘Youstin’ that all fucking day. According to my kid, the guy apparently walks on water. And I can tell you that I’ve never seen Brian be as attentive to anyone - except for Gus - as he is to Justin. So, I’m really not sure what to make of their relationship. But, I can tell you, that if Brian considers Justin a ‘friend’ already, then he will move heaven and earth to make sure that nobody - especially not this goon Aleksi - hurts him,” Mel concluded. 


“Wow, Mel. I honestly can’t tell if you love or hate the man,” Beks commented with a small chuckle. 


Mel smiled back at Beks and shrugged. “It’s complicated,” she offered, picking up a stack of sugar packets and playing with them while she spoke, as if she needed something to keep her hands busy while she delved into more difficult topics. “Lindsay adores Brian and she insisted right from the start that he was the only person she would allow to be the father for any child she carried. To be honest, I suspect that, if Brian suddenly switched teams and wanted Lindsay, she would be out of my life without another thought. Brian would ever want that, of course, no matter how much she continues to flirt with him. So I don’t actually hate him, it’s more like I’m jealous of the power he has over her. Not that he ever uses it,” she assured Beks, flicking over the tower of sugar packets as if to end the topic for good. 


“But what about this Justin person? What do you think about him? I haven’t found out much at all about him, even after Kacmar sent me additional information on his family. He’s sort of a non-entity. On paper, at least, he looks like any other spoiled rich kid. After he flunked out of college he took off to bum around Europe on Daddy’s money. But other than that, he’s kept his nose clean and not gotten into any real trouble. I can’t really figure out how Kacmar thinks some random little blond kid is supposed to fit into whatever his plans are for Kinney.”


“I can’t help you with that. Like I said, I’ve only met the kid a few times. Plus, Brian told us all that he was Croatian and didn’t speak English, so nobody bothered to try to get to know him better. You telling me he’s actually American, and from around here even, is the first I’ve heard about it,” Mel insisted. “Other than just a general impression that he seemed to be a nice young man, I can’t tell you anything about him. I do know that Lindsey isn’t that enthused about Justin. She’s mentioned a couple times that she didn’t like the way he seemed to be taking advantage of Brian by staying there so long. At least Lindsey manages to cover her jealousy up much better than Brian’s ‘best friend’, Michael Novotny. That fag has been just outright nasty and rude to Justin.” 


They both fell silent for several minutes after that, lost in their individual thoughts. Beks finished off the last of her coffee and took advantage of the chance to get up and take both her and Mel’s cups over to the bussing station. Then she reseated herself and looked at her old friend with determination. 


“So you’re saying that Brian Kinney is basically a good person, someone who wouldn’t be into any kind of serious illegal dealings?” Beks clarified.


“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but if I were in any kind of serious trouble, the person I would trust over anyone else I know is Brian Kinney,” Mel answered honestly. 


“Would you be willing to call and get us in to see him? The sooner, the better,” Beks asked, hoping she was doing the right thing. 


Mel nodded and stood up. “No problem. Let’s go.” She gestured towards the door and Beks followed her out.



While Justin was upstairs doing whatever he ran out of there to do, Brian got a cryptic text from Mel, informing him that she and a friend were on their way to the firehouse to discuss something important. 


“Any idea why Mel would be on her way over here with her pants on fire?” Brian asked Ted, who was still going through the full criminal background report from the Zagreb Embassy. 


“No clue. I haven’t talked to Mel in a few days,” Ted replied.

 

Fortunately, they didn’t have long to wait to find out exactly what it was Mel needed. When the bell rang barely five minutes later, Brian buzzed the door and let the new arrivals in. Mel was accompanied by a tall stranger, of about the same age, who looked anxious and distracted. The woman’s long brown hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail and she scanned the room nervously, her eyes darting around but never meeting Brian’s directly. Brian wasn’t sure what to make of this newcomer. Considering what they were dealing with right then, it probably wasn’t a surprise that both Brian and Ted looked on the stranger with more than a little suspicion. 


Mel had just finished introducing her companion as ‘Beks’, an old friend from law school, when Justin came racing down the stairs and skidded to a stop next to Brian’s chair, a phone held out in front of him like it was about to explode or something. When Mel announced that they needed to talk to Brian about his houseguest, Justin groaned. Brian reached out, grabbed hold of Justin’s wrist, and pulled the silent blond down onto his lap. 


“What about him?” he asked, squeezing Justin to calm the jittery blond. 


“Well, first of all we know that JUSTIN,” Beks began, emphasizing the proper pronunciation of his name, “is from Pittsburgh.” When it seemed like the boy might bolt, regardless of Brian’s attempt to calm him, she rushed to add, “I’m not trying to cause trouble. I promise. I just need to try and fix what is going on. That’s why I came to Mel and begged her to help.” 


Brian and Justin looked at each other, communicating silently, before Brian came to a conclusion and prompted, “go ahead, Sunshine. Explain what you were doing upstairs and why you ran down here like you were being chased by demons.” 


Justin nodded and pulled out his phone. “Listen to this,” he directed, tapping at the device to replay the message he’d received from Aleksi. 


The threatening words poured out through the speaker on the phone, landing on the ears of a stunned gathering. When it was over, nobody spoke for several minutes; they were each caught up in their own thoughts and fears. It wasn’t every day you found yourself embroiled in a mafia plot after all. 


Beks was the first one to break the silence. “Are there any others?”


“Yeah, There are two more, but I didn’t listen to them, I only listened to the last one,” Justin answered. 


“Well, we might as well hear the rest of them,” Brian commented and Justin reluctantly tapped at his phone to play the next message. 


The other messages were pretty much the same. Brian was still a little shocked at the abrupt change in Aleksi’s personality. When the man had been in Pittsburgh to sign the advertising deal with Kinnetik he’d been personable and friendly, going overboard to be nice to Brian. The voice in these messages, though, while it sounded like the same man, made it seem like they were left by a completely different person. 


There was the usual homophobic name calling interspersed with barely veiled threats against Justin and his family. From the hints dropped, it appeared Aleksi really had managed to dig up a lot of information on Justin. There were quite a few references to someone named ‘Gunter’; someone Brian suspected was a past lover of Justin’s, judging by how much dirt he had on the poor kid. It seemed Gunter had sold the boy out. Bigtime. What wasn’t clear from the threats and vague references to Aleksi’s ‘Plan’, was how he thought Justin would help him get to Brian or just what that plan entailed. It didn’t sound good though.


“I know someone in the local FBI field office,” Mel commented when they’d listened to the last message. “Cara Carpenter. She worked on a case that my firm was handling. She seemed like a decent sort. I’m going to give her a call. Maybe there’s something she can tell us.” 


Brian cocked his head to the side as if granting her permission and added, “saved by the lesbian squad . . .”


Mel shot him the finger as she got up and went into the kitchen to make her call. When she got back she looked concerned. 


“Cara asked that we all wait here. She’s on her way over. She sounded . . . Very interested.” 


Justin, who was clearly too anxious to sit still any longer, got up to make a pot of coffee. Brian followed him to the kitchen. Behind them he could hear Ted informing the women about the criminal background report they’d been going over before they’d arrived.


Wrapping his arms around the jumpy blond, Brian told him, “I don’t want you to worry, Sunshine. I’ll do everything I can to keep you safe and out of trouble.” 


Justin turned and looked into the worried hazel eyes, trying to smile. “Thank you. I’m sorry I’ve caused so much trouble for you,” he told Brian as he leaned into the bigger man’s embrace. 


Brian put his finger under Justin’s chin and lifted up his head. “You didn’t do anything but try to get home. Besides, Aleksi had already gotten to me. Hell, you showing up in the place of the girlfriend may have actually saved my ass. At the very least, it delayed Aleksi’s plans. And anyway, you were a much better surprise than what he was trying to send me,” he told the blond before leaning down for a kiss. 


Brian and Justin brought out the coffee and cups just as the doorbell rang again. Brian buzzed in the visitor. Mel got up and greeted the woman, speaking to her briefly before bringing her over to meet the rest of the group. Introductions were made while everyone drank their coffee. 


“I want you all to know that this is a very important lead,” Agent Carpenter announced. “The organization headed by Aleksi Kasmar is under investigation not only by the Bureau but also by Interpol and a half a dozen European countries. He’s suspected of a whole host of criminal activity, including human trafficking, money laundering, and even espionage. We’ve been after him for years but never managed to find a way to get into his inner circle. Until now.” She let her words trail off as she smiled around at the unlikely assemblage of people in the firehouse’s living room. “If you folks are willing to work with us, we might be able to finally bring this fucker down.”


Brian, taking on the role of spokesperson for the group, asked the pertinent question they were all thinking, “what would we have to do?”


“Just act like you’re willing to accept Kasmar’s offer. Go along with his plans, but with the FBI backing you up and listening in the entire time.”


“You want us to wear a wire and help you catch a mafia don?” Brian scoffed. “Do you think I have a death wish or something?” 


“There could be quite a reward in it for you,” Carpenter offered, but Brian just waved her off. “Fine. Then do it because you’re concerned citizens who want to do the right thing. And, before you say no, remember that if you don’t, Aleksi will probably still come after you for turning him down.” She paused there while Brian and Justin exchanged worried looks. “Please know that the FBI will do everything in our power to protect you. You wouldn’t be going into this alone. We’d have agents with you 24/7. We’ll help in any way we can, including protecting your families if needed.” 


That seemed to be the selling point, at least for Brian, who nodded towards Mel, silently communicating to her that he would do whatever it took to protect her and Lindsey and Gus.


“What do you need from us?” Brian asked the FBI agent.


“What has he asked you to do so far?” Cara questioned, sitting down and taking out her phone so she could make notes as they spoke. 


“Well, originally, he was trying to send me a bride, but I got Justin instead. Which is going okay so far, I guess. At least he has the right parts,” Brian quipped, earning him an elbow from Justin. “I think the original plan was to marry me off to some woman that worked for him - at least until he found out I swing a completely different way, that is - and said something about coming to my big American wedding. He even mentioned buying me a house as a wedding present,” Brian continued. “But, judging by the messages he left Justin, it seems like he’s willing to let Justin take the woman’s place. Whatever that means.”


“Interesting . . .” the FBI Agent mused, making more notes on her phone. “We could work with that, I think.”


“Except, I think he’s changed his plan a little bit,” Beks interjected, speaking up for the first time since the FBI agent had arrived. “He made some comments to me the other day about how he didn’t trust his people here in the states to ‘close the deal’ with Kinney. He said he always had to do everything himself or it always got fucked up. I think he may want them to come to Croatia so he can personally supervise whatever it is that he’s planning,” Beks concluded.   


“Hmmm. That makes things a little harder,” Cara muttered, tapping away at her phone as if she was checking something. “We’d have to get Interpol involved more directly and set up some additional security . . . But I think it could work.” She looked up at Brian and Justin, a victorious look on her face. “So, who wants to catch a bad guy?” 


Brian and Justin shared a long look without comment until the blond finally shrugged. 


Brian caught the FBI agent’s eye and gave his own shrug. “I’m game. I guess. Not that I see any other way out of this pile of crap I find myself in. But you better fucking have my back. I don’t want my son or any of the rest of my family to be put at risk.”


“You have my word on it,” Carpenter promised. “We’ll get security teams in place for your families by nightfall. And, in the meantime, we can work on a plan to get to Kacmar.”


“What are we going to have to do?” Justin asked, sounding unsure about his role.  


“Mostly, all you two will have to do is string Kacmar along, keep him talking, until we get enough evidence on tape to justify an arrest,” Carpenter advised. “We’ll do our best to coach you so you’ll know what to say, and what not to say, so he won’t suspect you’re working with law enforcement. You just have to keep him in the dark long enough for us to make our case.” 


“Well, my international man of mystery here looks so innocent, he could probably get away with anything,” Brian commented as his Sunshine smiled at him. “Okay. So, if we’re doing this, I think I can start the ball rolling. Let me make a call,” Brian said, taking out his phone. Dialing a long number, Brian tapped at the speaker icon so that everyone in the room could hear the ensuing conversation, and put his arm around Justin while he waited for the call to be picked up.


“Aleksi. You’re a hard man to get a hold of,” Brian paused and listened to the other man, who returned his greeting with a vague excuse for not taking Ted’s previous calls. “I’m glad I finally got through to you, though. I want to invite you to my wedding. You were right before about me needing to settle down like you and Petra. But, before you get too excited, I need to let you know that my ‘bride’ is actually a groom,” Brian told the man who he secretly wanted to hurt for threatening Justin.


“Well, well, well! This is dobra, Brian! I am very happy for you, my friend.” Aleksi did, indeed, sound overjoyed at Brian’s announcement. “And who is this groom you speak about?”


“Funny you should ask, Aleksi. Remember that mix up where the woman you thought you were sending me accidentally ended up being a man?” Aleksi made a mirthful noise on the other end of the phone line. “Well, it turns out his name is Justin and we’ve hit it off so well I think I’m hooked. It seems I have you to thank for that happy mistake.”


“This makes me so happy, my friend. You have no idea,” Aleksi answered, and the people listening could almost imagine him rubbing his hands together like an evil cartoon villain, judging by how satisfied he sounded. “But, if this is what you need to do, I have request. You must do wedding here. At Princess Mia. Please, I like host your wedding here, in Croatia. Is perfect spot for happy couple.”


Brian smirked around at the crew listening in on the call. “Well . . . I just need to know that we’ll be safe and accepted there, Aleksi. I’m sure you understand. Many places are not safe for men like me,” Brian commented. 


“I promise, Brian. Trust me. You and your groom will be safe and welcome at Princess Mia. I will make arrangements. Lucija send you all details. How soon you will be able to come and get wedding done?”


“We don’t want to wait. We were going to just elope. I’m sure I can rearrange my schedule so that we can be there as soon as things are arranged on your end. I would only need . . .” Brian looked at Carpenter, who mouthed ‘one week’. “Give me one week to get my schedule cleared here,” Brian answered.


“Beautiful! Okay. I email you arrangements. You be here in one week and we have best wedding ever!” Aleksi said before disconnecting the call.


“Well, he seems excited for us. So, Sunshine, are you ready to get hitched in Split?” Brian asked the now speechless blond.



 

End Notes:

5/31/22 - Who saw that coming? Hehehe! We’re getting to the really good stuff now. We see ~3 more chapters to finish this one plus an epilogue. TAG & Lorie. 

 

Chapter 19 - What We May Be by Tagsit
Author's Notes:

Turning up the heat and setting things up for all you plot pigs... Enjoy! TAG & Lorie



Chapter 19 - What We May Be.



“Hey Mikey, hope you know where your Passport is,” Brian said when Michael answered the phone. 


“Of course I do, Brian. Why?” he asked. “Are we going somewhere fun? I’m game for just about anywhere. Preferably somewhere not as hot as Pittsburgh right now. Maybe with a beach. Just you and me, hanging out together, like that time we went to Cabo . . .”


“Sorry, not Cabo this time, Mikey. We’re going to Croatia. And you’re going to be the best man at my wedding,” Brian interrupted before the other man could get too far down the rabbithole of his ‘Vacation with Best Friend Brian’ fantasy.


“YOUR WHAT!!!!????” Michael shouted, loudly enough to cause Brian to pull the phone away from his ear. 


“My wedding,” Brian repeated, trying not to laugh at the spluttering and shock he could hear coming through the phone line. 


“You can’t get married,” Michael insisted when he finally figured out how to talk again. 


“I can and I am, Mikey,” Brian announced. “Youstin and I are going to elope. My client in Croatia is offering to host the whole thing. We’re getting married at his hotel in Split on Saturday afternoon. Which is why I’m asking if you want to be my best man. I know it’s kind of a last minute thing, but if you’re not interested, I suppose I can ask Ted,” Brian teased, looking across his desk to where his CFO was listening in on the conversation and shaking his head. 


“What? No. You can’t get married without me. I’m your best friend,” Michael maintained.


“Great! Then start packing. We’re leaving early Thursday morning, and bring Ben, too. Aleksi is even letting us borrow his private jet. I’ll have Cynthia email you the itinerary. See you on Thursday, Mikey,” Brian said and then hit the button to end the call. 


“You’re evil,” Ted declared, chuckling at Brian’s antics. “Michael’s probably having a total mental breakdown right now. You can’t just drop a bomb like Brian Kinney eloping on the poor man and then hang up.”


“Serves him fucking right,” Brian grumbled, leaning back in his chair and stretching to relieve the tension in his shoulders. “He shouldn’t have been blabbing my business to random strangers. We’re lucky as fuck that Beks turned out to be a friend of Mel’s and a decent person. Otherwise, Mikey’s loose lips could have got both me and Justin into a heap of trouble.” 


Brian was still reeling over everything he’d learned after listening to Beks telling her side of the story. They’d all met with Agent Cara Carpenter and her team several times over the past couple of days as the FBI put together a plan for how they were going to bring down Aleksi Kacmar’s empire. When they’d all told their individual stories in full, it had become clear that Aleksi had been working them from the beginning. And when Brian had heard how Michael had practically tripped over himself in his eagerness to sell Brian out to an international criminal like Kacmar, merely because he was jealous of Justin, that was the last straw. Mel was right there with him too; the angry, protective lesbian had threatened to personally castrate Michael with her rusty garden shears when she’d heard that the man had betrayed the fact of Gus’ existence to the person who’d been tasked with finding Brian’s weaknesses. Brian shuddered just thinking of what Kacmar might have done if he’d got hold of that tidbit of information. But if Beks had been able to find out about Gus, then Kacmar’s other henchmen would most likely be able to find him too. Which was just another reason why Brian was going along with this crazy FBI plan. They had to get to Aleksi before he got to Gus.


Whether or not this plan was going to work, though, was another matter. 


The FBI and their Interpol counterparts had been scrambling all week to get everything in place in Split. They’d taped the call that Justin had made to Aleksi, pretending to be scared enough that he’d go along with the mobster’s plans. Aleksi had sounded jubilant. He’d revealed that his plans had been to marry Brian off to one of his girls - Cara had told them that one of Aleksi’s side businesses was a prostitution ring and he regularly made a habit of gifting ‘girls’ to his friends and business acquaintances - who would then have insinuated herself into Kinnetik’s business. Presumably, that would have allowed Aleksi to use the American business for his own purposes. But now that Brian had turned out to be gay, upsetting his previous plans, he was perfectly willing to use Justin in the place of his female plant. Justin had played the terrified waif quite convincingly and let himself be threatened into going along with Aleksi’s plans. Of course Kacmar hadn’t been stupid enough to say any of this in the kind of blatant way that would allow the police to arrest him then and there, but he’d intimated that Justin would be given more information about exactly what was expected of him after he arrived in Split. So, that was where they were going. 


Brian wasn’t exactly sure about all this, though he couldn’t think of any alternative. He knew his family wouldn’t be safe until Kacmar was taken down, especially after Aleksi found out Brian was working with the FBI. However, the plan the authorities had come up with to effectuate Kacmar’s downfall seemed rather vague to him. 


He and Justin were supposed to play along with Kacmar’s offer to host their wedding at his resort in Split. Cara Carpenter and her partner Greg would be coming along on the trip to Croatia, posing as Brian’s cousin and her husband. They weren’t inviting many others, out of fear of putting their friends and family in danger, but the FBI had found a junior agent who looked remarkably like Justin’s best friend Daphne to pose as his Maid of Honor and Brian had just finished inviting Michael to be his Best Man. That should suffice to make it seem like they were really serious about this wedding thing; enough so that it would also keep Michael from trying to do any more damage by opening his mouth to just anyone. The people in charge had assured them that they would take care of security, both while they were traveling and once they arrived at the resort in Split. There were supposed to be agents crawling all over that place by the time Brian and Justin checked in. Brian was pretty confident of the plan up to that point at least.


It was how things were supposed to go down after they arrived that Brian wasn’t so sure about. 


Because nobody knew precisely what Kacmar had planned, they’d have to play things by ear. They’d both be wearing wires - these ridiculously high-tech little bugs that Carpenter assured him Kacmar’s people would never be able to detect - and the hope was that Justin would be able to get Kacmar to be more explicit about exactly what he expected the blond to do once he was officially hitched to Brian Kinney. 


Justin was a bundle of nerves about that expected meeting, of course. Brian couldn’t really help him much because he was the ‘mark’ and therefore would presumably not be included in any such discussions. Brian’s only job would be to help out by planting additional listening devices wherever he could around Kacmar’s offices and living quarters in the hopes that the cops would be able to listen in on the mafia don’s plans no matter where he went. When the FBI thought they had enough evidence to ensure criminal charges would stick, they would then swoop in, arrest all the bad guys, and rescue Brian and Justin. Then they’d all return home as heroes. Or, at least, that was the plan, for whatever it was worth.


What could possibly go wrong?


After he got through setting up Michael as his Best Man, Brian decided to call Justin to see how his co-conspirator was doing. When he’d left for the office that morning the blond had been sitting at the counter in the kitchen drinking coffee. When Brian had leaned down to kiss him goodbye he had barely escaped having a cup of coffee thrown at him. The poor kid was that jumpy. Brian was understandably worried about him.


“Hell . . . Hello?” Justin said as he answered the phone.


“Hey, Sunshine. You doing okay?” Brian asked. 


Justin could see who was calling so he shouldn’t have been that nervous just answering the phone.


“Yeah, I guess so. I’m just . . . I’m kind of tense. I keep jumping at every little sound.”


“No need to worry so much, Sunshine. Aleksi thinks he’s getting everything he wants, so he has no reason to suspect anything. That’s why he’s being so patient at the moment.” He could hear a sigh in the background and took that as tacit agreement. “I’ll be home soon, okay? Just try to relax,” Brian told him as he signaled for Ted to stay for a minute.


“I’ll try, Brian,” Justin answered before hanging up the phone.


“Ted, I’m going home. Justin is really spooked. I need to help him calm down. You’re in charge of things here,” Brian told him as he packed up his briefcase for the day. 


Ted waved goodbye to the Bossman and then hurried off to supervise the financial reshuffling that was going to be necessary now that they knew the Princess Mia account was a bust. Brian squared his shoulders at the thought of all that lost income. It couldn’t be helped though. He’d figure out something. But for now he had more important things to think about. Like how to keep his blond houseguest from freaking out. Luckily, he knew at least one way he could take Justin’s mind off of everything that was going on.


As he drove home, Brian mentally laid out his plans for the rest of the day in his head. A long slow seduction followed by hours and hours of distracting sex seemed like a good start. And who was to say he couldn’t use a good distraction himself?


Once he got to the firehouse Brian headed upstairs, seeking out the one person he couldn’t get out of his mind these days. Instead of the usually horny blond, though, he found a nervous, pacing ball of kinetic energy. Setting down his briefcase the moment he reached the top of the stairs, he also removed his jacket and tie, discarding them on random furniture as he headed in the direction of the pacing young man. 


Apparently, Justin hadn’t even noticed Brian was home because when Brian reached out to touch him the younger man screamed and jumped straight up in the air. When he realized it was only Brian, he couldn’t stop a few tears of relief. Brian wrapped the trembling body in his arms and held him, stroking Justin’s back to calm him down. Once the nervous blond had relaxed, Brian took his hand and led him to the bedroom; the bedroom which they’d been sharing since that first night after Justin had come clean about his secret. 


Brian stripped both of them down and led Justin towards the shower. Adjusting the temp until it was perfect, Brian pulled the youth in with him, then began kissing and caressing his favorite showermate. 


“Let me help you relax, Sunshine,” Brian whispered in his ear as he reached for the soap and started stroking it across the soft skin. 


Brian continued to soap up the blond, kissing every inch of him as he rinsed off the soap. Once Justin was clean, and somewhat relaxed, Brian quickly washed himself as well. Then he reached for a towel, using it to pat both their bodies dry. That task done, Brian playfully picked up the blond, slinging him over a shoulder, and carried him to their bed. Instead of dropping him, though, Brian slowed, laying his burden down gently, and climbed in next to him. Justin seemed happily distracted by that point. At least he was smiling up at Brian now instead of being teary-eyed and jumpy. Brian considered that progress. 


For the next whoever knew how many minutes, he continued to kiss and nibble Justin's skin, paying close attention to the places he knew drove the kid crazy. Kissing his way down the blond’s chest, abs, and then along his dark blond happy trail, Brian noticed that Justin was fully hard already. His engorged cock had started leaking onto his stomach, the pearls of cum forming little glistening puddles. Brian licked his lips and then quickly swiped his tongue across the pink, plumby head of Justin’s cock, interrupting the next drop before it could join the other’s on the pale ivory stomach. 


Justin gasped, which served as encouragement for Brian who proceeded to take just the tip of that lovely cock into his mouth, sucking tenderly to try and coax out more of the taste he craved. Justin suddenly grabbed Brian’s head and held on, his hips canting upwards, clearly indicating he wanted Brian’s mouth to keep going. Brian obliged, caressing the hot cock with his tongue for several more minutes before taking it all the way into his throat and swallowing. Justin responded by moaning and bucking his hips. Brian moaned back, continuing to blow Justin until the younger man screamed and came down Brian’s throat with a rush. Brian waited until he’d finished and then moved up the bed so he could hold Justin while the other man came down from his first orgasm of the afternoon. 


“Well, was that enough for you or would you like more calming down?” Brian asked with a smirk. 


“I think . . .” Justin struggled to slow his breathing. “I think I need more calming down. Please. If you’re up for it,” Justin added with a smirk of his own. 


Brian cheerfully flipped the blond on his back. “I’m ALWAYS up for it, kid,” Brian said, holding Justin down while he kissed him back to full hardness. 


Justin must have thought Brian was going to just go for it, as he usually did, because he stretched his arms above his head and braced himself against the headboard. But Brian surprised them both by suddenly reaching out and taking hold of the younger man’s face, looking into the lust-darkened blue eyes with a penetrating gaze. Brian wasn’t sure what he saw there or why he’d felt the need to reassure himself that the younger man was fully with him in the moment. From day one, even before he’d known who Justin was or understood what was going on, there had always been some spark of recognition there. An affinity between two unlikely but kindred spirits who’d identified each other without saying a word. Brian felt calmed by Justin’s return gaze even while his heart fluttered uncomfortably in his chest. He’d never experienced the same sense of closeness with another guy and it scared the shit out of him. Maybe it was just their shared sense of danger or an accident of fate? He didn’t understand it. But he didn’t want to fight it either. And, judging by the boy’s peaceful exhale and soft smile, he thought that maybe Justin felt the same inescapable closeness. 


Shaking off the moment of introspection, Brian warmed a dab of lube on his fingers and prepared his partner like Justin was made of porcelain. He went slowly, his fingers gentle and sure, making sure to reach all the places that he knew would drive the boy wild. Then he put on a condom and pressed in so very slowly until he was as far inside Justin as he could possibly be. As he carefully moved in and out, Brian kept his gaze on the blond, watching him as if he might disappear if Brian looked away. 


All he could think was that this must be what it felt like to make love. 


They kept this - whatever it was - up for about twenty minutes before both men felt that flare of heat that told them this round would be coming to an end very soon. Brian leaned down to take Justin’s mouth with his right as they both exploded, Brian into the condom that was deep inside of the blond, and Justin all over both of them, without his cock having been touched. Then Brian sank down, letting his head rest atop the heaving chest of his partner, and closed his eyes as both their hearts pattered together into sleep.



The next day, Brian checked his email and saw the itinerary for their trip had arrived. Or, at least the official itinerary from the Princess Mia Resort. There was another, classified itinerary that only he, Justin, and Cara Carpenter had access to, but that wasn’t one that he would share. 


He had sent Aleksi the list of guests who would be accompanying the grooms to Split so that the rooms could be reserved. He noted that everyone had been accounted for, which was a good sign since it meant Aleksi hadn’t yet realized that at least three members of the wedding party were FBI. He also saw that he and Justin had been assigned separate rooms until after the ceremony, when they would be moving to the Honeymoon Suite. He really didn’t like that; he wanted to keep Justin with him as much as possible. He wouldn’t be able to keep Justin safe if they were separated. He’d have to discuss that issue with Cara and see what could be done. He made a mental note to remind Justin to keep his phone on ‘record’ anytime they were apart, just in case. 


He quickly forwarded a copy of the Princess Mia itinerary to Michael so that he and Ben would know what was going on. Or, know as much as Brian was willing to reveal at least. He was still pissed off at the man he used to think of as his best friend. There was little if any trust left there and he definitely wouldn’t be telling Michael anything even remotely confidential going forward. He wouldn’t even have asked him to go, except that he figured the old adage of ‘keep your friends close and your enemies closer’ might be the best thing to do to keep Justin safe. Plus, Michael’s presence would act as cover for what was going on behind the scenes. Still, Brian was glad that Ben was coming along; hopefully he could keep his husband under control. 


Brian also cc'd Cara and Greg to keep them in the loop. He thought through all the other plans that were in place and hoped that they’d covered all their bases. He felt uneasy and, despite the hours they’d spent going over the plan with Cara and her crew, he couldn’t shake the nagging sense that they’d missed something. Most of that anxiety was on Justin’s behalf of course, because as far as Aleksi knew, Brian was still in the dark about all his schemes. He could just play dumb and no one would bother with him. But Justin had a much more difficult role to play and, based on how easily Brian had seen through the boy’s prior attempt at subterfuge, he didn’t think Justin was much of an actor. That open, honest face didn’t hide much. He dreaded what might happen if Kacmar suspected Justin was playing him. But, other than make sure he was there to watch over Justin as much as possible, there wasn’t much more Brian could do. 


Brian was still trying to figure out how the young man had become so important to him so quickly. Hell, he’d only known the kid a couple of weeks, but somehow that little blond boy had wormed his way under the wire and planted himself in Brian’s life. Not that he was complaining. He just didn’t fully understand it. However, he knew that, next to Gus, Justin was now the most important person in his life. And he would do whatever it took to make sure this crazy operation they’d become embroiled in didn’t rebound on the man he was coming to care about so deeply.


He sent off another quick email to Ted to confirm that all the updates he’d made to his will, his advanced healthcare directive, and the letter of authority related to the ongoing operation of Kinnetik in his absence, were in place. Then he closed up his laptop and went back upstairs. He climbed into bed next to the dozing blond and wrapped his arms around the warm body. There was nothing more he could do for the time being. They would be leaving for Split the following day and it would be up to the FBI to keep them safe from then on. For now, all he could do was hold onto the man in his bed and trust that everything would work out. Somehow. 


 

 

End Notes:

6/5/22 - Who wants to elope to Croatia? We are soooo excited to write the next couple of chapters. Get ready for some action and adventure on the Adriatic! And, of course, more sex too, because . . . Britin. So much fun coming. Stay tuned. TAG & Lorie.

Chapter 20 - Wing The Midway Air by Tagsit
Author's Notes:

Two chapters in two days - you folks are gonna get spoiled... Enjoy! TAG & Lorie



Chapter 20 - Wing The Midway Air.



“Ladies and Gentlemen, please take your seats and prepare for departure,” the clear but heavily accented voice of the flight attendant announced only a minute or two after Justin and Brian had stepped aboard the cushy private jet.


“Here. You take the window seat, Sunshine,” Brian offered, letting the younger blond man take the inside seat. “Fuck, I love being able to stretch out like this. Even first class is going to seem cheap after this.”


Brian stretched his long legs out as far as they could go and he still didn’t reach the next row of seats. Justin took the window seat and fastened his seat belt. Then he leaned to the side and rested his head against Brian’s shoulder with a sigh. He was exhausted. He hadn’t slept well in days and he didn’t want to arrive at his ‘wedding’ looking like a zombie with bags under his eyes. He was hoping that the long flight would allow him to catch up on some much needed sleep. Assuming, that is, that he could turn his brain off long enough to relax.


Brian resettled the smaller body so he could put an arm around the slender shoulders and hold Justin tight, whispering, “get some rest, Sunshine. We’ve got this. And I’ll be right here if you need me.” 


Justin snuggled his head closer into Brian’s warm chest and let his eyes drift closed, trying to obey the wise directive. He had been a nervous wreck for the past several days, despite Brian doing his best to calm him down. He had been very surprised that, when Brian had called and realized how jumpy he was yesterday, the man had come home from work and done his best to help distract him with sex. It had been a very pleasant distraction too. He loved feeling so cared for and protected, and even though it hadn’t completely erased the anxiety, the gesture had been greatly appreciated.


It was things like that which made Justin wonder if there was a possibility for a real future with this complicated man. Over the past week or so they’d been happily sharing a bed and spending inordinate amounts of time together, either at home or while meeting with the FBI, and it had allowed Justin to get even more of an insight into the man who was Brian Kinney. Justin really liked what he saw too. Brian could be crass and inappropriate, but he was also scrupulously honest. He would always call people out on their bullshit, causing many to chafe under his cutting words. But he was also kind and considerate, although not in a way that most people would recognize. The mere fact that, as busy as he undoubtedly was, he would have taken time out of his day to come home early and comfort Justin was proof of that gentle, albeit hidden heart. 


The starstruck young man had to admit that he'd already more than halfway fallen for the guy; and now they were going to fly 4,500 miles to playact their wedding? It was no wonder that Justin was freaking out a little. Justin had no illusions that this ‘marriage’ was anything more than a way to get both of them out from under Aleksi Kasmar’s machinations. Yes, he knew that logically. The problem was that his heart and his body hadn’t caught up to his logical brain yet. 


His body thrilled every single time Brian touched him. Even a casual brush of one of Brian’s big hands across his shoulder in passing was enough to hotwire every nerve ending and make his heart race. Justin had been with a lot of guys over the years, but he didn’t remember ever being as physically attracted to anyone as he was to Brian Kinney. He couldn’t pinpoint what it was. Of course Brian was handsome, but then so were some of the other guys he’d been with. And he was attractive in other ways; he was talented, successful, generous, and caring. But there had to be something more there, because Justin hadn’t found himself practically swooning at the mere appearance of any of his equally exceptional prior lovers. There was just something about Brian that Justin couldn’t get enough of.


They hadn’t talked about whatever this thing was that was growing between them, of course, but Justin suspected that Brian was feeling something similar. Listening to Brian’s friends talking about him, Justin didn’t think Brian treated other men he’d fucked the way he treated Justin. And there was also the fact that, as far as Justin knew, other than the backroom blowjobs that night at Babylon, Brian hadn’t been with anyone but him since he had landed in Pittsburgh. That had to mean something, right? 


He hoped it meant that Brian was beginning to have similarly special feelings for him. Justin didn’t know how to bring up the topic, though, even if the opportunity to have such a serious discussion had arisen. Brian wasn’t much on talking at the best of times, and things had been so insanely busy the past week while they were getting ready for the trip to Split, that it wasn’t surprising they hadn’t found the time to say the words. But when the man was holding him, and looking at him the way he had the night before when Brian was trying to calm him down . . . Well, Justin had always dreamed of having someone look at him that way. 


Justin could always dream. And Brian Kinney certainly was a catch. A catch that Justin Taylor would be very willing to make, if he were being honest with himself, even though he had no idea what that would look like. 


“Can I get you something to drink, Mr. Kinney,” a female voice said, and Justin tried to block it out, refusing to open his eyes or relinquish his comfortable spot nestled in Brian’s arms. 


Unfortunately, that voice brought back to mind their current situation. They were only on this luxurious plane because they were being whisked back to Croatia, where he was supposed to meet with Aleksi Kacmar in a little over fourteen hours. It was no wonder he’d been so caught up in worrying about his upcoming meeting with Aleksi that he hadn’t had time to figure out whatever was going on with Brian. Maybe it was for the best that he put off any discussion with Brian about their relationship until all the rest of this craziness was over. 


Despite having gone over the ‘plan’ with Cara, Greg, and Azaria - the FBI Agent standing in for Daphne on this trip - at least a dozen times, Justin was still unsure of himself. He was only just barely twenty-one and had led a fairly sheltered life until recently. How the hell was he, Justin Taylor, going to be any match for the leader of an international crime ring who had been eluding the FBI and Interpol for longer than Justin had been alive? It was nuts to think this would work.


The worst part of it all was that, no matter that Brian promised he would be there for him, he really wouldn’t be. At least not most of the time. Brian couldn’t be there with him when he was meeting with Aleksi. To make matters even worse, they didn’t really even have a good handle on where or when this supposed meeting would be taking place because that part of the plan depended on Aleksi. Justin was hoping that the meeting could be somewhere outside at least, so that he wouldn’t feel so trapped. And that way the FBI or Interpol could have someone close enough nearby to protect him. Unfortunately, a lot of what was supposed to happen over the next couple of days would just be them improvising as best they could and Justin wasn’t great with improvising. He was the kind of person who liked to have a good, solid, well-rehearsed plan; something that seemed impossible in the present situation. 


Thoughts about Aleksi had him feeling too antsy to continue with his attempts to sleep, so he reluctantly opened his eyes again and sat up. He could see Cara and Greg sitting in the row of seats in front of him. They looked calm and collected, not at all put out by the idea of the danger they were flying into. He craned his neck around and saw Brian’s friend Michael and Michael’s husband Ben sitting in the row immediately behind him. Michael caught his eye and glared rudely back at Justin. He gave the jealous little POS a facetious smile in return but otherwise ignored the man. Azaria was, he presumed, seated in the last row, along with Beks, although he couldn’t see them over the backs of the intervening seats. And that was it. That was their entire posse. It was the six of them - eight if you counted Michael and Ben, which he didn’t - against an entire organized crime family. Ugh.


Everything that had to be said had already been said before they left the firehouse that morning. Justin had been advised that they would need to be very careful of everything that was said in the limo and on the plane; they had no illusions that the spaces they’d be in for the rest of this trip would be free of listening devices. From here on out they just had to play their roles and hope it all worked out. 


Not that Justin really minded playing the role of a newly engaged couple with Brian. 



He looked down at the hand he’d laid against Brian’s chest and broke out into a smile at the beautiful engagement ring he saw there. It was a gorgeous, brushed-platinum band, rather narrow yet still masculine, with a delicate engraving around the edge that could be felt rather than seen, and an inlaid, square-cut sapphire that Brian had mentioned matched his eyes. Brian had the exact same ring except for the gemstone, which was a ruby. 


Brian had surprised him with the rings that morning right before they’d left for the airport. He’d said it was just so Aleksi would believe the ruse, insisting that they had to do everything the way it would be if this wedding were real or it might give them away. But, if that were the only justification, then why had Brian also purchased the matching plain platinum wedding bands that went with the set? And why had he kissed Justin so sweetly after putting the ring on his finger, insisting that Justin do the same with the larger engagement ring that fit perfectly on Brian’s own finger? 


He reached across his body with his right hand and immediately found the coolness of the metal ring on Brian’s left hand. Brian’s arm tightened slightly in a sort of one-armed hug. Justin interlaced their fingers together. Yeah, it was no wonder he was feeling confused by all the mixed signals going on. 


“I’m happy to report we’ve been cleared for take off, Ladies and Gentlemen,” the flight attendant announced just then, adding all the usual safety warnings, “Please make sure your seat belts are fastened . . .”


Justin was distracted for the next half hour or so by the standard busyness that happened at the start of any flight. After take off, the attendant came and got their drink orders and then almost immediately served them a sumptuous breakfast. It was clear that Aleksi didn’t skimp on the catering for his private plane. The rest of their travel companions got up and moved around the cabin after that, chatting and pretending to be all enthusiastic about the upcoming nuptials, just like a real wedding party would be. Justin really liked the agent playing his best friend and soon-to-be Maid of Honor, and he and Azaria spent a little time scrolling through pictures on Justin’s phone so that she could ooh and ahh over the accommodations at the Princess Mia resort, just like a real best friend would. Justin kind of regretted the fact that Daphne wasn’t there with him, doing all these wedding planning things with him, until he remembered it wasn’t real. Then he got anxious all over again and abandoned Azaria in favor of getting up to pace around the small space.


“Enough, Mikey!” he heard Brian say as he neared the spot where his ‘finance’ was sitting at a table near the back of the plane with Michael and Ben. “If you don’t want to be here and celebrate with us, we’ll put you on a plane home the minute we land to refuel in Madrid.”


“I didn’t say that, Brian. I just don’t understand why you’re doing this. It doesn’t make any sense,” the belligerent man said, his arms crossed over his chest and a scowl plastered across his face. 


They’d introduced Michael and Ben to Cara, Greg, and Azaria that morning after the limo had stopped to pick up the last two members of the wedding party. They’d told him that Cara was Brian’s cousin, who had just happened to be in the city and had insisted on coming along to represent the Kinney side of the family seeing as Brian didn’t get along with his mother or sister. Michael had looked at Brian strangely, and Justin had been afraid that he was going to blow the whole enterprise up then and there. If it hadn’t been for Ben, politely extending his hand to Cara in order to introduce himself, effectively shutting up Michael’s impending spate of questions, they’d have been screwed. Instead, Michael had just sat and silently stewed, glaring angrily at Justin the entire rest of the ride to the airport as if all of this was solely the blond’s fault somehow.


It seemed like Michael was still not satisfied with any of the explanations he’d been given. “This is just all way too sudden, Brian,” Michael continued his rant, now speaking loudly enough that everyone in the plane was forced to listen to him whine. “I mean, what do you even know about this guy? Do you even know his real name? A week ago you were introducing him as ‘Youstin’ and you said he didn’t speak any English and all of a sudden this morning you tell me that it was all a big misunderstanding and he spoke English the whole time and his real name is ‘Justin’? That’s fucking nuts, if you ask me. And you’re telling me you still want to MARRY this loser who lied to you for the last two weeks? You have to be crazy to believe whatever shit story he’s feeding you, Brian.” 


“I told you to drop it, Mikey,” Brian hissed, moving close enough that he was towering over the substantially shorter brunet. “Justin and I talked about why he wasn’t forthcoming when he first arrived and I’m satisfied with his justification. It doesn’t matter that you don’t believe him. You’re not the one marrying him. I am. And nothing you say is going to change that. So, if you can’t be happy for me, and accept Justin, then you should just go back home.”


“I’m not going home and just leaving you here with some gold digger who’s got his hooks in you, Brian. I’m telling you, something just isn’t right with this guy. He’s up to no good,” Michael said, pointing incriminatingly at Justin. “And, since nobody else here seems willing to tell you to your face that you’re making a mistake - not even your ‘cousin’ - who, by the way, I’ve never met before . . .”


Luckily, his complaints were halted when Beks - who’d been sitting off by herself this entire time pretending she didn’t really know any of them - leapt out of her seat and grabbed Michael by the elbow, her fingers so tight that Justin could see the skin on Michael’s arm going white under her grip, as she towed him aside.


“Mr. Novotny. Could I please speak with you for a moment,” she said, her voice sounding far less amenable than her words.

Justin watched as the lawyer pulled Michael towards the front of the plane and into the little nook where the flight attendant prepared their meals and drinks. The people left in the main cabin of the plane could hear furious whispering but it was impossible to make out the words. Justin was glad they’d decided to bring Beks along with them on this trip, if only to have her play interference with Michael. Beks had sold her inclusion in the party by telling Kacmar that she didn’t trust Taylor and thought it might be beneficial to her client if she tagged along on the flight just to keep an eye on the man that Aleksi wanted to ‘employ’ for this project. Privately, the thought had been that she’d have better access to Aleksi’s inner sanctum than any of the rest of them and might be able to plant some bugs in places the rest of them might not be invited into. But her secondary task, of keeping Michael from spilling the beans under the guise of convincing him this was all part of Aleksi’s ‘plan’ to save Brian by taking out the ‘dangerous’ Justin, was already proving to be more than helpful. 

  

“Fuck this,” Brian grumbled, clearly fed up after dealing with Michael’s unending jealousy and suspicions yet again. “I think we deserve a time out, Sunshine.”



Without bothering to wait for any kind of response, Brian had practically dragged Justin towards the back of the plane where there was a small office walled off from the rest of the main cabin. Justin didn’t resist even a little bit. He was more than ready for some private Brian time himself. Especially if it meant that he could be alone with his man and away from Michael Novotny. 


“We’re going to need to be quiet, Brian,” Justin commented as Brian closed and locked the door behind them. 


“Why? I don’t really care if they hear us,” Brian responded, already pushing Justin up against the wall next to the door in order to brush against Justin’s ready lips. “Especially Michael. Maybe if he hears us fucking he’ll finally get a clue and realize that he could never - and will never - be what he wants to be to me.” 


Justin might have continued to argue but Brian had already taken Justin’s lips in a deep possessive kiss that left him light-headed. Before Justin could offer any more cautions, Brian started stripping him, kissing and lightly biting as each piece of clothing was removed. Justin tried to at least slow the wandering hands down, but it was like trying to fight off a very determined octopus, all of whose appendages were intent on getting Justin naked as quickly as possible.


“Brian, what if there are cameras in here?” Justin whispered, trying to look around as if he’d be able to see the hidden cameras which, by definition, would be hidden. 


“Well, then, Aleksi will find out exactly what he’s missing,” Brian whispered back, shrugging his shoulders. 


Justin decided Brian was right. What the fuck, right? He resolved to put everything out of his mind except what Brian was doing to him, right then, right there. 


Brian proceeded to clear everything off the desk with one heedless sweep of his hand and then laid Justin down across the empty surface. Then he knelt on the floor and pulled the blond’s ass even with the edge. Grabbing the supplies out of his pants pocket he set them next to his leg so they’d be ready when he needed them. With a firm grip, Brian folded his blond in half, pushing his legs up and out with his forearms. Then he put a hand on each of Justin’s ass cheeks and held them apart as he blew lightly on the still tight hole. Justin shuddered and moaned. 


“Fuck, I love the way you’re always so responsive, Sunshine,” Brian said. 


Before Justin could even react, Brian’s very wet, stiff tongue pushed its way into Justin’s needy hole. Fuck, Justin loved being rimmed so damn much. Especially when it was Brian doing the rimming. 


Between applications of his tongue, Brian would moan out the filthiest things, each word going straight to Justin’s already hard dick. “I can’t wait to sink my cock into you again. Look at you, Sunshine. You’re so tight and wet and needy. You want my cock, don’t you? Yeah, I know you do, you dirty little boy . . .”


Brian kept stabbing into Justin, using his tongue to stretch and tease the blond. Brian knew Justin was a sucker for a good rimming and always lost his shit when Brian did it. Which, apparently, was exactly what he intended; it seemed like Brian wanted Justin to make as much noise as humanly possible. So he kept up the tantalizing licking, nibbling, and caressing until Justin was a moaning, groaning mess. 


“That’s it, Sunshine. Let it out. Let them all hear you,” Brian encouraged. “I want everyone on this plane to know exactly how much fun we’re having in here. Especially Michael.” He did this swirling thing with his tongue that caused Justin to whimper even louder and then laughed approvingly. “I’m tired of Michael’s ridiculous possessiveness. It’s time for him to realize that he’s never going to be the man I want in my life or my bed.” 


When Brian had Justin so close that the blond was squirming on the slick desktop, he paused long enough to warm some lube on his fingers, then used those long digits to finish stretching him. By that point Justin was writhing and chanting Brian’s name. Brian rolled on a condom and stood up, smiling down on Justin with a self-satisfied grin. He seemed proud to have attained the effect he’d been going for. 


“The only one I want in my bed these days, Sunshine, is you,” he said in that silky, sex-drenched voice that always made something in Justin’s gut lurch.


Then the sex-god that was Brian Kinney, wrapped the strong, softly furred legs of the blond around his waist and lined up his cock with the hot, wet hole. Justin was so close that his ass was already clenching as Brian pushed in. Putting his hands behind Justin’s shoulders, Brian pulled him up for a kiss as he tried not to slam in too hard. Their lips met in a teeth jarring kiss and Justin felt his hard-as-nails cock caught between their naked bodies. He moaned again, even louder than before, and then gave up caring about how noisy he was being.


Brian, likewise, seemed to have given up caring what he was saying or how loud he was saying it as the sentiments he was spouting started sounding a little too exuberant for the usually reticent stud. “Fucking you, Justin, is like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. It’s so fucking good. I don’t ever want to give this up, Sunshine. Never. I just want to. Keep. Fucking. You. Forever. And Ever. And. Ever . . .”


Both of them were moaning and sweating by that point and the surface of the desk had become slick enough that every one of Brian’s thrusts almost pushed him off the far edge. Justin’s cock was trapped between them and getting the benefit of rubbing against both their stomach muscles. It was exquisite. And the smell of the two of them, their mixed sweat and the tang of sex that pervaded the air, was a pure aphrodesiac. Brian began to pummel into Justin so hard that he had to curl his hands around the edge of the desk to prevent himself from launching into space. It was passionate and animalistic and the absolute BEST distraction Justin could have ever asked for.


Very soon - too soon for Justin’s taste - both men were shouting the other’s name as their bodies electrified. They came together once again and then the trembling started; Justin wasn’t sure which of them began shaking first, but it seemed contagious because once the one started, the other followed. Before long they were convulsing together in a dance of lust that finally unloosened Justin’s grip and caused them both to finally slide off the desk and onto the floor in a thump. Not that either of them cared at that point since they’d both seemingly left their bodies.


They laid there for quite a while, holding each other and waiting to come down from their orgasmic high. Brian eventually roused enough to grab a towel he’d seen sitting on a little shelf next to the desk and cleaned them off as much as he could. They took their time getting dressed, chuckling together between kisses and tender touches, not exactly eager to go back and join the others on their trip. If only they could just stay hidden in this small room forever. 


 

 

End Notes:

6/6/22 - We’ve almost got them back to Split and the big (fake) wedding is imminent. So, what could go wrong... Bwahahaha! BTW, Never ask that of an author unless you really want to know the answer - which is that everything can always go wrong in our imaginations! Watch us work! Lorie & TAG

 

PS. We were wrong before when we said there would only be 2-3 more chapters. We just mapped out the final plot line and it's looking like 4-5 more chapters. Mostly because those sex scenes take up a lot of room, you know. Sorry, we know you hate those scenes... :)

Chapter 21 - Whether You Will Or No by Tagsit
Author's Notes:

The crew arrives in Croatia and things are already going awry... Enjoy! TAG & Lorie



Chapter 21 - Whether You Will Or No.



Eventually, after a thorough relaxing by Brian in the plane’s office space, Justin had fallen asleep and snoozed his way across the Atlantic. It took Brian a little longer to relax, but even he managed several hours of adequate rest, not that he ever slept well on an airplane. Since they were in a private jet, they didn’t need to disembark when the plane landed in Madrid to refuel, and Brian was happy to note that his exhausted blond merely snuggled deeper into his embrace without waking up all the way. Which was good because the poor kid really needed the sleep. Brian knew Justin hadn’t been sleeping well and that wasn’t good when they were all going to need to be as sharp as possible while dealing with Aleksi Kacmar. 


The plane landed in Split just after dawn the following morning. As soon as they made it through customs, they were immediately whisked off to the resort in another one of Aleksi’s limos. They were all groggy and not at their best, of course, but Brian still managed to pretend to be happy to see their host when Kacmar and his people met them on the front steps of the hotel. 


“Brian, my good friend. I am so happy you to see again,” Aleksi greeted him, hugging him and kissing Brian on both cheeks. “Dobrodosao, dobrodosao!”


Brian couldn’t help remembering a scene from the Godfather when the don did the same thing to the guy he was marking as his next victim. He really hoped that wasn’t going to be the outcome here. But, really, how did you tell the difference between a regular kiss hello and the mafia kiss of death? That was a question he hadn’t ever thought he’d need to answer.


“Thank you, Aleksi. We’re glad to be here. And so grateful for your offer to help us celebrate our wedding at your amazing resort,” Brian said. “Let me introduce you to my fiance, Justin.” He gestured to the timid blond standing a pace behind him, and Justin shuffled forward. “If it weren't for you, and the mix up at the airport, I wouldn’t have ever met the man I plan to spend the rest of my life with, so I guess, in a way, you really introduced him to me, Aleksi.” 


Aleksi laughed and smiled beneficently down on the couple. Brian forced himself to laugh along with the scumbag Croatian even though he felt like punching the man in the face. Justin, though, still seemed a bit tongue-tied, so Brian wrapped an arm around the younger man’s shoulders and gave him a reassuring squeeze.


“Ah, yes. So THIS is young man you have fallen over? Very nice. Yes, very nice. Happy for you, my friend,” Aleksi gushed, still smiling at them like he truly was their friend, making Brian want to puke. “Now, I not keep you stand here. You are tired after long trip, no? My Lucija have all rooms ready. We will talk later.” Aleksi gave Justin a pointed look when he said this, before turning his gaze back to take in all of Brian’s group. “Dobrodosao, all!”


A petite woman with a curvaceous body and long, straight, dark brown hair stepped forward from behind Aleski. “Hello. Welcome. I am Lucija. I have all rooms ready for your party. You will please to follow me,” she said and turned on her very high heels to lead the way inside. 



With Brian leading the way, the entire Kinney Crew followed Aleksi’s assistant into the hotel. They hadn’t seen much on the drive here from the airport, but it was clear that the brochure photos of the resort hadn’t sold the place short. The hotel was located right on the pier that delineated the west side of the small harbor fronting the downtown area. The water of the aegean was a bright turquoise blue at this time of the morning and it looked so enticing. The building itself was a typical Mediterranean construction, with its white stonework and red-tiled roof. It was, of course, a modern building, but from the patio, you could look up the hillside at the ancient buildings that formed the older part of the city proper. If they had come here for any other purpose than the clandestine operation they were engaged in, perhaps Brian might have found it picturesque.


Lucija shuttled them all into the lobby where she handed everyone in the party their keys. Brian was assigned a room on the fifth floor with Cara and Greg next door and Michael and Ben a few rooms down the hall. Justin had been assigned a room on the third floor which had an adjoining room for his ‘friend’ Daphne. Brian knew better than to object to the room assignments. He’d already had Ted try to switch the rooms around so that they weren’t separated by two floors, but he’d been shot down. Lucija had tried to tell them that the rest of the rooms were already booked and this was the best they could do - not that Brian believed that excuse for a minute - and she’d added that it wasn’t ‘proper’ for the grooms to stay in the same room before they were married. Whatever. Brian didn’t care which rooms they’d been assigned to since he didn’t plan to abide by the room assignments anyway. So, thanking Lucija for all her arrangements, Brian totally ignored her and carted Justin clear up to the fifth floor with him and into his room for a nice long post-flight nap. 


Fuck the room assignments. 



They’d agreed to meet for lunch at around one, local time, in the hotel’s restaurant. Brian and Justin were several minutes late because they’d been having a little too much fun in the luxurious walk in shower they’d discovered in Brian’s room when they got up from their nap. Justin looked much better rested and also quite well fucked when the pair finally showed up at the table on the back patio where the rest of the group was waiting for them.


“Ah! The love birds finally emerge,” Fake Daphne teased them pretty much the same way Real Daphne would have if she’d been there. “So, how was your ‘nap’?”


“Justin here is an excellent ‘napper’, Daphne. Thanks for asking,” Brian answered with a wink. 


The rest of the group proceeded to give them shit for the next twenty minutes while they ate their lunch. There were numerous jokes along the lines of ‘aren’t you supposed to leave that for the wedding night’ and ‘but now you can’t wear white to your wedding tomorrow’. Justin was blushing so hard by the time they were done that he looked like he had a sunburn. Brian looked like he was enjoying it all, though, and kept tantalizing them with more tidbits to encourage the teasing to continue. They were all having enough fun that they almost forgot the seriousness of the situation until their party was joined by the owner of the resort.


The happy couple had just finished eating when Aleksi walked up and put his hand on Justin’s shoulder. “Please, young Youstin, I need speak with you,” Aleksi requested. Brian went to get up, making as if to help slide Justin’s chair back from the table when their host added, “alone. Please. We will not go far, I promise. Just to other table, come.” 


Aleksi gestured to the other side of the courtyard. Justin looked at Brian briefly and received a squeeze to his arm with a mute look of reassurance. Justin gave him back a small, resigned smile, knowing that he didn’t have much choice; this was the big moment they’d all been hoping for. This was when they hoped to get the information the police would need to arrest Aleksi. 


As Justin got up he reached into his pocket and hit ‘record’ on his phone, as he’d discussed with Brian and Cara before leaving Pittsburgh. He was also wearing a new type of wire recently developed by the Pentagon but Cara and Greg still wanted to have the phone recording as back up, just to make sure they caught everything that was said. After a quick kiss with Brian he followed Aleksi to the remote table on the other side of the patio. Justin sat with his back to the wall. Aleksi sat facing Justin, looking away from Brian and the others, seemingly at ease in the familiar surroundings. But Justin didn’t miss the fact that one of the ‘waiters’ who’d come out to the patio when Aleksi had arrived - a hulking huge man with biceps the size of honeydews, was conveniently standing just a couple of meters away and watching them intently. 


“I don’t like people steal from me, fag boy,” Aleksi started without any preliminary small talk. “You owe me, pederu. You take orders from me now. I own your ass, boy. You understand me?” Justin gulped and nodded without a word, not having to pretend to be intimidated because he truly was. “Good. You be good boy and Aleksi will be happy. Make nice for you. All you have to do is marry Kinney and then follow orders. Like a good malo valiniski djecek, no?” Then Kacmar leaned closer, a fake smile plastered to his face and one hand extended to pat familiarly at Justin’s arm - a gesture an uninformed bystander might have even interpreted as affectionate - but the image Aleksi portrayed was belied the words that followed. “Understand this, boy . . . You fuck up and Kinney die. You family die. You will watch this, yes, then you die also.”


Justin felt his balls shrinking with fear and he barely had the breath needed to get out his next words. “Wha . . . What do you . . . What do you want me to do?” he stammered. 


“First, you not look so nervous, fag boy. Kinney watch us, yes? We no want him get wise.” Aleksi gave a hearty laugh out of the blue and then ordered, “laugh now, fag boy. Like I tell you funniest joke ever.” 


Justin laughed, unsure how convincing he was when he felt like he was about to puke.


“Good. We friends, right? Good friends. Now smile. Show all how good friends.”


“I’m sorry. I’ll . . . I’ll try,” Justin answered, trying to smile and mostly succeeding. 


Aleksi laughed at him again, this time probably because Justin’s efforts to smile looked so half-assed. “No need to be nervous,” Aleksi coaxed. “We are just talking about wedding, right? You like Kinney, no? You marry him and make him happy. Very easy.”


“I-I-I can do that,” Justin replied. 


“Yes. Then, you go home and be all lovey-dovey, like in Hollywood movies. All good. You get Kinney to give you job at Kinnetik. I know you draw, he will give you job if I ask him to let you draw for my advertising. Piece of pie.” Justin nodded again, indicating he could do that much and Aleksi beamed approvingly at him. “Good. Then, you get passwords for business computer and bank numbers. I give you one week after the honeymoon do this.”


“Passwords?” Justin ventured to ask, trying to prod him into saying more, hoping that the cops listening in were getting all this. “What am I supposed to do with the passwords to Brian’s computers?”


“I call you and give you more instructions later.” Aleksi waved as if whatever he was going to ask Justin to do after that was no big deal. But then he smiled that slick, dangerous smile at the young blond again and added, “You no ask questions, fag boy. I tell you what to do and you do it. Is easy. And, if you fuck this up, you know what will be consequence. Kinney will die very slow and painful while you watch. Got it, fag boy?” 


Justin sat there, frozen in place, too scared to respond.


“Fucking smile now, pederu, and answer me,” Aleksi finished. 


“I-I-I . . .” He swallowed and tried again. “Of course. I’ll . . . I’ll do whatever you say,” Justin said, smiling but terrified. 


“Very good. Now, go back to your friends and tell them how happy you are with Lucija’s wedding plans,” Aleksi ordered, getting to his feet and gesturing back at the table where Brian and the others were sitting.


Justin walked in the direction Aleksi had indicated, trying to calm his breathing so he wouldn’t look quite as panicked as he felt. “Thank you, Aleksi,” he said as they neared the others. “You’ve really done an amazing job with all the wedding plans. It’s really beautiful here. I . . . Brian and I can’t thank you enough.”


“My good friend, Brian, is happy. Is all thanks I need,” Aleksi boomed jovially. “Now, Youstin, you and your beautiful friend, Daphne, go with Lucija. I will keep your fiance company for afternoon. We will talk business while the girls do wedding shit, yes?”


“I-I-I think everything is ready, isn’t it?” Justin hesitated, really not wanting to be separated from Brian and the others. 


Lucija took that opportunity to step up and take charge of things, looping her arm through Justin’s to guide him away. “Oh, no. We have much to do. Much. First we have fittings for your suit and Ms. Daphne’s dress - you must be very beautiful for tomorrow - then I show you flowers and we do menu. So much to do . . .”


Azaria hastily got up and started to follow behind Justin and Lucija like a good Maid of Honor. Justin could see Brian biting his bottom lip - a tell that showed just how worried he was - but he couldn’t say anything that might give them away so he didn’t bother to object. Justin couldn’t say anything either, even though he was screaming inside and freaking out and rethinking why exactly he’d agreed to go along with this whole stupid scheme. Outwardly, though, he just offered up a half-hearted wave over his shoulder at his soon-to-be-husband and then let himself be carted away to do whatever a good Male Order Bride was supposed to do the day before his fake wedding. 



Brian was kept busy most of the rest of the afternoon by Aleksi. First, the hotel magnate took the wedding party on a full tour of the hotel’s facilities, bragging along the way about everything he showed them. Brian had to admit that the place was impressive. Five restaurants, two of which boasted award-winning chefs, three bars, a small nightclub setup with a stage and great sound system, a full-service spa, a fitness center that put Ript Gym to shame, and even an olympic-sized pool. If this had been a property owned by a real client, Brian would have been over-the-top enthusiastic about seeing all this; he could easily sell this kind of luxury to the wealthy east coast jet setting crowd. But, since he knew it was all just a front for a ruthless international criminal ring, he was finding it harder to manufacture the appropriate level of interest. Luckily, the rest of Brian’s entourage seemed better at play acting their appreciation and they all raved to Aleksi enough that Brian felt covered. 



When the tour took them down through the hotel’s well-groomed grounds, Aleksi escorted them towards the resort’s private pier, stopping in front of a splashy-looking, turquoise blue speed boat that looked like it might be the first cousin of a lamborghini sports car. 



“My baby. I call her ‘Bura’. Means, sea storm, yes?” Aleksi bragged. 


“Wow! This is incredible,” Michael expounded, his eyes almost popping out of his head as he admired the beautiful boat. “How fast does she go?”


Kacmar seemed glad that at least one of his guests was as impressed by the toy as he was. He invited them all aboard and then spent ten minutes explaining all the bells and whistles of the craft. Michael, Ben, and even Greg were suitably impressed and kept asking more questions. Brian held back a little, leery and anxious about what might be happening to Justin while they were separated. 


“Relax, Brian. You’re supposed to look like you’re having fun,” Cara cautioned him, leaning in close enough to whisper the words.


“Yeah, right,” Brian grumbled. Looking around to make sure no one was close enough to overhear before he asked, “do you think your people got enough from whatever Aleksi said to Justin at lunch so that we can get out of here already? I’m beyond ready to tell Mr. Moneybags to go fuck himself, get Justin, and get the fuck out of here.”


“Cool your jets, Kinney,” Cara ordered. “Mercury would have texted if they had the goods. Until we hear otherwise, we stay in place and don’t make any waves. Okay?”


“Fuck . . .” 


He couldn’t say more right then, of course, because Aleksi came back over to where Brian was standing, still boasting about his boat. “No. Is true. Bura do one hundred fifty kilometers per hour. She fast. I show you!” Aleksi waved at someone on the dock, summoning the man over to the boat. “This is Serjay. He my driver. Come, Serjay. We take Bura out to show my good friend Brian how fast.”


“Wait? Now? But, shouldn’t we wait for Justin? I’m sure he’d love to see your boat . . .” 


“No sense! Girls will be busy all day with wedding. Besides, you and bride must not see each other before wedding. Same for gay boys, yes? Is bad luck,” Aleksi declared. “Serjay take us for boat ride. Then we do dinner at Sug. And then we do bachelor party! You see, my friend. Will be much fun.” 


Brian tried to protest, but Aleksi ignored him and just carried on with his agenda. Brian shared a worried glance with Cara but she simply shrugged. Meanwhile, Michael seemed one hundred percent on board and enthusiastic enough for the both of them. Brian had no choice but to go along with the planned festivities, even though he never stopped plotting how he might get away so he could get back to his blond. It made him itchy not to know what was happening to Justin or even where the other man was. At least Azaria was with him, which was some comfort. Beks was still back at the hotel as well, supposedly acting as liaison for the Interpol types while doing her best to plant bugs throughout the hotel, and could presumably act as back up if Justin needed anything. But Brian still didn’t like being separated from Justin like this. Not to mention that he sorta missed having the kid around after having spent so much time together over the past couple of weeks. Being apart like this felt . . . Ominous. 


But at least there was one good thing about Aleksi’s busy agenda; it had kept Michael entertained and away from Brian for the entire afternoon. He had seen the way Michael had been looking at him and Justin over lunch, and had braced himself for yet another confrontation with his old friend. He was beginning to rethink the wisdom of including Michael on this trip. He knew that having his ‘Best Man’ with him helped prop up their cover story, but the best man hadn’t exactly been on his best behavior. If it hadn’t been for Beks and Greg dogging Michael’s every step and constantly distracting him, Michael would have already given them away at least a dozen times. Brian hoped they could keep the blabbermouth reined in for at least the next twenty-four hours, or however long it would take to get the goods on Kacmar and get the fuck out of there.


Brian was still brooding about the situation when Serjay - a brute on par with Andre The Giant - took over the controls of the boat and his friend - Goliath - released the mooring line so that they could head out into the harbor. He had a hard time enjoying the fast ride, no matter how distracting the experience was. The hour or so they spent racing pointlessly up and down the Adriatic coast seemed to drag by for Brian while he worried helplessly about what Justin might be doing, although he tried to pretend like he was having the time of his life.


They made it back to the pier just in time to change for dinner and then Aleksi’s limo transported them across town to one of Split’s most famous restaurants, Sug. Kacmar was greeted like an old - and very rich - friend. The meal lasted seemingly forever and between the heavy food and the many rounds of libations, all of which came on the heels of the long plane trip the day before, Brian was exhausted long before the dinner ended. He’d tried not to drink too much, wanting to keep his wits about him, but even the few glasses of wine he’d drunk, on top of his fatigue, was enough to almost wipe him out. He would have fallen asleep in the limo on the way back to the hotel if Aleksi hadn’t been there yelling celebratory ‘Opa!’s in his ear every few minutes.


It was late when they piled out in front of the resort and Brian tried desperately to beg off to his room but Aleksi wouldn’t hear of it. 


“No sense, my very much friend,” Kasmar insisted, his English getting more garbled and less intelligible the more he drank. “We must have you party before you - how you say - tie the noose?” Aleksi thought his joke hilarious and spent the next couple minutes chuckling to himself until he was interrupted by the appearance of his wife. “Oh! Yes! Petra! Please to meet my friends, Petra. Brian cousin, Cara-mia, and husband, and Michale and husband Ben . . . This is my lijep supruga.” They all greeted the woman who gave Brian an exuberant hug in welcome. “Cara-mia, you go with Petra now. You and girls have spa night, yes? We boys do bachelor now.”


“You do know that Justin isn’t a ‘girl’, right?” Brian pointed out, annoyed for the tenth time by Aleksi’s apparent slip when referencing his fiance. 


“Pederu, girl, no difference,” Aleksi laughed, clearly drunk enough by that point that he was no longer being careful with his words; not that Brian knew exactly what the word ‘pederu’ meant, but he had a good idea and wasn’t happy about it. “Off you go, Cara-mia. Go with other girls. We men have much drinking to do!”


Cara let herself be dragged off by Petra with relatively good grace. Brian and Greg shared a wary glance but there was nothing for it. Then they let Aleksi lead them on to the next item in his wedding weekend agenda, which seemed to be happening in the nightclub.


“Is now time we celebrate, yes?” Aleksi cajoled, wrapping one arm around Brian’s shoulders to lead him on to his doom. “Is my friend Brian’s last night of freedom. We much party. I have my girls come to tempt you. Perhaps you not so much pederu as you think, eh?” Aleksi laughed uproariously as two shapely females came and took over the job of escorting Brian towards a roped off VIP area at the back of the nightclub complete with upholstered couches and its own private minibar. “Yes, yes. This is my Veronique and my Laura. They will take very, very good care of my friend.” 


Both women’s hands began to explore Brian’s body very familiarly. Brian tried to fight them off but they were very determined. He looked over to his friends, but the rest of the group was too busy laughing at him to provide any assistance. Michael, especially, seemed to think it was hilarious to see Brian Kinney being fondled by two voluptuous women, one of whom’s hands had already found their way under the tails of his shirt to tweak at his nipples.


“Brian Kinney, making out with a woman,” Michael snorted. “Now, this is something I never thought I’d see. Wait’ll the guys back on Liberty Avenue see pictures of this.” 


Michael snapped a quick picture with his phone while one of the girls leaned in and made a production of planting her red lipsticked lips against Brian’s cheek. Brian shot his old friend a look that would have drawn blood in someone less obtuse than Michael. The idiot just laughed harder and took more pictures.


“How you say in America? When you get married? Is ‘old ball and chain’, yes?” Aleksi piped up, already stretched out on one of the couches with another scantily clad woman draped over him and a highball glass in one hand. “Maybe, though, you prefer a chain without the balls?” Aleksi laughed heartily at his own joke. “My girls happy to let you try before you decide. Is not too late to switch teams, my friend.” 


“Thanks, but I think I’m too old to change. And I’m not interested in anyone without balls yanking MY chain,” Brian corrected them all, while purposely removing the hands of the woman who had been attempting to undo his fly. 


“We see about that,” Kacmar breyed with laughter again. “Night is very young and my Laura can be very persuasive. She was girl I meant to send you before the little pederu mess up my plans. Laura is very good girl. She would make you much more good wife. You should try her out tonight. You might like jebati with real woman. We can always do substitution tomorrow at wedding. How you say, put in a ‘pinch and hit her’?”


“Fuck me . . .” Brian grumbled, fed up with the entire situation. 


He almost immediately regretted his words though, as both women crawling on him seemed to take this as an order rather than a complaint. They both immediately redoubled their efforts to remove his clothing. He spent the next however-many-minutes distracted, trying to protect his virtue from the marauding women attacking him while his ‘friends’ looked on and laughed. 


In the back of his mind, though, Brian was still worried about what was happening to Justin while he was busy being so thoroughly distracted.



 


End Notes:

6/12/22 - Poor Brian! Being groped by two women at his bachelor party! The horror of it all! And it looks like they still don’t have the evidence they need to arrest Aleksi so they can stop this sham wedding. What in the world is going to happen next? Hmmm... You’ll just have to keep reading and see, I suppose. TAG & Lorie

 

Croatian Words:

Dobrodosao - Welcome

Pederu - Faggot

Malo Valiniski Djecek - Little Fairy Boy

Lijep Supruga - Beautiful Wife Jebati - Fuck

Chapter 22 - Who Wooed in Haste by Tagsit
Author's Notes:

Let's meet the unofficial 'Maid of Honor' for this wedding . . . Hehehe! TAG & Lorie



Chapter 22 - Who Wooed in Haste.



Justin was just about fed up with all these fake wedding plans. Even if he had really been getting married, he wouldn’t have put up with all this rigamarole. But to have to do it when the wedding was just a sham was ridiculous. 


“Da. I think a little more here,” Lucija instructed the tailor who pinched the fabric of the underarm seam tighter and accidentally poked Justin with a pin for about the fifth time.


“Ouch!” he yelled, jerking away from the annoying little man’s grasp and shrugging out of the suit jacket. “I’m sure that’s good enough. Nobody’s going to be looking at the underarm seams of my suit.”


“Especially not with Brian there,” Fake Daphne teased, playing her part while also trying to keep Justin’s spirits up. “He’s to die for, Jus. You didn’t tell me how gorgeous he was when you asked me to come along on this trip. But I’m pretty sure nobody will be looking at anyone else.”


That had Justin chuckling. “So, what am I? Chopped liver? Aren’t you supposed to be my Maid of Honor, not the head of the Brian Kinney Fan Club?”


“Sorry.” She pretended to look contrite for all of three seconds before she laughed and added, “but, seriously, Jus, if you don’t marry that man, I fucking will!”


Justin stepped out of the suit pants and handed them off to the tailor so he could make the adjustments to those, as well as the jacket, and then pulled his jeans back on. Lucija and the tailor were talking in Croatian so he couldn’t understand what they were saying. He hoped it wasn’t more plotting about how to stick him with additional pins. 


“If it means I can get out of the rest of wedding planning hell, you can have him,” Justin replied with a nasty glare at Lucija. “I doubt Brian is having to put up with being a fucking pincushion. I should have told Aleksi to dress him as the bride and I could be the groom.”


“Buck up, Justin,” Azaria cajoled, putting her arm around his shoulders and giving him a brief hug. Then, in a whisper, she added, “remember, you’re supposed to be the ‘happy bride’ here.”


“Fuck you,” Justin whispered back while donning a totally fake smile for Lucija’s benefit that didn’t match his words at all. 


“Very good. Antonio will make suit work and have to you by tomorrow. Your dress also, Ms. Daphne,” Lucija declared, coming over to collect her charges again. “Now, we look at menu for wedding dinner and then I show you chapel and party room and we discuss flowers and decorations. Then we go to spa so to make you both beautiful. Bride must look pretty, yes?”


“Handsome,” Justin corrected her. “And I’m not the fucking ‘bride’. I’m one of the grooms. If I was a bride, Brian would definitely not be pleased.”


“Yes. Yes. So sorry,” Lucija smiled facetiously back at him, clearly not meaning the apology even a little. “You come this way, please.”


Justin gritted his teeth and obeyed, trying to put on a good face while doing the rest of the inane wedding planning activities for the sake of the plan. He wasn’t happy though. And, after the twentieth time or so that one of Aleksi’s staff called him the fucking ‘bride’, he felt like punching someone in the face. But he didn’t. Because it was too late to back out. There was no way to get out of there, and away from Aleksi’s threats, without seeing this thing through to the end. 


Even the four hours they spent being treated like pampered poodles in the spa didn’t do much to placate him. He enjoyed the facial and massage, not to mention the sumptuous dinner and copious amounts of wine they were served, but even then he felt too uptight to really relax. Especially not once Cara and Petra arrived to join them. Listening to Cara telling him all about the fun Brian and ‘the boys’ were having out on Aleksi’s boat and on their tour of the city, just got him pissed off all over again. He hated being treated like the ‘little woman’ and being shuffled off, out of the way, with the ‘girls’. But, with Lucija hovering the entire time, her eagle eye never leaving Justin for more than a minute or two, he understood that the purpose of all this glam treatment wasn’t just to allow him to plan his wedding, but to keep him out of the way and under supervision. And, since he was supposed to be a timid little mouse who was too scared to stand up to Kacmar, he figured it made sense. 


But it didn’t mean he had to like it. 


When they were finally released from the spa, though, Justin decided that enough was enough. Lucija ushered them through the main lobby, clearly intent on herding them all onto the elevators. Justin, however, wasn’t ready to head to bed. Not alone, at least; he wanted to check in with Brian before he did anything else. The sharp-eyed Lucija immediately noticed that he was dawdling and tried to grab his arm to help hurry him along. 


“You know what? I’m not tired yet. I think I’ll just hang out down here in the lobby and wait for Brian and the others. Or maybe I’ll join the bachelor party? I could use a drink,” Justin stated, stepping back so as to evade Lucija’s outstretched hand.


“No, no. You can not!” Lucija sounded almost panicked at Justin’s proposal, but then she caught herself and plastered a replacement smile on her fake lips. “Is bad luck for groom to see bride before wedding, yes? You must not do bad luck. You go to room now and rest so you pretty for tomorrow. I will have Kava send up a bottle of best wine for you to your room.”


Justin was half a second away from arguing with her - and probably blowing his cover in the process - when both Cara and Azaria swooped in, each of them looping their arms through one of his. 


“That sounds good to me,” Cara opined with a smile for Lucija. “Besides, we’ll have plenty of time to party the night away tomorrow, after the wedding.”


Azaria chimed in, “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m still a little jet-lagged. I think an early night might be a good thing. We can put on a movie and relax with a good bottle of wine and take it easy. What do you say, Justin?”


“Fine,” Justin conceded with poor grace, letting the two undercover agents lead him towards the bank of elevators. “But I still want to at least talk to Brian beforehand. I want to say good night.” Lucija nodded her head, as if agreeing, although he doubted she was serious about following up on that promise. “And I don’t care what Aleksi or Lucifer over there says, I’m not sleeping alone tonight.”


“Of course you won’t, Bestie,” Fake Daphne replied with a giggle. “I’ll stay with you. It’ll be just like old times. We can have a pajama party.”


Justin tried to glare at her, because she wasn’t the one who he wanted to share a bed with that night, but when he saw the sinister glare that Lucija was leaving them with, he swallowed the words and meekly complied, letting himself be led off to his doom. 


“No offense, Daph, but we’re not twelve anymore and I prefer my pajama parties naked.” 


“We can do naked. Right, Cara?” Fake Daphne answered with a giggle that Cara shared.


“Yeah, no. Thanks anyway, but neither of you have the naked parts that I want at my party,” Justin corrected them, finally chuckling a little himself. 


“Good thing Brian does, right?” Azaria said, adding in a wink. 


And, since Lucija had followed them into the elevators, Cara kept up the jokes about the wedding, adding in, “Well, if you’re marrying him, he ‘better half’ the right parts, am I right?”


They all groaned at the corny pun. The women kept up the bad marriage puns all the way up to Justin’s room and the joking at least got Justin into a slightly better frame of mind. He was still anxious about what was supposed to happen the following day, and he didn’t like being kept away from Brian, but at least he wasn’t worrying all alone. These two very capable women had his back. 


He just hoped that, together, they’d be enough to bring down Aleksi Kacmar.



Beks had been lurking around the lobby and ground floor offices most of the day. She wasn’t sure how much help she was going to be to Cara and the rest if Aleksi wasn’t even going to take the time to meet with her. The thought had been that she might be able to get the mafia boss talking even if he was less than forthcoming when he spoke to Justin. So far, though, she’d mostly just been cooling her heels and playing interference with that idiot Michael Novotny.


Still, she’d done the best she could. She’d stopped in at Aleksi’s office as soon as they’d arrived and had managed to leave one of Cara’s miniature listening devices stuck to the bottom edge of Kacmar’s secretary’s desk before she was told that he wouldn’t be able to see her that morning. She would have preferred to put the bug in Aleksi’s personal office, but didn’t know when or if that would happen. She’d also left a couple of the bugs in various other places around the hotel that she thought might provide some intel; one disguised as a pen had been left at the front desk, another in the meeting room she had seen him exit with one of his goons, hoping that it was a room he used often. 


After that, though, she hadn’t had much else to do. She’d loitered in the lobby, watching from afar as Kacmar’s assistant, Lucija, led Justin and the rest of the wedding party around. She’d made a point of being nearby wherever Justin was, just in case she was needed, but hadn’t heard or seen anything helpful in the process. By dinner, when Kacmar and Brian still hadn’t turned back up at the hotel, she was feeling pretty useless and was about to call it a night. 


Just as she was finishing the glass of white wine she’d been nursing at the bar, however, she got a text message from Kacmar himself. 


‘Serjay has job for you. Meet him in my office. Ten minutes.’


“Finally. Something to do,” she mumbled to herself. 


Before she followed directions and headed to Aleksi’s office, Beks took a quick selfie - making sure to angle her phone so it would show the hallway that led to the resort’s administrative offices behind her - and sent the pic to a number that had been put into her contact list under the name, ‘Auntie M’. She added the pre-arranged code message, ‘Having a great time in Split. Off on another adventure. Wish you were here.’ Hitting ‘send’ on the message, she squared her shoulders and tried to get herself mentally prepared for what was to come next. Mercury, the Interpol agent in charge of this operation - aka Auntie M - should have their ears on and be listening in on the conversation. Hopefully, this was what they’d been waiting for; it was her job to get Aleksi Kacmar to spill his plans so they could arrest him and get the hell out of there. 


Unfortunately, Aleksi wasn’t anywhere in sight when she arrived at the office. The hulking brute who acted as one of Kacmar’s enforcers and bodyguards, Serjay, greeted Beks instead. She had barely had time to take a seat in the chair across the desk from Serjay - taking the opportunity to surreptitiously stick one of the FBI listening devices she’d been supplied with under the arm rest of the guest chair - before Aleksi’s thug handed her a note written on Kacmar’s personal stationery. 


All it said was: ‘Continue surveillance of subject. Same hourly rate as before. Pictures from bachelor party required.’ 


‘I don’t understand,” Beks asked the inscrutable Serjay. “Why does Kacmar need me to continue my surveillance of Kinney? I got him here for you already. What more can he need?”


“Information is never wasted,” Serjay replied cryptically in a heavy Russian accent but almost perfect English. “You never know when you’ll see something that will prove to be of value in later negotiations.”


“So, blackmail?” Beks surmised. Serjay didn’t respond to her prompt, though, his face not showing any emotion at all in reaction to the accusation. “Fine. But, I still don’t understand. What kind of surveillance do you expect me to get here? Kinney is surrounded by his fiance and family. How is any of that going to help Kacmar?”


Serjay shrugged noncommittally but answered by saying, “perhaps there will be something worth photographing at Mr. Kinney’s bachelor party this evening. You never know.”


“Isn’t taking pictures of a drunk guy at his bachelor party low even for you guys?” Beks replied dismissively. “And what if I say no? I didn’t sign on to help Kacmar procure kompromat against Kinney. I did my job back in the States; I got Aleksi the background info he needed on Kinney, which was what we originally agreed to. That should have been it. I only agreed to come to Split to help make sure that Taylor and Novotny were kept in line until they arrived here. I thought my job was done once I handed them into your hands.”


But when Serjay just continued to stare at her with those unblinking, ice-gray eyes, she felt a cold prickle crawl up her spine. 


She didn’t even need him to say the words that followed to know she was being threatened. “Your job, Ms. Beckestany, is done when Mr. Kacmar says it is done. Not before. This is not negotiable. And, should you choose to decline the engagement, I believe Mr. Kacmar would have something to say to the Pennsylvania Bar Association about your former work; I’m to understand there is documentation of your association in several, shall we say, less than legal undertakings. So, if you want to retain your license and continue to practice law in the future, I think it would be wise not to disregard Mr. Kacmar’s instructions. Don’t you?”


Beks blanched but, instead of making her scared, the barely veiled threat just pissed her off. If she hadn’t been committed to bringing Aleksi Kacmar down before, she definitely was after hearing that crap. Knowing that the extortion attempt was on tape gave her a little bit of smug satisfaction. Not that that alone would be enough to bring down a YACS crime boss, but it was a start. Now, to get the rest of the goods on the guy.


“Fine. Tell me what you want and where to go,” Beks relented. “I’ll get your dirty pictures of Kinney for you. But I doubt they’ll do any good. You guys don’t know Kinney. He’s pretty fucking shameless.”


“Perhaps,” Serjay replied with an ice-cold smile. “But, while he may be comfortable with public displays of his homosexuality, how do you think his public would react to pictures of him with a woman?”



“Veronique, bring my good friend, Brian, more drink,” Aleksi commanded. “He must more relax. This is party. Have much fun.”


Brian shook his head at the idea that anything he’d experienced so far at his so-called bachelor party would be considered ‘fun’. He’d been too busy the last twenty minutes trying to fight off the women that Kacmar had thrown at him to have any kind of fun. And it was getting old. Really old. What part of ‘I’m Gay and I like men’ was so fucking difficult for Kacmar to understand? Brian would have to drink a whole fucking hell of a lot before that would change. 


“I don’t think I need anything more to drink, thank you anyway,” Brian tried to curtail the party plans. “I don’t want to be too hung over to enjoy my wedding tomorrow, right?”


But Aleksi just waved him off and directed a stern look at one of the women who’d been climbing Brian like a tree. Veronique got up and scurried away towards the private wet bar at her boss’ behest. That left Brian with only the one remaining woman to fend off, though, so at least that seemed like a momentary reprieve. 


“The wedding is for the woman,” Kacmar explained dismissively. “Only thing for men like us to worry about is wedding night. So long as you can jebati the little woman, that is all what matter.”


“Maybe you straight guys can get away with that,” Brian replied, getting annoyed all over again by Kacmar’s constant insinuations about Justin being a bride or a woman. “But I’m pretty sure my future HUSBAND will kick my ass if I show up drunk to the ceremony.”


“This is more reason to switch to other team!” Aleksi expounded. “You need woman you can control. Who like discipline. Not other man who make you kastrirati. Turn you into kucence. Is better have woman you can control. Like this . . .” 


By way of example, Kacmar took hold of a hank of the long blond hair of the woman who’d been wiggling erotically in his lap and pulled it hard. The woman let out a small whimper of pain as her head was pulled backward but she didn’t put up any other resistance. Brian scowled. He’d thought he couldn’t hate Kacmar any more than he already did, but watching the man’s casual cruelty to this woman made the seething anger in his heart burn even hotter. Fucker.


Unfortunately, there wasn’t anyone else around to back up Brian. Michael and Ben had gone out onto the dance floor a couple of songs back. Even Greg was busy being distracted by another of Kacmar’s girls just then. There wasn’t anything Brian could do to help the woman Kacmar was manhandling. Plus, he didn’t want to give himself away; they still hadn’t found the evidence the FBI and Interpol needed to bring this fucker down. So, he bit his tongue and simply looked away, adding this newest abuse, and the man’s latent homophobia, to the list of things he would get revenge on Kacmar for.


But his musings on Aleksi’s clearly abusive nature were disrupted just then when the girl who’d been sitting passively next to him a minute before jumped up as if to climb into Brian’s lap and, in the process, accidentally knocked the arm of the other woman so hard that the glass of scotch she’d been bringing back to the bachelor boy was sent flying. A string of angry Croatian words followed and Kacmar seemed to forget the woman whose hair he’d been pulling in favor of yelling at the woman in Brian’s lap. That woman - Brian thought it was the one named ‘Laura’ - quickly replied in an apologetic tone and her companion hustled back to the bar to procure another drink for Brian. 


“Do not drink or eat. Nothing. Is drugs,” the woman whispered as she buried her face in his neck, pretending to be ashamed of her mistake. “Aleksi want to get you very much drunk and drugged and take pictures. Use pictures against you.”


“Got it. Thanks,” Brian whispered back. Then he made an effort to stand up, pushing the woman off his lap in the process, but without dumping her on her ass. “How about we go dance instead of just sitting around here.” 

    

The woman smiled and nodded at him, allowing him to take her hand and lead her out onto the dance floor. Brian saw Michael laughing at him over Ben’s shoulder as he took the woman in his arms and began to slowly turn her around the dance floor, completely ignoring the fast paced disco-beat of the music that was playing. Fuck the music. And fuck Kacmar. It was time Brian figured out exactly what the fuck was going on.


Bending down so his face was partially buried in the woman’s hair, Brian raised his voice just loud enough so that it would be heard over the loud music but hopefully wouldn’t carry too far, and said, “talk to me. Tell me what the fuck is going on. Who are you?”


“My name Laura,” she answered. “I was the one supposed to come to you in America. Before your boy took my plane ticket.” Her voice faltered and Brian took the opportunity to gently spin her around to cover up the fact that she was clearly upset. When he had her back in his arms, she continued her story. “Aleksi is not a good man. He very angry at me for losing ticket. This wedding . . . Is all a set up. All part of plan to use you and your American company. You understand?”


“Not really,” Brian replied, pretending to hold Laura closer so they could continue their clandestine conversation. “Why me? Why Kinnetik? What does he want from me? And how does my wedding fit into things?”


Laura pretended to laugh and rose to her tiptoes to leave a flirty kiss on Brian’s cheek while she continued her story. “Aleksi needs American base for US operations. He think he can use you for this. Use company. I was supposed to come to US and set this up for him. He did not know you were pedercina. It mess up his plans. Now he try to use boy instead.” 


“Why are you telling me this? Why are you trying to help me?” Brian asked. 


“Aleksi is bad man. Very bad. You are good and kind man. I see in your eyes. Not deserve problem like this.”


“Thank you. I appreciate you trying to help me. And thanks, too, for the warning about the drinks. I’ll try and find a way to repay you for this, Laura,” Brian replied.


“Meet me in maids’ closet, third floor, near your boy’s room, after party,” Laura said, kissing his cheek again before returning to the VIP area.


Aleski had wandered off with the blond-haired bimbo by that point so Brian decided to join Michael and Ben for a dance. Out of the corner of his eye he glimpsed Beks standing off to the side and taking pictures of the dance floor with a camera. He pretended not to see her and just kept on dancing. When the other woman, Veronique, came to join them, pushing a fresh drink into Brian’s hand, he accepted it without comment and then proceeded to dump it out on the floor when the woman wasn’t looking. He continued to dance off and on for the next hour or so, either with one of the two girls who’d been assigned to him or with Michael and Ben, letting the exercise burn off most of the nerves he’d been feeling all day. He supposed there were worse ways of spending the night before one’s ‘wedding’, although he was still uneasy about having been separated that long from Justin. 


When Brian hadn’t seen Aleksi for a while - thinking his host was probably off somewhere schtupping the blond behind his wife, Petra’s, back - he figured it was a good time to make his escape. He looked around the bar and the VIP area, noticing that Laura had apparently already left. With a nod towards the corner where Beks was still lurking, Brian quietly slipped out of the club and headed towards the elevators. 


He stopped in his room and grabbed a hoodie, putting it on just in case anyone saw him. Then he made his way down to the third floor via the back stairs. When he emerged from the stairwell, he found himself in the back hallway at the far end of the wing of guest suites. The maids' closet on this end of the floor was separated from the guest hallway by a doorway, so that guests never saw the resort staff; Brian only knew about this particular detail because Aleksi had explained the set up to him when they’d been discussing the resort’s amenities during one of their earlier marketing meetings at Kinnetik. He was glad now, though, that he’d paid such close attention to all those pesky little details. 


Making sure he wasn’t followed, Brian pressed the button on his phone to start the audio recording function, made sure the FBI listening device that was disguised as a cowry shell bracelet was still in place on his wrist, and then quietly slipped into the maids’ closet closest to Justin’s door. 


“Laura,” he whispered quietly into the relative darkness of the tiny room. 


“I am here,” she answered, coming out from behind the shelves.

 

“Okay. You got me here, Laura. So, what can you tell me about Aleksi’s plans,” Brian pressed. 

 

Laura quickly explained to him what Aleksi’s plan had been. He had meant to send her to Brian as a bride. She was supposed to have ingratiated herself into Brian’s life and found a way to get access to Kinnetik’s accounts and computer records. Once Aleksi had control of Kinnetik, he would direct Laura how to use the company as a front for Kacmar’s people to buy and sell US real estate as a way for them to launder the dirty money from their criminal enterprises. 


“Do you have any proof of all this?” Brian asked when Laura had finished. “Is this in writing or . . . I don’t know . . . Is there any way to pin this on Aleksi? Because, as it is, this whole thing sounds pretty far-fetched.”


“No. I’m sorry. I’m not important enough to know more. This is only part I know because it is what Aleksi told me I would do when he send me to you as your bride,” she admitted. Then she added, “I am glad your boy took ticket and came to you instead of me . . . I see you together when you arrived this morning. I see how you look at each other.” 


Laura smiled up at Brian and her eyes had a softer glow in them than before. 


“My older brother was like you and Youstin. Josip was such a kind boy. So sweet and good to our mother. But he loved another man.” Laura swiped at one lone tear that had escaped while she was speaking before she continued. “This secret got both Josip and his lover killed. I was a child at the time. I could not save him. But I see in your eyes the same kindness they had, and, when I see you and your Youstin together, I see the same. I see love.” 


Then Laura’s voice got stronger, more defiant, and she looked Brian directly in the eye as she continued. 


“I can not help Josip but I CAN help you. I will find out what Aleksi plans and warn you. Okay? First, though, you must promise me . . . I can not stay here if I do this thing. Aleksi would hurt me. Hurt my family. I want to take my mother and leave this place. Leave all the bad memories,” she told him. “You will help with this, please?” 


Brian didn’t answer, but he nodded his head, acknowledging her words. He really wanted to trust her but was still wary. He had no idea who to trust in this crazy situation. And even if he wanted to, he didn’t know if he could help this woman who seemed caught up in Aleksi’s machinations. It would all depend on the law enforcement folks who were really running this show, wouldn’t it? But, regardless, Brian would help Laura if he could. Somehow. Provided they all got out of this in one piece.


“I’ll do what I can, Laura,” he promised with a squeeze to her shoulder. “Tell me how to get a hold of you so, if I find a way out of this, I can contact you.”


She told him her mother’s phone number, advising him that her mother would always be able to get her a message. 


“Thank you, Laura.” He smiled at her and typed the number into his phone. “Now, one more thing. Is there a way I can get in to see Justin? I hate that we’ve been kept apart all day. I need to make sure he is okay.”


Laura looked around the room. She spotted a clean maid’s uniform on a hanger and a pile of the decorative pieces of fabric the hotel used as bed scarves to drape over the foot of the beds. She held up one of the uniforms to Brian, looking amused as his eyes widened. 


“NO,” Brian commented. “No way. I am NOT going to dress up as a maid.”

 

“You wear this. You use pass key. We cover your head with scarf. Go in door behind kitchen in his room,” Laura answered “So long as none of the watchers see you too close, no one will question maid going into your boy’s room. Is good. You can see your boy then, yes?”  


Which is how Brian Kinney ended up sneaking into Justin’s suite dressed as the world’s ugliest and tallest maid, his head and face hidden by a scarf, and pushing a hospitality cart to help with his disguise. As soon as Cara and Azaria saw him they burst out laughing so hard that Azaria fell off the couch. Justin managed to get a hand up to cover his mouth just in time to prevent him from saying anything more. Brian merely held his finger up to his lips to prevent them from saying anything out loud that might be overheard by Aleksi’s goons and then flipped Cara off when she still couldn’t completely stifle her giggling. Then Brian quickly handed his phone to Cara, pointing to the icon on the screen showing the recording he’d just made and pushed the two women out of the room through the connecting door to Azaria’s suite. 


The moment he had the door closed behind the two women, Brian pulled off the fabric that had been strangling him and leaned over to whisper into his blond’s ear, “I believe you ordered bed service, Sir?” adding a flirtatious wink and a curtsey in his little maid dress. 


“Oh, Brian! Get over here you nut,” Justin whispered back, pulling his private maid over to the bed with him so he could get all the servicing he’d been missing out on the rest of the day.



 

End Notes:

6/13/22 - Hehehe! Who wants to see Brian in a maid outfit now? Now, onto the wedding day... Oh my! Can’t wait! TAG & Lorie 

 

Croatian Words:

Kastrirati - Castrate/Emasculate

 

Kucence - Lapdog


Chapter 23 - Best Safety Lies In Fear by Tagsit
Author's Notes:

OMG! Hang on to your seats, folks, things are getting crazy around here! Enjoy! Lorie & TAG



Chapter 23 - Best Safety Lies In Fear.



Brian was just finishing up Justin’s good morning blow job when he noticed the blond’s phone rattling away on the nightstand. He ignored it long enough to swallow around the fat pink prick that the younger man had shoved down his throat. He hummed a happy little song to provide some pleasant vibration and then pulled back with just enough suction to hoover Justin’s morning load out of him with a whoosh. The boy whimpered and then collapsed back against the pillows. Brian took the opportunity to crawl up his young lover’s body until he was straddling the kid’s middle and proceeded to stroke his own hard cock a half-dozen times until he came all over Justin’s face and torso. Then he collapsed on top of the other man, smearing their cum-coated bodies together in an orgy of stickiness. 


Neither man had yet caught his breath again before the annoying phone began to rattle and vibrate on the side table again. Brian reached over and picked the irritating thing up without bothering to move off his comfortable Justin mattress. He looked at the lock screen which showed several messages from Cara. 


The most recent of which said, ‘Time to rise and shine, Romeos. We have a wedding to get to today, in case you forgot.’


Brian groaned and rolled over, freeing his other hand to type out a reply, ‘We're here. We're queer. And we're registered at both Williams-Sonoma and Prada.’


Fake Daphne popped into the group chat, adding, ‘It’s about time you two got up. Also, if you were trying to hide the fact that you violated Aleksi’s no sex between the grooms the night before the wedding rule, you should have maybe been a little quieter. I think people in the next country over probably heard a few of those orgasms...’


‘Fuck Aleksi’, Brian typed back.


‘I don’t think that’s gonna happen, Stud’, Greg responded. ‘After listening to him spew his homophobic crap all last night after you left, I’m pretty sure he doesn’t approve of same sex marriage. You know that old saying about In Vino Veritas, well, that...’


‘You know, they say all marriages are same sex marriages,’ Fake Daphne interjected. ‘You get married and after that, every night, it’s the same sex over and over and over...’


‘Maybe in your boring het marriages,’ Brian replied. ‘Which is why I’m glad I’m gay.’


‘So you’re saying Justin’s creative, huh?’ Cara added. ‘Good to know.’


‘Well, you’ll have to keep that creativity on hold for a bit,’ Greg cut in. ‘Aleksi was super pissed at the way you went missing last night, Brian. He lit into Beks right in the middle of the club. Accused her and the goon squad of losing you at the top of his fucking lungs. Rumor has it he’s still pissed off that you escaped without him getting compromising pictures of you fucking one of his working girls. So, if you wanna make nice, it’s time for you to reemerge and do some damage control.’


‘I’ll send Brian out as soon as we shower,’ Justin typed as soon as he took his phone back from Brian. 


“Race you to the shower, Sunshine?” Brian suggested, no longer bothering to try and stay silent since it seemed probable that they’d already been found out. 


“First one there gets to top!” Justin agreed, vaulting out of the bed like a lunatic kangaroo, and giggling madly as he sprinted past Brian.


“In your dreams, bottom boy,” Brian teased as he lazily followed his fiance towards the bathroom.


Half an hour later Brian strutted into his fifth floor suite to find Cara, Greg, Michael, and Ben gathered around a breakfast spread on the dining table, stuffing their faces while they waited for him. 


“Well, it’s about time you showed up, Brian,” Michael chided him. “Although, if you’re having second thoughts and have decided not to go through with this sham wedding, I’ll happily pay for your cab to the airport so we can get the hell out of here already and get away from the gold digger who wants to steal your money.”


“Why the fuck would I want to leave now, Mikey?” Brian snarked right back as he grabbed the coffee cup out of Michael’s hand and took a huge slurp. “Have you seen Justin’s ass? Why wouldn’t I jump at the chance to fuck that perfect little bubble butt over and over and over again?”


“Can you please be serious for a minute, Brian,” Michael whined, putting down the croissant he’d been eating the minute before to face his friend with a grim expression. “It’s not too late to change your mind, you know. You don’t have to do this.” When it looked like Brian was going to interrupt his protestations again, Michael rushed to cut him off. “I know what you’re going to say, Brian, but please listen to me. This is all happening just way too fast. Can’t you at least wait a while before you rush into something like getting married to someone you barely know? It’s beyond insane that you, of all people, are rushing into this. How can you possibly know that you want to spend the rest of your life with someone you just met less than a month ago? He’s probably just stringing you along until he can get a divorce and take you for everything you own.”


Brian started to respond in his usual flippant, snarky way, but then stopped with a sigh. Yes, he was still pissed off at Michael for betraying him to Aleksi like he had. And, yes, he was tired of the jealousy and possessiveness. But, if he were being honest, Michael did have a point. Although it somehow felt like much longer, it was true that he and Justin had only known each other a short time and, if this were a real wedding, Michael would have been within his rights to question the rapidity of Brian’s change or heart about marriage. So he supposed that he owed Michael a real answer. But what could he say to reassure his friend without giving away the sting operation they were on?


Thinking back on the vibrant and tantalizing man whose bed he’d just left, Brian had to smile. Their night together had been one for the record books. They’d fucked at least a half dozen times, all over that fucking hotel suite, and yet never seemed to tire of each other. That was something he’d never experienced with another man before. Hell, before Justin, the longest he’d ever spent with one guy had been the weekend he’d taken Matt George to Cabos. But, after those three days with Matt, Brian had been more than ready to be rid of the guy. Being with Justin, though, seemed to have the opposite effect. The more he was with the young blond artist, the more he seemed to crave him.


For a brief moment Brian thought back to the joke Azaria had told that morning, about how all marriages were same sex marriages because you’d only have sex with the same man forever, and wondered if that would really be so bad if the other man were Justin.


There was just something about that little blond kid that Brian couldn’t put his finger on. Some connection that he’d never had with anyone else. Like when they’d rolled over in the middle of the night and instantly found each other’s eyes, their hands and lips coming together like a pair of magnets. That time around they’d touched each other so gently as they’d made love. And, yes, Brian realized he’d just used the term ‘made love’ instead of fucking, but he couldn’t find it in himself to correct the term. Because it had actually felt like they’d made love; not that Brian knew for sure what that was supposed to feel like. He knew it wasn’t just your standard, run of the mill fucking though. 


If he really were about to get married - if it were real - Brian thought that the night he’d just spent with Justin would have been the way he’d want to have celebrated. 


So, instead of blowing off Michael’s question, Brian decided to be honest with him for once. “I don’t know what to tell you, Mikey. It’s just different with Justin. He’s . . . Special. And whether you like him or not, I trust him. And it looks like I’m marrying him in about four hours. Please don’t make me choose between you, Michael, because you won’t like my choice.”


Brian’s declaration, said in that solemn tone of voice, completely shut everyone up. Michael just stared at him, as if he suddenly didn’t recognize his best friend. Ben was smiling soppily at Brian from across the table. And Cara and Greg were busy looking at their phones while pretending they hadn’t heard anything so intimate about one of the assets. 


Luckily for all, the moment of silence was interrupted just then by a knock. Cara answered the door and took Brian’s freshly pressed tux from the staff member who’d come to deliver it. After which, the spell was broken and they all went back to eating their breakfast and joking with Brian about his wedding. But in his own mind, Brian was still remembering the night before and internally questioning himself. Because it was true; Justin was special.


Meanwhile, the rest of the morning sped by. Brian took his time getting ready because even though it was only a fake wedding, he wanted to look his best. When it was finally time to put on his tux, he got a round of catcalls and whistles from his audience, attesting to just how handsome he looked. 


Michael had just offered to help him with his bowtie when Cara’s phone rang and she stepped into the other room to answer the call. When she came back, not thirty seconds later, she looked worried. Brian felt his stomach do a flip-flop and his mind immediately went to Justin, hoping nothing bad had happened to his blond. 


“You look fabulous, Brian,” Cara spoke up. “I like the tux much better than that ‘Maid of Honor’ get up you were wearing last night.” Greg snickered from his corner, obviously having been told of Brian’s nighttime adventures. Then the lead FBI Agent got serious, turned to Michael, and said, “I think we forgot to pick up Brian’s boutonniere last night, Michael. Could you run down to the florist really quick and pick it up for us?”


“What? Why me? Can’t you go get it?” Michael griped.


“I can’t,” Cara was quick to respond. “I still need to get my makeup on, and besides that, you are the Best Man.”


“Ugh. Fine. I’ll go.”


“Why don’t you go with him and keep Mikey out of trouble, Ben,” Brian suggested, adding a wink to encourage the man to join his husband. 


“Will do, Brian,” Ben readily agreed and then escorted a still disgruntled Michael out of the suite. 


As soon as the pair was gone and the door closed behind them, Cara nodded to Greg, who took a small black box out of his pocket, set it on the coffee table in front of where Brian was standing, and pushed a button on the side of the device. 


“Okay, that should block any listening devices. We have about three minutes before we’re detected so talk fast,” he advised.


Cara immediately began talking. “That call I took was from Mercury. They don’t have what we need to arrest Kacmar yet.”


“What do you mean, they don’t have enough?” Brian’s voice rose till he was not quite yelling, causing both Greg and Cara to violently gesture at him to be more quiet. “But you said you’d have this wrapped up in more than enough time to call off the wedding. Now what are we supposed to do?”


“We just keep going as is,” Cara advised, placing a hand on Brian’s shoulder to try and keep him calm. “I’m sorry. We thought we’d have more by now, Brian. But Kacmar is being cagey.” 


“What about the way he threatened Justin? Or the shit that Laura told me last night?” Brian objected. 


“The stuff from Laura is all hearsay; we can’t make a case with that. And, although his threats to Justin probably constitute extortion, Interpol really wants to hold out until we have enough to get him on the big stuff. The money laundering, wire fraud, and international banking law violations. Those are the kind of charges that’ll get him thrown in jail for life. Extortion is, at best, a local crime and we know he’s already bought off most of the Croatian judges. We have to get him on something that’ll allow us to try him in New York or the Hague if we want the charges to actually stick. So Mercury wants us to ride this one out as long as possible.”


“How long is ‘as long as possible’?” Brian asked. “The fucking wedding is in,” he looked at his phone to check the time, “two fucking hours.”


“I know we’re cutting it close, Brian, but we just have to give the rest of the team time. Beks was able to leave bugs in Kacmar’s office, so we might still get something there. And she’s trying to get another run at Aleksi as we speak. You have to be patient. If worse comes to worst, you can just say you have cold feet and refuse to walk down the aisle. Okay? But the longer you and Justin can maintain this ruse, the better. Because if we don’t get Kacmar now, then he’s sure to retaliate against the both of you, and I’m pretty sure you don’t want to give up Kinnetik in order to take your family into witness protection for the rest of your life. Right?”


“That’s the only alternative?” Brian asked, getting brusque nods from both the FBI agents in the room. “Fuck . . . Okay. Whatever. As long as Justin’s onboard. It’s not like we have a real choice . . .”




“Give me a break, Serjay,” Beks argued with the stoic man who was still blocking her access to Kacmar’s office with his mountainous body. “I just want to talk to the man for one minute. I know he’s probably still pissed at me but how can I make it up to him if you won’t even let me in to see him for fuck’s sake!”


She’d been arguing with the guy for more than ten minutes already and was getting more and more desperate as each second ticked by. They were running out time. There was less than two hours until the wedding was scheduled to take place and they still didn’t have enough for Interpol to arrest Kacmar. If they didn’t get the goods on this scumbag soon, their entire operation was going to blow up in their faces. She knew if she could just get inside to talk to Aleksi, she should be able to antagonize him enough to get him to let something slip. He was already pissed off at her, it shouldn’t take much more to bait him. But first she had to get past his fucking ogre of a doorman.


“Mr. Kacmar is not available at the moment,” Serjay repeated disdainfully.

“Yeah. You already said that but . . .” Beks broke off when she heard a familiar raised voice coming from down the hallway behind her. 


“I know I’m the Best Man, Ben, but why should that mean I’m the one who has to run all the errands like some loser gofer?” Michael Novotny’s nasal voice was pitched perfectly to carry clear down the hall to where the hotel’s administrative offices were located. “Why couldn’t Cara go get the fucking boutonniere? I should be up there helping Brian get ready, not some fake cousin who doesn’t even know him. I thought that’s what a fucking Best Man does. But, no. I’m the one who’s getting kicked out by some bitch Brian barely knows . . .”


“Michael, it’s not that big a deal, is it? I mean, getting his boutonniere is helping him get ready,” Ben tried to be the voice of reason but, as usual, it fell on deaf ears. 


“Fuck that, Ben. I don’t know why I’m even bothering to help him. Brian has been a total asshole to me this whole trip and you know it. When he’s not ignoring me, he’s giving me shit and telling me off for hurting the poor little gold digger’s feelings. Well, I’ve had enough. I should just leave already. I don’t want to be a part of this sham wedding anyway. I can’t believe he’s falling for that fat-assed blond boy’s lies,” Michael ranted, getting so upset that he stopped right in the middle of the lobby in order to whine even more effectively.  


Ben looked around at the crowd of onlookers Michael’s shouting was beginning to attract and tried to get his husband to quiet down, but to no avail. 


“If Cara - the fucking fake cousin - wants to be in charge, well let her. I could care less about Brian’s fucking flowers.” Michael was so upset by that point that he crossed his arms over his chest and pouted, digging in his heels when Ben attempted to get him to move off to the side so everyone wasn’t looking at them. “I don’t trust that gold digging whore; I know that he’s just using Brian for his money. And, seriously, what is with this Cara person anyway? Huh? I know for a fact she isn’t Brian’s fucking ‘cousin’. Brian doesn’t have any cousins. Brian told me his father was an only child and his mother’s only sister was a nun; I remember because I told him if he wanted cousins I would loan him some of mine, only none of them were still talking to Ma because she stood up for Uncle Vic, and we laughed about it all night. So who the fuck is that cow anyway, huh? And why the hell would Brian invite someone he doesn’t even know to come halfway around the world to his wedding? It doesn’t make any sense, Ben. Plus, they’re always whispering together - Brian, the blond whore, and that Cara bitch - I tell you, Ben, there’s something fishy going on here and I don’t want to be mixed up in it any more. Brian can get his own fucking boutonniere . . .” 


Beks felt her heart drop into her stomach as the little idiot’s words rang throughout the lobby and clear down the hall to where she and Serjay were standing. There was nothing she could do. She couldn’t stop him this time. Shit was about to hit the fan in a most spectacular way and she didn’t know what she could do to stop the destruction. 


She looked up, hoping against hope that Serjay hadn’t understood the import of what they’d just overheard. Unfortunately, Serjay was already moving towards the door to Aleksi’s private office. Beks scrambled after him. At the very least, she’d maybe be able to overhear whatever it was Aleksi was going to do. Maybe she’d be able to run interference or at least warn Cara somehow . . .


“Sefe, imamo problem,” Serjay warned before they’d even got all the way inside the office, his voice ringing out down the hallway almost as loudly as Michael’s had. 


Aleksi, who was hunched over a laptop computer at his desk, looked up with a furious expression. ‘Sto?” he asked, looking over Serjay’s shoulder to where Beks was standing just inside the doorway. 


Serjay, following his boss’ line of vision, realized he’d been followed and immediately took two giant steps backward so he could grab hold of Beks’ arm and tow her all the way into the office. Then he slammed the door closed and turned the lock. And, finally, the big goon shoved Beks roughly into one of the guest chairs, flipped open the box sitting on Aleksi’ desk that she’d thought was a humidor, and hit a small silver switch on the device that was hidden inside. 


Only then did Serjay begin to explain to Kacmar what they’d overheard out in the lobby. The two men were talking in such rapid-fire angry voices that she only got about a third of what they were saying with her rusty Croatian. She heard something about ‘a setup’. She thought that Serjay was warning Aleksi about someone listening and when he pointed to the box with the device inside she understood the word ‘bugs’. Brian’s, Justin’s, and Michael’s names were mentioned as well as the name ‘Cara’. And then both the men looked directly at her. She was actually kind of glad that she hadn’t fully understood what they said next, because just the way Kacmar said her name was enough to make her blood run cold. Shit! They were fucked now. So very, very fucked.


“Bring the pederu and his little bride boy to me,” Kacmar ordered. “NOW!” 


Serjay obeyed immediately, stomping out of the office like a man on a mission. 


“Now, Ms. Beks,” Aleksi turned his attention to her. “While we wait for Serjay bring the pederus so I can teach them their lessons, you will tell me what the JEBATI is going on!” Beks hesitated, her brain scrambling to come up with something to say that wouldn’t make things worse. “SPEAK!” Aleksi’s fist slammed on the desk, making Beks jump.  “Or I make you be fish food before dinner.” 



Brian was on his way downstairs to check out the little wedding chapel that the hotel boasted when he heard his name being called. 


Aleksi’s tour the day before had skipped the chapel and the rest of the resort’s wedding facilities so Brian was curious to see that part of the facilities. He figured he should at least know where his own fake wedding was supposed to be taking place. Besides, he didn’t have anything else to do at the moment - he was dressed and ready, except for the fucking boutonniere which Mikey would hopefully be bringing soon - and he was too nervous to just sit around in the hotel room waiting for Cara to finish putting on her makeup. So he’d told the agents he was going to check out the chapel and would meet them in the bar for a pre-ceremony drink in fifteen minutes. Then he’d headed for the elevators. 


The second he’d poked his head out of the door of his room, though, he was assailed by a frantic looking Laura. “Mr. Brian! Quickly. You must come!” she hissed breathlessly and began to tug on his arm. 


“What the fuck? What’s wrong?”


“Aleksi. He think you betrayed him,” Laura explained briefly as she led him away towards the back stairs. “We must find Mr. Justin. You both need hide. Now!”


Brian followed her down the stairs, both of them running, as he continued to question the woman. “I don’t understand. Why would Aleksi think I ‘betrayed’ him?’


“Your friend - the Blebetanje - he come downstairs, yelling in lobby, saying your ‘fake cousin’ up to something. Everyone in hotel heard. Serjay go tell Aleksi and I hear them yelling in office. I come to get you right away. You no want to face angry Aleksi,” the woman answered as they reached the ground floor and paused before exiting the stairwell. 


Laura motioned Brian to wait before she peeked her head around the jamb and scanned the hallway. This stair led out into a small back corridor that was mainly used by hotel staff, so it wasn’t very busy. Thankfully, it appeared that the coast was clear, so Laura cautiously motioned Brian forward. They managed to sprint down that hallway and took the turn into the wing that housed the wedding facilities without being seen. Brian was glad Laura seemed to know where she was going when she led him directly to a room with a little plaque next to the door announcing it was the ‘Bridal Room’. They barged in without bothering to knock to find a surprised-looking Justin standing in front of a mirror admiring himself in his new tux. 


“Brian? What . . .” Justin didn’t get to finish his sentence before Laura had grabbed him by the arm and started towing him along as well.


“I’ll explain later, Sunshine,” Brian said. “This is Laura, by the way. She’s the one you stole those place tickets from.”


“Oh. Uh, hi . . .” Justin didn’t know what to say.


Laura wasn’t listening, though. She quickly led her charges out of the little Bridal Room, which was typically used for one member of a wedding party to get ready in, through a door that connected to the vestibule for the Chapel. They were headed towards the big double doors that would have taken them back out into the hallway that led to the lobby, but before they got there, they heard loud voices coming from that direction and Laura changed course. Instead, she led Brian and Justin into the Chapel itself. Unfortunately, that appeared to be a dead end and the angry voices out in the corridor were getting nearer. 


“This way,” Laura ordered.


She led the two men towards the back corner of the relatively small room where, at first glance, there didn’t seem to be anything of interest. However, as soon as they reached the corner, Laura reached out and pressed against one of the wall panels which subsequently popped open to reveal what appeared to be a small walk-in storage closet filled with priests’ vestments, altar cloths, and various other wedding chapel accouterments. She immediately began to shove first Brian and then Justin into the small space.


“You hide here. No one look. Only working girls know this place. I come get you when safe,” she dictated, closing the door behind her without waiting for their okay.


With the door panel closed, the small space was pitch black. If Brian hadn’t heard Justin’s rasping breath and felt the warm body shivering next to him, he would have thought he was all alone. He put his arm around Justin, which was reassuring for the both of them, and then they just stood there and panted. Outside, in the chapel itself, they could faintly hear voices - one of which sounded like Laura - arguing about something. The argument lasted for only a few minutes and then there was nothing but silence both in the chapel and inside their hidey hole


Eventually, when everything outside had remained quiet for long enough that he thought they’d escaped - at least for the time being - Brian finally whispered into the top of Justin’s thick blond hair, “You okay, Sunshine?”


“I think so,” Justin replied, his voice sounding shaky.


“So, I’m thinking that eloping to Croatia to get fake married probably wasn’t the best wedding plan we could have come up with,” Brian concluded, earning himself a snicker from the scared Male Order Bride in his arms. “How about, for our next fake wedding, we try Ibiza instead?”



 

End Notes:

Chapter 23 End Notes - In case you were unfamiliar, this is called a ‘Cliff Hanger’. Teehehehe! Enjoy! Lorie & TAG

 

PS: Check out this great fan art from one of our fans (Audrey L.) showing the ‘Maid of Honor’! Love it! Thank you, Audrey!!!!

 

 

Croatian Words:

Sefe, imamo problem - Boss, we have a problem

Sto - What Blebetanje - Blabbermouth, aka, Michael Novotny


Chapter 24 - Try The Fair Adventure of Tomorrow by Tagsit
Author's Notes:

Get ready to get your adventure on! Enjoy! TAG & Lorie



Chapter 24 - Try The Fair Adventure of Tomorrow.



“So what are we supposed to do now?” Justin asked after they’d been huddled together in the tiny closet for long enough that the adrenaline had begun to wear off


“No fucking idea,” Brian replied, pulling his phone out of his pocket, the blue light from the screen providing at least some illumination. “Something’s definitely going down. I’ve got about twenty messages.” 


He held the phone out so Justin could read the messages along with him. The first one said, ‘Where are you, Brian? Daphne says she can’t find Justin . . .’ That was followed by at least a dozen other messages from Cara, Greg, and Azaria, all asking where Brian was. The last one was from ‘Auntie M’ - which was the code name for their Interpol connection - and it said only, ‘Mother sends her love and congrats on your big day.’


“Shit!” Brian cursed quietly. 


“That’s the code phrase to abort the mission, right?” Justin asked, just to clarify; he knew it was but was having trouble believing his eyes. He felt more than saw Brian’s nod as he checked his own phone and found the same messages. “So . . . What the fuck are we supposed to do? All I remember was that Cara and Greg were supposed to get us out of here. But . . .”


“. . . Who the fuck knows where they are right now,” Brian finished Justin’s sentence for him. “And it’s probably not a good idea to broadcast where you and I are hiding because we can’t be sure someone isn’t reading their messages.”


“Doesn’t the FBI have tracking on our phones though? They’ll find us eventually, right?” Justin pointed out.


“Yeah. Just in time to identify our bodies, probably,” Brian offered unhelpfully. 


“So, what? We just hide out here until . . .”


“Until either Aleksi’s goons find us or the good guys send in the cavalry to rescue our asses, I guess,” Brian said with a sigh.


“Or until your friend Laura comes back for us,” Justin added, slumping back against the row of shelves that lined the wall behind him. 


Which is when they both heard an audible ‘click’. Justin immediately jumped forward again. This resulted in the entire rack of shelves shifting forward to reveal the entrance to a small passageway leading off into the darkness at their backs. 


“What the fuck?” Brian pulled the shelf-lined door panel further open and turned on the flashlight function on his phone so they could see down the hidden hallway. 


Just then the fugitives heard a renewed hubbub of raised voices coming from the chapel outside their secret hideaway. Brian and Justin looked at each other and silently came to the same conclusion. Together, they stepped through the doorway into the narrow passage and pulled the shelf-wall closed behind them. Then, using only the light from Brian’s phone, they made their way single file down the cramped corridor into the unknown.


The hallway - if you could even call a space that was barely half a meter wide a hallway - led straight for about a dozen paces and then made a sharp right turn. Two dozen meters after that, the intrepid pair found themselves at a juncture where they could either continue straight or take another right turn. The path to the right seemed to end at a door only a little ways down, while the corridor ahead went on for quite a distance. Justin pointed to the shorter path and Brian silently led the way. This option dead-ended at another of those door panels; the only thing giving away that it wasn’t just another wall was the small metal lever on the right that would presumably allow someone to unlatch and open the door from this side. Before they could even think about attempting this exit, however, they heard more shouting coming from whatever was behind the panel. 


“What do you mean the pederu is missing?” Aleksi Kacmar’s voice was so loud that the men hiding in his walls could easily hear him even through the wall insulation. “Nadi ih! Smjesta!” 


There followed a whole lot of yelling and cursing in Croatian. Even though Brian didn’t know what the man was saying, he could tell from the tone that Kacmar was livid. Brian didn’t envy whoever was on the receiving end of that diatribe. Meanwhile, Justin had wisely begun to record the rant using his own phone, just in case they ever managed to get out of this mess in one piece and were able to get someone who mattered to translate. You never knew what would help put this monster behind bars. 


“Aleksi, please. Think about what you’re doing.” The voice that responded in English was none other than their very own Beks. “This is getting out of hand. If they really are the police, doubling down and going after them like this isn’t going to help. You haven’t done anything you can’t back out of . . . Yet,” Beks pleaded. “You can still walk away. Nobody has to get hurt.”


“This is shit of bull!” Aleksi retorted, clearly in a rage. “It is that malo pederu. The blond one. I know this! He is coward and double crossed me! But I will make him pay! First, I find him and tear his balls off with these my hands and then I make him watch while I kill all the rest of these kurac. Nobody jebeti with Aleksi Kacmar. Nobody!”


“Fuck, Aleksi. Isn’t it too late for that? If they really are Interpol or FBI or whatever, you need to just back the fuck off and let this go. Whatever your plans were, they can’t be that important,” Beks countered.


“Ajde U Kurac!” Kacmar yelled back and Brian interpreted the words as some form of ‘fuck you!’, because that sounds the same in almost any language. “I have too much invested on Kinney already to find another American this late. I have investors. They not be happy if no return on their money after much long time. They want American investments and American dollars. Now. We can’t spend dirty kuna here or even the judges we paid to protect us won’t be able to help. Without Kinnetik, or some other helpful American zrtva to do the cleaning on the money, we are jebati!”


“That makes no sense,” Beks pressed. “How is hiring in an advertising agency in the US going to help your investors here?”


“What are you, glupi?” Aleksi practically screamed. And it seemed like Kacmar had become so angry by that point that he was no longer being careful with his words, because he just started blurting everything out. “We don’t want the jebati advertising agency! We just use Kinney and his company for access to US banks. And real estate. We make shell companies. LLCs. Shell pay money to US company. That company buy Miami condos. After sale, kuna turned to squeaky clean dollars and investors much happy. Is simple. But they will much not like more delay. Aleksi not be the one they take out unhappy on. So, we find Kinney and his boy and we MAKE them understand . . . Or we break all their bones until they change their minds, yes?” 


Brian and Justin looked at each other, each man’s expression a mirror of the other, a mixture of satisfaction and dread. They’d just gotten the evidence they needed to put Kacmar away for good. But at the cost of him wanting them both either dead or disfigured. And they were still on the run, hiding from the man in the walls of his own hotel, cut off from the only people who might be able to protect them. It was a bittersweet victory at best. 


“Sefe,” a new voice entered the discussion at that point, speaking mostly Croatian, which left Brian and Justin lost again. 


Brian was about to suggest they move on, maybe try the other branch of the secret passage, when Aleksi erupted again, this time yelling even louder than before, “I don’t care your excuses! Koji si ti Kurac? Don’t tell me you no can do my orders! First you let Kinney escape last night so I get no Kompromat pictures. Now you lose them both again? I tell you to FIND THEM! NOW! THEY HERE SOMEWHERE! KINNEY NOT GO OUT OF HOTEL OR I WOULD KNOW! SO YOU FIND THEM NOW OR I KILL YOU BOTH IN THE PEDERU’S PLACE!”


There was a lot of clattering and a jumble of voices that got gradually quieter after that. It sounded like everyone involved had left the room - probably Kacmar’s office judging by what they’d overheard - even Aleksi, whose yelling diminished as if he was following along behind his minions as he continued to screech at them. Justin tapped at the button on his phone to stop the recording. 


“Now what?” the blond whispered. 


Brian had no clue. “I . . . Fuck . . . I don’t know.” He looked at the doorway they’d been eavesdropping through and shook his head. “No sense in following through there. We don’t know when they might come back.” Looking the other direction, Brian decided, for lack of any better alternative, to carry on the way they’d been heading. “Let’s see where this fucking passage leads, I guess. Maybe there’s another way out?”


“That’s as good a suggestion as any,” Justin agreed and gestured for Brian and his flashlight to precede him. 


So they continued on, going back to the main corridor of the secret passage and turning right again, heading further away from the chapel entrance where they’d started. Just a few more meters beyond the ell that had led to Kacmar’s office, the main corridor took another jog to the right and then the path they were following dead-ended again at another panel door. They paused there and Brian leaned forward, his ear against the crack of the doorjamb, listening. 


“I can’t hear anything out there, but . . .” Brian looked at his companion for advice but Justin simply shrugged. “Fine.” 


He turned the light off, so as not to give them away, and then carefully, slowly, and as quietly as possible, he lifted the metal lever that served as a door latch, pushing the panel mere millimeters before stopping again. Another anxious minute or two passed while they listened so intently Brian thought he could hear the blood coursing through his ear drums. There was no sound coming from behind the panel so he pushed it a little further open. A dim light began to seep through the crack from wherever the passage opened onto. Looking over his shoulder, Brian saw Justin nod, so when they still heard nothing Brian sighed, pushed the door wide enough to stick his head out, and took a peek. 


“Damn it,” he cursed quietly then pushed the door all the way open so Justin could see where they’d emerged. 


They’d come out in the back corner of the nightclub, next to the special, roped off, VIP area. No one was around and the lights were off. It seemed safe enough so they both stepped out of the cramped hallway into the wide open spaces of the club. Brian could hear Justin inhaling deeply, as if to clear his lungs after being in the musty, narrow passage for so long. 


“I was hoping that passage would lead to an exit. Get us out of the building somehow,” Brian said, venting his frustration. “What’s the point of a secret passage that only goes from the fucking nightclub to Aleksi’s office to the damn chapel?”


“Maybe it’s so Aleksi can sneak in and out of the club without his wife knowing. Or maybe it’s the way he sneaks his prostitutes into his office? Didn’t Laura say something about only the working girls knowing about the closet she shoved us into?” Justin suggested as he collapsed onto the closest couch. 


“Maybe. But why connect it to the fucking chapel?” Brian asked, unconvinced. 


“Makes sense to me. Where’s the last place you’d think of to look for nefarious types who were sneaking around in a mafia run hotel? The church, right?” Justin reasoned it out. 


Brian nodded and sat down next to his adventure companion. “You know, Sunshine, I’m starting to suspect there’s more to you than just a pretty face and a spectacular ass.”


“It’s true,” Justin joked back, hitting Brian with one of his blindingly bright smiles. “I also have a really big cock.”


“That too,” Brian agreed and then leaned in to take the big-brained boy’s lips in a searing kiss. 


When the kiss finally came to its natural conclusion, though, they both sat back and really looked around themselves. Even though they appeared to be safe for the moment, they were still trapped in the resort and didn’t know where the rest of their team - the ones that carried guns and knew how to take out bad guys - might be. They didn’t dare contact the LEOs either, because they had no idea if those communications would be safe now that their operation had been blown up. For the time being, it appeared that they were on their own and out of ideas.

“Fuck it,” Brian declared, getting up off the couch and making his way over to the bar where he liberated a bottle of Aleksi’s best scotch. After taking a swig from the bottle he held it out in Justin’s direction. “Want some?”


Justin got up and came over to join his partner. “You hoping to find inspiration in there or just get so drunk you don’t mind when Aleksi’s goons find us?”


“Definitely, option one.” 


Brian waited until Justin had a couple of swallows and then took the bottle back for himself. And it seemed to work. After a few minutes of thought, and about a highball worth of whiskey, Brian felt fortified enough to make a plan. 


“Okay, this is what I got so far,” he said with a wobble of his head to indicate he only felt so-so about his plan. “The nightclub has its own entrance that’s off to the left of the main lobby. There’s nothing else down this hallway and we’d only be in view of the front desk staff for a few seconds. I think we might be able to make it out that way, provided we’re lucky and don’t get spotted.”


“And then what?” Justin asked, looking over Brian’s tall, elegant frame and then making a point of looking at his own attire. “Two Americans running down the streets of Split in tuxes in the middle of the afternoon? You may be equally as pretty, Brian, but you’re not James Bond. Unless you have a secret weapon hidden in your shoe or a way to contact Q, I don’t know how far you think we’ll get.”  


Brian huffed a small laugh but remained mostly serious. “You got any better ideas?”


“Fuck, no.”


“Then it’s International Man of Mystery time, Sunshine.”


“I have a bad feeling about this,” Justin groaned, took the bottle away from Brian so he could get one last fortifying gulp, and then squared his shoulders. “Lead on, Brian Kinney - my middle name is ‘Danger’.”


“Good thing you’re cute because you’d never make it doing standup,” Brian concluded as he walked towards the door that would take them out into the main part of the hotel and, potentially, into the lion’s den. 


With Justin following closely behind, Brian warily made his way out of the club and inched his way down the short hallway that led past the lobby desk to the side entrance which primarily served the club. At first it seemed like their luck would hold; there didn’t seem to be anyone around. Brian edged up to the section of wall where the corridor they were in opened up on the right to the main lobby. The hotel reception desk was on the other side of the lobby, facing towards the hotel’s front doors. The side entrance that served the club headed off to the left, perpendicular to the reception desk. Unfortunately, the desk and the hall weren’t perfectly aligned, which meant that it was possible for someone at the front desk to see them going down the hall if the attendant was looking just the right way when they passed. Brian craned his neck around the wall and breathed a sigh of relief when it appeared that the desk was momentarily unattended. With a gesture to his blond shadow, Brian trotted around the corner, heading towards the ornate, wrought iron and glass doors that led outside. Hopefully to freedom.



Which is when their luck ran out. 


The pair of fugitives were almost all the way to the exit before Brian could see far enough out past the elaborate metal swirls that partially obscured the glass of the doors. That’s when he noticed that one of Aleksi’s goons was positioned just to the left of the entrance. The man was standing with his back to them, so at least he hadn’t seen them approach. But Brian could tell by the way his head was swiveling back and forth that he was on the lookout for something. Or someone. Maybe two someones. 


“Shit!” He cursed under his breath and froze in place, causing Justin to run into his back. “There’s a guard out there,” he whispered. Justin peeked around Brian’s body and gulped audibly. “Go back. Go back.”


Justin did as ordered but didn’t let go of Brian’s hand. Brian, himself, slowly crept backwards, keeping his eyes locked on the security guard’s back, silently begging the fates that the guy wouldn’t turn around. The walk back seemed to drag on forever, taking ten times as long as it had taken them to walk down the short entryway to start with. 


They almost made it too. 


When they were only a couple of meters from the corner where they could duck back around to the safety of the empty hall, the security guard turned around and looked directly into Brian’s eyes. Brian felt paralyzed. He couldn’t have moved if he’d tried. For a moment the guard seemed to share that paralysis. They just stared at each other while Brian’s heart pounded so hard in his chest it felt like it might break free. Then the guard blinked. He lifted a walkie-talkie to his lips and said something Brian couldn’t hear. And he smiled at Brian with this evil grin that immediately unfroze him.


“Fucking run!” he yelled and turned on his heel, dragging Justin along by the hand. 


The yelling brought the momentarily absent desk clerk out of hiding, though, and the staffer immediately moved to block their pathway back to the club. Brian only faltered for a moment before he zagged the other direction, heading out into the lobby proper, towing his blond behind him while they tried to dodge through a milling crowd of newly arrived tourists. Brian hoped that the chaos caused by the hordes of new guests might provide them enough cover to make it out the main doors. He deliberately knocked over several chairs and tables as he passed, hoping to add to the melee and confusion. The tourists began to shout and swarm, which helped block the path of the guard who was rapidly gaining on them from behind. However, just as they swerved past the last luggage cart between them and the exit, a wall of security guards, all wearing identical blue blazers with the hotel logo imprinted on the lapel, appeared from out of nowhere and completely blocked their escape. 


With nowhere else to go, Brian skidded to a halt and looked around, desperate for any other option. There was only one direction that didn’t seem to be blocked by Kacmar’s goons, so Brian headed that way, still skirting panicked tourists and having to jump over one toppled chair that fell in their path. Justin was right behind him, dodging and juking with the same terror-stricken energy. They ran full-speed down the only open hallway, slued around the corner, and found themselves . . . Right back where they’d started, standing in front of the wedding chapel.


“There you are!” Lucija greeted them, popping up out of nowhere and grabbing hold of Brian’s elbow before he could say anything. “You are late! We think you get lost! Come. No want to miss your own wedding . . .”


She led the two disheveled and now sweaty men in through the chapel doors where a small, gray-haired man dressed in a priest’s cassock greeted them in barely understandable English. Brian was too busy looking back over his shoulder, trying to see how far behind Aleksi’s goons were, to bother listening to anything the priest said. Before he knew it the little man had led both him and Justin up to the front of the little sanctuary and was directing them to stand in front of the altar so that the guests in the mostly empty pews would be able to see them properly. There were a few smiling hotel staff members seated in the chapel waiting for them, along with Michael and Ben, seated to the left, and Petra and Lucija, seated to the right. And that was it. None of the undercover law enforcement agents who’d been included in their little wedding party seemed to be in attendance. Meaning that Brian and Justin were shit out of luck.


Justin, who seemed in shock, looked up at Brian with a mix of confusion and fear distorting his beautiful features. Brian was sure that his own face looked equally as forlorn. But they were out of options. Brian couldn’t think of any way out. They were trapped. 


While the two men stood there, helpless and numb, the clueless priest began to orate in a pidgin mixture of Croatian and English that almost no one understood. They were only a few minutes into the performance when the doors to the chapel burst open and three armed security guards rushed into the chapel, only to find themselves at a loss for what to do once they realized what was happening inside. They looked around at each other, almost as confused as Brian was, but didn’t approach any nearer, seeming to telepathically decide to merely stand sentry in front of the doors so that their quarry couldn’t escape. 


Brian’s thoughts were spinning so fast he couldn’t concentrate on anything else. He kept trying to think of some alternative. Some way they could still escape their fate. But nothing came to him. Meanwhile, the ridiculous priest droned on, the wedding ceremony continuing despite the fact that neither of the grooms were paying any attention. Part of Brian’s brain somehow found time to note just how surreal this entire experience was, even as the rest of him was awash in barely contained hysteria. 


“Mr. Taylor,” the priest intoned at some undetermined time later, his wrinkled smile beaming down on the distracted blond youth. “In the light of this community, under the laws of God and the State, do you take this man, Brian Kinney, to be your lawful husband, for better or worse, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish until death do you part?”


Justin looked dazed. “I . . . Uh . . . I . . . I . . .” 


Brian thought for a moment the kid might pass out. But, right as Justin was about to stutter out some response, there was a loud clatter of noise coming from the vestibule of the chapel, and the commotion drowned out whatever words Justin said next. The undeterred priest, however, refused to let this interruption distract him. And, seeming to assume that Justin had voiced his consent, he carried on with the ceremony. 


“Mr. Kinney,” the priest continued. “In the light of this community, under the laws of God and the State, do you take this man, Justin Taylor, to be your lawful husband, for better or worse, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish until death do you part?”


Brian was two seconds away from telling the fucking priest to go to hell when the doors to the chapel once more crashed open and Brian’s head jerked around to find Aleksi Kacmar standing in the back of the room. 


One look at the man’s tomato red face and it was clear that he was lethally furious. Kacmar was flanked on each side by another mountainous, gun-toting security guard. Behind him was the huge Russian guard named Serjay, who was towing a frantically struggling Beks along by her elbow. Out in the other room, Brian could see another half dozen security staff over Aleksi’s shoulder. 


This was it. It was all over. Brian felt caught like a deer in the headlights of a car. He knew he was probably only a couple minutes away from being killed and there was no way out. 


Then something inside his mind snapped and all of a sudden Brian found himself laughing at the absolute absurdity of the moment. “Fuck it,” he chuckled, shaking his head and sighing. “You know what? Sure. Whatever. Why the hell not. If we’re going to die any minute, we might as well, right?” He turned to look at Justin directly, taking up the other man’s trembling hands and holding the gemstone blue gaze as he declared, “I do. Fuck it all, I DO!” Then he looked sideways at the priest and asked, “can we fucking kiss already?”


“I now pronounce you married. You may kiss your husband,” the priest declaimed with a patronly smile. 


Brian didn’t need any further permission. He pulled the smaller, trembling body to him and wrapped Justin in his arms. They held each other so tightly that it was almost painful as their lips met in one last, desperate kiss. Brian poured out everything he couldn’t say into that kiss. There was so much passion that he’d never been able to share which came out in those few seconds. A whole life of missed chances to be communicated. Regret, affection, tenderness, and maybe even love. He felt Justin’s tears wetting his face and wasn’t sure if any of the moisture came from his own eyes, not that he cared anymore. All he did care about was that he’d get to taste those soft, pink lips one more time. He let his tongue tangle with Justin’s in a rush of sweet lust. He wanted to experience whatever last moments of joy they might have together for however long they might have left. 


“Aleksi Kacmar! Uhicen si!” 


A very loud and very authoritarian voice finally broke through the passion of Brian and Justin’s last kiss, causing them to pull apart and look over to discover a fresh rush of chaos erupting near the doors to the chapel. 


Brian wasn’t sure if it was surprise or relief that caused him to drop to his knees when he saw a new swarm of fifty or more armed folks pouring in through the doors to the chapel. This group, however, seemed to all be sporting official-looking insignia and badges. They were already busy pointing their guns at Aleksi and his goons, pushing the bad guys up against walls to search them, and zip-tying their hands. Kacmar was yelling and cursing in Croatian while struggling to free himself from the grip of two burly men wearing black windbreakers with the word ‘POLICIJA’. 


Before too much longer, a few familiar faces made their way through the crowd. Cara, Greg, and Azaria, now adorned in FBI tactical vests, pushed their way through the local police to get to Brian and Justin. They looked concerned.


“Brian? Are you hurt? Can you get up?” The questions pelted at him and he only then realized that he was still crumpled in a heap on his knees with Justin hovering over him and crying. 


“Yeah. I’m okay . . . I just . . .”


Greg reached out a hand to help him up and slapped him familiarly on the shoulder, leaving his steadying hand there for support. Beside Greg, Azaria was hugging the shit out of Justin. Cara was just standing there looking on and beaming. 


As soon as Brian managed to get his brain back online, his first question was, “where the fuck have all of you been?”


“Sorry it took us a while to get here,” Cara answered for all the LEOs. “Your friend, Laura, came to get us as soon as she got you two into hiding. She was able to provide us with enough evidence to get us the arrest warrants we needed to protect you guys, but because it’s only just after dawn back in New York, it wasn’t easy getting all the paperwork together. We didn’t know Aleksi had found your hiding place, though. We thought you were just lying low. I’m sorry for all this.” She gestured at the chaos that surrounded them.  


“Here,” Justin handed Cara his phone. “If you didn’t get all you needed from Laura, there should be more than enough on there. I recorded Kacmar bragging to Beks about everything. The fucker.” 


“Excellent! Thank you, Justin. The more evidence the better.” Azaria gave her charge another hug and then began to lead him away. 


Justin reached out a hand to Brian who was grateful for the warm touch. He smiled at the other man. He was still having trouble believing everything that had happened. Ten minutes earlier, he’d thought he was about to be violently murdered and now . . . What? They were safe and could go home. But then what?


Before they could get all the way out of the chapel, though, Brian’s attention was demanded by a series of squawks coming from the short, stocky brunet man being rigorously questioned by one of the Split police officers in the far corner of the chapel. 


“Brian! Brian, what the fuck is going on? Who are all these people and where are you going . . .”


“Go ahead and question him all you want. He’s spent the last few weeks trying to run my life and then almost getting us killed. When you’re done with him there will be coach tickets waiting for him and his husband to return home,” Brian told the police, before addressing his former best friend. “When you get back to the Pitts, Michael, stay the fuck away from Justin and me. At least until I calm down. That means don’t call or come by. When and if I decide I want to speak again, I’ll call you.” 


The whining man continued to yell for Brian to help him, but Brian ignored him. He was too worn out to deal with Michael right then. Instead, he squeezed Justin’s hand and followed the FBI agents out of the chapel so they could regroup and figure out what to do next. 


And boy was there a shit ton of stuff to figure out, Brian thought as he led his brand new, accidental, mail order husband out of the chapel, heading towards their new life . . . Together.



 

End Notes:

6/17/22 - What do you think? Did you expect an accidental wedding? Or all that action and adventure? TAG stayed up til 2am writing this one, so excited to get it done for you. We hope you liked it. Now, just one more chapter to tie up all those loose ends and because we all need more sex . . . We always need more Britin sex! Please leave us horrible reviews if you don’t want that... LOL. TAG & Lorie.

 

Croatian Words (FYI, TAG found a ‘How to Curse In Croatian’ website and was having a little too much fun here...): 

Nadi ih! - Find them!

Smjesta - Now!

Malo Pederu - Little Faggot

Kurac - Dick

Jebati - Fuck/Fucked

Ajde U Kurac - Go fuck yourself! (Literally, ‘go into a dick’, lol)

Kuna - Croatian currency

Zrtva - Patsy/Victim of a Crime

Glupi - Stupid

Sefe - Boss

Koji si ti Kurac? - Who do you think you are? (Literally, what dick are you?) 

Uhicen si! - You’re Under Arrest! Policija - Police


Chapter 25 - All’s Well That Ends Well by Tagsit
Author's Notes:

This is it! The final chapter. All the loose ends are tied up and the HEA is on the way. Enjoy! Lorie & TAG



Chapter 25 - All’s Well That Ends Well. 



The post-wedding riot debriefing took several hours. Brian and Justin were taken off to some conference room in the hotel where a joint force of FBI, Interpol, and local Croatian agents were questioning witnesses and doing all sorts of other police-type things. Brian and Justin gave their testimony, detailing their afternoon’s adventures. They managed to find time to thank both Beks and Laura, each of whom had been instrumental in preventing Aleksi from doing the worst. Brian had even taken Laura aside and promised to help her bring her mother to the US, going so far as offering to help find the woman a job if that would make things easier.


Finally, Brian and Justin were told they could go, and Cara pressed a key card envelope into Brian’s hand. They left the room holding hands. Neither man said a word as they got on the elevator, remaining silent as it rose to the top floor. Once they finally got to the door of their new room - the Honeymoon Suite, no less - Brian shook his head and unlocked the door. But, as Justin reached for the handle, Brian took his hand and pulled it back. 


Brian bit his lip as he looked into his husband’s face, obviously deep in thought. Then, with a playful grin, he lifted up the younger man and carried him over the threshold, placing him back down on the other side. Justin laughed at the goofy gesture, but nonetheless reached up and took his new husband’s face in his hands, standing on his toes to reach Brian’s lips. Brian took Justin’s face in his own big hands and held it as they kissed each other softly. Smiling, they clasped hands and walked into the bedroom together, neither man wanting to break the spell by speaking. 


Eyes on each other, they both stripped out of their rumpled and sweaty tuxes. Brian pulled down the comforter. They crawled onto the bed together. 


Which is when the night took a turn that neither had really expected. Justin’s eyes opened wide as Brian took the lube that had been set on the nightstand and, instead of using it on Justin, he reached around and started opening himself up. Next, Brian took one of the condoms waiting on the nightstand and very deliberately rolled it down Justin’s thick, solid cock, which was already standing at attention, throbbing and purple and ready for action. Brian proceeded to push his new husband backwards, letting Justin get comfortable on the bed, before crawling up the smaller body to straddle the blond’s hips. 


Justin reached down, not only to hold himself steady, but to squeeze his cock in order to stop himself from shooting before he even got near his new husband. 


Brian took a deep breath before slowly lowering himself onto the cock he had been secretly dreaming about ever since Justin had told him that he was a top. He had expected the pinch at the beginning, but Justin’s cock was huge, so he had to concentrate hard to make himself relax even more. Justin, however, was already proving what a great top he was by reaching around and using his fingers to help stretch Brian even more. Slowly, the talented blond began to dip his cock in, getting Brian used to the feeling. Once Justin got the head in, he slowly pressed and retreated until Brian was so relaxed that he couldn’t wait to get the rest of Justin’s cock in himself. 


After Justin was fully seated in his husband, he started rocking slowly, trying to map out every spot that would heighten Brian’s arousal. Soon, Brian was moving up and down, his thighs flexing and straining, wanting to feel every inch of Justin’s cock moving in and out of him. He couldn’t believe how good Justin was making him feel. It had been a hella long time since Brian had allowed himself this luxury and he meant to make the most of it.


Neither man spoke, they just stared into each other's eyes as they moved together, each secretly hoping that the other shared the feeling of being loved. Sooner than either would have liked, they knew that this first round was coming to an end. When Justin reached for Brian’s cock, the brunet pushed his hand away, shaking his head. Before Brian expected it, both men were shouting each other’s names, coming together, and happily collapsing in each other’s arms. 


Brian was the first one to speak. “I should never have doubted you, Sunshine. You really are a fucking amazing top.” That earned him one of the shiniest smiles ever. “Give me a few minutes to recover and then we are doing that again . . . Husband.” 


Justin kissed him hard but they were both too worn out for more just then. The couple dozed for a little while. Brian woke from his slumber to see his husband looking at him with a face that he knew he wouldn’t mind seeing over and over again for the rest of his life. Moaning, Brian reached for Justin and pulled him down to kiss the soft pink lips. 


“Please make love to me again. I need to feel you inside me from the top,” Brian whispered, almost as if he didn’t want to hear his own pleading.


“Don’t mind if I do . . . Husband,” Justin replied with his own, blond version of Brian’s usual predatory grin.


Brian couldn’t believe his luck. How had he managed to find someone that fit him so well? Justin was everything he hadn’t known he was missing in his life. Justin was brave and confident, he got Brian’s ironic sense of humor, and he seemed to be a match for Brian both in bed and in life. If he had to accidentally get married to a mail order bride, Brian supposed he could have done a lot worse.


So, spreading his legs and pulling Justin back down on top of himself, Brian let out a happy sigh. Justin seemed to be on the same wavelength. He slid inside his accidental husband and spent the next several minutes devoting all his attention to the man he’d just married. They made love slowly, then fell asleep, still joined together. 


Both men dreamed of what the future might hold for them when they got home, knowing only time would tell.




Even after their amazing wedding night together, Justin had been a little worried that once they were home, Brian would have had enough of their little farce. Would Brian want to get back to his old life as a carefree, unencumbered bachelor? However, as the days passed, it seemed more and more like Brian had accepted the way things had changed. There was no discussion about them heading their separate ways or taking any action to set aside the questionably valid wedding they’d fallen into by accident at the Princess Mia. Justin was left in limbo, not sure exactly how he fit into Brian’s life now that the threat from Kacmar was gone. 


Justin's sense of disorientation wasn’t helped by the chaos that ensued in Split after their host was arrested. 


The police had completely closed down the hotel and relocated all the legitimate guests to other hotels by the next morning. When Brian and Justin emerged from their night in the Honeymoon Suite, they found themselves in an eerily empty resort. The only other people in the hotel were the law enforcement types going through the hotel records as they compiled more evidence. The cops were too busy to bother with Brian and Justin, though, so the newlyweds were mostly left to their own devices. 


They had managed to fend for themselves the rest of that day and, when it didn’t look like they’d be needed for anything more, they’d taken themselves back to the well-stocked honeymoon suite for another night of fun. They’d been awakened the following morning by Cara, who handed them first-class tickets for their return trip to the states. So, they’d packed their shit and taken a cab to the airport for the twelve plus hour trip back to the Pitts. Justin still hadn’t known what he should expect from Brian upon their return and had been too afraid to voice his concerns. 


So he’d been pleasantly surprised when, the minute they got back to the firehouse, Brian had headed straight for the guest room and proceeded to move the last of Justin’s things into the master bedroom. 


“Is this all you have?” Brian asked, looking at Justin’s meager pile of clothing with disdain. When Justin shrugged, Brian shook his head. “We need to go shopping. You need clothes, Sunshine. I mean, look at this.” He pointed to the half-empty space in his closet. “Your stuff doesn't even come close to filling the space I cleared out for you.” 


When Justin just looked at him like Brian was speaking a foriegn language he spoke again, “are these words particularly hard to understand? Did you forget that I know you speak English, Sunshine?” When Justin still didn’t respond, almost overcome by the lump in his throat, Brian, in typical snarky Kinney fashion, teased him back into smiling by adding, “What? I’m here being all fucking gallant and you look like you’re going to cry? This is not the reaction I was expecting.” 


Justin swiped at the one tear that had escaped without his permission and shook his head. “Of course I understand you, but I . . . I thought . . .” he started, not really knowing how to say what was really on his mind. 


Brian nodded. “You thought that I would want to get rid of you now, is that it? Is that why you were so quiet on the way home?” 


Justin shrugged again and nodded. 


“Whether you realize it or not, I meant what I said when that priest married us,” Brian said, looking a little self-conscious as he pulled his lips into his mouth and lowered his head until their foreheads were touching. “And I was hoping you did too, Sunshine.” 


Justin suddenly grabbed Brian by the back of the neck, pulled the taller man down to his level, and kissed him fiercely. “Yes. Fuck, yes! I meant it, Brian. I lov . . . I . . .” Justin’s words faltered. 


“I love you too, Sunshine,” Brian answered without any hesitation at all. “In fact, I think you and the real Daphne need to call Emmett and plan a wedding for us right here, so that our friends will know how serious I am.” 


The surprise and relief were too much for the blond, who could no longer hold back a sob. 


“You know, Sunshine, if you’re going to cry every time I make you happy, maybe I will start referring to you as the ‘little woman’,” Brian commented, earning him a glare and the back of Justin’s hand to his stomach. “Just kidding. Now, go call Daphne and Emmett and get us married for real as soon as possible. I’m not one hundred percent sure our Split marriage is legal, but either way, I don’t ever want anyone to be able to question it. And while you’re doing that, I need to go and check on Kinnetik.”


With that, Brian headed to his desk, leaving Justin’s thoughts spinning as he tried to wrap his head around everything that had just happened in his life. He thought about calling his friends, but he didn’t even know where to start, to be honest. However, since it would be cruel to leave Daphne waiting, he eventually took up his phone and made all the necessary calls. 


And that was how, three weeks later, they once again found themselves getting ready for another last minute wedding.  


Brian had rented out Babylon for that Sunday afternoon and Emmett’s crew had everything set up for the wedding of the Stud of Liberty Avenue to his Male Order ‘Bride’. They had initially planned on keeping things small but, when the queers of Liberty Avenue heard that Brian Kinney was officially going off the market, Kinnetik was inundated with calls requesting invitations. Brian finally decided to stop trying to fight the inevitable and told Emmett to rent the biggest place he could find and invite the whole fucking city. When Justin started to object, worrying about the cost, Brian had simply told him that he didn’t plan on getting married a third time so they might as well do it up right this time around. And that was that. 

 

Brian had bought them both new tuxes; they had thrown out the ones from the first wedding, not wanting anything to jinx their second attempt. Brian had also magnanimously offered to buy Daphne - who was thrilled to be doing the Maid of Honor thing for real - a new dress, just so she wouldn’t feel left out. And, finally, he’d even sprung for a Mother of the Bride suit for Justin’s mother, whom he’d called after finding out from Daphne that she had finally filed for divorce from his meathead father. 


A newly single Jennifer Taylor has pronounced herself thrilled to hear that Justin was home and finally settling down. She had apologized profusely for how badly Craig had treated Justin after the Dartmouth debacle and admitted that she’d fucked up when she hadn’t stood up to his homophobia. She swore that she would never make that mistake again and, to make up for her lack of support before, had dived right in to help with the wedding planning. Justin was happy to be reunited with his mother and looked forward to having both Jennifer and his sister, Molly, at his wedding. 


Both men had refused any kind of bachelor party this time around, though. Instead, they’d spent most of the three weeks between their return from Split and the wedding date having a stay-at-home honeymoon of sorts. Except for the weekends, when they got to keep Gus, they had refused all other company and kept mostly to themselves. Brian told everyone who asked what was up to fuck off and leave them alone or he’d call his friends at the FBI on them. Justin privately thought he was only half kidding too, not that he objected to all that concentrated Brian time. 


The weekends with Gus had proven almost as much fun as his alone time with Brian, though. Gus was over the moon at the news of his father’s marriage to the young artist. As soon as they’d announced the news, Gus had decided all on his own that, since his daddy was married to Justin, that he not only had a daddy, but he now had a papa too! When Justin heard this he was overjoyed. He’d never thought he would have a child, and now he had one that he would get to share with the man he loved. Justin had had to excuse himself when Gus had made his little declaration so he could go in the bathroom and cry for a good ten minutes, only coming out when Gus pounded on the door, worried about his Papa. Justin had to kiss both Brian and Gus, multiple times, before the boy was reassured that Justin was crying happy tears.


The day of the wedding found the three of them - Brian, Justin, and Gus - at the firehouse getting dressed together. Justin had insisted that Gus be included in the wedding because he loved the child just as much as his three other parents and wanted everyone to know it. He was snapping away with his camera as Brian was tying Gus’ bowtie with the child perched atop the dresser so as to be the right height. Justin had already planned on doing a series of pictures depicting their wedding and wanted to catch everything. 


Once everyone was ready, they got into the limo waiting to take them to Babylon. 


“Last chance to back out, Sunshine,” Brian teased as they neared the club. 


“You can’t get rid of my Papa, Daddy. He loves us,” Gus declared. 


“You’re right, Gus. I shouldn’t tease like that.” Then Brian reached out and squeezed Justin’s hand. 


“I do love you two,” Justin declared, smiling so brightly it almost blinded both his husband and his son, “and I’d never want to leave either of you.”  


Emmett was waiting as the grooms’ limo pulled up. Opening the door for them, he put out his hand to help Justin out as Brian glared. Brian tried to bat away the wedding planner’s hand but both Emmett Justin ignored him.


“Get over yourself, Brian. We all know he’s always been yours,” Emmett said, shaking his head and helping Gus out next. 


When he put out his hand to help Brian, the last of those to exit the limo, the man slapped at the proffered wrist again. “I can do it myself, Honeycutt,” he said. 


Emmett turned to Justin, “Baby, why don’t you and Gus go freshen up while I calm down his majesty here.” 


Justin gave them a look but nodded and led Gus inside, making sure to take the child to the bathroom before the ceremony. 


After Justin was inside, out of ear shot, Brian turned to Emmett, “Is everything alright? Have you heard from him?” 


Emmett shook his head. “No one has heard from either him or Ben, so I’m just hoping that he does as requested and stays away. But don’t worry, we’re ready just in case.” 


“Okay. But I’m counting on you, Emmy Lou, because if anything ruins this day for Justin, I will NOT be happy . . .” Emmett nodded, understandingly. “Now, who did you get as a minister? I signed all the checks, but I didn’t see one for a minister.” 


“Don’t worry, Bri. I wouldn’t forget the most important part of your wedding. I promise that we have a minister. And the best part is that there won’t even be a charge, since he’s offered to marry you for free.” Brian looked skeptical but Emmett just smiled cagily and reassured him. “He said, and I quote, ‘it must have been specially ordered by the gay gods themselves, because that’s the only way this marriage could have happened’.” 


Brian gave his old friend a warning look but didn’t say anything further as they headed inside. Justin and Gus were waiting for them with brilliant smiles. They ducked into the cloak room to wait until all the myriad of guests had arrived. When they heard the music starting up, Emmett popped his head in to tell them it was time. Brian leaned over for one last kiss, which Justin eagerly returned, before they headed out. 


It had been decided that the three would walk down the aisle together, as a family. Gus, the best Best Man ever, stood in the center, with his Father and his Papa each taking one of his smaller hands in theirs. As the chains across the entrance were parted, the three men began walking down the aisle to the sound of Deniece Williams crooning ‘Let’s Hear It For The Boy’. The unconventional wedding processional caused Justin to laugh out loud, which meant they were all glowing and happy as they headed toward the stage and their second wedding. 



As they approached the wedding arch decorated with an array of rainbow hued flowers which had been set up center stage, the mystery minister stepped forward. 


Brian smiled and nodded to the man. “Hey, Todd. How’s it goin?” he asked with a snicker.


“Fine,” the laconic man, who was almost a legend at Babylon, replied with his usual grin.  


Then Todd got serious again and it was time for the wedding to begin in earnest. Brian and Justin stood together under the rainbow arch, hand in hand. They listened to the words of this ceremony much more carefully than they had those from their first wedding. Brian had to concede that Todd was actually a pretty decent orator. He welcomed the crowd of guests and gave a little speech that introduced the two grooms, just in case anyone there didn’t already know them. Then he recited a beautiful Native American prayer before asking if there were any objections. Which, unfortunately, was when a commotion was heard outside the chains that draped the front entrance. 


Everyone inside could hear Michael Novotny screaming, “I DO! I OBJECT, DAMN IT! BRIAN SHOULDN’T BE MARRYING THAT ‘GOLD-DIGGING SLUT!” 


But, true to his word, Emmett had it covered. A phalanx of Ript Gym Regulars, employed for the occasion as bouncers, converged on the wedding crasher and summarily dragged him away. The sound of the front door slamming shut cut off Michael’s protestations, allowing the ceremony to resume as if the interruption had never happened. Justin breathed the side of relief and secretly hoped that was the last they’d ever see of the man. The confidential squeeze Brian gave his hand just then made him think his husband was on the same wavelength about his former friend. One could hope, right?


Meanwhile, Todd had finished his prefacing words and, after leading each of the grooms in their vows - to which both men responded very vocally, ‘I DO!’ - the minister crouched down and said, “and you, Gus, do you take both of these men to be your fathers?” 


Gus turned to the audience and stated, “I sure do,” causing the entire club full of onlookers to cheer.


“By the powers vested in me by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,” Todd proclaimed, “I now pronounce you Stud and Mail Order Husband! You may now kiss. And then we’re all going to party in celebration!”


The guests erupted in a roar of approval as the words of Heather Small’s ‘Proud’ began to blast from the club’s speakers. Brian cradled Justin’s face in his hands and left a gentle kiss on the luscious pink lips, with a definite promise of more to follow. Then they were showered by half a ton of confetti and everyone began to dance their hearts out while Brian and Justin made their way through the congratulatory throngs. There was dancing and drinks and everyone agreed that it was pretty much the perfect wedding for someone like Brian Kinney. 


Once the ceremony was finished and all the paperwork signed, including papers giving Justin parental rights to Gus, the grooms returned to the dance floor which was lit up to show off the tables of food and more tables to seat the crowd. Brian, Justin, and Gus were seated at the head table on the stage where they were able to survey the happy crowd. As they were eating, all their friends and acquaintances quietly came up to the head table and congratulated them. Brian seemed to be enjoying himself as he played the gracious host; Justin was surprised but happy that his new husband didn’t seem even the tiniest bit reluctant to be diving headlong into matrimony. It portended good things. It made him think that maybe this was something that would last, despite the strange way their relationship had begun. 


After they’d spent time talking with their family, and most of the other people had gone off to eat and socialize, an unexpected face appeared at the table. The woman had waited patiently until after Deb, the last and most vociferous of their well-wishers, had finished lauding them with her own special brand of congratulations. Brian thanked Deb again and then waved Em over to take Liberty Avenue’s Beltane away so they could greet the waiting newcomers. Both Brian and Justin were happy to welcome their Croatian savior, Laura, and an elderly woman who must be Laura’s mother, and glad that the women had finally made it safely to the US.


“Mr Brian. Mr Justin. Thank you. Thank you so much! All you did to get us here. Is so much. I can not thank you enough,” Laura gushed, shaking both men’s hands in turn. 


“No. Thank you, Laura,” Justin interrupted her stream of gratitude. “If it weren’t for you, we probably wouldn’t be here today. We’re the ones who should be grateful.”


“You are much welcome, Mr. Justin. I am so happy to get away from Aleksi, you don’t know. It was not good working for him. He is a very much bad man,” she said, and they all nodded in agreement. “But now I here in America. Mother and I are safe. Now all I need is to find job and place to live,” Laura told them. 


“What kind of work do you do Laura? And, I’m not talking about the kind you had to do for Kachmar,” Justin asked. 


“I paint. I did school for art. Until things get bad and I need more money,” she answered. 


Brian and Justin looked at each other, communicating without words. 


“Do you have any pictures of your work?” Justin asked. 


Laura nodded eagerly. She pulled out her phone and showed them several pictures of her artwork. Both men smiled. 


“Would you like to work for us?” Brian asked. “We could use another artist since I suspect my husband here may want to be lazy sometimes and stay home with me.” 


“Really? Oh, yes! Yes, please,” Laura answered. “You are the best people! Yes, I love come work for you.” 


“Great! It’s settled then. And I’ll have my mother, who’s a realtor, look for a place for you and your mother to live,” Justin told her.  


Once they had Laura and her mother sorted, and they managed to staunch her endless thanks, the newly-newlyweds got up and joined the rest of the dancers for the next hour or so. For an afternoon wedding, the revelry was really pretty amazing. But, then again, nobody knew how to party like Liberty Avenue. If Emmett and his staff hadn’t eventually started to kick them all out, they probably would have just kept on partying until the club opened up for the night for real. Brian, however, was more than ready to get rid of them all so he could get back to his honeymoon and start on the kind of festivities he and his husband excelled at.

 

After they’d seen off most of their guests, it was finally time to say goodnight to their Best Man. Gus, however, strenuously protested leaving with his mothers. 


“No. I don’t want to go home,” Gus insisted, trying to pull his hand out of his Mama’s grasp. “I want to go with Daddy and Papa and sleep in my firehouse room.” 


As one, Brian and the girls turned to Justin, all smiling at him wickely. 


“Well, Papa. How about we let you do your first official explanation as a father. You tell him why he has to go with his mothers,” Brian said with a smirk. 


Justin simply nodded as he led Gus away from the others. The two put their heads together and chatted out of earshot for a minute or two. When Justin brought the boy back, Justin looked smug and Gus determined.


Gus took his mothers’ hands and declared, “we should go now.” He lowered his voice and leaned in, explaining further in a conspiratorial whisper. “Daddy’s in trouble and Papa has to do him a punishment when they get home. Papa said he needed privacy to do it. I think he’s maybe going to get a spanking.” 


Brian had a hard time holding back his laughter after that. Gus was all seriousness, though, as he kissed his fathers and left with a snickering Mel and Lindsay. Brian just looked at Justin and shook his head. 


“Is this what the rest of our life is going to be like?” Brian asked, not looking at all upset by the prospect.


“If you’re lucky,” answered the happiest Male Order Bride the world had ever seen. 



 

End Notes:

6/19/22 - That’s all they wrote, folks. We hope you liked this story, which happens to be special because it’s not only TAG’s *60th* story but it also marks her 10 year anniversary of posting her very first QAF fanfic. So, please enjoy. Here’s to another decade spreading the joy of Britin! Happy reading! And Happy Pride! Lorie & TAG

 

 

 

This story archived at http://www.kinnetikdreams.com/viewstory.php?sid=1775