He shook his head at his musings, thinking that one invitation did not need to garner so much of his time.  He opened the envelope and was surprised to see an invitation to a dinner party.   

  Mr. Drew Boyd and Mr. Emmett Honeycutt request the pleasure of your company at dinner on Thursday, the 19th of June, at seven o'clock.

10 Bayard Street  

He looked at the invitation again and laughed. Only Emmett would send out a formal invitation for a dinner party.  It sounded like something that came out of the Victorian age.  He briefly wondered if Emmett was planning a Victorian Dinner party, but dismissed that idea as even Emmett wouldn’t be so crazy.  The party was for the 19th, a Tuesday night.  Again, Brian shook his head and tried to come up with some reasonable explanation as to why Emmett was sending out formal invitations to dinner.  He reached for his phone and scrolled through his calendar.  He didn’t have any business meetings that could get him out of the dinner.  As he was deciding what to do with the invitation, Justin came home and walked into the kitchen area.

He leaned over to give Brian a kiss on the lips and said, “Anything interesting or does it all go in the trash?” He pointed to the invitation that Brian was holding in his hand.  “Let me guess.  It is an invite to an exclusive evening at the Andy Warhol museum to raise money for starving artists,”  he said, tongue in cheek. He opened the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water. “ It’s hot out there.  I can’t believe that the temperature is already hitting 85.  It's not supposed to be that hot until July.  I can’t exactly go around sans clothing and paint”

“Well, you’re half right.  It is an invitation.  But it’s from Emmett and Drew inviting us to a dinner party,”  Brian said as he handed the invitation to Justin.  Brian looked at Justin’s bottle of water and decided that sounded like an excellent idea.  He opened the fridge and grabbed himself a bottle, twisted the cap, and drank several large gulps.  

Justin looked at the invitation and laughed. He looked around the kitchen filled with high-end appliances, granite countertops, and a Perigold faucet and shook his head.  He patted down his torso and shook his head.  “Nope, we’re still in the 21st century but I could swear Emmett has time-traveled back to the early 20th century.  The invitation sounds like something that came right out of the early 1900’s.  Do you think this is a 20th century themed party?”

Brian did a double take at Justin’s question and shook his head vehemently.  “I sure as hell hope not.  I’m not about to attend a dinner party fashioned in the Victorian age. I can see it now.  We’ll get there and he’ll behave as if he were hosting a dinner in the early 1900s complete with  6 courses and a ban on interesting conversation.  I can’t imagine what would possess him to do this.  I think we should just call him up and tell him we can’t make it.  I’m sure I have some work event scheduled for that evening.”

“Oh, Brian.  It might be fun, after all, Victorian dinner parties were famous for their elaborate rules and etiquette.  Who knows who Emmett and Drew will decide to invite?  It will be something different,”  Justin said, trying to cajole his partner into accepting the invitation.

Brian shook his head and said, “Only you would think that Victorian dinner parties would be fun, but I will go.  However……you owe me three blow jobs and …..a night of my choosing if we go.”

Justin agreed to call the following day and Brian forgot about the invitation until a few days later when Emmett called Brian at work.

“Brian, I haven’t received your response to my dinner party.  I assume you will be attending.”

“Emmett, I thought Justin told you we were going,”  Brian said, shaking his head at Emmett’s call.  He had a lot of things to do this afternoon and did not have time or inclination to deal with Emmett and his dinner party.

“Well Justin did call but the appropriate way to respond is to write a short note accepting the invitation,”  Emmett said, explaining the proper etiquette for a Victorian dinner party.

“Honeycutt, you may be having a Victorian dinner, but this is the 21st century and a phone call will just have to do.”

“Don’t get your panties in a twist.  I just want to be sure everything is perfect for the evening.  You do understand that a suit is expected?”  Emmett explained, wanting Brian and Justin to fit into the theme of the evening.

“A fucking suit!!  Really Emmett?  It’s 85 degrees outside and while you have air conditioning, it is still the middle of the summer.  Justin doesn’t even own a suit and he only begrudgingly wears a coat when he has an opening,”  Brian said, already regretting that he had agreed to this charade.

“Oh, but you must wear a suit and be properly attired,”  Emmett explained, glad that he had taken the few minutes out of his busy day to call Brian and remind him of the dress code.

“Fine. I will wear a suit and I’ll let Justin know he needs to wear a sports coat. Now, I have a lot of work to do before the end of the day,”  Brian said before he hung up the phone.

He picked up his phone and texted Justin about Emmett’s new requirement for their dinner next week.  Sometimes he really wondered when he decided that Emmett’s friendship was one he wanted to maintain.  He promptly forgot the call and continued his work day.

On the day of the party, Brian’s day at work was a nightmare from hell. His model for the latest photoshoot had been arrested the night before on a drunk driving charge and he’d had to postpone the shoot for a day.  The postponement was going to cost him upwards of $5,000 a day and he hoped that he could recoup the money from the product sales.  He always received a portion of the sales as part of his standard advertising contract. He could have chosen to use a different talent but that would have taken more time and cost more than waiting for the original talent to get out of jail.  Still, he was planning on cutting some of the talent’s pay to compensate for the delay.

When he arrived home, he went to take a shower and saw his suit hanging on the door, reminding him of their Victorian Dinner.  He was tempted not to attend when Justin came out of their clothes closet sporting a  Dior blazer and pants.  The deep black blazer fit him like a second skin and the white shirt made the outfit stand out.  He wore a pair of pants that matched the blazer but it was not a suit.

“I’d fuck you.  Let’s forget about the party,”  Brian said as he eye fucked Justin.

“Later,”  Justin shook his head at Brian’s diversionary techniques.  “Now, go take your shower or we’ll be late for dinner,”  Justin said, pointing toward the bathroom.

“But I like being fashionably late.  Emmett wouldn't expect anything less.”  Brian pulled off his tie, throwing it on the chair by the bed, and unbuttoned his shirt as he licked his lips as he walked toward Justin.

Justin moved out of Brian’s way, ducking under his arm as he tried to hug him.  “Brian.  go shower and stop trying to get out of dinner. We promised we would be there and I do not want to be late,”  Justin said as he walked toward the door.

Brian rolled his eyes but went toward the bathroom to grab a shower.  He quickly showered and hung up his towel on the towel rack.  He walked into the bedroom knowing that Justin would not be there waiting for him.  He took the white shirt off the hangar and unbuttoned it, slipping it around his shoulders and then buttoned it as he admired himself in the full-length mirror that hung on the inside of the closet door.  Brian sighed loudly, already regretting the decision to join this charade, but acknowledged that it was only a few hours of his time and Justin seemed to want to go.  He couldn’t count the number of times Justin accompanied him to some work function that he really had no desire to attend.  While this wasn’t a work function, it was something Justin wanted to do; therefore Brian had reluctantly agreed.  He sighed again and tried to push his negative thoughts to the back of his mind.

He quickly finished dressing and took one last admiring look in the mirror and smiled.  At almost 50, he still looked striking with or without clothing.  He walked into the living room where Justin was looking through the day’s mail.

“Alright, I’m ready.  Now let’s go to this party.  I still can’t believe that Emmett talked Drew into this Victorian dinner party idea.  Drew always seemed so sensible,”  Brian said as they walked out the door after setting the alarm.

“Emmett probably promised him four blow jobs and who knows what else to go along with the idea,”  Justin said as he pushed the button on the elevator.

Brian nodded and said, “Yes, you’re probably right.  I’m still waiting for my 3 blow jobs and I have been thinking of the night of my choosing.  I was thinking maybe a night at The Purple Hotel in Ibiza,”  Brian smirked remembering the last time they ventured to one of their favorite destinations.

“Ibiza?  Really Brian?  I wouldn’t think you would spend two days on a plane just to make up for attending a dinner party,”  Justin said, looking at Brian’s face to determine if he was serious or joking.

“I liked Ibiza and we haven’t been on vacation for a while.  Besides, this gives us something to talk about at the dinner party.  I wonder if any of the people attending have enjoyed Formentera or Sunrise Ibiza?”

Justin frowned, “ Brian, you told me you were going to Ibiza when you had cancer.  Are you okay?  Is there something you aren’t telling me?”  Justin asked the light banter pushed aside with fear for his partner.

Brian shook his head.  “No. No.  I’m fine.  I just had my yearly exam two weeks ago and was given the all-clear yesterday. It just made me think of Ibiza and how I’d told you that was where I was going when I had my surgery.”  They arrived at the street level of the building and Brian placed his hand on the small of Justin’s back as he guided him toward the door.  At the doorway, he leaned down and kissed him on the lips, pushing Justin’s lips for entry and enjoying the familiar taste of his partner.  

Justin opened his mouth willingly for Brian’s tongue and they enjoyed a long kiss.  Justin pulled away and said, “You are not going to get me to change my mind.  We need to leave so we won’t be late.”  He pushed the door open and walked outside, holding it open for Brian.

“A man’s gotta try,”  He smirked but followed Justin to the black Mercedes that he’d purchased a few months ago. Justin shook his head but didn’t comment.

They arrived at Emmett’s about twenty minutes later and saw a few unfamiliar cars parked along the street. Emmett and Drew lived at the end of a secluded residential area and there were restrictions about parking cars on the street. Brian remembered Emmett sharing a rather long and boring tale about how one of his neighbors bought a new car and hadn’t gotten rid of the old one yet. He had to park it on the street so that it was easier to get the other two cars in and out of the garage.  There was a huge uproar on their neighborhood Facebook page about the car and finally, the person had to park it in their driveway.

Justin looked at the cars, seeking the vehicles of any of their friends, and spotted Ben’s Toyota, but not Melanie’s Infinity.  “Well, Ben and Michael are invited to this shindig, but I don’t see Mel and Lind’s car.  Maybe, it will only be men.  I don’t recognize any other vehicle so who knows who was invited.  There are only 3 other cars so it should be a small party,”  Justin said, hoping that Brian would keep his behavior in check.  He still remembered the fundraising shindig that Michael and Dr. Dave had many years ago and the way that party turned out.  He hoped that Brian wouldn’t do anything to embarrass Drew and Emmett as they were his friends, unlike Dr. Dave.   

Brian and Justin rang the bell of the home of their friends and were greeted by an unknown man in a formal black suit.  

“Welcome.  The guests are in the study.”  the man waved his hand toward the familiar room where voices could be heard.  There were noises of talking and laughter coming from the room and Justin was eager to meet and mingle with the other guests. 

As they walked into the room, both of them surveyed the guests, looking for a familiar face, but only recognized Ben and Michael.  Before Brian had an opportunity to make his way to their location, Emmett stood in the middle of the room and said to everyone:

“Time to adjourn to the dining room.  You will find your place card at your seat.”  Emmet walked into the dining room followed by Drew. Emmett sat down on one end of the table while Drew went to the other end and the guests followed suit. 

Justin looked for his place card and found it in the middle of the long table, but when he looked for Brian’s card, he did not see it on either side or opposite him.  The first thought of foreboding washed over him as he realized that most of the attendees were unfamiliar and there were no women invited. He thought that it might still be entertaining, but hoped that Brian would behave.

Emmett made a flourishing movement of placing his napkin in his lap and the majority of guests followed suit.  Justin eyed Brian and nodded slightly in Emmett’s direction as he took his napkin and placed it on his lap. Brian shook his head but followed Justin’s lead.  

Emmett said, “Thank you for joining Drew and me at our first annual Victorian Soiree.   Tonight will follow the traditional model of a formal dinner in the late 1800s and I hope you enjoy tonight’s meal. In keeping with the tradition, we will start with hors d’oeuvres and since there are no ladies present, the person on the right will act as the gentleman and serve the person on the left.    

As soon as Emmett stopped talking, several waiters came out with jellied oysters and foie-gras pate, placing them at the center of the table.  Justin was the person on the left and therefore was being served by the person on his right.  He wanted neither and declined both while Brian ate both.  Justin glanced over to Michael and saw him make a face when he was offered the delicacies. 

On his right side sat a younger man.  Justin watched him eat the foie-gras and oysters in a slow manner, enjoying the taste of each bite.  Justin said, “I grew up going to the country club but I never learned how to eat that stuff.”  The man did not turn toward him as he was busy eating.  Justin said, “By the way, my name is Justin.”

The man finished his hors d'oeuvres and said, “My name is Calvin.”

“Nice to meet you, Calvin.  How do you know Emmett and Drew?”  Justin asked, hoping that he could strike up a conversation with Calvin. It would be rude to try and talk to Brian who was seated at the other end of the table on the same side as himself.  He would have to talk over several guests or lean back and talk to their backs, neither option was appealing. 

“I met Drew at a culinary event,” Calvin said, placing his fork on the plate to be removed.

“Oh, so you are a caterer as well.  How did you get into the field?”  Justin asked, hoping he would find enough topics to talk to Calvin during the meal.  He loved to eat and he did most of the cooking.  Maybe he could garner a few recipes from him.

“A caterer!  Hardly.  I’m a chef.”  Calvin said with indignation, letting Justin know that his comment was highly insulting.

“I apologize.  Everyone knows what happens when you assume something.  Where do you work?”  Justin asked, still holding out hope that he might garner a few cooking tips.  He doubted that Calvin would give away any restaurant secrets but maybe a few cooking tips could be had.

“I am a private chef and am hired for dinner parties, corporate events, and as a chef for individuals,”  Calvin answered but did not ask Justin any return questions.  The next course of soup was served and when Calvin offered Justin this course, Justin accepted a  clear broth.  He watched as Calvin ladled a portion into his bowl and repeated the process himself.  

Justin took his soup spoon and began to eat his soup.  He glanced up toward Emmett who was tilting his bowl and allowing the soup to gather in the spoon and then gently tipping the soup into his mouth.  At that rate, it would take a good ten minutes to finish the soup.  As he glanced around the table, many of the guests were eating their soup in this manner; therefore he tried to emulate them.  He was seated far away from Michael but a quick glance in his direction showed he was not using the method that others were using. 

The next course was the fish course and Justin ate this course in silence.

Justin leaned forward slightly after the course to see how Brian was fairing.  Brian caught his eye and the look on his face told Justin that Brian wasn’t faring much better with his dinner partner.  

Justin turned toward his seated partner on the left and said, “Hi, I’m Justin.”

The man turned toward him, somewhat surprised at Justin’s introduction.  “I’m Romero.”

Justin asked, “Romero.  That is an interesting name. Can you tell me about it?”  He thought he would be on better ground with his attempts at conversation.

“It is a family name.  My mother’s maiden name was Romero.  It is Spanish.”

“How interesting.  Did your mother grow up in the states?”

“Yes.  The original Romeros were a noble family in Spain, and the first Romeros started migrating to the US as early as 1510,”  Romero said as he shared information about his lineage.  

“I have no idea how long the Taylors have been in the US.  It’s such a common name.  Do you have an interest in genealogy?”

“No, not really.  It’s just something that has been passed down through my family,”  said Romero as he picked up the fish plate to serve the person on his other side.  He picked up his fork and began to eat.  

Justin was frustrated.  Normally, he could make conversation with almost anyone.  Of course, typically the people he met were typically interested in how he got into art and often questioned him regarding his pieces and his next upcoming exhibit.  When he went to an event for Brian’s work, many of his clients had heard about him and were often thrilled to meet him.   He’d done a little research on the Victorian dinner party and realized that he was in for a long night if no one would give him a response that was longer than a sentence.

The next course that was brought to the table was the entree.  These were served on large platters that held a chicken, roasted vegetables, and rice. Calvin picked up the platter and offered Justin some of each of the items on the plate, placing a small amount on Justin’s dish and then placing a similar portion on his own plate.  

Justin decided to try again by making conversation with the person directly across from him.  He looked at the gentleman and said, “Hi, I’m Justin and how do you know Emmett and Drew?”  The man looked about 45 with brown hair cut short.  There was a little graying at his temples and he was clean-shaven.  Since everyone was dressed in black and white as a result of the Victorian theme, Justin couldn’t determine if his attire was notable.  Unlike Brian, he was not the clothes horse and couldn’t tell a Hugo Boss from an Armani.  The man was fit and it looked like he worked out on a regular basis.  He noticed that there was not a wedding ring on his finger.  He hoped that this introduction would go better since he asked a question that would hopefully require a little more than a one-sentence answer.

“I’m  Daniel and I’ve been friends with Drew since childhood.  I recently moved back to the area and hooked up with him again.  We haven’t talked in years.”  Daniel took a bite of his chicken and nodded.  “Pretty good. Drew keeps surprising me.  I mean, well… “  Daniel moved his head from side to side, encompassing the entirety of the dinner table.  “How do you know Drew or do you know Emmett?” He looked a little uncomfortable but didn’t say anything specific about his sexuality

Justin took a bite of his chicken and savored the flavor. “We, my partner and I, know both of them.  My partner, Brian is best friends with Michael, and Michael and Emmett used to be roommates.  That is how I met Emmett.  And then Emmett and Drew started dating.  So I actually know both of them.”  Justin explained.  

Daniel said,  “ Brian is your partner?  And Brian’s friend Michael used to be Emmett’s roommate?  Did I get that right?”  Daniel was still talking and in Justin’s book that was a huge plus. 

“Yes, that is right.  Brian and Michael have been friends since they were 14.  How far back do you and Drew go?”  Justin was thrilled to be having a conversation with someone even though it was about Drew.   At least Daniel was attempting to converse.

“We met in high school too.  We were both on the football team and there was a friendly rival there.  He was the better player and was chosen by the pros.  I just played some ball in college.”  Daniel explained.  Justin nodded, trying to figure out where to go with the conversation.

“So you played football?  I really don’t know a lot about Drew as a teen. Where did you guys grow up?”  Justin asked, searching for topics that would keep Daniel talking.  

“Not far from here. We actually grew up in Akron, only about 90 minutes away.  I remember we both dreamed about a career in football.  He dreamed of joining the Browns since Akron doesn’t have a team. When he was drafted by the Ironmen, he was so excited.  I remember we partied for an entire weekend.”  Daniel got a faraway look in his eye when he talked. 

“I don’t know Drew very well but I can’t quite picture him partying the weekend away. He seems to live and breathe football and I get the impression that staying in shape for the game is a full-time endeavor.”  Justin said, trying to imagine what partying would look like for Drew.  He doubted the man would have participated in a night of partying like Brian and Justin used to do.  As they got older, they didn’t frequent Babylon or Woodys as much, so their days of partying and imbibing slowed down. They still occasionally smoked some weed, but even that was a once or twice-a-month occurrence.   

“What about you?  Did you dream of going pro too?”  Justin asked, even though he had zero interest in the topic. At least Daniel was willing to have a conversation with him. 

He had not had many conversations with Drew and knew little about the man.  He always wondered about Emmett and his relationship but then he acknowledged that many people wondered about his and Brian’s relationship, thinking that they could have little in common except sex.  This was especially true when people learned of their age difference. They automatically thought that the attraction was a result of their age difference, Justin being much younger than Brian and their relationship was a way for Brian to feel young.  The truth was nowhere near that, but he did not feel the need to justify or defend their relationship.  

“Sure I dreamed of it, but I knew I wasn’t good enough.  It was enough that I got signed to play ball in college.  At least I was rewarded for something I enjoyed.  College ball does have its perks and the girls always were impressed with dating a football player,”  Daniel said, sharing some of the perks of being a player in college.  “Of course, I guess Drew didn’t really care about the girl part.   I still can’t quite wrap my head around that revelation.  I mean Drew was always so macho.”

“You can be macho and still gay.  One has nothing to do with the other.  It is such a stereotype that gay guys have to be feminine,”  Justin said, defending himself.  

“You said your partner Brian was friends with Emmett’s friend, so I guess that means that you're gay too.  I would never have suspected.  You seem so normal, ” Daniel said,  surprised at the vehemence with which Justin answered. 

“Normal?  What does normal mean?  If you mean that I don’t look like a gay man, well let me enlighten you.  I’m gay and I like guys.”  He had wanted to add a lot more but he had told Brian to behave and not embarrass Emmett and Drew and he would do the same.  “There is no gay look.  The two are not mutually exclusive.  Gay is not abnormal,”  Justin said, trying to keep his voice from rising too high.  As it was, he saw several people looking at him and he quickly picked up his fork and stabbed a piece of chicken.  

He ate a few bites of the chicken and then put his fork down, regretting his decision to attempt another conversation.  He’d lost his appetite and hoped the remainder of the dinner would be over soon.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the table, Brian wasn’t faring any better.  Since he was on the left side, he was appointed server. He had served the hors d’oeuvres and the soup without mishap, but almost dropped the large platter and managed to hold onto it only with the help of a staff member who saw his struggles.  He had picked up the platter, expecting it to be lighter than it was and it almost toppled onto the table and the lap of the person next to him.

Unlike Justin, he had no desire to make polite small talk with his dinner companions.  To the right of him, the gentleman had spent 10 minutes talking about ballet and his love of opera.  Brian wished that he could switch places with Ted who would have enjoyed the conversation and discussing the merits of Giselle and Coppelia and L’Orfeo and Idomeneo.  He preferred his art appreciation to be paintings done by his favorite artist, Justin, or attending the latest Broadway play.  He wasn’t fond of things that were created hundreds of years before his birth.  Even Shakespeare, though considered classical theater, was not preferred for a night’s entertainment.  He’d rather rewatch a movie by James Dean or go to Babylon or Woody than try to decipher the Shakespearean language in a play.  

On the other side of him, his dinner partner attempted to engage him in conversation about the merits of vegan and clean eating.  The man went into great detail regarding the sustainability of the earth and current agricultural practices. While the conversations of the two men on either side were not of interest to Brian, the man on the opposite side of the table was even worse.  He spoke for 10 solid minutes on the inequalities perpetuated by schools and how we as a society needed to intervene in order for the next generation to be ready to govern our society.  Brian was not interested in debating the ills of society or social reforms.  He had spoken about those topics with Justin in the past and they did their part to address some of those issues, but he did not want to debate these topics at a dinner party with someone he did not know.

Finally, the plates and linens were removed from the table to get ready for the next course.  Both Brian and Justin thought this was their cue that the interminable night was over and they could leave. Before they could leave the table, a new tablecloth was put on and new plates were provided along with small cups for sorbet.  The servers brought larger bowls with spoons to enable the people designated as servers to provide a small portion to clear the pallet. 

At this point in time, both Justin and Brian were very full and took only a few bites of the sorbet.  When they realized that there was more to the dinner, Justin leaned forward and managed to catch Brian’s eye as he tilted his head toward the hallway.  His last conversation with the homophobe had him in need of a quick release and he desperately wanted Brian.  

Brian watched as Justin left the table and headed toward the hallway.  He waited about 30 seconds and followed his erstwhile lover.  They had been to Emmett and Drew’s home a number of times and knew the layout well.  Justin discreetly walked toward the kitchen with a back staircase and ascended it to the second floor. There was a bathroom in the middle of the hallway, hopefully far enough away from the dinner party that they could enjoy a quickie. Brian understood Justin’s intentions and was fully onboard with his idea of a distraction.  He quietly made his way to the second-floor powder room and was relieved to see Justin waiting for him, coat draped across the towel rack and his pants unbuttoned and unzipped.  

“What took you so long?  I was afraid you didn’t understand my signal,”  Justin asked as he watched Brian take his coat off and lay it on top of Justin’s.  

“Emmett asked me a question right before I was going to get up to leave the table.  I had to answer him and hope he didn’t notice your absence,”  Brian answered.  “If you hadn’t signaled me, I was about to send you a little note at the table to meet me up here.  I was just trying to figure out how to get the server to find me some paper and a pencil,”  Brian said as pushed Justin’s pants and underwear to the ground.

He pulled Justin into a deep kiss and wrapped his hand around his cock. He quickly massaged and pulled at it and within a few short minutes, Justin was coming on top of his hand.  Brian brought his hand to his mouth and licked his fingers clean.

“Let me return the favor.”  Justin unbuttoned Brian’s pants and pulled his pants and underwear down until they pooled at his feet.  Justin bent down and engulfed Brian’s cock, swirling his tongue over the sensitive head and using his finger to massage his balls.  Brian’s head tilted back in enjoyment and soon he was grabbing Justin’s head, encouraging him to move faster.  Within a few minutes, he too came shooting down his lover’s throat.  Justin licked the head and cock clean, pulled Brian’s pants up, and tucked him back inside. Then he pulled his own pants up and put himself back to rights.

“I needed that.  The only person who I could get more than one sentence from at this farce of dinner was a high school buddy of Drew’s.  The conversation was going okay, although he wanted to talk about his and Drew’s football careers.  Anyway, his last comment to me was that I seemed normal, as in not gay.  I wanted to tell him I like a dick. I wanna get fucked by dick. I wanna suck dick. I like sucking dick, and I'm good at it too, but I wasn’t going to embarrass Emm.” 

Brian shook his head and didn’t say anything.  Telling Justin, I told you so would have made both of them unhappy and he could tell from Justin’s willingness to have a quickie in the middle of dinner that he was regretting his decision to accept the invitation.   

“I guess we better go join the party.  I’m sure Emmett has noticed our absence,”  Justin said.  

“Whatever.  You go first as you’ve been gone longer,’  Brian said, pointing to the door.  

“Later,”  Justin said as he walked out of the bathroom as if it was the most natural thing in the world to be on Emmett’s second floor using their guest bathroom rather than the one in the hallway.   He rejoined the dinner and saw that they had cleared the sorbet.  He sat down and hoped that the dinner would go quickly so he and Brian could make their escape.

He took a sip of water, not attempting further conversation with any of the men close by.  A few minutes later Brian rejoined the table and if any of the guests were curious as to the length of time they were gone, no one would question their absence.   

Next, Emmett was presented with a large platter that consisted of numerous vegetables and meat.  Emmett approved of the platter and then it was sent around for the different “servers” to place on the plates of their charge as well as their own.  Both Justin and Brian only accepted a small piece of these items as they were no longer hungry and eager to finish the meal.

Both Justin and Brian were quiet during this portion of the meal despite their seatmates choosing to engage each other in conversation.  

Finally, after an interminable period of time, these plates were cleared and a new course of salad was served.  Justin declined and Brian took only a few bites.  When those plates were cleared, the sweet course was served.  Normally, Justin would have accepted several small portions from the serving tray, but he was eager to leave and declined the serving.

At this point, Emmett stood up and announced they would be moving to the living room for fruit and cheese.  Justin went toward Brian as they were dismissed to the drawing room.  

“I’m stuffed. There was more food here than even I could eat.  I don’t know how people in the Victorian era ever accomplished anything if they spent this much time at dinner every night.” Justin said, commenting on the length of the meal. 

“Can we leave now?  I’ve had enough of this charade,” Brian said, refusing to discuss the merits or demerits of a Victorian evening. 

“Not yet.  After the fruit and cheese, there will be entertainment.  We’re expected to attend that as well,”  Justin said, explaining the remaining portion of the evening.

“Fine.  I will stay for fruit and cheese, but unless the entertainment is a stripper, I’m leaving.  You are welcome to stay, but I’m out of here.  The next time you decide to accept an invitation from Emmett, you can go solo.  I’m not going to waste my evening with a bunch of pompous asses,”  Brian said as he walked toward the living room.  “I’m surprised that they didn’t try and redecorate before the party.  After all, a big 75” TV looks out of place at a Victorian Dinner party.

Justin put his finger to his lips and made a shushing sound.  “Brian, behave.  We can leave in about 30 minutes.”  Justin agreed with Brian but he was not going to tell him that.

Everyone found a seat in the living room where evidently Emmett had procured additional chairs that looked like they were from the Victorian Age.  When Brian sat down in one, he leaned toward Justin and said, “These are the most uncomfortable things that I’ve sat on in a while.  And they are hideous as well.”

Justin glared at Brian and wondered what had possessed Emmett to add the chairs to his living room. He hoped for everyone’s sake, these were rented and not a permanent fixture.  

The fruit and cheese were served and Brian had a few slices of a pear with some goat cheese while Justin had a few slices of pear with Camembert.  “At least the fruit and cheese are a nice finish,”  Justin remarked.

After the plates were clear, Emmett announced that the music would start shortly and that a harpist would be playing.  At this point, Brian nudged Justin and mouthed, “Now?”

Justin nodded and walked toward Emmett.  “Emmett it has been a lovely evening, but we must really be going. Brian has an early morning meeting.”  Justin was good at social graces and white lies and hoped his words would be accepted by their host.

Emmett stood up and gave Justin an air kiss.  “Oh sweetie, of course.  It was a pleasure having you.  I hope you’ll come again next month.  I’ve thoroughly enjoyed myself tonight and I think I’ll host a dinner every month.”

Justin swallowed hard to prevent choking on his words and said, “We appreciate the invitation.”  He was not going to tell Emmett that there was no way in hell that they would do a repeat performance, but instead, he air-kissed Emmett as well and motioned for Brian to follow him to the front of the house.

Since it was summer, there were no coats to be had, so they then walked out of the house.  They walked silently to the Mercedes and Justin immediately put on the AC full blast.  As Brian sat in the driver’s seat and loosened his tie, he turned toward Justin.  “I think for that disaster, you owe me 6 blow jobs and 2 evenings of my choice.’

“That bad?”  Justin asked, wanting to share his stories as well.

“Worse.  On my right was a guy Ted would have loved.  He talked about Ballet and Opera.  On my left, the guy talked about the merits of Vegan and clean eating, and to top it off the guy across from me was going on and on about social justice crap.  I couldn’t get a word in edgewise, not that I would have had anything to contribute to any of those topics.  I’ve been to a lot of work dinners and have never been so bored as I was tonight.  What about you?”  Brian asked.

“Terrible.  On either side of me, I was met with one-sentence answers.  Neither of the men was interested in conversing and the guy across from me was homophobic. Evidently, he and Drew grew up together and he made some disparaging remarks about gays and macho stereotypes.  I refused to get in a debate with him,”  Justin said.

“When I went to say goodbye and thank you to Emmett, he told me he plans on having these dinner parties once a month.  You had the right idea when you wanted to decline the invitation.  This is one night that I will not want to repeat.  We just might have to be out of town on your night of choosing when the next few dinners are scheduled. I think my payments for attending tonight will be a long drawn-out process,”  Justin said as he reached for Brian’s hand.

“In fact, I think we might have to start payments when we get back to the loft.  I always pay my debts,”  he said, as he leaned over to give Brian a kiss.  

“I think that is an excellent idea.  Let’s fuck and erase the evening from our minds.”

The end