Chapter One: A Dark Shadow Looms

The sun was merciless. It beat down on the young blond's head and burned his scalp, even through the wide brimmed hat he wore for protection. The winds blew hot and dry against his sensitive skin. For the hundredth time this month, he silently cursed his dad's sudden fervor for checking out the ruins of ancient Egypt for the family vacation. Ever since the Winter of '23, when Lord Carnavon of England had opened King Tut's tomb and discovered its many treasures, Egypt had become the fashionable place to visit and Craig Taylor was fashionable if nothing else. The young man, barely out of school and Craig's only son, loved how his dad enjoyed traveling. It gave the young man the chance to taste a little more that life had to offer than he could get in his hometown in America. He particularly enjoyed being able to sketch all the fascinating people and places he saw in their travels. The problem was that Egypt was so damned hot. Justin didn't like heat that much. 

The young man pulled his pocket watch out of his pants pocket and checked the time again. It had been a graduation gift from his parents and they had engraved their sentiments on the inside. "For Justin, our beloved son...as he begins his journey to manhood" it said. He was especially grateful for the gift now as he needed it to make sure he got back to the nearby hotel before his folks realized he'd gone out on his own. It hadn't been easy to convince them to let him visit the town's marketplace with their guide while they went off on a tour of the newly built museum. It took all the cajoling talent he could muster, but he really wanted to sketch the pyramids on his own time. 

Justin was fully aware that his father didn't approve of his obsession with artistic endeavors. The man wanted his son to join the family business like most men of their time did. He had even had a sign already commissioned that said 'Taylor and Son...Furniture Emporium'. Justin was grateful for his dad's successful business. It afforded the family a better than average lifestyle, but Justin hated the business world. He had seen things through an artistic eye by the time he was three. His mom, Jennifer, still kept all the papers he had scribbled on with the paints and brushes she provided him. She had even promised him that she would do her best to convince his father to support his desire to attend Carnegie Mellon College of Fine Art. The institute was less than twenty years old but already had a fine reputation. He wasn't so sure his father would agree, but he would face that battle when they got back home.

Right now, he had spent the last few hours basking in the luxury of sketching on his ever present sketchpad without anyone looking over his shoulder. It was getting late in the day and he knew it was time to find Omar, his guide, and get back. Besides, he had had enough of the heat. The hotel was much cooler, with huge fans overhead that constantly moved to cool the air down. If his parents found out about his solo excursion, they might ground him from other adventures. He re-pocketed his watch, closed his sketchpad, and rose from the stone bench that had been placed there by archeologist just for the purpose of sitting and admiring the great pyramids that rose so majestically from the desert floor. The sun caused a huge shadow to fall to the side of the pyramid, giving it a depth it might not have had otherwise. The sight took the young man's breath away. It was more than majestic.

Justin pulled his large brimmed hat from his head and swiped again at his face, trying to erase the sand that seemed to cling to his skin. He replaced his hat and strode off in the direction of the barricades that had been set up some distance away where more than a dozen tents of all sizes were set up. The barricades limited movement to the viewing area down to foot traffic only. Justin trudged off, kicking at the ground as he went. He kept his head down to avoid the sand the wind frequently blew in his direction. He finally looked up as he passed the barricades. He looked over at the large 1920 Packard twin six car that his guide used to bring them out from the town and expected to see his guide waiting impatiently or maybe taking a snooze. He couldn't see the man anywhere. He couldn't see any living soul, even though there had been a couple of dozen people, both Arabic and Westerners milling about when he first arrived several hours earlier. 

Suddenly Justin felt uneasy. It was quiet...too quiet. Even the wind had died down. He couldn't even hear any sounds coming from the nearby tents. It was as if the whole community had fallen asleep. Just as he was on the edge of shouting out for Omar, he heard a soft sound, very like a groan, coming from a nearby vehicle, parked very close to his own. He couldn't see a thing out of place, so he decided to check the other side. He rounded the end of the car and saw a heap lying motionless on the ground near the running board of the large black car. 

Justin rushed forward, falling to his knees as he reached the body of what turned out to be his guide. It was then that he could see the blood on the front of the swarthy young man's turban and the reddened gash in his forehead.

"Omar, what happened?" Justin asked in a panic. 

He lifted the slightly older man up by his shoulders, but the head fell back. Omar was completely unconscious. Justin tried shaking him, but nothing worked. It was at that moment that Justin felt a chill. The sun disappeared and a long shadow covered both their bodies. Justin whirled his neck around and, for a split second, saw a tall slender figure wrapped in a flowing white gown standing over him. Before he could utter a word, he saw an arm raise high up from the creatures side and start its arc back down in a blinding flash. One extremely brief moment in time after that and Justin saw and felt nothing else. The world went totally black.

***************************************************

The slender young blond man tried to open his eyes. Each time he did, the blinding pain forced them closed again. He tried to think cognizant thoughts behind his closed eyelids, but nothing would form inside his brain. Finally he was able to make out the sound of a voice. He made another attempt at opening his eyes, and this time it worked. The pain was still there, but he was adjusting. He saw a boy with olive skin and large brown eyes, dressed in tattered clothing, staring at him from a nearby cot. He was quite dirty, but there was something sweet looking about him. 

"Hey kid," he whispered across the room, "you'd better get up. They will be here soon to feed us and they only come once. If you are not awake, they will leave you hungry."

The blond shook his head to clear his vision. It was a mistake. He saw sparkling red dots clouding his vision even more.

"Are you all right? You must not pass out again." The dark haired youth had a strong English accent.

The blond tried again to concentrate harder and stay aware of his surroundings. It was then that he saw the bars on the cell he was lying in. 

"Where am I? What is this place? How did I get here? And who are you?" he begged the other occupant of his cell.

"Stop! I can only answer one question at a time, Sir," he announced. "You are in a lock up where they keep us until they are ready for us. We are located just outside of Giza. I do not know how you got here. You are not of our country, that I am certain of. And I am Said. I was late of the British school in Cairo, but I made the mistake of wanting to visit the great Pyramids of Giza. I foolishly left the train to pay a visit. The next thing I know, I have been kidnapped. I would believe the bandits took me to ransom, but my family does not have money to pay. I am afraid the bandits have other plans for me...and no doubt for you too. So, please to tell me how you got to this place yourself and who you are."

"I..." The young man stopped. He could not remember....anything. How did he get here? And what the hell was his name. Tears sprang to his eyes. He couldn't remember. Why was he in this place? Was he kidnapped too. Was he a fellow student. But no, this boy, this Said obviously didn't know him. But who did? The blond fell back on the dirty cot he had lain on. He turned over onto his side. That was when he felt something hard against his leg. He stuck his hand into his pants pocket and pulled out a kerchief and pocket watch. He tossed the white linen to the side and stared at the high quality watch in his hand. He slowly flipped its lid open. he saw the engraving. "For Justin, our beloved son..." Was that him? Justin? Was that his name? It didn't sound familiar. A great wave of fear swept over the young man. He felt lost, abandoned. He laid back down, grasping the single bit of evidence of who he might be closely to his heart. The tears flowed. 

To be continued.......    

Chapter Two: Facing Reality

Brian Kinney certainly did stand out in his circle of friends and colleagues. The vast majority of the men he spent any time with were dark complected and wore the centuries old clothing styles of their forefathers, consisting of long flowing caftans of fine silks, linens, and cotton with ankle length robes added and their kufis or turbans covering their heads. Brian, on the other hand, was a typical Irish American with tanned but light skin, longish wavy brown hair, and piercing hazel eyes. He was quite tall with a slender, yet well toned body. He would have stood out in a crowd even if he didn't look so different from his companions.

Brian had lived in Eastern countries nearly all his life. His father had worked for a trading company that specialized in far Eastern and middle Eastern antiquities and art. His mother was an old fashioned woman who believed her place was beside her husband, whether she liked the man or not, thus she traveled everywhere her husband did...a fact Brian later learned his father hated. Personally, Brian loved the travel. He enjoyed the exotic locations that his dad would settle in no matter how long they stayed. He couldn't imagine being in one place too long when he was young.

Eventually Brian did settle down for a few years when he attended college back in America. He studied business administration so that he could help his father out, including advertising so that he could understand the theory behind buying and selling products. Once he completed his education, which his father paid for very reluctantly, he returned to Cairo where his dad had set up a permanent office in his absence. Within two years Brian had all but taken over his dad's position within the company. He was born to buy and sell and had a feel for what was worth acquiring to put up on the trading market. The fights between father and son began to be more frequent and heated. They had never meshed well, but the animosity had grown intolerable. Brian chose to leave.

It took Brian several more years to develop his own trading business, but he was brilliant in using the contacts he had formed while working under his father. He also had a personable persona that his father couldn't begin to muster up. Brian attracted people. Even with the self assured and sometimes cocky attitude that he sported, both men and women were attracted to him. He was an expert in exploiting that to his advantage. There was no equal to him in business and he was well known by a great many people.

His personal life was another matter. He did have a circle of friends, but the circle was very narrow. He had only one set of friends from his home country. He had met the Novotny family when he first came back from the States. His father had asked him to entertain a client by taking the man to a new cafe that had opened up in an old hotel that had been renovated to suit the tastes of the recent influx of Western tourists. The client had gotten quite drunk and began hitting on the belly dancer while she was performing her show. Brian had been mortified, but a young man with dark hair and dark eyes with a boyish grin had stepped up to help Brian in getting the client out of the cafe and into a taxi back to his hotel. When Brian went back into the cafe to apologize for the scene he found out that the young man was named Michael and his mother was the proprietress, Debbie Novotny.

Brian had discovered, after spending several hours chatting with Michael, that he was from a town just a short distance from where Brian had been born. One thing led to another and they discovered that they had a lot in common. Shortly after sitting down, the red headed and boisterous Debbie joined her son and ended up revealing a lot more about her son than the young man would have liked, especially with this total stranger.

"Whoa, Mikey, you've found a cute one this time," she had laughed when she first sat down.

"Ma!" the poor boy cried. But it was too late. The inference was clear. The fear in Michael's eyes said all Brian needed to know.

Brian just laughed and told the young man to relax. He had no problem with what Debbie was hinting at. Then he smiled crookedly at the young man. The two men had been fast friends ever since...nearly eight years now. Brian spent a great deal of his off time at the hotel cafe, especially after having another knock down drag out fight with the old man. Once Brian got his own business going, he brought all his prospective clients to the cafe to talk business or entertain. Brian, who had never gotten along with his own mother and didn't miss her at all since leaving his father's house to go to college, adored Debbie and her upfront attitude about life and the way things were. She was direct, with no subterfuge. Brian found it refreshing.

He had also made friends with some of the other Americans who worked at the hotel thanks to his friendship with Michael. There was Ted Schmidt, the accountant who kept the books for management and Emmett Honeycutt who was head concierge for the hotel. There wasn't a form of entertainment or perfect place to eat that Emmett didn't know about and could pass on to guests of the hotel. One of his favorite people was Debbie's brother, Vic who worked as head chef for her cafe. Brian was content with this small circle of friends.

It hadn't taken him long to figure out that every single one of the men were 'that way', a way that Brian knew he was too from a very young age. Of course he had been wise enough to keep his attraction to his own sex a deep dark secret from his family. He could still remember the day his father saw two men holding hands on a trip to Paris when he was a young boy. It had been on a stroll along the Seine River, and the venom in his father's voice when he pointed out the men to his wife and son was a memory that burned itself in the prepubescent youth's brain. For a short time he even denied his feelings to himself, preferring to be a loner. He stopped denying his feelings while in college.

Brian, besides being quite intelligent, was also very athletic. He had been on the track team in college and formed a close friendship with a fellow runner. One day, when all the other students and coaches had already left the locker room for the day, he had found himself alone in the shower with his friend. What had started out as casual horseplay under the hot water turned into a clinch that took both their breaths away. Thirty minutes later they lay on the shower floor exhausted and completely sated. It had been the beginning of a five month affair that brought Brian a great deal of pleasure. It ended as the school year came to a close and Timothy, his lover, introduced Brian to his fiancee when she came to pick him up with his parents. Brian's suggestion that it was unfair of Tim to marry the girl when he was in love with a man didn't set well with Tim and he ignored Brian for the last couple of days left of school. It taught Brian a lesson. He never allowed his heart to rule his actions again.

Brian also had another circle of friends that he spent some time with. These were men that he cultivated among the native population that were as like minded as he about relationships. It was a very closed and secretive society of male lovers who knew that there was great danger in being too open in their society. Most all came from wealthy families who had a position to maintain. Brian was the only American allowed into their group and only because of his friendship with Prince Ahmad. He had met the twelfth son of the King's brother during a day of camel racing and they recognized each other right away. After a wild night of sexual pleasure, they never fucked again but enjoyed their friendship. Prince Ahmad introduced Brian to a part of Cairo that he had been unaware of up till then.

It was just such a night of firsts that he was now looking forward to with anticipation. Ahmad had not given him any specifics, but he hinted that it would be quite an adventure. Nights with Ahmad usually proved to be so. Hopefully tonight would be one of those. Brian was definitely in the mood for something exciting. Life had become too predictable lately. Brian was bored. He had already been with practically everyone who was fuckable in his closed community and even though business was very good, there had been few exciting new finds lately since the opening of King Tut's tomb. Brian needed something to get his juices flowing again. Hopefully tonight would be the night.

********************************************

Justin, or so he had decided he must have been named, had had a very bad night. Sleep had eluded him and he had barely closed his eyes and begun to drift off in the middle of the night when his cell door had been yanked open and two more young men had been thrown into the cell. Now the cramped space held four frightened young men, the youngest looking to be no more than fifteen or sixteen. The others were all dark complected, unlike flaxen haired, fair skinned Justin. The two newcomers huddled together and spoke in a language that was completely foreign to the young man. His cellmate, Said, spoke to them and then informed Justin that the boys were brothers who had been kidnapped by bandits while on an errand for the family. The rest of the night had been spent in abject fear as to what would happen next. They didn't have long to wait.

The very next day, after receiving a pathetic bowl of some kind of thin soup with a small piece of bread, the four young men were startled when a rotund man with feral eyes came into their cell and shouted at them. Said interpreted for Justin, letting him know that they were being ordered to line up in front of him. Justin followed orders immediately, sensing that it was the wisest thing to do. His head still throbbed and he wasn't up for any more abuse.

The man began going down the line, checking each boy's features and spinning them around in order to view both sides. He grabbed their arms and legs in turn as if inspecting a piece of meat in a market. His touch set Justin's teeth on edge and he recoiled, which earned him a sharp slap to the side of his head. Stars flashed in Justin's sight, causing him to stand perfectly still no matter what his captive did next. When the man was finished with his inspection, he turned to the two men behind him and muttered some words.

Justin didn't like the look on Said's face when he heard what the large man said. He waited until the three men had left, slamming the bars behind them, and then asked what was said.

"You will not like it, sir," he told Justin. "The big man told the others that we would do....that we should fetch a good price on the market."

"On the market?"

"Yes. It is obvious. They are slave traders, and we are about to become their newest merchandise."

"But that's crazy," Justin protested. "Slavery has been abolished for over sixty years. It's barbaric...and illegal."

"First of all, sir, this is not America. Second, it is illegal here too, but that does not mean it is not practiced underground."

"But I'm not even a citizen of this country. They can't just take tourists off the street and sell them. This is insane." Panic welled in Justin's voice. "I have to let someone know. I have to get out of here."

"Who will you tell? You said you don't even know who you are or where you're from. It is obvious you're American by the way you talk, but that's all you know. You don't even know why you are in this country or how long you've been here. It does not matter anyway. They must have caught you alone or they never would have taken you. You belong to them now and if you wish to survive intact I suggest you do not give them too much trouble. Wait for your opportunity and you may be able to escape later."

Justin reluctantly recognized the wisdom in what his cellmate advised. It went against every instinct in him to cooperate with his captors, but he would bide his time. Somehow he would find the right opportunity to escape and get back to where and who he belonged to, whoever that was.

***************************************************

Ahmad picked Brian up in his Austin 20 Touring Car, the pride of his fleet of vehicles. He was dressed to the nines in his pale gold caftan with dark brown Jilbab stitched with gold covering it. He normally favored Western dress, but he was all native tonight. Brian was turned out in all his finery with his black velvet jacket over a crisp white linen shirt tucked into his black pants. His longish brown hair was slicked back to reveal his high brow and perfectly formed features. He was a handsome man indeed. Ahmad paused to admire his friend.

Ahmad liked Brian Kinney a great deal. He liked all Western things a great deal. But tonight was different. Tonight the men were going to indulge in something that he doubted would ever happen in Western countries. Tonight he was taking Brian to his first auction. Slave auctions were frowned upon in modern Egypt and could earn you a severe penalty if caught, but this did not stop the very private, invitation only, sales among the rich. Ahmad himself owned two such young men that he had sent to his country palace away from the big city. He would visit the small palace several times a year where he would be serviced by the young men willingly, and in exchange they were able to live a hundred times better than they would have in their free lives. The fact of which was obvious since neither man ever attempted to escape even when opportunities presented themselves.

Ahmad worried about Brian. It was obvious to him that the older man was lonely. He never seemed to connect with anyone he met. He never even romanced any ladies in order to settle down and have a family, unlike Ahmad who had two wives already and three children. Maybe he could find some pleasing companionship at the auction. You never know. It was worth a try. Within minutes the two men were seated in the large car and on their way to the outskirts of the city. Brian could feel something in the air. Ahmad hadn't told him where they were going, but something told him that tonight was going to be different. He could hardly wait.

To be continued......

Chapter Three: A Sale In the Marketplace

The atmosphere at the marketplace that Ahmad had taken Brian to was oddly different than anything he had experienced before. The first thing Brian noticed was that there was not a single woman to be found anywhere. Another thing was how isolated this marketplace was. Most such gatherings were held in the center of towns and were filled with eager shoppers of all kinds. This time there were plenty of the usual stalls set up, but shoppers were all men and much more subdued than normally found in a marketplace. There was very little of the usual haggling over prices that one would commonly see or hear. People were attending booths and making purchases of clothing, food, and items such as hashish quickly and then standing around in groups. It was as if they were waiting for something more momentous to happen.

Brian stood in a group he was familiar with. It was a circle of friends that Ahmad had introduced Brian to some time ago. For the most part the men came from wealthy Egyptian families, although there were a couple of foreigners like Brian. There was even one man who was an odd mix of several nationalities that seemed predominately Oriental. All the men had one thing in common...a predilection towards relationships on the side with their own sex. All but a few were married, some many times over, and with many children. Brian enjoyed their company for business reasons primarily, although he certainly enjoyed some of the perks that knowing these men offered him. Knowing them had certainly introduced Brian to many new experiences he might not have known otherwise. He was curious as to what the newest experience would be that Ahmad had promised him.

Finally, the chatter among the various groups had quieted down completely and Ahmad grabbed hold of Brian's arm to lead him in the direction of a large platform that was set up at the end of the sandy stretch between booths. Brian noticed that all the other groups of men were moving in the same direction. There was a large open area next to the platform. Suddenly a large man with a face only a mother could love stepped out onto the platform. He began speaking in his native tongue. Brian, who had studied the Arabic language most often used in modern day Egypt, was able to understand immediately that there was about to be an auction. He could see a corral nearby that was filled with magnificent examples of fine Arabian horses and dozens of well cared for camels, including a beautiful white camel.

Brian was disappointed. He had certainly ridden both horses and camels, but it was not among his favorite pastimes. He had made and lost quite a bit of money over the years on races, but he never had an urge to own one of the animals. He had thought that Ahmad would know that this kind of auction would mean little to him. He was beginning to regret not having brought his own vehicle. It was as he was trying to figure out a way to leave without offending his friend that everything changed.

Ahmad was pulling on Brian's arm and pointing towards the platform to get Brian's attention away from the display of animals in the corral. Brian turned back to see what had his friend so excited. It was then that Brian could see what was really the main attraction of the clandestine auction. The platform was suddenly filled with nearly a dozen young men who looked to be between their mid teens to early twenties. Each one was shackled by the wrists and ankles and every single one looked apprehensive or just plain terrified. All the dark skinned young men that Brian could see were pleasant to look at. Brian turned to Ahmad with a questioning look.

"These are the latest slaves up for sale," Ahmad informed Brian. "I thought perhaps you might find someone to keep you company and tend to your every need."

Brian was stunned. He had never even considered this possibility when thinking about tonights attractions. Was Ahmad actually suggesting that he own somebody and force them to service him at his every whim? Did his friend actually think he would get any pleasure out of doing that? It took a moment for Brian to find his voice. He had to tread carefully. Ahmad was a friend, but even more so, a great business link. Brian didn't want to offend him outright.

"Forgive me Ahmad, but you do know that I wouldn't be comfortable owning another human being, don't you? And besides which, I know it was very common in your country at one time but isn't it totally illegal now?"

"Well yes, it is illegal, but it is still practiced behind closed doors my friend. We are actually doing these young men a favor. They come from very poor families and most of them were sold by their own families so that they could have a better life than the poverty they were living in. Some actually offer themselves up as indentured servants so that they can have a good home to live in and plenty of food. They would probably appreciate being sold to such a fine looking gentleman as yourself. And, of course, you can always free them at any time you choose." Ahmad winked at Brian. "Although I doubt any of them would want to be freed once they have known you."

Ahmad could see how hesitant and uncomfortable Brian seemed to be. This was not the reaction he expected.

"Brian, if you choose not to you certainly do not have to participate. I already have two fine young men that live at my country home, so I am not in the market for any others at this time. If you would like we can leave at any time."

Brian felt relief wash over him. He was simply not comfortable at all in this situation. Somehow the word slavery didn't set well with him. He turned to Ahmad, fully intending to ask that they go ahead and leave. It was at that very moment that a very tall young man on the platform moved to the side, revealing the much shorter young man behind him. Brian was struck instantly by the glaring differences between the smaller man and the others on the stage. First and foremost, the young man in back was obviously not a native Egyptian. He was far more fair skinned than Brian, with a head full of silken blond hair. He had the bluest eyes set in a particularly pleasant face. There was unmistakable fear in the lad's eyes, but something more. There was an intelligence that was only slightly hidden by the fear. There was also something else that seemed to speak to Brian. He couldn't put his finger on it, but he knew without question that this kid had not been sold into slavery and most definitely didn't belong on the auction block. He had gotten Ahmad's attention when he first turned to him. He looked at his friend again.

"What is that kid doing up there," he asked, pointing right at the blond.

"What do you mean," Ahmad asked.

"I mean that one only has to look at the kid and you can see he is a foreigner...probably European...and doesn't belong on the auction block. We need to get him released."

"Stop, my friend. Don't be foolish. I don't know how he ended up there, but if you interfere I can promise you it will go badly for you. These men are slave traders and they don't take kindly to any one getting involved in their business unless as a customer. Trust me Brian, they would not hesitate to do you harm if you try to take away their livelihood. If you are concerned about the young man, why don't you bid on him. Once he is turned over to you, then you can do as you will with him including releasing him."

The idea of buying the frightened young man sent shivers of disgust through Brian, but the idea of someone else buying and doing him harm seemed far more disturbing. With that thought in mind, Brian decided to stay and see what would happen next. He didn't have long to wait. Minutes later, the sale began. Each young man was brought forward and displayed in the same way as the horses and camels. The auctioneer, with help from his assistant, would point out the many fine qualities of his offers and accepted a few questions from the bidders before beginning to take the bids. Each young man sold for several hundred Gineihs.

Brian was getting restless. It soon became obvious that the auctioneer was saving his unusual specimen for the final bidding. By the time the blond was put up on the block, Brian had grown increasingly antsy. He had not liked the way the buyers had gathered their purchases close to them and walked off. There had been something creepy about the possessive way the much older men had led the younger men away with them. It gave Brian a slightly sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. Just as he had thought he could take no more of the scene, he saw that the blond youth was the only one still standing on the platform next to the auctioneer.

Justin came forward reluctantly at the prompting of the whip handle in his back from the assistant. He stood before the gathering of dark faced men and felt the nausea rise in him again. He had learned from Said that he was being put up for sale as a slave and that it would be very foolish of him to fight it openly. Justin was sensible, if nothing else, and he sensed that now was not the time to make any foolish moves. But he would be damned if he would stay a slave. He had no idea where he could run or to who, but he did know that he would not do someone else's bidding without a fight. But he had decided to take the road of precaution for now. He would pick his battles carefully. He had kept his head down through most of the process of the sales. He sensed it was the wisest move on his part. He had only looked up a couple of times. Suddenly he heard the auctioneer begin to speak as before and point a finger in his direction. He couldn't resist looking up.

It was then that Justin spotted the man who was a head taller than most and dressed in English clothing that fitted him to perfection. The man was a hundred times more attractive than any of the others and much younger than most of the faces. He was also clearly not Egyptian. Justin's heart skipped a beat. Maybe this man could be his salvation. He would surely not let a fellow foreigner fall into the wrong hands.

Justin's heart sank when he realized the English looking man was one of the ones placing bids on him. There was at least a half dozen who kept raising their hands indicating an increased bid. Justin caught himself praying that the Englishman would win the bid, even though he had no desire to be bought. The bids went back and forth repeatedly. One by one the other bidders shook their heads and ceased their bids. Justin could tell the sale had brought out large numbers from the excited tone of the auctioneer. Finally, the tension was ended as the Englishman paused for one second and then stated his final bid. The auctioneer stopped instantly with his mouth dropped open. He recovered himself quickly and pointed at the tall brunet. He shouted something and the audience began to clap.

Brian couldn't believe what he had done. He had just bid a small fortune on one slender blond youth that he had no idea what he was going to do with. Five thousand Gineihs was more money than most people made in a year in this country. Well, the deed was done. Brian was certainly glad that he had the wealth to back up his purchase. The question was, what was he going to do next.

Brian moved over to the podium with Prince Ahmad beside him. The accountant for the sale had a small table set up at the bottom of the steps. He engaged in a lively discussion with Brian and Ahmad since Brian certainly never carried around that kind of cash on his person. The accountant finally accepted Ahmad's assurances that Brian was good for the sum and filled out a sheath of papers. Brian signed where he was instructed and motioned for the young blond to join him. Justin stood still as the assistant unlocked his leg and hand shackles and pointed him to the stairs. Justin stepped carefully down until he could feel the solid ground beneath him. He kept his head lowered. He had no desire to come face to face with the man who had bought him, even if he was glad it was him and not some other man. When the man began speaking, Justin felt a rush of relief. He recognized the voice as being American and could understand everything the stranger said to him.

"My name is Brian Kinney. Do you understand English?"

"Yes I do," Justin answered with obvious relief.

"So what is your name?"

"Justin," he answered hesitantly.

Brian heard the question mark in the kid's voice. "Well, is it Justin?" he asked.

"Yes, or at least I think so. I'm not sure. I can't really remember. I can't really remember much of anything. I don't know who I am, where I'm from, who I belong to. I don't even know how I got to this place."

Justin's voice had begun to rise in panic as he related what little he knew. Brian held the young man's shoulders to try and calm him. All the stress of the past few days began to fall in on Justin and his whole body began to shake violently. Brian instinctively wrapped his arms around the slender body, waiting while the boy shook from head to toe. He was surprised that the young man never made a sound. There were no tears. Brian was impressed.

Once Justin had calmed sufficiently, Brian brought him over to where his friend, Ahmad, had been patiently standing. He had been surprised at the almost tender way Brian had gathered the young man to him. In all the years he'd known Brian, he had never seen him quite so solicitous to anyone. Once Brian reached his friend's side, he suggested they get going. It looked like the young man needed a good bath and night's sleep. Ahmad agreed and Brian led Justin alongside him back to where the car was parked.

Justin was as quiet as a mouse in the back seat all the way to Brian's home. Ahmad let his friend out in front of his house and bid him good night. He drove off and could see the young man standing as close to Brian as he possibly could. Ahmad smiled to himself. Perhaps, he thought, his attempt to provide Brian with some steady companionship for his lonely nights would prove to be even more successful than he hoped. But the rest was up to Brian. He had certainly made a wise purchase. Ahmad had even considered buying the beautiful youth for himself. Ah well, he thought, there would always be others for later. It felt good to do a favor for a true friend.

To be continued.........

Brian watched the young blond as the boy peeled off his filthy clothes. Brian could tell the clothing was of good quality, so he probably came from a comfortable background. There were no other clues to the lads identity. He had no possessions at all, save the watch he had tucked in his pants pocket. Brian was surprised that the boys captors hadn't removed that from him. The boy had shown Brian where the name Justin was engraved on the watch. The rest of the engraving sounded suspiciously like a phrase used for a graduate student. Brian felt oddly relieved that the boy was probably at least eighteen or maybe even older although he could have passed for slightly younger.

Brian surprised himself by his reaction to the boys undressing. Justin, or so he had decided he would call the young man unless he learned differently, was certainly a nice looking male specimen. His body was in desperate need of a good cleaning but his innate attractiveness could not be hidden by the sand and dirt encrusted on him. On top of that, he had a slender build that begged hugging and protecting. His eyes, a clear bright blue, were full of feeling. Brian could tell that the young man had strong feelings inside him. There was a liveliness to the boys eyes, even under these dire circumstances. He looked wary and on guard, and yet there was nothing timid or cowardly about the look in his eyes. He looked Brian directly in the face whenever they chanced to glance at each other, which happened frequently.

For some reason, Brian was curious as to what the young man was thinking about him. This was odd since everyone knew that Brian Kinney simply didn't care what others thought about him. He was comfortable in himself and did not need the opinion of other people to validate who or what he was. It surprised him greatly that this young stranger brought out such curiosity in him. But for now, it didn't really matter that much what the boy was thinking. What mattered was what to do about the lad.

Brian had decided that he would start making subtle inquiries into whether any of the white families with some wealth that made their home in the region had any young sons missing. He had decided he should tread carefully into his investigations because there was no way to know where this thing would lead. For all he knew, the young man was a runaway who had escaped an abusive family. Not surprisingly, that thought was extremely disturbing to Brian who had suffered such poor treatment from his own father when very young. If that was the case with this beautiful creature, then Brian would be damned if he would return the boy to such circumstances.

In the meantime, he needed to reassure Justin that he was safe within these walls that housed Brian's private life. He wanted to make sure that Justin knew that nothing was expected of him. He was certainly not a slave in Brian's eyes. But he needed to make sure the young man knew that he was safer under Brian's protective custody than roaming freely through the streets with no real destination in mind. Brian has already checked and found that Justin had no money on him at all.

The first thing Brian did when arriving home was to direct the young man into the vast bathing chamber of his home. There was a large tub that had been filled with hot water scented with oils of indeterminate fragrances. The odor was intoxicating and helped Justin to relax as he slid his slender body slowly into the caressing warmth. Once he had immersed himself fully and felt himself calming completely for the first time since waking up a stranger to himself, he looked over at the tall man who had become his savior. Justin had no way of knowing what this man wanted from him, but he had been kind and gentle from the very moment he had obviously purchased him and that was enough to ease some of the overwhelming fear he had felt for so long.

There was something about this man....he had said his name was Brian....there was something about Brian that made Justin feel safe. For one thing, if he was interested in men in 'that' way, he certainly would not have to purchase one to get what he wanted. Justin unknowingly was checking Brian out with the innate artistic eye he had been born with. Brian Kinney was certainly an artist's dream. He was tall and slender, yet firmly built, with well defined features. His face drew Justin's eyes over and over to him. There was a proud lift to the man's chin and a strong aquiline nose that stood above full lips that covered rows of glistening white teeth. His hair was smooth, clean looking, and a mixture of a variety of brown shades that hung to just above his collar. But it was his eyes that Justin admired most. The color was not distinctive...a fairly common hazel color...but there was a spark in his eyes that Justin found quite appealing. He could imagine putting that pair of eyes down on paper, though he had no way of knowing if he actually had the talent to do so successfully. The urge to draw those eyes was, however, very strong indeed.

Justin glanced over, for the hundredth time, to the man as he sat braced against the wall on the wide stone bench set up in the corner of the room. The opposite walls were lined with shelves that held bottles of oils and salves to keep the skin moistened in the dry heat of the city. Large thick towels lay out on a marbled table, waiting to be wrapped around clean bodies. There were two large mirrors, one on opposing walls, that extended from floor to ceiling giving full views of anyone standing between them. Justin was duly impressed. This room, and the parts of the expansive house he'd seen thus far, gave evidence to the wealth of his new owner.

As he began to scrub away the grime that had accumulated on his skin while locked away, Justin ruminated on that term....owner. It felt strange to his mind. How in the world did he become a piece of owned property? While he scrubbed, the frustration of not having any answers to his history began to build in him. The questions swirled away inside his head with no solutions to them. The more he thought about them, the more his head hurt. He didn't realize that he had begun scrubbing harder and harder with each unanswered question that popped up. Suddenly he felt strong fingers wrapped around his wrist and yanking his hand away from his chest. He looked up with startled eyes.

Brian was leaning down frowning at the blond in his tub. Justin looked down in the direction that Brian was staring at. A sharp sting in his chest accompanied his gaze as he saw the red streak his fevered scrubbing had created along the length of his upper torso. Brian had stopped him just short of drawing blood. Tears began to well in the corners of Justin's eyes. Brian took the cloth from Justin's fingers and moved behind the young man. He crouched down and began slowly moving the cloth along the blond's neck and shoulders. He used the fingers of his other hand to massage the tense muscles he felt bunched up tighter than a drum under the skin. He gently rubbed the arms and back clean. Once he had completed that task, he leaned forward and handed the cloth back to Justin. He sat back on his heels again and began massaging the young man's back muscles. Justin leaned forward as far as he could so that Brian would have full access to his back.

Brian could now see how pale Justin's skin was under all the grime. His skin felt like silk under Brian's fingertips. He worked away at each muscle group, being careful not to put too much pressure in any one spot that might bring about pain. He was finally able to feel the young man relaxing under his ministrations. Brian felt an overwhelming desire to take his hands lower, but he resisted. He had no desire to scare this kid, who obviously was already frightened enough in his uncertain world. But damned if the kid didn't have the most perfectly shaped round buttocks that begged to be caressed and massaged, almost as much as his back and shoulders. It took a strong effort on Brian's part not to lean over the blond's shoulder and take a peek at the manhood he knew would be floating in the water in front of his stomach. Brian admonished himself for having such voyeuristic thoughts. Not that he didn't enjoy a bit of voyeurism now and then, but only with willing subjects and Brian had no way of knowing where this particular young man stood.

Brian suddenly realized that thinking of Justin this way had caused a swelling in his pants. They were certainly too form fitting to hide such a sight so Brian forced himself to turn away from such thoughts and concentrate on other things. He spoke to Justin for the first time since entering the bathing room and instructing the young man to undress.

"Are you feeling better?" he inquired of Justin, making sure to grab a towel for his lap as he scooted back to the bench.

Justin looked back at his new owner. "Yes sir, I am. Thank you."

"You must have had some pretty dark thoughts there Justin, to rub yourself raw like that. And please don't call me sir. It's Brian. I told you, I don't consider you my slave. I had to make the purchase or I would never have been allowed to take you out of that place. Do you understand me?"

"Yes sir....I mean Brian. But I still don't understand why you did it. It obviously cost you a large sum of money. The bidding went on longer than any of the others, so I have no doubt the amount skyrocketed. Why would you spend so much for something you don't intend to use?"

"First of all, Justin, It is obvious to me that you didn't belong on that auction block. Whatever put you there had to be illegal at best. Secondly, I can certainly afford it. And lastly, I love an adventure and mystery. That's one of the reasons I'm in the business I am. There are always new things to see and learn about. I'm an exporter of antiquities and art. You are probably the most fascinating mystery I've ever seen and I fully intend to explore the answers to you. I'm sure you would like to know those answers too, if I'm not mistaken."

"Oh yes, si...Brian. More than anything. I just want to know who I am and is there anybody out there that cares that I'm not with them any more."

Justin's eyes had lit up with the thought of finding out his past. Brian couldn't help thinking that they made the young man truly beautiful to look at. The thought of people missing him had dimmed the brightness just as suddenly as it had come, making Brian even more determined to find out the mystery behind the fair haired slave.

"Well, young man, I suggest you finish with your bath before the water turns cold and I'll go to the kitchen and have the cook fix you up something to eat. Are you hungry?"

Brian's words reminded Justin that he hadn't had a decent meal since waking in his cell. "Oh yes," he answered enthusiastically.

"So, what would you like?"

Justin's brow furrowed as he tried to think of something. "I..I don't know," he responded quietly.

"That's alright. I'll just have the cook fix up a platter with plenty of variety. I'm sure there will be some things that will appeal to you," he reassured the young man.

Brian laid a man sized towel on the stand next to the large tub and turned to leave. The sound of Justin's voice behind him slowed his exit. He turned to Justin.

"I just want you to know how grateful I am...Brian. You saved my life. I don't know if I would have survived if one of those other men had purchased me."

"You're welcome Justin. Now get ready and I'll be right back for you. There are some clothes for you to change into over on the table next to the towels. They belong to my housekeepers son. He is in his early teens and much more your size." With that Brian turned and exited the room.

Justin finished scrubbing his lower torso and privates and climbed out of the tub, which was more than roomy enough for two grown men. He wrapped the thick white towel around himself and scrubbed his hair dry. He rubbed his body down, making sure to avoid the sensitive part of his chest that he had rubbed raw earlier. The feeling of the towel was a luxury that made Justin want to cry for joy. He had been honest with his benefactor. He truly did not know if he could have survived being bought by some leering man who would want to use him for God knows what purpose. The thought of Brian using him for some such purpose brought a surprising tingle to Justin's groin, causing a sudden flush to his cheeks. He felt like he should be ashamed of the thought, but for some reason he wasn't...just embarrassed.

Justin hurried over to the table where the clothes had been laid out. The housekeeper had provided a simple white caftan with a high collar and long loose sleeves with a pair of underwear that looked more western in style. It was a quick job in donning the clothing and buttoning the front up. Justin felt quite comfortable now and clean in his new garments. He sat on the bench that Brian had recently vacated and let his mind wander. Brian had stated that he loved a mystery, but Justin was not loving this one. He longed to know the answers to his life. As he sat waiting for the return of his rescuer, his eyes swept the room and the urge to put the images he saw down on paper tugged at the edges of his brain. The thought crossed his mind that he would need to ask Brian if he could have some drawing supplies. Well, he decided, he may not know much of anything about himself outside of his name but there was certainly one clue. Justin wondered if he might perhaps be an artist of some kind. He longed to find out. He looked to the door leading from the bathing room. Where was Brian? He wanted to get started on discovering some things, starting with whether he could actually put the sights he saw onto paper in a recognizble way.

To be continued.......

There was no question that young Justin had not been properly fed lately. He attacked the food on the many platters that Brian's cook had prepared just for him as if he hadn't eaten in years. Brian sat across the broad table from the freshly scrubbed young man and drank in the sight of his guest...or whatever the hell he should be called. The table was laden with dishes of all kinds...roasted lamb, duck, goose, kebabs of beef and mutton, soups and stews filled with fish, more lamb, and vegetables, fava beans and peas, and exotic desserts made with dates, figs, and pomegranates. There was wine and the national drink, barley beer, for Justin to wash all the goodies down.

Brian was surprised at how fascinated he had become by this young stranger. The boy was an enigma and Brian loved a mystery, but there was more to it than that. There was something so vulnerable about the young blond, while at the same time Brian could see the strength in the kid. There was something about Justin that told Brian that this kid was no pushover. He may have been in a weakened position when Brian met him, but he sensed that Justin had an inner core of steel that would take him a long way. Brian felt a sense of protectiveness for Justin...which alone was a miracle of great proportions...but he also had the feeling that Justin was a survivor and would come out on top of any situation without help. It was a dichotomy that intrigued the older man. Perhaps that was why he hadn't been able to get the blond off his mind from the instant he saw him.

As he sat across from Justin, he even caught himself daydreaming as he watched the young man biting into a juicy piece of fruit. Justin had the pearliest white teeth Brian had ever seen and he began to imagine those teeth nipping gently on his skin. When Justin began sucking the juices from that same piece of fruit, Brian imagined that the young man was sucking as enthusiastically on his cock. Without warning, Brian felt that familiar tingle in his balls that warned him he was becoming aroused. He gave his head a hard shake to clear his thoughts.

"What?" came the startled Justin, stopping in mid bite.

"It's nothing. I was just trying to keep awake. It's been a long day...probably for you too. Once you've finished with your meal, I'll show you to the guest room where you can stay until we figure out what to do with you."

"What to do with me?" Oddly the thought that his benefactor would discard him was very disturbing to Justin.

"Of course. I can't just let you loose on the streets, although you are free to leave if you choose to do so. I wouldn't advise it. With no money and no idea who you are and what your circumstances are, you could end up right back where you started from. And this time I might not be there to buy you again."

Brian had a small mischievous twinkle in his eye as he stated that last thought. Justin felt a sense of relief flood him, knowing Brian would not throw him out.

"Tomorrow, I'll go out and make some discreet inquiries...see if there are any reports of a missing man from a tourist group, etcetera. I'll be very cautious, just in case you're an escaped felon or something like that." He grinned again with his tongue planted firmly in the corner of his cheek.

Justin looked up shyly from his latest dish and gave a half smile of gratitude. Brian couldn't help thinking of how beautiful the young man was, even when only giving a hint of a smile. Brian knew that the chances of Justin having the same feelings about men as he did were very remote, but at the moment he would have given a great deal for it to be true. He knew he had never felt such a strong urge to wrap his body around anothers in all his life. He gave another hard shake to his head. He remembered to give a great yawn next to cover up the true meaning of his actions.

Justin hurriedly finished the last bite of his fruit dessert. He hated to see Brian so obviously exhausted. The moment he had his mouth wiped clean, he grinned at the older man.

"All done. That was truly wonderful. Will you please tell your cook how much I appreciated it. I would say it was the best meal I'd had in my life if I could remember what I've eaten before." Justin laughed out loud, sending a small jolt of pleasure straight to Brian's groin.

"I'll do that, Justin. Now let's get you to your room. A good night's sleep should make everything look a lot better in the morning."

The men pushed back from the table and Justin followed Brian dutifully to his next destination. Brian led the young man down a corridor and turned inward until the men reached a small opening that let out on a vast garden. It was literally an oasis in the middle of the home. There were a few fruit trees, a couple of small water fountains with a bench running around them for sitting, and flowers that filled the night air with heady fragrances. Brian moved off in the direction of the far side of the garden with Justin trailing behind, taking in the beauty around him. Without hesitation, he knew he had to draw this scenery.

"The sleeping quarters are on the other side of the garden. I hope you will like your room.," Brian threw over his shoulder.

A minute later, Brian opened a large wooden door in the stone wall that led into a roomy bed chamber. There was a large bed in the center of the room covered in pillows of various sizes and colors. Fine mosquito netting hung from the ceiling and encircled the entire bed frame. There were several small ottomans scattered about the room with a large double doored wardrobe in one corner. Justin could see fragrant tapers burning in an ornate bowl on a nearby table. The room had a comfortable feel to it that was world's apart from the only other place Justin had the memory of sleeping in. Once again, he thanked his lucky stars that Brian Kinney was the one to buy him off the auction block.

"Do you approve?"

"I'd be a fool not to," came Justin's reply. "It's hardly the room of a slave, or a servant for that matter. You must know that I intend to earn my keep while I'm here, Mr. K...I mean Brian. I can't let you spend all that money on me and not give you something in return."

Brian admonished himself for the thought that flashed through his mind as to how the young man could repay him.

"We'll discuss that later, Justin. In the meantime, is there anything else I can do for you..anything you might need before I bid you good night."

Justin thought for a moment. He pictured the beautiful garden just outside his door and the exotic warmth of his bed chamber. The images were so strong in his head, along with the image of Brian himself. He knew he had to get those images down on paper, even though he had not the least notion as to why. But he knew he had to find out.

"There is one little thing, if I'm not being too presumptuous to ask.'

"Ask away, young man."

"I could use some artist's supplies. You know, pencil or charcoal for drawing and paper. Something simple and inexpensive would do."

Brian paused, staring at the young man intently. "So you are an artist, Justin? I thought you couldn't remember anything about yourself."

"I don't know if I am one or not...truly. I just know that there are so many things here that I MUST put down on paper. It's like a calling. I can't ignore it. Perhaps I was an artist. I don't know, but I want to see if the images in my head will translate to paper."

"Well then, young man, you shall have what's needed tomorrow. Now I'll leave you to your privacy. I hope you will have a most pleasant evening. My room is right next to yours. I have a man-servant who sleeps in the corridor between our rooms. If you need anything during the night, just ring for him and he will come immediately." Brian pointed to a small bell next to the burning candles.

"I will, Brian, and thank you...for everything."

With that, Brian stepped to the door on the other side of the room that led to other parts of the house. He left Justin and made his way to the door next to the one he had just exited. He entered his own room, which was considerably larger than the one he had given Justin. His room had two sections...one for sleeping and another for private bathing. A massive bed stood in the center of the room. Large colorful pillows were scattered throughout the room including on a long ottoman large enough to hold two grown men. There were exotic paintings of desert oasis' with pools of crystal clear water where men lounged about in various states of dress while playing cards and listening to young men as they played their harps, flutes, and tiny cymbals. There was another painting of an excellent rendering of the Pyramids in the Valley of the Kings. It was a room made for a man of wealth and good taste.

Brian called his servant, Ahmose, into the room and prepared for bed. When the big man had completed his tasks in taking away Brian's dusty clothing and getting his master's bath ready, he stepped out of the room to allow the man his privacy. Brian sank gratefully into the steaming water, breathing deeply of the exotic oils that caressed his body. He laid back in the chest high water of the deep tub and let his mind wander back. The image of the beautiful young man in the room next to his flashed into his mind again, as it had kept on doing all evening.

Brian began to fantasize that Justin was laying in the tub with him, leaning over and letting his lips blend with Brian's. He could almost feel those soft lips parting to make room for Brian's tongue to begin its exploration of the unknown territory that would yield such delightful treasures. Brian's pulse began to race as he pictured Justin suddenly turning in the water and sitting astride the older man. Brian did not make a habit of living a fantasy life...he had never seen the necessity for it, but he couldn't stop thinking and feeling as if Justin was right there with him.

Completely without thought, Brian's hand had wandered down to his ample endowment. He had grasped hold of his manhood and begun stroking while imagining young Justin with his mouth firmly planted on his and the blond's engorged cock and balls pressed tightly between their stomachs as he lowered himself onto Brian's shaft. As Justin's movements increased in speed and intensity, Brian's hand pumped his cock with the same fierceness he imagined Justin was feeling. Suddenly Brian felt the tightening of his balls, matching the insistent tingle in his groin that announced his coming orgasm. Without warning, Brian spilled out into the water with an intensity he hadn't felt before. It shook him to his core.

Brian decided then and there that he would have no more of this. Hell, he thought, the real thing could never live up to what he had just felt. Besides, it was far too girly for him to be thinking this way about a guy he didn't even know was available or not. He hated to admit it, but he'd be far better off solving the Justin mystery as quickly as possible and getting on with his life. He grabbed his wash cloth and began scrubbing, determined to stick with his plans of making sure Justin was safe and sound, back where he belonged and then thinking about him no more.

*********************************************************

Jennifer Taylor knew she should stop crying. It was becoming an irritant to her husband. She was just glad that her young daughter, Molly, was not here to see her fall apart. Molly had opted to stay home with her grandmother rather than visiting some dusty old faraway country for her Summer break. At the moment, Jennifer wished to God she and her son had done the same. The authorities had still not located her son. They had convinced Craig that the boy was indeed dead since finding the car and driver that the family had hired as a guide. It had been miles away from the Great Pyramids, deserted off the main road leading through the desert from town. The young guide, Omar, had been dead at least three or more days when he had been found and had been gnawed on by creatures of some sort.

The police reminded Craig Taylor over and over that his son could never have survived out in the desert alone for any length of time and that they had discovered two different blood types on the vehicle itself. Blood typing was a fairly new science, but there was no denying that two different people had provided blood samples on the car. Omar was not the only one bleeding that day. The car had been stripped bare of anything of value and the police theorized that bandits had attacked the young men and killed them outright. They had finally convinced an angry Craig that Justin's body had probably been dragged deeper into the desert and consumed by wild animals.

Jennifer had refused to believe her beloved son had met such a gruesome fate. She had told her husband that she would have felt it in her heart if Justin was truly dead and Craig had tried to be patient with her, but he knew it was time to return home. He felt there was nothing more they could do. His son was gone. That was all there was to it. The boy had always been a bit rebellious and now his desire to have his own way and go off into the desert alone had cost him his life. Craig was furious at the loss of his future partner in the business, but he was a pragmatic man. If he was really lucky, Molly would grow up to marry a man who was worthy of taking on the Taylor business and making it grow bigger and better.

By the end of the day that Justin spent his first night under Brian's roof, Craig Taylor had finally convinced his wife it was time to use their return tickets home to America. Jennifer now knew that she would be spending the rest of her life crying silently inside for the fair haired angel who had been her most loved son for a brief eighteen years. A part of her still believed Justin was not gone forever, but she would keep that part of her buried to appease her husband. He could make her leave, but he could never destroy that tiny glimmer inside her that told her she would see her son again some day.

To be continued.......

"Justin, hurry up! If you still want to go with me you're going to have to get a move on. I promised Ahmad we'd be ready by nine."

Brian laughed to himself. The one thing he had discovered after spending the last month or so with young Justin was that he was not an easy riser. Brian, who had never been one to sleep in no matter how late an evening he had had the previous night, always seemed to have a problem getting Justin to awaken early.

Justin hadn't been a problem the first couple of weeks when Brian was still being cautious not to expose the young man to too many people outside the household, but lately Brian had taken to bringing Justin with him when he went out. No one seemed to notice the young man, especially when most of his golden hair was hidden under the turban Brian had ordered for him, so he felt more emboldened to take Justin with him more frequently. He enjoyed Justin's company...simple as that.

Brian had been vastly amused by the reaction of his friends when he took Justin to the Liberty Hotel to meet an American client, and then stopped in to the Liberty Cafe inside the hotel to pay a visit to the Novotny clan. Both Ted and Emmett were on their lunch breaks and made goo goo eyes at poor Justin, who sat in stoic silence until Debbie came out. The two formed an instant friendship with Debbie commenting on the young blond's sunshiny smile. Before that first visit was out, the busty redhead was calling Justin, Sunshine and warning Brian to be good to the boy. Everyone was intrigued by the made up story that Justin and Brian had worked out among themselves.

Justin told the clan his tale of coming to Egypt in order to study ancient history in their renowned University and meeting Brian while checking out some antiquities. According to the story they put out, Justin had no family in the country and so Brian had taken him under his wing as a fellow American. Debbie sensed there might be more to the story, but had decided long ago that anything worth knowing would come to her eventually so she decided not to pry any further. Michael took a little longer to warm up to the newcomer due to his obvious infatuation with his friend, Brian, but he too soon welcomed the young man into their family circle.

Brian had made a lot of subtle inquiries into some of the wealthier foreign families that lived in and around Giza and even included their well paid servants from European countries, but nobody was missing. Brian had checked to see if anyone was missing according to police reports, but Justin's case had been filed as a deceased person and there were no reports of anyone missing for Brian to check out. Brian had even taken Justin to his own personal physician to have the boy checked for head injuries. The doctor confirmed Justin's mild concussion, but assured Brian that the young man would be fine. As to his lost memories, the doctor informed Brian that they could come back at any time with the right stimulus, or maybe never. Only time would tell.

The two men had become close during the past month. Brian was amazed at how smart the young man was. He might not have certain personal details of his life in his memory bank, but for some reason he had a vast store of other information about places and events that would just pour out of him once the two got into conversations. Justin had a sharp wit too that Brian found supremely attractive. The more time he spent with the kid, the more he wanted to be around him. Without even being aware of it, Brian found himself neglecting his old friendships. That was when he received an invitation to visit the pyramids with Ahmad and his entourage. They were going to enjoy a camel race out in the desert. Once Ahmad agreed to having Justin join them, Brian accepted. They couldn't foresee that an event that happened during the trip would change the tenor of their journey irrevocably.

********************************************

Brian had kept his promise to Justin and bought a large supply of painting supplies and charcoal with pads. Without a second thought, Justin began actively using the supplies like a man who had been given a life raft while drowning in the sea. Every time Brian searched for Justin, he would find him sitting somewhere (usually the garden) and sketching out some work of true art. Brian had an eye for such things, being in the business he was in, and he knew talent when he saw it. The boy had an eye for beauty and expression that couldn't be denied. Brian thrilled to each new piece. The finished paintings were even more magnificent than the sketches....filled with color and drama. There was only one piece that Justin had kept hidden from Brian's gaze so far.

One night, two days before the trip, Brian had come into Justin's room to wish him good night. He had knocked quietly and gotten no response. The door had swung partly open with the knock and Brian was unable to resist stepping inside. He saw Justin sprawled out on the divan snoring gently. Brian loved the sight of the slow and steady rise and fall of the young man's chest. It had been a warm evening so Justin had removed his over-shirt and lay with only his loose pants covering his lower body. The fine linen material clung to his form and Brian's eyes traveled from the smooth silken pale skin of Justin's chest down to the impressive bulge in his trousers. Justin's chest was completely hairless with flat brown orbs encircling his lighter colored nipples. The peaks were tiny at that moment, but Brian could picture them growing and hardening under his careful manipulations.

Just as Brian was feeling his cock rising to the challenge before him, he stumbled backwards and almost knocked over the easel where Justin had a canvas perched. When reaching out to steady the tripod stand, Brian came face to face with the painting Justin was working on. This was certainly one that Brian had never seen before. It was a study of Brian stretched out on the ottoman in his bedroom. Brian knew that Justin had been in his room before when he had lain in just such a position, but he had never been naked at those times like he was in the painting. Brian often lay out like that, but he couldn't remember Justin ever seeing him during those times.

Brian stood mesmerized by the painting. It was certainly an exact likeness of him, even including the small mole just above his pubic hairline. He would have been flattered by the depiction of his private area if he wasn't fully aware of how accurate the rendering was, but what captured his attention the most was the look on his face in the painting. His eyes were clear and had a slightly come hither look to them as if he were waiting for a lover to join him and yet he also had a lonely look in his eyes. The contrast was so vivid that Brian couldn't believe this very young artist could capture it so accurately. Brian knew the look belonged there because he had caught that same look in his mirror recently. He continued to stare at the painting when a sound behind him startled him out of his reverie.

"I'm sorry I didn't ask your permission to paint you, but I couldn't resist."

Brian whirled around and found Justin sitting up and watching him. He smiled slowly at Brian.

"That..well that's okay. I was just trying to figure out how you did it. I know I never posed for you like that," Brian remarked, pointing to the nude figure.

"No, but I've seen you a couple of times getting ready for your bath and once, outside sunbathing in the morning sun. I drew the rest from memory."

Brian grinned. " You have quite a good memory, young man. You also have quite a lot of talent. I find it impossible to believe that you weren't attending some college of arts somewhere. Perhaps you were, for that matter. We've already determined that you must have graduated from the lower levels of education based on the engraving on your watch. Perhaps you were taking a holiday before continuing your education."

Justin thought hard on what Brian had just said. Brian found the way Justin's nose flared and mouth pursed when he was intensely concentrating while trying to force a memory to be quite charming. After several minutes the young man visibly relaxed and shrugged.

"I just don't know, Brian. Nothing will come to me."

There was a deep sadness that tinged his voice. It made Brian long to hold him and ease his mind. He forced himself to stay put. Every day they had spent together made Brian feel more protective of Justin, and it came as a surprise to him. Maybe it was because the young man had a sense of abandonment, even though he had no way of knowing why. Brian could certainly relate to that since he had always felt abandoned by his own parents. Maybe it was simply because the young man reminded Brian of himself when he was young. He was certainly no timid little flower that would wilt at a moments notice. He had even challenged Brian a few times when he thought the older man was being too autocratic with those around him. Brian had not found it offensive in the least, although he had put on a good show of being irritated.

Justin, on the other hand, had found himself more and more attracted to the older man with every passing day. At first he told himself it was just the fact that Brian had literally saved his life. Then he tried to convince himself it was simply because the man was so good to him and treated him like an equal. The light dawned the night he saw Brian with a gentlemen caller in the garden just before the two men disappeared into Brian's bed chamber. The man was all over Brian, kissing him everywhere he could reach and Justin felt a pang of pain deep in his gut. That had been a little more than two weeks earlier and Justin began painting Brian's naked portrait immediately after.

Justin was not happy to see Brian staring at the painting because he knew it revealed too much of his feelings. It seemed that everything he felt inside came out the end of his brush. It took a moment for him to realize that the painting had not disturbed Brian at all. Justin had been confused by his feelings for Brian. He had no idea whether he had ever been attracted to members of his own sex before his loss of memory, but he was fully aware that he was now. He found himself thinking of Brian day in and day out, often having very erotic dreams about the tall brunet in which Brian would be kissing him over every inch of his body. He would wake from such dreams with his heart pounding and a dampness in his sheets.

Justin was super excited at the prospect of taking a little trip away from home. He hoped it would clear his mind of Brian long enough for him to remember some of himself. Being around Brian had become so comfortable in such a short time that he was no longer as anxious to know all the details of his previous life and that was something he knew he should stop feeling. Their relationship couldn't last forever. Surely, he thought to himself, Brian would tire of his role as mentor and savior to a young nobody with no history.

*************************************************

Justin came rushing from his room to stand beside Brian at the front door. He was dressed in western clothing with loose trousers and a white linen shirt tucked neatly into the pants. He had a wide brimmed hat perched firmly on his fair hair to keep the cruel sun from roasting him once it rose high enough in the sky later that day. Brian was dressed in the same fashion. Ahmad's touring car pulled up in front of the villa and the men went to join him. There were several other men in the car and Justin recognized a couple of them from the auction, a memory best left in the past.

Brian couldn't help noticing that the men were sending admiring glances to his blond companion. He felt oddly flattered on the one hand and resentful on the other. Justin didn't seem to notice at all, settling comfortably next to Brian in the vast car. The journey into the desert on the ancient roads went quickly and soon Ahmad was coming to a stop. They were parked in a large open area made specifically for the automobiles that were becoming more and more popular throughout the country, especially with the more affluent citizens. There were a number of camels tied up to a post at the end of the parking area. Each one sported a large leather and wool saddle on his back.

Ahmad led his little band of camel racing enthusiasts off in the direction of the camels. Justin paused, looking nervously at Brian who just grinned at him and put his arm around the young man's shoulder in order to move him forward. Once the men reached the hitching post, Ahmad indicated that they could have their pick of transportation. The Prince noticed that Brian's companion was holding back, looking like a scared rabbit. He walked over to his friend.

"Brian, you did inform your young friend here that the only way to reach the racing grounds was by camel, at least until the new road is built...correct?"

Brian looked a wee bit sheepish. "Ummm, actually I'm afraid it didn't cross my mind until just now." He turned to Justin. "You aren't going to let a little thing like a tiny camel scare you away from a fun day of racing, are you Justin?"

Justin grimaced. "You know I want to go, Brian, but please...you call those things tiny?"

Brian looked at Ahmad and laughed. "My dear friend, you do have at least one two seater in all that bunch...am I correct?"

"As a matter of fact we do have a couple of them. Occasionally one of the men likes to bring along a young son to introduce him to the sport."

Ahmad looked around and finally spotted what he was looking for. A camel that was distinctly larger than most stood near the end of the line with a double sized saddle on its back.

"That one would be perfect for our first timer, I believe," he informed Brian, smiling pleasantly at Justin at the same time.

"We'll take it," Brian answered. He looked at Justin, who slowly nodded his agreement.

Justin was scared shitless as Brian helped him swing his leg over the camel once it had gone down to its knees for him. But before he could feel too much panic, he felt Brian swing in behind him. The camel tender made a clicking noise with his mouth and the camel rose up laboriously. The couple on board held tight to the sides of the ornately carved leather saddle to avoid slipping off as the camel swayed back and forth before gaining its footing. Once the camel was steadied, Brian reached around Justin's body and grabbed the reins as the tender handed them to him.

Justin had to admit, he liked the feel of Brian's crotch pressing firmly against his buttocks. A momentary thrill shot through the young man. Now that he was safely within the circle of Brian's protective arms, the young man was eager to get to the racing site. Something told him that this was going to be an adventure he would never forget...made all the more wonderful because he was sharing it with Brian Kinney.

To be continued.......

Little puffs of sand billowed out behind the camel's hooves with each step further into the desert. Brian kept the camel moving at a steady pace, and in the right direction, with a firm hand on the reins. He liked the feel of Justin's back resting against his chest. Even in the dry arid air of the desert he could smell the exotic clean aroma of the shampoo Justin had used to clean his golden hair. Justin had been able to remove his wide brimmed hat thanks to a large umbrella lodged in the front of the saddle and perched over their heads to protect their fairer skin. Brian was grateful to Ahmad for the thoughtful gesture which made it possible for Justin to lay back against his companion.

The swaying of the camel caused a constant friction of Justin's rounded buttocks against Brian's groin. The feeling was exquisite to the older man and he found himself unable to prevent the swelling of his cock because of it. It didn't help that he had been having fantasies for some time now of invading that beautiful backside with his eager member. But one thing Brian was most definitely not and that was a molester. He would never force himself on an unwilling partner. He was beginning to suspect that Justin found him intriguing...the naked painting of him having a lot to do with that notion...but Justin hadn't said a thing as of yet, and that was enough for Brian to hold back from what he truly wanted.

In the meanwhile, Justin was having a great deal of trouble breathing normally. He could feel Brian's manhood hardening against his sensitive backside and the desire to reach back and touch that beautiful thing was almost more than the young man could bear. Right now, he was just deeply grateful that Brian hadn't admonished him to sit up when he slowly let himself fall back against Brian's chest. The only problem was that the contact with Brian's beating heart made Justin's own heart beat faster causing a shortness of breath. He hoped they didn't have much further to go to reach their destination. He wasn't quite sure he could maintain his composure much longer with Brian so close to him.

******************************

The small caravan of race enthusiast finally reached the flat ground where a track had been roped off for the race. Brian and Justin could see a corral of beautiful steeds off to the side where handlers and young boys who served as jockeys all milled about preparing for the big events. Proud owners checked their animals and praised their riders as they eagerly waited their turn to show off to the crowd of betters and well wishers. Everyone was in a party mood as they looked over the camels or placed their bets with each other. Brian had hurried over to a small table set up in the sand and plunked down a sheath of bills. He gave the name of one of Ahmad's best camels and accepted the little ticket the man gave him after collecting the funds. Justin's eyes popped.

"That looked like a lot of money," he gasped.

"I like to take a gamble on things I believe in. Ahmad's camel has the best blood line available, and I trust my friend," Brian told the surprised young man.

"You're a risk taker, then," Justin shot back.

"If I wasn't, you wouldn't be here with me," Brian laughed.

Justin had to agree.

The rest of the day went by in a blur. Brian placed several bets, losing once and winning more than enough to make up for the loss. Justin found himself enjoying the camaraderie of the men even when he couldn't understand a word they were saying. Brian interpreted whenever Justin asked questions. Justin realized that the races were more than just a form of entertainment to Brian as he watched the antiques dealer moving in and out of the crowds making contacts and gathering information on recent finds of antiquities and art. Justin was duly impressed with Brian's way of dealing with the folks around him.

Stalls had been set up throughout the grounds with savory meats and vegetables grilling and stewing in pots set up over fires. Brian saw to it that Justin had samples of anything that caught his eye. The young man had quite an appetite on him and Brian enjoyed indulging him. Justin had noticed the distinctive lack of any females, even in the booths, and Brian explained the inappropriateness of females being around such activities. When Brian asked if Justin missed female companionship, the young blond quickly added...'not in the least'. His quick reaction gave Brian a momentary thrill, but he shook it off. He wasn't ready to hope too much.

The biggest thrill for Justin had nothing to do with the races themselves. He had brought his sketch pad and pencils with him in a knapsack. While Brian chatted with friends and placed bet, Justin sat cross legged in the sand or on folding chairs and sketched the many scenes around him. Brian, of course, figured in many of the sketches but Justin also thrilled to scenes of controlled chaos with youths on top of camels and racing down the tracks, and men in clusters bargaining and betting.

As the day began to draw to a close, Brian had taken note of Justin's absorption in his artistic endeavors. The thought crossed his mind again that Justin must have been in the Country to study his art. From the moment he had his hands on the art supplies, Justin spent all his free time in creating small masterpieces. There was no way this was a new thing for the young man. Brian was convinced of that. Perhaps he was visiting Giza and the Pyramids in order to sketch them while on a break from Cairo University or even the newly opened American University of Cairo, which had an excellent art department. It was something worth checking out. With this thought in mind, Brian sought out Justin again and put a question to the young man.

"Justin, I wonder how you would feel about taking a little detour before heading back for the vehicles?" Ahmad has assured me that they won't be leaving for a good two hours or more, so we have more than enough time to make a quick trip over to the Pyramids. They're only a twenty to thirty minute ride from here. Time enough for you to do some sketching and get back to join the others."

Justin's first reaction was unbridled excitement. They could clearly see the Great Pyramids rising from the floor of the desert in the distance. Justin loved the idea of a closer view. But strangely, the excitement turned to a sense of anxiety. It confused Justin, but he was not about to turn down Brian's generous offer.

"Are you sure you won't get us lost?" Justin laughed.

"I think our camel knows the way by now," Brian joked back. "Besides, I'm sure they'd find us eventually in case we have a camel with a bad sense of direction. So are you game or not?"

"I am if you are," Justin answered back.

Minutes later, the two men were rolling through the desert again, being driven by a camel who had made this same trek repeatedly in his lifetime. The closer they got to the vast structures, the more nervous Justin felt. He seemed to shrink even further into Brian's protective arms as the older man held tight to the reins. Brian could feel Justin starting to shake ever so slightly and the reaction surprised him. When they finally reached their destination, a large area set aside for visitors to the Pyramids who had chosen the camel as their mode of transportation, Brian realized that Justin was not acting in the excited way he had expected from the young man.

Brian stopped his mount in front of one of the large hitching posts provided and gave the order for the animal to descend to his knees. Once the animal was seated, Brian swung his leg backwards over the saddle in order to slide to the ground. He planted his feet firmly on sand and reached up to help Justin down. It was then that he saw the unmistakable look of apprehension in Justin's eyes. Justin slowly swung his leg over too and slid down into Brian's arms. Without thinking he rested his head on Brian's chest, breathing erratically.

Brian was confused, but it didn't stop him from gathering Justin into his arms more closely. He hugged Justin to him and felt the tremors that coursed through the young man's body. After some time, Justin seemed to relax against Brian and the older man felt safe in stepping back. He held Justin at arm's length and finally asked him the question that plagued him.

"What's happening, Justin? You're obviously disturbed by something here. The closer we got to the site, the more I could feel your discomfort."

"I...I...don't know. I can't pinpoint it. I...I only know that the closer we got to the Pyramids, the more uncomfortable I felt. But, I can't remember why....I....I," the frustration in Justin's voice quickly turning to panic.

Brian sensed the rising panic and instinctively gathered the young man into his arms again. Justin's arms wrapped around Brian's middle and he tried to control the strange fear that threatened to engulf him. His head began to ache. It was the first time he had suffered a headache in weeks but this time was different. It felt more external than internal. He looked up at Brian and a pleading for relief washed over his face. Brian looked into Justin's eyes and saw something there that called to him. He moved without rhyme or reason...it was a primal answer to Justin's unasked question. His mouth came down on Justin's.

Their lips met, tentatively at first as if afraid of rejection. There was no need for the fear. The pairs of lips seemed to fit like long lost puzzle pieces. There were no other human beings around, but it wouldn't have mattered one bit. The two men stood alone locked in an embrace that filled them both with overwhelming emotions. In that instant, Justin's fears evaporated like mist in the heat of the midday sun. All he felt was the complete joy that Brian's lips offered him. He wanted the kiss to last forever.

Brian had no desire to end their connection either as he moved his lips against his young companion's. Slowly Justin's lips began to part and Brian let his tongue slip between the crack to invade Justin's warm interior. Justin felt his heart skip beats as Brian's tongue sparked electrical jolts along his nerve endings. His blood raced faster through his veins as his heart began beating faster and faster, causing the young man's temperature to rise. If they had not been exposed to possible prying eyes where they stood, Brian knew he would have taken Justin down to the sand and made love to him right there. He forced himself, however, to finally release Justin from his tight embrace.

"I would apologize...if I was sorry," he was finally able to tell Justin, once he was able to get his breath back.

"You're not sorry?" Justin sounded surprised.

"Not in the least. I've been wanting to kiss you for some time, but I needed to know you wanted it too or it would never happen. Did I read you right, Justin?"

Justin didn't have to think about it twice. "Yes," he said simply.

Brian pulled Justin back for another kiss. This time Justin found himself responding even stronger. By the time they parted again, both men were breathing hard. They had felt each others arousal through the loose flowing pants as they pressed close together. Brian knew he needed to stop before things got out of hand. This was not a place for such open demonstrations of affection between two men. He gently set Justin back away from him. When he saw the quizzical look on the blond's face, he started to explain.

"Justin, trust me, I want to show you all the wonders that can be felt between two men when they care about each other, but this isn't the place for that. If you still want me to, I will be more than happy to be your guide into the pleasures of love between two men once we are alone at home. Meanwhile, you will have the time to think about whether it is truly what you want or not."

Justin smiled shyly at Brian. "I don't have to think about it, Brian. I've been thinking about it for a long time now and I already know exactly what I want...and need. I need you to show me what my mind has been imagining for a while now. I'm ready to learn and I wouldn't want anyone else to be my teacher."

Brian smiled back. "Then, I suggest we leave this place very soon and see if we can get Ahmad to cut this visit short as quickly as possible."

Justin nodded his enthusiastic agreement. Brian led Justin to a viewing site for the most prominent Pyramid and waited patiently as the young man took out pad and pencil and quickly sketched the magnificent view. He still felt a slight unease as he went about his business, but the abject fear was completely gone. No lingering ghosts tugged at his memory while he had visions of being alone with Brian dancing in his head. Less than a half hour later, Justin tucked the rough draft of a future painting into his knapsack and joined Brian on a nearby bench. He took a quick look around and spotting no one, he leaned in to offer his lips for one more quick kiss. Brian accepted gratefully and then rose to join Justin as they walked back to their patient camel.

*****************************************

The ride back to the racing site started out the same as before, but the feeling was intensified on this journey. As the animal swayed from side to side, Justin's buttocks built up a friction to Brian's groin that was even more unbearable to Brian knowing that Justin was going to offer him his body in a matter of hours. Brian's cock was rock hard in a matter of minutes. As Brian held the reins out before him, Justin reached up to Brian's arms and lowered them downwards. Brian's hands felt Justin's stiffness as it brushed against his palms as they came to a rest in the young man's lap.

Brian could not resist the pull of longing he felt coming off Justin in waves. He joined the two reins in one hand and used the other hand to unfasten Justin's pants. Justin released Brian's arms and took the reins from his hand, thus freeing Brian to spread the pants enough to reach in and pull Justin's cock from its bed. Justin fell back against Brian and raised his hips up as far as possible without unseating himself. Brian used his hands to begin playing with the virgin cock he held.

Brian knew exactly what buttons to push...or rather what part of Justin to stroke and tease...to get the young man panting like a thirsty camel. Much too soon, Justin could feel his arousal reaching maximum proportions. Brian knew from vast experience that Justin was on the edge. He lowered his head and began to lick the young man's ear and throat. He murmured words of encouragement as he felt the hot member begin to expand. Brian wrapped his hand around the head just in time to capture the juices as they flowed. Justin shouted out his joy at the sensation that was so much better than the lonely five finger exercises he had taken to administering to himself since his fantasies of Brian had grown stronger. With his last spurt, he collapsed full force against his mentor.

They were drawing closer to the racing camp as Justin reached down to reattach the front of his pants. He wanted so much to give Brian the same pleasure as he reached back to see if he could find the treasure that lay there. Brian gently slapped his hand away.

"Not yet, Justin. My turn will come. That was just for you...to give you a taste of things to come."

Justin was frustrated. He wanted more than anything to feel Brian's heart beating out of his chest the way his had...and knowing he had been the one to bring the older man such pleasure. It would not be soon enough that they would be back at Brian's villa. Justin had no fear of what Brian would be teaching him. Something told him that this was meant to be. He knew in his heart that Brian was the only one who could instruct him in the ways that he so eagerly sought. Justin had every intention of drinking in every bit of knowledge Brian was going to offer him.

To be continued..............

Brian was no dummy, but then again neither was Ahmad. The look on the Prince's face when Brian and Justin finally pulled their camel up short at the hitching post told Brian that Ahmad was well aware that something momentous had happened out in the desert. Brian had no desire to advertise his feelings for Justin, but apparently he wasn't as good at hiding them as he liked to credit himself. The upraised eyebrow and slight grin on his friends face revealed that much.

Brian had instinctively reached out to steady Justin as he slid off the camel's back, and Ahmad noticed the lingering way that Brian held on to the adorable blonds fingers before releasing them. The man felt a little puffing up of his pride when he thought back to how he sensed that this particular blond might be a good purchase for Brian. He hadn't counted on Brian thinking of the young man as an equal, which had become quite obvious whenever he saw them together, but then Brian did come from a different world than his royal self. Didn't matter. He truly adored Brian and only wanted the man to be happy. If this young Justin boy was the one to do it for Brian, that was good enough for Ahmad.

The journey back into the city seemed to take forever for both Brian and Justin. The closer they got to the city, the more nervous both men seemed to get. It was as if the sand fleas the desert was famous for had crawled into their pants. Ahmad felt like smirking at Brian when he noticed how fidgety his favorite passengers were, but he controlled himself. Not that either man would notice the look on Ahmad's face...they seemed to only have eyes for each other. Of course they often looked out into the star filled night sky, to hide their need to look into each other's eyes, but they didn't fool their host. Their desire to be connected to one another was almost palpable to anyone who was truly observant. Luckily for them, the many other men crowded into the huge touring car were too busy bragging on their winnings or bemoaning their losses to care about the two silent members of their entourage.

After an agonizingly slow journey home, Ahmad finally pulled up outside the stone entrance to Brian's villa. Brian was pretty sure that he had never been so glad to return home and wasted no time hopping out of the luxury auto, pulling Justin out behind him. Ahmad had exited too and placed a European kiss on each of Brian's cheeks before giving his friend a hug.

"Have a good night, my friend," he whispered into Brian's ear before pulling back to grin impishly at his old companion.

Brian, who had never blushed at anything in his life, turned a slight pink but managed to smile crookedly back. Ahmad waved at Justin as he got back in the car and drove off to deliver the rest of his entourage to their destinations. Brian stood at the stone wall and stared after the retreating vehicle. He had always known that Ahmad was an exceptionally perceptive man, but now he had the proof. He had all but admitted that he knew something had occurred on that trip to the Pyramids. Ah well, he thought to himself, at least he was back home now and could keep the promise he had made to Justin. It was time to show Justin just how special his feelings for the young man had grown, and that those feelings were nothing to be afraid or ashamed of.

Justin had stepped onto the garden path leading to the front door of Brian's home. He waited patiently for Brian to join him. He couldn't get the feeling of Brian's firm hands on his cock out of his head. He longed to feel those hands on him again. Even more, he longed to gaze on Brian's beautiful naked body and then feel the tanned skin beneath his own fingers. He was certain that Brian was a man of his word and that he would fulfill his promise to show Justin all the wonderful things that the two of them could do and feel together. He wanted to learn everything, and the sooner the better. Brian joined him as the sound of the auto vanished in the crisp air. Justin shivered as Brian lay his arm over the young man's shoulders.

"Are you cold?" Brian asked solicitously. Justin shook his head no.

"Scared?" Brian asked next...an even stronger shake no.

"Excited?" came the final question. Justin looked up at Brian and smiled.

Brian asked no more questions. He had the answer he was looking for. The two men entered the house when Ahmose swung the heavy wooden door open. Brian and Justin handed over their hats and gloves to the big man and moved quickly into the main room. Ahmose stood by waiting for instructions. Brian went over to the large cabinet that held a wide variety of liqueurs and bottles of various alcohols. He pulled down a bottle of fine whiskey that he had imported and poured a generous swig into his glass. He raised the bottle to Justin who nodded in response. Brian removed a second glass from the cabinet and poured an equal share for his companion. They clinked glasses and swallowed the liquid in one fast gulp.

Justin choked and tears sprang to his eyes. It was evident that he had little experience with a straight alcoholic drink. So far Brian had only seen him sipping wine with a meal. It was also quite evident that both men were more than a little nervous despite their eagerness to be together. Brian had tried not to let it, but second thoughts were suddenly beginning to creep in on his conscience. Justin was, after all, a very young man. What if he wasn't quite as ready for what Brian wanted as he thought he was. The thought of hurting Justin in any way put an uncomfortable fear in Brian.

When Justin's vision cleared, he looked at Brian expecting to see laughter in the man's gorgeous hazel eyes. What he saw surprised him. He saw fear. Justin set his glass down and moved closer to Brian. He raised his hand and laid it gently on the taller man's cheek. He ran his fingers softly down and along the strong jawline. Brian's breath caught in his throat. Justin's fingers lay against Brian's jaw and his thumb moved up to softly caress the brunet's full lips. They were closed, but Justin's thumb slowly swiped side to side across the tender flesh. Suddenly Brian's lips parted and he grabbed gently onto the thumb, drawing it into his mouth. His lips closed over it and he sucked on the flesh as his tongue danced along the manicured nail.

Without thought, their bodies drew closer still. They had ceased to notice anything else but each other. Ahmose stood quietly by. He had seen his employer with men before. It didn't bother him. His own beloved brother was 'that way' with men and he had only met Brian thanks to Ammon. His brother had known that Mr. Kinney needed a skilled manservant and Ahmose was looking for a job. They had gotten along well since that first meeting. He had worked for Mr. Kinney long enough now to know that his employer felt differently for this young man than any other he had seen come into the house. Even now, Ahmose could sense that there was something going on that meant more than any other encounter. He could see clearly that there were true emotions involved this time, and not just a need to satisfy an itch. He had seen that same look on Ammon's face when he fell deeply in love with a Frenchman he met several years earlier.

Brian was suddenly distracted when he saw a slight movement out of the corner of his eye. Ahmose had shifted his weight from one leg to another ever so slightly. Brian felt irritated to have his attention drawn away from Justin. He let Justin's thumb fall from his mouth. He turned to his faithful servant.

"You can go now, Ahmose. We won't be needing anything else for the rest of the evening. I'll see you in the morning."

"Very good, sir," the servant answered, turning to leave. He smiled. He liked and respected his employer and was pleased to know how happy the man was now, with young Justin in his life.

The moment that they were alone, Brian turned back to his companion. Justin smiled up at Brian, looking more beautiful than anyone had the right to be in human form. Brian thought to himself that Justin had the face of an angel. He looked so sweet and innocent. A doubt flickered again over his face. Justin caught it for the second time. He raised his hands to Brian's face once more. His hands moved to the back of Brian's neck and he gently forced Brian's head down until they were literally nose to nose. Justin turned his face slightly so that their lips were perfectly aligned. He brought his lip up to meet with Brian's. What started as a tentative kiss slowly melded into a fiery, passionate fusion of their mouths. Brian made way for Justin's tongue, which soon had a mind of its own as it began to taste of Brian's whiskey flavored mouth. The intensity of their feelings made the contact even more fiery. They began to feel consumed by the need to visit all the places on each other that had haunted their dreams of late.

"Not here," Brian was finally able to say when Justin released his mouth so that he could take a deep breath again.

Brian grasped Justin by the hand and led him to the garden. They quickly made their way through to the other side until they stood at the entrance to Brian's bed chamber. Brian looked back at Justin as he opened the door. If the young artist was going to have a change of heart, Brian wanted to give him the chance to say so. All he could see in Justin's eyes was desire. It matched the desire in his own. He stepped into the cooled room with the large fan circling lazily overhead, pulling Justin in with him.

The room was dimly lit but Brian could clearly see Justin as he stood waiting for Brian to make the first move. Wordlessly, Brian raised his hands to the front of Justin's linen shirt. He began to slowly slip the buttons from their holes. As more of Justin's alabaster skin was exposed, Brian could see the young man's chest rising and falling rapidly with the rapid beating of his heart. His breathing came in staccato bursts as his anticipation grew. Then he felt Brian's hands lying flat on his chest and he stopped breathing altogether.

"Breathe," Brian ordered gently when he saw Justin go stock still.

Justin took a deep breath and waited for Brian to slowly remove his shirt, letting it drop unceremoniously to the floor. Brian stood waiting for Justin to follow his lead. The young man needed no instructions. His hands moved up to the top of Brian's shirt and he too removed buttons from their holes and spread his hands wide to remove the shirt. It fell to the floor to join Justin's. The men embraced and brought their lips together for a repeat of the previous kiss.

As the tension built rapidly between them, Justin could feel Brian's hand lowering to his crotch. He let out a deep sigh as Brian moved his lips against Justin's throat, while at the same time his hand rubbed against Justin's hardened crotch. Justin knew he had to feel what Brian was feeling. He lowered his hand to Brian's crotch and marveled at the thick hard rock he encountered there. He would have sworn he felt the organ throbbing even through the material of the trousers.

"Unzip me," Brian ordered breathlessly into Justin's ear, before going back to nibbling on the young man's neck.

Justin happily obeyed. Without breaking contact, he reached for the belt and slid it open, then heard the sound of the zip on Brian's trousers. A moment later, he realized that his own pants had fallen to the floor too. The men stood there with their pants and underwear puddled around their feet and their aroused cocks pointing straight at each other. Brian released Justin long enough for them to step out of their clothing and then led Justin to the large two man ottoman in the room.

Brian lay Justin down on the ottoman and then joined him. He gathered his new lover in his arms and placed tender kisses all over the beautiful blond's face. He slowly inched his way along Justin's upper body, all the while using his long arm to stroke the young man's side and outer leg. He felt the fine hairs on Justin's leg as his hand slowly worked its way inward on the thigh. As his mouth worked its magic on Justin's chest and stomach, his hand did the same on the limbs. Finally, Brian could feel the soft curly pubes of Justin's center. He twirled his fingers through the baby fine hairs while sucking on the hardened nubs of Justin's nipples.

One moment Justin was breathing too hard, the next his breath would catch in his throat. He was in glorious agony with all the feelings that Brian was drawing out of him. He had no idea it could feel this good. He wanted it to never end. He wanted to do the same things for Brian, but any thought of asking Brian to stop were long gone. He lay under Brian's care, moaning with each new sensation. Brian's mouth had continued its downward trail and it now rested on the spot on Justin's stomach that was only a quarter inch above the tip of his engorged cock. Brian snaked out his tongue and took a lick at the tip of the cock. Justin let a loud groan.

Brian now knew that Justin was ready. The tip of Justin's cock had been weeping in anticipation and Brian was more than ready to release it from its torture. Brian pursed his lips, and grabbing hold of the base of Justin's shaft, lowered his lips to encircle the head. He sucked softly at first, relishing the salty sweet flavor of the young man's pre-cum. Soon his lips were traveling down the shaft until he could feel the tip hitting the back of his throat. He nibbled ever so gently as if tasting the most delicious morsel of his life. The pressure was beginning to render Justin almost senseless. He knew he could never have imagined this feeling in a million years. He wanted more. He ran his fingers through Brian's wavy hair.

Brian ran his mouth up to the tip of the shaft again and then quickly back down. His tongue ticked the underside of Justin's cock on the down-stroke and pierced the slit on the up-stroke. Each stroke brought Justin to the edge of sanity. Brian paused at the base each time to give Justin a chance to back off the edge and then stroked up and down again. He soon realized that Justin was totally incoherent. The young man's words tumbled over each other in his desire to beg for more mixed with the urgent need for relief.

Brian finally decided that it was time to give Justin his well deserved release. This time, Brian did nothing to stop his motions. He sucked harder and deeper with each stroke. Justin began to thrash. Brian used his long arm to steady the blond until he felt Justin's hips drive upward off the ottoman, and he let out a loud scream of pure unadulterated pleasure. Brian felt the explosion of Justin's first orgasm with a man flood his mouth and he gulped eagerly. The virgin juices filled Brian with happiness. Not one man had tasted as good. He doubted anyone ever would.

Brian waited for the repeated spasms of Justin's body to subside before releasing the now flaccid cock from his mouth. He gave the reddened tool a final lick, and moved back up to lay beside Justin. The young man lay there with a look of his face that made Brian's chest puff with pride. Justin was still not able to talk, but the way he looked at Brian said all that was necessary for the older man to hear. He leaned over and kissed Justin, sharing the slight taste that lingered there. Justin shuddered and kissed Brian back, gratitude welling inside him. When Justin could finally string two words together cohesively, he turned to Brian.

"Thank you," he said humbly.

"My pleasure," Brian returned.

"Not only yours, Brian," Justin answered back. They lay quietly for a few more minutes. Finally..."I want to give you what you gave me. Please, Brian."

"Yes. I want that too. Rest, Justin. I'm not going anywhere and neither are you. We have plenty of time and so much more to discover with each other. This is just the beginning."

"You promise?"

"I promise," Brian replied.

With the comfort of those words ringing in his ears, Justin let his whole body relax. In seconds, he was fast asleep. Brian rose up on one elbow. He looked down into the smiling face of his lover. His mind wandered to all the things he wanted to show the young man...all the things he wanted to do for him, in and out of bed. He knew he must continue to try and find out something more of Justin's past, but right now he only cared about the young man's future...and whatever part he could play in it. For the first time in his life, he could only think of his future with someone else being a part of it. It was a little scary for this man of solitude, but as he lay back down next to Justin he knew it was truly what he wanted.

To be continued...........

Days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and Brian found himself seeing life through brand new eyes. Each day was an adventure with Justin. He had the natural curiosity of an intelligent youth and it rubbed off on Brian. Brian had never thought of himself as being jaded before, but he now saw that he had only been going through the motions of enjoying life since Justin was now beside him. Brian was Justin's tutor in the pleasures that sex between two men could offer, but Justin returned the favor by being Brian's tutor in the pleasures of sharing your thoughts and feelings with someone else. The men spent as much time talking about everything under the sun as they did making love in every position and place they could think of that was of no danger to them, especially at home among servants who loved and respected them.

One memory of their countless times together still stood out in vivid detail for Brian and always brought a huge smile to his face when he thought of it. It was the first morning that they spent in each others arms. The night before, Brian had given Justin his first fellatio experience. The young man had rewarded Brian for his efforts with an orgasm that shook the blond to his core. Brian had felt enormously proud of himself for bringing Justin such joy. They had fallen asleep right after, but an hour later Brian had awakened to the feel of Justin placing tender kisses all along his bare chest. Brian had reached for the young man's shoulders and pulled him up so that he could plant a firm kiss on his lovers lips. When they parted, Justin had asked if it was his turn now. Brian kissed his lover again and nodded his agreement. That was all Justin needed. Brian spent the next hour showing Justin how to give him the same pleasures that had been bestowed upon Justin earlier. The kid was a natural. By the time Brian had finally reached his point of no return, he had no doubts that he was in for some spectacular mutual blow jobs in the future.

What happened the next morning was what stood out the most for Brian, and was something he most likely would never forget or even want to. After receiving the pleasure that Justin gave him so willingly, Brian had slipped into a caftan and opened his door into the wide hallway. Ahmose was sitting up in a comfortable chair next to his long bed that was conveniently set up across from the main bedrooms of Brian's house. Brian had assigned his manservant a room of his own, just as all his other servants had, but the devoted man insisted on being close by in case his employer needed him. He insisted it was the right thing to do and Brian didn't argue. The hallway was wide enough to be called a room all on its own and Ahmose seemed quite comfortable. He seemed to have a sixth sense when it came to Brian, and it was obvious he had been waiting to be summoned.

Brian smiled inwardly. He was always able to count on Ahmose to know what he needed. Right now he needed food, badly. A quick word to his servant and he rejoined Justin. The young man was sitting on the edge of the ottoman, fidgeting uncomfortably. Brian laughed and pulled the blond up, leading him through a door at the opposite side of the huge bed that dominated the room. The door led into a marbled bathroom. Justin's eyes popped when he saw the modern flush toilet along the wall in the center of the spacious room. He knew the house had modern facilities, but this room was much more than he expected. He had been using the common bathing chamber for all his personal needs and was not aware that Brian had a private room just for himself, although he wasn't surprised. What did surprise him was how modern the facilities were.

He was aware that a large percentage of the population of Egypt didn't even have indoor plumbing as of yet. Almost all the wealthier citizens certainly did. What made Brian's chamber stand out was the sunken tub that was built into the tiled floor. It took up the entire left side of the room. There were two long tables with cushioning at the other end, one on each side of the room. Justin knew they were there for laying out during a massage since that was what the one in the common bathing room was used for. He had even partaken of a few massages since entering the home. The star of the room was the modern day flush toilet that stood dead center between the tables and tub. Justin felt familiar with the modern plumbing and made quick work of using the facility. Brian laughed, lifting his caftan so that he could relieve himself quickly too.

Once the toilet had been flushed, the men made their way back into the bed chamber. Shortly after, a firm knock announced the arrival of Ahmose with tray in hand. He entered the room and lowered the tray onto a beautifully carved ebony table. The smell of spiced meats and sliced fruits assailed the ravenous men's nostrils as Ahmose removed the silver cover from the platter on the tray. Ahmose proceeded to pour some wine into goblets and set them next to the platter. He stepped back and the lovers approached eagerly.

"Very good choices, my friend. Thank you," he told his servant. "We won't be needing anything else till morning. Have a good night's sleep."

"Yes, sir," Ahmose acknowledged, bowing his head slightly and turning to leave the room. He knew he had plenty of time to sleep now. His employer and the young man would not be awake too early, he had no doubt. He closed the door behind him.

Brian and Justin wasted no time in filling the plates that Ahmose had also brought with him with as many tidbits as the plates would hold. Justin sighed in satisfaction after consuming several varieties of both meat and fruit. He had been so filled up with the pleasure of satisfying his sexual hunger, which for all he knew he had never done before in his entire life, that he had failed to notice how empty his stomach had become. It was much the same for Brian, although he was satisfying much more than just a sexual hunger with Justin and he knew it.

Once the men had become fully sated and their growling stomachs had quieted down completely, Brian gulped down the last of the wine from the carafe and set the cover back onto the platter. They removed the caftans they had slipped on to eat and retired to the large bed. They slipped between the silken sheets and lay spooned together. The combination of their full stomachs, late hour, and recent activities caused them both to be too exhausted to experiment any further for this night. They fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning, or more accurately early afternoon, Brian finally roused himself from the pleasant dreams of pleasurable camel rides he had been having, starring his favorite blond. Brian stretched his long slender legs languidly down the length of the bed and turned to snuggle against Justin's warm skin again. He had shared this very bed with numerous men before but never welcomed seeing them the next morning. This time was so different. He was very careful not to wake the gently snoring blond. He felt a certain comfort in hearing the tiny sounds of Justin's breathing and feeling his bare chest rise and fall with each breath. He ran his hand freely along Justin's chest and let it slowly move downward. Justin began to stir and he automatically moved his buttocks backwards so that the perfect globes rested more firmly against Brian's crotch.

Brian could hear Justin's breath suddenly catch in his throat and realized that the young man was slowly waking. He smiled against Justin's neck. He let his long arm move even further down Justin's torso until he encountered the soft tangle of hair that protected his manhood. Brian placed his lips against Justin's neck and began administering tiny kisses along the sensitive skin there. His hand began pulling gently on the bush of curly pubes, twirling the strands between his fingers. Justin let out a tiny mewling sound that sent a shiver down Brian's back. His cock responded at the same time, beginning to harden with the pleasurable sound.

Brian used his elbow to gain more leverage and began to move slowly down Justin's back, placing tender kisses all along his spine and over to his sides. He made sure to cover as many inches of exposed skin as he could as he let his lips, and eventually tongue, travel downwards. All the while, Brian let the hand that draped over Justin's body continue its magic touch. He had finally abandoned the curly hairs and used his large hand to scoop up Justin's cock and balls. He let his hand play with the swiftly growing manhood in front while his mouth played with Justin's rear. Once his mouth reached the beautifully formed ass cheeks, Brian let his tongue travel between the crack that divided them. When he reached the puckered hole that waited there, he flicked his tongue against it in a hard rapid stroke. Justin let out a loud gasp, and pulled away, forcing Brian to let go of the treasure he had been holding onto.

"Justin," Brian whispered, "are you okay?"

Justin turned around and waited for Brian to come back to the head of the bed.

"Yes, I'm fine. I...what...I mean what was that? I mean, what were you doing?"

"You didn't like it?" Brian asked, somewhat amused.

"I...I didn't say that. I mean, it felt good. I just didn't expect it...that's all. I mean, is it okay to do that?"

"Oh my dear Justin, anything is okay between two men as long as both want it and enjoy it. There are so many things I want to show you, but we'll do it at your pace."

"What was it you were doing, exactly?" the young man inquired.

"Ahh, that was called anilingus. Your anus is good for more than one thing, Justin. You have some very sensitive skin there. I was stimulating your perineum and ass hole. There is even more...much more I can do to bring you pleasure, but I'll only give you what you are willing to receive."

Justin paused for only a moment, but made his mind up quickly. He suddenly flipped onto his stomach and raised his ass by scrunching up on his knees slightly. He looked back and grinned at Brian, who was amused by the young man's enthusiasm.

"Well?" Justin prodded.

Brian sobered up quickly and crawled up behind Justin, coming face to face (so to speak) with the virgin hole fully exposed to him. He went about gathering saliva to dampen his fingers and playfully rubbed them from ass hole to balls and back. Using his hands and tongue skillfully, he soon had Justin squirming and pushing back with his hips in order to encourage Brian further. When Brian suddenly used a spit slicked finger to penetrate Justin's hole, the blond let out a loud gasp and fell forward. Brian came to a halt, but seconds later Justin had risen back up and pressed against the finger that was still lodged inside.

Brian was experienced enough to know that Justin was receiving a great deal of unexpected pleasure from his manipulations. Brian took it slow but steady. After playing inside with a single digit, he eventually added another, scissoring them back and forth and penetrating as deeply as possible. With each insertion, Justin's muscles would contract and relax more. Each time Brian hit a certain spot inside Justin would let out a moan of pleasure. Brian noticed when Justin quickly grabbed his own cock and began to stroke it, the speed intensifying in time with Brian's moves. Brian's experienced fingers recognized when Justin was at the edge of his orgasm. He could feel his lovers muscles contracting tightly as he began to fall over into his release. Once the last spasm calmed, Justin rolled over.

Brian got up to relieve himself while Justin came down from his high. Brian rejoined him, using the towel he had fetched from the other room to wipe the young man clean. As he lovingly washed the cum off the sheet and Justin's chest, he smiled down at the heavy lidded youth. Justin was finally calmed enough to speak.

"That...oh my god...that was incredible Brian. You said there is more? Can I ask you something?"

"Of course," Brian replied.

" I overheard something at the Liberty Cafe between your friends not long ago and I wanted to ask you about it. I didn't have the nerve before because it was too personal, plus I didn't know if you'd appreciate it. I think I could safely ask it now."

Brian's curiosity was piqued. "What is so personal, you were afraid to ask? I told you that you could come to me with any questions."

"I know, but....oh hell, here goes. I heard them talking about 'taking it up the ass'. It sounded painful, for some reason. Is this thing we just did what they were talking about, because if it was it was far from painful. It was the best thing I've ever felt in my life."

Brian let out a huge laugh. "Oh my dear, dear innocent Justin. What we just did was only a small part of what the boys were talking about, and yes the full package can be painful in the beginning but it can also bring a great deal of joy to both the giver and receiver if it's done right."

"So what else is there. I want to try it. I want to try everything with you, Brian."

"Are you sure you want to do that so soon? It is the ultimate expression of feeling between two men."

"Everything, Brian! I want to feel everything with you. I don't want you to hold back anything."

Brian hesitated. He longed to feel that ultimate expression of joy with Justin. He already sensed it would be more than he had ever felt before, but he didn't want to rush the young man. He asked himself if Justin was truly ready so soon. The look on Justin's face confirmed it.

"You're very sure?"

Justin nodded, then jumped up, lifted one finger and grinned. He made a mad dash for the other room. Moments later, Brian heard the chain being pulled on the toilet. Justin's smiling face appeared in the door between the two rooms. There was not an ounce of trepidation in his face. He slid onto the bed on his stomach, next to Brian. Brian ran his fingers through Justin's golden locks. The young man smiled up at Brian. He was ready.

"Turn over on your back, Justin. I want to watch your face," he instructed simply.

Justin flipped over eagerly. Brian grabbed a small jar sitting on the stand next to his bed. He scooted down to Justin's legs and parted them. He settled on his knees between Justin's outstretched legs. He lifted them, bending them at the knees. Reaching to the top of the bed, he grabbed one of his thickest pillows and placed it under Justin's buttocks. He now had an unobstructed view of the manhood that lay draped down between the lad's thighs. Brian began to work the cock with slow and sensuous movements. In a matter of minutes, Justin's cock was standing proudly and giving Brian a better view of the intended target.

Brian began to play with Justin's hole and surrounding skin again, using his fingers to spread and relax the hole. When Justin began quietly moaning with the invasion of the fingers, Brian stopped to open the jar beside him. He scooped out a generous portion of lubricant inside and began running it up and down his own hardened shaft. Justin's eyes had popped open when Brian had stopped his ass play. He stare eagerly at Brian as the man prepared himself. Once his cock was thoroughly swathed in lubricant, he dipped in again and placed more lubricant against Justin's spasming hole, poking a little inside the tunnel. Justin was enthralled by the sights and touches he was experiencing for the first time.

"Are you ready," Brian asked. Justin nodded. "It will probably hurt at first, but I'll go slow. Just tell me what you want. Breathe deeply." Another nod in response.

Brian placed the weeping tip of his cock against Justin's waiting hole. He raised Justin's legs and placed them over his shoulders. He leaned forward. The tip poked a small opening. Justin instinctively pulled back. Brian stopped. He looked at Justin for a sign. The blond pushed his hips forward again and relaxed. He took a deep breath. Brian poked slightly forward again, holding himself steady. Justin didn't retreat, but he let out a groan. Brian stopped again. Justin grabbed Brian's knee, trying to pull it forward. Brian leaned down for a kiss. When he rose back up, he slowly pushed forward again. Justin took a deep sigh and concentrated on his muscles. He willed them to relax.

Brian could finally feel a lessening in the tension of Justin's entrance. He pushed forward a little harder and heard Justin cry out at the same instant he felt the muscular ring give way. Brian found himself half sealed inside Justin's warmth. He stopped again, looking down into the blond's face. Tiny droplets of tears were squeezed out of the corners of his eyes and trailing down to his ears.

"Justin?"

Justin's eyes flew open. He smiled up at Brian, then reached up to bring the older man's face to his again. He kissed Brian deeply. "More," he whispered in Brian's face.

Brian sat back up again. He readjusted Justin's buttocks, giving him better access to the young man's depths. He pulled out just slightly and then, warning Justin to take a deep breath, he plunged forward until he was firmly seated all the way in. Justin cried out again but just as quickly as the cry died out, he began pushing himself hard against Brian's groin. Brian pulled out and then plunged forward again. With each new stroke, Justin let out a guttural sound that sent shock waves through Brian. With each new stroke, the blond pushed his hips harder against Brian's groin. It was obvious Brian was hitting Justin's prostate perfectly because the young man was quickly consumed by a shaking inside that translated his pleasure to the cock that impaled him.

Brian could feel his balls tightening by the time he had brought Justin to that point of no return, so clearly etched on his sweating face. Justin's eyes were shining with a combination of tears and lust. He suddenly let go of Brian's legs and used both hands to pull Brian's face down to his for a third time. He grabbed Brian's hair and pulled him down so that he could claim Brian's lips for himself. He forced his tongue deep into Brian's throat and began fucking Brian's mouth the same way his ass was being fucked. He suddenly released Brian's mouth so that he could let out an unearthly scream of pure pleasure as he spilled out stream after stream of evidence of his release onto his stomach and chest. A couple more thrusts and Brian filled Justin's virgin ass with his own release.

Brian collapsed to the side, dragging Justin with him. He was not ready to separate from his lover. The thought flashed through his mind that he had been right all along. He had known that this would be different with Justin....somehow better this time than ever before. As they lay there together that first morning as a couple while trying to get up the energy to start the day, they both saw a future that looked a lot brighter than it had been the morning before. And they were right. They would have many adventures and good times ahead, before their world would inevitably turn upside down.

To be continued.................

It hadn't taken long for every member of Brian's household to recognize the change in the dynamics of the house after that fateful trip into the desert for the camel races. By the third day, the housekeeper had already changed Justin's bedroom back into a guest room and transferred all of the items that Brian had bought for the young man into Brian's room. Justin was extremely well liked by the entire staff, so no one had a problem with the new arrangement.

The first day that Brian and Justin visited the Liberty Cafe after the desert trip, Debbie noticed the change immediately. It was as if the woman had built in sex radar. She took one look at their faces when the couple took a seat in the corner of the cafe, and began grinning from ear to ear. She was particularly fond of young Justin and it broke her heart that he knew nothing of his family. Family meant everything to Debbie, whether they be linked by blood or affection. She thought of all the homosexual boys she knew as her own, well aware that almost all of them lived in fear of their real families discovering who they truly were. It might be the beginning of the twentieth century but it was still the Dark Ages when it came to accepting man on man love in most places, especially the male dominated countries of the Middle East.

It had always disturbed Debbie that her own son and his friends had to be so careful not to show affection for one of their own publicly. It had also made it difficult for them to find someone to truly connect with. Her own son, Michael, had had a particularly hard time until just recently. He was a romantic at heart, but all he'd ever found were a few short term relationships with men who were scared shitless that they'd be caught. Just a couple of weeks earlier things had begun to look up for Michael. It had been a particularly busy night at the cafe. A large group of teachers from the University in Cairo had come to visit the site of the Pyramids of Giza and were staying at the Liberty Hotel. They had piled into the cafe for dinner after spending the entire day visiting the sites.

Debbie had gotten into a lively discussion with one table that consisted of a group of foreign teachers. One in particular, Professor Ben Bruckner, was of particular interest to Debbie. She wasn't sure why but her antennae kept tingling, which it often did when meeting a man who was like her son. She ended up taking a break and sitting down to engage in a lively conversation with the handsome young man. She discovered that the Professor was in his first year of teaching ancient history at the University. When Debbie heard that, she immediately thought of young Justin and wondered if this man might know Brian's new friend or at least something about him. She had made a mental note to check on it further.

It turned out that Professor Bruckner was in a transfer program from a University in the States and was homesick for conversations with more Americans. He became a frequent visitor to the Cafe. Eventually he struck up a friendship with Debbie's son, Michael. It took the two men only a week to discover that they had more in common than the country of their birth. Debbie, as usual, had been perceptive. Dr. Ben, as Michael liked to call him, was on a three month leave to study the Pyramids and, before the end of his first month, he found himself with a new boyfriend. Debbie had never been happier for her son who was quite obviously totally smitten.

Now Debbie could see that Michael wasn't the only one who had gotten lucky in love. The minute she had them seated she sat down between them and looked back and forth between their two faces.

"Uhhh! Deb, is there something we can do for you?" Brian asked.

"You can tell me when and how it happened," she said, grinning even broader.

"When what happened?" he asked again, sensing where this was leading.

"You know what I'm referring to, young man."

"I haven't the foggiest," Brian answered innocently.

Debbie turned to Justin. "Hmmm, maybe I can get a straight answer from our young friend here."

"Now don't start picking on Justin."

Justin had been sitting there looking confused, but the light was beginning to dawn. He suddenly flushed a light pink. Debbie was amused since she seldom saw any of her boys embarrassed by much of anything. She patted the young blond on his hand in a motherly gesture.

"It's alright, Justin. I thoroughly approve, my dear. Brian here is a good man and even though I didn't think he had it in him...." She looked over at Brian and smiled. "......I think this time is different and he will take good care of you. Am I right, Brian?"

Brian looked over at Justin and then back to Debbie. "I can promise you, I'll take good care of your...our young man," he vowed.

Justin blushed again. Then he leaned over and whispered in Debbie's ears. "Don't worry Debbie. I'll take good care of Brian too."

Debbie's face lit up and she let out a happy laugh. "I didn't doubt it for a minute, kiddo," she told him. She leaned over and gave the young man a quick peck on his cheek. She gave Brian a matching peck and hurried off to get their drink orders.

Debbie, of course, could hardly wait to pass the word to their circle of friends that the perennial lone wolf of their group had finally been tamed. It took seeing the couple together a couple more times before some of the others were convinced. There was no denying it, however. It had nothing to do with physical contact. The couple seldom even touched, especially out in public. It was something about the way they looked at each other. The longing to touch was clearly written on their faces, especially when separated by a little distance in the room. Their voices changed when they spoke directly to each other. There was a softness in their tone that any observant listener could not miss. The only fly in the ointment for Debbie came when her son's new boyfriend informed her that he had never seen the young blond before anywhere on campus. He assured her that it didn't mean he'd never been there, but it fostered a feeling of doubt as to Brian's story of where he'd met young Justin. She was so happy for them, however, that she decided to keep her doubts to herself...for the time being.

***********************************************

It was just as clear to Brian's other circle of friends that something had changed with the sexy American. Brian had always been among the first to participate in any of the outings and extremely private parties that Prince Ahmad arranged. The other members of the clique always welcomed Brian's presence since he provided a great deal of sexual satisfaction, often with several men throughout the night or even at a single session. Brian enjoyed experimenting and was open to a wide variety of ideas, the only taboo being a continuing relationship with any man he spent an evening with. In the beginning, when the Prince first introduced Brian to their society, there had been a couple of the Egyptian men who found the tall lanky American irresistible. Once they had a sexual encounter with Brian, they went out of their way to entice him into further relations. Brian, forthright as always, made it clear that wouldn't happen. Rather quickly, the men got the message.

Now it was clear that someone had finally captured Brian's attention, and in more than a casual way. He never went to a gathering with Ahmad or his companions without Justin by his side. He really seemed to take pride in introducing the young man, whom all the others knew Brian had actually purchased, as his companion and friend. It felt foreign to the men, but Brian was American so that probably explained it. Brian obviously did not consider Jusin to be his indentured servant, as he would have been if one of them had made the purchase. As a result of Brian's attitude, in addition to their Prince's attitude, the circle of friends quickly began showing Justin the same respect they bestowed on Brian.

Brian enjoyed spending time visiting clients with Justin at his side. Many of his visits were to merchants and explorers who had wonderful items to sell to the antiques dealer. Brian was extremely careful in his dealings since a great many items were protected from export out of Egypt itself. He had no intention of going to prison or being expelled from the country because of some foolish or greedy business maneuver. He had done quite well for himself by staying legit thus far.

As the weeks flew by, Brian had begun showing some of Justin's artwork to other dealers and influential friends. The young man was very slowly building up a name for himself. With a new semester about to begin at the American University of Cairo, Brian sought Prince Ahmad's help in recommending Justin for an interview to attend classes. Cairo was only seventeen or so kilometers away from home and Brian was more than happy to hire a driving service to get the budding young artist back and forth. He would miss having the blond close by all the time, but he couldn't bear the thought of Justin's talents being wasted. By this time, both men had begun to care a bit less about Justin's mysterious past. Justin sensed that whatever memories were left behind could never be as good as the memories he was making each day and night with Brian. There was even a part of Brian that had reluctantly begun to think that he could lose Justin if his past came back into the picture. By the third month of their relationship, they no longer talked about the past at all.

Nights with Brian had become the very air Justin breathed. He couldn't make up his mind whether he loved their times soaking together in the large sunken tub (which inevitably ended up with Brian firmly planted inside his lover), or their glorious lovemaking in every corner of their bedroom the most. And of course their lovemaking in the occasional out of the way spot held its charms too. One night that they spent in the desert in a rather luxurious tent while on a pilgrimage to a distant village because of a find that Brian was interested in seeing, always brought a rosy glow to Justin's cheeks when he thought of it. He could still feel Brian throbbing deep inside him as he poured his love into Justin between the warm blankets inside their tent. Brian often stayed inside Justin's heated walls for as long as humanly possible after making love and it made Justin feel safe and protected. He still felt jittery whenever he was out in the desert, but he knew no harm could come to him inside Brian's arms. As far as he was concerned, the rest of the world didn't exist when he lay with Brian.

**********************************************

Well over five thousand miles away from the loving couple, a mother still mourned the untimely death of her only son. Jennifer Taylor's marriage had slowly disintegrated from the strain of her anger over her husband's seeming lack of concern that they still had no proof that Justin was actually dead. She knew in her heart she could accept his passing if she just had proof and was able to bring his body home. Not having that had left the grieving mother with a hole in her heart that simply couldn't be filled, especially by her increasingly estranged husband.

Craig Taylor had returned home and diligently went about the business of carrying on. He made it a point to avoid thinking of his lost son as much as possible. He returned to his latest mistress and company business with the intention of letting those things distract him from the emptiness that now seemed to fill his home life. After all these many months of being home, he had expected his wife to adjust to the changes and concentrate on her young daughter. She had done her best to be a good mother to Molly and the truth was that the only time Craig saw his wife smile was when Molly was in the room. He couldn't help but resent his wife for losing all interest in helping her husband with his business, most notably in throwing business related parties as she had once accomplished so brilliantly.

Craig also resented the extremely high cost his wife was causing with her incessant calls and telegrams to Egypt to check on any progress the police had made in finding Justin's remains. The burden was becoming too much to tolerate. As a result, he was more than agreeable when Jennifer first broached the idea of her taking an independent trip back to Egypt with her Aunt Frances and Uncle Fred who had talked for some time about visiting the exotic site for their next annual vacation. The couple were retired and usually took along a hired companion to help them out. Jennifer reminded Craig that the elderly couple were more than happy to pay her fare on the cruise ship over and back and all expenses outside of personal items. The thought of not having to deal with his wife's obsession over getting to the truth of the loss of their son coupled with the ability to do as he pleased whenever he pleased with his wife gone was more than enough to win his approval.

They hired a live in nanny to help with Molly, and Jennifer immediately began preparations to join her relatives on the cruise ship leaving New York City for London. From London they would take a cruise that went to the Greek Isles and then on to Alexandria in Egypt. From there they would take the train to Cairo and then on to the Great Pyramids of Giza. It would be a long trip but Jennifer didn't care as long as she was finally doing something positive in her search for answers. As Jennifer hung up the phone after confirming with her Aunt Frances that she would be joining them in New York in three weeks time, she promised herself that she would close the book on the search if no answers came from the trip this time.

Meanwhile, the object of her focus was wrapped in his lovers embrace in their bedroom in Giza and dreaming of the adventures that lay before him when he got the chance to present his sketches to the admissions board of the University in Cairo the following week. This could be the beginning of a whole new life, Justin thought to himself, and it was all thanks to Brian. He gathered Brian's hand closer to his heart and snuggled deeper into the embrace of his lover lying behind him. He brought Brian's hand to his lips and placed a tender kiss on the brunet's knuckles. Such a strong hand, Justin thought to himself. Such a strong man! As Justin joined Brian in peaceful sleep, he smiled into the darkened room. He blessed whatever circumstances brought him to this room, this bed, this man, this life.

To be continued..............................

Professor Talbot leaned in closer for a better look. Amazing, he thought to himself. He knew very little about his newest pupil, but the boy had stated that he had no formal education in the arts. His sketches belied that fact, although it was true that he could simply be a natural talent who required very little training. The sketch of the human anatomy that Professor Talbot was perusing at that very moment was breathtaking in its beauty. It showed every fine detail of a man's body with the muscles and sinews standing out in stark relief. One almost felt as if the man in the sketch was actually breathing. It was a simple picture of a man laying naked on a stone bench in a garden, but it was drawn with such care that one would think the artist was in love with the model.

Professor Talbot liked young Justin. He was always willing to listen to advice and seemed truly fascinated with art history. He had heard that there had been some problems in getting the young man registered for classes in the beginning...something to do with missing academic records...but Prince Ahmad, who was a frequent contributor to the school's coffers, had used his influence to bypass any problems. Once the board had checked out the submissions that young Justin had made of his work, the approval came quickly. For a moment the Professor wondered how a young American could have curried the favor of such a rich and powerful man as the Prince. It didn't really matter. The fact was, Justin 'Kinney' deserved to be among the student body.

Justin accepted his teacher's praise of the drawing he had worked on of Brian and then got up to clean off his work area. He was super excited and anxious to get home today. There was a planned break from school for two weeks thanks to some special holiday that he knew nothing about, and Brian had already set up a semi-working holiday to take Justin on a tour of Egypt and surrounding points of interest. Justin would pose as Brian's nephew and assistant, thus making it possible for the men to share a room at their different destinations. Brian was particularly interested in showing Justin places with a rich history such as Alexandria. Justin, as always, was more than eager to drink in as much knowledge of his adopted homeland as he could. The chance to learn new things under Brian's tutelage was simply the best part of the whole adventure.

Brian had to admit that he missed Justin when he would leave the house to attend school. Thankfully the ride back and forth from Cairo to Giza didn't take long even though the roads were notoriously bad for traveling by car. Brian had hired the most experienced car and driver he could find thanks to Ahmad so he knew Justin would be safe for the daily commute, but he still stayed on edge every time he kissed Justin good bye as the young man walked out the door. He wanted nothing more than to spend twenty four hours a day showing Justin the country that he himself knew and loved all these years. He had set up appointments with dealers in all the most interesting spots he could think of. They would travel by train, sail down the Nile and whatever else they could think of. He knew Justin would enjoy the adventure and Brian would see everything with fresh eyes thanks to his young companion.

***********************************************

Brian and Justin's vacation turned out even better than they had hoped. They started out their journey at Rameses Station in Cairo where they took the overnight sleeper train to Aswan. Lying together on the tiny palette that was provided in their double bed sleeper car proved to be quite a challenge, especially for long lanky Brian, but they managed to pull it off. They had to make it look like both beds had been slept in, of course, which they did admirably. First Justin jumped onto the top bunk and dangled his legs over the side. He lifted his long caftan to reveal his naked torso beneath, much to Brian's delight. Brian moved into position between the dangling legs and proceeded to give young Justin a stellar blow job which had the young man thrashing all over the bunk.

After a delightful dinner in the dining car, the lovers returned to their private room and gave the lower bunk its work out. This time Brian carried the burden of supporting Justin as the young man lay on top of him giving Brian's cock a ride to remember. By the time the ride was over, both men were too exhausted to worry about the cramped quarters of the bed. They lay tightly entwined together with pale arms wrapped around tanned ones and even paler legs covered by tanned legs. A piece of paper would have been hard pressed to slip between the two bodies.

In Aswan, Brian took Justin to one of the ancient quarries that provided so much of the stone used in the Pyramids and temples. They traveled to Elephantine Island to view artifacts that dated to pre-Dynastic times. They visited the Aswan Dam that the British had tried unsuccessfully to use to control the Nile for irrigation. They spent the night in one of the local hotels and enjoyed the Nubian dancers as they displayed their talents for guests who were enjoying one of the sumptuous meals served by the floating restaurant they visited. The fish was freshly caught and prepared by experts. Justin had never enjoyed a seafood meal more.

The next day they sailed down the Nile to Kom Ombo to visit the site of one of the most ancient temples in Egypt. The temple stood on a promontory at a bend in the Nile and one could see the sacred crocodiles laying peacefully in the sun all along the shore in front of the impressive structures. The main temple had been cleared of debris only a decade earlier and the carvings and design of the temple had been attracting curious visitors ever since. Justin's pad and pencils got plenty of workout as he tried to capture as many of the magnificent views as he could.

They continued on to Edfu to visit the Temple of Horus, one of the best preserved temples of ancient times. Brian met with clients in each of the cities, but made short work of his business so that he could devote as much time as possible to Justin and the many exciting new things the young man was experiencing. Each time he would see Jusitn's eyes light up with a new image, Brian would feel a renewed sense of pride and happiness. Thanks to Justin, Brian was feeling and seeing life as if everything was fresh and brand new. For the first time since his college days, he felt anything was possible. It still amazed him that one young man could make such a difference in his life.

There final destination that day was the city of Luxor. The boat arrived late in the evening when it docked. The men spent one last night aboard the sailboat and made certain they kept their passion stifled as they made love to the gentle rocking of the boat on the Nile's waters. The next day, the men disembarked and strolled along the Corniche to the Temple of Luxor. They had their belongings transferred to a nearby hotel so that they wouldn't waste a minute of their sightseeing time.

The tall pillars of the Temple dwarfed visitors as they stared in awe at the beautiful structures that had stood the test of time. One could almost feel they had gone back in time a thousand years as they strolled among the various sections of the Temple. The reliefs that had been carved by extraordinarily talented hands so many centuries ago made Justin wonder what his life would have been like if he had lived in those ancient times. Would he have been a sculptor or artist drawing or carving pictures of the everyday life of the city's people and their Gods and Goddesses? He got a nod of assent from Brian when he suggested his thought out loud. And I would have loved you as much in those days as I do now, Brian thought to himself.

Justin was fascinated by the statues of Rameses II. He drew a sketch of one of the statues, of which Brian couldn't help noticing that the ancient Kings face looked similar to his own. He said nothing. He felt oddly proud that Justin would see him as a bigger than life ruler of a vast nation. Seemed only fair since Brian saw Justin as more beautiful than an ancient Greek Sun God.

The men enjoyed a leisurely stroll back to the hotel, stopping often at stalls of street vendors to check out their wares. By the time they reached their hotel, they had their arms full of purchases of souvenirs to take home to their friends and for themselves. Justin had the momentary reflection that it would have been nice if he knew if there was anyone important in his previous life that he would have wanted to buy a souvenir for, but he shook the thought off as quickly as it came up. He wasn't letting anything destroy this magical trip with the man he loved.

The next day, the men boarded a caleche they had hired to take them out to the Temple of Karnak just a few miles away from Luxor. The horse drawn carriage clip clopped along slowly giving the men plenty of time to enjoy the local sights and smells of the ancient thoroughfare. It took the entire day to visit the three different temples that made up the complete compound at Karnak and they still didn't come close to seeing every nook and cranny. While traveling, it amazed the men at how green the fields they passed were. It was hard to believe they were in the desert.

They spent another night at their hotel and then traveled to the Valley of the Kings and Queens. The tombs that had been built into the Mountains themselves rather than constructed by man, were an impressive sight. It was because of the treasures found at King Tut's tomb that this new swell of interest in Egypt had begun worldwide. So many of the treasures had ended up in Cairo, but the tomb itself was still worth checking out.

Brian surprised Justin by hiring a camel caravan to take them through the desert to the Red Sea. Brian had heard about a small fishing village called Hurghada that had sprung up along the sea shore early at the beginning of the century and was beginning to receive a lot of good word of mouth for its beautiful beaches and crystal clear waters that was home to some of the most fascinating exotic fish and coral reefs anywhere in the world. Brian knew he had to swim in those waters with Justin by his side. The journey there took some time but the nights in their tent made it all worth while. Once they arrived at the village, Brian was even more happy that he had decided to take this trip off the beaten path. He had no doubt that the place would someday be a big tourist attraction. As of now it was still small and relatively private. They set up camp along the sea and spent two wonderful days fishing in the warm waters and swimming among the coral reefs. They were very careful to avoid touching in public, which made their private moments all the more stimulating fueled by the days pent up longing.

Eventually they were forced to head back home. They traveled by camel through the desert again to reach the nearest train depot. Brian had originally planned on continuing on to Alexandria from Cairo, but the side trip to the seaside village had eaten up their vacation time. Brian telegraphed his client in Alexandria with his apologies from the train station and the couple departed for home. Their last night on the train was filled with talk of all the sights they'd seen and promises from Brian to show Justin even more the next time. Justin carefully stashed his sketch pad, filled with the images he'd seen, under the bunk and the men shared one last slow delicious night of passionate lovemaking as their railcar rattled across the darkened desert towards home.

The next morning, Brian and Justin gathered up their luggage and rang for a porter to help them. They had come home with three times as much stuff as they'd left with, something Brian had never done before except when it dealt with business. Rameses station in Cairo was busier than usual on this bright early morning. People were hurrying from every direction, robes flapping behind them. There were countless natives and foreigners mixed together as trains were arriving and departing. The train from Alexandria had pulled in on another track at almost the same time as the one Brian and Justin had arrived on. As the two men hurried from the platform to catch a cabbie outside the station they missed the blonde headed lady who was patiently helping her elderly aunt debark from their newly arrived train. Once her aunt was safely on the station platform and they had been joined by her uncle, she looked around at the sea of faces. She just missed the sight of a familiar blond head as it hurried from the building next to the tall good looking brunet.

To be continued...................

Brian Kinney sat in the the garden of his home wondering what was taking Justin so long to get ready. If he didn't know any better, he'd swear that Justin wasn't half as excited as he himself was. But of course, that was silly. This was going to be a momentous day and Brian was more than eager to get started. It had taken four years of hard work on the young man's part for him to reach this point and Brian knew Justin was just as proud of himself as Brian was. And today was even more special since Justin was not only receiving his degree in art history today, but also having his first showing at a world renown art gallery in Cairo. And, of course, there was the extra surprise Brian had in store for his young lover.

Prince Ahmad, who fancied himself a connoisseur of fine art, had taken a strong liking to Justin's work very early on in their friendship and was more than happy to sponsor the young man in an art exhibit. Actually he had wanted to do it a lot earlier, but Justin had held out. He explained that he wanted to increase his training and find his own unique voice before exposing his work to the outside world. Brian simply told his old friend that whatever Justin wanted was fine with him. Now that Justin felt more secure in his own work, and understood the works of others better thanks to the University, he was quite prepared to take a chance and give the rest of the world a chance to see what he could do. Brian had no doubt the world would appreciate what his young lover was capable of. Brian certainly did.

The years had seemed to rush by. To those not in the know, Brian was simply an older businessman who had taken his nephew under his wing and was showing him the ropes of the business and furthering his education. To all others Brian had found the love of his life and was seldom seen without the attractive blond, especially in the evening hours. Brian and Justin traveled extensively during the four years they had been together. If Justin didn't have to be in school, Brian took him on all his business trips. The times they were separated were hard on both men. They didn't like sleeping alone and spent as much time on the phone as possible if one was available where Brian had traveled. Brian never worried about Justin. He knew that Ahmose would protect Justin with his life.

Justin had become close friends with Brian's American friends and spent many hours with them when Brian was away, much to Brian's relief. He knew there was a small part inside Justin's soul that missed the person he had once been. Justin had unexpectedly had a few memory flashes over the years but nothing solid that would really lead to answers. He kept seeing a petite woman who looked a lot like him in his dreams, but he would wake and never be able to draw the exact features that had haunted him. He once saw a lovely blonde lady tourist in the market at Giza and she was holding the hand of a little girl who looked just like her. Justin had come to a dead stop when he spotted her and seemed to freeze in his tracks. It took several finger snaps from Brian to get Justin to snap out of it. When questioned, he could only tell Brian that there was something so familiar about the lady and her daughter, but nothing else came to him. He tried so hard to conjure up a name or any tidbit of information, but he drew a blank with every attempt.

One day, the couple came across an auto accident in the street. A large touring car stood in the middle of the road with a man stretched out near the running board. He had a large gash on his head with blood dripping from the wound. Justin, who had been walking next to Brian, suddenly felt deathly ill. He nearly fainted from the lack of oxygen to his brain when he held his breath for a painfully long time. He suddenly saw the image of another bloodied body laying on the ground outside a similar car and he became uncontrollably frightened. Brian felt the pain in his arm when Justin grabbed it hard to keep from sinking to the ground. Despite their rule of never touching in public, Brian threw his arm around Justin, as if to shield him and backed him against the wall of the building. When he saw how bad Justin was shaking, Brian quickly moved him into the alleyway between the two adjoining buildings so they could have some privacy. It had taken long minutes of soothing words combined with comforting hugs before Justin was calm enough to step back out onto the street. It was the only time such an incident happened, but Justin was never able to get a clearer image to emerge other than the sudden flash that had disturbed him so deeply. In time, even that image faded away completely.

After all this time as a couple, Brian and Justin were totally comfortable together and never worried about the past anymore. There had been so many new experiences and beginnings in Justin's life since that fateful day the good looking businessman, who didn't even want to be there, first saw him on an auction block at an illegal sale in a clandestine spot in the desert of Giza. He had been so blank about his past and frightened about his future that day. By the end of the day he knew his life was about to change, but he had no way of knowing then how vast the change would be. He had not only found protection, but also the kind of love that only comes to a person once in their lives. And now he had an even more exciting future to look forward to than ever before.

Justin finally stepped from the garden door that led to their spacious bedroom and Brian's breath caught in his throat. The sun's rays shimmered off Justin's golden hair, forming a transitory halo around the top of head. He looked...well, the only word was beautiful in his tailored dark suit with the white linen shirt beneath. The jacket of his shirt was open to reveal a dark vest shot through with gold threading that sparked as the sun bounced off it. Justin had reached into the vest pocket and pulled out the watch he had been carrying from the beginning of his memories. He checked the time quickly and smiled at his lover waiting so patiently for him. Brian rose from the bench he sat on and approached Justin slowly, admiring the view even more with each step.

"So how do I look," Justin asked as Brian reached him.

Brian laid his hands on Justin's shoulders and looked deeply into Justin's eyes. He smiled warmly.

"Beautiful," Brian sighed.

"I do?" the young asked, disbelievingly.

"I cannot lie to you Justin," Brian reminded him, and then gathered his lover into his arms.

Brian kissed Justin tenderly at first and then let the passion build. Soon their mouths were working its magic again and the steam was building between their bodies, as it had done so many countless times before. If either one of them had ever thought the desire for each other would cool down someday, they were certainly wrong as evidenced by the way they still responded to each other the minute they touched. It took a super human effort on Brian's part to pull away from Justin and remind him that they didn't have time to indulge in their greatest pleasure right now, but winked when he reminded his young lover that the day was still young and there would be plenty of time soon. Justin reluctantly agreed and straightened his clothes, readjusting his pants that had become uncomfortably tight in the crotch suddenly. A few minutes later the couple climbed into Brian's car and began the trek into Cairo to the University.

**************************************************************

The graduation ceremonies had been quite distinguished and Brian had burst with pride as he saw Justin cross the stage at the University to accept his diploma. He had been surrounded by fellow students the moment he had walked into the auditorium. Justin was a popular student, especially with the girls, many of whom were from other countries and had come to Cairo to study because of the school's excellent reputation combined with the overwhelming interest this part of the world had garnered since the discoveries of the ancient tombs. Many of them envied Justin his wealthy patron in the form of his 'Uncle Brian'. Justin was quite certain there had to be others like him at the vast University, but he had never been approached by anyone. It was fine by Justin since Brian was more than enough for him.

As Justin walked across the stage, he looked out into the audience and saw the beaming face of his lover staring back at him. He knew that Brian felt as proud of him as a parent would. He wondered if his own parents would have felt this way if they had known about his accomplishments, but as always the thought fled as quickly as it came. Justin spent little time dwelling on the 'what ifs'.

Brian stood back once the ceremony itself was over and watched with an amused smile as Justin basked in the glow of being center stage. The other graduates, largely male, milled around talking about their future plans. Many of them knew about Justin's showing at the most popular art gallery in the city and were aware that one of the royal Princes of the country had sponsored it. They had all agreed to visit though few would have been able to afford anything. They were just thrilled to see one of their own get such a quick start into the art world. It brought hope to them too. Justin was finally able to disentangle himself from the crowd and join Brian who was waiting patiently nearby.

Brian longed to give Justin a congratulatory kiss right in front of the entire assemblage but he restrained himself. Maybe someday it would be safe for men like them to express their affection so openly but this was not the time or place to do so safely. Instead, Brian patted Justin on the back and loudly commended him on his achievement.

Brian then leaned in closer and whispered in Justin's ear, "Wait till I get you home, Sunshine. I'll show my appreciation for all your hard work more properly then."

"I look forward to it," Justin responded with a wicked grin. "Don't forget that we have to attend the gallery showing first. That is, unless you want to skip it and head straight home."

"There is no way, young man. You've worked your ass off for this showing and we're going to be there. I intend to enjoy every minute of them fawning over you and praising you and wishing they could have you in their pockets while I know that the only one you'll be going home with is me. That is, of course, presuming no one else gives you a better offer."

"Bite your tongue. No one has anything to offer me that can be better than what I have right here with you, Mr. Kinney, and don't you ever forget it. I'm not likely to."

"Quit looking at me like that or I'll strip that beautiful suit off you and fuck you on the floor right here in front of everyone," Brian warned when Justin fluttered his long golden eyelashes at him.

Justin laughed and the two men made a hasty retreat for the exit. A short time later they were stepping into the Liberty Hotel. Debbie and her gang had been unable to take time off from work to go to the graduation ceremonies but Justin had promised to stop by and show off his new diploma. Brian excused himself for a moment when they got to the hotel and promised to meet Justin in the cafe. Justin headed for the eatery and spent another twenty minutes accepting more congratulations and well wishes from his American friends. Just as he was beginning to wonder what was taking Brian so long to join him, he could see the tall brunet coming through the swinging doors of the cafe. He had a crooked grin on his face as he searched the room quickly for his favorite blond. He hurried over as soon as he saw Justin in the corner talking with Debbie and Michael.

"Hey kiddo, where you been?" Debbie asked, planting a lipstick kiss on his cheek.

Brian returned the kiss and put his arm around Justin. "Just taking care of something important. So, have you all oohed and aahed over our newest art history expert enough so that I can have his full attention for a while? We only have a couple of hours before the gallery opening tonight and I have some business to take care of with our young artist here."

Debbie gave Justin a friendly pat on the cheek and smiled. "He's all yours Brian," she told him.

"I know."

Brian led him away as Justin stared at him with curiosity, not knowing what business they had to attend to. When they reached the doors, Brian paused and asked Justin to wait a moment. He then made a beeline over to Debbie and spoke quickly to her. When he finished, she let out a happy laugh and grinned over at a waiting Justin making him even more curious. Brian then rejoined Justin and took him out of the cafe and into the lobby of the hotel. Instead of heading out of the hotel as Justin expected, Brian turned towards the staircase leading to the well appointed rooms above. Justin followed behind as Brian led him to the second floor. They walked down a short hallway to a large set of double doors. Brian used a key and opened the door. He ushered Justin into what was obviously the best room in the hotel.

Justin looked around at the beautifully decorated room. The elegant arabesque furniture was inlaid with mother-of-pearl and the walls were built with handcrafted mosaic tiles that reflected scenes of the nearby pyramids with the crimson and gold setting sun behind them. The doors were exquisitely carved and brass bound. The bed was huge with a soft downy comforter and silken sheets that were exposed by the maid's turn-down. A small bed was tucked into a corner which brought a raised eyebrow from Justin. Brian walked over, rustled the bedding with a vigorous shake, and grinned back at Justin.

"There, slept in," he laughed. Justin ran to Brian and threw his arms around him.

"Thought we'd have a private dinner here, just the two of us, before getting ready for the opening. That is, if you don't mind," Brian told Justin once he could get his mouth free.

"Mind? Are you kidding. I'm ravenous...but not necessarily for food," he added. "Do you think we have time to satisfy all our appetites?"

Brian crushed Justin's lips with his own and then pulled back. "We'll make time. Debbie won't be bringing dinner up for an hour. So I guess we'll have to find something else to occupy ourselves with until then."

Brian didn't need to say anything more. Justin's beautiful new suit lay on the floor in record time right next to Brian's clothing. By now the couple knew every nuance of each others bodies. They knew exactly what to touch and when in order to elicit the greatest degree of pleasure. Justin lay under Brian as the older man ministered to all of Justin's needs. He placed tender kisses where they would bring the most joy and hard nips in places that longed to be possessed. Justin's nipples responded to the nips and his thighs opened gladly to the gentle kisses. Brian devoured Justin's rigid manhood until the young man could hold back no longer and fed Brian's appetite for Justin's nectar. By this time Brian's cock wept for its turn. Brian grabbed onto Justin's still twitching thighs and flung them onto his shoulders. He lined himself up and took possession of Justin's body with all the love he felt inside the core of his body. After much too brief a time Brian released himself into his lover with a force equal to Justin's earlier release.

Brian collapsed onto Justin and quickly rolled onto his side, bringing Justin's body along with him. He wrapped his arms around Justin and held him close to his heart. He could feel Justin's heart beating hard against his own. He could no longer imagine his heart beating without Justin being a part of him. Tonight was another new beginning for Justin and he was so grateful to share it with the beautiful young man. He had no doubt that Justin would be a big fat fucking success tonight. Brian had sent out invitations to countless collectors of fine art that he knew thanks to his business. He had bought advertising throughout the country and even in some well known foreign presses. His friend, Prince Ahmad had secured the largest and most distinguished gallery in Cairo for the showing. Brian was prepared to share his lover with the rest of the world...just so long as he was the one who was able to take the artist home with him at the end of the night.

To be continued...............

The dinner that Debbie sent to Brian and Justin's room was welcome fuel to face the busy night that lay ahead of the couple at the art gallery, especially after they had worked so hard at burning up that energy before the dinner arrived. Justin was still a little sore from all the activity, but it was a soreness that brought the most beautiful Sunshine smile to his face when he thought of how ardently his lover took possession of him over and over again. Nothing brought more joy to Justin like the feeling he had whenever Brian made them one. He always felt so safe, protected, and loved. Only one other thing made him feel almost as good...his art. Tonight, thanks to Brian, he would get the chance to share that art with a world full of those who truly understood that love. It was just one more thing he owed to the man he loved.

Brian looked over at Justin who sat nervously beside him in the large vehicle and smiled. He could see that anxiety was building in Justin over the grand opening of his collection at the gallery tonight, but Brian had no fears at all. He knew plenty about artistic pieces due to his work over the years and he knew talent when he saw it. It didn't matter that the young artist was also the most important person in his life. The fact was that Justin simply had what it took to be a rip roaring success in the art world. He had an eye for beauty and a feel for emotions that translated onto his canvases and brought everything he drew into sharp relief and living, breathing life. He captured the mysteries of this ancient land they were living in as if he had been a part of it his whole life, or even in another life centuries ago. The paintings he had created of everyday Egyptians in the marketplace and centuries old sites throughout their travels amazed Brian with their weathered faces and noble bearings. He, of course, was not displaying his more personal paintings tonight. Those where for Brian's eyes only.

As Brian turned down the street that housed the large and most popular gallery in this part of the Country, Brian could already see that his efforts to spread the word about the art show had been more than successful. There was not a place left to park anywhere near the two storey building. Brian pulled up at the front of the entrance and waited for a young Egyptian valet to come collect his car. As he stepped out and handed his keys to the attractive young man, he waited for Justin to join him. The couple walked in as the young man happily drove off in the fancy car he was thrilled to have control of, if even for such a short time. 

When Brian and Justin walked into the front door of the gallery dozens of eyes turned to them. They were quite a sight....the tall sensual looking tanned older man and his fair-skinned young protege' made quite a fine figure to the ladies in the crowd and a few knowing men too. The walls in the main room and on the second storey were covered with canvases painted by the young American 'nephew' of Brian Kinney, the ultra successful businessman. The crowd was extremely eclectic on this particular evening. There were wealthy art patrons mixed with less than financially stable art students from the University. There were customers who were prepared to make purchases and gawkers who simply enjoyed a good show and free food. There were people of several nationalities in the room. There were also obvious art critics and press people, as evidenced by their notebooks that they were feverishly scratching in as they viewed select pieces. The opening had garnered a wonderful crowd and Brian couldn't have been more pleased.

The couple began mingling. Justin was constantly stopped to hear the effusive praise from both strangers and acquaintances. Throughout the evening the owner of the gallery had stopped Brian several times to report another sale of one of Justin's pieces. His renderings of some of the more ancient sites throughout Egypt had been the biggest sellers so far. There were a couple of pieces of the Great Pyramids that sold for the highest sums. He had captured something moody and timeless about the great structures that called out to many of the wealthier patrons. Prince Ahmad had even purchased a painting that captured one of the great kings from ancient times as he stood in all his royal finery beside his golden chariot. The man in that painting carried himself in the same way that Brian did and looked oddly similar, something that had not failed to be noticed by the Prince. 

Several of the gallery guests had come to Justin with special requests during the evening. Justin had not considered making commissioned pieces at first, but it soon became apparent that people truly loved his style of artwork. A few people did not find a piece that fit into their needs but they recognized that this young Justin had the talent to create what they envisioned, thus the inquiries. Justin talked it over with Brian and quickly decided to take on a couple of the more interesting requests. One was a desire for a painting of an ancient ship sailing on the Nile with Queen Cleopatra entertaining the Roman Caesar. This was made by an elderly couple from Italy. The second was made by a distinguished American businessman who was engaged to be married once he returned home to New York City. His future wife was fascinated by everything Egyptian and he wished to have a painting made that would incorporate the photo of his future wife into an Egyptian setting as a wedding gift. He would be leaving the country in a few weeks and wondered if Justin could complete the painting in time. The man was extremely likeable and offered Justin a large sum for the painting. His hesitation over whether he could complete the work only lasted for a moment and he soon agreed to take on the piece. 

As the night wore down to its conclusion, both Brian and Justin were more than ready to return home. Justin had sold almost half his paintings for decent sums already and inquiries had been made about several other pieces. Word of mouth had been quite good. Justin even had two commissioned pieces that he would start work on right away. Justin was already making his mark in the art world and he had barely started. Justin felt proud, but no more so than the man who loved him. Justin climbed into the car, patting his pocket where he had the names and addresses of the elderly couple and the businessman along with the fiancee's photo. He wasn't concerned with the money he had made. He knew Brian would take good care of the business end of his work. His joy was in knowing that people liked what they saw when they viewed his work. 

The men enjoyed being out with friends and in a crowd, but nothing made them happier than escaping into their private sanctuary....their home. There they could be openly affectionate without fear of censure or worse. The minute the door closed behind them they were free to touch and kiss each other as they saw fit. Today had been even more of a success and pleasure than they had anticipated so now they wanted to congratulate each other on the day's adventures in a way that only they could appreciate. Brian gave a few hurried instructions to his manservant, Ahmose, who quickly left the front parlor to see to his employer's needs. Justin looked at Brian questioningly. 

"I could use a hot bath," Brian informed Justin. "Care to join me?"

Justin smiled happily. After all their time together he knew what those words meant. The couple walked arm and arm through their garden towards the large master bedroom which led to their shared bathing room. By the time they reached the room, they could see that Ahmose had already drawn hot water to fill the sunken tub and laid out the necessary oils and ointments to provide a splendid massage afterwards. A large silken rope hung near the doorway to the room with a large bell at the end. It just waited for a good strong tug to bring in the other servant who served with Ahmose as masseur. But first, the cleansing. 

Each man began removing his clothing and draping the pieces carefully over the stands provided. Once they were in their birthday suits they took the five steps needed to reach the bottom of the king-size tub. They settled themselves on the marble bench that was built into the flooring in the very center of the tub facing each other. The heated water smelled of lavender oils. The men sat with their legs straddled over the bench and looked down at their semi soft penises as they floated in front of them. Brian took the luxuriant wash rag that he had brought into the tub with him and slowly began scrubbing across Justin's chest. Justin took the clue and began administering to Brian in the same manner.

The men slowly and sensuously scrubbed the front of each other, stopping on occasion to add a warm kiss to their services. They hadn't even touched the private area between their legs, but the condition of their penises belied that fact. By the time they had washed each other from the neck down to their muscular legs, their erections were too firm to float any longer and simply lay as stiff as boards against their stomachs. Justin reached down and wrapped his sensitive fingers around Brian's shaft. The rigid tool felt as inviting to Justin as a drink of cool water in a hot desert night. He felt along the shaft and heard a soft sigh escape from Brian. 

Brian reached out with both of his hands and placed the palms gently against the sides of Justin's face. The palms rested against the young man's ears. Brian's long fingers began sliding gently into the thick blond hair above Justin's ears. Brian's hands slid forward until the palms were cupping the blond's smooth cheeks. Brian's thumbs began playing with Justin's earlobes, tracing around the rim of the ears and gently inserting his fingers into the ear. The slight tickle caused a shiver to run along Justin's spine. Brian's fingers began tracing the outline of Justin's eyes, nose, and lips, the fingers playing the skin delicately like a precious instrument. He looked into the depths of Justin's sky blue eyes and saw his own desires reflected back at him. The gentle pressure of Brian's fingers on Justin's lips brought color to them and Brian could not resist placing his own lips where his fingers had just lain. 

Brian held Justin's face close to his as he slowly tasted of those lips that fit his so perfectly. He pressed against Justin's lips a bit harder and felt them softly melt away from his teeth, giving Brian's tongue the access it wanted. The tip of his tongue played another tune along Justin's ivory white teeth and they slowly yielded an entrance for Brian's searching tongue. The invasion was complete and Brian eagerly took possession of Justin's mouth. Justin played his melody along Brian's erection at the same time that he grabbed onto his own with his other hand. Soon the men were each playing out their own rhythms as Justin brought both himself and Brian to the brink of release at the same time that Brian fucked Justin's mouth, creating a heat that increased the pleasure between their legs. 

Before it was too late, Brian suddenly released Justin's mouth and face and pulled his lovers hands away from their fevered task below. With practiced skill he used the buoyancy of the water to lift Justin up and swing his leg over the bench and completely around so that he was now straddled across the bench with his back to Brian's chest. Brian lifted him again and brought Justin's rounded cheeks up against his stomach. Justin immediately knew what Brian wanted and reached back until he could feel the tip of Brian's cock right under the crack of his ass. He held onto the firm tool and placed it in the right position. When he felt secure in where it lay, Justin began to lower himself slowly down. Little by little he began to feel the pressure of the hard cock as it began to expand Justin's ready hole. The moment Brian could feel the tight ring of muscle relax in Justin, he thrust upwards with his hips. Justin let out a satisfied gasp and then forced himself down in a sudden rush that fully impaled him. 

Justin lay against Brian's back as the older man buried his face into the soft skin of Justin's neck, the tips of fair hair tickling Brian's nose. He breathed deeply of the smell of Justin's hair and skin and wrapped his arms around Justin's chest. His fingers began a whole new melody using Justin's nipples like tiny cymbals. He began rocking his hips upward and back as Justin rode him with unadulterated abandon. The deeper Brian penetrated the harder he hit that sweet spot inside Justin that rocked him to his core. Far too soon, both men were at a point of no return. Justin's body suddenly began quaking with the force of his oncoming orgasm. The pressure of his contracting interior muscles against Brian's super sensitized cock caused Brian to lose control at almost the same instance and he filled his lover with his own release. The pleasure had been so intense that he had bitten down on Justin's neck and left a small red outline of his teeth. Justin, in his heightened state of pleasure had not even noticed the nip at the back of his neck.

Brian remained happily inside of his beloved Justin for long minutes post orgasm while holding Justin tightly to his chest with his arms wrapped securely around the younger man's supple body. When the position they held began to reveal itself as slightly uncomfortable, Brian released Justin and helped him turn back around so that they could face each other again. A look of complete satisfaction was firmly planted on their faces as they gave each other one last kiss before a final scrub down and exit from the tub. After drying each other off, Brian rang for Ahmose and his assistant and the two large men entered minutes later. Thirty minutes later Brian and Justin were as loose and relaxed from their practiced rubdowns by the two expert masseurs as any man could be. They wrapped the large towels around their bodies and entered their bed chamber, ready for a perfect nights sleep in each others arms. As Ahmose started to walk through the room with the discarded clothing in his arms to be taken to the laundry room of the large house, Justin stopped him.

"Wait please," he asked of Ahmose. "I forgot to take the notes for the commissioned pieces out of my pocket when we got home. I have the instructions and the client's names and addressees in there."

"I will take care of that for you, Sir," Ahmose promised. "I will leave the papers on your desk in the work shop, if you would like."

"That will be fine, Ahmose. Thank you so much." 

"You are welcome, Sir."

Ahmose left the room with the clothing. Justin knew he need not worry. Ahmose never failed to do anything he promised. The important papers would be exactly where Ahmose had said they would be in the morning. The work shop had once been a glass encased solarium in the corner of the garden, but Brian had spent a pretty penny in having it redesigned as the perfect art studio for Justin to work in with some degree of privacy as an anniversary gift two years earlier. Just one more thing the man had done to make Justin's life richer and satisfying. As the men automatically settled into their accustomed spots next to each other in the vast bed, Brian kissed Justin good night and reminded him of how proud he was of his accomplishments. Justin began picturing the outline of the paintings he already envisioned for his first two commissioned pieces. Life was good...even better than a young man with no past had the right to expect...and all because of the man who lay beside him. Justin could not imagine being happier. He just hoped that Brian realized how much he was loved and appreciated for all he had done for him.

To be continued...........................    

Jennifer Taylor looked at the painting that hung on Mark's wall over the mantelpiece and felt a shudder of pride. It had been the most delightful surprise when he presented it to her upon his return from his long business trip. She stared down at the beautiful diamond and white gold rings on her left hand. Tears welled up in her eyes as she thought about how dramatically her life had changed in only one year. Two years ago her whole world had been turned upside down for the second time in her life when her husband of twenty plus years had been killed in an auto accident with his latest mistress by his side. The two had been out partying at a club notorious for its open drinking, despite Prohibition of alcohol sales, and Craig had plowed into a tree when he missed a turn on his way to the apartment he kept apart from his family for his trysts. 

All Jennifer's friends had pitied the poor woman for her loss of her husband and the scandal of his death, but Jennifer had never felt more free. Her life with Craig had not been good for some years and the loss of her son on a family vacation had only made things worse. A part of her hated Craig for the way he seemed to simply accept that Justin was gone forever. She had made annual trips back to Egypt for three years in a row but had never gotten any new answers to all her unanswered questions. She was slowly beginning to accept that Justin was no longer alive, but there was still a small part of her that couldn't give in the concept. Despite that glimmer of hope that she nursed, she had long since stopped talking about Justin in any way with her husband. 

Craig's death had left Jennifer financially quite comfortable. She had been able to find a buyer for her husband's company and received a generous payment that she used her innate intelligence to invest wisely with. Luckily, and unbeknownst to her, she had never felt comfortable with her husband's vast investments in the booming stock market, thus she had cashed in all the stocks and invested in properties, gold, and precious stones instead. Her choice would prove to be a life saver two years later when the stock market would crash and thousands upon thousands of people would lose their life's savings. In the meantime, she made the decision to move away from home and all the pitying comments and stares of everyone she knew. She was ready for a change.

Jennifer decided to get into the real estate business in a big way and moved to a small town outside New York City. She worked hard for the next year to get her realtor's license and then set up a small business of her own. She had numerous listings in the big city and thus spent much time there. Her one special treat was taking Molly to the theater whenever a new musical or play was being opened. She also loved spending time with Molly at one of the many fine art galleries that New York City had to offer. Life had finally given Jennifer the happiness that had been missing for over four years. She longed for nothing more, outside of finding her son alive. She didn't even think of herself as being lonely and then it happened. 

Six months ago, Jennifer had visited one of her favorite museums. There were international artists displayed throughout the building and she loved nothing more than to check out the antiquities of other nations, particularly those from Egypt. She had become obsessed with that Country. On this particular day there was a large exhibit of treasures from some of the recent Pyramid discoveries. She could never explain it, even to herself, but somehow she always felt closer to Justin when she saw such things. She had been standing staring at one of the glassed in cases filled with jewelry pieces when the tall distinguished gentleman next to her spoke quietly.

"Magnificent craftsmanship," he sighed deeply.

She turned her head and stared into the most gentle blue eyes she had ever seen in a truly handsome face. The older man had turned to look at her as he spoke. Jennifer, who was normally not comfortable with talking to strangers, felt totally at ease answering this man. 

"I agree," she said. "They certainly had skilled artisans in those days. We are truly fortunate that their work did not remain buried for all time."

That was the beginning. Without even thinking about it, the couple began sharing insights on the displays one after another. Hours later the gentleman, who said his name was Mark Chambers, had invited Jennifer to dinner. During that meal Jennifer discovered that the handsome fifty year old was a childless widower in the jewelry business who traveled all over the world for both business and pleasure. Egypt was one of his favorite countries to visit to find beautiful pieces for his stores, and he found his new companion a delightful woman with a sharp mind and beauty to match. Within two months, the couple were engaged to be married. Mark got along beautifully with Molly and the feeling was mutual. The fact that Mark owned several homes, including a small ranch in Virginia that boasted quite a stable of horses and Molly loved horses more than anything on Earth, could have been the deciding factor for the thirteen year old. 

Jennifer and Mark had been inseparable since that first date, except for a month that he had to be away on a buying trip that included Europe and the Middle East. He had invited his fiancee to join him, but she warned him that they would have to delay the wedding if she didn't stay home and complete the arrangements for the ceremony. The thought of waiting to marry Jennifer even for a short time was too much for Mark and he reluctantly agreed to travel alone and get back as soon as possible. He planned a return trip to many of the same spots he had just visited once they were married as a honeymoon with no business to interfere in their pleasures. 

Within a week of Mark's return home, the wedding ceremony was performed. The guest list was huge as both of the couple had countless friends and business associates to include in the event. Jennifer wore a beautiful peach colored silken gown that hung straight down her body to just below her knees. A soft peach swath of satin encircled her slender hips with a bow tied in the front. She wore five lustrous strands of perfect pearls at the V neck of her sleeveless gown. Her thick blonde hair was short cropped in the popular bob of the day and her face glowed with the happiness she felt. She stood beside her new husband who was equally magnificent in his suit straight from Savile Road in London. They made a beautiful couple. 

Just after their wedding and the wonderful reception, the couple returned to Mark's New York townhouse that was now their primary home. Molly had gone to spend a couple of nights with friends right after the party so that the newlyweds could have the home to themselves for a couple of days. It was then that Mark led his new bride into the library where a servant had just hung the wedding gift that Mark had purchased for his beloved. It was a breathtaking portrait of Jennifer herself with a background setting that was unmistakably Egyptian. She was sitting sideways on a camel in front of the Great Pyramids of Egypt and the likeness was so authentic that Jennifer felt as if she should remember having posed for the painting. The painting brought tears to her eyes. Rather than making her sad at the loss of her son in that Country, the painting made her feel oddly closer to her son. It was just one more indication that Mark knew her better than any other human being had ever done before. Craig had not even wanted the name of Egypt mentioned in his house once they had returned nearly five years earlier. Jennifer knew again that she had made the right choice for her future.

After Jennifer had given Mark her wedding gift, a beautiful watch engraved with their wedding date on the back, the couple had fulfilled all their dreams for their wedding night. Once the ardor had finally calmed and they lay in each other's arms, Mark told his bride the story of how he had attained the painting for her. He had been an occasional customer of antiquity dealer Brian Kinney and was on a guest list at an art gallery opening the man was sponsoring for his young ward, a 'nephew' named Justin Kinney. He had been struck by the young man's artistic talents and felt the sudden urge to have the young man paint the portrait of his fiancee that he had intended to have done by a more seasoned artist in Paris. He was pleasantly surprised when the young man agreed to take on the commissioned piece even though he had a very limited time to produce it before his customer would be returning to the States. He was even more surprised at how good the painting was in that short a time. He gladly paid the five thousand dollars that the young man's 'uncle' said it was worth.

Mark had been more than pleased to see Jennifer's reaction when she saw the painting. He had no doubt he had been right in taking a risk on the fledgling artist. They were only a couple of weeks away from beginning their honeymoon and Mark made up his mind that he was going to introduce his wife to the young Justin Kinney. He was aware that the young man had the same first name as her son, but Jennifer was not the type to make a big deal about something like that. She obviously loved the young man's work and the fact that she spent long periods of time staring at the painting told him that she would welcome meeting the artist who had painted it. He made a mental note to add Cairo to their itinerary for the honeymoon and to seek a meeting with Mr. Kinney and his 'nephew'. 

**************************************************

Justin pulled the bowl of cleaner over to him so that he could wash out his brush. He absent-mindedly used the cloth to clean the brush while staring at the canvas on his easel. He was nearly finished with the piece. It was his third commission since the big showing at the gallery after his graduation from the University. He was not quite satisfied. Ever since he completed his first commissioned piece for Mr. Chambers of New York City, he had been more critical of his own work. The piece for Mr. Chambers had been so easy for him. There was something about the woman in the photo that made Justin feel good. She was quite beautiful, but it was more than that. She had the kindest face and he enjoyed every minute of the time he spent drawing her. Nothing had come close to the satisfaction he felt when creating her painting, except those times he would take off from his real work to indulge in his favorite pastime of drawing his beloved Brian. It concerned Justin just a little. He was far too new at this to be burned out already. He hoped that he would become inspired again, and soon.

It was at that moment that Brian came into the garden studio with a cablegram in his hand. He walked over to where Justin was standing and peered over the young man's shoulder. The painting was beautifully sketched out, but the colors were not as vibrant as Justin usually produced. He frowned slightly and then leaned forward to kiss his lover on the cheek.

"Are you having painter's block this time around, Sunshine?"

Justin put the brush down and turned to place his paint splattered fingers on Brian's cheeks. He pulled the taller man's face down to his and gave Brian a loving kiss. When Brian stood erect, Justin could see tiny paint marks on his lover's cheeks. He laughed out loud.

"Well Brian, if I'm not inspired to paint canvases anymore I can always go into the body painting business."

Brian felt his cheek and pulled Justin close to him. Justin pulled back a little. 

"Brian, look out. You'll get paint all over your new suit."

"What's a little paint between two friends," he laughed. 

Brian began kissing Justin in earnest. His mouth engulfed Justin's and he took possession, allowing no more protests. Quickly, Justin had no desire to protest as he fell under that familiar spell that Brian always weaved around him whenever they joined bodies. The kisses continued to deepen and before long Justin could feel Brian's fingers slipping under the loose shirt he wore. Brian's fingers searched out the small buds of Justin's nipples and began rolling them until he could feel them harden. Justin reached for Brian's pants and loosened them so that they began to slide down over his hips. Brian quickly lowered his hands and made Justin's pants join his at the floor of the studio. The couple began inching their way backward while still in a firm embrace until Brian could feel the ottoman he had provided for Justin in the studio at the back of his legs. 

Brian fell back onto the thickly cushioned ottoman while pulling Justin down on top of him. Their kisses deepened even more and in no time the men were sporting raging hard-ons. They were too horny for each other this time around to need any foreplay. Brian laid back onto the length of the ottoman and waited for Justin to climb aboard. Justin spread his legs and straddled Brian's body. He climbed up until he was straddling Brian's waist. He leaned over and continued to probe Brian's mouth with his tongue. The older man was in agony. If his cock didn't find its way home in seconds, it would explode. Justin finally took pity and sat up on his knees. He quickly spit into his hand and reached back to prepare his entrance. Brian took a firm hold of his cock and teased at Justin's hole, lubricating it further with his pre-come. When the stage was set for the main show, Justin perched himself carefully and then fell back onto Brian's shaft.

Brian let out a satisfied 'oomph' as Justin came down hard all the way to the hilt. The two men paused to savor the moment and the warmth they had just brought to each other. Slowly Justin began rocking his hips back and forth and side to side. The fire that flamed so rapidly between the lovers whenever they touched began to build into an inferno one movement after another. Brian could feel his senses reeling so quickly and Justin let out a tiny yelp each time Brian hit the magic spot inside. Much too quickly, the air was filled with the heat that poured from their bodies, and they groaned out one last sound of animal passion that came from deep within them as they reached their mutual climaxes. 

Justin lay out on Brian's body and waited for their heartbeats to slow to a normal pace. Once that happened, he slid off of Brian and lay beside his lover. When he felt he could finally talk he turned to Brian and propped himself up on his elbow.

"So, Mr. Kinney, did you just come to ravage me or did you have something to tell me?"

Brian stuck his tongue out. "Who ravaged who?" he inquired.

Justin leaned over and gave Brian another warm kiss. Brian pulled back and smiled happily into the blond's beautiful face. Suddenly he snapped his fingers. 

"Oh shit! I did come in here for a reason...and no, not that," he told Justin when he saw the young man looking down at his flaccid cock. "I got a cablegram from one of my old customers. Well, it is more accurate to say one of yours and my customers. Do you remember Mark Chambers, the man who commissioned the wedding gift?" Justin nodded his head. "Well Mr. Chambers is coming back and bringing his bride with him. Apparently she loved your work and would like to meet the artist in person. So what do you think? Who knows, maybe you'll get another commission out of the deal. But it is up to you, of course."

Justin felt a momentary fluttering in his chest that had nothing to do with the afterglow of sex with Brian. For some reason Justin felt nervous and yet excited about the prospect of meeting Mr. Chambers again. The thought was a little unnerving but not enough to make Justin reluctant to accommodate the wealthy patron. He nodded his head at Brian.

"Tell Mr. Chambers that I welcome the chance to see him again."

"Are you sure?" Justin nodded again.

"Okay, Sunshine. I'll cable him in the morning. Now you'd better get changed. It's nearly dinner time and I promised Debbie we'd come to the hotel to eat tonight."

Brian slapped Justin's ass gently as he rose up and gathered his pants from the foot of the ottoman. As Brian walked away, Justin lay on the ottoman naked from the waist down and tried to figure out why he was having butterflies dancing in his stomach. He finally decided he was simply hungry and quickly rose to go get dressed. He pulled his pants back on and made haste to follow in Brian's footsteps.

To be continued................................

Jennifer wasn't really sure why she was feeling so edgy. Everything about her honeymoon with Mark had been a dream come true so far and there was no reason to believe that would change. She already realized that she had lucked out more than anyone she had ever known before on the day she began chatting with the handsome stranger at the Museum. Mark was everything that Craig had not been. He always put her first. Everything they did on their honeymoon was geared towards pleasing her. The man simply did not have a selfish or self-centered bone in his body. Even their visit to Cairo was for her benefit. He knew the city had special meaning for her...even though painful, they were important to her. She had explained to him early on that she felt still connected to her missing son whenever she was in the city. 

The honeymooners had already visited many European capitals, but Cairo would be their last stop. Jennifer was most eager to meet the artist who had painted her portrait with nothing more than a photograph to guide him. The painting had haunted her from the moment she saw it over the mantelpiece in her new home. It had taken her a while to figure out why she was so drawn to it. It was actually the act of moving her possessions into the new home that jarred her memory. She had been unpacking some boxes from a room in her old house that contained the childhood memories of her son and daughter. One of the boxes was filled with old sketchpads that Justin had been using since he first picked up a crayon as a very young child. As he grew older his sketches had improved, naturally, but even the most recent ones that he had drawn in his teens were still a little unfocused. As she glanced over her son's youthful works of art, she saw that there were similarities in the style of the artist who had painted her portrait.

Even though Mark had informed Jennifer that the artist held the same first name as her son, he also let her know that the young man was the nephew of one of his business associates. The man's name was Brian Kinney and Jennifer was well aware that there were no Kinney's in their family tree. The artist, therefore, could not be her son. Mr. Kinney obviously knew his own nephew. The fluttering in her heart lessened as she reasoned with herself and threw out the brief ray of hope her observations had brought her. Despite the rationale of her thinking, she still looked forward to meeting the artist. Now the time had finally arrived and she sat in the parlor of Mr. Kinney with Mark beside her while waiting for the young man to arrive.

************************************************

Brian was feeling slightly embarrassed. Justin was always punctual when it came to business. It was hard to get him awake in the morning, but otherwise he never kept someone waiting on him. He was well aware that Mr. and Mrs. Chambers were expecting to visit with him. Mr. Chambers had even hinted at another commission piece for his step-daughter's upcoming birthday. He had mentioned in a cable that the girl was wildly in love with his stable of horses and thought that a painting of the fine Arabian steeds that Egypt boasted would make a wonderful gift for the girl's room. He had already paid a very healthy sum for his wife's painting and Brian wanted to see Justin earn an ample income that he could put away for his own use in the future. In this way, Justin would have security in case something happened to Brian. Making the Chambers wait was not a good business move.

Just as Brian was reaching the point of exasperation, he heard the heavy front door open loudly. He quickly excused himself and hurried to the front entry. Justin stood at the door with a sheepish look on his dusty face. There was dirt and dust all over his clothing too. Brian rushed over to him and began checking for broken bones. 

"What the hell happened, Sunshine? You look like you were caught in a dust storm. Are you alright?"

"It's nothing Brian....really. Relax. I'm okay. We just had a little problem with the car. It broke down half way here from the city. Apparently something caused a hole in the radiator and the car started steaming. The driver was blinded by the steam when he bent over to loosen the cap. I had to trudge a couple of miles down the road to finally find someone who would help us. They took the driver to the hospital and then gave me a ride here. They'll pick up the car and get it repaired. Thank heavens you hired a car and driver and it wasn't your car that was damaged."

"You idiot! I don't care about the damned car. I'm just glad you're alright." 

Brian had finished his exam of his lover and was now able to relax. He kicked himself for being irritated with Justin in the first place. He should have known the lad would have a good reason for being so late. He leaned in and placed a relieved kiss softly on Justin's lips. Just then, he remembered why he had been waiting so anxiously for Justin.

"Shit," he muttered. "I almost forgot. The Chambers are here and have been waiting for you."

"Oh damn, Brian! I can't greet them like this. Will you please make my excuses and I'll freshen up quickly. Hopefully they won't mind waiting just a tiny bit longer."

"Don't worry. Mrs. Chambers seems to be a delightful lady. I'll use my Kinney charm on her. I'm sure they'll wait. Now scoot. Make yourself presentable." 

Brian turned Justin around and aimed him for the garden door. He swatted that lovely rear he enjoyed so much and watched Justin hurry off. Brian took a deep breath and went to rejoin his guests. Both sets of eyes locked on him as he re-entered the parlor.

"Is everything alright, Mr. Kinney?" asked Jennifer.

"Yes, oh yes. We just had a slight problem with our car service. It seems the vehicle broke down on the way home and that is what caused the delay. You know how these newfangled things can be. I'm sure they'll get stronger and safer to drive in the coming years, but right now they can be a bother. I am so sorry for the long delay but my nephew became a bit disheveled thanks to the problem and he wanted to make himself a little more presentable. I do hope you will be just a little more patient and let him freshen up first before joining us." Brian offered his most winning smile.

"Of course we don't mind waiting, do we my dear?" Mark asked his wife.

"Of course not. We've come a long way to meet your young artist. A little wait will not deter us."

Brian was grateful for the understanding of the couple. He called for Ahmose to offer them some more of the excellent tea that his cook had prepared, along with bits of honeyed cakes. The threesome spent another fifteen minutes enjoying their conversation until they could hear the sound of the young man's shoes tapping on the tiled flooring in the hall leading to the parlor. All three of them stood up. Justin walked into the parlor, looking clean and as handsome as ever.

Justin's eyes met Brian's. He smiled and then turned to the guests. The cup of tea that Jennifer was holding as she rose from her stuffed chair could be heard loudly as it hit the floor and shattered into tiny pieces. All the color seemed to drain in an instant from her face and she let out the tiniest whimper as her body began to sway. As if in slow motion, she began to slide to the floor. Her husband rushed to her side, barely hearing the young man when he screamed...'Mama'! As Mark grabbed for his fainting wife, he felt another's hands also reaching out to hold her. He looked into the young man's face and the two men held onto Jennifer as they half carried, half walked her to the long divan in the room. 

Once Jennifer was laid out safely on the divan, the three men were suddenly free to realize what had just happened. Mark got down on his knee and caressed his wife's cold hand, trying to bring her back to her senses. She was out like a candle in a breeze. Justin looked over at Brian, both confusion and knowledge written all over his face. Tears were forming and he began shaking like an old man with palsy. Brian was thunderstruck, but he didn't have time to sort anything out. All he knew was that Justin was in pain. He rushed to his lovers side and wrapped his arms around the slender form that couldn't seem to stop its quaking. He whispered, 'shhhhh', over and over into Justin's ear. Justin stumbled and Brian kept him from falling, holding him tightly to his body. He prayed his warmth would ease the chill he felt in Justin. 

Brian led Justin carefully over to the divan that stood across from where Jennifer lay, still unconscious. As he helped Justin to settle against the back of the divan, Brian could hear soft moaning coming from his guest. It was a good sign that she was slowly reviving. Without warning, it clearly dawned in Brian's mind what Justin had shouted out as Mark's wife fainted. Could he have heard Justin correctly? Did he really call out 'Mama'? The questions began to collide in Brian's brain. He would have gone mad asking the questions to himself if he hadn't heard a strangled sob from Justin.

"I...I...remember her...Brian...oh God...I know her."

Before Brian could respond, Justin suddenly jerked forward and stared at the figure of the lady across from him. She was regaining her senses ever so slowly while her husband hovered over her with distress etched in his furrowed brow. Justin turned to stare at Brian. Brian could clearly see the tears tracking down Justin's cheeks. Justin grabbed Brian by the shoulders and almost shook him as he fervently spoke again.

"Do you hear me? I know her! She's my Mother, Brian! I know she is!"

Justin again tore his eyes from Brian and looked at Jennifer. He turned back to Brian.

"I've got to talk to her! She has all the answers to who I am! Help me!"

Brian saw the fear and hope fighting for the upper hand in Justin's pale blue eyes. He wanted more than anything to spare Justin the pain he was feeling, but he sensed that his young lover also needed the answers that he had been professing he didn't care about anymore. Brian could now see that Justin had always longed for some answers to his past in the deepest part of him. It now looked like those answers were going to come. Brian settled Justin back along the cushion and instructed him.

"Wait here," he ordered.

Justin did as he was told. He was still in a state of shock and memories kept bouncing around in his head, making him dizzy and unable to focus. Brian's calm voice helped a little, and he was content to let Brian take charge. Once Brian could see that Justin was calmer, he turned his attention to the couple across the room. He hurried over to their side.

"Mark, how is your wife?" 

He could see for himself that she was steadily regaining her senses. Mark had helped her to sit up against the end cushions. Brian went to the stand where fine bottles of liquor and glasses were set up. He quickly poured a finger of brandy into a snifter and brought it over to his guests. Mark gratefully accepted the drink and gently helped his wife sip some of the strong liquid. She coughed a few times and then seemed to settle. Suddenly she began sobbing. Mark immediately wrapped his strong arms around her. She buried her head in his shoulder. Both men waited for the sobs to slowly subside. It took some time, but Jennifer was finally down to a few hiccuping sniffles. Justin remained quiet on his side of the room, taking in all the activity that was happening. He was torn. A part of him wanted to run to his Mom and comfort her, but a big part of him was afraid to even come close to her. 

Justin was beginning to remember his life bit by bit with his beloved mother, but he still could not think of why he became separated from her or how or when. He waited for her to become calm enough to speak to him. He had so many questions to ask. They crowded his brain, along with the memories that just kept coming like a torrential rain. His head throbbed with the effort of thinking and wondering. At this very moment he wished he was anywhere but here. He wished he was lying peacefully in his bed with Brian snoring quietly next to him. He wished he was in a tent in the desert with Brian lying between his legs making love to him. He wished....but the damned images of Brian loving him and his mother loving him became jumbled up together. His brain hurt even more. Suddenly, Justin knew he couldn't take it anymore. He jumped to his feet.

"Brian," he almost shouted. "I have to do something. I'll be back."

Before Brian could answer, Justin had turned on his heel and headed for the hallway leading to their garden. Brian's first instinct was to follow Justin, but something told him to wait. Somehow he knew that Justin needed to be alone for a little bit. He had to take care of his guests first. There were so many questions that needed to be asked and answers that needed to be given...on both sides. The night was still young. Time enough, once every one had found their footing again. As Brian watched Mark working to bring his wife back to her normal state, Brian momentarily wondered how Justin's discovery of his missing family...if they truly were that...would affect his life with the beautiful artist that he had come to love more than his own life. But that too would have to wait for answers.

To be continued.....................    

Brian was impressed by the gentle way his client was treating his new bride in her hour of need. Mrs. Chambers was slowly coming around after her sudden fainting spell, and Mr. Chambers was carefully giving her sips of Brandy to help her find her bearings. Once it was clear that his wife would be alright, Mark turned to Brian for the first time with a questioning look. He wasn't at all sure what had just happened and he was desperate for someone to explain. Brian, who certainly did not actually know all the answers, did have an inkling about what had just transpired. He was torn as to whether it was going to be good news or bad news once everything was sorted out. Jennifer was finally able to speak after several long minutes passed.

"Oh my darling, what happened to me. I don't unders....,"

She suddenly stopped dead. Her words faded out in the air and she looked at her host with that same confused look her husband had just given Brian, only this time the look was slowly forming into a knowledge that was even more confusing to the woman. Like a blinding bolt of lightning, she again saw her long lost son standing in front of her. The image flashed inside her mind and she began to tremble against her husband's protective shoulder.

"Mr. Kinney," she managed at last to squeak out, "you must forgive me. I don't know why, but your young nephew looked so much like my son that I'm afraid I felt faint. You must understand that I'm not prone to such behavior, but my son disappeared right here in this Country almost five years ago and I was told he had died. I never expected to see him again and then your nephew is the spitting image of my Justin, or at least that's what I thought I saw. I'm sure it was just wishful thinking on my part, and I really must apologize for my behavior."

She looked around the room as if searching for answers from the walls or furniture or anything.

"Is your nephew still here. I must apologize to him too. I'm sure I'll see the differences in them if I meet him again, more prepared than I was the first time. I hope I didn't scare him away for good."

Brian was more confused than ever. In his heart he sensed that his Justin was also her long lost Justin, but obviously she had decided it was only her overactive imagination. For a moment Brian considered letting her continue to think that way and go along with her notion that Justin had been scared away by her reaction to seeing him. Brian let the thought roll around in his brain, but his heart knew he couldn't do that. Justin's reaction made it clear that he still had a connection to his mother. He couldn't deny Justin the chance to learn about his family. He had the feeling Justin would agree to do whatever Brian thought was best, but he wanted Justin to make the decision for himself. He owed the young man that much for giving him so much love and trust all these years. Brian moved a large chair over to the divan where Jennifer sat next to her husband. He took her cold hands in his and spoke as kindly as he could.

"Mrs. Chambers...Jennifer...I have something important to tell you, or rather to explain to you. But you must remain calm and hear me out before you interrupt or say anything. Do I have your word?"

Jennifer looked into Brian's eyes and felt oddly safe with him. She nodded her agreement. There was a tightness in her chest, as if she knew what was coming. Brian proceeded with his tale...one that he and Justin had worked out together a long time ago when they considered the possibility of something just like this happening. They knew that they might have to explain away why Brian called Justin his nephew and they wanted to avoid mentioning the slave auction, which could be very harmful to their society of Egyptian friends and others who would not take kindly to the subject coming up. Brian cleared his throat, focused, and began his tale.

"To begin, I must tell you that I have little doubt that Justin is actually your son..."

He paused to see if there would be a reaction. Jennifer was true to her word and remained calm although her eyes widened perceptibly and a light seemed to turn on inside her. Brian continued.

"The truth is that he is not my nephew. We have produced that identity for him in order to protect him. You see, I found Justin in the desert over five years ago. I was returning alone by camel from annual races they put on in the desert. I spotted something at some distance away crumpled up near a sand dune. Luckily I decided to check it out even though I did not recognize it as a human being. As I got closer I did see that it was a young man. He was unconscious and badly wounded...barely alive actually."

Jennifer gasped, but held her tongue. Brian moved on with the concocted story.

"He had no identification on him other than a pocket watch that carried the name, Justin. That is why we call him by that name. Anyway, I gathered him up and returned to my car. I thought about taking him to a hospital or the police, but I had no way of knowing who he was, or how he had ended up in his predicament. I decided I needed to talk to him first before revealing his discovery, so I took him home and called my personal physician who is the best in the city. The doctor told me he had a concussion in addition to cuts and bruises."

"It took two days for Justin to regain consciousness and then we discovered that he had absolutely no recollection of who he was or any of his past, including how he had been hurt or by whom. He was in no shape to move around so I decided to make discreet inquiries on whether there had been a missing young man who was of foreign blood. I was fairly certain he wasn't an Egyptian citizen...one, because he didn't understand the language and two, for obvious reasons. He spoke English fluently so I assumed he was from an English speaking nation. I have a number of close friends in high places, and when I told them of Justin's situation they advised me to not say anything until he could remember some information. They warned that there could be problems with his not having a passport or any knowledge of what he was doing in this Country. I took that to heart."

"It took Justin several weeks to be completely recovered and we kept hoping he would regain his memories, but nothing ever happened. To this very day he has not had any cognizant memories, although I can tell you that he has longed to know something of his past. I've spent the last five years making subtle inquiries in hopes that something would turn up to solve the mystery but to no avail. When I saw how artistically talented he was, I offered him a job as my assistant. To explain his living with me, we decided to tell the world that he was a nephew that I was mentoring. Luckily, it was never questioned. I sent him to college for training as an artist and he has done very well for himself."

Brian paused. "Do you have any questions? I will be happy to answer anything I can for you."

Poor Jennifer had more questions running through her brain than she could handle. Where to begin, she asked herself. Finally she mustered up the strength to ask what was foremost on her mind.

"Please tell me, Mr. Kinney, did Justin recognize me the way I did him when he saw me standing in front of him?"

"Yes," he answered simply, remembering how Justin had called out for her as she fainted away. "You had already fainted but when he saw you falling he called out 'Mama'. It caught us off guard, but once we knew you were going to be alright, I questioned Justin. He told me that he could remember you and he had no doubt you were his mother. He still doesn't remember much, but he is starting to. It was all a little overwhelming for him so he went to his room for a bit to gather himself. I can assure you that he wants to talk to you very badly. He just needed to compose himself first. If you will excuse me, I'll go and check on him right now."

Jennifer looked at Brian with pleading eyes. She held tight to her husband's hand and leaned in closer to his comforting embrace.

"Yes, of course we'll excuse you," she answered. "Please tell him that I love him and I'll wait for however long it takes for him to be ready to talk to me." She stopped Brian as he turned to leave. "And Mr. Kinney,...." Brian turned back. "...thank you for saving my son. I am eternally in your debt."

Brian gave Jennifer a warm smile and nodded his acceptance of her gratitude, then hurried away. A part of him was also anxious to hear the story behind Justin's capture and eventual appearance on the slave market...or at least what had happened leading up to that point. Another part of him dreaded the thought of Justin being so happy to have his old life back that he would no longer want to remain with his lover. For all he knew, Justin would not even want his family to know that he was the kind of man who would even want to be with another man. Brian knew countless men, including his friend Prince Ahmad, who led double lives and professed to be heterosexual men in public while living a different life behind private doors. He wondered if Justin would choose to return to America and live that same kind of double life, or even worse...deny who he was and marry some pretty girl for the family's sake. He couldn't bear that thought. He knew it would not bring Justin happiness. Justin already detested having to keep their relationship secret in public now and only did so because of the laws of the land.

Brian hurried to his room where he knew Justin would be waiting. When he stepped through the door he could see Justin sitting on their bed with his head down between his hands. His posture showed the pain he was in. It hurt Brian to the core. He moved quietly towards Justin and sat down next to the smaller man. Justin turned and threw his arms around Brian's middle, hugging the older man tightly to him. Brian could hear small sniffles coming from the buried head. He waited for Justin to gather himself together. After some minutes, Justin pulled away and looked up at Brian with eyes full of pain.

"She is my mother, isn't she Brian?"

"Yes, Justin, I believe she probably is. I think you already know that. She told me to tell you that she loves you. I...I believe her Justin. She didn't tell me your story yet, but I could see her gratitude that I had saved your life in the desert. I told her the story we had worked out before and I can see that she has accepted it. I'm sure there will be more questions later, but right now she is just grateful that her son is still alive. You have to talk to her yourself, you know that."

"I know," Justin replied weakly. "I'm afraid of what she'll tell me. I know that sounds stupid, but I still can't remember anything specific. I'm beginning to picture the home I lived in and my parents, and...oh God, Brian. I had a father. I can picture him. What happened to him? Did he disappear here too? I need to know everything, but I'm scared to know it too. What if I hate the answers?"

"Justin, stop! You've always had more guts than anyone I've ever known. You're perfectly capable of handling anything that life throws at you. I saw the courage in you the first day I spotted you on that auction block. I have faith in you. You are going out there and you're going to get some answers to all the blank spots of your life. You'll convince them that the story I told was true and then you'll worry about what happens next when the time comes to deal with that. In the meantime, I'm going to get the servants to quickly move some of your things into the spare room next door so that they can see 'your' room. Do you agree to that?"

Justin stood up and grabbed Brian's hands.

"I'll do whatever you say Brian, but I need you with me. Please don't leave me alone...not yet. And Brian, I'm not leaving with them...not tonight, not ever. I won't leave you."

Justin leaned over and placed a kiss on Brian's mouth. Brian pulled him into the circle of his arms and kissed Justin as if it was the last time he would ever taste those lips. His heart was thudding with fear, but Justin's last words rang in his ears. He prayed, something he was not prone to do normally, that Justin's words were prophetic. He knew it would destroy his happiness if Justin changed his mind and did leave with his old family. He reluctantly released Justin and the men moved together to the door leading into their garden. As they walked arm in arm through the garden, they each flashed onto the memories of all the days and nights that they sat or strolled through this very place...their refuge from the outside world. They also remembered all the times that they made love in this garden. Neither man wanted those memories to be their last together as they parted when they reached the door leading into the main part of the house and their waiting guests.

To be continued...........................

The stress of having to face his mother for the first time in years and re-learn so many things about himself had been much harder to deal with than Justin had expected. He was certain he never would have gotten through the whole ordeal if it hadn't been for Brian's reassuring presence. If Brian was disturbed by anything that was revealed, his face certainly didn't show it. He remained calm and passive during the entire time that Jennifer and Justin sat together and talked, as if they were two old friends who had just rediscovered each other after years apart. Brian sat with Mark Chambers, slightly apart from mother and son, and observed their interchange of information as if it had no real significance to his own life. No one would have known that he was shaking inside with fear that Justin would feel compelled to return to his old life.

Jennifer and Justin talked for what seemed hours. After a while, Brian felt his stomach grumbling. He had been so fixated on what was going on with Justin that he hadn't noticed the time at all. He suddenly realized that it was the dinner hour. He had already informed Ahmose that they didn't wish to be disturbed, but it was obvious that mother and son had much more to talk about. Brian finally decided it was time to step in and interrupt the flow of conversation. He excused himself to Mr. Chambers and approached the couple.

"Ahem," he began. "I'm sorry to interrupt you two but it is getting rather late and I thought you might be hungry. My cook is really quite excellent and I would be honored if you would join us...me for dinner tonight. I have no doubt the meal is already prepared."

Jennifer glanced at her husband with a question in her eyes. He briefly nodded his assent. She turned back to her host. Before she could reply, Justin spoke up.

"Honestly Mom, Cook is so skilled. She can prepare a feast that will melt your heart. We can talk more after we eat. I have so many more questions. I can vaguely picture a younger sister, but I can't really remember too much about her...well at least not yet. Maybe if you tell me some more about her, the memories will grow stronger."

Jennifer's heart beat more rapidly when she heard her beloved son call her Mom. She had forced herself to accept that she would never hear that from anyone but Molly ever again, despite the pain it caused, and now the word sounded like music to her ears coming from Justin. The best part was how easily he said it. She hurried to answer her host.

"Yes, Mr. Kinney, I...we would be honored to sit down to dinner with you...and with Justin. Thank you so much for asking us."

"My pleasure Mrs. Chambers. And please do call me Brian."

"I certainly will...Brian, if you'll call me Jennifer."

"Jennifer it is," Brian returned.

Brian rang for Ahmose and the foursome were soon sitting at the ornate dinner table in Brian's dining room and enjoying a splendid repast of meats and pureed peas and beans stuffed in grape leaves, fresh fish with a currant sauce, and warm flat bread with spiced butter. By the time the dessert of poached fruits with candied honeycombs was served everyone felt much more comfortable with each other. The conversation flowed naturally, with an emphasis on the Egyptian nation and its progress in the twentieth century and its splendor from the past. Eventually the conversation turned to some of the exciting things that Justin had seen and experienced thanks to Brian's generosity. Jennifer felt her heart overflowing with gratitude to her son's benefactor even more than before. She could clearly see the affection her son felt for Brian and the equal of it that Brian felt for her son. She had always known that Justin had great potential but Brian's providing of an education had brought out all the talent that Justin possessed. She would never be able to repay Brian for that.

After dinner, the two couples retired back to the living room and mother and son continued talking about the past. A couple more hours sped by before exhaustion began to set in. Brian waited for the moment when he sensed a lag in their exchanges and suggested that everyone take a break and get some rest. Mark, who had been chatting off and on with Brian about world events and their businesses while carefully avoiding the topic of Jennifer and Justin, gratefully agreed that a good night's sleep would be refreshing. Brian invited the Chambers to return to the house for a luncheon in the garden. Justin quickly added that it was a favorite place to enjoy a relaxing meal, something he and Brian did often (making no mention of how some of those lunches had ended in the past). Justin also suggested that his mom might enjoy a tour through his private studio that Brian had set up in the garden. Jennifer happily agreed.

Brian and Justin walked the couple to their rented car. Before stepping into the vehicle, Jennifer gave Brian a thankful kiss for all he had done for her son. She turned to Justin and waited to see if he would hug her as he did so often in the years before. He didn't hesitate. Justin put his arms around his mom and gave her a loving squeeze. They kissed each other softly on the cheek. Mark shook both men's hands and got behind the steering wheel. Jennifer announced that they were staying at the Liberty Hotel, a favorite for Americans, and that they would not be leaving for at least two weeks. Brian gave a short laugh and then explained that they were quite familiar with the Hotel since they had friends who worked there. No mention was made of the special night he had spent there with Justin after the young man's graduation. Brian and Justin waited until the car had departed through the gates and disappeared from sight, then turned into each others arms. It had been miserable for them to avoid touching for so long in their very own home.

They walked back into the house arm in arm, stopping only long enough to request from the ever present Ahmose that evening cocktails be brought to their room. They stepped into their garden and walked across to their bedroom. It felt oddly empty with no sign of Justin's things laying about. Brian hurried in to the bathroom and began running water in their sunken tub. By the time it was filled and oils had been added to the steamy water, the knock on their heavy door signaled that the drinks had arrived. Justin accepted the tray with thanks and added an extra mention of gratitude for the thorough job of transferring his things to the guest bedroom. Ahmose accepted the praise and bid the couple good night.

Justin joined Brian in the bathtub. The men were dead tired. It had been tremendously tiring for Justin to absorb all the new information about who he was. Brian hadn't fared any better from the tension he felt under. Brian didn't like prevaricating, especially in his own domain, but he knew it was necessary. It didn't make it any easier. Justin could feel the knotted muscles in Brian's neck when he wrapped his arms around his lover as they sat face to face on the built in bench. He gently turned Brian around and began to massage the man's neck, shoulders, and back. His hands, which had a great deal of strength in them despite their delicate nature, began kneading each muscle group. He loved the wet, silken feel of the water on Brian's skin.

Justin continued his muscle and skin manipulations until he could finally feel Brian's upper body relaxing. Brian finally leaned back and rested his head on Justin's collarbone. Justin's hands snaked around to the front of Brian's body. He used his nimble fingers to begin massaging Brian's chest. He ran his palms all along the older man's chest, stopping when he encountered the buds of Brian's nipples. He pinched the flat skin between his fingers until he heard short gasps from Brian and could feel the buds blooming. Once they stood erect, Justin used his palms to slowly massage each nipple, causing a fluttering in Brian's stomach.

Justin sat back further so that he could reach even lower from behind. His hands traveled lazily down Brian's abs to his belly button. He swirled the warm scented water in and out of the naval, as if diving for treasure. His hands traveled further south. Soon he could feel the curly hair of Brian's pubes. He held onto Brian's chest with one hand while using the other to twirl the curly hairs between his fingers. By this time, Brian was fully relaxed, but his magnificent cock was far from the same state. It was rigid with tension and brushed against Justin's fingers as they played with the hairs. Justin could hear the throaty sighs that poured from Brian every few minutes. The sound was like music to his ears. He reveled in the noises he could bring out of Brian, as he knew Brian enjoyed doing for him.

Justin began placing little kisses and tiny nips to Brian's throat when the brunet turned to seek out Justin's mouth. He desperately needed to feel the man's lips on his. Justin moved quickly to Brian's mouth. They locked in for a deep kiss despite the awkward positioning. It didn't deter their passion for each other as it built higher and higher. Their tongues danced with each other. Justin's hand had moved from Brian's pubes to his slick hard on. The oiled water made it easy to stroke Brian over and over. The tongues danced more feverishly...the lips crushed each other...the hand stroked more rapidly...the other hand palmed the nipple more firmly. Brian's body began to twitch as if in the throes of a seizure. He moaned deep into Justin's throat and released his orgasm into the perfumed water with an uncontrollable force.

Justin took pity on his depleted lover and began stroking gently, easing off with his movements as he felt Brian's entire body yielding to the relief from pent up emotions released. Brian turned around to face Justin. He pulled the young man into his arms and placed his lips against Justin's ear.

"I love you Justin. I want you to know, no matter what...I love you."

Justin's heart skipped a beat. He felt a stinging behind his eyes. He never doubted Brian's feelings and he had heard those words before from his lover, but there was something different in the tone this time. It was made to sound like a declaration before God. He could feel the intensity and sincerity behind the words and it warmed him in every fiber of his being. He pulled back and placed his hands lovingly on Brian's face. He couldn't speak at first, his heart overwhelming his tongue. He gave himself a mental shake and poured his heart into his next words.

"I know you do Brian, but not one ounce more than I love you. Never doubt me...I beg you. I love my family. I can remember the love so clearly now. But that love is nothing compared to what I feel for you. You are my heart, my soul Brian. It has nothing to do with gratitude for saving me. If someone else had done the same thing, I wouldn't have felt the same way about them. I know that with every thing in me. It has to do with you as a man. You are the other half of me. I don't know what miracle brought us to the same place at the same time and I don't care. I'm just eternally grateful that whatever fate there is did do the right thing for us both. Now I've said enough. Shut me up the way th....."

He got no further. Brian grabbed onto Justin and pulled him in for a searing kiss that sealed the unspoken commitment between the lovers once and for all. They finished their baths, stepped out, rubbed each other down, walked naked into their bedroom, drank a toast to each other, and settled down together on their welcoming bed. Before falling asleep, Brian drank his fill of Justin's sweet life juices after bringing his lover to a heady orgasm of his own. They shared a last embrace before falling asleep in each others arms as they had so many times before. On this night, there were no scary dreams of hidden monsters or forced separations. They dreamed of what they lived...a life as lovers entwined together forever. Somewhere deep inside they knew they would have to resolve Justin's future in a way that was fair to all, but for tonight no one else existed but one another. It was as it should be.

To be continued.................................

It had been a tough couple of weeks for Brian and Justin to get through, not to mention the stress that Jennifer and Mark Chambers were feeling. Everyone knew that the pleasantries hid the fact that some tough decisions would soon have to be made. There had been daily meetings for the two couples, sometimes with Brian and Mark excusing themselves from the conversations...sometimes not. When Jennifer began talking about the eighteen years that Justin was a part of her family before his disappearance the conversation flowed liked melted butter. It was a pleasure for her to remind Justin of the many happy times they had spent as a family when even Craig seemed content with his little group. She made it a point to avoid those times when her husband had been less than thrilled with his son's behavior, such as his fascination with all things artistic. That fact hadn't suited his vision of what his son would become. Rather, she concentrated on the many vacations they took together and how much Justin loved seeing new places, people, and cultures.

Little by little Justin was piecing together a past he had lost years before. Some memories seemed to pop into his brain as if by magic....fully formed and vivid. Others only came to him with much concentration on what his mother was telling him. Some memories still eluded him. Many of those involved his own father. For some reason the man's face and character wouldn't gel inside his mind. Jennifer no longer carried a photo of Craig, but she assured Justin that there were a number of them back home. Once Justin came back with her he would probably recognize his father without any trouble. When his mom mentioned going back home, Justin's heart sank. He knew she was expecting him to return with her right away even though it hadn't been spoken of out loud.

There were many occasions when Brian and Mark joined in the conversation between mother and son. Those times were quite pleasant since they seldom brought up the past during those exchanges. The conversations would revolve around the things that Brian and Justin had done and the places they had visited during the previous five years. Mark and Jennifer would talk about their courtship and marriage and the family they had formed with young Molly. It was obvious that the married couple shared a great deal of love and respect for each other. To the knowledgeable eye it would have also been obvious that that same devotion and love existed between Brian and Justin. To Jennifer's eye she simply saw the respect and admiration the two men shared. Mark, who was more a man of the world and had lived longer, saw something else. He was loathe to speculate, but there was definitely something going on between his newly found step-son and his benefactor. He began questioning himself as to whether he should say anything about his suspicions to his wife, but decided it was unnecessary to bring up something that he had no proof of anyway. The joy in his wife's face was too beautiful to witness for Mark to want to say anything to distress her.

Things probably would have continued on as they had but for one perfectly innocent encounter only a couple of days before Jennifer and Mark were scheduled to return home. Brian and Justin had visited the Liberty Hotel a number of times during the previous two weeks and introduced the employees there that were friends. Debbie, in particular, took an immediate liking to Jennifer. She found the fellow American a breath of fresh air with her sweet demeanor and obvious love for her son. Brian had given her the heads up that Jennifer did not know the full nature of his relationship with her son so Debbie uncharacteristically curbed her mouth when chatting with her new friends. There would have been no problem if not for one little slip of the tongue.

Brian and Justin had arrived early that afternoon and planned on waiting for Mark and Jennifer to arrive a couple of hours later. They had intended to simply visit with Debbie and the clan since it was a day off for most of them. A billiards table was set up in the back of the cafe and the men were in the mood for a game of two before the couple arrived. They hadn't even racked the balls when Ted casually mentioned that the suite that Brian had ordered for their special night when Justin graduated was now unoccupied. A light bulb went off over Brian's head. He knew that Justin was getting more and more tense as the time for his mother to leave fast approached. A special hour or two in a place that meant so much to them might help ease the tension a bit. It couldn't hurt that it might also remind Justin of why he should stay in Egypt. With that thought in mind, he apologized to their friends and informed Debbie that he'd be back in time to meet the Chambers. He left and made quick work of securing the room for the night, then returned to the cafe. Brian walked over to where Justin was chatting with a fellow American artist and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Do you have time to relive a golden moment, young man," he inquired coyly of his lover.

Justin looked back at Brian with interest. By now he had become accustomed to Brian's many surprises and adventures. They always turned out to be a lot of fun. He wondered what Brian had in mind this time. Whatever it was, he was certain Brian would make it worth his time to follow him. He bid a hasty good-bye to his friend and turned to join Brian at the entrance to the hotel lobby. Within minutes he had a sense of deja vu as they climbed the stairs to the second floor, and he certainly liked the feeling.

Sure enough, Brian led Justin to that same room they had visited not long before. He could still remember the way that Brian took possession of him that night and how delightfully sore he was afterwards, so much so that he had to sit gingerly on the car seat on the way to the gallery for his grand showing. As Brian opened the door to the familiar room, Justin could already feel his cock rising to the occasion. He wanted nothing more than to have Brian filling him up with his love again as he had done so many times by now. Brian turned to face Justin as he shut the door behind them. He could see Justin's hunger already darkening the blue of his eyes.

Brian stepped up to Justin and wrapped his arms lovingly around the young man's body, pulling him in as close as he could. He could feel Justin's desire for him as it brushed against his thigh. He captured Justin's mouth without a word. Words weren't necessary. They had performed this mating dance so many times over the last years and knew each others needs by heart. Brian sought out Justin's tongue with his own and the two dipped into one another with gusto. Their hands went to work pulling off articles of clothing until they finally stood as nature intended...two hungry men longing to become one with nothing standing between them.

The couple inched their way to the bed and lowered down to it, laying side by side. They continued to kiss and fondle, bringing forth sensations like live wires being touched. Brian's cock throbbed with desperate need. He knew he needed to feel the comforting warmth of Justin's walls surrounding and protecting him. He quietly asked Justin to turn around, which the blond did without hesitation. Brian scooted down and began massaging Justin's perineum and hole with his tongue, helping the muscles to relax. He slowly and methodically inserted his fingers one at a time inside Justin, increasing the young man's relaxation. He felt great pleasure at the soft mewling sounds of contentment coming from Justin. He soon knew that Justin was more than ready for him.

Brian spread saliva over his fully engorged cock and got back in place, wrapping his arms around Justin's body from behind. He reached down and placed his cock at Justin's entrance. Instinctively, Justin pushed back and engulfed the head of Brian's shaft. Brian pulled back just a tad as a playful tease, eliciting a small protest. Brian grinned and pushed forward again, this time embedding himself inside his lover. Justin moaned his pleasure and waited for Brian to commence their practiced rhythm. He didn't have to wait long. Soon the men were in perfect timing as always....Brian thrusting, Justin pushing, Justin's leg rising to cover Brian's, Brian's leg moving back and covering Justin's. Brian's fingers played a loving song as he tapped out a beat along Justin's chest and stomach until they reached the slightly darker blond hairs that framed Justin's beautiful cock. Brian grasping that cock as if it were the most perfect diamond ever found and cradling it in his hand reverently...all the while moving in and out of his sanctuary.

Brian recognized the sounds pouring from Justin and knew that he was on the edge, even without being stroked. Justin's hand flew down and covered Brian's as it held onto him. He began pumping their joined hands up and down his shaft as if giving instructions to a novice. Brian needed no instructions, but he loved the feel of Justin's fingers entwined with his. He gratefully accepted the help and the two men brought Justin's orgasm to fruition, followed closely on the heels of Brian's explosion inside his beloved. It took long minutes for them to ease back to earth from the incredible high they had experienced together.

Brian checked the wall clock in the room after the couple were finally able to breathe normally again. They had been laying closely spooned together for more than an hour without even realizing it. They loved the feel of their heartbeats...Justin's against Brian's palm and Brian's against Justin's back. For a brief time they had once again thrown the rest of the world away and lived only for each other. Slowly Justin accepted that it was time to clean up and get dressed again so that they could re-enter the real world...the one that didn't understand that they belonged together and were one soul. Justin began to feel the recognizable quiver in his stomach when he thought of how he should handle his mother and her desire for him to return home to America with her. He knew he couldn't do it...couldn't leave Brian behind. But how much should he tell his mother? That was what tortured him. He had no way of knowing, wrapped in his lover's arms, that the decision had already been made for him just one floor below where they lay.

*************************************************

Mark and Jennifer were running early. They had finished their last minute shopping for souvenirs sooner than planned. They didn't expect to meet with Justin and Brian for nearly another hour, but Jennifer was anxious to see her son. She and Mark had made subtle inquiries into Justin's old passport and whether it would still be good for use in leaving the Country to return home. She discovered that the passport was still good for ten years after issuance if the person was over sixteen when it was renewed. They had done that for Justin when he turned eighteen so the passport would be valid. Since he had been attending school while in Egypt, they would be able to explain why he had been in the Country for so long. It would not hurt that both Mark and Brian had plenty of strings they could pull to ease his exit without too many problems. Jennifer was excited at the prospect of bringing Justin home and helping him to finish putting the pieces of his past into the puzzle so that he could have the full picture of his old life. She was far too happy to see the hesitancy in her husband.

Mark's suspicions about Brian and Justin had grown ever stronger. He now had the distinct impression that the young man was not as eager to return to America as his wife was. Even though his wife didn't seem to notice, Mark did whenever she started rattling on about Justin's return to the young man himself. Justin seemed to shrink inside himself and grow very quiet. Mark had the sense that Justin didn't want to go any further into the conversation, but didn't want to hurt his mother either. Mark now feared that Jennifer would be hurt. It made him feel exceedingly sad, but he was prepared to do whatever it took to make things better.

The couple arrived at the hotel and walked briskly through the lobby, heading for the cafe. The place was far more crowded than usual. There were so many people standing around waiting for tables that the couple couldn't seem to locate either Justin or the taller Brian. Finally Jennifer spotted the very tall Emmett with his back turned while apparently talking to someone at the long bar in the back of the diner. They already knew that Emmett was a very close friend to Brian and Justin so Jennifer led the way through the throng, trying to cut a path to the bar. She was almost directly behind Emmett when she clearly heard a female voice saying...

"I'm glad Ted told them about the room, Em. Now Brian and Justin can have a second honeymoon just as good as the first, or at least I'm presuming they will."

Emmett responded with, "Oh I hope so. You know they need it. They're both so scared that they'll be separated soon. Justin wants so bad not to hurt his mother. He might feel pressured to leave with her instead of staying with Brian. It would kill them both. Don't you agree?"

By this time, Jennifer had gotten close enough to see that it was Debbie sitting on a stool in front of Emmett. She was also close enough to hear every word they spoke. She stopped dead in her tracks. A vice like grip took hold of her heart and squeezed mercilessly. She suddenly felt faint. She swayed slightly but Mark was right behind her to hold her up. He had heard the revealing words too. Just then Debbie spotted the couple standing only a few feet behind Emmett. She let out a gasp of surprise that caused Emmett to flip around. The looks on their faces made it clear that they knew they had said the wrong thing at the wrong time. Debbie started to stand up when Jennifer turned to Mark.

"Take me to our room, Darling. I...I don't feel well. Please."

Mark took Jennifer's arm and helped to guide her back through the crowd of people. When they reached the hotel lobby they took the stairs to the third floor. Mark pulled out his key and they entered the comfortably furnished room. He helped his wife over to the bed and sat her down. Jennifer looked like she had been knocked down by a car. Her face suddenly crumpled and tears began to flow. Mark held her tightly, waiting for the tears to subside. He had known in his heart that Jennifer would have to know the truth some day, but this was not the way it should have been. He prayed that she would be able to understand the special bond between her son and his lover. Mark had never told anyone, but he had a uncle that he adored while growing up who felt the same way as Brian and Justin. The family had turned their backs on Uncle Phillip when they discovered his secret. Mark never saw him again from the age of sixteen. It had broken Mark's young heart. He would do whatever it took to keep that family pain from invading his new family. Somehow he would help his wife to accept what was the reality of her son's life.

To be continued..................

Brian and Justin had hurried to re-dress themselves after reliving one of the happiest times of their lives in the hotel bedroom. They would have enjoyed cuddling up to each other and basking in the afterglow if they didn't know that Justin's mom would be waiting on them in the hotel cafe. They were both a little edgy, and even though the passionate lovemaking had eased the stress a little it couldn't eliminate it altogether. They were fully aware that time was running out rapidly. Hard decisions had to be made and lived with.

Justin had already made up his mind beyond any doubts that he would not leave Brian. Life without Brian wouldn't be a life worth living. He did want to see his sister again and take a look back on his forgotten past, but he knew that Brian would figure out something wherein they could both travel to America. Only then would he want to return home. Egypt was where he felt like his life had truly begun. As long as he was with Brian he would be content. Brian was extremely grateful. He had made it perfectly clear that the decision to go or stay was entirely in Justin's hands. Brian stated emphatically that he would go along with whatever Justin chose to do. He knew a part of him would die if Justin left, but he made no mention or even hinted at that. He would not be the one to hold Justin back if he wanted to go. When his golden boy made it just as clear that he had no intention of leaving Brian, the older man had to admit that a heavy burden lifted from his spirit.

But now it was time to face the music. Justin looked back into the room they had just shared before he opened the door to the hallway. The bed was in complete disarray as a result of the wild lovemaking that had gone on there just before. Justin smiled up at Brian, who was waiting for the door to be opened. Justin let go of the doorknob and pulled Brian's face down to his so that he could fully express his gratitude for Brian's love one more time.

When he let Brian's lips free at last he asked, "Are you ready? I'm going to tell Mom how I feel tonight."

"Are you sure? You can always wait another day or two. Think it over again and make damned sure it is what you want?"

"I am sure Brian. More sure of this than anything ever before. Do you still want me to stay in your life?"

Brian grabbed Justin back to him. He pressed his lips hard and firm on his young lovers mouth. He stopped and looked Justin squarely in his face.

"Yes," he said simply but with all the deep feelings that lived in his heart.

"Then tonight it is," Justin vowed.

The couple left the room. They had no regrets. They knew they'd be back.

*************************************************

It took less than a minute for Brian and Justin to know that something wasn't right when they arrived in the cafe. It wasn't the fact that Jennifer and her husband were not waiting for them even though they were slightly late now. It was the look on Debbie and Emmett's face that sounded the alarm. The moment they saw the couple enter the cafe, the red head and her companion felt a chill. They didn't know how they were going to tell the boys that their secret was out and that it was their fault, even though innocently so. But there really wasn't time to think about it. Brian and Justin approached them with a question on their faces.

"What's happening Deb, you two look like someone just told you that Michael got married to a girl," Brian half joked, hoping for a derisive laugh from his two friends.

The look on their faces said plainly that the problem was no laughing matter. Butterflies started fluttering madly in Justin's stomach. Something told him that the problem involved himself. Deb's next word confirmed his worst fears.

"Justin, sweetheart, I'm so sorry. It was really careless but totally unintentional."

"What was, Debbie?" Justin asked, his voice rising slightly.

'Your Mom. We had no way of knowing that she and Mark had arrived. There were so many people around and so much noise. We didn't see them until it was too late."

Brian interrupted. "Will you please spit it out," exasperation coloring his tone.

Debbie blurted it all out. The color visibly drained from Justin's face as she recounted exactly what his mother had to have heard and her distressed reaction. He turned to Brian, shaken. This was not what he had hoped for. He really didn't know how he had planned to handle the whole situation, but it certainly wasn't in this manner. Brian put a comforting arm around Justin's shoulder, not caring if the wrong person would spot the affectionate gesture.

"Don't stress about it, Sunshine. I'm telling you now that I've watched Jennifer closely in the last couple of weeks. I haven't a doubt in my mind that she loves you completely. I think you should give her the benefit of the doubt. You don't really have a choice anyway. Do you want me to go with you to talk to her or do you want to go alone? Whatever you want, I'll agree to. It's your decision Justin."

Justin stayed under Brian's protective arm for a few more minutes, then stepped back and squared his shoulders. He wasn't a helpless kid anymore. Brian had helped him to become a man. He would face his mom like the man he was.

"I'll see her alone first Brian. But please don't leave."

"Damn Justin, do you really think I would. I'll be right here if you need me, however long it takes."

Brian gave Justin a reassuring squeeze of his hand. He wanted to kiss away the young man's fears, but they were in public. That would have to wait for privacy. Justin walked out of the cafe and headed for the stairs in the lobby. He walked with determination, making every one of his friends and Brian proud of him as they stared after him...praying that the beautiful artist would not be hurt.

****************************************************

Mark sat beside his wife and watched for her reaction. He had decided to take a risk and explain about his favorite Uncle, Phillip. He spared no details about how the family reacted when the man told them of his great love for another man. She listened intently, only breaking down when Mark came to the end of his story by telling her how his beloved uncle was found months later hanging from a hotel light fixture in New Orleans. He had gone there for a vacation with his lover. The man, a prominent doctor back home, found a note. Phillip had tried once more to contact his parents. They had sent a terse telegram telling him never to darken their doorstep again...that he was dead to them. The note was found crumpled next to the telegram. Jennifer began crying again, but this time her tears were for the lost soul who felt so abandoned without his family's love that he took his own life to fulfill their declaration.

Once her tears had subsided for the second time, she sat back and looked at her wonderful husband. She knew in her heart that she would not have been able to face what she had discovered about her son if it weren't for Mark. Just then, they heard a light tapping on their door. Mark got up and opened it up. Justin stood in the door frame waiting for permission to enter.

"Mom, we need to talk."

"I know Son. Come in."

Mark stayed at the door as Justin moved past him.

"I'm going downstairs," he informed mother and son. "You two need to talk alone. And Justin, give your mom a chance. This is all new to her, but she loves you more than life. Just be honest with her. That's all she wants from you."

Justin nodded and waited until the door closed behind Mark. He walked slowly to the divan across from the bed. He sat down and waited. Jennifer spoke first.

"Do you love him Justin...I mean, are you in love with this man?"

Justin stared straight at her and he couldn't help the look that crossed his face when he thought of his love for Brian.

"More than anything in my life, Mom. All I want is to be with him, every day for the rest of my life."

"Are you sure it isn't just gratitude for his saving your life...for making you safe and giving you a good life when you had nothing? Are you sure he isn't just taking advantage of that?"

Justin looked stricken. "No Mom! No! Brian would never do that! If you knew him better, you'd know that he would never take advantage of me or anyone else. It isn't who he is. I pursued him. I flirted with him. I wanted him from early on. He tried to avoid his feelings for me, but I wouldn't let him. He has made it clear that it is my choice whether to stay with him or go with you. He only wants my happiness. But Mom, my only happiness is with him. I want to come home...someday to visit, but I don't want to be anywhere that Brian isn't. Please tell me you understand or at least can live with that. Please!

"Oh Justin! Son, I love you. I can't tell you I understand your loving another man. But...but I can tell you that I love you enough to want you to be happy. If you say that this man is what makes you happy, then I will accept it. You have to give me time to adjust. I've only gotten you back, you know. I had given up my dreams of having you around years ago. I gave up dreams of grandchildren who looked just like you...with your beautiful smiling face. Suddenly I had those dreams again and now I have to accept that I have to give them up once more. It hurts, but at least this time I know you're alive and certainly happy. Justin, I've seen how much Brian cares for you. Looking back, I think I knew all along it was more than friendship. You both seem different when you are close together. I believe in you Son. If you need to stay, I won't try to stop you." She paused for a moment. Then...."But Justin, if you ever want to come home, just let me know. The door is always open to you."

"And Brian?"

"And Brian, as long as you want it to be."

Justin rose quickly and encircled his Mom with his arms. He hugged her with all the love and gratitude in him. The world hadn't ended when he told her the truth. He thanked whatever heavens allowed this. He could hardly wait to see Brian and tell him the news. He rang for a bellboy and sent a message to the cafe with a request that Brian and Mark join them. The two men arrived shortly after, only to find their loved ones laughing together and chatting about future trips.

Two days later, Brian and Justin saw Jennifer and Mark off at the train station. They were off to the port city where their ship back home was docked. There were hugs and tears and promises all around. As the train pulled out of the station, Justin smiled up at Brian. The two men walked quickly back to their vehicle. They had plans to complete.

********************************************

Brian and Justin stood at the entrance to their tent and gazed out at the desert sky. It was pitch dark except for the many twinkling stars that shone above them and the fire-lit torches buried in the sand throughout the encampment. The moon shone behind the Pyramids giving them a soft glow. Prince Ahmad had come through once again and provided select men of great discretion to serve as guides for the small caravan that was to make the pilgrimage to the Great Pyramids, the scene of the event that ultimately brought the lovers together. In this vast desert, with these men, Brian could hold his beloved Justin close to him. They had spent the previous day banishing the last of the ghosts of that painful day. Justin still didn't remember all the details, but enough came to mind with his mother's help that he knew what had probably happened. It no longer mattered. The end result was all that mattered now.

Brian drew Justin back into the large tent and closed the flaps, securing them tightly. He drew Justin further into the tent and stopped as they stood over a large snow white fur rug. Brian loosened the tie at the top of his caftan. He waited patiently while Justin loosened his too. The caftans fell to the floor around them. Brian slowly touched Justin's chest and felt the pleasure of Justin doing the same to him. Their hands slipped down and loosened the drawstrings of their pants. The pants fell to the floor, joining the caftans. They were already barefooted and wore no undergarments. They kicked the clothing away from them and sank down to the rug on their knees. Their bodies quickly joined, lips to lips, chests to chests, hips to hips, thighs to thighs, cocks to cocks. Their kisses lingered for long, long minutes. They each grabbed onto a handful of buttocks and pulled each other ever closer. They played with each other, manipulating holes, getting them ready for loving. Their lips never fully parted from each other as they rubbed their groins together, savoring the delicious contact while still working the backsides.

Tonight, Brian would make Justin his again and then, before the night was over, Justin would do the same for Brian. Both men would be filled up with the love that the other had to share only for and with one another. Their sounds of pleasure would ride out on the cool desert breeze and float over the tips of the nearby Pyramids. The desert had known many lovers in its time, there was no doubt, but never ones that had more passion for one another than Brian Kinney and his one and only Justin...of the smiling face. This night was only one of so many more that they would share as the decades went on. The monuments would no doubt look down again on this couple as they made love in the shadow of the Pyramids.

The End