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VICE VERSA - CHAPTER SIX
"Justin?"
"Yeah?"
"Tell me again why our bathroom is all torn up, our lives are disrupted by an endless chorus of sledge hammers and power tools all day long, and our driveway is cluttered with dirty pickup trucks all the time?" Brian folds the front section of the Pittsburgh Daily News and lays it on the kitchen table next to the egg-white omelet Justin's cooked for him.
"Dirty trucks," Missy repeats, chewing a mouthful of Cheerios.
"Brian?"
"Yeah?"
"You're being cranky again." Justin slides the sugar bowl over to him. "Put some more sugar in your coffee. We're doing this 'cause we want to, we can afford it, and the house is gonna be great when it's done." He sits down to dig into his pancakes, preparing one for Missy on a separate plate. "Just keep thinking about how good it'll feel to come home after a long, hard day of work and unwind in the Jacuzzi with a glass of Beam."
Brian dumps more sugar in his cup and stirs it around. "Well how much longer will it be?" he whines. "The shower in the hall bathroom isn't nearly big enough for . . . you know." He smiles at Missy, reaching over to steal a bite of her pancake.
"Roberto said two more weeks, but that was four weeks ago. Brian, I asked you if you wanted pancakes with your omelet, and you said-"
"I don't eat pancakes."
Missy giggles and picks up another syrupy piece of her breakfast with her fingers, placing it in Brian's mouth when he leans toward her.
Justin wipes her hand with a napkin. "Daphne's annoyed, too. Sleeping in Missy's room during the remodel is making her crazy. I just hope her side of the house is big enough for her and Matt when it's finished." Sighing, he looks Brian in the eye, both reading the unease that festers in the other's mind.
"I've gotta get to the office." Brian changes the subject, but he knows it's not over, the Matt Dilemma never seeming to get resolved. He stands up and pulls Justin with him, their lips sealing together while their tongues say good-bye. Then he bends to whisper in his ear before he heads out the door. "I don't really like the way Roberto stares at your ass."
Justin raises an eyebrow, exhaling louder than necessary.
"Cranky. I know."
. . . . .
"Kick, Missy! Kick those feet faster!" Justin holds his three-year-old daughter horizontally in the shallow end of their backyard pool, her swimming lessons progressing nicely for the second summer in a row. "Come on! We want to show Mommy how well you're doing when she gets home from her class."
Missy kicks as fast as she can, the late afternoon sun shining down on them while she tries to add the overhead scooping arm movements Justin's been trying to teach her.
"You're doing great, honey! We need to take a break and put more sunscreen on, though." Standing her on the steps, Justin helps Missy out of the pool, barely slathering her with the lotion before she wriggles away from him and runs toward her swing set in the yard.
"Matt!" Justin looks up to find Daphne's fiancé staring him in the face. "I didn't see you come in. How did you . . .? Um, Daphne gave you a key?"
"Yeah. I hope you don't mind. I heard you and Missy out here in the pool, so I let myself in."
Actually, Justin does mind, a litany of problematic issues running through his head. Daphne marrying this guy, for one. Him moving into their house with them. Missy acquiring a stepfather. With less than a month before the wedding, Justin still hopes his instincts are off. And Brian's, too.
"Daphne will be home in a few minutes. We're going out to dinner." Matt looks around and takes in the construction site their property has become. "Roberto's really whipping his crew into shape. How much longer till it's done?"
"A few more weeks. Missy and I were just going inside. She's getting tired." Leaving Matt in a patio chair, Justin walks over to the swing set and gathers his daughter in his arms.
"I want you push me on the swing, Daddy."
"We're going in now. You know why?"
"Why?"
"We're gonna paint!"
"Paint?!" Missy hugs Justin's neck. "I finish my picture?"
"Yep. Let's go get some dry clothes on you and finish it up today!"
. . . . .
Brian writhes on his satin sheets, his dick crammed so far down Justin's throat they're going to have to send a search party after it. "I'm gonna fuck you so hard, Justin. So hard . . ." His balls seize up as Justin sucks faster, ropes of come boiling out of them and into Justin's mouth.
Justin drinks him down in long swallows, leaving soft little kisses all over the head of Brian's cock before he crawls up into his arms.
Brian holds him close and kisses his lips. "How did you learn to do that?"
"I, um, learned from the master?" Justin smiles and nuzzles his face into the side of Brian's neck, his dick twitching and swelling when Brian's hand roams downward and fondles his ass.
Justin's perfect ass. All for Brian. Rolling him onto his stomach, he separates Justin's legs and slips between them, licking the crack of his ass down to his clean-shaven balls and back up again. A thousand times in a row. Making him wet and insane.
"Fuck me, Brian." Justin's hard cock throbs to be touched, his ass aching for Brian to fill it. "Fuck me really hard, like you said."
"After I taste you." Brian holds Justin's cheeks apart with his thumbs, kissing his asshole and licking all around his rim. Drenching him with saliva, he pushes his tongue in and out of Justin's hole, eating his ass while his own cock comes to life again. When his lubed middle finger plunges into Justin's body, he curves it down and feels for the right spot, pressing on it and wiggling it back and forth. Massaging Justin's prostate with the pad of his finger, Brian watches him raise his ass in the air and clamp his fist around his thick shaft.
Jacking off while Brian rubs him from the inside, Justin closes his eyes and shudders, a white river of come shooting out of his slit. Quivering with sensation as Brian slides his finger out, Justin's ass still craves Brian's dick.
His impossibly long, granite-hard, beautiful naked dick. Brian nudges the spongy head between Justin's cheeks, groaning at the feel of its swelled-up ridge squeezing through his tiny hole. Inching in slowly to fuck him raw, Brian gradually starts pumping his hips.
Justin rocks backward on every thrust. "I love you, Brian. So much. Come in my ass. I want to feel your come dripping in my ass."
Brian hovers on the verge of orgasm and wills himself not to come over and over, finally slamming into Justin so hard he thinks he might break. He freezes while he bathes the inside of Justin's body with hot milky liquid.
Collapsing onto Justin's back, Brian eases them over to their sides. Sticky and spent, spooning as usual, neither can drift off to sleep anymore unless Brian's bare cock is up Justin's ass, his arms holding him fast.
. . . . .
"Hey. How was dinner? Where'd you guys go?" Justin reaches into the fridge for a bottle of water, rubbing his eyes and stifling a gaping yawn. Waking up thirsty in the middle of the night, he jumps at the chance to talk to Daphne alone in their moonlit kitchen. "Want a yogurt?"
"Sure. I couldn't sleep either." Daphne takes the container from Justin and grabs a spoon out of the drawer. "We just ended up going back to Matt's place because he said all the nice restaurants were booked and not taking any more reservations." She opens her peach yogurt and sits on the cushioned bench in front of the bay window.
Justin takes a drink of his water and sits beside her. "That's strange. Matt was here around four this afternoon, saying he was gonna take you out to dinner. He would have had plenty of time to make reservations somewhere." He studies Daphne's eyes, checking for any telltale signs of trouble that might have cropped up between her and Matt. "I didn't know you gave him a key to the house."
"Well, he'll need one when we get married and he moves in."
Nope. No trouble. Shit! Justin runs a hand through his hair, dreading what he's going to say. "Daph, are you sure this wedding is a good idea? I mean, maybe you should think about it a little more."
Daphne looks at Justin, a sneaky grin on her face. "I know what this is." She leans over and kisses his cheek. "You're jealous, aren't you? But you don't have to worry, Justin. Matt's never gonna replace you in my life. We'll still be as close as we've always been after I get married. Matt and I love each other just like you and Brian love each other, but no one can ever come between you and me."
"I know that, Daph. The bond we have can never be broken. By anyone or anything. That's not what I'm worried about." Justin sighs audibly. "I just don't know about Matt. He seems . . ."
"What are you trying to say, Justin?" Daphne's grin turns upside down as she drops her spoon into the yogurt container. "He seems what?"
"Well, just that . . . I'm sure he loves you, but I don't know if he's okay with Brian and me. And he doesn't have any rapport with Missy at all. He's going to end up with all of us when he marries you. Brian and I are trying to give you guys your own space with the addition to the house, but still, we're all going to be living here together. He seems . . . uncomfortable with everything."
"He's fine with it." Daphne glares at her best friend since fifth grade in a way that makes him hate this conversation. "He's never said it's going to be a problem."
Justin's stomach knots up. "I don't think he likes Brian and me very much, Daph. The whole thing just feels . . . wrong."
"Feels wrong?" She flings her half-eaten yogurt into the trash. "He's marrying me, not you and Brian. And it doesn't feel wrong to me. God! You're supposed to be happy for me, Justin!" Stomping out of the kitchen, Daphne leaves him shaking his head in the dark. "And I wish you'd tell Roberto to hurry up with this remodel!" she shouts. "Sleeping in Missy's room sucks!"
Justin hangs his head and rubs the back of his neck. He flinches when Missy's door bangs shut.
. . . . .
Brian stirs when Justin crawls back into bed, reaching for him and pulling him close. "Is Missy okay? I heard her door."
"Missy's fine." Justin nestles into Brian's side, throwing a leg over his. "Daphne hates me."
"You talked to her? I thought we were going to do it together."
"No sense having her hate both of us. We were alone in the kitchen, and I just went for it. It wasn't pretty."
Brian's arms encircle Justin's body. "Maybe we're wrong about him."
"I fucking hope so."
. . . . .
"Missy, go tell Mommy I made waffles for breakfast." Justin sets four places at the table, determined to make things right with Daphne before she and Missy go to the seamstress for their final fittings.
"Waffles?" Brian walks into the kitchen wearing his gray sweatpants and sleeveless tee shirt, ready to work out after breakfast. He sidles up to Justin and whispers in his ear. "I can still feel your cock in my ass. You already had your workout this morning."
Justin gives him a quick peck on the lips before he sits down. "Don't worry. I made you an omelet. Heaven forbid you consume anything, you know, delicious. Well, you do eat me," he says into the fridge, reaching for the pitcher of orange juice. "I guess that counts."
"Morning, guys." Daphne helps Missy climb up into her booster chair and sits next to her. "These look great, Justin."
Brian smiles at her and cuts into his omelet. "Ready for the final wedding gown fitting?"
"Ready as I'll ever be. I shouldn't be having this waffle, but . . ." Daphne takes one from the serving platter for herself and one for Missy. "Weekends are the only days I get to splurge. I have to leave for school way too early during the week."
Justin sets the butter dish in the center of the table. "Daph, I'm really sorry about last night. I never should have said-"
She stops him with a raised palm. "It's okay. I'm sorry I stormed off. I shouldn't have done that."
"Pre-wedding jitters. For both of us." Justin kisses her forehead, finally sitting by Brian and filling his plate. "That's all it was."
Daphne nods at him. "I thought about what you said, though, and you're right. There can't be any tension if we're all gonna be living under the same roof. I'm going to talk to Matt about everything again and make sure he knows what he's getting himself into. I mean, I'm a packaged deal." She laughs at the sound of it. "If he wants me, he gets all of us."
Missy looks around the breakfast table, checking out everyone's plate. "Daddy, how come you get two waffles? Me and Mommy only got one."
"Mommy and I," Justin corrects her. "I'm only having one. The other one's for Brian to rob, bite by bite, when he thinks nobody's watching."
"I don't eat waffles," Brian reminds them all, licking a drop of syrup off his lip.
The kitchen erupting in laughter, Missy giggles loudest. "Bri steals my pancakes!" she tells her mom just before the plastic sippy cup slips out of her hand and its lid pops off. "Oh, no! It falled!" she cries, orange juice splattering everywhere.
"That's why you have your bath after you eat." Daphne sops most of it up with napkins. "Did you remember you're coming with me today to try on your pretty flower girl dress?"
Justin tosses the fallen cup and lid in the sink, reaching into the cabinet for a clean one. "Do you want more juice, honey?"
. . . . .
Brian stands in the doorway of Justin's studio, dabbing at the beads of perspiration on his forehead with a towel. "Time for my swim. Can you take a break?"
"Yeah. I was only waiting for you to finish." Justin rinses his brush and lays it out to dry. Walking over to Brian, his fingers creep up under his sweat-dampened tee shirt and tickle his abs. "I peeked into your workout room when you were on your four thousandth sit-up. How do you do that anyway?"
"Easy." Brian laughs. "I just picture you leaving me for someone your own age, and I'm good for five hundred more. Works every time." He pulls Justin with him into the bathroom down the hall and turns on the shower.
"Good thing I'm into prime aged cock, isn't it?" Justin strips and joins Brian under the spray, washing the paint from his fingernails and hair. "Speaking of which," he says to Brian's rising dick.
Brian smiles at his boy, glancing down at his youthful pink boner. "I thought we were talking about your twenty-one-year-old hard body. Come here."
Making out in a hot shower is just one aspect of Saturday mornings that Brian and Justin treasure. They know there are more, yet neither can think of just what they could be at this particular moment. Soon grasping for the other's cock, they twist and tug and knead, never breaking the kiss while their orgasms build and their come finally eddies down the drain.
"I love you, Justin. You know that, right?"
"I've had an inkling for awhile now." Justin grins at Brian. "I'd never look at anyone else. My age or any other age. You know that, right?"
"I've had an inkling for awhile now."
. . . . .
Brian finishes his daily ten laps and backs Justin up against the side of the pool to rest. Blanketing his face and neck with kisses, he rubs their crotches together. "You're getting hard again."
"I wonder why." Justin smooths Brian's wet hair out of his eyes. "Do you think our bathroom will be done any time soon?"
Brian laughs. "That Jacuzzi better be worth all the gawking at your ass I've had to put up with from Roberto. I'm serious, Justin. He stares! Every chance he gets. I wonder how old he is."
"Yeah, they're loaded. Both of them. They're probably worth millions. You should see this house. It's decorated up the ass, and they're in the process of having it remodeled right now."
Brian and Justin sink lower down the side of the pool, careful not to splash as Matt's voice carries out to the backyard over the intercom system they'd bought when they first moved in. Needing to hear one-year-old Missy's cries from anywhere in the house back then, they had monitors installed in every room and out on the patio, too. Now they never know whether it's on or off because Missy likes to play with the switch.
"I guess he let himself in with his key," Justin whispers. "He must be on his phone."
"I'm telling you, Steve. I marry her, move in here, and I've got it made. Probably won't even have to work. Hell, they support her. Why not me, too?" Matt's maniacal laughter turns Brian's stomach, anger flashing in Justin's eyes.
"If I can stand it, though. Her kid's father is a goddamned fag. Can't keep his hands off his boyfriend. Who's twelve years older than he is, by the way. It's so disgusting. I can just imagine what they do to each other in their part of the house."
"I'm gonna fucking kill him." Justin wants to get out of the water and commit murder in his living room.
"Shh. No, you're not. I'm sure the federal penitentiary won't grant us conjugal visits. Let him keep talking. We need hard evidence for Daphne."
"If I can't stand it here, I'll talk her into getting our own place. The kid? I don't know. Kids grow up all the time living with only one parent. She'll just have to see him every other weekend."
Now physically restraining Justin from climbing out of the pool, Brian's thankful that he works out religiously and that he's significantly taller.
"Or better yet, I'll get her to leave the kid here with him. Then we wouldn't have to be bothered with her. Let the fags deal with the brat."
"Matt?! What the fuck?" It's Daphne, back from her final wedding gown fitting, standing in the living room with her fiancé.
"Oh! Hi, baby! I didn't hear you come in. Talk to you later, Steve." Matt flips his phone shut, nearing Daphne and her aforementioned brat.
Backing away from him, Daphne picks Missy up and holds her close. "What are you talking about? Let the fags deal with the brat? What the fuck is that?"
"I didn't mean it like that. Well, they are homosexuals. I just meant if we got our own place, Missy could stay here with them."
"Are you out of your mind?" Daphne screams. "I would never leave my daughter! And how dare you talk about Justin and Brian like that! I think you better get out of here!"
"Come on, Daphne. You don't mean that." Matt inches toward her with open arms. "I love you."
"Leave me alone!"
"You heard her!" Brian shouts, he and Justin bolting into the house dripping wet. "Stay away from her!" He comes at Matt with fire in his eyes, standing toe-to-toe with him.
Justin races over to Daphne and takes Missy from her. At this age, she's not easy to hold. "You okay, Daph? Did he hurt you?" Slinging his arm around her shoulders, Justin draws her into his side.
Daphne leans into Justin's chest and starts to cry, Missy clinging to her daddy in confusion.
"Did he hurt you, Daphne?" Justin asks again. Looking at Brian, he knows Matt's fate depends on her answer.
"No," she sobs into his chest.
"Get out!" Brian explodes in Matt's face. "Now!" Swinging their front door open, he hopes he doesn't do something to him he'll regret. "If you ever come near Daphne or Missy again, I'll kill you!" He slams the door shut when Matt pauses on the threshold for one last appeal in Daphne's direction.
"Daph, I'm so sorry. I didn't want you to hear all that." Justin guides her over to the sofa, his arm still around her shoulders and Missy still attached to the front of him as they sit.
"Don't cry, Mommy." Missy pats Daphne's arm. "What's a fag?"
Daphne sniffles, reaching out for the tissue that Brian hands her. "All that? What else did he say?"
"I guess he didn't see us out in the pool. The intercom was on. He must have let himself in and thought nobody was home."
"Shit!" Daphne conks her forehead with the heel of her hand. "The key!"
"It's okay. We can have the locks changed."
"Tell me what he said."
Justin catches Brian's eye. They'll give her the toned-down version. "Uh, he liked the house."
Brian nods. "And our money. He was thinking of quitting his job."
"Oh, my God! He never said anything like that! What else?"
"Well, he was concerned about our part of the house." Justin glances up at Brian. "And Brian's age."
"I've been so naive." Daphne dabs at her eyes with the tissue again. "I thought he loved me."
"It's not you he doesn't love. It's . . . Justin and me." Brian shrugs one shoulder, gesturing down at Missy in Justin's lap. "And he wasn't too crazy about becoming a stepfather."
"So you've had the right impression all along, Justin." Daphne looks at him, her eyes bright red. "You tried to warn me. I was so blind."
Justin kisses her cheek. "I think it's good you found out his true colors now. Just imagine the problems you would have had later with him trying to persuade you to move out and leave Missy here."
"Daddy? I a brat?"
"No, honey." Justin hugs Missy and kisses her nose. "You're the best little girl in the world. Sometimes grown-ups say things that aren't true because they're ignorant and scared." He hopes the memory of her mother's almost-marriage to a hate-filled homophobe fades with time.
"Daddy, what's ig-ar-ant?"
"Missy, you know what?" Daphne tries to pull herself together for her daughter's sake. "We're going to explain all these things to you when you're older. Right now, I think you should put your bathing suit on so you and Daddy can show me how well you're learning to swim." She looks to Justin for help. "How does that sound?"
"Perfect! You won't believe how fast this girl can kick!" Justin helps Missy climb off of him and watches her run down the hall to her room. Then he stands and gives Daphne a hand up. "I love you."
"I know." She musters a tiny smile. "Love you, too, Justin. I guess I'll call Emmett and tell him to cancel all the wedding plans. Do you think you can get your money back on the reception hall?"
"It's okay if I can't. It's worth it to me to have this train wreck stopped before it goes any further."
Brian opens his phone, scrolling for locksmiths. "Why don't you let me deal with Emmett? I'm gonna find someone to change the locks, then I'll call him."
"Thanks, Brian." Daphne gives him a peck on the cheek and follows Missy down the hall.
"Jesus." Justin sighs, looking up at Brian. "I can't believe what happened here. That fucker really hurt her."
"I'm just glad it's over." Brian rests his forehead down on Justin's. "Daphne's strong. She'll be all right in time."
"Come on, Daddy! Let's go swimming!" Missy runs through the living room in her little one-piece swimsuit, stopping short at the patio door. She knows she's not allowed in the backyard without an adult. "We go in the pool now? Please?"
"You gonna come out with us?" Justin tips his face upward and kisses Brian's lips.
"Yeah, after I make these calls."
Walking over to Missy, Justin holds her hand and takes her outside. "Thank you for waiting for me. See? I told you you're the best little girl in the world."
Daphne emerges from the war zone she calls her half-completed suite of rooms in a bikini top and cutoff jeans. "I'm getting a hellacious headache. I need drugs."
Brian fishes in the kitchen cabinet for the Tylenol and gives her the bottle. "For the record, Matt's loss is gonna be someone else's beautiful gain one of these days." He gets a water out of the fridge for her. "He didn't deserve you."
"Aw, I bet you say that to all the girls, don't you?" She doses herself up and grins at him.
"Daphne, can I talk to you before you go out?" Brian reaches down for the intercom panel on the side of the lower cabinet and flips the switch off. "I don't want Justin to hear this." He looks through the window above the sink, smiling while he and Daphne watch Missy start the day's lesson. "Okay, here it is. And I will absolutely not take it one step further if you don't like the idea in any way, shape, or form, but you know how all the preparations are pretty much set for a wedding and reception on June twenty-fifth?"
. . . . .
"Whoa, Missy! You've gotta come up for air sometime!" Justin hoists his daughter up out of the water and holds her over his shoulder, thumping her several times on the back. "You can't breathe when your face is in the water! I guess we know what to work on next, don't we?"
Missy coughs and sputters as she catches her breath. When she pulls her hair out of her eyes, she looks up and focuses on the kitchen window. "Daddy?"
"What, honey?"
"Mommy kissing Bri."
. . . . .
"Yeah, Emmett? It's Brian. Listen, I've gotta talk to you. Are you working at Torso right now? ...You've got a customer? ...I'll hold on while you get rid of him. I mean, while you sell him some fabulous article of clothing." Brian rolls his eyes at his phone, wondering why Emmett is wasting his time in retail when his talents clearly lie in wedding planning. Every time they've had him out to the house to discuss Daphne's dream wedding, he's come up with one brilliant idea after another.
"...Yeah, I'm here. ...Daphne? She's fine. ...Matt? He's history. ...Wait! Emmett, wait a minute before you start freaking the fuck out! I still wanna go through with all the plans you've made. That's what I wanted to talk to you about. Can you substitute two different people for the bride and groom? ...Fuck! I think you just pierced my eardrum with that squeal of yours. Calm down, would you? We're gonna need matching dark Versace suits. Do you still have his measurements I gave you when I bought him the leather pants? ...Good. I'll give you mine, too. ...Yeah, everything the same. The place, the time, and the food. Were you able to locate the golden gardenias? ...Good. Keep those, too." Brian holds his phone out away from his ear while Emmett goes off on a tangent about the Sichuan, Banna mountains in southern China.
"...Emmett? You're really good at this shit. How would you like to start your own wedding planning business? ...Capital? ...Collateral? That's what I would be for. ...Yes, I'd do that for you. ...Because I don't have bad ideas."
Brian holds his phone out again while Emmett thanks him profusely. Then he suddenly remembers a vital piece of information his wedding planner needs to hear. "And Emmett? Zip up those loose lips of yours. I don't want this making the rounds on Liberty Avenue. Or anywhere else, for that matter. ...Because I haven't asked him yet!"