Brian proved himself to be a better actor than Justin the following day when he came to pick the young man up at his hotel. He was totally casual in his attitude, and one would never guess at the turmoil that was going on inside him. He had done his very best to shake the image of Justin's face as he pulled away from Brian in the back room of Babylon, but he just couldn't do it. The image even haunted Brian's dreams. He had finally given in and taken a sleeping pill just so he could finally get some rest.

Brian had never before been shook up by any other man. He could still taste Justin's mouth. He felt the way the blond trembled in his arms when their lips met. It made Brian feel things in places besides his crotch. That was new to the ad exec. But Brian wasn't alone in his confusion.

Justin had had a difficult night himself. He finally fell asleep in the wee small hours of the night after taking a hot shower and jerking himself off to relieve the unbearable tension that had been building inside him for hours. Only this time, instead of the face of Rage, Justin saw the face of one Brian Kinney as he exploded onto the shower wall. That was probably the most disturbing thing to Justin.

He had never pictured the face of any man before during his many masturbatory experiences. He had never pictured anyone. He would sometimes picture love scenes from movies as his orgasm overtook him, and it was always a male and female couple, but never any single person. He had never considered that it might be the man in the scene he was imagining that stimulated him. He never bothered to think of it at all. Now Justin couldn't seem to get one man out of his head.

Justin kept telling himself that it was the part he was going to be playing that influenced him. He was going to play the young lover of Rage, and Brian Kinney was the very image of Rage. But Justin was beginning to have his doubts. Could he really be feeling something for this man? Was that why he couldn't stop thinking about the feel of Brian's lips on his? Was he actually gay and not straight? Was that why no girl had ever made his heart flutter before, even Daphne, no matter how much he cared about her? Thinking of Daphne gave Justin the idea to give her a call the moment he woke up Sunday morning.

"Hey Daph. How's it hanging?" he asked when she answered on the third ring.

"It's hanging fine with me, but it took you long enough to call. You've been in town... what, three days now and you're finally giving me a ring?"

"I'm sorry, girl. Really. I got in late on Friday and yesterday was unbelievable."

"So, are you coming home today?"

"I can't, Daph. I'm being given lessons on how to play a gay man. Daph, you wouldn't believe this guy who has taken on the job of being my teacher. His name's Brian Kinney, and he's the ad man in charge of promoting the film. He's about as gay as you can get, and he has made it his mission to teach me all about the life."

"Is he good looking?"

"Well, yeah...in a raw animalistic way. No, wait. That's not really true. He's actually very handsome. I guess you could call him sexy. He's got these amazing eyes. They bore right through you. But there's something kind of dangerous about him too. I mean, you have to watch your step with him. You know what I mean? You get the feeling he could suck you in without even trying."

There was no response for a few seconds and then Daphne responded carefully, "So, do you like him, Justin?"

Justin's voice rose imperceptibly. "Well, of course I like him. I'm just saying that you have to be careful around Bri...Mr. Kinney. He's not one to toy with, that's all."

The rest of the conversation centered around their hometown and when Justin would be able to get to Mount Lebanon. When the old friends hung up, Justin was disappointed to realize that he didn't feel any better or more secure than he had when he first called Daphne. That was unusual. She had always made him feel better before. Justin suddenly realized how late it was getting and ran to get ready for Brian's morning pick up... that is, if the man still wanted to spend time with him after that disgusting display of cowardice he showed when he ran away from the club. Brian probably thought that all those men having sex disgusted him. It wasn't that. Justin had no doubt about that. He wasn't sure what it was, but it wasn't men being with men.

When Brian showed up at the hotel room door, Justin was amazed at how composed the ad man was. He greeted Justin with a friendly smile and inquired about his health and general well being. He made absolutely no reference to the previous night. He looked amazing in an attractive pearl gray shirt, that clung to his chest like a second skin, and a pair of black slacks that flattered his long limbs. It was slightly dressy, but not pretentious. Justin was glad he had taken pains to look his best. He wore a powder blue pullover that brought out the color in his eyes, with a pair of his best dress jeans... casual but not too much so.

Brian informed Justin that they were going to try something a little different today. He had introduced Justin to his circle of friends and then thrown him into the deep end of the homo pool. Now he was going to give the poor kid a break and let him see how normal and every day gay life was.

"My kid is about to turn six," he informed Justin. "His mom's are going to throw a party for the boy today and you've been invited. They insisted, actually. Apparently they've taken quite a liking to you. The whole gang will be there. So, are you up for a gaggle of youngen's running all over the place?"

"Sure, it sounds like fun. And I like your friends. Lindsay and Mel are very cool ladies. But how did you become Gus' father, if you don't mind me asking?"

"No big deal. They wanted a kid, so I volunteered. I jerked off in a cup, and they squirted it up Lindsay. Nine months later I was a father," Brian explained, with a twinkle in his eye.

Justin made a face. "Gross!"

"Well, it did the trick. Funny thing is that I never wanted a kid, but I can't imagine life without the squirt now."

Brian jumped up several notches in Justin's estimation of him. Justin could see that he had been right about the man. There were a lot of layers to Brian Kinney. Justin could hear the gentle love he had for his son in his voice. How could this Brian be the same man who had so roughly exposed Justin to the rawest side of gay life last night at Babylon? Justin decided then and there that he had to get to know this man better, because he had a feeling Brian would be worth knowing really well.

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

As Justin got ready for bed Sunday night, he was filled with questions. He was extremely excited about getting started on the movie in the morning, but at the moment all his thoughts were on the day he'd spent with Brian. They had gone back to the Liberty Diner for breakfast. Debbie, the red headed mom of Michael, hadn't been there this time. Brian explained that she was helping to set up Gus's birthday party. For some reason, Justin was disappointed. He was impressed by the outspoken lady and enjoyed the brief time they had been together. He looked forward to seeing her again.

They killed more time with a tour of the city. Justin enjoyed many happy memories in Pittsburgh when his family would visit from Mount Lebanon for some special event, like a concert. His Mom, who loved the arts, would often bring young Justin into the city to visit the museums, especially when a special exhibit would come to town like the one when Justin was only ten. There had been a magnificent collection of French artists that a local collector had lent to the museum. Justin had been enthralled with the works of art and told his Mom that someday his paintings would be hanging on those walls. His dad had constantly drummed into Justin's head that he couldn't make a living as an artist and so he had turned to acting after joining the drama club in high school. Now his artistic endeavors consisted of doodling when he had the time.

At two o'clock, after a quick lunch at a soup and salad joint, the Jeep was parked in front of Mel and Linds' brownstone again. This time there was no sign of a jubilant boy running to meet his Daddy. There were unmistakable sounds of jubilation coming from the back of the house, which rose in intensity the closer the men got to the building. Brian turned to Justin and grinned.

"Are you ready for this?" he asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Justin responded.

The men rounded the corner of the house and stepped into a whole other world. There were at least a dozen, maybe more, first graders running all over the immaculately kept lawn. A few flower beds of bright colored blossoms had already felt the effects of the exuberant chaos. Their sad little blooms lay trampled on the ground. A little boy stood under a tall tree with a baseball bat, swinging at a low hanging monkey-shaped pinata for all he was worth and missing every time. A dozen more kids were surrounding the swinger and shouting their encouragement. One of the boys turned and noticed the men.

"Daddy!" Gus shouted, running to launch himself into his father's arms. "You came!" He gave Brian a tight squeeze around the neck.

"Like I'd miss my Sonnyboy's big day. Happy Birthday Gus!"

Gus wriggled down and turned to Justin.

"Hello, Justee. I'm glad you came to my party. I'm six now," he declared, trying to sound all grown up.

Justin took the proffered hand of the young boy and gave it a hearty shake.

"I'm glad I came too, Gus. And Happy Birthday." Justin looked around. "It looks like you're having a really good party, too."

Gus beamed and pointed to his moms, who were busily setting up a table filled with presents. "Mom and Mommy invited everyone. We're having cake soon. It's double chocolate-chocolate chip. That's me and Daddy's favorite, huh Daddy?"

"That's right, Sonnyboy. Now you'd better get back to your friends. It looks like they'll need your super strong arm to knock that monkey down."

Gus giggled and turned to run back to the tree, throwing a 'Later' over his shoulder.

Brian laughed at Justin's stunned look. "A bit of a whirlwind, my boy. You can breathe now, Justin. Shall we join the girls?"

Justin gratefully followed Brian over to the table. Just then, Debbie stepped out of the back door with a large cake in the shape of a super hero in front of her. She was followed closely by Michael and Ben with bowls, plastic utensils, and ice cream in hand. Within minutes the table was surrounded by shouting children, along with the adults who had been scattered in groups around the scene earlier, joining on the fringes. Justin noticed a few that he recognized like Ted, Blake, Emmett, Drew, and Vic, who was standing next to a tall good looking man of approximately the same age. Everyone waited while Gus made his wish and then blew the candles out with a hearty huff.

Everyone gathered their pieces of cake and ice cream and sauntered off to their section of the yard. Brian took Justin around to reacquaint him with some folks and introduce him to a few others. Justin enjoyed meeting Cynthia again, who was there with a rather nice looking young man. After introducing everyone, Brian pointed out the heteros from the homos. Justin realized that if Brian hadn't been so specific he would never have known one from the other.

This was a far cry from the back room of Babylon. This was a normal family living a normal life with their child and his friends. It certainly put a lie to all those times he'd heard his father rant about the perversity of the gay 'lifestyle'. Justin could still remember how pissed his dad had gotten when he found out that his son had invited an openly gay boy from his drama club to spend the night. He and Tad had become good friends and Justin wanted to work on some scenes with his classmate, but Tad never tried to hide his homosexuality. When Justin introduced him to his dad he could see his father stiffen up. When Justin told his dad about inviting Tad for the night that weekend, the man had gone ballistic. It was the last time Justin invited anyone over.

Justin was certainly glad his dad couldn't see his son now. He smiled, thinking of the apoplexy his dad would endure once he saw his son's first starring role. Brian had noticed the smile and couldn't help wondering what the young man was thinking.

"Hey Sunshine!" Debbie yelled, right at that moment.

Brian and Justin both looked around to see who the older woman was referring to. It was then that they could see it was Justin she was pointing at. Justin pointed to himself and mouthed 'me'.

"Yes you, kiddo," she answered their unspoken question. "Get your pert little behind over here."

Justin and Brian both walked over to where Debbie was still handing out pieces of cake.

"Why, Sunshine, Deb?" asked Brian.

"Because when this boy smiles, it lights up the whole place," she answered.

Brian looked over at a wildly blushing Justin. "She's got a point, Taylor," Brian added. Justin blushed even deeper.

The rest of the party flew by in a blur. Justin had a wonderful time getting to know Brian's friends better, and he loved spending time with Gus, who was clearly fond of his Daddy's new friend. Only one incident marred the perfect day. Justin had a strong call from Mother Nature and, after getting directions from Lindsay, entered the upstairs bathroom. He was standing at the commode relieving himself when the door opened and Brian walked in. Without a word, the man stepped up beside Justin and unzipped. Before Justin could say a word Brian was joining his stream to Justin's.

Justin had stood at thousands of urinals with other men but his cock was only inches from Brian's and, for some weird reason, it was disturbing the hell out of the young man. He tried so hard not to stare at the beautiful cock as it waved in front of him, but it was impossible. He got the distinct impression that Brian was enjoying his discomfort too. It irritated Justin. He had finished as quick as he could, zipped up, and left the room without a word. He could still see Brian's cocky grin as Justin shut the door on him.

Now Justin was lying in his solitary bed and asking himself for the umpteenth time why Brian Kinney affected him so much. And why couldn't he just ignore the man's face... his voice... his body. And now he had to admit to himself, despite his embarrassment, he had wanted badly to reach over and touch Brian's cock as it stood next to his. This no longer had anything to do with his new role in the movie. The truth was, that for the first time in his life, Justin Taylor was genuinely attracted to another man. It scared the shit out of him. He fell asleep Sunday night with far more anxiety over his feelings for Brian than he had ever had over the making of a new movie. Something had to be done. The question was...what?

To be continued......