Story Type: AU
Word Count:
Warnings: Anti-Michael, Passion and Lust…
Beta Queen: bigj52
Summary: Justin’s new client is an arrogant prick, but he’s rich and has great taste. So, who’s he to turn down the huge commission for his interior design.
Chapter Summary: The tension between Justin and Ethan is growing, just as the sexual tension between Justin and Brian is growing…
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, plot, etc. are property of their respective owners, including, but not limited to Russell T. Davies, Cowlip, and Showtime. The author of this story is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended…
Rich, Arrogant, Prick
Part Three ~ Fighting or Foreplay…
“Justin! Where have you been? I’ve been calling you all night!”
“I’ve been working, and my cell phone never rang.”
“I was calling the house phone.”
“Well. I wasn’t home.”
“So, where were you?”
“Out to dinner with a client.”
“Since when do you wine and dine clients? Who is this client? Why haven’t you told me about them? I don’t think you should be working in the evenings.”
“Wow! You really are controlling!”
“What is that supposed to mean? I don’t care for your attitude, Justin! If I wasn’t on tour, I’d put an end to this behavior.”
“Ethan! I don’t try and control your career, don’t try and control mine.”
“Justin, did you get a retainer for this design project?”
“Yes! Of course, and a signed contract.”
“Good. I want you to wire me five thousand dollars in the morning.”
“What? No way!”
“Did you just refuse to obey me?”
“I don’t take orders from you. Besides you’re the almost famous musician, who’s on tour making the big bucks. You can wire me five thousand dollars.”
“Justin, its expensive being on the road. I have to pay for hotels and meals, and I need new clothes. You don’t expect me to wear the same suit to each performance, do you?”
“Cut the bullshit, Ethan! I read your contract. They provide all your travel expenses, including your meals and hotel rooms.”
“You read my contract! How dare you go through my personal papers?”
“Right! But it’s okay for you to read all my client contracts! You are such a hypocrite.”
“Justin, baby. Let’s not fight. I miss you.”
“I’m tired, and it’s late. I need some sleep. Good night, Ethan.”
“Justin. Justin! Don’t hang up!”
All Ethan heard was the dial tone in his ear. He thought about calling back, but he didn’t want to piss Justin off any more than he already had. But Damn! He really wanted to know if Justin’s dad had released his inheritance yet. Ethan had been pushing him to demand his inheritance since his twenty-first birthday. But Craig had refused to give it to Justin unless he stopped living his deviant lifestyle.
Justin was feeling so good, so happy when he got home fifteen minutes ago, and now he feels like shit. There is something about being around Brian Kinney that just makes him feel happy, attractive and alive. Then talking to Ethan on the phone brought him back down to reality. Petting Wolfram, he takes comfort in not being all alone, he really likes the stray cat Ethan found. He may be Ethan’s cat, but Justin’s the one who takes care of him, feeds him, brushes him, and plays with him. All Ethan does is yell at the cat, just like he does him. Looking around the apartment he really hates everything about it. That’s the moment he decides that tomorrow he is going to move out, and he’s taking Wolfram with him, or maybe to his mom’s.
The next morning he’s up early. He can’t help daydreaming about yesterday, hanging out with Brian, talking about design ideas for Gus’s room, going out to eat every few hours. He’s never laughed so hard, or had that much fun since he was a carefree teenager, sneaking around with Daphne. He smiles, thinking about it, as he sits making a list of everything he needs to get for his new place. Yes, he needs to have it remodeled, but he can live upstairs like it is for now. After all, it can’t be any worse than living in this dump. He remembers seeing some second-hand stores near his new place on Liberty Avenue, so he heads to the diner for some coffee before checking it out. It’s crowded, so he sits at the counter next to some flamboyant queen wearing tangerine and fuchsia. He almost doesn’t need coffee to wake up after looking at his outfit.
“Do you like my pink leather pants?”
“Ah… Yeah, sure. I could never wear anything like that.”
“Maybe not, but I’m sure I could fix you up with something a little more fashionable. Something that will turn a few heads and make all the boys drool.”
“Leave him alone, Emmett!”
“And Good Morning to you too, Brian.”
“You two know each other?”
“Yes, I’m afraid this flaming queen is one of my inner circle of friends.”
“Oh. I’m surprised. You seem so…”
Emmett smirks, “Stuck up, snooty, boring?”
Justin can’t help snickering.
“You’ll soon find out there’s many sides to the Great God Kinney. Maybe I should say, split personalities.”
“Honeycutt!”
“Don’t call me Honeycutt!”
Emmett asks, “So how do you know Brian?”
He already knows, but he wants get the full scoop, and find out more about Justin.
“He’s my interior designer. I’m adding a room for Gus in the loft.”
Emmett smiles and claps. “Oh, how exciting!”
“Coffee and toast for his majesty, I assume?”
“Thanks, Deb, can I have it to go?”
“And what can I get for you, sweetheart? You’re new around here, aren’t you?”
“I’m Justin, and I’ll have coffee and a bagel with cream cheese.”
Brian can’t help commenting. “Is that all? That won’t even hold you until you walk back to your place.”
“Brian!”
“I’ve seen you eat, remember?”
“So, you live around here?”
”I’ve got a place down the block.”
“Oh how fun. I’d love to live on the Avenue. I live a few blocks away with Michael.”
He says it like everyone knows who Michael is, and I guess most everyone does, except Justin of course.
“You haven’t met him yet, but don’t let him bully you about Brian.”
“Why would he?”
“Well… Michael can be…”
Debbie’s eyes flare. “What’s wrong with Michael?”
“Justin. This is Michael’s mother, Debbie. She also runs this establishment.”
Slightly confused by the whole conversation Justin simply says, “Hi. Nice to meet you.”
“Wow. You’re a nice young man. You’d be perfect for Michael.”
Poking her finger in his chest, she says, “And you, Emmett, would be lucky to have him!”
“Deb! Is my order ready yet? I’m going to be late for work!”
“Coming right up, asshole!”
With that Justin grabs his breakfast and slips out the door behind Brian. “It’s a real Melrose Place around here, isn’t it?”
“You have no idea.”
Emmett hurries to catch up. “Wait for me!”
“So. I’ll need a key to the loft.”
Tagging along next to them, Emmett squeals! “Wow! That’s fast!”
“Honeycutt! What are you doing here?”
“I thought that I’d help Justin update his wardrobe.”
“No! If anyone’s one’s going to help him, it’s me!”
“What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”
“Well, nothing if you’re going on a hay ride. But baby, you need something that shows off your cute body, if you want to make the boys cum in their pants.”
“Emmett!”
“What, Brian? The boy needs help.”
“I said, that I’d take care of it! Now run along home.”
“Here’s my key. What time will you be there? I’ll come home then and bring you your own key.”
“You know you don’t have to make a special trip. I can drop it off at your office.”
“I want to be there when you talk to the contractor. So what time?”
“I don’t know. I’ll call you.”
Smiling, he says. “I can’t wait.”
With that, Brian crosses the street and walks into Kinnetik.
“Wow! You and Mr. Kinney are really serious. I can’t help being a little surprised. You know Brian isn’t the relationship kind of guy.”
“The only relationship we have is professional! I need a key so the contractor and I can meet, and estimate the remodeling cost.”
“Oh. Right. You’re an interior designer.”
Looking across the street, Justin sees a second-hand store. He asks, “Does Retro Reruns have used furniture?”
“Yes. But trust me, Brian will never agree to buy anything used. He’s strictly a top-of-the-line kind of guy.”
“Yes. I noticed.”
Justin starts to cross the street, and Emmett bounces right along with him like he’s Justin’s BBF.
“So what are we looking for?”
“I need a few basic things to set up a temporary apartment. I won’t be designing and furnishing it until the construction is complete.”
“Oh, look, it’s a fifties dinette set.”
Justin moves closer and he’s surprised by how much he likes it. It’s a white Formica table with red vinyl chairs. He pulls one out and sits down, to see if it’s the right height to be able to use his laptop on.
Smiling, he says, “One down. Now I need to find a sideboard, a night stand and a dresser.”
Walking around, he spots a tall kitchen cabinet. It’s the same vintage as the dinette, it’s even red and white.
Emmett loves it. “It’s a match made in heaven.”
“It is perfect, isn’t it?”
Even though he hadn’t planned on buying living room furniture he spots an aqua sofa and chairs. They’re from the sixties and will look great with the kitchen.
Smiling, he says, “I like them.”
“Wow! You really are batting a hundred!”
He moves on looking for a dresser and night stand. Out of the corner of his eye he sees a set of vintage sixties bedroom furniture.”
“I can’t believe my luck. I’m really loving this store, Em!”
“Me too! Your place will be like stepping back in time.”
“You have no idea. My place is an old vintage gas station with rounded windows, chrome and glass blocks.”
“Oh my God! This is fucking unbelievable!”
“You know, I was really just looking for some second-hand furniture to use for a few months. But I’m really liking the theme I have going, and the style is actually perfect for my new place.”
“I can’t wait to see it!”
“You know, maybe I should check and see if they have any dishes?”
“Oh, I just know we’ll find something perfect.”
Justin’s happy, as has hasn’t had this much fun in ages, well except for yesterday, of course. Even though he thought Emmett was a little strange when he met him in the diner earlier, he’s really starting to like the flashy queen.
Emmett squeals so loud that Justin’s sure they heard him in the diner.
“Oh my God, baby! Fiestaware! You can’t get any more classic that!”
Justin grins. He loves the white with red striped dishes, and they’ll be perfect for his kitchen.
“Oh! Oh Look! It’s a sixties Barbie kitchen! It’s so fucking cute, you have to get it!”
“I don’t know?”
“Okay! Fine! I’m getting it for you as a house-warming present. It will be the perfect decoration for your kitchen.”
Justin tries to talk him out of it. He hardly knows Emmett and he feels awkward accepting a gift from someone he just met that morning, even if it is really cool.
“Now I just need to buy a new bed. I could never sleep on a used bed.”
“Especially in this neighborhood!”
They both make a face and start laughing.
Justin’s had the best time shopping with Emmett this morning, and he kind of hates to say good bye. But he has to get ready to meet up with the contractor. They exchange phone numbers, promising that they’ll get together soon.
Later that afternoon he’s measuring the space for Gus’s bedroom, making sure to provide him with several windows. It will lighten up the space and make it feel more spacious, even though it’s a relatively small space. He’s sketched a floor plan that maximizes the wall space, along with a design for a long counter that will run from wall to wall. Above the counter are bookshelves on each end with a bulletin board in between them. There are drawers below the counter, with an opening in the center creating a desk space. The built-in cabinets continue around the corner and under the windows. In the middle is a cushioned window seat. Under the cushion the top lifts up, with a toy chest underneath.
Talking with his contractor, Vince, Justin persuades him to push his other projects back ten days to complete Brian’s addition on time. Looking at his watch, he wonders where Brian is. He left a message with Cynthia an hour ago, understanding that Brian’s presentation was running late. Now Justin’s pissed that Vince has to leave without explaining all the construction details to Mister Anal-Retentive.
Justin hears the loft door sliding open, but instead of Brian, it’s a raven-haired lunatic screeching about Justin breaking into Brian’s loft. He just stands there and stares at him, hoping he’ll run out of insults, or his throat will close up and he won’t be able to breathe. As he continues his earsplitting rant like a two year old having a temper tantrum, he decides to leave.
Michael’s still screaming. “Who the fuck are you and what are you doing here?”
“Me! I’m working! Who the fuck are you?”
“I want you to leave right now! Or I’ll call the police and have you arrested, you hear me!”
“Christ, Mikey! The whole neighborhood can hear you!”
“Brian! I found this guy here in your loft!”
“Yes. And I found you here in my loft!”
“What’s he doing here?”
“The better question is, what are you doing here?”
“I just stopped by.”
“I can see that! But why? When you know I’m usually at work at this time of day?”
He stammers, and stutters. “I… I wanted to borrow, ah… Use your computer.” He smiles, thinking he came up with a perfect excuse.
“What’s wrong with your computer?”
“It crashed, and I can’t afford to fix it.”
Annoyed, Justin interrupts. “Mr. Kinney. I can’t work like this.
Brian snarks, “So we’re back to Mr. Kinney again?”
“If you don’t like it, stop pissing me off! You’ve already put unreasonable demands on the design project. I won’t be harassed by your belligerent friend. Maybe you need to find another designer. I’ll send you a floor plan, and a bill for my time. Maybe you can have your new interior designer use it. I really don’t care at this point.”
Justin walks towards the door, slamming the key down on the island as he passes it.
“Great! Just great, Mikey!”
“Wait! Wait Justin, please! You know there isn’t time to find a new designer and contractor.”
Justin just stares at him, waiting…
“Justin! Say something!”
“You’re late! You’ve wasted my time, as well as Vince’s! He waited as long as he could, but he has other projects that require his presence. My time is valuable, and I don’t appreciate being disrespected like this! If you’re going to be late, or need to reschedule you need to call me. Just because you’re some arrogant, big-wig in the advertising world, doesn’t give you the right to assume we’re all at your beck and call!”
“Justin, please!”
Justin just stands there with his hands on his hips, staring at him and Michael.
“Brian! Are you going to let this creep talk to you like that?”
“Shut up, Mikey!”
“You should fire him, he’s rude and condescending!”
“Shut the fuck up, and get out, Michael!”
“Brian, I was just protecting you and your possessions. He was probably going to steal from you.”
“Out! Now!”
“Justin. I’m here now. Can we please just go over your design ideas?”
“No! I never should have agreed to work with you.”
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I was late, and I’m sorry that you had a run-in with Michael. I promise it won’t happen again.”
“You promise?”
“Yes.”
“Fine! But it’s going to cost you!”
“Fine!”
“Five thousand dollars!”
“What? Okay. Okay, fine. Five thousand dollars.”
“If it happens again, it doubles to ten thousand dollars! Do I make myself clear! I don’t ever want to be disturbed while I’m working again!”
“Okay!”
“Same goes for you! If you’re late again, you pay! I won’t be disrespected!”
“Okay. Okay! I get it! Now let’s see what you’ve come up with.”
Justin turns and spreads the floor plans out on the dining room table. With his back to Brian he smirks, and thinks that he’ll have more than enough money for his romantic vacation sooner than he thinks.
Brian’s pissed with Michael, but he can’t help thinking Justin is fucking adorable when he’s angry. Not many people have the guts to stand up to him. He finds it a turn on, not to mention his perfectly round ass that’s leaning over the table in the most inviting way.
Justin goes over all his ideas and details he’s planned for Gus’s bedroom. He finished off the design plan with suggesting that Brian could also use it as a guest room.
“All you’d have to do is change out the framed Disney posters over the bed with artwork, and switch the bedding from a children’s duvet, to a designer one more to your liking.”
“Wow! This is good!”
“Of course it is! I don’t really have bad ideas!”
Brian thinks to himself, ‘Confident little twat! I like that about him’.
“So Mr. Kinney, if you could just initial the design plans, I’ll get the contractor started on the construction. I’ll talk with my cabinet maker, and see if he can put a rush on them. You’ll have to go with wood he has in stock, as there’s no time to custom order anything. I suggest something light to coordinate with the hardwood floors, and I’m assuming that you want granite or marble for the counter tops? A natural stone will resist staining form children’s arts and crafts, and such. ”
“Yes, I like that idea.”
“Good. I’ll stop by tomorrow afternoon with samples of the woodwork and stone. Oh and I was thinking you might want to change the window covering to wooden blinds. They will help block out light so he’ll be able to fall asleep easier.”
“You really are a fucking genius!”
“Yes. I know.”
Brian realizes that the reason he’s so attracted to Justin is that he is so much like him.
“Thanks for agreeing to continue this project. I truly am sorry you had to experience the wrath of Michael.”
“Me too! But, don’t think I was kidding! You’ll pay through the teeth if it happens again.”
“It won’t! Now, should we kiss and make up.”
Justin puts his hand out to stop Brian’s advances.
“Don’t push your luck, Mr. Kinney.”
TBC…