CHAPTER 58 - SO YOU THINK YOU KNOW YOUR ENEMY
JUSTIN
“Storm, I'm sorry for the way I behaved. Don’t need to apologise to me again, I should’ve been more understanding. I forget how you’re wired sometimes.” He pulls me to him, sighing deeply and whispering thank you over and over. “Please stop now. Where do you want me to sit?”
“Lean against the door, legs spread” I get in position, barely breathing as he lathers up the brush. He takes his time, my trembling is making the door rattle, he’s breathing heavily. “Let me get a drink, give us a breather.” I nod. “Blue or plum?”
“Your choice, but first we kiss.” Fifteen minutes later, we're panting on the floor. “I didn’t scratch you, did I?” I push his hair out of his eyes, which slowly refocus. “Thank Christ you hadn’t started shaving.”
“Hmmm.” He clears his throat. “No scratch marks on my prick in your haste to remove my ring.” He peels himself off me then helps me up. “We should shower.”
“We’re a beautiful mess!” I laugh, looking at our cum and cream covered bellies and thighs, which reminds me of what’s in the trunk. “Be right back, I got you something!” I start to dash to the car but return. “Two minutes tops!”
THIRTY MINUTES LATER
BRIAN
I had to give a goosebumped, teeth chattering and rueful Justin a sponge bath once we got back inside, now he’s wrapped around me and we're under the comforter in front of the fire.
Whatever he got me had ended up under his canvases and paints; although it wasn’t damaged, it was a fucking-fuckity fuck of a fuck to get out.
“What should I do first?” I focus on the wall.
“Do you mean laugh or open it?” He looks up.
“Laugh.” I splutter. “The image of you buried deep in the trunk swearing whilst shrinking will go down in the annals of Taylor-Kinney history!”
“That it will.” He grins, opening the comforter. “Balls have dropped and are no longer blue, and thanks to the sponge bath I don’t have cum-cream-cicles on my pubes.” I guffaw into his hair, he chuckles before jabbing my stomach. “Promise me, Storm, this stays between us?”
I nod, then realise something. “Shit, the security feed!” We run to the office to quickly delete it. Once back in the warmth of the dining room, I hold out the chair. He sits, then tests a rib.
“It’s still hot. How?”
“Hot plates.” I reply, putting my gift on the table and sitting next to him. “Blue or plum?”
“Blue, where’d you get that from?” He beams as he serves me some ribs.
“Online, we have a case of both.” He frowns when I put the ribs back. “Want to open that first.” I explain, reaching for the box. My jaw drops when I do. “Well this is woeful and pathetic isn’t it?” I gesture at the table, he slaps my arm shaking his head. “Blue, this is incredible! The Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille Luxe set is something for a wedding gift, not an apology, which you can’t take back by the way!”
“Excuse me, the phone, chocolate and the fruit trees, remember?” He pours the wine. “And there’s something else in the box.” I lift the base and just stare. “Well, what do you think?”
“Start calling!” I declare.
LINDSAY'S HOUSE - AFTERNOON, THREE DAYS LATER
LOUNGE
LINDSAY
Although we're absolutely furious, we're relieved that Michael has finally turned up! He arrived early this morning, looking like hell, stinking and belligerent. Matthew ordered him upstairs to sleep whatever it is off, and we’d talk later and now’s the time.
“The Incredible Sulk is awake.” Matthew mutters as Michael slams the bathroom door. “I think we should have champagne to toast the return of the prodigal.”
I nod and smile when he pours, having to admit to myself that I’ve grown to like Matthew. Yes, he came here with shady intentions, but having seen how Michael is, he’s apologised to Grace and Reva. Debs and Carl didn’t want to know, which is understandable, and he’s made peace with George, who too apologised. He’s very happy in Wisconsin, staying with friends of Reva.
We’d barely clinked glasses when Michael harrumphed from the doorway. “Are you celebrating my destruction?”
“What are you talking about?” Matthew sighs.
“Do you have Justin’s number? I need to speak to him.” He demands, glaring as Matthew moves the bottle out of his reach. “Is there any of the beer I bought left, or have you drunk it all?!” He snarls as he heads to the kitchen. We grimace at each other. Yes, we had a can, but it was so revolting that we left it! He’s back a few minutes later with the remains of the six pack. He opens one and puts the rest between his ankles. “Justin’s number, please, and where did George end up?”
“Before I think of giving you that, why are you asking about George?” I ask.
“I want to make sure he’s okay. Have you heard from him, Dad?”
“Yes, I’ve heard from him, no thanks to you. He’s had a full medical and came back clear. And why am I Dad now?”
“Aren’t you my father, or are you like her, a traitor?”
“How am I a traitor?”
“You sold my store!”
“Which I was able to because you sold it to me, Mr Manager!”
“Exactly, I was to be the manager!”
“Who wasn’t managing!” Matthew thunders. “You were lollygagging about hither, thither and yon, coasting on that accommodation you mentioned. Going to Joan’s trial, causing problems for Claire when you couldn't get to Brian anymore.” He smirks and shrugs. “So what happened to have you on a three day bender?”
His face mottles. “I wasn’t on a bender, I didn't have a change of clothes. I’ve been fired and barred.”
“Oh. Well I didn’t think that would happen.” I lie. “But after the way you behaved, you had to expect to be barred from Babylon, didn't you?”
“You’re not listening.” He sneers. “I’m a pariah, I’ve been cast out, the only place I could get served was Ohio.”
“Ohio?” I echo, looking at an equally puzzled Matthew.
MICHAEL
“Yes, Ohio. Not just barred from Babylon, I’m barred on Liberty Avenue. And thanks to the Cockblogger, all of Pennsylvania. He’s ruined my fucking life!”
“You’re exaggerating!” Lindsay scoffs.
“How much did you get for the store?” I demand.
“None of your business.” Dad scowls.
“I just want to know if it was more than what she bought it off me for?”
“Again, none of your business.” Lindsay retorts. “Now speak sense, start at the beginning!”
Start of flashback
COMIC BOOK STORE - THREE DAYS EARLIER
MICHAEL
“I can offer ten grand more than you paid for it, all you have to do is tell me how much it was so that I have a figure.”
“Brian gave it to me, you’d have to ask him.” Ben retorts, waving me back out from behind the counter. “You have everything that is legally yours, correct?”
“Apart from those.” I point at the stuff I got from the convention. “I can pay you later when I get home.”
“You were offering me ten grand just now, that is just over eight.” He sneers. “Where’d the money suddenly go?”
“I meant on top of that!” I want to take my time putting my PIN but don’t. “You know I’m good for it. You’ve made your point by suspending me, and…”
“Firing, you’re fired.” Cash interrupts.
“I am talking to Ben, and I would like to continue this in private.”
Cash smirks. “You got another card? It’s been declined.” It takes two attempts to get another out as my hands are so sweaty. “You can put this through, Ben, I’ll be in the office.” He holds out his hand. “Keys.” I want to scratch Ben’s eyes out as he raises an eyebrow. I tremble with embarrassed fury as I take it off the ring then Cash puts on gloves. “Want a pair Ben, and you want me to hang around?”
“I’ll get my own, and no, he’s good with nasty words but won’t get physical.”
“Okay.”
I wait for the door to finally close. “Ben, please let me buy the store. This has been my dream, my life, you know that.”
“Which you very quickly sold the day you were kicked out of Drew and Emmett’s ranch.” I flush. “And barely opened since, as you were at the trials all the time. It could’ve been worse for you.”
“How?!”
“It’s me refusing to sell. He almost persuaded him to put it on the open market.” He focuses on cashing up. “Our business is almost concluded.”
“Ben, this is my life!”
“And what about Brian’s life? What about mine? I don't remember you giving a flying fuck when your life was going your way. You lied to Brian, you broke his trust, you were happy to bring the attempted murderer of his fiance to a party, you cheated and put my heath in danger, you fucked your brother, caught Hep A, and finally, you were an escort!”
“Sssssh!” I hiss, looking at the office door.
“People know, it was the first thing that Cash said to you when he came in. Now, as for the rest of our business, I shall give you first refusal.”
I pause in my packing. “What do you mean?”
“You’ve always been a cheapskate, and neither of us spotted it, but Justin did.”
“Justin, what does he have to do with anything?”
“Brian was doing the inventory for this place; Justin left him a note about it.”
“What does he know about this kind of thing?!” I scoff.
“Enough to know that the stock didn’t match up. You brought them here so that insurance would cover them instead of you shelling out.” I freeze when he points to the cabinets with my collections. “They’ve been added, appraised, and will be the first to go, so what’s your offer?”
AN HOUR LATER
I’m sitting in my car, watching Ben and Brandon walk hand in hand up the street, laughing and smiling. He arrived minutes after the collection's bombshell, refusing to leave us alone to negotiate. Ben wouldn't tell me what the appraisal figure was, but did me the favour of giving me the contact details of the appraiser! I’m livid! After all our years together, a few mistakes and this is how he behaves; I had no idea he was this vengeful!
End of flashback
MICHAEL
I open another can. “After that I tried to call Brian to get him to speak to Ben. They’d always been close but he’s ignoring my calls. You'd think that me being in his life as his best friend and brother that he’d see it as me just acting out a little. He knows how I get. It’s not as if things haven’t worked out for him, is it? It’s me that’s left with nothing!”
“Acting out a little?!” Dad explodes. “You were cavalier, callous and contagious!”
“Matthew, please calm down and let him continue.”
“Thanks, Lindz. I was hungry after that brutal treatment.” I lament. “But when I got to the diner, my photo was on the door with the words ‘entry refused’ emblazoned in red. It was poster sized at Woody’s and Babylon! No matter where I went on Liberty Avenue, nobody would take my money, not even the kiosk outside the station!”
“Oh my goodness!” Lindsay gasps. “Wait, what about Diamond Stores? That's not on Liberty Avenue, did you try there?”
“Oh yes I did!” I snipe, face burning with the memory. “I was relieved when I didn’t see my photo on the door, happy when they let me shop, but payment was refused and I was thrown out!”
“Why didn’t you come back here?” She frowns. “How did you end up in Ohio?”
“I needed gas!”
“Gas?”
“Yes, Dad, gas! Like I said, nobody is taking my money. I had to go drive to the next state for it, I was too tired, upset and hungry to drive back, so booked into a hotel and stayed there to gather my thoughts.”
“Well, you’ve certainly made a powerful enemy for yourself, haven’t you?” He shakes his head. “So now what are you going to do? You can’t just loaf about, that money is not going to last long.”
“And you’re not bringing any collectibles in here!” Lindsay declares.
“I’m not going to loaf about! And I can’t buy any collectibles now, not in the best markets, I’ve been blackballed. So as there’s clearly nothing here for me anymore, I’m moving out of state but not before I have my final say to the person who caused all this misery!”
“And who’s that?” Dad asks.
“Justin. He’s the Cockblogger!” I declare triumphantly. “None of this happened before he came.”
“Don’t be stupid, the Cockblogger was around before he turned up!” Lindsay glowers.
“But the targeting only started after he arrived!” They shake their heads. “It’s him, I know it! Once I prove who he is, Brian will be thanking me for saving him from that nutjob!”
Dad snatches the beers. “You’ve had enough of them. Go to bed, and when you wake up, there will still only be one person at fault for all of this and that’s you!”
Justin’s apology present: Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille Luxe