Justin gently kissed his mouth, exploring his tongue and biting his lower lip.  Justin's fingers nimbly unbuttoned his shirt, exposing his taut abs, firm chest and ran them across the flesh, tweaking his nipples as they ghosted the brown circles. Soon they were tight nubs, responding to the exquisite stimulation.  Justin reached for his jeans, undoing the top button and then unzipping them.  Justin's hands grabbed his hard cock, caressing it and playing with it before he unleashed it from the tight denim.  Justin pulled his pants down where they rested on his ankles and he kicked them off.  Justin moved him toward the bed, pushing his body down on the softer service where he lay on top of him, grinding their cocks together.  They tousled and stroked each other's bodies, feeding the frenzy of the impending joining. 

"Now," he shouted.

Justin picked up the condom, placing it on his erection and turned him over.  Using his lubed finger, Justin quickly prepped him, and then plunged through the tight ring of muscle and on to the tighter channel.  Justin pumped furiously, unable to pace their joining, taken over by the surges pummeling his body.  He felt the unmistakable tingling that signaled impending release as Justin pulled in and out of the tight channel. 

"Justin," he called as he came.

John woke up the following morning covered in cum.  The last relics of his dream still fresh on his mind.  He and Justin were in bed together, they were making love.  Justin was all over his body, couldn't keep his hands off his smooth chest or rock hard cock.  Justin wouldn't stop kissing him and he could still feel Justin's weight on top of his body as he ground his cock into his groin. 

"Soon.  My love.  Soon.  We will be together soon," he whispered softly as he smiled at the impending reunion.

John got out of bed and stripped the soiled sheets, throwing them into the wash.  Going to the bathroom, he completed his morning routine and then showered. Grabbing his toilet kit, he placed his toothbrush, comb and shampoo in it, zipped it closed and placed it in his suitcase. 

He dressed in his best gray Prada suit and reviewed his packet with the flight information and information about Kinnetik as well as Organza.  He grabbed his suitcase and walked to the street to grab a cab to the airport.  Since this was a business trip, he could claim the cost of the cab on his expense report.  After going through security, he had an hour to wait at the gate and he spent that time reliving the vivid dream from the night before.

After arriving in Pittsburgh he went to his hotel, checking in and leaving his luggage.  He freshened up, ate a light lunch and caught a cab to Organza.   His meeting was with the President, Todd, where he showcased his designs and ideas, hoping they were to his liking.  The account was a long standing one with his company and he was here to provide a personal touch. Darren, his boss, thought he was well suited to this company's needs  and would not be disappointed when John called him with the good news as they were very pleased with the presentation.

"I really like the way you brought the latest technology into the presentation.  I do believe that wearable tech is the next big push," the President said.

"I agree," said John.  "I'm pretty excited about the things that can be done with technology today.  Sometimes I think I'm living in a science fiction movie."

Todd laughed and so did his second in command.

"I'll have Carla bring in the new contact and we'll sign it now.  I'm happy to be working with your company."  Todd pushed a button on his telephone and instructed the person on the other end to bring in the contract.  "What are your plans for this evening?  Shall we go celebrate the new contract?"

John smiled and shook Todd's hand.  "I'll have to take a rain check.  I've already got plans."  Looking at his watch he said, "In fact, I probably need to leave soon so that I won't be late.  Thank you for your time and offer, Todd." 

Todd shook his hand and said, "Of course.  I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot of you in the future.  This is really an exciting campaign."

Once the contract was signed, John walked outside Organza, willing his mind to calm down as he switched gears to his upcoming interview and culmination of his reunion with Justin. His body was strumming with excitement.  It was like he was a guitar and someone had taken his strings and pulled them very tight, almost to the point of popping.  He was mentally walking through his new life.  He would get the job at Kinnetik, being the star of the art department.  He would become indispensable to Brian and they would become friends.  As his friend, he would be able to convince him that he and Justin were really not a good match  He would find a way to hook up with Justin, convincing him that he and Justin were the perfect couple.  It all seemed perfectly logical to his convoluted thinking these days.

Brian looked at the clock, realizing he had several hours until he had to get up. Thoughts of Justin, babies, and art swirling in his head had resulted in a very restless night.  Justin was so important to him and he would do whatever it took to make him happy; he just wasn't sure what their future would entail.  At 36, he really wasn't sure he wanted another child, but he wasn't convinced that he had the right to stop Justin from experiencing that joy either.  It was not something that could or should be resolved in one night.  Right now he had Kinnetik to take care of and that meant his attention had to be focused elsewhere.

Pulling Justin tight against him, he savored the smell, feel and sound of his lover sleeping next to him.  The movement brought Justin toward consciousness, but Brian shushed him back to sleep.  Justin had been experiencing even more difficulties sleeping than Brian and he knew the man needed the restoration.  Justin's rhythmic breathing combined with the warmth of his sleep filled body lulled Brian back to sleep. Holding Justin in his arms he slept well for the first time in several days.

The alarm went off and Brian quickly shut it off.  The noise did rouse Justin, but he just pushed his body back into Brian's seeking the warmth and skin of his lover.  Brian held him for a bit, but then kissed his neck a few times.

"I'd love to stay here, Justin, but the interviews for the new art position are today and I really need to be there."

"I have to meet Michael this afternoon to talk about Rage, but I could come by later.  Maybe we can shoot some pool at Woodies."   Justin ran his hands over his eyes, pushing the sleep away.  He wanted to connect with Brian, even for a few moments.

"We could talk about the candidates.  You always have a good instinct when it comes to artists."

"You just want to make sure whoever you hire isn't afraid of the big bad Brian.  Not sure if I would be a good judge of that characteristic, but I would like to look at the art.  I hate it when you come home ranting about the idiots in the art department."

Brian was glad to see Justin planning his day without the drama of the last few days.  He hoped that maybe Justin's doom and gloom about the interview and its fallout had disappeared.  He wasn't going to question him, but realized that he needed to watch his partner.  Justin had a knack for hiding the truth or hiding things that bothered him and allowed them to fester until they were very out of control. 

The meeting with Michael about Rage was a promising sign that he felt this part of his life could continue.  He hoped Michael would not be spooked by the interview with Tim.  Really, he didn't think Michael would even know about the article unless someone mentioned it.  Michael was not one to read the tabloids or follow the news.  He was more concerned with the rest of the "family's" reaction.  He had toyed with the idea of giving them warning but decided against it.  The natural fallout or non-fallout, if that was a real word, would have to be seen.  He hoped that Justin's fears were unfounded when it came to their family, they wouldn't judge and it wouldn't even get mentioned.  He knew how Carol felt and decided that she had the most to lose, besides Justin with the information in the interview.  Since she wasn't worried about the information, he decided that it wasn't going to make an impact.  Regardless, the interview was now published and they couldn't take it back. It was time for both of them to move on with their lives. 

The stalker had precipitated the interview and unfortunately they still had that unresolved issue.  Now they had a name for the stalker, hopefully they could proceed in stopping that threat as well.  Justin had more than his fair share of drama in the last few years, starting with the amnesia from the accident and now it was time for him to enjoy his success. 

"Join me in the shower?" Brian asked as he raised his eyebrow in invitation.

"I do feel a little dirty."  Justin walked to the bathroom and turned on the shower, waiting for the water to heat up.

Brian joined him and took care of his morning routine, then stepped in the shower.  Justin grabbed the soap, lathering it up and then started washing Brian's skin.

"I never get tired of this.  You know, showering together, starting the day with you," Justin said as he cleaned Brian's chest.

"Mmm," was the  only response Justin received, knowing that more than those sounds would be too lesbianic for Brian.  The "mmm" was sufficient acceptance of Brian's acknowledgment.

Brian grabbed Justin's hips, pulled him closer and kissed him soundly on the lips.  Justin opened his mouth and returned the kiss.  Brian spun Justin around to face the tiles and grabbed the lube and a condom.

"Like this tradition too?" Brian teased as he opened the packet of lube and squeezed the gel onto his finger and then inserted it into Justin's ass. 

Justin grunted and pushed back in response, nodding the only acknowledgment he could come up with.  He wanted this, joining with his partner, the normality of the act a part of their morning routine.   Sex in the shower in the morning was like brushing your teeth, but felt much better.  It was part of getting ready for the day.  No matter how bad the day got, both of them could always flash back to their morning tryst and both men found that appealing and comforting, and of course, hot as hell.  When they were in different cities, their days always felt a little off because they hadn't started the day right. 

Brian replaced his finger with his cock and soon they were rocking back and forth.  Brian pushed into Justin and Justin pushed back.  Brian grabbed Justin's cock and Justin placed his hand over Brian's, a joining of all of their bodies, not just the sexual parts.  Soon they were lost in the feelings of intercourse, the unmistakable narrow minded focus of reaching a climax, a high that only sex can offer.  Drugs, booze, smoking all provided their own release, but sex was special, it was not a solitary act.  It involved a partner and that was the difference, especially when your partner meant the world to you and you would do anything to keep him safe.  These thoughts were not conscious ones on either man's part, but they both recognized the importance of starting their day connected to each other in the most intimate way possible.  It brought them together in the morning and kept them in each other's thoughts throughout the day.

The tingling of the spine, the shortness of breath and the sole focus on completion was felt by both men.  Oblivious to the chilling of the water in the shower or the reddening of Justin's skin as Brian pushed him into the tile, both men pushed toward their orgasm.  Justin shot over Brian's hand and Brian shot into the condom.  Brian wrapped his arms around Justin's torso and held him tightly as his body returned to normal.  Feeling his cock return to normal, he reluctantly pulled out, tying the condom and dropping it on the floor.

"I hate that part," Justin remarked.

"Yeah," Brian agreed.

"Some day?"

"Some day." Brian kissed Justin on the forehead and poured some shampoo in his palm, proceeding to wash Justin's hair.

"What time do the interviews start?"

"1:00. We have them scheduled every 45 minutes and then plan on spending about 15 minutes talking about the candidate."

"Why don't I come by at 5:00 or so?  Will you be finished by then?"

"I think we have an appointment at 5:00 but that would work well.  You could see the portfolios of all the candidates and then we could review them before we went to Woody's."

Justin turned off the shower and grabbed towels for both of them.  They went into the bedroom to dress for the day.

"Brian," Justin said as he reached for his underwear.

"Yeah."

"What if Michael..."

"Justin, this is Michael.  He runs a fucking comic book store.  He doesn't read the news unless it is about a new release of a comic book or a new action figure.  And even if he did hear about it from our more well read "family", do you think he would have an opinion?  He probably thinks it was cool that you got paid to strip. To him that is more impressive than your art.  Your art only has meaning to him in an abstract way.  He goes to openings because it's expected.  I love Mikey, but he wouldn't have an opinion about art unless he read it in a comic book."  Brian finished tying his tie and placed a kerchief in his pocket. Walking over to Justin, he kissed his forehead.  " I know you don't believe me, but I really don't think it is a big deal and won't be a big deal with our ‘family'." Unconsciously he walked to Justin's closet and grabbed a pair of black wool slacks and a light blue cotton sweater, handing them to Justin.  "You didn't work in a strip club where the hordes were pawing over you and sticking dollar bills in your jock.  You were in a very controlled environment, getting paid to entertain.  It's different.  And if anyone gives you shit about it, it's their problem, not yours."  He sat on the bed and watched Justin dress in the clothing he picked out.  "If I hadn't been so shocked and angry with you when I went to the birthday party with my client, I would have found it really hot."

"You never told me," Justin said as he ran his hands through his hair, putting it back in place after pulling the sweater over his head.

"It never came up.  Too much shit with finding you there.  I was furious that other guys were seeing you and that you hadn't come to me for money.  I would have given it to you."

"You were jealous?" Justin said as he grinned at Brian's confession.

Brian heard the clock chime from the hallway. 

"I have to go.  I'll see you this afternoon.  Remember, I love you."  Brian stood up, smoothed the bed where he'd been sitting and gently kissed Justin on the lips.  He walked downstairs, grabbed his briefcase and was out the door in a few minutes.

Justin stood in the middle of the room, digesting the short conversation.  Brian was jealous.  He didn't like other guys looking at me.  Wow.  We've come so far.  When did it become okay for Brian to tell me those things without my pushing?

Justin smiled realizing that his relationship with Brian was more important than any of the shit in his life.  It was going to be a good day.

TBC