Daphne's eyes were wide with surprise when Justin came through the door. She looked at the wall clock, then back at Justin's blank expression, her brow arching as he closed and locked the door. "Uhhh, you're home earlier than I thought you would be, Jus. Did something go wrong?"

"Wrong?" Justin smiled, his mind still caught up in that kiss. It was a kiss he would never forget. That in itself amazed him. It was a kiss that was incredibly short-lived, but it was one filled with a raw hunger, a passion unsuppressed and so tangible. He'd be lying if he didn't admit to wanting to feel those firm and obviously skilled lips moving over his again. Fuck. That kiss had been hot. It had left him with thoughts and desires he hadn't even known himself to have. But where to go from there? The contract. Yes. He had to look it over and make his own decision. For some reason, he didn't think that would be so easy to do.

Standing from the couch, and making her way toward him, she snapped her fingers in front of his dazed eyes. "Uhhh yeah. Wrong. Earth to Justin!"

"Huh?" Justin returned, cautiously maintaining a tight grip on the file in hand, knowing that was the last thing he wanted his curious and far too concerned roommate to view. Distractedly, Justin glanced at the clock, slightly surprised that it was still just an hour before his shift at Babylon. Perhaps he would still go. He could use the money... and maybe it would give him a clear head if surrounded by all the hot studs that frequented the club, and his special dances. "I'll be right back. I gotta change."

"Change!?" Daphne squawked. "For what? You called off work tonight! Where are you going?"

"Hold that thought, Daph.. I'll tell you in a minute..." Justin laughed as he heard her continuing to mumble on, clearly thinking he had taken full leave of his senses.

Daphne continued to sputter the entire time Justin was gone. What the hell! She'd been worried sick about him these past hours... and he comes home and acts like that! What the hell had happened to her level-headed friend in that posh penthouse apartment? No matter what it had been, it was clear that something was different with Justin. But what?

She was left to ponder for ten more minutes when Justin finally reemerged from his bedroom, his duffel bag in hand. "Justin? What's going on? I thought you took the night off..."

Justin shrugged. "I did. But I just called Brandon and told him I could come in to do one set. He had me covered for the night, but he didn't refuse my offer."

"Of course he wouldn't. You are his biggest moneymaker." She looked at him expectantly, her impatience continuing to grow. "What about your date with Brian Kinney? Why are you home... and what the hell happened with him?"

"Nothing happened," Justin replied nonchalantly. "We had dinner, then, his driver brought me back home. End of story."

Daphne narrowed her eyes on her best friend, completely aware of there being much more to the story. "Right. End of story. Except for one thing." Her eyes widened angrily. "I fucking know you!"

Justin laughed half-heartedly. Of course, he knew that. Right now, he didn't want to dwell on tonight. He needed to clear his head before he sat down and reviewed that contract. He wasn't sure he was the right man for the controlling Mr. Kinney. There wasn't a doubt that his moments of submission to him, such as they were, had turned him on more than anything ever had... but he still had his bouts of rebellion. He wasn't sure he could be the man the dominant in Brian needed him to be.

"I know that, Daph. Just accept the fact that I don't want to talk about it... at least not tonight. My evening was fine, and it left me with a lot to think about." When he saw her mouth opening in preparation to ask what he knew to be an endless tirade of questions, Justin held his hand up, telling her succinctly, "That's all I plan to say about it."

"I'm not trying to interfere in your business, Justin; I'm just worried about you. Okay??" she responded, finally seeing that no more answers would be forthcoming tonight. Knowing her friend's determination, she realized those answers might never come.

"I get that, and I appreciate that more than I can say. Don't worry about me. I can take care of myself." He tried to effect his most reassuring smile. "Look how long I've been doing that."

Daphne rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I know. You're superhuman. How could I forget?" Her eyes focused on his duffel, a frown on her face, when she asked, "Why change your mind and go in, though? You hate working there."

That was probably her best question of all. He wasn't sure why he decided to go in. He could tell himself it was for the money, and in part that would be true, but he also knew it was a slight act of rebellion. The demanding Mr. Kinney wouldn't like it at all - if he found out. As much as his body wanted what the man had to offer, he also couldn't help finding him extremely high-handed. As he had briefly scanned over the detailed contract, Justin had realized there were many pros and cons in such a relationship. It was just a question of whether he could find a balance of them that he could live with... and that Brian accepted as well.

Still, in the back of his mind, a part of him wondered if the dominant would lose his control again at what he would view as a clear act of rebellion. If that kiss had been a direct result of Mr. Kinney's loss of control, he couldn't deny wanting to see it happen again. And again... and again.

"It's Saturday night, and the tips are great. I'm only doing one set... so it's easy money for very little time spent."

Biting her lip uncertainly, knowing something just wasn't quite right with her friend, Daphne grudgingly stopped her interrogation. "Umm, okay. Well, if you decide you want to talk later... or whenever, you know where I am."

"I'll keep that in mind." Justin smiled in what he hoped to be encouraging, he told her, "I know what I'm doing, Daph. And if I make a mistake, I'll learn from it just like everyone else does. Thank you for caring, though. It's good to know I have someone in the world that does."

Daphne sighed. She couldn't fight either his logic or his accounting of his life that was sadly vacant of a support group. "You know I do, Jus. If something happened to you, I- I just don't know what I would do."

"You'd write a Pulitzer Prize-winning piece about the experience," Justin smirked when he finally made his friend laugh, much more comfortable in leaving now that some of her tension had evaporated. "Talk to you in the morning."

Watching him walk through the door, she shook her head in bemusement. There was no one like Justin. She could be in her most stern, inquisitive, even intrusive reporter mode, and he could always create a shift. The problem was simple. They knew each other so well. That was much of why she was so concerned. Justin had returned home tonight laden with heavy thoughts. Now, he was going to his escape mechanism. Babylon. It wouldn't be so much the dancing or the money. Babylon was a diversion for Justin. He was running from something... or someone. She would bet all of her future award-winning articles that the answer was Brian Kinney.

Brian didn't shock easily; however, what Ethan told him now had him reeling in several ways. First, the information changed his plans for the night... but how he came about the knowledge disturbed him even more. "Ethan, I'd like you to repeat that... because I'm sure I didn't hear you correctly."

"I realize I overstepped my bounds, and for that, I humbly apologize, but I thought you would want to know." Ethan cursed his stupidity, both in his actions and his coming here to boldly profess them. Perhaps he had been wrong in his assessment of the young blond's importance to his employer, but he still found that highly unlikely.

"Overstepped your bounds? I can't imagine why you would think that!" Brian growled angrily. "You are my driver. That job is fairly simple, Ethan. You drive me where I want to go, or others that I direct you to transport. Nowhere in your job description are you listed as - stalker, spy, informant, or anything other than driving from point A to point B."

Hanging his head low, feeling more the fool with each passing moment, he murmured in a low voice, "Again, you have my apologies, Sir. All I was thinking was that you would want to know if the boy went anywhere questionable... and to know that he arrived there safely."

"Ethan, look at me..." Brian demanded. It wasn't that he didn't want the information his chauffeur had so surprisingly supplied... it was the fact that he had acquired it on his own, and his doubts of the true reason behind his actions. "What you did was a violation of Mr. Taylor's privacy. If I wanted that sort of information, I would have either done so myself or had my PI agency do the work. I also question your true motivation. Was it really done to protect my interests... or was there another reason entirely?"

Ethan gasped in his shock. "Mr. Kinney, y-you don't think that I was stalking the young man... seeking him out for myself? I- I would never betray you like that. I knew you were interested in him." Ethan wasn't sure how he expected his employer to respond, but he knew if his dominating boss denied any interest in the young blond, his own interest might change quickly.

"I'm not sure what I think, Ethan... but I will give you the benefit of the doubt - at least for now." His eyes were cold as they slid over his clearly nervous employee. "Should I discover that you had been seeking to sabotage me with Mr. Taylor... well, things will end badly for you." Brian stepped back and eyed his driver analytically for a long moment. "You do enjoy your job with me, don't you, Mr. Gold? In fact, you do wish to continue working for me... not to mention in this town?"

"O-of course, Sir. Without a doubt..." Ethan sputtered, immediately realizing his employer's demeanor, and words of aggression pointed to the most significant factor of all - the young blond was important to him. Any man that interfered in the progression of that relationship would be incurring the renowned Kinney wrath.

"Good..." Brian's voice was bland, his eyes still coldly assessing the nervous curly-haired man. "I'm going to change my clothes, and then I'll have you drop me off at Babylon. I want to see Mr. Taylor for myself."

"Yes, Sir..." Ethan promptly responded. "I'll just get the car and pull it to the front entrance."

"I'll be down shortly..." Brian dismissed Ethan with a curt nod, uncertain if this issue was sufficiently resolved, but at this moment, more interested in Justin and what trouble he was currently getting himself into. He was very disappointed in Justin's choice. He had hoped that the blond would go home and review the contents of the contract, and perhaps even begin some research. Going to Babylon tonight bespoke of a boy running... or one that sought to anger him. Neither of those choices was good for his future submissive. For there wasn't a doubt in his mind that Justin would sign on the dotted line, willingly surrendering all of himself into his care.

As he quickly took the stairs to his bedroom, Brian decided he may have been too businesslike with Justin. After that kiss in the elevator, the blond should have understood his immense desire and determination to own him; however, maybe the boy needed to be shown more. As he dressed for hunting at Babylon in mind, Brian decided he would teach Justin even more tonight.

Now, with the cards on the table, Justin would discover even more what it was like to be hunted by the only man that could satisfy his submissive desires. The boy would learn the peril of playing games with the master, and in the process, he would become his even sooner.

TBC