Justin looked around what was left of his state-of-the-art photography studio, his jaw dropping down as he took in the total destruction. He looked to his right at the investigator, grateful that he had been allowed inside to assess what was still considered an ongoing investigation. "I just can't believe such devastation happened in so little time. It's truly surreal."

"Indeed it is, Mr. Taylor. That's one reason why so many victims perish in fires, even ones that start out small. There's such a short time for escape before the smoke, and then the flames consume." Detective Holligan looked at the young CEO, surprisingly finding himself sympathetic to the young man's plight. Continuing to question this man was ridiculous. It had just been a matter of procedure. There wasn't a doubt that this man was innocent of anything that could have led to arson in the studio, and the fact remained that Justin Taylor was one of the richest men in the country. There hadn't been any sort of foul play administered by this man's hand. "At this point, I believe the fire inspector is ruling this as an accident; although, one brought on by your photographer's negligence. The wires and the lamps were left askew and even more dangerously placed. It almost seemed as if he had been in a hurry to leave and just got careless. The department probably won't be pursuing this matter further. It will be up to you to decide about any discipline."

Shaking his head, Justin announced, "I will address it with my photographer, but I don't intend on any disciplinary action. I think they both suffered enough. All that matters now is that no one was hurt." Once more, he looked around the room that was barely recognizable from its previous condition, looking at the detective in question. "Am I free to have the insurance company and a cleaning crew called in now?"

Nodding his head, Detective Holligan answered, "Yes, Mr. Taylor. I'm sorry you had to travel all the way from New York, but these questions are a matter of procedure. Now, I can submit my report. This case will be officially closed."

"No apologies necessary, Detective. This branch of my business is my baby. I will do anything to protect and preserve it." Justin extended his hand to the detective, shaking it briefly before he acknowledged, "Thank you for your diligence in this unfortunate matter. I understand that the fire department, and you as well, were on the scene almost immediately. I deeply appreciate that."

"Just doing our job, Sir." The detective frowned as he responded, at a complete loss at how the young man came across as so confident and assertive. At times, he had felt inferior to the media giant, and in his numerous years with the L.A.P.D, another man had never so instantly instilled that feeling in him. Most especially, not one so young. He would hate to run afoul of him in the business world. This man was truly dynamic.

"I will probably be here for a few days, merely to oversee the beginning of the repairs. Then, I need to return to New York." Justin reached into his pocket and pulled out a business card. He handed it to the detective, his eyes touching on him briefly, surprised that he had just now noticed how attractive the man was in a roughened, unkempt way. "If anything else should come up, feel free to contact me. Both of my business lines are there, as well as my cell phone."

Detective Holligan flushed at the thorough once over the blue eyes briefly administered, uncertain if it had been some sort of indirect come-on or not. He was happily married, for the most part, with two beautiful children, a house with a mortgage, and all the ups and downs of such a life; however, he was far from perfect. He had dallied with men a time or two. Justin Taylor was a bit too young for his tastes, and too much in the public eye, but he wasn't blind. This man was a sight to behold, with an intensely appealing drive and arrogance that was strangely arousing. He would be a liar if he didn't admit to being tempted. At another time, and with a different set of circumstances, he would indulge. He took the card, his fingers quickly withdrawing, knowing any sort of physical contact wasn't wise in this situation. He cleared his throat, before shakily answering, "It was a pleasure meeting you, Mr. Taylor. I hope your recovery from the fire is quick, and that your business is not impacted by the delay."

"I'm sure it will be fine, but thank you, detective." Justin smiled, his eyes were aware of how the man that should be dominant by nature and from his chosen profession alone, was slightly fidgeting under his close regard. How interesting, Justin thought. The detective wanted him, but he was remaining professional and not acting on it. Justin knew he could push if he wanted; there wasn't a doubt in his mind that he would be successful... but to his surprise, he didn't want that right now. If Brian was here with them, well, that could be an entirely different story. Moving to the door, Justin winked at the still flustered officer. "Perhaps we'll meet again, detective. Bye."

Justin chuckled as he exited the room, he proceeded to the elevators with a steady, but relaxed gait. No matter if he always acted on it or not, he loved the power he seemed to effortlessly wield over other men. It was exhilarating. And it always turned him on. He wished Brian was here with him now. They could have had such fun with the curious and entirely fuckable detective. If Sean wasn't still residing at his home, Justin wasn't so sure he wouldn't have indulged. Brian had been very clear about their arrangement. They would trick, oftentimes together, but it wouldn't always be convenient. Sometimes they would seek out tricks on their own. The only restriction had been that he couldn't fuck Sean. He was fine with that; although, he knew the close proximity wouldn't be easy when he was already feeling desire coiling inside of him. But he would resist. That was a line he wouldn't cross, no matter how available Sean would be.

As he stepped from the elevator and out of his building, Justin slid into the back of the limo, instructing his driver they were heading for home. He opened his phone, re-reading Brian's text message from earlier, deliberately not responding until he had more information. Smiling, Justin thought that a more personal form of contact could be employed later. For now, he answered him back, uncertain if his workday had finished or not. Knowing Brian's often chaotic and full schedule, he would assume not. The investigator has declared the fire an act of negligence, but an accident. I'm glad to hear Michael had no part in it.

It only took Brian a moment to respond. Justin wasn't the least bit surprised that Brian would be monitoring his messages closely. Brian had probably been worried about what he could find here. As much as he would have found such care abhorrent in the past, coming from Brian, now that they had become so emotionally connected, he actually found Brian's concern to be sweet. Of course, he wouldn't tell Brian that. His deepest desire was still to dominate and control the older man, even if it only extended to bedroom play; he couldn't allow Brian to go full-on protective on him before he lived out that particular fantasy.

I'm glad too. When are you heading back?

Justin smiled. I miss you too, stud.

Did I say that, Taylor?

You didn't have to, Mr. Adman. Probably a few days.

I see. I guess I'll see you when you get back.

Oh, you can count on that, stud. I have BIG plans for you...

Brian groaned. Yeah. He remembered those plans. He resisted asking anything about the hot blond model. Brian doubted that he could do it without sounding jealous... and that was something he didn't want to do. In the meantime, hotshot, you could always call me later. I'm sure I could improvise...

Sounds hot. Justin could improvise as well. He thought about what two laptops with cameras and their hands could do. They could have some fun even across thousands of miles. Will you be at home or at Babylon? Justin swore at himself for asking the question. What did it really matter? He would be calling Brian's cell phone. He could be reached at either location. But at home in bed would certainly be much more convenient, and accessible to camera play.

I'll be working from home tonight. I'm going to pick up some dinner, and then I'll be home for the rest of the night. Call me later.

Justin looked out the window, observing they were now pulling into the long driveway of his estate, an errant thought coming to mind. He wished Brian was here. There were so many places he'd fuck him here. The pool instantly came to mind. I wish you were here. The things I would do to you... Talk to you later, Brian. Justin powered off the phone before Brian could respond again. He was already hard and aching for him. He didn't need to intensify that before he went inside and talked to Sean. There wasn't a doubt that Sean would try to entice him. His promise to Brian would keep him strong.

When his driver opened his door, Justin nodded his head, kindly instructing him, "Thanks, Ethan. I should be staying in for the rest of the night."

Smiling dreamily at his employer, Ethan replied, "I'll be in my cabana, Sir... if you should need me. For anything..."

"Uh, no." Justin's tone was dismissive. Now Ethan? There was no fucking way he would touch him, especially now that he had Brian. A meaningless fuck was all that he could offer other men now, and that was exactly how he wanted it. Fucking Ethan would equate to enabling a clinging vine. Sean was bad enough, but with encouragement, Ethan would be even worse. He didn't need that. "Goodnight, Ethan."

Walking away, and off in the direction of the back of the house, Justin's eyes passed over the pool, surprised Sean wasn't in it. The pool was one of Sean's favorite places, most especially after dusk. He opened the door and stepped into the house, turning on lights as he passed through the rooms. Where the fuck was Sean? As he moved through the large, empty rooms, his eyes narrowed in suspicion when he crossed into the dining room, the long table illuminated by candlelight. Justin rolled his eyes, watching as Sean opened a bottle of red wine, at a glance realizing it was the finest from his well-stocked wine cellar. Fucking shit, Justin thought to himself. So... this was how his night was going to continue to progress.

"Have a seat, Justin. Allow me to serve you." Sean moved closer, two large, stemmed goblets in his hand, along with a full bottle of wine. As he filled both glasses, Sean extended one to Justin, before placing the other at the seat next to him. "You know how much I enjoy doing that..." Sean's voice was a sultry purr, leaving no doubt that he was elevating his seduction attempts, knowing exactly how to get to the other man in the quickest way possible.

"Sean. I'm going to stop you right now..." Justin began, unable to believe his guilt in this set-up. He had allowed Sean to remain in his home. Perhaps that had been some kind of encouragement to the younger man. No matter the cause, it had to be resolved. "I have only returned because of the studio fire. Once that's sorted, I'm going back to New York. What you want isn't going to happen."

Sliding up behind his former lover, Sean placed his hands on Justin's shoulders, sighing when he began to massage them, feeling the tension in the other man, his lips curving into a smile of supreme self-satisfaction when Justin moaned in response. He leaned down and whispered into Justin's ear, "It feels good, doesn't it? You're so tense, Justin. But not in a good way. I know how to make you feel even better, lover. We both know how much you love to fuck." He kept going, even when Justin tensed up even more. It was a case of now or never, and he knew it. "Fuck me now, Justin. Right here on this table. We both know you want to, and no one else ever has to know."

Justin felt his dick throbbing in his pants. Provocative and hot little fucker. He had seduced this man years ago, teaching him so much in the process. He didn't get why Sean was humiliating himself repeatedly over him. This younger version of himself, although a bottom, could have about any man he wanted. Why couldn't he move on? "Sean, take your hands off of me now. We need to have a serious talk... and I can't do it like this..."

"Of course you can't," Sean purred, his tone dripping with confidence. He moved his hand downward, not stopping until he began fondling the bulge in Justin's tight jeans. "You may want to push me away, but your cock doesn't. Just take what you want, Justin. To hell with everyone else. Fuck me now!"

Angrily, Justin pushed Sean's hand away, standing to his feet so abruptly that he nearly knocked one of his expensive Gianna tufted dining room chairs carelessly to the floor. He swiveled around to glare at a man he could barely recognize. Was this the kind of unscrupulous predator he had been? Sean was callously taking advantage of a near disaster when he had been told repeatedly they were over. Sadly, Justin knew he needed to take a stand here, and one that would cost him in more ways than one. "You refuse to get it, Sean. And it ends here tonight."

Sean's eyes widened at the cold finality in Justin's eyes, and even more so in his tone. "W-what do you mean? I- I just thought we could hook up one last time. I didn't think it would hurt anyone."

"Didn't think it would hurt anyone?" Justin icily repeated. "What part of ‘I love Brian' didn't you understand? I was more than open about that."

"You're kidding me, right? You, Justin Taylor, renowned stud and ultimate top, are settling for just one guy... and an older guy at that? I can't believe you are monogamous with this guy. It's not you." Sean began to shake his head incredulously, unable to fathom how much this man had changed... and to his way of thinking, it wasn't a change for the better. Sean's eyes trailed down to where the bulge had previously been in Justin's pants. "I told you this before, Justin. Your dick doesn't give a damn. Your cock still wants me. Why not just take it? Your precious Brian isn't here... but I am. Do what you do best, and fuck the shit out of me!"

Justin looked away, before returning his gaze to Sean's flushed, and unfortunately beautiful face. If he had to fire him as the feature model of Metropolitan Man, it was going to cost him a fortune, but he could see it was heading in that direction. He would give Sean one last chance to pull his head out of his ass... but only one. The money meant next to nothing to him, but the image of Metropolitan Man did. But even more than that, his future with Brian meant everything. Sean's shenanigans wouldn't cost him that. "Sean, I've already explained this to you. I'm a queer. A hot guy will make my dick hard, but that doesn't mean I plan to act on it. Am I monogamous with Brian? At this point, no. But fucking you would cross a line. You can't ever be considered a meaningless trick. We have history, and you know that."

Sean swore, unable to believe that Justin was passing up this opportunity. "Fuck, Justin. I can't believe you've changed this much. The fire was a disaster, but when you said you were coming here, I thought it would be our chance to reconnect. I'm not sure what I thought would happen after, but while you were here, I thought it could just be us again."

"It can't be that, Sean. Never again. I love Brian and I want to build a life with him. Sure we'll probably be tricking; Brian is too much of a top for it to be otherwise... but he is the man that I want, the one that I love. Now, some things need to change." Justin's tone became more authoritative, with not one bit of hesitation in his voice. "I know I said you could stay here, but I need you to find your own place now. I can't worry about any of these incidents each time I come home." Justin knew he could have added that Brian could be here with him in the future, but he wasn't going to twist the knife even deeper.

"Actually, I haven't even been staying here. I still had my key, and I used it tonight when I knew you were coming... but when I came back from New York, I found my own place just in case." Sean stepped closer to Justin, his footsteps stilling when he noticed Justin backing away. "I'll go now. I didn't mean to cause a problem; I just thought this was fate giving us another chance. I can see I was wrong."

"We had fun together, Sean, but it wasn't love. It was just sex. Very good sex. You are young and hot... and fucking amazing in bed. Any man would be lucky to have you." Justin took a deep breath, finishing what he felt needed to be said, hopeful that it wouldn't come to this, but this time intending to cover all of his bases. "If working for me is ever too much for you and you want out, know that I will release you from your contract with Metropolitan Man. No lawsuit, and with a handsome severance package. I will even refer you to any agency you choose. I don't want it to come to that since that is detrimental to my own label... but I would do it." When Sean opened his mouth to respond, Justin finished, "This isn't something you need to decide now. It's just an open-ended offer if you ever want to take it."

Sean blinked away tears. "I'll give it some thought, but it's not what I want; at least, not right now. Thank you, Justin. After what I tried here tonight, and the last time we met, I truly don't deserve your understanding."

Justin smiled. "My feelings for Brian have opened up a new world for me. I am still learning, and I hope to become a better person in time. Ethan can drive you when you're ready."

Sean removed the house keys from his keyring, the sound of him laying the keys on the table the only sound in the room. "By the way, Ethan has the hots for you."

Laughing, Justin told him, "You know, I just figured that out tonight. Well, I guess you could take him on when he drives you home, although I think you could aspire higher than my driver. Just keep your eyes open, Sean. You have so much to offer. When the right man comes along, you'll know it."

Casting one last aching glance in Justin's direction, Sean shook his head, his smile bittersweet. "I hope Brian knows how lucky he is to have you."

"I hope he feels that way, although I think I'm the lucky one." Justin followed Sean to the door, locking up and arming the security system behind him. Justin leaned up against the door, unable to believe how much his life had changed. Before arriving he had sensed that Sean would try to entice him, but rejecting him had been much easier this time than the last. He knew his promise to Brian had made it that way. Making his way back to the dining room, Justin grabbed his barely touched glass of wine, filling it almost to the top before making his way upstairs. It was almost time for his call to Brian. As much as he'd rather have him here with him now, he would make the call nearly as memorable as skin-on-skin contact. He could hardly wait...

TBC