Justin was at the airport. Brian had told him not to bother meeting him; he would take a cab and pick Justin up at his apartment. At first Justin had agreed, but then decided he couldn't wait that long. So here he stood waiting for Brian's plane to land, overnight bag in his hand.

He knew something was wrong the minute he saw Brian come through the gate. First, he was drunk. Brian usually held his liquor well, and if you didn't know him you'd never be able to tell, unless of course he was falling down drunk, which rarely happened anymore. Justin took one look at Brian and could not only tell that he was drunk, he was pissed too. They had spoken on the phone only hours before Brian's plane was to depart. Something must have happened between then and now.

"Sunshine." Brian's voice had an edge to it.

"Brian."

"What are you doing here? I thought I was picking you up."

"I know, but I couldn't wait. How was your flight?"

Brian slung his arm over Justin's shoulders. "Let's just say is was very enlightening."

Justin's mind began to race. He couldn't think of anything that he had done that would cause Brian to be pissed. "Brian?"

"Not here, Sunshine," Brian said as he directed Justin through the busy airport and out the door into the muggy New York air.

They got into one of the waiting cabs and Brian gave the driver the name of the hotel he had chosen. He refused to stay in Justin's apartment on these visits and really, Justin couldn't blame him. The apartment was small, dank and shared with three other starving artists. But it was all Justin could afford. He refused to take any money from Brian and he was trying to stretch his money from Rage as far as he could.

Justin looked at Brian, noticing the tension in his jaw. "Brian..." he began.

"Not yet," Brian said as he laid a finger across Justin's lips. "Wait."

Justin nodded. Both men turned looking out the window at the city going by.

Finally the cab pulled up in front of the hotel. Brian paid the driver and the two men got out.

Once they had checked in and were up in their room, Brian went straight for the mini bar. Justin took a seat in one of the chairs and waited.

He watched as Brian opened a little bottle of Chivas and poured a couple of fingers into a glass. He downed it in one swallow then turned, eyeing Justin. Finally he spoke. "How the fuck do you know Kip?"

"Who?" The question caught Justin totally by surprise.

"Kip, the guy who filed a sexual harassment suit against me when I worked for Ryder. Hell, did I even know you then?"

"Yeah, you knew me... but what brought this up?" Justin could see where this was leading, but he still wanted to know how Brian had found out.

"You'll never guess who was seated across the aisle from me."

"Kip." It wasn't a hard question.

"Ding, ding, ding. You win the prize. And guess what he asked me? He wanted to know if my blackmailing blond boy was still doing my bidding. Now what the fuck could he have been talking about? Any ideas, Sunshine?"

"Brian..."

"Care to explain?" Brian interrupted.

"You were in trouble. I had to do something."

"You did? Now, why would that be?" Brian broke the seal on another miniature bottle.

"Because, you could have lost everything; your job, your loft... I had to at least try to do something."

"And just what exactly did you do?"

Justin sucked in his bottom lip and looked down at his feet.

"Justin?" Brian was waiting.

Justin sighed, resigned to his fate. "I let him pick me up, take me home. Then when he was blowing me, I told him I was seventeen, and if my dad found out he'd have him thrown in jail. I agreed to not tell my dad if he dropped the suit."

Brian frowned. "But seventeen is the age of consent; your father couldn't have pressed charges."

"So," Justin shrugged. "Kip isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer. It worked."

Brian chuckled and shook his head, the anger draining away. "You shouldn't have done that, you know."

Justin shrugged again.

"So are there any other times you secretly saved my ass?"

"Oh, more than I could count," Justin said with his signature smile lighting up his face.

"You know you'll have to be severely punished," Brian said in a low gravelly voice.

Justin's skin flushed with anticipation. "Yeah?" he asked in a throaty whisper.

"Oh yeah. Now get your blackmailing blond boy ass over here and strip. I want you naked and face down on that bed."

Justin smiled. He was only too happy to take his punishment.