"Justin, hurry up! If you still want to go with me you're going to have to get a move on. I promised Ahmad we'd be ready by nine."

Brian laughed to himself. The one thing he had discovered after spending the last month or so with young Justin was that he was not an easy riser. Brian, who had never been one to sleep in no matter how late an evening he had had the previous night, always seemed to have a problem getting Justin to awaken early.

Justin hadn't been a problem the first couple of weeks when Brian was still being cautious not to expose the young man to too many people outside the household, but lately Brian had taken to bringing Justin with him when he went out. No one seemed to notice the young man, especially when most of his golden hair was hidden under the turban Brian had ordered for him, so he felt more emboldened to take Justin with him more frequently. He enjoyed Justin's company...simple as that.

Brian had been vastly amused by the reaction of his friends when he took Justin to the Liberty Hotel to meet an American client, and then stopped in to the Liberty Cafe inside the hotel to pay a visit to the Novotny clan. Both Ted and Emmett were on their lunch breaks and made goo goo eyes at poor Justin, who sat in stoic silence until Debbie came out. The two formed an instant friendship with Debbie commenting on the young blond's sunshiny smile. Before that first visit was out, the busty redhead was calling Justin, Sunshine and warning Brian to be good to the boy. Everyone was intrigued by the made up story that Justin and Brian had worked out among themselves.

Justin told the clan his tale of coming to Egypt in order to study ancient history in their renowned University and meeting Brian while checking out some antiquities. According to the story they put out, Justin had no family in the country and so Brian had taken him under his wing as a fellow American. Debbie sensed there might be more to the story, but had decided long ago that anything worth knowing would come to her eventually so she decided not to pry any further. Michael took a little longer to warm up to the newcomer due to his obvious infatuation with his friend, Brian, but he too soon welcomed the young man into their family circle.

Brian had made a lot of subtle inquiries into some of the wealthier foreign families that lived in and around Giza and even included their well paid servants from European countries, but nobody was missing. Brian had checked to see if anyone was missing according to police reports, but Justin's case had been filed as a deceased person and there were no reports of anyone missing for Brian to check out. Brian had even taken Justin to his own personal physician to have the boy checked for head injuries. The doctor confirmed Justin's mild concussion, but assured Brian that the young man would be fine. As to his lost memories, the doctor informed Brian that they could come back at any time with the right stimulus, or maybe never. Only time would tell.

The two men had become close during the past month. Brian was amazed at how smart the young man was. He might not have certain personal details of his life in his memory bank, but for some reason he had a vast store of other information about places and events that would just pour out of him once the two got into conversations. Justin had a sharp wit too that Brian found supremely attractive. The more time he spent with the kid, the more he wanted to be around him. Without even being aware of it, Brian found himself neglecting his old friendships. That was when he received an invitation to visit the pyramids with Ahmad and his entourage. They were going to enjoy a camel race out in the desert. Once Ahmad agreed to having Justin join them, Brian accepted. They couldn't foresee that an event that happened during the trip would change the tenor of their journey irrevocably.

********************************************

Brian had kept his promise to Justin and bought a large supply of painting supplies and charcoal with pads. Without a second thought, Justin began actively using the supplies like a man who had been given a life raft while drowning in the sea. Every time Brian searched for Justin, he would find him sitting somewhere (usually the garden) and sketching out some work of true art. Brian had an eye for such things, being in the business he was in, and he knew talent when he saw it. The boy had an eye for beauty and expression that couldn't be denied. Brian thrilled to each new piece. The finished paintings were even more magnificent than the sketches....filled with color and drama. There was only one piece that Justin had kept hidden from Brian's gaze so far.

One night, two days before the trip, Brian had come into Justin's room to wish him good night. He had knocked quietly and gotten no response. The door had swung partly open with the knock and Brian was unable to resist stepping inside. He saw Justin sprawled out on the divan snoring gently. Brian loved the sight of the slow and steady rise and fall of the young man's chest. It had been a warm evening so Justin had removed his over-shirt and lay with only his loose pants covering his lower body. The fine linen material clung to his form and Brian's eyes traveled from the smooth silken pale skin of Justin's chest down to the impressive bulge in his trousers. Justin's chest was completely hairless with flat brown orbs encircling his lighter colored nipples. The peaks were tiny at that moment, but Brian could picture them growing and hardening under his careful manipulations.

Just as Brian was feeling his cock rising to the challenge before him, he stumbled backwards and almost knocked over the easel where Justin had a canvas perched. When reaching out to steady the tripod stand, Brian came face to face with the painting Justin was working on. This was certainly one that Brian had never seen before. It was a study of Brian stretched out on the ottoman in his bedroom. Brian knew that Justin had been in his room before when he had lain in just such a position, but he had never been naked at those times like he was in the painting. Brian often lay out like that, but he couldn't remember Justin ever seeing him during those times.

Brian stood mesmerized by the painting. It was certainly an exact likeness of him, even including the small mole just above his pubic hairline. He would have been flattered by the depiction of his private area if he wasn't fully aware of how accurate the rendering was, but what captured his attention the most was the look on his face in the painting. His eyes were clear and had a slightly come hither look to them as if he were waiting for a lover to join him and yet he also had a lonely look in his eyes. The contrast was so vivid that Brian couldn't believe this very young artist could capture it so accurately. Brian knew the look belonged there because he had caught that same look in his mirror recently. He continued to stare at the painting when a sound behind him startled him out of his reverie.

"I'm sorry I didn't ask your permission to paint you, but I couldn't resist."

Brian whirled around and found Justin sitting up and watching him. He smiled slowly at Brian.

"That..well that's okay. I was just trying to figure out how you did it. I know I never posed for you like that," Brian remarked, pointing to the nude figure.

"No, but I've seen you a couple of times getting ready for your bath and once, outside sunbathing in the morning sun. I drew the rest from memory."

Brian grinned. " You have quite a good memory, young man. You also have quite a lot of talent. I find it impossible to believe that you weren't attending some college of arts somewhere. Perhaps you were, for that matter. We've already determined that you must have graduated from the lower levels of education based on the engraving on your watch. Perhaps you were taking a holiday before continuing your education."

Justin thought hard on what Brian had just said. Brian found the way Justin's nose flared and mouth pursed when he was intensely concentrating while trying to force a memory to be quite charming. After several minutes the young man visibly relaxed and shrugged.

"I just don't know, Brian. Nothing will come to me."

There was a deep sadness that tinged his voice. It made Brian long to hold him and ease his mind. He forced himself to stay put. Every day they had spent together made Brian feel more protective of Justin, and it came as a surprise to him. Maybe it was because the young man had a sense of abandonment, even though he had no way of knowing why. Brian could certainly relate to that since he had always felt abandoned by his own parents. Maybe it was simply because the young man reminded Brian of himself when he was young. He was certainly no timid little flower that would wilt at a moments notice. He had even challenged Brian a few times when he thought the older man was being too autocratic with those around him. Brian had not found it offensive in the least, although he had put on a good show of being irritated.

Justin, on the other hand, had found himself more and more attracted to the older man with every passing day. At first he told himself it was just the fact that Brian had literally saved his life. Then he tried to convince himself it was simply because the man was so good to him and treated him like an equal. The light dawned the night he saw Brian with a gentlemen caller in the garden just before the two men disappeared into Brian's bed chamber. The man was all over Brian, kissing him everywhere he could reach and Justin felt a pang of pain deep in his gut. That had been a little more than two weeks earlier and Justin began painting Brian's naked portrait immediately after.

Justin was not happy to see Brian staring at the painting because he knew it revealed too much of his feelings. It seemed that everything he felt inside came out the end of his brush. It took a moment for him to realize that the painting had not disturbed Brian at all. Justin had been confused by his feelings for Brian. He had no idea whether he had ever been attracted to members of his own sex before his loss of memory, but he was fully aware that he was now. He found himself thinking of Brian day in and day out, often having very erotic dreams about the tall brunet in which Brian would be kissing him over every inch of his body. He would wake from such dreams with his heart pounding and a dampness in his sheets.

Justin was super excited at the prospect of taking a little trip away from home. He hoped it would clear his mind of Brian long enough for him to remember some of himself. Being around Brian had become so comfortable in such a short time that he was no longer as anxious to know all the details of his previous life and that was something he knew he should stop feeling. Their relationship couldn't last forever. Surely, he thought to himself, Brian would tire of his role as mentor and savior to a young nobody with no history.

*************************************************

Justin came rushing from his room to stand beside Brian at the front door. He was dressed in western clothing with loose trousers and a white linen shirt tucked neatly into the pants. He had a wide brimmed hat perched firmly on his fair hair to keep the cruel sun from roasting him once it rose high enough in the sky later that day. Brian was dressed in the same fashion. Ahmad's touring car pulled up in front of the villa and the men went to join him. There were several other men in the car and Justin recognized a couple of them from the auction, a memory best left in the past.

Brian couldn't help noticing that the men were sending admiring glances to his blond companion. He felt oddly flattered on the one hand and resentful on the other. Justin didn't seem to notice at all, settling comfortably next to Brian in the vast car. The journey into the desert on the ancient roads went quickly and soon Ahmad was coming to a stop. They were parked in a large open area made specifically for the automobiles that were becoming more and more popular throughout the country, especially with the more affluent citizens. There were a number of camels tied up to a post at the end of the parking area. Each one sported a large leather and wool saddle on his back.

Ahmad led his little band of camel racing enthusiasts off in the direction of the camels. Justin paused, looking nervously at Brian who just grinned at him and put his arm around the young man's shoulder in order to move him forward. Once the men reached the hitching post, Ahmad indicated that they could have their pick of transportation. The Prince noticed that Brian's companion was holding back, looking like a scared rabbit. He walked over to his friend.

"Brian, you did inform your young friend here that the only way to reach the racing grounds was by camel, at least until the new road is built...correct?"

Brian looked a wee bit sheepish. "Ummm, actually I'm afraid it didn't cross my mind until just now." He turned to Justin. "You aren't going to let a little thing like a tiny camel scare you away from a fun day of racing, are you Justin?"

Justin grimaced. "You know I want to go, Brian, but please...you call those things tiny?"

Brian looked at Ahmad and laughed. "My dear friend, you do have at least one two seater in all that bunch...am I correct?"

"As a matter of fact we do have a couple of them. Occasionally one of the men likes to bring along a young son to introduce him to the sport."

Ahmad looked around and finally spotted what he was looking for. A camel that was distinctly larger than most stood near the end of the line with a double sized saddle on its back.

"That one would be perfect for our first timer, I believe," he informed Brian, smiling pleasantly at Justin at the same time.

"We'll take it," Brian answered. He looked at Justin, who slowly nodded his agreement.

Justin was scared shitless as Brian helped him swing his leg over the camel once it had gone down to its knees for him. But before he could feel too much panic, he felt Brian swing in behind him. The camel tender made a clicking noise with his mouth and the camel rose up laboriously. The couple on board held tight to the sides of the ornately carved leather saddle to avoid slipping off as the camel swayed back and forth before gaining its footing. Once the camel was steadied, Brian reached around Justin's body and grabbed the reins as the tender handed them to him.

Justin had to admit, he liked the feel of Brian's crotch pressing firmly against his buttocks. A momentary thrill shot through the young man. Now that he was safely within the circle of Brian's protective arms, the young man was eager to get to the racing site. Something told him that this was going to be an adventure he would never forget...made all the more wonderful because he was sharing it with Brian Kinney.

To be continued.......