Druid


Chapter 4




Brian awoke to the unmistakable signs of dusk. The dying rays of the sun came through his window and across the bed where he lay with Justin. He wondered how long he had been asleep. Justin still lay in his arms sound asleep.

Brian leaned back to get a look at the young man as he slept. He looked like something otherworldly. His pure creamy skin glowed pink in the last rays of sunlight. His mouth was slightly open and it was all Brian could do to refrain from kissing it and waking his golden boy. He wanted to study him a little more.

He threw back the sheet that covered them and ran his hands along the silky skin of Justin's chest. His cock lay flaccid and thick against his thigh. He was very well endowed for one of his size. Brian smiled in anticipation of things to come. His hand brushed along Justin's side and down to his balls. He cupped them and rolled them around weighing them in his hand. He saw Justin's cock beginning to grow and stiffen. He smiled. Now it was time to claim those lips.

The kiss started off gently with Brian's tongue probing softly for entrance. Once it was inside it explored all the nooks and crannies of Justin's warm, wet mouth. Brian felt Justin respond and kiss back. The blond's tongue swept around his and fought for supremacy.

"Wakey, wakey," Brian whispered as he broke the kiss.

Justin groaned and slowly opened his eyes. He stretched luxuriously. "That was a great nap," Justin said with a smile.

"You call that a nap?" Brian asked. "We've been asleep for hours. Daylight's almost gone."

"It's your fault," Justin said with a twinkle in his eye. "If you didn't wear me out so much, we wouldn't need all this sleep."

"I wore you out? You're supposed to be the young one."

"I've never experienced anything like what you did this afternoon," Justin admitted staring into Brian's beautiful eyes.

"It was hot, wasn't it?" Brian asked. Justin nodded. "We were hot together."

"Yeah, we were, but it was a whole lot more than merely hot."

"You felt it too?" Brian asked wonder in his eyes that they could be so in tune.

"It felt like this was meant to be, that we were destined for each other," Justin said with conviction.

"Yeah," Brian responded.

Justin slid closer and ran his palm over one of Brian's tits. He pressed and swirled his palm across the hard little nub, feeling it stand up even more. Brian sighed. "There are so many things I want to do to you," Justin whispered.

Brian smiled. "Go for it."

"Can I fuck you?" Justin whispered into Brian's ear. He felt Brian stiffen and draw away. "What?" he asked. "Did I say something wrong?"

"Yes. No. I … I don't let anybody do that."

"But I let you fuck me," Justin wheedled.

"That's what I do," Brian stated.

"What does that mean?" Justin asked somewhat bewildered at this turn of events. He thought Brian would like it if he could make this beautiful man feel half the things he himself had felt this afternoon.

Brian felt his anger building. He didn't like being put on the spot. He knew he would have to tell Justin about his life at some point, but he had wanted to enjoy this time together without any worries. Now he felt compelled to explain.

"What do you think this place is?" Brian asked suddenly.

"Here? It's your home," Justin said suddenly afraid that he was not going to like what Brian was about to say.

"It's also a high class gay brothel called the Quoin."

"What?" Justin felt his stomach roll over. He fought the urge to throw up. "So…"

"That's right," Brian said coldly. "So that makes me a high class whore." His voice sounded cold and remote to Justin's ears.

A moan escaped the blond's lips. "Brian," he gasped.

"Get out now while you can. I can see that I make you sick. I should have known better."

Justin stood up and gasped for breath. He was afraid he was going to have an asthma attack. "I … I … don't want …" Justin couldn't get any more out as he gasped for air.

"Here's your fucking clothes," Brian yelled throwing pieces of Justin's clothing at him.

Justin grabbed his jacket and took several drags on his puffer. His breathing began to return to normal. "Brian," Justin said once he could get his voice to work.

"Don't! Don't say a fucking word to me. Get your clothes on and I'll arrange to get you home." Brian turned away and went into the other room where Justin could hear him on the phone.

Justin dressed as quickly as he could. He tried to think of something to say to Brian, how to explain his reaction. He had been shocked at what Brian said he did for a living, but he was more shocked at how Brian turned on him so unexpectedly. He had to make him see that he was all right with this.

He stepped into the living room to find Brian downing a glass of liquor.

"Brian," Justin said trying to keep his voice level.

"I told you to shut the fuck up! Get out now. There's a car at the front door. It will take you back to Pats'."

"But I need to explain," Justin tried to tell him.

"Nothing to explain, Blondie. We fucked and that's the end of it. Goodbye. Sayonara. Au revoir. So long. So sad, too bad. Fuck off!"

Justin winced at the anger in Brian's voice. He wanted to explain but he could tell that Brian had no intention of listening. He thought maybe he should leave the man alone for now, and try again later. He quietly opened the door, took one last look at Brian and made his way out of the Quoin. He passed only one person on the stairs, a red-haired man who gave him a funny look. He ignored the man, too dazed by what had happened. He burst through the front doors of the castle once again gasping for air. He thought his heart might explode. A car sat in front of the steps and a man held the door open for him. Justin half climbed, half fell into the back seat and the car took off. He sucked on his puffer again even though he knew he shouldn't be using it so many times.

Gradually he felt the panic begin to subside a bit and he drew some close to normal breaths. His heart still raced and he felt lightheaded. He wanted to lie down somewhere, pull the covers over his head and cry himself to sleep. How could everything have gone so horribly wrong?



-----



Brian drank himself into a stupor. Finally he slid down onto the floor of his living room and passed out.

Sometime later he heard pounding and groaned at the sound. He managed to raise his head off of the floor and looked around. The first few rays of dawn filtered in through his window. It must be really early in the morning.

The pounding started up again and he thought he heard a voice calling his name. He pushed himself up from the floor and staggered unsteadily towards the door.

"Brian," he heard Quinn's voice say from the other side.

"What do you want?" Quinn never came to his apartment.

"Let me in," Quinn demanded.

Brian grabbed the door handle using it to steady himself before he pulled the door open. "Come in," he tried to bow but stumbled instead. Quinn grabbed him and steered him towards the sofa kicking the door closed behind him. He unceremoniously pushed Brian onto the sofa. "To what do I owe the honor of this visit?" Brian slurred.

"What the fuck is happening to you?" Quinn demanded. "You're losing it."

"Yeah," Brian replied blinking at Quinn and trying to focus. "I'm losing everything. Correction, I have lost everything." He could feel the tears welling up and covered his eyes with his hand.

"Brian," Quinn said grabbing his shoulders and shaking him gently to get his attention. "I told you that you could stay here and continue to work with the boys. I thought that would help. But now this! What's going on?"

"My life is over. Just leave me alone."

"Your life is not over. You're only fucking thirty years old."

"Twenty-nine. I have twelve more days before I hit that magic number that comes next. Let's not rush things."

"Who was the blond you had up here last night?" Quinn asked.

"He never lasted till night time," Brian said sadly. "He was just a fuck."

"You know that's not allowed. No tricks are allowed in the apartments."

"He wasn't a trick," Brian stated belligerently.

"You didn't fuck him?"

"I fucked him, but … he wasn't a trick."

"What was he then?" Quinn asked puzzled by all this.

"Fuck if I know," Brian said.

"Brian, you can't keep flaunting the rules here. If you want to stay on, you have to follow the same rules as everyone else."

"I don't want to stay," Brian said seriously.

"Don't make a decision like that while you're drunk."

"I'm not drunk … anymore, and I know now that I can't stay here."

"You can help me run the place. You've done that when I've been away. Where would you go if you left?" Quinn asked. He still cared what happened to Brian.

Brian shrugged. He honestly didn't know, but he had to leave this place. He couldn't stand to be here any longer.

"You know that I care what happens to you. You can always come to me for help or support," Quinn told him.

"I appreciate everything you've done for me over the years. I really do."

"I know. And when you leave we will keep in touch."

"I hope so," Brian replied, but he wasn't so sure that it would happen.

Quinn got up to leave. "Try not to break any more rules in the next two weeks."

"I'll do my best," Brian said, but he didn't really give a fuck about anything. He had found his hope for a different, better life and he had lost him in the blink of an eye. What was the use of caring about anything?



-----



Brian was very busy over the next few days. He had many clients who wanted to squeeze in a last session with Druid before he was gone for good.

The extra work gave Brian an escape from thoughts of Justin. He did his best to push the image of the naked Justin lying in his bed out of his mind. Sometimes though he imagined it was Justin he was fucking when he was with a client. It was even more painful when it was over and he had to look at the trick who could in no way measure up to his blond. He felt like he was going insane. Reality and wish blurred together and Brian felt like his grip on his life was falling away.

On top of that he had only a few days left before he turned thirty. As that day drew closer he became more and more desperate. He took to lying in bed till the afternoon unable to find the will to get up and do anything else.

One morning as he lay staring at the ceiling, he thought he heard the door to his apartment open.

"Who's there?" he called throwing the sheet across his naked body.

"It's me, Maggie. Are you still in bed, lazybones?" his cleaning lady called.

"I forgot that this was your day to come," Brian replied.

"May I come in?" Maggie said. He could tell she was just outside his partially open bedroom door.

"Looking for a little thrill this fine morning?" Brian asked sarcastically.

"Anytime, sweet thing," Maggie replied pushing open the door and coming in. "You look like shite," she told him as she got a good look at him.

"That's just what I needed to hear."

"What's wrong?"

"Everything … nothing." Brian shook his head.

"Is this about you leaving here?" Maggie persisted.

"I am leaving. I just don't know where to go."

"You have a million options out there."

"I have nothing," Brian moaned.

"What's happened that's put you in such a funk?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Brian told her.

Maggie was never one to take no for an answer. She liked Brian and he had always treated her well. She wanted to help him. "Tell me, Brian. Maybe an impartial observer can give you some good advice."

Brian knew he must be really desperate because he actually wanted to tell her. If only she could help him. "I met someone," he said tentatively.

"Someone, as in a man?"

"Yes, a beautiful blond man," Brian admitted.

"So why has that made you take to your bed? You should be dancing on the lawn."

"I … I told him what I do for a living and I thought he was going to throw up all over me. I made him sick to his stomach, so … I threw him out."

"That was a wonderful solution to a sticky situation," she said sarcastically.

"He couldn't stand to look at me and I couldn't stand to look at him. I couldn't bear the loathing that I saw in his eyes."

"Are you sure he felt that way? Did you talk about it?"

"No … no, but I know that's what I saw."

"Don't you think anyone would be taken aback when they first found out about your … profession? Did you give him a chance to digest it?"

"Maybe not," Brian said thoughtfully.

"Well, I think you should get up, get dressed and go find this blond. The two of you need to have a serious discussion."

"Maybe," Brian admitted.

"No maybe about it," Maggie stated. "Move!"

"Yes, ma'am," Brian grinned feeling like he might survive for the first time in days. "You are a lifesaver, Maggie."

"Just one of my many talents," she said as she got up to go start cleaning in the other room.

Brian lay still for a moment thinking about what he was going to do. He needed to call Pats and see what Justin had said to her about what had happened. Maybe he had been hasty. He so hoped that Justin didn't really hate him.

A quick shower and shave and he felt much better. Once he was finished in the bathroom and bedroom, Maggie moved in there to clean, giving him privacy in the living room to make some calls.

He decided to start with Pats. He called her number and thankfully she answered, not Justin.

Once she realized who she was talking to she lit into him. "Brian, you fucking asshole, what did you do to Justin?" she yelled at him.

"Is something wrong with him?" Brian thought maybe he had literally made his blond sick. He had to stop thinking of him as his blond.

"He's been moping around here ever since he came back in that big car. He won't tell me what's wrong, but he was with you before he started acting like this. What did you do to him?"

"I told him what I do for a living."

"How did you tell him?"

Brian sighed. "I…"

"You know you are a fucking idiot! You just hit him between the eyes with it, didn't you? I know your blunt form of so-called honesty. It could also be called cruelty, Brian."

"I couldn't stand the look in his eyes after I told him," Brian whispered.

"Did you give him a chance to think about it and then react?"

That was the same question Maggie had asked him. "No."

"Fuck, Brian, I am so angry with you. For someone so smart you sure are a dumbass!"

"Can't help it," Brian admitted. "I don't know anything about … love."

"You got that right!"

"So what should I do?" Brian asked hoping she could help fix things.

"He went to Blarney Castle. Go find him."

"What … what if he won't talk to me?"

"I wouldn't blame him a bit, but you can be persuasive. Use it and make him listen, that is, only if you truly want to be with him."

"I do," Brian said, suddenly sure that was exactly what he wanted.

"Then don't fuck around. Go get him and talk to him."

"I will, and … thanks Pats."

"Anytime, sweetheart."

Brian set the phone down on the cradle lost in thought. Something caught his eye and he looked at the flashing light on the answering machine beside the phone. He hardly ever got calls. Clients booked him through the front desk and hardly any of them knew his private number. Maybe it was Justin. Pats could have given him the number. His heart raced as he hit the play button.

An unfamiliar voice began, "Druid, Brian," then there was a long pause. Brian didn't recognize the voice but he knew it wasn't Justin. His hopes crashed as quickly as they had been raised. Then the voice continued, "Brian, it's Brendan Reilly. I want to talk to you about something very important. Please call me. Here's the number in case you no longer have it."

Brian shut off the machine. Brendan, what could Brendan want after all this time? Brian tried to figure out what might be the reason for the call, but he was bewildered. Thierry had told him Brendan was ill, so he decided he better call him and find out what was going on. He dialed the number.

"Hello," the voice he had heard on the answering machine responded.

"Brendan, it's me Brian, Druid."

"Brian, I'm so glad you returned my call. I left that message a couple of days ago."

"I'm sorry I didn't get back to you sooner, but things have been a little strange for me lately."

"Your impending retirement?" Brendan asked with a touch of teasing in his voice.

"Something like that. What can I do for you? Want one last fuck before I'm officially out of the business."

"I wish." Brian could hear the wistfulness in his voice.

"I'm sorry, Brendan. Thierry told me how ill you have been."

"Thierry came to visit me a week or so ago. I should have let you know what happened to me, but at first I thought I'd get better and things would return to normal. But they never did."

"So why did you call me now?"

"I have a business proposal for you. Thierry told me you had to retire from the Quoin. He was quite angry about it," Brendan said with a little laugh.

"I bet."

"Anyway, he got me thinking about some things and I want to talk to you about them. Could you come to Dublin for a couple of days?"

"I don't know, Brendan."

"Please, Brian. I think you'll be happy that you did, and I would like to see you again. You can stay here at my house. I have plenty of room." That meant he wasn't expecting Brian to share his bed.

"Tomorrow's my day off, and I guess I could rearrange things for the next day."

"That would make me very happy," Brendan told him.

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Great."

"Oh, Brendan," Brian caught him before he hung up. A thought had just crossed his mind. "Would it be all right if I brought a friend with me?"

"A friend?" Brendan asked.

"I'm not sure he will come, but I'd like to ask him to. He'd love to see Dublin, I'm sure."

"That would be fine. I have plenty of bedrooms."

"I'm not sure how many we'll need at the moment."

"I see," Brendan replied. "I hope you get that worked out before you get here. I'll prepare for both of you. See you soon."

"Thanks, Brendan," Brian replied. Now he had to go find Justin and see if he could talk him into going to Dublin with him.

Maggie came out of the bedroom. "Have you fixed things yet?" she asked in that matter-of-fact way of hers.

"I'm trying to."

"Good. Now shouldn't you be going to see someone?"

"I'm on my way," Brian said standing up.

"Brian," Maggie said with a hint of sadness in her voice. "I don't mean to butt in, but this is the first time I've ever heard you be interested in someone. I … want you to be happy."

"I'd like that too," Brian said softly.

"Then be gentle with him. Don't scare him."

"Me?" Brian asked with a grin on his face.

"Yes, you! You big, bad ogre. You can be pretty intimidating when you get your back up."

"Have I done that with you?" Brian asked concerned that he had been mean to Maggie somewhere along the line.

"Once or twice I haven't been too thrilled with your attitude, but mostly I hear about your sharp tongue from the other boys."

Brian snorted. "I never meant to offend you," he said.

"But the other boys don't matter?"

"I … guess not."

"Brian, if you are leaving the Quoin which I'm pretty sure you are, you will find that the rules that apply here, don't always work in the outside world. Being nice to people can get you a lot farther than making enemies."

"Is that your advice for today?" Brian asked with a grin, but he filed it away for future consideration.

"That, and go get that blond."

"Yes, mother," Brian replied and kissed her on the cheek.

He grabbed the keys to his motorcycle and headed for Blarney Castle. He wished he had some fucking idea of what he was going to say and do once he got there.