Past Tense

Chapter 9


“Schmidt!” Brian called as he went back into Kinnetik, following his aborted drink with friends. He knew it was unlikely that Ted would still be there at this time of night, but he wanted to know what, if anything, Ted had told his other friends about his financial difficulties. Or had Ted mentioned anything about Chase Hammond to them? Although, Ted didn’t know the whole story in regards to that.

There was no answer, so Brian walked down the hall to check Ted’s office. It was empty. Brian wondered if he should go home, but the loft would be empty. Justin had picked up a short shift at the diner. Glancing at his watch, Brian realized that Justin should be finishing up the dinner rush at the diner before too much longer. He pulled out his cell phone.

“Can you come over to Kinnetik?” Brian asked.

“Why? Is something wrong?” Justin asked. “I’m supposed to work another forty-five minutes.”

“Just come … if you can,” Brian said before he closed his phone.

Justin could hear something in Brian’s voice. He didn’t like the sound of it. Thank goodness Kiki was feeling up to par for once, and she agreed to cover for him. He ran most of the way to Kinnetik. The door was unlocked, as he found out when he tried it. When he stepped inside, he locked it behind him. He had a feeling they might need some privacy.

“Brian,” he called.

“In the office.”

Justin walked down the hall and entered Brian’s office. The sight in front of him took his breath away. Brian was sprawled on the sofa – naked. He had a glass of something clear resting on his chest where he held it with one hand. It was probably vodka, Justin surmised. Then he wondered why the hell he was thinking about what was in Brian’s glass when Brian was lying there – naked.

“Been waiting long?” Justin asked with a coy glance and a bat of an eyelash or two.

“Forever. What took you so long?”

“I ran all the fucking way here.”

“Maybe you need to train harder.”

“Speaking of hard,” Justin said as Brian started stroking himself.

“You have on far too many clothes,” Brian said then polished off whatever was in his glass.

“I can see that,” Justin replied. He started pulling off his clothes.

Brian watched with hooded eyes as Justin got naked. “Come here,” he whispered when Justin had completed the task.

“What happened?” Justin asked as he laid himself atop Brian and kissed along his jawline.

“Fucking Emmett Honeycutt alerted Mikey and Ben that something was up,” Brian said as Justin rutted against him. They were both getting hard.

“How does Emmett know anything?” Justin asked. “I didn’t tell him,” he added quickly. He hoped Brian didn’t think that he had.

“I know. If I thought you had, I’d be reaming your ass instead of squeezing it,” Brian told him as his hands engulfed the full firm cheeks of Justin’s bubble butt.

“Emmett was probably trying to help, and I do know how to keep my mouth shut when I need to.” Justin punctuated that statement with a deep hard kiss.

“Unlike Honeycutt and Mikey who couldn’t keep a secret if their lives depended on it.” Brian flipped Justin over and hovered atop him looking into the blue eyes. “I trust you.”

“Good, now let’s fuck!”

Brian chuckled. “That’s the other thing I like about you. You know what’s really important.”

“Of course I do, just like you,” Justin said, remembering their conversation from the morning. Justin handed Brian the lube that he had just noticed lying on the coffee table.

Brian shook his head. “I’m going to eat your ass until you scream for mercy.”

Justin felt his stomach flutter and his cock swell. When Brian got in one of these moods, they often had the best sex imaginable, actually beyond imaginable, into the realm of impossible.

“It’s a good job I locked the front door when I came in,” Justin said with a breathless gasp as Brian’s lips locked onto one of his nipples.

“I knew you would,” Brian said as he released the hard little nub for a moment.

“Pretty sure of yourself, aren’t you?” Justin asked bucking up against Brian as his lover started to work on the other nipple.

“Very,” Brian confirmed. “Now turn over and don’t say another word until I hear you scream my name.”

Before doing that, Justin reached up and pulled Brian down for another toe curling kiss. “I love you.”

“I know, now turn over.”

Justin gladly obliged. He was raised up slightly on his knees so that Brian could get better access. There was nothing better in the whole fucking world than Brian Kinney rimming him. Justin drew in a sharp breath as Brian’s talented tongue licked across his hole and along the crack of his ass. He could feel Brian’s strong fingers spread his cheeks. He loved the feel of Brian’s hands on his body, but especially this.

“Oh God, Brian,” Justin moaned. He could feel Brian’s tongue probing, opening him up. It felt so fucking good. “More, right there,” Justin gasped as Brian went deeper.

“I said no talking, Sunshine, until you can’t stand it anymore.”

“I’m not sure I can stand it right now.”

“I’ve hardly started,” Brian chuckled.

“Oh fuck!”

“Silence, grasshopper.”

Justin bit his lip and tried not to buck back against Brian’s face. He tried to get some purchase on the leather sofa, but it was too slippery. As Brian’s tongue delved deeper, he thought he might fall off the face of the fucking Earth. What was that old Irish saying that Brian quoted sometimes? Something about not being drunk or dead or something as long as you could hold onto one fucking blade of grass and not fall off the face of the Earth. Justin started repeating those words over and over again in his head. He would hold onto that blade of grass as long as he could. After a few minutes he knew he couldn’t hold on much longer, as Brian’s tongue continued to plumb the depths of his ass. He did his best. He really did, forcing himself not to give in to the need to come. But finally he had to.

“Brian!” he shouted. “Fuck, Brian!”

And then he was coming so hard everything ceased to exist.

“Justin.”

Brian’s voice came from somewhere far away. Justin tried to raise his head, but it wouldn’t cooperate. He managed a small moan and his eyelids fluttered. He could see masses of beige. Is this what heaven was like? Beige? Or maybe it was hell.

“Justin.”

“Hm.”

“Are you in there?”

“Not sure,” Justin croaked out.

“That was a good one, but we need to clean up the sofa. I can’t afford to buy another one right now.”

“Oh.”

“Justin.”

“Yes.”

“Turn over.”

Justin rolled onto his back. It took all the energy he had, but he did it. He slowly opened his eyes and looked into Brian’s amused ones.

“What?” he asked as his brain started to function once again.

“I thought I lost you,” Brian chuckled as he proceeded to wipe off his lover with a cloth that had appeared from somewhere. “Can you sit up so I can get at the cushions?”

“Um, sure,” Justin said, managing to do just that – barely. “Sorry,” he added as he saw the state of the sofa.

“No problem. I enjoyed it as much as you did.”

“But…”

“Shut up. I’m going to fuck you in a minute, and you’re going to scream like that and come even harder,” Brian informed him.

“I…I am?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t think that’s possible.”

“Is that a challenge?”

“Maybe,” Justin said with an uncertain little laugh.

“Then the gauntlet has been thrown,” Brian replied. He tossed down the cloth he had been using and proceeded to make good on his promise. Suffice it to say he was very successful.



*****



By the time they got back to the loft, they discovered there were several messages on the answering machine. Brian shook his head knowing what he would probably hear.

“Go ahead,” Justin said. “You might as well get it over with.” Brian had told him about the aborted meeting with his three friends.

“Or I could just delete them without listening to them.”

“It’s your call,” Justin said heading to the bedroom.

Brian contemplated for a moment and then hit the play button.

“Brian, why the fuck did you walk out on us?” Michael’s voice wafted out of the machine. “We just wanted to help. Call me.”

“Brian, I’m sorry if we upset you.” Ben’s voice was rational and calm. “Please call Michael; he’s worried.”

“Kinney, you are a colossal asshole,” Emmett’s voice accused him. “I should have known you’d treat us like gum on the bottom of your shoe. We were only trying to support you.”

Brian snorted as he pushed the button for the final call. “Briiian,” Michael’s voice whined. “I know you’re there. Pick up the phone and talk to me. You know you can’t stay mad at me. Come on, Brian, pick up.”

Brian hit the delete button and turned away from the answering machine. His fucking friends could be total nuisances.

“Are you hungry?” Justin’s voice called from the bedroom.

“A little.”

“Come up here for a minute,” Justin ordered. “I need you.”

A vision of naked Justin lying sprawled on the bed greeted Brian as he came up the steps.

“Now I’m definitely hungry,” Brian said.

“I thought I’d return the favor you did for me at Kinnetik,” Justin said with a wink.

“Cheeky devil.”

“Yep,” Justin affirmed as Brian quickly got rid of his clothes.



*****



On the day that Chase Hammond was coming to see the new ad campaign, Brian found himself fidgeting at his desk. The boards were all set out in his office. They looked fabulous. But even that didn’t make Brian feel any more at ease. His stomach felt like someone was doing somersaults off the walls. He finally got up and walked down the hall to Ted’s office.

“Yes, Boss?” Ted said as he looked up at Brian from behind his desk.

“Do you have any antacid?”

“Antacid?”

“Yes,” Brian snapped. “You know, the pseudo-medicine that’s supposed to calm a queasy stomach.”

“I know what it is,” Ted said. “Here.” He fished out a bottle of TUMS from his desk drawer.

“I knew I came to the right man,” Brian said as he unscrewed the cap and popped a couple of pills in his mouth. Then he looked at the bottle and chuckled.

“What?” Ted asked.

“Do you know what this spells backwards?” Brian pointed to the label on the bottle and paused dramatically for effect. “SMUT!”

Ted looked at Brian for a second and then he laughed. “Of course it does. Trust you to notice that.”

Brian smirked. He felt a little better now that Ted had somehow managed to release the tension that he had built up. “Thanks,” Brian said.

“Um, boss, it’s not like you to need antacids. Is everything all right?”

“Peachy,” Brian said as he walked to the door of Ted’s office.

Ted shook his head. That was typical Brian Kinney. Ted knew his boss wasn’t likely to tell him much. That’s what prior experience had taught him anyway.

Brian turned and looked back at Ted. Then surprisingly he closed the office door and walked back to Ted's desk. He sat down in the chair across from his CFO.

“What’s going on, Brian?” Ted asked with a worried look on his face.

“Have you been talking to Emmett and his cohorts about my financial problems?”

“No, I’d never do that.” Ted stared Brian in the eye. He wanted the man to know he would never betray his confidence.

“I didn’t think you had,” Brian said seeing the honesty in Ted’s face, “even though I can see Honeycutt badgering you.”

Ted chuckled. “Yeah, he did.”

“I appreciate you not saying anything. Loyalty means a lot to me.”

“You have mine, Brian.”

“Because of that I’m going to tell you something else, and it doesn’t leave this office. Understood?”

“Of course,” Ted replied. He wondered what the hell he was going to hear.

“Chase Hammond might be my half brother.”

Ted seemed unable to keep his mouth from dropping open. He stared at Brian not knowing what to say; that is, if he had been capable of saying anything. After a long silence, he managed to ask, “When did you find this out?”

“The last meeting I had with him, when we went to lunch.”

“How…how did he come to this conclusion?”

“His father died recently, and he found adoption papers and a birth certificate among his father’s papers. The birth certificate listed a John Kinney and a Marjorie Adams as his birth parents.”

“But your father was Jack Kinney.”

“Short for John.”

“Oh, right.”

“Anyway, I didn’t take Chase’s news too well,” Brian admitted.

“You were rude.”

Brian glared at his CFO. “I guess you could say that.”

“And he was pissed. That’s why you thought we’d lost the account.”

“Yeah.”

“So, why did he come back?”

“He thinks we’re the best advertising firm. He liked my ideas, said they were better than anything he had got in Philadelphia.”

“Who was he with in Philadelphia?”

“Some firm. I forgot to ask.”

“It must have taken a lot for him to call and sign the papers to work with you.”

“I thought so too,” Brian said thoughtfully. “I give him a lot of credit for that move.”

Ted smiled. “You’re starting to like him.”

“Maybe … a little,” Brian replied with a sheepish look on his face.

“And that’s why you’re in need of SMUT to calm your stomach before he gets here,” Ted supplied with a little chuckle.

“Yeah, and if you tell anybody, I will have you murdered.”

“Yes of course, boss, undoubtedly.”

“Now get back to work,” Brian said as he stood up.

“Immediately.”

“Good.”

“Um, something just occurred to me.”

“And what might that be?” Brian asked with his hand on the doorknob.

“Are you sure Chase Hammond is your half-brother? I mean did you check it out?”

“I have Sam Spade working on it.”

“That’s good, very good.”

“I’m so pleased you find my actions satisfactory,” Brian said smugly.

“Brian.”

“Yeah.”

“Good luck with the meeting.”

“Thanks.”

And then Brian left the office. Ted leaned back in his swivel chair and stared at the wall. This was certainly an interesting development.