CHAPTER 6: TRUTH

JUSTIN

I stare at her in astonishment.  “A night watchman?  You mean you...I mean I would have to walk round here at night?”  I worry at my lip.  “I’m not sure I can do that you see…”

“No sweetheart, let me stop you there.  I know who you are and what you went through and there is no way I would let you do that.”  Slick reassures me.  “Emmy Lou, I’ll catch you up.  No, what I mean is this is what you tell people if they ask.”

“How do you know who I am?”  I look worriedly at Brian, but he gives me a tight squeeze.

“Bluntly?  These cars are worth a shitload and it’s my business to protect them and the people that own them.   And when you said your surname I thought you looked familiar so I went to the library and read up on you.”

“Oh my goodness, baby you’re that Justin Taylor!”  Emmy Lou cries, tears filling his eyes.  “I have to phone Teddy and we…”  He starts to pace and whirl his arms around.

“No we have to leave and let them be.”  Slick stills his movements.  “Now, there’s a stew in the oven. You need to eat that - both of you. There’s a Gigondas 2013 that will work perfectly your majesty.  Emmy Lou you and I are going back to mine; we have to strategize.”

Within five minutes it is just the two of us and I begin to worry. “Brian?  Supposing, I mean do you think that Slick would throw me out when she realises about my hand?”

He frowns and sits us upright.  “Your hand?”  He asks.  “What about it?”

“When I was bashed, I lost some function in my right hand.  With hard work I got it back but sometimes when I overdo it, it shakes, cramps up and curls in on itself and…”  I stop talking as he strokes the knuckles and palm of said hand.

“She won’t do that.”  He kisses me gently.  “She’s too kind for that.  Now anything else?”

“Tell me about you, Gus and everything personal, not work. I want to know you.”  I ask.  “And please be honest.”

“Sure you want to know?”  He looks worried.  “I think we need to eat first though if you do.  And you have to do the same, tell me everything.”

I nod and for the next hour we talk about ourselves from childhood to present day and then I take a deep breath.

“So you’re the Stud of Liberty Avenue, so what’s your number?”  I bite my lip but then chuckle as he groans and lowers his head to the table.  “Come on, I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours, I mean roughly.”

“You want to know how many I’ve fucked or how many I’ve made love to.”  He walks us back to the couch and I settle between his legs.  “And I think I know your number.”

“Okay let’s start with fucked?”  I knew the number would be high but when he said over a thousand I looked at him in wonder.  “How did you…I mean you must have had sex every day?!”

He nods and smiles.  “Yes but in fairness, I do have a very high sex drive and I mean very high.  But as for how many I’ve fucked recently, since my cancer and starting my business, it’s less than 50.  Don’t get me wrong I get off but I just…I don’t know I just want to be back where I was and I’m scared; I never bring anyone back to the loft anymore.  The backroom gives me the protection of my reputation that I need.”

He looks at me for understanding and I wrap my legs round him and snuggle into his chest.  “So how many have you made love to?”  I ask quietly and wait. He runs his fingers through my hair, before sighing and pushing me gently back.

“Two.  Though I really would like to make it three.”

“Was the two recently?”  He shakes his head.  “And do…do you want to make love to me?”

“Very much so, but…”

“What’s my number?”  He looks puzzled and I grin at him.  “You said you knew my number?  So come on maestro what is it?”

“Fucked or made love to?”  He smiles down at me.  “Both.”  I reply.  “Zero for both.”  I gape at him.

“But…but how did?” I blush deep red.

“Just a few things you said and have done…or not.”  He snickers at my confusion.  “You said you don’t do sex for sex sake and you believe in love.  And you said you’ve never been in a serious relationship.  So zero for both.”

“Okay that covers said, it doesn’t cover do.  What did I do that makes me scream virgin to you.”

“You don’t scream virgin to me, and even if you did, don’t say it like it’s a bad thing, it’s not.  You whimpered and it’s in your eyes and your kiss.”

“Whimpered?”   I try to think when I whimpered.  “Wait my eyes and my kiss.  I kiss like a virgin?  How is that cool or even sexy?”  I pout.

He bursts out laughing, which is not helping and I start to scoot backwards but he holds me firmly.  “It is cool and it is sexy as hell.”  He rolls his eyes and pushes me on my back.  “I don’t break my promises and I don’t lie.”

I look into his eyes and then run my finger over his bottom lip.  Slowly he lowers his head and his mouth covers mine.  Once again we start lip sucking and tongue duelling.  He lifts his head and nuzzles my neck before having some wine.  When he leans back down to kiss me I’m surprised and delighted when he shares a little bit with me.

“More,” I murmur.  He nods and reaches for his glass and takes another draught. The warmth of the wine and his tongue is intoxicating.  “More please.”  He chuckles and obliges until we finish his glass.

“Am I too heavy?”  He asks going back to nuzzling my neck.  I tilt my head to give him more access and giggle then shake my head, letting out a gasp as he does something with his tongue behind my ear.

“Oh!”  That tingles all the way down to my ankles and he starts to nip at my earlobe before licking that spot again.  His breath is so hot against my skin.  Somehow we end up turning over and I plunder his mouth.  I become aware between kisses he’s saying something.  “Wh…what did you say?”

“I said I’m thirsty.”  He raises an eyebrow.  “Could I have a drink please?”

“Oh, sorry!”  I scramble off him and dash to the kitchen and look in the fridge.  “There’s water, beer or juice, what did you want?”  When he doesn’t answer, I look at him. At first he looks bewildered and then he starts to laugh.  “What’s so funny?”  He’s laughing harder and is thumping the sofa.  “Brian what is it!”

“Yo…you!”  He manages to gasp out; the more his laughs the more pissed off I get.

“Well that’s not the reaction I was hoping for but now you’ve killed the mood, I think it’s best if you leave.”  I stand imperiously by the fridge with my arms folded. He starts to calm down his laughing and stands up.

“Justin, stop being a princess.”  He chides me gently.  “Okay princess…wrong word.  But come on, you’ve got to see the funny side of this?”

“How?  When I don’t know what’s amused you?”  I almost stamp my feet.

“I meant I wanted some wine.”  He lifts my chin.  “How did we finish my glass?”  He asks gently.

“Well you…oh!”  I blush scarlet and bury my head in my hands and then bury both in his chest groaning with embarrassment.  After about 2 minutes, I look up at him.  “So um, you still want the wine?”

He tosses me over his shoulder and carries me back to the bedroom after stopping off to get the wine on the way.  After placing the glass on the side he dumps me on the bed and grins before lying down on his back.   “I would like a sip of the Gigondas 2013 from the cherry lips of a Justin Taylor, please.”

I reach for the glass and take a sip and lower my head and grant him his wish.  We rock against each other before he flips me on my back and goes back to neck nibbling and starts to pop open the overall.  “Okay?”  He whispers and I nod.  He kisses down to my chest and then lowers the top of the overall down to my waist and takes off his top. The feel of his skin against mine is amazing.

But not as amazing as the feel of his tongue against my nipple.  “Oh, oh.”  I gasp.  I feel rather than hear his chuckle, but as he continues to lave against my sensitive nubs I have to stop him.  “What’s wrong?”  He blows on my nipple and I groan.  

“Nothing but if you continue…” I mumble.  

“Then it’s all good…but you still want me to stop?”  He murmurs and when I nod comes back to kissing me and it feels so very good. So very, very good.

As my right hand massages his skull gently, my left runs up and down from the base of his spine to the back of his neck with feather light touches.  He groans. “Justin, you…unhhh…I think you have just found a hot spot for me I didn’t know existed.   Oh fuck, yeah, mmm!”  

He starts grind against me.  “You want me to stop?”  He shakes his head vigorously.  “Oh thank God, please keep moving.”  I beg and he obeys then starts to bite his lip.  

“Oh God!”  He gasps before shuddering and groaning quietly and I follow him with a soft cry and tightening my grasp of his hair.  After a few minutes of silence, he lifts his head and we grin at each other.

“So yeah, haven’t come in my pants since I was 14!”  He tells me and I beam at him.  

“Me neither!”

He flips onto his back and once we get our breath back, pulls me into the shower.

MICHAEL & BEN’S

LOUNGE

BEN

I’m trying to watch a programme on Tibet but Michael keeps sighing and I know he will keep fucking sighing until I ask him what’s wrong and since I haven’t Tivo’d this

“What’s on your mind?”

“Do you think that Brian was okay today?  You don’t think he’s overworking do you?”

Seriously!  This, this is what you’re dwelling over?! Your daughter’s not talking to you.  Your mother thinks you’re being a pretentious dick.  And you’ve roped us into the most boring dinner party in the world ever on Thursday. But I say none of these things. Instead, I calmly reply,

“No, I think he’s fine.  But running Kinnetic takes a lot of time and effort.”

“True, but I want him to enjoy himself as well.  I just hope he’s not neglecting the Stud side of his life.”

Okay that has my attention. “Not sure what you mean there?”

“Well he is the Stud of Liberty Avenue and rumour has it that his loft is not the love palace that it once was.  But I’ve made sure that particular rumour was put to rest and…”

“What exactly do you mean again?”

“Oh simple. I let it be known amongst the more discerning - is that the right word?  yes I think it is - but gossipy queens that there was an orgy at his loft and he was involved in a conga fuck.”

I just stare at him for a minute. “Please let me be there when you tell him what you’ve done.”

“Of course!” he exclaims, like what he’s done is so great before he continues. “I’m so glad that you don’t have a jealousy issue with Brian and understand our friendship.  Oh and I’ve invited him to the dinner.”

Suddenly Thursday doesn’t seem such a bad idea.