Three days later, Wednesday night…

“Harder…” Matthew breathed out, kneeling on the bed as Brian thrust inside him again. “Yes!”

Brian changed his angle to bring Matthew to climax, and sure enough, the man cried out loudly as he came. Hearing his orgasm and feeling the constriction around his cock, Brian let go too before collapsing on Matthew’s back, both men falling onto the bed, exhausted.

After a minute or so, Brian withdrew and tossed the used condom into the trash. He then rolled over onto his back and grabbed his pack of cigarettes as well as his lighter from the bedside table. Placing one between his lips and lighting it, he inhaled deeply, before turning to look at Matthew and extending his hand to offer him a puff.

“No thanks,” Matthew declined, lying down on his side, facing Brian.

Brian shrugged and took another drag.

“So how have you been lately? How is your son?” Matthew asked.

Brian rolled his lips in. Matthew Gallagher had become one of his regular clients, and Brian knew the other man was hoping for something more between them. It was strange because Brian hadn’t been an escort the first time they’d had sex. A lot of things had changed since then, beginning with his own opinion of the man he had become. Matthew’s attention helped him deal with his new reality, though. It seemed the man didn’t mind that he was an escort, not when he understood why Brian had made that choice in the first place.

The first time Matthew had called to hook up with him again, after having been informed by his friend Jeffrey that Brian was one of his new employees, the former ad man had resisted him. He’d been angry with Matthew, even if he’d known that, rationally, it wasn’t the man’s fault that he had decided to work for ‘One Life.’

Although his anger was nearly uncontrollable, Matthew had not even blinked when Brian behaved like a bastard all evening. They’d finally had sex at Matthew’s place - the man having just relocated to the Pitts a week earlier - and it was hard and dirty. But Matthew hadn’t complained. In fact, he had confided afterward that it was some of the best sex he’d ever had. The former ad man had laughed as they relaxed together, and they’d finally talked about their lives, Brian even revealing why he chose to join the ‘One Life’ agency.

Ever since, the two men had shared a strange relationship, Matthew booking Brian every couple of weeks. Brian had refused, however, to let Matthew pay a bonus just because they fucked regularly.

Coming back to the present at Matthew’s house, Brian smirked as he finally responded to his companion’s question. “Life is great!” he half-jested. “The monthly rendezvous with my creepy old dude has been cancelled, and I’m meeting with a delicious blond kid instead.” He paused, once more surprised to realize that he was actually looking forward to seeing Justin Taylor again, before adding, “And Gus is doing fine. The doc just informed us that transplant surgery can be scheduled in a few months.”

“That’s great news!” Matthew smiled before specifying “For your son, I mean. So I assume you’re still doing it?”

“Donating a kidney to my son? Yes, I’m doing it as soon as the medical team gives us the green light,” Brian confirmed. He was the only compatible match for his son, and he would have given his life for him, so it had been inevitable all along. “He is not ready yet. They don’t want to risk a transplant until he is at least twenty-two pounds. He is getting there, but the peritoneal dialysis is working well so far, so they don’t want to rush it.”

“How old is he now?” Matthew inquired.

“Almost twenty months,” Brian answered, before crushing out his cigarette in an ashtray on the nightstand and grabbing the alarm clock to check the time. “Okay, time’s up. It was a pleasure to fuck you, Mr. Gallagher.”

“You can stay if you want,” Matthew said tentatively, straightening up on his elbows as Brian stood and began to dress.

Brian huffed, “That’s not part of the deal. Never will be.” He knew he was being an ass, but Matthew needed to understand that Brian wasn’t Julia Roberts playing Pretty Woman.

Matthew sighed and flopped back onto the bed. Brian glanced at him one more time before leaving the room and walking out of the house.

Friday morning...

Justin had woken up early. He was feeling a little restless, considering today was the day he was going to see Brian again. Not only that, but he needed to come clean and tell him why he had hired him for an entire weekend, but he had no clue how he was going to convince him to agree with his plan.

Thankfully, his financial situation had improved immeasurably. His drawings and paintings had sold unexpectedly well at the exhibition. Therefore, he had been able to pay for Brian’s company for the next couple of days. He just hoped that Brian would not bail on him after learning the truth about the coming weekend.

Right now, he was curled up on the couch, a sketchpad on his lap, as he tried to draw the man from memory. He could still remember how it had felt to be in his arms, to feel his lips on his neck, and to inhale his addictive aroma. Daphne had done her best to describe him to Justin and, consequently, his imagination was running wild as he envisioned: a sharp jaw; perfect, rosy lips; dark eyebrows; chestnut hair; expressive hazel eyes; and pronounced cheekbones. He was sure the man had to be drop-dead gorgeous.

Suddenly, the phone started ringing, disturbing Justin’s fantasy. Annoyed, he answered curtly, “Yeah?”

“Hello, Mr. Taylor,” a velvety, smooth voice greeted him, sending shivers down his spine.

“Brian?” Justin responded tentatively, even though he already knew it was Brian. He hadn’t forgotten that distinctive, sexy drawl.

“Justin,” Brian replied huskily as his voice dropped even lower, and Justin felt himself blushing. Seriously? How could he blush just from the tone of his voice? It was ridiculous, so he took a deep breath to steady his rising heartbeat, just as Brian added, “I’m calling in regard to our meeting today. I thought you might want to… well, tell me what you expect from me this time,” he drawled, and Justin could hear the grin in his voice as he pointed out, “It’s not every day someone books me for an entire weekend.”

“Right,” Justin answered eloquently, clearing his throat. “It's a long story. Do you mind if we meet somewhere? I’d rather not have to explain myself over the phone.” Truthfully, Justin felt embarrassed at the mere thought of what he’d be admitting to Brian. It was going to be humiliating.

“I had a feeling you'd say that,” Brian replied unexpectedly. “I'm parked downstairs.”

“You are?” Justin gasped and swallowed. “I mean... that's great!” Right... “Give me a few minutes and I’ll join you, okay?”

“Take your time,” Brian responded. Of course, he couldn’t help teasing Justin a little more. “By the way, do you need any help doing… whatever you’ve got to do?”

Justin chuckled, grateful that Brian had offered his assistance, even if he’d used sexual innuendo to do so. “Nah. I've got it. Just wait for me.”

As he hung up and rushed to change out of his sweats and T-shirt, Justin pondered how he was going to deal with his current situation. How was he supposed to explain what he really expected from Brian, without the man taking him for a nutcase? Pretending to be his boyfriend in front of his mother and sister, no less? Hell, at a wedding in front of his extended family, too?

This was going to be a challenge, but Justin was persistent, and when he put his mind to something, he always got what he wanted in the end. So he would not back down now.

Ten minutes later, he stopped abruptly after walking out of the building. Truthfully, he was fucking nervous, and he’d forgotten to ask Brian to wait for him in front of the main door. Now, he feared that he must look like a fool, standing in the middle of the sidewalk, unsure what to do next. He was about to call out for Brian when he felt a hand wrap around his arm. He froze.

“B- Brian?” Justin stuttered tentatively, his heart beating furiously in his chest, adrenaline coursing through his veins.

“Lucky guess,” Brian purred in his ear, and Justin was assaulted by the man’s essence all over again. Jesus, he smelled so fucking good.

“Don't you ever do that again!” Justin scolded him, willing his heartbeat to slow and his cheeks to cool down.

“Sorry. You looked a little lost,” Brian commented knowingly. “Come on; your carriage awaits,” he quipped as he pulled on Justin’s arm, moving toward Brian’s car.

Once he was sitting in the jeep, Justin pulled his shades off and scrubbed at his eyes, squeezing them shut.

Brian, who had positioned himself behind the steering wheel, noticed Justin’s discomfort. “Is everything okay?” he asked, surprising Justin, who didn’t think his companion would care.

“I’m okay; it’s just…” Justin rubbed at his face some more as he explained, “I mixed up my shades. These don't help much with the light.”

“Try mine,” Brian offered, handing his expensive sunglasses to Justin without a second thought, before informing him, “We're going to the diner on Liberty.”

“Liberty… you mean Liberty Avenue?” Justin inquired in a bashful tone, his last memory of discovering gay nightlife in the Pitts not at all pleasant.

“Are you sure you’re gay?” Brian asked disapprovingly, before adding, “We'll be indoors, so there’ll be no need to whine about the sun or the neighborhood once we arrive.”

Justin tried Brian's sunglasses and was pleased with the result, but he still scoffed at Brian. “Hey! I’m not whining! Harsh light upsets my eyes and gives me headaches.” He didn’t elucidate that he had been assaulted by a psycho the first time he had set foot on Liberty Avenue.

“If you say so…” Brian responded, obviously grinning, unaware of his companion’s slight anxiety.

Ten minutes later, Brian was sitting in a booth at the back of the diner, with Justin facing him. Luck was on his side this morning, because neither Debbie nor his friends were there. Honestly, he didn’t need his foster mom’s twenty questions or the gang’s nosiness about his business. He loved his acquired family - although he’d never admit that out loud - but sometimes, Brian felt like he was a character in a fucking bad movie, with his friends prying into his life all the time, fantasizing about his job as an escort, and hoping for Richard Gere to appear and rescue him. Emmett, especially, always made puppy-dog eyes at him every time Brian foolishly shared that one of his clients had treated him like a human being.

Although right now, he kind of saw the irony in his situation. Justin Taylor was really too innocent for his own good.

“Okay, Picasso. Out with it. What are we doing this weekend?” Brian demanded as soon as the new waiter had delivered their order.

Justin slowly took a sip of his coffee before gazing up at Brian. He breathed deeply, once, then twice, and Brian was about to ask him if he practiced yoga shit in his spare time, when he finally answered the question. “Remember how you told Mr. Bloom that we're dating?”

Brian raised his eyebrows before realizing that Justin couldn’t see his expression. “So?”

“Well, unfortunately for us, he's a big gossip, and a stupid reporter published that tidbit in the Pittsburgh Gazette.”

Brian scoffed. “I know. Big deal.” He then reached for his cup of coffee, bringing it to his lips.

“It is a big deal,” Justin countered hotly. “My mom thinks we're dating! And she invited us to my cousin's wedding!”

Brian’s drink went down the wrong pipe, and he started coughing uncontrollably. He eventually got his breathing back under control and asked incredulously, “A wedding?”

“There's more,” Justin whispered.

“More? What? You’re actually the maid of honor and half your family hates your guts for being a fag? ” Brian inquired sarcastically.

“Worse.”

“What could be worse than that?” Brian replied with a frown.

“We're carpooling with my mom and my little sister,” Justin explained, not minding Brian's verbal jabs.

Brian looked at him as if he had grown two heads. Justin was right. It was worse. “No way! I'm not doing that,” he refused as he stood up from the booth with the firm intention of leaving.

Justin heard Brian get up, and he stood up quickly, ready to beg Brian to stay, but he tripped when his foot caught the table leg. “Please, Bri… oh, fuck!” he cried out, toppling over.

“Shit!” Brian cursed as he grabbed Justin to prevent him from falling. As he stood there with the young man in his arms, he felt a spark run through his body and froze.

Justin had stopped moving, too.

After a few seconds, Brian cleared his throat and helped Justin to straighten up. Once the young man was standing on his own, he jested, “You have a special talent for falling into my arms, you know that?”

“Humph…” Justin eloquently replied, and Brian realized he wasn’t the only one who was affected by their evident chemistry.

Good to know… Brian thought as his lips turned upward without his consent.

“Why is this so important to you?” he finally asked Justin, as the two men reseated themselves in the booth, Brian making sure Justin didn’t fall down again.

Justin responded to his question with a sigh. “My mom is really relieved that I have a boyfriend, and I don’t want to disappoint her. I had a rough time not so long ago and she is... so happy, you know?” He swallowed, looking away, although Brian doubted that he could see anything.  

Brian could understand that Justin wanted to please his mother, but as far as he was concerned, it was still bullshit. “You expect me to do this so that you can please your mom? Seriously? You do realize that’s not a good reason, right?”

“No, it’s not,” Justin declared. “But, I mean, it’s not the only reason. I…” Justin hesitated, and Brian could see that what he was about to share was important. So he kept quiet. “Not so long ago, I was this happy, careless, stupid kid who thought that the world was a beautiful place to live in, but then I was bashed at my prom…”

“Bashed?” Brian repeated, astounded.

Justin nodded. “I came out and it cost me my sight. So, I want to reassure my mom, but I also want to show the world that I’m not some fragile, stupid fag that needs his mother to hold his hand all the time. I’m queer and you being my boyfriend this weekend is the perfect fuck you to all the haters, all those narrow-minded pricks who think they are so much better than I am, just because I like cock more than pussy.”

Brian stared at his companion in awe. Justin was obviously holding back, the details of his attack probably much darker than the little he had divulged, but the brunet actually admired his will to move on and not let what had happened to him dictate his life and affect his future. Besides, he could relate. Life hadn’t exactly spared him either.

Brian could still say no, though. He wasn’t obligated to do anything. He probably should refuse, right here, right now. But he wanted to say yes. So he did.

Leaning across the table, he took Justin’s hand, squeezing it briefly before releasing him. “Okay,” he breathed out. “I’ll do it.”

Justin sighed heavily. “Thank you,” he answered, his voice betraying how grateful he was. “Really. This means a lot to me.”

“Wait for the rules…” Brian responded playfully.

“What rules?” Justin squirmed, suddenly uncomfortable. He discerned Brian’s form moving and standing up, before he sat down next to Justin, placing his arm around his shoulders. “What are you doing?”

“Boyfriend stuff,” Brian snorted, leaning closer. His hot breath caressed Justin’s skin as he whispered huskily in his ear, “You know that you'll have to allow me to kiss you without punching me, don’t you? I personally can’t wait for that…”

Brian leaned back and grinned when he saw Justin turning crimson in response to his blatant flirting.

Oh, yeah. This is going to be fun…

They had finally chosen to eat at the diner. As they talked about simple things, like Justin’s art and Brian’s love of photography, Justin had been surprised to discover how much he was enjoying himself. However, Brian had suddenly declared that they needed to leave, even though Justin was still savoring his dessert. The young man could have sworn that Brian was avoiding the waitress - Debbie - who had just begun her shift and came to greet them a little too loudly for Justin’s taste. He had therefore complied with Brian’s decision without asking any questions. No need to push his luck, after all, considering it was already a miracle that Brian had acquiesced to playing his perfect, pretend boyfriend for the weekend.

They had driven by Brian’s place so that the man could pick up the bag he had already prepared for the weekend, as well as one of his best Armani suits to wear at the wedding. Justin had not accompanied Brian upstairs, though, opting to stay in the car instead of navigating an unknown place.

When the jeep stopped in front of his building, Justin became nervous all over again, and he wasn’t even sure why. Maybe the enormity of their situation was finally dawning on him now that they were just a few hours away from meeting his mother. What if all of this was a huge mistake? Maybe he should just cancel the whole thing and come clean to his mom. Surely it would be…

“Are you going to stay here all day?” Brian’s amused voice brought Justin back from his reverie. The blond didn’t even realize that he had not moved since Brian killed the ignition.

“I… probably not,” Justin answered awkwardly.

Brian chuckled and Justin realized that he was standing by his side, the passenger door open, obviously waiting for him to get out of the car. “Come on, Sunshine! Stop daydreaming about me and move your ass, would you? I can even give you a kiss to help you set the mood for the next couple of days if you need a better incentive,” Brian quipped.

Sunshine? Justin frowned at his new nickname and chose to ignore Brian’s teasing.

“No?” Brian questioned innocently.

Justin responded by rolling his eyes, even if Brian couldn’t see him. “I could use a hand, if you don’t mind,” he finally answered.

“Is that so? I assure you, I can do a lot of pleasurable things with my hand…” Brian added, obviously smirking as Justin grabbed his arm and got out of the car, cursing inwardly when he felt himself blushing, yet again.

They headed towards the entrance to the building and stepped into the lobby. In the elevator, Justin informed Brian that he would be grateful if he could help him pack. They needed some time to come up with a convincing story for his mother about how they’d met and ended up as a ‘couple.’

He suddenly smelled Brian’s fragrance, so close, invading his senses. The man had leaned in and whispered in his ear, “Sure, I will help you. I’m a master at quickly tucking stuff in. You could even demand that it be part of my job description for the weekend. I really, really, wouldn’t mind.”

Justin felt his heart pounding in his chest, completely unable to control his physical reaction to Brian’s words, and he groaned, wondering if everything had to be a sexual joke for his companion. Unfortunately, his reckless mind also pondered what it would feel like to be intimate with the brunet, betting that it would be oh so good. He tried to ignore that possibility, even as he felt himself getting impossibly hard. As if Brian hadn’t embarrassed him enough as it was... Now, he had to hide the boner he was sporting. Moreover, he really, really, didn’t need Brian to become even more smug than he already was.

Furthermore, the problem with concentrating really hard on appearing nonchalant - when he was utterly consumed by his yearning for the man next to him - was that he had trouble getting the door open.

“You need a hand?” Brian asked.

“I’ve done it a hundred times. And stop talking about your hands,” Justin ordered curtly. He heard Brian chuckle, just as he realized that the door was already open.

Then, he felt Brian’s breath on his skin, his velvety voice doing nothing to calm his hard-on. “Why, am I making you nervous?” Brian leered, playfully biting Justin’s earlobe.

Justin almost moaned. But the sound caught in his throat when he heard another familiar voice, and NOT a velvety one, obviously addressing him, as they entered his apartment.

“Thank God you’re home, Justin, honey! Where were you… Oh, is this your boyfriend? I’m so happy to finally meet you, Brian! Justin has talked so much about you!” his mother greeted them both, and Justin froze in the doorway, with Brian stilling by his side.

Needless to say, never did a boner dwindle so fast as at that moment.

It was going to be a long weekend.