Chapter 29 - Tabloid Times.

Daphne ended up just staying over at the loft that night. She wanted to be there to commiserate with Brian and Justin over their pending exposure. It didn't help much that the reporter had apparently got one important fact wrong - whether it was Brian or Justin who was being disclosed as the rare Male Pregnancy, it still meant their lives were about to become very complicated.

The phone calls started about ten the next morning. Apparently Lardass Larry had sold the story to the National Enquirer AND the Sun. The online versions of the next editions were posted sometime around midnight east-coast time. It took a few hours for everyone to locate the phone number to the loft, but as soon as they did the phone started ringing off the hook. Daphne was in charge of screening the calls while Brian and Justin huddled together in a panic in the bedroom.

"Sorry, Justin," Daphne came in after a while bearing the phone receiver. "You're going to have to take this one. It's your Mom."

"Fuck!" Justin exclaimed as he took the phone out of Daphne's hands. "Brian, I can't lie to my Mom. . . "

"No. You can't. Go ahead and tell her, Sunshine. . . " Brian acceded, while still hoping to keep his secret mostly intact.

"Hi, Mom. . .  No, it's NOT true. I'M not pregnant . . . Really! I Swear, Mom. It's not me . . . But, well . . . *unhhh* I do need to tell you something . . . " Justin spent most of the next hour explaining to his mother what was going on and reassuring her that his entire future was NOT irredeemably fucked.

The good news was that Justin's long, drawn out conversation with his mother kept the phone lines busy for long enough that Brian was able to get a peaceful shower and some breakfast. Brian used the quiet time to make some decisions and plan his response to the deluge of reporters that he knew were bound to invade their lives. Now he just had to convince Justin to go along with the plan - that was definitely going to be the hard part.

"Yes, Mom. . . I love you too. . . I promise that we're okay. Brian's fine and I'm taking care of him and I'll be fine, too. . . I know mom. No, I don't have any idea how we're going to deal with this yet. Brian and I haven't even had time to talk about it yet. . . Yes, we will. . . Thanks, Mom. I love you, too. Talk to you soon. Bye!" Justin finally mollified his mother sufficiently that he was able to hang up.

"Well, that went less badly than I expected," Justin announced as he made his way towards his own breakfast. "I think my Mom is getting used to crazy ass announcements. I was ready for a complete freak out, but this one hardly phased her at all. Mostly she's just worried about me being a father at such a young age. Which I admit is a valid concern. Otherwise I think she'll be supportive. Given time I think she might even get happily excited over the grandma part."

"Will she agree to keep quiet about the misinformation for a while?" Brian asked, mentally forming his plan.

"I don't know. I didn't ask her about that. I assume she would keep quiet if we asked her to. But, what good would that do? Justin was confused.

"I need you as my 'Beard', Sunshine," Brian advised with a pleading smile.

"Huh? You want everyone to think you knocked ME up?"

"Yeah. Just for a while longer. Please?

"Why? What difference does it make if we're being hounded because they think its me rather than you? And why bother when the truth will be obvious enough pretty soon?" Justin voiced his confusion.

"Because there's no way I'll be able to work with reporters climbing up my ass all the time," Brian reasoned. "If they know I'm the one who's pregnant, then the reporters will be following me. Ryder will go nuts at what he'll think of as negative publicity for his firm. My clients, while most of them already know I'm gay and don't care, might object to me being gay AND pregnant. I can't afford to lose any clients right now. I need the income - WE need the income for after the baby comes. Plus, I really don't need that extra stress."

"And I do?" Justin didn't think he cared much for this plan. "So what, if they're following me, not you. It's not like you won't still get some publicity. You're still the other father. And I DO still live here, don't I? You're not going to try and kick me out again are you? As long as I'm here, if the reporters think its me, they'll be here. How will that make any difference?"

"Of course I'm not kicking you out. And yes, there will be reporters here, but they won't be focused on me. They think I'm just the guy who knocked up his partner - nothing new about that."

"So what am I supposed to do? Go around pretending to be pregnant? Lie to everyone? What good is that going to do? It's going to be obvious pretty soon that I'm not the pregnant one. Then what?" Justin did NOT like all the dishonesty this plan was going to require.

"No. I don't expect you to pretend to be pregnant or lie. Just don't say anything." Brian was always a pragmatist. "People have already jumped to conclusions, just don't try too hard to correct them. They'll keep deceiving themselves for longer than you'd imagine. If reporters ask you anything, just say 'No Comment'. You don't have to act any different than usual."

"For how long? And what about our friends? They'll all be pissed as hell at me for deceiving them even if I don't outright lie. I just don't see how this is going to help," Justin insisted.

"Tell our friends the truth - YOU'RE not pregnant. Tell them the tabloids are wrong. But that's all you tell them. We don't explain any more than that. At least not for now," Brian tried to convince the doubting boy. "And I know it won't work forever. I just need a little more time. I have an idea how we might work this to our advantage but it won't work until I set things up a bit more . . . I have to think this through. . . I just need a couple months more, Sunshine. Please."

"So what IS this fabulous plan of yours anyway?" Justin demanded to know before he agreed to anything.

"Well, it's not completely fleshed out yet, but I was thinking . . . "

By noon they had the basic outline of their big plan all drawn up. It was brilliant but risky. If it worked, Brian would land the biggest client of his career as part of a multi-media marketing extravaganza that would also allow him to completely control how he disclosed his big secret. Justin was talked into playing his part in the scheme. Even Daphne liked the plan and volunteered to help out.

"So, what do we do first?" Daphne asked enthusiastically.

"First, you Sunshine, call your Mom back and get her on board with the plan. We can't have her leaking things to Debbie. Daphne, you can be the brave explorer and venture outside to get us all something to eat, and while you're at it, scope out what the situation is outside. I hope that every tabloid reporter in the Western Hemisphere hasn't already descended on our doorstep, but if so we're going to need to deal with it," Brian directed his troops.

"And what are you going to do?" Justin asked the instigator of this whole endeavor.

"I'm going back to sleep. Junior and I need our beauty rest!" Brian snarked as he padded off back to bed.

########BBBBBB#######

"No, Debbie, I am not pregnant. . . . I'm not the one. I swear! . . . Yes, but . . . Yes, I've seen the pictures on the Internet, but they don't prove anything, Deb. . . I know what it looks like but I'm telling you, it's not true. I'm not the one. . . Are you going to believe me or some trashy news rag, Deb?" Justin had been trying to convince Debbie for more than fifteen minutes now and was starting to get annoyed.

Brian grabbed the phone away from the irritated blond. "Deb, listen to me. Are you listening? Justin is NOT pregnant. Now, stop bitching at him so I can take him back to bed and we can fuck some more." Brian hung up the phone. "Haven't you learned yet? THAT'S the only way to win an argument with Debbie."

"My hero!" Justin teased as Brian pulled him off the barstool where he'd been sitting and started nibbling along the length of the long porcelain neck. "Please tell me I can put off calling Lindsey and Mel until tomorrow?"

"I think you'll have to. I've got this other big problem I need you to help me with," Brian purred as he pressed his rock hard cock against the willing body of his pretty blond boy.

"Mmmmmm. That's the kind of problem I excel at handling," replied the Pretty Boy who ground his own hard dick into Brian's hip.

Even fully clothed the feel of that perfect thick heat pressing into him, drove Brian wild. He inhaled another hit of sweaty blond boy and the heady aroma caused his gut to clench. Brian knew exactly how to get this need met.

"I want you inside me," Brian whispered into the Pretty Boy's ear then sucked at the sensitive lobe.

"Are you sure?" the Pretty Boy moaned back, reaching one hand down to caress Brian's baby bump.

"Yeah, I'm sure. I need . . . I want you, Justin. Now!"

Brian was already walking them backwards towards the steps up to the bedroom. He slid his hands under the hem of Justin's shirt and let his palms slide up the perfectly smooth skin. He needed the touch, the warmth of that skin. He stumbled awkwardly up the stairs, somehow managing not to relinquish his contact with the Pretty Boy, and tumbled back onto the bed, pulling his boy on top of him.

It was amazing, this feeling. The way a mere touch, the smell, of this addictive man, aroused him instantaneously. The need was so insistent. So primal. He would do anything to get this pulsing, warm flesh inside of him. Brian would beg if that's what it took.

"Fuck me, Pretty Boy!" Brian moaned needily, spreading open his thighs in invitation as soon as Justin had ripped off his pants.

The Pretty Boy seemed just as impatient to make that connection as he was. Somehow their clothing disappeared in mere seconds. Their bare cocks were rubbing together, hot smooth skin rapaciously seeking hot smooth skin. Lips and tongues sliding and sucking at shoulders and chests and necks, anywhere there was salty sweet skin.

Brian's fervent pleading eventually made it through to Pretty Boy's overheated brain and he reached for a condom and the lube automatically. Justin gazed down on the beautiful, openly vulnerable man lying beneath him and wondered for the millionth time at how he got so fucking lucky as to have found Brian. Especially THIS Brian - the one nobody else ever knew because he ONLY ever existed for one special man. The thought that THIS Brian was all his caused his cock to twitch with pleasure.

Neither of them could wait a second longer. Justin positioned himself and then fiercely pushed into the welcoming depths. Brian sighed as soon as the Pretty Boy's cock slid home, reveling in the feeling of total completeness. If only they could stay like this forever.

But their hungry bodies wouldn't comply. They rocked together impatiently, obeying the commands of instinct, moving in synch to some primitive rhythm that only they two heard. The endless pounding need driving them. Pushing. Thrusting. Relentless. Hard and hot. So good. So perfect. Until the place inside, where they touched, ignited and flamed, sending them writhing in passion until they were both spent.

Brian lay there boneless, breathless, but still connected and filled. The words percolated up without warning. He wanted to say them. He needed to finally say them. "Justin, I . . . " He stopped them just in time.

"I do, too, Big Guy," Justin hummed into his lover's strong chest, answering the unspoken sentiment.