Chapter 38 - The Launch Retro Burn.

Brian made his way down off the stage. He was holding Justin's hand and they were both grinning like a couple of kids as they approached the area where the Liberty Avenue gang was standing. It took a few minutes for them to get there, though, since Brian was still being accosted every step of the way by people congratulating him on the successful evening.

"So! Is everybody having a good time?" Brian asked as soon as he made it over to his friends.

"Everything is so wonderful, Brian," Lindsey gushed, leaning in to kiss Brian on the cheek. "You're definitely going to put little old Pittsburgh on the map with this big splash."

"That WAS the idea. But I can't take all the credit," Brian uncharacteristically added as he looked down fondly at his blond companion. "I did have a bit of help from a certain young artist we all know. Justin was behind the idea for the models to break out from behind the pictures of them in their usual daily lives. There's a big brain hidden somewhere under this cute little blond exterior." Brian teasingly ruffled Justin's hair like he was a child, which resulted in him being punched in the arm before the bigger man could wrap his arms around the boy.

"Oh, Justin," Jennifer cooed in her proud mother hen guise. "You didn't say that any of this was your work."

"It isn't. Not really. Tonight is all Brian's. All I did was help him tweak his own amazing ideas a little. Brian should get all the credit for tonight. He's worked hard enough for it," Justin proudly insisted.

"And he'll definitely be getting credit for it with me!" Marty Ryder broke into the conversation, escorting two other people into the group beside him. "Sorry to intrude, Brian," Marty said. "Before you head off with your friends for the rest of the evening, I want you to meet a couple more people."

"This is Scarlet Neill, an assistant editor at GQ magazine - she's going to be your liaison for the interview your models are doing next week for the GQ September issue," Ryder said as he presented a pixyish young woman who had the brightest red hair Brian had ever seen.

"And this behemoth here," Ryder gestured to the huge man standing on his other side, "is Drew Boyd, the quarterback for the Pittsburgh Ironmen and your next CK model for their new sportswear line, which you will be starting on first thing Monday morning. Better get some rest this weekend." Ryder patted his star executive on the shoulder and then excused himself to go schmooze with other VIP types.

"Ms. Neill. Mr. Boyd," Brian said politely as he shook hands with both the newcomers.

"Call me Drew, please," the towering football player insisted. "From what I hear, we're going to be spending a shitload of time together whenever I'm in town between games for the next few months, so we might as well be on a first name basis."

"Drew it is, then," Brian responded, laughing a bit as he shook the man's huge hand - especially when Drew's grip held on just a second or two longer than necessary and Brian's gaydar started pinging away wildly. "Drew, I want you to meet some of my friends. This is Ted, Emmett and Michael," Brian said, indicating the three salivating queers who were so blatantly ogling the big man's bulging biceps. "Boys, do you mind showing Drew here around for a minute or two while I have a quick word with Miss Scarlet?"

"We don't mind in the least, do we," Emmett insisted as he assumed the role of hostess, snaking his arm through Boyd's and deftly leading the big hunk away, not bothering to look back to see if any of his friends followed.

Everybody else was laughing heartily at the way the flamboyant queen had just intercepted the quarterback so expertly.

"If you'll excuse us for a second," Brian muttered to his friends as he started to guide the little red-haired pixie and his favorite blond-haired boy away from the group.

"Kinney," David stopped them with a sneering smile just before Brian and his group could step away. "You will be back, won't you? I've got something I need to talk to you about tonight before you leave."

"Sure, Doc," Brian said, not really paying much attention to Michael's date and completely missing the nasty look David was shooting at him. "Later, though. Now, Justin. Ms. Scarlet. Why don't we go find someplace quieter to talk . . ."

"What do you think that was all about," Michael complained as soon as Brian had led his group away. "I wish Brian could actually spend some time with us. I was hoping we'd maybe, finally, get to see him a little tonight. It's been ages since he's hung out with us. And what's with Boy Wonder trotting around at Brian's heels everywhere like a puppy dog? Doesn't Brian get to go anywhere anymore without his little blond boy toy?"

"I think, Michael," David said snidely, "you might have it backwards. I'd rethink who is the boy toy in that pair. You know how you were saying before about Brian putting on some weight? Well, I think . . ."

"Excuse me," interrupted one of the CK models. "Are you Michael? Brian Kinney told me to come speak with you. I'm Ben Bruckner and I'm a professor . . ."

"We know!" Michael exclaimed eagerly, eyeing the handsome man appreciatively. "We all heard your introduction. You work at Carnegie Mellon?"

"That's right. I forget that, since I agreed to do this gig for Brian, my life's now an open book," the big, beefy, dirty-blond man said as he laughed good naturedly at himself, smiling down at the boyish brunet and pointedly ignoring the older man standing behind Michael. "Anyway, Brian said YOU are the expert around here to talk to about comic books. See, I'm doing some research into homoerotic images in popular culture . . ."

As soon as the words 'comic books' were out of Ben's mouth, he had all of Michael's rapt attention. At the same instant, David's eyes started to glaze over. David was certain that if he had to listen to even one more minute of Michael obsessing over another comic hero, he'd scream. The only thing more annoying than his boyfriend's obsession with comic books was his obsession with Brian Kinney. But David thought he might have some news that would knock a hole in that hero worshiping fantasy. He could wait till later to spring his big news on Michael. And he decided not to follow when Ben and Michael moved off so they could talk somewhere quieter. David had some calls to make while Michael was being kept busy.

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"Thanks, Scarlet," Brian was saying as the trio walked back into the main room several minutes later. "Just hold that inside front cover for me, okay."

"Sure thing, Brian. For an exclusive like this I'd do a lot more than just give you dibs on my cover," the magazine executive gushed, obviously excited by whatever deal she'd worked out with Brian.

"I'm meeting with the client in New York on the fifteenth to pitch the idea. I'll let you know then. If everything works out, I'll even let you buy Justin and me dinner to celebrate," Brian offered with a gorgeous smirk, causing the little pixie to smile as she was overcome by the Kinney charm.

Brian nodded goodbye and steered Justin back towards their friends. Justin couldn't wait though and jumped up to steal a kiss as soon as Scarlet had turned away. "Yes! This is going to be perfect, Brian! Absolutely perfect. I can't wait!" Justin was bouncing up and down and kissing the handsome brunet's face with every hop.

"Down boy! Down," Brian pretended to scold the enthusiastic youth. "I still have to win the Armani account first. It doesn't do me any good to have a spot for the ad if I don't have the client."

"Of course you'll win the account, Brian. They'd be insane to turn this down," Justin confidently assured his cautious partner.

"Whatever. Now, that's enough work for tonight, Sunshine," Brian declared, turning off the Ad Exec inside him. "Let's find the guys and get this party started. I need to celebrate a little. Now, where has everybody gone?"

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"I'm telling you, Larry. It's the only thing that makes sense," David was speaking loudly into his cell phone, trying to be heard over the noise of all the partygoers in the hallway outside the ballroom. "No . . . No, I don't have any proof, but all the evidence leads to Kinney . . . I know I said the same thing before about Taylor, but this is different. I'm sure this time . . . What kind of proof do you need? . . . Aren't you the one with the camera skills, Larry? I can't get caught taking pictures of him . . ."

David was walking back and forth at the end of the hallway as he listened to whatever directions he was getting over the phone. He seemed to be completely wrapped up in his conversation and wasn't paying much attention to the streams of people walking past him in and out of the main ballroom. Which is why he probably didn't notice when Michael and Ben, wrapping up their discussion about comics, approached on their way back from the hotel lobby.

"Thank you so much, Michael. This is going to be a big help," Ben was saying as he squeezed the smaller man's shoulder in gratitude. "So, I'll see you tomorrow for coffee at two and you'll bring those examples for me?"

"Well, I can try my contact at the doctor's office again, Larry, but he's clammed up a lot lately. They're really cracking down on him - trying to cut off all the leaks that have been getting out to the press. I don't know how much help he'll be . . ." David was saying, his voice raised angrily and his back temporarily turned towards the hallway so that he had no idea who was listening. "What do you expect me to do? Break in and steal the hospital records? I want to get Kinney as much as you do, Larry - more, probably - but I'm not going to land myself in jail just so you can get the next tabloid exclusive!"

David ended the call and then turned around, only to find an incredulous Michael, backed up by the muscular Ben, standing in astonishment before him.

"David? What the hell are you doing? Who were you talking to? And, why did you say you wanted to GET Brian?" Michael asked, confused by the obvious hatred he'd heard in his boyfriend's tone directed at his friend.

"Michael, I-I-I . . . I didn't know you were there," David stuttered, at a loss to explain his prior conversation.

"That's obvious! Who the hell were you talking to and what's all this about stealing hospital records," Michael demanded.

"Who's stealing medical records?" Brian interjected as he and Justin came up behind the other three men.

"I think your friend, David, here," Ben added, looking contemptuously at the red-faced older man who was now, literally and figuratively, backed into a corner. "From what I overheard, he was on the phone with some reporter and it sounded like he was discussing stealing your records from the hospital, Brian. I'm pretty sure that violates a lot of different local and federal laws, though."

"I never said that!" David asserted from his spot where he'd been wedged into the corner of the hallway between the back wall and a decorative table adorned with a large floral display.

"That's what I heard, too, David," Michael insisted. "Why would you . . ."

"Why, Michael? You want to know why?" David angrily snapped back at his boyfriend. "Maybe because I'm sick and tired of listening to you go on and on about Brian this and Brian that. From the way you talk about him, you'd think Brian Kinney was another one of your fucking comic book superheroes. I'd love to have just ONE conversation with you where the name 'Brian' doesn't pop up at least a dozen times. And I thought, if you heard the truth about your idol, here, maybe I'd finally get some peace and quiet!"

"And what TRUTH is that, Doc?" Brian asked in a sarcastic drawl dripping with contempt. "Oh, and before you answer that, keep in mind that I'd be more than happy to report to the Chief of Obstetrics at Allegheny General, exactly how private healthcare information was being leaked from her office."

"You don't know what you're talking about, Kinney. You're not even my patient. I don't have any responsibility to you." David insisted.

"Really? Well, I admit I'm not an expert in medical privacy laws, Dr. Cameron," Brian continued condescendingly. "But, I don't really have to be. It's you who'll have to spend your time trying to convince the federal investigators about that. And, in the meantime, when word gets out to all those high profile patients you treat - all those Penguins and Pirates and Ironmen . . . you know, the ones that make your practice so lucrative - well, when word gets out that you can't be trusted to keep their medical information private, it won't really matter much. Now will it?"

"Fuck you, Kinney!"

"Don't you wish!" Brian laughed derisively. "Now, David, why don't you just take yourself and all those 'truths' you think you know and get the hell out of here before I have security throw you out. And if you say anything more, to anyone, I'll be letting my new buddy, Drew Boyd, who I believe IS one of your patients, know exactly how much you can be trusted."

"But . . . but . . . Fine! Whatever you say, Kinney. But this isn't over. You can't hide forever. Come on, Michael. Let's get out of here," David ordered as he shouldered his way out through the crowd of onlookers.

"I don't think so, David," Michael answered quietly.

"Michael?" David questioned.

But his boyfriend simply shook his head sadly and moved off, heading back into the main room, trailed protectively by a certain big, hunky college professor who just happened to be smiling smugly at the devastated, deserted chiropractor.

David Cameron turned and stormed off, leaving the hotel in a towering rage, already trying to work out a way to get back at Brian Kinney.