Almost But Not Quite

Chapter 23





“Justin Taylor,” Justin said as he held out his hand to the pretty blond woman who met him at reception at Kinnetik.

“Nice to meet you, Justin. Follow me,” Cynthia said as she shook his hand then led Justin down the hall to her office.

Justin couldn’t help but glance through the glass doors into Brian’s office as they went by. There was no sign of the ad exec.

Cynthia conducted a very efficient and effective interview. By the end of it, she was ready to hire Justin Taylor, even though he didn’t have much of a portfolio to show her. She could see the potential in the young man. As well as his artistic abilities, Justin was quick, eloquent and able to handle himself. He would need that if he was going to work for Brian Kinney.

As the interview wound down, Cynthia had to ask. “Do you know Brian Kinney?”

Justin debated for a split second about how to answer that. “Yes,” was the simple answer.

“Okay,” Cynthia replied. That showed Justin’s honesty. She liked that, even though she couldn’t help but wonder how this young man might be involved with her boss. Brian had never brought a trick to the office in all the years she had known him. This must be something different. “Let’s go for a tour of the art department,” she said standing up.

“Great, I’d like to see it,” Justin said as they walked down the hall.

“I need these fucking boards for tomorrow at eleven,” Brian yelled.

“I don’t think I can have them ready by then,” a voice replied.

“Harry, the client is coming at eleven fucking o’clock tomorrow morning. Have them ready!” Brian ordered as he turned and without a glance at Justin or Cynthia marched out of the room.

“Seems a little tense,” Justin said to Cynthia.

“Get used to that if you want to work here,” Cynthia sighed. “Justin, this is Harry Petrochuk, our artist.”

“You’ll notice that she said artist, singular. I don’t know how he expects me to do all this work. I only have two hands,” Harry griped and then sighed. “Nice to meet you, Justin.”

“I’m thinking of offering Justin a job as graphic artist,” Cynthia said as Justin shook hands with Harry.

Justin blinked as he realized what Cynthia had just said. He might be hired.

“Can he start right now?” Harry asked.

Cynthia looked at Justin.

Justin frowned. He had cleared the day with Debbie at the diner. “Yeah, I could,” he said. He hoped he knew what the fuck to do. He had no experience as a graphic artist in an advertising agency.

“Good, then come over here and I’ll show what we have to do,” Harry explained. Justin joined him at the table and listened attentively to what the man was telling him.

Cynthia watched for a minute and then she walked out of the art area and headed for Brian’s office.

“Well?” Brian said as she came into his office.

“He’s working right now,” she laughed.

“You hired him?”

“Harry was practically begging for help.”

“But you think Justin will be good?”

“I think so,” Cynthia replied with a smile. “He didn’t have much of a portfolio, at least not in graphic art.”

“But…”

“He can handle himself, and he seems to have a wonderful sense of color and design.”

“That’s what I thought,” Brian said, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

“Well, you’d be right,” Cynthia chuckled. “Care to tell me how you found this young man?”

“He’s Craig Taylor’s son. I found him at Taylor Electronics.”

“Oh,” Cynthia said truly surprised. That was not anything like the answer she had expected, if she got an answer at all.

“I bet you thought I got him at Babylon,” Brian snorted.

“Something like that,” Cynthia admitted.

”When have you ever known me to mix business and pleasure?” Brian demanded.

“Does the name Kip Thomas ring a bell?”

“Shit! Why did you have to bring up that asshole?”

“Because I knew it would get to you. I hope Justin doesn’t fall anywhere into the same category as Kip,” Cynthia said sincerely.

Brian shook his head. He had been about to tell Cynthia that he had already fucked Justin and would keep that aspect of their relationship out of the office, when he realized that would sound pretty awful, even to his ears. “Justin bears no resemblance to Kip Thomas in any way, shape or form,” he said instead.

Cynthia looked him in the eye before walking out of the office.



*****



“Brian?”

“Yes, Harry, and please don’t tell me that you’re going home without finishing those fucking boards,” Brian said wearily.

“I wanted to show you this,” Harry replied. He was standing in the doorway to Brian’s office. It was almost seven in the evening. He reached out and brought in a stack of foamcore boards. “They’re finished.”

“I thought you said you couldn’t do them before the morning. I expected to stay here with you all night if necessary.”

“That won’t happen if you like these,” Harry smiled tiredly. “Have a look.”

Brian came around the desk. He leaned the boards against the wall as he looked at each of them. When they were all lined up he stood back and studied them. “Not bad,” he said.

“They’re fucking great!” Harry corrected.

“Yeah, they’re … perfect.” That was not normally a term that Brian ever used. “How did you get them done so fast?”

“That new guy you hired is good.”

Brian smiled. That would be Justin, Brian thought. “These are great, Harry. Go home and relax.”

“Thanks,” Harry grinned.

“Oh, and send me the new guy, if he’s still here.”

Harry nodded and hustled out of the office.

Brian sat down behind his desk. He couldn’t help but smile when he thought about Justin’s first day at Kinnetik. He had obviously won over Harry. Maybe that would make Justin feel more comfortable about working there.

“Mr. Kinney?”

“Justin Taylor,” Brian smiled. “Come in.”

“Good night, Brian,” Harry called as he passed the door, his briefcase in hand.

“You wanted to see me?” Justin asked uncertainly.

“You had a hand in these?” Brian asked.

Justin nodded. “A little.”

“More than a little from what Harry tells me.” Justin blushed. “I see that you jumped right in.”

“I didn’t really have a choice,” Justin explained. “Harry needed help and Cynthia asked me to start work immediately.”

“How did you like your first day here?” Brian asked, leaning back in his chair and studying Justin.

Justin couldn’t stop the smile that spread across his face. “It was awesome.”

Brian chuckled. “I’m glad you liked it. And from what I hear, you’re good at it too.”

“Really?”

“Both Cynthia and Harry were impressed.”

“Wow! That’s great. I think I’ll love working here.”

“Then you intend to stay?”

Justin nodded. “I’d love too,” he grinned.

“How be we get some dinner to celebrate your first day as a graphic artist?”

“Um … do you have a policy about employees dating?”

“I’m not an employee, and I make the rules,” Brian said. “Let’s go.” He shut down his computer and they headed out to the parking lot. Cynthia watched them leave the building, Brian’s arm draped over Justin’s shoulders. She smiled broadly and felt good for her boss. Maybe this was the one that Brian had been waiting for all these years, even if he didn’t realize it.



*****



Brian and Justin were lying in the platform bed at the loft. Brian had taken Justin to his favorite Italian restaurant where Justin had had the best lasagna he had ever tasted. Brian had a salad and a few bites off Justin’s plate. Justin couldn’t help but enjoy himself. Brian seemed very happy, and God knows, Justin was. It had been a great day.

They had just fucked, although something seemed different about this one. Justin could almost believe they had made love, but he was afraid to mention that to Brian. He thought he knew what the reaction would be.

Brian let out a long breath. “Did that seem different to you?” Brian asked.

“What?” Justin asked holding his breath.

“That last fuck. It was very … intense.”

“And tender.”

“Fucking isn’t tender.”

“Yes it is, when you love the other person.”

“Love,” Brian scoffed. “Who’s in love?”

“We are,” Justin stated.

Brian turned his head to look at Justin. “What makes you think that?”

“I love to come here with you, I like spending time together, I enjoyed our dinner, and you were sweet and tender when we made love just now.” There he’d said it.

“Is that what you think we did?” Justin nodded and waited for Brian’s reaction. “You … I …” Brian didn’t know what to say.

“It’s very telling that you didn’t deny it,” Justin said gently.

“Is it?” Brian asked with a frown. “I don’t know what this is, but I wouldn’t call it love.”

“That’s because love isn’t part of your vocabulary, but I can change that,” Justin said with a mischievous twinkle in his eye.

Brian snorted and then laughed. “I see you only quote the masters.”

Justin smiled and nodded. “I mean it, you know.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of.”

“Don’t be afraid. Love can be a good thing.”

“And fucking’s even better,” Brian said deciding this talk of love had gone far enough.

Justin, however, wasn’t ready to let it go. “Who do you love, Brian?” There was no reply. “I’m not fishing for you to say me,” Justin stated. “I really would like to know who you love.”

“Nobody.”

“I don’t believe that. What about Debbie?”

“Well, yeah, I guess so. She’s been more of a mother to me than my own fucking mother ever was.”

“Michael?”

“Yeah,” Brian admitted grudgingly.

“Ted and Emmett?”

“Well, don’t you ever tell them, but I suppose I do … sort of.”

“I’m sure they’d be happy to know that you maybe sorta, kinda, love them,” Justin chuckled.

“I said not to tell them.”

“I won’t.”

And Brian knew Justin would keep that promise.

“What about your son?”

“What about him?”

“Do you love him?”

“I never let myself … become involved with him. He belongs to his mothers.”

“Do you ever see him?”

“Occasionally.”

“I’d like to meet him.”

“Maybe … sometime.”

“This weekend?”

“Christ, you’re pushy.”

“That’s me, Mr. Pushy Pants,” Justin laughed.

“At the moment you don’t have any pants, so shut up and let’s fuck.”

“Okay,” Justin grinned.

Brian rolled on top of Justin. He propped himself on his elbows one on each side of Justin. His hands raked through the soft blond hair as he studied the man beneath him. He stared into the clear blue eyes wondering what Justin Taylor possessed that no other man he had ever known possessed. And he had known a lot of them. There was something different about this man. If only he could put his finger on it…

“I thought you wanted to fuck,” Justin whispered.

“I do, but … I like looking at you.”

Justin’s smile made the other lights in the loft pale in comparison. “I like looking at you too.”

“And sketching me,” Brian said glancing over at the eyes that still stood on the dresser.

“And sketching you,” Justin admitted with a grin. “If you keep me around long enough I may have to show you my old sketchbooks filled with images of you from that night on Liberty.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah. You are going to keep me around, aren’t you?” Justin asked.

“I think I’ll keep you,” Brian chuckled. Then his face turned serious. “I want you around for a long time.”

Justin couldn’t wipe the smile off his face as Brian made love to him all over again.