Better Friends and Lovers

Chapter 10

(Setting: Danny's Townhouse; Wednesday evening the week after his discharge from the hospital; POV/ Emmett)

Danny was stretched out on the sofa with his head on my lap as I brushed his long hair. We were having "old movie musical night," which was especially fun with someone like Danny, who knew the history behind all the composers and most of the performers. Teddy and Blake were with us as well as Daphne and Danny's brother, Jamie. Danny had printed out the lyrics to a lot of the songs and insisted that we sing along, which actually sounded better than you might think. First of all, I defy anyone to sound bad singing along with Danny. His brother had a pretty fine voice too. He sang bass while Danny took the high notes, leaving Teddy the baritone range. Teddy, of course, is a trained singer and he loved having the chance to sing again. So, while Blake, Daphne and I were strictly amateurs, as a whole, we weren't too shabby once Danny got us organized. He had a way of conducting us without making it seem like he was giving orders or directing us in any way although Jamie did a lot of good natured grumbling about his bossy baby brother. The end result was, we sounded great and had more fun than even I usually do watching old musicals, and I wouldn't have believed that possible for me..

We were all getting along well. Teddy has loved Danny ever since the Irish cutie practically burst into tears of gratitude at how our favorite accountant had rearranged his CDs after those monster children destroyed his music room last week. Danny raved about how Teddy had improved upon his own system of organization, which apparently had been pretty damn detailed. Trust Teddy to find a way to make it even more so; I just know I am afraid to touch anything in there. I know that Teddy separated it by years of compositions, composers, genres of music, and possibly DNA, among other categories. Jamie made one snide comment tonight when Danny showed him his collection about never thinking there could be someone more anal than his little gay brother, but on the whole, he had been on surprisingly good behavior. Daphne has been a good influence on him. After his crack about Danny's anal tendencies, she started in on him and continued non-stop for about twenty minutes, mocking everything from his car maintenance habits to his inability to leave the house in the morning without flossing for a full five minutes.

"Eww, you have been with my brother in the morning, Daph?" Danny screwed up his face. "Does that mean? Oh God, I can't even think about it! Em, hold me!"

"Gladly, sweetie, you just come to Auntie Em, and put those thoughts of hetero love making right out of your curly little head," I said, patting him as he burrowed his head in my chest, giggling. Blake laughed as Ted rolled his eyes. Daphne threw a pillow at me. Jamie, that six foot six giant was blushing bright red, which was hilarious when you think of it. The playboy, at least the heterosexual playboy, of the O‘Keefe family, seemed to have had his horns clipped, and by our little Daphne, no less. I smiled brightly at them and suggested more popcorn.

"I have extra floss in the spare bathroom," came Danny's muffled voice from my chest, which set all of us off again.

"I will get you for that, Danny Boy," Jamie warned, heading over to the sofa to pull Danny from my lap.

"Auntie Em, Auntie Em," he squealed, in a high pitched voice, doing a fairly good Judy Garland imitation, actually. His ability to mimic any voice amazed me; he had been doing it during the movies, coming up with hilarious ad libs for the characters. His suppositions about what the Seven Brothers had been doing before the Seven Brides came along had us rolling on the floor, especially since they were delivered in each brother's voice. He was especially realistic when he had the youngest brother begging the oldest not to bring home any womenfolk named Carol. Jamie almost choked on his beer he was laughing so hard. It seemed John's wife was not popular with any of the O'Keefe brothers.

"You're dead this time," the bigger man growled, as he dangled Danny a few feet above me, being careful not to hurt the broken arm. Of course, Danny's care for that same arm and his airborne state left him fairly helpless, which was causing him no end of frustration, as his face showed.

"Fuck you, you overgrown...damn. Help me, Daph, overgrown what?" The rest of us laughed helplessly as Daphne tossed out epithet suggestions, each one funnier than the one before.

There was a momentary lull in the laughter just as the front door opened and Brian strolled into the room. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?" he yelled, before grabbing at Jamie to get him to release Danny.

"What the hell?" Jamie exclaimed, startled. He dropped his brother in his surprise at having Brian attack him, causing Danny to fall against me abruptly. Fortunately, I managed to grab him and prevent his cast or head from striking anything. I pulled him up next to me as Brian and Jamie squared off.

"Are you trying to put him back in the hospital, you fucking idiot? He's finally stopped puking his brains out and staggering around dizzy and you decide to flip him upside down? Maybe drop him on his head and see if he bounces? Break the other arm this time?" Brian was glaring up at Jamie, fists clenched by his side. Jamie's face had gone from red to pale. He started to say something but Danny caught his eye and held up his left hand to quiet him.

"Hush, Jamie. Let me explain" Danny looked at him. Jamie turned sharply and stormed off to the kitchen. I could hear him drinking water from the tap.

Bri, it was not what you think, we were just horse playing, I started it, teasing Jamie. He was not about to hurt me. I haven't been sick for days now. And there was no chance of him dropping me, he's stronger than he looks, wee thing that he is." He smiled up at Brian, trying to coax a smile in return but the brunet wasn't cooperating. Brian had his mask on, arms folded across his chest, one brow cocked up as he waited for Danny to finish. I think he realized by this point that he had over-reacted and wasn't happy with whatever that revealed to rest of us in the room. Brian Kinney and that damn mystique of uncaring that he feels is so important to maintain. He's been hovering over Danny for a week and a half now yet somehow thinks this was our first clue that the man is important to him? Hah!

Jamie stomped back in and over to the chair he was sharing with Daphne. He sat glowering at the TV, where one of the seven brothers was complaining about one of the seven brides. Or was it the part where six brothers were singing happily about six brides? I suspected we had missed several important scenes. Who cared? The drama in front of us was more entertaining from the looks on Ted and Blake's faces. Plus, I was all comfy with Danny cuddled next to me so I wasn't moving to look for the remote.

Danny ran his hand over his eyes and winced. Brian pounced.

"I thought you said you were feeling better?" He looked accusingly around the room.

Jamie looked over, concern replacing the glower. Blake and Ted focused on Danny too. Up until now they had been torn between Jamie's snit fit and Brian's queen out. Daphne only glanced at Danny briefly, then with a small smile, turned her attention back to the movie, snuggling a little closer to her man. I saw her whisper something in his ear and Jamie visibly relax. It's hard to fool our Daphne.

"This isn't from Jamie," Danny continued, squeezing my leg, which I took as a sign to be quiet rather than an indication that he was suddenly making my wet dreams a reality. "My head has been hurting a bit for the past hour. I think it's just from being up for a whole evening. I'm not used to it, I guess. Being upside down didn't do it, fuck, I've spent most of the past ten days with my head upside down in a toilet." He smiled sheepishly at Brian, but was careful to keep his eyes shaded as he looked up since there was a floor lamp positioned just behind the tall man.

"Do you think you're up to parties?" Brian looked at us disapprovingly.

"I badly need to party, you have no idea, but this was all Dr. Daphne would allow me, and everybody else was nice enough to take pity on me and gave up their night to keep me company. So stop being such a prick or everyone will leave and I will be all alone again and feeling sorry for myself." Danny looked up at Brian again and smiled, still managing to convey the fact that his head was aching, with the way he held it propped up on his good arm, leaning back against me as though the weight were too much for him to support on his own, his hand shielding his eyes. He really was a good actor, I thought admiringly. It went through my mind that maybe Danny's head really did hurt that badly, and that he had been acting when he seemed okay. I looked at him closely. He caught my scrutiny and gave me a tiny smile.

"I'm sorry, Em, but I am a bit tired now. This has been a lot of fun, though." He leaned over and kissed my cheek. "Would you guys mind if I headed off to bed for a bit? Stay and watch the rest of the movie, please! The room is pretty sound proofed so you won't bother me if you make noise. It takes at least three or four of our nephews for the sound to travel through these walls, right Jamie?" He grinned at his brother who shuddered.

"Ugh, don't mention those pro-choice poster children. Let me take the monitor for Briana into the guest room tonight, that way if she wakes in the middle of the night, I can take care of her, okay?" Briana's bedroom was on the second floor along with the guest bedroom. She had gone to bed a few hours earlier, after watching the first movie, the Wizard of Oz, with us. She was a little doll. I really couldn't understand why she was considered so difficult. We did nails with Daphne and she insisted on picking out my color. She had quite a collection of polish. For all his anal-compulsive tendencies, Danny had no qualms about letting us use nail polish in his living room. He did move his Waterford vase to higher ground before we got started, however, just to be safe, which was sensible. Other than that, he had a fairly child friendly house. He had certain areas which were off limits to Briana without him present, such as his music room and bedroom, and she respected his rules. It was a shame his older nephews and nieces were not as well trained.

"That would be great. I put her bedtime CDs on so she should stay out. You want to come keep me company for a bit, Brian or stay out here and watch movies? Oh wait, I forgot to ask, did you get anything to eat?" Danny looked at Brian guilelessly.

Brian looked back at him through narrowed eyes. We all waited, practically holding our collective breath. Finally he spoke, to no one in particular.

"He's been bouncing around like the Energizer Bunny all night, hasn't he?"

We looked at each other as Danny bit his bottom lip. Jamie laughed.

Finally Teddy spoke. "Well, I wouldn't say he was the Energizer Bunny, per se."

"He was more like Bob Fosse in ‘All That Jazz,'" Blake added, grinning. I never did like that twink. Daphne threw popcorn at him, hissing at him to be quiet.

Brian sighed. "Well, I guess then you probably did wear yourself out, kiddo. Sorry, Jamie, long day, what can I say?" Brian smiled sheepishly.

"No problem, next time I very well may be killing him and thanks to his crying wolf so many times no one will help him." Jamie grinned back at Brian.

"Does that mean you won't be tucking me into bed?" Danny pouted from his position on my shoulder.

"It means I should leave you to Emmett's tender care, but he has done enough baby sitting for one night so I guess it's my shift," Brian replied, smirking. I could feel Danny tense. How the man hated cracks about his youth. He was the opposite of Brian in that respect. Ironically, he was not that much younger than Brian had been when he first started worrying about getting older. It must come from being the youngest in a big family. Justin never had a problem with being young that I recalled; if anything, he taunted the guys about their "advanced" age all the time, especially poor Michael.

It was funny, but late twenties seemed so much younger now than it used to seem. "Extended adolescence" was what one magazine called it, just one more phenomenon of the baby boom generation and their reluctance to push their own babies out of the nest. Even thirty-somethings were staying home with mom and dad. I thought of Michael, and how long it took him to cut Debbie's apron strings, if they could be considered to be cut even now. Then there was Danny. He was extremely close to his mother, but it was a different type of closeness. Other than times like last week, when he was sick, I got the impression he was much more of the care giver now for his elderly mother. He and I had grown close over the past several days, and one of the things I had learned about him was how much he adored his little Irish mother. She loved him just as dearly, without condition or limitation. Mothers aren't supposed to have favorites, perhaps, but there was no doubt in my mind that of all her many children, Danny was far and away Rose O'Keefe's favorite, her "angel boy."

"If this is babysitting and you are the charge, sign me up for another shift any time. Can I handle bath duty next time?" I asked, leering, trying to divert Danny from his sulk. He smiled at me, but he wasn't distracted from his snit. He stated in a very firm voice to the room at large.

"With six older brothers, and a domineering father, not to mention two large, interfering uncles, one of whom is a police chief, and constantly ‘looking out" for me, the last thing this faggot has ever looked for is a Daddy! So on the list of words that make my dick soft, along with Danny boy, are Baby, Sonnyboy, Little Boy and all variations on that theme!" Brian looked at him oddly as I clasped my hands to my breast dramatically while the others snickered.

"But Danny, I always call you baby!" I cried, looking at him in mock dismay as the others, including Brian this time, thank goodness, laughed out loud. It didn't escape me and I'm sure it didn't escape him, that "Sonnyboy," his favorite pet name, was on that list. I suspected it was a recent addition to Danny's "dick softening" list. Ignoring the laughing, Danny answered me smilingly.

"I know, Em, sweetie, but at least we'll always have dancing." Saying that, he got up and with a graceful bow, kissed my hand, waved to the others and left the room, leaving Brian to follow if he chose. Brian stared after him blankly.

"He's so fucking sensitive, sometimes," Jamie commented calmly. "Did you want anything to eat, Bri? There's pizza, which I know you won't eat this late, as well as some chicken, which you might, and I think Danny saved you some Thai, because he said it was your favorite. Just ignore his mood, he really did do too much tonight. But if I had suggested that to him, he would've done twice as much just to prove to me that he could. You know what he's like."

Brian, who had been holding himself tense, like a tiger about to spring, relaxed at those words . It was rather fascinating watching the two men, like seeing a panther next to a lion; the one was all lithe grace and ceaseless energy, the other giving the illusion of laziness, but with hidden power and strength. I would have to share these thoughts with Daphne, she would get a kick out of them.

"I'm good," Brian answered. "I'm just going to check on Danny, see if he really is okay. He looked pretty worn out compared to yesterday. Are we still practicing on Saturday, Jamie? Three o'clock?"

"Yeah, assuming I'm not needed to change shifts. I can't work more than thirty five hours a week as an ER doc, and they've hit me for thirty already this week due to a flu bug that's going around the staff, so I should be good for the whole weekend off. I'll call you in the morning to confirm."

"Okay, later guys, Daphne," Brian headed off to Danny's room. We were all careful to make no comment about whether we would be seeing him again or not before we left. Jamie and Daphne were staying, so technically, they were assuming hosting duties. On prior occasions, I had stayed and taken responsibility for clearing up and seeing out guests so Danny could crash when he got tired. That was our stipulation for allowing these little get-together's so he did not wear himself out. Tonight was a bit more tiring, what with the singing and in fact he had shown us some of the dance numbers as well, now that I thought about it. I don't think it was that, however, so much as the situation with Brian that has been wearing on him. He had confessed to me earlier, when we were readying the snacks, that Brian had been treating him with kid gloves ever since the accident.

****************************************************************************

Flashback to that afternoon

"How do I get him to treat me normally again, Em?" He asked, biting down on one of the carrot sticks I had just julienned for the vegetable tray.

"You do realize that for every three carrots I get ready for tonight you eat two?" I asked, holding up the knife.

"I know. I have been making a conscious effort not to eat all of them," he explained with an impish grin.

"You're really lucky you're so damn cute, you know, otherwise I might have to cut off one of those fingers," I told him as I grabbed out another bag of carrots and started cleaning them.

"You wouldn't do that to a pianist with only one functional hand now, would you?" He snatched another carrot from under my knife. If he weren't careful, he might lose a finger without my trying.

"You're doing pretty well with that one hand, I'd hate to see how much you could snitch with both hands working. It's a wonder your mother ever got anything made."

"Weren't you ever taught not to say snatch to a gay man?" He asked with a pained expression. While I was laughing, he grabbed two more carrots, the wretch. He added, laughing, when I waved my scraper at him, "Mama always makes me a plate of veggies first. But back to the point, Em, how can I get Brian to stop treating me like I am an invalid?"

"Get better?" I suggested, flippantly.

He glared at me. "I am better. Pretty much, except for the broken arm. You saw me do my exercises today." I did too, he was pretty amazing. He did about three hundred stomach crunches, with a medicine ball, and various other stretches and yoga exercises.

"My personal favorites," I told him, "were the one armed push-ups, followed by the one armed hand stands, closely followed by the two legged vomiting. What muscle group does that work? The abs, I would guess. I'd think you were bulimic except you didn't have anything in you at the time to be purging, poor baby." He blushed.

"Okay, maybe I overdid it a little bit today, but I don't want to lose conditioning. The doctors won't let me go running, or practice my karate, or even dance properly, and the exercise bike doesn't work all of the muscle groups and...."

"And you broke your arm last week and suffered a severe concussion and you were asking me why Brian thinks you need to take it easy? Maybe the question we should be asking is why you don't think you should be? Dear Dr. Freud, I have this friend...." I paused in my cutting. There were no carrots on the plate. "Maybe asparagus would be nice?" I suggested.

He put his arm around me, the left one, of course. "I don't care for asparagus all that much so you could use it safely. I don't like broccoli, either, so mama usually filled up the blank spaces with that, and used red and orange peppers for color. I have some in the frig. She sent it over for you. She figured you might need it when the carrots ran out." He grinned sheepishly at me.

"Thanks for the tip, I did want some contrast. Remind me to thank your mama, too. I notice you didn't mention this until I cleaned and scraped all your snack carrots for you, brat. Back to your problem, now that we solved mine. I think what you need to do is remind Brian what a hot stud you are. His head has been filled with images of you wounded and hurt; the last thing he wants to do is risk hurting you again. Man on man sex can be rough–wait, am I actually telling you this?" I looked him horrified and he laughed.

"No, no, go on, Auntie Em, tell me. Will it hurt?" He leaned his elbows on the counter and opened his green eyes wide, batting the curly lashes at me. He looked like a naughty little boy. A sexy, naughty, little boy.

"What you deserve is a spanking." I told him firmly, holding back a grin at his antics.

"I've heard that is a part of man on man sex sometimes, and you can't fool me, Auntie Em, I bet you love a good spanking," he lowered his voice seductively and moved closer, his hard body pressing up against me. I could feel my cock start to respond. Damn him, he liked playing games.

"Not fair, Danny, when you aren't going to carry through."

"Sorry, Em, I was just kidding around; I am so fucking frustrated that I was being thoughtless. Forgive me?" He moved his hips away and gave me a chaste peck on the cheek and a hug. Suddenly the sex god was gone and my friend, the carrot thief, was back. His moods were so mercurial, it was hard to keep up with them. He told me that was partly from being trapped inside and unable to burn off his excess energy, and partly just his nature. It was what made him patient with Briana. He thought he was a lot more like her than anyone suspected so he both understood her and knew how to handle her. They spent a good bit of time together practicing dance and karate, which tired her out and made her more docile. He even taught her yoga.

I cleared my throat, which felt very dry; I hadn't recovered from his rubbing against me as quickly as he had, unfortunately. Thinking about Danny in his dance tights didn't help, either. "I think what you have to do is show Brian a little of that side of you that I keep getting treated to, and maybe he'll help you burn off some of that excess energy. Plus, there is no one better equipped to teach you about man on man sex than our Brian."

"Hmm, I think that is excellent advice."

*********************************************************************

(Setting: Danny's Townhouse; Friday afternoon, POV/ Emmett

"Your advice sucked, Emmett and I may as well become a monk," Danny was stretched out on his bed, arms over his head, legs hanging over the sides, completely discouraged. I loved how he was such a jock around his brothers, and this blend of sexy confident man of the world and charming, artistic boy around Brian; but with me, he was pure drama queen.

"Which advice was that, sweetie? If you're talking about the long braid, I think it looks fabulous, and it's a lot easier to take care of when you're just walking around, especially on these windy Spring days." I had done his hair in a low, viking style braid. It was masculine, yet stylish. Personally I thought it looked great. It emphasized his strong cheekbones and allowed him to keep the length for special occasions, such as when he was back to performing. Or in bed, thought my wayward mind. His hair was lovely for running one's hands through; I wonder if Brian thought so, wait, Brian, how had the other night gone? Ah, that advice, okay, I was up to speed. Danny was used to me by now so he tended to just wait while I rambledon, either out loud or internally.

"What happened the other night when Brian followed you into your room? You had him eating out of your hand, I thought. You and your poor aching head!"

"I had Brian in my room Wednesday night, all right.. All I had on were my thinnest pair of black sweats, you know the ones. Actually, they aren't even mine, they're his. They're so thin, you can almost see through them. I wore them the night we ... you know. You saw them, I had them on the morning after, when you and I met."

I gulped. I think you actually can see through those sweats; either that or I have a very active imagination.

"Anyway, I'd lit a couple of candles, put some music on, Jerome Kern, I know he likes his stuff, "The Way You Look Tonight." Perfect mood music. I used my best "fuck me" voice on him, and nada. Em, I don't want to sound conceited, but I can get straight men to bed with just my voice sometimes, and all I could get out of Brian with those pants and the perfect setting was some kissing. Then he told me to get some sleep and he took a long shower. Fuck, I needed the shower at that point." He rolled over and buried his head in a pillow. He had such a nice ass, if I were not a confirmed bottom, I would be tempted to jump him. Fuck it, even as a confirmed bottom I was tempted to jump him. Maybe Brian was regretting straying from Justin? But why string Danny along then? That really wasn't like him, I decided. Moreover, Brian had been truly stricken by Danny's condition just the week before. Danny's recovery was remarkable. Not having been around as often to see it, as I had, perhaps Brian was having trouble accepting it. Maybe Danny had overdone the aching head bit before leaving us to get Brian into his bedroom?

Plus, there was the inescapable fact that Brian was scarred by the trauma of Justin's bashing. Daphne said Brian turned white as a ghost when the neurologist at the hospital said there was a chance that Danny could slip into a coma during those first twenty-four hours. Just seeing him lying on the ground like that had been terrifying to me and I hadn't known him since he was a child as Brian had. Nor had I just had an emotional reunion with him the night before, with fantastic sex.

I tried to explain all of this to Danny. I also tried to put his accident in perspective with the Justin bashing that Brian still hasn't gotten over. Danny listened intently. I continued.

"Brian tends to blame himself for everything that happens within his circle of people he cares about, and he also tends to punish himself when something goes wrong. In Justin's case, it took a while for Justin to allow anyone close to him, and maybe Brian is afraid to push himself on you too quickly as a consequence of that past experience. In his mind at least, this may seem like a similar injury. Now obviously, you haven't been in a coma, but seeing you lying on the ground unresponsive, and then learning you had a serious head injury, hearing that you were at risk of going into a coma, watching you suffer head pain this past week and a half, it has to have brought it all back to him."

Danny grimaced at me. "Me puking on him and practically collapsing the one time we did try to start something since the accident probably didn't help," he confessed. I looked at him. Well, duh, I thought. I was good, however, and didn't actually say it. I just looked at him reproachfully..

"Well someone has been holding out. When did that happen?"

"When you two arrived with my mama and drove out the monsters and Brian helped me shower. We both got rather, um, aroused, and everything was going well. I suggested we take it further but when Brian tried, I puked." Danny twisted his mouth. "I'm just not fated to have him, I should just face it. I will die a lonely old man, stealing carrots from schoolchildren." He fell back onto the bed.

I patted him on the shoulder. "Come on, roll onto your stomach; and I'll give you a massage while you tell Auntie Em all about it."

"I'll skip true confessions, thanks. How about you give me the massage and we plan how I can get Brian to stop seeing me as an invalid and start seeing me as a hot guy again? Wasn't that your plan?" Danny tossed off his shirt and rolled over. It escaped me how Brian could take one look at that body and not want to fuck it. He must have changed much more than any of us realized. I know Ted has been saying it, but it was still hard to realize. It wasn't just that Danny was muscular, Brian was never into mere gym bunnies, or steroid kings. Danny had the same kind of lean, hard muscles Brian had, only more defined, and coupled with amazing grace and athleticism, somewhat like Drew had. I swallowed hard to get rid of all the extra saliva, then got up on the bed and straddled Danny's hips so I could get to work kneading the tense muscles that rippled along his broad back. I cleared my throat. The things I do for friendship, I couldn't help thinking.

"Well, it would help if I knew a little more about what happened after Brian went into your room the other night. I was sure you were going to get a little action then."

"Me too," came the muffled voice from the pillow he had clasped beneath his head. "I was lying there, like I said. I had put a pair of sweats out for him and I suggested he take off his suit and get more comfortable." Danny lowered his voice and mimicked how he would have said it. He really did have the sexiest voice. I felt my dick twitch at his words. It was already semi-erect from massaging him; hearing him talk in that deeper register of his just did things to a man! I wished my voice could do that.

"And?" I prompted him as he paused in his story.

"You feel so good, Em, "he sighed, moving languorously beneath me. He and I had had a long talk yesterday about his cock teasing. He explained he didn't do it consciously, but that it was partly from his years of performing to an audience, and partly just his nature. "I'm a born flirt, Em, I cannae help it. But I really don't want to be mean or to make you uncomfortable. You have been too good a friend for me to ever want that. Tell you what? Just bop me on the head whenever you catch me at it; no wait, the head may not be good right now, how about you swat me on the ass?"

He turned to look over his shoulder, peeping at me from under those long lashes, dimples flashing. "Am I doing it again?"

I slapped his ass. ""What do you think?" I retorted, but grinned to show I wasn't serious. "I'm not sure in this position that ass swatting is the best choice, either, we may have to come up with something else. But get back to the story. You're using all your wiles on Brian but nothing, right?"

He laid his head back down and groaned. "Worse than nothing. He's lying next to me, holding me, both of us just in thin cotton sweats, we got to kissing."

I shifted down a little to work on his low back, and to move my groin off of his ass; no need to advertise my own growing erection as my active imagination started to picture the scene between Brian and Danny, together in this same bed wearing nothing but sweatpants.

"So, there he was, moving down my chest, kissing me, pausing to suck my nipples, his hands moving along my chest and abs; it was heaven, Em."

"Uh, huh." I swallowed again. "I can imagine. And you would have told me sooner if you'd vomited on him again?"

"No, you can't imagine and no, I didn't do anything. At least, nothing like that," Danny said dryly. Suddenly he turned his torso over and reached his good arm up to gently grip my chin. "Listen to this surprise ending, sweetheart. Move so you can sit on my lap. I want you to enjoy this story." With that, Danny sat up against the headboard and pulled me up between his legs, tucking my head under his chin and hugging me close as he continued.

"So there we were, me moaning sweet nothings, no doubt, I can't be sure as that part is a little vague I was so crazed with lust, and Brian doing incredible things to me with his tongue. He starts to edge my sweatpants down and all I am thinking about is how hard I am and how good it feels. I'm kissing and touching whatever parts of him I can but he's totally in control, you know what I mean? Suddenly, I swear to God, Em, it sinks in to me that he is talking to my cock, and saying every one of the words I swore make me limp." At this, Danny shifts his voice into a dead-on accurate imitation of Brian's voice.

"Well, ‘Sonnyboy,' you look ready for action and ‘Daddy' would love to take care of his ‘baby,' but ‘Daddy' thinks it would do little ‘Danny boy' more good to get some rest tonight than to get fucked into the mattress so ‘Daddy's' ‘little boy' is going to have to go beddy-bye"

I burst out laughing. I didn't want to hurt his feelings but it was so funny I was in serious danger of peeing myself. Danny hit me with a pillow...hard!

"It's not funny! Do you know how long I have gone without sex? The man is evil! He got me all hot and bothered and then, wham! Hits me with every dick wilting phrase he can!"

"Did it work?" I managed to gasp, from my new position on the bed, rolled up in a ball, trying not to laugh my ass off. Danny grinned at me.

"Of course it did. He went on like that for what must have been a full three minutes, talking to my fucking cock, holding me down so I couldn't get away! I had to cover my ears finally or I may have been rendered permanently impotent, and it wasn't easy, bending this cast up at that angle, I'll have you know but I did it!"

"Didn't you say anything to him?"

"What could I say? I was speechless at first when I first realized what he was doing and then when I realized what it was doing to me I just wanted to tune him out! He told me at some point that he was doing it for my own good and that it was hurting him as much or more as it was hurting me. As if! But it was some comfort to see that he took quite a woody into the shower with him; he was in there for a while."

"What happened when he came out?"

Danny looked embarrassed. "Truth is, I must have been pretty wiped out from the evening. I was asleep by the time he came out. I woke up during the night once but he looked so peaceful that it didn't seem right to wake him up when I saw he had the clock set for six a.m. to get up for work. So I just cuddled up next to him and went back to sleep." I had to laugh at Danny again, he looked so cute confessing.

"Seems to me that Brian was just being thoughtful, difficult as that is to believe. And it is your own fault for giving him the ammunition to do it with, you with your surefire way to make your dick soft, ‘baby.'" I couldn't resist teasing him. I felt bad about it as soon as I said it though, when I saw the sadness on his face.

"You don't think it isn't maybe that he has reconsidered getting involved with me? Maybe he is just taking a few steps back?" Danny put his head down on my shoulder as we now sat side by side on the bed, leaning against the headboard.

I thought about this seriously before answering, weighing Brian's actions and reactions since Danny came back into his life almost two weeks ago. He had been by almost every day, except when work prevented him; he stayed over many nights. When they were together, the two men not only laughed and joked, they discussed politics, books, music, Brian's work, sports, people they knew, and wonder of wonder, even how they felt about things. The only thing missing over the past several days that had been present at that first meeting that I had witnessed was the sexuality. That Sunday morning I watched them together they could not keep their hands off each other. At first Danny was too sick and while he was now much better, Brian did continue to treat him as though he were as fragile as that Waterford vase. Yet, the chemistry was still there, I was sure of it. I often caught Brian looking at Danny when he thought no one was watching, and he clearly was lusting after the younger man. The grapevine had given no indication that Justin had been heard from so I doubted that he was the cause of any backing away; if anything, the connection between the once golden couple was more tenuous than ever. Brian rarely mentioned him and I don't think anyone had heard from him since Daphne's birthday. Danny was looking at me anxiously, waiting for me to answer.

"I was giving this careful consideration, baby; I didn't want to just give you a quick, reassuring answer. I want to give you as accurate an answer as I can. Brian is a loner and it's hard for anyone to know what's going on in his mind, but to the extent that anyone knows him, I think I'm one of the people who understands him best. Cynthia and Ted do too, and they both think you're important to him, by the way. To answer your question, I don't think he is losing interest or having second thoughts; on the contrary, far from it! I can't believe I'm saying this, sweetie, but I think this is a situation where Brian is trying to do the right thing and we have to stop him. We have to save him from his better self," I proclaimed dramatically. Danny raised an eyebrow.

"The corruption of Brian Kinney, now there's an ambitious project. What are you suggesting?"

"Brian has been seeing you as someone to take care of, someone in need of his protection, someone fragile. We need to change that perception. Now, you've spent your share of time in big cities, or so you've told me, New York, London, Paris, San Francisco. Would you happen to have anything sexy to wear, something suitable for little old Babylon?"

Danny smiled. He got up and walked over to a wall comprised of mirrored panels and pressed a small button located nearby. The mirrors folded back on either side mechanically, revealing a closet as wide as the room and about eight feet deep. Inside were racks and racks of clothes, with racks of shoes and boots below and drawers built in above. Torso did not have this much inventory on display in its showroom.

"There's more upstairs in the spare bedroom closet but you should be able to find something suitable there. That's the main part of my wardrobe for this season of the year."

"The main part? This season of the year?" I gazed upon the rows of jeans, slacks, suits, tuxedos, shirts and sweaters There were also accessories: belts, ties, shoes, boots, etc. In the center was a tall jewelry cabinet. "How many clothes do you have?" I asked as I started to rummage.

"Not a clue. There's a lot at mama's house. I keep the out of season things there. There are sports and dance things upstairs, too, but I assume you don't need to see them." He laughed at my awed expression. "I like clothes and I like to shop. Plus, I don't change sizes ever, at least, I haven't for years, and I still model sometimes just to get the clothes they give me, so that's how I can afford so much designer stuff. Pick out what you want me to try on and I'll model it for you. I'll leave it to you to decide what will best make me not look like the poor little sick boy anymore. But what about this?"

Danny held up the cast. "I could cut it off for the night but Daphne might get pissed at me." He grinned at me mischievously. I frowned at him, then something on his jewelry stand caught my eye.

"This!" I announced in triumph, pulling out a metal bracer. I think it was made of pewter, or iron, or some other dark colored metal; whatever it was, it looked great. It was long enough to cover Danny's left forearm much the same way his cast, which he has gotten replaced in a black color, covered his right forearm. It had pretty green stones set in it by the wrist and some silvery bands, which I was surprised had not tarnished, decorated the ends.

"Cool, I had forgotten I had those. They were for a photo shoot. My bling bling. You know, I can do this one better, Em. Jamie had a set too, and his were much larger. I bet his would fit over the cast and cover it. Let me call him and see if he will drop off his right one for me."

"Do you think he will still have it, or if he does, have any idea where it is?" I asked, thinking that the big O'Keefe did not seem as likely to know where his things were as Danny was. Daphne had given me a pretty humorous description of the big guy's bachelor pad and he lived up to every straight stereotype of the slob. She told him to hire a cleaning crew before she would sleep over.

Again, the dimples flashed. "What would I do without you?" He came over and rummaged in his jewelry cabinet a minute, then made a triumphant noise. "I held on to Jamie's set for him for exactly that reason. I forgot. I figured, what with these emeralds and the platinum, these fuckers are worth a fortune, and he would be likely to wear them to a Halloween party and lose them. Okay, help me see if it fits." Danny was like a little kid himself trying on a Halloween costume. I was still trying to get over the fact that those were real emeralds and the bands were platinum, not silver. No wonder they hadn't tarnished.

I carefully fit the big bracer over the cast and snapped it closed. It fit perfectly. The cast extended above it slightly, but not much. It still looked sharp with the other one. Now to find the perfect outfit to compliment the bands. With his hair in the Viking braid I had done earlier, it looked very appropriate, but I was debating whether or not to keep it that way. Personally, I thought his hair looked sexier down, but then, I'd always had a crush on Jim Morrison. Danny reminded me of him, especially when he had his shirt off, which is how he was likely to end up at some point while dancing.

"Does the band feel too tight on your arm?" I asked as I looked through his clothes.

"Bracer is the correct term, sweetie, you don't want to offend the gods," he laughed. "And no, it actually may be a good idea, as it gives extra protection, less chance of people banging it and hurting the arm. Consider it one more layer of protection. That was their function back when warriors fought, you know, to protect the forearm. These, however, are just very expensive imitations, but the iron is strong, good thing I have strong upper arms for lifting them. I loved these things, I can't believe I forgot I had them. Since they were custom made, we got to keep them after the photo shoot."

"What kind of photo shoot was it for and why did Jamie get them? Did he do modeling too?" I was curious. Danny started snickering.

"I'm sworn to secrecy. If I tell you, he'll kill me. You ask him, though, about the bracers and see if he'll tell you, or better yet, mention them when Daphne is present and she'll get it out of him. But make sure I'm around. I can't wait to see his face when he tells her." Danny started giggling to himself, but no amount of pleading could get the story out of him. He might bend his brotherly loyalty but he had a point over which he would not cross.

We finally decided on a pair of low slung, black Dolce and Gabbana jeans that did nice things for his ass and package, not that they needed the help, and a dark green, shimmery, sleeveless silk shirt that emphasized his upper arm and shoulder muscles, not to mention the color of his eyes. The shirt was loose, but the silk clung to his chest and back when he moved, showing off those muscles as well. Over all, it was an outfit that left nothing to the imagination.

*******************************************************************

Later than night, showered, shaved, and blown dry, hair worn down following a lengthy consult, he slipped on a nice pair of well worn Prada boots that he swore were amazingly comfortable to dance in despite their heel. Danny stood staring at his reflection in the mirror. I had gotten ready earlier so I could help him. Briana was at her grandmother's and Danny was free for the night. .

"All you need now are the condoms and the lube and you are set." I assured him.

"All I need now is the guy, you mean. If this doesn't do it, I am back to being a top exclusively and I give up on love." I stood behind him and wrapped my arms behind him.

"My heart has been broken more than a dozen times, hell, sometimes a half dozen times in one night, and I never give up on love, and you aren't either," I told him. "You're going to be the hottest guy there tonight; you're also the sweetest, so go out and win your man."

Danny turned to hug me back. "I'm not sure about hottest but I know I'm not the sweetest. Em, I don't know what I would have done without you these past two weeks. I hope you know how much you've come to mean to me. I care a lot about you, you know that, don't you? And if it weren't for the fact that I gave my heart away a long time ago...."

I choked up. I put my hand over his mouth. "Don't say anything more, okay? I care about you too, and I am really happy to have your friendship so let's just leave it at that." I squeezed him tight. "Don't get hurt baby," I thought to myself, as I vowed to throttle Brian if he was just killing time with this darling while waiting for his true love to come home.

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Setting: Babylon:POV/ Brian

I wasn't sure why I was at the Club. Ted and Emmett had made a big deal about getting together just like the old days. Mikey and the Professor were even coming out, they insisted, but doing things just to please other people had never been a priority with me. I must be getting soft, I decided. I would much rather be checking on Danny. If everyone were over here, he would be lonely by himself. Besides, the truth was, I realized, with some slight surprise, I enjoyed myself more just hanging out with him than here at Babylon, being admired by the masses and possibly making a foray into the back room to get my cock sucked.

"Hey, Brian, long time no see. We were sorry to miss you at dinner last week. Ben made a great tofu lasagna." Mikey came bouncing up and gave me a hug. I kissed him perfunctorily and bit back the sarcastic comment I wanted to make about what he could do with tofu in my opinion. Ben came up and nodded hello. From the small smile on his face, it was a safe bet he could guess my opinion of the missed dinner fairly accurately from my expression. You had to hand it to Ben, he might be dull, but he wasn't clueless. I've had a lot more respect for him since I saw him lose it at that guy at the candlelight vigil following the bombing. I discovered then that it wasn't that he didn't have emotions, it was just that he kept a tight rein on them. I could respect that.

"Yeah, I was really sorry to miss it too, but you know how it is, a friend needed me. I knew you two would understand. I went with Em to help someone out."

There, that helped establish that it wasn't the old "something came up." I swear, sometimes I think Mikey and the others want me to act in the same old ways; it satisfies some need in them to hold onto their past. Almost as if to prove my point, Mikey was looking skeptical, but he slapped me on the back.

"No problem, Brian, we're just glad you're getting out and about agin. We can do dinner some other time. Maybe you can even bring your friend with you, right Ben."

"Sure, Michael, if Brian wants that. Do we know him?" Ben looked at me quizzically.

"I'm not sure, you may have met him. He's from the area, but not our neighborhood, Mikey. Remember Joey O'Keefe, my roommate all through college? Danny is his youngest brother." I took another swallow of my Beam and waited for the reaction from Mikey.

"One of the O'Keefes? Weren't there like a million of them? This one is the youngest? I don't remember any of them being gay."

Ben interrupted him. "How could you not know? His family practically keeps this chapter of PFLAG going with their fund-raising! I am sure your mother knows the family, and Danny is the reason for their involvement, although it's mainly his sisters now and their names of course are all different, except for Mary Pat, one of the younger ones. She's unmarried. His mother was active but she's had to slow down in recent years, Danny tells me."

My ears perked up. "You know Danny, Ben?"

"Sure, he's taken a few of my classes at the graduate level, and he's helped out at the college, counseling gay students. Plus, he has helped with PFLAG fund-raisers himself whenever he's in the area and we ask him to, as well as sitting on the Board of some AIDS organizations. He's very active in gay issues as well generous with his time and money. He's quite a young man. I believe he has a Master's Degree and a PhD, and he speaks three foreign languages fluently."

I was impressed, I knew Danny took classes in what he called his "down time" but I didn't know he had accomplished so much. He always down-played his achievements, laughingly attributing them to his hyperactivity.

"I work at night a lot of the time and I can't sleep all day so I figured I may as well go to school. You'd be surprised at all the things you can learn, Brian," he told me when I noticed all the diplomas on the wall of his music room. He was currently obtaining his Masters in Special Education to help him with Briana.

Mikey laughed. "So what does this scholar slash do- gooder look like? Thick glasses, pocket protector? He sounds like a bit of a nerd, not at all like your usual type, Brian. Nice of you to take an interest in your old friend's little brother, though. Have he and Em hit it off?"

Ben and I looked at each other and burst out laughing. Just then there was a stir of excitement by the door.

"Must be fresh meat, this place certainly could use some," I commented.

"I don't know, looks a little nerdy to me, what do you think, Brian?" Ben said with a chuckle. Mikey looked over and choked on his drink. "Are you crazy? That's the hottest guy this place has seen in ages. No offense to you two, but just look at him! Lucky Ted and Emmett, they're coming in right behind him." Ben looked at me and continued to grin as Mikey went on raving about the new hot stud. It seemed Danny wasn't sitting home alone tonight after all, and from the looks of things, had made a full recovery.

Babylon was clearing a path for him as he made his way across the dance floor, accompanied by Rosencranz and Guildenstern. Blake must be coming later, I was sure he wasn't going to allow Ted out alone for this. Danny moved like a cat to the center of the floor and with a nod to the DJ, he started the music that had stopped when he entered the room. He grabbed Emmett and they started dancing with the kind of moves that Pittsburgh does not see every day. Shit, Pittsburgh doesn't see moves like that once every blue moon.

"Who do you think he is? Is he an actor? A singer maybe? He looks like he must be a dancer, look at him go! He makes Em look like a professional dancer." Mikey was whispering, he was awestruck. Fuck, most of the men in the room looked awestruck. Danny laughed at something Emmett said, throwing his head back, causing his hair to swing free. Damn, he looked good. He had on tight black jeans that came to just below his hip bones, they clung to his tight ass as he moved, the legs looking incredibly long as he spun em around. His green silk shirt was half unbuttoned, showing the ridges of muscle on his stomach. He was wearing some kind of bracers on his arms, which emphasized the muscles on his biceps. You really couldn't tell his right arm was in a cast unless you looked closely. Suddenly, I wanted to be dancing with him. Men were starting to move closer to this tanned, muscled God; time to stake my claim. Ted arrived at the bar just as I turned to answer Mikey. Ben had remained quietly amused, leaving it to me to respond.

"Yes, he is all three. And not a pocket protector in sight. That's Danny O'Keefe, Mikey, I'll introduce you in a bit. Right now, I feel like dancing." I gently closed his mouth that had dropped open, waved to Ted and headed down to the dance floor.

I held back for a few more minutes to see how Danny handled all of the attention he was getting. One by one, the bolder ones moved close, edging between him and Em, or coming up close behind Danny; he easily detached them, using either dance moves or his good arm to pluck them away, always with a smile and a shake of the head. Occasionally, if the person were a good dancer, I noticed that he and Em would include him in their dance, but if any sexual overtures were made, the dancer found himself quickly excluded. Soon however, a more persistent suitor approached. I continued to lean on a nearby counter and watch. This should prove interesting. Bradford or whatever his name was, the dirty blond who sought to replace me as the King of Liberty Avenue, was making his move. He sidled up behind Danny and wrapped his arms around his waist, slipping a hand inside his shirt. I found myself gripping my glass a little too tightly as I watched. That ass.

"You're in my space, and you seem to have gotten your hand stuck in my shirt, would you get it the fuck out, please?" I heard Danny say with a smile. Em looked at him but just kept dancing. I think he had caught sight of me nearby but I don't think Danny had. He had his back to me and I was in the shadows.

"I know what I would like to be sticking in you. Why don't you leave this big Nelly here and come to the backroom with me. You won't regret it." Studly was talking low so I had to strain to hear him; fuck, if that was the kind of crap he was going to feed Danny, the poor kid was going to be puking again. I debated intervening. There was no need, however, as the next words showed.

"I am so far out of your league, dude, you couldn't afford the cheap seats to watch me fuck. So get your hand the hell out of my shirt, the fuck off of my body, and never touch me again without my invitation, and if I ever hear you make a derogatory comment about my friend again, I will have to hurt you. Is that clear to you or do you need a demonstration since asking you politely did not work?" Danny was still smiling, but his smile has a nasty, feral look to it. Bronson backed away.

"Hey, okay man, no big deal." He muttered some words to his cronies in the opposite corner but they weren't giving him much sympathy. The wolf pack turns on you as soon as they smell blood, kid, I thought. He looked over and saw me watching him just then. He gave me a defiant look. I raised my glass to him, then sat it down and walked over to Danny and Em.

"May I cut in, or is an invitation needed?" I cocked an eyebrow at them, then moved behind Danny and started grinding against him, much as the blond King Wannabe had done. I winked at Emmett before sliding my hand under Danny's silk shirt to caress his abs. I felt him relax back against me. Em smiled and with an air kiss to Danny, headed off to the bar to join the others.

"You look really hot," I whispered in his ear; I sucked on the lobe and felt him stifle a moan. I knew he was horny after ten days of celibacy; I had been feeling the same level of frustration and didn't have any headaches to distract me. I could fuck him right in the middle of the dance floor with very little encouragement right now. From the look on his face, I would get more than a little encouragement. Damn it, when did Brian Kinney become the responsible adult in any pairing?

"Mmm,, you look hot too. What I can see of you. But we have to work on your dancing if you're going to be dancing with me in public, sir. What happened to the man I saw dancing with Daphne two weeks ago? You do realize there is music playing?" Danny teased me. Little fucker, time to show him who was boss again, even if he did have everyone in the room cumming in their pants with his dancing. And his body.

"That was ballroom dancing, this is prelude to fucking dancing, a mere waste of time if you ask me," I laughed low. I bent my head lower and nuzzled his neck.

"As long as it's a prelude to fucking, I guess I can let you slide," he said back, in his low voice, turning around to put his arms around my waist, and moving my hips in time to the music. Damn, if he wasn't making me look good dancing. I mean, I always look good, but he was managing to make it look as though I were good at this kind of dancing. Em was probably up on the cat walk clapping his hands in glee. He had tried for years to no avail to teach me rhythm. Danny and I smiled at each other, lost in the dance for a few moments until the music stopped.

"Well, it's clear what it takes to score with that guy. I wasn't out of his league, he was out of my price range."

The scornful voice rang out loud and clear, filling the silence left by the end of the song. I turned to deal with Branson, but Danny stopped me. "My battle, I think, and I may as well get this settled with this one so it doesn't ever come up again. Besides, he's nice and little," he said, grinning at me.

Danny strolled over to the blond and picked him up by his collar, then slammed him against the wall. I saw Ben and Emmett hurrying over but motioned to them to stop by me. "Let him handle it," I cautioned them. Danny had Bonehead dangling about a foot off the ground, his left arm easily holding him pinned against the wall with his one leg braced so as to keep the other man from kicking out as he calmly chatted with him. My bouncers were standing back, keeping the curious onlookers at a safe distance, but everyone could hear what he was saying. Danny knew just how to pitch his voice for maximum carrying effect.

"I am not a hustler and I resent it when a person, like you, suggests something like that about me just because I choose to reject their advances, like I rejected yours. Now I nicely asked you to take your hands off me tonight when I was dancing with my friend, and you refused and instead hit on me with such a lame ass line I am too embarrassed for you to even repeat it. When I said you were not in my league, I meant in terms of class, not money, and you have just gone on to prove it over and over by insulting my friends, starting with my friend Emmett and now my friend Brian, who I have known for over ten years but who you are suggesting is my trick for the night, you foul mouthed ass. So I suggest you do some rethinking of the situation and some apologizing"

At this, there was a collective gasp from the room as the various queens started gossiping about how and where the handsome stranger and I may have met. Clever Danny, to just say ten years, and not fifteen, and point out that he was just thirteen at the time. Now he appears in the guise of a long lost lover; no doubt the one that broke my heart years before and turned me into the bastard I was for so long before Justin "tamed" me. I was well aware of the favorite rumor of the romantics of Liberty Avenue, I wondered if he was. I turned my attention back to his monologue to find that Branson was interrupting it.

"Well, with your one good arm holding me up here, and your other one in a cast, what are you going to do with me anyway? You can't keep me here forever, asshole, especially with your left arm! Maybe you're the one who should be doing some rethinking." He had noticed the cast, damn. He was game to the end, too, you had to hand him that, stupid, but game, to be mouthing off to the guy holding him up there like that. Danny must have thought so also, from the grin on his face.

"Always bad to make assumptions, blondie. You have been doing that all night. Like with me, I don't care for blond men, so you could've hit on me with a clever line, and even if you had clean hair, which, by the way, you don't, cleanliness is so important when you wear it long, remember that sweetheart, and you still would've struck out with me, no matter how rich you were. Second, you see this cast on my right arm and you think it means I'm limited in my fighting capacity, and that maybe you don't have to take my friendly warning seriously, but once again, assumptions can lead you into trouble, like so." With that, Danny delivered a round house kick into the wall one inch to the right of Bronson's head. The audience gasped.

"Now to recap, because I won't make the assumption you're capable of reaching the right conclusions on your own. The false assumptions would be that I'm limited to using my upper extremities when it comes to doling out punishment, or even that I'm right handed, because in fact, I'm left handed and I can probably hold you like this all night if I wanted to, but you can thank the good Lord and Brian Kinney, I hopefully have better things to do with my hands tonight than hold your scrawny neck. The correct assumption is that I'm far too fond of this pair of boots to get your blood and flesh all over them, but then again, if you get me any more pissed off than I already am, I'll be willing to pay to get the boots cleaned, so will my friends and me be hearing that apology?"

The blond turned to Brian.

"Your friend is fucking crazy, man, are you going to let him kill me? Did you see what he did to that wall? Call him off, dude." He was shaking but Danny remained unperturbed.

"You're the one that got his Irish up! I suggest you do what he asks," I called over. Some in the crowd laughed. Some were looking at Danny nervously but most were looking at him with respect. Bradford had not won himself many friends with his arrogance. He did not know how to mix it with charm. I suspected his reign was over. I looked at Danny thoughtfully. Would he be the new Stud of Liberty? The thought bothered me, although not for the old reasons, I was happy enough with my status. I just didn't care to see Danny pursuing that empty lifestyle, it didn't seem to be his way somehow. He was made for something more, he had too much heart.

Of course, at the moment, my man with heart was still dangling the former pretender by the collar, waiting for his apology.

"Well, what will it be, messy boots for me or....?" Danny paused.

"Fine, you aren't a hustler, you're just a fucking maniac and your friends are crazy to hang out with someone like you. They obviously are not paying you to spend time with them, you must have to pay them to be with you! Happy now?" Brendon practically spat it out.

"Ecstatic!"Danny laughed. The crowd relaxed; at the hostile words no one was sure how he would react but his humor defused everyone and made him look good and Bradley look like even more of an ass than before. He dropped him down and called out to the bartender.

"Please, a drink for the new friend I'm trying to buy here! On me, as many as he wants, I think his throat may be a little sore." Danny clapped the blond on the back and then turned back to me.

"Now, where were we? I've heard tell there's a back room here?" With that, he hooked his finger in my belt loop and started to pull me away.

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