The White Party
Chapter 5
Justin was frantically throwing the last of his things into his duffle
bag. He wanted to be out of the room before Darren returned, and had no idea
when that would be.
There was suddenly a rapid knock at the door, startling Justin.
"Justin, it's Emmett," a familiar voice called out. Justin breathed a sigh of
relief and quickly went over to the door and opened it.
"Emmett," Justin whispered, and hugged his friend tightly, leaning his head on
his shoulder. Emmett hugged Justin back and felt the younger man start to
tremble.
"Honey, you're shaking like a leaf! Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Thanks for coming," Justin sniffled.
"I'm so sorry, Justin. This is all my fault. We need to get you out of here
right now before he gets back," Emmett said, releasing him from the hug.
Justin nodded, but his face turned to horror as the dark red substance he'd
unknowingly left on Emmett's shirt, caught his eye. Justin had been in such a
hurry to pack his things that he hadn't had time to examine the wound on the
side of his head, where Darren had hit him. He had no idea it was even bleeding.
As Justin continued to stare at the blood, he was forced to be reminded of
another time he'd been hit in the head, and immediately felt himself start to
shake uncontrollably.
"Justin, what's wrong?" Emmett asked with concern, and all Justin could do was
point. Emmett looked down to where Justin was pointing, and gasped. "Oh, my God!
Honey, is that from you? What happened to your head?"
Justin suddenly lost focus of his vision, and felt a wave of dizziness hit him.
Next thing he knew, he was on the floor in the fetal position. The pain in his
head pulsated, and he cried out as he squeezed his eyes shut. Then... he saw
Brian. Brian in a black suit. Brian smiling at him. Brian dancing... Brian was
dancing with someone. No, not someone. Brian was dancing with him. He was
spinning him around and around on the dance floor, and then they were kissing,
and everyone was watching.
Justin opened his eyes, and saw Emmett hovering over him frantically moving his
lips, but there was no sound. He suddenly heard a very high pitched noise, and
then everything went black.
*****
Darren sat at the bar in the lounge sipping his drink, with a fake smile
plastered on his face as he and Brian made small talk and chatted a little about
business. He couldn't help but keep glancing at his watch, and wondered if
Justin had gone to bed yet. Probably not. He was probably still locked in the
bathroom and crying like a whiny little baby. Darren suppressed the urge to roll
his eyes at the thought of Justin's pathetic, scared, voice, as he'd shouted his
refusal to open the bathroom door. Just wait until I get back, Justin, he
thought.
"Darren, don't you agree?" Brian said. Darren stared blankly at Brian, having no
idea what the man had just said to him.
"Oh, yes. Of course," he replied, pleasantly, taking a drink of his scotch.
"You seem distracted. Is everything all right?"
Darren gave Brian his million dollar smile. "Never better. I'm just feeling a
bit tired. Justin and I -- well, let's just say we worked up a bit of a sweat
earlier." Darren smiled arrogantly. "But that's what I get for being in a
relationship with someone so young. He's insatiable! But I'm sure you know
exactly what I mean," Darren grinned.
Brian nodded, careful to not let his face betray him by showing that what the
man had just said had felt like a kick to the gut. The fact that Darren kept
making cryptic little remarks about Justin and the strange looks he was giving
him, were making Brian come to the conclusion that there was more to this
business trip than he thought. He was starting to put two and two together, and
was getting really agitated. He wasn't going to let Darren play games with him
anymore.
"I'm going to be frank with you, Mr. Bradley," Brian said.
"All right, sure," Darren smiled, wondering if this would be his chance to get
into Kinney's pants. That would be the icing on the cake, the ultimate payback
to his younger lover.
"You already knew who I was the first time you called Kinnetik, didn't you?"
Darren did his best to suppress his surprise at Brian's accusation. He
definitely hadn't been expecting that. "Well, of course. You have quite a
reputation in the advertising world, Brian," Darren smiled. And otherwise, he
added, silently to himself.
"I think you know what I mean. You knew that Justin and I used to be together.
That we were lovers."
The overly pleasant smile on Darren's face disappeared right then, and he sat up
straighter in his chair. He looked at Brian and smirked. That damn sonofabitch
was perceptive. Darren leaned over so that he was much closer to the other man,
and put his hand on his thigh. "Do you really think that Justin would give you
the fucking time of day, Brian?" he asked, his breath hot against Brian's cheek.
"You actually think that he would take back the whore of Liberty Avenue?"
Brian frowned angrily at him, and shoved Darren's hand away from his body as he
stood up from his chair. Darren laughed, knowing that he'd gotten to the younger
man.
"This whole thing with you has been bullshit from day one," Brian said, finally
realizing the truth.
Darren laughed again. "Oh, don't be such a fucking poor sport, Kinney."
Brian shook his head in disbelief. "I can't believe this. You're fucked up in
the head. Justin deserves better," he said angrily.
Darren got up from his chair and stood face-to-face with Brian. "Don't you
fucking tell me what Justin deserves," he growled. "I'm the one who is
responsible for his success in the art world. I'm the one who helped him when he
was so fucking poor he was on his last twenty dollars, ready to run back home to
mommy. It was me who helped him. And where were you, Brian? You were too busy
with your company and that ridiculous club -- and probably too busy getting your
dick sucked, to even ask him what was really going on. So don't ever fucking
tell me what he deserves."
Brian took out his wallet and slammed down some bills on the counter. "I'm out
of here."
"Oh, and Brian," Darren called out, as Brian was walking away. Brian stopped and
turned to look back at the man.
"Any more of those nightly strolls on the beach with him, and you'll both be
sorry."
"What, are you threatening me now?" Brian scoffed.
"I'm a man who doesn't like to share, Kinney. You fuck with me, and I'll end
you. And him. You have no idea what I'm capable of. Best you not find out," he
said cryptically, his dark eyes full of hate. He finished off his scotch and
gave Brian an unpleasant grin, before seeing the man walk away.
*****
"Drew!" Emmett panicked. "Justin's collapsed. I've been trying to get him to
wake up, but he's out cold. I need you to help me move him. We've got to get him
out of this room before --"
Suddenly the door to the suite swung open, and Emmett's body went still, frozen
with fear.
"Who the fuck are you, and what are you doing in my room?" Darren growled.
Emmett smiled sweetly at Darren whose face was all twisted with anger.
“Well, hello there,” Emmett greeted the seething man as if they were long lost
best friends. Drew quietly slipped into the suite behind them realizing what was
going on. Justin lay in a heap on the floor.
“Who are you?!” Darren demanded again.
“Just a friend, and my, my, my, aren’t we the sexy one. Do you always turn such
a lovely shade burgundy when your hackles are up?” Emmett shamelessly flirted
with the man, keeping him distracted and off his guard as Drew lifted Justin
preparing to take him out.
“I, uh, what? What the fuck are you talking about? GET OUT!” Darren shouted.
“My pleasure,” Emmett mumbled to himself and then louder for Darren’s benefit.
“Toodle looo,” Emmett drawled, waving his fingers at Darren. They had just about
made their escape when...
“What’s going on here?” Michael asked blocking the doorway as he scrubbed the
sleep from his eyes.
“What is this, a fucking convention?” Darren growled out. “Get out!” he shouted
again. Drew just about made it through the door with his unconscious burden when
Darren stopped him. “Oh no, you leave him with me,” Darren said as he tried to
make a grab for Justin.
Drew puffed himself up trying to make himself look more menacing, as Emmett got
in between Drew and Darren.
“Will somebody tell me what’s going on?” Michael whined.
“After, sweetie,” Emmett interjected.
“After?” Michael asked.
“Yes, sweetie. Don’t you see we’re in the middle of a rescue?” Emmett gave
Darren a toothy grin as he motioned for Drew to keep on walking out the door.
“What?!” Both Michael and Darren said at the same time.
“Michael, get out of the way,” a fourth voice demanded. Michael turned to see
Ben out in the hall. He was wearing only his sleep pants that slung low onto his
hips accentuating his well defined chest muscles and trim waist.
Ben’s timely arrival was all that Drew needed to get Justin out of Darren’s
room. Emmett swiftly picked up Justin’s duffle bag then scurried out with Drew.
“Bye! So nice to meet you. Y’all come back now,” Emmett babbled as he pushed
Michael out of the way slamming the door shut leaving a stunned Darren in his
suite staring at the closed door. Emmett grabbed Michael and Ben as he chased
after Drew who had just got to the elevator.
When the elevator doors hissed open, no one noticed the lone occupant until they
were all safely inside.
“What happened? And where’s the fucking bastard that did this? I’m going to kill
him,” Brian growled so low and so threatening that a shiver ran up each man’s
spine.
Justin, thankfully, was still blissfully unconscious.