Position Unwanted

It seemed like just another quiet night in the loft. The guys had positioned themselves in front of the fake fireplace and Brian had his arm around the kid. Justin was very comfortable. But that was not to last.

"That was a really nice present you gave me last week," Brian told him. "And expensive too. And for no reason either. I want to confess that I thought you might have done something and were easing your conscience with that present. I guess I should apologize."

"Can't somebody buy a present for the guy they love without a reason?" Justin asked. "Couldn't I just want to do something nice for you? It's not like it was your money or anything. You know I have my own money. Gee whiz, Brian. You don't have to apologize though. It's not your fault if you're naturally suspicious."

"Well I'm sorry I was suspicious anyway," Brian told him. He squeezed the kid and Justin seemed relieved that the subject had been dealt with.

A little later, Brian restarted the conversation. "You know, Baby, that D-Pop contract that I thought we were going to lose?" he said. "Well we did get a renewal and they were really enthusiastic about our final proposal. For a while, it seemed like they weren't satisfied with anything we showed them."

"That's great, Brian," Justin responded. "That was a pretty big account, I think. Maybe you should go out and get me a nice present to celebrate."

"You know," Brian seemed to agree. "Maybe I should. Yeah, I think maybe I should."

The conversation died out again but Justin did show a degree of uncomfortability as they sat watching the fire.

Finally, it was the kid who broke the silence. "Brian, do you know something I don't know? I think you're trying to say something but you're not saying it," Justin wanted to know.

"I don't know anything you don't know, Baby," Brian assured him, "But I might know something you don't know I know."

"Damn," Justin responded. "I didn't want to do it the way we did but I didn't want to see Kinnetics lose that D-Pop contract so we had to. I don't blame you if you're mad though."

"I'm not mad," Brian said. "I'm not dumb enough to get mad when somebody gets me a seven-figure account. Even if that somebody is a secretive little twink that I happen to be in love with. Maybe I even owe you one."

"If you owe me one," Justin took the advantage that was offered. "How about telling me how you found out?"

"So you can be sneakier next time?" Brian wondered.

"Cut it out, Kinney," Justin complained. "You know I'm not the least bit sneaky. But we thought we had everything pretty well covered. I can't believe anyone would tell you."

"Actually," Brian began. "It's your own fault for being so good at what you do. You know it was your visuals that sold our presentation. They weren't satisfied with anything our art department did. I was pretty impressed myself and Cynthia told me we had brought in an outside consultant. She said she didn't know who. Ted signs the checks so I talked to him. I made such a fuss about the visuals and told him we ought to get that consultant on the payroll somehow. He didn't 'remember' who the consultant was either but I kept making such a fuss that Ted figured I knew it was you, so he admitted it. He didn't think he was telling me anything I didn't already know so he didn't really squeal on you."

"Did you know, Brian?" Justin asked with a coy smile on his face.

"Maybe I had an idea," Brian smiled back at him. "Didn't you say I was naturally suspicious? And I know your work too. I've seen a lot of it, you know. But I wasn't sure. So your sneakiness was successful if that makes you happy. I didn't catch you in the act or anything like that."

"You almost did once though," Justin reminded him. "Remember the time you came back to the office real early from some meeting that was supposed to take all afternoon. Cynthia told you I was visiting with Bob in the art department while I was waiting for you."

"Yeah," Brian remembered. "And my suspicious nature never kicked in. It should have. I guess there will be no more visiting in the art department though."

"Like I make the same mistakes twice," Justin laughed. "I did some of the work at school and some right here on the computer but I had to do some of it at the office. I'll be much more careful next time."

"Next time?" Brian echoed. "There's going to be a next time?"

"Brian, you don't want me working at Kinnetics, and that's OK," Justin reasoned. "But I couldn't stand by and let you guys lose that account when I had some ideas that I thought might work."

"And they did work," Brian admitted. "So I guess I was wrong. You've got a job at Kinnetics, Taylor. Full-time, part-time, consultant, anything you want. Good salary too. What do you say?"

"With you permission, Sir," Justin responded. " I will decline your generous offer. Not that I'm not available whenever you need me. I'd rather it was you who called on me though and not Bob, Ted and Cynthia. You're the guy at Kinnetics that I love."

"You don't want a regular job with us?" Brian seemed surprised.

"Nope," Justin explained. "I don't want to work for you at the office. You'd be bossing me around all the time."

"But you're always complaining that I boss you around here too," Brian wondered.

"Yeah, I complain about that," Justin admitted, "But actually I kind of like it when you boss me around here. I think you know that."

"Well then, why would you care if I bossed you around at the office?" Brian seemed puzzled.

"Gee whiz, Brian. That's an easy one," Justin responded. "You boss everybody around at the office. I'd be just like everybody else. I'm the only one you boss around here so that means I'm special."

"You're special, all right," Brian laughed, "And just a little bit crazy too. You're lucky you're an artist. They're supposed to be a little crazy. Not sensible like advertising people."

"Right," Justin agreed. "Bri, I didn't want paid for the work I did on the D-Pop stuff. I just did it for you. Cynthia insisted and Ted said I had to get paid or you'd be suspicious about a consultant who worked for nothing. You know I didn't do it for the money. I did it because I love the owner."

"I know that, Baby," Brian ran his fingers through the twink's hair, "But you should have let them pay you what they wanted to pay you. If I had seen what the fee was before I knew the whole story, I would have been suspicious. It should have been at least three times as much as you took. And then you went out and spent a lot of the money you got on a present for me."

"Because I wanted to, Bri," Justin insisted. "Because I love you. No guilt involved. Just because I love you."

The ensuing silence was longer than usual. But all good things come to an end. Justin finally returned to the subject. "I guess you're gonna make me take the rest of the money I should have been paid for the work I did."

"Nope," Brian said. "I think I'll take you out to dinner at Gino's though."

"That'll be a lot cheaper than paying me what you said I was worth," Justin joked.

"I'm not taking you out to pay you off at all, Twink," Brian responded. "I'm taking you out because I love you."

Justin snuggled up closer to Brian. It was one of those rarest of times. Justin was at a loss for words.

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