Dogs and Guitars

“OK, Taylor,” Brian opened a discussion as the guys were sitting themselves down on the floor of the loft facing their blazing fake fireplace. “It’s about seven o’clock and I am about to tell you something that happened at three o’clock this afternoon. So it’s like the first opportunity I’ve had to tell you – and I am telling you …”

“Gee whiz, Kinney,” Justin seemed unsurprised, “You must have really done something now - something that you think is gonna make me mad – so you can’t wait to tell me ..”

“OK, Wise Guy,” Brian eased up, “Just stay in that good mood after I tell you. I had a visit from a friend of yours this afternoon. That Roger kid – Roger Dowdell, I think…”

“Yeah, Dowdell’s the name all right, Brian,” Justin replied, “The same as it was when you were ogling him at the glee club concert last month. I guess this clandestine meeting was just a coincidence though …”

“Yeah, it was a coincidence, Baby,” Brian told him, “But not clandestine at all. It was like - a very public meeting and when I figured out who this guy was, I kept the office door open so your top spy, Cynthia, could be like – a witness …”

“You needed a witness?” Justin grinned at him.

“Nope,” Brian replied. “I did not need a witness at all – not at all - but I figured you’d need a witness and I always want you to have whatever you need – ergo - a witness.”

“So Cynthia can maybe tell me why Roger showed up at your office then - if you won’t,” Justin presumed.

“Or in case you decide to make some big thing out of the true and complete explanation I am prepared to provide, Sweetheart,” Brian was smiling. “Knowing just how possessive you can be …”

“Well, I’m waiting,” Justin was smiling too. “I’m sure this is gonna be a story worth listening to – from one of the world’s best story tellers too.”

“OK, Baby,” Brian began. “If that’s your attitude. This whole thing is actually your fault – as the ‘story’ will corroborate … You do know we have the Bow-Wow Dogfood account, I think. Well they wanted a TV-radio commercial. Their advertising department knew exactly what they wanted – so the subject of the commercial is not ours – but they wanted us to put it together for them. That’s Lionel’s department so I told him to just take care of it. I didn’t even need to get involved. He’s the very best at what he does.”

“Which leads up to this afternoon’s 3:00 tryst, I guess?” Justin wondered.

“Yep,” Brian affirmed. “The Bow-Wow’s wanted this commercial to be about a dog who loved guitar music. Nothing could drag him away from guitar music – except Bow-Wow Dogfood …”

“I’m supposed to believe that?” Justin interrupted, seeming, at any rate, to be enjoying the story thus far. “Do I look like somebody who would believe that?”

“Would anybody make up a story like that, Baby,” Brian defended himself. “That is so implausible that it just has to be the truth. Anyhow the commercial is now finished and you can see it any time – or you can wait till next month and watch it on local TV. Ruff, the guitar-loving dog …”

“Gee whiz, Brian,” Justin was laughing now. “That commercial won’t sell any dog food. Dogs are too smart to fall for that crazy scheme …”

“Ah, Baby,” Brian pointed out. “It is not those smart dogs who actually buy the dog food. It is the dumb owners who buy the dog food - and they might not be all that surprised that their smart little pup would be a guitar aficionado.”

“This may be your best story ever, Kinney,” Justin interrupted to admit. “I really do want to find out how Roger got involved in this whole thing …”

“I think you’re smart enough to be starting to put the pieces together, JT,” Brian suspected, “But I’m willing to continue if you’ll let me, that is …”

”By all means, Sweetheart,” Justin assured him.

“Well, - see - the commercial was supposed to start with Ruff, the dog following this pied-piper type – only he was a pied-guitarist in our version,” Brian returned to the narrative. “Well Lionel called the talent agency and they had the absolutely perfect dog to play Ruff – but Lionel didn’t like any of the guys they sent over. They couldn’t really play the guitar – and Lionel is like – a perfectionist – which makes him so good at what he does – and he came and complained to me and I told him to do whatever was necessary to get the right guy …”

“Bet I could have played that part, Bri,” Justin became a late volunteer, “Even though I can’t play a guitar.”

“Bet you could have, Baby,” Brian decided it would be wise to agree. “And you are kind of involved with what happened next too. Remember Maria, that intern you recommended from the Institute – and who is doing a good job by the way. Well, she said she knew the exact perfect person for the pied-guitarist …”

“Roger Dowdell,” Justin decided. “Darn. I thought it was safe to recommend Maria because she’s a female – but it never occurred to me that … Well Roger is the very best guitarist we have – and I bet he could charm a pack of dogs too – he does pretty well with the packs of guys he meets …”

“None of us can foresee all the unanticipated consequences of our good works, Baby,” Brian commiserated. “Now remember, I still don’t know any of what’s going on at this point. Well Lionel decided that Roger would be perfect – so he takes care of the technicalities and shoots the commercial …”

“And you didn’t even recognize Roger when you saw those tapes?” Justin presumed. “That’s good, Brian. I like that part – if it’s true.”

“I cannot tell a lie, Baby,” Brian replied. “I still haven’t seen the commercial yet. I can’t say for sure I wouldn’t have recognized Roger – not for sure.”

“So just what brought Roger to your office this afternoon, Bri?” Justin wanted to know. “Having already charmed all the world’s dogs – and their owners too – wasn’t his job done?”

“Yep, it was, Baby,” Brian admitted, “But he wanted to meet me and thank me for the exciting experience at Kinnetics – that’s what he said. He said he knew about us – and he noticed us at the glee club concert – and …”

“And he also said he’d be available if you ever needed his services for anything else, Honey,” Justin was laughing giddily. “He did, didn’t he? And Brian Kinney didn’t ‘get’ it …That’s funny, Brian.”

“Well maybe I did too ‘get’ it, Mr. Know-It-All,” Brian grouched. “I’ve been around the block a time or two – if I do say so myself …”

“Naw, Honey,” Justin disagreed. “If you really ‘got’ it, you’d have told the story a different way – knowing how touchy I tend to be. You’re just not good at recognizing subtle seduction.”

“And just who’s fault would that be, Sweetheart?’ Brian wondered, “That I’m not used to subtle seduction? Who bears that responsibility?”

“I did not say that you aren’t used to subtle seduction, Bri,” Justin nestled himself closer to the guy next to him. “What I said is that you’re not good at recognizing it …”

And there was a pause in the discussion right then and there. If Brian had spent that time thinking about Justin’s last comment, he might have seen the nuance therein – but Brian was not academically stimulated at this point – and probably rightly so…

But eventually, Brian had to return to the discussion. The story was still incomplete.

“There’s one more thing, Baby,” he told the kid. “Roger is playing this big guitar concert next week at the Institute. He said he’d like me to come – of course he said to bring you along too – but I guess we won’t be going …”

“That’ll be up to you, Brian,” Justin told him. “Actually I’d kind of like to go. Roger has a great reputation – as a guitarist – so it’ll be a big event - and I think it might be fun to go …”

“And there’s like – a little private reception afterwards that Roger’s parents are putting on,” Brian added. “We’re invited to that too …”

”Sounds like that might be even more fun, Kinney,” Justin grinned. “If you want to go, we’re there …”

“Let me have a day or two to think about it, Baby,” Brian hedged cautiously. “I’m not sure … I think I might be missing something …”

“No you aren’t, Brian” Justin told him as he caressed Brian’s cheek with his lips. “You aren’t missing anything at all …”

Brian may not have known – or maybe he did – that he was having another opportunity to recognize subtle seduction. But the guys were not thinking ‘verbal niceties’ just then.
 

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