The Detective and the Prosecutor
Part 4
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Brian and Justin stood in a stare down across Justin's desk. Neither one was willing to back down. Finally the ache in Justin's leg intensified to the point he needed to sit down. He gestured to the chair across his desk Brian got the hint and sat down. Justin gratefully sunk into his chair.
"Do you have problems with your leg?" Justin's head snapped up. He was going to say something snide to the detective, but the eyes he encountered across the desk were full of concern.
"It's a left over reminder from my attack. Usually it's ok, but when I'm tired or have been working too hard, it starts to ache."
"I'm sorry," Brian's voice was full of sincerity and concern.
Justin needed to stay in control, "It's ok, like I said usually it's not a problem. Shall we get to work?"
Brian was perplexed by this turn of events. After the information he had gathered this weekend, he figured he and Justin would have a chance to talk about what was really going on. However, the younger man seemed to be totally focused on business. Brian began to wonder if he had been truly delusional about Justin's feelings towards him.
Justin opened the folder that had been sitting on his desk. "In going over my notes for this case, I found I needed some more thing clarified."
Brian cocked an eyebrow towards the younger man, "Go ahead."
For the next hour the two men discussed the case at hand. Justin was thorough, and his questions were thought out and very perceptive. Brian found himself admiring the younger man for his business talents.
"I think that takes care of any remaining questions I have. I'll want to meet again to go over your testimony. Probably in the next few weeks or so. I'll call you to arrange a time."
Brian couldn't believe he was being dismissed again. "Fine." He stood up to leave. He was tired of this bullshit. He had already wasted too much time trying to figure out Justin Taylor, and he was reluctant to waste anymore. However, he couldn't deny the way he felt in this man's presence. "Justin?"
Justin looked up from his papers, and met Brian's gaze head on, "Yes."
"I just wanted to say that I was sorry you cancelled our plans before."
Justin paused for a moment, he didn't know how to reply, "It's like I said Detective. We're working on a case together, and it would be inappropriate to associate in any other way."
Inappropriate, Brian was amused at the "proper" words that Justin was using. He turned around and leaned over the desk so that his face was just inches from Justin's. "If that's the truth, than I respect your integrity. But I don't think you're telling me the truth."
Justin stared down the older man, and matched his gaze. "I'm sorry Detective, but that is the truth."
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Brian went back to his office with a heavy heart. He knew that Justin was lying to him. There was some other reason that Justin had hardened his feelings. He wished he knew what it was, but he knew he would never know unless Justin trusted him with the truth.
Cynthia was waiting for him when he got back. "Bri, I have that research you asked for."
Brian had no idea what she was talking about. "What research?"
"About Justin Taylor."
Brian had almost forgot that he had asked Cynthia to look into the past of Pittsburgh's newest star. "Well, what do you have?"
Cynthia handed him a manila folder, and silently walked out of the office.
Brian spent the next hour going through the newspaper articles that Cynthia had thoughtfully put together. Cynthia had found information about the attack Justin had suffered at his prom. He read about how Justin's companion, Steve Ellis had not survived the vicious attack. Justin had been in the hospital for a long time. He had managed to recover enough to be at the trial. Somehow Cynthia had been able to dig up the trial transcripts. Justin and Steve had been the victims of a terrible character assassination. There were descriptions of affectionate behavior between the two boys and "inappropriate" displays of affection at school. The description of the prom had been very disturbing. According to the testimony, Justin and Steve had engaged in blatant "homosexual" behavior. Because Justin was still so weak, he hadn't been able to testify, so all the testimony came from Chris Hobbes and his friends. The only person, other than Justin, who could have rebutted the defense's testimony was Steve, and he was dead. From what Brian could deduce, Justin had to sit in court and listen to his life be torn apart by bitter, homophobic assholes. Brian began to understand how hard it must have been for Justin to regain his life. He also understood how hard it had to have been for Justin to react to any feelings about Brian. Hearing the stories about Brian's less than stellar past had to have sent the young man running. Brian decided that he would do everything in his power to show Justin that he could be trusted.
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After Brian left, Justin hung his head in his arms. He had planned to use this opportunity to talk to Brian. He wanted to tell the detective his past, his fears, but the walls went right back up as soon as he heard Brian was in his office. Justin wondered how long his life would be governed by the events of his senior prom. From the looks of it … forever.
Justin let himself into his apartment and immediately went to his bedroom closet. He pulled out the portfolio that held his high school art. He flipped through the portraits of Steve and his family. Tears ran down his face as he peered at the memories. He hadn't drawn since the night before the prom. He looked at the picture he had sketched the night before that infamous night. It was a portrait of him and Steve. They looked so beautiful. Justin rummaged further through the closet and found his old sketchbook and charcoals. Before he could think twice, he was drawing. He saw Brian's face begin to stare up at him from the page. Was this man his second chance, his redemption?
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Brian went home, tormented by feelings for Justin. He hated what the young man had been through. He hated that someone brave enough to be honest about who he was would be taken down so viciously. Brian had always kept himself so private. He would never allow himself to be vulnerable the way Justin had been. That attitude had sustained him for years, but now he wondered how his life would have been different if he had been that brave.
When Brian slept that night, he found himself tormented by dreams. He dreamt that he was with Justin in high school. He dreamt that he had been Justin's protector. If he had been around, no one would have persecuted Justin. Justin would have been free to live his life openly. He would have been free to love who he wanted to.
Around 4am, Brian awoke. He decided to go down to the river. The river had always been his solace. Gazing into the water, he could always see things more clearly. When he arrived at the river, the last thing he expected to see was a beautiful blonde man sitting there too.
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Justin couldn't sleep. The drawing he had done of Brian had exhausted him. Shortly after he had moved to Pittsburgh, he found the river. For some reason water had always been a solace for him. It cleansed him. When he had lived in New York, he loved to go to Battery Park and just stare at the water. When he found he couldn't sleep he headed down to the river. What he didn't expect was for Brian to find him there.
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"Justin?" The blonde man turned his head sharply and looked into hazel eyes.
"Brian! What are you doing here?"
"I was about to ask you the same thing. This is where I come when I need to think."
"Me too. When I lived in New York, I used to love to go down to Battery Park and stare at the water. It always calmed me. The first thing I looked for when I moved to Pittsburgh was water that I could escape to."
"This has been my favorite spot since I was a kid. I could always escape here."
"What would you need to escape from?"
Brian decided against filling Justin in on the Kinney family dynamics just yet. There would be time for that later. "Let's just say, I needed to escape from my family a lot."
Justin smiled, he understood the need to escape. Brian leaned forward and their lips met. The kiss was full of hope and promise. It as tender and sweet, yet promised more.
"Brian, I think we need to talk."
Brian silenced Justin's lip with his finger, "Not yet. I want to make love to you."
The words were spoken so tenderly, that the only way Justin could respond was, "I want that too."
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Since Brian's place was closer, they ended up there. Justin was terrified. He'd never been with another man before. He and Steve had messed around in high school, but neither had been ready to go "all the way."
They stepped into Brian's loft, kissing all the ways. Only stopping for Brian to open the door and usher them inside. The loft was sleek and sophisticated, just like Brian. Justin immediately felt intimidated. He began to imagine all the men Brian had fucked within these walls.
Sensing Justin's apprehension, Brian spoke up, "It's just you and me, and we don't have to do anything you don't want to do."
Justin smiled at hearing these words from Brian. He reached his arm around Brian's neck and pulled him in for a deep kiss. When they broke apart, both men were hard and breathless. Brian took Justin's hand and led him up to the bedroom. The room was washed in soft blue lights that glowed from the wall above the bed.
Brian looked into Justin's blue eyes, "are you sure you want to do this?"
"Yes," Justin answered with his whole heart.
Brian sensed that Justin needed him to take the lead. He kissed Justin as he began to unbutton Justin's pants. He could feel that the younger man was already hard. His own cock stirred within his jeans and demanded release. Brian willed his own body to slow down. He intuitively knew that Justin needed him to take it slow, and he knew that a quick fuck would only disrespect the man who had come to mean so much to him.
Brian gently eased Justin's pants down and saw the rock hard cock begging for him. Brian looked up into Justin's eyes and saw the slight embarrassment there. "Baby you are so beautiful, don't be embarrassed with me."
The sincerity of those words helped to ease Justin's mind. He let himself go to the sensations Brian was causing in his body.
Brian got on his knees as he lowered Justin pants and underwear down. He was greeted by the most beautiful cock he had ever seen. Brian had to have a taste. His tongue snaked out and licked the cap. He tasted Justin's pre-cum that had begun to leak from his slit. God he tasted so good. Brian began to worship Justin with his tongue. He grabbed Justin's balls in his hand and gently caressed them while his tongue continued to lick the head of Justin's cock. He ran his tongue from the base of Justin's dick to the cap. He opened his mouth, and slid Justin's cock inside. He began to gently suckle the throbbing organ. He wrapped his arms around Justin and grabbed his ass. Justin's hips began to move with an instinctive rhythm.
Justin was overwhelmed with the sensations he was feeling. Brian's mouth felt so good on his dick. He felt the man lick and suck him. He began thrusting into Brian's mouth. His thrusts became harder and soon he was fucking the man's head with abandon. He knew he wouldn't last long, and when he shot his load, Brian drank every drop.
Brian stood up and kissed Justin. Justin could taste himself on Brian's lips and he almost lost it again right there. Brian pulled away and began to remove his own clothes. Justin just stood and watched him. When Brian was completely naked, he presented himself to Justin. Brian's own cock was rock hard, "Well are you coming or going, or coming and then going, or coming and staying?"
Justin finished removing his own clothes, and the two came together. Their tongues dueled as did their rock hard dicks. Before they lost all control, Brian led them over to the bed. He gently pushed Justin down and then climbed on top of him. Justin stared into Brian's eyes. He hoped that Brian wouldn't see the fear there.
Brian saw it, and gently leaned down to kiss Justin. "I want you to remember this always."
Justin knew that he would. Brian grabbed his legs and placed them on his shoulders. Justin felt very vulnerable because his hole was up in the air for all to see. Brian had grabbed a tube of lube from the nightstand and coated his fingers. He slowly inserted one finger into Justin. They younger man recoiled from the intrusion. "Just relax baby."
Brian allowed Justin to adjust to his index finger and then slowly slipped another finger inside. His two fingers gently worked Justin's hole, forcing the muscles to relax against the probing. When he felt Justin was sufficiently prepared, he removed his fingers. Brian had grabbed a condom from the night stand drawer and began to unroll it over his hard cock. He positioned the head of his dick at Justin's hole, and slowly eased himself inside. Justin gasped from the slight pain. Brian silenced him with a kiss, "It's ok baby, it always hurts a little bit. Just trust me."
Hearing those words allowed Justin to relax to the feeling of Brian inside him. The older man pushed into him slowly. After he was fully embedded, Brian waited a moment for Justin to relax to the feeling of Brian's dick inside him. As he felt Justin relax, Brian began to thrust into the younger man's ass. He lost control and began to fuck Justin's ass with wild abandon. Justin met him thrust for thrust. They both came together and Brian collapsed onto Justin's chest.
The two men lay together breathing heavily. When Brian's breathing relaxed, he began to withdraw from Justin. "Wait Brian, stay inside me a little while longer," and that's how they fell asleep.
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The sunlight streamed through the loft's windows. Brian squinted against the morning sun. He was afraid that last night had been a dream, but when he looked over at the sleeping blonde he knew it had all been real. Justin looked like an angel when he slept. His blond hair glowed in the morning sun. Brian propped his head up on his arm and just stared at Justin.
Sensing Brian's gaze, Justin began to wake up. When he opened his eyes, he saw Brian's hazel orbs staring at him. There gazes locked for a moment, and then Justin began to remember the events of the previous night. Going down to the river, Brian finding him there, making love until dawn. Justin felt his cheeks begin to flush and started to turn his head away.
Brian knew that he would have to handle this "morning after" very carefully. He knew the fact that last night had been Justin's first time, would make him very vulnerable this morning. Brian gently grabbed Justin's chin, and turned his face back to him. Trusting blue eyes stared back at him. Brian leaned forward and gave Justin a gentle kiss.
"Good morning, sunshine," Justin smiled back at him, "this is a wonderful way to wake up in the morning."
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Justin looked around the loft as Brian took a shower. The décor was very much like the detective, sleek and polished. It was obvious Brian maintained his home as an extension of his image. Brian was an enigma to him. All the police detectives he had met in New York were rumpled and gruff. Brian was sleek like a panther. Justin sensed this made Brian very good at his job.
Justin walked up the steps into the bedroom and peered into the bathroom. He saw Brian through the steam in the shower. Seeing Brian standing naked in the shower, Justin was treated to a view of his lover in all his glory. Justin remembered some of the statues he used to study in art. Brian was so much more perfect than those ancient statues ever were. Although he instinctively felt shy this morning, Justin needed to touch Brian again.
He peeled off the sweat pants he had worn last night and walked into the bathroom. Brian felt the gush of cold air as Justin opened the shower door. Brian smiled to himself, he knew this had to be a bold move for the beautiful blonde. All Brian wanted to do was turn around and ravish his own personal sunshine. He restrained himself, and waited for Justin to make his move. It had better be soon, his cock was straining for release just thinking about the blonde. Once Justin touched him, he feared he would be lost.
Justin slipped in the shower behind Brian. He allowed his artist's hands to lightly graze across Brian's upper back and shoulders. Brian leaned back into Justin's touch. He leaned his head back and rested it on Justin's shoulder, exposing his neck to Justin's lips. Justin kissed and licked Brian's exposed throat. He wrapped his arms around Brian's waist as he continued assaulting his throat.
Brian loved the feeling of Justin licking his throat and exploring his body, but his cock was demanding release. Brian didn't want to frighten the young man, so he gently entwined his fingers with Justin's. "Justin, I want you to touch me."
Brian guided Justin's hands to his aching cock. He placed Justin's hands on his cock, and felt the blonde's fingers begin to explore Brian's dick. Brian felt Justin's hand sheath his cock and begin to stroke him. Brian's breath began to labor as Justin began jacking his meat off harder and harder. Brian knew he wouldn't last long, and he didn't. His cum splashed on the walls of the shower. If Justin hadn't had his arms around his waist, Brian might have slipped to the floor. Justin just held him until the brunette's breathing returned to normal. Brian slowly turned and looked Justin in the eye. What he saw there was something he had never seen before. Brian had just completed one of the more submissive sexual acts in his life, and he feared that he would see a smug satisfaction in Justin's eyes. That was why Brian preferred to be a predatory top, that way he was always in control.
When Brian looked in Justin's eyes he didn't see control or smugness, he saw love and trust. Brian had never seen that looked directed at him before, he felt humbled and loved. Their gazes were locked and their lips met in a gentle loving kiss. Their arms wrapped around each other, and they held each other tighter. Brian knew he had never felt this way before, and he was pretty sure Justin never had either.
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After they got out of the shower, no words were spoken, they didn't need to be. The two men gently dried each other off. Brian walked over to his closet and got out a white fluffy bathrobe and tossed it back to Justin. Justin was amazed at how unashamedly Brian walked around naked. Justin was modest even alone in his own apartment, but Brian walked proudly, he knew how beautiful he was. Brian went to the bureau and pulled on a pair of clean sweatpants.
"Do you want some coffee?"
"Um, yeah … sure …"
"You're quite articulate in the morning Counselor."
Justin blushed and looked at the floor. As Brian passed him on his way to the kitchen, he gently kissed his lips, and grabbed his hand. "Come on sunshine, keep me company while I make the coffee."
Brian deposited Justin on one of the bar stools and he began moving around the kitchen preparing the coffee. While the coffee was brewing, Brian sat down and faced Justin.
"Justin, we need to talk." Brian saw Justin's expression cloud over. Brian was surprised that the soft vulnerable man sitting before him was the same hard lined prosecutor he had been working with. "First, last night was wonderful. You were wonderful." Justin smiled at him.
"Brian, I …"
"Justin wait. I know we both have things to say, and we're just going to have to do it one at a time. You're the prosecutor, you're better at words, so I go first."
Justin laughed. He looked at Brian and saw the older man's color change. He had a feeling Brian had not had a lot of experience talking about his feelings. "Go ahead Detective."
"Ok, no interrupting, ok?" Justin nodded. "I know you heard some stories about me. Don't protest, I dragged it out Michael. I'm not going to go into the details of my relationship with Michael to you, but let's just say he likes to live in a not so glorious past. When I was younger, I was quite a player. One night stands all the way, it was easy and uncomplicated, and took care of physical needs. I'm not necessarily proud of that, but I'm not ashamed, the past is the past. Unfortunately, to Michael I will always be the great white shark of Liberty Avenue, preying on unsuspecting victims. No matter how much has changed, he still views me that way. I've got my own theories, but it wouldn't be fair to Michael for me to discuss it with you, at least not now. I may be really pissed at him, but he's still my best friend."
Justin understood that. Although he hadn't had a best friend in a long time, not since Steve died. He'd pretty much been alone since then.
"Justin, when I asked you out, I wasn't looking for a quick fuck. If I wanted that there would have been much easier ways to accomplish that without the misery I've gone through the past few weeks. I asked you out because I was intrigued by you, I wanted to get to know you, not just have sex with you." Although Justin hadn't known Brian that long he had a feeling these words were truly coming from the heart.
"I have to be honest with you. I did some checking on you. I wanted to find out about your prom and what happened. I sensed that you were affected deeply, and even changed. I read the old newspaper accounts of the trial. I know what they said about you and about Steve. I want you to know how sorry I am about that. I wish it hadn't happened to you."
Justin hung his head down, Brian was afraid he'd said too much. "But it did happen. It was a few years later that I found out that although the New York DA was supposed to be pursuing justice, he had an anti-gay agenda. It would be stretching the truth to say he deliberately sabotaged the case, but there was more he probably could have done. After that, I just retreated into myself. I had been beaten down in the courts and in the papers, I didn't want to leave myself open to that again. After the sentencing, I tried to kill myself. I slit my wrists, but my mom found me." Justin showed the scars on his wrists to Brian, and the brunette gently kissed them.
"Thank god she did, I got counseling and I had my mom and my sister for support, and I just made due with that. Sure my mom tried to parade eligible men in front of me, but I was never interested in any of them. Not until this gorgeous police detective walked into my office and knocked my world upside down."
Brian smiled at this admission. Just knowing he had affected Justin this way warmed Brian's heart.
"I'll admit the things that Michael and Melanie told me made me uneasy."
Brian's head snapped up, "Melanie?"
"Yeah, I asked her about you after the things Michael told me. I've known her a long time, and I figured she must know something about you since you're Gus's father."
"Melanie doesn't like me very much."
"Yeah, I got that. Sure the stories they told me about you bothered me, but I was more glad to have an excuse to get out than to really change any opinion about you. I'm a lawyer, I can read people. The stories I heard didn't really change how I saw you, just gave me a good excuse to run. But do you want to know the truth Brian? I think I'm tired of running."
"Me too, sunshine, me too."
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The two men decided to play hooky from work, and spend the day together. Brian decided they should stay away from Liberty Avenue, he didn't want to risk running into any well meaning friends. They spent the morning exploring the Carnegie Museum and the Andy Warhol Museum. Justin hadn't spent much time in museums since he gave up art 12 years ago.
They had lunch at Soba Lounge. Justin had admitted to Brian that he loved Asian food, and Brian was quick to take him to the trendy new Pan-Asian restaurant. They sat on the rooftop patio and enjoyed the beautiful Indian Summer weather.
During lunch, Justin told Brian about his family. "My dad was, I mean is a developer. Certainly not on Donald Trump's level, but he did well enough. He and my mom were popular in Manhattan society. Lots of parties, lots of friends. Molly, that's my sister, and I were a little bit like trophy kids. We were little blonde WASP kids, that looked good in the society pages. I have to be honest, I didn't really think about my mom as much else as my dad's arm candy until after my attack."
"What about your sister?"
"Molly? She's 4 years younger than me, and was a pain in my ass from the moment she was born. Actually as we got older, she became my best friend. I guess in a lot of ways she still is. As we were growing up we were left with nannies a lot, mom and dad had to mark their places in society. She's the first person I came out to. Actually she outed me. I was 15 she was 11 and flat out asked me if I had a boyfriend. I was so shocked. I'd known I was gay for a couple of years, but I thought I'd kept it to myself pretty well, but apparently I hadn't."
Brian chuckled at this admission. "My sister is older than me, but I can just imagine having an 11 year old brat outing me."
"Yeah, but it brought us closer."
"So what does Molly do? Is she in New York too?"
"No, she's in Milan right now. I guess the best way to describe her is a supermodel. She's been modeling since she was 17. She is very in demand for runway work, she is the feather in Donatella Versace's cap. She does a fair amount of print work though."
"Molly Taylor the model is your little sister?"
"Yeah, how do you know her?"
"Look at me sunshine, I'm a label queen, and Versace is my favorite designer. Even though I'm not a woman, I've paid attention to the Versace ad campaigns. Wow, the face of Versace is your little sister. I think there's more to you than meets they eye."
"I don't know if I would say that, it's just my family."
"Go on."
"Well life for the Taylor's changed forever the night of my senior prom. Steve and I went together. We knew how we felt, and considered ourselves boyfriends, but we went to prom as 'just friends.' At the end of the evening they played Donna Summer's 'Last Dance.' Steve and I loved that song, and found ourselves on the dance floor. We didn't dance inappropriately, just danced. We were leaving the prom, and this jock, Chris Hobbes was waiting for us at Steve's car. He had a baseball bat, and went after me. He knocked me in the head first. Steve went after him, and Chris just beat the hell out of Steve. He started to go after me again, but by then there were more people in the garage, and they were able to pull Chris off me. I was in a coma for six weeks and Steve died. I had come out of the coma just as Chris was going to trial. My mom insisted on taking me to court. She sensed the DA wasn't handling the case well, and even though I couldn't testify, she wanted me there, so people could see what Chris had done to me, so Steve and I wouldn't be forgotten. My mom loved Steve. After I came out of the coma, my mom and I became closer than we ever had before. I no longer saw her as just my dad's arm candy, but as a person in her own right. When I was released from the hospital, mom took me to her new place. Apparently my dad went ballistic when he found out I was gay, and refused to have anything to do with me. He demanded that she cut me loose, and when she refused, he went after her with everything he had. My mom lost everything. The only thing she was able to retain was custody of Molly. I don't know if it was a sympathetic judge or just that my dad didn't want to deal with a 14 year old girl, but after it was all said and done, it was mom, Molly and me, the three musketeers."
"Wow, that had to have been rough."
"It was for a while. What we didn't know was that most people didn't like my dad anyway. They tolerated him because he was such a great business contact. Manhattan is an interesting world. They could accept Craig and Jennifer Taylor having a gay son, but they would not tolerate Craig Taylor crucifying his family. All of their friends rallied around us. One of mom's friends had an apartment off of Central Park East, and let us live there. They even helped out financially. Mom decided she could make her way in real estate. She got her license and has since become the real estate broker to the crème de la creme of Manhattan society. She is very successful, and my dad eventually left town. Once society rallied around my mom, Craig's business contacts dried up. I think he's in California now, I don't know. I haven't seen or talked to him in 12 years. Mom became the darling of Manhattan society. It doesn't hurt when Ivana Trump is your best friend. Molly's best friend is Ivana's daughter Ivanka. They got into modeling together. As for me, I became obsessed with justice. All I ever wanted to do was get into the justice system and make it safe for people like me. I went after my law degree with a vengeance. Mom understood, but she was also obsessed with finding me someone. I wish I could count how many eligible gay men she's tried to fix me up with over the years, but I was never interested. She was thrilled when I told her about you."
"You told your mom about me?" Brian couldn't imagine sharing anything so personal with his family.
"Yeah, I went and saw her last weekend. She was very intrigued when I told her about the police detective I had met. I wouldn't be surprised if I get forced to drag you to Manhattan very soon."
Brian demurred, he'd never had anyone be intrigued by him before, "Well if she issues the invitation, I would be honored to accept it."
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The two men finished their lunch and headed to Frick Park. Brian loved walking around the park. He could always lose himself in the trails that threaded through the park. He took Justin to his favorite place, it was secluded amongst the trails and trees. The two men sat under one of the large trees, and exchanged a few kisses. Brian felt humbled by the trust Justin had showed him earlier by opening up about his past. Brian knew he could do no less.
"Well Sunshine, my family is not quite like yours. Oh don't get me wrong, my mom loves having a decorated cop as her son, but only because it makes her look good to her church cronies. My father was a working class Irish stiff. Liked drinking whiskey and hanging with the guys more than his family. My mother is a devout Catholic and not in the good way. She hides behind her religion, and has tried to use it to browbeat her children. My older sister Clair fit the mold. She never gave my parents any trouble. She's 2 years older than me. My dad had an arcane sense of justice, you don't hit girls, so Clair was safe. I, on the other hand was not so lucky. As early as I could remember, my dad resented me. He worked in the steel mills. When my mom found out she was pregnant with me, my dad wanted her to get an abortion. Clair was enough, he could barely feed three mouths let alone four. It didn't help that my dad was a drunk, and spent all his extra money on booze. I don't remember him ever laying a kind hand on me, it was always a slap or a punch." Justin let his hand lie gently on Brian's arm, hoping to offer some comfort. Brian looked at Justin's hand and silently thanked him with his eyes.
"My first day of high school, I met Michael Novotny. He was kind of geeky, but we connected right away. He seemed to understand about my family, and always invited me to his house. His mom, Deb, adopted me on the spot. She hated seeing the bruises on me that I got from my old man. She even called the cops a few times. I remember thinking they were my knights in shining armor. But my old man always was able to sweet talk them, and nothing ever changed. That's why I became a cop, because of the way I felt whenever they came to our door. Even though they were never able to do anything, I still admired them. My mom found out I was gay when I was 16. I thought I had the house to myself, and brought my trick du jour to the house. I won't lie to you Justin, I knew I was gay, but love and romance were not in my cards. I just used them and then moved on."
Justin could tell that Brian was ashamed to admit this. Before Brian could continue, Justin leaned in and kissed his lips so sweetly. Brian looked into Justin's eyes, and smiled before continuing.
"My mom came home early. She caught us, and I got the fire and brimstone lecture. I was much more discreet after that. I counted the days until I left for college. I went to Penn State and studied criminal justice. That's where I met Lindsey. She and I hit it off from the start, and have been best friends ever since. She means so much to me, that's why I couldn't say no when she asked me to father her baby. Even though Melanie and I hated each other with a passion. I'm sorry, I know Melanie is your friend, but we have disliked each other from day one."
"That's ok. You know her in a different context than I do. You're lucky to have Lindsey and Michael and Deb."
Brian couldn't believe this man before him. He'd never met anyone who hadn't taken sides, or hadn't passed judgment before. Justin was a complete mystery to Brian.
"My dad died when I was 25, he never knew me. My relationship with my mom and my sister is tenuous at best. They tolerate me because I am well respected in the community, but neither of them like me very much."
"Well, I like you, I like you a lot."
"I like you too Sunshine."
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Brian reluctantly dropped Justin off at his apartment. He wanted nothing more than to take the young blonde back home and make love to him all night long, but they had already played hooky for one day, they both still had jobs they needed to contend with.
Brian went home, and entered the empty loft. He'd turned off his cell phone, so he wasn't surprised to see several messages waiting for him. One was from Mikey begging to go to Babylon, another was from Debbie, asking him to call her ASAP.
He dialed the diner. "Is Debbie there?"
"One minute."
"Hello."
"You called?"
"Hey kiddo, I was just calling to invite you to dinner on Friday. Don't worry it will early enough for you to prowl Babylon."
"Deb!"
"Just kidding kiddo, I want you to bring Sunshine with you."
Sunshine! Justin! "What?"
"Brian, we've had this conversation. Besides, Michael told me about your little confrontation, and he feels bad about it. So bring Sunshine for dinner, and introduce him to the family."
"Umm, I'll see if he's available Deb."
"I'm not taking 'no' for an answer Brian, see you Friday."
Brian stared at the phone in his hands. Were he and Justin ready for the Novotny inquisition?