The Candidate

Part 1

Brian hit the speed dial on the phone, and then quickly slammed it back on the base, stopping the call from going through.  He had to do something, but what? 

 

Ever since Charles Langdon had appeared with his outrageous proposal, Brian had been at a loss as to how to proceed.  Something about the offer was very appealing.  Maybe it was as simple as the fact that they wanted him.  He hadn't felt very wanted for the last couple of weeks.  He had been fired.  He had been the object of pity from his friends, even though they congratulated him on what he had done.  He had isolated himself from everyone, and even Justin had stopped calling him, giving him some space.  He missed working with the young man, missed seeing him, missed touching him, but he couldn't bring himself to call him.  He couldn't bear his pity too.

 

A long sigh escaped his lips.  He needed to make a decision about this offer.  Langdon had told him to talk to his friends and family about it.  He knew he fully intended to turn it down ……. But!  He just couldn't escape that 'but'.

 

There was one person he thought he could talk to about this, a political animal that would give him the straight goods.  Problem was, he thought he knew what that person would tell him and he wasn't sure he wanted to hear it.

 

He picked up the phone and hit the number once again.  He was about to cancel the call when he heard a voice say, "Hello?"

 

"Deb?"

 

"Brian, is that you?"

 

"Yeah."

"Thank God.  I've been worrying about you.  Are you all right?"

"Sort of."

"What the fuck does that mean?"

"Could you come over here?  I really need to talk to you."

"Jesus Christ!" Debbie thought.  "Something is really wrong when Brian Kinney calls me and asks me to come over to talk."  She wondered if the Earth had shifted off its orbit.  "I'll be right there," she said quickly.

 

Less than fifteen minutes later she sat on Brian's couch staring at the man she had helped to raise.  She prayed he wasn't sick or in some other really deep shit.

 

"Would you like a drink?" Brian asked.

 

"Something fizzy," she requested.  He brought her a Perrier and had the other half of it in a glass for himself.  "He's drinking water," she thought.  "Fuck!  The Earth has shifted on its axis."

Brian cleared his throat, then said nothing.

 

"So tell me, for fuck's sake!  I'm going crazy speculating about what's wrong."

"Nothing's wrong."

"Then what am I doing here?"

"I want some … advice."

 

Debbie swallowed hard, almost choking on her water.  "You want advice from me?" she asked incredulously.

 

"That's what I said, as bizarre as that sounds."

 

"Bizarre!  It sounds goddam insane."

 

"Well, what I'm going to tell you is goddam insane."

 

Brian began the story with the arrival of Charles Langdon earlier in the day.  He told Debbie about the man and what he had offered.  When he finished recounting the events of that afternoon, he looked at Debbie who stared back in apparent amazement.

 

"She thinks this is ludicrous too." Brian lowered his eyes, shaking his head in resignation.  He would turn down the offer as he had originally planned to do.

 

"Kiddo!"

 

Brian looked up at the sound of Debbie's voice.  The smile on her face radiated across the space between them and he could fell its warmth creep into his lonely and decimated soul.  "What?" Brian asked, not quite sure what this look on her face meant.

 

"Go for it!" she ordered simply.

 

"You think I should?" Brian asked.  "You reacted like it was a stupid idea just now."

"Christ, it knocked my socks off.  It took me a minute to understand what you had told me.  Mayor!  Brian, you have the chance to be mayor!"

 

"And that would be a good thing?" he asked not at all sure that it would be.

 

"Of course it would.  Think of all the good you could do for the gay community and … and everyone else.  Jesus, this is a chance of a lifetime."

 

"You think I could do it?"

"Of course you can.  Is there anything you've ever wanted to do that you didn't do?"

Brian thought of Justin and all the unspoken things that he wanted to say, but never could.  He couldn't discuss that with Debbie.  "No, not much," he said by way of answer.

 

"Then tell them that you'll do it."

"Just like that.  I don't even know who these people are."

 

"Start asking some questions.  Find out who they are and what their motives are.  Do they want anything in return?  Are you expected to kowtow to every wish they have?  You need to know all that going in."

 

"You're right.  I know next to nothing about them and what they want."

 

"That's your first step.  If you like the answers you get, then go ahead and do this.  Brian, this could be really big."

 

"Do you think I have a chance to win?" Brian asked sheepishly.  Saying he would run was one thing, but if he ran, he wanted to win.

 

"You bet your ass I do!  And I'll work my butt off to see that it happens."

 

"Thanks, Ma," Brian grinned at her.

 

Debbie felt the blush beginning at her toes and radiating upwards.  She was so proud of her 'son'.  Brian was quite a man.  "And you better not screw this up!"

"I won't," he said softly wanting her to know how much her faith in him meant.

 

"You need to talk to a couple of other people about this first," Debbie informed him.

 

"I know."

 

"Lindsay and Gus are going to be put in the spotlight, and then there's Justin."

 

Brian made a face.  "I hate my private life becoming public."

"It goes with the territory," Debbie stated.

 

"They're not going to like it."

"Probably not, but I bet they support whatever choice you make."

 

"And then there's Melanie," Brian said with a grimace.  "She could fuck this up in the blink of an eye."

 

"She'd never fuck you," Debbie said with a giggle, "in any way, shape or form.  You need to talk to her.  She doesn't have to say anything, and that would probably be the best route to take," Debbie added seriously.

 

"I really appreciate your advice," Brian said.

 

"Any time, Brian!"

 

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

 

Brian stood on the porch at the Munchers.  He smiled as he told himself he would have to stop referring to them as that.  He already had started to gear himself up for the role he would have to play over the next few weeks if he wanted to get elected.  Jesus, was he crazy?  He didn't know what the hell he was letting himself in for.

 

He rang the bell rather reluctantly.  Melanie opened the door.

 

"What do you want?" she asked with a tinge of rancor in her voice.

 

"And good evening to you too," Brian replied.  "I'd like to see Gus and talk to the two of you."

"You would?" Mel asked, somewhat mystified by Brian's overly polite statement.  Usually he would brush past her and tell her to fuck off.  "Come in then."

 

Brian sat on the floor and played with Gus and his toys.  His son was walking and talking a little bit.  He seemed happy and carefree, the way childhood should be.  After a while Melanie picked up Gus and said it was past his bedtime.  She took him upstairs, leaving Lindsay to talk to Brian.

 

"So what's going on?" Lindsay got right to the point.

 

"I want to tell you about this with Mel here.  It involves you all."

"You're scaring me, Brian.  What's wrong?"

 

"Christ, am I always the bearer of bad news?  Why does everyone think something has to be wrong?"

"Because usually there is, when you come for a serious talk."

"Just get Mel down here and I'll tell you."

Lindsay went upstairs to make sure Gus was settled and to tell Melanie to come back down.  Brian mulled over how to broach this subject with them, and finally decided that there was no point in beating around the bush.  He'd flat out tell them and see how they reacted.

 

A few minutes later he had recounted his meeting with Charles Langdon and sat looking at two mouths hanging open in amazement.

 

"Oh, my God," Lindsay said.

 

"Fuck!" was Melanie's reaction.

 

"Are you going to do it?" Lindsay asked.

 

"I'm seriously considering it," Brian said.  "But a lot depends on how you feel about it.  It will push you and Gus into the limelight.  Do you think you can handle that?"

 

"I think we can," Lindsay said looking at Melanie for support, "but we won't lie about our relationship or how Gus was conceived."

 

"You know I'd never ask you to lie," Brian said staring into Lindsay's eyes.  "You, on the other hand…" he added looking towards Mel.

 

"What?  You want me to lie about you being a selfish, narcissistic prick?" she asked.

 

"Does that mean I can count on your vote?" Brian asked sarcastically.

 

"Mel, I'm sure Brian isn't asking you to lie," Lindsay said quickly trying to smooth things over.

 

"Well, what is he asking me to do?"

"Run my campaign!" Brian added snidely.  "Actually what I want you to do is keep your mouth shut about your feelings and observations where I'm concerned."

 

"It might surprise you to know that I am prepared to do that," Mel said smugly.

 

"What?" Brian and Lindsay both blurted out.

 

"If you're good enough for Charles Langdon, you're good enough for me," she said.

 

"You know Charles Langdon?" Brian asked.

 

"Yes, don't you?  He's the head of CLI, Charles Langdon International, a huge conglomerate.  They're into steel and auto parts and real estate and God knows what else.  He's also one of the few businessmen in this area that I have any respect for.  He's gay and not afraid to say so.  He has close ties with lots of other influential people, both straight and gay.  They have a charitable foundation that helps hundreds of people.  Part of it is for legal representation for people who can't afford decent counsel.  That's how I first heard about him."

 

"So he's a good guy?" Brian asked.

 

"From everything I've heard."

 

"Thanks, Mel; you just answered some of my questions about this whole scenario."

"Glad to be of service," Mel replied with a tinge of sarcasm.  "I will keep my opinions of you to myself, but if you get elected, I'm going to expect you to do the right thing."
 

"Whatever the hell that might be," Brian said getting up to leave.

 

"Are you going to do this?" Lindsay asked as she walked to the door with Brian.

 

"I'm not sure yet, but I'm leaning that way."

"It could be a wonderful opportunity."

"Against all odds," Brian said with a grimace.

 

"Have you talked to Justin yet?"

 

"He's next."

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

 

Justin pulled back the loft door and looked tentatively in.

 

"Brian?" he called.

 

"Up here," Brian responded, the voice coming from the bedroom.

 

"Not wasting any time with idle chitchat, I see," Justin said as he climbed the steps to the bedroom and saw Brian lying naked on the bed.

 

"I need you," Brian replied huskily.

 

"I can see that," Justin said, noting the erect cock. "I thought you would have called sooner," Justin added with a touch of criticism in his voice.

 

"I haven't been feeling up to snuff."

 

"You're sure up now!" Justin observed removing the last of his clothes.  He slid on to the bed, but didn't touch Brian.

 

"Come closer," Brian asked.  Justin scooted over and Brian's arms came around him crushing him to his chest.  Justin was surprised, but he had learned enough about Brian Kinney to just go with the flow.  He wrapped his arms around the man and they both held on for several minutes.

 

Justin felt Brian let out a breath.  "Want to fuck me or do you want me to do you?" he asked.

 

By way of answer Brian's mouth captured his boy's.  He pressed Justin's head back into the pillow with the force of his onslaught.  His lips rubbed and bit and sucked and tore at Justin's in the ultimate expression of his need for the young man.  When he finally released the swollen mouth he heard Justin gasp for air.

 

"Miss me a bit?" Justin managed to force out.

 

"A tad," Brian snorted.  Then the attack began anew.

 

Justin felt Brian's cock throb against his groin.  He pulled the man tighter against him and whispered, "I'm yours."

The next sound he heard was the rip of a condom package and Brian's cock was plowing into him.

 

"Ahhhhhh!' he screamed not having been prepared for such a quick entry.

 

"Sorry!" Brian gasped and stopped.

 

Once Justin had grappled with the initial pain, he thrust up into Brian forcing his dick in a little farther.  Brian took that as his signal to continue and he pressed in the rest of the way, being as gentle as he could in his need.  He looked at the boy who took so much shit from him and always gave back unselfishly.

 

"Ready?" he asked.

 

Justin nodded.

 

Brian began his rhythm thrusting hard and deep.  Justin felt the air expel from his lungs as each stroke filled him almost beyond capacity.  He knew Brian needed this in some primal way and he would do his best to meet those needs.  Once he was accustomed to Brian's thick cock imbedded in his ass, he rocked his hips into each thrust.  He heard Brian moan in satisfaction and smiled to himself.  He knew no one could get to Brian the way he could.  That was why the man always came back for more.

 

The strokes were becoming shallower and faster as they both neared orgasm.  Justin felt Brian's fist around his dick and gave himself over to the absolute pleasure of fucking this man.  Soon they were both coming, finishing lying in each other's arms.

 

Justin felt Brian roll onto his back and saw him dispose of the condom.  He grabbed a tissue and wiped both their chests.  Brian stared into his eyes.

 

"I need to talk to you," he said suddenly.

 

"I'm listening," Justin replied.

 

"I had a visitor today that may change the course of my life … and yours."

 

He then proceeded to tell once again the story of Charles Langdon's visit.  Justin wanted to know what Deb and Lindsay had said.  He didn't seem surprised by Langdon's proposal, no mouth dropping exclamations of disbelief.  That surprised Brian.

 

"So what do you think?" Brian asked.

 

"I think the man has good taste, and you should do it."

 

"Just like that?"

"Just like that."

"No questions, no what ifs?"

 

"Of course I have questions, but I would still want you to do it.  That is, if you want to do it."

"I think I do," Brian said simply.

 

"Brian, don't think you do, know absolutely that you do, because this could get ugly.  There are people who will go after you, try to tear you down."

"I'm well aware of that."

 

"Then you need to be really sure you're prepared to suffer through it."

"Are you?"

"What do I have to do with this?"

"They'll look into my personal life, and they'll find you.  The … bashing will be brought back up and our lifestyle and the fact you're so young.  This will cost you too."

 

"It's too important to worry about all that."

 

"Do you mean that?"

"Yes.  But I am concerned how you are going to counteract all the stuff they will bring up about your past.  You haven't always been the fine, upstanding citizen you are now," Justin teased.

 

"Twat!"

 

"Seriously, how are you going to deal with it?"

"With the truth."

"Meaning?"

"When they ask me about some of the less than stellar things I have done, I'll tell them that it's true.  I'm not going to be ashamed or dodge the truth.  They'll know everything up front, and if they can't stomach it, then they don't need to vote for me."

 

"I should have known," Justin said giving Brian a kiss.  "Bludgeon them into submission with the truth."

 

"You got it."

"So what do you have to do next?"

"Meet with Langdon and the other backers.  Get a better handle on what they're after and where they stand.  If I like their answers, I submit my name as a candidate."

 

"Want me to design some campaign posters for you?" Justin asked with a grin.

 

Brian laughed.  "Only if I get to see them before they go up in the dead of night."

Justin giggled.  He ran his hand gently down Brian's cheek.  "You can do this.  You should do this."

 

They sealed their unspoken bargain with a kiss.

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