Image Is Everything

Chapter Nine

On Wednesday Brian picked up Justin to take him to the tailor's. There was no sign of Ethan for which he was eternally grateful. Justin seemed aloof. Neither of them mentioned the incident in front of Justin's building.

Justin tried on the clothes that had been altered and they looked even better than they had before. Brian could hardly believe that was possible. They had looked great from the moment Justin put them on, and so had Justin. Alphonse brought out the next batch of clothes consisting of cruise wear or casual wear, depending on how you chose to use it. Justin looked great in the linen trousers, khaki shorts and various shirts that Mark had sent.

Alphonse made all the adjustments that were needed. When he was finished Brian suggested that they take the altered suits to his studio and they could get some preliminary pictures.

Justin was anxious to see what the photos of him in Mark's clothes would look like. He agreed to go even though he had some misgivings about being alone with Brian. He wasn't sure what had happened to him in the Corvette the other night. He had never done anything like that before. Maybe it was seeing all those people in the diner, free to do and act any way that they wanted to. He wanted to be like them. He wanted to do what his impulses told him. He always seemed to be holding back with Ethan. Or maybe it was that he was being held back by Ethan. He wasn't sure, and he feared finding out the truth to that question.

"Which outfit do you want me to put on first?" Justin asked as they entered the studio.

"Let's start with the pinstripe," Brian said as he began switching on lights. He locked the studio door and pulled down the shade on the window in the door. The late afternoon sun that streamed in would interfere with his lighting. He pulled the mini blinds on the picture window at the front of the store for the same reason.

He could hear Justin in the change room removing his clothes. Brian tried to find another image to fill his head. He thought about Mark Phillips and how pleased he was going to be with the pictures of Justin. He knew they were going to be striking. Back to Justin! He groaned. He wanted to fuck the blond into oblivion but he knew he couldn't touch him unless Justin initiated it again. That didn't appear likely based on how reserved he had been all afternoon. He was probably regretting those kisses. Brian loaded his camera trying to concentrate on the details of doing so in order to stop his brain from thinking about what was in the next room.

Justin put on the pinstripe suit. Truthfully this was his favorite. The navy did great things to his eyes. Wearing the suit made him feel so grown up and sophisticated and ready to take on the world. He loved those feelings. He wondered if Brian saw him like that when he was dressed in the suit. Fuck! He had spent all afternoon trying not to think about Brian, and now… Fuck!

Justin fumbled with the tie. He had never been very good at tying a Windsor knot. He just couldn't seem to get it. Alphonse had done it for him in the tailor's shop.

"Brian," he said stepping out of the change room. "Can you help me with this tie? I never could make one of these knots."

"Sure, come over here."

Brian set his camera down as Justin approached. Turning the man around so that he stood behind him Brian loosened the knot Justin had tried to make. With his arms draped over Justin's shoulders he began to retie the Windsor knot.

Justin felt the little prickles run up and down his body. Any contact with Brian seemed to produce these unexpected feelings, feelings that were so different and hard to understand. He could smell Brian's cologne which was intoxicating. Justin had never smelled anything so wonderful on a man before. The faint odor of cigarettes was mixed with it and somehow made it even better. Justin licked his lips.

Brian continued to work on the tie knowing that this close contact with Justin was hard on a certain part of his body that was increasingly becoming hard. He shifted back so Justin couldn't feel what was happening in his pants.

Justin leaned back into Brian when he felt the man shift away. He wasn't sure why but he wanted to be closer, be touching in more places. He could feel Brian's warm breath by his ear. It sent little shivers up his spine and he felt the hair on his arms stand up. When Brian was close his body seemed to take on a life of its own.

"There," Brian said as he turned Justin around and straightened the tie. "You look good enough to eat."

"Yum, yum," Justin said licking his lips.

Brian felt his cock jump. Jesus, this kid could make him hard with a flick of his tongue. He wondered what that tongue would feel like on his dick. He looked into Justin's eyes and could swear that he saw raw lust there. He needed to get a grip. He didn't want to push the boy into something he wasn't ready for. They still had to work together.

"Let's get started," Brian said in his best professional voice.

Justin looked at the floor. He was pretty sure he had given a clear signal, but Brian had refused to acknowledge it. Maybe Brian didn't want him. But he had felt Brian's cock against his butt when the man was tying the tie. He couldn't have been wrong about that.

"Sure," Justin said venturing another look at the photographer. Brian's face was impassive revealing nothing of what he was feeling. His perfect image was intact. Maybe Justin had made a big mistake about Brian wanting him. Maybe this whole thing was a big mistake.

He had decided last night after a less than satisfying session with Ethan that he wanted to find out what it felt like to be fucked by Brian. That realization had scared the shit out of him. But it hadn't changed his mind. Brian seemed to be able to separate love and fucking, so maybe he could too. He knew Ethan would be horrified if he knew what Justin was thinking. In fact Ethan would be angry and hurt and humiliated. Ethan could never know, but he wanted to do it anyway. There were so many things in life he wanted to experience. Ethan always had good reasons why he shouldn't.

He had been scared when Brian picked him up at PIFA. He wasn't exactly sure how to tell Brian what he wanted and he was scared of rejection. Now he had made the attempt and Brian didn't seem to get it or he didn't want him.

"Stand in front of that backdrop," Brian ordered picking up his camera.

Justin did as he was told. Brian began to snap pictures, giving Justin some directions and moving around to get him from all angles. After a bit he told Justin to go change into the tan suit. Justin did.

Brian again helped him with the tie, Justin leaning against him in as suggestive a manner as he could. Brian refused to acknowledge what Justin was doing. The whole process was repeated with the tux. Justin was losing all of the confidence he had once mustered. He had pretty well decided to just change his clothes and go home once Brian was finished.

He went into the change room to get out of the tuxedo. Once he was down to his underwear he looked critically at himself in the mirror. He thought he looked pretty good. They had selected him as the model for this line of clothing. He must be all right. But Brian refused to bite.

"Are you going to be all day in there?" Brian called. He thought he better get Justin out of the studio in a hurry before his dick took over against his better judgment. He knew all too well what Justin had been doing and he wanted to take him up on it. He was worried about how it might affect their business relationship.

"Give me a fucking minute, will you?" Justin said boldly coming out of the change room in only his underwear.

Justin saw Brian's eyes slide down his body and stop at the package in his grey underwear. He stared at Brian waiting for him to look at him. He wanted to see what Brian's eyes would tell him.

Finally Brian looked up. He had been unable to speak since Justin appeared. He stared into the blue eyes. He was sure his lust would be blatantly evident in his own eyes.

Justin took a step towards Brian and then somehow they were in each other's arms, their mouths locked together, their hands and arms holding and squeezing, their cocks rubbing together, their breath coming in desperate gasps, their hearts pounding at heart attack speed.

They moaned into each other's mouths, searching for the essence of the other, and wanting to be joined as one. Finally the kiss ended. Brian pulled back a little to look into Justin's eyes.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

Justin nodded and Brian kissed him again. Brian walked Justin backwards towards the couch that was against the wall. His hand slid into the boy's underwear and he squeezed the luscious globes he found there. He could feel his cock stiff and aching between their bodies. He knew he would never be able to stop if he went any further.

"Justin, are you really sure you want this?"

"Fuck me, please," Justin whispered against Brian's throat.

Brian shoved the underwear down and Justin stepped out of them. Justin's cock, red and fully erect bounced in front of him. Brian knew he needed to be careful with this kid. He wasn't sure what he had experienced with his boyfriend, but he wanted to make this very special for him.

Brian dropped to his knees and kissed Justin's stomach. He felt the muscles retract at the contact. Justin emitted a low growl. Brian looked up at him and grinned. Justin's eyes were shut and his mouth hung open. Raw need was written all over his beautiful face. Brian's hand took hold of Justin's manhood and he stroked gently a couple of times. Justin moaned and wavered above him. He took hold of Justin's hips to steady him and his mouth captured the tip of Justin's cock.

"Brian," Justin gasped his hands grabbing Brian's hair. Brian knew he could make Justin come almost instantly but he wanted to pleasure the young man first.

"Easy," he whispered removing his mouth from Justin's throbbing dick.

Justin whimpered … and then the world exploded into violent noise.

"Justin! Justin!" Ethan's voice called through the locked door of the studio. He hit the door hard several times with his fist. "I know you're in there. Open this fucking door!"

Brian looked up to see Justin's eyes open and a look of panic on his face. He knew he had to help him.

"Here," Brian said handing him his underwear. "Go into the change room and put the tux back on. I'll deal with Ian while you're doing that."

Justin nodded and walked to the back of the studio. He looked traumatized by this turn of events. Brian hoped Justin could get it together before he had to face his boyfriend. He had known there would be complications from the first moment Justin told him about the love between Ethan and him. Kids! You can't get them out of your head, and you can't fuck them without complications. And the complication was pounding on his fucking door.

Brian turned the lock and yanked the door open. Ethan stood there with anger written all over his face.

"Where is he?" he demanded and pushed past Brian.

"He's in the fucking change room changing into his next outfit," Brian said with venom in his voice. If he had actually been photographing Justin when Ethan began pounding on the door, he would have been furious at the interruption. The fact that he had Justin's dick in his mouth when he was so rudely interrupted made him even angrier. "I don't appreciate being interrupted when I'm working."

"Why was the door locked?" Ethan demanded.

"It's usually a clue to most people that I'm not here or I'm involved in something that can't be interrupted. I see that went right over your head."

"Justin," Ethan called.

Justin stepped out of the change room. He had the tux back on except for the tie which hung around his neck. He looked slightly less dazed than he had when he headed to the back of the studio. "What are you doing here?" he asked in a weary voice.

"I … I was worried about you. I thought you would have been home an hour ago."

"We came back here with the clothes that had been altered. Brian wanted to get some preliminary shots, see how they looked on film."

Ethan looked from Justin to Brian and back again. He seemed uncertain about whether he should buy this story or not. "Are you almost finished?"

Justin looked at Brian. "We were getting ready to photograph the last outfit," Brian stated seeing that Justin didn't want to say a lie. "That's when you so rudely interrupted," he added as an afterthought.

Ethan looked daggers at him. "Can you finish up soon? I'll wait for you."

"Sure thing," Brian said sarcastically. "Now that you've completely ruined the mood I'm sure we can be done in no time flat. Sit behind the desk and keep you're fucking mouth shut."

"Can you help me with the tie again?" Justin asked in a small voice.

Brian could see what Ian's intrusion had done to him. "Maybe we better stop for today. I have enough photos of the other outfits. We can get the tux next time when we do the casual wear. You look tired."

Justin could see the sympathy in Brian's eyes. He understood some of what it had cost Justin to make the overture and what Ethan's interruption had done to him. "I'd appreciate that," Justin said turning to go back to the change room.

"I want to see these gems you've photographed," Ethan stated in that entitled voice of his.

Brian wanted to smack him six ways to Sunday. "I'll make you a copy of each," Brian said abruptly. And he would. He wouldn't let this little shithead get the best of him. He'd keep the ones of Justin in the tux till after the next session though. No point in giving away that he already had the shots he needed before Ian got there.

Justin came out of the back dressed in his own clothes. He looked like the wind had been knocked out of him. He glanced at Brian once and then turned his attention to Ethan. "Ready to go?" he asked, his voice sounding tired and washed out.

"Sure thing," Ethan responded standing up and throwing his arm over Justin's shoulder. He steered his boyfriend towards the door.

"Call me tomorrow," Brian stated. Justin glanced back and nodded. The two young men went out the door.

Brian shook his head. What the fuck had he got himself involved in? He didn't need to be part of this mess. But he did need that blond by the name of Justin Taylor. He adjusted his trousers once more. It would be another long night of nameless tricks while he tried to get the intoxicating taste of Justin's dick out of his head.

Return to Image Is Everything