Mayor Kinney

Mayor Kinney

* 2 *

Chuck and Phydeau sat on the white Moda couch staring at Brian and Justin.

 

"So," Brian said trying to sound matter of fact, "do the salary and working requirements fit what you were expecting?"

 

"Better than I hoped for," Chuck said.

 

Phydeau grunted.

 

"Does that mean he agrees too?" Justin asked looking warily at Phydeau who was clad in leather from head to toe, complete with the appropriate dog collar around his neck.

 

"Yeah," Chuck explained.  "He's just not very talkative."

 

"We don't need him to talk," Brian said.  "I need him to follow me around and make sure that no one gets close enough to do me injury."

 

"We can handle that, Brian.  And may I add that it's nice to have a gay mayor."



"Thanks," Brian replied hardly knowing how to respond.  "But first I have to live long enough to get sworn in.  Do you guys have suits?"

Brian surveyed the two who were both definitely into leather.  They needed a more subtle attire to attend City Hall and accompany Brian to functions.

 

Chuck said, "I've done bodyguard work before, Brian, and so has Phy.  We both know how to dress and remain unobtrusive."



Justin looked at the muscle bound brute and found himself surprised that the man knew the word unobtrusive, let alone how to use it in the right context.  The idea of him being unobtrusive in any crowd seemed highly improbable.  He heard Chuck chuckle.

 

"Don't let our appearances fool you," the man said.  "We do know what we're doing."

 

"You better," Justin said seriously.  "Brian has been getting threatening letters.  They say he will never be mayor.  Since the swearing in ceremony is day after tomorrow, the next couple of days could be the most dangerous."



"We know the story," Chuck said.  "One of us will be outside this building anytime you are in here, Brian.  When you go out in public, both of us will be nearby."



"Here's my itinerary up to the inaugural," Brian said handing Chuck a sheet of paper.

 

"Got it," Chuck said scanning the paper quickly.  "Come on, Phy, we better get started.  If you change anything on this schedule, or suddenly need to go out for beer, let us know.  This is my cell phone number, and Phy's is on there too."  He handed a card to Brian.  "Call if anything out of the ordinary happens."

 

The two men made their way to the door, shook hands with Brian and Justin and went down the stairs.

 

"Jesus, Brian, do you think Phy even knows how to talk?"

 

"Yeah, he talks a lot when he comes."

 

"Fuck!  You haven't?  You didn't?"



Brian had a silly little grin on his face as he nodded.

 

"Both of them?" Justin asked already knowing the answer.

 

"Look," Brian said seriously, "they know what they're doing.  Both of them are very good bodyguards."



"They fucking better be!" Justin retorted.

 

Brian closed the loft door and turned to find himself enveloped in Justin's arms.  "What?" he asked kissing the top of Justin's head.

 

"I'm worried, Brian."



"I am too, but we can't dwell on it to the exclusion of everything else."



"I know, but this was supposed to be the fun part, your crowning moment," Justin said.

 

"I'm enough of a queen.  I don't need a coronation.  I'll be sworn in and everything will go along fine after that."



"Since when did anything involving you ever go along fine?" Justin asked with a grin.

 

"Well … then, it will just have to go along however it turns out."

 

"Are you channeling Winnie the Pooh," Justin asked with a giggle.  Brian made a face.  "Come on, Pooh.  Let's go to bed," Justin said taking Brian's hand.

 

They trundled off up the steps to more private moments in the Hundred Acre Wood.

 

                                                                 -----

 

Brian stepped out the front door of the loft building.  He glanced up and down the street.  Everything seemed to be normal, nothing out of place.  He looked for Chuck or Phydeau but didn't see either of them.  He hoped they were just being unobtrusive, and that was why he didn't spot them.  Justin came out the door behind him.

 

"Did you get them?" Brian asked.

 

Justin held up a couple more of the threatening letters that had appeared today.  They were going downtown to see Carl Horvath about them.  "I got the envelopes too," Justin said.

 

They started across the street to the Jeep when they heard a screech of tires.  They both turned to see a black sedan streaking towards them.  Before they could move or think what to do a parked car suddenly veered out in front of the oncoming black sedan.  The black car swerved to miss the other car giving Brian and Justin time to dash out of the way and reach the sidewalk and safety.  They immediately grabbed each other in a hug, gasping for breath, and needing support for their shaky knees.  The black sedan sped away down the street.

 

"Are you guys okay?" Chuck asked running up beside them.

 

"Yeah, I think so," Brian said cautiously.  "Was that you in the car that pulled out?"

 

"Yeah.  As soon as I heard the tires squeal, I figured I better block the path to you."



"Good thinking," Brian said.  "Did you get a license plate number?"

 

"Yeah," Chuck said shaking his head.  "The car had plates, but my guess is it will turn out to be stolen."

 

"You okay, Justin?" Brian asked realizing that the trembling he could feel wasn't his own any longer.

 

"Christ, Brian, we both could have been killed."



"But we weren't, thanks to these guys," Brian said nodding to Chuck and Phydeau who had joined him.  "We better let Carl know about this new development."

 

"Yeah," Chuck said, "somebody just upped the ante.  Why don't you get in our car and we'll chauffeur you to the police station?"



"That sounds good to me," Justin said giving an attempt at a smile, and Brian nodded in agreement.

 

                                                                -----

 

Brian and Justin sat on the other side of Carl's desk.  They were waiting for him to return.  They had told him about their narrow escape from the black sedan and had given him the latest letters.  He had gone to check on a few things.

 

"I'm thinking of quitting," Brian stated suddenly.

 

"No, you're not," Justin said firmly.

 

"But … that car could have killed you, killed both of us."



"But it didn't.  I'm a fatalist, Brian.  If we were meant to die, I'd have been dead after the bashing or the car would have hit me just now.  That didn’t happen.  You're meant to be mayor, Brian.  I know it."



How could anyone argue with that face and that sincerity?  Brian leaned over and brushed his lips across Justin's.  His tongue licked the bottom one as it passed across.

 

Carl cleared his throat behind them and they jumped apart.  "Be careful, you two," Carl said seriously.  "There are a lot of people who would be offended by what you were just doing."

 

"Christ, Carl, they know I'm gay," Brian protested.

 

"Knowing it intellectually and seeing it on display are two very different things."

 

"Do they expect me to be celibate?" Brian asked sarcastically.

 

"They don't care, but they don't want it out in the open."



"Fuck them, whoever 'them' is!" Brian reacted.

 

"I'm just trying to be sensible about this, Brian.  Tell it the way it is."

 

"We understand," Justin said seeing the anger rising in Brian.  "We'll be careful," and he gave Brian a warning look.  "So what did you find out?"

 

Carl explained, "The car was reported stolen about two hours before the incident.  We haven't found it yet, but there probably won't be any prints when we do.  The letters came from the same area as all the others, based on the postmark."

 

"What area?" Justin asked.

 

"Near your sister's," Carl said looking at Brian.

 

"Jesus Christ, you're not implying that she has something to do with this, are you?"



"No, I don't think that, but she lives in a blue collar area and she hates fags.  I'm sure many of her neighbors feel the same way."

 

"I don't get why anyone would go to such lengths," Justin said.

 

"Hate is a powerful emotion," Carl replied.  "It causes people to do crazy things.  I've arranged for extra security at the swearing in.  Your bodyguards seem to be competent, based on what they did this morning."

 

"They'll be with me at all times," Brian said.

 

"Good.  Let's hope everything goes as planned, and that whoever was driving that car will realize that they have failed.

 

"See you at City Hall tomorrow," Brian said shaking Carl's hand.

"You're going to be a fine mayor, Brian," Carl said sincerely.

 

                                                                -----

 

Chuck and Phydeau drove Brian and Justin back to the loft.  The two bodyguards made the other two promise not to leave the loft until they were ready to go to the Inaugural the next morning.  They felt they could best protect them in their own home.

 

Brian and Justin rode the elevator up to the loft in silence.  When the door closed behind them, Justin knew Brian was ready to explode.  He knew he would get the brunt of it, but there was nothing he could do except listen and be sympathetic.

 

"What the fuck kind of screwed up place do we live in, when the new mayor is a virtual prisoner in his own fucking home?" Brian began his tirade.

 

"Brian, you're not a prisoner," Justin reasoned with him.

 

"I am so!  I can't leave here until tomorrow morning and then I have to have a couple of bears following me around.  I feel like a fucking two year old."



"Once the swearing in is over things will calm down."

 

"That's if I live long enough to get sworn in!"

 

"Don't say that.  Of course you will."



"And who says it will stop after that?  They could still come after me, or after you."



"They could, but the swearing in will be the first big hurdle.  You're breaking new ground.  I'm so proud of you."



Brian's anger slipped away as he listened to Justin state his pride in what Brian had accomplished.  "You think I can do this?" he asked.

 

"I've told you that I know you can."

 

Brian took a step towards his lover and suddenly they were in each other's arms, holding on tight.  "I was so scared this morning," Brian said.  "You could have been killed.  I don't want to put you in danger."



"I know you don't, and I'll be fine.  I have to give Chuck and Phydeau credit.  They do seem to know what they are doing."



"But if they mess up for even a second, something really bad could happen."

 

"I refuse to live my life in fear, Brian.  I wasn't afraid to come out at school and I'm not going to be afraid to be seen with you … when you're mayor."  Justin stressed the word 'when' making Brian hear how sure he was that that event would happen.

 

"You're either the bravest person I know or the dumbest."

 

"Probably both," Justin joked.

 

"You're also the sexiest."



"You think so?"

"Um hmm."



Brian's nose was nuzzling behind Justin's ear and his tongue was licking along the tender spots on his throat.

 

"So, Mr. Prisoner, do you think you and your cell mate here can come up with something interesting to do for the rest of the day?" Justin asked.

 

"I'm already up," Brian groaned feeling the growing tightness in his pants, "and I want to come.  But I do have to polish up my speech."  He stopped chewing on Justin's ear like he was thinking about new things to add to his inaugural address.

 

"Later," Justin stated.  He took Brian's hand and led him up the steps to the bedroom.

 

"Shower?" Brian asked.

 

"Sounds good."

 

They made their way to the bathroom where they quickly undressed each other.  As they stepped into the shower Brian took Justin's arm and pulled him close against him.  He ran his hand across Justin's chest stopping over his heart and feeling the sure and steady beat from within.

 

"We will be all right, won't we?" Brian asked softly.

 

"We'll be just fine."



"I couldn't do this without you," Brian admitted.

 

"You don't have to.  I'll be right there with you all the way."

 

"Good.  That's exactly what I need."



"I'd say you need something else at the moment."  Justin's hand closed around Brian's semi-erect penis and began stroking.

 

Brian groaned.  "You might be right."  His mouth found Justin's and the ensuing kiss left them both breathless and reeling.  "Maybe the shower wasn't such a good idea.  You leave me weak in the knees.  I could fall and crack my head open, be in a coma for weeks."



As soon as the words were out of his mouth Brian realized what he had said.  His face turned pale.  He reached over and shut off the shower.  "This was a mistake.  Everything's one big fucked up mistake."  He stepped out of the shower grabbing a towel and quickly drying off.

 

"Brian," Justin said following him out of the shower.

 

Brian had already gone to the bedroom.  Justin grabbed a towel and dried off.  He heard Brian rummaging around in the bedroom.  He sighed in frustration.  Sometimes Brian was one bugger to live with.

 

Justin wrapped the towel around his hips and went into the bedroom.  Brian wasn't there.  He glanced around and heard the loft door slide shut.  "Fuck!" Justin reacted.  He raced across the loft and threw open the door.  Brian must have taken the stairs.  "Brian," he yelled down from the landing.  "Brian, come back!  You're not supposed to leave without telling Chuck.  Come back, please."



He thought he heard the click of the front door far below.  He raced back into the apartment to find the card with Chuck's cell phone number.  He said a quick prayer as he punched in the numbers.

 

                                                                 -----

 

Brian strode down the street seething inside.  He had no idea where he was going.  He just had to get away.  How could he have been so stupid and insensitive to say that to Justin?  He shouldn't be mayor.  He couldn't control anything, let alone a big city.  His life was a fucking disaster.  He didn't have the wherewithal to be mayor.  He had been stupid to think that he could do this.  He had got caught up in the battle, in the excitement of the contest.  He could outwit his opponents and he had.  He could be smarter and craftier than any of the others and he had.  He could verbally out-debate them and he had.  But what had that gotten him?  He was getting threatening letters, a car tried to run him down, and he was a virtual prisoner in his own home.  He didn't want to be mayor anymore.  He'd had enough of this shit.  Tomorrow he would resign.  Let some other poor schmo have all the fun that went with being mayor of fucking Pittsburgh.

 

He turned a corner and gave the wall beside him a good kick.  He jumped back as a wave of pain shot up his leg.  "Fuck!  At least I don't think I've broken my foot," Brian snorted to himself as he took a few tentative steps.  The pain eased off after a minute.

 

He somehow felt better now that he had made the decision to quit trying to be mayor.  He could go back to being unemployed and pathetic.  Life would be much simpler.

 

Having made that decision, Brian looked around realizing that he had paid no attention to where he was going.  He heard voices and footsteps nearby, and suddenly he knew he had made a big mistake.

 

"Kinney!" a voice called out.

 

Brian stopped dead in his tracks.  Slowly he turned to see three men approaching in what he could only describe as a menacing fashion.

 

"I told you in my letters that you would never be mayor.  Tomorrow you'll be in the hospital, not at your inaugural," one of the men said.

 

"Fucking fag!" one of the others added.

 

Brian had a fleeting sense that the Rage comic had come to life, only he was going to get the crap beat out of him, not J.T.  And there was no Rage to rescue him.  He backed up against the wall and prepared to fight for his life.

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