Brian had fifteen minutes until the next meeting. He sat down behind his desk and took a deep breath. The committee meetings the last couple of weeks had just about driven him to distraction. If he could get through the rest of this fucking week they would be over for awhile. All of the committees would have their allocations and their agendas and their priorities. Maybe things would slack off for a bit.

Brian thought back to Justin's art show. He had really screwed up, being late and making that entrance, even though he hadn't intended it to come off that way. He had tried to make it right but Justin had told him to go home. For a while there he had been afraid, yes afraid, that Justin wasn't going to come home at all. Finally Justin had arrived and told Brian that he didn't want to do this anymore. He was prepared to leave. That had really scared the shit out of Brian. He didn't know exactly when he had come to depend on Justin so much, but he knew he could not imagine a life without his partner in it.

They had compromised. Brian had agreed to not run again for mayor and try not to push Justin away when things didn't go right. Justin in turn wanted to be part of everything that happened in Brian's life. He wanted to share the awful stuff as well as the good. Brian wasn't sure that Justin really understood everything that that would entail. There were a lot of bad things that Brian had to deal with and they tended to set him off when something new happened that didn't go the way he wanted. He had promised not to shut Justin out of those things and he would do his very best to keep that promise.

He wished he hadn't ruined the art show for him though. That should have been Justin's big moment and it had been ruined by Brian arriving late and that fucking reporter asking all her dumbass questions. He wished there was something he could do to make that better.

"Cynthia," he said pushing the intercom button on the phone.

"Yes, boss?"

"Are there any functions or commitments for this weekend?"

"No."

"How do you know that so fucking quickly?" Brian asked with a chuckle. Usually she would say that she would check and let him know.

"I know you have been working long hours even after I leave every day, so I cleared the weekend. You can sleep or fuck or whatever you want to do. Your time's your own."

"That's my girl," Brian responded.

Cynthia felt herself blush. "I hope that was the right thing to do."

"Definitely, but I have a little job for you because of that."

"Oh?"

"Yeah," Brian said and he proceeded to explain what he wanted her to do.

A couple of hours later Cynthia came into his office carrying a folder containing a sheaf of papers. She laid it triumphantly on top of the other folders on Brian's desk. She hoped he would be pleased with what she had found, when he came back from his meeting. She wasn't sure why he had asked for this information but she could imagine all kinds of possibilities. She hoped one of the hopelessly romantic scenarios she had dreamed up might be the correct one. She smiled as she walked out of the office and closed the door behind her.

Cynthia had gone home hours before Brian returned to the office. The fucking committee meeting was finally over. He had two more tomorrow and one on Friday morning and then they were done. He could never understand why people felt the need to state their opinion ad infinitum, even when it agreed with everything that had already been said. He supposed they all wanted their names on the record as to where they stood on each item. If they would just shut up and vote, the meetings would take one fifteenth of the time that they did.

Brian rubbed his temples. He was getting a headache. He didn't think he had eaten anything today. The meeting before lunch had run over lunch and then he had had only that fifteen minutes before the next meeting began. His stomach rumbled in acknowledgement.

He wondered if Justin was home and if he had eaten. He picked up his phone and hit number one. That was home and Justin. He smiled as he waited. He hoped Justin would be there. It rang three times and he was about to hang up in disappointment when he heard, "Hello?"

"Justin, is that you?"

"Um … yeah," Justin said sleepily. "What time is it? Where are you?"

"It's eight-thirty. Another fucking committee meeting ran long. Were you asleep?"

"Yeah, I laid down on the couch after I got home and I guess I fell asleep."

"You're not sick, are you?"

"No, I'm just catching up from the show and everything. I was waiting for you."

Brian smiled. He liked that Justin was waiting for him. "Have you eaten?"

"No, and I'm starved."

"Do you want to call the Thai place and order us something? I could pick it up on the way home and we could eat together for once."

"That sounds great," Justin said with a smile. Brian had promised to try to put him first and he really seemed to be keeping that promise, even with their impossible schedules.

"Make the order. I'll be leaving in about fifteen minutes. Home in forty-five."

"Hurry. My stomach is grumbling at me."

"Mine too," Brian admitted.

"Later," Justin said.

"Later," Brian said with a smile as he replaced the receiver on the phone.

He picked up the folders on his desk and flipped through them. He smiled as he saw the one he had specially requested from Cynthia. The information looked just like what he wanted. He stuffed them into his briefcase and grabbed his coat.

It was almost an hour later when Brian walked into the loft. He set the Thai food on the counter and noticed that there were plates set out on the coffee table. Where was Justin?

"Justin?" he called.

"Up here," Justin said from the bathroom.

"Are you all right?"

"I'm allowed to pee, aren't I?" Justin asked as he appeared at the top of the steps.

"I suppose bodily functions do have to be taken care of," Brian said philosophically as he hung up his coat.

"I'm planning to take care of some other bodily functions once I've eaten," Justin said with a grin.

"I'm counting on that."

"Then get changed. It will be easier to get you out of your sweats than out of that suit."

"I'm on my way."

"I'll dish up some food. Want a beer?"

"Please."

Justin went to the counter and began unpacking the food. He smiled to himself. He liked it when Brian was warm and funny and caring like tonight. Then it seemed like he had made the right decision to stay with Brian and ride out the next ten months. He wished they could have more times like this, but their schedules always seemed to work against them.

He carried the containers of food over to the coffee table and set them out. He returned to the kitchen and grabbed a couple of beers out of the fridge. He was carrying them to the sofa when Brian appeared in his old worn sweats. He pulled Justin against him and kissed him heartily, then took a beer and downed about half of it.

"Tastes good," he said. "So do you."

Justin smiled. "Let's eat."

They sat companionably on the sofa and enjoyed the Thai food. They made some small talk but mostly ate in silence, each being very hungry.

Finally Brian put down his plate and stretched. "That was good. We don't get to eat together enough."

"There's lots of things we don't get to do together," Justin couldn't help but add.

Brian stared at him wondering how much resentment about the art show still lingered. And there were lots of other things that Justin had every right to resent as well. He made his decision.

"Do you have anything planned this weekend?" Brian asked.

"Nothing except a shift at the diner on Saturday."

"Can you get out of it?"

"Maybe, why?"

"I have a surprise for you if you can."

"A surprise?" Justin asked with a big grin on his face. "What is it?"

"It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you."

"But … don't I need to know what to wear … or …?" Justin stared helplessly at Brian.

"Who said you would need to wear anything?" Brian smirked.

The smile quickly faded from Justin's face. "I see," he said, "another marathon fuckfest chez Kinney. I should have known."

"I was teasing, Justin," Brian replied testily. "Actually you do need to pack."

"Pack? Where are we going?" The sunshine smile was back.

"I'm not telling but you'll need enough clothes for the weekend, at least one nice outfit and some casual wear."

"You're not teasing this time, are you?" Justin asked with a frown unsure whether he could believe Brian or not.

"I'm not teasing. That's what you'll need. I'll let you know what time you need to be ready on Friday when I finalize everything."

Justin slid closer to Brian. "Can you give me a teensy hint where we're going?" he pleaded. His hand rubbed across Brian's chest and he leaned into him.

"Well … let's see. You'll like it."

"That's no hint. It doesn't tell me anything."

"That's all you're getting. I don't want to spoil the surprise."

"Thank you," Justin said tilting his head to kiss Brian. "Thank you."

"You will like it," Brian said and captured the offered lips in a long, hard kiss. They both knew what was coming next.

-----

Friday afternoon Justin waited at the loft. He had been packed for a couple of hours and was now starting to get antsy wondering if Brian would be delayed or would let him down again. True to his word the loft door slid back at 5 pm. Brian smiled as he saw Justin standing beside his suitcase.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Absolutely," Justin replied taking the handle of his suitcase. "Let's go."

Brian grabbed his suitcase which had been standing near the door where he left it all ready in the morning. They went down in the elevator to find Chuck waiting with the limo. He stored their cases in the trunk and they set off. Brian didn't say anything to him, so Chuck must already have been given his instructions.

Brian watched with amusement as Justin fidgeted. He kept looking out the window at things they passed, probably trying to figure out where they might be headed.

"We're going to the airport," Justin said triumphantly.

Brian grinned. "Right the first time."

"Oooh, where are we flying to?"

"You'll find out soon enough."

"Meanie," Justin retorted giving him a gentle swat.

"Behave! Bad boys get left behind."

"You wouldn't dare!"

"You're right, I wouldn't dare. I wouldn't want to."

Justin smiled at him, a smile that continued until they arrived at one part of the terminal where Chuck stopped. They got out and Brian led them inside trailing their suitcases. Chuck called to them to have fun before he pulled away.

At the check-in counter Justin realized they were going to Chicago. He grabbed Brian's arm as they gathered up their boarding passes and moved away.

"Why Chicago?" Justin asked.

"Why not?"

"Brian," Justin whined.

"I've been there lots of times on business and hardly seen anything. It's supposed to be a great city and it's not too far, since we only have the weekend."

"A great weekend," Justin smiled.

"We can make one."

"Yes, we can," Justin agreed squeezing Brian's hand.

The flight was uneventful and they landed on time. It was dark by then, but Brian shelled out for a limo and talked to the driver while Justin got in. They took off with Brian still not saying where they were going.

Not quite an hour later the limo pulled into a circular driveway bathed in blue neon.

"I can see why you chose this place," Justin said with a chuckle as he got out of the limo. "Reminds me of good times."

Brian smiled. There had been good times and bad times under the blue neon in his bedroom, in their bedroom. "I guess I'm a sucker for blue. This is called The House of Blues Hotel."

"Sounds neat," Justin said as the bellboy cruised Brian and organized their bags on a cart.

The lobby was almost overwhelming with bright colors, a lot of red and patterns. There was a huge set of statues in the center arranged in a circle looking out over all aspects of the lobby. They seemed to support the ceiling. The bar called the Kaz Bar was under a striped tent-like canopy. Justin kept turning around back and forth to take it all in, his hand never leaving Brian's.

They checked in and the bellboy led them to their room and was quickly sent away by Brian.

"He wanted you," Justin said knowingly.

"I don't want him. What I want is right here," Brian grinned and Justin launched himself into Brian's waiting arms. It didn't take them long to christen their king-size bed hung with drapery like a Moroccan palace bed.

When they finally stopped and snuggled against each other, Justin had time to look around the room. It was orange.

"Hey, orange and blue, your two favorite colors."

"Yeah," Brian chuckled. "I didn't know the whole room would be orange though."

"It's cool. Look at the carpet, all that pattern and yet it fits together."

"It is a little overpowering," Brian admitted.

"I love it! Oh, look. The mirror on the wall is a seven pointed star."

"Is that significant?"

"Not really, but it's very hard to get a symmetrical seven-pointed star. I used one in an art project once and I spent days trying to get it even. I love that you chose this. Thank you."

"You can thank me again right now," Brian grinned placing Justin's hand on his rapidly thickening cock.

They spent the first night of their Chicago adventure in bed, and even managed to get a little sleep. When they awoke they made love slowly and tenderly. Breakfast was room service so that they could continue their activities while feeding each other and gaining a little needed sustenance.

By late morning they were ready to venture forth. They went down to talk to the concierge each explaining what they wanted to do. Brian wanted to hit some stores like Neiman Marcus, Armani or Hugo Boss. Justin wanted to visit the Art Institute of Chicago. They thought they might try some clubs that night. With the concierge's help they mapped out a plan of attack.

They spent Saturday afternoon on Michigan Avenue. They hit Neiman Marcus and Armani. Brian bought a new suit that he absolutely had to have. He insisted on buying Justin a beautiful gold sweater that made him look like the sun when he smiled.

When they finally returned to the hotel, they asked the concierge to recommend somewhere nearby for dinner. They enjoyed a great seafood place that he directed them to. Afterwards they checked out the House of Blues night club that was next door to the hotel. The concierge was able to get them tickets for Tantric w/ Shinedown and Silvertide. Justin thought Ben would approve. It wasn't exactly their cup of tea but they stayed for awhile and enjoyed most of the show.

Following that the concierge had told them the "in" club to go to was called the Circuit Night Club. It was a lot like Babylon but had no backroom. Brian was disappointed by that, but Justin reminded him that he was mayor and shouldn't be in a backroom even if it was available. They danced a bit and surveyed the crowd made up of gay, bi, lesbian, trans, you name it. They were all having a good time and so did Justin and Brian. They got hit on a few times but were so absorbed in each other that they hardly noticed.

A little after midnight Justin leaned in to Brian and shouted above the sound system, "Let's get out of here!"

Brian grinned and happy to oblige he headed for the coat check to retrieve their coats. They grabbed a cab and were back at the hotel in no time. The door to their room had hardly closed behind them when they were pulling off each other's clothes. Another night of fucking and sucking ensued. Somehow they were making up for all the times their schedules had prevented them from being together. They connected on so many levels that night.

As dawn began to brighten the sky, they fell asleep and didn't wake until almost eleven o'clock. They had to check out by noon, so they showered and packed. They stored their luggage with the concierge and went to have some lunch in the hotel dining room. It was very sleek and modern and the food was good.

"Off to the Art Institute of Chicago?" Brian asked as they finished eating.

"You don't have to if you don't want to," Justin conceded.

"I want to," Brian stated. "We decided what we were going to do and that was today's item. You shopped with me yesterday.

Justin smiled. Brian was really making an effort. "Let's go," he said taking Brian's hand.

They spent the afternoon in the Institute looking at all the great paintings. Seeing them through Justin's eyes made them much more interesting for Brian. As the afternoon wore on they were thinking of leaving when they noticed a special exhibit for Black History Month. It was the work of an African-American photographer named James VanDerZee. Justin grabbed a brochure and read to Brian:

"VanDerZee captured beautiful black women and handsome black men and pretty black children, pleated and pressed in their Sunday best, who through his lens rose above the poverty of their daily existence to display their true gifts of promise."

"Let's have a look," Brian said. Photography had always interested him.

They walked into the gallery and the first thing they noticed was a portrait of Bill Cosby as a handsome, debonair young man seated on a chair. He seemed to project all the things he would become later in his life.

"This guy had a great eye and amazing sense of style," Brian commented.

They moved on to portraits of Muhammad Ali and Cicely Tyson and other black actors. But most interesting were the portraits of people who were not famous, but were clearly dressed in their best outfits or shown doing their profession, like the group of boxers or the jazz musicians. Both of them enjoyed looking at VanDerZee's work.

By the time they were done they had to race back to the hotel, pick up their luggage and head directly to the airport. You had to check in so early now with all the security restrictions that they barely made their flight.

Once they were settled in their seats Justin leaned against Brian and whispered, "You were right, I loved it."

Brian smiled. "So did I."

"We should do this more often, just get away by ourselves."

"You're right," Brian agreed.

"Could we?" Justin asked amazed by this new, considerate Brian.

"What if we made a bargain that every time one of us has a special thing happen, like your art show, we do something to celebrate it?"

"This from the man who doesn't believe in celebrating birthdays?"

"You'll never let me forget that, will you?"

Justin shook his head. "Never."

"This is celebrating achievements, special moments," Brian explained.

"I'm in," Justin said decisively.

"You are?"

"Of course, what's not to like about this idea?"

"You're so agreeable," Brian smirked.

"When you are, I can be too."

Brian studied this smart, beautiful young man sitting beside him. He heard the truth of what Justin had said and renewed his determination to make sure that he was agreeable and that he would continue to show Justin how appreciative he was of what they had.

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