Before the Fall

Chapter 2

 

Bree sat on one of the hard plastic chairs of the GLC. She had a little plate of carrot and celery sticks and half a sandwich that Justin had got for her. Like the princess she was she surveyed her kingdom.

Her Gamma Joan sat beside her holding her juice box. The drag queens from the parade sat in a semi-circle facing her.

“You look very pretty, Richie,” Bree said.

“Thanks,” Richie replied as he fluffed his wig and grinned.

“I like your dress.”

“It was my very favorite. It’s chiffon,” Richie informed her, running his hand over the soft fabric.

“A lady always looks fetching in chiffon,” Danny announced.

“Is your dress chiffon, Mr. Danny?” Bree asked.

“Why yes, it is,” Danny said with a smile. His very red lips curled up at the edges. “How discerning of you.”

“I like chiffon,” Bree declared. “Your dress isn’t chiffon, is it, Auntie Emm?”

“No, sweetheart, this is a Chanel suit, and it most definitely isn’t chiffon.”

“Is it virgin wool?” Richie asked.

“That would be my guess,” Emmett replied.

“You look very nice with black hair,” Bree advised him.

“I have to confess that my girdle is killing me,” Emmett sighed.

“Mine too,” Danny agreed.

“I’m glad I don’t have to wear a girdle,” Richie said, “but these boobs get in the way of eating.” He took a careful bite out of his sandwich, holding the small plate above his finely crafted bosom.

Danny laughed,” The things we queens do for fashion.”

“It’s not as easy as it used to be,” Emmett admitted.

“Wait till you get to be my age,” Danny griped.

“Are you damsels finished gabbing yet?” Brian asked with a smirk. He stole one of Bree’s carrot sticks from her plate.

“Can I get a chiffon dress, Dada?” Bree asked.

Joan almost choked on her sandwich, Emmett grinned, Danny coughed to cover his laughter and Richie looked baffled. Brian looked around at the assembled group knowing that they had planted the need for chiffon in Bree’s head.

“You just got the new dress you’re wearing, Squirt,” he said trying to make her see that she didn’t need another new dress.

“But a lady looks fetching in chiffon,” Bree said batting her eyes at her father.

“Is that so?” Brian asked with a glare for the assembled queens.

“Yes, and I want to be a lady like Auntie Emm and Mr. Danny and Richie.”

“I don’t think you can be a lady quite like them,” Brian informed his daughter.

“But why not? I’m pretty like they are. I just need the chiffon dress.”

“I think it’s time to go home, Squirt,” Brian said.

Bree glared at her father, and the assembled ladies each took a bite of their sandwiches to stifle their laughs.

 

*****
 

“Hey, Justin, do you remember Todd?” Michael called out.

“Todd?” Justin asked, turning from the food table where he had just grabbed a sandwich.

“From the backroom,” Michael supplied with a chuckle.

“Oh, that Todd!” Justin said with a grin. “I didn’t recognize you.”

“Well, it has been a while and it’s not dark and I’m not naked,” Todd explained with a laugh.

“Yeah, that might be why I didn’t make the connection. How are you?”

“I’m good, living in Chicago.”

“Really? How did you end up there?”

“I met this guy … in the backroom. He was visiting from Chicago.”

“You found out about that…”

“While his dick was up my ass? Yeah, I occasionally talked,” Todd said with a shake of his head and a sheepish look.

“So, did you two hook up?” Justin asked.

“Yeah, he was going back to Chicago and he asked me to go with him.”

“And you did?”

“Yeah, and it was good for a while. Finally he just left one day, and I’ve been on my own ever since.”

“No boyfriends?” Justin asked.

“Every once and a while, but nothing very permanent. I don’t know how you and Kinney do it.”

“Most of the time I don’t either,” Justin laughed. “And Brian is totally bewildered by it all.”

“For being bewildered, you two look pretty happy.”

“We are,” Justin stated. “We have a nice home and two great kids.”

“Two?”

“Yeah, that’s our daughter Bree holding court over there.” Justin pointed to Bree and her circle of admirers.

“She’s beautiful,” Todd said. “She must be your daughter with that hair.”

Justin nodded and smiled. “She is, but she’s got Brian’s personality.”

“Shit! How did that happen?”

Justin laughed. “It’s beyond explainable. She definitely has her moments. She’s probably talking Brian into a shopping spree right now.”

Todd watched the little girl and the people around her. “I’m glad things worked out for you two,” he said.

“I hope you find someone soon.”

“That would be nice, but I don’t think I’ll find that someone in a backroom.”

“Maybe not, but I found my guy outside Babylon.”

“Yeah, lucky you. Good to see you, Justin, I better get going.”

“Aren’t you going to talk to Brian?”

“Nah, tell him I was here. I think it’s time for me to move on. This trip down memory lane is dragging me down.”

“I’m sorry,” Justin said sincerely.

“It’s not your fault, and to quote the master, ‘Sorry’s bullshit.’”

“See ya, Todd.”

Todd nodded and walked towards the exit doors.

“That was kind of sad,” Michael said. “I guess I forget sometimes how lucky we are.”

“Yeah,” Justin agreed before he headed over to his husband and little girl.

 

*****
 

“Was that Todd from the backroom?” Ted asked Michael. He had seen Michael introducing the man around. He thought the guy looked familiar.

“Yeah, he’s back for a visit. Lives in Chicago now.”

“I fucked him once,” Ted said proudly.

“So what? So did I.”

“You didn’t.”

“I did so. He was pretty … available … back in the day.”

“Yeah.”

They watched Todd leave the building.

“We sure did fuck around back then, didn’t we?” Ted observed.

“Yeah, but that was a long time ago.”

“It’s a wonder…”

“No it’s not,” Michael said vehemently. “We grew up. We got past all that nonsense.”

“Nonsense? That was our way of life back then.”

“That was Brian’s way of life back then … fucking everything that moved. We never came close to what he did.”

“But we would have … if we could.”

Michael scowled and went to find his husband. He didn’t need to be reminded of such things.

“What’s up?” Allen asked as he walked up to Ted.

“Nothing much, just reminiscing about the bad old days.”

“Do you miss them?’

“Sometimes,” Ted admitted. “But I like the good now days much more.”

Allen gave Ted a kiss before they went to get another sandwich.

 

*****
 

“Leaving so soon?” Brian snarked as he caught up with Todd before he left the building.

“Yeah, I think I outstayed my welcome.”

“What makes you say that?”

“What’s that old saying; you can never go back? I guess I tried coming back, but it’s not working.”

“Do you really want to come back? To the Pitts, I mean, leave big bad Chicago behind.”

“I was considering it. I really don’t have much to leave behind. The big city is too big for me. Too many temptations.”

“I get the picture. What do you do for a living when you’re...?”

“When I’m not getting my ass fucked off in a backroom somewhere, you mean?”

Brian merely smirked as he shrugged his shoulders. In the bad old days he had barely said two words to Todd and now he was carrying on a conversation like they were old friends. But something about Todd reminded Brian of things that might have been. He felt compelled to find out Todd’s story.

“That was a long time ago. My ass isn’t as young as it used to be. But to answer your question, I had my own landscaping business. Which may seem a little insane in a big city, but you wouldn’t believe how many people have a thing for rooftop terraces. And major corporations like to include small parks when they design new office buildings. But the competition is fierce, and I run a one man operation.”

“You don’t play well with others?”

“No, I play well, all right, except when I’m playing with incompetence. I’m very detail oriented. I mean how many times have you seen someone mow the lawn and you feel you have to go back to do it again.”

“My sentiments exactly. Um, so Todd, no one special back in ole Chi town?”

“Nope.”

“Fancy relocating?” Brian asked as he walked Todd out of the GLC and to the parking lot. Twenty minutes later Brian was back and looking rather smug.

“What did you do?” Justin asked with a suspicious tone.

“Moi?”

“Toi.”

“Oh nothing much, Sunshine. Just helping out my community,” Brian said with a straight face as he snaked his arm across Justin’s shoulder.

“Why does that scare me?” Justin stated as they went to retrieve their daughter and family, and prepare to go back to the hotel.

 

*****
 

Some hours later, Gus and Ray were relaxing at the loft.

“Thanks, Dad. Yeah, Gus and I will be here for the week. Okay. Where? Okay, I’ll let Gus know. Oh, Daaad. Yeah, I love you too. I’ll remember to call Jeff. Okay. Bye, Dad, say hi to Daddy for me. I’ll call him too, I promise. Bye.”

“Your parents are cool with you staying here instead of going back to New York for your PRIDE?” Gus asked as soon as Ray got off the phone.

“Yeah. Very cool. I’m kinda surprised. It almost sounded like Dad knew what happened.”

“You mean with your stalker.”

“Yeah, him. You don’t think...”

“What? That my Pop called them?”

“Yeah. Would he?”

“I’ve seen my Pop do a lot weird things. I wouldn’t put it past him. So yeah, maybe. You want me to call him?”

“No. Your Dad’s a real honest guy. I’m sure he’ll tell us.”

“So what else did your dad say?”

“He’s going to send my clothes to Kinnetik. I only brought enough stuff for a week. If I’m going to spend a month at the cottage, I’ll need more clothes.”

“That makes sense. We have a whole month together!” Gus exclaimed with a wide smile and a waggle to his eyebrows.

“Let’s not waste it,” Raymond said as he pounced on his boyfriend.

 

*****
 

“Dada, when do we go home?” Bree asked her father with a yawn. Brian was tucking her in for the night. Being a princess amongst all those queens was very tiring.

“Tomorrow, Squirt, after breakfast with the family.”

“Is Gamma Joan coming to breakfast?” Bree mumbled softly.

“Yes, she is,” Brian murmured back as he gently swiped a baby fine lock of strawberry blonde hair off Bree’s forehead. Brian had arranged to have brunch for the family in one of the smaller catering halls. He realized that there might not be too many more whole family gatherings left so he wanted to mark the occasion.

“That’s good,” Bree managed to say before she drifted off to sleep.

 

*****
 

“She asleep?” Justin asked when Brian got back to their bedroom. Brian turned the lock on the door so that they wouldn’t be disturbed by little people too early in the morning

“Yes, I...”

Justin put one finger to Brian’s lips to stop the unnecessary explanation. “There’s no need to explain to me, I’ve been known to indulge in that guilty pleasure on many occasions.” Justin knew that Brian had been watching their daughter sleep for a while. Brian merely shrugged.

“Bri, will you tell me what you were up to with Todd this afternoon? I’m not jealous, just curious.”

Brian stripped off his clothes and helped Justin divest himself of his so they could shower together. As Brian adjusted the spray, he related the conversation that he had with Bobby shortly after Memorial Day.

“I’ve been feeling a little useless lately. In case you haven’t noticed, Kinnetik does very well without me.”

“That’s only because you’ve chosen the best people to put in charge. It doesn’t mean you’re useless,” Justin said as he ran a soapy cloth over Brian’s back. “So what did Bobby suggest?”

“You know that lawn service we use?”

“The one when after they’re finished with the front lawn, you feel compelled to inspect and re-edge? That lawn service?” Justin snarked.

“Yes.”

“What about it?”

“Bobby suggested that I buy it.”

“Why? To torture the owner?”

“No. Bobby thinks I can use the exercise.”

“What?”

“He thinks I’m bored and I should take up gardening as more than just a hobby.”

“And you agree with him?”

“To a point. I enjoy puttering in our garden.”

“That’s obvious.”

“And I get some sort of weird pleasure working on Emmett’s, and even your sister’s. I even enjoyed the work I did on Muncherville. But like many landscaping services, they also provide winter services. I am not about to go out to shovel. But I would like to see a landscaping service that really takes pride in what they do and has some unique designs to offer. I hate cookie cutter gardens. But when I start a project, I do it right or I don’t take on the project at all.”

Justin laughed. “You’re anal like that.”

“And so is Todd; no pun intended. He confided to me that he runs his own one man landscaping business in Chicago but he’s having trouble competing with the big boys. So I offered him...”

“You offered him the opportunity of a lifetime. Can we afford to take on a new business?”

“According to Theodore we can, but I’ll put it in my name just in case.”

“Brian, we do this together. I’m not concerned.”

“Whatever you say, Sunshine,” Brian said with a devilish smirk as they rinsed off then got out of the shower.

“Shall I name your new enterprise? You’ve let me name your other businesses.”

“Before I’m accused of becoming staid, I think we’ll break with tradition just this once. I’ll name it,” Brian said as he took pleasure in drying his mate with one of the hotel’s thick towels.

“And what shall you call your new landscaping and garden center?”

“I think I shall name it The Sunshine Garden and Lawn Center,” Brian announced smugly. Justin laughed. His blazing smile warmed Brian’s heart and hardened his cock. “Do you approve?” Brian asked as he nudged Justin onto the bed.

“Yeah, I approve,” Justin replied as he kissed his lover while he suggestively caressed Brian’s dick. “I really approve,” he said as he rolled over, positioning his ass perfectly for Brian.

Zeroing in on Justin’s delectable ass, Brian murmured, “Me too.”
 

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