London Calling

Chapter 18

“Mom!” JR shouted as she spied Lindsay at the other end of the baggage area. “Gus!” she called out again, frantically waving her hands in the sir. Gus was at JR’s side in moments.

“Hey kiddo!” he said as he picked her up and swung her around. “Mama,” Gus said with a smile, and a hug and a kiss for his other mother.

“Sweetheart,” Mel replied, reaching up on her toes to kiss his cheek.

“How was your flight?” Lindsay asked as she gave her partner a hug and discreet kiss. She and Mel gazed into each other’s eyes for a moment, promising a better reunion when they were behind closed doors.

“Fine but long,” Mel said, making goo-goo eyes at her wife.

“Gag. Gus, I hope my room is down the hall from the moms. I do not want to hear them doing anything later,” JR complained and then laughed as she and Gus had both covered their ears with their hands in mock horror. The moms blushed.

“Let’s find your bags and get out of here. Hudson gets pissed if we’re late for dinner,” Gus counseled. Lindsay nodded in agreement.

“Hudson?” Mel and JR said as they exchanged looks but hurried to retrieve their bags.

With Gus pushing a luggage cart, he led the way out of the airport and to their waiting car.

 

*****
 

“Well, fuck me,” Mel said as she stood outside the stately London townhouse, looking up with awe. “Damn, when Kinney does something, he does it right,” she said, not realizing that she just paid her arch rival a compliment. Lindsay, JR and Gus didn’t mention it either.

“We better go inside; it’s almost seven,” Gus reminded them, as he and Nathan took the bags indoors.

“Seven? What happens at seven?” Mel asked.

“Dinner, madam. Dinner happens,” Hudson said in her clipped and efficient manner as she appeared beside them. Mel jumped, looking the formidable woman up and down and thinking better of confronting her. “Ms. Marcus, I am Hudson. Please don’t hesitate to call me if you have any questions or concerns during your stay here. You and Miss Lindsay have fourteen minutes before dinner is served,” Hudson announced as she briefly checked her watch.

“Miss JR, allow me to show you to your rooms. I’m sure your brother will direct you on how we dress for dinner,” Hudson instructed.

Melanie’s eyes grew wide as Lindsay took her elbow to immediately guide Mel up to their rooms. Gus winked at Hudson as she turned to lead the way to the set of rooms that were designated for JR. Gus and John had picked them out especially for the girl. The rooms were large, spacious, and filled with just enough lace that would make a young woman feel special. The full canopy bed was fit for a queen. Or at least the daughter of two drama queens.

“Eleven minutes,” Hudson announced as she disappeared down the hall. She smirked at the sound of shutting doors and frantic movements.

“Hudson, are you sure you don’t have a twin sister that I can lure back to the States with me?” Brian asked as he came out of his room smiling conspiratorially and dressed sharply for dinner.

“I’m afraid not, sir,” came the reply.

“A brother?” Brian teased.

“No, I am an only child,” Hudson revealed.

“Damn! I wonder if they’ve perfected cloning,” Brian mumbled as he fell into step beside the housekeeper as they walked through the house and into the dining room.

 

*****
 

“It’s good to have you here,” John said as he gave Melanie a hug before sitting down at the table. “And you, young lady, I’ve missed you,” he said to JR.

JR beamed at him. “I missed you too, Uncle John.”

“And that’s just the way it should be,” John said with a grin. He gave her hand a squeeze. “How do you like your room?”

“I feel like a princess,” JR told him. “It’s beautiful.”

“Gus and I thought you might like it.”

“It couldn’t be better. This house is so beautiful.”

“Thank you, young miss,” Hudson said as she had entered the room and directed the staff to start serving the soup.

“Mm, this is delicious,” Melanie said as she took a sip of the soup. “My compliments to the chef.”

“He will be most appreciative of the compliment,” Hudson said. “I’ll be sure to tell him.” She left the room to make sure the main course was progressing satisfactorily and to pass on the compliment to Cook.

“I could get used to living like this,” JR said, while savoring her soup. “I bet you don’t have to do dishes or make beds.

“Nope,” Gus said. “It’s a life of luxury for me.” He grinned at everyone at the table.

“Don’t get too used to this lifestyle, Sonny Boy,” Brian admonished. “In a couple of weeks you’ll be back at Penn State with your roommates who are happy to live in a pigsty.”

Gus groaned. “You would have to remind me.”

“That’s a father’s job,” Brian smirked.

“How come you don’t have staff at your home, Mr. Kinney?” Ray asked.

Brian arched a brow in surprise. “I never wanted outsiders mucking around.”

“He’s happy to have me do it,” Justin said with a chuckle.

“I…” Brian began. “Sunshine, do you want help? I could…”

“Brian, I’m teasing. I don’t want outsiders mucking around in our business either,” he reassured Brian. “I like our life the way it is.”

“Yeah, but Ray’s right. You’re very busy and…”

“Brian, enough. I don’t want servants,” Justin said adamantly. “But it’s nice to have them while we’re here.”

The maid wheeled in the main course and started clearing the soup dishes. Brian looked around the table and wondered if maybe he was being unfair to Justin. Justin did most of the housework back at Edna’s Treasures. Brian helped some, but the majority of the work seemed to be Justin’s responsibility, and now, Justin was a world famous artist. Brian leaned back and studied his husband.

After a minute or two, Justin felt compelled to say something. He leaned towards Brian and said, “Brian, stop staring at me. I’m going to have a hole through my head if you don’t.”

“I’m not using my Rage powers,” Brian tried to joke.

“I do not want servants,” Justin said staring into Brian’s eyes.

“Are you sure?”

“One hundred percent.”

“But, have I been unfair to you?” Brian whispered.

“I would have told you if you were.”

“Yeah, I guess you would,” Brian said reflecting on his husband’s words. The days of Justin not speaking his mind were long gone.

“You know I would, now eat your meal and stop staring.”

“Yes, master,” Brian joked, using one of Justin’s lines.

Justin chuckled and dug into his own food.

 

*****
 

“That was fucking fabulous,” Melanie said as she pushed her chair back a little from the table. She had really enjoyed the crème Brule for dessert. “Have you been eating like this every day?”

“Pretty much,” Bobby replied.

“I may not want to go back home.”

“We’re all going home soon, aren’t we, Poppa?” Patrick asked.

“In a week or two,” Bobby said. “Are you getting homesick?”

“I miss my room and my friends,” Patrick said.

“But you’ve had fun here, haven’t you?”

“Yeah, most of the time,” Patrick admitted.

“You’ve been very quiet tonight, Squirt,” Brian said. “Are you homesick too?”

“I miss Ashley,” Bree said with a sigh.

“You had to ask, didn’t you?” Justin said to his husband.

“Oops.”

“Big oops.”

“Dada…” Bree began.

“Here it comes,” Justin whispered.

“Yes, Squirt.”

“Can we go the park and play soccer with Ian again?”

“Sure,” Brian said in surprise. “But I thought you just said…”

“Shut up, Brian,” Justin whispered to his mate. “She’s not talking about Ashley, so leave it be.”

“Right, of course, certainly. The park it is … tomorrow.”

“Yay!” Bree replied.

“Let’s go into the living room,” Justin suggested. “Hudson will bring tea and coffee in there.”

They all stood up and started to make their way out of the dining room.

“Thanks,” Brian said wrapping his arms around Justin from behind.

“When are you going to learn that Ashley is a taboo subject unless we want major temper tantrums?” Justin said with a laugh.

“Never, I guess. I seem to fall into that trap all the time.”

“Do it again and you’ll be on a plane with Bree back to the States.”

“Not unless you’re with me,” Brian stated taking a nibble at Justin’s ear.

“You are a sweet talker, Brian Kinney.”

“I do my best.”

“And your best is just about perfect.”

Hand in hand they walked across the foyer to the living room and their waiting family.

 

*****
 

“Mmm, I miss this,” Melanie murmured from between Lindsay’s thighs. They were curled around each other’s legs after a very satisfying and noisy round of lovemaking.

“I missed you,” Lindsay said as she pillowed her head on Mel’s inner leg.

“I missed you too,” Mel said with a goofy post-coital dreamy eyed look. “When’s the main event?”

“The exhibition opening? Thursday, for special guests, the press and dignitaries, Friday for us commoners.”

“Commoners?”

“Us ordinary art lovers and patrons. The ones without a title in front of their names.”

“You sound almost angry.”

“I guess maybe I am. I’m used to the regular snobs that patronize the gallery. The ones that have more money than Bill Gates or think they do or the ones like Sarah Kingsley with a lineage that dates back to prehistoric man,” Lindsay griped making Mel laugh.

“It can’t be all that bad,” Mel said as she gently caressed Lindsay’s leg and rubbed a foot.

“Yes, it can be. Justin and I have both taken comportment lessons.”

“What the hell is that?”

“How to bow and curtsey. Who is a ‘my Lady’ and who is a Lord. It’s ridiculous but when in Rome...”

“You mean, when in England.” Lindsay nodded. “Is it really that important?”

“Maybe not so much for me. All I get to do is stand around, talk about art and persuade people to buy a Justin Taylor original. It’s been harder for Justin but you now how he is.”

“He doesn’t complain, he just does it.”

“Exactly. And to top it all off, Brian goes off and merges.”

“What?”

“You heard me. Somehow he found a small advertising agency that was barely keeping its head above water. Two seconds later, Kinnetik Isles,” Lindsay declared with a snap of her fingers.

“Kinnetik Isles? Wait, don’t tell me, the owner is Irish.”

“Yup. It threw Justin for a while there, until Brian could convince him that they weren’t spending anymore time here than is necessary. They both want to go back home as scheduled.”

“Was Justin really that worried?” Mel and Lindsay always had protective feelings toward Justin from the minute they first met him.

“Yes, he’s become very distracted at the gallery.”

“Are you sure that’s it?”

“What do you mean?”

“He and Brian looked quite lovey dovey at dinner. It was all business as usual. Justin would have said something to Brian if he was really worried. He’s become a very confident man. He doesn’t take any shit from Brian.”

“You’re right; he would have called Brian out on it. Maybe it’s this show; the hype is so different from his other shows.”

“But Justin has always behaved with dignity at all his openings. He’s naturally charming and those country club manners of his go far. I can’t believe he’s worried about any possible faux pas. Is he behaving strangely anywhere else? From what you’ve told me on the phone, you’ve been doing a lot of sightseeing. Speaking of which, when are you going to show me your drawings?”

Lindsay blushed. “I told you about them, didn’t I?”

“Yes, you did and we promised each other that we were going to share our private pursuits, didn’t we?” Mel said as she sat up to take Lindsay’s hands in hers. “Lindz, I don’t care if you’ve been drawing stick figures for the past two weeks. I just want to be a part of it.”

Lindsay smiled as she nodded then retrieved her sketch pad from the bedside table to hand to Mel. Melanie carefully opened the pad to peer inside.

“Where was this done?” Mel asked as she gazed upon an angel’s face.

“The cathedral at Salisbury.”

“It’s beautiful. And this?” Mel pointed to a sketch of a Roman statue.

“Bath.” Lindsay took out her camera to show Mel some of the places they visited. Mel laughed. “What’s so funny?”

“Brian would manage to find a way to take Justin to the baths.” Mel chuckled at the picture of Brian and Justin mugging for the camera in front of the ancient baths. “I wish I could have been with you,” she whispered.

“I know. But honestly, that day was the exception. Justin and I have been at the gallery practically every day since we arrived. I’ve been living vicariously through Gus and his pictures. Gus, he grows more and more like Brian every day.”

“You think so? He’s nothing like Brian.”

“Maybe not the one we knew a long time ago but the Brian we know now. Mel, Brian’s all grown up. He’s wonderful with Gus and Ray and Bree and Patrick. And you know how much JR loves him. They wouldn’t want anything to do with him if he wasn’t such a good man. He’s gotten past his upbringing and his old Liberty Avenue ways.”

“He can still be a stubborn arrogant know it all son of a bitch when he wants to.”

“Of course he can; he wouldn’t be Brian if he wasn’t. But it’s tempered by wisdom and a lot of love.”

“Why do we always wind up talking about Brian?”

“Because sometimes it’s all about Brian. Now what have you been up to since I’ve been away?”

“Um, you may think this is silly but I’ve been thinking of taking some night classes.”

“Night classes?”

“Well, some are at night and some are on the weekends.”

“What kind of classes?”

“Creative writing classes. I tried to do things on my own and I found out it’s a lot harder than I thought. I get an idea but I don’t know how to put it down on paper. So I thought I’d start with the basics. Silly, huh?”

“No, I think it’s a great idea. When do you start?”

Melanie beamed at Lindsay’s support. “In February at the GLC. A professor from Carnegie Mellon is donating his time.”

“Wait, it’s not Ben, is it?”

“No, I checked. That would have been too weird. But he is one of Ben’s colleagues.”

“Are you all right with that?”

“Yeah. I am. I thought I’d be nervous or frightened but I’m not anymore.”

“Frightened? You’re beautiful, successful, and respected in your field. Mel, what have you got to be frightened about?”

“I’m scared that one day someone will see past the bravado and find out that I’m not the confident woman I pretend to be. But the real thing that scares me is that one day you’ll finally realize that you can do better than me.”

“Oh Mel, never. I know we’ve had some rough patches but I know in my heart that we’re finally solid. I love you and more importantly, I like you. You’re my best friend.”

“I thought Brian was your best friend.”

“He is but in a different way. I want to share things with you. I want you to be proud of me. Brian loves me no matter what.”

“So do I.”

“I know, but you and I can share this,” Lindsay said as she wagged her finger back and forth from herself to Mel and back. “We can sit like this, half naked, before, during and after making love, and talk. I can’t do this with Brian.”

The girls cracked up with laughter.

“Probably not. Lindsay, if I haven’t said it before I’m saying it now. I am so very proud of you and what you’ve accomplished. You know, I hate to admit it but Brian has been right about something for a very long time.”

“What’s that?”

“That it’s not birthdays or superfluous holidays that warrant celebration, but it’s our accomplishments that do. One day Sidney is going to retire and your name is going to be over the door of the gallery. And maybe we’ll be celebrating an opening of your own show one day.”

“And maybe one day I’ll be shopping at the bookstore and it’ll be your book in the window.”

“Does that mean we have to postpone any celebrating until then?” Mel asked with a twinkle in her eyes. Lindsay slowly slid her hand down Mel’s chest, cupping a breast then pinching her nipple until it was taut and peaked.

“I think there’s no reason to wait until then,” Lindsay purred as they laid down for their next round of lovemaking.

 

*****
 

“You ready for opening night?” Brian whispered as he kissed a path down Justin’s body. He grabbed Justin’s legs and threw them over his shoulders.

“Yesss,” Justin hissed, as he felt the blunt tip of Brian’s cock breach his entrance. “I’m ready,” Justin murmured to questions asked and unasked.

“You’ll be brilliant,” Brian declared as he slid himself deep within his lover. He waited a moment until he felt Justin relax then Brian began to thrust, angling himself to hit Justin’s sweet spot.

“Open your eyes, Sunshine,” Brian commanded with a low throaty growl. Justin struggled to open his eyes to stare into the lust filled eyes of his lover.

Beads of sweat formed on Justin’s brow while he hung onto the sheets as Brian slammed home time and time again.

“Look at me, Justin,” Brian purred as Justin’s eyes began to close. “See me.”

“I love you, Brian,” Justin gasped. “Can’t hold on.”

“Let it go. Come for me, Justin!” Justin came with a loud grunt; Brian came not too far behind him.

When Brian caught his breath and opened his eyes, Justin was already gently snoring, his legs still hooked over Brian’s shoulders. Brian chuckled softly, kissing the nearest hairy calf as he eased Justin’s legs down onto the mattress. With a soft towel, Brian cleaned his lover then himself then crawled next to his mate, covering them both with the blankets.

“I love you, Brian,” Justin mumbled in his sleep as he snuggled closer to his spouse.

Brian smiled. “Love you too, Sunshine,” Brian whispered as he kissed the top of Justin’s head then followed him into sleep.
 

Return to London Calling