Still the One
Chapter 10
Justin, freshly showered, and modestly wrapped in his soft powder blue bathrobe
was toweling off his hair. Hearing his partner puttering around, Justin stepped
closer to the bedroom stairs. Brian also showered and as naked as the day he
was born was moving furniture.
“What are you doing?” Justin asked.
“Preparing,” Brian stated curtly.
“For
what?” Justin asked with some trepidation. Justin never knew what Brian had up
his, um, sleeve. The sound of the buzzer conveniently prevented Brian from
replying.
Brian
went to the intercom, listened to the doorman then instructed him to send up the
visitor. Justin stood frozen to the spot for a moment then rushed to retrieve
Brian’s robe. He was just about to scold his spouse as he handed Brian his robe
when Brian pulled back the loft door to allow in their guests.
“Ladies,
I believe you should have sufficient room to work here,” Brian drawled as he
showed two tall and very fit women to the spot he had cleared moments before.
The ladies ignored Brian’s lack of clothing as they began to set up two tables.
“What’s
going on?” Justin leaned in to whisper while still trying to get Brian to wrap
up in his robe. Brian took the robe then threw it on the back of a chair.
Justin rolled his eyes then looked upward for guidance.
“Massage,” was all that Brian said.
“What?”
Justin gave him an incredulous look.
“Massage. I hired a masseuse, two of them to be exact. I thought we could use
a little treat since we spent the last 48 hours burning up the sheets,” Brian
whispered back, giving his lover a provocative leer while pinching his butt.
The boys
had spent the past two days having the best make up sex ever and then making
love since they missed each other so much and then fucking because fucking was
just what Brian and Justin did best together. In between rounds the boys called
the cottage to let their family know all was well and would John and Bobby mind
taking care of Bree for a few days. Bree was delighted to hear that her parents
were back to normal and instructed them to take as long as they needed. In fact
the cottage residents as a whole were very happy that the boys had come to a
mutual understanding. Plans were hatched, Emmett consulted, and the wheels
began turning, setting into motion their wedding day preparations.
The boys
stood out of the way as the ladies removed their coats then began to set out
candles and aromatic oils to set the atmosphere. Justin, not usually
intimidated by anyone, was feeling a little vulnerable by the events and high
emotions of the past few days. He stood slightly behind Brian. Brian couldn’t
blame Justin, the ladies were almost as tall as Brian and had as many muscles as
Ben.
“Maybe I
should have invited Mel. I bet these ladies could…”
Justin stopped Brian by placing two fingers on Brian’s lips. Justin could well imagine what Brian was going to say. Fortunately the masseuses were ready and invited the boys to lay down on the tables.
Brian
smiled brightly as he hopped up onto the nearest table. Justin hesitated for a
second then went to the second table. The masseuse took Justin’s robe and
smiled kindly as Justin valiantly tried to keep his composure as he arranged
himself on the table.
Soothing
music in the background, relaxing scents wafting through the loft, the boys
allowed themselves to be pampered by the pair of highly skilled masseuses. The
groans of passion that had been reverberating throughout the loft for the last
two days were temporarily replaced by contented moans of appreciation.
An hour
and a half later a very languid Justin felt himself guided to the lounge chair.
Curled up in his plush robe, Justin drifted in and out sleep. In the background
his could hear Brian being the perfect host offering the masseuses refreshments
while he talked business. Justin had the presence of mind to crack open an eye
to check if his incorrigible partner was still naked. Fortunately Brian was
conducting his business in his robe. The familiar sounds of the coffeemaker and
tea kettle lulled Justin back to sleep. Unbeknownst to Justin, when the ladies
left they were well tipped, had appointments booked for chair massages for the
employees at Kinnetik and a prospective ad contract.
“Hey,
Sunshine, rise and shine,” Brian said as he gently shook his partner awake.
Justin scrubbed the sleep out of his eyes.
“How long
was I out?” Justin asked as he stretched.
“A couple
of hours,” Brian said.
“I’m
sorry, Bri, I didn’t mean to zone out on you.”
“No
worries, I checked my emails and read over a few contracts. Besides you needed
the sleep. I figured you’d be hungry when you woke up so I ordered some Thai.
It’ll be here soon.” The growling of Justin’s stomach proved Brian’s point.
“Why don’t you get the picnic blanket,” Brian suggested. Justin smiled
brilliantly as he went to set up floor space in the alcove. Their dinner was
delivered and the boys ate their favorite Thai dishes at a leisurely pace while
stealing kisses from each other.
“I have
another surprise,” Brian murmured as he nibbled Justin’s earlobe.
“More?
You’ll spoil me rotten.”
“So sue
me.”
“What’s
the surprise?”
“Patience, Sunshine,” Brian teased as he grabbed Justin's wrist to check the
time. Mentally he counted down, three, two, one.
“Helloo-ohh!” came from the vicinity of the door which was conveniently left
open. Emmett strolled into the kitchen. Justin jumped up to greet their
friend.
“Emmett!”
Justin shouted as he went to give Emmett a hug.
“Hiya,
Honey. Look at you, you’re positively glowing!” Emmett stated as he held Justin
at arm’s length to take a good look at the younger man. “Just beautiful,”
Emmett said with tears in his eyes. He drew in Justin for another hug.
“Honeycutt, hands above the waist,” Brian growled as he came towards them.
“Oh
psshaw,” Emmett retorted as he hugged Justin closer.
“Is our
dessert crushed somewhere in there?” Brian asked as he waggled his finger at
them.
“Over
there, Mr. Grumpy.” Emmett pointed to the kitchen counter. “You know with all
the sex that’s been going on in here you’d think he wouldn’t be so snippy,”
Emmett said to Justin.
Justin
just giggled. Everything felt normal again as if the tension of the past
several months had finally eased. The tightness in Justin’s muscles had finally
let up and it wasn’t due to his excellent massage. Something in their lives had
shifted. Justin caught Brian’s eyes, and he nodded. Justin knew Brian felt it
too. They were finally on the right path.
Brian
fumbled with the box that Emmett brought. “Oh let me do it,” Emmett groused as
he took the box that held a variety of treats out of Brian’s hands. Emmett then
rummaged through their cabinets to find the right platter to present their
dessert. Within minutes delectable sweet and savory pastries and cakes were
plated.
“It’s so
pretty,” Justin gasped.
“Not
bad,” Brian snorted.
Emmett
just shook his head as he bid them a good evening. “Don’t do anything I
wouldn’t do!” he said as slid the loft door closed. His grin widened as he
heard their good natured laughter.
“Sometimes all it takes is a fairy,” Emmett quoted as he rode the elevator down
to his apartment.
*****
March-April 2025
“Is Pierre on board?” Gus asked as he strode into Shane’s office. Pierre had
returned home, their conversations were taking place via the phone and the
internet so not to risk the attention of Max Jacobs.
“Yes, me
lad. After careful consideration, Pierre shall tactfully decline Max’s kind
offer.” Shane made quotes in the air. “I’d love to be a fly on that wall.”
“Me too.
What did Dad say about hiring some of Max’s people?”
“He’s
looking into it but he must be very careful. He might offer a position at
Kinnetik North. So far Max is avoiding Canada.”
“Maybe
Max doesn’t like snow,” Gus snarked. “What about Isles merging with Pierre’s
agency?”
“Your father is seriously considering that one but again we must be subtle. We don’t want to rouse suspicion,” Shane said.
Gus
nodded as he looked around Shane’s modest office.
“What is
it, lad? You’re looking a bit off.”
“My
tenure here is almost up, at least for this go around. I’m going to miss you
and your staff. You’ve all been so kind to me and I’ve learn so much from you.”
“And
we’ll miss you, but I’m thinking that young man of yours is counting down the
days until you walk off the plane. And I suspect that you’re missing him a
little more than you’ll miss us.”
Gus
smiled. “Yeah, Ray is some incentive to go home. But he loves it here as much
as I do. He’s giving my Dad’s offer some serious thought, so who knows you
might have to put up with both of us again sometime in the near future.”
“That’ll
be a pleasure,” Shane assured Gus. “Enough of this chatter, time to get to
work.”
“Aye,
aye, Cap’n,” Gus saluted with a smile as he left Shane’s office.
*****
Brian
stalked past the receptionist who wisely did not put up a fuss. He then
presented himself with an arched brow to the Silver Fox.
“Please
tell me all is well in the Kinney-Taylor household,” Alex exclaimed with an
exaggerated sigh. Brian smiled as he sat in a chair in front of Alex’s desk.
“Oh thank the gods! I don’t think I can take another Brian Kinney meltdown.”
Brian genuinely laughed. “Seriously, Brian, have you and Justin come to an
agreement?”
“Yes, we
have, and it’s more than I hoped for. Expect an invitation to our wedding.”
“Congratulations, I’ll be honored to attend. And I promise not to charge you
extra.”
“Very
generous of you.” Brian handed Alex an envelope.
“What’s
this? I haven’t had a chance to tally up all those midnight phone calls yet.”
“Open
it.”
Alex
opened the large manila envelope to examine the contents. He carefully unfolded
the papers then set them on his desk.
“What am
I looking at? Are these blueprints?” Alex asked, looking up at Brian.
“Yes,
they are. It’s a cottage. It’s just a basic layout; John can customize them to
your specifications.”
“My
specifications? Brian, what are you saying?”
“I’m
saying that if you and your partner want a summer home or getaway home, or home
away from home, you have a place on Edna’s Treasures Lane. We have plenty of
room on the lane, or if you prefer more privacy, we have a very large meadow
that will support a cottage.”
“But…”
“Just
think about it and when you come to the wedding we’ll give you a tour. Speak to
John, he’ll talk your ear off about cottages.”
“I will,
think about it I mean. Brian this is so generous of you.”
“Not at
all. Of course it means you’d be subjected to visitors popping in and out of
the lane at all hours. And we have our own beasts of hell that patrol the
lane. They’re the true rulers of the lane.” At Alex’s curious look Brian took
out his phone and pulled up a picture of Beau, Lady Lucie and Little Beau.
“Good
Gods, are they as big as they look?”
“Bigger
and just as fierce, but it’s all an act. Beau’s putty in Bree’s hands.”
“I’m sure
he is. Brian, are you sure about this?”
“Very
sure, in fact my family insisted. Now if you’re done hiking up my bill, I’ll be
on my way.”
“Hmm? Oh
yeah, sure. Bye,” Alex murmured unable to take his eyes off the blueprints.
Brian chuckled as he left the good doctor’s inner sanctum.
“I would
hold his calls for a while if I were you,” Brian suggested to the reception as
he strode out.
*****
Debbie
was finishing her morning coffee when Carl came into the small dining area in
their cottage.
"Morning,
sweetheart," he said as he poured himself a mug of coffee. "What's up for you
today?"
"I need
to go to the school for a meeting with Peter," Debbie replied as Carl sat down.
"Are you
making any progress with him?"
"It's
hard to say," Debbie said. "The principal keeps warning me that everyone had
failed in trying to get through to this kid."
"Meaning
that she thought you would likely fail too."
Debbie
nodded. "I think I was the last pitiful resort for Peter," she said with a
snort.
"I think
you've developed a real soft spot for this kid," Carl observed.
Debbie
shrugged. "There's something about him..." She didn't finish the sentence.
Carl
finished it for her. "...that reminds you of your lost boys."
"Yeah,
maybe that's it. But ... I see something more in him than he ever gets credit
for. He's not stupid even though he's doing lousy in school."
"And you
think you can help him?"
"He needs
somebody to believe in him."
"I just
don't want you to be disappointed if it all doesn't work out." Carl reached
across the table and gently rubbed the back of Debbie's hand.
"I know,"
Debbie sighed.
"Try...
try not to get too involved."
"But he
needs someone to be involved."
"You'll
do what you think is best. Just be careful."
"Okay,"
Debbie said as she mulled over all the things she might be able to do for Peter.
*****
Carl
dropped his wife off at the school and headed to the community center for a game
of pool.
Debbie
walked into the school office wondering which Peter would be at their meeting
today - the surly, silent one or the one who had shown an interest in thatched
cottages.
"Mrs.
Horvath," the secretary called, "Mrs. Bain would like to see you before you meet
with the student."
"Oh? Is
something wrong?" Debbie asked.
"I don't
know. Mrs. Bain just told me to send you in to see her as soon as you arrived."
"Can I go
in?"
"Let me
make sure," the secretary replied as she picked up the phone and spoke a few
words. "Go right in." She indicated the door to the principal's office.
"Debbie,
good to see you again," Mrs. Bain said waving towards the chair on the other
side of her desk.
Debbie
slipped her coat off and sat down. "What's going on?" she asked.
"I wanted
to inform you that I had a visit from Peter's father a couple of days ago."
"He
doesn't want me working with his son anymore, does he?" Debbie said feeling a
big weight bearing down on her shoulders. She had really wanted to help this
boy.
"No,
that's not it," Mrs. Bain replied. Debbie looked surprised. "He's being
transferred for his job."
"But..."
"I know.
It is kind of sudden, but there's a history of Peter and his father moving many,
many times."
"But
Peter never said anything about it," Debbie said.
"I doubt
he knew about the transfer the last time you saw him."
"I
thought I might be making a little progress with Peter, but now..." Debbie felt
sad that things were going in this direction.
"I called
you in here to give you the option of halting your meetings with Peter. I know
how easy it is to get attached to someone you're trying to help, so if you want
to stop now, I'll let Peter know that you won't be coming back," Mrs. Bain said
slowly and carefully.
"You
sound like my husband," Debbie said.
"Well,"
Mrs. Bain said with a stunned look on her face, "that wasn't the response that I
was expecting."
"I'm
known for being unpredictable," Debbie said with a small smirk.
"So, do
you want to meet with Peter today?"
Debbie
considered her options, wondering if it might be best to cut things off
immediately and be done with it. Then it occurred to her that if Peter had
moved around as much as Mrs. Bain said, then he had probably had many instances
of people cutting off their relationships with him. No wonder the poor kid was
so screwed up.
"I want
to meet with Peter," Debbie said firmly.
"Are you
sure?"
"One
hundred percent."
"Then go
meet Peter. He's already in the conference room."
Debbie
stood up and grabbed her coat. She was almost out of the office when Mrs. Bain
called to her. "Debbie, I wouldn't mention that you know about Peter moving.
Let him bring it up."
Debbie
nodded and strode out of the office standing up straight and gearing up for a
not very pleasant meeting with Peter.
"You're
late," Peter said when she entered the room.
"Hello to
you too," Debbie snapped.
"Um,
sorry, I'm just used to you being here when I get here."
"Mrs.
Bain wanted to speak to me."
"About me
moving?" Debbie nodded. "Did she tell you that this will be the fifteenth time
I've moved since I started school?"
"That's a
lot. It sounds like you've kept score."
Peter was
thoughtful for a moment. "I would like to stay someplace for a few years. That
way I might make a friend."
"Just one
friend?"
"I'd
settle for that."
"I like
to think I'm your friend."
"You're a
little old to go skateboarding with," Peter said with a rueful grin.
"There
are different kinds of friends."
"I know,
but it would be nice to have someone my own age that I could hang out with."
"Maybe in
the new school you'll find someone," Debbie suggested.
"That's
what everybody thinks each time we move, but it never happens. The boys have
all been together for years and they don't want an outsider butting in."
"And the
girls?"
"That's
like advertising that I'm gay. That would be the kiss of death."
"Maybe
there will be a gay/lesbian club in your new school."
"There's
one in this school, but I never tried it," Peter admitted.
"Maybe
you should try it in your new school. You want friends to hang out with, that
could be where you find them. Forget about the cliques that are already
established. Make one of you own."
"Easy for
you to say," Peter replied shaking his head.
"Listen,
I know what I'm talking about. My son is gay. He had a hard time in school ...
until he found a friend."
"And did
he find this friend in a gay/lesbian club?"
"There
was no such thing when he was in school."
"Ah, the
good old days ... which are exactly the same as the good new days."
"They
don't have to be," Debbie said gently.
Peter
shook his head and didn't reply. They sat in silence for a couple of minutes.
"What did
you think of the cottages?" Debbie asked deciding they needed to move on.
"Oh,
yeah, I brought the folder back." Peter rummaged around in his backpack and
pulled out the folder that John had made about some of his cottages. He handed
it back to Debbie.
"So, what
did you think?" Debbie asked when Peter made no further comment.
"They're
interesting. Some of them look really historical and some are quite beautiful."
"John
does excellent work. He's very creative with problem solving."
"I wish I
was," Peter said in a whisper.
"I
haven't mentioned this before, but John Anderson is very successful ... and he's
gay?" Debbie stated.
Peter
raised his head and looked Debbie in the eye. "You think that matters?"
"I
thought it might."
"Well it
doesn't," Peter said defiantly.
Debbie
drew in a long breath. She didn't want to fight with Peter. "John would be
happy to meet you. I thought you might like to show him your drawings."
"He
wouldn't be interested."
"You
don't know that."
"Nobody's
interested in me."
"Then
what the fuck am I doing here if I'm not interested?" Debbie grabbed her coat
pretending to get ready to leave. She hoped Peter would call her bluff.
"Okay,
okay, sit down." Debbie raised an eyebrow and remained standing. "Please
sit down," Peter amended.
Debbie
sat. "Would you be willing to meet John?" she asked.
"I'm
going to be moving in a few weeks, and ... I doubt the school would let me meet
an outsider."
"Could
you get your father's permission?"
"Probably, he doesn't care what I do."
"I'd like
to take you to the lane and show you my cottage. You could see John's other
cottages on the lane and I'll introduce you to him."
"Can you
do that?"
"I have
no fucking idea, but I'm going to see if I can make it happen."
"If
anybody can make it happen, I bet you can."
Debbie
beamed at him. "Get your dad's permission and let me take care of the rest."
"Okay,"
Peter said as the bell rang. He headed off for his next class.
Debbie
sat for a moment in the conference room. She needed to collect her thoughts
before she broached all of her plans to the principal.
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