Lois, thank you for the beta...you are the greatest!
Author’s Comments: Ok, just in case you read the last chapter, and you don’t remember who Kip Thomas or Adam Lyons were, and you want to check your QAF season 1 DVDs...Kip Thomas storyline is in season 1, episodes 13 & 14, and Adam Lyons appears in season 1 episode 21. And now the story continues…
Chapter 30 – The Painting Later that Afternoon…(Day 43) Justin stopped by his loft and quickly changed into comfortable cargo pants and a tee shirt. It was definitely time to go to his studio and paint. Lost in the realm of unsorted thoughts, Justin quickly arrived at his studio. Once he was locked securely inside, he immediately wrapped himself in Brian’s Armani shirt. Justin took a moment to savor the feeling of Brian’s essence was still trapped within the fibers of the shirt. For Justin, painting in one of Brian’s shirt, meant that Brian wasn’t far away. And right now, Justin needed to feel that Brian was close. Justin’s unsorted thoughts intruded. So he placed a new canvas on the easel and began to mix the paints so reflexive of those thoughts…for Justin knew, whatever he was thinking could best be sorted out in paint. As he dipped his brush in white paint that would form the base coat for the canvas, Justin’s thoughts continued to race. Justin then began to make broad stokes of yellow paint on the canvas. So Kip Thomas had landed on his feet and was working for a major firm in New York. The world truly was smaller than Justin had realized, and Spyder was right when he said that New York City was just a small town. As Justin thought about Spyder and that New York would soon be his home with Brian, his brush stokes became softer as he changed to shades of blues and green. With his gentler stokes there was a momentary quietness to his painting. Who would have guessed that a ghost from the past would resurface after six years in New York City of all places? Kip Thomas, who made the first move to get Brian to fuck him; then when it happened, Kip used the fact that they were both gay and had fucked to ask for a promotion. When Brian refused, Kip filed a lawsuit against Brian and the Ryder agency for sexual harassment. Kip was out to totally destroy Brian for the supposed betrayal. Back then, Brian would have been ruined and would have lost everything. The broad strokes resumed again as he remembered what Kip had tried to do to Brian. And Justin once again picked up the broad brush and dipped it in the red paint and crisscrossed the canvas again. The brush strokes like Justin’s thoughts moved on. Justin found a way to fight back. Without ever saying a word to anyone, Justin had recognized Kip and seduced him. Then Justin made Kip believe that he was under age and that his father had imprisoned for ten years the last person with whom he had been involved. Justin promised to never tell his father about he and Kip being together if Kip would agree to drop the lawsuit against Brian in exchange. The next day to everyone’s surprise, Kip simply dropped the lawsuit. No one ever knew why…no one seemed to care why. Justin shifted his colors once again, to the reddish gold colors as a small shape started to appear in the corner of the canvas. The image, like its painter, was trapped in the web of circumstance. And finally the shape came to a focal point…a moment of truth. While Justin continued to paint with the colors of victory, the yellows and golden colors were cast in fine strokes upon the canvas. And for six years, Justin never mentioned his part in getting Kip to drop the lawsuit. For six years, Justin hadn’t given his actions another thought. Until now, when he had come face to face with Kip Thomas again and been forced to remember. Now it looked as if Kip had once again aligned himself with someone powerful. Justin wondered if Kip still believed that he could still fuck his way to the top or if he had changed his ways. Justin realized that he and Kip were bound to cross paths again for the city was like a small town. Justin had to prepare himself for anything. Even worst, Kennedy & Collins was a major agency, and Kinnetik would be too, so Brian and Kip were bound to cross paths at some point. He had to figure out how to warn Brian. Finally, he had to wrestle with whether or not to tell Brian what had happened so long ago. For Justin had to wonder if Kip even remembered what happened…and if he did, would he mention it to Brian? And in the end the brush stokes gave way to the random paint scatter of uncertainty as the purplish droplets splattered over the golden tones. Finally it was done. The painting was complete. Justin had worked in all out in his mind. For the first time the painter took a step back to examine his masterpiece. One look at the raw emotion, emanating from the finished painting forced Justin to sit on the futon to take it all in. Justin once again approached his painting. He reached for one of the smaller brushes. As he signed and dated the painting, he knew at once what its title would be…The Secret. Justin had been painting for hours.
*** Meanwhile that Evening back at Justin’s loft…(Day 43) Brian had tried to distract himself with work and with Beam. But nothing could make him forget that he was in New York and that Justin still wasn’t home. Even worse, Brian had been unable to reach Justin all day. In typical Justin fashion, Justin had probably forgotten to turn on his cell phone, so at this point Justin could either be working with Spyder somewhere or even in his studio. Either way Brian didn’t want to disturb him, but did wish that Justin would simply call him. A knock at the door pulled Brian away from his thoughts. Brian hoped that Justin had simply forgotten his keys. He knew it was a false hope, but it didn’t change the momentary thought anyway. Brian checked the peephole and slowly opened the door. “Spyder, what are you doing here?” “I could ask you the same thing, Brian,” Spyder responded. “I thought you would be back in Pittsburgh by now.” “Hoping to get rid of me, were you? Come on in.” Brian said with a smile, motioning into the apartment. Spyder made himself comfortable, and Brian resumed his position in the chair with his bare feet elevated on the coffee table. “Is Justin here?” Spyder finally asked. “No, I hoped he might be working with you,” Brian responded. “Afraid not. I haven’t seen him since early this afternoon. He said something about being eager to get to his studio to paint, but I thought he might be home by now since I saw the lights on here. Of course, if I had known that you were still here, I wouldn’t have stopped.” “You know how he is once he gets into his studio. Time has no meaning. He must really be in the midst of something if he has his phone turned off. And unless he’s checking his messages, he doesn’t know that I’m still in town. He thinks I left for Pittsburgh this afternoon.” “Do you think he’s sleeping there? You know he did order that new futon for the studio the last time he was here.” “You know about that?” Brian asked with some surprise. “Yeah. He complained for months about how uncomfortable sleeping on the floor had been,” Spyder said with a smile. “That doesn’t surprise me,” Brian said with a sigh, “Are you sure I can’t get you anything? I was hoping that you and I could talk while we wait for Justin.” “Well, in that case, do you have a beer? I guess I can stay for a bit and talk.” Brian went to refrigerator and returned with a bottle of beer and handed it to Spyder. Brian poured himself another glass of Beam. “So how was your meeting this morning?” Brian asked, while making himself comfortable again in the chair. “You mean our meeting with Barrister, Wilkins & Evans?” Spyder asked. “You have to admit they’re one of the premier architectural firms in New York,” Brian reminded him. “That’s true,” Spyder acknowledged, taking a sip of his beer. “So did they really need a simple website?” Spyder immediately shook his head before he answered. “No, Taylor was right. It was a ruse. They wanted so much more, but I’ll let him tell you all the gory details,” Spyder said with a laugh. “I’m not sure I like the sound of that.” “Don’t worry. It’s nothing we can’t handle,” Spyder assured him. “That’s a relief.” “So Taylor doesn’t know that you’re still here. Why the mystery?” “No mystery. I needed to stay to deal with a few client issues here. It looks like I’ll probably be here most of the week. I have to leave by the end of the week though. Is that soon enough for you?” Brian couldn’t resist teasing. “Not really, but I’ve learned to work under adverse conditions,” Spyder teased back in response. “Liked having him all to yourself, did you?” “Who wouldn’t? He’s easy to work with and fun to have around. I’m sure you know that we hang out together. We watch out for each other. But anything more…would be a heartache waiting to happen. So you can relax. You have nothing to worry about.” “I wasn’t worried,” Brian assured him confidently. “Besides I watched you two this morning…” “What is that supposed to mean?” “It’s all there whenever you two look at each other,” Spyder pointed out. “Don’t act surprised. I’m sure you know that. You’ve been together what…six years. That’s a long time for a legend like you, Brian.” “Justin is nothing if not tenacious,” Brian said with a laugh. “I have noticed that. Lucky you,” Spyder added softly. They toasted each other by clinking their drinks and smiling again. “Brian, answer something for me?” Spyder continued. “Sure if I can.” “Why does an architectural firm need an ad agency? After all it’s not soap, toothpaste or cereal. You’re not trying to convince the buying public to buy something it doesn’t need. No one spends millions of dollars and several years on a project on a whim.” “No, the objectives of the ads are different. You talk about what they’ve done. The ads constantly showcase the projects they’ve done all over the world. And you let the readers indulge in the vision for themselves. You also show drawings that reflect their design philosophy. Then one day someone wants a building and their name is the only one that people can think of…their buildings become the only ones anyone can remember. Eventually they become the standard by which all others are judged.” “And advertising can do all that.” “Of course not. Ads can only do so much. The talent of the architects has to be there to begin with. They’re like artists. First they have to have the talent; then advertising in the right media can let people know all about them.” “I think I see. So are you going to handle the ad campaigns for Taylor’s career?” “He won’t let me,” Brian pouted, “Something about making his own way in the world.” “Oh that.” “Why did you ask?” “When Taylor and I were leaving our meeting with Barrister, Wilkins & Evans, we ran into two representatives from Kennedy & Collins. They were there for a meeting. It just seemed odd to me, that’s all.” “Kennedy & Collins is a major firm. I once wanted to work for them myself. They’re a really smart firm, but this isn’t the type of thing that they usually handle though. They must be expanding into new areas,” Brian said thoughtfully, “Very interesting.” “There are rumors swirling around that you’re opening a New York office. Is it true?” “Events do seem to be moving in that direction, although I’m not ready to make a public announcement yet.” “Understood…my lips are sealed.” “How did you find out?” “Remember I said this city was a small town. It lives on gossip. Let’s just say I’m well connected, and you’ve been spotted around town.” “Why should that be unusual? I have clients with offices here. Justin sort of resides here. I’m in and out of the city all the time. What’s so different about now?” “Now there’s a buzz about you,” Spyder pointed out. “I see,” Brian said pensively, “Do you know why?” “Look at you Brian. You’re gorgeous. Anywhere you move in the city you’re going to be noticed. You have the aura of success about you. And people already know who you are from the awards and everything. Let’s face it you’ve gotten quite a bit of press. And I’m sure that the deal with Eyeconics and Belluss Occhiali didn’t hurt your reputation.” “How did you hear about that?” Brian asked with some surprise. “You got the account that every ad agency in the world was after. You succeeded where every other agency had failed. You’re now on everyone’s radar screen…whether you’re in Pittsburgh or here in New York. That’s why there’s a buzz about you now. That’s why it’s now being noticed that you’re in town. Surely you see the difference?” “I guess I hadn’t thought about it that way,” Brian said reflectively, “Interesting.” Spyder gave Brian a moment for everything to register. Then he said, “Brian, I need you to do me favor.” “No, Spyder, I’m not going back to Pittsburgh so you have Justin all to yourself,” Brian teased. “Get over it!” “Will you give it a rest? This is important. I need you to make a courtesy call on Barrister, Wilkins & Evans. I need you to talk to Mitchell Evans. He’s one of the senior partners.” “I know who he is. Of course, I’d be glad to talk to him, but why?” “I suspect that the firm is in the market for a new ad agency. I believe that they’re just starting to meet with Kennedy & Collins. I want them to have a real choice. Does the name Adam Lyons ring a bell?” “I know him. He’s good. He’s one of the partners at Kennedy & Collins. He’s been there for a long time.” “Is he as good as you are?” Spyder asked pointedly. “Few are.” “That’s my point. I want Barrister, Wilkins & Evans to have the best and not to just get lost in a big firm. I suspect with Kinnetik that’s not going to happen…no matter how big you get. Besides, even if you don’t take him on as an account, you’re going need an architect when you relocate here. So you have nothing to lose by simply talking with him. After all, it’s just a courtesy call.” “Kinnetik is just a little firm. I think Barrister, Wilkins & Evans is a little out of my league for an architect…don’t you agree?” Spyder just sighed in exasperation. “Brian, in Pittsburgh, you turned a bathhouse into your corporate headquarters. I would say you were a person of vision. You’re just the type of client the firm likes to work with.” “How did you know what my corporate offices used to be? Did Justin tell you?” “You think that you’re the only one capable of hiring investigators?” Spyder teased, taking another sip of his beer. “So how much do you know about me?” Brian asked. “About as much as you know about me,” Spyder said with a sly smile. “Now what?” Brian asked. “Now nothing. Taylor expects us to get along. I’m not in the habit of disappointing Taylor…are you?” “I see you’ve had occasion to tangle with Justin,” Brian said with a laugh “The blond hair and innocent blue eyes are so deceptive.” Spyder said, and then he paused, “Now back to the topic at hand…will you make that courtesy call on Mitchell Evans?” “I’ll make the call. After all, one call can’t hurt. Just don’t expect too much. Without an office and staff here, it’s going to be hard to garner trust and compete with a firm the size of Kennedy & Collins.” “Oh I don’t know. They may surprise you. Especially since you know the right people,” Spyder said with a smile. “And that would be?” “Me…” Spyder said confidently. “Careful Spyder, your modesty is showing,” Brian teased. “I said this morning your nickname probably fit you. I see that I was correct. Is there anything you’re not into?” “Probably not. But let’s keep that our little secret.” Spyder said, searching in his pockets for something. “Here’s Mitchell’s card. I’ll call him and tell him to expect your call.” “Well, I guess I should be getting home. Can you have Taylor call me when he finally resurfaces?” “Sure. And Spyder, thanks.” “No problem.” “Ah Spyder, one more thing.” “Huh?” “How would you like a little distraction from website designs for a bit?” “What did you have in mind?” “How would you like to dust off the skills that earned you that PhD in the first place? The timelines are ridiculous. The client is impossible. But now that I think about it, you’re just what I need to pull this off. Perfect actually!” “Sure Brian…now I’m intrigued. And you think I can do this?” “Let me buy your latte tomorrow morning…” “So you know my weakness…” “And there’s a ride in the limo in it for you too…” Brian added in a tone usually reserved for bribing Gus. “Damn Brian…you are really good.” “Oh, did I neglect to mention that?” “Ok…ok,” Spyder said with a sigh, throwing up his hands in defeat, “I’ll do it…whatever it is.” “Good! Justin and I will see you in the morning,” Brian said, showing a smile of victory. “I trust you’ll reserve our usual table?” “See you tomorrow...but don’t forget to have Taylor call me,” Spyder said as he once again headed in the direction of the door. “Yeah, I’ll do that,” Brian agreed.