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Brian was sitting at his desk in the auditorium, waiting for class to start. He was thinking about the conversation that he had with Justin a few days before. Justin had impressed Brian in the last few days with insightful commentary on Brian’s lectures and consistently creative ideas. The class had its first assignment due today, and Brian couldn’t wait to see what everyone, especially Justin, had thought up for his Freedom Diner idea. He had modeled the restaurant after Liberty Diner, told the students in what section of town it was, and let them draw their own conclusions about how to promote a gay-themed diner. Brian heard a few of his students enter the auditorium, talking excitedly. All seemed eager to show their first ideas to their professor. Brian watched Justin walk in with his portfolio and his box of art supplies. Brian could still remember the night they had spent together in his loft. He could still recall the way Justin had taken in every inch of Brian’s body. He should have known that Justin was an artist when he saw those intense looks. When Brian was sure the entire class was present, he began to walk to each student one by one. He took each person’s written proposal to look at later, but took the time to study each artist’s ad idea. He was impressed by only a small amount of the work. Brian asked the students to critique at certain points during the review. He asked the class to point out problems that they saw, and Brian would either agree with their statements or argue another point. He seemed to be bringing up good points to the class, but it still had to be humiliating to have to go through that criticism. Justin became more and more nervous as Brian got closer to his seat. He had seen some of the other students’ work and was intimidated by some of the creative ideas. Some of the ones that Justin had admired the most were the ones that Brian just dismissed. Justin hoped that his idea would get a favorable reaction from Brian. “Morning, Professor,” Justin said as Brian collected Justin’s written proposal. “Morning. Let’s see.” Justin took out his ad for Freedom Diner. He had inked the inside of a fully packed diner. There were no detailed features on the patrons’ faces, but there were all shapes and sizes of people crowded into the diner. Each figure was painted in a bright watercolor of the rainbow. Brian studied the ad for a few moments. Justin could feel his hands sweating and quickly wiped them off on his jeans. “I like it,” Brian finally said. “Thanks,” Justin whispered. “But there are a few things wrong with it. Can anyone tell me what the problem might be?” The class was mostly silent on Justin’s work. He was glad that most liked his idea, but he was still dreading what Brian was going to say. “Well, the one thing that comes to mind for me is how will this ad look in black and white? I told you all that this was a local diner, so it stands to reason that this ad may be published in the local newspaper in black in white.” Brian turned to Justin and said, “You have to anticipate everything that the client may want. The only thing I would have done differently was to make a separate ad that could be run in black and white. If you had created both a black and white and a color ad, I would have given you an A on the artwork. Your style is fantastic, and I like the way you tried to included every walk of gay life in your ad.” Justine smiled at Brian, “Thank you,” he mumbled. Brian just nodded and moved on to the next student. Justin turned his attention to the next student’s work and tried to pay attention. While he was watching, he was thinking up another ad idea in black and white. He was determined to think of something. By the end of class, Justin had thought of a great idea. Brian poured over the students’ proposals after he grabbed a quick bite to eat at Chan’s, his favorite Chinese restaurant. There were a lot of very talented students this year. He found himself only correcting no more than a few things in each proposal. He better watch out or these kids will be taking over his job at Vanguard sooner than he thought. He was especially impressed with Justin’s proposal. He was glad now that he hadn’t insisted on Justin leaving the class. Justin had proved with this project that he was more than qualified to be in the class. *** Justin hunched over his artwork while Daphne scrutinized her advanced anatomy book. Justin hoped that Brian liked his new ad as much as he had liked the color one. When Daphne decided to take a break, she came to peer over Justin’s shoulder. “Freedom Diner? I thought you turned that in today.” “I did, but Brian had a problem with that one, so I’m going to create this one and show it to him tomorrow.” “What a jerk! He made you redo an entire project?” “No, he liked what I did. Really. But there were a few problems, and once he said what they were, I completely agreed with him. I’m doing this on my own time. He didn’t ask me to make something else.” “You’re crazy!” “Yeah, I know. But I just want it to be perfect.” “I still think you’re crazy!” *** Brian noticed that Justin was taking his time after class today. It was obvious that his student had something on his mind. Brian climbed the few steps up and sat on the back of one of the auditorium chairs right in front of Justin. “What’s on your mind, Justin?” “I was thinking about what you said yesterday about my ad.” “And?” “I completely agree. I didn’t think of the black and white print angle at all. So I worked on something last night.” Justin began to unzip his portfolio as he continued to talk. “I don’t expect you to accept it as part of the assignment, because it’s a day late. I just wanted to get your opinion on it.” Justin held up his finished ad, and Brian smiled. It was the same drawing he had done in color, but he had added facial expressions to the patrons and some outrageous clothing that didn’t need to be in color to tell you they were over-the-top. “Perfect!” Brian said. “Brilliant! You used the same concept, so the ads are linked in color or not. You don’t need the colors of the rainbow to tell you that this is not your average breeder diner. I absolutely love it!” Justin couldn’t help himself when he heard the praise from Brian’s lips. He wanted to kiss him. He leaned forward and brushed his lips lightly over Brian’s. He wasted no time pushing his tongue into Brian’s warm mouth to explore. Brian began to relax into the kiss and return Justin’s passionate kiss. They both got lost in the kiss and forgot where they were. Justin absentmindedly brushed his fingers down Brian’s maroon dress shirt. He tugged lightly on Brian’s tie as if to pull Brian closer, but there was no way for Brian to get any closer unless he jumped into Justin’s mouth. Brian was the first to pull away. “We can’t do this here.” “Where then?” Brian was conflicted. They shouldn’t just not do it here; they shouldn’t do it at all. This was Brian’s student. He couldn’t risk his teaching job. “I can’t do this. I’ll lose my job.” Justin sighed. “You are the best fuck I’ve ever had. I want to recapture that.” “Ahhh, stroking my ego. Good plan.” “Is it working?” “A little,” Brian admitted. “Come back to my place. My roommate won’t be back for another two hours. We’ll have the place to ourselves. Please…I want you so much.” Brian was surprised when he heard himself say, “OK.” He usually didn’t give in to begging and stroking his ego. Maybe he should just admit to himself that he had also been trying to recapture his night with Justin. Justin had worked his body expertly that night, and he was eagerly anticipating exploring with him again. *** Justin and Brian arrived at Justin’s apartment in record-breaking time. Justin fumbled with his keys while Brian was behind him, kissing his neck. “You’re distracting me! I can’t get the fucking key in the f…” The key slid home at that moment and Justin burst through the door and pulled Brian in behind him. Justin slammed the door shut and pushed Brian against it. Brian moaned into Justin’s mouth as Justin clamped down onto his lips. Brian’s hands traveled the curves of Justin’s body as if searching for just the right valley to settle into. His hands finally found a home at Justin’s firm ass. Brian had to admit to himself that he had thought fondly of this ass more than once since he had met Justin. Justin’s hands were doing some wandering of their own over Brian’s hips, chest, shoulders…everywhere that he could reach. Justin began to loosen Brian’s tie and unbutton his dress shirt. He wanted to get to Brian’s skin. “You’re wearing too many clothes!” Justin complained before pushing off Brian’s suit coat. “Be careful! That’s Armani!” Justin laughed at Brian’s reaction, but he pulled away and folded Brian’s suit jacket neatly on the edge of the couch. “Is that better?” “Much. Now come back over here.” Justin walked back to Brian and leaned in to kiss him more slowly and sensually than they had been moments ago. Brian matched his less intense kiss as they lingered just inside the door. Brian was rapt to the gentle sucking motion of Justin’s mouth on his. Justin pulled away from Brian’s lips and began to kiss slowly down Brian’s sensitive neck. He spread apart the already unbuttoned dress shirt and leisurely caressed Brian’s chest and stomach. He grazed the tips of his fingers over Brian’s stomach, slightly tickling Brian. His stomach muscles fluttered in response. Justin’s strong fingers moved across Brian’s tense back muscles. Years of art had strengthened Justin’s fingers perfectly. Brian could feel the tensions of the day and any moral objections he may have still had melt away with Justin’s massage. Brian couldn’t remember why he had ever thought of stopping Justin. Justin’s fingers then roamed back to Brian’s stomach as he began to unbuckle Brian’s belt. “Is this Armani too?” Justin murmured, lips still pressed against Brian’s neck. “Mmmm, Donna Karen,” Brian barely responded. Justin moved to place Brian’s belt with the discarded suit jacket. When he turned back, he looked at Brian who was leaning against the door with his eyes closed and his opened shirt framing the bare skin of his chest and stomach. Justin could see how hard he was through his soft pants. Justin licked his lips in anticipation as he stood there transfixed. “You’re so beautiful, Brian.” Brian’s eyes opened slowly, and he smiled at Justin. Justin had never seen someone so confident. Most people when complimented on their good looks get self-conscious. Brian took the compliment with a simple smile as if he knew without a doubt that Justin was right. Brian never seemed full of himself, though. There is a dangerous tightrope between confidence and obnoxious egotism. As far as Justin could see, Brian never lost his balance. Brian reached out to Justin, pulled him close, and kissed his forehead. “I assume there are other rooms to your apartment, or are you going to keep me in the living room the entire time?” “No, I definitely want to get you to my bedroom very soon.” “Lead the way, Justin.” Justin led Brian down a small hallway to his room. Brian looked around Justin’s room. It was slightly disheveled. There were art supplies and a few piles of dirty clothes scattered around. Brian’s eyes were caught by a few of Justin’s personal pieces of work. There were a few canvases hung neatly on the walls. A few were abstracts, but the nudes were more breathtaking. Brian walked toward one in particular. It was a male figure reclining on a bed. The entire canvas was painted in variations of the color green and broken into fragments like stained glass. “I’ve never seen any of your non-commercial work. This is great. I love it.” “Thanks.” Brian walked around the perimeter of the room with his hands clasped behind his back. He took in each work as Justin squirmed behind him. He hated people critiquing his work, and with Brian also being a teacher, it was even more uncomfortable. He tried once to distract Brian with a kiss, but he pulled away and continued to look around. After Brian looked at the last canvas, he turned to look for Justin and found him squirming under the scrutiny. “You shouldn’t be so self-conscious. These are fucking amazing! Have you shown your work?” “In a few student shows, and a few times at the Gay and Lesbian Center downtown. A couple of coffeehouses too.” “Do you sell a lot?” “Enough.” Brian smiled. “Good. I love to see talent recognized.” “Which is your favorite?” “This one,” he answered, pointing to the green nude. Justin just nodded taking in Brian’s answer. Brian pulled away from the canvas, remembering his original intent. He began to kiss Justin’s lips, tugging the full bottom lip into his mouth. Justin moaned faintly. Brian responded by intensifying the kiss, pushing his tongue softly into Justin’s mouth. He lifted the edges of Justin’s dark blue sweater, so he could touch Justin’s skin. He pulled out of the kiss to drag the sweater up and over Justin’s head. Justin continued the kiss while he pushed Brian’s shirt over his shoulders. Brian unbuttoned the cuffs for Justin. Justin took the shirt and folded it neatly on his chair. Also Armani, he noticed. They pressed their now bare chest together and kissed deeply. Brian’s hands went to work on Justin’s jeans, while Justin’s did the same with Brian’s pants. The material of Brian’s pants was incredibly soft. Justin didn’t own many nice clothes, but he grew up in a nice upper-middle class neighborhood. He could spot designer clothing by texture, sight, and cut. Brian clothes were expertly tailored for his body. Everything was snug enough to show the lines of his incredible body without being vulgar. Justin and Brian toed off their shoes and pulled their pants off. Justin made a show of folding his jeans as neatly as Brian folded his pants. Brian noticed Justin impersonating him and swatted Justin’s arm. He was laughing at Justin, so he didn’t take it too personally. Brian was wearing tight, seamless, black boxer briefs, and Justin was wearing plain white briefs. Both men were obviously hard and completely turned on by the other in his underwear. Brian shed his briefs a moment before Justin did. The afternoon sun came in through the opened blinds in Justin’s room. Blocks of bright sun reflected off their now naked bodies. Brian traced the outline of the bright patches on Justin’s skin. “You fucking glow,” he said softly. He leaned to kiss the center of the patches on Justin’s pale skin. Justin sighed, feeling the soft licking and sucking of Brian’s mouth on his body. “That feels so goooood,” Justin’s voice trailed off as Brian’s mouth surrounded his cock. He slowly began to draw his lips up and down over Justin’s hard on. Brian kept the rhythm slow and steady. Justin was close to an intense orgasm when Brian stopped. “I don’t want you to come yet.” Justin lifted his heavy-lidded eyes to Brian’s face and just nodded. “Lie down on the bed,” Brian instructed. Justin flopped down on his bed and looked up at Brian with adoration. Brian pulled some lube and a condom out of his pants. He then climbed onto the double bed and crawled toward Justin’s body. He opened the lube and applied some to his fingers. Justin watched as Brian lifted up his legs and brought his fingers closer to Justin’s hole. Justin moaned as one of Brian’s fingers entered him. Justin had thought that this would be just a quick fuck. They had been so intent on getting into the apartment, and the first kiss at the door was so unbelievably intense. Then Justin brought the pace down to a slow and sensual one, and Brian hadn’t seemed to mind the change in pace. Somehow that change of pace had made it seem not as much like a quick fuck to Justin anymore. He felt that Brian was enjoying every inch of his flesh as if he were cataloging every response for next time. Justin was hoping that there would be a next time. He was beginning to think that he and Brian might have a chance at a relationship. Both of them admired and respected the other’s work, body, and quick mind. It had been a while since Justin had felt like anything more than someone’s good fuck for the night. Brian realized that Justin was more than ready for him. He pulled out his fingers and rolled a condom over his erection. He applied lube and entered Justin. He kept up the languid pace they had set earlier. Is this what heteros call “making love”? Brian didn’t care anymore. He was enjoying this young man’s body beneath him. He enjoyed watching Justin’s eyes close as he groaned. He enjoyed leaning to kiss his lips, neck, shoulder, whatever he could reach. Brian wasn’t in any hurry for this to end. He remembered the first time he was with Justin. It had been much more frenzied. Once Brian had entered Justin, it was a furiously paced fuck. This was nice, comfortable, sweet even. Justin looked up at Brian and caught him staring with a strange look on his face. Not strange-bad, but strange-sweet. Justin didn’t say anything to break the moment. He continued to look back at Brian. He closed his eyes for a moment as he came closer to his orgasm, and Brian said, “Keep your eyes opened.” “Why?” Justin said, breathless. “I want to see your eyes when you come.” Justin got closer and closer, and Brian kept his eyes focused on Justin. He couldn’t remember seeing anything as amazing as Justin’s struggle to keep his eyes opened. It was like the world was too intense for him at that moment. Brian could see more signs that Justin was close. His ass muscles tightened around his cock a few times, his body temperature felt warmer, he could see a blush rising across Justin’s chest, his breathing quickened, he grabbed fistfuls of the sheets, his eyes wanted to close. Finally, Justin began sighing Brian’s name over and over quietly. Brian allowed Justin a moment to close his eyes. “Open, Justin.” “Fuck!” Justin opened his eyes again. He came almost immediately. Watching and feeling Justin’s orgasm run through him brought Brian to his own orgasm. Brian collapsed onto his elbows on top of Justin. Brian could feel Justin’s hot breaths against his neck. Brian had curled his face into Justin’s shoulder, kissing his chest and shoulders. He then settled his cheek against Justin’s chest, listening to Justin’s heart slow down.