Taking Care of Business -
Author: Elsa Rose
Plot Bunny: Luscious Lois
Brian sat on the sofa, Justin’s head on this thigh, his left hand idly played with the silky blond strands as they watched television together. Most people they knew were under the impression that the two men spent each evening fucking when they weren’t at Woody’s or Babylon. They would, no doubt, be surprised to know that they usually spent a few hours working; Brian on work from Kinnetik and Justin on whatever art piece he was creating. About ten o’clock they would take a glass of wine to the living room, and watch something on television until eleven when they would shower together and go to bed.
It was funny but when they crawled in between the cold clean sheets, the first thing they would do was cuddle close, letting their body heat warm one another. While they cuddled, they would discuss the day, remember old times, or talk about the future. Often they would spend more than an hour talking in the dark shadows of their bedroom, before lips would touch, and they would lose themselves in a lazy, loving fuck. It was a great way to fall asleep. Brian would never have believed after an endless lifetime of wild, hot fucking, how satisfying their midweek sex life was.
When the new day signalled its arrival and the first one woke, his morning wood pushing insistently against the belly or ass of the other, they would indulge in a fast, hard fuck, full of laughter and teasing before they would once again relax for a few minutes of talk before their morning shower.
It was good times in the Kinney-Taylor household. Both of them were comfortable with one another despite bets taken by family and friends that they wouldn’t make it, or hearing snarky remarks made by a certain long-time friend of one of the Kinney-Taylors.
The phone rang and they both ignored it; letting the answering machine take a message. If it was urgent, they’d call back. “Kinney-Taylor loft, leave a message, one of us will get back to you.” Justin had recorded the message the other day in deference to the fact that for some odd reason, he was constantly ignored as being a co-inhabitant of the once famous loft. Brian just laughed, but was secretly pleased each time he heard the message and had taken to calling a couple of times a day to leave Justin messages.
“Justin, it’s Michael, I need to talk to you. It’s important, can you call me tomorrow, please?”
“Mikey is calling for you?” Brian laughed. “That’s different.”
“It’s fucking weird,” Justin commented before losing himself in the television show again.
The next morning Justin was concentrating on finishing up some boards Brian wanted for a client he was meeting with, when Michael interrupted him by standing in front of his desk.
“Hey Michael,” Justin said absently. “I think Brian is in a meeting right now.”
“I asked you to call me.” Michael stood on one foot and then the other, obviously nervous. “You haven’t called.”
“No shit.” Justin looked up again, and noticed Michael looked funny to him. “Well, I’ve been busy. I would have called when I had time.”
“I need to talk to you.” Michael looked over his shoulder to check who might be listening.
“So talk.” Justin stood back holding the boards at arms length checking them over.
“I can’t talk here.”
“For fuck sake Michael, why not?” Justin glared. Michael was by no means his favourite person. In fact, the two of them made a conscious effort not to talk to one another. Now, all of a sudden it’s important and the guy wants to talk.
“Justin, please, I need to talk.” There was no hint of the usual whine in his voice, but rather a hint of pleading. It was the pleading tone that caught Justin’s attention.
“Sure,” Justin stood up, put the boards down and headed out of the art department and down the hall. Michael had to jog to catch up with him.
“Where are we going?” he asked breathless.
“To the executive washroom, it’s the only place in here that I know of where we can talk.” Justin unlocked an unmarked door and let himself in. Michael quickly followed.
“Hey, cool bathroom.” Michael looked around at the black marbled room complete with shower.
“Yeah, Brian likes to do everything with style,” Justin laughed, though his laugh sounded a lot like a giggle.
“I need you to help me with something. I’ve enrolled at Carnegie Mellon and I’m taking marketing. It’s a two year degree.”
Justin, who had been relieving his bladder, almost splashed on his shoes. “Pardon me?” he said just barely catching himself in time.
“I’ve decided that if I want to make Mikey’s Comix’s a success, I need some marketing skills. I checked out all those courses and things from the community college, but they aren’t really what I want. I want a degree.”
“No shit.” Justin was staring at Michael as if he’d grown two heads. “And what does this have to do with me? Why not ask Brian, he has a degree in marketing. I have a degree in fine arts. It isn’t even close.”
“But you could have had a degree in anything you wanted. You got fifteen hundred on your SAT’s for fuck sake.”
“How do you know that?” Justin couldn’t believe this conversation. It was as if he’d taken acid or something.
“Brian, he’s always bragging about you. Hell, he barely knew you back then, but he was still bragging about you. It was damn irritating.”
“You really know how to make a guy feel like helping you out,” Justin snorted as he washed his hands.
“So I was thinking, if you could act kind of like a tutor to me. You know… help me out so that I can at least get a passing grade. I would really appreciate it.”
“What’s in it for me?” Justin asked as he looked at Michael’s reflection in the mirror.
“Justin, come on, you’d be helping me out. I want to make a success of the comic book store. Brian lent me a lot of money to open it. So you’d really be doing Brian a favour, because without this degree, the store could fold and his money would be gone.
“Brian leant you money?” Justin glared at Michael. Brian had never said a word to him about this. Of course, he didn’t tell Brian everything he did with his own money, he could hardly expect his partner to do anything less. Maybe the two of them should have a heart to partner’s heart talk about sharing assets.
“Yeah, and you know Brian, he’d only let me pay him back if the business was doing okay. He’d never ask for a cent or even expect any money if the comic book store goes bust. “ Michael dropped the pamphlet from Carnegie Mellon that he’d been holding all the time he’d been talking to Justin. He bent over to pick it up and in doing so, managed to slip on the tile floor and ended up on his back. “Fuck, fuck, fuck. I pulled my back out.”
Justin rolled his eyes, but helped Michael up off of the floor. “Turn around, I’ll snap it back into place.”
Brian was about to unlock the door to the executive washroom when he heard Michael’s voice. “Oh, oh, oh, fuck that feels good,” Michael panted. “Juuuuuustin.” Then there was a pause, “Thanks Jus, that was amazing. I didn’t know you could do it so good. Look can you come over tomorrow?”
“No problem, Brian never comes home before eight anyway. I’ll be over about six, that’ll give us an hour or so before I have to go home.” Justin washed his hands and opened the door. “Hey Brian, how’s it going?” he leaned up and kissed Brian’s cheek.
“What are you doing Justin?” Brian asked as he looked at Justin and then at Michael.
“Just taking care of business. Later.” He waved his fingers at his partner and headed back to the art department.
“Mikey?” Brian asked.
“Sorry Bri, I have to get back to the store. I’ll catch you later.” Michael walked as quickly as he could, his legs slightly bowed from the cowboy boots he was wearing for the first time; the boots that made him slip. Brian watched his friend as he painfully got on the elevator. He shook his head and turned away, he definitely was going to have a chat with Justin about fucking friends.
In three weeks, Justin had managed to get Michael to at least be able to keep up with his homework. He’d worked on an intense schedule with the older man and it was exhausting him. Not to mention the fact that he hated to keep things from the man he loved.
“Justin, do you have something to tell me?” Brian asked as he idly flipped through the day’s mail. He was surprised to see at Justin home. Lately, he’d not appeared until almost eight every evening disappearing from Kinnetik as early as three in the afternoon.
“I finished the Bradley boards,” Justin said as he searched through the fridge for something to make for dinner. “And I picked up your dry-cleaning. You know you really could wash your own shirts.”
“But who would press them?” Brian asked doing his best not to be distracted by Justin’s ass in the air.
“You could. I know you know how,” Justin laughed, coming up with the makings of a salad. “I’m going to make us a salad with grilled chicken breast for dinner.” He knew there was no point in suggesting anything resembling carbs. It was too close to seven.
“But that’s why I earn a decent living so that I can pay someone else to iron my shirts.” Brian came up behind Justin and wrapped his arms around him. “Now young man, did I tell you that it’s nice to see you home early?”
“It’s nice to be home early,” Justin laughed. “Do you want a beer?” he knew Brian wanted to know why he was home and what he’d been doing lately. The hints had been getting broader as each day went by, but he’d promised Michael he wouldn’t say anything and a promise was a promise, no matter how stupid it was.
“Okay. Hey, did you hear that Mikey has met someone?” Brian thought maybe changing the subject would let him get another chance at questioning his elusive blond.
“I heard something about it,” Justin admitted. “I guess the guy is a professor at Carnegie Mellon.” Justin shrugged. “I don’t know what a professor would see in good old Mikey.”
“Opposites attract, look at you and I?” Brian teased.
“Intellectually, we’re evenly matched.” Justin shot a mini glare at Brian. “Even considering your age.”
“What the fuck does age have to do with it?” Brian railed.
Justin smiled, good one, he congratulated himself. Brian would now be forced to forget about his former line of questioning. He hated being reminded of their age difference.
“Hey Jus, Ben is coming over tonight to help me. You’ve got the night off.” Michael leaned back into the brawny arms of his professor as he spoke to Justin.
He was in his second semester at Carnegie Mellon and managing to maintain a B average thanks to Justin and now his very own professor.
“Thank gawd,” Justin said. “Brian is getting more and more pissed at me. Why in hell this had to be kept a secret, I’ll never know.”
Brian had enough. He wasn’t going to go through a repeat of the fiddler. Admittedly, Justin was as loving and affectionate as always. Not like before, when he’d done his best to avoid Brian each night he’d appeared late. There was none of that this time. Maybe he’d showered first, Brian didn’t know. Tonight he was going to find out what was going on with his blond lover.
Accordingly, Brian took off from Kinnetik early to set the stage. He made a macaroni and cheese casserole for dinner, Justin’s favorite even if it was packed full of useless carbs. He set the table and lit some candles. Selecting his outfit, he made sure he was wearing his thinnest, oldest pair of jeans, which hid nothing from the imagination, topping them off with an open white dress shirt. Judiciously, placed dabs of cologne and he was all set for his lover’s arrival.
While he waited for Justin, Brian scrolled through some old files on his computer. It was time to get rid of stuff that was cluttering up the hard drive. One file caught his eye; it was something Justin must have written though who knows why.
My favorite things about B:
1. Trust. I trust him with everything I have. He never lies to me, ever, no matter if the truth hurts me.
2. He never makes a promise he can’t keep, no matter how trivial that promise might seem to someone else.
3. Forgiveness. I’ve hurt him badly learning to be the man I am now, yet he forgives unconditionally.
4. Love. The love B shows for his son is deep in his heart. The love he shows for his friends never wavers, the love he shows for me sears my soul.
5. Tenderness. B has a tender soul, he cries with me at sad movies, and gives generously to charity, even though it’s always anonymously. He doesn’t know I know this, but I know everything about him.
6. Kisses. I could write a book about his kisses. I want them all, I hate to share, and it’s why I can’t kiss anyone else with any kind of feeling. I merely go through the motions and it shows. So many kinds of kisses. When Brian leans over and kisses my cheek, I know he loves me. He does it without thinking when we get in the car, or when we’re standing in line waiting for a movie. When he comes up behind me and kisses the top of my head, no words, just the feel of love or when he leans down and kisses the back of my neck, sending shivers through my body and then his soft laugh that follows, his teasing ‘I love you’ kiss. Our first kiss, now that kiss will be engraved upon my very being. It was all consuming, his mouth tender, yet firm as his tongue probed, the touch going directly to my dick. Since then I’ve had that same kiss a thousand times from him, each one like the first, each one filled with a passion that I like to think no one else has ever felt.
At first, when I’d see Brian kiss his friend Michael, I’d flare up with jealousy, and then one day I watched them closely. With Michael, Brian’s lips merely said hello. His body, his facial expression, were almost neutral, unlike when he kisses me. When he kisses me, even the most casual of kiss, his face and his whole body shouts that he cares and loves me.
When he kissed me the night he learned the truth about E, his heartbreak shouted into my very being with those kisses, and in turn broke my heart more than any words could ever have done. I’ll never forget the feel of his lips that night; I’ll never forget the pain.
The night I made him realize I wasn’t going anywhere despite his cancer, those kisses, were special too. He showed me how much he wanted me to be with him. The kisses that happened that night and many nights after showed me how much he needed my love. Brian Kinney, whose job is the manipulation of words, can only truly express himself in the touch of his lips.
That’s where the kisses come in, when we make love. There are the primal, hard, passion filled kisses when we fuck, and the soft, tender, worshiping kisses when we make love. I count myself twice blessed when I get both in one night. Brian Kinney is the master of expression of his true feelings; it’s in his kiss.
Brian read and re-read the words, occasionally brushing away moisture from his eyes. The door to the loft began to slide open and he quickly shut down the computer, walking swiftly to the center of the room.
“Hey Brian,” Justin said with a grin. He looked around. “Do I smell macaroni and cheese?”
“Yes, I thought you could use something filling tonight.” Brian folded Justin into his arms. “You may need to keep up your strength,” he whispered.
“Oh,” Justin laughed his head snuggling in close to Brian’s chest. He loved it when his lover’s strong arms held him close. Not that he’d ever tell Brian that. Justin grinned when he felt him kiss the top of his head.
Brian could feel Justin relax and kissed his hair again. He couldn’t help it, the blond strands smelled of the man he’d grown to love and the outdoors. It was an intoxicating scent. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“I’m glad I am too,” Justin laughed. “Let me change out of these clothes. I feel all sweaty from work. Hey, where did you disappear to so early, I was going to take you out for a drink after work.”
“I was taking care of business,” Brian smiled. It was one of Justin’s favorite replies when he’d disappeared the last few months.
“Yeah, well I’m your business, old man.” Justin reached up and kissed Brian’s lips tenderly. “You know, I’m going to be home on time from now on. Thanks for trusting me, Brian.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Brian replied, though they both knew he was lying. “I’ll pour you a glass of wine while you change.”
Two years later
“Hey Mikey,” Brian said as he looked up from his the work he was doing.
“Hi Brian, I have something for you and Justin.” Michael clutched two envelopes in his hand. “Is Justin here today?”
“Justin is always here,” Brian smiled. “I think he’s keeping an eye on me.”
Brian reached for the intercom and called Justin. “Can you come to my office, Mikey’s here and wants to see us.”
“Sure,” Justin grinned into the phone. “Anything you say Mr. Kinney.” His voice was a purr; he knew it would travel to Brian’s crotch.
“Brat,” Brian laughed as he squirmed in his chair.
Justin walked into Brian’s office a few minutes later. “Hey Michael,” he said before heading around the desk to Brian. He leaned down to kiss his lover and found himself being pulled onto his lap.
“Now Mikey, what can we do for you?” Brian asked but not before kissing Justin soundly.
“These are for the two of you.” Michael handed them each a white envelope. “It’s an invitation to my graduation.”
“Mikey, graduation was a good many years ago,” Brian laughed. He began to open his envelope. “Fuck, you’re graduating from Carnegie Mellon?” he looked at his friend.
“I’ve managed to get a degree in marketing. I wasn’t the highest in my class, but I didn’t do too badly. I guess I can tell you now. It was Justin who got me started. He brought me up to speed in everything I needed. When I met Ben, he kind of took over. “ Michael looked at Justin. “Thanks again, Justin.”
Suddenly, Brian realized just what it was that Justin had been doing day after day two years before. He would never admit to either of them what he’d suspected.
Justin grinned at Michael. “I was just taking care of business Michael.” He knew that Michael would know that he meant taking care of Michael’s business so Brian wouldn’t lose his investment.
He didn’t get to say anything more, Brian’s lips had found his once more and it was obvious to all of them that this kiss was going to be a long one and would be followed by many more as clothing disappeared.
“I guess I’ll just lock the door on my way out,” Michael muttered shaking his head at his best friend and his lover. He’d never understand the two of them if he lived to be a hundred.
October 3, 2005