In the Begining Part 16 ------------------------------------------------- "Hey Brian" "Hey yourself" Brian walked over to the liquor cabinet and poured two inches of Beam. "Rough day?" "What makes you think that?" "Oh I don't know, maybe your flavor of Koolaide." "You the Beam police now?" "Tell you what, Brian. You go back out the door and come on in again. You need a retake on this scene. Strangely enough I'm not the bad guy here just the innocent young boy who's making dinner and trying to carry on a simple `how was your day ` kind of conversation." Brian walked over to where Justin was preparing dinner put his arms around him and kissed the top of his head. "I'm sorry Baby, I had a set back in the Babylon thing the lawyer called just as I was leaving the office to tell me the news." "What happened?" Justin returned Brian's hug. "The other investor I told you about is getting cold feet. He may back out and I would need to double the investment if I continue with the deal. I'm just not prepared to make that kind of commitment." Justin knew what this investment meant to Brian. Buying Babylon was a way of legitimizing the time he spent there. Not to mention that being the owner was a kind of `fuck you' to the Pittsburgh gays who thought of him as just a pretty face with only one interest besides advertising. "You go shower and change into your jeans and come on back down. You can sit here and look pretty while I get dinner ready." Justin gave him another kiss, already distracted by the ideas flowing through his mind. "Good thing I kind of like you Brat, or I'd resent the fact you want me for my looks not my brain." "I want you for you dick, your looks and your brain are just extra icing." Justin swatted Brian on the ass as he walked past on his way up to shower. When he heard the shower running, Justin began to make a few calls. The first call to his lawyer to set in motion his plan and the next to the manager at Babylon to continue it. "Hey, Sap, it's Justin Taylor" "What's up Justin?" "I was talking to Emmett today and he said one of your boys quit without notice." "Happens all the time in this business Justin. Most of these guys are in it for the tips to help pay for their body shaping habit or keep themselves going while they try and break into acting or something. A commercial shoot comes up and they are out of here." "You always seem to have all the spots filled, the club looks great Sap." "I manage - no pun intended - tonight will be harder `cause it's Monday and not too busy. Usually I can find a fill in among the guys in the audience. They are into the admiration of their fellow queers and think it'll be a great idea to dance for me while getting looked at by all the hot guys and then they find out it's work. You try dancing all night under everyone's scrutiny, it's work all right." "That's what this call is all about. I want to dance for the rest of the week as one of the boys. Say three nights in the main room and three night in the bar." "Justin, I'd heard you've been in an accident. This job is hard work, you have to dance in the heat not to mention all the second hand smoke you'd be sucking up all night. There's no going when you're tired, the dancers don't stop until four. Each shift is four hours of hard work. And Justin, unless you've changed since last week, Charles Atlas you're not." "Sap, I know I'm not a steroid queen, but you know I can dance, I have the ten years of dance lessons engraved in my memory permanently. Besides, young blonde boys have a certain appeal to some guys." "Yeah, Kinney can back you up on that one." Sap laughs. "It's just for six days, I need it `cause I'm doing research for a project. If I suck tell me and I won't continue." "OK Justin, six days only. Why do I think there's something you aren't telling me? Justin, this favor is because of Peter, after it's over - we're square." "Sap, you don't have to do this because of Peter. I don't do something for someone expecting to be repaid." "I know that Justin, I need to do this for my own repayment satisfaction." "And Sap, thanks, I really do appreciate this. One more thing, no matter who asks, you hired me to dance just like you would anyone. The six day deal is between you and me and know one else is to know especially Brian." "Justin as manager for the main club in Pittsburgh, I see and hear more stuff than you can imagine and nothing leaves this club about anything that happens here. See you tonight for the ten o'clock shift. Come early to fill out the paper work and have you locker assigned. " Justin had barely hung up the phone when Brian walked down the stairs. "Who was on the phone?" "Just Sap from Babylon, he called in a favor and I said yes." "What favor and yes to what?" "He needs a fill in dancer for a few days and wanted me to do it." "He wants you alright and no you are not dancing at Babylon." "Brian, Sap only needs me to dance, I do that anyway when I'm there, the only different part will be that I'm doing it in one of the cages. I'm a big boy now daddy and can make these decisions all by myself." "Justin I don't freaking want you dancing half dressed for every queer in Pittsburgh to watch." "Yeah, well I don't like you getting your dick sucked by every queer in Pittsburgh. So we both have issues - deal with it." Brian glared at Justin as he walked past into the living room. He flung himself down on the sofa staring mutinously at the television. "You're kind of cute when you pout." Justin walked behind and kissed the top of Brian's head. "I'm not pouting." "Love the way your bottom lip sticks out like that." "My lip doesn't stick out." Justin walked around and stood in front of Brian. Brian looked down at his lap avoiding Justin's eyes. Justin walked up onto the sofa, his legs planted on either side of Brians. He slowly undid the zipper of his jeans letting them fall below his hips. Brian was doing his best to ignore the head of Justin's semi erect cock that was peaking out from the waistband of his underwear. Brian's nose was level with Justin's cock, it started to twitch and Justin watching the nose grinned. "Crap, you little Brat, you put cologne in your fur. What's with that?" "You never know when you have to get your man to let go of the pouts" Brian grabbed him around the waist, lifted him up depositing Justin in his lap. "Justin, what am I going to do with you? You won't listen to me, you tease me all the time and now you want to dance for Sap. You knew I wouldn't like it, why are you doing it?" Justin reached up with his bad hand and pulled Brian towards his lips. "It's a mystery Brian, it's a mystery." Brian wasn't too happy when Justin was getting ready for his first shift at Babylon. He had to stay home with Molly and he didn't like the idea of Justin going off to dance without him watching his back. Justin walked over to Brian as he was leaving, leaned over and kissed him gently. "I'll be OK Brian, it's only for a few nights. I'll be dancing for the crowds and everyone can look, but you are the only one who can touch and when I come home at night, I'm coming home to you because I want to." Brian whispered to the closing door. "Careful, Baby, I love you." Michael, Ted and Emmett were standing on the catwalk watching the dancers when Ted noticed the young blonde in a cage high over the dance floor. "Isn't that Justin?" "Where?" the other two looked around finally spotting Justin dancing completely oblivious to his surroundings. "Does Brian know?" asked Emmett. "How the fuck do I know," whined Michael. "I have to make a call" Michael left the catwalk to find a quieter spot for his call. Ted and Emmett looked at each other then raised their hands in a high five and grinned. "Almost like grade school." "Only with cell phones." "Imagine the time the average tattle tale would have saved had there been cell phones when we went to school." "What do you want Mikey, I'm busy." "Do you know where your little fuck buddy is tonight?" "I know where Justin is if that's who you're talking about." "He's at Babylon dancing in the cage." "And I care because?" "Brian" whined Michael, "he's supposed to be your boyfriend." "Justin's relationship with me is none of your business Mikey, I thought I'd made that crystal clear some time ago." "But Brian, he's here at Babylon." "Well, I'm here trying to get some work done. What's your point?" "Come over here and make him stop." "Justin is a big boy Mikey and big boys play by their own rules. Justin will come home when he's ready. And know what Mikey, I like him all hot and sweaty I'm sure we'll manage to keep busy once he gets here. Now go find some other person in the playground to tattle on." Brian hung the phone up pissed at Michael for telling tales and pissed at Justin for dancing. The rest of the week didn't go much better. Brian found that staying home and thinking about Justin's antics was better than actually watching. When he watched he wanted to squash all the guys stuffing money in Justin's shorts like bugs. Driving Justin home with Justin all full of energy and excited about his tips while he could cheerfully have strangled him to shut him up was more than he could stand. To top it off he had a meeting next week with the lawyer about Babylon and he figured another dream of his would be put on the back burner. Justin had been busy as well during the day that week. He had spent hours interviewing the staff of Babylon learning about the operation and the management while keeping up the appearance of one of the dancers. He had long lunches with Sap discussing management techniques and what Sap's wish list for Babylon would be if the place sold and new owners were willing to invest in upgrading. He'd taken Babylon's financial statements for the past five years to his accountants for review and then met with them for hours discussing the financial viability of the place and while he was doing all that he had taken a series of colored drawings in to a graphics shop and had arranged for them to be blown up to be applied like a mural to a wall as a surprise for his Brian Lion. "Do you want me to come with you Brian?" Justin asked as he watched Brian get dressed for work and his meeting with his lawyers later that day. "It's a lawyers appointment, nothing to touchy feely Justin. I'm signing the papers for Babylon and meeting my new partner. I imagine our meeting will be long and involved and then we'll discuss our own management arrangements over dinner." "Partners sounds kind of nice." "Business partners Justin, I'm not exchanging rings." "Can't you already did." Justin held up his hand and wiggled his pinky finger. "You can watch the munchers exchange their rings next week." "We could make it more formal" "Not going to happen. Not until you are at least twenty five." "Why twenty five?" "Sounds good to me, you won't be a teeny any more, you'll have finished university and be on your own. All your wild oats will have been sown and maybe you'll even look older that twelve and people will stop thinking I'm some kind of child molester." "I'm an adult now Brian twenty five is a long time." "Good things come to those who wait." "Brian Kinney, I predict that you will ask me to marry you before this next year is out." "Bought a new crystal ball did you?" "You love me sooooo much, you won't be able to wait." Brian left for work. He didn't want to admit to Justin that he was having second thoughts about the Babylon purchase. He couldn't imagine working with someone he didn't know as a business partner. His lawyer had assured him that the new guy would work out well but it was a big step and a lot of money. He and his partner would have to depend on the management team they would put together and hope for the best. "Cynthia, I have an appointment with a lawyer at four thirty, could you remind me about fifteen minutes before?" "Sure Brian, can I ask what for?" "Just business, Cynthia, my business." Justin of course had a busy day, he knew the signing was a formality. He had arranged for his surprise for Brian in Babylon for after the signing. Sap was cooperating; in fact he couldn't stop grinning about his good fortune. Justin took one final look around the owner's office, satisfied that everything was in order and left for the lawyer's office. Brian was the first to arrive. He walked into the office feeling slightly uneasy this was a big step for him. He loved advertising, but realized that he needed more than that to keep him on the edge required for a successful businessman. Brian was committing not only his hard earned savings to this venture but he was committing himself to working closely with a stranger. It was this more than anything else that he was worried about. Brian did not like being vulnerable to anyone else. As much as he hated to admit it Justin was really the only other person he trusted completely. Not even Mikey could have one hundred percent of his trust in all things. Mikey was a good friend and had more or less generally supported him emotionally when they were younger. But he hadn't grown. Brian needed adult emotional support now, someone with enough intelligence and insight that he could discuss his life's work and future goals as well as hopes and fears and actually have that person understand what he was saying. Mikey just could never be that person, he was too one sided. Justin was that person. Justin would listen and only comment when Brian asked for advice. He never tried to push his views. Fortunately, Justin's thinking was close to what Brian wanted even when he couldn't admit it out loud. Justin always seemed to know what Brian was thinking. "Mr. Kinney, you can look over these papers while we're waiting for your new partner." The lawyer's secretary handed Brian a folder filled with documents. Brian had just started looking when the door to the conference room opened Brian knew Justin had walked in behind him by the quickening in the pit of his stomach. Soft lips giving him a quick kiss from behind "Hey Brian Lion, we meet again today." Justin looked at Brian in his dressed to impress suit, all caramel cashmere and whipped cream silk, his tie a streak of dark chocolate slubbed silk. "You look good enough to eat right here." "What are you doing here Brat?" "Looking at you, I think maybe having dessert before supper. You remind me of my favorite dessert square. Carmel blondie, a dollop of whipped cream and a streak of dark chocolate." Justin leaned in for a more passionate kiss. "And a taste of honey." "What have you been smoking? Look Justin, I'm kind of busy right now and you didn't answer why are you here in this office now?" The lawyer and his secretary walked in "Justin, Mr. Kinney, I'm glad you both know each other, it'll make this a lot easier for both of you. Let's go over first the partnership agreement and then once that's signed, we'll finalize the sale of the business. Any questions?" "I have one, isn't my new business partner supposed to be here? Or do I have to come back another time?" "Mr. Kinney, Justin is your business partner. I thought you knew that. Justin did all the market research as well as interviewing all the employees. You'll find his analysis of the target market as well as the results of his talks with the employees in the blue folder. Justin has been able to talk candidly with each and ever one of the employees so he is aware of what needs to remain the same and what needs to change to continue to make this a viable business investment. The fact that you both have equal amounts of dollars invested will make this partnership work better than most." He looked towards Justin. "Justin, your Dad's friend, has given the go ahead for any additional financing either of you require for improvement or renovation." "Your' Dad's friend?" Brian asked puzzled. "Uncle Bob owns the Pittsburgh First National." Justin whispered to Brian. "Excuse me" Brian stood up "I'd like a couple of minutes in private with my new `partner'." "Certainly, I'll be back in ten minutes, is that enough time?" Brian nodded his agreement and watched the lawyer and his secretary leave. He walked over and turned the lock on the conference room door. "Justin you have only seconds to convince me that I shouldn't strangle you. Start talking NOW." "Brian, I knew that you really wanted to buy Babylon. I also knew that you would never consider letting me give you the money you needed to complete the deal. You also are my best friend, better than anyone else I've ever known. Who else would be able to be your partner. I love you, but I also like you. It's two different things. I understand you and I know that you will be successful. I also know that you think like an analytical business man, whereas I think more with my feelings when it comes to business. You researched the Babylon purchase in your way, through talking with suppliers, bankers, lawyers and frequent visits to the back room." This time Justin, imitated Brian's tongue in cheek smirk. "And that's great, and it does work, but business is like anything else, you can't treat it unemotionally all the time. You will have real people working for you and real people don't analysis well on graphs and charts. I worked for those six days to get to know the people from Sap and the dancers to the cleaning company. Just sign the damn papers, and lets start our partnership in business. We'll go over to our business, once the paper work is done and I'll tell you all about the report in the blue folder. And as a partner, you can than make an informed decision." Justin went over to Brian and wrapped his arms around him, holding him still. "It's not like we're getting married Baby, I love you and I love the way you work, seeing you in Brian Lion business mode makes my cock hard as rock. Come on, give me some KKK." Justin flashed Brian his trademark smile, his blue eyes anxious. Brian leaned down until their foreheads touched. "Justin Taylor, you are the most maddening person I know. Good thing I kind of love you or you would be sooooo dead right now. You would think you'd know that I don't like surprises like this involving, my financial workings." "Brian Lion, I kind of love you too. You know you can trust me with any aspect of your life, financial or emotional. I won't bankrupt either of them." Brian sighed "I know I can Baby, that's why you're still talking and not lying dead under the table. Call in the rest of the clowns and lets get this show on the road." The next hour was taken up with signing and reading document after document. Brian and Justin both were reeling by the time it was over. "Do you think Mel and Lindsey have to go through all this because of their wedding next week?" Brian, smirked, "Our partnership does seem a lot more complicated than the muncher's." "But theirs has a real person, Gus." "As you so thoughtfully pointed out ours has real people too and more than just Gus. Besides, Gus has more than two parents, he has me as well." Brian looked over at Justin and thought "he has you too Baby." Justin and Brian parked two blocks away from Babylon, they wanted to walk down Liberty Ave and look at the entrance knowing it was theirs. "Too bad we couldn't have bought that street light." Brian leaned over and kissed the top of Justin's head. "We could get Mouse and George to switch it with another one some night?" "Might be an idea. We could put it in the yard at the cabin and have an addition for fantasy night." "What's fantasy night?" "That's where I get to have you perform any fantasy I want and then get to fuck you at the end." "What about my fantasy?" "I told you I fuck you at the end." "That's my fantasy?" "It had better be Sonny Boy." "Brian, don't go in the front door. Let's go in the office door around back." "Sure, why not." Brian took the key and opened the door into the back hallway. "Hi guys, the daddies are home" he shouted into the echoing darkness of the hallway. Justin swatted him and led him by the hand to a door. He pulled out another key and unlocked the door, handing Brian a duplicate. Justin once again held Brian's hand as he pulled him up the stairway. Brian couldn't see much in the gloom. "Justin, where are the lights?" Justin turned he was standing on the landing with Brian one step below him. He turned looking deep into Brian's eyes. "Don't be mad at me Brian Lion, don't roar and growl and pace around. I kind of did something up here as a surprise for you and if you hate it I'll understand and we'll do something different." "Baby, by now, nothing you do will surprise me. I'm starting to feel disappointed when a day goes by normally. Turn on the lights and let's see what you've done." Taking a deep breath, Justin tuned on the lights. Brian looked around. The large office space was amazing. Justin had transformed what had formerly been storage room with a small office into a thousand square foot work of art office. The walls and ceiling had been pained a midnight blue with various shades of the blue swirling around casting self made shadows. A bank of bookcases flanked a credenza holding a state of the art computer. An antique oak partners desk with two comfortable midnight blue leather chairs was in the middle of the room easily accessible to the computer. The wall facing the desk had an interesting pattern of blues, mauves and greens framed by oak trim matching the desk. Brian looked closely, the colours were moving. "Justin that's enough to make me give up all the alphabet drugs immediately." He indicated the swirling framed picture. "That's what I was aiming for" Justin laughed, "actually" he pushed a button and the swirling colours disappeared revealing a window looking out on the club. At least that's what Brian thought it was. Justin was seated at the desk, his chair turned to the `window' his hand on a keypad that had been concealed in the desk top. His fingers moved and suddenly the window had a bank of individual screens framing the inner `window' each screen showed a part of the club, from the back room, to the hallways, bar areas, dance floor, entrance. Another click and audio could be accessed for each screen. Brian was mesmerized "this is incredible Justin" "One of the common complaints from the dancers was they didn't always feel safe. There is too much noise and not enough light during the evening. This way, they'll know that if there's a problem we can act on it. Each screen is taped and we'll keep the tapes for a few days and then reuse." Justin clicked another button and Brian and Justin were on the screen. "I can think of lots of uses for this camera." Smiled Justin. "Mouse is the only one that'll have access to the video room and the tapes. These screens are for us to watch the club when we want to without anyone knowing we're even here." "Won't we want to be were the action is?" "Look behind you Brian Lyon, you'll see where the action could be." Brian turned to a wall that had one of Justin's paintings on the oak library paneling. Two comfy leather chairs flanked a low table and lamp. Clearly a spot for reading or relaxing. His eyes widened as a portion of the wall moved as the wall retreated blue lights glowing over a king size platform bed came into site. "You made a bedroom in the office?" "Brian, you're too tall to be sleeping on the sofa after sex, I figured why not be comfortable. Of course if you bring tricks up here the bed self destructs with you in it." Brian looked from Justin's hand on the key pad to the mysteries that had been revealed in the walls and thought the self destruction part could very well be true. "Are all business partnerships like this?" wondered Brian "I don't know about all Mr. Kinney, but I've got your number --- I expect you'll keep me busy for a lot of years." Justin walked over to Brian and held out his hand. "We business partners now?" Brian, smiled at his young always full of surprises young business partner as he walked over to stand in front of him. "I'll let you know in about three hours Brat." He picked him up and carried him to the bed. "I sure hope you have a shower hidden somewhere `cause we're going to need it." Brian slowly started to undress Justin, but first he held his hand and linked pinkeys, the two rings glowing in the blue neon. "This isn't the partnership we talked about earlier, but I'm going to pinkey swear that someday we'll do more than talk about it."