Chapter 15 Justin wasn’t sure what the hell was going on as he felt Ketterly moving them out of the room with Brian following. He had a feeling of dread building in the pit of his stomach as he began to piece together what the two men had discussed in his absence. He knew now that Brian had to be furious if he was about to force Justin to submit to both Ketterly and Kinney for the night. What was he trying to say? Had he finally accepted what Justin had become and wanted the blond to know it? As they moved to the door another fear gripped Justin as he immediately turned to confront the two men. What if Hamilton was watching him? He hadn’t recognized any of the goons inside the event but who was to say Hamilton didn’t have the lobby staked out. He couldn’t let Brian be seen so near to him. Hamilton would never buy the coincidence explanation. “I didn’t sign on for this. This wasn’t the agreement.” He argued; his assertiveness catching Ketterly but not Brian by surprise. “Excuse me?” Ketterly wasn’t use to seeing this side of the blond “Hamilton watches us.” Justin shot a look to Brian trying to warn the man. “He wouldn’t like it if you were trying to change the terms.” Brian moved away realizing what it was that Justin was trying to do. He didn’t want his presence to cost Justin anymore than it had. “Then let’s go through the kitchen.” Ketterly suggested. “And if you can keep this a secret, we can renegotiate your terms privately.” He bent and kissed the blond. Justin went through the motions as he tried to keep tabs on where Brian was moving. They headed to the kitchen then to a service elevator. Justin was now convinced that Brian was intent of teaching him a lesson. Justin felt himself retreating deep within himself. It was the place he went during those dark terrible nights when Hamilton sent him out to sick fucks that needed others in pain to find their own pleasure. He felt betrayed and hurt that Brian would want to subject him to more humiliation. Surely the man knew how Hamilton’s actions had destroyed him that morning in the hotel. Surely he realized why Justin had been forced to leave. Why he’d had to crawl back to Hamilton. How could he not realize that he’d gone back to save Brian. How could he see it as anything else ? Yet as they moved toward the elevator, Justin began to resign himself to what was going to happen. He barely registered the business talk being exchanged between the men as he forced himself to focus on business as well, his business. He was here to please Ketterly, to give him a good night, to sleep in his suite and then be gathered the next morning. He couldn’t afford any complaints. As the elevator doors shut he felt his own desperation spike as he turned to Ketterly, pressing his body against the older man’s side. He licked the man’s lips then kissed him passionately. Pulling back he held the other man’s gaze. “Do you really want to share me?” He asked seductively. Ketterly ran his hand possessively up Justin’s back then back down rubbing his ass. “There’s plenty of you to go around.” Ketterly teased. “Plus I’ll make it worth your while. We both will, won’t we Brian?” He asked turning Justin in his arm until he was facing Brian. Justin felt Ketterly’s hands still holding him in place as his eyes met Brian’s. He tried to read the emotion he found in the deep hazels looking through him. Brian stepped forward and kissed Justin passionately then pulled away kissing him softly. “Trust me.” He whispered against Justin’s lips. Justin looked up and realized in that moment that Brian wasn’t angry. He felt his heart fill with joy as he fought his overriding desire to grab the brunet and take his mouth again. His confusion had to be evident as he felt Brian’s reassuring hand now cupping his face. “So how do you want to do this Kinney?” Ketterly asked as they reached his floor. He pulled out his key releasing Justin for a moment as he did so. Justin felt Brian’s hand on his back and leaned back into it. He wasn’t sure if this was the last time he’d ever be with Brian or not and he wanted to prolong the touch of his hand for as long as possible. “I was thinking a little champagne, a lot of sex.” Brian offered trying to reassure the blond with his touch. He was relieved that Justin was now relaxing against his hand. He knew how hard it was for the blond to trust anyone these days. He’d already let Justin down once. He had no intention of letting that happen again. “You know I can’t handle too much champagne. I’ve already had three glasses.” Ketterly pulled Justin away as they reached the door to the suite. He quickly opened it and pinned the blond against the inside wall devouring him. Brian walked past clenching and unclenching his fist. He wanted nothing more than to pull Ketterly, piece of shit that he was, off of his Justin but he knew if he did there would be trouble. Instead he immediately hit the mini fridge and pulled out a full bottle of champagne. He popped the cork and headed over with two bubbling glasses. “To the night.” He offered as Ketterly pulled off of Justin and accepted a glass. Justin seemed distant as he reluctantly accepted a glass as well. Justin remained quiet as the two men discussed how to use him, as though he were nothing more than a piece of furniture. But the secretive glances Brian gave him, reassured him that the man was just fulfilling the role that Ketterly expected of him. Justin’s eyes turned toward the man that had paid for his services. Ketterly downed his champagne quickly. Brian took advantage of the opportunity to pull Justin deeper into the room. He bent down and began working the blonde’s neck. “He’ll be out in a few minutes. We just have to get a few more glasses into him.” Brian whispered into his ear. Justin picked up on his cue. “Your glass is empty.” He moved fluidly to the bottle and brought it over to Ketterly and filled the man’s glass. “I told Kinney that I can’t drink this shit and perform.” He offered trying to salvage a bit of dignity. Justin set the bottle down and took the glass in his hand. He led the man over to the reclining couch and straddled him as he sat. He took a long drink from the glass then kissed the man letting the cool liquid slip through his lips and into Ketterly’s mouth. Ketterly drank it down feeling the sensation rush to his cock. He moaned deepening the kiss. Brian couldn’t look away no matter how much he wanted to. He just hoped this worked. It was hard enough watching Ketterly pawing at Justin, he didn’t know how he would handle watching the man actually fucking the blond. Noticing that the glass was empty, Brian hurried over and filled it again. He wanted Ketterly out. He had to talk to Justin, alone. Their plan succeeded; Ketterly stood and walked away from the chair, “I’ve gotton to da bassroom,” The man slurred before collapsing onto the suite’s couch. Brian quickly checked him, not wanting any harm to befall the man for fear that Justin would receive the brunt of the blame. Satisfied that Ketterly was out cold, Brian turned to face his blond. Justin’s eyes looked away when Brian focused his gaze on him. He felt guilty for leaving Brian, even though it was in both their best interests. “Why’d you leave, Justin?” Brian asked quietly as he walked up to the blond, standing almost against him and lifting Justin’s chin up so their eyes could meet. “You know why, he threatened to kill you.” Brian nodded but didn’t say anything; instead he waited for Justin to continue. “I love you, Brian, I’d do anything to keep you safe,” Justin said, as he hugged the man, pulling him close. Justin’s face buried in Brian’s chest, and the teen took a deep breath, savoring the smell that was Brian. Brian held onto Justin, and ran his hand gently back and forth over the back of the blond’s neck. “Don’t you think your leaving was something that we both should have decided?” Justin just shook his head. Brian pushed the blond back slightly so he could look him in the eyes. “Well, I think it was. You should have told me, Justin. I went out of my fucking mind.” Justin gave Brian a shy smile, surprised by the man’s admission. “I’m sorry. I just wanted you to be safe.” “I know,” Brian whispered, pulling Justin against him and hugging the man tightly. “I know you did, but promise to never do that again, okay?” Tears formed in Justin’s blue eyes, there was so much hope and promise in Brian’s words, but the teen quickly squashed those feelings. Being this close to Brian, was starting to have the typical effect on Justin, he could feel his cock begin to thicken. He pushed back slightly and leaned up, giving Brian a quick but seductive kiss. Brian gave into his desires and kissed the blond back, he held his usual aggressive self in check, allowing Justin to control the encounter. Justin broke the kiss and took two steps back from Brian. He quickly removed his shirt and leaned down to remove his shoes. “No, Justin,” Brian said, moving towards Justin and pulling the teen back up to his full height. Justin struggled to contain the hurt. “I… I… thought it wouldn’t matter, but if you don’t want me -“ “What?” Brian asked in confusion. Justin looked everywhere except at Brian and quietly responded. “I didn’t think it would matter, what Hamilton did to me.” Brian wrapped Justin in his arms. “It doesn’t matter. I want you Justin, I always will, but not like this.” Justin nodded into Brian’s chest and let loose all the pent up emotion that he’d been holding onto. Brian held on as tight as he dared to until the blond had finally calmed down. Brian moved them to the bed, and laid Justin down. He lay next to him and proceeded to tell Justin about the past few weeks and what he’d been doing. He even told Justin about Michael coming to visit him. Justin in turn told Brian about the punishment that Hamilton had doled out. Upon returning to New York, Justin had spent the better part of a week in Hamilton’s private play room, being used and abused by the man. Brian took in all that Justin had to say; he kept the anger and disgust off his face for fear of Justin misinterpreting. Brian had never been a violent person. He understood violence from the victim’s perspective and didn’t want to be the cause of anyone else feeling that way, but given the chance, Brian wanted to make Hamilton suffer and hurt. The men finally fell into a comfortable silence. They didn’t sleep, just held onto each other as the morning passed and the sun slowly began to rise, shedding light into the darkened suite. Ketterly was still passed out drunk on the sofa, he hadn’t moved at all. Finally Justin glance at a nearby clock and knew that the inevitable was at hand. “You need to go.” He quietly whispered. Brian nodded. He knew he wouldn’t be able to deal with Ketterly pawing at Justin, should the man wake. “I’ll figure out something, Justin. I promise.” Justin smiled and snuggled closer to Brian. “It doesn’t matter, Brian. Knowing that you’re not mad at me for leaving means more to me than you could imagine, I want you know that.” Brian nodded. He’d noticed earlier that Justin wasn’t wearing the cowry shell bracelet he’d given the blond but he hadn’t asked. Curiosity finally got the better of him. He reached out to Justin and took the man’s wrist in his hands. Justin understood the unspoken question. “I only wear it when I’m alone. It’s for me, not the johns,” he said, motioning toward Ketterly. Brian nodded and gave Justin one more quick kiss. Getting up and grabbing his jacket, he paused long enough to give Justin one of his business cards. “ My mobile number is on the back.” Justin smiled and nodded, stuffing the card into his pocket. “I… I don’t know when -“ “Call when you can. I’ll figure something out.” Brian said, giving Justin one final kiss before quickly leaving the suite. He wanted to stay confident and steadfast in front of Justin, but truth be told he was about ready to lose his wits. Stepping into the elevator, he hit the button for the lobby and slumped against the wall. ********************************* Just as the doors closed sending Brian down to the lobby the other elevator door opened. Hamilton walked out deciding that he would insure that Justin had performed up to his service’s standards. He knocked lightly on the door. Justin, thinking it might be Brian rushed to open it. At the last moment something warned him to check. Looking through the peep hole he reeled back from the door and cast a worried look back at Ketterly. Moving quickly he made his way over to the man. He worked to get his own clothing off as well as Ketterly’s as the knocking grew slightly louder. Ketterly moaned, but Justin didn’t have time to worry about the man’s comfort level as he used all of his strength to drag the man up onto the bed. Justin had to make it all look convincing or he’d pay with it with his ass. Finally the knock on the door jarred Ketterly from his stupor. Justin was with him in the bed, naked and working to control his breathing. Ketterly glanced down furrowing his brow trying to recall all that happened the night before. On cue Justin opened his eyes and gave him a surprised leer. “You were never like that the first time we were together.” He purred convincingly. He propped himself up then lingered over the other man’s body kissing and licking his way back up to Ketterly’s mouth. “I can’t seem to -“ Ketterly started to admit. “Do you think that guy was really the hotel management?” Justin asked innocently. “He wouldn’t really ban you from the hotel would he?” He kissed him again moving seductively over the man. Ketterly concentrated on the feel of the blond’s smooth skin rubbing over his morning erection. He rolled the blond beneath him ready to make a few memories he wouldn’t lose. The knocking continued. “Oh no, it’s that manager guy again.” Justin sighed. “He warned us last night.” “He did?” Ketterly asked sounding unsure but then recovered. “But I told him a thing or two right?” “You were marvelous.” Justin smiled. “My hero.” He admitted as he pulled the man back down against him. “Of course we did get a little loud but I’d never been fucked like that before.” Justin managed to blush which pleased the older man immensely. The knocking came again. “For fuck sake!” The older man spat kissing Justin soundly before heading to the door. Justin held his breath hoping beyond hope that it would work. Throwing the door open Ketterly came face to face with Hamilton. “What are you doing here?” He demanded. “I came to see how things went last night.” Hamilton offered sincerely. “Customer satisfaction is our goal.” He looked past Ketterly to Justin who was still lying naked on the bed. “Well I would say that since the hotel management warned us with eviction, things went better than satisfactory.” The older man glanced back at Justin who gave him a mischievous smile. “He’s the best you’ve got Hamilton and the only one I want in my bed from here on out.” “Well then, we shall add him to your standing order.” Justin refused to react as he considered how many nights he would now be bedding Ketterly each month. He was safe and now that Justin knew the champagne secret it might not be so bad. “Well I’m hardly finished with him.” Ketterly hinted. Hamilton graciously bowed then headed back to the door. “What time shall I return for him?” Hamilton asked. “I’ll bring him back when we are done.” Ketterly turned giving Justin a leer. Justin remained impassive wondering what the hell Ketterly meant by ‘when we are done.’ Hamilton gave Justin one last warning looking before the door closed. “He keeps you on a short leash.” Ketterly observed as the turned to the young man. “Let’s not talk about him.” Justin offered. “Right.” Ketterly removed the robe he’d slung on earlier and stalked back to the bed ready to start where he’s left off. ****************************************** Holden Stamps sat staring out his office window ignoring the stack of cases on his desk. It was a beautiful day and he hated being trapped in his office. He wanted to be out in the park running. “Holden.” He looked up at the young woman who entered carrying the Barker brief. “I told you what I thought. We aren’t discussing it further.” He ended the debate before it could start again. The woman pulled up short, frustrated but respectful of her boss. “I just think-“ “I know what you think, but we can’t win on that charge. Better we get this guy off the streets for five years than shoot for twenty and he’s out tomorrow.” She nodded. Holden was young but he’d been working in the DA’s office for several years. He’d recently become the District Attorney and was doing a hell of a job. The phone rang and Holden grabbed it using it as a clear signal that Lisa needed to drop the Barker issue and move on. Taking the hint she moved out of his office as he answered his line. “Paul, how is married life treating you?” He asked leaning back in his chair. “Ken and I want to have you over.” Paul offered. He and Ken hadn’t seen much of Holden since their wedding a few months back. “When?” Holden asked already looking forward to whatever Ken chose to cook. “Tonight?” Paul offered. Holden quickly ran through his schedule. “It will be late.” He warned. “Around nine if I’m guessing.” “That’s okay. I have to finish things up at the gallery for a showing we have coming up next week. Later is actually better for me.” Holden nodded making himself a note. “So red or white?” He asked. “Pink.” Paul laughed. “Bring champagne. We are still celebrating.” “You got it. See you tonight.” Holden hung up. He stared back out the window of his office. He’d thought of Paul and Ken often over the last few weeks. Their wedding had been a very special occasion for him, seeing his two friends telling the system to go fuck itself while they declared their love for each other. As much as Holden upheld the law, he was the first one to admit that it was an imperfect system. More than thinking about their wedding, Holden found himself thinking more and more about their bachelor party. He’d thrown the affair and organized everything down to the entertainment. It was part of the whole Best Man gig. It was the night with the blond that was the part Holden couldn’t quite forget. He found his mind going back to the blond over and over again. He was young but seemed older than his age. He was beautiful but broken in some way that compelled Holden to try to comfort him. He still laughed at himself over the fact that he had slept with the hustler all night. He’d never worried for a second that the young man would rip him off. He’d trusted Taylor. He wasn’t sure why, but Holden did have a good sense about people and Taylor wasn’t like a lot of hustlers he had defended before crossing over to the prosecutor’s office. Holden found himself pulling out a card from his desk and staring at it for a long moment. Hamilton’s Escort and Companions. He’d picked it up so many times and like today found himself fighting the urge to dial the number. He knew as an officer of the courts he was risking too much to continue to obsess over the young man, but still he also realized that he would continue to be haunted until he saw Taylor one more time. It was just one more time. What could that hurt? Once more, then he would never see the blond again. ***************************************** Ann Carol sat at her desk taking the calls and growing more and more concerned about what might be happening in her boss’ office. Just at that moment the door opened and Taylor appeared. He had his hand to his face and Carol Ann could see the welt already rising. “Taylor?” She called. He glanced over but kept moving. “Taylor.” She called pulling him up to stop. “Let me get you some ice.” She offered coming around her desk and reaching out to the young man. Taylor had always and would always be her favorite. He looked so young and innocent. She’d been shocked when she’d learned he was one of the regulars living upstairs. “What was this about?” She asked as she moved him into the kitchenette and opened the freezer. “I want my apartment back but he won’t let me out of here.” Justin leaned back on the counter. “I’m sure he’ll let you out again. He’s just worried.” She defended Hamilton. “Worried?” Justin replied dumbfounded. “Yeah about that guy.” She offered sincerely concerned. She took the ice and placed it in a baggie and held it to his cheek. He took it from her and she leaned against the refrigerator assessing the rest of the damage. “What guy?” Justin asked curiously. “The one that kidnapped you.” She replied exasperatedly. “No one kidnapped me.” Justin confessed almost laughing. “Kinney.” She placed her hands on her hips. “He’s not allowed through and if I suspect it’s him under another name I have to cut him off as well.” She defended. Justin studied her for a moment. She was so trusting. Hamilton had picked the perfect receptionist. He had her totally duped. “Brian Kinney didn’t kidnap me.” Justin stated softly glancing toward the entrance to the kitchenette. “He tried to save me, to take me out of this shit hole.” Justin sighed leaning back on the counter once more. “Save you?” Carol Ann asked. “Yes, save me but Hamilton found me and drug me back. He said he’d kill Brian if I saw him again.” Justin looked down at the floor. Carol was at a loss. She was silently adding up all the times she had cut Brian Kinney off, reported his call, rudely hung up and the whole time he had been trying to help Taylor not hurt him. “Oh Taylor.” She stated regretfully. “He’s called so many times. I feel terrible. I believed what Hamilton said.” She confessed. “He’s a fucking liar. He’s an animal.” Justin spat pulling the ice away and tossing it into the sink. “What can I do?” She offered. She now glanced nervously toward the doorway. “Surely I can help.” Justin furrowed his brow debating what if anything Carol Ann could do. “Maybe you could.” Justin considered. “I’ll have to think of how though. I don’t want you getting hurt.” “Hamilton would never hurt me.” Carol laughed amazed that Justin could think such a thing. “Right.” Justin replied sarcastically gently rubbing his cheek. “Right.”