Part 2


Tuesday, November 20, 2001
Two days before Thanksgiving

"Hi," Justin said, five days later, to the woman who welcomed him at Kinnetik's offices. "I'm Justin Taylor and I've got an appointment with Mr. Kinney."

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Taylor. I'm Cynthia Morgan, Mr. Kinney's personal assistant. Unfortunately, he's on an unexpected business trip and won't be back before later this afternoon but he asked me to interview you. I hope you don't mind that change of plans..."

"No," Justin replied, smiling. "Not at all."

"Good, because I've seen your portfolio. We really need someone as talented as you-"

"Thank you," Justin mumbled, blushing.

"-and, between you and me, I wouldn't want you to be scared off. Mr. Kinney can be a little intimidating when you don't know him," she continued, winking. Then she glanced around to see if someone was listening before leaning towards Justin and whispering mischievously: "Although, he's just a big softy and he barks more than he bites. But, shhh... he likes to believe everyone's afraid of him."

Justin grinned at the assistant. "It'll be our secret," he whispered back.

"Great! Now that that's settled, let's talk about the Artist Training Program. Then, I'll show you our agency and introduce you to the people you'll be working with."

They headed towards the C.E.O.'s office for a little quiet and sat comfortably around the table near his desk. Then, Cynthia clearly explained to Justin what would be expected from him if he joined the program: to always do the best he could on every assignment. The rewards would be the opportunity to work on Kinnetik's biggest accounts with different ad executives, and even with the boss himself.

Next, they talked about his schedule. Since his job would begin while Justin was still in college, his hours at Kinnetik would be reduced until he graduated. Kinnetik would pay his full tuition and, in exchange, Justin would commit to working for the company for six years: four years while still in school and two years after he graduates. Once he began full-time work, his salary would be the same as any entry-level artist. He would also be required to maintain a "B" average in all courses.

"And in case of a breach of contract?" Justin asked.

"Well, if something were to happen that would cause your contract to be voided, unless Mr. Kinney considered your contribution to the agency equal to the cost of the tuition Kinnetik paid, you'd be legally bound to refund all funds we'd already have spent, plus interest of between 0% and 5% based on the reason behind the breach of contract. Does this sound fair to you?"

"Absolutely! My mother and I have researched interest rates for student loans at the banks and they fluctuate between 12% and 16%."

"Perfect. Then, I think we've covered everything. Do you have anymore questions?"

"Only one. Is there a chance of being hired permanently after graduation?"

"Mr. Kinney is the only one able to answer that question. After all, it's his agency and he's the advertising expert... but if your work is good and contributes to the company's success, I don't see why not."

"It sounds logical," Justin replied, smiling.

"Anything else?"

"Not at the moment, but I'll be sure to ask you if I think of something, Miss Morgan."

"Please, call me Cynthia. So, would you like to join Kinnetik's Artist Training Program?"

"I was wondering when you'd finally mention the magical words," Justin said, grinning.

Cynthia chuckled and handed him the contract for the program, smiling at the enthusiasm he put in signing each of the pages.

"Mr. Kinney will want to see you first thing on Monday and will give you a copy of the contract once he signs it also."

Justin nodded, then stood up and followed Cynthia towards the art department.

"Was Kinnetik your first choice or have you interviewed at some others agencies?"

"Honestly, I've also applied to Ashmore & Williams, Müller Ads and Vangard."

"Oh, Vangard's still doing their program? I didn't think they would have enough income now to continue running this kind of program."

"I must have been mistaken then because I thought they were one of the best ad agencies in Pittsburgh."

"They were... when Mr. Kinney was still working for them," Cynthia replied, laughing. "But he decided to open his own agency when Gardner Vance refused to make him a partner."

"Wasn't that risky?"

"For anyone else, yes. But not for him! What Vance didn't know at the time was that for each account our dear boss signed, the contract specified they were his client, not the agency's, providing them the guarantee he'd be the only one to handle their account. When working with Ryder, that was a privilege he earned as their best ad executive and Vance never took the time to check that little piece of information when he bought out the agency from Marty Ryder. So when Mr. Kinney jumped ship, he already had a powerful client base. The kind of base that gives you a $20 million bonus the first year."

"Now I understand why he told me Kinnetik was the best," Justin murmured, nodding.

"What? You know Mr. Kinney?" Cynthia asked as they stopped in front of a door with a sign reading 'Art Department'.

"Oh, no! It's just... I'm currently working as a cashier and five nights ago, a man surprised me while I was drawing, telling me I was wasting my time as a cashier and that I should apply for a better job. He said some ad agencies would be lucky to have me. And then, he told me Kinnetik was the best."

"Well, he was right! We're in the top five on the entire East Coast!"

"But I didn't know it at the time. The day after, I received two letters granting interviews: one from Kinnetik and the other one from Vangard. I haven't answered that one yet because... well, my customer... he seemed so positive that Kinnetik was the best that..."

"You didn't think twice and you immediately set up an appointment up with us."

"Exactly! When I received your letter, it was almost like receiving my acceptance letter to PIFA! Other schools would have been great, as long as they were Art Schools, but the Pittsburgh Institute of Fine Arts was the one I wanted to attend more than anything!"

"It's positively enthralling to see someone as enthusiastic as you seem to be, Justin! You're the perfect addition to our team and I'm really glad you chose Kinnetik," Cynthia said, smiling, before she opened the door and they entered the room where he would be spending a lot of hours.

* ~ ¤ ~ *

Twenty minutes later, after Cynthia introduced him to his future colleagues, they were heading towards the exit when they bumped into someone.

"Oh, sorry!" the man said before raising his head. "Cynthia! I was actually looking for you."

"Justin, let me introduce you to Kinnetik's accountant and sometimes ad executive, Ted Schmidt. Ted, this is Justin Taylor, our new employee. He'll start working with us on Monday in the Artist Training Program."

"Oh, that's great! Pleased to meet you, Justin. Welcome aboard!"

"Thanks Mr. Schmidt, nice to meet you too."

"Cyn, do you know where the Eyeconics file is? I need to check a few things in their contract before our next meeting."

"It must be in Brian's office. I'll get it for you in a minute, Ted. Meanwhile, would you mind walking Justin to the front door?"

"Not at all! Come on, Justin, these hallways all look the same when you don't know the place..."

"Goodbye, Cynthia. Have a nice Thanksgiving!"

"Thank you! Happy holidays to you too, Justin. See you on Monday!"

* ~ ¤ ~ *

"So, Justin... Do you think you'll be happy here with us?"

"Everybody seems so nice. I think it'll be great to work with people who are so friendly."

"Did Cynthia tell you about Triple B?" Ted asked, while they were walking to the exit.

"Triple B?"

"That's the staff's nickname for the boss when he's not around. 'Triple B' for 'Big Bad Brian'."

"Oh! Yes, she told me Mr. Kinney wasn't as intimidating as he seemed to believe."

"Oh, he is! Kinnetik's his baby and he won't let anyone fuck up with a client or the reputation of the agency. That's why he'll bark more orders than you'll be able to remember, be on your back at every moment of the campaign and make you redo your graphics over and over again until you come up with the exact representation of what he had in mind... He'll do all of that, because he knows he's a fucking genius in the advertising world and each of his campaigns is truly amazing."

God, I hope I haven't made a big mistake signing with Kinnetik without checking out Vangard first. This Mr. Kinney seems to be quite an asshole...

"He sounds like he... has a huge ego to me..." Justin said, confused. Then he winced embarrassingly, realizing what he'd said. "Not the best thing to say about your boss when you've just been hired..."

Ted laughed. "Don't worry! His ego is quite impressive."

"But I don't understand... You made him sound despicable but, at the same time, like Cynthia, you seem to like him very much."

"You need to personally know him to understand all the complexities of his character but... he's someone you can trust and respect. As your friend, he'll do whatever it takes to help you if you have a problem. Any kind of problem. And the only thing he'll ask in return will be to never mention his participation. As your boss, he'll harass you about the slightest detail of a campaign, but he'll always listen to every suggestion you make. He'll accept or reject them but if Kinnetik signs the client, he won't tell them those were his ideas. Never. He'll always say it was a team effort and give the credit to the right person."

Justin pondered a few seconds at what Ted had said. "Is he your friend?"

"If you ask him, he'll probably deny it, providing a list of ten good reasons why he couldn't possibly be friends with someone as lame or pathetic as me." Ted laughed. "But sixteen months ago, he offered me a job and helped me put my past as a junkie far behind me. I don't know a lot of people who'd do that kind of thing for someone they don't, at least, appreciate," Ted replied.

"Me either," Justin said. "I think I'll have to wait a bit to figure out more about the enigmatic Mr. Kinney."

They reached the front door and shook hands.

"Thank you for the welcome, Mr. Schmidt-"

"Please, call me Ted."

"Well, thank you for that, Ted, and for trusting me enough by revealing a bit of your life."

"I've got nothing to hide, Justin. Neither does our boss."

"Well, thanks anyway. See you on Monday?"

"Absolutely! Happy Thanksgiving!"

"You too!"

* ~ ¤ ~ *

Wednesday, November 21, 2001
Thanksgiving's holidays

"Good to see you deign to let us enjoy your presence in town!" the loud and colorful waitress of the Liberty Diner exclaimed.

"And hello to you too, Deb," Brian answered before sitting on a stool, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"Don't play smart with me, Mister 'I don't-do-holidays'!" Debbie Novotny replied. "I know you too well and for far too long, God help me! You'd have been delighted if your business trip had been extended and you missed Thanksgiving."

"I'm always game when it comes to taking advantage of the good things in life!" Brian replied, tongue in cheek. That remark earned him a slap on the back of his head. "Love you too, Deb."

She put up a cup in front of him and he started filling it with sugar. "You want some coffee with your sugar?" she asked, the coffee pot in her hand.

Brian nodded, glaring. "So, what's up? Besides the obvious..." he smirked, before taking a sip.

"Well, Michael and Ben left yesterday for a few romantic days in Vermont. Emmett, Drew, Ted and Blake are on their way to Philadelphia. They left an hour ago. And Linz, Mel and the kids are spending the holidays with Lindsay's mother." She popped her gum before adding loudly: "Don't get your hopes up, asshole! They all promised to be back on Saturday for our very own Thanksgiving."

"Fuck..." Brian muttered, taking another gulp of his coffee. "The lesbians are visiting Nancy? Guess the death of Linz's father knocked some sense into her..."

"It's about fucking time she meets her grandson and my sweet Jenny Rebecca!"

"But that leaves you less time to spoil them during the holidays."

"Yeah well, Kiki's missing - she fell asleep in the bath and stayed too long in the cold water so she got sick. Can you believe that? I have to work a double shift all week, so I wouldn't have been able to spend time with them, anyway. And... if those kids must have another granny, Linz's mom is certainly better for them than yours. No offense, kiddo."

"None taken." Brian smiled. "So... double shift, huh? You sure you'll have time to cook us dinner for Saturday?" he asked, his hopes raising once again.

"Cooking won't be a problem. Vic's helping. But I'm glad you came by this morning..." she grinned.

"Oh no, Deb. I don't know what you want me to do but the answer is no!"

"So you'd rather disappoint your own son who's been talking about our Thanksgiving's dinner for days now?"

"No, of course not. I know how much Gus loves the holidays. Must get that shit from his mother... Fucking muncher!" Brian groaned.
 
"Great! So, that's settled. You'll go shopping for the food."

"No way. Ask Vic."

"He's unpacking the last of his boxes at Rodney's right now."

"Then find someone else!"

"I told you where everyone else was. You're the only one available."

"Lucky me..."

"Think of the beautiful face of your son, stained with tears..."

"All right, all right! No need to use the guilt trip shit! I'll go..."

"Today," she pressed, putting the shopping list in front of him.

"Can't. I have a lot of work."

"It's the fucking holidays!" Debbie scowled.

"And I've been away for days! I need to go to Kinnetik."

"Tomorrow then."

"I'll try."

"Brian..."

"Oh, for fuck sakes, Deb! I told you I'd go. At least let me do it on my own terms!"

"Okay, okay. But... you know tomorrow is Thanksgiving for everyone but our family... The longer you wait, the less choices you'll have. And you don't want me to eat some fucking sandwiches because the only turkey you found was on whole wheat, with no mayo!" she said, waving her finger in front of his face.

"I'll try to remember that," Brian smirked, pocketing the list. "Can I have more coffee now?"

* ~ ¤ ~ *

On Friday, Brian still hadn't bought anything for Debbie's dinner but after a call from her reminding him she'd have his balls if he didn't go shopping immediately, he reluctantly drove to 'Eddy's Groceries', the store where he'd bought his condoms the previous week.

First, it was really close to his loft. Second, he hoped to see the cashier again and take him home. Third, well... He really wanted to fuck that kid!

When he entered the store, a girl was behind the cash register and the hot blond was nowhere to be seen.

Fuck... The turkey's ass will be the only one stuffed tonight.

Sighing, he wandered a moment in the store. There were a lot of people in the aisles and - since the store was on Liberty Avenue - most of them were gay men, whispering as he went past.

"Hey, that's Brian Kinney!"

"I wonder what he's doing here."

"He's probably out of lube..."

"Look, he's carrying a basket!"

"Brian Kinney? Grocery shopping? Oh my God! I have to call Mark and Steven right now!"

Jesus! I just can see the headlines...

God! What am I doing here again? Oh, yes... Debbie and her fucking blackmail!

Great! Not only will his trip to the grocery store be on every queer lip by the end of the day, but almost everything he needed for Deb's dinner was missing.

"Fuck!" he cursed out loud.

"What did you expect?" a voice said behind him. Brian turned around and smirked when he saw the blond. "That's what you get for shopping on Black Friday. It's considered to be the start of the Christmas shopping season and is called that because of the heavy shopping traffic on that day."

"Aren't you the little Wikipedia?"

"I'll take that as a compliment," the cashier grinned.

"I guess there's really nothing left for a Thanksgiving dinner?"

"Thanksgiving was last night. You're a day late."

"So?"

"So you... must have some good reasons to have postponed it. I know a place where you should find everything that you need. Although, it'll cost you a lot."

"I don't care, as long as I can find something Debbie will be happy with." And as long as I can escape the gossip...

"Debbie?"

"My best friend's mother... She's the one who is cooking, but she's had no time this week to go shopping."

"Then you don't want to let her down. Let me find a pen in here," he said, rummaging in his messenger bag, "and I'll write down the address for you."

"Are you working?" Brian asked. "Today. Are you here to work?" he clarified when he saw the young man's frown.

"Oh! No... I'm done with this job. I'm just here to grab my last pay check."

Brian grimaced. "That's a good thing, right? It means... you've found something better..?"

The young man laughed, nodding. "Yes."

Brian sighed, feeling... Relieved? I don't even know him...

"Okay, then... I'll give you a few minutes and then you'll guide me to this store you're talking about."

"You want me to come with you?"

"You have something better to do?"

"No!" he quickly replied. "I... just assumed you'd want to go by yourself."

"Never assume anything with me. You'd be surprised." Brian smirked. "I'll wait in my Jeep. It's parked in the alley. Take your time."

He started to walk towards the exit, happy to leave the Liberty Gossip Queens behind him when the blond grabbed his hand. "Wait!"

Brian turned around and cocked an eyebrow, silently asking him to go on.

"Maybe... Maybe we should..." he sighed slowly and Brian felt the young man tighten his grip around Brian's hand to try to control his shaking, before taking a deep breath and smiling. "I'm Justin."

Justin. There's a name I won't mistake with another. Justin...

"Nice to meet you, Justin. I'm Brian."

They looked at each other for a few seconds, smiling, before Brian remembered where they were.

One headline for the day is enough!

"You need me to come?" he asked.

"Yeah... Uh, what?"

Brian indicated Justin's grip on his hand.

"Oh! No," Justin replied, a deep red covering his cheeks. He let go of Brian's hand. "Sorry about that."

"Sorry's bullshit," Brian smirked.

"I'm... going to grab my paycheck. See you at the Jeep!" Justin said, running towards the back of the store, under the other man's amused gaze.

Brian started walking again, unconsciously massaging his hand.

Why was he already missing Justin's hand in his?

* ~ ¤ ~ *

"Donatello's?"

"It's the best grocery store in town."

"I never heard of it. You sure it has American food? Sounds awfully Italian to me..."

Justin laughed and grabbed a cart. "Shut up and push!"

"You're pretty bossy for a bottom."

"What makes you think I'm a bottom?"

"You're telling me you're a top?" Shit.

"What were you saying earlier? - 'Never assume anything with me. You'd be surprised.' - Wasn't that it?" Justin grinned.

Brian stifled a laugh. "Twat." Guess I'll just have to wait and see...

* ~ ¤ ~ *

Two hours later, they were packing the Jeep with all the shopping bags.

"You sure we bought enough food for seventeen people?"

"More like for twenty!"

"Good. 'Cause you're coming."

"What? Where?"

"Thanksgiving dinner. Debbie's. Tomorrow."

"But I'm not invited."

"Yes, you are. I just invited you."

"But..."

"No 'buts'. You told me your mom and sister were spending the holidays in Harrisburg with your grandparents and they won't be back to the Pitts until late Sunday evening. Too late for you since you start a new job on Monday morning..." Brian smiled before adding, tongue in cheek: "...and you need your beauty sleep."

"I never said that!"

"Maybe. But it's the truth anyway."

"Whatever," Justin replied, feigning annoyance.

"So?"

"So what?"

"You're coming?"

"Maybe..."

"Say you will. Please?"

Justin narrowed his eyes on Brian. Why do I have the feeling that it's very unusual for him to simply say 'please'?

"Ok, I will," he replied, making a quick decision. "Thank you."

"Wait 'til tomorrow to thank me. If my friends let you survive the family dinner, that is..." Brian smirked.

Geez... What I wouldn't do to see him again...

He got into Brian's car and, smiling, gave him his address.

* ~ ¤ ~ *

"You want to come in?" Justin asked, when they parked in front of Jennifer Taylor's townhouse a moment later.

"I..." Brian stopped, suddenly unsure of himself and the way he should respond to the innuendo floating between them.

God! How he wanted to come upstairs, and touch and taste every inch of Justin... But Debbie needed the groceries and he didn't want a quick fuck with the blond. He wanted to take his time to discover him; and savor him.

"If I don't get to Debbie's soon..."

"Yeah. Debbie..." Justin replied, his smile fading.

He opened the door, left the warm interior of the Jeep, and was walking away when Brian called him. He walked back to the car, his fingers gripping the rim of the now almost completely opened driver window.

"Yeah?"

Brian's eyes dropped to Justin's pale hands and without thinking, his left one covered them.

"Brian?" Justin asked softly when their fingers entwined automatically and the other man's thumb started to slowly rub the soft skin.

"Tomorrow. I don't want to have to rush," Brian murmured, looking up, so Justin could see his eyes sparkling with desire.

"Okay," Justin smiled widely.

"Be ready at three."

"I will... Now, go to Debbie's and let her have fun with the turkey."

Brian laughed, removed his hand from Justin's and started the Jeep's engine. "Later."

"Later, Brian."