Sweet Little Lies - 3

Plot bunny: Judy
Dedicated to: Judy

Justin knew he had been in the shower too long but he just couldn’t make himself get out knowing that Brian Kinney was sitting in Ty’s living room. There was something almost familiar about the man and definitely something disturbing.

The loud banging on the locked bathroom door made him realize the water had begun to run cold. “I’m coming, I’m coming,” he shouted back and then flushed with the implications of what he’d said. Justin was thankful Brian couldn’t see his embarrassment. 

“I thought you might have died in there, but if I’d known you were coming I wouldn’t have interrupted,” Brian laughed. “The food is here and it’s getting cold. Do you want the chopsticks or a fork?” 

“Uh, chopsticks,” Justin said trying to dry is shivering body and hoping that Brian would move away from the bathroom door. He felt vulnerable, as if the man had x-ray vision and could see his every move including the hard-on he sported when he’d heard the man’s voice.

Brian had used the time while Justin was in the shower to familiarize himself with Ty’s apartment. He’d found chopsticks and had set the table formally. He’d even found a supply of candles and had lit a few and placed them on the table; everything was set and perfect. 

Brian turned when he heard an audible gasp of surprise escape Justin’s lips as the noticed what he had done. The lights were low and the candles glowing. “I know how much you hate eating out of the containers, so I thought I’d make your dinner more like what we’re used to,” Brian said, his voice soft and full of implications. “Of course with Daphne lurking,” he chuckled, “It’s not as ridiculously romantic as I’d like it to be.”

“Daphne’s with my brother,” Justin said his voice shaky. “I don’t think that as my boss, you should be even considering romantic dinners.”

“Oh, I know you’re straight, don’t get me wrong but wasn’t it you who said that presentation is everything? You could do this for Daphne some night. I know she works hard. She shouldn’t have to always slave over a hot stove,” Brian smirked inwardly.

Justin snorted at the idea of Daphne cooking. “Apparently I didn’t mention that Daphne can’t boil water without burning it.” He sat down at the table and quietly admitted, “It looks nice Brian, you’re right Daphne would love it.” 

Brian began to serve Justin his dinner. “I put some of everything just the way you like it,” he said as he placed the plate in front of the blond. “I know you hate that Chinese wine I had the last time, so I opened up a bottle of the white. I hope you don’t mind.” 

“No that’s fine.” Justin had no idea what Brian was talking about, but he thought agreement would work. “You said something about going over some ideas?” he let the words drift.

“We can do that after dinner. I’m sure you’ve had a rough day.”

“I had a busy day. Yesterday was my birthday and I celebrated rather late into the night with my brother and Daphne.” 

“Oh?” Brian asked, his eyebrows raised. He knew the value of letting the other person talk. 

“We went dancing but I think stopping off at Death by Chocolate and indulging in a couple of our favorites was what did me in,” he laughed. “I have a passion for chocolate.”

“Hmmm, I’ll have to remember that,” Brian said with a smile; pleased when he noticed a slight blush color Justin’s face.

“Yeah, well I try to keep it under control,” Justin mumbled. He grabbed his wine glass and drank; grateful for the distraction. 

“When is the lovely Daphne returning?” Brian asked. 

“I’m not sure. I think she’s going with my brother to L.A.,” Justin hesitated; maybe he shouldn’t have said anything.

“So you’ll be on your own, batching it as it were for awhile.” The words were said more as an observation than a question and Brian grinned a feral grin in Justin’s direction.

“I’ve got lots to keep me busy. I’m sure Kinnetik will reap the awards of having my exclusive attention.” Justin returned the grin with a smile, not sure what kind of game Brian Kinney was playing.

“Kinnetik and me.” Brian bowed his head slightly in acknowledgement of the truth of this statement. He reached for the bottle of wine, “Have another glass, its quite a nice wine with take out Chinese food,” he laughed a bit to break the tension that had been building. 

“Not bad, though I prefer root beer with Chinese food,” Justin smiled shyly. 

“I’m wounded, I didn’t know that,” Brian teased but filled Justin’s glass and then his own. “I never thought to bring you any dessert to finish off the meal.” 

“That’s fine,” Justin said and leaned back in his chair. “Why don’t we take our wine to the living room and go over the project. I’ll put on some music.”

“I’ll help you clean up first,” Brian offered and stood up. 

“I can do it later.” Justin took his glass of wine over to the sofa. He didn’t need Brian watching him fumble for the location of Ty’s dishwashing soap among other things. He sat down and began to open the large portfolio Brian had brought. 

Brian watched the blond for a moment before taking his glass and joining him on the sofa. 

Justin picked up the remote for the stereo; glad that Ty had the same system he had and flicked it on. Break the Silence by Thousand Foot Krutch, began to play. Justin wasn’t familiar with the song, but it sounded nice. He turned the volume low and then began to scan the open portfolio.

Brian was surprised at the music, but said nothing. He sat beside Justin and smiled to himself. The cologne Justin was wearing was uniquely his and is what distinguished him from his brother Ty’s. He was going to say something but decided not to. It was nice and suited the man sitting beside him.’

Two hours later, Brian stretched and stood up. “You should go away for a weekend more often, Sunshine. You come back a new man. Your ideas were great before, but there’s no doubt in my mind that you’ve surpassed yourself tonight. Ty you have to be part of the meeting tomorrow. I know the client will want to meet you.” As if impulsively, Brian pulled Justin into a tight hug and whispered, “Thanks Sunshine, I couldn’t have done it without you.” 

Justin didn’t question the ‘Sunshine’ he figured it was something Brian had called Ty. He like the way Brian said the word; it rolled off his tongue like a gentle caress and for the first time in his life he felt envy for his twin. He desperately wanted someone, no he wanted Brian, to call him ‘Sunshine’ and not his brother.

“I’m glad that the evening was a productive one,” Justin said. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow at work.” 

“I’ll be there,” Brian smiled. “But if you want, you could meet me for breakfast at the diner.”

“What’s that?” Justin asked. Ty had never mentioned anything about breakfasting with Brian.

“I never did invite you to meet Debbie and the gang at the diner. I guess we’ve been too damn busy. Generally, I try to stop in there for breakfast. Debbie has been like a mother to me. She’s my friend Michael’s mother. He’s away right now and I know she misses him.”

“Where is it? I’ll meet you there.” 

“Why don’t I pick you up? You know Sunshine; you really should get yourself a car.”

“I will, but I can’t decide what I want.” Justin smiled at him and thought of his car back in Phoenix. It wouldn’t suit Pittsburgh. He’d need something that would keep him warm. 

“We can talk about it at breakfast. Some of the gang should be there. It’s time you met some of my friends. You know they may just recruit you to the dark side.” Brian’s hand went out and his finger traced its way down the side of Justin’s cheek. 

Justin flinched at the fire in Brian’s touch and jumped back. “Ha ha,” he said. “I doubt that very much.”

“Pick you up at seven,” Brian replied and opened the door of Justin’s loft apartment. “Oh and don’t worry, I won’t tell the boy’s you’re straight.”

“You’re a quite the joker Mr. Kinney,” Justin drawled in his best imitation of Brian’s drawl. “I think I can hold my own with any of your friends.” 

“We’ll see,” Brian laughed and shut the door.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Brian had barely cleared the door when Justin was dialing his brother’s cell phone. “Hey asshole,” he began when Ty answered. 

“Jai, nice to hear your voice. You’ll be happy to know that Daphne and I managed to get in some time in the sun before dinner. I do love the time difference. I had a massage and Daphne’s lounging in the Jacuzzi, which is where I’m going to be as soon as I get rid of you.”

“You asshole. Brian Kinney was here waiting for me when I got to your apartment.”

“And this is a problem how?” Ty laughed. “Hey Daphne, Brian was waiting for Justin when he got to the loft,” he shouted to his girlfriend.

“You didn’t tell me you had a relationship with him. I thought you’re straight. Shit Daphne’s your girlfriend. She’ll have your balls if she finds out you’ve been fucking around with Brian.”

“The only relationship we have is a business one. Not that Brian probably wouldn’t want more, but like you say, Daphne is vicious,” he laughed and winked at his girlfriend as she stuck out her tongue at him.

“Well it sure doesn’t look that way to me. He wanted to join me in the shower. He bought Chinese food for dinner, shit he even had us eating at the table.”

The last part cracked Ty up completely and he could barely get his breath before saying, “Jai, just go with the flow. The job is going to be an easy one for you. It’s right up your alley. And by the way, Daphne is going to be working on the movie with me. We got the studio to agree to everything we wanted.”

“Hey Ty, that’s great.” Justin was happy for his brother. “Seriously Ty, I don’t think you told me everything about Brian Kinney and your place at Kinnetik. He’s going to find out and he’s going to be pissed.”

“He won’t find out, you know that,” Ty reassured him. “Besides, this job isn’t forever. I mean at most I’m going to be here six months, maybe eight. Jai, you needed to get out and live even if it’s my life you’re living.”

“I think maybe I’ll let Brian turn me gay,” Justin laughed. “And then the great Ty Taylor will be outted for the world to know.”

“I don’t care if you tell the world I’m gay. I know I’m not and Daphne sure knows I’m not.” 

“Did I mention that you are an asshole?” Justin asked. “I can’t believe I let you talk me into this. I swore it would never happen again.” 

“Justin, my baby brother,” he began.

“Two minutes doesn’t qualify me for that asshole,” Justin said. He had finally calmed down now that the smell of Brian’s cologne was fading. He continued to talk as he straightened up the apartment from the impromptu dinner. “Ty, all kidding aside, Brian Kinney has something about him that’s almost vulnerable and you know I’m a sucker for poor little gay boys.”

Ty couldn’t help but laugh at that description of Brian. “Somehow I don’t think that term has ever been used on la Kinney,” he snorted into the phone. 

“He is, you can see it in his eyes. He’s been hurt and hurt badly.”

“I don’t think so,.” Ty said, though he was uncertain. “From everything I’ve heard he doesn’t really do boyfriends and never has. He doesn’t even date anyone. He fucks, just plain fucks and then only once. He has some kind of rule about that.”

“He didn’t act like it tonight at dinner,” Justin’s voice was thoughtful.

“Be careful. It could be because he thinks you’re straight and he’s not worried about you hitting on him.” 

“He seemed to be hitting on me,” Justin replied, though maybe he’d been imagining it. “He invited me to breakfast tomorrow at the diner whatever that is.”

“No shit,” Ty smiled to himself. He put his arm around Daphne and drew her close to him. “That’s like inviting you to meet his mother,” Ty said. “Only maybe not quite, I heard his mother is a grade-A bitch,” he giggled and Justin wondered if it was something Daphne was doing to him or if it was from something he said. 

“What are you talking about? It’s just a diner.” 

“Ahhhh, not quite, my naïve baby brother. The diner is an institution on Liberty Avenue. Even I, Mr. Straight, have heard of the diner. According to the gossip around the water cooler, the indestructible Mr. Kinney considers the place sacrosanct. He never takes tricks there. It’s reserved for friends and family. When I say family I mean his close friends who have become family to him.” 

“Then why did he ask me to join him there for breakfast?” Justin was confused.

“Justin, I’ve never understood the workings of a gay man’s mind, not even yours,” he laughed. “Don’t sweat it. Just go and have a good time. It won’t hurt and it might be fun. “

Justin talked to his brother for another few minutes, hoping to gain more insight into the operation of Kinnetik and Brian’s and Ty’s duties. By the time he disconnected, Justin was feeling more confident, although not by much. When the loft was back to normal, Justin took a sketchpad and sat down on the sofa in the spot Brian had been sitting in. He had a glass of wine on the table next to him and soft music on the stereo. 

Putting his head back, resting it on the back of the sofa, Justin closed his eyes for a moment to better visualize Brian’s face. It didn’t take long before the smiling hazel eyes demanded to be drawn and Justin’s fingers, holding a piece of charcoal, brought the eyes to life on his page, surrounding them with the other features of the man that had intrigued him. Justin was so lost in sketching an image of Brian Kinney that he didn’t hear the phone ringing. Finally, with a sigh, he answered the phone that sat on the table with his glass of wine. 

“Taylor,” he said, figuring that pretty much covered it if it was someone who knew he was Justin or thought he was Ty.

“Hey Sunshine, I wanted to say goodnight.” It was Brian.

“Have you taken leave of your senses?” Justin laughed. “You do remember I’m a straight boy don’t you? I mean if I didn’t know better I’d swear you were attempting to seduce me.” 

“Believe me Sunshine, if I was seducing you, you’d know it,” Brian laughed. But the laugh was all bravado, he was trying to seduce Justin, only it was tricky dealing with the fact that Justin was Ty and Ty was straight, and Brian wasn’t supposed to know they’d changed places. He knew that Justin wouldn’t be able to keep up the pretense easily; he was far too truthful to continue once they became close; and they would become close. He’d never wanted a relationship before this, but something about Justin called to him. It wasn’t only that he pulled at Brian’s libido, but that he also pulled at his heart.

“Why Mr. Kinney, you are doing a good job of sending out signals that get crossed.” 

“I don’t know about that Ty, but I did want to say goodnight and thank you for the work you did on that campaign. You could have told me to go home and you’d work on it in the morning but instead, you helped finish it.” Brian’s smile could be heard over the phone line and Justin smiled back, though he knew the older man couldn’t see it. 

“Good night Brian, I’ll see you in the morning.” Justin’s voice was soft and seductive. He carefully disconnected from the call and placed the phone back on the table.

For a second Brian listened to the buzz of the disconnected line before he laid the receiver down. He sat back and smiled a crooked smile of pleasure. He didn’t know what in hell had prompted him to phone the blond. It certainly wasn’t something he’d ever done before. Acting like a teenager with a first crush was an unfamiliar feeling and not one that he wanted to continue having. There was something about this blond filled with sweet little lies. Something that intrigued him and made him want more of the man. He wanted to taste Justin’s full lips
and see if they were as sweet as they looked. Brian shook his head and laughed out loud at the foolishness of his thoughts. It was time to head to Babylon before he turned into a lesbian in a poof of smoke. 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Justin had difficulty getting to sleep and even then he slept lightly. Brian Kinney was interfering in his dream world and it was unsettling. He’d finally begun to sleep after Tomas’ death and now he found hazel eyes and a crooked smile invading his dreams. It certainly hadn’t been part of the bargain he’d agreed to with his brother or had it all been some kind of crazy-assed plan that Ty and Daphne had hatched together? 

Justin got out of bed and headed for the gigantic bathroom. At least he had use of a bathtub as well as a shower built for two. He’d weighed the options and realized he would be late if he opted for a relaxing soak in the tub. Unfortunately, he couldn’t get the image of Brian offering to share the shower last night out of his mind. His hand wandered slowly along his soapy torso until it found what it was seeking; his constantly busy mind spun a shower fantasy out of warm water and mist.

Justin rushed out of his building, his hair still wet, not wanting to keep Brian waiting. He couldn’t help but smile as his eyes caught those of his hazel-eyed nemesis as he lounged against the gleaming side of a vintage Corvette.

“Mid life crisis?” Justin asked in a teasing voice before realizing that Ty probably knew what kind of car Brian drove. 

“Like I told you before, I like fine wine, old cars and young men.” Brian grinned at Justin’s faux pas. “Not necessarily in that order.” 

“I know but I love hearing you say it,” Justin laughed and got into the car pleased that Brian held the door open for him. 

“The diner isn’t far, only a few blocks,” Brian said. “I suppose we could have walked, the morning is great for walking, but after work, I don’t always feel like it.”

“Have you heard of that thing called a taxi? They’re usually yellow and they’ll take you from Kinnetik to your home,” Justin grinned. 

“Aren’t you just on top of your game so early in the morning,” Brian laughed. “I don’t suppose you’ve even had your coffee yet.”

“No, I thought you’d buy me one.” 

“I can do that,” Brian replied as he couldn’t stop himself from grinning. He finished the drive to the diner silently, his mind too full of the man sitting beside him.

“Interesting look,” Justin said as they parked in front of the brightly painted diner. “I love the rainbows.” 

“Wait until you see inside,” Brian laughed and in a flash he was over on Justin’s side opening the car door for him. 

As Justin got out of the car, he looked up and smiled his thanks. He was close enough for Brian’s freshly showered smell to overwhelm his senses and he faltered slightly, as the man quickly caught his elbow. They looked into each other’s eyes and laughed. It was the first glimpse Brian’s ‘family’ had of the two of them together. 

Justin was in a quandary. He didn’t want to lie to Brian’s friends about his name and he didn’t want to continue to lie to Brian. They wouldn’t understand why they called him Ty and then found out he was really his twin. 

“Hey Brian, who have you brought in with you?” Debbie called out as she walked past the two men on her way to a table with an order. 

“I think I mentioned that I’d hired a new Art Director, Ty Taylor,” Brian began. “I like to call him Sunshine or Tiger, he answers to either,” Brian grinned at Justin. He knew that his blond would have a problem being deceptive to Brian’s friends. He had the distinct feeling that this idea to switch identities hadn’t been Justin’s but rather his brother Ty’s. 

“Actually, you did mention it,” Emmett all but purred when he seductively eyed Justin. “I’m Emmett Honeycutt and of course you must know Teddy after all he works with Brian at Kinnetik.”

“That’s for Brian at Kinnetik,” Brian said calmly. “Of course, Sunshine here knows Teddy. He had to give his personal information to someone if he wanted to get paid.” 

“Hi Ted, Emmett,” Justin said shyly.

“Hey Ty,” Ted smiled. “Your life insurance physical results came in Friday. You’re all set to be part of Kinnetik’s benefit plan.” 

“That’s good to know, but I told you I don’t need them,” Justin said softly. “It isn’t important for me. I don’t really have anyone other than myself to worry about.”

“But you never know when long term disability benefits might become important,” Brian drawled. “For instance, if you were say...attacked and hospitalized for any length of time like your brother was, the insurance would cover the hospital costs and the long term physical therapies.”

Justin flushed, he was the one who had been attacked. It was a long time ago but he could still hear the sound the bat made when it connected with his head. “I don’t like to talk about that,” he all but whispered, his left hand subconsciously rubbing the throbbing wrist and fingers of his right. 

“Hey Deb, can we get some breakfast here? I don’t want to be here for lunch too,” Brian called out, taking any attention away from Justin and placing it firmly on himself. 

“Hold your shirt,” Deb called back as she headed over with a pot of coffee and two extra coffee mugs. “Coffee for the two of you?” she asked smiling at Justin. “You look so much like your brother it’s amazing,” she said with a grin.

“We’re identical twins,” Justin said and smiled at her. “How do you know my brother?” 

“Oh Honey, I don’t know your brother. I just saw that article in the Advocate a few months ago about the two of you. It was a great article and I loved how the two of you kept switching identities and had that poor interviewer so confused.”

“It was kind of mean,” Justin admitted. “My brother thinks he’s funny when he does stuff like that. He used to do it all the time when we were growing up. You can’t imagine how many detentions and essays that I did in his place.”

“Hey Brian, it’s a good thing you weren’t a twin. I can see you now getting into no good and blaming it on your brother,” Debbie laughed. “You should have seen this boy when he was younger; such a trouble maker.” She looked at Brian fondly. 

“My, my, my imagine that, two Brian Kinney’s there would finally be enough of him to go around,” Emmett cooed. 

“Heaven help gay Pittsburgh,” Ted said.

“I’m a twin and only one of us is gay,” Justin said. “Not that all twins are one or the other; straight or gay. It just happened that way with my brother and myself.”

“And which one are you?” Brian asked, “The straight one or the gay one?” 

“You have to ask Mr. Kinney?” Justin laughed. “I guess you’ll just have to find out on your own.” He looked down and studied the menu in front of him intently. “How are the waffles here?” he asked everyone.

“Oh Honey, I love the waffles,” Emmett grinned. He liked this young blond’s sense of humor. “I love the strawberry syrup the best, although, the chocolate syrup is great too.”

“I can’t sit here and watch you eat chocolate covered waffles for breakfast. It’s cruel and unusual punishment,” Brian’s voice was snide but filled with laughter. “Gus doesn’t even eat shit like that for breakfast.” 

Justin remembered that Gus was Brian’s son. “Gus would probably love them, “ he smiled. “Maybe I could invite him for breakfast someday and we could share the chocolate ones.” 

“And you both could share the sugar high he’d be on. I’ll take the two of you to the park and leave you alone with him. It would be interesting to see which one survived.”

“Like you’d ever let Gus be alone with me, you are far too anal for that. You would be eating chocolate waffles with whipped cream with us and liking it,” Justin teased. 

Brian laughed and neither of them noticed the astonished looks that Emmett and Ted exchanged. 

Breakfast developed into a business meeting between Brian and Justin as they ate and discussed the clients they’d be meeting with later in the day. They didn’t notice when Ted and Emmett left, they were too wrapped up in discussing the creativity of the boards ‘Ty’ had handed in the week before.

“Shit Brian, it’s almost nine o’clock,” Justin said finally noticing that the diner had emptied of the breakfast crowd. 

“Time flies Sunshine and all that.” Brian couldn’t stop himself from grinning. He felt like an idiot, but there was something about Justin that made him smile. He stood up to leave and said, “While it helps that I own the company, we do have a ten o’clock meeting and I know you’d never be satisfied with last week’s boards.”

“What can I say?” Justin replied as he stood up as well. “Things change; ideas move forward or fall back. I know I can do better than the ones I originally submitted. Give me an hour and I think you and the client will be pleasantly surprised.”

“I don’t think surprised is what I’ll be.” Brian placed his hand on the back of Justin’s neck. “I know what to expect from you and you’ll only be giving me what I expect.”

“And what’s that?” Justin asked as he got into the car with Brian was once again holding the door open for him.

“The best Tiger, the best.” 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

“Hey Mikey.” Brian leaned back in his office chair, his feet on his desk.”

“Brian, do you have any idea what time it is?” his friend asked sleep heavy in his voice.

“Sure do Mikey, it’s just after nine.”

“Well asshole, think again, it’s just after five here,” Michael grumbled as he struggled to focus on the phone and Brian’s voice. “I was up until three with Ty going over the next issue of Rage. The studio wants me there at nine. Now I’ll never get back to sleep.”

“Ahhh Mikey, you can whine just as good in L.A. as in Pittsburgh. It’s always nice to have a talent and I see you’ve found yours.” 

“Brian if you called just to piss me off, it’s working.” Michael walked into the kitchen so he wouldn’t wake up Ben. 

“I actually called to see how your resident artist is doing,” Brian drawled. “I have to check on my investments.” 

“Ty is doing just fine. What’s it to you?” Michael asked. “I was glad he finally accepted my offer. He brought his girlfriend with him. It’s kind of weird being around a ‘in love’ hetero couple. They never stop pawing each other; it’s disgusting.”

“Good thing you and the professor keep it in your pants all the time,” Brian laughed. “Say Mikey, is Ty staying for the entire six months or whatever it takes to get the movie off the ground?” 

“Sure, why wouldn’t he?” Michael asked. “I had a contract drawn up like you suggested and he signed it and so did the movie studio.”

“Just making sure.” Brian couldn’t stop grinning from forming on his face. Justin was sooooo his. He didn’t stop and think that his ideas were completely alien to his usual way of thinking. All he could do was visualize the blond naked and wet in his morning shower. 

“If that’s it, I’m going back to bed.”

“Have a good one Mikey,” Brian said with a laugh as he hung up the phone.

“Boss, your ten o’clock called, they’re going to be about five minutes late,” Cynthia said as she stuck her head in Brian’s office.

“That’s fine. The art department is re-working the boards, another ten minutes can’t hurt.” Brian stood up and moved toward the door, “I think I’ll wander back there and see how everything is going.”

“You just want to see how a certain blond is doing,” Cynthia teased. She was surprised to see a flash of something almost soft cross Brian’s face before his usual mask of indifference jumped back in place. 

“I like to make sure I’ve made a good decision when I hire key employees.” 

“Sounds like a good reason to me Boss,” Cynthia smiled softly to herself. 

“Get out of here,” Brian growled around a smile that threatened to escape. 

“Yes Sir, Boss, Sir.” Cynthia reached up and kissed his cheek on her way out of the room.

Brian shook his head before heading to the art department. He stood for a few minutes and watched and listened to the men and women inside.

“Damn Ty I swear to God you went out of here on Friday one person and came back another. You are rockin’ man. I love this.” Jared held up the newest storyboard Justin had sketched out. “I’ll get right on this. Mr. Kinney is going to freak when he sees it.”

“I must have been off my game, you know with the move here from New York and everything. I think I’m okay now,” Justin admitted. 

Ty’s forte was not doing commercial art for the advertising world. He loved it but just didn’t have the same feel for it that his brother had. Just like Justin couldn’t feel the same about comic book art or movie animation.

“Well, I was coming in to see how you’re doing, but I see I didn’t need to,” Brian drawled as he walked into the art department.

“Hey Brian,” Justin smiled. “Didn’t I just see you not too long ago. Let me run my damn department.” 

“Okay, okay, I admit I was checking up,” Brian laughed. “I actually came in to let you know the client phoned and he’s going to be a few minutes late.” 

“Great that’ll give me time to have a cup of coffee.” Justin turned and headed for the ever-present pot of coffee that brewed all day in the back of the room.

“Damn Tiger you aren’t going to drink that shit are you?” he asked. “It’s mud by now.” Brian looked at the disgusting pot of stale coffee and turned his nose up.

“Actually I made it not ten minutes ago.” Justin continued to pour himself some coffee into a mug that read ‘Up Yours’ written in brilliant red. He saluted Brian with the mug and drank deeply. 

Brian raised one eyebrow not sure if the salute was to show off the writing on the coffee mug or just a friendly gesture. “I’ll have some coffee myself then.”

“You’ll have to get your own mug. I don’t have extras,” Justin smirked. “Since you rarely grace us with your presence, I didn’t think it was necessary to invest in a mug with an appropriate comment on it.”

“I’ll just use one of the paper ones.” Brian spotted a supply of paper cups. “I prefer my coffee containers not to advertise inane sayings.”

“You take all the fun out of things Mr. Kinney.” Justin walked over to his desk and sat down, never once did he take his eyes off of Brian. 

“That’s not what the boys at Babylon say Mr. Taylor,” Brian replied, his voice filled with promises.

“Babylon?” Justin said with a question in his voice, though he knew from Ty what the place was and he fully intended to check it out if Brian ever went on a business trip. He didn’t dare go there when the man was in town. Ty had told him that Brian held court there on most weekends and occasionally during the week.

“It’s a club. A gay man’s club,” Brian smirked and sipped his coffee that tasted truly awful. He wondered if he had any mints in his desk drawer back in his office. 

“I know what a club is. I’ve even heard rumors that they have them for straights as well.” 

Justin downed the rest of his coffee and poured himself another cup. Brian poured some of his coffee into the plant by Justin’s desk when the blond’s back was turned. Justin had a good view of what Brian was doing from the reflective glass in the cabinet over the coffee maker. He held a smile inside noticing how Brian was amazingly stubborn.

“Oh, I wouldn’t know,” Brian drawled. He sat on the edge of Justin’s desk and began to look through a sketchbook that had been left there. There were pictures of Daphne and Ty. He knew it was Ty by the way the other man’s eyes softened when he looked at the girl he was with. “You never did say where your roommate Daphne is?” Brian smiled when he saw the confusion on Justin’s face. “You know Daphne, cute little black girl.” 

Justin laughed at that comment. “She’d have your balls if you called her a ‘cute little black girl’ to her face. She likes to think of herself as a self-assured, amazingly beautiful woman of color.”

“I’ll have to remember that,” Brian laughed. “So where is she again?” 

“She’s in L.A. and will probably be there for a few months. So, I guess I’m on my own here in Pittsburgh.” 

“And she trusts you on your own?” Brian’s eyebrows were arched.

“Of course. Geeze, I’ve known her since we were very, very, young. We were in pre-school together; the three of us were inseparable.”

“I bet you were cute together,” Brian smiled. “Gus is three; I can’t imagine him with two more buddies.”

“Well we managed to get into a lot of trouble. My brother and I always tried to blame Daphne and she always tried to blame us. Our parents would take turns on Saturdays keeping us entertained. I think they were happy when we started school. Of course, Daphne was in our class at school until we reached the age when we were able to choose our subjects. It was always a contest between us to see who would get the higher grade.” 

“And who usually won?” Brian asked his curiosity piqued. 

“Me, but once in awhile there’d be a tie. When my brother won he’d lord it over us, so we weren’t keen on letting him win and would go to great lengths to make sure we scored higher than he did.”

“When I was growing up nobody gave a shit about my marks as long as they were A’s. I liked to try for the highest grade in school, but that was only my own sense of competition kicking in. It had nothing to do with any of my friends.”

“And did you have many? Friends I mean,” Justin asked.

“Not in the earlier grades. I lucked into one when I was about fourteen. We’ve been friends ever since.”

“He’s your boyfriend?” Justin had to ask. Ty hadn’t said anything about this. In fact, he said Brian didn’t ‘do’ boyfriends. 

“No, gawd no, Mikey is my friend. You don’t fuck your friends; it screws with their heads. Besides, he’s more like a brother than just a friend. He has a life-partner as he likes to refer to Ben. They even have a foster kid although he’s more of a teenager than a little kid.” 

“I’m glad you had him as a friend growing up. High school sucks if you’re gay and without anyone.”

“It sucks if you’re gay and have someone,” Brian’s voice was bitter. “I wasn’t actually out in high school and neither was Mikey; we valued our lives. But some kids had their suspicions. It wasn’t a fun time in my life. I’m glad it’s over.”

“Maybe you’ll be able to make it better for your own son when he reaches that age,” Justin suggested. “That’s if he’s gay.” 

“Yeah, whatever.” Brian stood up signaling the conversation was over; it was becoming too uncomfortable. It brought back too many memories he’d just as soon keep well hidden in the back of his mind. Brian walked to the sink and dumped the rest of his coffee down the drain. “I think you need to change your brand of coffee, Tiger.”

“It’s my boss; he’s a cheap son of a bitch and buys crap from the supermarket,” Justin replied back to him. “If he valued his employees, he’d at least have Starbucks coffee beans for us.”

Brian grinned and walked out of the office. He had to admit Justin Taylor aka Ty Taylor had balls. Now to find out if they were brassy enough to survive the next six months at Kinnetik.

Tbc.