Second Best
Chapter 6
Justin looked at his cell phone sitting on his desk. He willed it to ring and to be Brian, and then he willed it not to ring, and then he willed it to ring and be Brian.
"Fuck!" he said aloud.
The rest of the art department was out for lunch. He had decided not to go with them. He had wanted some time to think; only God knew why he had thought that was a good idea. He had done nothing but think since the evening he had spent with Brian. He had thought about how great their date had been and how much he wanted to see Brian again. And then he would think about how Brian must be comparing the brothers, and Justin knew he would come up short once again.
It was two days since Brian had taken him on their date, and he had heard nothing from the man. This was proof to Justin that he wasn't good enough. Brian must have decided that once with Justin was enough, too much in fact. He was never going to call.
Justin picked up his cell phone. He flipped it open and looked at his address book. There was Brian's name and number, clear as day. Why had Brian put that in there if he didn't want to be in contact? But he had entered his name and number before they had had sex. After that Brian must have decided that Justin wasn't worth a phone call.
Justin's fingers caressed the scroll button and he passed over Brian's number again and again. Finally he decided to let Fate decide. He held down the scroll button without looking at it. After going back and forth several times he stopped at random. The number illuminated was Brian's.
"Shit!" Justin reacted. Could he trust in Fate? It seemed more than a coincidence that it had stopped on Brian's number. Taking a deep breath he hit send.
After ringing a couple of times, Brian's voice said, "Hey."
"Hey," Justin replied. Brian sounded friendly enough. "Is this a bad time?"
"Speaking to you is never bad," Brian said in that husky voice of his.
Justin felt himself blushing. That was just what he wanted to hear. "I thought you might have called me by now," he said hesitantly.
"It's been a couple of crazy days," Brian explained. "I had to overhaul a whole campaign that got screwed up. Besides, I seem to remember that the last thing I said to you was, 'Call me.'"
"Yeah, I guess it was," Justin admitted feeling a little sheepish.
"I haven't been able to get that image of you on the bed out of my head ever since I left."
Justin felt his smile grow and he whispered, "Oh."
"I hope we can get together again."
"You do?"
"Of course, it was great."
"Yeah, I thought so too," Justin grinned.
"I'm almost done with this fucking campaign. What are you doing after work today?"
"Nothing much," Justin admitted, and then he realized how pathetic that sounded.
"I could change that."
"I I'd like that."
"Want to go out for dinner."
"Um you could come to my place and I'll cook for you," Justin suggested.
"If I come to your place, you won't have time to cook."
"Oh."
"So is it a date," Brian chuckled.
"Absolutely. Who needs food anyway?"
"Not me. There are many more important things."
"I get off at five," Justin said.
"Shall I pick you up?"
"Will you be done by then?"
"I'm the boss; I can make my own hours. After fixing this mess, my staff better come through or I'll be having a whole new staff next week."
"Ooh, I love a ruthless man," Justin cooed.
Brian felt the "ooh" go straight to his dick which inconveniently straightened out in his pants. He shifted to ease the pressure.
"Watch those 'oohs'," Brian warned. "They go straight to you know where."
"Ooh, I'll be sure to remember that," Justin giggled.
"Bitch!"
"Ooh, see you at five." Justin hung up with a laugh. He shifted in his chair easing the pressure on his own cock. He'd have to watch the use of "ooh". It seemed to work on both of them.
When Justin stepped out the front door of Galactic Graphics at precisely five o'clock, he heard an engine rev, and Brian's Corvette drew up beside him. He smiled to himself.
"Need a ride, little boy?" Brian asked through the passenger window.
"I don't take rides from dirty old men "
"Hey, watch the 'old' comments."
"You didn't let me finish," Justin said. "I don't take rides from dirty old men, but since you're young and sexy and horny as hell, I can hardly wait." Justin pulled the door open and fell into the seat beside Brian. He felt Brian's arm come around him and pull him into a smoldering kiss. "Home, James," Justin gasped, "or I'll have my way with you on the sidewalk."
Brian gunned the engine squealing the tires and throwing up smoke. He had them at Justin's apartment before either had a clear thought. They ran up the stairs and Brian began ripping off Justin's clothes as the blond tried to unlock the door. When Justin finally got it unlocked Brian shoved him inside and kicked the door closed behind them. He pulled Justin into another kiss practically carrying the boy to the bedroom as he locked his arms around the lithe body.
"Jesus, Justin. I need you," Brian gasped as the kiss finally ended.
"Need you too," Justin panted trying to undo the buttons on Brian's shirt.
"Forget it," Brian ordered unzipping his pants. "I need to be inside you now!" He picked Justin up and tossed him on the bed. He opened the nightstand and found a condom. "Hard and fast," he whispered against Justin's neck as he bit the tender flesh.
"Yeah," Justin gasped.
He felt Brian's lubed cock probe his hole and he gasped louder as Brian forced the head of his cock inside him. Two more thrusts and Brian was deeply imbedded.
"I'm going to fuck your socks off," Brian said with a grimace as he thrust hard and fast.
Justin laughed almost hysterically as he looked at his sock clad feet now hanging over Brian's shoulders.
Brian drove home again and again continually finding the sweet spot that he had discovered the other night. He knew it made Justin wild, even wilder than the guy already was. His thrusts continued as sweat beaded his face and body. He wanted this to never end. He drove on and on as Justin met and took everything he gave. Their orgasms left them both breathless and immobile. Neither was sure how much time passed until they could take a full breath and have a rational thought.
"That was spectacular!" Justin croaked, finding it difficult to speak.
"Awesome," Brian groaned finding it impossible to move. His softening dick was still up Justin's ass and he was probably crushing the boy beneath him. Finally he used one arm to push himself up and roll away.
Justin gave a soft whimper as their connection was broken. He immediately rolled towards Brian and cradled his head on Brian's chest rolling a finger continuously around one of Brian's nipples.
"I don't think we should have two days between fucks," Brian stated out of the blue. "It's too hard on my heart."
"Your heart?" Justin asked looking up at Brian.
"And my dick," Brian added not realizing how his statement might have sounded to Justin.
Justin liked the heart part however Brian had meant it. "We can do it again in a few minutes," Justin suggested, "if you want."
"Oh, I want," Brian replied with a laugh.
"Ooh," Justin cooed.
"Stop that! I need at least thirty seconds between fucks."
"Is that all? I'm not sure I can wait that long," Justin giggled.
"You young ones are so impatient."
"Only for the really good things in life."
Brian smiled. "I missed you."
"Why didn't you call?"
"I really did work twenty hours a day. Today was the deadline and it went well."
"Congratulations."
"Thanks."
"Brian," Justin said hesitantly, "could I ask you something?"
"Uh oh."
"Please."
"Okay, what?"
"Did you compare me to Dillon after the other night?"
"I haven't given Dillon a thought since we talked about him at the airport."
"Seriously?"
"Seriously."
"I I thought I might not measure up." Justin avoided Brian's eyes. He hoped Brian would reply in the way he wanted, but one way or the other he wanted to hear Brian's reaction to his statement. He waited.
"You more than measure up," Brian replied. Giving Justin's cock a tug and feeling it start to fill. "In fact, there's really no comparison at all."
"Ooh, Mr. Kinney, you say the sweetest things. Ooh, ooh, ooh."
Justin was going to ooh a bit more but didn't have time as Brian rolled on top of him and all thoughts of any kind rapidly disappeared.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
When Brian and Justin finally made it out of the bedroom it was after 8:00. They still hadn't had dinner, but then again, neither one of them was complaining.
"Brian, are you hungry? We missed dinner, but I could still fix us something," Justin said as he made his way towards the kitchen.
Brian followed him, enjoying the way the blue silk robe hugged his ass. "Do you have anything light? I don't usually eat carbs after seven."
"I think I have the makings of a salad. Give me a few minutes to throw it all together," Justin replied. He reached into the fridge and pulled out the necessary ingredients. He quickly prepared the salad and filled two bowls then poured two glasses of wine before placing the meal on the kitchen table. He was glad he had remembered to go shopping the day before.
As soon as they sat down, Brian began making small talk. He had always enjoyed talking to Justin. There weren't many men out there that could carry on deep, meaningful conversations. It was one of Justin's most appealing features; aside from his beautiful body and perfect ass. They finished their salads without even noticing and then Justin poured them another glass of wine before leading the older man into the living room. Conversation continued until Brian leaned in and kissed Justin softly. Before either one of them knew it, they were locked together in a heated make-out session. The sound of Justin's phone ringing brought them both back to reality.
"Sorry, I have to get that," Justin said as he reached for the phone, ready to scream at the person who interrupted them. "Hello?"
"Hey baby brother, how're things?" Dillon asked when he heard Justin's voice.
"Dillon," Justin sighed as he avoided making eye contact with Brian. "What's up?"
"Nothing, I just called to see how you were doing. As your brother, it's my job to look out for you," Dillon teased.
"Dillon, I'm 26, not 12. I think your days of looking out for me are over."
"I'm hurt, Justin. Here I call you to see how things are going and you wound me," Dillon replied.
"Get over it and tell me why you're really calling," Justin said. He was in no mood to play games.
"Actually, there is a reason I'm calling," Dillon admitted.
"Of course," Justin replied sarcastically. "Now why don't you just tell me what it is? It's late and I have to be up early tomorrow for work. Remember, there's an hour time difference here." He finally chanced a glance at Brian and saw that he was being watched intently.
"I was just wondering what you were getting Mom and Dad for Christmas."
Justin involuntarily rolled his eyes. Christmas was the last thing on his mind. "Dill, I haven't even thought about it yet."
"Jus, Christmas is less than three weeks away. Don't you think it's time to start thinking about it? I was thinking that maybe we could chip in together and send them to Venice or Rome or something,"
"Are you out of your fucking mind, Dillon? I'm not some hot shot lawyer. I don't have that kind of money and you know it!" Justin exclaimed, forgetting all about Brian as he jumped up off the couch and began pacing the floor. "Look, you do whatever you want. I'll figure out what to get them on my own."
"All right, all right, no need to get testy," Dillon replied. "I just thought I'd ask."
"Look, I've got to go. I'll talk to you later." Justin barely heard his brother's goodbye as he hung up the phone and walked over to the window, staring out at the night sky.
Brian sensed the tension in Justin and felt bad for him. He always hated the way Dillon and their parents seemed to push Justin's buttons. Brian had noticed it the first time he met them all and watched over his time with Dillon as they all seemed to come down on Justin over and over again. He mentioned it a few times while talking to Dillon, but the man refused to see that there was a problem. He just claimed that they loved Justin and wanted what was best for him. Brian eventually gave up trying. As he watched Justin staring out in the night, Brian got up and walked over to him, wrapping his arms around him from behind.
"I know this is easier said than done, but you need to stop letting them get to you. They're the ones with the problem, not you," Brian said softly.
"You're right," Justin replied tearfully. "It is easier said than done."
Brian turned Justin around and looked into his face, his heart breaking at the saddened expression looking back at him. "Let me guess, good old Dillon wanted to buy your folks a car or a house or something equally as extravagant for Christmas," Brian said with a chuckle.
"Close, he wants to send them to Europe. Now I happen to be all for sending them out of the country," Justin laughed. "But there's no way I can afford something like that. Galactic is paying me a decent salary but not enough to splurge on a gift like that. Dillon knows this and just likes to make me squirm"
"Well if Dillon wants to send them to Europe, tell him to knock his socks off," Brian replied. "Hey, I've got an idea. How about if we go out Christmas shopping this weekend? I've managed to forget about the holidays so far, but I do have a few people I have to shop for. It would be a lot less painful if you were there with me."
Justin could see the sincerity in Brian's eyes and knew he was trying to make the chore of Christmas shopping easier on him and his heart warmed at the thought. He gave Brian one of his best smiles before replying. "It's a date. Wow, at the rate we're going, before we know it we'll end up in a relationship."
Brian forced himself not to recoil from Justin's words. Not that he didn't enjoy spending time with Justin, but he promised himself after Dillon that he would steer clear of relationships. Random dating and fucking was a lot easier. Even though he knew almost from the beginning that he and Dillon would never live 'happily ever after' he still missed what they had had, once it was gone. He decided that keeping things casual was the better way to go. Yet something kept pulling him to Justin and he felt himself wanting to spend more and more time with him. He needed to be careful. He didn't want either of them to get hurt. Instead of replying, Brian leaned down and kissed Justin deeply before pulling away.
"I'd better get going. My ass was dragging after leaving here so late on Tuesday and I have an early morning meeting that I have to be brilliant for."
"I'm sure that won't be a problem," Justin said, hiding the disappointment he felt. If it were up to him, they'd be heading back to the bedroom and forgetting all about his family and Christmas.
"How about if I pick you up around nine on Saturday so we can grab some breakfast before braving the Christmas shopping crowds?" Brian called over his shoulder as he walked towards the bedroom to finish dressing.
"Sounds good. I'll be ready," Justin said as he followed Brian, watching him put on his shirt and forcing his cock to stay down and not tent his robe.
Brian slipped on his shoes and then stood up from the bed, walking over to Justin. He leaned down and placed one final kiss on his perfect mouth before pulling away. "See you on Saturday."
Once Brian was gone, Justin finished straightening up the living room and kitchen, brushed his teeth, and crawled into bed, smiling to himself as he drifted off with Brian's smell lulling him to sleep.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Friday turned out to be a bitch of a day and all Brian wanted to do was go home and relax. As soon as he walked into the loft, he stripped down and took a shower then ordered from the Thai place that he loved so much. All day long his mind kept replaying Justin's words over and over again. Was it possible that he wanted to have a relationship with the blond? When he made his decision to stay away from commitment it had been right after his break-up with Dillon and seemed like a good idea at the time. But then again, at the time he had no idea that he would run into Justin again, or that he would fall into his bed so easily, or that his smile would invade his thoughts regularly throughout the day. He sighed as he tried to push all thoughts of Justin out of his head and turned on the TV, but after a half hour of channel surfing, he knew that it was going to be impossible. Growling at his lack of self control, Brian got up and turned off the TV, threw on a pair of worn jeans and a t-shirt and headed for the door. At the last minute he walked back into his room and threw a few things into his overnight bag. No sense in going unprepared. Within minutes, he was out the door, refusing to think about the future beyond the rest of the night.
Justin was wandering around his apartment wondering if he should call Brian. They'd already made plans for Saturday so there wasn't any reason to call. Would Brian find it odd if he called for no reason at all? Could Justin actually say that he called just because he needed to hear his voice? He stopped his pacing and stared at the phone for a minute before forcing himself to pick it up. He took a deep breath and dialed Brian's home number and was disappointed when it went to voicemail. He briefly thought about calling his cell, but then decided against it. The last thing he wanted to do was seem needy. Besides, the thought of calling Brian and finding out he was fucking at Babylon really didn't appeal to him. It was Friday night after all. What made him think Brian would be home alone thinking about him when he could be out with his friends picking up tricks.
Feeling even more depressed and alone, Justin sat back down on the couch and turned on the TV, desperately trying to forget about where Brian was and what he was doing. After only two dates, he had no right to question what he was doing. Of course, having a satellite dish and 900 channels didn't mean there'd be anything to watch and he eventually turned off the TV in disgust. Maybe he'd just go to bed and try to sleep until it was time to see Brian again. Just because it was only nine o'clock on a Friday night, it didn't mean that he couldn't go to bed, right?
As he started turning off the lights he heard a soft knock at the door and sighed. It had to be someone for his next door neighbor. People were always showing up at his door at all hours of the night, claiming to have the wrong apartment. He opened the door, ready to point whoever it was in the right direction and was shocked to see Brian standing there.
"Brian, what're you doing here?"
"Did you know that TV's for shit? I mean, 900 channels and not one God damn thing worth watching," Brian joked as he felt a fluttering in his chest at the sight of Justin in flannel pajama pants and nothing else.
"Funny, I was just thinking the same thing," Justin laughed in response. Suddenly he wasn't the least bit tired. "Did you come all the way over here to tell me that or would you like to come in?"
"Well, I did come just to tell you that," Brian smiled. "But if you'd like some company I guess I could come in for awhile."
Justin giggled, actually giggled, as he grabbed Brian's hand and pulled him inside. Within minutes they were lost in the passion that they'd been sharing for the last few days, thoughts about TV long forgotten.
After a particularly hot session on the couch, because they couldn't make it to the bedroom, and a more relaxed one in the shower, Brian and Justin were wrapped in each others arms on the bed. Justin was happily sated and fighting the urge to fall asleep. When he couldn't hold back his yawning Brian started laughing.
"Looks like someone is all worn out."
"Sorry, it's been a long week. Maybe I should walk you out before I fall asleep on you," Justin replied sheepishly.
"Or you could just fall asleep on me," Brian said softly, suddenly feeling a little insecure which was totally out of character for him. "I have a change of clothes downstairs in the car. I figured what was the sense of driving all the way home when I have to be back here in the morning anyway."
Justin couldn't help the smile that broke out on his face at the thought of spending the entire night snuggled up against Brian. "Well then, I'll try not to snore," he said as he reached up and kissed Brian gently.
"You do that," Brian teased as he pulled Justin to him, content to have him in his arms as he quickly drifted off to sleep.