Part 20


Pretty Justin

“I am so glad my shift is almost over,” Rhonda said, sighing as she slunk into a chair behind the counter. “It’s a been quite a day, hasn’t it, Justin?” When no answer came, the woman left her chair and walked over to the man leaning against the wall. His eyes had a far away look in them, and he was chewing hard on his thumbnail. Rhonda waved a hand in front of Justin’s face to bring his attention to her. “Justin? What’s wrong?” she asked.

Justin blinked. “What? Oh, nothing,” he hedged, moving away from the wall, only to have Rhonda stop him.

“How come I don’t believe you?” she said, holding him by the arm and leading him back behind the nurses’ station at the ER. It was relatively quiet right now, so everyone on duty came around as Rhonda sat Justin in her vacated chair. “What’s going on? Trouble at home?”

There was a murmur of dissent among the nurses at the thought. Justin was everyone’s favorite. His punk appearance and lack of formal education hid a kind soul and sharp intelligence, making him easily the most popular employee among the ER nurses. They all knew he was gay, another strange but endearing facet of him that seemed incongruous with is actions and appearance, and loved hearing tales about his life with JC.

“No!” he exclaimed. “Well, not really.” He started on his thumb again. “I mean…there’s something, and I’m not really sure how to deal with it.”

“Tell us what’s wrong,” said Beth softly. Beth was another of the nurses who adored Justin. “Maybe we can help.”

Justin sighed. “It’s just…well…on Friday, there’s this big dinner thing sponsored by the paper and JC wants me to go because he’s getting an award but it’s formal and shit I’ve never even had dinner at a fancy restaurant much less at a table with the editor of the newspaper and I’m afraid I’ll embarrass him and I can never ever do that and what am I going to do?”

The nurses smiled at each other. “We’ll help you, of course!” Beth said. She dug into her bag, pulling out a day planner. “Okay, today is Tuesday. Now, I’m off tomorrow, and Rhonda, you’re off on Thursday, and we’re all working Friday, so here’s what we’re going to do.”

***

“Hey, how was work?” JC said, looking up from the stove as Justin came into the kitchen.

“Good, good,” he said, snuggling up to JC and kissing the older man on the neck.

“Watch the stove,” JC scolded, though he did shift his head for Justin to get better access to the sensitive area behind his ear. “Did you decide about Friday?” he asked.

“Mmm, yes.” Justin’s voice rumbled against JC’s skin. “And, uh, yes, I’ll go.”

JC turned dropped his spatula and turned in Justin’s arms. “Thank you,” he said, linking his arms over Justin’s head and hugging the younger man hard.

Justin held JC close, silently hoping that the girls were right, and he could do this. He slipped his hands under JC’s ass and pulled JC up, wrapping JC’s legs around his waist. Ignoring JC’s protests, he reached around JC and turned off the stove burner. “Show me how thankful you are,” Justin teased, carrying JC into their bedroom and slamming the door shut with his foot.

***

“Here, this is the place.”

Justin’s eyes narrowed as Beth pulled her car into the parking lot of the store. “Tails N Tux?” Justin read off the sign.

Beth nodded. “This is the cheapest place I could find, since you won’t let us take care of it for you.” Justin had been adamant after discussing the matter with Beth and the other nurses. The price of renting a tuxedo was pretty high, but he refused to let the nurses foot the bill. He knew that JC had one of his own, though JC wouldn’t explain to Justin exactly why he owned one. Beth said she would call around and find a place that Justin could afford, and here they were.

A bell tinkled lightly as they entered the store. It was full of odd colored suits, each with a highly ruffled shirt underneath. Justin blanched at the sight of a particularly ugly green tuxedo with velvet lapels and a dark plaid cummerbund and instinctively turned around, trying to leave the store. Beth caught him by the arm. “Relax,” she laughed. “They have normal suits here.”

Justin deftly avoided touching the offensive green suit and walked with Beth further into the store. “They’d better,” he declared.

“Bon jour!” came a voice from behind them. “Bon jour, mes amies. I am Francois. How may I assist you?” The man was about 40, short, and fighting his balding pate by doing the ever so attractive comb over. His voice was heavily accented and his movements extremely effeminate.

“Hi, yes,” Beth said, keeping a death grip on Justin’s arm. “This is Justin. I called earlier about a tuxedo for him?”

“Oui, oui,” Francois said, whipping out a tape measure and quickly measuring Justin’s arms. “I remember…just a plain black tuxedo, no?” He lifted Justin’s arms, encircling the tape around his chest. “Such a pretty one you are!” he exclaimed flirtily.

Justin glared as Beth stifled a giggle. “Is this really necessary?” Justin asked.

“Oui, oui,” Francois said again. “I must know how big you are,” his knelt down and moved Justin’s legs apart, slipping the tape along his inseam.

Justin swore as Francois’ hand brushed his groin. “Watch yourself,” he ordered.

“I am a professional,” Francois said haughtily, rising from the floor, but ruined it by eyeing Justin up and down. “But for you, I would forget my tailor’s oath.” Francois licked his lips. “Mon dieu, if only I were younger, ne ce pas?”

Beth’s laugh turned into a cough, earning another glare from Justin. “You do have a suit that will fit him?” she asked.

“Oui, oui.” Francois disappeared behind a curtain, then reappeared with a suit encased in a plastic bag. “Here, take this into there,” he pointed at another curtain, “and try it on.” He tutted a bit. “Are you sure you won’t go for a bit of color? With your coloring and the right make-up—not that your make up is bad, but it’s a bit heavy—this one would be smashing on you, yes?” He indicated a tuxedo that was a bright shade of blue.

Beth was finally unable to keep her laughter under control, giggling loudly as Justin grabbed the suit and went behind the dressing room curtain.

***

Justin quickly changed his clothes, then ran into the kitchen, throwing the frozen lasagna into the oven before grabbing a beer. He jumped onto the sofa, turning on the television just as he heard JC’s key in the lock. That was close, he thought, as he welcomed his lover home.

***

“Okay, what’s this one?” Justin asked, holding up the strange utensil.

“That’s a shrimp fork,” Rhonda explained.

“And this one?”

“A crab fork. See? It’s long and spindly and can get into the crab shell.”

Justin sighed. “What’s the chances I’m going to have to know all of these?” he asked, surveying the place setting before him.

Rhonda shrugged. “I don’t know, Justin. But it is Seattle, and we do serve a lot of seafood here.” She placed a different set of utensils before him. “Now, if it looks like this, just go from the outside in…”

***

JC watched as Justin set the table.

There was something strange going on with Justin, he thought. He seemed preoccupied and pensive lately. Now this strange behavior with setting the table for dinner. Usually Justin just threw the forks and knives into the center of table, making them all get their own utensils. But tonight, he was carefully placing each instrument along the plates, lining them up straight while muttering under his breath. “Justin?” JC called, blinking as Justin jumped, startled. That was new too. He never surprised Justin. Years of living on the street hand honed Justin’s senses to a fine pitch, and he always knew when JC was near.

Just another weird thing going on.

***

“We forgot one thing!” Rhonda exclaimed.

Justin looked down at himself. He was decked out in his rented tuxedo and rented shoes. His hair was semi-spiky, and his eyeliner was subdued. The girls were a bit surprised when he insisted on wearing his usual liner and spiked hair, but Justin, remembering the first day he went into JC’s office looking like less than himself, he knew JC wouldn’t mind. “What did we forget?”

“This,” Rhonda said, pinning the rose boutonniere to Justin’s lapel. “We got one for JC, too.

“And don’t fuss at us,” Beth scolded before Justin could protest. “We love you, and wanted to do this for you.”

Justin smiled as Rhonda finished pinning the flower and handed him the other one in a plastic box. “Thank you, all,” he said, kissing both Beth and Rhonda on the cheeks, smiling at the other nurses circling him. “I couldn’t have done it without you, all of you.”

“Go, or you’ll be late,” Beth said, pushing him out of the ER. “Have a good time!”

***

JC paced the foyer of the hotel, looking again at his watch. He knew that Justin worked today, but was a bit surprised when he’d called earlier and said he had to stay late and would meet him at the event. He scanned the area again, the feelings inside him in conflict.

He wasn’t worried Justin would embarrass him.

Was he?

JC swallowed a bit of guilt, realizing that yes, he was worried about Justin being here. He loved him so much, but sometimes, Justin was too…Justin for other people to understand. But knowing that, he still wanted Justin with him. Everyone knew about Justin anyway, and it would look odd to be honored here without the person he loved most in the world by his side.

JC looked at his watch again, then past a man in a tuxedo standing next to him, searching again for Justin. He paused, his head turning in disbelief as he realized the man standing next to him WAS Justin.

Justin casually put his hand in his pockets, showing off the smooth lines of his pleated shirt and smartly tied bow tie. “Hello, gorgeous,” he said, leaning in and kissing JC’s astonished mouth.

“That should be my line,” JC joked, stepping back to get the full view of Justin. “You’re just…wow.”

Justin smiled and blushed, not used to such scrutiny or praise. “Stop,” he murmured.

“How…when…how?”

“Beth helped me with the tuxedo,” he said. “It’s okay, right?”

Okay? Okay did not do the man justice. JC looked Justin up and down, noting how the fine material hugged his shoulders. How the stark black of the suit set off his blonde hair. How the liner circling his eyes didn’t look out of place but did, in fact, looked really, really hot. The studs in the shirt were black, matching the barbell he’d slipped in his eyebrow piercing. His gold wedding ring shone as bright as his highly polished shoes. “It’s more than okay,” JC said. “You’re perfect.”

Justin leered a bit. “You’re not so bad yourself,” he said, surveying JC’s own attire. His bowtie was patterned, but beyond that, the two men were dressed almost identically. “Still won’t tell me why you own a tux, huh?” Justin removed the matching boutonniere from the plastic packaging and pinned it to JC’s lapel.

JC laughed. “Maybe someday,” he said, slipping his hand into Justin’s. “I need some mystery to keep you interested.”

“I’ll always be interested in you, baby,” Justin told him. “All you have to do is breathe.”

***

Justin shut the bedroom door, pulling at his bow tie and slipping the silk off from around his neck. “So, Mr. Employee of the Year…how did you enjoy your event?”

JC laughed, toeing off his shoes as he sat on the bed. “I was one of ten ‘Employees of the Year’ Justin,” he said. “Not exactly an exclusive club.”

“Is too,” Justin scoffed, fighting to undo the hooks of the cummerbund behind his back. “I was so proud of you up there tonight.”

JC rose from the bed and batted Justin’s hands away, taking the cummerbund in his hands and undoing it himself. “Thank you,” he said, tugging on the cummerbund and pulling Justin’s back against him. “And can I tell you,” JC whispered against Justin’s ear, “how proud I was of you?”

Justin’s head bent back, exposing more skin for JC’s inquisitive lips. “I didn’t want you to ashamed of me,” Justin said, shivering as JC’s teeth bit down on his earlobe.

“I will never be ashamed of you,” he said simply. JC turned Justin around until they were facing each other. “I was worried about you, yes. I didn’t want you to feel out of place or looked down on.” His hands slipped the studs out of Justin’s shirtfront. “Little did I realize how resourceful you are.”

“Not me, the nurses,” Justin admitted. He groaned as JC pulled off his shirt and undershirt, mouth quickly attaching to the piercing in his nipple. “So…uh…thank them, god…yes…” Justin groaned as JC dispatched his pants, fisting Justin’s hard erection before pushing him back onto the bed.

JC scrambled quickly over Justin, straddling his hard cock. “Yeah, I’ll thank them,” he said, leaning down and nipping at Justin’s mouth. “But I’m gonna fuck you first, okay?” He did a slow striptease, all the while grinding himself into the younger man until finally, as JC knew would happen, Justin took command and flipped their positions.

***

Rhonda read the note that accompanied the huge bouquet of flowers. “`For helping my Justin, I am eternally grateful. JC.’” Rhonda sighed. “Why are all the good ones gay?”

Beth just shrugged and shook her head sadly.



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