Part 35


"Dude, Fatone is SO straight," Lance snickered, safely buckled in the passenger's seat of Justin's car on the way back to their office after lunch. His dark-blond, styled hair caught random rays of sunshine here and there as they rode along with the roof down. "I'm talking terminally straight. No-hope-for-ya straight."

Justin glanced over at him momentarily. "So? Somebody has to be. What makes you say that anyway?"

"He didn't want to know if JC is hot! Did you notice that? Man, he didn't even ask what the boy looks like! If that's not as straight as you can get, then I'm a twinkie fuckhead." Lance laughed again, deep and rich.

Justin grinned. "Yeah, you're right. That's the first thing you and I would've asked. Is. He. Hot. Absolutely. Joe Fatone: One of L.A.'s elite hetero males."

"One of only about six in this city."

Justin giggled. "About. Did you count Wade?"

"No. I thought we were discussing human life forms of males."

Justin laughed softly again. "What about Trace?"

"Who?"

"Lance." Justin and his fabulous mood chuckled yet again. "You're completely awful."

"Jess says I'm pretty damn good. And he should know."

Justin rolled his eyes. "Pre-dick-table, coming from you, Lance. How not-surprised do I look at that?"

Lance turned and blinked at him. "You look like a cocky smartass, J."

Justin ignored him. "Lance, did you and Joe ever mess around or anything? Any hanky-panky on the down-low ever happen at any parties or company functions or whatever when you guys were smashed?"

"What? Me and WHO?" Lance faced him and gasped.

"You and Fatone."

"Okay, Justin. What the fuck? I couldn't possibly have just heard you ask me if I've ever fooled around with Joe Straight Fucking Dude Fatone, man. You didn't, did you? Because that would be just wrong. And you know it. There's about as much chance of that happening as, say, me getting an astronaut license or whatever and going into fucking outer space. No way."

Justin snickered at his enflamed reaction. "C'mon, Lance. You can tell me. It just sometimes seems like you two are a little too chummy with each other. Like really tight and touchy-feely on each other or something when you're drinking. Sure you didn't let him do a little, um, experimenting one night when you were both high and willing?"

Lance huffed and smirked beside him. "Joe's a touchy-feely guy. Even more so when he's wasted. And you know I don't mind a little touching-and-feeling action from dudes. Okay, except for Wade The Buttmunch. But, man, Joe's totally not my type. Even for straight-boy experimentation. I'm more of a sleek-and-slender aficionado. I don't go for the broad-and-burly types. Know what I'm saying?"

"Right, Lance. If that's the way you want it." Justin grinned slyly.

"It's the way it IS. No. Joe and me never pushed the envelope on his touchy-feely tendencies. Put that freaky little idea out of your head, J."

Justin already had. He'd moved on. "Mmm. Sleek and slender. I'm kind of fond of that type too," he mused quietly, mostly to himself, as he drove.

"Why didn't he get a ride with us?" Lance asked, adjusting his sunglasses on his face and staring out the window now.

"What? Who?"

Lance shook his head and laughed. "Hello in there? Can we please fucking speak to Justin now?"

Justin turned and glared a frowny-face look at him. "You skipped dessert at the restaurant, Lance. So why don't you take yourself a big fat bite of my sweet ass?"

Lance wrinkled his nose and snerked. "And that would leave you with NO ass. Ever thought about implants for those skinny cheeks? Or Botox maybe?"

"Fuck off, Lance. And your heartthrob Joe wanted to take his own car today. He had an errand to run after lunch. Satisfied?"

Lance rolled his eyes and sighed. "Did you think of something clever and romantic yet to send to your new beau? While you're over there in Lah-Lah Land daydreaming about him? What's it going to be? Flowers? Chocolates? Strawberries and champagne? Porn?"

Through his Ray-Bans, Justin scowled at the windshield. "No. Not yet. I want something different, unique. Not just the usual crap everybody else always sends."

"I know. You want something that asks subtly if he'll come over tonight and fuck you breathless again. That's what you're looking for. Right?"

"Lance. Shut up."

Lance chuckled. "Why not just call him up and ask him? Like: 'Hi, honey! Want to roll on over here to the crib tonight and hump like jack rabbits?' I'm sure he'd be happy to comply."

"Yeah. That's what you'd do. Ass."

"And it would work too. You should try it."

Justin threw him an evil glance. "I need to come up with something cool. Something to sweep him off his feet. And pronto too. It's already afternoon. Fuck. Some PR genius I am," Justin sighed, a little frustrated.

Lance reached over the console and brushed Justin's knee. "I'll Google up some ideas when we get back to the sweat shop. Okay? Where's he working today?"

"Um, he had a racquetball lesson at Trinity at noon and another one scheduled for five. He said last night on the phone that he'd probably go home in between the two."

"So we'd better bust some serious ass to get something awesome and unique to his place ASAP."

"Yep," Justin whispered, not sounding very hopeful.

"Yep," Lance repeated confidently, squeezing Justin's thigh. "And we'll handle it too. We'll put together a marketing campaign to die for. Because it sucks big-time sleeping alone now that you know what it's like waking up next to him, right?"

"Yep." Justin smiled. Lance knew him so well. And, most of the time, that was a good, good thing.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~

As it turned out, however, the two friends didn't have to frantically comb the Internet and rack their brains for an impressive surprise Justin could send to JC that afternoon with the purpose of asking him out. As they exited the elevator from the parking lot and strolled through Austin-Adair's lobby, they heard the receptionist shout out shrilly.

"Oh! There he is! The man himself! Justin? Got a second? I was about to sign for a package for you. But since you're here in the flesh………."

Her name was Bai Ling, and her outrageous hairstyles and wild, double-take outfits were daily conversation topics around the office. Lance usually sent Justin an amusing a.m. e-mail rating the "Ling-Ling" fashion statement of the day as either "absolutely fabulous," "train wreck or circus act?" or "wouldn't be caught conscious in."

Lance grumbled now under his breath that she had delayed their mission to head to his office to find an acceptable way to wow and woo JC. "Son of a bitch."

"Go on. I'll catch up with you in a sec," Justin whispered to him and turned to the large, oval desk where Bai sat. He beamed a big, sky-brightening smile.

"Hey, lady! How's it going today?"

"I'm great, Justin! How are you?"

The tall, sandy-haired young man standing beside the desk seemed particularly impressed by the tall, sandy-haired young man walking toward him. He looked Justin over twice. Slowly. Blatantly. Then he smiled. Slowly. Blatantly.

"Is that for me?" Justin asked, glancing down at the small box in the guy's hands and also noticing another "box" at the guy's tight crotch that wasn't so small.

A tint of pale red flushed over the guy's tanned cheeks. His piercing teal eyes skimmed up and down Justin's frame again. "Sure is. If you're Mr. Timberlake."

"That's me. Where do I sign?" Justin said, with no inflection at all in his voice.

"Right here will do fine, sir."

Justin signed the rectangular electronic screen on the pad he was handed and wondered if this dude could possibly sidle up any damn closer to him as he did so. He could practically feel the guy breathing. The lobby wasn't that frigging cramped, was it?

"You can jot your phone number on there too if you'd like," the guy murmured and then laughed softly.

A little unnerved, Justin laughed too but didn't jot his phone number on there. Was this dude for real? "Thanks a ton. I appreciate it, man," he said, taking the package and finally looking up at him again.

"With pleasure……….My name's Ryan, by the way." He smiled again, with something intense like asking or wanting in his eyes. "Give us a call anytime you need express delivery services. Gosling Courier. I'm in the book. Okay?"

"Sure. Thanks again," was all Justin could think of saying. This was just too damn weird.

"Fucking delivery dude was totally checking me out, man!" Justin growled as he swung into Lance's office and carelessly dropped the box on Lance's desk. "I thought he was going to throw me down and mount my ass right out there in the damn reception area!"

Lance sat behind his desk, leaning forward with elbows propped on the wooden surface and peering at his glowing laptop screen. He didn't budge as Justin entered noisily. "Was he hot?"

"Yes! Way hot! But I'm not on the prowl for hot anymore, man! I've got me some hot!"

"That's the way it always goes, J. Your dating life goes stone-cold for months. Nada. Zip. Zero. Then you find somebody and hook up. And then BAM! Hotties crawling out of the fucking woodwork to hit on you just when you're not in the playing field any longer. It happened to me. Still does, actually. Get used to it, babe."

"Well, 'Ryan' can go and whack off in the front seat of his little courier van. WhatEVer. He's too, too late with his little innuendos and flirting. Damnit." Justin huffed and rolled his eyes.

"Chill out, J. It'll be okay. I won't let him rape you. I swear……….What's in the package? What'd the hot boy bring you?"

Disinterested and agitated, Justin paced across the office and fidgeted with a picture frame. "I dunno. I'll open it when I get back upstairs. Probably some samples from that herb and spice company we launched a product for. It's not very heavy."

For a flash of a second, Lance glanced at the box wrapped in matte silver and then returned to the screen. "Better stop slinging the fucker around, dumbass. It's marked 'Fragile' on the address label. Stop acting like you need a sedative. Open it already."

Justin sighed and grabbed for the scissors out of Lance's copper pencil holder. When he'd removed first the silver wrapping and then the brown paper under it, he gasped out a shocked little breathy laugh at the sight of the familiar green and white container. And this one had a tiny red ribbon tied around it twice to form a tiny red bow in the center.

"Holy shit."

"What the hell it is? A bomb? Some anthrax?"

"Krispy Kreme donuts."

Skeptically, Lance wrinkled his forehead and looked up from his search. "The fuck? Are we on that account?"

"No, dorkwad. They're from him. JC."

"How do you know? Where does it say they're from him?"

Staring at the box and caressing it gently with his fingertips, Justin smiled. "I just know."

"Okay. Then why? Is he trying to fatten your bony ass up?" Lance snickered.

"No. It's kind of a mutual passion," Justin whispered.

"Awww, I get it. Some sugar for his sugar. I'm touched in my heart."

"You're touched in the head, Lance. Shut up."

"So what does the note say, dude?"

"Nunya, Lance," Justin hissed as he broke into the envelope of the little card that had been tucked under the ribbon. "So don't even ask."

Lance sat back in his chair, rested his feet up on his desk, and chuckled. "I love how neurotic you are, J. You're fucking fun to observe in the wild."

But Justin wasn't listening. He was busy reading what had been carefully written on the simple sky-blue card in thin black ink.

J,

Hey. How's your day? Maybe these will sweeten up your afternoon some. I know you dig them. Especially the chocolate-frosted ones. Ha.

If you're not busy later this evening, maybe we could go and get some grub. You think? Or we could bring something back to my place. I'm easy. But hell if I can cook. Ha. If you're busy and can't make it, that's cool too. Maybe I can wait 'til tomorrow to see you. Maybe. Ha. (I'm kidding. No, I'm not.)

Give me a buzz. I'm looking forward to it.

xoxoxo,

Jace

Justin's heart leapt and flipped over and over in his chest. That tickly fluttering exploded in his gut. He knew he was grinning like a damn fool. He knew Lance was watching him. He didn't care. Those silent little xoxoxo's at the bottom there were deafening him and filling him up with warmth inside.

"I, um, guess I can stop hunting like a madman now for something clever to send him, huh?" Lance whispered.

Justin nodded and glanced up. "He beat me to it."

"And did he ask you out?"

"Affirmative." Justin grinned. "For tonight."

"You two were on the same wavelength."

"Again."

"He really likes you, J." Lance smiled.

"I really like him too……….I gotta go. To my office. To call him."

"I figured. Give him a smooch for me."

Lance leaned forward again and reached for his phone as soon as Justin hurriedly left his office. He pressed the number one on his speed dial menu and waited for an answer on the other end. When there was one, he relaxed once more in the chair and grinned smugly. Pleasantly.

"Hey, baby. What's up? Listen. Just had lunch with J……….Yeah, he's great. More than great, actually……….Yes, tomorrow night is still a definite go……….And get this. That boy is so fucking in love it's sick……….No, I'm so not kidding, baby. In love……….Yep. Just like you and me. It's all over him. He's a goner……….Yep. Stick a fork in him. He's done……….Oh, yeah. It's totally gorgeous, babe. Totally. You'll get to see it up close and personal tomorrow night……….I love you too. You fucking know I do……….Know what? This evening, I'm bringing you home a sweet surprise, baby. A dozen of them. And then I'm gonna do things to you that'll fucking make you swear you've been to Heaven and seen God……….Yep. I promise."

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~

"Yeah. JC here. What can I do you for?"

"You're evil. Very sweet. Very generous. Very sneaky. And very, very evil."

(A soft giggle) "So you got 'em?"

"Got what?" (Two syllables of silky innocence)

"The donuts."

"They've been sitting in my office for 13 whole minutes now. Two down. Ten to go……….You're so damn sweetly evil."

(More gentle laugher) "That dead-sexy voice of yours……….is making me……….want some."

"Then yes. I accept. Yes." (An airy, satiny sigh)

"To?"

"Getting some grub with you tonight."

"Ah, then it worked."

"Jace. A phone call would have worked." (A genuine, pretty smile in the voice, in the words)

(A sound like a half hum, half purr) "You love donuts. And I wanted to catch you off-guard."

"Well, you did. And I loved that too. Thank you. Tons."

"No sweat. It was fun. In my mind, I could, like, see your glowing little face when the package got there."

(A light, loving chuckle) "I'll get you back, you know."

"I hope so."

"So what time this evening?"

"Well, I'm finished with work at six. I'll be at the loft by 6:45. Want to come over? Or I can meet you somewhere. Whichever."

"That gives me plenty of time to go home after work and feed the mutts."

"Samson and Delilah."

(A full, hot smile) He remembered their names. "Yes. That would be them. They send their slobbery love."

"Cool. I heart them."

"They heart you too. I'll be at your place by seven. We can decide the rest from there. Sound okay?"

"Sounds excellent, J."

"Oh, and I'll be bringing dessert. Um, if any of them are left by then."

(A silly, lazy, satisfied giggle) "You crack me up."

"Yeah. I know."



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