Same Day – Mid-Afternoon

Justin found himself humming a hopeful tune as he drove back to Britin from Johnstown. He was armed now not only with numerous tidbits about Brian's biological mother, but also all kinds of photos Kathy and Sean Blackwell had generously given him so he could make copies before they met their grandson for the first time. They had also requested Justin let them temporarily keep the photo album he had brought for them to see so they could do the same. He couldn't help smiling at that thought, imaging his fiancé's reaction when he learned not only about his adoption, but more importantly, about a set of grandparents that were eager to meet him and get to know him. Not only that, they were willing to accept him for who he was; that was clearly a major difference between them and Brian's name-only, asshole adoptive parents. He couldn't wait to tell Brian all about his real family. His anxious anticipation of that reunion, however, was tempered somewhat by the knowledge that he also had another reunion he urgently wanted to arrange – between Brian and his real father, the influential senator from Pennsylvania who could very well become the state's next governor. How was this man going to react to the news that he had a son? From what Brian's grandparents had told him, their daughter had never told Fintan O'Connor that he even HAD a son; apparently, also, the man had never married and didn't have any children. Did he even want a child? More importantly, would he welcome the news or refuse to even acknowledge him? Justin had made a promise to himself that he would tell his fiancé about his father, whether the man wanted to meet him or not. But if the man rejected him, he desperately hoped to avoid having to tell Brian about it until after they were married – he had no intention of destroying his and Brian's happiness before or during the ceremony. Call him selfish, but he wanted one, albeit temporary period of bliss before he had to tell Brian the distressing news that his newly-located biological father didn't want any more to do with him than his adoptive mother and father did. He sighed nervously; he hated to keep anything from the man he loved, but he really wanted to spare Brian any unnecessary pain if he could. He would, therefore, run interference on his behalf until he could be sure of what the ultimate outcome would be.

The ringing of his cell phone abruptly shattered his reflective musing; as his heart returned to its normal cadence, he reached over to the passenger seat and flipped the phone open to greet the object of his musing. "Hey," he said softly.

"Hey yourself," was the tender refrain; even now, after all this time, just a couple of words from Brian and it made Justin's pulse race; truth be told, it could also have to do with his current subterfuge but he knew enough to be aware that wasn't all there was to it. "What're you up to, Sunshine?" was the casual query. "I'm know what I'm UP to," he said teasingly.

"Brian," Justin murmured shyly. He couldn't understand how this man could still make him feel like a giddy virgin at times, just by the tone of his voice, but he could. "You're always UP to it," he quipped back at him kiddingly. "But you'll just have to control yourself until you get home. Try not to have anyone throw their dick at you until then, okay?"

"Huh," was the offended (albeit totally fake) reply. "I'll try," he said, sighing melodramatically. "But it's SO hard, though, Mr. Taylor," he said solemnly. "VERY, VERY hard."

"Oh?" Justin smiled to himself as he bantered back in the same playful tone of voice, although his fiance's sexy baritone cajoling was driving him crazy with want. "Sounds like a very serious problem," he said sympathetically, clucking. "I'll just have to give it some extra special Taylor loving care when you get home. When will that be, by the way?" he tried to sound casual, although inside he was concerned. He was still at least an hour away from Britin, and wanted to make sure he was home before Brian was. Brian still didn't have any idea what he was up to – after all, it was supposed to be a surprise – and he didn't want to divulge what he was doing until he at least had a chance to talk to his fiancé's father and gauge his reaction as well.

He heard a sigh of frustrated displeasure. "Won't be for at least a couple more hours," Brian told him to his great relief, the disappointment evident in his voice. "You just be ready for my proctoscope as soon as I get home, you got it?"

Justin laughed; that was a new one. "Proctoscope?" he replied. "You must really have it bad, Mr. Kinney," he purred. "I'll be ready and waiting, then," he said huskily in a seductive tone of voice that he always knew set his partner off even more. Justin made a concerted effort to mentally broadcast an image on him lying in their king-sized bed, undressed and waiting eagerly for his "examination" the instant his fiancé got home.

Sure enough, he heard a prompt response of warning. "Justin…You're NOT helping me concentrate on my work here at ALL."

"Who started this line of questioning, DR. Kinney?" Justin retorted impertinently. "I was getting along just fine until YOU called and made me horny as hell." That part was certainly true enough; just thinking about the good Dr. Kinney "probing" him with his "instrument" as soon as he got home had immediately made him hard as a rock. Damn the man….

"Well, someone else has the same fucking problem, Mr. Taylor," was the stern admonition. "You just be ready when I get home, mister, you got it?"

Justin chuckled. "I'll be ready, willing, and definitely able, Doctor," Justin assured him. "Now get back to work so you can get done faster."

He could almost hear the smirk in his fiancé's voice and the curling of his lips under in amusement as Brian responded, "Yes, sir. Doctor Kinney over and out."

Justin laughed as he shut the phone off and placed it back on the passenger side seat. Even though he really had no idea what Senator O'Connor's reaction would be, just speaking to this man he dearly loved made him feel optimistic that everything would turn out all right somehow; it simply HAD to.


Two Hours Later – Britin

Justin sat down on the study's couch, a fire crackling directly in front of him to help ward off an unseasonably cool day in West Virginia. Ever since Brian had proposed to him in this room, he had been in love with it as well as the man. No matter what kind of shitty day he might be experiencing, one look at this room and the wonderful memories it held and he couldn't help feeling better. As the fire continued to burn strongly, he opened the laptop he had propped up on his knees and waited impatiently for it to boot up. He couldn't wait to read up on Senator O'Connor and more importantly, get a clearer look at him. Just that one glance at the rather grainy, black-and-white photo Brian's grandparents had showed him in the paper and he could instantly see the resemblance between him and his son. He anxiously, though, wanted to see a clearer photo online to study him more closely.

As he googled the senator's name, he located his official website. He noticed his hands actually shaking as he clicked on the address and waited excitedly for the page to appear. As it finally opened up and he at last was able to see a large-sized, clear color photo of the man who was Brian's biological father, he gasped in shock. My God. If you had taken his sexy, smoldering beast of a fiancé and aged him about 20 years down the road, THIS was without a doubt what he would look like – what he WILL look like. Senator O'Connor was still mainly a brunet but with small wisps of gray at the temples, making him appear more distinguished than Brian but still displaying the same sort of elegant, classic muscular frame as his son. The photo Justin stared at was of the senator sitting perched on the edge of a massive, oak desk. His profile was identical, from the generous lips up to the shape of his nose and all the way up to the forehead. Although he never in a million years would do it, Justin could almost imagine himself running his hands over this man's body because he already knew – and loved – the same type of body so well. This man was the spitting image of how Brian would undoubtedly look in the future. Now I know where Brian got his good genes. Thank you, Senator. He smiled at the thought of TWO sexy-as-hell Kinney/O'Connor lookalikes running around Britin. What a sensory feast for the eyes THAT would be…..

As he forced himself to concentrate on the written information instead, he noticed with interest that Senator O'Connor was actively involved in numerous philanthropic organizations, which was admirable, but unfortunately there was no mention made of anything having to do with gay rights. He did seem interested in a wide variety of charities, running the gamut from environmental interests to animal rights to union representation. The man was obviously highly intelligent – Justin noticed with amazement that the Senator, too, had been educated at Penn State – but how he felt when it came to being part of a family – much less in the role of a father of a gay male – was impossible to ascertain from the information he was able to glean off the website.

Several more minutes spent reviewing numerous other mentions of the man on other web pages provided some tidbits of personal information regarding Brian's biological father; it did mention him growing up in the Johnstown area, but said nothing regarding his views on gay rights – or gays in general. Would this man be open to their lifestyle? Or would he be derisive of it and not want to have anything to do with the man who was apparently his only child?

There could only be one to find out for sure, then – he would have to pay the good Senator a visit personally. In truth, he wouldn't have it any other way. Only by speaking to him in person could he really tell how the man would honestly react to him and his fiancé. This was all going to be part of his gift of love to the MAN he loved.

As he heard the familiar turning of a key in the front door, he just barely had enough time to command his laptop to shut down and hastily close the lid to place it on the coffee table before "Dr. Kinney" appeared in the hallway. "Ah, Mr. Taylor…..just the patient I wanted to see," he announced formally, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively and smirking at him in that way that made Justin's heart start to pound in delicious anticipation.

Justin couldn't help laughing at his partner's schmaltzy come-on line. "Well, wiggle your sexy little ass over here, Dr. Kinney, and give your adoring patient a big, sloppy kiss," he whispered lustily as he held his arms up above his head in preparation for a much-anticipated assault. Sure enough, a few seconds later, he felt a pair of long arms snake themselves around his neck and roam downward on his chest possessively as warm, soft lips planted a kiss on his neck. "Hmmm," he murmured appreciatively, as he brought his own arms up to cradle the nuzzling head. "I hurt all over, Doctor," he whispered flirtatiously. "Do you have an antidote?"

He head a chuckle as Brian's lips tickled his throat. "I think Dr. Kinney knows just what you need," the brunet whispered in his ear, taking a brief opportunity to plant a love bite on Justin's earlobe and getting a whimper of pleasure in response. "Come with me to the examination room and I'll be happy to SHOW you how I take care of men with your type of problem."

Justin huffed. "There'd better be only ONE man you're taking care of from now on, Doctor," he scolded him playfully, as he practically purred in response to the onslaught of butterfly kisses now being peppered all over his neck. He instinctively wrapped his hands over the lean, taut arms that currently held him willingly captive against the back of the couch cushion.

"Did you remember to bring your proctoscope?" Justin asked him hopefully. "I get so horny around new technology," he explained, eliciting another chuckle, even louder this time, from the doctor.

"You BET, Mister," he heard the deep rumble in his partner's voice, which made him feel EVEN more in need of an urgent "inspection. "A long, extra-strong one." Brian reinforced his "prescription" by abruptly standing back up and pulling Justin's arms along up with him. Never releasing his hold on one of the blond's pale hands, he walked around the couch to finally pull the smaller man up into an almost breathtaking embrace.

"We'll start with an oral exam, first, though….can you open up and say "Ah?" he asked, just before his lips came smashing down onto Justin's as the blond's laugh tickled his mouth in a delightful response.

"Ahhhhh," Justin murmured obediently against him, giggling as they continued to kiss deeply.

The occasional crackling of the fireplace was the only other sound heard in the room for several seconds as they continued to reacquaint themselves with each other's lips, tongues, and bodies until finally Brian reluctantly allowed just enough space between them to catch their breaths when he pulled back slightly to stare into his partner's eyes. Still holding Justin tightly in his arms, his hands slowly, teasingly traveled over the blond's back as he gazed adoringly into the crystal blue, sapphire eyes shining back at him in reflection of his own feelings. "Ready for the thorough exam now, Mr. Taylor?" he whispered, smiling back at him.

"Oh, I DEFINITELY need the comprehensive exam," Justin confirmed, his eyes sparkling mischievously. "From HEAD to toe." He reached up to slowly feather his fingers through the soft brown hair at Brian's neck as he gazed back at him affectionately.

Okay – Brian couldn't stand it any longer – even doctors had a limit to their patience, especially horny ones being driven absolutely driven crazy by a sexy voice. "To hell with the goddamn bedside manner," he abruptly snarled. "You've got a serious disease here, Mr. Taylor – lovesickness. Only one cure for that."

Justin feigned horror. "But in the immortal words of Diana Ross, Doctor, if there's a cure for this, I don't want it," he replied impertinently, pursing his lips in an unsuccessful attempt to hide his glee at his partner's rare attempt at corny humor; whenever his partner participated in this type of comedic banter, he fucking loved it.

Brian looked at his fiancé in undisguised delight as he couldn't help smiling in return. You crazy, adorable twat, were the words that came unbidden to his mind as he shook his head. "Fine by me, then, Mr. Taylor," he replied abruptly. "You made your bed, now you'll just have to fuck in it."

Justin squealed, and instinctively wrapped his legs around Brian's waist as his own personal physician unexpectedly reached down to snatch him up in his arms and forcefully carry him upstairs to their bedroom to commence with his examination. The blond's soft giggling was the only sound heard until their bedroom door closed forcefully and remained closed for the conceivable future. After all, a thorough medical examination took considerable time…..


Early Evening

"Justin? What was that fucking noise?" Brian slowly opened his eyes as he lay on his back in their bed and turned his head to gaze at the tousled head of his "patient."

"What noise, Dr. Kinney?" After the "examination" he had been subjected to nonstop for the past two hours, it was all Justin could do at the moment to open his eyes; he was feeling thoroughly sated in a glorious, languid, pleasurable stupor after being thoroughly fucked by the good doctor. He would never think of rectal exams in quite the same way EVER again, he thought as he smiled broadly at the memory.

"I know that sound…It was your stomach, Mr. Taylor. Did you remember to eat today…..that is, before you ate my ASS?" Brian smirked.

Justin reflected on that question. No, he actually had NOT eaten today – any food, anyway. He had left early this morning so he could arrive at Johnstown as soon as possible, and between rushing home to wait for his partner and doing researching on Brian's father on the internet, he had simply forgotten to eat in all the excitement.

"Uh…..actually, no, I haven't eaten all day. No wonder I was so ravenous for you," he quipped in an attempt to divert his partner from his line of questioning…..He knew his partner well enough, however, to know that he would realize something was weird if he hadn't eaten all day – after all, after being fucked by Brian and working on his art, Justin's third favorite activity in the world was eating. If hadn't eaten, then, there must be a good reason for it….

"Why haven't you eaten today, Justin?" was the probing question that came from the other side of the bed. Justin averted his eyes as he felt the back of Brian's hand slowly caress his cheek in an attempt to get his attention; he quickly tried to concentrate in the face of Brian's gentle concern and come up with a plausible reason why before answering. He wasn't quite ready to say, because I went to see your grandparents and was TOO busy to eat….

"I was trying to finish up an art project for the gallery downtown that's due tomorrow and just forgot the time, that's all," he finally said somewhat lamely, regretting the need to lie to his partner. He silently tried to justify it by telling himself that he would tell Brian the truth – the whole truth – soon. Just give me a little more time

"That's not good, Sunshine," he heard Brian say. He was forced to look his partner in the eyes when the brunet gently but firmly grasped him by the chin and turned his head toward his. "You must have really been swept up in your latest piece to forget to eat," he told him teasingly.

"Where are you going?" Justin asked him, as he abruptly felt the warm hand of his partner's leave his face as he watched Brian raise himself up in their bed.

"I'm going to go get you something to eat," he told him, as he smoothly slipped from their bed. "All good patients need food to keep up their strength – especially after a good fuck." He twisted his face in amusement as he looked over at the pout on his lover's face – a look that clearly said get the fuck back into BED.

Justin sighed; he knew when he saw that look on Brian's face that he wasn't going to be dissuaded from his plan – he always had that same determined look whether he was pursuing a new client or deciding what was in Justin's best interests. Well, if I can't be with Brian in bed, I can at least EAT with him. "I'm coming with you," Justin quickly decided, rising from the other side of the bed to join him.

"You tell me that ALL the time," Brian quipped back saucily as Justin rolled his eyes.

"Are all the workers gone?" Justin asked him; he knew they normally left before this time, and while he and Brian were not necessarily the most modest of people, he still didn't want to parade around naked in front of everyone – and he definitely didn't want his sexy partner doing it, either – although he had no doubt Brian WOULD, partly just to tick him off and prove that he still HAD it. Well, the rest of you can just fucking eat your heart out – this man is MINE – ALL MINE, he couldn't help thinking to himself smugly.

Brian softly padded over to their massive front window to take a look at the circular driveway below. He turned around to admire his own version of a blond angel as he advised him, "All clear, Sunshine. I'm all yours." He held out his hands to his partner in invitation as Justin walked over to join him at the window.

"And don't you EVER fucking forget it," he told the brunet sternly, just before he was enfolded into a tight, possessive embrace that spoke volumes in its simplicity. They kissed passionately for several seconds before Brian reluctantly broke them apart. "Keep that up and we won't get out of the bedroom, Mr. Taylor," he scolded him somewhat breathlessly.

"Ow!" Justin rubbed his ass where Brian had just delivered a quick smack on the left cheek.

"Nice try, though, Sunshine…Now get that perky little butt downstairs for dinner."


The Next Morning – 7:00 a.m.

As much as Justin always hated to see Brian leave because it meant several hours of being apart from him, for a change today he was glad to see him leave. Glad because he could get moving on his next part of his plan to surprise Brian with his one-of-a-kind wedding present. Today, he was going to drive to Harrisburg to pay a visit to Brian's father. It would be a three-hour drive, so he was thankful that Brian had left on time today for Kinnetik.

He had no delusions that if he had simply cold-called O'Connor's senate office and requested an appointment, he would have been dismissed as either some sort of political groupie or lunatic. No, he would have to drive there himself and hope that he could somehow convince the man's secretary that he HAD to see him. To Justin, there was no other option – he would fucking sit there all day until the man agreed to see him, or he would wind up calling Brian later in the day to tell him he had been arrested and was sitting in a jail cell after causing some type of disturbance. No, that wouldn't work – he HAD to persevere with this – everything was riding on it. He didn't quite know how he was going to do – he just knew he HAD to. Brian had always told him he was a persistent little fucker – well, as he walked out to his car and placed one of his art portfolios and yet another photo album stocked full of photos of him, Brian, and Gus into the trunk, he hoped that his persuasive charms would work on Brian's father as well.


Three Hours Later

– 9:00 a.m.

Justin parked in one of the designated visitor parking spaces directly behind the large, gray-colored, stone capitol building. As he emerged from the car and peered up at the rear entrance, the artist in him couldn't help pausing for a few minutes to admire the green-topped, turreted dome that stood dominantly in the center of the building, which was obviously modeled after St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. He had seen photos of international architectural landmarks often enough in art history class to recognize the influences seen here, from the statues grouped by the entrance to the materials that were used; he immediately realized the connection between this building and the iconic Italian structure.

Wishing he had more time to devote to studying the intriguing lines of the architectural design, he forced himself to turn away momentarily to retrieve the art portfolio and photo album he had placed in the trunk.

As he walked toward the back entrance's staircase, his palms began to sweat in nervous anticipation of his hoped-for meeting with Brian's father. Not only was he going to meet his fiancé's father – at least that was his determined goal, and he would settle for nothing less – he was going to visit a powerful and influential state senator. One of those realities would have been enough to make him nervous; knowing that shortly he may be presented with both situations made him fucking terrified in a way. But his determination to do this for the man he loved made his resolve stronger as he slowly walked up the steps to open the gold-colored, heavy metal double doors leading to the circular rotunda.

As he stepped inside, however, he had to pause again; the sight on the ceiling was simply too mesmerizing to ignore. Justin had been impressed with the green-colored, metal shingled roof of the rotunda outside; as he peered up at the interior of it, however, he was astounded. The interior of the rotunda dome was awash with all sorts of stained glass, marble, and gold leaf tiles, with historic figures encircling the top. It was absolutely beautiful and masterful in its emotion and intensity. His mouth hung open in admiration as he craned his neck upward in awe.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" he suddenly heard nearby. As he lowered his gaze to turn around slightly to his left, he noticed a slender, well-dressed, blond-haired man in a dark blue suit, white shirt, and light-blue, pinstriped tie standing next to him and holding a black briefcase. The man smiled slightly at him in a polite introduction as he nodded up at the ceiling. "Most people who come in here never really pay it any mind – damn shame, really, because it's pretty amazing." He nodded up at the ceiling to verify he was talking about the overhead artistry.

Justin smiled politely in return and nodded. "Yes, it's absolutely incredible," he agreed congenially. In a way, he owed the man a thank you – he had managed to return his attention back to what he needed to do, and perhaps he could even be of assistance to him; this building was so formidable, he would definitely need some guidance on how to even locate Senator O'Connor's office. Apparently, due to security reasons, their whereabouts weren't widely advertised; at least, he hadn't seen any type of information desk or directory anywhere nearby.

"You an artist yourself?" the other man asked him curiously, his gaze settling on Justin's portfolio that he had slung across his left shoulder; he held the vital photo album in his other hand, curled under his arm protectively. Right now, to Justin this photo album and portfolio were more important than any gold bullion would ever be. "Yes," Justin confirmed, nodding slightly. "I guess that's why I notice those kinds of things more than the average visitor."

The stranger nodded his understanding. "Well, more people should pay attention to things like that. In here, though, it obviously takes a back seat to other matters."

Justin nodded again politely, deciding to see if this stranger could hopefully be of assistance to him. "Uh, if you don't mind…I've never been here before and I need to see someone. Could you by chance help point me in the right direction?"

The man eyed him curiously; for some reason, Justin's gaydar went off but not so much because the man was viewing him as a possible target; there was just something – he wasn't quite sure what – that made feel like this man could be an ally. It didn't necessarily mean the man was gay – and maybe it came from being around one of the gaydar "pros" – his own fiancé – but there was just something about this man that made him feel that way.

"I'll try – I know my way around here pretty well. Where are you trying to go?" the man asked him.

"I need to find Senator O'Connor's office," he told the other man; Justin noticed with interest that the man visibly started at the sound of the other man's name. Why would that evoke that sort of reaction in THIS man? Justin filed that bit of news in the back of his mind for another time, however; right now, he had much more important matters to attend to. "Could you give me an idea where I could find his office?"

Justin noticed the man hesitated for a few seconds, as if he were trying to compose himself, before he finally responded softly, "Yeah….I know where it is. Do you want me to take you there?"

Justin eyed him curiously now; this was either a tremendous coincidence or something else that he wasn't privy to was going on here. He didn't have time at the moment, though, to thoroughly analyze that fact, but decided instead to take advantage of whatever opportunity he could. "That would be great, if you have the time. I don't want to intrude on your schedule or anything."

The man shook his head in dismissal. "No problem," he told the blond. "I've got a few spare minutes. The name's Tony Cassinelli, by the way." He stuck out his hand in greeting.

Justin accepted the other man's hand and briefly shook it before releasing his grip. "Justin Taylor. Nice to meet you."

The other man nodded his acknowledgement. "You, too," he told Justin, as he nodded his head in a silent instruction for Justin to follow him as he began to walk toward a gleaming, marbled hallway that led off the main rotunda room. "So what kind of artist are you? Sculpture, clay, paint?"

"I paint," Justin responded as he fell into step with the other man. "Mostly oil on canvas, but sometimes other media."

Cassinelli nodded slightly. "You live around here?" Justin decided the question was merely an attempt to provide polite conversation as he shook his head no. "Actually, I'm from near Pittsburgh….I'm just here on a personal matter for the day." Although the man seemed innocuous enough, he wasn't about to go into great detail as to the reason for his visit; the first person after Senator O'Connor to know about the reason for his visit would be Brian, not this stranger.

"Personal business involving Senator O'Connor?" the other man pressed, sounding almost suspicious of his intentions.

Biting down a small tinge of annoyance at the persistence of the other man, he took a breath before answering, "Something like that. But I really can't go into detail…..it's a private matter." That was ALL you were getting out of me, Buddy. Why would this man care about the reason why he needed to see the senator? Justin wasn't about to provide any more information to this person, no matter HOW helpful he might be.

Thankfully, the other man seemed to accept that rather vague explanation as he raised his hands in compliance. "That's okay – I'm not surprised, actually; it seems like 99% of why people need to see one of their state senators is always cloaked in secrecy. I'm just trying to warn you from past experience that it can be harder than a Catholic schoolgirl sneaking into a boy's dormitory to actually get a personal one-on-one with a senator. You'd better hope you have better luck than most – you do have an appointment, don't you?"

Justin looked over at the man sheepishly, providing all the answer Cassinelli needed. "Mr. Taylor….sorry for my bluntness, but if you haven't already set up an appointment with the man, you're wasting your time if you think you can just waltz into his outer office and expect to see him any time in the next YEAR, let alone today."

Justin stopped at that last remark and folded his arms stubbornly over his chest. "I appreciate your candor, Mr. Casinelli. But you don't know how important this is – and how persistent I can be. No matter what you say, I intend to sit there all day if that's what it takes. The man has to come out eventually to eat or go to the bathroom, doesn't he? And I assume he DOES actually visit the main floor of the senate from time to time to actually vote on legislative; after all, that IS what they're expected to do, isn't it?" This man, however helpful he was trying to be, was beginning to annoy him with his nay saying.

The other man paused in his steps to study the determined-looking blond defiantly staring back at him. He finally grinned lopsidedly. "Well, you certainly sound determined, Mr. Taylor, I'll give you that much. But you obviously have never tried to see a state senator before, or visited their chamber. They have rear entrances and private bathrooms for privacy and security reasons – and to avoid persistent visitors exactly like you. I'm not trying to rain on your parade, so to speak – I'm just trying to steel you for the challenge you will be facing." He resumed his walk as Justin fell into step right behind him, determined to not be deterred in his endeavor; a few seconds later, the man stopped in front of a bank of elevators.

"He's up on the fourth floor," he told the artist as he held the elevator door open for him. Justin, noticing to his surprise that no one was getting on or off the elevator car, hesitated for a brief second before he took a deep breath and plunged inside; he didn't care how little he knew about this somewhat cocky, arrogant, man – he HAD to see Brian's father and nothing would stop him.

As the two men silently stood inside the car as it slowly rose toward the fourth floor, Justin felt his hands getting clammy from nervous sweat and his heart begin to speed up; he was getting closer – closer to meeting Brian's father. He internally prayed that he would somehow find a way to gain entrance to the man's inner sanctum and, more importantly, persuade the man to meet the son he probably doesn't even know he has. Most critically of all, though, he prayed that the man would be receptive to meeting Brian and accepting him for the wonderful man he was. Please – Brian DESERVES this. Please, he silently pleaded. HELP me.