Brian gets to see Justin in action - and can't help liking what he sees. Can he keep his foot out of his mouth, however?

Later that afternoon...

Brian studiously avoided peering over at the South Lifeguard Station while he was surfing, not wanting Justin to think he had had an effect on him earlier. A few hours of surfing some of the roughest waves he had ever experienced since coming to the resort had served to lighten his mood considerably, allowing him to do nothing but feel and not think. He had to admit, though, as he rode wave after wave into shore that Justin was never far from his thoughts nevertheless. He had had every intention of finding someone to fuck when he got back to the hotel - even the same waiter he had done earlier would have worked in a pinch - but to his surprise he found that he really wasn't that interested. He had decided, instead, to come back out here to try and work off some of his tension.

Finally, bone weary and the heat pressing in on him, he decided to soon stop for the day and seek out a nice, cool drink at the back patio's bar to help him relax. First, however, he would ride one last wave in; low tide was slowly approaching, making the waves less impressive than they had been before. As he picked up his surfboard and waded into the water to catch one, last ride, he dared to steal a glance over at the lifeguard station, noticing Justin peering out over the ocean through his binoculars. He was looking the other way, however, and did not see him observing him. He sighed as he turned his head to wade in deeper, just as he stepped on something squishy that was definitely not a rock and immediately felt a sharp, lancing pain shooting through his left foot, making him cry out in agony. "Fuck!" he yelped. He had never felt such pain before in his life; it felt like someone had stuck a long, hypodermic needle through the top of his foot.

"Shit, shit, shit!" he kept exclaiming, his chest heaving rapidly as he tried to combat the pain, but it was only getting worse by the second. The pain was so intense he could feel tears springing up in his eyes. Somehow he managed to hold onto his surfboard and walk the twenty or so yards into shore before he dropped onto his knees and collapsed onto the sand, twisting his waist as he sat there while he tried to examine his foot to see what had happened.

Another surfer walked up to him, noticing the distressed look on his face. "You okay?" he asked, although it was obvious he wasn't.

Brian shook his head, not in the mood to try and pretend to be 'macho.' "I think something stung me," he told him. "My foot..."

The other man leaned down to look at the top of Brian' foot; it was red and angry looking. "Oh, man; looks like a stingray," he told him. "You're going to need help. I'll go get the lifeguard. Stay put."

Brian was in too much pain to protest, knowing exactly who the guy would likely get to help as he nodded. But there was no way he could walk like this, not with it hurting like a motherfucker. It was even more painful than when it had first occurred. Great...Just great, he couldn't help thinking as his face contorted in agony. His whole leg now was throbbing as he moaned and rocked lightly back and forth. This was like nothing he had ever experienced before, and it was all he could do to just sit there and try to breathe in and breathe out.

Justin's POV

"Justin! Hey, Justin!"

I turned my head at the sound of a high-pitched, excited voice; after being a lifeguard both here and at the pool, I had reached the point when I could tell that something was remiss, and I could tell immediately that something was wrong by the tone of this person's voice. Pulling the binoculars away from my eyes, I looked down to see one of the local surfers, Dirk Myerson, worriedly peering up at me.

"Hey, Dirk! What is it?"

"Come quick! Somebody's hurt; I think it's a stingray!"

My heart sped up; damn, those could be painful, and Dirk would probably know what he was talking about. I nodded. "Be right there! Do me a favor and run and tell Emmett to bring me a jug of hot water - as hot as he can stand it! Where's the injured person?"

He pointed over to his left. "Over by the water's edge; he's sitting down. It's another surfer - has a yellow surfboard next to him."

I nodded as Dirk rushed away toward the surfer shop and I turned to run back inside, just long enough to grab the first aid kit and a plastic tub similar to a wash pan. Hurrying back outside, I stopped for just a second to try and locate the party who was injured, and my eyes narrowed suspiciously in recognition. "Oh, no," I murmured. "Surely not." Shit. Surely Brian wasn't pulling another joke on me. If he was, there was going to be hell to pay, and by the time I got done with him, he will believe that a stingray attack is the lesser of two evils.

Taking a deep breath, I took the steps as fast as I could, then took off at a full run toward Brian, who was quickly attracting a crowd.

"Out of the way!" I shouted at them like a man possessed as they parted for me; I was still not sure what I was about to encounter. As soon as I came upon Brian sitting on the sand, however, his eyes fighting back tears and his face contorted with pain while he moaned softly, I immediately knew that this was not a joke this time. I crouched down next to him, briskly opening up my first aid kit to dig out some medicine and setting the pan down next to me as his eyes met mine; I thought I detected a flicker of relief as well as just a bit of embarrassment on his face, but he had nothing to be embarrassed about. Stingrays were serious business. "You're going to be just fine," I told him firmly. "Where did you get stung?"

He gritted his teeth as he gasped out, "Top of my foot; left one."

I sat down and reached over to gently take his left foot in my hand, noticing the telltale mark where a stingray would typically attack. I wanted to make sure that none of the barb remained embedded in his foot. I was relieved to see that it had been a clean attack as I nodded. "Yeah, looks like a stingray all right. Do you remember stepping on something?"

"Yeah," he wheezed out, his breathing heavy. "Something squishy; then a felt something sharp. Fuck, the pain's getting worse!"

"That's the toxin spreading; it affects your nerve endings," I told him as his eyes widened in concern. "I've got someone bringing me some hot water to put your foot in; that's the best remedy to ease the pain - it'll help to dull the toxin."

"How serious is it?" he asked me in a raspy voice.

"Serious enough to hurt like hell for a few hours - anywhere from a couple to eight or so," I told him truthfully as he winced. "But you'll be okay," I assured him as he nodded. "You'll just have to take it easy for a few days."

"I think...I...Figured that out," he managed to say as Dirk came rushing up to me.

"I told him to make it as hot as possible," he told me. I nodded in gratitude that Dirk had been the one to spot Brian; being a seasoned surfer, he knew the best routine to help alleviate stingray attack pain as well as treat it quickly.

"Thanks," I told him as I gently set Brian's foot down in the plastic pan and began to unscrew the jug's lid. "This is going to be very hot," I warned him as I ripped open the package holding the Dombro, an analgesic that is supposed to help alleviate the pain, and dropped the medication into the pan next to his foot. "But it's the best treatment to ward off serious side effects from the stingray barb," I told him. He nodded in understanding before I lifted the jug of water and began to slowly pour it into the pan. Brian cried out as it hit his foot.

"Fuck, that IS hot!" he roared, not sure if that was worse than the actual sting or not. "Justin..."

"Brian, if you can handle it the hotter, the better," I told him. "And I know you like it hot," I told him under my breath, achieving a small smile from him in return, just like I had hoped. "Stay with me," I told him as I reached over to tightly squeeze his hand, receiving a vise-like grip from him in return. I could hear him suck in a breath, his eyes still watering from the pain, as I continued to pour the water into the pan and over his foot until it completely covered it.

"You'll need to soak your foot for about thirty minutes," I told him as he continued to grip my hand tightly. "The pain should lessen considerably by then." He nodded as he let out a deep, ragged breath. "It doesn't appear to be a deep wound, but you should have the resort's doctor take a look at it just to make sure."

"You need me for anything else, Justin?"

I thought about how Brian would get back to the resort as I peered up at Dirk. "Well, I could probably use your help after a while getting Brian up to the resort doctor. We can transport him using his board."

Dirk nodded. "Good idea. About thirty minutes? I'll go stow my own board in the meantime."

I nodded back at him with a smile. "Yeah, thanks. And can you see if you can find Zipper for me? We might need him as well."

"Sure thing," Dirk nodded with a smile of his own as he turned and headed toward the surfer shop. By now, the rest of the gawkers had begun to disperse, sensing the momentary excitement had waned now. Finally, after a few reassurances to bystanders that everything was under control Brian and I found themselves relatively alone for a change.

I felt Brian's hand loosen a little under my touch as he lifted his eyes away from the injury to glance over at me. "How's the pain now?" I asked, noticing Brian's face had relaxed a little.

"It's better," Brian confirmed as I nodded.

"I'm glad," I told him softly. I attempted to disentangle my hand from Brian's grip, but found that he didn't seem to want to let it go. "Dirk should be back soon to help transport you back to the resort so the doctor can take a look at it. I'm sure one of his friends or Zipper can help." I peered around the surrounding area, satisfied that everything seemed back to normal now in my patrol area. "I need to get back to work," I told him. Once more, I tried to pull my hand away, but Brian held fast. "Brian..."

"Justin...About what happened earlier..."

I shook my head as I finally was able to break free from Brian's grip. "Let's not talk about that now," I mumbled awkwardly. Truth be told, I was a little embarrassed by my behavior earlier. I still didn't like the way that Brian seemed to treat me as less than an equal, but at the same time I had admittedly acted rather childishly during our picnic.

"But..."

"Brian, not now," I insisted a little more firmly as I glanced up just in time to see Dirk returning with Zipper. I worried my lower lip as I finally told him, "We can talk about it later." He nodded at me just as the two men walked up.

"How you doing?" Dirk asked Brian.

"Better," he told me as he peered over at me gratefully. "He knows his stuff."

I flushed at the compliment as I told the two, "Can you grab his surfboard and help transport him back to the hotel?"

"I can walk, Justin; I'm not a cripple," Brian told me curtly.

"I know that. But the more you put weight on that foot, the more the toxin will spread. Just humor me - for once; okay?"

His mouth lifted at one side over the subtle message. "Yeah, yeah, okay," he replied to my relief as I nodded. I watched as Dirk helped Brian to his feet while Zipper and I hoisted the surfboard up to a horizontal position. Brian hopped on one foot over to the board and sat down on it as Dirk took my place.

"Thanks," Brian told me softly as I nodded, watching the three of them heading carefully toward the hotel. As I began to head back to my lifeguard station, I saw Emmett rushing over to me.

"How is he?" he asked a little breathlessly as he peered over at the three men several feet away now. "Was it a stingray attack?"

I nodded. "Yeah, looks like it. He was in a lot of pain earlier, but it's better now. Thanks for getting that hot water for him. That made a big difference."

"You're welcome," he told me. "It's a good thing you were around to help him."

I shrugged. "It's my job, Em."

"Uh, huh. Well, let's see if it stays strictly professional." He smiled at me as I rolled my eyes. "Now don't give me that look, Justin Taylor! Just think about what I said earlier, okay? Promise."

I let out a deep breath. "Okay, I promise. Now I got to go. See you later." He nodded at me as I proceeded back to my post. I had a few more hours to go yet, but something told me my mind wouldn't be focusing too well on the task at hand, but rather something - or in this case, someone - else.

Early Evening...

Changed into a casual outfit of khaki shorts and a light blue, short-sleeved tee shirt, I headed down from my room toward the private guest quarters, stopping where the two hallways met and wondering how a certain someone was doing. I bit my lip, feeling my heart accelerating in indecision, before I veered toward the last suite of the guest wing, making an educated guess as to which one belonged to Brian.

I raised my hand, poised to knock but suddenly feeling something akin to stage fright. Buck up, Taylor, I scolded myself. What could happen? At least he can't run very fast right now, I couldn't help thinking with a smirk. Finally, I rapped on the door three times and waited anxiously for whether or not I would get a reply.

"Go away; I don't need anything!" I heard a familiar voice yell back. "Can't you read the fucking card?"

I grinned as I glanced down; I hadn't noticed the Do Not Disturb placard hung around the doorknob. At least now I was sure who the occupant was - and it appeared he was in a surly mood, too.

Steeling myself, I reached inside my pocket to find the master keycard and slip it into the slot. Taking a deep breath, I slowly pressed down on the handle and pushed the door to open it. Slipping inside, I didn't see Brian anywhere, but, of course, I already knew he was here somewhere. I walked over to peek inside the partially open door of the bedroom, not finding him there, either. That left only one other option: the large, open balcony overlooking the ocean.

Sure enough, the sliding glass door heading out from the living area was halfway open as I walked toward it. I could hear the crashing of the waves below, signifying it was getting closer to high tide; a few seconds later, I finally found Brian, lying in one of the thickly-padded chaise lounges in the corner of the balcony. He was wearing a navy-blue, sleeveless wifebeater shirt and dark brown shorts, his foot propped up on top of a beach towel and a drink of some sort clutched in his right hand; a cigarette was dangling in his other as he gazed quietly out at the water.

"You shouldn't mix alcohol with drugs," I told him softly. He didn't appear to acknowledge my presence at first until he finally responded dryly without looking at me, "Now who's treating whom like a child?"

Touché. I couldn't help smiling over at him sheepishly. "I just don't want you to suffer any other side effects from your injury. If the doctor gave you some antibiotics or pain pills, well..."

Brian winced as he adjusted his position on the chaise lounge. "Calm down, Dudley. It's just some plain, old iced tea; honest."

I nodded, relieved. "What did the doctor say?"

"Pretty much what you suspected," Brian rattled off. "Stingray attack, but not a severe one. He told me I would have some inflammation and pain for the next few days, and he gave me some pain medicine and an antibiotic to ward off any possible infection. He told me to take it easy and let him know if I see anything that might indicate a worsening of my condition, but he thought it would heal in a few days without any further treatment." He paused for a moment to stare at me, almost to the point where I began to feel a little uncomfortable. "He said the lifeguard did all the right things to minimize the aftereffects, or it could have been a lot worse. Thanks," he added more softly as I felt my face warm.

"You're welcome. But it was all just..."

"...Part of your job. Yeah, I've heard that before. Is this part of your job, too, Mr. Taylor?"

I frowned. "What?"

"Coming here personally to check on the victims you rescue."

I blushed, realizing I had been caught. "No," I admitted as I gazed into his eyes; they were doing that green-and-gold sort of swirl thing again, and I found myself entranced. "I was worried about you."

He seemed to like that answer, because I got a smile out of him. "I'm glad," he told me.

I flushed at the sound of his voice, and my words began to nervously tumble out. "Can I get you anything? Another pillow? Some more to drink? Have you eaten? You shouldn't be taking pills on an empty, stomach, either..."

Brian chuckled as he crushed his cigarette butt in a glass ashtray emblazoned with the resort's logo situated on the small, circular table situated next to his chaise lounge. "Will you stop with the mother hen routine? I'm fine. And yes, I did eat something." He rolled his tongue into his cheek as he wryly informed me, "It seems I had some extra food left over from lunch."

"Oh," I replied, embarrassed as realization hit. "Brian..." I stopped talking as Brian placed his hand on my knee and squeezed it. I lifted my eyes to meet his, my cheeks warming at the look on his face.

"Justin, if you're going to apologize..."

I frowned. "What do I have to apologize for? You're the one who was calling me names and talking down to me."

Brian huffed as he removed his hand and placed his glass of tea down next to the ashtray. "What about that temper tantrum you threw during lunch? And all this coddling you're doing now?"

"Temper tantrum? Coddling? I had a right to be mad earlier, Brian! And if you want to call genuine concern 'coddling,' then go right ahead! Fuck, why do I even try?!" I growled as I began to stand up, only to have Brian tug on my wrist to promptly pull me back down, this time right onto his lap. I discovered how strong his arms were as he quickly slid them around my waist and firmly locked me there like a prisoner.

"Let me go, you asshole! You are the most stubborn, obstinate, condescending man I have ever..."

I didn't get a chance to finish my thought as Brian abruptly pulled me down to plaster his lips onto mine, and it was then that any pretense of coherent thought vanished as the same sensations I had experienced when we had kissed earlier washed all over me again. I braced my hands on his shoulders, mainly to keep my balance as our upper bodies melded against each other. I could feel both of our hearts beating rapidly together as his tongue pressed out insistently, leaving no pretext as to what it - and Brian - wanted.

My talk earlier with Emmett briefly entered my mind as I wondered the wisdom of sitting there in Brian's lap, letting him kiss me to within an inch of my life, but I knew there was no way I could deny what was happening. Surrendering to what I knew deep down I had to have, I opened my mouth just enough for Brian's tongue to slide inside, and I closed my eyes to heighten the wondrous, tactile sensation. I moaned softly as he angled his head to deepen the kiss, tightly gripping the back of my head as his tongue gave the inside of my mouth a thorough swabbing. I felt Brian's other hand sliding lower and lower until it moved around my backside to cup my ass, his fingers splayed out over the thin, khaki material of my shorts where my crack was. I could feel the warmth of his skin through the material as he continued to ravage my lips, and my body came alive with desire.

I squirmed in his embrace, our bare legs intertwined, unaware that my motion was making him even hornier. I soon found out, however, as my ass rubbed against his crotch and I heard Brian suck in a sharp breath in reaction as he tried to slide his hand inside my shorts. I pushed against him then as our lips separated with a distinctive popping sound.

"What?" Brian asked breathlessly, his eyes dilated and the color of molten, chocolate lava as they bored into mine. I could feel his breath on my face, our lips inches apart as I struggled to explain what was going on. How did I let it get this far?

"I...Brian..." I let out an erratic breath, trying desperately to get some more air into my lungs.

"Yeah? Justin, spell it out," Brian commanded quietly, his one hand resting just under my shirt at the small of my back and the other one languidly stroking the hair at the nape of my neck, making it hard for me to concentrate.

"Your foot..." I sputtered out at last, grasping at whatever I could. Okay, even to me that sounded lame, and it didn't take long for Brian to call me on it. I earned an arch of his right eyebrow with that remark.

"Justin, do I look like I'm worried about my damn foot? Trust me; I can operate quite efficiently without using that particular part of my anatomy. Let me demonstrate." He slid his hand around my waist to my belly, heading straight toward my cock. I quickly reached down between us to grab his wrist to still his motion as Brian eyed me with clear frustration.

"Come on; I know you want this as much as I do," Brian told me confidently as I bit my lip in indecision. Hell, yes, I wanted it! Who wouldn't with this particular man? And at my age, my libido was in overdrive. But what exactly did 'this' mean? A one-time fuck to satisfy Brian's curiosity? To gloat in the morning that he had 'done' me and now he could move onto another conquest? A one-up contest where he could brag that the little, inexperience twink had given in?

"Justin?" He squeezed my hand as his lips nuzzled the side of my neck, his tongue drawing a stripe on my flesh as I gasped at the wetness and heat. "I need you to take care of me." His voice was low and guttural, making me painfully hard as my defenses started to crumble.

"I...Brian...wait..." I pulled back to stare into his eyes, my hands palm down on his chest in an almost defensive position. I glanced around, verifying that from our vantage point we could be seen by others down on the crowded beach, which only added to my dilemma. Even if I DID want to have sex with him, it couldn't be out here. If my father ever caught wind of what was happening or the guests told him about it, I would be skinned alive, whether he had grudgingly accepted my sexual orientation or not. "I can't do this; not out here," I finally managed to say.

"Why not?" he asked with that obnoxious smirk back on his face. "That's what makes it so hot. Oh, are you afraid your delicate little skin will get burned? Well, then, don't worry, I'll protect you; you'll be on the bottom. "

I huffed in disbelief; I may not have had any experience with that directly, but I knew what it meant, anyway, thanks to Emmett, my 'advisor,' and it made me bristle for some reason.

"I can't believe you!" I growled as I pulled myself free from Brian's grasp; his comment was like cold water being thrown into my face. "Does it always have to be about YOU, Brian?" I shook my head sadly. "About YOUR needs? I huffed. "I did what I came to do; to check on your condition...So now I'm leaving." I gazed out briefly onto the ocean below to try and center my emotions; normally it made me relaxed and soothed me, but not today - my emotions were a jumbled mess. I turned back around to see Brian silently studying me, a look of what appeared to be disappointment and incredulity on his face. Well too, bad. Take that, Kinney, I thought. Although it seemed like a hollow and very unsatisfying victory.

"I'm glad you're going to be okay," I told him softly...And I meant it. I never wanted to ever see him get hurt. I could feel the sting of tears beginning in my eyes, however, and I wasn't going to let this man see how much what he had said had hurt ME. I still had some pride left. "Goodbye, Brian."

"You're leaving just like that?" he asked me in astonishment as I turned to head back into the suite through the sliding glass door.

"Yeah, just like that. If you need anything, just use the help station." I nodded over at the display, inches away from where Brian was sitting. My father had thought of every technological advance he could think of, including an "LCD Assistance Center" built into the exterior wall of the balcony so guests could literally obtain whatever they needed at the touch of a button without even going back into their suites.

"Anything?" he inquired softly, no hint of smugness in his voice now.

I rolled my eyes. "You know what I mean," I told him a little sharply, tired of this game now. "I have to go." And before he could say anything else, I quickly disappeared inside. I was back out in the hallway in record time; as I leaned against the wall, I let a deep breath out, actually relieved that I wouldn't have to see Brian's face now on a daily basis during the rest of his stay while I was on lifeguard duty. Or was I?