Two chapters in a week, I must be a god. I might even do a third if I'm up to it. Well in this chapter shit gets real. Well not that real, I'm exaggerating. Shit won't really blow up till much later; hence the point of a climax, but I digress. Oh and I changed the nickname to Juse from Jus, I like it better. So no you aren't crazy. I'm gonna go back and change it when I get to it. Any way I hope you like so comment and enjoy =).
Justin had been working frantically the entire week building up to the show that he'd been all but completely consumed by work. He hadn't even had time to eat or sleep properly. Wilhelmina true to form had been working everyone at Mode to their absolute limit, he couldn't even remember the last time he'd seen Mark. When the day finally arrived he and the whole of Mode had let out a collective sigh of relief. However it was also an incredibly stressful time, because if it wasn't perfect all of them could face the wrath of Slater, not seen since the days of Daniel Meade.
He'd gotten 2 hours of sleep the night before the event, averaging 3 during the week, and was running on Monsters. Despite this fact he managed to be by Wilhelmina's side pretty and polished, if only a little shaky. When they arrived at the venue everything appeared in order and ready for presentation.
As Wilhelmina and Mark took their seats in the front row along with various other designers and fashion moguls he went to the back to ensure everything was in tip top shape. As he wandered the backstage area he heard a familiar voice, raised against a less familiar voice.
"Don't go you are my moon and stars." Amancio Giardini pleaded.
"I'm done with you!" His assistant yelled.
"But I can't go on without you."
"I don't need you anymore."
"Please Mica!" Giardini cried clutching onto his younger lover's arm while in tears.
"Get off my arm you Pervertito Grasso!" He said pulling his arm away from him and walking away.
Justin watched Giardini watch helplessly as Mica stormed off. He wasn't sure how to approach the situation, but was forced to once Giardini spoke.
"He was all I had." He sobbed not looking at Justin.
"I know it's bad, but you're gonna get through this."
"No I won't, I don't think I'll be able to do the show in this condition."
Justin slightly cringed at the words. "You've got to."
"But I can't."
"Yes you can." Justin paused trying to think of reasons why he could. "You have to, because if you don't you'll regret it. What does it say to all of your fans, that the great designer Amancio Giardini let some 'man' discourage him from bringing beauty to the world?"
Giardini lifted his head a little at Justin's attempt at encouragement. "A great designer"
"You're one of the greatest of our time; in fact I'm wearing you right now." Justin lifted the collar of his shirt to reveal Giardini's symbol.
Giardini straightened himself up and wiped his face. "I don't want disappoint, but I still don't know."
Justin ran his hand through his hair knowing what he was about to do next would bite him in the ass later. This was a desperate ploy but this was a desperate situation. He made a lustful face and put a hand under Giardini's chin before speaking in his sexiest voice. "If you didn't go out there it would disappoint all of your fans especially me."
Giardini gave Justin an enticing look, causing him to cringe with disgust, having no one to blame but himself for this new found hell. "Well when you put it like that, I'll have no choice, but to put on a show the likes you've never seen. I'll anything for you my raven haired nymph." He made an obscene gesture at Justin on his way to his models, which made him gag in his mind. He wished that he was anywhere but there he tarried on with his duties.
After the Giardini incident the show went off without a hitch and they all moved to the after party in another part of the hotel where Austin's company had everything set up. Wilhelmina was conversing with other big shots and Mark had come over to Justin.
"Long day, huh kiddo"
"You have no idea. I'm on my 3rd can of Monster today."
"Yikes, well you did well so far. I heard about the Giardini thing. You really saved this thing today."
"But at what price?"
"Only your pride, self-respect and dignity, nothing that important. They were holding you back anyway." Mark joked trying to cheer up Justin.
"If you see Giardini can you get tell him I got deported."
"Sure thing, speaking of leaving I gotta do some schmoozing with Willy. See you later." He took off leaving Justin with nothing left to do than do what every lonely person at a party does, explore the buffet table.
As he examined the contents he felt two arms wrap around his waist. He almost self-destructed at the thought of it being Giardini, but sighed when he noticed they were toned and not flabby. He turned around to see the face of someone just as annoying.
"How the hell did you get in here?"
"My friend works for the hotel." Andrew replied.
"Well get off me I'm working."
"At the buffet table, are you a food tester now?"
"I have to make sure everything is perfect, that includes…" Justin stopped mid-sentence at the realization something was missing.
"Hey Juse." said Austin.
"Juse?" Andrew asked raising an eyebrow at this stranger.
"Hey Austin, where are the hors d'oeuvre?"
"You know him, why does he call you Juse?"
"There aren't any, none that you wanted had Kosher ingredients."
"Excuse me."
"All the food came from the bar mitzvah scheduled for today. Everything is kosher. We didn't have enough time to order new food, so we had to make do with what we had."
Justin stood solid as the voice of Wilhelmina crashed around him.
"Justin where are the hors d'oeuvres and the ham?" At her voice he turned on his heels to face his fate.
"It's kosher food." He mumbled.
"What we didn't order kosher. How could you mess this up?" Justin stood silently as she continued. "I needed you to get this night perfect! You had one job…" She was cut off by Rivka Eshkol and her entourage.
"Oh Wilhelmina you're kosher bar is superb. It tastes like I'm back in Israel."
"You don't say?"
"Yeah, I thought I'd have to sit here and starve the whole time, but you have the whole spread."
"Well as you know Mode is a multicultural magazine and we aim to accommodate all, regardless of religion or creed."
"Mode is a very popular magazine, you could be setting a trend; old world food is in these days."
"You don't say. Well I'm just happy to oblige." She said with satisfaction plastered across her face. Rivka and Wilhelmina walked away leaving Justin finally able to take a breath, or at least he thought.
"Justin, are you going to tell me who this is?"
"His name is Austin and he's someone I knew from a long time ago!" Justin snapped. "Are you satisfied now, damn you're annoying."
"So the kosher thing worked out after all?" Austin asked optimistically.
"Yeah and thank…"
"Justin" interrupted an unwelcome Italian falsetto. Justin shuttered.
He stepped behind Austin. "Hide me please."
"I've found you. Can you believe someone said you were deported?"
"I can't imagine who would do such a thing." Austin said sarcastically, looking knowingly at Justin.
"Well here I am."
"Yes indeed. Why not we head out, to my loft?"
"Umm sorry I really can't."
"Why not?"
"Because I umm…"
"You weren't lying back stage were you, about me being the greatest designer of all time and being disappointed?" He reached over and rubbed his hand across Justin's face. Austin was silently laughing while Justin squirmed under Giardini's touch and made a pleading face towards Austin that only received more grinning and laughter.
"Go on Juse you don't want to disappoint him now do you?" Austin returned his words with a sharp glare while subtly backing away from a nearing Giardini, bumping into Andrew.
"I can't go because my boyfriend and I have to go out later, right Andrew."
"Yeah, and then I'm gonna take you home and…" Andrew was cut off by a swift elbow to the gut from Justin.
"Oh, I see. Well if you ever get tired of him I'm always waiting."
"No need to worry about that." He said pulling Justin close. "I'm all the man he'll ever need." He connected his and Justin's mouths together for a deep kiss, flicking a look at Austin at the same time.
Giardini turned defeated and walked away. Once he was out of range Justin pushed Andrew off him and slapped him across the face.
"What the hell, that wasn't necessary at all."
"I had to make it look real." Andrew said clutching his cheek and smirking.
When Suarez turned around Austin had gone and a he felt even more irritated.
"You can be a real pain sometimes."
After a few more hours had passed, the party slowly fizzled out. He checked his watch. It was 12:46 and most of the people that were there a few hours ago were gone including Wilhelmina and Mark. He suddenly realized how tired he was and he did a quick scan to see that everything at the party was fine, it was.
"I'm going home."
"I'll take you."
Justin sighed not in the mood to argue with him. "If you try something else…"
"Relax I was only acting, just friends remember."
Justin rolled his eyes and the two left into the lit up city.
TBC