Sixteen

The next few weeks went by in a haze for JC. He split his time between Justin and the play, and his real job as a detective. Actually, the time spent as a detective was spent putting Kevin off, promising that he'd get the best proof ever, although he already had it. Justin was all he wanted, and he was almost willing to give up everything else to keep him.

Justin was also working at putting someone off. Lance was getting more and more insistent, which was understandable. Before JC, Justin would have spread his legs by the third date. But now, things were different. Justin was trying to not even get naked with Lance, turning on as much flirtatious charm as possible to keep Lance hanging on. But one night it had to change. 

“Come here,” Lance said, holding out his hand. Justin smiled and sauntered to where Lance was sitting on a chair. He stood in front of Lance and looked down at him. “I want to touch you,” Lance whispered. He looked up at Justin with eyes of determined green steel, and Justin shivered.

“If that's what you want,” Justin said lightly.

“Undress,” Lance said.

“Look, Lance, why don't we…”

“I SAID undress, Justin,” Lance ordered, and Justin shivered again. Lance could be incredibly sweet when he wanted to be, but now he was all power and control. Justin began to unbutton his shirt, making sure to take his time. He gave Lance a charming smile. Lance simply raised an eyebrow. Justin slowly slid the shirt from his body, hoping that would be enough. Lance reached up and ran a hand over Justin's smooth chest, letting his fingers circle Justin's nipples before his hands rested at Justin's waist. He leaned his face against Justin's flat stomach and sighed. “So beautiful…and all mine…ALL mine…” Lance murmured.

Justin swallowed deeply and tried his best not to think of JC. “What do you want me to do now?”

“Nothing.” Lance undid Justin's pants and slid them down. Justin carefully stepped out of them. Justin stood in front of Lance in only his boxer briefs. Lance slowly slid his hands around to rest on Justin's ass as he lightly brushed his cheek against the bulge in the front of the boxer briefs. Justin lightly placed his hands on Lance's shoulders, wondering if Lance would mind. It felt like the right thing to do. “So…beautiful.” Lance inhaled deeply, rubbing his face a bit harder. He pulled back and slowly looked up at Justin. “Take them off.” Justin silently did as he was told. “Damn…” Lance sighed, looking Justin over from head to toe. It was then that Justin realized that Lance saw him as another possession, another accomplishment, like the limo and the private jet and the diamond cufflinks. Lance seemed content to simply touch Justin and look at him, and Justin allowed himself to think of JC just enough to get some sort of erection. 

“Are you okay?” JC asked when Justin arrived at rehearsal the next morning. Justin didn't smile, had no light in his eyes, and seemed not a bit interested in practicing with the cast.

“I…yeah.” Justin sat down and took the tea that JC offered him.

“Did he hurt you?” JC asked, frowning. Justin shook his head.

“No…but I'd rather not say more.”

JC nodded. “Understood. You want to skip practice?”

“No. I need to distract myself.”

“Okay.” JC headed towards his seat next to Christopher.

“It's getting harder, JC,” a soft voice called to him, and JC knew exactly what he meant. JC slowly turned around and looked at Justin, hoping that everything he felt was showing in his eyes and not all over his face. Justin smiled a bit and blushed happily, and JC knew he could see it.

“I have some good news,” JC told him. “Christopher talked to Joseph, and you're coming over to Chris' apartment for dinner tonight.”

“What?” Justin's mouth fell open.

“Joseph knew that Lance had to go out of town for a few days, and Chris convinced him that it would be good for you to hang out with some of the cast, that otherwise you'd seem like a snobby diva. Of course, it will just be me, you, Chris, AJ and Nick, but hey…” JC smiled. “I think it's nice.”

“I think it's great.” Justin's smile finally reached his eyes. “Something great to look forward to.”

“Why don't you come to my apartment first? Like around four-thirty…we'll go over to Chris' around five,” JC suggested.

“I've never been to your apartment,” Justin said softly.

“I'll give you directions. It's not classy like yours, but it does what it needs to,” JC said. “We'd better get started here.” JC motioned to Christopher and the others.

“Okay,” Justin said. He looked up at JC, and the emotion in his eyes said it all. 

“Hi,” Justin said shyly when JC opened the door. “I'm a little early.”

“You could have come home from rehearsal with me and it wouldn't have been early enough,” JC told him, kissing him as he came into the apartment. “Sorry this is so small.”

“I love it,” Justin said, and he meant it. It was JC's, and it was perfect. “I could live here with you.”

“Oh, you could?” JC teased. “I'm incredibly anal…I like things neat.”

“I can be neat,” Justin protested. JC smiled and ruffled Justin's curls. Justin looked around while JC went to the bathroom to finish getting ready. Justin flipped through books, looked at pictures and generally poked around. “Uh, JC?”

“Yeah?” JC poked his head out from the bathroom.

“Why do you have a gun?” Justin whispered, pointing to the revolver that peeked out from under a stack of magazines.

JC inwardly groaned. He had been cleaning the gun and meant to put it away in a drawer, but something had distracted him. “I…well…” he began, praying that Justin wouldn't see his name and badge number engraved on the handle. “Protection,” JC said, shrugging. “I've lived in places much seedier than this…and I felt the need to protect myself. I don't have much meat on me, so I'm not much of a fighter.”

“Oh,” Justin said, relieved. “Will you teach me to shoot it?”

“No!” JC barked, and Justin jumped. “I don't want your fingers on something like a gun.” JC came out and kissed Justin's forehead. “Let me protect you, okay?”

“Okay,” Justin said, smiling. He cupped JC's face in his hands and began to kiss him. JC sighed and pressed against him. “JC…” Justin whispered.

“Call me Josh,” JC said. “JC doesn't sound right coming from you.”

“Josh,” Justin repeated. He nibbled at JC's neck and JC moaned. “When will you make love to me? I want you so bad.”

“God, Justin, I want you, too,” JC promised, sliding his hands down Justin's back. “I just don't want to be rushing it when we have a few hours between rehearsals.”

“Joseph's going away next week,” Justin murmured, nipping at JC's earlobe. “His mother's birthday. He goes every year. If I can get Lance to stay away…you could come and stay all night.”

JC pulled back. “Are you sure about this? I want this to be special.”

“Josh, you're not like the others. Don't you see that? I fuck them…they fuck me. I don't make love to any of them. I want you to make love to me,” Justin begged.

“Okay.” JC leaned his forehead against Justin's and sighed.

Seventeen