The Valet's Secret - Ankaree

For the past four years, Blair Sandburg had been working as a valet at the prestigious Balmoral Hotel. In all the time he had worked there, he had never once been late and didn't plan on screwing up his perfect record by being late today.

Finishing the rest of his breakfast quickly, Blair picked up the dishes and placed them in the kitchen sink. Grabbing his jacket and keys, he hurried out of his apartment towards the bus stop.

As always, Blair liked to walk the last block to work and today was no exception. He happily greeted people he knew along his route, saying a quick good morning and a wave goodbye.

When Blair approached the hotel, he passed the doorman, giving him a friendly pat on the shoulder. "Hey, Brown."

"Blair, my man, looks like you just made it." Henri Brown smirked, purposely checking his watch.

"I always do, man," Blair grinned, continuing through the doors into the lobby.

He made his way towards the back of the hotel to the service elevators, which led him down to the staff quarters. When Blair entered the main area where the central security station was located, he punched in his time card with a sigh of relief; he was right on time.

"Good morning, Sandburg." The head of security, Simon Banks, greeted Blair with a smile.

"What's up, man? Anything interesting on?" Blair indicated the ten security monitors behind Simon.

Simon laughed, then switched cameras on one of the monitors to show a naked man standing outside his hotel room door, knocking and trying to get back in. "Poor guy opened the door for his morning paper when his wife pushed him out and slammed the door closed."

"Oh, man, not again. That's four times this week," Blair groaned, running a hand over his face. He quickly snagged the phone from Simon's desk, dialing the valet station. "Hey, it's Blair. Can you please get a robe up to the Charleston Suite as soon as possible? Thanks." Blair hung up the phone and walked away with a wave to Simon. "Later, Simon."

"Have a good day, Sandburg," Simon chuckled.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Once in the valets' area, Blair picked up his freshly pressed uniform and walked into the changing room. His good friend, Brian Rafe, was already there getting ready to start the day. "Hey, Rafe."

"Hey, Blair," Rafe greeted. "You know what I just heard?"

"That the Jags are going to win this year?" Blair teased as he hurriedly got changed.

"Ha-ha, you're too funny, Sandburg." Rafe rolled his eyes and laughed. "I heard that Jenkins is getting promoted at the end of the month."

"Which one?" Blair asked, knotting his tie. "Jenkins in kitchen or Jenkins, the Assistant Manager?"

"Assistant manager." Rafe walked up to Blair and slung an arm around his shoulder. "And you know what that means?"

Blair finished buttoning his jacket then looked at his friend. "Yeah, that I'm going to have somebody else busting my ass."

"Nooo," Rafe said. "It means we're going to need a new assistant manager."

"Yeah? So what?" Blair pulled away, shutting his locker.

"So what?" Rafe said, exasperated. "You keep talking about wanting to be a manager. Now's your chance."

"Give me a break, all right." Blair sat down on the bench in-between the row of lockers and shook his head sadly. "There's no way they're going to make a servant a manager."

"Why not?" Rafe asked, sitting down next to Blair. "Blair, you taught me that anything's possible, so why not this?"

"I don't know." Blair shrugged. "Guess I've learned to accept that things like that just don't happen to me. Anyway," he got up, standing beside his friend, wrapping an arm around his shoulders, "time to get our morning assignments."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

As per every morning the maids and valets all gathered together to receive their daily schedule. They chatted among themselves while waiting for Ms. Rita Winwood, the Head of Staff.

"All right, ladies and gentlemen." Ms. Winwood entered the room, clapping her hands to get everyone's attention. "It's Friday and we've got lots to do. Before we start, Mr. Dextrum has an announcement to make." She stepped back to allow the manager of the hotel to address her staff.

"Good morning, everyone. Tim Jenkins' promotion has created a vacancy that we've decided to fill with in-house personnel," Mr. Dextrum explained.

"Excuse me, Mr. Dextrum, sir," Rafe interrupted.

"Yes, Mr. Rafe?"

"Can a valet apply?" Rafe asked.

"Well, technically if an employee has been here for three consecutive years she or indeed he," Dextrum nodded towards the valets, "is qualified to apply. So, yes, anyone who meets the criteria may apply," he said, honestly.

Leaning closer to Blair, Rafe whispered, "Hear that, the man said anything's possible."

"Yeah, I guess he did." Blair glanced at his friend with a slight grin.

"So, you'd better fill out an application."

Blair nodded and turned his attention back to Ms. Winwood.

"All right, on to new business," Ms. Winwood said as the manager left the room. "Mrs. Radcliff is checking out of room 709. Mr. Greenwald is checking in. He's back on the wagon so lets clear out the minibar. Blair, heads up on the Madison Suite, Mrs. Sage is arriving with the children, preferably after Mr. Sage's girlfriend departs. Make sure it's a smooth transmission. Sotheby's Director, Charles Baxter, has switched from the Four Seasons. He's requested a park view suite and likes brandy and mint chocolate wafers. And finally, Assemblyman James Ellison arrives today. He's gearing up his campaign, so his suite will double as a conference center with liquor and coffee bars turning over every four hours. Well, that's it, ladies and gentlemen, off you go."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Jim Ellison walked into his suite followed closely by his younger brother. Steven was reading out loud from the front page of the Cascade Daily newspaper.

"Sentimental favorite, James Ellison, son of the late William Ellison, is expected to run for his father's senatorial seat in the next election." Steven folded the newspaper, tucking it under his arm. "That's all it says."

"Let me see it." Jim stuck his hand out, waiting for his brother to hand over the paper.

"You don't need to see it." Steven tried to walk away but Jim blocked his path.

"Give it here." Snatching the newspaper, Jim glanced over the front page. The headline read 'Lover's Spat In The Street' and underneath were pictures, obviously taken with a telephoto lens, showing Jim and his so called ex-boyfriend having an argument. Jim scanned the paper, re-reading the paragraph and adding the words that Steven had left out. "Sentimental favorite and playboy, political assembly man, James Ellison... Guess you missed a few words there, eh Steven?"

Steven turned from where he was pouring a coffee and smirked at his brother. "What? Playboy? I'd consider that a compliment."

Jim ignored the comment and continued to read, "...who called off his relationship last week to millionaire Bradley Marshall arrives in town solo." Jim slammed the paper closed in disgust and began to pace. "That's just great. Isn't anything private anymore?"

"Listen, Jim, you know you're a public figure. It's news. So what?" Steven tried to comfort.

"We were hardly even together. I don't even know why I wasted my time with him." Jim turned to glare at his brother. "Whose side are you on, anyway?"

"Oh, come on, Jim, do you even have to ask that? You know I'm on your side."

Jim patted his brother on his shoulder. "Yeah, I know. Sorry, bro. Guess I'm just frustrated. It's hard to read the twisted stories sometimes."

Just then they were interrupted by the head butler, who stood in the open doorway. "Welcome to the Balmoral, Mr. Ellison."

"Oh, hello," Jim greeted with a smile.

"My name is Joel Taggart. I'm the floor butler. If there's anything you need, please call me."

"Thank you. Um, this is my brother Steven." Jim pointed towards his younger brother.

"Good day, sir." Joel nodded at Steven.

Steven stood up and began to usher Joel out of the room. "Thank you, Joel. It's nice to meet you. We'll call you if we need you."

"Very good, sir." Joel quietly left the suite.

"Okay, Jim, down to business. We're going to Chapel's benefit thing Monday night."

"Oh, no," Jim groaned, shaking his head. "No we're not, Steven."

"This is when I wished dad was here to back me up," Steven mumbled softly.

"What did you say?" Jim accused.

Steven groaned inwardly, for some reason he always forgot about Jim's heightened senses. "You heard me."

Jim strode over to Steven and glared at him. "Dad had no use for that man."

Not intimidated, Steven stood his ground. "Correction, Dad knew how to use that man."

"Yeah, well, I have no use for a man who runs a sleazy tabloid newspaper," Jim sighed. As he began to walk away, he noticed his brother was following. "Where are you going?"

"It depends. Where are you going?" Steven asked.

"The bathroom. Alone. Do you mind?"

"Ah, sure. Call me if you need anything." Steven's voice held a hint of laughter.

"I think I can handle this on my own." Jim chuckled and closed the bathroom door.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Blair was making his way down the hallway on the seventh floor when he spotted Rafe walking towards him carrying a clothes bag.

"Oh, good. I was just coming to find you. Winwood wanted me to give you these. They're from Madisons." Rafe handed him the new expensive suits.

"Who are these for?" Blair asked as he took the clothes, holding them by the hangers.

"Charles Baxter, in the Park Suite. He's just checked in and requests an immediate unpack and press."

"All right, I'm on it. Thanks, man." Blair smiled and quickly turned, heading back to the elevators.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Charles Baxter was a very eccentric man in his early forties. A strong British accent, compact, well-built body and jet-black hair and eyes made him a charming, albeit slightly snobbish man.

Blair was unpacking the clothing from Charles' suitcases while the other man lounged on the bed, chatting on the phone; a pair of sunglasses perched on the top of his head.

"I mean there are limits." Baxter laughed at the person on the other end of the phone. "Oh you are soooo bad. I don't know, it's up and down. One minute we're talking commitment, then the next day we're breaking up." He paused for a second, smiling and listening. "So, I -- uh -- I had my assistant accidentally forward my calendar for the week to his email." When he paused again, he ran his fingers through the back of his short wavy hair. "Yes, and of course, I added a few extra lunch dates and dinner parties with my ex. Fantastic, right?" he snickered devilishly. "Thomas will be furious."

Blair rolled his eyes and picked up a pair of slacks to hang in the closet. As he turned his back, he heard the other man snapping his fingers.

"Oh, those need pressing." Charles pointed to the pants and shirt Blair was holding.

"Yes, sir," Blair said quietly, placing the clothes on the table near the door.

Charles dismissed him, going back to his phone conversation. "Let's not forget that Thomas trades commodities for a living. A little competition right now might increase my market value. Listen, my darling, I'm going to be late. I'll call you later, okay?" Without waiting for an answer, Charles hung up the phone.

"Um, excuse me," Charles said to get Blair's attention. It was obvious the man had forgotten Blair's name even though Blair had introduced himself when he had first arrived at the suite. "Sorry, could you just hold up those two new suits that you brought in with you?"

"Yes, sir." Blair fingered through the clothes in the walk-in closet, pulling out one dark brown and one navy blue suit. He held them up for Mr. Baxter to see.

Charles got up off the bed and went to sit in one of the over-stuffed chairs. With a hand on his chin, he studied the clothing that Blair held. "Well, I just simply can't tell without the proper ties." He eyed Blair with a charming smile. "Could I ask you an enormous favor? I mean, I know this isn't your job," he stood up, approaching Blair with a flirtatious smile, "and I'd never normally ask but I'm just sooo..." The man shrugged his shoulders and wiggled his head, "well, you know."

"It's okay," Blair reassured.

"Oh, you are such a doll, Blake" Charles grinned and squeezed Blair's arms. "Um, would you run down to Madisons and get me three ties that would go with those."

"Well, the concierge can do that for you," Blair tried to explain.

"Yes, but it would get lost in translation." Charles tilted his head and grinned. "Oh, pleeease," he begged, and much to Blair's disbelief, actually pouted. "You look like someone who actually knows the difference between taupe and caramel."

Blair dropped his head, sighing inwardly. "Okay," he agreed and hung the suits back in the closet.

"Oh, thank you so much. And could you send someone else to finish the unpacking please?" Charles smiled before turning his back on Blair to make another phone call.

"Yes, sir," Blair said politely. He grabbed the shirt and pants from the table on his way out the door. As he hurried down the hall, he ran into Rafe.

"Hey, where's the fire?" Rafe asked, grinning.

"No where. I just got sent on an errand and I'm already running late." He shoved the clothes into Rafe's arms. "Do me a favor. Get these pressed for me, all right?"

"Sure, Blair. No problem." Rafe assured.

"Thanks, man. I owe you one." Blair patted his friend on his back and rushed to the elevators.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The next day Blair was walking down the hallway towards the Park Suite when Rafe came out of one of the rooms. "Hey, Blair," he greeted. "Where you heading?"

"I need to check in with Mr. Baxter. See if there's anything he needs," explained Blair.

Rafe joined him and they chatted while they made their way to the suite. Just as they approached the room, the door opened and Charles Baxter rushed out.

"Oh, aren't you the valet I had yesterday? Blake, right?" Charles asked when he saw Blair.

"Yes, sir," Blair answered, trying not to roll his eyes.

"Oh, fantastic." Charles grinned, patting Blair on the shoulder. "I need another favor. I'm late for lunch or else I would do it myself. Would you mind taking those suits back to Madison's, I've decided not to keep them."

Blair nodded. "Yes, sir, I'll take care of it."

"Thank you, thank you. I've left them in the closet. You're the best." With a squeeze to Blair's hands, Charles quickly left.

"Who was that?" Rafe asked, incredulously.

"That, my friend, is the eccentric guy I was telling you about -- Charles Baxter." Blair grinned.

"Not bad lookin'." Rafe wiggled his eyebrows and elbowed Blair. It wasn't a secret among Blair's closest friends that he was gay. And although Rafe was straight, he often tried to arrange blind dates for his friend, which Blair reluctantly went on.

Blair laughed and shook his head. "Definitely not my type, man."

They both entered Charles Baxter's suite and while Blair checked to make sure the room was in order, Rafe went over to the closet.

After Blair neatened up the various assortments of cologne on the dresser, he peered over his shoulder at Rafe, noticing his friend undoing the zipper on the suit bag.

"What are you doing?" Blair asked and approached Rafe.

Rafe stood back slightly and appreciatively eyed the expensive suits. "Oh wow, these are nice." He smiled, running a finger along a lapel.

"Come on, man, leave those alone." Blair gestured for Rafe to come out of the walk-in closet.

"Don't worry. I'm just taking a little peek. They're going back anyway." Rafe turned to admire the suits again.

Blair began to pace. "You know you're going to get us in trouble."

Rafe reached into the bag and grabbing the hanger, pulled out the navy blue suit.

"Come on, Rafe, leave that stuff alone," Blair said worriedly.

Holding out the suit to get a better look, Rafe walked across the room to the bed. "Oh, feel this material. Man, it's like butter." He carefully laid the clothes on the silk duvet cover.

Blair stopped his pacing next to the bed and looked down at the suit. He reached out, flipping the price tag over. "Five thousand dollars," he whispered in amazement.

"Wow, for one suit?" Rafe asked, astonished. He unclipped the pants from the hanger, holding them against Blair's waist. "Perfect," he nodded.

"What are you doing?" Blair jumped back and tried to snatch the pants from Rafe, only to miss.

"You have to try it on," Rafe pushed.

Blair shook his head and said exasperated, "I can't try on Baxter's clothes."

"Ah, but they're not his," Rafe grinned mischievously. "Come on, Blair, when are you or I ever going to get to try on a five thousand dollar anything?" He laughed and grabbed the suit jacket. Draping it over Blair's shoulders, he nodded appreciatively. "It's going to look great on you."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Jim picked up his coat and checking to make sure he had his room key, walked towards the door only to be stopped by his brother.

"Where are you going?" Steven asked.

Jim sighed, turning to look at his brother. "For a walk. I need some air."

"Jim, the womans' luncheon is starting downstairs. You need to a least make an appearance."

"A quick pit stop, huh?" Jim said sarcastically.

"Yeah." Steven approached his brother. "Come on, Jim. What? You got a problem with the ladies' lunch?"

"No, I've got a problem with trying to upstage Lee Brackett. Remember him?" Jim glared at Steven. "Same guy running against me for Senate. Same guy scheduled to speak at the same lunch downstairs."

"You don't need to worry," Steven assured. "He's not speaking until 1:30."

Jim sighed then quickly strode out the door and down the hall with Steven hot on his heels. When they reached the elevators, Jim pushed the down button, pacing as he waited for the car to arrive.

"Do you want to win this election or not?" Steven asked, frustrated when Jim acted like this.

"You don't give up, do you?" Jim sighed in irritation.

"No, I don't. And that's one of the reasons you hired me." The elevator arrived and as Steven stepped on, he continued, "Look, Jim, all you need to do is go to the luncheon. Okay? Then you go to Chapel's thing on Monday night. Give a quick hello -- good-bye -- then you leave and you're home free."

Jim held the elevator door open but didn't get on. "Define free," he said and removed his hand.

"Meet me in ten minutes!" Steven yelled as the barrier slid closed between them.

Suddenly realizing he was finally alone, Jim smiled and began to walk down the hallway. He was on the fifth floor and decided he could take the stairs the rest of the way down.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Rafe whistled at Blair when he stepped out of the bathroom wearing the pricey suit. "Wow, you look incredible, Blair." He circled Blair once and as Rafe passed behind him, he pulled the tie from Blair's hair, freeing the long curls.

Blair turned to look at his reflection in the full-length mirror. He stared at himself, hardly recognizing the man looking back at him.

Just then Rafe's beeper rang. "Oh well, fun's over," Rafe sighed, checking his pager. "I gotta go." He glanced at Blair once more and grinned. "Too bad you couldn't keep it, you'd definitely turn heads no matter where you went. I'll catch you later." Rafe opened the door to step into the hallway.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

As Jim passed the Park Suite, the door opened. He stood, frozen in place, when he glanced inside the room. It wasn't the valet that caught his attention, but the exotic looking young man that stood within. He had never seen anyone so incredibly beautiful and couldn't stop from raking his eyes over the compact body.

Rafe took a small step back into the room when he noticed the other man's interest in Blair. With a cheeky grin he spoke to his friend, "Can I get you anything else, sir?"

Blair found it impossible to speak when his gaze met the intense sky-blue eyes of the tall, well-built man, whom he recognized as Assemblyman Ellison. He simply shook his head in answer to Rafe's question.

For reasons unknown to him, Jim felt drawn to the other man. He took a few steps forward until he stood in the doorway. "Hello." Jim smiled softly.

"Hi," Blair answered with a shy smile.

Walking into the room, Jim reached a hand out to Blair, who shook it. "I'm Jim Ellison."

Noticing that Jim was waiting for a reply, and Blair didn't seem willing to answer, Rafe quickly jumped in. "

Rafe glanced at the two men and saw the attraction flowing between them. When he realized that Blair wasn't about to reply with a name he quickly jumped into action. "This is Mr. Charles Baxter," Rafe addressed Jim then turned to Blair, "Would you like your coat, sir?"

"What?" Blair asked Rafe in confusion. "Oh, um -- no thank you."

"You were saying what a beautiful day it was and how you'd like to go take a walk." Rafe raised his eyebrows.

"Oh, you're going out?" Jim asked, still not able to take his eyes off Blair.

Blair was slightly flustered when he answered. "Yes, I was."

"I was about to do the same thing. Would you like to join me?" Jim tried not to sound too hopeful but he really wanted to get to know this attractive man.

"I'm sure Mr. Baxter would be delighted to accompany you," Rafe answered for Blair as he pushed him towards the door, which Jim held open for him.

"I can't do this," Blair whispered into Rafe's ear.

"Yes you can," Rafe hissed back. He grabbed a pair of sunglasses that were sitting on the table near the door and slid them onto Blair's face. "Enjoy the fresh air," he said loud enough for both men to hear.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Walking through the hotel lobby, Blair kept his head down not wanting anyone to recognize him. When they approached the front entrance, Jim stopped him by placing a hand on his arm; it was then that he noticed a group of reporters hanging out on the sidewalk.

"Just keep walking and let me handle this. I'll meet you in the park," Jim said as he ushered Blair through the main doors with a hand at the small of his back.

Blair brought a hand up to shield his face when the photographers tried to take his picture. He heard Jim whisper in his ear to keep going, and he did so while Jim stopped to speak with the journalists.

Cameras flashed and microphones where shoved in his face. Jim took a deep breath, smiling sweetly. "Guys, come on, there's nothing here to see. He's just an old friend."

"Does he have a name?" A heavy-set journalist asked. Jim had always been upfront about his sexuality and for some reason the press seemed to accept that. In a way it seemed to make them thrive even more to get pictures or a piece of information about his relationships.

"Yeah. Unidentified old friend," Jim smirked.

The journalists murmured and chuckled amongst themselves, not really believing Jim.

"Look, I tell you what. You leave me alone for a few hours and I'll give you fifteen minutes inside the benefit Monday night." Jim hoped they'd agree to do as he asked.

Another journalist stepped forward. "You promise you'll get us in?"

"Yes," Jim answered honestly.

"Open bar?" Someone called from the back of the group.

"Don't push your luck," Jim chuckled, stepping away to leave.

"Thank you, Mr. Ellison," A few of the journalists called out as Jim began to walk down the sidewalk. The group quickly dispersed, leaving in the opposite direction from Jim.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Blair slowly walked through the park, enjoying the warm, rare fall sunshine. He wondered for the hundredth time what he was doing. He knew he should be at work, not waiting in the park for the handsome James Ellison. He thinks I'm somebody else. I don't want to lie about who I am.

"Hey, wait up." Jim's voice broke through his thoughts. Blair couldn't help but smile brightly as Jim approached.

"Hi," Jim smiled warmly, slowing his pace to match Blair's.

"Hi." Blair shivered slightly when Jim's arm brushed against his own.

"You cold? I felt you shiver."

"No, I'm fine." Blair assured as he glanced at Jim. "I don't know how you do that with the photographers all the time."

"You don't know what you can do until you have to," Jim explained. "There's not a lot of choice. You get used to it."

They walked for a few moments in comfortable silence when Blair noticed that Jim had stopped. He looked back and saw that Jim was watching a group of children playing with a red Frisbee. Suddenly sensing that something wasn't quite right, Blair quickly approached Jim.

"Hey, you okay?" Blair asked hesitantly. He became concerned when Jim didn't respond. Standing in front of him, Blair placed a hand on the middle of Jim's chest, running his fingers in small circles. "Jim?"

Blair jumped when Jim's hand suddenly clutched his wrist tightly. Jim's other hand came up to rest on Blair's shoulder and he leaned a little closer to him, breathing heavily.

"Are you okay?" Blair asked again in a hushed voice.

Jim closed his eyes for a second and took a deep breath, filling his nose with the wonderful aroma of Blair. "Yeah," he responded a bit shakily.

"You're shaking. Let's sit down." Blair guided Jim to the nearest park bench. When they sat down Jim still hadn't let go of Blair's wrist.

"I'm sorry," Jim apologized. He hated when he blanked out like he just did.

"No reason to be sorry. As long as you're okay."

When Blair tried to slowly pull his wrist out of the tight grip, Jim quickly grabbed his hand. Blair's touch, his voice and scent were like a soothing balm to his senses and he didn't want to give that up yet.

"Hey, it's okay. I'm not going anywhere," Blair soothed. He turned his hand palm up, linking their fingers together. They sat that way for a few more minutes until Jim's body stopped trembling.

"Has this happened before?" Blair asked.

Jim studied Blair for a moment, feeling he could trust this man. "Yes, it has. Usually it's when I concentrate on one thing too long. Sometimes it can be a bright color that catches my eye, or even a sound or smell."

"Man, that sucks. How long has this been happening?"

"Well, since I was a kid, I've always had better than average senses. All five senses actually -- you know, sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch. It's just recently that I seem to be losing control of them." Jim sighed, rubbing his free hand across his forehead.

"This is probably a dumb question, but have you been to a doctor?"

Jim smiled slightly, shifting to look at Blair. "It's not a dumb question. And, yes, I have seen a doctor and they didn't find anything wrong."

"I wish I could help you," Blair said honestly.

"Thanks. Actually, you're the first person to ever bring me back from a blank out so quickly. So, in a way, you did help,"

"Really?"

"Yes, really," Jim smiled warmly. He reached out, tucking a loose curl behind Blair's ear.

Blair smiled shyly and ducked his head. He liked holding Jim's hand; his touch seeming somehow intimate to Blair.

Jim lifted the curly head with a finger under his chin, then lightly brushed the backs of his hand across Blair's cheek. "So, Charles, how long are you in town?"

Blair closed his eyes for a brief second and swallowed. He knew he shouldn't let this charade go on, but he wasn't sure he could stop it now; his attraction to Jim was so great.

"Um -- I'm not sure." Blair couldn't meet Jim's eyes.

"You always stay at the Balmoral?"

"Sometimes I feel like I live there," Blair laughed nervously.

"So what brings you here?" Jim wanted to learn as much as he could about this man.

"Work." Blair looked away again, feeling guilty about lying to Jim. Sudden movement from behind a large tree in the middle of the park caught Blair's attention. A photographer shifted around the trunk, taking a picture of them. Blair jumped up and turned his back on the camera.

"What's wrong?" Jim got up, standing in front of Blair.

"Behind the big tree over there." Blair pointed.

Jim looked towards the tree and noticed the photographer. "Oh geez, that's Eddie Yagger.

"What does he want?"

Jim took Blair by the elbow and quickly led him along the pathway. "He's paparazzi. I can never seem to shake him. He works for Warren Chapel. I bet they're trying to catch me with another man so his sleazy tabloid can say that I've broken up with, um ..."

"Super handsome, millionaire boyfriend." Blair grinned and shrugged when he saw Jim's raised eyebrows. "I've seen the newspapers."

"Yeah, well, he's an ex-boyfriend now. And don't believe everything you read," Jim added.

"So, is any of it true?"

"Uh -- no -- well, yeah, we were seeing each other, now we're not. It's complicated. Come on, I want to show you something."

Grabbing Blair's hand, Jim guided him through the woods up a secluded path. They walked upwards for a few minutes until they came to an opening on top of a large boulder. The site of the city from this position was spectacular.

"What do you think?" Jim asked.

"Wow, what a view." Blair looked at the tall buildings in the distance.

"And I'd like to point out that it's paparazzi free." Jim smiled when Blair giggled.

"I've lived here all my life, but have never been up here before," Blair added.

Sitting on a large rock, Jim tugged on Blair's hand to join him. "I like to come here when my senses are acting up or when I have to write a speech. I find it very calming."

"It is very peaceful," Blair agreed and slid a little nearer to Jim.

When Jim became quiet, Blair looked up at him. He blushed as intense blue eyes raked over him.

"You're like no one I've ever met before," Jim whispered. He slowly reached up and removed Blair's sunglasses, becoming mesmerized by the smoky blue orbs. Leaning forward, he lightly touched his lips to Blair's before pressing closer.

Jim groaned when he felt Blair willingly part his lips to allow his tongue inside. When he felt Blair tremble, Jim slid his arms around him in a protective embrace. Pulling their bodies together, he slid one hand into soft curls and deepened the kiss. Jim could smell the scent of arousal rolling from Blair and his heart skipped a beat knowing that Blair was enjoying the kiss as much as he was.

When Jim finally pulled back, both men were panting harshly. He leaned his forehead against Blair's, smiling softly. "You okay?"

Blair grinned easily and nodded. "Oh, yeah," he whispered, giving Jim a light kiss.

"Let's go see the penguins." Jim jumped up, pulling Blair with him. He suddenly felt like a kid again.

At the far end of the large park was a small zoo. After paying their fee, Jim and Blair walked through the front entrance. A few minutes later they were standing in front of a glass wall watching the penguins playing in the water.

"They're so funny," Blair giggled. "They look like little fat, short guys in tuxedos."

Jim chuckled then turned to Blair. "Um, speaking of tuxedos. There's this thing Monday night. It's a black tie, twenty-five hundred dollar a plate dinner."

Blair's eyes bulged. "My god, twenty-five hundred? I hope you get to keep the plate."

"You can if you want." Jim laughed.

"What is it for?"

"It's for the inner city literacy campaign. It's something I support. It's a big benefit that Warren Chapel throws every year. You know, it's not as boring as it sounds." Jim leaned his back against the glass, meeting Blair's eyes. "Would you like to come with me?"

"Wait a minute. Isn't that the guy who hired Yadder to get those pictures of you?"

Jim glanced away for a second, then nodded. "Yes, it is."

"I don't get it. Why would you go?" Blair frowned in confusion.

"I go because," Jim cleared his throat, "Uh -- I go -- well, because it's exposure." He shrugged.

"But won't every one know you're there just to expose yourself?" Blair tilted his head as he watched Jim.

"Well, I kind of have to expose myself." Jim swallowed uncomfortably. "When you put it that way..."

"I didn't put it that way, you did," Blair challenged. When Jim looked away, Blair tried to explain. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable. Look, I don't care how much you should have to pay for dinner." Blair gently touched Jim's arm. "You shouldn't have to serve yourself up, no matter what the cause."

Jim placed his hand over Blair's and smirked. "Okay, so why don't you tell me what you really think."

Blair grinned and eyed Jim. "You really want me to tell you what I think?" When Jim nodded he continued, "All right, if this Chapel guy really wants to help, why doesn't he take the twenty-five hundred per plate and give it to the inner city schools and eat a bit lighter that night? You know what I'm saying?" Blair waited for Jim to answer.

Jim grinned at Blair in admiration. "So why don't you come with me and tell him yourself?"

Blair sighed inwardly and glanced at the floor. He would love to spend more time with Jim but knew he really shouldn't. "Um, I'm sorry but I'm busy Monday night."

Jim cupped Blair's face, tilting his head up and ran a thumb along his cheek. "Can't you change it?"

Blair's heart raced at the intimate touch. "It's complicated," he said softly. When he stepped away from Jim, he tried to ignore the hurt expression on his face. "It's getting late, I've got to go."

"Charles," Jim called softly to Blair's retreating back. "This can't be it. I want to spend more time with you."

"I'm sorry, I can't do this," Blair whispered. "I'll never forget you, James Ellison."

Before Jim could respond, Blair hurried away and all Jim could do was watch him leave.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"It's complicated? What kind of answer is that?" Rafe asked, helping Blair change out of the suit.

"An honest one," Blair replied pulling on the pants of his uniform and tucking in his shirt. "What am I suppose to do? He thinks I'm a guest here. God, I hated lying to him."

"You really like this guy, huh?" Rafe returned the shirt and jacket to the hanger.

With a sigh Blair sat down on the locker room bench. "He's amazing and so damn sexy."

"Does he have big hands?" Rafe grinned cheekily.

Blair laughed and shook his head at his friend. "He was perfect."

Suddenly, they heard Ms. Winwood calling for Blair. They both jumped up and shoved the suit into the locker, closing the door just as the head of staff came around the corner.

"Oh, Blair, there you are. Mr. Dextrum would like to see you in his office, right now," Ms. Winwood said, seriously.

"Yes, ma'am," Blair replied then glanced nervously at Rafe when Ms. Winwood left the room. "Oh, shit, they know."

"Just take it easy, Blair. I'm sure everything's going to be okay," Rafe tried to reassure.

Blair shook his head and slowly made his way to manager's office.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Well, Jim, nice of you to show up," Steven said sarcastically when Jim entered their suite. "In case you're interested, Brackett kicked ass while you were out playing somewhere."

Jim ignored his brother and rang for the butler. He sat on the sofa, writing a note on hotel stationary before inserting it into an envelope. There was a knock on the door and Jim got up to answer it. "Hello, Joel. I've got to get this note to the man in the Park Suite. His name is Charles." He handed the envelope to Joel. "Can you handle that for me?"

"Certainly, sir," Joel answered.

"Thank you." Jim replied.

"Wait a second, who's Charles in the Park Suite?" Steven asked.

"Someone I met." Jim walked to a serving tray, pouring himself a cup of coffee. "You wanted me to have an escort for the Chapel literary thing on Monday night, didn't you?"

Steven sighed in frustration. "How do you know he's not married or is some kind of psycho?" When Jim ignored him, Steven made a mental note to find out who, exactly, this Charles guy was.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Blair paced nervously outside Mr. Dextrum's office. He jumped slightly when the door opened.

"Please come in, Mr. Sandburg." Mr. Dextrum gestured Blair inside.

As Blair entered the room he noticed that Ms. Winwood was also there. He stood anxiously in front of the large oak desk, waiting for the shoe to drop.

"I assume you know the reason you've been called here?" Dextrum asked.

Blair nodded. He knew he was in trouble and wouldn't lie about it. "I think so. Yes, sir."

Mr. Dextrum folded his hand on the desktop and looked directly at Blair. "Do you know what the foundation of a great hotel is?"

"Um -- location?" Blair shrugged; he was a little thrown by the question.

"Loyalty and trust," Mr. Dextrum corrected then asked, "Would you say those are qualities you posses?"

"I would, yes, sir,"

Mr. Dextrum exchanged a quick glance with Ms. Winwood before continuing, "Ms. Winwood agrees and she's urged me to consider you."

"We had no idea you were interested in management until Mr. Rafe brought us your application," Ms. Winwood spoke with a smile.

Blair was too stunned to speak, so he simply nodded.

"Normally you'd have to go through the entire program, and then train for a year as a butler. Because Ms. Winwood is so impressed with your work, we've decided to accelerate your application and move you directly to management after your six week training. Of course, you have to pass the practical exam and fulfill each requirement for every station."

Overcome with all the information being directed at him, Blair could only blink in surprise.

"So, you see, Mr. Sandburg, sometimes when life shuts one door another opens. Congratulations," Mr. Dextrum smiled and stuck out his hand.

Blair returned the smile. "Thank you, sir. I'll do a good job. You won't be disappointed," he said gratefully as they shook hands.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Blair walked into the valets' locker room looking for Rafe, he wasn't sure if he should be angry or happy at his friend for going behind his back.

"Rafe," he called when he spotted the man at his locker.

Rafe looked up, and noticing the expression on Blair's face, he frowned. "Oh no, don't tell me you've been busted?"

"No, you have." Blair tired to keep the anger out of his voice. "You had no right, Rafe."

"What are you talking about?"

"You filled out an application for me?" Blair asked in disbelief.

A small smile crept across Rafe's face. "Ahh, they're considering you."

"Yes, they are," Blair hissed, angrily pacing back and forth.

"Blair, what's the problem? I thought I was doing you a favor."

"If you want to do me a favor, you need to mind your own damn business once in a while!" Blair shouted, then turned on his heal and stormed out of the room.

"Don't walk away from me!" Rafe yelled back. He quickly followed Blair into the hall, grabbing his arm and spinning him around to confront him. "For two years you've been yapping about getting out of uniform and what great ideas you've got." He took a deep breath. "This morning I'm having coffee with Karen in Personnel. I asked her if you had a shot at the promotion. She looked at me kind of funny and asked me, Blair who? I said, Blair Sandburg, he's applied. Karen said that if you had applied, she'd slip your application to the top of the pile. So I put on my best innocent face and asked if she's sure you hadn't applied already. So, she double checked, and guess what? She tells me that Blair Sandburg has never applied for a management position -- ever. Well, imagine my shock and disappointment finding out that my best friend was lying to me about this."

Blair looked away guiltily. When he tried to step past Rafe, he grabbed Blair by the forearms and glared at him. "Then I thought, maybe you're just too chicken-shit, so I went ahead and sent the application myself. I figured if they took you, then you'd be happy, and if they didn't, you wouldn't know the difference."

The anger drained from Blair, realizing he shouldn't be mad at his friend. "I'm sorry," he whispered, pulling Rafe into a light hug. "I really do appreciate what you did. You're right; I have been too scared to try."

"You'll make a great manager, Blair," Rafe said when they pulled apart.

"Thanks, man," Blair smiled, patting his friend on the shoulder.

"Are you done for the day?"

"Yeah, I just need to change, then I'm out of here."

"Want to go grab a bit to eat? My treat?" Rafe grinned.

"Would I ever pass up free food?" Blair laughed as he walked towards his locker.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The next morning, Blair punched in his time card at the security station. Right on time as always, Blair smiled to himself.

"Hey, Simon," he greeted and leaned against the counter.

Simon turned and grinned at Blair. "Hi, Sandburg. Right on time I see."

"You bet." Blair happened to glance down and saw a newspaper on the other side of the counter. His heart skipped a beat when he saw himself and Jim on the front page. "Uh, Simon, can I borrow this?" Blair asked as he snatched up the paper.

"Sure, go ahead."

"Great. Thanks, man. I'll talk with you later." Not waiting for a reply, Blair quickly headed down the hallway to find Rafe.

Spotting his friend in the hall chatting with a few of the maids, Blair rushed up to him and pulled him aside.

"Did you see this?" Blair hissed, holding up the newspaper for Rafe to see.

Rafe took the paper from Blair, scanning the front page. "So?"

"What do you mean 'so'?" Blair stared at Rafe with an incredulous expression then began to pace. "What if someone from the hotel sees it? Oh God, what if Dextrum sees it?"

"Calm down, Blair. You can't even tell it's you. I wouldn't worry about it."

Blair stopped pacing long enough to snatch the paper out of Rafe's hand and point at the picture. "It's the front page, Rafe. The front page," he whispered harshly.

"Would you stop worrying? Geez, you do one spontaneous thing your whole life and you think you're going to hell."

Blair gripped Rafe by the shoulders and shook him lightly. "Do you understand this could be bad? I feel like everything's about to fall apart."

Seeing how worried Blair was, Rafe patted his back, trying to console him. "It's going to be fine, Blair."

"I hope so." Blair sighed, taking a deep, calming breath. "I need to get to work."

"Me too. I'll catch you later."

Blair waved good-bye and rushed back down the hall to the elevators.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Jim was having lunch with a few businessmen at the hotel restaurant when Steven rushed up to their table. "Jim, I need to talk to you." He walked to the bar, waiting anxiously for his brother to join him.

Excusing himself, Jim rose and joined Steven. "What's the problem?"

Steven slammed down the Cascade Daily News onto the bar top, pointing at the picture of Jim and an unknown man. "This!" he hissed quietly not wanting to draw attention to them. "Do you know what this is going to cost me? An entire day of doing nothing but covering your ass. I'm already getting phone calls from the London Times, The Washington Post, and the Chicago Sun. They're all asking about this guy's identity and background. Just when I was getting them to focus on your assets, they're focusing on his instead." Steven finished his tirade by running a hand through his short hair.

Jim smiled gently as he looked at the picture of the young man who had made such an impression on him yesterday. He then glanced at his brother with a smirk. "They're fantastic assets, don't you think?" Jim chuckled softly at the exasperated look on Steven's face. Patting his brother on the back, he returned to the men at his table, leaving Steven standing at the bar, staring at the paper.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Blair had been summoned to the Park Suite to tidy up some of Charles Baxter's clothing. As he hung up a shirt in the closet, he tried to ignore the conversation coming from the other room.

Charles Baxter sat on the sofa next to his friend, sniffling and dabbing a tissue at the corner of his eye. "Oh, Rachel," he cried and leaned his head on her shoulder. "Thomas hadn't called once. Not my cell, not my service, not the hotel. So last night I called him and another man answered the phone." Charles cried even harder.


"There, there." Rachel patted Charles on the back. "Do you know who it was?"

"His -- his ex," Charles bawled.

"Oh no! I'm so sorry," Rachel consoled.

There was knock on the door and Rachel got up to answer it, letting Joel Taggart into the room.

"I have a message from Mr. James Ellison," Joel announced.

"James Ellison?" Rachel turned an incredulous look on Charles. "As in the James Ellison?"

At the mention of Jim's name, Blair dropped the sweater he was folding. Staying out of sight, he shifted closer to the living room entrance to listen.

"Yes, ma'am," Joel answered politely. "He's staying in the York Suite down the hall. He was wondering if you had any response to the invitation I placed in your room yesterday."

"Invitation?" Charles stood up, thoughts of Thomas suddenly vanishing. "What invitation?"

Joel looked at the table near the door and noticed the envelope was still there. He picked it up, passing it to Charles.

"He's invited me for lunch?" Charles smiled, looking briefly at Rachel. "Where?"

"In his suite." Joel responded. "Shall I give him an answer?"

"Tell him yes." Rachel answered for Charles. "What time?"

"One o'clock."

"I'll be there," Charles said happily. "Thank you." He dismissed Joel with a wave of his hand.

"When did this go down?" Rachel asked Charles.

"Hmmm -- well, we were both staying in South Hampton last summer." Charles looked up as if something had suddenly dawned on him. "I thought we had a moment." He opened the invitation and read Jim's written words out loud. "Can you steal away for an hour, please?"

"Do you think he saw you in the hall?" Rachel pulled the invitation out of Charles' hand to read it again.

"Who cares as long as I have lunch with that gorgeous man." Charles giggled.

Oh my God. Blair couldn't believe what he was hearing. He nervously ran a hand over the top of his head. Everything's getting out of control. Could the day get any worse? he wondered.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

After finishing at the Park Suite, Blair rushed to the training session he had scheduled with Joel.

"Hi, Joel," Blair greeted his friend and head butler.

"Hello, Blair. I'm going to need you to review your protocols on table setting and wine service. We'll be serving lunch in the York Suite at one o'clock."

Stunned, Blair swallowed hard. Well, I guess I just got my answer. The day just got a whole lot worse.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

When Blair and Joel entered the York Suite, he stayed behind Joel, hoping to be concealed as much as possible by the larger man.

"Blair, I need you to set the table," Joel directed as they entered the kitchen.

Grabbing the tray of cutlery, water and wine glasses, Blair quietly made his way into the dining room. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that no one else was there. As he placed the goblets on the table, he stopped and smiled. Sitting in one of the seats was a large stuffed penguin. He lightly ran his fingers through the plush toy and memories of Jim's kiss warmed Blair's heart.

A knock on the door jolted Blair out of his thoughts and he rushed back into the kitchen.

"Hold on, I'm coming." Jim called from his bedroom and hurried to answer the door. "Charles," he said with a huge smile as he swung the door open. His face dropped in confusion when an unfamiliar, dark haired man breezed in.

"James. So good to see you." Charles brushed past Jim, heading into the large open living and dining area. "What a wonderful idea to have lunch."

"Charles?" Jim frowned, staring at the other man.

Charles slid closer to Jim, batting his eyes flirtatiously. "I just knew we made a connection in South Hampton." He placed a light kiss to Jim's lips, then sauntered towards the dining table. "Oh look," Charles exclaimed excitedly as he saw the penguin. He picked it up and gave it a hug. "How sweet of you to remember. But I do hope you didn't think I needed reminding." Blowing Jim a kiss, Charles went to sit on the sofa.

Looking back at Joel, who stood at attention next to the dining table, Jim shrugged and shook his head in puzzlement. He was even more confused because he was sure he could smell the scent of the man he had spent time with yesterday, yet it wasn't coming from the man sitting in the living room.

"Oh, Teddy Parish sends you his best." Charles interrupted Jim's thoughts.

"Uh -- right -- Teddy." Jim answered, walking towards the sofa. "How is Teddy?" he asked, trying to make small talk while working things out in his mind.

"Drinking again, but you didn't hear it from me," Charles whispered, conspiratorially

"Would you excuse me? I just need to check on something." Jim smiled weakly, looking around the room.

"Oh, of course," Charles smiled sweetly.

Jim turned and with a frown, headed for Joel. "Uh, Joel, who is that over there?"

Joel looked from the other man to Jim in confusion. "Charles Baxter, sir."

"No, that's not him."

"It's not?" Joel asked.

"No. What the hell's going on?" Jim whispered.

"I don't know, sir."

Jim went back to the living room, plastering a fake smile on his face. "Um -- Charles. Do you have a young man staying with you? Long curly brown hair, big blue eyes."

Joel frowned at the description; to him it sounded an awful lot like Blair. He looked towards the kitchen door and saw Blair peeking out, watching Jim intently.

"No, I don't have any man staying with me. There's my friend, Rachel, but she's hardly a man." Charles laughed.

"You are staying in the Park Suite, right?" Jim asked, trying to understand.

"Yes," Charles said huskily, batting his lashes. "Yes, I am."

"Okaaay," Jim laughed a bit uneasily.

Blair was folding a cloth napkin around a bottle of wine when Joel walked into the kitchen. He watched Blair for a few seconds as he fidgeted nervously with the bottle.

"Make sure you tuck it around tight." Joel indicated the napkin Blair was wrapping around the wine bottle.

Just then the door swung open. When Jim rushed into the room, Blair spun around to face away and ducked his head.

"Joel," Jim said quickly. "Okay, the man I'm looking for is about 5'7", brown curly shoulder length hair, beautiful blue eyes. He's exotic looking, very stunning."

"I'm sorry, sir." Joel shook his head.

Jim placed his hands on Joel's shoulders. "Don't be sorry. Just find him." When Charles called out for Jim, he cringed. He'd had to turn his senses down because the man's voice was giving him a headache. "Please find him," Jim begged and reluctantly went back to the living room.

Joel slowly turned and eyed Blair suspiciously. He held his tongue, knowing now wasn't the right time to discuss this. "Pass me the wine bottle."

Blair's hands trembled slightly when he gave Joel the ice bucket with the wine.

Seeing how nervous Blair seemed to be, Joel decided to have some pity on him. "You may go."

Blair's head snapped up, and when he met Joel's eyes, he knew instantly the Joel knew what was going on. "Joel..."

"Ah." Joel held up a finger. "You may go, Blair."

Without another word, Blair turned and quietly rushed out of the York Suite.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

As Blair was leaving the hotel that night, he stopped at security to punch out.

"Night, Simon," Blair said, passing the man's desk.

"Hang on a second, Sandburg." Simon stood up and pulled Blair aside.

"What's up, man?" Blair asked, curious.

"Blair, how many times have you watched the monitors with me? How many times have we enjoyed the comings and goings of the guests?"

Blair's heart beat a little faster as he answered, "I don't know. Thousands, I guess."

"You know I'm supposed to report any employees misbehaving?" Simon asked.

Blair closed his eyes briefly, knowing that Simon must have seen him on the monitors leaving the Park Suite dressed in the borrowed suit. "Yeah, Simon, I know."

"There's only one thing that could make me shut my mouth," Simon smirked. From the first time Blair had come to work at the hotel, Simon had liked the kid. They had become fast friends and when time allowed, they'd often catch a game together, or go out for a beer.

Blair tilted his head, peeking up at Simon. "What's that?"

Simon grinned widely. "One of your homemade apple pies."

Blair laughed, relieved. "Okay, it's a deal."

"You need to be careful, Blair," Simon said, his tone serious.

"Don't worry, it won't happen again. I promise."

"Good." Simon ruffled Blair's curls.

"Oh, man, not the hair," Blair giggled, smoothing the curls back in place. "I gotta go. I'm meeting Rafe at McGee's Pub. Hey, you want to join us?"

"Sorry. I can't. I'm filling in for Anderson, he's out sick," Simon explained.

"Okay, man, see you later. 'Night." Blair headed for the staircase.

"Goodnight, Blair," Simon said, going back to his desk.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Jim and Steven waited on the sidewalk, in front of the hotel, for their limousine. As it pulled up to the curb, Jim suddenly pulled open the door, quickly shoving Steven inside and slamming the door shut behind them. He ducked down and peeked through the back window watching as Charles Baxter walked past.

"Did he see me?" Jim whispered.

"What? Who?" Steven spotted the dark haired man as the limo drove away. "No. You're fine. It's all clear." Steven chuckled, amused. "You know, I had Charles Baxter checked out. He comes from a wealthy family, he's politically neutral and there are no naked pictures of him anywhere."

Jim shook his head and sat up straighter. "That man," he pointed back over his shoulder, "isn't the man I want."

"Well, I don't know what to tell you, bro. I talked with the manager at the hotel and he said that's the only Charles Baxter staying in the Park Suite."

Jim sighed and looked out the window, suddenly spotting a familiar form. "Wait. There he is. Driver, pull over," he told the limo driver.

When the car stopped, Jim hopped out. "Charles!" he called and rushed towards Blair. "Hi." Jim smiled softly, aching to reach out and touch the other man. He had been having trouble with his senses all day, but now that he was close to Blair they all came back online, functioning the way they should.

"Uh -- hey, Jim," Blair said a bit uneasily.

"How are you?"

"I'm good." Blair looked everywhere, except at Jim.

"You want to hear something really strange?" Jim asked. "I invited you to lunch today, and you came; only it wasn't you. What's going on?" As Jim waited for Blair to answer, Steven stepped up next to him.

Glancing nervously from one man to the next, Blair shrugged. "I don't know what you mean."

Jim frowned slightly, sensing Blair's unease. "Are you still staying at the Balmoral?"

"Oh -- uh -- no. I actually moved uptown. Waaay up town." Blair laughed awkwardly, shifting from one foot to the other.

"Well, why don't you get in?" Jim indicated the limo. "We can give you a lift. We're headed that way, so we can drop you -- where? -- at the Upper East Hotel?"

"Um -- no, that's okay. I'm headed to a party just a few blocks from here. So, I can walk."

When Blair tried to walk away, Jim lightly grabbed his arm. "How can I get a hold of you?"

Feeling on the spot, Blair swallowed hard. "W-why don't I call you?"

"If you really want to get in touch with him," Steven cut in and handed Blair a business card, "here's his card. You can call him at that number." Taking the opportunity to get some information out of Blair, Steven asked, "What's your last name?"

"What's yours?" Blair asked, ignoring Steven's question.

"I'm Steven Ellison," Steven said and looked at his watch. "Okay, Jim, we've got to go."

Still holding Blair's arm, Jim turned him slightly to look at him. "Use that number, okay. You can call me anytime."

"Okay." Blair stepped out of Jim's hold.

Steven pulled on Jim's sleeve. "We're going to be late, and you need to make that speech."

"You're making that speech in the projects?" Blair finally looked at Jim.

"Yes," Jim answered, glad he finally seemed to have Blair's attention; he couldn't get enough of this man.

"On what?"

"Housing projects."

"Really? So, you're telling people who live there about the projects?"

"Well, no. Actually, I'm going to take the press up there and shine some light on the living conditions," Jim explained.

"Interesting." Blair turned away, frowning slightly.

"Yeah, we think so, too," Steven added then turned to Jim. "Let's go."

Jim ignored Steven and stepped in front of Blair to stop him from leaving. "What are you not saying?" he asked, interested. He really wanted to know what Blair thought.

"Nothing." Blair looked down at his feet.

Jim tucked a hand under Blair's chin, when he tilted his head up, Jim felt him tremble. "Tell me," he said softly.

Blair was quiet for a moment, then looked into Jim's eyes, and nodded. "Okay. Maybe you should spend some real time in the projects and then you wouldn't have to make up speeches and have to memorize them. You know, then it would be coming from some place real."

"And how would you know?" Steven asked, accusing.

Blair glared at Steven then turned back to Jim, deciding to say the truth; he was tired of hiding who he was. "Because I grew up there," he said with pride. "I've lived there my whole life." Turning away, Blair hurried down the street away from the other men.

Jim smiled as he watched him go, a look of admiration on his face. He knew he was going to get to know this man if it took the rest of his life.

"Come on, Jim, let's go." Steven pushed Jim into the limo. When they were seated Steven looked at his brother. "Who the hell is he, anyway?"

Jim grinned and faced Steven. "I'll tell you who he isn't. He isn't a phony. And he isn't like anyone I've ever met before."

Steven snorted. "That's for sure."

Jim playfully smacked his brother on the back of the head. "I'll make you a deal, smart ass, you want me at Chapel's benefit tomorrow night, then get him to go with me." Jim chuckled at the look of surprise on Steven's face. "Deal?" he asked.

"All right," Steven grinned. "Deal."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The next morning as the staff listened to Ms. Winwood give out the daily schedule, Blair looked up and noticed Joel and Steven Ellison talking in the hall.

"Oh shit," Blair muttered and ducked behind Rafe. Peering over his friend's shoulder, he watched Joel accept an envelope, then nod to Steven, who turned and left.

When the group broke up, Blair tried to rush past Joel only to be grabbed by the arm. He gave a helpless look in Rafe's direction as he was pulled into the now secluded locker room.

"Blair, are you really interested in management?" Joel asked.

"Yes, I am," Blair answered truthfully.

"Then I suggest," Joel paused as he passed Blair the envelope, "that you go to the Chapel
Benefit tonight and end all association with James Ellison." At Blair's stricken look he quickly added with a smile, "At least until you're a manager, then you can make your own rules."

Blair sighed in relief and surprised Joel by hugging him tightly. "Thanks, Joel."

Joel returned the hug and chuckled, "I'll cover your shift tonight so you can go."

When Joel left, Rafe hurried into the room. "What happened? You can still be a manager, right?"

"Yeah," Blair sighed. "If I break it off with Jim."

"Maybe that's for the best, Blair."

"No, you don't understand. There's something different about him. We connected some how, I felt it."

"You're in love with him," Rafe stated, his jaw dropping open. "Blair, you hardly even know the man."

"I can't explain it. I feel I've waited my whole life for him. Now I have to give him up. I don't know if I can do that, Rafe." Blair looked sadly at his friend.

Rafe put an arm around Blair's shoulders and squeezed. "Why don't you go to this benefit thing and see what happens. Maybe if you explain everything to Jim, it'll all work out."

"I don't know." Blair shook his head. "Besides, I don't have anything to wear to this thing."

"Blair, my man, it's not what you have, it's who you know." Rafe grinned brightly. "The benefit starts at eight, so show up in the lobby at six. I'll handle everything. Trust me."

"Those are scary words coming from you, my friend," Blair teased

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

At six o'clock Blair arrived in the hotel lobby to find Rafe waiting for him. Grabbing Blair by the arm, Rafe led him into the men's boutique. The workers of the men's shop and hair salon had agreed to help Blair, lending him the tuxedo and fixing his hair for free. Blair had never been so grateful in all his life.

An hour and a half later, Blair emerged feeling like a totally different man. He was dressed in the finest of men's wear and his hair had been washed and styled to flow in soft curls around his shoulders. People stopped and stared at his exquisite beauty as Rafe ushered him towards the front door to the waiting limousine.

When Blair got inside the car, he lowered the window, looking at his friend. "Oh God, Rafe, I'm so nervous. What the hell am I doing? I can't do this; it's all a lie," he said unhappily.

"Oh, Blair, no -- think of it as being more like a dream. And for one night you're living it for all of us. Don't think about tomorrow. Don't think about anything but tonight." Rafe reached through the window to place a hand on Blair's shoulder. "Tonight the valet is a lie and this is who you really are. You deserve the best, Blair."

"Thank you," Blair whispered. He waved at his friend as the limo pulled away from the curb.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Walking into the large room, where the benefit was being held, Jim used his heightened sight to scan the room for the one person he hoped would be here tonight. He tried to hide his disappointment when he didn't spot him.

"He's not here yet," Jim told Steven as they walked further into the hall.

"Don't worry, he'll be here." Steven assured. "Come on, let's go talk with Chapel. You need his support too, so let's go get it over with."

Walking through the crowd, Jim stopped abruptly. Catching Steven off guard, he ploughed into Jim's back. "What the hell?" Steven muttered.

"Oh god, Steven, look who's here." Jim quickly looked away when Charles Baxter glanced their way.

Steven clutched Jim's elbow and guided him towards the bar. "I don't think he saw you, but I doubt you'll be able to dodge him all night."

"I know, I know." Jim scanned the room again, then looking towards the door, he froze. His heart skipped a beat and his breathing quickened when the man he couldn't stop thinking about walked through the entranceway.

Looking around the room, Blair fidgeted nervously with the hem of his dress jacket. He became a bit unnerved when he noticed people staring at him but all that disappeared when his eyes met beautiful sky-blue ones. He smiled gently and slowly walked toward the man he knew owned his heart.

Watching Blair walk towards him, Jim's vision was fixed solely on the incredibly exotic man. When Blair got close enough, Jim reached out and took his hand, reveling in the sensual feel of his skin.

"Wow. You look incredible," Jim whispered in awe.

"Thanks." Blair smiled, blushing slightly. Taking his free hand, Blair placed it in the middle of Jim's chest. "So do you. Look incredible, I mean."

"Thank you for being here." Jim smiled warmly.

Taking a deep breath, Blair spoke the words he'd been dreading to say, "I only came to tell you that this -- you and me -- it can't go anywhere beyond this evening. It just can't." Blair's voice trembled slightly on the last words.

Jim heard the dismissive words, but his senses relayed that Blair was upset and unhappy. He decided this was not the right place for a confrontation, so he let it drop -- for now. He didn't want to waste his time with Blair tonight in a deep discussion.

Knowing that he wasn't going to let his man go without a fight, Jim grinned confidently. "Then I guess we'd better not waste any more precious time standing around. Dance with me." Not waiting for a response, he took Blair's hand, guiding him onto the dance floor.

"What? Here? Now?" Blair protested.

Jim stopped in the middle of the dance floor, turning to face Blair. "My sexuality is no secret. Is yours?"

"No." Blair's heart accelerated, his breathing quickened as Jim pulled him close, wrapping strong arms around his waist.

"Just relax," Jim soothed when he felt Blair tremble.

They began to sway slowly to the music, Jim leading. He smiled when he felt Blair finally relax and rest his head on his shoulder. Dropping his head, Jim gently nuzzled the soft curls. "God, you smell so good." At his comment, Jim could smell the pheromones rolling from Blair. Realization suddenly dawned on him that his senses sang whenever Blair was near. Right at that exact moment, Jim knew that this man was the one he had waited for all his life.

Knowing that he was falling fast, and sadly knowing he had to put a stop to it, Blair pulled back to look at Jim. "Look, you have to listen to me. I know you're used to getting your way."

"Yeah, until I met you," Jim chuckled softly. He leaned down and placed a gentle kiss to Blair's lips, lingering for a few seconds to enjoy the flavor.

"Jim, I ..."

Steven suddenly appeared at Jim's side, interrupting them. "Jim, Chapel would like to have a word with you. It'll only take two seconds. I'll keep your guest company until you get back," he quickly added, cutting off Jim's protest.

Reluctantly, Jim let go of Blair. "I'll be right back."

When Jim was gone, Steven moved a little closer to Blair, eyeing him with a hint of suspicion. "Do I need to know something that I don't know already?" he asked Blair directly.

"I don't know what you mean." Blair shifted uneasily.

"I normally like a good mystery, but not where Jim's boyfriends are concerned," Steven said seriously.

"I'm not his boyfriend." Blair was quick to correct.

"Well, whatever." Steven watched Blair intently. "Tonight is an important night and I need him focused, okay."

Just then, Jim returned. "Excuse us, Steven." He pulled Blair back into his arms, dancing slowly to the music. "Now, where were we?" Jim gave a gentle smile then frowned slightly when he sensed Blair's tension. "What is it?" When he didn't answer, Jim looked back at his brother who was chatting with a few people. "What did Steven say to you?" he demanded.

"Look, Jim, you'd better do whatever it is you're supposed to do tonight, because Steven thinks I'm distracting you," Blair replied honestly.

"It doesn't matter what Steven thinks."

"You should do the right thing." Blair looked into Jim's face; he flushed slightly at the heart-melting smile being directed at him. Returning the smile, Blair asked, "Why are you smiling at me like that?"

"Until this minute I didn't know what the right thing was." He gazed at Blair intently. "But I do now." Jim slowly stepped away from Blair. "I'll be right back."

"Jim?" Blair called, confused.

"Don't go anywhere." Sending Blair a boyish grin, Jim disappeared into the crowd.

As Blair moved away from the edge of the dance floor, he suddenly felt eyes on him. Looking around, he saw Charles Baxter staring at him intently with a slight frown.

Afraid that he had been recognized, Blair ducked his head and quickly left the room. As he rushed for the exit, he heard someone calling.

"Oh, excuse me." Charles hurried after Blair.

Blair tried to keep walking, but Charles moved past him blocking his escape.

"Haven't we met before? I'm Charles Baxter. And you are?" He asked, curious.

"Charles Baxter from Sotheby's?" Blair tried to play along, wanting nothing more than to get the hell out of there.

"Yes, I'm he." Charles grinned widely.

"Oh, it's so nice to meet you again." Blair breathed shakily.

"Oh, I just knew we knew each other, I never forget a face."

"Well, if you'll excuse me, I have to go." Blair tried to duck around him.

"Wait a minute." Charles lightly grabbed Blair's arm. "Just between the two of us, are you here with James?"

Blair leaned a little closer and whispered, "Can you keep a secret?"

Charles looked around making sure no one was near. "Of course I can."

"Good." Blair straightened up. "So can I." He grinned and brushed past Charles. Once outside, Blair rushed down the stairs into the courtyard. Glancing for a taxi, he jumped when hands lightly clutched his shoulders, gently turning him around.

"You have somewhere else you need to be tonight, Chief?" Jim asked, gazing down at Blair.

Not being able to think with Jim so close, Blair moved back a few steps. "No, I just have to leave."

Jim stepped into Blair's personal space, taking hold of his hands. "I don't think you're leaving, I think you're running. But what I can't figure out is -- are you running towards something you want or are you running away from something you're afraid to want."

Blair's body deflated. Blinking back a few tears, he met Jim's eyes. "I've made so many mistakes already; I just don't want to make it worse."

"You won't." Jim brushed a few stray curls away from Blair's face. "I promise."

Blair took a shaky breath. "There's something that you don't know." He paused for a few seconds, gathering his courage. "Oh god, how do I tell you this? Look, Jim, the first time that you saw me I was..."

"Mesmerizing." Jim interrupted in a whisper. He slid his arms around Blair's waist, pulling him against his chest, claiming his mouth.

Blair groaned deep in his throat. Giving in, he wrapped his arms around Jim's neck, kissing him back with all the passion and love he felt for this wonderful man.

Jim was the first to break away, placing a few light kisses to the tip of Blair's nose and his forehead. "Please, come home with me."

With his emotions running high and unable to speak, Blair simply nodded.

Jim smiled softly and wrapped an arm around Blair's shoulder. Tucking him against his side, Jim led him to his waiting limo.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The ride back to the hotel was made in silence, each man lost in his own thoughts about the things to come.

Jim unlocked the door to his suite and guided Blair to his private bedroom. As he removed Blair's suit jacket, Jim could sense the anxiousness coming from him.

"You okay?" Jim asked concerned, stroking Blair's hair. As much as he'd hate it to end, he wouldn't go any further if Blair told him to stop.

Running his fingers along the lapels of Jim's suit, Blair looked up to gaze into his eyes. "I'm fine," he assured. "I'm just a little nervous. I've never -- I mean I've been with a man before, just never all the way."

"Neither have I." Jim smiled at Blair's shocked look. "I think I was waiting for you," he whispered, running his thumb lightly across Blair's bottom lip. "Will you stay with me tonight?"

"Yes," Blair whispered huskily.

Jim's head slowly descended and claimed Blair's lips in a passionate, sensual kiss. Winding his arms around Blair, Jim carefully moved him backwards. Never breaking the kiss, he lowered Blair down onto the bed, covering the smaller body with his own.

Blair stroked his hands down Jim's back, up his sides to the muscular chest. He pulled at Jim's jacket indicating that he wanted it removed. Together they eased it off Jim's arms, throwing it to land somewhere on the floor.

For a few seconds they gazed at each other, eyes filled with desire, then once again Jim devoured Blair's mouth in a bruising kiss. No matter how many times their lips touched, Jim could never get enough of Blair's taste. Pushing past the kiss-swollen lips, he plunged his tongue in, exploring the hot moisture within.

"I've wanted you since the first time I saw you," Jim growled in a low voice, pulling Blair's shirttails out of his pants. He slid his hands inside, reveling at the soft, warm skin he so desperately craved to touch. He moved his hands from Blair's stomach to his chest, seeking a nipple. He gasped when his fingers found a ring looped through a hardened nub. Wanting to see, Jim quickly undid the shirt buttons, pulling it open.

Blair was breathing harshly and cried out when Jim suddenly sucked his ringed nipple into his mouth. Arching his back, he clutched at Jim's head, holding him in place.

Jim shifted slightly away from the tasty nub. "Like that?" he asked in a rough whisper.

"God, yes," Blair hissed. When Jim dipped his head, Blair stopped him, pushing slightly on his shoulders. "Jim, wait."

Seeing Jim's worried frown, Blair quickly reassured him with a smile, smoothing the wrinkled forehead with his fingers. "It's okay, Jim. I just think we're a little over-dressed for the occasion, don't you think?"

Jim grinned, stroking the back of his knuckles along Blair's cheek. "Oh, yeah, definitely too many clothes."

As fast as their trembling fingers allowed, they divested each other of their clothing. Blair lay on his back on the bed, with Jim on his side, head propped up on his elbow. Using his index finger, Jim ran lazy circles around Blair's nipples, loving how responsive the other man was at the simple touch.

"I want you. Want to be inside you," Jim whispered huskily, noting the shiver that ran through Blair.

"I want that, too." Blair groaned and arched upwards when Jim pulled at the silver ring. "Please, Jim."

"All right." Jim kissed the luscious lips again, lingering for a few seconds. "I just need to get something. I'll be right back." With a peck to Blair's nose, he left the room, quickly returning with a tube of lotion. He froze at the side of the bed, eyes drinking in the beautiful, naked man lying on the sheets.

"What?" Blair asked, flushing slightly at the intense scrutiny.

"It's just -- you're so beautiful."

"Thank you," Blair whispered, ducking his head a little in embarrassment. "No one's ever said that before."

"Well, you are," Jim stated as he climbed back on the bed, lying against Blair's side. He shifted his body until he had Blair pinned beneath him once again, reveling in the feel of skin against skin. Covering Blair's mouth with his own, Jim used his hands to map the small, sturdy body; his senses cataloguing every curve, every dip, every hair. By the time this night was through, Jim wanted to know every inch of the man who possessed his heart.

Breaking away from the wonderful lips, Jim moved him mouth down the side of Blair's throat, biting and sucking at the soft spot where neck met shoulder. Pulling back slightly, he looked at the mark he'd left, a feral grin spreading across his face. "You're mine."

Blair's body stirred at the intense look in Jim's desired filled eyes. "Yes, Jim, yours. Take me."

With a growl, Jim moved on to nibble and kiss the soft, hair-covered chest. He flicked his tongue out to taste a hard nipple then dove in to suck hard, causing Blair to gasp in pleasure and cry out his name.

Jim's erection twitched at the small love noises coming from Blair. Moving away from the nipples, he slowly made his way across Blair's stomach to his groin. A light kiss to the top of Blair's cock made his young lover arch up, crying out loudly.

"More, Jim! More, please," Blair begged, his hands gripping at the sheets.

Softly caressing along Blair's legs to his knees, Jim gently spread them open to reveal the soft pucker. Reaching for the lotion, he squeezed a small amount onto his fingers. He glided a finger along Blair's throbbing erection, down past his balls to the hot, waiting anus. Slowly, Jim made feather-light touches, tracing small, stimulating circles over the opening. His senses were so tuned to Blair that he knew every touch was driving him wild.

Jim stretched up and tenderly kissed Blair. "One finger," he whispered, only getting a groan of pleasure in response.

Carefully, Jim pressed a finger inward until it slipped past the hot, tight ring. Soon he had two then three fingers deep within, scissoring and stretching his new lover, making him ready for more.

"Jim!" Blair cried out when a long, elegant finger brushed across his prostate. "Again! Do that again."

Jim complied, thrusting deeper and brushing the little nub over and over again.

"Oh, God, that's so good," Blair panted harshly, reaching out for Jim. "In me -- please. I need to feel you in me -- now!"

Jim took the questing hand in his free one, bringing the fingers to his mouth to kiss lightly. "Okay, Babe." Jim shifted until he was kneeling between Blair's legs. He coated his cock with a generous amount of lube, placing the head against the soft, waiting pucker. Before pushing in, Jim stopped, waiting for Blair to look at him. He watched, mesmerized as heated, smoky blue eyes filled with desire, slowly opened to meet his.

A sexy smile crossed Blair's face and he nodded his permission. Blair's heart melted at the tenderness that Jim was showing him, not wanting to take things further until Blair agreed. He knew, without a doubt, that if he had told Jim no, that he would have stopped.

Quelling the urge to push all the way into the waiting heat, Jim slowly and carefully eased into Blair. Stopping to wait each time his lover wiggled a bit with discomfort then continuing when his senses told him Blair was ready for more. Before he knew it, Jim was all the way in, his breath coming out in harsh pants at the feeling of being buried deep inside the tight heat.

Reaching up, Blair pulled Jim down so his body would cover his own. "I want to feel your weight on me, pressing me down, surrounding me."

With a growl, Jim lowered himself, leaning part of his weight on his elbows so as not to crush Blair. He fastened their mouths together in a hungry, fierce kiss; tongues dueling in deep caresses. Breathing in deeply, Jim filled his senses with the musky smell of his lover in full arousal.

Not wanting to wait anymore, and knowing Blair was ready, Jim began to gently pull back then thrust his hips forward. The motion of Blair wiggling and moaning harshly beneath him, urged Jim on and he began to thrust faster. Blair clung to him, fingers digging into his back as he cried out his pleasure and Jim's name.

Increasing his rhythm, Jim pushed harder and faster into Blair, bringing them both closer and closer to completion.

In a cry of ecstasy, Blair came powerfully, spilling his seed between their bodies. In a sensual haze he felt Jim thrust two more times before shouting his pleasure and collapsing on him.

Breathing and panting heavily, they clung to each other, their limbs tangled. Jim shifted his weight to slide next to Blair, reaching out to tenderly brush sweaty hair from his face.

"That was incredible," Blair panted in a rough voice, trying to catch his breath.

"You're incredible," Jim whispered affectionately, kissing those wonderful lips again and again.

Blair slowly traced his fingers over Jim's soft lips then gently cupped his face, his eyes sparkling, his voice filled with emotion. "You made my first time so good. It was perfect. Thank you, Jim."

With a warm smile, Jim kissed Blair, pulling him into a hug and burying his nose in the sweat soaked curls. "It was amazing. I've never felt anything like this with anyone before."

Jim released Blair from his arms and finding some strength, reached for the tissues on the bedside table. After gently cleaning his lover first then himself, he snuggled the smaller body against his side, noting how well they fit together.

Resting his head on Jim's smooth, muscular chest, Blair slid an arm over his waist, giving a little squeeze. He smiled when Jim's strong arms engulfed him, pulling him closer, making him feel protected. Blair tilted his head back slightly, opening his mouth, gesturing for a kiss.

Dipping his head down, Jim claimed Blair's mouth in a long, slow kiss. Blair gave a lazy smile then snuggled against Jim again, quickly falling asleep. Reaching down, Jim covered them with the sheets. He placed a light kiss to the top of the curly head and soon followed his lover into a deep, restful sleep.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Morning came all too soon for Blair and he sighed sadly knowing he had to leave. Having lain awake for the last hour, Blair had had time to think about what was happening between himself and Jim. Sadly he had come to the conclusion that they were from two different worlds; things would never work between the two of them. Blinking back a few tears, Blair knew he would remember last night for as long as he lived.

Sometime during the night they had shifted onto their sides, Jim spooning up behind Blair, holding him close. Reaching down, Blair carefully removed Jim's arm from around his waist and slowly slid from the bed. He stood for a few seconds, watching Jim sleep, implanting the vision into his memory. Finding his clothes, he quickly dressed and with one last look at the man he loved, Blair quietly slipped from the room. As he closed the door behind him, stepping into the hall, Blair glanced up to find a stunned Charles Baxter and his friend Rachel staring at him.

"Good morning," Blair said quietly. He lowered his head and quickly ducked into the stairwell.

A stunned looked passed between Rachel and Charles. "Isn't that that valet?" Rachel asked.

"Why yes, it is." Charles frowned. It was obvious to him that Blair had spent the night in James' suite. "That little bugger. He was at the benefit last night, too. Come on, let's go." Grabbing his friend's arm, Charles quickly headed for the manager's office.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Blair was discussing a few protocols with Joel when a valet interrupted them.

"Excuse me, but Mr. Dextrum would like to see you both in the Park Suite right away," the man said.

Blair exchanged a worried glace with Joel as they headed towards the elevators. No words were said; somehow they both knew that things were about to change drastically.

Ms. Winwood answered the door when Blair knocked and she motioned them to enter. Walking into the living room, Blair noted the smug look on Charles Baxter's face and he sighed inwardly.

"Joel. Blair," Mr. Dextrum addressed them, a hint of anger and disappointment in his voice.

"Oh, well, that's interesting," Charles huffed, glancing at Blair. "He told me his name was Blake."

"I thought it would be impolite to correct you," Blair defended.

"Huh, and I suppose you think it's polite to steal people's clothing?" Charles glared at Blair.

Keeping his chin up, Blair glared back. "I didn't steal anything."

"Mr. Sandburg, Mr. Dextrum has spent the last thirty minutes trying to persuade Mr. Baxter not to press formal charges. I suggest you say as little as possible," Ms. Winwood supplied.

"We have it all on video, anyway," Charles added and took a sip of his brandy.

"Was everything returned?" Dextrum asked Blair.

"Yes, sir. Of course it was. It was only borrowed, I didn't steal anything," Blair replied.

There was a knock on the door and Joel went to answer it. When Blair saw Jim and his brother walk into the room, his heart stopped, suddenly wishing he could be anywhere else right now besides standing in this room.

Not sure what was going on, Jim scanned the room, cataloguing the people within. He looked at Blair in puzzlement, his senses automatically noting Blair's fear and sadness.

"Oh, James." Charles jumped up and raced to Jim's side. "I'm so terribly sorry to interrupt your busy morning but we thought you should know what's going on as soon as possible."

"What is going on?" Jim looked towards Blair, but the other man wouldn't meet his eyes.

"The man whom you thought was a guest, is only one of the hotel valets," Charles said in disgust and stared pointedly at Blair.

"Wait, there's some mistake. His name isn't Blair, it's Charles," Jim corrected.

"No, James darling, that's my name. He," Charles pointed at Blair, "steals clothes, identities and God knows what else."

"What in the hell is happening here?" Jim asked. With his heart pounding, he turned to Blair. "Why are you dressed that way?" He indicated Blair's valet clothes.

Not wanting Jim to see the tears pooling in his eyes, Blair lowered his head, shaking it sadly.

"Is this true?" Jim whispered in disbelief to Blair.

Blair finally looked up at Jim, a single tear sliding down his cheek. When their eyes met, Blair's heart broke at the look of hurt on his face. "Yeah, it's true," he murmured, his voice trembling.

Jim stared at Blair, not wanting to believe that the bond he thought was forming between them was a mistake. How could this be happening? After what we shared last night, it can't all be a lie.

"Shit," Steven exclaimed loudly. "The press is going to have a field day with this one."

"There's no reason to involve the press." Mr. Dextrum quickly added.

"This would have never happened at the Four Seasons." Charles crossed his arms over his chest, sighing dramatically.

"I can assure you it's never happened here before either," Dextrum said. He turned and pointed a finger at Joel. "Joel, you're slipping. You should have noticed something. I am very disappointed in you."

"Of course, sir. I understand," Joel replied.

"Please, Mr. Dextrum," Blair begged, "Joel had nothing to do with this."

Mr. Dextrum sent an accusing look at Blair. "Mr. Sandburg, you no longer work here, you're fired. Please go to security and hand in your passes and your ID; then you'll be escorted from the building."

"Yes, sir," Blair whispered, not trusting his voice to speak louder. He turned and brushed past Jim, running from the room.

"Is that really necessary?" Jim angrily demanded. With a disgusted look at Mr. Dextrum, he headed towards the door.

"Jim, just let the man do his job. Okay?" Steven called after Jim's retreating back.

Seeing that Jim was leaving, Charles hurried after him. "Oh, James," he called. When Jim stopped, Charles placed a hand on his chest. "I can't help but feel this is partly my fault."

Jim's body revolted at the touch and sound of this man. "It isn't. So spare yourself," he said sarcastically.

"Well, at least let me buy you lunch." Charles raked his eyes hungrily over Jim's body. "After all, we've only got each other to get through this -- humiliation," he sighed.

"Charles, the first lunch was a mistake." Jim pulled Charles' hand from his chest. "The second would be complete torture." He turned on his heel and left Charles standing with his mouth gaping open.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"I'll need your nametag, pass key and ID card," Simon told Blair sadly.

After handing over his things, Blair looked up at his friend. "I'm sorry, Simon. I hope I didn't get you into trouble, too."

"It's okay, Blair. Don't worry about it," Simon reassured.

Just then, Joel walked into the security room, standing next to Blair.

"Oh, man," Blair looked at Joel miserably. "Don't tell me they fired you over this, too?"

"No," Joel replied. Pulling his own ID and passes from his pocket, he handed them to Simon. "Actually, I made the decision only moments ago -- I believe it's time for a change."

"You quit?" Blair asked Joel and exchanged a worried look with Simon.

"Sometimes we're forced in directions that we should have found for ourselves," Joel explained, then looked at Blair intently. "To serve people takes dignity and intelligence, but remember, they are only people with money. And although we serve them, we are not their servants." Joel reached out, squeezing Blair's shoulder gently. "What we do, Blair, does not define who we are. What defines us is how well we rise after falling."

"Thanks, man." Tears burned at Blair's eyes as Joel pulled him into a hug. "You take good care of yourself, Joel."

"You too, Blair." Joel gave a slight sniffle then stepped back.

"Bye, Simon," Blair waved. "I'll see you around."

"I'll call you later," Simon called after Blair's retreating back.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Blair hesitated briefly when he stepped onto the sidewalk at the front of the hotel. Jim was leaning against his limo, watching him fixedly. "Char -- Blair. I don't even know what to call you," he laughed harshly.

Blair didn't want to face Jim right now -- he couldn't -- he quickly turned and rushed down the street.

Jim jumped up and chased after him, spinning him around and pinning him with an angry glare. "I don't get it. What the hell just happened in there?"

"What don't you get, Jim?" Blair spat angrily. "I'm a valet."

"So what was all this? Huh?" Jim grabbed Blair by his upper arms, giving him a little shake. "Was I some kind of bet between you and your friends?"

"No!" Blair cried. "Look, it was a misunderstanding. I was trying on Baxter's clothes, then you were there, and you invited me out..."

"And what?!" Jim yelled. "You thought you had to lie to keep me interested?"

"Who's kidding who here?" Blair sagged and lowered his voice. "You would never have taken a second look at me if you knew I was a servant."

"You don't know that," Jim challenged.

"Come on, Jim. With all do respect for your big hearted politics, I don't think so, Mr. Assemblyman," Blair finished sarcastically.

"How would you know? You never gave me a chance," Jim supplied. "You stand on your soapbox judging everyone, because you're so sure they're judging you."

"And you think they're not?" Blair's voice rose. "Half the time, people are making fun of me because they see me as some stereotype. The other half, I'm just invisible!" He angrily brushed past Jim, walking briskly away.

"Blair," Jim said firmly.

Blair stopped, but didn't turn around. When Jim stepped in front of him, he sent him an angry glare.

"I just want the truth," Jim said, his voice softening.

Blair bit his lip to stop it from trembling and nodded his head. After all that had happened between them, he owed Jim that much. "All right, you want the truth. There was a part of me that wanted to see what it felt like to have someone like you look at me, just once, the way you did." Blair stepped a little closer to Jim. "I'm sorry, really I am. And if I could rewind the past week, I would."

Jim closed his eyes briefly, then swallowed hard. "Was any of it real?"

Blair tilted his head, and smiled sadly. He reached out a hand and cupped Jim's cheek. "Yeah, it was real. It was so real that it made me wonder how I was ever going to give you up," Blair said, his voice trembling, "but I had to give you up, that was the plan. And then, last night, we made love and I realized ..." Blair's voice broke, "I realized how much I loved you."

Jim opened his mouth to speak, but Blair shook his head. "It's over. We're from two different worlds, Jim. It'll never work." He stretched up, placing one, last gentle kiss to Jim's cheek, then turned and fled down the street.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

While balancing a bag of groceries in one arm, Rafe used the spare key that Blair had given him to let himself into the darkened apartment. He set the bag on the kitchen counter, then made his way to the living room window. Sliding open the heavy curtains, Rafe blinked as bright sunlight poured into the living room. With a sigh, he shook his head as he surveyed the untidy room. Picking up a few clothes, Rafe walked into the bedroom. He set the rumpled clothes in the hamper then went to the bed.

"Come on, Blair, up and at 'em." Rafe tried to sound cheerful.

The lump in the bed grumbled but didn't move.

Sighing, Rafe sat on the edge of the bed. "Blair, it's been two months. You can't go on like this." Ever since the whole fiasco with James Ellison, Blair had spiraled into depression. His friend's were worried about him, so they took turns checking up on him and making sure he ate.

"I don't need a babysitter, so you can leave, Rafe," Blair mumbled.

"I'm not here to baby-sit. I'm here to make you breakfast." Rafe stood up, pulling the covers from Blair's body, "Now, get up, have a shower and I'll have food on the table when you get out."

"Damn it, Rafe!" Blair yelled. "I don't want food, I don't want coffee and I don't want a damn shower! I just want to be left alone!" He tried to snatch the sheets back, but Rafe pulled them out of his reach.

"Blair, I'm your friend. I care about you and I'm not about to leave you here to sleep through another day. You have to eat something, please," Rafe begged.

Blair sat up, running a hand through his sleep-tousled hair. He glared a Rafe for a few seconds, then sighed tiredly. "Fine. If it'll make you happy, I'll get up."

"Good," Rafe smiled gently.

Half an hour later, Blair walked into the kitchen wearing a pair of faded jeans and a slightly wrinkled black t-shirt. His loose hair was still damp and Rafe was glad to see that Blair had taken the time so shave.

"Come sit down; everything's ready." Rafe brought over two cups of coffee then sat down to eat.

"Looks good." Blair indicated the eggs, bacon and toast on his plate. "You didn't have to go through all this trouble."

"It was no trouble, Blair." Rafe squeezed the top of his friends arm.

When Rafe finished his meal, he smiled when he noticed that Blair had eaten almost all the food on his plate. He quickly cleared the table and washed the dishes. When he was done, Rafe picked up the daily newspaper he had brought with him. Opening it, he put it on the table, sliding it over to Blair.

"He's here," Rafe stated quietly.

"Who's here?" Blair's voice wavered. He looked away, not wanting to see the paper, knowing exactly who's name Rafe was going to say.

Rafe pointed to the picture on the front page. "The very handsome, very eligible, Jim Ellison. He's here for a press conference."

"So what?" Blair angrily shoved the paper off the table. Jumping up, he stormed from the room.

When Rafe walked into the living room, Blair was standing at the large window, staring out at the city. "Maybe you should see him." Rafe spoke softly as he approached Blair.

Closing his eyes, Blair shook his head. "I can't," he whispered.

"But maybe if you talk to him, get everything out in the open, it'll help you to feel better."

Blair turned sad eyes to his friend. "I'm fine, Rafe."

Standing in from of Blair, Rafe placed his hands on his shoulders, leaning their foreheads together. "You're not fine, Blair. You sleep all the time. You don't eat. You don't go out."

Blair looked at Rafe, giving him a weak smile. "I just need time. That's all."

"I worry about you. So does Simon and Joel."

"I'll be fine, I promise." He patted Rafe on the back. "You need to get going or you'll be late for work."

Rafe hesitated for a second before walking to the front door. "I'll come by tonight. We can order a pizza or something."

"You don't need to do that."

"Yes, I do." Rafe smiled, walking into the hallway.

"All right, I'll see you later." Blair closed and locked the door then went into the kitchen, picking up the strewn paper. He sat down heavily in a chair, eyes drinking in the black and white picture plastered on the front page. His first reaction was sadness and with a sigh, he tossed the paper aside. He was certainly feeling sorry for himself, something at which he was getting extremely competent.

Biting his lip, Blair rose, and grabbing the paper again, he began to pace in his small kitchen, working through his thoughts. Damn it. I'm a hardworking, honest, dependable man. Aren't I entitled to be happy?

Yes, you are. The voice in his head answered back. He knew, at the very least, he had to try. He owed it to himself. With a deep, calming breath and a hopeful demeanor, Blair went to change.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Later that afternoon, Jim was in the large conference room of the Balmoral Hotel, winding down his question and answer period with the press.

"Mr. Ellison, if elected you'll be the third Ellison to serve Washington State in the Senate. How does it feel?" A woman journalist asked.

"If I get elected, I'll let you know," Jim grinned and the people in the room laughed.

"All right, we have time for one more question," Steven addressed the press.

"I have a question."

Jim looked up; his heart racing as he quickly searched the room. His breath caught in his throat when the crowd parted and Blair Sandburg stepped forward.

Jim stared at Blair, taking in the beautiful sight before him. He looked wonderful in a simple white button-down shirt with the sleeves turned up, and black dress pants. Blair's hair fell around his shoulders in a shiny curtain. The light reflecting from the mahogany curls caught Jim's attention. Struggling to keep his voice from trembling, Jim asked, "Sure, what's your question?"

Steven moved closer to his brother, whispering harshly in his ear, "Jim, you don't have to do this."

"Yes I do, Steven." Jim turned his attention back to Blair. "Go ahead."

Blair swallowed hard, taking a calm breath. "I was wondering -- well, I know everyone makes mistakes, and it's a good sign of character to give a person a second chance, right?" he asked.

"Right." Jim's eyes bored into the other man, afraid that if he blinked, Blair would disappear.

"Even if someone lied for a good reason, they should be forgiven, don't you think?"

"Yeah, I do." Jim clutched the edges of the podium to stop from running to Blair.

Blair's eyes looked directly into Jim's, wanting -- needing to see his every reaction. He had to know what Jim thought of him; what Jim saw when he looked at him. "Even if you're a regular person, like say -- a valet or something? And he made a mistake. Do you think he should get a second chance? I mean, nobody's perfect, right?"

Jim tilted his head and gave Blair a gentle look. "No, no body's perfect." Finally giving in to the urge, Jim went to move from behind the podium, only to have his arm grabbed by Steven.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Steven asked.

Jim nodded confidently. "I trust my instincts. I should have done this a lot sooner."

Pulling out of Steven's grip, Jim hurried down the steps, making his way towards Blair. Stopping just in front of him, he leaned forward to whisper in Blair's ear. "I don't want to do this here, with all these people around. Come with me so we can talk someplace more private?"

Blair shivered at the warm breath on his neck, wrapping his arms around his middle to stop from grabbing hold of Jim. "I'd love to."

Jim turned Blair and with a hand at the small of his back, quickly guided him out of the room into the hotel lobby.

The press tried to follow, but was soon stopped by security when Jim and Blair got onto the elevator.

Once inside the privacy of Jim's suite, he pulled Blair to him, kissing his lips gently. He moved back slowly and smiled as Blair's smoky blue eyes slowly opened to meet his.

"Hello," Jim said softly.

"Hi," Blair whispered back, breathlessly.

Raking his eyes over Blair's beautiful face, Jim asked, "Can we start over? Second chance, second date? You as you, me as me. No secrets. What do you think?" Jim held his breath waiting for Blair to answer.

Blair grinned sheepishly and stuck out his hand. "Blair Sandburg."

Chuckling, Jim took Blair's hand, shaking it. "James Ellison. It's nice to meet you." Jim lifted Blair into his arms, spinning him around a few times, reveling at the sound of Blair's laughter. God, how I missed that. Setting Blair back on his feet again, Jim nuzzled his neck. "I missed you. I've done nothing but think of you these last few months."

"I've been miserable," Blair admitted. "I missed you, too."

"You've lost weight." Jim stepped back to get a good look at Blair, noting the slimmer frame.

"Yeah, well, I guess that happens when you don't have much of an appetite."

"Blair, I'm so sorry. I should have come after you that day." He pulled Blair into a tight hug.

Blair rubbed his cheek against Jim's chest. "Doesn't matter anymore, you're here now, that's what counts." He moved out of Jim's arms slightly and looking into his eyes, he asked worriedly, "How are your senses?"

Jim reached out, tucking the silky hair behind Blair's ear. "Not great. Since we've been apart, I haven't really been able to use them much. I've zoned a few times, too."

"I'm sorry, Jim."

"No, don't be. They're online now that you're here. Guess they just knew it all along."

"Knew what?" Blair asked, curious

"That they need you as much as the rest of me does."

"Jim," Blair whispered and plastered himself against Jim's body, hugging him tightly.

"Hey, it's okay." Jim rubbed small, comforting circles on Blair's back

"This is real, right? God, I can't go through it again. I can't be without you." Blair's voice trembled. "Please, Jim, tell me this is real."

"Oh, it's real, Chief." Jim took Blair's face in his hands, putting everything he felt for this man into a kiss. "I promise you it's very real. I can't be without you either. I love you, Blair."

Blair looked up into Jim's sincere blue eyes, his face lighting up in a brilliant smile. "I love you, James." Taking Jim by the hand, he led him into the bedroom.

Blair crawled onto the bed, knelt near the edge, and pulled Jim close. "I want you," he said huskily.

"Want you, too." Jim kissed and lightly sucked at Blair's neck.

With trembling fingers, Blair slowly undressed Jim, enjoying the sight of his magnificent body as he peeled away the clothes. When Jim was standing naked before him, Blair placed both hands on his chest, then in small movements, he gently mapped the soft, muscular flesh. Sliding his fingers upward, he moved them across Jim's neck before trailing them up and down his back.

"Blair," Jim whispered. Leaning closer, Jim gazed at Blair with passion. "I can't begin to tell you how much I've longed for your touch."

"Shh, I'm here now." Blair reached up with one hand, stroking his fingers through Jim's short, soft hair. "I'll always be here." Leaning forward, he claimed Jim's mouth in a passionate kiss. Pulling away, he slid off the opposite side of the bed from Jim. Slowly and seductively, he removed his clothes, never once taking his eyes from Jim's.

Without saying a word, Blair pulled back the covers and crawled back onto the bed. Kneeling in the center, he smiled and crooked a finger, beckoning Jim to join him.

The light in Jim's eyes danced softly. Climbing onto the bed, he knelt in front of Blair. He stroked his fingers into soft curls, pulling Blair in for a long, sweet kiss, which soon turned hard and demanding.

Blair was the first to break away. He gently pushed on Jim's chest, lowering him to the bed and curling up next to him. "Every night I've dreamt of making love with you," Blair whispered, softly caressing Jim along his thigh, over his belly and across his chest. "I love you." He dipped his head and lightly nibbled the nipple closest to him, causing Jim to moan loudly.

Blair kissed his way up to Jim's ear and spoke softly, "I don't want to rush it. I want to make long, gentle, passionate love with you, Jim."

"God -- Blair -- yes," Jim panted, closing his eyes. He had yearned so long for Blair's touch that he wasn't sure how long he would last, but knew that he would hold on for as long as possible to please this man.

When Blair shifted and the warmth of his body left Jim's side, he opened his eyes to see Blair kneeling next to his thigh. "Just to take the edge off," Blair whispered. Their eyes met briefly, then Blair gripped Jim's hardened cock at the base. With a devilish grin, he engulfed his hardness in one smooth motion.

"Blair!" Jim cried, bucking his hips. His hands reached out to his sides, clutching the sheets in a tight grip. Blair didn't pin Jim's hips down, instead allowed Jim to thrust up into the hot, wet depth. Three more pushes drove him over the top and he poured his seed into Blair's demanding mouth.

A few minutes later, Jim opened heavy eyelids to take in the sight of a smug looking Blair, propped up on an elbow, watching him intently. "You're going to kill me," he groaned with a smile.

"Never." Blair laughed and kissed him tenderly.

Without breaking the kiss, Jim shifted onto his elbow. Running a hand to the back of Blair's head, he pressed him closer for a deeper kiss. "What about you?" Jim indicated Blair's leaking erection.

"Don't worry about me. I'm enjoying myself." Blair grinned, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Isn't that the truth?" Jim chuckled, flopping back down on the bed and pulling Blair on top of him.

Blair gazed down at Jim, desire clear in his blue eyes. "That was just the appetizer, now it's time for the main course." He smiled seductively, covering Jim's lips with his own.

Kissing along Jim's jaw and down his neck, Blair stopped at a hardened nipple, sucking it into his mouth. After getting his fill, he moved to the other one, first lapping, then sucking hard.

"Oh, yeah," Jim hissed, arcing his back. "You're so good at that, Chief."

Blair chuckled, continuing his exploration of Jim's chest. A few minutes later, he slowly nipped and licked his way to Jim's navel, lingering to gently dip his tongue in and out. Moving on, Blair kissed along a thigh to Jim's knee, stopping he sat back on his heels.

With a light tough, Blair ran the flat of his palm along Jim's semi-erect cock. Using his thumb, he massaged the soft crown, watching in fascination as the organ grew to hardness once again.

Crawling up the bed on hands and knees, Blair took Jim's mouth in a hot, sweet kiss, seeking the tongue within. Their tongues danced playfully until Blair pulled away, kissing a line along Jim's jaw to his ear.

"Spread your legs for me, Jim," Blair whispered, rimming Jim's ear with his tongue.

With a shiver, Jim obeyed, bringing his knees up to bend, then spreading them wide to lie flat on the bed.

"Oh, yeah, that's it." Blair reveled in the look of Jim spread out for him. "God, look at you. You're so hot." Running a trail of kisses down Jim's body, Blair stopped at the leaking cock to suck just the tip into his mouth. Jim bucked up, trying to force his erection deeper into the sweet hotness but Blair pinned his hips down.

"Blair, please," Jim moaned, clutching desperately at Blair's head.

"Shh -- easy," Blair soothed. With a small kiss to the tip of the hard cock, Blair sat up. "We need something."

"In the drawer." Jim nodded towards the bedside table.

Quickly, Blair retrieved the lube then crawled between Jim's legs. He ran his fingers from Jim's ankle, up his leg to his hip. With a light touch, he cupped the soft balls, massaging them gently. Reaching for the tube, Blair coated his index finger, circling the soft entrance. Gently, he eased a finger inside, wringing a cry from Jim.

"You okay?" Blair asked, not wanting to continue if Jim was in pain.

"Oh, yeah," Jim panted. "It feels great."

Blair leaned forward, kissing Jim tenderly. "It gets better," he whispered.

Pulling out, Blair coated two fingers, inserting them carefully. Slowly he massaged the tight passage, scissoring his fingers to stretch Jim. Once Blair was satisfied that his lover was ready, he added gel to his throbbing cock.

As he moved into position, Blair locked his eyes with Jim's, smiling gently. "You ready, Jim?"

"More than ready, Chief." Jim returned the smile, reaching up to caress Blair's cheek.

Blair kissed his palm as he aligned his cock with the slick pucker. With a slow, gentle push of his hips, Blair eased his way into his lover. He took his time, letting Jim's body adjust to the feeling of being penetrated before moving forward again. Finally, Blair was all the way in, his balls brushing against Jim's ass. He closed his eyes briefly, absorbing the intense, incredible feeling of their joining, never in his life having felt this bonded to another person.

Leaning forward, Blair rested his hands on either side of Jim's head, their chests lightly touching. He looked down into the sky-blue eyes and nearly wept at the love he saw shining back at him.

"I love you, Blair," Jim whispered.

"Love you, too, Jim. More than anything." Dipping his head, Blair kissed Jim as he began to carefully pump his hips, slowly moving in and out.

Jim moaned in pleasure at the incredible feeling of the hard cock moving within him. He slid his hand up Blair's sides to his back, pulling the smaller body down on top of him. With every thrust forward of Blair's hips, Jim thrust down, pushing the cock deeper and deeper. When his prostate was brushed, he cried out, clutching at Blair, holding him tight.

As Blair pumped faster and faster, Jim knew he was getting close to completion. Wanting to share this incredible moment together, Jim threw open his sense of touch, just in time to feel Blair's hot cum flow into him. Jim screamed in pleasure, calling Blair's name when his orgasm hit, never wanting the sweet, incredible feeling to end.

Blair collapsed on top of Jim, his heated body sweaty and spent. He kissed the soft flesh under his lips, smiling when he felt a light kiss on his head.

"Mmmm," Jim purred, rubbing small circles on Blair's back. "That was amazing."

When Blair pushed himself up on his elbows, looking down at Jim, his hair falling around them, Jim thought he had never seen a more sexy sight. He stroked his fingers through the damp hair, returning the tender smile Blair had directed at him.

"It was unbelievable. There are no words to explain how incredible I feel right now. How close I feel to you." Blair said, tenderly.

Jim smiled softly, bushing his fingers across soft, luscious lips. "I know exactly what you mean."

Blair's eyes were bright and full of love. "Yeah?"

"Yeah." Jim pulled Blair down for a long, slow kiss.

"Let me get something to clean us up," Blair said when their lips separated. Carefully pulling his softened cock out of Jim, Blair slid off the bed, padding into the bathroom. A few seconds later he returned with a warm, wet washcloth. He wiped the semen from their bodies, then tossed the cloth on the floor. Climbing back on the bed, Blair snuggled into Jim's waiting arms, pillowing his head on a strong shoulder.

They were quiet for a few minutes until Blair broke the silence. "What happens now?" Although he was now very secure about their love, Blair was unsure what the future held for them.

As Jim thought, he brushed lazy strokes through Blair's hair and along his back. "I grew up in Cascade. I wouldn't mind moving back here again."

Blair shifted to look at Jim. "But your home is in Seattle."

Smiling warming at Blair, Jim ran a finger across his bottom lip. "No, Blair, home is where ever you are," he said sincerely. "I want us to be together."

Blair's jaw dropped open slightly, his eyes becoming bright. With a heart bursting with love, Blair pounced on Jim, hugging him tightly. "I want that, too. I love you so much."

Laughing, Jim hung onto Blair, loving the feel of the warm body against his. "There are some nice lofts down by the waterfront. Maybe tomorrow we can check with a realtor, see if any are for sale."

As exciting as it all seemed, a sudden realization hit Blair and his heart fell.

Jim's senses picked up the change in Blair, misunderstanding the meaning. "I'm sorry, Blair, I'm moving too fast."

Rising up on his arm, Blair met Jim's eyes. "No, that's not it. I would love to live with you," he reassured. "It's just -- I don't have a job right now. I've been living off the money I had saved and it's nearly run out."

"You don't need to worry about that. I can support the both of us." Jim thought he had said the wrong thing when he didn't get an answer, he sighed in relief when Blair graced him with a beautiful smile.

"I love you for that, Jim, and I appreciate it. But I'm too independent to live off of someone else's money. Maybe once I find another job, we can think about moving in together."

Jim wasn't about to live without Blair for another second, let alone the weeks or months it could take for him to find a good job. An idea suddenly formed in his mind. Shifting to sit with his back against the headboard, he maneuvered Blair between his legs so they were facing each other. "Blair, let me run something by you. You don't have to say yes unless you want to. Okay?"

"Yeah, sure." Blair nodded, curious what Jim had to say. "What is it?"

"The way the polls read, I'm going to make Senator at the end of the month. So, if -- when I do, I'm going to need an aide to keep me in line for the housing projects and inner city plans. I need someone I can trust. And having someone on-board who has experienced what it's like to live in the projects would be an amazing asset." When Blair stared at Jim blankly, he shook his head fondly, smiling softly. "Would you be interested in being my community aide, Blair?"

"What?" Blair asked, dumbfounded. "Me?"

"Only if you want to."

"But, I don't have any experience." Blair was having a hard time accepting what Jim was offering.

"Blair, you've lived in the projects all your life. That's more then enough experience for me." Jim gently cupped Blair's face. "So? What's your answer?" he asked, trying to keep the hope out of his voice, but failing.

Blair's face light up and he smiled brightly. "Yes. That would be an amazing job. Thank you, Jim."

Pulling Blair to him, Jim buried his face in the soft hair, kissing his neck. "Good." Blair's stomach suddenly growled, causing them both to laugh. "Come on. Let's grab a shower then go get something to eat."

Jim helped Blair off the bed, pulling him into a hug. Cuddling Blair against him, he sighed contentedly, nuzzling the curls close to his face.

Blair tightened his arms, snuggling a little more into the warm body. "I love being held by you," Blair sighed happily.

"I could hold you forever." Jim knew it was a sappy reply but it was the truth. Having Blair in his arms was such an amazing feeling that he never wanted it to end.

"Promise?" Blair asked, looking up at Jim.

"Promise," Jim chuckled softly, placing a light kiss to the top of Blair's head then releasing him. "Let's go shower." Jim pointed a finger at Blair when he saw the sexy smile spread across his face. "Just shower."

"Okay." Blair laughed then turned towards the bathroom.

They showered quickly, each taking turns washing the other, sharing lazy kisses. As Jim was drying Blair's hair with a towel, he looked up at Jim with big blue eyes.

"We'll be together from now on, right?" Blair asked, hesitantly.

"Just try to get rid of me." Jim smiled, stroking the curly locks.

"I love you," Blair said huskily.

"I love you, too, sweetheart." Jim's heart melted at the look on Blair's face, making note to use the endearment more often.

"I like that." Blair grinned.

"Good, because I'll be saying it a lot." He patted Blair on his bare butt, gently pushing him out of the bathroom.

When they entered the bedroom, Blair pulled Jim into his arms. Showing him all the love he felt in a deep, searing kiss. When he moved back slightly, they were both panting hard.

"You know, we could order room service." Blair sent Jim a flirtatious look, peeking up through long dark lashes.

With a growl, Jim pounced. Wrapping his arms around Blair, he gently flung him to the bed as the beautiful, musical sound of Blair's laughter filled the room and Jim's heart.

~The End~

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Author's Acknowledgements: A ton of thanks to Fossil and Elaine for the beta!