The trees swayed in the sudden breeze causing the forest to groan as branches rubbed one another. It was the moment Brandon had anticipated, the effect swirled the carpet of leaves into the air. Click ... whirr ... click. The image was just what he wanted.

Alan's hair had streamed away from his head at that moment; the effect looked awesome through the lens...almost magical. The setting itself was beautiful, but the subject completely overwhelmed the majesty of nature ... the boy was magnificent. Brandon held his finger down on the shutter release. Click ... whirr ... click.

It had been six weeks now since the boy arrived ... dropping into his lonely life. Brandon had watched Alan come back to life. The gentleness of that spirit filled his home with joy on a daily basis. And here at the beginning of fall the time had seemed right to capture that image through the lens.

As a model, Alan was a bit more muscular than the average figure presented in magazines and catalogs. But the initial portfolio of head shots and full figure images had been presented to Brandon's agent with high hopes. The overnight FedEx package had gone out, and was followed by a week of silence.

The Stanford Agency had handled all of Brandon's work, giving Theresa Stanford a chance to realize both the talent of the photographer and the dedication he had to his subjects. They were friends and she was his worst critic, although Brandon would always think of her as his best critic, he valued her thoughts.

The phone call came Thursday morning just as Brandon was finishing his coffee.

"Brandon ... Good Morning," Theresa said.

"Theresa, good to hear from you," Brandon replied.

A moment of silence. "My God, Brand ... where did you find him? He's magnificent."

Brandon smiled. "Oh, I don't know. He was sleeping under a bridge."

That answer wouldn't fly even if it was the truth. Theresa wanted to know the story behind all his subjects; it gave her a glimpse into his mind. She sold his thinking; she had the right to know.

"I'm serious Theresa. He was living under a bridge when I met him." I sighed, "He lives with me now."

"You've never done that before ... is he ... gay?"

"Yes, I couldn't abandon him, he was abused ... you know why I did it," Brandon said.

"Hmm ... Well we're going to make him famous. I have a client that went nuts over the portfolio the minute he saw it. I have to admit, I was taken the moment I opened that envelope. That's the most amazing smile I've seen in years."

"Yeah, the rest of him is pretty amazing as well," Brandon said. "I mean his personality is starting to come across. There is going to be a healing period, but he's bounced back."

"Do I detect a note of something? Is he a part of your life now?" Theresa asked.

"I know what you're asking ... he's too young for that. I'm here just to give his life focus again. I have a lawyer working to get me custody. The father seems to be cooperating, there is no mother."

"So he's going to be able to work soon, that's good. The client is a pretty big one, Brand. I'll have to assure him the boy is available. They sell dental products by the way, that smile did it."

Brandon laughed. "He just had braces removed, good timing. Where do we shoot?"

"I have some storyboards in the works; they're using Metro right now. How long before you have legal custody?" Theresa asked.

"Hmm, there's a court hearing scheduled for the twenty-third. I'm having him emancipated and then taking custody until next year. He'll be seventeen this fall."

"Good. I want to meet him; can you fly up here the week of the first?"

"Sure, the usual arrangements?"

"Absolutely, sweetie. You know he's going to get raves, don't change that image one bit, long hair is back in. I'll get tickets to you next week. You've done a good thing, Brand, and I don't just mean the photos. How's the book coming?"

"Slow, never knew kids where so hard to shoot. It's probably the way life is lived down here, they're so spread out and I don't want to pose too many situations. But Alan has been a wizard at finding setups for me; I have him on the payroll."

"Well this might interfere a bit, I'm sure you'll want to follow through," Theresa said.

"Yes, mine is the only lens that will do him justice," Brandon said.

"Agreed, I'll call you next week," Theresa said. "Get me some personality shots if you can ... outdoorsy stuff ... something that gives him character, you now what I mean."

"Yeah, the all American boy image ... he's certainly that."

"Bye, sweetie ... my best to your new family," Theresa said.

"Thank you, Theresa ... good bye."

Brandon put his mug down on the table. It was happening, he could feel it. Alan was going to hit the magazine pages in a big way. It would be his responsibility to keep the boy grounded from all the attention he was about to receive.

There would be hours of photography, interviews and meetings. Alan was in for a rough ride, but he wouldn't be alone. Theresa was tough as nails, she always got her way. But they would be well paid for their work, the boy was gonna be rich beyond his wildest dreams.

Brandon left the kitchen and went down the hall to Alan's bedroom. They had been up late again, the boy was still sleeping. Brandon's thoughts always became loving whenever he had to wake the boy. Just the sight of Alan every morning was enough to make him realize he'd done the right thing.

For weeks they had hashed out the living arrangements. The sexual edge Alan felt when they first met was tempered now, and Brandon could only be grateful. The time was slipping by and they were developing a bond that gave them a sense of family. It was where they needed to be, a place where Alan was finding the serenity he needed to heal.

The issue of enrolling the boy in school had taken Brandon to a lawyer's office. The woman listened to Alan tell his story with empathy and called in her partner, together they would get the boy what he needed to get on with life. The boy didn't want his father hauled into court for abuse, he wanted to leave that part of his life behind and Brandon agreed.

Brandon went and sat on the edge of the bed, giving Alan's bottom a playful slap.

"Wake up sleepyhead ... we're going to New York in two weeks."

The eyes popped open and Alan sat up. "What did you say?"

Brandon smiled. "Theresa called this morning, the portfolio was a hit ... you're gonna be famous."

Alan laughed and grabbed him, pulling him into an embrace. The boy bounced on the bed and then tossed the covers off. He rolled off the mattress and jumped up and down, forgetting for the moment that he was virtually naked. Brandon laughed as Alan suddenly realized his cock was stiff and bounding around in his boxers.

The boy's blush turned his face scarlet and his mouth dropped open. "Oh God ... sorry," he said, quickly trying to hide the bulge behind his hands. Brandon was laughing so hard tears rolled down his cheeks.

It was a moment they had worked so hard to avoid because of the implications, but here they were ... and it was laughable. Alan scrambled from the room and slammed the bathroom door. Brandon followed, leaning against the closed door.

"It's all right, Alan, I'm not laughing at you ... I'm not upset."

"Go away, you're making it worse," the boy threw back.

"It was all my fault, I'm sorry."

Silence and then the door opened a crack. "It just took me by surprise; you know how I get in the morning."

Brandon leaned in and kissed the boy's lips. "You shower and come out for breakfast. We have a lot to discuss."

Alan smiled. "New York, huh?"

"Yeah, buddy ... the big time."

Brandon was sitting at the laptop, the series of Alan slowly running in a slideshow across the screen. He felt the boy's arms on his shoulders, sliding around his neck as Alan leaned in for a look. Brandon froze the show, the image on the screen probably the best photograph he had ever taken.

"That's what sold you," Brandon said.

The photo had been taken a fraction of a second after the image before it, but this is the one that counted. Alan's head had been slightly back, eyes wide and that amazing smile on his face. It was just like the others Brandon had shot except it was different ... special, the last of the series.

It had come at the end of the session. They were both tired of the lights, the room ... the whole thing. Brandon had looked up from the viewfinder and said what was on his mind.

"God ... I love you," were the exact words he'd said. Alan had given him that smile and fate had made him push the button just one more time. He would say it a thousand times more if only to see that smile, that look of elation in Alan's eyes.

It wasn't the first time he'd thought it. Their affection had grown, their feelings shared until they both realized it was the right place to be. And even if Alan still felt God's hand in the match, he knew his prayers had been answered the moment those words were spoken. It had been a moment of supreme feeling, something he would never forget.

"I was overwhelmed by what you said," Alan said softly. "I knew we felt that way, it's just you finally said it. That's the happiest I've ever been." He kissed Brandon's neck.

"There's a client who wants to buy that smile," Brandon said, going on to explain all that Theresa had said.

Alan dropped on the couch. "She knows about me? Knows I'm gay?"

"Yes, she knows all about me too ... are you upset with that?" Brandon asked.

"Um ... No, not really, you trust her ... she's your friend."

"She's been very good to me, and she will do the same for you. No one will ever know, Alan. But I had to tell her about you so she could protect you. By the time this all starts you'll be emancipated from your father, I'll be your guardian ... you will be in charge of your own life."

"I don't want anyone to know I'm gay. It would be bad enough for me if that gets around the school ... hey what about school? I can't be in New York and starting in school at the same time. And what about you, we can't just go off and leave all this behind ... the dogs ... the house."

"Dogs go to a kennel for two weeks; the house will be safe here without us. We might have to rethink this school business. How are you going to handle the sudden fame? By Thanksgiving your photo will be everywhere, the other kids will certainly see you in a magazine or on television."

"Oh God ... that's true," Alan said. "I don't need all that pressure my last year of school, how do we fix that?"

"OK, a lot of models are home schooled. I imagine there are tutors we can hire. I'll throw that ball at Theresa when she calls next week. Those expenses in life will all be covered in your contract. The question is ... how badly do you want this?"

Alan smiled. "What will it mean for your career if I do this?"

"Me? I get exclusive rights to photograph you, I'll insist on that."

"No, what I mean is what happens for you, will it make you famous?"

"If I bring that smile to the world we'll both be so busy and rich we won't know what to do with it all," Brandon said.

"Good ... I'm in," Alan said.

"Then thank God you're still a minor. We can use that to shorten the work load, the industry has rules to follow. We'll have a month, maybe more before the attention gets overwhelming. I'll make sure the schedule allows us both some escape time. So we're in this together, huh. Just don't hate me when it starts to get tough."

Alan got up and came over to the desk, moved Brandon's arm aside and sat in his lap. His eyes came closer until their lips touched ... the kiss warm and lingering.

"Nothing could ever make me hate you ... I love you too much. And someday I'm gonna get the chance to prove it. Fourteen months, six days and nine hours from now."

Brandon smiled; the boy was counting down the clock.

On to Chapter Five

Back to Chapter Three

Chapter Index

Chris James Home Page