Title:
Time Management
Author: Kirathaune
LJ: http://kirathaune.livejournal.com/
Rating: NC-17
Pairing(s): Koumyou/Ukoku
Disclaimer: This is only for our kinky fun, no profit made at all.
Summary: Architect Kent Neiman knows his only real competition in a
design contest is Colm Sanderson. But why does the
man keep putting off working on his entry? The deadline is Friday!
Warnings: AU. Smut, snark
and non-standard use of office furniture.
Notes: This was written for jakondas
for the valentine_smut gift!fic exchange, her prompt was
"procrastination". My first AU! Thanks to charliesmum
for the fab beta. 5500 words.
Kent Neiman slouched in his chair at the conference table. God, he hated these
morning production meetings. Sitting there bored out of his mind while Jerry
rambled on and on about the firm's current projects. Blah,
blah, blah. The only good thing that came out of it was that most
mornings, he got to sit next to Colm Sanderson. It
was amusing to watch the laid-back blond during these meetings - he didn't seem
to pay much attention either, and on more than one occasion
Jerry cleared his throat. "Okay, last item of the morning. Our illustrious
owner has gone and tied the knot again. I'm sure you know what this means for
you lowly architects here at Tenkai Associates."
A collective groan rose up around the table, and someone muttered, "What
is this, number seven? Eight? The woman changes
husbands quicker than underwear."
Jerry rolled his eyes at the comments. "I'm overwhelmed at your
enthusiasm, gang. Really. For the record, it is
husband number eight."
This exchange told
In reply he got a chuckle and a whispered 'you'll see.' Colm
tilted his chair back and waved at Jerry as he raised his voice and said,
"Neiman doesn't know what this means, Jerry. He's new, remember?" His
long, thick braid tumbled over the back of the chair, and
Jerry blinked at
The vice president shuffled through his folder. "Hmmm, let's see… Usual
time frame, one work week - you know how she loves getting her after-honeymoon
surprise. Designs should include a simple exterior elevation, floorplans and a rendered drawing of the finished house -
and for now, they do not need to be to scale. And yes," he broke in when hands
shot up around the table, "the usual bonus applies as well, one month's
salary. Participation is voluntary, but strongly encouraged, and is to be done
on your own time." He peered over his glasses at
"All right, ladies and gentlemen, back to your dark dungeons. Ms. Bosatz will be here Friday at
The older man was still leaning back in his chair, grinning at him. "Well
then, Wunderkind, I believe this calls for caffeine.
Join me for some coffee?"
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
They sat at a small table in Cuppa Joe's down in the
lobby. The coffee was still painfully hot, so for now
Colm blew on his coffee in an attempt to cool it.
"Oh, our employer has done this before, as you could tell from all the hubbub. She has a new house commissioned every time
she acquires a new husband. It's not a bad thing, really… it's not like we're
up against another firm, and it certainly gets everyone's creative juices
flowing." He sipped cautiously. "Not to mention the generous
bonus."
Colm laughed. "Oh, not much time at all - I
think that's why there is always so much complaining. Everyone wants to participate,
not only for the money, but for the chance to look good to Herself.
However, it is a killer deadline. There are always a few people who just
can't get their entry done in time." He regarded
Colm held out his mug. "May the best man win."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
He yawned and looked at the clock.
He couldn't believe it. For the third night in a row Colm
was sitting with back to his table. An empty table.
Colm turned his chair around, smiling brightly when
he saw
"I just thought I'd see how you were coming along."
"Yes, I know. It's not ready to come out of my head just yet." Colm rose from his chair, retrieved his jacket and walked
over to
"Uh, sure."
Ten minutes and two blocks later they were perched at the end of the bar,
glasses of beer in hand.
The next two hours flew by as they enjoyed beer and small talk, and the more
time
It was almost
They walked back to their building's parking garage in a companionable silence,
entered the elevator and selected their floors. The elevator car jerked into
motion and Colm lost his balance, falling against
Colm's hand stayed on
Twice the alcohol of his Guinness - no wonder Colm
was buzzed! Without thinking
The lips under his parted, and
A hot, wet tongue slid inside his mouth, and
The elevator stopped, and Colm's mouth slowly lifted
from his. "Now then," he murmured, "If I had been working on my
design I wouldn't have been able to go out and enjoy this …drink with
you." Lips touched his briefly, lightly. "Good night,
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
All done! It was Thursday night, and
He had managed to sneak a peek at almost everyone else's designs, and there
wasn't a single one that came close to his. Almost everyone's designs,
his mind unhelpfully reminded him. Not Colm's.
The one he wanted to see the most, and the crazy bastard hadn't even started on
it yet!
Thinking about Colm made him think about last night,
and the kiss they had shared.
He hadn't really had a chance to see Colm - a busy
workload kept him at his table all day and his after-work hours had been
consumed with finishing his entry. But he was done now, so he headed off
towards Colm's office, tasting the memory of Delirium
Tremens and Guinness on his lips.
He entered the room, realizing that this was the first time he had actually
been in Colm's office and not just standing in the
doorway. He took a good look around. Colm had a corner
office, and the two outside walls were completely glass, meeting in an almost
invisible seam in the corner. Those glass walls allowed a breathtaking,
in-your-face view of the city, although the way Colm
had placed his drafting table in front of the corner, he would spend most of
his time sitting with his back to that inspiring vista. But if the last couple
of days were anything to judge by, Colm tended to
have his back to his work.
He walked over to stand at the large, split-top drafting table. It was a heavy,
vintage piece of furniture, golden oak with antique brass accents, but even
this work area was spare. The smaller flat top featured only a pencil cup and a
handful of picture frames, all of which featured a scowling young blond who
appeared to be in his early twenties.
"That's my son, Sam. He doesn't like having his picture taken, but I
insisted. Unfortunately I forgot to insist that he smile."
Colm laughed. "Oh heavens, no - that's Sam's
boyfriend Sonny. That boy eats so much he would bankrupt me if I was
responsible for feeding him. And I've never married. I adopted Sam when he was
an infant - someone literally left him on my doorstep."
"I didn't think people did that any more,"
Colm's hand reached past his to adjust the frame's
position on the table. "Ah, but I just couldn't part with him." He
ran a finger along the edge of the frame. "He has been a handful, but Sam
is a source of great joy in my life."
"Promises, promises."
Kent's breath hitched as a hand brushed against the front of his trousers,
slowly rubbing his erection. The other hand undid the buttons of his shirt and
slipped beneath the fabric, gliding across his abdomen and chest, and he
groaned as fingers flicked over a nipple.
Colm murmured in his ear, "Don't you younger men
wear undershirts any more?" as he lightly pinched the hardening nub.
"What is the world coming to, hmmm?"
Kent twisted around to face Colm and started pulling
at his shirt buttons. He ran his hands over a ribbed white undershirt, his
thumbs rubbing at Colm's nipples until they peaked
under the soft cotton. "Undershirts are old school. Get with the times,
old man," he lectured, then closed his mouth over a cotton-covered nub and
sucked hard, enjoying the gasp that burst from the older man.
"Y-you may have a point," Colm conceded as
he pushed Kent back to lie against the incline of the drafting table. He slid
Kent's shirt off his shoulders and ran his hands over taut, toned muscles, then
leaned over and took Kent's mouth in a slow, sensuous kiss. Colm's
hands wandered lower and set to work on undoing Kent's belt and zipper, and his
lips left Kent's to follow those hands downward. Kent choked out a gasp himself
as his cock was enveloped by the moist warmth of Colm's
mouth.
Kent raised his head and moaned as he watched his cock slide in and out of Colm's mouth. He felt positively wicked. Here he
was, half naked and exposed to the entire city - no, exposing himself to
the city through those glass walls. Letting everyone see Colm's head bobbing while he licked and sucked at Kent's
cock. Allowing everyone to spy on them while Kent twisted his fingers in
long, ash-blond hair and thrust his hips up and down, fucking that hot,
beautiful mouth. And making everyone watch when he arched his back and came
hard, shuddering as he felt Colm swallow his release.
Colm kissed his way back up his torso, and Kent
decided he needed to put getting one of these corner offices higher on his To
Do list - this glass corner was all kinds of kinky fun. He tasted his own come
when Colm's tongue met his again, and he sucked it
hungrily in an echo of what that tongue had just been doing to him.
Kent made quick work of undoing Colm's pants to free
his erection. When he curled his fingers around Colm's
cock and began to slowly pump him, Colm pulled back
from their kiss to pant against Kent's ear, "You have such clever hands,
Kent."
Kent turned his head to nip along Colm's jaw.
"I'm a clever boy, didn't you know that?" He lifted his head a little
higher and licked an earlobe, whispering, "I have some lube in my pants
pocket."
He felt a rumble against his cheek as Colm chuckled,
"Anticipating, were we?"
"The way you kissed me last night? Shit, yeah, I'm anticipating."
Colm's lips made their way to his ear, and he
shivered when he heard the soft command, "Turn around."
Kent did not need to be told twice.
He groaned when he felt slicked fingers enter him, and he glanced back over his
shoulder at Colm. "Forget this shit, fuck me
already."
"Tch.
You young people are so impatient. However, if you insist…" The fingers
left him, and moments later then there was the delicious burn of Colm's hard length pushing fully inside him.
"Better?"
"Aaah - fuck, yeah."
He was soon hard again, and the friction of his dick rubbing against the
smooth, worn wood of the tabletop while Colm fucked
him drove him relentlessly toward another orgasm. He clutched at the edge of
the table as he came, wet heat spreading on the wooden top beneath him. Behind
him, Colm moaned and stilled, and
Colm moved his mouth along the back of
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Finally, Friday.
What a week!
It was now
"Mmm?"
Long bangs hung in front of Colm's face as his head
remained bent over the work on his table.
The work on his table. Work. Table. Colm was actually working
on something!
The older man looked up then, and
Colm moved the watercolor painting onto a nearby
easel to dry. "Of course. Jerry specifically said
we had to work on this on our own time." He quickly cleared the table of
brushes and paints, then pulled out a large piece of drafting paper and laid it
on the angled tabletop. Armed with a pencil in one hand and a ruler in the
other, he set to work.
"Colm, you had all week! You waited until now
to do the whole thing?"
Colm glanced up and winked at him. "I was
…busy." He grinned, and then returned to his rapidly emerging drawing.
Kent felt a twinge of jealousy as he watched Colm's
hand moving in a blur, creating a perfectly drafted exterior layout on what
only minutes before had been completely blank paper. Kent knew himself to be a
brilliant designer, but he also knew what he was watching now was pure, simple
genius.
What a fucking turn-on.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Promptly at 6pm, a cackling laugh and the jingle of at least a dozen bracelets
announced the arrival of Katherine Bosatz, President
and CEO of Tenkai Associates.
All of the entries were set up in the client presentation room - Colm had ambled in the room at 5:45 with his completed
boards - and one by one the participating architects made their way into the
room. Heads were craning to see all the entries, and money passed hands
surreptitiously between several people. Kent made his way over to stand next to
Colm, who gave him a serene smile.
"Darlings, what a treat! What lovely work you
have all done." Katherine strolled along the line-up of easels and perused
each of the entries, occasionally moving in to examine a drawing more closely.
Everyone waited in silence, the only noise in the room coming from the clinking
of Katherine's bracelets and Jerry nervously tapping his pen on his clipboard.
She reached the end of the row and turned to face her captive audience,
clapping happily. "As I said, lovely work! This
only confirms to me that I have a killer staff of designers that will continue
to keep us on the cutting edge of architecture and engineering."
"However, I can't live in all these wonderful buildings. Well, I could,
but I'm sure Teddy wouldn't appreciate it and I'd like to keep him for
awhile." She perched on the edge of the large conference table. "I
would like to speak with Colm Sanderson and Kent
Neiman. The rest of you, thank you very much for your hard work."
Katherine grinned at Colm and Kent as the other
architects left the room. "Hmmm, somehow I knew that I would end up with
you two."
She walked over to Kent's display. The exterior of the house was a spectacular
mix of glass walls and patterned stainless steel, and afforded sweeping views
of the valley below it. "This is brilliant. Every exterior wall except the
back is glass, isn't it? And patterned concrete as well… very
nice. I would definitely enjoy the view in this house, you preserved
that beautifully. I like that you kept all the bedrooms and bathrooms clustered
in the center so that all the common rooms could have those amazing glass
walls." She looked over at the pen-and-ink rendering of the house and
commented, "This is definitely the sort of place that would elicit gasps
from visitors."
Kent shot Colm a look and smirked.
Katherine sashayed over to Colm's boards. "Now, Colm… I was wondering what you would do with my lovely
little patch of dirt, and you didn't disappoint me. Not one bit." She
tapped the elevation with a manicured fingernail. "You went right into the
side of the hill, you clever boy!"
Only the front of Colm's house was visible. Set right
into the hill itself, the single exterior wall followed the gentle curves of
the land, and was a mix of glass, fieldstone and oak timbers.
"I love how this goes right along with the curves of the hill. This is one
of those earth-sheltered houses, isn't it? Partially
underground?" She looked more closely at the elevation drawing of
the exterior. "Ah, you're using sun pipes to get extra light inside."
"Yes, those sun pipes provide an amazing amount of light," Colm responded, "and there's also passive solar with
radiant flooring for heat. You could even throw some wind turbines on the top
of that hill for your electricity. You chose the perfect site for this kind of
house, Katherine. I just couldn't resist."
"Oooh, and look at that flagstone patio in the
front there - I missed seeing that!" Katherine peered closer at the
rendering. "The front of it almost looks like the prow of a boat, sailing
into the valley," she murmured, then turned to smile at Colm. "I like that this design not only appreciates
the view, but actually becomes part of it. Not to mention that I can
lord it over the neighbors that the house is so wonderfully green."
Katherine ran a finger along the watercolor rendering, tracing the front of the
house where it undulated along the hillside. "This is beautiful, Colm. Simply beautiful. It's only
a drawing and yet it's welcoming me home already. This is the one I want."
She waggled a finger at Kent. "You. Over
here." When Kent arrived at her side she slung a bracelet-laden arm across
his shoulder and pointed at his boards. "This is pretty good, kiddo."
Kent snorted. "It's more than 'pretty good'. It's fucking amazing, and you
should have picked it." He gestured at his drawings. "This house will
get you a spread in Architectural Digest. That house? I'll admit it's brilliant work, but it will only get you into Mother
Earth News." His eyes met Colm's, chin
raised defiantly.
Colm simply smiled at him and executed a short bow.
"Why, thank you, Kent. I've always hoped that someday I would be featured
in that publication. One can only appear so many times in AD before it
gets… boring?" His returning gaze held pure amusement.
Katherine laughed. "Only you, Colm, would be
bored at the prospect of appearing in Architectural Digest for the tenth
time." She poked Kent with a ring-studded finger, ignoring his
open-mouthed surprise at her comment. "Kiddo, I'm going to let you in on a
secret. While I love seeing Tenkai projects receive
awards and magazine profiles, when it comes to my house, it's about being my home.
And that's why I chose Colm's design over
yours." She pointed again at his drawing. "Now, this… this
will be a - what did you call it, darling? - 'fucking amazing' vacation house
to build on a nice bit of oceanfront property Teddy and I just bought. A showcase where I can have important parties that impress
important people."
She gave him a toothy smile and slapped his back as she stepped away, her
bracelets jangling in accompaniment. "So, darlings, it seems you both
win. I get to live in Colm's house and show off
Kent's. How wonderful! Jerry, you'll handle all this as usual, won't you, dear?
Must go, I have to meet Teddy for dinner. Ta!" She floated out of the
room, and Jerry hurried behind, babbling about the irregularity of having two winners.
He yanked the door shut behind him, and Colm and Kent
were left alone in the conference room.
Colm went to his display and started to take the
stands apart. Kent remained where he was and watched the other man with
narrowed eyes. "Tenth time?"
Colm glanced back at him with a sheepish grin.
"Oh, yes. I do have a rather embarrassing accumulation of features in that
publication, and a few others."
"And awards?"
"Oh, those too. I store them in my office closet for the occasional client
who is persistent about seeing them. I'd much rather have my
Frank print on the wall. 'Fallingwater' is my
favorite of his works."
Kent just stared at Colm, not sure whether to shake
him or kiss him. This ridiculous, beautiful, brilliant man was baffling
and unpredictable, and that combination annoyed the shit out of him… and
aroused him too. "And you did all this at lunchtime today? But why?"
"Why did I put it off, or why don't I display my awards?"
"Both."
Colm set his boards down, and then sat on the table's
edge. He looked at Kent and smiled gently. "The awards?
Because they don't matter. I do this because I enjoy
it. It's like painting, but with concrete, wood, glass and steel instead of
brushes and tubes of paint. It will last, it will be lived in, and it will be
called 'home'. That's what matters to me."
He grasped one of Kent's hands and pulled the younger man in to stand between
his knees. "But it's quite all right that you like the challenge
and the competition. I don't think I've ever met someone so driven - to win, to
be the best - like you are, Kent." Fingertips ghosted over Kent's lower
lip, and Kent's breath hitched at the caress. "And I find that endlessly
…fascinating." Those same fingers drifted along his jaw, then curled
themselves around the back of his neck and pulled him close for a slow, deep
kiss. Kent closed his eyes, savoring the sensuous slide of Colm's
tongue in his mouth and the feel of those long fingers as they threaded through
his hair.
Colm pulled his head back and looked at Kent, desire
glittering in his soft brown eyes.
"Now, as to why I put things off… I wouldn't have been here late every
night if I had finished my design on Monday, now would I?" He grinned like
a mischievous boy. "I thought a little procrastination would give me a chance
to …get to know you better."
Kent snorted, and twisted his hands in blond hair to pull that smiling mouth to
his again. Colm pulled him closer, and a muffled moan
escaped Kent when his erection brushed against an equally hard bulge in Colm's trousers. Colm's mouth
left his to murmur, "You know, I don't think I've properly seen your
office yet. And I imagine that your drafting table is quite …empty
now."
fin
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