The Great Wall

by Z. Allora

  Strong, warm hands caressed his thighs. “You’re tense. Let me massage you so you can relax.” The words rolled off Jin’s tongue. “Lie down.”

  Jin moved to the end of the bed and began to perform some reflexology on Styx’s foot.

  “Oh.” Styx couldn’t stop the moan of pleasure. The guy was a master at massage. Jin’s touch was heavenly.

  He didn’t work all of Styx’s reflexology points, only the ones that seemed connected to his cock. He rubbed one foot, then the other sole, and kneaded his way to Styx’s calf muscles, then on to his knees. Behind his knees—oh hell!

  Amazing! He had to stop himself from stabbing his lower half into the air.

  Jin reached his thighs, and while Jin might not have meant for his massage to be a turn-on, it was. The vision of Jin taking Styx in his mouth like Indigo had with Li stuck like a golf tee in Styx’s brain.

  “Should I let you out of the belt?” Jin’s hand trailed along his thighs, teasing him.

  To answer, Styx spread his legs and tipped his hips upward.

  Jin pulled Styx’s thin sleep pants down his legs and skated his fingers around the rings securing Styx’s cock. Styx throbbed against the plastic circles, begging for release.

  “Please,” Styx groaned. The rings prevented an erection, but his nerve endings sang at Jin’s touches, and he wanted the whole melody.

  Jin pulled his necklace from inside his shirt. The belt’s key hung from the thin chain. It made Styx happy the key rested over Jin’s heart, linking them.

  Opening the lock, Jin slid the rods out and removed the rings one by one. As the circles of plastic slid off, Styx’s cock filled with blood. A final ring remained, preventing Styx from full erection. The plastic dug into his engorged shaft, a bite of pain mixed with his pleasure as Jin spun it slowly to Styx’s tip. Jin teased a finger through the wetness around the head before slipping the ring off.

  Finally, Styx was free.

  He gasped with relief. His cock slapped his belly.

  “Close your eyes.”

  Styx wanted to say no, but as always, he did what Jin asked. Jin tugged Styx’s cock, making his eyes pop open as he tried to sit.

  “Shhh, lie back down and close your eyes. I’ve got you.”

  His eyes slid shut. Something wet drizzled over his dick. Was it the oil on Jin’s night table? Styx kept finding out it wasn’t only to keep Jin’s hands soft for his clients. The scent of roses wafted through the room, and Jin spread the oil over Styx’s cock and then fastened his fist around Styx’s shaft and stroked upward, squeezing as he went. His fist descended to the root and he cupped Styx’s balls with his other hand.

  Styx should stop him, but it was the best thing he’d ever experienced in his life. The only thing that mattered was the person he loved the most making him tremble.

  He opened his eyelids to peek. The dancing, multicolored light coming from the performing arts building across the street painted Jin’s hair in a dozen colors. His reflection was gorgeous in each one.

  Jin focused on Styx and the task, but he must have sensed Styx’s stare. He lifted his gaze and caught Styx watching him. He beamed before returning his attention to the arousal, now beyond ready to explode.

  Ready to explode? Make that coming!

  Styx’s pleasure radiated through his core, and cum raced out of his cock. He grunted painting ribbons of his release across his chest. It dribbled onto Jin’s tight fist. Jin stroked him through the pleasure until Styx sagged with blissful relief.

  Styx started to move, but Jin rested a hand on his chest.

  “Please.” Jin held him down. “Close your eyes.”

  Before he accomplished what was asked, Jin pulled his thin cock out of his pants and stroked his shaft. Jin’s was the first cock he’d seen other than his own. It was smaller than his but much prettier. Although everything about Jin was lovely, it made sense his cock would be too.

  Styx yearned to touch and kiss it, but he didn’t get the chance. Within a few strokes, Jin grunted and shot off. His cum spattered the floor and bedspread in front of him as he sighed.

  He used a gentle hand on Styx’s chest to push him into the mattress. “Stay.”

  Jin scurried to their bathroom and returned with a warm, wet towel. He cleaned Styx’s chest and cock, which tried its best to harden back up. He wiped the mess off the floor and bedcover. He dropped the towel on the nightstand and grabbed the chastity belt pieces.

  Without a word from either of them, Jin replaced the device. When it was time to attach the lock, Styx handed it over. He didn’t think twice about surrendering his freedom to Jin.

  The lock’s loud click echoed in their quiet room.

  A promise.

  Jin would be there to unlock him.

  Chapter 6

  “DAMN, YOU two can play.” Indigo stood in the doorway of the room they used to play in and interrupted Styx’s contentment. His dark hair was tousled, and he was pulling on one of his concert T-shirts that seemed a size too small. When the clinging shirt that showed off his toned torso was in place, Indigo rested a forearm on the door and stared into the room.

  “I’m sorry. We didn’t think you would be home.” Jin’s guitar was plugged into the amplifier, the volume set to low, but Styx’s drums were barely muffled.

  The guys had moved in over a week ago, but neither of them had gotten jobs yet, though they went out early each day and didn’t return until evening.

  “No worries.” Indigo gestured for them to play again.

  Jin suggested, “The new one?”

  Styx nodded to Jin and started playing an older American rock song. Indigo knew it and he mouthed the words.

  Once they’d finished, Indigo shouted, “You guys rock, Blondie! Impressive, Styx.”

  Styx wasn’t crazy about Indigo adopting a nickname for Jin.

  Jin waved off the compliment. “Nah, we’re just playing around.”

  “Don’t the neighbors bitch?”

  Jin cocked his head. “Why?”

  “’Cause of the noise.” Indigo peered around as if irate people were going to jump out of the walls.

  “There’s almost a meter of concrete and insulation between us and the neighbors. And my uncle put in triple glass windows with some sort of special gas that keeps the noise out.” Jin grinned. “Or in.”

  “Oh, sweet. That’s like, what, about a yard of concrete? Nice.” Indigo put his hands on his hips. “Blondie, you and Styx sound better than most bands, and you don’t even have vocals to hide behind.”

  Li had mentioned in passing that Indigo’s dad was someone in the music business. Apparently, Indigo had been offered places in several bands, but he chose to come to China… for Li. The loyalty made Styx like the guy, almost. But Indigo needed to stop with the nicknames.

  His name is Jin.

  “Hey, mind if I play with you?” Indigo ran a hand through his hair.

  “Sure, come on. We hear you’re okay,” Styx understated, hoping to annoy him.

  Li had shared with them that Indigo had been composing since he was a teenager. He appeared to care only about a good time, but when it came to music, Li said Indigo was dead serious.

  “That’s hearsay. I’m awesome.” Indigo winked. “Let me get my keyboard.” He dashed off, and there seemed to be no stopping him.

  Jin’s smile made his eyes sparkle in excitement. Styx returned a grin as he tapped out a light beat on the snare, sounding like a ticking clock, to make Jin snort.

  Over the past week, they’d gleaned bits of information about what had happened in Shanghai. Indigo and Li had played in a band together. Indigo had gotten into a fight with another member of the band, and they’d come here to avoid further confrontation.

  Once Indigo was set up, he asked, “Do you know this one?” His fingers danced over his fancy keyboards.

  As soon as the first few notes were out, Jin and Styx joined him in playing the popular rock song from the ’90s.

  Indigo grinned at them.
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  Styx had to admit the guy knew how to play, and his style blended well with theirs. He visualized the beat of his drums and the notes made by the guitar and keyboard as if they were physical. Their music blended deep in his bones to become a part of him.

  After three songs, Indigo paused. “Where did you guys learn to play?”

  Jin smiled. “In our hometown there was an instrument shop. We helped out in exchange for lessons.”

  “And pork buns.” Styx’s mouth watered at the thought of the perfection no one in Suzhou came close to matching.

  “Oh yeah. The wife made these pork buns. They melted in your mouth.” Jin sighed as if he too remembered the taste.

  Indigo nodded at Jin before turning to Styx. “Have you guys ever played in a band before?”

  Styx laughed at Indigo. “Yeah, right!”

  “What? I’m serious. You guys are talented.” Indigo seemed annoyed at having his sincerity questioned.

  Even though Styx doubted Indigo’s words, he wondered why the guy would bother to lie to make them feel better. He’d have taken great pleasure in telling them they sucked.

  Styx shrugged. “I’ve always loved the drums. I used chopsticks until I saved enough yuan for a set of sticks and drummed on everything—”

  “Until his mother took them away and chopped them in half with a cleaver,” Jin added, but he left out she’d told him to stop entertaining meaningless dreams, to grow up and make enough money to marry and do right by his family.

  “Harsh.” Indigo shook his head.

  Styx didn’t need sympathy. “As soon as I could, I bought another pair and kept them hidden.”

  “You two are good,” Indigo muttered as he fussed with his keyboard wires.

  Jin shrugged. “Our teacher taught us to hear the music. Does that make any sense?”

  “Yeah, yeah, definitely.” Indigo’s whole demeanor changed when he talked about music. Styx wasn’t sure who stole their snarky, too-good-for-locals roommate and gave them this guy, but he hoped this earnest Indigo stayed.

  Jin grinned at them both.

  Indigo asked, “Do you have perfect pitch?”

  “Huh?” Jin asked.

  “Were you ear trained?” Indigo asked as if he knew the answer. “Never mind. There’s no way you weren’t. I’ve taken several master classes, and you guys play by ear.” Li had said Indigo had been playing music since he was a toddler and grew up in the glitzy LA music scene, so Styx guessed the guy spoke from experience.

  Jin tilted his head to the side and glanced at Styx, as if to ask what Indigo rambled about now.

  A bit frustrated, Indigo asked, “Can you sing a B flat?”

  Jin darted a look to Styx and sang the note. If that’s what Indigo asked about, of course they knew exactly what each note sounded like, tasted like, felt like. They’d spent years of their life absorbing each note of music. The old man drilled the sound into their brains.

  Indigo glanced over at Styx. “Do you hear sheet music mentally? You know, in the correct key?”

  Was this guy an idiot? “Well, of course. Why would I hear it in the wrong key?” Styx shook his head and turned toward Jin, who shared a smile.

  Indigo’s eyes flashed with excitement as he pulled out his phone and started texting. Within a minute, his smartphone rang.

  “Li! I found our band!”

  Jin glanced from his guitar to Styx and then darted his gaze over Indigo and returned his attention to Styx. Styx scowled in confusion to answer Jin’s silent question. They both turned to listen to Indigo’s conversation, hoping for a clue, but now he rambled in English like he always did when excited or angry. Li was fluent, but Indigo spoke too fast for Jin or Styx to understand much of what he said.

  Styx smirked at Jin. “We should learn more English. Maybe it would help understanding the foreigner.”

  Indigo’s scrunched face told Styx the guy heard him, and that made Styx laugh harder.

  Jin nodded. “He keeps telling Li we’re accomplished musicians and need to find something. He wants Li to ask his uncle… something… but that’s all I can get.” He frowned as he stared at Styx, but when their eyes met, it was like Jin couldn’t help but smile, and that warmed Styx from the inside.

  Indigo finally ended the call. He smiled smugly at them like he had a big secret. “I don’t know how much you caught, but I—we—Li and I want you to join our band.”

  “What band?”

  “Our band!” Indigo gestured to them.

  Styx stuck with taking this as a joke, so he snorted. “Are you going to punch one of us in the face?”

  “Is that something you feel you need?” Indigo’s abrupt barking laughter surprised them. “Look, dude, the fucker I nailed had it coming. He hit on my man.”

  “On Li?” Jin leaned in as he asked.

  Indigo nodded. “Anson didn’t take no for an answer. My fist simply invited him to learn the rule: no means no.”

  Jin asked, “Why did you guys never say much about your band?”

  “Ha! Not much of a band. Other than Li, none of the guys could play their way out of a paper bag.”

  “Paper bag?” Styx mouthed as he cocked his head in confusion.

  Jin shrugged with a grin.

  Watching the byplay, Indigo laughed. “I mean they sucked. And not in a good way.”

  “Huh?” Styx’s mouth dropped open completely baffled.

  Indigo laughed again. “It’s funny. I’m speaking Mandarin, but you guys really don’t understand me.”

  Styx shook his head, and Jin shrugged.

  “I mean the other guys didn’t play well and didn’t want to practice to get any better.” Indigo translated Indigo-speak for them.

  “Oh,” Jin replied for both of them.

  Why didn’t he just say that?

  “Li’s uncle said you guys played, but we’d never heard you. I figured if you were for real, you’d play ’cause you needed to play.”

  “We weren’t aware you were searching for band members,” Styx said. He’d figured after the trouble Indigo got into, they’d try to keep a low profile. “Not that I’m talented enough for a band. Jin is awesome, though.”

  “Dude, you wailed.” Indigo frowned at their blank expressions and tried again, speaking slowly and enunciating each word in perfect Mandarin. “You guys have skills. You are both talented.”

  “Please, you don’t have to say that.” Jin adjusted his strings in an effort to hide his pink cheeks.

  Indigo returned to his keyboard and fingered a few notes. “Hey, Li’s uncle Tai-hua says he has some friends in Suzhou and they need a band. You guys up for that?”

  Jin frowned. “Indi, we’ve never played in front of anyone, unless you count the people who listened to us practice in the shop.”

  “I don’t care. Question is, are you up for it?” Indigo grinned as if he’d told a joke, before he rephrased the question. “Do you want to be in a band?”

  “Hell yes!” Styx’s words surprised him, but he’d always wanted to play music with Jin. The music freed him and allowed him to enter another plane of existence.

  Jin stared at Styx for a moment and smiled at Indigo. “Who doesn’t want to be in a band?”

  The three of them spent the afternoon playing. They did all the rock-and-roll classics and finished with music from the Dark Angels’ last album. The band’s drummer, Dusty Davis, had laid down amazing beats. Styx never expected to be that adept, but he hoped, with practice, he’d do the songs justice.

  “We’re going places!” Indigo exclaimed when Li arrived.

  Jin stared at Styx with a tilted head. “Where? Isn’t it my turn to cook?”

  Styx shrugged as Indigo chortled and danced with Li in some kind of sexy grind, which sent them to the bedroom within minutes… and had Styx wishing he had the key to his belt.

  Jin’s heated stare made him tremble with anticipation of what bedtime might bring.

  AFTER A week with no news on an opening for a band, Indigo announce
d, “I finally got the version of Queer as Folk with Chinese subtitles.” He waved a DVD box around as if that should mean something to them.

  “What’s that?” Jin slid over for a closer gander.

  “Is that—” Li pointed with a smile as he stopped midway to grab the box.

  Indigo grinned. “Yup!”

  “I learned English for that television show.” Li shook his head with a rueful smile.

  Indigo frowned. “I thought you learned English for me.”

  Jin arched an eyebrow. “It’s that good?”

  Li waved Indigo off and answered Jin. “Yeah.”

  Indigo’s eyes sparkled. “My dad sent it over. You guys want to watch the show with us?”

  Indigo’s wicked smile sent a flutter of worry through Styx’s stomach. He was missing something. Before answering, he studied Jin and Li.

  Li shrugged. “I’ve seen some of the seasons. It’s like nothing you’d have seen here. It would be considered yellow. Beyond yellow.”

  “Yellow?” Jin eyed the box with renewed interest. “Really?”

  Styx took a step closer.

  “What’s yellow?” Indigo asked, reminding everyone he wasn’t from China. He didn’t have a clue on Chinese slang.

  “Like porn,” Li explained.

  “Porn? This?” Indigo’s tone implied he didn’t agree with the categorization.

  “Yellow?” Styx choked on the idea. Except for a few times, he’d never seen anything remotely yellow, even on the internet. Naked girls didn’t do it for him. He prepared to make his excuses.

  Jin peered at the DVDs. “But there aren’t any women on the box.”

  Indigo laughed. “Women? Why would there be women on this box?”

  “Tsk, come on.” Li tried to contain Indigo’s teasing, but Styx was missing the joke.

  “Do you guys want to watch with us?” Indigo slung his arm around Li and pulled him close.

  Li melted into Indigo as if he were part of him. Maybe Styx’s shocked expression registered with Li because he pushed away from Indigo.

  “Sure, we’ll watch some. Won’t we, Styx?” Jin was always the peacemaker. It was a bad idea, but Styx settled on the couch next to Jin.