The Great Wall

by Z. Allora

  Jin stroked his cock slowly, as if riding the edge of orgasm. “Then kiss me.”

  Styx barely heard Jin’s whisper over his rapid heartbeat. Maybe he could have what he wanted desperately, if only for a little while.

  This was it. He needed to do this. Styx tugged Jin’s lips down to his and finally he took his second chance.

  His lips crashed into Jin’s. He kissed with all the years of denial he’d bottled up inside. All the longing and need he had tried to contain turned into a sloppy mess of tongues and lips.

  Styx licked into Jin’s mouth. The minty freshness was the sexiest thing he’d ever tasted.

  Jin’s soft moan caused an earthquake of emotions.

  Styx wasn’t sure what he was doing, but he wanted more. Focusing on making Jin whimper made Styx’s cock attempt to break free of the rings’ secure grasp.

  The kiss was much better than he’d imagined. It was like their souls were reunited after eons and were finally merged back together. A sense of deep belonging and happiness seeped into every part of Styx.

  Jin’s hand slipped under Styx’s hair and pulled him deeper into the kiss. Styx followed Jin’s rhythm. He may have been inexperienced at kissing, but the glide of Jin’s lips on his was complete perfection.

  Elation exploded within Styx’s heart. Their lips slowed and changed into something too sweet to last. Their bodies shifted and rolled toward the center of the mattress.

  Jin pulled back, allowing them both to suck air into their lungs.

  Styx wanted to protest, but Jin wrapped his leg around Styx’s hip and hauled their bodies closer together. He enjoyed the position though he pouted at the loss of Jin’s mouth on his. Who needed to breathe?

  “Shhh, was that bad?” Jin stared into his eyes.

  Jun Tai emerged for a moment and wanted to lie and say it was terrible to reestablish the wall between them. Instead Styx forcefully shoved Jun Tai’s voice down. Styx wasn’t brave enough to admit the soul-fulfilling kiss was fantastic aloud, so he nodded.

  Jin grinned in triumph. “See. Told you, you could do it.”

  That sounded exactly like the numerous other I told you so’s throughout their friendship. It comforted Styx that while their kiss altered his world forever, some things between them would remain exactly the same.

  Styx threw caution to the wind and gave a command of his own. “Hush. Kiss me.”

  “Oh, demanding now, are we?” Jin’s eyes sparkled.

  There was far too much talking and not enough kissing. “Yeah, I am. Now use your lips for kissing me.”

  Jin grinned. His long eyelashes fluttered.

  Growling, Styx covered that teasing mouth and swallowed Jin’s laughter until the sound morphed into a groan of pleasure. Styx skimmed his hand down Jin’s body to rest on his lower back.

  He was getting the hang of this kissing business.

  Jin’s hips against his caged cock made Styx ache to be free, but even more than release from chastity, he wanted to kiss Jin forever.

  Styx skimmed his hands over the smooth skin of Jin’s lower back. It was like fine silk, and yoga had defined his torso. His hard muscles shifted beneath Styx’s fingers as Styx traced the curve of Jin’s ass.

  After years of fascination, he finally touched it.

  Moaning into the kiss, Jin moved his naked lower half against Styx, tormenting him with want.

  Jin swore quietly. He shifted back to take the key from around his neck.

  Styx pushed down his sleep pants and kicked them to the edge of the bed.

  Unlocking the device, Jin freed Styx’s imprisoned cock.

  All the need rushed through him, making Styx fully erect in seconds. “Fuck!”

  The chastity rings were abandoned, and Jin demanded, “Come here.”

  His pale pink mouth captured Styx’s. When Jin sucked his tongue, electricity shot through Styx’s body to his overstimulated cock. The natural movements of their bodies against each other provided friction, building to a swift climax.

  Jin held his breath and then exhaled in a long grunt. He pressed his mouth to Styx’s.

  The wet heat of Jin’s climax set Styx off. He grabbed Jin’s ass and, without any rhythm, thrust himself to heaven, kissing Jin as if his life depended on the touch.

  Styx didn’t stop kissing Jin even after he added his own essence to the sticky mess between them. He couldn’t. And he wouldn’t until he was forced to stop.

  On and on he slid his lips against Jin’s, grinding their hips to the rhythm of their kisses. Jin’s hands gripped his ass, and those long fingers held his asscheeks apart. He couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like for Jin to be with him in that way. Styx didn’t say anything because he wasn’t sure, but he thought he might like it.

  He stayed wrapped around Jin as they stared into each other’s eyes, exchanging soft wet kisses. No words were needed. This was everything Styx had ever wanted.

  Sooner than Styx believed possible, Jin began rubbing their new erections against each other, and all coherent thought vanished.

  They gasped between kisses, closer to heaven with every roll of their hips. The result of their last climax eased the friction, allowing their cocks to glide together. Styx burned with need as he moved against Jin, no longer a witness but an active participant.

  Styx gasped. “Jin, come on.”

  “So, close, Styx. You ready?” Jin’s husky voice dripped sex.

  Styx struggled to get out a word before it was too late. “Coming.”

  “Yeah,” Jin groaned.

  A few thrusts later, Jin trembled in his embrace. The reality of Jin coming apart in his arms made Styx shiver with almost as much pleasure as his own climax had given him. They pressed their mouths together for another minute or two before he snuggled into Jin’s neck.

  He’d begun drifting off when Jin roused him. “Hey, we’re a mess.”

  “You think?” Styx inspected the sticky evidence of their passion. They were covered in each other. One glance at Jin and Styx started to laugh. “Well, it is your fault.”

  “My fault! Half of it’s yours.” Jin laughed with him.

  “Whatever.” Styx rolled onto Jin’s body, and Jin’s arms encircled him, making him feel safe, protected, and above all, loved.

  Jin tipped his head up, inviting a kiss. What would have been scaling a mountain last night was perfect right now.

  He gently kissed Jin, trying not to arouse either of them, and then rose from the bed to take a shower.

  Styx tried to pinpoint his mood. His body felt amazing, and his heart was full to bursting, but despair crept in to steal his happiness. He no longer believed what society had mandated. His love for Jin was only wrong because their relationship would have to end and he didn’t want to hurt Jin.

  The last bits of his resistance that used to rip him apart over his feelings toward Jin had evaporated over the last couple of weeks. Maybe it was spending time with other men like him, or maybe it was that Jin wanted a relationship with him.

  Styx wasn’t sure. He stepped under the scalding water and heard the door slide open.

  Jin stepped in like it was the most natural thing in the world. Clearly, he had no intention of letting Styx backpedal from the intimacies they’d shared.

  Without asking, Jin adjusted the water temperature and grabbed the shampoo. He washed his hair methodically until he realized Styx had frozen to stare at him.

  “What?” Jin grinned and stopped midscrub.

  Styx shook his head. He didn’t have words, but Jin touched Styx’s shoulder, releasing him from temporary paralysis. Grabbing the shampoo, Styx washed his hair, still fascinated with Jin.

  Without apparent self-consciousness, Jin rinsed his hair before he bent to grab the soap.

  When Styx stepped under the spray, Jin pushed him face-first against the wall. Only Styx’s hand supported him away from the cold, wet tile.

  Jin ran hands filled with bubbles along the curve of Styx’s spine down to his ass. Grazing fi
ngers along Styx’s crease made him push his ass out. He allowed a few delicious, soapy swipes before he turned to face Jin.

  Continuing the shower, Jin rubbed his chest before moving to Styx’s hardening cock, then pulled bubbles over Styx’s cock as if climbing a rope. He slid his hands, one after the other, up and off Styx’s shaft, only to grasp the base and repeat the process until Styx was breathless. Strong, sure hands pressed their cocks together and stroked.

  “Oh.” Stars danced as Styx gazed into Jin’s hooded eyes. He bit his lip to stop himself from begging for more.

  “Mm,” Jin moaned as his hands worked them in tandem. Leaning into Styx, he licked his tongue over Styx’s mouth.

  He parted his lips and allowed Jin to dart his tongue forward.

  Their lower bodies sped up and their tongues worked deeper, as if the action would hold them at this plateau forever.

  Forever came too soon. They cried out their relief.

  Styx dropped his forehead to Jin’s neck and caught his breath. Long minutes passed, but still barely capable of standing, Styx leaned against the shower wall.

  Jin appeared dazed but content. “You know something?”

  “What?” Styx tilted his head to study his sexy shower mate.

  “That was by far the best shower I’ve ever had.”

  The sound of Jin’s happy laughter melted Styx’s remaining resolve.

  How could he live without waking to an armful of Jin, now that his wildest dreams had come true?

  Chapter 8

  “HEY, GUYS, are you home?” Li’s excited voice rang through the apartment as he stomped through the front door.

  Styx stepped away from preparing dinner, and Jin emerged from their bedroom. He’d been sleeping in preparation for the late shift. Styx tried not to imagine the activities Jin’s VIP clients would expect, and he almost succeeded.

  “Where’s Indi?” Li frowned in disappointment.

  As if on cue, Indigo strolled in from the balcony, a smile lighting his face upon seeing Li. “You must have walked home from the other direction. I didn’t see you come down Ling Long Street.”

  The pair fell into an embrace and kissed in greeting.

  Seeing Li and Indigo’s affection made Styx’s heart hurt. It looked so easy. He longed to have such ease of expression.

  When Indigo would have deepened the kiss and dragged his lover into their bedroom, Li stopped him. “Later, Indi.”

  “But I’ve missed you,” Indigo pleaded, batting his eyelashes.

  Li granted a small kiss to appease the pouting Indigo. “I’ve got news. I spoke to Uncle Tai-hua today, and one of his friends had a lead on a place in need of a band.”

  They’d heard this before, but nothing had panned out.

  “A band?” Jin’s gray eyes sparkled.

  “Yeah. And, well, some waiters too. But we’d be expected to work a shift as waiters for six hours and play for three hours.”

  “Waiters? As in, wait tables?” Indigo’s tone indicated the service industry was beneath him.

  Li grinned. “Yes, as in servers at a restaurant.”

  Indigo frowned. “You want to wait tables?”

  “No, I want to play music, and this might be how to get back to that. Nothing else has worked out.”

  Jin’s excitement was contagious. Styx couldn’t help but hope maybe this might be a step in the right direction.

  Li shook his head at Indigo before turning to Jin and Styx. “The job’s ours if we want it. What do you guys think?”

  “Just a reminder, guys, we’ve never played in front of a real audience before.” Excitement at the prospect bled through Jin’s words.

  Indigo snorted. “As if that should matter. How big is the room?”

  “Capacity is one fifty, but the crowd usually only reaches fifty, maybe sixty on a busy night.” Li turned to Styx. “This is a decent venue for you both to get some experience. Is it something you want?”

  Jin met Styx’s gaze. A silent communication passed between them. No words needed. Styx might be able to justify staying in Suzhou if the band was successful.

  He and Jin both nodded. This was beyond any dream Styx had ever had. Them playing with a real band?

  The restaurant would pay him to play music. Granted, he’d be a waiter too, but he might even make tips. If foreigners hung out at this restaurant bar, he’d heard they tipped their waiters. At the spa, the expats usually gave extra money to the therapists, the stylists, and some even to the shampoo girls until they adopted the local custom of not tipping.

  “Where is this palace? Who’ll allow us to play music if we toil in their dining room?” Indigo rolled his eyes.

  “That’s what’s awesome.” Li bounced over to the balcony doors and opened the curtains. “Right there! Across the street.”

  The performing arts center across the street made this apartment complex attractive to investors like Jin’s uncle. The building housed several venues, including a movie cinema with an IMAX screen, and many restaurants were in its shadow.

  “Well, the Biergarten has a ton of foreign customers, including a number of tour groups,” Indigo pointed out as he joined Li staring at the neon building.

  “We’ve never eaten there,” Indigo said, as if the food mattered to anyone.

  “Styx and I got a beer at the restaurant once.” Jin’s smile widened. “But like we told you, the band was terrible. We left before Styx could go explain to the drummer where the beat in the song was supposed to be.”

  Styx shook his head. “Oh, come on. That guy should have been arrested for the way he abused the drums.”

  Li and Jin chuckled.

  Indigo shook his head and frowned. “I think people should have to have a license to play music.”

  Finding Indigo sympathetic to his plight, Styx finished the tale. “Seriously, Indi. They’d play a song, and no one could identify it. No one. The music all sounded the same, and their accents were so heavy you weren’t able to figure out what the lyrics were!”

  Indigo exhaled in disgust, as if he’d decided it was his duty to save Suzhou’s population from hearing such trash. “When do we start?”

  Li said, “They want us to start officially after National Day.”

  “National Day?” Indigo asked.

  “Yeah, it’s the first three days in October. Usually you work the weekend before, which allows you to take the entire week off,” Jin explained.

  Indigo’s face screwed up in disgust. “You work extra to take time off for the holiday? That sounds like a great deal… not!”

  “Well, since you aren’t currently working, you don’t have to worry about the extra days.” Li smirked.

  “True.” Indigo turned his focus on Jin and Styx. “Did you tell them about the wedding?”

  Indigo fussed with Li’s hair before tucking a hunk behind one ear.

  “No. Not yet.” Li pulled his gaze from Indigo and looked at Jin and Styx. “My uncle wants us all to go to a wedding in Beijing. He’s covering the costs. Would you guys be interested? It’s over the holiday, and we’d be taking the night train.”

  “To Beijing?” Jin glowed with excitement.

  “Yeah, a friend of his is getting married.” Li nodded.

  “Some friend!” Indigo snorted.

  Styx didn’t know Li’s uncle or this friend, but Indigo certainly didn’t like the friend.

  Li ignored Indigo’s outburst. “He wants to do this to thank you for letting us stay here. And, Jin, your uncle Bao-zhi is going as well.”

  Jin excitedly glanced at Styx and then answered for both of them. “We’d love to go.”

  Indigo stared out the sliding glass door at the restaurant and said nothing more.

  LATER THAT night, Styx no longer contained the question. “You gonna quit the spa?”

  Jin must have heard the hope in his voice, because his expression softened. Perhaps he understood what a sore point it had become. They never discussed Jin’s work.

  Styx blocked out the
details of Jin’s job because the acknowledgment would have mangled his heart further. It distressed him hearing Jin mention touching other guys… relaxing muscles… all their muscles.

  “Well, as soon as we know the job will work out.”

  “You aren’t quitting?” Styx’s voice was louder than he intended.

  Jin reached out to settle a lock of hair behind Styx’s ear. “We can’t quit right away. We have to give notice.”

  Styx jerked away from Jin and his damned reasonable thought processes. He sat on the window seat and brooded at the lake and the neon lights already starting to glow.

  Jin nudged Styx across the cold marble window seat to make room.

  As Jin nestled behind him, Styx sighed. He couldn’t help himself. “I hate it.”

  “I know. As soon as we’re settled, I’ll quit.”

  Styx didn’t understand why Jin was waiting, but he’d take anything. “You promise?”

  Jin whispered in his ear, “Yeah, and you know what else?”

  “What?” Styx needed to pull the pout out of his voice. Sounding like Indigo wasn’t even close to acceptable.

  Jin’s long-fingered hands skimmed over Styx’s body, stopping to cup his imprisoned sex. “The next few episodes of Queer as Folk are exciting.” The word “exciting” came out all hot and dirty. “So, you should….” Jin placed a kiss below Styx’s ear, provoking a shiver of pure lust. “You should watch them. I’ll be home before you finish the disc.”

  Styx stared at him helplessly. “Promise.”

  Anyone else would simply quit. It happened all the time, but Jin wouldn’t just skip out on his boss. He was too damned responsible to forego the security of a job.

  Jin kissed his cheek. “As soon as we see waiting tables will work out, I’ll quit. And I promise you’ll enjoy the next few episodes of the show.” Jin’s mouth trailed across Styx’s chin to his neck. “And when I get back….”

  The warm hand resting over Styx’s shaft squeezed, promising to make good Jin’s intentions.

  “HEY, YOU want to watch another episode of Queer as Folk?” Li asked when Styx wandered into the kitchen.