by Z. Allora
“Orgasm,” Indigo added, batting his eyelashes as if he were innocent.
“Can you let them alone, Indi?” Li asked in annoyance. “Sorry, guys,” he said as he pulled Indigo out by his hair.
“Ouch. Damn, Li. You’re rough.” Indigo’s voice dropped to a whimpering purr.
“And you love it,” Li stated.
Indigo huffed. “True, but don’t rough me up and leave me high and dry.”
Jin softly kissed Styx on the cheek. “We have to get dressed.”
Styx nodded at the chastity belt currently on display next to the pillow. Surely Indigo and Li had figured out what the rings were, but he was thankful neither commented on it.
Jin followed his eyes. “We’ll put this on later, okay?”
Styx almost protested but nodded agreement. Jin gathered and wrapped the pieces in his sleepwear.
They stood, and with the use of the draped blanket, grabbed their clothing and got dressed in semiprivacy by twisting and turning. Indigo seemed too involved in enumerating to Li why Tian Di was a diva who didn’t deserve Li’s respect to pay attention to them dressing.
When the train rumbled into the station, they were packed and ready to go.
Chapter 12
STYX TRIED to put what happened last night, and what almost repeated this morning on the train, out of his mind. Though catching Jin stealing glances in his direction wasn’t helping. Each time their eyes met, Jin gave a sexy little smile, which made Styx’s pants way too tight.
Li’s uncle had arranged for a van and driver to take them to the Great Wall right after they checked in to the hotel. Tai-hua refused to let them go to the closest section of the Great Wall at Balding, proclaiming that section of the Wall a tourist trap. There had been no time to do more than set their bags in the hotel room. They left immediately.
What did Styx know about tourist traps? He’d never been anywhere. Even painfully erect, he jumped into the MPV Tai-hua had arranged and now sped off to a well-preserved section of the Great Wall.
Li asked, “So in America an MPV is an SUV?”
Styx didn’t hear the answer because he sat very close to Jin in the far back seat. He tried to ignore Jin’s thigh rubbing and pressing against his, turning him on even more.
Styx felt naked and on display without his plastic circles to control his cock. He still dealt with unresolved arousal from the train, and now, much to his embarrassment, his cock tented his pants.
He wasn’t used to being free to have erections. His cock took full advantage of the situation by staying completely hard. He kept adjusting how he positioned himself to no avail. Each time, his staff throbbed, begging for the release it believed currently available.
“We’ll have to take care of that when we get back,” Jin teased, tracing his hand over the bulge. “And this.” He uncrossed his legs, showing Styx he wasn’t alone in having an unruly erection.
The MPV crashed over another bump in the road. Styx whimpered as his tip pushed and rubbed against his pants, exciting him further.
“Enjoying the bumps?” Jin asked with a smirk.
Wanting desperately to say something clever, Styx opened his mouth only to bite his lip as they bounced over another pothole, forcing a zing of pleasure through him. Jin grabbed Styx’s thigh to spread his legs open, allowing the movement of the vehicle to be experienced to a greater degree. Another bump came and Styx moved with it.
“Did you like what I did last night?” Jin’s breath tantalized Styx’s ear, furthering his arousal.
Styx swallowed hard and nodded.
Jin whispered, “You like getting sucked off on a train?”
Groaning before admitting it, Styx replied, “You know I, um, did.” The vehicle turned down a two-lane road riddled with potholes. Styx’s will to fight the mounting gratification dwindled fast.
He bit back a groan as Jin’s delicate hand slid closer to where Styx needed it to be. Not quite there yet.
He became aware of his environment. Li and Indigo were fighting like an old married couple about Tian Di. The driver spoke into his cell phone as he sped along the bumpy road.
Styx could orgasm and no one but Jin would know. Of course, his pants would be a mess, but he could spill some soda on himself or something. Oh, by all things holy, he wanted release. He wanted to come right in the MPV.
Jin’s wicked fingers traced dizzying patterns along his inner thigh. The driver couldn’t have hit more holes if he tried. The bouncing pulled Styx out of his seat and slammed him back down, causing his pants to keep giving him a delightful massage, nudging him closer to the edge.
Breathless with excitement, he decided he was going to do it. Jin was right next to him, encouraging him to let go. Another bump made his pants give him another delicious rub. The bulge in Jin’s pants suggested he might lose it too. It was all too much.
Styx no longer wanted to contain himself. He decided on the next dip in the road he’d shoot off. No one would be the wiser.
He slammed his eyes shut as he waited for the intense waves of relief that would come with the next bump. Nothing! No pothole came to force him to shatter.
Styx exhaled in frustration, and he opened his eyes. They’d completed the ninety-minute drive outside of the city center into a mountainous area of Mutianyu.
No more tantalizing bounces. The van rolled to a stop at the gate. Disappointment swamped him. The frustration made him achy and tense.
Jin leaned in to him and whispered, “I know. Me too. But later will be incredible.”
Styx closed his eyes. If I live that long.
The driver paid the gate attendant and turned into the almost empty parking lot.
Jin called out, “Look!” He pointed to the top of the tree-covered mountain to the Wall snaking around across the pinnacle.
Styx realized he’d live, but it would be a long day, though Jin’s excitement rubbed off on him. The Great Wall was an impressive structure.
Piling out of the vehicle, Li informed them, “My uncle gave us tickets for admission, the chairlift up, and the slide down.”
“Slide down?” Styx asked as they hiked the stone path.
Indigo laughed. “Yup, just like our ancestors intended, we can slide down the Great Wall.”
“What?” Once again, the American made no sense. Styx turned to Li, their Indigo translator, for clarification. “What’s he talking about?”
“There’s an alpine slide to come back down. Or you can take the chairlift down.”
“We aren’t going to walk up?” Jin stopped perusing at the souvenir stalls they passed and pulled his attention back to the conversation, away from the T-shirts and knickknacks.
Indigo scoffed. “And kill three hours dragging all you slugs uphill? I already did the gym this week. Besides, there’s other things to see in Beijing, and trudging up a blacktop path in a forest isn’t one of them. But I will say I didn’t think to ever see blue skies again.”
Styx tilted his head back. Wow. The sky was cloudless and looked like an artist painted it with the purest blue available. There were many coal-burning factories in his hometown, so he’d grown used to the gray skies. He took a deep breath and could almost feel the oxygen hit his system.
After a minute, Indigo impatiently asked, “Where are the bathrooms?”
Jin pointed out the sign for the restrooms.
Indigo thanked him and went in that direction. The guy always had to go. Or maybe the mirrors drew him in, giving him the opportunity to check his perfect hair. Styx chuckled to himself.
Before following Indigo, Li mentioned, “There are no bathrooms on top.”
Styx laughed with Jin. “Li is too American from all of his trips there.”
Jin knocked into his shoulder and shared the laugh. Once Indigo and Li returned, they climbed the steps to the chairlift, passing the more aggressive hawkers trying to get customers to purchase useless items.
“These are like ski lift chairs. Just sit down on it.” Indigo and Li demonstrate
d first. They sat down, pulled the bar down, and were swept up the mountain.
Nervous anticipation raced through Styx as he stood with Jin on the yellow line. They sat when the chair hit the back of their knees. The bar came down, and then they were gliding toward the Wall.
“Look!” Jin pointed and snapped pictures with his phone. They didn’t have to hide their excitement from each other. Neither had done anything this cool. Ever.
“Incredible,” Jin said with awe.
Ignoring that the ground was way, way, way far below them, Styx followed Jin’s gaze up to the Great Wall. The colossal stone wall snaked as far as the eye could see to the left. But the right-hand section had an unpreserved part, crumbling and in disrepair.
The shared experience made him reach out to cover Jin’s hand with his own. “It is amazing.”
The touch made Jin turn toward him and move a little closer. Styx enjoyed the sensation of their thighs touching. His frustration rode him hard, but Jin’s happiness made his heart expand until everything else was just noise. He squeezed Jin’s hand before pulling out his phone to snap some of his own pictures. Styx captured several shots of the two of them, heads together, grinning and flashing the peace sign.
Once the ride ended, they trudged up a few staircases without railings. Indigo commented, as he usually did, on the lack of Western standard safety practices. “It’s a lawsuit waiting to happen.”
“Why?” Styx asked before he stopped himself. Jin grinned at him. Dammit! Styx hadn’t really wanted the answer or to do anything to encourage his bandmate’s tirade.
“Because steps should have railings, especially when there is a forty-foot drop.”
Peering over the stairs, Li estimated, “You mean fifteen meters.”
“Well, I guess you’ll need to be careful.” Styx snorted at Indigo’s worry for safety. It was clear they needed to be mindful of the drop. Why was it such a big deal to him?
Indigo rolled his eyes and tried to take Li’s hand, but Li stepped away from him.
Li always refused public displays of their affection, and Styx, for one, was grateful. He wasn’t sure what would happen if people realized Li and Indigo were gay.
Styx glanced over at Jin, who wore an unreadable expression.
Getting upset, Indigo swore, “Fuck. I don’t care what people think.” He sounded like a spoiled child.
“Please, Indi. We agreed.” Li exhaled in frustration as he zipped his thin jacket.
“Whatever.” Indigo huffed. When they reached the top of the final staircase before the archway onto the Wall, Indigo paused. “Okay, one small step for the LA native, one giant step for the three locals.” He stepped onto the Great Wall and everyone followed him.
Jin whispered, “I believe we were insulted.”
“He’s just pissy.” Styx shrugged. They all stood on a walkway wide enough for twenty soldiers to walk side by side.
“I can hear you,” Indigo snapped over his shoulder, which made everyone else laugh. He surveyed the Wall before concluding, “It’s impressive. All this to keep the Mongolians at bay?”
“Yup,” Jin said, hurrying over to snap another picture as if the giant structure was going to shy away from his camera. “The earliest wall was built by the first emperor after China was unified around 221 BC.”
They meandered a little bit before finding a man in uniform. “Excuse me. Would you take our picture?” Li handed him Indigo’s camera. The group posed so the picture would include the long tail of the Wall behind them.
After thanking the guard, Indigo turned to the group. “We still need to figure out a band name.”
“Shouldn’t Tian Di be part of this discussion?” Styx asked as he unzipped his jacket.
Indigo growled at the mere mention of the singer’s name.
Styx threw out his hands. “Fine. Fine.”
Everyone followed Indigo as he stomped off toward one end of the broken part of the Wall. A quiet settled over the group as they focused on climbing a nearly vertical staircase like a ladder. Two hands were needed to scale the steps. Styx stayed close to Jin, as if he’d prevent him from hurting himself.
Upon reaching the top, Jin pulled off his sweatshirt and tied it around his waist. He grinned over at Indigo. “Do they make walls like this in America?”
Li barked out a laugh.
Styx joined in. “Yeah, I bet nothing like what we have made in China.”
Indigo didn’t answer the three of them as he ducked through the opening of a guard tower. The small stone room had a flat ceiling, and when Indigo clapped his hands, it echoed. “Yes! That’s it.”
Li seemed to be trying to calm Indigo’s anger without holding his hand, so he asked sweetly, “What’s it, Indi?”
Indigo seemed to have forgotten his irritation and grinned at Li. “Made in China.” He grinned at Jin and Styx and back at Li. “The band’s name: Made in China.”
“Made in China.” Jin repeated it. The name hung out there.
It was simple but it fit. Each of them said the name, tasting it on their tongues. “Made in China.”
“Yeah?” Indigo asked Li. After Li nodded, their gazes turned to Styx and Jin.
“Yeah,” Jin and Styx answered.
“Made in China. Yeah.” Indigo joyfully continued, “And that, my friends, is the story we’ll tell Rolling Stone magazine when they interview us.” Since it was still early, no one else had made it this far on the Wall yet. They were alone. “Snap time.” They got in real close and Indigo used the camera on his phone. He captured the image once and checked it. “Once more and everyone smile.” Li and Jin even gave the peace sign.
Jin counted, “One, two, three.”
Styx, Li, and Jin cried out, “Eggplant.”
“Eggplant? Why did you say eggplant?”
Jin asked, “What do you say in America when people are supposed to smile?”
“Cheese.”
“Well, we say eggplant,” Li said.
“I guess it puts your mouth in the same position as cheese,” Indigo concluded and pointed to the narrow openings in the Wall. “What are those?”
“This is an arrow slit.” Li pushed Indigo to the side of the opening and held him against the rough stone.
Styx meandered over to stand near Jin, but he could still hear the long wet kiss across the small room. Jin seemed to be mesmerized by what the groping couple was doing. Jin shifted toward him and licked his lips. When Styx didn’t take him up on the invitation, Jin turned to stare out of the larger window.
Styx felt responsible for Jin’s dejection. A piece of him wanted to deny he was the reason. Jin wanted more—more than Styx would ever be able to give, but the maddening part was he truly wanted to give Jin everything.
He turned around and swallowed hard. Li and Indigo were going at it hot and heavy. Styx wanted the freedom to make out and not care who was around. Hell, his hard cock would call him a liar if he tried to say he didn’t, but he couldn’t imagine doing it where he might be caught.
There were still a few voices in his head telling him two men couldn’t be together. But watching Li and Indigo, he knew those voices were wrong. When he was with Jin, everything made sense. He believed a relationship between two people of the same sex wasn’t wrong, no matter what anyone else said or thought. He wished he could quiet the remaining doubts in his mind to enjoy every moment he had with Jin.
Styx turned and stood behind Jin, whose head rested on the side of the window. He inhaled, taking in the scent of the late plum blossoms. He wanted to say something but couldn’t come up with anything. Instead, he moved in closer. Close enough to smell Jin’s floral hair wax. The desire to kiss the man grew overwhelming. He leaned in to press his lips against the back of Jin’s neck.
Jin’s sharp inhale was the only response.
Styx repeated the gesture, this time moving the blond hair away, causing a needy gasp as he teased the nape of Jin’s neck with his tongue. Styx relished being the cause of Jin making such entic
ing sounds. He wrapped his arms around Jin and held him tight.
Jin leaned into Styx. His sweet little ass pressed against Styx’s raging hard-on. So close to the edge already, he wasn’t sure how much he could handle. It wouldn’t take much to get off right here and now with this kind of stimulation.
Then they heard voices in the distance. A collective sigh echoed in the small room as they realized they were going to have company soon.
Jin turned within the circle of Styx’s arms. The sadness in his eyes was almost completely erased with the hug and kiss.
Styx stepped back reluctantly.
Indigo stumbled away from Li, appearing pleased with himself. Indigo must have done a number on Li, because Li was flushed, lips swollen by kisses, and his hair flew every which way.
Indigo peered out the doorway opening to see how close the tourists were, climbing the stairs to invade their private world. He batted his eyelashes at Jin and teasingly asked, “I guess I can’t get you guys to stand watch for us while I continue Li’s lesson on why PDA is okay?”
“What’s PDA?” Even as the question came out of his mouth, Styx wanted to tape his own mouth shut. He couldn’t stop with asking stupid things. It was never ending. He didn’t learn.
Indigo tilted his head. “PDA.” He said it louder and slower as if the speed and volume would help explain.
Li rolled his eyes. “In English PDA stands for public display of affection.”
“Oh, is that what it’s called in America?” Jin teased as he chuckled. His smile made Styx’s insides go warm.
“Well, I would have liked to have called it something else, but there isn’t time,” Indigo said. He made a show of adjusting the front of his pants. “Come on, we still have a few more things Tai-hua wants us to see.”
Li pushed off from the Wall and fairly growled with frustration. “Yeah, there’re a few things I want to show you the first chance I get.”
“I can only hope.” Indigo smirked, having won whatever battle waged between the two of them. Jin caught Styx’s gaze and shrugged at not having a clue about the complexities of Li and Indigo’s relationship.
