The Great Wall

by Z. Allora

  He smiled at Jin, who sighed quite happily and sank down next to him.

  Chapter 19

  STYX HAD been reluctant to go out with the band, but Jin wanted to go.

  Indigo peered through the tiny, smoky hole in the wall of a club. “This is really the only gay club in Suzhou, huh?” He grimaced and stared at the large-screen television playing soft-core porn.

  Styx hurried past the bathroom, though Indigo slowed to touch the cheek of the young guy who was standing at the door. “Oh, lovely. Blowjob boys for rent. Now that’s customer satisfaction.”

  Li rolled his eyes at Indigo.

  Tian Di laughed and found them five stools along the wall.

  “Blowjob. I give blowjob.” The young guy followed, likely excited at the prospect of some business.

  As Indigo turned the kid away, Jin whispered to Styx, “Are you sure you’re okay with being here?”

  “I’m okay anywhere if I’m with you. I love you.” Styx took Jin’s hand and gave it a little squeeze. He’d keep showing him until Jin lost his fear of Styx abandoning him.

  Styx surveyed all the men sitting at tables, at the bar, and standing against the wall. He was stunned. He’d never have guessed how many gay men there were in Suzhou.

  “Dear me, Buddha! Call the fashion police!” Indigo shouted over the blaring techno-pop as they took their seats.

  Tian Di grinned and he tried to defend the men of Suzhou. “Come on, some aren’t bad.”

  “Please! Clearly, no one explained to them about what it means to be gay.” Indigo shook his head, gracing Tian Di with a rueful smile. “I’m telling you, that’s why I’m here. Someone needs to teach Gay 101.”

  “It’s all about fashion, is it?” Li asked innocently.

  Indigo rolled his eyes, pouring on the drama. “You know what I mean.”

  Barely keeping a straight face, Li answered, “Yes, of course gay is all about the fashion. Sexual orientation is defined by precise dressing and the right clothing… ow!” Indigo elbowed him for twisting one of his many diatribes.

  “Don’t misquote my rules on how to be a proper gay man. I know I’m living up to the same stereotype I bitch about…. It’s my prerogative. But appearance and presentation make the first impression whatever your orientation or gender identity, so….” They’d all been lectured on their lack of style and flair when it came to dressing, except of course Tian Di, who could give Indigo lessons.

  Needing to tease Indigo as well, Styx asked, “This is just like the bars in LA, right, Indi?”

  Indigo snorted as he leaned over to make a face at Styx. “Hardly.”

  Jin bumped into his side, reminding Styx he was connected to him. He glanced around. The bar was filled with all ages of men, and even a small group of women, who he assumed were lesbian. There were younger men off to one side. On the floor, near the raised stage, seated at bistro tables were the older businessmen, who appeared to enjoy throwing around money if the fancy bottles of alcohol were any indication. Off to the far end was a mismatched group of people who were discussing something intensely.

  Indigo called the group’s attention. “No one is on the dance floor. Now that is a crime!”

  “WTC.”

  Indigo glared at Li. “Dance with me.”

  Tian Di leaned over to Jin. “WTC?”

  “Welcome to China.” Jin grinned. “It’s our answer when we have no explanation for how something is done here.”

  Li shook his head, declining to dance.

  Indigo ran a hand through his perfect hair and stood. “Yeah, well, let me show these men how it’s done.”

  The rest of the band sat at the bar and enjoyed the floorshow. Indigo’s smile was pure sin when he glided to the empty dance floor, showing off his body in tight black leather pants and a black watered-silk shirt. He bit his lip, undulating to the beat of the music.

  Jin’s mouth dropped open. “It looks like he’s having sex.”

  “With himself.” Styx cleared his throat and nodded, staring wide-eyed at the show Indigo was putting on. Within a minute, the entire club watched him undulate to the music.

  “Your boyfriend knows how to get attention,” Tian Di said to Li.

  “He certainly does.” Li adjusted his pants, and he concentrated on Indigo’s lusty shimmies.

  “Question is, can he keep your attention?” Tian Di leaned in as he asked.

  Li turned his head to stare at Tian Di before turning back to the dance floor, where his lover was scorching the floorboards.

  Indigo seemed to relish being the focus of all these men. His black shirt flapped open and he ran his fingers along his chest.

  “Without a doubt,” Li said as Indigo pinched his own nipples and threw his head back to give an openmouthed moan. There was a collective gasp from the audience, as if Indigo had synchronized it.

  Indigo opened his eyes and seemed delighted to find Li had finally joined him. Styx was always amazed at how they instantly fit against each other perfectly. They moved as if they were one.

  “Are they having sex right there on the dance floor?” Jin asked as he gaped at the spectacle.

  Styx hadn’t thought Indigo would do anything that scandalous. “Oh. I think they are….” Li’s hand was down the front of Indigo’s leathers.

  Jin squirmed in his seat. Styx noticed they were both breathing heavy as they witnessed the public display of lust. It was hot and liberating to be in a place where everyone could be exactly who they were.

  Tian Di sighed and contemplated the four bottles of warm beer in front of them. The club had a four-drink minimum, and they served all the bottles together. “I don’t even like beer.”

  Jin pointed out Indigo’s antics. He laughed. “Is it like this in Hong Kong?”

  “I think wherever those two are, it would be like that.” Tian Di’s smile didn’t reach his eyes.

  “You still crushing on Li?” Jin asked.

  Tian Di shook his head. “I wish Indigo would figure out what the hell he’s doing. I don’t understand why he doesn’t get how badly he’s hurting Li.” He swept a hand out to indicate the two on the dance floor, who, in the course of the conversation, had enlarged to become a threesome. An older man was leading them toward the bathroom.

  Li peered over at Styx, Jin, and Tian Di. Tian Di raised his beer bottle in silent toast. Li shook his head.

  Styx didn’t know if Li was happy, but he turned to follow Indigo and the stranger.

  The dance floor received a boost from Indigo and Li’s display of sexuality and filled up with some braver patrons.

  “Look at that bratty twink.” Tian Di called their attention to the tall, willowy creature who had just rudely laughed in the face of a shorter man. The guy was with a group of his friends and lost face.

  “What happened?”

  “The guy asked him to dance, and the nasty boy harshly turned him down in a haughty fashion.” The brat Tian Di talked about wore a schoolboy dress shirt and tie with knickers. He danced by the mirror, staring at himself like he was a pretty bird enamored with the bird looking back at him.

  “Schoolboy needs a lesson,” Tian Di muttered before stalking out to the dance floor.

  Styx reached under the table to hold Jin’s hand, and they watched the drama unfold. Jin glanced down at their joined hands and smiled. Leaning over, Styx brushed a small kiss on Jin’s neck and whispered the words “I love you” into his ear.

  Jin cuddled into him a little closer as they watched Tian Di dance. “I wish I could dance like that,” Jin said wistfully.

  “Jin, you move like liquid sex when you’re doing yoga.”

  “What? No! Really?” Jin’s cheeks burst into flaming color, although Styx was sure his lover liked the analogy.

  “Oh yeah.” Styx adjusted his pants, hoping the realignment might calm his cock.

  “Uncomfortable?” Jin asked innocently, mouth twitching like he was trying not to smile.

  “In about two minutes, you and I are going to go into
the bathroom and use the key around your neck.” Styx had just been making a joke, but when said out loud, the idea sounded fantastic.

  Big gray eyes stared at him innocently. “Oh, I didn’t wear the necklace.”

  Styx gasped, realizing he was in for a long night.

  Jin shrugged as if it was really no concern. “Indi said the necklace didn’t work with this shirt.”

  “What?” Styx was going to go without for fashion?

  Jin shrugged.

  “Why would you…? You almost had me.” Smirking and shaking his head, he reached into Jin’s front pocket and pulled out the necklace.

  Jin shoulder-bumped him. “I’ll always take care of you, Styx.” Jin’s long sexy fingers traced patterns up his leg to make him shiver with anticipation.

  Moaning, Styx thrust toward the attention of Jin’s hand.

  “Look.” Jin nudged Styx’s attention back to Tian Di, who was man candy on the dance floor. Everyone tried to get closer and to get him to dance with them.

  Tian Di rudely snubbed the twink dressed like a schoolboy when he approached, in favor of dancing with the guy the brat had rebuked. Their singer danced like the man was the sexiest thing Tian Di had ever seen.

  “Damn, he certainly put the cocky little jerk in his place.” Jin cupped Styx’s caged cock.

  “Jin,” he hissed, voice ragged as he peeked around to see if anyone else was paying attention. Styx grasped for air.

  “Too bad these rings keep you from getting hard.” Jin smirked.

  “You’re evil. I’d never have guessed.” Styx bit back a moan to force the words out.

  Indigo and Li picked that moment to return from the bathroom. “Oh, my. Look what we’re missing here, Li.” Indigo licked his lips and turned to Li, who smiled as he wiped something off the corner of his lover’s mouth.

  Jin blushed and tried to deflect their attention. He pointed out to the dance floor. “Tian Di taught the snotty tall one a lesson.”

  Indigo and Li both faced the dance floor to watch the drama unfold.

  Li let out a low whistle. “Tian Di’s quite a dancer.”

  “He’s okay.” Indigo shrugged and looked away from the dance floor, copping a pout.

  Styx hid a grin at the jealousy he heard dripping from Indigo’s mouth.

  “So, what’s the lesson?” Li asked Jin. After being filled in, he glanced back out onto the dance floor. Then he gushed, “Awww. It looks like Tian Di’s setting the guy he was dancing with up with a friend.” After a moment, they watched the two guys blush before kissing right there in the open.

  Applause broke out, breaking them apart. Tian Di talked to them for another minute, and they exchanged cards with him before the couple scurried out the door.

  Tian Di made his way back over to the bar, but not before sending the tall twink a satisfied smirk. The brat stomped away like a spoiled child.

  “Lesson learned.” Tian Di sat down and took a big gulp of his beer and then grimaced. “I hate beer.”

  Li smiled at him. “I’ll buy you whatever you want.”

  Tian Di’s eyebrows shot toward his hairline. “Why?”

  “You did an impressive thing.”

  Shrugging, Tian Di focused on one of his beer bottles. “Those guys work together and were afraid of dating. I helped push them in the right direction. But the kid deserved it. I hate young guys acting like God’s gift.”

  Styx laughed at the surreal life he’d never dreamed of living. He was with his band in a real gay club in Suzhou, with his best friend who he loved more than anything and who was lovingly stroking his locked-away penis. If this wasn’t fodder for one of Tian Di’s Yaoi novels, what was?

  Jin leaned over and said in his ear, “Bathroom’s free.”

  SOMETIME LATER, Styx emerged from the lavatory with a smile he couldn’t keep off his face. He turned to Jin, who was a bit flushed and said, “Dance with me.”

  Styx held out his hand to Jin, who grimaced like he asked him to jump off a cliff. “Just a dance….” Styx grinned and took Jin’s hand.

  “I don’t know what to do.” Jin casually glanced around at the other men, who were now staring at them.

  Styx chuckled and led the way to the floor. “After what we did in the bathroom, I’m surprised this would be a problem.”

  He did one of the two fancy moves Indigo had taught him in preparation for this club visit and enjoyed the expression of surprised lust crossing Jin’s face.

  “Where did you learn to dance?” Jin asked, clearly impressed by Styx’s moves.

  Styx reminded him, “I’m a drummer, you know.” He pulled Jin into his arms and said, “Just follow my lead.”

  Go figure! Indigo had been right.

  Styx pulled Jin closer. All he needed to do was keep moving and everything would work out just fine.

  The bricks that Styx had used so many times to rebuild and reinforce his wall so the real Styx could hide from the world were now being used to build his future with Jin Lan by his side.

  Chapter 20

  “I’M DONE,” Li hollered as he stomped out of the apartment, slamming the door in Indigo’s face.

  “Indigo?” Styx asked.

  When Indigo put his head down and didn’t respond, Jin hissed to him, “Fix it. Go after him.”

  They heard the elevator doors open through their apartment door.

  “He doesn’t want me to.” Indigo shook his head. “Not anymore.” He trudged into the bedroom he shared with Li and shut the door quietly.

  Tian Di tiptoed into the living room. “Li finally sick of his shit?” The question was asked with a little too much glee.

  “We have to fix this,” Jin said, peeking over at Styx.

  Tian Di sat down and tossed a business card on the table. “That’s from the guy I danced with last night.”

  “And?” Styx wondered where he was going with this.

  “He called me to thank me. I guess he’s a TV producer for a Korean game show. You know, the big Korean group, the one with all the guys? Well, they need another band to compete against. He’s going to stop by the restaurant to hear us.”

  “We’ll be competing against that band? They’re the most popular band in Korea!” Jin’s eyes widen.

  Tian Di smiled. “Yeah, but not musically.”

  “Huh?” Styx asked, completely lost.

  “In Korea, bands and movie stars compete in silly games for their fans.” Jin grinned when Tian Di nodded his head. “Don’t you remember your sister used to watch these shows?”

  Styx shook his head as vague memories came to him. “Oh, wait. Yeah.”

  Tian Di chuckled and tried to clue him in. “You know the ones that hold competitions with games like Tear and Rip.”

  “Suck and Blow?” Jin asked, grinning at Styx with sparkling eyes.

  “Suck and Blow?” Styx asked, trying unsuccessfully to prevent his body from reacting to just the sound of the competition.

  Tian Di tried not to smile at Jin as he explained to Styx. “You suck a card to your lips then pass it to the next person. You blow the card to their lips as they suck the card.”

  Styx started laughing. “Well, that’s an interesting game.”

  “Especially when the card is dropped accidentally on purpose and the players kiss. It’s pure fan service. The Korean girls go crazy for it. The show is actually becoming more popular in China,” Jin explained.

  “If the producer likes what he hears, we would get to perform two of our songs for our participation.” Tian Di’s eyes flashed with excitement at the prospect of such an opportunity. “But first we have to sound like a band, so we can even get on the show. Let me go get Li, and maybe we can practice tonight.”

  “Suck and blow,” Jin said and put his hand out for Tian Di to smack on his way out of the apartment to fetch Li. One great thing about Tian Di was that he always knew when to make his exit.

  “So suck and blow?” Styx asked the question.

  “Yeah, let’s go practice.” Ji
n’s eyes sparkled.

  “Sucking and blowing? Do you have a deck of cards?”

  Jin smiled as he pulled Styx’s into their bedroom. “We should practice without the cards first.”

  Who was Styx to argue?

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