Date: Sat, 28 May 2005 21:30:24 +0800
From: paul sung <psun@hotmail.com>
Subject: New Year 15

DISCLAIMER
==========
This is a work of fiction; any resemblance to persons living or dead is
entirely coincidental. The author asserts all legal and moral rights
(copyright (c) 2005 - psun@hotmail.com) to this work and you may not
copy it or transmit it in any way except in its entirety and with this
disclaimer. This story features descriptions of sex between males:

- if such material is prohibited in your jurisdiction, please DO NOT READ ON,
- if you're under the legal age to read such material, please DO NOT READ ON,
- if you don't like, or are offended by such material, please DO NOT READ ON.

And any comments - brickbats or bouquets, send them over to
psun@hotmail.com And if you find that you like what you're reading, visit
my page at http://www.geocities.com/savante_2002


It was Christmas time again. Almost a year since we'd gotten together and
it still left me amazed. Could it actually have been a full year? A year
back, I was still buried in the closet wrestling with demons of my own.
Till then, the only meaningful relationships of note I'd had were furtive
one-night-stands with strangers I met at the various business conventions
abroad. No doubt Grandfather didn't know that each time I scored a really
great deal in Hong Kong, I might have been scoring somewhere else as
well.

It was only a year. And now I had a man of my own, and I was slowly
coming out to myself, and also to everyone else around me. Who could have
guessed that James would be the man who would pry open my closet door and
drag me out into the open? Given our animosity earlier, it never ceased
to amaze me that we'd managed to survive more than a year living together
without one of us killing the other. Just as I'd imagine he'd wished me
dead many times before, there were times when I'd imagined shoving James
off the nearest balcony. Obviously since he was still busy tormenting me
- and very much alive, it was obvious that I'd managed to control that
particular homicidal tendency. Not only did we tolerate each other, we
had managed to bridge our various differences and build a relationship
that seemed pretty rocky at first but I figured that the foundations we'd
laid so far were sound enough.

Still it didn't give James any reason to abandon me to my father to go
off with the rest of my returning cousins.

Family reunions were one thing. A Christmas reunion was totally different
creature in itself, and it was usually held in the large French chateau
in Penang. Once a year during Christmas, ever since we were kids, there
were usually the odd musical or two put up by various members of the
family. No one could recall exactly how this tradition came about but
we'd been singing and dancing every Christmas since I could remember.
Well, James did the singing and dancing - and true to character, I helped
out with the fund raising. I'd been relegated to working backstage ever
since my one and only disastrous debut as one of the Three Wise Men more
than twenty years ago when I'd chickened out on stage and held on way too
long to the myrrh for Mother Mary's dwindling patience. It was a well
known fact that June never had any patience. It certainly hadn't been in
character for sweet Mother Mary to deliver a warning kick to my leg and
then to snatch the box away.

Of course back then James - playing the role of her hapless husband - had
also been one of my staunchest allies, and it wasn't too long before he
gained revenge for me by tying Mary's shoelaces together. An eye for an
eye, that was his motto - then and now. And it definitely made a
refreshing change to the script when Mary tripped over her laces and her
poor baby went flying over into the audience. Although Grandfather roared
in laughter, my Grandmother, ever the staunch Catholic, hadn't been
amused by our blasphemous antics. A family of heathens, she'd reprimanded
but I could still remember the twinkle in her serious eyes.

Such domestic uproars proved to be the exception however and I usually
found myself enjoying the yearly pantomimes. As I recalled, there was
even a year when an enterprising reporter had caught it all on film. It
certainly wouldn't have surprised me to hear that Grandfather had planned
it in the beginning as a sales gimmick. The Sung Family Singers, come to
the mall to see us. Still I was certainly defaming his character since my
Grandfather never actually asked us to take it public.

As my mind wandered off in search of my idiot boyfriend, I was quickly
brought to attention by my father. Mom had been called off for an urgent
conference call in the home office and I'd been left to entertain him. As
the brave soul who had dared buck tradition by refusing to join the
family business, Michael Sung had never been all that interested in the
company. Lately of course with both me and my mom increasingly involved
in the running of the company, he certainly had no choice but to follow
some of the dealings in the store. As I tried to attend to him, I
realized that my father was talking to me about the latest addition to
the main store. It was a DIY store that I'd somehow managed to squash
right into a section of the basement floor. Thankfully it seemed to be
doing well enough now since I'd put my ass on the line to get it off the
ground. Somewhere in my private office were the plans for a home
improvement centre but I kept that to myself for now.

As he spoke of his latest visit to the main store, my father gave a
rueful shake of his head. "Can't believe I'm saying this but my father
actually did the right thing again putting you in the store. I don't
think the stores have done as well since the old man was at the helm."

"Thanks, dad." It wasn't the first time he'd given me due praise and I
smiled in gratitude. Eschewing his father's stern, conservative methods
of parenting, my own father had adopted a more lenient, friendlier
approach with us. As I recalled, my dad had never taken a hand to us, it
was always mom who dealt out the punishments while dad secretly shared
with us his secret stash of sweets in his pockets.

"Well, if father is to be believed, I should be the one thanking you for
the lovely bonuses the shareholders received this year."

My father's dark eyes twinkled with sudden mischief and I could certainly
see where my brother Jonathan had inherited that particular streak. Even
so, I could not help but grin back in return. "You're welcome."

"Enough about the store then. I'm glad to see that you're looking happy
these days, John." He leaned back on his seat and carefully adjusted his
glasses, bringing them down for a quick wipe on the edge of his sleeve.

The sudden change of subjects had me wavering incomprehensibly. Was I
looking sad and morose before? Did I walk as if the weight of the world
was upon my shoulders? Those were some of the allegations that had been
aimed at me before by some of my employees and I frequently wondered at
the truth of the matter. So it was with some trepidation that I replied.
"I do?"

"Yes, my boy, you actually do." Michael Sung confirmed the fact with a
slow nod as he turned to watch me. "It worried me for a while. You see,
your mother and I never made much of a fuss when Grandpa bulldozed you
into the company right out of med school, and like the good kid that
you've always been, you gave in to his persuasions. For some time now,
I've seen you with a permanent crease on your brow and I always worried
that grandpa's maneuvering..."

I'd certainly felt the mounting pressure from grandfather but till today,
it had never occurred to me that my parents had serious doubts about the
plan he'd had in mind. Somehow I'd always wrongly assumed that everyone
fell into line with grandfather's dictatorial edicts which was evidently
a foolish mistake since my father was certainly a man who walked his own
road. Initially I'd certainly had my own doubts but to openly rebel was
out of character for me. It sounded like something James would do! So I'd
toed the line and found that the place grandfather had found for me fit
me perfectly.

Although many people had their doubts, I actually didn't have any regrets
concerning the road I'd taken. Yet there were days when I worked late
through the night when I looked out of my windows into the city skyline
and wondered how different my life would have been if i hadn't received
that distress call from grandfather. Life as I know it certainly would
have been different. I would have gone down the path blazed my own father
instead of donning a tie and suit to nitpick over numbers and figures in
the boardroom.

Still, that wouldn't have given me the sense of belonging that I had at
work now. Maybe it had taken my grandfather's Machiavellian tactics to
push me into the position but it had fit perfectly, perhaps even more
than the profession I would have chosen for myself.

Of course that was before everyone started calling me sad, morose and
uptight.

"It wasn't maneuvering, dad."

"Don't tell me what I already know." He watched me sternly as I was about
to say more in protest. "You don't have to stand up for him. I know my
father, John."

If anyone had imagined that my mother was the tough interrogator in the
family, they'd be wrong. When he put his mind to it, my father could
easily be worse. He maintained his steady silence, cracked a few jokes,
didn't talk much but I knew that very little got by him. Just like
dripping water on stone, he slowly, patiently chipped away to get the
information he wanted. "It wasn't my idea at first, hell, I was more than
a little pissed, but I have to admit that the job suits me."

It was the first time I'd sworn in front of my father and I caught myself
a little too late. If my father noticed the sudden foul language, he
didn't make any comments on it but only smiled quietly. "Thank God. It's
good to hear then since I've always wondered." There was brief pause as
he seemed to ponder carefully on his next words. "You know, James seems
to be good for you."

"James?" I croaked out of my suddenly dry throat. Almost in a state of
panic, I looked up at my father, my tongue caught at the back of my
throat. His face betrayed nothing, only the gentle half-smile that told
me exactly nothing. What exactly did that mean? Did that blabbermouth
Jonathan tell him? I was going to kill him once I caught up with the
bastard. Or was it my sister?

That thought gave me a slight pause. I'd seen Juliana in the house
obviously but we hadn't spoken to each other since our recent fallout.
From her continued silence, I gathered that she hadn't exactly come to
terms with the fact that I was a raging homosexual. When he'd found out
about our disagreement, my younger brother, Jonathan, had been rigidly
furious on my behalf and despite my brotherly advice to him, he had
maintained a chilly silence with Juliana throughout the evening. Still it
was a vast improvement over his original plan to storm off to her place
to rage at her. Sometimes Jonathan seemed so much like James that it
scared me.

"Yes, James. You know of anyone else?" His dark eyes, so much like mine,
twinkled appreciatively. "Ever since he came by to stay with you of
course. Truth to tell, I didn't think much of it at first but now I've
got to admit that he has been a good influence on you. You seem a tad
less uptight recently."

My own father was calling me uptight. This was terrible.

Deep lines of laughter appeared at the edges of his eyes. "Stress can
kill you, my boy. Relax. Live a little."

Closing my eyes, I leaned back on the seat. "I can't believe you're the
one telling me this."

My father laughed. "James mentioned something about a song tonight. You
know anything about that?"

It had been on my thoughts all morning but I stubbornly refused to admit
it. Like everything else, James had a great voice too. Smooth, deep and
sinfully creamy like the old-fashioned crooners of old. Added to all his
other spectacular physical attributes, James could have been an
insufferable boor but he had never been boastful, not even as a kid.
Don't get me wrong, the bastard knew his good qualities to the letter but
he had never blown his own trumpet.

Although we'd long since outgrown childish pantomimes for Christmas, it
didn't mean that my cousins hung back amongst the appreciative audience
only. Joey and James somehow always contrived to put up a song and dance
each year, and there were always one or two rock star wannabes amongst my
other younger cousins. I'd long since taken on the role of treasurer,
relinquished by one of my elder aunts.

This year however James kept quietly mum about his performance so I could
only shrug in reply to my father's question. "He refused to tell me
anything. Wanted to keep it a secret."

"Well, he's always been one for surprises."


I wasn't left in suspense for long however since the show started barely
an hour after.

When the lights came on stage, it was actually quite disheartening. As he
walked up the short flight of steps to the stage, James looked immaculate
as usual just as if he'd casually strolled off a GQ cover, and damn if he
didn't know it. Although I'd gotten used to wearing suits at work, I
still felt like a sadly misplaced, sartorially-challenged penguin each
time I dragged one on. Even the more casual suit I had on now felt a
little out of place in comparison to his designer piece. The Fab Five
would certainly be ashamed of me! Luckily I could easily imagine the task
of getting James Burbridge Sung out of that suit to get my mind off other
matters.

"I don't usually do jazz." As he moved confidently across the makeshift
stage, James smiled again, that damn-it-all bad-boy smile that I loved
with the wicked glint in his dark eyes. Catching my eye amongst the
audience, he flashed a wink over at me that had some members of the
audience giggling. "But tonight I'm gonna sing something real special.
For a guy who's starting to mean more than I could ever imagine. Sure,
sometimes he can be a serious pain in the ass but baby, you know we all
love you."

Even as his words went through my mind, I came to realize that he had to
be talking about me. There was no one else in the world he could
pointedly refer to as a serious pain in his ass. Almost as suddenly, the
glaring spotlight swung from the stage to flash right on me - courtesy of
one of my younger cousins no doubt - and I could feel the sweat trickling
slowly down my back. Damn the suit! What the hell was James up to? There
was that familiar crazed glint in his eye that boded ill for everyone in
close proximity. Despite all his earlier protests, did he fully intend to
shove me out of the closet now? Was he going to flash pictures of us both
inflagrante delicto? A naked James Burbridge was certainly a delight to
the eye but I could have sworn that I had put on a few extra pounds after
the recent Mooncake debacle. Never at my best under the spotlight, my
easily-panicked, highly imaginative mind leapt to crazy conclusions as I
wondered whether all these months were actually an elaborate ruse
deliberately staged by James to kick me out of the closet.

Startled by the surprising chain of events, my nervous gaze darted back
to my parents in the front who were both grinning at me and my mother
even gave a supportive wave. From somewhere at the side of the stage, my
brother gave me a rallying thumbs-up while my still estranged sister was
nowhere to be found. It was almost a relief since I couldn't really face
her disapproving face while I was already dealing with all these other
problems. The threat of exposure loomed large and I searched the front
seats for my grandfather.

After moments that seemed like eons, the spotlight shifted back to James
where it belonged. Fully comprehending the chaotic state of my thoughts,
James turned to face me and flashed me a mischievious wink while I glared
at him, my mind full of mayhem and murder. "I love you, man. Warts and
all."

Although it wasn't the first time, the words still sent a secret thrill
through me and yet I cringed quietly inside, torn between embarassment at
being under the unforgiving spotlight and a kind of odd pride at the fact
that the man I loved was standing proud talking about our love. God, it
made me want to hoist a rainbow flag and strut around proudly. It was
such a dangerously public admission but I knew somehow everyone would
play it off as plain fraternal love when in reality, it was far more than
that.

Thankfully as he started to banter playfully with the audience, I heaved
a sigh of relief and ran a finger through my suddenly tight collar.
Beside me, my cousin June tried her level best to stifle a giggle. "You
talk him into this?" June said.

I aimed a raised dark brow at her. "You've got to be kidding, right?
We're talking about him. James Burbridge Sung doesn't need an excuse to
be in the spotlight."

Admitting the truth of my comment, she laughed again. "Oh yeah, I forgot
all about that. Stupid me."

I just smiled. Then as I watched her quietly, I recalled my earlier
reminiscence. The young lady clad in a shockingly pink, scandalously
short number with sky high heels looked nothing like the demure miss I'd
thought of earlier. "Remember the year you played Mother Mary and whacked
me?"

As I expected, it brought a twinkle to her dark eyes as she maintained
her gaze on the stage. "Well, you held on to that damned myrrh long
enough, standing there like a damned fool."

"Hey!" I looked suitably insulted.

"James certainly paid me back for that." Thinking of our childish antics,
she shook her dark head. As the band started playing, June leaned over to
whisper in my ear. "Actually, I'm just surprised you guys made it a year
without killing each other first."

Those were exactly my thoughts earlier this morning and yet the faint
innuendo in her tone had a flush creeping up up my neck. Exactly what did
she mean by that? Feeling almost paranoid, I tried to keep my voice level
as I replied. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well, staying together of course. When grandpa came up with the insane
idea, I was sure I'd be helping you bury James somewhere - that is if he
hadn't dumped your dead corpse off the North South Highway."

It was exactly what I'd imagined a year ago when he'd first come knocking
at my door. We hadn't exactly been the best of friends for some time, so
to have him appear at my doorstep was a surprise to say the least. At
that time, it didn't surprise me that it was one of Grandpa's enigmatic
edicts. Family always came first to the old man after all.

What actually surprised me the most was the fact that Bad Boy Burbridge
had buckled down to his strictures. Usually he'd be the first to buck
against such archaic rules and restrictions but instead of revolting as
I'd expected, he'd complied docilely with the demands made. Although I
didn't know it then, it wasn't by virtue of any familial feelings or
filial piety that had him succumbing to the demands, it was his own firm
resolution to remain on the straight and narrow that had evidently
weighed down the scales in grandpa's favour. Week after week, I
approached my front door filled with imminent dread, expecting to come
home to find my home trashed with marijuana, ecstasy, cheap women, booze
and God-knows-what-else he'd dream up and week after week, James managed
to disappoint me by staying a step ahead on the straight and narrow path
he'd chosen.

Then came Chinese New Year and the earth-shattering surprise he'd sprung
on me.

"Certainly quiet over there, John. You're not still thinking of killing
him, are you?"

"I wouldn't say never." As I watched my man strut his stuff on stage, I
could only grin wickedly. Living with James always had his ups and downs
- and since we'd both been blessed with our fair share of temper, it led
to some interesting clashes at home. "There are some moments of
weakness."

"Well, restrain those urges since I'm solidly in James' camp. I haven't
told you this but I'm actually starting to like him even better now than
when he was the charming asshole." She turned and tilted her head up to
look at me. "You know, come to think about it, I actually remember you
guys being quite close as kids. I'm glad you made up your differences."

"More than made up for it," I smiled to myself. She certainly wouldn't
know that I'd just spent a blissful morning shower with the star of the
show, fucking the daylights out of him. Or that he'd repaid me by
attacking me in my home office that same morning. Luckily lil brother
Jonathan had been spared the scandalous sight by keeping to his usual
late waking hours. "Even I have to admit that he has changed. Don't look
so surprised, June. I'm certainly entitled to a change of opinion."

Her brows shot up almost to her hairline. "Zhan Zhao changing his mind. I
think this has to go on the front page of the next newsletter."

"Shut up." I gave her a quick poke in the ribs that had her giggling. Her
e-mail newsletter had been started more than a year back as a way to keep
in touch with all the far-flung members of our family. Although I'd die
before I'd admit it, I actually found it amusing despite the fact that
there were the occasional reference to my tightass behaviour. "You know,
he wished his dad a terse Merry Christmas just this morning."

"That's great, though I'm sure you forced him by making the call. I know
you well enough so don't you dare deny it. Of course I still think he
should have decked you for calling his father in for the Mooncake
Festival but then, that's just me." She grinned, her dark eyes twinkling
with humour. "At least James managed even that! You should have heard the
latest fight between Jackie and her parents. Several casualties including
that hideous vase Third Aunt gave them. What in the world was she
thinking of?"

"A relief I'm sure but then.." Anything else I was about to say was lost
as the band started playing drawing my attention back to the stage. The
beginning riff caught my ear and I didn't need his introduction for me to
recognise the tune.

"So, John Sung, you damn bastard. This song is for you." The slow tempo
of the beat and his rhythmic fingersnapping alerted me to what he had
planned and it wasn't long before he swung into the beat of Fever, one of
my favourite songs. Oddly enough, a few years ago, I'd mentioned casually
as we were walking by a music store that anyone who serenaded me with
that song would have me down on my knees. Obviously I hadn't given James
enough credit to remember.


The damn bastard. He would have known exactly what he was doing to me.
With the way my overheated imagination was heading, the crotch of my
pants were feeling a little too tight and the heat was starting to get to
me.

As the lights went up again on the next song, I realized that they'd
obviously decided on a jazzy Christmas without telling me since Joey
slinked up the steps and started singing Cole Porter's Let's Fall in
Love. Even as she told us in an intimate whisper how lazy jellyfish and
overeducated fleas fell in love, I quietly got out from my seat and
started finding my way to the backstage in search of the star of the
opening act.

The makeshift stage had been set up on the side lawn with the backstage
facing some of the east wing rooms of the main house. A few of the
guestrooms downstairs had been commandeered for use as changing rooms and
the large patio door had been thrown open. A group of my younger cousins
gaggled about one of the guestrooms dressed in various guises and I
groaned as I realized that we were obviously going to be regaled with
another reenactment of the Holy Night. While my Third and Eighth Aunt
bustled about with last minute preparations, my younger brother Jonathan
had been charged with the task of keeping the kiddie crew from rioting
and he met my amused gaze with a hapless expression. It was obvious that
he was failing miserably to control the Shepherd Boy from tugging the
mantle off a shrieking Mother Mary. In answer to my silent question, he
pointed a finger upstairs and I understood immediately.

Giving the three Holy Men conferring over their gifts a reassuring wink,
I stole down into the corridors of the main house and bounded up the
stairs towards the upper floors. James and I had scored one of the larger
rooms upstairs, one of few privileges of being the older members of our
generation. With all the well meaning nagging I'd endured from my
relatives on my state of bachelorhood, I figured I deserved the suite.

The man who put the lie to my state of bachelorhood stood in front of the
vanity mirror in the bedroom, scrubbing away at his face with something
that looked like a tissue. He'd taken his jacket off earlier and thrown
it over the bed we shared. James had his broad back to me, and his
muscular ass looked mighty fine in the tight black slacks he wore. It
brought to mind my earlier mission to slowly strip him of that expensive
suit and I could already imagine exploring that hard, tight physique
between the silk sheets.

Glancing over at the sound of my footsteps, James turned around and shot
me a teasing grin. Deep, boyish dimples ringed that perfect smile and I
felt my knees go weak again. Damn, he was a handsome bastard. "Gotta get
some of that gunk off my face, I'm afraid. So, John, how did you like my
gift?"

"That's your gift?" I walked into the room, crossing my arms as I did so.
The room had been immaculate when I'd left earlier and he'd managed to
mess it up in seconds. A sudden urge to rush out for the cleaning pan
came over me but I squashed that crazy impulse. That certainly fell into
the uptight category and I'd decided to put that all behind me.

"In lieu of one that actually expects monetary payment?" He turned back
to his task at the mirror as I came closer. Watching me through the
reflection in the mirror, he winked playfully. "Hell, yeah."

"Well, you do know how I love surprises, so give me a surprise like that
again and I'm gonna..." Instead of telling him, I gave his tight ass a
quick slap that had him yelping. That butt of his was certainly up and
tight.

"Hey." As I caught his trim waist in my hands, he twisted away from my
grasp, mimicking a low, sexy growl. "What's up with all this? Intending
to play rough, Mr Sung?"

"Yes, I am." I swung him around and pushed him down on the bed, holding
his powerful arms down. Was it my imagination or were his arms even more
pumped up than they were before? Did the man eat nails for breakfast?
Startled by my sudden ardour, James allowed himself to be overborne and
soon found himself lying prone on the bed with me on top. Before he could
recover from his earlier surprise, I pressed my advantage and forced a
kiss on his lips. There was a sudden rush of feeling I'd never felt
before, an odd, exhilarating pump of adrenaline through my veins that
made me act wilder than I'd ever had before - and hell, an insistent
erection that had crept into life during his musical serenade. More than
once I wondered whether my younger cousins had inevitably spiked the
punch.

Regardless of that fact, I knew I had to see his naked skin and flesh -
and with that in mind, I ripped his shirt down the center, sending
buttons flying.

Instead of making a protest, James just laid back, letting me have my way
with him as he watched me with a growing smile. Frank amusement was clear
in his dark eyes. "Bloody hell, don't tell me you've been drinking
again."

Since he'd been a reluctant victim of my last drinking binge, it was a
certainly a valid complaint and I laughed. Six months back any mention of
alcohol in front of James would have horrified me but this time, I just
let it slide. He hadn't given me any cause to be suspicious in months
after al. "Sure, you'd think that but surprisingly no. God, you know
what? I have the most good-looking boyfriend!"

"John!" he finally protested weakly but there was a wicked laugh in his
chocolate brown eyes. "I hope you do know that's an Armani."

Armani. Brioni. Whatever. It was the last thing on my mind. James
Burbridge Sung had racks and racks of designer clothes in his wardrobe
after all. This was my man. My man. And damn if he wasn't one
fine-looking piece of flesh. Just look at those pecs. Firm, powerful
swells of muscle with the hard dark point of his nipples crowning the
edge. Would be so easy just to lean down and lick around the edge, nip
across the increasingly hard, pointy nipple.

"Fuck that!" I replied, laughing headily. It was fun shocking people -
and I knew what James felt like for once. Tearing his shirt open to
reveal more of his powerful torso, I skimmed my hands up and down the
tense, rippling muscles. All mine and I could do anything I liked with
him. "You're too gorgeous for your own good, Jamie."

"I love it when you call me Jamie." Far from being alarmed at the thought
that he was being systematically stripped by his cousin, he just grinned
inanely. "You know someone could see us. Not that I'd want you to lose
that impressive hard-on in your pants but just a friendly warning,
Grandma could walk in on us anytime. Wouldn't be good for her high blood
pressure to find us jaybird naked in her guestroom."

The image flashed across my mind but irate Grandmothers certainly didn't
compare to the image of James' washboard abs. "At the moment, I don't
give a fuck. I just want to bite on your nipples, lick them and suck them
and..."

Thick dark brows rose up slowly on his dark, handsome face a he
considered that proposal. "Damn, did Joe spike the drinks again this
year? Hell, he promised... You never could hold your alcohol that well."

"Told you there's no alcohol involved. And hell, you're doing too much
talking." I shut him up for a while with a warm, sloppy kiss and he
acquisced for a while, even giving me a hint of wet tongue before he
tugged away.

"John, you know you'll hate yourself in the morning." Gently nudging me
to the side, James slowly came up to a crouch and held out his hand with
a promising smile. "Let's give this a raincheck. You can do all you like
to me once we get home. Come on, stud, let's go downstairs and find you
something else to bite on."

Clasping his large hand in mine, I griped it tightly nad pulled myself
up. "You know, I still haven't forgiven you for telling Jonathan."

"He deserves to know his sister's a judgmental bitch." Even as he said
it, the smile on his face faded away and his eyes turned cold and flinty
again.

The verbal bashing he'd given to my sister on my behalf hadn't been so
long ago but I guess it still smarted since she hadn't said a word to
either one of us since then. Still silence was indeed preferable to the
horrifying public exposure I'd expected once she'd found out about my
sexual proclivities. Hoping for her acceptance seemed a little too much
for now but I'd at least hoped for some small measure of tolerance.

"That's not the worst. Julianna isn't the only one to think poorly of me
tonight." I recalled with a smile. "My dad called me uptight! Can you
imagine that? Now tell me, was that fucking uptight to you? We almost had
sex in grandpa's house!"

"Was that the real reason for the sudden attack?" James released my hand
and let go with uproarious laughter. "Babe, you really take the cake. Who
the fuck cares if you're uptight?"

"I do. Uptight. Conservative. Sensible. Boring. Dipstick. How the hell do
I change all that?"

"Boring dipstick!" Incapable of speech for a few moments, he paused to
catch his breath and mopped his suddenly wet eyes. Knowing James, it
figures that my behavioural problems would turn into a perverse source of
amusement for him. Catching my disapproving gaze, he laughed again, a
little more subdued now and spoke deliberately. "You want a change? Take
my Christmas gift then."

The way he suddenly sprang the gift on me left me a little wary. Everyone
knew how much I hated surprises. "What is it?"

"A whole 10 days off from work," James enunciated each word deliberately,
watching me with a twinkle of mischief in his dark eyes.

The thought of one of my cousins allegedly almost burning down the house
didn't surprise me. The thought of my philandering uncle having an affair
with one of the married secretaries barely raised an eyebrow. The thought
that Jackie had almost stabbed her crazy mother in one of their catfights
barely fazed me. But the thought of taking leave had my knees going weak
for some inexplicable reason. "Y-You're not my boss."

"But your mother is and she agreed," James pointed out coolly. "Your
leave has been approved."

I stared at him. "W-What?"

"All shocked and surprised... voice all falsetto and trembly." Creeping
forward on the bed, he lowered his voice seductively. "You actually look
cute this way. You still up for that sex thing?"

"Shut up." As he continued to stalk me, I gave him a backwards nudge and
he fell back with a low chuckle. The man could certainly hide his
secrets. James had actually gone to my mother and asked her to send me on
a vacation? What possible reason could he have given her? He'd done out
out of the goodness of his charitable heart? "James, what did you do?"

"Let's face facts, you're been working like crazy since you joined the
company. Without me, you'd be heading for a nervous breakdown sometime
soon. You deserve some rest and your mother agrees. Babe, you need a
break. So do I."

"I can't take a break with New Year coming! There's the Chinese New Year
sales and the..."

James obviously had all his bases covered and he quickly countered my
sallies. "And it's only ten days. Grace is perfectly competent and you
know it."

"I.."

As if clinching the deal, he watched me carefully and threw down his
final card. "I got grandmother's permission for this trip. We're going to
Jendela in Malacca."

That was enough to stop me in my tracks. Part of an old, established
Peranakan clan, my grandmother had inherited the lovely Neo-classical
seaside mansion as part and parcel of her dowry when she'd married my
grandfather, one of the peasant sinkeh upstarts from China. Although it
was only an hour's drive away, I'd only gone to Jendela once almost a
decade ago but I certainly remembered the place well.

I smiled.