Date: Wed, 03 Sep 2003 19:20:02 +0800
From: paul sung <psun@hotmail.com>
Subject: The New Year 6

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) 2003 - 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

"You have been busy, John. Not answering my e-mail, cancelling on our
appointments..." The look Dev Roberts gave me showed some irritation
despite the smile he sent my way. It was understandable since I had
cancelled on at least two engagements since New Year. Not to mention the
times I'd bailed out on him. "It had better be work or I'm gonna have to
kick your puny ass."

It left me speechless since for the past few weeks, I had been busy
burning up the sheets with James. Years back when I still wrestled with
my inner demons, I had come to the conclusion that I was built
differently from other red-blooded men with a near-nonexistent sexual
drive - since none of the women I knew interested me at all. The problems
facing me today had me reassessing my sex drive since I didn't seem to be
able control myself. Love, lust or just plain obsession, I don't know
what it was between us but he drove me insane each time I saw him. Even
the sinuous curve of his soft, shell-like ear gave me a massive hard-on
and like an insatiable animal I had to have him, no matter where, no
matter when. Like a pair of horny, overgrown schoolboys, we did it in
every bedroom in the house - other than Joe's. And occasionally the
kitchen counter, the IKEA sofa, the marble dining table, the newly
installed Bali garden... One particularly energetic pre-dinner tussle in
my car had me cancelling dinner plans with Dev last week.

After several threatening messages on my cellphone and a few urgent
e-mails, I finally let Dev strong-arm me into getting some roti canai
from the local mamak stall and dropping by his apartment for a vicious
DVD marathon. For myself, I would have preferred a night alone with
mellow jazz playing on the stereo and a thick paperback in hand but I was
too afraid to refuse. Eventhough Dev had taken the Hippocratic Oath, he
had the thick, musclebound build of a linebacker, a judo blackbelt and
worst of all, an unpredictable temper.

All that and yet he was the best friend a man could ever have. A man who
could be trusted - and yet I found myself keeping my biggest secret from
him. When I'd first come out of the closet to myself, I had toyed with
the idea of telling Dev but I'd shyed away. Even for a man as glib as me,
there didn't seem to be any words capable of such an explanation and I
decided to keep it quiet, citing the fact that I was after all not a
practising homosexual as an excuse. After all before James came along,
the very idea of being gay had been essentially hypothetical. It was
impossible to judge Dev's response to such an admission. Would he laugh?
Would he reach out with one of those ham-sized fists and blacken my eye?
Coming-out to my brother had been a success of sorts since I hadn't been
dramatically tossed out and disowned as I had secretly feared. Instead,
Jonathan seemed to have embraced the idea like a duck to water and less
than a week later, it was as if he had always known. I didn't think that
Dev would be able to crack jokes about a subject like this as my jovial
younger brother did.

Even so, something was definitely off about him tonight but I couldn't
tell what it was. Even as we polished off the stack of roti canai over
hot tea and chicken curry, he kept on giving me silent stares that left
me confused. Deciding not to risk his fist in my eye, I lied glibly in
reply to his earlier question. "Yeah, it is work. Some matters about our
new branch in Penang."

"Busy with work?" Although he accepted my excuse, it didn't please him
evidently and his eyes frowned. "Damn. I was hoping you were finally
getting some. Are you?"

The pointed way he said it made me laugh. The mixture of disappointment,
curiosity and hope in his tone was exactly like him and reminded me of
the many times he'd pulled me into some disastrous double-date in
university. It would end with me practically begging to be excused while
Dev charmed his way into an all-nighter - and the next day's breakfast.
Very few females could resist Dev's sexy dark eyes and that crooked
smile. Fortunately, I hope I was made of sterner stuff and I managed to
lie baldly. "Getting some? I wish. Dev, you would know if I was getting
any."

"And where's your roommate?" Dev asked me coolly. Many a time, I'd gone
over to drag James out of one of his drunken stupors with Dev's help and
although James claimed to have turned over a new leaf, Dev still kept his
suspicions. After all, he had seen James at his worst. "Out clubbing on a
Saturday night?"

Earlier that evening, Jonathan had dragged a reluctant James out for a
wild boy's night out - with no boring, pompous sticks-in-the-mud allowed
which obviously precluded me. The irony of the situation was having James
promise me that he'd have Joe back safe and sound by one in the morning
at the latest despite the younger man's violent objections. Just a year
back, I'd have forbidden my younger brother from going clubbing with
resident bad-boy, James and now here he was playing the role of the stern
guardian instead. The idea of wild, irresponsible James trying to rein in
my equally crazy brother had me smiling. "Frankly, I have no idea where
both of them are. James said something about Bangsar or Mont Kiara - or
was that both? There was some talk about a new bar opened by a friend of
his."

"Hey, I just remembered. Since you lock yourself up in your office all
day, I bet you never got to see this." Getting up from the chair, he
crossed over to the living room and rummaged through his briefcase for a
few seconds before pulling out a magazine. For half a moment, I prayed
that it wasn't some girlie magazine I had to pretend interest in. God,
please no FHM or Maxim. "Bet you'd want to take a look at this." Saying
that, Dev lifted his dark brows and handed me a magazine, flipped over to
the middle.

Oh my God. Expecting a bosomy beauty with long legs, I was stunned to see
what had to be the farthest thing from a girlie magazine. Nothing
feminine or soft about it, the pages practically screamed MAN in capital
letters - and in the deepest baritone. Lying decadently on a black sofa
dressed only in a pair of tight boxer-briefs and a sultry smile, James
Burbridge gazed out from the magazine pages, his dark, heavy-lidded eyes
hot with suggestion. Seeing him up live and large, the sensible,
heterosexual male thing would be to comment on his enviable physique but
all I could think of was the size of his package, clearly, almost
obscenely outlined by the snug fit of his white briefs. Sure, I've always
known he was generously endowed in that particular area but looking at
the real thing couldn't have prepared me for a centerfold spread in the
local men's magazine. Damn, he was huge.

And much too gorgeous to be real. Some guys look so impossibly good in
the centerfolds that it is hard to believe they truly exist and it turned
out that James was one of them. The cameras obviously adored his dark,
vibrant good looks and it showed in every sexy, steamy shot. Buffed up,
spruced up and glossed, he looked... simply amazing and I could feel
blood rushing down to my groin as I imagined the man himself in the
succulent flesh. In seconds flat, I could have him naked and ready on the
living room floor - and I'd be able to sample what the world couldn't see
hidden in his cotton-covered crotch.

Giving me a steady look, Dev commented softly. "You've got to admit, he
looks pretty good."

"Yes." All I could do was nod in agreement since anyone with a pulse
would have agreed that he was an extremely fine looking man. It wouldn't
have surprised me to see drool dripping off my lips onto the magazine.
"Yes, he does."

"A real hunk. And since he cleaned up his act somewhat, he's turned out
to be quite a nice guy too." Grudgingly admitting the fact, Dev gave a
shrug of his broad shoulders. It was a generous admission coming from one
of James' most earnest detractors. "Not that he couldn't be helluva
charming when he was stinking drunk."

It was getting to be a really weird conversation and I just nodded,
eyeing my friend with growing suspicion. It certainly wasn't like Dev to
beat around the bush but here he was, dragging on a conversation. What
exactly was he leading to? "Yeah, James is .."

"Quite a catch," he added smoothly.

"A catch?" A quick glance down at the magazine confirmed that fact. Hot
eyes, bad-boy smile and that amazing physique. Coupled with his nasty
sense of humour, his brain and the undeniably excellent way he handled
the ladle and wok, he was a catch. Forcing my gaze away from the picture
of James, I put down the magazine and picked up the cup of tea. Trying to
keep my hand steady, I brought the hot tea to my lips. "I guess so."

From his sofa seat, he eyed me steadily. "You might say most people would
be clamoring for him. A damned heartbreaker."

The way he was staring at me gave me the chills and I squirmed in my
seat. Very few people could make me squirm and unfortunately my best
friend was one of them. "Dev, what are you getting at?"

"Bloody hell." Patience had never been one of his virtues and he cursed
softly even as he leaned forward on his seat to give me his best glare.
"Shit. Is there anything you want to tell me, John? Anything you want to
get off your chest?"

It was the moment I'd been waiting for, the perfect opportunity for me to
out myself to him but my brain suddenly decided to shut down and I
couldn't speak a word. It would have been so easy to just blurt out my
secret but after years of keeping it a secret, I couldn't seem to find
the words.

Taking my silence as a refusal, he shot me a darkling look before he
stood up in frustration. "Look, after you failed to show up for dinner
that night, I started getting suspicious. It was the third time you'd
cancelled on me this month. There is no way you could have forgotten
since I know for sure you have it all written down in your damned PDA. It
made me curious enough that I took a slow drive by your house. The lights
on your porch were on."

Alarm bells started ringing in my head as I recalled the night I
cancelled my date on him. The night James and I literally steamed up the
windows of my car. "You did?"

"Guess what I saw in your driveway," he said challengingly, keeping his
gaze trained on me. The exotic Oriental slant offered by his Chinese
genes with the thick, lush lashes from his Indian heritage made his light
brown eyes even more dramatic but I doubt he would have appreciated the
comment at that moment. "Guess, John. You were there that night."

Since I was there, I could very well imagine. Originally, the plan had
been to meet up with Dev for a dinner but the minute James walked in
after his evening gym workout, I was lost. Poured into skimpy athletic
shorts and a sleeveless top, pumped and glistening after a sweaty
workout, he looked like a delicious, sinful low-fat dessert that I
couldn't help resisting. It was easy enough to drag him into the backseat
and work on pulling down those shorts instead. "I wasn't feeling well.."

"You sure felt well enough to fuck around!" Releasing a frustrated sigh,
he dragged his fingers through his dark head, ruffling the raven curls.
"James came out of your car with his shirt torn and the buttons missing.
You didn't look any better. Do you want me to get any more graphic?" Dev
shot at me.

My face burned. "He.. I.." I certainly hadn't noticed anyone outside but
then again with James on me, I wouldn't have noticed a ticker-tape parade
marching past my bedroom door. Images of that night had me cringing as I
recalled tearing James' shorts off with my teeth.

His dark brown eyes flashed angrily in warning. "If you give me another
crap excuse, I'm gonna kick your teeth in."

"Dev?" I stared at him in shock. Although I had lived through each of his
tirades, it still didn't make it any easier when one of his temper
explosions loomed near. Though it was rare, his occasional eruptions were
usually unexceptionable, always justified and usually the results of a
long, slow simmer.

"Come on, John, credit me with some brains. I know when a man's had sex."

"I.. I.."

"Fuck." When I remained silent, he grew even more agitated. With a sudden
spring that made me jump in retreat into my seat, Dev sprung up and paced
the living room for a few seconds before turning to face me. A range of
emotions flashed past his dark, handsome features and if looks could
kill, I would have been buried six feet under. Thick, sensuous lips
thinned into a terse line, he finally gritted out in exasperation. "Let
me make it easier for you. Are you a bloody faggot? Are you having sex
with James?"

Sex with James? My heart skipped a beat at his questions but a denial
seemed futile especially since he seemed to have made up his mind.
Honesty seemed to be the only way out. "Yes. And yes."

"Finally." To my amazement, the red fury on his expressive features faded
away as quickly as it had appeared and he rewarded me with a beatific
smile. "Thank the Lord. Brother John has finally come out of the damned
monastery to play." Chuckling softly as he said that, he fell back onto
his seat in satisfaction and closed his eyes. One would have imagined
that he had achieved a lifelong dream.

It made me blithely wonder what his Priest would think of him using God's
name in vain. However, something about the way he said it made me
suspicious. "You knew?"

"God, you really must think I am stupid." Keeping his eyes closed, he
nodded in reply and his lips twitched in an amused half-grin. "What do
you think, John? I've been your roommate and friend for years. You think
I'm blind?"

"But.." What had given me way? The swish in my walk? My tiara and sash?
The purse that popped out of my mouth each time I spoke? "How the hell.."

My expostulations had him finally opening his eyes to stare at me. "Look,
I have seen you looking at guys before."

"You have?" And here I thought I was being so clever, trying to hide my
secret. Thinking back on the various cloak-and-dagger methods I'd used to
hide my sexual proclivities from him made me smile as I realized that he
must have known all the while.

"Yeah, when you're praying I don't see. Don't worry, no one's seen you
checking out the merchandise but I have been watching out for you..." he
said reassuringly. "And don't think I forgot you dragging me to that cafe
in Soho almost twice a week just to stare at that cute waiter with the
tight butt."

Recollecting that embarassing event, I laughed. "My God, I've forgotten
all about that. If you knew all this while, why didn't you say
something?"

His gaze remained unwavering. "Why didn't you?"

It was a question that I had no answer for and I shook my head. "I don't
know, Dev. Perhaps I was afraid."

"A big bad wolf like you?" Dev grinned at me, giving me a light punch on
my shoulder. "So master John, finally, you're out of the closet. What are
your plans now that you have been initiated into the homoworld?"

"You're not gonna punch me?"

"Hell, no. Why should I?" Tossing the pillow between us away, he moved in
for the kill, baring his gleaming white teeth. His dark eyes twinkled
with glee as he caught my wrists in his large hands and held me down.
"Why? You vant to get your hands on my undeniably hot booty?" he said in
a mocking tone.

It struck me as almost ironic. A handsome man had me sprawled on his
couch and we were alone. His tight, athletic body was hot above mine, his
handsome face inches from mine and yet I blanched at the thought. "No."

"I thought so." Releasing me, Dev leaned back on his seat with a smile.
"So no vibes in my direction at all?"

"No." It was curious though. After all, Dev was a good-looking man..
hell, he was one of the best-looking men I knew and yet I felt nothing
for him. Well, perhaps an aesthetic pleasure in looking at something that
was built so fine but although I admit I had once or twice imagined him
in the altogether, I had never felt the same irresistible impulses that
drove me when I was with James. As an experiment, I tried to gauge
whether I felt any sort of sexual thrill from his closeness, the
seductive warmth of his hard body, the glow in his dark eyes - and felt
absolutely nothing. No sparks.

Since the day I met him back in medical school when he'd come loping into
our shared dorm room with that careless, deceptively lazy smile, I had
been worried that I secretly carried a torch for him and it was a relief
to reassure myself that I definitely didn't. Of course that didn't stop
me from teasing him. "Why, you interested, Dev?"

"You should only be so lucky, Sung." He laughed. "You know, I think I
should be insulted that you aren't turned on by my sexy bod but no, I'm
straight all the way... not the least bit curious. Although now that you
mentioned it..." Giving me a wicked little grin, he lifted his dark brows
suggestively.

The gleam in his eye made me suspicious and I replied cautiously, "Yeah?"

"Who's on top? Or whatever you guys call it.. You guys are about the same
height and size though you're a bit taller - and a bossy bitch besides
but still.." he paused for a moment, looking at me expectantly.

It was the last question I expected him to ask. Fielding questions about
my sexuality would have been a piece of cake but not this. "I'm not
telling you this!"

"And how the hell do you deal with it?" Dev expostulated. For a moment,
he looked almost ill-at-ease with the question but he pressed on. "I
haven't had the experience myself but don't you choke? I mean, damn, look
at that package.."

It was the same terrifying thought that had come to my mind when I'd
first seen it. Bringing my eye back to James and his profound endowments
had my face reddening. "I'm not telling you anything!"

"What?" Dev looked almost betrayed. "After all the stories I tell you
about my dates.."

"No."


Jonathan Sung stared. "Wow, James. This place is amazing."

It was a sentiment that I could agree with. Who would ever have thought
that the pretty little society miss I knew would be able to open a classy
joint like this? The sheer size and breadth of the place stunned me and I
wondered how anyone who had been groomed to be a docile, accepting bride
could have opened a club that was packed to the brim with beautiful
people, lots of noise and sizzling heat. The latest hit on the charts
assaulted my ears making it difficult for me to even form a thought and I
smiled widely. Sure, John's cool jazz and swing records sounded great but
once in a while, I just needed to hear raucuous, earth-shaking music
screaming into my skull.

No one who knew Leela years ago would have believed it but the crazy,
rebellious, beringed rocker princess of yesteryear had turned into what
she had been avoiding all this while which was a docile, accepting
Ceylonese bride. Fortunately - in her case - the husband that she had
been practically brow-beaten and emotionally black-mailed into marrying
had actually turned out to be a prince of a guy. Not only had he accepted
her belly button ring and the intricate rose tattoo on her butt, he had
also encouraged her to pursue her own dreams of opening her own club. It
still amused me that the dowry she had given him had been returned to her
to open Ceylon, her club. Evocative of the white man's vision of the
mystique of India, the club was a combination of delicate Mughal-inspired
archways, exquisitely carved statues of dancing goddesses and a killer
sound system that rocked the marble dance floor.

A tall, statuesque beauty stood at the top of the ornately wrought wooden
stairs leading to the main club floor. Her skin was dusky mocha,
sprinkled with gold dust, her eyes the shade of molten chocolate and her
body wrapped in a multi-hued sarong wrap was enough to make a grown man
weep with joy. A quick sweep of her dark brows and she came down the
stairs to stare down at me. "James Sung."

Without much preamble, I smiled and tugged her down the last few steps
into my arms. Of all my friends from my disreputable past, this was the
one friend that I had kept. Stupid bastard I might have been then but I
still recognized a friend when I saw her. The crowd I'd fallen into had
been involved in a number of unsavoury activities but Leela always
managed to keep a distance. Drawing her close to breathe in her scent -
the lovely, unique combination of spice and jasmine - that I associated
with her, I whispered gruffly into her ear. "Darling, you look much too
sexy to be pregnant."

"Hush." Her slim arms tightened around my waist. "Sunil doesn't know
yet."

"What are you waiting for?" I grinned at her. "Still waiting for me,
sweetheart?"

"You know I could never marry a man who looks better than I do, James."
Giving me a light punch on my shoulder, she pulled away with a soft
giggle and smoothed one hand down the lapel of my jacket. "I know you
probably forgot but tomorrow's actually the day I got dragged kicking and
screaming to meet him at the airport."

Even the mention of that day made me laugh. There had to be no more
disastrous bride than Leela. Although she had been rouged, deringed and
groomed into the perfect fiancee that evening, the fire in her dazzling
eyes could not be entirely tamed - and that had drawn her future
husband's instantly besotted eyes. If anything, that had certainly earned
my approval of Sunil. "And where is your hubby?"

"He's coming by soon." Tugging my arms away, she looked around me and her
lips widened in a gracious smile. "And who is this handsome fella?"

No heterosexual man worth his salt could possibly be immune to Leela and
my cousin was no exception. Flashing a smile of his own, he leaned
forward eagerly and offered his hand. "Hello, I'm Joe Sung."

That charming smile was dangerous enough without the obvious intent in
his eyes and I nudged him back. It galled me to know that I had probably
been that way myself and prayed that I had never been that obvious -
although I very much doubted it. "Leela Devi, this is Jonathan, John's
much younger brother. Joe, this is my very married friend, Leela, so you
can wipe off that gleam in your eye."

"Not that much younger," Joe countered with a challenging glint in his
eye.

"At least by half a decade, kid," I teased him mercilessly.

His flashing smile grew wider and I felt an urge to throttle him. "She
could have a sister."

John Sung was a name well known to her since his name came up quite often
in my numerous rants, more so when I was driven by the spirits - of Jack
Daniel. As far as I knew, Leela had only a passing acquiantance with John
despite having eerily similar opinions in regards to me. When it came to
my wilder exploits, she frequently agreed with his occasionally
Machiavellian methods to make me toe the line. Pleased to meet him, she
came forward. "Ah, so you're John Sung's brother?"

At the mention of his brother's name, he leaned forward. "Yeah. You know
him?"

"Know John?" His question betrayed her and a dimple peeped out at the
edge of her smile. "The man who hounded James here for years? The man he
calls his damned watchdog, his bloody conscience.."

"What?" Jonathan's dark eyes flashed and his voice instantly dripped with
ice. "My brother is not.."

I could almost see Jonathan bristle and I was pleased. Sure, the boy
could tease his elder brother till it drove John absolute nuts but
obviously no one else was allowed to deride his brother. "Cool down. That
was before, Joe."

"You've got it all wrong, Joe." Understanding perfectly, Leela smiled. "I
think you should be glad to have a brother like that. I'm sure I'm glad
that James has someone like that watching out for him."

Those were the perfect words to put Jonathan back in perfect charity with
her and the welcome grin back on his youthful features confirmed the
fact. A few pointed questions about his studies with Leela staring raptly
with those big eyes and I could see that she had made another conquest.
It took quite a while before Leela finally managed to find a moment alone
with me when Jonathan trotted off to get the drinks. Leading the way to a
secluded alcove, she eased her way into her seat as I took my place
opposite hers. Tilting her head to the side, she looked at me
searchingly.

"Damn it." Conscious of her stare, I chuckled. "Leela, stop staring. What
is it?"

"James, you are one handsome bastard."

Her sudden admission had me chuckling softly. "Now, that is certainly
informative."

"It's more than that, though." Reaching across the table, she clasped my
hand in hers and gave it a warm squeeze. "And I don't know what it is
about you recently but you look... you look settled, happy." Leela said.

Those were words that I wouldn't have used to describe myself a few years
past but it it seemed to fit now. Waking up to John's smile in the
morning - and his reminder for me to leave before anyone caught us
together - served as a better deterrent than a thousand lectures and
homilies from the army of psychologists and therapists that had been
called to help me when I was younger. Sure, he still gave the occasional
sermon but I now knew of a way to effectively shut him up. It was still
too early to tell of his feelings for me but I knew there had to be
something growing in his soft little heart. Sure, he might put up a nasty
lil bitch front but something told me there was a sensitive softie under
the prickly skin.

It wasn't the all-encompassing, sappy, Hollywood-movie version of love
but that was enough for me right now and for the first time I found
myself quite able to answer in the positive. "I am."

"Anyone I know?" Leela said, lifting her delicately lined brow.

If anyone knew me at all - apart from lil Johnny, it had to be Leela.
Although we'd met years ago at a party - and we had gotten utterly
smashed on drugs and alcohol together, we managed to forge a respectable
friendship out of such disreputable beginnings. So it didn't come as any
surprise that she'd somehow managed to guess my secret. Peeking up at her
with a sly smile, I answered back with a question. "Must I be with
someone?"

"Not necessarily," she replied lazily. "But I know you, James. You have
that satisfied, I'm-such-a-stud-cat-got-the-cream look in your eye...
usually that means you're getting some regular sex - and enjoying the
hell out of it too."

It was right on target and I raised my hands laughingly in surrender.
"Alright. You got me."

"Who is it?"

It was at the tip of my tongue to tell her but I held back. Sure, Leela
could be trusted implicitly to keep a secret but it was still early days
after all and I didn't know how John would feel if I blabbed all around
that we'd fucked around. If he was that freaked about coming out to his
younger brother - who had to be one of the coolest kids I knew - I doubt
he'd want me telling my friends. Turning over her hand in mine, I lifted
it to my lips and pressed a kiss. "Forgive me, sweetheart but it's still
too early too tell. I promise you'll be the first to know."

"I don't have to know. Whoever he - or she is, at least you're happy,"
Leela said supportively. Tugging her hands away suddenly, she eyed me
suspiciously. "Wait a minute, is she some kinda skank? Like that
brainless bar-hopper you dated last year, Serena or something. Is that
why you don't want to tell me?"

The thought of John as a low-class skank brought a smile to my lips.
Straight-laced, buttoned-up, conservative, hair neatly slicked back...
no, John would never be anyone's idea of a skank. Even the idea of him in
dirty, torn jeans, scuffed boots and a skimpy tank top was an
impossibility. Undeniably hot but impossible. I could easily reply with
perfect honesty. "No, he's not a skank. The farthest thing from a skank
actually."

"Ah, a man," she said appreciatively. Beneath the thick, heavy lashes,
her dark eyes twinkled. "Swinging that way again, James? Getting tired of
the boobs and the clit?"

Rearing back with some surprise, I let out an outraged gasp. "Leela! How
offensive, what would Sunil think?"

"Oh please," she rolled her eyes in cool disdain.

"Yeah, it is a man," I admitted quietly. After all, she had seen me with
other men before and there didn't seem to be any harm in admitting that
since there was no way anyone would possibly guess John Sung.

"Knowing you, James, it has got to be quite a man." Tapping the tip of
her finger on her full lips, Leela nodded wisely. "It's John, isn't it?"

I gaped. "What?"

Glancing behind me, she stood up before I could make a move. Throwing a
speaking look at me, she stated wavign enthusiastically instead. "Why,
look darling, Joe's back and not a moment too soon, don't you think?"

Giving me a teasing smile, she turned away from me and welcomed my cousin
back to the table. Any opportunity I had to interrogate her was lost as
Joe started drawing her into her favourite topic. Her pregnancy. After
regaling us with tales of her morning woes as she laboured through the
early months of her pregnancy, Leela left us in search of her errant
husband but not before she gave me a sly little wink. The naughty puss.
Restraining the urge to call her back, I sat thinking. How the hell had
she found out? Had John indelibly stamped his name on my ownership form?
Sure, he'd left his mark on my butt but I didn't think anyone could see
through the denim.

As Leela glided off into the crowd, he turned on his stool to look at me
curiously. Armed with the drinks he'd bought, Joe started getting bolder
in his questions. "Come on, James, you aren't the least bit worried about
John?"

"Worried about what? Should I be?" The sudden change in topic had me
staring back at him. Glancing down at his glass, I realized that the
alcohol he'd imbibed hadn't been above the normal limits and I couldn't
be hallucinating since I was only drinking a damned prissy mocktail. It
was quite a change from the hard-drinking man I'd been before but after a
disastrous failed attempt 8 months ago, I knew better than to risk
temptation.

"Well, aren't you worried?" A pair of liquid dark eyes - much like his
brother's - looked at me with a light of mischief in their depths. "My
brother. Dev."

"Yeah?" I said slowly. It occasionally made me nervous that John hung out
with a guy who obviously hated my guts but I found that I couldn't really
blame him. Looking back, I realized that to him, I must have been a
sodding prick who seemed more trouble than he was worth. It always made
me wonder how John managed to stick around for so long.

"Who knows what could happen? I mean, two hot guys... in a house alone.."
Jonathan waggled his thick brows theatrically and I laughed. "I'm just
saying things could happen."

"Stop that." The image of Dev and John getting it on had me laughing
instead. Sure, they were both attractive but the idea of John coming on
to someone was almost ridiculous. Giving him a shove that almost toppled
him off the seat, I warned him. "If you're trying to make me jealous,
Joe, it won't work. Your brother wouldn't even dream about it."

Resettling himself on the stool, Jonathan gave me a sly smile. "Really?
They've always been real close and let's face it, Dev is quite a looker.
You sure John hasn't had dreams about .."

"Not another word, Joe." Carelessly placing my arm around his shoulders,
I grinned at him as I drew him close enough to whisper a threat. "Swishy,
limp-wristed fag I might be but I can still kick your puny little ass."

"Limp-wristed, my ass," he replied with a smirk. "You gay men are fucking
violent. My brother wanted to bash my head in and now here you are
threatening me with bodily harm."

Giving him a quick shake, I released him and sat back on my chair. "Shut
up."

"Ooh, Mr Burbridge, you play so rough." Pleased that he had gotten my
groat, Joe turned back to the bar and gulped down his drink. His gaze
crept up to the television playing and a devious smile crept up his lips.
"You know what you two remind me of? You're like Reichen to his Chip."

The comparison wasn't lost on me. Slightly outraged with the Amazing Race
comparison, I swiftly turned on him and easily caught his neck in a
half-nelson stranglehold. "You're comparing me with a blond Ken doll
lookalike?"

Laughingly, Joe put up a token struggle before giving up. "Yeah, and
John's as psycho as Chip sometimes," he rasped out.

Releasing him, I laughed at his audaciousness. Ever since I'd moved into
John's place, Joe and I had gone out for one of our boy's nights each
time he was back but this was the first time he was hell-bent on
interrogating me instead, ignoring the attentions of the lovely ladies
around us. Confident that his words would never reach his brother's ears,
Jonathan had spent the evening needling me about our relationship,
becoming bolder with each glass. Which actually reminded me that I should
be cutting down on his intake. "I won't argue with that."

"So, no fucking around?" Joe questioned. Making his point, he turned his
head and gave a quick look around. "Lots of hot guys around here."

"I have noticed." It was true. There were a number of good-looking men at
the bar that night, a few exceptionally handsome men had given me the eye
but all I could see was a knotted tie and a dark suit on the man that I
wanted. Underneath that shirt, smooth silky skin overlying his pumped-up
pecs, his hard nipples the size of dollar coins. Surprisingly tight,
etched abs with that faint line of fur that drew the eye down to the
waist. Scrumptious. I smiled to myself. "No fucking around."

"So the sex is?"

"None of your business," I replied curtly.

"Fuck." It wasn't a satisfatory answer and he protested loudly, "Hey, I
expect that from Father John but not you."

Imagining John Sung talking about the birds and the bees - and the queer
version of it - tickled my sense of humour. It would probably kill him. A
man who still insisted on separate baths - with locked doors even after
he'd purposefully cornered me once in my shower - would be the last man
on earth to talk about humping gay sex with his heterosexual younger
brother. Hell, I slept with the man and other than the sudden explosive
bouts of sex that we had, I'd never seen him naked. Luckily, I didn't
share any of his prudishness. "Joe, for your information, the sex is hot,
mind-blowing and simply amazing - and still none of your business." I
grinned wickedly at him.

That took a moment to sink in and when it did, Joe leaned back and gaped
at me. "Wow."

"You can say that again." His expression mirrored my own when John had
first pulled me to the floor in his office. Thoroughly expecting a cold,
frigid Victorian virgin that would need some heavy-duty thawing, I was
stunned to be mauled by an insatiable, sex-crazed tiger in bed instead.
Energetic, enthusiastic and extremely flexible, John had been eager to
try out every new trick I could think of and quite capable of inventing
several new routines. Embellishing the story for his benefit though, I
couldn't help adding, "Under that suit is one lean, mean sex machine. You
could learn a trick or two from John."

"Double wow." He paused for a moment. "You're not kidding? Big brother?"

I just smiled.