Title: It Started With the Pig Thing
Author: samsarapine

Rating: NC-17

Character(s)/Pairing(s): Hakkai/Gojyo

Warnings/Spoilers: AU

Summary: A boy from Manhattan is fucked by a boy from London and gets paid for it.

Word Count: About 7,000

Disclaimer: Sha Gojyo, Cho Hakkai and all associated characters from the Saiyuki universe are the property of Minekura Kazuya and those to whom she has licensed her creations. No copyright infringement is intended. The author is making no profit from this story.

Author Notes: Written for the Saiyuki Kink Meme IV. This one was for the prompt: Gigolo!Gojyo usually services women, but can't turn down his first male client when he meets Hakkai. Hakkai/Gojyo, first-time anal penetration, upsettingly good.

Website: http://samsarapine.livejournal.com

Email: samsarapine [at] yahoo [dot] com

It Started With the Pig Thing

Gojyo Shah stalked into his boss' office and slammed the door. "It's my fucking day off!"

Violet eyes nearly hidden behind smoky haze barely flicked his way. A newspaper rattled. "Lorenz is out with that pig thing. You're the only one available."

"Pig thing? You mean the swine flu?"

Sanzo might have shrugged his shoulders; it was hard to tell through the smoke. "The guy's in the waiting room."

"The guy? You've got to be fucking kidding me! I don't do guys!"

"He's paying five thousand a day for five days."

Five thousand. Shit. About twice his going rate. Gojyo frowned. "Overnights?"

"What do you think?"

"Shit." Gojyo ran his hand through his hair. Sanzo would get sixty percent, the bastard, but still, ten thousand for five days' work was probably worth losing his cherry for. Plus, if the guy tipped him, it's not like Sanzo would ever have to know about the extra. Maybe he could play up the virginity aspect if the john insisted on fucking him, charge him extra or something.

"What's his name?"

"Hakkai Johns."

"Hakkai? What the fuck kind of name is that?"

"You think I know? His money's the right color."

"I get the car then."

A sigh floated on the smoke and a set of keys skittered across the desk. "You buy the tickets?"

"Shit. Forgot."

The newspaper slammed to the desk. "You've still got the fucking money, right?"

"Yeah, yeah." Gojyo scooped up the keys, mentally crossing his fingers, because he was pretty sure that he'd spent the lotto ticket money on nicotine gum. "I've got the numbers, too. I'll pick 'em up when I gas up the Mercedes."

"Make sure you get the leather cleaned if he fucks you in it."

Gojyo flipped him the finger and headed for the locker room to change, slamming the door just so he could imagine Sanzo cursing in annoyance.

~~~~~

"Mr. Johns?"

The man in the waiting room put down the book he'd been reading. "Yes?"

Gojyo nearly showed his surprise. Shit. The guy was young. Dark hair and white skin and green, green eyes. And British, judging by the accent.

He smiled and held out his hand. "I'm your escort, Gojyo. I'm pleased to meet you." He slipped into the relaxed, but more formal Midwest speech that Sanzo had forced his moneymakers to learn on pain of death.

Johns' hand was cool and dry, his grip firm; Gojyo held it a moment before letting go. Might as well hook him early.

"Please, call me Hakkai." Definitely British, and the BBC shit to boot. The green eyes appraised him frankly.

Gojyo wasn't worried. He'd picked a night-out-on-Manhattan outfit: black trousers, black silk shirt slightly open at the throat, a narrow gray tie and black leather boots. He knew that his hair and skin glowed red and gold against the dark fabric. Women loved the look. Johns appeared to appreciate it, too.

"Is there anything that I can arrange for you? A restaurant or club you'd like to go to?" Gojyo asked.

"I just flew in. I was looking through a tourist's guide," Johns said, gesturing at the book on the table.

"Are you hungry?"

"Yes, actually."

"Is there anything you hate?"

Johns smiled. "No. I'm quite flexible. I'm happy to take any suggestions you might offer."

"I've got just the place."

~~~~~

"It's beautiful. Quite relaxing," Johns commented as the waiter withdrew.

"The food is good, too." Gojyo sipped his drink and slid a bit closer to Johns. Ramos had given him the corner booth he usually used, and Gojyo figured that the moves that worked on his women clients were probably safe to use on Johns, too.

"Is this your first time to the city?"

Johns nodded. "I've traveled extensively in Europe and Asia, but this is my first time in America."

Gojyo slung a casual arm along the back of the booth. "What do you do for a living?"

Johns smiled into his drink. "Nothing in particular."

Probably came from some rich noble family or something. "When someone does nothing in particular, it usually means he's good at everything he does," Gojyo murmured, leaning a bit closer.

"I'm more skilled in some areas than others."

Johns' eyes were fucking gorgeous. This might not be so bad after all. "Maybe I could get a demonstration?"

"I would enjoy that. Perhaps later." Johns sipped his Manhattan. "How long have you lived in New York?"

"A few years, now."

"Where are you from?"

"I grew up in California…"

Throughout the meal, Johns was a good conversationalist, though not very forthcoming. It was a bit strange, Gojyo thought. The women he escorted usually spent hours talking about their husbands and their kids and what the neighbors were up to, but Johns only talked about places he'd visited and told stories about life in London, in a dry, self-deprecating kind of way. Johns also had an embarrassingly smooth way of prying Gojyo's life history from him. It was almost as if Johns were the host, and Gojyo his client.

~~~~~

By the time dinner was done and they'd spent a few hours in a jazz club drinking and talking, Gojyo realized that he'd nearly relaxed enough to forget he was working.

"Is there anything else you'd like to do tonight?" he asked as Johns tipped the parking valet and they climbed into the Mercedes. "There's a gentleman's club on the Upper East Side I think you'd enjoy, or if you like, we can slum a bit. There's a good underground place in China Town."

Johns smiled at him, a sweet smile that made something inside of Gojyo feel almost breathless. "It's late, and I admit to feeling somewhat fatigued. Would you please take me back to my hotel?"

"Sure," Gojyo said, his mouth suddenly dry. Shit. Johns' hotel. Where they'd have sex.

Not that he didn't like sex – in fact, he loved sex, and could make it good even with the most insecure and uptight of his lady clients – but hell, that furtive three minutes that he'd spent raiding Lorenz's locker and reading through some of his gay porn probably wasn't the best basis for taking care of a male client's needs.

Panicked, he tried to think of an excuse to put it off just a little longer. His gaze fell on the fuel gauge, and he realized he'd forgotten to gas up the Mercedes. "Look, I hate to ask you this, but I've got to get the car filled up. There's a full-service on the way to the hotel. Would you mind if we stopped there first?"

"Of course not," Johns replied. Thank Christ for British politeness.

Gojyo pulled into the station and popped the gas tank cover for the attendants who appeared as if from nowhere. "D'you mind waiting a minute here while I run inside? I forgot to pick up lottery tickets earlier."

"I'll come, too."

"It's a gas station. Not the cleanest place in the world," Gojyo said, dubious.

"I'm not worried."

Gojyo shrugged and held his arm out, slipping it loosely around Johns and escorting him to the door. Johns seemed comfortable with the attentions, brushing Gojyo's hip as Gojyo opened the door for him.

Trying to hide his flush, Gojyo played four tickets with the numbers Sanzo always gave him, but he hesitated, as always, with the last ticket, the one he always played against his own luck.

"Is something wrong?"

"No." Gojyo glanced at Johns and smiled. "I'm great at poker but lousy at numbers."

"Perhaps I could assist you. I've had some modest luck in the past."

Couldn't hurt, not with his run of luck, anyway. "Go ahead."

Johns looked thoughtful. "Let's try 21 09 18 40 07 58. My birthday, your measurements and my lucky number."

"I don't get the measurements part."

"I'd guess your height at about 184 centimeters."

"And the 07 part?"

Johns blinked innocently. "I decided to guess in inches."

Light dawned. "Give me some credit!" Gojyo said, laughing. "Change that to an eight."

"Eight? My, aren't we generous," Johns murmured, but he changed the number. As the machine spat out the ticket, he added, "I must ask for official measurements, you understand."

Gojyo felt a rush of heat go through him. "Bring on the measuring tape," he said, his voice sounding hoarse, even to him. He cleared his throat.

"We'll see." Johns handed him the ticket. "Good luck."

"Oh, hey, you don't have to pay. I'll pick up the tickets and the gas."

"No. It's my pleasure."

The heat flared and settled into a dull throb in Gojyo's groin at Johns' husky words, even as he felt another wave of panic. "Right, then. Let's go."

~~~~~

Johns had taken a suite overlooking Central Park. He kept the lights dim, but the ambient light from the moon and the city made it easy to move around the clean, open space.

Gojyo accepted a scotch and wandered over to the glass wall that framed the park and the city beyond. It was one of the best views he'd ever seen. The city stretched underneath and in front of him, as if he could step through the window to soar above a jungle of trees and steel.

He sipped his scotch. Liquid courage. "Nice view."

A hand slid through his hair and pulled it aside. "I've been wanting to touch your hair all evening," Johns murmured. He kissed the nape of Gojyo's neck.

Gojyo groaned and turned, putting his drink down on an end table. "Let me," he said, and he took Johns' face in his hands and kissed him.

It wasn't much different to kissing a woman. There wasn't the normal height difference, which surprised, then pleased Gojyo. He only had to incline his head a bit to reach Johns' lips, which was infinitely more comfortable that bending over. John's jaw line seemed stronger, broader than a woman's, and Gojyo could feel the early prickles of John's beard rough against his hands and chin, but Johns' mouth was hot and wet, his tongue talented, the soft breathy sounds of their kiss familiar and welcome.

Still, Gojyo was afraid his heart would beat out of his chest. He was kissing a man, and soon would probably be sucking a man's dick, and after that...

Johns pulled back. "Is something wrong?"

Gojyo shook his head. "It's been awhile," he prevaricated. "Feels good," he added, brushing Johns' lips in a chaste, but hopefully sexy, kiss.

"We don't--"

"Shhh," Gojyo said, and gently pressed his mouth against Johns', running his tongue over Johns' lips until he parted them with a sigh and kissed Gojyo back. Gojyo could feel himself starting to get hard, which was a relief.

"Want me to do you here?" he asked, spreading his kisses over Johns' face. He felt Johns' eyelashes on his lips and pressed a gentle kiss over his closed eyes while he lightly rubbed over the prick he could feel hardening in Johns' trousers. "In the window, so I can see your beautiful body in the moonlight?"

Johns' cock twitched strongly and he moaned, wrenching off Gojyo's tie and laying open the collar of his shirt to suck and nip at the hollow of Gojyo's throat.

Gojyo chuckled. "I take it that's a yes."

"Yes."

The moment of truth. Gojyo dropped to his knees and undid Johns' belt and trousers, pulling them down around Johns' ankles. He hooked his fingers over the waistband of Johns' pants and felt Johns stroking his hair. He looked up.

"You're so beautiful, Gojyo. All fire and golden skin."

Gojyo's breath caught and he could feel a flush spread across his face. He dropped his gaze and gently pulled Johns' pants down to release his hard cock.

He'd seen guys' cocks before, a few hard ones, even, but this was the closest he'd ever been to one. Johns' cock was elegant and slim, head still half-covered by a foreskin. That's right, he's English. They don't cut 'em over there. He took the prick in his hand and it jumped. Different from a woman's wet pussy, but Gojyo was pleased to note that it was no less expressive of desire for him, his touch. He pumped it and pressed his nose into the hollow of Johns' groin just below the sharp hipbone, inhaling.

Johns smelled of expensive cologne, and sweat, and the smoke of the jazz club they'd been to, but underneath all that was a clean, musky scent that made Gojyo's mouth water. He fisted Johns' cock and looked up to meet Johns' eyes again.

His pupils were so dilated they looked black. It was incredibly sexy. Gojyo smiled and saw Johns suck in his breath. Then Gojyo took him into his mouth.

He wasn't prepared for the bulk of Johns' cock, how it stretched his mouth open more than was comfortable, or how the moving foreskin felt on his tongue. The head bumped the back of his throat, and it was all he could do not to gag. He closed his eyes and relaxed as much as he could, then began sucking and massaging it with his tongue.

Johns' hands clutched in his hair. "Gojyo," he breathed. He thrust forward, and instinctively Gojyo grabbed Johns' hips to anchor him in place.

Other than the ache in his jaw, Gojyo found himself getting off on sucking Johns' cock. There was a sense of power in it that he'd never experienced with a woman. Sure, some women writhed around a lot when he went down on them, but with Johns, he had to forcefully hold him back from thrusting down his throat. It was fucking exciting. He could feel Johns swelling even larger, and he started to move his thumb across the skin that stretched over Johns' hipbone, caressing the hypersensitive area.

Johns hissed and pulled out of Gojyo's mouth. "Not yet. I want to fuck you." He reached down and pulled Gojyo to his feet and into an embrace, kissing him passionately. He toed off his shoes and stepped out of the pile of clothing that had pooled around his ankles. "Bedroom," he breathed across Gojyo's lips.

They stumbled through the suite and into the bedroom, kissing and caressing each other. "Strip," Johns ordered, and Gojyo shed his clothing. Johns still wore his shirt and tie, the shirttails hiding his erection. Gojyo brushed the shirttails aside and fisted Johns' prick, his own already half-erect, even though he hadn't touched himself, yet.

"Lube?"

Gojyo let go of Johns and crouched to dig through his trouser pockets. He held up a new tube and a handful of condoms that he'd grabbed from the office. "Here."

Johns took it. "I want to watch you," he said. "Is it okay from the front? You said it's been awhile." He opened the tube and squeezed some onto his fingers.

"It's fine," Gojyo said. Fuck. He hadn't expected that. He'd figured that Johns would want him on his hands and knees. He climbed onto the bed, scooting himself up towards the head of it and grabbing a couple of pillows to shove under his ass. He laid back and felt incredibly awkward and vulnerable.

Johns knelt between his knees and slid a finger around his hole. It felt good. The finger paused, then pressed in.

It wasn't that bad. The second finger burned a bit for a few seconds, but after that it felt sort of good.

By the time Johns had thoroughly fucked him with three fingers, Gojyo was squirming, his cock firm. He bit his lip to keep from telling Johns to stop being so fucking polite and hurry up and stick in his cock.

Johns pulled his fingers out of Gojyo's ass and wiped them on a tissue. "You look so sexy," he said.

"You're fucking gorgeous," Gojyo replied. And Johns was, kneeling there, hair mussed and dress shirt and tie still pristine, his legs naked and his upright cock peeking out from his shirttails as if looking for Gojyo's ass on its own. Johns rolled on a condom and then he was pressing Gojyo's knees up and apart and lining up his cock with Gojyo's hole. Gojyo felt the head rub against him, nestle into place, pause a moment and then breach the outer ring of muscle.

He battled one last moment of panic as Johns pushed inside. The cock sinking into him was redefining Gojyo's world in a way that was as profound as when he'd first shoved his cock into a hot pussy and had known that he wanted to do it again, and often.

Johns paused, fully seated inside Gojyo.

Shit. A guy's cock was in him. A guy had pushed his cock up his asshole. A guy was holding up his legs, pinning him down, about to fuck him.

He didn't do guys. He did women. But there was something about this... Damn. It felt good.

Johns moved and Gojyo arched his back. "Fuck!"

"Are you all right?"

"Yeah. Fuck. Just keep going." Gojyo groaned as Johns pulled out and then slowly sank back in. "Christ, yes."

"I've noticed something this evening," Johns said, his hips falling into a steady rhythm.

"Yeah?" Gojyo gasped. He moaned as Johns angled his thrusts deeper.

"You've never called me by my name." Johns stared down at him, his thrusts pinning Gojyo to the bed. "Why is that?"

"Don't-- don't know."

"Say my name, Gojyo," Johns said. "Tell me who's fucking you."

Gojyo moaned. "Hak-- Hakkai."

"What, Gojyo?"

"Hakkai, you're fucking… Oh Christ. Fuck me, Hakkai." Gojyo snapped his hips up to meet Hakkai's thrusts and Hakkai bent forward, lifting Gojyo's hips and draping himself over Gojyo's body, his mouth suddenly pressed against Gojyo's, swallowing down all of Gojyo's pleas and profanities in a kiss that claimed Gojyo's mouth as surely as his cock was claiming his ass.

The pace quickened until Hakkai rocked into him with enough force that Gojyo could feel himself being driven closer and closer to the headboard. He nearly bit Hakkai's tongue off when his head connected with it, so he put a hand up and braced himself to keep from hitting it again, while desperately clutching at Hakkai's hard, perfect ass to make him go deeper. Hakkai reached between them and took Gojyo's cock in his fist, pumping him with a firm grip. Gojyo's balls contracted and he felt himself swell impossibly harder.

"Oh, God, oh, Christ, I'm… Hakkai!" Orgasm roared through him. Gojyo gasped and shook, emptying himself into Hakkai's hand, across his belly, into the air, great spurts that threatened to turn his balls inside out.

Hakkai kept pounding into him, his face buried in Gojyo's throat as he canted his hips again and again, driving into Gojyo's body and milking Gojyo's cock. Suddenly he made a guttural sound and his thrusts turned erratic. Gojyo slid both of his hands down to Hakkai's ass and pulled him tight against his groin, arching his hips up to take Hakkai's cock as deep as he could.

Hakkai strained against him for endless moments, then collapsed, panting, on Gojyo's chest.

Gojyo let his head fall back on the pillow. Hakkai's weight on top of him felt good, especially since Gojyo could still feel his cock deep inside. Gojyo wrapped his arms around him, holding him close and pressing kisses to his shoulder. Hakkai buried his face in Gojyo's throat and gradually caught his breath.

"You've never done that before, have you," Hakkai said.

Gojyo froze and then forced himself to relax. "I told you, it's been awhile."

Hakkai rose up on his elbows. "Please Gojyo, be honest with me. Was I your first?"

"Shit." Gojyo closed his eyes. "Yeah."

"I'm sorry. If I'd known--"

Gojyo pulled him back down, hugging him and speaking into his hair. "It was good. Really good. Almost scary good," he admitted. "What about you?"

He felt Hakkai nuzzle his ear. "You were perfect," he whispered.

Something inside Gojyo stuttered and deflated. How many times had he said the same thing to some lonely, sexually awkward housewife? He forced himself to stay relaxed and keep breathing. "Yeah, well. Natural, I guess." He made himself laugh and continue to trace circles around Hakkai's shoulder blade.

Hakkai's cock slid out of him with a soft, wet pop.

Gojyo closed his eyes. Holy fucking God.

He felt empty, as if his insides were hollow and iced over. Another man had just fucked him, and the experience had been both profound and completely meaningless. He'd been fucked, and he'd liked it. No, if he were honest with himself, he loved it. But it was just sex. Sex for hire.

Yet when Hakkai had made him call his name... For a moment, he hadn't felt like a whore.

He berated himself for his stupidity.

"Hey," he said softly, determinedly upbeat. He was a professional, for fuck's sake. He had a client to take care of. "We'll stick together if we don't get cleaned up. How about you wait for me here and I'll get something?"

Hakkai made some sound of agreement and slid off Gojyo, burying his face in a pillow. Gojyo padded to the bathroom and brought back a warm washcloth that he used on Hakkai, then on himself. He threw it and the used condom into a wastebasket and crawled back into bed, gently removing Hakkai's tie and shirt before lying down next to him and pulling the sheets up over them both.

"Thank you." Hakkai seemed more alert and smiled sweetly at Gojyo.

The frozen bit inside him thawed, just a little, which scared the hell out of him. Gojyo was pretty sure he was in deep shit, if a client's smile could make him that happy. He smiled back, reminding himself to keep a professional distance. Next step, make the client feel needed. He made himself comfortable and then pulled Hakkai close.

"Hakkai," he murmured. "Where did that come from?"

"My mother and father met in Oshino Hakkai, in Japan. She was a photographer, he owned the hotel at which she was staying. I understand it was love at first sight."

"Japan? But you're British."

"My parents were killed in a car accident when I was only a few months old. My grandfather took me back to England." Hakkai's smile became tight. "He had very decided opinions about raising children."

Gojyo nuzzled Hakkai's ear. "Sorry, didn't mean to get heavy." He ran his tongue along the rim, then sucked the earlobe into his mouth. Hakkai moaned and pulled away to catch Gojyo's face between his hands and devour Gojyo's mouth.

"It's in the past," he said.

They spent breathless minutes kissing, and Gojyo felt himself start to harden again.

Hakkai propped himself up and smoothed Gojyo's hair back from his face. "I want you again, Gojyo."

"Then take me," Gojyo said breathlessly. He was a professional. He was one of the best, guy-virgin or not. Of course Hakkai wanted him again.

... For sex.

He was so fucking damned to hell.

~~~~~

In the morning, Gojyo woke first. He showered and made coffee for Hakkai, bringing it to him in bed.

"Thank you," Hakkai said, blinking a bit.

Gojyo had found the controls that lowered the tinted sunscreen for the glass wall, but while the glare and heat were cut, it was still pretty damned bright. "Want a pair of sunglasses?"

Hakkai smiled. "No. But grapefruit would be nice."

"I'll call for it. Anything else?"

"Mmmm. You."

Gojyo smiled and sat next to him on the bed. They kissed lazily for a few minutes. Gojyo didn't protest when Hakkai pulled him down and rolled on top of him.

"Sore?" he asked.

Gojyo shrugged and smiled. "Not much." He pulled Hakkai down into another kiss. "Wanna fuck me?" he whispered against Hakkai's lips.

"I want to taste you," Hakkai replied. "Will you let me suck you, Gojyo?"

"I thought you wanted grapefruit," Gojyo teased.

"Mmm. I changed my mind." Hakkai untied the sash of Gojyo's robe and drew back, spreading the robe wide. He met Gojyo's eyes; Gojyo shivered when he saw how intent the green gaze was. His eyes fell, and he was startled to see a jagged scar running across Hakkai's abdomen.

What the hell...? He started when Hakkai spoke.

"May I ask you to do something for me?"

Gojyo looked up again and swallowed. "Sure."

"Put your hands above your head," Hakkai said, "and spread your legs. Wider. Good." He looked avidly at Gojyo. "Will you trust me?"

Gojyo's heart threatened to pound out of his chest. He could feel his cock rising. "Yeah. I'll trust you."

"Don't move until I get back."

Hakkai left the room, not bothering to put on any clothes.

His ass was pasty white, the glutes defined and hollowed. Gojyo closed his eyes. Damn, he could imagine pounding into that ass… He heard the low murmur of Hakkai's voice, then the shower. The cool air from the overhead fan caressed his cock and balls, making him shiver.

A few minutes later, Hakkai entered the bedroom again, clad in a robe and smelling of soap. He pushed a serving cart into the room, and Gojyo could smell eggs and ham and a myriad of other wonderful breakfast-type aromas coming from under the domed lids of the dishes. His stomach rumbled.

"You waited." Something in the way Hakkai said it made Gojyo think that there had been many times in Hakkai's life when someone hadn't waited. He held up a syrup container. "Now, don't move…"

And Gojyo obeyed, even when, a little while later, Hakkai held him pinned to the bed as Gojyo arched deep into Hakkai's throat with the force of his orgasm. He stayed still even when Hakkai had kissed him, tasting of maple and semen. He didn't move when Hakkai pushed his legs up and back and plunged deep inside his ass, nor when he came, spontaneously, untouched as Hakkai's cock battered his prostate.

Only when Hakkai had fallen asleep on top of him did he move, and that was only to put his arms around Hakkai and hold him close, and to realize that somewhere along the way, he'd done something amazingly stupid and fallen in love.

~~~~~

They didn't leave the bedroom until late in the evening, when they went to an upscale restaurant in SoHo for dinner.

They were halfway through their entrees when a group of diners passed their table. One of the men stopped and stared at Hakkai. "Richard? Richard, is that you?"

Hakkai froze. Gojyo could see a split second of panic in his eyes before a cool mask slipped over his face. He turned to the man with a polite smile.

"Godfrey. Fancy meeting you here," he said calmly. "I thought you were working on that merger with Cauldwell Pharmaceuticals."

"I am." Godfrey was a middle-aged Englishman, his sandy hair balding, rail-thin except for a belly paunch that his obviously bespoken suit nearly hid. "In fact, we're just celebrating the contract signing," he said, nodding his head towards his companions. "I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw you. I thought you were--"

"I'm here visiting," Hakkai said, smoothly interrupting. "Taking a break from the business world, so to speak."

Godfrey glanced at Gojyo and his eyes burned with curiosity. "I see. Well, I mustn't interrupt you. Enjoy your – visit." He nodded his head at Hakkai and hurried away after a last avid glance at Gojyo.

Gojyo looked at Hakkai and was dismayed by the pleasant but impersonal smile that Hakkai gave him. He smiled back, hoping to see a bit of warmth, but Hakkai dropped his eyes.

"We could use some more wine," Gojyo said, determined to keep the evening going. He motioned to the waiter, who immediately came and refilled their glasses. "Have you tried the truffle foam with the bass yet? They do it very well here."

"It's delicious," Hakkai said. "Thank you for suggesting it."

They spoke in empty pleasantries through the rest of the meal.

~~~~~

Gojyo excused himself to use the restroom as Hakkai settled the bill. Accepting a towel from the attendant, he turned to find himself face to face with the man who had addressed Hakkai during dinner.

"You're Richard's companion, is that right?" the man asked. His eyes traveled up and down Gojyo's body. He smelled strongly of alcohol.

Gojyo nodded politely and dropped his towel in the wastepaper basket before tipping the attendant. He tried to leave the bathroom, but was stopped by a hand on his chest.

"Or perhaps his newest piece of arse," the man leered.

"Excuse me," Gojyo said, teeth clenched. He tried to move around the man again, but the man refused to budge.

"A word of advice, friend." The man leaned closer as the bathroom door opened behind him. "He's dead broke. Grandpapa cut him off from the family fortune when he found out about Richard's little – hobby. Froze all of his bank accounts and credit cards. You'll be lucky if you get a fiver from him."

"Sir, you're blocking the doorway --" the attendant said and Gojyo glanced away from the asshole standing in front of him --

-- and met Hakkai's eyes.

"Excuse me," he repeated to the man, and firmly pushed him out of the way. "I'm sorry I took so long," he said to Hakkai, gently taking him by the elbow. "Unless you need to use the facilities, shall we leave?"

"Of course." Hakkai turned to the man. "Good evening, Godfrey," he said, then allowed Gojyo to escort him into the dining room.

Gojyo steered them to the door and waved his ticket at the parking valet. A few minutes later he had Hakkai safely ensconced in the Mercedes and they were gliding smoothly through nearly deserted streets.

"I know a nice jazz club uptown, it's probably just starting to hop --"

"I managed to hide my lovers from my grandfather for years," Hakkai said quietly. "Ever since public school, in fact. He only found out when my last lover and I were attacked coming home from the theatre. You may have noticed the scar on my abdomen."

Gojyo nodded, keeping his eyes on the road.

"Leslie was killed. Of course, the incident made the news. Young, professional, upper class gay couple, brutally attacked, just the sort of thing the tabloids feed upon. I regained consciousness at hospital to find my grandfather's solicitor sitting at my bedside waiting to serve me the papers that renounced me from the family."

"Jesus," Gojyo whispered.

"Mother had left me some money that Grandfather didn't know about," Hakkai continued, "through a Japanese solicitor who had worked for my father. Once I was released from hospital I tried investing it, but the recession hit. You're the last of it."

Gojyo's mouth went dry. "Hakkai--"

"Don't worry, your services have been prepaid--"

"I don't give a fuck about that!" Gojyo swerved into an alley, killed the engine and turned to Hakkai. "Jesus fucking Christ! What were you thinking? If you wanted to go out with a bang, you could at least have kept something for yourself. There're at least four good escort services in the city that cost half of what I cost."

"But your agency is reckoned the best," Hakkai said. "I needed your talents. Well, not yours specifically, but those of you and your associates."

It was too dark to see his face, but Gojyo had a bad feeling. "Hey. Forget that you've hired me for a minute and just be honest. What's going on? You're not going to off yourself or something, are you?"

"No," Hakkai replied. "I'm not suicidal. I'm learning your trade."

"You're learning – what? What the fuck! For that kind of money, you could be an accountant or something, for Christ's sake! You're too fucking good to be a hooker!"

Hakkai grabbed Gojyo's collar and pulled him across the seat. Before Gojyo could say anything, Hakkai was kissing him with a precision and technique that dripped sex and felt as empty as Gojyo had felt the night before.

He pulled back and wiped his mouth. "Jesus, Hakkai."

"I have a ticket to Singapore three days from now. I have a friend there. Well, an acquaintance, really, but he's willing to take me on as an escort if I can demonstrate the proper skills. People like the accent, you know," he added, a bit disingenuously.

"So you want to spend the rest of your life fucking people like that goddamn asshole, Godfrey."

"Well, it's unlikely that I'll have the opportunity to spend the rest of my life fucking people like you," Hakkai replied mildly. "I might as well fulfill my grandfather's expectations. The word 'whore' was mentioned several times in the papers the solicitor gave me."

"Look, if you're going to do something so completely fucked up, talk to Sanzo before you go," Gojyo begged. "He'd take you on. Hell, if you've got a good business background, he might even be willing to take you on some kind of partnership or something. Just don't --"leave me "-- be stupid."

"Gojyo." Hakkai's voice had softened. "It's late. I'm very tired. Could you please take me back to the hotel?"

"I'm not leaving you alone," Gojyo warned.

"Of course not." Hakkai looked out the window of the car. "It's clouding over. Do you think we'll have rain tomorrow?"

~~~~~

They had sex.

It was eerie, watching Hakkai use one slick move after another on him, the same moves that Gojyo had used on Hakkai the night before, until Gojyo was writhing in helpless passion and hating himself more fervently than he figured even his mother had hated him.

They had sex.

No, that wasn't true. Gojyo, damning himself for his stupidity, made love to Hakkai.

The fact that Hakkai was only having sex with Gojyo was plain to both, however.

After they'd come and Hakkai had cleaned them up, he crawled into bed and gathered Gojyo in his arms.

"You never asked me what my real name is."

"If you'd wanted me to know, you'd have told me," Gojyo said, trying to keep it light. He suspected he failed miserably.

"I want many things, Gojyo. I just can't allow myself to have them. What would you do if you knew my real name?"

"I'd want to follow you. But I wouldn't do it, if I knew you didn't want me to."

"It seems as if we both want things we can't have," Hakkai said softly. He stroked Gojyo's hair. "Shh. It's time for us to sleep."

~~~~~

They lay spooned together all night, neither sleeping, neither speaking. When dawn came and Hakkai got up, Gojyo stayed in bed, listening to the sounds of him showering, dressing, packing.

The click of the outside door to the suite being closed sounded like a gunshot.

Eventually, Gojyo got out of bed. He padded, naked, into the living room. The paper on the coffee table caught his eye immediately.

Shaking, he picked it up.

Gojyo

Thank you.

--Hakkai

A wad of hundred dollar bills lay beneath it.

Hakkai'll make a good whore, Gojyo thought, staring at the paper, hoping he could make his mind go numb enough that the words meant nothing.

Almost as good as me.

~~~~~

Gojyo wandered through Central Park. His cell phone rang from time to time, but he ignored it. Fuck Sanzo. No matter how good the money was, he wasn't taking a client. Not today.

He ended up walking all the way to his apartment in the Bronx. Before he reached his place, he stopped by a liquor store nearby and used one of the hundreds Hakkai had left him.

He drank the rest of that night and well into the next day.

The third morning after Hakkai left, Gojyo, lying in bed nursing a hell of a hangover, heard pounding on his front door and a stream of curses that probably had the neighbors calling the police. He stumbled out of bed and cracked the front door open.

"Go the hell away, asshole."

"Fuck you." Sanzo shoved the door open and came into the apartment, slamming it shut after him. He pushed Gojyo down on the couch. "You pathetic bastard. What the fuck happened to you? Did that asshole beat you or something?"

"God, no, nothing like that," Gojyo said, feeling sullen. "What the fuck do you care, anyway?"

"Look, when I call you, call me back, you stupid fuck!" Sanzo sat in the best chair and lit up a cigarette.

"Put that goddamn thing out," Gojyo snapped. "You made all of us fucking quit, I'm damned if you're getting to smoke in my place after that living hell. Especially since I can't."

"Go ahead," Sanzo said, waving his cigarette. "Smoke as much as you damned well please. We won."

"What d'you mean, 'we won'?"

"The goddamn lotto. We won."

"Shit." Gojyo was stunned. "Gimme a cigarette."

"Buy your own, prick."

"Just give me a goddamn cigarette!"

Cursing, Sanzo threw a nearly empty pack at him. "You owe me a new pack."

"How much?" Gojyo asked as he rifled through a drawer for a lighter.

"Two hundred twenty million."

Gojyo paused. "You fucker. You almost had me going there--"

"Read my lips, asshole. Two hundred twenty million. On your goddamn ticket," Sanzo added, clearly disgusted. "I've been playing the same numbers for years, but you waltz in with some out-of-your-ass beginner's luck and pick numbers for the only fucking winning ticket in the country. I still get my eighty percent, though," he added threateningly. "I payrolled four of the tickets every fucking drawing."

"Yeah. Eighty percent." Gojyo sat heavily on the couch, cigarette and lighter forgotten. "We took the lifetime payout, didn't we?"

"Of course."

"Two twenty over twenty-six years, take out taxes and your share – I'll be pulling three-quarters of a million a year in income," Gojyo said, stunned. "I don't ever have to fuck another trick in my life." He stared at Sanzo. "Please tell me you aren't shittin' me."

"I'm not shitting you." Sanzo smirked.

"I gotta find a computer," Gojyo said. "Can I use yours?"

"Buy one. You've got the money."

"No time." Gojyo tossed the cigarette and the lighter on the table. "How fast can you get us back to the office?"

~~~~~

Gojyo fidgeted while behind him, the loudspeaker blared.

"Paging passenger Richard Charles. Mr. Richard Charles, please report to the Transcontinental Airlines VIP lounge. Paging passenger Richard Charles..."

"May I offer you something, sir? Coffee? Wine?"

The airline attendant was gorgeous; at another time in his life, Gojyo might have hit on her. Now, however, all he could think about was his flight and Hakkai. He shook his head. "No. Thanks." He looked at the clock again.

"Oh, please don't worry, sir. We'll make sure that you get aboard at the right time. And you can take your drink with you, if you change your mind."

"Thanks," Gojyo repeated. "I'm fine."

She flashed a blinding smile at him and moved on to the heavy-set businessman gently weaving behind him. "May I offer you something...?"

The door opened and Hakkai entered. Their eyes met, and Gojyo saw a moment of surprised pleasure, almost gratefulness, cross Hakkai's face before it suddenly shut down and he looked distant.

Gojyo hurried over to him and grabbed his elbow. "Come 'ere," he said, dragging Hakkai into a small room with a table and some chairs. "They said we could use this to talk." He shut the door.

"Gojyo, you can't talk me out of this--"

"I'm not gonna. I'm going to Singapore with you. You can either sit in first-class with me, or you can keep your seat in economy, I don't give a fuck. But we gotta talk, first."

"This is insane. We only spent forty-eight hours together."

"You think I don't know that?" Gojyo hissed, angry. "I know that, okay? Batshit insane, what-the-fuckery, the whole deal. The thing is, that ticket we bought? It won. Sanzo gets most of it, the prick, but you've got to make a choice. You either take all the rest of the winnings, since they were your numbers and you paid for the ticket, or we split it, fifty-fifty. That's nearly four hundred thousand a year for each of us, for the rest of our lives."

Hakkai looked stunned. "Gojyo--"

"No matter what you do, I'm out of the sex business," Gojyo interrupted. "No need for you to be all noble or anything. I've got enough on Sanzo to bleed him dry for the rest of my life, so I'm set either way."

"How did you find me?"

"I can use the fucking Internet, you know. You weren't hard to track down. Like you said, the tabloids love a good story."

"Gojyo..."

"One thing at a time. First, we go to Singapore. Second, when we get there, we fuck our brains out. You wanna sit with me or you wanna do the martyr thing?"

Hakkai blinked. "Would I get champagne?"

"I'll tell 'em to give us ten fucking bottles of the shit."

"Gojyo."

"Hakkai."

"My name's Richard."

Gojyo shook his head. "See, that's what I mean. Hakkai. Where are you gonna ride? In back or up front?"

Hakkai smiled.

_____________
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