Yao half-expected the other man to brush off and ignore his words, pretend as though he hadn't heard anything; or, thrash the Chinese boy's face and reprimand him for his mischief. He'd even braced himself for the possibility that Alfred would turn around to tell Arthur on him straightaway, whereupon he planned to deny everything.

Instead, the next words coming from Alfred's mouth were, "I'm listening." As Yao stood there looking slightly astounded, Alfred dropped the bundle of gifts onto Yao's narrow bed. He crossed his arms, staring at the boy as he presumably waited.

"My brother used to talk about you," Yao glanced backwards to make sure the door was properly shut behind him. "You two were very close once."

"What's that?"

"But Kiku broke it off with you, very suddenly, once he decided to open a business in London."

Alfred kept his mouth shut; those bright, frosty-blue irises followed the Chinese's every movement as Yao continued. "I remember the night you two parted, actually, even though I was very small."

"What do you remember?" Alfred demanded sharply without thinking.

"The walls shaking with all the screaming and crying and arguing, the sounds of furniture being broken, and a lot of curse words being thrown around. Kiku had locked me in my room, but I broke out and ran to the top of the loft to watch you two fight from the second floor. To make sure nobody killed each other." Yao paused momentarily, swallowing. "But I had just reached the top step when Kiku pulled out a gun, cocked it, fired at you—"

Alfred crossed the entire length of the room in two strides, ready to grab at the boy's shirt.

"—it swept past your ear and went straight into the wall behind you," Yao dodged the American's swipe at him as he finished. Alfred froze. "Afterwards, you two ended up fucking each other's brains out for the next three days."

Inwardly wincing at the small, innocent looking boy's casual use of such a vulgar word, Alfred's lips curved into a sarcastic smile. "How very cute of you to recall lessons in ancient history. Now, what does this have to do with anything?"

"You kissed me in the car because I remind him of you, isn't that it?"

"Hmmm?" Alfred's eyebrows disappeared into his blunt bangs. "That's cute that you think such things, except you're wrong. Honestly, kid, I have to admit that, on a superficial level, you are more beautiful. Your skin is like a newly unwrapped bar of ivory soap; your hair is like satin, your body seems untouchabl—"

"Do you want him back? Or do you want revenge, for how he left you?" Yao began to pace the room. "I've been obedient to him and done everything he's told me to, all my life, ever since I was old enough to walk. I don't like the way he simply transacted me away without a second thought, as though I were a slab of meat at the market, or a share of stock."

Alfred interjected somewhat defensively, "But I rescued y—"

"But you see," Yao cut him off again, "that is just how Kiku is. His primary obsession in life does not concern anything other than his finances. You know it too, don't you? I know it hurt when he left. His unconcern for your feelings in particular, was just a part of his overall general unconcern for the well-being of others around him."

Alfred's expression had begun to darken. "Get to the point, kid."

"But if you were to become the head of the wealthiest, most powerful company in Europe, Kirkland Enterprises—if you were to become the CEO," Yao resumed, "I would think even Kiku would be impressed. Power is an aphrodisiac to him… he might even be inclined to fall back into your arms, which I know you want; although, I'm sure you'd teach him a sharp lesson first before taking him back."

"How did you know all this about Kirkland Enterprises?" Alfred demanded suddenly.

"Arthur told me, back in the bedroom."

Alfred pursed his lips. Him and his cousin were indeed friendly rivals who were both in the running for reining control of the entire company, but he would never have thought Arthur would be so foolish as to spill everything to this child he barely knew. And on the first day of their reunion, no less.

"As of now, Arthur has a higher chance of becoming CEO," Yao said bluntly. "You have equal managerial experience, and are both well-liked, but he's the one who's currently CFO. Furthermore, from what I gather, he is generally far better with numbers than you are."

"Uh," Alfred said.

"But if you cooperate with me, then I can relay what I learn from him and forward it to you. All his client lists. All his business strategies. His secrets."

Alfred smirked. Yao's eyebrows furrowed as the American stood up slowly, brushing off his pants as he approached, his bulky shadow encompassing the figure of the boy. As the American leered over him, Yao suddenly felt as small as an insect. "That's adorable. You don't think I have an entire program directed towards placing me on the ladder of promotion, which was put together by teams of professionals with the highest credentials in the country? You think I need your help in becoming CEO of a company I've worked for in my entire adult life? You, a little, tiny, under-aged critter plucked from the mean streets of the poorest part of the Guandong region of China?"

"Yes," Yao replied as firmly as he could, between gnawing at his knuckles.

"How about this, you devious, conniving, know-it-all brat," Alfred reached down, placing a large, strong hand onto Yao's shoulder. "Here's my proposal. We'll pretend this little exchange never happened, as long as you agree to be my new secret girlfriend and offer up that body of yours whenever I say."

"I haven't told Arthur about your 'little' stunt in the car," Yao spoke in a firm voice despite the trembling of his sweaty palms.

Alfred halted, and as his face went ugly, Yao didn't stop talking. "And I'm not afraid of you."

Apparently, it was the wrong thing to say. Alfred seized hold of Yao's arm, pulling him forward so that the boy's cheek collided with his chest. "Let's continue this heart to heart on a more intimate level, shall we? See, Arthur asked me earlier today to shower you with all this crap," Alfred seethed as he dragged Yao to the bed; with one wide sweep of his arm, the gift boxes flew to the ground. "But allow me give you a very special present you won't be able to find anywhere else."

"Y-you can't—you don't want to do th—"

In response, he was thrown violently onto the bed. Yao's back hit the bedspread as Alfred gathered up his tie in one hand, roughly ripping the material off from around his neck. The American seized Yao's shoulders, pushing him downwards, and climbed on top of him so that the Chinese boy was crushed against his deep chest.

"Stop! I'll scream for Arthur!"

"Do that. Cry. Cry and scream. I'll tell Arthur that you were the one who seduced me. He's so batshit, he might just buy it." Yao could feel the hard prick nuzzling for entry against the crevice of his thin legs, and his voice froze deep in this throat.

"You're wiggling," Alfred whispered, slightly amused, ignoring the glint of terror in the boy's eyes. Indeed, Yao was utterly terrified, on a level that perversely went deeper than even the primal fear of rape; it might have stemmed from the utter disharmony of their incongruous bodies—even lying fitted with one another, like this—and disorderly voices seemed to be simultaneously shouting and whispering in his head. Alfred hooked his fingers under the boy's chin and guided it towards his lips.

"Oooh," Yao whimpered miserably before Alfred went in for the kill.

Keeping their lips locked, Alfred groped Yao's leg, his inner thigh, and the curve of his ass. As they kissed, Yao kept his eyes wide open, his pupils continuously darting across the room as though in shock, confused about what to do next. "Stop, stop. STOP," his voice came out as a croak when Alfred released their lips; moist and rosy imprints remained. "What about Arthur?" he demanded, nearly hyperventilating. "What are you doing to him?"

"Brat, since when have you started caring?"

"He loves you as family! You'd be a traitor to Arthur. What you're doing is against…" Panic-stricken, he racked his sharp little efficient machine of a cranium. What did he know of Western cultures, from his array of diverse clientele? What would frighten the American the most? "It is against his will! It's against Heaven's will!"

Alfred chortled, a maniacal sound. "Heaven, is that what you speak of? Let me teach you something. The people of Heaven feel nothing, except love. And here we feel nothing but love, don't we, little Yao?" his voice tapered off as he closed the gap in between them again, flicking his tongue onto the boy's face. "The most wonderful… endless… perfect… love…"

Alfred's cock was thick and hurt as he pushed Yao down on it, heedless of the boy's cries as Alfred kneeled beneath him. One hand reached out to rub under one of the boy's nipples, and which was then squeezed painfully between a thumb and forefinger. As the child sobbed and writhed in his lap, Alfred's head came forward and he licked the hardened nub. "Mmm," Alfred moaned; Yao tossed his head back, wilting, surrendering, as Alfred began to gently stroke his member.