Dolphin-san: I am so very, very sorry for not updating in such a long time, but I have been just completely swamped with college work right now. But I'm hoping this big update will make you happy with me again.

Chapter 38

Kia glanced sideways as a man in a turquoise cagoule shuffled past, clutching an envelope and heading for the post-box at the end of the road. It was a hot, sunny Sunday afternoon but the hood of the cagoule was pulled up and tied firmly around his face. One of those care-in-the-community types, Kai thought. With a morbid fear of rain.

But he had other things on his mind right now. Like how much longer he could reasonably be expected to fend off Ray, when he was launching himself at him with all the subtlety of a Scud missile.

'Or was that your best effort?' Ray was saying now, wagging his finger infuriatingly and sounding like a sarcastic schoolmaster. 'Maybe it was, and you're just a really hopeless kisser.'

Right. Goaded beyond endurance, Kai took Ray in his arms and gave him what he wanted. Within seconds Ray was sighing and writhing helplessly against him like an ecstatic kitten. Equally abruptly, Kai pulled away.

Hopeless kisser indeed.

'Wow,' gasped Ray, panting for breath. 'That was more like it.'

Kai acknowledged the compliment with a brief nod. Even if it was coming from someone who was howling drunk.

'Thanks.'

'I love you.' The wine was well and truly lodged in Ray's blood-stream now. He could say anything, anything . . .

'Ray, don't.'

'But I do love you!'

'You do not.' Christ, did he think this was easy for Kai?

'The house is empty.' Ray trailed his fingers enticingly across the front of Kai's shirt, still damp from where he had sobbed all over it. 'Shall we go in?'

'Why?'

Ray rolled his eyes at Kai's stupidity.

'We could go to bed.'

Don't do this, thought Kai.

'Why?'

'Well, the general idea would be to have sex.' Ray gave him a playful thump on the arm. 'And then maybe a little sleep, then something to eat, followed – with a bit of luck – by more sex. How does that sound to you?'

For heaven's sake, how did Ray think it sounded?

'What happened to that pledge of eternal celibacy?'

Ray looked appalled.

'Oh no, I've changed my mind about that completely.'

Give me strength, Kai pleaded silently. Aloud, he said, 'Not a good idea.'

He was shaking his head. Ray stared at him.

'Come on, it's a brilliant idea! Why can't we? Stop shaking your head like that and tell me why we can't!'

'Because,' Kai said slowly, 'you've had far too much to drink. And you'd only regret it in the morning.'

'I would not regret it,' Ray wailed.

'You would.'

'Why, because you're rubbish in bed? Is that it?' Perking up, he recalled this was the technique that had worked so brilliantly just a couple of minutes earlier. 'Why would I regret it, Kai? Because you're even more useless at sex than you are at kissing?'

Bugger, Kai was smiling at him. It wasn't going to work.

'Possibly,' said Kai.

'But I want to have sex with you!' Ray thumped the steering wheel for emphasis.

'Not with me,' Kai said quietly, aware that the chap in the turquoise cagoule had posted his letter and was shuffling back towards them. 'Right now, anyone would do. You're just trying to punish Hiro for hurting you. And prove to yourself that you're over him.'

Ouch.

'Well, so what if I am?' Ray pleaded. 'Isn't that a good enough reason?'

'Sweetheart, it's a terrible reason.'

'You're no fun.' Ray clung to Kai, his empty stomach emitting a terrific rumble.

Shuffle, shuffle. The man in the hooded cagoule moved slowly past the car.

'Come on, I'll make you a bacon sandwich.' Patting Ray's arm, Kai opened the door.

'Give me another kiss first. I'm miserable.'

Kai did, exerting superhuman control.

'We could eat them in bed,' Ray suggested hopefully.

'I'm only coming in because I don't trust you not to set fire to the kitchen,' Kai told him. 'As soon as you've finished your sandwich, I'll be off.'

Back in his car, Bruce watched the two of them disappear together into the empty house. Ray's head leaned on Orlando's shoulder and Orlando's arm was around Ray's waist. It was obvious what they were up to.

Damn, what he wouldn't give for a camera now. Still, he would make Florence believe him when he told her what he'd both seen and heard.

Bruce smiled to himself with satisfaction. Excellent. And thanks to that little tart Ray doing Max's job for him, Bruce had saved himself five grand.

The party at the Salinger hotel broke up a couple of hours later. James, almost comatose with boredom, drawled, 'Takao, let's get out of here.'

'No chance, I suppose, that you two might give it a go for real?' Buzz, seeing that they were about to leave, had sidled up hopefully.

'No chance at all.' Takao jangled his car keys. 'Max? Want a lift?'

Max looked up, startled, from his vanilla cream slice.

'I'm fine, I'll catch a bus.'

'Don't be silly. Come with us.'

James' slanting eyes narrowed with exasperation.

'If he's in the car, you won't let me smoke.'

'Correct,' said Takao. 'Tell you what, I'll give Max a lift and you can catch the bus.'

'I've had enough of this,' James snapped. 'Just because he's pregnant. You care more about him and his stupid baby than you do about me.'

He picked up a glass of red wine. Buzz, hardly able to believe his luck, fumbled for his camera. Stepping out of the way as James flung the contents of the glass at him, Takao escaped almost entirely unscathed. Happily for Buzz, it still made a terrific picture.

'Cheers,' he said, winking and giving the thumbs-up sign to Takao.

'Oh God,' whispered Max, 'I'm so sorry. I'm so embarrassed.'

Like a furious pipe-cleaner, James stalked off. Takao grinned at Max.

'Don't be. I call this a pretty successful day all round.'

'But you must mind,' Max protested, still shuddering at the memory of James' abrupt exit.

Takao threaded the Lotus through the dawdling Sunday traffic, dying to stick his foot down but careful not to do anything that might alarm Max.

'Do I look as if I mind?'

'No, but . . . oh God, you've got a splash on your shirt.' Max squirmed, feeling horribly responsible. Takao's shirts probably cost more than the average package holiday to Ibiza.

'Look in there.' Takao indicated the glove compartment. 'I'm pretty sure James left a bottle of Perrier behind.'

He had, and a packet of Kleenex. Takao pulled up in a bus lane, allowing Max to soak the blue-red stain with lukewarm sparkling water and go to work on it with a tissue. Max scrubbed so energetically, a sheaf of papers slithered out of the glove compartment on to his feet.

'The car's rocking,' Takao observed with amusement. 'People are going to wonder what we're up to in here.'

'Until they see my incredible bulk and realise that getting up to anything would be pretty much impossible. This isn't working, by the way.'

'It's only a shirt.'

Max peeked at the label inside the collar.

'A Turnbull and Asser shirt. If we don't let the stain dry out, we can soak it in something biological – oh no, now look what I'm doing, wrecking your papers . . .'

Bending over with difficulty, he gathered up the dozen or so sheets and hurriedly smoothed out the shoe marks. They were property details with eye-boggling prices.

'The lease is up on my flat,' Takao explained.

'Hampstead, what bliss.' Max sighed with pleasure as he leafed through the glossy details. This was clearly the area Takao was concentrating on. Max tried not to drool over a photograph of a white stucco villa overlooking the heath, with a pool in the back garden. It wasn't the kind of house-hunting he was used to.

'I'm seeing one tomorrow, after work,' said Takao.

Max opened his mouth then quickly shut it again. He'd been about to say that if Takao wanted a second opinion, he would love to go with him . . . heavens, presumptuous or what? Why on earth would Takao be interested in his useless opinion? Worse still, the estate agent might mistake them for a couple, and how embarrassing would that be for Takao?

'What?' Takao was looking at him oddly.

'Nothing.' Max went a deep shade of pink.

There was a pause, then Takao said carefully, 'Look, if you aren't doing anything else, why don't you come along with me?'

Oh Lord, this was awful! Takao had to have guessed what Max was about to ask and now felt obliged to make the offer, simply because he was so kind . . .

'No thanks,' Max said abruptly. 'I can't. I'm bust tomorrow night.'

Dolphin-san: Aw, Max was so embarrassed there *laughs*. And Ray and Kai's first kiss . . . ah, it makes me so happy to be writing this again after so long. I hope you're not all mad at me for keeping you waiting like that.