Better yet, he caught Bing looking back. Walter didn’t have a physique like a god—not like Bing did—but he was muscular and reasonably fit. It was only natural to preen a bit. But it didn’t last long.
While Bing wrapped a robe around his body to hide himself, Walter covered himself with a heavy towel and then a robe, both knotted to hide his erection. Bing noticed, of course. The man seemed to be hyperaware of him. He had to know that Walter was interested. Hell, Walter was nearly dripping with desire.
They headed together for the shower stalls. They walked side by side, and when Bing took a quick darting look at Walter, the side expression was so mesmerizing that Walter stumbled, this time not on purpose. Bing caught him. Of course he did. He was that fast, that smooth. And while they stood there practically nose to nose, Walter took the risk.
With a slow, deliberate movement, he stretched up on his toes and pressed his mouth to Bing’s. The kiss was slow and sweet. He didn’t fumble. He pushed his tongue between Bing’s teeth and teased him. Ducking in and out, he murmured a low sound of appreciation, and he gripped Bing’s shoulders hard enough that he could feel the play of the man’s muscles.
He felt Bing’s breath catch and rejoiced when Bing opened his mouth and angled his head. He practically sang in ecstasy when Bing’s tongue darted forward to play back.
Yes, yes, yes!
Walter’s blood surged and his erection stiffened painfully. He got his weight under him and began moving Bing behind the curtain toward the shower wall. They were going to do such things to one another—
“No!”
Bing tore himself away from Walter, scrambling sideways. And though his breath heaved, the word had been torn from him in a desperate whisper. And then it was repeated, even quieter.
“No.”
It took a moment for Walter to adjust. His robe had fallen open, and the towel had unwound to drop onto the tiled floor. He was standing there painfully erect while the man of his dreams appeared to be holding on to the wall for support.
Well, that didn’t seem right.
He took a moment to steady his breath. Then he straightened as best he could, though his erection was still straining forward like a Bing-seeking missile. “Um, okay,” he said. “Did you… um… need something?”
Like maybe a condom? A statement of devotion? A medical report? Anything that would suggest they could pick up again where they’d left off?
Walter knew that wasn’t going to happen. He could see it on Bing’s face. Still, a part of him—the hard and horny part—was holding out hope.
“I am sorry, Walter,” Bing said stiffly. “There has been a… misunderstanding.”
Yeah, so he gathered.
“I… I date girls,” Bing said. “I am not gay.”
Walter almost saidAre you sure?People could be into both girls and guys. But even more than that, Walter knew his kisses, and his gaydar was pretty good. No one kissed like Bing without being into it. And if that was true, then Bing was at least bisexual.
He didn’t say any of that. Whatever the truth of Bing’s sexuality, the man had said no, and there was no point in trying to logic anyone into bed. No meant no, regardless of the reason. Though Walter could admit to being very disappointed.
He covered up as best he could and backed away. “My mistake,” he said, hating the desperate rasp to his voice. “I was confused. My bad.”
He hadn’t been confused. He was pretty sure Bing was the one who was in denial here, but again, there was no point in arguing. Bing would face his sexuality when he was ready. Walter just prayed he was around when Bing finally decided to do some exploring. In the meantime, he needed a shower.
A cold one.
He backed out of Bing’s stall and headed to the next one. He flipped the water onto icy, and he forced himself under it. When he was finally out and dressed—while Bing was still in the shower—he called Yaz, who was still in discussions with the producer and director. Apparently she’d spent the past two hours negotiating on his behalf and now wanted him in the conference room to finalize details.
“And hey,” she said, just before hanging up. “Did you decide on who’s going to play Long Wei?”
Walter smiled. He knew just the person. “Kong will make a great buffoon. Give him the role.”
“Great!”
“And there’s another character I want to lay in right now. We’re going to be seeing a lot of him.”
Typical for Yaz, she didn’t miss a beat. “Sure thing. Who?”
Walter lowered his voice. He didn’t want anyone else hearing what he was about to say. “There’s someone who’s going to be important next season.”
