“Stop trying to interrupt me. I’m saying I’ve at least known you long enough to recognize when you aren’t being yourself. You were sick or something when you are giving me the information about the List, but now you’re just…you’re not even pretending to be okay.”

Xiaokai’s mouth twisted. He rested one hand on the back of the chair that he’d still yet to use and tilted his head at Weiran, almost sneering. “Are you done now?”

“I also want to know why you didn’t take your clothes off last time. Now I’m done.”

“Then here are your answers. Everything is fine. I’m not strange, you just haven’t seen enough of me to get a baseline, and neither, before you ask, has Xingyu. What I have against Xingyu is none of my business. Pretending to be ‘okay’, whatever your definition of the word, is in both my job descriptions. And finally,” he said, reaching up and loosening the tie around his throat, making Weiran’s own throat go immediately dry, “I take off exactly as many clothes as I want to while I have sex with you. Even if you were one of my clients, which you aren’t, I still get to control when and where I undress. Any more questions?”

Mutely, Weiran shook his head.

“Good. Then I have somewhere to be.”

“Uh—Xiaokai?”

“I thought you didn’t have any more questions.”

Weiran would really much rather crawl under his covers and never come out. Or, even more tempting—open that window in the corner of the room that he’d covered with blackout curtains months ago, slide out, and plummet to his sweet death. “Do you have an appointment today? Is that where you’re going?”

“No. I don’t have any appointments until Thursday.”

“Oh.” Weiran couldn’t keep the disappointment out of his voice, and Xiaokai noticed. He laughed.

“Why, were you hoping for something?”

“No! I just thought….” Okay, maybe he was hoping for something. The last time they’d slept together had been amazing, but that first time—Weiran couldn’t get it out of his head. He wanted to feel Xiaokai’s skin against his again. He wanted to feel that rush again.

“Thought I’d need you again tonight?”

Weiran looked away. His face was burning, and he knew just from how hot it was that he must be bright red.

“Tell you what,” Xiaokai said, “I know you would get all hot and bothered with Xingyu that close by—”

“Xiaokai!” Weiran protested.

“But,” Xiaokai continued, “I also know that you’d probably lose your mind if you had to do your fantasizing thing when the real object of said fantasies was listening in. If I have time later tonight, I’ll come by again.”

What? “Even if you don’t have an appointment?”