'Of course, you know that, Wally.' An expression of cunning had replaced
Wally's boredom.
'You don't mind when I ask you to do things for me, like putting stuff
on my feet?'
'I don't mind - it's a pleasure, Wally.'
'It's a pleasure, is it?' There was an edge in Wally's voice now. 'You
like doing it?' Andre looked up at him apprehensively. 'I don't mind
it.'
His molten toffee eyes clung to the narrow Mongolian ones in Wally's
face.
'You like touching me, Andre?' Andre stopped working with the ointment
and nervously wiped his fingers on his towel.
'I said, do you like touching me, Andre? Do you sometimes wish
I'd touch you?' Andre tried to stand up, but Wally's right arm shot out
and his hand fastened on Andre's neck, forcing him down on to the bunk.
'Answer me, damn you, do you like it?'
'You're hurting me, Wally,' whispered Andre.
'Shame, now ain't that a shame!' Wally was grinning. He shifted his grip
to the ridge of muscle above Andre's collar bone and dug his fingers in
until they almost met through the flesh.
'Please, Wally, please,' whimpered Andre, wriggling face down on the
bunk.
'You love it, don't you? Come on, answer me.'
'Yes, all right, yes. Please don't hurt me, Wally.'
'Now, tell me truly, doll boy, have you ever had it before?
I mean for real.' Wally put his knee in the small of Andre's back,
bearing down with all his weight.
'No!' shrieked Andre. 'I haven't. Please, Wally, don't hurt me.'
'You're lying to me, Andre. Don't do it.'
'All right. I was lying.'
Andre tried to twist his head round, but Wally pushed his face into the
bunk.
'Tell me all about it - come on, doll boy.'
'It was only once, in
Brussels.'
'Who was this beef bandit?'
'My employer. I worked for him.
He had an export agency.'
'Did he throw you out, doll boy? Did he throw you out when he was tired
of you?'
'No, you don't understand!'
Andre denied with sudden vehemence. 'You don't understand. He looked
after me. I had my own apartment, my own car, everything. He :
wouldn't have abandoned me if it hadn't been for,- for what happened. He
couldn't help it, he was true to me. I swear to you - he loved me!'
Wally snorted with laughter, he was enjoying himself now.
'Loved you! Jesus wept!' He threw his head back, for the laughter was
almost strangling him, and it was ten seconds before he could ask:
'Then what happened between you and your true blue lover? Why didn't you
get married and settle down to raise a family, hey?' At the
