Trial Of Strength (Book 11)

“THE YOUNG ROOKIES FACE RANDY’S RAGE”

The naïve young newcomers to the tribe, Vic and Noah, are starting to come out of their shyness shells, but they shrink back in when big boss Randy flies into a rage and insults the terrified boys.  Randy pays a heavy price of physical and sexual humiliation, dished out by the older man he idolizes, Uncle Mike.  Later, Bob soothes Vic with one simple act that could change the rookies’ lives.

In the previous chapter

The recently hired boys, Vic and Noah, were already doing well in their new jobs as office assistants.  Their work skills were admirable, but it was their physical and social stature that didn’t seem to fit in with the rest of the tribe. 

Unlike the robust, good looking men and boys of the tribe, the rookies were described, unflatteringly, as nerdy – skinny bodies and nondescript features.  And sexually they were like babes in the wood, with no sexual experience at all.  Everyone in the tribe at first assumed they were lovers, a word that embarrassed them as they said emphatically they were “just best buddies.”  Determinedly platonic, sex with each other had never remotely crossed their minds.

But they were pleasant, eager to please, and conscientious at work.  And they were befriended by the much-loved older man Uncle Mike when he came to visit the tribe from his home in Palm Springs. Mike was moved by the boys’ shyness and took them under his wing. 

Mike discovered that the naïve boys had already witnessed several examples of hot and heavy sex between various men of the tribe.  They did not run away from it, but they found it hard to equate this rugged, hardcore action with their storybook idea of romantic love.

Uncle Mike’s solution to this was for Vic and Noah to watch Bob’s twins, Kyle and Kevin, make love.  The tender love-making of the sexy identical twins had a profound impact on the new boys.  That night they shared a bed and, in his sleep, Vic casually draped his arm over Noah.

Noah woke suddenly, and soon realized why.  His cock was hard.  Strangely, it didn’t embarrass him.  It felt nice ... really good, actually.  Mike’s words came back to him.  ‘The twins were never ashamed of what they felt.  They knew that a feeling like this could never be wrong.’  So did Noah.  But he also knew he could never fall asleep like this.  Then he thought of how the twins had finally handled it – and ‘handled’ was the right word.  They had grabbed each other’s cock and jerked each other off.

Carefully, Noah slid forward, out from under Vic’s arm, tiptoed to the bathroom and looked in the mirror.  Hesitantly he wrapped his hand round his hard cock and stroked it. It felt wonderful ... new ... indescribable.  But suddenly he heard Vic’s voice at the door.  “What are you doing?”

Flustered, Noah said, “Oh, nothing.  I needed to pee.”

“In the sink?”

“No, I ... I er ...”   Then he looked down at Vic’s cock – hard as a rod.  “You too, uh?”

Vic stood beside him and looked in the mirror. “I was thinking about what the twins did at the end. They seemed to like it ... no harm in it I suppose.  I mean, they’re brothers after all and ...” He reached over and touched Noah’s cock.  As he didn’t protest, Vic wrapped his hand round it.

Noah quickly copied him and they tentatively stroked each other’s cock.  Shyness at first made them look down, but when they raised their heads they smiled into the mirror.  “You OK, Noah?” 

“Yeah, very.  No harm in it really, is there?  Anything that feels this good.  You think we could do what the twins did?”

“Dunno, I ...” As they stroked harder their cocks answered for them – and it didn’t take long.  Their hearts were pounding, breath heaving as they stroked faster and faster.  It was as if some force had taken over their body ... it felt wonderful ... they had no control as they stared at each other and ...”Aaaahh!”  Their pent-up juice splashed on the mirror and ran down the glass.

They both realized what had happened.  Just like the twins, each of them had given the other the exact same pleasure he was feeling.  But they knew it wasn’t love or anything – just a physical thing ... for release ... a bit like peeing when you really have to go, and you sigh with relief.  What had Bob called it?  Getting your rocks off?

Still, they were embarrassed.  They turned on the taps and quickly cleaned up the mess, rubbing the mirror so hard it seemed they were erasing not only the liquid but also the reflection of what they had seen.  They toweled themselves off and hurried back to the bed.

They climbed in and pulled the sheets up to their necks in a belated attempt at modesty.  But when Noah turned on his side he felt Vic behind him wrapping his arm round him again, and Noah sighed with pleasure.  Vic said.  “Dude, we should get some sleep now.  Brandon said we’ve got a long day tomorrow, we’ll be working overtime.” 

“Yeah, we should, and this bed sure beats our little single beds at home.”  Noah yawned and his voice got sleepy.  “Kinda nice to share it like this, don’t you think?”

“I do.  And, er, that thing we did in the bathroom.  I didn’t mind that either.  Maybe we could even do it again.  Buddies do that kinda stuff.”

But Noah didn’t reply.  He was already asleep in Vic’s arms.

=========    BOOK11: CHAPTER 32   ========= 

<><>    “Fasten Your Seatbelts    <><>

Next morning Vic and Noah got up early and felt much more confident as they headed for the communal buffet breakfast already set up in the garden. 

Yesterday they had nervously undergone their formal introduction to the tribe at the big group dinner.  But they were acutely aware that they were skinny, dorky-looking ordinary kids and had felt physically inferior to the handsome, buff men and boys gathered for dinner. 

But they had soon been put at their ease by boss Randy’s enthusiastic welcome and the cheers of the group.  After that they were able to relax, especially as they were sitting next to Uncle Mike. The kindly, older man had taken a liking to these shy, insecure boys, who reminded him of himself when he was their age – ‘a thousand years ago’, he had laughed. 

At dinner the boys had found Mike easy to talk to and felt safe and protected by him.  So this morning they again sat with him at breakfast, enjoying his company, until Vic said, “Sir, we gotta report to Brandon in the office now.  Gonna be a long day.  We’ll be working overtime as Brandon said it’s payday on the construction sites, so we gotta get the checks out.”

“Save one for me,” Mike laughed.  “Just kidding, boys.  Work hard, have fun, and I’ll see you later.”  As they ran off Mike smiled at Bob, the co-leader of the tribe sitting opposite him.  “Did you notice how relaxed they were this morning, Bob?  There was a kinda glow about them.  If I were a betting man I’d say something happened to them in bed last night.”

“I had the same feeling, Mike.  If we’re right, I’m pleased.  As you said, there’s more to those kids than meets the eye – all this ‘just best buddies’ stuff they insist on.  I’m glad they’ve taken to you so warmly.  I know you’ll take good care of them while you‘re visiting here with us.”

“I’ll do my best, Bob.  My heart goes out to shy young kids like that, just starting to learn about life and love – and about themselves.”

Bob sighed.  “Now I have to go up to my office, Mike.  Like the boys said, it’s gonna be a long tough day.  All the construction sites are going gangbusters with new projects, and Randy’s hired a slew of new hourly crew members.  I could tell he was on edge when he left for work this morning.  I know him well – when he's rattled like that he can flare up at any time.  When he comes home he’ll take out all his pent-up frustrations on me – especially my ass.”

“Which you, of course will love.  I don’t imagine you saying no to the raging gypsy.”

Bob chuckled.  “I’ve learned not to say no when he’s in that mood.  Matter of fact, that’s when Randy is the sexiest guy on earth, and I say bring it on.”

Actually Bob was right that they were in for a tough day, he just didn’t know exactly how tough.  As it turned out it wasn’t Bob who would be in the cross-hairs of Randy’s anger.  Far from it.

<><>    A Very Bumpy Ride    <><>

The office manager Brandon had been recently promoted but already showed the qualities Bob felt sure he possessed.  He had learned resilience from his life in a wheelchair, refusing self-pity and asserting his independence to do almost anything the other boys could do.  Boss Randy admired his courage and made sure that every building in the compound had wheelchair-accessible ramps.

In his choice of new assistants, Brandon had looked for a conscientious work ethic and an aptitude for office work, all of which Vic and Noah had.  The fact that they did not fit the physically glamorous mold of the other boys played no part in his choice, as it had nothing to do with their work.  In their first three days in the office, the eager boys had more than borne out the wisdom of Brandon’s choice.

He was protective of his staff too.  When Randy had first met the new boys he commented on their skinny frames and breezily told them he would bulk them up in gym workouts, followed by the reward of butt-fucking them.  This had acutely embarrassed the asexual boys and Brandon had taken Randy aside and boldly given the big boss a fierce tongue-lashing.

Today the rookies faced their most arduous day in the office, and they welcomed the challenge and the opportunity to excel.  Brandon explained. “The construction crews are paid bi-weekly, every other Friday.  Today is payday so we have to print out and deliver their checks by the end of the day for Darius to pick up and take to the site managers.

“Today is more complicated than usual as Randy has hired extra crew guys for the new projects.  The crews consist of full-time and hourly workers – the new hires are hourly.  Ryan here has built a new computer payroll system that makes everything easier as it’s integrated into the personnel records and prints the checks.  Your job today, guys, is to enter the data so the paychecks will be accurate and on-time.”

The boys were already mostly conversant with the computer program and set to work eagerly.  They loved the idea of being an essential part of this big, successful operation.  So they worked hard, with only a lunch break and the two coffee breaks that Brandon mandated.  It was getting late when they were ready to print the checks and insert them into individual pay envelopes.

They worked so efficiently that they had the envelopes neatly stacked to present to Brandon.  “Oh,” he said, “I should really have double-checked them after the print run.  Now it would mean taking them out of the envelopes – and I see Darius is already here.”

Darius breezed in, handsome and smiling broadly as always.  He hugged his boy Ryan and chuckled, “All you got for me is paychecks?  I expect something more from my handsome young Thai boy.”

Ryan grinned, but Brandon said jovially, “Darius you leave my staff alone – work is work and fucking is fucking, and right now Ryan is working.  Save the F-word for later.”

Darius laughed.  “Man you are one strict son-of-a-bitch boss, dude.  OK, Ryan.  Better do what the big boss says.  But after the closing whistle blows you and your ass are all mine, get it?”  Ryan smiled and nodded. 

“I’m gonna need it after the day we’ve had,” Darius said.  “One of those days where whatever could go wrong did go wrong.  And as for Randy – man I’ve never seen him on such a rampage, yelling orders right, left and center.  He got in a big fight with Zack, but Zack stared him down, which made the big ol’ gypsy even madder. I pity Bob when Randy storms home.  I better get these checks to him pronto before he blows a gasket.”

He ruffled Ryan’s hair and left, and calm returned to the office.  They set about the lengthy task of closing out the files and compiling the final total payroll for Bob to examine.  But Vic and Noah frowned as they both noticed that the figures didn’t add up.  Something was missing.

Blushing deeply Vic said to Brandon, “Sir, look at this.  I think we made a mistake somewhere.”

Brandon felt his stomach lurch as he quickly determined the problem.  “A whole bunch of the hourly guys’ checks were not printed – they’re still pending.  Damn, when Randy sees this he’ll go ballistic.  Quick, we’ll work it out together – and fast.”

“Sir, it was all our fault,” Noah said.

“Doesn’t matter, Noah. My fault for not double-checking. Time for the post-mortem later ... and I do mean ‘mortem’ once Randy gets wind of this.”  Brandon knew that if they panicked, more mistakes were likely, so he calmly guided the boys through the process. 

Ryan looked up and said, “Uh-oh – too late.  Battle stations, dudes.”

The gate crashed open and Randy strode across toward the office.  He was a fearsome sight in his greasy jeans and boots and sweaty tank top, shaggy hair swinging wildly, eyes blazing.  The door crashed open and, “What the fuck?”

“Sir, I apologize” Brandon said calmly.  “We’ve identified the error and we’ll have the other checks printed in fifteen minutes.”

“And what the fuck am I supposed to tell my guys?” Randy yelled. “They come to me to get paid and there’s no fucking checks for them.  They think we’re a rinky-dink outfit that’s run out of money.  How do you think I feel?  Like a fucking moron.  How the fuck could this happen ...?”

“Sir, I ...”

“I don’t wanna hear no pansy excuses, kid.  I want the fucking checks.”

“Vic, Noah,” Brandon said calmly.  “Go outside for a minute and let me talk to Randy.” 

The new boys scurried out of the office with relief and sat close together at the table on the lawn, waiting to be summoned back.   They were shivering, scared stiff, and were relieved to hear a friendly voice over their shoulder.

From the ground-floor apartment came Uncle Mike and his boy Larry.  They had been in their guestroom getting ready for sex, each of them shirtless, when the raucous noise started.  “What the hell’s going on, kids?”

“Sir, we made a mistake doing payroll, didn’t print enough checks, and Randy’s real mad. He came in yelling and he’s still yelling at Brandon. It was our fault, we’ll get fired for sure.”

In the office Randy had totally lost control.  Looming over Brandon, he was a ferocious sight, veins standing out in his neck as he shouted, “It was Bob’s idea to make you manager ... big mistake,” he shouted.  “And those kids you hired are fucking losers. Gonna be some changes around here.  You got half an hour to come up with the checks, boy.  I’ll stall the crew till then.”

“Sir, it’s not fair to blame ...”

“Shut the fuck up, kid, I don’t wanna hear it.”  Randy put his boot on the wheelchair and shoved hard, making the chair roll back and crash against the wall.  Ryan rushed up to Brandon as Randy stormed out of the office.

He strode up to the cowering youngsters and ignored Mike.  “You two are the problem, nothing like this happened until you came here.  That’s what comes of hiring two skinny nerds who don’t know shit.  You’re fucking losers and I’ll make sure your asses are fired so fucking fast your heads’ll swim.”

Mike leapt to his feet but Randy pointed to him.  “Stay out of this, man.  Has nothing the fuck to do with you.  I run this outfit, not you.”  He stormed off to the gate and Mike said to Larry.  “Go in there and make sure Brandon’s OK, Larry.  You kids go with him and help Brandon with these damn checks or whatever they are. And don’t worry, no one’s gonna get fired. Lay low till I come back.  I’m going after the son-of-a-bitch.

<><>    A Tongue-Lashing From Uncle Mike    <><>

When Mike went outside Randy was already in his truck. Through the open window he shouted, “I don’t wanna talk to you, old man.”

“The hell you don’t, boy,” Mike yelled, and yanked open the door.  Randy raised his boot, pressed it on Mike’s chest and shoved him away.  Mike staggered backward, crashed against the wall and slumped to the ground. 

But Mike’s hide had been toughened by countless fights with drunks in his leather bar, and he could get as mad as Randy.  He leapt to his feet, heaved Randy out of the truck bodily, slammed his fist against his face and kneed him hard to the groin, sending him to the ground howling and clutching his crotch.

Mike stood over him and yelled, “Have you completely lost your mind, boy?  You’re not just angry, you’re fucking insane.”  The pain in Randy’s groin was intense and he lay crumpled against the wall groaning, his hands nursing his balls.

Mike towered over him.  “In all my life I’ve never heard such filthy insults thrown at young boys.  Those two kids in there are decent boys.   But they’re fragile, groping their way into a new life.  And they were making progress, they were happy, until you come roaring in like a raging bull and terrified them, calling them skinny nerds and losers who’ve just been fired.  Hell, I don’t think they’d wanna stick around after that.  They can’t wait to get out of this madhouse.

“And Brandon!  The boy you claim to admire and love – a kid in a wheelchair, for Chrissake!  Way to go, champ, you sure showed him who’s boss around here.  You just lost any shred of respect that gutsy kid had for you.”

“Mike,” Randy groaned.  “Listen, I ...”

“Shut your mouth, boy I don’t wanna hear it.  Nothing you say could ever restore my faith in you.  Dammit, I loved you, man.  I treated you like a son.  Sure, I knew you had anger issues, but this ... this!  This time you have lost your fucking mind, all because of some small mistake that made you look bad to your crew.”

Mike threw up his hands in despair.  “That’s it for us, boy – I’ve lost all respect for you.  I despise the way you treated those young kids – you who claim to love and protect boys.  I guess that was all a big bullshit lie.”

Groaning, Randy pulled himself to his feet and stood swaying before him.  “Don’t say those things Mike, or I’ll ...”

“Or what, asshole?  You’ll slug me?  Go ahead, boy, show me how tough you are, like you showed those kids in there.  Take a swing at me, go on.  What are you waiting for?  Don’t have the guts to take on a man your own size – easier to attack young kids, a gutless coward.  You’re fucking pathetic, man, I can’t look at you anymore.  I’m outa here.  I can’t be around a lunatic like you.  I’ll take my boy Larry and clear out, and that’s the last you’ll see of me, I mean that.

“No ...!”   Randy howled like a wounded animal and fell to his knees at Mike’s feet.  Tears ran down his face as he wrapped his arm round Mike’s leg and begged, “Please Mike.  Don’t leave.  I love you, man.  Give me another chance ...”

Mike cut him off by yanking his leg free and kicking him on his back. “We’re done, boy.  That’s it.  You’re just not worth the effort.”  Mike sneered, “Look at you – the King of the fucking Gypsies.  You’re nothing.”   He strode away leaving the sobbing gypsy groveling in the dirt.

<><>    The Adult In The Room    <><>

Mike went back into the garden and as he stomped across the lawn Bob came running out of the house. “Mike, what’s all the shouting?  What the hell’s going on?”

“Ask your buddy out there crawling in the dirt nursing his balls, puking his guts out.  He’s done it again, dude, only this time it’s a doozy – total meltdown.  He’s fucking psychotic.  And who does he take it out on?  The most vulnerable of the boys – and a kid in a wheelchair.”

“But why, what started all this?”

“Some snafu in the office about paychecks, and he comes storming home, ranting and raving like a lunatic.  Said that’s what comes of hiring skinny nerds who don’t know shit.  Called the kids losers and fired their asses.  Sounded like he attacked young Brandon too ‘cos I heard his wheelchair slam against the office wall.  I yanked him out of his truck and kneed him in the balls.

“I tell you, Bob, I’ve had it with that asshole and his rages.  He’s totally out of control, and I can’t be around that.  I’m taking Larry with me and we’re out of here. The atmosphere is fucking toxic, all thanks to that psycho shit-for-brains boss.”  Without another word Mike turned and stormed back into the house.

Trying to stay calm Bob ran out through the gate and, as Mike had predicted, found Randy groaning, bent double and throwing up in the dirt.   He raised an agonized tear-stained face and moaned, “He’s leaving ... Mike’s leaving.  Don’t let him leave, please dude.  I didn’t mean to hurt the boys ...”

“Bit late for that now Randy.  I’ll deal with you later.  My first concern is for the boys – I gotta look after them.”  He ran back through the gate and into the office, where he found ...  Amazingly he found all the boys working, stuffing checks in envelopes.

Brandon looked up and said, “Sir, I want you to know, that if Randy has fired Vic and Noah, I quit too.  You can have my letter of resignation.”

Bob eyes grew moist as he looked down at the determined young face.  “God, I love you kiddo.”  Bob knelt by the wheelchair and hugged Brandon.  When he pulled back he said, “Gather round, boys.”  The new boys and Ryan pulled their chairs close. Kneeling on the floor Bob’s face was level with theirs and he smiled.

“Listen carefully, guys, I want to make this absolutely clear.  Nobody is being fired.  As I explained before, Randy is boss of the construction sites, I am the head of financial operations, which includes this office.  Only I have the power to fire anyone, and I have absolutely no intention of doing that.

“Why in the world would I break up a great team like this?  Brandon, you are a perfect office manager, and you, Ryan, a great assistant.   As for you, Vic and Noah, you have shown in just a couple of days that you are good, conscientious workers, and we are lucky to have found you.”

“Thank you, sir,” said Brandon.  “But I want to make clear all this was my fault.  I knew I should have double-checked the boys’ work as it was their first time, but I didn’t.  So blame me.”

“Me too,” Ryan said.  “I was gonna build a fail-safe system in the payroll program but I kept putting it off.  It would have caught the error, so it’s my fault.”

“Stop, stop, guys,” Bob protested.  “I don’t wanna play the blame game here.  It’s a well-known fact that, even in the best-run operations, mistakes occur.  Matter of fact, the reason it took me so long to get down here is that I had made rather a serious error on my computer and I was engrossed in putting it right.  But I don’t think anyone’s gonna fire me for making a mistake.”

“Actually, we’ve already corrected ours, sir,” Brandon said. “The missing paychecks the crew are waiting for are right here in these envelopes.”

Just then Darius burst into the office and went to Ryan.  “You OK, kid?  Did he hurt you? ‘Cos if he did I’ll damn well ...”

“No, sir, I’m fine.  And Bob says none of us are getting fired.”

Darius kissed him and grinned at Bob.  “Good to know there’s one sane adult in the room.”

Bob chuckled.  “Don’t be cheeky, Darius.  But your timing is perfect.  Brandon tells me the missing paychecks are in these envelopes.  Could you rush them over to the construction site and distribute them to the guys waiting for them?  And please apologize to them for the delay.  Make it clear it was just a technical glitch.”

“Will do, sir.  And if you come across a cute young Thai boy who’s in need of some tender loving care after all this, tell him I’ll take care of that when I get back.”

“I can’t think who you mean, Darius.  You Ryan?”

“Not a clue, sir.”

“Assholes,” Darius laughed as he left the office.  As always, the high-spirited Darius had lightened the atmosphere and the boys relaxed for the first time. 

“Brandon,” Bob said.  “I understand you got quite a bump.  Are you feeling OK?”

“I am now, sir.  This wheelchair is as protective as a tank.  Sir, there’s nothing here that can’t wait till tomorrow, so is it OK if we close the office now?”

“Great idea, Brandon, and you should go straight to your Ranger Pete.  I’m sure all this is on the grapevine already and he’ll be worried.  Vic, Noah, go to the twins and Will in the kitchen. They’ll be good company for you while they cook dinner.  They’ll be anxious too, so explain what happened and tell them I’m handling it.  As for you, Ryan you should go to your apartment and get ready for that gorgeous black stud to come home.  I think we all know what he’ll be wanting.”

Ryan grinned, the boys dispersed and Bob heaved a deep sigh.  Next stop Uncle Mike.

<><>    Emotional Blackmail    <><>

Bob tapped anxiously at the guestroom door and a gruff voice said, “Come in.”  He found Mike and Larry stuffing their clothes and gear into backpacks ready to take off.

“I’ve been expecting you, Bob,” Mike said, “and I know what you’re gonna say, but you can save your breath.  We’re leaving and that’s that.  I can’t take any more of that boy throwing tantrums, insulting and terrifying the kids like that.  He disgusts me.  The man is sick – should check into a psych ward and stay there.”  Bob stayed silent, letting Mike vent.

“Thing is, Bob, this is not a one-off.  It’s happened again and again, and I’ve punished him again and again, with you following along shoveling up his shit. Everything’s fine for a while until some little thing makes him lose his mind again. This time it’s an office mistake and he ends up firing everyone in sight.  What’s it gonna be next time?  He’s gonna beat up some kid and go to jail?

“You know, in insulting those kids he insulted me.  I was right there with them and he ignored me while he terrified the kids.  When I tried to intervene he told me to butt out. 

“The hell of it is, I loved that guy like a son. He could be a great man, but I can’t live through another of these meltdowns.  Look, Bob, I don’t wanna make a bad scene worse. I’ll just leave quietly and that’ll be an end of it – for me at least.  I feel sorry for you having to live with it.”

His jaw clenched, Mike continued to gather his stuff and cram it into his backpack.  Bob took a deep breath.  “Mike, everything you say is true and I’m not gonna insult you by apologizing.  I won’t try to change your mind ... no that’s not true ... I guess that’s what I am doing.  One thing you should know, Mike is that Randy loves you like the father he never had.”

“He has a damn crazy way of showing it.”

“I know, I know.  But buddy, this tribe is not only about Randy.  It’s about all the terrific men and boys who make it up, work hard and love each other.  And you know you are a much-loved and admired member of the group. The boys especially respect you and look up to you for your kindness and advice. 

“And now two new boys have quickly come to love you – two shy, innocent kids groping their way into a new world, trying to make sense of it all – life, love, and even themselves.   Mike, if you run out now those kids are gonna be bereft – and blame themselves for you leaving.”

“Bob, this is starting to sound a lot like emotional blackmail.”

“I guess it does, Mike, and I make no apology for that.  I’ll use whatever I’ve got to persuade you to stay.  Larry, you were having a great time with Jamie and the movie.  Do you want to leave?”

Mike growled, “Bob, are you telling me how to treat my own boy?”

“No, Mike, I’m sorry, of course not.”

Larry said, “But I really would like to stay a few more days with Jamie and the guys, sir.”

Mike stopped packing his bag and gazed at Bob.  “Dammit, boy, has anyone ever been able to say no to you? Those big brown doe-eyes of yours. Fuck you, boy, what do you want from me?” 

“Mike, I would like you to stay as long as you can and help those two kids emerge from their shells and find their real identities.  As for Randy, I’ll deal with him.  You don’t even have to speak to him.”

Mike frowned.  “No, Bob.”  Bob’s heart sank.  “If I stay, I’m not gonna tiptoe around Randy like nothing happened.  That’s not my way.  You know me, I look trouble full in the face.  If I stay I’ve gotta confront him, and lay down some conditions.  He’s not gonna get away so easy this time.”

Bob sighed with relief.  “Thank you, Mike.  I love you, man.”  He flung his arms round him in a tight hug and Mike grinned.  “Steady, boy, you’re giving me a hard-on – and that would sure muddy the waters, wouldn’t it?”

Larry grinned at Bob and gave him a surreptitious thumbs up.

<><>    Judge, Jury & Executioner    <><>

 Bob sighed.  “How would you like to play this, Mike?”

“Ah, better get it over with right now.  If we don’t, the wounds will fester, rumors will start to fly and make everything worse.”  Mike paused, frowning in thought.  “Are most of the guys home from work by now?”

Larry answered that one.  “Sir, while you’ve been talking I noticed them all drifting in and going to their rooms.  Hassan and Pete came in with Eddie and Brandon, to protect them I guess.  They’re in the office, and if Eddie’s got the story from Brandon you know it’s already on the grapevine, so everyone pretty much knows what’s happened.”

“Yeah,” Bob said, “and every pair of eyes will be looking from the windows waiting to see how it plays out.”

“Good, just how I want it,” Mike said grimly.  “Come out to the garden with me, Larry.  And Bob, if Randy’s still outside, go and tell him to get his ass back in here.”

“Thank you, Mike.  Then I better go join the guys in the office to reassure Hassan and Pete that their boys are in no danger.  Vic and Noah are in the kitchen with the twins and Will, all of them no doubt glued to the window like everyone else.”

“Bob,” Mike said.  “I just want you to know that I have no grudge against you, you’re a very special man.  You love the guy, and I respect that.  That’s your cross to bear.”

With those painful words ringing in his ears Bob went out to where Randy, ‘the man he loved’,  was slumped back against his truck, recovering from Mike’s vicious knee to his balls.  Bob was torn between love, anger and pity for the broken gypsy, who raised a tear-stained face. 

“OK, Randy, I’ve persuaded Mike not to leave for now.  But he’s angry and disappointed and he’ll exact a high price for sticking around.”

“Anything,” Randy groaned.  “I’ll do anything.”

“You may have to.  He’s waiting for you in the garden.  I’m going into the office to convince Pete that his boy Brandon is safe and still has a job.”  He strode back into the garden and every eye from every window watched him disappear into the office.   In the middle of the lawn, Mike was sitting on a bench, elbows leaning back against a table, and Larry stood a short distance away.

A hush settled over the scene, and many of the men and boys watching from the various windows held their breath.  The gate opened and Randy walked slowly across the garden with the halting gate of a man whose balls still throbbed painfully in his jeans.  His tank had been ripped in the skirmish with Mike and hung in shreds round his waist.

Randy’s singular focus now was on Mike.  After Bob, Mike was the man Randy most admired, a man whose love and respect he craved, as a boy aims to be worthy of a father he idolizes. 

Randy knew the gravity of what he had done. He had lost his mind and it was like waking up from a nightmare and finding it real.  He had verbally savaged boys he was sworn to protect, especially the most innocent and vulnerable new boys.  By his own rules of the tribe, this was the worst thing a man could do, and he had to be publicly punished.  It was fitting that this time Mike would be judge, jury and executioner.

He stood facing Mike about six feet away.  Mike stared at him and winced.  “It’s hard for me to look at you, boy.  I had such high hopes for you, and you disappointed me.  You insulted me and those young boys because anger consumed you and you totally lost your mind.”  Randy took a breath as if to embark on an apology, but Mark silenced him.

“Don’t speak, boy – I’m doing the talking here.  I really don’t wanna be here – my instinct was to get as far away from this mess as I could.  But Bob persuaded me to stay, and I agreed – with conditions.

“Boy, you’ve gotta get help, professional help.  Tomorrow, you gotta get your ass up to your brother Steve’s house for a shrink session where the doc can try to work out what goes on in that addled mess you call a brain.” 

Mike frowned.  “I seem to recall that a long while ago you slugged a crewman so bad he almost had to be hospitalized.  The insurance company insisted that, to maintain coverage, you had to get an assistant on the site (Darius) and get regular anger management.  Did you stop going?”

“It was bullshit,” Randy growled sullenly.

“See?  The words of an asshole.  Well, this time either you get your ass up to Steve’s or I wash my hands of you.  Another thing.  I know the words ‘sorry’ and ‘apologize’ are not in your vocabulary, but this time you will go to each one of the boys you insulted and personally apologize to them.”

“Yes, sir.”

You owe an apology to the whole tribe but we’ll get to that later.  This is the part where you apologize to me – and you’re gonna do it in the only language you understand.  You always say the punishment should fit the crime.  Well, you humiliated the boys and me.  Now it’s your turn.”

<><>    Degradation    <><>

Behind the windows the guys held their breath as they waited for Mike’s next move. 

“Step back to the edge of the grass,” he ordered, and Randy obeyed.    “Now ... strip naked.”  After only a moment’s hesitation Randy kicked off his boots and pulled off his jeans, shorts and socks.  “Now, on your knees.”  Naked except for the ragged tank top hanging round his waist the swarthy construction boss dropped to his knees. 

“I said this is the only language you’d understand.  So suck my dick, buddy.  Crawl for it.”

The naked gypsy fell forward on his stomach, stretched his arm forward and clawed at the earth, heaving his brawny body over the ground.  The muscles in his back and shoulders flexed as he crawled painfully forward, his eyes focused on Mike who had unzipped his pants and pulled out his cock. 

The pornographic sight of the degraded construction boss obeying orders made Mike’s cock rock-hard and he stroked it slowly to avoid shooting his sperm too soon.  When Randy was just a few feet away, Mike reached forward, grabbed his long, shaggy black hair and pulled him the rest of the way.  “I said, suck it, man,” Mike growled, and forced Randy’s head down hard so he could not escape the long, thick shaft driving down his throat and making him choke.

The onlookers all experienced the same mix of emotions they always felt when they watched one of the men being publicly punished – especially the boss.  Randy was loved and lusted after by them all, the unquestioned leader of the tribe.  But most of them had, at some time, been the target of his sudden rages.

And they were especially incensed that this time he had turned his anger on the boy in the wheelchair – the universally loved Brandon – and the two shy young newcomers who were already insecure enough, before Randy had spat out his insults to “two skinny nerds who don’t know shit”, and fired them.  That was way over the line and he had to suffer humiliation for breaking one of his own cardinal rules – never cause harm to an innocent boy. 

The spectators were relieved that Uncle Mike happened to be visiting them and had taken charge.  Better that this highly respected older man – a father figure to the tribe – should administer the punishment, rather than one of Randy’s peers, like Zack or Hassan.  And so, in this whirl of strong emotions, they watched the punishment proceed.

By now Randy was choking hard on Mike’s cock as it slammed down his throat.  Mike had both hands on Randy’s head in a vise-like grip and pumped it up and down so there was no escape from the pile-driving shaft.  Randy was strong enough to escape from any hold, but he didn’t even try.  He needed this chance at atonement for what he knew had been a shameful act, and it gave him a way to demonstrate his remorse to a man he revered, as a son to a father.

The relentless jackhammering continued, and tears of pain and humiliation ran down the big man’s checks and over his stubbled jaw as he gagged on the huge cock. 

Then Mike decided to up the stakes.  He nodded to his boy Larry who had been standing a short distance away.  “Get your ass over here, boy.  You know what I want you to do.”

“Really, sir?”

“It’s an order, boy.  I know you can do it.”

One of the things Larry loved most about Mike was the authority the handsome older man wielded over other men.  Whenever Mike asserted his dominance in the leather bar he owned, especially over tough, unruly bikers, it always made Larry’s dick hard.  Now was no exception. 

Sure, he knew what Mike wanted him to do, and he was proud to be entrusted with this important role.  He walked up to the kneeling gypsy and dropped to his knees behind him.  He pulled out his own already-hard cock, spat on it and stroked it, smiling into Mike’s eyes as Mike continued pounding Randy’s mouth.  “Go for it, boy,” Mike said.

Randy howled into the gag of Mike’s pounding cock as he felt another cock slam into his ass.  It was partly the stab of pain, but mostly the humiliation of being on his knees and spit-roasted in front of all the eyes he knew would be watching from surrounding windows.  The handsome, alpha muscle-boss was suffering abject defeat before the whole tribe.

Every dick was hard among the onlookers, gazing in awe at the double penetration of their leader, kneeling in submission to the shirtless older man and getting butt-fucked by his bare-chested boy.  The savage spit-roast went on and on and the gypsy’s muscular body flexed hard to withstand the onslaught, his long black hair flying across his agonized face.  He was moaning now, his muffled voice begging for release.

“OK, Larry, let’s finish him off.  You ready?”

“Ready when you are, sir.  I’m real close.”

The attack on Randy’s mouth and ass accelerated, he dug his fingers into the ground and pain raced through his battered body.  He was near to exhaustion when he felt Mike’s cock swell in his mouth and he choked on the flood of warm, musky juice pouring down his throat.  He was dimly aware of another triumphant voice behind him as Larry pumped his fist in the air, like a rider taming a bucking stallion, and his cock erupted deep in the gypsy’s ass.

Mike pulled out of Randy’s mouth, yanked his hair back and stared down into the agonized, tear-stained face.  With his free hand he stroked his cock and the last of his pent-up semen splashed into the rugged, chiseled features.  “You’re finished, boy.  Let’s hear an apology for me and those boys.”

Tears poured down the gypsy’s rugged face, mixing with sweat and semen that dripped from his heavily stubbled jaw.  “I’m sorry, sir.  I apologize.  I’m beaten ... I submit.  Please don’t give up on me, sir.  I need you so bad.”    He was a broken man, beaten down by his own irrational anger and the degrading humiliation of being spit-roasted in front of the whole tribe.

Mike and Larry stood up and buttoned up their pants.  Mike hooked a boot under Randy and flipped him over on his back on the grass.  “I said we’d get to your apology to the tribe and that’s the last act of this little drama.”  Mike shouted, “Hey, men, get out here.  You got a job to do.”

Ranger Pete led the way.  He came out of the office where he had been with Brandon, walked across the grass and stood beside Randy who was sprawled on his back.  “This is for my boy, Randy.  You know me, dude, I’m a man of peace, but I can’t let you get away with hurting my boy in a fit of anger.  This is what I feel about you right now.”

He unzipped his uniform pants, pulled out his cock and stroked it.  The homoerotic sight of the broken, naked gypsy soon got Pete’s cock hard and he said, “This is from my boy Brandon.”  With a sharp intake of breath he pointed his cock down and streams of semen splashed on Randy’s face and chest. 

The cop Mark came out of his apartment and joined Pete.  Mark, Bob and Randy were a trio of senior men who loved each other, and now Mark said, “This ain’t easy for me, buddy, but this time you went way over the line.  I gotta do this.”  Like Pete, his cock was hard in seconds, shooting jizz over the fallen gypsy’s limp body.

The Marine Hassan joined them, along with the other two construction bosses, Zack and Seth.  They stood round the muscular body that by now was smothered in semen.  Zack said, “This is for the tribe, Randy.  When you injured those boys you injured us all. 

As a sign of his surrender to the senior men and acceptance of his guilt, Randy looked up at the senior alpha men grouped round him, and opened his mouth wide, as a flood of semen rained down on his face and down his throat.  He swallowed it all, then closed his eyes and lay still on the ground, his dark, chiseled features and powerful body drenched in cum.  His ruin was complete.

Mike briskly took charge again.  “OK, guys, show’s over.  What’s done is done.  Now go back to your boys and love them.”  As they drifted away Mike said to Bob, “I’ll help you get him back to your place, Bob.  I prescribe a hot shower and bed.  And first thing tomorrow, a trip to Doc Steve for the first of hopefully many shrink sessions to avoid any repetition of today’s miserable story.

<><>    A Kiss Is Still A Kiss    <><>

Mike left the men together in the master bedroom.  Before he got into the shower Randy said only one thing.    “Are we still OK, buddy?”

“You know the answer to that, Randy.  We’ve been through stuff like this before.  But this one was bad and you have to do what Mike said – apologize to the boys, then restart your psych sessions with your brother Steve.  So sure, we’re still OK, Randy.  If we hold tight to each other we can ride out a hurricane.  Now get in the damn shower and wash off all that jizz.”

Neither man went down to the group dinner that evening.  Will brought up trays with their favorite foods, they ate in virtual silence, then Bob put Randy to bed and went into his office to finish up his work that had been so rudely interrupted.

The group dinner in the garden went on as ever, of course, though it was more subdued than usual.  The men and boys largely avoided talking about the traumatic events, and Uncle Mike was held in higher esteem than ever.  They had all watched him take charge and subdue their guilt-ridden leader, so he now stood on an even higher pedestal of respect than before – a friend of the tribe, ready to uphold its best traditions and values.

Concerned about the effect of all this on the new boys, Mike had spent time with Vic and Noah to convince them that they were in no way responsible for what had happened.  There had been a minor error in the office which was quickly corrected, and Randy’s eruption was out of all proportion to the issue.  The boys, Mike said, were innocent bystanders caught in the crossfire.

The boys trusted and respected the older man and his words of wisdom went a long way to calm their anxiety.  When they got back to the crowded dinner table there were no two seats together, so they sat separately.  Vic sat beside Brandon and, a bit further up the table, Noah was between Tyler and Finn, the young co-managers of the tribe’s houses and gardens. 

Noah had not previously spoken much to the boys so he was shy at first, as usual.  But Finn and Tyler were good company and amused him with their many stories of furtive sex-breaks as gardeners, and all their discoveries when cleaning the rooms – naming no names, of course.

Listening to their tales, Noah himself became quite animated and laughed a lot at their jokes.  “No, you’re kidding right?” he said wide-eyed.  “That is so cool.  You guys have so much fun together.  I should check out the garden more often.  OK, so what happened next?”

All this was not lost on Vic who, as he talked to Brandon, watched the increasing playfulness between his friend Noah and the two boys.   At one point Noah must have said something that amused them as Finn laughed and kissed him lightly on the cheek. Tyler, not much older than Noah, rested his arm round his shoulder as he leaned in and talked conspiratorially.

Vic had never known Noah interact this intimately with anyone they had met.  It was usually just the two of them, and any encounters with others were short and standoffish.  He should have been pleased to see his best friend opening up like this – but he wasn’t.  He became resentful that there seemed to be a real affection between Noah and these guys.

But there was nothing he could do about it.  He could hardly shout up the table and tell Noah to stop.  Eventually, the dinner wound down, but they still continued to talk animatedly.  Vic’s resentment increased, though he was not sure why, or even what his own feelings were.  There was only one thing he could do.  He said a quick goodnight to Brandon, got up and left the table.

A few minutes later he went upstairs in Bob and Randy’s house and stomped along the hallway to the guestroom that he and Noah were sharing temporarily.  Bob was still working in his office, while Randy slept soundly.  He heard the noise and called out “Hey, kids, come say goodnight.”

Vic came in and Bob smiled, “Just wanted to see how you guys are settling down after all the excitement.  Where’s Noah?”

“Still at the table talking to those guys,” Vic said sullenly.

Bob’s sensitive antennas picked up negative vibes.  “What guys?”

“Oh, that Finn and Tyler.  They been talking for a long time, getting on like a house of fire.  I don’t like it, sir.  I heard that those guys have sex together in the garden.  Next thing you know they’ll try to recruit Noah.”

“Vic,” Bob smiled, “we don’t like that word ‘recruit’.  Sounds too much like coercion.  If Noah’s OK with it, what’s the harm?  I mean you and he are just good buddies, you made that clear many times.  And now that you’re surrounded by lots of other boys it’s only natural that you get to know some of them better, and like them too.” 

But Vic was unconvinced, his face still clouded with the same sullen expression.

Bob looked at him carefully.  “Vic ... are you feeling jealous?

Vic averted his face and snapped, “Hell no.  Why would I ...?

“Vic, look at me.  Look me in the eye.  That’s better.  Now ... are you jealous?”

“I ... I don’t know ... I guess I might be.  But like you said, why should I be?  He’s just my buddy.  He can see who he likes.  I don’t care ... much.  Well, I guess I do ... but I don’t know why.”

Bob’s heart went out to this confused young man.  He stood up, put his hand under Vic’s chin and raised his face so they were eye to eye.  “Vic, I think the time has come for you and Noah to cut all the crap and face facts.  I believe that you two have been burying feelings that run pretty deep.  I’ve seen that in so many of the boys when they first came here.”

“I ... I don’t know what you mean, sir.”

“There’s only one way to explain it.  I’m going out on a limb here, kiddo, but there’s something I want to show you.”

Bob smiled, leaned forward ... and kissed Vic gently on the lips.  Startled, the boy jerked his head back and winced, “Uggh.” 

But Bob’s warm brown eyes continued to smile at him.  There was a long, silent pause ... then Vic threw his arms round Bob and kissed him hard, hungrily.  Like most first times, it was a clumsy kiss, lips pursed tight at first, then yielding to Bob’s tongue and parting in a full open-mouth kiss – raw, awkward, but with all the pent-up passion of a first-in-his-life kiss.”

It was some time before Vic pulled back, and blushed deeply.   “Sir, I’m sorry.  I don’t know why I did that.”

“I think I do, Vic.”  He smiled down at the bulge in his shorts.  “And how does that feel?”

“Rock hard, sir.  Sir, can we do it again?”

“Later perhaps, kiddo.  But you see, I already have a lover.  And here’s the thing, Vic ... I believe you do too.  He’s downstairs, probably wondering where you are.   I think you should show him what I just showed you.”

“You think so, sir?”  Vic frowned in thought, then his face cleared and his eyes shone.  “Maybe you’re right.  Yeah, I think maybe you’re right, sir.”

They heard a door close down the hall.  “Sounds like he’s still looking for you.  Go to him kiddo.”

“Thank you, sir.  Thank you ...”  Vic turned and ran from the room, down the hall, and burst into the guestroom. 

Noah smiled, his eyes sparkling.  “Ah, there you are, dude, wondered where you got to.  I didn’t even notice you leave the table, I was so engrossed with Tyler and Finn.  Dude, those guys are so cool, they told me so many stories about this place.  You should have joined us ... but never mind, I’ll tell you now.  I can’t wait.”

“You’ll have to wait a minute, buddy, ‘cos first ... there’s something I want to show you ...”

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> 

TO BE CONTINUED in “A Trial Of Strength” – Book 11: Chapter 33