Trial Of Strength (Book 14)

"COWBOY CHARLIE'S TEST OF MANHOOD"

Cowboy Charlie, totally straight, makes amends to the tribe for his impulsive outburst insulting gay men. In a therapy session, Doc Steve makes Charlie watch sexy blond gymnast Tommy in his erotic gym routine, as a test. “Any man with a pulse who don’t get a boner watching that has to be straight.” Then Charlie, like a big brother, takes his shy boys Noah & Vic to a wild soccer match, where the kids let loose and come out of their shell.

<><>    Charlie Rehashes His Day    <><>

Cowboy Charlie lay restless in Bob and Randy’s guestroom.  It had been a very rough day that began at the rodeo when Charlie was taking his victory lap and shouts of “Faggot” rang out from two guys in the crowd. 

That had been a body blow to the straight, macho cowboy whose whole image was based on his undoubted masculinity – undoubted by most, but not by Charlie.  As he now lay tossing and turning in bed he wondered again why the accusation had impacted him so heavily, when most guys would have shrugged off the lowlife insult.

His alpha ego hade taken such a hit that he doubted his own sexual identity.  But why?  He recalled how he had rashly, and irrationally, blamed his friendship with young Vic and Noah, two shy gay boys who were not exactly the image of manhood.  And by extension, he wrongly assumed that his friendship with the whole tribe was the cause of his sexual insecurity.

His thoughts went to his big brother Randy, who had typically reacted with rage after Charlie’s physically attack on the boys.  Randy had punished him by fucking his straight virgin ass, and actually made him orgasm.  Even now, as his thoughts churned, he wondered if that was proof that, deep down, he actually did crave sex with men.

He was grateful to his other brother, the therapist Steve, who had given a long speech about sexual identity that put his own feelings in a more rational context. Even now he had to smile at Steve’s unusual tactic of urging him to watch Randy and his handsome lover Bob, make love.  Far from recoiling in horror, he had been fascinated to watch two rugged alpha guys have sex.

That gave him a sudden urge to go to his boys and make amends, to reassure them he did still love them for themselves, with no sexual context.  So before going to bed he had run over to their room and offered to take them to a soccer match the next afternoon.  The glow on their faces, the love in their eyes, went farther than anything else to reassure him that he was on the right path to kindness and love, which had nothing to do with sexual inclinations.

Now, as he tried to make sense of this traumatic day, he found himself looking forward to watching them cheer on their favorite soccer team.  And at last he was able to fall asleep.

<><>    Charlie Chats With Young Will    <><>

When he woke the next day Charlie’s first thought was of Vic and Noah.  He smiled to himself as he imagined the excitement they must be feeling at the prospect of going with him to the soccer match that afternoon.

His next thought was of his brother Doc Steve, and the therapy session Charlie had promised to go to.  He had managed to push all his doubts and fears to the back of his mind, and replace them with happier thoughts of Vic and Noah. 

While he was considering his next move, there was a tap on the door, and young assistant chef Will came in with a breakfast tray.   The freckle-faced redhead smiled, “Good morning, sir, I figured you might be awake by now.”

“Just woke up, Will, how did you know?  Is that up on the grapevine too?”

Will giggled, “Not yet, sir.  But where food is concerned we chefs have an intuition about when to serve it.  I asked Noah and Vic what you like to eat at breakfast, and I think you’ll find it all on this tray.  Breakfast in bed, sir?”

“Sure, why not?  I could use a little tender loving care right now.”

“Yes, sir, that’s what we figured.  Of course all he events of yesterday are on the grapevine – in living color.  Quite a day.”

“You can say that again, dude.  Hey, don’t runaway, kiddo, stay a while.  Or are you needed back in the kitchen?”

“They can do without me,” Will smiled.  “The other chefs – the twins and Felipe – can easily cope with the buffet breakfast that’s already set up.  And I could use a cup of coffee.”  Will sat on the bed and poured two cups.

“We’ve never spoken much before have we, Will?  But of course I’ve seen you and the other chefs take your bow before dinner.  And Randy talks about you a lot.  Seems you’re one of his favorites.”

Will grinned.  “hat’s probably because I’m the keeper of his private stash of his favorite Scotch, sir.  He ruffles my hair a lot and calls me Red.”

“Yeah, I’ve seen him do that.  Gee, these scrambled eggs are the best.  You guys sure know how to cook down there.  He shoveled them into his mouth, gulped and said, “I don’t know how much detail the grapevine has about my stuff yesterday, Will, but did you hear that Doc Steve gave us quite a speech?  I mention it because it wasn’t confidential and applies to us all.”

“Oh yes, sir, the twins were so impressed that they told us chefs all about it while we worked in the kitchen.”

“Good, so you know how he stressed there are many different kinds of loving, some quite – shall we say – unusual.”

Will smiled.  “I know where you’re going with this, sir – my relationship with Seth.  That’s all common knowledge around here, so I don’t mind talking about it.  You probably heard that my dad was rough on me when we lived alone, tried to molest me, but everything changed, thanks to Randy, when I joined the tribe, and Randy gave Seth a job.”

“Did you know Seth liked to have sex with men?”

“Oh no, sir.   My dad used to fuck a different woman every night.  So when he tried to fuck me I thought he must be bisexual, whatever that means.  It confuses me.”

“That’s what Steve said – you can’t put labels on things.  So now you and your dad have sex?”

“We make love, sir, we fell in love.  Actually Seth is not my real dad, he’s my stepdad, though it doesn’t make much difference.  “Course, it’s not all easy going.  Right now dad has some insecurity that he’s not as cultured as the rest of the guys, like Bob and Steve and even me. He thinks that makes him inferior to everyone.”

“Jeez, sounds a bit like me, though my issue is sexual, his is cultural.  Down the line I should talk to Seth, maybe we’ll make each other see sense.”

“Yes, sir, I have to work with my dad on that.  I’m sure Randy will help us.”

“And maybe I could help too.  I’d like that, might help me get back some of my own self-confidence.  Actually, I’ll be seeing Doc Steve this morning for a shrink session.”

“Oh the doc is great, sir.  He’s helped my dad and me, although sometimes his methods are way out there.”

Charlie laughed.  “Tell me about it, kiddo.  Did you hear that last night he had me watch Randy and Bob make love?”

“Yeah, we heard about that.  I’ve seen those guys make love twice, and each time it made me cum.”  He blushed.  “Not that it made you do the same, sir, I’m sure.”

“No, kiddo, it didn’t.  But it sure looked beautiful, like a work of art.”

“Did you know, sir, that you are a fantasy for most of the boys here.  I hope that doesn’t upset you.”

“Hell no, it’s very flattering.  Thanks for saying that, Will.  You’re a great kid, I can see why Randy loves you.  And thanks for this little chat – it’s helped me a lot.

“Any time, sir. But I should probably get back to the kitchen now. Good luck with Doc Steve, sir.”

Charlie smiled and ruffled Will’s shock of red hair.

<><>    Do Something For Somebody Quick    <><>

After his breakfast Charlie called Steve, who asked him to go up to his house in an hour.  “The sooner the better,” the doc said, and Charlie agreed.

“He was coming out of the shower drying his hair when Bob knocked and came in. “Wow, sorry to catch you butt naked,” Bob grinned.  “No, not really sorry though, you look so fucking gorgeous.  I know you don’t get a hardon looking at me, but if I tell you I’m hard right now I hope you won’t take it in the wrong way.”

Charlie laughed and wrapped the towel round his waist.  “I told you before, dude, if there is one man in the world I could get hard for, that would be you.  And not just because you are drop dead gorgeous, but because of the whole you – the whole classy, sophisticated package.  And no, I’m not assuming that you’re about to butt-fuck me.”

“I’m glad you can laugh about it, Charlie – that’s progress.  So what are your plans for the day?”

“I was just served breakfast in bed by young Will.  That is one sweet kid, I can see why Randy’s so mad about him.  Oh, and by the way, he mentioned in passing that there’s an issue with his dad Seth.  Apparently it’s an identity problem – no, not sexual like mine, but what you might call social.  It seems Seth has feelings of inferiority that he’s from the wrong side of the tracks.”

“Jesus, Charlie, most of the guys here are from the wrong side of the tracks – lost, homeless, dead-end jobs, street kids until they joined us – we seem to specialize in that.   But I’m glad you mentioned it, Charlie, ‘cos I’ve heard rumblings of Seth’s problem too.  I don’t want to interfere, but I’ll keep an eye on things from a distance.  I would hate for Will to get hurt.”

“If it comes to it, Bob, I would like to help too.  I’ve had my own identity crisis so maybe I can relate and do something for him..”

“Now there’s a thought,” Bob smiled.  “Reminds me of that old poem:

When you’re heavy at heart and your world falls apart, do not pity yourself I implore you.  No, up with your chin, meet bad luck with a grin, and Do Something for Somebody Quick.”

Charlie laughed.  Bob, you always have the right word for everything.  I’m doing something for somebody today, for Noah and Vic.”

“Tell me about it, those kids are so excited that’s all they’re talking about.  Anyway, to go back to my original question, what are your other plans for today?”

“Right, so first I’m going up to Steve’s house for my shrink session an hour from now.  I just hope his methods don’t get too crazy, you know how he can be.  Then I take the kids to the soccer match.  And after that I have to face the whole tribe. I’ve been avoiding that up to now ‘cos they might have trouble forgiving me for all the ugly things I said and did.”

“Charlie, this crowd of guys are experts in the art of forgiveness.  Heaven knows, they have enough practice.  If you knew how often your brother Randy has lost his marbles and gone fist-swinging raving mad – guess it runs in your family. And each time they can’t wait to forgive him.”

“That’s ‘cos they love the big blue-eyed gypsy.”

“They love you too, Charlie, never forget that.  Now you better get a move on – you don’t want to be late for Steve.  He may be your brother, but he’s also a doctor with a schedule.  Before you go, can I get a hug – no strings attached?”

“Come here, you gorgeous hunk.  My brother Randy is a lucky man.”

The hug was a warm buddy-hug.  No strings.

<><>    Doc Steve Defines Masculinity    <><>

As Charlie drove up the winding road to Steve’s Hollywood Hills home, he was feeling much more cheerful after his chat with Bob.  What was it about that man that could always calm him down after going through so much tension?  He loved the man, he really did.  Not sexually, though.  Bob didn’t make his dick hard ... he warmed his heart. 

So which of those was more important?  That was obvious – a warm heart.  He felt warm toward Noah and Vic too, not in the same way, but still it gladdened his heart to think of the pleasure he was going to give them this afternoon.  And there was nothing sexual about it.

His spirits lifted even more as he drove up to the big gates on Mulholland Drive and pressed the buzzer.  He recognized Tommy’s voice.  “Welcome, sir. Please come straight down the drive and I’ll meet you at the front door.”

The gates swung open and the handsome blond was waiting for him with a big smile. “Glad you could make it, sir, it’s a pleasure to see you again.  Please follow me and I’ll take you to the doctor’s office.”

Charlie smiled as he recalled Randy and the guys often talking about the way Tommy’s perfect ass flexed under his tight black pants as he walked in front of them.  He could see why he gave all the guys hard-ons.  He was not one of them, but he was amused by Tommy’s natural attempt at seduction. 

Tommy opened the door to Steve’s office.  “Sir, Charlie has arrived.”  Steve came round from behind his desk with a beaming smile and they shook hands.  “Thanks, Tommy, I’ll call if we need anything.”

“Of course, sir – anything at all,” leveling his gaze at Charlie.

As he left the room, Steve chuckled.  “You’ll have to forgive him, Charlie, he flirts with everybody, especially hot macho guys like you.”

“Ah,” Charlie smiled, “he’s a gymnast who loves to show off his perfect physique.  And why not?  If you’ve got it, flaunt it, I say.  It’s kinda what I always do in the rodeo ring, ripping my shirt off and waving it in the air, flaunting my own muscular torso, admired by women, envied by men ...” he chuckled... “and yes, lusted after by the gay boys in the crowd.

“See, Steve, I used to think that I loved the roar of the crowd because it was a sign of my popularity and meant I could command a bigger fee.  But now, I gotta admit, it sure is a big boost for my ego.”

“We seem to have started the therapy session right away, Charlie.  I guess getting down to business fast runs in the family.  Randy’s famous for no sexual foreplay, and it looks like you skip the small talk before a shrink session.  I like that in a man.  Have a seat, Charlie.”

Charlie sat on the couch and Steve sat in an armchair facing him. “Actually, Charlie, I covered a lot of ground yesterday in my long-winded talk to you, Randy and Bob at our dinner last night.   

“Just to recap.  Mostly I talked about trying to categorize the huge range of human love, affections and sexuality – like, masculine or feminine ... gay or straight ...  top or bottom.   We use inadequate words as labels to oversimplify the vast, colorful array of human emotions.

“Of course the concept of man-on-man love is complicated by the attitude of society, which for far too long has treated such love with scorn, even hatred. By contrast, centuries ago there was no such stigma.”  Steve chuckled.  “In the era of the original Greek Olympics many of the athletes were lovers and made no bones about it.  Their love for each other was something to be celebrated.

“These days a man’s love for another is not talked about in the most macho company like sports teams.  And look at our own guys.  Grady, for example keeps his sex life secret from the world, but indulges it to the full in the privacy of the Grady House. 

“I doubt that Mark’s fellow cops know he's got a boyfriend – the sexy young surfer Jaimie. But that doesn’t stop them making passionate love at home.  And it doesn’t stop Mark from being respected by his fellow cops as a tough no-nonsense cop.

“Then you have the ultimate icon of masculinity, the Marine Captain Hassan.  I’ve heard that his rookie recruits idolize him, as a tough soldier, though that is not sexual for the majority of them – except for the gay ones who probably fuck each other anyway.

“I feel confident that the same applies to Pete, whose fellow rangers are all comrades.  Jason also, who works in closeknit protective teams where the other firefighters feel a brotherly love for him and respect for his courage.”

“Not to mention our brother Randy,” Charlie grinned.

“Yeah, he’s the best example of all. I’ve seen him stride around his construction site, the master of all, the ultimate image of manhood.  And I’ve watched the crew, who respect his leadership to the point they would do anything he asks them to.  They don’t know that when he comes home, he is still, sexually, the charismatic master of all, lusted after by men and boys alike, many longing for him to fuck them in the butt.

“What I’m saying is, Charlie, that all these macho guys command respect and affection at work, which has nothing to do with sex, unlike the love and lust they get at home, which has a whole lot to do with sex.  I’m pretty sure that you, Charlie, can come up with other examples of love and affection that is non-sexual.”

“Sure I can, doc.  On previous visits to the tribe, one thing that moves me to tears is watching young Will and his adorable pug dog Norman, playing together.  Their eyes shine when they look at each other, and when Will hugs him that tail wags so fast I think it’s gonna come flying off.  Will told me that Norman always sleeps with him, and I love the image of them curled up together fast asleep.  Now that is pure unconditional love.”

“Great example, Charlie.” 

They talked on in the same vein for some time until Charlie grinned at Steve.  “Doc, talking to you makes me feel real good – helps me work out my own thoughts on a bunch of things.”  Then he gave Steve his roguish grin.  “But the guyys all tell me that at the end of a session you often take a walk on the wild side – throw the shrink’s manual out the window and do your own thing – like you did after dinner last evening when you suggested we watch Bob and Randy make love.”

“Ah, you read my mind, Charlie.  As a matter of fact ...”  He picked up his phone and put it on speaker.  “Hey, Tommy, have you gone through your gymnastic routine yet today.”

“No, sir, I was waiting until your session with your patient ends, before I go into our gym.”

“Well, we’re pretty much done now, Tommy.  You start now and we’ll possibly join you.”

“That would be great, sir.  See you there.”

Steve hung up and smiled, “Tommy loves an audience, and it’s quite a routine to watch.  Also, after all out theorizing, I wanted to get clinical while Tommy gets physical.  All this has been about your sexuality, but now I want, what you might call, a more clinical evaluation.”

“Y’all sure know how to entertain a guy, doc.  OK, lead on.”

<><>    A Stunning Athlete    <><>

They went over to the house gym, used mostly by Tommy and Steve’s lover Lloyd. When they worked out together it always ends with Lloyd shoving his dick up the gymnast’s perfect butt. 

Charlie found the gym impressive, a large room with big windows giving views over the hills, reflected in the many wall mirrors.  It was well equipped, and included several pieces of gymnastics apparatus – vaulting horse, parallel bars and gymnastic rings.  There was a large clear space with mats for floor exercises.

Tommy had already started his practice routine, making full use of all the equipment.  Charlie had to admit that he was an impressive specimen of a young athlete, with his handsome face, long blond hair, perfectly smooth golden-tanned flesh, and that flawless fat-free body sculpted by years as a competition ice skater at first, then a gymnast.  He was barefoot and shirtless in his blue skin-tight spandex shorts that clung to his slim waist and halfway down his thighs, and showed off his stunning ass to perfection.

As Steve had said, the exhibitionist in Tommy loved an audience, which he always tried to seduce, especially an audience that included cowboy Charlie.   Tommy was well aware of the cowboy’s reputation as a strictly straight stud who was never turned on sexually by another man.  Tommy saw that as a challenge and now pulled out all the stops.

Charlie, aware of all this, smiled to himself, knowing that the gymnast’s sexy routine was primarily for him.  That thought stroked his ego, even though he had absolutely no sexual interest in Tommy, stunningly beautiful though he was.

Doc Steve, with the observant eye of a therapist, missed none of the undercurrents flowing through the room.  He did not go so far as to view the two men as clinical specimens, but they were certainly tools in better understanding what made Charlie tick.  He waved Charlie over to a leather couch, where a small table contained bottles of mineral water.

Charlie sprawled on the couch, legs stretched in front of him, cowboy boots crossed at the ankles.  He twisted the top off one of the bottles and happily sipped water as he watched the golden boy trying to seduce him.

Steve sat beside him and his eyes travelled down to the bulge in Charlie’s tight jeans.  It was normal right now but Steve was on the alert for a change.  He almost wished he had brought a ruler, except that would have taken clinical precision too far.

Tommy’s routine was nothing short of spectacular and Steve and Charlie watched in awed silence as Tommy jumped up and grabbed the rings.  At first he just hung there, his muscles stretched.  Then he raised his legs, stretched straight out before him.  He held that pose, then pulled the legs straight upward, his body bent double.  Deftly he changed hands, so his back was facing them, his flexed ass in full view.

His rings routine lasted a few minutes, then he dazzled them on the parallel bars, his biceps bulging as he braced himself while his legs swung over the bars from side to side.”

Steve stole a glance at Charlie beside him, who was simply smiling with pleasure at the breathtaking sight of a muscled young gymnast going through his paces.  Steve was mildly disappointed that there was not a trace of Charlie drooling, and certainly no movement in his crotch.

Tommy switched to his vaulting horse routine that flexed his muscles even more until the running leap over the horse, barely touching it, before a triumphant dismount, arms raised.  That brought applause from Steve and Charlie, and a dazzling smile from the blond.

The mat exercises were the sexiest part of his routine and Tommy knew it.  He milked it for maximum sex appeal, every stretch, every roll, showed his ass in full relief, bulging under the skin-tight spandex.  By this time Steve’s cock was rigid in his smart slacks – Charlie not so much – in fact not at all.  He was clearly enjoying the routine, but simply as a thing of beauty, an agile young athlete at the peak of perfection, not an object of sexual lust.  

It was really what the doc had expected, though he felt a pang of disappointment none-the-less.

Just as Tommy was somersaulting over the mats, the door opened and Steve’s lover Lloyd came in quietly, smartly dressed in an elegant suit as befits an architect. He sat on the couch with Steve and Charlie and said softly, “So what’s happening, guys, apart from Tommy doing his spectacular come-fuck-me routine making everyone’s dick hard.”

Charlie chuckled, “Everyone except me, Lloyd.  The doc here is conducting one of his experiments, to see just how straight I am – how far I can resist Tommy’s charms, that flawless body and incredible ass.”

“And how are you doing, stud?” Lloyd grinned.

“I haven’t given an inch – literally, if you know what I mean.  Cock hasn’t stirred.  Oh, I don’t deny Tommy’s a real beauty, and the routine is perfection, a joy to watch.  But it don’t make me wanna shove my dick in that gorgeous butt.  I couldn’t anyway with a dick as soft as mine is right now.”

“Hmm,” Lloyd smile, “shame, because that’s what Tommy’s efforts are all about, getting the macho stud cowboy’s cock inside him.  So, absent the stud cowboy, maybe you wouldn’t object if I substituted for you.  Such a shame to disappoint him after so much effort.”

Charlie grinned, “Go ahead, Lloyd, make his day.”

Tommy was approaching the climax of his routine, with a final run at the mats and a crowd-pleasing triple somersault.  He ended with the classic gymnast pose, standing straight up, chest out, arms thrown triumphantly in the air.  He got a richly deserved standing ovation from his audience of three, which he acknowledged with a deep bow, then fell to his knees.  He leaned forward and braced his hands on the floor, on all fours – a not-so-subtle signal of the reward he craved.

Lloyd stood in front of him and as he spoke he loosened his tie, took it off and began to unbutton his white shirt.  “Tommy, that was as awesome as ever and you mightily impressed our cowboy visitor.  I know you want him to show his appreciation by shoving his cowboy dick up your ass and he would be happy to oblige except for one small detail ... he is as straight as an arrow and as butch as they come.  The plain fact is, he just don’t fuck guys, even ones as sexy and gorgeous as yourself.

“But all is not lost, dude.” Lloyd pulled off his shirt opened his pants and pulled out his rigid cock.  “See what you did to me, Tommy?  Roaring hard.  So if you don’t mind a substitute, I would be glad to do the honors.”

In reply, Tommy dropped his chest to the floor, arms stretched forward, still on his knees, his ass pushed high in the air, a totally submissive pose.  Lloyd quickly dropped his pants and stood naked behind the prostrate Tommy.  He fell to his knees, pulled down Tommy’s shorts and cupped his hands round the white globes of his ass. He spat on his cock, eased it between the globes then down deep in the gymnast’s ass.  Tommy heaved a deep contented sigh 

Steve had watched these events unfold, and heard the exchanges between Lloyd and Charlie with satisfaction.  His original experiment was over, with proof that there was no sexual provocation that could rouse Charlie’s physical lust for a man.  So he glanced at Charlie to make sure he was comfortable watching Lloyd fuck Tommy in the butt.  The amused smile on the cowboy’s face was the answer to that concern.

Even as Tommy got fucked, his eyes were fixed on Charlie, who simply smiled back.  In a last seductive attempt Tommy opened his mouth wide.  That was when Steve finally intervened.  “Hey, no reason to let an open mouth and a doctor’s stiff dick go to waste.”

He stood up, unzipped his tan slacks and pulled out his cock.  He stood in front of Tommy, grabbed his blond hair and gently pulled his face up till he was on all fours again, his open mouth now level with Steve’s cock.  Tommy had been spit roasted by Steve and Lloyd many times before and always loved it.  This time was no exception as Steve buried his cock in Tommy’s mouth and smiled at Lloyd over the gymnast’s body.

Charlie watched, fascinated by the ritual of the blond athlete who had been so graceful in the gym, now on all fours being fucked at both ends by the doctor and his architect lover.  It didn’t take long before their climax came.  Lloyd smiled at Steve.  “You ready, dude?”

“Let’s do it, buddy.”  So they did ... they drove in harder and yelled as they both emptied their loads inside the gymnast, one in the butt, the other in his mouth.  Charlie stood and applauded – further proof for the doctor that although he didn’t participate sexually, he took pleasure in watching three handsome men satisfy their own sexual urges with each other.

<><>   Charlie Struts His Stuff    <><>

When the men pulled out and came back to the couch, Tommy reared back, kneeling straight up.  It was clear he had not yet had shot his own load, as he wrapped his hand round his still-hard cock and stared straight at Charlie.

Charlie grinned.  At least he could reward the eager gymnast who had given him so much enjoyment with his muscular routine.  He stood in front of the kneeling athlete, a few feet away near a wall, and locked eyes with him.  The cowboy was wearing what he always wore for the rodeo – jeans and cowboy boots with his brown leather vest hanging open over a dark blue shirt, sleeves rolled up to the elbow.’

With a suggestive smile on his rugged face he ran his hands over his leather vest, then pulled it off and tossed it on the ground in front of Tommy, who picked it up with his free hand, held it to his face and inhaled the smell of leather.

Charlie paused, then slowly began to unbutton his blue shirt, gradually exposing his muscled pecs. When the shirt was open, one side hanging out at the waist of his jeans, he leaned against the wall and linked his hands behind his head, in a casual pose reminiscent of a porn picture of a sexy cowboy in an alley, a cowboy hustler picking up tricks.

Deep into the fantasy, Tommy gasped and beat his meat faster.  In time, Charlie stepped away from the wall, pulled the tail of his shirt out of his jeans and let it hang open, displaying the slabs of his pecs, the ridges of his eight-pack abs, and his slim waist cinched by a brown belt with a big cowboy buckle.

Tommy was mesmerized as he watched Charlie shrug off the shirt and hang it casually over his shoulder. He leant back against the wall, hooked the thumb of one hand in his belt, and slowly rubbed the bulge in his jeans with the other, his boots crossed casually at the ankles

“Aaahh,” Tommy gasped at the pornographic sight of the handsome seductive cowboy, stripped to the waist, shirt over his shoulder, head turned to the side showing his chiseled profile in a classic homoerotic pose. Like his triumphant attitude on a rearing stallion, this too was a look he used to attract women in the horse barn after the show.

It always worked on them, and it sure worked now on Tommy.  He gasped, “You are so gorgeous, such a stud, sir, a total fantasy.”

“The cowboy abruptly turned his head to face Tommy and growled in his Texas drawl, “Y’all talking to me, boy?”

That did it.  Tommy pounded his cock and howled as he pumped stream after stream of creamy cum that flew through the air and splashed down on the cowboy boots.

“Look what you did to my boots, punk,” Charlie snarled

“I’m sorry, sir.”  Tommy fell flat on his belly, crawled forward and licked his own cum from the boots.  Charlie looked over to the awestruck Steve and Lloyd with a rascal grin.  “Not bad for a straight guy, eh fellas?”

It took a while for them all to calm down and get dressed, then Charlie pulled Tommy into a hug.  “Dude, that was some performance you gave us.”

Tommy smiled, “Yours was pretty terrific too, sir.  Amazing how I set out to seduce you, but it was you seduced me and made me shoot a huge load.”

Steve said, “Which all goes to show that admiration and the thrill of a beautiful man doesn’t always hinge on sex.  Fantasy, after all, can make the leap from one kind of love to another with just a change of clothes – gay, straight, none of the above, whatever.  

“And I can officially certify that you, Charlie, are straight.  Any man who doesn’t get a boner watching a magnificent athlete like Tommy, is either straight or dead. We talked before about percentages, and you, my man, are about as close to the hundred percent end as is humanly possible.  

“Now, gay-friendly is another matter.  There too you are close to the definitely friendly extreme as possible.  And we’re all the richer for it, judging by the show you two put on.”

“OK, y’all,” Charlie said, “I’ve gotta love you and leave you cos I’m taking a couple of fine boys to a big soccer match this afternoon.  They’re real excited.”

“Sir,” Tommy grinned, “might I suggest that you wear just what you’re wearing now.  The very smell of that leather vest will turn them on just like it did me.”

<><>   A Cliff-Hanger Soccer Match    <><>

Tommy was right about that, though it wasn’t just the vest that excited them, it was the total package.  When Charlie came to pick them up he was moved to see that they had dressed carefully for their adventure and copied him – jeans and the cowboy boots he had given them, shirts hanging loose over L.A. Galaxy T-shirts.

“Do we look OK, sir?” Noah asked shyly.

Charlie threw his arms round both of them.  “Guys you look terrific, like proud Galaxy fans.”

“We are, sir,” Vic grinned.  “Today is the Leagues Cup Final between the Galaxy and Guadalajara.  We’re the underdogs this time, but we’re keeping our fingers crossed.”

Noah said, “The match sold out as soon as the tickets went on sale, so we didn’t stand a chance, thought we’d have to watch on TV.  How ever did you get tickets, sir?  Must be in the nosebleed section.”

“Ah,” Charlie winked, tapping the side of his nose. “I have a little secret. Their stadium in Carson is used also for rodeos.  Our outfit has been there several times, and I got to know the manager real well, he’s like a buddy, said I’m good for business. So I called him and he gave us prime seats they hold back for celebrities.”

Their eyes widened.  “No,” Vic gasped, “Really sir.  We’ve only ever been nosebleed before.”

Charlie was moved by their excitement as they threw their arms round him – he really did love these guys.  But eventually he pushed away.  “Kids, if we stay here hugging all day we’ll never get to see the match, nosebleed or anywhere else.”

Twenty minutes later hey were on the Harbor Freeway headed south. The boys kept up a stream of excited chatter – comparing the players, discussing strategy – and Charlie just smiled.  He felt like a big brother taking his kid brothers on a treat – and it felt great. 

He was determined not to mention his earlier savage treatment of them when he had panicked with fears about his sexual identity. The guys of the tribe had circled the wagons and made him see the light – notably his brother, doc Steve.  But the boys were not now so reticent.

Vic, the bolder of the two, said, “Sir, we wanted to mention that thing about sex, just to give you our side of it and clear the air.  We know you’re straight, sir, of course you are.  That’s something we love about you – makes us feel special that a straight guy, a real macho cowboy, likes us for who we are, not ‘cos you want to fuck us.” 

Noah added.  “We know we hug you and all, and once or twice you’ve let us suck your cock.  It was great of course, but we don’t need that.  And those times we all slept together, that wasn’t about sex.  We loved watching you undress and climb into bed.  We loved touching you.  But that was all.”

Vic said, “You prob’ly won’t want to sleep with us again and that’s OK if it makes you uncomfortable.  We love you, but it’s not sexual.  It’s more like ... like the big brother we never had.  That’s why we love you, sir. We just wanted to tell you that.”

Charlie was holding back tears as he smiled, “Thanks for saying that, guys, it means a whole lot.  I love you too, just as you are, just as we are.  So let’s put all that behind us, eh?  Hell we got a big soccer match to get to.”

They got to the stadium in good time and Charlie drove to the VIP parking lot.  He even knew some of the valet parkers who greeted the rodeo star with awe.  One of them directed them to their seats and the boys couldn’t believe it.  Instead of going up endless steps to the back row, they turned down the steps, down to the front row ... in the midfield.

“Sir,” Vic said, “this is unbelievable, this is the actual pitch, we could almost touch the players.”  They eventually settled down and their excitement grew as the players came on the field.  During the warmup, a stray ball happened to fly in their direction.  Vic caught it and tossed it back.  The player said, “Thanks kid,” and the boys almost collapsed with the thrill.

The actual match was a nail biter.  Galaxy was down three-nil for all of the first half, and the boys were jumping up and down cheering them on and yelling instructions ... “Pass it, pass, now shoot, shoot.”

 But during the half-time break they were dejected and Charlie consoled them. “Don’t worry kids, your guys are a strong team.  I have a feeling they’re conserving their energy and making the other team spend all theirs.  You’ll see, your guys will rally.” 

And Charlie was right.  Early in the second half, Galaxy scored, and the boys jumped up and down and yelled.  Slowly, Galaxy evened the score three-all, and the match stayed tied right up to just before the final whistle.  The boys were on their feet all the time and Charlie was touched to see them holding hands for mutual support. 

Then the miracle happened.  Galaxy’s right-winger broke free, ran fast along the sideline and from a long distance took a last desperate shot.  The ball curved high in the air toward the goal, the goalie dived, missed ... and the ball was in the net, seconds before the final whistle blew.

The crowd went wild, and so did Charlie’s boys.  Jubilant, they jumped up and down screaming, pumped their fists in the air, and hugged each other.  Charlie smiled at them, moved by their youthful display of triumph. 

As he watched them, his mind went back to his earlier dark mood and his paranoia at the insult  “faggot” shouted at him at the rodeo.  He had blamed the boys and this same over-the-top less-than-masculine display that had tainted his own masculinity.  But now as they celebrated Charlie caught the expressions on nearby faces, smiling affectionately at their ebullience. He figured the onlookers probably assumed that the excited kids were here with their big brother.

Even when they turned and hugged Charlie he held on to them in what must have looked like an example of brotherly affection.  When the team did its victory lap several of the players looked over at the boys in the front row and gave them a thumbs up. Some of the players took their shirts off and waved them in the air.  Charlie joked, “They learned that from me.”

It took a long while for the excitement to die down and for the stadium to clear. On the drive home the boys couldn’t stop talking, replaying the brilliance of the winning goal over and over. 

When eventually they paused for breath, Charlie said, “Guys, what you said before about sleeping together – that even though it was no way sexual, we shouldn’t do it if it made me uncomfortable.  Well, it doesn’t, and there’s nothing I would like better after the day we’ve had. That’s if you’re still up for it.”

Their eyes sparkled and Noah said, “Of course we are, sir, we’d love that.  It would make our day complete, one of the happiest days of our lives.

<><>    “Hi, My Name Is Charlie”    <><>

But before that Charlie, at long last, had to face the whole tribe at dinner, after his embarrassing spate of anger and paranoia where he had injured four of the boys, a cardinal sin in the tribe.

On the way up to his guestroom in the Boss House he looked in at Bob’s office where Bob was, as usual working at his computer.  He looked up with a warm smile.  “Charlie, great to see you.  So how was the soccer match?”

“Epic, dude.  One of those nail biters where the boys’ team, the Galaxy, scored the winning goal a split second before the final whistle.  The kids went totally apeshit, screaming and hollering.  It did my heart good and brought tears to my eyes just watching them.  They’re such great kids, and we’re gonna all sleep together tonight.  No sex, of course, we worked all that out and they’re fine with that.  They told me they feel real special being the boys of the only totally straight guy in the tribe.”

“Wonderful news, Charlie.  I was hoping things would work out something like that in the end.”

“Yeah, but there’s one last big step, Bob.  I gotta square things away with the rest of the tribe. I mean, I love them all, but after that ugly display of paranoia, insulting men ‘cos they fuck each other, it might be hard for some of them to forgive me.”

“Not hard at all, Charlie. Like I told you before, this is a very forgiving bunch of guys.  Most of them have done and said ugly things in the past, and were forgiven once they apologized.  Obviously, the chief offender has been your brother Randy.  I can’t count the number of times he’s flown into a rage and gone totally apeshit.  He has done some pretty wild penances too to make amends.

“And this may surprise you, Charlie.  Once the crowd sees that Vic and Noah are totally in love with you, that will clinch it.  Everyone loves those sweet shy kids, and if you’re making them happy, that makes the tribe happy too. 

“In fact, Randy has a rule about these things. He says that when a man makes a mistake and behaves badly, he’s punished, apologizes and is forgiven.  And that’s that, done, water under the bridge.  So say your piece at dinner, Charlie, and you’ll see that Randy’s formula works.  And I’ll be there backing you up all the way.”

Reassured by Bob, Charlie showered and dressed for dinner – meaning he dressed the way he did for everything else, including his performances at the rodeo.  His boys loved the look, and that was good enough for him.  He knew the group dinner was always at seven-thirty, but he went down a bit later than that.  He wanted them all to be there when he arrived to apologize to the whole group, rather than do it over and over as guys straggled in.

And it worked.  Ready to face the music, he took a deep breath and went across the lawn to the big table where all the men and boys were gathered.  The usual din of chatter died down as he came close, and all eyes were on him, which somewhat intimidated him. He saw his boys had left an empty chair between them but he didn’t sit down – he wanted to get this over.  They were clearly waiting for him to speak, so he took another deep breath and began, in his Texan drawl.

“Y’all, I wasn’t sure how to begin, so I thought I’d copy those twelve step programs like Alcoholics Anonymous – not that I’m either.  So here goes.  ‘Hi ... my name is Charlie ... and I’m a heterosexual.”

That brought laughter and cheers from the crowd, who were all rooting for him.  Charlie grinned, “And if you have any doubts, just check with Doctor Steve.  He ran tests and concluded that I’m totally, totally straight. 

“I gotta say, by the way, that the tests he ran were phenomenal.  They involved Tommy doing his gymnast routine. I found it beautiful but my cock didn’t stir a bit.  And any man with a pulse who’s not turned on by that hunk has to be straight.  But I don’t have to tell you guys ‘cos most of you have already drunk at that well, and gone back for more ... eh, Randy?”

Randy roared with laughter and everyone joined in.

“But seriously, guys, y’all know that I made a total ass of myself the other day, ranting and raving and knocked four of you boys to the floor.  I’m deeply ashamed of myself and I hope that you can bring yourselves to forgive me.”  Again there were cheers and shout of ‘we already do’.

“But in true tribe style, you guys rallied and I got taught a lesson – a painful one by my big brother.  Anyone who don’t love getting butt-fucked by that guy has to be straight.  But y’all know that, ‘cos I understand Randy has fucked you all.

“I take my hat off to my other brother Steve for guiding me back to the right path – I almost said ‘to the straight and narrow’, but now the ‘straight’ word is best left alone.

“Most of all I was comforted by the love and affection of two beautiful boys – my boys Vic and Noah.”  Again, rousing cheers that made the boys blush. “They showed me that they love me through thick and thin.  By the way, we went to the big soccer match today, and their team became the league champions by a last-minute miracle goal.  Go Galaxy!  Eh, kids?”

The boys cheered and pumped their fists in the air, and the chant of ‘Galaxy ...Galaxy’ began around the table.

Charlie raised his hands for silence.   I am happy to be part of a family with my brothers Randy, Steve and young Ben over there. I wanna be a good example to you, Ben, so take a bow, bro.  I’m also proud to be part of a larger family, the tribe.  I hope you’ll accept me as one of y’all.”

He silenced the cheers and grinned, “Well, I’ve said my piece, guys, and now I’ll shut up.  Any minute now my big brother is gonna say, ‘Will you shut your fucking mouth bro, ‘cos I’m fucking starved.  OK, brother, you’re the boss.  I love you y’all.”

He sat down between his boys who hugged him, and they got a standing ovation.  Bob sat opposite them and said quietly, “Well done, Charlie – just right.  You made them all happy.  Except maybe for Will’s dad Seth brooding over there.  He’s been down in the dumps lately ‘cos of that stupid inferiority complex about being from the wrong side of the tracks, and not fitting in socially with all the others.

“Yeah, Bob, I remember you telling me that.  And like I said to you then, I can relate, having just come through my own identity crisis – except mine was sexual, Seth’s is social.  So maybe I can be of help.”

“I agree, Charlie, there is a similarity there.”  Bob smiled.  “So now that you are definitely and firmly a member of the tribe, and have got over your own troubles, maybe you are the guy who can best do something to help Seth.  It would sure make Will happy.”

Bob laughed, “Remember the old poem I told you about, Charlie ... Do something for somebody quick ... it will banish your cares in a tick?”

“Bob,” Charlie grinned, “my cares already are banished, thanks to these loving boys here.  They made me the happiest of men so maybe it’s my turn to return the favor for someone else.  How about it, kids?  You wanna help me in a new project?”

“You bet, sir,” they said in unison.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> 

TO BE CONTINUED IN “A Trial Of Strength – Book 14: Chapter 3