Trial Of Strength (Book 13)

"BOB & RANDY RE-LIVE THE DAY THEY FIRST MET"

The handsome, hunky business executive Bob and his lover, the brawny gypsy construction boss Randy, are barely speaking because Bob has slept with another man. On the anniversary of the distant day they first met, their buddy Mike devises a way they can re-live the passion and savagery of that day. Once again, the young executive ends up bound naked, at the mercy of the savage gypsy.

In the previous chapter

The blond cop Mark had taken his boys, Jamie and Felipe, up the coast to his beach shack in the Guadalupe Dunes for a few days of rest and relaxation before they all started work again.

But Mark had a problem.  Jaimie and Felipe were athletic young surfers and Mark was ten years older than them.  Still stunningly handsome with a classic physique, he nevertheless felt he could not match their youthful energy and feared they were growing apart from him. That heightened the boys’ own fears that Mark might be getting weary of them. 

For moral support Mark called a man he loved intensely, the co-leader of the tribe Bob.  Bob offered to join them in the dunes, where Mark confided his insecurities.  Bob called it all a tempest in a teapot, and he set out to bring peace to Mark and his boys.

His methods included staging a graphic scene where the cop was tied up and butt-fucked by Bob, while the boys both sucked him off.  That remedy may have seemed way over-the-top, but it worked.  Mark’s problems dissolved, peace reigned with his boys, and Bob said, “OK, we’ve just proved you’re all still crazy in love with each other, so now get on with your lives together ... and that’s an order from the boss.”

While the relieved boys went surfing again, Bob and Mark relaxed together in the shack, where   Mark brought up one remaining issue.  “Dude, all that stuff we went through – the fantasy, the fucking – I understood why you did it and I got off on most of it.  But there’s one final issue we gotta resolve.

“It was that last line of yours just now – ‘that’s an order from the boss’.  Buddy, you know I can’t let you get away with stuff like that.  ‘You’re the boss?’ Oh really?  OK, this role reversal thing is all very well, and maybe I did need to be pulled off my pedestal and shown I’m not always the top man.  But you know me.  At heart I’m the macho cop ... I am the boss.”

It was clearly payback time. This is how Bob preferred Mark – on top, the authoritarian cop – the fuck-er not the fuck-ee.  So Bob willingly offered his ass to him, and Mark made good use of it, a pounding that ended in wild simultaneous orgasms.

As they recovered and lay happily together, their afterglow was interrupted by Bob’s phone ringing.  He smiled, “It’s Randy, calling from San Diego.”  Bob’s longtime lover and soul-mate Randy, the big dominant boss of the tribe’s construction company, had gone for two days to the major builders’ convention in San Diego with his buddy Zack, the tribe’s other construction boss.

Bob smiled, “I wondered how long it would take for him to check up on me – and I can guess one of his first questions.”

Randy’s voice boomed, “Hey gorgeous, how are things going up there in the dunes?  Are you and Mark enjoying yourselves while Zack and me are working our asses off down here?  And on the subject of asses, did Mark fuck you?”

Bob smiled at Mark, shrugged, and silently mouthed, ‘Told you so ...’

=======    Book 13: Chapter 31    =========

<><>    A Mind-Fuck    <><>

“Did he fuck you?”  How many times over the years had Bob heard Randy growl those words? 

Their love affair had always been intensely passionate, obsessively so on Randy’s part.  Right from the day they met, Randy had been thrown off balance by his sexual craving for the handsome, muscular business executive, cravings he did not begin to understand.  And so often, a thing that mystifies a man can scare him too, and that was the case here. 

The savagely handsome, powerful Randy was a born leader, a dominant figure with gypsy blood coursing through his veins.  He was afraid of nothing – except the unthinkable prospect of a life without Bob.  In Randy’s mind, that meant he had to own him, especially own his ass. He went wild whenever he heard that another man had fucked Bob.

So when, early in their relationship, Bob had met the stunningly good-looking motorcycle cop Mark, Randy saw him as a major threat.  This mix of three strong alpha males caused many disputes, some of them physical, and the tribe dubbed the men ‘the tormented trio’. 

But over time, something unexpected happened, Randy always respected strong powerful men, and his admiration for Mark slowly broke through his antagonism.  In the end he had to admit that he was in love with the cop, not as ardently as he loved Bob, but strong enough for the tribe to rename them ‘the triumphant trio’.

Randy and Bob had mellowed over the years to the point where sex with other guys in the tribe was accepted as not such a big deal.  Except when someone shoved his dick up Bob’s ass.  Randy still had a problem accepting that, even when it involved another man that Randy loved. So whenever Bob was in the company of another man, he had come to expect as inevitable that well-worn question, “Did he fuck you?”

And now, as Bob and Mark lay together in the beach shack in the dunes, that question was the first one Randy asked when he called Bob from San Diego, where he was attending a builder’s convention with his buddy, the powerful black construction boss Zack.  

Bob smiled at Mark as he answered.  “Randy, we’ve been having a great time up here and, yes, we fucked each other.”

“Damn,” Randy growled but Bob cut him off. 

“Did Zack fuck you, Randy?”

“Hell no!  What kind of a question is that?  I fucked him.”

“So he didn’t reciprocate and fuck you?”

“There was a strained silence and Bob knew Randy was grappling with the truth.  They never lied to each other.  

“Look, we’ve been working hard down here, meetings, presentations, a bunch of new stuff, it’s been a bitch.  So when we got back to the hotel room we had a few drinks and got drunk, so yeah, I guess he fucked me ... but we were drunk.”

Bob chuckled, “Randy, that is the time-honored excuse for every straight guy who has sex with another guy – we were drunk. As if getting smashed excuses everything – including getting your ass ploughed by Zack, while I was enjoying Mark’s gorgeous dick in my ass.”

“That’s different ...”

“Why, because we were sober?  OK, next time Mark fucks me we’ll get hammered before he hammers my ass.  Will that satisfy you?”

“You’re mind-fucking me like you always do, dude.  Right, from now on I’m not gonna let you get fucked by anyone but me.”

Bob sighed.  “Randy, there is so much wrong with that sentence, but now is not the time to unravel it.  Buddy, we are three-hundred miles apart right now and I’m missing you and I’m sure you’re missing me, right?”

“’Course I am,” Randy growled.

“But we’ll be back together tomorrow, Randy, and we can talk then, and make love and, yeah, you can fuck me.  And we won’t even have to get drunk to do it.”

“Yeah, yeah ...  Dude, I didn’t mean what I said, but you know how I get with you.”

“I should,” Bob smiled, “after all these years.  You know, next weekend we’re coming up to May 17th – the anniversary of the day we first met in that dingy beer bar. A ‘day that will live in infamy’ as the saying goes.  We should celebrate.”

“We will, dude.  We’ll find a way.”

“They chatted a while longer and when the conversation ended Mark smiled.  “Wow, that was some mind-fuck, dude.  You sure know how to bring the big guy down to earth.”

“Like I said, Mark, after all these years I’ve had plenty of practice.  But I know Randy.  He’ll still be nursing that grudge even when we’re back together

<><>    Home Again    <><>

That evening all four of them – Bob, Mark, and Mark’s boys Jamie and Felipe – trudged over the dunes to the little restaurant in the village for dinner.  When they came back, Jamie and Felipe dived into the tent they had put up in the dunes, while Mark and Bob again shared the large bed in the shack.

After the frenzied fantasy action earlier in the day, they now chose mild over wild – the boys making love In their tent, the men in the shack.  But mostly the two couples slept contentedly in each other’s arms.

Early next morning the boys tumbled out of the tent and hit the surf for the last time, under the admiring gaze of Bob and Mark having breakfast on the shack’s porch.

Mark sighed, “This has been so great, Bob.   When I drove up here with Jamie I was having all those dumb paranoid doubts about where I and my relationships were going.  And now I’m back on solid ground again, thanks to you buddy.”  He raised his coffee cup as a salute.

“Ah,” Bob smile “I just nudged along a process that was already underway.  Bottom line is, when guys love each other as much as you three do, everything is bound to turn out right.”

“Hmm,” Mark mused.  “I wish I felt as certain about our little threesome – you, me and Randy.  That guy kinda marches to his own drummer and he’s still simmering about us fucking.”

“Oh, you can leave Randy to me.  Our little pond has had so many ripples over the years that I’ve become expert at calming the waters.”

“Well,” Mark grinned, “I’ll be in the driver’s seat going back – literally.  I’m glad Felipe came up here by train and you by plane, ‘cos now we can all go back home together in my truck.”

When it came time to leave, they packed everything up and Mark locked up the shack.  He patted the rail of the porch.  “Good old faithful shack ... nursed us back to health again.”

Jamie grinned, “And don’t forget the role played by that old doorframe over there, scene of so many sex bondage fantasies.  The image of a shirtless cop bound and spreadeagled in the frame is etched in my mind forever.” [In previous chapter]   

The boys dived into the back seat together while Bob climbed in next to Mark, and they were off. On the three-hour drive back home Bob talked a lot about the Building Trades and Construction Convention that Randy and Zack had attended at the San Diego Convention Center.

“Randy’s always hot on keeping up with new construction techniques and apparently this convention was a biggy.  When I phoned him he told me he and Zack were coming back crammed with ideas.  ’Course, his enthusiasm was tinged with something less enthusiastic, that old visceral concern about me sleeping with another guy, even you, officer.  But I’ll face that music when the band starts playing, as it surely will.”

“If you need backup, dude ...” Mark began, but Bob interjected, “Nah, thanks for the offer, Mark, but I’ll handle it.  I know all the right buttons to press – been doing it for years.”

Jamie was looking forward to getting back to work on Grady’s new lifeguard movie – the sequel to the first “Hunter” movie that was now in postproduction.  “Grady’s taking us to a script conference tomorrow.  We’ll be going through the draft script for a first look at complicated beach scenes that need extra advance planning.”

So it was a forward-looking group that finally pulled up at the compound’s gate.  Glad to be home, the boys headed for their apartment, while Mark pulled Bob into a tight hug.  “Dude, I don’t have to tell you what I feel for you.  I just wanna thank you for coming up to join us and make us see common sense.  I hope you can sort things out with Randy.  Like I said, if he gives you a hard time, I’m right here across the garden.  Just say the word.”

He followed the boys into their apartment and Bob hoisted his backpack on his shoulder and went first to the kitchen, where he was eagerly greeted by the young chefs – his boys, the twins Kyle and Kevin, and their assistant Will.  “Successful trip, sir?” Kyle asked.  “You get the job done?”

“Pretty much,” Bob smiled.  “Mark and his boys are more in love than ever.”

Kevin said, “Er, Randy came home a short while ago and he’s up in Zack’s apartment.  He’s called a meeting in your house of all the site managers, our architect Lloyd and Ryan.  He’s right back to work in his efficient, I’m-the-boss mood.”

“I know the macho image, guys. He knows it turns me on, which is probably his point, proving he’s boss.  He’s currently kinda scratchy with me, so a focus on work is good.”

Will grinned, “Should I bring up a bottle of Randy’s special Scotch from his stash here, sir?”

“Thanks, Will, it couldn’t hurt.  Always smooths off the rough edges.  Felipe’s in good form, you’ll be glad to have him back.  Have you scheduled him to work today?”

“No sir,” Kevin said.  “We thought he’d appreciate the rest of the day with Mark and Jamie.  He’s on tomorrow’s breakfast schedule, though.  Crack of dawn.”

“I see you have everything under control as usual.  OK, now for the big meeting, to watch Randy in action.”

<><>    Randy The Bossman    <><>

When he went to the house he shared with Randy – the so-called Boss House – Bob’s young assistant Ryan was alone at his computer.  He looked up and smiled, “Welcome home, sir.”

“Good to be back, kiddo. Any dramas while I was gone?”

“Not really, sir.  I’ve spoken to Grady and he might need some hand-holding.  Seems he always gets a bit antsy with a new movie about to begin shooting.  I can see why ... that grueling schedule they put him through.  He’s taking refuge in Mario’s arms as usual, but he knows he has to face the music soon. He wants to meet with you tomorrow and show you the first draft of the script, so you can check to see if the studio has stuck to the work conditions you ironed out.”

“That’s fine Ryan.  And talking of facing the music, how has Randy been with you?”

“He’s been calling me often from the convention ‘cos a lot of the new stuff is computer dependent.  He said he wished I’d been there with him and Zack, but I’m kinda glad I wasn’t.  He wants the meeting to start in thirty minutes – ‘promptly’, he made a point of that.”

“Oh did he?  That’s the mood is it?  OK, kid, we’ll be ready.”  Bob had a quick shower and had just got dressed when the first site-managers arrived, Darius and Seth. 

“Didn’t wanna risk being late, sir,” Darius grinned knowingly, then turned his attention to his Thai boy Ryan and kissed him.  “Hey, kid, how goes it?  Damn you always look so sexy when you’re working.  You think we have time for a quick blowjob?”  Voices came from down below.  “Guess not, eh?” Darius grinned.  “Latter kiddo?”

“Whenever you say, sir.”  Ryan’s face flushed.

“The architect Lloyd came in, quickly followed by Randy and Zack.  Randy came over to Bob and briefly squeezed his shoulder.  “Good to have you back, buddy.”  Not the effusive greeting that usually accompanied a reunion.  Thank God for work, Bob thought.

Will came in with Randy’s Scotch, discreetly poured a glass and left it on the table beside Randy who squeezed his hand and muttered, “Thanks Red.”  Then he got down to business.

“Guys it was an intense couple of days, we covered a whole lot to of ground.  Much of the stuff was about computerizing a lot of our construction processes – from analog to digital they call it – so I gave a summary to our tech expert here Ryan for a quick look.  First thoughts Ryan?”

Ryan cleared his throat and glanced at Darius for his encouraging smile.  “Sirs, as I went over it briefly, what struck me was how many of these recommendations we’ve already implemented.  For instance, computerizing the parts inventory in the warehouse – already up and running, making life easier for our warehouse manager Tyler.  He’s a fast learner and Pablo’s real proud of him.  Also, converting Lloyd’s blueprints into 3D renderings on his computer – already done.”

“And I’m very impressed,” said Lloyd.  “The visuals are so graphic and easy to adjust, makes my job so much easier.”

“Well done, Ryan,” Randy said.  “So guys, I’m going to put Darius in charge of coordinating all that between Ryan and the guys on the sites. That’ll mean you two working together a lot, which I know you do well. And, er, I’ll be borrowing Ryan from you, Bob, part of the time, OK?”

Bob wasn’t given a chance to voice an opinion as Randy steamed on with brisk efficiency, ostentatiously so, and Bob knew that there was more to it than merely running a tight meeting.  All of Randy’s attitudes were a reflection, in some degree, of his feelings for Bob, hot or cold.  And currently those feelings were cold, hence Randy throwing his weight around and showing Bob that he was undeniably the boss around here.

After the meeting broke up it was straight back to work, which postponed their inevitable confrontation.   And as the end of the workday loomed, Randy became more nervous about that.  He loved Bob, of course, but his thoughts kept straying to an erotic image of Bob and Mark in the dunes, so intimate, making love ... fucking ...   Dammit, he loved Mark too, but the thought of him in bed with Bob ... “fuck ... fuck ... fuck ...”

He was sitting alone in his trailer office on the worksite, and he picked up the phone.  There was one man who could always straighten him out.

Mike was an older man in his late fifties who lived in Palm Springs with his younger lover Larry, in his twenties.  Handsome, gray-haired, Mike was still in great physical shape, and a figure of authority in the desert community where he was the longtime owner of a popular leather bar.  Much-loved and respected by the tribe, he was known as Uncle Mike, and the men and boys turned to him often for his mature wisdom and common sense.

Mike had a very close relationship with Randy, a man he loved and admired as a dominant macho icon, despite his flaws.  Those flaws got Randy into trouble often, and he sought advice from Uncle Mike whom he looked up to, regarding him as the father figure he never had. 

Mike was the only man who called Randy ‘boy’ or ‘son’, looking on him as the son he never had.  He was tough on Randy when he screwed up and had treated him to many tongue-lashings in the past.  So inevitably it was to Uncle Mike that Randy turned now. 

<><>    Uncle Mike Takes Charge    <><>

“Hey, Mike.  How’s it hangin, old-timer?”

“Not so much of the old-timer, boy,” Uncle Mike chuckled.  “You know I could drop you in the first round.  So, what’s up, son?  You in trouble again?”

“Do I have to be in trouble to call you, Mike?”

“No, I enjoy hearing from you anytime, Randy.  It’s just that you usually are in trouble.  So what’s the problem this time?”

“It’s Bob.”

“Why am I not surprised?  Same old, same old, is it?  Bob was with someone else ... you asked him if the guy fucked him ... he said yes and you couldn’t handle it.  Am I close?”

“Pretty much, Mike.  This time it was Mark.  He was up at the dunes with his boys, having emotional problems, and Bob went up to join them and help.”

“I don’t hear a problem so far – sounds like a generous gesture.  Is there more?”

“Dammit, Mike, he spent a couple a’ days with the cop on that gorgeous beach.  They hung out together, slept together, made love ... and Mark fucked him.”

“Jesus Christ, boy, are we back to that old story again?  I thought you sorted that out ages ago.  You decided you were all in love with each other, anyone could fuck anyone.  The tribe even has a name for that – the triumphant trio.  Huh, pretty empty triumph it seems to me.”

“I know all that, Mike, but I still can’t get my head around it.  When I phoned Bob up there he told me, calm as you like, that they had fucked each other.  I told him flat out that from now on I’m not gonna let him get fucked by anyone but me.”

“You said that?  You actually said that?  What the fuck were you thinking?  Do you know how insulting that is to a man you claim to love?”

“I know it was a dumb thing to say, Mike, and I told him I didn’t mean it.  But the hell of it is, I wanted to mean it, still do.  I’m so damn in love with him I want him all to myself.  I get ... jealous, I guess, when I think of him with another man, especially a man he loves, like Mark.  It gnaws at me.  Hell, sometimes I’m sorry I ever met him, I’d be better off on my own.”

“OK, that does it, you dumb shit.  You make me so mad, boy, I’m this close to hanging up on you.  But I’ll stick around just to try and help Bob.  You, I don’t give a shit about, boy.”

“No, please, sir, don’t hang up.  I didn’t mean that, of course I didn’t.  Bob’s my life, what I live for.  I love the hell out of him.  And you know what?  This coming weekend is the anniversary of the day we met. We’re supposed to celebrate, but I guess I’ve fucked that up too.  Help me. Mike.   I know I don’t deserve it, but ... please, man.”

Mike could hear tears in his voice, and his heart softened. “Listen to me.  Are you working this weekend?”

“No. the sites are closed on weekends.  Zack and me just spent two long twelve-hour days at a builders’ convention, and I’m gonna take a couple extra days off, hand off to the other guys.”

“And when did you last get away with Bob – I mean, go somewhere, just the two of you?’

“I ... I don’t remember.  Long time ago, I guess.  We both work so hard,”

“OK, so here’s what’s gonna happen.  You are gonna get your ass out here to the desert and bring that gorgeous man of yours with you.  And you’re gonna let Larry and me help you celebrate your anniversary.”

“What?  Oh, er, I’m not sure, Mike ...”

“That’s the only way I’m gonna help you, son, take it or leave it.  Otherwise you’re on your own.”

“OK, OK, I’ll come, and I’ll bring Bob – if he’ll come. He’s prob’ly kinda pissed at me right now.”

“Don’t worry about Bob I’ll call him as soon as I’ve hung up from you.   He’ll come.”

“Mike, I ...”

“Don’t try to thank me, Randy, I’m only doing this ‘cos, in spite of everything, I love you.  You’re the most magnificent specimen of a man I’ve ever met, except sometimes you can be a colossal shit-for-brains idiot.  And you can take that as a compliment.  Now I am gonna hang up on you.  See you tomorrow, big guy.”

Randy shut off his phone and managed a smile.  Even just the sound of Mike’s gruff voice gave him reassurance, and hope.”

<><>    The Sound Of Hell Freezing Over   <><>

Bob was working alone in his home office when his phone rang.  He looked at the ID and smiled.  “Hey, Mike, how are things in the desert?  You been staying out of trouble, you old rascal?”

“Gee, it’s good to hear you voice, Bob.  Yeah, you know me, no trouble I couldn’t handle.  Which is more than I can say for that man of yours, so I hear.”

“Did Randy call you?  Yeah, of course he did.  It’s a reflex with him.”

“Dude, he told me all about you and Mark and the dipshit things he said to you, which, incidentally, he’s sorry for, but you know that tired old tune.  Dammit, the man is such a tower of strength physically and such a fuck-up emotionally.”

“I’m sorry you got involved, Mike ...”

“Ah that’s what I’m here for, buddy, I love you guys like my own sons.  But I’m not calling to get into all that. Hell, we could press ‘Replay’ and sit back and listen to past fuck-ups – same-old, same-old.  But I do have a question for you.  Are you busy for the next few days?”

“Well, Mike, I’m always busy keeping this lot together, and especially now I’ve taken on Grady as a client.  Matter of fact Grady and I have a meeting tomorrow morning, but after that I’m pretty clear, the weekend too.  Actually I was thinking of going for a long drive somewhere, all by myself to clear my head.”

“OK, buddy, well you are going for a drive, ‘cos Randy’s gonna drive you out here to Larry and me, and I’m gonna clear your head for you, maybe even knock a few heads together. I’ve squared it with Randy, so you can’t say no.  There’s another reason too.  A little bird told me – actually a big ol’ gypsy bird told me – that it’s you guys’ anniversary of the day you met.”

“Yeah, Saturday May 17th.  Gee, Mike, it would be terrific to celebrate it with you and Larry.”

“That was the general idea, handsome,” Mike chuckled.  “OK, here’s the deal.  After your meeting with gorgeous Grady, you hit the road with your gypsy pal and we’ll see you sometime in the afternoon.  Keep me posted on the time, eh?”

“Mike, that is such a load off my mind.  I can’t thank you enough.”

“So don’t try, buddy. It’ll be a real pleasure having you with us.  We’ll sort out the big guy’s problems, then push the boat out and celebrate your anniversary.  We’ll feel honored.”

Much relieved, Bob called his assistant Ryan who was out at the construction site in a meeting with Darius and Lloyd.  “Ryan, after my meeting with Grady tomorrow I’ll be going out to Uncle Mike’s in Palm springs for a few days.  I know you’ll be working on the new systems with Darius, but I was wondering if you could work with him in my office, so you can cover the phones.”

“No problem, sir, I’d prefer that, working at my own desk.  And I’m sure Darius will love it too.”

That settled, the next hurdle was coming face to face with Randy, and Bob was unsure how he would handle that.  Cold and aloof?  Or act as if nothing had happened?.  He didn’t like either option.  Just play it by ear, he thought.”

He was spared that for a while, as Randy worked late and came home as the tribe’s dinner was starting.  He sat straight down at the table, talking earnestly with the other construction managers and Lloyd.  He was still wearing his sweaty old work clothes, but on this occasion Bob didn’t object.  Better not ruffle any more feathers, he thought.  No sense asking for trouble.

The crunch came at bedtime when they were at last alone face to face, and the atmosphere was tense.  They usually showered together as a prelude to sex, but this time they were both uneasy and took separate showers.  They had only spoken a few casual words, but now Randy said, “So, did Mike call you?  You OK with going out to the desert tomorrow?”

“Sure, it was good of him to ask us.  I’ll be going up to the Grady House early in the morning to talk about Grady’s new script, but I should be ready to leave by noon.”

“Right, that’ll give me a chance to spend a couple of hours with Darius and the guys so Zack and me can fill them in on more details of the new systems.”

It seemed strange talking dispassionately about systems and logistics ... somehow made them feel even further apart.  It was a fact that when a deep-freeze like this started it quickly got colder and colder.

When they got into bed they turned on their sides away from each other, though their backs were pressed lightly against each other.  Usually they were tangled in each other’s arms, but now they sought safety in this minimal touch.  It was something, at least ... not total separation. 

They had kept their shorts on, mostly to hide their hard-ons.  Even when they were fighting, stiff dicks were something they had no control over whenever they were together – a hopeful sign, Bob thought.  But despite being horny as ever, sex was out of the question.  That was a bridge to cross later ... somehow.

In the morning Randy got up early, skipped breakfast and headed straight to the construction site.  It was not because he had to be there especially early.  It was just easier to get out of the house before Bob woke and not face the morning routine – to kiss him or not, hug him or not, shower together? 

God, this was so fucking stupid, he thought, when what he really wanted to do was scoop Bob up in his arms and make love to him.  But Bob would probably slap him.  Thank god for Palm Springs Randy thought.  Maybe Mike could sort them out.

Bob was having much the same thoughts as he showered, then went down to breakfast.  Felipe was doing the early morning kitchen shift with Will, so Kyle and Kevin were able to sit with Bob. They always discussed everything with him, and Kyle now asked, “Things still touchy, sir?”

“That’s a kind name for it, Kyle.  Seems more like the fire went out and hell froze over.”

“But not really, sir?” Kevin asked anxiously.

“Oh no, Kevin ... deep down we’re as tight as ever.  It’s just ripples on the surface that are rocking the boat.  Trouble is, stupid stuff like this tends to build on itself. You have a quarrel and you don’t know how to face each other afterwards.  Can’t find the right words so you don’t say much at all. That makes it seem you’ve stopped talking to each other, which breeds resentment, which gets worse.  Before you know it, what started as a minor squall has become a storm

“And by that time there’s no turning back, eh sir?”

“Exactly, you can’t figure a way out.  But I’m hoping that Uncle Mike can.  He comes at things from a different place, with the wisdom of his years.  He has a way of cutting right down to the basic truth, and Randy listens to him. Mike’s the only man who can control him. So let’s hope.”

“Give our love to Larry, sir,” Kyle said.  “Yeah,” Kevin added, “we miss him around here.  Tell him to come to town sometime soon and stay with us.”

“I’ll do that, guys.  Now I’ve got to get up to the Grady House and talk to Grady about the new script.  After that, while we’re out of town, if there are any big problems call me on my private number that only you have, OK?”

When Bob got to the Grady House he was met by Grady’s boy Ben.  “Hello, sir.  Grady and Mario are still in bed, but they asked me to send you straight up.”  He grinned.  “Looks like it’s gonna be one of those bedroom meetings, sir.”

“Do those guys ever get out of bed, Brian?”

“They surface once in a while, sir, ‘cos Grady has to have long gym workouts ever day to get that body in top shape for the fans.  And every night Grady hauls me into bed with him for all the day’s gossip from the tribe ... which currently features you and Randy, sir.  By the way, god luck in Palm Springs, sir, and give my love to Uncle Mike.  Did you know I’m the only one of the tribe who’s actually his nephew, so he’s my real uncle?”

“I did know that, Brian, and I’ll be sure to give him a big hug from you.”  He went into the opulent house and up the grand staircase to the master bedroom, where the lovers were still in the big, rumpled bed. 

Mario jumped up and hugged Bob, but Grady languished in bed, looking stunningly beautiful, wearing just the loose tank he had slept in and the sexy smile that dazzled filmgoers all over the world.   As usual he was in no mood to talk business, but Bob persuaded him to concentrate on the script’s first draft.  Grady pointed out a few scenes he had found where stuff happened that went against what they had agreed to in his contract.

Bob said, “Yeah, that’s the kind of stuff I’ll bring up to the studio execs before the shoot starts, Grady.  Let me take the script with me and while I’m out at Uncle Mike’s I’ll go through it with a toothcomb and highlight any problems I find.”

“Don’t be too picky though, Bob.  I don’t wanna turn into one of those prima donna actors who insist on caviar when peanut butter will do just as well.  Actually, I prefer peanut butter.”

Bob laughed.  “Grady, I know you too well for that. Your reputation is a real easygoing star, just one of the guys, that’s one reason they all love you so much.  I would never tarnish that image with unreasonable demands.”

“And when you get back, Bob, Mario and me wanna throw one of our Grady House parties for the whole tribe before work cranks up again.”

Mario hugged Bob, who said, “Take good care of him, Mario.  He happens to be the meal ticket for cast and crew and many others.  Quite apart from being adorable.”

Mario laughed. “I try my best, Bob, but he can be insatiable in bed.”  Grady lay back with his arms raised, beckoning Mario to come back to bed.  “See what I mean, Bob?  Insatiable.”  

<><>    The Summerhouse In The Desert    <><>

When Bob got back to his office at home, Darius and Ryan were already there sitting at Ryan’s desk. “Oh, we thought we’d make an early start, sir,” said Ryan. “Randy’s on his way home so we’ll get out of your way ...” 

“No, stay.  I’m just gonna pack up a few clothes for us both. I know when Randy gets here he’ll want to hit the road right away. And while we’re gone, guys, feel free to make yourselves at home here.  Don’t work too hard. You know what they say about all work and no play ...”

“Oh we’ll take breaks for play, dude,” Darius grinned, “eh kiddo?”

Ryan smiled, nodded and blushed, just as Randy came in.  “OK, you ready?” Randy said curtly.  Darius glanced at Ryan with raised eyebrows, but Bob took the brusque remark in stride.

“Sure, I’ve packed a few things so let’s go.”

Have a great trip, guys,” Darius said.  “Give our love to Mike and Larry.”

Not another word was said as they went out to Randy’s truck.  He was still in his usual work gear of dirty cargo pants, work boots and sweaty, grease-streaked tank. Bob was still wearing what he had worn to the meeting with Grady – tan slacks, loafers and a white open-necked dress-shirt, sleeves rolled up to the elbows.

Bob tossed the two backpacks in behind the seats, then climbed in beside Randy and they took off.  Despite the tension in the air, Bob found something comforting sitting beside Randy in his huge truck.  When Randy was driving he seemed more in command than ever, with that craggy gypsy profile, laser-blue eyes focused straight ahead – a powerful image that always made Bob’s dick hard, as it was now.

But still there was no emotional breakthrough and the standoff was more pronounced than ever.  There were no distractions now, no other guys, just the two of them shoulder to shoulder, not touching, not speaking.

Even at the speed Randy drove it was a ninety-minute drive to the Springs and most of it was completed in silence.  Randy’s expression was stoic, which made it even more surprising when Bob glanced sideway and saw a tear rolling down Randy’s cheek.  And Randy spoke at last.

“I fucked up again didn’t I?”

Bob replied gently, “Randy, it’s not simply a case of one or both of us making a mistake.  It’s more complicated than that between us.  Which is one reason we’re coming out here.  Let’s leave it to Mike to sort out.  He’s older and wiser than either of us.”

Randy grunted his agreement and the silence resumed, but the tension seemed to have lessened.  Bob reached over and laid his hand lightly on Randy’s thigh.  A trace of a smile briefly crossed Randy’s face, and the silent journey continued.

There was a palpable sense of relief when Randy eventually exited the freeway onto Highway 111 for the last twenty-minute drive to Mike’s Palm Springs home.  Bob had called ahead and Mike and Larry were waiting for them at the gate to their sprawling ranch-style home. 

There were warm hugs all round, though the greeting was less effusive than usual, as Mike and his boy sensed the strain between the two men. 

But, true to form, Mike did his best to cheer things up, and his craggy face creased in a smile. “Drop-dead gorgeous as ever.  Look at these two, Larry.  You’d have to go a long way to find a knockout couple as hot as them.   Come on in, guys, you look like you could use a cold beer.”

As they sat round a small table in the garden Mike and Larry asked after various men of the tribe and Bob said, “Darius and his kid Ryan asked us to say hi, and my twins specifically said to tell you, Larry, that they miss you and want you to visit as soon as you can.  And of course, Mike, your nephew Brian sends his love.”

“So ... Happy Anniversary, guys,” Mike smiled and they clinked bottles.

“Right, so you know me, I never pussyfoot around a topic, afraid to step on a landmine.  You two got problems – nothing we ain’t seen before – and I don’t want that to spoil your visit here.  This is a mellow place, no hard feelings allowed.  I ain’t gonna get into the nitty-gritty of this three-way thing you got going with Mark.  My tired old brain could never sort that mess out.

“So I’ll cut right to the chase, by which I mean I’ll focus on the things I can understand.  I said just now that you two are a knockout couple, so right for each other that you’d never ever find another match like this, even if you tried, which I hope you never do. The love you have for each other is legendary in your tribe, something most men could only dream off.

“And it’s lasted all these years.  Jeez, who could have guessed that a chance meeting of a handsome business executive and a sweaty construction worker in a dark Hollywood bar, would be celebrated years later by those same guys, out here with Larry and me.

“That love is still solid as a rock. All the other crap is peanuts ... and I’ve never liked peanuts, though I serve them in my bar.  This weekend is a celebration, not a funeral, so here’s the deal.  Larry and I have made our little summerhouse across the garden there ready for you.  It’s way comfortable, self-contained, your home while you’re with us. And the fridge is stocked with beer. 

Only problem is, the desert sun can be brutal streaming in the windows, so we closed the blinds.  Makes it real cool and dark – even a bit dingy looking.  Randy, why don’t you take your backpacks over there and help yourself to a drink?  I want a quick word with Bob here.”

Mike’s tone was authoritative and Randy did as he was told.  Bob smiled at Mike.  “You old rascal you got something cooking.  You gonna tell me?”

“You’ll see.  At least, I hope you’ll see, and understand my point.  He’s a good man, Bob, except his passion for you leads him astray.  I love to see you together but hate it when there’s this stupid chill between you.”

“Me too, Mike.  So much has happened to us since that day we met, and occasionally it all gets messed up.  Sometimes I wish we could go right back to the start, before the company and the tribe, when it was just the two of us and things were simpler.”

“Wouldn’t that be good?” Mike chuckled.  “OK, you better go over there and join your brooding construction worker in his sweaty tank and filthy pants.  Looks like he came straight from the construction site.  Boy, you two are so different, you in those smart slacks and dress-shirt.”

“I’m not usually this formal, Mike.  I came straight from a business meeting.  OK, time to face the music, I guess.”

<><>    Back To The Passion & Pain Of Day One    <><>

As Bob walked across the garden he realized that the afternoon sun was scorching, and blinding.  He felt sweat prickling him under his shirt and was glad to reach the refuge of the summerhouse. When he went in, he couldn’t see a thing after the dazzling sun outside.  As Mike had said, the blinds were closed, the room was dark and he stood inside the door for a while, waiting for his eyes to get accustomed to the gloom

As he stood there, his mind suddenly flew back over the years to the day when he had gone into that dingy bar, straight out of the blinding California sun.  Then, as now, he had stopped still, waiting till his eyes got adjusted to the dark.”

Back to the present, the first thing he could make out was a small fridge just inside the door.  He bent down, pulled out a beer and twisted the lid off the bottle.  He took a long drink and felt better as the cold liquid ran down his throat. 

He had almost finished the beer before his eyes slowly began adjusting enough for him to make things out.  It was a good-size room and at the far end was ... he narrowed his eyes ... a kitchen, and a kitchen counter with three stools in front of it.

And, ah yes, there was Randy on the stool at the end, hunched over the counter, his frayed tank clinging to his sweaty, muscular back.  Bob walked slowly across the room, careful not to collide with the furniture, and sat at the counter on the stool at the other end, leaving the middle stool empty between them. 

Randy paid no attention and when Bob glanced sideways at him he had a shock.  He was again transported back over the years to that dingy bar when he got his first look at the morose construction worker ending his workday in a beer bar. 

 Then, as now, the man had been tough looking – swarthy, shaggy dark hair, chiseled face with a three-day growth of stubble on his square jaw.  The body was evidently a tribute to years of hard manual labor … chiseled pecs straining under the sweaty tank, bulging biceps, broad shoulders tapering down to the narrow waist of his filthy cargo pants.

Confused, Bob jerked his head away and focused on his beer, and on the present day.  This was all too weird, but exciting too, and his cock was roaring hard in his slacks.  He grabbed his beer, tilted his head back and drained it.  He pushed the empty bottle aside and, a few seconds later, the laborer slid a new bottle along the counter to him.

“Thanks,” Bob murmured, and shifted over to the stool next to him.  They drank in silence, and Bob was unsure what came next.  Randy was still barely speaking to him, obviously still angry with him for having let Mark shove his dick up his butt.

The tension in the air actually heightened Bob’s sexual lust, sitting so close to this savage-looking man.  He felt sweat trickling down his chest and he opened several more buttons on his shirt.  Restlessly, he shifted on his stool ... and felt his knee rib against Randy’s. 

The response stunned him.  Randy whipped round and growled, “What the fuck?  You coming onto me, man?”

And at that moment Bob knew that Randy too was having a déjà-vu moment, transported back through the years to the shabby bar where he had first laid eyes on the well-dressed businessman next to him.  Or that’s what Bob thought it was ...  But maybe Randy was still in the present day, annoyed at Bob’s audacity after ‘betraying’ him with Mark.

Or perhaps it was a mix of both – erotic visions of the past, and jagged emotions of the moment.

Bob recalled how, back then, the construction worker had gone crazy when he thought the businessman was coming on to him sexually, and had punished him savagely.

Confused, Bob stammered, “I ... I’m sorry, I wasn’t ... I didn’t mean ... I’ll leave ...”

“The hell you will,” Randy barked, “you don’t get away that easy.  I’ll show you how I handle a sick fuck like you.”

Randy stood up, grabbed Bob’s shirt and pulled him up on his feet.  He half dragged him over to the bed and shoved him down on it, on the back.  Randy towered over him, chest heaving in a rage, his steel blue eyes glaring down at him.  It was exactly how Randy had looked in the motel next to the bar, where a terrified Bob had looked up at him from the bed.  He knew from the past what came next.

Randy knelt on the bed, straddling him, and ripped open Bob’s tailored shirt, exposing his muscled chest.  “Thought you could get away with it, just ‘cos you look so fucking hot.  Not with me, you don’t, asshole.”

Randy raised his fist and punched Bob’s rock-hard pecs, that flexed to absorb the blows of the pec-punching that followed.  Then Randy moved lower and pounded his ripped eight-pack abs.  Reflexively Bob raised his hands to push him off, but the gypsy reacted as he had in the motel.

“Don’t even think you can get away from me, man.  I’m in charge now – I’m the boss.  You’re nothing.” He grabbed Bob’s wrists and slammed them on the bed near the bedposts (where the imaginative Larry had tied ropes when he prepared the room).  In a few seconds Bob was securely tied, at the mercy of the raging roughneck. 

It was a replay of how Randy had treated him all those years ago, except that time Bob had been in a panic.  He was nervous now too, but his fear was lessened by his craving for the savage gypsy. 

“OK, asshole, now you’re at my mercy ... except I have no mercy, not for a twisted fuck like you and your sick sexual appetites. “You want sex with a man like me? OK, fucker, here it comes.”

Randy grabbed Bob’s shirt and ripped it to shreds that hung on his torso, just as it had all those years ago.  He got up off his knees, yanked open Bob’s slacks and pulled them down his legs. He tugged them off with his undershorts, and loafers and flung everything contemptuously across the room. 

Bob’s cock sprang up like a pole and Randy snarled, “Damn, you’re really into this shit, dude.  We’ll see how much you can take.”  He stared down at the handsome muscled executive, tugging at the ropes, struggling to get free, naked except for the ripped remains of his white dress shirt hanging from his shoulders.

Randy pulled off his tank, and Bob gasped at the sight of the shirtless gypsy construction worker, sweat dripping from his craggy face and down his bare chest.  This was the brutal man who had once scared Bob so much ... and made him fall in love.

“Right, you want sex, big guy?  This is what I call sex.”  He ripped open his cargo pants and pulled out his massive beer-can thick cock.

“Aaaah,” Bob gasped, reacting as he had the day he first laid eyes on the monster shaft.  Again he was transported back to that day when the roughneck had growled, “You know where this hunk o’ prime beef is goin’?”

“No, I can’t ... I can’t.”

“You don’t have a choice, asshole.  I tell you what you can or can’t do.  And I say you’re gonna take this up your butt ... bone dry.”

Randy knelt on the bed again, shoved Bob’s legs back ... and “Aaagh !!”  Bob’s head flew back and he screamed as the dry rod pierced his ass and drove all the way down his chute. 

Bob stared up at the fierce gypsy he had known for so many years – from the brutal first time in the motel where he had been punished for coming on to the macho straight guy, to now where he was being punished for offering his ass to a cop.

The ferocious fuck continued and Bob gazed at the dark, savage face, the shaggy black hair, high gypsy cheek bones, and the steel blue eyes that pierced his very soul while the pitiless cock pistoned in his ass.  He remembered it all, the motel where he had begged for mercy, his stormy life with Randy, the passion, the pain, and the love, the deep abiding love. Overwhelmed he groaned, “I love you, man ... I love you”

“So show me, dude.   Show me you love me, love my dick in your ass.  I’m your man, you’re mine.  Show me .... now!”

“Aaagh ...”  Bob tensed, tugged as his restraints, and his scream echoed round the room as his cock erupted in a plume of white juice that pumped high, and kept pumping ...

When at last his orgasm subsided and his chest stopped heaving, he groaned.  “I’m done, man.  I can’t take that rod anymore.”

“Like I told you, I’m in charge here, I’m the boss, and I’ll tell you when you’re done.  I’ll bust my load in you when I’m good and ready.”  The grinding fuck continued as Randy pushed the writhing stud to the brink of his pain threshold ... and a bit over.  Again he begged. “No ... no more ... please, sir ...”

Randy stared down at the handsome darkhaired young executive, bound naked, struggling to get free, his sculpted features grimacing, tears running down his cheeks as he begged for mercy.  In all the years he had known him, Bob had never looked more beautiful than he did now.  “I love you, dude,” Randy growled. “Look into my eyes and cum again for me ... show me.”

Bob’s pain and anguish vanished as he stared into the limpid blue eyes and entered that world that existed only for them.  He watched his lover tense, felt his cock bulge and pour juice deep in his ass, while his own cock erupted for the second time.”

<><>    Happy Anniversary    <><>

Randy stayed inside Bob’s ass while their heartbeats subsided and they slowly returned from that far-off day to the real world. The dark face broke into a gleaming smile. “Happy Anniversary buddy.  Damn that was hot, right back to the day we met – a day I still jack off thinking about.” [Chapter 2]

“Me too,” Bob grinned. “Er, I’d reach up and put my arms round you except I’m still tied up.  You gonna keep me a prisoner forever?”

“It’s a thought. It crossed my mind that first day too.  I knew I wanted to own you, and the only way I could think of was to keep you there forever, tied up as my sex slave.”

“You know what, Randy?  You’ve done that ever since ... without ropes.  I am yours forever, and you know it, you arrogant son of a bitch.  OK, so now you can untie the ropes.” 

Randy released him and they kissed, wrapped in each other’s arms again where they belonged.

Outside in the garden Larry smiled at Mike.  “Sounds like it worked, sir, don’t you think?’

“Yeah, those were screams of passion alright.  Did you remember the ropes?”

“’Course I did.  You know Randy, bondage is his thing, and Bob loves it.”

“Good, so now they’ve done the heavy lifting maybe we can relax, have fun and celebrate.”

Larry chuckled, “And work out how in hell they make that triumphant trio thing with Mark work.”

“Yeah.  That takes brains, not bondage, kiddo.  But we can do it.”

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> 

TO BE CONTINUED IN “A Trial Of Strength – Book 13: Chapter 32