Trial Of Strength (Book 3)

"Yes sir!" Finally ...... what Jamie had longed for ever since they left L.A. .... sex with Hassan.

Throughout the trip up the coast with Hassan, Jamie had been longing to get fucked by the gorgeous Marine, but Hassan wanted to avoid the complication of sex with the boy. So they had behaved like regular buddies ..... even though each one secretly lusted for the other.

But on the last morning Hassan could hold back no longer. In their ocean-front hotel bungalow he was wearing his Marine uniform again ...... fatigues, laced-up combat boots and khaki shirt buttoned half-way up, showing his white tank top underneath and the military dog tags round his neck. Jamie was naked on the bed and his ass was on fire waiting for Hassan to pierce it with his huge dick.

Hassan fell on top of him and Jamie felt the rough serge of the uniform grinding against his body. Hassan's face came closer and closer ...... and then they were kissing, passionately, ravenously, unleashing all the pent-up desire of the last few days. They were both lost in the feel and male scent of each of each other ...... but no so lost that they didn't hear the command.

"Freeze!"

Hassan leapt to his feet and Jamie jerked his head up in shock to see a uniformed cop burst through the door, his face invisible behind his motorcycle helmet. "Nobody move!" Jamie was frozen in fear. "You, soldier, turn round." The cop pulled handcuffs from his belt and secured Hassan's wrists behind him. "On your knees." Hassan sank obediently to the floor.

"You, boy, on your back." Another set of handcuffs secured one of his wrists to the bedpost above his head. Jamie's mind was reeling. He was terrified ..... and yet ...... and yet ..... it couldn't be ..... he knew the voice, that body. The cop unbuckled his helmet and yanked it off. "It was! It was Mark. But why was he so angry? What the hell was going on?"

Mark remained grim-faced ..... all business as he looked at Hassan. "Soldier, you know you can get a dishonorable discharge for picking up a rent-boy."

"But officer," Hassan pleaded, "we were only ......"

"Shut up!" He turned to the handcuffed Jamie "And you, boy. What the fuck were you thinking? You young hustlers should know better than to pick up a soldier from Vandenberg. Well, you'll both answer to me now ..... and it won't be pretty."

And suddenly Jamie knew! This was all for him. Mark and Hassan had set this up, a wild fantasy that was all for him. His body trembled ..... a mix of excitement and fear as it still seemed so real. The cop's eyes blazed at him. "I'll deal with you later, kid."

Jamie watched as the cop walked back over to the handsome Marine kneeling handcuffed before him. "But I'll start with you, soldier." He pulled his face up by the chin. "Yeah ...... quite the stud. I'm gonna enjoy working on you." Jamie almost shot his load right there.

"So, you fucked this kid in the ass?"

"No, officer. I haven't fucked him. Not all the time I've been with him."

"No? Hot young stud like that? You Marines must be losing your touch. Well, too late now. You'll have to go through me to get to him. And I've been on that bike for hours so I'm real horny. I was looking to hook up with a girl for a blow-job, but hell, you'll do instead. Here." He grabbed Hassan's hair and pulled his face hard into his crotch, grinding it into the rough serge of his uniform pants.

The soldier's mouth was smothered by the growing bulge and he sucked frantically, licking the fabric in a futile attempt to get a taste of the dick underneath. Jamie's eyes opened wide in disbelief. The gorgeous uniformed Marine was helpless on his knees, his head being held in a vise by the blonde cop. Jamie heard the desperate sucking noises as the mouth was yanked hard against the cop's bulging crotch. Finally the cop pulled the soldier's head back and the blue-gray eyes stared down at him.

"You like that, soldier? You like sucking on a cop's sweaty crotch?"

Saliva dripped from the Marine's mouth as it sagged open, over his chin and down onto the white cotton of his tank top. He gasped, "I ..... er ..... I......."

The cop barked like a drill sergeant. "I said, did you like that, soldier?"

"Sir, yes sir!" The Marine responded. "Yes, officer. I liked it, sir."

Mark grinned. "Yeah, they say all you Marines are cock-suckers ...... give great blow-jobs. OK, let's see ..........."

He ripped open his pants and pulled out his cock, already hard from the heat of the Marine's mouth clamped over it through his pants. Again he held up Hassan's head by the hair and the helpless soldier opened his mouth wide. Mark stood for a moment with his stiff rod pointing at Hassan's face, then pushed it quickly inside and all the way down his throat.

Jamie heard the Marine choke, saw his eyes open wide and brim with tears. The boy could hardly believe what he was seeing ...... two handsome uniformed men, the dark-haired soldier on his knees while the blonde cop pulled his face forward and jammed his cock deep into his mouth. Mark had handcuffed only one of Jamie's wrists to the bed and his free hand went to work, stroking his cock as he gazed mesmerized at the Marine's punishment.

The cop pulled his cock all the way back, then plunged it again into the soldier's mouth, and he was soon fucking the handsome face with a hard, steady rhythm. Jamie saw the face jerk back and forth as the Marine strained against the handcuffs behind his back. His shirt had fallen wide open and his tank was now damp with sweat and the saliva that dripped from his tortured mouth.

The cop gazed down at his victim. "Oh, man," he breathed. "So it's true, you Marines really do know how to suck cock. Come on soldier ...... take it all the way down. Yeah, that feels great." Suddenly he pulled the cock out. "You like sucking a cop's dick, soldier? You want more?"

"Sit, yes, sir!" Hassan shouted, his eyes now streaming with tears. "Please, officer. Shove your dick in my mouth, sir."

Mark did just that, and Jamie beat his meat hard as he watched as the cop's blonde pubic hair smash against the full lips of the dark, handsome face. "Come on, man," Mark shouted. "Make my dick feel good ..... you know what to do."

Hassan clenched his throat muscles, squeezing the piston rod hammering his mouth. Mark groaned, "Oh yeah, that's it man. You give great head, soldier. Shit, you're gonna make me shoot my load." Again he pulled his cock out and fixed the kneeling man with his penetrating gaze. "You wanna feel a cop cream in your mouth, soldier? You wanna drink his hot juice?"

"Yes, sir. Please, officer. I wanna drink your cum."

"So ...... the Marine submits to the cop ....... wants to drink his semen. OK man, you asked for it. Here it comes."

Jamie was beside himself, masturbating furiously as he watched the face-fucking resume, even harder than before. The cop's head was thrown back in ecstasy as he pounded the Marine. "Oh, man, I love fucking your face, soldier. Here it comes. Drink it, man." His hips rammed forward one last time and Hassan felt the cock explode in his mouth. He choked, gagged, and gulped frantically, tasting the bitter-sweet liquid as it poured down his throat.

"Aaaah!" The shout was Jamie's as he was overwhelmed by the incredible sight of the Marine gagging on the cop's dick blasting its load inside him. Jamie shot his own cum high in the air and it splashed down onto his body, his face and into his tousled blonde hair.

Mark jerked his cock out of the mouth and it was still spurting cum. Now it splashed into the soldier's gasping face, over the high forehead, the slanted dark eyes and right down to the aching jaw. The cop grabbed the black hair, holding the head like a trophy.

Jamie gasped. It was pornographically beautiful, the Marine's mouth sagging open as white semen poured out of it, down his chin and onto his tank. The handsome, exotic face was soaked with sweat, tears and semen as he gazed up at the triumphant cop who had degraded him by blasting cum in his face. Finally Mark let go of his hair and his face fell forward in a helpless gesture of obedience and defeat.

The cop turned round to the bed and gazed at Jamie who was breathing heavily, his body covered in pools of cum. "What the fuck ...... did I say you could do that, boy?"

Jamie actually felt a stab of fear, and he stammered, "No, officer. It's just that ..... sorry, sir."

"Well it damn well won't happen again." Mark turned back to the kneeling soldier and took off the handcuffs. "Won't be needing those now, soldier, now I've broken you in." He grabbed the front of his tank top and yanked hard, ripping off strips of the thin cotton fabric. He went back to Jamie and uncuffed his wrist. He wound strips of the fabric round each wrist, then, using both sets of cuffs, attached his wrists to the corner bed-posts.

Jamie instinctively pulled at them, and the torn shirt fragments prevented the handcuffs from chaffing his wrists. At that moment he knew that Mark was protecting him and had no intention of hurting him. He also saw in the blazing eyes a glint of something else deep down, a look he recognized ..... affection. From then on he relaxed, knowing that his master was doing all this for his pleasure.

Mark looked down at him. "Hmm, gotta say, best looking hustler I ever saw. Let me see that ass." He pushed the legs up and back and gazed at the perfect ass, with a fuzz of blonde hair round the enticing hole. "Wow, some ass, kid! I guess guys pay good money for that." He turned round suddenly and looked at Hassan. "What's the matter with you, soldier ..... you say you haven't fucked that gorgeous ass?"

"Not yet, officer. Kid was playing hard to get."

"The hell he was! OK, I'll do you a favor, soldier. That ass is mine to fuck. But I just shot my load in your face so while I get some juice back in my balls I want you to turn me on. Stand up." Hassan jumped to his feet. "At ease, soldier. The Marine stood legs astride hands clasped behind his back.

Mark sprawled in a chair and watched. "Take your shirt off, and your tags." Quickly Hassan obeyed, then clasped his hands behind his back again. Both Mark and Jamie gasped as they looked at the magnificent Marine in fatigue pants and boots, the torn shreds of his cotton tank hanging over the muscles of his near-naked chest.

"You know, soldier," Mark said. "You are one hot-looking mother-fucker. Surprised you have to pay a hustler like this. There again," looking at Jamie, "the surfer-boy here is pretty spectacular too. Man, I'm gonna enjoy watching this. Shit, my dick's getting hard already."

He stood up, looked down at the naked, handcuffed surfer, then at Hassan. "OK, man. Let's see what you're made off. Fuck him!"

Hassan gazed into Mark's eyes and a secret smile glinted between them. He turned to Jamie who was trembling with anticipation. "Seems like I'm gonna get that sweet ass after all that you've been flaunting in my face the whole trip, boy. The cop had to handcuff you to the bed to make it happen. You can't get away from my cock now, kid. It's gonna ram your ass good."

He knelt on the bed and pushed Jamie's legs high in the air. "OK, boy, this is it ..... at last. Admit it, you want my cock .....you've been longing for this ever since we started out."

"Yes, sir," Jamie whimpered. "I've jerked off thinking about it."

"OK, boy. Here it is." Hassan touched Jamie's hole with the tip of his cock and paused. Jamie waited for what seemed like endless seconds, and then, at long last, it happened. The Marine's huge cock plunged inside him. Hassan moaned as his rod slid past the hot membrane of the young ass and came to rest deep inside him. His hips pulled back and again he buried his tool in the boy's gut. Jamie yelled ecstatically as he felt the head pass over his inner sphincter and touch the secret sweet spot deep inside.

Mark stood and watched as the invasion of his boy's ass gathered speed. He ran his eyes over the near-shirtless Marine, bucking and plunging over the surfer's perfect white globes. It was a supremely erotic sight, and when he saw the look of ecstasy in his boy's eyes a jolt of envy flashed though him as he realized the effect the stunningly beautiful soldier was having on the boy.

Like all great fantasies this one now crossed the boundary into reality. As he watched the muscular Marine pound his boy's ass, watched the desire in the boy's eyes, the envy Mark felt was real, bordering on resentment. This is what he had wanted to see ...... he had arranged it ...... but now the reality of it brought him it to the edge of anger and he wanted it to end quickly.

Acting on impulse Mark unbuckled his belt and slid it from his pants. He leaned forward and in one instant ripped the remaining shreds of Hassan's tank-top from his back. In a mounting frenzy he shouted, "Come on, man, you can do better than that. Is that all you got? Fuck that ass, soldier .... make the boy shoot his load." He swiped the belt across Hassan's naked back and heard him yell as his body jolted forward under the blow. Jamie screamed as the Marine's body spasmed, forcing the cock to pierce him deeper than ever.

The scene was incredible. The uniformed cop was whipping the broad back of the Marine, goading him into fucking the young surfer's ass harder and harder. Sweat poured off the soldier, down onto the boy's naked body. Pulling at his bound wrists Jamie was spinning in a world of total ecstasy as he saw the Marine bucking over him while the blonde cop, his jaw clenched, lashed the naked back with his belt.

Hassan gazed wildly down at him. "God, I love your ass, kid. Man, I waited for it but never dreamed it could be like this. Aaah!" he yelled as another heavy blow slammed down on him. Hassan became like a machine, not feeling the lash on his back, losing any sense of the cop's presence. He was aware of only one thing, the burning sensation in his cock as it pistoned into the furnace of the boy's ass. He looked into the boy's pleading eyes and smiled as the moment came he had long been waiting for.

"OK, boy," he shouted. "This is what you wanted. Here it is!" His cock erupted deep inside the beautiful ass and he watched mesmerized as Jamie's cock shuddered and poured semen over his own naked body.

Mark stood motionless over them, the belt hanging from his fist. The experience had been spectacular for him, but unnerving as he realized the intensity of desire Hassan and Jamie shared. He knew that his own emotions had crossed over the line into reality. He shook his head, cleared his mind and snapped back into the fantasy he himself had created. He pulled Hassan up roughly by the shoulders and they stood facing each other.

"OK, soldier. You proved it ...... you are one hell of a hot fuck. But now it's my turn." He turned and looked down at a dazed Jamie. "Now for you, boy. You enjoy that Marine in your ass?"

"Yes, sir," Jamie said weakly. "Very much, sir."

Mark stared at him. "Now we'll see how you handle a cop. I should run your hustler ass straight to jail for picking up this soldier, but watching you get fucked turned me on. So now it's my turn."

Jamie was exhausted, sexually drained, but incredibly his cock got hard, as it always did when he saw Mark get ready. Slowly the cop unbuttoned his uniform shirt, pulled it partway out of his pants and stood before Jamie, his chest heaving under the white T-shirt. The cop looked glorious as he pulled his shirt clear off, revealing the contours of his perfect physique under the T-shirt. Then he reached behind his neck and slowly pulled the shirt up over his chest and shoulders and flung it to the floor.

Jamie opened his eyes wide and heard Hassan gasp as they both saw the magnificent cop, stripped to the waist, his beltless pants hugging his slim waist and tucked into high shiny motorcycle boots. He held Jamie's gaze as he ripped open his pants and his thick, stiff rod sprang out. He leaned forward, pulled the bed away from the wall and motioned Hassan to stand at the other end. Then he knelt on the bed, pushed Jamie's legs up and looked down at his ass.

"That hole is still dripping juice that the Marine pumped into it, boy. This is gonna be a breeze." Gently he pushed his hips forward and his cock slid inside his boy's ass. It was the second cock to enter him but this time it was different ..... slow, gentle, tender. Jamie looked up at the spectacular blonde face and it was like looking up at the face of a Greek God. He had never loved Mark more than he did at this instant. He would do anything for him and he waited for the order from his master.

"That is one spectacular ass on you, boy. OK, I know you've already just cum twice, but here's what you're gonna do. When I tell you too, you're gonna shoot another load." Instinctively Jamie pulled at the handcuffs, desperate to touch his cock. Mark smiled. "Oh, no. No hands. Your cock will shoot when I tell you to. Is that clear, boy?"

"Yes, sir," said Jamie, in a trance.

He became aware of Hassan standing behind his head, leaning forward over his chest and squeezing his nipples. He saw the two glorious faces above him come together and kiss, while the cop fucked his ass and the Marine worked on his tits. Jamie again drifted into a world of sexual excess. He watched as the faces separated and his master smiled down at him.

It was Mark's voice that put Jamie over the edge as he used his name for the first time. "All this is because I love you, Jamie ..... you're my boy. And now I'm gonna cum inside your ass. And when I do I want to see you cum too." He pulled his hips back, then pushed inside him once more. "OK, Jamie ..... now. Do it now."

There was silence as Jamie gazed up at the hypnotic blue-gray eyes. He felt his master's semen pouring inside his ass and he was almost unaware that his own cock was streaming cum, for the third time. It seemed Mark would never stop cumming inside him, his head thrown back in exhilaration. Finally he looked down again and his face broke into a smile.

He pulled his cock out gently. "So how was that for a fantasy, kiddo? Getting fucked by a Marine and a cop while you're handcuffed to the bed. Not bad, eh?"

"It was unbelievable, sir. Thank you, sir. I love you so much, sir, I ........" and tears began flowing from his eyes.

"Hey, hey. Enough of that. Besides, you gotta start getting your story straight for Darius. He's gonna want to add your fantasy to his collection, don't you think?"

And as the three men re-entered the real world their laughter rang round the room.

*************

It was a lighthearted trip as they drove back together down the coast highway later that day. Mark had stowed his bike in the back of the Jeep alongside Jamie's surfboard, and the three of them sat in front, Hassan driving and Jamie between the two men. His body was glowing from the sun, the joy of surfing, and mostly from the memory of having his body worked on by two glorious men in uniform.

The banter was good-humored. "So," Mark said, "did this guy here look after you well, kiddo?"

Jamie grinned. "A bit too well, sir. When he gave me safety instructions about surfing he sounded just like you giving me orders. I told him it was like having two dads."

Hassan shot a quick, anxious glance at Mark and was relieved to see him smiling. "Not a bad thought," Mark said. "Better keep that ass of yours in shape, kid. Likely to see a lot of action."

"I gotta be back at Pendleton day after tomorrow," Hassan said, "but we'll have the next two days together if that's OK."

"Great," said Mark. "Maybe tomorrow the guys will agree to putting on a big dinner ..... you know, the works ...... everyone ..... Steve and Lloyd too. You haven't met them yet, Hassan." He flipped open his cell-phone and speed-dialed Bob. "Hey, buddy ....... yeah, great ..... the best. Listen, I have a suggestion ........."

*************

When they finally reached the house there was a flurry of excitement as they were greeted by Pablo, Darius and the twins, all dying to hear what had gone on with Jamie. Everyone talked at once until Bob came out and yelled, "Quiet!" He hugged Mark, then hesitantly held out his hand to Hassan. The soldier grasped it, but a handshake seemed a bit formal and Bob said, "Oh what the hell" and took Hassan into a bearhug. Mark smiled quietly as he noticed both men blushing.

The greetings over, Bob told them Randy and Zack had agreed that a big dinner the next night was a great idea. "Provided," Bob said to the boys, "that you guys pitch in and help the twins. I don't want them doing dinner on their own for twelve hungry guys. And tonight things will be low-key, no pressure ....... quiet dinner, early night."

Mark, Hassan and Jamie went upstairs to clean up and it dawned on them, really for the first time, that this was to be the new normal whenever Hassan managed to come up to town. After the wild events at the beach the prospect of a quiet routine took some getting used to. First came the shower. As usual Mark and Jamie showered together, with Jamie carefully lathering and massaging the cop's muscles, his customary act of devotion to his master.

When they came out Hassan took his turn in the shower and Jamie looked questioningly at Mark. "OK, kid," Mark smiled, "but only if he wants it."

Jamie knocked on the shower door and slid in beside Hassan, giving him the same soapy massage he had given to Mark. When he came out he grinned at Mark .... "He wanted it, sir." And so the rudiments of a routine were established step by step, with more elaboration certain to come.

Dinner was outdoors as usual and after the meal had been cleared away the five men sat round the table sipping on beers. "Damn quiet all of a sudden," said Randy. "Where are the boys?"

"One guess," grinned Zack. "Upstairs grilling Jamie. Darius has been dying to hear the details of the trip ..... he's been driving me nuts with his over-the-top speculation."

"Hmm," Hassan said, "I bet even Darius's imagination couldn't match the reality."

He was right about that. Darius and Pablo were in their room with the twins, listening open mouthed as Jamie explained the no-sex rule and described how he had shot his load riding the crest of a wave and Hassan had cum in his pants as he smoothed lotion over Jamie's back. Then he came to the fantasy part, which was at first greeted with disbelief.

"No way, dude!" said Darius. "They were both in uniform?"

"Yup, the cop handcuffed the Marine and made him kneel on the floor. Then he handcuffed me to the bed."

"Oh wow." Darius leapt up and grabbed his ever-present video camera. "Wait a minute, dude. I gotta get this on film." He pointed the camera at Jamie who blushed slightly. "OK, dude, go again, from the top. So here's the setup ..... you, the cop and the Marine. You're handcuffed to the bed. So what happened next? And make it good, dude ..... exaggerate if you have to."

"I don't have to," said Jamie. "It was all real."

****************

The next day was a hive of activity and the big dinner next evening was the first time all twelve men had been together. Steve and Lloyd arrived early, and Mark introduced them to Hassan. There was a stunned silence as Hassan and the couple gazed in admiration at the others' striking good looks. "Jesus," Hassan blurted out as he shook Steve's hand. "You're the image of...."

".... of Randy, I know. Amazing isn't it ..... only I'm the preppy professional and he's the .....

"..... the big boss of a successful construction company," Bob interrupted as he arrived with Randy. He was well aware of Randy's insecurity, envy even, around Steve when, despite their almost identical looks, the contrast was made between the elegant Doctor of Psychology and the rough and rugged construction worker. Just as well Bob had persuaded Randy to wear a clean white T-shirt, as Steve and Lloyd were in crisp dress shirts and slacks, and Zack and Mark in flattering Polo shirts.

Lloyd was largely silent as he found it hard to take his eyes off Hassan. Finally he managed to say, "Jeez, you guys really know how to find gorgeous guys. Man, you are just...." words failed him "..... something else."

In the kitchen the five boys were all hard at work, until Darius glanced through the window at the group of men. "Hey, dudes, will you get a look at that? Now that's a sight would give a hard-on to anything with a pulse. Look at those guys ...... they're all totally fucking awesome."

The others joined him at the window. "And we're their boys," breathed the twins. Then coming to their senses ..... "and they all want drinks."

"I'll go, I'll go," they all said at once.

*************

The event couldn't help being a success ..... more of a celebration, really, now that the story of Hassan's trip with Jamie had served to blot out the earlier disaster of his experience with Pablo. For the first time he was truly accepted as a full member of the tribe and he reveled in recounting to the group his experiences as a Marine.

Everyone was ultra-relaxed ...... well, almost everyone. Randy was still not a hundred percent comfortable with Steve. True, they had long since worked out their differences .....a sometimes painful experience for Steve who had become familiar with Randy's fists and then with his ferocious cock pounding his ass. Randy's early antagonism had been visceral. His profound confidence in being the boss had been undermined by the contrast between his own self-image as a fist-swinging, tough construction worker and this classy, sophisticated doctor who happened to look just like him.

The result was an ambivalent friendship, at least on Randy's part, that oscillated between admiration and envy. Still, they were more than just therapist and patient, though Randy still kept him at arm's length. Which wasn't difficult as they really didn't see that much of each other.

But to the close observer, like Bob, the differences between them were sometimes prickly. That was evident now when Zack at one point said genially, "Hey, where the hell's Lloyd? He went up to the bathroom to take a leak twenty minutes ago."

Steve grinned. "Oh he's probably up there beating his meat looking down at Hassan. A new gorgeous man always has that effect on him."

"And you're OK with that?" Randy said gruffly.

"Sure," Steve laughed. "What the hell ..... Lloyd's his own man, and if he gets his rocks off looking at a gorgeous guy now and then, so what? Just as long as he shares my bed with me."

Randy huffed and growled until Bob placed a cautionary hand on his arm.

As it happened Steve had hit the nail squarely on the head. At that moment Lloyd was at the window of the upstairs bathroom, half hidden behind the curtain, gazing down at Hassan as he chatted and laughed. God the soldier was beautiful ..... the sculpted features, slanted eyes and dark black hair. He was wearing his loose white shirt, unbuttoned halfway down showing the mounds of his chest. The thin cotton fabric, almost transparent, fell seductively over his muscular frame and his dark skin gleamed underneath it.

Lloyd was beating his meat, whispering to himself as he entered a fantasy world. "Oh man, that's gorgeous. He's such a fucking stud. God, he must look great when he takes off that shirt. Imagine him stripped to the waist in his fatigues bulging at the crotch. Shit, I wanna lie on the ground while he stands over me, those combat boots close to my body."

His breathing became heavy as he fantasized. "Yeah, he pulls out that big cock and starts stroking it. He's a fucking muscle-god. I can see him towering over me, his muscles flexing, pounding his cock. He's looking down at me ...... his eyes are burning into mine ..... he can't hold back any more ...... he's cumming ..... shooting his huge load all over me .....aaah!"

Lloyd's cock erupted and jets of cum splashed onto the floor. He stood in a daze gazing down at the men in the garden..... and the illusion evaporated. Hassan was still talking casually, smiling .... unaware that he had just been the erotic object of Lloyd's fantasy, the cause of his explosive orgasm. And he was still wearing his shirt.

After Lloyd mopped his cum off the floor and went back downstairs he was still breathing heavily and his face was flushed. There were furtive smiles around the table as everyone knew for a certainty that Steve's lighthearted guess had been right on the money.

**************

Steve was eager to deflect attention from his lover and was soon in conversation with Pablo sitting next to him. Pablo was talking about Randy, often the subject of his conversation, and saying what a great day it had been for him when Randy decided to adopt him.

"Yeah," Steve said, "if it turns out well adoption can be great for a kid. It sure was for me."

"You're adopted?" said Pablo in loud surprise, making everyone suddenly pay attention to them.

"Sure am," said Steve. "My mother, adoptive mother I mean, told me the truth when I turned twenty-one."

"Do you know who your real mom was?"

"No. All the adoption agency said was that my real mother was out-of state, real poor, struggling to make ends meet, and I was born barely a year after her first child. Apparently that totally stressed her out ..... could hardly handle one kid let alone another so soon after. So she decided to give me up for adoption as soon as I was born."

Bob was listening attentively. "Did they say what state your mother lived in, and whether the first child was a boy or a girl?"

"No .... no more details. But I always assumed the first kid must have been a boy. If it had been a girl, the mother, however poor, was unlikely to give away her first-born son. So, could be that somewhere out there in the big wide world I have a big brother, a year older than me."

He smiled, "Anyway it worked out great for me. I was yanked out of poverty and whisked away to California ..... Marine County ..... lap of luxury. Great childhood, best education, went to Stanford ..... got my degree, Doctor of Psychology and ..... well you know the rest ..... successful practice, fancy office in Beverly Hills." He paused and looked wistful. "Still, I often wonder about my real mom, my older sibling. Wonder if they ever made it out of their hard-scrabble existence.

There was a long silence, then Lloyd said quietly, "Tell them the rest, Steve."

Steve shrugged. "Well, like I said, I've been wondering about my real mom and any siblings. See, I lucked out ..... a child of privilege ..... and I feel kind of guilty in a way. But for the hand of fate I could still be scratching around in poverty with them. I'd like to help out any of them that are still alive. The adoption agency is still in business, so I went there and asked a few questions. There's all kinds of legal hoops to jump through but as a professional myself I was able to pull a few strings and ...... well, I have an appointment next week when they'll give me all the details they can dig up. It was all a long time ago, of course, but who knows?"

There was another long silence round the table. Bob felt a shiver run through him, one of those involuntary jolts of intuition that he sometimes felt. But he shrugged it off as the volume of conversation around the table picked up again. Randy's voice was loudest. He felt vaguely irritated that Steve had become the center of attention and changed the subject abruptly.

The previously boisterous mood resumed, noisier than ever, and the meal was a huge success. But still, through it all, there was that little nagging voice in the back of Bob's mind......

**************

The next morning Hassan said his goodbyes to Mark and Jamie, with many hugs and a determined promise to be back for a visit as soon as he could grab a few days' leave or a long weekend. The rhythm of the house resumed, work mostly, and the events of the past few weeks began to recede into the historical fabric of their lives.

Then one evening the doorbell rang. Randy and Bob were in their room, on the bed after having just made love ..... a usual occurrence between the end of work and the start of dinner. There was a knock at their door and Darius burst in, his eyes alive with mischievous curiosity. "Sirs, it's Steve. He's downstairs. Says he would like a word with you."

"Of course," said Bob pulling on boxer shorts. "Tell him to come right up."

Bob and Randy were in a great post-sex mood but that diminished when they saw the serious look on Steve's face. They all sat on the bed and he looked hard at them. "Look, guys, I won't stay long but there's something I have to say ..... and something to do. I mentioned when I was here before that I contacted the adoption agency. Well I went back yesterday and they gave me all the rest of the information they had." He paused uncomfortably.

"And....?" Bob said, alarm bells going off in is head.

"Well, it was a long time ago, of course, and they don't have names. Wouldn't be allowed to release them even if they had." He took a deep breath. "But it seems that I was born to a poor couple in rural Texas. The agency couldn't identify a town as the family apparently moved around a lot ...... itinerant, sort of. Like I said before, the woman had a baby a year before I was born and couldn't handle another so soon. Hence the adoption."

"And the older child?" Bob asked.

Another pause. "A boy. Definitely a boy."

"So what's all this got to do with us?" Randy said brusquely. "So, you were a poor Texan and now you're a rich Californian. Well bully for you."

"Randy," Steve said in a tone of annoyance. "You have to see that the facts are very similar to your rural Texas origins that you described to me once in my office. Remember? King of the gypsies? Plus you're a year older than me, and of course, we look remarkably alike."

"So?"

"So ..... I want you and me to get a DNA test." He saw Randy bristle and he added quickly, "Just to eliminate any possibility that we're ...... well, just so we can eliminate that and I can get on with my search."

"No fucking way," said Randy standing up and pacing the room. He jabbed his finger at Steve. "Get this straight, asshole. There is no fucking way, no way on God's green earth that you and I are related. I would feel it inside me if we were and I don't feel anything for you ..... except pissed off right now that you come barging in here and demand my fucking blood."

"It's not a blood sample, Randy. It's a simple swab inside the mouth. I have a test kit right here. It's called a mitochondrial DNA test."

"I don't give a rat's ass what the fucking thing is called. Call it dog shit for all I care ..... I'm still not doing it."

Seeing Randy's anger rise Bob interceded. "Look, why not, Randy? I agree with you that any relationship is highly unlikely ..... it would be too much of a wild coincidence. So a DNA test will put the matter to rest. Come on, buddy, if you're so sure this is impossible, what have you got to lose?"

Randy glared at him. "Fuck you, man." But he could never refuse Bob, especially when he was making sense. "OK, asshole," he shouted at Steve. "Do what the fuck you have to. Let's blow this whole crazy fucking idea right out of the water."

***************

The next two weeks were full of tension and speculation as word sped round the house of the Steve's visit. Darius of course was beside himself as he huddled with Pablo. "Hell, dude, it's like one of those soap operas ..... the evil twin and all. Hey, wait a minute, let me think .....Randy adopted you so ...... you know what it would mean ..... you'd have an uncle Steve!" He frowned. "What would that make me ...... his nephew-in-law?"

But the general mood in the house was more serious, and the consensus was that the whole concept was too outlandish to contemplate. Stuff like that only happened in movies. There must be loads of itinerant, poor families in rural Texas. No, it was totally crazy.

So Randy was feeling quite buoyant when he arranged to meet Steve at the doctor's office for the result, and he refused Bob's offer to accompany him. "What, you wanna come along and hold my hand, like you're my big brother or something?"

Bob winced. "Not funny, Randy, under the circumstances. Anyway, good luck, buddy."

So, some time later Randy and Steve sat silently on opposite ends of a couch in the doctor's office. Randy had sat down as far from Steve as possible, as if physical distance between them could induce the result he wanted and expected. The doctor came in, a genial older man with smiling eyes.

"Gentlemen. Sorry to keep you waiting. OK, let's see here." He opened a manila folder, perused the contents, then looked up at them. "Yes, well, the results of the DNA test appear quite conclusive. There seems to be no doubt about it, gentlemen ......"