Trial Of Strength (Book 14)

"SETH & HIS BOY, WILL, TEAR DOWN WALLS"

The two handsome Aussies Adam and Nate treat the horny movie star Grady to an Aussie spit roast.  But things are not so good for Seth and his boy Will. The brute-force work of the rugged construction boss is the opposite of chef Will’s talent for fine cuisine. But roughneck Seth and freckle-faced Will find a way to bridge the gap, tear down walls between them and rekindle their passion.

---

<><>    Team Aussie    <><>

The Grady House party was really heating up.  In the latest event, the three brothers – Randy, Doc Steve, and Cowboy Charly – had all treated Charlie’s wide-eyed boys to wild five-way sex devised by the shrink Doc Steve against all the rules of therapy.

After the action ended in a group orgasm Charlie locked his boys in a tight three-way hug, and Randy shook Steve’s hand.  “Another shrink triumph, bro.  I love it when you throw the handbook away and go with your gut.

“Yeah, it’s kinda like flying blind, you never know what’s gonna happen.  Anyway, I’m bushed.  No more sex for me for a while.”

“Me neither,” chuckled his fellow doctor Chad. “Watching that spectacle was enough for me, I shot my wad, I’m done.”

”I’m real sorry to hear that, mate.”  The deep accented Australian voice came from the back of the crowd.  In all the excitement no one had noticed the gate buzzer sounding except Brian, who had opened the gate for the last guest to arrive.

Chad’s lover Adam, a tall handsome Aussie with chiseled features and short black hair, had come straight from the airport.  He was a chief cabin purser for QANTAS and had just flown in from Sydney on one of the airline’s jumbo, two-deck A380 aircraft.

Now he stood in front of his lover Chad, who looked up and beamed. Adam was still in his airline uniform – sleek black suit, crisp white shirt and red and black tie.  It was the sexy look that had passengers drooling as the macho on-board executive strode up and down the aisles.  Now he pulled Chad to his feet and hugged him.

“Good flight?” Chad smiled.

“Well, if by ‘good flight’ you mean were the customers happy, no complaints, and we landed on time, yes.  But if you mean taking care of the demands of five-hundred passengers for thirteen nonstop hours, and supervising twenty cabin crew on that huge aircraft, now that’s a slog.”

“Come on Adam,” Bob laughed, “you know you get off on those five hundred admiring faces lusting for the gorgeous purser as he strides down the aisles.”

The lovers, Chad and Adam, lived with Adam’s fellow Aussie Nate in a comfortable wisteria-round-the windows house.  They were a happy threesome – foursome if you count their dog Molly.

Nate now spoke up.  “The first time my buddy Jamie and me flew to Sydney on Adam’s flight we did more than drool.  When we saw Adam, the drop-dead-gorgeous flight supervisor, we spread a blanket over our laps and jerked each other off.”

“Good on ya, mates,” Adam laughed.  “I remember wondering if that’s what you were doing.”  But you know what?  A 13-hour flight like that always makes me horny as a toad.  Any offers?”

There was a clamor of “Me ...me...me...” but Doc Chad said, “Buddy, you may look sexy as all get-out in that uniform, but the first thing we gotta do is get you out of it.  Allow me.”

While the crowd watched the start of another sexual display Chad stared into his lover’s brown eyes and slowly unknotted Adam’s tie.  He let it fall loose round his neck, then unbuttoned his shirt while Nate got behind him and pulled off his jacket.  Gasps and sighs met the sight of the handsome, muscular Aussie, his white shirt open over his chest, still tucked in at his slim waist.

“I’ll leave the rest to you, stud,” Chad grinned.

“No worries, mate.  It’s a smaller crowd than the five hundred I’m used to, but at least you don’t need a lap blanket like Nate and Jamie did.  Fell free to jerk off, guys, though I sure can’t compete with that bonza five-way we just watched.  But OK, here goes.”

Adam slid the tie from round his neck, then pulled his shirttails from the waistband of his uniform pants.  He shrugged the shirt off and stood before them stripped to the waist, a light covering of short black hair on his bare chest. 

He stretched his arms sideways, smiled invitingly and drawled.  “OK, mates, my man Chad is temporarily out of commission, but I’m hot and horny.  Any takers?”

Before anyone could speak there was a crashing sound from the bushes and the excited Molly burst forth, headed straight for Adam. 

“Well look who we have here,” Adam drawled with a happy smile.  In an often-performed welcome-home ritual Adam dropped to his knees and Molly rushed up to him.  She reared up on her hind legs, flopped her paws on his shoulders, poked out her massive wet tongue and covered his face in slobbering kisses.

Adam hugged her tight.  “Girl, when I asked for someone to help me get my rocks off, that did not include you.  But I know you like to watch us have sex, so stick around.  Who let you into the Grady House anyway, child?”

Nate said, “Mario said I could bring her provided we did frequent poop patrols.  She’s easy ‘cos she always poops in the same spot. Pablo brought his dog Billy, and Will brought his pug Norman.”

Nate grinned, “By the way, mate, I have some great news.  I mean we all know Molly’s a mutt but I’ve always wondered what her predominant breed is.  So I asked the vet to check her DNA, and there’s no doubt. Guess what?  Molly is mostly an Australian Cattle Dog.  Yup, our Molly is a herder, a working girl.  That explains her habit of nipping at heels when she can’t tell the difference between a man and a cow.”

That brought laughter from the crowd and Chad said, “A working girl, eh?  You could have fooled me.  I’ve never seen her do a lick of work.  She lives in luxury, just sitting round the house looking decorative.”

“Ain’t that why we got her, buddy?” Adam said.  “But hey, all this is very interesting but it don’t get me any closer to getting my rocks off.”

Nate said, “Well I say we keep it in the Aussie family, mate.  Molly can watch while you and I team up and find some bloke who wants to get Aussiefied.”

“Good on ya, mate, sounds like a plan.  So, guys, like I said before – any takers?”

Such a deal as this would attract many takers, but there was one man who had kept quiet until now, but was drooling at the prospect of being Aussiefied.

<><>    No Shrimp On This Barbie    <><>

Molly settled down to watch.  She lay flat on her belly, paws stretched out, her face resting on her front paws.  She watched eagerly for the show to start.  She knew there would be a show ... with these guys there was always a show.

Her keen eyes noticed movement between the Italian and the handsome man with him.  Mario was always watching out for his lover Grady to make sure he got what he wanted.  For Mario these parties were a way to keep him happy.  Actually, Mario’s whole life was about keeping Grady happy – which usually meant sex, specifically getting fucked up the butt.

Grady was known worldwide as the macho action hero in his movies, from Tarzan to the lifeguard captain Hunter.  The public would have been stunned to know that what their heartthrob really craved was a dick up his ass.  But the public never would know.  That amazing fact was kept strictly within the tribe, all of whom would eagerly oblige Grady’s craving.  In fact most of them already had.

Recognizing that familiar glint in Grady’s eye Mario laughed, raised his hand and pointed down at him.

Like an auctioneer, Adam said “Ah, I see we have a bid from the horny gentleman over there.  Sir, you really want to get Aussiefied?”

“You betcha, mate, fair dinkum,” Grady drawled in his best attempt at an Aussie accent.”

“Sold to the man over there with the feeble Aussie accent,” Adam said, unleashing cheers from the crowd.  “What do ya think, Nate?  Will he do?”

“Provided he keeps his mouth shut,” Nate said, with mock disgust.  “That accent was an insult to everyone down under.”

“OK, dude, let’s see what you got,” said Adam.  With a roguish smile Grady got to his feet and stood in a clear space facing Adam and Nate ... and Molly.  Adam grinned, “Molly here is our judge today.  Nothing but the best for these Aussies.”

Grady was wearing sneakers and the red lifeguard shorts he wore in his current movie.  He had on a loose-fitting shirt that hung open over the ragged tank he always wore.  The rowdy crowd began to chant “Strip...strip...strip.”

“Gimme a break guys,” Grady said.  “This kinda thing takes time.  As someone once told Charles Dickens – ‘Make ‘em laugh ... make ‘em cry ... make ‘em wait.  OK, so my accent made you laugh ... I got a butt that could make grown men weep ... and now I’m gonna make you wait.”

The impatient crowd reacted as only they knew how.  They picked up the bread from the snacks on nearby tables and hurled chunks at Grady in the well-known ritual they subjected him to at every party.

Grady raised his arm as protection and pleaded, “Not the face ... not the face.  It pays for all this.  OK, alright already I’ll do it.  Wow, tough room.”

He brushed bread chunks from his body and shrugged off his loose shirt.  There were appreciative whistles from the spectators as Grady kicked off his sneakers, pulled off his tank and said “Ta-da!”  Stripped down to his red lifeguard shorts he hammed it up – holding out his arms, flexing, turning around and saying, “Gentlemen, I give you ... Hunter.”

Seeing several guys reach for the bread he said, “OK, OK, I get the message.  No Hunter.  Just yours truly and ...”  He unlaced his shorts at the waist and let them drop.  Butt naked he faced them with his arms outstretched again.  He looked down at Molly.  “What d’ya think, girl.  You be the judge.”

Molly blinked and heaved a long, satisfied sigh.

“Good on ya, girl,” Nate laughed, “we’ll take that as a yes.  So let the game begin.  What do you think, Adam?”

“It’s obvious, mate.  This bloke has spit-roast written all over him.  But hold the bread, guys – not exactly a sexy touch.  OK, Nate, what’ll it be?  Heads or tails?”

“I’ll take the head.  You can have the tail.  And a fine piece of tail it is.”

Adam walked forward to confront Grady, pressed his hands on his shoulders and forced him down on his knees.  He unzipped his uniform pants and pulled out his stiff dick.  “OK, I already got it in the face from our Molly.  Your turn to do the schlong, stud.”

Willingly Grady opened his mouth wide and lowered it over the long Aussie cock.  Adam grabbed Grady’s tousled hair and repeatedly pulled his face down and up.  Still in chanting mood, the crowd repeated, “” Suck...suck...suck.”

Impatiently Nate said, “My turn, mate.  Let the dog see the rabbit.”

Adam pulled out and Nate took his place, thrusting his cock down the lifeguard’s throat.  Adam walked behind Grady, knelt behind his ass and grinned up at the crowd.  “It’s spit-roast time, mates.  Who needs chefs when you got a couple of Aussies serving up a hot spit roast – even better than the Aussie barbie.

“Yeah,” Nate laughed.  “Slip a shrimp on the barbie, mate.”

“Hey, watch your language, kid.  This here ain’t no shrimp.”  And to prove it Adam drove deep in Grady’s ass to the welcome sound of “Aaagh.”

Mario smiled at Bob.  “Just what he loves, Bob .. he is in paradiso.  And look, Molly is too.”

Molly had finally raised her indolent head and was panting, her tail wagging furiously.  She didn’t understand what her masters were doing but she could recognize the joy on their faces and she shared it.  Chad knelt down beside her and hugged her.  “What do you think of the show, girl?  Worth the price of admission, don’t you think?”

The pace was getting hot and heavy as Adam doubled down on the pace of his fuck while Grady chowed down hungrily on Nate’s cock.  The crowd was growing wild, their chant drifting from “fuck...fuck...fuck” to “cum...cum...cum”.

Adam grinned across Grady’s back at Nate.  “What d’ya think, mate?  Better give the punters what they want or they’ll start with the bread again.”

The bread started anyway.  In a frenzy of audience participation, the crowd didn’t hold back.  The bread shower was bigger than before and their chants were joined by the Aussie shouts of ecstasy and Grady’s muffled moans as he chowed down on the barbie meat – not shrimp but a hunk of Aussie beef. 

Molly got caught up in the spirit of the moment.  Seeing the joy on her guys’ faces she raised her head and gave a resounding howl of pleasure.

“Atta girl,” Chad laughed.  “That’s pretty much says it all.”

<><>   Will Gives His Dad Seth The Brushoff    <><>

Having had her say, Molly ignored the noisy celebration that followed and turned her attention to bread.  She got to her feet and snuffled around, vacuuming up the many pieces of bread littering the ground.”

“Never lets food go to waste, Bob,” Mario chuckled. 

“So I see.  And you think Grady got what he wanted?”

“Assolutamente.  As I said, he was in paradiso.”

Sure seems to have been a crowd pleaser.  For most, anyway.”

Mario gave him a searching look.  “You know I always use you at these parties, Bob.”

“Use me?”

“Well, I use your eyes and ears and those sensitive antennas of yours.  We want everyone at the Grady House to enjoy himself, and you can always detect if someone isn’t.  Just now you said the latest scene was a crowd pleaser ‘for most’ of the guys.  Who was the exception you had in mind?”

Bob didn’t need to answer the question.  The chefs were busily making the rounds, replenishing the snacks.  That included the redheaded assistant chef Will who was setting a plate of food before his dad Seth.  “Hey, kiddo, you got time for a chat?”

“Sorry, sir, gotta get back to the kitchen.  We’ll be starting dinner prep soon.”

Will hurried away and didn’t even hear Seth’s dejected response.  “Yeah, sure, of course ...”

His voice trailed off and Bob said to Mario, “There’s your answer, buddy.  I don’t think Seth is having as much fun as the others.”

“Si, I agree.  I don’t think he much enjoys social events.  It seems to me he has two pleasures in life – his work as a construction site manager, and his love for his boy Will.”

“That’s right,” Bob said, “and this party should be where he gets to enjoy being with Will, except that Will is doing what he loves best, working in the kitchen with the other chefs.”

“That pretty much sums it up, Bob,” said Doc Steve who was sitting next to them listening.

“Ah the voice of the professional,” Bob smiled.  “Do you have a shrink’s-eye view of this Doc?”

“I should.  It’s one of the commonest problems couples seek my advice over – work versus romance.  Usually I can make some useful suggestions, but Seth and Will are a special case. As we’ve discussed before, Seth still has an inferiority complex and can’t shake off his past as a roughhousing day laborer and heavy drinker. 

“He’s done well, though, with the help of Randy who saw the good in him and made him a site manager, where Seth is at the top of his game.  The other shining light in his life is young Will.  In the bad old days he used to abuse the boy, but they worked things out and became lovers as well as devoted father and stepson.

“But just now you saw Will give Seth the brushoff.  Oh, he didn’t mean to be rude, he’s just so caught up in his passion of being a chef, working with the other chefs in a busy kitchen.”

Bob frowned, “Yeah, but most couples face the issue of balancing work and home life.  Why is it so hard for these two?”

“One of the problems is their work schedules.  Seth works hard during the day and comes home in the evening to relax with Will.  But that’s exactly when Will gets busy in the kitchen, cooking dinner.  That cuts down on their leisure time together until late at night. They make love, fall asleep exhausted, and next morning Seth gets up for work at crack of dawn before Will is even awake.”

“Hmm,” Mario mused, “That is what you Americans call a ... a toughie, right?    Do you think it would help if they consulted you for couples therapy, Steve?”

Steve stroked his chin in thought.  “It might, but I have a special feeling about these two.  I have rarely seen a passion shine so bright as it does in Seth and Will, even though they are totally different types – different backgrounds, different strengths and skills.  According to the book they should never have fallen in love, but they did.  And it all works, except for this one problem that keeps them apart so much. 

“But my gut tells me their passion is so strong it will help them steer their own path to a solution.  If that fails, I’ll be happy to jump in.”

Steve had had what seemed to be the last word, so they let the matter drop and left it up to Seth and Will to find a solution. And as so often happens, fate intervened.

<><>    Seth Bails Out Of The Party   <><>

The party galloped on into the afternoon, with couples, threesomes and groups inventing new forms of pleasure.  There was romance, plenty of sex, lots of splashing in the pool.  The kitchen was a hive of activity and Will was in his element doing the work he loved.

He came out of the kitchen only to bring out more food and clear away dishes.  He was aware that he might have been a bit abrupt to Seth, the man he loved, and wanted to make amends.  So on one of his hurried trips out of the kitchen he looked around for his dad, but couldn’t see him.   He asked around but nobody had seen him.  Seth was such a quiet soul that he did not attract much attention. 

But then young Tyler spoke up.  “Er, Will, if you’re looking for your dad, I saw him leave.  I heard him go off in his truck.”

“Really?  That’s weird.  OK, thanks Tyler.”

Will pulled out his phone and called.  “Hi, dad, why did you leave the party?  Where did you go?”

“I came back to work, Will.  I bailed on the party – wasn’t having that much fun – you know me and parties.  I had been hoping to spend more time with you but I forgot you’d be so busy in the kitchen.  Anyway, there’s a lot of cleanup to do on the worksite here to get ready for when the new contracts start in a week, so I thought I’d make myself useful here.  You have fun, kiddo.  I love you ...”

Seth rang off and Will looked bewildered.  Randy called him over to where he was sitting with Bob, Mario and the others.  “What’s up, Red.  Something wrong?”

“I, er, I dunno, sir.  I just called Seth.  He bailed on the party and he’s gone back to the work site.”

“He what?!” 

“I know, weird, right?  Prob’ly because I was so rude to him a while ago.  I gotta go to him and sort things out.  Can I go, sir?”

“Of course you must go, Will,” said Steve.  “I’m sure we can clear it with Danny and the kitchen staff, eh Mario?”

“Certamente, bambino. I’ll explain to Danny that you were called away.  Go spend time with your father.”

“Actually they’ll need me last ‘cos Danny assigned me to dessert – my rhubarb pie.  All they have to do is soak the rhubarb in ...”

Randy cut him off.  “Red, get your sweet ass out of here.  A boy’s place is with his dad.  That’s an order.”

“Right, sir.  Thank you, sir.”

Will stumbled away to the garages and the men looked anxiously at each other.  “Poor kid,” Bob said.  “Steve, you sure that was the right thing for Will to do?”

“Yes I am.  I’m not sure of the outcome, but nothing’s gonna get settled if they’re apart, that’s for sure.”

“Another of your gut feelings eh, bro?” Randy grinned.  “Your gut is better than the shrink handbook any day.”

<><>    Seth & Will Create Their Own World    <><>

There were tears on Will’s freckled face as he drove to Seth’s construction site.  He remembered how his dad had asked, “You got time for a chat, kiddo?”  Will had brushed him off curtly, left him alone.  Seth was right, his only interest in parties was being with the boy he loved.  And his boy had let him down.

As soon as he arrived at the construction site, Will heard heavy hammering.  He opened the gate and saw Seth swinging a huge sledgehammer at an old wall.  The rugged construction worker had taken off the clean shirt he wore to the party and now, as his muscular body flexed with effort, Will got a hardon, despite his anxiety at confronting his stepdad. 

Seth was a raw, rough stud of a guy, for sure, and Will wondered how he could have been so dismissive of a man like that, his man, the man he loved so much.

Seth stopped pounding and leaned on the sledgehammer.  “Hey, kiddo,” he smiled, “what are you doing in this neck of the woods?  Didn’t expect to see you here?  Bit out of your territory ain’t it?”

“Sir, I’m your boy.  My territory should be anywhere that you are.  I know I was rude to you at the party and I came to apologize for that.  I got carried away by all that kitchen stuff.”

“But you love all that ‘kitchen stuff’ Will.  It’s what makes you happy.  Hey, I’m making a lot of dust here, you better take off that clean apron.” Will took off his apron and folded it neatly.

“Here, let’s crack open a couple of beers I got in this cooler here.  You know, I was always a bit jealous of the way you take care of Randy, stashing away his favorite Scotch, just for him.  But hey, beer’s good enough for us, eh kiddo?” They sat astride a wood beam facing each other.  Seth gave Will a beer and they clinked bottles.  “Here’s to us, kid.  Damn, I love being with you.”

“Me too, sir, but we haven’t been together much lately, have we?  And that’s my fault.”

“It’s not your fault, Will, don’t say that.  It’s just the way things are with our work and all.  That’s why I was hoping we’d be able to spend more time together at the party.  When the other men get left by their boys the men have other guys to turn to – they all mix in together.  But you know me – more of a loner, it’s my boy or nothing.  But I realize that puts too much of a burden on you, kid.”

“Being with you is no burden, sir, I love it.  I love you, the work you do, everything about you.  When I came in here and saw you with no shirt on, swinging that axe I got a hardon.  Still have.”

“Good, me too.  We can take care of that later.  But hey, you don’t really know the work I do, nor do I know yours.  That’s part of the problem.  So, as you’re here I might as well put you to work.  See this old piece of wall here?  It has to go. This ground has to be clear for when work starts up again in a week.  Here, take the hammer and give it a try.

Will’s freckled face broke into the impish grin Seth loved so much.  Playfully, he pulled off his shirt and picked up the sledgehammer, which was taller than he was.   With some difficulty he raised it as high as he could and let it fall on the wall.  Nothing happened, it simply bounced off.

Seth laughed.  “Kid, as a construction worker you make a great chef.  Here, let me show you.”  Seth put down his beer, wiped the back of his hand across his mouth and stood up.  He spat in his palms and grabbed the hammer.  “Stand clear of flying bricks, kid.”

Will stood back and watched, his boner getting bigger.  Seth stood, legs apart for balance, swung the hammer in a high arc and brought it smashing down on the wall, which disintegrated into a pile of rubble.

“Wow,” Will said, awestruck.  “That was amazing, sir.”

“Ah, brick walls are easy.  Knocking down the walls between us ain’t so simple.  A sledgehammer won’t work – it takes a gentle touch.  Come with me, kid.”

“Seth led Will to a small stand-alone building at the edge of the site.  “We use this as a room where crew can rest, or take a breather on that bed if they’ve been injured.  But they need my permission.  Don’t forget, I’m the boss of this whole site, the crew do whatever I tell them to.  That goes for you too, even though you’re no great shakes as a construction worker.

“Yes, sir, anything you say, sir.

“Right, so drop your pants.”

“Will complied and stood naked before Seth.  “Sir, I want to apologize again for my rudeness to you at the party.”

Seth looked at the young redhead, his pale, naked body looking fragile and so vulnerable in this macho setting.  Seth walked up to him and gently laid his hands on the boy’s shoulders. 

“Kiddo, stop saying you’re sorry.  There’s no place for ‘sorries’ between us.  You know I ain’t so good with words as the other guys.  I can only say I love you, Will, and I know you love me.  That’s it, and it ain’t gonna change.  Now, do you want me to make love to you or what?”

“Yes please, sir, I want it very much.”

Seth smiled, “So why ain’t you on that bed?”

“Sorry, sir.  Oh, I said sorry again ... sorry.  Ouch, I did it again.”

“Just get on the damn bed, boy.”

Will scrambled onto the bed and lay naked on his back, staring up at his dad who was pulling his beer-can-thick cock from his pants.  In the tribe they all called Seth the wildman because of his savage look – rugged features, tousled hair, and massively muscular body. 

But that’s what Will loved about him, his strength and masculinity, without all the fine words and easy charm of the other men.  Seth could demolish a man with the same brute strength he had used on the wall, Will knew that.   But he also knew his dad’s tender side.  Will was vulnerable but not scared – because he knew Seth loved him.

Towering over the naked boy the construction boss looked formidable, but when he knelt on the bed he smiled, leaned forward and kissed the boy’s freckled face, his cheeks and eyes, and gently licked his lips, which were slightly parted in anticipation of the kiss to come.

And when the kiss came they were joined, body and soul, in a world of love and tenderness, with no room for regrets or sorries.  Will felt the massive body rest on his, light as a feather, his rock-hard cock between his legs.  There was no pain, only joy, as Seth entered him, sliding slowly and gently deeply inside his waiting ass.

“Aaah,” Will sighed, “that feels so good, sir.  I love you so much.”

In reply, Seth clamped his mouth over Will’s, their lips sealed so they shared the same warm breath in and out.  It was, in a real sense, the kiss of life, and Will felt safe, loved and protected.  In the cool of that simple darkened room the gentle giant made love to the vulnerable young redhead.  It became their whole world, and his adoring boy was in a small slice of heaven.

Time and place meant nothing.  Time stood still, nothing existed beyond this room.  They didn’t speak, there was no room for words, just feelings, feelings that at some point led inevitably to the consummation of passion.  They climaxed simultaneously, Seth deep inside him as Will sprayed semen over his thin body, and his freckled face broke into a smile.

<><>    At The Ballet    <><>

In the afterglow of love, the man and his boy lay together talking about their lives – talk that had been missing at the party.  Will had already sampled his dad’s construction world – had laughingly failed to dislodge even one brick, then watched in awe as Seth shattered a complete wall with a blow.

Now for the kitchen.  “Kiddo, I know you love the kitchen, but you never explained just what makes you so happy there.”

“It’s hard to describe, sir, you have to see it.  There are five of us – Danny, the twins, Felipe and me in one large kitchen.  The head chef (in this case Danny) assigns us our tasks, and working together calls for some fancy footwork to avoid crashing into each other.  We kinda sense where to move, a bit like a ballet where dancers are aware of each other’s moves and it becomes one big shifting pattern.  Like I said, hard to describe, you have to see it.”

“Why not?” Seth grinned. “You have to go back soon.  Can I come too and watch my boy in action, same as you watched me in action.  ‘Course, you’re not knocking down walls with a sledgehammer, you have another whole set of skills with different tools.”

“That would be so cool, sir, if Danny agrees.  He already allows me to bring my pug Norman, even though letting a dog into a kitchen is against all the rules.  But Norman is as good as gold and just sits and watches.”

“That’s all I wanna do, sit and watch.  I’ll take my cue from Norman.”

Enthused by the new plan Will picked up the apron he had folded so carefully, and Seth drove them back to the party.  The guests were surprised and relieved to see them together, but they dodged the crowd and went straight up to their guestroom to shower off the dust and semen.  “Strict hygiene is everything in the kitchen,” Will said sternly, and Seth smiled to see his boy take the leading role already.  This was his territory, he was the boss.

They went across the garden together, with a wave to the crowd, and into the kitchen, where the other four chefs were hard at work.  Watching them, Bob said.  “So what do you make of that Doctor Steve.  Are they proving your gut instincts to be right?”

“I believe so,” the therapist smiled.  “Will seemingly spent a long time at Seth’s construction site, where Seth is definitely the boss and no doubt showed junior a thing or two.  Now they are in Wills favorite place together – the kitchen.  I think they may have found an answer to their problems that I couldn’t nail down. 

“Like I said, one major factor dividing them was their work. But I see now it’s not so much their work schedule.  It’s their type of work – so totally different from each other.  Seth moves in the brute force world of heavy construction, while his boy practices the delicate art of fine cuisine.  And neither one knows or understands much about the other’s work environment.  Maybe these visits will help bring them closer together by shining a light on each other’s world, where they are both experts, each in his own way.”

Mario gave a smile of satisfaction.  “Un altro successo, it would seem, thanks to the ever-sensitive Bob seeing a problem, and Doctor Steve’s gut solving it.  But this is only the beginning, signori.  Plenty more challenges to come.”

In the kitchen Will was talking earnestly to Danny.  “Er, Danny, I know this is an odd question, but would it be OK, if my dad sat here for a while and watched us work?  He just showed me what he does at his work, now I want him to see what I do.  He would just sit quietly with Norman and leave us all to do our thing.”

Danny glanced at the twins, Kyle and Kevin, who smiled and raised their eyebrows hopefully.  They had all heard of the pair’s problems, and knew that Will had gone to find his dad at the construction site, so Danny wanted to help.  “Hmm,” he pondered.  “Like you say, it is unusual as the normal rule is ‘chefs only’ in the kitchen when we’re busy preparing a meal for so many.”

“That’s easily solved,” laughed Kevin.  “We could make Seth an honorary non-working chef for the day.  See?”  Kevin planted a spare chef’s hat on Seth’s head.  “Ta-da ...”

“Perfect,” Danny smiled with relief.  “Pity we don’t have a hat for Norman” The incongruous sight of the rugged construction boss with a white chef’s planted crookedly on his head brought laughter all round.  From his corner chair Norman barked and wagged his tail, happy to see Seth, a man he liked, a man who was so good to his beloved master Will.

“Hey, pardner,” Seth grinned, “looks like you and me are gonna be seatmates for a while.” Seth picked Norman up and sat on the chair with the pug in his lap. 

“You want something to drink, sir?” Danny asked.  “White wine, maybe?“

“Beer would be great, Danny, thanks.”

“No,” Will grinned, “this is a special occasion, calls for a special drink – and I know your favorite, Seth ...  Bourbon.  And we happen to have the best Kentucky Bourbon.”  Will fished in a low cupboard and produced a bottle of the finest Bourbon.  “I’ll keep it just for you, sir – a private stash.  Randy ain’t the only one has a secret stash.”

Will poured him a glass and Seth grinned. “Thanks, kiddo.  And thanks to you too, Danny.  We’ll be good.  Pay no attention to us, pretend we’re not here.”

Pretending Seth wasn’t there was hardly possible for Will who was acutely aware that his dad was watching his every move.  It was Seth’s first time in the kitchen, and a chance for Will to show off.  But he didn’t let it interfere with his work, which now resumed at its usual busy pace.

As he had told Seth earlier, he had been assigned dessert, and had chosen to make his popular specialty, rhubarb pie.  Now he pulled up bunches of rhubarb that had been soaking in a large bowl.  He grinned at Seth, and the show was on.

Seth was mesmerized.  Will had described it as a kind of dance, a ballet, and he now understood as he watched the busy chefs move expertly, each intent on his own assigned task but never impeding the others.  Seth smiled to himself, thinking it gave new meaning to the phrase “go with the flow”.

And, most important, it gave Seth a whole new impression of the boy he loved.  Not long ago the slim, naked boy had looked up at him from a bed, an eager, vulnerable boy waiting to make love.  But here in the kitchen this was a different Will – poised, professional, expert at the job he loved.  Seth loved watching him in his dark green apron and chef’s hat – especially the tufts of red hair that escaped from under the brim.

Seth had renewed respect for his kid – not a mere kid now but a young man practicing the creative art that he knew and loved so well.  The newly confident Seth was looking forward to the dinner he had previously dreaded, a dinner that his clever boy had helped cook.

As he worked, Will cast many happy glances at his dad.  Sipping his private-stash Bourbon, Seth smiled at his boy and raised his glass. 

Yup, he thought, the party was definitely looking up.

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TO BE CONTINUED IN “A Trial Of Strength – Book 14: Chapter 15