Trial Of Strength (Book 13)

"WHEN COLTS CHALLENGE STALLIONS"

At the tribe’s rowdy Grady House party, the line between men and boys becomes blurred, with several hot role reversals. When the rugged Arab Marine Hassan sees his boy Eddie mature from colt to stallion, the soldier surrenders his ass. Then Aussie topman Adam yields to his newly assertive surfer boy Nate. And when Uncle Mike, fireman Jason and Cowboy Charlie show up, all bets are off.

In the previous chapter

The tribe had gathered for a major weekend party at the Grady House. 

Bob, the handsome co-leader of the tribe, had become movie-star Grady’s lawyer and had scored a triumph in negotiations with his studio for Grady’s fee in a new upcoming movie.

After that, young Eddie, the Marine’s boy, had come to see Bob.  As a junior cameraman on Grady’s movie he had performed so well that the studio offered to put him under contract and he asked Bob to look over the draft contract for him. 

Eddie was the boy of hunky Arab Marine Hassan, the only person in the room who didn’t share the general air of celebration, and Bob sensed heavy tension in the surly Marine Captain.  He knew that Hassan was totally in love with his boy, and Eddie idolized his macho soldier, but as they talked now there was a coldness between them that Bob had never seen before.

Bob suggested the two spend some time in the Secret Garden at the Grady House, a rustic little wilderness whose quite serenity had healed many a troubled relationship in the past. In the garden Hassan explained to Eddie the reason for his downcast mood. 

“I am proud of you, kid, for getting that studio contact, and I’m sorry I didn’t show it.  It’s just that your news kinda dampened the pleasure I was feeling about something else. 

“It’s this.  You know I’m in charge of Marine recruitment and training at the base.  Well, we need some new promotional videos that include a lot of candid shots of rookie Marines training, relaxing, lots of male bonding in team sports, kidding around in the locker room, all that macho testosterone that runs through lusty young studs trying to look tough. I told the commander that I knew just the guy for the job – you Eddie.”

Eddie was thrilled at the prospect and convinced Hassan that he could do that before starting work on the new movie a month from now.  “But that’s not the only thing I was having a problem with, Eddie.  There’s something else that excites me, but that I find hard to accept. 

“Take for example your buddies Jamie and Darius.  For a long time they were the boys of what they called their masters, Mark and Zack.  But as the boys grew and took on major jobs they matured into fine young men.  Mark and Zack now look on them more as their men than their boys.  I’m starting to feel the same about you, Eddie, with your career taking off like this.”

“You mean you don’t want me to be your boy anymore, sir?”

Hassan chuckled.   “Eddie, you will always be my boy.  But now I want you to be my man too.  You’ve grown up, dude.  Look at you, juggling two major jobs – Grady’s movie and, I hope, working with me and the rookies at the Marine base.  You’re in the big-time now, man.  And that kinda turns me on, even more than the kid who gives great blowjobs.

“You’ve matured from a cute kid to a handsome young stud.  And that’s a big sexual turn-on for me – like watching a colt become a stallion.  I didn’t know how to handle that until we came to this place.  Bob was right, this garden is kinda magical, sets a man free to explore all his desires.  So let me show you one of my desires, dude.  Right now, this is what I want from you.”

Hassan was wearing his usual fatigue pants and boots, and a sleeveless denim shirt over a khaki tank top.  Sitting on the grass, he leaned forward, unlaced his boots and pulled them off.  Tingling with excitement Eddie watched him stand up, unbuckle his belt, rip open his fatigue pants and let them drop.

He towered over Eddie, naked from the waist down.  His massive cock swung between his muscled thighs, and for a moment Eddie thought he was about to feel it shoved up his butt.  But instead, Hassan shrugged off his denim shirt and turned his back to Eddie.  Below the bottom of his tank the mounds of his hairy ass curved up from his waist, a pale contrast to his deep olive skin. 

The near naked Marine took a few steps toward a tree, then lay on his back in the grass.  He reached up and grabbed a small branch of the tree close to the ground. Eddie’s cock jolted in a premonition of what was to come.

=======    Book 13: Chapter 18   =========

<><>    A Captured Soldier    <><> 

The muscular near-naked Arab soldier was a pornographic fantasy.

Eddie stood rooted to the spot, gazing down at the macho Marine Hassan lying on his back in the grass, naked except for a khaki tank stretched over his muscular chest.  His arms were stretched upward on the ground toward a tree, biceps bulging as he grabbed a branch of the tree low to the ground, almost as if tied to it. 

Eddie was mesmerized by the swarthy Arab’s chiseled, olive-skinned features – stubbled square jaw, high cheekbones, slanted dark eyes, black hair falling over his brow as his head moved slowly from side to side.

For a moment there was silence in the small, overgrown garden, except for the soft trickle of water from the stream behind them.  The boy was still trying to process what his man had just told him. 

He had always been the Marine’s boy, skilled at giving the dominant soldier blowjobs, then offering his ass to him.  But suddenly these roles were being reversed.  Eddie had grown up and had a prestigious job.  As Hassan had said, “You’re in the big-time now, man.  You’ve matured from a cute kid to a handsome young jock – my man. And that’s a big sexual turn-on for me.”

Which explained the amazing thing that happened next.  Eddie gasped in disbelief as the tough, dominant, near-naked Marine soldier slid his heels back on the grass, knees bent ... and surrendered his ass.  His deep voice growled.  “This is what I want, dude ... and I want it from my man.”   

That was if – a big if – Eddie had the balls to grow into that role, which is why he hesitated now.  It was a big major leap for the always submissive boy to suddenly turn the tables and dominate the macho soldier. 

In a daze he mechanically pulled off his T-shirt and dropped the faded red boardshorts he always wore.  Mindlessly he grabbed his own cock that was, as always when looking at Hassan, hard as a rock.  But the feel of his own rod brought him back to reality.  He looked down at his master’s ass, tried to imagine driving his cock into it ... and he lost his hard-on.

“Damn,” he muttered, in a mild panic.  He couldn’t do this. He was Hassan’s boy, not the so-called ‘handsome young jock’ Hassan found so sexy.

Hassan saw his dilemma and smiled.  He found Eddie’s hesitancy even sexier – a hot young colt trying to grasp his emerging virility as he matured into a stallion.   “You can do it stud.  I know you, I know you can do it.  Your man wants it ... and so do you.”

The deep voice and the steady dark gaze began to take effect ... Eddie’s heart beat faster and his balls bulged.  Roles began to blur, the man on the bottom instructing the topman.  Those former definitions – master-boy, top-bottom – faded as they became simply two sexy, macho guys having sex in the grass.

Eddie’s cock was hard again and the sight of the soldier’s ass changed from intimidating to exciting.  Eddie’s manhood emerged and strengthened as he walked round the near-naked submissive Marine Captain.  “Yeah,” Eddie growled, “you’re mine, soldier.  Your ass is mine.”

Eddie’s strong sense of fantasy took hold and he made the scene complete. He picked up his own discarded T-shirt and ripped it in two, using the halves to tie Hassan’s wrists to the tree branch above his head.

Surprised by the sudden emergence of the jock’s dominance Hassan reflexively tugged at his bound wrists, but Eddie had been thorough, taught by Hassan himself.  Realizing he was at the young man’s mercy, the soldier’s huge cock stood up rigid, oozing precum from the head.”

Eddie watched the bound Marine Captain struggle in bondage, his body writhing, pecs flexing hard under the tight tank.  The swarthy Arab features grimaced, head thrashing from side to side, black hair flying.  “Damn, that’s hot, soldier.  There’s nothing like watching a tough dominant soldier captured and tied up, struggling desperately to get free. 

“You’re the macho captain who shouts orders to the troops, the guy who dominates, who butt-fucks whoever, wherever he wants.  Ell this is payback time, big guy. You’re gonna see how it feels to have a rod shoved up your military ass for a change.  Get ready, soldier.”

Eddie dropped to his knees and pushed the muscled legs back further.  “Marines are tough guys uh?  Trained to take punishment.  They take a dick up their ass, they take it dry.  Like this ...   Eddie pushed the head of his cock against the soldier’s hole ... and drove it deep inside with all his strength.

The dark eyes opened wide, his jaw sagged, and the shattered Arab soldier howled in pain, tugging frantically against his bound wrists.   Eddie pulled back and plunged in again, and again.   Eddie had never seen anything hotter than the fantasy of the helpless muscular Marine getting his ass reamed, had never felt anything this hot, this intense. 

He leaned forward and pressed his hands on the khaki tank stretched over the soldier’s chest.  His fingers dug into his solid pecs and scrunched closed over the thin fabric.  As he leaned back he yanked on the tank and it pulled the soldier’s back up off the ground.

Staring down at the pornographic image of the battered Marine hanging by his shirt, Eddie lost control, pounded harder and harder, his balls throbbed, his cock spasmed and .... “Aaagh”.  As his cock erupted deep in the soldier’s ass Eddie reared back, the tank ripped and came away in his hand. 

Hassan howled, fell back and jizz blasted from his cock and splashed down on his heaving chest and the ripped fragments of his shirt.

<><>   The Marine Breaks    <><>

The only sound was the men’s rasping breaths, until Hassan said. “It’s over.  Untie me, boy.”

Eddie’s cock was still inside Hassan’s ass and he looked down at him.  “Is that what all this was about – a quick role-reversal fuck and then ‘it’s over – untie me boy’?  Boy?  I don’t think so soldier.  I’m your man, remember, and I’m still in charge.  It ain’t over till I say it’s over.

“Sure we both busted a big load, but you know what they call me?  They call me the gusher, ‘cos I can cum again and again.  And that’s just what I’m gonna do.  Now we’ll see just how much punishment a Marine can take.”

“No, man, I can’t.  Not after I’ve cum.”

“Maybe you didn’t hear me, soldier.  I’ll tell you how much you can take, and we ain’t nearly there yet.  So whatever you Marines do to endure pain, do it now.  Fuck, you look so hot tied up at my mercy, with a dick stuffed up your ass.  The tough Marine Captain gets to suffer.”

The fuck began again and Hassan groaned as Eddie’s dick got hard again and resumed its relentless attack on the bound soldier’s helpless ass.  Eddie reached forward, pressed his shoulders against Hassan’s legs and pushed them farther back. His feet on the ground, arched over the suffering soldier, the young jock used the full weight of his body to plough the soldier’s ass, his hips rising and dropping hard down on him as he pounded ass.

“Give up captain, submit or I’ll break your fucking ass.  You know you’re beaten.  I won’t quit until I see you bust another load.”

“Fuck you, asshole.”  The Marine’s pride made him grit his teeth and endure the attack as he had been trained to, but even he had his limit.  It was like a piston driving in his ass and at last he howled.  “OK, I can’t take anymore.  Stop ... I give up.”

“I love to hear a tough macho Marine break and beg for mercy. Let me hear you beg.”

“OK, OK, you win, I’m begging.  I submit, you’ve broken me ... finish me off ... cum in my ass ...”

“Only when I see you cum again.”

“No ... I can’t.” 

By now Eddie was feeling the true power of his sexual transformation from boy to man, bottom to top, and he needed Hassan to feel it too.  He reached down, grabbed the shreds of the ripped shirt round his neck and pulled his upper body forward again.  “Look at me, soldier.  I’m your man, like you said.  You offered your ass to me and I took it.  You take your orders from me now.  And I’m telling you to cum.”

Hassan stared at him and it was true.  This is the man he always wanted.  His boy had grown up and the new tough jock had him tied and helpless, hanging from the fragments of his own shirt, staring at his own cock that unbelievably was oozing pre-cum. 

He was beaten, he knew it.  He wanted to submit to the handsome young buck pounding his ass.  He wanted to obey him, he needed to, had to.  He felt his balls bursting, the sperm racing up his shuddering cock until ... “Aaaagh ...”  His cock blasted semen with such force it slammed into his own face, mixing with the tears running down his cheeks and filling his open jaw-sagging mouth.

Mesmerized by the incredible sight of the broken, sobbing Marine drinking his own juice, Eddie shot another full load of jizz in the soldier’s shattered ass.

Minutes later they lay exhausted in each other’s arms in the long grass, still waiting for their heartbeats to subside.  Then Hassan growled, “That was un-fucking-believable, dude, getting tied up, beaten and butt-fucked up by the tough young jock who used to be my boy.  Opens a whole new world for us, never knowing who’s gonna end up on top.”

Hassan grinned.  “That’s my new fantasy when I’m horny and jack off.  Damn, I can’t wait to see you directing that video, watching you give your orders to those tough young Marine cadets, knowing you’ve got a boner in your pants all the time.  And later feeling you unload all that pent-up testosterone in my ass.”

“I feel like a different guy, sir.  But I can still call you ‘sir’ can’t I?  I still love that gorgeous, rugged Marine Captain overpowering me ...” he grinned ... “that’s when I’m not dominating the same Marine and ploughing his ass.  Huh, sounds weird don’t it?”

“Sounds great to me, man.  Like I said, a whole new world.  Jeez, you know I could stay in this garden for the whole day, but we’d better make an appearance at the party.  They’ll be wondering what happened to us. 

“And they’ll never guess, in all their wildest dreams.  Aye-aye, captain, let’s go.”

<><>    Grady Picks Brian’s Brain    <><>

Of course there was speculation in the crowd about what was happening to them – there always was when a couple were in the Secret Garden.  They usually came out transformed, with that special glow that the garden endowed.

And this time was no exception.  There were audible gasps as the men appeared. Eddie had put on his red boardshorts, and the two halves of his ragged T-shirt were slung over his shoulder. 

Hassan was a pornographic icon – the tall, muscular Marine, shirtless in combat fatigues and boots with the shredded remains of his khaki tank still hanging round his neck.  Usually he had his arm hanging protectively over his boy’s shoulder.  But this time it was the opposite.  Eddie, who seemed to have grown in stature, had proudly thrown his arm behind the Marine’s neck.  They strode together toward the group to rousing cheers and applause.

Grady was sitting next to his boy Brian and they had, as usual, been playing their game of studying the crowd and making guesses about the goings-on and undercurrents in the various groups and couples.  The emergence of Hassan and Eddie added prime fodder for their guessing game.

Grady flashed his movie-star smile.  “OK, kiddo, so get that brain of yours working and tell me what’s been happening to these guys in the secret garden.”

Brian furrowed his brow in thought.  “Well, sir, let me see.  I overheard Bob saying that in his meeting with Eddie about Eddie’s great contract offer from Warner Studio, Hassan got all surly.  Bob knew there was trouble and suggested the secret garden. 

“So, it’s my guess it was that old balance of power thing we’ve seen before, where the boy becomes as dominant as the man.  And judging by the torn shirts, I guess there was some rough sex and it wasn’t Eddie on the receiving end.”

“Really?  How’d you figure that out kiddo?”

“Well, sir, you saw how they came out – Eddie all puffed and proud with his arm over Hassan’s shoulder.  Seems like some role-reversal went on there.”

Grady gaped.  “You mean Eddie topped the big butch Marine?”

“Big time, sir.  See those torn shirts?  My guess would be Eddie tied the soldier up and fucked him good, till the soldier submitted – something you don’t often see in a tough Marine, sir.  Broken by his own boy.”

“Man, that gives me a woody.  What a story.”

“We’ll get it straight from the horse’s mouth later, sir – or I should say from the young stallion’s mouth.  You and me, we’ll get together with Eddie.  I know how to wind him up, get him talking, and he’ll spill the whole pornographic tale.”

“With exaggerations?” Grady grinned eagerly.

“Of course ... we’re talking Eddie here.”

“Boy, I’m loving this party more and more.”

“There are more surprises to come too.  We’re still waiting for a few more arrivals, and from what I hear they will raise the roof.

“Yeah, we’re still missing a few.  I don’t see Uncle Mike and Larry yet.”

“That’s ‘cos they went to Chad’s hospital.”

“What?  Nothing wrong is there, with his broken leg and all?”

“Not from what I hear, sir.  We’ll just have to wait and see.”  

<><>    Homecomings    <><>

The party was starting to heat up as men arrived, with rowdy greetings between guys who didn’t meet often. 

The young chefs had laid out an extensive buffet lunch that they would replenish throughout the afternoon, for the late arrivals getting off work at different times at the end of their workweek.  The outdoor bar was doing a brisk trade, expertly manned by the handsome young gymnast Tommy, who in a previous job had been the party planner at a five-star hotel. 

Mario looked over the staggered work schedule the chefs had made up, to ensure that each of the five chefs had plenty of time off to enjoy the party.  The same went for the other young helpers who were busy ensuring that things ran smoothly. 

But it was understood that Grady would want Brian with him much of the time, to play the gossip game he loved so much.  And everyone knew they were under the benign and amused scrutiny of the movie star and his boy in the wheelchair.

Grady loved not being the center of attention, and the men and boys of the tribe had long since learned to respect his wish to be “just one of the guys”.  But they also understood the pressure he was always under at work and in public, and they quietly ensured that his special needs and desires were respected. 

After all, the huge party was paid for by Grady’s film income, recently increased dramatically thanks to Bob’s negotiating skills with the studio. For that reason, in a low-key way Bob was a star of the party as everyone knew of his success as Grady’s newly appointed attorney.

The same went for Ryan, Bob’s new young assistant, who had been a big help to him in the background.  Ryan was currently surrounded by boys who were proud that one of their buddies had played such an important part.  They also respected Ryan’s promise to Bob not to disclose any details of the negotiations, which had to be kept strictly secret.

Not far from Grady and Brian, Bob was sitting with his lover Randy, the rugged boss of the construction company that supported the tribe.  The shaggy haired gypsy was so different from the buttoned-down executive, and immensely proud of his lover’s lawyerly brilliance.  Typically, he expressed his pride sexually, growling softly, “I wanna fuck you so bad, dude.”

“Down tiger,” Bob grinned.  “Not here ... later.

Hassan and Eddie had joined the two bosses when they emerged from their adventures in the secret garden.  “So,” Bob smiled, “I don’t have to ask you two if the secret garden worked its magic on you.  That’s obvious from the state of your, ripped shirts and all.  Those torn shreds look hot on you, soldier – your boy too.”

“Not my boy, Bob, not anymore.  Say hello to my man Eddie.  He just proved he’s a macho topman.  Rode me good.”

“Told you, sir,” Brian nudged Grady, having overheard.   Just then the gate buzzer sounded and Brian looked down at his cellphone.  “It’s my Uncle Mike,” Brian shouted.  Although the older man Mike was called Uncle by everyone as the father-figure to the tribe, Brian was his only actual nephew in the tribe.   

In the past, depressed by his lonely life in a wheelchair, Brian had lived in a rundown trailer park in the desert until rescued by the tribe’s Brandon, also in a wheelchair, who showed him that a wheelchair was no impediment to a full and productive life.  In the fullness of time the two wheelchair boys became boyfriends, then Brian was scooped up by Grady and, from his early humble beginnings, he was now the intimate boy of the movie star idolized all over the world.

Brian pressed a button on his cell and the gates swung open.  The crowd all knew Mike had been to see Doc Chad at the hospital, after spending weeks in a cast on his broken leg.  They held their breath as the gates opened.

After a long pause, Larry came in pushing his lover Mike in his wheelchair.  He had a blanket over his lap that hid his legs, which some of the guys took as a bad sign.  They stopped and a smile slowly spread over the older man’s craggy face. He grabbed the blanket and threw it dramatically aside. 

The cast was gone, removed by the doc.  Cheers filled the air, and they were redoubled when Larry handed him a cane and Mike got up and walked carefully forward.  When the cheers died down, Mike said, “Yeah I’m on the mend as you see.  Walking – slowly and very carefully, doctor’s orders.  For which I owe a massive debt of gratitude to this guy, the finest surgeon in the whole fucking world.”

Doctor Chad came through the still-open gate to a thunderous burst of applause. His lover Adam ran up to him, pulled him into a tight man-hug and said in his Australian drawl, “Good on ya, mate.  I love you.”

Mike waved for silence.  “And guys, I wanna say right now, I couldn’t have made such a quick recovery without the help and encouragement of all of you.  You welcomed me into your home and it felt like a great big family taking care of me.

“I got my inspiration from watching you guys, going through setbacks, dramas, fights and disagreements but always soldiering through and coming out the other side, propelled by the love you all share for each other.  Damn you’re a great bunch of guys.  I thank you and love you.  And of course, my rock through all of this, my beautiful boy Larry.”

That little speech brought more cheers and many a teary eye.  But the introductions were not over and Mike held up his hand one last time.  “One more thing.  Larry and I couldn’t have stayed with you all so long without the solid support, a hundred miles away, from a great couple of guys who just came back from Palm Springs and followed us up the road here.  Brian, can you open the gates again, kiddo?”

An SUV drove through the gates and Jason and Ben got out.  “Guys, give it up for the hottest bartender to ever take his shirt off behind my bar ... your own gorgeous fireman Jason.”

Jason pumped his fists in the air, and through the cheers Larry shouted. “And the best young relief mechanic a guy could have, who kept my repair business running and the customers happy. Ben, take a bow, buddy.”

“You got that right, Mike,” shouted Pablo, ”he proves that to me daily.  Thanks for bringing my assistant back to me, Larry.”

Ben blushed and bowed awkwardly, then ran up to his big brother Randy who ruffled his hair and grinned, “Proud of you, little brother.  Great job.”

Gradually order was restored and men started attacking the buffet and the bar.  Ben and Larry joined their fellow mechanic Pablo, while Uncle Mike, leaning heavily on his cane, walked slowly up to Randy and Bob and sat at their table, where they were joined by Mario, Grady and Brian. 

Bob said, “Mike, thank you for saying what you did just now.  Very moving.  And I speak for everyone when I say what a pleasure it was to host you and Larry during your recovery.”

“And talking of hosting,” Mike said, “I neglected to thank you, Mario and Grady, for throwing this shindig.  Spectacular as always.  And rumor has it, Grady, that your studio is finally paying you what you deserve, eh?”

“Yeah, thanks to Bob,” Grady grinned. “Dunno how he did it, but Brian and I secretly think he threatened the studio execs that if they didn’t give him what he wanted, he’d turn Randy loose on them and he’d bust the place up.”

Mike chuckled.  “Would sure scare the shit out of me.  And the boy could do it too.”

“If you say so, old-timer,” Randy grinned.  “Man I’ll miss seeing your ugly mug around here when you go back.”

“And who’s gonna keep you in line, boy, when I’m gone?”

“Ah, all I gotta do is bust a few heads and you’ll come roaring back to give me one of those famous tongue lashings, as only you can.”

“Just make sure one of those busted heads ain’t Bob’s.  He’s such a hotshot lawyer now he’ll have your ass thrown in jail and tell them to throw away the key.”

“Ain’t his head I’m gonna bust tonight, Mike.  It’s his ass.  You wanna give me a hand?”

<><>    “Howdy Pardners”    <><>

Dinner, the first formal meal of the weekend, was a couple of hours away and already the chefs were busy in the two big kitchens. 

Brian said to Grady, “Sir, I just gotta go upstairs and make sure all the guestrooms are ready.  Mario helped me with the room assignments, quite a tricky operation working out who sleeps with who in this crowd.  I’ll put names on doors but in the end, if past parties are any guide, they’ll be wandering from room to room as their lust takes them.

After he wheeled himself away Mario came and sat with his lover.  “Ciao, amico.  Quite a party already, is it not?  That appearance by Uncle Mike and his little speech had me in tears.”

“Yeah, they’re a terrific crowd, Mario.  I don’t know how I would get through all the pressures of work and my life without knowing I had you and this great big unruly family to back me up.  It’s times like this that remind me I really am a human being under all that bullshit that creates a whole different me for the rest of the world – the flashy kind.”

They talked a while longer until Brian came back from his tasks.  “Everything OK upstairs, bambino?” Mario asked.

“Pretty much, sir.  All the rooms are labeled but, like I told Grady, the guys will probably do their own thing.  They tend to ignore labels.”

“So, Brian,” Mario smiled, “Grady has told me all about your gossiping and your uncanny ability to look at the crowd and make predictions.”

Grady laughed.  “He’s a genius, amico.  Come on, kid, give him a sample.”

“Hmm,” Brian pondered, “so what’s next?  Let’s see ...  There is one couple I don’t understand, Vic and Noah.  They’re such sweet guys, the way they always stay close to each other, having fun together in their own quiet way.  They’re usually kinda laidback ... but not this time.  I’ve been watching them, see them over there?  They were with their buddy Nate, but he’s with Adam and Chad now, and the boys are alone, fidgeting around, chattering away like they’re sharing a secret no one else knows.”

“So what’s the answer, bambino?”

“Beats me.  Whatever’s got them hopping, I’m not in the loop.”

Grady laughed.  “That’s a first, you know everything about everything, kiddo.  Boy do I love a mystery.”

“Wait a minute,” Brian said.  “Was that a car drew up outside?  Everyone’s here, we’re not expecting anyone else.”  He looked at his phone that was connected to the gate’s security and saw what the camera saw.  His face lit up.  “So that’s the secret.  Mystery solved, sirs.”  He shouted to the gathered group.  “Hold onto your hats gentlemen.  Watch this ...”

He tapped his phone, the gates swung open ... and there was Cowboy Charlie. 

With a broad smile on his rugged face he walked in with that sexy bow-legged cowboy swagger, still wearing leather chaps and his cowboy hat tiled back on his head.  Vic and Noah leapt to their feet and rushed to meet their man who wrapped them both in his strong arms.”

“Man you are a sight for sore eyes, kids.”  When they separated he looked at the amazed crowd, took off his hat and raised it high in the air.  “Howdy pardners,” he shouted in his strong Texas drawl. “Sorry for barging in like this but I had the weekend off between rodeo gigs so I thought I’d come and surprise y’all.  I called my boys here, said I was coming, but told them not to tell y’all and spoil the surprise.”

Charlie’s older brother Randy got up, strode up to him and pulled him into a warm man-hug.  “Good to see you, bro.  Looking hot as ever, causing a few boners in the crowd here, all wishing you was into guys like they are.”

“Hey, I’m into you guys ... except for the actual fuck thing.  In fact, can’t wait for my boys here to feed on my dick.  But listen, bro, I didn’t mean to crash your party, so I gotta go make my peace with the hosts.”  He surveyed the crowd and walked over to where Mario, Grady and Brian were sitting.  Grady looked up at the rangy cowboy and murmured, “Be still my heart.”

“Hey, guys, I shouldn’t a busted in here like this uninvited.  I’ll leave if y’all tell me to, but if you let me stay I’ll be no bother, I’ll just curl up in my sleeping bag under a tree.  I’m used to that.

Mario stood up and smiled, “Nonsense.  Benvenuto, mi amico, you are as welcome here as everyone else.  You are like family, especially as you have three of your real brothers here – Randy, Steve and Ben.  And there’ll be no sleeping under the trees. We have plenty of room and I’m sure we can find you a roommate.”

“Like me?” Grady said sheepishly, raising his hand.

“Basta.”  Mario swatted his hand down.  “You already have roommates, Grady, unless you’ve forgotten Brian and me.  No, I was thinking more along the lines of Vic and Noah.”

“Yes please, sir,” Vic and Noah chorused, standing behind Charlie.”

“Brian, perhaps you would take them up to the room you have assigned, so Charlie can change, freshen up and get comfortable.”

“Of course, sir.  Follow me gentlemen.”  As he led the way toward the house Brian’s mind was racing.  He had been assuming that Vic and Noah would sleep with their man Nate.  Now what?  Oh what a tangled web I have to unravel, he thought.

<><>    Intertwining Strains Of Love    <><>

When Brian rejoined Grady and Mario they looked up expectantly and Grady said, “What now, kiddo?”

“You may well ask, sir.  I had the room all set for Nate and the two boys, but now it’ll be Charlie and the boys.  He has a real soft spot for those kids, almost like they’re the sons he never had.”

“So what are you going to do with Nate?” Mario asked.

“Just wait and see what develops, I suppose – take my cue from Nate.  But just look at him over there, sitting all on his own.”

“Hmm,” Mario frowned, “molto difficile ... triste.  “You know, I have always felt sorry for Nate.  He seems always to be ... in someone else’s shadow, whether it’s in work, in friendship, or in love.”

“I know what you mean,” Grady said, “It’s something I see at work all the time.  Those three guys, Jamie, Nate and Eddie are a team, real close buddies, and a huge support to me.  But the leader, and star of that little show, is Jamie, the classic blond California surfer.  And Eddie, of course, is on Cloud Nine, with his new studio contract, and now he’s Hassan’s man rather than his boy.  Which kinda leaves Nate in the shade, the third wheel, though he’s just as good a surfer, and has that laid-back Aussie charm going for him.”

Brian added, “Like you said, sir, his friendships are kinda out of whack too.  His first friend was Jamie, they were like brothers.  But after Jamie met and rescued the young immigrant Felipe they spend most of their time together.  And of course, Jamie is totally devoted to his cop Mark.  So that leaved Nate kicking around on the edges. 

“And on the home front, Nate started out as the boy of his fellow Aussie Adam, but then Adam fell in love with Chad and they all share a home, with the spotlight suddenly on Doc Chad for curing Uncle Mike.  So once again Nate is the third wheel.”

“What I love to see,” Mario said, “is that three-generational thing some of them have.  The man has a boy who has his own boy.   Like, Randy, Pablo and Tyler ... Zack, Darius and Ryan. Hmm, I suppose, in a way, Nate has that too, with his man Adam, and his boys Vic and Noah.”

“Except that he don’t really, does he?” Grady said.  “Like you said, Adam has his lover Chad, and Vic and Noah are besotted with Cowboy Charlie.”

“Which don’t make my job any easier, sir,” Brian frowned.  “I mean, in one room there’s Charlie and the two boys, and next door there’s Adam and Chad.  So where does that leave Nate?  Out in the cold in the hall?”

“Trouble is,” Mario said, “there are so many stars in this tribe, so much energy and charisma, that it’s easy for a laid-back, unassuming guy like Nate to be overlooked.  It’s a bit like the unpretentious but quietly intense love affair of Pete and Brandon.  But you know, Brian, I wouldn’t sweat it.  In this big crowd of men and boys, problems arise naturally all the time, but somehow the guys seem to overcome them.  There’s a kind of synergy – call it teamwork, harmony – that pulls the guys back together.”

“Or call it love, amico,” Grady grinned.  “I know, you can groan, like I’m quoting from some potboiler script, but I always come back to that worn-out old phrase – love conquers all.”

But they didn’t groan, as they all saw the universal truth in what Grady said.  Silence descended as they sipped their margaritas and gazed at the animated crowd, a microcosm of desires and needs, triumphs and setbacks, conflicts and reconciliation, all held together by intertwining strains of love.

This lengthy contemplation of the emotional crosscurrents in the tribe somehow made Mario, Grady and Brian more than ever aware of their own good fortune in having found their own unique brand of love and laughter, a joyful little family, the still center of a moving world.

Then, as they sat silently watching that constantly moving world, they witnessed a small movement that might prove the wisdom of Brian’s idea to ‘wait and see what develops’, and take his cue from the guys themselves. 

It was Adam who moved.  He looked across at the solitary Nate and walked over to join him.  He sat facing him, smiled and clasped Nate’s hands.

<><>    Adam Has A Plan    <><>

Adam grinned, “Hey, mate.  All alone over here?”

“Yeah,” Nate said brightly in his Aussie drawl.  “My boys were really chuffed to see their cowboy Charlie and they shot over there and straight into his arms.”

“Do you, er, mind about that?”

“Nah, I’m thrilled to see those kids so happy.  They talk to me about Charlie all the time, longing for his next visit.  Charlie’s a great bloke, loves them as if they’re his own sons.”

“Glad to hear that, but where does that leave you, mate, sitting here all on your own?  I’ve kinda neglected you a lot lately, I know that.  I got so wrapped up with Chad.”

“I can see why you’re so proud of Chad, Adam, he’s like a rockstar to this crowd, having healed Uncle Mike so brilliantly and saved his leg.  I’m real happy for him.”

Adam chuckled, “Nice of you to say so.  OK, so you’re thrilled for your boys and happy for Chad, but how about yourself?  You happy for that guy too?  For instance, how’s your work going?  When we talked earlier with Chad it was all about him and his work with Mike.  You just sat there listening quietly with that cheeky smile on your handsome kisser.”

“Work’s going great, I really have a blast with Jamie and Eddie.  “But I won’t be seeing much of them for a while, now that the movie has wrapped and the next won’t start shooting until four weeks from now. 

In the break Mark is taking Jamie and their buddy Felipe up to their beach shack in the Guadalupe Dunes.  And Eddie will be spending time at the studio.  They’ll be starting post-production on the movie and Eddie asked if he could watch, and learn.  They’ll be editing, adding in music, inserting Foley sound effects, like footsteps.  That kinda stuff fascinates Eddie and he can’t wait to get started.”

“And your boys?”

“They told me Charlie wants to take them with him to his next rodeo gig up in Fresno, and they’re thrilled to bits.”

“Which leaves you all alone, eh?”  Adam frowned in thought, then a smile spread over his face.  “Or maybe not.  Listen, Nate, there’s something I’ve been running through my mind.  I haven’t told you before ‘cos it wasn’t settled, but my airline QANTAS is sending me to headquarters in Sydney for a week or so to attend a series of meetings with other executives from all over.

“So, as you’ve got all this time off, how’d you like to come with me?”

Nate’s jaw dropped. “With you ... to Sydney?”

“Be great to be together in our old hometown, visit our old stomping grounds, take a few trips.  Here’s how it would work. I’ll be working the flight on the way down as flight services director, so I’d put you in First Class and give you the best service in the skies.  I won’t be working the flight back, I’ll be dead-heading, so we can relax together.

“The conference lasts only a week and I’ll have time off between meetings.  Then when it’s over we could stay on down there a couple of weeks and live it up, staying in the Park Hyatt where I get a special rate.  We’d run around town to our old haunts, go surfing, catch some of those gnarly waves at Manly beach.  We could even take a trip up to Cairns and the Great Barrier reef.  We’d have a blast. So what d’ya say, mate?”

“Really?  Just you and me together for three weeks?  Sounds like a big chunk of heaven.  But what about Chad?”

“Ah well, when Mike and Larry head back home to Palm Springs, Chad’s gonna drive them in his car as they don’t have their truck here.  Partly it’s so he can keep an eye on Mike’s recovery, make sure he don’t do too much too soon. But mostly it’s because he could really use a short vacation after all the work he’s been doing lately that’s kinda wiped him out. 

“Mike and Larry begged him to let them pamper him, treat him like a king at their ranch-style place in the desert as their way of thanking him for everything he’s done for Mike. Chad’s taking Molly with him, and he’s really looking forward to a break.”

Nate grinned.  “Good for Chad.  So, you and me ... looks like Sydney, here we come.”

“Good on ya, mate, leave all the arrangements to me.  Hey, dinner won’t be for an hour or so.  You wanna take a walk round the grounds here, check out what Mario and Finn have been up to with all their landscaping?”

Nate grinned.  “Sounds like a plan.  Let’s go.”

<><>    “I’m A Big Boy Now”    <><>

Adam had a quick word with Chad and took off with Nate.  They were both barefoot in shorts – Nate in the red lifeguard shorts he wore working on the movie, Adam in pale blue boardshorts that contrasted with his dark golden tan.

They walked in companionable silence for a while, getting used to the simple enjoyment of being together after a long period without much contact.   They were a perfect match, two good-looking easy-going Aussies – the younger one an athletic jock with the sleek body of a surfer, the other tall and dark with a perfect gym-honed muscular physique.

They admired the new and innovative landscaping carried out by Mario and Finn in their new partnership.  “It’s a huge garden,” Adam said, “so one thing I really dig is the way they’ve created small leafy areas where guys can relax in private, either meditating alone, or talking privately with a buddy.”

“Or making love?” Nate grinned.  “That’s mostly what guys from this horny crowd do ... so I’m told.”

They went over to just such a grassy area surrounded by bushes, where the landscapers had let nature take over.  The effect was an informal, unkempt look that was cozy and inviting. They sank down in the long grass, and lay on their sides gazing at each other.”

Adam smiled, “Long time since we did anything like this, eh, mate?  I forgot how good it feels.  Dude, I really owe you a big apology for being so distant for so long.   I mean, sure we live in the same house with Chad and shaggy old Molly, but that usually means I sleep with Chad while you sleep alone or go see your boys.  We’ll make up for all that on our trip down under, but what can I do for you right now?”

Nate’s cheeky grin was back as he picked a long blade of grass and ran it down the contours of Adam’s chiseled face, down his neck, over Adam’s prominent Adam’s apple and down the cleft between the mounds of his pecs.  “Maybe it’s not what you can do for me, mate, so much as what I can do for you ... and to you.  Let’s see here.”

Nate tickled Adam’s abs with the grass and when it reached the top of his shorts he unlaced them and pulled out his long, hard cock.  “Oh yeah, I remember that.  I recall working on it too ... a bit like this.”  He bent down and slipped his mouth over the long shaft until his nose settled in Adam’s tangle of black pubic hair.

“Hmm,” Adam sighed, gazing down at the young jock’s face rising and falling over his cock. “I remember that too ... always made me shoot a load in seconds.”

 Nate pulled off him.  “We can’t have that, mate, not yet.  See, I want something different.  I recall how you used to swagger through those Sydney leather bars like you owned them, leaving a trail of dripping hard-ons behind you.  And on those long flights, walking down the aisles of the plane looking drop-dead gorgeous in your smart black uniform, all the drooling passengers staring up at you, half of them dreaming of you fucking them.

“And even at home, I know how you are usually the top man, fucking Doc Chad.  Well you may not have noticed, mate, that I’ve grown up, I’m a big boy now, and I want something that makes me special.” 

You are special to me, Nate, but I think I know where you’re going with this – and I like it.”  Adam pushed down his shorts and lay on his back naked, his arms bent, hands cradled behind his head.  Nate got to his feet and grinned down at his man. 

“Blimey, I always forget how totally gorgeous you are, mate, till I see you naked.  I could bust a load just looking at you.  But I ain’t gonna do that.  I’m gonna do what all those leather guys and the passengers on your flight dreamed of.  I’m gonna take your ass, dude.”

Nate pulled his cock out of his shorts and spat on it.  With his Aussie directness, no foreplay, he dropped to his knees, pushed Aam’s legs back and drove his rod deep in his ass.  Adam gasped, “Fuck, that feels hot.  You’re right, mate, you have grown up.  Such a jock.” 

Nate took his time, leaning down and pressing his palms on Adam’s rock-hard pecs, feeling them flex under his hands. They smiled at each other, reunited in love and lust after being distant for so long.  Nate was not a savage top.  He could have pounded ass but this was, to him, more about love than lust.

“I missed you, buddy,” he said, riding the Aussie’s ass slowly.  He fucked steadily for a long time and, as he stared down at the square-jawed face and ripped body, he saw again in his mind’s eye the erotic image of the stunning uniformed purser on the plane, and the alpha leather-master ruling the bar.  And the awareness that he, Nate, was fucking the ass of that same dominant topman, finally pushed him over the edge. “Shit, I can’t hold back, I gotta cum...”

“No worries mate, I’m right there with you.”  Adam grabbed his own cock and stroked it a few times before his body tensed, his head flew back and his cock erupted.  Nate climaxed too at the awesome sight of Adam’s juice spurting from his cock and splashing down on his own ripped physique.

They exchanged grins – grins that soon built into playful laughter as Nate fell on Adam and they rolled over in the long grass.  Adam kidded, “You know what this means dontcha mate?  When we ger to Sydney it’s payback time.”

“Even before then,” Nate laughed.  “You can fuck me on the plane in the john.”

“Nah, I’d get fired for that.  But I’d get praised for giving VIP service to my favorite first-class passenger.  So, pampered in the air, ploughed on the ground.  Sounds good, eh?”

“Too right, mate.  But listen – judging by the noise out there, dinner has started.  We’ll be late.” 

“Ah they’ll forgive us.  Making love takes priority over everything in this group.”  Adam stood up and pulled Nate to his feet. They pulled on their shorts and walked barefoot to join the festivities.

<><>    Confronting The Mob    <><>

Adam was right.  When they reached the table it was obvious what they they’d been doing, and they were greeted with cheers.  They sat with Chad who smiled and hugged them both.

The crowd was already boisterous and Grady shouted, “Welcome back guys.  So that’s your way of dressing for dinner eh?  Getting smothered in jizz.”

Randy roared, “You would know all about that Grady.  So how about a speech from the host?”

Grady waved him away but the mob chant began.   “Speech ... speech ... speech.”

With a playful smile Grady reluctantly rose and said, “I have only two words for you guys.  ‘No Comment’.”  He extended his arm, his palm raised flat.  “Talk to the hand, cos the face ain’t listening.  I got a top-notch, high-priced new lawyer to handle the press and a rabble like you, so all requests for comment should be addressed to him, not me,” pointing at Bob.

This dictum was greeted with howls of derision, and Eddie yelled, “So if we can’t communicate with words, dude, how about this?” He picked up a chunk of bread and hurled it. 

And that of course started the deluge of bread and insults flying at Grady from all sides, raining down on him as he dramatically raised his arm as a shield and howled, “Attorney, attorney, where are you? You’re supposed to protect me.”

“Nah,” Bob grinned.  “Read my contract – I only deal with the press.  With a mob like this, you’re on your own, buddy.”

Bread-fights against Grady had become a ritual at these parties and, laughing uncontrollably, he withstood the attack as long as he could, until, tears running don his cheeks, he slumped down in his chair and clung to Mario.  “Oh, Mario, I can see this is gonna be one helluva party.”

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> 

 TO BE CONTINUED in “A Trial Of Strength” – Book 13: Chapter 19