Trial Of Strength (Book 13)

"ROUGH SEX & TOUGH DECISIONS" 

Hot action-hero movie star Grady meets the gardener, ex-hustler Finn, in a porn-style sex fantasy where the tough bare-chested gardener trashes the rich, handsome young master-of-the-house. By contrast, in a mellower loving mood, rugged Ranger Pete and his adoring boy Brandon, resolve sudden problems, plan their future together, and make sweet, tender love where time stands still.

<><>    The Party Heats Up    <><>

Grady, a heartthrob action-movie star, had said to his Italian lover Mario, “I don’t know how I would get through all the pressures of work and celebrity without knowing I have you and this great big unruly tribe family to back me up.  It’s times like this that remind me I really am just another human being under all that stardom bullshit that creates a whole different me for the rest of the world – the flashy paparazzi kind.”

He especially loved the big parties they gave for the whole tribe in the luxurious Grady House, where he was treated as just one of the guys – just what he needed after his celebrity life on a pedestal.  His favorite pastime was sitting with his boy Brian, indulging his love of gossip.

Grady’s lover Mario ran the house and organized these parties to provide an escape for Grady from the outside world.  But he also had his own career as a qualified landscape artist that he had perfected in his native Tuscany.

His workload increasing, Mario had recently formed a partnership with Finn, a handsome young man who had a rocky, unstable past as an arrogant street hustler.  He had been tamed by the hunky Hispanic Miguel, and Finn had become his devoted boy. Lately, Finn had discovered a talent for gardening and eagerly accepted Mario’s offer to take him on as partner.

And now, the two dramatically different worlds of movie star and former street hustler were about to collide.

The men and boys of the tribe had been lounging in the Grady House garden waiting anxiously for the outcome of the latest drama in the tribe.  Cowboy Charlie, a rugged straight guy, had a gym workout with fireman Jason that was so intense it ended in sex.  Charlie freaked out at the idea of sex with a guy, and it took the shrink, Doc Steve, to resolve his sexual confusion. To the tribe’s relief the men involved now rejoined the party, all smiling broadly.

One of the most engrossed onlookers was Grady, whose boy Brian, in his wheelchair, sat with him, indulging his hunger for gossip.  “Kiddo,” Grady said, “this is major stuff going on here.  No one could make this stuff up, even our script writers.  So, you think everything’s coming out right?”

Brian replied, “Just look at them all, sir, kissing and making up.  Love is definitely in the air and I’d say everything has worked out just fine.  By the way, sir, where’s Mario?”

“Oh, he and Finn went into the grounds to discuss their landscaping plans.  Seems Finn wanted to finish off a small plot of ground where he plans on planting nasturtiums.  Come on, kid, let’s go find them, fill them in on all the gossip.”

They took off through the extensive grounds.  In the distance, in a small, secluded area, they saw Finn, but no sign of Mario.  Brian said, “Looks like Finn’s already working on the plot and Mario’s left him to it.  He’s working hard digging, sir, maybe we shouldn’t interrupt.”

“You’re right, kid, but let’s get a bit closer.”  They went to a spot, hidden from view by shrubs, as Finn energetically dug up the earth.  The hunky disheveled ex-hustler was dressed in boots, frayed jeans and a ragged dirt-streaked T-shirt over his muscular chest and shoulders.

“Wow,” Grady sighed, “look at that, Brian – a classic homoerotic fantasy.  I once saw a porn-flick about a muscle-stud gardener, sweating under the hot sun as he worked, just like that.  A perfect jack-off image, especially when the handsome young master of the house comes up, throwing around his orders, treating the gardener like dirt.”

Brian grinned and rolled his eyes.  “And I suppose the gardener retaliates by working the young master over real good, sir.”

“Exactly, kiddo.  You must have seen the same video.”  Grady lowered his voice. “Hey, wait a minute ... he’s stopped digging.” 

Finn stuck his spade in the soil and stretched, squinting in the sun.  Suddenly he reached behind his neck, pulled his shirt off over his head and used it to wipe his sweating body, leaving heavy streaks of dirt on his face and chest. 

“Fuck,” Grady gasped, “will you look at that.  Total fantasy.  Let’s sit here and watch for a bit.”

Finn tucked the ragged shirt in his back pocket, where it swung down over his tight butt that flexed as he resumed digging. 

Brian smiled.  “Sir, I know your appetite for fantasy, and I think this is one daydream you should enjoy by yourself.  I think you can manage on your own.  I have work to do.”

“OK, kiddo.  I’ll be fine.  I’ll keep out of sight and hope he don’t see me.”

“That’s right, sir ... you hope away.” 

Brian smiled to himself as he wheeled himself away, leaving Grady sitting against a tree, his gaze riveted on the brawny dirt-streaked young gardener – long waist, slim hips, muscles rippling as he worked stripped to the waist, sweating under the hot sun.

<><>    The Gardener Puts On A Show    <><>

As he wheeled himself across the garden Brian was spotted by Finn who smiled and waved.  Brian grinned playfully and gave him a thumbs up. 

‘Hmm,’ Finn thought as he worked, ‘wonder what Brian was doing here?’  Finn well knew that Brian spent a lot of his time with Grady. ‘They’re joined at the hip, those two.  Grady can’t be far away,’ he grinned to himself, ‘and it don’t take a rocket scientist to guess what he’s doing.’

Grady’s love of sexual fantasy was known to the whole tribe, one of his ways of satisfying his over-active libido, and decompressing from his stressful world. Finn himself was no stranger to fantasy – it had featured large in his former life as a street hustler.

In a way, the very act of working the streets had been a fantasy world to Finn, to keep his mind off the harsh reality of the dangers and humiliations of that line of work.  Knowing he was an object of lust for potential johns, he played it to the hilt, strutting around as a cocksure, scruffily handsome stud who knew how to give them what they wanted. 

He was always surprised at how many of the customers needed to play roles.  Probably they too needed to escape from their humdrum working world, even a wife, into a new persona where they could indulge their wildest fantasies. It also surprised Finn how many of the johns had wanted rough sex, to be degraded and worked over by an arrogant young hustler. 

Whatever they wanted, Finn could supply it, provided they paid enough.  He made good money, and looking back on that world still gave him a jolt of excitement.  But he would be eternally grateful for the day he met Miguel, a man sexy enough and tough enough to meet the challenge of taming him ... and making him fall in love.

But fantasy sex still excited him and he and Miguel played out their share.  And right now, even as he worked at a job he loved, he was pretty sure he was being watched by Grady, who was worlds away from the johns who had watched him on the street.  To be lusted after by such a gorgeous man, desired by moviegoers all over the world, had an excitement all its own.

Finn was right, of course that Grady was watching him.  After Brian had left him alone, he was now mesmerized by the sight of the shirtless gardener with the shaggy, tousled hair, square stubbled jaw, sweat trickling down his face and dripping on his dirt-streaked chest.  Grady instinctively reached down to his shorts, pulled out his rigid cock and stroked it slowly. 

He could have shot a load anytime but he wanted this to last.  Not every day he had the chance to watch a sexy gardener like this.  Damn, he was straight out of a porn flick, and Grady’s fertile mind raced with erotic possibilities. 

Finn stopped digging and, reached down for a water bottle.  He stood up straight, took a mouthful of water, tossed his head back and swallowed, his pronounced Adam’s apple moving sexily up and down his neck.  He poured water over his head to relieve the midday heat and it ran down his face, his pecs, his ripped abs, and soaked the crotch of his jeans.

Grady watched with mounting excitement and increasing difficulty in holding back his climax, as Finn reached down again, picked up a toolbelt and strapped it low on his waist.  He pulled a small pair of hedge clippers from its pouch and clipped a few stray twigs on the bushes.

When the finished, he replaced the clippers in his belt and looked up at the blazing sun.  He pulled his T-shirt from his back pocket and again wiped his face, chest and armpits.  He hung the sweaty shirt loosely round his neck and Grady gasped as the bare-chested gardener ripped open his jeans and pulled out his cock. 

Was he gonna jack off?  No, he just needed to take a leak.  He held his cock still and seconds went by before it spurted a stream of yellow piss hissing down on the freshly dug earth.  Grady had to hold himself back from rushing out of hiding and throwing himself under the golden shower.  Panting hard, he gritted his teeth and in his excitement groaned “aaahh”. 

“What the fuck?”

<><>    The Gardener Plays Rough    <><>

Finn had heard the sound and walked round the bushes. Stuffing his cock back in his jeans and zipping them up, the menacing gardener towered over Grady. “What the fuck are you doing, asshole? Jerking off watching me take a piss?   You some kinda pervert or what?”

Grady hastily shoved his cock back in his shorts.  His mouth moved but no sound came out. 

Finn had no such problem.  “Who are you anyway?  You own this spread?”

Grady recalled the porn flick he had seen about the gardener and the master.  He slid into the role and snarled, “Yeah, and that makes me your boss.”

“The hell it does.  I don’t have a boss, least of all a perv like you.”  Finn frowned.  “Hey, wait a minute – that face, that muscle-jock body.  Ain’t you that hotshot movie star I see pictures of all over the place?”

“That would be me, yeah.  And you are just a grubby gardener who pisses on the ground.  You’re fired, punk.  Haul your sweaty ass out of here or I’ll have you thrown out.”

“Shut your fucking mouth, bitch, or I’ll shut it for you.”  Finn knelt down and straddled Grady’s legs, still sitting against the tree.  He took the shirt from round his neck, wiped the sweat from his armpits and drained the last of his piss on it.  As Grady opened his mouth to speak again, Finn stuffed the wet shirt in it.

“Chow down on that, asshole.  Enjoy my sweat and piss.”

Grady reflexively bit into the gag, gulped, and tasted the gardener’s rancid juices tricking down his throat.

“That’s better.  So, now you can’t talk back, let me make this clear.  I may be a ‘grubby gardener’, but I’m my own boss, and right now I’m yours too.  I don’t care if you own this place, I don’t care how famous you are.  You can be Greta fucking Garbo back from the dead for all I care.  I just gotta decide what I’m gonna do to you.

“Come to think of it, after I pissed back there I was gonna jack off.  Working in this heat makes me horny.  But I got a better idea.  Instead of spilling my load on the ground, I’ll shove it down your throat.  You’re gonna love the taste of my sweaty stinking schlong.”

He pulled the rag from his mouth and Grady gasped, “No, I don’t do that.”

“You do now, asshole.  In fact you’re gonna ask for it real nice.”  He grabbed Grady’s tits and squeezed hard. 

“Aaagh,” Grady gasped.  “I ain’t sucking your filthy dick, man.”  Finn increased the pressure, using his fingernails.  “Aaagh, no ... please ... OK, OK, I’ll do it.”

“You wanna suck my dick, you gotta do better than that.  And as I’m your boss, you better be calling me ‘sir’.”

”Aaagh ... OK, I wanna suck your cock, please, sir, I want it real bad.”

“Man, I love to hear a muscle-jock like you begging for cock.” 

Finn stood up and pulled his dick out of his jeans again.  He moved closer, grabbed Grady’s hair and yanked his face forward.  His sweaty cock drove into his mouth making Grady choke briefly.  But as he got into the fantasy of the gardener face-fucking the master, he relaxed his throat and surrendered to the tough, swarthy young stud.

After banging the muscle-jock’s face for several minutes, Finn pulled out and focused on the master’s final humiliation.  “OK, asshole.  Now you’ve lubed my cock good, here’s what I really want – just to show you who’s really boss around here.”

He bent down, grabbed Grady’s ankles and yanked him away from the tree, sliding him flat on his back.  Finn leered down at him.  “Hmm, are those lifeguard shorts you got on?  Yeah, that’s right, I seen pictures of you as a big butch lifeguard captain in your movie.  All the better – the bigger they are the harder they fall, and more fun they are to butt-fuck.  Let’s get you naked, captain.”

He yanked Grady’s shorts off and tossed them aside.  He knelt between his legs, pushed them back ... and plunged his cock deep in his ass.

Grady gasped, “No please, I don’t do that ...”

“You’re doing it now, asswipe, ‘cos I’m telling you to.”

As the fuck intensified Grady stared up at the grungy young gardener, his handsome face gleaming with sweat that dripped down on his victim’s face and neck.  The erotic image and the feel of his big cock pounding his ass made Grady’s cock rock hard, straining to cum.”

Finn grinned.  “You know, stud, I think you get off on this.  Ah, you’re all the same you fake macho guys – claim to be tough guys but you only play one in the movies.  In real life you’re a pussy, begging for a real stud’s dick up your ass.  But here’s something you won’t like so much.

As he fucked, Finn grabbed Grady’s cock and stroked it slowly.  “Your balls are bulging, eh?”  You’re bursting to unload you’re stinkin’ jizz.”

Grady groaned, “You gonna make me cum?”

“Well, yes and no.”  Finn stroked faster and right away Grady’s cock shuddered.  “That’s it, man ...   I’m real close.  I’m gonna cum ... I’m gonna cum ...”

But just at the edge of orgasm Finn pulled his hand off Grady’s cock, leaving the naked jock howling in frustration, cock throbbing, his climax denied.  “No ... no ... I wanna shoot real bad.  Please ...”

“I said you wouldn’t like it.  It’s called edging, dude.  Before I was a gardener I was a street hustler and did it to most of my johns, sent them wild.  They begged me, bargained, offering to pay more each time I brought them to the edge of orgasm, then denied it.  I made a fortune.

“But I ain’t gonna charge you, dude, it’s a freebee, on the house.  But I sure am gonna get off torturing a hot lifeguard captain, making him beg."

And that’s exactly what happened. The pitiless gardener pounded his victim’s ass, pounded his cock in his fist, and time and again stopped just in time, leaving the lifeguard writhing in agonized frustration, pre-cum oozing from his cock.

“Please, man, I’m begging you.  You’re the boss, I’m nothing.   Have mercy ... please ...”

“Not the big hotshot lifeguard now, are you, captain?  You’re pathetic, groveling, buck naked, begging for mercy.  You’re a fucking pussy .. what are you?”

“I’m a pussy, sir.  Please let me cum ...”

Finn snarled, “Ah, what the hell?  You’re starting to bore me.  OK, I’ll finish you off.”

With a renewed burst of energy Finn fucked harder and deeper, tightened his fist round his cock and pounded it hard until Grady yelled, “Thank you, sir ... don’t stop ... I’m gonna cum ... aaagh!”  He felt Finn’s cock erupt deep inside him and his own cock blasted streams of hot jizz over his own writhing body, mixing with the sweat of the savage young gardener.

Seconds later Finn pulled out, stood up and shoved his dripping cock back in his jeans.  Through a daze of exhilaration and exhaustion Grady stared up at the homoerotic image of the bare chested, sweat-soaked young gardener who had broken him and made him beg. 

Contemptuously Finn rested a boot on Grady’s chest, a sign of total humiliation, and snarled down at him.  “Look at you.  Like I said, dude, you big butch so-called masters are all the same.  When it comes right down to it, you’re nothing but a bunch o’ pussies, no better than the dirt on my boots.”

He flung his filthy T-shirt on Grady’s chest.  “Here, keep it.  Use it to stuff in your mouth and jerk off thinking about me.  So long, captain.  That was fun.”

He picked up his spade and rested it behind his neck, the long handle along his shoulders like a yoke, hands gripping the ends.  He sauntered away with the triumphant swagger of a hot young hustler who had just turned a trick, knowing for sure he’d be back for more.    

<><>    A Homeless Man    <><>

Mario was walking through the grounds with young Brian in his wheelchair beside him.  Brian had told Mario of how he had left Grady watching Finn the gardener at work.  They decided to discreetly leave him to it, but after a while Mario suggested they should go in search of him.

As they made their way through the grounds Mario chuckled, “They certainly have similar tastes in fantasy.  When we’re working together as landscape partners, Finn he tells me hair-raising tales of his hustler days and the fantasies he played out with his customers.  I have to admit, they sound ... how can I put it delicately ... molto sensuale.  Ah, eccolo, there he goes now.”

Some distance away Finn was walking toward the house, still shirtless, a toolbelt slung low on his waist, arms upraised, bent at the elbow, hooked over the spade handle lying across his shoulders.

They waved, Finn grinned back, pumped his fist in the air and continued on his way.  “He’s looking very pleased with himself,” Mario said.  “You think he met Grady?”

“Duh,” Brian laughed.  “That swagger, the smile, the fist-pump ... sex written all over them, sir. Rough sex I’d say.  Let’s go to the place where I left Grady.”

They made for the small patch of garden that Finn had been digging up.  “Hmm, nicely tilled soil,” said Mario.  “Finn does a great job.  But no sign of Grady.”

“I left him behind those bushes sitting against a tree trunk.  He said he hoped Finn didn’t see him there, but I think he meant quite the opposite, sir.”

“And I think you are quite right, Brian.  Let’s take a look.”

They went round the bushes and saw a huddled mass on the ground under the tree, eyes closed, naked body streaked with what looked like sweat and semen mixed.  Mario smiled at Brian and said, “Oh dear, another poor homeless man.  I wonder how they get in here. It’s a breach of security, we have to shoo him out.”

“I guess so, sir. He looks so pathetic.  We’ll give him some clothes and maybe someone can drive him down to the nearest homeless shelter.  He’s not bad looking if you like the grungy type.  I wonder how a man like that ends up in such a sad predicament as that.  I bet outside on the street he’s totally anonymous, no on notices him, they just step right over him.”  

Mario dug the figure with his foot and Brian said.  “Don’t get too close, sir, you never know where he’s been, or who he’s been with.  And he’s starting to smell bad, like he peed himself.”

“Assholes,” came a sound from the naked bundle on the ground.

“He talks,” Brian said.  “He’s not dead or anything.  Er, excuse me, homeless man, this is private property – you have to leave.”

The body started to shake with laughter that slowly grew louder.  On his back Grady propped himself up on his elbows and flashed his world-famous smile.  “That’s quite a thought.  Next time I’m out there trying to be anonymous I should pretend to be a homeless guy – maybe an actor fallen on hard times.”

“Sir, me and some of the boys help out regularly at a homeless shelter and believe me, you’d never fit in, you’d blow your cover right away.  But we could use your help down there.  Lots of celebrities drop by to help.

“In the meantime, amico,” Mario said sternly, “this afternoon we’ve invited Pete and Brandon to tea, remember?  So we have to get you cleaned up.”  He picked up Grady’s shorts, held them at arm’s length and wrinkled his nose.  “Phew, disgustoso, these stink of god knows what, have to be burned.”

Mario helped Grady to his feet.  “Come on.  Let’s get you upstairs.”

As they made their way to the house Brian said.  “Nice fantasy, sir?”

“Kiddo, you would not believe ... let me tell you ...”

“Not now, sir – later when I have my notebook.  I’ll take it all down ‘cos I know the boys will pump me for details.”

“Hmm,” Mario huffed.  “From a filthy, naked smelly wreck of a man to a guy neatly dressed for a tea party.  That’s quite a transition.  Think we can manage it, Brian?’

“Dunno, sir. we’ll give it a try.  Depends if he cooperates.”

“Oh he’ll cooperate, bambino.  If not, he sleeps alone tonight.”

“OK, fellas,” Grady grinned. “I’ll be at the tea party, bright as a button ... though just a tad sore, if you know what I mean.”

<><>    A Big Problem For Pete & Brandon    <><>

When the big Grady House party was planned, it had been agreed that the only formal sit-down meals would be dinner.  Breakfast and lunch would be combined as a kind of all-day brunch served buffet style.  The party was to be a relaxed affair wherever everyone could do what they wanted whenever they wanted, with food to pick at all day at will

This also had the benefit of freeing up the five chefs to enjoy the party, with only one or two manning the kitchen at any one time, except for dinner.

But there was one other, smaller, formal daily event.  It had become traditional for the hosts, Mario, Grady and Brian, to invite another couple for tea at four o’clock in the master suite.  This afternoon was the turn of Pete and Brandon, a favorite couple of Mario and Grady, as well as Brandon being Brian’s boyfriend, both boys in wheelchairs.

Forest Ranger Pete and his boy Brandon were the quietest, least showy of the couples in the tribe.  Deeply in love they tended to keep to themselves in their duplex apartment across the street from the tribe’s compound.  At these parties they usually sat quietly together watching with amusement the more boisterous goings on of their friends.

In the big master suite, Brian had set a formal table near the open French windows with a white linen cloth and the best china.  He wanted to make an impression on his buddy Brandon, and make Grady and Mario proud of him. 

Mario was giving him a hand when Grady appeared from the bedroom, looking spruce in a fresh pair of red boardshorts and a crisp white T-shirt.  He seemed none the worse – in fact all the better – for his earlier roughhouse encounter with gardener Finn, where both had indulged their tough-gardener-trashes-master-of-the-house sexual fantasy.

Mario looked up and smiled.  “Well, quite the transformation from that broken cum-soaked wreck lying naked under a tree.  What do you think, Brian?  He cleans up well, no?”

“He does, sir – except for the bare feet.  You know what they say in high-class tea-shops – No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service.”

Grady smoothed his hands over his clean T-shirt.  “Well, one out of two ain’t bad.”  That was accompanied by his dazzling smile that broke hearts all over the world, a smile that forgave everything.

“OK,” Mario said, “barefoot is fine.  At least they’re clean and not smothered in that godawful muck from earlier, whatever it was ... and we don’t want to know, amico.  Go help Brian in the kitchen. 

As they went to the door Grady grumbled, “See kiddo, I get no respect.  I shower, shave, pretty myself up, and still get treated like dirt.”

“Go!” Mario ordered, stifling laughter until after they left.

Pete and Brandon arrived on time and they too had dressed up a bit, which Mario found moving. “Thanks for inviting us, guys,” Pete smiled, and hugged them both.  Brandon went with Brian to the kitchen, to get the rest of the tea things and have a talk with him.  When they were all seated at the round table Brian proudly poured the tea.

“So, Grady,” Pete smiled, “none the worse for wear, I see, after your close encounter with that rough and tough gardener.”

“Wow, is that all up on the grapevine already?”

“Of course,” Pete chuckled.  “You know how that goes – Finn boasts to his pal Tyler, Eddie overhears and whammo, it’s common knowledge in ten seconds flat.”

As the three men laughed and chatted, Brandon sat solemnly with Brian, as if they were sharing a secret.  Mario watched astutely and eventually said, “You boys are very quiet.  Everything OK?  No quarrel or anything?”

“No, sir,” Brandon said, rather too abruptly.  “Everything’s fine.”

But clearly it wasn’t and Pete sighed, “I might as well tell you guys, I guess we can’t keep it under wraps for long.  Matter of fact it’ll be a relief to run it by you two.  Thing is, the Forest Service has offered me a promotion.  There’s an opening for a chief of the whole Central California Division and they’ve offered it to me.”

“Wow,” Grady said, “That sounds like a big deal.”

“It is – a prestigious job with a lot more money.  Except for one thing.  It’s the Central California Division, meaning I’d have to move up to Lake Tahoe.”

Mario frowned.  “Move?  You mean leave L.A., and the tribe?”

“That’s about the size of it.  Of course I couldn’t leave Brandon so I’d take him with me.”

They were shocked.  Grady said, “You mean, you two are leaving the tribe?  Brandon’s leaving Brian and his job.  Wow, I can’t wrap my head around that, guys.”

“No,” Pete said, “and neither could I, Grady. Which is why I think I’m gonna turn the offer down.”

“But he would only do that for my sake, sirs,” Brandon blurted impulsively, “because he doesn’t want to uproot me from my friends and my job.  But I’d follow Pete anywhere, he’s my life.  I could give Bob notice that I was resigning, and I’d go with Pete and find an accounting job for myself in Tahoe.  I’d come down and visit Brian every so often.”

He squeezed Brian’s hand but Brian looked miserable. Brandon persisted.  “Sir, you’d be the chief of one of only three Forestry divisions in all California, with all that money.  You can’t turn it down just for me.  I’d never forgive myself.”

A cloud suddenly descended on the little party and conversation stopped cold.  Until Mario said, “The man to sort this out is your boss Bob, Brandon.  He and Randy are the tribe’s leaders and they’d be devastated to see you two leave the tribe.  Have you told Bob yet, Brandon?”

“No, sir.  I didn’t want to upset him until it was all settled and I give in my notice.”

Mario had a determined look in his eyes. “Then I would like to invite him up here to join us.  Any objections?  Brandon?  Pete?”

Brandon gave a troubled frown.  “I ... I guess not, sir.”  Pete shrugged, “Sure, go ahead, Mario.  I’m so confused I need all the help I can get.”

Mario went to the open French windows and scanned the crowd.  He saw Bob and Randy talking to Zack, Seth, Darius and Pablo, all division managers and directors of the construction company.  “Hey, Bob, he called out.  Don’t want to interrupt you guys but would you and Randy have time to come up here and join us?  We have a little problem.”

“Sure, Mario.  We guys have just finished here.  Be right up.”

<><>    Bob’s Big News    <><>

Pete brought over two more chairs and set them at the table, while Brian went to the kitchen for more cups.  All was ready when Bob and Randy came in.  “Hi, guys,” Randy grinned.  “Sorry I ain’t exactly dressed for afternoon tea.”  He was in swim trunks with an oversize tank-top hanging loose over his chest.

“Randy,” Bob said, “you have never in your life been dressed for afternoon tea.  You wouldn’t even recognize the concept if you fell over it in the street.”

Amid the ensuing laughter Brian poured the tea, and said to Randy, “Sir,” I brought coffee for you ‘cos I know you prefer that.  Black, right?”

“As black as it comes, kiddo.”

Mario opened his mouth to launch into the problem at hand, but Bob stopped him.  ‘Before you say anything, Mario, I have something exciting to tell you, starting with a toast.  He raised his cup.  “To Brandon.”

Bewildered, they echoed the toast and Bob said, “I hate to preempt you Mario but bear with me ‘cos I’m bursting to tell you my news – and you gotta hear this too Pete.  Mario, you noticed that Randy and I were just talking to the other company directors.  As we were all here together we decided to have a quick informal meeting about something I’ve had in my mind for a long time.

“Now that the construction company is so large, the burden on the business office is greater than ever.  It is central to the workings of the company, especially now that Ryan has computerized so much of it. All of which means that as office manager, Brandon, your responsibilities are greater than ever. 

In fact your responsibility and your talents go way beyond just managing an office, so I am changing your title to finance manager.  Of course, I am still in charge of the company’s overall fiscal health and relations with banks, but you will be managing the daily finances”

As the group stirred, Bob said, “But wait, there’s more.  The various divisions of the company are headed up by men who are all company directors, and we all decided that should apply to Finance too.  So, we are inviting you, Brandon, to become one of us, as Director of Finance, with, of course, a large commensurate increase in salary.  In line with that, your staff Vic and Noah will get raises too as they have shown their worth and loyalty to the company.”

Pete, his eyes moist reached across the table and gripped Brandon’s hands. “I’m so proud of you, kiddo.”  Randy turned and kissed Brandon on the cheek.  “Congratulations, dude, you deserve it.”

But Brandon frowned, “Did you know of Pete’s news, sir?  Is that why you’re doing this?”

Bob looked confused. “News?  What news? If there were any big news it would be up on the grapevine and there’s not a whisper.  No, Brandon, we decided this on merit alone – your merit.”

Pete said, “OK, Bob here’s the news Brandon was referring to.”  He told Bob and Randy about his offer of a new, prestigious job in the Ranger Service.

Bob clapped his hand to his forehead and moaned, “Oh dear I did it again, a definite hoof-in-mouth moment.  Congratulations, Pete, it sounds like a wonderful opportunity, although we would be extremely sad to lose both of you.  If you had any concerns about the repercussions of a move, I’m afraid I have muddied the waters even more.”

Pete smiled, “Not at all, Bob.  You have suddenly made the water so clear I can see my face in it, alongside the face of my precious boy, your new Director of Finance.  I was already leaning toward refusing my job offer, and you just made my decision easy, Bob

“Brandon, before you say anything more, there were other considerations leading me to that decision.  The new job as overall chief would have been mostly a desk job, with lots of long management meetings. You know the thing I love about my current job is being out in nature, patrolling the forests and the parks, breathing in the clean fresh air.

“In any case, the chief of the Southern Division, based right here, is getting up in years and nearing retirement.  If his job becomes vacant, there’s a good chance they would offer it to me, since they already offered me Central.  They would know I turned down that one because of the family dislocation of a move upstate.

“As for the money, Brandon, with your new salary we’ll be on more of an equal footing. Our combined incomes will give us a very secure, comfortable life together.  Oh, there’s one more thing.  Having a desk job, especially a big desk like this, would not require me to wear a uniform, so when I come home to you I would not be wearing the uniform that turns you on so much.”

Brandon smiled at last.  “Well I guess that settles it, sir. The uniform wins.  And if you’re staying in your present job, so then, Bob, I accept your offer with many grateful thanks. I hope I can live up to your expectations, sir.” 

“I’m absolutely sure you will Brandon,” smiled Bob, shaking his hand warmly.

“Yeah!”  Grady pumped his fist in the air.  “This calls for a toast with more than tea, guys.  Brian, lead me to the liquor.”

Brian turned to Randy.  “Er, sir, Will gave me a bottle of your special Johnny Walker Blue Label Scotch, in case you ever asked for it.”

Randy roared with laughter.  “I’m asking for it now, kiddo – nothing but the best for our new director.  I’m sure to be giving him a hard time if things fuck up, you know me and my temper.  But right now, he’s a champ.”

In a few minutes Brian had poured the special Scotch, and Randy led a noisy toast to “Brandon and Pete.”  Pete leaned over and kissed his boy, who blushed a deep red.”

<><>    A Whole New Idea    <><>

Randy said, “So, Grady, on to more important matters.  Rumor has it that the master of the house got worked over by that hot young gardener.  Seems he stopped ploughing the earth and ploughed your ass instead.”

Mario answered for him.  “Randy, you have no idea, it was absolutely ...” he searched for the right word, found it, and flung it at them ... “assolutamente sordido.  Brian and I went in search of him and found this degraded mess of a man crumpled on the ground.  His naked body was smothered in dirt, sweat and semen.”

Brian took up the tale.  “We thought it was a poor homeless guy who had somehow broken though security and fallen asleep in the grounds.  I wanted to give him some clothes and have someone drive him down to the nearest homeless shelter.  Actually, as I said to Mario, he wasn’t bad looking if you go for the grungy type.  But I guessed that in public he’d probably be totally anonymous and people would walk right over him.”

“I wish ...” Grady grunted. 

“I told Mario not to get too close ‘cos there was no knowing where he’d been, and he smelt bad, like he’d peed himself.”

“OK, kid,” Grady said, “grind my face harder on the ground, why don’t ya?  But listen, dude, you remind me of something I wanted to ask.  You said that you and Brandon and the boys sometimes go down to the homeless shelter and volunteer. I seem to recall you once mentioned it, but you didn’t make a big deal of it.”

“That’s deliberate, sir,” Brandon said.  “We don’t talk about it much ‘cos it’s not about us, it’s about the poor folk living in the shelter.”

Pete said, “You’ve mentioned it to me too, kiddo, and it made me proud of you, but you never actually explained what you do.”

“Well, sir, it’s like this.  Like everyone in L.A., Brian and me are used to seeing homeless people sleeping on the streets, so we had the idea of checking to see if they needed help down at the homeless shelter not far from here.  Boy, did they ever need help.  It’s real hard to get volunteers, and they put us to work – helping serve meals, cleaning up, all kinds of stuff. 

We came back and told the boys about it and it all kinda snowballed from there. Pretty soon most of them got involved, taking turns to go there at least once a week. The boys have all different talents as you know and they put them to use.  For instance, our chefs, the twins, went down with Danny and helped the cooks there – ‘course, our chefs are used to serving a big crowd of guys, like they do at these parties. 

Brian eagerly took up the story. “Will cooked a bunch of his rhubarb pies, and Felipe made a load of his baleadas – there are a lot of Latinos in the shelter – and they served them down there.  The shelter has a real shortage of blankets so Tyler checked on the storage unit where you all throw sheets and blankets you don’t use.  And I tell ya, when he showed up with them he was greeted like the Good Samaritan.” 

“In the office,” Brandon said, “we had a couple of old spare laptops we no longer used so Ryan took them down and replaced their clunky old computers they were banging away at.  Vic and Noah go down once week to help the office staff, all one of her.  The office was a total mess so they tidied it up and set up a new filing system.

“The shelter has a couple of old vans that are always breaking down, so out mechanic Ben went and fixed them up.  And in the back of the shelter there’s a small garden that they call their Serenity Garden.  Lousy name ... wilderness was more like it ... until landscaper Finn took his tools and some plants down there and got to work transforming it into something that looks real nice.  Now the residents love to relax out there in the sun.”

The men looked stunned, and Bob asked. “All this going on and even I didn’t know the extent of it.  How come you kept it under wraps and didn’t tell us?”

“You were all so busy, sir, we didn’t want to trouble you. Anyway, as I told Grady, we didn’t want it to become all about us.  We wanted to keep our focus on the people who need the help.”

 Mario sighed, “Incredibile, amico.  I had no idea either.  Brian has mentioned it in passing but we never guessed it was on this scale.  Tell, me, what made you get involved in the first place?”

Brandon smiled at Brian.  “That’s easy sir.  It comes down to fairness, really.  Brian and me know we’ve been very lucky in life – we lead perfect lives, with great jobs, gorgeous men who love us, and a huge supportive family of guys.  And yet we drive a few miles down the street and see these people huddled under the freeway, so hopeless and completely different from us. It seemed only fair to share a small part of our lives with them. 

“I mean, we have so much in life – so much stuff to give, our skills and energy, so what’s a few hours a day out of our perfect lives?”

Perfect lives?  Here were two boys in wheelchairs, handicapped from birth, calling their lives perfect and glowing with happiness.  Pete was gazing at his boy with so much love in his moist eyes.  Bob’s eyes glistened too as he saw such intense affection pass between man and boy.  And Randy stared at tearful Bob, thinking he had never loved him more than at this moment. 

Grady broke the silence.  “Brian, you said that there are celebrities who drop in to help out?”

“Yes, sir, though we, er, we sometimes suspect some of them are using it as a publicity photo-op.  Still, they do bring a lot of needed attention to the city’s homeless problem.”

“You know,” Grady said, “all this fame that you know I hate.  I’ve always said the only good thing about fame is if you can use it to help others, like when I do public appearances to raise funds for charities.  I would love to join your group, kids, but it’s so difficult, ‘cos when I show up it’s instantly all about me, with photographers swarming all over the place. That’s the last thing your shelter would want.”

“Not necessarily, sir,” Brian said.  “They already ban cameras inside the shelter, it would be an invasion of privacy for guys are usually reticent and sure don’t want to have their picture taken in there.  But when celebrities are photographed outside the shelter, the good ones make a speech to encourage donations and volunteers to help the homeless.”

“Really?”  Grady’s eyes gleamed.  “Trouble is, kids, I’ve found that events like this can easily get out of hand, and the shelter prob’ly can’t afford too much security.”

“Huh,” Randy growled.  “All you need is an intimidating bodyguard – a big tough scary guy who don’t stand for any bullshit.”

“A guy like you, Randy?” Bob grinned. “You scare the shit out of me.”

“Sure, why not?  I’d be glad to go down there with you, Grady.  I wouldn’t let anyone push you around – I’m the guy who does the pushing around.  And we’d low-key it – no limo, we’d all go in my truck.”

Grady’s usually laid-back attitude changed, he became hyper-alert. “Yeah, yeah, I want it Mario.  Hell, talk about a lucky guy who by chance fell in a pot of jam. That’s me, and it’s time I gave some back.  On days I’m not working, I’d go down there, become a familiar face, and I could give speeches to the press outside the door.  Mario, after Bob got me this huge pay raise from the studio, we can afford to give a big donation to the shelter.  We’d become their patron, sort of adopt the shelter.”

Mario got caught up in his enthusiasm.  “They could rename the shelter Grady House Two.  It would set an example to other wealthy people to get involved in L.A.’s homeless crisis.  What do you think, Bob?  Can it be done?”

“I think it’s a great idea,” Bob smiled, “and you two can certainly afford it.  Matter of fact, not to get mercenary about it, it would be a terrific tax write-off.”

Grady grinned.  “How about you, Brian, you on board?”

“Sir, I’ve been on board with Brandon since day one.  And I’d like to make a suggestion.  Something like this, with all the boys taking turns to go down there, and now the Grady show, it takes a lot of coordination.  It was Brandon’s original inspiration, he organized the whole thing from the start, so he should be the one to coordinate everything now.  After all, you all know what a great office manager he is.  Oops, sorry, dude, I meant Director of Finance.”

Brandon said, “I can do that, with your help, Brian.  Hell we’re already organizing the boy shuttle.  Why not throw a movie-star into the mix?”

“You OK with all this, Pete?” Bob asked.

Pete’s face was glowing with a broad smile.  “Of course I am, Bob.  When my boy gets like this there’s no stopping him.  But I do have one problem.  I’ve been sitting here staring at my beautiful, generous boy and I desperately need to talk to him alone, otherwise I’m gonna cream my shorts.  Not really acceptable behavior at an elegant tea table.”

“Understood, Ranger,” Bob grinned.  “So I propose that we adjourn the meeting and release these two to, er, go talk to each other.  It’s time we joined the party downstairs and spread the good news – all of it.”

“I second that,” Randy said.

“All those in favor, say ‘aye’”

They all yelled their consent and Bob said, “The ayes have it.  Meeting adjourned.”

<><>    Making Love To A Company Director    <><>

Pete and Brandon went down the hallway to their guestroom and Pete sat on the bed facing Brandon in his wheelchair.  Pete leaned forward and kissed his boy on the lips. 

“Brandon, I can’t tell you how proud I am of you.  Not only for your new job and title, but especially for this terrific thing you put together for those less fortunate.  Did you mean it when you said you have a perfect life?”

“Of course I did, sir.  Except, when I said it was because of my great job, a gorgeous man, and a supportive family, I got it in the wrong order.  Way, way at the top of the list is the gorgeous man.  And here’s another thing, sir.  When we talked about the possibility of moving, truth is, I would follow you anywhere, to the end of the world if necessary.  My life is perfect when I’m with you, no matter where we are.”

“Yeah, but wouldn’t it be more perfect if you were on the bed?”

“My thoughts exactly, sir.”

Pete stood up reached down to the neck of Brandon’s shirt and pulled it off over his head.  “I know you don’t like me to help, so I’ll leave the rest to you.”

“Oh, sometimes I’m in the mood for a little assistance, sir.  Like now ...”

Pete bent further down and pulled off Brandon’s shorts and shoes.  He scooped the naked boy in his arms, smiled down and whirled him around a couple of times, then laid him gently on the bed.  “Sorry I’m not wearing my uniform, kiddo.”

“Never mind, sir.  There’ll be plenty more days for that now that you’re keeping your uniformed job.  Just watching you get naked is enough for me to cum.”

“Don’t you dare, boy.  We’re gonna spill together.”  Pete slowly unbuttoned his shirt and shrugged it off.  As he walked around the room Brandon’s cock stood at full mast at the sight of the shirtless Ranger’s lean, muscular torso. 

Pete smiled down at him.  “I’m not sure about this.  I used to enjoy making love to the office manager, but a Director of Finance?  Is a director even allowed to get his butt fucked?”

“Hmm.  Well, Bob hasn’t given me a complete job description, sir. But when he does I’m betting one of my duties is to offer my ass to a Ranger regularly – but only a hot, sexy Ranger.

“I’m still not sure.  See, I don’t think I’ve ever fucked a Company Director before.  I’m afraid of being so intimidated I might lose my hardon.”

“Only one way to check it out, sir.  Lose the pants.”

With mock nervousness, Pete unbuttoned his jeans and let them fall.  Slowly, inch by inch, he jerked down his boxer briefs until ... his cock sprang out, long and rock-hard.

“Looks to me like all systems are go, sir.”

“So let’s go, kiddo.”  The naked Ranger knelt on the bed, pushed Brandon’s legs up and hung them over his broad shoulders.  The head of his cock pressed against his hole.  “Hmm, funny thing – the director’s ass feels just as hot as the manager’s used to.”

“And just as hungry, sir.”

“Hungry for this?”  Gently Pete pushed his hips forward and Brandon felt the exquisite sensation of his man’s cock sliding inside him.  He sighed deeply, feeling the same sense of wonder he had felt the very first time, long ago.

Their eyes met and love sparked between them, love that was far too deep for words.  It was the perfect union of souls – the strong silent Ranger and his adoring boy. Tenderly, smiling, they made love as if time stood still. It could have been anywhere, any city. All that mattered was that they were together, making love, kissing, stroking, laughing for joy like kids in a playground.”

Eventually words did intervene as Pete said, “Kiddo, this has been building up inside me all afternoon, and I don’t think I can hold it back any longer.  Do you think you could cum just looking at me, without touching your cock?”

“Sir, I could do anything you wanted me to ... especially if you kiss me.”

Pete leaned down and kissed him with his hungry mouth while he caressed his ass with his cock.  Brandon reached up and wrapped both arms round the back of Pete’s head.  He pulled his mouth down hard on his lips and uttered a muffled gasp as he felt his cock spurt semen between their bodies and his ass filled with the Ranger’s juice.

Pete pulled his face back and smiled.  “How’s that feel, mister hotshot director?”

“Makes me feel like I’m your boy.  And that’s all I ever want in my life, sir.”

Pete lay on his back, pulled Brandon to him and cradled his face on his chest.  “You’re right, kiddo, our lives are perfect.  This is perfect, right here.  It feels almost as if we’re starting over, a whole new life, with your new job and the new project at the shelter.”

“A whole lot to look forward to, sir.  Can’t wait to get started.”

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> 

 TO BE CONTINUED in “A Trial Of Strength” – Book 13: Chapter 21