Trial Of Strength (Book 14)

"A GROWING FAMILY?

Randy has just hired Luke as construction crewman. Luke has two charming young sons who worship their dad.  They are a poor family so Randy wants to help the boys by offering swimming lessons at the house pool with the twins.  Bu there's a snag - Luke is homophobic. The twins said, “This is delicate - have to watch our Ps and Q’s.  There’s many a slip twixt a hug and a kiss.”

---

 <><>    So Lucky    <><>

It was office manager Brandon who broke the news to Bob.  “You’re not gonna like this, sir. But Luke resigned today.”

Luke was one of the new hires on the new construction site and had resented taking orders from the young black personnel manager.  He had impetuously hit Ossie and been fired by Randy – then re-hired by Randy at the urging of Ossie. 

Ossie knew that Luke had two young kids – five and seven – who worshipped their dad.  To lose his job would have been a blow for Luke and his little family. 

Bob reacted to the news.  “No … oh I am sorry to hear that, Brandon.  And I thought he was getting on so well.  Not another flareup with Ossie?”

“No, sir.  They’ve been getting on well too.  But Ossie told me that near the end of his shift Luke came to him and said he couldn’t work for a company run by a bunch of queers.”

Bob groaned, put his elbows on his desk and buried his face in his hands.  “Oh dear, you know I didn’t think this day would ever come, Brandon.  Everyone gets on so well with each other and sexuality remains a private thing, as it should.”

“But here’s the good news, sir.  What you just said is still true.  Nobody else in the crew gives a shit about sexuality.  If they mention it at all it’s as a joke, a tease – you know, light-hearted clowning around like you get in any bunch of men working together.  But I really think this is something personal with Luke, a personal hangup – like that chip on his shoulder about Ossie.”

Bob knew that he himself should deal with an issue as delicate as this, so he casually walked past Luke’s house and met him.  Bob understood Luke’s protective instincts toward his young boys, misguided and old-fashioned as they were. Using all his considerable charm Bob managed to soften the rigidity of Luke’s homophobia.  He persuaded him to come back to work on a trial basis and reassured him that his boys would not be harmed in any way.

By the time they parted, Luke’s hostility had dissipated, replaced by a warmth close to friendship. 

That evening, Bob said to his lover Randy, “We are so fucking lucky, Randy.  If you and I had not met in that seedy bar so long ago we wouldn’t have the successful and loving life we have today.  We’d be more like Luke who has been buffeted by life’s misfortunes, struggling to make a decent life for his wife and those two young boys who idolize him as ‘the best dad ever’.

Randy smiled and wrapped his arms round the man he loved so passionately.

<><>    Shooting Hoops     <><>

That could have been the end of the sad little story, but as coincidence would have it, it was not.

 And surprisingly it was Randy who kept it going.  Despite his rough, tough gypsy exterior, Randy was a loving man, especially toward the boys of the tribe, whom he loved and protected as his own.  In many ways they were his own and he always referred to them as ‘my boys’.

Growing up on the hard-scrabble streets of West Texas, Randy had protected and fought for his five younger brothers.  But then, as now, unlike Bob, his protection took the form not of soft words but hard fists. Even now, of course, all the boys under his protection were over eighteen, and Bob often wondered if Randy would have loved having young sons of his own.

Bob smiled to himself.  Randy would have made a perfect dad – strict but loving as he nurtured and watched them grow up in his shadow.  As it was, he had a group of youngsters growing into manhood under his watchful eye.

For a man who spent his days in muscular labor he was not one to seek rest when the workday was done.  He worked out in the tribe’s home gym and gave gym training to their movie-star buddy Grady, the fireman Jason, and several others.  Recently, as a change of pace, he had replaced his evening workout with a jog along the streets near their Mount Washington home and further down to Highland Park.

On one of these evening jogs he had a smile on his face as he ran down the hill to Highland Park.  Up ahead were two young kids spending more energy on fooling around than on serious exercise.  They were giggling and shoving each other, unaware that anyone was watching – until they heard heavy footsteps behind them. A deep voice said, “So this is what they call jogging these days, eh kids?  Jack up the pace, you’re blocking traffic.”

Chastened, they turned and stared in awe at the dark muscular man with long shaggy black hair coming up behind them. He was wearing sneakers, running shorts and a tank top hanging loose over his muscular torso.

“Oh, sorry,” said the older of the two. We were just kidding around, sir.”

“So I see,” said Randy sternly but with a twinkle in the eye.  “You should get serious about keeping fit or you’ll never have arms like this.”  He flexed his bulging biceps, and they stared in awe.  “Keep close behind me – see if you can keep up the pace to the Recreation Center.

He took off and the boys obediently followed – or tried to.  Randy set a pace that would challenge them and he reached the gates of the Highland Park Recreational Center a minute before they caught up, panting and coughing.

“Good job, kids.  Do you often come here?”

“Quite often, sir, we live in Highland Park with our mum and dad.  Mum shooed us out ‘cos we were under her feet, and our dad’s not home from work yet.  He’s a construction worker,” the older boy said proudly.

Randy had never met David and John and didn’t put two and two together and come up with Luke.  He was just amused by the eager boys. 

“We sometimes come down here to hang out, shoot some hoops and often go for a swim,”  David said. 

John added shyly, “We’re not very good ‘cos the pool is crowded, and the older boys can get rough.”

“Hey, let’s go shoot some hoops, then we’ll give the pool a try.”

It wasn’t long before they were firm friends. Randy may have looked like a scary gypsy, but his attitude was so friendly they were soon happily taking his basketball tips and actually scoring a few.  Randy was moved to see their faces light up as they squealed and joked with him.  The older one was clearly the more assertive, and protective of his kid brother.

The pool was large but crowded, as John had said, and it was clear to Randy that they were not good swimmers.  Hm, he thought we should do something about this. He grinned.  Kids your age should be swimming like dolphins by now.  Tell you what.  You coming again tomorrow?”

“We can, sir, we usually do.  We mostly use the slides.”

“Huh, those things are for little kids.  You gotta get serious – stop missing so many hoops, learn to swim properly.  I’ll help you with all that.  OK, time to go. Your folks will be home by now.”

They jogged back to Randy’s turnoff, did macho high-fives and went their separate ways.

<><>    Luke’s Boys    <><>

When they were showering before dinner Randy told Bob of his encounter.  His eyes were shining, and it was clear to Bob he had liked the boys.  “They were such cute kids, so eager to learn.  The older one, David, kept saying …”

Bob dropped the soap.  “Wait a minute, wait a minute.  David?  Was the other one John?”

“Yeah, how’d you know?”

“They must be Luke’s boys.  You’d never seen them before. Did you mention your name?”

“Er, no I don’t think I did.”

“So you spent time at the recreation center with Luke’s boys and Luke doesn’t know about it. I’m glad you and the boys had such a great time but we gotta go carefully.  Above all you must not be seen to be taking the place of their dad.  He has old-fashioned ideas about gay guys  You know how he was before when he …

“Ah don.t give me that bullshit, dude.  It was fun, we liked each other, and we had a good time, that’s all.  Hell, Bob, the kids are five and seven.  What do you think, I …?  Holy fucking shit.”

“I know, I know, Randy it’s ridiculous.  But we have to low-key it.  Best thing to do is casually mention to Luke that you met David and John on your regular run to the Recreational Center.  It’ll be like two dads talking about their kids – most natural thing in the world. Except you’re not their dad.

Randy sighed in frustration.  “OK, OK, I’ll handle it.  You’re not the only guy can charm the birds out of the trees – or Luke out of his paranoia.

<><>    The Twins Climb Aboard    <><>

The next day was busy at the construction site, and it wasn’t until the afternoon break that Randy found himself sitting near Luke and remembered his boys.  “Hey Luke.  You know, most days I go for a jog down to the Recreation Center and yesterday I ran into your kids there.  I didn’t know they were John and David ‘cos I’d never seen them before.  Great kids, dude, you’re a lucky guy.”

Luke’s eyes clouded over briefly, but then he smiled.  “Yeah, they love that place.  I’d like to go with them, but they get out of school before I get off work and I have errands to run.”

“I go most days” Randy said. “If I see them again I’ll keep an eye on them for you, though they seemed to be doing fine on their own.  Except they don’t swim too good ‘cos the pool there is so crowded, and the other kids can be rough.”

“I know.  What’s weird is that I was captain of my swim team at high school and I ain’t had the time or place to teach my own kids.  A crowded public pool ain’t the best place to learn, but at least it has lifeguards.  I wouldn’t want them to be all alone in a private pool, I’d worry a lot.

“Yeah, I get it. Always safer to have someone around.”

They drank their beer in silence and Randy thought things over.  He was about to make a suggestion, but thought it would be better coming from Bob.  Luke and Bob seemed to have hit it off when they had their long talk and become something like friends.  Hell, Bob had given him one of the firm’s cars.

So later in the afternoon, during one of Randy’s regular phone calls to Bob, he touched on the subject.  As before, Bob was cautious, but favorable to the idea.  “Of course it would be perfect for the boys to use our pool.  At fifty feet it’s large as private pools go, and our own guys don’t use it until later in the day.

“Of course, there’s still the issue of Luke and his queasiness of him and his boys being round a ‘bunch of queers’.”  He paused.  “Hell, listen to me, buddy, I’m as bad a Luke – wondering if it’s safe for boys that young to be with us.  It’s totally unfair for those sweet kids to be denied a perfect opportunity like this just because of their dad’s stone-age ideas.  Of course, make the offer to Luke.  Er, better make it sound like it came from me.”

Randy chuckled.  “What am I, untouchable?  I’ll remind you of that, dude, next time you try to climb into bed with me.”

“Asshole.  Come to think of it, I’ll ask the twins for their help.  They would represent no threat to anyone – even Luke – and they’d love to help train these youngsters.  So don’t forget, buddy, easy does it.  If Luke turns down the idea, don’t fire his ass.”

“Very funny.  Just wait till I get you in bed tonight.”

Even though Randy’s idea of diplomacy was taking careful aim with a sledgehammer, when it came to it, he could be as subtle as the next man. He chose his moment carefully and mentioned the idea almost as an afterthought.

Luke took the offer in stride.  He thought about it, frowned and said, “And you say Bob would be there?”

“All the time.  He works in his home office that has a clear view of the pool.  And, of course, you could pick them up on your way home from work.

Randy’s newfound diplomatic skills paid off.  It was a done deal.

That night at dinner Bob made a short, lowkey speech.  As was his custom, he did not sugarcoat anything, even Luke’s homophobia that had earlier made him quit his job irrationally, despite it leaving him and his family without income.  One reason for Bob’s openness was that he figured everyone knew all the details already, given the efficiency of the tribe’s grapevine.

“One important thing, though, guys, is that I don’t want any of this to cramp your style.  This is your house, you behave as normal.” Bob grinned. “Or what passes for normal in this crowd.”

When the whoops and hollers died down Bob raised his hands.  “Er, with one exception.  When Luke’s boy are actually here, please hold off on the PDA’s.  See, I’m not as antique as some of you think.  I know that means Public Displays of Affection in modern lingo. 

“This is a new event for us.  David and John are young kids – seven and five – not twenty-seven and twenty-five.  You’ll like them, and they’ll only be here for a short while having swimming lessons in our pool.  And then Luke will pick them up after work.” Bob sat down to a burst of applause, and the subject was soon forgotten. 

Afterwards Bob had a quiet word with his twins, Kyle and Kevin.  “So what do you think, guys?”

As always, the identical twins spoke alternately, finishing each other’s sentences. Kevin said, “I think it’s a great idea to give other kids the benefits of what we have here.”  Kyle added, “Especially kids from a poor background with not many advantages, except for a loving, protective dad.”

“People say Luke’s ideas are from the last century, but I can understand them to a point.  When he was growing up that’s how a lot of folks thought and we have to respect that, even as we try to nudge him into the 21s Century. Those boys should not have to be limited by their dad’s old-fashioned beliefs.”

I’m glad you see it that way, boys, because I was going to ask you two to take charge of them at first.  You two are about as non-threatening as they come. You are brothers, not to mention great swimmers, well qualified to teach them.”

“Sounds perfect, sir,” said Kevin, to which Kyle added. “And a whole lot of fun.”

<><>    The Twins Make Love    <><>

When the day arrived for the boy’s first visit there was a new buzz in the air.  Given the tribe’s history, this was only a minor event, but something that had never happened before – having visitors as young as this.  The guys knew they were on their best behavior, though most of them would not even be there to meet them.  Mid-afternoon was a slow time at the compound, with guys still away at work.

The kitchen was slow then too, before the evening rush, a time the twins reserved for themselves – usually making love in their room.  And today was no exception.  As they relaxed and took off their aprons, Kyle said, “Don’t you feel this is kind of a big responsibility Bob as given us, bro?”

“Yeah, I do.  The whole situation is so delicate, given Luke’s earlier refusal to work with gay men.”

Kyle chuckled.  “Until he fell under that old black magic spell Bob weaves so well.  He’s made promises to Luke and it’s our responsibility to keep them.  I mean Luke doesn’t understand or like men who have sex with men, and here are his kids being sent into Sex Central, the lions’ den of horny men. 

“It’ll seem strange though, with no talk of sex,” Kevin said.  “Usually this time of day it’s nothing but sex between you and me.  We better get that out of our system before the boys arrive.”

“I was wondering when you’d get around to that,” Kyle grinned. “Here, get that shirt off dude, so I can see that gorgeous body.”

“You only have to look in the mirror to see that, bro.  One of the advantages of being identical.”

“I know, but somehow it’s different looking at you with no glass between us.”

They began with one of their favorite rituals … standing side by side in front of their large mirror, watching as the two identically handsome young men pulled off their shirts and stroked their mirror images.  They went so far as kissing the mirror, before turning sideways to look at each other.

“Hmm, so much better,” Kevin sighed.  They were soon in each other’s arms, kissing ravenously, until Kyle sank to his knees, unzipped his brother’s shorts and wrapped his mouth round his cock. Kevin ran his fingers through Kyle’s thick brown hair and pulled his face down and back on him before grabbing his slim hips and pulling his twin down on his knees facing him.

They kissed again, then rolled over on the floor, deftly undressing each other until they lay head to toe, butt naked.    Anyone who had seen this (and many had) were seduced by the amazing sight of two identically handsome young twins, naked on the floor, sucking each other’s cocks.

When they were back on the bed, the gymnastics began in earnest, their smooth, tanned limbs locked together in an endless range of erotic fantasies.   The twins had perfected the art of communicating without words, and at times like this, pure sex was the language.

Today it was Kevin who offered his ass to his brother first.  Kyle slid in effortlessly at the start of alternating butt-fucks, each one pulling out just before the point of orgasm.  Finally, Kevin, the more assertive of the two, rolled over on top of his brother – face to face, chest to chest and groin to groin, their rigid cocks buried in each other’s thick pubic hair.

Holding his legs tight together Kyle lowered himself on Kevin, so his cock slid between his legs. Kevin did likewise so their cocks slid between their brother’s clenched legs.   Kyle smiled as he pinned Kevin’s wrists to the bed above his head and their cocks slid between each other’s clenched legs. They massaged each other’s cocks, the closest way they came to butt fucking each other at the same time.

And naturally they came at exactly the same moment.  Their eyes gleamed the same gleam, their hearts beat in sync, and they said, “I love you, bro” as their cocks swelled to an epic climax.

They lay blissfully in each other’s arms and would have stayed there until kitchen duty called.  But today was different.  They stirred and Kyle said, “Come on Kev.  We have a job to do.”

<><>    Breaking The Ice    <><>

“We better shower, Kyle.  No hint of sex, not even the scent, even though it gives me a boner in the kitchen.”

“Right.  The kids will be here soon.”

A short time later, the twins met Bob at the gate.  He smiled, “Ah, you took like you tool care of business I see.  I can always tell.  That special gleam in the eye that can mean only one thing.  The school bus will drop David and John at the bottom of the hill and they’ll walk up here, Randy gave them clear instructions.  He said that when he first made the suggestion, the boys reacted shyly, not sure if their dad would want them to go alone to Randy’s house. 

Not that they were aware of the sexual uncertainties of their dad.  In fact, at their age, sex was not something that had even entered their consciousness much, except for what they saw in movies.  They were more interested in the action scenes than the love scenes.  Especially in the movies of their favorite star Grady.

But now that the time had come, they felt a mix of excitement and nervousness – more of the latter as they got higher up the hill.

The twins, going by instinct, had suggested they go down the hill to meet the boys, and Bob trusted their instincts.  They went out of the gate and Kyle said, “Hey, Kev, just look at that.”

David and John were holding hands as they walked tentatively up the hill. 

“That is adorable, so moving.  Do you remember when we were like that?”

“Just barely. I don’t recall ever being that young. They look so nervous.”.

The twins sauntered casually down to meet them and greeted them with warm, matching smiles.  “Hey, guys,” Kyle said, “you must be John and David.  I’m Kyle and this is my brother Kevin.”

There was a stunned silence until Kyle raised his palm and they high-fived each other, a greeting known to young and old alike.”

David stammered, “But you’re … Bob told us you were twins but …”

“But he never mentioned identical twins, eh?”  Sometimes he forgets there are two of us, we look so alike.”  He laughed at his own joke – and the boys joined in nervously.  The ice was already breaking.  “Come on, Bob’s waiting for us at the gate.”

The mention of Bob’s name made them even less tense, and when Bob appeared, that did the trick.  “Hey, kids, good to see you.  Randy is still at work.  That’s why I suggested the twins for swimming lessons.”

“Yes, sir, our dad told us.  We wanna be good swimmers like our dad.”

“He was a high school swim champ,” John added, the first time he had spoken.  His mix of pride and nervousness won the hearts of the twins right away.

“Your dad will be picking you up at five o’clock so that gives us plenty of time.  Come see the place – and the pool.”

The eager boys followed him through the spacious landscaped grounds and gasped when they saw the long pool.  “It’s so big,” David said.

“And there’s no one in it,” said John in wide-eyed awe.

“That’ s right, John, it’s all yours.  There are other guys who live here, but you probably won’t meet them ‘cos they don’t get home from work until later. Look, I gotta get to work too, but I won’t be far away.  See that building over there, the upstairs window. That’s my office, so I’ll have a clear view of how you’re doing.  Kyle and Kevin are great teachers, but if you need anything, just give a yell and I’ll be right here.

After a slight hesitation, Bob went for the hug, and it worked.  David responded warmly, and John’s hug got tighter as it went on.

“OK, boys, work hard.  See you later.”

<><>    Swim Lesson    <><>

“Right,” Kyle smiled, “to work.  Before we start, we have a couple of things for you.  Randy noticed at the Rec. Center that your swim trunks were wearing a bit thin, so we got you these.” He produced a shopping bag and shook out a couple of Speedos, one red, one blue.

“Thank you, sir,” David said.  “But they’re so small, like the ones they wear in the Olympics.  At the Rec most of the boys wear baggy shorts.”

“That’s because they’re just fooling around.  We’re serious here,” Kevin grinned,” we’re going for the gold.  Put them on.”

David chose the red, John the blue, then they hesitated, blushed and turned around for privacy.  Realizing how modest the boys were, the twins turned their backs to them and wandered closer to the pool.  “How do they look?” David asked at last.”

The twins turned and experienced another of those heart-flips that were to become frequent.  Both boys were thin, with pale skin and stood self-consciously with nervous smiles.  “Perfect,” Kyle smiled. “Just like competition swimmers. You’ve seen them on TV, haven’t you?”

John plucked up courage. “Yes, sir but the one we like best is the guy who plays Hunter in the movies.  He used to be Tarzan but now he’s this lifeguard captain.  He swims real strong and fast, and surfs too.  Have you seen his movies?”

“Er, yes, but of course he’s a professional and must work out real hard at the gym.  He has a personal trainer.” (Who happened to be the boys’ new pal Randy, but the twins were tight-lipped on that.)

“OK, kids, so now that you look the part, you gotta learn to play the part.  The other thing we got you is pool noodles, these long thin spongy things here.  They can be used by beginners in so many ways, emphasizing the importance of breathing, and not panicking when your heads are under water.  Confidence is half the battle.

“Right, so no pussyfooting down the steps, you jump right in.  The cold-water shock will be good for you.”

The boys looked at each other uncertainly but at last David set the example and took the plunge – literally.  The water splashed up onto John, who giggled, held his nose and jumped.  And so the swim lesson was on.

<><>    Holding Their Breath    <><>

Attracted by all the splashing, laughter and squeals, Bob got up from his desk and stood at the window to watch, with an avuncular smile on his handsome face.  He watched the twins take the boys through their routine with the pool noodles.

The door clicked open and Ranger Pete came in, still in his Ranger uniform.  When he worked the early shift, he often came home to have tea with Bob and Brandon.  He stood beside Bob now and said, “Adorable, aren’t they?”  There was a long pause. “But, er, are you sure about this, buddy?”

“No I’m not, Pete, to be frank.  Of course you heard the story of their dad and his homophobia that made him resign until Randy and I talked him out of it.  There are still hazards ahead, but my heart went out to the boys who have been deprived of so many things in their lives.  Our boys have so many advantages, and these kids so few, that it seemed criminal not to share them.”

“Mind you, Bob, I can understand why Luke is so protective of them.  I remember when I first met Brandon and hovered over him like a daddy hawk, until Brandon finally convinced me that, even in a wheelchair, he really could do all the things he boasted of.”

“Yeah,” Bob grinned, “and when danger really did rear its head, when you two were walking the fire trials, it was Brandon who rescued you.  That falling rock knocked you flat and Brandon hauled you on top of him and wheeled you both to safety.”

“Yeah, he was terrific that day.  He’s always terrific.  But this situation is completely different.  It’s a damn shame we can’t all live in harmony, despite our sexual differences.  The youngsters can, you know   These days, they don’t care what side of the fence you’re on. but a lot of adults still cling to the attitudes they were brought up with – they’re still in the Dark Ages.  It’ll take a lot of work.

“Which is why I chose the twins for the swim lessons – cool, level-headed and easy to be with.  Randy was surprisingly good with Luke too.  He always surprises me.  We all know his weapon of choice is a meat axe, but who knew he could be just as adept with a scalpel?  Whoops, watch this, Pete, and hold your breath.”

David was attempting the breaststroke and Kevin was standing beside him pressed against him with his arm curled over his back to hold him steady.  “I can see Kevin’s bulge rubbing against the boy’s side.”  After an anxious moment Kevin released him to swim on his own.

“Phew,” Bob sighed, “no reaction, we’re in the clear.  Another lesson for us … when two guys near-naked bodies are pressed against each other, not all minds turn to sex.”  He grinned ruefully.  “Do you think we’re all sex fiends, Pete?”

The Ranger laughed.  “No doubt in my mind, buddy.”

<><>    That After-Swim Glow    <><>

The lesson was a long one and the boys were having so much fun they didn’t want to stop.  But eventually Kyle blew a whistle that hung round his neck.  “Great job, boys … excellent work.”’  The twins reached down, pulled the boys out of the water and into tight congratulatory hugs. Pete noticed Bob tense beside him, and then breathe a sigh of relief when the hugs ended.

“See, Bob, not a whiff of sex again,” Pete laughed   “Though I gotta say it is all kind of an edgy situation.  The twins are perfect, and our other boys will be cool with it too, but there’s many a slip between a hug and a kiss.”

“Let’s go congratulate the swim champs, Pete, and Will has promised us tea.”

In fact, when they went outside, they almost collided with Will and the large tray he was carrying.  “Hey Will, come and meet our visitors, the champion swimmers David and John.”. Will put the tray down, the boys giggled and high-fived the cheerful redhead in his chef’s apron.  Will said, “Dudes, I watched from the kitchen window as the twins put you through your paces and you looked like experts already.

“This is basically tea and sandwiches as a reward, but I thought you might want something other than tea as you’ve been working so hard.  I’ve got some special juice, made to rehydrate athletes after a strenuous workout and replace electrolytes.”

The boys chose the juice, proud to be included in the company of athletes who need special fluids after spending so much energy.  Bob introduced them to Pete and Brandon, and they took Brandon’s wheelchair in stride, without comment .as they shook hands politely. 

“Hey, cool uniform, sir,” David said. “Forest Ranger, isn’t it, sir?  We see lots of you guys when our dad takes us to the park.”

Pete could read Bob’s thoughts.  At least David had said ‘cool’ uniform and not ‘hot’.

Pete smiled warmly.  “I wish all our park visitors could swim as well as you two – it would save us Rangers a whole mess of trouble. I was upstairs with Bob watching you swim.  Outstanding.”

“These guys were terrific,” Kyle said, “Like they were already champs.  We’ll try new strokes next time.”

John said boldly, “I wanna learn the … the crawl, ain’t it?”

“Yes,” said Kyle, “usually known as freestyle in competition.”

“And in the movies, too,” John said knowledgeably, “Like Hunter.”

Bob threw quick warning glances around the table cautioning them not to get into that subject which could be a minefield all on its own.  But David and John were relaxed enough to join in the casual chatter, answer the harmless questions the guys asked – and gulp down the drink of champions.

A bit later they heard Luke’s new SUV pull up outside and the young boys brightened.  “It’s dad.”

Pete said, “That’s our cue to leave, Brandon.  We’ don’t wanna complicate things, Bob, so we’ll slip out the back way.”

“You will not,” Bob said sharply.  “I don’t want you skulking out the back door to avoid our new visitors.  I don’t want any of this to affect our way of life here.”  Pete was too polite to point out that it already had in minor ways.

When Luke came in he was clearly taken aback by the size and quality of the compound.  But any inhibitions were soon crushed under the weight of his boys who threw themselves at him excitedly, their usual dad greeting.   Introductions were made all round and David said, “Look what the twins gave us, dad.  New swim trunks.”  They proudly paraded them around and made Luke laugh.”

Pete said, “Luke, you have a couple of beautiful boys,”  As soon as the word was out of his mouth he cringed and bit his tongue.  Beautiful boys?  Terrific maybe, charming, handsome even.  But beautiful boys?

Bob smiled and whispered, “Never mind, Pete, didn’t even register.”  And the moment passed.

Luke said, “The swim trunks suit the guys … their old ones were looking a bit shopworn.  But kids, you better change out of them  ‘cos we gotta get home.  Your mom will be getting supper ready.”

The boys grabbed their clothes, glanced around and went behind a clump of bushes for privacy.  That display of modesty was probably a first for the tribe.  The men exchanged slight, amused smiles, all except for Luke who did not react.  That was probably normal behavior in his house – taught by Luke himself. 

Brandon and Will grinned at each other, each with the same thought in mind.  In this house guys thought nothing of walking around butt naked much of the time, and certainly did not go behind the bushes to put their clothes on.

When the boys were dressed they emerged from the bushes still with that proud after-swim glow.  This time they hugged the twins again quite naturally and walked off with their dad’s arms round their shoulders. David said over his shoulder, “Same time tomorrow, sirs.”

Bob smiled, “Well, a successful afternoon wouldn’t you say, guys?  Kevin, Kyle, you worked wonders with them.”

“It was our pleasure, sir.  They really are great kids, although, given the circumstances, we have to watch our Ps and Qs.  You know, one word out of place …”

They sat down to finish their tea, then Bob went back up to his office, Will to the kitchen and Pete and Brandon to their home across the street.

As Luke drove down the hill David suddenly said,  “Oh bother, we left our trunks up there.  Can we turn round and get them, sir, ready for tomorrow?”

Luke smiled indulgently and did a U-turn.  When he pulled up at the gate the boys scrambled out while their dad did another U.

The gate was slightly ajar, so they ran in … and stopped dead in their tracks.  Over by the pool they saw Kyle and Kevin, wearing just their shorts, in each other’s arms, stroking each other’s bare flesh and kissing passionately.

“Oh,” John said softly.  “Just like in the movies.”

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TO BE CONTINUED IN “A Trial Of Strength” – Book 14: Chapter 25