The Catwalk On The Prairie

Britt and I sat on the edge of my bed and wondered what we'd do to fill Saturday. He's my cousin but for a lot of  reasons, we were almost constantly together, more for protection than any other. We had graduated from High School the evening before, we stood one and two in our class so we had to attend although our physical presence during all the years we supposedly attended was zero. No one was happy about that but security was heavy and we got in, up to the podium and, before the class marched out, we'd been scooted away in a Limo. We were together most of the time and, when we weren't, it was only because an assignment kept us apart. That was all well and good save security had to double up, the minimum, per cousin, was two and that could be expanded to six or more.

Dumb though it may seem, our crime against God, nature and humanity was our extraordinary good looks and that's understating it. Some said we were Angelic, others said we were Angels left behind. Well, we knew the truth about that and it was that while we were perfectly nice guys, we were a long way from being angels just vey popular and, of course, our pictures were every where. What had started as a simply modelling jobs for two cute kids had snow balled into whole campaigns built around us. Four colour glossy centerfolds with the two of us with new clothes, or a new car or.....as long as it was expensive, we were brought in to represent it in print. Television wasn't much better. Like Jim Palmer of thirty years ago, we did a modelling shoot for underwear briefs. We looked great, the briefs looked great and it was a hit. Our picture, in the briefs, was in Times Square, Union Square and in wretched excess in downtown Atlanta. The company who made the garments said they'd had to work 24/7 to keep up with demand; Even Amazon couldn't keep them in stock. That was the last time we did anything that left us less than 60% covered. The gig with the underwear did have one unexpected bit of fall out; both of us worked out, strenuously, not just to look good but to be actually strong. Apparently our genes thought we should be as well as for the work we put in, we were richly rewarded, to the point that certain clothing ads could no longer use  us as our shoulders almost broke the stitching in their shirts. It was something we were both proud of not only because it looked great but because we could help our security guards in meaningful ways; We didn't just stand back and let them protect us, we bulled our way out and if that caused an occasional black eye or extensive bruising, it was they who came at us. We were very fond of the paparazzi and never lost an opportunity to kick them in their balls.

Totally without permission, some magazine did a spread on us using various parts of our body, plus our heads, and made us into Greek Gods. Our attorney said we could sue but it was pointed out to us that the publicity would be more than we wanted. True, in a month or two it went away but we were left being called, "Apollo and Adonis". Sheesh.

Our following was, no surprise here, young girls or boys, who lived and died on what they imagined we were doing. While we thought the Justin Biebers of the world were idiots, we could empathize with their paparazzi problem.Often we would have liked to be doing what they imagined but grim truth was very much otherwise. While "they" imagined we were out with a cute babe, possibly themselves, we were in a hotel playing pinochle with each other, going to a gym or watching whatever was on television. Britt once said it would be nice to go through the front door of anywhere. Hotels would take our reservations but only if a security bond was in place to indemnify them against damage caused by invading hordes of fans. Though to the bulk of the population this is unfathomable, to our true fans, nothing was beneath them to try and even catch a glimpse of us. We bought a very elaborate motor home in a state far from us, put under relatives names that were weren't the same as ours.....didn't take a group from New Jersey one day to have the make, model and license tag number and we were followed, well, pursued, down the Pennsylvania Turnpike until ten, count 'em, TEN highway patrol cruisers fell in behind us and started arresting those in pursuit. You can see why we spent an immense amount of time with ourselves, our Dads, our security people and...the weakest link, room service.

Dad knocked and let himself in. "Hey, guys, lets get out today, we all need to....specially after last night. Jerry (Britt's father, my uncle, Dad's brother) thought we might hire a plane and get away, just go someplace. Any ideas.?"
"Antarctica.."
"Death Valley....."
"Well, that's a start... come on, fellas, I know it's a mess, no one could have predicted...."
"this and the consequences. We've heard that one. Sure, get a plane, just go somewhere in the middle of no place. Maybe if we go masked no one will recognize us."
"Britt?"
"Sure, why not. What are we going to do today besides sit here, work out, swim? It's been done. "

"I'll call Stan, lets get a jet with some range, have a helo pick us up at the hospital landing site and off to....wherever."
"Thanks, Dad...."
"Yeah, Jerry, it's appreciated. We know you're trying."
We looked at each other. "Lets get out a map, see if we can spot some place....."
"Where we could lose our virginity...."
"18 and virgins. Think about all those people out there would think or say....think of the tabloids, they'd have a field day. We'd be laughed at for the rest of our career if we even had one. "
"Virgins." And just shook his head.

These things, once decided on, take some time to get arranged. We used the time to work out, get packed-casual seemed the best, even some cold weather stuff for the place we'd picked out was convenient to nothing and in Colorado. We'd checked the weather and they still had snow on the ground. Maybe we could make snow angels.

On the map, Springfield, Colorado was as remote as it got. In the Southeast corner of Colorado. To get much beyond the basics, you had to drive at least a hundred miles to Amarillo, Texas or Pueblo, Colorado. On paper and in Google, it seemed a typical ranching community that could have been anywhere in a choice of ten or eleven states. Stan, as pilot, checked and found that while there was a landing strip, it was just on the edge of what he legally needed to get in and out. There was A&P service, on request. The town itself had a motel or two but what attracted us was the hotel which was a relic from the great days of cattle. You had your choice of cowboy rooms, basic brass bed, with a sink and the rest of facilities down the hall or city folks rooms with an attached bath and a radio. We chose the former which didn't do much to our fathers save let them give forth about their aching backs. 

To make it easier, we slipped through a back gate into rental property we owned, got in a nondescript sedan and headed for the helicopter landing spot at the hospital. This had to be timed pretty closely as the spot was on the roof and was almost exclusively reserved for medical reasons. In other words, when it dropped down, we had about forty five seconds to get us and our gear on board. The doors weren't even closed as we took off. We tried to do all this at dusk which didn't allow faces to be easily discerned and, of course, Britt and I had watch caps, sun glasses, Navy pea coats and some floppy jeans worn over a magnificent pair of cowboy boots we'd been given after a spread on Western wear.

The helo trip took about twenty minutes to the private airport where the plane was. We landed right by it, got in then got airborne. Three hours later, at night, we landed on what was a landing strip only because someone said it was. The hotel had sent a pickup to collect us and, as we drove away from the strip, the plane was in the air. His last words before he slammed the door was he hoped to fuck we could find something to do around here beside count tumble weeds.

Nice people at the front desk, if they recognized us, they didn't react, just glad to see us and, with small town curiosity, asked why we'd picked Springfield? We just laughed, well, we did but our Dads tried to generate enthusiasm but it was clearly forced. Keys were handed out, our room was on the second floor while our fathers had chickened out and got the upgrade rooms with bathrooms. No elevator of course so we carried our luggage, and was glad we'd packed light, up the stairs to room 217. 

Our first reaction was that....if was very plain, right on par with utilitarian. Clean, the heat worked, bed looked comfortable...although we didn't usually sleep together, we agreed that this was a trip that required all sorts of changes in attitudes and customs. We wondered how our Dads were doing, they'd only taken one room and we hoped it had twin beds.

It had been a long day, too long to do more than hang our clothes on hooks around the room-there was no closet,- peel and fall into bed.

Morning found us snuggled under the beautiful hand made quilts and comfortable sheets. The mattress made up for the box springs that, formerly, would have held some sort of mattress that must have seemed fine to a cowboy who'd been riding a long way. The bathroom was down the hall so, pulling on some boxers, picking up our cases with paste, brushes etc we headed for the common bathroom. 

Opening the door to the room marked, "Gents", was like walking back in time and still going forward. Right in front of us was what must have been a real cowboy standing at the only urinal stark naked. He heard the door open and, in a friendly way, waved his hand and said he only had a bout a half pint left and it was ready for the next man.

He turned around and we all were shocked. He should have been modeling, not us. The perfect cowboy-we'd already seen the backside but the front side was terrific. Sinkhole dimples, wide set green eyes, sweeping lashes, great body and that cowboy stance that is so easy.....if you're born with it or grew up with it. But that smile....okay, one tooth was missing on the side but it only added to his charm. A tangle of deep brown hair that combing wouldn't help....

"Shit my hat, you're them two on television. I seen you at least a thousand times. What the fuck are you two doin' here? Oh, I'm Heck, short of Hector. And I know who you are. Just never thought I'd have the pleasure, and it shore is, of meeting you in person. Damn, if you two aren't the handsomest pair, your pop...."\
"Two Pops, we're cousins" and we stuck out our hands, got an enthusiastic shake and generally were made to feel genuinely welcome.
"Lamar, he's the owner told me only two rooms was occupied so that means we don't haveta scoot along, careful about the shower water, just get warm in here and get it all done." He smiled and it almost blew us out the door, so real, so genuine.
"Why aren't you a model? Heck, you're better looking than us put together. If you don't mind my saying, quit being a cowboy and get your picture in the papers. And everywhere else. We'll help, we know everyone....."

"Gents, that's right kind a you but,,...." and he laughed, "I own the ranch, just came into town to palaver with my insurance buddy and make sure the bank isn't pickin' my pocket. But thanks for the pretty compliment." He looked down, "No body ever noticed me much around here, course, I don't live in town, my spread's about fifty miles out. More or less and which road ya took."
Dane looked at me and I thought I read him.
"Heck, do you know how Britt and I are chased everywhere, I'm amazed they haven't tracked us down here and are busting through the door. One of the best things they want to get is a picture of us with no clothes on,...
"You have no idea how much that'd be worth..."

He laughed a good hearty cowboy laugh although I had no idea what that meant. "And you want me to join you being chased up one windmill and down the gully? It's kind and you mean real good but thanks but no thanks."
He turned on a faucet in a sink completely unaware that he was naked in front of men he didn't know. I had an idea but I wondered. Just bulled it through and Britt either would or would not like it.
"Heck, do you, I mean could you see your way to taking us out to your ranch? Britt and I know that it won't be twenty four hours till someone finds us and then you'll need the Sheriff, the Highway Patrol...."
"That bad, huh?" The water got hot so he started swishing a brush around in a shaving mug. Little more water, more action, you could see the foam rise up. He seemed to know when it was just right as he took the brush and just pulled it back and forth across his face, lips, nose, everything. Took out a straight razor, shaved himself, relathered, shaved again..."Guys feel that. I'm good for two, maybe three days."

He swung around throwing excess foam that hadn't quite got removed all over. "Ya know, I was sayin' to Clem, that's my head wrangler and my boy friend..." He paused to see if we were shocked. We weren't. In our business, men having boy friends was almost the norm. In the tabloids there was constantly a bunch of shitty stories about "Dane and Britt and are they or aren't they?" Some wondered a bit further as to whether we were and had each other. " yeah, Clem's my man, been with me now, pret near fifteen years. Got him when he got out of the pen in Canon City, wild as hell he was then. Well, ta tell you the truth, he still is. but I was saying to him, what we need around here are two tenderfoot wranglers. Get 'em dumb and teach 'em how to be cowboys, that is....if they wanted to. Course we'd be proud just ta have ya come and set a spell with us. ...Can either of you ride a horse?"

We both could and he seemed pleased to hear it. "Might as well start ranch life here. Ain't no huge hot water tank there so pull down your britches and we'll hop in the shower. Navy style, everybody gets wet, water goes off, soap up, water back on for the rinse and that's that."

We dropped our shorts right there and Heck just stared at us. "I can see why some rascal wants a picture of you naked, you're about as hung as one of my bulls, but your balls are bigger." He laughed his happy, reassuring laugh. "Guys, I'm just funning with ya. Truth to tell, I've been holding this towel off and on cuz I got me an A double dipped hard on. Sorry, guys, but I bet there's thousands of men and women right now getting off on your pictures."

We knew this was true, in our fan mail, men and women sent us sick pictures of themselves masturbating with our pictures prominently featured. More than once, we'd got cards that had dried semen on it....we told Heck. He looked sad and sympathetic. "Yeup, you two need to come with me, no one but I mean no red assed cocksucker gets near us iffen I don't know who the fuck they are. Try and give ya some privacy and maybe have some fun. Ever play horseshoes?"

Our Dads were, to put it mildly, stunned. Heck dealt with them man to men and as an adult. He explained how he understood our situation and if some privacy was what we wanted, well, he was prepared to offer that. They were just as welcome as we were and he said it straight out, my partner and I are gay men so if that bothers you, we'll call it off and no hard feelings.
The two men had been on the Merry-go-round with us and they, too, needed some down time but they had in mind calling a buddy of theirs who owned a casino in Vegas and would welcome them never saying who their offspring were. Heck stuck out his hand. "Deal?"
"Deal, you can take our blue eyed wild men with you and keep 'em for a bit. We intentionally didn't book anything until after the holidays so....when you can't stand them anymore, just give us a ring and we'll send a trash truck to collect them."

For whatever reason, the dads sent us back to the room while they and Heck did a little something that needed doing. We were afraid they'd screw things up by offering money or...whatever. Between us we had close to ten grand in cash....we always did, mainly for bribes if we got separated from security.

The next morning, early, we all met behind the hotel-there was a report of a reporter cruising up and down the main street and it didn't seem like he was looking for a gas station. Heck and our Dads put everything in the bed of the truck, our bags plus some duffel bags, seed bags, stuff any ranch would need. Shooed us into the truck, gave us cowboy hats, silvered aviator glasses and told us to look casual, no squatting down which would look suspicious. It was a quick goodbye then Heck slipped into first and we slowly inched down the alley. When we got to the cross street, there were our Dads, slouched up against a building clearly watching for anything then giving us the high sign to make the turn and get going.

I'd once done a spread for Ford so at least I'd been in their product, Britt had not. The trip out to the ranch was an experience even in the heavily sprung truck. Ten miles South of town we turned East on a road you had to know was there to turn. And that was the best of the roads. We made it but were both glad to be on the ground where nothing moved. Conversationally Heck said that he'd concussed himself on that last stretch two or three times. 

There was no driveway, no parking area, Heck just pulled into a bare space by the large home and turned off the engine. "Guys, I wanta surprise Clem, he's just about your biggest fan and when he sees you, fuck,, we may need smelling salts:" Then he laughed/ "Jist stay put in the truck and I'll bring him round then get out. I'll make sure he's near some soft gravel...." and left us laughing.

In less than a minute Heck and another man came round the corner of the house. Heck was squalling about the price of feed and, oh yeah, he'd hired two kids that were thumbing their way and were willing to work for room and board. Dane and I looked at one another. We worked hard but....not on a ranch. Heck yelled at us, "Hey, guys, get out and meet your other boss, this here be Clem." 

Clem was almost better looking than Heck. Same coloring, same height, same body.....We took our time trying to conceal our faces as long as possible and then did the reveal. 

"Here's the hands. Like 'em?" Clem didn't answer as he'd passed out. "Told you he was a big fan. First chore, each of you take a leg and we'll get him indoors. I forgot about the smelling salts, could just dump in the horse tank. Nah, too cold out."

As we hauled Clem in, it was impossible to avoid the question. "Heck he looks just like you. Maybe actually better looking."
Heck turned around while holding Clem under his arms and smiled, "Yeah, lotta folks say that, Guess he should, he's my twin brother."
We looked at each other, without dropping a leg, and then looked back. Britt said it. "But....you said you were, well, gay, your partner Clem was your lover or partner."

Heck opened a door with his boot and we swung Clem, who showed no signs of coming to, around, into what looked like an old fashioned rumpus room and, following Heck, got most of him on a sofa. 

"Okay, guys, serious up time. Yeah, he's my brother and you'll understand better 'n most about us. I know we's good lookin', we done heard that, like you men I 'spect, all our lifes. But we was lucky, out here on the ranch, once we was growed, we just stopped going into town together. It took a few years but people sorta forgot and which ever one of us went into town was Heck and he'd curse his no good ranch hand, Clem. Outa sight, outa mind and that's what I'm hopin', he will too when he comes to-and he'll probably pass out again-that we can give you boys some peace without lookin' around every corner. Nobody gets in here, or least ways to the house, without we know who and why. The partner thing....well, we had a lotta time together and over years, I dunno, not like we fell in love, you always love your brother but, fuck, we was virgins til, well, we was almost 20-" Britt and I looked at each other." The sex is pretty good, well, great because we're giving each other what we'd a want ourselves. Also, we made up Heck and Clem cuz we hated the handles they hung us with so we just stick to those two. Sorry if you got offended by my sayin' I picked you up thumbin' but sayin' I picked you up in a shower made even less sense. " Hard to argue that point. Also, they were only six years older than we were which explained some things about their looks, slightly more mature, no sign that they couldn't grow a full beard. Yet. Too, living where they did, the pressure had been off them so their good looks weren't an issue, really more a matter of amusement to them. To others.....that would have been very different. They may have looked more mature but in several ways, Britt and I were "older" in terms of experience.

There was a groan and a sort of moist burb from the couch. "Damn, Appy, you will never know, absofuckinglutely never know what I saw, right out there by the truck" Heck had moved us into a deep shadow and told us to be real still. :"No, Addy, what'd you see? You sure musta seen a spook, that was quite a header."
"Somethin' could never be here on earth or here at our place. You know those two guys I jack off to? Well I thought I seen them gettin' out of the truck. For sure, I did. Just as real as you are." Heck had been walking toward us, put out his arms and each one of us took a side.
"Look a lot like these two? Funny names, whattaya call yourselves." We didn't get to say Britt and Dane as Clem was down again.

Heck looked down."Fuck, it's gonna be a helluva a couple a days until we can keep him upright. Come on over here, lets get some chairs, put your boots up-my aint't they fancy and thems a real good boot. Where'd you buy 'em?"
"Uh, we didn't buy them, we did an ad for a boot company and, well, these were what they gave us.": He looked at the soles on the boots, "Aren't even broken in, need to do that before you set off in 'em. Nothn' ull tear up a man's foot like a new boot. I'll show you how to soften up the toe box." There was a sound from the couch like someone might be waking up.

"Ah, fuck, don't bother much, he's just gonna look over here, now that yer up close and snooze out again" That was pretty much what happened.
"Didn't you say something about smelling salt?"
"Shit my hat, I did didn't I. You men stay here and watch, well, watch not much, by my count he's got another one or two ups and downs in him."  He hustled off up a stair case.
Dane and I just looked at one another. This wasn't quite what we expected, not that it wasn't interesting but....twin brothers who were lovers and looked better than we did and were at least six or eight years older....what next?"

Heck zipped down the stairs with the bottle, opened it, took out a fabric covered glass ampule, broke it and put it under his brother's nose. As happens with them, Clem came to, coughing, gagging, swatting at nothing. "Think you can stand to take another look at 'em?" He did and....
"Fuck it, he can just stay out until he wants to come round. I don't want to give him more salts....." He paused mid sentence. "Guys, here's your second ranch chore, we gotta strip him, c'mon."

Which is what we did. Also reversed course taking him, naked, outside and, after some maneuvering, tossed him in a metal trough that Heck called a horse tank. That brought him around and he was angry. "What the fuck was that about?" He was sloshing trying to get out then he noticed us again, and in this order, that we were real, he was naked, his brother and the two of us had probably stripped him then thrown him in. Heck had brought a towel. "No need to cover 'em now, the guys have seen everything. Course you know, Britt and Dane, our new wranglers. "

He stood there in water that just touched the bottom of his low hanging balls and stared. We stared back, seemed the only thing to do. He looked at his brother. "Where'd you get them, I mean, they cannot be the real thing. No fuckin' way."
"Picked up in a bathroom." Couldn't argue with the honesty of that. We both shook our heads in agreement.
"Right, as Heck said, snatched us from a public mens room and, well, here we are, your new hands, agreed to work for room and board."
"S'ruth. Tell him your names again. He's slow witted today and for the love of God, before you catch your death, get out of the horse tank and into the house, godammit. 'Freeze your cock off, then you'll be not fucking use ta me."

We would have told him our names but, pissed off, he grabbed the towel and went back toward the house giving all of us the finger as he went.

It percolated to Dane first. "He doesn't believe you, does he."
"''Pears that way, I guess maybe I kinda understand, I almost didn't believe it in the can yesterday. Who would? C'mon men, lets go back to the house, get us a beer and let the wet hen dry off and settle down. He's the more volatile of us."

That idea was waylaid by unpacking the bed of the truck. Fortunately, we'd spent considerable time in a gym, not only to look good but to gain real strength, something on a ranch that would always be needed. Each of us picked up a 75 pound feed sack and asked where to put them.
"Damn, you two can really work, that'll be a big help, yes sirree....not only handsomer than a paintin' in a museum but strong as two mules." He laughed. "Yer Dads may have to pay ransom to get you back, good hands are hard to come by, specially out here."
We grinned. To be acknowledged for something other than our looks was a great feeling. Just to show off, we put another sack over the vacant shoulder.
"Damn, you fuckers are the real deal in the muscle department. All I do is lift my brother, can curl him too."

We found the barn, unloaded the things in the truck that needed to be moved there then met the horses. Heck made us each pick one to be our mounts while we were there then stood back.
Two of them were for the brothers leaving half a dozen from which to pick. Heck handed us some apples and carrots which brought whinnying and interest as heads were stuck over the top of their enclosure. It wasn't hard to make friend, at least until the goodies were gone.
"If you want, open the gate and go on in with one of them, they's good buddies, not going to hack you or do more than nibble on you."

We did that. Just as he said, the horses were friendly, almost too much so in that they knocked Dane down, leaned over and nuzzled him while he lay on his back. I had one pushing me from behind then put its head over my shoulder and licked my face with a very large tongue. What moved us was that it was honest affection, didn't know who we were, just were being friendly. Somehow, all six horses ended up in the same pen as we did when Heck quietly closed and dropped a wooden piece over the latch. Nobody was going to get out without climbing the fence which is where he was sitting. Britt noticed it first.
"Heck? are you crying? Have we done something....?"
"Naw, "...it just makes me real happy to see you two and them animals. I lied to you, iffen they didn't like you, they'd had kicked your handsome bodies where it would do the most good, made two geldings out a two stallions. See, they know people better'n people know people." He paused to pull Dane up from where another horse had knocked him down and was licking his face. "I never seen these act like that 'cept with me and my brother. Ain't gonna matter which one you choose, it'll all come good." He snapped back to reality. "Hey, theys chores to be done, gotta muckout stalls, feed 'em....and afore we do that, we need to make some changes, help you work better."

That made no sense but that was fast becoming the norm. On our way back to the house, Heck pulled two of the duffel bags from the bed of the truck and tossed one to each of us. He took our cases and we walked back to the house. What we found was a Clem who was still pissed off about his "bath" and who we were didn't seem to matter as much.
"Okay, shit head, you 'bout ready to meet the new hands and, you gotta see them heft feed bags, they's good work in them, can't work them too hard, bet they'd welcome it. What young stallion doesn't want bigger muscles. Now, lets start again." He was behind us, a hand on a shoulder a piece.
"Clem, this is Dane, this one's Britt. They's not twins, they be cousins but you could fool anyone that didn't know different."
Clem put out his hand, stepped toward us, we smiled and I guess that wasn't the right thing to do as he collapsed.
The three of us just looked at the naked lump of hard muscled flesh on the floor. Heck grabbed a blanket, threw it over him, picked up the duffel bags and went up the stairs. We followed.

Their home was bigger than one might have expected. The stairs led us into a very large living room, comfortably furnished with oversize furniture, huge television, hand woven rag rugs, hand pegged floors, fire place...the sort of room a man could be real comfortable in. We had no experience with this sort of personal comfort but we liked it on sight.
"Down this way, find you some rooms or....you wanta bunk in together?" It sounded like a question but read like a suggestion. "Hey, here's one with a King size, big screen, recliners, got it's own bath, places to store your gear....."
A little puzzled but recognizing genuine hospitality when offered, we accepted. "Thanks, Heck looks super. We'll take it.:" He could see us scouting around for....something." Heck watched us for a moment ten had it.
"Men, this ain't no hotel, theys no keys, don't need one. Close that door and no one will even touch the outside knob. " He sat on the bed and indicated we should sit on either side. He pulled one of the duffels to him. 

"Now that you're here and workin', well your Dads and I decided you could throw out the  things you usually wear, be more country, those things you have to wear so we did some shopping for you two. Get out of them city duds and we'll start from the skin out. No reason to be shy" he laughed "We've already showered together, nothing in there I ain't seen and like I said then, you got nuts that look like theys come from a farm animal." And laughed.

While we did that, he opened one of the bags and dumped it on the bed then started to divide them into two piles. Looked around, remembered the other duffel was downstairs so he trotted out and quickly was back. It, too was poured on the bed. "That otta keep you in clothes for a few days, leastways til you figure out what works best for you. Yer Dads had never bought this sort a stuff" he laughed, "so even with my help, I don't know what the fuck they ended up picking for ya."
We stared at the pile of....fabric. It was hard to pick out one specific garment so we didn't. Just looked to Heck for guidance. Frankly, it was nice to have an adult who wanted nothing but helping us to be comfortable, who had our interest at heart. Britt turned to me and as he sometimes did, put an arm around me and quietly cried. Heck noticed.

Uh, he's, well, we're not used to having people on our side, except for our Dads. We're not used to people doing anything for us that doesn't have a motive, just wants to help, to please us. Heck, we're not even really people to everyone but our Dads, we're just meat in the market window but with "not for sale" on a sign below us
"Yeah, I kinda figured somethin' like that." He took Britt from me and held him in his own arms, whispering in his ear. I could see him relax so went back to sorting.
"Oh, no, you too. You both need some affection and love and good food and a chance to yell and do whatever you want to do. Here's the place and you got some time to do it." Britt was holding on to him, not crying but not willing to release him. Heck leaned his head against my cousin's and said all the words we never heard but said in a way that Britt believed. I was glad for them and moved away to give them some space or just a sense of privacy. Britt was crying again but this time it was caused by a release from all the past. Heck looked at me and I smiled. I could read his mind, almost. "You're the strong one, the one nothing hurts cuz you gotta defend him." He didn't say it but I knew.....

I jerked my head toward an overstuffed, comfortable looking chair. Heck got the message, slowly moved to it then sat down, putting Britt still wrapped around him, on his lap. 

Back at what looked like Goodwill Central I tried to make some sense of what I thought would be good and comfortable to wear. No skivvies so, from a new package, took a jock, slipped it on and what hext? Some waffle underwear, maybe a plaid flannel shirt, some Carhartt coveralls in workman deep beige, a pair of boot socks-that's what it said on the package-and finally a pair of worn but sturdy boots. Inside each one was a certificate that assured the purchaser that they'd been thoroughly cleaned, sanitized and well waxed. Under the bib overalls, they looked and felt about right. I turned to Heck who was still holding Britt. He help up his thumb meaning, I guess, I'd done right. Clearly I wasn't needed there so found the stairs to where Clem might or might not still be on the floor. 

My appearance as hired hand as opposed  to a model in a four color glossy print must have turned it for him. Nothing about me, apart from my hair and face, suggested my career and, I almost said to myself, my past. I walked toward him, extended the fireman's wrist and hand assistance to get him up, which I did, then plunked him on the sofa.
"Convinced now? I'm really Dane if I'd remembered to bring my wallet, I could have showed him my driver's license, passport...beyond that, either he believed or, who cared.

I watched  him look at me, turn against me and feel betrayed all at once. The handsome man in all the pictures, videos, stood in front of him looking more like a farmer, a hand, and it wasn't what he wanted. There was no way I could or would apologize. It was his mind that shot him down, if I peeled, I'd go right back to what he envisioned, wanted. But that...I would not do.
"I'm going to the barn, figure out how to be helpful for all the two of you are doing for us. Need to pick out a horse....." and was out the door, only stopping to pick up some horse treats.  The only things I knew how to find were the truck, still where Heck left it, their home, the horse tank and the barn. 

Unconsciously, I walked toward the barn as if I were on a cat walk in a fashion show but whose show was it? I laughed, broke my own stride and tried to walk like Heck walked. It wasn't a success but with practice.... One good thing, these Overalls had lots of pockets from which I produced sugar cubes, apples, carrots....all the good stuff I'd seen Heck hand out. I very quickly had horse friends who, lets be fair, came for the treats but one or two stuck around, nuzzling me, stamping as if he wanted something. 

I hadn't noticed but Clem had come in. When he spoke I was startled, probably shouldn't have been but...I was.
"He likes you, I can tell, see them fellers everyday so I kinda know them, their personalities....he'd only go to a strong man. I remember from a picture of you and your cousin, you're both strong men. Should do more a that kinda ad. Bet it sold a lot of underwear."
I laughed,"Iit was almost too successful. Sold out the first day and Amazon was snowed. We shoulda asked more money for that one. First time and last we'll ever do something that revealing. Ever." I thought I'd found my horse as I put my arm around his neck and gave him the last sugar cube. "What's his name?"
Clem laughed a kind of snide laugh, "Rambunctious" but we just call him Ram. He's the only Stallion in the bunch. Want a saddle to see if he'll let you mount him?"
I didn't know why but....I wanted to see if I could get up on his back without a saddle. "Wanta give me a lift, I'm going to try to get up on him bareback."
"Better put some sort of bridle, even a rope one." Ram and I waited a few moments while he got one then slipped it over his head, threw the soft reins over his neck and I was ready to mount up. "Is there a box or something?" I laughed, "This isn't something I've ever done."
He reached around and found a wooden thing, put it by the horse for me to use. Once I was standing there, it was easy to swing my right leg up and over. 

I guess Clem thought I needed help as his hand was  between my legs and pushing up. I slide back down and looked at him.

"Nobody puts their hands on me right there. You don't check out my crotch, it's not for sale or on display. Get me?"
"Uh, hey, buddy, I'm sorry, it was just a mistake, I over reached. Didn't realize how agile you were. You know how it is. I bet lots a folks have tried to feel you up." And he'd gone too far. One round house right coming up. He lay out on the barn floor stone cold and this time it was also because he saw me. One thing went through my mind and one thing only; Britt. He was alone with Heck and if this was any idea as to how we might be treated. On the dead run I headed for the house calling his name. In the door, up the stairs to the room.

Nothing was wrong. Britt was asleep on the part of the bed that wasn't a horizontal clothes closet. Heck was picking up garments, shaking his head at some of them, an occasional laugh at others. 

I whispered that I needed to speak to him. He looked puzzled but came out of the door. "What's up, you look all mad or somethin; "
"Your brother is out cold in the barn because I knocked him out. Sort of an illegal use of hands on places that they weren't supposed to be...." I paused, "Frankly, I got worried about Britt...sorry Heck, it was wrong of me to be suspicious but I'm really all he has and if he's in trouble then it's up to me...."
"Knocked him out cold you say."
""Right on the floor of the barn."
"Put his hands...." and showed me where he thought I meant. I nodded. "Ram was a witness." Heck laughed, shook my hand and said he wished I was his, Few men deserved me and he shore wasn't one of them but it would be an honor and he bet, once I got over that picture takin' mess, I'd be a great rancher and a better son.
I just looked at him, relaxed, and smiled. "I;ve got a father but if he ever quits or resigns, I'll put your name on the top of the applicants list."
I looked at Britt who looked innocent, tired, happy to be asleep. Automatically I covered him, found a pillow, made sure he was alright.

"Nobody does that for you, do they." He said it quietly and with a meaning I got.
"No, nobody." And continued sorting through what varied wildly from useful to....what were they thinking? Mukluks? I held them up to Heck.
"I tried to talk them out of 'em but they thought, winter, cold, something warm." Our parents were even less wise about life on a ranch than were we. Besides, I had it in my mind that Heck would see that everything around him, from his cattle and horses to newly hired ranch hands were provided for. I looked out the big bay window and, almost to myself said, "I'll bet when it snows, it's a beautiful sight, just sitting there, no lights just seeing the snow....." Heck was behind me, put his hands on my shoulders. "Son, it is just that. Stick around long enough and I can promise you can do just that. I leaned back against him then pulled away.
"What about Clem?"
"Yeah, what about the ol' cocksucker. He did something wrong and, by the code of the West....: and laughed...."he has to pay for his dastardly deed."
In other words, we better go get him before he wakes up, sees a horse and passes out."
Heck laughed. "Nah, you stay here with Britt, I don't rightly believe we want him alone if he wakes up. Sides, you've already done part of a man's work, carried seed, found a mount, sorta got in a slug fight. Damn, boy, yer fittin' right in." He made a fist and playfully made a pass at my cheek as he left the room.
"Better take an ice bag...." I got the thumbs up and he was gone.

In some ways, this ranch hand thing was getting serious and, frankly, I was enjoying it. But....Dad had said we had no bookings until after the holidays....I took out my phone, popped up the calendar mode and tried to figure how long we might have. 11th of November today.....So, easy, all the rest of this month, all of December, easily past New years and then....

Part of our popularity had nothing to do with how we looked but how we performed. Never cancelled, always on time, easy  to work with, reliable, our Dads weren't pushy, agencies and designers like us and, of course we had a following based almost solely on our looks. That following sold things for, as we'd discovered, if we drank Zippy Pop, so did the kids who adored us and their parents, who probably did not adores us, had to buy it. The truck ad for Ford had been a departure but even in it, I was clearly the son of the man, not the owner. We were facing, and had discussed it, a time when we had to either retire or be seen not only in the eyes of our fans, but of the agencies as men. Fully fledged, men who had a cock and a set of balls apiece, both in working order. Starting out at age three, we were like other children who grow up in the public eye, some make it, some do not and some choose not to. Standing in the barn and foolish as it sounded, we had a chance to make a career as ranchers. Probably not forever, I could sense neither of us was in this for the long haul, but certainly longer until after the holidays and the appointments began. It was very possible to see demand for us slowing down as there were younger, fresher faces but more importantly, we were cast as a certain type and getting out of that was going to be not only difficult but risked losing whatever career we'd had.

Almost automatically, I grabbed the rope bridle, put it on Ram, mounted him with no help then rode out of the barn. The country was so different from anything I'd experienced. Grim would be one word, heartless another. Nothing to look at save some trees that seemed to be cowering, a couple of herds of cattle, what might have been a farm pond if it had water....almost no texture to the terrain. Even in the distance, no relief, maybe a hill or so but at that distance, it could have been an optical illusion. An overcast day didn't help, even looked like some sort of storm might be in the offing. I was stunned by the distances and could begin to understand how the guys could casually refer to going to Denver, Amarillo or Santa Fe. Distance had almost no reference save time, things out here were, I guessed, measured in how long things took, not in distance which was almost without meaning. The only two absolutes were light and dark.

Ram must have sensed something so he abruptly turned around, seemed to head back. Good thing he knew where 'back' was as I had no idea. Picked up the pace which made me aware that I wasn't seated in a saddle, not even a saddle blanket; My nuts, while not aching, were aware they'd been bounced more than if they were in my jeans, and I was commando, walking briskly down a street.

Took close to three hours to get back to the barn and I'd barely been off Ram sixty seconds before Heck strode in, something on his mind. "Okay, tall, blond and handsome, where you been to? I was about half worried. They be 'bout 400,000 acres til you get to our fence lines and it might take a good piece of time to find you. Also, here's one of my ranch hand dos; Never take out a horse without a saddle and a pack tied on the back. If yer gonna get stuck, lest ways you'd have shelter, horses are water proof, yer not."
To emphasize his words, thunder and lightning made a guest appearance, not close, but had I been any further, I don't know how soaked I might have been when I turned back.

Heck smiled his sink hole dimples smile. "Like the place? You and Ram get on I can see that but....here's a suggestion; I'll curry Ram while you go up and soak those nuts in something warm like a bath tub and stay in there for at least half an hour 'n I'll promise you  that you'll feel better but won't be up to playing horsey tomorrow." He laughed and smiled as I walked, rather slowly, away from the barn. Damn, they did hurt and that bath was a great idea.

Britt looked in, surprised to find me in a tub; We always took showers not only because they were quicker but some of the places we ended up for a show were a lot behind on cleaning lavatories; Ring around the tub was one thing but ring around the tub when comprised of rust, hair, algae, dirt of whatever sort...did not encourage usage. If it was the sort where the tub was the floor for the shower, we simply changed out and endured sweat and makeup peeling off until we could get to a better spot. Our Dads had on more than one occasion, told an agency or a sponsor, that they wanted us clean cut both on and off stage and that attended to the bathroom. They carried with them, as part of our standard pack of things, strong cleanser and a toilet brush-after one usage it was thrown out. 

"You like it here?"
"Too soon to know, they're certainly nice guys, we haven't had this freedom since...we were in the womb if you can call that privacy. "
"What would you say to our taking a hiatus for a while?"
"Dane, you know that's dangerous, even taking the time off here is dangerous, they forget us or we don't make the rounds now and again and......."
"Yeah, we could go in the dumper."
It was getting darker out than usual due to the sky clouding over and sundown approaching. There was still lightning and thunder but whatever storm they were in, hadn't got closer to us.

"Britt? You in there?"
"Come on in, it's just me and Dane, he's taking a bath for some reason."
Clem laughed, "I 'spect your cousin went for a horse back ride, maybe without a saddle and now he's soaking his nuts....'bout right?"
'Learn a lesson cousin, do not ride without a saddle. Heck has already given me the lecture so I'll share it with you and only add...He's right.
Clem laughed again but, somehow, it wasn't a pleasant sort of laugh. I could see him glancing at Britt now and then which put me on guard. What he said next almost made me send up smoke signals of distress.
"There's more than one bedroom, no reason you two should bunk in together, lets you and me find your own place and let your cousin soak."
I could hear the rest of the sentence though he didn't say it, :"...his head."

Drying off in the big, plush towels was almost a religious experience. They enfolded you with love, lifted you up to dryness and then loosed you, a better person. Okay, stupid way of putting it but I had Britt and Clem on my mind and only a choice of two people to discuss it with; My Dad or Heck and which was better.....I didn't know. I never wore anything when I slept unless there was a broken window and it was blizzard season so once dry I slid into bed and wondered what to do about a number of issues. Finally said, ah fuck, rolled over and went to sleep.

It was dark when I wakened, the storm was on us, probably the intense lightning which had got my attention. I couldn't understand where Britt was until my head cleared and I remembered, he and Clem had gone off to find a room of his own. And whatever else one or more of them were looking for. It was a hasty decision but I looked about, found my phone and dialed my Dad only to get....nothing. I was out of service range. There were several televisions and it seemed very unlikely they'd run a cable from wherever around here to their home, would have been half a hundred miles, minimum. I had a sensation they could pay for it but finding a cable provider who would do it was another issue. Did I see a satellite uplink or downlink? Not that I remembered but that didn't mean they didn't exist which would explain the presence of television. But television however it got to the house was not my immediate problem. Found a light, found some clothes and followed the smell of food which, as I'd suspected, led me to Heck.

"Hey, good buddy, catch yerself some shut eye? Git yer balls soaked? Feel better?"
I agreed to all that and then, no way around it, cut to the chase.
"Heck, Clem took Britt off today to find a room of his own and while that's fine, we don't normally sleep together......out here I've...."
He put down whatever he was doing, turned, leaned up against the counter, putting his palms on it to steady himself. "And you want to know.....if they's screwing each other or might screw each other or Britt might get his cherry plucked. That about the size of it?"
I looked right at him, "Yeah, that's about the size of it. Britt's a man he can and has made his own decisions, I don't have any say over what he does but, Heck, I am his cousin, we've been almost more than brothers for a long time. I feel responsible for him." I turned and looked away. Heck was such a good man, a good guy, I hated myself for saying anything that sounded accusatory but I needed to know...

I felt his hands calmly around my waist as he turned me to look at him. His smile, damn him, got me every time. "Dane....what my brother and your cousin may do, have done or might think about doing are their business doncha kind of think? Everyone here is adult, I can promise you, no one will be hurt." I tried to turn away from him. "Dane, I think I admire you right now more than ever. Nothings' about you, just about Britt and my brother." There was a long pause while he somehow maneuvered my head onto his shoulder. "It's always nothing for you, ain't it. You may look a lot like him but looks conceal too very different people. You been watching over him for a long time, ain't you."
I may have mumbled something vaguely positive into his blue chambray shirted shoulder. He raised a hand, put it on my head and pulled it toward his neck. "Dane, I 'spect I'm gonna kiss you right now so don't buck me cuz you ain't been mounted."
I wondered if he'd add "yet". 

Even on screen, even working with female models, I'd never kissed anybody always thinking when it was necessary, there'd be a director telling me what to do to get the shot right. There was no director, no lights, no people behind the lights, just him and me and his lips coming to mine.
"I'm no good at kissing, don't do it....."
"Well you're about to do it now." We ended up on the sofa with my head facing his. "Close your eyes, pretend you're being photographed for a some stupid product." 

I could not believe how soft and yet firm lips could be. No pressure, just contact followed my those same lips slipping around, kissing my neck, back to my lips. "This in't how you thought it'd be, is it."
"No."
He continued to hold onto me, draw me closer but no sense of pressure to do anything, just be there.
"You're a fine man, Dane, you really are. I don't care Jack Shit for your past, what I want for you is right here, not in just this room but the whole place. We'll take a coupla days and go out camping-you ever been camping?" I shook my head 'no'. "Shoulda figured that. I'll show you the land, best time of the year cuz it's the worst time to see anything around here. Nothin's blooming, won't for months, be just you and me whilst the birds and squirrels and prairie dogs in their nest wonder what the fuck are two men doin' out in this weather."
"Maybe we'll  get lucky and it will snow."
"I'm gonna ask you and you shore don't haveta answer......Think you could learn to love me?"

"Heck....." and found whatever I was going to say didn't come out. Anyone could love this good man, even take away his dimples and his good looks. I dipped my head, swallowed hard.
"Heck, you know, I believe I could....."
I'd never had anyone physically pick me up and whirl me around but he did. The stop was a bit short, my legs continued on but he had my face in his hands. I got kissed again. And again.
"Now what?"
"What now what? You only said you thought you could learn to love me, not that you did. No, nothing like that." He stopped cold, I could hear him think then turn back to me.
"Dane, did you think I'd a wanta carry you upstairs, rip off your clothes and fuck you straight away?"
I was embarrassed because about 99 percent of what he said I had thought.
"'Are you afraid a havin' a man instead of a woman? Fraid I would hurt you? Nah, not my guy, I'll let my horse get you loosened up several times and then, well, we'd have to see."

It was quiet in the room. We'd covered a lot of ground rather unexpectedly. Not what I came down to discuss and certainly not what I intended to discuss with him ever. I walked over to the window and looked out. The storm had gone away, the wet ground was shining in the spill light from the house. Heck walked to me, put his hands around my waist and his head on my shoulder. "Good thing we're about the same size ain't it. No tippy toes or squatting down." He put a soft kiss on my neck then moved away.

"I better go tell the lovers, if they are lovers, I don't do room service so iffen they want to eat, we don't care if they dress up or ain't dressed at all, dinner is here so they can come and get it. He stalked up the stairs hollering, "Clem, Britt, where the fuck are you? cocksuckers."

I opened the door to let the good air after storm smell in and found with it came a sharp, cold wind. There was a fireplace, wood in a notch in the bricks beside it and maybe I could start a fire without causing a disaster. I'd seen a video on some program called, "How to make things work", something like that and a man had made a fire. 

Amazingly, and just as Heck came down the stairs, I had a good start on a real fire. Next thing to do was add a couple of big logs and pray it lit.
"Now I know what you'll be doing while we're out camping, you're the fire maker. I'll put up the tent.

We'd done an ad for a company that made outing equipment and as part of it we, supposedly, set up a tent. That's what viewers saw, the truth was it took about two hours to finally get it all done. Even following the instructions and letting someone from the company who made it take a hand, that tent fought back. First only one side went up or all of it did but it collapsed immediately. Britt and I and those crew members who weren't involved in "setting the scene" sat on the sidelines and alternately howled with laughter or dodged a piece of ten or pole suddenly shot our way. The man who was playing our father on this faux camping trip said he knew now why the great outdoors looked best from First Class on an airplane.

"Whatcha smiling about. Cuz you was."
"Just remembering something. Did you wake the sleepers or alert the wakers or....."
He puffed with low laughter, "They, uh, said they'd have left overs later if we'd excuse them.....Do we?"
I was overwhelmed with this man. I couldn't answer his question as it was a joke, all I could suddenly do was go to him, put my arms around him, stroke his chin and make an attempt at kissing him. "That's my good man, I knew you had some affection in you, just bottled up marked save for a long time from now. Probably never thought it would be with some moth eaten ol cowboy in his kitchen but I bet you never thought you'd have anyone. Get Britt set up and go to one of them religious places where single fellas go."
I open my eyes rather wide. "Uh, do I strike you as the religious type? Join a Monastery? I'm sure they're very restful at least for the first five or ten years." His laughter was in his smile.

It was sappy but he took a plumbers candle, set it in a beer bottle and that was our candle light supper. A photographer would have killed for the shot, Heck and me, two ultra handsome, masculine men....beef stew with onions by candlelight. Well, maybe in editing they could pull our faces and mess with the rest of the set. 

"You're a very good cook. Since we've been here, I've thought that, should have told you..."paused while a swirl of beef and a bit of carrot went down. Anyway, I'd been taught not to talk with my mouthful......"I, uh, guess, you'd better teach me a thing or two, how to make coffee, how to crack eggs, where toast comes from, you know, things like that."\
"You are one cocksucker. I'll bet you don't know how to do all that. What'd you do for food afore now?"
"Room service."
"Yeah, I shoulda seen that one comin'."
"There's a problem."
"I'll fix it."
"Not that kind of problem. I need to call my father and, when I tried, I was out of range...."
"That surprise ya?"
"Guess it shouldn't have but...is there a land line or how to you call out?"
"You can't see it from here as it's about ten miles that way but there's the T damndest collect of antennas, electrical gimcrakery, doo dads you ever saw. TV works just fine. Gimme your phone, I'll sign you on to our network and you can call any place in the world, free of charge. Even call your Dad right now."
"And waste a candlelight supper with the man who has just sorta proposed to me? Are you nuts?"
Those sinkhole dimples and a great smile.
"Nah, guess you wouldn't  wanta do that."
We ate on, I helped wash the dishes-one thing on the ranch that was always in short supply was water. No dishwasher.

"Wanna watch the box? I bet we'll see you."
"That's not a bet. But......I did have something I thought we might do. Since it's just us."
"What
Whatd that be, buddy?"
"See that couch or sofa or whatever? Well, it looks comfortable. I thought we might pull off our boots, get on the couch and just....be together."
"I knewed you was clever right up front but....I got a little improvement. See that fire that you so kindly built? Well, that looks like a layin' in front of the fire to me. You and me and some pillows, some quilts, maybe something to drink....How'd you like that?"
"Sound like it would be better if we stripped down to our skivvies.....or further. I've already showered with you so no surprizes. How does that scratch you back?"

He found a bottle of some liqueur, didn't bother with glasses, just passed it back and forth. The fire was warm on naked skin. He looked like some sort of god looking down from...a quilt. Out there, with the fire and the man I had I could love....

Morning came two ways, great if you were Heck and me, lousy if you were Clem and Britt. During the night I'd rolled over, put one arm across his chest, got my head on his breast while he slipped his arm around me. We'd made coffee, rekindled the fire and were back propped up against the sofa, our bodies lit by the fire when the other pair came down. Apparently they saw the fire, the pillows, the quilts but didn't see us. If they had, Clem wouldn't have said..."Well, one thing for shure, your almighty cousin don't have no cherry to pop no more. I 'spect Heck is gonna put that in his memory book."
Britt had turned to look for a cup and saw us. We waved.
"Uh, Clem, uh, that part about my almighty cousin, you didn't really mean that....did you?"
"Sure I did, nothin' but mean to you, makin' you do, like you told me, all that shit you didn' want to do. No time off....Good thing you found me, lest ways you weren't gonna have any fun til' he retired or someone shot him."

There was a very, very long silence punctuated only by the crackling of the fire and Britt banging his head on the counter. Clem looked to see what the hell was going on and saw what hell he was in. Heck and I raised our mugs and waved "Hi" once again.
More silence.

I leaned against Heck. "Do you think, now answer me honestly, think he's going to take every fucking word back? Do you?"
"Nah, he's too stupid. I'm gonna get him to regret it but take it back, nope. More coffee?"
I handed him my mug. Heck rose from the floor, stark naked of course, lounged to where the coffee pot was, kneed his brother a couple of times hard once on his nuts and one under his nuts, filled our mugs and came back to me. it was my turn.

"Uh, Britt, would you like to explain to me, while your buddy is on the floor writhing in pain, just why you told him all that shit? I gave you every opportunity, I said we don't have to do this or that if YOU don't want to. I made time off. I faced the crowds when you were still in bed. So, cousin, just how was I so cruel to you? Oh, and before you answer, I'm going to be talking to the Dads today, you might like to remember that. Also remember that I have always been honest with them while they regard you as a lying sack of shit. Even your own father thinks that and I know because he told me. Every time you told him something that didn't seem to fit, he'd ask me and I hated, I really did, I hated having to correct things but if he'd believed you on several occasions, we would have been in serious trouble."
I took a sip of my coffee.
"Speaking of cherries, and we're going to, how was it losing yours? I'd like to know so that when it happens to me, and it will, I'll have some guide lines. Your partner up yet?" We could see his two hands on the edge of the island trying to pull himself up. 

Heck got up again, went around to where Clem was, picked him up, carried him up the stairs and we heard a door slam.
"Hope you liked what you got as it may be some time before your fuck buddy can do it again. Now, I know another cowboy who might just want to take you on the floor and fuck you so hard you may lose some of your teeth. So you see, Britt, I did what I said I'd always do in the cherry picking area and you did what I'd thought you'd do. At least I'm sure Clem is clean, you're not likely to get anything other than  a spanking from me and I may not even bother. 

Britt had started to cry and, I could tell, wanted to come to me as he always had in the past but now..
Heck returned and sat down next to me then said, "I'll forgive mine, if you'll forgive yours. Deal?"
"No." Britt turned almost bloodlessly white. "Not quite yet. You take care of your problem and i'll tend to mine. For starters, he's going to learn a little humility which starts right now. Get over here and suck our dicks."
There was no movement until I looked directly at him, threw back the covers on two hard cocks and pointed at him and then at them.
"Dane, I've never....."
"You'll learn. Neither have I but I bet Heck could tell you how. From what I've read, you just open your mouth, put it over a nice warm piece of hard flesh and suck. You'll get better at it, but everyone starts as an amateur. First time I blow Heck, I'll be doing something I've never done but I'll learn."
Under his breath I heard Heck..."Jesus, I didn't think I could get any harder."

He took Heck first, probably afraid I'd have poison cum. As one would expect based on porn we'd both seen, watching it and doing it are two different things. He choked, he slobbered, he cried, he almost bit Heck's head and, eventually, with a little jacking motion from his target, there was a spurt of white milky stuff that puffed up and then ran down the side of his still erect penis.
"Eat it."
"Dane, I can't eat cum....."
Heck and I working as a team first held Britt then took our index fingers and scooped up the production and forced it into his mouth. He, of course, gagged but did not, as I'd feared, vomit.
"Okay, that was one down and now you've got number two." I used my hand to waggle the upright ready meal in his direction.
Ever so slowly he crawled over and put his head between my spread legs. Naturally, once he'd fastened on the faucet, I closed my legs, scissoring him in place until he finished.
"Don't miss desert. Swallow it all down....."
He ripped away, only slightly tearing my dick, threw himself on the floor and started howling, "I can't Dane, I can't, I can't, I can't."
I looked at Heck, "I guess he can't"
"Seems that way, don't it." He got up, and, just as he had his brother, picked up Britt and took him upstairs.

He came down to me and apologized. Or tried to.
"Don't know about you, but I think there's chores to be done. Get on that right away boss man."
"Yeup, gotta get water, feed, muck out. Yer a devil, ain't cha." I smiled and for the second time, I took him in my arms and kissed him. 

It was hard work on a cold morning. The good thing was the work was sufficiently hard that you warmed yourself; By the time we were two or three hours into all that needed to be done, we were both down to just boots, pants and a waffle T shirt. Before we got to shoveling shit, Heck had put me on their cell phone hook up and I'd called both Dads. It was early where they were and, in Vegas, it's well known if you get up before noon, you're probably checking out.

As carefully and thoughtfully as I could it had been explained to our parents that maybe this was the time to lay back, really become adults then return as men, not grown up kids. We all saw the possible or maybe probably damage this could do to our careers but I balanced that by pointing out there had we continued as we were, there was going to be a drop off and, realistically, a big one. My solution was to take some time now then see what develops. They were both told I liked it our here, the peace was almost bizarre but I was getting used to it. About then Heck asked if he might speak to Dad and I handed him the phone. He walked away from me so I did not hear the conversation just an occasional laugh on this end. While they were discussing whatever, I continued work-it got cold quick just standing around. 

Eventually Heck came back, handed me the phone and, I could tell, he'd enjoyed the conversation as his dimples were there as was his always breathtaking smile. He held me while I finished up with Dad, clicked off then put my arms around him. "It's going to be okay, of course Britt is going to corrode but he really cannot do it without me and, if he makes a break to try it....I would imagine you can whip up some sort of on premises jail.
Heck didn't laugh so much as he got that deep smile, the one that included every part of his face but particularly his green eyes, they told me everything.
And we worked on.

Dinner that night proved to be for two so, once again, only with improvements, it was just Heck and me plus two candles. We'd made some other changes in the room that suited us. First, we'd assembled a large bed and installed it in front of the fire then blocked off part of the room so there was some privacy if we were in bed. Finally, dinner that evening was al fresco in the larger sense that we didn't bother with clothes or eating utensils, just fed each other. Easier said than done if dinner is spaghetti and meat balls. It wasn't funny but after each of us started to get a good dripping of sauce we started to laugh which led to not trying as hard to reach the mouth which led to a food fight. We rolled on the-now slippery-floor. Heck rolled me over and stuck a meat ball in my ass while I made a dent in one and gave him a cockhead that was best appreciated in Italy. The clean up took until nearly midnight which was as soon as we could shower without having to go back to more mess. 

Heck was wandering around when he brought me over and held me. "Look, it's snowing." He kissed me and I helped this time. There was nothing to do but turn the bed toward a picture window, open the blinds, get in bed and watch it snow. 

Does snow emit light? I thought it might as I looked at his face, relaxed, an arm around me, slow breaths, watching the snow....I was happy, protected and, for the first time, not by security guards each with guns and mace. The snow moved from big, fluffy flakes to a more determined, steady storm. Simultaneously we snuggled closer to each other. Eventually we must have gone to sleep for when I woke up, it was solid white outside the window, only a few animal and bird tracks. It was nice sitting there in the silence, listening to him sleep, occasionally stretch some small muscle group, his long lashes resting. Could I fall in love with him? Or maybe now the question was, when would I?

Ever made snow angels in the nude? If you're a man, don't do it face down. 

Heck broke out the winter work gear for after we had coffee and ate a warm breakfast-we both liked oatmeal with no cream, just brown sugar and raisins-there was work to be done. I think I'd once been tied into a bandana for a pirate themed ad but when Heck tied them on first my head then his, it was for business. Flannel lined jeans, at least two layers under them, thick socks that made pulling on boots difficult, flannel shirt with two layers under that. The Carhartt coverall, ball cap, deer skin gloves that could be loosened or tied at the wrist under mittens. Another bandana around our throats and sun glasses to cut through the glare from the snow.

"What about Clem and Britt?"
"Yeah, what about 'em?"
Somehow I knew that though this was the end of that line of questioning, it was not the end of the topic.
The horses were huddled together, sensibly enough, but rushed to the stall fences when they saw us and, of course, were rewarded with apples, sugar cubes, carrots, all that we could stuff in the many pockets on the coveralls.
"Let 'em out into the corral, let 'em run, get some warmth from the sun. Easier to clean in here without them puttin' the lovin' on us."
Ram seemed a bit sorry to go outside, maybe he wanted to stay by me a fantasy Heck cleared up when he told me that the horse just thought I was good for another apple. That was disillusioning.

It took all morning but, even heavily clad, we got it done before noon, the horses put away and some time for us to relax.
"Wanta show you the tack room."
I was surprised at how orderly it was, well cleaned, the saddles under covers to protect them from anything that might make their leather crack. Bridles, Cinches, at least that's what I was told they were. Their use and application was still to be learned. At least I knew that in some way they all fit together. The smell of leather was strong and made me feel like a man, or more like a rancher who was a man. Hard to explain.

At the end of the room was a large desk and, beside that, another small room which, when I looked in, proved to be a full bathroom. That reminded me, as I said to Heck remembering something from the past, "Boss man, I'm about two quarts heavy....is that stool in there workable?"
"Shit in my hat, plumb forgot about getting drained. Shore it works and I'll be right behind you. If you need number three, that's two and one, you'll need to get out of that rig and it's almost a two man deal."
Fortunately a good piss was all I needed. However, just getting through the layers wasn't a quickly done thing and by the time I hauled my dick out, I was on the crumbling edge of ready. Heck, too had a need for peed and we played piss swords while the tanks got emptied.
"Always, before you get geared up, always use the can even if you don't think you need to use the can." The flushing of a very full toilet added an exclamation mark. 

He plunked down in the chair behind the desk, propped his boots up and gestured for me to take the other comfortable seat, put my boots up so we could both relax.
"Dane, you are one hard working motherfucker, that's jist one of the things I like about you. Don't complain none, do what I tell you, pick up what to do real quick...I couldn't hire a hand like you iffen I had to." His smile was my Christening in ranch work. "Just don't, fer fucks sake, ride without a saddle, you might one day decide you like me more'n a little 'n I don't want the man bits tore up by a horse, I plan on doin' that myself." That sink hole dimple smile.

"Know how to keep books?"

I surprised  him in that I did know, at least some basics. In a business like ours, money was a sometimes thing and sometimes you had to be on top of it to make sure you got what you were owed. At first, when our Dads functioned as our managers, it got ragged at times. We'd be owed quite a lot of money but could never find who the pay source was. That's when we got Marigold, an unlikely book-keeper, secretary and personal representative. If the great Margaret Hamilton had a sister, that was Marigold and like the great Margaret Hamilton, just as nice. However, when she was on the phone getting a booking or verifying something, she played the wicked witch, or bitch, better than Miss Hamilton ever had. Things smoothed out. Marigold ran bank accounts that were always balanced, saw to it our taxes were correctly done and filed, made choices about jobs offered and, we found out, turned down very large 'inducements' to swing us to this or that. My Dad said she should have accepted some of it or, better, asked that they give it to charity then provide her with a copy of a certified check to that charity. Then she'd "think about it". 

Probably her finest hours came when she had to hire security men for us. She interviewed them, usually two at a time, in their underwear and kept a set of weights in her office which they had to lift. That was the first interview. The second was to ascertain their social skills-no eating food from a plate with your hands-and how they came in dressed. The third time they were told they were on the short list to be hired so don't leave town without checking with her. By the time they were hired, they were exactly what we wanted and, normally, stayed with us for several years. Jerry, one of the longest serving came apart when he had to leave to be married. His Fiancée had said it was her or us; He may have almost hesitated too long. So, yes, I was familiar with book keeping. 

"How would you like to gar-an-tee you wouldn't have to go back to work for at least six months?"
"Stay here and work?"
"Yep."
" I guess you talked this over all ready with my Dad."
"Shore did, he's learning to be a dealer at his buddy's casino."  
"What about my uncle?"
"Make a good stick man at the craps table. Plus, as you know, no one in yer troop is broke by a long shot. I gotta hand it to them, your money was well handled, nobody had their hand out so even if you stayed here forever, you'd be a tolerably rich man."
"What about Britt?"
"Way I figger it, he won't do anything without you, least that's what your Dad said plus, he said the little shit would do what you told him to do. Once the big romance with Clem is over, they're both gonna go to work." His green eyes almost changed color. "And buddy I promise you, they'll work just as hard as we do, maybe harder. If not, well, there's the whippin' post and I got a fifteen foot snake that they'll only want to meet once-Clem already's got hisself tied to it once or twicet. Din't put any marks on him, I like a man with stripes myself, but that's next."

There was not one scintilla of less than absolute fact in what he said. As annoyed as I could get at Britt, the idea of him being tied, naked, to a whipping post wasn't a pleasant thought. And yet.....I was just a little turned on. Make him tied face out and see if his prick could catch a flick. I must have had a wicked look on my face when I turned to Heck. He just smiled, got up, came around and leaned my head against his crotch.
"Okay, time to take you off the market, you sit right there 'n I'll be back directly."

I heard him coming back, stood behind me then the sound of a machine, clippers. He but the cutting edge at the front of my hairline and worked back. Five minutes later I had an old fashioned burr cut that no agency would want to see me in.
"Change places." Handed me the clippers as I stood behind him and gave him the same style. 

I started to laugh, it was a genius plan that hurt no one and yet accomplished exactly what he and I wanted. Britt? That was the troubled water over which a bridge was going to be crossed.
"Put your bandana back on, need to tie it tighter now."
"Wait". I fumbled around and found a substantial sack then, as much as was possible, gathered up our hair then put it in the sack.
"Memento of the first real thing we did together."

There was a mirror in the small bathroom and, I must say, it was an amazing difference. I wondered if, dressed like a ranch hand, I could walk any place and not be recognized. Said as much.
"Shore thing IF you don't have your cousin with you and he's pretty much like you are. How often are the two of you ever photographed apart? Not very often, that's part of the deal, ain't it. Twins but not quite twins. Plus yer cute, well, now handsome, as fuck...."
"One problem, Britt will buck like a thing possessed if the clippers are even near him no matter what I did or not. And there's your brother, he won't be overwhelmed either. "
"Then what we got on our hands is a group job." 

We managed to stay out of the house most of the day. Heck slipped in and grabbed some lunch and, for after work, beer and a bottle of Bourbon. He said I needed to learn some other adult things and drinking without ending up on the floor was one of them. Also fucking but we'd get there. Eventually.
We stayed in the office enjoying a beer-having it and the bottle outside kept it cool. I noticed that we both rubbed our head quite a lot then looked at each other and grinned.
"Want to ask you something. Again."
"Heck, don't ask me...."
He bowed his head, his whole body slumped a bit.
"Do you want me to lie to you?"
" 'course not. But....fuck it Dane, we get along, we work well together, we kinda like the same things, we like ta be together...."
"Absolutely and the only way for all that is on down the road. Look, I'm drawn to you, I really am but I've never been in love, don't know how I should feel."
"Okay, how would feel iffen it was all over tomorrow. Gone, didn't have to work but you could go someplace else, have some freedom but you wouldn't be here, I wouldn't be hangin' around, pesterin' you about maybe lovin' me....what'd you do?"

I thought about that. Even given our short time here had been something very special. Heck was very special. Hell, even the horse Ram was very special. Just now, my cousin was nothing to me but trouble. I looked at Heck. 

"I'm a virgin."
"I know, I'm not. Far from it. Does that bother you, bein' a virgin?"
"No but I always thought....when I had sex, somehow I'd know what to do, maybe....even be pretty good at it."
His face beamed. "Ya know, one thing I always wanted was ta take a man I loved an' show him what we could do with each other. Gentle like, over time. Fuck what Clem did is gonna take some undoin' with Britt, I don't know that I'd call it rape cuz it looked like it was that consel...."
"Consensual"
"Yeah, that, they both wanted to do it only Clem wanted to fuck a virgin.....did he even care about him? I guess we're gonna find out but you and me....that's a differnt load a poles. Cuz.....I know I love you."
"Like a man loves a woman or....."
"Goddamit Dane, no, I never been with no woman and I don't wanna be. I wanna wake up next to you even iffen we ain't had sex in two weeks. "
"Can we keep the bed in the window...?"
He smiled and I got the sink hole dimples. "Shore can unlessen I spot a tornado then fuck the bed, we's headed for the storm shelter."
"I guess you know my answer but, please, could we please solve that other problem first? Make it a lot easier on me and you."
He came to me, raised me, took his finger and made sure our lips were level and that's when I started to learn how to kiss a man for real. 

The snow had to melt eventually as did Clem and Britt. How we managed to avoid them for three days I'll never know, blind luck or the fates on our side, but we did.
Sunday we set up for our 'surprize' knowing it would be. The night before Heck yelled through the door that he was planning on having a real family Sunday breakfast around eleven and we hoped they'd be there. A muffled voice, and a giggle, said 'yes' or something like that.
We'd moved the bed back into the room it came from and I moved into his room and his bed.. Learning to sleep with someone, I found, was a sort of art form as well. When you are two big men, heavily muscled, tired after a days hard work, just sleeping and relaxing was about all you wanted to do. Heck never told me when something was new or different so, as a result, I just slid into doing whatever without noticing. 

And so it was Sunday morning. I was pretty useless in the kitchen but I could clean up, wipe up, mop up and set the table. Turned out someone had acquired a nice silver service so I polished it, found the "for good" dishes, a table cloth and we were ready.
Heck selected our "duds" with care. For maximum exposure he had us in heavy boot socks,  a black jock, a black sleeveless T shirt and that was it. Oh, of course, the lack of hair. 

We sat having a cup of coffee, he yelled upstairs that it was chow time and there was the sound of movement. Impossible to miss us the moment they came down the stairs. 

Britt started to cry-expected-and scream at me-expected-that I'd ruined us, what could he do now? That was Britt.
Clem wasn't quite as distraught but what had him was that he'd been supplanted by a younger man, one that seemed to have staying power.
Keeping it cheerful I said, "Come on down, guys, it all looks good, coffee?"
Stark silence so Heck poured them a cup of coffee.
More silence but a lot of staring and Britt was still bawling about the future, him, etc. I wasn't listening.
Each of us got up, fixed a plate of food, plunked it in front of them, got our own plates, returned and started eating.
"Anyone want orange juice?"
Apparently not.
"Good hot cakes, never had them like this. Is the bacon local? Come from the ranch?"
"Glad you like 'em, always had a hand with those and, yeah, the bacon comes from here. I got some tenant farmers who raise hogs and part of their rent is supplying me with pig when I want it."

They began to eat more because it was in front of them than they wanted to, Britt glared at me from time to time and I smiled and put some butter on a piece of toast. Finally Clem threw down his napkin and charged upstairs.
Looking at me Heck said, "He won't git where he's a goin' I locked the door to our room."  
Britt gagged. It took him a moment to think up something nasty but he did. "Finally lost your cherry, hope it hurt like fuck."
"Nah, Dane didn' lose his cherry, his pucker is still tight or I'm guessin', I ain't never been there."
"You do that, that....haircut?"
"Yep, with my own clippers 'n he returned the favor and did mine. Like 'em?"
"Sure if you were a grunt in the Marine Corps, they'd be fine but he can't work like that."
"Why not? He worked all day with me."
Britt was flummoxed, a pancake slide into his lap covering, as it fell, his arm with syrup.
"Fuck. This is all your fault, you hayseed." He, too, stormed up the stairs leaving us in silence and smiling like two very clever thieves.
So much for round one.

There was no reason not to finish a perfectly good meal, relax, have a second or third cup and just talk. I could tell Heck was occasionally listening to sounds from elsewhere in the house which consisted of doors being slammed as well as muffled, if angry, sounding conversation. 

"Time for the round up."

As we'd figured might happened, Clem and Britt had fought about the situation and each blamed the other. For what? Who knew. The upshot had been that they'd gone to separate rooms which made the upcoming sheering that much easier.
First up was Clem who finally answered when his brother knocked on the door, demanding he open it-there were no locks so this demand had only the purpose of getting our first sheep close to us. Heck grabbed  him and I slapped tape over his mouth. Startled and frightened, he fought back and it took both of us to subdue him, get him hog tied and put on the floor, his head up. Clippering his hair was the easiest part, other than his trying to avoid it. The only thing that produced was a ragged burr cut which could be smoothed later. However he looked, we'd done what we set out to do.

Britt was easier in that he could not believe it was happening and almost forgot to fight back. He forgot he was strong, was more concerned about "the future" and, I could tell,  blamed me fully for what was about to happen. Okay, I took my time, did one pass at a time leaving a strip of long hair between furrows. To be cruel, I should have left it that way forcing him to finish the job himself. That took about ten minutes as I interspersed cutting with a mini-lecture about our future in general and that of each of us. He was shocked to hear that our fathers had both approved this, thought staying on the ranch and working like men as hired hands was a great idea. Perhaps he was equally disturbed to find that our Dads were already learning new jobs, ones that clearly did not include us. We left him in, what else, tears. 

That was part two.

Worked through the afternoon, came back in, showered together, had a beer, leftovers for dinner and ended up on the couch, wearing nothing but heavy socks and covered with quilts.  I found myself leaning against Heck as if that's what I always did. Seemed natural, comfortable.....I knew he was my man and I was his, only thing left were some formalities which I took care of later in bed. All I said was that this was our bed, he was my man just as I was his. Love him? Probably but that had to develop. Sex? We had a lot of time to teach and be taught.
"Kin I say it?"
"Yes."
"Well, I'll tell ya, nobody ever got as fine a partner as you cuz there just ain't one. I give it some thinkin' and yer right, I think I love you, maybe really do but for now, like you say, let it come to us when it does. Dane, I don't give a shit about a lot of things but if anyone comes near you, tries to take you from me......."
"Does that include a horse?"
He howled with laughter, rolled me on my back, positioned himself over me and did a push up only when he was at the bottom each time he kissed me.

Time took us to Christmas, a first for Britt and me in that there was no tree and no presents. We didn't stand around singing carols or watch some game in the after noon. All four of us got dressed to go to work and spent most of the day mucking out stables, cleaning the floors, putting in fresh hay, feeding live stock, climbing up to the hay loft and moved eight tons of hay up there. That was the last thing on the work agenda for once you've handled the hay, you find it gets into your clothes, on your skin and the only way is to shower and have someone scrub you thoroughly. With a soapy sponge in one hand and Heck in the other, I washed him while he did the same to me paying special attention to my cock and balls. To get the soap off my elongated tang, he stroked it a few times, just to make sure all the suds were gone. Looking at me, into my face, he laid my head on his shoulder, returned to stroking me, ever so gently until my body started to shudder and he could feel the rush of cum in his hand. Looking into my eyes as if to say, this is the first part of eating you, he licked my sperm from his hand.  A few days later he proved you didn't need a shower to jack someone off, bed was good as was a sofa and, maybe one of my favorite places, leaning back in the office, my boots on the desk and my Levis down around my ankles. That was  where he first substituted his mouth for his hand.

In German there's an expression, "Eile mit Weile" which means to make haste slowly and that's what he did with, to and for me. I'm not a slow learner and by March I was sucking his cock which was only a baby step from a "69". By now he was passively fingering my ass, nothing invasive, just making me aware that he was there but not yet ready to knock on my door. Because we were both now practicing somewhat limited but very enjoyable sex, I knew that I was committed to him. Take my cherry or not, it was because I knew I loved him. 

I hadn't grown up on the prairie so was unprepared for the rapid change to Spring. No more flannel lined jeans, no more waffle underwear, though it was only getting up to maybe 50, it felt warm after a very cold winter. I now worked in a T shirt, jeans and my boots. Heck and I swapped burr cuts about every six weeks and, once, we wrangled our unwilling relatives and applied the same to them. They fought it but knew the inevitable. 

We were out in the pickup when Heck said, "Damn if I'm not feeling itchy footed. Lets you and me go somewhere." He turned on one of those remarkable roads that you didn't see until you were on it. Or I didn't see it. Half an hour later, to my astonishment, we were at a row of airplane hangars, guys were running around doing all the things you need to keep planes flying. He pulled up to one, punched a button on his phone and the large door rolled up revealing a plane. "Come on, lets take us for a ride."
It seemed obvious but I had to ask. "Who's going to fly?"
"Me, who else? I got my license and pret near two thousand hours woulda had more but I gotta take care of the home front but it's time to git up and get high." He reached into the plane, pulled out a stack of papers which showed that he was indeed a pilot, his log book was full, even had his instrumentation license. I knew what they were as when Stu had flown us about, he'd shown me his. Heck launched into a speech about what a good plane this was, a "Porter" he called it and, after listening for too long, I began to think perfection to him would be to mate his truck to his plane to his horse. I was to find many cowboys and ranchers felt like that. 

Where had this mini airport been? I never saw planes that looked like they were coming or going, frankly, the planes I saw were because they left a con-trail 35,000 feet up. I asked, of course. The explanation was almost as simple as it was dumb. It was there so that a bunch of ranchers could have a place to park their planes. Okay, that was of little or no help. But where was it?
" Well, iffen you take off to the North North East you'd be over Kansas in about three seconds. Go south, little longer and maybe Oklahoma or New Mexico."
Back to square one. Relative to his ranch where was it? In his sometimes annoying way of answering in generalities he said that it was about a thirty minute ride, depending on where on his property you started. I gave up. 

The Pilatus, I was to learn, was a high performance, very fast turboprop that could almost hover over one place. They'd been in production for forty or more years and this was just the latest version, the 12. It didn't look like the standard Cessna or Beech, more like a shark with an outboard engine up front. While he walked around and checked things on a list I got the sales pitch on the plane and it was impressive.

It was also fast. Heck announced since he'd brought our good hats, we'd go to Amarillo and see what was there. He was right, didn't take thirty minutes until we were pulling in to the general aviation area, ten after that he'd rented a truck and we were off to....wherever.

"Hey, look, there's a guy trying to make a start for himself and he's ex Army I'm bettin' " He did a U turn and pulled up by a modest looking barber shop, no revolving pole, just a sign that said it was "Bob's". In we went. Sure enough, it was a young man, clearly fresh out of the service and barber school. One chair and the place was spotless. It had been several months since we last clippered and it was time for a peel. Might as well give this man a shot and the price he asked. He also offered shaves and I could hear Heck think we were going to get everything and leave a big tip. 

Bob looked shocked as we came in the door, either we were his first or seldom had two men walked in together. The shock deepened when we hung our hats on the gun barrels on the wall which served as coat or hat hangars. His shock seemed to deepen, so much that he sat in his own chair. Heck got concerned.
"Buddy, what's a matter, you look like you seen a spook or somethin'..."

All Bob could do was point at me and gasp...."Your one of them, the twins from television. Has to be, I'd know that hair and that face....but where's the other one?" Heck was immediately aware of what was up while my stomach dropped. Only hope I had was that he couldn't get to a phone before we could get airborne.
"Son, yer all foxed up, this ain't no other one, this be my..."...I could hear him run through the possibilities....."well, he's my hand from the ranch."

"No, sir, I am sorry but I'd know that face, hold it." And he disappeared into the back of the shop and, I feared, a telephone. What he brought back was a head shot of me and....I did look a lot like myself, couldn't run away from that.
We both looked at the picture and simultaneously worried that Bob might hyper-ventilate. There was no way out.
"Okay, I'm Dane and my cousin Britt is back at Heck's ranch. We just flew in to get away for a moment. We retired as you probably know and getting away from people is hard for us. See there are some things people don't know about us and, well,...."
"Oh my God, Dane, I used to jack off to your picture. I don't tell people round here cuz I'm a home boy to them but when I was in the service I sorta, well..."
Heck picked it up. "You got converted to being a gay man."
Bob hung his head and scooted one boot behind that other. " Yes Sir, that's kinda what happened. I thought he'd come with me but...he saw Amarillo and, well, least I got a trade and my shop." He was trying to be up but it wasn't working out. Heck looked around, hung the closed sign on the door and pulled down the sun blocking curtain. I took Bob in my arms, just like I did with Heck and tried to buck him up. He almost fainted.

No one had a heart as big as my man and he was about to display it even though I became the sacrifice fly.
"How long you been here?"
"Coupla a weeks."
"Hows business?"
Bob shuffled his boots and didn't seem to want to answer.
"You got eatin' money? Place to stay that's indoors and isn't a truck or a car?"
"Yes sir, that's why I took this place, I got a sort of an apartment in back, 'n behind that, there's a garage for my truck. I got enough money to eat on."
Bob looked closer at Heck. "Fuck, sorry sir, but you're as good lookin' as this one and he's the best. You his Daddy or...."
"No, I'm his man. Difference between you and me is when mine saw the place, he picked up a shovel and got the shit out a the stables, and loves me."

Bob was tearing up and we both knew we were going to do something. I spoke up. "What you need, beside money, is customers, some way to let them know you're here. Right?"
He nodded his head sadly and suddenly I realized, as did Heck, that Bob's barber shop was closer to closing than the day it opened.
"Son, we're gonna stake you, no gift, just a friendly loan between cowboys. Dane how much you got on you in cash right today?"
I fumbled in my jeans and took out what may have looked like a wallet but was a fold over of currency. "I don't know? Maybe four, five thousand?"
I was glad he was back in his chair. "'N I got another two or three. Rent paid here? Gas, utilities shit like that up to date?" Without asking he went through a curtain that separated business from his living quarters. Didn't take him long to come back.
"Neat as a pin, they taught you good in the service. So's the ice box, nice and shiny and white and empty. Unless you got something we don't know about, I'm powerfui worried that tonight you may have water soup."
"Sir, I can't take it. Twouldn't be fair. You don't know me from Adam's off ox and just to walk in and hand me money...."
"Son, you got family you can go to round here?"
"No, not right  here, they's mainly out in the Permian 'round Midland."
"That's a pretty fur piece to ride for a bite to eat." He looked at me and I knew that happy sparkle in those green eyes; He was about to make himself happy by making someone else happy. If shocked. "Where's you front door key? Go back get out of the barber duds and put on some regular clothes, we're taking you shopping and probably to dinner then there's one more thing....but we'll get to that."

While Bob changed back to civvies, which proved to be camouflage pants and a green T shirt that still had the stenciling on it, Heck went through things, quietly but noting what was there and what should be there. We were both a little startled to see Bob when he reappeared. "Son, I told you to change clothes, not re-enlist."
"Sir, this is pretty much what I got, plus some whites and my dress uniform.
"Okay, we can work around that, probably isn't a place in this town that doesn't welcome soldiers...and we'll hope cowboys in sliver aviators and their hats pushed down......When did you last eat, son?"
"Uh, at the gym, they put out free food that's good for you."
"That doesn't stack up to a full meal and it won't hurt you to eat a steak and a baked potato, some sort of veggie and apple pie, with ice cream for dessert." 

"Dane, stand there and Bob, you stand back to back with him." It was a brilliant idea IF we were pretty much the same size. "Okay, both of you strip and exchange clothes....."
Bob had been wearing lace up boots which took me some doing but, when we were done and looked in the mirror.....it could just work. "You got a barracks cap or something like that?"
Bob produced one which went on me and, pulled down, kept my face in shadow and, with the aviators added, just another dog face come to town to get a decent meal with his family. Or that's what we hoped.
"Shoot, you even look good in the grubbies....."
"Yeah, well that's how he's supposed to look...when he was working but he's not now."

We found a place like a Denny's that was busy, nobody noticed anybody else and we scored a booth in a corner where I could face away from the room. So far so good.

Heck was awfully quiet which, for him, was unusual. After Bob had a base layer of a good salad, Heck started with some easy questions circling around but, with the steak, getting to a bit of his shattered romantic history. It was both sad and typical. During the last year of his hitch, and he'd stayed in longer to go to barber college, he met a man, a bit older, good looking a couple of grades in rank ahead of him and the rest is pretty predictable. They both got out at the same time and headed for Texas which the other guy had never seen. It was a revelation as was Amarillo. He missed trees and lakes and wooded places and big cities. One thing, he did stick around long enough to get Bob set up in his shop, did all the carpentry and the wiring making sure it was up to code. On what was to be the last night, they made love, he fucked him, said he needed to get out for a bit, Bob went to sleep and the next morning found the note on the kitchen table. Bob was bereft and for more than emotional reasons; His guy had a good paying job in construction which, they figured could tide them over until Bob got established. Without his income.....Heck put his arm around the guy and really pulled him onto his chest, told him to cry, under that hat, no one would see.

He was in a lousy situation that was really not of his own making. We'd finished dinner and were back at his shop. "Can you close up for a few days, leave a sign saying something about a medical emergency? Call the cops to tell them to look after the place?"
"Yeah but....:"
"Yer comin' with us."

I think he thought we'd all bundle into the truck and head out to wherever we lived so the plane came as a surprise and that Heck owned it was another one. Bob had brought his duffle bag which, literally, contained every thing he owned including his barbering equipment. The short flight back was followed by the confusing ride home, at least I was confused as usual. Britt and Clem were, mercifully, out working so we had no questions to answer as we went into the house.
"Where are we going to put him?"
Heck thought about that then asked what seemed a dumb question. "You say you used to Jack off to a picture of this ugly mug?"
"Yeah, I did " he laughed a little, "Don't rightly know what I'd do if he were real, I mean, he is real but ...:I, uhm, I'd have to...."
"Son, how long has it been since you were fucked?"
He didn't blush just stared at the floor...."Since Sid left, going on three weeks ago..."
"Are you horny now?"
"Yeah."
"Whattya goin; to do about it?"
"Same as always I spect. Just lay on a bed and whack away till I come, clean up and go back to whatever I was doing."
"Well, son, tonight things are going to be a lot different. My partner and I are going to see that you have a good party and when we're done, just go to sleep between us and tomorrow we'll work on what happens next.

Heck drifted off to do whatever or check on the crew to see if they were really accomplishing anything.
"Dane, I just gotta ask, how did the two of you meet?"
"In a mens' room, happened we were all naked and, well you can see what he looks like and you know what we look like so it was just sort of a collision. First thing we all did together was take a shower."\
Bob looked puzzled which I could understand, just not go back over to clear it up because there was nothing to clear up. "I know, it seems improbable but...that's how it happened."
"So...you and your cousin just came home with him, I mean after you met in the can."
"Not quite, our fathers and Heck had a long talk and everyone seemed to think it was a good idea, get us out of the range of the media, get some rest....fall in love."
"Is he a great lover, I mean...."
"I know what you mean. He's kind and tender and loving and he's brought me a long way. You would never have thought this but...when I met Heck I was a virgin, unpopped cherry. Still is. Unpopped.

He looked staggered.
"Bob, he and I are in this for the long haul. I knew zip nothing, all I'd ever done was jerk off and not very well at that. I iknow it sounds goofy, but by letting him teach me how to do and how he wants me to do, I don't come with any bad habits and I'll learn to be what he wants me to be and the reverse is true." I smiled, I was famous for my smile, and hoped we could let that topic go away. But, of course, it didn't.

"Don't you want him, don't you want to feel him in you, his cum heating your tail......?"
"I'm sure that something like that will eventually be the case but now, apart from desiring him, and we go a long ways to solving that, I'm happy to have this good man who loves me and whom I love." I don't think he completely bought it but I'd tried.

Over the time we'd been there naturally, however it may have sounded, we were on and off the ranch with some frequency.  Things such as hay and supplies for the ranch could be delivered but groceries were another issue. There were two, big freezers as well as two very large refrigerators that could hold a lot of food but for the number that was being fed, the size of us and the hard work we did, an average dinner might have close to three thousand calories per person. But going to town was a worry to me and to Britt. Nothing had ever happened in Springfield but memories of other places remained. What we learned was that in the middle of nowhere, "going to town" had a certain leeway as to which town you might go. Lamar and La Junta Colorado were reasonably close as was Garden City, Kansas which had daily airline service to  Dallas and Denver. Not that we needed it. Also, by switching towns, our faces weren't known and, to date, we hadn't been spotted though the possibility never was far from our minds. If Bob stayed, he could  easily go with whomever and it would look as it was, a couple of ranch hands provisioning for an extended period; Some stores even catered to the sort of shopping we needed so buying 200 rolls of toilet paper, ditto paper towels, detergent etc was made a bit easier.

Keeping in touch with the world was largely a matter of using our phones or computers although, because it was government mandated, we were on a rural route for mail delivery. IF we chose to drive the sixteen miles to a common mail distribution center was which consisted of 12 large mail boxes. Everyone gets mail and so Heck had pretty much abandoned going to the mail box for several weeks at a time. Returning, with very little, he said there should be a paper shredder there with a container for recycling. One time he did bring it all home, all six pounds of it of which only two letters were of even modest importance. The package delivery services left things at a drop off place in Springfield who would then phone to tell us something was there. And we were not much different than millions of farms and ranches in the country, doing without simply because it was a waste of time to go get the trivial or the luxury items we might have liked to have. 

That first night with Bob was interesting. Apparently he hadn't quite accepted what I'd told him about sex and Heck and me. The three of us, naked, were a centerfold for any magazine that had men, gay men, naked men, young men, men into bodybuilding....If a nude of Britt and me would have commanded a large figure, so would a still of us. And, later, a video of what we did  was easily a hit on the porn circuit. Bob and Heck were alternately gentle and ferocious, always hot,, always up, always doing something with each other. I was what must have seemed the designated cocksucker which, after months of working at it, I did surpassingly well; The look on Bob's face when I finished sucking him off the first time was a testament to that. He was no slouch either and wholly without reservations which makes sex with unknown but new friends better. Around midnight we changed the sheets, had a shower and went back to bed, still somewhat horny but no one was left unsatisfied. 

Bob did sleep between us and I think we were both glad to welcome him. As to Clem and Britt? No one asked their opinion so we didn't know. If anything, they probably saw him as another strong body who could take some of the work they did away from them. But Bob wasn't there to work although he did. Also, he wasn't there to fuck, though he did. He was a terribly nice guy who was in transit from a broken relationship to whatever came next. One day in his office Heck and I talked about what to do with him....and though we both agreed he would need to be returned to Amarillo, if only to settle up there, we couldn't find a future for him with us. That was sad in a way as we both liked him but he wouldn't want, and we wouldn't permit our relationship to become a threesome. That sort of arrangement might work for some but not for us. Also, and this was my concern, I did not want Clem or Britt to decide that since their relationship was, at best, luke warm, to decide he'd make a good, new play mate. Heck and I agreed with that and took Bob with us every where except the bathroom, excluding showering together. 

Problems get solved as did this one. My father and I were on the phone catching up, telling each other what we were doing, shooting the shit when I brought up the topic of Bob and lined in a few of the details. "Does he need a job?". Fathers are wonderful, mine in particular. His idea, though not what I would have thought of, was that he join one of the troops of male strippers that were in Las Vegas. While that was some distance from barbering, he could get a license in Nevada and perhaps do that on the side. Dad asked that I send him some pictures and he'd see what he could do. I offered to go down on him but he just laughed and said he didn't think Verizon worked that well.

Great idea, or that was my opinion. I found Heck in his office, told him what Dad said and asked what he thought. He leaned back, pulled out the bottle of Bourbon, took a sip, handed it to me for my pull and I handed it back. He pushed back further in his chair which was how I knew he was seriously considering this; When I thought he was beyond the tipping point, he'd pop up and we'd get back to the conversation. 

"Shit in my hat, yer Dad is one whale of a thinker. Wouldn'a thought of it myself but....it's a great idea. Bob as a stripper....he's gay, he's in shape, what's to stop him so long as your Dad takes a hand and sees what he can get done." The next day I called him back as I knew he'd have done something or looked into it. He had. All we needed to do were get some pictures out there, he'd shop them to the people he knew and we'd see what would come of it. As always, he wondered if Heck was around, could he talk to him and the two of them launched into a chat that could go on for an hour. I got back to working in the corral assuming I'd hear the gist of what was said later. 

As blithely as my father had slid this one into home plate, there were many things he was assuming but I knew would have to be done. First, convincing Bob to put down his clippers then put on his thong. And be prepared to take it off. It was as simple as his saying "yes" or "no" and when he pronounced, either I had a can full  of work to do or we went on as we were. 

The best time for settling this, I figured was at night, in bed after we'd serviced him and he was relaxed, open to suggestions just as his ass had been open to Heck. With me on skin flute. He was laying on his tummy, Heck, sitting on his thighs, rubbing his back when I brought up the subject of his future and that my father had an idea that had a lot of traction. He didn't know Dad but was open  to any suggestion.
"Well, you're a gay man whom, I know, likes to look at men as you used to like to look at me...."
"I still do."
"Lets reverse that and think about men who might like to look at you, nothing porno, just an interesting job in Las Vegas as part of a group of male dancers in an all male review. How does that sound?"
"They'd never hire me. What am I? A buck private and a barber."
"But, you're in great shape, you're handsome, uber masculine and think about this, who knows more about being on display than I do? I'll tell you that you can do it. I'm only vaguely aware of these groups but it's choreographed, you have to like people and be able to deal with the public. I've been chased all over, my pictures, as you know, is a sex toy to a lot of people. I'm a sex object, Heck certainly could be and so could you." I was careful not to say, "Think about it."

He rolled on his back and stared. We admired his great chest, washboard abs, thick cock, boulder shoulders.....plus he was handsome he just didn't see it. Yet.
"Gee, I never thought of that but...once I snuck in the back at a Chippendales.....You really think I could do this?" Heck and I almost jumped him with enthusiasm. In the morning I had a lot to do.

I decided for a couple of days, Britt could pick up my part of the work which wouldn't please him but...a trip to the whipping post, as a place of interest, convinced him. Part of this was simple as it only required money to function and we had money. We'd take him back to Amarillo, make sure he had more than enough money so he wouldn't worry, open the shop for, say, five hours a day and the rest spent in a gym with a private trainer who would be told the goals and the purposes. Bob was in great shape but these guys in the shows bordered on fantasy so every muscle, every inch of muscle, every bulking of muscle, getting the six pack defined was going to be the essence and, something I knew, on  a man who is photographed in, say, shorts or a bathing suit, good calves and thighs were of primary importance. He'd worked out, he knew what to do and, with a good trainer, which surely would exist in Amarillo, he'd be in shape by the time we started to put together his portfolio. And, there, too, I knew what to do.

When you've been photographed as often as I have, you know photographers, good ones, bad ones, ones that are difficult to work with, ones you wouldn't work with, time wasters as they got every thing juuuuust right. There were one or two, but one in particular, with whom our parents as well as Britt and Myself had a good relationship that was as close to being friendship as it got in our industry. He was my choice and, closer to the time we'd need him, I'd ring him. That was a risk in that he was popular and could easily have said he was sick but....he was booked for months. Just to be on the save side I called Alexei who almost came through the phone with concern. Where were we? What happened? Nobody had seen us for months. He was genuinely worried. I did as much calming as I could, ask that he not tell others he'd heard from me but that I had a job for him, in which I was involved, but the dates weren't set. I couldn't ask him to reserve time but, right now, did he know of any holes in his schedule, maybe as long as, I held my breath, four or five days? Right off the bat he knew he was free around Thanksgiving and, tentatively, he'd hold that. He could hardly wait to see me through his lens again. I didn't elaborate on what he would actually photograph, expressed my gratitude and accepted, from him, a blessing in the Russian Orthodox Church. He really was a fine man. When my career was over, we'd be friends.

There was one other quick trip Heck and I felt needed to happen and that was taking Bob to see Vegas and Vegas to see Bob. This wasn't an audition, with my Dad, we went to a couple of the all male strip shows to let Bob see what he might do and have to do. He had no problem with any of it and that was an enormous hurdle jumped. Dad was between sessions in dealer school and asked if he could fly back to the ranch with us, maybe bring Britt's Dad then they'd find there way back to Nevada. 

Done and done. I neglected to tell Britt his father was coming for a visit and we both neglected to prepare either man for what a working ranch in the middle of nowhere, with no trees, not much of anything was like. The drive from our airport home was instructive as they got quieter and just stared out the window. The ranch house proved a relief as, by then, they possibly thought we were living in old army barracks or yurts. And, oh yeah, Britt was stunned to see them. 

His first reaction was to tear up and start to tell them what a son of a bitch I was, how he was slave labor how....He got stopped right there and told that, for slave labor, he looked in better shape than ever and everyone agreed that this pause for us, well, him, to mature and grow up would prove to be a benefit. That took the joy out of his family reunion. Heck, Dad, Bob and I drifted off to the office, pulled up more chairs, got out the bottle-my Dad was surprised to see me drink it straight or drink at all. I told him about Alexei, he approved, and our other plans. One thing, I wanted Marigold to set up a bank account in Amarillo for Bob so we wouldn't worry about his taking care of himself. Also, one thing I had no idea how to do, nor did Heck, was find a trainer for Bob. Dad said that maybe it would help matters if he went to Amarillo with Bob, looked things over, found a trainer, made sure Bob was seen to then fly back to Vegas. No need to take his brother.......and what he didn't add was that his time might be well spent here seeing if sense could be talked into Britt. No one had high hopes for that, even Bob who really didn't know him that well. 

On an impulse, I asked Bob to come with me for a bit leaving Dad and Heck to talk, something they would both enjoy particularly released from the demands of a cell phone. I wanted to add one more piece, a visual, for Dad that would provide him with the ability to say, yeah, he'd seen the guy and wasn't shitting anyone. Back at the house, working quickly, I found a set of close fitting camos, got Bob into them, boots and all then told him what I wanted him to do. He looked dubious but willing.  Even to the slouched, shapeless barrack cap, he looked the Universal Soldier. The silver sunglasses made him seem even more powerful and, when he took them off, one got the full effect of his handsome face. As we walked back to the office, I told him what I thought would work...as he went along, make changes but at least he had a ragged game plan.

I went in first, told them to look over there and then introduced them to "Sargent Sword". Bob swaggered in, put his arms behind his neck, stuck out his crotch and begin to strip. When he was naked to the waste, he lay on the floor, put one booted foot in the air, unlaced it, threw it away then did the other one. He'd punctuated the laces by feeling his crotch, looking at us and giving a very lascivious smile. Finally he was all the way to his jock and then he had an inspiration. There were some shears used to cut the heavy twine on bales of hay which he picked up. For a good five minutes he had those shears right on his cock and balls, you didn't know if they were to stay or go. Even made little nicks so that blood ran. Finally stood up, back to us, and one by one cut the fabric that held up his jock, the waist band being the last and, to do that, with one hand over his cock, he snipped it, let it fall away and removed his hand leaving him stark naked. 

"Sorry Gentlemen but....I pulled out my hard meat and shucked it down as did Heck, Bob and, my God, even my father. It was a bonding experience you could not plan.

After some time and paper towels and tissues were handed round, my father spoke up and said only, "He's ready". And he was too.

In reality he wasn't quite ready, he needed some more muscle hung on him, some definition but that was just a matter of taking some time, getting a good trainer and applying himself. On that, there was no question, nothing any of us had seen since the day we met him gave any indication that he was not heavily self motivated and would stay that way.

Dad hung around the ranch another day then the three of them flew to Amarillo. Heck was back very soon and we agreed we'd done the best we could even if it wasn't the sort of advice or career path you'd send the young on. Plus now that the heat was off to make barbering productive, he might actually get some customers and the experience that would help. He put a sign in the window-probably my Dad's idea, that he offered a military discount. Working in camos and a green T shirt completed the military look of the place and his business did pick up. Inside, again Dad's idea, was a sign that said, "Short Cuts A Specialty". He also, and this was a master stroke, said that every kid who brought his father in for a cut, got his free. 

The other thing was to find a trainer, but not one associated with the pay by the month gyms or the Y. In Amarillo he didn't have much hope of finding anyone until he advertised spelling out exactly what he wanted. The next day a mound of muscles came to see him, understood exactly what needed to be done as he'd worked some of those shows himself. Married now, his wife was a Texas girl who preferred to live in her home state. His name was Aidan and had a portfolio to show both Dad and Bob. Beyond his training he was a font of information for Bob, things you only learn from someone who's done it and it's all valuable. Dad took Aidan aside and, as he told me, put the fear of God in him by suggesting that Bob was a "special" friend of someone high up in Vegas so this had to work. That threat and a lot of money would make it work. While he was there Aidan and Bob had a session during which Bob was carefully evaluated and a game plan developed to get to the desired goal. Dad flew back to Vegas then called Heck to tell him all was well and would be better. 

A month or two went by when I had an unexpected call from Alexei who wondered if by chance, Britt and I would....let him take just one or two pictures......we could all make a can full of money and, he promised, these would be straight shots of men, not young men selling sex along with tires. I had a better idea but needed time to sell it. Tentatively I told Alexei that we'd do it but....one word in advance in the press or anywhere and....no deal. Just to be on the safe side I changed my phone number, how he'd got it I wasn't sure but if he could, so would others. 

On a fluke, I had an idea so I called Bob to get his input. Great as far as he was concerned but...and, yeah, I knew what the "but" was and that was my next big job. I had a shopping list for him as well as instructions to take his boots to a leather place and have them put a zipper up the inside of each boot for easy on and off. Also, find a tailor who would fit his camouflage to him almost like skin but put In gussets so he could move and, in his way, dance. Puzzled by what I wanted him to get, I simply said that down the road he'd understand and that just now it was better he not know. 

Somewhere, maybe the first night all three of us shared the same bed, an idea had started to circle, still in the ether, unformed but there, growing more concrete as the days and months passed. Bob's "talent show" enlarged my  idea and it now definitely had shape, if somewhat amorphous, but there was definitely shape and some linear insides that had me thinking. 

It was a hot, humid day and we were out in the fields with a back hoe trying to pull a tree stump from a field. Normally in that part of the world trees are venerated and to take one out, a sacrilege but this one had just broken the blade on another piece of machinery and Heck was having his revenge  extracting it up to and including the roots. As best I could I was on the ground trying to dig out the smaller roots as they came up and avoided getting killed if, suddenly the whole stump just popped out. It was inevitable, the stump lost but it left us physical wrecks. Not a pond in sight, no faucet, I rode back in the cab with him and, the next person who used it would have not doubt the sex of the last occupants. 

Dragging back to the house, we did strip and took a plunge in the horse tank just to sluice off some of the odor and the sweat. From there to a real shower in which we just leaned against each other, not out of affection but to make sure we didn't fall down. Finally clean and dry, the only place to go was bed and even if we couldn't sleep, something known to be a factor following exhaustion, we could at least lay there on the sheets and let the air conditioning blow over us. "In a tired voice he said, Dane, you're one man in ten million and the only man I think I'm ever gonna want." He made no move on me, just lay there, naked, his magnificent body, his handsome face all mine. And I desired him. 

"Heck, will you help me with something?"
He lay there, beside me, flat, exhausted. "Sure, buddy, you know I will. What's missin' ?
"You. In me."
He rolled up on one elbow and looked at me. "I don't rightly think I know what yer wantin' ?"
I rolled toward him put an arm around his neck, looked at him then said, "Out there in the field, all hot and sweaty, you swearing at that dumb stump. Your muscles taut, you were so intent on what you were doing.....I got hard and jerking off wasn't what I wanted....I wanted you in me, up me......I think it's about time for you to pick my cherry." And I smiled.
He pulled me to him, held me, cried, told me how much he loved me and how much waiting meant. He knew I loved him, always would. 

"Outside, everything we can do, hot and sweaty, you and me, Your pole in my hole. Deal?"
It was the best smile I'd ever seen from him. "It's a deal but...outside? Where? No place we wouldn't come back, well, injured and I don't want that for either of us. 'Sides, getting grass stains off our backs can be a bitch but I got a better idea."
He got up, reached up and closed the air vent then opened all the windows. He flicked a screen with his finger to make sure it was taut, "Don't need no bugs while I'm makin' love with my man. Tried it outside with Clem once and a moth flew in his mouth. Takes the fun outta it."

He crawled back up on the bed, pulled me over, put an arm around me then kissed me. We nuzzled for a time, I was getting turned on, which he noticed, but so was he. "Dane, I'm so proud a you. Yer all man, one who gets what he wants but only when he 's damn sure he wants it. There's only one time for you...'n you've picked me to be your stallion, who'll break you in to fucking...."

There was no more to be said. I knew I wanted him but wanted him empty so he'd last longer so I leaned down, tongued his nuts then ran his prick into someplace warm and moist. Held him down as slowly I got him almost up then held back until he was squirming with the necessity to spurt. I went further down on him and let him flow into me not swallowing, not yet, but pulled back then kissed him sharing his sperm and its' seed with him. Even after I continued to slowly, jack him off. Not to go anywhere just to give me the feeling of his maker of men in my hand.

His hand was gently moving toward my hole. Easy, kind, warm. One finger reached the edge then two then a third; They squeezed and took the firmness of my ass in their grasp, pulled it away and left room for....a few fingers to slide down just a bit, just to that first gate, and then came back, sliding on my slick skin, back to my chest where they fondled my nipples, those nipples I'd worked on to get thick and with more point, just right for sucking or chewing. 

Then the other side, more fingers, more appreciation of my round, succulent butt. They could feel the muscles inside it slowing churning, waiting for something to go down the chute to chew on. 

The room was getting warm, we had started to sweat which made both our bodies glow, the first rivulets of sweat were entering the forest of hair where they would be caught until more joined them. He kissed the back of my neck, carefully lifted my body while slipping two pillows under me. Pulled my knees forward stretching the opening then leaned over and spit down into the crack that was oh so slightly parting. A thumb went in a little way then was pulled out then two thumbs, also removed. The next wasn't flesh but a warm metal orb that he slid into me and beyond the first gate. Only a little and I could hardly call it pain. He moved the thing round, slowly pulled it up and down then moved it back up just to the point where it opened that first gate. Leaving it there, he rubbed my ass with his strong work worn hands, like having sand paper remove....something. He leaned in and kissed the cheeks before slowly sliding out the plug. 

Now he worked his body until it was on top of mine, I could feel his head as it dangled, touching places on my ass, a kite ready to be brought to earth. "Dane, now I gotta hurt you a little but just go with me, remember I love you...." and with that he slipped into me further than anything had been. There was a sudden jolt, the sort you get when you're slapped and didn't realize you were going to be. I concentrated on him, on his cock, on the pulsing and tried to ignore the pain as he crept further in, every so slowly, making sure I was okay with what he was doing. I had a few tears, not many but, as I'd always heard, the pain receded and what I had was my mans cock in me, getting ready to breed me. I wanted to touch him, stroke him but he was holding my wrists in his hands. 

One more push and I knew the pleasure of male sex, the true meaning of it, the sex you get when someone loves you, cares for you, wants to have your body as theirs but tenderly. He flexed his cock within me and I tried to tighten my hole back but....I wasn't very good. He kissed me on my neck and told me how well I was doing, how he was enjoying me, what a good fuck I was. I could only sigh and try and work my innards to do something to show how appreciative I was.

He stayed in me for quite some time quietly explaining that he wanted to feel the interior so he'd know, next time, how to better please me. I began to feel the tracery of veins on his penis as he grew closer to climax, a thing he was fighting. His hands around me tightened, one came loose and grabbed my hair and pulled my head back. Now he has lost his capacity to think clearly, like the stallion he was, it was time to breed me. I felt a gush of warmth inside me and knew he'd ejaculated. I wondered if I could try and hold him, make him come again. All I knew to do was use my legs as levers and pump my ass with his meat in me up and down. Not a real success but I thought I'd held him for a few seconds longer and then he slid out. It was almost as amazing as the entry. He removed it slowly so that I could feel how shapely it was and, when he reached his head, left it there, in me while he reached under me and in a few hard strokes, brought me to squirt. 

He whispered in my ear, "You're not a virgin any longer. You gave yourself to a man who loves ya, loved fuckin' you and will always love the physical side of us. Dane, I love you so deep, yer my man, equal, you've got my seed and my heart." He was bawling while I was calm, held his head, told him how great he'd felt, how I wanted him again, now. Fast shove it in me but....he looked up, the tears in his green eyes making them a kaleidoscope or various shades of green and white. I licked the tears from his face, from his chin, from his nipple where one or two of them had fallen.

We fell back, the heat, our sweat suddenly exhausted us but it was a good feeling. I closed the distance between us, lay on my side by him, kissed him, took hold of his balls, leaned down and put them in my mouth, the way a man does, not as a virgin, never again. They fell from my mouth as I rolled on my back and suddenly, we were in each other's arms and asleep.

I knew from the inside out, I woke up a new man, a fulfilled man, a man sure of the love of the only man that mattered. The sweat from the previous day had crusted Heck's deep brown hair making it look like ice at the end of a pond with rushes coming up. He was so peaceful, I hoped he felt that he realized he'd changed me, made me absolutely the demanding authoritarian figure I'd always really been but now I was comfortable being that. We were equals and we would made the changes that would help all of us. I wondered what Britt and Clem would say, when they found out and they would, just not right away and, probably, not intentionally. The fiction of my virginity had a usefulness that we-there, we, Heck and me-would use. There was just one thing I now looked forward to; Mounting him. I expect he looked forward to that as well.

Now that I was settled on Heck as my man for now and into the foreseeable future, it was time to roll out another plan that had been on my mind. Discussed it with no one as I needed the advantage of surprise also, I had to do some sneaking around, via Bob in Amarillo, to assure myself that both half of the plan would work. He had become a close friend to all of us, almost a son, his now cheerful demeanor, his shop full of customers and the necessity to add another chair he credited to us. Yes...but he had made some of the changes that worked such as the military discounts and the sign about a son bringing his father to get a haircut-that one had, first, been a story in the newspaper and then another story on one of the television stations. Bob in his Army clothes, in his spotless shop and with the discounts he gave quadrupled his business. That's when he got Hank who, like himself, was straight out of the service, had stayed in to go to barber school and had no problem working in a T, his boots and his cammies. As he said, that was about all the clothes he had. 

Without saying why, I asked Heck if he'd get in touch with Dad, tell him something was on my mind and could he cut some time and come to Texas? That Heck had called, said something was troubling me was enough to make him go home, grab a bag and show up outside Bob's shop before Bob even knew he was coming and before Heck and I could get there. Which we did but a day after Dad. They'd grilled each other as to what could be up and apart from some interesting speculation, they had nothing save their curiosity which was fed by the fact that they kept coming up with even more outlandish ideas. 

Dad had not seen this iteration of me, the cowboy hat which I now wore as naturally as Heck did, the boots, the jeans, the snap front plaid shirt. it was all new and...surprising. Also, we'd let our hair grow and now I looked more like me. Dad now fully understand why I had said Heck should be a model, there was no doubt in his mind but I'd put that seed there for a reason. We puttered around the shop, staying out of the way of the paying customers until an hour after closing when Bob shooed the last one out, puiled down the shade that said he was closed and also pulled down the large sun deflecting screen over the front window.

Beer was produced, everyone got comfortable-Hank had left earlier-and it was now my show. I sat in Bob's chair put my hat, brim up, on his work station and stared at these men all of whom were special and important to me. It was time for show and tell.

Dad, this may hurt you but I wouldn't be the son you raised if I didn't tell you the truth. Also, remember you always used to say I could tell you anything and this is....anything. I guess we all agree that there isn't a finer man than Heck, leastways I think so, and that's why he's my partner now. Sleep in the same bed, have sex with each other...." That's what I had to say about that.

My father got up, gave his hand to Heck then put his arm around his shoulder as they walked toward me. Another arm on my shoulder and a kiss from my father. "Gentlemen, I couldn't be happier for both of you. I suppose after that messy situation with Britt and Clem I got to worrying but I should have known you better. You waited and thought-why didn't you call your Dad?-and it's set in your hearts." Bob got up and shook our hands, we embraced him and there was, on my part, general relief. That was almost the easy part.

End Of Part One.

Part Two, Walking the Catwalk and Loving It.