A Trial of Strength

A TRIAL OF STRENGTH - PART 325 By Rob Williams

IN THIS CHAPTER:

Grady and Mario throw a party for the tribe, featuring a wild water-polo match between four athletic jocks who break all the rules. "Winners fuck the losers," Randy decrees and the brawl becomes sexual. Later, Randy issues a challenge and one man responds. "Under the astonished gaze of the whole tribe the King of the Gypsies was surrendering his ass to another man ... his own brother!"

CHAPTER 325 – "THE TRIBE THROWS A WILD, WET PARTY"

************ In the previous chapter ***********

Grady was home after a successful but grueling location shoot in England, starring in the new big-budget Tarzan movie. In the English sequences he played John, Viscount Greystoke, the fictional character raised in the jungle as Tarzan who briefly returns to England, only to discover that he belongs in the jungle, so he trades his aristocratic clothes for a loincloth and goes back.

And with Grady's mischievous sense of playacting, when he returned to L.A. it was in his Tarzan loincloth that he greeted his Italian lover Mario in a wildly sexual reunion. They made passionate love, threaded with a fantasy theme of a hot Italian gardener fucking the alpha-jock movie star.

With their lust quenched they had lunch with their staff, the young house manager and chef Danny, and the houseboy Brian. It was then that Grady gave them the good news.

"I've got the whole week off. There's a delay on a mammoth set they're building so they've released me for the week. So listen, I was thinking on the plane back, why don't we give a big party here for the whole tribe? We haven't had a celebration here since that open house when we first bought the place. The guys had a blast then so I thought, let's do it again."

Moved, as always, by Grady's boyish enthusiasm Mario agreed. "I think it's a fine idea, amico. My only concern is that we might be creating too much work for Danny and Brian ..."

But the excited boys reassured him that they could cope, with help from the twins (chefs at the tribes main house), the junior boys (the `three amigos' Eddie, Brandon and Ben), and Tommy (the young blond gymnast who now works as house manager for Dr. Steve and his lover Lloyd.)

Grady suggested that Brian also invite his uncle Mike, the middle-aged leather-bar owner in Palms Springs. "Mario and me have heard so much about him from the guys who've been out there and we'd love to meet him." Mario agreed, "I think it's a wonderful idea. You'll have the chance to introduce your uncle to all the guys, Brian – to your new family."

Brian, who before coming to work for Grady and Mario had led a reclusive life in the desert overwhelmed by his handicap of life in a wheelchair, was thrilled that he would be able to show off his glamorous new life to the older man, Uncle Mike, who had always worried about his nephew's bleak future.

`No need to worry anymore uncle,' Brian smiled to himself as, with redoubled enthusiasm, he plunged into the energetic party preparations with the other boys.

*********************** Chapter 325 ***********************

Working feverishly it seemed to the boys that they would never be ready on time for the arrival on Saturday of the tribe's nearly two-dozen men and boys.

The party hosts, Mario and Grady, (when they were not holed up together in the master bedroom in their multi-day reunion celebration) worked as hard as the boys and Grady loved being just one of the gang after all the celebrity attention showered on him in England. At heart a simple fun-loving guy, Grady needed a release from the rigors of stardom and found it in these guys he looked on as family.

Against all the odds, when Saturday came everything was ready when the first members of the clan began to trickle in, and by noon the whole tribe was gathered in the immaculate grounds of the Grady House. Danny and the twins were hard at work in the kitchen, where the master-chef twins deferred politely to the younger Danny. It was his kitchen, his house, and they were his assistants, even though they held the lofty status of being Bob's boys.

Out by the pool Thomas was overseeing the table arrangements, which he had designed to be ultra-casual for this most casual of groups. Snacks and drinks were ferried out by Brian and his buddies Eddie, Ben and Brandon. And this was one of the times that the two boys in wheelchairs, Brandon and Brian, were at a distinct advantage, being able to carry piles of plates and food containers on their tray tables.

There had, as always, been a long debate about the music, with every boy's taste competing for selection, but finally Grady and Mario settled on a mix of jazz styles to reflected the guys in attendance – including Gypsy "Django" jazz in honor of the two gypsies Randy and his little brother Ben, Latin jazz for Mario and the cool, smooth sounds preferred by Grady.

While he worked Brian kept an eye on the gate, waiting for his Uncle Mike who had called to say he was held up in the weekend traffic from Palm Springs to L.A. At last he heard the sound of Mike's truck pulling up outside. Brian detached himself from the party, wheeled himself quickly over to the gate and clicked it open with his remote. Mike walked in and stopped dead in his tracks, staring in slack-jawed amazement at the gathering of stunning men.

"Holy shit ... holy fucking shit. I have died and gone to heaven. Always wondered what that place would look like. Now I know."

"Hi, Uncle Mike, you made it. Come with me." Bursting with pride to show his uncle the house he now lived in and the hunky man he worked for, Brian reached up and tugged on Mike's shirt, then wheeled himself toward the gathering by the pool. As they threaded their way through the throng the men and boys Mike had already met in the desert greeted him effusively.

Randy walked forward with his gleaming, sexy smile and hugged him enthusiastically, a sure sign to anyone who still didn't know it that Mike was definitely accepted by the tribe. "Hey you old scoundrel, great to see you, man. So you sometimes get out of the desert and brave the big city eh? You sure you can handle it?"

Mike grinned, "Son, I was `handling' this city when you were still a gleam in your daddy's eye."

Bob joined them laughing, "Mike, I doubt there ever was a gleam in his daddy's eye. It was just `slam bam, thank you ma'am' and the result was this big lug. Gimme a hug."

Bob swallowed him up in his strong arms and Mike said, "Hell, looks like I'm gonna have a permanent boner in my jeans all day long. OK if I cream my shorts when I feel like it?"

Randy roared with laughter. "Sure, why not? Everyone else does around here."

Brian was tugging at Mike's shirt again murmuring, "Sir, sir, come and meet Grady." Mike grinned at Randy and Bob. "Better do the rounds, I guess, guys. See you later."

He followed Brian over to a small group of men, including the Aussies, Adam and Nate, whom he had met before in the desert. He said his hellos, then Brian beamed as he said, "And this here is my boss, sir. Grady, this is my uncle Mike."

Mike was dazzled by the dimpled smile of the stunning young man dressed in cargo shorts, flip-flops and a loose sleeveless blue shirt hanging open over his sculpted physique. Grady wrapped both his hands round Mike's and pumped his arm enthusiastically. "So this is the famous Uncle Mike young Brian keeps talking about. Welcome to our humble abode, Mike."

Mike smiled and raised his eyebrows. "Not so humble, I'd say, Grady, but it definitely has the feel of home."

"You could not have said anything nicer, amico," came the lilting Italian accent of a beautiful man with a shock of curly black hair standing next to him. Grady beamed, "I'd like you to meet Mario, Mike."

Mike shook his hand and said, "And you two are in love ... crazy, madly in love. It shines from your eyes so bright you might as well be yelling it from the rooftops."

"Sir, sir," Brian said from his wheelchair beside him. "I gotta go. The other guys need my help."

"OK, kiddo, off you go, back to work." As Brian sped off toward the kitchen Mike turned shining eyes to Grady and Mario. "You guys have no idea how good it sounds to hear the kid say `the guys need my help'. It's music to my ears after the solitary life he used to lead. Now someone actually needs him! Grady, Mario, I thank you with all my heart for giving him this sensational job. I hope he's living up to your expectations."

"He's perfect, Mike," Grady said. "And that freckle-faced smile of his makes the sun come out on the gloomiest day. Don't thing we didn't check him out though. He went through an intensive whole day's interview with an expert."

"Someone mention me?" came a deep voice behind him. Mike spun round and gasped, "Holy shit!" He was staring at man who was not only handsome, with his square-cut features and piercing blue eyes. He was the image of Randy.

"Uncle Mike," Grady smiled, "this is Steve, otherwise known as Doctor Steve, Randy's brother and our high-class therapist. There isn't a man or boy here who hasn't taken his problems to Steve at one time or another. The tribe's shrink knows where the bodies are buried."

Steve laughed, "Thanks for making me sound like the local witch doctor, Grady. Hi, Mike. It's a pleasure to meet a guy who has bested my big brother without a fist being swung."

"Well that was never my intention, Steve ... I simply ..."

"I know, I know ... Hey, meeting the whole tribe all at once can be a bit overwhelming, especially for a guy who's spent the last couple of hours fighting the traffic on the 10 Freeway. Let's go over there to a quiet table, relax over a few drinks, and I'll fill you in on `where the bodies are buried' as my movie-star friend puts it."

Grady winced at the term "movie-star" and Steve said, "Oops, sorry dude. Me and my big mouth."

A few minutes later Steve and Mike were sitting at a table in the shade on a slightly elevated patch of grass giving them a perfect view of the assembled crowd of men and boys. Brian had wheeled himself up to them with a bottle of white wine and two glasses, then rushed away, weaving his way through the crowd.

"Great kid," Steve smiled. "Here's to your cute nephew, Mike." They clinked glasses and Steve waved his arm in the direction of the noisy crowd. "Incredible bunch of guys, eh? And today they're even well-dressed. What I mean is, they're all wearing shirts, which in that group is what passes for formal dress. See that pale blue T-shirt Randy's wearing? I guarantee Bob picked that out for him – matches his eyes. So, Mike, what do you think of these guys?"

"Like you said, Steve, overwhelming. But you must know them better than anyone, so fill me in."

"OK, well first our hosts. Did you notice how Grady winced when I called him a movie-star? He doesn't think of himself that way. See, he has two separate lives. In one he really is a movie star, or soon will be, and it scares him a bit. But his other life is right here. This place is his refuge where he's just one of the guys. And the tribe closes ranks around him, protecting his privacy, keeping his worlds separated. It's a golden rule enforced by Randy – what happens in the Grady House stays in the house.

"And of course the center of Grady's world is Mario. I've rarely seen two guys so much in love, except for Randy and Bob, of course. And I think it's a love that will last. They fit so well together – the energetic, fun-loving extrovert and the quieter, sophisticated beauty with his common sense and European flair. In a way they mirror Randy and Bob like that.

"Talking of which," Steve went on, "just look at those two guys, the unquestioned leaders of the tribe. Hell, they created it from nothing.

"You've already tangled with Randy I know and you're one of the few guys to have come out on top. You know I'm a year younger than him and we're like those brothers you read about in stories – separated at birth. I was put up for adoption and raised in the rarified air of Marin County up north while Randy was left to fight for himself and his five young brothers on the hard-scrabble streets of west Texas. And he succeeded."

Steve's eyes gleamed as he spoke of his big brother. "Boy, did he ever succeed! That guy is nothing short of magnificent. A macho, beautiful alpha-male and so fucking sexy. Oh, don't get me wrong, he drives me crazy a lot of the time, so sure of himself and his authority and always ready to assert it with his fists. But underneath that caveman exterior he has a heart of gold. Don't dare anyone mess with his boys – he'll protect them like a tiger.

"But like most of those mythological heroes he has his Achilles' heel ... Bob. Meeting Bob threw him for a loop. Up to then he was fearless, striding through life, superior to all. But he didn't understand real love and he came face to face with his big fear – that one day Bob might leave him. I don't think he could face life without Bob."

"But surely you counsel him and he listens to you," Mike said.

Steve laughed, "Are you kidding? Listen to his younger brother? Nah, I'm the last guy he'd take advice from. It took a level headed stranger, like you, whom he respected, to make him see reason. He really looks up to you, Mike. But me? No, I just stand in the background and admire. And you know the hell of it? Randy may be my brother but whenever I see him my dick gets hard."

Mike looked at Steve's shining face and asked gently, "Are you in love with him, Steve?"

Steve look startled, as if a secret had just been let out of the bag. "Well," he said in confusion ... "well, I wouldn't go as far as ..."

"And is Randy in love with you?"

"What? Randy? Nah ... He's always been competitive with me, always the older brother who knows best. But love? No way. And even if he did feel anything, he'd never admit it in a million years. We're brothers for god sake, we never talk about stuff like that."

"Hmm," Mike mused, "maybe you should. Just a thought." He sensed it was time to change the subject. "OK, so what about the other men?"

"Ah, right," Steve smiled, happy to be on more solid ground. "Well I always split them into groups. First you have the leaders. Randy (`nuff said); Bob, loved and respected by everyone; Mark, everyone's fantasy cop and in love with Bob and Randy.

"Second, the strong silent ones. Zack, dominant black leather-stud; Pete, the quiet, handsome Ranger; and Hassan, the commanding Marine captain. I love the mismatched combination of the silent Marine and his talkative boy Eddie who Hassan loves like crazy."

"And then third, there are what I call the jocks. My lover Lloyd; the Aussie Adam; and the young fireman Jason, all of them stars at the gym.

"Now here's a question for you, Mike. Take a good look at these guys – handsome, virile, sexy as hell. It's only natural – lust is just below the surface, testosterone thick in the air, rock-hard cocks in every direction. It always happens ... sooner or later at these gatherings sex rears its head. The question is, who's gonna start the ball rolling today? Come on, Mike, as a bar owner you know human nature, so what's your guess?"

Mike grinned and rose to the challenge. He looked at the boisterous men, talking animatedly, laughing, swearing, challenging. He studied their body language, the fire in their eyes, and finally said, "Well, Steve, my money's on the jocks."

And Mike was right. It wasn't long after his prediction that they heard Grady's voice. He stood up, took all his clothes off and yelled, "Who's coming for a swim?" Mario was sitting with Bob and smiled, "You gotta love him."

The jocks, competitive as ever, could not resist an invitation like that. Adam, Lloyd and Jason jumped to their feet, quickly stripped naked and dived in the pool. Instantly the water was churning like a pool of piranhas as the men worked off their pent-up lust, pitting muscle against muscle, wrestling, challenging, cursing at each other in fun.

"Hard to tell one from the other," Mike said.

"Here let me help you out," Steve said. The dark-haired ones are Lloyd and Adam. My lover Lloyd spends a whole lot of time at the gym ogling other hot jocks. Adam is the tall handsome stud with a body that won't quit and the natural masculinity of so many Aussie men.

The blond is Jason, whom you met at your house of course, he of the famous August page in the fireman's calendar that most of the boys have under their beds. And you sampled that playful strain of narcissism in him that makes him even sexier. And Grady, our host is the guy featured in most movie magazines these days. He was a gym buddy of Lloyd, who referred him to me for therapy as Grady was worried that his obsession for beautiful men might harm his budding career."

"So you solved that one by surrounding him with gorgeous men in the private world of the tribe."

"You catch on fast, Mike. So watch the action of the four jocks in the pool and see how long before it turns sexual."

The men and boys sitting round the pool were all wondering the same thing as they watched the four jocks thrashing in the water, wrestling and grabbing at each other's cocks. The action had clearly already turned sexual and Mario grinned at Bob. "Time to bring order to chaos, don't you think, amico?" Mario stood up, went to the pool shed and brought back a volleyball he and Grady often fooled around with, and hung a referee's whistle round his neck.

He stood beside the pool and yelled out loud, "Attenzione! ... Attenzione!" At the sound of his lover's voice Grady stopped horsing around and the other three followed suit. "Basta! ? disgustoso! ... an insult to our guests. They deserve better than a bunch of hooligans grabbing each other's balls. I have a proper ball here and I have a whistle so I shall referee a game of water polo. And be warned, Italian refs are molto severo ... very strict."

This was greeted by howls of derision but a loud "Silenzio!" and a blast from the whistle brought a restless silence. "I will choose the sides. Grady, you and Lloyd are gym-buddies from way back and I have no doubt you played together often..." This brought hoots and whistles from the spectators and indignant protests from Grady. "So you shall play together now. You will face the team of Adam and Jason, playing to uphold the honor of Aussies and Firefighters."

"What about goals?" Jason shouted. "We gotta have goals to shoot at."

"Ah ..." There was a moment of uncertainty, solved by Brandon. "No problem, sirs. Brian and me will sit at opposite ends of the pools and you score a goal by shooting the ball between the wheels of our chairs."

"Good on ya, mate," Adam drawled. "But what if we shoot too high and hit your balls?"

"No worries there, mate," Brian laughed, mimicking Adam's Aussie accent. "We got balls of steel."

The tempo was definitely heating up as the boys took up positions at opposite ends, Brandon behind the Grady/Lloyd team, and Brian behind Adam/Jason. But then Jason said, "Wait a minute. What stakes are we playing for? What's the prize?"

"Huh," came Randy's deep vice. "That's a no-brainer ... the other team's asses. It's obvious ... the winners fuck the losers." He shrugged, raised his eyebrows and opened his hands in a `what-else-would-it-be?' gesture. The crowd laughed and Steve grinned at Mike. "That's my brother. It all comes down to fucking."

"Siamo d'accordo," Mario said, trying to maintain control. "First team to shoot three goals wins." And with no further dumb questions they were ready. "Perfetto," Mario laughed. "Pronto ... Uno, due, tre ..." With a blast of his whistle Mario threw the ball high in the air and four wet and wild naked jocks leapt for it in the middle of the pool. The game was on.

"Game' was a very loose term. Brawl would be closer. Despite Mario's threat that Italian refs are severo' he never had a chance. No amount of fierce whistle blasts or barked threats could control this muscular group. "Fouls" given in English or Italian were ignored as the group broke every rule in the book – not that there were any rules or even a book. Dunking, pulling, shoving, ball-grabbing were the order of the day, the air blue with curses and obscenities in the pool, and scathing protests and howls of derision from the spectators beside it.

But somewhere in all the bedlam a game was being played and goals scored. Jason shoved Lloyd under the water while he hurled the ball under Brandon's chair. Grady took a magnificent long shot the length of the pool which unfortunately, as Adam had predicted, hit Brian in the balls, then fell to the concrete and trickled under his wheelchair.

There was a moment of consternation but Brian flashed his freckled-faced smile and gave two thumbs up as he yelled, "Goal!" When the ref protested he was overruled by the crowd chanting "Go Brian!" Steve smiled at Mike who had tears in his eyes seeing his nephew's joy at being the center of attention.

Soon it was two goals each and the fighting was fierce for the decisive third goal. There was a scrimmage of all four men at the Grady/Lloyd end of the pool until finally Jason trapped Grady and Lloyd from behind by wrapping his arms round their necks.

"Good on ya mate," Adam laughed and the empty pool lay before him. Ignoring the shouts of protest from the trapped men struggling behind him, Adam took several long lazy strokes to the other end where he nonchalantly threw the ball under Brandon's chair.

He leapt up from the water, pumping his fists in the air in triumph, while shrill whistle blasts competed with raucous howls of "Foul!" and jubilant shouts of "Goal!" The match was over.

"Eccellente," Mario smiled at Bob and sat down next to him. "That went well don't you think, amico? I was a good referee, no?"

"Best I've seen," said Bob. "In total control. You blew that whistle ... real loud." And they both sputtered with laughter. "But you, er, realize Grady's gonna get fucked now. You OK with that?"

Mario laughed merrily. "Certo!" It's what Grady wanted ... he broke the rules and threw the game ... at least he would have if there had been any rules to break."

More laughter, and then Mario turned more serious. "Bob, I am always happy to see Grady having fun like this. It's just what he needs to unwind. He works so hard at the studio and he's under a lot of stress and pressure, though he tries not to show it. But I see it and do everything I can to help him relax and forget the studio for a while."

"Mario, you are far and away the best thing that happened to Grady. I think he might bend under the pressure if he didn't have you to come home to every night."

"The boys too," Mario said. "He loves Danny and Brian, treats them like his little brothers. But I know exactly what he wants now. He's all fired up and longs to pay the loser's price of getting fucked by Adam. He is always turned on by the handsome Aussie's masculinity that is so natural and effortless." Mario sighed. "It's something I, unfortunately, do not possess – that raw, rugged virility that he craves sometimes."

Detecting a note of insecurity Bob smiled reassuringly. "Sure, I understand that ... I should ... hell, I sleep with Randy every night so I should. I mean, most mornings in the gym Randy ends their workout session by fucking Grady, which leaves him relaxed and satisfied, ready to face the rigors of the studio. And now his ass is aching for Adam's big Aussie dick.

"But Mario, the difference between you and those macho guys is that, while Grady loves to get fucked by them, he does not fall in love with them. He fell in love with you, a guy who has no raw edges ... smooth and sweet as an Italian gelato. Grady fell in love with your beauty, your gentleness, that European classiness you got going, your accent ..." Bob grinned ... "and those Italian phrases you deliberately throw into your conversation to turn him on. It's that serenity that he looks forward to every day, why he sinks into your arms and stays there."

"Thank you, Bob. I love you for saying that ... a reassurance I needed to hear. And," Mario grinned, "you're right about those Italian phrases. Grady says they make his dick hard. OK, so let's sit back and enjoy act two of this jock extravaganza. Now that the former referee has retired and they are facing a double fuck they look as if they need someone to take charge."

"And who else?" Bob smiled, waving his hand in the direction of Randy getting to his feet.

"OK, guys," Randy said. "The moment of truth – sex! – and I know the thought of that makes you nervous." A howl of laughter and derision greeted that fallacy and Randy raised his hand for silence. "So let's get right down to it ... and I do mean down, as on hands and knees. The losers of the match, assume the position."

Grady and Lloyd stepped forward willingly (and without a trace of the nervousness Randy joked about) and got down on all fours on the grass while Adam and Jason preened behind them. The crowd stared in awe at the gym-honed architect and the muscular Tarzan on hands and knees, their asses exposed to the naked blond fireman and the tall, rugged Aussie stroking their dicks behind them. All four had raging hard-ons, as did every one of the spectators.

"Gentlemen," Randy said, "allow me to introduce my assistant ... my kid brother Ben, Jason's boy." Ben stepped forward and acknowledged the burst of applause by raising both hands in the air, each clutching a jar of lube. He put one on the ground by Lloyd and the other by Grady.

"Right, little brother, now you get to choose which winner fucks which loser. You are Jason's boy so who do you want your fireman to fuck?"

Ben had been taught by Eddie how to milk a moment of importance and he now walked around the group rubbing his chin, an incongruous picture of a dark haired young gypsy pretending to be a wise judge. He finally nodded at Randy, who said, "Gentlemen, we have a verdict. How do you find, bro?"

Ben puffed up his chest and announced his decision. "Sir, Jason fucks Lloyd ... so Adam fucks Grady."

During the burst of cheers Steve leaned over to Mike and said, "It was a rigged verdict. If I know my brother, and I do, he primed our kid brother in advance. He knew Grady wanted Adam, so ..." His eyes sparkled. "Just look at Randy, Mike. So in charge, everyone eating out of his hand. And so fucking gorgeous in that blue T-shirt. And just wait `til he takes it off – and he will. Right now he's teasing the guys. So fucking beautiful."

Mike looked at Steve's glowing face and grinned to himself. Yep, totally in love.

Adam and Jason had taken their places on their knees behind Grady and Lloyd respectively. With a sense of synchronized drama they dipped into the jars beside them and pushed their fingers gently into the jock asses raised in expectation. The gym-buddies Lloyd and Grady, who had often fooled around in the locker room of their gym, now turned their heads, looked into each other's eyes and kissed, moaning as they felt the invasion of their asses begin.

"Jesus," Mike murmured to Steve, "your guys sure know how to put on a show." Mike fell into his voyeur habit of describing the scene as it unfolded. "Look at those two, Adam and Jason, arms flexing as they grease up their buddies' butts. Man, that Aussie is such a damn stud ... flawless physique, criminally handsome, short dark hair – a real alpha male if ever I saw one. Can't wait for him to shove that huge dick up Tarzan's ass."

"Won't have long to wait, buddy," said Steve, "with Randy calling the shots."

He was right. "OK, the Aussie first," Randy said. "Go for it, stud." The cheers died down and the crowd watched in rapt silence as Adam eased his pole into Grady's ass, slowly, deeper and deeper. The only sound was Grady's ecstatic moans and the heavy breathing of men stroking their cocks as they looked on mesmerized. Bob looked anxiously at Mario and was reassured by the joy shining in his eyes at the sight of his lover's evident excitement.

Jason came next, not so subtle as he said, "Here it comes, big guy. Take it and weep." He rammed his cock in Lloyd's ass and tears did indeed spring to his eyes as his head reared back and he howled with the pain and pleasure of sudden penetration.

The aggressors, Adam and Jason, grinned at each other as they fucked their victims, and from then on coordinated their rhythms and thrusts – running the gamut from gentle caress to pile-driving slams. Jason, of course, with his narcissistic nature, was showing off – the blond Adonis pounding the dark-haired gym-jock. Adam, the cool, confident Australian got off fucking the magnificent Tarzan but he glanced often at Mario to make sure of his approval.

Randy decided to kick the action up a notch. "OK, these guys need help here. Who's it gonna be? Mario, Pete ... get your asses and your dicks over here.

Mario smiled at Bob and gave a `whatever' shrug. "His master's voice," Bob grinned.

Pete was sitting with his boy Brandon and now ruffled his hair. "Sounds like I'm needed, kiddo."

"Go show `em who's boss, sir."

When Mario and Ranger Pete joined the group their role was obvious. While the two jocks got their asses reamed Randy had pulled their heads back and they were looking upward, their arms braced stiffly, hands planted on the ground in front of them.

Mario looked down at Grady who gave him a dazzling smile. Mario bent down and kissed him on the lips. "Don't have to guess what you want, amico. Non è un segreto ... è evidente."

"Ooh, say that again, buddy, and I'll cum. Better still, let me suck your dick." Mario smiled, shrugged off his loose black shirt, untied his beige linen pants and pulled out his long, hard cock. Grady licked the head and moaned, "Ooh, Adam's pounding my ass so hard ... make me feel better, amico."

"For you, mi amore, anything." Mario pushed his hips forward and slid his cock all the way down his lover's throat. He looked across Grady's body and smiled at Adam who found himself turned on by both Grady's hot ass and the Italian's warm smile. "You blokes are bloody terrific you know that? Come on, mate, let's give Tarzan what he wants, yeah?"

As the Aussie and the Italian fucked both ends, Pete and Jason followed suit. Pete unzipped his pants and grinned down at Lloyd's upturned face. "Man, I' always wanted to bang that sexy mouth. Open up, big guy." Lloyd's jaw sagged and Pete shoved his cock in his mouth.

Pete grinned at Jason facing him. "OK, Jason, we're a team – fireman and ranger. Show me what you got, buddy." Jason took him at his word and flexed his muscles dramatically as his hips pounded down on Lloyd's ass. "Shit," Pete said, "that's fucking beautiful, man. Let's give it to him, stud."

Mike was blown away by the six heaving musclehunks and stroked his crotch feverishly. "Er, Steve, is it allowed for a guy to pull out his dick and jack off to this?"

Steve roared with laughter. "Allowed? It's required! What do you think the other guys are doing? Mike old buddy, you gotta show your appreciation for these jocks' performance."

That's all Mike needed to hear. He unzipped, yanked out his cock and stroked it as he watched the four hunks go at it, taking care not to lose his load right away. By this time Mario and Adam were smiling into each other's eyes, each man reaching forward and tit-twisting the other as they coordinated their thrusts into Grady, fore and aft.

Jason, pushing exhibitionism to the max, had linked his hands behind his head, elbows outstretched, displaying his physique, his washboard abs flexing hard as he rammed his cock in Lloyd's ass. Pete reached forward and ran his hands over the young fireman's sculpted chest while Lloyd clenched his throat round Pete's cock.

The spectacular tableau of two alpha gym jocks, their asses and faces impaled on their buddies' piston rods, was a total sensory overload that no man could survive – certainly not these six guys and their audience. It was, predictably, ringmaster Randy who brought things to a head.

"OK, guys, this is it," he yelled as he pulled his T-shirt off and tossed it aside.

Steve nudged Mike. "Told you so. Look at that gorgeous body."

Striding shirtless around the heaving group Randy was the undisputed leader of the clan as he yelled, "Guys ... are we a tribe or what? We support each other, right? So let's prove it ... you all know the ritual, so let's do it. You ready ... you ready? OK, now!" Towering over the crowd he pumped both fists in the air and howled, "Now! ... Now! ... Now!"

Mario, Adam, Pete and Jason gave a collective shout as they all climaxed together ... Grady and Lloyd choked as semen poured into their asses and mouths ... and the grass was wet with cum ... a tribal tribute from the dazzled spectators.

It was a pretty safe bet that no other water polo match ever, anywhere, ended up quite like this.

Having shot his load Mike stuffed his cock quickly back in his pants, not used to so publicly blowing his wad in a raucous crowd this big.

Steve grinned at him. "Overwhelming, eh Mike? I know – took me a while to get used to this clan too, with their extrovert, orgiastic celebrations. That's the thing about these guys ... always no holds barred. In this tribe we don't hold our feelings back, and the tribe is the stronger for it.

"`Course, they all take their cue from Randy. Did you see how he was in total control, pumping his fists in the air like that. He looked so fucking hot. I'm sure that a lot of those guys were staring at him when they finally shot their loads.

"I don't doubt it," Mike agreed, seeing again that look of rapt admiration on Steve's face. "But I noticed that Randy himself didn't pull out his dick and jerk off."

Steve smiled knowingly. "Nah, not him. He's saving it. One thing about my big brother, he never lets himself be outshone by anyone, even a group of spectacular jocks like those guys. Always has to prove he's the leader ... always has the last word."

"I, er, notice you didn't cum either, Steve," Mike said tentatively. "You, er, saving it too?"

"Me? Nah, I ... just didn't feel ... I dunno, I ..."

Mike had clearly hit a nerve and decided to go for broke. "Steve, I may be way out of line here and you can tell me to shut my big mouth, but ... I mean, I know you are brothers and all but have you ... have you and Randy ever had sex?"

Cool, confident Doctor Steve was not a man to blush but he did now. "Well, Mike, since you ask, yeah we have ... a couple of times.

"See, like I said, we were separated as soon as I was born and put up for adoption, so we didn't know each other existed until Mark referred Randy to me for anger management therapy. We were attracted to each and at first had sex together with Bob – but of course we had no idea we were brothers. That came much later when I finally checked with the adoption agency, we had DNA tests and got the verdict.

"Well Randy went apeshit, felt threatened, and reacted in typical brutal fashion ... the only way he knew how. To `prove' we couldn't be brothers he barged into my house and fucked me ... raped my ass ... and made me cum. I'll never forget what he said then ... the words are seared on my brain.

"He yelled, So much for brotherly love, eh, Steve? Didn't feel very fraternal to me either. So much for sharing our life together. The only thing we shared was bodily fluids when I fucked you up the ass. Think of it this way, though ... we just bonded. So let's call it a day and put all this brother' bullshit behind us. You go your way and I'll go mine. Maybe a great fuck now and then and that's it. See, I like my life the way it is, Steve, so stay out of it. I don't have a brother."

"Wow," Mike said. "That was cold."

"Oh, you know Randy. He calmed down, his instinct for protecting his brothers kicked in and we became good friends. Oh there was one time when we went up to the dunes with our little brother Ben and, to prove he was tough, the kid got all macho, bless him, and ordered me to fuck Randy, so I did. Didn't want to deflate the kid's ego, so I `followed orders'."

Steve stared into space, obviously visualizing the scene, and his eyes sparkled. Then he snapped back to the present. "But that was to indulge Ben, and ever since then we've just been ... family. The way it should be. You asked if I was in love with Randy. Well no, not in the way you mean. We love each other like brothers, good buddies. I admire him, he's gorgeous, but there's no ..." he frowned with distaste ..."no sexual attraction. Not at all. Hell, we're brothers."

"Yeah, of course," Mike said quietly. "Of course."

The four jocks – the fuckers and the fucked – had launched themselves back in the pool where the post-sex horseplay was even more joyful than the pre-sex. Pete had rejoined Brandon and Mario was sitting with Bob again, sipping wine.

Mario watched Grady splashing in the pool, then turned to Bob with shining eyes. "He's having a good time, don't you think, Bob?"

"Absolutely the best, Mario," Bob reassured him. "The studio could be a million miles away instead of just over the hill in Burbank."

With a satisfied smile Mario took another sip of wine, then looked around him. "Steve seems to be getting along very well with Mike. They've been chatting up a storm since Mike got here."

"Well, I'm not surprised," Bob said. "You know, Mario, when it comes right down to it there's not a hell of a lot of difference between a bar owner and a psychiatrist. They both spend most of their time at work listening to other people's troubles and dishing out advice. Only difference here is, one's in a posh Beverly Hills office and the other in a leather bar. One has all the diplomas, the other years of a bartender's experience."

Bob chuckled. "And sometimes guys are more inclined to take advice from a bartender than a shrink, especially if they're lubricated with booze. Take Randy. Not many guys can claim to have tamed that hothead gypsy but Mike did ... and without throwing a punch."

Mario said, "But amico, you long ago tamed Randy, did you not?"

"Oh, I don't think tamed is the word," Bob laughed. "I don't want to either. I like the wild stallion in him, and the only thing you can do with a stallion is corral it occasionally. Huh, Steve didn't even succeed in doing that. They're too much alike, those two, and like a lot of brothers there's always a competitive edge there, a kind of tension – can never quite put my finger on it."

He gave a puzzled frown. "I've watched them together and there's a mix of respect, grudging admiration and brotherly affection ... but there's something else too ... something, I dunno, something unexpressed, just below the surface. There are times when Randy is putting on his macho show, as he did just now – you know, arrogant, lord-of-all-he-surveys, knowing everyone watching him has a hard-on – and I catch Steve staring at him and ..."

Bob shook his head. "I dunno what I'm talking about. I'm not making much sense am I, and it's a fool's game anyway, trying to understand that family, even their little brother Ben. That's what makes them so fascinating. You just have to sit back and let them do what they do."

They drank in silence, soaking up the magic of the tribe with its tangled web of relationships between men and boys, each with his own strong personality and desires. The jocks finally climbed out of the pool and dried off, and Grady came and sat close to Mario and threw his arm round his shoulder.

"You OK, amico? You didn't mind all that – me getting fucked by Adam and all? Sure loved the taste of your cock but I want more than that. Just wait `til I get you in bed tonight, dude."

They nuzzled while the others sat around in groups drinking, and there was a natural lull in the tempo. The boys would pretty soon begin setting up for the meal that would no doubt stretch through the afternoon – a late lunch blending all the way into dinner. It was a reflection of the Italian meals Mario was used to in his native Tuscany, where peasant feasts in the countryside were festive occasions that went on forever.

But the lull was deceptive. The preliminary festivities were not quite over ... there was one more act to play out before they sat down to eat. And once again Randy rose to his feet.

Still shirtless, all Randy had to do was clear his throat for their full attention. His towering presence was enough to command silence. "Gentlemen! On behalf of the whole tribe I want to thank Mario and Grady for opening their home to us and putting on this great shindig. You two are the best. So, guys, raise your glasses in a toast to ... Tarzan and his Mate!"

"Tarzan and his Mate!" The ragged chorus rang out across the garden accompanied by cheers and wolf whistles. One penetrating look from Randy's blue eyes brought silence again. "But we owe them more than cheers and a toast ... we have to make our own contribution to the festivities ... call it an appetizer before we eat. And it falls to me as leader to come up with something special.

"And bigger and better," Steve whispered to Mike with a broad grin.

"Seeing Grady get his gorgeous ass ploughed by our Aussie stud Adam gave me the idea. He willingly submitted his ass for our enjoyment ... and so will I!" He paused for dramatic effect, to let the stunning idea sink in. "My ass is on offer to the first man who's big enough and tough enough to take it. Who's it gonna be? This is a limited time offer, guys, so make your choice."

A ripple of excited anticipation ran through the group as the boys looked at the men in turn. It wouldn't be Bob – too obvious – he could fuck Randy whenever he wanted. Not the jocks either, nor Mario and Pete – all those guys had already pumped their dicks dry. The obvious contenders were Mark, Zack and Hassan who were always considered Randy's equal in strength and dominance.

But as all eyes focused on them there was a reluctance in all three. They were not the kind of men who liked being invited' to fuck Randy and add to his luster as star attraction. They played second fiddle to no one, least of all to Randy as a kind of magician's assistant. And his veiled taunt of big enough and tough enough' was not likely to seduce them. So a moment of tense silence followed Randy's surprise offer.

Sitting some distance away from the group Mike said quietly to Steve, "Shit damn, the guy's fucking incredible. He sure knows how to hold center stage. Look at him, standing there stripped to the waist with that smoking hot body, those steel blue eyes almost defying anyone to rise to the challenge. And there's not a limp dick in the place. Who do you think is gonna ...?"

His voice trailed off as he looked at Steve and saw the glow on his handsome face, lips slightly apart, and the gleam in his eyes as he stared at Randy. Mike had seen that look on Steve's face before and it could mean only one thing ... worship.

Mike leaned toward him and murmured in his ear, "Remember what you said earlier Steve? `In this tribe we don't hold our feelings back, and we're stronger for it.' So don't hold back, buddy ... it'll make you stronger. Your brother too."

The silence was starting to become oppressive as the three men looked at each other, waiting for one of the others to make a move. And then one man rose slowly to his feet – but it was none of them. For a few seconds no one noticed, focused as they were on the main group. But then they glimpsed the movement at the distant table ... and there was a collective gasp.

The handsome doctor stood there unbuttoning his white shirt and shrugging it off. He stood still, bare chested like his brother, two look-alike men, their blue eyes focused on each other like lasers across the empty space separating them. In the stunned silence, broken only by the sound of the slight breeze and the dry drone of the cicadas, no one was sure what was happening. Randy and Steve? Two handsome alpha males? Almost identical brothers?"

The group collectively held its breath and Steve moved away from the table, walked slowly across the grass and stood facing Randy. He said simply, "I'll fuck you, bro."

The two men stared at each other motionless and tension was heavy in the air as the group waited for Randy's reaction. His eyes were steady but veins twitched in his neck, and the onlookers half expected him to erupt as he did so often when backed into a corner, with his fists.

Then they saw the corners of his mouth turn up in a hint of a smile. He reached out, folded his hand round the back of Steve's neck ... and pulled his face forward in a grinding kiss. A cheer went up as relief flooded the group, replaced by excitement at what would come next.

When their mouths separated Steve said, "Randy, I've wanted this for so long."

Randy flashed his gleaming smile. "Then why the hell didn't you say so, asshole?"

Immediately they were ripping open their pants, kicking off their shoes and in seconds they were naked. Like mirror images they ran their hands over the other's face, neck, shoulders, chest and abs, then wrapped their arms tight round each other, pressing their hard bodies together, swaying in each other's embrace.

At last they separated and Steve smiled, "Did you mean what you said, Randy?"

"Hey, have you ever known me renege on a promise, bro? You and me, we're men of our word. Runs in the family. I said it – I meant it."

Suddenly he knelt on the grass then fell on his back and spread-eagled his arms and legs, offering himself to his handsome brother under the astonished gaze of the tribe that he led. The King of the Gypsies was surrendering his ass to another man ... his own brother!

Steve knelt down between Randy's legs as Ben came forward holding a jar of lube. Randy grinned up at him. "Thanks little brother but not for us ... not in this family. But I want you to watch, kiddo ... watch your two big brothers make love."

Steve spat in his hand and rubbed saliva over his cock, as long and thick as his brother's big shaft. He grabbed Randy's ankles, held his legs up high and pressed the head of his cock against his hole. "I love you, man. This is for my big, bad brother." Smiling into Randy's eyes he drove his cock forcefully in his ass, knowing that the tough gypsy was feeling no pain.

Randy's head went back, then rocked from side to side as he sighed, "Yeah," then louder and louder, "yeah ... yeah ... yeah!"

Steve pulled Randy's legs over his shoulders, leaned forward and braced himself with his open palms on the hard slabs of Randy's pecs. "And now, big brother, I am gonna fuck ass. And you know how we fuck in this family. We copy you."

There was no more foreplay, just a quickly building fuck until the muscle-stud doctor was pounding the gypsy's ass ... his brother's ass. Randy was electrified by the sensation and flexed his body hard, his muscles rippling as his brother's cock jackhammered his ass. "Yeah, give it to me bro. Harder, man. Hard as you like. Let's show `em what this family's made of."

Having watched at first in silent awe the group now let rip with the exhilaration of watching their leader get reamed by the musclehunk doctor they admired so much. They yelled, cheered and pounded their own cocks as the excitement mounted.

Mike came and sat next to Bob. "Well, Bob, Steve said Randy always had to do something bigger and better, be the star of the show. Damn if he wasn't right!"

"With a little help from his younger brother," Bob grinned. "And this could go on for some time. They're putting on a show for each other, the tribe ... and their little brother Ben. Look at the kid staring at them. He's so proud to be their brother – a boy in a magical world – and so are they. I've watched the twins make love to each other and there's nothing quite like it."

Bob was right. As Randy gazed up at the face so like his, at the blue eyes so like his own, he had the other-worldly sense of being fucked by himself. And now he knew what other guys were feeling when he fucked them – the big thick cock filling his ass, the tantalizing rhythm of the pile driver bringing him almost to orgasm, then slowing right down to a gentle massage, lulling him into a dream state until suddenly the pace picked up and the savage attack resumed.

And always the eyes ... his own pale blue eyes that had hypnotized so many men were now staring down at him, luring him into a world of enchantment. Randy loved seeing his own reflection in Bob's brown eyes, but now had the dizzying impression of seeing himself in his own eyes, through his own eyes, a kaleidoscopic hall of mirrors that went to infinity.

For them the crowd disappeared, sounds were muted as they drifted into their own world and Randy moaned, "I love you, man. I love your dick inside me. I wanna feel your ass too. Can I fuck you bro?"

Steve smiled, "You know you can do anything you want Randy. God, you are so damn beautiful." He fell on top of Randy and they kissed passionately. Steve's cock slid out of him, they rolled over and over together on the grass, then Randy was on top of him.

Their positions were now reversed, though to the onlookers there seemed little difference ... still one ruggedly handsome, muscular man fucking his lookalike, their blues eyes boring into each other. Only this time the man on the bottom, impaled on his brother's cock, was Steve, moaning, "I love you man, you feel so good inside me. Fuck me bro. Fuck me hard."

And Bob was right about another thing. It did seem to go on forever as they alternated, rolling over, first one on top then the other. It was as if they had lost all track of time ... as if time did not exist. And in their world it didn't. But what did exist in their world, in abundance, was passion – emotional, spiritual, physical passion for which there could be only one ultimate release. And the time for that had come.

The crowd wondered which man would cum inside the other, but in that too the brothers had their own agenda. Randy, on the bottom now, grinned up at Steve. "You ready, brother?"

"You know I am," Steve said. Steve pulled his cock out and Randy got off his back, both of them on their knees facing each other, close enough that their knees touched. And now, as they stroked their cocks, it was all about the eyes, penetrating each other. Randy said, "You know I can make a guy bust his load just by staring at him."

"Me too, Steve smiled. A talent that runs in the family." The crowd watched breathlessly as they leaned back slightly and pounded their cocks, their bodies tensed, muscles flexed. Their eyes shared the same hypnotic gaze, smiled the same smile, and the same ecstatic howl escaped their lips as their cocks exploded with twin plumes of juice that rose in the air and splashed down on their brother's face and chest and ran down the ridges of their abs.

Randy shifted so he was kneeling beside Steve, both of them looking up at Ben. "Come on, little brother, you're family," Randy grinned. "Let's see what you got."

Ben stood in front of them, staring down at his big brothers on their knees, his cock in his hand. It took no effort to spray their beautiful bodies with the jizz he had been holding back all this time. The sight of the juice of three brothers pouring over their muscles was too much for the young gypsy and he launched himself on top of them, knocking them flat on the ground.

He was engulfed in their arms, rolling over in a tangle of muscular limbs, laughing with joy at being smothered by the strength and power of his two big brothers ... smothered also by the semen that poured down on them from the group of men awestruck by this dazzling display of brotherly love.

One of those men was Mike, who now for the second time pushed his dripping cock back in his pants and sat down with Bob, Grady and Mario. "Man, I have never seen anything to match that. What a family! Yup, Randy and his brothers stole the show, alright."

"Did you really expect anything else, Mike?" Bob laughed. "It goes with the territory round here."

"It just goes to show," Mario smiled. "Love has many faces. And if we don't understand it, it doesn't matter ... love sings its own song. As we say in Italy ... L'amore è amore."

"Ooh, say that again, buddy," Grady laughed. "Turns me on."

As soon as the show was over Danny and the twins ran back to the kitchen and the boys arranged the individual tables into one big square one ingeniously designed by Thomas. They threw a huge white cloth over it, made many trips to and from the kitchen ferrying dishes and food, and within an hour dinner was on the table and the whole clan was chowing down.

Now that the horseplay, posturing and preening had died down the group became more talkative and civilized – or what passed for civilized in this clamorous tribe. Randy and Bob sat next to Steve and Mike and talked mostly about the tribe, discussing the various couplings and relationships as they watched the animated crowd.

Most of the other men sat with their boys and tried to carry on an adult conversation in competition with the noisy exuberance of the youngsters. One voice dominated the boys' conversation as usual. Eddie's clattering stream of consciousness was non-stop, noisier than ever after the excitement of watching such riveting sexual spectacles. It seemed that the more excited and garrulous he became, the more silent his master Hassan became. Several times he tried to restrain his boy, though it was difficult to get a word in sideways.

In fact, ever since the group had assembled today, the strong, silent Marine had been less talkative than usual, it seemed to Bob, whose sensitive antennae always made him aware of the currents flowing beneath the surface of the gathering. He had commented on this to Steve who, as a therapist, was equally attuned to the group dynamic.

"Seems a bit out of sorts," Steve agreed. "I think he's under pressure at work – a new batch of Marine recruits testing his patience and putting him on edge. And his boy's constant chatter can't help. I was telling Mike that Hassan loves Eddie like crazy but it's kind of a mismatch – the silent, reclusive Marine captain and the gregarious Eddie rattling away like a machine gun."

Bob looked at the irritated expression on Hassan's face and frowned. "I've never seen him look at his kid that way, Steve. Kinda ominous, don't you think?"

"Well, all relationships have their ups and downs, of course, especially one between a master and boy who have as little in common as these two. It'll probably blow over, though. And if not you'll be there to pick up the pieces."

"Yeah," Bob sighed, "that's what I'm afraid of.

TO BE CONTINUED in "A Trial Of Strength" – Chapter 326

Hey guys, this is Rob Williams. I hope that chapter got you off, and I welcome your comments and suggestions, which can be very helpful in planning future chapters. E-mail me in confidence at rw6789@aol.com.

ALSO, I invite you to visit my Web-site www.atrialofstrength.com. You can read the whole story, all the many chapters, with extras, including pictures and biographies of all the characters and some other great artwork. Click on the `Our Story' tab to read the current chapter, or click on the green button to browse all the chapter synopses. Enjoy