A Trial of Strength

A TRIAL OF STRENGTH - PART 52 By Rob Williams

IN THIS CHAPTER The boys get into a major brawl. Their punishment is hard labor while the masters watch. "Wow, man," Mark says. "That looks fucking beautiful. That's three gorgeous young studs there." Later, Randy makes a big sacrifice so Pablo can learn to become dominant. "Fuck you, asshole," Pablo growled. "This is payback for all the times you fucked me. Take it, man. Feel your boy pound your ass."

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A TRIAL OF STRENGTH - Part 52

"You're a tough son-of-a-bitch, Lloyd." Randy turned to Bob. "OK, buddy. Go untie him. Clean him up. The man's hired."

Having subjected the handsome architect to a trial of pain and humiliation the construction boss was now prepared to hire Lloyd as their full-time architect, on condition that he first serve a four-week apprenticeship on the construction site as a laborer. It was understood that Lloyd had to give two weeks' notice to his current firm.

"OK, then," Randy said. "Two weeks from Monday. Report to me at 6am. By the way Lloyd, you still got the work pants and tank top I gave you when you worked those two days on the site?"

"Yes, sir."

Randy grinned. "Did you wash them?"

"No, sir."

"Still stinking of my sweat and piss, are they?"

"Yes, sir."

"Where do you keep them Lloyd?"

Lloyd blushed. "In my bedroom at home, sir."

"Thought as much." Randy winked at Bob and Mark. "OK, keep them the way they are. They're all you'll wear on the job for a month."

"Yes, sir."

When Lloyd left, as he walked toward the gate, Randy shouted after him, "Oh, and Lloyd ... grow some hair on your chest, will you? That smooth look has to go."

Now the three directors of the construction company, Randy, Bob and Mark, had serious work to do. With an architect on staff they could look at a major expansion. They had project offers on hold that could now be taken seriously, but it called for a lot of planning, and during the next week a lot of time and energy went into that. The three guys spent long periods together, stopping only for meals. Randy talked staffing and equipment levels; Mark addressed the need for increased security; and Bob crunched the numbers.

This left the three young men, Darius, Pablo and Jamie, kicking their heels, with little contact with their masters. They were used to serving them, being with them most of their spare time, but now the men were sequestered together in the house in meetings. They saw them only at mealtimes, and even sex was scarce as the masters' energy went into their work.

There was a kind of vacuum in the house, with little social or sexual contact. As the boys hung out together they found themselves becoming frustrated, irritable. The days dragged on and they started to quarrel ... rivalries sprang up. One day it reached a climax.

Pablo snapped at Darius, "I've seen you looking at Jamie's ass. It's him you want, not me."

"So what? You don't own me. I can fuck who I want. So get out of my face." And he shoved Pablo. The boy's anger was as volatile as Randy's ... he did not get shoved around. So he pushed back and in seconds the fight was on. It was no holds barred.

As the battle raged, Jamie heard the crashing sounds from next door and came running into to them.

"Get out of here, asshole," Pablo yelled. "This is all your fucking fault."

Like them, Jamie was already wound up, pumped with adrenaline, and he was in no mood to be yelled at. Instantly all three young guys were fighting each other. It was not so much about issues as a way of relieving all the pent-up energy and frustration of the last few days. They punched, wrestled, kicked, rolling around the room, crashing into walls and furniture.

The noise of battle was so loud that it reached Bob's office where he and the other two men were hunched over laptops. They raised their heads, pissed off at being distracted from their work.

"What the fuck?" Randy stood up. "OK, I'll handle this. You guys carry on here. Should take me a minute."

He strode determinedly across the lawn toward the other house ... and was almost hit by a chair that came crashing through a window, splintering the glass and frame. The guys inside had lost all control and the room was a wreck, furniture in pieces, shredded curtains blowing out of the shattered window. Pablo had the upper hand, with a head clamped under each arm. He was about to smash them against the wall when he looked up ... and froze.

The boss's massive figure loomed in the doorway. All three boys stopped instantly as reality came crashing in on them. Without a word Randy grabbed Pablo by the neck of his shirt and smashed his hand against his face, sending him flying across the room. In quick succession the other two felt the back of Randy's hand until all three were groveling on the floor.

Randy didn't shout. His voice was even. "If anyone speaks I'll thrash him. You will clean up this room now. And then you'll report to Bob's office." He turned on his heel and left the room.

They men realized that their continued absence had led to this. But punishment was essential and, after some discussion, they decided what that should be. Randy made sure that Mark agreed. Jamie was his boy, after all, but he went along with the communal punishment for all three. When the boys came in it was almost like a courtroom. The three masters sat at a table and the three boys stood before them. Bob spoke first.

"Has anyone anything to say?"

Pablo stood up straight. "Yes, sir. It was all my fault, sir. I started it. I'm the one should be punished."

Randy looked up at his boy, his still smoldering anger tempered by admiration for the kid's courage. His fury cooled.

"What the fuck got into you? Trashing your room `til it looks like the city dump."

"Sir," Pablo began. His voice cracked and he cleared his throat. "Sir, there is no excuse but ... well, you guys have left us alone so much that we got kinda frustrated and ..."

"What the hell?" Randy said. "We should be your fucking baby-sitters or something?"

"No, sir... it's just that ..." Pablo's face crumpled as if the fight had gone out of him. "It's just that ... I missed you, sir."

Randy was taken aback, feeling a wave of affection for his adopted son. Bob asked, "Is this how you all feel?"

"Yes, sir," said Darius and Jamie in unison.

There was a long silence as Pablo's heartfelt words sank in. Mark broke the silence. "OK. We've come up with a punishment for all three of you. And Jamie, I decided that it should apply to you too."

"Yes, sir," Jamie muttered.

Randy took over. "You guys have to learn that there will be no brawling under my roof. Left to me, I'd thrash all of you, and you know what that means. You're lucky the other guys talked me out of it. So first, you will repair the room and the window out of your own money. Darius, you'll supervise that."

Darius murmured, "No problem there, sir."

"Next ... you all know the pool needs servicing and cleaning. I was gonna drain it and pay a crew of guys from work to scrub it down. But now I'll save the money and you'll do it. I'll start the drain today and when it's empty you'll spend the weekend scrubbing it from top to bottom. Looks like another heat wave coming, so you'll be naked except for sneakers. You will spend the whole time in the pool, sleep there even, with breaks only for food and bathroom. Is that clear?"

They spoke in unison "Yes, sir. Thank you, sir."

"One more thing. You'll probably get horny as hell down there, but there'll be no sex without our permission."

Randy was right about the heat wave. Los Angeles produced one of its sweltering summer weekends all too familiar to Angelinos, most of whom sought air-conditioned refuge. They certainly were not crazy enough to spend time in a white concrete pit with the heat bouncing off the gleaming walls.

The masters looked down at their boys as they began work. They wouldn't admit it, but all three men had hard-ons under their shorts. The boys were naked, except for sneakers, and they looked incredible ... .Darius, his powerful black body gleaming in the sun; Pablo, dark-skinned, exotic, beautifully proportioned physique; Jamie, tall, striking blond looks, with all the muscular virility of youth.

Their weekend was brutal. The sun poured down on the naked bodies as they worked feverishly, scraping and scrubbing at the blinding white walls. They poured with sweat, leaving stains and puddles on the concrete. They had bottled water and knew they had to stay hydrated, but still it was not long before they were exhausted. What kept them going was their memory of the fury in Randy's eyes, and also their shame at having let their masters down. They were desperate to make amends, to prove themselves.

From time to time one of the masters came to check on them, looking down at the grueling activity below. Randy noticed that Pablo had instinctively taken charge, dividing the work into three ... one guy scrubbing on each side and the third cleaning the two ends. Randy gave a satisfied smile. His boy was a chip off the old block.

They worked in exhausted silence, keeping their distance as there was still residual animosity between them. But later when Randy checked back he saw that Pablo had re-designated the work assignments. They were all working together on one wall now, talking as they worked. Their earlier enmity had disappeared and they were supporting each other. Randy smiled to himself again. "The boy's learning," he thought.

When the sun went down Bob came out and pulled three long cushions from the lounges by the pool. He tossed them down, followed by sandwiches and more water. "OK, you can stop for the night. It could get chilly so keep each other warm."

The guys pushed the three cushions together making a big mattress. They slept there together, young bodies entwined together for warmth. They were buddies again, in survival mode.

The next day was more of the same. The sun blazed down on them again as they worked and sweated side by side. The grueling physical effort had a striking effect on the naked young men. As they looked over at the other faces pouring with sweat they felt raw lust in their groin. Their dicks were rock hard but they knew that Randy had forbidden any sex.

Randy sauntered out of the house in just his shorts and when he looked down at the boys he saw at once what was happening. Pablo looked up at him and stopped work. He took a deep breath and spoke.

"Sir, may I say something?"

"Shoot."

"Well sir, me and the guys are working as hard as we can, but ..."

"But what, kid?"

"Well, sir. We're all real horny. It would help if we could shoot our loads."

Randy stared down at him, then came to a snap decision. He looked back at the house. "Bob, Mark, get out here." Shortly the other two men ambled out of the house, also wearing just their boxers.

"Seems that our crew here is getting horny. Seems they want to blow their wads. What d'ya say, fellas?"

Bob grinned and Mark rubbed his jaw in thought. "Well ... do we get to watch?"

Hell yes!" grinned Randy. "OK. Pablo, on your knees." Pablo obeyed. "You, Darius. See that ass?"

"Yes, sir."

"Fuck it ... hard."

"Yes, sir!" the young black man said eagerly.

And Jamie," Mark said. "Remember what you did to Lloyd last week? Get in front of Pablo. You know what to do."

Darius came up behind Pablo and salivated as he looked at the perfect round globes of the boy's ass. In one swift move he pushed his rigid cock into the warm hole and slid it deep inside. The guys above heard the ecstatic moans of the two young men. Jamie took hold of Pablo's hair and pulled his face upward. He looked up at Mark, and seeing his nod of approval, eased his cock into the young man's mouth

"Wow, man," Mark said. "That looks fucking beautiful. Watch those guys go."

"No doubt about it," Bob said. "We got three gorgeous young studs there. What d'ya say, Randy?"

But Randy wasn't saying anything. He had pulled his dick out of his shorts and was stroking it as he gazed down in awe. The other two guys were quick to follow. The sight was incredibly hot. The three youthful bodies flexed and poured with sweat as the muscular black man eased himself back and forth into the mounds of the kneeling kid's ass.

The young blond closed his eyes and moaned as he fucked the exotic, dark face. Then he found himself gazing into Darius's stunning green eyes. Their faces came together and they began kissing each other passionately as they worked each end of the body beneath them.

The three juiced-up young studs were so hot, physically and sexually, that they couldn't hold back for long. They had been waiting for this since they started work. Darius looked up at Randy.

"Sir. My cock's on fire. Permission to shoot my load sir?"

Randy was still stroking his own cock as he said. "OK, punk. Go for it."

Jamie looked up at Mark, who grinned down at him. "You too, Jamie. Enjoy!"

And all three young men shot their loads in a spectacular triple orgasm, screaming as their hot young juice poured out of them ... Pablo's on the hot cement, Jamie's deep into the mouth, and Darius's into his lover's ass. Their bodies bucked and heaved and their screams echoed round the cavernous pit of the empty pool.

They had barely caught their breath when they heard Randy's commanding voice.

"On your backs, all of you, right here below us. Now!"

They fell onto their backs on the scorching cement and looked up at the men towering above them. They gasped in unison at the sight of three magnificent, near-naked, muscle gods, sculpted chests flexing hard, biceps bulging as they pounded their meat. The boys knew that nothing could be more beautiful than this. The rugged, swarthy construction worker, the stunning executive with the prefect physique, and the cop with the face and body of a Greek God. They would have worked for a week just to see this.

The climax was near. Randy glanced at his buddies and said. "You ready, guys? Ready to show them who's boss?"

"Let's do it," Mark shouted.

As the young guys gazed up in silent awe they saw the three glorious bodies shudder, fists wrapped round their huge dicks. The air echoed with shouts of jubilant release as three simultaneous jets of white liquid rose into the air, seemed to hang there, then splashed down on the bodies waiting far below. The streaming cum hit them with full force. They all opened their mouths and drank in the hot juice that rained down on them. Repeated streams poured onto their faces and over their chests.

The boys were transported into a world they never wanted to leave. They rejoiced in this spectacular anointing by the men they worshipped, something they would remember, feel, forever.

Randy's deep voice brought them out of their trance.

"Now. Clean each other off."

They knew what he meant. Still lying on the hot cement, their bodies smothered in the cum of their masters, they rolled toward each other and began to lick. Their mouths worked feverishly, lapping at the pools of semen on each other's faces, chests and whole body. They rolled over each other, savoring the pungent taste and smell of the warm, white juice. The sight of these beautiful young men sliding over each other's naked bodies was enough to once again stiffen the cocks of their masters looking down from above.

"Does that look clean to you guys?" Randy asked his buddies.

"Not to me," grinned Bob.

"What they need is a shower," added Mark.

The boys stopped their efforts, stood up and looked up at their masters, who were again holding their cocks. And for a second time liquid poured from them, though this time it was hot, steaming urine spurting up in three golden streams that gleamed in the sun. Again the boys felt their master's liquid pour down on them, soaking their faces, hair and entire bodies in stream after stream of hot piss.

They opened their mouths and gulped hard. When the deluge finally stopped they stood still, gazing upward, their soaking bodies glinting in the sun. Then all three instinctively sank to their knees in a ritual act of total worship, mesmerized by the gods towering over them.

Suddenly the spell was broken by Randy's commanding voice. "Did I tell you punks you could stop work? Get on with it, assholes. And scrub all that piss and cum off the concrete. I want it clean in two hours. Then report back to the office.

The three men returned to Bob's office where they still had things to sort out.

"I've been thinking," Bob said.

"Oh, God," groaned Randy.

"No, listen. All this gave me an idea. It's time we involved the boys in the construction company more, taught them how it really works. For instance, I'd really like one of them to learn the business basics, budgets, payroll and so on. Any ideas?"

Mark looked thoughtful. "Now you mention it, turns out Jamie was very strong in math at school. Who knew? Was a surprise to me. But he said he loves it. At his uncle's liquor store he did the books single-handed. You might give him a try, Bob."

"I'd like that."

"OK," Randy agreed. "And if the company's gonna grow I want Darius to learn more about job-site security. He closes up at night and hands over to the guard, but he has no clue what happens then. I need someone who understands how security works, you know, the latest tools and methods."

"Well the timing couldn't be better," Mark said. "The cops at work were talking about going to the Security Expo coming up next weekend in Vegas. I had toyed with the idea of going myself, but perhaps it would be an idea to take Darius."

And so the plans were laid.

In a couple of hours the boys presented themselves to their bosses.

"Shit, you stink," said Randy. "Someone piss on you or something?" The boys tried to stifle grins. "Anyway, now you've been punished we'll close the book on that episode. But if I ever see you brawling like that again I'll beat the shit out of you..

"Yes, sir," they murmured.

"Now, we have plans for you." And Randy outlined what had been decided. Jamie was enthusiastic about working with Bob at something he really enjoyed. And Darius's eyes shone.

"You mean a Vegas convention hall full of guys in uniform? Wow."

"Now shut off the fantasy motor, punk," said Mark. "This is serious stuff. I was thinking of riding out on one of the Harleys. It needs to be opened up on a long freeway run. Think you could handle that, Darius?" The young black man's body was trembling in anticipation.

Pablo had been silent but now he looked nervously at Randy. "What about me, sir?"

"You, kid?" Randy laughed. "Hey, I'm taking you fishing."

And so the weekend began. Darius's eyes were shining as he sat on the back of the Harley, his arms gripped tightly round the waist of his fantasy cop. At the house Jamie sat down with Bob at his computer and looked over at the beautiful face close to his, the square jaw, sculpted features and soft brown eyes. He was gonna enjoy this.

And three others piled into the truck ... Randy, Pablo, and Pablo's excited dog Billy, who could always sense the start of a new adventure. After they had been driving for a while on the open highway headed up to the National Forest, Randy turned to Pablo.

"You know, kid, one day I'm gonna hand my share of the company over to you, so it's time you learned how to manage guys ... control them. I noticed you taking charge when you were working in the pool with you other guys. How did that work out?"

"Well, sir. We were still kinda mad at each other ... the fight and all ... so I assigned work that would keep us apart. After a while I realized that wasn't working ... we weren't talking to each other. So then I had us all work together on the same space and that was much better. We ended up helping each other. All the bullshit went away. We were friends again. Was that OK, sir?"

"That was dead on, kid. I'm proud of you. See, the most important thing about a work crew is they must be a team. They have to work together, support each other. It's called cohesion. Bunch of guys all doing their own thing separately never works. It's one of the things I have to teach Lloyd when he begins work on Monday."

Pablo frowned. "Sir, why are you being so tough on Lloyd? Is it because he slept with Bob?"

"Nah ... I settled that. I punished him and it's over. No, Lloyd is aloof, arrogant. He has to become one of the guys ... get down and dirty. So I'll have to rough him up a bit, show him who's boss."

"I think he knows that already, sir, judging by the way he was looking at you when your cock was inside him."

Randy laughed. "Fuck you, kid"

"I'm counting on it sir."

Randy threw his arm across his boy's shoulder. Pablo was in heaven.

And he got his wish about getting fucked. When they arrived at their secret place by the lake they unloaded the rowboat from the truck and rowed it to the middle of the lake. That's where Randy took care of Pablo's ass. They forgot about fishing.

Afterwards they drank beer and Randy talked a lot to Pablo about what it takes being the boss, taking command. "On a construction crew you must show them whose boss, even a guy bigger and stronger than you. A man like that you have to dominate."

Finally they rowed back to shore and fell into an exhausted sleep. Next morning they were still wrapped in each other's arms, and they stirred as the rays of the rising sun fell across their eyes. As they stretched their cramped limbs, Billy, who had nestled against Pablo, hauled himself to his feet and walked down to the lake for a drink.

Pablo had expected some gentle morning sex, but Randy jumped up and stood over him. "Come on, kid. I was just gonna take your ass again, but maybe I'll give you a fighting chance this time. Let's see what you've got. We'll wrestle for it. Whoever gets thrown on his ass first is the loser and his ass gets fucked by the other. You game?"

"You bet, sir." Pablo grinned and jumped up. He knew he would be the loser but it would be a turn-on getting thrown to the ground first by the big construction worker.

They went to the water's edge, put their arms up, palm to palm, locked their fingers and pushed against each other like wrestlers in a trial of strength for supremacy. Pablo put all his strength into it, but of course Randy was too strong. They disengaged and Randy taunted the young man, shoving him backward to the point where Pablo almost fell.

"Come on, kid. You can do better than that." He held out his arms sideways presenting his muscular chest as a target. "Let's see what you got, man."

Pablo laughed and pushed hard, but Randy barely moved. The boy tried punching his chest, so hard that Randy finally had to take a step back.

"That's more like it, kid. Now, harder. You want my ass, don't you? Here I am."

He was playing with Pablo, taunting him, knowing he was far too strong for the kid. But what neither man saw was that Billy was still mooching around in the shallow water. He stood still now and looked up at the two men. Pablo pushed again and Randy stepped backward, but this time Billy was behind him. The timing was perfect. He took another step back, tripped hard against Billy, lost his balance and fell backward over the dog onto the wet sand.

With a yelp Billy ran off the beach ... and then there was silence. Pablo looked down in horror at the big, naked, muscular man, sprawled in the shallow water.

"Jeez ... I'm sorry sir. I didn't know Billy was there. Here..." and he reached down to help Randy up.

Randy looked up at him and smiled. "No, kid. You won ... with a little help from your friend here. You two double-teamed me, but anything goes in wrestling. You won."

Pablo stood dumbstruck. "But you said that whoever falls on his ... "

"Damn right. A bet's a bet. Always honor your bets, kid."

"But that means ... "

"It means my ass is yours, kid. You ready?"

Pablo froze. His mind was spinning. What the hell was going on? This was his master, his adoptive dad. This was the total top man, the boss, who fucked Pablo's ass whenever he wanted. Now here he was on the ground ... offering his own ass. Impossible!"

"Guess you don't get to fuck much do you, kid ... with that perfect ass of yours and all."

Pablo found his voice. "N ... no, sir," he stammered. "Darius once or twice but with ...

"... with your sweet ass and his monster cock there's no contest. Well it's time you got to show another guy who's boss. Think of it as part of the training we talked about ... dominating a guy bigger and stronger than you."

Pablo blinked and stammered.

"Come on, kid." Randy laughed. "You know I'm crazy about you, so prove to me you can be the boss. Come and fuck your old man."

Pablo gaped. Randy was serious. He looked down at the rugged alpha male sprawled in the sand and suddenly, improbably, he found himself fantasizing about putting his dick inside this muscle stud, and his cock stirred. It rapidly got stiffer until it was standing straight out rock hard.

"That's it, kid. I wanna feel that pretty dick in my ass. Come on, show me you're the man I think you are. Go for it."

Pablo sank to his knees in front of his master. Randy raised his legs, wrapped them round the young man's waist and used them to pull Pablo toward him. Pablo jolted as he felt the head of his dick touch the stud's warm hole. He felt empowered, more of a man than he had ever felt. He had always felt like a bottom `cause everyone wanted to fuck his perfect ass, but now the blood rose in him, his muscles flexed and he was ... on top.

It happened very quickly. Pablo felt his cock enter the burning hole and slide forward, farther and farther until it stopped in the soft warm depths of Randy's ass. Both men opened their eyes for a stunned moment and then let out a huge sigh of pure joy.

"Jesus Christ, kid. That feels sensational. Your cock's in my ass, son. You're fucking me. Shit, it feels good. You too?"

Pablo couldn't speak. His cock had come to rest but it was pulsing and throbbing in the burning hot membrane of the moist ass. He looked into his master's pale blue eyes and ... tears began running down his face. It was the most incredible sensation of his young life.

"Here, kid," Randy said. "This is for my boy." And he clenched his ass muscles hard, like a vise, around the rigid cock inside him. The effect on Pablo was instantaneous. He let out a guttural scream.

"Aaaah! Oh, man. Oh shit. Oh God. I'm gonna ..."

"No!" Randy ordered. "Whatever you do, don't cum," and he quickly relaxed his ass muscles. When Pablo had calmed down Randy slowly tightened his ass again, then relaxed, then clenched again. It was as if he were fucking the cock inside him.

Pablo became captivated by the sensation in his cock. Only now it was his turn.

"Go for it, kid," Randy said. Now you. You're the boss now. Take me, man. Punish my fucking ass."

Energy surged through Pablo, male energy, all the virile, physical lust of a young stallion. He was juiced, focused only on the hot furnace of the ass around his cock. He pulled his dick back then plunged it in again, throwing his head back and finally finding his voice in an ecstatic howl. This was incredible. His cock was a piston and as he looked into the swarthy, macho face he heard Randy's voice.

"You're the man now. The big guy. Talk to me, fucker."

Pablo was transformed. "OK, man, this is it. Yeah, you've pounded my ass enough times, now it's payback time. I'm on top now, asshole. You may be a fucking muscle god but you're not too macho to take my dick up your ass. How's it feel to have your boy fucking you, man? Shit, I really wanna hurt you, you fucker. I wanna see my master howl in pain while he gets fucked by his slave."

Pablo looked down at the magnificent man, leaned forward and slapped his hands on the slabs of his chest, sinking his fingers into the muscles like a claw. The grimace of pain on the swarthy face excited him even more and his cock became a jackhammer, pounding hard against the big man's body. He was really starting to hurt him.

"Jesus, the pain," Randy gasped. "You're tearing me open. You're torturing my ass, man. I can't take any more. OK, man. You win. I submit."

"Fuck you, asshole," Pablo growled. "This is payback for all the times you fucked me. Take it, man. Feel your boy slam your ass."

Pablo took one hand off his chest and wrapped it round Randy's rigid cock. He stroked it hard and fast and knew he was close. "You wanna cum, stud? You want your boy to push the cum out of you."

"Yes, sir. Please let me cum. God, my ass is on fire. I can't take any more pain. I beg you, sir. Please shoot your load in my ass. Please let me go."

Pablo smiled into the anguished blue eyes. "OK, stud. So you wanna feel your slave's cum in your ass. Here it is. You're beaten, man. Finished!"

The screams of the two men echoed across the lake as Pablo felt his jet of semen explode deep in his master's ass. He watched the dark demon thrash and flex as his own cock streamed with cum, splashing over his glorious physique. They stared wildly into each other's eyes as their cocks continued to erupt.

Finally it was over and Pablo looked anxiously down at his master. Randy's eyes gleamed and quickly his smile grew into a roar of laughter. He pulled Pablo down into his arms and they rolled together down to the shallow water of the lake. When they stopped Randy was on top, pinning Pablo's hands in the water as he looked jubilantly at his boy.

"That was the best ever, kid. God I love you. You're such a fucking stud. I'm proud to call you my son."

"Thank you, sir," Pablo said. "You made me feel like a man."

Meanwhile, the weekend scene at the house was progressing much more calmly. For several hours Bob and Jamie had sat at the computer while Bob took the eager young man through the basic elements of business operations. But as the evening wore on they became weary and Bob said it was time to call it a day.

"OK, Jamie. Enough work. Time to play. Now remember, Mark said we could do anything."

In fact, just before he had left for Vegas Mark had taken Bob aside.

"Hey, buddy," he had said. "I wanna ask you a favor. "

"Sure, Mark. Anything."

"See, Jamie is crazy about me. Like hero worship or something."

"Easy to see why," Bob laughed.

"Yeah, but the thing is he's scared shitless I'm gonna leave him. So I need him to relax, get to know someone else well so he knows I'm not the only guy in the world who likes him. This weekend you two will be alone in the house so ... I was wondering ..."

Bob smiled at Mark's hesitation. "I think what you're trying to say is that if I want to get to know Jamie well, that's OK with you. Anything goes."

Relieved Mark said, "You're fucking terrific, man, you know that? I trust Jamie with you. No matter how close you get, day or night, that's fine with me. It would do him a power of good."

"Say no more, buddy. Leave it with me."

They hesitated, then the two men hugged warmly, their mouths coming together in a lingering embrace. Mark smiled. "I'm gonna have to ask Randy's permission to get closer to you too, man."

"Just say the word, officer."

A short while later Mark had related the gist of this conversation to Jamie, whose reaction was predictable.

"You're not giving me away, are you, sir?"

"Kid, when are you gonna get over that? I've told you before, you'll always be my boy. I've just told Bob he can do anything he likes with you until I come back. Think you can handle that?"

Jamie thought hard. "Well, sure. Sure I can," and he smiled. "Bob's a great guy. Yeah, I'd like getting closer to him. Might be fun."

"That's my boy," Mark said.

So now here they were and work was over. And Bob had plans for the young man ... plans Mark would definitely approve of.

And, of course, on Monday Lloyd would report to work for Randy...

TO BE CONTINUED in "A Trial Of Strength -- Part 53