A Trial of Strength

A TRIAL OF STRENGTH – PART 575 by Rob Williams

Chapter 575 – "COWBOY CHARLIE & THE BOYS VIC & NOAH

IN THIS CHAPTER:

Cowboy Charlie grows closer to his boys Vic and Noah. He realizes their seeming shyness is just their way of living their own life, of singing their own special song, even if nobody else sings along with them. The beauty of a California beach makes them "a special kind of happy – like great sex". Then they all witness really great sex as rugged Seth makes love to his redheaded boy Will ______________________________________________________________________

<><> IN THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER <><>

To the surprise of everyone, including himself, cowboy Charlie had formed a strong affection for the newest members of the tribe – the young office assistants Noah and Vic.

Up to now the close buddies were thought of as shy, and somewhat reclusive, preferring each other's company. That was, until Randy's brother Charlie visited the tribe, on a break from his star turn on the rodeo circuit. He quickly found out that, unlike the other boys, they had no man to call them his boys. And the only best buddy they had was each other.

Vic said, "Ever since we met some years ago, sir, we've just been totally into each other – first as buddies, then as fuck buddies when we came to the tribe. Actually, we're lovers now."

Noah added, "We know we're not like the other boys, sir. They're all real handsome and buff and we're not. We're so-so looking, with skinny bodies. But that don't matter to us. See, we have the same feelings, even think each other's thoughts. We laugh at the same things and we like the same TV shows and music.

"It's like that Mama Cass song – you gotta make your own kind of music, sing your own special song – even if nobody else sings along with you. And that's kinda what we've been doing ever since we met."

The boys demonstrated by playing the song and singing along – smiles, gestures, hip-bumps and all. Watching these kids, so eager to please him, Charlie's eyes brimmed with tears.

He took them on a two-day trip to the beach at Malibu where their emotional attachment grew even stronger. The boys hero-worshipped the rugged rodeo cowboy and he experienced feelings he had never felt before.

The big difference between Charlie and the other men of the tribe was that Charlie did not have sex with men. But that didn't matter to the boys. As the tribe's leader Bob explained to Charlie, "They're different from the other boys in that they are sexually satisfied with each other and don't need other outlets for sex. It's their social life that's missing.

"Of course they have the support of the whole tribe, but they lack the influence of their own man they could look up to. And if that man is a hot, hunky cowboy, boss Randy's brother – well, it don't get much better than that. It's great for their self-esteem too. They'll feel they can hold their heads up around the other boys as their equal, with you taking care of them."

The boys were in heaven. Noah told Charlie that the thrill of being with him, amid the breathtaking beauty of the beach, made them "a special kind of happy, sir – like great sex."

When they got home that evening their buddy Will invited them to dinner with his dad, the swarthy construction boss Seth. Will and his step-dad were so proud of their deep love for each other that they persuaded Charlie and the boys to watch them make love, during which Vic and Noah sucked the cowboy's cock and made him cum.

When they left Seth's house Noah asked, "Are you sleeping at our place, sir?"

Charlie smiled, "Is that what you want?'

"We were rather planning on it, sir?"

"Look kids, I'll level with ya. Every time we watch other guys make love, the man always ends up butt-fucking the boy. And I'm sure that's what y'all want from me. But I ..."

"No, no, no," Vic insisted, with more spirit than Charlie had ever seen in either boy. "Sir, we've told you over and over, we don't expect that from you. We accepted right from the start that you're not into sex with guys and we know it ain't gonna happen. Why do you think we made you cum just now? So you wouldn't feel you have to get your rocks off in our butts."

Realizing the strength of his outburst Vic blushed. "Sorry, sir."

"No, don't apologize, Vic. I love that forcefulness in you. It's what I want in you kids, so no one will push you around. It's me should say sorry for not listening to you and believing what you said. So sure, I'll spend the night at your place. You, er, said you were planning on it?"

"Oh, yes, sir," Noah smiled. "We have plans for you. You said you want us to be forceful so ... yeah we made plans. Something you ain't done before."

"Hmm," Charlie said. "Sounds ominous. Am I gonna like it?"

"Dunno, sir," Vic grinned impishly. "Only one way to find out."

Charlie followed them across the garden and up the stairs to their apartment, loving them more with each determined step they took.

========= CHAPTER 575 =========

<><> TWO YOUNG TOUGHS <><>

In the bedroom Charlie smiled, "So what are these plans y'all got, guys?"

"Say no more, sir, leave everything to us," Vic said in a newly authoritative tone – or rather a valiant attempt at authority by the scrawny young kid.

"OK, guys, I'm in your hands."

"At our mercy, you mean," said Noah, with what he hoped was a fierce look. The boys worked on Charlie in tandem. Facing him, Vic unbuttoned the cowboy's shirt, while Noah, behind him, pulled the shirt off over his shoulders and tossed it aside. They shoved him hard so he fell back on the bed, shirtless.

His legs hung over the end of the bed and the boys backed up to him. They each pulled one of his legs up between their legs from behind and pulled at the boot. Tugging hard, the tight boots slid slowly down his legs and finally came free so suddenly that the boys lurched forward and hit the wall together, an image that undermined their attempt at dominance. But they quickly recovered, shook themselves and reset the fierce look to their faces.

Charlie stifled a smile, sensing that he was supposed to look scared, and frowned instead. "What are you gonna do to me?"

"Did we say you could speak, sir?" Noah imitated the standard rebuke he had heard in domination scenes – except that in their case, calling him sir somewhat diluted the tough image. But Charlie obediently went limp as the boys opened his jeans and clumsily tugged them off over his feet. Naked now, he didn't resist as the boys slid him higher up the bed, grabbed his wrists and pulled his arms taut up to the corner bedposts.

Charlie had an inkling of what was in store for him, but he determined not to spoil the boys' fun. From under the bed they pulled out several lengths of cord and wound one each round his wrists, tying them tight to the bedpost. Charlie figured they had been rehearsing this earlier and now groaned, "You're starting to scare me."

"You should be afraid," growled Vic.

"Be very afraid," echoed Noah.

They were getting better at the fierce thing, except that Noah then added, "Don't worry, sir, we used escape knots that Randy taught us. If the guy panics you just tug at a loose end and it all comes free."

Definitely getting mixed messages here, Charlie thought, stifling another grin. But good for Randy. "I'll try not to panic, sirs," he moaned, but his attempt at contrition sounded as phony as their aggression. Any more false notes and this whole thing could unravel, he thought.

The boys were working on his ankles and when he instinctively pulled at his bound wrists and ankles he was surprised to find he was tightly bound. They were really good at this – thanks to Randy's teaching, he surmised – though they should probably lose the soundtrack, he thought.

"That's it, man," Vic growled, "we like to see a tough guy struggle, watch those muscles flex."

Charlie obliged, using his rodeo show-off talents to writhe helplessly, flaunting his naked body straining in bondage. Actually, he was starting to think he could get off on this.

"You're at our mercy, cowboy," Noah sneered (kind of). "Payback for when Nate and Jamie staked us out on the sand at the beach."

Charlie was unclear why he should be the one to pay back for something Nate had done to them – a guy he hardly knew. "What y'all gonna do to me guys? You gonna whip me or somth'n? You gonna hurt me?"

"Depends what you mean by hurt," Vic said, struggling to sound threatening. "We're gonna explore you."

"What?" And then he found out.

The boys stood at either side of the bed, leaned toward each other over the staked-out cowboy, and kissed. Then, smiling into each other's eyes, they knelt on the floor, and turned their attention to their man. They reached down and touched his bound wrists, then ran their hands down his stretched arms, lingering on his biceps. When they reached his shoulders they clamped their hands over the rock hard deltoid muscles, then moved down to his armpits.

Again they smiled at each other, lowered their heads ... and planted their faces in his damp pits, breathing in the smell and taste of man-sweat. Charlie moaned as they licked his pits, a new sensation that was not quite sex, but very sexy.

They changed position again, this time coming closer together to suck in the beads of sweat from in the cavity below his Adam's apple. From there they ran their tongues up his neck, over his strong jaw ... and went to work on his face. They kissed his eyes, his forehead, temples and cheeks, and then, inevitably, his lips.

"Mmm ..." Charlie moaned. It was not sexual lust he felt, but the joy of these sweet kids demonstrating their affection for him by kissing him and each other at the same time. When at last they pulled back, he groaned, "Guys, that feels so good ..."

"Did we say you could talk?" Vic repeated his earlier rebuke, but this time with a cheeky grin, a sign that the boys shared his own amusement at their clumsy attempts to look and sound tough. That charade was over, and now the boys got to work in earnest.

They moved down to the cowboy's bare chest, one of his sexiest features, they had agreed. In turn they ran their tongue up the deep cleft between the pecs, then pressed their cheeks on the solid mounds that Charlie obligingly flexed for them. They licked his nipples and bit them lightly, causing him to groan and flinch, which excited them even more.

After tracing their tongues between the ridges of his eight-pack abs they pulled back to admire their cowboy, bound naked, spreadeagled on the bed. They dug their fingers into his muscled thighs before finally focusing on the ultimate prize.

Even though Charlie was immune to the sexual looks he got from many men, and would never have welcomed their touch, the loving attention he got from Noah and Vic had stiffened his cock to semi-hardness. They now buried their faces in his wiry pubic hair and inhaled deeply. Noah went lower and licked his balls while Vic ran his tongue up the thick shaft and licked the head.

This double attack stiffened Charlie's cock to rock-hardness. He was moved by the earnest determination on their faces as they worked his cock and balls, alternating positions between them. Feeling an urge to reciprocate he tugged at his restraints and moaned, "Let me touch you, guys. Untie me."

"Not a chance, sir," Vic grinned, watching his straining muscles ripple. "Bondage is the whole point. You asked if we were going to hurt you. Well, not physically. We don't go in for whips and stuff. But you are gonna feel the pain of frustration. Something else Randy taught us."

Noah took over. "He showed us you don't need fists to make a guy surrender. You can drive him to the edge in other ways."

Randy had a lot to answer for, Charlie thought, as the boys went back to work on his cock. Several times they brought him to the edge off orgasm before backing off, driving him wild with the frustration of denied release. He tugged again at his bound wrists and pleaded, "Let me cum, guys, you're driving me crazy. Suck me off ... please ... my nuts are bursting."

Sensing his approaching climax the boys now worked together on his cock, licking the shaft then wrapping their lips round the head and kissing each other. The helpless cowboy stared down at the incredible sight of the two boys making love to his cock and each other all in one.

"That's it, boys, don't stop, please ... I give up, I surrender ... make me cum ... I'm gonna bust my load ... aaagh." His cock shuddered and blasted streams of thick semen in their mouths, until finally he went limp on the bed.

The jubilant boys smiled, the cowboy's semen coating their lips, and they leapt to their feet. Standing one on each side of the bed they gazed down at the erotic spectacle of the exhausted naked cowboy, his breath heaving, his muscular body tied and spreadeagled. They pulled out their rigid cocks and it took only a couple of strokes before they spurted out their pent-up juice, splashing down on his face and writhing body.

When their cocks were drained they laughed, dropped to their knees and licked their own jizz off their man's chest and face. Then they climbed on the bed and lay close to Charlie, their heads on his chest. "Thank you, sir," Noah said. "That was awesome. Would you put your arms round us, please sir."

"I'd love to," Charlie smiled, "except for one small detail. I, er, I'm still tied up."

"Oh ... oh, sorry, sir, we forgot. Good job we used Randy's escape knot." They quickly untied his ankles and wrists and he folded his arms over them. "See this is the first time we did this, sir. You think it worked?"

"Well, judging by the lake of jizz I shot, I'd say it worked just fine."

"Any suggestions, sir?"

"Hmm, let see. I would cut the dialogue. It was like one of those dodgy movies where the soundtrack don't quite match the picture."

"Yeah," Vic admitted, "we don't have that tough guy act down, do we, sir?"

"Because it's not you, kids. I mean, if Randy barked those lines it would scare a guy shitless. But y'all are not Randy. You have other qualities that I love about you. Still, that was hot, kids. Except ... there's also such a thing as payback time."

Their eyes lit up. "You mean, you gotta do the same to us, sir?"

"When you least expect it, kiddo. But now you gotta sleep. You're working tomorrow. Mustn't be late or your boss Brandon will blame me."

<><> TROUBLE BREWING <><>

Next morning when they all got up and showered Vic said, "It's a workday for us, sir. As we live over the office we're usually the ones to open it up at 8:30 and start the coffee. Do you have plans for today?"

"Oh, I'll get to know some of the other guys I haven't met properly yet. Also, my right wrist is playing up a bit, real sore, and even a minor sprain could be a killer in my business. It's the hand I hold the reins with and it takes a lot of punishment every day.

"You need Doctor Chad, sir," Noah said. He's what you call an orth ... ortha ..."

"Orthopedic surgeon," Vic prompted. "He's the best, sir, the head of surgery at his hospital."

"Yeah, I've heard Bob talk about him."

Noah said, "We don't cook up here on work mornings, sir. So today we're having breakfast downstairs with all the other guys. It's a casual come-when-you-like buffet."

When they made their entrance to the buffet in the garden, all heads turned. Charlie's affection for the boys was a new event in the tribe and the other boys were dying to get the scoop from Noah and Vic. It was quite a rowdy meal, casual as Noah had said, with lots of table hopping. Most of the men there Charlie had met already and they greeted him warmly.

Except ... Over the years in the rodeo Charlie had become good at sensing the mood of a room and his antennae picked up a certain tension in Randy who seemed unusually grouchy. He usually had breakfast in his house with Bob, cooked by Will, but today he was grabbing a bite here before an early start at the construction site. Maybe just trouble at work, Charlie thought.

He said to his boys, "Hey, kids, Randy's not usually this cranky, is he? A couple of days ago I was with him and Bob in their house and they were working on figures or something and arguing a lot. Does your grapevine have any info on that?"

"Oh, we don't need a grapevine for that, sir," Vic said. "Working in the office we hear all the issues about the running of the company. See, Bob runs the financial side – budgets, financial planning and stuff, but Randy's the action man, running the construction sites, only interested in getting the job done on time."

"Yeah," Noah added, "and this often causes conflict between the two bosses. But they love each other so much it always blows over. Except this one's a humdinger. Has to do with the construction crew's overtime. Randy will pay his men whatever it takes to keep the work on schedule, but Bob's concerned they're going over-budget. Something like that."

"Hmm, just so long as you guys don't get caught in the crossfire."

"Oh we're used to that, sir. Some time ago Randy came in ranting and raving `cos the paychecks were late and he blamed us. But our boss Brandon wasn't having any of that and he gave Randy a tongue lashing – can you imagine – confronting the big boss like that?"

Just then Brandon rolled out in his wheelchair and smiled, "Someone taking my name in vain?"

"No actually," Charlie laughed. "The boys here were just saying what a protective boss you are – brave too. I asked them about the tension in the air and they mentioned stuff about overtime."

"Ah yes, the great overtime debate," Brandon shrugged. "This one's gonna take all Bob's skill and diplomacy. He has asked to meet with Ryan and me in his home office so we can finalize the figures. He wants everything, payroll savings and offsets, to be cut and dried before he meets with Randy again. He hopes to show Randy a budget that includes as many overtime hours as possible.

"Er, in the meantime, boys, the preliminary figures mustn't be given to anyone – anyone at all," Brandon said pointedly, and everyone knew who he meant. "They're only raw figures and could be misleading, only stir up more trouble." He smiled at Charlie. "But you don't want to hear about our troubles, sir, you're on vacation. When are you going to drop in on Pete and me, and our neighbors Hassan and Eddie?"

"Soon, I hope, Brandon. I've heard so much good stuff about Pete and you. It's nice to hear about a loving, no-drama couple after the other stuff we've been talking about."

Vic looked at his watch. "Is that the time? Come on Noah, we gotta open the office. Thanks for last night sir. Have a great day – see you after work."

The boys gave him warm hugs then ran off, and Brandon smiled after them. "They're such great kids, Charlie, and I'm so pleased you've taken them under your wing. You've transformed them from the shy, retiring boys they were before they met you."

"I guess I should thank you, Brandon. They told me how you protected them from Randy's rage that time – you gave the big bad boss a tongue-lashing, they said."

"Look, Charlie. I'm not a brave man, but Bob made me the office manager and I hired Vic and Noah. Where work is concerned I'm their boss, they answer to me, to Bob and no-one else. And it's my responsibility to protect my staff. It's as simple as that."

Charlie chuckled. "It don't sound that simple to me, dude. But it's good to know they've got your support."

"And they have yours too now, sir. You're their hero."

<><> THE BALLOON GOES UP <><>

It was mid-morning when Brandon and Ryan took the latest budget printouts over to Bob in his home office, leaving Vic and Noah basically to do routine work and cover the phones. They talked about the pending budget issues, interspersed with sexier topics centered on Charlie and what they did last night.

"Vic, do you think he really will do payback for what we did, and tie us up?"

"Hard to say, dude. He loves us and would never hurt us, but as he's not really into sex with guys, so it's hard to tell what he's thinking. With Randy you know where you are `cos he always takes payback. I mean, look at how he treats Bob when Bob takes charge and throws orders around. Randy always ends up fucking him to show him who's boss."

The phone rang, and Noah dealt quickly with the routine call and hung up. He frowned in thought. "Vic, you said Charlie loves us, but do you think it's for keeps? Like, you just said it's hard to tell what he's thinking."

"Dude, it's not what he's thinking that counts, it's his feelings, and he's made them real clear."

"It's just that he makes us feel happier than we've ever been. And if all that went up in smoke, I ... I don't think I could handle it, Vic."

"You won't have to, buddy. Don't get paranoid about stuff like that. Charlie said he wants us to be forceful so no one will push us around."

As it happened, that hope was about to be put to the test. It was nearing noon when they saw Will loading his truck with the packed lunches for the crew. They braced themselves for increased phone calls, as guys like Randy often called during his lunch break.

But he didn't call ... he burst in. Randy was always a rather scary presence to the boys, especially when he was wearing his sweaty work gear – greasy tank-top, muddy jeans and boots – as he was now. And his bad mood at breakfast had obviously worsened.

There was no greeting and a scowl instead of a smile, "Where's Brandon?" he demanded.

Vic tensed. "He's over with Bob and Ryan working on the budget, sir."

"Fuck, that's what I need to talk about. But you'll do. I want the overtime figures – how much we've spent this month and how much is left."

Vic tensed even more. "I'm afraid we're not allowed to do that, sir."

Randy clenched his fists and his eyes blazed. "Not allowed?" he bellowed. "What the fuck's that supposed to mean? I'm the guy who allows you to do stuff. I'm the boss."

Noah took a deep breath. He was not as brave as Vic but he remembered what Charlie had said and stood his ground. "I'm afraid that's not true, sir. Brandon is our boss and he gave us instructions that we couldn't give those figures to anyone yet `cos they're not finished and ..."

"Who the fuck do you think you are, kid?" I'm running a company here and I need my guys to work overtime. But I gotta know if I'll have enough fucking cash to pay them. So give me the goddam numbers or I'll ..."

The boys were really scared now and knew they were making Randy angrier than he already was. But they had their orders and didn't want to look weak for Charlie.

Vic stood up and faced Randy. "Sir, if you do anything bad to us, we'll go to Charlie for help."

"Charlie? What the fuck's he got to do with this?"

"He taught us to be strong if anyone tried to push us around. He said, if we had a problem we should go to him and he'd protect us."

Randy's rage was now mixed in with his old residual resentment of his brother. He shouted, "My fucking brother is not running this company, I am. And if he gets in my way with this bullshit he's been spilling you, I'll roll right over him. He tried that before and look how that turned out – I shoved my dick up his fucking ass."

"Sir, we're Charlie's boys now. He loves us and ..."

"Oh that's the crap he's been feeding you, eh?" He shoved Vic who sat down heavily in his chair. The thought of his brother turning these boys against him, as he wrongly supposed, stoked Randy's fury to a peak. And as always when anger consumed him he lashed out blindly – not with fists this time but with irrational words meant to hurt.

Towering over the boys he growled, "OK, so let me tell you a few home truths about your hero Charlie. After I left Texas he didn't contact me all these years, until Ben and me ran into him by chance at the rodeo. My brother's a gypsy, a wandering gypsy – here one day gone tomorrow. He's never gonna settle, and he has a girl in every town – probably feeds them the same tired bullshit line he fed you ... `ooh, I love you, I'll come back to you as often as I can'.

"Plus he's a big narcissist – a fucking rodeo star, parading around the arena with no shirt on. Oh, he prob'ly gets off on two kids like you worshiping him, just like the rodeo crowd does, but as soon as the cheering stops he's off. You won't see him for dust. You'll be out of sight out of mind, and it'll be years till he pitches up again."

Mercifully Brandon came in followed by Ryan. They had heard the raised voices as they crossed the lawn to the office and knew at once that the balloon had gone up. Brandon rolled his wheelchair up the ramp and into the office and got between Randy and the boys. He had dealt with Randy in this mood before and he didn't scare him.

"Sir," he said defiantly, "I assume you came in to see me."

"Yeah, and instead of you I got these kids. You should fire their fucking asses for insubordination – they point blank refused my orders."

"Sir, I've told you before, if you have a problem, speak to me. I'm their boss and they were simply carrying out my orders, which supersede yours."

"Fuck you boy ..." He raised his hand but Brandon didn't flinch. Even the wildman had enough shreds of impulse control to stop him striking a boy in a wheelchair. Instead, he jabbed a finger at Brandon. "OK, you can tell your boss that I'm damn-well gonna give my crew all the overtime they need, and if it busts his stupid fucking budget it can come out of your boss's own pocket. Got it?"

"Yes thank you, sir, and I'll be sure to pass on your message to Bob. Now if you're finished we have work to do loading the just-finalized overtime budget into the computer."

Eyes blazing, fists clenched Randy spun round, stormed out of the office and slammed the door behind him.

<><> PICKING UP THE PIECES <><>

Brandon instantly turned to the boys who sat stunned and trembling, tears running down their ashen faces. He leaned forward in his chair and held their hands. "Noah, Vic, I'm so sorry that happened. I shouldn't have left you alone. Did he hurt you?"

He gave them time to recover and stammer an answer. "He didn't hit us, sir, but ..." Noah choked back his tears and took a deep breath. "Sir, he said that everything Charlie promised us was a lie. We're not really his boys `cos when he goes away he'll never come back ..."

He choked up again and Vic took over. "He said Charlie has a girl in ever town and feeds them the same line of bullshit he fed us. He's just a gypsy show-off, here today and gone tomorrow. It was all a dream, he don't really love us and ..."

"Boys, I've heard enough. Yes it's all bullshit – Randy's bullshit. You know how he gets when he's in a rage – he says things he don't mean and that make no sense. Everything he told you is wrong. But you don't need me to tell you that, you need Charlie. He came into Bob's house just as Ryan and I left, so I'll run across there and send him to you. Go upstairs to your apartment, dry your eyes and have a drink. I promise you, boys, everything is gonna turn out right. Ryan, can you hold the fort here?"

"Of course, sir." The boys, looking slightly less miserable, went upstairs while Brandon wheeled back to the Boss House to see Bob and Charlie. When Bob saw him he knew there was trouble

"How bad is it, Brandon?"

"Pretty bad, sir ... the worst actually."

He glanced at Charlie who tensed. "Is it Noah and Vic?"

"Yes, sir, they're involved. They're not hurt, but Randy was in one of his rages and upset them. I sent them up to their apartment and told them to have a drink."

"Brandon," Bob said, "before Charlie goes to them, tell us what happened."

"Near as I can make out, sirs, the boys were in the office alone when Randy burst in and, my guess is, demanded they give him the preliminary overtime figures. Of course, they refused, following my orders, so Randy hit the roof and, well, you know what that means."

"Did he hit them?" Charlie growled.

"No, no. But when they told him you would protect them he ... he must've been angry with you too, sir, `cos he told them a lot of lies – that you were a here-today-gone-tomorrow roving cowboy with a girl in every town. He said you made the same promises to all of them that you gave the boys, and he wouldn't be back here for years."

Charlie leapt to his feet and clenched his fists. "Fuck him. Fuck him to hell ... those sweet kids – I thought he was famous for protecting kids."

"Charlie," Bob said, "when Randy gets mad he's a different guy. He has anger issues and ..."

"Anger issues?! The man's a fucking savage ... those sweet vulnerable kids. OK, Bob, I've had it. I'm outa' this place and I'm taking the boys with me. I can't leave them here, he's a danger to them next time he has more fucking anger issues. I gotta go to them now. Sorry about this, Bob, but I'm done."

He ran out of the room and Bob rolled his eyes at Brandon. "Here we go again, buddy."

"We do indeed, sir. And this time there's real damage and it'll be harder to pick up the pieces."

"Yes, Brandon, put we gotta start, as we always do. The first crucial thing is to keep Charlie away from Randy. They're both hot tempered, though Charlie's nothing near as volatile as Randy, and a physical confrontation could be disastrous. We're safe for a while as I'm sure Charlie will stay with the boys, comforting them in their room.

"I want you to go back to the office and hold the fort from there. Above all let me know if you see signs of Charlie leaving with the boys. I'm pretty sure that was just an impulsive threat made in the heat of the moment. Taking the boys away would have all kinds of drawbacks. I'll call Will and have him take lunch up to them as soon as he gets back from the work sites.

"Oh, and try to keep all this under wraps as long as you can. God knows it won't be long before it's all shaking the branches of the grapevine. I want to talk to the twins, I depend on them a lot when stuff like this happens.

"I'm too angry to talk to Randy now, and you're still not his favorite either. But Ryan seems to have dodged the bullets successfully and Randy has no beef with him, so ask him to call Randy at the site to give him the final overtime figures. You know how we made them much more favorable for him, so that should placate him a bit.

"My guess, based on past experience – lots of it – is that when the rage subsides the truth will dawn on Randy of the damage he's done. Vic and Noah have always been favorites of his and I would bet the remorse is probably already setting in.

"Brandon, I want to thank you once again for being so calm and rational in all this. You're my rock, as always, and I'll be sure to tell your man Pete that."

"Thank you, sir. I'll go to the office and do as you say. Er, are you OK, sir?"

Bob sighed. "Yeah, Brandon, I guess so. I've been through this so many times before. The big question now, though, is how am I ever gonna forgive Randy this time? But that's my problem."

<><> THE BOYS' HERO <><>

When Charlie went into the boys' bedroom Vic and Noah were sitting together on the edge of the bed. They looked up, wiped their cheeks and put on a brave face, but it was obvious they had been crying.

Charlie smiled, "Come here kids. He knelt on the floor before them and wrapped his arms round them in a long tight hug. "First off, boys, I love you. And now I want you to tell me everything Randy said to you."

They took turns and spoke haltingly. Every ugly word was etched in their minds and they repeated it all. "What really hurt, sir, was when he said you didn't really love us, that you made the same promises to girls in every town and you had no intention of coming back for years."

"Yeah, well none of that stuff is true, kids. I once told you I would never lie to you, and I haven't – I meant every word. But bits of what Randy said are true.

"After Randy left Texas we didn't see each other again for years, not until a few days ago at the rodeo. But neither of us made the effort to contact the other. It's true I'm a gypsy, just like him, and it's true that, as a cowboy on the rodeo circuit, I move from town to town. And it's true I'm a show-off in the ring – it's good for business. You already knew all that.

"It's also true that in every town I have my pick of the ladies, but what's not true is that I make them the same promises I made to you, and then renegue on them. I have never told anyone I would come back to them every break I get from the rodeo. And I've never told anyone I loved them – until I met you and asked you to be my boys. I meant every word I said to you, kids.

"The reason Randy took off on you like that had nothing really to do with you. He was mad already about something else – that stuff about his crew's overtime – and you know, as well as anyone, how he loses all control when he flies into one of his rages, and either lashes out with his fists or says stuff he don't mean. You happened to be the nearest guys for him to yell at.

"It's also true that his resentment of me goes back years. We were always competitive when we were boys, and some of that still lingers. So when you said I would protect you, his addled mind saw that as a direct challenge to him. Like I said, it was all irrational, and when he calms down he'll regret it all.

Bob told me that Randy's like two different guys – the hard-working, respected leader, always protective of boys, versus the crazy raging one who totally loses his mind. Unfortunately, you got to see the crazy one. It's a damn good job he didn't swing his fists `cos he'd have to deal with me – and I've still got a score to settle with him. I can't let him get away with this."

The boys glanced at each other with a touch of panic. Vic said, "Oh sir, please don't fight with Charlie, he's your brother. We don't want anyone fighting over us. We always knew what Randy was like – it's just that this time when he talked about you ..."

"OK, I promise we won't fight. But ... you believe what I've been saying to you?"

"Yes sir," Noah said managing a watery smile. "We realize it was Randy's anger talking, and we believed you when you said you'd never lie to us."

"Great, I'm glad we settled that. The question is, what do we do next? My first reaction was to get you out of harm's way and take you the hell away from here." He saw another look of alarm in their eyes. "But now I'm not so sure about that. I would love to have you tag along on my travels, but that would mean a lonely life for you, long days waiting for me in hotel rooms.

"Plus it would mean taking you away from everything you have here – all your buddies, a great job and a great boss, and wonderful guys like Bob taking care of you. So I think sticking to our original plan is the thing, what do you say?"

"Yes please, sir," they said in unison.

And at that moment there was a knock on the door and Will's voice said, "Room service."

He came in with a big tray and a big smile. "Bob asked me to bring you lunch, guys. Er, you are sticking around, aren't you, sir?"

Charlie grinned, "Looks like it, Will. You can't get rid of me that easy, and I have a feeling you'll be seeing a lot more of me too."

"Makes me very happy to hear you say that, sir. Bon appetit gentlemen." And with a cheery wave and a satisfied smile, Will left them alone.

<><> WAKING FROM A BAD DREAM <><>

So the situation was calming down in Bob's office and in the boys' bedroom, but the same could not be said of the construction site, where daylight was starting to pierce through the storm clouds of Randy's rage.

Bob had got it right when he told Brandon, "My guess is that when his rage subsides the truth will dawn on Randy of the damage he's done. Vic and Noah have always been favorites of his and I would bet that remorse is probably already setting in."

As Randy tried, as usual, to drown his sorrows in physical work, an image kept staring him in the face – Vic and Noah's tear-streaked faces staring up at him in fear. He blinked in disbelief at the memory. He loved those kids, and they were scared of him? What had he said to ...?

And his words came back to haunt him. He had lied to them, lied about his own brother Charlie, a guy he had come to respect and admire in the last few days. He had shed his old resentment, hadn't he? Hadn't he ...? He was confused, like a man waking from a bad dream where he was ranting like a savage.

It was the ring of his cellphone that jarred Randy back to the stark light of reality. Mechanically he answered it and heard Ryan's voice – the calm, matter-of-fact tone of a computer technician.

"Sorry to interrupt you at work, sir, but Bob asked me to give you this data about overtime right away. We've finished the budget analysis and we were able to find considerable savings in other areas and factor them into the overtime budget. The total comes to almost as much as you said you needed, sir. It's why we didn't want you to go by the raw, provisional figures we had in the office. I sent you an email with the exact final totals – I think you'll be pleased, sir."

"Thanks, Ryan," Randy murmured absently and hung up. It should have been good news, but it sent his mind reeling. What? What? So all the anger and yelling was for nothing. The boys had been right ... they were just obeying orders. And he had ... He tried to forget what he had done and said, but he kept seeing the image of those pale, scared faces.

He had to go to them, Charlie too. He had to make things right. Then he had to face Bob ... no, he couldn't even deal with that now. Bob must be thinking he's the most evil cretin he had ever met. Randy yelled at his foreman Darius. "Take over here, dude. I got something I gotta do."

<><> PAX FRATERNA <><>

Charlie, Noah and Vic were in the boys' apartment eating the lunch Will had brought, in a soothing atmosphere of relief and contentment. But suddenly the calm was pierced by the screech of brakes outside and the slam of a truck door.

"Randy," Charlie said grimly. "Don't worry kids, I'll handle this."

"Please, sir, don't fight with him. We would hate that."

He smiled reassuringly. "I promised I wouldn't Noah, and I keep my promises. Eat your lunch."

He ran downstairs and confronted Randy just as he approached the office. Brandon and Ryan watched anxiously from the office window as the brothers glared at each other, fists clenched. Brandon knew better than to intervene. This was between the two macho brothers.

Charlie snarled. "What the fuck, Randy? They're just boys, two vulnerable young kids – innocent bystanders in whatever crazy war you're waging this time. I thought you were supposed to be the great protector."

Randy put his hands behind his back and jutted his jaw. "Go on, Charlie, take a swing ... beat me to a pulp ... I deserve it."

"You have no idea how much I want to do that, bro, and I would, except I promised Vic and Noah there would be no fighting. They at least are civilized, with more sense and decency than you could ever muster. You're a sicko, you know that? Bob calls it anger issues – I call it insanity."

"Charlie, I have no excuse. I totally lost it and took out my rage on the nearest target. Of course I love those kids, and what you're doing for them. Your protectiveness is straight out of my own playbook – when I'm not behaving like a caveman. Please, Charlie, I wanna make it right with them. I wanna tell them it was all lies."

"I already told them that, and they believe me."

"Charlie, I love those kids and they think I'm a monster. I just wanna make my peace with them."

Charlie frowned. "On one condition, Randy. That you go see our brother Doc Steve – as a patient – and tell him all that's happened and why you acted the way you did. He specializes in anger management."

"OK, Charlie, you're right. I'll go see him."

"Right. But one false move and I'll take those kids out of here and you'll see none of us again."

The boys stood up from the table when Charlie walked in – followed by Randy. "Kids, Randy has something he wants to say to you."

Randy stared at their nervous young faces, and stammered, "Guys ... I ... can I hug you? Charlie, please, can I hug them?"

Charlie looked questioningly at the boys, who said in unison, "Yes please, sir."

Randy stepped forward and folded his muscular arms round them tenderly as tears ran down his cheeks. "I'm sorry, kids. I was out of my mind, behaved like a monster. But I love you guys, you know that, though it don't seem like that now. The stuff I said was bullshit. Charlie loves you, he's your man, and I'm thrilled about that. Maybe one day you can forgive me ..."

"We already have, sir," Vic said. "We know how ... how angry you get sometimes, but Charlie made it all come right." Noah added, "We'd just as soon forget all this ever happened, sir."

Randy turned to Charlie who smiled, "I'm starting to realize that the boys of this clan can teach the so-called adults a thing or two, bro."

"Yeah," Randy said, "the rest of us worked that out some time ago. You're the smart ones, kids, eh?" He ruffled their hair. "You send us back to the cave where some of us belong sometimes, me especially."

He turned to Charlie. "Dude, I make you all a promise. When you're away at the rodeo, I promise to take care of these boy, just as you would want. Nobody will hurt them, especially me. That's a promise, brother to brother, and Bob will always be right there to make sure I keep that promise."

"I appreciate you saying that, bro. And er, talking of Bob, don't you have another stop to make?"

Randy sighed. "Yeah, and this is a tough one. You don't know how many times I've faced him in circumstances like this, feeling like a mad dog who's slipped the leash and let him down once more. The mystery is why he sticks with me and don't kick me out. God knows I deserve it."

"No mystery, Randy – he loves you, simple as that. Anyone who's seen you together knows that. Now go and make your peace and leave us to finish our lunch."

Randy threw his arms round Charlie and tears again came to his eyes. "I love you, dude. The best damn brother a guy could have." Before the tears flowed he strode to the door and left.

<><> LOVE & FINANCE <><>

In the Boss House Bob was working at his desk when Randy walked in. Bob was looking sexy as ever, barefoot in jeans and white V-neck T-shirt stretched over his muscular torso, and Randy's cock swelled in his jeans, to confuse him even more.

Randy had no idea what to say. Whatever he said would be a hollow echo of all the times before when he had faced the man he loved and stumbled an apology. So it was Bob who spoke first – with a tone of sadness.

"Not the boys, Randy. Especially those kids starting to feel their way through life. It's one thing to lose your temper with one of the men and start a brawl, but when you attack innocent boys, shatter their illusions and leave them in tears. Do you know how ugly that is?"

Randy shifted uneasily from foot to foot feeling like a misbehaving schoolboy hauled before the headmaster going through a litany of his offenses. "And badmouthing your own brother to his boys – Charlie, the brother you just re-discovered and bonded with. Do you know he was about to take the boys and leave the tribe? And why? Because you couldn't wait a few hours for us to finish the overtime budget."

Randy mumbled, "If it's any consolation, dude, I made my peace with the boys and Charlie, and promised to go see Doc Steve for some shrink sessions."

"Well, that's something, I suppose – though I suspect that's more a tribute to their generosity of spirit than your display of contrition. So now it just leaves us, Randy."

"Buddy, I know I fucked up real bad, but you're not gonna ...?"

"No, Randy I'm not gonna leave you – Jesus that sounds like a cracked record, `I'm not gonna leave you...' over and over again." He sighed. "You'd probably like me to tie you up and smack you around, some form of physical punishment to appease the caveman in you. But we both know it would do no good, you'd hardly feel it.

"I thought of not letting you touch me for a week or so, like that ancient Greek dame Lysistrata who told her women to withhold sex from their men until they stopped fighting. That would sure be frustrating and you'd imagine yourself punished, but it would pain me as much as you. So then I came up with another idea, the one you least expected." He paused and Randy stared into the deep brown eyes. "Take your clothes off, Randy."

That he hadn't expected, but he hurried to obey, kicking off his boots and pulling off his jeans. For a moment he stood there in just his sweaty tank, his long, thick cock swinging between his legs – knowing instinctively how much that look turned Bob on. Then he yanked off the tank.

"On the bed," Bob ordered. Randy lay down on his back. Standing at the foot off the bed Bob pulled off his T-shirt and stood there barefoot and shirtless in beltless blue jeans hugging his long slim sexy waist – the look he knew excited Randy most.

"OK, here it is – the thing you least expect and least deserve, but I suspect it will bring home to you what you almost wrecked, and make you feel even more guilty – as it should. Randy, I'm gonna make love to you. Not the drill-your-ass and rip-it-open brutal kind. This is gonna be gentle, passionate love – the kind you jeopardize every time you go off the rails as you just did."

Randy didn't quite grasp Bob's reasoning but he felt nervous just the same as he watched Bob drop his jeans and stand naked before him. Randy's cock rose to full mast as he stared up at his muscular, square-jaw-handsome superman lover.

Another surprise was when Bob reached for a jar of lube, something they never used together. "Like I said Randy, slow, gentle and loving – lube and all. Now show me your ass."

Obediently Randy slid his heels back on the bed and offered his ass to Bob, who was lubing his cock. He wiped his hands and knelt on the bed between Randy's bent legs. He leaned forward, braced his hands on the bed and Randy stared up into the deep brown eyes.

"I love you Randy ..." Bob lowered his head and kissed the stubbled gypsy full on the lips, his passion mounting as his warm breath flooded Randy's mouth and their tongues pressed against each other. Randy's cock was already pulsing when he felt the exquisite sensation of his lover's cock sliding into his ass.

Bob's face pulled off him and Randy's blue eyes gazed up at the chiseled features of the man he loved. As he felt Bob's shaft ease deeper and deeper inside him he groaned, "Fuck ... fuck ... you're so fucking beautiful man. He reached up and ran his hands over Bob's face, his neck and his solid pecs.

But as Bob pulled gently back, then entered him again at the start of the gentlest love-making Randy frowned, "No, I don't deserve this, man. Punish me, man, pound my ass ... hurt me ..."

Bob frowned down at him. "Hurt? Yeah you understand hurt don't you, buddy?. The brutal way you hurt those boys. It's love you don't really understand, do you – the kind of love those boys and Charlie have for each other, that special love that you almost destroyed? You don't understand the love I have for you, so intense it lets me forgive you over and over again for your rage-filled brutal acts.

"You feel this? This is love that I'm giving you now, Randy, the love that transcends all the pain and heartache men cause. No, Randy, I'm not going to hurt you – not in the way you mean. I'm gonna show you the love you don't deserve. And the shame you feel will be more painful than any ass-pounding ever could."

He bent down again, kissed Randy's eyes and licked the tears that were already starting to flow down his cheeks. "Look at me, buddy, the man you love – and the man you humiliated. When you shame yourself you insult me ... me, who you swore to love and protect always. This is what you almost lost, tossed away like a used rag in a fit of rage. But here I am, still making love to you, because I can't stop, even when I'm angry."

As he heard the sorrowful tones of Bob's voice, felt the tender caress of his face and the gentle massage of his ass, Randy was overwhelmed with shame and guilt, a pain worse than any physical beating could cause. He knew he didn't deserve a man like this, and yet he could never, ever live without him. As Bob continued to make love to him his pain grew worse, he was sobbing in remorse.

Suddenly Bob pulled out, inched backward and lowered his face toward Randy's cock, oozing precum. "No," he moaned ... "Please, I ... aaahh!" He felt Bob's tongue on his cock, then the lips that parted and the mouth that slid all the way down to his pubic hair. He looked down at the stunningly handsome face rising and falling on his cock.

That erotic image overwhelmed him with remorse and he howled like a wounded animal as his cock erupted deep in his lover's throat."

Bob pulled away and Randy closed his eyes in a daze. When he opened them he saw the soft brown eyes smiling down at him as Bob kissed him again. He felt the shock of Bob's shaft re-entering him, and amazingly, the fuck continued.

After his orgasm, the same barrage of sensations as before now intensified and he moaned, "I just shot my load, dude, I can't take any more. Please ... I love you, man, more than ever before. Please forgive me and cum in my ass. I love you," he sobbed. "Please ..."

Bob's muscles flexed, his eyes pierced Randy's as his cock swelled and poured juice inside him – the balm that soothed the troubled soul of the gypsy who had lost his way, and been rescued once again by the love of his man.

<><> LOOSE ENDS <><>

Minutes later as they lay side by side, Bob propped himself on his elbow and looked down at Randy. He anticipated his next concern,

"Don't worry about the tribe's reaction, Randy. I'll make sure this brings the sorry episode to a close for the rest of the guys too. I'll tell the twins what we've done here and they'll tell Eddie. And in seconds everyone will know that I have punished you and made love to you all in one. They'll all take their cue from me as they always do. They'll know I've closed the file on this ugly chapter, and that will be that."

"Thank you, buddy," Randy said humbly.

"As for Charlie, don't worry about him either. He's as tough as you are – it's bred in the bone with you guys. His focus will be on the boys, especially provisions for them after he leaves.

"Tomorrow he's gonna see Doc Chad about his aching wrist, to make sure he'll be fit to hold the reins tight in the punishing rodeo. And while he's there he intends to talk to Chad and Adam's boy Nate, who Noah and Vic regard as a big brother. I know you've sworn to take care of the boys, but I think Charlie will be happy to have Nate as a backup.

"And by the way, your brother Ben was talking to me earlier, hopping up and down with excitement that his man Jason, is finally due back from Australia. He's dying to introduce the fireman to Charlie. They're both show-offs so it should be quite a match."

Randy smiled. "There you go again, taking charge and arranging everyone's life for them."

"Somebody has to – someone who's not gonna lose his cool and start swinging his fists."

"That ain't gonna happen again, dude, I promise you that."

Bob sighed. "Randy, be careful what you promise. How many times have we closed out a chapter like this in our lives, with you saying `never again'? And look how that turned out."

Randy flashed his roguish gypsy smile. "Yeah, buddy, you have a point there."

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

TO BE CONTINUED in "A Trial Of Strength" – Chapter 576