A Trial of Strength

A TRIAL OF STRENGTH - PART 298 By Rob Williams

IN THIS CHAPTER: As their boys Jamie and Eddie watch, the blond cop Mark and rugged soldier Hassan re-enact their long-ago contest in a military interrogation cell where they had fought, lusted and loved. And now they face off again – as rivals, lovers, enemies, friends ... two beautiful alpha males who had fallen in love in the fiery crucible of war. Later, the warrior lovers swap boys, to the delight of Jamie and Eddie.

Chapter 298 – "WARRIOR LOVERS"

Eddie dashed into the kitchen and skidded to a halt where Danny was chopping vegetables. "Hey Danny," he said breathlessly, "I wanna ask you a big favor. See, Hassan has invited Mark and Jamie to his house up in the hills and I'm his boy so I'm supposed to cook lunch. Well, dude, I don't know shit about cooking so I was wondering ... I know I shouldn't ask, but ..."

True to form Eddie rambled on, retelling for the hundredth time the tale of how his master, the musclehunk Arab soldier Hassan, had captured Mark in the Arabian desert when Mark was an enemy solider, before he became a cop. "And then that Stockholm thingy kicked in and ..."

But Danny cut off Edie's endless flow of words. "Eddie, Eddie ... I'd be happy to cook for you all if that's what you're asking. In fact cooking for Mark, Hassan, Jamie and you would be an honor. But I'm real busy right now so why don't we talk later and arrange everything, OK?"

Eddie flung his arms round him and said, "Dude, you're the best. OK, I'll get out of your hair and leave you to chop." At the door he turned round. "And in return, any time you want a great blow job, dude, I'm your man."

Newly arrived in the tribe Danny had already earned great admiration as the assistant chef, and later in the afternoon he checked in with Jamie to ask about Mark's favorite foods so he would know what to cook. As Jamie was Mark's boy Danny asked about what Eddie had told him.

"Oh yeah, it's true," Jamie said. "Mark's meeting with Hassan years ago is one of the legends of the tribe. The boys talk about it all the time and jack off too, it's so hot. Hassan was an army interrogator on the Arab side and when Mark was captured Hassan chained him up and really worked him over trying to make him talk.

"That Stockholm Syndrome thing Eddie mentioned is where a hostage falls in love with his captor, and that's what happened there – two alpha males in extreme physical contact that becomes sexual. Mark used that to overpower Hassan and give him the same brutal treatment. Hassan never forgot his passion for Mark and after the war he came here to join the U.S. Marines and to find Mark. And, well, the rest is history ... here they are, real close buddies.

"They still love each other in a big macho cop-to-soldier way, and they get together sometimes to re-enact that time they met. But it's been a while and I'm thinking that's one reason Hassan has asked us up to his house. Me and Eddie will probably just stand back and watch from a distance. It's an incredibly hot thing to see. I hope you can stick around to watch too."

Of all the men in the tribe Hassan was the most private and liked to keep to himself in his modest guesthouse on the grounds of Steve's house. It sat among the hillside sagebrush down a gravel path below the main house.

The only one who spent a lot of time with him was his boy Eddie, whom he loved and nurtured, though they were so different. The strong, silent Marine was a sharp contrast to the fun-loving, gregarious and garrulous young guy who worshipped his handsome master and his superb physique – `a body that won't quit', as Eddie called it.

Hassan was still at work on an early morning shoot for one of the many recruitment videos he made for the Marine Corps, so Eddie was in the house alone when Danny arrived in the late morning with all the ingredients for lunch. Eddie made an attempt at being the gracious host but couldn't control his boyish excitement as he showed Danny round.

"Dude, this is gonna be so cool. Whenever Hassan and Mark get together it's smokin' hot, like nothing else you'll ever see. And then afterwards, to prove what real close buddies they are, they sometimes swap boys for a while. Man, it is sooo awesome getting fucked by that gorgeous cop while the Marine ploughs the hot surfer jock. I kid you not, dude, when ..."

"Eddie, cool it. It all sounds terrific but could we take a look at the kitchen and then you help me prepare the food? You taught me how to suck dick so maybe I can teach you how to cook."

"Aye-aye, sir," Eddie grinned with his trademark salute. Eddie worked so well with him that the food was prepared and ready for the oven when they heard tires crunch on gravel up the hill and Eddie ran outside yelling, "He's here." Danny went with him and stared up at the gravel path in amazement. He had met Hassan only once, and then he had been in regular casual clothes. So it was a shock to see him now – like something out of a homoerotic movie.

The husky Marine Captain had come straight from his video shoot and was still dressed in battle gear – camouflage fatigue pants, combat boots, and a sleeveless denim shirt over a khaki tank stretched over his powerful chest. Military dog tags hung down in the cleft between his pecs. His exotic, olive-skinned Arab/Asian features still bore the black camouflage stripes of the video shoot, and mirror sunglasses added a mysterious look, along with his jet back hair.

Danny flinched as the soldier strode up to him but when he whipped off his sunglasses the dark, slanted eyes were smiling at him. "Hey, Danny," he said in his deep, lyrically accented voice. "Last time we met we hardly exchanged two words so I'm glad we'll get to know each other better." He gave him a brawny hug and Danny found himself trapped in muscular arms and the strong, musky smell of man-sweat that gave him an instant boner.

"I really appreciate you coming up here to cook for us, Danny, `cos I know how busy you are at the house. I hope this young punk here has been helping you," and he ruffled Eddie's hair.

"Eddie has been a great help, sir. Next time he'll be able to cook the meal himself."

"Yeah, well I ain't holding my breath on that one," Hassan chuckled. "That right, kiddo? As a chef you give a real mean blow-job. And I'll be wanting more of that later, boy."

"Aye-aye, sir," Eddie grinned, gazing at his master with adoring eyes.

"Right, well I'm gonna leave you two to get back to the kitchen. I'm gonna grab a beer and go down to the gazebo and wait for Mark." He also grabbed a military kitbag from off the floor and strode away down the gravel path that continued past the house out to the end of a promontory where a small octagonal gazebo stood, seemingly lost in the center of the green sage of the hills. And that was where Hassan now settled, sipping beer ... and waiting.

A short while later the boys heard a yell. They went outside and saw Jamie racing down the path to the house in surfer trunks and a tank top, his blond hair flying. "Hey, guys, how's it hangin'? Danny, thanks a million for doing the honors in the kitchen. Left to this guy we'd be eating chips and dip." He hugged Eddie affectionately as Mark came down the path.

The Greek-God blond cop had come straight off a pre-dawn shift, stopping only to pick up Jamie, and was still in his police uniform of black pants tucked into high shiny motorcycle boots. His muscular torso bulged under a black shirt, with a triangle of white T-shirt at the open neck. He hugged Danny, with profuse thanks for volunteering in the kitchen.

Danny was always in awe of the uniformed cop but, despite his warm hug, he detected a kind of pensiveness, as if Mark was preoccupied by something. He soon realized what it was when Mark rested his hand on Jamie's shoulder and said, "OK if I leave you guys for a while, kiddo?"

Jamie smiled, "Absolutely, sir. I understand." Eddie shoved a beer in Mark's hand as he turned and walked down the path to the gazebo.

When Mark got there Hassan stood up and their eyes met. They put down their beers and Mark noticed the bulging kitbag on the floor. Wordlessly they began to unbutton their shirts. They both knew what was about to happen, what they both craved.

Their shirts now flapping open they gazed at each other almost shyly. "Hey, buddy," Mark said with a slight grin. "Hey, Mark ... gorgeous as ever ..." Hassan came close and ran his hands over Mark's T-shirt, tracing the contours of the hard-muscled chest under it.

He pushed the black shirt off over Mark's shoulders and, as it fell to the floor, murmured "Awesome". He gazed at the police officer stripped down to his white T-shirt, black pants and motorcycle boots, the short sleeves gripping his bulging biceps, his broad shoulders solid under the stretched white cotton, his lats sloping down to the slim waist where the heavy black belt cinched the shirt tight. The ridges of his eight-pack abs were visible under the tight T-shirt.

Again Hassan ran his hands over the hard slabs of the cop's pecs, brushed the nipples through the fabric, then dug his fingers in hard, making Mark wince. "I love you like that," Hassan said, "the way you were that day in the desert, your handsome face twisted in pain. You were the most beautiful man I had ever seen, Mark." He put his hand behind Mark's neck, ran his fingers through his thick blond hair at the nape, pulled his face forward and kissed him with a passion that soared in both men.

Suddenly Mark pushed Hassan back roughly against one of the gazebo's supporting poles. The Marine instantly became compliant, re-living that intense moment when Mark had turned the tables on him in the military cell. "Shit, man, you're hot," Mark growled. "I hated your guts that day when I was chained to the wall. I spat in your face and you punched me in the gut ... like this."

He slammed his fist into Hassan's abs under his khaki tank, but he pulled his punch so the pain was sharp but not brutal. It's what they did at times like this, re-enacting the intense interrogation scene in the desert but without the savagery ... going through the motions, as neither of them wanted to hurt the man he had come to love and respect, at least not as brutally as they had on that memorable day so long ago.

The Marine retaliated by shoving the cop away from him and he staggered backward. Hassan shrugged off his shirt and they circled each other warily, a homoerotic picture of two powerful, adversaries, the black-haired soldier in military fatigues and a khaki tank, the blond cop in uniform pants, boots and a tight white T-shirt.

Suddenly Hassan launched himself at Mark, a move driven by an instinct to fight, but even more by his sexual desire to wrap his arms round the cop's muscular physique. They crashed to the ground and were instantly rolling over the floor, locked in an erotic frenzy of grappling, shoving, holding, kissing – a frenzied mix of fighting and love-making which, given their history, was pretty much the same thing to them.

To the sound of ripping shirts they struggled for supremacy until Hassan was on top, pinning Mark to the floor on his back. Their eyes blazed with lust and Hassan gasped, "Man, you are one hot fucking stud. I love you, man. I wanna fuck the shit out of you."

"Not so fast, soldier." Mark bent his leg, pressed his boot against Hassan's chest and shoved hard, sending the Marine reeling backwards. Mark leapt to his feet and again they circled each other, panting hard, fighters and lovers, their torn shirts clinging to their gleaming torsos.

Hassan raised his arms high, palms open, in a challenge – a typical opening move wrestlers use as a test of their opponent's strength. Accepting the challenge Mark raised his arms and their palms slapped together, fingers intertwined, pushing against each other. Their muscles flexed as their testosterone peaked, and they grunted in their attempt to fold the other man's fingers back and force him to his knees.

The trial of strength lasted a long time as the two equally matched men applied all their strength against each other, their feet struggling for purchase on the floor back and forth, gaining and losing an inch at a time.

Their eyes locked and as they felt each other's muscular strength it was as if they saw into the other man's soul. They were rivals, lovers, enemies, friends, but most of all two stunningly beautiful alpha males who had fallen in love in the fiery crucible of war. Back then it was the inflicting and endurance of pain that had miraculously evolved into lust and then love. And now, as they struggled, it was the intense awareness of the other man's strength and raw maleness that revived their longing yet again.

In this strange fighter/lover dichotomy, they both wanted to win ... and to lose. And maybe that was why Mark, who rarely lost a fight, now buckled under the Marine's sinewy strength. His hands curled backward and the pain forced his legs to buckle. Sensing victory the soldier redoubled his strength pushing downward ... and the cop slowly fell to his knees.

"Wow, didn't expect that," said an excited Eddie watching from the patio of the guesthouse through binoculars. All three boys had binoculars (two sets from the house, one from Jamie's truck) trained on the gazebo at the end of the promontory.

Usually a scene of tranquility where Steve and Lloyd drank cocktails watching the sun set, the gazebo had now been transformed by memory into a surrogate for the prison cell where the two men had subjected each other to torture and unexpectedly found love. The structure's open sides provided an unobstructed view out to the hills and a clear view into it for the benefit of anyone watching – such as the three awestruck boys.

This re-enacted scene between soldier and cop was entirely new to Danny who was gripped by excitement mixed with anxiety. Up to now he had never really been turned on by bondage and domination between two men. (Brandon had laughingly labeled him `vanilla'.) When Jamie had describe the brutal interrogation scene he had felt a visceral thrill that made his dick hard, but he flinched from the pain and trauma the men must have felt. And now he was actually watching the Marine and the cop go through the same ordeal.

Jamie glanced at Danny and sensed his misgivings. "Don't worry, dude," he smiled. "They love each other too much to really hurt each other in the way they did then. They show their love through a contest of strength and macho dominance, the things that brought them together in the first place. It's a rite of passage for them ... something they need ... crave. Just watch."

They trained their binoculars on the Gazebo again where the scene of Mark's surrender was unfolding. Hassan had pushed him against a supporting pole and Mark had submitted willingly, charged by the sexual exhilaration an alpha male feels when submitting to an equally powerful and beautiful man like Hassan. It is a sensation denied to most men. While many males subconsciously feel and suppress such a desire as a threat to their manhood, it takes a man secure in his own masculinity to acknowledge such perverse feelings and surrender to them.

Which Mark did now. He did not react as Hassan opened the kitbag he had brought and pulled out ropes. Mark compliantly put his hands behind him round the pole and Hassan bound his wrists. Mark reflexively pulled against his restraints, making his muscles flex and gleam as they had in the prison cell. Hassan stood back and gazed at him as if in a trance, transported back to the homoerotic image he had carried with him for years.

"Magnificent," he breathed. "Such a man. I had interrogated many soldiers but never one such as you. You remember, Mark? Remember when I did this?" He grabbed the shredded remains of his captive's T-shirt and ripped it clean off, gasping at the sight of the muscle-god cop stripped to the waist in black uniform pants and boots. Hassan pulled off his khaki tank top and stood shirtless before Mark, his military tags hanging over the mounds of his pecs.

Suddenly Mark was in that cell, facing his tormenter and he struggled to get free, his shoulders and biceps bulging in a futile attempt to loosen the ropes. His efforts, the anguished look on his face, drove Hassan deeper into his fantasy and he said, "I looked into your eyes as I tortured your nipples, like this." He clamped one hand on the cop's nipple and ground it fiercely in his fingertips. His other hand grabbed his balls and squeezed.

"Aaagh," Mark groaned in pain, recalling the first time when his ravaged tits had felt they were on fire and his balls were being crushed. "Fuck you, soldier. Fuck you." His curses roused Hassan's lust and, as he watched tears come to the prisoner's eyes, his sculpted features twisting in pain, the Marine's cock was hard as steel in his fatigues. "You have to submit to me, cop. You're tough but you know I will win."

"Fuck you, asshole," Mark growled and Hassan's eyes blazed as he dug his fingernails into the flesh of his nipple, squeezed his balls tighter and yelled, "Give up ... you're finished ... submit!"

The cop's screams got louder but, still defiant, he howled, "Go ... and ... fuck ... yourself."

Hassan wrenched his finger off the nipple, released his balls and stood back, holding his arms out to the side and flexing his muscles. "Look at me, man. Magnificent, no? You are strong but I have other ways of making you submit. He locked eyes with Mark and walked slowly toward him. Up close he grabbed the cop's thick blond hair behind his head, his eyes flashed and he pulled Mark's face forward into a savage, grinding kiss.

Mark gasped but, as he inhaled sharply, he tasted only Hassan's breath as their mouths clamped together and he depended on the Marine for the breath of life. His cock throbbed in his pants and he desperately wanted to get free, touch his cock and bust a load of jizz. At last Hassan pulled off him, walked back a few steps and gazed at the shirtless cop, his body shuddering, tears brimming in his eyes. "You're incredible, officer."

There had been a point in the desert interrogation cell when Mark knew he was beaten ... and a similar moment approached now as he stared at the soldier who unzipped his fatigues, pulled out his iron-hard shaft and stroked it. With his free hand he caressed his own body, running his hand over his exotic olive-skinned face, down his neck, over his shoulders and over the slabs of his chest. He raised his arm to the side, turned his head and kissed his flexed bicep.

It was a surreal sight, the shirtless, musclehunk Marine making love to himself, getting off on his own beautiful body while gazing at Mark with a teasing smile in his exotic almond-shaped eyes. Again Mark struggled to get free, desperate to touch Hassan, to touch his own cock and jerk off watching him.

Hassan knew exactly what his captive was feeling. "I turn you on, man, I know that. This is what made you submit to me that first time ... what made you fall in love. I am such a beautiful man you want to ejaculate looking at me, don't you? Confess it, officer. It's what you crave."

Hypnotized by Hassan's voice and his piercing eyes, Mark heard himself say, "Yes, sir."

"Good. Are you ready to submit to the Marine captain you are so hungry for?"

"Yes, sir. You win. I want you so bad. I submit, sir."

Transfixed by Hassan's gaze Mark felt his knees go week. He leaned back against the pole, his legs buckled and he sank slowly to his knees, his bound hands sliding down the poll behind him. And finally the bound, shirtless cop was keeling on the floor, his head bowed in total surrender to the rugged soldier he craved.

It was an odd sight up at the house – three boys holding binoculars to their eyes with one hand and stroking their cocks with the other. And for one of them the action he was seeing was too much. "Oh, shit," Eddie gasped, "look at that. I can't take it, dudes ... I gotta ... aaah ..." and his cock blasted a stream of jism on the earth at his feet."

The other boys barely noticed, so engrossed were they on the scene unfolding in the gazebo. Jamie was silently willing his master the cop to fight back (as he knew he would) while Danny had abandoned any squeamishness he had felt at first, knowing that the men were getting off on this even more than their boys were.

Both men knew exactly what came next. The cop raised his head and stared at the Marine who had stopped stroking his cock, letting it stand out stiff as a rod from his fatigue pants. Mark's gaze travelled from Hassan's dark, chiseled features, down over his bare chest, his razor-sharp abs, and settled on the huge cock pointing straight at him.

Hassan smiled at the lust glowing in Mark's eyes and said tauntingly. "Remember how it was when I had you chained to the wall and I pulled my cock out of my pants. You knew what I would do to you ... just as you know now. And you knew you wanted it ... just as you do now."

"I remember," Mark groaned. In a gesture of abject surrender Mark opened his mouth as Hassan walked toward him. Without breaking his stride Hassan came close, his shaft entered the cop's mouth and drove straight down his throat. Mark gagged and instinctively pulled at his bound wrists, but he inhaled sharply and swallowed hard as pre-cum trickled down his throat.

The soldier grabbed the cop's hair, forced his face back, then pulled it forward hard on his cock. Mark choked again and tears welled in his eyes but the rancid taste of the Marine's cock and the stink of his sweaty black pubic hair pressed in his face increased his craving for more.

And he got it as the soldier pulled the cop's head by the hair and pounded his face back and forth on his cock. Hassan looked down at the handsome face streaked with tears, at the bulging shoulders, arms stretched backwards, and the torso writhing under the onslaught of the merciless cock.

But Mark was spared prolonged pain as the sight of the struggling cop overwhelmed Hassan and he said, "Remember the first time you drank a man's juice, Mark? It was mine. Remember how it tasted, how it revolted and thrilled you, how you gagged and gulped it down? You looked magnificent, as you do now. Well here it comes again, man. I love you Mark ... aaagh!"

The cop's head was pushed back against the pole he was tied to as the Marine's massive cock speared his mouth and blasted semen deep down his throat. Desperately Mark gulped down the soldier's cum, its bitter-sweet taste transporting him back to that dank cell where the soldier had chained him and forced him to drink a man's semen for the first time in his life.

Just when Mark thought he would suffocate on sperm the Marine pulled out his cock and blasted the last of his juice full in his face. He gazed down at the muscle-god cop sobbing in the exhilaration of abject defeat, his tousled blond hair falling over his brow, his blue-gray eyes streaming with tears that mixed with the soldier's cum splashed over his handsome face.

Towering over him Hassan put his hand under Mark's chin and raised his face so their eyes met. "You have never looked more beautiful, Mark, than you do at this moment. And that is why I fell in love with you so long ago."

The simulated rivalry of the two men was reflected in the reactions of their boys. Eddie playfully taunted the cop's boy Jamie. "See, my Marine is a match for any man ... including a cop like yours, no matter how tough and gorgeous he is. I know how intense Hassan can be when he fucks me and I bet he's not finished with the cop yet."

Jamie huffed, "Huh, that's not how it goes at all. You forget the story of how it went down after that. After Hassan worked Mark over real good and Mark looked like he was finished he told Hassan he had fallen in love with him and wanted to make love to him right there on the floor of the cell. Just watch what happens next." They trained their binoculars back on the scene.

His breath still heaving the sweating soldier sank to his knees before the bound cop. Face to face now, the two shirtless men gazed at each in silence, then Hassan leaned forward and licked the semen and tears from Mark's face. Their lips met in a long, emotional kiss. When they pulled apart Mark said softly, "I wanna make love to you, man."

"I know," Hassan smiled. He reached forward behind the post and untied Mark's wrists. Then he rolled over on his back beside him while Mark rubbed his chafed wrists and pulled the loosened ropes off them. "Mmm," Hassan sighed, "making love to you after a scene like is perfect, Mark. Let's take a slug of beer first."

But suddenly Mark leapt to his feet, still holding the ropes, and taking Hassan by surprise, pulled his arms straight up above his head and tied his wrists behind the post. "What the fuck...?" Hassan growled as Mark towered over him.

"You never learn do you, stud? Apparently you forgot how I turned the tables on you all that time ago, how I seduced you into unchaining me, how I overpowered you and reamed your Arab ass. Well let me jog your memory, soldier."

Lying helpless on his back on the floor like a prisoner stretched on the rack, Hassan stared up at the shirtless cop standing astride him, at his piercing eyes, his muscles flexing in anticipation of exacting revenge. And although he had just shot a huge load in Mark's mouth, the soldier's cock, still hanging out of his pants, grew stiff.

"See, you want it real bad, don't you soldier." He ripped open his black uniform pants and pulled out his raging cock, his balls straining with the pent-up semen that had built since their first erotic grappling. He leaned down and yanked the soldier's camouflage fatigues down to his boots, then knelt down and pushed his boots up high, exposing his bare ass for the first time.

"It's payback time, captain," the cop growled, spitting in his palm and stroking his cock. "Remember this? Remember the first time in your life a man shoved his rod in your ass? Remember how much you wanted it from me and how you screamed like a stuck pig when you got it? Let me refresh your memory."

"Aaagh..." The soldier's scream could be heard from the house as the cop drove his shaft like a pile driver deep inside his ass. Hassan's body flexed, his muscles rippled as he writhed on the floor and pulled at the ropes binding his hands above his head, like a man being tortured on the rack. "No, man, it's too rough ... I can't take your cock that hard ... I ..."

"Shut the fuck up, soldier. Too rough!? After what you did to me in that prison cell? You chained me to the wall, ripped off my shirt and tortured my body, my tits, my balls ... you whipped me, fucked my face and my ass, making me watch in the mirror as I shot load after load of semen on the dirt floor. Nah, this is just what you deserve, mother-fucker."

He pulled back and slammed his cock again deep inside the agonized Marine, his chiseled square-jawed features grimacing in pain. As the fuck intensified Hassan fell into a trance. Yes he remembered – he remembered it all – how at first he had hated the enemy but then, watching the beautiful blond soldier endure all the pain and humiliation, how he had lusted for his body and then fallen in love with him.

He remembered being overpowered and tied up, looking up at the blond soldier as he pounded his ass. Helplessly he watched him escape but he couldn't forget him so he searched for him, halfway round the world, and finally found him again – the spectacular man he had tortured and loved more than anyone before in his life. And here he was, that same beautiful man, leaning over him ... impaling his ass on his cock just as it had been in that fetid cell so long ago.

The Marine was sobbing as he begged, "Fuck me, Mark. Let me feel you inside me, hurt me as I hurt you. Fuck me," he howled. "Fuck me! Fuuuck me!!"

Never had two men been bound together in the same way as these two, united in a vortex of pain, suffering, lust and love forged in the cauldron of war. It now found expression in one of the most ferocious fucks either had ever experienced as Mark used every ounce of his strength in ramrodding Hassan's ass, burying his cock deep inside him as their eyes bored into each other with a savagery reflecting the violent passions that consumed them.

They were, at the same time, ardent lovers and feral animals as the ferocious fuck went on and on amid howls of pain and savage curses. Neither wanted it to end, but in the end they had no choice. Overwhelmed by the visceral forces inside them they felt their juices rising inexorably to their climax. "Let me see you cum, buddy," Mark pleaded. "I wanna fuck that juice out of you. Do it for me ..."

"I love you, Mark ... here it comes ... fuck ... fuck ... fuck ... I love you...aaagh!" His cock exploded with semen that splashed all over his heaving chest as Mark said, "You are so fucking beautiful man ... I'm gonna come inside your ass. Oh, man ... yeah, yeah ... yeah!" His cock erupted, endlessly pumping semen into the furnace of the soldier's ass.

Their bodies heaved, their hearts pounded, as Mark fell forward on top of Hassan. They held each other tight, sobbing with emotions that lay too deep for words – homoerotic urges that had ultimately found release in brawling sex between two warrior lovers.

Up at the house three pools of semen lay at the feet of the exhilarated boys, unable or unwilling to restrain their explosive orgasms. "Wow!" Eddie said ... but then words failed him. All three boys remained mute as their thoughts raced with the extraordinary, near-pornographic scenes they had just witnessed between the soldier and the cop.

Danny was the first to find his voice. "Hey, those guys are gonna be hungry. Gotta get the food in the oven."

He raced back to the kitchen and Jamie grinned at Eddie. "Now there's a guy with his priorities in the right place. Eddie, I gotta say, your Marine looked smoking hot out there with Mark. Such a gorgeous muscle-god and he oozes sex. Damn you must love getting fucked by him when he comes home from work all hot and horny. I'd sure like to feel that huge dick up my ass ... oh, sorry buddy, only if you wouldn't mind."

"Fine with me, dude, provided you let me get fucked by your cop. Hell, you know me, I'd keep gushing like a geyser with that guy's dick up my ass." He paused to savor the image of that. "Hey, Jamie, you think they might do that boy-swap thing they've done before? I could sure go for some of that."

"Dunno, depends on how they feel. After what we've just seen I wouldn't be surprised if they're sexed out. Or maybe they'll be so into each other they'll wanna be alone ... who knows with guys like them? Anyway, they'll be coming back soon so we better make ourselves scarce `til we see how the land lies. Let's go and help Danny in the kitchen."

Danny had been blown away watching the incredible scene between two men, who always scared him a little, they were such macho, dominant figures. He had been totally at ease with Grady and Mario a few nights ago, having fun sex with them and planning his future working for them in the Grady House. But they were not actually masters, just a fun-loving jock and his young Italian lover.

Mark and Hassan were a whole different ballgame – big, powerful men – and Jamie and Eddie were their boys so, to tell the truth, Danny was feeling a bit out of his depth. Eddie had even mentioned to him that the two men sometimes swap boys and if that happened he would definitely be in the way. What was that word Bob had taught him once? De trop', that was it though, as he recalled, Bob hadn't pronounced the p'. He learned a lot of stuff from Bob.

He smiled thinking of Bob. He was so great and Danny felt comfortable with him and Randy, even though they were the bosses of the tribe. But he barely knew Mark and Hassan so he made up his mind that after he served dinner and tidied the kitchen he would leave and head home, probably drop in on Brandon in the office. In the meantime he had taken refuge in the kitchen. He always felt secure in a kitchen, the only place where he felt totally in control.

"How's it going?" came Jamie's cheerful voice. "We came in here to give the guys some time alone. So how can we help?"

"Thanks Jamie. I've put the casserole in the oven and I'm working on dessert but you guys could help by chopping stuff for the salad. I'll do the dressing `cos it's a specialty of mine."

Jamie kissed him on the cheek. "You're so great, Danny ... you seem to have a lot of specialties. Dude, you're gonna have so much fun living with Grady and Mario. Rumor has it they loved sleeping with you so there'll probably be a lot more of that. Bob says it'll be good for them to have you around. Two guys being alone together all the time can lead to problems ..."

"Even if they do spend all their time in bed fucking," Eddie grinned roguishly. "Or so rumor has it."

"And you would know all about rumor, eh buster, having started plenty yourself?" Jamie grabbed Eddie's crotch and squeezed his nuts until Eddie swatted him away, giggling, "Hey, hands off the crown jewels, dude." Even though Jamie was a senior boy Eddie always felt free to be cheeky with him. Being Hassan's boy gave Eddie his self-confidence, especially after what they had all just witnessed.

As they worked in the kitchen they heard the sounds of Mark and Hassan coming in and heading straight for the shower. All of them, but Danny especially, felt a shiver of anticipation wondering how the men would act after their sexual bonding. They didn't have long to wait.

"Hey, something smells good," came Mark's unmistakable deep voice from the kitchen door. They looked up to see both men clad only in towels round their waists, their bodies still gleaming wet, their hair tousled and damp. Their physiques were similarly muscular but otherwise they were a complete contrast – one tanned golden, blond as a Nordic god, the other an exotic Arab/Asian mix, black-haired, olive-skinned, with almond shaped eyes.

They loomed large in the doorway but their sparkling eyes dispelled any doubts or fears the boys might have had. They were clearly feeling elated, a mood that quickly spread to the boys. It was obviously going to be fun from here on out.

"So what are we in for, Danny?" Hassan put his arm round the boy and looked down at the food on the counter.

Despite his instant boner, Danny's culinary confidence helped him keep a steady voice. "Well, sir, I thought a seafood casserole would be good, but I keep it light, low-carb. Then one of my specialties as a pastry chef is a raspberry flan and I go easy on the sugar. I brought several bottles of white wine and a red in case anyone prefers that. Beer, of course," he added with a disapproving smile, "though of course white wine goes better with fish."

Hassan squeezed his shoulder. "Sounds awesome, kiddo. Hell, those guys Grady and Mario hit pay dirt when they hired you. I should steal you away from them. What d'ya say, Eddie? Think we should kidnap Danny here and chain him to the kitchen as resident chef?"

"Sounds like a plan, sir," Eddie laughed.

"Careful, Danny," Mark warned with a chuckle. "Hassan and chains can get you into a whole mess of trouble. I can vouch for that." Apparently the re-enactment they had just gone through had been such a catharsis and dispelled so many demons that they could now even joke about that traumatic episode and relegate it to the foreign desert where it belonged.

Emboldened by Hassan's enthusiasm Danny took charge and suggested, "Maybe Jamie and Eddie you could set up drinks on the table outside and put the salads out while I finish up in here, then help me serve lunch?"

Aye-aye sir," Jamie saluted, mimicking Eddie's familiar gesture and flashing a smile at Mark. As they left the kitchen Mark ruffled Danny's hair and said, "Way to go, kid. You tell `em."

It wasn't long before the boys had set everything up on the table on the patio, an idyllic setting in the warm Southern California sun with a view over the Hollywood Hills, not to mention the now-empty gazebo where a short time ago the frenzied action was a sharp contrast with the relaxed group now sitting round the table.

Mark and Hassan and their boys were sipping wine when Danny appeared with the casserole. He served it according to etiquette – the guests first, Mark and Jamie, then the hosts Hassan and Eddie, offering the dish from their left side so they could spoon what they wanted onto their plate. Eddie was impressed. "Shit, you really know how to do this classy stuff, dude. Great for when you're serving all those hot-shot movie producers up at the Grady House."

Danny smiled and said, "The flan is all ready in the kitchen, easy for you to serve Eddie, `cos I'll be going home now." There was an immediate storm of protest and Jamie said, "No, dude, you don't have to leave – we want you here."

Danny smiled uncomfortably. "You know what they say, `Four's company, five's a crowd."

It was Hassan who resolved the issue in typical military fashion. "Listen up, boy. You're one of us not the hired help, so cut the crap, pull up a chair and join us. When a guy cooks a whole meal as great as this I don't allow him to just up and leave. So get yourself a plate of food and sit the fuck down. That's an order."

Danny blushed at the seeming reprimand but Eddie winked at him with his wide urchin grin so he relaxed and did as commanded by the Marine. Sitting beside him Jamie said, "Anyway, dude, whatever happens here it'll be good experience for when you're living at the Grady House. Mario and I used to be boyfriends and he's pretty hot-blooded under that cool, European poise of his. If I know anything about him and Grady there's gonna be a whole lotta stuff goes on up there so you'll have to be ready for anything."

And that was that. Not for the first time Danny felt that warm feeling of knowing that he really was accepted as a full member of the tribe.

And so the meal proceeded, a great culinary success, of course, with extravagant praise for Danny. Eddie was in his element, proud to be sitting with his handsome master, the cop and his boy. He whispered to Danny, "This is what it's all about, dude – what makes it so great."

As they relaxed over coffee the conversation flowed and so did the wine. And Danny noted that it was not two conversations, one between the masters, the other among the boys. It was a real round-table discussion among all of them, with respect being given to all points of view. Danny was beginning to understand the proper relationship between master and boy, a delicate mix of nurture, education and discipline.

There was only one problem. Eddie's infamous mouth. For as many times in his life as he did that zipping trick, running his fingertips across his lips and turning the key, just as many times did the zip break apart and the words poured forth again. It must have been the most faulty zip ever made, Danny grinned inwardly.

Danny had heard this notorious Eddie phenomenon variously described as gushing, verbal diarrhea and several less charitable phrases. To Danny it was charming, an essential part of who Eddie was – brimming with enthusiasm, endearing, funny and impulsive. The only trouble was there was no shut-off valve.

And as the wine flowed it got worse. Hassan and Mark had been making small talk about clothes as Mark thanked Hassan for lending him a T-shirt and a pair of old cargo shorts. Hassan grinned, "Well, buddy, the only other alternative was for you to wear your cop uniform or go buck naked, not exactly appropriate attire for lunch."

"Oh I don't know about that, sir," Eddie blurted out. "If you ask me naked would be great, especially if the man's as hunky as Mark. I remember the time the whole gang got together one afternoon and we went skinny-dipping in the pool and no one bothered to `dress for dinner' as they call it. We all sat around butt naked and of course one thing led to another and before you know it everyone was rolling around having sex. And another time when Pablo's dog Billy got in on the act and ..."

"Enough!" Hassan wasn't sure whether to be annoyed or amused but as he looked at the indulgent smiles around the table he opted for the latter. He glanced at Mark with an expression freighted with meaning and Mark picked up his cue. "You know old buddy, you should keep that boy of yours in check. I mean, he's real cute and all, but maybe he needs more discipline."

Hassan sighed. "Yeah, I know what you mean, Mark. It's funny, I can discipline a platoon of tough Marines with an iron rod but when it comes to my boy and he looks at me with that grin of his, hell it's tough."

"Maybe you should contract the job out," Mark suggested. "Get someone else to do it. It'd have to be someone in authority ... like a police officer, for instance. Hell I wouldn't mind having a crack at your boy. I could sure find a way to plug that mouth, his ass too. `Course, you'd have to give me free rein – let me do what I want with him."

"I dunno, Mark ... handing him over to you? You know how protective I am of the kid. I mean, what if you got carried away and hurt the boy? I'd have to have some kind of insurance. `Course, I might be prepared to do it if I got the same kind of deal. I mean, if you're prepared to loan out your surfer boy for me to use as I like, you'd be welcome to my boy for an hour or so."

"You know, old buddy, I think you got yourself a deal there." Mark laughed and poured more wine.

Danny had been appalled at the start of the conversation, hearing the men talk about their boys like objects, is if they weren't even there. He was afraid to look at his friends, thinking how mortified they must be, but when he did glance at Eddie he saw him squirming in his seat not from embarrassment but excitement. Jamie's eyes too were sparkling as he grinned at Eddie.

And then the penny dropped. Of course! That's what the boys had been taking about earlier, and hoping for – a boy swap. Now he understood – and realized how much he still had to learn about these guys.

One thing he did know by now is how easily they could all jump into a fantasy and live it. It was what Grady had made him do with the Tarzan fantasy, one of the hottest things he'd ever experienced. So rather than just a cold boy-swap they had dressed it up as a chance for the cop to give the soldier's boy the discipline he needed.

But the other thing Danny knew from the Tarzan episode is that it wasn't only the lead-in to a fantasy that was hot. You had to really believe it – all the way through. That's when the sex became incredible. As if fucking Grady was not hot enough, Danny had actually believed the incredible fact that he was fucking Tarzan in the jungle to prove he could be his boy.

Of course, these guys had had much more practice than he had and he jumped as he heard Mark's harsh order. "OK, punk, get over here. That loud mouth of yours has finally got you in deep trouble. Guess it's gonna take a cop to shut it up. Kneel on the ground over there."

Eddie jumped to his feet, ran off the patio and knelt on the grass facing the house. But instead of joining him Mark went back into the house, leaving the boy in a state of excited anticipation.

At the table Hassan said quietly, "You OK with this, Jamie?"

"Absolutely, sir. It's kind of what I was hoping for."

"OK, so let's do it right." Hassan got up and joined Mark in the house, leaving Jamie with Danny.

"I'm glad you're here, Danny, to see all this" Jamie said. "And what you said before about five's a crowd. Don't ever feel you're in the way or out of place, not in this tribe. Randy and Bob set the rules on that one right from the start. We're a close group – everyone's always welcome."

Danny smiled at him gratefully and they sipped their wine until ... at last the men reappeared and Danny gasped. They had put their uniforms back on – Mark with his black shirt hanging open over his bare chest and Hassan similarly bare-chested under his open sleeveless denim shirt. To Danny they looked intimidating, threatening even, two authoritarian men with a hungry look in their eyes.

Hassan took a beer over to the edge of the lawn and sprawled in a big wicker chair watching his cop buddy go and stand before the kneeling Eddie. The cop grabbed the boy's hair and pulled his face up. "So, seems you got a problem with that big mouth of yours, boy. The captain over there wants me to do something to plug it. Only one way to do that." He unzipped his uniform pants and pulled out his long cock that swung on front of Eddie's face, his awestruck eyes following it from side to side.

"I'm one of those cops when he arrests a young punk like you shooting his mouth off makes him kneel on the floor of the cell and suck his dick. Look at it boy. Think you can get it hard?"

"Yes, sir, definitely, sir," Eddie said, drooling at the sight of the huge hunk of meat and trying desperately not to cream his shorts too soon. He leaned forward, poked out his tongue and licked the head of the cock, then up the whole length and inhaled sharply when his face buried itself in the damp blond mass of the cop's pubic hair.

"Suck it, boy." Eddie responded by taking the shaft in his mouth and swallowing it whole, alternately squeezing and releasing his throat muscles in the time-honored technique he had perfected long ago on his knees in the back room of the leather bar he worked in.

"Shit damn," Mark gasped, pulling his cock out, already hard and dripping pre-cum. "Careful, kid. It's one thing to make a man cum but the real talent is in not making him cum."

Eddie looked up at him and said with just the faintest trace of sarcasm, "I do know how to suck cock, sir."

Hearing Hassan chuckle softly Mark stifled a grin and said, "There's that mouth again. I see I'm gonna have to gag you good, boy. Here, eat this." He rammed his dick back into the boy's mouth and gave himself over to the erotic sensation of being brought right to the edge of orgasm before the mouth relaxed, and then began all over. The kid was talented alright, making him desperately want to cum, then denying him that pleasure.

Mark looked up at Jamie watching from the patio and shouted, "Hey you, boy. My buddy the Marine over there is feeling real horny. I'm loaning you out to him. Go service him."

"Yes, sir," said Jamie. He came off the patio and stood facing Hassan about ten feet away. The Marine sprawled in the chair gazing up at the beautiful young surfer jock, barefoot in board shirts and a loose tank top, his tanned, muscular body gleaming in the afternoon sun.

"Mmm, so you're the cop's surfer boy eh?" the soldier said, stroking the bulge in his pants "Not bad ...not bad at all. Strip naked, boy ... slowly."

It was something Jamie did for Mark many times, creating the always-hot fantasy of a handsome young jock arrested and ordered to strip by a cop. Slowly he pulled his tank-top up over his head and tossed it aside. He stood shirtless, flexing his muscles, then turned round so Hassan could see his ass bulging against the tight fabric of his surfer trunks.

He turned back to face the Marine and slowly unlaced his shorts at his waist, then pulled his hands off, spread his arms to the sides and let the trunks fall to the ground. "Fucking hell," said Hassan, gazing lustfully at the naked young surfer and yanking his cock out of his fatigue pants.

Jamie stepped out of his shorts, turned round and flexed the white globes of his ass, accentuated by the tan lines above and below. "Holy shit," Hassan moaned, stroking his dick slowly. He got to his feet, walked over to the boy, grabbed his shoulder and spun him round. He held his face by the chin, his slanted, dark eyes bored into Jamie's and said in his deep, accented voice, "I am gonna fuck your ass, boy. You wanna feel a Marine's tool in your ass?"

"Yes, sir ... please, sir."

Nearby Mark was still enjoying the incredible sensation of getting his cock sucked by the captain's boy. Not wanting it to end, he looked up from Eddie's pumping face and watched his own boy obeying the soldier.

"Assume the position, boy," the Marine ordered. Obediently Jamie turned round, bent double from the waist and grasped his ankles, his perfect ass pointing straight up. "God I want that," Hassan said breathlessly, clamping his hands over the hard, white mounds and digging in his fingers. "I gotta have it."

The soldier fell to his knees, spread the cheeks with his hands and buried his swarthy face between them, licking the soft downy fuzz of blond hair, then pushing his tongue deep inside the hole. Jamie gasped and it took all his effort to stop shooting his load. But he knew he mustn't – not yet. He wanted to please his master by pleasing his master's buddy, giving Hassan exactly what he wanted. And what he wanted was to ream his ass.

"Give it to him, man," Mark yelled to the Marine. "Eat that ass." Mark was epically turned on by the sight of the soldier on his knees, his faced buried in the ass of the young jock. It was so hot that Mark felt his cock shudder as his climax approached. Just in time he pulled out of Eddie's mouth, lifted him up by the shoulder and marched him over to the action.

Jamie was still bent over double, with Hassan still on his knees behind him. Mark made Eddie face them and said, "Look at your pal, kid. You know what to do." Eddie knew exactly and, eager to obey, bent over and grabbed his ankles just like Jamie. Their faces, bent toward the earth, were level with each other, cheek to cheek, as one serviced the cop, the other the soldier.

"You OK, Eddie?" whispered Jamie.

"Never better, dude," said Eddie with a grin no one could see.

Mark stood behind Eddie, yanked down his shorts and grabbed his waist just as Hassan stood up, his mouth slick with saliva, and faced Mark with a lascivious grin. "Your boy's ass is awesome, buddy. No wonder you fuck it all the time. Let me know what you think of my boy." He held Jamie's waist from behind and pressed the head of his cock against his hole. You ready, officer?"

"Let's do it, captain," Mark grinned. Smiling into each other's eyes each man yanked his boy's ass toward him and impaled him on his rod. Muffled howls of ecstasy sounded beneath them as the boys pressed their faces together and shared the thrill of getting fucked by soldier and cop. As the men pounded ass they leaned forward and their mouths met in a churning kiss.

When at last they pulled apart they grinned at each other, both feeling the same need that was expressed by Hassan. "Man, I wanna see their faces while we ream their butts." They pulled out simultaneously and Mark yelled, "On your backs!"

Quick to comply Jamie and Eddie lay on their backs on the ground head to head beneath the uniformed men towering above them. Mark and Hassan pulled off their shirts and the boys gazed in awe at the half naked muscle-gods stroking their long shafts.

Danny watched mesmerized from the patio as events moved in synchronized precision. Facing each other, the men knelt down, pushed their boys' legs in the air and eased their cocks inside them. "Man, your boy's ass is hot," Mark said. "He takes dick up his ass as well as he sucks it."

"Your kid's no slouch either, man. Damn my cock's on fire inside the surfer's hot ass. We should swap boys more often, officer."

And so they settled in to a long, gentle fuck, smiling at each other, comrades and lovers. Today they had shared it all. They had fought and fucked savagely, re-living the tumultuous wartime scene where they had first found lust and love. And now they affirmed their brotherhood by offering up their boys in a temporary exchange that cemented the affections of all four.

Cop and soldier gazed into each other's eyes and Hassan said softly, "I love you, buddy. I wanna cum in your boy's ass."

"Let's do it," Mark smiled. They leaned forward and kissed each other as their cocks erupted deep inside their boys. Feeling their master's semen flood their asses Jamie and Eddie yelled in triumph and blasted streams of cum all over their own chests.

As their heartbeats subsided the men pulled their dicks out and stood up. Mark shouted up to the patio, "Get your ass down here, Danny." He ran down to join them, the men pulled him between him and Mark said, "Look at them, Danny ... that's our boys there smothered in cum."

Hassan chuckled. "Yeah, but they've not had enough. You wanna do the honors, Danny?"

"Yes please, sir," he grinned. It took only a few strokes before his cock exploded in a shower of cum that splashed down on his friends' faces as they laughed and howled in protest.

"Come here, dude," Jamie said and Danny fell to the ground and lay between them. Three joyous faces grinned up at the men and Mark said, "OK, soldier, you want your boy back? I plugged his big mouth for a while, but if that didn't work you can always lend him to me again."

"Any time you say, officer. It's a deal."

A short time later as the two men and three boys were relaxing on the patio over drinks, kicking back after all the action, Danny recalled Eddie's words earlier: "This is what it's all about, dude – what makes it so great." He was beginning to understand how special it was to be a member of this extraordinary tribe of men, masters and boys – supportive, protective, loving and playful.

Danny wanted to throw his arms round Bob again and thank him for bringing him into the family. He felt a bit like a struggling actor suddenly being cast in a big movie that changes his life. And Danny's life had sure changed. He had been accepted as a valuable member of the group, working at what he loved best – assistant chef for the tribe.

And soon he would start on a new adventure, living with, cooking and caring for two beautiful men – the new movie star Grady and his Italian lover Mario. Sure beats working as a humble hotel waiter being looked down on by people like that manager Thomas, he thought.

Hassan must have read his thoughts because just then he happened to mention the guy's name. "Hey, guys, whatever happened to that Tommy guy who came up to the house after meeting Randy and Bob down at that hotel. Haven't heard much about him lately. What did Bob call him – the Golden Boy? Something of an arrogant prick by all accounts."

"Yeah," Mark said, "but Bob and Randy soon cut him down to size. A guy's never the same after Bob's made love to him, and Randy did a whole number on him, worked him over real good as only he can, and now the guy is drooling over him, crazy in love, begging for more."

Danny plucked up his courage to offer a more charitable opinion. "Oh I don't think Thomas is really all that bad, sirs. He was my supervisor at the hotel ... real mean at first until Bob and Randy had a word with him and then he couldn't have been kinder. Bob said it was all his insecurity, throwing his weight around to cover up his need to be dominated by a real strong man ... like Randy. I hope he does OK at the house."

Jamie smiled. "That's real generous of you, Danny. Who knows, maybe he'll wind up as your assistant at the Grady House," he laughed "But apparently it all depends on Pablo. Randy has made Tommy Pablo's boy – you know how he's grooming Pablo to become a boss like himself. Darius is part of it too, helping Pablo put the guy in his place. It's a real interesting experiment – first time a boy has had his own boy. Bob told me he and Randy were gonna meet with Pablo and Darius to discuss the whole deal.

"Wow," Eddie said, "hard to get your head around that one. A good-looking gymnast, a top-man or so he thought, being fucked rotten by Randy and falling in love with him. Then he's handed over to Pablo as Randy's boy's boy. Kinda makes your head spin. And with leather-boy Darius along for the ride Tommy's in for an interesting time. I'd like to be a fly on that wall."

"Yeah," Hassan said, "but it's their business, kiddo. No need for you to butt in and go blabbing it all over town. You know by now what happens to a kid who can't keep his mouth shut."

"How could I forget?" Eddie grinned, looking at Mark.

"So keep it zipped, OK?"

"Aye-aye, captain," Eddie said, with his usual snappy salute.

TO BE CONTINUED in "A Trial Of Strength" – Chapter 299

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 urge 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!