A Trial of Strength

A TRIAL OF STRENGTH - PART 319 By Rob Williams

IN THIS CHAPTER: Brian helps Grady rehearse a scene from his movie where the handsome young nobleman says to his servant boy, "Your master needs action, needs to fuck ... come here, boy." Randy and Bob return to the bar where Randy once savagely abused Bob in public. The remorseful, rugged gypsy humbles himself before the bar crowd as Bob growls, "You've had this coming a long time ... it's payback time, stud."

CHAPTER 319 – "GRADY'S ROLEPLAY – RANDY'S REMORSE – BOB'S REVENGE"

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

It had been a wild day for Brian at Doctor Steve's house. He had gone there ostensibly for a therapy session with the tribe's handsome therapist but they both knew that it was really an extended job interview for Brian's potential employment at the opulent Grady House.

He desperately wanted the job as assistant to young Danny, the house manager for Grady and his lover Mario. Grady was the handsome, soon-to-be movie star currently shooting a major movie as the next big-screen Tarzan. Brian's job would involve catering to the domestic, social and sometimes sexual needs of Grady and Mario, a fantasy for the star-struck boy.

He had been encouraged to apply for the job by his friend Brandon who used a wheelchair, as did Brian. Brandon had long since proven that he could do most anything the other boys could and Brian was trying to do the same. He was well-liked by Grady and Mario (the horny Grady had already made love to him) but he agreed to submit to this day-long interview with Dr. Steve who replicated the demands, sexual and otherwise, that Brian would face at the Grady house.

It had gone very well at first and Brian had passed all the subtle tests that Steve had set. But things had unraveled when Brian went next door to Hassan's guest house and had playful sex with Hassan's boy Eddie. The macho Marine had caught them in the act and took out his anger on Eddie with a ferocious fuck. Brian, still naked, had fled in a panic and wheeled himself back up to Steve wailing, "It's all fucked ... it's all my fault ... I'll never get the job now."

Steve calmed him down, Lloyd gave him a T-shirt, then Hassan made peace with him. "Brian," Hassan said gently, "I fucked Eddie real hard but don't worry, he's not hurt – except for a sore ass. Believe me, he loved every minute of it. But you were kinda caught in the middle and I'm real sorry for that. You were not to blame – boys in the tribe have sex with each other all the time. So I'm hoping we can still be friends. He hugged the boy just as Steve came out of the house and smiled, "Feeling better, Brian?"

"Yes thank you, sir. Sir, does this mean I still have a chance at the Grady House job? I promise I'll work real hard serving dinner here tonight, sir, you'll see."

"Not in just a T-shirt you won't, kid. We prefer staff to wear pants when they're serving dinner. `Course, when dinner's over it's another story." Then Steve flashed a smile. "Brian, what you don't know is that I already emailed my report to Grady and Mario while you were down at Hassan's with Eddie. I strongly recommended that they hire you as Danny's assistant. After watching you today I think you'll be perfect for the job."

"Really, sir? Really?" As he let the news sink in tears sprang to his eyes. "Wow ... wow ... thank you, sir. Wow!" he shouted, and he was doing wheelies in his chair when Eddie appeared bringing Brian's clothes, and grinned, "Hey, wha's happening, dude?"

"I got the job," Brian shouted. "I got the job!" Eddie threw himself at him gushing congratulations and Brian said, "You sure you're OK, Eddie?"

"Sure I am," Eddie bragged, preening. "I told you, I know how to handle a tough Marine."

Steve's phone rang, and it was Danny asking to speak to Brian. "Hey, dude, Mario just told me the news," Danny said excitedly. "Congratulations ... I knew you could do it. Course I wanted you right from the start but I guess procedures have to be followed. Listen, I hate to do this to you, dude, but we've got a helluva day tomorrow and I need you here first thing. I need you to help me serve breakfast to Grady and Mario as soon as Grady gets back from his early-morning workout with Randy.

"Then Mario and me are gonna go shopping for supplies and Grady will be learning lines as he's got some big scenes coming up. So you'll have to run lines with him and it'll involve spending a lot of time with him reading the other parts until he's really got those long speeches down. I know it's a lot on your first day, but you think you're up to it?"

"Hell yes!" Brian's eyes sparkled. "You can count on me, Danny, I'll be there bright and early."

"Great. Listen I gotta go, but Randy's here with me and he wants a word. See you tomorrow ... this is the start of something good, dude."

There was a silence, then Randy's voice came on the line. "Hey kiddo, as the Aussies would say, `good on ya, boy'. Course, you got my vote right from the start and, between you and me, if they didn't hire you I'd have fucking whipped their asses until they did," he laughed.

"Listen, kiddo, when things calm down at the Grady House and you can take a couple days off you gotta go out to the desert and wind things up there, make sure your Uncle Mike is on board with all this. I'll take you out there myself and I thought we'd make a family thing of it.

"Your buddy Brandon can come of course, and Bob will be with me as we got stuff to do in the desert. We'll take our boys too, Pablo and the twins, even Pablo's dog Billy, the works. It'll be kinda festive and we'll sure make a splash when we all go into your Uncle Mike's bar. How's that idea grab you, kiddo?"

Brian gulped and stammered, "It ... it grabs me just fine, sir. Thank you. I can't wait."

******************** CHAPTER 319 **********************

As dinner at Steve's that evening was a light-hearted celebration among friends, Brian and Tommy wore smart casual clothes to serve it instead of their uniforms. Still glowing at the prospect of working for Grady and Mario, Brian was on a high, but kept his euphoria in check as he carefully served at table.

But when he sat between Eddie and Tommy he was dazzled to be at the same table as the handsome Dr. Steve, his hunky lover Lloyd, and the Marine captain Hassan, who all became looser and more boisterous after they had polished off several bottles of wine and got to the coffee and brandy. In fact Brian half wondered if the men would make more sexual demands (he could only hope) but, as usual, Steve offered sound guidance.

"Well, done, Brian, you served dinner like a pro. Now, Eddie will help you and Tommy clear away and tidy the kitchen, then Eddie's going with Hassan back to their house. I have a feeling the soldier will be real gentle with his boy this time and sleep with him in his arms all night. It's so late that you'll spend the night here and Tommy says you can share his bed."

He grinned, "But straight to sleep – no more shenanigans, eh? You've got a real early start your first day on the job. In the morning Lloyd will drop you off at the Grady House on his way to the construction site where he has an early planning meeting with Randy. Tommy will dig out some clothes for you, something smart so you'll make a good first-day impression."

"Thank you, sir. I'll always be grateful to you for all you've done, and for recommending me for the Grady House job. Lloyd and Tommy too ... they've been great to me. I was nervous about applying for the job but if you think I can do it, sir, that's good enough for me."

"Of course you can do it kiddo, you'll be perfect." Steve bent down and gave Brian a big open-mouthed good-luck kiss. "OK, off you go, boy, and remember, if you ever have a problem I'm here for you."

Brian wheeled himself off to the kitchen with a hard-on in his pants. He realized he had sported a boner almost the whole time he was in this house, and he thought it would no doubt be the same at the Grady House.

Actually, early next morning Brian found that any thoughts of sex were driven from his mind as he was swept up in the frenzied preparations in the kitchen of the Grady House. It was barely dawn when he arrived at the house and wheeled himself into the kitchen, suffering from natural first-day-on-the-job jitters which Danny soon dispelled with his effusive greeting.

"Great," he smiled, "nice and early. Welcome to the madhouse, dude. I'd like to give you an orientation, a tour even, but no time, so it's straight into the deep end, I'm afraid. First off, it's important to know where Grady and Mario are at all times and to anticipate their needs.

"Right now Mario is still in bed but Grady is down at the tribe's compound in the gym with Randy. His body may look flawless to you but it's in his studio contract that he has to keep in perfect shape, for obvious reasons ... he's playing Tarzan after all. So every day Randy gives him a ball-busting pre-dawn workout, and then he goes straight to the studio or comes back up here if he has a late studio call or he's not working."

Danny moved over to the kitchen counter. "I'm preparing their breakfast right now. Grady starts off with a protein shake after his workout, then an egg-white omelette with lots of veggies and then I do a bowl of fruit with yoghurt. Mario has pretty much the same but likes bacon with his omelette and toast too. I've started to chop the veggies so you can take over while I do the shake. I'll write down the ingredients so you can do it tomorrow."

And so it went on in a flurry of well-coordinated activity, each boy concentrating on his task. Soon a bell dinged and Danny looked up. "That's a signal that the gate's opening so look at this screen here to make sure who it is. If it's someone you don't recognize call me or, in an emergency, use this phone to call Mark on speed-dial. Good, it's Grady as I thought. OK, we've got ten minutes."

They put the finishing touches to the meal, prepared the large tray and Danny set it on Brian's wheelchair tray table. I've gotta check the stores and make a list of things we need when I go out shopping with Mario, so you have to take the tray up. You remember the way? Take the elevator up, then it's the big double doors at the end of the corridor.

Brian's nerves returned and his heart beat fast as he pushed through the swing doors of the kitchen and headed for the elevator. As he wheeled along the upstairs corridor he saw that one of the double doors was open a crack ... Grady hadn't closed it. He was about to knock when he heard moans and groans from inside and froze on the spot. They were having sex ... of course they were ... Grady had just been pumping his muscles and had come home hot and horny to Mario.

Brian had no idea what to do. Of course he couldn't interrupt them but how could he serve their breakfast? He rolled quietly forward and peered through the crack in the door. Grady was on his back in a sweaty, loose tank top getting his ass ploughed by a naked Mario. It was a wonderful sight, mesmerizing, especially when Grady howled, "I'm gonna cum ... I love you, man ... oh shit ... fuck ... fuck ... yeaahh!"

It was obvious they were both shooting their wad and in a few minutes they were rolling on the bed in each other's arms kissing voraciously. When they slowed down, panting, gazing into each other's eyes Brian plucked up his courage and tapped lightly on the door.

"Come in!" came the joyful shout. He wheeled himself in and Grady shouted, "Brian, my man ... and cuter than ever. Welcome to paradise, kid ... and with breakfast, too! Hey, you been waiting outside `til we finished? You should've come in ... watched ... joined in."

Brian blushed crimson and Mario laughed, "Pay no attention to my friend here, amico. Don't be intimidated by him."

"I'm not intimidated, sir. Not at all." Brian went over to the small table and slid the tray onto it. Mario, butt naked, jumped up to help him and when he bent over him his cock brushed against his face, still dripping cum. "Would you like to join us for breakfast?" Mario smiled pulling on a pair of shorts. "We're dying to know everything that happened at Steve's yesterday. We hear Hassan caused quite a ruckus."

"Er, sir ... thank you sir, but I think Danny wants me back in the kitchen to clear up while he makes a list before you go shopping with him. But if you need me ..." he broke off on confusion.

"Ah, mi stupido ... of course Danny needs you and you must go to him. We were being selfish."

"But you'll come back after breakfast, won't you kiddo?" Grady said. "I've got a shit load of words to learn so while the house is quiet you and me can get down to it. Lot of work to do, so we'll hibernate here, like a bear and his cub, OK?" Brian blushed and grinned. To be Grady's cub? ... perfect!

When he got back to the kitchen Danny grinned. "Having sex, were they? Happens all the time, you get used to it. And when you're working with Grady ... well, you'll find out.

When Brian eventually went back up to Grady's room his heart was beating faster than last time. Mario had already gone out with Danny so he and Grady were alone in the house. He went through the open bedroom door to find Grady sitting cross-legged on the bed in just loose boxer shorts frowning down at a thick script and mouthing words to himself.

He looked up and said, "Hey there, kiddo, glad you're here. I'm having a devil of a job getting these lines fixed in my old noggin. Here ..." He pulled a chair next to the bed into which Brian adeptly transferred from his wheelchair. Sitting cross-legged on the bed facing him, Grady's shorts pulled back and Brian could see one of his balls hanging out, which made the boy's cock harder than ever.

"OK, we've got the place to ourselves, nice and quiet, so we'll stay cooped up here `til I've got a handle on these lines. Grady tossed him a second script. "Here's a copy for you, kid – page 68. Let me set it up for you. This is the part where Tarzan leaves the jungle and goes back to England ..."

"... as Viscount Greystoke, sir?"

Grady jerked in surprise. "How ever did you know that, Brian?"

"Oh, back in the desert I read the movie magazines and they said the new Tarzan movie would follow the plot of the first Tarzan book where he was actually the son of nineteenth-century English aristocrats and was stranded in the jungle as a small boy when his parents were killed. So I read the first few Tarzan novels and I know the story by heart." He stopped and blushed. "There wasn't a lot to do in my old trailer except read books and watch porn... the Tarzan books were better than porn and I used to jack off imagining the scenes."

Grady flashed on the sad image of this lonely boy in a desert trailer-park reading novels and fantasizing about the movie – a whole different world. "Brian, that is totally amazing. You are just what I need. See, I've got to be word perfect by next week `cos I'm going to England for a week where we'll be shooting location scenes at a big old mansion in the Berkshire countryside.

"Here's the setup. Tarzan leaves the jungle, goes back to England to take his rightful place as a Viscount named John, and tries to adapt to gentility. But the savagery of the jungle surfaces in him and he seduces a servant girl in the stables. He gets beat up by his rival, the son of the Earl, a handsome young buck the same age as Viscount John, in a knock down drag out in the garden. After that Tarzan goes back to the jungle where he feels he really belongs.

"These are long scenes with a lot of verbal stuff – seducing the girl, long argument with the other guy and it's the wordiest part of the whole film. So let's get going ... you're the Earl's son. I'll be kinda rusty at first so feel free to correct words as we go along."

They started right in and it wasn't as hard as Brian feared. He read his lines to cue Grady and quietly corrected him when he got a word wrong. He soon got into the swing of it and found himself getting lost in the story, as he had when he read the novels. And now, as then, the images that flashed off the page made his cock stiff in his shorts. The big difference now, though, was that when he glanced up from the script he saw the near-naked muscle-jock, the real Tarzan, speaking the lines.

They worked hard without a break, going over the scenes again and again, the seduction and then the quarrel. A couple of hours into it Grady threw the script down and stretched his arms above his head. "I gotta take a breather, kiddo. We're getting there but I need to clear my mind – my brain's busting." He jumped off the bed, brought two bottles of Evian water from a small fridge and sat cross-legged again.

"We're doing real well, kiddo. You're good at this and it's great that you're so familiar with the story and characters. There's one part I know I'm gonna have trouble with when we come to shoot it ... the seduction scene of the servant girl. The director wants it to be kinda savage, you know, like, `You can take the guy out of the jungle but you can't take the jungle out of the guy'. He wants it to be bordering on rape.

"Now you know me, kiddo, I'm a pussy cat. I could never force myself on someone who's scared of me – whether it's a servant girl or a boy like you. I know it's just acting but when I see the fear in that actress's eyes I'll find it tough to create the savagery."

"Oh but sir, it won't be like that," said Brian, blinking hard behind his glasses. "I mean, Tarzan may be a bit of a savage but I think a servant girl looking up at you about to fuck her wouldn't be scared. Just the opposite, she'd want it. I'm sure of it ... I know I would, no matter how rough."

Grady frowned. "You think so? But she's so vulnerable."

Brian giggled. "There's nobody more vulnerable than me, sir ... I can't run away ... and I wouldn't want to."

A light dawned in Grady's eye and he flashed his dazzling smile, "Oh you wouldn't, eh?"

"I mean, imagine it, sir – not a girl maybe, but a young servant boy. You've got him all alone in your big house and he's helping you with work you're doing. You're the master of the house and the servant boy is sort of in your power. You need a way to relax for a while, you're feeling horny and decide you wanna fuck him. He might squirm a bit at first but there's nothing he can do but take it. I guarantee he wouldn't object ... not to a gorgeous man like you. The master could be as rough as he wants."

Grady's eyes danced with mischief, and something else – the actor's ability to visualize a scene ... and rehearse it. He stood up facing Brian, stretched his arms up and yawned. When he spoke it was not in the voice of Grady but the tone he used for the nobleman. "Hell, I need something to take my mind off all those damn words. All that brain work makes me kinda horny and I need some action." He looked down at Brian. "You'll do as good as anything, boy."

Brian looked up with fear in his eyes. They had gone over the seduction scene again and again, with Brian speaking the servant's lines, so this was a natural segue ... what's known in the business as going from a table read to getting the scene on its feet. And Brian, with his capacity for fantasy, simulated fear realistically as they began to improvise the scene. He took off his reading glasses and stared up wide-eyed at the handsome master looming over him, his muscular body gleaming in the sunlit room.

Brian gasped as Grady dropped his loose shorts and his semi-hard dick flopped out. The naked muscle-god stood astride his lap and growled, "See this, boy? Needs some action. Think you can make it hard?"

"Sir, I don't think I ... I've never done ... aaagh!" His words were stifled as the big dick suddenly filled his mouth. Instinctively he swallowed and his throat muscles clenched round the stiffening shaft. Grady grabbed Brian's wrists and pinned them to the back of the chair above his head. "You're mine now, you can't move ... so suck your master's cock, boy."

After simulating fear Brian now eased into the role of servant boy who, as he predicted, found that he loved serving his master's sexual needs. Whether it was Tarzan the savage, or a young English nobleman, or simply Grady, it was all a blur as Brian used all his Eddie-taught skills to work on the driving cock, alternately flexing and releasing his throat muscles round it, then pursing his lips and pulled back as if drawing semen up the long shaft.

"Holy shit, that's hot," the master groaned. "Eat it, boy, while I fuck that cute face." Brian gagged and choked but that didn't stop Grady who now found no difficulty in playing the savage. His eyes flashed as he looked down at his cock ramming into the boy's mouth and he yelled, "Fuck ... fuck ... no ... aaagh."

Brian felt semen spurt in his mouth ... but suddenly it stopped. Grady was an expert at stopping his ejaculation by flexing the kegel muscles in his pelvis. His sexual attraction to Mario was so strong that he could cum just looking at him, so he had learned to use his kegel muscles to delay his orgasm as long as possible. And now he pulled his cock out quickly and glared down at the freckled face gulping down the few precious spurts of semen.

"Damn you, boy, you thought you could avoid a butt-fuck by making me cum in your mouth. You're a great cocksucker, kid, but this master needs his boy's ass!" He reached down, pulled off Brian's T-shirt then picked him up bodily and threw him on his back on the bed. He pulled down his shorts so the boy was naked, then got on the bed and stood astride him.

Brian looked up dazzled by the sight of the naked Tarzan, his body heaving, eyes blazing. Used to the gentle fun-loving Grady he had never seen savagery in him before and it thrilled him to see Grady's muscles flex as he stroked his long cock to bring it back up to full strength.

Somewhere deep down Brian knew Grady was acting a role but they were both so caught up in the scene that they had become master and servant. And the servant boy had displeased his master by almost making him climax too soon, and he braced himself for what came next.

His cock now rigid again, the handsome young master fell to his knees, pulled the boy's legs over his shoulders, leaned forward and pinned his wrists to the bed above his head. His stunning green eyes penetrated him as he snarled, "You think you can get the better of me, boy? I'm the master here and you know what you are? Just a servant boy, here to service my sexual appetites. And right now I need to fuck ass, a juicy young ass like yours."

"Sir, please, sir, I've never ... I mean, my ass has never ..."

"Silence! So, a virgin ass, eh? All the better. Cos when I wanna fuck ... I fuuuck!"

His hips slammed forward and his cock plunged deep into the boy's ass. "Aaaah!" Brian screamed in a mix of pain and euphoria. He imagined he was the inexperienced youth, feeling cock fill his ass for the first time, looking up at his forceful master ... and falling in love with him.

As the rod pistoned in his ass he was hypnotized by the handsome square-jawed face, eyes gleaming with lust, black hair falling in a tangled mass over his forehead. His magnificent body flexed – perfect pecs, ripped abs, shoulders and arms bulging as the young master pinned him down, a prisoner on the bed.

Lost in the role of the jungle savage Grady fucked harder and harder for what seemed an eternity, his hips driving back and forth, his rod like a pile driver drilling his ass. It went on and on, but instead of pleading for mercy his boy moaned. "Oh, sir ... I love it, sir ... fuck me, please ... my ass belongs to you, sir. I belong to you. I'll do anything you want me to ... I love you, sir ... I love you."

Turned on by the voice pleading for more and the young, innocent face gazing up at him, Grady was overwhelmed by lust ... and finally exhaustion. He felt his body shudder beyond his control and he moaned, "I'm real close, boy ... I'm gonna shoot my juice in your ass. I wanna see you cum first. That's an order, boy. Let me see you spray cum over that pretty body. Do it. Now!"

Instantly the servant boy obeyed and his cock erupted so fiercely his cum splashed up on his face. The shock made his body tense, his ass clenched round the cock inside it and he heard Tarzan yell as his hot juice poured inside him.

Their bodies shuddered for long seconds as their cocks drained, and when Brian looked up at the green eyes the wildness slowly softened to affection, then amusement, and Grady started to laugh. As always his joy was contagious and they both collapsed in each other's arms giggling like schoolboys after sex under the bleachers.

Suddenly Grady pulled out and he said, "That was it, kiddo! I got it now. Hey let's read the seduction scene again, right away."

He jumped off the bed, and Brian stared up at him as he paced round. They had rehearsed the scene so often that both pretty much knew the lines, but this time it was different. This time there was a pitch-perfect mix of savagery and seduction in Grady's delivery, of jungle and nobility, as he paced round the bed, then stood on it towering over his victim before falling on his knees ready to fuck.

They stared at each other breathlessly, then Grady pumped his fist in the air. "Word perfect! I did it, we nailed it kiddo. Hey, that was a breakthrough, Brian." He added conspiratorially, "And just between you and me, when I get to actually shoot that scene I'll be thinking of you – my little servant boy. It's our secret.

"OK, let's go through the rest now ... I want you to stay all afternoon. Oh," he chuckled, "and I'll probably need to do a second take on that seduction scene. You up for that?"

"Of course, sir," Brian grinned. "You're the master after all. I'm just a poor young servant boy,"

"You better believe it kiddo. OK, let's take it from the top ... "

When Mario and Danny came back loaded with groceries Brian should technically have been there to help them unload, but it was understood that he was helping Grady and that took precedence over everything. But ultimately the four were reunited and Mario could see from Grady's sparkling eyes that things had gone well. Exactly how well Mario would find out later when they were in bed indulging in one of their favorite moments, talking about their day.

Brian, of course, poured it all out to Danny who laughed, pleased that Brian was fitting in well and had been a help to Grady. Then Danny talked about next week when Grady would be filming in England.

"I know Randy wants to take you out to the desert to close out your affairs there and next week would be a perfect time while Grady's gone. Danny actually blushed. "I'll tell you something I don't often talk about, but Mario and I have become real close since I've worked here and I love the thought of spending time alone with him here. I'll help him with his landscaping projects and ... anything else he needs. We talk a lot and I'll probably share his bed."

When he saw Brian grin he added quickly, "Oh, don't get me wrong, dude. Mario and Grady are devoted lovers and always will be, but neither minds if the other gets close to a boy – like Grady did with you today. Anyway, the point is we should drop a hint that now would be a good time for Randy's little expedition to the desert. We can't suggest it to Randy directly, of course ... has to be his decision ... but I'll mention it to Brandon and the grapevine will do the rest."

It did indeed. When the ever-efficient tribal grapevine carried word of Grady's upcoming absence to Bob and Randy they made plans right away.

Mario and Grady had barely spent a night apart since they met and there had been brief mention of Mario going to England with him, but they quickly decided against it as Grady would be all wrapped up in filming and, anyway, it was their policy to keep their private life and Grady's work life separate. So they spent an emotional last night together, with effusive promises to videophone each other every day on Skype as they would both be counting down the days `til their reunion. "Get ready for a lot of Skype sex, amico," Grady laughed.

The boys were massively impressed that Grady would be flying to London on one of the studio's corporate jets and they watched discretely as the limo came to pick him up and whisked him away. Mario turned away from the gate and smiled tearfully at Danny, who was looking forward to being the handsome Italian's domestic and emotional support in the coming week.

The scene next day outside the tribe's compound was a raucous contrast to Grady's serene departure from the Grady house. Any trip was an occasion for barely controlled chaos, this one especially as it involved two men, three senior boys, two junior boys, a dog and two trucks.

Randy's big four-door truck would take Randy and his boy Pablo; Bob and his twins Kyle and Kevin; and Pablo's dog Billy. Brandon and Brian were to follow in Brandon's truck, a proud gesture of independence by Brandon. The commotion mounted as gear and supplies were chosen, loaded, rejected and unloaded, as if they were embarking on a trip across the Sahara Desert rather than a short trip to the Mojave.

Finally Randy barked, "Guys, we leave in five minutes with whatever is in the trucks. Anything else gets left behind, OK?"

It had to be OK ... Randy had spoken. And with a boisterous send-off from those remaining behind, the two-truck convey moved off down the hill toward the freeway heading east.

In Brandon's truck, following Randy's, there was animated conversation as the two friends made plans for the future. Brian, naturally, chatted enthusiastically about Grady, while Brandon, as always, talked about his master, Ranger Pete, whose work prevented him coming with them.

Brandon was often at the Grady House as he was running the business office there under Bob's supervision and he mentioned that Jamie would be coming up to help him put Brian on Grady's payroll. Brian looked confused and queried, "Payroll?" which made Brandon laugh. "Sure, dude, you don't think you're working there for nothing. Grady and Mario pay good wages as well as room and board."

"Hell," said Brian, "I'd work there for free. Dude, I would pay them!"

Meanwhile, the high spirits in the small truck were not matched in Randy's big truck leading the way, where there was a pensive silence despite the crowded cab. Up front sat Randy and Bob with Pablo between them, his favorite position as he felt it reinforced his role as head boy.

The twins were quite content to sit close together in the back seat, exchanging smiling glimpses with Bob in the rear-view mirror. Sharing the back seat was Pablo's dog Billy, who spent much of the trip with his head out the window.

There was a good reason for the brooding silence that went back quite a long time – back to Bob and Randy's last trip to the desert, more specifically to the leather bar out there and its owner Mike. They all knew the story, which had become the stuff of legend in the tribe as its traumatic outcome had almost separated Bob and Randy and split the tribe apart.

That trip had included a dazzling group of men – Randy, Bob, Hassan, and the Aussies Adam and Nate. It had been festive, a lot of beer drinking, and erotic displays in the bar's back room. Bob, not so keen on public displays of sex, had stayed out in the main bar chatting casually with the other bar patrons, including a handsome older man with iron gray hair. Randy, the worse for drink, had come out and seen them, and his old irrational fear had resurfaced that Bob would one day leave him for someone else – someone like this guy.

Randy's worst instincts kicked in and he shouted, "Hey guys, I see all of you are turned on by this fucking gorgeous man here. Can't say I blame you. Thing is though, he's my man, see. He's mine ... and I don't loan him out. Any guy who wants him has to come through me, and that wouldn't be pretty." To prove his point he had pulled Bob into the back room, shoved him face first against a wall and tied his wrists up high to restraints hanging from ropes.

In a coarse display of machismo he had boasted, "Now guys I'm gonna show you my most prized possession ... and I do mean possession." He yanked Bob's jeans down below his ass and gloated, "See, I'm the only guy who gets to use this ... and I'll show you how." What followed was one of Randy's most brutal fucks in a crude, animalistic act of ownership to discourage anyone who might challenge him.

Bob had taken an ass pounding like this from Randy before, but now there was the added pain of being watched by a crowd of men in a public humiliation. He knew the only way to end it was for Randy to hear him in abject surrender, so he moaned, "I'm begging you, sir. Please, I give up. Please, sir, cum in my ass. You're my master ... I submit to you, sir."

Even the hardcore crowd of leathermen was embarrassed into silence at the degrading annihilation of this beautiful man and Mike had taken Bob to his office to recover. Bob had eventually slipped out of a side door and driven back to the city alone. When Randy came into the office looking for Bob, Mike had looked him hard in the eyes and said scornfully, "Randy, I never thought I'd hear myself say this – but you're an asshole."

And to this day, even now as they drove back up to the scene of the crime, what resonated most with all of them was the memory that this painful episode had led to a split between Bob and Randy that had traumatized the whole tribe, threatening its existence, until several weeks later Mark had encouraged them to heal the breach, leading to a tearful reunion.

What accounted for their morose thoughts now was what would happen when they revisited the scene of Randy's crime. The only one of them who was confident of the outcome was Randy himself. It was one of the reasons he had planned this trip. As usual, he was in charge, and he knew what he had to do. He had to make amends to Bob in public and purge his own tortured memories, the abject shame he felt of the time he had so brutally humiliated the man he loved more than life itself.

It was still only mid-morning when they swung off the freeway onto Route 111 through Palm Springs to the more modest Cathedral City with its gritty warehouse district, the perfect setting for a leather bar. The bar itself would not be open until the beer bust starting at 4pm, so Brian's uncle Mike had suggest they go first to his nearby house for lunch.

Mike's house was a sprawling, comfortable ranch house typical of the area, with an extensive yard and pool, and old trees shading the house from the scorching desert sun. Mike had obviously done well for himself from his years of owning the popular bar.

As the two trucks pulled up Mike was waiting for them outside, a handsome middle-aged man with graying hair, somewhat past his prime, but still well pulled together despite a thickening waistline. He focused first on the small red truck, out of which he was amazed to see a wheelchair emerge from the passenger door and unfold on the ground, followed by his nephew Brian who swung confidently down into the chair and raced up to him.

Mike knelt down and hugged him tight. "Hey, I hardly recognized you, kid. Where's that shy young dude whose whole world was a trailer park he never left?"

"Oh him," Brian laughed. "He's so yesterday. This is the real me, thanks to my best friend Brandon here, and lots of other guys I'll tell you about." Mike shook Brandon's hand. "Kid, looks like I have a whole bunch of things to thank you for ... some other guys too, it seems."

He glanced anxiously over to Randy and Bob and was relieved to see them getting out of their truck all smiles. But after the way they parted the last time he was still cautious and Bob broke the ice by striding toward him and pulling him into a bear hug.

"How are you, you old reprobate? Looking younger than ever."

"Yeah, right, flattery gets you everywhere, boy," Mike chuckled, "though god knows you don't even have to open your mouth and you've got me drooling. And, er, so how are things?"

"Never better," Bob smiled, "here, come and meet the twins ... Kyle, Kevin, say hello to our old friend Mike."

"Hey, guys. Jesus, I'm seeing double and gone to heaven. Man, you're gorgeous ... so you two are Bob's boys. And the three of you? ... Oh shit, now I know what I'm gonna jack off to before I fall sleep tonight."

"OK, come and meet Randy's boy Pablo, his adopted son." Mike grinned, "Hey young fella, I knew you when you were that scrawny kid working for the Baxters in that old gas station. Shit damn, you've filled out – fucking hot dude – you even look like a junior version of your old man."

Pablo beamed and shook his hand. Mike couldn't have said anything more flattering than that. "And this here's my dog Billy. I think I'm starting to look more like him than my old man."

"What's this about his old man?" came a deep voice. "You got a handshake for him too, Mike?"

"Hey, Randy good to see you and ... and Bob again." They shook hands warmly and Mike, direct as always, said, "Water under the bridge, eh?"

The whole group moved inside where Brian showed them round his uncle's house, ending up at the pool where they sat in the shade and Mike brought them drinks. He went back indoors and saw Randy standing alone in the living room. He walked up to him and said, "Randy, my boy, I gotta get something off my chest ... I owe you an apology. The last time I saw you I called you an asshole. That was way out of line and I'm sorry."

"Hell, buddy, shut the fuck up, you don't owe me a damn thing. I should be apologizing to you. You were right, I was an asshole and much more, the way I treated Bob in front of everyone. I was a raving maniac, a jealous out-of-control dickwad and I wouldn't have blamed you if you'd slugged me. I deserved it."

Mike grinned. "Well it did cross my mind, but then I thought better of it knowing if I tangled with you you'd tear me apart."

"Yeah," Randy grinned, "well there is that. Come here you old bear and give me a proper hug."

They embraced for long seconds, then Randy said, "But seriously, man, after that happened Bob walked out on me. Man, it drove me crazy. Ever since I met him I was scared I'd lose him and now it was happening." He choked up and tears came to his eyes. "Man, I can't lose him. I love him, he's my world. I couldn't live without him." Tears started to flow and he turned away embarrassed.

Mike grabbed his arm. "Hey, boy, it's OK for a superhero to cry. Makes him human. As for losing Bob that ain't never gonna happen. I've seen the way that boy looks at you and he's hooked, buddy – for life. Anyway like I said, a lot of water's flowed under the bridge since then."

"Maybe so Mike, but I'm still haunted by what I did. See, I always believe that if a man fucks up as badly as I did he's gotta make amends. I gotta kill off my demons, Mike, and in my world there's only one way to do that ... an eye for an eye."

"I won't argue with that, Randy – you gotta do what you gotta do. So I'll provide the venue – my bar's back room – and the audience. That is what you want, right?"

"Yeah, thanks Mike. I want all those guys to be there too – like last time. I gotta prove to them I'm not the asshole they think I am."

"You got it, boy. As for the bar crowd, hell, wild horses couldn't keep them away."

Randy and Bob had already talked this out. Bob, the peace-loving man, had preferred to let bygones be bygones, but he knew that Randy's hurt had lasted way longer than the hurt he had inflicted on Bob. He knew Randy so well he understood that he had humiliated himself that day and he couldn't bear humiliation. He needed to purge his shame and Bob had to help him.

In truth, there was also some kind of warped satisfaction in it for Bob. He had been deeply humiliated that day, and had resented Randy for some time afterwards, so now at last he could rid himself of his own last shreds of anger. What he had to do would not be easy as it went against his finer instincts, but he was persuaded that it had to be done – and now was the time.

The boys didn't know the details but were acutely aware that something dramatic was going to happen.

After a late lunch at Mike's house, cooked by the twins at their insistence and served by Brian and Brandon at theirs, the men relaxed while Mike went off to open the bar and make some phone calls to his regular customers. As a result of those calls and the alert that spread round the close-knit leather fraternity, the bar was especially crowded for the late afternoon beer bust, and most of those present had also been there that first time and remembered the ugly scene.

Always in the past the bar patrons had admired Randy – the brawny construction boss with his rugged gypsy looks – whenever he had come out to the desert and dropped in at the bar. But he had lost their respect the time he brought his gorgeous musclehunk boyfriend and brutalized and humiliated him before their eyes, making him beg in ignominious submission.

So there was already a buzz of intense expectation when the door flaps parted and the two men walked in, followed by five stunning young men – a muscular young stud who looked like a young version of Randy, two beautiful identical twins, and two smiling boys in wheelchairs. Randy and Pablo were similarly dressed in black jeans and leather vests open over their sculpted chests. Bob and the twins were more simply dressed in blue jeans, Bob in a black tank top and the twins in white T-shirts.

The boys in wheelchairs, in jeans and sleeveless T's, were known to the crowd and the tension in the air briefly lessened as the guys greeted them by name. Brandon they knew from a previous trip with Pete when he had proved his fierce independence by taking part in a sexual display in the back room. Brian they knew as the shy young nephew of owner Mike whom they had met once or twice but now looked entirely different with a newfound ease and confidence.

Despite their enthusiastic greeting of the boys, many glances were cast in the direction of Randy and Bob standing at the bar chatting with Mike. Nobody wanted, or dared, to approach them after what had happened before. In fact the general feeling was one of surprise that the two men were still together.

Slowly the tension built and became so palpable that the usual friendliness of the beer bust was replaced by an oppressive anxiety. After so many years Mike could sense the mood of his customers and now he looked at Randy and Bob and said, "It's time, guys." Bob felt uncomfortable being the center of attention but he saw a glint of arrogance in Randy's eyes that irritated him, a growing resentment that would stand him in good stead for the task ahead.

And that muted anger spiked when they walked into the back room and Bob took a sharp intake of breath as he saw once again the site of his former anguish and degradation. The windowless room was lit by low red overhead spotlights, its black walls and ceiling reflected in the floor-to-ceiling mirrors on one wall.

The leather paraphernalia was all around, on the floor, hanging from the walls, and Bob noticed with a shudder the same ropes hanging high on one wall with wrist restraints attached – the same ropes that had bound and stretched him upward, enduring Randy's massive cock brutally pounding his ass. In his mind he heard again his own desperate voice begging for release.

They walked to the middle of the room and the crowd, including their boys, gathered in the shadows round the edges. Mike took to the floor and made a short speech.

"Gentlemen, when you come to my bar you rightly expect a friendly atmosphere where you can meet like-minded men and share and indulge your leather fantasies, whatever they are, and even act them out in this very room. We've seen a lot of hardcore action here that, however wild it gets, is always safe, sane and consensual. Except for one time. On that occasion our traditions were violated by acts that reflected no credit on anyone and brought shame to this bar. We're here now to witness those wrongs put right, and see penance paid by the guilty."

Everyone knew exactly what he was referring to and all eyes focused on the two beautiful men under the spotlights in the center of the room. Randy shrugged off his vest and, shirtless in black jeans and boots, bowed his head and submissively clasped his hands behind his back. Bob put his finger under Randy's chin, lifted his face, and they stared hard at each other, seeing themselves reflected in each other's eyes. That look was usually a prelude to passionate love making ... but not this time.

As Bob gazed into the pale blue eyes he loved so much, his heart went out to Randy and any shreds of anger dissolved. Remarkably under the tense circumstances, he saw in those blue eyes the look he had seen before of a guilty little boy asking to be punished so he could make amends for his misbehavior. No one in that room could possibly have detected that in the rugged gypsy but, then again, no one could possibly have loved Randy as deeply as Bob did.

Bob also knew beyond doubt that Randy wanted the real thing, not a token reprimand. He was the kind of man who needed to feel the pain of retribution and would be insulted if Bob were to hold back and pull his punches. Hard as it was, Bob knew what he had to do for Randy's sake.

He pulled his black tank top off and tossed it aside. A gasp went round the room as the assembly of leathermen watched Bob pace round his victim – two shirtless muscle-gods, one waiting for punishment from the other. In the dominant tone Randy needed, Bob growled for all to hear, "Fuck you, man ... you've had this coming a long time ... it's payback time, stud."

The boys were tense with anxiety and fevered anticipation, none more so that Pablo who steeled himself to watch his master, his hero, endure a beating. The twins watched more calmly, and Brian gripped Brandon's hand, knowing he was about to witness a ritual of the tribe he had just joined.

Bob went over to the wall and pulled down a bullwhip with a long, tapered leather braid. He cracked it in the floor, sending a collective gasp round the room. Then slowly he raised his arm ... and lashed the heavy whip across Randy's back and curling round his naked torso. He howled and the force of the blow made him stagger forward. More lashes had him reeling round the room, then slamming against the wall, rolling across it as the whip alternately slammed his back and chest.

The spectators gasped as they watched the torment of the muscular construction worker, stripped to the waist, staggering around the room, howling in pain as the bullwhip curled round his magnificent body writhing under the lash.

The leathermen, depending on their tastes, found the scene at once shocking and homoerotic, a scene from a pornographic video where one dominant muscle-stud thrashed another. Except that this was not make-believe ... it was all graphically, painfully real, and many of the men were already pounding their cocks in their fists.

Bob sustained the punishment as long as he could but at last his love for the man overwhelmed him and he tossed the whip contemptuously aside. He stood in the middle of the room facing the beaten construction worker, his heaving body crisscrossed with welts. Their eyes met again and Bob said, "Had enough, man? I don't think so. Stud like you can take more than a whip."

The beaten man's legs buckled, he dropped to his knees before Bob and again clasped his hands submissively behind him. Bob ripped open his own jeans and pulled out his rigid cock. He grabbed Randy's long black hair, pulled his face back and the gypsy's stubbled jaw sagged open. Bob pushed his cock in deep, making Randy gag, then pulled his face forward by the hair as his rod pistoned in his mouth.

The face-fuck was savage and prolonged until Randy was choking, suffocating on the massive shaft filling his mouth. Then suddenly it stopped. Bob pulled out and the swarthy gypsy's agonized face stared up at him, tears spurting from his eyes, jaw sagging open with spit running down his chin. Rarely had anyone seen a powerful alpha male as totally humiliated as this. But it was not over.

Bob pulled Randy to his feet and shoved him face first against the mirrored wall, right under the ropes that had once bound Bob when Randy had hammered his ass. Randy offered no resistance as Bob pushed his arms up high and tightened the restraints round his wrists.

"Now you know what it feels like, big guy. This is right where you tortured my ass and humiliated me in front of all these guys. Well I'm in control this time, asshole, and I know just what you need. But I wanna hear it from you."

Randy groaned, "Fuck me, man. Fuck my ass."

"What? I can't hear you. Louder, man, so all these guys can hear."

"Fuck me," the bound construction boss yelled. "Fuck my ass, sir. I need it so bad. I'm begging you. Fuck me!"

Bob reached round, ripped open Randy's jeans and pushed them over his ass so they fell round his feet. He grabbed his own cock, still wet with Randy's saliva ... and drove it hard in his ass.

The gypsy's scream echoed round the room as the assault on his ass began, a spectacle that stunned the onlookers and would be fodder for fantasy and spurting cocks for months to come.

They all remembered that first time when they had first met this beautiful, muscular man – calm, laid-back, with the features of a mild-mannered Clark Kent. On that occasion he had been beaten into submission, but now he had sprung to life, transformed into Superman bent on revenge. It was dazzling and they were all stroking their cocks watching the amazing scene, punctuated by moans as one after another in the crowd spilled his load.

Bob didn't hold back and ramrodded his lover's ass more savagely than he had ever done before. He knew this is what Randy needed, a way to restore his macho tough-guy image in front of the leather fraternity, and Mike and the boys. He especially needed to redeem his tarnished reputation for his son Pablo, who was steeling himself to watch his master's suffering out of filial respect and to prove his own toughness.

As his pile-driving shaft slammed endlessly into the gypsy's ass Bob looked over his shoulder at Randy's agonized face reflected in the mirror, tears and sweat streaming down his cheeks, mouth howling in pain. He saw the strong, handsome features, the wild black hair, and the eyes, always those damn blue eyes against which Bob was defenseless. He stared into them and said softly, "I can't do this anymore, buddy, I love you so much. Please, Randy ... end it."

And so, more for the benefit of the onlookers than anything else, Randy yelled, "I can't take any more. I give up ... you win ... you're the master. I submit, sir. Please, finish it ... cum in my ass sir, I'm begging you ... aaagh...!" The screams of both men bounced off the walls as Bob blasted a massive load deep in his lover's shattered ass, while the enthralled spectators soaked the floor with their own streaming tribute to these spectacular men.

Bob stepped back and the onlookers were treated to the pornographic sight of the gypsy construction boss now a broken man, slumped against the wall, body sagging from the ropes above him, jeans round his feet, his naked flesh striped with marks of the lash, semen flowing from his ass and down his legs. It was total degradation for the rugged alpha male, and a homoerotic image they would commit to memory and jack off to long into the future.

Mike and several others made a move to walk forward and cut him down but Bob waved them back and approached Randy himself. Gently he turned him round to face him, his arms still bound above him, and their lips met in a grinding kiss.

As their mouths churned together Bob reached up, loosened the restraints and Randy's arms fell round his lover. Their mouths parted, they gazed into each other's eyes and Bob whispered, "I love you so much, Randy. Please, make love to me buddy ... I need it so bad."

Watching from the shadows the twins, ever sensitive to their master's moods and needs, whispered to Mike who went over to an old mattress in a corner of the room (kept there for back-room use) and pulled it to the center of the room under the red spotlights.

By now Randy and Bob were so into each other they were oblivious to anyone else. They quickly kicked off their boots and got naked, then sank down on the mattress in each other's arms. Nobody recovered from a beating as quickly as Randy and now he gently turned Bob onto his back, knelt between his legs and smiled down at him. "Notice I didn't cum all this time? I was saving it for you, buddy. I'm sorry for all the times I hurt you, Bob. Sometimes it may not seem like it, but I love you like crazy ... you're my life, man."

And as the crowd watched spellbound, the two naked muscle-gods made spectacular love to each other. In the crucible of pain and punishment, of resentment and retribution, was forged a love so deep and so pure that it, more than anything that had gone before, was the real triumph of the extraordinary events that day in the windowless back room.

When it was over the men were greeted as heroes, with affection for Bob and huge admiration for Randy. They had always idolized this glorious man until his drunken, abusive behavior toward Bob, but he had now magnificently redeemed himself by enduring pain and humiliation at the hands of the lover he had wronged. Always larger than life, he now stood even taller as a giant among men.

For several hours Randy, Bob and their boys basked in the glow of the esteem and friendship of the patrons of the bar, not to mention drinks on the house, of course. When at last they returned to Mike's house Bob and Randy tended to their boys. Bob spent time quietly conversing with the twins, while Randy took Pablo aside and talked to him about love, respect, mistakes and forgiveness, a master teaching his boy by example.

Then Randy went over to Brandon and Brian and smiled at Brian, "So, our cute new boy ... pretty much a baptism of fire for you, eh kiddo? Hope it wasn't too much for you."

"No, sir," Brian grinned. "And if it's OK with you, sir, I'll jack off thinking about it often."

Randy laughed, "OK by me, kid, and one day soon you'll sleep with Bob and me and we'll help you do the deed."

Mike said, "So, guys, what's on your agenda for the rest of your stay in the desert? You're more than welcome to stay here, you know that."

"Thanks for the offer, Mike," Bob said. "We're pretty much playing it by ear for now but we may take you up on it. We are going out to Hassan's old house in the desert – you remember him, of course."

"That Marine stud is a hard guy to forget," Mike grinned. "And what about you, young `un?"

Brian said, "I wanna take Brandon out to my old trailer, Uncle Mike, to spend the last night there with him, before locking the door behind me for good and starting my new life. After that I guess we'll see what happens."

"Also, Mike," Bob said, "you remember our buddy the cop, Mark? Well he heard what was going on out here and he's gonna try to join us. See," he grinned, "Mark, Randy and me are kind of a threesome."

"Hell," Mike chuckled, "you guys fair make my head spin. When you get together there's no knowing what's gonna happen next."

TO BE CONTINUED in "A Trial Of Strength" – Chapter 320

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

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