Date: Thu, 6 Jan 2022 07:11:11 +0000 (UTC)
From: rw6789@aol.com
Subject: "A Trial Of Strength" - Part 574  by Rob Willaims

A TRIAL OF STRENGTH – PART 574 by Rob Williams

Chapter 574 – "VIC & NOAH MAKE MUSIC FOR COWBOY CHARLIE"

IN THIS CHAPTER:

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

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

Rodeo cowboy Charlie had experienced many new things in his visit to the
tribe, but this one was different – and totally unexpected.

He had noticed the two young office assistants staring at him from the
office window, and asked his young brother Ben about them.  "I've said hi
to those kids, Ben, but they seem kinda shy."

"They are, sir.  Vic and Noah are the newest guys in the tribe – been
here a few months.  They were an odd couple at first, very shy like you
said, but they're real close to each other, sexually too, and they keep to
themselves."

"So who are their best buddies in the tribe, and whose boys are they?"

"No one, sir.  No best buddies and no man.  Oh they love their boss Brandon
and get on fine with Ryan in the office.  They've become part of the tribe
but, like I said, they spend a lot of their time together – in the
office and in their home upstairs.  They rarely go out anywhere."

Intrigued, Charlie went into the office where he found them alone.  As he
talked to them he was moved by their shyness and insecurity. His heart went
out to them and his protective instincts were roused.  Slowly the boys
warmed to him and lost their inhibitions.  They even mentioned the times
they had jerked each other off watching a video of Charlie in the rodeo
ring.

Charlie was not into sex with men, and part of him missed having a family
and kids of his own.  But he was on the road most of his time with the
rodeo, so a wife and family were not an option.  He really liked these kids
and suggested an outing – a day at the beach, horseback riding.

When Charlie ran the idea by the tribe's leaders, Bob and Randy, there were
all for it.  Bob said, "It feels so right, Charlie. I've been uneasy about
the boys' tendency to isolate.  They're different from the other boys in
that they are sexually satisfied with each other and don't need other
outlets for sex.  It's their social life that's missing.

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

Charlie said, "Of course, I'll be different from all the other men here
`cos I'll be here only part-time, between rodeo dates.  That, plus I won't
be butt-fucking my boys, like y'all do.  But that don't seem to upset them
at all."

Randy said, "No, `cos they get all that from each other, and they would
always have the prestige of being the cowboy's boys."

The beach outing was a great success and Charlie was thrilled to see the
exhilarated boys transformed from the introverted kids he had first met.
He was surprised at how quickly their self-assurance grew under his
guidance, and the pleasure and pride Charlie felt was, he imagined, similar
to what a parent feels in nurturing his own kids.

"Hey kids, how'd you like to stay at the beach all day?"  He suggested they
have dinner at a small restaurant up the beach, then spend the night at a
beach hotel, rather than drive back across town after drinking.  "Just to
be clear, I'm not trying to seduce y'all, nothing like that.  It's just
that I enjoy your company and I'd like a whole day with you."

The boys eagerly agreed to the plan and were thrilled when he added, "And
from now on I intend to spend all my breaks from the rodeo with the tribe.
Usually, when we're between shows I just hang around the town we're in,
drinking with my buddies and getting bored.  But this latest break in
L.A. has been anything but boring – especially now," he grinned.  "I've
got a family to come back to."

After dinner, when they got to the hotel they were all feeling tired after
such a long and eventful day, and the bed looked inviting.  "Just to make
it clear, kids, I got a room with a king-size bed `cos I don't wanna sleep
alone, that would be dumb.  I know that in the tribe three guys sharing a
bed would end up with a three-way fuck or a spit-roast, but that ain't
gonna happen here."

"Oh we never expected it would, sir, and we're OK with that."

"But, I also don't wanna cramp your style, boys, so feel free to do what
y'all feel like doing.."

After an uneasy silence, Vic plucked up his courage.  "Sir, there is
something we'd like.  We already told you we often look at the video of you
and jerk each other off.  So ..."

Charlie grinned, "... so you were wondering how it would feel giving each
other hand-jobs watching the real thing, in the flesh, instead of a video?
Sounds like a plan kids.  And y'all know by now, I have quite the
reputation as a show-off."

The boys eagerly took off their clothes, something that before now they
would have been too modest to do in front of someone.  They stroked each
other's cocks watching the rugged cowboy slowly take off his shirt and
flaunt his body, reminding them of the video they had seen of the cowboy
doing the same thing riding triumphantly round the rodeo arena.

He smiled down at them.  What roused him was not sexual attraction –
just simple attraction for these sweet kids who had been alone in the world
for so long and now gazed up at him as their hero. They were not physically
handsome, their naked bodies were thin, but they looked so vulnerable, so
eager to please and, not for the first time, his heart went out to them.

He ripped open his jeans and stroked his cock.  The boys thought this was
the sexiest thing they had ever seen.  "You want this kids?  Seems to me
you do, eh?"

"Yes please sir ... we love you sir."

"That's all I wanted to hear.  Here it comes, boys ... just for you.  Yeaah
..."

Vic and Noah jerked each other off as the cowboy spurted juice over their
bare chests and faces. The boys kissed each other and Charlie's laughter
filled the room.  He took off his boots and jeans and flung himself naked
on the bed beside them.

"Damn that was fun, wasn't it?"  He pulled the sheet up over them and lay
on his side with his arm stretched over their slim bodies.  "I think we
kinda broke the mold there, kids.  We started something new.  Not sure what
it is, but it feels great.  Like Doc Steve said, don't put labels on stuff,
just do what feels good ... and that sure did.  OK, sleep now ... that's an
order."

"Aye-aye, sir," Noah giggled, and hugged Vic tight.  "'Night Vic."
"'Night, Noah."

Something in the way the boys said goodnight to each, as they must have
done every night for years, brought tears to Charlie's eyes.

========= Chapter 574 =========

<><> THEIR OWN KIND OF MUSIC <><>

Charlie was the first to stir next morning.  As he groggily woke in the
Malibu hotel room he was unsure where he was at first.  But when he opened
his eyes and looked beside him on the bed he smiled and felt a flush of
pleasure.  The boys were still asleep with Noah's face resting on

Vic's chest.  Most kids look angelic when they're sleeping, but these two
stirred feelings in him he had never felt before.

When they opened their eyes and saw him they blushed – their default
reaction to most things.  But the memories of yesterday flooded back and
they relaxed.

"Sleep well, kids?"

"Yes thank you, sir," they chorused.

"Hungry?"  They nodded eagerly.  "OK, I'll order breakfast from room
service."  They told him what they would like and he picked up the phone.

"Half an hour," he said, after giving their order and hanging up.  "Gives
us time to talk."  They snuggled closer.  "No hurry to get back, we have
all day.  Unless y'all got stuff to do."

"No, sir," Vic said.  "Brandon gave us two days off, and when we get back
we'll probably just kick back in our room."

"Hmm, yeah ... Ben told me that you pretty much keep to yourselves –
like, you don't have any best buddies in the tribe?"

"Well, sir," Noah said, `not exactly what you'd call best buddies, but we
get on great with all the boys, especially the guys in the office, and Will
too.  He was real kind to us when we first arrived, and he's always looking
out for us.  We spend time with him when he's not working in the kitchen,
though he works long hours there.  He loves to cook."

"And we do get out sometimes, and even have little adventures," Vic added,
glancing at Noah.  "Like the time Jamie and Nate took us surfing at the
beach and we had a real wild lifeguard fantasy.  See Nate and Jamie work a
lot on a buddy's lifeguard movie down at a Malibu beach, and they all wear
lifeguard shorts.  Well, sir, Nate gave us this fantasy where ..." Vic
blushed.

Noah took over.  "What he's saying, sir, is that Nate tied us staked out on
the sand, and him and Jamie gave us blow jobs, then rode our dicks till we
came in their butts.  It was way hot, sir, being at Nate's mercy.  He
treated us like his boys and we loved that.  He was like a big brother to
us ... and still is."

"But you're still mostly on your own, guys. What happened?"

"Oh nothing bad, sir.  It's just that, like we said, Nate and Jamie spend a
lot of time at the beach working long days on the movie.  And we didn't
move in with him or anything, `cos he lives with Adam and Doc Chad –
he's their boy.  Nate still checks in on us and he'd be right there if we
needed anything."

Charlie murmured, "Hmm, I better have a word with your Nate before I go
back to the rodeo."

Vic frowned.  "The thing is, sir, we do actually have a real best buddy
... each other.  Ever since we met some years ago we've just been totally
into each other – first as buddies, then as fuck buddies when we came to
the tribe – we're lovers, actually."

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

"Sir, you said Doctor Steve told you it's OK to do your own thing, whatever
you feel like, even if it's different from everyone else.  It's like Mama
Cass sings – you gotta make your own kind of music, sing your own
special song – and it don't matter if nobody else sings along with you.
And that's what we've been doing ever since we met."

"Mama Cass?" Charlie smiled.  "Ain't she way, way before your time?"

"Yes, sir, but her music isn't.  We love her songs, we've downloaded all of
them and we watch her on YouTube and sing along.  She didn't care she was
fat, `cos she sang her own music.  And we don't mind being skinny, `cos we,
kinda, sing our own song too."

Charlie chuckled.  "I once had a girlfriend who loved Mama Cass and sang
her songs all the time.  I think she wanted to be her – except thinner.
So do you have a favorite?"

"Of course, sir," Noah said, and grinned playfully at Vic.  "You wanna see,
sir?"

"See?  See what?"

"Something we do all the time, sir."

They jumped out of bed, pulled on their undershorts, and Noah scrolled
through his cell phone.  "Like I said, sir, we got `em all.  Here it is."
The boys rummaged in their backpacks and Vic pulled out a flashlight, Noah
a hairbrush.  They held their `microphones' up in front of them, facing
Charlie, and Vic said, "Hit it Noah."

Noah touched his phone ... and the music began.  Joyfully they sang along
with Mama Cass – smiles, gestures, hip-bumps and all.

Vic took the first verse:

"Nobody can tell ya There's only one song worth singing They may try and
sell ya 'Cause it hangs them up To see someone like you ....."

Then both boys together:

"But you gotta ... make your own kind of music Sing your own special song
...  Make your own kind of music Even if nobody else sings along ..."

Noah's solo:

"You're gonna be nowhere The loneliest kind of lonely It may be rough going
Just to do your thing's the hardest thing to do ..."

Both together again, pointing at Charlie:

"But you gotta ... make your own kind of music Sing your own special song
Make your own kind of music Even if nobody else sings along ..."

They collapsed with laughter ... and as Charlie looked up at the skinny,
giggling boys, tears flowed down his cheeks.  "Fuck ... fuck ..." he got
off the bed ... "I love you guys ..." and threw his arms round them.

There was a knock at the door and ... "Room Service".  A waiter pushed in
the breakfast cart.  He was an older man and smiled, "Mama Cass – my
favorite."

<><> A SPECIAL KIND OF HAPPY <><>

They were still laughing as they sat at the table.  "Damn, I have never
seen a performance like that, kids.  And the words ... she nailed the truth
alright.  I should give the song to Doc Steve – he could sing it to his
patients.  A lot more effective than all that psycho-babble."

"Oh there's a lot more where that came from, sir," Vic said.  "We do them
all – facing each other or in front of a mirror so we get the gestures
down pat.  Someday we'll treat you to the rest – starting with our other
favorite – "Dream A Little Dream Of Me".  We'll be dreaming big dreams
of you, sir."

"You better," Charlie laughed.  "I wanna hear all about them on my next
visit.  OK, so what do y'all wanna do today?  More beach?"

They exchanged glances and Noah said, "Sir, we browse Goggle Maps all the
time and there's a great beach not far from here at Point Dume.  The
pictures looks spectacular."

"OK, kids, you're on.  We'll get your nose out of the maps and go see the
real thing.  Let's eat up and hit the road.

While they were still eating Charlie's phone rang.  It was Will, and
Charlie put it on speaker.  "Hello, sir, it's Will.  Hope you're having a
good time.  You remember I told you my dad and me would like you to come to
dinner in his house soon?  We heard you'd be back home today and we were
wondering if this evening would be convenient.

"Sure.  Thanks Will, I'd like that.  And er, not sure this is polite to ask
– good manners were never my thing – but could I bring two guests?
They're right here with me now."

"You mean Noah and Vic?  Of course, sir, I was hoping you'd say that."

Vic chimed in, "Provided you let us help you in the kitchen, dude.  You're
always stuck in there on your own."

"Yeah, that would be great, Vic.  But you'd have to wear an apron and
chef's hat like me."

Charlie laughed, "Will, if they look as cute as you do in that classy dark
green number you wear, I'm all for it.  About time they dressed up a bit.
Right now they're sitting at breakfast wearing nothing but undershorts."

Will giggled. "Sir, you're making me blush. But don't worry, my lips are
sealed. I won't put that bit of information up on the grapevine."

Charlie laughed, "From what I hear of y'all's grapevine, Will, it's already
there, kiddo.  OK, we'll be home later this afternoon so, what – around
seven o'clock?"

"Perfect, sir.  I'll tell Seth.  He's looking forward to meeting you
properly."

Charlie hung up and smiled.  "Looks like our social calendar's filling up,
kids.  OK, first things first – Point Dume."

It was a short drive up the highway from Malibu to Point Dume, where they
parked, changed into board shorts and ran to the beach.  Charlie scanned
the view with admiration.  "Wow, y'all really got the beaches out here in
SoCal, kids. You're right, it's spectacular."

"We read up on it, sir, and there's a great walk along the beach to
Paradise Cove.  And it's low tide so we won't have to scramble over rocks."

As they walked through the waves hissing ashore at their feet the boys
talked animatedly about their lives before the tribe, and Charlie realized
once again that these were not the same shy, reclusive boys he had first
met.

What seemed like shyness to others was simply them doing what they loved
best, being with each other, making their own music – even though nobody
else sang along with them.  Their song got it right – `Just to do your
own thing's the hardest thing to do.'

"This feels so good, guys," Charlie said.  "You know, seeing you now,
compared with how you were at first, makes me think.  The song you sing
don't always have to be the same.  You can change it, make it better, add
other songs.  I mean, look ... a few days ago you were drooling over
pictures of this beach on Google Maps.  And now you're actually here –
hearing the sounds and the touch – the water feels wet, the breeze feels
warm on your body ..."

"And the company's great," Vic said.  "And it's all thanks to you, sir."

"I'm not so sure about that, Vic.  You were both halfway there by gazing at
that picture.  You just needed a nudge to actually put yourselves in the
picture.  Feel's good, don't it?"

Noah had a dreamy look in his eye. "Yes, sir ... makes me feel a special
kind of happy, like great sex. Gives me a hard-on."

Charlie laughed.  "I never thought of it like that, Noah.  You've got the
soul of a poet.  You gonna break into song again?"

"Not exactly, sir, but ..."  He looked along the beach and saw it was
mostly empty – just a few small figures far away.  He exchanged smiles
with Vic ...  and they kissed.  They turned to face the ocean, held hands
and walked into the gentle swell of the waves until they were knee-deep in
the water.

Watching from the beach Charlie saw their shoulders moving but couldn't
tell what they were doing.  Then suddenly he knew.  They were side by side
holding hands, looking out to sea.  And their free hands had pulled their
cocks out and were stroking them.

Noah and Vic were back in their own world, but not a world of the
imagination this time – in the real life world – in the middle of the
picture, as Charlie had said.

They were gazing out over the sparkling ocean to the far horizon where it
merged with the azure blue of the sky.  They felt the water lapping at
their legs, the onshore breeze wafting over them, and heard the cry of the
gulls wheeling overhead.  It was all so beautiful ... they were supremely
happy ... the way sex with each other made them feel.  They squeezed each
other's hand and laughed as their cocks spurted semen, splashing down in
the water swirling round their feet.

They kissed again, turned and walked back to Charlie who was still watching
on the sand.  They smiled up at him and Noah said, "We think this is the
happiest we have ever been, sir."

Nothing more was said – there were no words to match what Charlie had
just seen.  Immersed in their own thoughts, they walked together along the
beach to Paradise Cove.

They had lunch on the beach under the umbrellas of the Paradise Cove Beach
Café. There was no mention of their stop halfway along the beach, but it
felt like another door had been opened to a new world.

Charlie talked more about his rodeo adventures to the wide-eyed boys, who
then regaled him with stories and gossip of the tribe, until he felt he
knew all its members intimately.

On the walk back it felt like they had known each other always, like old
friends.  The tide was coming in, so several times they had to scramble
over rocks, stumbling, laughing and grabbing each other.  They swam for a
while off Point Dume, then lay contentedly on the sand in the warm
afternoon sun.

They had quite a tan when they decided to call it a day.  They climbed into
the truck, Vic and Noah in their accustomed place beside Charlie.

<><> LEADING BY EXAMPLE <><>

An hour later when they reached the compound Charlie said, "OK, guys, I'm
gonna go shower in Randy's house and get ready for dinner at Seth and
Will's.  Meet you here just before seven."

"Thank you for a wonderful day, sir."  Noah and Vic hugged him and ran
excitedly to the office.  Brandon and Ryan were there with Eddie, who
always had to be in on the action.  All three instantly saw the difference
in the boys, their confidence and sparkling eyes a transformation from
their former reticence, now bursting to tell the story of their day with
Charlie.

Brandon said, "OK, Ryan, we'll take a coffee break and hear all about Vic
and Noah's excellent adventure."

It all poured out, talking over each other about the horses, riding on the
beach and even standing in the water and jacking off looking out at the
glorious view. They talked of sharing the hotel room and jerking off
watching Charlie strip naked.  "And in the morning we sang to him."

"You sang to Charlie?" Brandon laughed.  "I've heard of a singing cowboy,
but never singing to a cowboy."

"Oh it wasn't just any old song, dudes" Vic said. It was all about doing
your own thing, making your own music.  Well, you know how we always stick
together doing our own even though no one else understands.  Do you wanna
hear guys?"

Eddie raised the camera he carried everywhere. "Man, I gotta get this.  The
guys'll love it."

As they had done for Charlie, the boys scrolled down their phone, and
picked up empty soda cans that became their mics.  "And Action!" Eddie said
...

In the Boss House Charlie was kicking back with Bob and Randy over
cocktails.  "Guys, those kids are amazing – there's a whole lot beneath
the surface."

"I always felt there were hidden depths," Bob said.  "It just needed
something – or someone – to draw it out of them.  And you did it,
stud, judging by the noise coming from the office over there."

"Oh they're changed alright," Charlie said.  That thing we all saw as
shyness was just them living their own lives – different from anyone
else.  They know they're not as good looking as the others – skinnier
bodies for one thing.  But that's not what matters to them. What's
important to them is `singing their own song' as they put it.  And they
did, for me.  Singing along with their idol, Mama Cass."

"Huh, that's going back a few decades."

"That's what I said, but ... hey listen ...  "That's it – they're doing
it for the boys.  You gotta hear this, dudes ... and listen to the words.
It's kind've their theme song – their anthem."

He threw open the window and the three men listened to the music wafting
across the garden. ... "You've got to... make your own kind of music ..."
As they listened, smiles spread over their faces and when the song ended
there were tears in their eyes.  Randy shook his head.  "Who the hell knew?
Damn, our boys never cease to amaze me."

"And you know what occurred to me, guys?" Charlie said.  "This tribe you've
put together over the years, they all make their own music – you two
encourage that.  You give them space to be themselves.

"Oh sure, y'all got rules – like nobody gets hurt.  But beyond that you
encourage them to be themselves.  And you two lead by example.  What's it
you always say, bro?  `Live your life ... go ahead and do whatever feels
good.  I always do'.  Those boys who seemed so shy, they love living here
`cos y'all let them do what they want – even singing along with Mama
Cass."

Randy stared at Charlie, then pulled him into a tight man-hug. "Dammit,
bro, for a rodeo cowboy you sure make a ton of sense.  I love you, brother.
I wish you were staying here with us."

"Nah, you know me, dude.  I got that gypsy wanderlust – itchy feet.  I
gotta keep my fans happy and hear the roar of the crowd.  But I told Vic
and Noah, every break I get from the rodeo – and we get quite a lot –
I'll hightail it right back here to see them.  And y'all, of course.  Er,
while I'm gone, you'll take care of those kids, won't you?  Dumb question,
I know you will."

"Of course, Charlie, they're gonna be just fine.  `Course, we might make
them sing for their supper now we've heard them perform.  Eddie will film
them and send it to you."

"OK, now I better get cleaned up.  Dinner with Seth and Will."

"Now that's a whole `nother story, bro," Randy grinned. "You ain't heard
nothin' yet."

Charlie grinned.  "You know what, guys?  This tribe ain't just an education
for the boys.  I've learned more stuff here than I ever did at the rodeo.
It's the gift that keeps on giving."

<><> SETH'S STORY <><>

A while later when Charlie went down to the garden Vic and Noah were
sitting side by side on a bench and they beamed identical smiles.  He
wondered how long it had taken them to choose what to wear, settling for
cargo shorts and polo shirts – blue for Noah, brown for Vic.  Charley
was wearing his usual jeans and cowboy boots and a white shirt, open
halfway down his chest, sleeves rolled up to the elbows.

"You look pretty swift," Charlie smiled.  "This for my benefit?"

"Not this time, sir," Noah said playfully.  "It's for Will.  When he cooks
dinner for guests he takes it real seriously and we like to look smart for
him."

Vic added, "Will has been such a good friend to us, but wait till we're his
kitchen assistants. He's all business and can get a bit bossy.  He makes
sure nothing spoils his meal, not even his pals.

"Seth's house is right next door, through this gate in the hedge.  It used
to be Adam's and Nate's but when Adam fell in love with Doc Chad they
bought a really nice big house for the three of them, plus a big ol' dog.
They love family life, and that's why we'd feel uncomfortable living with
Nate and them.  We prefer our own apartment, living our own life."

Charlie laughed.  "I know I know, making your own kind of music.  I think
we've work that metaphor to death, don't you?  We can retire it – except
when you sing, of course.  Deal?"

"Deal, sir," they chuckled.

Charlie liked the house.  It was small and compact, just right for a man
and his boy.  And Seth was in the garden, deadheading some of the roses.
He looked up and grinned.  "Hey, Charlie.  Hi, kids – Will's been
waiting for you in the kitchen.  Be warned, he's in his efficient
king-of-the-kitchen mood.  He'll prob'ly order you around like a drill
sergeant."

"No problem, sir.  We like that, `cos we know he loves us, and us him."

They hurried indoors and Seth turned back to the roses.  "Yeah, can you
believe this, Charlie – me looking all domestic in the garden?  Not so
long ago I was a day laborer going from job to job and bar to bar drinking
with my buddies and picking up girls."

"Hey, I can identify with that Seth.  When I get a break from the rodeo I'm
the same – bar to bar, girl to girl.  Not anymore though.  Why would I
drift around when I've got something special waiting for me right here,
those kids?  I'll be here every break I get."

"Glad to hear it, dude.  After a taste of the settled life I highly
recommend it.  And that includes the cocktails that go with it.  Let's go
inside and chill."

As he followed Seth into the house Charlie wondered if it was Will who had
insisted his dad wear the smart navy blue shirt he had on?  Whenever he had
seen Seth up to now, even at dinner with the tribe, he was wearing an old,
frayed T-shirt, looking as if he had come straight from the constructions
site, like Randy.

He always thought that Seth looked, and behaved, a lot like Randy.  He
wasn't a gypsy but he might as well have been.  He had that same raw, wild
look as Randy, the same chiseled features, stubbled jaw and shaggy, unkempt
hair, the same seductive blue eyes and the same tall, muscular build.  He
could see why, according to the stories Charlie had heard, Randy had taken
a liking to him and eventually elevated him to boss of one of the
construction sites.

As soon as they sat down in the living room, Will came in, wearing his
usual dark green apron and chef's hat.  "Good evening, sir," he said rather
formally to Charlie.  "What would you like to drink?'

"You got Scotch?"

"Of course we do, sir.  I'll make it a double."

"Same for me, kiddo," Seth said.

"Why don't I bring in the bottle and two glasses?" Will grinned.  "You're
old enough to pour your own drinks."  He came back with the bottle and they
helped themselves.

"That boy is so damn cute, Seth, with his red hair, freckles and those owl
glasses. So let me get this straight, Will is your son and, what they call
around here, your boy?"

Seth grinned, the same craggy smile as Randy's.  "Dude, you should know by
now that things around here are never that cut-and-dried.  It's why they
call themselves a tribe, a bunch of guys all living together, mixing it up
and supporting each other.  It ain't all just man and boy or father and
son.

"Take Randy and Pablo.  Pablo is definitely Randy's boy – the boss's boy
as he likes to call himself.  But he's also Randy's adopted son and
fuck-buddies with Darius from way back.  Plus Pablo has his own boy, Tyler.

It's just as complicated with Will and me.  He's actually my step-son –
my wife's before we married.  When she left us I raised him as my own son,
as Will believed he was back then.  But ..." Seth faltered a little
... "well let's just say he ran away from home and was hired by the twins
as their assistant chef.  He became their boy.  He loves them and lives
with them – has his own room in their apartment over the kitchen."

"And you ...?" Charlie prompted.

Seth faltered again.  "Well, let's just say him and me we, er, we
reconciled and grew real close, in every way ... I mean, like, we make love
... fuck and everything.  He spends some nights with the twins and some
nights here with me, as he will tonight."  He grinned.  "Complicated enough
for you, cowboy?"  He stopped and refilled their glasses.

"You know, Seth, until I came here a few days ago, I couldn't have related
to that, but now that I've met Noah and Vic, I can.  I discovered feelings
I never had before."

Seth's eyes gleamed with a sudden intensity and he grabbed Charlie's
forearm.  "Charlie, take it from me. The most rewarding thing you can do in
life is find a young guy, wrap him in your arms and promise to nurture and
protect him always.  Sometimes that involves sex, sometimes not, it don't
matter.  The important thing is that you love the boy, different from the
way you love anyone else.  That's why I was so stoked to hear about you and
those two kids."

His eyes clouded over.  "I once fucked that up big time, and I'll never
live down the shame of it."

"Yeah, I figured there was more to it, Seth, when you kept saying, `let's
just say I...'  But if you don't wanna talk about it ..."

"No, Charlie, I do ... I have to, over and over again, to remind me of
what's important and what I nearly lost.  See, back when it was just me and
Will, I was a loser, totally fucked in the head.

"Like I told you, I went from job to job and bar to bar, out whoring with
my buddies.  I came home drunk to Will and ... I must've been mad ... I
tried to sexually molest him.  Dammit, Charlie, I tried to fuck him up the
ass.  Luckily he fought back and I was too falling-down-drunk to force him.

"I told him, and myself, that I was punishing him for thinking about sex
with men.  I said it was evil.  I even `got religion' though I didn't give
a shit about religion.  Like I told you, my mind was fucked.  What I didn't
admit then, not till a long while after, is that the reason sex with girls
was such a limp-dick bust is that I wanted men – and specifically Will.

"When he ran away from home I desperately wanted him back and tried to find
him.  I found him walking home with Brandon and I tried to force him into
my van, but Randy showed up to rescue Will, and we had a massive fight.  We
were pretty evenly matched but, well, you know Randy always wins his
fights."

"Yeah, tell me about it," Charlie shrugged.

"More than that.  After I got beat Randy took his revenge – and did to
me what I'd tried to do to Will.  He tied me up and fucked me up the ass.
I tried to fight against it until I looked into those hypnotic blue eyes
and realized I wanted it – and ended up busting my load all over myself.
Randy can do that to a man."

"Yeah, tell me about it," Charlie grinned again,

"Anyway, Randy had seen something in me, maybe I reminded him of himself, I
dunno.  But he came to see me and offered me a job on his construction
site.  The rest you know.  And when I saw all the guys of the tribe making
love, I got close to Will again and we ended up making love.

I fucked Will, for real this time – even though he thought at the time I
was his real dad.  It was only much later that I told him I was his
stepdad.

"Charlie, I guess one reason I'm telling you all this is to show you what
I've learned – that love between men takes different forms.  I
discovered that I'd always wanted sex with men.  That's not the same for
you, but you love your boys in your own way.  But the only thing that
matters is that you love them.  It's a huge responsibility, Charlie, but
when I look at that smiling freckled face, I know it's all worth it.  And I
guarantee you'll find that out too."

The door opened and Will came in.  "Sirs, dinner is served."

<><> A BOY IN EVERY PORT <><>

The dining room table was neatly set for five and before they sat down Seth
said, "This is usually Randy's job but he's not here so it falls to me to
thank our three chefs for all their efforts in the kitchen."

Vic and Noah stood on either side of Will, all identically dressed in dark
green aprons and white chef's hats.  They took off the hats, held them
high, then swooped them down in a dramatic low bow, acknowledging the
cheers of Seth and Charlie.

After the boys brought in the first course they took off their hats and
aprons. "Shame," Charlie smiled, "they look really classy on you."

"Sir," Vic said, "Will has given them to us for a week for when we cook you
dinner at our place."

From then on dinner was a feast of fine food and lively talk.  Noah and Vic
told Seth and Will every detail of their trip to the beach, just as they
had told the guys in the office.  They spared Charlie yet another
full-throated rendition of `The Song' but sang it softly to Seth and Will.

Will seemed especially moved.  "I think that `make-your-own-music' thing
applies to almost everyone in the tribe, starting with Randy.  If he and
Bob hadn't started doing their own thing all those years ago we wouldn't be
sitting here."

Deep inside that thought was the unspoken question of what would have
become of Seth and Will.  And Vic and Noah would presumably still be living
in their old separate apartments, still denying their sexual attraction to
each other.

Charlie lightened the mood with more of his endless rodeo adventures and,
as the wine flowed, the few inhibitions that were left quickly fell away
and they got onto more intimate topics.  Will lightheartedly told how he
juggled his complicated life of being boy to three men – the twins Kyle
and Kevin, and his dad Seth.

Charlie laughed.  `Sounds a bit like that old saying about sailors having a
girl in every port.  I kid you not, some of my buddies on the rodeo circuit
really do have a girl in every city we perform in.  They have a devil of a
time persuading the girls not to travel to the next town with them."

Will responded, "Difference with me, sir, is that I'm not cheating.  My
guys know all about the others and sometimes even join in. And don't
forget, the twins are Bob's boys and often spend nights with him.  Not to
mention Randy, who ..."

"Whoa, whoa, hold it right there, Will.  I need time to work out all those
permutations.  Hell, it would take a computer and GPS to set up that
schedule."

Seth chuckled, "Luckily we don't need either tonight, `cos it's just Will
and me, eh kiddo?"  He ruffled Will's curly red hair.  "Unless ..." Seth
said slyly, throwing a roguish glance at Charlie ..."

Charlie held up his hands.  "Oh no, Seth.  If you're thinking what I think
you're thinking, me and the boys won't be ..."  He stopped, catching the
look of disappointment on his boys' faces."

"Dude, look at it this way," Seth said.  "By now you know all our secrets
after I spilled my guts to you.  And god knows these three know everything
there is to know about each other.  After all the trauma I described to you
I would love to show you how well it worked out in the end.  Actually,
we're kinda proud of ourselves, eh Will?"

"We are, sir.  And it wouldn't be the first time Noah and Vic have watched
as we ... you know."

"At least don't leave yet, guys.  Stop and have a nightcap in our room,
what's the harm?  We know you don't get involved in man-sex and stuff, and
it's not as if we're trying to recruit you."

Charlie laughed.  "If you knew how many times guys have said that to me
since I've been here.  I tell ya, if I were recruitable I'd be in it up to
my eyebrows in sex by now.  Oh what the hell, I guess a brandy wouldn't
hurt ... or two.  What d'ya say, kids?"

"Yes please, sir," they grinned.

"And if you knew, Seth, how many times I've heard `yes please, sir' –
words I can never refuse.  OK ya'll, stop twisting my arm.  Brandy it is."

<><> The Balm of Present Joys <><>

In the spacious bedroom, Charlie sat between Vic and Noah on a couch,
sipping brandy.  Seth sat close to Will on another, smaller couch.  He
stretched his arm over Will's shoulders and ran his fingers through the
hair at the nape of his neck.  The talk became more intimate and Charlie
thought, `Uh-oh, sure looks like foreplay to me'.

His mind flashed back to all the other times guys had wanted him to watch
them making love – Mark and Jamie ... Randy and Bob ... Doc Steve, Tommy
and Randy ... and now Seth and Will.  What was that?  Were they a tribe of
exhibitionists, a bunch of show-offs?  Charlie himself was a Class-A
show-off in the rodeo ring, riding around shirtless, but he had never asked
any other guys to watch him fuck girls.

Then the reason for that difference dawned on him.  He was not especially
proud of his sexual activity with his one-night-stands.  But the men and
boys of the tribe were proud – proud of who they were and how they
loved, and were relaxed enough about sex to demonstrate their love and
affection.  Showing off that love was simply a manifestation of their
pride.

They were not asking him to join in.  Instinctively they just wanted him,
as a friend to them all, to see how far their varied relationships had
matured.

To an outsider they might have seemed oversexed.  But love, and making
love, was the very fabric of the tribe, the glue that strengthened it and
held it to together.  It was why every man had his boy, and even some of
the boys had boys.  And tangled in with that were the best-buddies, fuck
buddies, and respect for each man's independence.  Randy's mantra was, `Do
whatever feels right, guys, provided no one gets hurt'.

Of course, the founders of the tribe, Randy and Bob, were at the root of
this.  Their instincts, their passions and hard work were the foundation on
which all this stood.  When Charlie had watched them in Bob's office huddle
over his computer, airing their differences, squabbling sometimes, he
realized that this was all part of their love for each other.  The roots
went very deep, like the roots of a sturdy oak.

Charlie knew why all this had come clear to him now.  It was the newfound
love he felt for Noah and Vic, the stirrings that all these men had felt at
the beginning and had let them mature over time.  He was only at the
beginning of the process, but he was determined to make their love grow as
sturdy as those he had been privileged to witness – as he was now.

Of course, his love would be different from the others as he was not
sexually attracted to men and felt no urge to butt-fuck his boys.  But as
his boys had said, that didn't matter.  Love itself was a far richer
passion than lust and took many different forms – like his brotherly
love for Randy, Steve and young Ben.

All of these feelings came together now as his boys pressed close to him.
The chatter died down and they watched the passion build between the rugged
construction worker and the freckle-faced young chef.

Will let Seth make all the moves.  He loved the feeling of being
overpowered by Seth, a feeling that had once disgusted him all that time
ago before Randy invited Seth into the tribe, made him see the light and
reconcile with his son.

That sexual abuse and subsequent reconciliation were now distant memories
as Seth's fingers stopped stroking Will's nape and gripped the back of his
head.  He turned Will's head toward him and smiled.  "Your call now, kiddo.
What do you want?"

"You know what I want, sir. I want you to kiss me."

Seth leaned forward, licked Will's lips, then clamped their mouths together
in a gentle, tongue-searching embrace.  They shared their breath for so
long that Will eventually pulled away panting.  He kissed his dad's
stubbled jaw, then his neck and pressed his head against his chest and
heard Seth's heart beating under his shirt.

Seth folded his hand over Will's head and pressed it harder against him,
then eased it down to his abs.  Will got the message and moved lower, over
his waist, until his mouth was cupped over the bulge in Seth's jeans.
Using his teeth he pulled down the zipper, opened the fly and pulled out
the engorged cock.  He licked the head, then opened wide and lowered his
mouth slowly over the long, thick shaft.

"Will loves this, sir," Noah whispered to Charlie as the red head moved up
and down.  "He told us it's like taking care of his man ... at least of his
cock.  The other thing comes next."

As if to demonstrate, Seth gently pushed Will away and got slowly to his
feet.  He hooked his hands under Will's arms, pulled him to his feet and
kissed him again.  When they separated Vic said to Charlie, "This is his
other favorite thing, sir.  Looks real sexy."

Will slowly unbuttoned Seth's shirt pulled it open and ran his hands inside
it, over the solid muscle of his chest.  Then he pushed the shirt back over
his shoulders and let it drop behind him.  The tail was still tucked into
the waist of his jeans so the shirt hung round his waist, accentuating his
long waist, bare chest and ripped abs.

Seth reciprocated by pulling off Will's T-shirt, and pushing down his
shorts.  He held his naked boy at arm's length and smiled.  "That's it,
that's how I want you, Will.  Come here."  His biceps flexed as he gripped
the boy's waist, picked him up bodily and carried him to the bed.

He laid Will gently on his back on the bed, then stood back and smiled down
at him as he kicked off his boots, dropped his jeans and walked naked
across the room to a small desk where he pulled a jar of lube from a drawer
and dipped his fingers in.  Standing on the floor at the foot of the bed,
he towered over the boy as he lubed his huge cock."

Charlie was struck by the power-difference between them – the tall,
shaggy, muscled construction worker, and the slim young redhead lying
vulnerable before him.  Charlie could imagine the terror of the boy looking
up at the wildman, drunk and fueled with lust.

But now the picture was reversed as Will's sparkling eyes gazed up at his
stepdad adoringly.  Seth gave him the lube and said.  "You know what turns
me on kiddo."

Will's freckled face blushed slightly as he dipped his fingers in the lube,
pulled his heels back on the bed to expose his ass, and pushed his greasy
fingers into it.  With his other hand he stroked his cock.

"Feel good, kid?"

"I can make it feel good, sir.  Only never as good as ..."

"As the real thing eh?" Seth grinned, stroking his thick rod in his fist.
"You making your ass ready for this?  This is what you really want, eh,
boy?"

"Yes please, sir."

Charlie grinned at his boys, hearing the same phrase he heard from them all
the time.

"OK, kid, let's do it."

Will pulled his legs all the way back and Seth knelt on the bed behind him.
The head of his cock was pressing against his butt and it needed only the
slightest forward movement for the thick shaft to enter him.

Will moaned, "Thank you, sir.  It feels so good.  I love you so much."

Seth smiled over at Charlie, who knew exactly what the smile meant.  He
recalled Seth saying, `I'll never live down the shame of it', referring to
the times he had tried to force himself on the terrified boy.  This was
Seth's way of trying to purge the shame, by showing Charlie the other side
of him, the tender, loving side.  This was why Charlie and his boys were
there.  Admiring Seth's deep true love for his boy was a form of partial
absolution for his former sins.

Charlie was instinctively rubbing the bulge in his pants, a move that was
not lost on Vic and Noah, who slid to their knees before him.  His eyes
riveted on the scene on the bed, Charlie felt his jeans being pulled open
and tongues licking his exposed cock.  He didn't resist.  He surrendered to
this display of love by Seth for his boy, and his own boys' love for him.

He moaned softly, lost in the joys of deep affection that erased sins of
the past for Seth, and pointed to a new future for himself. As he watched
the burly Seth rising and falling over the boy he loved, Charlie lost track
of time and place, and simply bathed in the warmth of present joys.

It came as no surprise when Seth groaned and threw his head back and Will's
cock splashed semen over his own slim body.  And it seemed the most natural
thing in the world for his own cock to spurt juice into first one young
mouth, then another.

He looked down at the grinning faces before him, semen running down their
chins.  He said softly, "Time for us to leave the lovers alone, I think.
Y'all wanna go home, kids?"

The reply was inevitable.  "Yes please, sir."  Words Charlie could never
refuse.

<><> VIC & NOAH HAVE PLANS <><>

Thanks and goodnights were left unspoken as Charlie and his boys quietly
left Seth and his boy folded blissfully in each other's arms.  As they went
back through the gate in the hedge and crossed the lawn Noah asked, "Are
you sleeping at our place, sir?"

They stopped and Charlie smiled, "Is that what you want?'

"We were rather planning on it, sir?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

TO BE CONTINUED in "A Trial Of Strength" – Chapter 575

Hey guys, this is Rob Williams. I hope that chapter turned you on, 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 own Web-site www.atrialofstrength.com. You
can read the whole story, with extras including pictures and biographies of
all the characters.

AND DON'T FORGET – IF YOU ENJOY THESE STORIES, PLEASE DONATE to this
site.  Nifty needs your donations to provide these thousands of wonderful
stories.  So please go to http://donate.nifty.org/donate.html and donate
what you can.  All the other writers and I thank you.