A Trial of Strength

A TRIAL OF STRENGTH – PART 482 By Rob Williams

Chapter 482 – "RYAN'S TRIUMPH & TURMOIL"

IN THIS CHAPTER:

The shy young Thai boy Ryan has a major crush on the handsome black muscle-jock Darius. But Darius is highly sexual and naïve Ryan has never had sex with a man. He jerks off looking at Darius but when Darius suggests a closer relationship Ryan freaks out. But his computer skills have made the boy vital to a new project in the tribe's construction company, so their leader Bob pleads with Ryan to stay. ___________________________________________________________________

IN THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER

The new office assistant, a Thai boy of 19, showed immediate promise when he was hired as the third member of the office staff for the tribe's construction company. His Thai name was Ruang-Rit, but he was better known as Ryan, a self-styled computer nerd whose technical expertise was sorely needed as the company expanded.

However, his personal life was another matter. Naïve and inexperienced he had never had sex with anyone, just a quick jerk-off now and again to release the tension. And here he was, suddenly surrounded by a tribe of handsome, strapping men and their boys in a promiscuous world where sex reared its head all the time.

In fact he was badly shaken when he first stumbled across men fucking and he almost fled from his new job. But then he met Darius, the young black construction foreman with his muscular physique, chiseled features and smiling green eyes.

Darius took a liking to this shy new boy, though Ryan at first felt overpowered and nervous. But as Darius showed him around the construction site the boy relaxed and felt protected by the powerful young buck when Darius said, "Don't be afraid, kiddo, I won't let anyone hurt you – you're with me now."

As it happened, Darius had been playing with the idea of finding a boy of his own, but when one of the other boys playfully suggested to Ryan he might be that boy, Ryan retorted, "No way! I've never loved made love to anyone, and I sure as hell could never do that butt-fucking thing that I saw Darius do to Pablo. And that ten-inch thing Darius has got? Are you kidding? No way, never. I like Darius and all, but ... no, I'll never be anyone's boy. He would never want a scrawny kid like me anyway."

Despite all that Ryan was soon experiencing feelings for Darius that he did not understand, and would have rejected if he did. Then one night in bed alone he recalled seeing Darius standing over his lover Pablo and spraying his cum over his face from his ten-inch black cock. Wondering how that must have felt he now imagined himself in Pablo's place, with a vivid image of a naked Darius standing over him ... and that made Ryan jerk himself off.

Consumed with guilt he tried to banish that shameful experience from his mind. But the next night Darius invited him to dinner with him and his friends, whom he referred to as his family. By the end of the evening Ryan had drunk too much wine to drive home so Darius suggested he share his large king-size bed, with a firm promise that he would not touch the boy.

He kept that promise, but Ryan was feeling sexual stirrings he had never felt before and he needed sexual release. Darius stood up and brought last night's prior fantasy to life. Too shy to touch his own cock Ryan gripped the bars of the headboard behind him and gazed up the homoerotic sight of the naked young jock towering over him, stroking his giant cock. And when Darius pumped his juice all over him the boy lost all control and his own cock erupted.

For a moment Ryan wasn't sure what had happened. He hadn't touched his cock ... but he had cum anyway, just looking up at Darius and feeling his juice pour down on him. When Darius saw tears running down Ryan's cheeks he knelt beside him and said gently, "You're crying, kiddo. I'm sorry, I guess I got carried away – I didn't mean to make you cry."

"I ... I'm not crying because I'm sad, sir. I ... I don't know why I'm crying, sir, but I'm not sad."

"I shouldn't have said and done all that, Ryan, I promised you I wouldn't. I'll get a towel to clean you up."

"No, sir, please don't. I like it ... I mean ... like, I'm too tired, sir. Can I go to sleep now?"

"Of course, kid. I'm sure ready to. Just close your eyes and forget all this happened." He bent down and brushed Ryan's lips with his. "OK, I shouldn't a' done that either but I couldn't resist. Sleep well, kiddo. Pleasant dreams."

Darius turned over on his side with his back to Ryan. Lying a safe distance away on his back Ryan ran his fingers through the cum on his chest, then licked them. He closed his eyes and a peacefulness enveloped him that he had never experienced before. Something had happened that he ... he didn't understand ...tried to work it out but ... but ... And he was asleep.

Darius listened for the boys breathing to become steady before he too closed his eyes. In a few minutes the boy rolled onto his side in his sleep toward Darius and snuggled against his back. Darius felt an arm fold over him and rest lightly across his chest.

He felt Ryan's heart beating gently against him and smiled to himself. This kid's mine, he thought. He don't know it yet, but he will."

********************* CHAPTER 482 *********************

DARIUS & RYAN HIT THE SHOWER

Ryan's sleep was deep but hardly dreamless. And predictably his dreams centered on Darius – Darius at work, shirtless in black jeans and boots ... Darius at dinner throwing his head back with laughter ... and of course a naked Darius standing over him.

The dreams turned darker when they focused on his monster cock, which loomed as a weapon, something to fear and run away from. But, dreams being illogical, he sought refuge in the very same man, and when his fear jolted him awake in the middle of the night he found himself hugging Darius from behind. He recoiled, turned over and gripped his edge of the bed.

He had found Darius's smooth, velvet black flesh warm to the touch but the very pleasure it gave him had made him pull away. They had promised `no touch' and that was safer. His mind raced with a jumble of thoughts, but the oblivion of sleep eventually erased them all.

Early next morning he woke groggily, opened his eyes and saw on the bedside clock that it was almost 6am. It was his first full day at work and he wanted to be in the office early. He tried to move but as his mind cleared, he was aware of a muscular arm curled over him and holding him tight. Darius's chest pressed against his back with each rise and fall of his steady breathing.

Again Ryan's first impulse was to pull away, but the strong arm felt so good over him, so warm and protective, that he relaxed and closed his eyes. He must have dozed again because the next thing he knew was Darius's low voice in his ear – "Hey, kid, time for work. Big day ahead."

Disoriented he blushed even though his face was turned away from Darius. How could he face him after last night's sex? How could he explain it away, to himself or to Darius?

But he was saved the trouble as Darius sprang out of bed, all business now. "Like I said, kid, big day today. It's that make-or-break inspection by the City at the work site, and your first full day in your new office job. So let's jump in the shower and go down to an early breakfast.

Ryan watched the naked black jock stretch, his ten-inch hunk of black meat swinging between his legs. Ryan frowned – Jump in the shower? Both together? What did that mean? Did guys here always do that? But there was no time to object so he got out of bed and was soon standing in a cloud of steam next to the naked Darius, scared of what he would make him do.

"Look, kid, that `don't touch' business don't apply in the shower. Damn, we're just gonna soap each other up. Come on, grab that sponge." Ryan did as he was told and nervously wiped the soapy sponge over Darius's neck, shoulders and back. "Harder, kid, give it a good scrub."

Ryan applied more pressure and felt Darius's pecs flex under the sponge. "Legs too, kiddo." Darius spread a wet towel on the floor and Ryan knelt on it. He rubbed more soap on the sponge and ran it over the flexed mounds of his ass then down the back of his thighs. He leaned across him to reach the other leg and the swinging cock touched his face lightly.

Ryan pulled back with a grimace, but his cock was rock hard. He tried to ignore it, directed his gaze lower and scrubbed Darius's shins. As he turned his face upward to see if Darius was satisfied the head of the cock pressed against his lips and he instinctively flicked out his tongue. He jerked away in confusion and his face became buried in Darius's wet, wiry pubic hair.

Again he pulled back, gazed upward and gasped. Enveloped in a cloud of steam Darius looked godlike, his sculpted physique gleaming as water poured down his superb body. In a trance Ryan didn't realize that he had grabbed his own rigid cock until he stroked it a few times and "Aaagh" ... semen blasted from it and splashed down on Darius's feet. Horrified, Ryan bent low and licked his own cum off the feet and let the rest wash down the drain.

As he watched the semen swirl away the enormity of what he had done hit him. Darius's cock had swung against his face, he had licked it, and then the sight of black muscle god wreathed in steam had made him jerk off. Then, in the most degrading act of all, he had licked his own cum off Darius's feet, like a young slave debasing himself in humiliating servitude to his powerful black master.

He had to get away. He pulled himself to his feet and turned away toward the shower door, but Darius grabbed his arm and pulled him back to face him. "Hey, hey, where d'you think you're going, kiddo? I ain't done you yet." Ryan struggled and Darius chuckled, "When I say I ain't done you yet, all I mean is I haven't soaped you down. Give and take, uh?"

He took the sponge from the boy, reached round him and sponged his back. Their chests were pressed together and Ryan turned his head aside to avoid Darius's gaze. But Darius held his chin lightly and made him look him in the eyes.

"There that's better – I prefer to talk to your face, not the back of your head. OK, so let's get a few things straight. What we're doing right now is what other guys do all the time, shower together. There's probably a lot of that going on right now even as we speak. Sure, you went a bit further than that, jerking off over my feet, but there's probably a lot of that going on too.

"It don't mean anything kiddo – just guys showing affection and having fun is all. And getting clean into the bargain," he grinned. "Hey, I think you've still got a wad of jizz on your lip – let me take care of it. He licked the boys lip, then ran his tongue across his mouth and kissed him lightly. This time Ryan didn't pull back. He stayed still, then very slightly pressed his mouth against Darius's lips.

Darius pulled away and flashed a smile. "Good, that's settled. And now, kiddo, we gotta get this show on the road." They rinsed off, dried off and got dressed. Darius wore his usual jeans and boots, then also pulled on his black T-shirt.

"Bob is making us all wear shirts today. Randy resisted that like hell but Bob insisted – said we gotta put on a good show for the inspectors, not stink the place up with sweat. OK, kiddo, a quick bite of breakfast and I'm off to the construction site while you report to the office. While you're hunched over that computer say a little prayer for us kiddo. This is crunch time."

THE INSPECTION

At breakfast there was definitely tension in the air. Everyone knew that the future of the construction company's new government contracts division was dependent on this inspection by L.A. City planning officials. If all went well they were guaranteed more government business and the division would be a success.

Bob and Randy were huddling together, mostly with Bob coaching Randy on what to say and how to behave – "Above all, Randy, don't lose your temper with them. If you feel me pinch you that means cool it, OK?"

Pretty soon the group left for the constructions site – Randy, Bob, Darius and their architect Lloyd. Zack was not involved as he would be busy supervising the other two sites – residential and commercial. As they left Darius winked at Ryan who gave him two thumbs up. Then Jamie said, "OK Brandon, Ryan, meanwhile the regular work of the office must go on. Let's get to it."

The office was in a side building just across the lawn and Jamie called a short meeting. "I am so relieved we have you here, Ryan. I pretty much know my way around the computer programs we have, but we are way past due for an overhaul of the whole system and when it comes to loading new programs I would have a steep learning curve. But you Ryan have spent all your spare time alone on your computer, plus all your experience with your cousin's business. You're way ahead of Jamie and me.''

"You can call me a nerd sir," Ryan smiled, "it's what I call myself." On that note they got to work.

Meanwhile their aura of confidence in the office was not shared by the guys at the worksite with the prospect of a tough inspection looming.

Bob of course was an expert at the financial side, and no one could match Randy's hands-on knowledge of the construction business. Having started as a day laborer he was now the well-respected boss of a big enterprise, which had delivered many projects ahead of time and under budget. Everyone in the construction trade knew he ran a tight ship. Then there was Lloyd, an experienced architect who was more than a match for his opposite number in City Planning.

However, government bureaucrats were a breed unto themselves and the group knew that if they threw them a curveball question they couldn't answer it might be game over.

The meeting began amiably enough. The City had sent a team of five guys (all of them in suits and ties) and after a meet and greet they split up with their opposite numbers. Bob went into the trailer office with the two senior guys and talked financing, deftly demonstrating the financial stability of the company.

Randy showed the two engineers over the site and impressed them with his expert knowledge of every aspect of construction, confidently answering questions on earthquake codes and stress factors after a cluster of earthquakes that had recently shaken Southern California. The work crew, aware of how important this inspection was, were on their best behavior – no fights, no quarrels – and Randy winked his thanks to them as he shepherded the officials around.

So when they all reconvened in the trailer office the City group seemed satisfied and the home team felt confident. And then came the curveball.

The City Manager said, "Bob, Randy, you have a really good, sound operation here, and in most respects it more than meets or requirements. But there is one big problem we increasingly wrestle with these days ... cybersecurity." The guys tensed.

"You've probably read all the stories lately of smaller municipalities whose computer systems have been hacked by ransomware. They have been held hostage, their systems paralyzed until they agree to pay a ransom to lift the encryption. Baltimore for example was hit over a month ago and they're still digging themselves out. So our systems manager Nigel here, has some questions for you."

"Yeah," Nigel said, "it's a real big issue with us. If the City the size of L.A. was hit they could demand a huge ransom. The problem often starts with a contractor, where an employee mistakenly opens an email attachment. The virus spreads through the whole system and it all grinds to a halt. So we must have strong safeguards. For example, to start with the most basic, I'm assuming that 2FA is standard with your office staff."

The question fell with thud and Randy shot a panicked look at Bob. Bob didn't flinch. "Actually Nigel we have a great technology expert on our staff and it would be best for you to put all your questions to him." His face broke into that smile that always floored Randy. "You two would no doubt be speaking the same language. He's on his way over here right now, actually."

As the group conferred Bob shot an urgent look at Darius, signaling to the door with his eyes. "Got it, sir." He unobtrusively left the trailer and raced to his truck.

In the meantime Lloyd leapt in to fill the breach. "Er, gentleman, while we're waiting for our man to arrive, perhaps you would be interested in the preliminary plans I have drawn up for the possible building extension you mentioned, in case you decide to go that route in the future."

"Of course, we'd be very interested." The guys breathed again – for now anyway. It all depended on Ryan.

RYAN TO THE RESCUE

Darius broke every speed rule in the book as he raced home, calling Ryan as he drove. "Kiddo listen, this is urgent. Everything was going great until they got onto what they call cybersecurity. Seems they're paranoid about it."

"They should be, sir. It's hitting a lot of businesses and cities. I was just saying to Brandon ..."

"Great, so you know what they're talking about. Have you heard of something called, er, 2FA?"

"Of course I have, sir, it's ..."

"Never mind, kid, save it for them. I'll be there in a few minutes. Be ready to leave."

Jamie had heard and said, "Thank god you're on the team Ryan. Is there anything you need?"

"The clothes I wore to my interview here, sir, they're in Will's room." Brandon phoned across to Will and in a few seconds he skidded in with Ryan's backpack. Ryan grabbed it as they heard a squeal of breaks at the gate. He raced out, Darius hauled him into the truck and sped away.

"Now I don't want you to be nervous, kiddo. They're just gonna ask ..."

"I'm not nervous, sir. If their questions are about computers I'll have no problem. I probably know more than they do. Big companies usually hire a middle-aged guy as their IT expert but they'd do better hiring a fourteen-year-old. I may look like a just skinny nerd to you, sir, but when it comes to computers I know my stuff. Do you mind if I change my clothes?"

Darius smiled as Ryan squirmed out of his shorts and T-shirt and pulled from his bag his smart black pants, white dress shirt and tie that he straightened looking in the rearview mirror. "I was always told to dress to impress, sir. That's why I wore this to my interview, and I got the job, sir, didn't I?"

"You sure did, kid," Darius grinned. "Though it was more than the clothes that helped you nail it." In the urgency of the current situation Ryan had forgotten the embarrassment of this morning's shower – but Darius hadn't. And to him it was far from embarrassing.

"Sir," Ryan said, "there is one thing. We haven't actually installed any of the new computer programs yet, but Brandon said we will. But for these guys, can I stretch the truth a bit, sir?"

"Kiddo, you do what it takes. Whatever it takes. Oh and, er, just for the record, Ryan ... I don't think of you as just a skinny nerd. Far from it."

A NEW HERO

There was palpable relief from Bob and Randy when Darius brought Ryan into the trailer office. The inspectors were poring over the blueprints Lloyd was explaining to them. "Lloyd," one of them said, "these guys may understand blueprints but it's hard for me to get a sense of how the building's gonna look."

"No problem there, sir." They turned round to face Ryan. "We'll be installing a program of three-dimensional architecture renderings so you'll have an actual 3D picture of how it will look. Makes it easy for everyone."

"Gentlemen," Bob said, "this is our computer expert Ryan."

"Ah, I guessed as much," Nigel smiled, "Chinese. You Asians are all the same, good at technology. So, I need to pick your brains about cybersecurity." Darius clenched his fists at what sounded like a racial slur but Bob silenced him with a look and Ryan sailed on regardless.

"Yes, sir, I thought you would. Cities have to be real careful now after all those ransomware attacks. I mean, look at Baltimore – I believe that one was a triple-threat Ryuk attack. The problem can even start with a contractor – some lower-level employee who clicks on a spearphishing email attachment and whammo, it's lights out – literally."

"That's just what I was telling these guys," Nigel said (though not in as much detail, Bob noted).

"A cousin of mine had a company that was hacked, sir, but I managed to rebuild the system pretty fast. I stayed up two nights running to do it."

"Really! That's quite something. So I have some specific questions for you, young man. To start with I was asking these guys if all your people use 2FA."

"Of course sir, Two Factor Authentication is essential." (Bob exchanged a secret `who-knew?' grin with Randy.) "But in government contracts you can't be too careful so I even recommend Multi Factor Authentication. There are some new programs just coming out that look practically foolproof as I'm sure you know sir." (The blank look on Nigel's face suggested that he didn't know at all.)

"Er, yeah, but, er, can you be sure that all your back-office staff are trained to avoid scams and malicious links."

"Absolutely, sir. I often think a company like ours is safer than the big conglomerates as they employ tons of people so you can never be sure. We have a smaller and highly trained staff who are all skilled in avoiding these traps."

"Sounds like you have trained your staff well, young man."

Ryan frowned. "Er actually, sir, I ..." he glanced at Darius who gave a warning shake of his head. "Er, yes, actually sir we conduct regular retraining on updates and amendments." Darius smiled with relief. A junior hired two days ago would hardly have impressed them.

Ryan and Nigel conversed a bit longer, with Ryan doing most of the talking and Nigel trying to follow along. At last Nigel said, "Ryan, you are just the kind of young guy we need in our IT department. We could offer you a good position with a solid salary and benefits."

"Thank you sir," Ryan said without hesitation. "But I am very happy with my job here and the people I work with. I wouldn't want to leave sir. But thank you."

Nigel shrugged with a smile. "Pity. But I'm sure you will work closely with our guys to make sure our two systems are compatible and secure."

He gave a satisfied nod to the City Manager who said, "Gentlemen, I've heard enough. Randy, Bob, you already proved that you run a solid, well financed operation here. Other contractors we've spoken to couldn't reassure us on the security issue, but your young Ryan was very impressive, sure knows his job. He nailed it for you guys. If all goes well on this project you can expect plenty more business from us. The City is currently on a building spree."

He made an appointment to get together with Bob on contracts and finances, and with smiles and handshakes all round the inspection group left. Bob, Randy, Lloyd and Darius beamed at each other. Then Randy picked Ryan up bodily and swung him around. Kiddo, you hit it out of the park. You heard what the man said – you nailed it for us. I could kiss you ... I could eat you."

"Thank you sir," Ryan blushed. "But I think I should get back to Brandon and Jamie. They'll be waiting for me."

"Darius," Bob said, "take this man back to the office and drive carefully. He's precious cargo."

Darius had been watching Ryan throughout his presentation with growing admiration and affection. It was stunning that a shy kid like this, so innocent about the world, could suddenly blossom into a confident articulate expert, holding his own with officials twice his age. And Darius's mind also went back to last night in bed and this morning in the shower.

"You're something else, kid, you know that?" He flung his arm over his shoulder. "OK, kiddo, let's get you home."

I'M SORRY, I COULD NEVER DO THAT

"Damn," Darius chuckled as they drove, "that was fucking brilliant, kiddo."

"I just told them all I know, sir. When you love computers like I do that stuff just comes naturally. And like I thought, that Nigel is a bit out of his depth. He needs a younger guy to help him."

"Well at least that guy won't be you, Ryan. That offer he made was tempting – a government job with all its benefits. I ... I'm glad you chose to stay with us."

"Me too, sir."

Darius kept glancing at him as they drove – at the shy but happy smile on his face, those beautiful almond-shaped eyes – and his heart went out to him. He would never let anything bad happen to this kid. He remembered what Zack had told him yesterday – `Go with your gut, boy'.

When they pulled up at the gate of the compound Ryan turned to get out of the truck but Darius restrained him. He held his face in his hands and kissed him. Ryan didn't resist – he liked it.

But then it happened. "Ryan, there's something important I wanna ask you. I want to take care of you, love you, and sleep with you as master and boy. I want you to be my boy, Ryan."

Ryan stared at the handsome face, at the smiling green eyes ... but he frowned and tears came to his eyes. "I can't, sir. I can't ever be your boy. I couldn't be ... I wouldn't ... I'm sorry, sir. I just can't."

The tears started to flow, he pulled away, jumped out of the truck and rushed through the gate. Darius stared after him in disbelief. What ... what just happened? Why ...? He knew the boy liked him, but ... was it too sudden? The boy was overwhelmed, that must be it. But he'd come around. Darius's impulse was to run after him but he stopped himself. If he pushed too hard that would drive the boy away even more. The kid needed time, that was all.

His cellphone rang – Randy. "Where are you, man? We need you here, a ton of stuff to sort out after all that. Get your ass back here." The line went dead, Darius put the car in gear and drove back to work.

In the office Jamie and Brandon had heard from Bob how the meeting went and they were thrilled, waiting for the hero of the hour. When Ryan burst in they stood to embrace him but he was clearly distraught. "I gotta go ... I can't stay here ..." He grabbed his other backpack as Brandon asked, "Ryan, what's the matter? What's happened?"

"Darius asked me to be his boy but I can't. I could never ... I can't see him again ... I gotta go."

Before the guys could react Ryan stumbled out of the office, fell into his old car ... and drove away from Darius, from the tribe and his job."

BOB TO THE RESCUE

Jamie and Brandon looked at each other, stunned. "What the hell was that?" Jamie said. "We should go after him ... except ... if we follow him home we might fuck it up even more, the state he's in. I know, I'll call Bob – he'll know what to do."

Bob was leaving the worksite when his phone rang. Jamie gave him the bare bones of the story and Bob said, "Don't do anything, Jamie. I'll be right there." As he drove home Darius's truck sped past in the opposite direction and Bob caught a glimpse of the stricken look on his face.

When he reached the compound and ran into the office Jamie filled Bob in. "We were all ready with the hero's welcome but he was crying and said he had to get away. He couldn't see Darius again. Apparently Darius had asked him to be his boy."

"Ah, so soon," Bob frowned.

"He was panicked, said he could never be his boy and he rushed out before we could stop him."

"I have to go to him," Bob said. "Brandon, give me Ryan's address."

"Sir, you know that personnel files are confidential and ..."

"Brandon ...!"

"OK, sorry, sir. Here it is."

"I'll keep you posted, but don't call Randy. Those guys have enough to cope with over there right now. I'll handle this myself." He ran out to his Mercedes and sped away.

Ryan's small apartment was in a scruffy part of town and Bob had difficulty finding it at first. It was in a shabby two-story building and Bob climbed the outside stairs to the second floor. When he knocked he heard a small voice say, "Go away. I can't see you again."

"Ryan, it's not Darius ... it's me, Bob."

After a long silence Bob heard the bolt being drawn back and the door opened. Without looking at Bob Ryan turned and retreated to the other side of the small room. When Bob went in Ryan turned his tear streaked face and said, "Sir, there's nothing you can do. It's nice of you to come but it's no good. It's all over."

It looked as if he were about to cry again so Bob simply opened his arms wide. Ryan gave a little moan and ran across the room into his arms. He sobbed into Bob's shoulder and Bob just held him without speaking. When at last Ryan pulled away he said, "I'm sorry, sir. I shouldn't do that. It's just that I ..."

"Ryan, after all that talking to the inspectors I'm parched. I would love a cup of tea."

"Really, sir?" Ryan managed a watery smile through tears. "I can do that. And I don't mean Thai tea, sir. I have regular English Breakfast and I even have a brown betty teapot."

"You do? I don't know anyone else but me who has a brown betty – the only way to make tea."

Bob knew that asking Ryan to do something for him would calm him down so they could talk less emotionally. He sat down and watched as Ryan busied himself boiling water and setting out the teacups. It was a small, simple apartment but very tidy, except for Ryan's work table in the corner covered with computer equipment, cables and manuals.

Bob imagined what the boy's lonely life must have been, sitting here all on his own typing away, stopping to make tea for himself, then getting back to work. Bob's heart almost broke and tears came to his own eyes. There was something so moving about the boy, something Darius must have felt to make the offer he had, though Bob knew it was way too soon. One thing Bob knew for sure. He was going to get Ryan away from this lonely, solitary life.

Ryan carefully set the tea tray on the table and even included a plate of cookies. They sat facing each other, Ryan poured the tea and Bob smiled. "Ryan, the main reason I came here was to thank you for what you did for us and the whole company at the inspection. We we're doing well until they asked their cybersecurity questions and we knew we were sunk. But then you came and saved our bacon. You rescued the whole project and we owe you so much."

"Thank you, sir, but I just told them stuff I knew about."

"Ryan, I have to ask you. Do you intend to take them up on their offer and go work for the City? It's a very good prospect, great pay and benefits."

"No, sir, no way. I was excited about my job with you ... I really like Jamie and Brandon and Will and all the other guys and I think I could have been useful with all the computer stuff. But, sir, I don't care about any of that ... all I really wanted was..." Tears welled up again.

"All you really wanted was Darius, is that right?" Ryan nodded. "So here's another question for you, Ryan, a harder one. I could see how much you liked Darius but ... do you think you were falling in love with him?"

Ryan looked puzzled. "I don't even know what that means, sir. I've never loved anyone, never been what you call in love' and never even had sex with anyone ... except some stuff with Darius last night. But all that's pointless anyway cos I could never be his boy. It would be kind of a dream come true, but I'm not good enough for him, I could never give him what he wants."

He gulped and soldiered on. "I mean, sir, a boy has to do things for his master, like have sex and, and get butt-fucked and stuff, but I've never done that with anyone and I couldn't with Darius. Well, I did cum in bed looking at him and then in the shower, but even that made me feel guilty. I could never do no more than that. That time I saw Darius fucking Pablo with that huge ... you know, that great big cock of his. I knew for sure I could never do that.

"So you see, sir, it's hopeless. If I worked in the office I would always see Darius at meals and stuff and it would rip me apart. I mean, when I see him and he smiles at me ... I kinda get all warm inside. I dunno, maybe I do love him, sir, but what use is that if he can't fuck me? So I don't see how ...I mean ... can you help me, sir? Please ...?"

BOB'S PLAN FOR RYAN

Bob leaned back in his chair and smiled. "Ryan, there's an old shopworn phrase, `It's always darkest before the dawn'. Right now things seem real dark for you but I can see dawn breaking, and it's beautiful. OK first off – Darius. Frankly he jumped the gun asking you to be his boy. He's young and impetuous and genuinely wants you, but you've only known each other two days.

"What I would like to see is you two being friends, like you've been up to know. Get to know each other, get close. And then see what happens. Maybe it is love, I suspect it could be, but you both need time to find out. I'll talk to Darius and I'm sure he'll go for that as he likes you so much. In the meantime, don't obsess about sex and fucking.

"You see, there's a lot more to love than fucking and sucking, so much more. Look at Randy and me. We love making love, sure, but we've stayed together this long, and always will, because we can't imagine life apart. We love each other body and soul. And it wasn't all wine and roses at first. Randy was scared by the idea of sex with a man, like you are, and he treated me very rough, but you see how things can change."

"I know, sir. Yesterday with Will I watched you and Randy make love."

"So you see? If you and Darius can be friends that would clear your way to stay working for us, if that's what you want.

"And now, Ryan, I'm going to throw myself on your mercy. At that inspection we told those guys we already had certain programs in place and were planning more. The contract depends on that so we have to act fast. And Ryan, we need you for that, because you know how to do it. I suppose we could muddle through and look for someone else to help us but ..."

"You don't have to do that. I can do it ... I want to sir."

"Thank you Ryan, that's a relief. And here's something else I would like to see. I want you to move out of here and come and live with us in the compound. There are several rooms being used just for storage. Randy and his guys could easily convert one of them into a small suite just for you. He would love to do that. He wants to give you a present for what you did for us today, so that would be his gift to you."

Ryan's eyes were shining now. "Really, sir. He would do that for me? I would like that a lot, sir. It gets lonely living here."

"Good, well I'll set that in motion. Now for the rest of today. I really would like to take you back with me to the office. I promise to make sure you don't cross paths with Darius just yet, that might be uncomfortable. This evening there's going to be a special dinner to celebrate our success with the City contract and I would really love you to be there. Without you, Ryan, the contract would never have happened. Please say you'll come and stay for dinner."

Ryan looked into Bob's soft brown eyes, and agreed. Of course he did, this was Bob. "As for tonight, Ryan ... I think you already made friends with Will, right?"

"Yes, sir, I helped him cater the dinner yesterday evening. I like him, we got along real well."

"Excellent, because I think it would be a great idea for you to spend the night with Will if he agrees to that. I'll check with him first, of course. Will would be a good friend for you because when he first joined the tribe he was just as sexually confused as you were."

"I know, sir, he told me he was totally fucked up, just like me."

Bob chuckled. "Not the words I would use, but he has a point. So why don't we clear away the tea things and you let me take you home ... and I mean home. Now come here and give me a hug to seal the deal." They hugged and Ryan gave Bob a kiss on the lips. Darius had already kissed Ryan several times, but this was the first time Ryan had ever kissed anyone impulsively without being prompted first.

A short while later Bob led Ryan down the steps to his car. "Wow, I've never ridden in a Mercedes, sir."

Bob smiled. "There's a first time for everything, Ryan. And I want you to remember that – a first time for everything."

IF ONLY EVERYTHING WERE THAT EASY

Jamie and Brandon were mightily relieved to see Bob leading Ryan into the office. "Guys, you three have a lot of work to do to install the computer programs we promised the inspectors. Ryan will be working with us in the office as originally planned, on a permanent basis."

"Yeah!" The two boys pumped their fists in the air.

"We had a chat and Ryan has agreed to give up his apartment and come live in the compound with us. Tonight he will probably be sleeping with Will.

"As for Darius, that's a separate story and we'll be working things out with him. I'll talk to him and suggest that, for the rest of the day, he and Ryan shouldn't have any contact, just to let things calm down a bit. I hope that Darius and Ryan will remain good friends and after that ... who knows? OK, guys. Get to work."

He smiled as Jamie and Brandon welcomed Ryan back with a hug. Jamie said, "OK, Ryan, the first thing we gotta look at is this two-factor authentication that came up at the meeting."

As Bob walked to the door he heard Ryan say, "Oh 2FA is real basic, sir. We can do that easy."

Bob smiled to himself and sighed. If only everything were that easy.

RANDY PROPOSES A TOAST

Most of the tribe's group dinners were raucous affairs but this one was especially festive as they had something big to celebrate. The news of the inspection and its positive outcome had sped over the grapevine and everyone knew that Randy's new government contracts division was a success and would lead to a lot more business.

They also knew of the decisive part the new Thai boy had played in the inspection. Darius had told Eddie and that's all it took. Eddie promptly and dramatically proclaimed Ryan a hero and everyone enthusiastically agreed with that. But there were also new rumors that Ryan had mysteriously run away – something to do with Darius – and that Bob had gone to talk to him.

After their long conversation Bob had dropped Ryan off at the office and had then gone straight back to the construction site for a talk with Darius.

"I know how you feel about the boy, Darius, and I believe he feels the same toward you. However, asking him to become your boy so soon after you met was premature – but you take after Zack in that impulsive way you both have. Your offer threw Ryan for a loop and he panicked, concentrating on the sexual aspect and," Bob grinned, "that spectacular endowment of yours – enough to terrify anyone, especially an innocent like Ryan."

Bob relayed to Darius the rest of his conversation and he agreed with Bob's suggestion that he should let the dust settle and not make further contact this evening. He also thought it was a good idea for Ryan to sleep with Will tonight. "Do you think it would be OK for me to see him at breakfast in the morning, Bob?"

"I'm sure he would like that, Darius. Give you a chance for a little chat before work."

Darius thanked Bob profusely for his help in mediating all this, and later at dinner, following Bob's advice, he took his place at the end of the table with Zack, while Ryan sat at the other end between Brandon and Will, and across from Bob and Randy. He was in his safety cocoon.

Randy was in high spirits and made a speech before the meal began. "Guys, you all know what we're celebrating tonight – the company is now in the business of government contracts. I don't mind telling you I was nervous about the inspection. Yeah, you heard right, the big ol' gypsy was nervous for once in his life. But things were going real well until they started blabbing about computer security and a guy asked something about 2FA, which means ... er, Ryan?"

"Two-Factor Authentication, sir."

"Yeah that's the one. But when I heard 2FA I thought the guy was calling me and Bob Two Fucking Assholes and I almost took a swing at him." There was an eruption of laughter and cheers and Bob covered his face with his hands in mock embarrassment.

Randy shouted through the din, "But then our new boy Ryan showed up and dazzled them with all his computer talk. He knew more damn stuff than they did. So I want you to know that Ryan nailed it for us. We owe him a lot so, guys, please raise your glasses to ... our hero Ryan."

The noise was deafening as they cheered and toasted Ryan. The loudest voice came from Darius and a blushing Ryan glanced at him at the far end of the table. Even after the commotion died down Darius and Ryan stole glances at each from time to time, but when their eyes chanced to meet they instantly looked away.

Bob's earlier quiet reassurance had calmed Ryan down a lot and he felt the thrill of being praised by the big boss whose blue eyes now smiled at him across the table. "You and me gotta get together, kid, about the present I'm gonna give you – your own room to live in and entertain who you want," he said with a twinkle and a glance at Darius. "You gotta help me design it so you get just the kind of place you want."

Ryan thanked him shyly and Will, who sat beside him, squeezed his hand. Will had eagerly agreed to Bob's suggestion that Ryan share his room tonight. "I like Ryan a lot, sir," he had told Bob. "He reminds me of me when I first came here."

Will kept up an enthusiastic stream of chatter with Ryan and when at last the festive meal wound down it was late and Will said, "Will you help me and the boys clear dinner away, Ryan, and then we'll go up to my room?"

Ryan jumped at the idea of helping out with the other boys, all of whom by now had accepted him as one of their group. The work went fast and the boys ran off to their respective masters for the night. Will gave a big end-of-work sigh. "Good, the kitchen's all set for tomorrow's breakfast. OK dude, time to hit the hay."

WILL'S FIRST LESSON – "IT'S ALL ABOUT TONGUES"

In the bedroom Ryan followed Will's lead. He was nervous, but not as scared as he had been with Darius last night. Will was so friendly and Ryan suspected they had a lot in common – both of them young but each an expert in his own way – Ryan with computers and Will in the kitchen.

Will stripped down to his boxer briefs, so Ryan did too, and felt no embarrassment as he had last night with Darius. As they brushed their teeth together looking in the mirror Ryan felt bold enough to ask, "Did you, er, hear about Darius and me, Will?"

"Dude, something like that don't stay secret for long in this group. Sure, I heard, but you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

"But I do wanna talk about it, Will." They got into bed and lay propped on their elbows face to face. Ryan said, "Bob helped me to sort things out – and persuaded me to come back here to work and even to live. But you do see why I could never be Darius's boy, don't you?"

"Kiddo, you and me have more in common than you think. When I first came to this place I had never had sex with anyone either and I thought sex between men was sinful. Then I saw the twins making love."

Ryan's eyes opened wide. "To each other? But they're brothers."

"I know, right? It shocked me too. I ran out of the house just like you did, and I was never gonna come back but the twins ran after me and asked me to talk it over with Bob. And he persuaded me to stay, just like he did you. But I said nobody was to touch me and that night I locked my bedroom door.

"Well, fast forward to today and look how that turned out. I love sex with the twins, and with Bob and even Randy ... well, especially Randy, everyone does. But at first I was shy and took it one small step at a time. I mean look, dude. If you ever did get back with Darius you don't seriously think he'd insist on shoving that monster schlong inside you on the first night, do you?"

Ryan thought about that. "I guess not. We did sleep together last night and he didn't do anything until I got so excited that I wanted him to cum all over me ... and he did, without touching me." He frowned. "But ... like ... what do you mean by small steps?"

"OK dude, but if I show you, it don't mean I'm in love with you – though I do like you as a buddy. So don't be afraid that I want you to be my boy and get butt-fucked and run away and never come back. This is an experiment, right?'

Ryan giggled. "OK, Will."

"Right, so do you know how to kiss?"

"Well Darius kissed me twice, and Bob was so kind to me that I actually kissed him `cos I wanted to."

"He's a great kisser, eh? Everyone's in love with Bob. OK, let's give it a try. Look into my eyes and kiss my lips." Ryan hesitated, then did it.

"Nah," Will said, "not with your lips pursed tight. Look at this ..." He demonstrated a `sexy' look. "See my lips were almost closed but not quite. It's sometimes called a pout and it's real sexy. Then when you kiss there's just enough room for the other guy to push his tongue inside your mouth. Kissing is all about tongues. Let's try again."

Ryan set his mouth in an odd sort of pout and Will laughed, "You almost got it dude. OK, hold it right there." Will pressed his mouth against Ryan's and pushed his tongue inside. Ryan was startled, but soon his tongue was sliding inside Will's mouth and they were actually kissing. Ryan felt his cock jump in his shorts and he pulled back.

"See, this is fun, right?" Will grinned. "Sex has to be fun too. But it's not about two nervous kids tongue-ing each other. You gotta get some passion in it, some movement. Let's do it again and let me lead. Show me some passion."

They kissed again but this time Will rolled on top of Ryan, then pulled Ryan over on top of him and they rolled over and over on the bed. When Will had Ryan pinned on his back he smiled down at him, paused and kissed him again, harder this time, their tongues searching deep inside and pressing against each other.

It went on for some time until Will pulled back and grinned, "See, we were almost making love. You hard?"

Ryan giggled. "Kinda, yeah."

"Kinda? Let's see." He put his hand down and groped Ryan. "That is hard, dude. You mustn't be shy about that. In fact now might be the time for some talk, rough talk like, `Man you make me fucking rock hard you're such a sexy son of a bitch'." Will frowned. "On second thoughts, better not do dirty talk while you're still new at this. You gotta get the right tone or it might just sound silly ... make us laugh and kill the mood."

Ryan was excited now. "So what comes next, Will?"

NEXT LESSON – "NO TEETH"

"Hmm, let's see. Beginners might jerk each other off – the technical term is mutual masturbation but nobody calls it that. But it's kinda lame, so maybe we could skip that step. Tell me what else you did with Darius."

"Well, in the shower this morning ..." Ryan paused and blushed. "When I got on my knees to soap his legs his cock swung against my face and I ... I don't know why but I flicked out my tongue and licked the head of it."

"You see, I think you're a natural, kiddo. OK, definitely we can skip the jerk-off thing and get right down to it. Now cock-sucking is a very popular thing. The technical term is a blow-job and everyone calls it that. Eddie's the real expert, he's been sucking cock for years and he's given lessons to all us boys. But we can have a stab at it right now if you like, and I would suggest sixty-nineing." Ryan gave a puzzled frown.

"Look, imagine the figures six and nine together – the head of each figure is at the other one's tail. Hard to describe, but let me show you. First, though, when guys are all worked up, there's often a kind of desperate scramble to pull their clothes off and that can really slow things down and they lose their hard-on. So I suggest we calmly slide out of our briefs, OK?"

Together they pushed down their briefs and Ryan blushed as their cocks both bobbed up rigid. Will grinned, "Looks like we're good to go, dude. Now lie on your side." Ryan did so while Will turned round on the bed in the opposite direction so their heads were level with each other's cock. See – sixty nine. So here it gets serious. I'll go first, tell me if you want me to stop. You're supposed to do the same as me but only do it if you feel you want to."

Ryan felt nervous again, especially when he looked down and saw his own cock slide into Will's mouth. He grimaced, it looked disgusting and he would have told him to stop but suddenly he felt the most amazing warm sensation in his cock. In fact he almost ejaculated but managed to stop himself. "Wow, that feels ... I've never felt anything like this, Will. Don't stop."

His heart beat fast, his breathing ragged and he tried some of that rough talk. "Man, you're making me rock hard you son of a ..." But he stopped – it did sound kinda silly so he moaned and groaned instead. He loved the look on Will's freckled face and shock of red hair moving back and forth on his cock. And somehow it wasn't just the amazing feeling in his cock, it was the thought that his new buddy was doing something so ... so intimate to him.

Will's cock was right in front of Ryan's face and suddenly Ryan wanted to give his friend the same feeling as Will was giving him. Tentatively he licked the head of Will's cock, then put his mouth over it. He pulled back nervously ... but actually it didn't taste bad. In fact he kind of liked it. So he tried again and this time went further down. When it touched the back of his throat he choked and pulled off.

Will said, "The secret is to breathe through your nose, kiddo," then resumed sucking. Ryan gulped, caught his breath, and tried again ... and followed Will's advice. He went lower and lower until his face was buried in Will's ginger pubic hair. He loved it. He forgot all his nerves, all his fear and sucked harder.

"No teeth, dude," Will said. "Purse your lips." Ryan got it right and from then on the boys were sixty-nineing each other like best buds sucking each other off before bed.

Ryan felt he was drifting into another world – which he was, an intimate world of sex and making love. It turned him on that he was doing exactly what his friend was doing, making him feel exactly what he was feeling. He even matched the rhythm so their heads moved in unison. It made him feel so close to Will, so ... so loving. Is this what love was? Maybe part of it.

They pleasured each other for a long time – two eager boys, a red-head, the other with black hair, exploring each other, with words of encouragement from Will. "You're doing great, buddy ... I love it ... you're a natural." And just as their rhythms matched so did the need to cum. Will felt it and said, "It's time, Ryan. I'm gonna drink your cum but you don't have to. Just do what feels right. OK, buddy, let's do it together.

Their passion built, they sucked harder and faster and Ryan was not sure what was happening to him – he knew only that he absolutely loved it. He felt Will's cock bulge in his mouth while his own cock shuddered and he moaned loudly into the gag. His body shook, he closed his eyes tight ... and his cock erupted in Will's mouth in an orgasm that felt it would never stop.

And suddenly his mouth was full of Will's bitter-sweet juice. It was choking him, he was suffocating. Some of it he swallowed but he gagged, yanked his head back off Will's cock and spat out the rest of the semen on Will's stomach. He looked at it and regretted spitting it out so he bent lower, slurped it up and gulped it down.

He lay there gasping, surprised, shocked even, but most of all thrilled with the discovery that he could actually have sex with a man and enjoy it ... more than enjoy it ... love it – a major discovery in his young life.

In his daze he was only dimly aware of Will turning around until he felt his arms wrap round him.

Will said, "You were terrific, dude – as they say, a real sexy son-of-a-bitch. You and me, we're gonna be real good buddies, I can tell. Don't say any more now. What I like to do after that is just fall asleep in each other's arms, still feeling the glow. So g'night kiddo, sweet dreams."

"Goodnight, Will. Thank you – for everything."

DARIUS MAKES AN OFFER

After a dream-filled sleep – good dreams – Ryan stirred blearily to life next morning and reached over for Will. He was not there, but then he saw him bending over him fully dressed. "I always get up real early when it's my turn to make breakfast. But take your time, Ryan, it won't be on the table for a good half-hour. Have a nice long shower and then come down. You were wonderful last night, dude. You're gonna fit in here just fine.'

Will gave him an open-mouthed tongue-searching kiss, then he was gone. Ryan struggled awake and his thoughts went immediately to Darius. As he showered he tried to imagine doing with Darius what he had done with Will – but it didn't work. Not with that monster cock, and anyway Darius would want to fuck and ..."

He stopped himself. No, Bob had talked about all that yesterday and said they could be just friends and let the future take care of itself. That comforted him a little. He had just dried off and pulled on his shorts when there was a tap at the door. It opened a crack and Darius poked his head in with a big smile.

"Hey, kiddo, I've only got a minute `cos I gotta get to work, there's a ton of stuff to do." He came in dressed for work – shirtless in the usual black jeans and boots. He came up to Will, grinned and held his hands up. "See, no hands – no touch. I just wanted to make sure you had a good night with Will."

"Very good, actually, sir, thank you."

"Listen, kiddo, I may be jumping the gun again but I wanted to ask you something. No, no, not all that be-my-boy stuff of yesterday, that's forgotten. Bob was right, I was too impulsive. But he said you and me could be friends and I would like that.

"So I wanna ask you this. Zack has a beach shack up the coast in the Guadalupe dunes. Every so often one of us has to go up to check on it, make sure it's still good, hasn't blown away. Anyway, I'm going up there for the weekend and ... well, it's a long drive all on my own, and I ... I was wondering if you would like to come with me.

"Just friends," he added quickly. "No sex or anything, I promise, just good buddies enjoying the beach. All that other stuff from yesterday – forget it. I checked with Bob and he thinks it would be OK. So what do you say? You can say no, I won't mind ... well I would mind actually, but I understand if ..."

"Yes, sir. Yes please, sir. I would have to check with Jamie and Brandon but ... yes ..."

"Great, terrific. Listen I gotta run. But it's a date, then – this weekend ... just buddies ... great." He paused as if about to kiss him but instead turned and strode from the room.

Ryan was reeling. So much was happening to him. But only one thing mattered. He was going to spend the weekend with Darius ... in a shack ... on the beach ... just good buddies ..."

TO BE CONTINUED in "A Trial Of Strength" – Chapter 483.

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.

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