A TRIAL OF STRENGTH – PART 549 by Rob Williams
Chapter 549 – "MEN IN LOVE – MEN IN UNIFORM"
IN THIS CHAPTER
Doc Steve and his hunky lover Lloyd, take halting steps to a reconciliation but hesitate at the final step – sex. Their boy Tommy, the newly-macho young gymnast, takes charge and forces one of the men to submit to a wild spit-roast. Later, their host Grady, sexy star of a lifeguard movie, craves the dominant blond cop and brawny Marine, who give the lifeguard just what his ass needs.
<><> IN THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER <><>
At the tribe's big Grady House party the rift between Doctor Steve and his lover Lloyd was painfully obvious to everyone, as they kept their distance and more or less ignored each other.
Their estrangement had been going on so long that neither man could even remember how it began. They had not had a row that created hard feelings. In fact there was nothing they could describe as hard feelings, exactly. Just a distance that had grown between them and fed on itself over time.
Their hosts, the sexy movie-star Grady and his Italian lover Mario, had done their best to help them heal the rift, and had persuaded them to stay on at the Grady House for a few days after the party was over and the other guys left. Mario said, "We will be a nice intimate group and you will be well taken care of. We'll leave you alone when you prefer to just be with each other."
But the two men were still too alienated to share a bed together, so they chose that night to sleep in separate guestrooms in the large house. But, alone in his room, Steve suddenly felt lonely. After the noise and laughter of the party, the room's silence accentuated his sense of something missing – or more accurately, someone.
His own depressed feelings at his rupture with Lloyd had been soothed by various members of the tribe. First, Mario had focused on Steve's sexual needs with a much-needed infusion of love-making in the secret garden. Then Uncle Mike had given him a stern lecture that helped him to sort out his own tangled emotions. And finally, realizing his neglect of Tommy, Steve had boosted the young gymnast's self-esteem by offering his ass to him in an erotic role reversal.
So far so good. But, Steve wondered, what of Lloyd himself? Was he feeling lonely too in the room across the hall? Or didn't he care? Was he turning his back on Steve for good?
Steve sighed as he stripped down to his boxer shorts, and got into bed – the cold sheets matching the shiver of loneliness that he felt. But sleep wouldn't come. No matter how hard he tried to empty his mind, his thoughts kept coming back to Lloyd, lying alone in his room.
Lloyd was having a similar problem. Earlier, he had indulged in a prolonged bout of soul-searching that had only made him even more confused – tying himself into knots. So now he, too, tried to empty his mind – with no more success than Steve was having.
Lloyd could not rid himself of images of the sexy doctor. Earlier, with all the guys by the pool, he had made a deliberate show of ignoring Steve. But he kept stealing surreptitious glances at Steve's muscular body clad only in speedos, diving into the pool, then surfacing, his tanned, chiseled features streaming with water, and laughing as he heaved himself from the pool
That had given Lloyd a hard-on ... as the memory of it did now. He silently cursed himself and tried to push his stiff cock back in his shorts. But touching himself only made it worse. Was Steve in bed yet? Had he stripped naked and showered? Was he, right this minute, walking out of the bathroom with a towel round his waist, one of his sexiest looks?
By now, Lloyd had thrown caution to the winds and was stroking his cock as his imagination lit up. He stopped trying to rid himself of his fantasies, which he now saw with dazzling clarity. Recalling their love-making he saw images of Steve sucking his cock, then of Steve in the top-man role as the iconic alpha-male, the kind of man you would pleadingly offer your ass to."
Lloyd closed his eyes and imagined Steve having the same fantasy across the hall. Their imaginations merged, and then they were together. He saw Steve above him, saw his broad shoulders, his bulging biceps, the flexed muscles of his solid pecs and ripped abs – a magnificent man, his man, his lover, making love to him, fucking his ass.
The image was so real he moaned, "Sir, you're gonna make me cum ..." His cock erupted as he felt his lover's semen filling his ass. His eyes closed, his heart beat wildly and his cum-splashed chest heaved. Then he took a deep breath and opened his eyes to gaze at Steve.
But he was not there. He had never been there ... it had not been real. Steve was in his own room, probably asleep. The silence of the room crashed in on Lloyd. He was alone, still alone. God how he wanted Steve. Tears sprang to his eyes, ran down his face, and became heaving sobs, weeping for his own loneliness and for the man he had loved, but lost.
In a daze he felt a hammer pounding his brain. It got louder ... not a hammer, though ... a knock at the door. Quickly he used the sheet to wipe the tears from his face and the cum from his chest. He fought to regain his composure and took a deep breath. "Come in."
The door opened and there was Steve, in the doorway, naked except for the boxers he had worn to bed. "I, er, couldn't sleep. You?"
"Me neither."
Steve hesitated, unsure what came next. "You, er ... have you been jacking off?"
"That obvious, uh?"
Another long silence. "And, er, who were you thinking off when you shot your wad?"
"You, of course ... I was thinking of you."
Steve smiled. "Well ... it's a start ... Can I come in?"
========= CHAPTER 549 =========
<><> MAKING THE FIRST MOVE <><>
Whenever there is a falling out between lovers, one of them usually has to make the first move, the first step to reconciliation. In the case of Steve and Lloyd, it took an actual physical move – so small but so hard to make. It took a while, a lot of hesitation, before that happened.
They had been in separate guestrooms of the Grady House. But Steve couldn't sleep and now here he was standing hesitantly in the doorway of Lloyd's room, asking if he could come in.
Only minutes before, Lloyd had been jerking off alone, fantasizing about making love to Steve, then sobbing in his loneliness. When he heard Steve's knock he had hastily wiped away his tears, and his own cum from his chest. And now, back in the real world, his heart hardened again as he answered Steve sullenly, "Yeah ... I guess so."
Steve had guessed that Lloyd had been jerking off, and Lloyd even admitted that the thought of Steve fucking him had made him cum. But that was not enough to ease the tensions between them. Lloyd was embarrassed by his blurted confession, and they knew each other so well that Steve was embarrassed by Lloyd's embarrassment.
It was a delicate moment. Neither of them was ready yet to make that first move and there was an uneasy silence between them. Steve felt adrift, but eventually summoned the courage to ask casually, "You, er, you want company?"
"Suite yourself."
Steve took that as a yes. "You prefer I take the other bed in here?"
"Up to you," Lloyd muttered, but as he did so he turned on his side, facing away from Steve, and moved over on the bed leaving an empty space beside him. Steve smiled to himself. Classic mixed signals – turning his defiant back on Steve, but at the same time making room for him.
So Steve pulled the covers back and slowly eased himself onto the bed, careful not to touch Lloyd. He too turned his back on Lloyd, keeping as close to the edge of the bed as possible. For the first time in days they were sharing a bed – but barely.
An unnatural silence and unnatural stillness settled over the two near-naked men as they made a feeble attempt at sleep, that both knew would be slow in coming. But eventually as Steve relaxed and let go of the edge of the bed he naturally slid an inch or two back.
In a while both men were at last drifting into that familiar pre-sleep haze. Their bodies relaxed, stirred into more comfortable positions ... and their backs touched.
Suddenly wide awake they sprang apart into their former edge-of-the-bed positions. Steve sighed in frustration. This is ridiculous he thought, two adults behaving like petulant children. He held his breath, half expecting Lloyd to tell him to get into the other bed. But there was silence from Lloyd, not even the sound of breathing. Was he holding his breath too, Steve thought? Dammit, this is crazy. Someone had to make the first move.
The first small move at last – this was it. So difficult – but so easy. All it took was for Steve to turn over facing Lloyd's back ... and gently drape his arm over him from behind. He had done it a thousand times before, every night they slept together. It was an instinctive move, usually after sex or when they were too tired for sex. But this time, that one small step was a giant leap.
Careful, Steve thought. Don't overstate it – this ain't a moon-shot. And it was only good if it lasted. Again Steve held his breath, waiting for Lloyd to shrug him off. But he didn't. In fact, as Steve had hoped, that first difficult step led to a second, this one even smaller – taken by Lloyd. He stirred and rested his hand gently on Steve's forearm hangin over him.
There were two other moves – reflexive ones. Each man's dick got hard. Lloyd felt the bulge in Steve's shorts pressing against his back. He smiled to himself and, at long last, fell asleep.
<><> FEAR OF REJECTION <><>
Steve and Lloyd slept all night, and despite their night-long hard-ons they had no sex. Steve's arms did tighten round Lloyd who sighed contentedly and snuggled against him, but those were subconscious impulses as they slept. In the moments when they woke for a few seconds they pulled away a little, but when sleep resumed, so did their intimacy.
In the morning it was Steve who woke first, to discover Lloyd's face lying asleep on Steve's chest. He looked down at the handsome features and stroked his hair gently. This was crazy, he thought. They clearly wanted each other, hopefully still loved each other, and they had to talk this whole thing through.
He smiled to himself as he thought, `What we have here is a failure to communicate. And dammit, communication is what I do, it's my job, I do it every day to solve other guys' problems'.
Just then Lloyd sneezed and it woke him up. He opened his eyes, realized with a start that he was lying on Steve's chest and pulled abruptly away.
"What?" Steve asked gently, "you don't like that anymore?"
Lloyd, still groggy, mumbled something unintelligible. Then, "I should jump in the shower."
"No dude, no shower, no anything else until we've talked. Then hopefully we'll shower together."
For the first time in days Lloyd looked straight into Steve's eyes. " I've been waiting so long to hear you say something like that, Steve.
"Yeah. I'm the shrink, I should have spoken up long before now. I guess it was wounded pride, hurt feelings, something. Whatever it was I should have been big enough to rise above petty pouting and tackle the problem head on.. He gazed at Lloyd and sighed. "What happened to us, Lloyd?"
"I've been asking myself that same question and tying myself in knots trying to come up with an answer. I don't understand where it started. I mean, we didn't have a fight or anything."
"Maybe we should have," Steve grinned. "A lot of truths come out in anger, stuff you wouldn't ordinarily say. We should have yelled at each other rather than clamming up. Look, Lloyd, up here at the Grady House I've had the benefit of other guys talking to me, and they helped straighten me out about a lot of stuff. It's only fair that you know what's been happening.
"First, Mario took me to his secret garden. He knew the first thing I needed was a return to love, and he made love to me in that magical place. He said that when the dust has settled, if it does, you and I should go in there.
"After that, Uncle Mike hauled me over the coals real good, really let me have it, didn't pull any punches. He made me realize that I was so engrossed in my work that I neglected you and Tommy, or even worse, took you for granted, especially when I recruited you both in some of my therapy sessions, to give sexual demonstrations to a patient to prove a point. Mike said I treated you like sexual stuntmen in a movie, then discarded you when the point was made.
"That was unforgivable, treating you both that way, putting my work before the guys I love. Mike hammered that point home by asking his boy Larry to treat me the same. Larry played the sexual stuntman, fucking my face while Mike trapped me in a hammerlock."
Lloyd couldn't hold back a smile as he pictured the scene. "How is Tommy doing, by the way? Poor guy must be real anxious about all this."
"He was. Tommy was real down on himself, seeing himself as just a great piece of ass', as you once called him. But I've already begun to put things right with him. He came to my guestroom here and assumed the role he used to play in his hotel – a sexy boy-for-hire, doing that erotic striptease he used to do for hotel guests. Then we made love and I asked him to fuck me in the ass – a top-man for once – proving that he was much more than a hot piece of ass'."
"I'm glad about that. But, er, Steve – you did all this, but never once approached me."
"I know. That was a conscious choice – I didn't think we were ready. I mean, I didn't know what you were feeling. You were ignoring me, never making eye contact. And you really got into that body-worship scene with Jason, and spent a lot of time afterwards enjoying his company.
"Lloyd, the basic reason I never approached you is real simple. It that's classic fear shrinks see all the time. The reason two guys who are attracted to each other never actually make contact is their fear of rejection. Without that, the world would have many more lovers. I was scared that if I came over to you, you would reject me and that would be that – no going back."
There was a long silence as both men stared at the ceiling. Lloyd finally spoke up. "I guess the only question I have for you, Steve, is ... do you still love me?"
Steve turned and smiled at him. "I never stopped loving you, buddy. You might as well know that I often jerked off on my own thinking about you, like you did last night about me.
"I suppose when I came into your room last night, that was me defying my fear of rejection. And I gotta tell you, when you admitted you had just been jerking off and blew your wad thinking of me – that was the opposite of rejection. I was thrilled – wanted to jump your bones right there, but settled for just sharing a bed. Like I said at the time – it was a start."
"Let me ask you something else, doc. Do you think love leads to sex, or does sex lead to love?"
Steve grinned. "That's a classic chicken-or-the-egg question, dude. I think it can go either way, depending on the men. I know why you're asking, though. We both say we love each other, and we both have hard-ons here in bed together. We're starting over – like two guys who meet in a bar, go home together, then wait for the other to make the first move. We've taken the first baby steps but the next one's a biggie."
Another edgy silence followed, and they were saved by the bell. The room telephone rang.
<><> TOMMY TRANSFORMED <><>
Lloyd picked up and Tommy's voice said, "Good morning, Lloyd," (omitting the `sir'). "I'm in the kitchen with Danny preparing the breakfasts and I was wondering if you would like breakfast in bed. I'm gonna call Steve in his room across the hall and ask him the same thing."
"Thanks, Tommy, that sounds great. But no need to call Steve `cos he's right here with me. So if it's not too much trouble maybe you could bring enough for two?"
There was a sudden lift to Tommy's voice. "Coming right up, guys," he said happily. In the kitchen he beamed at Danny. "They're in the same room, sounded like in the same bed. Maybe they slept together. Maybe the ice is thawing a bit."
"Hope so, but tread carefully, dude. If you walk on thin ice before testing it, you can fall through and end up cold, wet and disappointed."
"Oh, I dunno. I think the time for treading carefully with these guys is long past. Time somebody broke the ice."
Danny smiled at his lover. "You know, since you fucked with Steve yesterday you've changed – got a lot more assertive. I like the butch attitude – gives me a hard-on. You'll have to take care of that when you get back – if you get back. Take as long as you need, dude. Brian and I can handle the other breakfasts from here – we'll only be seven at table."
In the bedroom Steve and Lloyd had resorted to touching and stroking each other carefully, tentatively. They were still too shy to make overtly sexual moves, but they didn't want their growing warmth to cool. As Danny had said, they were `treading carefully' – a concept Tommy had just rejected.
The men were still in bed when Tommy knocked on Lloyd's door. He came in pushing a food trolley bearing plates of hot food, toast, yogurt and berries, coffee and juice – the works.
"Hey, you didn't have to go to all this trouble, Tommy," Steve said.
"Hey, for my family, the two men I love most? Of course I do. Now, before I serve breakfast, can I assume you guys have finished doing whatever it was you've been doing?" He smiled mischievously.
Both men were struck by the difference in Tommy – brimming with self-confidence, treating them as equals – you guys' rather than sirs'. As Danny had just said, it made Tommy even sexier – more man than boy.
Steve smiled. "Tommy, we haven't done anything your grandmother wouldn't do – but we have been talking."
"Good, talk is good. But that's just a first step. Time to end all this pussyfooting around, guys. But first – breakfast. Mind if I join you?" Without waiting for a reply Tommy transferred the tray of food from the trolley to the bed and they ate picnic-style. Tommy could tell the two men were still tentative with each other, so he leapt in with stories of the party that made them laugh and kept their minds off their own situation.
But eventually Tommy, stepping boldly on thin ice, asked, "So how come you guys ended up in the same bed? And if you didn't fuck, what the hell did you do?"
"Damn," Steve said, "you don't mince your words do you, Tommy? Straight for the jugular. I like that in a man. OK, as an equal member of the family, you should know. I'll give you the short version. I couldn't sleep last night so I came over here and found that Lloyd couldn't sleep either. Matter of fact he was more than wide awake – he had just jerked off."
"Yeah," Lloyd added, "and I told him it was the fantasy of him fucking me that made me shoot my wad. Anyway, Steve asked if I wanted company so I shoved over and made room."
Steve took up the story. "It was a touchy situation – or no-touch at first. In the end I draped an arm over him, he held my forearm and that's how we slept. When we woke a short time ago, that's when we talked, and realized we both still loved each other. Then you phoned."
"So," Tommy said, "the upshot is this. You both said you love each other, you prob'ly have hard-ons ... and that's it? You still haven't done the deed? Good thing I came in – like the cavalry – just in time to save you from tapdancing round the issue for ever. OK, let's hit it, guys."
He surveyed the bed. "You've finished the hot food so I'll just remove the rest until after the main event." The men watched, amused and impressed, as Tommy took charge. They were seeing their former boy, now their man, in a new light – a sexy new light. He moved the breakfast things over to a side table, then stood by the side of the bed staring down at them.
"Hmm, where to start? OK, Lloyd, I'll begin with you. We won't include the doc here for now cos it will only turn into a shrink session and we've had enough of what Uncle Mike calls shrink mumbo jumbo'.
"So, you know that Steve opened up to me yesterday and admitted that he had been so focused on his work that he had neglected me. He took me for granted, especially when he pulled me in for sexual demonstrations to prove a point to his patients. That often involved you too, dude, usually fucking me."
"Not that that's a bad thing," Lloyd interjected.
"Agreed, it was hot. But the point was the way the doc asked us, and then dismissed us when the show was over. That was kinda rude, don't ya think?"
"Damn straight, man. Made me feel like a fluffer in a porn flick." Lloyd was warming to Tommy's line of reasoning, which was true but had a light-hearted tone. "Steve admitted the same to me, that he took me for granted, so even our own sex became `slam-bam-thank-you-man, put the light out and sleep'."
"Question is," Tommy frowned, "what are we gonna do about it? You just told me that when you beat off you shot your load thinking of Steve fucking you. But that wasn't exactly what you'd call, er, punitive, exactly. And I do think that the arrogant doc needs to be made to see the error of his ways, don't you?"
Watching Tommy take the floor like this, Steve was amused – and turned on. He had earlier told Tommy that he was worth much more than his flawless ass – and now he was demonstrating just how much more. The handsome young gymnast had turned into a dominant jock – who now pulled off his shirt to display his athletic physique.
He smiled, "I see you two are already stripped for action – though there's been no action so far – and I thought I'd join you as I am one of the family."
Steve's cock stiffened and Lloyd inhaled sharply, as he always did when gazing at the muscular torso. His eyes ran down from the solid shoulders, over the flared lats tapering down past his washboard abs to the slim waist cinched by his tight black pants. "So, Tommy, as you have the floor, what do you suggest?"
"You just have to do the math, Lloyd. Three guys – two of them, feeling mistreated by the first, need to settle the score. A threesome ... two on one ... ain't it obvious? Spit-roast anyone?"
Lloyd at last got out of bed, dropped his shorts and stood next to Tommy, staring down at Steve. Tommy's clever recap of the issue – fluent, charming and light-hearted – had set just the right tone – and broken the ice at last.
Steve, adopting the same mood, grinned, "Yeah, but aren't you guys forgetting Randy's golden rule? That no man or boy is forced to do anything he don't want to?"
"Meaning?" Lloyd frowned. "You – with your massive erection, faced with two men you claim to love – you don't wanna get spit-roasted by a horny stud and a dominant jock athlete?"
"Are you kidding?" Steve grinned.
<><> CRASHING THROUGH THE ICE <><>
Steve threw off the bedsheets, pulled off his shorts and knelt naked on all fours across the bed.
Tommy said, "Now there, Lloyd, is a sight we can't let go to waste. A gorgeous muscle-stud doctor making amends – begging for punishment. I suggest you take the ass and leave the face to me."
"Right there with you, buddy." Standing behind Steve, Lloyd smiled at him, reflected in one of the floor-length wall mirrors. As their eyes met they knew that this was the moment they had both longed for, surprisingly made possible by their boy. No, not their boy anymore, their buddy Tommy, taking charge with charm and common-sense, breaking the logjam of their own stubbornness and fear of rejection.
"Spit, I think," Lloyd smiled. He spat on his fingers, moistened his lover's ass, then pushed two fingers in his butt. Steve watched him in the mirror as Lloyd massaged his ass and his prostate.
"Damn, that feels good," Steve moaned. "I've missed you, buddy."
"We've wasted too much time, Steve – a lot to make up." He pulled his fingers out slowly, then stroked his cock with his wet hand. "Here it comes, dude." Still staring at Steve's eyes in the mirror, Lloyd eased his cock over his sphincter and drove it hard and deep into his waiting ass.
They both felt the joy of reunion, of the intimacy they once shared and had almost lost. But this was right, this was how it should be. Lloyd reached forward, grabbed Steve's hips and pushed them away from him, then pulled his ass back down on his cock, deeper this time, to Steve's even deeper sighs.
As he fucked, Lloyd moved his hands up over Steve's waist, then stroked his broad V-shaped back and felt his muscles ripple under his palms. He hooked his fingers over Steve's shoulders from behind, holding him still as his cock pierced his ass again and again. And still they gazed at each other in the mirror, their smiles a silent greeting – `hello again ... welcome back'.
Steve arched his back, inviting even deeper thrusts as Lloyd's shaft pistoned into him. Standing back, Tommy watched the sexual reunion of the men he had grown to love so much. He heaved a satisfied sigh and walked round in front of Steve's face. "My turn now to complete the family portrait."
Steve looked up at him and needed no prompts to open his mouth wide. His square jaw sagged open as Tommy unzipped his pants, pulled out his rigid cock and slid it into the doc's mouth. Steve forced himself to relax and smoothly accept the cocks of both his buddies.
From the corner of his eye he glimpsed in the mirror the erotic sight of his own naked muscular body on hands and knees, being butt-fucked by his gym-jock lover and face-fucked by the athletic gymnast, the third and equal member of their family.
He had never before felt such a strong bond of friendship and family as he did now. It was true he had taken his buddies for granted, but now, seeing the true dimension of their mutual love, it was like a sepia picture turning to technicolor, and he was exhilarated.
Lloyd and Tommy felt the tenson of the last weeks flow away as, together, they made love to their buddy. They had not understood how the coldness had started and then iced over, but now they too were exhilarated by the thaw.
Their joy shone in their eyes as they smiled at each other across the heaving body, and coordinated the thrust of their cocks. For Steve it was like synchronized fucking, getting ploughed at both ends, with increasing force and speed – and loving it.
Tommy looked down at the rugged face and deep-set blue eyes that were starting to moisten with each thrust, and tears were soon running down his cheeks. Tommy loved the sight of the hot doc's back muscles rippling as he absorbed blows from each end, and his rock-hard shoulders flexing as he braced his arms on the bed.
No one wanted it to end, but at last Steve heard Lloyd say, "So what d'ya think, Tommy? Think we've proved to the macho doc that we're not to be taken for granted anymore, we're a force to reckoned with?"
"I could hammer that gorgeous face forever, dude," Tommy grinned, but I don't wanna choke the guy now we've tamed him. OK, Lloyd, let's bring it on home, buddy. Stand by for the big finish, doctor."
By mutual consent their steady pounding got faster and fiercer in an all-out attack on the big man's sore butt and aching jaw, until it crescendoed in howls of triumph from the two jocks and desperate muffled groans from the doc, as semen erupted in his ass, and his mouth filled with warm juice that he gulped down without spilling a drop.
Lloyd and Tommy's jubilant laughter rang round the room as they slowly pulled out and pushed the elated doctor onto his back. His eyes sparkled and he joined their laughter. "Here's the answer to your earlier chicken-or-egg question, Lloyd. Love and sex don't come in sequence – they happen together. They're all part of the same glorious sensation. So what are we waiting for, men? Let's make love."
Lloyd fell on the bed beside Steve. Tommy took off his pants and lay naked between them. And the next half-hour was a boisterous mix of love and laughter, kissing, nibbling, hugging and teasing, as three handsome men rolled over in a tangle of muscular limbs.
The family was reunited. Tommy had ventured out onto the thin ice Danny had warned him about. It had cracked and he had fallen through. But contrary to Danny's prediction, Tommy didn't feel cold at all – quite the reverse.
<><> BRIAN & GRADY – DOUBLE ACT <><>
Outside on the lawn a small leisurely breakfast was in progress after the hustle and bustle of the tribe's weekend party.
The hosts, Mario and Grady, were there of course, with their boys Danny and Brian, and Brian's boyfriend Brandon who, at boss Bob's suggestion, had taken another day off from his duties as office manager.
Also present were Uncle Mike and his boy Larry, who were staying over at the Grady House for a few extra days of vacation before heading home to Palm Springs.
The conversation naturally centered on the absence of Steve, Lloyd and Tommy. Of course everyone was aware of the relationship problems between Steve and Lloyd, and Danny told them that Tommy had been eager to take up breakfast trays for them this morning.
Grady, as ever, was eager for gossip, and this long-running drama sure fired up the gossip-mill. "So," Grady said conspiratorially, "you think they actually slept together – like in the same bed?"
Young Brian answered that one. He was Grady's boy and his main source of information. As the houseboy here he knew most of what was going on. As Grady often said proudly, "Our Brian knows where the bodies are buried, eh kiddo?"
"It seems they did share a bed, sir. At Lloyd's request I had put them in separate guestrooms and the ice between them was as thick as ever. But I made sure their rooms were across the hall from each other."
Grady's eyes sparkled. "Good move kiddo. So all it took was one of them crossing the hall to ..."
"Basta," Mario protested, "you are talking about our guests who come here to relax and sort out their own problems in private. You are invading that privacy with your lust for gossip."
"That's not fair, Mario," Grady said with a small pout. "We all talk about everyone else in the tribe. It's my favorite part of these big blow-out gatherings here – sitting in bed with Brian afterwards and `talking the party out' as we call it. You can't deny me that, amico. This world we've created here, gossip and all, is a perfect antidote to the outside world where I go through all that movie-star bullshit."
Mario smiled indulgently. È vero, amore, I apologize. As long as no one's feelings are hurt. OK, bambino. You may ... come si dice ...drop the beans?"
"Spill the beans, sir," Brian smiled. "But there's not much to spill. Yesterday when I asked Lloyd if they wanted one room or two it was clear they still hadn't even begun to patch things up."
"So what happened, then, kiddo?" Grady asked wide-eyed. "How come they're in bed together?"
"Well, sir ..." (Grady loved it whenever Brian blinked behind his owl glasses and said `well, sir' – the prelude to more gossip.) " ... here's my take on it. I mean picture it, two hot men who, underneath all the bullshit, obviously still love each other, and they're sleeping just yards apart.
My guess is they both had hard-ons – I mean they hadn't had sex together for weeks – and you know how hard it is to fall asleep nursing a huge boner ..."
"Tell me about it," Grady grinned. "Fortunately I have the most beautiful Italian in the world in bed to make love to me."
"Right, sir, but these two don't have their lover in bed with them. He's across the hall – I mean, how crazy is that? They think about jerking off but that don't cut it, not with the man you wanna butt-fuck only a few feet away. So, Steve can't sleep, he tiptoes across to Lloyd's room and discovers he can't sleep either. I dunno, maybe he'd already jerked off. I'll know that later when I clean the room – I can always tell.
Grady was riveted. "Right, so they do the deed – and they're in love again?"
"No, sir," Brian said impatiently, "you're really not very good at this are you?"
"Why do you think I need you so bad, kiddo? So ... what?"
"See, you don't go from deep-freeze to slam-bam-fuck just like that. It takes time. So my guess is they just slept together. It's what Brandon and me do after a fight. Just get in bed together and see how it goes. So in the morning the two guys finally talk. I mean when you're in bed together it's hard not to talk."
"Tell me about it," Mario laughed. "Just look at you and Grady in bed – talk, talk, talk."
"Ignore him, kid," Grady said. "So what next?"
"What's next is ... the phone rings. Danny's already told us, sir, that Tommy called up there and offered to bring their breakfast." Brian paused for dramatic effect.
"But here's the thing. What you didn't see, and we did in the kitchen, is the way Tommy's changed – real butch now, like he's a top man instead of just a hot gymnast with a perfect butt. Must have happened yesterday when him and Steve got together. You already know about that, we've already been through it – Tommy played the boy-for-hire and fucked the doc like he was a paying hotel guest.
"Tommy was real cut up about his guys being separated, and my guess is that the new butch Tommy decided to cut through all the crap and make them see sense."
"And that's when they did the deed?" Grady said eagerly. "Like, all three of them? Up there now, even as we speak?"
"Bingo! You're starting to get the hang of this, sir. You just need to practice more."
Uncle Mike roared with laughter. "You guys are something else. Like a double act. You should take it on the road – sell tickets. `Musings of a Movie-Star'. And you're probably pretty much on target, Brian. But I'd bet money you missed a few."
"Er, I think we're about to find out," said Larry. "'Cos here they come – all three together."
<><> MARIO MAKES AN ANNOUNCEMENT <><>
After all the speculation the men and boys at breakfast didn't need a chart to work out what had actually happened. It was glaringly obvious from the fiery glow surrounding the three men as they came across the room, their arms over each other's shoulders."
"Congratulazione, signori," Mario smiled. "Come sit down and celebrate with some freshly brewed coffee."
Steve and Lloyd sat close together while Tommy sat next to Danny and they kissed, a signal that everything was alright between them no matter what had gone on upstairs. Mario poured the coffee but Grady was the first to speak in his irrepressible way. "Dudes, we've been having a guessing game and Uncle Mike has bet money that Brian, our expert, got everything right."
"Per favore, amore," Mario protested. "What happened in that bedroom is private and confidential – nobody's business but our guests'."
Lloyd laughed. "Oh, that's OK, Mario. We appreciate your discretion, but in this instance we want it to be everyone's business. We could shout it from the rooftops. So go ahead, Brian, take us through your guesses and we'll tell you yes or no. Shoot."
With an encouraging kiss on the cheek from Grady, Brian took a deep breath and went through all his speculation, fact by fact. As Lloyd's list of `yesses' grew longer Grady squeezed Brian and laughed, "OK, Mike, pay up."
Mike jokingly tossed a dollar bill across the table. A dime for every time you were right, kiddo."
"I'll treasure it, sir," Brian said impishly. He smiled across the table at his boyfriend Brandon, who gave him two cheerful thumbs up.
"Yup," Steve said. "Everything's on the mend, thanks in large part to the new improved Tommy here who whipped us into shape. Otherwise we'd still be up there tiptoeing round each other. Danny boy, take good care of your gorgeous boyfriend. He deserves a reward."
"Oh, he'll get what's coming to him," Danny grinned, "leave that to me."
"We've still got some fences to mend," Steve said, "so Mario, if the offer still stands we'd like to spend another couple of days up here."
"Certo, amico, of course you must stay. Up here fences seem to mend themselves, and a couple of visits to the secret garden would ... how you say ... clinch the deal? Let me know when you're ready and I'll give you the key. And you too, Mike and Larry, you must spend the rest of your vacation with us. You deserve this break as you work so hard. I already see the tension leaving your faces, making them more handsome than ever."
After that, the breakfast was a festive affair, with a joyful sense that the clouds had lifted and love was in the air again. Then Mario made an announcement. "Guys, I hope you don't mind that tomorrow afternoon Jamie and Eddie are coming up here to have a meeting with Grady."
"Yeah," Grady said. "You know those guys are working on my movie. Jamie is in charge of all the surfing action and Eddie is out there getting those candid closeup shots he's so good at. See, we've got a tricky scene coming up at the beach location next week, and we wanted to be prepared when we meet with the director – I want the boys to dazzle him with their expertise."
"Also," Mario added, "we suggested that Jamie and Eddie invite their men, Mark and Hassan, up here for drinks and maybe stay to dinner – even stay the night with their boys. Oh, and Grady persuaded them to come straight from work. You see, my friend here is rather partial to men in uniform, and I have to say those two look rather spectacular."
Mario smiled mischievously. "I myself have thought about turning Grady on by wearing a uniform. I think I would go with the traditional Greek soldier uniform. You know the one – with the tights, a tutu skirt, tasseled hat and pom-pom shoes."
Grady winced. "Then again, maybe not, dude. Lose the whole uniform idea. In fact, lose the clothes. You're at your best naked."
Amid raucous laughter, Mario persisted. "You've never seen those gorgeous Greeks. They can look very sexy." When the laughter died down he added, "Seriously, though, I'm saying all this because I know you all are staying on for the peace and quiet of the Grady House, so it's perfectly fine if you want to keep to yourselves."
"What?" Mike laughed. "And miss drooling over those hunks in uniform. Not likely, eh Larry?"
Larry grinned, "I got a boner just thinking about it, sir. Mario's tutu and tassels too."
"I think that goes for us too, Mario," Steve said, "er, except for the tutu. Now that we two are on firm footing again it's time we began to socialize again, as a couple. And who better to socialize with than the blond cop and the hunky soldier? So don't make any separate plans for us two. We'll be just fine."
And so the small group settled down to a day of mellow rest and reflection. They largely paired off. Tommy joined his lover Danny in the kitchen, their labors interrupted by bouts of passionate necking, and laughter as they swapped stories of the party and its aftermath.
Brandon joined Brian in his leisurely rounds of the house and grounds, tidying up the remains of the party, though for them too, there was more love and laughter than actual labor.
Uncle Mike and his boy Larry lazed by the pool and rediscovered that loving intimacy that had been stifled at home by too much work.
Mario gave Steve and Lloyd the key to the Secret Garden where they spent long hours, doing and saying things that newly-reconciled lovers typically do.
As Mario and Grady closed the door of the master bedroom firmly behind them Grady smiled. "Congratulations, Mario. You see all the peace and harmony you've created with all that clever planning you do?"
"Not just me, amore. It's the combined efforts of us all – you and me, Danny and Brian, and the magic of the Grady House. So let's now shut out the world and pretend the movie lights, cameras and studio intrigue don't exist. We'll imagine that some good witch has cast a spell on us both and condemns us to making love over and over again."
Grady laughed. "Like the Mad Hatter's tea party that never ends? Sounds like a plan. And by tomorrow I think everyone in the house will be ready for new company to join us – Jamie and Eddie, the cop and the Marine. Hey, do you think Mark and Hassan really will come here straight from work, without stopping off to change out of their uniforms?"
"Did you ask them to come here in uniform?"
Grady flashed that smile that melted hearts all over the world. "Well, I did kinda suggest it."
"Then I think they got your message loud and clear, amico. They know you well."
When they crawled into bed and Grady hugged him, Mario smiled as he felt Grady's hard cock press against him. He suspected that his erection was caused not only by their own closeness, but by Grady's fantasy of two rugged, authoritarian men.
<><> MEN IN UNIFORM <><>
The next day Jamie and Eddie arrived for lunch, excited by the prospect of their meeting with Grady. The boys' self-esteem soared, knowing they were involved in a major action movie with a man who was not only their close friend, but an international screen heart-throb.
They couldn't wait to get down to business, which they did right after lunch – and in the pool of all places, where they could somewhat simulate the action that would take place next week in the Malibu surf. Eddie had his camera and got trial shots of Grady when his handsome face surfaced, streaming with water.
Later in the afternoon, their business done, Grady left the pool, wearing just the red lifeguard shorts that he wore in the movie. The small group was still sitting round the table, drinking wine, and Grady sat with Mario, who noticed him glancing frequently at the gate. Soon they heard the sound he was waiting for – a truck pulling up outside. Brian buzzed the gates open and Mark's truck drove in and round to the garages.
Seconds later Grady grabbed Mario's arm and groaned. "Oh fuck ... fuck ... just look at that."
Striding toward them came two tall figures – a chiseled blond cop in full uniform – a black shirt open at the neck showing a white triangle of a T-shirt underneath. The shirt tapered down to the heavy black belt tight round the slim waist. The black pants, with a silver stripe down the sides, were tucked into high, shiny black motorcycle boots.
Hassan was less buttoned-down but no less of a pornographic icon – a rugged hunk with swarthy Arab/Asian features, wearing military fatigue pants and combat boots. His sleeveless denim shirt hung open over a khaki tank that clung tight to his muscular chest. His dark mirror sunglasses gave him a sinister look until he pulled them off as he approached and smiled.
Mario stood up and beamed, "Benvenuto a casa, signori. You have just created instant erections round this table – especially in the man next to me, the one disguised as a lifeguard."
Jamie and Eddie ran forward and embraced their men, who then took their places at the table.
"A glass of wine before you change out of your work clothes, gentlemen?" Mario smiled, while Grady sat mute, his jaw sagging open, eyes fixed on the macho new arrivals.
"Thanks Mario," Mark said. "A quick one before I do my rounds of the perimeter to check the security cameras. I'm taking Hassan with me, show him what watertight security looks like."
They engaged in a lively conversation, mostly swapping stories about the big party last weekend. One man didn't speak, though. Grady sat silent, alternately gazing at the cop and the soldier, then glancing away to prevent cumming in his shorts just by staring at them.
Damn, he wanted them – a major fantasy – but he couldn't just blurt it out. He glanced at Mario who picked up on the pleading look and smiled, as if an unspoken agreement passed between them. Mario would take care of him, Grady thought. He always did. But he couldn't take any more of this without making a fool of himself. He needed to cool off, so he got up, ran across the lawn and dived into the pool.
"Is Grady OK?" Hassan asked.
"Actually, he's more than OK, Hassan. Er ..." He lowered his voice and explained the situation to them privately. Both men smiled and nodded. "Don't worry, Mario," Mark said. "We'll take care of it – it'll be a pleasure. Time for us to do our rounds anyway, so if you guys will excuse us. This shouldn't take long." With a conspiratorial glance at Mario, they left the table.
<><> GRADY CRAVES ACTION <><>
Grady was floating in the pool, taking deeps breaths in an attempt to slow the racing beat of his heart. The cool water helped his erection to calm down, but then his cock jerked again as he saw the cop and the soldier walk by in the distance headed for the far side of the grounds. He wanted to follow them but stopped himself by sheer force of will. Was he sexually compulsive, he wondered? Hell who wouldn't be, faced with that erotic image of two pornographic icons?
He either had to jerk off or go beg Mario to fuck him. But no, he was still obsessed by the men in uniform. Dammit. He pulled himself out of the pool and trod carefully in the direction they had taken. He came to a clump of trees and heard muffled sounds behind them. He eased in between the trees and found himself in a small clearing – in the middle of which ... he couldn't believe it ... the cop and the Marine were kissing passionately.
"Aaahh," he gasped and the men broke apart and stared at the chiseled jock in red lifeguard shorts, his ripped muscles streaming with water."
Grady blurted out, "Er, sorry, I didn't realize you men were ... I, like, just barged in ... I'll leave."
"Not so fast, man," the soldier said, lunging forward, grabbing Grady by the arm and pulling him into the clearing. You some kind of weirdo voyeur? Me and my buddy don't like that." Hassan whipped his arm behind his back, grabbed the other one and pushed them up behind him in a double hammerlock.
The cop smiled and faced the trapped Grady. "You know, soldier, maybe him barging in like that might not be such a bad thing. He's real hot looking, that face, all those muscles. He prodded Grady. You lifeguards can be real arrogant, throwing your weight around. Well here's a newsflash, stud – a cop and a Marine both outrank a lifeguard.
Mark ran his hands over Grady's chest that was flexing hard, with his arms locked behind him. He tweaked Grady's nipples hard and he winced in pain. "What are you guys gonna do to me?"
"Hey officer," Hassan said. "How about we postpone our own little sex games and have some fun with this guy instead?"
"You read my mind soldier," Mark grinned. "Let's see here." Mark grabbed the captive's jaw, pierced him with his blue eyes ... and kissed him hard on the lips. He pulled back and grinned. "He sure tastes good. Let's see what effect that had on him." Mark unlaced the red shorts, let them drop and Grady's cock sprang out hard as a rock. "Wow, whad'ya know – our big tough lifeguard likes it rough."
"So let's give it to him, buddy." Hassan released Grady's arms and shoved him on his knees on the grass. Grady started to crawl away, but Mark said. "No you don't stud. We'll make sure you can't bolt."
Mark bent down, grabbed Grady's wrists and pulled him flat on his stomach. He dragged him over the grass to a tree and flipped him on his back. He pulled his arms up, wrapped them round the tree, pulled the handcuffs from his belt and clicked them round his wrists. He stood up to survey his work. "Now that, soldier, is one hot motherfucker. Makes me horny."
The handcuffed lifeguard struggled as he watched the men faced each other and kiss again. When they pulled away Mark grinned, "OK, man, let's strip for action."
He reached forward and pushed Hassan's denim shirt off over his shoulders. He stroked the sweat-stained khaki tank stretched over the solid pecs, ran his hands over his shoulders, then over his bulging biceps. "Damn, you are one smokin' son-of-a-bitch, soldier. OK, now you."
The dark-skinned Arab grinned, raised his hands to Mark's neck and slowly unbuttoned his uniform shirt all the way down, then pulled it open to expose the white T-shirt underneath. His hands traveled under the open shirt and over the pecs bulging under the thin cotton. He pulled the shirt out of the cop's waistband, pulled it off and tossed it on his own shirt on the grass.
They stared at each other, then kissed again, more aggressively this time as they hugged tight and grabbed each other's butts. "Damn, I wanna fuck your ass, officer," the Arab growled, "then feel your dick inside me."
"NO!" They pulled apart and looked down at the naked lifeguard writhing on the ground. "Hell, we almost forgot this muscle-jock," Mark said. "Let's see what he wants." They walked over to him and stood on either side of him. Grady gazed up at the blond cop and the swarthy Arab and groaned, "Fuck me, sirs. Fuck my ass. I want it so bad."
"Hmm ..." Hassan growled. "OK, buddy, let's see how bad he wants it." Grady's eyes opened wide as he watched the soldier reach behind his neck and pull up on his tank. It rose slowly up over his eight-pack abs, his chest and off over his head. Grady gasped, mesmerized by the sight of the brawny Arab soldier.
His gazed turned to Mark who did the same thing – pulled his T-shirt free of the heavy belt round his waist, slowly exposing his sculpted physique until he flung the shirt aside. It was the ultimate pornographic fantasy for Grady – a cop and a Marine towering shirtless over him while he lay on the ground cuffed to a tree, at their mercy.
But there was more to come. Each man raised a leg and planted a boot on the lifeguard's bare chest. The cop's motorcycle boot and the Marine's combat boot pressed down on his naked body, harder and harder as the cop said, "So you wanna feel my huge cock inside you, like a night stick pounding your ass?"
"Yes, sir ... please, sir.."
Hassan said, "Then I take over and you feel the that big Arab piledriver torturing your ass. We take it in turn – the soldier and the cop ravaging that gorgeous ass of yours. Picture it, man, the jock getting butt-fucked by a cop and a Marine, one after another. Is that what you want, stud? Show us how much you crave it. Can you feel it, man? One cock after another, the helpless lifeguard getting ploughed mercilessly until he can't take anymore, he begs for mercy and ..."
"Aaagh!" Grady's body tensed and his cock erupted in a plume of semen that rose high in the air and splashed down on the boots pressing down on his heaving chest.
The men stood back and watched as Grady recovered from his intense, spontaneous orgasm. "Well," Mark grinned, "I guess that takes care of that. The lifeguard's shot his wad, so now we can get to work on each other, soldier."
"No, wait! Wait." Grady said desperately. I still want you guys to fuck me. I know I just busted a big load but I can cum again. I need you to fuck me, sirs, just like you said. Please, I'm begging you, sirs ... fuck my ass."
Hassan grinned at Mark. "What d'ya think, officer. I wouldn't mind seeing that handsome jock shooting another load – several in fact."
"Sure, why not?" Mark said, and they stood again on each side if the handcuffed lifeguard. Grady stared up at the bare-chested hunks, as the cop unzipped his uniform pants, the Marine ripped open his fatigues and they pulled out their weapons.
"Be careful what you wish for, man," the soldier growled. "'Cos you're gonna get it good."
Grady's ecstatic howl had traveled as far as the group round the table, and Larry frowned, "You think Grady's gonna be OK, Mario?"
"Oh yeah, certain of it," Mario smiled. "I know my man, and I guarantee those guys in uniform are giving him exactly what he needs. Stay tuned, guys."
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
TO BE CONTINUED in "A Trial Of Strength" – Chapter 550
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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