A TRIAL OF STRENGTH

In the previous chapter

The tribe’s new project to redesign the landscaping at the main house began well. It had been the idea of the tribe’s co-leader Bob and the rugged Hispanic senior man Miguel as a project for Miguel’s boy Finn and his shy young assistant Tyler, the house’s gardeners.

Miguel explained to Finn, “I’ve talked to Grady’s lover Mario who’s a landscape architect as you know, and to Bob, who says you’ve done wonders with the garden. But I don’t want a boy of mine to be just a gardener. I want you to take a course in landscape design that Mario highly recommends, then Bob wants you to redesign the grounds of the compound here. Mario will work closely with you and Tyler

Finn was thrilled. “I’m really stoked, sir, and I know I can make a go of it. Mario has already helped a lot – he’s such a cool guy. When he has time – like when Grady is away filming on location – he comes here and works in the garden with Tyler and me. We all get along real well.

“Tell you the truth, I think Tyler has a crush on Mario and wants to have sex with him but Mario so far hasn’t done anything ‘cos Tyler is Pablo’s boy. But like boss Randy always says, the guys of the tribe are so close they can fool around with anyone else as long as it stays in the tribe.”

“Yeah I know, Finn,” Miguel nodded, “but I would steer clear of Pablo. He’s very possessive of Tyler and, well, maybe he goes overboard with that master/boy thing. And of course he can flare up in a rage all of a sudden, just like his dad Randy.”

In fact, that’s exactly what wrecked the project and made waves that engulfed the tribe. Finn had gone off to sign up for his course leaving Mario and Tyler alone. Mario had resisted Tyler’s youthful crush on him because he was Pablo’s boy, but Tyler persisted and Mario finally relented. He was so cute, so nervous and he wanted it so badly, Mario thought, so what was the harm in it … just this once …?

The harm was that Pablo came home hot and horny, caught them in the act and went ballistic. He struck Tyler, told him to get out of his sight, then brutally fucked the handsome, gentle Italian, leaving him injured on the ground. Finn showed up and intervened only to be hurled to the ground by the raging Pablo who roared, “Fuck you, who needs you, any of you? You can all go to hell. I’m outa here.” He stomped away to the gate and roared away in his truck.

When Tyler raised the alarm it fell to Bob to take charge. The senior boy Jamie took Mario back to the Grady House to be cared for by his movie-star lover Grady, and their boy Brian. Finn went back to Miguel, and Bob took a shaken Tyler to the house Bob shared with his lover Randy. They were joined by the twins and their boy Will who agreed to take care of Tyler.

Bob collapsed in a chair and sighed to the twins, “It’s serious this time, guys – not your regular fight and forgive deal. Mario of all people, that kind, generous guy who everyone loves – especially Grady. God knows what Grady’s reaction will be, or Miguel’s when he knows Finn got hurt and their landscaping plan is up in flames.

The twins went away to cook dinner and soon Randy came in looking drained, having failed to find Pablo. Bob said, “Randy, this could be real serious. We’ve gotta tread very carefully.”

Randy paced the room. “I don’t see what all the fuss is about. We had a real rough day at work, I got mad, came home and reamed your ass like I always do. Pablo was the same, came home ready to let off steam and fuck his boy. He saw Mario forcing himself on the kid so he beat the guy up, fucked him good. He was just protecting his boy like any man would.”

Bob flared up. “Randy that’s total bullshit and you know it. Damnit, you’ll make up any excuse for that boy of yours. He could set the house on fire and you’d defend him. Pablo copies you in everything including that explosive anger that’s got you in trouble so many times. But however angry he was and whatever the provocation, savagely raping a kind, gentle friend like Mario is not the answer. You’re almost as much to blame as he is, the way you’ve raised him to think with his fists, or in this case his dick.”

Randy’s eyes blazed but Bob said, “Randy let’s stop. If you and I come to blows over this so will everyone else and the tribe could unravel.” Randy backed off and his shoulders slumped. “You’re right, man, this is on me. If my boy is not here to make amends I have to do it for him.”

They heard a screech of tires at the gate and Bob said, “It’s him … Pablo’s home.” But he was wrong. When the door crashed open it was Grady – transformed from the laid-back fun-loving guy they knew and loved into a raging warrior. Shirtless in shorts, his magnificent body tense with anger, fists clenched, he fixed his burning eyes on Randy. “Where is he? Where the fuck is your boy?”

Bob tried to placate him but Grady said, “My quarrel is not with you, Bob. It’s with him, the father of that psycho who just trashed my lover, my Mario.” Tears of rage filled his eyes. “Did you see him, that gorgeous man broken and beaten, his beautiful face scratched, body all bruised, his ass shattered by your fucking boy? I’m gonna do to him what he did to my man.”

“Pablo’s not here,” Randy said, “so your fight’s with me. Say what you have to and then leave.”

“Leave? Grady yelled. “You’re crazy, man, you know that? Just like your boy. You see what he did? You have no fucking idea, do you? You wanna know what he did? I’ll fucking show you,”

So Grady gave Randy the same savage treatment Pablo had given Mario, blow by blow, including the savage pounding of his ass. Randy’s usual instinct would have been to fight back but, as he himself had said, Pablo was gone so Randy had to make amends for his boy.

Grady’s revenge was brutal. Randy’s screams filled the room as Grady sank his rod deep in his ass and filled it with the juice of rage and revenge. When it was over Grady glared down contemptuously at the beaten gypsy.

“That’s it – it’s all over. From now on the Grady House is off limits to all of your tribe. I’ll add more security if necessary to keep everyone else out. Mario and I will live there with just our boy Brian and Danny. I’ll spend all of tomorrow with my lover to take care of him. I’ll call in sick to the studio and they’ll have to suspend shooting for the day. So way to go, Pablo. The Grady House is off limits and a major motion picture shuts down. Quite the achievement.”

Grady stormed out of the room, Bob fell on his knees by the bed and rested his face on Randy’s chest, emotionally drained. His cell phone rang, he reached for it wearily and put it on speaker.

“Hey Bob, Randy, you there? It’s Mike.” Their old friend Mike who lived in Palms Springs with his boy Larry. “Listen guys, the darnedest thing just happened. Pablo just pitched up here in the Springs. He’s with Larry right now. What do you want me to do?”

******************    BOOK 10: CHAPTER 5     ******************

Uncle Mike, Solid As A Rock

So that was one mystery explained. After Pablo left the scene of the carnage he had caused he had driven out to Mike and Larry in Palm Springs.

Still kneeling by the bed Bob raised his head wearily from Randy’s chest to respond to Mike on the phone. On seeing Randy’s blank, bewildered expression it was obvious to Bob he had to do the talking. “How does Pablo seem, Mike?”

“Hard to tell really. He has a kinda crazed look but he’s trying to brazen his way through it – you know Pablo, tough it out like nothing happened. But what did happen Bob?”

“The worst, Mike. In a nutshell, Pablo found his boy Tyler getting fucked by Mario – you know, Grady’s Italian lover, the kindest sweetest guy you’ll ever meet. Pablo went apeshit, totally lost it and fucked Mario savagely. To be blunt, he raped him. He’s really hurt. Jamie took him home to the Grady House where Grady and Brian put him to bed.”

“Jesus,” Mike murmured, “that’s bad, dude.”

“But that’s not the end of it, Mike. Grady, predictably, was furious. You’ve never seen him like that – you know, the joking, easy-going guy despite his fame and celebrity. Totally transformed into a raging bull. He and Mario are inseparable, madly in love, and Grady stormed down here to take revenge on Pablo. But Pablo was gone so Grady laid into Randy with a tongue lashing and a brutal fuck, doing to him what Pablo had done to Mario.

“And Grady’s totally broken with us. Says he never wants to see any of the tribe again. The Grady House is barred to us and he’s even putting in extra security. It’s a huge rift, Mike. I can’t see any way of healing it either.”

“Damn, you poor guy. Do you want me to come out there and see what I can do?”

“Thanks Mike, but I don’t think so. But maybe you can try and keep a check on Pablo. God knows what he’ll try next, the mood he’s in.”

Mike was a tough, still hot-looking man in his late fifties who had owned a leather bar for years, and now he chuckled. “Don’t worry, guys, I’ve dealt with many a bullheaded macho stud like him in my time. Trust me, Pablo won’t do anything crazy under my roof or anywhere near it. As a matter of fact I may even have a temporary solution.

“Like I said, Pablo’s with Larry right now. They always got along real well, both being mechanics and all. My Larry has developed into a real bright, level-headed guy, I’m real proud of him. He won’t put up with any crap from Pablo. Working with me in our leather bar he’s dealt with everything – drunks, tough guys, big-headed bullshitters who think their own shit don’t stink.

“And there’s another thing. You know Larry’s got his own motorcycle repair shop. It’s going gangbusters and he’s got way more work than he can handle. He’s really backlogged and it worries me. He’s had a few assistants but they were flaky and didn’t work out. So what I’ll do is tell Pablo that Larry really needs his help – you know, flatter him, appeal to his vanity as an expert mechanic. If he takes the bait that would be killing at least two birds with one stone.”

“Mike, you’re a lifesaver. Work is what Pablo needs right now. Under all that pig-headed bravado he’s probably knotted up with guilt, even scared by what he’s done, though he would never admit it even to himself. Staying with you and helping Larry out of a hole would boost his self-esteem and help him see reason. You think you can hold the fort for a while, Mike?”

“Ah, for you guys anything. I’ll enjoy it … good for my aging esteem too, whipping a young stud into shape, just like the old days. How about you, boy?” Mike said to Randy – the only man ever to call Randy ‘boy’. “You behaving yourself and taking care of your man there?”

“Trying too, Mike.”

“You’d better. Don’t make me come out there and whip your ass, boy. OK, guys, we’ll take it one step at a time. I’ll stay in touch, you do the same.”

Bob shut off the phone with a sigh. “Thank god for Mike. At least he’s still on our side. Wonder how many of the other guys are. They all love Mario and …” He trailed off, fearing the worst. Randy shifted uneasily, his ass still sore after Grady pounded it. “Hey Randy, you need a hot shower. Go take one while I try and work out where we go from here.

Randy heaved himself painfully off the bed and into the bathroom. Bob stayed on his knees leaning on the bed, almost in a prayer position if he had been a praying man. If ever there was a time for prayers, he thought, this was it. It would take a miracle to solve this lot.

On his own for the first time since it all happened the enormity of the situation collapsed in on Bob. He again saw Mario lying groaning on the ground, saw the hate in Grady’s eyes, that beautiful man who was such a high-spirited friend to them all. Or used to be. There would be no more of those exuberant gatherings at the Grady House where the tribe all came together in the spirit of brotherly affection and love.

The tribe … Bob loved the tribe that had grown out of his first meeting with Randy so long ago. The men and their boys, everyone supporting and protecting each other. Sure they’d had their ups and downs like any large family, but this time seemed different, a real split. A fatal split? Maybe, possibly. Guys would take sides, the seeds of suspicion and distrust would replace the former harmony that had always warmed the tribe.

Whatever happened he would hold together his small family – Randy, the twins, young Will who even now was comforting his buddy Tyler. But the rest? He could not imagine life without the tribe … and yet … He caught his breath in a sob. He had held it together since the incident but now he let go. He buried his face on the bed and his body heaved with uncontrollable sobs.

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Circling The Wagons

Randy was toweling off in the bathroom when he heard the harrowing sound. He came out and saw Bob slumped over the bed, his body shuddering.

“Hey buddy.” He ran forward, knelt beside Bob and put his arm round him. Bob raised a tear-stained face and said “What if it all falls apart, Randy? What if the guys just …?”

The tough gypsy boss became gentle as a lamb and wiped the tears from his lover’s face. Then he kissed him, long and tenderly. “I’m here, buddy. I’m always here for you. We’ve gone through a lot since we first met, ain’t we? We’ve faced every crisis and knocked them down together, one by one. And we’ll get through this one too, you’ll see.”

Bob smiled a watery smile. “Sorry, Randy, to fold up on you like that. It’s just that everything suddenly seemed so … I need you so much, Randy.” They hugged and stayed in the safety of each other’s arms until they heard a gentle tap on the door and a voice said, “It’s me, sirs, Will.”

Bob called him in and the young redhead stood there in his green apron, a smile on his freckled face. “Hope I’m not interrupting, sirs, but I thought you’d like to know about Tyler. I left him in the small kitchen stirring the sauce on the stove. Told him he had to concentrate hard and stir gently. Seems to be doing him good.”

“Good idea, William. How’s he doing?”

“A bit better, sir. He’s stopped panicking at least, and I told him I didn’t want to hear him blame himself for the umpteenth time. But he can’t face the tribe so we’re gonna have dinner just us two in my room and he’ll stay the night with me. Er, any news on Pablo, sir?”

“Yes Will. He’s in Palm Springs with Uncle Mike and Larry. Mike is keeping an eye on him and he might work with Larry who needs help with his bike repair backlog. So he could stay there quite some time, which would be a good thing. In a crisis it’s best to remove the immediate cause of the problem or he becomes the focus of all the negative feelings.”

“Yes, sir, and me and Tyler talked a lot. I didn’t give him any false hope but I did say that the love him and Pablo had for each other was so deep it’s not something you can suddenly kill, just like that. I always say that love can handle anything if it’s strong enough. It’s what’s held the tribe together for so long and always will, don’t ya think?”

Randy held out his arms. “Come here, Red.” Will came forward to be enveloped in the gypsy’s muscular arms. “We love the hell out of you kiddo. Boys like you are the future of the tribe. Go tell Tyler Pablo’s safe and in a good place, OK?”

“Yes sir, thank you sir. Oh and by the way, the twins say dinner will be ready in half an hour.” Randy ruffled Will’s shock of red hair and he left. The guys barely had time to comment before there was another knock at the door and Eddie bounced in with a smile. They braced for the usual Eddie onslaught of non-stop gossip but this time he was different, more formal.

“Sorry to interrupt, sirs, but now that I’m the House Manager – senior boy and all – I thought I should give you a report on how things are going. Real hunky-dory, actually. I put out a call to the boys and Brandon’s helping the twins with dinner. He can carry piles of plates and stuff on that tray table of his wheelchair, as you know, sir.

“Finn and Ben have cleared up the mess in the garden where Mario puked and all, and Nate is helping them set up the table for dinner, which the twins say will be on time. Oh, and by the way, Brandon phoned his boyfriend Brian to make sure he’s OK and he said things are … what’s the words he used? … nice and peaceful up at the Grady House. So everything’s pretty much back to the usual routine. Anyway, that’s my House Manager report, sirs.”

“And very reassuring it is,” Bob smiled. “Thank you, Eddie, you’re doing a grand job.”

Eddie smiled and saluted. “Aye-aye, sir. Now I gotta go and help the guys.”

He ran out and Randy grinned at Bob. “Well, buddy, I don’t know about you but that didn’t sound to me like a tribe that’s unraveling – far from it. You know the boys’ instinct for circling the wagons when there’s trouble. Seems they’re all pitching in together.

“You’re right Randy. Makes me and my tears seem kinda foolish now.”

“No kid, you are the glue that hold all this together so you’re allowed a few doubts now and again. There’s still a long way to go in this mess and it could go in any direction. But right now I need to show you that you’re not alone in this, buddy. There’s one thing I gotta do …”

********************************

Randy Takes Care Of Bob

Randy had been in his undershorts all this time and Bob was in T-shirt and jeans. Randy smiled at Bob. “You know what you need to be, stud? Naked. Get those pants off.”

Bob’s tension drained away as he stared at his gypsy lover. He pulled off his T-shirt, unbuttoned his jeans and let them drop. “Fuck you’re gorgeous,” Randy said. “Ah, I’ve probably told you that before.”

“Only about a hundred million times,” Bob smiled. “And usually what comes next is that you want me naked on the bed.”

Randy shrugged. “Dude, if you don’t know the drill by now we might as well call it quits.”

“No, don’t let’s do that buddy. I’d know the drill with my hands tied behind my back.”

“Yeah, that can be arranged too,” Randy grinned.

Bob lay on his back on the bed and gazed up at the rugged gypsy as he dropped his shorts. His massive cock sprang out, instantly erect, its usual condition when Randy watched Bob get naked. He climbed on the bed, knelt astride his lover and leaned forward, his cock resting on Bob’s abs. Randy braced his hands on the bed level with Bob’s head and their eyes met.

“Buddy,” Randy smiled, “I know how hard you work taking care of all these guys, and they all love you for it. But there’s that old saying about taking care of the caregiver – and that’s my job. So I’m gonna take care of you now like I always have.” He lowered his hips, pressed his cock lengthwise on Bob’s stomach and ran it back and forth over the sharp ridges of his washboard abs. “Man that feels good. I could bust a load like that all over your chest.”

Seeing Bob’s look of alarm Randy chuckled, “It’s OK, big guy, don’t panic. There’s a better place for my dick and you know where that is?”

“In my ass?”

“Right first time, give the man a prize. Except it’s not gonna be that rough stuff you’re so partial to. No, this is me in caregiver mode – you ain’t seen that in a long time, eh? Or this …”

He reached over to the night stand to the seldom used lube jar. He scooped out a glob of it, spread it teasingly over the length of his shaft and stroked it slowly. “Hmm, I forgot what that feels like – real smooth. Maybe I’ll just rub one out like that.”

“No, Randy I …”

“Gotcha again, dude. You really think I’m gonna jerk off when I got that gorgeous ass right there just waiting to get plucked?”

“Don’t you mean fucked?” Bob ginned.

“Hey, who’s running this show? When I say taking care of you I mean taking charge of you, and don’t you forget it.”

“Sorry, sir.” This was something new from Randy – foreplay. Usually he went straight for the target, no messing around, and fucked like a stallion in heat. Lube? Meant nothing to him. But this time the wild impulsive gypsy was making love in slow motion like a scene from a movie. From action hero to lover.

And it excited the hell out of Bob. He reached up and ran his hands over the chiseled features he knew so well – the stubbled jaw, high gypsy cheekbones and those hypnotic pale blue eyes. He ran his fingers through the long, shaggy black hair that fell forward as Randy bent lower … and kissed him. It was an open mouthed kiss, their lips clamped together sharing the same air back and forth. Bob had a sense that Randy was giving him the very breath of life.

Randy pulled back at last and smiled, “See, I told you I’d take care of you. Now I’m gonna take care of your ass. You want it, don’t you?”

“You know I do. I always do. It makes me feel safe.”

He sighed as the thick shaft slid easily inside him. Usually when Randy fucked him it was the mix of joy and pain that thrilled him. But now it was pure, golden pleasure, building to ecstasy as his lover’s cock filled his ass, moving gently in and out.

And it was true, he did feel safe. Randy was his lover, his soulmate, his life, and with him he felt equal to any of life’s challenges. The sublime sensation he now felt transcended all the squabbles and tantrums of the world – and of the tribe. He smiled up at the gypsy’s laser blue eyes. “You make me feel strong again, Randy.”

“Buddy, you’re Superman. You’ve got his looks and his power. Superman gets his power from the sun – and I’m your sun, buddy. Look into my eyes …”

Bob saw his own reflection in the hypnotic eyes and the magic happened as it always did. He had stepped from his sepia world through the enchanted door into the Technicolor world of Oz. “This is where we belong, Randy, where we come alive. I love you so much.”

“That’s my boy,” Randy smiled as his cock caressed his ass. “We got lucky when we found each other and together we have the power to help all the others – the Wills and the Tylers, the Pablos and Marios – all the guys. Don’t ever feel scared, buddy, ‘cos you’ve got me.”

“Kiss me Randy. Kiss me while you fuck my ass.” It was as if the room faded away – it was just them, two men kissing, making love, one inside the other’s body, in his mouth, in his eyes.

And so it went, minute after minute until their cocks trembled, straining for release. Time and again Randy could have unloaded his juice in Bob’s ass, but this time he wanted more than that. To Bob’s surprise he slid his cock gently out of him and stood up. He pulled Bob to his feet and they stood facing each other.

“I want to show you how much I love you, buddy.” Randy pressed his sinewy body against Bob’s, their cocks pressed together between them. They stood motionless, arms folded round each other, feeling their hearts beating against each other. Again they gazed deep into each other’s eyes, they smiled … and that’s all it took. Their cocks shuddered, bodies tensed … and semen spurted up between them.

Randy’s dark gypsy face broke into a gleaming smile and their mouths closed over each other in a long passionate kiss. When Randy pulled back his swarthy face broke into a gleaming smile. “That’s love, buddy, pure and simple. But now we’ve settled that, it’s no more mister nice guy. The gypsy’s back and next time he’s gonna give it to you hard and rough the way you like it. There’s more than one way of taking care of you, dude.”

“I’ll take it however it comes, Randy. And now we gotta take care of the guys gathering down there for dinner. They need us Randy. Both of us together.”

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