Chapter 41 - Fireworks. (Monday, July 4th).

Brian woke up and rolled over with his eyes still closed, grabbing the warm body next to him and pulling the boy in close. He was still only half awake as he started to nuzzle along the first patch of skin his lips came into contact with. The happy *Mmmmm* his ministrations caused somehow didn't sound quite right, though. The moaning was about half an octave lower than he'd expected. And, now that his brain was waking up, he realized that the bundle of boy in his arms didn't smell the way Brian had expected either. This scent was muskier, deeper, more spicy and less sunshiney. Brian cracked open one eye and despite being blinded by the too bright sunlight already streaming through the bedroom windows, he noted that his armful of pleasingly warm flesh wasn't the pale ivory he'd come to relish.

"Either Sunshine got himself a really dark tan overnight or I've got the wrong twink," Brian croaked, his voice still hoarse from sleep.

"Doesn't mean you have to stop what you were doing back there with Mr. Pokey," Malik's voice was low and sultry sounding and he emphasized his point by wiggling his ass provocatively against Brian's morning woody.

"That's 'The MAGNIFICENT Mr. Pokey', Mal. Don't be forgetting the 'magnificent' part or he won't come out and play at all," a lightly teasing voice in a slightly higher timbre commented from the far side of the twink in Brian's arms.

Brian ignored the teasing twinks’ words. “Musical beds again?” he asked instead.

“You know it. Seems The Master took away Daniel’s bed yesterday while we were busy outside. So, Daniel took Paal’s bed. And Paal moved in with Kerek so . . . you get me back here again! Aren’t you two lucky!” Malik explained with a wisecracking note to his voice.

“And here I thought it was Independence Day and I’d be able to free myself from Twinkie Tyranny,” Brian quipped with his tongue in his cheek.

“You know you love it, Brian. Two hot, eager twinks in your bed, both just dying to serve your every sexual fantasy,” Justin jested, climbing over the Brian/Malik mountain so he could cuddle up against Brian’s backside and therefore pester him more efficiently. “Hey, maybe we can make our own fireworks right here in bed, in honor of the 4th of July.”

“Well, yeah, fireworks are okay . . .” Brian drawled, and Justin could tell from the mischievous tone he got that things were about to get fun. “But you know what I always liked best about the Fourth of July? The Rodeo!” Brian had scooted up towards the headboard of the bed while he spoke, but still keeping ahold of his armful of chocolate twinkie in the process. “Yep. When I was a kid, every year on the 4th my parents would drag me and my sister up to the Big Butler County Fair and we’d go to the rodeo. In fact, up until I was about ten I had planned to be a cowboy myself. And I used to dream about riding the broncos.”

*Mmmmmm* “Cowboys . . . the hats and all that leather everywhere,” Justin sounded dreamy at just the idea.

“Yes indeed-y!” Brian intoned with a hint of a southern drawl in his voice. “Of course, once I figured out I was gay, my fascination with the Big Butt-ler fair made a whole lot more sense. But, I still love a good rodeo.” Brian rolled himself and Malik over so he was lying on his back, propped up on the pillows, with Mal now sitting straddled across his abdomen and facing Brian’s bent knees. “How about you, Mal? You ever been to the rodeo before?”

“Nope. Never. I’m a city boy,” Mal replied with a squirm to make himself even more comfy on his Brian perch. “Besides, short, gay, black boys kind of stand out at county fairs, you know. It’s not really my scene.”

“Oh, that’s where you’re wrong. The rodeo is the perfect place for a gay boy. I’m sure you’d love it. You’d be a natural. Can’t you just see yourself, riding on a big old horny bull,” Brian demonstrated by bucking his hips up a few times and almost throwing Malik. “What do you say? Wanna ride, little boy?”

“Hell, yeah! I’m sure I could take on a horny bull this morning,” Mal replied exuberantly.

Brian saddled up with a fresh condom and then, with Justin’s assistance, the rider was seated on the big horny steed in a reverse cowboy position that promised to provide a fireworks-worthy ride for the brand new rodeo fan. Malik did indeed prove to be a very good bull rider right out of the chute. No matter how much his mount bucked and writhed, he didn’t lose his seat once. Justin of course was of invaluable assistance - acting as Mal’s Flankman, he positioned himself on his stomach between the bucking bull’s knees and, in lieu of other riggin’ to anchor the rodeo rider, he offered up his mouth, clamping his lips firmly around Mal’s bouncing and bulging erection. Of course, with that big horned beast between his butt cheeks and the warm, wet, riggin’ below, it was a real challenge for the rider to cover his mount for the full time required by the event. Who knew eight seconds could feel so long? But Mal was a rough rider and he held on until the bitter end, only dismounting once both he and the bull had shot their loads and the bucking calmed.

“Yeeeeee Hawwwww!” the rodeo champ crowed as he fell to the bed in a sated heap, happy to let Justin the Bullfighter corral the big beast off to the shower. “Guess rodeos ARE for gay boys, after all.”

By the time Big Brian’s Naked Bull Riding Rodeo Posse made it downstairs the rest of the crew was already assembled in the kitchen getting their chow. The Posse received a fair bit of razzing upon their arrival - apparently the ‘Yee Haw’s and shouts of ‘Ride ‘Em, Cowboy’ had been a little loud. Big Brian took it all in stride, as usual, and merely smirked at the hecklers without taking the bait. His Independence Day Rodeo had been a big hit with the rowdy twinkie cowpokes and that was all he cared about.

Normally, they’d have Monday off, but today seemed like it was going to be busy even without a regularly scheduled daytime trial. First off, the Look No Hands painting challenge was due to be judged today - all of the boys’ creations were already set up on easels in the Greatroom, ready to be displayed, but still covered with fabric until the judge arrived. Later in the day, they were being treated to a traditional Fourth of July Barbeque. Plus, there was always the Evening Challenge - with today’s theme being a scary sounding “Big Red, White & Blue”.  It sounded like there'd be little or no rest for those in the Residence even if it was technically a holiday.

After breakfast, most of the House Boys were lounging around out on the patio, soaking up the heat of the gloriously bright summer morning. Brian and Justin were sharing a pool lounger, the smaller man comfortably situated between his companion's longer legs and leaning back against the lean yet strong chest, while he idly thumbed through a magazine. In spite of all The Master's plans for the day, the two of them were feeling lazy and would have liked nothing better than to go back to bed for a few hours. The only thing really keeping them from pursuing that plan was Justin's eager anticipation of the painting challenge conclusion. But, in the meantime, he was more than happy to just hang out and let his mind vegetate.

"Holy Fucking Flaming Dildos!" Malik came tearing out of the house a minute later destroying everyone's calm morning. "You guys won't believe this. The art guy finally got here and he brought a WOMAN with him!"

"A woman?" Justin and several others echoed disbelievingly all at the same time.

Justin had unconsciously moved to shield his crotch with the magazine as soon as Mal's news registered. The unthinking show of modesty elicited a chuckle from Brian, who reached around the boy's slender frame, snatched away the magazine and used it to smack the idiot kid upside the head. Justin ducked and shot Brian a dirty look.

"Stupid twat!" Brian threw the mag back at the silly boy but his amused smile took most of the sting out of the words. "We've been traipsing around here buck naked for more than a month now while thousands of people watch us fucking all day, every day, and you're feeling embarrassed by the presence of one woman? Get a grip, kid."

Justin looked even more chagrined at Brian's words, but he did make a conscious effort not to bow to instinct and cover his genitals with his hands. One glance around at the rest of the House Boys showed that Justin wasn't the only one feeling uncomfortable at the mere suggestion of a woman's presence. Brian shook his head at the bunch of big silly pussies. He snorted with laughter over the pathetic queens.

"Shut up, Brian! It's not funny," Justin's temper flared. "I mean, it's one thing to know a bunch of guys are watching me, but it's different knowing a woman's going to be looking at me naked now too. And in person. It's just much more . . . Ick!"

If anything, this explanation caused Brian to laugh even harder. "Sunshine, sorry to break it to you like this," Brian said when he finally managed to stop laughing. "But, I have it on good authority that a hefty proportion of the hits on any gay porn site come from straight women. Usually rather horny, straight women."

The way Justin's face crumpled up in disgusted surprise was enough to set Brian off laughing uproariously again.

"No fucking way! You're making that up, Brian. That can't be . . ." huffed the incredulous twink.

"I'm afraid so, Sunshine. I've seen the marketing numbers that prove it," Brian assured him, still chuckling. "And didn't you say your little fag hag was watching too? You didn't think she was the only one, did you?"

"Why the fuck would a bunch of straight women be watching gay porn? That's fucking sick," Kerek voiced what several of the others obviously thought.

"Well, from what I understand - and, mind you I have very little personal experience in the matter, myself - but I've heard that occasionally straight women like a good hard prick up the ass almost as much as you do, Ker," Brian replied and then sat back for a few minutes to enjoy the outrage and disgust his statement engendered. After a couple of minutes, though, Brian had to wade back into the conversation. "Fuck, you guys! After some of the shit we've done, how the hell can you be offended by that? Get a grip! It's hardly a news flash that straight women like cock too, is it? What's the big deal?"

There was a lot more discussion from the boys after that, but Brian wasn't ready to listen to such silly drivel. He pushed Justin off his chest and got up out of the lounger. Then, with a condescending shake of his head, he started to walk towards the patio door.

"Fuck it! I doubt one straight woman, more or less, seeing you guys naked is going to make a difference. She probably doesn't bite - unless you ask her to nicely, of course. But, if you're so worried about it, I'll go check it out and let you wusses know if it's safe to show your peckers or not."

Brian strode confidently through the patio door into the Greatroom . . . and then froze. He figured he might have been wrong when he said the woman probably wouldn't bite. He happened to have personal knowledge that this particular woman could be downright, albeit politely, vicious.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Lindsey Peterson. In the flesh," Brian announced loudly as soon as the shock of seeing the mother of his child in such an incongruous setting had worn off.

His greeting caused the tall, stylishly dressed blonde to spin around and gape at him. "Brian! Hello . . ." For once the pushy socialite who seemed to always know the proper etiquette for any situation, appeared at a loss for words.

"What the fuck brings a morally upstanding WASP like yourself to such a den of iniquity?" Brian couldn't help but rub it in. "Considering the way you and your ‘husband’ went off on me not so long ago, you're the last person on Earth I'd expect to see involved with such puerile dross as a pornographic reality show that showcases not only rampant nudity but even, gasp, gratuitous, raunchy, man-on-man sex!"

Brian got a thrill out of seeing the prim little frown his words brought to Lindsey's face, even though her eyes were still hungrily devouring his naked body. Brian rolled his own eyes. He'd long known that he was practically irresistible to gay men and straight women alike, but now dykes too? Time to nip this in the bud.

"Careful Lindz," Brian moved over so he could drape an arm around the gaping woman's shoulders and then used his hold to turn her so she was facing directly into one of the ever-present cameras with its blinking red activation light. "Don't forget all the cameras. You'll lose your membership card to the Super Dykes Club if they catch you checking out my package like that. And don't forget, once it's on the Internet, it's there forever."

"Stop it, Brian," Lindsey hissed as quietly as she could while trying not to show her agitation in front of the cameras. "I'm only here because of work. I told you I got that job as a gallery manager? Well, my new boss, Sidney Bloom, asked me to come help judge Ted's painting challenge. Don't make this personal, Brian."

"Of course it's fucking personal, Lindsey! After what you said in your last email, giving me all that shit, I can't believe you have the gall to show up here . . ." Brian wasn't even trying to keep his voice down.

"Not here, Brian!" Lindsey spat furiously, looking over her shoulder to make sure her boss was still on the far side of the room and too busy talking with Ted to notice what was going on with his assistant. "I'm working. We'll talk about this later."

"Brian? Everything okay?" asked a soothing, light tenor voice from behind him.

Brian turned to see a concerned Justin framed in the patio doorway with most of the rest of the house's denizens waiting behind him.

"Yeah, it's fine," Brian answered, quickly pulling himself together. "You're in the clear guys. You don't have to worry about some horny straight woman eyeballing your goods. This one's a dyke. Your dicks are safe from her evil clutches - well, mostly," Brian smirked at both the hesitance of the gay men sidling into the room as well as the self-affirmed lesbian who was nonetheless busy ogling the decidedly yummy panoply of gorgeous naked men.

As the men shuffled in and began to assemble in their usual spot for announcements, Lindsey moved off towards where her boss and Ted were still chatting. She pointedly did NOT make further eye contact with Brian. Brian sighed heavily, The last thing he wanted to do today was have a confrontation with Lindsey. He was still so pissed off at her he didn’t think he’d be able to have any kind of reasonable discussion. Plus, he still hadn’t really figured out exactly what he was going to do about the munchers’ little ultimatum. It didn’t look like he had much choice though - as soon as the judging was over he was going to have to have it out with her. Without a lot of enthusiasm, Brian moved over to join the rest of the House Boys.

While they’d been outside, the Greatroom had been transformed into a mini-art gallery. The six pieces of art created by the contestants were set up on their easels, which had been arranged in a semicircle along the long wall flanking the entry door, and finally uncovered. The level of artistic skill between the various entries varied greatly. At one extreme was Brian’s submission - a comically crude cartoon depiction of a dick that looked like it had been daubed on using his dick and which couldn’t have taken him more than sixty seconds. In the middle of the range there were a few paintings that looked like they might have been done by reasonably creative but untrained high schoolers. But, by far, the piece de resistance was clearly Justin’s cum painting masterpiece.

Now that Brian finally got to see the thing, he understood exactly why his boy had been covered in blue and green paint for the past week. It was an amazing work of abstract art. There were so many layers to the color, and each helped to draw the viewer in deeper. The blues and greens seemed to swirl nebulously around a much lighter center that focused the eye and made you feel like you were in a primeval forest right when a beam of sunlight illuminated the gloom. The splattering of pigment-coated cum specks added incredible dimension - just like the dappling that would be felt when standing under a tree whose leaves were swaying in a light breeze. It was so incredible that Brian didn’t have the words to thoroughly describe it.

Everyone in the room was awed by the piece to the point that all conversation stopped.

Since the works were all unsigned because of the competition, ostensibly no one was supposed to know who did which painting. Of course, they’d all seen Justin covered in blue paint for the majority of the past week, so there was no doubt in anyone’s mind who the winning painting belonged to. It didn’t take Sydney Bloom, Lindsey, and Ted more than a minute and a half to confer and then place the big blue ribbon indicating First Place on the easel with Justin’s painting.

“Will the winning artist please step forward,” Sydney asked, and then smiled quizzically when the youngest of the House Boys bounced to a stop in front of him, pride and excitement clearly showing through in his signature Sunshine Smile. “This is  . . . well, I don’t know what to say. This is truly amazing art, young man. What the fuck are you doing wasting your time here?”

“Trying to get together enough money to pay for art school, actually,” Justin responded with just a hint of derision at the inane question.

“Well, if you don’t win the money here, call me,” Sidney said, handing Justin one of his cards. “Actually, call me even if you do get the money. I can’t imagine I’d have any trouble selling this painting, even if you weren’t a celebrity because of the Summer of Sin. In fact, I could sell ten more just like this if you had them. Any chance I could talk you into painting a few more for me?”

“Sorry, Syd,” Brian stepped up and interrupted at this point, slinging a possessive arm around the younger man’s waist. “Sunshine’s going to be a little busy using his dick for much more creative things for the rest of the summer. Besides, he’s forbidden to put any more paint up his wang until further notice; I can’t take anymore of that milk paint shit mixed with his cum when I suck him off.” Brian was gratified by the shocked looked he managed to procure even from a fairly worldly man like Sydney Bloom. “But, I’m sure Justin would be happy to oblige you once the summer’s over. Which, since you seem so confident in his marketability, gives you roughly two months to get started on arranging a show for the boy. Once you’ve got it all set up, give me a call and I’ll donate my time and talent on the publicity side of things. Lindsey will give you my contact info and I’ll make sure Justin gets any messages you want to leave him, too.”

Both Sydney and Justin stared at Brian, minds boggling at his automatic assumptions but slowly coming to the conclusion that he just might have something. Sydney nodded and assured them he’d ‘look into it’. Justin simply beamed with pleasure at the incredible turn of events.

“See, Sunshine, playing with your dick can be not ONLY pleasurable but profitable too,” Brian teased as Sydney walked off to confer with Ted and Lindsey. “But you really are going to have to come up with some other technique for your masterpieces. That milk paint stuff makes your cum taste way too funky.”

“Sorry, Brian. But, sometimes you gotta suffer for your art, you know,” the young artist offered by way of explanation.

“Yeah, but I shouldn’t have to suffer for YOURS, Sunshine!” Brian bent to kiss the sweet, smiling, bubblegum pink lips to let his boy know he didn’t mean anything by the harsh words. “I’m really proud of you, though. That painting is gorgeous. I had no idea you were so talented . . . even outside of bed.”

“Hi there. Sorry to intrude,” Lindz tapped Brian on the shoulder before the make out session between the two men could get too far. “I’m Lindsey Peterson. I’m the manager at the Bloom Gallery,” she said, addressing her words towards the slight young man in her friend’s more brawny arms. “Sydney just told me about his idea to work up a show for you sometime in the fall or early winter. I think that’s a wonderful idea. If this painting is any evidence of your other work, I’m sure your art will sell like hotcakes.”

“Um, well, there isn’t really any ‘other work’, per se. I mean, I’ve got lots of sketches and a few paintings that I did in school, but that’s about all. This painting was special - I was inspired by the Challenge, I think.” Justin grinned up at Brian, who got all proprietorial and smirked at Lindsey like he was responsible for the artwork himself.

“Well, hmmm . . . I guess we’ll just have to hope that your inspiration stays this strong,” Lindz looked down her long, aristocratic nose at the boy after that, already dismissing him and his talent, and immediately turning her attention to Brian. “If you have a minute or two, Brian, I think we should talk. Maybe somewhere private?”

“Yeah, I don’t think so. First of all, there ISN’T anyplace private here - the cameras, remember,” Brian waved at the corner where another of the pervasive things was mounted. “And secondly, I’m not sure I want to be alone with you Lindz. I think it’s safer if I have at least one reliable witness.” Brian looked down at Justin who merely nodded his tacit promise that he was there if Brian needed him.

“Don’t be silly, Brian. You’re overreacting, as usual,” Lindsey sounded dismissive, as if her prior threat really wasn’t anything big.

“You fucking threatened to keep me away from my son, Lindsey. I don’t think I COULD overreact to that,” Brian’s voice reverberated throughout the room, turning a lot of heads.

“Brian! Please. We don’t need everyone here, not to mention a thousand horny queers on the internet, to know everything about our business.” Lindsey tried her best to hush her friend, but Brian was feeling particularly belligerent and would have just started shouting back at her if it wasn’t for the restraining hand on his arm.

“Brian, why don’t we go sit outside. Lindsey is right that you probably don’t want all your online fans listening in,” Justin proposed, his quiet manner doing more to calm Brian than anything else.

“Fine. Lead the way, Sunshine,” Brian agreed and turned to hold the door open, gesturing for the younger man to proceed them all out.

“I appreciate that you want to help, Justin,” Lindsey hesitated to follow behind the teen. “But this is a family matter and I really don’t think . . .”

“Fuck you, Lindsey. I trust Justin a hell of a lot more than I do YOU right now. So, if you want to talk, Sunshine stays.” Brian insisted as he spun around to follow Justin through the door, not bothering to wait and see if Lindsey would tag along.

Lindsey shook her head, wondering at the pet name, and trying to figure out what made this boy different from all Brian’s other tricks. Hadn’t Michael been ranting about some kid that was harassing Brian, following him around like a puppy and generally making a nuisance of himself? She wondered if this Justin was that kid. Of course, it didn’t really matter - she didn’t have any choice in the end and had to follow Brian and his little blond boy toy outside, regardless of the fact that she didn’t relish eating crow even in private, let alone in front of some ridiculously young blond fuck toy. But, she really didn’t have much choice considering that email she and Mel had received . . . Stiffening her spine and holding her head even higher than before, she steeled her nerves and followed Brian and his bit of fluff.

Going on the aggressive, Lindz was the first to speak as soon as the three of them were seated in the shade around a patio table with a big umbrella. “Brian, I want to apologize for the way that email I sent you came off. I know that it sounded pretty harsh, but that really wasn’t my intention,” Lindsey began spinning her retraction. “It was just that I’d had a really bad day. Our friends were kidding us about you being in this game and then that man had the audacity to approach us. It was just too much. I’m sorry that my email probably seemed a little over the top.”

“A little over the top?” Brian was incredulous at his friend’s deliberate understatement. “You fucking threatened to take legal steps to keep my son away from me if I didn’t drop out of this contest. That’s not just ‘a little over the top’, Lindsey. That was fucking brutal.”

“I’m sorry, Brian. Really. I guess I was a little harsh. But, I was just upset and you can’t fault me for trying to look out for Gus’ best interest. I had no idea you’d be so hurt, Brian,” Lindsey put on her best ‘sympathetic friend’ face and backed it up by laying her hand lightly on Brian’s forearm. “I couldn’t bear it if I was the reason there was some rift between you and Gus. I’m just so sorry. You know I hate seeing you sad, or upset, Brian. And, if it really means so much to you to stay in this silly competition, even if there ARE repercussions that might affect Gus, well . . . I just couldn’t do it, Brian. So, you do what you think best, Brian. I won’t say anything. I promise. No matter what happens. Okay?”

As Justin watched, Lindsey simpered and actually batted her long dark blond eyelashes at Brian in a manner reminiscent of some femme fatale of the silver screen. Justin had a very hard time restraining himself from rolling his eyes and screaming ‘BULLSHIT’ at the top of his lungs. He hoped that Brian wasn’t half as gullible as this manipulative woman thought him to be. How she managed to make it all sound like it was Brian’s fault that she was backing down, was truly impressive.

Brian looked like he was about to cave and meekly accept Lindsey’s sudden capitulation, probably with a side serving of guilt for making his old friend feel bad about trying to do the right thing for their son. Justin wasn’t about to let her get away with that shit, though. With an easily audible snort of derision, Justin matched Lindsey’s previous WASPy contempt and raised her one nastily sarcastic rejoinder.

“Gee, Lindsey. That is so nice of you. I love how you’re so unconcerned about how people think of you and your family that you’d be willing to overlook that someone you have a relationship with has done porn. That’s a really refreshing outlook. And, even better, that you’re so willing to admit you were wrong in the first place without Brian having to do anything to get you to come around. That shows such maturity,” Justin commented blithely, secretly thrilled at the way Lindsey turned slightly red at the direct hit, but outwardly just as polite and cheery as if he was sitting around chatting at the Country Club rather than lounging naked by the pool of a Porn Palace.

Brian, who didn’t quite know what was up between his innocent-looking blond boy and Lindsey, nevertheless saw that Justin was making his old friend squirm. Justin’s comments raised a red flag - Lindsey never backed down about shit like this so easily. There had to be something he’d missed. He made a mental note to pry loose the story out of Justin later. In the meantime, it was poetic justice that Lindsey ended up on the hot seat today instead of him.

“Wow, Sunshine. I didn’t think it was possible to Out-WASP Lindsey. That’s impressive,” Brian’s mocking praise earned him a luminous smile from the boy and a prudish frown from the mother of his child. “I’m glad you’re not pressing this, Lindsey. You know I’d never do anything to hurt Gus, though. And, in spite of the fact that you don’t approve of this,” Brian waved his hand around to indicate the totality of their current surroundings, “if I win, I can assure you that Gus will benefit as much as anyone else.”

“I know that, Brian. I just don’t want Gus to have to deal with any fallout over this situation,” Lindsey persisted, still putting on the concerned mother front.

“Well, seeing as how your son is, what, not even one yet,” Justin insinuated himself into the conversation before Lindsey had a chance to back track, “I’d say that HE’S not the one likely to be affected by any ‘fallout’. He can’t even talk yet, right? So, saying you’re doing all this for your son is a bit disingenuous, isn’t it? And, by the time Gus is old enough to understand anything about sex, I’m sure that anything his parents’ have done either now or before he was born will have long blown over. I think it’s great that you’re so concerned about GUS, but I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”

Again, Justin’s smiling and polite delivery of this cutting remark was so courteously condescending that Brian almost broke out laughing. However, Brian thought it was wise to break up this little WASP-fest before the two blonds became more embroiled. He didn’t look forward to the hair-pulling and slapping that would likely ensue.

“Enough, Lindsey,” Brian interrupted when it looked like the aggrieved woman was about to shoot off a wicked come back. “Leave it. As long as you’re backing off and not going to try to manipulate me into conforming to your ideas of what’s morally upstanding by using my son against me, there’s nothing more to discuss. Now, if you don’t mind, I’ve got a lot of fucking to catch up on since your little art expo interrupted my morning plans. So you’d better scurry off now unless you want to watch.”

“Brian. That’s not fair. I would never try to manipulate you . . .” Lindsey started to protest, always having to maintain the appearance of propriety even when she’d been caught red-handed.

“Drop it, Lindz. I’m already bored with this conversation.” Turning to Justin, Brian mentally dismissed the vexatious woman. “So, Sunshine. I’ve got a waxing appointment in fifteen minutes. You wanna return the favor with my Tenga?”

“Sounds fun. Lead the way, Brian,” Justin chuckled and started walking back towards the house, with Brian right behind him, effectively dismissing Lindsey and all her protests of innocence.

“I’m just going to say this once, Brian, and then I promise not to ever mention it again,” Justin added as they walked side by side into the Residence. “She’s a bitch.”

Brian didn’t think it diplomatic to respond to that assertion. He didn’t disagree with the kid. Well, not at this precise moment, at least. But, he didn’t have to SAY anything. He just reached one arm around the boy’s waist and gave a squeeze. Justin was a smart little fucker - he’d understand.

By the time Brian had finished with his waxing appointment it was time for lunch. He and Justin had used their Tenga time well and were thoroughly relaxed and happy as they emerged from the spa area after their appointments. Brian was happy that he’d talked Justin out of getting a haircut, citing the fact that he needed more of a handhold on Justin’s hair when he was giving head. Justin had simply shaken his head with a solicitous smile and graciously given in to Brian’s request - getting only a trim instead of a full cut - and loving the idea that Brian cared about how long his hair was or that he was thinking ahead to how a full handful of hair would feel when they fucked a couple of months from now.

As they were just emerging from the room where the spa services where set up, Brian and Justin saw Daniel and the waxing tech who’d been servicing Brian earlier walking down the hall together, their heads bent close together as they whispered something that would undoubtedly be impossible to catch on the standard Residence mics. Justin was about to call out to the pair when Brian put his fingers across the boy’s lips to hush him. Neither Daniel nor the tech had noticed the pair tagging along behind them and Brian hoped to keep it that way. Quietly inching up behind the two, Brian was able to hone in on at least the tail end of the conversation.

“Yeah, your brother came through. Thanks for that. I’ve got you covered for at least the next two weeks,” the unnamed tech whispered.

“Great! I really needed this. I’ve got to get ready for that tourney in September. This stupid fuck-fest is taking up a lot of my training time, but with the juice at least I’ll still be in top condition when I get out of here. Thanks.” Daniel responded, the ball gag he was supposed to be wearing carried in his hand for the time being.

Unfortunately, Brian didn’t see anything resembling a handoff of drugs happening right there in the corridor. He knew Daniel was using. He just couldn’t prove it. Where the fuck was he hiding the shit? If Brian could only find it, their Daniel problems would be solved.

“Same time in two weeks?” Daniel asked the tech as they parted ways at the top of the stairs.

“Yeah. Provided your brother comes through again,” the tech replied with an evil grin as he headed down the staircase towards the main level and Daniel headed off to his own - now private - room.

Brian and Justin paused in the door to the spa room and watched the two separate. “Fuck. How is he getting the drugs delivered? I know he’s using and that asswipe is probably his supplier, but how is he doing it and where is he hiding the shit?” Brian voiced his questions as soon as the tech had descended far enough down the stairs to be out of earshot.

Justin didn’t have any answers. If only they could figure out Daniel’s supply chain . . .  But it didn’t look like they’d be solving that riddle today. And, at least the Daniel problem seemed to be controlled at the moment even if he was still doing the steroids.

With an unsatisfied huff, Brian led Justin back down to the ground floor and the pair headed off towards the patio for the promised 4th of July Barbeque. The scent of roasted meat led them unerringly towards the far side of the patio where a huge smoker had been set up with a whole pig roasting over the coals, liberally coated with Sweet Baby Ray’s bbq sauce. Fuck, the smell was intoxicating!

The yard was filled with people. Not just the House Boys, but all Ted’s employees were there, including most of the masked servants that had been servicing the game so far. It was revealing to see them all without the standard issue masks. Brian had long enjoyed the eye candy that Ted had incorporated and now was more than happy to see the unmasked versions. It turned out that at least two of them were men Brian recognized - and had probably fucked - from the local clubs. Which was a reassuring, and at the same time disconcerting, revelation.

Brian steered his blond boy toy clear of that pack, not sure why his instincts were telling him to avoid that group, but obeying them nonetheless.  Instead, he headed over towards where Kerek was sitting, aside from the rest, enjoying the new cell phone that Ted had delivered to him earlier in the day. Brian seated his salivating blond boy on the nearest lounge chair and then tucked himself behind the kid while they waited for the food to be served up.

“Yeah! I know, right?” Kerek sounded jazzed as he talked to whoever was on the other end of the phone conversation. “I miss you, though . . . Hey, your Cupcake just walked over. Want to say hello?” Kerek held the phone out to a wondering Justin, who accepted the proffered device with a raised brow.

“Hello?” Brian watched Justin’s face light up with that indescribable luminescence that the boy seemed to exude when he was truly happy. “Dane? Wow! It’s so good to hear your voice . . .”

Brian patiently waited for several minutes while listening to the one-sided conversation between the Cupcake and the Giant. From what he could hear, it sounded like the big oaf was doing okay and that his grandmother would pull through, although it would be a long recovery period and she definitely wouldn’t be up to taking care of a rambunctious teenaged boy in the meantime. Brian hoped the gentle giant would be okay even without the money he might have garnered if he’d stayed in the Summer of Sin competition.

“Yeah, I’ll tell Brian you said ‘Hi’,” Justin replied into the phone with a surreptitious look at the man in question. “You just take care of yourself and your brother. We’ll be okay . . . All right. We should get together whenever I get out of here . . . Yeah, sounds good. Here’s Kerek again,” Justin handed the phone back to its owner with a big smile for the happily grinning black man.

“So, how’s your number one fan, Cupcake,” Brian asked, as soon as his boy’s focus was back on the present.

“He’s good. His grandmother is recovering, but it’ll be a long haul. He’s hooked up with the construction firm he was working for before though, so at least he and Theo will be okay in the meantime. It’s just too bad that he had to drop out of the game. He’s really way too smart to work construction. He should do something with his writing skills, you know,” Justin, the empathetic one, was all over the Dane tragedy.

“We’ll see. When I get out of here, I might be able to do something . . . Assuming I don’t get fired before the summer is over, of course,” Brian offered, trying to sound jocular over the prospect of his Boss calling his bluff.

“Losing your job?” Justin pounced on the one topic that Brian didn’t want to broach.

“Well, that’s what he’s threatening. He doesn’t really have grounds for it, though, since I have a written sabbatical agreement. But, then again, when did a contract ever stop a straight guy from firing a fag?” Brian tried to sound unconcerned but he didn’t quite manage it.

Justin looked up at his companion with a worried frown but didn’t say anything further. Brian was grateful that he wouldn’t have to deal with that subject just yet. He’d hoped it wouldn’t have to be dealt with at all, but knew that there were still two long months left to the summer and Marty Ryder was already getting antsy, so it wasn’t really likely that he’d get that long of a reprieve. At least the Lindsey issue had been dealt with satisfactorily today.

Luckily, before the antsy blond could voice his concerns, the cooks manning the pig roast announced that the food was ready. His hungry little teenaged twink was up out of the chair like lightning and heading towards the food with a spot of drool already leaking out of the the corner of his pretty pink lips. Fuck, Brian really loved the kid’s enthusiasm about everything. It was so refreshing. Even lunch was a huge turn on for the kid. Which was, in turn, the biggest turn on Brian had ever experienced. This enforced intimacy was really doing strange things to his mind if he was now thinking that the kid’s bottomless appetite was now an erotic experience. Strange, but somehow not at all unwelcomed. But Brian wasn’t going to think about that right now, he was just going to enjoy the sensual way the blond Cupcake was delving into his food and hope that sometime soon those lips would be employed on something much firmer than a pork sandwich.

After the crew had devoured - and then slept off - the huge BBQ lunch, the group reassembled in the Greatroom as usual for the evening challenge. Everyone was acting a little lethargic after a long holiday of food and relaxation, and most of the boys were just lolling on the couch when Brian and Justin came downstairs after their own 'nap time' activities. As always, the television was showing more porn, but by this point all of them had become so inured to the sight that it really had just become background noise more than anything. None of them seemed aroused by the images at all today. Brian could only hope that this strange immunity would wear off after they left the Residence in the fall.

What was more disturbing to Brian than his newfound indifference to porn, was the sight of the equipment that had been brought in and set up at the far end of the Greatroom for the evening's challenge. Two long wooden benches had been brought in - the kind you'd typically see in a gym locker room. Along the lengths of these benches were an assortment of six dildos of various shapes and sizes, each suction-cupped into place so they were all standing tall. All of them were on the large side, though. And, in honor of the holiday, they were all either red, white or blue in color. Very festive, of course, but NOT really what Brian wanted to see.

"Dildos, huh? That shouldn't be too tough," Justin commented from where he was standing next to Brian. The boy moved closer to check out the toy selection and whistled, "they're kinda big, though, aren't they? I mean, look at that red monster over there. I wonder who gets which?"

"Fuck!" The edgy tone in Brian's voice immediately grabbed Justin's attention. When he looked up at the supremely confident man he'd come to know so well, he was a little shocked to see the worried look and evident agitation distorting the handsome face. Brian was just staring at the benches and frowning while the fingers of his right hand beat out a nervous rhythm against his thigh. Seeing Big Bad Brian that visibly upset over something so relatively minor was disconcerting, to say the least.

"Brian? What's wrong?" Justin whispered, moving closer to the bigger man so he could lay a reassuring hand on his arm.

"Nothing," Brian responded automatically. The squeeze from the hand on his biceps told him that the concerned blond boy didn't buy his insincere denial. "It's nothing, really. I just don't . . . Usually I wouldn't . . . I mean, I do, or at least I HAVE, of course but . . ." This disjointed, stammering non-reply was even more worrisome to Justin than the twitchy look on Brian's face. He quickly pulled Brian aside to the far corner of the room where they could talk without being overheard.

"Tell me, Brian. What is it? If there's a problem, we don't have much time to fix it before they come out to start the challenge. You're going to have to just tell me," Justin quietly demanded.

"You know I don't bottom," Brian stated flatly, and Justin nodded. "Even this," he pointed towards the array of waiting toys, "is . . . Well, let's just say it's a little outside my comfort range. Especially like this, with everybody watching . . ." Brian swallowed nervously again and looked back apprehensively at the row of standing toys as if they were a firing squad. "I don't like . . . I like to be in control, you know. This . . . Fuck! It's not like I didn't know it was coming. Ted warned me at the start, and I thought . . . Shit! Okay. Okay, I can handle this. I just won't think about it. Stop being a pussy, Kinney."

While Justin watched, still confused, Brian took a deep breath, straightened his spine and wiped his face of all expression. It was almost like someone took an eraser and just scrubbed the tall man's entire demeanor blank. The unexplained nervous wreck of a moment before was gone in an instant. This man now standing in front of Justin was the same confident, self-assured, sexually experienced Brian that Justin thought he knew. But now he also knew that it was just a mask. He'd had one brief glimpse behind the facade - which was telling in and of itself, since Justin was sure that very few people were ever allowed to see Brian's composure slip like that - but that was all. Now all he could see was the snarky, imperturbable Brian Kinney that nothing could phase. The only Brian that everyone else ever saw.

Justin didn't get a chance to say anything further or ask Brian to explain, though, because two masked servants entered the room right at that moment. The House Boys were immediately called to assemble for their Challenge. Justin followed Brian with his eyes as the now composed man moved away from him, assiduously avoiding all eye contact with the shaken boy. With his ‘Stud’ mask in place, nobody would know that underneath Brian wasn’t exactly his usual calm, cool and collected self.

The Master's announcement of the challenge was short and sweet. Tonight's game was called 'Size Matters'. The boys were supposed to pick a toy and go to town. The winning team from the day before got to choose first and the others would have to make do with whatever was left. The winner would be judged by the website's viewers in an online poll later that evening, so they were advised to put on the best show they could.

When The Master had signed off, they all stood around for a minute contemplating their options. While the Big Red toy with its six graduated bulbs was clearly the biggest option, none of the dildos on offer were exactly small. There was a super-long thin blue one that wasn’t too thick but had some interesting ridges. There was also a nice standard white model that was only about eight inches long that looked doable. The others offered were mostly just variations on these three.

Before anyone made a move to select their toy, however, Brian gestured for them all to gather around him in a tight circle. “I know we’re supposed to be competing, but I have an idea that, provided we can all cooperate, would definitely stun the viewers. You guys game?” When most everyone nodded, Brian started in with his plan. “Who’s up for the Big Red Rocket over there?” he asked, and was surprised when Malik was the one who spoke up first. “Ok, he’s all yours, Mal. Just don’t hurt yourself. Justin, I think you’ll enjoy the long blue one - it’s a jelly model so it’ll be nice and flexible. Daniel and I, as tops, will take the two smaller white ones. Kerek and Paal, are you ok with the other two?” Brian quickly organized everything and then whispered the rest of his plan to the boys who all grinned at his big idea.

When everything was ordered the way Brian wanted, the conference broke up and they each moved to their assigned station. With all of them lined up in a row like that it was pretty impressive. Once the lube was distributed and the toys prepped, they all looked to Brian who nodded and, as one, the entire group lowered themselves, each onto their individual toys. There was a lot of groaning, especially from the center left position where Mal was slowly fighting the Big Red Beast. It took Mal longer than the rest to get himself comfortable - he had to contend with over ten inches of length and that last bulb was over nine inches around, plus he was NOT a big guy to start with, but he was persistent. With a little verbal encouragement from his housemates, who were all patiently waiting for him, the little chocolate twinkie eventually took that Big Red Rocket in stride.

And, once they were all mounted, Brian gave the signal and they all started riding. Instead of just going at it randomly, however, at Brian’s suggestion, they tried to match their paces - rising and sinking in synchronicity like a well ordered team. The ‘A’ Team. Only, in this case, the ‘A’ stood for their well-stretched assholes.

Since the two benches were angled slightly, they were all able to see each other pretty well, which helped them to keep to the same pace. Justin was also able to keep his eye on Brian. The big stud still had that disturbingly blank look on his face, but at least he wasn’t showing any visible signs of distress. Whatever had so tweaked him earlier, he was apparently blocking it out pretty effectively. Justin was relieved enough that he was able to relax a bit and after a while he started to get into the spirit of the evening a little better.

From the look of things, most of the other boys were getting into the game as well. When everyone looked like they were ready, Brian gave the word and they all began to stroke themselves off as well. As several of them got closer and closer to their climax, Brian started talking to them all - telling one to hold back a bit, and encouraging another on.

Remembering the telling comment Brian had voiced a few minutes earlier about how he ‘liked to be in control’, Justin thought that maybe this was just the thing his man needed to keep himself in check - by controlling the entire challenge like this he was, in essence counteracting whatever loss of control he apparently felt at using the dildos in a public setting like this. Justin was sure that nobody else would get that. All the others would see was the way the man liked to finesse and control everything around him. But Justin was onto him now and could see that even his apparent sexual expertise was just another way to let him stay comfortably in control.

Finally, after several minutes, Malik - who had been struggling with that Big Red monster that was almost too much for him - seemed to have reached the same arousal level as the rest of the group. Or at least it seemed that way from the very vocal moaning coming from his section of the bench. Brian looked around the assembly and judged that everyone was getting pretty close to climaxing. Now, if he could work this just right . . .

“All right, Boys. You’re all looking beautiful. Who’s ready to wow our viewing public?” Brian shouted above the sounds of the mounting moans and grunts of pleasure. There was a responsive round of groans which Brian took as indication that all were ready. “Ten, nine, eight . . .” Brian began the Countdown to Climax. Several furiously pumping fists sped up and the rising and falling tempo got a little ragged, but still it was a glorious sight. The servants who’d been watching from the corner were all hard as rocks just from watching. Brian hoped that all the viewers online were feeling just the same.

“Come on, now, Boys! It’s time. Three, two, one . . . YEEEEEE HAWWWWW!” Brian screamed out the final words as he succumbed to his own orgasm and let fly a lovely ribbon of thick, white cum that shot out onto the floorboards as he sank down on the dildo for the final time.

And, whatever it was - the countdown, Brian’s vocalization at his own release, the pungent scent of sex in the air, or just the contagious excitement of the moment - but within mere seconds, all of the other boys reached their own glorious climaxes. Streamers of cum shot out in unison accompanied by an erotic chorus of groans. Out in cyberspace, several viewers had spontaneous orgasms just from watching without even touching themselves. The two servants in the corner creamed their leather jock straps. All in all, it was a more than satisfactory cum-clusion to the evening.

Everyone later agreed that it was way better end to the holiday than fireworks.