Maverick Cattle Company - 2. Chapter 2

Mitch walked into the kitchen and was stopped by the disaster area in front of him. Darrin had decided to make Josh a cake for his 18^th birthday and it looked like the flour sack had exploded. Mitch's soft chuckle caught Darrin's attention as he struggled to clean up the mess.

"You so better not be laughing. Or you can get your ass over here and help," said Darrin.

"Oh, no thanks. I think I'm good."

"Whatever," muttered Darrin as he tried to wipe up the sticky mess. He motioned to the chocolate cake on the table. "What'd you think?"

Mitch moved to the huge pile of presents, walked around it and checked out the cake. As he looked over the table, he reminisced about the past few months with Josh. Although he still had his moments of insecurity, he had progressed so far from the beaten child in an adult sized body that he was initially. While Mitch had his doubts at first, he had to admit Josh had become a valuable addition to the ranch. . . the kid worked his ass off. Mitch gave Darrin most of the credit for getting Josh to relax around them. He was a master at subtle comments that told Josh that he was a valued addition.

In mid-thought the aroma of warm chocolate tantalized his senses and his recollections faded. His mouth watering from the delicious smell, Mitch checked to make sure Darrin wasn't watching and ran his finger through the icing on one side. As he was licking his finger clean, Darrin looked up and realized what he had done.

"Damn it, Mitch! You can fix it now, asshole!" yelled Darrin as he tossed Mitch the can of icing.

Mitch popped open the container and repaired his damage with the table knife he'd fished from the drawer. Watching Darrin finish clean up while he ate icing from the container, an ornery smile crept across his face. Mitch plunged his finger into the container, coating it with thick chocolate icing. When Darrin moved within range, Mitch's hand flashed out and he smeared icing across Darrin's nose, down to his chin.

Darrin froze for a second and then exploded. "You fucking asshole! Now you've made a bigger mess. I can't fucking believe you did that." Before Darrin could continue his tirade, Mitch leaned in and ran his tongue over Darrin's lips.

"Umm, tastes yummy."

Darrin looked at him in disbelief and then started laughing. "Damn it, Mitch. Sometimes you piss me off so much."

"Someone has to loosen you up," replied Mitch with a chuckle.

Mitch cupped Darrin's neck in his hand. Carefully he mixed quick licks at the icing with soft kisses. Just as Darrin was relaxing from the attention, they heard the slam of a pickup door. Jumping apart, Darrin grabbed a wet cloth and wiped the last of the icing from his face. He managed to finish cleaning himself and tossed the towel into the sink as the front door swung open.

Josh looked first at Mitch, then at Darrin and smiled. "Jeez! You two. Can't you give it a rest occasionally."

"Nope!" said Mitch with a twinkle in his eyes. "Did you get all the stuff on the list?" asked Mitch.

As he watched Josh drop the bags on the counter he noted again the changes in Josh that had been forged in their time together. His comfortable teasing and shy smile had been hard won but Mitch was glad Josh was doing better. He realized the boy was even gaining muscle on what had been a very lean frame. All the solid food and hard work was giving Josh a body that a lot of gay boys would envy, or lust after. As Josh answered him, he mentally shook himself thinking he was too young to be drifting off like that during a conversation. With a smile he brought himself back to the discussion.

"Yeah, but I had to go all over Lawton to find it all. And those damn army boys are everywhere," said Josh.

"Yeah, they're hot aren't they," said Darrin with a smile.

"No!" stammered Josh, "They're in my way. Like ants."

"Smoking hot ants," said Mitch.

Josh started to argue but realized from experience that they were teasing him. Then he saw the table piled with presents and his jaw dropped. He walked over and surveyed the display and then looking at Mitch and Darrin with glistening eyes.

"These're mine?" asked Josh.

"Know anyone else whose birthday is today?" said Darrin with a smile.

Josh tearfully looked first at Darrin and then Mitch, overwhelmed with emotion. He hadn't expected anything for his birthday. A roof over his head and food in his belly were all the presents he needed. The main event his 18^th birthday marked for him was he was no longer a minor. That meant he didn't have to worry about Human Services showing up to take him to a group home. With that weight lifted he had already had a great day. And yes, the eye candy around Ft. Sill didn't hurt anything. But he wasn't going to give Mitch anything new to tease him about. He already gave him a ton of crap. But Josh had finally realized that Mitch only teased people he liked, so it was a good thing. His eyes drifted back to the table crowded with gifts. He was simply speechless as he looked over it all. Mitch smiled at him and motioned him.

"Come on, birthday boy," said Mitch. "Yes, we got you a few things. But it's not a big deal. You've been working for practically nothing."

"No, you're feeding me and helping with sh . . .stuff," said Josh as the tears began to gather again.

"Go on," Darrin said as he nudged Josh forward.

Josh stood and quietly looked over the table packed with gifts and the cake again. Looking up he saw Mitch threatened to run his finger through the frosting and Darrin's scowl in response. As a smile broke across his face, he heard a small gasp come from Mitch.

"Oh crap," said Mitch with a knowing smile. "I forgot the candles."

With that Mitch whisked the cake back to the kitchen and then retrieved a small plastic box from the bedroom. With his back to Darrin and Josh, he quickly arranged the candles and lit them. Carrying the now burning cake back to the table, he stopped the conversation as he approached. Josh was the first to get a good look at the candles, and turned crimson. Darrin looked from Josh's bright red face to the cake and just shook his head.

"Oh crap, Mitch," said Darrin with an embarrassed moan.

Setting the cake carefully down, Mitch stepped back to enjoy the effect. He grinned at the 18 little wax cocks that were burning on Josh's cake. He looked at Darrin and Josh, completely enjoying his adolescent humor. Mitch gleefully nodded in Josh's direction.

"Well! Are you going to blow them or not," said Mitch with a chuckle while Darrin moaned at his dig at Josh.

"Josh, please blow them out so we can open presents," said Darrin with sigh.

Josh leaned in close and blew out the candles. Mitch relented slightly, pulled the tiny dildos from the frosting and took them back into the kitchen. Darrin watched him for a few seconds and realized Mitch was washing them off and putting them back in the box. He lifted one eyebrow and glared at his back.

"I don't want to see those again on my cake, mister," said Darrin.

Mitch's only reply was a soft chuckle. Wiping his hands he moved back to the table and looked at Josh.

"Well! You gonna open 'em or not?" asked Mitch with a smile.

Josh grinned at them both and grabbed the first package. Opening it slowly to prolong the anticipation, he discovered several pairs of new jeans inside.

"Thanks guys! I needed some decent jeans. My old ones are full of holes."

"Yeah," said Darrin with a smile, "We'd noticed."

Josh sat aside the first present and began working his way through the others. By the time only two remained he had a pile of shirts, jeans and underwear. Mitch and Darrin had agreed that clothes were what he needed most, so they had worked together to make certain he got everything he needed.

Josh picked up the smaller of the two packages and shook it, wondering what it was. Looking at the tag he saw it was from Mitch, which made him a little nervous. He had long ago gotten comfortable with the idea of Mitch and Darrin as a couple, but Mitch still pushed his boundaries a little too far sometimes. The birthday candles were a good example. But he flashed Mitch a smile and started opening the present. As the paper and tape parted he realized what it was. By the time it was open, Josh's face was, again, red as a beet. Without looking at either man, his eyes were fixed on the box of condoms. Mitch reached over, gently took his chin and turned him so their eyes met.

"This isn't a gag gift. It's to keep you safe and alive. And later we'll have a talk about when and how to use them. Whenever you need more just let me know. I won't ask questions, so you don't have to be embarrassed. And it doesn't mean you have to do anything, it just means you're prepared."

Josh nodded, knowing Mitch was right. "Thank you," he almost whispered.

After a few quiet minutes Josh realized he had one more gift, this one from Darrin. Hesitant at what it might contain after Mitch's gift, he slowly opened the package. As he peeled off the paper to reveal the box underneath, he looked at Darrin.

"Is that really what's in it?" asked Josh.

"Yup, new boots. I thought you could use a pair."

"Damn," whispered Josh without realizing he had cussed. He opened the box and smiled. With the smell of new leather surrounding him, Josh slowly traced his finger over the stitching on the uppers. These were not the cheap work boots he'd had most of his life. These were well made and beautiful. The kind of boots that would last for decades if you took care of them, and were very expensive.

Josh looked Darrin, "They're beautiful. Thank you so much, but they're too much."

Darrin waved away his hesitancy, "Nope, it's your 18^th birthday. It's about time you had a good pair of boots."

Josh shrugged and smiled as he stared at his new boots. Remembering Mitch, he turned and grinned, "Thank you too, Mitch."

Both men nodded in acknowledgment and then stacked the presents to the side for Josh to take to his room later. Sitting back down at the table they started cutting into the birthday cake. Josh ran his fork along the side, gathering up the thick frosting and slipping it into his mouth. After Mitch topped each piece off with a huge scoop of ice cream, Josh settled in to enjoy his dessert. The sounds of contentment had all the hallmarks of a successful family event. Mitch and Darrin caught each other's eyes several times, recognizing their evening was a winner. After the table was cleaned and the gifts safely stored in Josh's room, Darrin watched as Mitch and Josh played video games. As the night stretched well past midnight, Darrin found himself yawning more and more often.

"I think it's time for me to hit the hay. I teach in the morning so I need some rest. Unlike you two worthless bums."

Mitch nodded, "Yeah, I'm ready too. I'm getting too old to play video games all night. I'm about to crash."

"Ah, come on! Don't be a wuss. Just one more game, Mitch," begged Josh.

"Sorry bud, but I'm tired. I'll whip your ass tomorrow night."

The pair moved off to their bedroom while Josh finished his game and then headed to his own bed. He drifted slowly to sleep, replaying the events of the evening through his head. As Josh fell into a deep sleep, he drifted off thinking about the pair.

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A singular hand emerged from the mist and softly touched Josh's bare nipple. As the shock waves of pleasure rolled through his body he felt a second hand rubbing his other nipple. As his eyes adjusted to the faint light of his fantasy he could see Mitch and Darrin on either side of him. He licked his lips at the sight of their tight muscular bodies and packed underwear. His body trembled as he felt their fingertips gently glide down the sides of his bare chest. Josh panted with lust as Darrin leaned down, taking his nipple between his teeth and gentle chewing on it. At the same time he was still distantly aware of Mitch's rough hands stroking the sparse hair on his legs. He felt Darrin's teeth release his nipple. Josh's areolas hardened even more as the cool night breeze wafted over them. He let out an audible gasp when Darrin's hot tongue moved back in and started lashing each nipple.

Josh refocused on Mitch when he leaned forward and gently blew into his ear. The warm caress of his masculine breath caused a faint moan to escape from Josh. When Mitch's lips slowly kissed the rim of his ear, Josh's body began shaking with delight. He could feel his cock straining against the supple fabric of his new briefs. Crystal clear juice pumped from his cock and soaked the fabric. His head already swimming from the stimulation, Josh froze in place when he felt Mitch's tender kisses move lower and slowly trailed along his jaw. His lips stopped just before contacting Josh's tender mouth and Mitch whispered, "Do you want to know what it feels like to kiss a man, Josh? Do you want to know how hot it will make you to feel a man's lips pressed against yours?"

"Yes. Please. I'm so ready," Josh whispered.

With that invitation Josh felt Mitch press his passion inflamed lips against his own. Mitch's rough face left a trail of heat as it passed over Josh's almost hairless cheeks. Josh gasped at the new sensations as his body shuddered with desire. He melted as he felt the tip of Mitch's tongue touch the union of his lips, opening them slightly to allow the intruder to enter.

Suddenly Josh's focus shifted back to Darrin, his wet nipple again exposed to air when Darrin moved down the bed and began kissing his inner thigh. He could feel Darrin's hot breath as it caressed his aching nuts. His cock convulsed with each swipe of tongue over the tender skin of his inner thigh. Josh froze as he felt Darrin's lips press against the tight fabric covering his nuts, blowing his hot breath over them. At the same time, Mitch had thrust his tongue deep into Josh's mouth. The combination broke Josh's gossamer thin control.

"Oh fuck! I'm coming! Shit, I'm coming!" yelled Josh.

Mitch reached down and worked Josh's nipples as the first massive wave erupted from his slit. The thick white cream jetted through the enclosing fabric. As the men muttered encouragement, Josh's over-stimulated body emptied round after round of cum into his briefs. Soon they were saturated and the excess was trickling down his leg. As the last of his load oozed from his cock, his slender body relaxed.

"Nice job, boy. You really soaked 'em," muttered Mitch.

Darrin reached up and pulled Josh's drenched briefs off and held them to his face. While he inhaled the scent of boy cum he kneaded his own swollen cock through his stretched jock. Looking at Josh's soft cock nestled in his patch of dark pubic hair, Darrin took a last sniff of the briefs and tossed them to the floor. Leaning in he sucked Josh's softening cock into his hot mouth and began licking it clean. Josh thrashed under the new stimulation until his tender dick couldn't take any more.

"No, stop, please. Fuck, it's sensitive," said Josh, almost squealing.

Darrin took one last lick before releasing the flaccid member. "We'll give you a few minutes to recover before the final event then," said Darrin with a smile.

Josh watched as Darrin crooked his finger a few times at Mitch. They moved together over Josh and passionately kissed. Josh watched avidly as their tongues attacked and retreated in a war for supremacy. Soon they had gripped each other in a passionate embrace as they explored their bodies. They broke with an audible gasp, stripping and then moving back to the bed. This time they lay beside Josh and sucked in each other's hard cocks in a hot 69. The sight of two hot and hairy men sucking on each other soon had Josh stroking his reviving cock.

Josh could see Darrin watching as he jerked off. As his hand stroked up and down his now hard cock, he watched Darrin coat Mitch's dick with spit. He let the thick cock slide almost out and then tongued Mitch's slit, smiling at Josh he let Mitch's cock go with a soft pop.

"Come here, Josh. I want to munch on some boy butt," said Darrin with a low growl.

Bodies shifted until Josh was squatting over Darrin's face, exposing his dark pink eye. Josh sighed with pleasure as the tip of Darrin's tongue wiggled against his hole. He watched Mitch lift his lover's legs and started eating out Darrin's hairy ass at the same time. He moaned with passion as Darrin's hot tongue explored the folds of tender skin leading to his pucker. Josh braced against the muscular chest under him and rode the waves of pleasure as Darrin's tongue danced across his hole. Looking down he saw Mitch's eyes glint with delight as he opened Darrin's hole. Soon Josh's felt his need building, and Darrin responded by burying his tongue deep inside of Josh.

"Oh! God yes! Tongue my tight hole. Fuck yes!"

"You like that don't you, you little fucker. You need some man cock inside your tight pink hole," said Mitch.

"Fuck yes. I need my hole pounded," grunted out Josh.

Darrin's hands clasped down on Josh's ass cheeks and pulled them further apart. His fingers slowly began stretching Josh's virgin ass, getting him ready for the main event. Between Darrin's hot thick tongue and his wet nimble fingers Josh could feel his butt relax and open. Soon Josh felt two fingers sliding in his clenching hole. Wanting more he started pressing his ass down, craving what Darrin was giving him. Darrin buried his fingers deep inside of Josh's ass and twisted them back and forth.

"Yeah, I think you're ready, cowboy. Wanna ride some cock?" said Darrin with a sneer.

Josh nodded, unable to put thought into speech. He watched Darrin move to the center of the bed and Josh knelt over his hard dick. Mitch grabbed Darrin's cock and helped aim it's dripping head at Josh's hole. A rumbling moan erupted from Darrin when his hot glans touched Josh's tight hole. Josh gasped as his hole stretched when he pressed down and the invader entered his ass. The touch of pain that flashed as Darrin breeched his ass only served to accentuate the pleasure. After a brief pause, Josh started riding up and down on the thick man cock that filled his bowels. With his own throbbing dick swinging up and down from the powerful motion, he rode his first cock.

As his pleasure mounted, Josh felt a rough hand on the back of his head pulling him forward. His eyes flew open and he saw Mitch's dark red cockhead just before it touched his lips. Opening his mouth, the dripping cock was slowly shoved to the back of his throat. Gagging with his first attempt, he quickly picked up the technique. Mitch pinned Josh's face between his rugged hands as he skull fucked him. The powerful lovemaking of the trio had the bed banging against the wall. Josh's head was swimming as he heard Darrin calling his name over and over again as the bed almost exploded with their passion. The pounding was louder and louder, and finally . . .

Josh woke from his dream as his cock exploded and Darrin opened the door. Josh's body locked, helpless to stop his orgasm. The first blast trailed across his face as Darrin's eyes became as large as saucers.

"Oh shit, man!" said Darrin. "I didn't . . . I'm sorry, oh fuck!" With that Darrin turned and fled the room. He walked back in the living room, his face bright red.

"Did you finally get his ass up?" asked Mitch.

"Oh, he's up. He's very up."

Mitch looked at Darrin with a quizzical look on his face.

"I walked in on the end of a really good wet dream," explained Darrin, his face reddening even further at the thought.

"No shit? Oh my god, that's hilarious," said Mitch, trying to stifle a giggle.

"Don't you dare! Not one word to him. I can't take him going back to being mute," scolded Darrin.

Mitch chuckled and brought his coffee to his lips. He watched as Darrin started putting breakfast on the table. As he and Mitch sat down to eat, a reticent Josh came to the table. His wet hair a sign of the quick shower he'd taken. He ate slowly but refused to lift his eyes from his plate. Finally breakfast ended and Mitch headed out the door to work on the corrals. Josh sat for a few minutes before finally looking at Darrin.

"I'm real sorry. It won't happen again. I can't believe . . ."

Darrin stopped Josh with a motion. "Yes, it probably will happen again. You're 18 and full of . . . testosterone. It's nothing to worry about, and it's perfectly normal. I'm sorry I walked in on you though."

A weak chuckle leaked from Josh's lips. "Yeah, that couldn't have been much worse timing."

Darrin laughed and shook his head. "Nope, not much. Now come on, lets see what back breaking work Mitch has in store for us today." Darrin paused and then continued, "And Josh, if Mitch gives you crap just ignore him. I'd say ask him how many wet dreams he's had, but he'd probably give you a detailed account of each one."

Josh nodded and smiled slight, amazed that he had ended up in the care of these two great guys.

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Darrin was happily putting the final notes on the exams he was grading. He had hoped to leave a little early today, without his usual pile of work to do at home. Just as he was dotting the final "i", he heard the smack of boot heels that he had come to associate with Kevin Boorman. So far they had managed to avoid each other, and Darrin was fine with that. He didn't think Boorman was stupid enough to start the taunts again but he wasn't completely sure. He braced himself for what could be an ugly confrontation just as he appeared in Darrin's doorway. Darrin was surprised to see a student in tow behind Boorman though.

Darrin met Boorman's eyes until he looked away. With a smirk at his small victory, he asked the obvious. "Hello, Kevin. What can I do for you?"

Boorman grabbed the poor student by the arm and practically shoved him into Darrin's office. "This is one of yours," he said just before turning and walking off.

Darrin turned back to the student, not sure what was going on. "Hello, I'm Dr. Anderson. Is there something that I can do to help you?"

As Darrin got the chance to look at the student more closely, he could tell that he was nervous. He looked very young, but his small thin frame and white blond hair probably made him look younger than he was. Darrin waited for a response, but was met with silence and shaking hands as the student's apprehension seemed to escalate.

"What's your name, son?" asked Darrin. He had to chuckle inside a little at his wording. This student was probably not that much younger than he was and Darrin was calling him son.

"Umm, Zach. I'm Zach Delong," said the student in a low mumble.

"Well Zach, what can I do for you?" Darrin asked again.

"Nothing sir. I don't need anything," muttered Zach.

"Well, any idea why Dr. Boorman brought you down?"

"Yeah . . ."

"Which is?"

"I'm a queer . . ."

Oh fuck, thought Darrin. Just what I needed was another guilt-ridden kid to baby through the process of acceptance. Taking a deep breath he realized that whether he liked it or not, that was part of his role as the token out gay man in the department. He looked back at the student and smiled.

"Why do you think that?"

Zach looked up, trying to decide if Darrin was making fun of him. When he realized the question was genuine he thought about his response.

"Because, you know. I wanna do it with . . . guys."

"Did you tell Dr. Boorman this?" asked Darrin.

"Yeah. They said during orientation that if we had problems that our advisors could help. So I talked with Dr. Boorman . . ."

"And?"

"He didn't say anything. Just got the same look on his face that my Mom makes when she steps in fresh cow shit and then brought me down here," explained Zach.

Darrin sighed quietly and then began. "Ok, so you might be gay, or you might not. It's not as black and white as some people seem to think. It's more like a range of feelings from . . ." The discussion continued for quite some time. But once Zach left, Darrin thought the conversation had at least moved the kid a little closer to some understanding, and acceptance, of his feelings. Satisfied, Darrin looked at his watch and realized that it had been two hours. Well, he sighed, he hoped they hadn't been waiting on him for supper.

He made the trip home in quiet thought about Zach. Arriving at their house he gathered up his bag from the pickup and walked exhausted into the house. As he walked through the darkened rooms, he resigned himself to a meal alone. But moving into the kitchen he saw Mitch sitting at the counter waiting on him. Mitch flashed him a bright smile and walked over and gave him a soft kiss. He then pulled a plate from the refrigerator and walked to the microwave to heat it.

"Rough day?"

"Oh god, babe. Let me tell you about it . . ."

<><><><>

It had been several weeks since Darrin had any time alone and he was looking forward to it as he pulled into their driveway and parked. Josh and Mitch were both gone until late. Darrin was looking forward to a quiet meal by himself, followed by some private time. Going to the bedroom he stripped down to his jockstrap, enjoying the freedom as he padded back to the kitchen. Riffling through the fridge, he soon had a plate of leftovers that he carried back to the bedroom. Setting the plate on the bedside table, he pulled his notebook computer beside him. Opening his folder of porn videos, he chose the new cowboy video he had bought and settled back.

Darrin ate his supper while the movie played through the opening scenes. Setting the empty plate aside, Darrin began groping himself through the thick fabric of the jock. As he watched the movie he had to admit they were good looking actors, rugged and masculine. As a steamy sex scene geared up, Darrin's hand was inside his jock slowly stroking his wet dick. His building pleasure was made obvious by his soft moans and the wet sound as his hand traveling up and down his hard cock. Pushing the jock under his nuts, Darrin's hand trailed lower until the tip of his finger reached his hole. He softly rubbed over it as he slowed his stroking. His body was building for release, and tonight he wanted the pleasure to last.

As the video moved to a new scene, Darrin slipped off his jockstrap and retrieved the bottle of lube from the side table. Pumping a few squirts into his hand, Darrin began coating his hole with the slippery substance. Sliding his fingers in, he pierced his gut with a sigh of pleasure. Darrin was soon fingering himself with three digits while his free hand rubbed over his muscular chest. Closing his eyes, he had surrendered to the pleasure, the moans and cries of sex engulfing him as he imagined Mitch taking him. He approached the edge of his orgasm numerous times but Darrin let the pleasure continue to build. As the waves of hedonism developed again, he felt another set of hands run over his chest.

Darrin jumped at the touch, his fingers ripped from his wet ass. His eyes flew open to see Mitch standing there smiling.

"God damn it, Mitch! You scared the shit out of me."

Mitch's hands continued to run over his husband's muscular chest as the bulge in his jeans became more obvious. He rubbed his thumb over Darrin's nipple and listened to the soft moan his gesture evoked.

"Playing by yourself again I see. Maybe I should punish you," Mitch quipped.

"Oh god, babe. Whatever you want. Just keep doing what you're doing," said Darrin.

Mitch leaned over and watched the computer screen for a few seconds. Moving down he kissed Darrin. "Hot movie, College. You have a thing for cowboys?"

Darrin ran his hands over Mitch's stomach and then under his thin t-shirt. "Yeah, I do. Especially hairy ones with a tight ass."

Mitch stepped back and quickly stripped. As he moved up the bed, he lifted Darrin's legs and rested them on his shoulders. Running his hand over Darrin's spread ass cheeks, he filled his hand with lube and added to the slimy mess already coating Darrin butt. Their eyes locked, Darrin playing with his nipples while Mitch's wet fingers began working their way inside his ass. Mitch let his hand slip out and pushed Darrin's legs forward, forcing them higher and exposing his hole completely. Mitch rubbed his cock over Darrin's exposed pucker and then pushed forward until its head was sheathed in hot ass.

"Fuck, baby! That ass feels so good. Damn, I think I like college ass," said Mitch with a groan.

Darrin smiled and bucked toward the invading dick. "So long as it's my college ass, I'm good with it."

Mitch rose onto his toes and then dropped himself, completely impaling Darrin on his cock. Mitch paused, and then started a steady rhythm of assault on Darrin's ass. Both of them rapidly become embroiled in their shared passion. Soon Mitch grabbed Darrin behind the head and was pile driving into him over and over again. The rough assault on his prostrate had clear fluid flowing from Darrin's cock in a seemingly unending stream. Mitch felt his orgasm begin and shifted into overdrive. He fucked Darrin's well-used ass with abandon until the orgasmic shutters broke his rhythm. Pinning Darrin to the bed, Mitch filled his lovers gut with hot cum.

The hot jizz splashing inside him drove Darrin to the edge. His body ached for release, which arrived as Mitch scrapped over his well-worked prostate one last time. The first shot of cum arched over Darrin to land on the headboard. The subsequent volleys arched across his chest, creating lines of white pleasure over his chest hair. Gasping for breath he drifted down from his orgasmic high, just in time to catch Mitch as he collapsed. Twisting his head, Mitch kissed Darrin on the cheek.

"Anytime you need to do that again, just let me know. Any. Time," said Mitch as he panted for breath.

Darrin chuckled, "Good to know. Very good to know."

<><><><>

Mitch watched as the semi backed up to their corral. He was more than a little concerned about borrowing the kind of money they had for winter stockers. But he and Darrin had worked the numbers every way they could and it looked like the profit from the steers would pay for their base herd of momma cows, which was their goal. He'd bought these through a buyer, so there was no telling what was about to come off that truck. Mitch had told the guy he'd prefer Black Baldies, but there were no guarantees. Mitch glanced over to see Josh nervously watching him for anything that needed to be done. Mitch had to concede that the kid was working out fine. They had convinced Josh to finish high school and he was on-track for a spring graduation. And although it was going to take years to repair all the damage done to his psyche, he was improving. Mitch had to laugh to himself at Josh's reaction to the birthday gift, but he seemed to have recovered. And Mitch hadn't given him any grief over the wet dream that Darrin walked in on, although it was killing him not to.

The trailer door opened and the cattle started streaming down the loading ramp. Mitch's jaw dropped as the stream of black and white bodies rushed past him. Fucking Holsteins! The motherfuck'r had bought him a load of goddamn Holsteins! He wanted beef cattle, not damn dairy cow wannabes.

Mitch rushed up, waving his hands. "Stop! Stop unloading that shit!"

The driver looked up but let the last of the cattle rush into the corral. "What's the problem?" he drawled.

"These are Holsteins. I wanted beef steers. What the fuck is going on?" yelled Mitch.

The driver pulled a delivery order from his pocket and looked it over. "This just says steers, and a price. Don't say a thing about 'em being beef steers."

Mitch yanked the paper from the driver's hand and fumed to himself as he read it carefully. He eventually had to admit that the type of animal wasn't specified. He couldn't believe he'd missed a detail as important as that. After reading through it several times he handed it back to the driver.

"Fine! We'll take 'em. But this is bullshit!"

The driver shrugged his shoulders and closed the trailer. Mitch watched as without another word he climbed into the cab of his truck and drove off. Looking at their packed corral, he seethed at the sight of the sea of black and white hides filling it. Raking his eyes across the animals, he caught Josh's eyes as he watched Mitch carefully. Mitch's anger flared and was directed at the innocent young man at the end of the pens.

"Don't just stand there, dumb ass! Get the motherfuckers some water before they drop dead of stupidity," yelled Mitch.

Mitch watched for a few seconds as Josh sprinted to fill the troughs, the feeling of guilt at taking out his frustration on the quiet young man eclipsed by his worry about the mistake he apparently had made. With a final sound of disgust he headed toward the house.

<><><><>

Darrin sat at the table and watched as Mitch frantically searched through his paperwork trying to find something that said this wasn't his fault. Mitch didn't think these animals would make them any money and his anger at the mistake was palpable. Darrin knew he was right about one thing, if they turned around and sold them immediately, they would lose money. Cattle always lost weight when shipped and he'd bet these had come from the Midwest. But Darrin wasn't as sure that it was a disaster. While Mitch was burrowed in the piles of paper, Darrin retrieved a beer from the fridge. He walked back and looked over Mitch's shoulder and reached up and laid his hand on Mitch's neck.

Mitch arched his back and shrugged the hand off. "Don't do that, Darrin. I don't have time for that horse shit."

Darrin lofted his eyebrows as he looked at Mitch. Deciding there was nothing he could do to help Mitch, and not wanting to fight with him, Darrin walked to their bedroom. After stripping down Darrin tried to relax by reading a book. But it proved challenging as the noise coming from the other room gained in volume now that Mitch was alone. Darrin wondered if Mitch was going to leave anything intact in his search for the non-existing paperwork. Eventually he carefully marked his place and turned off the light to go to sleep.

Darrin was only distantly aware when Mitch finally crawled into bed. But awakening to the early morning light filtering into the room, Darrin realized that Mitch was curled into a dejected ball on the far edge of the bed. Moving closer he wrapped his arms around his husband and pulled him close. Feeling Mitch tense slightly, Darrin leaned in and whispered, "It's going to be fine. It's really not that big of a deal."

"I fucked up bad," Mitch said dejectedly. "What are we going to do with 100 head of Holstein steers. God, what a mess."

"Ok, I have an idea," Darrin quietly started, "Lets turn them out on the pasture and weigh them in a month. If they aren't gaining like you want, we'll sell 'em. At least it's fall and things are cooling off. I'm not sure they could survive a summer here."

"Damn, babe. We could get hosed if they don't gain, or god forbid, lose weight," whispered Mitch.

Darrin started chuckling softly, until Mitch turned an irritated face toward him. "What's so fuckin' funny?"

"Good lookin', we're in the cattle business. We're going to get hosed sometimes. We just want to limit it as much as possible so it doesn't become a habit," said Darrin.

Mitch looked like he was going to have a retort, and then slowly a smile crept across his face. "Yeah, I know you are right. But damn it, I hate to screw up."

Darrin laughed. "Yes, I know you do. Now let's get Josh up and go figure out how we're going to keep a bunch of Yankee steers alive for the next month." Darrin kissed the back of Mitch's neck and said softly, "You also owe Josh an apology, 'cause you were an ass to him yesterday."

"I know, and I already told Josh I was being a dick. I talked to him last night after you were asleep. He knows it wasn't anything he's done," said Mitch.

With that the conversation ended and Mitch kicked off the blanket and started searching for his clothes as Darrin did the same. Darrin dropped in behind Mitch as they went through the bedroom door and then raced past him, swatting him on the ass as they passed. Mitch quickly was chasing him in a moment of childlike exuberance. Eventually they realized they had forgotten to wake up Josh, but decided he could sleep in this one day and they could have the morning to themselves.

<><><><>

Several weeks had passed and things were back to normal for the trio. Josh had taken on the job of caring for the steers while they were adjusting, and he had done a good job. Several days earlier they had worked them, given any shots needed and turned them in smaller groups onto separate pastures. The fall grass was flourishing and Mitch was hopeful that they were gaining. He was concerned about a series of unusually severe fall storms that had been coming through the area. The forecast was for another to sweep through today, and he was anxious.

Darrin stood in the kitchen for several minutes, watching Mitch lean against the front porch post. Grabbing two bottles of beer from the fridge he walked out and handed one to Mitch, who leaned over and kissed Darrin in thanks. Twisting off the bottle top he took a big swig and then pointed to the southwest with the beer.

"That doesn't look good. And we just moved those steers out on pasture. We probably should have waiting a few more days."

"The thunderstorm could have come anytime, babe. The steers will be fine," said Darrin.

"I hope you're right. All we need is for one of the groups to go nuts and run through the fences. We'd have a bunch of tore up cattle at best, and I don't want to think about the worst."

"Come on inside. It's not going to change by watching it," said Darrin.

"Nah, I'm fine. I'm going to keep an eye on this."

Darrin shrugged his shoulders and walked back inside. He soon was busy catching up on grading and lost track of time. The waning light alerted him to the closeness of the impending storm. Putting away the job related work, he checked on Mitch and found him still sitting on the steps. The empty bottle dangling from his fingers, he studied the horizon. Following Mitch's focus, Darrin saw that the cloud bank had changed disposition to what looked to be a full-blown plains thunderstorm.

"Does that look as bad to you as it does to me?" asked Darrin.

"Yeah, it does," muttered Mitch.

"Crap."

Darrin sat beside Mitch to watch the storm. The boiling wall of clouds would have been magnificent, if it wasn't headed directly toward them. Soon a massive lightening storm was igniting the black sky. They felt the cold air of the front as it swept over them, followed quickly by the first sheets of driving rain mixed with hail, that forced them inside. Watching through the windows they grimaced with each successively louder roll of thunder. Josh even emerged from his room to stand beside them and watch. At times the pouring rain limited visibility to the edge of their porch. But after what seemed to be hours, the storm passed over them and the fading light revealed the storm's aftermath. They walked out on the porch and surveyed for damage. Mitch quickly determined there was little damage around the house and flew off the porch, headed for the barn.

"Come on! We need to see if we still have any steers."

Mitch jumped on the ATV they had bought a few weeks before and was roaring across the pastures before Darrin and Josh could follow in the pickup. Working together they soon found the first three groups of animals, intact and without any injury. But the fourth proved to be elusive. As they crisscrossed the 200-acre enclosure it became obvious the cattle were gone. Mitch started searching the fence line and finally found where they had escaped; a demolished water gap that was now filled with runoff.

Unable to follow through the flooded gap, they rushed back to the house for lights and equipment to search for the animals. While they were loading the pickup, Mitch made a quick call to their neighbor Doug, who promised to bring his heelers and to make a few quick calls for additional help. Gathering on the road closest to the breeched fence, they were soon joined by Doug, his dogs, and a few other people. Doug had a map of the area that they spread across the hood of the pickup and in short order everyone was assigned to search areas. As they spread out, Mitch hoped they would find the steers quickly. Sooner than he might have thought his cell phone rang. It was Doug, the cattle had been found, but not without injuries.

Following Doug's directions, Mitch soon pulled up to the group of animals that had been herded into the portable corral someone had brought. But he could hear the bellowing of an animal in pain. From the drawn looks surrounding him, he knew it wasn't good. Following the sound he walked to the top of a ridge. One of the animals was sprawled below him with one leg twisted grotesquely and obviously broken in multiple places. Several people had followed him and were quietly looking down at the steer.

"Put him down. We'll help you butcher him out so it isn't a total loss," said Doug.

Mitch nodded and went to the pickup and pulled out the pistol he had stowed behind the seat in case of this scenario. Moving in close, he put two slugs into the animal's head, killing it instantly. Quickly several others hoisted the carcass, bled it and then began processing the meat to save what they could from the situation. Everyone pitched in, but Mitch insisted on doing the lion's share of the work. Once they had the carcass cut up and put in the ice filled coolers someone had retrieved, the volunteers began to disperse. Mitch walked back to the pickup to see if there was something for him to clean the blood off with, and walked into the scene of an older woman berating Josh. Seeing Mitch as he walked up, she turned on him.

"You! Yes! It's people like you who make young boys like this think these sinful thoughts. If you hadn't messed in things that were none of your concern he would still be with his parents and in church like he should be. You should be ashamed of yourself. You are leading this boy to a life of sin and an eternity in hell."

It took Mitch a minute to process what was happening. Finally the reality of the situation broke through his exhaustion and brought all the recent problems to a head. Before she could catch her breath to continue her homophobic rant, Mitch locked eyes with her and he began,

"Really? Your church is the one that let his parents beat him with a belt buckle? The parents he had to be rescued from? Honestly? If you want to talk about sin then let's talk about physical and mental abuse. Why do you care about who someone loves? How sick is your faith when it's ok to hurt someone who's gay, because that's a sin according to your interpretation of the bible. Ma'am, your religion stinks if that's what it teaches. We didn't convert Josh to anything. All we've done is try to give him the time and space to decide how he feels about things. Now, leave him alone, leave us alone. Until your life is perfect I'd suggest you go back to your church and . . ."

Mitch felt a hand rest on his shoulder and squeeze lightly. His breath shuddered out in a series of gasps as he realized a small crowd had gathered. Glancing around he quietly sighed at the problems his exhaustion spawned rant had probably caused him. Turning to look at Darrin, his mouth quirked and he shrugged slightly. Surprisingly the next person to talk was Doug.

"Mother, you're out of line. If I'd known you were going to do this to my friends I'd have never told you about them."

"They're sinners! Sinners must be confronted and purged!"

"Yeah, I know that's what you think, Mom. But Mitch and Darrin are my friends and you know I don't agree with you," said Doug. Turning to Mitch he said, "I'm sorry, Mitch. I didn't know this would happen or I would have left her at home."

Mitch let out his unconsciously held breath and nodded. "Sorry I went off, Doug. I just couldn't let it go. Especially not when it was aimed at Josh."

"No need for apologies. I understand. I think you've got everything under control now, so we should leave," said Doug.

Mitch nodded and the crowd rapidly dispersed. Soon it was only the three of them. Josh looked first at Mitch and then Darrin with a look of dejection on his face. Darrin gently laid his arm across Josh's shoulder.

"Josh, you didn't do anything wrong. There's no need to feel bad," said Darrin quietly.

"I should have defended myself. You and Mitch shouldn't need to keep baling me out when there's a problem," said Josh quietly.

Darrin let out a sad laugh, "It helps to be mad. But it also helps to be older and more comfortable with yourself. Hell, you just turned 18. You shouldn't be jousting at windmills yet."

Josh looked puzzled. "What?" he asked.

Mitch laughed and patted his shoulder. "Don't worry about it, Josh. That's just College showing his education. But you did fine. I may have blown it with our neighbors though. I just lost it."

Josh smiled at Mitch. "I'm glad you did. I thought she was about to take me apart limb from limb."

Mitch chuckled and nodded, "It does feel like that sometimes. But we have a long night ahead of us. We have to haul these steers back home and then we're going to be processing beef for hours."

Darrin and Josh nodded and fell to work getting everything in order to bring some kind of successful conclusion to this day.

<><><><>

Darrin and Mitch were enjoying the quiet conversation in the pickup as they came back from their night on the town. It had been their first evening out in weeks and they had both needed the break. They'd met Sam and Gordy in Wichita Falls and had a great time. The entire evening had been catching up on old friends and where they were. Gordy had a job offer, but he and Sam were discussing their options. They had even enjoyed the long drive as a time to reconnect with no one else around. It had been a wonderful salve for their psyche.

They had pulled into the driveway feeling very relaxed and thankful for the few hours away to decompress. But driving in they saw an unfamiliar pickup parked beside the house. Rolling quietly to a stop beside it, they studied the dark house with concern.

"Did Josh say anything to you about someone coming over?" asked Darrin.

"No, nothing."

"You don't think it's his family do you?"

"No, I don't think the lights would be turned out if it was his parents," said Mitch with a furrowed brow.

"So . . ."

"Well, I'm not sitting in the pickup all night because Josh has someone in there with him," said Mitch.

They quietly exited the vehicle and walked up the sidewalk. Darrin was hoping the noise they were making was enough that Josh would know they were coming. But as they came in through the kitchen it was obvious from the sounds emanating from the dimly lit living room that Josh was only aware of one thing. When he and Mitch moved to the doorway, Darrin was glad that all they could see was the back of the couch and the rumpled shirt thrown over it. After a few seconds with the air thick with the sounds of young lust, Mitch nudged Darrin and tilted his head toward the scene. Darrin sighed and nodded, recognizing that Josh was, more or less, his responsibility. Clearing his throat Darrin raised his voice.

"Josh. We're home."

"Shit!" came the muffled oath, followed by a loud thump as someone hit the floor.

"Oh fuck! Wait!" echoed through the room.

Darrin and Mitch watched the ensuing routine that was reminiscent of a Three Stooges routine with barely controlled humor. As clothes flew through the air and a faintly lit arm reached up to grab the shirt off the back of the couch the frenzy in the living room continued. Mitch snorted softly as muttered profanity, in two different voices, filled the room. At the crescendo of the performance two dim silhouettes stood and Mitch reached over, flipping on the lights.

Darrin studied the two young men standing in front of them. Josh's clothes were half off, his shirt was buttoned crooked and he was frantically trying to close the front of his jeans. The other boy seemed less embarrassed as he tucked his football jersey back into his pants. Darrin looked over the tall blond haired athlete and had to say he could appreciate Josh's taste in men. The stranger stepped forward with his hand extended. Mitch raised an eyebrow and took his hand.

"Sir, my name is Tony Barra. I'm sorry to have met you this way. I'm a friend of Josh's from school."

"Hello, Tony. I'm Mitch and this is my husband, Darrin."

Mitch waited for a reaction but none seemed forthcoming. But then they had caught the kid in the throes of making out with Josh. So maybe a same-sex couple wasn't as shocking as it might have been under other circumstances. After a few awkward moments of silence Tony grabbed his jacket from a chair and nodded at the pair.

"I guess I need to get home," said Tony and then turned to Josh, "I'll see you at school. Thanks for the evening." He moved toward Josh to give him a kiss but aborted it under Darrin and Mitch's gaze.

Josh's face was bright red, his ears practically glowing. Unable to speak he nodded and remained frozen as Tony moved through the door. Darrin wondered if this kid wasn't a little too smooth and collected in what should be an awkward situation at best. Darrin was surprised at his reaction. But if Tony was playing with Josh's feelings, he would regret it.

When the front door shut, Josh turned to leave. Mitch barked out, "No. We're not done. Sit down."

Josh turned with a look of fear on his face. Darrin felt sorry for the kid and knew he was scared of what Mitch was about to say. But Darrin knew that Mitch was a softie too. He just hid it better. When it quickly became obvious that Josh was frozen in place, Darrin gently took him by the shoulder and moved him to the couch. Once he was seated, Josh's body started to shake with the stress and Darrin could see the tears begin down his face. Darrin watched with some concern of his own as Mitch sat down on the coffee table directly in front of Josh. After a few more moments of building silence, Mitch awkwardly reached forward and patted Josh on the knee.

"Josh, you're not in big trouble. I just want to talk with you about . . . what happened," said Mitch softly.

A huge sob wracked Josh body as he tried to speak. Finally through the sobs he managed, "I'm so sorry. I'm really sorry. I know you must be really pissed at me."

Darrin had squatted down beside Josh, and with his sniffling plea, Darrin let out a sigh. Darrin reached out and started rubbing his hand over Josh's back to comfort him.

"It's ok, Josh. Calm down," said Darrin.

"Josh, stop crying and look at me," asked Mitch.

Josh looked up, smaller tremors still traveling through his body as he met Mitch's eyes.

"Ok, first. Making out with someone you are attracted to is fine. But don't just do it because there's another warm body. One-night stands get old, quick. Try to not let your hormones rule what you do."

Darrin glanced over at Mitch, wondering again about his days of sowing wild oats before they met. Deciding this wasn't the time to ask, he refocused on Josh.

"Second," Mitch continued, oblivious to Darrin's thoughts. "If you do decide to be with someone, then you need to be safe. Where are the condoms I gave you for your birthday? Do you need more?"

Josh pointed to his room, flushing deeper at the personal direction this talk was taking. "They're in my drawer. And . . . I still have plenty."

"And do you know how to use them?"

"Jeez, Mitch!" Josh said as he wiped the tears from his face. "I'm not stupid."

"Then tell me when you use them," said Mitch with a hint of steel in his voice.

"You know, when you . . ."

"When you fuck," said Mitch bluntly while Darrin groaned at Mitch's lack of tact.

"Yeah, that," agreed Josh.

Mitch took a deep breath and continued. "Look, Josh. I'm not trying to embarrass you but you can get STD's other ways than fucking. If you're going to be sexually active, and from what we walked in on that seems likely, you need to be as safe as possible."

"Yeah, I know. I'd wear a condom."

"You both have to wear them and you have to wear them from when you start. Even precum can have HIV and cum sure can. No barebacking. Use a condom during oral sex. Use a condom during any kind of sex. I don't care about the heat of the moment. I want you to be alive in 30 years and not taking 50 pills a day to stay that way," said Mitch with a stern look on his face.

Josh's eye bugged a little at the information. He thought about it and then looked at Mitch. "Really? The guys on the videos only wear them when it's . . . in." said Josh, his embarrassment temporarily overshadowed by the information Mitch was giving him.

"Those guys are taking a risk. Yes, anal sex is the highest risk, but all the other stuff is risky too," said Mitch. "Some people say oral sex isn't as risky as we thought, and you have to decide for yourself what chance you're willing to take. But it's still more of a risk than using a rubber. When you find a partner you want to be monogamous with, you and he can both do all the testing and make sure you both agree to be exclusive. Then, and only then, is it safe to not wrap it up."

"Josh," Darrin said as he picked up the thread of conversation, "Don't let some cute guy sweet talk you into unprotected sex either. If they don't want to wear a condom, or to make sure you have one on, then you need to be careful. There are guys who will try to trick you into barebacking, and you don't want to put yourself in that position."

Josh gulped and nodded, getting a definite "deer in the headlights" look at his face.

Darrin gripped Josh's shoulder and squeezed. Looking at them both he said, "I think that's enough 'Gay Sex 101' for tonight. Let's get some rest." Gripping Josh's shoulder tighter he looked over at Mitch.

"Mitch is right. You have to be safe. We want you to have fun, but you have to protect yourself. If you have questions, ask one of us. And that boy tonight, he seemed . . . well it didn't seem to bother him that we walked in on you two. Don't let someone talk you into something you aren't ready for. Being gay doesn't mean you sleep with anyone. So be careful."

Josh nodded, "I know. And I'll be careful. Tony's a great guy too, I really love him."

Mitch's eyebrows shot up his forehead. "You love him?" said Mitch.

"Yeah. He's so sexy. He's varsity football. And he said we were going to the senior prom together," said Josh in a dreamy voice. Josh realized what he had just revealed and turned red again. Shooting a panicked look at the other two Josh asked, "Is it alright if I go to bed? I'm beat."

Darrin and Mitch mutely nodded, stunned at the news Josh had shared.

Once they heard the door to Josh's room shut, Mitch looked at Darrin with a slight smirk.

"I'm glad he's yours."

"He's in love . . . and going to the prom?" muttered Darrin.

"Yup!"

"I'm going to pay for my raising," said Darrin in disbelief. Turning to Mitch with a smile he nudged his husband, "Oh hell, I was a good kid. I'm paying for your raising."

Mitch chuckled and helped Darrin up from his knees. Wrapping his arm around Darrin's waist they walked to the bedroom with their heads spinning from all of tonight's revelations.