Chapter 1

Jason DeVos was far from perfect but Ander Ibarra didn’t care. He and Jason were besties and had been since they met as pledges in the autumn of their freshman year at university. They were initiated into their fraternity together, standing side by side during the ritual, and had been inseparable ever since.

They were equals and opposites, so different and yet so similar. Among the many things they shared in common were height, weight and build. Both stood six feet four inches tall, weighed 185 pounds and were lean and muscular. Both guys lived for soccer and barely paid attention to other sports. Their birthdays were on the same day (February 18), they liked the same foods (spicy Thai cuisine), played the same video games and watched the same movies. And, although they never talked about it, even their dicks were the same size (six inches flaccid and ten inches erect.) (Ander learned his friend’s erect measurement when Jason’s girlfriend, Lindsey Cruz, loudly overshared one night when she was drunk.)

The similarities ended there, however. Ander was liberal, pro gun-control and a pacifist; Jason was conservative, a gun-owner and had enlisted in the campus ROTC. Ander was messy and Jason was fastidious. Ander excelled in mathematics and Jason was a political science major. Ander hated to read and Jason devoured fiction. Thanks to his grandmother’s Armenian heritage and his grandfather’s Basque lineage, Ander was dark-skinned whereas Jason’s Dutch ancestry meant he was very fair-skinned. Ander had soft brown eyes and Jason’s were piercing blue. Ander’s lustrous black hair was shaggy and full of curls and Jason’s blond locks were cut short and pale as golden wheat. Ander was beardless and religiously removed all of his body hair whereas Jason was bearded (when he wasn’t required to shave by the ROTC) and let his body hair grow wild. Finally, Ander’s cock was uncut and Jason had lost his foreskin to the doctor’s knife as an infant. 

Perhaps the biggest difference was in their personalities: Ander was reserved whereas Jason was an inveterate showman. He loved attention almost as much as he loved showing off. Nowhere was this more obvious than his penchant for exhibitionism. After living in the same frat house for three years, Ander and the rest of his frat brothers were painfully aware of this. Jason took any opportunity to display his body, especially his ample endowment. And, while he loved to brag about his cock size, his balls were his real pride and joy. They were, quite simply, eye-poppingly huge. Ander had never seen a pair of nuts that big on a guy before. They were easily the size of avocados and hung so far down in his hairy sac that they nearly reached his knees. In fact, the sound of Jason’s bull balls slapping back and forth as he walked naked back to his room after a shower became one of the most recognizable sounds in the frat house.

But I digress…

Ander was the dusk to Jason’s dawn and had the temperament to match it. Outwardly, Jason possessed a perennially sunny disposition, always willing to believe the best in people. (Inwardly, it was a very different story as Ander was soon to learn.) Ander, on the other hand, tended toward cynicism and viewed humanity with a jaundiced eye. Like his dark complexion, he’d inherited this attitude from his grandparents, both of whom were born to refugees. His grandmother’s family had barely survived extermination, escaping from Armenia to the Chicago area after a long and brutal death march. His grandfather’s family had been forced to flee Spain during the civil war.

Adding to their deprivation, his grandparents’ families had arrived penniless in America at the height of the Great Depression and consequently both had been born into terrible poverty. Their young lives had been difficult but somehow they’d met and built a business empire together, amassing enough wealth to leave their children and grandchildren very well off. The scars of their upbringing, however, ran deep and both grandparents were emotionally distant workaholics. Ander barely remembered seeing them except at the occasional birthday party. They had died before he was eight, exhausted and bitter despite their great fortune.

In contrast, Jason’s grandparents had been born into wealth and used it to build a multinational empire. Their net worth was far north of five billion dollars and this money insured political influence and access. As a result, the DeVos family was poised to vault onto the national stage, taking their place among other famous political dynasties.

At the tender age of twenty-two, Jason had already mapped out his life’s trajectory with the ultimate goal of winning a major political office. Everything he did was geared toward this end and he avoided anything that might sully his spotless reputation. He barely ever drank alcohol, never did drugs and had a whole marketing team handling his social media presence. Even his enlistment in the ROTC was premeditated: After graduation, he planned to join the Army Rangers, serve his country for the allotted time and then go to law school at Harvard. Jason DeVos’s carefully polished image was that of the quintessential American patriot: Youthful, loyal, trustworthy, hardworking, charismatic, handsome and intelligent.

The Summer of 2024 was momentous for Jason and Ander for personal and political reasons. Thanks to their family and fraternity connections, they had snagged prestigious internships at an international investment firm headquartered in the suburbs of Washington, DC. At the same time, Jason’s grandmother had secured the Republican Party’s nomination for President of the United States. Her path to the nomination had been virtually guaranteed thanks to two factors: Her surprise victory in the 2022 Michigan governor’s race and Donald Trump’s stroke in early 2023. With her approval rating soaring and Trump incapacitated, she’d easily beat out of the other challengers and was coasting to a presumed victory over the deeply unpopular President Biden.

His grandmother’s victory set the stage for Jason’s grand entrance to the political arena. She invited him to speak at the Republican National Convention in mid July, an event that was designed to formally introduce Jason to the American public. The stakes were high because he had to hit precisely the right notes in the speech, convincing everyone that he was wholesome and down to earth while revealing just enough of his steely character. The DeVos’ left nothing to chance: Jason was being coached relentlessly on every aspect of the speech right down to his choice of clothing, hairstyle and even casual mannerisms. Scarcely a day went by when Ander didn’t hear Jason practicing.

Governor DeVos might be popular but she was also quite a controversial figure. Because of this, she and her family received their share of death threats. Out of an abundance of caution, she hired Triple Canopy, a private security firm run by her brother, to oversee her family’s protection. As such, Jason and Ander were almost always surrounded by a cadre of bodyguards. Two men stood watch outside their house at all times and two shared the boys’ living quarters, occupying the rooms on either side of Jason’s bedroom. Jason and Ander were chauffeured to work each day in an SUV with bulletproof windows. As a further precaution, Jason never left the house without a pistol holstered to his hip.

Living under what amounted to constant surveillance wasn’t Ander’s idea of fun but Jason had pleaded, finally convincing him to move in with him for the summer. The fact that Jason’s grandmother had bought a house for them didn’t hurt; Ander might be a rich kid but his wealth was a drop in the bucket compared to the DeVos family’s and he’d been stressing about paying rent. And so it was that he joined Jason in early June after his friend completed a mandatory 4-week military training course in the Nevada desert. They soon settled into a summer routine in their temporary new home, working during the day and playing soccer most evenings at a facility nearby.

If he needed a reminder that he would never occupy the same rarified stratum that Jason did, Ander got it the first day of his internship. Led to a common table in the middle of a windowless room, he was assigned a beat-up laptop and a creaky chair…meanwhile, Jason was escorted to a luxurious corner office suite. Ander quickly learned that his days would be spent researching mineral rights to rare-earth metals while Jason was whisked from meeting to meeting with the firm’s wealthiest clients. In short, he was a grunt and Jason was a figurehead; the DeVos heir had been brought on board solely to enhance the firm’s reputation. After all, how many other investment houses could claim the grandson of the future U.S. President as an associate?

If it had been anyone other than Jason, Ander might have sunk into sullen resentment but his friend went out of his way to make up for the disparity of their working conditions. Jason was unfailingly kind and always made time during the workday to help Ander out. He’d saunter into the common room where Ander was working and settle down at the table next to him, wordlessly assisting him with meeting prep. He might not have a head for numbers but he was extremely organized and had an eye for detail. With his help, Ander’s presentations were always attractively formatted and grammatically perfect. Ander quickly became a respected presence in the office and it wasn’t just because he was friends with Jason. His supervisor told him that there would be an open position for him after graduation, should he desire to take it.

Two weeks into their internship, they were coming off a weekend visit from their girlfriends. Jason’s girlfriend, Lindsey Cruz, and Ander’s girlfriend, Lily Chen, were interning at a tech startup in Atlanta and had driven up together to see their men. The couples had spent a festive Saturday and Sunday together punctuated by dinners at fancy restaurants and bouts of passionate lovemaking. Jason and Ander sadly waved farewell to the girls, their well-used pricks already mourning the loss of pussy; Lindsey and Lily had informed them that they wouldn’t be able to get away again. The boys were stoically facing the prospect of a long summer devoid of sex.

***

Ander was warming up on the soccer field that evening when he noticed that Jason was missing. He looked around and finally spotted his friend on the sidelines, chatting with someone he didn’t recognize. Curious, he paused to study the pair, raising his hand to shield his eyes from the sun. Jason’s expression was serious and he was looking down at his feet. The other guy was dressed in an expensive, tailored suit, a stark contrast to Jason’s nylon soccer shorts and jersey. Even from far away, Ander could tell the other young man struck a formidable figure; he was tall, dark-haired and perfectly coiffed, his thick hair shaved tight on the sides and his bangs swept over his forehead. Everything about him telegraphed wealth and power; he reminded Ander of some of the investment firm’s clients: So ridiculously rich that their net worth exceeded that of most developing countries.

Even though he was dying to find out who the guy was, he refrained from jogging over and waited until Jason rejoined the rest of the team on the field. “Dude,” he asked, “who was that?”

Jason smiled innocently, shrugging. “Nobody.” Ander opened his mouth to say more but Jason had already turned and started doing warm up drills.

Jason seemed preoccupied during practice. He kept looking over his shoulder as if he expected to see someone watching him. Afterwards, he was silent in the locker room, showering and dressing without a word, his brows furrowed. Ander bided his time. He knew Jason well enough to know that interrogating his friend wouldn’t work; Jason would talk only when he was ready.

Fortunately, Jason didn’t make him wait long. He was outside the locker room when Ander emerged. He nudged into him with his shoulder, asking, “Hey, bro? Wanna grab a beer?”

Ander looked up sharply at the question, nearly falling over. Jason never drank beer! At most, he might down a shot of whiskey under duress during a frat party or maybe a half glass of wine if Lindsey begged him. Somehow, though, Ander covered his surprise, replying, “Sure, man. That’d be awesome. Where do you wanna go?”

Jason lifted his head and fixed him with his soft gaze, smiling gratefully. It was clear that he’d expected Ander to razz him about drinking. “I dunno. Let’s ask Duke. He and Bruiser go out drinking when they’re off duty.”

Duke and Bruiser (Yeah, those are their real names, or at least the names they preferred to use) were two of the Triple Canopy bodyguards. At that very moment, Duke was waiting for them on the street outside the soccer facility, ready to take them back to their house.

They ended up settling on a microbrewery in the downtown area after the place that Duke suggested turned out to be a total dive. The evening started out well enough with Jason in high spirits, settling onto the bench next to Ander and talking loudly. He was unusually gregarious, even buying a round of drinks for a table of women nearby.

Ander nursed a single beer (he was more of a wine guy) while Jason downed four in rapid succession. He laughed when Ander tried to get him to slow down, chiding, “Don’t be a pussy, bro! I’m a real man. A real man who likes to drink!”

Since when? Ander wondered, feeling a stab of worry. He felt the ground shifting beneath his feet as his normally calm and collected friend transformed before his eyes into someone else. Usually, it was Jason who kept Ander’s drinking in check. He couldn’t remember ever seeing his friend this…free…before.

Things went south when Ander excused himself to use the restroom. Upon returning, he found Jason in an altercation with the boyfriend of one of the women at the nearby table. At first, he hung back but quickly grew alarmed when he saw Jason reaching for the holster on his hip. Crying out, he quickly inserted himself between his friend and the man, pushing Jason backwards.

“Yer nuthin’ but a dirty faggot!” Jason yelled at the man before Ander clapped a hand over his mouth. Jason refused to be silenced, though. He shoved Ander off of him, continuing, “Yer juss jealous! You wish you could have a piece of dis!” He staggered forward, puffing up his muscular chest and looming over the guy.

Once again, Ander moved in front of his friend, urging him backward. He put his hands on Jason’s shoulders, soothing, “Whoa, whoa! Jason, how ‘bout we head out? I’m hungry and I think we’ve both had enough to drink.”

At first, Jason seemed like he was going to comply but then Ander watched as his friend’s blue eyes focused onto his face and, in one very disorienting second, he found himself staring back at a stranger, a stranger filled with hatred and rage.

“Yer a fuckin’ FAGGOT, too!” Jason shouted at the top of his lungs. “Get the fuck off a me! I’ll fuckin’ kick yer fuckin’ FAGGOT ASS!”

Ander was dumbstruck. He knew that Jason was drunk and didn’t really mean it but his words still hurt. In the years he’d known Jason, his friend had never once said anything hurtful to him, nor had he ever called him names.

Unfortunately, Jason wasn’t content with hurling insults alone. Ander watched in shock as his friend reached back and prepared to hurl a fist at him. He froze, knowing he should back away but unable to make himself move. He stood there dumbly waiting for the punch to land.

It never did.

Before Jason could launch himself at Ander, Duke intervened, catching his fist in the air. In truth, it didn’t take much effort. Jason was really drunk and the punch probably would have gone wide. Nonetheless, the big ex-Navy SEAL neatly deterred Jason’s onslaught, gathering the flummoxed jock in his arms and carrying him bodily out of the establishment. Ander sheepishly paid the tab and apologized to the assembled crowd before slinking out. They rode back to their house in silence, Jason mumbling to himself and Ander feeling incredibly unnerved. It was now becoming clear why Jason didn’t normally allow himself to drink; it was like there was a caged beast inside him just waiting to get loose.

Julian, the tech nerd hired by Jason’s grandmother to manage her grandson’s online presence, was busy the rest of the evening, doing his best to scrub social media of any trace of the scene. His instructions were clear: Don’t let anything get out that might damage Jason’s stellar reputation.

“Fortunately, he’s new here and doesn’t go out much,” the young guy said after grilling Ander on the events at the bar. “I don’t think anyone knew who he was and it was pretty easy to get the handful of videos of the fight taken down.” Laptop balanced on his knees, he paused to massage his temples before turning to Ander, “But you really need to make sure he doesn’t do that again.”

They were sitting on the sofa in the living room outside Jason’s bedroom. Ander could hear his friend snoring in the background; Jason had collapsed on his bed as soon as they returned home. Ander hadn’t eaten dinner yet and was in a foul mood after the altercation, otherwise he might have been more temperate in his reply.

“Uh, hello?” he muttered, voice dripping with sarcasm. “In case you’ve forgotten, I’m not Jason’s bitch. It’s not my job to keep him on a leash.”

It was a clear jab at Julian who was essentially Jason’s bitch and they both knew it. Julian, however, refused to be baited. Lifting his hands in the air, he soothed, “I know, man! I know! It’s just that I can only fix things after they happen. You’re one of the few people who can stop them from happening in the first place. I’m only asking you to help me out here.”

Ander realized his lower lip was protruding and he schooled his features. “Whatever,” he said sulkily. “I mean, I’ll do what I can. He surprised me tonight by wanting to go out for a beer.” 

Just then, a delicious aroma wafting through the air distracted him. Sitting up, he looked over into the kitchen to find Duke hard at work preparing dinner. In addition to serving as a bodyguard, the big man was also quite a good cook.

Julian smiled when he, too, detected the odor. He cast an appreciative glance over to Duke who winked as he stirred the pasta sauce over the stove. “It’ll be ready soon, guys,” the big man rumbled, pausing to adjust the apron he’d tied around his narrow waist. He might be long past his Navy days but Duke hadn’t slacked off on his physical regimen. He could still kick Ander’s ass when they went out for their morning runs.

It was subtle but Ander noticed that Duke and Julian maintained eye contact a little too long. Is there something going on between them? he wondered, amazed. He might be straight but he wasn’t naive; having an older brother who was gay meant that Ander picked up on the gay courtship signals that other guys could miss. Now that he thought about it, neither Duke nor Julian had mentioned a wife or girlfriend before. And they were encamped together for the summer in Jason’s house…a convenient arrangement for two guys to get it on. He smiled to himself, forgetting his sour mood. A little romance in the house was a welcome diversion.

He found himself studying Duke and Julian during the meal. Bruiser sat next to him, called in from guard duty outside so he could eat, and Duke and Julian sat side by side across the table. If they are a couple, Ander decided, they make a funny pair. 

Julian Castro was slight and waifish, barely five and half feet tall with long, black hair and glasses. Duke Lambert was hulking and muscular, easily twenty years Julian’s senior; he sported a grizzled beard and a salt-and-pepper crew cut. Seeing them sitting together, though, Ander became convinced he wasn’t imagining things. At one point, Duke even reached over to dab Julian’s cheek with a napkin. Straight dudes definitely don’t do that! Ander thought, raising an eyebrow. This is fun! He couldn’t wait to text his brother about it later.

After dinner, Duke checked on Jason and found him still asleep. He left a tray of covered food next to his bed and closed the door behind him, shaking his head. By that point, Ander was sleepy and decided to retire to his bedroom upstairs. He looked at his phone before going to bed and saw that Lily had called but he was too tired to talk to her. He just needed to rest!

***

Chapter 2

Jason emerged from his bedroom clothed only in a small pair of red briefs the next morning. Sauntering over to the breakfast table, he stood over Ander and smirked when his friend shifted uncomfortably.

“Jason!” Ander complained. “Get yer fuckin’ morning wood outta my face!” He pushed him away, annoyed.

‘Morning wood’ was no exaggeration; the bulge in Jason’s tiny briefs was enormous, leaving nothing to the imagination. Far from cowed, however, Jason thrust his tumescent crotch proudly forward, seeming to revel in Ander’s discomfort.

“Whatsa matter, bro?” he taunted. “Feeling inadequate?” He then brazenly dropped a hand inside the pouch of his underwear and proceeded to scratch his enormous balls, yawning theatrically as he did so.

“Ugh! What is wrong with you?” Ander demanded, averting his gaze in disgust. “Are you still drunk?”

Jason laughed, raising his hand to sniff his fingertips. When he reached out to muss Ander’s hair with the same hand, though, Ander sprang up out of his chair. This was too far!

He opened his mouth to shout at his friend, keenly aware of Julian’s bemused scrutiny from the other room. With great effort, he bit off a sharp retort and stalked away, spitting over his shoulder, “I’m going for a run. I’ll see you–fully clothed–when I get back.”

Jason’s smile stretched into a leering grin as he watched his friend depart.

***

Jason was clothed when he got back and seemed to have forgotten the incident at the breakfast table. Dressed in a stylish blue plaid suit, he looked every ounce his usual professional self. Seeing him like that, Ander relaxed. He had no idea what to make of his friend’s aberrant behavior but was hopeful it was just a weird one-off event. Jason is human like the rest of us, he reminded himself. It was easy to forget this, given his friend’s normally impeccable comport. 

The day was uneventful and Ander didn’t see Jason except for briefly at lunchtime. Cordial to a fault, Jason brought him takeout he’d picked up while meeting a client. He presented it to Ander solicitously, even executing a mock bow as he did so. Although it was unstated, it was clear that this was a rare act of contrition; Jason wanted Ander to know he was sorry even if he couldn’t verbalize the apology.

Ander accepted the lunch graciously, pretending not to notice that Jason was standing too close. Likewise, he pretended not to notice the hand that his friend surreptitiously placed on his butt as they walked into the lunchroom. It was there for only a moment, barely long enough to register. He just brushed against you, Ander warned himself sternly. He didn’t mean to do it!

Soccer practice was like old times as well. Sort of. Ander wasn’t sure if he was just being hypersensitive but Jason was unusually…attentive…that day. Attentive and flirtatious. Whenever Ander was, there was Jason right behind him. When he turned, there was Jason, usually lifting his jersey to expose his furry abdominals or readjusting his god-sized package. And speaking of that package, Ander wondered if Jason had purchased a different pair of shorts because they were a lot tighter than he remembered. The lurid bulge of Jason’s manhood was on display to anyone who cared to look, a fact that Jason seemed very aware of judging by his provocative stance.

In the showers afterwards, Jason took up position immediately to his left, spending an inordinate amount of time soaping up his immense testicles. Ander flushed, embarrassed by his friend’s behavior. He could see the other guys on the team nudging themselves and murmuring and knew they registered Jason’s changes as well. He worried that they would think that he and Jason were a couple or something because, really, what else would you think?

Back at their lockers, Ander was sitting down on the bench, pulling on his socks, when Jason padded over and stood over him, pendulous cock and heavy balls swinging inches from his face. Is he sporting a semi? Ander wondered, cheeks going red. He cleared his throat and stood up, stepping into his jeans.

“Hey, bro,” Jason said, innocently toweling off his hair while doing nothing to cover his half-hard cock, “wanna go out for a beer again with me? I’m super thirsty after practice.”

Ander cast his bro a sidelong glance, planning to give him a disapproving stare but instead found himself checking Jason out. He didn’t know why he did it; he’d seen Jason naked hundreds of times and thought nothing of it. Today, though, he couldn’t help appreciating his friend’s magnificently hairy and muscular body. When had Jason DeVos gotten so ripped? He forced himself to avert his gaze when he realized Jason was smiling knowingly at him.

“Um, I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Ander muttered, pink-cheeked and kicking himself for giving into the temptation to ogle. “You were a raging asshole last night.”

“Aw, bro,” Jason said, sidling up to drape a heavy arm over his shoulder, “don’t be such a whiny little bitch! Lemme buy you a beer. Just one beer, I promise!”

Don’t do it! Don’t do it! Don’t do it! a voice screamed in the back of his mind. For some reason, though, he found himself agreeing. An hour later, they were sitting side by side, drinking beer after beer after beer at another microbrewery downtown. Ander attributed it to the effects of the alcohol but, as the evening wore on, he resisted Jason’s advances less and less. When Jason reached out and played with his hair, twining one of his curls around a finger and smiling dreamily, Ander drowned in his beautiful, blue gaze. His heart skipped a beat when Jason moved his hand down to cup his cheek while making a drunken kissy face at him. Rather than pulling back, Ander was disoriented to find himself instead leaning closer until his face was only inches from Jason’s. His friend’s rich, masculine scent filled his nostrils, making him dizzy.

By the end of the night, he’d given up all pretense of fending him off and let his buddy grope him wantonly. When they got up to leave, Jason wrapped his arms around him, pulling him in for a beery kiss on the lips. Jason went right for the gold, ramming his tongue down his throat and pressing his taut body against him. Ander’s eyes widened when felt twin ‘pistols’ against his thigh, one was the gun holstered to Jason’s hip and the other a much larger, harder and hotter weapon that Jason also concealed in his trousers. 

“Yer the best piece of ass a man could have,” Jason hiccuped in his ear as he kneaded Ander’s buttocks with his big hands. “I love ya, bitch!”

***

“My lil’ bro’s a six-beer queer!” his brother, Diego, crowed over the phone the next morning after receiving Ander’s desperately confused text. “So, how was it?”

Ander swallowed, heart pounding in his chest. He knew he should keep it a secret but he was dying to talk to someone about what had happened. “It, uh, didn’t suck as much as I thought it would. He’s a little rough but he’s actually a good kisser.”

“And he’s hot, too,” Diego conceded. “As much as it pains me to say that about a white supremacist.”

“He’s not a white supremacist!”

Diego sighed. “We’re just gonna have to agree to disagree on that one, bro. The whole DeVos clan is a viper’s nest of racist crackers, bro.”

Ander had to bite off a sharp retort on the tip of his tongue. With supreme effort, he let the insult slide and instead begged, “Tell me what to do, Diego! Yer the expert on these things. What does it mean?”

There was a long sigh on the other end before his brother replied, “You want my honest answer?”

“Of course!”

“Walk away. Now. Jason DeVos is being groomed for a life in the public eye. Even if he is bi or whatever, there ain’t no way his family’s gonna let him take up with the likes of yer sorry ass. Face it, bro, it was a one-time thing. Besides, what would Lily say if she knew you were snogging Jason?”

“I hate it when yer right,” Ander muttered. “I was hoping you’d encourage me to go for it.”

“Why? Just because I’m a big homo?” Diego laughed. “Yer my little brother, Ander. Someone’s gotta look out for you. It’s my job to keep ya honest.”

***

The next few days were torture for Ander. On the surface, he and Jason continued on as always. Even to the practiced eyes of their bodyguards, nothing seemed amiss. Inwardly, though, Ander was a mess. He couldn’t keep his eyes off Jason. His heart would leap into his throat each time his friend came near and he would become breathless and flustered. He was both appalled and confused by his behavior. Since when was he attracted to men? He’d never heard of people suddenly becoming gay but that was essentially what had happened to him. All it took was a little encouragement from Jason and now he couldn’t get the man off of his mind.

For his part, Jason seemed to pull back from the perilous trajectory he’d started to go down. Reverting to his customary behavior, he was cordial with Ander but that was all. He avoided him at work and at home, even staying distant on the practice field. He barely said two words to him most of the time and didn’t suggest that they go out for beer again. It was like the whole thing had never happened.

Somehow, this made it worse for Ander. He knew he should be relieved because Diego was right: It could never work out between him and Jason. Plus, he loved Lily and the last thing he wanted was to hurt her. Besides, he loved girls and pussy. Why did he care if Jason avoided him? They were both better off this way.

But…

But…

But rather than being grateful he’d dodged a gay bullet, Ander was miserable. The more distant Jason became, the more he longed for his company. It was pure torture being so close to his friend and yet so far away. Why wouldn’t Jason at least look at him?

He’d started to lose hope when it happened: Jason exploded at his supervisor at work. Even down on the ground level, Ander could hear their angry exchange. He stood bolt upright in his chair as soon as he recognized Jason’s voice and, without thinking, he tore upstairs. He arrived just in time to find his friend and the supervisor ready to come to blows in the conference room on the third floor. Ander only had time to register the feral look of blind hatred blazing in Jason’s eyes before he sprang into action. He knew that look! He could never forget it because it was the same look Jason had given him in the bar. The human Jason was gone and in his place was a rabid dog.

Acting with surprising speed and strength, he tackled Jason, managing to topple him just as he was lashing out with his fist. Jason was taken by surprise and couldn’t counter. In a moment, Ander was sprawled atop of him on the floor.

“GET. THE. FUCK. OFF. ME.” Jason spat between clenched teeth, wrestling to get free.

Ander pressed down on him, pinning his arms over his head. A group of curious onlookers had gathered at the door by this time and his only thought was to de-escalate the confrontation as quickly as possible. Despite his previous disavowal to Julian, he really did care about Jason’s reputation and took his role as protector seriously. He stayed there, straddling his friend and leaning forward so closely that their faces were only inches apart. Behind him, he could hear heavy breathing as Jason’s supervisor struggled to collect himself.

“Jason,” he coaxed. “Let’s go home, huh? I think it’s time to call it a day.” 

These words unleashed such burning hatred in his friend’s eyes that it shook him to the core and he quailed inwardly. Somehow, though, he managed to stay resolute even as Jason fought mightily to dislodge him from his perch. After an intense struggle, his friend finally gave up, exhaling in a low, anguished moan as he lowered his head onto the floor and closed his eyes.

Ander was relieved when he felt him deflate beneath him. Just like that, the tension dissipated from Jason’s body, leaving him limp as a ragdoll. Well, leaving most of him limp at least. Ander flushed brilliant scarlet when he felt something hard and long and fat pressing insistently into the cleft of his buttocks. He looked down and realized that Jason was sporting a massive erection.

Even worse, Ander had one, too.

He flinched when he felt a spurt of precum rocket out of his cock, followed quickly by another and another. With sick certainty, he knew that it was only a matter of time before the front of his pants was soaked. If he didn’t get out of there soon, he was going to embarrass himself in front of everyone. On the other hand, if he got up now with his obvious erection straining against his trousers, he would be doubly embarrassed. A quick glance into Jason’s horrified eyes confirmed that his friend had just come to the same realization.

They were fucked.

Fortunately, Duke came to their rescue once again. Some quick-thinking soul had the presence of mind to call him when the ruckus began and the big man barged into the conference room at that moment, barking orders and clearing everyone away. Soon, the room was empty save for Jason and Ander. Duke closed the door behind him, gruffly telling them to use the fire escape; their SUV was waiting for them at the building’s entrance. They sat there, blinking at each other uncertainly for a few seconds before Ander scrambled to his feet, turning his crotch away from Jason. 

“Th-Th-Thank you, Ander.”

Startled by this rare gratitude, Ander looked back and promptly lost himself in Jason’s limpid gaze. His friend’s demeanor had shifted completely. No longer a caged animal ready to strike, he was meek to the point of docility, lowering his eyes behind long, blond lashes and smiling shyly. The front of his dress pants was still tented obscenely, though, and there was a spreading wet stain on his fly…just like the stain on the fly of Ander’s pants.

It took everything he had not to take Jason in his arms and kiss him but somehow he managed to regain enough self-possession to resist. He straightened, pushing himself haltingly toward the fire escape. “It’s Ok,” he croaked, grimacing when his underwear pinched his achingly hard cock. “Just don’t do it again.”

***

They rode in silence back to the house, hands positioned strategically over their crotches. For his part, Duke remained mute, driving with practiced ease and authority. Ander felt himself warming further to the big man, appreciating his calm confidence almost as much as his tact.

After spending a few days away from work, Jason returned to the office. Ander noticed that he’d been assigned a different supervisor; he never saw the previous one again. He found this curious but was too cautious to ask questions. 

Jason refused to talk about the incident and pretended like it hadn’t happened, much like he pretended their mutual public arousal had never happened. Ander found this strange but Jason walked away from him when he tried to breach the topic. If Jason didn’t want to talk about something, no amount of coaxing would work. Ander had to be content to let it slide.

Despite Jason’s attempts to hide it, Ander knew that something serious was going on with him. He never smiled anymore and was in a foul temper. He stopped reading the books he loved so much and spent hours cleaning his guns in front of the television. And when he wasn’t working or playing soccer or cleaning his guns, he was working out. He’d always been one to push himself physically but now his workouts took on a masochistic air. He seemed to relish depriving himself of nutrition, bragging incessantly about being shredded. Not a day passed when he didn’t mention that his body fat was below five percent.

Ander hated to admit it but he was more attracted to Jason than ever. He knew it was perverse but he loved how muscular and sinewy his macho friend was becoming. Jason lost so much fat that the striations of his muscles were plainly visible beneath his porcelain-like skin. He changed his wardrobe, replacing every article of clothing with sheer, form-fitting fabric. And, as if this wasn’t enough, he took to lifting weights wearing nothing but an Army-ration jockstrap. In the morning, Ander would come downstairs to find his friend splayed out on the weight bench he’d set up off the living room, hairy legs spread wide and swollen bulge straining to burst free from the pouch of his jock. Ander was so distracted that he poured orange juice on his cereal on more than one occasion.

Look but don’t touch.

Ander learned that lesson quickly. Jason might enjoy displaying his body but Ander was prohibited from reciprocating. The one time he dared to reach out and touch his friend’s naked belly, Jason smacked his hand harshly, causing Ander to jump. He stared up at Jason reproachfully, only to be confronted with a look of smoldering hatred.

Out of desperation, he resorted to snapping pics of Jason when he wasn’t looking, jacking off to them later in his bedroom. One time he even hid his phone in the locker room after practice and recorded Jason in the shower.

This game of unreciprocated flirtation was killing Ander. He neglected to respond to Lily’s texts and avoided her calls. He lay awake at night, ears straining for any sound from downstairs. It was ridiculous but he ached with the hope that one night Jason would overcome his inhibitions and creep into his bed. He tried his best to win Jason over, tried to get him to open up to him, to tell him what was going on but it was no use. Jason refused to talk and ignored Ander while still going out of his way to tease him with his magnificent body. After a week of this torture, poor Ander’s cock was chafed raw from chronic masturbation. He felt like he was going to die from this perennial state of amped up desire. If only Jason would come to him!

One night, Ander heard Jason and Julian arguing downstairs. He crept out of his bedroom and lingered at the top of the stairs, trying to hear what they were saying. Despite their raised voices, though, their conversation was unintelligible. The only thing he heard clearly was Jason shouting, “I don’t care what it takes, just find him and make him go away!”

Find who? Ander wondered, chest clenching with dread. The anguish in Jason’s voice was palpable and it cut him to the quick. It was almost intolerable for him to know that Jason was in pain and he was powerless to do anything about it. Still, he didn’t dare interrupt the two. He knew that Jason would only clam up and Julian would never breach his friend’s trust. He sighed and returned to his bedroom, resigned to another sleepless night.

At work, Jason was so on edge that the firm stopped inviting him to meet with clients. Ander would see him stewing at his desk in his luxurious office, brow furrowed and a frown on his face. He refused to look up when Ander knocked on the door. It was as if he wasn’t even there.

Chapter 3

Ander had just about reached the end of his rope and was preparing to tell Jason he was moving out when his friend surprised him with an unexpected invitation.

“Come with me to D.C.,” he offered one morning, settling on the corner of Ander’s bed and smiling warmly down at him. As always, his ‘pajamas’ consisted of a skimpy pair of skin-tight underwear. “I have a meeting at RNC headquarters to practice my speech before a live audience but afterwards we can hang out downtown.”

Ander pushed himself up on his elbows and blinked at his friend. He was still half asleep and convinced that he was dreaming. Jason reached out and mussed his hair, twisting his naked torso. As he did so, he graced him with the sight of his striated obliques…not to mention an unimpeded view of his giant bulge. Ander’s cock twitched and he couldn’t stop himself from staring.

“I know you wanna, bro,” Jason teased, following his gaze and giving him a knowing wink. “C’mon, get dressed. I promise to wear sumthin’ slinky.”

An hour later, they were on their way to Washington, D.C., cruising in the back seat of the SUV with Duke at the wheel. Ander had to pinch himself because it seemed too good to be true but every time he looked over at Jason, his friend met his gaze with a disarming smile. While Jason had lied about dressing in something revealing, he did look incredibly sexy in his tailored Italian suit. Ander felt his heart fluttering in his chest. He and Jason were going to spend almost the whole day together! He returned the smile with a goofy grin of his own.

They dropped Jason off at security in front of the RNC headquarters and waited at a nearby cafe until his speech practice was over. Duke insisted on paying for Ander’s latte and settled across to the table from him with a small smile on his rugged face.

“Yer punch drunk in love with him, aren’t ya?” he queried.

Ander blushed, looking evasively down at the tabletop and taking a nervous sip of his coffee. “Uh, I, um, don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Duke’s eyes danced with merriment. “C’mon, kid! Don’t try to bullshit me. I know a lovesick pup when I see one. ‘Sides, a guy would have to be completely stupid not to pick up on the erotic charge in the house these days. Yer ‘fuck-me-now’ pheromones are outta control!”

“I do not have ‘fuck-me-now’ pheromones,” Ander stated indignantly. “And so what if I do find Jason somewhat attractive? Is that a crime?”

“Nah, no crime,” Duke replied with a shrug of his huge shoulders. “But ya better watch out. Jason’s not about to sacrifice his big American dream for a taudry gay romance. The best ya can hope for is a quickie behind the ol’ toolshed. When he’s done with ya, he’ll leave ya high and dry with blue balls and the bitter taste of cum in yer mouth.” He paused to take a pull of his black coffee, adding slyly, “Not to mention a wrecked hole. That boy’s got a cock that won’t quit!”

“Who sez it won’t be his hole that’s wrecked?” Ander demanded, stung by Duke’s implication.

This was met with a skeptically arched eyebrow. There was a long pause during which Duke appraised him silently from across the table. Finally, he swore under his breath, shaking his head. “Jesus Christ but yer one beautiful lad! Even better, you have a heart of gold. You’re too good for Jason! Do you realize how many men would lay down and bleed for a chance at ya? There’re a million guys out there who would be better for you than that asshole. A million! Jason’s nuthin’ but trouble. He’ll fuckin’ destroy yer life if you let him. My advice is to get the hell out now and stay as far away from him as possible.”

***

Jason texted them an hour later and they picked him up in front of the RNC headquarters again. He looked radiant, the happiest that Ander had seen him in days. He smiled broadly as he hopped in the backseat and instructed Duke to head toward downtown. Duke complied but had only driven a couple blocks when Jason ordered him to pull into an empty parking lot.

“What are–?” Ander started to ask but his friend had already jumped out. He watched as Jason rummaged around in the back, eventually pulling out a couple of bags. Coming around to Ander’s side, he opened the door and handed him one.

“Here,” he said. “Your costume.”

Ander blinked. “My what?”

Jason grinned. “Just put it on. I’ve got one, too. Or did you forget that I promised to wear something slinky?”

Jaw dropping in amazement, Ander stared as Jason stripped completely naked in the parking lot and commenced dressing in a highly stylized Army Ranger captain’s uniform, complete with a camouflage jockstrap. The uniform was so tight that it looked like it had been painted on and the pants rode low enough to display the top three inches of Jason’s magnificent furry ass along with the wide elastic waistband of the jock. He finished by slapping on a pair of aviator sunglasses and a cavalry stetson, giving Ander a jaunty salute. Predictably, he thrust his crotch forward as he did so, making sure that his enormous package was on full display. Ander gaped at the sight of his friend’s fat tube steak sandwiched between the twin mounds of his stallion-sized balls.

“C’mon, soldier!” he ordered. “Now it’s your turn! Get yer togs on!”

Ander somehow managed to tear his gaze away from Jason’s super sexy uniform to look down into his own bag. He flushed when he realized that his outfit was not only far skimpier than Jason’s, it was also very pink. Pink camouflage, that is.

“I…I…I can’t wear this,” he stammered, unable to believe this was happening.

“Sure you can!” Jason urged. “You know what today is, don’t you?” When Ander shook his head, he sighed with exasperation. “It’s Gay Pride, bro! Now get dressed. We’re gonna fuckin’ party our asses off!”

Ten minutes later found Ander standing outside the SUV with cheeks burning in humiliation. He was clad in the most revealing ‘uniform’ ever invented. Jason had clearly spent a lot of time hunting for just the right clothing to make Ander into his submissive counterpart. He wore pink leather combat boots, camo hot pants and a midriff-baring vest that didn’t close. There was a pink beret and a pair of pink aviator glasses as well but the worst part of it was the pink thong. Jason insisted that he wear it, threatening to force him into it if he refused. He gaped down at himself in disbelief. The thong was clearly visible riding over the top of his hotpants. There was no way to hide it.

“Perfect,” Jason praised, crossing his beefy arms and nodding  with satisfaction as he surveyed Ander’s costume. “Now show me yer privates, Private!” He laughed at Ander’s indignant bark of protest, placing a heavy arm over his shoulders. “Don’t worry, bro,” he whispered. “You can show me later when we’re alone.”

Ander couldn’t meet his gaze. He stared down at the pavement, feeling sweat trickling down the cleft of his bared buttocks and soaking the string of the thong. The horrible thing was already chafing his butthole! He hung his head, wanting to die of shame.

“You boys sure ya wanna do this?” Ander looked up to find Duke watching them with an expression of wry amusement. The ex-SEAL was clearly enjoying the show. “Yer grandma’s not gonna like this, Jason. Not to mention Lindsey.”

Jason pretended not to hear and instead jabbed his finger in the air, exclaiming, “OMG! I forgot the most important part!” When Duke looked at him questioningly, he concluded, “Your costume, Duke. If you’re gonna escort us today, you gotta blend in, right?”

Duke’s face went pale. “Whoa now, Jason!” he said, holding up his hands. “That’s not in my contract!”

“Neither is getting corn-holed by Julian,” Jason replied, laughing, “but that hasn’t stopped you, has it?” As if on cue, his phone chimed at that moment and he looked down at it, pronouncing, “And speaking of Julian, he’s just about here.”

There was the sound of wheels on gravel and they looked over to find Julian driving up in his green Honda Civic. He emerged from behind the wheel wearing a very intimidating-looking leather harness, chaps, a black cap and jackboots. He even held a riding crop in his hand. Ander almost forgot about his own humiliation when he saw the expression of shock and awe on Duke’s face. Clearly, the big man was surprised and delighted by the sight of his lover clad in such attire.

“No stalling,” Julian commanded, marching up to confront Duke. “In yer uniform now!”

It was amusing to see such a slight man behaving with such authority, especially in front of a towering wall of muscle like Duke, but it had an instant effect. Cowed, the big man obediently accepted the package that Jason held out to him and soon he’d stripped out of his clothes and donned an outfit similar to Julian’s, the main difference being the studded dog collar around his neck. A fat stogie dangled from his mouth, luridly suggestive of the ‘fat stogie’ that Ander had just watched him stuff into the studded pouch of his leather jockstrap.

“I don’t need to remind you not to take any selfies or post anything on social media,” Julian said when they were all dressed in their Pride costumes. He turned to Jason, aiming his index finger at his chest, “And no acting out! That last thing we need is for you to make a scene and embarrass yourself and your grandmother! She’s already gonna have my balls on a spit if she catches wind of this!”

Jason backed away, holding up his hands placatingly. “Of course! Of course! Ander and me’re doing this on the down-low. Our gfs would shit if they saw us like this!” He paused to pull down his aviators and give them a sly wink, “That’s why we’re going incognito. No one’ll recognize me with this on!”

“Let’s hope so,” Julian muttered. “Just don’t do anything dumb.”

***

It was no exaggeration to say so but it was the best day of Ander’s life. Jason DeVos lavished attention upon him as if he was making up for the torture of the past couple of weeks. Ander had never seen him in such a good mood. It took him a while to understand the reason why: Dressed in a costume that concealed his true identity, Jason was finally free to be himself in public. He didn’t have to worry about furthering his career, pleasing his family or excelling in the eyes of his peers. He could just be Jason. Big ol’ gay Jason. Even though he would never have admitted it, Ander knew that Jason’s relationship with Lindsey was a sham like the rest of his life. Jason wasn’t even slightly heterosexual; he was gay as the day is long.

And it was a long, gay day.

They made a huge splash as a gay couple. All eyes were riveted upon them as soon as they emerged from the SUV to stroll into the raucous celebration. Not only were their costumes provocative, they also possessed the bods to set them off. Add in their complementary light and dark skin and you had the recipe for gay royalty. Wherever they went, the crowds parted, standing aside in stunned amazement as the twin gods passed by.

Jason ate it up.

He loved the spectacle almost as much as he loved making Ander into his bitch. He kept his arm wrapped protectively around Ander’s shoulders, pulling him in close and allowing easy access to his thong. He played with the string in the back, pulling it up and down, up and down, driving Ander wild with wanton ecstasy. 

At one point, he whispered in his ear, “I’m gonna stretch out yer pussy bad, you hear?” 

Ander shivered. He was feverish with desire. He’d never wanted a man’s cock inside him before but now it was all he could think about. Jason smiled at his glassy-eyed expression, lowering his mouth to kiss him on the lips. A moment later, he’d spun him around so they were face to face. They came together, mouths open and tongues out, mashing together and openly groping each other despite being in public.

“You want my big man-cock, don’t you?” Jason taunted, grinding his erect sausage against Ander’s equally erect sausage. “Yer nuthin’ but a dumb cockslut, aren’t ya?”

“Ungh!” Ander moaned, perversely excited by being debased. “I’m a cockslut, Jason! I’m yer cockslut!”

Jason laughed, a sound of pure triumph. He clutched Ander against him, crushing him in his iron grip. “I knew it when I first met you, Ander. I knew I’d own yer cunt virginity.”

***

After a few hours, they were so ramped up that they couldn’t wait to get home; they had to fuck right now! Fortunately, it was relatively easy for Duke to pay for a private room in a nearby leather bar and soon Jason was leading Ander by the hand into a dark little cubicle that smelled heavily of piss and dried cum. Next door, Julian led Duke by a leash into a similar room and soon they were greeted by a chorus of Duke’s wails as Julian flogged him mercilessly.

Jason turned sober as soon as the door closed behind them. Taking Ander in his arms, he stared deeply into his eyes for a long time before admitting, “I’ve treated you badly. You didn’t deserve it.” Ander had to blink back tears. In truth, his heart belonged so completely to Jason that he would gladly put up with any amount of abuse from the man. Just hearing that Jason wanted him was enough. “This might be the first and last time we do this. At least for a while,” Jason continued, frowning. “It’s so hard to get away, Ander! Everything I do is recorded! Even our house is filled with surveillance cameras!”

Ander gaped at this news. He hadn’t realized that they were being watched even in the privacy of their own home! Suddenly, Jason’s erratic behavior made a lot more sense. Of course, he couldn’t touch Ander or show any outward sign of affection! Doing so would be foolish. He had to maintain the illusion of his heterosexuality at all times. This wasn’t to say that Jason didn’t rebel; his exhibitionism was clearly his way of pushing back against such unfair restrictions. If only Ander had known this sooner! The summer would have been a lot less tortuous.

As if reading his thoughts, Jason smiled sadly. “I would have confessed my feelings for you a long time ago but I wasn’t sure you felt the same way. I had to test you to be sure.” He hung his head, murmuring, “I’m sorry, Ander! I’m so sorry!”

In answer, Ander reached out and guided Jason’s hands down to the waistband of his tiny Lycra shorts, urging him to pull them down. Jason lifted his head and grinned wolfishly, taking charge. Soon Ander was standing there naked wearing only his pink beret and the ridiculously tiny thong. The thong was tented out obscenely, the veins of his giant cock clearly visible through the sheer fabric. Jason stood back and admired him, eyes dancing with delight.

“You are so gorgeous, Ander!” he praised. “And yer mine! I can’t believe it. I’m the luckiest guy in the world.”

“Just shut up and fuck me before I chicken out,” Ander pleaded. “This feels so weird!”

“Uh-uh-uh!” Jason tsked, wagging his finger. “No so fast, bro! Ever since I first saw yer succulent lips, I’ve wanted them on my cock. And when I saw yer big, fat ass, well, that was it. I couldn’t wait to ride it bareback. I knew you were put on this earth for my personal pleasure and now I’m gonna put ya to work. On yer knees, bitch!”

And just like that, the tender Jason disappeared and in his place was a feral animal. Ander had witnessed this transformation before, of course, but now he understood that two beings lived inside Jason DeVos’ body: A human and a demon that were continually at war for dominance. You never knew which one you would get and this unpredictability made Jason terrifying.

Ander loved it.

He knew it was crazy but his fear of Jason was a potent aphrodisiac; the more out of control Jason became, the more it turned him on. Jason was an addictive drug and Ander was his junky. At the moment, he knew that he would let Jason do anything to him. Anything.

All this flashed through Ander’s mind as Jason forced him down on his knees. Soon he was staring pleadingly up at Jason as he stuck his giant package in his face. Jason wasn’t about to relent, though. “WORSHIP ME,” he growled, grabbing Ander’s face and shoving it against his crotch.

He smothered Ander, cruelly grinding into him until he was close to passing out. His mega-sized nuts and pulsing sausage choked him. He writhed, gasping for air and feeling increasingly light-headed. At the last moment, though, Jason released him, commanding, “Lick my balls, bitch!”

Ander was an obedient sub; it never occurred to him to say no. Reaching up with shaking hands, he gently pulled down on the waistband of Jason’s elastic pants. There was a breathless moment when the thick base of that enormous cock was revealed inch by inch by inch and then it sprang out, slapping Ander painfully on the cheek. Jason’s oversized balls followed next, tumbling down just above his knees.

Ander stared at that stupendous, king-sized package in disbelief. Erect and engorged, Jason’s cock was beyond large. Even his crazy profusion of dishwater-blonde pubic hair did nothing to hide its magnificence.

And those balls!

Christ, when those balls were inches from his face, the unreality of their gigantic size was undeniable. He sat there salivating until Jason smacked him alongside the head and he got down to business smothering every inch of that hairy ballsac with his tongue. The skin was musky and ripe but Ander wasn’t complaining! He’d waited so long for permission to finally touch Jason’s body that he was on the verge of madness!

Jason threw back his head and groaned with ecstasy, swinging his big nuts and hitting Ander across the face. They were not only big but heavy, too, and getting smacked by them hurt. It was a delicious pain, though. And it got him primed for the cock-sucking that was coming next.

When Jason grew tired of having his balls worshipped, he grabbed a handful of Ander’s thick hair and shoved him down on his cock. Ander gagged but Jason was relentless. He forced him to swallow every fat inch of his massive man meat, no easing up until it was well down his throat.

“Eyes up here, bitch!” Jason commanded, forcing Ander to arch his neck so that he was captured in his lover’s predatory gaze. Ander learned fast that Jason’s pleasure was all that mattered. If Ander got off, too, that was incidental; he real focus was always Jason.

He was focused on giving Jason the best head of his life that the fact he was sucking another guy’s cock didn’t sink in until after several minutes. He should have been more embarrassed by how much he loved it but instead was surprised to find he excelled at it, if Jason’s loud wails were any indication, he’d just discovered a brand new skill and it made him very happy. He could take a huge cock in his mouth and service it like a seasoned whore. Definitely something to put on this résumé!

Soon, hot, bitter cum rocketed down his throat as Jason blew his big load. He hollered at the top of his lungs, overpowering even Duke’s amorous rutting from the next room. Ander sucked his manpole dry of every last drop, looking up pleadingly at Jason when he finished.

“And, no, I’m not sucking yer dick,” Jason stated flatly, reading his thoughts. “Only faggots suck dick and I’m no faggot. Yer pathetic dick isn’t going anywhere near my mouth. Now keep at it!”

Ander cast his gaze downward, disappointed. He was fiercely turned on and would have loved to get a blowjob of his own. There was no use in arguing, though; when Jason said no, he meant it. He shrugged and got to work trying to make Jason hard again, doubling down on his sucking. 

At first, Jason’s cock was soft in his mouth. Ander wracked his brain for a way to make him hard again and finally had a brilliant idea. He reached back and kneaded his bro’s furry buttocks with his hands, pulling his hips forward and gaining deeper access to his cock. While Jason initially seemed to get into this, bucking his hips forward and thrusting into Ander’s mouth, he gave a startled yelp of surprise when one of Ander’s fingers scored his tight, furry pucker.

“STOP THAT!” he yelled, giving Ander a painful slap across the face. “You NEVER touch my hole. Understand?”

Ander nodded, rubbing his cheek and filing this information away. Note to self: Jason’s butthole is permanently off limits!

Ten minutes later, he was lapping up another load of Jason’s hot juices. His poor dick was rigid in the tiny pouch of his thong but Jason wouldn’t let him touch himself. He had to content himself with playing with Jason’s balls, wrapping his hand around the sagging skin just over the ripe apples and stroking up and down. This turned out to be a genius move on his part and he realized he’d stumbled upon Jason’s biggest turn-on: He loved ball tugging. Not too hard, mind you! He would give Ander a sharp slap if he pulled too hard but, if he kept the pressure constant, sliding his hand up and down his stretched-out sac, Jason was in heaven. Soon, his buddy’s cock was hard as a rock again and Jason was ready for action.

Butthole action, that is.

“Time to shred yer hole, bitch,” he said with an evil grin.

Ander’s asshole clenched in sudden panic when Jason produced a bottle of lube and proceeded to slather up his hulking cock with the greasy mixture. Ander swallowed, realizing that Jason’s tool might be the same length as his own but it greatly exceeded his in girth. (Christ, that thing is fatter than a fucking firehose! he thought, flinching.) Oblivious to his rising panic, Jason moved behind him and squeezed more lube into his hand, parting Ander’s ass cheeks and smearing his cleft and nubile hole.

“So fucking smooth, bro! Yer the perfect whore!” Jason praised. “I’m glad you shave yerself down there.”

With that, he shoved Ander back toward a wooden chair in the corner. He sat down and roughly spun Ander around so they were facing each other. Ordering him to straddle his lap, he took hold of Ander’s hips and guided his quivering hole expertly over his thick rod. “This position is best for the first time on a big dick,” he explained. In response to the unspoken question on Ander’s lips, he smirked, conceding, “I’ve done this a few times before but never with a guy I’ve wanted to destroy as bad as you, Ander.”

Jason pulled the string of Ander’s thong aside and then it was done: His fat cockhead was now planted firmly against Ander’s rosebud. The two locked eyes and Jason wrapped his arms around Ander’s waist, pulling him harshly downward. Ander yelped as he felt his precious little hole part. With a sickening pop! and Jason’s cockhead pushed inside him. Ander’s virginal sphincter cried out in agony but he stifled his whimper at a stern glance from Jason.

Jason’s gaze flared and he grinned luridly, wrenching Ander down on his cock. This time, he couldn’t stop himself, he screamed at the top of his lungs as his vision washed red. He felt his insides tear and knew he was bleeding. It didn’t matter, though. He was there for only one purpose and that was to be used and abused.

Jason’s cock was up his ass.

All the way up.

He threw his head back and howled with pain and pleasure as his bro thrust deeply inside, permanently stretching out his hole. It was the best/worst feeling in the world and he felt both exalted and ashamed at the same time.

What followed was an orgy of ass-fucking. Once he’d succeeded in stretching out Ander’s hole, Jason forced Ander on his knees on the floor and commenced fucking him in earnest, pounding his hole while his massive balls slapped painfully against Ander’s cock. 

It got worse.

Jason ripped the thong off and savagely grabbed Ander’s cock and balls in his fist as he fucked him. He seemed to take Ander’s big cock as a personal affront. “A stupid cockslut like you doesn’t need a big dick!” he shouted, twisted Ander’s cock so hard he felt the cartilage give way. His vision fogged and red-hot agony coursed through him. When Jason wrenched his balls violently upward, Ander screamed.  “SHUT UP!” Jason ordered. “What do you need balls for anyway? You’re just a cunt for fucking!” He gave Ander’s balls an even harder yank, following it with another vise-like twist on his shaft. Ander nearly passed out as a sick wave of agony washed over him. From that day forth, Ander’s cock never again pointed jauntily up at the ceiling when he was erect and instead hung listlessly down at the floor.

Despite being turned on by the savagery of Jason’s assault, tears were sliding down Ander’s face. Rather than pity, though, these merely elicited more rage. Jason lost all control, giving the beast lurking inside him free rein and pummeling him into exquisite submission. Any resistance was futile. He took everything about Ander and reduced it to pulp, degrading him and using him and assaulting him. Ander was the beneficiary of all of Jason’s pent up rage and hatred…as well as his hunger and desire. It was a potent and heady brew and Ander lost himself in this twisted passion. His body became a battlefield and Jason was his conquering army. A week would pass before all of the bruises on his body healed. And some things never quite went back to normal.

Ander loved every cum-soaked minute of it.

***

“Well, it’s official,” Jason pronounced when they were both too exhausted to continue, “you’re a big faggot whore.”

Ander smiled up at him. He was cradled in Jason’s lap, cheek pressing against his furry chest as he nibbled on one of Jason’s tiny nipples. “I’m your faggot whore, though,’ he said. “Only yours.”

“Damn right you are!” Jason agreed, laughing. “I’ve always wanted my own personal faggot.”

Ander grinned with pride. “That’s me, Jason. That’s all I want to be. You can use me however you want.”

“Oh, I will,” Jason promised, lowering his mouth and biting his lip until it bled, “I most certainly will.”

***

After he was sated, the beast inside Jason receded to the background and he was once again a tender, solicitous lover. There was a little shower attached to their cubicle and Jason guided him inside, turning on the water and waiting until it was warm before rinsing Ander off.  Ander was in heaven, luxuriating in the sensation of Jason’s big, strong hands rubbing him down. Jason was so confident, so supreme, so macho, so studly, so…

“I love you, Ander.”

He froze, eyes darting up to meet Jason’s steady gaze. He’d never expected to hear those words from Jason DeVos!

Jason smiled. “You don’t have to tell me you love me, too. It’s enough just telling you.” He looked away evasively then and Ander was surprised to see tears in the corners of his friend’s eyes. When Jason spoke again, his voice was husky with emotion. “It’s funny. I’ve told Lindsey a million times that I love her but I’ve never felt anything. Now I do. Is this what it means to be in love?”

Ander answered by standing on his tiptoes and kissing the tears out of Jason’s eyes.

***

The four men emerged from their respective rooms sated with sex but not quite ready to leave for home. Ander’s whole body ached but he didn’t care, all he wanted was more time by Jason’s side. When Julian suggested a little bar nearby, they agreed to head over for a nightcap. The place was dark and crowded when they arrived. Violet lights played against the velveteen walls. All of the booths were taken so Ander and Jason sat at the bar while Duke and Julian grabbed a small table nearby. Jason couldn’t keep his hands off Ander but he didn’t mind. He’d been serious when he told Jason that he was his property. He wanted his friend to know that he could do anything to him, anytime. Ander would never stand in his way.

At one point, Jason got up to take a piss and Ander was left alone at the bar where he attracted all manner of predatory attention. He shrank in on himself, keenly aware of how scantily clad he was. Without Jason there to act as a buffer, he felt exceedingly exposed.

“You really love him, don’t you?”

Ander looked over to find a young man had taken Jason’s seat next to him. The guy looked vaguely familiar but Ander couldn’t quite place him. Dressed in an exquisitely fashionable grey suit and sporting a stylish haircut, the man was regarding him with a curious expression. 

His accent was foreign but Ander thought he recognized it. Acting on impulse, he answered in Mandarin, “I do. I love him very much.”

The man blinked. “You speak Mandarin?”

Ander nodded. “I’ve studied it since I was twelve. And I was an exchange student in Taoyuan City.”

A knowing, almost wistful look crossed the man’s handsome face and then, “Ah. I know it well, although it’s been years since I’ve been back to my homeland.”

They were silent for a few moments while Ander struggled to figure out what to say. Something about the guy unnerved him, although he couldn’t say what it was. He craned his neck, looking back at the hallway to the restrooms but there was no sign of Jason. He was stuck with this mysterious stranger.

“I’m wondering, friend,” the man said finally. “Would you be so kind as to give this to Jason when he returns. I would give it to him myself but I don’t think he would appreciate seeing me.”

He held out a piece of folded paper. Ander hesitated before accepting it, asking, “You know Jason? How?”

The young man smiled and took a sip of his cocktail. “Oh, we have a complicated history, Jason DeVos and I. I would tell you about it but it would take too long. Maybe someday you and I will meet again and then we can catch up?” Ander shivered with premonition at these words. He didn’t know why but he was certain that he really would meet the man again. Before he could make a reply, though, the man stood up, saying, “It was a pleasure to meet you, Ander Ibarra. You’re so much more than Jason deserves.”

***

He decided to wait until they got home to give the note to Jason. Something about meeting the stranger felt fishy and his instincts told him that it would upset Jason. Plus, this was their night together and god knew when he would get a chance to be with Jason again like this. He was already mourning the loss of this friend who had unexpectedly turned into his most ardent (and sadistic) lover. When they got home, everything would go back to normal and Jason would again be distant and standoffish. It wasn’t fair!

Duke pulled off on a sideroad before they got home and they changed back into their street clothes. Ander couldn’t believe it but he actually felt sad stripping out of his embarrassing outfit. As humiliating as it was to wear, it represented freedom to him, freedom to love Jason openly and without worry. He wiped at his eyes as he folded the tiny, heavily-soiled thong away, hiding it carefully in the bottom of the bag.

“From now, you only wear thongs,” Jason growled in his ear, causing him to jump. “When you get home, you’ll see that I stole all of yer manly underwear and replaced them with panties.” Ander looked up sharply at him, surprised that his cock had gone suddenly rigid in his boxers. He nodded meekly and Jason’s face broke into a leer. “Don’t you ever forget who has the balls here, bitch. Yer my little cumslut no matter what happens.”

And so it was from that day forward, Ander never wore men’s underwear again. Even though it caused him no end of grief in the locker room, he even made a pink thong part of his regular soccer kit. If you happened to be watching one of his matches, you might be treated to the unexpected surprise of the bright pink whaletail of the thong riding up over the top of his soccer shorts. It was Ander’s little way of showing the world that he belonged to Jason DeVos and nothing would ever change that.

***

Jason’s face went pale and then red when Ander handed him the little note. He unfolded it with shaking hands, glancing down at it before lifting his gaze accusingly. “Why didn’t you give this to me sooner?” he demanded. “What were you thinking, Ander?”

Ander couldn’t meet Jason’s eyes and instead looked down at his feet, abashed. “I, uh, I mean, I–”

SMACK!

The sound of Jason’s slap echoed through the house. It was loud enough to bring Julian and Duke barreling into the room. They stared at the pair questioningly as Ander rubbed his aching cheek. Jason’s eyes were burning with fury. It was clear he would have hit Ander again if Julian hadn’t swiftly intervened.

“Jason! Jason!” he shouted, pushing his way between them. “Lay off him!”

Ander was sniffling by this point, something that seemed only to enrage Jason further. He stood there, chest heaving, as twin impulses vied for control. Finally, he exhaled loudly and turned away from them, thrusting the note into Julian’s hand as he did so.

“It’s him again,” he stated coldly. “He’s following me. This is your last chance, Julian. I don’t care what you have to do, I want him gone. NOW!”

***

Chapter 4

Ander broke up with Lily the next day. It tore him apart to do so; he sincerely loved her and had looked forward to marrying her and raising a family together. But now that he’d ridden Jason’s big man-cock, he knew he could never go back to women. He’d been marked indelibly as a faggot–Jason’s little faggot–and he couldn’t change back. His old life as a heterosexual man was over. It was an agonizing breakup call with both Ander and Lily sobbing uncontrollably at different points but he felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders afterwards. Smiling to himself, he knew he’d made the right decision.

“Wow,” his brother, Diego, remarked when Ander called him with the news, “I always knew that Jason DeVos lived a charmed life but I didn’t realize he had the power to turn guys gay. Congratulations, little bro! Yer one of us now.”

“Thanks, man,” Ander said, breathing shakily. “Thanks. It’s really weird. I can’t believe I’m coming out to you.”

“Me, neither. Still, it’s good to have you batting for our team.” Diego paused before adding wryly, “Or maybe I should say it’s good to have you catching for our team.”

Ander winced. “Shut up! So I’m a bottom. Is there anything wrong with that?”

“Nuthin’ at all, bro! You and ninety percent of gay men are bottoms. Speaking of which,” he continued, “how is yer bottom? Sore?”

“Very. I can’t barely sit today.”

Diego laughed. “Oh, my poor, little bro! I’m sorry I’m not there to rub talcum powder on yer hole. I’ve only bottomed a couple of times so I’m not an expert but I’m told you get used to it. It helps if yer top has a small dick, though.”

“He doesn’t,” Ander admitted. “Jason’s hung like a fuckin’ stallion.”

“Ouch,” Diego said, wincing audibly. “You’ll just have to get used to standing, I guess. I hear it’s better for you than sitting anyway.”

Ander rolled his eyes. “Somehow, I doubt that’ll be a problem. Jason already told me that we may never, well, you know, again.”

“WHAT?!” Diego demanded, aghast. “Don’t tell me yer coming out as gay only to live a life of abstinence! You’re a young, hot-blooded man, Ander! If Jason’s not gonna ride yer hole, find someone who will! That’s what Grindr’s for!”

Ander smiled sadly. “No, Diego, I can’t. Jason’s the only man for me. He’s all I have ever wanted.”

***

Jason disappeared a week later.

Ander was consumed with a big project at work or he would have noticed sooner. He ended up working through lunch hour when he and Jason would normally meet and didn’t register his friend’s absence until soccer practice. When he jogged out onto the practice field, Jason was nowhere to be seen.

Concerned, he texted him. When he didn’t hear back, he tried calling, only to have his call sent to voicemail. He asked the other guys if they had heard anything from him but no one had. I’m sure he’s just running late, he told himself, he’ll be here in a few minutes. But the entire practice passed without any sign of Jason Devos.

Plagued by a sense of foreboding, he raced back home. His pulse spiked with alarm when he reached the front door and heard agonized screaming coming from inside. He burst through the door, ready to do battle with whoever was assaulting his lover, only to be greeted by the sight of Duke tied face down on the kitchen table, completely naked. His back and ass were bright red and covered with welts from a whip. Julian was positioned behind him, clad in full leather gear, ready to thrust his surprisingly big dick into the other man’s hungry hole.

Julian dropped the whip upon Ander’s sudden entrance and pulled off his executioner’s hood. His cheeks were bright red but he made no effort to cover his throbbing erection. While he stood there, Ander watched a long rope of precum dribble out of the tip of his cock, trailing down to land with a splat on the floor.  Behind him, Duke twisted his neck to see who it was, grimacing sheepishly when he recognized Ander.

Ander’s mouth was hanging open and he closed it with a snap, struggling to regain his composure. Finally, he remembered why he was there and demanded, “Where is Jason? He wasn’t at practice.” He paused before throwing out, “And you know there are security cameras all over in here, right?”

Julian shrugged. “I disabled them temporarily. And relax, Jason’s with Bruiser.” He paced around the table, loosening Duke’s bonds so the big man could cover up. In a few moments, both men were more or less presentable.

Ander had already pulled out his phone to call Bruiser but there was no answer. He left a voicemail, asking him to call back as soon as possible. In the meantime, Julian re-enabled the security cameras and started making some calls. Ander could tell he was doing it just to be polite but, as the evening wore on and there was no word from either Bruiser or Jason, they all grew concerned.

By ten o’clock, they had no choice but to notify Jason’s grandmother and ask for assistance from her organization. In less than fifteen minutes, the house was swarming with so many security personnel that it felt like Ander had stepped into an episode of Black Ops. He was escorted into his bedroom and told to remain there until further notice. They even took away his cell phone.

Life became briefly more difficult for Ander when the photos and videos of the very naked Jason were discovered on his phone. He was promptly interrogated by three of the biggest, beefiest men he’d ever seen. It wasn’t much of a grilling, though. Ander was no spy; he caved immediately, spilling every lurid detail of his and Jason’s relationship. He even offered to bend over and show them his permanently stretched-out hole as proof but the invitation was politely declined.

In the end, they determined that he was no threat to Jason as long as he kept his mouth shut about their affair. Having watched too many spy thrillers, Ander was convinced that they were lying and their real plan was to kill him and dump his body somewhere. When he admitted as much, his interrogator laughed, saying that these days it was lawyers and not goons who took care of the skeletons in the closet. As such, he could expect a visit from the DeVos family attorney soon. As long as he signed and abided by the terms of the non-disclosure agreement, he would be fine.

By the next morning, Ander was free to go as he pleased but there was still no sign of Jason. Too anxious to go to work, he called in sick and waited breathlessly on the sofa for any news. By eleven, Bruiser’s SUV had been found by the police but it turned out to be empty. An hour later, the big man was discovered bound and gagged in a copse of trees about a half mile away. He was alright but claimed to have been drugged and had no memory beyond driving Jason to a business meeting the previous afternoon.

By this point, the DeVos team was having difficulty keeping Jason’s disappearance under wraps. Now that the police were involved, it was only a matter of time before someone in the media caught wind of what was happening. The search for the missing heir kicked into high gear with Triple Canopy SUVs flooding the area’s roadways and their agents interrogating anyone who might know something about Jason’s whereabouts. His former supervisor at the investment firm was a prime suspect but extensive interviews with him yielded no information.

Ander dealt with his anxiety in a manner typical for his family: He became a workaholic. Much like his grandparents before him, he lost himself in his research, spending nearly every waking hour at the investment firm. It was the only way he could stay sane, besides playing soccer. When he wasn’t working or training, his mind was awash with worry and he barely slept at all. After a week, he was a wreck.

One night, his phone chimed while he was falling asleep at his desk. It was well past midnight by then and he wiped his eyes blearily before reaching for his phone. On the screen was a text from an unknown number, reading simply, >>Jason’s package is ready for pickup at the following address<< 

He stared at the message in puzzlement. Why would he be receiving a message about a package for Jason? He reread it, wondering if it was a spam text or a mistake. The address looked familiar, though. Sighing, he pressed on it to open Google Maps and was startled to see it was the soccer facility where he and Jason practiced.

Why would someone send a package to Jason at the soccer facility? he wondered. Something about it was suspicious and he debated whether to let Julian know. In the end, though, he decided to check it out himself. The soccer field was only a few blocks away; he could stop by on his way home. He sighed, pushing himself up from his desk and packing up to leave.

The facility was dark when he arrived. He stood in front of the doors, casting about for evidence of a package. The sidewalk was empty; there wasn’t a sign of anything out of the ordinary. He had turned and started to walk away when the automatic door opened behind him. He froze, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end.

Very slowly, he turned and looked inside the building. As he did so, a light went on at the end of the hallway near the entrance to the men’s locker room. Ander was both intrigued and creeped out and he hesitated a moment before stepping into the building. He paced down the hall, footsteps echoing through the empty building. At the end, he tugged open the door of the locker room and crept inside. Like the rest of the building, the room was empty. The air smelled of cleaning products; apparently, the nighttime cleaning crew had come through recently.

A lone light shone at the far side of the room near the locker that he and Jason shared. Ander squinted. Was that something on the bench? He approached cautiously; his intuition going crazy with warning.

As he neared, he realized the object sitting on the bench was a mason jar. It was filled with a yellowish liquid and something was suspended within. Perplexed, he reached down to pick it up, turning it over in his hand. What is it? He stared at the objects floating in the liquid uncomprehendingly for a moment. His first thought was that he was looking at pickled goose eggs because of their large size. But they were too oddly shaped to be eggs. They looked almost like something you’d find in a medical laboratory…

He nearly dropped the jar.

In his freshman biology class, he’d once been tasked with dissecting a pig testicle. He remembered the experience vividly. It was one of those things you never quite forgot, no matter how much you wanted to. The longer he looked at the mysterious objects suspended in a liquid that could only be formaldehyde, the more convinced he was that he knew what he was looking at: Testicles.

He was holding a jar containing two extremely large testicles.

At that moment, two things happened: He understood exactly whose testicles were suspended in that jar and he heard a moan coming from the shower room. His chest clenched with dread at what he knew he would find and he tucked the jar under an arm and ran into the showers.

It was the sort of scene you need to only see once to have every detail burned into your memory for the rest of your life. Under a flickering fluorescent light, he found Jason, mostly naked and lying on his back, splayed across the floor under a dripping showerhead.

He cried out and rushed to his friend’s side, kneeling beside him and cradling his head in his lap. “Jason,” he sobbed, “Jason! What did they do to you?” Tears were running down his face but he ignored them, only bothering to wipe them away when they splashed on Jason’s forehead.

His friend groaned weakly, eyes fluttering open. “Ander,” he whispered, “what–?”

“Shhhh,” Ander said, lowering his lips to kiss his forehead. “It’s Ok, Jason. We’ll find whoever did this to you and make them pay! I’m sure the doctors can…” His voice trailed off at the confused expression on Jason’s face, realizing too late that his friend probably had no idea yet what had been done to him.

Jason looked so angelic staring up at him with those crystal blue eyes. He appeared much younger than his twenty-two years probably because his face was uncharacteristically clean-shaven…just like the rest of his body. Shorn of a beard and all traces of body hair, he looked almost prepubescent. His skin was pink and soft, reminding Ander of the pinky mice he used to feed his pet snake when he was a kid.

“Ander,” Jason breathed. “Ander, where have you been? I tried to find you but couldn’t move. I couldn’t move for so long, Ander!”

The look of terrified innocence on Jason’s face nearly broke him. Ander hugged him, murmuring soothingly. He flinched when he inadvertently caught sight of Jason’s lower body. He shut his eyes again but it was too late; he couldn’t unsee what he’d just seen.

From the navel up, Jason was the same as always, with the exception of lacking any body or facial hair, of course. It would be a few days before they learned that his hair would never regrow; it had been permanently removed, leaving him completely bald save for eyebrows and the hair on his head. His smooth torso glowed in the dim light, replete with the striated muscles that Ander had admired for so long. He was exquisite, like a young Adonis or Michelangelo’s David. Below his belly button, though, Jason was unrecognizable. Ander swallowed, nausea and outrage warring within him. He couldn’t believe what had happened to him. It was cruel beyond words.

“I can’t feel anything…down there,” Jason said in a muffled voice. Ander released him from the hug, strategically moving his shoulder in front of Jason’s line of sight to prevent him from seeing his lower body. “It’s numb, Ander. It’s all numb!”

“Don’t worry,” Ander soothed, caressing his friend’s soft cheek. “It’ll be fine. Just let me call Duke and Julian. They’ll be here before you know it!”

When he reached in his pocket for his phone, Jason stopped him. “Ander, don’t do this,” he pleaded. “Don’t lie to me. Tell me what’s going on. Tell where I’ve been. I don’t remember anything.”

His lower lip protruded in a pout as he said this, taking Ander’s breath away. He had never seen Jason this fragile and childlike before. It was so uncharacteristic and tragic that it made him cry again. He brushed the tears away, though, trying to put on a confident air for Jason. Jason needed him to be strong.

“You and Bruiser went missing a week ago,” he explained, voice wavering. “We found Bruiser drugged and passed out after searching for a day but we had no idea what happened to you. Everyone’s been worried sick about you, Jason.” He paused, adding, “I’ve been worried sick about you. I’m so glad you’re…” he started to say ‘Ok’ but thought better of it and instead finished with, “back again.”

Jason smiled faintly at this and tried to push himself up on his elbows but the…giant mass…down below prevented him from moving. He struggled pathetically for a few moments as the horrible reality of his new lower body started to dawn on him. Ander watched with a breaking heart as his blue eyes grew wide and he asked, “Ander, what happened to me? What aren’t you telling me?”

Poor Ander was stuck in a bind as he feverishly debated what to do. He quickly realized it was a no-win situation; regardless of the path he chose, Jason would be devastated. He finally decided that delaying the inevitable wasn’t a good idea. Eyes welling with tears, he leaned down to kiss Jason’s incredibly soft lips and then straightened, moving out of the way so that his friend had an unobstructed view of his lower body.

At first, Jason’s eyes were locked onto his as he searched Ander’s face. After a few moments, though, he lifted his head and gazed down at himself. There was a startled pause and then his anguished keening was echoing through the locker room. It built gradually in volume and intensity until Jason’s voice broke off into uncontrollable sobs. He clutched at Ander, burying his face in his side and crying like a little baby. All Ander could do was stroke his head and hold him.

Despite his attempts to the contrary, Ander couldn’t stop staring at his friend’s mutant lower body. Jason’s vastly inflated buttocks and ridiculously wide hips were bad enough but it was the completely empty space on his crotch that really drew his attention. Whoever had dumped Jason off at the locker room had a twisted sense of humor because they had left him clothed only in the skimpiest pair of women’s panties imaginable. They were so tiny that the crotch was barely more than a triangle of pink lace. It was the insignificant size of this triangle that really brought one thing home: Jason’s world-famous package–those huge, pendulous balls and hulking, fat cock–were gone completely. Not a trace of his manhood remained.

In their place, Jason now had a very female pussy.

***

“He’s had what amounts to bottom surgery,” Julian stated several hours later as they stood in the hallway outside Jason’s hospital room. “He’s now female below the waist.”

“You can say that again,” Duke muttered, shuddering. “I’ve never seen a man with a booty that huge. What is it, like three feet wide? Christ, how did those bastards manage to stuff his skinny ass so full? He looks like a fucking pear on a steroids. Kim Kardashian’s gonna be pissed that she has a rival with an even bigger booty than she does!”

Julian shot his lover a stern glance and Duke fell silent. Ander couldn’t help but agree with the big man’s assessment, though. It had taken four men to carry Jason out and they had needed two stretchers because his inflated ass was so big and heavy.

“The doctors are doing an assessment,” Julian continued, “but preliminary results are not promising. Whatever they injected into Jason’s buttocks and thighs seems to have bound to his muscle tissue. They are afraid they won’t be able to remove it without irreparably damaging his muscles.”

“So, you’re saying that Jason might be stuck like this?” Ander demanded. “What about his penis? Can they at least restore that?”

Julian shook his head. “It’s a very skillful job at gender reassignment. They essentially inverted his penis, redistributing the erectile tissue inside the walls of, er, his, um, new vagina. It’s already mostly healed, which means that if they attempted to undo it, at best he’d be left with a useless organ without sensory nerves. He would probably never be able to have an orgasm again.”

Ander was struck dumb with these words. The idea of Jason without a penis was almost as alien as the concept of Jason without his bull balls. Ander had been hopeful that at least some of the ridiculous insults heaped upon Jason’s masculinity could be undone but Julian had just cruelly ground that hope into the dust. How would Jason survive as a woman? He couldn’t even imagine the possibility.

Shoulders falling, he turned to Julian, asking, “Can I see him now?”

“No, he doesn’t want any visitors and,” he paused to squeeze Ander’s arm gently, “he specifically said he doesn’t want to see you.”

***

Chapter 5

Jason remained in the hospital for five days and Ander camped out there, waiting to be allowed to see him. He was disappointed, though; Jason wouldn’t allow him in. Ander watched Jason’s parents arrive and depart ashen-faced with Jason screaming at them from inside his room. He watched Lindsey arrive and flee in tears under much the same abuse. Even Jason’s grandmother made a visit under heavy security and amidst a media blackout. Ander watched them all come and go, hoping against hope that he would be the exception, that Jason would finally relent and allow him inside. It didn’t happen. In the end, Jason chose a time when Ander was asleep in his chair outside the room to check out of the hospital. Ander awoke to find his room empty.

As much as it pained him, Ander realized that he was fighting a losing battle and might as well surrender. If Jason wanted to contact him, he would do so. In the meantime, Ander prepared to move out of the house. He succeeded in finding a short-term rental for the two weeks remaining in his internship but was surprised when Julian told him to stay.

“Jason said he doesn’t want you to leave,” he said simply. At the look of confusion on Ander’s face, he added, “Give him time, Ander. He’s a mess right now but he’ll come around. He obviously cares for you but is just too overwhelmed.”

Ander stayed in the house, although he still didn’t see Jason. His friend stayed in his room with the door locked. Duke left food outside his door but Ander never saw him actually take it. Sometimes he wondered if Jason was even in there.

The date of the Republican National Convention was rapidly approaching. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that Jason’s abduction and humiliating surgical transformation had been timed to coincide with the event. Whoever did this to Jason knew how important the convention was to his future in politics and they planned their attack to cause him maximal harm.

Thanks to a lot of hard work (and no doubt some well-placed bribes) the DeVos organization managed to keep news of Jason’s abduction and mutilation out of the media. The reason behind this was obvious: They hoped that the team of specialists they hired would figure out how to undo the damage done to his body so that he could return to a somewhat normal life as a ‘real’ man, thereby continuing his planned rise to the lofty heights of politics. There was some reason for optimism, albeit not a lot, because Ander heard that the doctors managed to shrink his inflated buttocks a little. It wasn’t clear if this was due to the normal healing process or the effects of the treatments, though. In any case, Ander couldn’t attest to the veracity of these claims because he wasn’t allowed to see his friend.

Given the evolving nature of Jason’s condition, the DeVos election team spent many hours debating how to proceed. Jason was party to these discussions but only barely; camped out in his bedroom, he participated via video conference. After much deliberation, it was decided that his speech would continue as planned. The stage at the arena would be carefully reoriented just before his speech to ensure the audience only saw him from the waist up and the television cameras would be prohibited from panning downward. Any interviews with the media would be given from a seated position over a remote video link so the interviewer never saw Jason’s lower body.

The day of the speech, Jason was whisked away to the airport and a waiting chartered jet before Ander woke up. When he came downstairs, Jason’s bedroom door was open and Julian and Duke were watching the convention coverage on the television. Ander shuddered; he might be in love with Jason DeVos but he had no love for the Republican Party; he viewed most Republicans as scarcely better than nationalist thugs with contempt for democracy. Somehow, though, he managed to conceal his disgust and sat there, stoically munching his cereal as the pandering speeches blared out of the TV.

He debated whether to even listen to Jason’s speech. The thought of watching his friend trying desperately to sell himself to the American public was repugnant, especially knowing how much of a charade it was. But he was also heartsick and intrigued. He hadn’t seen Jason in over a week and missed him fiercely. Even seeing him on television would be a welcome diversion. In the end, he went for a run and stopped by the firm to finish a project before heading back to the house in time to watch the big speech.

He settled onto the sofa, wedged between Bruiser and Duke, and stared at the TV breathlessly. He nearly cried when Jason appeared on screen, looking perfectly coiffed and incredibly handsome. You never would have guessed that anything had been done to him; he looked every ounce the macho military jock that Ander knew and loved. 

Jason’s blond hair was cut short and fastidiously groomed. He’d been made up with a surprisingly realistic thick beard to accentuate his square jaw and underscore his virility. His blue eyes were steely and determined, yet also approachable. He wore an expensive, tailored blue suit with an American flag on the lapel. When he smiled and nodded to the audience, wild cheering erupted and Ander’s heart fluttered with pride. He fell in love with Jason all over again, pledging himself to the man regardless of what the future might hold. Even if Jason continued to reject him, he would remain true.

The cameras panned over to his proud parents and Lindsey sitting in the front row of the auditorium as people waved American flags behind them. Jason waited politely for the crowd to stop cheering. When the cheering continued, he lowered his head, grinning broadly. “Alright, alright,” he said finally, holding up his hands in a show of modesty. “Thank you. Thank you very much!” 

Just the sound of his deep, confident voice was enough to make the crowd lose control again (and Ander along with them) and many seconds passed before everyone quieted down enough for him to continue. When the arena was finally more or less silent, he began, “Good afternoon, my fellow Americans and patriots.” The crowd erupted at the word ‘patriots’ and Jason smiled, flashing his brilliant white teeth. “My name is Jason DeVos and I am here today in support of my grandmother, the next President of the United States.” This elicited even more wild cheering and Jason had to wait a very long time to proceed. When it was quiet enough, he took a deep breath and, staring fixedly into the camera, announced, “You don’t know me so let me tell you a little about myself. In addition to being devoted to my grandmother’s candidacy, I stand before you today as a bully and a rapist.”

These words fell like heavy stones onto the crowd, crushing their excitement and rendering them silent with astonishment. Ander’s jaw dropped and he stared at the television in disbelief, thinking, What the fuck, Jason?!

Jason wasn’t finished, though. As the crowd at the convention center struggled to recover from the bombshell he’d just dropped, he explained, “You see, five years ago, I raped, tortured and castrated a fellow student at the military academy I was attending. I never admitted to doing it and used my family’s wealth and power to hide my crime. In all those years, I have never apologized, never admitted my guilt and never been brought to justice. That ends today. I am sorry and I will do everything in my power to take responsibility for my unforgivable actions.”

Dead silence.

Blinking back tears, Jason nodded to the audience, saying, “Thank you and God bless America.” With that, he turned and waddled off the stage.

***

“What the fuck just happened?”

Ander looked over at Duke. The big man’s face was awash with confusion. The emotion was instantly recognizable; it was the same confusion washing over Ander and basically everyone who had heard Jason’s speech.

Ander’s phone buzzed before he could respond. He looked down to discover another text from an unknown number. It read, >>If you want to find out more about Jason, meet me at 6pm tonight at this address.<< A moment later, the phone buzzed again, displaying an address in Washington, D.C.

He stared at the screen, frozen. He was too overwhelmed to do anything but gape at it uncomprehendingly. Finally, though, he managed to recover enough to stand up and walk into the dining room where Julian was madly typing on his laptop.

“Jesus fucking Christ,” the young guy swore, not bothering to look up, “What the fuck did Jason have to go and do that for? Is he crazy? He might as well kiss his career in politics goodbye.”

“Maybe,” Ander said, swallowing a lump in throat, “but I’m proud of him. That took a lot of guts.”

“Yeah, it definitely took balls,” Julian agreed, “which is weird because he doesn’t have any.”

Ander scowled at this but rather than reprimanding Julian, he held out his phone, asking. “What do you make of this, Julian?”

Julian glanced up at him and seemed about to dismiss him when he happened to look at the screen of the phone. His face drained of color and he stammered, “Wh-Wh-When did you get that?”

“About a minute ago.”

Julian straightened in his chair, reaching out to take the phone and studying it intently. After a while, he looked back up at him, stating, “Lemme reach out to HQ and see what they say. You were right to show this to me, Ander. We might finally nab the fucker who mutilated Jason.”

***

An hour later, Ander and Julian were in the back seat of an SUV on their way to Washington, D.C. Duke was driving and Bruiser was in the passenger seat, another three SUVs trailed along behind them. Clearly, the DeVos organization was taking no chances with this operation.

The address in the text turned out to be Union Station in the downtown area. It was a busy Saturday night and the streets thronged with people. This made for a difficult stakeout and a call was placed for reinforcements. After enough personnel were on the ground, they instructed Ander to make his way into the station, escorted by Julian. They were surrounded by a bunch of guards, scattered at regular intervals throughout the building and around the street. Despite wearing street clothes, the men were all so big and burly that it didn’t take a genius to figure out who they were. A definite hole in their plan, Ander thought with a small smile. He was in a strange mood, feeling surprisingly serene given the high stakes of this meeting.

He and Julian walked side by side through the station, eventually finding their way to the metro entrance. Unsure how to proceed, they waited for a while outside the turnstyle before getting the order to go inside.

“I think we’re meant to meet him at the train,” Julian whispered, urging him onward.

They paid the fare and continued through the gate to the platform. Crowds of people were waiting for the incoming trains and Ander and Julian hesitated, not knowing which side of the tracks they should stand on. In the end, they decided it didn’t matter because whoever was meeting them would most likely see Ander no matter where he stood. 

When they were situated, Julian faded into the crowd, informing him, “Don’t worry. I won’t be far away.” He pulled the hood of his sweatshirt over his head and turned away from Ander.

A train arrived and then another, swelling the crowd on the platform. Ander was jostled toward the tracks and soon found himself standing directly in front of the opening door of an approaching train. Someone bumped into him and he toppled forward into the train just as the door closed behind him. Alarmed, he looked out the windows helplessly as the train accelerated, departing the station. The last thing he saw was Duke frantically trying to board the train on a trailing car but he was too late.

Ander was alone on the train.

***

“Jesus, bro, I nearly lost ya!” Julian announced a few minutes later. He was huffing and puffing, having pushed his way through several crowded cars to get to him. 

Ander sighed with relief. He’d never been so glad to see the little nerd and even gave him an impromptu hug. Julian stared up at him in surprise, a little smile on his lips. “It sounds like I’m the only one who managed to get on board. The others are waiting for the next train.” He paused to listen to a voice in his earpiece, instructing, “They are telling me that we should get off on the next stop.”

That proved to be easier said than done. They couldn’t get anywhere near the exit when the train pulled up to the next stop because so many people piled in. It was all Ander could do to keep the crowds of people from trampling poor Julian. As a short dude, he was in danger of suffocation with everyone crammed so closely around him. Ander did his best to carve out a niche for him, wedging himself between Julian and a guard rail.

The crowds didn’t thin for another three stops. They finally exited, chests heaving as they found an opening area near a bench and sat down. “We’ll wait until the rest of the guys get here,” Julian said, tapping away on his phone. “It won’t be long.”

Unfortunately, Ander and Julian disappeared before the next train arrived. They were sitting on the bench one moment and the next they were waking up in the back of a car with their hands bound and hoods over their heads.

“Don’t struggle,” a voice said calmly in Mandarin from the front seat. “You won’t get free.” The unknown and yet familiar speaker paused before continuing, “We’re nearly home anyway. I will untie you once we’re inside.”

Ander tried to reply but a gag was stuffed in his mouth and it was all he could to keep himself from hyperventilating inside the hood. His only choice was to wait until the car stopped and they were pulled out of the back seat and led down a path and up a small ramp to the front door of a house. Once inside, someone loosened the bonds on his wrists and pulled off the hood. 

Gasping for air, Ander took in his surroundings and soon discovered he was inside a very tastefully decorated home. It was built in the style of a Zen Buddhist temple and clearly no expense had been spared. The flooring was bamboo and the walls were constructed of elegant rice paper panels. He could hear a fountain trickling somewhere in the background and, when he inhaled, his nostrils were filled with the scent of sandalwood.

“I apologize for the rough treatment,” the man standing before them said, speaking in English this time. “With so much surveillance, my only choice was to abduct you.” He held out his hand to display a pair of smartphones that belonged to Ander and Julian. “You’ll get these back after we’re done here,” explained. “I’ve disabled them to avoid trackers.”

Ander was unsurprised to discover their captor was the same man he’d met in the gay bar several weeks ago. He’d figured out long ago that this guy had to be behind Jason’s disappearance. What did surprise him was how relaxed he felt. In fact, his whole body was pervaded with a deep sense of calm and he couldn’t help smiling.

“I drugged you to make you more compliant,” the man informed him, intuiting his thoughts. “Don’t worry; it’ll wear off in an hour or two.” His voice trailed off before he shook himself as if remembering something. “I’m sorry I’m such a terrible host! I forgot to introduce myself; I’m Henry T’ang.” He bowed slightly before extending a hand to Ander.

Even wearing casual attire, Henry T’ang still managed to look very stylish. He wore a soft, form-fitting, blue cashmere sweater and a pair of black pants. His feet were clad in sandals. His hair was styled flawlessly and a small pair of wire-rimmed glasses were perched upon his nose. Although he was examining Ander closely, nothing about his demeanor was menacing. Quite the opposite! He seemed genuinely delighted to welcome Ander into his home. While obviously young, probably only in his early twenties, he acted like someone older. A very penetrating mind seemed to lurk behind those brown eyes and Ander soon learned this perception was true; Henry T’ang was one of the most intelligent people he’d ever met.

Realizing Henry was waiting, Ander reached out to grasp his hand, finding it soft and warm. He smiled dreamily, completely unconcerned by the fact that Henry had just told him that he’d been drugged. “Nice to meet you,” he said in Mandarin.

Beside him, Julian shifted. His movements were stiff and jerky, leading Ander to surmise he hadn’t been drugged; he learned why a moment later. “I’ve done my part, Mr. T’ang,” Julian growled. “I delivered Jason to you and now you have Ander. I’m ready for my reward.”

Ander received this news with bemusement. In his relaxed state, nothing shook him. In fact, his lack of emotion made it easier for his mind to work without distraction and he discovered that it made perfect sense that Julian had been working for Henry. So that’s how he got Jason!  he thought. Compromising Julian was a brilliant plan!

Henry turned to Julian, favoring him with a small smile. “Of course,” he said, “you’ll get everything I promised and more. Wait just a moment while I call William.” He turned and pressed on a button under a speaker behind him. A buzzer sounded and a moment later a man’s voice answered. “William?” Henry asked. “Will you please show Mr. Castro back to the lab and help him prepare for his reward?” This was met with a garbled assent while Ander wondered what sort of reward Julian would get in a laboratory. He didn’t have long to ponder this because just then a man appeared, rolling into the room in a motorized wheelchair.

Of indeterminable race, Willam was dark-skinned and perhaps twenty years old. Ander stared at him, realizing he had never seen such a gorgeous person in his life. William even made Henry look ugly and Henry was so stunningly handsome that he could have been a model. He regarded Ander and Julian with polite disinterest.

“William is my assistant,” Henry explained, exchanging a cryptic glance with the man before turning to Julian and encouraging, “Go on! You’ll find everything is ready for you. Ander and I are going to have a little talk but we’ll be there shortly to check on your progress.”

“Fuck, yeah!” Julian exclaimed, pumping his little fist in the air. “You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for this!” He joined William, following him down a hallway and out of sight.

Henry watched them go before turning back to Ander. “Shall we?” he asked, gesturing to a room off the garden.

Ander nodded and followed behind him, marveling at the simple beauty of the house. Henry led him into a room with a low table framed by a couple of intricately woven mats. On the tabletop was an antique iron teapot warming upon a small brazier; steam drifted out of the spout. Two small cups lay beside it. In front of the table was a large picture window looking out on a lush garden. In the foreground was a small pond with koi swimming lazily beneath its surface. It was one of the most tranquil settings that Ander had ever seen and he felt like he’d been magically transported to Asia. Maybe I have been, he mused. I have no idea how long I was knocked out for. 

Henry motioned for him to take a seat on the floor facing the garden. Ander did so, crossing his legs under the table while Henry folded himself down across from him. Once settled, he gracefully poured a cup of tea for Ander before serving himself. 

“This is Jade Dew,” he explained as he handed the cup to Ander. “It just arrived from Japan.”

Ander’s eyes widened. Gyokuro tea was quite a luxury; he’d only drunk it once or twice. He was flattered to have been offered such a delicacy and accepted it gratefully. Taking a sip, he shivered. The flavor was exquisite!

“I knew you’d appreciate it,” Henry said, smiling across the table from him before taking a sip from his own cup.

They sat there, enjoying the tea in silence. Ander didn’t feel the need to speak; he suspected that Henry would reveal everything in due time.

After a few minutes, his mysterious host cleared his throat. “You’re a smart man, Ander,” he said. “I don’t need to explain very much to you. You heard Jason’s speech today and have no doubt already figured out that I’m the one who Jason raped five years ago.” When Ander nodded, he continued, “And likewise I’m certain you realize I am the one who abducted him two weeks ago.”

He stated this in a tone so devoid of emotion that Ander wondered if Henry had taken a dose of the same substance he’d been drugged with. It was almost like he was talking about the weather. The only thing that betrayed his inner turmoil was the tension Ander could see in his hands as he clutched at his teacup; his knuckles were white beneath his lustrous skin.

“Now let me fill in some other details for you.” He paused to meet Ander’s gaze with his dark brown eyes. As he did so, Ander thought he saw the ghost of a sad smile cross his handsome face. “I was a cadet at the same military academy as Jason,” Henry continued. “Jason made my life a living hell for a whole school year. Because of the nature of the place, no one listened when I reported him and no one intervened to stop the abuse. With each passing day, he grew bolder, more aggressive and more sexual. Just when I’d convinced my parents to transfer me to a new school, Jason cornered me in the showers and proceeded to rape and castrate me. I spent a month in the hospital recovering only to discover when I was released that Jason’s family had bought off my parents. It was then I promised myself that I would take my revenge.”

Ander swallowed. He now understood why Henry had drugged him. It wasn’t to keep him from resisting capture or from fleeing; it was to make him dissociate from his emotions so he could receive this news without freaking out. Even so, his mind struggled to come to terms with what he’d just heard. Oh, he knew from firsthand experience that Jason had a dark side and enjoyed inflicting pain; he just hadn’t realized how truly barbaric the guy could be. He looked down at his hands to discover they were shaking so badly he was at risk for spilling his tea.

A pall had settled over their meeting and Ander no longer felt seduced by the tranquility of the place. With a flash of insight, he realized that this was part of how Henry coped; he surrounded himself with beauty in order to soothe his inner sense of desolation. In a perverse sort of way, Henry and Jason’s mutual darkness was as complementary as it was opposite.

“I’m not stupid, Ander,” Henry said. “I knew that unmanning and humiliating Jason wouldn’t fix me. I knew that I would live for the rest of my life with these scars he gave me.” When Ander remained mute, a single tear trailing down his cheek, Henry continued, “But while I remain just as broken as ever, I am glad of two things. I’m glad that Jason has finally taken responsibility for his actions and I’m really glad that I got to him before he got to you. You know it was only a matter of time before Jason castrated you, too, right?”

Ander stared back at him, the gears turning in his mind as he realized that Henry was probably right; Jason did seem to take his masculinity as an affront. By savagely tearing the suspensory cartilage in Ander’s penis, Jason had already permanently altered his erection so that it now drooped downward rather than pointing up like before. When Jason had done this, Ander had enjoyed the abuse but now he wondered how much farther Jason would have taken it. Would Jason really have made Ander into a eunuch, too?

Oblivious to these thoughts running through Ander’s mind, Henry sat up and exhaled, setting his tea aside. “Well, that’s everything I wanted to tell you. I think that’s enough tragedy for one evening. How about we go see how Julian’s treatment is progressing?” He started to stand when he remembered something, adding, “Oh, one other thing: Jason has you to thank for one thing.”

The drug delayed Ander’s reaction time and it took him a moment to ask, “What is that?”

“I’d planned on removing his penis and testicles, leaving him completely emasculated,” Henry explained. “But meeting you in the bar convinced me to spare part of him. I decided not to take away any possibility of orgasm from him.”

“And so you turned his cock into a pussy,” Ander concluded stoically. “I wondered about that.”

Henry smiled coldly, eyes glinting. “I didn’t do it for him, Ander. I don’t give a fuck about Jason’s pleasure, just like he didn’t give a fuck about mine. No, it wasn’t for his benefit at all; it was purely my gift to you.”

***

Chapter 6

They arrived in the small laboratory in the back of Henry’s house just as the procedure was about to begin. William had donned a white lab coat and was busy checking on an array of bizarre-looking medical instruments. Julian stood behind him, strapped to a vertical stretcher that was bolted to the wall. He had been stripped naked and restraints were tied to his ankles and wrists, although they were quite loose and he could have easily removed them on his own. Beside him, a ruler had been taped to the wall; Julian’s head was slightly below the 5’5” mark. A feeding tube had been inserted inside his nose and numerous IVs were attached to various parts of his body, not the least of which was his penis. Ander flushed when he saw that the little guy was sporting a massive erection that rivaled Jason’s former masterpiece. It boggled his mind how such a tiny dude could have such a huge cock!

Julian grinned wolfishly as they entered, thrusting his hips forward proudly and bragging, “Get ready for a whole new me, Ander! Yer not gonna recognize me when I’m done!”

Ander stared at him in confusion before casting a searching look back at Henry.

“You already know what I’m capable of,” he explained, intuiting Ander’s unspoken question. “What I did to Jason was child’s play. You’re about to see some of my most groundbreaking work.” His voice trailed off as he was struck by a thought. “You know what? I suppose I have Jason to thank for this as well. If he hadn’t done what he did to me, none of this would have been possible.” When Ander continued to stare at him uncomprehendingly, he smiled, dropping his gaze down to his own crotch. “You see this bulge in my pants, Ander? It’s real. I’ve managed to do the impossible and regrow my penis and testicles.”

Ander’s mouth fell open. “Really? But…how?”

Henry waved the question away. “How doesn’t matter. I won’t bore you with the details, other than to say that I’ve put my rather substantial fortune and my proclivity for biochemistry and gene therapy to good use. Suffice it to say that I have a penis again. Sadly, though, I’ve only figured out how to regrow the tissue; I haven’t succeeded in making it functional…yet. It’s just a useless tube of meat at this point.” He sighed, smiling to himself, “Still, I’m making progress. Soon, I hope to regain full use. William and I are on the cusp of something big here, something that will change our lives forever.”

As Henry said this, William swiveled in his wheelchair and looked back at them with an unreadable expression. Ander didn’t ask Henry what he meant by ‘something big’ but he could guess.

“Still,” Henry continued, “even if I’m unable to completely solve my own problem at this time, I am more than capable of solving Julian’s…little…one. You see, it was easy to convince him to help me capture Jason once he saw what I was capable of.”

“That’s right, bro!” Julian chimed in. “He’s gonna make my dreams come true. I’m finally gonna be tall! I’m finally gonna have a big bod to match my big dick!”

Ander shook his head. Between the drugs and everything that Henry had just dumped on him, his mind was swimming. And now this? It was more than his brain to take in.

“Just sit back and relax, Ander,” Henry said, placing a warm hand on his back and guiding him to a nearby chair. “And everything will become clear. Watch and learn.”

Ander slumped in the chair, holding his head in his hands. He was so tired and his body was so heavy!  It was all he could do to keep his eyes open. Somehow, though, he made himself watch as William finished attaching IVs to Julian and commenced the procedure. Soon, a milky liquid started flowing through the tubes into Julian’s body while thick, bluish goo flowed through the feeding tube in his nose. Julian grimaced as the fluids entered his system but otherwise didn’t seem to be in discomfort.

Nothing happened at first and Ander spent the time examining Julian’s nude body. In addition to being very short and slight, Julian Castro was also quite hairy. Dark brown hair covered his legs, pubes, chest and armpits, even creeping up his neck to merge with his beard. His build was wiry with no discernible muscle mass. Add in his distinct, rounded belly (no doubt due to the hours he spent hunched over his laptop) and he had the body of someone who doesn’t work out much. Somehow, though, his narrow frame and furry body only seemed to draw more attention to his huge, uncircumcised dick. It was truly a massive organ, at least eleven inches long and really thick. Beneath it, Julian’s big, hairy balls swung lazily back and forth, not quite as big as Jason’s former glory but definitely substantial in their own right.

Just then Julian threw his head back and moaned, “Ungh! Fuck me! It’s starting!”

What’s starting? I don’t see anything, Ander wondered. To him, Julian looked the same as always.

Then it happened.

Ander’s attention was drawn to the measuring tape on the wall next to Julian. As he stared, he saw–and heard–the impossible occur: Julian’s head inched up on the stretcher, pushing over the line from five feet five inches to five feet six. This growth was accompanied by audible cracking and popping as all of Julian’s bones first lengthened and then thickened. It sounded painful but, if anything, Julian seemed to be getting off on it. His feral grin widened manically as he looked down at himself and gloated.

Ander’s mouth fell open. He would have leaped out of his chair in astonishment if he hadn’t been so tired and discombobulated. As such, he barely moved. Inside, however, his mind was reeling and he could feel his pulse pounding in his temples.

Julian’s growth was accelerating!

Five seven.

Five eight.

Five nine.

In scarcely five minutes, the little guy had grown almost five inches. He could no longer be considered little. He was now average height!

Julian was in heaven.

He bellowed with glee as he stared at his reflection in the mirror that William had positioned before him. The growth showed no signs of abating. With loud snapping, cracking and popping, his formerly small, scrawny body continued to develop at an increasing rate. His shoulders broadened impressively. His rib cage followed suit, widening and pushing outward to give him a commanding chest. 

Soon, it was clear that more than just his bones were growing; he was putting on muscle mass as well. Ander gaped as first Julian’s neck muscles and deltoids began to swell, followed soon by his biceps and triceps. His arms pushed out from his sides, developing into an admirable pair of guns in minutes. His pecs grew big and square, jutting outward to form a man-sized rack. The swelling continued downward, expanding his traps and lats and obliques. 

In addition to swelling, Julian also experienced the opposite. His rounded belly began to pull in on itself like a deflating balloon and his furry skin contracted, revealing the deepening ridges of long-lost abdominals. Soon, his entire upper body was ripped with muscle and every sinew was perfectly delineated. It was a remarkable–and erotic–transformation and soon jizz was dribbling out of the folds of Julian’s foreskin as he got off on his body’s changes.

Not to be left out, Julian’s lower body was doing its best to catch up. His waist narrowed and his hips expanded, building the framework for a generous booty. And just in time! His butt rounded and swelled, pushing dramatically outward as his glutes filled up. Soon, he was sporting a distinct bubble. And finally, his quads and calves thickened, growing powerful and corded, accenting the pleasing fullness of his ass.

“OH, FUCK YEAH!” Julian roared, his voice dropping an octave as his vocal cords expanded. “I’M A FUCKIN’ BEAST!”

Six feet.

Six two.

Six four.

Ander watched in a fascination as the ‘little’ guy grew to match his own height. In a minute, he had exceeded it.

“Hey, little bro!” Julian called out to him. “Ha! Bet ya never thought I’d tower over you! I’m a fuckin’ giant!”

He closed his eyes, letting out a low moan of contentment as his growth finally began to taper, leaving him standing a whopping six feet seven inches tall. He was truly immense, a lean, ripped tower of muscle, perfectly proportioned in every way. Just as he’d hoped, Julian Castro now had the body to match his cock.

Grinning from ear to ear, Julian waited as William removed the IVs and then loosened his restraints. He whooped with victory, reaching up to yank the feeding tube out of his nose. Lastly, he stepped free from the stretcher.

He was a whole new man.

Ander stared up at the lean giant looming over him, feeling more than a little intimidated. Julian Castro looked like a young god, replete with muscles and copious body hair. His broad back tapered down to a narrow waist before expanding into a solid bubble butt, covered in fur. His quads were likewise shapely but not overly muscled. Ander decided that Julian possessed an admirable symmetry and the perfect amount of muscle mass. William had calculated his growth to stop at precisely the right time; any more muscle and he would have been weighed down. As it was, Julian had achieved a happy balance between mass and speed. 

Definitely not a marathon runner, Ander decided, but maybe a sprinter or a running back. He couldn’t help feeling a little envious: In less than a half hour, Julian had attained the body that Ander had worked hard his whole life to build…with less than perfect success. He looked down at himself, feeling ugly by comparison.

Julian was in no hurry to get dressed. He lorded his huge stature and giant dick over Ander, standing in front of him and striking a provocative pose. His fat cock bobbed in his face, its dark brown foreskin retracting just enough to expose the delicate pink glans within. Ander was reminded of Jason more than a little during this display and, while he wanted to look away, he couldn’t help being captivated by Julian’s godlike physique and stupendous organ.

“Yeah, that’s right!” Julian crowed. “Who’s the big man around here? Me! That’s who!” He struck another ‘tough guy’ pose, his fat schlong wobbling to and fro, as he flexed his big, new muscles. “I’m a jock! I’m a fucking jock stud! Look at me, Ander! I’m yer worst nightmare!”

“Someone’s worst nightmare alright,” Henry commented dryly from across the room. He was watching Julian’s antics with crossed arms and a small smile on his face. William likewise seemed unimpressed.

Julian was so busy rejoicing that he didn’t notice it at first.

Ander did, though.

He couldn’t miss it because Julian’s monster cock was wagging away only inches from his nose.

At first, he thought it was just Julian’s foreskin retracting further because he was so turned on but soon it was apparent that the dude’s ‘skin wasn’t just retracting, it was disappearing entirely. Ander stared perplexed as he watched Julian’s cock become circumcised without ever being touched by a scalpel. In moments, there had no trace of foreskin whatsoever. His tender, pink glans was completely exposed and its shine grew quickly dull as it permanently dried out.

Ander opened his mouth to say something but he was interrupted by Julian’s bark of surprise.

“Hey! WTF is happening to my hand?!” he demanded. He lifted his right hand to his face, thick eyebrows drawing together in consternation. “My hand!” he yelled, shaking it at William. “What’s going on?”

At first Ander didn’t understand what he was yelling about but when Julian put his left hand next to his right, he saw what the problem was: Julian’s right hand was more than twice as big as his left…and growing rapidly larger.

As Julian howled in confusion, his fingers swelled in size, growing into fat sausages in seconds. His palm followed suit, expanding nearly to the size of a dinner plate.

And then the same thing happened to his left hand.

To Ander’s astonishment and Julian’s dismay, both of the big dude’s hands grew huge and ungainly. By the time the growth abated, there was no way that Julian would ever be able to use his smartphone or a computer keyboard without significant re-engineering. He couldn’t! His fingers were at least two inches in diameter!

Under ordinary circumstances, Ander would have been alarmed but the drug was doing its job and he felt mostly numb inside. His mind was sharp as ever but he just couldn’t muster the energy to do more than just sit there and observe. It was a curious feeling; he knew he should do something or at least say something but he couldn’t. He remained mute, watching Julian’s dilemma unfold before him.

When his feet started swelling, Julian staggered over to William, shouting, “Make it stop! This isn’t what I ordered! Do something! I can barely walk!”

It was no exaggeration. The big toe on Julian’s left foot suddenly jutted out more than five inches and then proceeded to inflate to the size of a small balloon. His other toes quickly followed suit, growing prodigiously even as the pads of his feet expanded. In seconds, his foot was over a foot wide and nearly two feet long. He looked completely ridiculous with one huge foot and the other of normal size…until his right foot swelled, too, and then Ander decided he looked even more ridiculous like that.

Julian fell to his knees, tears streaming down his bearded cheeks. “William!” he begged. “William, please! Make it stop! Make it stop!”

William didn’t respond. He merely sat there, unmoved by the frantic jock with preternaturally large feet and hands. There was just the tiniest hint of a smile on his lips but otherwise he remained completely dispassionate. Ander wondered if he had taken the same drug that Henry had given him.

When William failed to intercede, Julian crawled over to Henry and pleaded pitifully. He could no longer stand by this point and was forced to fold down on his hands and knees, groveling. Like William, Henry remained impassive.

There was a loud snap followed quickly by another and Julian howled in agony, clutching at his thighs. He collapsed on the floor, ass and legs spread wide behind him. His back end was pointing directly at Ander, giving him a front row seat to this horrendous transformation.

Julian’s upper legs appeared to have spontaneously broken and then rehealed just as quickly. The problem was that they healed strangely, leaving him splay-legged. His thighs were enormous and bloated, both from their big muscles and their malformed bones. Julian’s face went white and he screamed as two more loud cracks splintered through the air. This time, his lower legs had broken…and reformed again, much shorter and fatter than before. Julian frantically tried to stand but, with his splayed legs and mutantly huge feet, the best he could do was sort of squat there with his big ass hanging out behind him.

When his arms started to lengthen, Julian wailed at the top of his lungs. He toppled forward, crawling and sobbing toward Henry. “Make it stop! Make it stop! PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!!”

“It’s nowhere near stopping, I’m afraid,” Henry said, lip curling in distaste. “Let me ask you this, Julian: Did you really think I didn’t know about you and Jason? Did you really believe that I wouldn’t find out who helped him hide the evidence of what he did to me?” His face broke into a cruel sneer as he continued, “You were faithful to Jason through his worst, scrubbing the Internet of his crimes and carefully polishing his image. Only when I presented you with the possibility of granting your most fervent wish did you suddenly develop a conscience and turn on him. There’s a word for people like you, Julian, but I’m far too polite to utter it here. You will get exactly what you deserve.”

Julian didn’t seem to hear him. He was too busy freaking out because his arms had just broken and reformed, pushing out from his shoulders like knotted tree limbs. They were as misshapen as his legs, only longer. Much longer. With his giant hands and long arms, he looked freakish. When he managed to wobble onto his haunches again, his hands now dragged across the floor.

It wasn’t over yet.

There was another sickening series of sharp cracks and Julian pitched forward, writhing in agony as his spine and rib cage shattered and then pieced themselves back together. Ander shuddered; even drugged, his emotions were finding a way to express themselves. He felt genuinely awful for Julian; the dude had always been unfailingly kind to him. Moreover, Ander liked him. Even if he had covered up Jason’s assault on Henry, this punishment seemed far too severe.

Julian flopped around ineffectually on the floor, flailing his huge hands and trunk-like arms before he righted himself. When he did, Ander saw that his torso had been squashed, giving him an exaggeratedly large barrel chest. As his spinal cord and back compressed, his tapered waist disappeared and his belly had no option but to push out before him like a pinched marshmallow. 

The poor guy couldn’t catch a break! Or maybe he was catching too many because the vertebrae in his neck shattered next, flattening and leaving him with no discernible neck.

His torment hadn’t come to an end, yet.

Julian clutched at his skull in agony as it, too, broke and reformed in a mangled mess. His howls were cut short when his jaw gave way, rocketing violently forward to leave him with an exaggerated underbite. At the same time, his forehead sloped backward and his brow thickened, hanging over his confused, brown eyes. There was a small click! and his nose broke, broadening and flattening as it healed. 

When he lifted his head and stared balefully at him, Ander sucked in his breath. He didn’t need to wait for the thick, black hair to begin sprouting all over Julian’s body to see what Henry’s game was: He was turning the hapless nerd into a ghoulish caricature of an apeman.

“WHATH DOO TOOTH MEETH?” Julian could barely talk now that his neck, throat, jaw and tongue had thickened. Even his teeth had suffered an unwelcome growth spurt, crowding his jaw and protruding from his swelling lips. He sounded bestial, inhuman…in other words, distinctly apelike. 

As if to underscore this, Julian lifted one of his huge, clublike hands and commenced scratching an armpit. It wasn’t just for fun; no, he had to do something to relieve the terrible itch from the hair sprouting everywhere on his body. At first, this new hair was soft but it coarsened and twisted as it grew, forming a solid pelt across his face, back, neck, chest, legs and buttocks. Julian reacted by bellowing in alarm all while scratching himself frantically. 

At another time, Ander might have been captivated by those carpets of black, fragrant hair billowing out of Julian’s follicles. Yes, under different circumstances, it would have been amusing seeing the big galoot rolling around, using his weirdly prehensile feet to scratch himself. But right then it just struck Ander as tragic.

Only one area remained bare of hair when it was over, a very critical area indeed!

Barrel chest heaving, Julian lowered his big, ungainly head and grunted in alarm as the hair retreated from his crotch, leaving his pubes and testicles smooth and soft as a baby’s. Seconds later, the skin down there drained of melanin, turning bright pink. The contrast between the dense black pelt of hair covering his body and his rosy pink genitals was unmistakable and everyone’s gaze was drawn there.

And just in time, too.

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” Julian cried, staring down at his still-hard cock as it started to vibrate on its own accord.. “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

He tried to grab it but his mitten-like hands and sausage fingers were too unwieldy. It didn’t matter anyway; there was nothing he could do to stop the process once it had started.

Julian’s long, fat, hard, pink cock convulsed.

And it convulsed again.

And again.

And again.

Julian howled but this time not from pain but out of despair.

You see, each time the giant masterpiece between his legs convulsed, it also drew in on itself, shrinking inch by inch by inch. Julian was beside himself, slapping at his crotch in a vain attempt to make it stop and crying pitifully as his big dick swiftly became merely average-sized and, showing no sign of slowing, shrank down to four inches.

Three inches.

Two inches.

His cock’s shrinkage stopped at about two inches…or at least it stopped getting shorter. Up to that point, it had just lost length, turning into a stubby chode, but now it began to lose girth. When it was done, Julian barely had a pencil stub for an erection, poking out jauntily over his pair of impressively large nuts.

Which were no longer quite so impressive.

Julian’s testicles took a cue from his cock and retracted inward, shrinking up in his sac and withering to the size of a tiny marbles. When the horrendous shrink-fest was over, there was a big bald spot around his pubes about the size of a saucer. The pink skin was like a neon light flashing against the blackness of the surrounding fur, advertising one thing to the world: Julian Castro had a baby dick.

Next, the pelt of hair on his back turned from black to silver but no one took notice because Julian was too busy bawling like a big gorilla baby. Somehow, he managed to get up on his haunches and, using his long arms to propel himself, brachiated across the floor toward Henry. As Henry looked down upon the apeman from his comparatively lofty height, Julian opened his gaping maw to beg one last time.

Unfortunately, his lower incisors chose that moment to thrust upward even as his jaw jutted further forward. When Julian tried to speak, all that came out was a plaintive, “Ook ook!”

“Oh, how sad!” Henry mocked. “Jason’s brilliant wunderkind can no longer talk. What’s to become of him now? For the rest of his life, he’ll be nothing but a big, dumb ape. Isn’t that right, Julian?”

Julian stared pleadingly up at him, trying valiantly to make his mouth and tongue work but, in the end, he could only grunt a very guttural, “Ook ook.”

His back was turned to Ander, giving an unflattering view of his immense, furry backside. Ander tried to look away but couldn’t. When Julian squatted down, leaning forward on his big arms, his beefy buttocks spread wide and…

Ugh! I could have lived the rest of my life without seeing that! 

Ander winced when he realized that Julian’s crotch wasn’t the only part of his body that had been rendered bald of hair: Like his pubic area, Julian’s hole was a bright pink, a veritable bull’s eye winking at him from across the room. 

“Ok! The show’s over for tonight. It’s time for you both to go,” Henry announced, clapping his hands together and easily evading Julian’s grasping mitts as he walked to the door and held it open. “William will drop you off at the nearest metro station. Good night, Ander. And goodbye forever, Julian.”

***

Still addled from the drug, Ander awoke sitting on a bench on the metro. In his hand, he held a leash attached to a 300-pound, silverback gorilla. He stared at the beast, blinking in astonishment. It took a minute before the bizarre events of the evening came back to him and he gave a start when he met the beast’s baleful gaze.

“Are you still in there, Julian?” he queried, leaning forward to look the ape in the eyes.

The big brute gaped at him, beady eyes dull in its thick skull. Gradually, it nodded its misshapen head, pulling back its fat lips into the lurid semblance of a grin. “Ook ook,” it grunted. “Ook ook.”

Yes, Julian Castro was still in there but just barely.

***

Chapter 7

Ander could barely stay awake during the interrogation that ensued after he and Julian were finally picked up by the Triple Canopy bodyguards. Julian the Ape was herded into an impromptu cage while Ander was handcuffed and thrown in the back of the SUV where he endured a bumpy ride back to Jason’s house. They arrived well after midnight but Ander wasn’t allowed any rest. Instead, they hauled him into a spare bedroom and commenced questioning him.

At issue was Julian’s disappearance. No one believed him that the big ape was actually Julian despite the fact that it went, well, ape-shit when it saw Duke. It broke out of the flimsy cage and pulled itself across the floor on its huge arms, moaning piteously as it approached Duke. Ander’s heart twisted in his chest as he watched the ugly beast strain to form words with its malformed mouth and wasted vocal chords. All that came out was an indecipherable jumble of guttural grunts, though. It tried to bury its giant head against Duke’s stomach but he pulled away in disgust.

“Jesus, it stinks!” he complained, shoving the ape off of him. “Send it to the fucking zoo!” He turned on Ander, clearly pissed, demanding, “Where is Julian?! What did you do to Julian?!”

Ander stifled a yawn. He was still drugged and felt strange after the bizarre meeting with Henry and William. Propping his head up on his fists, he mumbled, “That is Julian, Duke. I’m telling you that Henry turned him into an ape…” His voice trailed off and he yawned loudly before finishing, “If you don’t believe me, send in some of its DNA for testing. I guarantee you that’s Julian.”

Duke glared at him, chest heaving, as the ape continued to paw at him from behind. For a moment, he seemed like he was going to lose it but then he clenched his jaw and turned on his heel, storming out of the room.

Ander answered all of the questions truthfully, not omitting any details. He could tell, though, that his interrogators didn’t believe him. Why would they? If he hadn’t witnessed the whole thing, he would have been skeptical as well. In the end, they decided that the drugs he’d been given were making him hallucinate and they allowed him to go to bed, promising to continue the questioning in the morning when he was sober.

He staggered up the stairs to his bedroom and tugged off his clothes before collapsing onto his bed in exhaustion. The mattress groaned and sagged beneath him as he did so. “Mmmm,” he mumbled, “gotta get a new mattress. This one’s wearing out…” He had drifted off to sleep before he finished the sentence.

***

The ape’s DNA test results came back the following day and the tenor of Ander’s interrogation changed abruptly. Just as Ander had predicted, the ape’s genetic profile matched Julian’s which proved that he hadn’t lied. Stunned silence filled the room as everyone struggled to grasp this new reality. Ashen-faced, Duke turned to the ape (which had been sequestered in a heavy-duty cage in a corner of the room), and mouthed the word, ‘Julian.’ Tears filled his eyes as he staggered over to the animal. The ape reached through the bars and stroked Duke’s head (looking very much like it was trying to groom him for fleas) as the big man sobbed uncontrollably. The scene struck Ander both as touching and ridiculous and he had to turn away and cover his face.

From that point forward, the questioning was much more congenial and no one sneered when Ander relayed the events of the previous evening. After an hour, he was released and he headed to work.

It was the last week of his internship and he had a big presentation to prepare for. His long research into rare earth mineral rights had been productive and he’d compiled a very compelling paper as a result. All that remained was to summarize the data into a half-hour presentation, something that should have been easy but turned out to be the opposite.

He was so tired! His head still ached from the aftereffects of the drug and his body felt leaden. He struggled through the day, drinking cup after cup of strong coffee, and even so barely made it through without falling asleep. At five o’clock, he called an Uber and had it drop him off at the front steps of his house. He had soccer practice that evening but the thought of doing anything athletic was unbearable. He just wanted to sleep!

He felt somewhat better the next morning. He was no longer tired and his brain didn’t feel foggy. He still felt like his body was made out of lead, though, and he could barely force himself to go for a morning walk. Running was definitely out of the question, at least until he felt fully recovered.

Work was fine, although he barely left his chair. A short trip to the bathroom was enough to leave him winded and he collapsed back down at his desk, feeling the seat strain beneath him. It was the strangest feeling! It was almost like his body was weighted down or something. He chalked it up to the lingering effects of the drug but it was getting harder to convince himself that the situation was just temporary. Should he go see a doctor? 

He skipped soccer practice again that evening and went directly home. Still struggling to move, he stripped out of his clothes in the privacy of his bathroom and stepped onto a scale. His eyes popped when he saw the results.

353 pounds!

He stared at the display in disbelief, glancing at his reflection in the mirror and back down at the scale in confusion. He looked just as lean as ever! Oh, he’d never be as lean as Jason but he was pretty ripped nonetheless. Nothing about his appearance indicated that he had gained over a hundred pounds.

There must be something wrong with the scale, he thought. If I was really 350 pounds, I would be busting out of my clothes!

He remembered there was another scale in Jason’s bathroom and lumbered downstairs, checking to be sure he was alone before staggering into Jason’s bedroom. Violating the sanctity of Jason’s room distracted him from his mission–Jason had never let him inside before and he felt like an interloper. He looked around, feeling a little thrill zip up his spine even as a familiar melancholy settled over him. 

He had no idea where Jason was now; he’d completely disappeared after his bombshell speech at the convention. Either the Triple Canopy guards didn’t know or wouldn’t tell him where he was. Ander stood there for a long time, staring plaintively at Jason’s bed and memorizing every detail. The bed was still rumpled from his friend’s last night spent at the house, the sheets pulled aside and the impression of his inflated buttocks still clearly visible.

Ander glanced around to be sure no one could see him before lurching over to the bed and settling heavily down on the mattress. The springs whined in protest beneath him, reminding him once again of his predicament. Why did it take so much effort just to move? Was it possible to gain nearly two hundred pounds and now show it? He pushed the thought away as a telltale odor tantalized his nostrils.

Jason’s scent.

He inhaled deeply, feeling his cock tingle as he mindlessly yanked down his shorts and started fondling himself. He’d forgotten that Jason’s smell was such a potent aphrodisiac. It was like cloves, gunpowder and sage…along with other aromas that were decidedly more carnal. He leaned over to pick up Jason’s pillow and pressed it to his nose, sniffing it with abandon as he stroked his cock. It was the most heady, sensuous scent! God, it made him so horny! In no time, his cock was rock hard and he was jacking wildly, heedless of the fact the door to Jason’s bedroom door was wide open.

An odd sensation forced him back to himself before he shot his load. It wasn’t because he was worried about being discovered, though. No, it was something else.

Wait.

There it was again.

The unaccountable feeling washed over him, leaving him dazed.

He cleared his throat, feeling a tickle down in his chest and was surprised by the deep rumble that came out of his mouth. Shaking his puzzlement aside, he’d only just resumed jacking when he realized his cock felt all wrong. Confused, he looked down and then recoiled in surprise.

Fuck, my cock is HUGE!

And hairy!?

He gaped at it, brain struggling to comprehend that this giant sausage belonged to him. It was so fat that his fingers no longer touched when he grasped it. And talk about long! It had to be well over twelve inches. As he stared, it seemed to grow even bigger.

Wait, pubic hair!?

He always kept himself immaculately groomed without a trace of pubic hair to profane his smooth skin.

Now, though…

Shit, what the fuck is happening?!

He now sported a thick, black thatch of pubes even though he’d shaved in the shower that morning…and it was creeping inexorably up his belly.

But how?!

Mind exploding with the impossibility, he followed the hairs’ progress, realizing that his pubes were spreading upward even as his chest hair was spreading downward.

And my pecs!

Fuck, why are they so big and meaty?

It was too much.

Ander’s brain couldn’t handle any more and it short-circuited. He passed out, waking up sometime later to find his tummy caked in dried cum. He propped himself up on his elbows and sighed, not recognizing where he was at first. When he finally realized he was in Jason’s room with his shorts down around his ankles and in full view of the living room, he jumped up off the bed and scrambled to button up.

Or he tried to.

His body, still inexplicably heavy, refused to respond and instead he sort of half-fell off the bed, only barely righting himself before he landed on his face. He stood there, chest heaving, for a few moments before reaching down to tug up his shorts.

What the fuck? Why am I–?

Then it hit him; he remembered why he’d passed out.

He looked down at himself.

Whew.

His chest was shaved like always. Smooth as silk. Shiny, almost.

He unzipped his shorts.

All good down there.

Like his chest, his pubes were completely hairless, not even a trace of stubble. And they should be! Ander had paid a fortune for multiple electrolysis treatments in his bid to be permanently free of body hair. He was too hairy to ever be completely smooth but the treatments had succeeded in taming his man-pelt.

And then there was his cock. It was still plenty big but basically the same size as always. Or was it? Flaccid, it still felt heftier in his hand. After studying it, he shrugged, deciding he was probably just imagining the size increase.

Yeah, that’s it. I just got carried away. There’s no way I could have grown hair and a bigger cock and then gone back to being smooth and normally hung again. That shit just doesn’t happen!

And that might have been the end of it, too, if he hadn’t happened to reach up idly and scratch his armpit.

He froze when his fingers encountered a fragrant forest of thick, kinky hair.

WTF! My pit hair is like four inches long!

He lifted up his arm and stared. There was no denying that he had the longest, blackest armpit hair he’d ever seen. And it stank!

He shuddered and, pushing himself off the bed, stumbled into the bathroom. He hesitated only a moment before grabbing Jason’s personal groomer and shearing his armpits clean of hair. The hair was so thick it clogged up the blades but he eventually succeeded in reducing it to stubble. He grimaced, rubbing at the scraped-bare flesh with chagrin. Ugh. I hate stubble! I’m gonna have to get electrolysis again!

He was so distracted by the mysterious growth of armpit hair that it took him a while before he remembered why he’d come down into Jason’s bedroom in the first place: To weigh himself. Pushing the hair-growth mystery aside for now, he found Jason’s scale under the sink and stepped onto it, the floorboards groaning as he did so.

355 pounds.

What!? How is that possible?! He stared at the display with consternation. But I’m the same size as always! There’s no way I’ve gained 200 pounds!

Something didn’t add up and Ander had a niggling worry in the back of his mind that he was missing something obvious. But what was it? In the end, he put off figuring it out for another day. He was too hungry–and exhausted–to worry about his weight and hair anomalies right then.

***

Chapter 8

The day of his big presentation had arrived. He dressed in his best suit and tie, spending an inordinate amount of time grooming himself. While most workplaces had evolved to become more casual, the investment firm wasn’t one of them; the senior partners were especially fastidious about their appearance and he was expected to look presentable. It was fine to wear slacks and a dress shirt during his regular work day but today those wouldn’t do. 

After shaving his armpits–more than an inch of fresh growth had appeared overnight–and slathering himself with deodorant, he smiled at his reflection in the mirror. He was glad he’d gotten a haircut the day before and whitened his teeth. He looked very handsome, if he did say so himself! His thick, black bangs–left intentionally long by the barber–were oiled and shiny, swept back over his forehead. The sides of his head were shaved super tight, nearly down to the skin. And when his face was clean-shaven, nothing distracted from his strong jaw and high cheekbones. His plucked eyebrows were black, definite and elegant. His lips shone red in the soft light. His tanned skin was rich and lustrous. He looked almost like he could be of Asian descent…or maybe Indian or Persian? Would anyone guess that he was Basque-Armenian? Probably not. He didn’t care; he was just happy to be young and attractive.

Even though his body still felt heavy and stiff, he was otherwise in fine fettle and grinned one last time at the mirror before departing. Fifteen minutes later, he was stepping out of an Uber and striding confidently through the doors of the investment firm. He couldn’t wait to wow them with his presentation!

The meeting took place on the top floor of the building, a place he’d previously never been invited into. He was stunned by the opulence of the offices up there. Every surface gleamed with brightly-polished marble and stainless steel. The floors were like mirrors. The conference room was spacious and opened out onto a breathtaking view of the city below. The glass walls were smoked glass so that he was greeted with a view of himself pretty much wherever he turned.

Ander was conscious of the attention he received from the senior partners as they filed in. The women were covert in their admiration but he could tell they were checking him out. Even the men seemed beguiled by him. Several of the handshakes and pats on the back were lingering. Everyone was forced to look up to him whether they wanted to or not; at six feet four, he towered over the room. He exercised his most polite and gentlemanly behavior, further adding to his allure. Even though he was barely into his early twenties, he’d learned one lesson well already: Being friendly and handsome was a killer combination, one that guaranteed certain doors would always be open to him.

Getting down to business, he connected his laptop to the WiFi projector and beamed the opening slide of his PowerPoint onto the wall behind him. Someone dimmed the lights and pressed a button to make the windows fog. Soon all eyes were upon him as he opened his mouth to begin.

“Excuse me. Sorry I’m late! I hope I didn’t miss anything!”

Ander looked up in surprise at the sound of the voice and nearly fell over when he saw Jason sauntering into the room. Where the fuck did he come from?!

He wasn’t the only one shocked by Jason’s sudden reappearance. Everyone in the room was caught off guard which meant that Ander wasn’t the only one caught fish-mouthing. No one expected Jason to ever show his face again at the firm, not after his speech at the convention and especially not after word got out about his mysterious physical alterations.

The eyes that had just been glued to Ander pivoted to Jason as everyone took in his greatly changed appearance. Several managers did double-takes but mostly people managed to conceal their shock. Even though Ander had seen Jason after his kidnapping, nothing could have prepared him for the sight of his one-time lover and friend.

Jason looked magnificent and ridiculous at the same time.

He wore an Italian suit that had been tailored to accommodate his absurdly swollen lower body. Given his predicament, one might have expected the tailor to seek to creatively hide Jason’s widened hips and voluptuous buttocks but instead they had taken the opposite tack: The fine materials must have been woven with Spandex because the suit hugged his exaggeratedly inflated lower body like a long-lost lover. Worse, in front, his complete absence of a bulge was glaringly obvious. The sight of his swollen buttocks and neutered crotch was almost prurient and Ander had to force himself to look away because, much to his shock, he realized he was in danger of getting turned on. It didn’t seem like it could be possible but, if anything, he found Jason even more appealing like this.

Ander stood there in stunned silence, his gaze gradually traveling up his friend’s body. Above the waist, Jason was 100% male virility. His shoulders looked even wider than Ander remembered. The suit amplified every muscle and the red tie that Jason had chosen to wear was overtly phallic, hanging down from his neck as a stark reminder of everything he’d lost to Henry T’ang’s knife.

It was Jason’s idea of a joke, Ander realized with startled clarity. This hunch was confirmed when his gaze met his friend’s and he saw that Jason was grinning wolfishly at him. His clear, blue eyes sparkled with amusement and challenge. His unspoken words were, “I dare you, Ander! I dare you to defy me! I still own you. I will always own you!”

Ander was flummoxed. He never expected to see Jason again, much less during this critically important presentation. Further, he’d expected Jason to be cowed by his forced transformation. After all, Henry had robbed him of his vaunted masculine pride and joy, rendering him a eunuch who could never fuck again. Henry had made Jason into his worst nightmare, an act that had been calculated to destroy him.

As Ander gaped back at Jason, he understood that Jason DeVos had once again defied all expectations. Rather than being diminished, he was exultant, lording his freakishly transformed body over everyone. He embraced his fate, balls out, proudly demonstrating that, even without those balls, he was still just as powerful and dominant as ever.

“Er, um, well…,” Ander stammered, struggling to recover his composure as Jason settled his wide bottom into a large chair directly in front of him. Ander cleared his throat, willing himself to look away from his friend but he was held captive. He was like a mouse trapped before a voracious cat.

“Oh, don’t mind me, Ander,” Jason said, eyes twinkling with amusement. “Just pretend like I’m not here. I can’t wait to hear your presentation!”

Ander swallowed, suddenly hating his friend with a passion. How could he pretend that Jason wasn’t there? Jason was his whole world! He knew that now. All it took was Jason’s reappearance and he was back in his thrall. The denial–the belief that he could go on and live his life free from Jason’s influence–evaporated like mist before those predatory blue eyes. He felt the inner emptiness that had been stalking him since the night Jason first disappeared drowning him. The ache of loneliness had been so unbearable that he’d sublimated it. Now that he was face to face with the man he loved more than anything else, he felt desolate.

And pissed off.

And happy.

And…

Turned on.

He shifted, uncomfortably aware of his cock stiffening in his pants. 

Clearing his throat again, he tore his gaze away from Jason only to find himself trapped in the spotlight of the senior partners’ attention. They sat, arms crossed, staring at him blankly. Someone was even tapping their foot. Ander felt his body break out in sweat. He sniffed, wrinkling his nose when he detected a ripe odor. Was that him? But he’d showered and covered himself with deodorant! No, no, no, no, no!!!

“We’re waiting, Ander.”

He shook himself, glancing up at his supervisor and flushing with embarrassment. “Uh, yeah. Sorry ‘bout dat!” he sputtered before he caught himself. Why had he spoken in such an uneducated manner? He flushed again and opened his mouth, trying to sound more intelligent. “Uh, um, I, uh, can’t fuckin’ remember–” He froze, aghast that he had just used profanity. What the fuck was wrong with him?! He knew better than this!

By this point, sweat was beading on his forehead and his panic was rising. He’d never suffered from stage fright before…until that moment. He swallowed and got another strong whiff of body odor. Shit, it is coming from me! His armpits were drenched in sweat and the newly-grown stubble itched and burned. It was all he could do to stop himself from lifting his hand and scratching himself. To make matters worse, he happened to glance down at Jason again.

Grinning fiendishly, his friend leaned back in his chair and, folding his beefy arms behind his head, spread his legs wide. Ander willed himself not to look but he was only human. He had to look.

Fuck, he’s so fucking hot without a cock and balls!

The empty crotch–and the promise of the virginal pussy lips contained therein–beckoned to him. It was like a magnet pulling on his cock. And his cock was…

Getting harder by the second.

Ander could feel it filling up the pouch of his boxers. In mere seconds, his underwear had reached capacity and his cock proceeded to fill up the front of his pants, jutting outward in a noticeable shelf. Ander cleared his throat and violently wrested his attention away from Jason’s crotch while attempting to hide his growing tumescence from view. Sweat dripped down his back and into the cleft of his buttocks. He was burning up!

Yanking on his necktie, he tried to loosen his collar but it was no use. He gasped for breath, feeling like he was being strangled. Why were his clothes suddenly so tight?

“Any day now, Mr. Ibarra.”

Ander stared helplessly at the table of executives. His face was red and his whole body was dripping with sweat. His body odor filled his nostrils; he knew that if he could smell himself, everyone else could as well. And his pants! Fuck, his pants were so tight!

Focus, Ander. You can do this. Just focus.

He took a shuddering breath, pulling on his collar once again. He just needed to get through the next half hour. That’s all it would take. His presentation was only fifteen minutes and then there would be fifteen minutes of questions. It was easy! He could get through it in his sleep!

Yeah, that’s it! You got this! Just take it slow!

He opened his mouth and nearly jumped in surprise at the deep bass rumble that came out.

“DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUHHHHHH–”

He clapped his hand over his mouth, mortified by the guttural, idiotic sound. What the fuck was wrong with him? He sounded like a fucking caveman! Jason’s amused chuckle brought him back to himself and he locked eyes with his friend/tormentor. Jason’s face split into a wide grin; he was clearly savoring every moment of Ander’s discomfort.

He tried again. “Uh, DUUUUUUHHH, I mean, fuck, them rare earther ele…uh, fuck, them there ele…el-a-mints…”

“Mr. Ibarra, is this your idea of a joke?”

Ander stared blankly at his angry supervisor, feeling all intelligence drain out of his head. He was aware of only one thing: His cock was getting ready to explode out of his pants. And that wasn’t the only thing that was ready to explode. The sound of straining fabric was audible as he felt his buttocks and thighs swelling. His pants were rapidly being stretched past their capacity!

Wha da FUCK’s happen’ ta meeeee???!!!

And tie and his dress shirt…

He clutched at his throat, gasping for air. His tie was strangling him to death and he could barely breathe.

POP!

A button from his expensive, tailored shirt flew across the room. Followed rapidly by three more.

PING! PING! PING!

Ander gaped down at himself in horror, mind reeling. Around him, the room full of executives sat in stunned silence. The aroma of his ripe odor filled the room. It was so potent it was eye-watering and a few people even held their noses. Ander was barely aware of anything but the appalling things going wrong with his body. Alone among everyone, Jason sat unperturbed. In fact, his smile widened and he sat back smugly, savoring every moment of Ander’s humiliation.

Oblivious to Jason’s amused regard, Ander clutched at his tie but his fingers weren’t working right. It was nearly impossible for him to find the dexterity to loosen the knot. When he finally managed to slacken it, he gulped air like a drowning man, bending over and putting his hands on his knees.

RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIPPPPPPPPPPP!!!

God oh god oh god oh god oh god NOOOOOOOO!!!

The seam in the back of his pants gave way and he felt cool air on his bare ass. (Per Jason’s mandate, he only wore thong underwear these days which meant he’d just lost all semblance of modesty back there.) Ander straightened, frantically trying to cover his bare butt with his hands. It was no use, though. His growing buttocks were far too large to cover; they jutted out behind him on full display. Worse, the smoked glass windows in the room reflected his embarrassment for everyone to see from multiple angles.

Ander felt like crying. And screaming. He had no idea what was happening to him but, whatever it was, showed no signs of abating. And the speed with which his poor body was inflating meant he didn’t have the leisure time to figure it out and, even if he did, he no longer possessed the mental acumen. His IQ was decreasing in inverse proportion to his expanding body; he was now effectively dumb as a stump.

His big, bare ass soon became the least of his concerns. He was quickly forced to abandon his efforts to conceal it when his suit coat became too tight to bear. He clawed at it, finally managing to fling it off just as the rest of the buttons on his dress shirt gave way and–out of nowhere–an enormous, round belly flopped forward and catapulted over his straining belt. Almost unnoticed, his vest split down the back and the two halves fell to the floor in shreds.

Fat!? I’m fuggin’ FAT! WHA DA FUCK!!!!????

Ander couldn’t catch a break! As his belly inflated, his belt threatened to bisect him, digging so painfully into his waist that he lifted his head and bellowed. After bursting forth, his new, huge gut became increasingly saggy, hanging over heavily over his midsection. His poor mind refused to believe that his formerly taut six pack had been replaced by this monstrosity. It couldn’t be! He stared down at it uncomprehendingly even as his fingers tried to unbuckle his belt. This effort was impeded by another bizarre change: His fingers had turned into sausages, making it feel like he was wearing heavy winter gloves.

Clawing at the belt with his ungainly mitts, he somehow managed to unbuckle it. His pants gave way as he did so; the belt was the only thing holding them together! With a monumental shred, they flew off of him in tatters. His beleaguered thong followed, ahem, suit, zinging across the room like a pink rubber band to land over Jason’s face. He held it to his nose, inhaling deeply before tossing it aside and leaning forward. His eyes danced with merriment and he rubbed his hands together in gleeful anticipation.

Ander was now completely nude. His formerly svelte physique had bloated beyond recognition. He teetered there, mouth falling open at his image reflected in the smoked glass of the room, and the next phase began. It started as a tickle and rapidly exploded into a full-fledged itch all over. He lowered his melon head in time to see a forest of black hair bloom in every nook and cranny of body. It grew so fast and so thick that it swallowed every bare patch of skin, leaving only his nipples and the shaft of his cock unadorned. Moaning with revulsion and shock, he scratched at his arms, legs and huge belly.

NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!!!!

The hair was almost worse than the weight gain. Ander despised body hair and had spent his entire adult life ridding himself of the nuisance. He looked like a fucking gorilla! He wanted to die. He stared down at his bloated, fragrant, hirsute and very naked body in complete horror. The horror was matched only by the red-hot humiliation coursing through his veins. He lifted his gaze to see the faces of all the senior partners staring at him aghast.

They were frozen in place, unable to take their eyes off of him.

He knew he needed to flee but where could he go? He was a giant, dumb, fat ogre who was completely naked. Clothing did not exist that could cover up his monstrous form. In a far off corner of his mind, his hopes of being invited back to work for the firm after graduation evaporated. Worse, he dimly realized that word of his humiliating transformation would spread far and wide. How would he ever find a good job now? How could he–?

Yum! Wha dat smell? Smell gud! Real gud!

He lifted his great, round head and sniffed the air like a feral animal, detecting the most enticing odor. It was a mystery how he smelled it amidst the reeking miasma of his beast scent but he did. The aroma had an instant effect on him, one that ushered in his final change with a particularly humiliating flourish.

His cock lifted upward out of the dense thicket of his freshly-sprouted pubic hair. Had it been its normal length and girth, it would have been unnoticeable under the enormous overhang of his new gut. His cock, however, had not escaped the cascade of changes afflicting him. He inhaled the titillating odor and his cock responded by swelling to prodigious proportions, rearing its ugly head like a deformed monster from the depths of hell. His oily foreskin retracted as his erection grew, revealing a glans that was as putrid as it was swollen. It hovered before the collective gaze of everyone assembled, a thick glob of yellow precum belching out of its gaping piss slit.

This was the last straw.

The room erupted in chaos as the senior partners flung themselves at the exit, crawling over each other in a desperate bid to get as far away as possible from the disgusting beast. In a moment only Jason remained, watching the panicked horde depart with amusement.

When the last of the executives had fled the room, he got up to click the lock on the door and then sat down again in front of Ander. He was so close that that disgusting ogre cock pulsated directly over his head. Ander leered down at him; his sluggish brain finally realizing the origin of that deliciously tantalizing odor.

With a smirk and an arched eyebrow, Jason unzipped his pants, revealing an incongruous pair of lacey, pink panties underneath. Ander’s eyeballs swiveled downward and he saw the big wet spot spreading across the crotch of those delicate panties. It was this dripping nectar that aroused his hideous cock’s desire.

Grunting lustily, he wiped a malformed hand across his mouth, flinging slobber across the room. A deep growl emanated from within his cavernous chest. He lurched forward, ogre cock drooling more yellowish precum. As Jason smiled sweetly up at him, a long, fragrant blob of it landed with a splat on his cheek.

His friend sighed and, wiping off his cheek, looked at his wristwatch and then back at Ander. “I figure we have about ten minutes before the cops get here. That’s enough time for you to destroy my little virgin pussy, isn’t it?” When Ander stared at him uncomprehendingly, he snapped, “Do I have to spell it out for you? FUCK. MY. PUSSY. NOW.” He leaned back and spread his legs provocatively, opening his crotch for the plundering.

Ander needed no further encouragement. With one brutal motion, he tore Jason’s clothes off of his body, leaving him clad only in his tie and his pearly white, perfectly unblemished skin. Jason laughed in delight when Ander whirled him around and shoved him forward. Sprawled face-first on the tabletop, Jason lifted his head and looked back at him. He smiled like a true coquette, his ridiculously overfilled thighs and mounded buttocks jiggling like milky Jello. 

With a sly wink, he reached back and pulled on his huge, bubbly ass cheeks to reveal the treasures contained therein. His tiny, pink rosebud winked tantalizingly and his moist, fleshy cunt lips parted in expectation. He was doing everything but sending an engraved invitation and, even in his devolved state, Ander’s pea brain got the message loud and clear.

He threw himself on top of Jason, violently entering him and fucking him without mercy. He lifted his huge melon head and roared as his buddy’s freshly-minted cunt lips opened and enveloped his monster tool. Jason cried out in agony beneath him but he pummeled away, thrusting deeper and deeper until he came in a volcanic climax, filling that pussy with load after load of revolting ogre cum.

It was over almost as quickly as it began and Ander lost consciousness, collapsing on top of Jason even as his cock continued to spasm. He awoke moments later to Jason’s urging. “C’mon, bro! Wake up and get off me! We gotta get outta here NOW!”

Ander lifted his head, hearing sirens wailing in the distance. His brain felt foggy and he could only remember bits and pieces of what had just transpired. None of it was good, though, and he groaned, feeling his life as he knew it come to an abrupt end.

There wasn’t time to waste, though. He pushed himself off of Jason, his cock making a gooey squelching sound as it exited the ruined pussy. In a moment, Jason was pulling him along behind him, his red power tie flapping in the breeze. They fled down a fire escape, leaving an indelible impression on all who witnessed their passage. Between Jason’s voluptuous cakes and Ander’s bloated, misshapen body…well, you can just imagine.

A black SUV awaited them at the curb when they exited the building. They had just piled into the back seat when the first of the police cars arrived. It was the perfect escape! They were whisked away to safety before the cops even figured out they’d left. Despite everything that had just happened, Ander found himself laughing giddily with Jason. His life as he knew might be over but a new, even better one was just beginning. He was back with the man he loved!

***

They showered together after they returned home, celebrating their reunion by tenderly wiping each other down under the warm spray. Post-orgasm, Ander’s body had mostly returned to normal but there were a few lingering changes that disturbed him.

He scowled down at himself, hating those changes. Jason was unsympathetic, however. “Listen, bro,” he scolded, “I don’t wanna hear it. I mean, look at me! Would you rather have thunder thighs and a cunt for the rest of yer life?” He gestured down to his mountainous thighs, huge buttocks and (now very loose) pussy lips. “You got the better deal, if you ask me. And yer sexy as fuck when yer turned on. I never realized how much I wanted to be held down and raped until I saw you change!”

Ander smiled wanly, agreeing, “Yeah, Ok, I will admit that was fun. Still, I don’t want that to happen every time we fuck. I mean, sometimes it would be nice to be gentle, ya know?”

Jason shuddered theatrically. “Ugh! Why? The rougher, the better! In fact, I can’t wait for your big, ugly cock to rape my asshole next. I don’t want you to stop until I’m permanently prolapsed, Ok?”

“If you say so,” Ander replied, nuzzling his neck. “If you say so.” He was about to kiss him when he had a thought, “Uh, Jason, why did Henry do this to me? I mean, it’s pretty obvious he’s the culprit but it doesn’t make any sense. I never did anything to hurt him!”

Jason turned his head and met his lips, kissing him lingeringly before pulling away again. “It’s not about you, Ander. It’s about me. Changing you is the other part of his revenge: He not only wanted to turn me into my worst nightmare; he wanted to put me through the same torture I inflicted on him. What could be worse for someone like me than being pussified and then raped by the one you love?”

Ander thought about it, disturbed not only by the nefariousness of Henry’s revenge but also by Jason’s blithe acceptance of it. “You don’t seem very bothered by this.”

“I’m not,” Jason said, shrugging. “I fuckin’ love it, in fact!” When Ander frowned, he explained, “In case you haven’t noticed, I thrive on pain and humiliation. I could cry about my fucked up family life and the sick and twisted things done to me as a child but the bottom line is that I get off on abuse. And it doesn’t matter whether it’s me doing the abusing or being abused. It’s all good. It’s all thrilling. It all turns me on.” Ander was silent for a moment, processing this. When he didn’t respond, Jason continued, “That’s something Henry never understood about me. If he only knew that he ended up giving me the best present of all…Ha! He’d be so pissed!”

“But what about me?” Ander begged, the implications of what was happening to him finally sinking in. “What’s gonna happen to me? Every time I get turned on and change into that…that…thing, my body doesn’t go back completely to the way I was before.” He gestured down to his pendulous cock, easily six inches longer than it had been that morning, and his newly protruding belly. The hair under his arms had grown back as well, along with a bunch of prickly hair in his ass crack. “When will it stop, Jason? And what will I be like when it does?”

Jason sighed. “It’s obvious, Ander! The more you get turned on, the more you will turn permanently into big, dumb, hairy brute with a hideous monster cock.” He paused to smile wickedly at the idea, adding, “And I can’t fucking wait!”

Ander stared at him in horror. “Y-Y-You want me to be like that…forever?!”

Nodding happily, Jason chirped, “Of course! Don’t you?”

“No, I don’t!” Ander shouted. “I don’t want to turn into a fucking monster! I wanna be me!” He held his face in his hands, crying, “How will I ever be able to hold down a job if I can’t even think? How will I take care of myself? What will I do?”

Jason took his hands in his own and pushed them away from his face. “Ander,” he said levelly, “That’s what I’m here for. I will take care of you. I will never leave your big, sexy, beastlike side. Shit, it’s not like we need to work anyway! I have more than enough money to live on for the rest of our lives. Let’s just have fun and enjoy this gift that Henry gave us, Ok?”

Ander was skeptical at the time but Jason was true to his word: As Ander devolved further into a hideous, drooling caveman whose long, warty cock dragged on the ground along with his knuckles, Jason’s love and care for him only increased. And, while their sex life grew rougher and rougher, the tender moments they enjoyed between these bouts of rape also grew sweeter. It was a crazy, fucked up life but Ander loved it. 

Or maybe he was just too stupid to know any different?

***