"All right, on your way. Curly, you're with me."
Justin followed the foreman, with a knotty, uneasy feeling in his stomach. It wasn't that Kevin was mean or anything, it was only that Justin really needed this job, and so far, he wasn't doing very well. He could ride, of course, but he hadn't realized how hard it would be to put up a fence, and he had no idea how to cook, not even beans, which meant he wasn't much use out on the trail. He didn't want this morning to be another chance to find something else he couldn't do, especially not in front of Kevin.
The foreman seemed to be good at everything. He didn't make a fuss, just did whatever had to be done. He wasn't exactly easy to please, though. Justin really wanted Kevin to smile and tell him he'd done good, but he wasn't sure that was ever going to happen.
"I'm guessing," Kevin said, "that you've never done any roping."
"Uh," said Justin, dismayed. "No."
"Okay. So you need to learn." At least all the other hands were gone, there'd be nobody else to see him make a fool of himself.
Kevin showed him how to knot the rope, how to hold it, how to swing and cast, and after not very long at all Justin was able to 'capture' a fence post, and then a bale, and then, with a bit more difficulty, a tottering, uncertain calf. As his rope landed around the little creature and he brought it in, Justin couldn't help but grin, so proud of himself.
Then Kevin told him to get one of the horses ready and try it again from the saddle. Even though he was riding Clover, the most placid and experienced of the ranch animals, it was so much harder to rope anything like this, even the fence posts were elusive, and Justin's increasing frustration made it even more difficult. But Kevin refused to break for a bite to eat until Justin finally managed to drop his rope over one of the posts and keep the horse under control as he did it.
"Right, Curly. Back to work. Think you can take a moving target?"
The moving target turned out to be Kevin. He strolled about the enclosure, and it ought to have been so easy to get that loop over his shoulders but it wasn't, and Justin's frustration grew. His horse seemed to sense his mood and grew skittish, which really didn't help. "Is this even possible?" he burst out, as the rope flopped to the ground yet again.
Kevin looked up at him, his beautiful green eyes unfathomable under the brim of his dark hat. "Sure is," he said. "Let me show you."
So they swapped places. Kevin soothed the unsettled horse without any problem, and started to swing the rope lazily over his head. To Justin's surprise he found himself caught almost before he knew what was happening.
"Hey," he protested, "I wasn't even moving."
"So step out of it and start running."
Justin freed himself from the loose loop, and promised himself he'd make things as difficult as possible for the foreman. He dodged, feinted, kept himself moving around the edges of the enclosure. He did well, he thought, but he was getting out of breath and Kevin was slowly but surely backing him into a corner, and though Justin managed to evade capture at least twice, Kevin just hauled the rope back in and kept coming, until at last the rope settled around Justin and tightened, pinning his arms to his sides.
Kevin wound his end of the rope carefully around the pommel, dismounted, and secured the horse to the fence. Then he hauled on the rope, reeling Justin in, and there was really nothing Justin could do to stop him. Breathless, he gave up the struggle.
"Looks like I got me a prize," said Kevin, and something in his voice sent a thrill down Justin's spine. The rope jerked and Justin stumbled forward onto his knees in front of Kevin, and watched, fascinated, as Kevin's hands went to the wide buckle of his belt. Justin stared as those long, shapely fingers eased the button free and the zipper down, and licked his lips helplessly as Kevin's jeans opened.
There was another tug on the rope that was holding Justin's arms, and he leaned forward to nuzzle at Kevin's groin, the heat of it, the sweaty, salty male scent, to lick along Kevin's hard shaft, captured under the denim, and he whined in frustration at not being able to reach it all. Kevin's hand eased Justin's face away, and drew out his cock, and Justin licked and sucked eagerly, and felt both Kevin's hands twining in his curly hair and urging him on. Justin strained against the rope, he couldn't move his hands, couldn't touch that beautiful cock, he had no choice but to take it in, he was so turned on, there on his knees in the dusty enclosure with Kevin's hands in his hair.
Kevin groaned, and his fingers tightened, and Justin choked for a moment as hot come gushed into his mouth; he swallowed and sucked and swallowed until it was all gone, until Kevin's grip on his curls relaxed and turned into a caress, hands sliding down Justin's jaw and easing him back. Kevin tidied himself up and rebuckled his belt, then loosened the knot and freed Justin's arms. Justin didn't quite dare to look at Kevin, and kept his eyes down as he rose unsteadily to his feet.
"And now," Kevin said, "it's your turn with the rope. You do it right, you know what your reward's gonna be." He stepped closer, his left thigh pressing against Justin's right leg, and murmured his next words into Justin's ear. "You do it right, and I'll fuck you."