Date: Mon, 2 Sep 2013 08:06:08 -0700 (PDT)
From: Logan Bre <icelake.melune@yahoo.com>
Subject: CROSSROADS AT PASSION HILL part 4

CROSSROADS AT PASSION HILL part 4

By Logan Bre

Disclaimer: This is totally a work of fiction and any resemblance to actual
people, persons or events, living or dead is purely coincidental.

This story contains graphic images of adult male homosexuality, rough
unprotected sex, and extreme sex fetishes. If you find this offensive, or
if it is illegal for you to read or possess such material, please do not
read any further.

Please do not attempt to reproduce this story or parts of it without the
prior consent of the author.

Please feel free to contact the author with any positive or negative
comments and suggestions at icelake.melune@yahoo.com


---Armando's voice—The transition---

Kyle's face went dry of blood upon hearing what I said. He didn't turn to
look at me, but his pale neck gave him away. Jon on the other hand was
still eye locked on me. My guess was that he didn't know what to say. I
kept displaying my smirk to emphasize my victory so far, and then I
returned to the bathroom to wrap a towel round my waist.

I had assumed that they would be continuing their chat, but from the
silence of the room, they obviously didn't know what else to say. They were
still in the same postures as I had left them when I returned. I went
around and sat in front of both of them, forming a triangle. "Okay boys," I
started "There is no need to be ashamed if both of you enjoy being
sub. What matters is that, both of you get good training so that you can
obtain maximum pleasure from these feelings safely. What more joy is there
than being in the same boat of emotions as your lover, huh?" I had a
feeling that the latter part of my words had struck a chord of tension so I
had to say something to relieve the atmosphere. "I wasn't this thrilled
when I first discovered that I get sexual satisfaction by dominating
guys. I remember you too weren't comfortable at first, Jon, but it gets
better when you get familiar with the situation. When I got a hang on the
role I play in bringing guys pleasure, I saw it wasn't that bad. I know you
guys love each other very much. This isn't going to affect your
relationship at all, if that's what you're thinking. On the contrary, it
will make your relationship even stronger."

"I have personally come across many couples who employ the sub-dom sexual
lifestyles to spice up their relationships." I continued. "Most are
relationships with a sub and a dom. Occasionally, I've met two subs in a
relationship; even two dominants in a relationship. Those ones normally get
themselves a third party for their fun things. The two dominants normally
get themselves what they call "slaves" for their sexual satisfaction. I
hate to use that word to describe submissive guys because I feel they are
simply submissive and nothing less. "Slaves do things against their will
and aren't happy with things they do or things that are done to them. The
Submissive, in contrast, actually does enjoy taking orders, being punished
when they get it wrong, and pleasing their doms in every way. In your case
guys, it should be an awesome feeling to be able to confide in your lover
for every new feeling you develop because you know he shares them
too. That's the beauty of being in such a relationship."

I smiled and they looked at each other. The tension was not all gone, but
we were making heads way. They had been able to look each other in the
face. Jon moved closer to his boyfriend and took his broad and firm
hands. I took that as my cue to continue. "So Kyle, are you ready to
explore the feelings you've had deeply buried inside you?" He didn't say
anything. He just stared at their clasped hands in what could be called
embarrassment. His chin was then held up by Jon so that their eyes
met. Then Jon smiled to assure him that it was okay to accept my help in
embracing his feelings.

"Kyle, babe, you'll find this training very helpful" Jon said. "Armando
helped me in the same way and if I am urging you to go on with it, it is
because I think it will be of great use for you in your sexual life—even
for us in ours. You know how much I love you and wouldn't ask you to do
anything that will put you in harm's way."

I couldn't help but laugh in my head. "Freaking love birds" I thought to
myself. "When are they going to realize that this sentimental shit doesn't
exist called love...hmph" Well by the time they were done with their
sweetie-honey pie stuff, Kyle was saying he would only be a part of my
training if Jon was with him all the way. I was so keen on submitting his
big-boy ass that I didn't object. "Fair enough!" I nodded in agreement
"Before I ask you two to go and think about getting a place where most of
your training is going to take place..."

Kyle cut me off. "Wait a minute. We need to leave the house to accomplish
this so-called training?"

"We don't want some of the most embarrassing scenes of your life to be in
the full glare of your parents-in-law, do we?" I answered rather harshly.

Jon helped with the explanation by saying, "It's not as bad as Armando
makes it out to be, babe..."

Yet, our little Kyle kept babbling on with, "am not going to be a part of
this sick farce guys.."

I was at the point of slapping the guy in the face but I managed to control
myself and mumble a low, "would you shut the fuck up and listen to your
boyfriend." That was the first time I was swearing at someone in my accent
and I believe it sounded good.

The room was quiet for a few seconds. Then Jon continued what he had to
say. "Sometimes, one's submissiveness is pushed to the extreme during
training to determine the limit to which one enjoys being submissive. Since
this is sometimes not understood by people with dissimilar feelings like
homophobes, it is advised that the training is done in a secluded
environment to ensure privacy and freedom. My month of training at Ecuador
was mostly done at `AFRODISIACO' as one of the submissive boys, but in the
house, Armando treated me as a normal guest and friend—except when our
dads weren't watching, of course."

The little explanation got to Kyle quite well as he was agreeing with Jon,
seconds into his explanation. My pissed off mood also seemed to have
helped, if I might add. Inside, I was beaming with smiles as I was
realizing what control I was having over this boy, but I couldn't risk
showing it. So I maintained my serious look and added "Well since we've
crossed that bridge, you boys should think of a suitable place to have the
sessions. Meanwhile, I want to ask what fantasies you'll like to fulfill
before this training is over. I will start with Jon so you can consider
yours more carefully, Kyle. This is primarily your training after all.

Jon started with a shrug and then, "I have always wanted to have some sort
of body art, but couldn't bring myself to having them done. I thought it
would modify my body for life and would affect my future relationships. I
couldn't have found a better boyfriend than Kyle right now. So if he
doesn't have a problem with it, I'll love to have some piercings and some
tattoos."

He smiled and turned to his lover in an attempt to convince him. I sat
there and watched—waiting for a response. "I don't have a problem with
that" Kyle finally responded. "If it's subtle and screams less attention
and it makes you happy, am all for it. We won't even need permission from
your parents if they're well hidden. I am sure it will turn out great
sweety."

"Perfect! Which places do you suggest?" asked Jon again.

"Suggestions for the body art? Oh am guessing two small rings in your
titties, a barbell in your dick frenulum and a tattoo of your choosing on
your left butt will be nice. What do you think, Armando?" Kyle said.

I didn't want to agree with them, but they had already sort of agreed with
their plans so I told them that it was great. When it came to Kyle's turn
to say what he wanted, I couldn't believe my ears. The dude was obviously a
submissive bottom trapped in a manly body and who couldn't break the
stereotypes of this world.

"I've never bottomed before in my life. In fact, Jon has been my first and
my only sex partner. We all know that I've been the top guy in this
relationship, but I've been wondering what it'll feel like to bottom. Not
only for one guy, but for a gang of guys at once and then have my arse
plugged so I store all of the semen inside me for days."

He lifted his eyes to watch the two shocked guys who were sitting on the
bed with him. The truth was that, we never imagined him to fantasize about
bottoming for a group of guys. I saw the nervousness in his eyes and
decided to dissolve the forming tension with a smile before the guy backs
out of confiding in us. Jon must have noticed it too as he too joined me
with laughter and said, "I too had similar feelings before, but Armando,
along with the other doms at our favorite gay clubhouse, helped me take
care of that fantasy."

Kyle started to calm down a bit and I assured him that there was nothing
wrong with his fantasy. As a reward for a successful training, I would
grant him that request. Then I grinned from ear to ear. "Well, it's past
our bedtime now" I told them. "So you two better head off to your love nest
and decide on the venue for Kyle's training. Goodnight then, boys!"

I am not sure any of us had a good sleep that night. I know I
didn't—mainly because I was surprised that I was right. I hadn't met
Kyle yet when I made the promise to Jon. Upon seeing him, I resigned that I
was wrong. Why wouldn't I think so when one could even mistake the guy to
be straight at first sight? Little did I know that he was nothing more than
a cum loving, eager to please, bottom boy.

Dawn crept on us like the speed of light and the morning didn't take long
to follow. Before I knew it, we were gathered at the table having
breakfast. Just after Jon's dad was done with his breakfast and was
excusing himself to get to work on time, Jon asked him if he, Kyle and I
could move to Kyle's college apartment for the rest of the spring
break. Kyle quickly added that it will be good for me to see more of
Lansing and that all three of us had decided yesterday to do it. I
remembered immediately that Kyle had said that his roommates weren't going
to be around for the spring break. I got the cue, and took over from
there. "Mr. Sanford, Jon and Kyle are right. I want to go have a look at
the veterinary medicine department at their school. Besides, there are some
things we boys can't do with you grown-ups around; stuff like staying out
late and seeing what the night life is like in Lansing"

Mr. Sanford still had the skeptical look but I am sure that Mrs. Sanford's
convincing look helped mitigate the doubt. "Alright boys, that's ok with
us. You have to make sure to stay out of trouble though and call us every
day of those four days. Capisce?"

He finished his sermon with the `concerned dad' glare and all three of us
responded in unison. Actually, it was Kyle and me who did the unison thing
with "yes Mr. Sanford". Jon responded at the same time with a different "ok
dad. Thanks!" Beside everything, the most difficult part was convincing
Jon's mom to not come and visit almost every two hours.

We were all ready to leave later that afternoon and by six pm we were all
settled in at Kyle's little college apartment. It was a standard college
suite apartment—A little too small and comfy for my liking, but standard
all the same. The living area was divided into a dining space and a TV room
with stuffy `grandma' couches. The small kitchen was also connected to the
living area. A short, well lit hallway linked the living area with the
suites of the residents. There were two rooms opposite each other which
were connected with a big bathroom at the end of the hallway. What I found
too luxurious about their apartment was the expensive wool mix carpet that
had been spread on every inch of the apartment floor. I thought that was a
sign of lazy studying, but then if my ideas of college residence life had
been right, I would have graduated college with a roommate.

I had the love birds choose a room for their nest so that I could have the
other. Kyle obviously chose his own room for them and I took the other
room. Once we had all freshened up and had some dinner, I called the two
boys into the living room and laid down the rules for the training period
which was to start at that exact moment. Of course, this was to get Jon's
attention to prepare him for his upcoming surprise that evening.

Now, the rules: Both trainees had to be completely naked all the time so
that I could observe their sexual reactions to tasks and punishments,
except when they had their daily free times; the compulsory daily free time
began from 8pm every evening to 8am in the mornings, but extra free time
could be accorded at my discretion; there was not supposed to be any
romantic stuff going on during training sessions; all house chores were to
be undertaken by the trainees, which implied that the apartment should be
sparkling clean at any given time; during training sessions, both trainees
were to address me as `sir' and must try as much as possible to avoid eye
contact with me; and trainees are to always be in search of what to do to
make their dominants, which in this case was me, happy. In fact, I told
them that more rules were to come as the training session
progressed. Failure to comply with any of those regulations was to attract
sweet and just punishments.

When the rules had been well spelled out, I ordered both boys to strip and
kneel in front of me. They were to await further instructions after
that. Jon knew the drill and was out of his clothes, kneeling before I
could finish my sentence. His boyfriend on the other hand was nothing more
than a green horn. Up till now, I had been using a firm but calm voice to
render my instructions. I figured that he was a little shy to strip his
clothes off in front of me so I had Jon help him verbally. He was out of
the clothes slowly but surely and I didn't have any need to use screams and
harsh language. With the kind of endowment that Kyle was blessed with, my
pals at `AFRODISIACO' would have called him `a waste of manhood' if they
heard that he had fantasies of being gang raped. He knelt before me
sluggishly while his eight inch man serpent stared at my booted feet. Right
then, my surprise made his presence known by the ring of the doorbell.

I beckoned to Kyle with my head to go get the door. He turned to grab his
clothes and I pushed him down with the sole of my boot. "Didn't you hear
what I told you when I said that all trainees are to remain butt naked till
8pm or are told otherwise by their trainer?" I screamed at him in fury. He
quickly gathered himself up to avoid any further mistreatment and went to
answer the door with a defeated look on his dropped face. He opened the
door to a skinhead black guy with gladiator looks. He was carrying a
working bag in the form of a brown brief case and he was well tattooed and
muscled all over. The man lost his grin when he saw the two naked trainees.

"Aahh" I said to the man while standing to go meet him at the door. We
shook hands and I continued, "You must be Prentice. I am Armando and it was
I who ordered for your services."

"Indeed I am, sir" he forced a smile to hide his disbelief when he replied.

I smiled in return to help him ease into the situation. "Well I see you've
seen my trainees. This one here is Kyle and it is his sub training
program. That's Jon kneeling over there. He has already been trained but is
here to help his boyfriend transition successfully. He would be the willing
recipient of your expertise this evening."

"So they're a couple? Oh how adorable!" Prentice added.

Jon and Kyle started blushing to his comment. I knew then that I had to say
something to bring them out of the woods and break the love spell. "This is
Prentice, boys. He is one of the most skillful and well-acclaimed body
artists in these parts. I contacted him early this morning when I found his
contact numbers online. He is here to help fulfill Jon's body art
fantasies. Isn't that great?" Moods started to change with the thought of
pain from piercings and needles. Once the atmosphere had settled to normal,
I continued. "Boys, there's one rule that might have slipped my mind in the
beginning" I paused for an evil smile before I could continue. "You must
only speak when spoken to and must always remember to answer when asked a
question. Is it all clear now?"

The two boys exchanged quick glances to mean they were confused, but Jon
was first to answer, "Crystal, sir!"

Kyle followed with, "Sir Yes, sir!"

Meanwhile, Prentice was still standing there with mixed feelings. "So they
are paying to be trained as submissive slaves?"

I was quick to answer that question. "Not submissive slaves my dear friend,
submissive gay men who enjoy submitting their sexual will to dominant gay
men. As for the payment part, I am doing this for free because they are my
friends. Normally, I'd charge two hundred bucks per night for sub
training." All the three other jaws in the room dropped. I couldn't help
but laugh hysterically and go on. "It's a very profitable business to do as
a side job, Prentice. You should try it if you have the interest. Okay
then, let's get down to business. Kyle, run along into my room and bring
the zebra striped suitcase with you. Is the dining table good enough to
carry out the work, Prentice?"

"We should be able to manage it" he said as Kyle went inside to bring the
suitcase. "We are only piercing his nips and under his dick head, right?"

"...and a tattoo on his left butt" I added.

Apparently, I hadn't added the cost of the tattoo to the bill I had paid
that morning so it wasn't part of Prentice's itinerary. He had brought the
tools and ink for the job though, so I urged him to go on with it and
expect a handsome payment after the job. I ordered Jon onto the table and
opened the suitcase that Kyle had brought. I am sure they were all pretty
amazed by the contents of it. "A man can never arrive too prepared", I said
to myself with a chuckle. In there, I had leather straps, mouth gags,
dildoes of all sizes, piercing rings, among countless other sex toys and
tools. I removed the leather straps which we improvised to strap Jon
securely down to the table. Then I took out the well-sealed brand new
nipple rings of many sizes and laid them so the trainees can decide on
which size they wanted to use. Although the tattoo was going to happen
first and we had strapped Jon face down, I wanted him to have a clear head
to make a choice before the pain set in. His boyfriend finally decided on
the smallest of the bunch. I also got out a small short dick barbell for
his dick frenulum piercing. Now it was time to decide on what he wanted as
a tattoo. Those two really were a pair of fairies. They couldn't simply
decide on a single design for a tattoo. It took what seemed like hours for
them to decide on using the mascot of the MSU Spartans since it was through
them that they first met. In reality, it took only twenty five minutes.

The tattooing was done rather quickly than I had expected, with Jon barely
making a sound. He flinched occasionally, but nothing out of the
ordinary. The piercing of his cock frenulum was however a different story
altogether.  He was screaming and shaking in the confines like a fowl whose
throat was about to be slit. Prentice skillfully wiped away all traces of
blood that appeared with sterilized cotton bits that were usually used for
piercings and other body adornments. When the barbell was well fixed and
Prentice had examined it to ensure that it had all turned out well, he had
Kyle tease his lover's nipples with his tongue as we needed them erect for
the next part of the piercings. The sigh of relief that Jon let out when
Kyle's cool lips touched his heated nips was one of bliss. I almost shed a
tear because I could really feel his pain now. Still, I had to maintain my
authoritative composure. Just two quick jabs in the nipples and that part
was finished. By the time trickling blood was wiped and nipple rings were
put into place, the poor thing was exhausted out of his mind.  Prentice
advised Kyle on how to dress and attend to the wounds since they would all
heal in a minimum of three weeks. Jon could barely stand so I decided that
Kyle take him to bed so he rests.

While Kyle was away putting Jon to bed, the big bad black guy was inquiring
about how he was going to receive his payments. "Right here and now" I said
to him. He didn't understand at first until I explained that his payment
will also be a lesson in my training session. I warned him though, of how
mind-blowing Kyle can be at using his mouth. I could bet his grin after
that touched both ears. He turned to an approaching Kyle and unzipped his
leather pants to release the 12inch hard weapon that had been hiding in his
pants all that while.

I could tell that Kyle was astonished and clueless at the same time because
he first looked at the raging hard on before him, the owner of the boner,
and then finally at me. "Now now, boy" I stepped in. "There's no need to be
frightened of a hard dick. Actually, you should be excited that a dominant
man is happy with you as to seek your submissive services. This is
obviously one of your training lessons to teach you how to service a real
man's cock. Also, it is to defray the cost of your boyfriend's tattoo. See,
we're killing two birds with a single stone. The basic lesson here is to
breathe through your nose while sucking and being face-fucked. Surrender
your entire oral cavity to the man-god in front of you receive all forms of
blessings he will shower down your throat. It'll do the trick. If you
really love your boyfriend and are happy that his fantasy is finally a
reality, you'll do this for him" After releasing my evil smirk, I motioned
to him to kneel before Prentice and get on with it.

He probably couldn't imagine downing all of that man meat through his
narrow throat so he started with stroking and spitting on the cock. He had
it between his teeth eventually and was playing with the foreskin in his
mouth. He kept working his jaw to accommodate the giant invader but it was
progressing slower than expected. Unexpectedly, he was able to take two
thirds of the meat with one of his tough tries. The moans that Prentice was
releasing were amazing. It got me rock hard almost immediately. Kyle
himself was no exemption, as his cock was throbbing at half-mast. Somehow,
after ten more bobs of his head and intense breathings, Kyle was able to
accept Prentice's cock head into his throat. I could tell because the man
was over his head with swear words and "do that again"s. My unrelenting
manhood didn't leave me any space for rest or careful observation
either—the more I watched his throat muscles spasm around his Adam's
apple, the more profuse my pre cum leaked.

Prentice, whose thighs had become supporting pillars for Kyle to hold on,
shoved Kyle's hand off his thighs and held onto his head. Kyle had no
option than to support himself with his hands on the floor. The control was
in Prentice's hands now. He face fucked Kyle so hard that Kyle's eyes were
now tearing up and reddening. The scene was so fucking hot. I wonder how I
was able to hold off my cum for so long as the room was filled with the
unmistakable sounds of cock ramming throat and moans of man pleasure.

With a large yelp, Prentice was already over the edge, spilling rope after
rope of his semen into the boy's gut. He was still shaking with excitement
and didn't even draw his cock back for a centimeter after his orgasm. I
doubted that Kyle would have the chance of tasting his sperm. The shaking
and absurd grins were over after about two minutes and he withdrew from the
boy's throats. He zipped up, picked up his briefcase, and stretched out his
hand to me for a handshake. I readily accepted and he started, "Wheew! That
was quite a marathon. There's a goldmine down that boy's throat."

"I did warn you of the undiscovered pleasures located in his mouth, didn't
I?" We laughed in agreement.

"I would opt for this form of payment anytime. Hahaha. It was a pleasure
doing business with you" He concluded with a wink.

I responded that I was glad he liked it and deep down, I did feel that
way. The fact that I was in charge of training such a talented cock sucker
was going to be a feather in my cap. Before he left, he whispered to me to
make sure that I took care of my dripping hard on. I just smiled at him and
we said our goodbyes. He had no idea how well I was going to take care of
it.

The second I closed the door behind him, I turned to a still kneeling
Kyle. "What I am about to discuss with you right now doesn't normally need
any discussion. As I am your trainer, I have every right to have it. It's
actually solely because I am the only dominant person in charge of your
training.  I prefer to inform you about it calmly this way because of your
boyfriend and our budding friendship. It is also because, you're an arse
virgin. You seem confused so I'll cut the chase and get on with what I want
to say. I have to start teaching you how to accept and treat a man's sexual
organ in your arse from day one of sub training. You know I can't do that
without plucking your cherry. Your boyfriend's current situation wouldn't
really help him to execute that task either. That leaves the ball in my
court"

I could have sworn he was cursing at me in his head for waiting till his
boyfriend was pierced to make such a proposition. Why was I even caring
what he thought anyways? My meat needed attention and his arse was the only
one available at that moment. I couldn't care less if it was an experienced
arse or a virgin arse. So I continued.

"I am going to be as gentle as I can be. Remember that this is for your own
good; for better transitioning. My cock is already ready as you can
see. Your arse is what is left to be prepared for this special ritual."
This time, he nodded in agreement and I took that as an opportunity to
carry it a notch higher. "Get the KY gel in my suitcase so we can lube you
up real good." His pucker was indeed a pretty sight—pinkish brown, tight
and dusted with dark curly hair. I squirted a good amount of the cold gel
on his hole and he winced. "It will get warmer down there, don't worry" I
chuckled mischievously after saying that.

I entered him with only a finger at first and he squeaked a little. The
velvety skin led my finger smoothly through by cushioning it. I was in up
to the second knuckle of my middle finger and then I withdrew. I repeated
the action with three other fingers, before I decided to lube my fingers up
more and enter with two. He looked back at the realization of another
invader but I calmed him down with a tap of my left hand on his bare
butt. With two fingers being cushioned in, I started my task of searching
for his prostate. He squirmed when I brushed over the little bump. He was
wriggling on the couch the whole time, once I found it. His dick was very
hard and leaking with man fluids. I wanted to just dive in and lap at it
but then again, I had to comport myself.

When I was sure that he was ready to give up the offering, I was too tired
to stand and do any work. I sat and had him com settle on my endowments at
his own pace and lengths. I reminded him to take in deep breaths for the
starts as those weren't going to be easy. He was such a pussy—wasting
time in impaling himself on my cock. I gave him the lube and asked him to
lube my cock well to his satisfaction then go ahead with the deed. He was
still hesitant after applying the lube. It took a threat of me forcing him
down my shaft for him to be able to manage my cock head past his anal
lips. "unnnggg yeah! Fucking A!!", was among the things I moaned at that
point. The dude was really tight.

It took several minutes of coaxing and more lube for him to get half way on
my cock. I held him by the waist and helped him a little by pushing myself
a little deeper. I think his pain ended rather quickly because after
beating my chest violently in protest, he was pulling my neck to him and
easing himself into me gradually. I stopped and sat back so that we made
eye contact. That's when he started moving up and down my shaft. It was
unimaginably awesome. He fucked my dick slow and sensually as I rubbed his
inner glands and sent him from one level of ecstasy to another. He was
really enjoying this fuck well considering it was his first time bottoming.

During the hysteria of the waves of passion being emanated, I had the
sudden urge to grab his head, pull it into mine and give him a long, deep
and hard kiss. I wasn't going to do that, hell no. If things got too
sensual, it would turn into love making. I had never been a jack for such
shitty crap. Little did I know that, my rider was also having similar
thoughts and didn't think much in executing his ideas. I hungrily and
unconsciously accepted the tongue presented to me. I can't express in words
how good it felt. What I can say is that, it gave me a paralyzing orgasm
like I had never experienced in my life. My whole body went limb and Kyle
kept searching my mouth with his tongue. My cock was unloading in his arse,
yet he still didn't stop riding my shaft. I regained a little of my
strength and realized what had been happening. I immediately rolled him
over onto his back, pulled out of him and left his gaping hole dripping
with cum.

He raised his eyes to mine like a lost puppy and mouthed, "But I didn't cum
yet..." I cut him off before he could say anything else.

"What needs to be done has already been accomplished. There's no need for
you to cum. Your sole duty is to submit to the pleasures of your doms and
at this point in time, what your dominant wants is to loosen up your
hole. That is what has just happened. Now be a good trainee and get to
bed. Your lessons for the day are over. Tomorrow won't be as easy so I
suggest you get a lot of rest." I retorted. He gently got himself together
after responding, collected their clothes and headed for their room. I
continued standing there, buried in my own thoughts.

Deep down, I knew the reason I hadn't allowed him to cum were far from what
I had explained to him. I was ashamed of the fact that I had just had
sensual and passionate sex. The detail that enrages me the most is that, I
ENJOYED IT...


to be continued...