Part 3: On the Town

I had more fun with Raymond Shaw that evening than I'd had in a long time. It was almost like being on a good date, I thought. Well, a good date from the girl's point of view.

We went to a Chinese restaurant, all bright red carpets and gold plaster lion dogs. The menu was a series of chicken scratches. I held it upside down for a minute before Ray gently took it from my hands and said, "Walter, do you trust me?" I nodded. Of course I did. "Good. I want you to remember that I'll never do anything that will hurt you, or that I think you won't like." He ordered for the both of us.

It was mysterious and unidentifiable when it came, but it smelled so good. Ray dished up some for both of us, then picked up one of the pairs of chopsticks and began to eat with quick, neat movements. I picked up my pair and examined them. Well, the thin ends were probably used to get food. I tried an overhand grip, then an underhand. Was I supposed to pinch, spear, or shovel? The smell of the food was making me ravenous now.

I tried to tweeze some of the food between the chopsticks, but I couldn't get it more than an inch or two from the plate before it slithered loose and plopped back down. I tried spearing something, but the tips were a little too blunt. I heard a muffled choking noise, and looked up. Ray had a napkin pressed to his mouth. I felt a flare of alarm. Should I give him water? Slap him on the back?

Then I noticed that his eyes were glinting with mirth. The choking noises were suppressed laughter. I dropped the chopsticks. "Oh fine. Wonderful. I'm starving to death and you're laughing."

Caught out, he lowered the napkin, grinning. "I'm sorry, kid. But..." a fresh string of chuckles. "You look so damn cute."

Cute? I scowled, folding my arms. What eighteen year old wants to look cute? Especially to someone they look up to.

The snickers died away. "Aw, don't be like that. Here." With a deft movement he pinched a chunk of unidentifiable matter between the tips of his chopsticks and offered it to me.

I eyed it warily. It was a slender, lacy strand, creamy white. "What is it?"

"Just try it, and I'll tell you after." I pinched my mouth shut. He brought it closer. The warm morsel touched my lips, soft and silky smooth. "C'mon Walter. You said you trusted me. Open up." He rubbed it teasingly against my mouth. A bit of the sauce had worked it's way past my lips. It was spicy, slightly sweet. "Open up for me, Walter."

His voice was husky. I looked at him questioningly. His brown eyes were intense, focusing on me, shutting out the restaurant and the people around us. I parted my lips, and he tucked the tidbit inside. I chewed slowly. It was delicious, a subtle flavor I'd never run across before, exotic and tantalizing. I licked the sauce from my mouth, and saw Ray lick his own lips. "Want some more?"

I nodded. He fed me another bit. I closed my eyes, enjoying the sensual pleasures of taste and texture. Whatever it was, it was excellent. I sighed happily, and said, "More?"

"All you want." His voice was rough, a little shaky. "But I think maybe I'd better get you some cutlery." He signaled to the waiter, and I was quickly presented with the Western trio of implements: knife, fork, and spoon. I settled down to eat in earnest. When the meal was over, and Ray informed me that it had been squid, I didn't feel even a momentary pang of nausea.

"You don't feel like I tricked you?" he asked, a hint of anxiety in his manner as he waited for my answer.

"Heck no, I liked it. It's almost like you know what I would like better'n I do."

"Sometimes an outside observer can pick up clues you might miss yourself."

We took a stroll through town after our meal. There were a lot of off duty soldiers in the area. They roamed in groups of two or threes, or else they escorted females of every age, size, and type imaginable. I noticed the local guys eyeing these pairs resentfully.

"I bet I know somewhere you'd like." Boy, was he right. He took me to an arcade, a large room filled with coin operated games. It was crowded with people, all men. Well, I thought, ladies probably wouldn't want to hang around this sort of place. It looked fun, but kind of rough.

Ray went to the change booth at the back, while I eagerly examined the machines nearby. I heard him speak to the middle aged man in the cashier's cage. "Hey Chollie."

"Well, if it isn't Soldier Boy." Chollie had a high, fluting voice. I gave him a glance, then looked again. The light in the place was pretty bad. It almost looked like he was wearing makeup. "Decided to grace us again with your magnificent presence?"

"Got a pass. I'm shipping out in a week or so, thought I'd make another run through."

Shipping out? I felt my gut drop. Here I'd just made a friend, and he was going to be leaving me.

"Well, that's just a sin and a shame. We'll miss you terribly. Would you like me to give Terry a call? I'm sure he'd like to give you a bon voyage party."

Ray pushed a bill across at the man. "Mixed change for that, hey? No, don't want to see Terry tonight." He jerked his head at me. "I'm with someone."

Chollie peered at me as he cracked open a roll of dimes, spilling them into a cardboard cup. "Well, so you are." He gave me a shark like grin. "And who's little boy are you?"

Puzzled, I answered, "Martha O'Reilly's."

Chollie twittered with laughter as he pushed the cup out to Ray. "Oh, you got you one, didn't you, Ray? Lucky bastard."

"Shut up, Chollie," he said good-naturedly. He handed me the cup, which was full of nickels, dimes, and quarters. "Here ya go, kid. Go have a good time. I need to talk to a few guys over at the pool tables. I'll be with you in a little while."

I'd have rather stayed with him, but his tone was firm. And besides, there were a lot of machines I wanted to try. Soon I was feeding coins into slots, punching buttons to manipulate flippers, pulling and releasing plungers to shoot balls onto playing fields. I lost myself in the buzzing, banging, ringing, flashing world.

The four pool tables were located in the back of the big room. I played the machines that were on the edge of the game section, within sight of them. I wasn't going to intrude on Ray saying goodbye to his town friends, but I didn't want to be too far from him, either.

He was speaking to two men who were playing a game of eight ball, leaning his hip negligently against the table. Their voices were low, but I caught an occasional word over the racket of the pinball machines. "...miss ya round here... had to happen sooner... we could... new friend..." Both of the men paused in their play and peered at me. I kept playing, acting like I was unaware, but my ears were burning.

One of the men said, rather loudly, "Jesus, Ray, is he legal?" Sergeant Shaw grabbed his arm and hissed in his ear, and the man turned red faced. "Didn't mean nothin' by it." He raised his voice in my direction. "Sorry, kid." I looked at him blankly. I knew I looked young, I'd been told so often enough. Why should it bother me if one more stranger made the comment?

"Keep playing. I'll be with you in a minute, Walter." I nodded, and shot another steel ball bearing into the machine. Ray continued his conversation. I didn't pay as much attention, because I'd reached a tricky stage of the game that required all my skill. I might have been slow and clumsy at gun drill, but I was a whiz at pinball. I could really get lost in a good game, and this one was fast and exciting.

Over the clicks and buzzes, I heard one of the men say "...share?" Ray's response was clearly enunciated. "No fucking way."

My pinball had dropped into a hole in the table, and when it was spat out, a second one came with it. I had to speed up on the flippers. One of the balls zoomed into a tunnel, and two zoomed out. I had three balls on the table now, zipping between bumpers. One was running toward the right lose slot, and I bumped the side with my hip, giving it some body English to bounce it back into play. The same happened on the other side, and I repeated the action.

It wasn't easy, pushing and bumping the machine to keep the balls in play without tilting it. I worked hard, moving my shoulder with each slap of the flippers, as if I could feed more power into their action. The three balls zoomed and zipped in dizzying patterns, but I managed to keep them all in play. My score was climbing. I had a chance of reaching the jackpot number. I started to talk to the machine. "C'mon! C'mon, now. Be good."

"Ray, watch him."

I knew I had an audience now, but I couldn't stop. I could almost smell victory. A few more thousand points, and I'd win. My hands worked swiftly, and I rocked against the machine steadily, continually bumping the balls away from the slots that would take them out of play. The noise of the machine was rising in intensity. Other people in the arcade could tell from the noise that there was about to be a record set, and they drifted over to watch.

I barely managed to keep one ball from slipping between the flippers, and gasped. "No you don't! You ain't getting away from me, not till I get what I want. Get back there." It slapped into a bumper, ringing up points. I crowed, "Yeah! Like that! Gimme more!" There was a ripple of laughter in the crowd, but I didn't care. I was almost to my goal. And I could see Ray watching me, from the corner of my eye. Sure, I was showing off. Why not? He was my superior, I liked him. I wanted him to like me.

Someone in the crowd called, "Get 'im, boy!" "Hot damn, look at that hip action." "Never thought I'd want to be a pinball machine."

I didn't have time to be embarrassed, or wonder at the odd comments. I was too close. One ball was captured in a depression near the top, then a second. I only needed one hundred more points to win. If I could get the last ball in the third capture hole... I saw it gliding toward the bottom flippers. The angle, the speed, it was all perfect. I was going to get it. I called, "Watch this, Sarge!" and gave it another slap and bump. The ball sped smoothly up the face of the machine and dropped into the hole.

There was a moment of silence. Then a small siren started wailing. Lights flashed, bells rang and rang. A tiny American flag popped out of the top of the machine and waved back and forth. There was a burst of cheers and applause.

I turned to Raymond Shaw, arms thrown wide in triumph, what had to be a goofy grin on my face. "I did it! See? See?"

He laughed, and stepped over to me. I wasn't expecting an embrace, but when he put his arms around me, it seemed the most natural thing in the world to return the hug. "I see, Walter. Ain't you the clever little thang?"

Part 4: Protecting Territory

The crowd drifted away after my pinball victory, which was fine with me. They were nice enough guys, and all, but they made me a little bit nervous. Too many of them kept staring at me. It made me wonder if my shirt were untucked, or I had food on my chin.

Ray said, "Well, kid, you won a prize. Want to come back to Chollie's booth and pick it out?"

I'd spotted a baseball game I wanted to try. "Why don't you pick something out for me, Sarge?"

"Yeah, okay." He headed toward the booth and I went to the machine. It was one of the upright ones, a glass cube taller than I was. I stepped close to it, peering through the glass to get an idea of what the game was like before I invested some of Ray's dimes.

A bleary image was reflected in the glass, looming up behind me. I turned around quickly to find myself staring at a broad, muscular chest encased in a very tight, white T-shirt. The guy must've been a real bear, because I could see dark strands of chest hair poking through the material in some places. I looked up, past massive shoulders and a bull neck, arriving at a large, square face that appeared to have been roughly chiseled out of granite.

The man was dark, his skin naturally olive toned. His brows almost met over eyes that were intensely green. He had a mustache and goatee that were trimmed to exquisite perfection, and the teeth he showed in a wide, feral grin were very large and very white. His hair was longer than I'd ever seen on a man, going down over his collar in jet black waves, but he didn't look the least bit feminine. Not even with the gold hoop in one earlobe. "Hi."

I wrinkled my nose. That single exhaled syllable was enough to almost knock me over. His breath was ripe and hopsy. He must've put away half a keg of beer to get that sort of breath, and judging from his size, he could do that easily. "H'lo."

"'M Antonio Casanova Bertelli."

My mother's training kicked in. I offered my hand. "Walter O'Reilly."

He took my hand and just held it. It was swallowed in his paw. "Ah, an Irish cherub. I'm Italian, Irish. Casanova. Named after the greatest lover in the world, huh?"

"I thought that was Errol Flynn?"

He laughed, exposing even more of those big teeth, and almost choking me from the smell of the beer he'd consumed. "Flynn's a pussy. Me, I'm a real man." He tugged on my imprisoned hand, and I stumbled against him.

"Hey!" I jerked my hand free.

"Whassamatter, lil' angel? You don't like Tonio?"

"I don't know you."

"We could take care of that real easy. I got a room across the street. Why don't you come on over an' keep ol' Tonio company tonight?"

"I'm not going anywhere with you! You're drunk."

"Maybe I am. Don't mean I'm useless." He rested his palms on the glass of the machine behind me. I found myself trapped between massive, hair sprinkled arms. He took a half step forward, pressing me against the machine with his body. It was like having a warm, living wall move up against me.

I think I squeaked. I know I squirmed. "Get off me!" It was humiliating, being teased like this.

He laughed. "Don't be like that, Irish Angel. But that is nice, the way you move." He pushed his crotch against me, and I felt a distinct hardness nudging my belly. "Reeeal nice." He pushed again. Yep. He had a hard on.

Not believing this, I looked up at him, stunned. He was grinning down at me, and he licked his lips, pumping against me again. The cardboard cup of change dropped from my suddenly numb fingers, splitting as it hit the floor to scatter the contents in a ringing shower.

I couldn't move, I couldn't yell. I was totally frozen. I would have thought that green eyes would look cold. Kind of like the ice on the deep parts of a pond in winter, you know? But this guy's eyes were hot, blazing. I felt myself starting to melt under that flaming gaze, feeling totally helpless. I guess I knew what a mouse must feel like when a cat has it between it's paws.

He leaned down, and I turned my head with a jerk. I didn't know why I did that. I mean, it's not like he was going to try to kiss me, right? I felt the tickle of his beard against my ear, and it made me shiver violently. He laughed. "Don't need to be scared, Heavenly Body. Tonio ain't gonna hurt you, not if you're nice. You can be nice, can't you? Hm? Be nice, and I'll be a good daddy to you."

"Tony!" I've never heard another sound, before or after, that was as welcome as that whip crack of a voice. Sergeant Shaw was striding toward us, eyes flashing, face grim. The fact that he was carrying a teddy bear did nothing to detract from the image of angry determination.

Bertelli turned his head toward the sound, scowling. But he didn't stop pushing that disturbing hardness against my belly. I could feel the heat of it through two set of clothes. "You interrupting somethin', Soldier Boy. Get lost."

Ray tossed the stuffed animal on a pinball machine. His voice was low. "Get off him, Tony."

"Nah, he's sweet." The big man ground against me again. I tried to wiggle away, but he put his hands on my shoulders and held me back against the glass firmly. "You ain't goin' anywheres, Irish. Not unless it's across the street.

"Tony, get the hell off the kid. You're fucking drunk."

He snickered. "Not yet. But as soon as I get him over to the hotel I will be. Fucking... drunk, that is."

By this time I didn't know if I was red with embarrassment, or white with shock. It had sunk in that this guy wasn't just teasing me. He was serious. He had designs on my body. Hell, from the way he was acting, screw designs. He had architectural blueprints on my body.

Ray sighed, obviously trying to be patient. "Tony. Let. Him. Go. He's not that way."

"Yeah?" He looked back at me. "You not that way, chicken?"

I felt a brief flair of indignation mixed with encroaching terror. I hadn't acted cowardly, why was he calling me chicken? "Like what?"

He gave a deep belly laugh, and scooped me into his arms, taking me into a bear hug. "Hot shit, all this and a virgin to boot! Oh, we are gonna be real good to each other, kiddo!"

I didn't know what else to do. I couldn't get an arm free to try and punch him, they were locked at my sides. I was actually off my feet, dangling in his grip. I did the only thing I could think of. I turned my head and sank my teeth into his arm. There was an immediate howl, and he slapped me upside the head hard enough to shake fillings loose, if I'd had any fillings. "Little bitch! I'll teach you to..."

He never finished the sentence about furthering my education, because that was when Sergeant Shaw dived into us, and we all three ended up on the floor. Somehow I scrambled free of the pile, and fell back against the baseball machine, dizzy from the slap and the fall. I needed to help Sergeant Shaw, I thought vaguely, shaking me head.

As my vision cleared, I saw that Sergeant Shaw was doing quite well on his own, thank you very much. The big, hairy guy was stretched out on his back, legs kicking feebly. Shaw was straddling him. He had a fistful of black hair in his left hand, and was methodically smashing his right fist into the bearded face. After three or four punches, a bunch of men descended and pried him off the groaning giant.

He tried to get back at him. He'd lost his cap, and his short hair was as mussed as it was possible for it to get. He must have taken at least one blow himself, because there was a smear of blood at the corner of his mouth. His face was frozen in a rictus of anger, and his brown eyes were almost black with emotion. "Let me go, damn it. He hit my friend. Let me go!"

"Jesus, Ray, calm down!" Chollie fluttered to the group. "You guys get Tony out of here, now!" Several of them dragged the semi conscious man upright and staggered him out of the room. Ray was still trying to get loose and go after him. "Ray, the kid's all right! Ray!"

"Motherfucking baby raping ass hole! I'll rip his goddam cock off and shove it up his ass!" He was beet red. It was astounding. Sergeant Shaw had always been so cool, so controlled.

Chollie turned to me. "Kid, calm him down, will you? If we turn him loose like this, he'll end up in Leavenworth on murder charges for sure. And Bertelli ain't worth it."

"Me? What... how?"

"Talk to him, damn it!"

Shaw was still raging, and the men holding him were having a hard time of it. Chollie helped me up, and I stumbled toward him. "Son of a bitch chicken hawk! Lemme go! He needs to die, right now!"

"Sarge?"

"I'll chew his nuts off! Hitting a sweet little kid like that. Bastard woulda raped him right on the floor, for all you rats woulda done..."

"Sarge!" Not really knowing what I was doing, or why I was doing it, I reached out and put my hands on either side of his face, forcing him to look at me. "Sarge, I'm okay. Really I am. Please, calm down. I don't want the cops to come get you." I pulled a handkerchief from my pocket and carefully blotted the blood from his mouth. "Geez, he rapped you a good one."

Some of the red rage faded out of his eyes., and he licked his lips quickly where the handkerchief had dabbed. "Did he hurt you, kid?"

My head was still ringing, but I wasn't about to tell him that. "Nah, I'm fine. He hardly tapped me. I slipped mostly."

The flames banked down to smoldering embers. "You're a liar, kid," he said. "But you mean it for a good reason. All right, you bozos, you can let go. Tony can keep his equipment attached for a little while longer." They let go of him warily. He straightened and dusted his clothes, wiping his hair back into place. I got his cap and handed it to him. "Thanks." He stared at me hard. "You sure you're okay?"

"Yeah."

He sighed. "Well, I've had about enough of this. You ready to leave?"

"Sure." I started to squat down to retrieve the spilled coins, but he caught my shoulder. "Leave that. They're pretty savvy around here, but someone still may have called the cops. We should go now." He grabbed up the teddy bear and pushed it into my arms. I clutched it automatically, and we left the arcade.

"It's close enough to time. We can walk over to Doris' place now."

We walked along in silence for awhile. I fiddled with the ribbon around the bear's neck. Shaw watched me, then smiled ruefully. "I guess I should have gotten you the wallet instead, huh?"

"No! I like him, he's perfect." I tucked the bear snugly under my arm. "I was fifteen when my Uncle Ed threw mine away, and I cried. He said that it was time for me to put away childish things. I knew he meant about taking more responsibilities and doing more work on the farm, I just don't know why he had to throw old Theodore away. I guess I'll have to hide him in my footlocker, till I get off base, anyway."

"Might be a good idea." We were quiet a little longer, walking. Again Ray broke the silence. "You were pretty brave back there, Walter."

I laughed. "Brave? I almost wet my pants."

"But you didn't. There's a lot of guys bigger and older than you who would have if Tony came after them." Shaw scowled. "I don't know why Chollie lets him hang around there. He knows he's bad news when he gets a skin full. Hell, he's bad news when he's sober. Doesn't know enough to keep his hands off..." Sergeant Shaw glanced at me.

"Guys?" The thought had occurred to me, about the second time that Tony had humped his hard, warm crotch against my stomach, that he was probably queer.

Shaw's face stayed serious, but his eyes crinkled slightly. "Let's say the wrong sort of guys. Inappropriate guys."

"Young guys?" He nodded. "Like me?"

Shaw sighed, and looked angry again. "Younger than you, Walter. He's the sort that makes people think that every gay man is a walking time bomb, ready to molest the first boy scout he comes across."

"Gay?" I sounded stupid, I know, but I couldn't help it. I was trying to understand what had happened, or almost happened, back at the arcade.

"Homosexual. Homosexuals prefer the term 'gay' to 'queer'."

"Oh." I nodded. "Yeah, it does sound nicer. But if that Tony guy does that, why isn't he in jail?"

"Because he's big, and mean, and he picks kids who haven't got anyone to turn to who'll listen to them."

"That's awful." I could really feel sympathy for any kid that fell into Tony's clutches. I remembered my complete helplessness, dangling in his massive arms, held against the slab of his chest.

"Yeah. Tell the truth, I've been itching for a long time to do just what I did to him. I'm glad I did before I shipped out."

I became very interested in not stepping on cracks in the sidewalk. "You didn't tell me you were shipping out."

There was silence between us again. Then he stopped, putting a hand on my arm to halt me, too. "I want to explain about that, Walter."

"You don't owe me any explanation," I mumbled, stroking the bear's ears.

"Yeah, I do. You're my friend, right? You shouldn't keep secrets from friends."

"It's none of my business."

"Walter, look at me." I kept my head down. I felt his strong fingers take hold of my chin, and he tilted my face so that we were eye to eye. "I'm sorry, Walter. I got my orders a few days ago, I haven't known for long. And... well, I just didn't want to spoil tonight. The orders are signed, there's nothing I can do about it. I have to go and serve my country. I'm not running off and leaving you."

I bit my lip. "Man's gotta do what a man's gotta do, huh?"

"That's right, Walter. On more levels than you can imagine. So let's just not think about it, huh? Let's pretend that it isn't going to happen, and enjoy the rest of our pass. Will you do that for me? It would make me happy."

He was being unfair there. Of course I'd pretend. I wanted to make him happy, and if that's what it took, that was what I'd do. "Okay." I whispered.

We were standing in front of a small flower vendor's stand. The old lady who ran it was closing up for the night. She saw us, and beamed. "Just what I need, a couple of soldiers out on the town. You two going to meet some ladies?" She laughed suggestively. "Or maybe some women?"

Shaw grinned at her. "That's close enough, Mother."

"How about some flowers, then? It was slow tonight, and I have a lot of stock left over that's just gonna go on the compost heap if I don't get rid of it. Special price for our boys in uniform."

"What do you have?"

She beckoned us over. "Come have a look." There were some bruised looking violets, some dispirited daisies. A few daffodils looked jaundiced instead of springlike. But the roses

I couldn't imagine anyone wanting to throw away something so beautiful. The blooms ranged from scarlet to maroon to baby blush pink and creamy white. There was also the more exotic butter yellow and peach colors. They were all full blown, I assume any buds were tucked away somewhere cool and moist, to be sold the next day.

"Nice assortment, Mother." Sergeant Shaw was pulling out his wallet. "Can you break a fifty?" The old woman shook her head regretfully. "Well, damn, I'm sorry then. That's all I have."

"Wait a minute." I started pulling change out of my pockets.

"Walter, you don't have to do that."

I located a few crumpled singles. It was my entire cache of pocket money for the rest of the month. I thrust it into the old woman's hands. "Will this be enough for the roses?"

While she counted, Shaw said, "Walter, you ought to save you money."

"Girls like flowers, right?" I challenged. He nodded. "Well, my mom said that a gentleman brought his date flowers. So that's what I'm doing."

"This'll be enough for the lot, son. I'm happy to see they won't go to waste. I've even got a big box to put them in for you. Won't you're girlfriend be surprised?"

As she started to lift them into the white cardboard box, I reached into the perfumed mass and extracted a single red blossom that was only half open. It was the same color and texture of the scarlet velvet ribbon around my teddy bear's neck.

I snapped off the stem a few inches down, and reached inside my collar, fumbling. "What are you doing?" Ray asked, curious.

"Just a second." At last I pulled out a small safety pin. "I always keep one of these pinned inside my shirt. My mom says you can never be too prepared. Now hold still a minute." I stepped close to Shaw. He stayed very still as I unbuttoned the first two buttons on his collar, threaded the stem through the second button hole, and pinned it in place.

I stepped back and cocked my head, studying the effect. I reached over and straightened it minutely, then patted his chest with a nod. "There. That looks spiffy."

He gave me a slow smile. The lights out on the street were kind of dim. They made his eyes glisten. "Walter," his voice was like it had been in the restaurant, warm and rough, like being stroked with a heated towel. He swallowed. "That's the first time anyone's ever given me a corsage."

Part 5: Doris

We didn't have to walk far. There was a residential neighborhood just a few blocks down. There was less cement, a little yard space, some trees. Sergeant Shaw led me back behind a neat little house, and out to a two story garage in the back. We went up the stairs on the outside to a tiny landing, and he knocked.

I heard footsteps inside, and the door opened. "Ah, my two gentlemen callers!"

My first thought was that she didn't look like a prostitute. I'm not sure what I was expecting. Maybe a ruffled satin dress like one of those saloon girls in the westerns, with lots of black lace. Okay, I know it's stupid. But that was the picture I had of a prostitute, and I was pretty proud of myself for having figured out that they didn't just serve drinks and sit with the cowboys in those westerns.

She was wearing a flowered bathrobe not too much different from the sort my Mom wore: a little silkier, a little shorter. Her legs were bare under it, and she wasn't wearing any shoes. I couldn't tell how old she was. She was older than I was, maybe older than Sergeant Shaw. But she wasn't old, you know? She was pretty, too. She had blue eyes, and her hair was the shiniest blonde I've ever seen. I was surprised later when the hair below her belly was dark brown. That's how I found out about 'natural blondes', a long time before Hawkeye and Trapper John made the showers collapse to settle that bet about Hotlips Houlihan.

Anyway, Ray stepped in, and I followed. I was nervous, but I couldn't very well say, "Thank you, but I changed my mind. You go ahead and screw her, and I'll wait out here on the steps." Besides, she looked like a nice lady. I didn't want to offend her.

She shut the door after us. Ray gave her a big, smacking kiss. Not a sexy kiss, but kind of a joke one. "How you been doing, Doris?" "Real good, Ray. I'll have no problems, as long as the base stays open." She turned to me. "And you must be Walter."

"Yes ma'am." I offered her the box. "These are for you."

"You brought me something?" She set the box on one of the tables that flanked the couch and opened it, unfolding the tissue. She just stared at the flowers for a long time. Then she touched them gently. "You brought me... roses?" She looked stunned. "Oh, I don't believe it."

I shifted. "They had some daffodils, but these were nicer. And I just thought roses were a better present the first time I met a lady." I was kind of worried that she'd know they were left overs, and get offended.

Suddenly she swooped over to me and hugged me hard, tucking her face down by my neck. She was whispering, "You sweet little thing. I can't believe it, I just can't... After all this time." I didn't know what to do. After a minute I sort of petted her back, patting it like my mom used to do me when I was upset about something.

She pulled back and smiled at me, but her eyes were wet. "Oh, Ray, where did you find him? I want one."

"I don't think there are any more, Doris. At least not around here. Might have to go back to Iowa."

"Ray, why don't you get yourself and Walter a beer while I put these in some water?" Ray went the little refrigerator in the kitchen section. The apartment was one big open space, with a bathroom at the back. There was a kitchen area along the right side, and a livingroom area in the center. I looked around, but I didn't see a bed. I wondered where Doris slept... and conducted business.

Doris had found a tall vase by the time Ray brought the beers. Usually, I'd have asked for a Nehi instead, but I needed something right then. I was really nervous. In fact, I was trying to think of ways I could beg off without embarrassing anyone. Doris was nice, and pretty, and all that, but... well, I just wasn't feeling too excited. I guess I should have been, but I wasn't. Still, it was nice to see how much she liked the flowers.

Doris took a big handful of the flowers and arranged them in the vase, but she couldn't fit all of them in. "That's okay," she said. "I'll just leave the other's here in the box. We can look at them and enjoy the smell." She shook her head, wonderingly. "Roses! Ray, honey, would you fix the bed for me? I put clean sheets on after you called, but I can't leave it open. It takes up too much room."

"Sure. Walter, come help me." He stood up and started pulling cushions off the couch. I did the same, and saw that there was some sort of panel under them, with a handle in the center. Ray grabbed the handle. "Get hold of the frame and pull up, boy." I did like he said, and the couch unfolded, opening out. The frame settled onto legs in the middle and at the bottom, and it was about the size of a double bed, complete with sheets.

Doris took a couple of pillows that had been heaped in a chair opposite the couch and threw them on the mattress. "There we are, good to go. Now," She rubbed her thumb and forefinger together. "Not that I don't trust you, Ray, but..."

Sergeant Shaw took out his wallet, and handed Doris a fifty dollar bill. "That's enough for me and the kid, right?"

"You bet." Doris tucked the money in a small change purse, which she then put in a kitchen drawer. "Now, did you bring your own supplies, or do I need to get out my stash?"

Ray looked at me, grinning. "Don't suppose you have any rubbers, O'Reilly?" I blushed. "Didn't think so. I forgot to stop at the drugstore, Doris."

"No problem." She went back into the bathroom and returned with an armload of stuff. She put it all on the other table by the couch. I craned my head to see what it was. There were some folded towels, a tube of something I didn't recognize hair cream? Toothpaste? Why would we need either one?, and four little flat foil packets. I blushed when I saw them. I'd seen rubbers before, of course. Heck, I guess every schoolyard in America gets a condom passed around for inspection at least once a year.

"That should do it. So..." She put her hands on her hips, and glanced between us. "Who's first?"

Ray had gone back to the kitchen. Now he took my empty bottle away and handed me a fresh beer. "Walter's a little shy, Doris. Why don't we go ahead? Maybe we can warm him up a little."

"Okay, but I refuse to do anything while he's sitting there buttoned up like he's about to go through an inspection. You make yourself at home, Walter." I unbuttoned the top button on my shirt, and she rolled her eyes. "Get rid of those shoes and socks. Take off your shirt. At least you didn't wear a tie."

I did like she said, and pretty soon I was sitting in the chair opposite the couch, barefooted in my tee shirt. She had a good rug, and I curled my toes in it as Sergeant Shaw took off his own shirt, and undershirt. He was smooth chested, and I felt a little embarrassed, thinking about the pelt on my chest. How come I couldn't grow a decent set of whiskers, but I had so much chest hair? Ray sat down on the edge of the couch, and took off his shoes and sox. "You don't mind, do you Walter?"

"No sir. That's fine."

"For God's sake, Walter, you're about to watch me fuck this woman. I think you ought to call me Ray." He stood up and opened his belt, undid his button, and unzipped his fly. Then he pushed it all down and stepped out of it to stand there, naked.

I found myself gazing all around the room, like I had in the gym. I didn't want to look at him, even though I did want to look at him, you know? It was something of a relief when Doris took off her robe and went to stand right beside him. Because then I could look at Doris, and I'd see Ray, too. I wouldn't freak him out by staring at him.

Doris had reached down and was stroking Ray's half hard cock. I watched her fingers move along the shaft teasingly. It started to swell in her grip almost immediately. I wondered what that would feel like. Not Doris' touch, but... if it would feel any different than my own dick did on the times (not since I'd been living with twenty nine other guys in close quarters) when I masturbate. His was bigger than mine, thicker. It looked like it would be hard to get your hand all the way around it...

I took a big gulp of the beer, because my mouth was dry. And because my own cock had started to stiffen in my pants. When I looked back again, Ray was fully erect, and he was watching me with a funny look on his face.

"How do you want it, baby?" Doris asked.

"I thought I'd leave your pussy for Walter, Doris. You let me have your ass?"

"Anything for you, Ray. You know that. You always treat me good. Want a little head first?"

"That would be nice."

Doris sat on the edge of the couch, and Ray went to stand in front of her. She gave his erection and almost affectionate pat, looking up at him with a smile. "One thing I can count on with you, Ray. You're always clean." She held his hip with one hand, took hold of his dick with the other and bent down.

Her tongue darted out and lapped at Ray's cock head. He hissed a little at the first contact. She continued licking up and down his hardon, curling her tongue around it. It must have felt good, because Ray's expression got all dreamy. When she finally put her mouth over him and sucked some of his length, his head dropped back, then fell forward again.

He put his hands on each side of her face and began to pump into her mouth while she bobbed her head. This is going to sound silly, but somehow I knew that Ray was being careful not to muss up her hair. I figure he must have been one of the most considerate johns on the face of the earth.

I shifted, because it was getting uncomfortable. My dick had really taken an interest, and I was feeling strangled by my pants. I rubbed myself a little, surreptitiously. You would have thought that Ray would have been too busy to notice.

"It's all right, Walter. Go on and touch yourself. You don't have to be so shy." I'd been afraid, worried that he'd take it the wrong way. But since he suggested it...

I set aside the beer and undid my belt, opening my pants. I reached inside and touched myself through the slit of my boxers. I was so hard and hot that I startled myself.

Ray tapped Doris on the shoulder, and that must have been some sort of signal, because she released him. She reached over and selected one of the foil packets. Maybe I should have stopped for a minute. I mean, she wasn't really doing anything for me to watch. But I couldn't take my eyes off Ray, his cock swaying stiff and spit shiny. And he was looking back at me, with a tiny smile curving his mouth.

Doris tore open the pack and took out the condom, then careful fitted it over Ray's erection, rolling it down to the root. "Damn Ray, if you was much bigger, you wouldn't be able to use these things."

"You're a fucking flatterer, Doris, and I love you for it."

Doris got on the couch on her hands and knees, kneeling right at the edge, her bottom facing Ray. Ray had picked up the mysterious tube, and opened it. He squeezed some clear gel into his hand, and started slicking it on his rubber encased cock. When he saw my interest, he held it up for me to see. KY Jelly. "There are two major things to remember when having anal sex, Walter. Proper lubrication, and getting you partner well relaxed and receptive. Without the right grease, it can be almost as painful for the doer as it is the doee. Skip either step, and the bottom is likely to get tears, and that's not good. There's a little blood possible most times, but you avoid it as much as possible. I want you to watch this carefully."

He coated his fingers with the gel, rubbing it to warm it. "I cut my nails and filed them smooth before I came here tonight. Simple consideration for your partner, son. Remember that." I nodded. I always kept my own hands nice. It was something that pleased my mom, so I did it automatically.

He spread Doris' back cheeks apart, exposing a tiny, puckered opening. "Some people need less preparation than others, but it's better to be safe than sorry. Okay, Doris girl, here we go." Ray put the tip of one finger against her anus and pushed. slowly sliding his finger up into her. "How's that? That okay?"

"Ye-ah. Just don't move too fast, Ray."

"Do I ever, doll?"

Her face looked kind of intent, but she smiled. "Never."

"I'm gonna give her a minute to get used to this, Walter. Then I'm going to start moving it, finger fucking her ass. I'll be able to feel when she's ready for the next finger."

I squeaked. "You mean you're gonna do more?"

They both laughed. Doris said, "Honey, Ray is a lot bigger than that finger. I need him to open me up gradually so it won't hurt me, and I can give him a good ride. We usually go at least three fingers."

"Usually?"

"Yeah." Ray drew back, then pushed in again slowly. Then he kept doing it, setting up a rhythm. "This is pretty much all I do with Doris, aside from some fellatio. She doesn't mind it. She even gets off sometimes. Ready for number two?"

"Give it to me."

I watched goggle-eyed as Ray worked a second finger in beside the first and kept on pumping. He wiggled them around, stretching her. Doris moaned, but it didn't sound like a hurt moan. At last Ray managed to get a third finger into her. She started pressing back into his pushes.

"And I think she's ready," he commented. He pulled his fingers out of Doris.

She tossed back over her shoulder, "Hurry up, Ray. I feel so empty that the wind could whistle through there."

Ray laughed, and moved up closer behind her. He fitted his cock against the slightly spread opening and pressed. The tight ring of muscle stretched reluctantly, then snapped in place firmly around the base of his cock head. Ray groaned as loudly as Doris did. "Tell me if you need time, doll." he grated.

Then he started to move his hips in little jerks. With each one, his cock sank a little deeper into Doris' ass. That was the most fascinating thing I'd ever seen in my life, his thick staff being gradually buried. I found that I'd pulled my own erection free of my shorts, and was stroking myself firmly. Finally he was flush against Doris. Her butt cheeks flattened against his belly, his balls swung gently and tapped against her cunt.

They stayed like that for a minute, Ray letting her adjust to the size of him spreading her open. Doris was breathing in deep, regular gulps. At last she said, "All right, Ray. And you don't gotta hold back on my account. Just build it up gradually, okay?"

"You got it." Ray pulled back an inch or two, then slid forward. He did it again, and again, building a slow rhythm. "Oh. Walter, you have no idea how incredible this is. Doris has the best ass I've ever fucked on a woman."

Doris' voice wavered a little with his thrusts. "Who's the flatterer now?"

Ray gripped her hips and began to thrust into her with solid, authoritative lunges. Doris rode it, breasts swinging beneath her, head down. She sighed, "Oh, Ray, if I had a prostate, this would be just about heaven."

"You got shortchanged there, all right. How about this?" One hand left her hip and reached around, fingers probing into her pubic curls. But he didn't seem to be finger fucking her here.

He made a grabbing, rubbing motion, and Doris yelped happily. "Oh, yeah, Ray! Do my clit." She hissed. "It's so nice to have someone give a damn whether or not I get off."

Then for a while neither of them spoke. But boy, talk about body English. Ray just kept going harder, faster, deeper. I would have thought Doris would be in pain, but the moans and grunts weren't from hurt, even I could tell that. Now the noises in the room were heavy, meaty thumps and a wet, crackling sound of lubricated flesh sliding against lubricated flesh.

Then Ray slid two fingers into Doris in front, pumping his hand hard, and she started to jitter and twist. I was worried she was having some sort of a fit, but she gasped, "Gah, Ray! I'm coming. Oh, you sweet bastard, I'm coming."

And Ray pressed himself against her hard, straining on his tiptoes, buried as deeply as he could be. His face was turned toward me: flushed, sweaty. He whispered, "I'm coming, too. What about you, kid? Hm?" He licked his lips, and moved his hips again, the pale curves of his ass flexing solidly. That's when I came, shooting my spunk into the clean handkerchief I'd jerked out of my pocket a half minute before. I closed my eyes as I came, and I made some sort of noise in the back of my throat. I desperately hoped that I hadn't said his name. I must not have, because I heard him give this kind of purring laugh, and say, "And a good time was had by all."

Part 6: Maneuver

Ray withdrew from Doris, carefully holding the base of his cock so the rubber didn't slide off. Then he peeled it off carefully, tied a knot in it, and dropped it in the wastebasket. He tossed Doris one of the towels, and she began wiping herself. He did the same with another towel. I remembered him drying himself after the workout in the gym. He used the same slow, almost thoughtful motions.

"Need a towel, Walter?" he asked casually.

"Uh, no. I... I'll need to wash my handkerchief out later." This made Doris giggle, and Raymond smiled.

"That something else your Mom recommended besides the safety pin, Walter? Always carry a clean handkerchief?"

"Well, no. Actually, that was the boy scouts." Doris excused herself quickly to the bathroom, but I could hear her giggling in there. Ray just smiled, nodded, and sat back on the fold out bed.

"Having a good time so far, Walter?" he asked. He'd kept his watch on, and he checked it now.

"Yeah. It's been... educational."

He laughed. "Well, there's a lot more to learn. But we have all night." He checked his watch again, frowning slightly. I cleared my throat. "Miss Doris must be kinda tired, huh?"

Ray regarded me with a half smile. He scratched his chest idly. "You saying I wore the woman out, Walter?"

"No. But... well, you were pretty... uh, active. That... I'm kinda surprised. It didn't seem to hurt her."

"It doesn't have to, not if you're careful, and prepare, like I said. And especially if you already have some experience with it." He checked his watch again.

The phone rang, and Doris trotted out of the bathroom in her under things. "I'll get it," she trilled. Ray lifted the receiver and handed it to her. "Thanks. Hello? Oh, Grandma?"

I flinched, tensing up. The lady I'd just watched get screwed in the ass had a Grandma? Well, sure. I mean, she couldn't very well have been hatched, could she?

"No, Grandma, you're not interrupting anything." Ray looked at me and waggled his eyebrows. I almost snickered, but bit it back. "Your artheritis? That's terrible. And your rheumatism? Oh, dear. Why, of course I can. I'll be there in a few minutes. No, I'm sure it's no trouble. Go lay back down, okay? I love you, too."

Doris hung up with a gusty sigh. She gave me an apologetic look. "Geez, I'm sorry about this, Walter."

"Is your Grandma sick?"

"Yeah, her bones are aching something fierce. She wants me to come over and give her a massage and fill hot water bottles. That usually helps. But I have to go right now. Ray, I'm gonna have to give you a refund for your friend."

"Doris, are you sure about this?" Ray frowned. "I mean, after we got Walter's hopes up..."

"No, really, it's all right," I protested. "I mean, it's her Grandma. Gee, you gotta go help your Grandma." I was about to burst with relief. I was getting a reprieve. Doris was a nice woman, and pretty, but I really didn't have any desire to screw her. It might have been an embarrassing failure if I'd tried. Especially with Ray here.

"I tell you what. You boys go ahead and stay over. It's late to go back to base. Be pretty bad, having to explain to security that your date crapped out."

"That's true," murmured Ray.

"And I'll give you a partial refund, Ray."

"Not necessary. Just put it on account."

"Sure thing. I better go finish dressing."

She went back into the bathroom. Ray stretched. "Well, hell, kid. Guess that'll teach you to let someone jump in line, huh?"

"I don't mind."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Then why can't you look at me when you talk to me?"

I blushed. The reason I couldn't was that he was still naked. I was afraid I'd start to get aroused if I did. And without Doris there, I wouldn't have any excuse.

"Does my being naked have anything to do with it? Hell, boy, you're in the army. You're going to be looking at a lot of asses and equipment before you get out. But if it makes you more comfortable..." He slipped his underwear back on. "Does that help?"

Not by much. His cotton boxers were so thin that I could see the dark smear of his pubic hair. And his cock and balls were barely defined lumps behind the material. "Yeah, that's okay. Sorry if I'm being silly."

"Don't apologize. You wouldn't be you without the modesty."

Doris came back out, fully dressed in a low cut black dress. It looked a little formal for a visit to Grandma's, but then, I didn't know her family. "Okay, you two make yourself at home. Beer and cold cuts in the fridge. I probably won't be back till late tomorrow morning. Da... Grandma likes me to stay over. Lock up behind yourselves, 'kay?" She dropped kisses on Ray and my's forehead, and wafted out.

We just sat there for a few minutes, looking at each other. What do you talk about at a hooker's house after the hooker has left? I cleared my throat and said, "Want a beer?"

He sat back on the couch, stretching his legs out in front of him, crossing them at the ankles. "I could use one, if you feel like playing houseboy."

I hopped up and went in the kitchen. I got a beer and opened it, then tucked a neatly folded tea towel over my arm.

I went to the sofa and displayed the beer bottle against the towel. "For your consideration, sir." I said in my best stiffly polite voice. Ray considered it gravely. He took the bottle and held it up to the light. I stood straight, not quite at attention, but like a good waiter in a fine restaurant.

Ray said, "Cork?" I got the cap and he took it, waving it under his nose. He was squinting in concentration. I felt a giggle starting to well up. I was swallowing laughter when he took a sip and swished it around his mouth noisily, then swallowed. "Hm. An interesting vintage. Young, but smooth. Frisky, with playful overtones, but thoughtful. Kind of like the waiter."

Without warning, he grabbed my arm and jerked me down onto the couch with him. "Siddown, kiddo. You give me strain, having to look up at you like that."

I arranged myself to sit beside him, not quite touching. "Wouldn't want you to get a strain, Ray."

"I'm sorry about Doris."

"I told you, that's all right. Geez, I got my entire life to get laid, don't I?"

He put his head back against the cushions, and regarded me. His tone was more serious. "Yeah, Walter, but you're only like this once. So young, and curious. You are curious, aren't you, Walter?"

I thought about it. "Yeah, I am. There's so much I never knew, or even saw back in Iowa. Don't get me wrong, I love my life back there. Just seems like... well, there's so much more to see, and experience."

"Kind of scary, though, huh?"

"A little."

"Helps if you're with someone you care about, doesn't it?"

I didn't know how to answer that. I was sure that it would help. I mean, I wasn't afraid of the bookie joints Uncle Ed took me to pick horses, because I was with Uncle Ed, and he wasn't going to let anything hurt me. I hadn't really been scared of coming here, because Ray was going to be with me. "Yeah, I guess so."

He took a swallow of beer. "What'd you think of Doris?"

"She seems like a really nice lady. She's prettier than I expected."

"You don't think she's hot?"

Now I was confused. "Hot? Well, that was a pretty snazzy dress..."

Ray laughed. I watched the way the muscles on his abdomen rippled, and pulled a pillow over across my lap. Just in case, because I thought I might be getting hard again. "I said 'hot', Walter. Sexy."

"Oh. I guess."

He propped an elbow on the back of the sofa, propped his chin in his hand. "You don't sound all that sure. Maybe she's just not your type. What turns you on, Walter?"

I looked down at my feet. That didn't help, because his feet were right down there next to them, and the feet were attached to long, strong legs, rising up to...

"Dark hair." I managed to get that out.

"That's a start." He took another sip. "Lots of it? Way down over the shoulders?"

"No. Actually, I like it short. It just looks... I don't know. Sleek?"

"Good word. Short, dark hair. Eyes?"

"Dark, too. Brown. And olive skin. You know?"

"Hm." He laid his hand next to mine on the pillow, comparing skin tone. His was darker. "Something like that?"

Exactly like that "Yeah."

"What else?"

"Oh, uh, I dunno." I took off my glasses, rubbing my eyes. When I moved to replace them, he stopped me.

"Why don't you just put those on the table? You don't need them right now, do you? I mean..." he shifted marginally closer. "You're close enough to see me, right?"

I was. I could see Ray very, very clearly. I kind of wanted the glasses as a barrier. Maybe then he wouldn't see me so clearly. Because I was afraid that he was going to see something that would make him hate me. But I put aside the glasses, because he wanted me to.

His arm was stretched along the back of the sofa, behind my neck. I could feel the heat of it. I could feel the heat of his body, with only about an inch between us, here on the couch where he'd just pounded himself into Doris. The sheets were still clean, but there was a lingering musky smell that was making my dick stir.

"Dark hair, brown eyes, olive skin. What else, Walter?"

What could I say that was truthful, but wouldn't get me killed? "Long legs."

"Wouldn't bother you if the object of your affection was taller than you?"

"Heck no. I know I'm short. Most guys are... Lots of ladies are taller than me, what with heels, and all."

"Mmmhm. You haven't mentioned breasts. Not a breast man?"

"I guess not."

He looked at the bottle. "One swallow left. Want it?"

"Sure." When I reached for it, though, he held it out of my reach.

"My beer. I give it my way."

His hand dropped off the back of the sofa, landing on my neck. I jumped a little. It was a little chilly from the beer bottle, but it warmed quickly against my skin. Ray leaned closer, till I felt his body pressed all along my side, and he touched the bottle to my lips.

It was kind of like the last time I had the flu. Sick in bed, Mom propped me up, held my head, and tipped a Nehi to my mouth, giving me the sweet, chilled liquid to combat my fever. But it was also nothing like that, because that had been Mom, and this was Ray, and I didn't want to grab my Mom.

I managed to swallow the last mouthful when he tipped it up for me. Then he leaned across me to set the bottle on the table.

But he didn't sit back. He just continued the motion, going over me, till he was kneeling over me with his right hand gripping the back of my neck, and his left braced on the sofa. Staring down into my face.

"Whatcha got under the pillow, Walter?" My grip was loose with surprise, and he ripped it away, tossing it on the floor. Then his hand... Oh, geez... His hand went down to my crotch, and he took hold of me. He covered the straining bulge of my hard on, and squeezed gently. "Mmm. Something nice."

My whole body went limp, except my cock. That couldn't happen, because I could feel the heat of his hand, and the little motions he made with his fingers. I was pretty sure I was about to die. "I'm sorry, I can't help it. Don't be mad."

He laughed softly. "Mad? Baby boy..." He bent down and kissed me.

No one ever kissed me before, except relatives. Not even Doris, just a hug. I'd kissed a few girls, back in Iowa, on dates, because that was what you did. I don't recall being overly enthused about it. This was different.

Ray's lips were firm, and smooth, and they moved. It wasn't just a press, pull back thing. He stayed there, right up against my mouth, and sort of... nibbled. I felt like I was going to pass out, but in a good way, you know? At first I thought it was the beer, but when I felt his tongue licking over my lips, I knew it was Ray that was doing it.

He mumbled against me. "Open your mouth, kid."

"Huh?" But I opened my mouth to make that intelligent remark, and Ray slipped his tongue in.

I'd heard about this before. The really racy girls were supposed to do it, but I never dated really racy girls, so the first tongue in my mouth belonged to Raymond Shaw. And I wouldn't have had it any other way.

Part 7: Advance

The guys who'd done this before, I mean tongue kissing... I mean tongue kissing with girls... Well, they were the only ones who talked about it, anyway. Anyway, they didn't say anything about how it moved. They just said one or the other of them put their tongues in the other one's mouth. They didn't say anything about the slithering around, and pushing, and licking. Why didn't they? That's the best part. Heck, maybe they didn't know what they were talking about. Maybe they just didn't know how to do it like Ray. They didn't say it could feel like you were losing your breath, or your heart, or your soul.

He pulled away for a second, and I latched my arms around his neck. I had to, because even though I was sitting down, I felt like I was falling. Ray laughed breathlessly, leaning his forehead against mine. "Thought so. You had me worried there for a little, baby boy."

I was gulping air. "What just happened?"

"I declared myself. I want you, Walter."

"But Ray, I don't get it. You... and Doris..."

Ray moved his head down, and I felt hot breath against my ear. "I'm not prejudiced, Walter. I'll screw women, too." I felt his tongue curl around the outside of my ear, and I moaned like it hurt, but I sure as heck wasn't in pain. He laughed again, and this time the wet tickle moved into the cup of my ear. I gave it up, then and there. I wasn't getting off that couch till I did everything that Ray wanted me to.

He whispered, "You thought a man could only want one or the other, huh?" I managed to nod. "Women are okay, but I like men, too. I like men most, in fact. And what I really, really like is sweet little farm boys, just like you, Walter. Exactly like you."

I pulled back a little. "You like a lot of them?"

He pulled back to look at me, then smiled slowly. He stroked my cheek, "Oh, no baby. Not a lot. Just a few. Don't be jealous, Walter. You're special."

He took hold of the hem of my undershirt and started to peel it up over my head. I instinctively held it down. I just hadn't been able to get used to walking around bare assed with the other guys. "Come on, Walter," he murmured. "You've already seen all of mine. Seen it in action, even. It's only fair that I get to see some of you." I let go, and he removed my shirt.

I crossed my arms, embarrassed. I have a lot of chest hair. Not much on the arms and legs, but the chest is a real thicket. Ray pushed my arms down. "Don't block the view, Walter." He started to stroke my chest, combing back and forth through the hair, ruffling it. Tracing down around the area where it thinned and disappeared above my belly. " Mmmm. Walter, you are so sexy."

"I don't like it."

"I do."

"I don't see how. I mean, you..." I dared touch him for the first time. I put my hand against his chest, flexing my fingers, feeling the smooth skin.

"I'm glad you like it, but this is a real turn on for me, Walter. You've got such a smooth, baby face, then this magnificent pelt." His hands stopped their wandering, his fingers settling over my nipples. And he rubbed gently.

I made another sound back in my throat, my body arching unconsciously up to his touch. "Feels pretty good, huh? How about this?" He squeezed lightly, with just a touch of a twisting motion.

I gasped. "Ray!

"God, it's so hot when you say my name like that."

Ray bent down, and I felt his tongue flick against my nipple. I cried out again, almost in shock at the pleasure. It stiffened as he licked it again, and again. Then he took it gently between his teeth and tugged lightly. I went a little crazy, pounding my fists against the mattress, legs thrashing.

Ray let go and grabbed my hips, jerking. Suddenly I was lying flat, and he was crouched over me. He grabbed my wrists in one hand, pinning them over my head, and slid down till he was lying on me full length, holding me down. "I need you to be still for a little, baby boy. Still, so I can get acquainted with this beautiful body. We have all night for you to move, but I need you to be still now. Can you do that, or do you need help?"

"Help?"

He reached over the side of the couch. When he came back up, he had his belt in his hands. I eyed it warily. "Don't worry, Walter. I don't want to spank you, not when you're being so good. I just want to tie your hands with this. Is that all right?"

"Why?"

"Because you're a mover, Walter. I can tell. Not that I don't like that, I do. But I really need you a bit more still. I've waited for this so long, I don't want it to end too quickly, and it will, if I let you move. Take a minute to think about it before you decide."

He stroked my cheek with the belt. I closed my eyes at the touch, the smell. My hands flexed in the confines of his grip. Would it be any worse than this? I formed a mental image of myself with my wrists strapped, Ray doing things while all I could do was writhe and strain for him. The blood pulsed in my groin.

I heard him whisper, "Just for a little while, Walter. Just for a few minutes. Do you trust me?"

In answer, I put my wrists together and held them out blindly. He sighed. I felt the strap go around my wrists, cinching them snugly together. Then they were drawn up and back, over my head. Ray shifted, and I realized he was tying the other end to the support frame behind the couch back. Then his hands slid down my arms and over my collarbone. "There now." His voice was tender. "Too tight?"

I tugged experimentally. I could scarcely move, but no, it didn't pinch. "It's all right. Ray, what are you gonna..."

"Shhhh." A finger was laid against my lips. Figuring that, considering my position, there probably wasn't much I could do that would shock Ray, I gave in to temptation. I licked him.

He bubbled with laughter, and I felt him kiss my neck. "Baby boy, we are going to have such a good time. Now, keep your eyes closed, Walter. I want you to just concentrate on what you're feeling for a little bit."

He shifted a little, and I heard a rustling sound. Then I felt something brush my cheek. It was incredibly soft. For a moment, I thought it was Ray's lips, and I was being kissed again. But I'd felt his lips before, and this wasn't as warm.

The light, brushing touch continued, tracing invisible paths over my face, across my eyes, over my lips. As it passed under my nose, I suddenly realized what it was. A rose. Ray must have taken one of the roses out of the box, and now he was stroking me with it.

I was so surprised that he'd tickled my ears and down to my neck before I started reacting again to the sensations. It was enough to drive you crazy. Well, I don't know about you, but it sure as heck made me crazy. Especially because he followed the trail of the rose with his other hand, stroking and smoothing the skin that it had just passed over.

It moved down my neck, and ruffled the hair on my chest. Then I felt the cool, delicate petals graze my right nipple. I moaned, trying to lift up for firmer contact. Ray's thumb pushed at my left nipple, while he pressed the flower more firmly against me, rubbing. I could feel the petals shear off and scatter down the side of my chest. There was another shift and rustle, and the soft touch returned, but on my left side this time. Again Ray massaged me on one side with the tender, fragrant petal, and on the other with his own gentle hand. We get some cold winters in Iowa. I've had my nipples get hard when I'd worn too thin a coat. Let me tell you, it was nothing like this. I didn't know that heat could have the same effect. Only a lot more pleasant.

The touches stopped, and I felt Ray get off the couch. I kept my eyes closed, but I twisted my hands in the belt, wanting to reach for him. "Ray? Ray, tell me you're not gonna stop."

"See? This is why I wanted you tied up. You're a sensitive little thing, Walter. I'm afraid you'd be all over me if I let you loose."

"What's wrong with that?"

Another chuckle that made me shiver. "Nothing at all. I just don't want to shoot my load in under a minute. I couldn't manage three times in under an hour, Walter. I'm not superman."

Damn close, I thought.

I felt his hands at my waistband, unbuckling my belt. "The problem now is that you are severely overdressed." He dragged down my pants, leaving my boxers on.

Again he moved to the flower box, and again I felt the touch of the rose, followed by the glide of his hand. Starting from my ankles, moving up over my knees. Every now and then he'd have to stop and get another flower, because the one he was using was reduced to loose petals, drifting about my body.

I was shifting and groaning steadily. It would have been torture, if I wasn't pretty sure that something wonderful was waiting for me at the end.

When he reached my thighs, I spread my legs automatically. He made a pleased murmur, and continued the gentle motions till my leg muscles were quivering with the strain of not clamping around him. At last he said. "All right, my good boy. You can open your eyes now. I really want you to see what comes next."

I opened my eyes and stared down the length of my body to where he was kneeling between my legs. My breath caught. During one of his trips to get more roses, he'd removed his boxers again. He was aroused, his cock jutting up firmly, drooling a steady stream of clear precome. I'd seen him like this before, with Doris. But this time I knew that it was because of me. It was for me. I almost died.

My body was strewn with slightly bruised rose petals, drifting off the mattress beside me. I was covered with soft flakes of butter yellow, candy pink, vivid scarlet, velvet maroon, and creamy white. If I'd been a lady, I'd have looked like one of those paintings hung in a museum that my Mom always covered my eyes when we passed by.

Of course, none of those artist models ever wore a pair of army issue boxers, and they sure didn't have the front of them tented with a monster erection, like I did.

Ray was running his fingers slowly back and forth under the waistband of my boxers. "I've been waiting for this for a long time, Walter. I spotted you just a couple of days into training, and I watched you. So serious, trying so hard. And you just didn't fall in with the one-of-the-guys smuttiness."

He eased my boxers down a couple of inches, and stroked the skin he'd exposed, just over my pubic hair. "I asked, I listened. I found out that you didn't have a girl back home, that you didn't run with the base sluts from town. I started to hope."

Another couple of inches. The base of my cock was exposed, but the shaft was still trapped, straining against fabric that was starting to get damp with my own wetness. I squirmed in frustration, groaning. He had to touch me soon, that was all there was to it.

"Then the other day, I found you in the gym. Do you know that when you concentrate really hard, you poke your tongue out a little? Do you know how crazy that made me?"

He jerked my underwear the rest of the way off, startling a yelp out of me. My cock was so stiff that it slapped against my belly. His hands slid up my thighs to press flat against my groin, framing my swollen flesh, but not touching. "Ray, please..." I didn't recognize my own voice. It was ragged.

"I showed off for you, Walter. I did way more reps than I usually do, because you were watching me. You didn't want me to notice, but I did. You kept looking at me, looking at my body. It got me hard, Walter. Because I knew then that there was a chance, that I might have you."

He suddenly blew a hot breath over my cock, and I cried out, arching up. He did it again. I've always tried not to whine, I hate whiners, but whine I did. "Raaaaaay!"

The smile he gave me would have looked like pure evil if I wasn't in a fever of lust, I guess. "You really didn't understand when I invited you to take a shower with me, did you?"

A gear clicked in my mind. "You mean I could've...?" I slammed my head back against the pillow. "Oh geez, am I stupid!"

"No, baby. Just innocent. That's when I suspected you were still cherry." His voice had gotten thick, and his eyes burned at me. His hands slid, the circle closing. His forearms pressed strongly against my thighs, pinning me to the mattress. "Do you know what I wanted to do to you, Walter? God, it was all I could do not to drag you in the shower, rip off your clothes, and rape you."

I can hardly breath, but I manage to say, "Wouldn't have been rape, Ray. Gotta have an unwilling victim for rape."

Ray stopped breathing for a moment. Then he made some sort of growl that made my scalp prickle. His dark eyes bored into me for a moment. Then his hands fastened around me tightly, almost painfully. But I forgot about that because his head darted down, and he took half my cock into his mouth with one smooth motion.

I hoped the people in the house outside were heavy sleepers, because I yelled. Loud. It was like nothing I'd experienced before, or since. No one had ever touched my cock but me, and that first teasing grope Ray had given me after he'd snatched the pillow. To suddenly find myself enveloped by wet heat almost short-circuited me.

I tried to push up, but Ray had me pinned too tight. All I could do was lay there and feel. He sucked hard, bobbing his head down to take in another inch. I started babbling, "Oh god, oh geez... Ray! Pleasepleaseplease..."

He looked up at me, letting me slide out of his mouth. "See, Walter? I could just..." He licked my dick from base to top. "...eat..." He curled his tongue around the head. "...you..." His tongue delved into the tiny slit in the glans. I was shaking. "..alive." he finished, and once again covered me with his mouth and started sucking, bobbing up and down, taking a little more each time.

I wanted to come so bad, but I couldn't. The hold Ray had around the base of my dick wouldn't let me. "Ray, please. I need to come. Please, Ray, let me come."

Again he let me slide out. He looked at me, panting, his eyes almost black. The chocolate brown was only a thin rim around the dilated pupil. "Walter..." he was hoarse, breathless. "I want to fuck you. Please let me. Let me have you, Walter. I'll be good to you, I promise."

Even through the heat of my lust, I felt a small chill. I had thought he'd just touch me. When he used his mouth, I was shocked, but delighted. But was I ready for this?

Part 8: Surrender

Okay, it's a wonder I could think at all, what with all the blood having left my brain for other, more southern parts, if you know what I mean. But I hesitated because, well... well... Ray was... um... big. And I was feeling pretty small right then. And this was a major step, darn it.

"Ray?" I said timidly. "I don't think you'd fit."

Again he gave me that smile, the one I'd seen before on the little goat-legged men in those old paintings at the museum. "Tell you what, sweet thing. Why don't I go ahead and get you nice and wet, and we'll see how it goes from there. You don't have to do anything you don't want to, but you need to give me a chance to convince you."

"You gonna stop if I ask you to?"

He nodded solemnly, but his eyes were laughing. "On my honor."

"Okay. Just a little."

"You won't regret it." Still circling my cock with one hand, he snagged the tube of lubricant off the table with the other. He gripped the cap in his teeth and managed to unscrew it one handed, spitting it out when he was through. Then he hesitated, frowning. "Walter, I'm going to have to let go of you to spread this. Do you promise not to come?"

"Well, geez Ray, I don't have a heck of a lot of say in that, but I promise not to try."

"Fair enough." He released me, and squeezed a thick squiggle of the stuff into his left palm, then greased the fingers of his right hand with it. "All right. Lift up your legs, Walter." I did, and he moved under them on his knees. They ended up dangling over his shoulders, with my butt propped on his knees. "Perfect. Now, try to relax."

Easy for him to say.

He pushed my cheeks apart, and slid his oiled hand down the crease, smoothing the lubricant in. I shivered. Again a new sensation. He did it a few more times, slowly, massaging the ointment in. Every time he passed over my anus, I twitched apprehensively. "Walter, relax. I'm not going to just ram in there. Give me credit for a little more consideration."

Actually, after a little while, the massage was kind of soothing, and I did relax a little. Then he paused right at the entrance and said quietly, "I'm going to give you one finger now. It may hurt just a little. Try taking a breath."

I breathed in, and he pushed. His finger slid up into me slowly, and I let the breath woof out. Man, that was weird. It didn't really HURT, but it ached. "You okay?"

"Yeah. It feels funny."

"Not bad?"

"No, just different."

"Hm." Ray drew his hand back, then pushed in again. "How about that?"

"Okay."

"Just okay, huh? This is a little bit what like how it feels, Walter." He pushed in and pulled out, again and again, moving steadily. I noticed that the ache was fading. In it's place was a pleasant warmth, and a terrific... I don't know. It wasn't like it was when I stroked my cock, but it felt good.

I hardly noticed it when he slipped in the second finger. That is until he started working them apart, stretching me. "Oof. Wow, didn't think I could handle that, but it's... okay."

"Sure you can handle it. I told you, didn't I? But you are tight, baby boy. Oh, my yes. I sure hope you decide to let me in, because I can tell right now you'll be total bliss. Speaking of total bliss, let me see..."

Ray pushed deeper, crooking his fingers slightly inside me. His face was intent with concentration. He shifted me to a slightly different angle, and tried again.

I was feeling kind of breathless, but I couldn't resist joking, "Hey, what d'ya expect to find up there?"

"You'll know." A second later his finger slid over a little spot he hadn't hit before, and I almost jerked myself off his probing fingers. Not because it hurt, but because it felt so darn good! I made some sort of yipping sound, and Ray grabbed my cock quickly. If he hadn't I'd have sprayed both of us with jizm. "It's called the prostate, Walter. Remember I teased Doris because she got short changed?"

"Do that again."

"My pleasure. And yours." It took him three more tries, but he found it again, and I narrowly escaped going into orbit. "Now, Walter, I want you to consider this. If you let me fuck you, I'll be able to hit that sweet spot quite a few times with my cock."

The idea of Ray's dick touching that wonderful, sensitive spot almost made me come again. "All right."

Ray worked a third finger up into me and slid them in and out. He was grinning again. "All right. Final warning. It will hurt some at first. No way around that. But it will start to feel good so fast."

"Yeah, okay, all right/" I found that I was eager now.

And Ray, bless him or damn him accordingly, wanted to play. "Then tell me what you want." I stared at him, not really sure of what to do. "C'mon, Walter. Talk dirty to me. Tell me what you want me to do to you. In detail."

"What do you want me to say?"

"Improvise. The hotter you get me, the better it will be for us both."

"But I never really have."

"I know. That's part of what makes it so sexy. I'll be the first one you say those words to. Tell me, Walter. Tell me what you want." His hand was still moving, loosening me with those three imbedded fingers I was getting desperate. So I did it.

I took a deep breath, My voice was very small as I said. "Fuck me, Ray." His eyes closed briefly. "I need it. Give it to me, Ray. Give me your cock." He bit his lip. His hand speeded up. That was good, but it wasn't enough now. I just turned off my inhibitions and let loose, my tone getting more desperate as I continued. "Stick it in me. I want your dick inside me, I want you pounding on me. I want you to pump my ass, hard and deep. I don't care if it hurts. I need it! Ray please!"

His eyes were glittering, his lips were drawn back from his teeth. Suddenly the fingers were withdraw. He snatched a condom off the table, tore it open, and rolled it down over his rock hard cock with shaking hands, and in one motion fitted himself against my rectum and drove in with a firm lunge.

I jerked, yelping, eyes squeezing shut. He hadn't lied. It hurt like fire. He bucked his hips hard again, and he slid the rest of the way in. And suddenly I didn't mind the burning at all, because he hit that spot again.

He just stayed like that, and I peeked to see what was going on... or not going on. He had his eyes shut, and the look of most fierce concentration I'd ever seen. He almost looked like he was in pain, and it scared me. Was it hurting him, too? "Ray, are you all right?"

"Sh. Wait." I was quiet, and still. It wasn't easy, because now that the pain was going, I wanted to move. Ray whispered. "Oh, damn. Tight, tight, tight, Walter, you are so goddamn tight. I had no idea..."

He pulled back, an inch at a time, and I groaned with each loss. Finally all that was left inside me was his glans. He gave several delicate, shallow strokes, almost as if... this will sound silly. Almost as if he were petting my insides with his cock. Then he sighed, and pushed all the way in again, slowly, saying, "You are so sweeeet." His cock head rubbed over my prostate, and I groaned with his drawn out speech.

Ray settled in to a steady rhythm, sliding in and out and hitting my prostate about every third or forth stroke. It was a good thing that I'd lost a little of my erection at the first pain, or I would have been gone a long time before.

His voice harsh, he said, "Walter, I have to have more. I have to go harder. Can you take it?"

"Ray, I can take it and give it back."

This seemed to inflame him. He started moving harder, faster. I rocked with him, pushing back as much as I could in my position. Our bodies were making a wet smacking sound each time we met.

Ray leaned over and licked my neck, then fastened his mouth on it and started sucking and biting, hard. It only sent more bolts of pleasure racing through me. He was giving me a hickey, marking me. And I wanted that. I wanted something I could look at later, and know that this had really happened.

Desperate to participate even more, needing to touch him in some way, I bent my head and nipped him sharply on the shoulder. He cried out, and grabbed my hips, pinning me and ending any further efforts to move with him. He pressed his forehead to mine, so close that I felt his eyelashes brush mine, and growled. "All right, baby boy. Now the serious fucking starts."

Oh, God.

I've never again experienced anything like that. Yes, he was making love to me. But we were both so hungry, so crazy, so hot, that it was sheer animal rutting. Completely mindless. The ceiling could have blown away, the walls could have fallen, the president could have come by personally, and it wouldn't have stopped us humping. The only thing that could have stopped us were heart attacks, and we would have both had to have one, 'cause I'm pretty sure the other one would have committed necrophilia.

Sorry if that was gross, but you gotta understand how it was. Well, I guess you couldn't. Poor you.

All I can remember of that last few minutes is that we came pretty much at the same time, and we were both screaming. Ray shook and trembled like he had an electric current passing through him. I came as close to convulsions as I ever want to. He was wearing a condom, but I could feel him pulsing inside me, and thought crazily that it was a shame that all those sperm were going to waste, because the world could really use a few hundred more Raymond Shaws.

Part 9: Skirmish

The last time I had anybody lay on top of me had been in wrestling during gym back in high school The jerkoff coach had paired me with a Neanderthal roughly twice my size. He thought it was a big joke. Once he got me pinned, he just dropped his weight on top of me and laid there comfortably while I squirmed like a bug under a brick, losing my breath...

Wait a minute... Now that I think back...

You know, that son of a bitch had a hard on? Yeah, I distinctly remember something digging into my thigh, and he hadn't exerted himself enough to be breathing and sweating that hard. Wow. I got molested in front of the whole gym class, and nobody knew it, not even me. On second thought, maybe the coach did. He called the guy into his office after class, and neither one of them came out for a long time. I don't know whether he was jumping all over the guy for what he did, or just... jumping the guy. Either one is possible. Coach hung around the showers a lot.

Anyway, this time was different. The guy on top of me was still heavy and sweaty, but I liked him, there wasn't a jeering audience. I was also having a much more intimate interaction with a dick ,I was fully aware of it, and I didn't mind at all. In fact, when Ray started to slide out, I crossed my ankles behind him and tried to hold him in.

He groaned good-naturedly. "Walter, baby, that's it for now. I don't wear a cape. I need a few hours sleep before anything else happens, and you probably do, too, no matter how young you are. Let go so I can get us comfortable."

I did it reluctantly, and Ray pulled out of me slowly. I muttered at the loss. I hadn't realized it was possible to feel so empty.

Ray unknotted the belt and uncinched my hands, pulling me into a sitting position and taking me in his arms. He examined my wrists, stroking the skin to be sure it wasn't abraded. "Damn, Walter. I think you're gonna have bruises. I'm sorry about that."

"I'm not." I kissed him softly, then dropped my head on his shoulder. His hand rubbed up and down my back. "You're a generous lover, Walter. Thank you so much." He kissed the top of my head. "Let me get rid of this come catcher, kiddo." I moved away so he could strip off the loaded condom. He dropped it into a wastepaper basket, then came back to the couch.

Ray took a fresh towel (boy, Doris had a lot of towels. I guess they were work supplies) and spread it on the bed. He was neat, but there'd been a few dribbles of jizm escape the rubber, and the lubricant had made thing kinda messy, so there was a wet spot. "We'll change sheets for Doris in the morning before we leave."

Ray shut off the lights and climbed back into bed with me, pulling up the covers. He put his arms around me, and I cuddled up to him, nuzzling against his neck. "Take a nap, Walter. We'll see what happens if we wake up in time."

I drifted off to sleep, telling my brain sternly to wake me up in a couple of hours. There wasn't much time before Ray left for good, and I didn't want to waste it. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to come again, but I was determined to try. And even if I couldn't, just being with Ray, touching him, would be enough.

I was awakened... I don't know how much later. What woke me up was Ray's tongue in my ear. I giggled sleepily and pushed at him. "That tickles."

"Oh, Walter, you do not want to get me started on the subject of tickling."

"What time is it?"

"Around three, I think. It occurred to me that we're both a little funky. Not that it bothers me as far as you're concerned." He actually stuck his nose in my armpit, sniffing deeply while I squirmed and fought down laughter. "But I feel grungy. I want a shower."

"So go ahead. I'm sure Doris wouldn't mind."

Ray rested his chin on my chest. "Walter, remember how you thumped yourself for missing that opportunity in the gym?"

"You mean when... oh." Realization dawned on me. Some short strands of Ray's hair had fallen down on his forehead, and I brushed them up. "You mean together."

He nodded, and I felt the faint rasp of his stubble. "Good, clean fun."

"Will we fit?"

"I seem to remember a recent occasion where you were worried about fit. That turned out all right." I could feel myself blushing. Stupid, huh, after what we'd just done together? "Anyway, Doris has a built-in tub, with a shower. We'll do all right."

"Sounds good to me, then."

We got up. Ray looped his arm around my waist for the short walk to the bathroom. Inside, he let me step into the tub first, then followed, pulling the curtain shut.

Doris was a sensible lady, there was a rubber safety mat. I bounced on it experimentally while Ray turned on the water and adjusted it. It had a good, strong flow and truly hot, hot water, things I'd missed in the communal showers at camp.

The tub was pretty long, but kind of narrow. "We just have to be careful if we want to swap places," Ray said.

"Well, we're gonna. Otherwise you're gonna hog all the water. I'm hardly getting sprinkled back here with you blocking it."

"Complain, complain, complain. Hold still." He had a wash cloth and was working a bar of soap into it.

I complained some more, but I really didn't mean it. "You're always wanting me to be still, Ray."

He started to run the soapy rag over my shoulders. "Don't worry, Walter. I'll ask you to move soon enough." I didn't worry. I just stood there and let him wash me, enjoying it. I had a sponge bath by an orderly in the hospital when I had my appendix out the year before, but it was nothing like this. He'd been quick and efficient. Ray took his time. I don't guess I've been that thoroughly washed since I ran Mom out of the bathroom when I was three or four.

Ray turned me around to do my back. When he got to my ass, he slowed way, way down. I didn't mind. I'll admit that my butt and back were a little achy after those acrobatics, and it was soothing. Of course, it was agitating, too, when he pried my cheeks apart and I felt his hand instead of the soapy rag.

I sighed as he stroked up and down the crease. Half of me wanted him to worm a finger up there, and the other half winced at the thought. He must have known, because he said, "Tender?"

"A little."

"That's to be expected, but there's no blood. I'm glad I didn't tear anything. I'd hate to think I hurt you, Walter."

I turned back around and hugged him. "You didn't. Stop worrying. I'm tougher than I look." It's true. You don't grow up on a working farm and stay delicate. I don't have the brute strength a lot of guys do, but I'm not fragile by a long shot.

I took the rag away from Ray. "Your turn." He grinned and spread his arms, offering himself. I washed him like he'd washed me, paying attention to details. I knew he was beautiful, but I don't think it was possible for him to be any more beautiful than her was right then, the water sheeting over him, making his skin glassy. The short, dark hair plastered sleekly to his head, showing the perfect shape of his skull. I even saw water bead on his eyelashes. I think that's how I remember him best: relaxed, smiling at me, looking contented and just pleased to be alive. I don't think he had much of that in his life. And I was part of that happiness. It still makes me feel... I don't know. Humble.

When I came to his crotch, I slowed down as much as he had, and left off the rag, too. The smile curled into a grin as I stroked him. It was more of a friendly gesture than anything else. I mean, the man had already had rip roaring sex twice that night. But I hadn't done more than a couple of pumps when I felt him responding. I looked up at him in what amounted to shock, and he sighed. "What can I say, Walter? It's just what you do to me." A guy could get a serious ego problem from stuff like that. I even felt a little stirring myself, just knowing that I could arouse him like that.

"Okay. Before this gets out of hand..."

He snickered, pushing himself into my fist. "Oh, let's not let it get out of hand."

I smiled in return. "Ha ha. Turn around so I can wash your back." He rolled his eyes, but did as I said. His own hand began to work on his erection as I washed first his legs, then his back. I saved his ass for last. I could always wait for dessert.

I gave his butt just as much attention as he had mine, more. It really was something. I'd say it had to be in the top ten asses that have ever existed, but I'm prejudice. Anyway, Ray got a lot of sun, so he was well tanned. Even with his natural olive skin tone, the strip of skin around his hips looked so pale that it gleamed. The cheeks were perfect, symmetrical globes, and there wasn't a hair in sight. Despite their roundness, they were firm, muscular. I just couldn't resist. I kept rubbing on more soap, squeezing firmly, then gently. Rubbing, lightly raking with my nails.

Ray tipped a look at me over his shoulder. "You better get the crack, too, Walter." As much as we'd done, I really hadn't been considering that. But Ray reached back and pulled aside his own cheeks, opening himself up. I had to catch my breath. I got the rag really soapy again and began to softly rub up and down the valley. The little puckered ring that marked the entrance to his body twitched each time I passed over it, and I wondered if he was apprehensive. Then he said hoarsely, "Walter, do you want my ass?"

I froze. Or rather, I got hot. Just like that the blood was pumping to my dick, and I was getting hard. "Ray? But I thought... you..."

He chuckled. "I like it both ways, Walter. And you've got such a beautiful cock, I'd hate myself if I didn't find out what it was like to have it inside me. I want you to fuck me in the ass, if you'd like to."

If I'd like to. Why not ask me if I'd like to keep breathing? But Iowa practicality asserted itself. "You're taller'n me. We better go out to the living room and..."

"No! I don't want to stop now. And don't worry about the rubber. I promise you, I'm clean. And I know you are. Please, Walter."

Raymond Shaw, saying please to me. "But the height..."

"Damn it, Walter, I bend at the knees."

Problem solved. "Will the soap be okay?"

"The soap will work fine. You don't need to prepare me much." He turned far enough to give me a quick kiss. "I haven't been a virgin for awhile, baby boy. I won't need as much preparation as you did. And when you do it, Walter, don't hold back. Not on my account. I want it as hard as you can give it. You won't be hurting me, no matter what kind of noises I make."

He turned back and braced his arms against the shower wall. I worked up a lather as quickly as I could, getting my now straining cock slippery. Then I rubbed a handful of soapy foam into Ray's crease. Lifting myself to boldness, I pushed a finger into his ass hole. It slid in without too much resistance, and he sighed loudly, pushing back. "More of that, please."

I worked it in and out a little, then added a second finger. It went in with a little more difficulty, and Ray grunted softly, but still pushed back. I tried to do like he had with me, working my fingers, stretching. I started to kind of feel around, wanting to find his prostate and give him the same sort of pleasure he'd given me. Would I feel it? How would I know when I found it?

I got the answer when Ray jerked and cried out softly, hands scrabbling on the wet wall. "Oh... Damn, Walter. That feels so good." I probed again, and he twisted. "Shit! You're killing me."

"That's good, huh?"

His voice was tender. "Fucking tease. Get that cock in me before I throw you down and sit on it."

I laughed. "That sounds interesting." But I pulled my fingers out, and he bent, bending his knees. Sure enough, that brought him to just the right level.

His hands were braced, so I spread him open myself and moved into position. But I hesitated, the tip of my penis barely kissing his ass hole. "Talk to me, Ray."

He laughed and swore, then said, "Shove it in, O'Reilly. Give me that juicy piece of meat. I want to feel it bump my tonsils. I want to taste your come on the back of my throat from the IN-side. I want you to fuck me blind."

I lost whatever else he might have been preparing to say, because I rammed into him with one hard lunge, and he broke off with a yell. For a second I was afraid that I'd done something wrong, despite what he'd said before. Then he gasped. "Oh, god, yeah! That is it, Walter. Give it to me!"

After that... well, it was a good thing he wasn't interested in slow and gentle, because I was capable of being about as slow and gentle as an avalanche.

Maybe Ray was experienced, but if a virgin was any tighter, or hotter, I didn't need it. His flesh clung to me like wet satin as I slid into him again and again. Maybe I'd never done this before, but my dick sure knew what it wanted, and I followed willingly.

Ray kept making noises that just seemed to kick my lust up another notch, if that was possible. He growled, groaned, moaned, grunted, yelped, purred... And he talked to me as I pounded into his back passage.

"Ahh... yes, oh, yes. Do it. Fuck me. So hard, so hot. Damn, my own little stud bull, right off the farm. I'm gonna come, baby boy. Make your daddy come."

I reached around and found his cock, and began to pump him in time to my thrusts. He was grunting steadily, shoving back to meet me each time I rammed home, then fucking forward into my grasp.

He tensed, and uttered a long groan, shivering. I felt hot spunk jet over my hands. At the same moment he clenched his ass muscles. His back passage rippled, sucking my embedded cock, and I came, too. I spilled my jism deep inside him, filling him, and again I heard a low, throaty purr of pleasure.

I sort of collapsed against him, hanging onto him for support. He must not have been too steady, either, because he slid down slowly. My penis slid out of him as we descended, and we ended up sitting in a tangle in the tub, the no longer hot water spraying over us, cooling our heated flesh.

We sat there for awhile. Then I realized that something was wrong. My breathing had slowed to normal. But Ray's was still ragged. And he was hitching a little.

"Ray, what's wrong?" Did I do something wrong? Did I hurt you?" Alarmed, I pulled him around toward me. He turned his face away, but I put my hand on his cheek and turned it back toward me.

He didn't answer. His eyes were closed. His mouth had a soft, vulnerable look I'd never seen before. "Ray?"

I shouldn't have known. There should have been some doubt. But when I saw the drop leak from the corner of his eye and streak down his cheek, I knew it wasn't just from the shower. He was crying.

"Ray!" I grabbed him, embracing him tightly, desperately. "What is it? Tell me! Did I hurt you?"

His arms went around me. "Not like that, Walter. You're hurting me so deep, but not like that." He opened his eyes and stared into mine. No one's ever given me a look like that, before or since.

He whispered. "You can't help it. It's not your fault." He kissed me, and it was gentle and hungry and so sad that I almost started crying myself. He whispered against my lips. "Here you are, my sweet baby boy, and I have to go away."

Part 10: Bittersweet

It was getting cold. Still holding Ray, I reached past him and shut off the now chilly water. For a little while longer we just sat there. I rocked him, almost as if he was the kid--a sad, scared kid.

At last he rubbed his face and pulled back a little. He didn't look at me, and his voice sounded a little clogged. "We better get out of here, or we'll both end up wrinkled like we're old men." We got up carefully, getting out. There were more towels hanging on a rack (I think I mentioned that Doris seemed to have more towels than a locker room), and we dried off. Ray dried my back. When he was done, he wrapped his arms around me, and we just stood there again for awhile, his chin resting on my shoulder. Finally he smacked me on the butt, and we went into the living room.

I was tired, and climbed right under the sheets. Ray went to the kitchen, and I could hear him rummaging around. He came back and sat beside where I lay, propping his back against the sofa back, sliding his legs under the covers. I immediately turned toward him, throwing my leg over his. I heard him chuckle, and his hand smoothed along my back.

I smelled a sharp, alcoholic scent and looked up to see him sipping from a brimming tumbler. He'd left the bathroom door cracked. In the dim light it looked like whiskey, with only one or two ice cubes in it. He saw me looking and said, "Doris won't mind. She's making enough extra to cover it, easy."

"What about me?"

"What about you?" He pinched my ass. "You're too young for this, kiddo, remember? I shouldn't have even let you have beer, but I was intent on having my wicked way with you."

"Can't I have just a sip."

"Sit up." He took a sip. Then, using his free hand to hold the back of my head, he put his lips against mine and fed me the liquor. It burned, and I would have choked, except that his whiskey flavored tongue was in my mouth, and it just felt too good. I swallowed the liquid down, and it blazed a trail of warmth to my belly, where it settled in and glowed. Ray licked my lips, then said, "Now, lay back down and sleep."

I slipped back down, once again half twining myself over him. My arm was looped over his flat belly, and my face was pressed against his side. His free hand was in my hair now, combing through the damp curls, occasionally stroking the nape of my neck as he drank. I tried to stay awake, but I was awful tired, and someone playing with my hair always puts me to sleep. Silly, huh?

When I woke up again, it was brighter. Thin sunlight was streaming through the kitchen window. I stretched, listening to ligaments pop. Ray's face bent over me. "Good morning, sunshine." He bent down and kissed me.

I liked it, but I almost yawned into the kiss, since I still wasn't fully awake. His voice was amused, "I didn't think you'd get bored with me so soon, Walter."

I sat up quickly, "Ah, geez, Ray, bored? How can you say..." I trailed off, seeing his grin, and thumped him on the shoulder. "Funny, ha ha."

"I thought so."

I looked at him. He never looked less than good, but there were shadows under his eyes. I had to be mistaken, but I thought I saw just the faintest of lines marking his face at the corners of his lips and eyes, as if he'd aged a year or two in those brief hours that I slept. "Ray, did you get any sleep?"

"Didn't need any, baby boy. Watching you sleep was just as good as a rest. Come on, let's get this thing changed before Doris gets home. Though..." he looked at his watch. "It's only about seven, and I doubt... grandma... will let her leave without breakfast."

I stripped off the sheets while he got more linens out of a cabinet in the bathroom. When he came back, he tossed me one, and I shook it out over the bed, beginning to adjust and smooth it. He worked on the opposite side. I said, "Ray, who did Doris really go see?"

He looked up at me sharply, lips twitching, then gave in to a smile. "I knew you'd figure that out for yourself, sooner or later. When did you know?"

I shrugged. "I think I guessed a little bit after you grabbed my crotch. You weren't real hesitant, Ray. You pretty much seemed to know what you wanted."

We had the bottom sheet down, and Ray shook out the top sheet. "You mad at me, Walter?"

"Ray, if I was mad at you, do you think I would've let you stick your dick up my ass?"

"No, I guess not."

We finished making the bed, folded it back into a couch, and replaced the cushions. We both began locating scattered clothes, and getting dressed. I got on my boxers and undershirt, and sat down to pull on my socks. I didn't look at him as I said, "I don't... it's just that it seems like an awful lot of trouble to go through."

Ray had gotten into his pants. He sat next to me, putting his arm around me. "But you're worth it, Walter. You're so young and inexperienced... I didn't want your first time to be in a latrine, or out in the rough behind the targets at the firing range." He squeezed me. "You deserve better than that. Don't ever let anyone tell you different."

It made me feel good, hearing him say that, but it also gave me a pang. He thought I was special, but he was also saying that there were going to be others in my life. I guess I knew that. How often does anyone spend the rest of their life with their first lover? Not all that often, I think. That's the truth, no matter how sad it is. I was naive in a lot of ways, but when it came to that, I was old.

We weren't going to 'get married'. We weren't going to grow old together. Heck, we weren't even going steady. Ray knew that, too. I didn't even know if we were ever going to have more than this one night.

One of us had to bring the subject up eventually, so I made it easy on Ray. "When are you leaving'"

His arm tightened around me, and he didn't say anything for a minute. Finally he said, "This evening." I closed my eyes, glad he couldn't see my face. His voice became bitter. "My mother is insisting that I stop home for a couple of days before I ship out so she can give me a 'proper' send off. So my stepfather can have a few public relations opportunities, she means. Proud father seeing his brave son off to fight the communist menace. What crap."

He hates them, I thought. You can tell by his voice. His stepfather he hates all the way, but his mother...There's still some love there, and he hates her all the more because of it. I can't really remember my dad, Mom raised me alone. I've always known I was lucky to have her, but hearing how Ray Shaw said the word 'mother' made me even more grateful.

"Okay." I pulled away and reached for my pants. "We better get going, then. You'll have packing and stuff."

He watched me as I dressed. "Are you... all right with this, Walter."

I meant to make it easy for him, but...

"Well, gee, Ray, what am I supposed to say" Hey, sure, no problem. No, tell them you won't go and stay here with me? Yes, it didn't mean anything much for me to have you fuck my ass, make me feel like the world was going to end and that was all right because I had you holding me? Don't worry, I'm sure I'll find someone else who'll feel just as tight and... and..." The tears over ran the words at about the same time he got up and wrapped his arms around me.

He held me, whispering, "Baby, baby, baby." He didn't try to tell me everything was okay, everything would be all right. He didn't tell me we'd end up together, he'd come back for me. He respected me too much to use the easy words we both knew would probably be lies. He did say, "I love you, Walter. You know that, you have to know that."

I nodded against his chest. "Love you, too, Ray."

After a minute we pulled apart. I searched through my pockets, then sat down again, laughing weakly. "What is it?"

I looked up at him, still leaking slow tears, but smiling. "I don't have a clean handkerchief."

He looked almost disbelieving, than gave me a tiny smile in return. Pulling one out of his own pocket, he handed it to me. "Us old boy scouts gotta stick together."

I wiped my face, my eyes. Blew my nose. Shoved the handkerchief into my pocket. "You ain't getting it back. Maybe when... when you come back. Would you come see me when you come back?"

His eyes were serious. "Yes."

We finished dressing and tidied the apartment. We joked about what Doris might think, finding rose petals scattered all over the place. Then we left the little garage apartment.

It was a beautiful day outside, clear and bright. We had breakfast at a little diner. I can't remember what we ordered. I didn't have an appetite, despite the physical exertions of the night before. I didn't really have much of an appetite for the next week. I only started really eating again after the camp doctor ordered me to. That morning I ate because Ray was watching me, and I knew he'd be worried if I didn't. Maybe I should try acting. I pretty much convinced him I was enjoying it, but it might as well have been wet sawdust.

We went back to base. Ray went right to his quarters to begin packing. It was Sunday, and the other guys were either off base, or just lazing around the barracks. I went and laid down on my bunk, staring up at the other bunk above me.

One of the other guys drifted over and sat on the next bunk. "Hey, O'Reilly, had a pass, huh?"

"Yup."

"You was out all night. So, did ya find an all night movie, or what?"

"Nope."

"Aw, you ain't tellin' me you found yourself a girl, are you?" I just looked at him. "Waitaminnit." He reached over and pushed my collar aside. I slapped at his hand. "Jesus! Look at that! Hey, Doobie, Wallace, c'mere!" The other two came over, and he pointed. "Will you look at that hickey? Looks like a fuckin' vampire got hold of him! I'm tellin' you, the kid got laid!"

"No shit?" The others peered at the dark purple blotch just above where my neck ran into my shoulder. "Damn, O'Reilly. She must've been a hot bitch. Who was it? Share the info."

"A gentleman never tells."

"Ah, fuck you. Greedy bastard doesn't want to share."

"You got that right." I didn't lie. I had gotten laid, Ray was hot, and no, I didn't want to share.

Later that afternoon, I was sitting on my bed, practicing stripping and reassembling my rifle. I was a lot better now. I followed Ray's advice. Don't hurry, do it right. Wallace, leaning in the door of the barracks said, "Hey, Shaw's gettin' ready to leave. There's the jeep. Damn shame. He's better than most of these dickhead NCOs we got around here."

I almost didn't. But then I couldn't stand it. I got up and went to the door. The jeep was way on the other side of the yard. He was already in the back seat, and some of the other sergeants were clustered around, saying goodbye. He was talking to them, but he was looking toward us.

He saw me standing there. We locked eyes, and for a second it was like there wasn't almost fifty yards of space between us. I could almost feel his breath on my face. He was talking, shaking hands, smiling, and his eyes... his eyes were wild and hurt. I did what I had to do. I did the hardest thing I'd ever do. I smiled, and nodded.

Some of the pain left his eyes, and I knew he was going to be able to do it. The crowd parted, the jeep moved off. Just before it turned the corner, headed for the gate, he turned back and raised his hand, palm out. I lifted my hand in the same gesture. The jeep disappeared, and I let my arm drop. Then I went back and started working on my rifle again.

There was a large hollow place in my chest, and I had to start trying to fill it up again, because there was no way of telling if Raymond Shaw would ever be back to return the chunk he had so sweetly ripped out of my heart.

END