This is the seventh chapter of `Learning with a Man'. A new chapter will come out every week. Any comments or questions can be directed to the author at nothlit(at)hotmail(dot)com

This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to real people or events is entirely coincidental.

Learning with a Man
Chapter 7



    Ray and I spent the rest of the afternoon in that field, just the two of us, and nobody bothered us. We turned off our phones and stashed them in the car so nobody could find us. I wanted to feel as though we were all alone in the world; Ray was all I needed, all I wanted by my side.  We spent only a few hours there in that field, but to me it felt like much longer--it was like a dream, in a way, but one that wouldn't end. I was happy, and the world felt right.
    "I'm hungry," Ray told me eventually, lying next to me on the grass.
    "Yeah, me too."
    "Let's go get those hamburgers from the car."
    "Okay."
    We stood up and I brushed away the grass blades clinging to my jeans.
    "Hey, Jeff?" Ray said, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
    "Yeah?"
    "Race you to the car!"
    He set off running.
    "Hey!" I yelled, and sprinted right after him. "No fair!"
    I ran as fast as I could, but Ray was taller, and much faster, and besides he'd been in the track team. No way I was going to catch up. He was laughing as he ran, taunting me and calling me slow, and I realized I was grinning like an idiot again. Running with Ray felt a bit like when we were little and used to race each other all around the block, only now so much was different. And it was so much better.
    Ray got to the car so fast that he had time to call me slow a couple more times, pretend he was yawning, and even stretch. When I was almost there, he jumped right into my path.
    "Whoa!" I cried. I crashed right into him and thought we were both going to fall down.
    But Ray stood his ground and stopped me, pulling me close. He kind of ruffled my hair a bit and then kissed me, long and deep.
    "You're amazing, Jeff," he said when he drew back, looking right into my eyes.
    "You too."
    "Nah, I don't think so."
    "You are," I insisted. "You're the coolest guy I know."
    "Even if I've been a total jerk and all that?"
    "Yeah, even so."
    "Okay."
    "You still owe me, though. For the earlier jerk stuff."
    "Oh, really?"
    "Yeah. I'll need months of therapy and special treatment to get over what a douche you were. You got to make it up to me."
    "I thought I already did," he said, grinning meaningfully and looking down at my crotch.
    I blushed immediately. "I didn't mean it like that!"
    "What, didn't you like it?"
    "You know I did."
    "You sure? Maybe I did it all wrong or something... I should probably head on home and study the technique a bit before trying again. Wouldn't want you to feel--"
    "Ray?"
    "What?"
    "Shut up."
    We got the hamburgers out of the car and climbed on top of the hood to eat them. The metal was hot since the car had been in the sun all day, so we had to get off after a minute or so. Ray moved the car to a spot of shade and we tried again. I lay on top of my jacket and rested my back on the windshield. Ray did the same next to me. It was strangely comfortable if I ignored the wiper digging into my back.
    Ray and I looked out over the field, munching on our hamburgers. We could see the farm in the distance, and a few small black and white dots where some cows were grazing. A fresh breeze was blowing, making the tree branches rustle as they moved. A few insects were buzzing somewhere. Perfect summer day so far.
    "This hamburger's great," I said, my mouth full.
    "Told you," Ray answered. "I get one every time I come over here."
    "Can't believe you kept this place all to yourself," I grumbled.
    "It's our place now," Ray said. "Nobody else knows about it."
    I smiled. "Our place."
    We ate the rest of our hamburger in silence. I was thirsty, but the only water bottle in the car was all warm and gross. I'd have to wait until it cooled or we returned to civilization.
    "You want to see the cows up close?" Ray asked me when we were done.
    "What?"
    "The cows, over there."
    "Just randomly go look at them?"
    "Why not? We just need to get closer."
    "You mean go past the fence?"
    "Yeah. Come on, it'll be fun."
    "I don't know. What if they see us? What if we bother them or something?"
    "We won't die from a cow attack. Come on!"
    He basically dragged me off the car and insisted until I agreed to go. I put our garbage in a little bag and dumped it in the back of the car.
    "Come on, Jeff!"
    "Okay, okay."
    We crossed the field and approached the barbed-wire fence. Ray slipped inside confidently, widening the gap between two wires. I hesitated, but followed him in.
    "Come on," he said. "The cows are over there."
    "What are we going to do when we get to the cows?" I asked him.
    "I don't know. We'll think of something. Hurry!"
    I felt like a criminal trespasser, skirting through a field of corn with waist-high cornstalks, and once I got a spider on my arm as I followed Ray through the maze of plants. It was sort of fun, though; I had to admit it. The cows were closer now, too. I could see them just ahead, and even heard one moo.
    Grrrr...
    "Ray?"
    "Huh?"
    "What was that?"
    "What was what?"
    Grrrrrr...
    "That."
    "What do you mean, Jeff? Come on, we're almost there."
    Grrrrrr...
    A grey-and-tan boulder by the wooden fence that enclosed the cow pasture was making the noise. I stared. Then we broke out of the corn field, and the boulder moved.
    "Ahhhhhh!" I yelled. "Ray, look out!"
    The boulder was really a dog, the biggest, meanest dog I'd ever seen in my life. It ran at us, snarling, its teeth clearly showing and a murderous look in his eyes.
    "What?" Ray said.
    "DOG!"
    "Ahhhh!"
    I ran. Ray ran. We plunged right back into the corn field and it was like one of those chase sequences in a horror movie. We could hear the dog crashing through the field, invisible under the plants, growling at us, and we ran ahead as fast as we possibly could. Adrenalin gave me a lot more strength than I thought I had, and I was actually keeping up with Ray this time. Not that it mattered. The gigantic dog was closing in.
    We stumbled out of the corn field and ran right for the barbed-wire fence. I could hear the dog behind me but I didn't turn to see. I couldn't. All my attention was focused on that fence, chest-high, no time to climb over it or through it without seriously hurting myself...
    "Ow! It bit me!" Ray yelled. I looked and saw the dog had a strip of fabric in its mouth from where it had bit through Ray's jeans. I was horrified.
    The fence was close now. The dog way closer.
    "Jump it!" Ray told me, running ahead. The dog followed him. "Jump the fence!"
    "What?!"
    Ray didn't hesitate. He ran right up to the fence and vaulted over it, jumping higher than I would have thought possible, his feet clearing it cleanly and landing on easily on the other side.
    I saw the dog slide to a stop. Saw it turn to me.
    "Ahhhh!" I yelled, ran the last few feet, and jumped. I sailed through the air as a very surprised dog looked on, and I insanely thought I was going to make it.
    Then my foot caught on the top wire and I came crashing down on my face, but thankfully on the other side.
    "Ow!" I cried out. Then I heard an uncertain growl behind me and I crawled away from the fence.
    "Jeff!" Ray said. "Are you okay?"
    He offered me his hand and I took it.
    "Ow," I said, cradling my left elbow. I'd fallen over it and it hurt. "I'm fine, I think. You?"
    He pointed to the left leg of his jeans. The fabric was torn, but he wasn't hurt.
    "He nearly got me," Ray panted.
    We both looked at the big dog right on the other side of the fence. My chest was heaving with the effort of the run. The dog was looking at us curiously, sniffing the air. Then it decided everything was okay and left, trotting away.
    Ray and I looked at each other. Then we broke out laughing.
    "Oh man!" Ray said. "I thought he was going to kill us!"
    "And he nearly got you!" I said. "How on earth did you jump clear over that fence?"
    "I don't know! You should have seen your face when you fell, though. It was so funny!"
    We laughed hysterically for a minute or so while I tried to get over my near-death experience, and then finally calmed down enough to walk back to the car.  I needed to lie down. I climbed back onto the hood and stretched out.
    "Ouch. My arm is all sore," I protested.
    "And least he didn't bite you," Ray said.
    "Yeah, I guess."
    "I told you it would be fun to go look at the cows."
    "Wait a second!" I exclaimed. "It was your idea! This is all your fault!"
    I sat up on the hood and punched Ray in the shoulder.
    "Ow."
    "There's more coming. You almost got us killed."
    "Ow!"
    I punched him a third time, but on the fourth swing he caught my wrist, laughing.
    "Stop it, Jeff! I apologize, okay?"
    I shook my hand free of his grip and pushed him over the edge of the hood. He slid off before he could get a grip and crashed down on the grass.
    "Ouch!"
    "You deserve that!" I called from above.
    "No I don't!"
    Ray stood up and pulled me off the car. We went tumbling down on the grass, fake-wrestling, and I ended up on top of Ray, looking right into his eyes.
    I forgot all about my arm hurting then. I leaned down and kissed him.
    I got hard almost immediately. I kissed him deep, eager again, and I could tell Ray was as horny as I felt by the way he responded. I felt the bulge between his legs grow hard, straining against his jeans; he held me tight to him, prolonging the kiss, and his tongue sought mine. He was passionate and a little rough in the way he kissed me back, his lips pressed against mine, his hands tugging at my shirt, going underneath it and caressing my smooth skin. In that moment, I felt connected to him in a way I wouldn't have thought possible before today. I knew he desired me as much as I desired him.
    We broke the kiss and Ray yanked my shirt over my head, throwing it somewhere. I did the same with his, kneeling on top of him as I pulled, seeing how Ray's hard abs contracted as he sat up to let me pull his T-shirt off. Then he lay back on the grass and I ran my hands over his torso, feeling the harness of his muscles, the soft patch of hair that grew over his chest. He pulled me to him and we kissed again, me lying on top of him, feeling the touch of our bare skin on each other, his warmth, and the eagerness of his hands as they touched me.
    I kissed him long and deep again, and then I drew back and explored his body with my mouth, wanting to get to know every inch of his body. I felt the roughness of his cheek where his beard was just growing, then the smooth soft skin of his neck. I brushed his Adam's apple lightly with my lips and Ray shuddered with pleasure when I ran the tip of my tongue from there and down to the hollow of his neck.
    "Oh, Jeff..."
    "Does it feel good?"
    "Yeah..."
    I went further down. It was my turn to work his sensitive nipples as he had done with mine, and I didn't hesitate. I licked the one on his left side, drawing circles around it with my tongue, feeling the hardness that betrayed Ray's arousal, and with my other hand I caressed his other one like he had done to me. Ray's response was instantaneous. He moaned and arched his back a little, encouraging me to keep doing it. I worked his nipple with my tongue, then decided to use my teeth a little bit, pressing down on the tender flesh, and Ray loved it.
    I switched sides then, but this time I ran my free hand down over Ray's crotch, feeling the hard dick beneath his tight jeans. He moaned again when I pressed harder on his bulge, and after a few moments of feeling the shape of Ray's big cock through the fabric, I decided it was time to go for it.
    I drew back and used both hands to unbuckle Ray's belt. It was harder to do than I'd thought, particularly as horny as I was, and Ray had to help me unbutton his jeans. When that was done, I unzipped him quickly and pulled his jeans off, right along with his underwear. He kicked off his shoes and lifted his legs so I could pull them clear off--and then Ray was completely naked, lying on his back right before me. My dick gave an eager throb.
    He was so beautiful. The way his big, hard cock rose up over his belly, the head already slick with precum; his hairy balls hanging between his legs, begging me to touch them, to fondle them in my hands; but most of all, the look Ray gave me right then. It was almost electric, and inviting, and when he spread his legs a bit so I could reach his cock better I wasn't really thinking anymore. All I knew was lust, the pounding of my heart, and overwhelming desire for his body.
    I leaned down and grabbed Ray's cock with my hand. It was the first time I'd actually grabbed his hard shaft and it was amazing, stiff and big. I began to jack him off using my hand, watching the expression on his face, the way he sighed when I increased the speed. At first it was a bit awkward for me trying to find a way to grip his cock right, but when I found it I began to jack him off hard and fast, encouraged by the way he moved, the way his hips rose and fell slightly in time to my hand's firm, hard grip.
    I kept it up for as long as I could, using my other hand to touch his balls, running my fingers over them, cupping them in my palm and then gripping them tight until Ray cried out with pleasure. He was loving it, and me right along with him. I didn't slow down. I pumped his shaft until it looked like Ray was getting close, and only then did I stop. I didn't want him to come yet. I wanted him in my mouth.
    When Ray saw me leaning over, his eyes went wide with surprise. I just grinned and wet my lips, his dick less than an inch from my face. I leaned closer, parted my lips...  and I took Ray's dick into my mouth.
    Ray gasped with pleasure, and I was lost in the sudden sensation of feeling him with my tongue; the unexpected, wet smoothness of his precum-slick mushroom head, the warmth, his taste. Ray tasted amazing. I ran my tongue all over the head of his dick, feeling Ray shiver below me, and it felt incredible. I began to use my lips like I'd seen him do, drawing back and then taking him in, and Ray reacted immediately murmuring words of pleasure and saying my name as I sucked him off. He grabbed my hair at some point, but I almost didn't notice. All I could think of was the way he tasted, the way his cock slid right into my mouth. His man smell was in my nostrils, and I inhaled deeply of it, my own dick as hard as a rock.
    I took Ray's big dick a little deeper after a few minutes, but when I tried to take it in all the way I almost gagged. Ray pulled me back softly and shook his head, knowing I wasn't ready for that. I was a bit disappointed but I began to suck him off more fiercely to make up for it, running my tongue up and down his shaft, then taking his dick in my mouth again and again using my warm, moist lips to give him as much pleasure as I could. I bobbed my head up and down, jacking the base of his cock with my hand as I worked, and I felt Ray's shaft grow harder in my mouth, saw his balls retract against his body. Soon Ray began pumping his dick into my mouth, thrusting up fast, panting, grunting with pleasure. I used my tongue on the underside of his mushroom head as I took it in, letting him fuck my mouth however he liked. He was close now, and I knew it. I wanted him to come in my mouth.
    He grabbed my hair with his hands and tugged on it, thrusting frantically, moaning with pleasure, and his shaft was deep in my mouth when he suddenly tensed up and grunted deep in his throat. I felt him throb between my lips and then he came.
    He dumped his load right in my mouth. I felt the spurts of hot liquid hit the back of my throat, and my tongue, and then my face when Ray pulled out, shuddering, giving it all to me. As soon as I saw it I couldn't hold my own load in any more. I hadn't even taken my dick out of my pants, but seeing Ray come all over my face and tasting his hot cum on my tongue made me so horny that I rubbed my cock once, twice through my jeans and then I was suddenly coming, spurting my own load right inside my pants. I swallowed Ray's cum as I emptied my balls, relishing the taste, bending over to lick the last drops of cum off Ray's cock. I finally shuddered to a stop, spent. Then, for a few moments, we just lay there, breathing heavily, Ray with his eyes closed and a blissful expression on his face. I was smiling as I looked at him.
    "Wow," Ray whispered, opening his eyes to look at me. "That was... it was... wow."
    I wiped Ray's cum off my face. "Yeah."
    "That was amazing, Jeff," he said, reaching out to me. I took his hand and lay down next to him, on the warm grass. "That thing you did with your mouth... it was amazing."
    "You mean it?"
    "Yeah."
    He held me for a while, looking up at the sky. Then he started, as if he'd just remembered something.
    "Jeff! Did you... um... did you finish, too? I was so blown away by what you were doing that..."
    "I did," I said apologetically. I hadn't wanted to spoil the moment but the wetness in my underwear was getting a bit uncomfortable. "I sort of came in my pants."
    Ray looked at me, eyebrow raised. Then he burst out laughing.
    "No way!"
    "Hey!" I protested. "I didn't have time to pull it out!"
    Ray laughed some more, rolling around in the grass, completely naked. I chuckled. It was sort of funny...
    Ray stopped laughing eventually, and tossed me my shirt. He kissed me again, holding me tight.
    "That was amazing, Jeff," he said sincerely. "I'm glad I've shared this with you."
    "Me, too," I told him. He looked at me tenderly, and all I saw there was love.
    "I should probably put on some clothes," he said after a while.
    "And I should probably change out of... you know."
    Ray chuckled again and picked up his clothes. I couldn't help checking out his ass when he bent over to get them. He was so hot I couldn't help feeling another little twinge of desire.
    A few minutes later, I had changed out of my wet underwear and was basically going commando in my jeans. Ray had put on his now very rumpled clothes, and we hopped back into the car to go back home; it was almost four-thirty and I had to get there by five.
    Ray started the car and turned to drive off.
    "This place was incredible," I said, looking out the window.
    "I knew you'd like it, Jeff. We can come here whenever we want to be alone. It's our place now."
    I turned on the radio, smiling. Ray drove off, heading back home.
    We didn't speak much on the way back, but we did look at each other every now and then in an intimate, knowing way. It was funny, but I no longer felt like I had to talk about something amusing just to keep a conversation going like I'd felt earlier, driving to the diner. After what we'd shared together, I now felt as if Ray and I had reached some other level in our relationship. He hadn't said anything about it, and neither had I, but I knew that we weren't just best friends anymore. Things had changed.
    We reached the town soon enough. I took advantage of Ray stopping the car at a traffic light to sneak in a quick kiss. Ray jumped a bit in his seat, surprised, and kind of looked around to see if anyone had seen us. Then he smiled at me and drove on when the light changed.
    We stopped at his house and stepped out of the car. It was four-fifty according to my watch.
    "You want to come in?" Ray asked me as he locked the car.
    "Can't. Got to walk that dog."
    "Oh, right. The dog thing. Well then... do you mind if I come with you?"
    I beamed. "No! That's great!"
    "Alright. Let's go."
    We picked up the dog, Mars, at Mrs. Wheatley's and took him for a walk in the direction of the park. He was a very energetic dog and really eager to go; he kept pulling on the leash, once even dragging me forward with him several steps, which made Ray laugh.
    Eventually we got to the park, and Ray and I walked side by side, stopping every now and then so Mars could sniff out something interesting until he was convinced it was okay. There were a few people around, some walking their dogs, too, and most of them I knew, if only by sight. I walked a bit closer to Ray. I wanted to take his hand, but I didn't know if it would freak him out.
    "Looks like Mars hasn't been out in a long while," Ray commented, watching Mars tug on his leash to get to a promising patch of grass.
    "Yeah," I said distractedly. Just do it, Jeff. Hold his hand.
    "How much is Mrs. Wheatley paying you for this, again?"
    "Huh?" His hand was close. Just do it naturally... damn it. I couldn't bring myself to do it! What if he panicked?
    "I said, how much are you getting for this? Do you have to walk him for half an hour or something, or how does it work?"
    I took a deep breath, reined in Mars so he would stop straining against the leash and reached for Ray's hand.
    He tensed up right away, surprised. I grabbed his hand a bit more firmly, my heart going about a mile a minute. He looked at me, kind of gave a jerky nod with an uncertain smile... and we kept walking.
    Wow. He was doing it! He was actually holding my hand in the park! Nobody was looking our way, true, but I was blown away even so. I seriously had thought Ray would have freaked or something, but now...
    I was practically walking on clouds. I even slackened the lock on the leash so Mars could run free a little further away. He wasted no opportunity doing so and tried to go sniff another dog's butt. I smiled and gave Ray's hand a little squeeze. He was really tense, and he looked like he was two seconds away from panicking, but he didn't let go of my hand, and that spoke volumes.
    We had turned and were headed for the fountain in the middle when we heard the voices.
    "Ray! Hey, Ray!"
    "Dude!"
    Ray yanked his hand away and wheeled to see who was coming so fast it looked like someone had spun him around, scaring him to half death. Which wasn't too far from the truth, judging from the terrified look on his face as the group of guys got closer. There were four of them; I didn't know their names. Running ahead of them was the girl I'd seen with Ray at the Starbucks the other day.
    "Ray!" she called, arriving before the others, half-trotting the last few steps to where we were standing. "Finally! Why did you turn off your phone? We've been everywhere looking for you!"
    "Uh... hey, Janice," Ray said, like he had forgotten how to speak properly.
    Janice. An alarm bell rang in my head. I was about to ask when the rest of the guys caught up with us.
    "Dude!" one of them said. He was wearing a horrible green jacket. "We're gonna be late! What the fuck are you doing here in the park?"
    "What?" Ray asked, eyes darting all over.
    "Uh, the game?" another guy said. I'd seen him at school, football team I think. "Remember? Come on, we got to get driving if we want to get there on time."
    "It's today?" Ray asked them.
    "Dude, you bought the tickets," green jacket said. "We'd have left already but you have them. Been trying to reach you all day!"
    "Yeah," Janice joined in. "Where have you been, Ray?"
    "Um..." Ray mumbled, and looked my way.
    Everybody seemed to discover I was standing there then, and the looks they gave me weren't friendly. Particularly the one Janice gave me.
    "What's he doing here?" she spat, and walked right up to Ray. She slid her arm around his waist and kissed him.
    In the lips.
    I think I dropped the leash. I must have. I heard Mars run away, but I didn't care.
    Ray didn't move. He didn't tell her to stop, didn't say anything at all as she held him possessively and the other four guys looked on. Janice looked at me with a little triumphant sneer and steered Ray away.
    "Let's go, Ray," she said. She planted another kiss on his cheek, still looking right at me, leaving a lipstick mark.
    And Ray followed her. He let her take his hand.
    I felt as if somebody had suddenly slapped me with no warning, so hard that my head was reeling. Time stopped for me. I opened my mouth but no sound came out. I couldn't blink, couldn't react... and then the shock of it finally broke, right along with my heart, and I turned away, running, escaping blindly through the park.
    "Jeff, wait!"
    I didn't stop. I only ran faster, shoving somebody out of my way, stumbling through the grass, jumping over a fallen log, going anywhere, running as fast as I could away from him. I couldn't believe it. I couldn't even understand it. All I felt was sudden, devastating pain.
    I was crying as I ran, but I didn't notice until I heard myself sob. A runner stared as I streaked past. Then I saw a flash of tan running right at me, and I remembered I'd let Mars go. He was following me, though, barking, running and about to catch up. I heard voices behind me. I didn't turn around. I stopped only to snatch Mars's leash when he stopped in front of me and kept on running, heading back home. I wanted to be alone. I wanted to disappear.
    "JEFF!"
    I ran away from the park grounds, my tears blurring my sight. I tripped over a sidewalk as I crossed a street and went down hard, yanking Mars's leash without meaning to and making him yelp. I stood up, not even minding I'd scraped both knees even through my jeans and they stung, and kept running until I got to Mrs. Wheatley's, panting, out of breath and trying as hard as I could to stop crying. I didn't succeed at all.
    Mars ran ahead as we were going by his house and the leash slipped from my grasp again. He ran off in the direction of my own house, down the street, barking excitedly.
    I groaned. I'd half a mind to just leave him, but I'd promised... I hurried after the dog, trying to catch my breath, and thought I was going to lose him until a guy came unexpectedly out of my house and, surprised, called the dog over. Mars hesitated, then came to him.
    I didn't even know who he was or what he was doing in my house. I didn't care. He looked up at me as I ran up to them, was about to say hi or something and then he saw I was crying. I yanked the leash away from him, muttered thanks and walked the dog back to Mrs. Wheatley's. I rang the bell and tied the leash to the doorknob without waiting for her to come out. Then I left.
    I went back to my house, trying to wipe away the tears, but more kept coming. I saw my dad was by the door with the other guy I didn't know.
    "Hey, Jeff," he called. "This is Chris, your guide. Remember he was going to come and--"
    I shouldered rudely past them. Dad called me out but I ignored him. I kept going. Then I slammed the door to my room and heard him apologizing downstairs.
    I didn't care what they thought. All I could think of was Ray. His betrayal.
    Again.
    I threw myself on my bed and cried in earnest. How could he have done that? How could he have lied again? And after we... No. I couldn't even think about that.
    Some time later, Dad knocked on my door. I told him to go away. I cried some more. An hour, more; I don't know. I didn't go down to dinner. I just lay there.
    Eventually, it got dark; by then the sheets were wet with my tears. My phone rang a couple times. I turned it off.
    My world had seemed perfect just a few hours ago... everything in it had been right.
    Now everything lay in ruins.
   
   


Chapter 8 will come out next Tuesday!