A Whore and a Thief

"Okay, he has a nine inch dick, and he can keep it up for three hours," said Claire. "Whip it out and let's measure it."

The guy, wilted in front of us. "You'll be bored with him in a week," he said. "So don't try to come running back to me."

"Sorry," I said. "I didn't mean to come between you two. I should probably go."

"Ray, what are you talking about?" she asked. "I've never dated that gorilla. I never would date that gorilla. He's one of the guys who throws a ball or catches it or something. The only things I know about him are that his family is rich and he seems to carry empty beer cans around with him so he can crush them on his forehead. Let's get our coffee."

I told Claire's friends that I had enjoyed meeting them, and they went their way and Claire and I went ours. We sat down and ordered and she looked across the small table at me and smiled. My IQ dropped forty points. I couldn't think of a thing to say.

"Ray, are you okay?" she asked.

I shook my head. "I practiced everything I wanted to say," I said. "But I can't think of a single one of them."

"Ray, I'm just a girl," she said. "And we kind of have a problem."

"What kind of problem?" I asked.

"That gorilla knows a lot of people. So you're going to have to hang around for a few weeks so I can prove him wrong," she said.

"I can do that," I said.

"In a way it'll be a good thing," she said. "That way most of the idiots who try to hit on me will back off."

* * * * * *

Claire

As I heard the sound of Ray's Mustang drive off, I reached for my cover-up.

"That man has no idea how scrumptious he is," said Betty. "Every year he gets hotter. And he loves you so much, Claire. You are so lucky. Over the past ten years the two of you seem to have become even tighter. Hey, I thought you were tanning?"

"Are you crazy?" I asked. "Do you know what the sun does to your skin?"

"Then why the hell are you out here, wearing a bikini that most twenty year olds would feel embarrassed about?" she asked.

"That's my way of taking Ray's attention away from my rival," I said. "I have to keep the amount of time he spends on that fucking car in check. So when he plays with it. I come out here in an outfit designed to break his concentration. Most of the time he never finishes washing that car and we end up back in the house with other things to do."

"But you're fifty, Claire," she said.

"I don't care," I said. "I love him so much. And every year it gets better. Do you know that when we first got together, I didn't even like sex? I thought it was just something women give their men to keep them happy. Don't get me wrong, I had orgasms. But it just seemed like too much emphasis to put on a couple of seconds worth of inability to control my motor functions.

I loved Ray, he wanted sex, I gave it to him. I gave it to him whenever he wanted it, however he wanted it. But after the incident...Everyone thought that Ray and I were fine. But it took a long time for us to be comfortable with each other again. It was mostly Ray. I forgave him for accusing me after only a few hours, but it took him a long time to get over it.

Ray has always had an inferiority complex. But he's especially bad when it comes to me. He used to ask me almost daily why I was with him. And now that I'm clearly on the way down, Ray still loves me so much that I can barely believe it. When that man looks at me, I can feel his love. It warms me and surrounds me like warm beams of sunshine.

The funny thing about it is that over the years as I've been going down in terms of looks, Ray has been getting better. But it doesn't really matter because it was never Ray's looks that attracted me to him. It was his kindness and the way he made me feel. I've told you lots of times about how Ray and I met and how we had coffee that first time. But after that first time, really from when he and I first spoke, I knew there was something there.

All of the odds were stacked against us. Ray was barely past twenty and I was approaching thirty. I had dated at least thirty or forty guys and had sexual relationships with nine or ten of them. I'd had a bunch of short flings, five longer relationships and been engaged twice. I later found out that Ray had dated only three girls and had sex with only two of them. I'd pretty much been through the mill and back. I knew what I wanted. I also knew that it probably wouldn't happen and had sealed myself off from love to work on plan B. Ray wasn't a part of my plan so he really threw me for a loop.

I figured at first that he and I would have coffee a few times where we could be seen and then I'd go back to normal. It didn't work that way at all. Before I knew it, Ray was showing up every day to carry my books. And he was so kind. He just threw off sparks like a new puppy. And our coffee dates, gradually became real dates at restaurants and going for walks.

And then I started having problems in math. My goal, of course, was to be a teacher. But I had never on any level been good at math. I figured with my Master's I could probably teach any subject in school. But Math was kicking my ass. Believe it or not, one of my friends had to remind me that Ray was an engineering major. As soon as I mentioned it to him, he set up study sessions and I slowly improved. Eventually I became fairly solid in math and felt better about it.

That was when some of my friends started to pester me about Ray. My friend Patty was constantly pestering me about him. I guess, I had intimated to her in some fashion that when I was done with Ray, I'd hook the two of them up. I remember that I had said it in the beginning because I figured that it would lessen the blow on Ray.

But the more time I spent with him, the more I wanted to. I ended up getting into an argument with Patty over him. She showed up for class wearing a blouse that was so revealing, that when she walked down the hall guys were walking into walls. Of course she put a sweater over it before we went into the classroom. But once we got out of class, her intentions became clear.

"Patty, what's with the hooters blouse?" I asked her.

"I just thought that someone might notice me more if I played up some of my attributes," she smiled. "Besides it's been months since this thing started, and you told me it would only be a few weeks. You have to be done with him by now. The sooner you break things off with him. The less painful it's going to be for him. He's a really nice guy, Claire. Why hurt him?"

"I know that I'm not involved in this," said Margaret, my other close classmate. "But, I agree with Patty. Claire, continuing to string the guy along like this is cruel. It's like a cat playing with a mouse before it kills him. The cat knows that it's going to kill the mouse. Anyone watching knows the cat is going to kill the mouse. Shit, even the mouse knows it's done for, but the cat just prolongs it out of sheer enjoyment."

"Claire, there are lots of your level of guys around us. Half of the jocks and rich guys here would give their left nut to go out with you. Shit, you're almost thirty. Some of the professors look at you like you're a steak and they've been eating only vegetables. You got everything you needed out of Ray, and more. Out of pure gratitude for his help in Math, you should let him go," said Patty.

Then Margaret, chimed back in. "What about the rest of us," she said. "Some of us aren't going to end up with the sports guys or the rich guys. For us a guy like Ray, who's smart and really nice, is the top of the line. But once you've broken his heart, he won't be good to anyone. The sooner you break things off with him the better."

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that as usual Ray was standing there outside of my lecture building waiting for me. I also notice Patty adjusting her blouse. Some women love competing for a man. Clearly Patty was one of those because her nipples had gotten so hard that they were showing through the blouse. Her boobs were large and beautiful. Ray didn't have a chance. I looked at my two friends. I didn't have very many female friends. My looks kind of made it that way. But at that moment I made my choice. If I had to choose between the two of them and Ray, they would lose.

As it was, there wasn't a battle. Ray, saw us, smiled at me and though I'm sure he saw them he barely glanced at Patty's display of boobage. I decided that he deserved a reward. So I gave him one and made either the best move of my life or the biggest mistake. As Ray reached out to take my books, the way he had so many times before, I just let them drop and stepped into his arms. I hugged him and almost went into shock. What I'd intended as a quick little hug, kind of like patting a puppy on the head as a reward for not shitting on the rug, sealed my fate.

As I hugged Ray, I felt it: I had dated, and been with guys who were, bigger than Ray. I had been with guys who were stronger than Ray. But I had never felt so loved and protected by any man outside of my own father. And my father might have come in second to that hug. I wrapped my arms around him tighter and held on for far longer than I intended.

A woman can tell a lot of things about the way a man touches her. It's like that old song, "it's in his kiss." The hug told me so much that words would never have conveyed. Ray was pretty obvious when he talked about how much he liked me. But I'd heard that from guys so often that it no longer registered. But when Ray hugged me, it spoke volumes. It told me that I had done again what I'd been guilty of from the beginning with Ray, I had vastly underestimated him. Sure Ray wasn't rich. He wasn't a star athlete either. He was decent looking but not a standout. But I was the most precious thing in the world to him. Ray would have probably given his life for me without thinking about it.

After that hug, my fate was sealed. There was no way I was letting him go.

"Wow, what brought that on?" asked Ray.

"I think a couple of people were watching us that needed to be convinced," I said. Ray looked around as he picked up my books. He never realized that the people I was talking about were Patty and Margaret, or that they were with us.

"Ray, do you and Claire have anything planned for Friday night?" asked Patty. Her tone was honeyed and soothing, but the look in her eyes was clearly an angry one. And that anger was directed at me, not Ray.

"Not that I know of," said Ray.

"Would you like to go to a party with me?" she asked. Even as she spoke she thrust out her chest making her prominent breasts even more prominent.

"What if someone saw us together?" asked Ray innocently. "Remember, I'm supposed to be..."

"So let me get this straight..." said Patty angrily. "You'd rather continue being her FAKE boyfriend, with ABSOLUTELY NO CHANCE of it ending well, than start a real relationship with me. Is that what you're saying?"

"Gosh, when you put it like that..." said Ray. "It makes me seem kind of stupid doesn't it?" Both Patty and Margaret nodded their heads. I think that on some level, they just wanted to see me not get a guy. And of course from the sinking feeling in my stomach I could see that I might. I wished with all of my heart that it wasn't this guy though. And again I had underestimated Ray.

"But stupid or not..." he continued. "I'd have to say...YES. I'd rather be her FAKE boyfriend, than your real one."

"Fuck you!" screamed Patty. "Fuck both of you. She's only going to hurt you. And you're so stupid that you deserve it. Someday you're going to realize that Claire isn't a real woman. She's like a doll. She's beautiful to look at, but she doesn't have any real feelings. You're wasting all of your emotions and love on something that will NEVER love you back the way you deserve. She's just going to soak up all of your worship, lead you around like a fucking puppy and then when you least expect it, she'll throw you away for her own selfish ends."

"Wow, that was dramatic," said Margaret quietly, as Patty stomped away. "I'll see you two later."

Patty's outburst had caused everyone in the area to stare at us. Ray walked me to my car. I could tell that he was kind of stunned by what had just happened. I was too. I was constantly underestimating Ray. I was so used to dealing with guys with big egos. That type of guy was what I usually attracted. Their big egos gave them the confidence to go after a woman. But it also meant that they wouldn't stand for being put down or made a fool of.

"Ray, we need to talk," I said. "Let's get some coffee."

"Is this the part where you tell me that I can't hang around with you anymore?" he asked as we sat down in the crowded shop. I laughed.

"Kind of," I said. "Ray, this is the part where we start over. You don't have to meet me outside of my classes and carry my books anymore, unless you want to. We don't have go places where we'll be seen. I'll go back to blowing off my stalkers myself. And if you want to ask me out, you can take me someplace because it's someplace that you want to go with me, okay?" He nodded but I could tell he was confused.

"So where should we go tonight?" I asked.

"Claire, we can't go out tonight," he said sadly. I was shocked. I had never been turned down before in my life.

"Do you have to work?" I asked. "Do you have a sick friend or family member?" He shook his head to both.

"Remember, you have that history test tomorrow. You aren't doing quite as well in that class as in some of your others and..." he said.

"Ray how do you know that?" I asked.

"I memorized your schedule. And I heard you and Margaret talking about it. History and math were your two weaknesses. Your math is much better now, but you need to study for history. A part of the problem is the way your brain works. I noticed it in math. You aren't the kind of student who memorizes things and regurgitates them. You need to thoroughly understand a concept to make it your own. But once you understand all of the factors, you're great. But history is mostly just learning and memorizing what happened and when it happened. So you're going to have to work at that one," he said.

I couldn't believe that my "Fake" boyfriend cared enough about me to really look beyond my outsides. Most of the men that I had been in relationships with had never done so. Once they got used to my appearance, they usually treated me differently. Everyone had their shortcomings and I was no different.

I sensed that Ray really wanted to spend more time with me. But he actually cared enough about me to put what he wanted aside, to make sure I did the things that would benefit me in the long run.

That Friday, Ray took me out. He got to pick the place this time. And we didn't go to a popular place on campus. He took me to a tiny, intimate restaurant called Maria's. Everyone there knew Ray. It turned out that he had once worked there and they loved him. We had a table on their outdoor deck under the stars. It was the most romantic evening I could imagine.

The only thing lacking about the evening was that Ray never even attempted to touch me. After that first hug, I was ready to ramp things up. But Ray, only glanced across the table at me shyly. An older, more experienced guy would have used that ambience to his advantage.

I also got to meet my rival for Ray's affection that evening. He picked me up in a red 1992 Mustang GT. I thought it was some kind of sports car but he explained to me the differences between sports cars and muscle cars. I could tell it meant something to him although it meant nothing to me.

At the end of the evening, I was ready for what came next. Ray walked me to my door, told me goodnight and turned to leave. The man had my hormones in an uproar and wanted to simply leave. I knew he was shy. But it looked like I wouldn't even get a goodnight kiss. So I grabbed him and pulled him to me. I initiated the kiss, but he took over from there. His lips gently caressed mine. He used just the right amount of pressure to make me want more. I pulled him in and opened my lips. His arms tightened around me enveloping me in that place where I felt so safe and so loved. The next thing I knew we were tongue wrestling and my knees were weak, he held me up though.

I was a healthy woman. And though I'd had sex many times, far more than Ray had, I was overwhelmed by that kiss. I was ready to fuck him right there on my porch. My panties were wet and I was feeling things that I had never felt before. Then through the fog of my arousal, I heard his voice; but instead of telling me that we needed to go inside to continue...

"Claire, I am so sorry," he said. "I guess it just got out of hand..."

I was so dizzy that I couldn't understand his words. He took my keys from my hand and opened my door for me. Then he practically pushed me inside my house. He closed the door from the outside and went home.

As soon as my head cleared, I showered and thought about our date. For most of my life, I hadn't been a particularly sexual being. But Ray had clearly started something in me. The problem wasn't with him, it was me. Ray, was clearly very susceptible to my outside appearance. I'd run into a few guys like him before.

In Ray's case, I could fix it. He was young. It seemed like the age difference between us was only five years, but those five years were almost a quarter of his life. There was also the fact that Ray, at least when it came to dealing with women, simply wasn't very aggressive.

Although we were in college, I was going to have to take Ray to school. He taught me math. The least I could do would be to teach him about women.

I called him. When he picked up the phone I could already tell that he was in full fledged retreat.

"Hi, Claire, I'm really sorry that I..." he began.

"Ray, shut up," I said. "I just called to tell you that I had a wonderful evening. The only thing that you need to be sorry about is that it ended a lot sooner than it should have. But WE can work on that."

Over the weekend, I didn't see Ray. He had to work at the plant on Saturday and had agreed to help a friend move on Sunday. But he called me at least a couple of times each day and I found myself looking forward to his calls but also looking forward even more to seeing him again.

On Monday morning we met for breakfast before my first class and he walked me to class. As he turned to leave, I pulled him into a lip lock and he again reduced me to jelly. I had trouble concentrating in class.

"Claire, I'm sorry I acted like such an idiot last week," said Patty. "I thought you were just stringing him along. I didn't realize."

"Didn't realize what?" asked Margaret.

"She's fallen for Ray," said Patty. "That's why she had no intention of giving him up."

"It's a shame that such beauty should be wasted on a grease monkey," said the booming voice of Rudolph Anderson, from behind us. He reached into the pocket of his expensive looking leather jacket and produced not one but two beer cans. He held one in each hand and crushed them one after another against his broad forehead. "Can your little grease monkey do that?" he asked.

"Why would he want to?" passed Margaret.

"Why would anyone want to?" asked Patty, shaking her head.

"Ray isn't a grease monkey," I said. "He's an engineer. He has a bright future ahead of him."

"But you could have done much better with me," he boomed. "But don't worry, I've found someone to fill my nights. You are no longer required. You'll regret blowing me off for that glorified mechanic."

"Rudy, how many women have you dated this year?" I asked.

"Probably a lot more than he has," spat Rudy.

"Exactly," I said. "Why would I want to be a tiny part of your life, when I can be all of his?"

"Do you have any idea of how much money my family has?" he asked.