I was at the gymnasium one evening. It was a Tuesday, and the gym is notoriously underused on Tuesdays. I don't know why, it just happens that way. This evening there were only a few people there, with me being the only woman. There were four men there. Three of them were standard gym rats. The fourth was a stranger and he looked as though he was a bit tough.
Did I say he looked a bit tough? I do tend to downplay things at times. This guy looked like a complete thug, the sort of guy mobsters would send around to put the frighteners on other frighteners. I'm not sure what it was about him, he wasn't scarred or anything, but he was frightening.
He was also watching me, I was sure of it. I didn't actually see him deliberately looking at me but I could feel it. It didn't matter where I was in the gym. He always seemed to have moved to another machine where I was in his line of sight. It became a little nerve-wracking after a while. It wasn't that he was making moves on me or doing anything overt, it was just that he always seemed to be there.
I flicked a quick glance at the gym-rats, just wondering if they'd be of any help if I needed it. The answer, I decided, was a resounding no. The tough looked as though he'd eat them alive and look around for seconds.
I am of the firm belief that if you're in an uncomfortable situation, get out of there. I am not one of those women who finish up getting assaulted because they were stupid enough to start quoting their rights and waving the women's lib banner. If there was likely to be trouble I wanted to be watching it on TV, thank you very much.
I finished of my exercises on the current machine and then headed over to the change room. A quick shower and I'd be out of there.
I was peeling off my leotard almost from the moment I walked into the change room, stepping out of it and tossing it onto the bench next to my locker. I was standing there in my gym bra and panties and I got a hell of a shock. The tough was in the change room. He'd followed me in and was leaning against the wall next to the door, watching me.
I just froze on the sport, petrified, eyes wide, looking at him.
"I want you," he said.
He had quite a nice voice, surprisingly enough. He looked as though his voice should sound like rocks rasping together, but he had a pleasant baritone. For some reason that nice quiet voice (he didn't speak loudly) made him seem all the more scary.
"I - I'll scream," I said weakly. Fat lot of good that would do. I'd already decided that the gym-rats would be useless and I couldn't see the staff fairing much better. Still, he probably wouldn't want to be too blatant about what he did.
"Really?" he said, sounding surprised. "Ah, why?"
Why?
"Are you kidding? You burst in here and threaten me and you wonder why I want to scream?"
"Ah, I actually walked quietly through the door and leant against the wall to present an unthreatening appearance. All I said was that I want you. You must be used to men thinking you to be very desirable. Why would you think that was a threat?"
"I'm in the woman's change room and you're in here suggesting that you want me. I'm not going to submit quietly to being raped. I'll fight and scream my head off."
"And so you should. Rape is reprehensible. I wouldn't dream of doing it myself. Ah, feel free to continue to get undressed. Female nudity doesn't bother me. In fact I quite like looking at it."
"Why the hell would I take of my clothes with you standing there?" I asked, feeling outraged. I also felt that I was losing track of this conversation.
"Well, it's a lot easier to have your shower if you get undressed first. I assume you were going to have a shower."
"Ah, yes, but. . ." I started, but he cut me off.
"There you are, then. You need to get undressed before you have it. And the clothes would get in the way of the sex, anyway."
"I have no intention of having sex with you," I said quickly.
"Why not?"
"I just don't want to. I feel that you're threatening me."
"I'm not. I'm just letting you know that I want you and am feeling eager to take you and feel your silky body wrapped around me, feeling the pleasure I can give you, giving me pleasure in return."
"And am I allowed to say no to this delightful offer," I asked, a tinge of sarcasm in my voice. I still wasn't sure that he wouldn't rape me.
"Well you're allowed to, I guess, but think of what you'd be missing out on. And think of how disappointed I'd be. You don't want to disappoint me do you?"