I had the weekend to myself and an empty house to go home to, so I had spent the first part of my Friday night having a couple drinks with a few work friends. One by one, they dispersed, headed home to start their weekends. I was last out the door, in no great hurry to get home and wanting to let the drinks wear off before driving.
As I left the restaurant and strolled into the parking lot, I couldn't help but hear a heated argument nearby. I turned to see a young man and woman between cars about twenty yards away. The man held her by the wrist and she was attempting to pull away, yelling, "Let go of me!"
"Come on, girl," the man retorted, her arm firmly in his grasp. "Don't be such a bitch!"
"You need to let me go. You're hurting me."
I wasn't one to get involved in a lovers quarrel but this was obviously crossing the line. I altered my course and increased my pace toward the couple. "Are you okay?" I asked, looking at the woman as I approached.
"Mind your business, bro," the man grunted.
"I think you need to listen to the lady."
She pulled again against his grip but he held firm. "Let go!" she repeated.
I stepped closer but remained a good ten feet away, trying not to escalate matters and give him a chance to do the right thing. Instead, he yanked her closer and turned toward me. "Why don't you fuck off."
"How 'bout I call the cops instead?" I replied, holding my phone.
"How 'bout I fuck you up?" He let go of the girl and stepped toward me. He was a shade taller than me and, as typical, started to stand taller and thrust out his chest.
"Well then... I'd say you have two choices. One, you kick my ass and then go brag to all your dumbass friends how you beat up some guy twice your age. Or two, you keep this up and I kick your ass and then you get to deal with the embarrassment of getting your ass kicked by some old guy."
I was partially bluffing, knowing full well that I hadn't been in any kind of fight in decades. But I also knew this type of drunken blowhard and if need be, I had enough training in the service to hold my own if it came to it.
The guy stood motionless, weighing the options. The young woman looked frightened but also stood still, awaiting his next move.
"I'm putting my money on number two," I added, placing my phone in my back pocket. "What's it gonna be, tough guy?"
Maintaining his puffed out chest but in a mental retreat, the guy tossed the girl's wrist aside. "You ain't worth the time old man." He glared menacingly at me as he backed away, before turning. He walked over to the next car and opened the door. After firing the ignition he revved the engine before dropping it into gear, accelerating out of the parking space flying me the bird.
I watched as he screeched out of the parking lot, shaking my head. "A real class act," I said, waving in his direction.
"Thank you so much," the young woman cried with relief. She leaned against the car, her arms crossed over her chest. She was shaking. "I... I don't even know how I got to this point. He seemed like a nice enough guy at first."
I looked closer at her for the first time and gained some recognition. "Wait... Katie? Is that Katie Sommers?"
She looked up, eyes narrowed to a squint despite the near darkness. I could see by her confused expression that she didn't recognize me. But then her face softened and I could tell she knew who I was, if not by name. "Mr. Gorst!"
Okay, she knew part of my name. And then she stepped forward and embraced me in a hug. I held her and asked, "Are you okay?"
"Fine... just a bit rattled I guess." She let go and I stepped back to get a good look at her. "Thanks again though for that. Amazing what a few drinks can do to some people. Glad you came along when you did."
"I'm sure you would have given him a full volley to the junk if it came down to it," I replied with a chuckle.
Katie Sommers. I hadn't seen her since her high school days when she was the star forward on the soccer team and my daughter's teammate. Katie had made All-State and went on to play division 1 college soccer at Texas. Here she was, back home six years later.
She had filled out some and her hair was longer. In short, she was a beautiful, young, fit woman. She filled me in briefly about what she'd been up to and asked about my daughter who now lived abroad in Spain. It was growing cold, however, and I could see she was getting a chill.
"You probably need to get going," I said. "It's getting cold."
"No, I'm not cold," she replied. "I was just thinking... he knows where I live and I'm not sure I want to go back there right now."
"What about your folks. You should stay with them tonight and let them know about this."
"Oh, they're long gone. Retired to Florida."
"Friends?"
"I don't really have any close friends here anymore. We're all scattered."
I thought for a minute and then figured, why not. "I've got a big empty house. You're more than welcome to take refuge for the night."
"What about Mrs. Gorst? Where is she?"
"Girls trip this weekend," I replied with a drip of sarcasm. "You know, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas."
"Well then, if you really don't mind...you sure you don't mind?"
"It's settled."
---
After a meal and a couple hours more of catching up with Katie's college soccer career and budding career in coaching, she asked to use my workout room to do some yoga. My wife had a mat and Katie put it to use right away as I retired to the kitchen for a bottle of wine. After a half hour or so, I walked by to check on her. She was in a pose sprawled on the floor when I approached, then transitioned into another with her ass in the air directly at me. She had removed her button-down shirt and appeared now in a tight camisole.
"How's it going in here?" I asked. "You need anything?"
Katie stood up from her pose and turned to face me. Her cami top was tight to her chest revealing a beautifully round set of breasts and the hint of nipples poking through. Her midriff was bared and delightfully toned. The soccer star had become quite an attractive woman. I tried my best not to notice but there is no doubt she perceived my admiration. She took a final cleansing breath then smiled. She nodded toward the glass of wine in my hand. "You think I could have one of those?"
"Of course... yes... I'm sorry. I should have offered." I felt awkward, like I'd stuttered.
"You did. You just asked if I needed anything. A glass of wine sounds great."
I brought Katie a glass. She didn't bother putting her shirt back on which didn't bother me. She was a sight to behold. She took a seat in the living room and started to run through the channels on the TV.
"Listen... I'm going to take a few minutes in the spa before going to bed. Kind of my evening ritual. Help yourself to anything you want."
Katie perked up from where she was reclined on the couch. "Spa? You mind if I join you?" She paused before continuing, "Oh, never mind... I don't have a bathing suit."
"Well... you could check out my wife's suits. She has some hanging in the pool room."
Katie joined me in the spa about ten minutes later, apparently after a lengthy changing room session. She wore a bikini that I hadn't seen on my wife in some years, probably because it was rather small. Katie wore the suit well, other than the fact that her breasts spilled out the sides due to some sizing discrepancy. I wasn't complaining.
She sank down into the bubbles opposite from me in the spa and let out a relaxed sigh. And then we talked at length about various subjects, including my wife's trip to Vegas. She could tell it wasn't high on my list of discussion topics and that it bothered me. She let it go and we sat in silence for a while finishing off the remains of the wine.
Finally, I stood to start my exit, having enjoyed Katie's company and the occasional view of her rocking body. She remained submerged to her neck, looking up at me. "Ah, my knight in shining armor," she said, raising her glass. "Here's to you."