A note to readers: Rachel is physically based on Ana Cheri and Tina is physically based on Tianna Gregory. Additionally, all people in this story who have sex are over 18.
*****
I groaned inwardly as I pushed the mower through the lawn. Here I was, moved in to a new town with a mall and a great park, and I was stuck mowing the lawn. It wasn't that bad, in reality, being late August and all. The breeze was nice and the sun strong enough to give me a bit of a tan. I was starting a new school in a few days and a nice tan couldn't hurt my chances with the ladies, I guess.
My mom was out at work, even though it was Saturday. With my father passed away, money was on short supply. She'd picked up extra shifts at the hospital. The company owning the truck that had hit and killed my dad was slow-playing the trial and all the money my mother had saved was going to our lawyer.
It had been my mom's decision to move and I hadn't argued. There had never been much to hold us in our old town; small high school, few new faces, few changes. Our new town, though, was completely different. Three malls, two universities, and a huge high school, not to mention one of the state's biggest hospitals. Quite a different area and I was glad for the change. It would be nice to meet some new people.
A car door slammed and I looked up. Across from the backyard of the small house where my mom and I lived was a brand new duplex complex. Even the cheapest ones were more expensive than his house and those ones were on the far side of the lot. Those closest cost nearly half a million dollars and were, I had heard, decked out with some of the top-end finishes around.
The car in question was a Lexus, I could tell that even at this distance, but not the model. A young woman had gotten out of the passenger's side and was walking with the brisk steps of unhappiness toward the nearest building. The driver's door opened and a young man stepped out and began shouting.
I slowed and stopped the mower. I had wrestled on the varsity team at my old school from 8th grade to sophomore year, but dropped it after dad died. At 5'10", I was tall, but well-muscled from hours spent on the mats. I hadn't so much as stepped on a mat in months, but I remembered everything I'd learned and by the way the man was yelling at the woman, those moves might need to be used sooner rather than later.
The man managed to beat the woman to the door and grabbed her by the arm. I rolled my eyes. Why can't they ever just let the girl walk away? I thought, leaving the mower. I ran across the yard toward the fence, grabbed my shirt, planted a hand on top of it and vaulted over into the parking lot.
I was still a ways away when I saw the man raise a hand to strike the woman. I threw my shirt on as I raced across the parking lot.
"Hey!" I called out.
The man stopped, his hand having just begun its descent. He shoved forward and she banged her head.
"Who the hell are you?" he demanded.
Now that I was closer, I saw the guy wasn't much older than me, probably in college. I was eighteen, so I guessed the jerk was about twenty or twenty-one. He was bigger than me, maybe a football player, and wore a new Nike sweatshirt and sweatpants, as if he'd just left the gym. Even in the bulky clothing, he easily had twenty or thirty pounds on me. He had black hair and a five o'clock shadow.
"I'm the guy who was mowing the lawn when some asshole had to start shoving women around because he doesn't have the brains to use his words."
"Do you know this bitch?" he demanded, gesturing at the woman. I couldn't see her fully, but knew I didn't. I'd only been here for a few weeks.
"Not really, but it seems like you don't either, considering she doesn't want to be with you."
The woman lifted her head up, hand on her forehead. Even with her face partially obscured, I saw she was beautiful. But not wasn't the time to check her out. Whoever this guy was, he wasn't going to leave with just a little posturing on my side.
"How about you leave and we'll call it a day?" I offered. I took another step closer, not no more than ten feet away.
"How about you fuck off before I break your neck?"
"I'm not seeing that happening. Especially not with how you treated her."
"Listen man, I don't have time for your shit. This is between me and her. Now screw off or I'll break your nose."
"By all means try."
Fed up with the back and forth, the guy stepped away from the car and took a swing. I ducked easily and took a step back. I was already mad that this jerk was hitting women, so I figured I'd have some fun with him. I could tell from his one swing that he was an amateur fighter, but a big time bully. My favorite kind of person to put in their place.
He swung again and I sidestepped it, placing myself between him and the woman. He swung with his right again and this time I grabbed his arm, twisting it and slamming his face on the hood of the car. I quickly slid my right arm under his, putting him in a solid half-nelson hold.
"I think this is over," I said, exerting enough pressure for it to hurt, but not do any lasting damage.
My confidence nearly got me a broken face. With a surge of strength I didn't think the guy possessed, he broke my hold and spun around, his fist clipping my cheek as I jumped backward. Growling, he moved his right arm gingerly for a few moment before suddenly running at me. I moved just out of reach and tripped him, sending him sprawling. His face smacked the concrete and I planted my knee in the middle of his back, quickly putting a hand under his chin and pulling his head up, the other hand grabbing the bottom of his sweatpants and yanking his leg up. He was mine now. He'd only get out by breaking his leg or spraining his neck real bad.
"Now that you're in a better position to listen," I said, "I want to be clear about this. I live there." I pointed to the house next to mine. I didn't want the creep knowing where I lived, just that I was close. "It seems you're too stupid to leave the young woman alone, so I'm going to be spending more time in my backyard, doing unnecessary lawn mowing so I can make sure assholes like you aren't bothering her." The guy struggled a bit. I hooked my elbow under his chin and pulled his neck back a bit farther. "Please don't do this. I get that you're used to getting women, but this is stupid. Can we agree to call it a day?"
The guy said nothing for a moment before spitting out "Fine."
"Good. And just to level with you, I see you here again, I'm going to call the cops. My uncle stops by too often with nothing to do." It was a lie, but I figured I might as well try and press my luck while I had the advantage.
I got off the guy. He must have a pretty strong neck, because he slowed his dropping head before his chin could smack the concrete. I stepped back and he rose with a groan. He kept his eyes on me. "You fucked with the wrong guy, man," he said. "I'm a linebacker at the university."
"And you got taken down by a guy who did high school wrestling for three years. What's your point?"
"You're gonna get yours. One day. Maybe not today, but one day I'm going to kick your ass for this."
"Yeah, yeah. Got anything else to say?"
The guy bared his teeth in a silent snarl for a moment before turning and limping off, his phone immediately in hand.
I stood there, watching him put the phone to his ear and continuing to walk away. When he reached the driveway and disappeared from view, I turned to the woman.
She had stood up and was brushing the dirt from herself. After a few moments, she turned to me. My breath caught in my throat.
I've always been told it's inappropriate to stare, but this woman merited it. She was stunning. Long wavy auburn hair with just a hint of blonde highlights fell past her shoulders. Pale green eyes stared at me, her incredibly full lips slightly parted. Her makeup was faint, a little blush along her cheeks, a small amount of eyeshadow, and just a touch of lipgloss. I'd never seen anyone so beautiful. I glanced down and wished I hadn't. An unzipped light blue sweatshirt revealed a very tight super girl tank top, doing little to disguise her very full breasts and tight stomach. Below was a pair of tight yoga pants and I thanked god she wasn't turned around. Fighting my arousal was hard enough at the moment.
I swallowed.
"Thank you," she said after a moment. I saw her staring at me and realized I was still shirtless.
"I'm glad I could help. It seems like that guy's gone now."
She spared a glance down the parking lot and I got my first good look at her forehead. A good bump was developing there. It would bruise nicely.
"You should get some ice on that."
The woman brought a hand up to the bruise and flinched as her fingers brushed it.
"I don't want to be too forward," I said, "but it might be easier if I took care of it. My mom's a nurse, so I have a rough idea of what I'm doing. I promise I can talk better than the other guy."
Despite her pain she laughed. "All right," she said.
I hadn't noticed her purse on the ground when she went to pick it up, but then again, I'd been a bit late to the party.
She fished out a pair of keys from the Dolce and Gabbana pink purse and walked to the nearest condo. The dark wood of the door was in contrast to the white exterior and I was curious if the rumors about the top end interiors was true. She turned the key and opened the door. The rumors were bullshit. This place wasn't great, it was fantastic.
Dark hardwood flooring, a plush gray carpet in the living room to the right. Deep chairs and couches dotted the room and the immense TV was only dwarfed by the large hutch filled with photos of family and friends. Further back I saw a large dining table between the living room and a large kitchen. Even from this distance I knew the sight of high-end appliances and granite counter tops. At the back was a small eat-in section off the kitchen and a door to the backyard.
By the time I gathered myself, the young woman was already passing the dining room table. And like a magnet, my eyes dropped to her ass. Boom! Instant erection. There are those lovely Instagram pictures of those hot chicks who have great asses in the gym and this one was the rival of any of those. All muscle, the yoga pants did nothing to conceal its round firmness. I quickly adjusted my groin, glad I was behind the young woman.
"I think I have an icepack over here, under the sink," she said and I quickly caught myself and followed her.
Pulling out a chair at the dining room table, I went over to look for myself and found a small first aid kit. Popping it open, I grabbed the ice pack, one of the chemical ones, and popped the inner pouch, cold spreading in seconds. Wrapping it in a thin dish towel, I handed it to her.
"Thank you," she said and for a few moments we sat in silence.
"I'm sorry," she said, "but I realized I don't even know the name of the man who saved me."
My chest swelled a bit at being called a man and not a young man, but I found my words quickly. "My name's Luke Stevens," I said, extending a hand, which she shook with a surprisingly firm grip. "I live just on the other side of the parking lot, in one of the smaller houses there."
"I'm Rachel. I just finished up my student teaching and I'm looking for a full-time teaching job now. My parents cover most of my costs, but I took up a job tutoring the football players at the local university. Extra money never hurts and the head coach was going to put in a good word with the principals for me. Not sure of that now that you beat up his young star."
Damn ramifications. "I'm sorry -"
Rachel waved me off. "It's fine. He already sent the letter of recommendation. Besides, that jerk had it coming. He's been hitting on me way too long and could never pick up a hint."
"Too bad he couldn't be smarter. I think you're stunning." Maybe a bit much, but I was willing to throw a compliment her way. What's the worst that could happen?
Rachel smiled. "So Luke, I don't think I've seen you around here before. Are you new."
