Introduction
As I have said in recounting several other of my 'sexual adventures', there have been all sorts of people living in and visiting the building in the time I have been here - and there are plenty of stories to be told about them, even the ones that I haven't been involved with personally - sexually I mean!
One of them I met just the once, and only for a couple of minutes - but he's not the subject of this story - the girl I rescued from his attempted rape is!
Brandy. Prior to that eventful few minutes I didn't even know that she had moved in to the place and as I do most of my work at home I usually know when people move in or out. But Louise and her daughter, Tricia, who had lived in the flat before, simply vanished one day and Brandy had replaced them without my even being aware of it.
I had been woken by screams echoing up the alleyway at the back of the flats. Thinking Louise still lived there and knowing it wasn't her voice, I didn't know which flat the sounds had come from. Sue was sleeping soundly so I didn't disturb her as I got up, pulled on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt then went cautiously down the stairs to investigate. I did notice that Louise's door wasn't properly closed, thought that strange but again, because I didn't know she had moved out and I knew it wasn't her voice that I had heard, I still went to listen at the doors of the other flats first. Nothing!
Then, from what I still thought of as Louise's flat, I heard a scuffling sound and finally went over to that door - and pushed it open. I must have looked as bewildered to her as she seemed strange to me - there was a girl in the hallway and, apart from the robe she was clutching to herself, she was stark naked!
Seeing me she screamed again and I recognised the voice as the one that had woken me. She was obviously terrified - her eyes staring wildly - and, though the circumstances didn't allow me a chance to get a really good look at her, what I could see of her body made me wish I could!
Just then, out of the lounge room came another stranger, a man - also naked, he was carrying what were obviously his clothes and - what was left of an erection.
Seeing him, the girl managed to find her voice.
'Please - help me! He was going to rape me!'
I didn't stop to wonder who they were, what was actually going on or what my chances were - I'm no fighter - I just flew at him. He was an older guy and having to hang on to his clothes put him at a disadvantage, that and of course the fact that he was totally unprepared for someone coming to the girl's rescue so unexpectedly.
Anyway, after a few lucky hits he decided to call it quits, slipped past me and ran out of the door, downstairs and out into the night. By then my adrenaline was really pumping and I would have taken off after him but the girl restrained me and later, wouldn't even let me call the cops, which seemed a bit strange at the time.
I stayed with her for a while, we had a cup of coffee together in her kitchen and she told me at least some of what had happened. When I thought that she had calmed down and had herself under control again I excused myself and went back up to bed, finding Sue still sound asleep, she hadn't even noticed my half hour or so's absence.
I was in the middle of getting my lunch ready the following day and starting to put my thoughts together for the article I was planning to write that afternoon, when I was interrupted by frantic knocking on the front door. When I opened it Brandy rushed inside, obviously very upset again and a bit out of breath from running up the stairs.
'I'm sorry John - sorry! I just didn't know anyone else. I think he's back!'
I knew who she meant of course and my first reaction was to go straight downstairs. But, like the previous evening she held me back, taking a minute or two to catch her breath before she continued.
'No, no - I think it might be all right - I actually think he might be moving!'
We went through to the lounge room, that overlooks the street and she pointed down at a removal van parked outside, into which some men were already loading furniture.
'Have you actually seen him?' I asked.
'No I haven't. I heard noises, saw his door open, the men moving about - and just panicked.
We watched as men came and went and after a while, when neither of us had spotted him, I went down and talked to them, finding out that they had just been given the key and instructions to move those things that they had listed as being his, out. When I gave Brandy the news she relaxed a bit but was still nervous that he might in fact put in an appearance during the removal, so I suggested that she stay and have some lunch with me, giving the men time to finish the job and go.
'It's only soup and rolls, I don't like a heavy lunch, I get sleepy afterwards and that makes it hard to work. But you're very welcome - I'd enjoy your company'
'You work at home? What do you do?'
'I write, free-lance - articles, short stories, advertising copy. It all depends on what's available some times.'
'But you want to write a novel someday - right?'
'I suppose so - one day - but it's not a driving ambition. Actually I prefer short story writing. Anyway, what about lunch?'
She agreed and brightened visibly as together we got the things ready. I admit I enjoyed watching her move around, she not only had a really great body, even her ordinary jeans and the loose-fitting top couldn't disguise that - but it was the way she moved, a bit like a dancer, conscious of her body, graceful and it was a pleasure just watching her do simple things and I found, pleasantly stimulating too!
We ate in silence for a while but then she re-opened the subject of my writing.
'What sort of short stories do you write?'
'A mixture of things. I like science fiction, stories with a bit of a twist to them, various subjects.' I thought for a moment or two. 'But I suppose there's a common theme in all the stuff I do - people. What makes them 'tick', what drives them? You know - human nature.'