Abby hadn't left the house since the new bill had been passed into law. It was commonly being called the "Women Are Property Bill". All married women became the property of their husbands and all unmarried women over the age of 18 became communal property. It was designed to encourage young women to get married rather than live a youth of "debauchery". Nobody had expected the bill to pass. Until it had.
The law had been passed 3 days ago. Groups were already preparing legal cases to have it overturned but that would take months. Many people believed the law would largely be ignored. But Abby was still wary of going outside.
She was 18 now. She was single. That made her communal property. If she went outside then any man could legally do anything to her. And there was nothing she could do to defend herself.
But she had to get to school. For the time being, women were still allowed an education, although many commentators believed that would change soon. Women would be forced back into housewife roles. No education, no jobs, no freedoms. Abby was optimistic that wouldn't happen. It was too dystopian. That was just too oppressive for America, the land of the brave and free.
She opened the door and peeked outside. There wasn't anybody about and the street was pretty clear. She didn't have a car so she had to take the bus to school which meant a short walk to the bus stop. Abby told herself that if anything weird happened then she would simply turn around and run home. She was wearing sneakers for a hasty getaway if needed.
As Abby walked down the street, she felt uneasy. It was as if someone was watching her every move. She walked a little faster, the sound of her sneakers hitting the pavement echoing in the silent street. She saw a man across the street and tensed up. As he drew nearer he glanced in her direction but did nothing. He went on by without issue.
Abby sighed and shook her head at her own silliness. Just because a silly new law had been passed didn't mean the country was going to descend into chaos. By the time she reached the bus stop she'd passed several men without incident and she was feeling calm and relaxed again. America had not turned into some dystopian movie setting. Everything was still fine.
Abby waited at the bus stop for a few minutes before the bus arrived. It was crowded, and Abby had to stand as there were no empty seats. She took hold of one of the metal poles that ran from floor to ceiling and dropped her bag at her feet. It was a half-hour ride to her college so she hoped a seat opened up at the next stop.
Abby looked out the window, watching the world outside pass by. Her thoughts shifted to history class. The subject had always fascinated her and she couldn't wait to dive into today's lecture.
Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt a hand brush across her backside. She quickly turned around, but the perpetrator had already disappeared. The small standing space was filled with people and it could have been any of them. It could even have been an accident. It was an accident, she told herself.
Then she saw a man staring right at her. The man's eyes were dark and intense. He was a tall, rakish man, with wiry arms and graying hair. A slight smile played at the corners of his lips. Abby quickly looked away, but she could feel his gaze lingering on her.
Abby's heart started racing as she realized that this wasn't just a misunderstanding. The man had groped her intentionally, and there was nothing she could do about it.
The bus jolted forward, causing Abby to stumble slightly. She felt a hand grip her waist to steady her. Looking up she saw the man from before staring back at her.
"Easy there," he said with a grin. "Don't want to fall."
"Thank you," Abby mumbled. She tried to step away from him, but his hand remained on her waist.
He reached down and took her left hand in his, lifting it up to examine it. "No ring?" he said.
"No," she said, shaking her head.
"But you are 18?" he asked.
Abby nodded and immediately realized her mistake. If she'd said she was 17 then the new law wouldn't have applied to her. She'd just told the man and everybody else on the bus that she was up for grabs.
The man's smile stretched wider. "There are probably a lot of men on this bus who would love to take you home and do what they want with you. Don't worry, stick close to me and they won't be allowed to take you. Those are the rules." He gave her a wink as though they were sharing a deep secret. Abby didn't even know if he was telling the truth, she didn't know the exact rules of the new law.
Abby looked up at the ceiling, not willing to meet the man's intense gaze. He took this as encouragement. His fingers brushed up and down her waist, inching closer and closer to her bottom with each pass.
"Please don't," she said meekly, trying to inch away from him. Her back hit the metal pole that was behind her.
"Hey, I'm looking out for you. It's only fair that you reward me for my services."
Abby looked around for help but the other passengers were making a point of looking in every direction but her's. Abby closed her eyes and desperately hoped the man would give up on her soon.
The man's hand slid from the small of her back to cup her ass. She was glad that she'd chosen not to wear a skirt but the tights didn't exactly restrict his access. Abby let out a small gasp of shock as she felt her ass get groped by a stranger, but a part of her was also a little fascinated. She'd never had this happen before and it felt kind of naughty. Her heart hammered in her chest and she bit her lip nervously.
He started to grope her ass more openly, apparently not caring if the others saw what he was doing. Then he slipped his hand under the waistband of her tights.
"Stop it!" Abby said desperately, wishing that she had not chosen to wear a thong. The man didn't listen. He grabbed hold of her ass cheek, his palm touching her bare flesh, and squeezed.
"Mmm, as firm as a peach," he said lecherously.
The man squeezed again, making Abby gasp. He seemed to have no intention of stopping. "I bet this peach would be even sweeter with a little juice in it," he said.
Abby felt her cheeks burn red with embarrassment. Before she could say anything the man withdrew his hand. She hoped that he was finished, that that was as daring as he was going to be. But this man knew he had the law on his side now and he was not done yet.
He fixed his stare on her breasts. "Those are some pretty big tits you've got," he said.
Abby felt completely and totally mortified as this wild man discussed her body in front of everyone on the bus. Her cheeks burned even more furiously and she averted her eyes again.
He reached out a hand and squeezed Abby's left breast through her tight t-shirt. Abby mewled in shock at the sensation. She had never been touched there before, not by anybody. And especially not by a stranger. The man groped Abby's breast again, squeezing hard. He kneaded and squeezed her soft boob, causing it to bounce delightfully under her clothes.
"What size are they?" he asked. Abby gulped, unable to speak, but the man was not going to accept silence. "If you don't tell me this will go much worse, and trust me, it can go a lot worse."
Abby drew in a deep breath, swallowing down her shame, and answered him. "34DD," she said quietly.
The man made a small moan of approval. Abby felt tears welling in her eyes at the indignity of the situation.
"Let's get them out for a proper look," he said. Grabbing the bottom of her shirt he pulled it upwards, exposing her bra-covered breasts. The cowards in the bus averted their eyes, nobody willing to intervene. There was nothing they could do anyway. Abby was a single 18-year-old. The man was exercising his legal right.
He reached behind her back and with a single movement, he unclipped her bra. The garment sagged and he dragged it up over her breasts, exposing them to the entire bus.
"Please sir, no," Abby said weakly, wishing for the ground to swallow her up. Even as she spoke the words she noticed a few of the other passengers looking her way. Their eyes wandered over her exposed flesh and she felt a small burst of arousal.