Anna was pleased. This was her first date with Jack, but it had gone well. They had had an early dinner together at an inexpensive but nice sit-down restaurant (splitting the cost), then attended the concert at the local event center. The conversation at dinner had been pleasant and they had both enjoyed the music. Now it was time for him to drive her home.
She got into the passenger side and buckled up, and he started the car. "Thanks, Jack. I had a great time."
"I liked the band," he grinned. "You have good taste in music."
They chatted for a few minutes as he drove. Then the car pulled to a stop. Anna looked around, confused. "This isn't my house."
"We're going to have some fun here," Jack said. He unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned over to kiss Anna.
"Not on the first date!" Anna protested.
Jack's expression turned into a scowl. He grabbed Anna's purse and slammed it into her chest. While she was busy trying to get a grip on it, he undid her seatbelt and popped open the passenger door.
"What --" Anna started to say.
Jack shoved her out of the car, slammed the door shut as she tried to get to her feet, and drove off in a huff, leaving her stranded. She had no idea where she was, and there were very few lights. From what she could see, the area looked like a ghetto.
A voice sounded from behind her. "Fresh meat!"
Anna started to move forwards, but before she could take a step, an arm wrapped around her from behind. A hand clamped over her mouth as she started to be dragged backwards. She began struggling. Fists smacked into her flesh as she tried to get away. Then one fist caught her under the jaw as a second one smashed into her forehead, and she blacked out.
***
The three rapists dragged Anna's unconscious body into an alley. Suddenly the figure of the Ghetto King loomed up before them. Darius was a former football player, six-foot-four and 300 pounds of pure muscle. He also had guns and was very willing to use them. His family had lived in the area when it was still a decent neighborhood, and he wasn't about to live anywhere else. These streets were where he grew up, they were home. His mom and dad had died and left him the house, and he lived in it alone. He also walked the streets at night, completely unafraid. Everyone in the area knew him and he had massive cred: when he asked them to jump, they said, "How high?" His ten kills were five years ago.
"Put her down and leave."
The rapists lowered Anna's body to the ground and scattered. They'd try to find another victim tomorrow night.
Darius easily scooped up Anna's body. The skinny white girl was maybe half his weight, if that. She was about five-foot-nothing, with small breasts. What thickness she did have was in her hips and butt. The Ghetto King cradled her against his chest and walked back to his house. He locked the door behind him and stripped off the girl's clothes, carefully touching her everywhere to see if there were any broken bones. Having determined that she was just bruised, he drew her a bath and began washing her with a cloth. As he was finishing up, her eyes slowly opened.
The first words that emerged from Anna's mouth were, "Who are you?"
"I'm Darius, better known as the Ghetto King. Those rats would have gang-raped you if I hadn't been there. What's your name, white girl?"
"Anna. Thanks, Darius. Where am I?"
"My house. What were you doing in this neighborhood?"
Anna gave a quick explanation of her evening. Darius frowned. "What a fuckhead. If this Jack ever comes by here again I'll personally see to it that he ends up as fish food. Anyway, let's get you dried off."
Five minutes later, Darius had stripped down to his boxers. "I only have the one bed, but there should be room for two. Shall we rest?"
The bruised and battered Anna thought that was a fine idea. Still naked, she nestled her tiny body against Darius's massive one and passed out.
***
When Anna woke, Darius was already awake. After she did her morning routine, he directed her to lie back down in the bed. "You need several days of rest, minimum. That was quite a beating you took."
Anna's head still hurt and her body ached. She gratefully lay back down. Darius retuned with food, and the two of them ate. Then, after returning the plates to the kitchen, Darius joined Anna in the bed. She pressed against her rescuer, who quietly placed an arm around her. The two of them lay still: the silence was pleasant. Anna half-dozed for a while.
"I need to let my work know why I won't be coming in tomorrow," Anna mumbled.
Darius retrieved her phone from her purse, covered her chest, and took pictures of her, showing the massive bruising she had suffered on her entire upper body. Anna sent the pictures to her boss, who promptly told her to take the next week off to recover.
Darius put her phone back in her purse for her, informing her that he didn't want her to move unless it was necessary. He resumed his place in the bed, and Anna happily lay against him. He brought her food when she was hungry, and the two of them lazed Sunday away.
On Monday, Anna was more talkative. She asked Darius about his life. He explained that after retiring at 31 because his body couldn't handle the strain of the NFL any longer, he came back to his home turf to live out his life quietly. She explained that she was 10 years younger than him, and at 27, had a decent job as a receptionist, though she wasn't sure if that was going to lead anywhere. Anna was able to sit up in the bed that evening, leaning against Darius with her head on his chest, and the two of them watched a movie together.
On Tuesday morning, after the two of them did their morning routine, Anna broke into giggles.
"What's so funny?" Darius asked.
"Jack and his impatience. If he had driven me home, I would have invited him in. I didn't ask for a date out of the goodness of my heart: I haven't had sex in six months. Women get horny too, you know."
Darius chuckled. "That is pretty funny."
