I was up in the mountains, taking a break from the everyday rat race. I had a week off and was going on an extended hike. The weather was good and the going was easy and I was enjoying myself, taking the time to do some photography along the way. Everything was sweet.
That is, everything was sweet until that damn storm blew up. It wasn't in the forecast, neither the immediate nor the longer range, but no-one had thought to inform the storm. I spotted the clouds boiling up between a couple of mountains and I knew, I just knew, that it was going to be a full thunderstorm, complete with floods of rain, bright lightning, and noisy thunder. I started looking for shelter.
I had one thing going for me - I knew the area. Where I was at the moment was at the foot of a double black diamond ski run. Seeing it was the middle of summer there was no snow and no skiers but the emergency accommodation for errant skiers should be available and I had a rough idea of where it was.
Even as I was approaching the skiers hut the thunder started sounding not too far off. The preliminary rain was heralding the main storm and I increased my pace. I also noticed that I wasn't the only one seeking shelter as the lights were on in the hut.
Good manners or no good manners I was not going to politely knock and wait to be admitted. I reached the hut, opened the door, and was inside even as the heavens opened in their full fury. Sweet timing on my part.
I was not greeted joyfully by the occupants. There were two young ladies in the hut. By young I was putting their ages in the nineteen or twenty mark. Quite attractive young women I might add although their clothing wasn't quite what you'd expect for young ladies caught in a thunderstorm in the mountains. Rather, they were dressed according to the forecast weather, and if anyone had the right to sue forecasters for wrong predictions these two did. Skimpy tops and Daisy Dukes style shorts. Lovely to look at and excellent for a casual hike -- in good weather.
Both of them were brunettes. They looked so much like each other that I was going with them being sisters. Not twins, as one looked just that bit older. They also looked rather startled to find their privacy suddenly invaded.
The startled look changed as they registered just who had invaded. I have to admit that I was a little on the large size, big and beefy, a very solid build. At a guess I'd say I weighed more than the two of them put together. Add a third young lady and I'd probably still have outweighed them. I was also probably as old as their combined ages.
Girl 1, the older of the two, dropped her startled look for one of horror. Not a fan of big beefy types barging in on her, apparently.
Girl 2 also dropped her startled look, replacing it with open curiosity with a touch of wariness.
"Good afternoon, ladies," I said with a winning smile. "Bit mucky out there, isn't it? I'm Alex. Please don't call me Al as it makes me think of Al Bundy and I am not like him. I hope."
"You can't stay here," snapped Girl 1. "We were here first. You'll have to find somewhere else to stay."
"In your dreams, kiddo," I retorted. "These rescue huts aren't exactly thick on the ground. This is probably the only one for miles. Don't worry, I'll only be here until the storm blows over. I'll probably be gone first thing in the morning."
"What? There is no way you can stay overnight. There's only one bed."
"I noticed but don't let it worry you. I have a sleeping bag which I will use. You girls can use the bed with my compliments. Introductions seem to be in order. I have already mentioned that I'm Alex."
"Brenda," said Girl 2, jerking her thumb towards Girl 1. "I'm her cousin, Rhonda."
"Damn. I guessed sisters. I hate being wrong."
"Well, first cousins is fairly close," Rhonda consoled me.
"But still wrong. Ah, don't think I'm complaining about your clothing as you both look very attractive but I expect that it is going to get a lot colder while the storm is blowing. Have you anything warm to put on?"
It was becoming increasingly obvious that they were starting to feel the cold, even if I was too polite to look at the evidence of it. Rhonda picked up what I meant, glancing down at her t-shirt and blushing.
"We have jumpers," she said quickly, turning around and reaching for her backpack.
The girls both produced jumpers and put them on. I looked at them and pursed my lips.
"Is that it?" I asked. "They seem a little flimsy to me."
"Well, we weren't really expecting a storm," complained Brenda. "You can't blame us for having the wrong jumpers."
"I have no intention of blaming you. However I'm up in the mountains for a week. It might pay you to put on one of my warm shirts or jumpers. I'd feel terrible if you froze to death overnight when I could have prevented it."
"There's no need, thank you," said Brenda while at the same time Rhonda gave an enthusiastic, "Yes, please."
I opened my pack and took out a flannelette shirt and a jumper. I tossed the shirt to Rhonda and passed the jumper to Brenda. She took it reluctantly, but she did take it. I was amused to see that my jumper covered Brenda down to her knees, covering more of her than a dress. Rhonda was quite happy with the shirt but only did up a couple of buttons. The shirt gaped enough to continue to show off what she had and she knew it.
"Do either of you have any food?" I asked. "There should be some supplies in the cupboards and I have some stock. Any volunteers to be cook. I can do it but I suspect that you'd wind up wishing I hadn't."
"Brenda can cook," Rhonda said quickly. "She likes to do it and is good at it. Why don't you move aside and we'll see what we can come up with?"
I obediently shuffled off to one side, produced a book, and started reading.
Brenda finished up serving us a decent meal. Rhonda was right, Brenda was a good cook. After dinner I scored points by helping with the dishes. After that I produced some cards and challenged the girls to a friendly game using matches for chips.
Brenda proved to have a mind like a steel trap, seeming to know where every card was. She won more often than not and slowly accumulated all the matches. Rhonda was a dunce, card-wise. Too rash, too easily bluffed, and totally unable to run a bluff of her own. She might as well have just shown us her hand at the start and passed over her chips.
"It's getting late," I said, fetching and unrolling my sleeping bag. "Are two going to bed as well?"
The girls looked at each other and shrugged. Brenda was starting to look rather nervous while Rhonda was playing a wait and see game. They both ducked into the small bathroom and after they came out I visited in my turn. When I came out the girls were both tucked into the bed. I noticed that they were still wearing my shirt and jumper respectively. Understandable, it was quite cold.
I unzipped my sleeping bag and flicked it open. Then I gave the girls a genial smile.
"So, do either of you want to join me in my sleeping bag for a little bit of cuddling?"
Brenda promptly gave me a horrified look, snuggling tighter into the bed.
"I'd rather die," she gasped, apparently rather sensitive on the subject.
"No need to go that far," I pointed out. "Just a simple no thank you would suffice. Even a no by itself would also get the message across. I take it that your answer is no?"
"Yes," she snapped.
"Now you're confusing me," I lamented. "Do you mean yes, no is your answer, or yes, you've changed your mind?"
She drew a deep breath and held it for a moment while she collected herself. Then she smiled.
"I mean that I have no intention of joining you in your sleeping bag, now or at any time in the future. Thank you for asking."
"Okay. It's your choice. It's just that I would consider it remiss of me not to offer a lovely young lady such as yourself the chance. You understand, I'm sure."
Rhonda, as far as I could tell, was very much interested. Not putting tickets on myself but I can tell when a girl is interested. I knew Brenda certainly wasn't, but Rhonda was another matter entirely. I turned to give her a quizzical look.
"She doesn't want to either," said Brenda, usurping Rhonda's decision.
"Um, yeah, like she said," said Rhonda. If Brenda hadn't been there I suspected that I'd have been on a sure thing. She was intrigued by me, wondering what it would be like with someone so much older and bigger than her.
"Are you sure?" I asked. "I know that I'd enjoy it if you agreed."
"You'd enjoy it? What about me," she demanded indignantly.
I shrugged. "That's never guaranteed, although I'd do my best."
She just laughed, shaking her head slightly. Definitely interested but needing an excuse.
"Well, would you be interested in a little friendly rape?" I asked her.
"What?"
"A bit of friendly rape. The rules are quite simple. I'm not allowed to use violence as such, just muscle. For example I can take your shorts down but I have to do it without hurting you at all. I'm not allowed to hit or anything like that. The rules for you are a little different. You're entitled to stop me any way you like with the exception of scratching and biting. That sort of thing hurts too much. If you change your mind after we start just call me a koala and I'll quit. May I suggest that you now forget the safe word?"
"And if I agree to this it's rape?"
"Certainly. You're not agreeing to have sex with me. You're just betting that you can fight me off. If you can't then that's too bad. Not your fault. You'll have tried. So how about it?"
We'd been talking in undertones and I don't think Brenda heard what we were saying. I suspected that she was about to get a shock. Rhonda flicked a glance at Brenda and then gave me a nod.
I smiled, took hold of her arm, and pulled her off the bed and onto the sleeping bag. She registered her protests most volubly, struggled (genteelly), and hit me. Before I could capture her wrists she hauled off and belted me across the face. It was my turn to be surprised as it sounded as though she'd nearly knocked my block off but I hardly felt a thing. She used a cupped hand, was my guess, all sound and no fury.