Chapter 1

Here is the next chapter. However, I’ve also massaged chapter one, and you may want to reread it. Chapter three is under way, and I hope to have it ready by the middle of the week. As always, many thanks for your interest in my stories. Stacatto

LJ glanced at his watch, realized how late it was, took the last sip of his drink and sat the empty glass down on the bar. Sliding off his bar stool he felt he’d killed as much time as he could, and it was time to head home.

Home! What a dismal thought. How one could consider a dinky one-bedroom apartment as home was really stretching the definition. But since he couldn’t come up with another word, home it was.

Moving towards the door, he waved good night at the bartender and as he stepped outside and onto the parking lot, he noticed a couple standing close to his parked car. Walking towards them, he could tell there was an argument under way and then he saw the man reach out and grab at the woman’s blouse. When she tried to pull away, it tore. LJ heard the tinkling sound of buttons torn from her blouse hitting the asphalt, and when the woman tried to move away, LJ saw the flash of the feeble light on metal, the man was holding a knife. The couple didn’t see him coming and LJ watched the man grab har arm and use the tip of his knife to open the front of her bouse. The material easily parted and because she was braless, her breasts were now exposed. LJ had a moment to notice their nice size before he called out, “Stop!”

The man spun around holding the knife in a fighting position. “Get the fuck out of here before you get hurt asshole.” His words were slurred, and it was obvious he was drunk.

“Let the woman go.” LJ demanded.

“Fuck off.”

“Let the woman go, or else,” LJ was starting to get angry.

“What are you going to do butthead?”

LJ had seen the man during previous visits to the bar and knew the man to be a drunk who was often in trouble with the law. LJ had never heard that the man was aggressive with women but tonight proved differently. LJ responded, “I’m not gonna to do a thing, but the police officer there is for sure going to arrest you.” LG pointed behind the man’s back. When the man turned to look, LJ made his move. Slapping at the man’s hand holding the knife, he knocked it out of his hand. LJ felt a sharp pain on the top of his right hand but ignored it. Taking a step towards the man, LJ leaned back and head-butted him as hard as he could on the man’s face. Blood and snot flowed down the man’s face from his broken nose. When the man clapped his hands to his face LJ kicked him hard in the balls. The man crumbled to the ground.

LJ turned to the woman, “Are you okay?” The woman nodded, “Do you have a way home?”

“No. He offered me a ride home and when we got out here, he started to paw me. You saw what happened.” The woman tried to hold what was left of her blouse closed but one breast still peeked out.

“Can I offer you a ride home? What’s your name?”

“Victoria, but my friends call me Torie. And yes, I could use a ride home.”

“People call me LJ. It stands for Larry James. They know me inside if you are worried about me. My car is over there.” LJ stretched out his hand to point and for the first time he noticed the deep cut across the back of his hand. Torie saw the wound at the same time and gave a slight cry. “You’re hurt.”

“It’s OK, Let’s get you home.” LJ pulled out a handkerchief and wrapped his hand.

“What about him?” The Torie pointed at the man slumped on the ground.

“Do you want me to summons the police?”

“Not really.” She indicated her torn blouse, “After what you did to him it’ll be a while before he wants to go out in public.”

“The next time I’m here,” LJ motioned towards the bar, “I’ll tell the bartender about this. Now, let’s get you home.”

LJ pulled up in front of her apartment and got out to go around and open her door. Walking behind the car, he noticed he was stumbling. Opening the passenger door, he also noticed his handkerchief was dripping with blood and realized he’d lost more blood than he thought. Torie recognized immediately something was wrong and slipped under his left arm, “You’re coming in and I’m gonna to look at your hand.”

LJ tried to make light of his situation and quipped, “What are you, some kind of nurse or something.”

Her voice was no nonsense, “Yes, actually I am! I work the ER over at Happy Valley General. Let’s go and look at that hand”

Torie helped LJ to her place and even though he was hurt, he still noticed with his arm over her shoulder, one of her breasts was nestled in his hand. Trying to keep the situation light, LJ wisecracked, “I really enjoy holding a woman’s naked breast, but I didn’t realize I had to go to this much trouble.”