Thanks to Barney R for the editing. As always, I had to mess with it some more. There all mistakes and omissions are on me

It started with an evening at the club. It hasn’t ended yet.

I met Helen Witmore at the country club when I was 20 and a junior studying financial planning and business administration at the University of Michigan. She was 18 and was being presented at a pretentious little affair that was supposed to mimic the old south cotillions.

I am George Clelland my friends call me Geo (pronounced Joe), 6’ 0”, 175, blue eyes, and blond almost white hair. My father had died in an on the job accident, and my mother had gotten a very large settlement from the company. She set up large trust funds for my sister and I to cover our educational costs and what left to be ours when we reached 30 years old. She put the rest in a trust for herself. Then she married Asshole. I believe that he married her for her money. I know he was very pissed off that it was tied up in our trust funds. Mom had had good advice.

It was spring break, and I was at the country club instead of in Florida or Texas because my Asshole stepfather was the chairman of the club that year. He insisted that the whole family be there; it didn’t matter that only he golfed or played tennis and that we were discouraged from being at the club any other time. Gregory Mason (Asshole) was a manipulating piece of shit that my mother had unfortunately fallen for.

I was the Junior Master of Ceremonies (another pretentious piece of the Asshole’s warped mind) and because of that, I had to escort each of the young ladies through the archway into the ballroom. Helen was the last one through; as my stepfather did the planning and he wanted us to become an item. Greg was trying to negotiate a partnership with Helen’s father.

I had a couple of minutes to talk to Helen before I had to escort her through into the ballroom. She was upfront about how much she felt that she was being used to push the partnership. She told me that her father told her to schmooze me to facilitate the negotiations.

I laughed and said; “Ma’am, you’re preaching to the choir. This is the first time in 18 months that I have been here without having to wash dishes. I am a junior in college and my step asshole insists that I work here every time I am home from school.”

I continued, “I try very hard to not come home, but this time I could not avoid it. I had a couple of internship opportunities, so I had to be home to go to interviews.”

Helen went on to tell me that she was a senior in high school and upon graduation, she would be moving to Ann Arbor, Michigan to go to the University of Michigan to study. She had not totally decided on what she wanted to study, but she was interested in some of the things she had seen in her father’s business. So she thought that accounting or business management would be interesting.

About that time we were introduced and I walked with her into the ballroom. The band was striking up the first dance number and it was a number that could be waltzed to. I asked Helen if she would honor me with the first dance.

She agreed and laughingly asked if I was part of the conspiracy.

I said; “Only if you want me to be. I find you very attractive and I would like to get to know you better. I would not and will not assist my step asshole in any of his schemes.”

We ended up dancing together most of the night. The only dances I missed were when Helen danced a couple with her father and one with Asshole. I asked for and got her phone number and a promise of a chance to go out some evening during my week-long break.

The partnership idea sank like a rock when Greg got around to talking about it because he had no money or assets to contribute. Helen’s dad, Ralph, saw that he would be bailing out Greg from his mistakes.

My partnership with Helen did not sink. We went out that week to a nice dinner and during the summer break we went out every weekend and a few times during the week. We went to plays, concerts, dancing, and a few times, we just went to dinner and dancing.

When she arrived on campus, she asked if I would show her around. I did, and she was amazed that the campus was so spread out. She had been assigned a dorm room on the north campus, and most of her classes were there, but she had a Tuesday morning class on the main campus.

I was in an apartment building in the downtown area and there was a spare apartment that I arranged to get her to rent for the cost of her dorm room. I didn’t tell her I made up the difference. She was even reimbursed for the room costs as the University was short on space.

I was just a few credits from my bachelor’s degree and my MBA at the same time, so I had bought the building as an investment. It was a newer building about 1 mile from each of the two parts of the campus.

We dated the entire year but had not said anything about being ‘the one and only’.

When I graduated I was offered a teaching assistant position at the University and a position with a Detroit brokerage firm. I took the Detroit job, as the salary was more than triple what the school offered.

Helen went back home for the summer, and we wrote often. I also drove home most weekends as it was only a little over a two-hour drive. We dated for the first few weeks, and then Helen begged off on a date because she thought we were getting too serious.

I was a little sad that she had said that. I stopped coming home every weekend, and only made it twice more that summer. I did not call Helen after she turned down a date a second time. When she did that I decided to end it with her. I wrote a letter to her.

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I did not get a letter in return, but I did get a phone call from Helen’s father. Ralph asked what happened between his daughter and me. I explained that I really did not know, other then she stopped accepting dates with me. I went on to explain what I did know, and what Helen had told me.

I also explained that I was not against Helen dating others, but I thought that it was only common courtesy to tell me before I made the drive back home.

Her father said he was sad that it was over, and that he felt we were good for each other. Then he hung up.

Life went on and just before her semester break, I got a frantic call from a very drunk sounding Helen asking me to come and get her. She tried to explain where she was, but she did not know Detroit. I asked her to calm down and to look out the window and see if she could see any street signs or big buildings. She told me that she was in a building and that she could see many stories down to the Detroit River. As that gave me an idea where she was I asked if she could see any other buildings. When she told me there was a cylindrical building next door, I knew she was in the Renaissance Center hotel. I told her to calm down, as I knew where she was, and all she had to do was leave the room and take the elevator to the lobby. I told her to sit in the lobby until I got there.

Before I left, I called her father and told him what was going on. I drove to the downtown area and retrieved a very forlorn and sick girl. I took her back to my apartment and put her in my bed. I went into the living room and slept on the couch.

In the morning, she was none the worse for wear except for a major hangover. She asked where she was.

I snorted and told her she was now in the clutches of the abused rescuer.

That didn’t go over to well, with the throbbing head, she was not in the mood for humor.

I apologized and asked her what she remembered. She went on to explain that one of her classmates told her of the party and asked her to go. As it sounded OK, Helen agreed to go.

When she got there, she did not know anyone except her classmate. The girl immediately left Helen and went up to a guy and started exploring his throat from the inside with her tongue.

A man from the party came up and introduced himself as Jeff Commer. He offered her a drink. She had one drink and started feeling funny. That was when she called me. She did not remember going to the lobby, or me putting her to bed.

I told her that I suspected that this Jeff drugged her with either a roofie, ecstasy, or perhaps even a combo that might have included cocaine. I asked if she wanted to go to the emergency room and get a blood test.

She said she just wanted to go back to Ann Arbor. I took her back to her apartment and told her I would stay until she felt better as some of the possible drugs may have some strange aftereffects.

I again called her father and soft-pedaled her activities by saying she just had too much to drink. As I was hanging up Helen screamed from the bedroom.

I rushed in to find her naked and crying. She had bruises on her breasts and the inside of her leg. There was also dried semen on the inside of her leg.

Helen stood there and was crying. She said “I think I was raped. Look at me, and I did not have my panties when I took off my skirt.” She continued; “I was wearing panties when I left for the party.”

I went to her and held her until she stopped crying. Then I said; “Helen, I know that you would not do anything with someone you just met, but I want to warn you that unless someone at that party will stand behind you, this Jeff will get away with it. You went to the party willingly. Jeff will say you agree to have sex.”

“Now” I continued, “you need to let me take you to the emergency room and they can collect evidence, and check to see if there is any internal damage.”

She agreed. I took her University Medical Center. After the exam, the Doctor assured Helen that she had not been penetrated as her hymen was not ruptured. He said it looked to him like the man prematurely ejaculated on her leg.

He went on to explain that in the eyes of the police that was still rape, but if she did not want him to report it he would just write the report as bruising from a fall, and it would go away when the bruising cleared up. He assured her that there was no permanent damage; just bruising. The doctor said that if she had been roofied, that drug would not be in her system anymore. They were still checking for ecstasy and cocaine. He assured her that if she had been given either of those, the dose was small enough to not cause any future problems.

Helen told the Doctor; “I’m so glad my boyfriend came and got me. That is the last time I will go to a party without him.”

You could have knocked me over with a feather. Boyfriend, she called me her boyfriend!

When we were leaving the hospital, Helen took hold of my arm and hung on to it like I was going to leave her standing there.

I put my hand over hers and softly said; “Helen, I am not going to desert you. I heard what you told the Doctor. Do you want me to be your ‘boyfriend’?”

She was quiet, but for the first time since she woke up and asked me about the night before, she had a smile on her face.

She quietly said; “Yes, I meant it, but I didn’t think you would still want it. I not only want you with me, but I also want you only. I made a mistake last summer. I went out with a couple of guys because I was afraid of the feelings I have for you. When I got the letter, I was crushed. I have not gone out with anyone since. I not only want you to be my ‘boyfriend’, but I also want you to be my lover, my soul mate, and my entire being. Last night was a wakeup call. If you will still have me, I am here for you and only you.”

“Wow,” I said, hoping to lighten the mood. “You just said more to me then you have ever said. What do I have to do to stop that motor mouth? Would a kiss or a hundred do it?”

That got me punched in the arm. Helen said, “That hundred would be a good start. I want all of your kisses. I want all of your hugs and all of your love. Can we do that?”

I kissed her, but I did not answer.

After I took her back to her apartment; I left and thought about what my feelings were. She was the only person outside of my family who could seriously hurt me mentally. Hell, she already had, I finally realized that.

About 3:00 that afternoon I called Helen and asked if it was ok for me to come to her apartment. I said we had to talk about us.

I heard a worried sigh and she said sure, she would cook us dinner.

I made the drive back to Ann Arbor. When I knocked Helen came to the door dressed as if we were going out on a dinner date. She stepped aside and as I started past her I grabbed her and gave her a long hungry kiss.

I let her go and said; “Let that be down payment. I can see you are worried about what I am going to say. It is not bad my love. I want you, and only you. We can finish talking when you are less afraid.”

I got a million-watt smile. “OK. I can wait. Dinner is almost ready. Do you want a beer or a glass of wine?”

I looked at her and arched a Spock like eyebrow. “Didn’t you have enough last night?”

“Yes, I did, I’m not going to drink, but I bought your favorite beer so you can have one.”

“No, tonight I don’t want a beer, I am already high from your mere presence.”

That got me another punch and a great giggle.

I came back with, “I will give you 2 years to stop verbal abusing me or I will call the police.” Punch.

Helen sat me down at the table (after a very good kiss) and went about setting the dinner on the table. I don’t remember what it was because I was looking at her the whole time. It must have been good because my plate was empty when she handed me a beer and pointed to the living room. “Go” she said, “I will be there as soon as I load the dishwasher.”

I went in and sat in the large recliner she had there.

She came in and looked at me and waltzed over and plopped down on my lap. She kissed me and said; “What did you want to talk about now that you have assured me that it is not bad.”

I cleared my throat, hugged her to me and laid her head on my chest before I spoke. “Helen, I love you, I did not realize that until last night. When I saw how frightened you were when I came and got you, I knew I would do everything I could to protect you. I not only want to be your only, but I also want to be yours forever. I know it is too soon, but in the near future I will ask the question. Please remember you are the only person outside of my family that can mortally hurt me. Please don’t say anything yet, let’s rediscover each other first. Will you go to a concert at the Symphony Hall next Friday, there is a revival of the original ‘Riverdance’?”

She looked at me and smiled and said, “I would love to. There is something I need to say. I am a virgin; I have no sexual experience except fumbling under my clothes and above my waist. I have never even seen a real live erect penis. Will you teach me how to love? Teach me how to please you. Teach me how to enjoy us.”

I just laughed softly; “That thing you are squirming on with your gorgeous butt is not a cigar. When the time is right, I will do everything in my power to please you sexually. I am proud that you want me to be the one.”

I continued, “I think I should go now, I want you, but right now is not the time. When you feel it is the right time, and you know I won’t hurt you physically or mentally we will learn to please each other.”

I lifted her off of me and carried her to the door. I stood her up, wrapped my arms around her and kissed her a couple of times. I whispered my love and drove home.

Ralph called me the next night after I got off work and said, “You are now my third favorite person in the whole world. My wife is first, Helen is second, and because you have made her laugh again you are third. Thank you.”

“Ralph, I want you to know that I have told your daughter that I love her. If it is a choice between her and me, always save her first. I am nothing without her. When I went and picked her up I was so afraid she was hurt. She could have been hurt at that party. I got the name of the guy that drugged her. He doesn’t know it, but I am going to visit a world of physical and fiscal hurt on him. I am sure he does not know that he is one of my clients. His account is about to go into the tank, and I am going to do it legally. When I am done with that, I will have some of my friends deal with him. He will not hurt another woman if I can help it.” I added; “Please don’t let Helen know what I plan. I don’t think she realized that she told me who the guy was that drugged her.”

Ralph responded; “Call on me if you need anything I can help you with. That is my baby that bastard tried to rape. Yes, Helen related the whole story, except the guy’s name. I think you’re right, she probably doesn’t remember telling you his name.” With that he said his goodbyes and hung up.

Well, the ‘get Jeff campaign’ started the next day. I called a friend of mine that was on the Detroit Police Force. Det. Jacob Hirsh had lost a daughter to rape and a bad drug reaction. She was 14. When I went over what had taken place and told him the guy’s name. I found out the guy was well known, but because of his only raping at parties where the victim was there voluntarily. He always denied the drugging and claimed the sex was consensual.

Jacob said he did not need the details, but to make sure that whatever I do is legal. I assured him that everything I was going to do was legal.

I called Jeff and said that there had been an unusual transaction request that came into our office for a strange purchase from his account.

Jeff asked, “What purchase, I never authorized any purchase this weekend. Do not make the purchase.”

I assured him that I had killed the purchase, but I needed him to sign some papers to verify his verbal orders. We set up an appointment for that evening. We were going to meet at the RenCen, the place where he tried to rape Helen.

To further mess with his mind, I arranged with Helen to go with me.

The papers were mostly bogus, but one was to donate all of the proceeds from his account to the local battered women’s shelter. Yeah, it was technically illegal, but he was not going to complain because he was not going to know about it until it was too late. Another paper listed bogus trades that I would be making for him.

I know he did not actually rape Helen, but he would have. I hate rapists, because of what happened to Jacob’s daughter. My sister was snatched when she was 13 by a serial rapist got away before he could hurt her because he got a flat tire. She called the police and they arrested him and then discovered the bastard’s DNA for several unsolved rapes and he was jailed.