Chapter 81

Laura worked late one night and it was dark when she got to the parking garage in the basement of her building, where only a few cars were left. She was a little nervous, and stepped quickly, looking around herself, into the shadows. As she slid her key into her doorlock, she heard some scuffling, and muted whimpering, about fifty yards in back of her.

Then a tiny yelp escaped, a women's desperate voice, and more scuffling. Oh god! she thought, peering into the darkness. Then another muffled yelp, and a sound like clothing being torn. Oh god, somebody's being raped! she thought.

She had a can of pepper spray in her purse for just such a moment, and without even thinking, she reached for it and dashed toward the sound. It took her only seconds to get there.

It was Sholandra, bent back over the hood of her red Miata. The rapist was on top of her, his cock jammed up into her, thrusting savagely, holding one hand over her mouth, and bending her arm up behind her back.

She was whimpering and struggling, and again without thinking Laura let out a blood-curdling scream and hurled herself onto the man, kicking and scratching wildly. Startled, he pulled back, and she let him have it in the face with the pepper spray.

The man let out a tortured cry, flinging his arm up over his face. Then he quickly pulled up his sagging trousers and ran. It was all over so fast that both Laura and Sholandra were left panting, staring into the darkness where the man had fled.

Sholandra was crying. Her clothes were ripped, and she was half-naked, but Laura didn't even notice. First she hugged her, then she pulled her up.

"Come on, we're getting out of here," she said.

Sholandra, for all her usual defiance and snide wit, obeyed completely as Laura took her quickly back to her own car. Only as Laura began to drive away did she speak.

"My... car," she whimpered softly.

"Leave it here," Laura said firmly. "We can come back for it. I'm going to drive to the police station so you can report this."

"No," Sholandra shook her head, tears beginning to pour down her cheeks again. "No no."

"We have to."

"No, I can't. Please... Laura."

Grimly, Laura drove to her own apartment and took Sholandra upstairs. She herself had been raped, by Yvette's husband, and by Rina's boyfriend. She knew how it felt, how Sholandra felt.

The fact that she had earlier wanted to fuck this beautiful girl totally disappeared as she made Sholandra a hot bath, then tucked her into her own bed, warmly dressed in a flannel nightgown. She had not looked once at the girl's delicious naked body, taking brusque and no-nonsense precautions to avoid doing so, and making them clear to Sholandra.

Looking up at Laura from under Laura's bedcovers in Laura's bed, wearing Laura's nightgown, her eyes watered again. "Thank you," she whispered.

"It happened to me," Laura said, softly.

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Would you pour me a drink? I don't think I'll be able to sleep without a drink."

"Of course."

Laura made a drink for Sholandra, but none for herself. They talked briefly, and Sholandra fell asleep. Laura slept on the sofa. In the morning when they got up to go to work, there was tension again. Laura guessed it was because they had spent the night together in the same apartment. Sholandra had even slept in Laura's bed.

"I have to go home to change my clothes," Sholandra said.

They both regarded the shreds and rags of her clothes where Laura had dumped them by the door. Sholandra burst into tears again at the sight of them. Laura put one arm around her.

"It'll take a while," she said. "You can wear some of mine home. I'll take you to your car. I'll come home with you, if you want."

"Would you? I hate being such a baby, but..."

"Of course I will."

In Sholandra's apartment, Laura felt very uncomfortable. Sholandra was in her bedroom, presumably putting on some fresh clothes. But Laura couldn't help remembering the last time she was there, and how the sexual tension had been almost unbearable. She had wanted Sholandra, while Sholandra had wanted to tease and reject her.

But now Sholandra was grateful, even slightly sheepish.

"I... wanted to ask you where you got that... thing, whatever it was, that you sprayed at that guy," she said, averting her eyes.

Laura hugged her again, this time more gingerly, not wanting to seem to be taking advantage of the moment, or Sholandra's weakness. Then she quickly dropped her arm.

"It's pepper spray. I was raped twice. I got it then. Just in case. Tell you what. At lunch time today we can go get you some. I have to replace mine anyway, now. How about it?"

"Would you? I mean... do that for me?"

"Of course."

Now Sholandra was embarrassed by her emotions, and they dropped the subject. Later, at lunch time, they did go together to the store where Laura had bought the pepper spray. Walking back, Sholandra asked her, "You were raped?"

"Yes."

"I guess I can see why. I mean, you may like girls, but they wouldn't know that. Or care, I guess. And you're really beautiful."

Laura said nothing.

"Did they hurt you?"

"Yes."

"God."

They walked on in silence, causing many stares, since both were stunning.

"Did he hurt you?" Laura asked softly.

It was softly said, but Sholandra suddenly and unexpectedly burst into tears. She stood on the sidewalk, sobbing, leaning against a light stanchion. Not wanting to hug her in public, Laura put a comforting hand on her arm.

"Oh god... I'm sorry," Sholandra wept.

"You'll be okay," Laura murmured. "You will."

In a moment Sholandra got control. She wiped her eyes. They walked slowly back to work.

"She got her boobs pumped up, did you know that?" Sholandra sniffed, asking a bizarre question out of the blue.

"What?" Laura said.

"That model you look like. Stephanie Seymour. She had a boob job."

"So I heard."

"I can't imagine why. Her boobs are probably already great."

Laura blushed. It was almost as if they were talking about her own breasts. She wondered why Sholandra was rattling on about this.

"I wouldn't know," she said, vaguely.

"I've thought of it," Sholandra said. "Mine are kind of small."

Laura realized that Sholandra was looking sideways at her. She also realized suddenly that their relationship had taken on a whole new dimension. Not only the rape, but now Sholandra was talking to her about their breasts. That could have never happened earlier, when Sholandra had been so hostile. What is happening here? she wondered.

She smiled at Sholandra. "Mine aren't really big either. But no one's ever complained."

Their eyes met, and Sholandra didn't turn hers away. Instead, they smoldered briefly, locking with Laura's, and Laura felt stirrings of sexual excitement. Then Sholandra looked away.

Back at work, they parted smiling, businesslike again, no hint of the brief waves of heat that had passed between them on the sidewalk. But Laura couldn't help watching Sholandra as she walked away, her eyes fastened on the girl's marvelous, shapely legs and swaying bottom. And she knew Sholandra knew she was watching, for Sholandra seemed to walk extra slowly, giving Laura the complete show.

A week later they were thrown together in a meeting, which lasted very late. It was eight o'clock when they were both walking to the parking garage.

"I took a taxi to work for a while," Sholandra said. "I couldn't bear the thought of parking here. It scares me even now. I'm glad you're walking here with me."