Chapter 2

The sunlight was just beginning to shine into the room as the first morning rays edged over the horizon. He heard someone moan; and feeling the pain in face and the throbbing in his head, realized that it was him.

'Where am I?' he thought as he glanced around the room. He had to turn his head to see what was to his left because he couldn't see anything out of his left eye. That's when he saw her, sleeping in the chair next to the bed.

'She's the one that hit me. I've got to get out of here.'

He threw back the covers and tried to get out of bed. He immediately stopped; first of all his head started pounding even harder than before and second he realized that he was completely naked. He pulled back the covers and tried to think.

All the movement caused Angel to wake up.

"Oh, thank god you're awake; I thought I was going to have to take you to the hospital," she said as she stood up and walked over to the side of the bed.

He laid there, panic beginning to overwhelm him. She was the biggest woman he had ever seen. She was not just tall, she was huge; her shoulders were wide, her arms were thickly-muscled, her tee shirt was straining to contain her chest and it appeared close to losing the battle.

An off-duty EMT that had been in the bar last night had told her to watch him for signs of a possible concussion. After examining him, he had told her that nothing seemed to be seriously damaged, that the only thing Angel had to watch for was vomiting.

"He's out cold now, he'll probably just sleep until morning, don't let him out of your sight until then."

"How do you feel? Nauseous?"

"How do you think I feel? My face hurts like hell and my head is pounding."

The words slipped out before he realized it; the last thing he wanted to do was to antagonize this Amazon of a woman.

"Do you remember what happened last night?"

"Yeah, you hit me."

"Yes, that's true. I'm really sorry about that. I thought you were one of the guys that tried to jump Gus. He was the big guy. I was just coming down stairs to get ready for my act when I saw the fight break out. I turned the corner around the bar just when he hauled off on you. I thought you were with them. Three guys that Gus works with followed him here last night after work and tried to settle an argument that started at work. I don't tolerate fighting in my place; it's bad for business. I threw them all out after giving them something to remind them about my rules. I was about to do the same to you when Dave yelled to me. I'm so sorry; I just couldn't stop in time. He explained to me that you were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. That's when I picked you up and carried you up here."

"Why am I naked?"

"I had to get you out of your bloody clothes before I could put you in my bed. Gus must have hit you right in the nose, because by the time I picked you up, the front of your shirt and your pants were soaked with blood right down to your briefs. I soaked your clothes in cold water and washed them last night. They should be dry by now."

"Can you get them for me?" He said holding the covers tightly up to his chin.

"Of course. I'll be back in a couple of minutes so you can dress. You know you have nothing to be embarrassed about. For a little guy you're packing a pretty good-sized piece of meat down there."

Angel laughed as she closed the door behind her. She went down to the basement, took his jeans and underwear and socks out of the dryer and his shirt off the hangar, and after checking for any blood stains, brought them back upstairs.

When she got back, she knocked on the door and found him still in bed.

"Here are your clothes; they're clean. I was able to get all the blood stains out. If you want, the bathroom is across the hall; feel free to take a shower, I'll be in the kitchen. I'll make us a pot of coffee."

Paul's brain was telling him to get up, get dressed, and get out; but he found her fascinating and wanted to learn more about this not-so-gentle giant.

He put on his underwear, picked up the rest of his clothes and headed for the bathroom. She had laid out a towel and a wash cloth for his use. Soon he was in the shower. The hot water felt good on his back, alleviating the pain from his body. When he was done, as he drying off, he examined his face in the mirror. His nose was swollen, but appeared to be unbroken. His left eye was completely shut and his cheek and jaw appeared to be swollen as well. One good thing was that he didn't appear to be cut at all.

After dressing he left the bathroom and walked into the kitchen, the aroma of fresh coffee and bacon and eggs overwhelmed his senses.

"I made us breakfast; I hope you'll stay?"

"Angel, it looks delicious, thanks."

She steered him to his chair and, before bringing his breakfast, examined his face.

"I'm afraid you'll be sporting a pretty nasty shiner for the next week or so. I'm so sorry. Here's some orange juice and a couple of Advil for the pain."

He took the Advil, washed them down with the orange juice, and looked over the huge plate of bacon and eggs that she placed on the table.

"Are you expecting anyone else for breakfast? That's enough for four people," he said with a smile.

"Not when you're as big and muscular as I am. I have to eat a lot just to maintain my muscle mass. I work out hard every day. Judging by your lack of muscle tone, you don't."

He watched in amazement as she took half of what was on the serving plate.

"I never was into sports and working out just doesn't interest me; besides I never seem to have the time."

"You have to make the time; it's good for you. Working out will keep you healthy, and based upon your performance last night, you certainly need it."

"Hey, that's not fair; both of you cold-cocked me if I'm not mistaken. I never had a chance to defend myself."

"In my case do you think it would have mattered?" she said as she stood and did a double bicep pose.

He gulped, awestruck at her massive arms and chest. "No, but I could have run; I'm really fast."

She gave a hearty laugh and sat back down.

"Angel"

"Please call me Ang, all my friends do."

"Thanks, I certainly don't want to be your enemy. Ang, can I ask you how you got so big and strong?"

"Sure; let me tell you about myself. I grew up in Southern California. Both my parents were into the physical fitness life-style of the area. They were both tall and good-looking and it seemed that they were always working out. I started out in gymnastics at a very young age. I developed a lot of upper body strength for a young girl. I was always challenging the boys in school to contests of strength. Whether it was arm wrestling, pull-ups or push-ups, none of them could keep up with me. I did gymnastics for a number of years until I literally outgrew it. I was heartbroken when they told me at the age of thirteen that I was too big for most of the events and not graceful enough for the others."

"What did you do then?"

"I still loved the fact that I was so much stronger than the kids I went to school with so I started working out with my mom every chance I got. My parents had built a pretty elaborate gym in the garage. They had lined the floor with mats and they had free weights, a weight bench, a chinning bar, a set of gymnastic rings, a heavy bag and a speed bag. My mother taught me how to do various exercises and also showed me how to box. She had belonged to a gym when she was growing up and had been taught by the local pro. She had never fought anyone, but knew a lot about it."

"Wait a minute; she taught you how to box?"

"Well, yes. She taught me how to throw punches, how to stand, how to move, and how to avoid getting hit. We even used to spar together as I got a little older. As the years went on I grew some more and got even stronger. Soon I was a lot bigger than she was and had to be careful not to hurt her. When I was a junior in high school, one of the football players ran into me in the hallway. He just bounced off me and fell to the ground. I offered him my hand to help him up, but because he was getting razed by some of his friends he slapped my hand away and instead started calling me names. At that time I was probably about six foot three and weighed over two hundred pounds. I shrugged my shoulders and started to walk away. He just wouldn't shut up, he kept calling me names, lard butt, freak, stuff like that. When you're different than everybody else, and you're only seventeen you're very self-conscious about everything. They were all laughing at me. I turned and walked right up to him and his friends and shoved him against the lockers. I told him to shut up or I'd shut him up. He pushed me back, his hands grabbing at my breasts. I started to beat him; it was only a matter of a minute and he was on the floor. I started walking away again when one of his friends jumped on my back. I shook him off and hit him three times. Then I turned to the others and started shouting for them to fight."

"That's when the Vice Principal came around the corner. After surveying the scene, he took me down to his office. I was lucky that I wasn't expelled or sued; I only got suspended for a week. The story spread like wildfire through the school. By the time I was allowed to return to classes, I had beat up half of the football team. After that, even if I had wanted to go out on a date no one dared to ask me. It seemed like no guy wanted to go out with someone who could beat the crap out of them. As a result of that, everyone was positive that I was a lesbian."

"I turned inward, became a loner in school, and spent all my free time weight-lifting and taking out my hostilities on the heavy bag."

"Gee Ang, that must have been tough on you. I had the same problem but for the opposite reason. Everyone in my school thought that, because I was small and slight of build and, shall we say rather pale, that I must be a homosexual. I never went out on any dates; no self-respecting girl would even give me the time of day from a romantic stand-point. I turned to my computer and learned everything I could about it."