Jenny's Man, Rachel's Hero

We watched her drive off before heading for my truck.

Jenny was quiet until we started driving.

"I'm worried about her, Connor. She told me about her husband, and there are so many red flags..."

"You think he's abusing her?"

"Not physically. Not yet, anyway. But he's cruel. Emotionally, I mean. You heard that phone call."

"Yeah I did. I couldn't hear him, but based on Rachel's reactions, he sounds like a douchebag. You think she's in danger?"

"No... Not yet anyway. She has a strong spirit. She has my number now too."

"How long have you known her?"

"We met the first day of first grade at Sunny Valley Elementary.

We went through grade school, middle school and high school together."

"Sounds like you guys were really close."

"We were. Very close."

"Ah."

Jenny looked out the window for a moment and took a deep breath.

"She was like... I don't know, my soulmate. We shared everything, clothes, shoes, makeup, homework, everything.

We went through everything together. She helped me buy my first bra. Her first period came a month after mine. She fought off bullies for me and I helped her pass her driving test.

She was my first kiss, and I was there when she lost her virginity. She held me after I got dumped by my first boyfriend.

"We started college together, and we dated for three years."

"So what happened? Is that where she met her husband?"

"No. She got a scholarship to an art school in New York, and I couldn't afford to leave."

"That must have been painful."

"You have no idea. But I told her to go. It was- The opportunity was too good to pass up.

I couldn't hold her back. I wanted to, but I just couldn't do that to her. I helped her pack and drove her to the airport.

I cried for a week straight. We got busy, she was designing clothes and I was studying antiquities. She met someone, and I had a couple of short term flings. I graduated and got a job. She met some wall street type, I'm assuming it was Dennis, and the next thing I know, she posted that she was quitting design to get married. About a month after that, she went silent. No facebook posts, no emails, nothing. Her phone number didn't work...

I hadn't seen her since the day I drove her to the airport."

"Wow. I had no idea."

"It's okay. I didn't talk about her because I have my life here. We have our life here."

"I get it. I have no problem if you want to hang out with her. The only thing I ask is that if you want be with- to see her, just let me know. You don't have to hide anything."

Jenny looked shocked.

"Connor! I'd never do that! I love you!"

"I know. But I wanted you to know."

The rest of the drive was silent.

Over the next six months or so, Rachel and Jenny were rebuilding their friendship. They'd meet for lunch, or go for drinks in the evenings when Dennis was 'working late'.

Jenny also made sure I knew where she was when they went out. I joined them occasionally, when I didn't have to open the dojo the next morning.

Sometimes Rachel would come over to our place for dinner and hang out. I didn't notice any sexual tension between them, but I did glimpse a wistful look on their faces sometimes.

I got to know Rachel a little better. She was funny and smart and we enjoyed getting into arguments about art and philosophy. We never discussed her home life though. That was between her and Jenny.

I also enjoyed looking at her. She was drop dead sexy, and I never missed an opportunity to check her out if I could get away with it.

She caught me once. I was looking at her ass as she walked by and she saw me. She just smiled and winked.

"If things had been different..." I forced myself to dismiss such thoughts. It would never happen anyway.

At least, that's what I thought.

It was mid-April when Jenny called me at the dojo. I'd just dismissed the evening class and I was putting the mats away to sweep up.

"Hey honey, I just got a call from Rachel."

"Is she okay?" My first thought was that her husband had done something.

"She's fine. Her husband is having a big cookout this Saturday, and he's invited a bunch of his buddies from work.

She's a bit nervous about them, and she wants us to come so she could have a couple of her friends there."

"Saturday? Sure, we can do that. Max and Tina can handle the dojo by themselves for a day."

"Great! Thank you baby!"

We chatted a little and decided on dinner before she drove home.

We drove out to Ocean Park. We found Rachel's place quickly, and Jenny texted her when we parked. My ten year old truck looked out of place next to the Mercedes, BMWs, Bentleys, and Range Rovers. I worried that some asshole might have it towed.

Rachel met us at the door and showed us inside. The house was huge. I could see Rachel's influence in the décor, along with a few things that were obviously her husband's choice.

"Hi Honey! Hey Connor, Come in! Everyone is out back right now. Let me get you a drink and I'll introduce you." Rachel was wearing a white blouse and a pair of tan shorts that looked like she'd painted them on. Jenny nudged my ribs and grinned at me.

Rachel led us to the kitchen and handed me a bottle of micro brew before she mixed a margarita for Jenny.

We headed out to the back yard. Dennis, Rachel's husband was holding court by the grill, waving his spatula around as he held court over his coworkers.

They were typical guys who worked the Finance District. Clean cut, pampered, and well dressed, working their way to top by climbing a pile of daddy's money.

Their wives and girlfriends were identical copies of Stepford Barbie, Gold-Digger edition.

Each came complete with bleached hair, fake tits, spray tans, and nose jobs.

Rachel led us over to the grill where we waited until Dennis finished telling his story, and the obligatory laughter from his cronies. He was a few inches shorter than me. He wore a pink polo shirt with the collar popped, plaid shorts, and deck shoes. He had brown hair, a typical side-parted-banker-guy haircut, and dull brown eyes.

"Dennis, I'd like you to meet my friends Jenny and Connor. I told you how I met them at the farmer's market, remember?"

Dennis looked me over. It was obvious that he wasn't impressed. My cargo shorts and t- shirt came from Wal-Mart, and my watch was a twenty dollar Casio.

He held out a hand. "Hey Connor, I'm Dennis. Good to meet you." He smiled but his eyes were flat.

"Likewise." I shook his hand. His grip was weak.

He turned to Jenny.

"Well hello there! I'm Dennis, it is so good to meet you!" He was practically drooling into her cleavage."

"Nice to meet you, Dennis. Rachel's told me a lot about you already." Her smile was fake and her voice stayed cool.

He just nodded, his eyes were firmly glued to her chest. I don't think he could have described Jenny's face at gunpoint.

I didn't like him.

Rachel stepped in and led us over to the buffet. We filled our plates and stayed with Rachel as she played hostess.

We didn't mingle much. The guys were smug, pampered, entitled brats like Dennis. The women looked bored or unhappy to be there at all.

As it turned out, Dennis was celebrating another promotion, along with a huge bonus he'd received for screwing some other company out a stupid amount of money.

I watched as Dennis went around to each of them to show off his house and new deck. He made a point of flashing his watch. I heard something about a Mercedes more than once.

We hung out and ate Dennis' food and drank his booze. I switched to water after finishing my beer.

Eventually, one of the frat boys fell into the hot tub after too many beers.

I pulled him out before he could drown. The party broke up after that.

Jenny and I were the last guests. I was just waiting for Jenny.

She and Rachel were deep in an intense conversation, and Dennis beat his chest at me and show off.

"So Connor, what do you think?" He waved his arm, indicating the house and yard.

"Nice place. Nice area, too." I nodded.

"Yeah, I had the deck built and the hot tub installed just before summer, cost an extra ten grand for the rush job, but it was worth it."

"It was indeed." I wasn't bullshitting. It was a really nice deck.

He pointed out a lot of things around the house and yard, and rattling on about how much they'd cost, but I wasn't really paying attention. I did get some amusement counting how many times he flashed his watch. I deliberately ignored it and enjoyed his frustration.

We walked back to join Jenny and Rachel at a table on the deck. I sat down next to Jenny and opened a beer. He sat next to Rachel and opened a beer.

He pointed to a small, separate garage.

"I had the separate garage built special. I've got a Mercedes AMG GT/R in there, paid two hundred grand for that car. She'll do zero to sixty in three and a half seconds!"

"Nice."

I tried to look impressed. Mercedes makes nice cars, but they're over rated and over priced.

I knew a couple of guys who could build a faster car for a tenth of what he'd spent, with a better sound system to boot.

"You ever take it on the track and really open it up?" I asked.

"Not lately. I'm taking Kung Fu, so that eats a lot of time."

I saw Rachel's eyes roll. Dennis didn't notice. If it wasn't about him, it just didn't register.

I pretended to be interested again.

"Yeah, I understand. I've studied karate myself. It's a big commitment."

His face lit up at that.

"Karate huh? Well I hold a black belt in Lightning Tiger Kung Fu. There's no style more dangerous!"

"I haven't heard of that one. I know some styles are more effective than others, but from what I've seen, once you get past a certain skill level, the style matters less than it would for beginners. Bruce Lee proved that."

Brad scoffed.

"The master would kick Bruce Lee's ass! He's unbeatable!"

"No such thing as unbeatable." I shrugged. There's always someone better, faster, or just luckier. It's the way of the universe."

"Not this time. Lightning Tiger style was created to be the ultimate fighting style, and the master could kick Bruce Lee's ass, even on his best day!"

"If you say so." I sipped my beer.

"I'm am not joking!" He sputtered. He was getting pissed off now.

"My master learned from Master Fong, and he created the style in Beijing fifty years ago. He's never been defeated, and some of his opponents wound up in the hospital!"

I'd heard this kind of shit from teenagers at the mall, or guys like Dennis.

I snorted, trying not to laugh. "You'd get arrested and sued for that nowadays, especially in this town."

Dennis glared at me and kept piling on the bullshit.

"Nah, they challenged him, and the ones that went to the ER tried to jump him. They couldn't touch him though. His style is just that good!"

"Well, there are a lot of styles out there, but there are a lot of factors that determine how a fight will go. In a tournament with rules and referees, style might be little more important."

"Well yeah, but Lightning Tiger is still better than Karate or any other style in history!"

"Maybe so, but if you're in a fight for your life, it depends on your desire to stay alive and how badly your opponent wants to kill you. In the end, it depends more on the will of the fighter than the style."

Norman's smile and 'good buddy' attitude vanished like a snowflake on a hot grill.

"You don't know shit!" he snarled.

"Eh, I dunno man. I've seen a few 'masters' get taken out with a lucky punch."

"Fuck you, man! You're full of shit! Tiger Style will put any opponent down, any time!"

"If you say so." I shrugged.

Jenny and Rachel held their own deep but silent conversation of eye rolls, nods, and head shakes.

I put my empty on the table and reached for a fresh one while Dennis fumed in his seat.

"All right Connor, you studied Karate. If you're up for it, I'll prove Tiger Style is unbeatable! We can go a couple of rounds. Just a spar, to keep it friendly."

I was in no mood for this bullshit.

"Yeah, no. I'm not here to get into anything, man. Jenny wanted to hang out with her friend and have a good time."

"Why not? We have one bout, and you'll see the power of a superior style."

This time, I actually felt Jenny's and Rachel's eyes rolling.

"Dude, chill. I'm not here to fight."

"Fight? What fight? It's just some sparring! Let make it interesting- Winner gets a thousand bucks."

"I don't need a thousand bucks that bad. It's too nice an evening. Look around, we're sitting on a beautiful patio with beautiful women and a cooler of beer. Relax!"

Dennis just couldn't back down. He was already mad because I ignored his watch and wasn't impressed by his big house or expensive car.

He was getting really pissed that I wouldn't take the bait.

"Oh, now I get it. You're afraid to face the Tiger! You just don't wanna get your ass kicked! Fucking coward!"

Rachel's jaw dropped. "Dennis! What the fuck!?"

I just shrugged and sipped my beer.

"Whatever, I got nothing to prove."

I set my beer on the table. It was time to go. I was about to stand up when Dennis opened his mouth and committed the biggest fuck-up I'd ever seen.

"All right, let's make it really interesting! One bout. I win, you owe me a grand.

But if you win, Hah!, If you win, you get a thousand bucks and Rachel will suck your dick!"

Rachel shot to her feet and fixed Dennis with a razor-edged glare.

"What in the actual FUCK Dennis!? You- You bet that I- How very FUCKING DARE YOU!?

You fucking asshole! You don't get to -"

Jenny jumped up and took Rachel's arm. "Rachel, we need to talk! Right now!"

They two of them went into the house. Rachel was still cussing as the went into the kitchen.

I looked at Dennis. He just sipped his beer and smiled.

"Dude... You fucked up."

He snorted in response.

"Seriously, what the fuck? You disrespected your wife, and you disrespected my girlfriend, too."

"Eh. They'll get over it. Bitches always do once they remember their place."

I shook my head. He was starting to piss me off now. A few minutes later, Jenny came to the patio door. She waved and beckoned me over. I set my beer on the table.

"Gotta piss, be right back."

Dennis grunted.

I walked to the door. Jenny grabbed my hand and pulled me inside.

"Listen, babe, I told Rachel how you teach Karate and Krav Maga, and I've seen you at your dojo. You could wipe the floor with him!"

"He's not worth it."

"Honey, I know you don't fight without a reason, but Rachel would really like to see Dennis get his ass kicked!

That was reason enough. Rachel was a truly good person. She did not deserve to be treated like a whore for a stupid bet.

"I don't have a grand on me."

"Not a problem." She smiled and pulled a roll of Hundreds from her cleavage.

"Show him this. Rachel said this is yours just to take the bet, win or lose. When you win, she'll make Dennis watch while she sucks your cock and pay another thousand bucks on top of that."

"Um... She'll... wait, what?" It took a moment to find my words.

"Babe, I'm happy to take the money, but I'm not gonna hold her to the bet, and I'm not gonna ruin what we have over that jackhole."

Jenny pressed her palms to my face and kissed me.

"This won't come between us, baby. I love you and Rachel knows that.

It's not cheating because I'll be right there. Besides, you've been checking her out since that day at the farmer's market!"

She wasn't wrong. Rachel was fucking hot! You'd have to be dead, blind, or gay not to notice, and nobody is that gay.

"Connor, listen, if it was anyone but Rachel, we'd have left ten minutes ago. Rachel needs this, honey! Please take the bet. Rachel wants to see Dennis get his ass kicked, and I really want to watch her suck your cock!"

I thought it over for about two seconds.

"Yeah..." I nodded. "Dennis has already earned himself an ass-kicking. The cash is just gravy."

Jenny kissed my cheek and pressed the bills into my hand.

"Good! Go tell him, we'll be right out."

I went to the bathroom and took a leak before I went back to the table.

I dropped the roll in front of him.

"You're on, Dennis. 'Lightning Tiger' against a real fighter. Let's see your money."

"Well, well, well! Finally grew a pair, huh? We'll see how big they are when you're eating sod!"

Dennis pulled out his money clip and dropped a stack of hundreds next to mine. I picked it up and counted it.

"One thing, Denny."

"It's Dennis!" he snapped.

"Whatever. This is for real."

"For real? Really for reals?"

Dumbass was still smiling.

"Yeah. The whole 'friendly spar' thing went out the window when you opened your fat, stupid mouth! First one knocked on his ass loses."

I pointed at the money.

"You win, that's yours. I win, I take your thousand bucks and you have to watch while Rachel sucks my cock!"

"Oh you're on, karate boy! I'm gonna put you in the fucking dirt!" he chortled into his beer.

"I'm gonna drop your ass so hard! Then I'm gonna drop your thousand bucks at the Sunset Club! Amber and Crystal will have a really good night!"

"Keep talking, asshole." I smiled.

I'm pretty sure that Dennis assumed I went to a suburban 'bullshitsu' school like his.

I did when I was nine. When I was ten, I found a real school and trained six days a week ever since.

Rachel and Jenny sauntered back to the table, evil smiles lighting their faces. Rachel spoke first.

"Dennis, I talked it over with Jenny and she gave me permission to give Connor a blowjob if you lose. But if you win, that thousand bucks is mine!"

"Sure, whatever." Dennis didn't even look at her. He put his beer down and stood up.

"I'll be right back."

He jogged into the house and came back a few minutes later dressed in a red Gi tied with a black belt. I looked at the logo on the jacket. It was a gaudy, stylized Tiger clutching a lighting bolt in its jaws.

I barely managed to contain a laugh. I recognized that logo, and I knew the instructor.

The 'kung-fu' he taught was ninety percent gymnastics, with just enough punches and kicks thrown in to make rich schmucks think they were taking martial arts classes.

"I'm gonna warm up so I can do this properly." Dennis sneered.

We watched as he jogged to the middle of the yard and launched into a ridiculously flashy kata routine.

I sipped my beer and waited. We watched for a full two minutes while he kicked, leaped, dodged, and punched, announcing each move with a loud and unneeded 'Kiya'!'

He finally finished his routine and smirked at me.

I turned to Jenny. "Hold my beer."

Jenny and Rachel snorted with laughter as I stepped out of my flip-flops, pulled my shirt off, and stepped out to the yard.

Dennis let out a loud "KIYA!" and launched a flying kick. It would be a devastating attack, if your opponent is blindfolded and tied to a post.

I stepped to the left and watched him pass. He barely managed to check himself to spin around and throw a punch I knew was coming before he did.

I ducked and stepped back, putting some space between us. He charged again, going for the same stupid attack.

I waited until he was committed, then stepped inside his reach, turned to the left, and rammed my right elbow deep into his solar plexus, hard.

He let out a 'whoof' as all of the air in his lungs rushed out of his mouth. He choked and staggered back, clutching his chest and wheezing. I finished him with a simple left hook to his jaw.