Weathering the Storm Ch. 01

*** Here's the first part of my latest work. Unlike my others it's something of a 'slow burn' with lots of build-up and romance, and there's not a whole lot of sex in the first chapter. Chapter two will be submitted a few days after this, so you won't have long to wait! ***

******

As I drove along the winding country lane at a snail's pace, I cursed myself for deciding to stay late at work on the last Friday in October to finish a major project - one of the perils of running a design office filled with lazy idiots that had no work ethic whatsoever. The first storm of the autumn had hit with a vengeance, the rain coming down so hard that the wipers on my eight-year-old VW Golf just couldn't keep up and I was unable to see more than a few yards in front. The wind was howling too, and on several occasions I found myself having to swerve around fallen branches that were lying in the narrow road. At least my car was warm and dry, I mused - something I was very grateful for, as the twenty-mile journey home was likely to take me the better part of two hours unless the rain eased.

Rounding a bend, I suddenly saw a pair of amber lights flashing dimly immediately ahead of me. Dipping my headlights immediately, I braked hard and managed to stop before I hit whatever it was. Even with the car stationary, the wipers were failing to clear the screen to allow me to see much, but I could see what looked like a small red car blocking the road, with a figure climbing suddenly up from a spot under an adjacent tree and waving furiously at me. At least whoever it was had enough common sense not to sit in the car when it was stuck in such a dangerous position.

Sighing crossly, I cursed myself for my unusual lack of preparedness that day - while my job as a senior project engineer on the motorways meant that my car was ready for most eventualities, I had failed to bring a decent waterproof coat with me. Throwing my thin jacket over my head, I stepped out into the downpour as the figure approached the driver's door of my car. It was a young girl, not much more than eighteen or nineteen, and she was soaked to the bone and shivering with cold. I could see a few strands of red hair protruding below her hood. She looked very pale, with very little colour in her cheeks, but even in the harsh light from my headlamps I could make out an elfin face and the most beautiful blue eyes, peering up at me from beneath long, sodden lashes.

"Excuse me, sir - could you help me? My car's broken down and I've been stuck here for over an hour."

Now that I was out from behind the fogged-up and flooded windscreen, I could see that her car was a somewhat battered 1970s Mini - never the most reliable of cars at the best of times and hopeless in the wet. Closing my driver's door, I opened one of the rear doors. "Sure thing. Get inside out of the rain, and I'll go and take a look at your car."

She looked at me, fear in her eyes, and my caregiving instincts immediately kicked in. I could pretty much read her thoughts - a strange guy, telling her to get into his car...

"Hey, it's okay," I said softly. "Why don't you call someone, give them my registration number and tell them you're with me - my name's Joe." Realising that I was still wearing my office ID badge, I slipped the strap over my head and passed it to her.

She still looked uncertain. "My phone's dead," she answered, "so I guess I'm pretty vulnerable right now."

I reached into my pocket and pulled out my iPhone, unlocking it for her. "Here you go, use this. I'll go and see what I can do with your car, but for God's sake get out of the wet."

The whole exchange had taken less than a minute, but my trousers were already stuck to me and the torrential rain was beginning to seep through my jacket. Thankfully the girl did as I'd suggested and climbed into the back of my car as I took the few paces to the door of the Mini. Opening it, I found that she had left the keys in the ignition; the dimness of the car's hazard warning lights didn't give me much cause for optimism, and a turn of the key produced a single churn of the starter motor before the battery gave up altogether. While I had a set of jump leads in the boot of my car, I didn't fancy trying to jump-start her engine with so much water around - and even if I took the risk, I doubted it would do any good after the car had broken down in the first place.

With the Mini where it was, there was no way anyone else could get past - that is if anyone else would be stupid enough to be out on such a wild night. As I drove this route every day, I knew the road fairly well and remembered that there was a gateway only fifty or so yards along. Thankfully the lane was fairly level, and, after taking off the handbrake and winding down the driver's window I was able to push and steer the little car onto the wide verge by the gate. After winding up the window and applying the handbrake, I grabbed her handbag and phone from the passenger seat, locked the car and trudged back to my Golf.

The windows were completely fogged up, so I climbed in to the driver's seat and started the engine, cranking up the demister before turning awkwardly to face my passenger and pass her belongings.

"Thanks," she smiled shyly. "And thanks for the loan of your phone."

"No problem at all. Did you get through to someone?" Her smile was infectious, and despite the fact that I was now also soaked and shivering, I found myself smiling back.

"Yes, I told my mum what had happened. She's out at her keep fit class at the moment, but in any case we only have the one car so I guess I'm stuck out here, as I don't have breakdown cover or anything."

I was shocked by her latter remark. "Really? Is that wise when you drive an old Mini?"

She blushed. "Hey! Old? It's a classic, or so my mum says," she chuckled. "And I just can't afford it. We aren't exactly well-off or anything."

"Okay. Well there's no way I'm leaving you out here - I'll happily take you home. Whereabouts do you live?"

"A little village called Whitechapel. Do you know it?" she asked hopefully.

I knew it all right - it was sixteen miles out of my way in the other direction, and I was already cursing making my chivalrous offer. However, I had always been a firm believer in keeping my promises, so I plastered what I hoped was a genuine-looking smile on my face before replying. "Sure, I know it. I'll get you home."

"Are you sure?" she said through chattering teeth. "Don't you have somewhere to be?"

"Nope. Free as a bird, and it's really no problem." I was becoming increasingly concerned for this girl's wellbeing; I'd only been in the rain for a few minutes and was already freezing cold and utterly wet through, while she had clearly been out in the elements for a good deal longer. Leaving the engine running, I darted out into the rain once more and went round to the boot to retrieve the couple of blankets that I kept there for emergencies like this one. I bundled them together and passed them over the parcel shelf to her. "Why don't you slip out of your coat and wrap yourself in these?" I suggested. "Though you may want to move into the front seat first as you'll find it easier to give me directions."

"I thought you knew where you were going," she teased, nimbly climbing between the front seats and plonking herself down in the passenger seat before shedding her sodden coat.

"I know where Whitechapel is, cheeky - just not your house," I answered with mock indignation. Slamming the boot lid, I climbed back into my seat and looked at my passenger. My earlier assessment had been right - she was absolutely stunning. She couldn't have been much more than five feet tall, and she was dressed in a white tee shirt and blue low-rise jeans. Glancing down to appraise her figure, I could see that her top had been rendered almost transparent by the rain, revealing the lacy bra beneath; that too was doing little to hide the skin beneath, the swell of her small breasts as obvious as the points of her nipples. I felt a blush creeping rapidly over my face, snapping my gaze back to her face immediately. She didn't seem to have noticed my stare, thankfully, so I made a show of checking that the heater was turned as high as it would go and focused instead on the road. I cleared my throat. "Better buckle up, Miss... erm..."

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry! That's so rude of me. My name's Scarlett." She smiled, blushed and offered me her hand. Her touch was freezing, but tantalising nonetheless, and for a few seconds I had no difficulty staring into those deep, gorgeous eyes. I must have been distracted for a few moments too long, because I was pulled back to reality by a giggle. "Can I have my hand back now?" she smiled. Muttering an embarrassed apology and blushing to the roots my hair, I snatched my hand away and quickly put the car in gear.

There was an awkward silence for a minute or two as I stared fixedly through the windscreen at what little I could see if the road ahead. Eventually, Scarlett said softly, "Hey, I didn't mean to embarrass you - I was just teasing. Sorry I've made this so awkward."

"You haven't!" I reassured her. "I was just a little distracted. Let's forget it and talk about something else. So, Scarlett, what brings you out here on such a wild night?" Her face fell immediately and I mentally kicked myself.

"I was supposed to be going out to a gig tonight with a friend but she cried off at the last minute, so I thought I'd pay my boyfriend a surprise visit. Turns out I surprised both of them - as I walked up the path I could see them both in his living room, and they were all over each other! He's such a bastard."

"Oh my god!" I exclaimed in horror. "That's so awful. Are you okay? Did you give them both what for?"

She smiled ruefully. "I'm just a coward - I stood watching for a few seconds then turned and left. I hate confrontations. I dumped the scumbag by text."

"You're not alone on that one - and you're certainly no coward. Discretion is the better part of valour, and all that stuff. And on top of that you've ended up stranded out in the middle of nowhere on such a miserable night, and now you're stuck in a car with me. Well, at least things can't get any worse!" I waggled my eyebrows at her and twirled an imaginary moustache, and she giggled.

"Oh, trust me - you're not that bad, in fact you're the highlight of the week so far. My life is shit."

"Well," I chuckled, "I guess there was a compliment in there somewhere, so thanks."

"Oh, hell, I've done it again! I should remember that a closed mouth gathers no foot. Okay, I'll shut up for a bit - your turn. What are you doing out here, and why is it that you've nowhere better to be than taking me home?" Scarlett gabbled, blushing again.

"I've been working late. I'm based at the motorway depot just back up the road there, and I needed to get a new road construction project out to tender on time. I've been there until gone nine every evening this week. It's never stopped my colleagues leaving at four every day, no matter how far behind they were with their work - I guess they figure that'll just bail them out, and they are right, of course."

"They sound like a bunch of dickheads," she said bluntly. "What makes them think they shouldn't have to pull their weight and help? It's not fair for you to be kept away from your home and family all the time!"

"Home, yes, but I don't have a family," I explained. "I was married once but we split up almost three years ago after she cheated on me, and we never had kids. I've not really been looking for anyone since and I've pretty much just worked and slept recently."

Scarlett gaped at me. "Oh, Joe, I'm sorry to hear that!"

"Sorry, guess I'm over-sharing here. Let's change the subject. What is it that you do?"

"Well, I'm at college studying English; the coursework sucks and there's loads of it, so I don't have a job as such yet - although my mum keeps on at me to get one."

"Which college are you at?" I asked.

"I'm at Myershaw," she answered. "It's quite a drive for me, but it's about the best for A-Level English."

"That's one hell of a commute!" I agreed. I knew the college well - it was pretty much at the end of the lane that I lived on. "Especially in a classic Mini. I bet you're racking up the miles."

Her expression saddened. "Yeah. I don't know what I'm going to do now - I don't know what's wrong with the car, but whatever it is I can't afford to get it brought home, let alone fixed. I'm just glad it's the half term holidays, so at least I have a few days to figure out what to do."

I smiled kindly at her. "Don't worry. I used to have a few Minis, and I still have an old Austin Healey with the same engine. I've got quite a few parts in my garage, and I'm sure I'll be able to get it going for you without it costing you anything."

She was speechless for a few seconds. "You'd really do that for me?" she asked eventually. "A stranger that you've just met?"

"Of course. It's nothing; I love messing with old cars. I can probably get it going at the roadside tomorrow, and if not then we can tow it back to yours and I'll sort it there. It's going to be okay. The engines in those cars are pretty bomb-proof."

Her teeth were still chattering, despite the two blankets she was wrapped in and the fact that the heater was on full blast. I was getting increasingly worried. "Listen, Scarlett, I'm really getting a bit concerned - you've been shivering since I picked you up and you don't seem to be any better. I hope this doesn't come across in the wrong way, but I think you'd better get out of your wet clothes straight away."

She eyed me nervously. "I'm not sure that's a good idea," she mumbled, blushing.

"Hey, I promise I'm not going to try anything. I won't look, and my hands will stay firmly on the wheel. I'll even stop the car and get out again if you like." I indicated to pull over to the edge of the road - not that there was anyone around to even see my signal. Having pulled to a stop I reached to unfasten my seat belt, ready to get out and brave the elements again in order to give her some privacy, but she reached out her hand and placed it on mine. I glanced over and she was biting her lip nervously.

"It's okay. I trust you. Just keep looking out of your window, okay?"

I nodded. She flung off the blankets and I stared fixedly in the opposite direction, feeling the car rocking and trying desperately not to imagine what she was doing beside me. After a few seconds I heard a sigh of frustration.

"This damn shirt is just stuck to me and I can't get it off. Can you help me?" she sighed.

I turned to see her stuck fast in the tee shirt, the sodden fabric still covering her chest and with her arms firmly entangled. I tried to hold the blanket up between us to protect her modesty, but found that the fabric had stiffened so much due to the amount of water it had absorbed that my remaining hand provided little assistance. "Joe," she sighed, "just drop the blanket and bloody help me!"

Suitably chastened, I gripped the bottom hem of the shirt in both hands and pulled it unceremoniously over her head, forcing myself not to look at her cute breasts, just about a handful, the size of a couple of large oranges, the nipples clearly visible through the wet fabric of her pretty white bra... shit, guess I looked. Not only that, but I was staring so much that I'd momentarily ceased tugging on her shirt, which was stuck around her head. I was alerted to this particular fact when she said, "Hey Joe, if you could stop looking at my tits for a minute and help me finish getting out of this thing, I'd really appreciate it."

Shit, shit, shit. I immediately resumed pulling on the tee shirt and finally managed to tug it off over her head. As it came free, she was looking right at me - I knew I was as red as a beetroot and looked guilty as hell, and found myself wishing that the seat would just swallow me up. As I stumbled over my apologies, she burst out laughing. "Busted!" she chortled. "Oh, Joe, you should see your face! You look like I just shot your dog or something! It's okay, I'm not mad or anything - I can't imagine any guy would pass up such a golden opportunity for a quick look at some boobs, even ones as small as mine."

Hmm. I wasn't sure how to answer that one. I could hardly tell her that I thought her boobs looked amazing without coming across as a real pervert. Careful to look at her right in the eye, I answered, "Scarlett, I'm really sorry - I promise I will behave myself from now on."

She rewarded my honest apology with a beaming smile. God, she was beautiful - even in the dim light penetrating the car windows from the adjacent street lamp I could tell that.

"That's good - as I'm probably going to need your help getting out of these jeans too." She indicated the sodden denim of her skinny fit trousers, which looked as if they'd be nigh on impossible to take off even if they were dry! Swivelling in her seat, she kicked off her squelching shoes and placed her dainty bare feet on my left thigh, raising her butt off the seat as she popped the button and lowered the zip. "Sorry if I'm squashing you - I needed a bit of leverage!" she giggled. She slipped her thumbs into the waistband of her jeans and began working the taut fabric from side to side, gradually tugging them down over her hips. When the elastic waistband of her white panties came into view, I snapped my gaze upwards and looked directly in her eyes as she bit her lip nervously at me.

"Thanks, Joe. Once I get these over my butt I'll need you to help me get the bottoms off over my feet. That bit's always a struggle at the best of times," she explained. Finally breathing a sigh of relief, she sat down abruptly in her seat and placed her ankles across my lap; I prayed she didn't notice the slight erection that was beginning to form in my own sodden trousers.

"Off you go then," she said, motioning downwards with her right forefinger. Taking care not to let my eyes linger anywhere below her neck, I shifted my gaze abruptly to the bottoms of her trouser legs and carefully gripped the fabric before giving each one a series of abrupt tugs. They came free surprisingly easily, and the heavy soaked denim was soon in a pool in my lap. I threw her jeans and tee shirt into the footwell behind my seat and waited until Scarlett was wrapped up tightly in the blankets again before turning back to her.

"Thanks Joe," she smiled, "you kept your promise and were a perfect gentleman. It was a good idea to get me out of those wet things; I feel better already. But what about you? You're just as wet as I was!"

"I'm fine," I fibbed. "I wasn't outside anything like as long as you, so while I'm very wet I'm not feeling the effects of the cold in quite the same way. Let's get you home."

The rain had eased a little while we had been parked up, and we were able to make slightly better progress with our journey. Now wrapped in several layers of blanket, I was relieved to see that Scarlett had stopped shivering.

Our earlier awkwardness forgotten, we were soon chatting easily and I was pleased to discover that, despite our age difference of seven years or so, we shared similar taste in music. I pointed her to the iPod, hidden in the glove box, which I had plugged into the car's stereo, and she sat for a few moments, scrolling through the list of albums and tracks. I grinned when she settled on Pink Floyd's It's What We Do, one of my favourites from their most recent album and a great, relaxing driving tune.

"Wow, you certainly have an eclectic taste!" Scarlett exclaimed. "I thought I was the only one, but you've got so many of my favourites on here. The Police, the Fratellis, Benny Goodman, and I can see loads of stuff from the 1960s and 80s."

I grinned. "I blame my mother for the 60s stuff, and my older sister for the 80s. I was brought up on a diet of that kind of music, and I guess it's stuck with me. The only thing I don't have much of a taste for is rap music."