Many thanks to Todger65 for editing. If you're going to write, you need a good editor. He's the best.
Making Friends Part 1
A married couple's unusual introduction leads to adventure.
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I locked the deadbolt and put my keys in my pocket. I took Sue's hand and started walking to the parking garage from the martial arts dojo we ran to make our living. Martial arts were a big part of both our lives before we met. Our service together in the Army was the catalyst for our attraction to each other, but our mutual love of martial arts solidified it. Our first dates were martial arts competitions, both watching and competing. Military service and martial arts brought us together, and the rest was left up to us. We fell deeply in love, married, and opened our dojo after our last deployment soured us on military service.
The parking garage is a few blocks away from our dojo, and our route takes us through the center of downtown. Our walking commute takes us past the finest hotels, boutiques, and restaurants in the state. There is always something interesting to watch along the way. People do some whacky shit. People at the extremes on the social scale do some super whacky shit. I argue that super-rich people are at one of those extremes.
We've witnessed a range from casual indifference to outright meanness toward the 'little people'. We've seen debutantes (yes, more than one) pull their panties down in public, pull them off, and slingshot them into the crowd in front of the theatre. What we saw happening in front of us didn't look like any of that.
Sue and I caught each other's eyes and gave each other a nod. That was all the time we had. From the moment we understood the situation until it was resolved took maybe ten seconds. Situational awareness is a subject that Sue and I teach as a core principle in martial arts. We carry that forward into our normal day-to-day activities. That makes a certain amount of sense because pretty much every time someone attacks you, it's a surprise. It's not like they sent you a card or something with a date and time.
My gaze had been immediately drawn to the couple standing on the sidewalk in front of the premier restaurant in the city. They were obviously waiting for their car and were enjoying the pleasant evening as they waited. They were a very attractive couple and they looked happy.
My eyes had moved on, and that was when mundane went out the window. Two men were walking fast toward the couple. They were totally focused on their targets and moving fast to close the distance. You don't approach another human being like that because you want to shake their hand and say hello. You approach someone that way when you want to attack them.
Sue and I separated and moved to intercept the two attackers. Those same attackers were pulling pistols from concealed holsters and bringing them to bear on the unsuspecting couple. Sue and I executed our own attacks at that moment. If we had been a second later, they would have killed us both. We weren't and they didn't.
Sue had to break her guy's arm to get him to drop his piece. My guy just needed a couple of dislocated fingers. It was a bit of overkill on her part and something I would make sure to tease her about. If she meant it as a start to negotiations, I would have to say she did well. Nothing sends a message about your intentions like a broken arm. As I think about it, ten seconds seems awfully long.
Both men were in obvious pain, but that didn't stop them from throwing everything they could at us. Their target wasn't the focus of their attention anymore. Their plan had fallen apart and all they wanted to do now was get away. Sue and I thought it would be a better idea if they hung around to meet some of the local law enforcement. Subduing them took no time at all. Keeping them that way required significant effort.
The handsome rich couple was looking on in shock, but the man at least had enough on the ball to start dialing for the cops. We were in blue blood territory and there was no shortage of police presence. It was a matter of moments before they were on the scene. Sue and I had trained most of the police on the force and that helped keep things smooth when they showed up. They knew we wouldn't be beating up random men in the center of town.
The two men were quickly cuffed and taken from the scene. Sue and I gave our statements to the officers assigned to us while one of their peers interviewed the couple. The conversation took a good bit longer than I was expecting. The couple had been clueless about the situation until after it was over. They couldn't have had much to say as witnesses.
We had just finished up with the police and were taking the first step in our interrupted journey to the parking garage when the handsome couple approached us. The man reached out to shake my hand, "My wife and I want to thank you for what you did. If you hadn't been here in the moment that you did, we'd be dead.
"My name is Mark Thomas and this is my wife, Taylor."
I gave them both a smile, "I'm David Grant and this is my wife, Susan. I go by Dave and she prefers Sue."
He let go of my hand and Taylor reached out to shake mine while Mark took Sue's hand. As her hand connected with mine, I felt an odd rush and looked at her closely. She looked to be in her mid-thirties, but I knew from the scandal sheets that she was in her early forties. Mark and Taylor were quite the celebrities in our city and were well known for their philanthropy. They were also well known for their attractiveness, and during my close-up view of Taylor, I determined that for good reason.
Her hair was platinum blonde and I immediately wondered if the carpet matched the drapes. According to the popular press, the answer was yes, even though nude pictures had never surfaced. Who knows, maybe the lady that did her waxing gave up the information. It didn't matter to me at that moment. I was looking into those emerald green eyes and lost myself for a moment. A sexy little upturn of her lip told me that she was resisting the urge to smile, and her eyes fell from mine. She left no doubt that she was checking me out from head to toe. I felt like strutting.
I decided that she had set a fine example and let my eyes wander as well. Her Greek nose was perfectly proportioned above her full lips. Her face was very beautiful and my eyes moved downward, taking in her lovely neck. A neck that looked perfect for nibbling and kissing. Her evening gown was just the appropriate side of public nudity and revealed some wonderful cleavage. It was easy to determine that she wasn't wearing a bra because her nipples became erect while I admired her breasts. They appeared to be perfectly shaped for her five foot eight fantasy-worthy figure. The swell of her hips was in perfect proportion to her body and her legs were fit and muscular. A slight turn as she looked at her husband revealed an ass that made my mouth water. My not-so-subtle ogling of her body took just a few seconds during our handshake. I noticed that our handshake had changed to her caressing the palm of my hand while her eyes locked onto mine again. The look she gave me would have made a great illustration for the definition of smoldering.
Her lips parted and the tip of her tongue touched her bottom lip before she spoke, "You and your wife put your lives in great danger to save our lives and we would like to thank you in some small way. Why don't the two of you come home with us for dinner? Mark and I would love to get to know you both."
I looked over at my lovely wife, "Sue?"
Sue was oblivious. She was staring into Mark's eyes as if hypnotized, and I noticed that his hand was caressing hers. The handshake was long forgotten, "Sue!"
