Accidental Hero Ch. 05-08

I don't think she was prepared for just how direct and forceful I was. It was a risky move for me to make, but she was the one who wanted to date me, so what did I have to lose. Besides, I was already fantasizing what she would look like in the costume. I had a feeling that she was going to be the hit of the party.

Shelly continued to show up at my morning workouts and we followed our usual routine almost in unison. At the end of the week, she was waiting for me when I came out of my economics class.

"Hi, Ian. I looked up Wonder Woman and found a couple of magazines that showed the actress Linda Carter in the costume. It's pretty skimpy, but I guess it's okay. I doubt anyone else will choose that character."

"I hope some do. You'll knock them dead," I grinned. "I bet they have a best costume prize. Most of these dances do."

She smiled and chuckled. "You're really getting into this, aren't you? I thought I'd have a hard time convincing you to go with me and wear a costume."

I shook my head. "Why would I turn down a date with a dark-haired beauty like you? If I have to make myself look foolish to get an invitation to be with you, I'll do it."

That seemed to surprise her even more. The fact was, I was being truthful. In my opinion, she was by far the most attractive co-ed on campus. I'm sure that opinion was shared by a large percentage of the male student body.

"So, tell me about yourself, Shelly. What year are you in? What's your major?"

"I'm in third year, studying kinesiology. I started out thinking about sports medicine, but got interested in massage therapy, rehabilitation from injury and surgery, biomechanics, and orthopaedics. It's a very big and varied field."

"Wow! That sounds like you're studying medicine."

"Yes, and it's just as tough. Sym and I met because we both won scholarships in our high school. She was very smart and very driven. I suppose you found that out."

"I did. She hadn't made up her mind just what career path she wanted until recently. Now she's aiming for a job with the federal government. Her focus is on political science. But, she found time for us to enjoy each other's company. We'd go to art exhibits and museums and live theatre, so she wasn't just a bookworm."

"What about you, Ian? What's your major?"

"Right now, it's a combination of business management and operational engineering. I have a position available to me with City Works when I graduate. I know how the department operates and I've been given the opportunity to move around in the yard on different aspects of city maintenance. The big part of the job is anticipating problems, usually due to weather situations, and organizing the workforce to be as effective and efficient as possible. With as many people as there are in this city, and as big as it is, it's no small task."

"So you even have an employer to go with your career," she smiled.

"Yes. I know the people there and they are dedicated professionals. I don't have any doubts about continuing to work there."

"When did you decide that was what you were going to do?"

"This past summer. I've had a number of discussions with my boss and he's convinced me that I can have a very good career there if I want it. I may never get rich, but I don't think that's the main objective anyway. At least, not for me. I want a meaningful job and some sense of accomplishment. I think this gives me the best opportunity to achieve that."

"Good for you, Ian. It's good to know what you want from your working life. That's what got me into kinesiology. I want to help people and I think this is the best route for me. I'm not cut out for medical school."

"There you go," I smiled. "Your future sounds pretty bright, but it doesn't sound easy. You've got a lot of work ahead of you."

"I know, but I'm not concerned that I won't graduate next year. I'm taking some other courses too in order to round out my education. As you can tell, though, I'm into fitness. If I'm going to get involved in my field of interest, I'd better make it look like I take care of my body."

I chuckled at that. "I don't think you have the slightest worry about sending that message."

We chatted for a bit longer. We had no courses in common, so our only meeting place was here in the fitness centre. Shelly commuted from home, joining a car pool each year. It had worked well for her in the first two years and she continued on with it in third year. Their group hated the rush hour traffic, but since it was a once-a-week for each driver, they were able to tolerate it.

I was getting very positive vibes from Shelly. She was interested in me and I was interested in her. I hoped this would amount to something. She certainly wasn't some superficial bubblehead. She had a brain and she was using it to move toward a goal. I hoped she would achieve her aims.

~*~

"You're sneaky," Shelly told me the next Monday morning. "That costume is really going to be a challenge for me."

"How so?" I wondered.

"The top is not much more than a shelf for my breasts, and the bottom is like skin-tight panties."

"Oh," I chuckled. "But don't forget the tiara and the wrist guards. If anyone gets too frisky, you can bonk them with the wrist things and stab them with the top of the tiara."

"Very funny," she said with a disgusted look.

"You knew what that costume was like, didn't you."

"I had some vague childhood memories of it, yes. But you'll have to remember, at that age, I didn't focus on breasts. Mostly it was about the bullet proof wrist thingies and her magic lariat. I really wanted one of those."

"You lie!" she said, trying hard to show disgust before she broke down and laughed.

"Are you suggesting you are not willing to go through with our date?" I asked with an air of disapproval.

She didn't answer. In fact, she wasn't looking at me for a few moments ... until ... she turned and I could see she was fighting to keep from laughing again.

"Well? Are you in ... or not?" I asked, giving her a sly look.

"If it was anyone else ... no way. But ... since it's you ... and it was my idea ... I guess I'm in," she conceded.

"Now that's an interesting rationalization.

'Since it's me' is intriguing. What are you suggesting?"

She was having a hard time looking me in the eye.

"Symphony said you were safe. I mean, before she knew you really well. She said you weren't some human octopus. Later, I guess she decided she really liked you. That was a first. The other guys she hung out with she just tolerated. She used them, if you get my meaning."

"I think so," I nodded. "Sym was pretty open and honest with me and I tried to return the compliment. Our relationship might have lasted a long time if she hadn't shipped out to Quebec."

"Yeah, I kind of figured that out. She was reluctant to talk about you much ... I mean ... the usual girl talk about personal things."

"I'm not surprised. She is a high-integrity young woman."

Shelly nodded. "I'd like to be that way too. I get hit on a lot and I'm tired of trying to figure out what the motives of the guys are."

"I can give you a hint," I offered. "It's pretty basic. You are a beautiful woman and they are young, hormonal men. The urge is irresistible."

"Is it that way for you too?" she asked.

"Sure, but I push those thoughts down when they aren't welcome. That doesn't mean I'm smarter or better than most guys, I'm just built differently, I guess. I was brought up to respect women and that's always in the back of my mind. I have to admit, you give me some compelling reasons to forget my good intentions," I smiled.

I got a nice smile in return. "Let's see how it goes first, okay?"

I nodded. "Sure. But since it's almost a month before the dance, would you be interested in going on a date with me?"

"Uh huh," she smiled. "As long as it's not a movie or a pizza joint."

"Okay, let me see what's happening this weekend. Are you free Saturday night?"

"I am now," she grinned.

"Good, I'll have a look at what's doing and we can talk about our choices tomorrow morning."

"See you then," she smiled, heading for the women's change room.

~*~

"The play was a great choice, Ian. I had no idea our college actors were so talented."

"Yes, they are good. I thought a light comedy was the right thing for tonight. Nothing too heavy, and definitely not Shakespeare. The Greek restaurant was a bit of a risk, though."

"No ... it was great. It's a lot like the food my grandparents make. They are from Croatia on the Adriatic. I really enjoyed tonight. Good food, good entertainment, and good company," she said, looking at me.

We were strolling along in the walkway toward the parking area near the theatre. Without really thinking about it, we were holding hands. I was becoming more aware that Michelle Petrovic was having an effect on me that I had only felt a couple of times before. I had the sense that we could be open with each other and that nothing needed to be hidden. I wasn't about to test that belief just yet, but the more time I spent with this dark-haired beauty, the more I began to believe we might have a future. Time would tell.

~*~

The most fun I'd had in a long time was the day we went to the costume supply house and got fitted for our Halloween costumes. I had no idea that there would be a seamstress available for minor alterations, and while my Superman outfit didn't require anything other than to lengthen the legs of the tights, Shelly needed some help with the Wonder Woman costume. I hung around to watch and that didn't go over very well with her.

"I don't come in and watch you get dressed. Why are you here?" she asked as the seamstress was working on the upper part of her costume.

It seemed that my new girlfriend was a little more endowed up top than the costume was designed to accommodate. She was being squished and spilling out of the top. While it was a lovely sight, it wouldn't do for Shelly to be displaying her charms quite that blatantly. But as a true professional, the seamstress had the alterations done in a very short time and good order and decency was restored to the costume. Too bad.

Shelly might have protested my presence, but she didn't insist I leave. Her height was a few inches greater than the average actress playing this role. Keep in mind, Wonder Woman was supposedly an Amazon from some mythical place called Paradise Island. Amazons were renowned for their size and warrior-like aggressiveness. When I saw Shelly in the finished costume, she fit the role perfectly. She could easily pass as an Amazon princess. Those gorgeous long legs, nicely muscled shoulders, just the right amount of hip flare, and of course, a very noticeable bust line. Yeah, she was the ideal woman for that costume.

We stood in front of the wall mirror and looked at ourselves. It was uncanny. We had somehow assumed the roles implied by the costumes. I found I was standing with my legs apart and my arms akimbo, the classic Superman pose. Shelly saw me and immediately assumed a similar pose with her hands up in a defensive stance. It was perfect. We were perfect. I would have to comb my hair a little differently, but otherwise, we were exactly right for the roles.

"We have to get someone to take our picture, Ian," Shelly said. "I didn't expect we would look this close to the model of the characters."

"You're right. We do need to get a picture. I don't think it's going to work if I pick you up in my truck that evening. I'll have to borrow a car from my parents in order not to ruin the image."

Shelly was giggling. "I feel like a little girl dressing up again. I haven't done this in years."

"Well, you are definitely not a little girl any more. In fact, if Hollywood is looking for the next Wonder Woman, they should be looking at you."

"You wouldn't embarrass yourself playing Superman, either," she assured me. "You have the body and the look for it."

"Flattery will get you everywhere," I said, continuing to feast my eyes on Shelly.

~*~

When I arrived at the door of the Petrovic residence, I wasn't prepared for what greeted me. Shelly was in costume and there was something about her that had changed her appearance and made her even more striking than she already was. Then I noticed her hair. Her long, raven locks had been curled, just the way the comic book character appeared. It was the finishing touch that made her look even more amazing than I expected.

"My God, Shelly. You look incredible. Your hair ... it's perfect."

That earned me a big smile. "My mother is a hairdresser and when I showed her the illustration of Wonder Woman, she said I needed to have my hair done. She was right, wasn't she?"

"Oh brother, was she ever. Now I know we have to have our pictures taken together. No one is going to notice me, though. I think I'm going to have my hands full fighting off the guys wanting to dance with you."

"Thank you, Ian," she said giving me a nice kiss as a reward.

I was wearing a raincoat to keep warm and when I met Mr. and Mrs. Petrovic, they wanted to take our pictures, so I took the coat off and we posed for the snapshots. I was positive that wouldn't be the last pictures taken that night. I'd briefly met Michelle's parents before and they were very nice people. I learned they came to Canada in the 1950's with their parents from what was then Yugoslavia. I just knew them as nice people who happened to have a beautiful daughter. After some brief socializing, I helped Shelly with her long navy blue coat and we were off to the ball.

~*~

"You were right!" Shelly exclaimed as we entered the ballroom area. "Look at that girl over there. She's naked!"

"Almost. I told you, this isn't much removed from some of the frat parties I've heard about. Feel better about your costume now?" I asked.

"Yes. It seems pretty tame compared to some of the others," she said as she surveyed the throng in the big auditorium. "I had no idea there would be this many people here."

"It's a big party, the first one of the new semester. There's another one like this on Valentine's Day. Just a word of warning, though. Don't drink much of the punch. It's probably been spiked with Vodka and likely pretty potent. Stick with your wine. It's safer."

"Thanks for the advice. I've heard about some of these parties. I've been to a couple of sorority parties, and they can get pretty wild. But they weren't anywhere near as big as this. There must be five hundred people here."

"At least. You won't have to worry about getting a chill tonight. This place is going to get pretty warm. We'll be grateful that this material is lightweight."

"So ... Lady Godiva wouldn't catch cold after all," she giggled.

"Nope. I feel sorry for some of the people who have come in elaborate costumes who are going to be very uncomfortable in an hour or so. You'll notice all the Roman togas around. Those are the experienced hands who know what to expect; light and loose."

"This bustier is anything but loose," Shelly said, looking down at her top.

"Probably a good thing," I leered. "You wouldn't want to have a containment problem, would you?"

"I supposed you'd like that, wouldn't you?" she chided me.

"Sorry. If I've stepped over the line, just elbow me in the ribs and I'll behave."

"No need to apologize. I've been getting some very interesting messages from you. You're trying very hard to behave and having a tough time of it, aren't you?"

I nodded. "Yes. You are a temptress, Shelly. That costume would raise a dead man from the grave. I'm having a constant battle to act like the gentleman I'd like you to believe I am."

"Good. I'm glad it has the effect I was hoping for," she grinned.

We danced and talked to some friends as we encountered them. Shelly sipped some wine while I limited myself to a beer an hour. A number of guys asked her for a dance when we weren't out on the floor, but she politely declined. A couple of guys who were clearly drunk, tried to get her out on the dance floor, but she was a lot more forceful telling them No!

In one case, I was about to intervene and haul one of the guys off her but was intercepted by what I assumed were the "bouncers" for the evening. I recognized one of them as a senior, and a defensive lineman on the football team. The drunk soon decided that he would behave.

At midnight, the MC stood on the stage and thanked everyone for coming to the ball and congratulated all of us for our costumes. There were three prizes to be announced: best costume-male, best costume-female, and best costumes-couple. We were both interested to see who would win. My money was on the usual, Lady Godiva for best non-costume, female.

So, as the MC called for the drum roll and announced the winner of the best costume, male, some poor guy who'd worn a French Musketeer's outfit, dragged himself on stage. I could almost see the sweat dripping off him and puddling at his feet as he stepped up to accept his prize. I hoped he thought it was worth the effort. He paid a big price for his award.

The next prize for best female costume went to ... wait for it ... Wonder Woman. Shelly stood there in shock. No one else in the hall was dressed in that costume, so it had to be her.

I laughed at the MC when he said something about if he had known Wonder Woman looked like this, he'd have bought more comics. Shelly made it to the stage and the cat calls and wolf whistles were drowning out the MC. If that wasn't good for a girl's ego, I don't know what would be. And that left the prize for the best couple, and when the MC took Shelly's arm and held her back, I knew what that meant. The announcement that we had won was just a formality.

Now, I don't know how you guys would feel about hearing wolf whistles and crude remarks aimed at you, but I put it all down to jealousy. I had Wonder Woman, and they didn't. Both of us were given envelopes and we waited until the furor died down and the band started up again without opening them. Neither of us had pockets and Shelly protested when I suggested we would stick them in the top of her costume. Spoil sport. I tucked them into the top of my tights to be opened later.

We decided we'd had enough fun somewhere around one in the morning, retrieved our coats, and headed out to the parking lot and my car. Shelly had her arm around me and was in high spirits. Apparently the win for the best costume was a real ego boost for her. When we were in the car, we opened the envelopes and got a pleasant surprise. Shelly won $150 for best female, and we won $250 for best couple. A very profitable evening. At her insistence we swapped envelopes since she felt I should get the lion's share of the winnings.

"I owe you for suggesting this costume, Ian. I would never have picked it for myself. I'll let you in on a secret, though. When I looked around the room as we were dancing this evening, I was pretty sure we had the best costumes. So, since I picked Superman, and you picked Wonder Woman, we both deserve congratulations."

"I agree," I smiled.

And with that she turned, took me in her arms, and laid a scorching great kiss on my lips, complete with a bit of tongue.

"You really know how to treat a lady," she smiled, then kissed me again.

"And you really know how to treat a guy," I replied.

I was reasonably certain that our relationship had moved several notches ahead. I knew Shelly had consumed very little wine tonight, and while the euphoria of winning the costume contest might have been a part of it, I think we were beginning to explore just what kind of relationship we might have. I know what I wanted, but it wasn't up to me.

Chapter 8 Getting to know Wonder Woman

There were very few weekends that we weren't together. The only time we saw each other during the week was in the morning at the fitness centre. She was irresistible and it soon became evident to our friends and acquaintances that we were a couple. I invited Shelly to Sunday dinner to introduce her to my parents and I thought Dad's eyeballs were going to pop out of his head. Mom liked her right away, but then Mom liked all my girlfriends. The fact that Shelly knew and admired Symphony, just cemented Mom's opinion of my latest lady.