Joe's New Girlfriend by brooksie brooksie@pacificcoast.net A guy's muscular new girlfriend draws more attention than he bargained for. Author's Note: The idea for this story came from a guy who posted a message on one of the boards on this site, called "Rugman's Real Encounters", a message board for reporting encounters with muscular, athletic women in real life. The guy, who's name I can't recall (Terry, maybe?) was writing to complain about something that happened in a bar with his girlfriend and some other friends of his. Apparently her biceps were bigger than his and, after someone had made a comment about it, she goaded him into comparing arms. His "friends" laughed and jeered at him because his girlfriend had a better arm. He was angry and upset at her for humiliating him in such a manner. I recall the guy taking a fair bit of ribbing (good-natured, of course) from a few people who responded to his message. Come to think of it, I may have been one of them. But unlike his so-called friends, the ribbing wasn't because his girl had better biceps, but because he was mad at her for showing them off in such an audacious manner, claiming to be embarrassed by that. Most of us thought he was looking a gift horse in the mouth and should have been proud and supportive rather than angry and embarrassed. Anyway, to Terry or whoever you are, no offense and remember, it could have been a lot worse - or better, depending on one's point of view. I'd also like to acknowledge the influence AmazonFan's "The Office Party" in determining the setting for this story and to take this opportunity to recommend his work highly. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Everyone was curious about Joe's new girlfriend. Word had gotten out at work that he was seeing someone for the first time since his divorce. None of us had met her and getting anything out of him was like pulling a nail out of a board with your teeth. But when a female bodybuilder appeared one night on a popular TV talk show, the door opened a crack and exposed a bit of information. During a water-cooler discussion about it next day, Joe revealed that he didn't find the look "gross", a word the three women he'd been chatting with had used. A rumour started that Joe was into muscle girls but no one expecting anything like the woman he showed up with at our little Sunday afternoon barbecue/pool party. She was attractive enough, not a knockout beauty but she did have some nice features, particularly her long, thick, chestnut-coloured hair and eyes that were the deepest shade of green I'd ever seen. They were so bright and shiny they literally appeared to twinkle when she smiled. As events unfolded, I would come to see that glint as positively malevolent. Arriving in a light summer dress, she was delighted to see the pool. After meeting a few people, disappeared into the change room, emerging in a very tiny white bikini. Waving to Joe, she clambered up the ladder to the diving board with ease and dove gracefully into the water. So far, we'd noticed her athletic-looking physique but hadn't had a chance to fully realize the extent of her muscularity. Her ability in the water was certainly attracting attention though, as several people commented on her strong swimming style. She wasn't just lounging around in the pool. She was swimming lengths, and doing them quickly. After ten minutes or so, she emerged from the pool, toweled herself off and came over to join the rest of us. Now, there were several very attractive women who worked for our firm, not to mention some of the guy's wives, who were also real lookers. And our boss, who was hosting the party had a pair of teenage daughters that were two of the prettiest, perkiest blonde cheerleader-types a guy could ever hope to see in a bikini. But there wasn't a woman at the party with a body that could even begin to compare with hers. She wasn't large by any means, maybe 5'6, 5'7. I could take a fairly accurate guess at her height, but her weight had me stumped. I knew that muscle was heavier than fat and this woman was all muscle...everywhere. Even her chest, aside from a nicely-shaped pair of firm, round breasts, looked rippled and hard. At first, no one said anything but most of us couldn't help staring. Her still-wet body, now gleaming in the sun, was made of hard, cut muscle and was clearly the most athletic physique there. Glancing around at the faces, I saw that everyone, Joe included, looked a bit uncomfortable, as she was such a commanding physical presence. I broke the tension by asking the dumbest question possible, under the circumstances. Hopefully no one was going to take me seriously. "Hey, do you work out?" It got a big laugh and opened the floodgate to a barrage of questions about her physique. It was funny...the group seemed to split almost evenly into two camps. Some were very complimentary and seemed to have no problem at all with her level of muscularity. Others were quiet when this all started, didn't join in and soon split off to began conversations about other subjects. Of the group that continued talking about her physique, I fell into the role of instigator. I decided to see how far I could push things. Although she was muscular all over, with powerful-looking legs, a washboard stomach, broad back and nicely cut shoulders, the thing that seemed to stand out most of all were her arms. She had guns! I commented on them and asked her to flex. To my delight, she responded with enthusiasm, happily flexing her arms and even allowing me to touch them. I encouraged others to do the same and soon everyone was marveling at the size and hardness of her biceps. She mentioned that her large arms were more the product of her triceps than her biceps and proudly flexed those for us too. Then, without any prompting whatsoever, she went into a full double biceps flex, posing herself like a bodybuilder. It was about that time I made the fateful remark. "I think she's got bigger arms than you, Joey-boy," I teased. "Oh they're way bigger," she boasted, and began to goad Joe into comparing arms with her. Everyone could see he didn't want to do it, and no wonder. He was in good shape, didn't smoke and was a recreational runner who did half-marathons, fun runs and the like and often rode his bicycle to work. But he wasn't in her league when it came to muscularity, a point she seemed anxious to prove. Joe tried everything he could to change the subject and even resorted to attempting to forfeit the contest, hoping to avoid a physical comparison. But she would not be deterred. With great reluctance he brought his arm up and flexed as hard as he could. The snickering began even before she put her own mighty limb up beside his. It was, indeed, no comparison. She had him by a couple of inches at least in size and completely blew him out of the water in terms of shape, density, hardness etc. Joe's face reddened and he quickly put his arm down. Prior to Joe's arrival with his new girlfriend, I had been feeling bored and restless, but no more. This was getting interesting! I sensed that Joe was attracted to her physique, but not necessarily that comfortable with this kind of public display. This, I thought to myself, was an envelope that needed pushing. It wasn't even a challenge for my naturally cunning mind. In fact, it's capacity for deviousness was barely being taxed. This girl lived to show off her muscles, I could just tell. Since the subject of her and Joe's arms was already on the table, I thought, why not actually get their arms on the table. "Bet she could take you in an arm-wrestle, Joey." Joe said nothing, but his girlfriend responded by laughing out loud. "That's nothing," she grinned "you should see me whip his butt in wrestling." "Wrestling?" I asked, feigning incredulity. "You beat him in wrestling? I don't believe it." Joe tried once more to get the conversation going in a different direction, but she and I were singing from the same hymn book! Joe's face grew even more flushed as she continued talking, gaily describing how she had easily forced him submit to her several times before pinning him down and making him admit she was stronger. "No way!" I exclaimed, "Is that true, Joe?" Joe went from looking uncomfortable and embarrassed to perturbed and aggravated. He had an idea of what I was up to, and shot daggers at me. I just grinned back at him. The truth is, I never much cared for Joe. He was always kind of standoffish, a loner type. Nothing wrong with that, I guess, but I preferred people who were more outgoing and open. I couldn't resist putting him on the spot, just to see what he'd do. "Well?" she said, expectantly, "tell him." "Look," Joe said, with annoyance in his voice, "I was just playing around. I let you win. It was no big deal." "Oh, really?" she replied. All of the sudden, the atmosphere shifted. It was like a dark cloud had appeared from out of nowhere and passed in front of the sun. Her demeanour changed and her face lost its bright, playful expression, hardening a bit. She fixed her gaze on Joe, a smile still on her lips but her eyes now more narrow, and intense. They bore into Joe. His face grew ashen and he glanced away. Looking around, I spied a patch of grass near the pool that struck me as the perfect spot to stage a little demonstration. I pointed it out to her and she was all over it! This was almost too easy. No one else within earshot was jumping in to help promote this idea, but they weren't raising any objections either. Besides, between my knack for instigation and her unbridled enthusiasm for the idea, we really didn't need any help in getting this match going. Joe of course, resisted but it was a tough row to hoe. He'd painted himself into a corner with his "let you win" defense. She and I teased him remorselessly and now our antics were rubbing off on a few of the others. Basically, the only way out for Joe was to admit he'd been lying and she really had beaten him. Either that, or simply sulk and refuse to do it. Neither was a very appealing choice, especially since the booze had been flowing for a while and folks were loosening up. Besides, she'd already grabbed him by the arm and shoulder, literally hauling him to his feet and was now shoving him in the direction of the grassy spot. By the time we got there, most of the people who hadn't been part of our conversation had become aware of what was about to take place, and began filing over. Right up front, looking eager as all get out, were the boss's two teenage daughters, a pair of fit, athletic-looking girls themselves. Of course, I had to act as announcer. The young muscle-woman was bouncing on her feet, literally vibrating with excitement while Joe could not have looked more as if he would rather be anywhere but where he was. Without even bothering to consult him, I looked at the girl and suggested a two out of three contest, just so no one could say the other got lucky. She instantly agreed. I was about to introduce her but couldn't, as I'd forgotten her name. I looked at her helplessly. "It's Donna," she said, anticipating my question. "OK then, for your entertainment pleasure this afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, we have a best two falls out of three wrestling match between Joey-boy here, and his very strong-looking girlfriend Donna." There was a light round of applause as she flexed her arms again. Then she did something so completely astonishing that I actually began to wonder if I'd gone too far by manipulating Joe into this contest. She did a handstand and began walking around, supporting herself by the strength of her arms and shoulders only. I couldn't believe how easily and casually she was able to do this. Physically, it is a very difficult move to perform and she was doing it effortlessly, or so it seemed. Then, she "walked" over to me and, smiling up at me the whole time, wrapped her legs around me neck. Using me like an stripper uses a pole, she did a curl up with her upper body and held herself there while she flexed her arms once more. I laughed and held my hands up in a gesture of surrender. She unclasped her legs and did a graceful back flip, landing on her feet, pumped up and ready to wrestle. This time, the applause was much more enthusiastic, especially from the boss's daughters, but a lot of the others also. Donna was definitely winning the crowd over. Clearly, there was nothing left to do but begin the match. Before I could say anything, however, Donna jumped in. "Since we have no referee, each fall ends only when one person gives up, ok?" she said, looking at me. I wasn't about to argue with her. I nodded my head, raised my arm up in the air and put my fingers to my lips, letting out a loud whistle. Then I scampered out of the way and took a seat several steps up the ladder to the diving board. Might as well have a bird's eye view, I thought. Joe had removed his sandals, but kept his T-shirt on, while Donna was still in her bikini. I could understand Joe's decision...no sense in inviting comparisons. As I said, he was in decent shape, but she was just astounding! She gave away between six and eight inches in height to Joe, and probably 30 - 35 pounds, but the fact that every muscle in her body had size, shape and definition to it, made her seem a far more imposing physical presence. Her upper legs had a nice, torpedo-like shape to them with thick layers of muscle all the way down to her kneecaps, while her calve muscles were just enormous. Her legs made Joe's long, thin ones look like twigs. He was a slim guy all over, no real fat anywhere, but his stomach certainly lacked the hard, armadillo-like appearance hers had. Comparing their backs was a lot like comparing their legs. His was long and kind of straight, but Donna's was shorter and had much more of a tapered look. She also had nicely-shaped deltoids. They were, in reality, probably narrower than Joe's shoulders, but they appeared more broad. As for their arms, well I described the difference there earlier. The contrast between them didn't end with their bodies either. Joe was standing still, with the proverbial "deer-caught-in-the-headlights" look on his face. It was as though he couldn't believe what was happening or how he'd gotten in the position he was in. But hey, it wasn't that hard to figure. She had pretty much set him up. He'd been given the old Hobson's choice: either admit that her description of their private wrestling match was true, or get put in the position he was currently in...having to back up his statement that he'd let her win those matches. He could not have looked more uncomfortable as he faced Donna, who was poised and eager as she crouched slightly and began making the first moves. Joe did his best to stay out of reach, but he couldn't avoid her for long. She faked going for his head but ducked down and got her arms around one of his legs. I was fairly certain she could have up-ended him, but instead she just hung onto his leg and waited for him to bend over and try to separate her arms. No sooner had he done that, than she let go of his leg and captured him in a headlock, pulling his face in tight to her abdomen. She had the fingers of both hands curled and hooked together, giving her hold a strong, unbreakable look, as she held Joe in a bent-over position. The smile she had on her face since the beginning of the match grew even bigger now, as she began walking around in a circle, making eye contact with the others while forcing Joe to follow along. She had complete control over him, easily thwarting his attempts to use his arms by jerking his body around, keeping him off balance. I had the sense she was just toying with him, and could have put him down anytime but I think she enjoyed marching him around like this. It was only natural for an inter-gender rivalry to spring up, which it did, although it was far from clear-cut. Some of the guys were encouraging Joe to break free, although it all sounded a bit half-hearted. Others were just silent, looking like they couldn't believe what they were seeing. Among the women, the split was even more pronounced. Some were enthusiastically cheering for Donna, led by the boss's two teenage girls, who were really getting into it. They obviously were of a newer generation of women who were more accustomed to the idea of women being able to become strong and skilled in combat. They were the post-Xena/Chyna era, used to seeing images of powerful females. Some of my younger office colleagues were right there with them, as were a few of the older ones. But others had looks on their faces as if they'd just smelled something really bad. Clearly they were against this type of display, perhaps thought it unfeminine or inappropriate in some way. Or, maybe they were just jealous. I neither knew nor cared, being far too occupied with congratulating myself for a job well done in provoking this little contest. After making it clear she could keep Joe in this position as long as she wanted, Donna stuck her hip out and threw him over it, onto the grass. She went down with him, losing her grip around his neck momentarily, but quickly securing it again. She was comfortably on her side, most of her weight squarely over Joe's chest, with her legs spread out at about a 45 degree angle. She looked very solidly positioned, which Joe's ineffective efforts to push her away only confirmed. I had a great view from my perch on the ladder and was captivated by the look on her face as she smiled down at Joe. She was smiling, but in a way I could only describe as predatory, a combination of pride, confidence and total superiority. She had her lock on tight, but didn't look to be really squeezing hard. One of the girls must have sensed that too, as she yelled "Come on, give it to him...make him say uncle!" Donna glanced over and gave the girl a little nod, then cranked her arms and tightened her grip. She made Joe cry out in pain a couple of times, but didn't keep it up. She went back to using just enough pressure to keep him where she wanted him. Then she adjusted her position slightly, so that her breast was pushed right into Joe's face. This time when she ratcheted up the pressure, only a muffled and comical sound came out. A few people laughed at that and again, Donna backed off the pressure. Then she leaned down close and whispered something no one could hear in his ear. Suddenly she released the headlock, folded her legs in and popped up to her feet. Joe was still lying on the grass, looking up at her. I wondered why she'd done that, as it was obvious he couldn't get out of the hold. "Come ON," she said emphatically, "don't just let me win. We're supposed to be wrestling for real. I don't want you to let me beat you. Now get up and wrestle properly." I don't know if she was fooling anyone else at this point, but she wasn't getting her ploy past me. As the saying goes, you don't kid a kidder. The physical contest was a foregone conclusion. She had something else on her mind. Donna stuck her hand out and no sooner had Joe grasped it than she simply pulled him too his feet, and roughly, at that. Putting her hands on his chest, she pushed him away, acting as though she was indignant she wasn't being given an opportunity to demonstrate her true ability. It was a complete charade, and I knew it. Nevertheless, I was fascinated by where she was going with this, even though part of me was beginning to wonder if I hadn't created a bit of a monster. Joe stumbled, almost falling over backwards. Regaining his balance, he looked truly angry for the first time since this had begun. But he also looked terribly confused and uncertain as well, as if he couldn't decide whether to rush at her or turn tail and run for his car. She didn't make the decision any easier either, facing him with her hands on her hips. "Let's go," she demanded, "get over here and give me some competition. Don't just lay down and pretend." There's an old movie starring Paul Newman about minor league hockey called "Slapshot". In one of the movie's many classic scenes, a trio of semi-sociopathic goons known as the Hanson Brothers are extolling the virtues of the psyche-out by praising player/coach Newman for getting their opponent "in his mind". There was no doubt in MY mind that was what Donna was doing. There had been no "laying down" going on here. She had beat him so easily, it may have looked that way to those watching but she, I, and most importantly Joe, knew that's not what happened at all. They came together and locked up, grasping each other by the neck and arm. Once more, Donna was in charge, easily overpowering Joe but doing nothing more than moving him at will around the little patch of grass. By now people were really starting to get into it and those who were inclined began really spurring Donna on. Again, it was the boss's daughters who led the cheering section, urging her to "kick his ass", "show him who's stronger" etc. They were incredibly cute, the way they were so eager to see this demonstration of female superiority (hmmm...wonder if I could get them to wrestle each other...). Regaining my focus, I turned my attention back to the "action", as it were. Donna had taken Joe down on his back and captured one of his arms between her legs, squeezing it tightly just above the elbow. She had his other arm stretched out and was holding it straight out from Joe's body, with her hips lying on his chest. She could have pinned him in that position easily, but there was no one to count it out, so she just kept him down, all the while exhorting him not to just "let her" win. Joe tried bucking his hips, and managed to give her a bit of a ride, but all she did was turn in into more humiliation by saying things to him like "that's it", "give me a fight", "show me something" and so on. After a minute or so of this, she held him down with just one arm and hooked the other around one of his legs. Now she was able to roll him back onto his shoulders, demonstrating he was helplessly pinned. I imagine Joe would have submitted if she'd continued to hold him like that, but she didn't give him the opportunity. She quickly released him, sliding on top of him in a full-body press, then immediately began working her legs underneath his, winding them back over his ankles. Donna had his wrists pinned and his legs spread wide apart, as they were now locked in her intricate hold. Everyone could see Joe had no defense, as she was in control of all four of his limbs. He couldn't move anything except his head. Donna just gazed down at him, that dominant grin on her face, then she spoke in a loud voice. "I think some of your friends liked my arm-flexing earlier. You think I should show them some more muscle poses?" I wasn't quite sure where she was going with this, but I knew that she was certainly up to something. It was more than obvious she could have quickly dispatched Joe with a couple of easy wins by now, if all she wanted to do was prove her point. Sure enough, she arched her back and flexed her butt muscles hard. Her bikini bottom was cut high enough for everyone to see a little half-circle form, disappear and re-form with each flex. At the same time, she was throwing her shoulders forward, putting her back her back muscles on display. "This hold really shows off my glutes and lats. Too bad you can't see, but you can feel how strong they are, can't you Joe?" With that, she began raising her hips, and slamming them into Joe's abdomen, over and over. The two teenage girls, as well as some of the others began cheering her on, as she battered her victim mercilessly. With each slam, Joe cried out involuntarily. Again, I felt he was on the verge of submitting when she stopped, unwound her legs from his and just sat on his chest, with her knees pressing down painfully on his arms. She didn't bother trying to hold his wrists down, but used her hands to attack Joe's face, giving him light little slaps on the cheek and flicking the end of his nose with her index finger and thumb. She was forcing Joe to keep struggling, giving him no chance to rest. Donna looked like she was playing and just having fun, while Joe was fighting with everything he had. I had to admire her style! This girl knew her stuff. She wasn't content to kick his ass in front of his co-workers, she was into dishing out some serious humiliation. Finally Joe managed to thrash around enough to get himself turned over onto his stomach, so at least his face was free of her torturing fingers. It was hard to tell if that had been her plan all along or just a coincidence, but Donna used his face-down position to apply another invincible hold that allowed her to show off another muscle group. She pulled Joe's arms straight up and began pushing them forward, towards his shoulders, while seated comfortably on his lower back. Again, I'm sure she could have won with that hold too, but she quickly repositioned her legs so they were extended and under Joe's arms. Then she brought her ankles over top of his shoulders and crossed them behind his neck, cradling Joe's face with her feet. Once she had the lock secure, she rolled onto her side, taking Joe with her. Then, slowly but surely, she brought her helpless prey around so he was lying virtually on top of her. Donna was on her back, her leg hold keeping his upper arms trapped, and her hands still holding onto his wrists. She let go of them, placed her hands on the grass and worked both herself and Joe into a sitting position. Still bracing herself with her hands, but curling her upper body forward, a series of tight lines formed across her stomach. "This one really shows off my abs," she boasted, while forcing Joe's head down to his chest. Again, she didn't do it for long, rapidly moving into another hold. This time, Donna unlocked her ankles and pulled Joe's head back, into her lap. She folded her right leg around so his chin was jammed into the back of her knee. Then she hooked her left leg around her right ankle and rolled over so her right thigh was resting on the ground. She finished the hold by grabbing her left ankle, adding even more pressure to the already painful-looking hold. This time, she either couldn't resist applying the pressure, or she didn't release the hold in time, but Joe had had enough. He couldn't really call out his submission with her calve jammed against his face like it was, but did start tapping on her thighs and moaning something into the flesh of her muscular leg. Letting out a laugh, she loosened up the hold and asked if he was submitting. "Yes...yes, I submit." "For real," she asked, feigning innocence, "you're not just letting me win?" "No...you win. You really win." "You're sure?" she said, prolonging the embarrassment. "Yes, god damn it," he replied, showing his frustration at the way she was playing with him. "Now, now...language, mister. No need to get upset. After all, it's best two out of three. You still have a chance to win back your manly pride." Her tone was mocking and derisive. By now it wasn't just me who could see what was going on. She started to elicit some chuckles with her merciless teasing. She told Joe to take a few minutes if he needed it, that she'd be waiting whenever he was ready, and left him lying on his back. She passed the time by doing a little stretching, showing amazing flexibility forming her body into a "T", with her legs straight out to the side and her forehead touching the ground in front of her. Joe, meanwhile, was moving like he'd been hit by a truck. He slowly, and stiffly, got to his feet, rubbing his neck and shoulders. Donna responded by hopping up to meet him. "Ready, honey?" she inquired enthusiastically, "I'm sure you'll do better this time. I think I just got lucky." After what we'd just witnessed, that was such an outrageous statement, people began hooting with laughter. Joe's face, already a little red from her head-scissors hold, flushed an even deeper shade of crimson. Some of the folks joined in on her razzing, with comments like "you'll get her this time Joe" and "yeah, quit toying with her". It was all too much for poor old Joe who was fuming by now. "Forget it," he told her, "I'm finished with this BS." He started to walk away, back towards the patio area when she shouted "NO WAY!" and charged after him. Throwing her arms around his waist, she literally picked him up and carried him, struggling, back to the wrestling area. Setting him down on his feet, she seized hold of one of his wrists with one arm, pulled it across her neck and bent down, sticking her other arm between his legs. Wrapping her hand around his thigh, she lifted him up and over her shoulders in a fireman's carry, spun him around a few times and dumped him on the lawn. Then she fell on him and they began grappling. In just a few seconds, she had him stretched out on his back, her legs gripping him around his torso. She tucked his near arm underneath her armpit, trapping it in an armlock. Then she flexed her powerful leg muscles and squeezed with all her might. Joe screamed out his submission instantly. "Stop it, please. My ribs, you're crushing my ribs." Now all the pretense was gone and her anger fully evident. "Yeah? So you admit you're beat?" "Yes, yes. I'm beat. You win...I give up." "And what about the other night? Still say you let me win?" "No. I'm sorry, I didn't mean it." "So, you admit you were lying?" "Yes, yes, I lied." She relaxed her hold and looked down at Joe, slowly shaking her head back and forth. "Tsk, tsk. Well, that is just terrible. I don't like it when my boyfriend's LIE!" She punctuated her last word by crunching her legs around him. The boss's two daughters shouted out encouragement to her as she made Joe writhe in pain and scream in agony. She backed off the pressure and pulled her legs out from around Joe's body. Turning her hold on his arm into a wristlock, Donna forced him over on his stomach. Then she cranked his arm behind his back into a hammerlock. Resting one knee on the small of his back, Donna easily held him down and began admonishing him for lying about their previous match. "I think you need to be punished for such behaviour," she said, adopting a scolding tone, as if speaking to a misbehaving child. "I wonder what a suitable punishment would be?" One of the teenagers called out "spank him." This brought another chorus of laughter from the group of onlookers, and a smile to Donna's face. "That sounds like a good idea," she chortled, resting her free hand on Joe's buttocks. "I wonder if I should take your shorts down first?" Joe completely freaked out and began pleading with her. "No, for God's sake, no Donna. Please, I apologize. I'm sorry I lied. You're the better wrestler, you're stronger that me. Please, anything, just don't do this." "Are you begging for mercy, is that it? "Yes." "Well...let's hear it. I want to hear you beg me." Joe begged her not to spank him, apologizing over and over, and beseeched her for mercy. "Well," she mused, "I guess I could have mercy on you, but you admit that I could spank you, right here and now, if I wanted to right?" "Yes," Joe answered miserably. "All right," she said, releasing his arm and jumping up, "I still think you need to be punished some more, but we can finish that later." She pulled him into a standing position. Turning to the rest of us, she said, "I think we're going to have to get going. Sorry we have to leave early, but we have a few things to sort out in private. Nice meeting you all." She scooped up the rest of their clothes and threw them into her bag. Taking Joe by the arm, she walked him out towards the driveway. The last thing any of us heard her say to him was, "Give me the keys honey, I'm driving."