Work Text:
“I have something to tell you guys.”
Ruby’s eyes immediately narrow.
Annie’s eyebrows shoot up into her hairline.
Beth takes a deep breath.
It’s a warm, sunny day, mid afternoon, the diner is busy and lively. Everyone’s in a good mood because things are finally looking up. They’re back to work, starting tonight, the pick up scheduled for nine. All their problems will be solved, in the short term.
She can do this.
It’s not like she doesn’t want to tell them; hell, she’s got a smile on her face a mile wide, and a part of her is dying to share what’s on her mind. But...how to put it into words. How to actually say this out loud. That’s the challenge.
She’s taking such a long time preparing what she’s going to say both of them are now yelling at her.
“What is going on, Beth? What the fuck is going on?”
“Sis, I swear to God, if you don’t spill the tea right fucking now I will lose my mind and then I will destroy you.”
“Um… so…” Just rip the bandaid off, Beth. Just say it. This is not that big a deal. Nothing to worry about whatsoever. “I slept with Rio.”
That’s it, that’s the news. Hard part over. She lets it settle, because it’s momentous, it’s the most insane thing she’s ever done, which is really saying something, and they need time to process it. They’ll have a lot of questions, many of which will be formulating in their heads right now.
They speak at the same time, Ruby saying, “Are you out of your goddamn mind?” as Annie says, “Oh my God, yes.”
Ruby whips her ‘are you fucking crazy’ look in Annie’s direction. “Seriously?”
“Come on, be reasonable,” Annie says. “Have you seen him? Have you actually looked at him with your eyeballs? And oh yeah that fuck me voice. This is great news, Beth. Well done, I’m proud of you.” Beth laughs. At least she only has to get one of them on board with her plan to continue sleeping with Rio.
“Look, I noticed he’s fine, I’m not blind,” Ruby says. “But I also noticed he’s a dangerous goddamn psychopath who has tried to kill Beth on more than one occasion.” Beth scoffs. That’s a bit of an exaggeration. “What were you thinking?”
“We kind of... had to.” Beth started that sentence in all seriousness but by the end of it she’s laughing. Remembering. “I was meeting Rio at a cafe in the city to talk business and that FBI guy Turner came in.”
“Noooo. Was he there for you?”
“No,” Beth says, feeling an inappropriate rush of affection for Agent Turner. “It was random chance, can you believe it? So we had to pretend we were on a date.”
“Genius,” Annie says.
“Oh you had to pretend you were on a date.”
“Guys I’m telling you. It was the most…” She opens her mouth in a silent scream. “Amazing. Experience. Of my life.”
The whooping starts from across the table.
“It was like...nothing I’ve ever… I mean ever… I… I have no words.”
Ruby’s eyes are like saucers. “That good?”
Beth nods vigorously.
“Okay fine, I can’t be mad at you then. Now give us every detail.”
Annie leans forward, chin in her hands. “Yes. Every. Detail.”
They spent the whole night together and barely slept a wink. There was a lot of sex. A surprising amount of talking. A lot of holding and kissing and touching each other. Room service; racking up a pretty hefty bill, with dinner, dessert, and a couple of bottles of champagne. TV. More sex. So much amazing sex. The only time spent apart was when Rio left the room for ten minutes to get more condoms. By the time they finally parted ways, early this morning because Beth had to be at Dean’s by nine to pick up the kids, she was sore, exhausted and giddy.
Ruby is incredulous. “Gangbanger Rio? Really? You’re telling me he stayed there all night and you had shit to talk about other than your shared interest in crime? And on top of that he made endless, passionate love to you, and—” Ruby raises a finger, clearly about to make one final, damning point. “—didn’t once call you ‘bitch’? Nah, you’re lying.”
“I know it seems out of character,” Beth says. “We just got into a rhythm I guess. Put all our shit aside and just...made a choice to enjoy ourselves. It felt so good. You know? And he was there too. He wanted to be there...I’m telling you, he wanted it just as much as I did.”
“What do you two talk about?” Annie asks.
Beth knows Rio a lot better now than she did this time yesterday. “Lots of things,” she says. They might not have much in common but she’s never found him hard to talk to.
“Liiiike?”
The stories behind all his tattoos. “He told me about his childhood. Unsurprisingly it was pretty messed up.”
“In what way?” Ruby asks.
“You know what?” Beth says. “That’s just for me. I’m not sharing anything he told me in confidence.”
“Fine,” Annie says. “Enough boring doom and gloom. Let’s get back to talking about what Rio looks like naked.”
“We weren’t talking about that,” Ruby says. “But we definitely should.”
Instead of replying Beth lets her shit-eating grin fill in the blanks and enjoys the look of envious yearning on their faces.
“I really have to go,” Ruby says, not moving a muscle.
They’ve been talking for the past hour about Beth’s new situation and honestly Beth would insist they keep talking about it for a few more hours if they didn’t all have shit to get back to.
“I know, me too.”
“Me three,” says Annie. “But wait, one more thing. When are you seeing him again?”
“I don’t know. We didn’t get to that part. We just said goodbye. Oh my god why didn’t I ask him?” She’s such an idiot. Now she has no idea how long the wait will be.
“Girl, you got it bad,” Ruby says. “This is such a huge disaster.”
“Shut up, I don’t. It’s just physical.” The moment she says it she knows it’s a lie and she sighs in defeat.
“Bullshit it’s just physical,” Annie says. “You’re so into him. And Ruby’s right, it is a disaster.”
“Thank you,” Ruby says.
“Why?” Going immediately on the defensive is probably a dead giveaway but she doesn’t like what they’re saying.
“Beth, come on.” Ruby’s got this super serious ‘I’m your best friend and I’m worried about you’ look on her face that Beth has no time for right now. “This cannot end well.”
She shakes her head, stares at the salt shaker. “I know. But... “ She sighs, looks up at them both. “I can’t turn it off. I really don’t think I’m going to be able to stop myself.”
“Fine, don’t listen to us. Be a damn fool,” Ruby says. “But you need to get tested too.”
Rio told her he’d get tested today. “What?”
“You totally do,” Annie says. “Your ex husband is pond scum. You don’t know where he’s been.”
Beth reels back a little.
Surely not.
She and Dean haven’t had sex in...God, she can’t even remember the last time, but for some reason she’d been assuming it was before he…
Well fuck.
Regaining her composure, she looks them both in the eye. “And how exactly would I go about doing that.”
Annie’s got her phone out already. “I’m sending you a link to a walk-in clinic. Jeez, sis, I can’t believe you didn’t think to do this before now.”
“She wouldn’t have thought to do it at all if it wasn’t for us.”
Beth rolls her eyes and looks at her watch. “Is it open now?”
“Yep, Saturdays and Tuesdays, one til ten,” Annie says.
Ruby side-eyes Annie. “How do you know that?”
Annie looks affronted for a moment, stands up and says, “It’s on the website.” She throws them a salute and says to Beth before walking out, “Hey, maybe you’ll run into Rio.”
The kids are with Dean’s parents and Beth really should go collect them now; they’re hers until Tuesday and palming them off on their grandparents today wasn’t her finest hour as a mother, even if that is the speed of things these days. Can she really claim to be a good mother anymore? Her biggest priority today was meeting up with her friends so she could gossip about her love life. That took precedent over spending time with her precious darlings. God. She really should get back to them right now. Get back into Mom Mode.
Instead she sends a text to her inlaws and drives to the clinic, hoping she doesn’t run into Rio, hoping she does.
Her test results are negative, she’s clean of almost all sexually transmitted diseases, although she’ll have to wait a few weeks for her syphilis test results to come back.
It doesn’t surprise her but it is relieving, and it means she can have conscience-free condomless sex with Rio, should he also receive good news today.
Christ almighty. What is she doing?
Is she crazy? Are the girls right? Can the only possible outcome here be disaster? It’s not like she and Rio could possibly have a future. Step dad to her kids? No chance. Someone she’d ever be able to introduce as her partner to anyone she knows? Hilarious.
Someone she could grow old with?
She sighs and gets into her car, starts the engine, pulls out of the parking lot. Heads home to the kids.
The pickup goes smoothly.
Beth crawls into bed at eleven, all the adrenalin drained out of her. That was the longest day in history and she survived it on maybe two hours sleep. She can finally crash. The only thing keeping her awake is the total absence of contact from Rio. No text, nothing. Not even after the job, to check it went okay. Of course he’d know it went okay because he doesn’t need Beth to tell him these things, which is why she didn’t text him either. But seriously, is he fucking kidding her? After everything they’ve just been through, she deserves some acknowledgement. He should have checked in by now. What is she, one of his hos? He thinks he can sleep with her and not call? She’s too goddamn old for this shit and she’s probably his best earner. He better treat her with respect goddammit; she will not stand for anything less.
Unless maybe she needs to chill out and just be the one to text him?
But no. No. It has to be him. She will not give him the upper hand. What if she texts him and he doesn’t reply? He would have all the power, Beth would have none, and her weekend would be ruined. It’s better to assume they have an understanding, that sending each other lovey dovey text messages postcoitus is not their style; they don’t buy into that stuff. They’re not needy. They’re not demanding. They’re cool.
Well…
Rio’s certainly cool. Beth maybe needs to work on it.
Her Rio Phone vibrates just as she’s drifting off.
You in bed?
Oh.
Wide awake.
Yes. You?
Yeah
Beth is holding her breath. Picturing him, under the covers, just the bedside lamp on. Is he naked?
Wanna talk?
Oh thank god.
Yes
She waits.
Her heart skips a beat when the phone rings.
“Hi.”
“Hey beautiful.” The sound of his voice sends a wave of pleasure through her body and she feels herself relaxing into the mattress. “How you feeling?”
“Exhausted.”
Rio’s sleepy chuckle makes her chest tighten. “Me too. We didn’t sleep much did we.”
“We did not. I don’t know, maybe two hours?”
“Sounds right.” She can hear him breathing. “Imma sleep well tonight.”
Arousal floods her body. Such perfect torment, not being able to touch him but wanting to so badly her heart might burst. “It’s good to hear your voice.”
“Mm, you too.”
“Have you been thinking about me?”
He doesn’t answer straight away. Then he says, “All day.” His voice, oh god his voice.
“Me too.” It’s exciting being honest with him. “I can’t stop thinking about you.”
“Oh man,” she can hear his frustration. “Wish you were here right now.”
“Oh god me too.” Her breathing quickens.
“I miss your body.”
Beth sighs. The longing she feels is almost unbearable, and her next words are full of whispered desperation: “What are you wearing?”
“Nothin,” he says. “You?”
“Pajamas.” She feels overdressed. She’s so warm she’s starting to sweat.
“Take em off.”
She doesn’t hesitate. Lays the phone face up next to her on the bed and strips as fast as possible, pushing her pajama bottoms and panties down to the foot of the bed with her feet, pulling the covers back up over her breasts.
She picks the phone up and says, “I’m naked.”
“Mm. I can picture you,” Rio murmurs and she knows he’s touching himself. Stroking his cock. “You’re beautiful.” She knows he’s as hard as she is wet. She slides a hand between her legs and jesus she’s already so fucking slippery.
“I want you inside me.”
“Want me to fuck you slow? Slow and hard like I did last night?”
“Yes,” she whispers. “That’s what I want.”
“Tell me how wet your pussy is.”
Her smile is helpless. “My hand is drenched.”
His breathing is getting heavier. “Oh yeah? That’s how much you want my cock?”
“Seems so.” She’s rubbing her clit with more insistence now, the promise of orgasm already looming. “How hard are you?”
He’s making those sounds he makes when he’s inside her, fucking her. She can picture his hand on himself, pumping faster and faster. His voice a harsh whisper, strained, like he’s close to the edge, “Hard as a fuckin rock. Tell me how much you want it.”
“Oh god, fuck me I want you to fuck me.” She can barely get the words out, and she’s trying so hard to keep her voice down, trying desperately not to moan.
“Oh yeah...fuck yeah...” He sounds close. “Gonna fuck you...so...fucking...hard—”
“Oh god— Rio—“
“Beth—
She comes so hard she hollers, and it’s loud and lengthy and oh god the kids are in the house but she can’t control it, and Rio’s coming too, she can hear his helpless gasps of pleasure, and it’s incredible because they came at exactly the same time. It’s their first simultaneous orgasm, and by far their fastest. All the orgasms they had last night — six was it? — were spectacular, but they weren’t quickies and they weren’t simultaneous.
Sweet Jesus, how are they so good together? This has to be some kind of cosmic prank.
“Oh fuck, baby, what you doing to me.” He sounds spent, breathless. “Why ain’t you in my bed right now?”
“I wanna kiss you so much,” she says. “That was amazing. You’re amazing.” She’s suddenly so sleepy. So happy. “I’m gonna have the sweetest dreams.”
“You and me both.”
“Talk to you tomorrow?”
“Count on it.”
“G’night.”
“Night, sweetheart.”
She ends the call, places the phone next to her in bed so he’ll be as close to her as possible and burrows into her pillow, smiles herself to sleep.
Okay, so she’s in love with a gangster. That’s just great.
She’s on Sunday Momday autopilot, doing everything ‘right’ but struggling to engage with any of her children. It’s not that she doesn’t want to engage, she really does, her kids are great and she adores them unconditionally. It’s that all she can think about is her new gangster boyfriend. The one that none of her kids can ever find out about.
How is this her life now? How can this possibly work?
And yet he clearly feels the same way. Last night on the phone...that wasn’t just sex. That was romantic. He said romantic things to her. Rio Whatever The Fuck His Last Name Is, told her they would talk today, because this is happening, this is real. He wants to see her again, and have sex with her again, and not just one more time— many more times. It’s hard for Beth to imagine ever getting bored with him, ever not wanting him. He’s utterly magnetic.
Beth has to sit down for a few moments to calm her breathing.
You cannot fall in love with this man, Beth. It is insane. You are insane for even entertaining the possibility.
She calls him. He picks up on the second ring and she can hear the smile in his voice. “Hey you.”
“Hi.” She’s in the kitchen, taking a break from lunch prep. “Whatcha doin?”
“Working.”
“Oh. I see. Me too, kind of. I’m on Mom duty.”
Rio chuckles. “Nice work if you can get it.”
“Four kids Rio. Four kids.”
“Fair point.”
“When am I going to see you?”
“You free now?”
“No,” she says, laughing. Much as she’d love to abandon her children for a roll in the hay with the sexiest man she’s ever met, she’s not that far gone yet. She is still a good mother. “But my Tuesday night is wide open.” She’s arranged for Dean to have the kids Tuesday and Wednesday. They don’t even mind Dean’s tiny apartment, or that they all have to share a room. They don’t mind because they love Dean so much. For all his faults, he’s a good dad. Maybe these days a better dad than she is a mom.
Fuck it though. She’s allowed a personal life. And she will always put her kids first no matter what. That’s why she’s not calling a babysitter right now and rushing off to see Rio. She’ll wait, until Tuesday.
“You inviting me over?”
“No,” she says. “I want to come to your place.” He knows everything about her and it’s time he started reciprocating.
It takes him so long to respond Beth wonders if he’s still on the line.
“Okay. My place it is.”
“Oh wow, I honestly didn’t think you’d be such a pushover.”
His laugh warms her soul. “Apparently you bring out the giver in me.”
Beth’s cheeks hurt from smiling. “I can’t wait.”
“I’ll call you tomorrow.” He hangs up.
She puts her Rio Phone on the bench and hugs herself.
They talk on the phone twice on Monday. Enjoyably pointless conversations; the first at ten in the morning, when he calls her from some cafe he’s in. He’s impressed with the food and wanted to describe his breakfast to her; she retaliates by explaining in excruciating detail the breakfasts she made for the kids that morning, as well as what each of them got in their packed lunch. It’s ridiculous this should entertain them so much, but the more boring the details of her story are the more questions he asks, until Beth’s sides hurt from laughing.
At nine something, once the kids are in bed, she goes downstairs, pours herself a generous bourbon, takes a seat in the living room, puts her feet up, and calls Rio. He answers straight away, and she asks him about his day.
“Busy. Just heading home now. Whatchoo doin?”
“Just got the last kid to bed. I’m enjoying my drink and talking to you.”
“Imma watch some Netflix when I get in. Any recommendations?”
“Ah, television that isn’t cartoons. I forgot that existed.”
“That’s a no, then?”
“Earth to Luna is really good.”
“Nah, I’m more in the mood for romantic comedy.”
“Oh you like romantic comedies do you?” Beth laughs. “You’re so full of shit.”
“Hell yeah I do darlin, name a better movie than Clueless.”
She racks her brains and comes up with squat. Clueless is in fact the best movie ever.
They never talk business. She never pries, he doesn’t offer. It’s probably really dark what he does, he’s probably been ‘busy’ all day doing shit that would disturb and scare her. She doesn’t want to know. So they chat about nothing; movies; food, whatever comes to mind, and it’s intoxicating. She knows he’s dangerous. She knows this can’t end well. She also knows this mysterious, gorgeous, funny, clever man is crazy about her and she’s coming out of her skin with excitement about seeing him again tomorrow night.
After dropping the kids off at school she heads to the salon for a wax. She’s long overdue; the last time she didn’t even stay for the whole thing, and it ended up all wonky. Not that Rio minded one bit her being a tad unkempt. He told her he finds no bush at all kinda creepy, which might have been a line but she’s choosing to believe him. And he had no problem whatsoever finding her clit with his tongue and his fingers, even under all that fur. Hell, he was goddamn eager about it.
So this time she’ll keep it simple, just her bikini line and then a close trim, purely out of politeness, not because Rio expects it.
She used to get it done for Dean. He expected it. All through the early years, at any rate. He expected her to be trimmed and waxed and ready. Was more understanding if she let things go a little after the kids came along, but she still somehow felt pressured to maintain appearances for him. After Janey was born she stopped grooming altogether. They stopped fucking. She lost interest in sex entirely.
A part of her had wanted to at least try to light that fire again with Dean. Hence the botched wax. But that was before it all fell apart, and now she can’t even imagine… there’s no way she could ever sleep with him again. Ever.
Rio lives in an apartment building downtown, nondescript from the outside but the street itself is perfectly respectable, and the location explains why he was in that cafe on Friday. It’s not too far from here.
Was she really expecting him to live in ‘the hood’? That visiting him would be risky? She’d pictured tattooed men with guns lurking on every corner, glowering at anyone who passes by. How silly. This is just a typical city block, busy with all types of people, only a short walk from the river. Maybe his place has a view. She checks his text again for the address. Looks like he’s on the top floor.
No security guard, just a locked door at the entrance with a panel of numbered buttons beside it. She rings Rio’s bell and waits, her heart racing. She’s been waiting for this moment since they parted ways on Saturday morning.
The speaker buzzes and she pushes the door open, walks into the foyer and calls the elevator.
Rides it to the top floor.
His door’s already open when she gets to it, and he’s standing there, arm slung over the top corner, waiting for her. A serious expression on his face.
She walks up to him and holds his gaze, holding her breath.
Then she smiles.
His answering grin lights up the entire hallway.
She surges forward, into his arms and plants her lips on his, finally kissing him, they’re finally together again. He holds her tight and close as they kiss, ravenous for her, and soon she’s being pulled inside, the door shut behind them, moving together in a slow spin deeper into the apartment, but never letting go, tongues and bodies entwined—
She’s not even sure where they are. Rio has maneuvered her into a room — the living room? Yes, she spots a television and a bookshelf — and shoved her up against the wall, and now he’s sliding his hands up under the hem of her dress and tugging at her panties, getting them down her thighs as fast as possible. She helps him; lifts one foot off the floor so she can pull them over the heel of her pump, but she doesn’t bother discarding them completely — instead leaving them pooled around her other ankle, because he’s got all the access he needs now she can spread her legs without hindrance. She goes for his fly next, popping the top button of his jeans only a second before he yanks down the zipper.
Pushing his jeans and underwear down just enough to free himself, he hikes up her dress and moves in close, bends his knees a little and wraps an arm around her lower back. He takes hold of his cock with his free hand as Beth lifts her thigh as high as she can, desperate for him to hurry, and thank god he doesn’t waste another second before thrusting his dick all the way inside her, groaning in relief as he fills her to the brim. He holds himself still for a moment, as if he can’t quite handle the sensations; panting against her mouth, kissing her deep.
Oh God. He’s fucking her without a condom. He didn’t even mention it this time.
It feels incredible.
Kissing her while he fucks her. Holding her up against the wall, sliding inside her again and again, aim perfect, getting her closer and closer, gasping out, “Oh fuck I’m gonna come,” which sends Beth over the edge, and she’s practically shouting as her orgasm hits her in an avalanche of pleasure, and it’s happening for him too, he’s right there with her—
Christ.
They drown in each other’s arms, bliss sinking them into the floor, a sticky erotic heap.
When she can finally speak again she whispers, “Oh my God.”
“Yeah.” Pause. “I got tested by the way. Clean as a whistle,” he says.
She smiles at him. “Me too.” Her smile widens. “And me too.”
He’s shaking his head, but he looks amused, pleased. “Well ain’t you fulla surprises.
Craning her neck up so she can kiss him, she says, “What now?” She really likes his lips.
He glances behind his shoulder. Looks at her. “Wanna see the house?”
He’s already got dinner on the go, a pot full of what smells like very delicious pasta sauce on a low simmer.
“You’re cooking me dinner?” Beth asks, incredulous.
“Yeah,” he replies as if this should be a given. “Believe it or not I’m a good cook.”
She believes him. He’s obsessed with food. Sometimes it’s all he can talk about.
“This is very exciting.”
The tour’s over. She loves his apartment. It feels warm and lived in, and — apart from the fabulous view of the river — nothing like she was expecting. He’s got expensive taste and a good eye, the living room comfortable, the bedroom inviting, and a magnificent, highly functional, overstuffed kitchen with a big island. She gets the feeling he isn’t always alone here.
“Do you cook for family?”
She doesn’t know why she asks the question. Even after everything it feels too personal. But he hasn’t spoken much about his family and she’s dying to know more. Who are they? Where are they?
“Yep,” he answers.
Nothing more to say about that apparently.
Enigmatic prick.
She takes a seat at the breakfast bar, watches him stir the sauce, taste it, add a little salt, stir again. He scoops a little up in the wooden spoon, and walks towards her with it, other hand cupped beneath the oval to catch any spills.
“Here, taste this.”
When he reaches her she swivels in her stool and spreads her thighs so he can move even closer and stand between her legs while he feeds her the sauce.
Wow. He really can cook.
“Perfect,” she says. “I’m impressed.”
“Told you.”
She could get used to watching him move around the kitchen, preparing food for her, pouring red wine into two glasses and placing one in front of her. It reminds her of the way he was in the fake money warehouse, aware of everything that was going on, barking out instructions, bossing everyone around, making sure everything met his standards. This kitchen is his domain too. He’s comfortable here, he knows exactly what he’s doing. “Why are you so...”
He glances up, then walks towards her, picks his glass up. “Why am I so what?”
They clink glasses and Beth takes a sip. Damn, he’s even got great taste in wine.
She probably shouldn’t say it, it’ll only make his ego even bigger than it already is. “Why are you so captivating?”
He’s pleased. It feels good to make him smile like that. Even better when he walks around the bar so he can kiss her. “Just born this way I guess,” he murmurs against her mouth and she laughs. He buries his face into her neck. “Why are you so sexy?”
Beth throws her head back and sighs. “Just born this way I guess.”
They eat dinner on the couch, sitting next to each other, close, the television on. They’ve chosen to watch Ozark on Netflix because Rio hasn’t seen it yet and they both like Jason Bateman. It’s violent but entertaining, although Beth struggles to concentrate. The pasta and wine are both heavenly and the man next to her oozes so much sex appeal...it’s hard to know how to handle such an onslaught of pleasure. It truly amazes her she was married to a man for twenty years who never made her feel even a fraction this excited. She had no idea what she was missing! No idea sex could be that good or desire could be this intense.
When she swallows her last mouthful of pasta, Rio takes her plate out of her hand and puts it on the coffee table in front of them. Gives her a kiss, licks a stray bit of sauce from her bottom lip. “Full?”
“Yes, thank you.” She can’t take her eyes off him. Ozark can’t hold her attention like those lips of his can. “That was delicious.”
“Glad you liked it.”
They don’t make it til the end of the first episode before they’re making out again, and Rio doesn’t even bother turning off the television or taking the plates back to the kitchen before grabbing her hand and leading her towards the bedroom.
What happens next is… there’s really only one way to describe it.
Rio makes love to her.
Calling it sex or fucking wouldn’t do it justice, wouldn’t capture the rapturous intensity of their chemistry, the depth of their connection, the overwhelming joy of being as close to him as it’s possible to be. Naked together again, his cock inside her again. Nonstop kissing, touching, moving in rhythm, Rio whispering in her ear, hot and wet. He’s got a wonderfully filthy mouth but the things he says are never offensive. He doesn’t call her names, he just likes describing what’s happening, what he wants to do, what he wants her to do to him. Likes making her say it too.
The last two times they came together — on the phone the other night and tonight the moment she arrived — they got there quickly, but this time he makes it last. He goes slow.
And when he finally lets her come again it’s explosive and intense, lasting longer than any of her other orgasms have, and he knows exactly how to prolong it because he’s been paying attention to all the ways her body responds to him. He comes inside her about ten seconds later and god she’ll never get tired of the look of helpless, blissful torment on his face when he’s hit by an orgasm.
So, so sexy.
Catching their breath, they lie curled around each other. When he eventually speaks there’s some mirth in his voice. “This is fuckin nuts, you know that right?”
She tenses. Stops breathing for a second.
Looks up at him and he’s gazing at her, a smile on his face. “I do know that,” she says. Of course she knows this is fucking nuts. That there is absolutely no way in hell a relationship between them could ever work. “But what are we supposed to do?”
Rio shakes his head and shrugs. “Wish I knew.”
Okay, so they’re having this conversation. Rio being the one to initiate it is actually kind of funny. He may as well have said, ‘so Beth, where is this relationship going?’
“Do you want to see me again?” Asking such a question makes her feel exposed, like she’s been rubbed raw with a scratchy old towel and is standing naked outside on a windy day.
“You know I do.” He pulls her closer, soothing her with a kiss. “Can’t get enough of you.”
“Me either.”
“And I ain’t seeing anyone else.”
Oh god, oh wow. There it is. They’re officially exclusive.
“So does this mean you’re my boyfriend?” She says it to lighten the mood and she’s glad it makes him laugh. Even though she’s also extremely curious about the answer.
He’s licking his lips, staring at her. “Kinda my point. People gonna wonder what someone like you is doing with someone like me.” Beth wonders if he remembers every single thing she’s ever said to him and suspects he does.
“I don’t care,” she says, and she means it. Who cares what people think? It’s not like they need to go public anyway. They just need to figure out the logistics of being together without anyone knowing they’re together. Easy.
And like he can read her mind, he says, “So I’ll be your dirty little secret?” His tone is lighthearted but she catches the steel in his eyes.
Shit.
“Don’t be stupid,” she says, if only to buy her some time. “Ruby and Annie already know.” Does he really expect her to tell her kids about him? Surely not.
“You know what I mean.”
He does. He wants her to tell the kids.
“We haven’t even…” He’s insane. “It’s been five days. Not even a week. I can’t even get my head around what you’re saying.”
He chuckles. “It’s okay baby, don’t panic. I don’t mind being a secret.”
Beth breathes out in relief. He might have left off the ‘for now,’ from his concession, but at least this isn’t a problem she has to solve right away. And anyway, why the hell would he want to go public? It might be good for his ego but it wouldn’t be good for business. They have plenty of reasons for keeping their romantic relationship behind closed doors, it isn’t just about Beth keeping up appearances. People might start to wonder where Beth’s money is coming from if they find out she’s dating a gangster. And he’s clearly a gangster. Normal people don’t have neck tattoos.
They need to be smart, and publicly dating is a million miles in the other direction of smart.
Funnily enough she doesn’t think her family would have trouble believing she could be attracted to him. Dean’s first thought the day he saw Rio at Kenny’s birthday party was that she must be sleeping with him. Forget the ink, all Dean saw was a very attractive man in his wife’s bedroom; all he saw was competition. Dean’s not as stupid as he sometimes seems.
And Kenny wasn’t remotely scared of Rio when they met. Called him her ‘friend’. Liked him because he was good at math and happy to help.
The girls and Danny are too young to know what a gangster is, but they’re not too young to enjoy the company of a handsome, funny, charismatic man who she suspects has a way with kids. They’d love him because who doesn’t love being around the coolest guy in the room?
“What you thinking about?” Rio murmurs, like he already knows. He’s getting handsy again, fondling her breasts and pressing kisses down her arm, slipping a hand between her legs.
She gasps. “You’re insatiable.”
“You know it.”
She’s not going to tell him what she was thinking about. He doesn’t need to know she’s already imagining telling her kids about him or that she reckons they’ll be fine with it. Instead she’s going to let him make love to her again, because what else would a sane person do in her situation?
“Fuck so wet already.” He’s crawling down the bed and positioning his face between her thighs, parting her lips with his fingers and gazing at her pussy with hooded eyes. He pushes two fingers deep inside her, pulls them out and slides them into his mouth to suck them clean, before licking his lips. “Love your taste.” Beth can’t help but lift her hips up off the bed, offering herself to him, and when he dives in, sliding his tongue inside her and sucking on her clit, her hips begin to move, until she’s fucking his mouth and clawing at the bed, trying to get purchase but she can’t; hell she can barely control her own body. Rio’s in control right now.
Dean could never make her come from oral sex. Not once did he manage it, and it wasn’t because he didn’t have the patience or the determination, she just...never really enjoyed it that much. Was it lack of skill on his part or lack of attraction on hers? Because she’s twenty seconds away from coming all over Rio’s face and she can’t tell which is powering her towards her destination more — Rio’s undeniable talent or the idea of him down there, eating her out like he’s starving for it. She gazes at him, keeps her eyes on his glistening face as the spasms take over her body and her cries of ecstasy ring out around the room.
He crawls up over her body slowly, placing soft, sweet kisses on her skin in a random pattern, until his face is hovering above hers. He presses his lips to hers and she can taste herself on his tongue. Rio keeps moving up the bed, and it’s okay, it’s good, because she’s not too tired to do what he wants. Straddling her chest, knees pressed into her armpits, he cups her head with one hand, and, staring down at her face, he guides his cock into her open mouth.
This is another thing she and Dean never did, much to Dean’s consternation. After a few years of marriage Beth came to feel strongly about not doing anything in the bedroom she didn’t enjoy, and that meant saying goodbye to blowjobs. Until recently she had zero interest in ever having another cock in her mouth.
Until Rio.
She loves the way he tastes, the feel of him in her mouth, and the look of horny pleasure on his face because of what she’s doing with her tongue and lips and hands. It’s obvious how much control he’s exerting just to ensure he doesn’t choke her, but his eyes flare with lust every time she runs out of breath and has to jerk her mouth away to gasp for air, his slippery cock in her hand. He rubs his cockhead up and down her cheek and over her chin, his little whispered oh yeahs telling her just how much he’s enjoying the sight. Submitting to him like this, letting him push her limits like this, turns her on way more than it should. Because seeing — knowing — how aroused he is, makes her feel like she’d do anything for him. Things she’d never dream of doing for anyone else.
Then he climbs off her, but he’s not done. He stands next to the bed, stroking his cock, wet and shiny with her saliva. “Get on your knees,” he says, and she obeys without hesitation. She wants to make him come like this, wants to do for him what he just did for her. On Friday night she sucked his cock plenty, but never to completion.
He lays a hand on the top of her head to help regulate her pace, help find a rhythm that works for both of them; going by the sounds he’s making she doesn’t think he’ll last long. “God you look good,” he says, and she looks up, mouth full of cock, to find him gazing down at her. “Oh yeah, keep lookin at me,” he gasps, speeding up the pump of his hips. “Oh fuck—”
A burst of liquid fills her mouth and she quickly gulps it down, expecting it to make her grimace but it’s not offensive at all. Jesus, she doesn’t even mind the taste of his semen. What insanity is this.
He’s breathless, a little wobbly on his feet. “Baby, you too good at that. Made me see stars.”
They climb back into bed, Beth smiling with sated happiness as Rio draws her against him and spoons her, pulling the covers over them. A minute later she realizes he’s fallen asleep so she reaches over and turns off the bedside lamp, snuggles back against his body, luxuriating in the feel of his hot, bare skin against hers, and shuts her eyes.
On Thursday morning Beth gives Rio a long kiss goodbye and leaves his apartment. She’s meeting the girls at Ruby’s place for coffee at eleven. The kids will be back this afternoon. Real life resumes again.
Ruby and Annie are almost speechless.
“You—”
“You are...crazy.”
Almost.
“I know.”
“So he’s your…” Ruby is shaking her head like she really doesn’t want to say it out loud, because it’s too traumatizing to contemplate. ”Boyfriend.”
Beth replies with a slow nod. “Yep?”
Annie starts laughing. “Oh my God.” She keeps laughing, getting more and more hysterical. “This is so priceless.”
After a while Beth joins in, not because she wants to but because Annie’s laugh is just too damn contagious. Ruby cracks last but soon they’re all weeping with laughter.
“Hi Mom and Dad,” Ruby says, doing a frankly terrible impression of Beth. “Thanks for having me and my new boyfriend over for Christmas.”
Annie screeches. She knows all too well what their parents would think about Rio.
“Shut up, shut up, shut up,” Beth says through her tears. “We’re not there yet. We’ll just, you know, fall off that bridge when we come to it.”
“Honestly, I’d be more worried about one of you ending up in prison,” Annie says after catching her breath. “That would really put a damper on this whole star crossed lovers shiznit you got going on.”
“There is that,” Beth says.
They fall quiet. It’s a lot for everyone to take on board.
“Do you, like, love him?” Ruby asks her.
Beth takes a while to respond. “I don’t know,” she says. “I’m definitely infatuated with him, if that’s what you mean. But love? I don’t think I know him well enough yet. Can you love someone you don’t really know?”
“Sure. They’re the easiest ones to love.” Classic Annie wisdom.
“All I know,” Beth says, “Is we have a connection. And the attraction between us is...very powerful. And I can’t wait to see him again.”
“When will that be?”
“Soon.” Beth grins. “Tomorrow, for lunch.”
“Jesus Christ you’re dating a crime lord,” Ruby says, in awe. “Remember when our lives used to be normal?”
She does remember. Normal was really boring.
Life took a bizarre turn not too long ago and things will never be the same again.
Beth wouldn’t have it any other way.