Chapter Eighteen
“Y ou fed my frogs,” Becca said, as Rio drew her shirt over her head and took her breasts into his hands. “I’m so happy you did that for me.”
“I plan to do sweet, sweet things for you, Becca,” he said, gently rolling her nipple between his thumb and forefinger. She sucked in air. Pleasure spiraled through her veins, flowed down her body in a languid, fluid river.
When her nipple puckered, he smiled. “Look how fast you respond to me.” Lowering his head, he took her into his mouth and she moaned. Thick and insistent, his hard-on dug into her hip.
There was nothing in the world she loved more than having her breasts touched, massaged, licked, kissed. Except perhaps for equal attention paid to her lady parts. As though Rio could read her mind, he whispered, “Lay back, honey,” and he guided her to sit on the bed.
She eased onto her back, her legs dangling over the edge as he drew off her pants.
When she was nude, he settled himself on the floor between her thighs. Learning and discovering the contours of her skin, his touch was tender, exploring, worshipping. Excitement shot through her system.
He stroked her thighs, ran his hands over her calves and back up again. Leaning over, his face close to her sex, he breathed in deeply. “God, you smell good. So sexy.”
Becca closed her eyes.
He moved a bit of her pubic hair to the side, and when she felt his tongue touch her clitoris she nearly jerked upright. It felt like the best electric shock in the world. Rio delved deeper, licked her, painted her most intimate place with his tongue. His beard stubble rasped against her inner thighs, sending her excitement higher. She shivered in delight. Rio was all man, and he wanted her, no other. Her.
Thrusting her hands through his thick hair, she caressed his skull, trailed her fingers over his nape. Delirious with pleasure, Becca felt her world telescope down to this single moment. She reveled in their differences, celebrated them, was in awe of them.
Rio paid her rapt attention, his tongue delving into her, then navigating back up to her clitoris. At first with a light touch, he remained there, and his tongue grew insistent, and then firm.
Becca’s felt her entire body climb, aching, as she strained against him. Her body lifted off the bed, mindlessly demanding now, and she pressed his head into her flesh. The pleasure built inside in bright, vibrant ribbons.
With his hands, he played with her breasts, squeezed her nipples. In moments she was gasping for air and thrashing on the bed.
The climax rose like a great wave speeding to shore. “Rio,” she exclaimed in a guttural whisper. “ Rio!”
When the wave crashed, sending currents through her, quickly he covered her body and pushed inside. She was wet, ready for him, and even while the reverberations of her orgasm were fading away, she found a new excitement in his movements.
He watched her face, and rocked her inevitably toward another orgasm. Wanting to give him as much pleasure as he’d already given her, she used her sexual muscles to squeeze him. When he groaned, she knew he enjoyed it. Giving him better access, she spread her legs wide and drew her bent knees up high.
“That’s so nice, Buttercup,” he said in a low growl. As he quickened his tempo, she knew he was getting close. “That’s real nice .” Placing both his hands beneath her buttocks, he pumped harder. The bed squeaked from his rhythmic thrusts.
She came again on nearly his final push, sending him over the edge.
“Becca,” he breathed, sucking in great lungfuls of air.
****
H e stayed inside her for a long time. Longer than she would have imagined, but she liked it. The intimacy between them was a thing to be cherished. She knew there would be no future relationship for them, and she must enjoy what he offered in the here and now.
Drunk with spent passion, she had no wish to move anyway.
Finally, he rose and retrieved a damp, warm washcloth from the bathroom. Carefully, he cleaned her, and then himself, giving her little kisses on her nose, her cheeks, her eyes.
“Sleep,” he commanded, taking her into his arms again. “I’ll wake you when it’s time for us to go.”
Four hours later, Rio woke her with a kiss. “Time to head out,” he said.
Instantly Becca awoke. Outside the motel room, it was pitch dark and near midnight. She sat up, pushed her hair from her eyes and hunted around for her clothing. “You know what I hope? I hope we don’t find anything suspicious at all. I want everything to be normal. Legal. Above board. None of my loved ones involved in anything terrible.”
Pulling on his pants, Rio did not respond.
“Maybe those Mexican bandits were simply opportunists and discovered I’d be visiting Maria in Mexico and kidnapped me, hoping for money. Maybe this has absolutely nothing to do with my dad’s business.”
Rio gave her a wary glance. “Yeah, maybe.” It was clear he didn’t think so.
Becca stubbornly continued to believe she was right. Her entire family had always been law-abiding, with no black sheep, no criminals or shady characters. Yanking her shirt over her head, she set her chin. Of course they must investigate. Kidnapping was not a thing to be taken lightly. She shivered, remembering that violent evening, and the following days and nights of awful captivity. This would be a chance to exonerate her father, her brothers, her uncle. She’d show Rio. They were all innocent.
Driving across town in the old beater Rio had rented in Laredo, he followed Becca’s directions through San Antonio and pulled into a parking spot some two blocks away from her father’s warehouse. In an industrial section of the city, there were many complexes, factories, and manufacturing plants. Here and there night crews arrived for or left work, but most of the buildings were dark. A few cars rolled each way down the streets.
Although both Rio and Becca wore light-colored clothing, there was no helping that now, so they didn’t try to hide. They walked, hand in hand, like a happy couple out after a late night on the town.
At the corner of the building, Becca indicated the correct two-story building and showed him where a side door led inside.
Rio glanced left and right, and then nodded. Together they slipped down a concrete walk between buildings until they found the door. He slid the key into the lock and it opened.
Holding the door, he ushered her inside and closed it quietly behind them. He pocketed the key. Inside the building, it was dark.
“This the front of the business?” Rio whispered.
“Yes, the receptionist area, then behind that, cubicles for sales people. Our offices are just past this area.” She pointed past rows of desks down a wide hallway.
He hesitated in an open doorway. “What’s in here?”
“That’s the day care room. It opens to an outdoor patio where the children can ride tricycles, get a little sun.”
“Children?” He raised a brow.
“Yes, for our employees who are parents. Rio, we don’t have time—”
“You provide day care?”
“Yes,” she said impatiently. “When I came to work here after college, I noticed our employees rushing off to pick up their kids. Some of the moms were sad, and they missed them. So, why not provide care here? The mothers and fathers can visit their kids any time, have lunch with them, and when their shift is over, they don’t need to drive anywhere to get them. Simple. Now, let’s go.”
Moving with her down the hallway, Rio said, “How does this business work? You said it’s a distributorship.”
“I wish you could see the warehouse on a normal work day,” she said in a low voice. “It’s so busy, with people working hard both in the shop and here in the offices. But right now there’s no time for that. We need to get moving, okay? There isn’t time for a tour.” Didn’t he understand the need to hurry?
“Just a mini-tour, then.”
“Argh!” Frustrated, she clasped her hands together. “Okay. Real quick, De Monte Wheel Solutions is a distributorship, and more. We sell hubcaps both in bulk to car manufacturers, and also if a private customer wants just one special wheel cover. We stock vintage, as well as new. Also, we have a reconditioning division.” She hesitated, then said with no small amount of pride, “We strive to beat our competitors. That’s why I keep such close tabs on shipping. Those costs can rise pretty fast.”
Something akin to admiration came alive in his eyes. “You really care about this place,” he stated softly.
She blinked. “Of course I do. It’s my family business.”
“Understood. And I can see why it’s important to you. Right now, I want to see the floor itself,” Rio said. “We can look into the offices afterwards. One day, I’ll want a full tour of the place. Got any flashlights in here?”
“I think my brother has a little penlight in his desk.”
“Grab it.”
“Okay. The machinery is in back. There’s one big shop with different staging areas and a loading dock.” She opened the second door, went to the desk and found a small flashlight.
Rio nodded, and she led the way past the offices to the warehouse. While the hallway leading into the shop was dark, Becca was startled to see light emanating from the rear of the building.
Behind her, Rio must have seen the same thing. He squeezed her arm in warning. Did she hear voices?
Moving silently along the wall, they entered the shop, a large single area of some eighty thousand square feet. Steel i-beams loomed with rows of product stacked high between them. Machinery, tooling, and wooden pallets containing hubcaps were arranged with pathways zigzagging neatly through the labyrinth.
They kept the penlight low. A ramp along the wall led to an upstairs viewing station and restrooms. That area of the floor was dark. Rio squeezed her again, and when she looked at him, he thrust his chin at the ramp.
Together they crept upward, well concealed by darkness. At the viewing station they stopped, and knelt below the top railing to peer downward.
At the rear of the shop, the large doors opened and Becca gasped.
Lights in the back were turned on, spotlighting a man directing three others to load up a forklift and move crates to a waiting flatbed on the loading dock. Recognizing the man giving directions, she froze. Her heart rate skyrocketed.
“Let me guess,” Rio whispered in her ear, “The sweet and innocent Uncle Tim?”
Numbly, she swallowed hard and nodded.
Quietly, they watched the process and stayed low while her Uncle Tim and the other men pushed some of the wooden boxes to a corner and piled tarps and equipment on top. They closed the doors and locked them from the outside. The truck’s engine rumbled to life and it was driven away.
Becca couldn’t imagine what her uncle might be doing there at this time of night. Confusion filled her.
Rio stood. “Let’s go down there, see what’s in those boxes they left behind.”
Hurrying down the ramp, the small light affording just enough illumination, they made it to the floor, and wove around equipment to the back of the shop.
The men had piled steel bars and handheld machinery on top of the boxes.
Rio took them off, then the tarp, and set them all aside. “Camouflage,” he said, “so no one looks in here until they can move the boxes. I’m guessing they’re moving whatever it is in small lots. Less noticeable that way.”
“If Uncle Tim is coming here at night, why distract me during the day?”
“Maybe he’s ramping up deliveries and needs to double them.”
She helped him lift the last item off the top crate. Hunting around for something to crowbar it open, Rio found a steel rod, wedged it under the top and it popped free. Becca held the light over the top.
Inside, long black rifles lay side by side. Becca gulped.
Rio lifted out a weapon and studied it with an expert eye. “Gun running,” he said. “Some nice AK-47s here. Lucrative.”
“But illegal.” A sudden outrage took hold of her. “Damn him! I didn’t even know Uncle Tim had a key! I can’t believe he put us all in danger like this. And for what?”
“Money.” Rio fitted his eye to the sight. “But I’ve got a bigger question.”
Still fuming, Becca said, “What?”
“Is your father involved?”