Convincing Bet

by K. S. Adkins

  “Okay,” she pants, “I’m ready now, go for it but remember, I’m a lady.”

  “You’re a lot of things but a lady ain’t one of them. I’m saying this with love.”

  “That’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me, Rio.” She says working faster. “Now shut up and let’s do this.”

  Grabbing her hips, I start to move myself with shallow thrusts. I’ve never had a dick in my ass and I had to imagine it wasn’t as glamorous as she was making it out to be. Even covered in mud with a dick stretching her, she was the most gorgeous thing I’d ever seen. Her moans and grunts were even gorgeous, whereas all I could do was say ‘fuck’ because that was all I was capable of. Once she relaxed some, I went in even deeper and that’s when my eyes crossed. There’s tight then there’s tight. These sensations were different because they were taboo, forbidden, dirty.

  Each one felt fucking fantastic, too.

  “I’m close,” she says pushing against me, “Come with me, Rio.”

  “Ain’t gotta ask me twice,” I tell her mounting her fully. Pounding into her she screams her orgasm and just as I started to follow suit, I was blinded by a flash light.

  Did that stop me from coming in her ass?

  Nope.

  “Jesus, Bet is that you?” the voice asks but I’m too busy riding out the aftershocks to give a shit. Although, once I recovered I was killing somebody.

  “Neil? What the fuck?”

  “I thought someone was getting attacked,” he says shutting the light off. “This is worse, Christ look at you.”

  “Oh she was getting attacked alright,” I tell him while pulling her behind me. The fucker was a buzz kill and I didn’t appreciate his timing, at all. “She’s fine Neil, you can go now.”

  “I expected more from you, Bet.” He says shaking his head. But just before I could defend her honor or kick the guy’s ass, Bet like always, handled her shit.

  Butt naked, freshly fucked and covered in mud was the Bet Lennox no one but me was supposed to see.

  With Rio’s come dripping down my legs, I could think of a lot of words that summed up how I was feeling right now and shame wasn’t one of them. First and foremost was, no one could see us or hear us which means Neil had some explaining to do. Second, it was pouring outside and the only way anyone would even know we were here was because they’d followed us.

  I was sick and tired of being followed.

  Although it was sweet of him to try and hide me from Neil’s line of sight, I wasn’t embarrassed or feeling vulnerable. Hell no, I was pissed.

  “You don’t know me, Neil, so you couldn’t possibly know what to expect, right?”

  “Fucking this guy in the bushes? Look at you, you’re filthy!”

  “Damn right, I am,” I argue back. “I earned every speck of this mud too. You’ve got three seconds to turn around and leave before you lose your job.”

  “Lose my job?” he laughs. “How exactly do you plan to do that? I’m not the one breaking the law here, Bet, you are.”

  “Which law am I breaking, Neil? Oh wait, voyeurism isn’t a crime, it’s just nasty. Don’t push me. You aren’t getting paid enough to do this, trust me.”

  “Just following orders, Bet.” He’s says clearly uncomfortable. “I’m still an officer and whether you believe it or not, you aren’t the one giving orders here.”

  Pushing away from Rio despite him trying to hold me back, I stand before Neil butt ass naked with both hands on my hips. “You know who I am, don’t you? But now I know who you are too. One phone call asshole and it won’t be to your captain, turn around and walk away. Now. This is me being nice. Ask around, it doesn’t happen too often.”

  “I’m just doing my job,” he says again as he slowly backs away. “I have to make that call. Sorry it had to be this way.”

  “I’m not.” I bite out. “Rio, we’re leaving right after he does. He’s not getting the privilege of staring at our asses.”

  As Neil walks away, he looks back to me once more where I offered him the one finger salute. Fuck Adrian and his hired thugs. I knew he’d pull some shit and Neil was just one of many. That fucker’s reach was unreal and it had to stop. Neil was too stupid to understand what would happen to him when he called Adrian to say he’d failed. Right now, I didn’t care what happened to Neil. He did this to himself. Working for the devil will get you burned. Coming to stand next to me and draping his arm over my shoulder Rio asks, “Did I just miss something?”

  “No.” I tell him taking his hand.

  “Bullshit,” he argues, “What just happened here? At least let me go kick his ass.”

  “Everyone has a price, Rio.” I tell him as we start the walk back to our room. “Everyone.”

  Without another word we navigate our way back in the dark. It wasn’t the fact that Neil watched us, it was the fact that he would take a payoff from someone like Adrian. These days it’s difficult to find someone who can’t be bought. Glancing up at him though I have to admit, he’s the first I’ve ever met.

  These days loyalty like that was hard to find, yet I did.

  One hot shower later and no questions answered later, we crawled into bed and within seconds she was asleep. It wasn’t that easy for me though. All sorts of shit was keeping me awake and on edge. Ain’t a woman alive that wouldn’t have flipped out when someone catches her naked with a dick her in ass, except Bet. Ain’t a woman alive that wouldn’t have fallen into hysterics after either, except Bet.

  She threatened him and he backed down, why? The guy was a cop and we broke at least two laws I can think of. What the fuck did she know that I didn’t? I hated being out of the loop. To keep her safe I needed to be inside the loop protecting her. Nudging her awake, she tries shooing me away but I wasn’t having it.

  “No, Rio,” she groans, slapping me away. “Jerk off if you have to but my ass is tired, literally.”

  “Why didn’t you panic when that cop showed up?”

  “Right now?” she growls at me. Our time together taught me something quick, she doesn’t like her sleep interrupted. “You want to do this right now?”

  “Yeah now,” I tell her. “I wanna know.”

  “He was watching us.”

  “How’d you figure that?”

  “The first indicator was he was hard.” She says rolling back over.

  “You were looking at his dick?”

  “Jesus! He tried covering it, you ass. He didn’t want us to know he was hard but he was, very much so.”

  “So, he’s a pervy cop on a bike?”

  “He’s a pervy cop on a bike bought off by Adrian to keep tabs on me. Now can I go to sleep?”

  She wasn’t lying or even worried about it which tells me this has happened before. The fact that she knew this but I didn’t sent me to another place and it wasn’t pretty there. “Were you gonna tell me?”

  “Tell you what exactly? I wasn’t even sure until I made the threat. Look, it’s what Adrian does. I’ve been dealing with this shit for years. Stop worrying about it. I’m always a step ahead of him so go to sleep.”

  “What if you ain’t a step ahead of him this time?” I ask her. Jesus, he sent me too.

  “Adrian Lennox will never get the drop on me, Rio. I didn’t get to where I am from being fooled easily. Now rest, you’re going to need it. Tomorrow it’s your turn.” Then kissing me on the lips, she rolls over and passes right back out. Watching her take her rest, I wanted to fess up, warn her, work something out together but I did none of those things.

  Because, I was a pussy.

  Because she was being fooled and when she found out she’d never let me near her heart or her ass again.

  When we found out we were having a girl, Alan was happy. Throughout the pregnancy he came to every appointment, sat through each class and pampered me. He thought the name Indie I chose was cute but he really wanted to name her Louise after his deceased mother. There was no way my first born would be named Louise. So like Alan always did, he compromi
sed with me.

  Thus, when she came into the world with wide eyes and a crooked smile we named her Indie Lou Lennox.

  Indie was short for Independence; it’s what I wanted for her most in this world. For a small amount of time, I was her world and she was mine. The void she left would never be filled, never replaced and it would never leave me.

  I refused to let it.

  Indie was the one thing I did right. She was the one thing that was instinctive, natural, and love in its simplest form. Not once did I look in a baby book or research online. The moment she was tucked into my arm I just knew what to do. Right now though, I needed a book on revenge because I had no idea what I was doing.

  This bullshit with Adrian used to be entertaining. His games kept me on my toes and I can admit I was competitive enough to play along. I liked to win, had to win. But since meeting Rio, I didn’t know which way was up or down. I didn’t know if I wanted to win anymore and I knew Rio wouldn’t give into compromise with me if he felt passionate about something like my safety.

  Proof: he convinced me to live.

  Rio was the anti-Alan and I was drawn to it, to him. I liked when he pushed, demanded, and took control. My problem is trusting people, as in, I don’t. Telling him the full history behind the blackmail, stalkers and bullshit ploys was appealing but, he’s already dealing with my emotional issues. Could I really be the woman that unloads all her crap on a man? No, I couldn’t. Not just because it’s semi humiliating but that this relationship was new, still evolving. We haven’t been tested yet, hell, we haven’t left the protection of the island yet. Voicing it would drive Rio to seek Adrian out and that wasn’t going to happen. Adrian was my problem, not his.

  He even admitted that until very recently, he thought he was in love with someone else. Granted, he wasn’t, but the facts are the facts and I had to proceed with caution. Here, in this place, we can pretend, be whoever we want to be. We have permission to be Oscar-worthy actors. Perhaps I should be content with the fantasy while I have it because when I get home the real world could very well destroy us.

  Because in it, I have to confront Adrian to move on with my life. There was a real possibility that when my sins came to light, he’d realize that I stopped being a victim a long time ago. That the truth was in this game, I was a player.

  Adrian had been infecting me and for years I was twisted enough to let him. Alan died none the wiser so the charade could stop now, I could have peace even if it meant losing Rio because of it. Days ago I had planned to end my life as a means of escape. Now I want to be there breathing down Adrian’s neck when I nailed his dick to the wall.

  “You always think so deep?” he asks draping a leg over mine.

  “Sadly, I do.” I tell him tickling that leg. “I’m alone a lot so it’s all I know.”

  “What else do you know?”

  Turning toward him which puts us face to face, I level with him as best as I’m able. “That I’m afraid.”

  “Of Adrian?”

  “Of this.”

  “This makes no sense, little Bet, you gotta see it like I do. Nothing to be afraid of, I’ll take care of you now. Adrian, we can deal with, together.”

  Reaching up to stroke his stubble, it’s an effort not to cry. Rio has dark brown eyes that can turn black with extreme emotion. I’ve seen it happen several times already and if things didn’t work out, I would miss it. “What I see is an amazing man with a big beautiful---”

  “Cock, right?”

  “Heart.” I laugh. “A big beautiful heart. You deserve the chance to have a whole woman, someone who will give you children---”

  “I’m thirty-five,” he says squeezing me. “Kids ain’t something I ever gave much thought to. The way I feel about you isn’t---”

  “Real.” I finish for him and clearly that was the wrong thing to say.

  “Don’t speak for me,” he says sitting up. “The fuck it ain’t real. This is the realest shit that’s ever happened to either of us and you damn well know it. You got problems, I got problems. As far as I’m concerned, now we got problems and ain’t a one of them we can’t fix as a couple. We’re getting a second chance here, you don’t want to take advantage of it?”

  “What is it with you and the second chances hard sell?”

  “Get dressed,” he says pulling me up, “It’s about time you hear the speech.”

  “Speech?”

  “The fucking speech.”

  Smiling at the sincerity he’s displaying, I do as he demands and put my robe on. Ushering me into the living room he sits me down and hands me a warm glass of wine. Normally I couldn’t exist without coffee but it’s his company I care about, not personal habits. The power could stay out forever if I could keep him close just a little bit longer. Because every minute I’m with him, I’m one minute closer to losing him.

  I could feel it.

  Never in my life did I think I’d be giving this speech to another human being. Truth, I always wanted to though. No way I’d do it justice like Senior did, but I could put my own spin on it. Current betrayal aside, I was a walking talking second chance and so was she.

  Senior was the father I never had. What the man did for me ain’t no way a man can repay that. But he could pay it forward and today was finally that day. Little Bet needed to hear it, understand it, and implement it into her own life. Watching her put her robe on and make her way to me, I knew right then Senior would be proud. Not just him neither, Junior too.

  They’d both be proud and the lump in my throat was proof.

  When she crosses her little legs, I plop down next to her taking a deep breath and then her hand. Smiling at me, she nods her head for me to start and the nerves I had vacated.

  I could do this.

  “Some people get good parents, learn right from wrong and know they’re loved. I ain’t one of those people. I got my ass beat for breathin’ or blocking the TV, got locked in a closet if I mouthed off and watched my mom kill herself to spite my old man. Point is, I met two people at my lowest who changed my life when I needed it most.”

  When her eyes soften, I suck in a breath and keep going. “Back then I didn’t even know I was low. The world fucked me over, I was only doing what I could to find my place. It didn’t need to be good or even legal, I just wanted what was mine so I took it. I liked it so much, I took more and when I was standing in front of a judge facing a sentence I’d die before I completed, there they were. A man and his daughter, my saviors.”

  “Your second chance.” She says smiling up at me.

  “My second chance,” I agree. “He got out of his row bringing Junior with him, stopped the judge from handing down his judgment and said; there’s good in that boy, give him a chance to prove it.”

  “Then what happened?” she asks cocking her head.

  “The judge said I’d abused the system long enough. I was an adult, I needed to receive my punishment. Senior was there for a small claims deal, but he let that go to save me. With Junior by his side they plead their case to the judge and asked to take me on as part of a community service program.”

  “Wow.”

  “Funny how shit works. All these years later, Junior waltzed right back into that courtroom to that same judge and gave him the same speech to save her man, Loyal. Senior and Junior knew what family meant. I wasn’t with them two hours before I had a room, a job, and a purpose. A few weeks later he took me aside and told me not only was I part of the family but his top enforcer. He also made me promise no harm would come to her if something ever happened to him. I was a piece of shit, little Bet, I ain’t sugar coating that. If them two weren’t legit, I’d have robbed them blind and left. But they taught me about family and I loved them for it. Not a thing I wouldn’t have done for either of them.”

  “I am so proud of you, Rio.”

  “You didn’t let me finish,” I tell her gently. “Sometimes you get a second chance when you least expect it. When you don’t think you deserve it and you damn sure don�
��t think you want it. It was that way for me and it’s what you’re feeling right now. Don’t be scared of it, trust it like I do. I didn’t expect you, Bet, I doubt I deserve you either but I do know I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anything. You’re my second chance and I’m yours, too.”

  “You really don’t know what you’re signing up for here, Rio.”

  “Bet,” I start but she covers my mouth.

  “Shh,” she says silencing me. “My turn.”

  Nodding at her and the determined look on her face, I let her say what she had to say. “Money changes people. Loss changes people too. Losing them changed me and there is no use pretending it didn’t. Being surrounded by selfish people in turn, made me selfish. That was no excuse because I still let it happen. I allowed it just so I could rub their petty faces in it. These people loved to pretend they cared about my pain but they didn’t, they cared about the depth of my pockets. Shutting down was my choice and maybe it was the easy way out, too.” Taking a deep breath her eyes fill up but she soldiers on. “Before I lost them I wasn’t appreciative. I took all of it for granted, I know I did and had I not lost them, I still would be. That’s who I am, an unappreciative brat who is trying to be better. Not you though, you take nothing for granted, Rio. You see the value in everything because you’ve had to fight for it, earn it. I want you to know it’s you that showed me what’s valuable. You are worth more than money, you’re worth living for.”

  Leaning forward she grabs my face and whispers, “Thank you for the second chance. I won’t ever take it or you for granted.” before she slid her tiny hand into my boxers.

  After a heart felt hand job, we stayed up and talked until the sun broke through the windows. There it was, pure sunlight and a reminder that this was it. Quite possibly our last full day here on the island. Given my new outlook on life, I didn’t want to spend it indoors or drinking. I wanted to be outdoors taking in the scenery with him by my side. His speech sanded away the sharp edges around my heart, these deadly edges that would slice me every time I so much as tried for happiness. Now those edges were smooth, still present but less painful. The cuts I’ve received would leave scars as all injuries do, but if I’ve learned anything since meeting him it’s that scars are an example of survival. I am a victim of loss, but I’m also a survivor, I’m human and I wanted love.