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“Yo, boss?”
Rio looked up from his stack of papers, mildly annoyed by the interruption. He had gotten his hands on some of the FBI case files thanks to a man on the inside but had a limited window to peruse through them before someone realized they were missing.
“Didn’t want to bother you, but we found this,” Gino said pulling out a piece of paper from a duffle bag otherwise filled with cash, “and couldn’t figure out if it was code for something.”
Rio took the page from Gino and examined its contents. He could feel his lip twitch slightly.
“It’s a message for me,” Rio replied after brief pause, “Don’t worry about it. Cash is all there, yeah?”
“Yeah, boss, it’s all accounted for.”
He waved the other man off, eyes on the page as he took it all in. He couldn’t help the barest hint of a smile that appeared as he folded up the paper and tucked it into his back pocket.
“Elizabeth. Fucking. Boland,” He murmured turning his attention back to the case files.
* * *
He would be lying if he said he didn’t know why he was so involved in the PTA stuff this year. He had always been an active parent in Marcus’ life, but he generally let his Ex deal with the school stuff. It was just easier for everyone. Usually.
But now, well, the truth was that he enjoyed getting under Elizabeth’s skin. This was her domain, where she ruled above all others and it gave him immense pleasure to get the best of her here. It was just a bonus that it infuriated her to no end.
He found her the sexiest when she was all riled up and gunning to take him out. He was a bit of a masochist when it came to her. She was clearly a loose end, a liability that he should have dealt with from the get go. He would have for anyone else. But even after all the shit she put him through, the arrest and constant fucking up of even the smallest of tasks, he let her carry on. He developed a soft spot for her and her brood.
He watched her now as she entered the meeting, strolling in a few minutes late, hair all mused as if she had forgotten to brush it out properly in her haste to get out the door.
Her eyes latched on to his and instantly he could see the spark being lit, the instant wild fire raging behind them, directed solely at him. He grinned in return. The blaze only grew.
To the surprise of no one, she took the seat next to his and smiled politely at the others around her.
She may not have noticed all the sly looks the others shot in their direction, but Rio certainly did. He was well aware of the rumors circulating amongst the parents and staff of their alleged illicit affair, and the bets being made about them behind the closed doors of the staff room. Rio knew it all. It was his job to know everything about these people. Potential allies or enemies.
The meeting continued shortly thereafter with Beth pulling out a notebook from her bag to diligently take down some notes.
Rio stretched out his arm and let it rest against the back of her chair. He felt her stiffen for a moment, but then she relaxed back into it. He found himself only half paying attention to what was going on in the meeting as he twirled a lock of her hair around his finger.
The meeting wrapped up not too long after, and Beth stood up to mingle with some of the other parents. A few nodded at him but kept their distance. It was a form of self-preservation, one that Beth seemed to be missing.
He watched as another parent approached her. The dude was recently divorced and had a kid at the school and another at high school down the road. Rio stood up and slowly walked over, closing the gap between them. Divorced dude took notice real quick, and Rio had to fight a grin at the look of discomfort on the guy’s face. He excused himself before Rio reached them and darted in the opposite direction.
Beth turned to look at him with her lips pursed and her hands on her waist. He eyed her shamelessly, eyes dragging slowly over all her gorgeous curves before finally meeting her eyes. She was pissed.
“You’re not my boyfriend.”
That wasn’t exactly the conversation starter he was expecting, but he ran with it.
“Boyfriend? We in elementary school now?” He paused, recognizing that they were in fact, literally in an elementary school.
“Sorry,” Beth said, the fire dimming slightly, “Just something my kids think.”
“Better than the truth, no?” He countered, hands in his pocket as he glanced around the room. He did wonder how that conversation had happened, but he kept his expression neutral.
Multiple set of eyes were on them, but they looked away immediately when they realized he had noticed. He fought a grin at the obvious levels of discomfort with him being an active part of their cliquey little organization.
Beth worried her bottom lip between her teeth as she processed that statement, before shrugging undecidedly.
“I’ll play the part if you need me to,” Rio offered.
Her eyes widened, and he could see a flush creeping up her neck. What he wouldn’t give in this moment to follow its path back down with his tongue. He could tell that she was intrigued by his blatant attention.
“I don’t think you’re exactly ‘boyfriend’ material,” she said finally.
Rio just nodded slightly and looked away, choosing not to call her out on her bullshit. She wanted him. He could feel the want vibrating out of her.
Everyone slowly dispersed heading this way and that. Rio followed Beth out and tugged her into a classroom when no one was paying attention.
Wha—”
He cut her off before she could finish the question, pressing his lips against hers more gently than he was accustomed too. When she didn’t immediately pull away, he let out a soft chuckle and gently ran the tip of his tongue over her bottom lip until she let out a breathy little gasp. He used the opportunity to slide his tongue into her mouth until he could caress it against her own.
He pulled back as soon as he felt her pulling in. He took a step back, a wicked little grin on his face. She looked utterly dazed, and it took a lot on his part not to close the gap again.
“You’re right, I’m not boyfriend material,” using her own words against her, but they were paired with a glance so heated it could probably set her on fire if he stared too long.
“Cause that,” Rio continued, “That’s not my style. I prefer it much rougher.”
* * *
Beth leaned against the wall slightly out of breath. Rio had left her like this minutes ago and she hadn’t had the will to start pulling herself back together. She shook her head, glaring at the spot Rio had just vacated. He was playing dirty now.
Beth could do the same.