It was as if his every kiss, every caress, every flick of the tongue had prepared her for just this moment-yet she wasn’t prepared, and the rush of pleasure that consumed her was unexpectedly exquisite.
All the muscles in her body seemed to tighten and she had this sudden, intense urge to pee. And when she let it loose-couldn’t stop herself from letting it loose-a wave of electricity rolled through her, triggering tiny implosions inside her head, followed by a bigger, all-consuming burst of pure ecstasy.
And as she came, a long, guttural moan rose from inside her, and all at once she understood what Jen had been talking about so incessantly for so many years, had constantly been in search of.
Why it had eluded Beth for so long was anyone’s guess, but this new sensation surely had a lot to do with the man who was inside of her right now.
Not just her body, but inside her mind.
It had a lot to do with how she felt about him. But how exactly did she feel?
He was right; she barely knew him. But a connection had been made, and why should she try to analyze it?
As he worked his way toward his own burst of ecstasy, she helped him along, moving her hips and her muscles, squeezing him until he finally came, throbbing inside her, releasing himself, then collapsing against her as the last of his energy drained away.
Neither of them spoke for a long moment, listening instead to the soft syncopation of their beating hearts, their ragged breaths.
And all at once Beth felt as if she wasn’t alone, that she’d never been alone. That this man had somehow been a part of her for as long as she had lived.
A part of her heart. Her mind.
Her body. Her soul.
Vargas lay still, not wanting to spoil the moment, wanting to stay inside of her as long as he possibly could. But after a while, he had no choice, so he pulled away and lay beside her, reaching a hand out to stroke her, brushing his fingers across the scars on her chest.
She didn’t flinch. Didn’t protest.
The wounds were completely healed, yet they looked so painful. So raw. And he suddenly remembered the pain in his own shoulder, which had miraculously disappeared as they made love.
Beth turned to face him then, a drowsy smile on her lips, and as he looked into her eyes he wondered how anyone could be so achingly beautiful.
So perfectly fragile.
This is all happening too fast, he thought.
But it felt right somehow. Like it was meant to be.
There is no luck, Mr. Blister had told him. Only destiny.
Maybe he was right about that.
After a while, Beth said, “That was unexpected. So what happens now?”
“I think we got something wrong. We may have to try again.”
She laughed. “That was about as right as I’ve ever gotten it. But practice makes perfect.”
“So they say. But I have a feeling that isn’t what you were asking.” He paused. “I meant what I said about not taking you back.”
“I know. Thank you.”
“Unfortunately, that creates a dilemma.”
“What do you mean?”
He told her about his upcoming meeting with Little Fina and Ortiz’s promise to pick him up at eleven forty- five.
“No dilemma,” Beth said. “I’ll just go with you.”
“Probably not a good idea. These aren’t friendly people and they won’t be expecting you.”
“You keep forgetting what I used to do for a living. I was surrounded by people who weren’t very friendly.”
“But always in a controlled environment,” Vargas said. “This isn’t the same.”
“Then I guess we do have a dilemma.”
He could sense that she was starting to get angry again, so he kissed her.
She kissed him back, holding it for a while, then said, “Nice try, but it’s not gonna work this time.”
“Then what do you want me to do? If you were to get hurt, I’d never forgive myself. And as much as I hate leaving you alone, I think you’re safer here. The only other alternative is to cancel the meeting.”
She shook her head. “If there’s a chance this Little Fina woman has any information on Jen, I want to know about it.”
“Then please, Beth, stay here. You can go over my notes, look at the photos again. And if you start to feel another headache coming on, just call me and I’ll come right away.”
Beth sighed. “All right. Fine. I don’t want to fight about it. I’m exhausted anyway.”
Vargas smiled. “Too exhausted for a little more practice?”
He was expecting a quick rejection, but she didn’t even have to think about it.
“Nothing wrong with the pursuit of perfection,” she said. “I think I’m about to make my sister proud.”
76
Ortiz pulled up in front of the hotel on schedule, driving a souped-up blue and white Volkswagen Beetle, the words baja taxi painted on the side.
“No comments, pocho. I gotta make a living.”
Stifling a smile, Vargas climbed in. “The way Tito described you, I thought you were some badass gangster.”
“Who says I’m not? These are tough times, amigo. Man’s gotta feed his family. You’ll never see Yolanda lift a finger to help, so somebody’s gotta do it.”
He put the car in gear and pulled out, then turned to Vargas, a quizzical look on his face.
“Something different about you.”
“How so?”
“I don’t know. You’re smiling a lot more. If I had to guess, I’d say you just got laid.”
Vargas had no idea how he’d managed to figure that one out and didn’t really want to know.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “It wasn’t Yolanda.”
Ortiz laughed. “You better hope not. She’s done with a guy, she cuts off his privates and hangs ’em on her trophy wall.”
“It’s nice to meet a man who has such love and affection for his family.”
Ortiz laughed again. “You’re a funny man, pocho. ”
“I do my best,” Vargas said.
Ten minutes later, they pulled up to the curb on a dimly lit side street. There was no sign of any whorehouses or bars in the vicinity, just a row of dilapidated buildings-nondescript businesses that were either closed or no longer operating.
“Where are we?” Vargas asked.
“Little Fina’s place is just down the street. I wanted to come a little early so I can make sure you understand the rules.”
“Rules?”
“I told you. Fina makes my cousin look like a prom queen. You gotta be careful how you act around her or she’ll have you gutted in about two seconds flat.”
“That’s comforting,” Vargas said.
“Just remember, I’m the one bringing you to her, so what you say and do reflects on me. Understand?”
