Found Wanting Pt 03

Author's Note:

See Pt. 1 for blurb. Also, if you haven't already read Pt's 1 & 2, I strongly recommend doing so before proceeding.

All sensuality (on page or otherwise) takes place between characters who are eighteen or older.

***

Copyright © 2023 Jake Lazarus

All rights reserved.

This book, or any portion thereof, may not be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the author (except for the use of brief quotations in a review).

This is a work of fiction.

Names, characters, business, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner.

Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

***

Thirty

Bruce

"Explain to me again why they're expected to cook a full-sized turkey in less than an hour," Bruce asked in bewilderment.

Reyna chuckled and said, "If it wasn't hard, there wouldn't be any drama. These people are world class chefs. They've got to make it hard so some of them fail. Have you really never watched reality TV?"

"Never. I'm not sure I've averaged more than a few minutes of TV a year in the last decade and a half. Also, are they really world class chefs? They kind of just seem like a motley collection of assholes."

'I guess maybe they're also chefs. Should we watch something else?"

"Not on my account. I don't have any shows so we should watch whatever you want. I'm just happy to spend time with you."

"Ditto, babe," Reyna murmured as she snuggled into him.

In truth, Bruce would have preferred to watch something in which he could get a little more invested. But, as he had said, he knew nothing of current programming. He was also a strong believer in never critiquing a decision without offering an alternative. A more engaging program would have distracted him from the fact that he felt like King Damocles, with a thread holding the proverbial sword over his head. He was not a believer in problems resolving themselves. And, outside of travelling to Miami and killing everyone affiliated with the mysterious Victor Zlodey (a strategy which Reyna had repeatedly forbidden), he did not have any idea how to ensure her safety. So, as with the program, he was forced to remain silent.

He spent the rest of the show paying far more attention to the way Reyna's starboard nipple reacted to the light caresses he was delivering to the underside of her breast than what was on the screen. Far from being distracted by his actions, she had slid her hand up his inseam and was languidly stroking his balls through his jeans.

As the credits began to roll and the channel they were watching rolled into the news, Reyna whispered, "I don't think I've ever enjoyed watching a show more."

Bruce smiled and murmured, "The TV was on?"

She tilted her head up and accepted the kiss he offered. As their lips parted, she sighed and said, "I could get used to this."

"Do you want to 'watch' something else?" he asked with finger quotes for emphasis.

"I want to watch you take your pants off."

"Your wish is my command," he replied somberly before scooping her up in his arms and standing to carry her into the bedroom as she peppered kisses along his neck.

"I'm so fucking turned on, babe," she panted as she struggled out of her leggings. "I didn't give you blue balls, did I?"

"No. But that would be a small price to pay to gaze upon such a sight."

She smiled up at him from where she had finally succeeded in removing her leggings, allowing her to spread her legs open unselfconsciously and languidly tease her clit. Bruce paused in the process of unfastening his belt and dropped to his knees as though he had been shot.

Reyna looked at him worriedly and said, "What are you..."

Her words faltered when he licked along her seam.

"Fuck," he gasped. "You're delicious."

He delved his tongue into her core, savoring the way her wetness surged for him. His hands sought out her erogenous zones as he continued to thrust his tongue into her depths, one hand going to the breast he had spent the last hour stimulating and the other seeking out her clit. She bucked her hips, thrusting her soaked entrance against his mouth. Within seconds, she was approaching her release and he gave no quarter.

"Bruce?" she whimpered just before her legs snapped closed around his head.

Her hips spasmed as wave after wave of pleasure crashed over her under the unrelenting ministrations of his tongue. Her essence covered his face, but he was nowhere close to satiated.

Her legs opened enough for him to hear her whimper, "It's too much."

"Honey...I haven't even gotten started."

"What?" she gasped.

Bruce licked along her seam with a delicate touch, barely touching her with the tip of his tongue. When he reached her clit, he tenderly spread her open with his thumbs and placed the lightest of flicks on the tip of her pleasure bud.

"Oh, babe," she moaned softly. "That feels incredible."

Bruce kept up the minute strokes of his tongue on the tip of her clit, teasing her with agonizing deliberateness. She took his head in her hands and tried to pull him into her, clearly desperate for more friction against her pleasure bud.

"Unh uh," he hummed against her clit.

"Please," she hissed.

It pained him to refuse her, but he was confident she would thank him in the end. His teasing continued until he felt her wetness surge across his chin and her panting became labored. He awkwardly fumbled at his belt and tugged his trousers down.

"Oh, babe," Reyna whimpered desperately. "I'm so fucking close."

He stood quickly, turning her yelp of protest into a scream of ecstasy as he buried himself in her silken depths. His thrusting served as an accelerant for her orgasm, like squirting lighter fluid on a campfire. Her essence sprayed across his chest with every movement of his hips. Gripping her thighs, he fucked her energetically, prolonging her orgasm until her breathing grew ragged. He buried himself as deep as he could in her velvety channel and bent to kiss her deeply.

When their lips parted, she murmured, "Bastard."

"You don't mean that," he whispered before kissing her again.

She smiled and admitted, "Perhaps you're right. But that doesn't mean I won't get you back." She sighed before adding, "You want me to go down on you?"

"Not as much as I want something else."

"Are you afraid I'll edge you into a coma?" she asked coquettishly.

He snickered and said, "Well...maybe I am now."

"I'll be nice...mostly."

"I'm sure you will be, but I have something else in mind for you."

She stretched lasciviously and said, "My body is yours to do with as you will."

He rose above her and took a moment to remove what remained of his clothes before rolling her over onto her belly. Positioning himself above her, he straddled her knees and dragged the head of his cock across her ass.

"So good," she murmured happily.

Lining himself up with her entrance, he slipped the head in and sighed in contentment at the feeling of her silken embrace. Gripping her hips, he pulled her up to her knees, burying himself in her in the process. She looked over her shoulder at him and wriggled her hips playfully. He slid his hands from her hips, filling them with the perfectly rounded globes of her ass.

"You feel so fucking good," he grunted, picking up the pace of his thrusts.

"Fuck...so do you."

"Not gonna last like this, honey."

"I want you to cum inside me, babe. Please fill me up."

"Reyna," he gasped as he buried himself a final time before exploding deep into her womb. He felt her inner walls rippling along his length as she joined him in release. Pulling her body against his and arching her back, he cradled her breasts and latched his lips onto her neck.

"Yes, my love," she sighed. "Just like that."

He laid her down gently as their collective pleasure receded. He quietly padded into the restroom to warm a cloth to clean her up. When he returned, he found her climbing from the bed.

"What are you doing?" he asked quietly. "I was going to..."

She raised a hand and said, "Did you forget the fact that you made me squirt all over the goddamned bed? This is going to take a bit more than a thoughtfully warmed towel to clean up."

"Oh," he replied quietly. "Sorry."

She hurried to his side, pulling him close and kissing him adoringly before saying, "I'm not, and you shouldn't be either. It was incredible."

"Oh...um...great?"

"You did good, my love. Really fucking good. Now let's get these sheets changed so we can get some sleep."

His smile was so wide that he worried he would strain a muscle in his face. The smile was still there when she curled up against him and kissed him lovingly goodnight.

***

The following morning, as Bruce was walking slowly around the preschool in the midst of a light rain, he heard a car approaching. He turned to see the Sheriff's cruiser pulling up to the curb beside him. The passenger side window lowered, and the Sheriff looked at him questioningly.

"I was hoping for a moment of your time," Nathaniel called out. "You willing to step out of the rain, or should I dig out my slicker."

Bruce shrugged and climbed into the cruiser's front seat. He took off his hat and shook it out before closing the door to the car.

"See anything interesting?" Nathaniel began.

"Nope," Bruce replied simply. "Not a goddamned thing.

"You don't sound happy about that."

"Of course not. We know who the enemy is. He's already sent at least two guys to kill her. I don't think he's going to give up."

"You don't think the report the state police put out about a Columbian cartel-style assassination of a Ukrainian hitman in Jacksonville will throw them off the scent?"

"I can neither confirm nor deny any allegations..."

"Save it. Don't insult my intelligence. They included pictures, so I know it was the same guy. Interesting solution to hide the gunshot wound by chopping his arm off. Well...both of them."

"It was, at most, a delay of the inevitable. They know she was wrecked here, it will only be a matter of time until they come back here to look again."

"Why not take her and the boy and go?"

"She won't do it. Says that'll just mean she'd always be looking over her shoulder."

Nathaniel paused for a moment before saying, "So, what? She just wants to wait for the inevitable?"

"She doesn't have a death wish, if that's what you mean. I suggested a less passive approach, which she also vetoed."

"I'll do whatever I can to help you, but I don't want a war in my town. Why won't you let me take this to the state police? Or hell, the feds."

"Guys like this Zlodey always have moles on the inside. If you report this to them, his guys will beat them to town. And then you'll have the aforementioned war spilling into the streets."

"There must be something we can do."

"Use the fact that we're a small town. Use those insufferable gossips to let people know the score. Make sure your office gets word right away if guys with strange accents show up in town."

"Then what? If you put them in county lock-up, word will get out basically right away." Nathaniel shook his head and added, "I cannot accept a scenario where our only choice is to just execute every thug this guy sends."

"You think I like it?" Bruce exploded. "All that matters is her and Alton."

"Then convince her to go. It doesn't matter where. We'll keep an eye out around here. If this Zlodey sends more guys, I'll call in the feds. It won't matter then if he's got ears in their offices, because no one but you and her will know where you're going. I'm sure you can get her somewhere safe without anyone knowing where you went."

"Maybe," Bruce replied weakly.

"I get the urge to kill every one of those bastards, my friend. But that won't actually make her appreciably safer. If this asshole sends more guys, I'll sic the FBI on his ass. It's not a perfect strategy, but it's better than waiting for them to bring the fight to you."

Bruce nodded and said, "Ok. I'll talk her into it. Somehow."

Thirty-One

Reyna

"Isn't it wonderful?" Reyna gushed as she beheld the spectacle before them.

"It's a mistake, is what it is," Bruce grumbled.

"Oh, come on. It's just a few hours. We'll head out tonight. You know as well as I do how much Alton's been looking forward to this."

"As you wish," he conceded reluctantly. "But we're on the road right after."

"Our bags are already packed. Where are we headed, anyway."

"I can't tell you."

"I thought we didn't have any secrets," Reyna pouted.

"I meant the

place

is a secret. It also doesn't have a name. But I suspect you'll love it."

"So long as we're together."

"Always."

She looped a hand through his arm, keeping a firm grip on Alton with her other hand. They were making their way through a maze of automobiles, but she could already hear the sounds of their destination in the distance.

"Wow!" Alton shrieked when he caught sight of the top of a Ferris wheel. "Is that a fairy wheel?"

"Ferris wheel, buddy. You want to ride on it?"

"Yes!"

Despite his warm tone, Reyna could feel the tension radiating off of Bruce increase with every step. Whether it was the danger she faced from the Georgian mobster or merely the thickening crowd, she could not be sure.

She squeezed his arm and pulled him close, "I really appreciate you doing this for us, babe. It means a lot to me."

"You know I'd do anything for you."

She kissed his cheek lingeringly and whispered, "I'm a very lucky girl."

They proceeded to the entrance and collected their tickets. Just inside the door, Reyna heard her name called amongst the din of the crowd. She glanced around curiously until she spotted Janice standing near a corndog stand with a remarkably tall man.

"Hey, honey," Janice called out in greeting. "Fancy meeting you here. This is Dennis." Janice knelt down to Alton's level and said, "It's good to see you again."

Alton leaned back into Reyna fearfully, prompting the latter to say, "You remember Ms. Janice, honey. From the hospital, and then later at our apartment?"

"Hospital?"

"Yes. Right after Mr. Bruce saved us from the car crash."

"Yucky juice?" Alton asked suspiciously.

"That's right. She gave you the juice."

"You look a lot better than you did that night, young man. Have you been taking good care of your mother?"

"Yes," came the proud reply.

Janice stood back up and said, "And who's this handsome fellow you're with?"

Bruce scoffed and said, "We've met before."

"Holy crap! Bruce! I didn't recognize you with that smile on your face."

"Very funny."

Janice looked to Reyna and murmured, "Told you."

"Fine," Reyna snapped. "You were right. About everything."

Janice's eyes widened slightly as she took Reyna's meaning. She then smiled brightly and said, "Well, good. I'm so happy for both of you."

"Fairy's wheel!" Alton shouted excitedly.

Reyna shrugged and said, "Shall we?"

***

The sun set over a group larger than Reyna could have imagined, all happily enjoying both the carnival and the fellowship. Mariko had joined them shortly after their arrival, along with a man whose name Reyna could not remember, but the description her friend had offered of her companion's coupling gear would haunt her for years to come. Janice's nephews were there, along with their well-meaning, but somewhat daft, parents. The last members of their group, and the least expected, were Skip and his partner Edwina, a Latina woman at least 20 years his junior who towered over him and was always quick to call him on his orneriness.

The last duo proved the most helpful in maximizing fun for the young ones, ironically. Skip, having spent the prior two decades as the chair of the county fair organizing committee, knew all the tips and tricks for avoiding the lines. He also gave Reyna a not-so-subtle shake of his head to warn her off riding the Tilt-a-Whirl, explaining later that it was notorious for a multitude of pinched fingers and at least three concussions. Edwina, whose day job was training service animals, was leading a beautiful mastiff who drew children in like bees to honey, giving the children of their group no end of companions to join them on the various rides.

Stuffed with food, the health implications of which Reyna refused to even contemplate, the group made their way to an enormous open field which abutted a large stage where a band was just starting their set. Years of pop and dance music filling her music player had conditioned her to dismiss country music, but she could not deny the energy of the group as they quickly captured the focus of the crowd. She glanced over at Bruce to find a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as they swayed to the music. She wondered where he got his energy. He had been carrying Alton on his shoulders for the last hour and showed no signs of fatigue. This was made even more amazing considering the fact that Alton was, to put it gently, a wiggler, making carrying him on one's shoulders an exercise in constant vigilance.

She leaned up to Bruce and said, "You sure you're all right carrying him?"

"Of course. How else could he see? In any case, I like carrying him."

She stood on the tips of her toes and kissed him briefly before settling back against his side with an irrepressible smile on her face.

"You look really happy," Janice observed from her other side. "So does he."

Reyna glanced back over at what she thought of as 'her men' before replying, "Which 'he'?"

"Both of them."

Reyna did not even try to suppress the goofy grin which spread across her face. "I really am."

Janice leaned in closer and whispered, "Did you tell him yet?"

"Tell him what?"

"That you're crazy-stupid in love with him, of course."

"Sort of?"

Janice chortled and said, "How do you sort-of tell someone you love them?"

"It's complicated. We're not high schoolers navigating a first crush. There's history to consider, for both of us."

"Bullshit. If he loves you the way I know he does, there is no such thing as too early."

Reyna glanced worriedly back at Bruce before leaning close to Janice and whispering, "Are you sure?"

Janice grinned and said, "Sure is a challenging word, honey. No one in town...hell, likely no one in the universe, knows him better than you do. But I know he's never shown the slightest interest in anyone in town outside of his hermit-like appearances to do a good deed before fading back into the background, hopefully before anyone noticed. I've seen more of him since you two got together than I did in the three years before that. If that isn't love, it's sure as hell love adjacent. The real question is: are you sure?"

"I...think so," Reyna hedged. "Its just so hard to judge these things when, as near as makes no difference, the first complete sentence a man ever speaks to you is that he's devoted his life, his fortune and his sacred honor to your safety and happiness. And he says it in such a way that you never doubt for a fucking instant that he means every word. Typically, you get a little age on a relationship before that level of commitment."

"Or not at all," Janice gushed. "How did you go

weeks

after hearing that before you slept with him?"

Reyna shrugged and said, "It was just how things worked out, but I wouldn't change a thing."

"I should think not. Just remember, I get credit for introducing you if anyone does. Something to keep in mind when you're deciding on a maid of honor."