Operation: Rigid

TWENTY-ONE

Lights Out

I stood near the glass wall in the main room, watching through the hurricane screen as the storm lashed the landscaping in the gathering night. So far, no trees had fallen, at least in sight of the house, and the power was still on, but the wind and rain were severe, and as I'd watched, I'd seen large pieces of plants fly past the window.

Hurricane Lois had formed south of Jamica and quickly grew into a monster of a Category 3 storm as is barreled west-northwest. It made landfall at Chetumal on the Yucatan, dropping to a Category 2 as it crossed the peninsula, before picking up strength and returning to a Category 3 again once back over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

After crossing the Yucatan, the storm veered nearly due west, where the eye made landfall almost exactly between Veracruz to the south and Xalapa to the north. The leading edge of the storm had arrived about an hour ago, and now it was kicking the shit out of Voice's landscaping.

"Nasty," Teresa said as she stopped beside me to watch out the window.

"Yeah," I agreed.

"They have a lot of hurricanes in Houston, Texas, right? Isn't that where you're from?"

"Yes... and yes."

"My family lives in Puebla. We don't have hurricanes there." Before I could speak, she continued. "Well, I guess, technically we do, but when the storms hit the mountains, they break up and all we get is some wind and rain. Nothing like this."

"Your first real hurricane?"

"Yeah."

"Nervous?"

She smiled as she snuggled in close. "A little."

"Nothing to worry about. The walls help break the wind, the houses seem to be built to take it, and with the hurricane screens over the windows--" I stopped when the lights flickered and then went out. After a long pause, I frowned. This wasn't the first time the lights had gone out since I'd been there, but it was the first time they hadn't come right back on, either because the power was restored, or the big generator started. I looked at Teresa. She was looking up at me, her concern clear on her face despite the deep twilight. "Nothing to worry about. Probably a tree fell on a power line somewhere, but I wonder why the generator didn't start?"

"What happened to the lights?" Gregorio asked as he joined us from the game room.

"I guess the generator didn't start for some reason," I said.

He grunted as Marta appeared from the theater. "That's never happened before. Think it's the storm?" she asked.

I shrugged. "I wouldn't think so. After all, what good is your emergency generator if it won't work in an emergency."

"Good point," he grumbled. "The power would fail now. I was about to set a new high score on Pacman."

"What a shame," I said, my voice dripping with pity. All the top scores, on all the games, had the same initials beside them... GMCP... Gregorio Michel Comi Pérez.

"So what do we do now?" Marta asked.

"I have a suggestion," Teresa purred as her hand fell to my manhood. "You can... distract... me from the storm... if you're up for it."

It'd been nine days since I'd fought Víctor, and I'd been to beat up and sore to even think about fucking until the last day or so. My cock, along with the rest of my scrapes and bumps, had either already healed, or nearly had. The only glaringly obvious remnant of my fight was the dark but fading bruise on my arm, where Víctor had hit me with the chair.

"I think I might be," I rumbled as I drew a finger over her nipple.

"How about you?" Gregorio asked Marta.

She smiled. "I think so, but I want to start out slow and easy, just in case. I'm so fucking horny, the last thing I want to do is hurt myself, and then have to wait even longer."

I grinned. "I know the feeling."

"I'm sure you do," Marta said softly. "I'd never seen a man's cock so raw."

I sniffed out a laugh. "I will remind you that you didn't help that."

"I know. I'm sorry." That was the third time she'd apologized to me.

"I thought we agreed you were going to stop apologizing. He had it coming, and it was only a matter of time before he and I were going to get it on."

"And did you ever," Gregorio murmured. "That was worse than the fight with Josue."

"I meant about jerking you off," she murmured, speaking over Gregorio.

"Well, maybe I won't have to deal with that asshole again," I said as my gaze flicked between Gregorio and Marta.

"I hope none of us do," Marta growled.

"Thanks to you," Teresa cooed as she pulled my lips to her.

"I hope you broke his fucking cock, so the asshole can't get it up anymore, and quits," Marta continued.

"Especially after you came on his face," Teresa added with an evil smile.

"Because it shows you were claimed?" I asked, not sure what that meant.

"Yeah," Teresa murmured, but she must have seen my confusion because she continued. "I don't mind if you or Gregorio come on my face here, but I don't want anyone doing it at one of the events... even you two. It's what we do to show everyone someone wasn't a challenge and that you utterly dominated them."

"Right," Marta added. "They're ruined, unable to continue, whatever, but you're still so horny you needed to jack off."

"I hope he doesn't take it out on Consuelo and Felicita," Gregorio grumbled. "You know how he is."

I considered Gregorio's words. I didn't like the idea of Víctor hurting women, especially if it was because of me, but I didn't know if I should interfere with another stable. I decided I'd do nothing outside the contests, unless one of the women asked me to help them, and then only with Voice's approval.

"He better not," I rumbled. "I warned him of what would happen if he did."

"Yes, but Víctor isn't known for his brains," Gregorio said with a smile. "A smart guy wouldn't have fucked with you after that first time in Martos' yard."

Before I could answer, I saw a light moving outside in the rain. I watched a moment. "That must be someone going to check on the generator." I was going to suggest that Teresa and I go upstairs, so I could comfort her, when a different idea occurred to me. "I think I'll go see if I can help."

"In that?" Marta asked with a wave at the window. "Let them handle it."

"I wouldn't want to deprive Gregorio of getting another high score," I said as I turned from the windows and toward the door.

"What can you do?" he asked.

"Maybe nothing, but I can hold the light at least."

"I guess I can go with you," he said, but he didn't sound enthusiastic.

The last thing I wanted was that. "You can if you want, but there's no point in us both getting soaked. If I can help get the lights on, great... but if not... I'll come right back," I said, mentally crossing my fingers.

"You sure?"

I grinned with relief. "Yeah. Stay here and comfort Teresa."

"What about me?" Marta demanded, her smile almost invisible in the growing darkness. "I might want some comforting."

Gregorio snorted. "If you go, you better hurry your ass back here before they kill me."

I snickered as I started toward the door. "It could happen, but what a way to go."

I exited through the kitchen, the solid metal door not covered by a protective screen. It was plenty windy, even in the lee of the house, but when I stepped around the corner, the damn wind nearly took me off my feet. I staggered back, planted, and then ducked my head and twisted my shoulders into the wind. I didn't know if Lois was still a Category 3, but even if it wasn't, the wind-driven rain stung my face, hands, and arms. Leaning into the swirling wind and rain, I battled my way in the direction of the generator.

I had no intention of helping whoever was there to get the generator started. In fact, my plan depended on them

not

being able to start it, but I wanted to make an appearance so if anyone compared notes there wouldn't be any contradictions in my story.

I was nearly to the generator before I saw two men standing there, one shining the flashlight into the opened hood. "What's wrong with it?" I shouted to be heard over the wind and the rain roaring on the generator's covering.

"Don't know! It didn't come on when the power went out!" one of the men yelled back.

"Can you start it manually?"

"That's what we're trying to do!" the same man shouted as the man with the flashlight stepped behind the machine.

"Will it crank?"

"Don't know yet! You know anything about these things?"

I moved closer as if I were interested. "Not a thing!" I'd just finished speaking when I heard the big diesel spin over, but it didn't start. Hiding my disappointment, I stepped to the back of the machine where flashlight man was standing. As I watched, the man pressed a rubberized button labeled

START.

As he held the button down, the engine spun over again, but as before, it didn't start.

"When was it tested last?" I yelled.

"Week and a half ago, when you were off fucking!"

I didn't want to help, but I didn't want them starting the damn thing when I was in the main house either. Better to know it was going to start now, before my ass was hanging out. I took the flashlight and flicked it over the panel. There was a big switch labeled

PREHEAT, STANDBY,

and

RUN.

The switch was turned to run. I turned the switch to

PREHEAT

, but as soon as I released it, it snapped to standby.

"I tried that!" flashlight man shouted against the wind.

"Where was it when you got here?"

"Standby!"

I turned the switch again, holding it on

PREHEAT

this time. After a moment, a light slowly brightened. When it seemed to reach its maximum brightness, I turned the switch back to

RUN

and pressed the

START

button.

The big engine whirred over and then roared to life with a bellow.

Fuck!

Flashlight man slapped me on the shoulder as I glanced around the roaring engine. "The lights still aren't on!" I shouted, straining my voice to be heard over the wind, rain, and now the engine.

Flashlight man looked around the engine. "Shit! I wonder why?"

I shrugged. "I don't know! Whatever the problem is, it's probably why the generator didn't start! Maybe it doesn't know there's a power failure!"

Flashlight man twisted the switch to

STANDBY

and the motor rumbled to a stop. He flipped the switch a second time, pressed the starter, and the engine roared to life again, but the landscaping lights didn't illuminate, and no lights appeared in the equipment shed.

"Shit! Now what?" he asked.

"I bet there's a switch somewhere! If you can find it, and trip it, I bet the lights will come on!"

"Where?"

I shook my head. "I have no idea! I bet it's in the shed somewhere! It wouldn't make sense to me to run it all the way from the house when they could put it right here! I'd turn the generator off, and when you hear it start again, you'll know you have it!"

He switched the roaring engine off. "Want to help us look?"

I smiled. "I would... but I don't know what I'm looking for... and Teresa needs some comforting!"

"Is she the one with the big tits?" he yelled as he made like he was clutching melons to his chest.

Both Marta and Teresa had nice racks, but I knew who he meant. "No! That's Marta!"

He snorted with a small grin. "It doesn't matter, you lucky bastard! I'd comfort either one of them! I'd comfort them until neither of us could walk!"

I forced a laugh. "Never let it be said I'm not a gentleman willing to comfort a woman in her time of need!"

"Yeah! Gentleman my ass! A gentleman would stay out here, getting his ass wet, to help us look!"

"I'm planning on something other than my ass being wet!"

"Bastard!" he said with a smile.

"Anyone in the house?" I asked. "If there is, they should look for a switch there, in case I'm wrong!"

"Nobody! We'll look here, and if we don't find anything, we can look there!"

"Good idea, but I bet the switch is here somewhere! You just have to find it! Good luck!"

"Yeah... thanks!" he said with a smile, but his voice was dripping with sarcasm.

"At least you'll be out of the rain!"

"That's something, I guess! Thanks for the help!"

"No problem!"

I turned and walked out from under the roof that protected the engine, leaning into the wind and rain. As I walked, I considered my options. If the power came on while I was in the main house, that increased my odds of being caught, but on the other hand, I likely wouldn't have this opportunity again. It'd surely take some time for the security system to come back online after the power was restored, but would it be long enough for me to get away from the house? I decided I had to risk it and hope for some luck.

I angled toward my house until I was out of sight of the generator before I began to trot, cutting through the planting beds to obscure my movements until I came to the wall. There was no way to reach the main house without crossing open ground, but I stayed against the wall until I was even with the back of the main house.

I darted from the wall in a crouch, praying the security system wasn't on a battery backup, that even if it was, the heavy rain would occlude my movement, and that there'd be no cameras inside the house other than the two in the changing room. If the security cameras were operating and they could see in the dark, and anyone checked, I was fucked. All I could do was hope the system was offline, and if it wasn't, hope I could get the hell away before I became a statistic.

When I reached the back wall of the house, I skimmed along it past the pool, until I reached the door to The Room. Mentally crossing my fingers, I pressed the thumb latch, and even though I was in the lee of the main house, I opened the door the minimum amount necessary, trying to keep any rain off the inside of the door, and stepped inside. It was almost too dark to see outside, but it was pitch black in the changing room and I couldn't see shit. I hadn't realized how much Voice's landscape lighting reduced the darkness until I didn't have their soft glow anymore.

Knowing there were cameras in the room, I debated trying to feel my way along, but changed my mind, deciding if the cameras were working, I was already fucked. I pulled my phone from my pocket and tapped the screen, not daring to use the built-in flashlight. The screen brightened, providing me with enough light to see, barely, but hopefully not enough to be seen outside the house.

I moved to the shower where I placed my phone on the floor before stripping out of my soaked clothes, wringing water from my shirt down the drain, and then using it to dry my hair as much as possible. I didn't want to leave behind drips on the floor that would raise questions.

My hair and face no longer dripping, I dropped my shirt onto the pile and picked up my phone. I needed to move quickly because I didn't know how long it would take the guys to find the switch, or to give up and return to the house. The groundskeeper's shed wasn't so big that it'd take long to thoroughly search. I entered The Room, closing the door behind me, before bouncing my way across the padded floor to the opposite side. I quickly found the latch, and with another crossing of my mental fingers, opened the door.

I stepped out of the room, closing the door behind me to leave no trace of my passage. I flashed my phone around, but its light was too weak to illuminate anything other than my immediate area. The marble floor cold on my feet, I started for the steps, or where I thought the steps should be. If I was going to find anything incriminating, it'd probably be upstairs in the private part of the house. Holding my phone in front of me like a talisman, I moved across the room as fast as I dared. When I came to a wall, I moved left, hoping I was going in the right direction. I was.

When I reached the steps, I bounded up them, taking them two at a time, the ticking of the clock loud in my head. When I reached the top of the steps, I flashed my light around, and then entered the first room. It was the master suite, a huge room almost as large as my entire apartment back in Houston.

I quickly searched drawers, being careful to put everything back as I found it so there'd be no indication that someone had looked through them. The drawers contained only what I expected to find, such as men and women's underwear, plenty of racy lingerie on the woman's side, and swimwear, all neatly divided into his and hers sides of the large dresser. I also found three packages of white gloves, two of which were unopened. The side tables turned up a vibrator and a dildo, a supply of condoms, and the remote for the huge television mounted to provide easy viewing from the bed. I also found Voice's collection of Breitling and Rolex watches, women's jewelry, and a half-dozen pair of women's sunglasses in different styles, and another five for men.

The only thing of interest to me in the room was a photo, professionally taken, on the nightstand that showed a man between forty and fifty, a beautiful woman of about the same age, and a younger woman that I assumed was their daughter. As I looked at the photo, I wondered if the women were the two I'd fucked in the darkened room. I considered taking a picture of the photo with my phone, but then what would I do with it? I couldn't send it to anyone, and if someone found it on my phone, I could only pray my death would be quick and painless. Beyond that, I was afraid to use the flash and knew the photo would be unusable without it.

Deciding not to risk the photo, I moved on. Ignoring the bathroom, I next investigated the closets, and came up as empty as I had when searching the drawers. The his and hers closets contained a large selection of clothes and shoes ranging from casual to formal, all neatly pressed and hung.

I found no papers or other documents, and no safe that might contain them, though I didn't look closely for one. Even if I'd found a safe, I wouldn't have been able to open it, and Voice didn't strike me as the careless type to leave it unlocked.

Finding nothing, I considered leaving, but decided to take a quick look through the rest of the upstairs with the hope of finding an office or other workspace. Three other bedrooms didn't appear to be used, so I skipped them.

The fourth bedroom had been personalized by the woman I assumed was Voice's daughter. It was much smaller than Voice's master suite, and though it was hard to judge by the dim light of my phone screen, I guessed it to be about the size of my bedroom, though more richly appointed.

I performed the same quick search I had in the master suite but found nothing. There were a few framed pictures placed around with candid photos of the same woman, though older, with a man, both displaying large, happy smiles. The woman was in her late thirties to early forties, sexy as hell, and the man was well built, handsome, and probably about the same age. Like the chest in her parent's room, the drawers contained sexy lingerie that was both more numerous and daring, swimwear that was smaller, and some of the clothes in the closet off the private bath were more revealing.

In the side table I found not one, but three vibrators of different styles, along with a remote for the television. Finding the sex toys and large television in both rooms led me to believe that the action captured by the cameras in the corners of The Room might be replayed on these screens.

The fifth and final bedroom also appeared to be used, but it was far more austere. The room was no different than the other four bedrooms, but there was nothing to warm or personalize the space. There were no pictures, and everything was neatly arranged. It took me less than thirty seconds of searching to realize this was probably María's, née, Valencia's, room. There was no swimwear, no lingerie, sexy or otherwise, and her underwear had obviously been selected with an eye toward comfort, in a style I would call everyday sexy. Her room had the same large television as all the bedrooms did, and the remote was in the bedside table drawer, but there were no toys.