Work Text:
Things had been good between Rio and Beth lately.
The business was running smoothly, they were cordial, even laughing and joking together. The sexual tension was still there, simmering under the surface, but they danced around it carefully.
Then, one small situation that didn’t even directly involve them flipped the peace upside down.
It started like this: Kenny Boland, age fourteen, met a girl named Sophia, fifteen, at the park. She was smart, funny, beautiful and she loved comic books, which instantly made her perfect in Kenny’s eyes.
Sophia liked Kenny, too. She’d never met anyone who knew as much about comics as she did. He was tall, kind of cute, and told the corniest jokes. She liked that about him.
They started hanging out after school every day. Everything was fine until one afternoon when Sophia’s uncle, Chris, came to pick her up. She and Kenny were so wrapped up in their conversation that they didn’t hear him walk up behind them.
“Kenny?” he said sharply. “What are you doin’ with my niece? Where’s your mom? Why’s it just you two out here alone?”
Kenny froze, recognizing him. “Hey, uh,Mr. Chris, right? My mom’s at work. We were just talking.”
Chris or Rio, as Kenny knew him from his mom’s world didn’t look convinced. His jaw was tight, eyes narrowed, protective. Finally, he exhaled and muttered, “Come on. I’ll drop you home after I take Sophia.”
The car ride was tense. Neither kid could figure out what they’d done wrong. When Rio pulled up at Kenny’s house, they went inside.
Beth looked up from the kitchen, startled. Rio stood there with her son, both of them looking guilty.
“Kenny?” she asked slowly. “What’s going on?”
Kenny mumbled something and escaped upstairs.
Rio crossed his arms. “Found your boy at the park with Sophia. Thought you should know.”
Beth stared at him. “Rio, they’re kids. They like each other. What do you want me to do, lock him in his room? Forbid him from talking to girls?”
“They looked pretty cozy to me,” he said evenly.
She raised an eyebrow. “We’re just business partners, remember? Nothing more, nothing less. This doesn’t involve me.”
Rio’s tone turned cool. “You better get your house and your son in order, Elizabeth. Or there’s gonna be trouble.”
And with that, he stalked off.
Rio was usually calm, the one in control. But Beth and now her kid always seemed to throw him off balance. He told himself to let it go, to let the kids be kids, but he couldn’t. So he watched.
When he caught Kenny and Sophia holding hands and sneaking a kiss at the park, he nearly lost it.
That night, Rio was waiting in the living room when Kenny came home.
“Let’s have a little chat,” Rio said, his voice low.
Kenny swallowed hard and sat on the couch just as Beth came downstairs.
“Rio,” she said slowly, eyes narrowing. “Are you threatening my son?”
He smirked. “Nah, darling. Just talkin’ man to man. Ain’t that right, Kenny?”
Beth crossed her arms, unimpressed. “Rio, you know you can be intimidating when you want to be. Lay off him. He didn’t do anything wrong. I’m sure you kissed plenty of girls in your day, so maybe leave him alone?”
Rio’s jaw worked.
“It’s harmless,” she continued. “You’re being sexist and unreasonable.”
“Kenny, go upstairs,” she said softly, without taking her eyes off Rio.
When the boy was gone, Rio sighed. He knew she was right. He just couldn’t admit it not yet.
Beth stepped closer, her voice dropping. “Poor Rio,” she whispered. “When’s the last time you’ve been kissed?”
And before he could respond, she kissed him hard, messy, all teeth and tongue.
Rio reacted instantly, pushing her against the wall, deepening it. Then a creak from upstairs snapped them back to reality.
Beth caught her breath, lips swollen. “Let’s go make out in your car,” she whispered. “Kenny’ll be fine for a bit.”
So they did, two grown adults acting like teenagers in the back seat of Rio’s G-Wagon.
P.S. Kenny and Sophia didn’t last. But Beth and Rio? They sure did. 😘