lovers at the dark side
Part 1
Warnings: romance, 18+, more Elizabeth’s, some ‘papi’ issues, Dean never change, Rio worries about Beth, Annie in prison
Summary: Good Girls sequel after Beth becomes Rio's boss.
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A week after Annie’s arrest, Rio’s brother‑cousin Nick was released from prison. While Beth and Ruby were working on finding a way to get Annie out and clear of the murder charge, Rio had troubles at home with his grandmother.
“Nick couldn’t just walk out—he had a serious charge against him. Tell me what’s going on, my child.”
“Grandma, I don’t know… I just feel like everything went sideways ever since Elizabeth got involved in the family business. I brought that woman into our lives. Because of her Nick went to prison, and, if I’m being honest, she shot herself with my right‑hand man—who, let’s face it, was working for Nick the whole time. So, what am I supposed to say? Grandma, I think this is the end.”
“No, son. You suffered a lot because of Nick. I just know. And Elizabeth…”
Rio’s grandmother smiled at him.
“…Elizabeth is good for you.”
Rio’s eyes widened. He couldn’t believe his ears. He knew that Grandma had liked her at dinner, but to say she was good for him? That surprised him.
“So you’re saying we should keep in touch with her?”
“Son, it’s no longer us who keep in touch—it’s her who keeps in touch with us now.”
“True…”
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Rio remembered their meeting in the park a few days ago.
“You work for me now.”
“You got it, boss.”
Their smiles reflected genuine satisfaction. In that moment, Rio could no longer hide his long-held feelings for Beth. When they first met, he never thought this woman would drive him insane and make him lose all control—and now things had turned. Beth was his boss: she was the one giving orders to him from now on.
“You know…”
“Hm?”
Beth began her sentence, but when she looked at Rio, she didn’t know how to tell him that she and Dean were separating. Would he like it—or wouldn’t he even care?
“Yes, Elizabeth?”
And there it was. That name she had fallen under his spell with. She didn’t understand when or how, but ever since he called her by her full name, she was completely besotted. We could say it wasn’t healthy—after all, she’d even shot the guy once—but… what relationship doesn’t have problems?
“I wanted to say…”
Her phone rang, and Rio got up from the bench and headed toward his child.
“Yes, it’s me.”
While Beth had an intriguing call, Rio started pushing the swing and smiled watching his son. He glanced back at Elizabeth, but instead of finding her on the bench, he saw her collapse onto the grass. He rushed to her, not caring about anything else.
“Elizabeth? Are you okay? Look at me. Elizabeth?”
He brushed her hair from her face, calling her name. She was still on the call, and he was about to check what they said to her.
When he heard who called her, he immediately understood what Nick had meant in prison.
“It’s okay, everything will be fine. Come on, I’ll take you home,”whispered in her ear. Then he shouted, “Kids, come here!” and Beth and Rio’s two children—who’d grown close like friends—ran over.
“What happened to mom?” asked the girl.
“She’ll tell you—let’s go,” Rio urged, hurrying toward the car.
When they reached the house, Dean was picking up Kenny from school. Seeing Rio triggered his anger—he almost lunged at him, but froze at the sight of Beth in his arms. At the door, Dean could only gasp, “What happened?”
Rio not caring about Dean, rushed inside and carried Beth to the couch. He overheard Dean sending the children upstairs, including Rio’s son.
“What the hell happened?” yelled in frustration.
“Annie’s in jail,” Rio whispered without taking his eyes off her.
“What? How is she in jail?!” Dean freaked out. He grabbed Rio by the shoulder and shoved him against the wall.
Under different circumstances Rio would have taken control, but he was focused on Beth if not being hurt when she collapsed. She didn’t regain consciousness yet, which was distressing.
“I don’t know—calm down, man,” Rio replied coolly. “Maybe if you hadn’t left her alone, you would know,” he snapped, walking to the kitchen for a glass of water. Dean couldn’t let it go—he was sure Rio was behind everything.
“What did you do now? What did you involve them in?” Dean shouted after he entered the kitchen too.
“Nothing, man…”
Rio maintained his composure, though he was so angry at Nick he didn’t notice the glass shatter in his hand.
“What are you doin…?” Beth arrived in the kitchen, but when she caught sight of Rio’s bloody hand, she screamed.
“What the hell did you do, Dean?”
Rio couldn’t hide his mischievous grin. But when Beth rushed to him and pressed a cloth against his hand, he couldn’t even speak.
“Fine—solve your problems yourselves. I’ve had enough. Goodbye, Beth…” Dean slammed the front door so hard it rattled the frame. He was furious—not just about Beth or that Rio brought her home, but because he saw the way they looked at each other. For the first time he felt Beth had truly given up on him.
What had this man done that he hadn’t? He’d asked Beth often but never got a satisfying answer. Perhaps even Beth was searching for one.
“What did Dean do?” Beth asked.
“Other than slamming me against the wall? He just got angry.” He gave Beth a soft smile. “How you feeling, Mama?” he asked, brushing away a lock of her hair. Before answering the question she grabbed his hand. They stood in that kitchen, looking into each other’s eyes, Rio’s hand resting on Beth’s face as she touched it.
“You could really let this go by now…” because of their closeness, she just breathed this into his face.
“Uh—” Rio stammered. They were less than a meter apart. “I don’t quite know what you mean—your hand or your hair…”whispered onto her lips.
“You know what? Forget it.” And with that she turned and walked away, letting go of his hand.
“Na—nah…” he protested, stepping in front of her. “Until you tell me what you meant by that, you’re not going anywhere.”
He was so close that if Beth moved an inch she’d brush his body.
“Rio, let me go,” she pleaded, looking into his eyes.
“I can’t…” he whispered, drawing her close by the waist so their lips could touch.
This kiss was even more intense than the first one. Their hands roamed—Rio’s hands slid to Beth’s thighs. With that motion he lifted her onto the kitchen counter. Their passion caused items from the counter to tumble. Beth moaned into his neck, pulling at his hair and ripped his shirt. Rio poured more into that moment than he ever wanted to—and he didn’t want it to end.
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“So you’re saying we should still stay in touch with her?”
“Son, it’s no longer us who keep in touch—it’s her who keeps in touch with us now.”
“True… true…” he coughed, repeating the word.
“What’s wrong? Are you sick?”
“Grandma, come on!” he laughed and went to his room.
“Gosh! I can’t believe I saw her ten days ago for the last time,” he mumbled to himself. He’d never been in a situation like this and was just starting to understand what was happening.
“That’s great! I’m talking to myself now!” he laughed hysterically. “Ah, Elizabeth, what have you done to me…” he whispered leaning against the wall.
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“Beth, tell me what happened!” Ruby was nervous, sitting at the kitchen counter in Beth's house.
“I think I should buy a new kitchen furniture…” she was thinking about the “home renovation”.
“Mhm…” Ruby murmured, looking at her friend strangely. - Beth, what is wrong with you? You're talking such nonsense! What about Annie? Did you find out anything? Can we see her? Hello? Beth, are you listening to me?” She fanned her hand in front of Beth.
“I slept with him.” Beth said. “Again. And it was different…” She struggled to say how she felt. “Different… real.” she finally looked at Ruby.
Ruby’s eyes widened in surprise, just like the last time Beth said something like that. Another affair—but this time it was different… real as she said.
“Beth… are you okay?” Ruby asked after a moment. She poured bourbon and pushed a glass to Ruby.
“Never better… never better,” Beth whispered.
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“Elizabeth, we need to stop.” Rio panted against her lips. Beth bit her lower lip.
“Don’t try quitting now that we’ve come this far, papi.” She kissed his neck.
Rio’s heart almost froze. Did she just call him “papi”?
“What… what did you say?” he gasped, stepping away from her.
“You heard right. Now, I’d like you to fix what’s going on down there.” she coughed, indicating that she didn't want to talk.
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“Oh my God! She has taken my mind, seriously!” Rio sighed against the wall. “Papi…” he smiled as he said the nickname.
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While Rio struggled with his newfound feelings and Beth talked to Ruby, Annie looked at her lunch in the prison kitchen.
“Hey new girl!” a tattooed woman with cropped hair called her. Annie had no interest in talking, so she ignored her.
“She’s mute. They must have cut out her tongue,” a woman in a baseball cap laughed.
“What do you think Ari would say if we softened up our newbie?” the tattooed woman asked.
Annie got up from the table when the cap-wearer extended her leg, tripping Annie, and the rest of the food landed on the floor. Laughter erupted among the mess hall.
“Leave her alone!” yelled a big woman. “You okay?” she asked Annie. Annie just nodded as the woman picked up her bowl and led her out of the hall, into the restroom, wiping the food from her face.
Annie could only think how her sister Beth used to do exactly the same when she came home drunk all the time as a teen.
“You’ll be okay, sweetheart. The first few days are awful. After that, you get used to it, you know?” she wiped the last drop of soup off her face.
“Thank you,” Annie said, smiling at her.
“Any time. Come on, I’ll introduce you to someone.” she walked her out of the restroom.
———————
Meanwhile Beth was explaining the incident from ten days ago to Ruby.
“No, Ruby. I’ve told you five times. I won’t call him! Absolutely not!” Beth flatly rejected Ruby’s suggestion to call Rio about Annie’s case and maybe ask for help. Beth wanted to withdraw completely from talking to him.
“Now just because of what happened that day?” Ruby laughed. She’d never seen Beth like this—it was getting weird. “Tell me exactly what happened that you’re too scared to call him!”
“Dean did something stupid again…” Beth began, exhaling deeply.
“Oh really? What did he do this time?” Ruby asked cynically, knowing his past.
“He shoved him into the wall—like really, into the wall!” Beth snapped.
“And? It’s not like he almost killed him a couple times before already—uh, I mean Dean just to know. Cause Rio almost killed him once before too…”
“Ruby, that’s not the point. He didn’t hurt him, okay?” Beth looked Ruby in the eye.
“Yeah—because you were there. But believe me, if you hadn’t been there in the house, it would have ended like that night a few years ago,” Ruby shrugged.
“When I woke up and heard Dean yelling, I went into the kitchen. I knew Rio had brought me home, though I must have hit my head quite hard cause of what i did after that…” she laughed nervously. “So I went into the kitchen and just got there when I heard a glass smashing. By the time I reached it, I saw Dean huffing angrily while Rio’s hand was bleeding. I didn’t even know what to do—I just instinctively ran over and started tending his hand. When I realized what I was doing, Dean had already left—Rio, well… how can I say…” she stopped.
“Okay, you don’t have to tell every detail…” Ruby laughed—she knew what was coming.
“Fine—but it was so passionate that when I got breath—because literally he took even that from me…,” she snorted. “So when we paused for a moment I called him ‘papi’…” she lowered her eyes. She only noticed that instead of freaking out, Ruby was laughing so loudly that even the neighbors could hear her.
“You called him ‘papi’?” Ruby laughed constantly.
“Yes, because…” she paused. She didn’t quite know how to explain—it’d probably come off as embarrassing since Rio only says that to her, and in intimate moments not otherwise.
“He calls me ‘mama’ all the time—constantly!” Beth laughed now too. The situation was simply ridiculous. They couldn’t stop laughing until someone opened the door.
“I hear you’re having a good time, ladies.”
The object of laughter stood smiling in the doorway.
“Rio…” Beth immediately coughed. She stared, a bit stunned, as he stepped closer. She gripped the furniture to steady herself against her sudden heart pounding. Before Ruby could speak, Rio left it to himself to initiate the conversation.
“I’m getting your sister out today.” he said bluntly. Beth and Ruby were stunned—they couldn’t believe their ears.
“I promised, didn’t I?” Rio smiled at Beth.
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The countertop was wreckage, leftover food on the floor, the blender shattered, and on the couch—two entangled adults.
“You know…” the woman whispered to the man. “Last time we did this I didn’t know how to say that I want more.” She blushed in his arms. Rio, as always, brushed a strand of hair from her face.
“I’ll be honest, when we last slept together I didn’t think that would be the last time…” he smiled at her,then cleared his throat and continued. “But you know… you shooting me instead of the cop got in the way.”
When Rio said that, Beth’s throat tightened. She didn’t know if it was guilt or the way it sounded in such an intimate moment.
“Relax, babe. I won’t bite anymore.” He kissed her forehead. “Let’s talk about how you called me at the counter… ‘cause, what can I say, it surprised me.” he scratched his neck. Beth didn't know how to respond so she lowered her eyes.
“Elizabeth.” he whispered to her lips. “No worries, I swear I liked it.” he kissed her. But Beth was so embarrassed that instead of kissing back pushed him off then said, “If you hear anything about Annie, let me know—or do something—until then, don’t contact me,” and rushed upstairs and locked her door. Rio froze, startled by her sudden rejection. Then, following the orders of his new boss, he left the house.
“So you’re getting Annie out of jail?” Ruby asked after two minutes of silence that turned heavy.
“Yup.” Rio said, shrugged, and headed out cause of the situation feeling odd.
“Wait!” Beth called after him. Rio turned with an unshakeable smile.
“We need to talk.”
“Then I won't bother you two.” Ruby coughed and hurried out of the house.
“So what did you want to talk to me about?” Rio smiled as he walked back to where they’d been.
He looked at Beth—but his eyes traveled to her hands resting on her hips. He bit his lower lip, thinking about how good that countertop incident felt. Beth realized he was looking somewhere inappropriate, so before Rio could react she began unbuckling his pants.
“If that’s how you want to continue this conversation, I have no problem—but…” he stopped her to unbuckling his pants. “Annie needs her sister more than I need her now, I think.” He re-buckled his belt, then gave her a kiss on the mouth.
“So you’re leaving?” Beth asked, regaining her senses.
“I would’ve already gone if you hadn’t held me back, my dear.” Rio smiled back at her from the doorway, then closed the door and left the house.
“Oh, my God! What am I doing?!” Beth laughed nervously.
