Authors: S Jackson Rivera
Her hand flew to cover her mouth as if she needed to, as a precaution, to be sure she wouldn’t say anything, holding back the scolding she wanted to give him, or to hide the fact that she was one breath away from breaking into disheartened tears. He kissed her softly on the forehead before pointing to the large statement piece, watching her carefully.
“Keep an open mind,” he begged. “
Today
, I want to put this ring on your finger. I’d like you to wear it for the wedding . . . and maybe the honeymoon.” He looked at her with a worried, questioning expression. “I’m sorry, but I feel this overwhelming need to mark my territory, but mostly, to show the world that, yes, you were actually willing to marry my sorry ass.” Her mouth tightened into a thin line to hide the smile playing on her lips despite her disappointment.
“When we get home, we’ll put this part . . .” He pulled on the mammoth diamond and it came out with the attached, two outer bands, but the middle piece remained in the box with the other ring. He held the oversized diamond section up for her to see.
“After the honeymoon, this part goes in the safe, and you’ll never have to wear it again, if you don’t want to.” He held the box up again. The two rings still in the box looked like matching wedding bands, but the bigger one looked more masculine.
“You said you didn’t want bling any more than I did,” she said, trying not to pout.
“I didn’t, but it’s what
you
wanted, and I have a very hard time telling you no.”
“No, you don’t.” She tilted her head with an, I’m-on-to-you-look. He couldn’t help his smile.
“Yeah, I do. I can, when it’s important, but believe me.” He leaned in close to her ear. “
He’s
been very, very hard.”
“You mean,
it’s
been hard. . .” Her face contorted into embarrassment as she realized that what she’d said wasn’t any better. “I was talking about all the times you try to tell me I can’t go someplace or do something.”
“Sorry, I know you meant that I can be kind of bossy, but I couldn’t help it—one track mind, lately. Anyway, back to the rings.”
“These aren’t
too
bad, right?” He brought her attention back to the wedding bands, holding the box up to make sure she got a good look. “Just enough flash for both of us, but not too much, don’t you think? I have a little bling, you have a little bling. They match. You said you wanted matching rings.” He stared at the rings as he played with them, nervously awaiting her verdict.
“And it won’t hurt your feelings when that redonkulously, colossommoth diamond never comes out of the safe again?” she asked.
He shook his head, still anxious about what she thought of his plan, but then he grinned at her description.
“You spent a lot of money to have that sitting in the safe for the rest of our lives. How much? You know I’d be happy if you just put a twisty-tie on my finger.”
He stared off with a blank look on his face, counting to ten. His mouth twitched a few times before he turned a stern gaze back to her. “You can-
nawt
hassle your husband-to-be about spending money on the wedding ring. I’ll never tell, so just drop it . . . but you’re worth every penny . . . in the world.”
She looked him in the eyes, for too long, and he wondered if he’d made a mistake. He finally shrugged.
“Maybe you could wear it on our anniversaries if that makes you feel better. It would make
me
feel good.” He glanced down, feeling a little insecure under her scrutinizing gaze. He wondered how she always managed to make him feel so off-balance, so different from the arrogant son-of-a-bitch he knew he was. He loved it.
Her shoulders relaxed and she took the box with the two matching bands from him to get a closer look. They were beautiful, and the fact they matched really touched her. He’d balked at the jeweler’s every time she’d insisted he needed something just as flashy as what he expected her to wear. He’d said it would be too girly, but she wanted him wearing something
noticeable
enough to ward off other girls. These rings really were the perfect compromise.
“I love them,” she finally said. “They’re perfect, like you. I should have known I could trust you.”
“I got lucky. I’ll never be perfect, so don’t get all trusty-crazy on me.” He grinned all shy and insecure.
“If I kiss you, they’re going to make a big deal out of it again, aren’t they,” she asked with a toss of her head toward their wedding guests.
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure they will.” His smile matched the glory of the sun, which happened to be close to setting.
“Okay, I’ll have to show you how happy you’ve made me
later,
tonight.” She bit her lower lip and looked up at him through her lashes.
“Mm!” he grunted.
He handed the ring box off to Taylor and took her arm again as they began climbing the steps up the pyramid.
“Mrs. Michaels,” Rhees gasped, suddenly worried about how her older friend would manage the steep stairs.
“We’ve got it covered,” Paul assured, understanding her concern. They both turned to check on Mrs. Michaels just as David and Bryce lifted her in a combined effort and carried her up. Mrs. Michaels giggled and gushed at the attention from the strong, younger men, enjoying every second of the attention.
“You’ve thought of everything.” Rhees leaned her head against Paul’s shoulder to let him know how he’d touched her heart.
The stone structure wasn’t as tall as some in the area, but the ancient inhabitants had built it on a high cliff overlooking the ocean. The breathtaking view seemed the perfect setting for the two of them to start their new life together. The wide, flat platform at the top accommodated the guests, giving everyone enough room to stand during the short and to the point ceremony. Not quite as quick as a Justice of the Peace, but again, a perfect compromise.
Regina, the official photographer, in spite of the short ceremony, somehow managed to get over a hundred shots before Paul protectively led Rhees down the steps again, their guests right behind.
Outside the walls of the ancient city, the locals had set up the plaza to accommodate a dinner and reception with a band and a dance floor. People from other buses wandered the fringes, spying on the festivities, while the bride and groom, and guests, ran through the customary wedding traditions, the toasting, the roasting—Taylor really let Paul have it.
Paul and Rhees cut the cake and danced their first dance as a married couple to their song, “Everything”, by Lifehouse. The fabric of Rhees’ dress spread out when Paul twirled her, and she felt like Cinderella, dancing with her prince. Paul somehow, on purpose, had lost his shoes at some point, and Rhees almost drooled at how sexy he looked wearing a suit, barefoot.
oOo
Once the obligatory ceremonial rituals were over, the bar opened up and the real party began. Paul slipped away while the male guests kept Rhees busy by dancing with the bride. When Paul returned, he grabbed Taylor and pulled him aside.
“Will you and the guys keep an eye on things at the party? I’m sneaking Rhees out of here on another bus. It’s leaving in a few minutes. Our—your bus won’t leave for another two hours.”
“What’s the hurry?” Taylor asked. “It’s not like you haven’t been there,
done that
. You’ll be there, doing
that
the rest of your life. Stay and enjoy your party.” He waited for Paul’s reaction.
Paul didn’t give him one.
“You haven’t, have you?” Taylor shook his head, as if disappointed in his friend. “I can’t believe she won the prize by holding out on you—and you fell for it. Pussy.”
Paul exhaled. “It isn’t like that.”
“Oh, really?” Taylor laughed. “Tell me what it’s like then, sucker.”
“You saw the way she reacted when you tried to hug her in Costa Rica. She’s not holding out to win any prize—I’m no prize, it’s just—”
“No one’s
that
fucking special. Jesus Christ! You fucking married her. I know you and your promises, but you’re stuck with her now. I hope she’s good, because she’s all you’ll ever get from here on out.”
“I love her, Taye. I love her.”
“I know.” A forced grin twisted Taylor’s mouth. “I’m just messing with you, Bro. I don’t understand it, but even I can see she makes you happy.” Taylor looked off for a second, contemplating something with a sad, thoughtful look on his face.
“And after your mad, mad years of living crazily with that dangerous, fucking bitch, Ginger, I like seeing you happy and at peace, finally.”
“I wasn’t in my right mind.”
“No kidding. But are you sure being with Rhees isn’t swinging the pendulum a little too far the other way?”
Paul looked up at the evening sky with a huge, contented smile on his face.
“I’m sure,” Paul said. “I’m probably about as close to where I should be as I’m ever going to get.”
They gave each other a man-hug, bumping chests with their fisted hands between them to make sure they didn’t accidentally have any intimate contact, and slapping each other’s backs with their other hands. David and Bryce showed up just in time to join their pow-wow with more banter, fist bumps, and arm slugs as they said their good-byes, until the next time they got together.
oOo
Claire listened intently, fascinated as one of the caretakers at the ruins shared his knowledge of the tourist site.
“Excuse me. I need this woman.” Paul snatched her away abruptly, leaving the caretaker wondering how he’d lost his audience so quickly. Paul, shoes on once again, danced Claire across the floor to where Rhees danced with Dobbs.
“Time to trade partners,” Paul said. “I’m sneaking Rhees out of here on a different bus. It’s leaving sooner than ours.” Paul flashed his brows up and down, while wearing a salacious smile, suggesting how eager he felt to get his bride alone. Rhees looked almost horrified at his blatant portrayal of an impatient groom.
“The driver agreed to let us stow-away since his bus is nearly empty.”
“You okay with leaving now?” Paul asked Rhees, nearly pleading with his eyes. She blushed but nodded.
“You’re ditching your own party?” Dobbs sounded gruff and disapproving until his wife shocked him.
“Can we come?” Claire asked, beseeching with an overdramatic, hopeful expression. “I’ve been a good sport all day, but if there’s a way out of here early, I’m all over that.”
Paul’s eyes turned cold at the suggestion, words failed him. Claire laughed. “I really just want to get home. I promise you won’t even know we’re there. We’ll leave you two alone at the back of the bus—we’ll even run interference for you, keep anyone else from sneaking up on you. You can be as wedding night-ish as you want.”
“Okay.” Paul nodded, looking to be thinking it through and almost missed the smirk Claire and Dobbs gave each other. “What?”
“Anxious?” they chided. “You’d think you’ve never done this before.”
“I haven’t,” Paul said in mock seriousness, but then grinned. “Yeah, I’m anxious—but what about you, the old married couple. Do all married people wind up with such nasty minds?”
“Yes.” Claire didn’t hesitate with her answer and Dobbs shot her a confused glance.
“Let’s get out of here,” Claire said, taking Dobbs’ arm and pulling him to follow Paul, who had Rhees in tow. The poor girl could barely keep up. She leaned into her husband and whispered, “Paul really is anxious.”
oOo
The driver of their original bus helped Paul and Rhees switch their luggage to their new ride. The bus doors closed after the four of them boarded and the bus groaned to life as the driver shoved the shift knob into gear. Claire and Dobbs headed toward the first empty seats mid-bus while Paul ushered Rhees toward the back where no one sat.
“You people aren’t supposed to be on this bus,” said a tall, lanky man with dark hair, graying at the temples. He stood and repeated what he’d just said when Paul and Dobbs turned to look at him. The man, a North American, turned to the driver. “These people aren’t supposed to be on this bus.”
“It is no problem,” the driver answered. “All the buses belong to the same company. We all end up at the same place, and we have more than enough room.”
“No!” the man shouted. “They can’t be on this bus.”
“Hey, man. I just got married.” Paul held his hands up in a surrendering gesture. “I’m sure you can understand why we’d like to get back to the honeymoon suite.”
Paul tried to sound friendly, and funny, to diffuse the man’s unreasonable objections. It didn’t seem to work. The man protested again.
“Señor, it is not a problem. Our buses share riders all the time.” The driver let the clutch out and the bus pulled away from the parking lot.
Paul and the man engaged in an eye duel as Dobbs and Claire slinked into seats eight rows back in the nearly empty bus. Rhees headed to the very back, hoping the man would calm down before Paul lost his temper.
“Paul, come sit down, please,” Rhees called. The last thing she wanted was Paul sitting in jail for beating a crabby man on their wedding night.
“Sit down, James.” The woman sitting next to the man put her hand on his arm. “Why do you always have to be such a jerk? They just got married. Leave them alone.”
“Just anxious to get my bride alone, man.” Paul gave the man one last shrug and turned to get back to Rhees. It didn’t take long for his cold glaring eyes to soften when he took in the sight of his beautiful girl, his
wife
.
Chapter 5
“W
hat the
h-heck
was I thinking? It’s almost three hours back to the city.” Paul snorted at his mistake. Already antsy, they were only thirty minutes into the ride.
“It’s closer to two and a half.”
He raised an eyebrow at her to let her know she wasn’t helping.
“Anticipation,” she mouthed seductively and then giggled. “Like Christmas, remember?”
“Anticipation is the absolute pits! I’m ready to rip the fu—freaking wrapping to shreds.” He took the fabric of her dress between his fingers and gave her a devious look to make her wonder if he really would.
“You wouldn’t!”
“You sure?” One corner of his mouth hitched up into his crooked smile when she bit her lower lip, revealing she wasn’t.
They spent the next hour staring at each other, holding hands, grinning nervously, keeping their conversation light and easy—pretending like the sexual tension wasn’t thick enough to cut.
“Your dress turned out so beautiful. I’m amazed you made this yourself. You amaze me, always.” Paul rubbed the soft fabric of the skirt between his fingers. She watched as he moved his hands up toward the bodice and lightly outlined the pattern in the cloth, working his way up to the fabric around her neckline. He started back down, his eyes trailing his own hand as it worked its way down the scalloped edge from her shoulder until he reached the V at her cleavage. His lips twitched, ever so slightly, as he slowly dipped his index finger between her breasts.
He glanced up to check, to see what she thought about it. She didn’t shy away, so he added another finger and went deeper with a breathy moan, expressing his pleasure, before trailing them up the side of her breast. He closed his eyes, taking in the magnificent sensation of its fullness.
“I love you. You know that, right?” he whispered, leaning his mouth so close to her ear the air tickled, but she didn’t move except to nod. “And that my feelings for you have nothing to do with sexual desire. What I feel for you is real—so deep in my
heart
. It’s not just biology. I was such a fool to ever think that way.” He brushed his lips lightly along her cheek and ended at her lips with a loving, respectful kiss. “But that said . . .” He pulled away to look lovingly into her eyes, knowing she thought he would continue with his sweet declaration, but he had other things on his mind.
“I
cannaaawt waaait
to get you back to the hotel!”
He took her face in both hands and kissed her reverently again, one long, chaste kiss, but then he wasn’t so chaste anymore.
His hand smoothed down her body, to the hem of her dress, and found skin just below her knee. He leisurely caressed her silky thigh, up and down, a little farther up her leg with each stroke, methodically pushing up the abundant soft fabric of her dress as he went. He closed his eyes and broke their kiss with a heavy exhale when his fingers reached the top and brushed against her panties. His gaze suddenly darted down to take a look, making her gasp, unable to disguise her nervousness.
“You’re ready.” It came out in a strong puff. He seemed surprised, gazing into her eyes in awe. “Oh, Dani Girl, I can’t believe it’s finally all right for me to do this.”
“We’re doing this now?” Her eyes widened and flashed with a hint of uncertainty.
He smiled and shook his head. “No. I don’t want to blow this—just building anticipation.”
“Anticipation is the pits,” she said, breathlessly. His smile nearly radiated at her response.
“I know, right?” His smile was so wide, his mouth couldn’t twitch, but his tongue swished over his lips more than usual, the way his tic manifested itself when he was giddily happy.
“You’re nervous,” she huffed, nervously. “How can you be nervous? You can’t blow it—can you?”
Paul saw the fear in her eyes and his smile turned bashful.
“First time, remember?” He kissed her forehead and forced himself to calm down. “I’ve pictured it. For so long, I’ve dreamed about it. I want to go nice and slow, but . . . it’s been so long. I’m so worked up, I want you so bad.” He brought his fingers up to his nose and inhaled. “Mmm . . . heavenly.”
“You won’t blow it—I want
you
too. Knowing we’re finally going to be together—is it that good? I’ve always been so nervous about it—sex—is it heavenly?”
He slipped back into respect mode and took her hand in his. He brought it to his lips and kissed her knuckles, and then held her hand against his face.
“I’m stupid.
He
is trying to run the show, and I haven’t done enough to stop him. I’m sorry, Baby. For your—
our
first time, I’m going to do everything I can to make it—”
Rhees didn’t understand why Paul stopped abruptly to look over her, out the window, when they heard a loud bang and the bus jerked. He stood and leaned over her to get a better look.
“Oh, no . . . no.” He shook his head, all the color had drained from his face. “No, no, no, no, no.” He sounded like he’d just received the worst news in his life. He sat back down.
“What is it?” she asked, she couldn’t help but feel alarmed. She’d never seen him so scared. He closed his eyes to think, but then opened them again and stared grimly at Rhees. He looked scared, but more for her than himself.
“Paul?”
“We’ll be okay, Baby. Don’t panic.” He dragged his backpack out from under the seat and pulled out a stack of money, trying not to panic himself. He looked around, touching the seats, tugging on the fabric here and there, as if looking for something.
“Paul, what’s wrong?” Rhees looked out the window and saw an old topless jeep driving alongside the bus. The men in the jeep held military assault rifles, trying to head the bus off, but the bus driver had already pressed the accelerator, trying to get away from them. She looked back at Paul, unwilling to process what she already knew.
He’d torn a small hole in the fabric under his seat and began stuffing his cash inside. “How much money do you have on you?”
“I didn’t bring any. You said you’d take care of it. Why?”
“Here’s eighty dollars. Put it in your pack. That should look normal. Rhees,” he said with a frown, staring intently into her eyes. “We’re dive bums. We’re not the owners of the shop, got that?”
She nodded, confused.
“What are they going to do to us? They’re going to kill us, aren’t they?” Rhees felt the panic rising inside, but she kept focused on Paul, wondering how he could stay so calm as he ran through the motions, doing things that didn’t make sense to her.
They heard another crack and felt a jolt. The people at the front of the bus began yelling and screaming. Dobbs and Claire made their way to the back of the bus.
“How much money do you guys have on you?” Paul barked.
“I don’t know,” Dobbs said.
“Sixty-three dollars,” Claire answered.
“Here’s another sixty.” Paul sounded mechanical. “That’s still normal.” He handed them three twenty-dollar bills before getting back to stuffing all his money into the upholstery around them. He’d kept a hundred and forty dollars for himself, and shoved it into his backpack.
“Paul, what are you talking about?” Rhees asked. “What are you doing? Why are you stuffing all your money in the seats?”
“Because it’s too much. Dive bums don’t carry around eight hundred dollars, cash.” The three of them gave him a strange look. “The honeymoon. Tips, taxis, food.” Paul ran his hand through his hair, twice. “We’re being hijacked. We have to hope they’ll just rob us and set us on foot.” Paul stared at Dobbs. Dobbs understood, Claire too—it took a second, but she caught on.
“What’s going to happen?” Rhees knew she sounded scared, but they were leaving her out of some kind of communication.
Paul grabbed for her and kissed the top of her head. “They’re going to run us off the road, rob us, and as long as no one on the bus is worth kidnapping, they’ll shoot up the bus and leave us to walk. That’s why we’re just dive bums, okay? We’re just dive bums.”
He sighed as he took her hand, the one with her wedding ring. He pulled it off and separated the large diamond section from the wedding band. He slipped the band back on her finger and gave her a quick kiss.
“The way we’re dressed—they’ll know. Dive bums don’t give their wives three-karat diamond rings when they get married.” He scowled. “The bands are a little closer to what we should be able to afford, but this diamond . . .”
He knew it wasn’t really true. The bands alone were worth thousands, but it would have to do. He watched her. Concern ate away at his ability to stay calm. “You’re in a wedding dress. I’m . . . almost wearing a suit. It’ll look suspicious, be worse if we don’t have rings at all.”
He opened the door of the small bathroom in the back corner of the bus and flushed the diamond down the toilet. He leaned down and gave Rhees another quick hug and a kiss.
“I love you. Never forget that.” He made his way to the front of the bus.
“They’re going to overtake us?” Paul squatted next to the driver.
“Yes.”
“Keep them off as long as you can.”
“What do you think I’m doing?” the bus driver growled.
Paul patted the man on the shoulder and turned to the handful of people in the front. “Are you all from the States?”
Everyone nodded.
“We’re being hijacked. These guys are looking for money. They’ll rob us, your money, jewelry, cameras, that kind of thing. If you have more than about three hundred dollars on you, get rid of it.” He looked around. “Here, stuff it in here.” He pointed to a tear in the rubber floor of the aisle. “If that hole fills up, gets too bulky, find another hole, someplace else to hide it. They’ll search the bus, but I don’t think they’ll look—”
He paused, puckering his mouth. “They may be looking for people to ransom too. I don’t care what you do back in the States, but today, you’re all volunteers. You’ve been here digging wells. Got that? You’re all teachers, receptionists, clerks . . . for your charity organization. Stick with that and I think we’ll get through this.”
“How do you know about this?” someone asked.
Paul took a second to answer. “I’ve been in this stinking country for a while. This shit happens much too often.”
The tall lanky man, James, started cursing. “Who the hell are you? You’re not even supposed to be on this bus. You can’t come on here, telling us what to do.”
Paul sneered, tried to rein in his rage, for a second, but lost the battle and grabbed the man, lifting him up by his shirt. “If you want to walk away from this alive, you’ll listen to me,” he hissed. James didn’t argue and Paul let go of him with a little shove. James sat down and seemed to be more willing to play along.
“Volunteers come down here all the time. These hijackers are familiar with the charity groups who organize these trips. They know the charities don’t have money. If you’re anything besides a volunteer, they may think they can ransom you, extort money from you, your family back home, your company, whoever it is that you really work for.”
Paul put his hands on his hips and looked down, apologetically. “I just got married. I want to love my bride for the rest of my life. I need your help . . . I want that to be more than just tonight.”
He looked up to see Rhees watching him. Tears flowed down her cheeks as she finally understood how scared Paul really was. They rushed to each other and embraced. The bus jerked again, knocking them down, but Paul managed to guide their fall into one of the seats with only a bruise to his hip from the armrest. They refused to let go of each other.
“Thank you for loving me,” Paul whispered, and braced Rhees, holding on to her desperately as the bus careened out of control.
oOo
The hijackers grew tired of the chase and eventually shot the driver. He died instantly and the bus lurched, hit a rock, and would have tipped on its side if it weren’t for the dense trees it fell against, holding it at an angle while the high ended wheels continued to spin.
Paul clutched Rhees protectively as the men with guns forced their way onto the bus and demanded everyone get out. The passengers were lined up along the road, their hands behind their heads as a couple of the hijackers frisked them, taking everything from their pockets, bags, and purses. Two more hijackers were in the bus, ransacking everything, looking for valuables. One more hijacker, a huge, heavy built man with a big belly, stood guard, watching the scene with his gun ready.
The men were cruel and vicious as they made their way down the line putting cell phones in one bag and valuables in another. They spoke Spanish and Rhees was the only one of the dive shop crew who didn’t understand what they were saying.
“They’re going to touch you, Baby. You’ll have to hold it together, okay?” Paul cooed, reassuringly.
“Okay.” Her answer was clipped as she braced herself for what was about to happen.
“You can do this, you’re—”
“Tough as nails. I know,” she snapped. “Don’t worry so much about me! We’re all in trouble here. I’m not the only one.”
She sounded feisty and Paul took it as a good sign.
The men made it down the line, reached them, and took their phones. Next, they took the new wedding bands. Rhees had no pockets and her backpack had next to nothing inside, but the men spent as much time searching her as they did the others. Paul didn’t mind how roughly they handled him as they made him empty his pockets and his backpack, but it took every bit of restraint he possessed to watch them maul his bride, their hands taking a little more time than necessary as they frisked her body, yelling abusively at her, in Spanish. She closed her eyes to fend off the panic, he thought, and they yelled at her to open them again. She didn’t understand the command.
“Norteamericano?” the hijacker asked.
Rhees nodded. She understood that much, but not what he asked next, so he screamed it, twice.
“Que hacer?”
“It’s okay, Baby,” he whispered. Paul blurted the answer, in English, trying to save her from more abuse. “We’re dive masters on the island off the coast. All of us—the four of us.”
He talked very loud and slow as he waved four fingers at the men and gestured that the four of them were together. “We no ha-blo es-pan-ish.” He made sure to pronounce it very American-like and not quite right. Vy-vo on is-lando. We have no-thing of val-ue.”
Paul grimaced as he took a fist to his rib cage before the men moved on to Claire and Dobbs at the end of the line. He turned to Rhees and gave her a cocky wink to make sure she wouldn’t worry about him.
Claire and Dobbs didn’t know why Paul didn’t want the hijackers to know they were fluent, but they followed his lead and acted like they didn’t understand what the men were saying.