Winning Texas by Nancy Stancill Page B

profits that he ’ d built three others, one off I-10 near Beaumont and two off I-20 near Dallas and west to Odessa. But since she didn ’ t particularly care about cars, gas or truckers, she didn ’ t interfere in the management of those businesses. So he used them as an excuse to get out of Houston and to skim off money to stash in a secret account. He thought about his growing funds with satisfaction. He wasn ’ t about to ask Juliana ’ s permission for all of his purchases.
    There were a few women stationed at each emporium to give in-room massages and other, tip-worthy services as well. Some of the women had drug and alcohol habits that kept them mired in prostitution. Others would rather work for big tips from long-haul truckers than eke out meager salaries clerking at the nearby Wal-Mart. As business accelerated or dwindled, he could move the women between the Gas Emporium locations. He mostly left management of the massage business up to Bonita Vasquez, the Mexican-American woman he ’ d hired five years ago to run those services. She ’ d done well and always took time to make Krause ’ s visits pleasurable. He ’ d called earlier and told her he was an hour away.
    Now, as he pulled into the emporium, he could see Bonita on the porch of the motel-style building in back. In her mid-thirties with long, dark hair and almost-black eyes and lashes, she was attractive without being beautiful. She dressed professionally enough that she didn ’ t look like a madam and was a shrewd businesswoman. She and Krause shared a long history and he ’ d come to value her problem-solving skills as much as her willing body.
    “ Kyle, mi amigo , welcome, ” she said, kissing him softly on the cheek. He smelled her musky perfume and it brought back memories of happy encounters. She led him inside her unit, which consisted of a large living room leading into a kitchen with a bedroom and bathroom in the back.
    “ Hi, beautiful, ” he said, looking around. She had apparently redecorated since the last time he ’ d been here, with furniture and fabric in gaudy reds and yellows. She had also added some Mexican velvet paintings of mountains and deserts that he hated, so he refrained from comment on the new d é cor. He never spent more than a few hours there and didn ’ t really care if it was wall-to-wall polka dots.
    “ How ’ s business this week? ”
    “ Good here, ” she said. “ Not so good at the Odessa store. Had to get rid of two of the women. Too drunk to work their schedule and stealing money from the truckers. Very unprofessional. ”
    “ I ’ ll go over the figures with you later, ” Krause said. “ Now I just need to rest. ”
    He leaned back in the leatherette chair and sighed. She came around behind him and started massaging his neck and back. Her skilled hands felt heavenly and he began to unwind from the stress of the trip.
    “ Had to get away from Juliana for a few days? ” she asked. Bonita had met Juliana once, and the two women had immediately sized each other up as dangerous rivals. He cursed himself for being so open with Bonita about his frustrations with Juliana.
    “ She went to Galveston with a real estate broker, ” he said. “ Wants to buy a beach house – the last thing I want or need. ”
    “ You sure she ’ s not making love to a beach boy? ” she teased. “ Maybe she needs a change. ”
    Her instinct for the jugular roiled his temper. “ Cut the crap, Bonita, and bring me a beer. ”
    She poured two Coronas into frosted glasses from the freezer and added limes. He smiled and touched glasses with hers, trying to make amends for his cross words. After a while, she led him to the bedroom, unbuttoned his shirt and eased him down on her king-sized bed. For a few minutes, he relished being fully in the moment, as he almost never could in his problem-plagued life. It was as if time stopped – and then in an instant, it all went sour. He heard the walls shake and felt a huge