Ugh, I'm a horrible updater. So sorry this took so long. There really isn't any reason other than I was too lazy. Hopefully I'll get the next one up soon.

Not mine.

Warning: Little bit of smut.

"Come on, baby, give it to me." I said to myself. "You know what I need."

Okay, before you get any dirty ideas, I'm not having sex with Carlos.

Feel free to pout. I know I am.

"Ready for the river?" Lester asked, hand on the deck. He was playing dealer this round and taking his role way too seriously.

Everyone decided that we needed to get out of the bedroom. After spending two days in there, only coming out for meals, was all they could handle. So when we came out on the third day, the guys had set up the poker table in the living room.

Let's just say that playing wasn't optional.

Connie and Lula were sitting on the couch happily gossiping. They had been knocked out of our mini tournament early. Bobby was next and was watching the game with rapt attention.

All it did was make me grumpy. After three years of not having Carlos, I had some catching up to do. Carlos just thought my grumpiness was cute.

"You don't turn that card over, you're going to pull back a stump." I growled. I had some really good cards.

Carlos, who was sitting across from me, looked up and smiled.

Originally, we were sitting next to our significant other, but Carlos got handsy and I would stop playing footsie so they moved him to the other side of the table.

Not that it totally stopped me. I found his leg and began to rub it.

At least, I thought it was his leg until Mari's head shot up. "What the hell?" She exclaimed.

"Oops, stretching." I said.

No one believed me. I blushed into my cards and Carlos' grin widened.

"All right. Are you done?" Lester asked. I didn't respond. "And the river is a ten of clubs."

Yes! I did a little happy dance.

"Jeez. She has good cards again." Tank said, rolling his eyes. "I'm out."

"Hey! How do you know? I could have really crappy cards." I don't though. Can you say full house?

"Your tell is really obvious." Lester said, placing his cards next to Tank's. "You squint your left eye."

"I do not!"

"It looks like you have to fart."

"That's so rude."

"But true."

Carlos called. He was the only brave one left.

I was going to cream him.

"Full house. Jacks over tens." I did a little dance over to my money.

"Not so fast Babe." I looked up. "Aces over tens."

Not. Possible.

"You're so not getting any tonight."

"We'll see." He grinned and collected the pot. He knew that it was an empty threat. No one ever said no to Carlos. I mean, look at him!

I was knocked out a few minutes later by Lester, but Ranger won the whole pot.

Figures.

"Dinner's on me tonight." Ranger said grinning, fanning our money out.

Well at least I'd get a meal out of it.

The rest of us cheered and went upstairs to change. As soon as I hit the door of my room, I started to strip. It was three now and if I hurried and showered quickly, there might be enough time to look presentable.

Of course, I wasn't alone in the shower long.

"What are you doing?" I asked Carlos when he stepped in with me.

"If I have to explain it to you, I'm not doing something right."

"Oh no. For one, I'm still mad at you."

"Babe, it was just a game."

"That I was supposed to win!"

He just grinned at me. I sighed. "Okay, maybe I overreacted a little."

"A little?"

"Watch it, mister. You're on thin ice."

His grin widened.

I shoved my head back under the water and washed the shampoo out of my hair. "Two, I have everything planned out. There is no time for me to help you get your rocks off."

Carlos barked out a laugh, his eyes glittering black. "Trust me, it won't take long."

"No."

His eyes latched onto my breasts. "You're lying."

I reached for the conditioner. "I'm a little cold. Get over it."

He backed me into the stall wall, his arms blocking me in between. "No, I don't think you're cold." He nuzzled my neck. I melted. Carlos knew exactly where to push my buttons to get me to cave. My neck was number three. I just groaned. "I have everything planned to the minute."

"You can skip the make-up. I love it when you're bare." He said, rubbing my lower lips. I could feel his grin when he figured out how wet I was.

"I don't know what I'm going to wear."

"The blue sundress."

"What about shoes?"

He grinned. "The silver sandals."

"Good choices."

"And to save time, you can skip the underwear." Carlos said, his smile widening as he hitched my left leg onto his hip, opening me to him. "I love the thought of easy access." He started to rub himself back and forth against me.

I blushed. "You're nuts. I have to wear underwear."

"If you must. Maybe the little white lacy thong. I like that one."

"How do you…? You know what, never mind. I don't think I want to know."

He pushed inside of me. "I opened the wrong drawer."

I smiled. He was lying. I could tell because he doesn't lie often and when he does, he's as bad as I am. "You're such a liar."

"I was looking for a towel and found those instead." Our hip bones touched and he nibbled on my ear. "I thought they might be underneath but all I found were more lacy thongs."

"You're a sick man."

"I told you I might be sick sexually."

"As long as it only involves me and not other women or my behind then I'm good."

He pulled out and pushed himself back in. "I'm sure we can broaden those horizons."

"Don't count on it."

"I have my ways." He said, giving my earlobe one last nibble. And that was the last thing either of us said. Carlos braced himself on the wall and began thrusting in earnest. I raised my other leg onto his hip and held on for dear life. His hand found my clit and a few seconds later, I was a goner, crying out his name, with Carlos right behind me.

Twenty minutes later, I was in the outfit Carlos had suggested sighing at my hair. He came into the mirror and raised an eyebrow.

"I think it's a lost cause." I said.

"Looks sexy to me."

That's because he's the one who made it look like I had just stuck my finger in a light socket. Men. I just rolled my eyes and grabbed a hair tie.

"Ready." I said, smiling up at him. He smiled back and took my hand.

We ended up at a small seafood restaurant right on the beach ten minutes from the house. It was a cute little restaurant that reminded me of the Red Lobster, only better.

"I don't know what I want." Lula said, perusing the menu. "I'm so hungry I could eat a horse, but I don't know what I want."

"Then get the sampler. It has a little of everything." Tank said, helping her out.

"Thanks, baby." She leaned over and kissed him.

"Are you going to help me out like that?" I asked Carlos behind my menu.

"Are you going to kiss me like that?"

I peeked around my menu. It looked like Lula was trying to suck his face off. I grimaced. "Probably not."

"Then you're on your own."

Lula ended up with the platter and Tank, Lester, Bobby and I all got lobster. Mari and Connie got shrimp and Carlos got a piece of salmon and wild rice. Go figure he picks the healthiest thing.

Connie had just finished telling a story when I saw Tank's and Lula's faces pale. I turned and gasped.

"Fancy seeing you here, Cupcake."

"Joe."

I couldn't believe it. Joe was crashing my vacation!

"What are you doing here?" Carlos asked.

"I thought I'd come down and surprise Stephanie."

Understatement of the century.

"Look, can we talk?"

"I don't think so."

"Please, Cupcake. I need to talk to you."

I wasn't going to back down from this. Joe and I were over. Nothing was going to change that. I grabbed Carlos's hand and his face went purple. "I have nothing to say to you. We're over and nothing's going to change that. I've made up my mind and I think you need to accept that. We've both made mistakes and we need to walk away from this relationship that was never going to work. I hope we can be friends someday though."

The next thing that came out of his mouth shocked me to my core.

"I can't believe you repeated it. You said that was going to be in confidence."

I looked up at Joe, confused.

Only to realize that he wasn't looking at me anymore. He was looking at Carlos.

"Not now, Morelli." Carlos gritted out. "Don't say something you're going to regret."

"So how long did you wait, Manoso. Did you at least wait five minutes before telling her?"

"Tell me what?" I asked. It fell on deaf ears.

"I just bet you couldn't wait to run to her and tell her. So she'd be so pissed at me that she'd fall right into your arms. I know what you're playing at! You told me she'd never see the photos of me and Terri!"

Photos? What the hell…? I looked from Ranger to Joe. Ranger's eyes narrowed and Joe's artery popped out from his neck.

And then it dawned on me.

"You sniveling, wretched, cheating bastard! How could you?" I yelled.

Joe looked at me shocked. "What?"

"I never told her." Ranger said. I think he muttered dumbass under his breath.

I was shocked. Everyone had told me that Joe was different. That he got the good genes in the family. That he wasn't the cheating whore his father and every male in the Morelli family was.

Turns out, he was.

I was so angry that I shot out of my chair.

What's worse was that Ranger knew about it and had kept this from me. I looked around the table, searching for an ally. But all I saw was downturned eyes from Lula, Connie and Mari and pity from Tank, Bobby and Lester. Ranger had his blank face on and Joe looked about as shocked as I did.

Everyone knew. That is, everyone but me.

Even though I was in the crowded restaurant, I had never before in my life felt so alone.

I know, you probably all hate that I'm leaving it there, but it's for your benefit! I'll be more likely to write with such a big cliff hanger. Hope this wasn't too melodramatic. That's not what I was going for!