The Secret's in the Telling 2

Stephanie buried her face in Carlos's neck, furiously embarrassed by what just happened. She'd never had an orgasm with a guy before. Even though she wasn't a virgin, she hadn't had an experience like that, ever.

"Babe," Carlos said, his voice filled with warmth and affection.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled into his neck, trying to think of how she could get away without him seeing her face. She still straddled him, and between the two of them his pants were soaked.

"Nothing to be sorry about," he said, sliding a hand up into her wild curls and pulling a little, wanting to see her face. But she kept her face hidden. "Babe, look at me. I need to see your face."

He gave another careful tug and she finally moved her head back enough so he could see her. Her face was flushed and wetness glittered in her eyes.

"What's wrong, Stephanie?" Carlos asked. "Don't cry, Babe. Tell me why you're upset."

Stephanie blinked back tears. "I'm sorry, Carlos. I'm not like that. I don't know what got into me."

Carlos had been softening after his climax, but at her words he was rock hard again. He wanted to be what got into her, into her body and into her heart.

He berated himself for his thoughts. She was so innocent. She was embarrassed by what happened. He was bewitched.

"It was beautiful, Babe. You're beautiful. I wish…" He stopped. It just couldn't be, and he didn't want to mislead her.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing." He shifted beneath her, sitting up and lifting her so she ended up on his lap. "I was hoping to take you out to lunch, if you'll do me the honor."

She was still having a hard time meeting his eyes. "How'd you get in? I'm sure I had the door locked."

"Just the knob was locked, easy enough to slip with a credit card. You really should keep the deadbolt locked and the chain on when you're in here alone, Babe." He didn't tell her that the sleeve of tiny tools he carried in his wallet would have opened the deadbolt and the chain as well if he so desired. He'd learned well in his not-so-innocent youth.

She slanted a sideways look at him, pink suffusing her face. "How did we…?" Her arm swung out in a circular gesture at the couch.

"You looked so comfortable I didn't want to disturb you, just to hold you for a minute." As soon as he squeezed onto the couch next to her Stephanie rolled on top of him, but he didn't want to embarrass her any further.

"So," he continued when she didn't respond, "what do you say to lunch?"

She looked away, still blushing. "Okay. So I guess I should get dressed." Without meeting his eyes she hopped up and scurried into the bathroom.

oOo

An hour later they were seated opposite each other in a booth in a small, airy restaurant called Le Jardin, their knees touching under the narrow table. Abundant greenery hung from the ceiling, lush and verdant under a multitude of skylights. Even the lowering skies couldn't disturb the brightness of the space, Carlos noted with appreciation. He loved the brilliance of Stephanie's lapis lazuli eyes in the natural light.

Stephanie kept those eyes fixed on the menu, still self-conscious about what happened between them. Carlos wasn't embarrassed, but he was a little surprised. He was usually able to control himself nowadays, and it had been several years since he'd come in his pants like that. Something about Stephanie…

While she was in the shower Carlos trotted out to his car for the duffel bag he always carried. He sat on the couch, waiting, and when Stephanie hurried into her bedroom wearing only a towel he had that instant erection again. While she was getting dressed, he used the bathroom to wash up and changed into a clean pair of black jeans from his bag.

When they'd both ordered, a burger and fries for Stephanie, a salad for Carlos, the silence stretched between them, no longer the comfortable peacefulness they shared sitting on the bench outside Crabster's.

Stephanie cleared her throat, not quite meeting his eyes. "Thanks for this," she waved at their surroundings, "but how come you're buying me lunch?"

"Wanted to thank you for finding Julio the other night."

"No biggie. I was glad to help." And how much more awkward could this be? Stephanie thought.

"I'm sorry he hurt you, Babe," Carlos's force of personality was so strong that Stephanie's eyes were drawn to his face as if by an irresistible force. "But I think maybe it was the wake-up call he needed. He's been better."

"I'm really glad. He seemed good at the restaurant last night."

"He mentioned how creative you were with your explanations for the black eye." Carlos smiled full out, and Stephanie's heart melted. "It's fading already."

"Yeah, I'm a quick healer." She smiled back.

And then things were smooth between them again.

Sitting face to face like that gave their interaction a whole different dynamic than sitting side by side on the bench during break time, and Stephanie found herself telling Carlos about her first year of college, how her mother hadn't wanted to let her go away but her dad and grandmother sided with her.

"Not that I'm that far from home," Stephanie said, "less than an hour, but at least my mom isn't monitoring every move I make." After a pause for a bite of burger, she asked, "What about you? Rutgers Newark, right?"

It wasn't easy for Carlos to talk about his life. And he wasn't sure how he was going to handle things when he went back to school in the fall. Julio's addiction had been a real wake-up call for him, and he didn't know if he was going to be able to extricate himself from the organization he'd been involved with. For the first time he realized that all the illegal activities—the drugs, the numbers running, the smuggling—weren't right, weren't where he wanted to position himself, especially if he wanted a future in the business world.

The easy money wasn't worth the wrongness of what he was doing, he thought, thinking about Julio's problems. And the innocent trust Stephanie gave him so willingly made him want to deserve it. Idiot, he thought, but the sweet smile on her face as he told her about his Grandma Rosa and her Cuban cooking gave him a warmth he'd never experienced from the likes of Ashley and her ilk.

"So what do you want to do now?" Carlos asked Stephanie as he held the door open and they left the restaurant. "I've got all afternoon."

Stephanie was feeling shy again. "I don't know. What do you want to do?"

Carlos put an arm around her shoulder and held her close, using his big body to shield her from the drizzle as they crossed the parking lot. "Your choice, Babe. The movies? The mall?"

Stephanie perked up. "The mall? Really? Are you sure?"

Carlos dropped a kiss on the top of her head before opening the car door for her. "The mall it is."

TBC