Carlos's POV
The last week has been more torturous to me than my five weeks in captivity. To be so close to my Babe and not to be able to see, touch, or kiss her is slowly driving me insane. All I want to do is go home and make love to my wife. I want to feel myself inside her as she squirms underneath me, breathing short. To be able to watch her deep sapphire blue eyes, entirely focused on the pleasure only I can give her. I shake my head. I need to get these thoughts out of my mind, I don't know how much longer I can control my hormones. It's been too long, and the Mistress did her best working me up and leaving me hanging.
I don't understand why the suits need to go over the same details over and over again. The first day I returned, stateside was spent getting a physical examination. Had to make sure I was healthy, that I hadn't contracted any communicable diseases. Blood was drawn, fluids were given, and the few abrasions I received were cleaned and treated. After my exam, they allowed me to talk to my Babe for five minutes. Five minutes exactly. They were ready to hang up if I didn't end the call on time. At least I got to hear her voice, to know that she was safe. Her voice wavered with the tears that she was trying to hold back. I know this has been hard on her. Shit. Rangers don't make good husbands.
I am sitting in a small conference room, with three brass in front of me. The first is Major Thompson. He seems to the secretary for the meeting, because all he does is take notes. I don't think he's said a word in the six days I've been dragged into this room. He is an African American man in his mid- to late forties, with a bald head. He's about 6'1" tall and 170 lbs. The second man, who is asking all the questions, is Colonel MacNamara. He's about 5'11" and 185 pounds. He is about the same age as Major Thompson, but from some of the scars I see on his arms, he has more frontline experience. He seems to be a stickler for details, which is annoying right now. The final person in the room is Colonel McCann. From what I understand, he oversaw the MI team that got me out. He worked with Stephanie, listened to her, and read her in.
"Lieutenant Manoso, were there any other men held captive with you?"
"No, not that I ever saw or came in contact with."
"Did they try to get any information from you, any government secrets?"
"No. My only worth was my physical body."
"Did they speak to you in English or Spanish?"
"Spanish."
"Did they know you are a US soldier and a Ranger?"
"I don't know for certain, for they never addressed me as such, but someone removed my clothes and took off my dog tags. That person, at least, would know."
"Now, describe your cell."
"Why do I need to describe it to you again? You have pictures of the cell. I have described it, in detail, at least three times a day in the last week. I don't see how another description of that place is going to help this report any further."
"MacNamara, let it go. Lieutenant Manoso, you are free to go. We have completed your debrief. I want to remind you that you cannot share your experiences with anyone. Doing so can lead to a dishonorable discharge. Do you understand?" Col. McCann finally interjected.
"Yes, Sir, I do."
"Do you need a ride home?"
"Yes, please."
"Lt. Manoso, you are a lucky man to be going home to a woman who not only supports you but understands the parts of this life that are beyond our control. She never wavered in her support of you, nor in her belief that you were alive. She pushed and didn't back down until we looked at all the evidence again. Don't push her away. Ranger, you are one of the best we have. You can have a long and lucrative career ahead of you, including the opportunity for black ops if you so choose. You'll need your wife to help you cope, to help you center yourself. Don't throw away what so many men would love to have."
"Thank you, Sir. Stephanie is one in a million, and she's been mine since the day we met. I have no intention of ever letting her walk away."
I see an approving nod, then head out of the conference room, finally free. Col. McCann directs someone to drive me home. Home. I won't really be home until I have Stephanie in my arms. I glance at my watch, seeing that it is after five. She won't still be here. If she were, then I wouldn't bother to go home, I'd go to her, and drag her away with me. Maybe this weekend I'll take her to Pt. Pleasant. We need that time together alone.
Knowing that Les was with Steph during most of my captivity makes me feel better, knowing she wasn't alone. He told me that she was doing fine, that she was holding up well, still sassy as before, fire burning in her eyes whenever someone tried to tell her I was gone. I am proud of her, so immensely proud. Fuck! Today is Steph's birthday, and I don't have anything for her. I must get her something. I check my wallet, seeing that I have about a hundred in cash on me. That's more than enough for what I need to get.
"Can you please stop at a florist, a bakery, and a stationery store?" I ask my driver.
"Yes, Sir. My orders are to take you wherever you need to go."
"Thank you."
Soon we pull up in front of a bakery. I see it is about to close, so I rush in.
"How can I help you, soldier?" The middle-aged woman behind the counter asks me.
"I need a birthday cake for my wife."
"Ugh-huh. Forgot it was her birthday?" She replies with a smirk.
"No, just returning home, coincidentally on her birthday."
"That's just too sweet. We have chocolate mousse filling with white cake, cassata filling, and a cake made with fresh fruit and cream."
"I'll take the chocolate mousse. Can you please write on top 'Happy Birthday Stephanie'?"
"Of course." I watch as she pulls a cake from the display and places it on the counter behind her. She picks up the icing, expertly writing on the cake. Then she adds a couple of items to the top of the cake but won't let me see them. Finally, she closes the box, tying it with a string.
"Here you go."
"How much, Ma'am?"
"No charge. Thank you for your service."
I place a twenty into her tip jar, then leave with my cake. I settle back into the car. A few minutes later, we are in front of a florist. I rush in, overwhelmed with the scent of flowers. I look around, eyeing a stunning bouquet of purple and pink flowers. I ask the gentleman behind that counter about the display.
"Ah. You have excellent taste, young man. The flowers in the spread include hot pink roses, light pink spray roses, lavender alstroemeria, lavender Matsumoto asters and lavender cushion spray chrysanthemums accented with fresh greenery. I can add some Baby's Breath if you want. What's the occasion?"
"My wife's birthday. I've been away for the last few months and finally am going home today."
"The perfect birthday gift. Would you like me to put the flowers in a vase or wrapped?"
"Vase."
"Perfect. Just give me a few minutes to get them ready." He grabs the necessary flowers, the vase, and a pair of scissors. He expertly arranges everything inside the vessel, adding enough water to keep the flowers fresh. He places the arrangement in a special box and wraps it in cellophane. Then, he sets the whole piece in a large bag. "If you are anything like me, and if your wife is like mine, you either have or will be stopping for a cake. This will enable you to carry everything in. Don't worry about the card. She'll be so happy to see you; she won't need one. Trust me."
He charges me fifty for the bouquet, and I am once again off. I take his advice and skip the card. Steph never does keep them. Twenty minutes later, we're pulling in front of the house. I glance at my watch. It's 1815, and the sun is about to set. I see that the house is dark. Steph's car is in the driveway. I have my key out and carefully juggle the cake and flowers. I thank my chauffeur for the ride and enter my home.
Lester told me the codes to deactivate the alarm when I saw him yesterday. I quickly reset the alarm. I texted Lester when I was in the car heading for my home, and he said he won't be here tonight. I bring the cake to the kitchen, placing it on the counter and the flowers on the table. I carefully open the cellophane, leaving the vase in the center of the table. I open the fridge, clearing space for the cake. Now, it's time to find my wife. Based on what Les told me, she often heads to her office to work or takes a nap. She probably hasn't been sleeping well. Les didn't mention anything about her being pregnant, so I don't know what to think. I carefully climb the stairs, making sure not to make too much noise. I open the door to see my love asleep in bed, curled up in a ball. I sit in the chair and begin to pull off my boots, my socks, and my cargoes. I plan on taking a quick shower before joining her. A nap sounds like a great idea. Just as I'm about to enter the bathroom, I hear movement behind me. I slowly turn, seeing Steph with a gun aimed at me, sitting up in bed.
"Carlos? Is that you?"
"Yes, mi amor. I'm home."
"Come here."
I walk towards the bed, finally getting a good look at my Babe. I see she has gained a little weight, which I can tell by looking at her face. Her boobs are also more prominent, which is definitely a pleasant surprise. Then I notice the bump.
"You're pregnant?"
"Yes. The baby is due at the beginning of February. I'm finishing my second trimester. No one knows yet except for Les, the people at work, and Ella, our housekeeper."
I kiss her, plunging my tongue in her mouth, wrapping my arms around her. I am filled with so many emotions. I'm excited, most of all. Once I get done tasting Steph once again. I gently lay her down. I push back the blankets and lift the shirt she has on. I look at her bump, at our child growing inside. I rub my hands over, feeling a push.
"The baby says hi," Steph tells me.
I lean down, kissing Steph's belly. "Hola, mi pequeño bebe. Es tu papa. Te quiero."
"Lay with me."
"Babe, I need a shower first. Give me five minutes."
"Okay." I kiss her once again, then hurry to get clean. I dry off, noting that my hair is getting long, and enter back into the bedroom. I'm about to pull on a pair of boxers when I hear Steph.
"Carlos, don't you dare cover-up your mighty impressive dick. I need you."
Who am I to turn down such an invitation? "My mighty impressive dick?" I respond with a smirk.
"I saw the stats," Steph replied, blushing. "I found the auction. I was watching, waiting for you to go on the block. Then, suddenly you appeared. She had your pictures posted. The first was of your ass, followed by your groin, then your abs, biceps. She was showing you off as one would show a piece of art. Finally, we saw your face. She listed your stats, height, weight, approximate age, size of your, you know."
"Of my dick?"
"Yes."
"Babe, why are you embarrassed? You've seen it before, you've had it inside you. In fact, I'm pretty sure that's how you ended up in your current condition."
"It's just, I don't think of you in those terms. I mean, I knew from my limited experience that you were more endowed than most men, but I didn't realize that you were that big. I fell in love with you when I was sixteen before you became this handsome, sexy as sin man. Don't get me wrong, you were hot then, but you've only become more so as you've matured. You were the man who accepted me, who helped me cope with my rape, who showed me what it was like to be loved, nurtured, and worshipped. You still show me that. To me, the outside, the physical appearance, is a bonus. I've always known that other women lust after you. I know that whenever you are out, numbers find their way into your hands, your pocket, anywhere, just hoping that you'd notice them. I watch them flaunt themselves in front of you. I watch as they dismiss me, and still try to take you away. Part of me always fears that one day, you'll wake up and say, 'why am I with Stephanie when I could have her.' I'm not attractive enough for you, I'm not sexy enough, and I'm definitely not worldly enough. I guess, now that I'm aware of how special you are, I'm just feeling more insecure."
My heart breaks whenever I see her old insecurities come to the surface. Even though she's grown so much since we first met, there are still these dark spots in her psyche, places that I'm not sure will ever go away. I sit next to my lifeline, and wrap my arms around her, pulling her into my lap. "Babe, I fell in love with you when I was sixteen as well. You came to Miami, and I was ready to hate you, to ignore you, to pretend you didn't exist. But when I found out what happened to you, when you chose me to tell, I felt such a strong desire to protect you. You were the first girl, no woman, I met in such a long time who didn't try to get in my pants the first night.
"I had a reputation for being a player, and though I did fool around a lot, I didn't have sex. But here you were, this fragile, sassy, strong, beautiful woman who craved me to comfort you. After that first night, when you saw me as an equal, a friend, not as a conquest, I started to fall deeper and harder for you. I'll admit, before you arrived, I was trying to figure out how to get Maria in my bed. She had a reputation as well, one of being a quick, easy lay who knew how to give head. I'll admit, the player in me wanted that conquest. I was ready to have sex again, this time on my terms, and I figured an experienced, willing partner, would be perfect. Then, you arrived. Dios that bikini you wore the first night. Do you remember it? It was a pale pink bikini that from a distance made it seem as if you weren't wearing one. I was never so drawn to someone as I was for you. The more I got to know you, know your heart, the more I wanted you. I was ready to make love to you almost immediately. I wanted to be the man to show you how it should be. But I knew you weren't healed. I vowed that I would wait until you were because there was no way that I was letting someone else have that honor.
"When you finally let your guard down, finally decided to let me in fully, I was thrilled. I didn't want our first time to be on the beach, but that was where you wanted it. You know, it was six years ago tonight that we first made love. I've been dreaming of making love to you for the last four and a half months. Please, Stephanie, mi amor, never doubt my feelings for you, my love for you, or my devotion to you. You are my everything, Stephanie. And, even when this child that you are carrying, that is growing inside you is born, you will still be my everything, first and foremost. I love you, Stephanie Manoso, completely."
With that, Stephanie wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me to her for a glacier melting kiss. I managed to roll myself on the bed and pull her, so she was partially on top of me. We kissed, sharing in an intimacy that can only be shared between two people who are as deeply in love as we are. We shifted, so we were lying on our sides, facing each other.
"I don't think some of our usual positions are going to work, Babe. Rollover onto your other side."
She complied, and I wrapped my right arm under her, cupping her breast in my hand. My left arm went around her waist, to her core. I gently nudged her left leg over mine, lining myself up to enter her. I heard her gasp as I sheath myself inside, and I close my eyes, enjoying the sensation of her tight walls squeezing me. "Dios, Babe, I've missed this, I've missed you."
I moved slowly, allowing our pleasure to rise gently. I continued to explore Steph's new curves, brought on by her pregnancy. I didn't know it was possible to find her even sexier. I continue to pump into her, relishing in the feel of our bodies together. I gently rub her nub, allowing her to have her first orgasm. I kiss her neck, continuing my assault on her body. She is about to cum once again, and I can't hold back any longer. "Babe, let yourself go. Come for me, querida."
She did, with a soft cry of my name on her lips, and I followed right behind her. We continue to lay spooned together until we both find ourselves relaxed and sated, at least for the time being.
"Happy birthday, Babe. Are you hungry?"
At the moment, her stomach let out a rumble. We both chuckled at the roar. "I guess that that means you are. Come, I'll make us something to eat, then you can have your cake."
"Cake? You got me a cake?"
"Of course, Babe. It's your birthday, after all."
I get up, pulling on pair of sleep pants. Steph grabs my t-shirt and pair of shorts. We both pad downstairs, ready to enjoy our first dinner together, which I'm sure will be followed by more lovemaking as the night progresses.
