Chavez wokeat dawn the next day, slightly puzzled by unfamiliar surroundings: heavy oak furniture, a huge bed with a red-and-white patchwork quilt over it. More suprising, Serena was tucked under the quilt next to him, her head resting on his chest and an arm circling his middle. There was a beautiful, contented expression on her face; her golden hair shimmered in the sunlight admitted by the blinds.
Memories of the previous night flooded back to him, all of them quite pleasant. Chavez shifted slightly, so he could pull Serena closer to him. She stirred, but didn't open her eyes. Chavez planted a soft kiss on top of her head.
They'd been lying there perhaps an hour when Serena's cobalt eyes fluttered open. It took a moment for her situation to register, that only a few hours before she'd lost her innocence. She truly was a woman now.
Still, Serena was fearful. What if their relationship ended now that he'd slept with her? Did she still look good to him? A glance at Chavez's expression was all that was needed to dispell her concerns.
Serena, lulled by the sound of Chavez's heartbeat, started to drop back to sleep. Suddenly, she heard something that jolted her wide awake. The sound of boots on the staircase.
Her eyes widened. "Oh shit."
"What?" Chavez asked.
"Somebody's coming upstairs," Serena squeaked. "What if it's John? He can't find an employee like this with me."
She leapt out of bed and grabbed her red-and-white silk boxing robe. She wrapped it carefully around herself, pulling the sash tight. Not a moment to soon had she dressed herself. There was a knock at the door.
"Serena?" A deep voice called. "It's Dick. Are you decent?"
"Yes, I'll be right out!" she yelled.
Serena opened the door the least she could and squeezed through. The only thing worse than John discovering her secret was if Bible-thumper Dick found Chavez in her bed. She abruptly shut the door, then turned to face Dick, who was flanked by Billy and Steve. Both of them looked extremely pissed.
"What's the matter?" Serena asked.
"We came up to get our breakfast, only to find there wasn't nothin' to be had," said Dick.
Serena feigned a yawn. "Of course breakfast isn't ready. I just woke up." Then, slipping into her usual attitude, she said wearily, "Are you helpless? There's always cereal or something."
"I ain't eatin' breakfast out of a box," griped Billy.
"Okay. Fine. I'll be downstairs soon. I just need a minute to get ready." she grumbled, going back into the bedroom.
Chavez was already dressed by the time she got back. They kissed before he went downstairs. As Chavez took his place at the table, the others looked at him suspiciously.
"What were you doing, coming out of Serena's room?" asked Doc.
"I was...fixing her toilet," Chavez lied. He didn't like to lie, but he loved Serena too much to reveal last night's events and have her branded a slut.
"Suuure you were," said Billy, wiggling his eyebrows.
Serena bounced into the kitchen moments later. She turned the radio on, the volume so loud it nearly made everyone deaf. Serena skipped about the kitchen as she cooked a batch of fry bread, singing along to Poison's "Fallen Angel" at the top of her voice.
'Fixing the toilet? Nice try, Chavez,' Billy thought. He saw the moony smile on Serena's face and her tousled hair, both earmarks of a night spent love-making. How surprised John would be to learn this...
