I'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who is reading and especially those who send through reviews. I'm really sorry that I can't reply to every single one of them. I appreciate you all and will write as much as possible to make up for it.

Please enjoy this next chapter.

31. Easy Money

Tuesday morning turned into a very hectic day. When I arrived at the office, my FBI contact was in the lobby waiting for my arrival. He pulled me aside and explained that they wanted to hire me for a case. I had 24 hours to review the case and then could let him know.

After that, I had a meeting with Ricardo and Bob Croft. I needed to figure out how this new case would affect them and they needed to know that I might be unavailable for the next few days. Ricardo told me to take the afternoon to look over the case. After that, I would have a better idea of how this case would affect my job.

Before I could delve into the FBI case file, I had to do some preparation work for a customer who was being audited. I spent the rest of the morning going over the corporate financials and didn't finish until Carlos knocked on my desk to ask if I wanted to join him for lunch.

I looked up sort of distracted and said, "I need another 15 minutes to finish this assignment. If you can't wait, that's OK. I'll grab something later."

Carlos smiled and said, "I'd be happy to wait. Why don't I go put our order in down the road at the deli and meet you back here in 15 minutes? We can decide where to eat once I get back."

I smiled and nodded at Carlos and returned my attention to my task. I was just writing the email and attaching all the necessary documents as Carlos walked in with our lunch. I pressed Send and then walked over to meet Carlos. We decided that the park was a good idea and I grabbed my bag and headed out for a quick lunch break with Carlos.

I told Carlos about the FBI case and he was really supportive. He said that he'd work around my needs to spend time with me if needed. I thanked him for his support but told him to hold off changing any plans until I had a chance to go over the case and decide if I'd take it on or not. We sat and talked about our weekend plans with our friends. Since I told the single guys that they could bring a date, we joked about who Lester would bring. I began to regret inviting the plus ones. Who knew who we would end up having to tolerate for the day.

We returned to the office and Carlos went up to work with his father on some contracts. This worked in my favour because I would be able to go through my case without any distractions. Because the case was confidential, I went into the small meeting room to review the paperwork. I got a drink and made myself comfortable before I opened the file.

I started by reviewing the legal page on the top that explained my fee and how to go about accepting or rejecting the job. I set that aside and then started reading the requirements of the job. The man I was investigating was referred to with a codename. This was as much for my protection as for the FBI's. If I didn't know the name of the subject, I wouldn't be biased in any way.

Included were the financial records of the subject. He has been accused of money laundering for a large drug cartel, but the FBI have yet to figure out the method or if he even was laundering funds. The subject owns a chain of convenience stores in an undisclosed location.

I looked at the financials and after about 15 minutes, I was laughing. I then spent the rest of the afternoon filling out the necessary paperwork and made some notes to put in the report about my findings. I couldn't believe that the FBI overlooked something so obvious.

Each of the convenience stores in the chain sold a selection of hot snacks such as hot dogs, burgers, hot pockets and pizza. There were clear records of money coming in for those snacks on the books. There was not however, a single record of payment to a bakery or vendor who provided those snacks. I wasn't sure how the FBI would react to me finding this information so quickly so I decided to talk to Ricardo about the case. I couldn't disclose any details but I could talk in generalisations and get his opinion on whether or not I should draw the case out.

I knew that Ricardo was working with Carlos this afternoon, so I took a chance and called Amanda to see if I could interrupt for a few minutes. Amanda confirmed my suspicions and told me to come on up. I walked up and Ricardo opened his office and invited me in. I looked around and saw Carlos and another woman I didn't recognise. Ricardo smiled at me and asked me to sit.

I looked at Carlos and smiled before saying, "Actually, I need to talk to you about my contract."

Ricardo nodded and then suggested that we step into the small meeting room beside his office. Once inside, Ricardo turned to me and waited for me to explain what was going on. "Ricardo, I was given a case by the FBI today. I reviewed it and I think that I've already figured out what they overlooked. I think they may be annoyed to pay me my fee if I return it so quickly so I was wondering if I should sit on it for a few days and then send it back."

Ricardo nodded and said, "I suggest that you accept the case tomorrow morning. You already have work for our firm lined up for the rest of the week with regards to your pet project. You can work on that and then spend Friday afternoon writing your report. You may find additional information if you re-examine the case, so you shouldn't assume that you've got everything figured out already. Take another look and see if you come up with something."

I nodded and said, "That's a good point. Nobody is perfect and I shouldn't assume that I've figured out everything."

I smiled and thanked Ricardo and walked with him back to his office. When he opened the door, I saw Carlos scramble a bit and look guilty. The woman with him looked smug. I saw the look she gave me but didn't really have time to react. I simply walked back to my office thinking about what I'd seen. I knew Carlos cared about me and I knew that he wouldn't hurt me on purpose. The woman with him was beautiful but she was at least 10 years older than him. I wasn't sure what to think about this so I pushed it to the back of my mind.

I spent the last hour of my day reading and replying to emails that I missed when I was looking at the FBI case. When I was finished, I packed up my things and headed home. I didn't see Carlos before I left, but I was still not reconciled about what I saw in Ricardo's office to wait. I needed to go home and be alone for a while.

The weather was nice so while I was walking, I decided to go for a swim when I got home. I changed into my swimsuit and dove into the pool. Thirty minutes later, I climbed out of the pool and showered and changed. My stomach was grumbling so I made my way into the kitchen to make something to eat. I thought about what happened today and realised that it was probably not Carlos' fault. He was constantly being hit on by women he was not interested in. Why would this woman be any different?

I made a quick sandwich and took it up to the deck to eat. I was half way through my sandwich when there was a knock on the door. I ran down and opened the door to find a distraught Carlos standing there.

"What's wrong Carlos?"

"You weren't answering your phone, Babe. I thought you were mad at me. I thought that you misinterpreted what you saw in my Dad's office today."

I shook my head and said, "I was in the pool and missed your call. I'm starting to get used to women throwing themselves at you. I can't blame them. I don't believe anything happened other than that woman humiliating herself."

Carlos breathed a sigh of relief and said, "She won't be working with us anymore. After you left, she insinuated that what you saw would end our relationship. My father was so angry that he refused to work with her firm again. She left with her tail between her legs. I'm so sorry, Babe."

"You don't have anything to be sorry for. You did nothing to lead that woman on and her actions were her own choice. I trust you. You've never given me reason to think otherwise."

Carlos smiled and said, "Thanks, Babe. Now I have a slight problem."

I looked at my watch and realised that Carlos would have missed his ride home with his father. "Why don't you come in and have something to eat."

Carlos nodded and said, "Thanks. Tom is going to pick me up after his shift, but that's not till 9PM. Is it OK if I hang out here?"

I nodded and took Carlos' hand and led him into the kitchen. I pulled out a few things from the fridge and let him make a sandwich. We then went and ate on the deck and talked until the sun set and Tom was ringing to say that he was downstairs. Carlos gave me a quick kiss and went on his way. He wouldn't be in the office the following day and he had an evening class, so the only way I would see him was to join his self-defence class. I still haven't decided if I'm going to go so I didn't tell him. If I do go, it'll be a surprise for the both of us.

The following day flew by in a flash. I called and accepted the FBI job and before I knew it, I was heading home to get ready for the evening class at the gym. I decided that it wouldn't hurt for me to join the class and it would allow me to spend more time with Carlos. Until now, I'd never attended one of Carlos' self defence classes. I had meant to but things just got in the way. I changed into a pair of yoga pants, a tank top and a pair of running shoes and headed to the gym. It would take me about 20 minutes to walk to the gym so I packed my bag and left my apartment.

I got to the gym and signed in at reception. I was led to the room where the class would take place and warmed up with a few stretches. I was the first one to arrive, so I was in the middle of warming up when a group of middle aged women arrived. They saw me and one of them walked over and said, "Let me guess, you're Carlos' Stephanie."

I looked at the woman with my mouth open and she laughed. "Don't worry dear. Carlos talks about you all the time. I just guessed you were her based on his description of you. I'm Meg."

I shook the woman's outstretched hand and said, "Nice to meet you. I'm Stephanie."

Meg turned to her friends and said, "Everyone, this is Stephanie. Carlos' Babe."

The other women came forward and introduced themselves. I got lost in meeting the first group of women that I didn't notice a few more women arrive. I felt a bit funny and looked up to find three younger women glaring at me with expressions full of loathing.

I wasn't sure what I could have possibly done to upset them until Carlos came into the room. The three younger women looked at Carlos with such lust and desire that I immediately understood their dislike of me. Carlos saw me and ignored the rest of the class and came over and hugged me. "Babe, I wish you would have told me you were coming. I could have picked you up."

I shrugged and said, "It's OK Carlos. The walk was a good warm up. I see your admirers are none too fond of your girlfriend."

Carlos rolled his eyes and whispered, "I have told the class all about you in hopes that they'd leave me alone. Unfortunately, they never took the hint. Just watch your back in class tonight. When we partner up, try to avoid the younger girls. All of them claim to be experienced. I think they only come to this class in an attempt to get into my pants."

I laughed and said, "I'll do my best. You'd better go lead the class or you might get in trouble. We can talk more after the class."

Carlos kissed me quickly and went to start the class. He started with a basic warm up and then moved on to some standard moves to get us sufficiently warmed up. He taught us a few new things and then partnered us off. He did his best to ensure that I was not partnered with one of the three hussies, but he failed. One walked straight towards me and begged to be my partner. I figured I would let her taunt me for a little while and then use my charm and wit to defend myself.

As it turned out, this particular hussy wasn't as good as she thought she was. On her first attempt to hit me, I blocked her and she managed to punch herself in the face and break her nose. I watched her rolling around on the floor holding her bloody nose. I had to fight hard not to laugh. Her friends rushed over to help her and one of them turned to Carlos and started to complain.

Carlos looked at the woman and told her that this is a common injury when a person is unskilled. He suggested that they take the Introduction to Defence course that is offered on Monday evenings before attempting to take any more lessons in his class. When the injured woman was helped out of the room by her friends, the rest of the room waited until the door closed and then started clapping and cheering.

Meg turned to me and said, "Those women are horrible. They ogled poor Carlos and treated him like a piece of meat. Good riddance."

I smiled at Meg, but I'm sure it didn't reach my eyes. Despite the venom they were spewing, I felt a little guilty about hurting that woman. I know she probably deserved it for the way she treated Carlos, but I am a relatively passive person. I don't like physical confrontations and I definitely don't like violence in any way, shape or form.

Carlos must have known what I was thinking. He got the class working on a stretching and breathing exercise to cool down for the lesson and then walked over to me and said, "It wasn't your fault, Babe. Cindy would have tried to do worse to you if given the chance. She really hurt one of the other women one night. I asked her to hold back and she refused. I think she was hoping I'd spar with her if she was too rough. I just told her to sit the next round out."

I nodded and said, "I still feel bad. I think she broke her own nose."

As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I finally realised how funny the whole situation was and started to laugh. I was laughing so hard I was having difficulty in breathing. Meg, who was standing next to me also started to giggle. Things devolved from there and after a minute, the entire room was laughing at Cindy's broken nose. The laugh helped me feel better. I wasn't feeling as guilty as before, mainly because I realised that I hadn't actually hit Cindy. All I did was defend myself. She punched herself in the face.

When the class was over, Carlos insisted on driving me home. He called his parents to let them know that he'd be home late and then took me home. He came up with me and we had a dip in the pool to cool down and then each took simultaneous showers, but in different bathrooms. When we were clean and dressed, I dished up some peach slices that I had been marinating for the past few hours and served them over vanilla ice cream. It was the perfect snack after a challenging workout.

Carlos and I talked about me continuing with his class. He insisted that I needed a few more basic lessons before I would be caught up with his class, so I agreed to meet him at the gym for a private lesson one hour before the class would start each week. I would have to join the gym to get this extra lesson but that was OK. I was thinking of joining the gym anyway.

After our snack was finished, Carlos pulled me close and we watched a bit of television. There wasn't much on so we ended up kissing and talking and basically enjoying our time together. When it got late, Carlos left. He kissed me goodnight and promised to call the following day. We still had to make plans for the weekend with our friends.

Thursday was a busy day at work. I worked on audit reports for several clients as well as worked with Monika on the marketing materials for my pet project. Things were moving along really well and I was confident that we'd have a campaign ready well before it would be needed in the New Year.

I followed Ricardo's advice and waited until late Thursday afternoon to contact my FBI handler and give him a brief update on my progress with the case. I told him that I would send through my report as soon as I had something to share. He expected the case to take me to a few weeks and I didn't contradict his estimate. I didn't want to jump the gun just in case I found additional information when I reviewed the case for a second time.

Thursday evening, I talked to Tom, Lester, Bobby, Molly and Christie. They all were given a list of items to bring on Saturday and everyone sounded excited. I talked to Carlos as well, and he had talked to his parents and they were fine with him spending Friday and Saturday night at my apartment. They invited me for dinner on Sunday night and I accepted. I was excited to see the rest of the Manosos even though it has only been a week since I saw them last.

Carlos would arrive at my apartment at 7PM on Friday night. He had reservations at a restaurant and was taking me on a date. The gang was arriving at my apartment at 2PM on Saturday so Carlos and I would spend the morning getting ready for the party. I'd already washed the sheets and made up the beds but I needed to go food shopping and make a few salads and get other things ready. Carlos offered to help with that.

There was also the major issue that Carlos and I would be alone together Friday night. We would be sleeping in the same bed and who know where that would lead. When I crawled into bed that night, I let my mind think about the possibilities of spending the night with Carlos. Fortunately for me, or maybe unfortunately, I fell asleep before I could get very far.

How will Carlos' and Steph's date go? Who do you think Lester will bring as his date and what will she be like?

More to follow.