I apologise that this is a day late. I've been very sick this past week and when my alarm went off last night to post this chapter, I didn't have the energy to get out of bed and publish it. Hopefully one day won't make too much of a difference.

Please enjoy.

41. Inevitabilities

I was getting used to waking up in Carlos' arms. I was also getting used to going through the morning routines with him. This morning, we had a quick swim, a shower, breakfast and then a cuddle on the deck.

Today, Carlos had to work from 12 to 6, but Ricardo forbade me to go into the office. I didn't want to dwell on what had happened to me so I decided to do my report for the FBI. After Carlos left, I made myself comfortable on the sofa and spent the next 3 hours going over every piece of information and conclusions I had already made. I found nothing new so I wrote up my report and sent it off to my handler.

After that, I went shopping. I wanted to surprise Carlos later, so I thought some new lingerie might be in order. I took the bus to the nearest mall and headed to Victoria's Secret. I ended up selecting a very modest but sexy, baby doll set. It was a very light blush peachy-pink colour and it looked great against my skin. I just hoped that Carlos would like it.

I also stopped and bought a bunch of scented candles and some roses. I knew that all of these things were a bit cliché, but it's what I wanted with Carlos. I wanted to light candles and use rose petals as a path to lead Carlos to me in the bedroom. The more I thought about it, the more excited I got.

Carlos would be home just before 7 and we were planning on going out for dinner. He didn't know it yet, but I had other plans. I ordered a pizza and arranged for it to be delivered around 7. We could always eat it cold or reheat the pizza later if necessary.

Next in the way of preparation, I had a very relaxing bath and pampered myself. I listened to soft music while I soaked in the tub. I didn't relax for too long in the bath. I didn't allow myself to get pruney. That would detract from the overall effect I was trying to achieve. After drying off, I did a manicure and a pedicure in preparation for the evening. I painted both my fingernails and my toenails red to match the rose petals.

I then spent the next 20 minutes setting up the candles and scattering the rose petals. I was happy with the result and tried to relax. The butterflies in my stomach were on overdrive. I tried to watch television, but I was far too distracted. I did a final check of the apartment at 6:30. At 6:45, I went around and lit the candles and lowered the lights. I then moved into the bedroom and sat on the bed, waiting for Carlos to come home.

I heard the door a few minutes later, causing the butterflies in my stomach to erupt into a full-blown riot.

"Babe, are you here?"

There was a pause, and a bit of a strangled, "What's this?"

I waited in the bedroom as I listened to Carlos' reaction to the candles and the rose petals. "Babe, this is a very romantic gesture. Is this what I think it is?"

Carlos poked his head around the corner of the bedroom. He was about to say something when he caught a glimpse of me. Instead of speaking, his mouth just opened and closed as his eyes roamed over my body. The pupils of his eyes grew and his eyes turned to almost black.

"Babe?"

I looked at Carlos and smiled. "I'm tired of hiding behind fear and excuses. I want to be with you Carlos. Dinner will arrive shortly and then we can talk about our plans for this evening."

Carlos gulpled and said, "Food is the last thing on my mind right now."

I nodded and replied, "Mine too. It'll taste just as good if it's cold."

The pizza delivery man chose that moment to ring the doorbell. Carlos answered the door, paid the delivery man, left the pizza in the kitchen and returned to the bedroom where I was waiting. "Are you sure about this Babe?"

I simply nodded and walked slowly towards Carlos. He wrapped me in his arms and said, "I really need a shower Babe. I didn't have one at the gym."

I nodded and pointed him to my bathroom. Carlos disappeared and returned a few minutes later wearing only a towel. I let him approach me and then grabbed the towel and let it hit the floor at the same time that Carlos kissed me.

This was a kiss that rivalled every other kiss we'd shared up to that moment. In fact, I think it would be safe to say that it was the most passionate and emotional kiss either of us has ever experienced. When we pulled apart, Carlos placed his hands on the sides of my face and whispered, "Babe, we'll go as slow as you want. Are you sure?"

I nodded reached up and pulled his head down to mine. I tried my best to show my love and desire for him through my kiss. His hands went under my satin top and he ran them up and down my back. He pulled me close and then slowly walked me backwards towards the bed.

The backs of my calves hit the side of my bed and Carlos turned us around and sat down on the bed. He pulled me down on top of him and lay back on the bed. He let me get comfortable and then he leaned up and took my face in his hands before he kissed me.

Carlos moved his hands down to my hips and then under my flimsy baby doll top. He lifted the top over my head with my cooperation and then pulled it off. I sat there on top of Carlos as he stared at me. He then gently reached out and touched my exposed breasts. My nipples were little beads and I shivered slightly as his hand touched me. Carlos grabbed me by the hips and flipped us over so that he was on top. He let me scoot up the bed a little and then he resumed his exploration of my body.

Carlos maintained eye contact with me as he touched me. He reassured me with soft spoken words in Spanish. I couldn't understand exactly what he was saying, but the tone of his voice and the expressions on his face led me to believe that he was saying nice things. Despite my nerves, now that it was happening, all apprehension disappeared. It was like the butterflies had been set free. Instead, I concentrated on showing Carlos how I felt about him, and that was as far as my brain would engage.

Carlos' hands and mouth were everywhere. He paid homage to my breasts and then moved down my body taking teasing nips at any ticklish areas. When his mouth found my centre, it was like nothing I'd experienced before. He brought me to the brink several times but never let me go over the edge. I begged him but he wouldn't give in.

He moved up my body and reached for the drawer in the night stand. He pulled out a condom and took his time getting it on. He then looked at me and said, "You are so beautiful, Babe."

I reached up and kissed him. I could taste myself on his lips as I pulled him down over me. Carlos repositioned himself and slowly entered me. He then went on to show me what sex can be like when you have a partner who cares about your pleasure and loves you enough to take their time and do it right.

We made love three times, twice in the bed and once in shower. By the time we got to the pizza, it was well and truly cold. Somehow, neither of us minded. We simply reheated it in the microwave and enjoyed our evening together.

We sat up on the deck until the night chill was too much for me. We moved inside and cuddled on the sofa as we watched the evening news. Afterward, we went to bed and made love for the fourth time that day. When I fell asleep that night, I was one relaxed and pleasured woman.

Carlos was up early the next morning, even though he didn't need to be at work until much later. I didn't mind because part of him being up early meant that I got breakfast in bed. It also meant that I had plenty of time to get ready and go to work. I was sure that a few things would have piled up in my unexpected absence. Going back to work would allow me to focus on something and help me get back into a normal routine.

Carlos wasn't one to let opportunities slip through his fingers. He joined me in the shower and what could have been a 10 minute shower turned into something that lasted a lot longer. When I finally did show up at the office, I wasn't technically late, but I was later than I usually started. Normally I was in the office by 8:15. It was just past 8:30 when I walked through the door.

I was a little worried that people would want to know where I had been or why I had missed 4 days of work. I was pleasantly surprised when the only comment I received was one about me looking well and happy. I got down to work and the day passed quickly.

Ricardo heard that I was in the building and he called me to see if I could come up to his office. I went up there before I left for home. "Hey Steph, I hope you're feeling better."

I nodded and said, "I'm good, thanks Ricardo. The time off was just what I needed. I know how close I came to losing my life, so I have decided to live and not let fear dissuade me from trying new things or settling for something less than what I deserve."

Ricardo smiled at me and said, "That sounds like a really good attitude to have. I just wanted to let you know that your health insurance does cover two counselling sessions. Right now, it might seem like you have everything under control, but talking to a professional might help you even more."

I nodded and said, "I'll think about it. I've only had the one bad dream, but I can't rely on Carlos to help every night. He's not going to be around much longer and I need to learn to cope on my own."

Ricardo nodded and said, "If you have any questions, please talk to Amanda or myself. We can give you the name and contact information for one or two therapists."

I thanked Ricardo and gave him a quick hug before heading home for the day. It was Friday night and I didn't have anything planned, other than a short trip to the family planning clinic. I decided that since Carlos and I would probably be intimate on a regular basis, the responsible thing to do would be to take extra precautions. I stopped in at the clinic and 20 minutes later, I left with a 2-month supply of the contraceptive pill.

Since Carlos was working late tonight I decided to call my friend Mary Lou. While talking to her, I realised that I only had 3 more weeks of work and less than 4 weeks with Carlos. He would be shipping off for basic training in just under 4 weeks. This hit me hard and Mary Lou had a hard time getting me to open up to her about my relationship with Carlos and what he meant to me.

I'd told her generalisations before, but I had never told her about our tentative engagement and my desire to stay with Carlos even though he would be away from me for long periods of time. Mary Lou thought I was brave. She also admitted that if Lenny were to join the army, she'd stick with him, so she did see where I was coming from and supported my decision.

Mary Lou's wedding would be in 5 weeks and we started talking about plans and the schedule. It was then that it first dawned on me that I would have to go through the whole thing without Carlos. I explained my concerns to Mary Lou about my mother using the opportunity to set me up with a Burg date of her choice.

"Steph, I promise you that I will not let your mother slip in a plus one for you. I have full control over the guest list and we will keep your plus one occupied but leave the name blank."

"Thanks Mare. I will see if I can convince a friend of Carlos' to be my date. He will enjoy the party after the wedding and it will keep my mother off my back."

After talking to Mary Lou, I started thinking about dinner. I wasn't sure if Carlos was coming over later tonight as we hadn't talked so far today. I was rummaging around in the fridge and looking in the cupboards and came to the conclusion that I had no food in the house. This left me with two options. Going shopping or getting a takeaway.

I put off making the decision and flipped through the channels on my TV because it was still only 5:30 and I wasn't really hungry yet. I would probably decide a little later. I found nothing to watch, which didn't surprise me much and returned to the kitchen. I had a drawer filled with menus and I started looking through them, trying to decide what I wanted to eat.

While I was perusing the menu for the local Chinese, Carlos came home. He was a few hours early so his arrival startled me a little. He said, "Babe, pack your bags. We're going to get our weekend away right now. I have tomorrow off and I don't work Sundays. I called the hotel and they have room for us for the weekend."

Right that moment, my stomach growled. Carlos laughed and said, "Pack a bag, Babe, then we'll stop for dinner on our way to Point Pleasant."

I nodded and raced into my bedroom. I still had the small suitcase that Ricardo lent me and quickly filled it with a few outfits for choice. I also threw in my skimpy bikini, my more modest bikini and some lingerie. I threw in some toiletries and was ready to go within 15 minutes of Carlos arriving.

Carlos grabbed my suitcase and led me down to the car. We stopped at a small restaurant about ½ ways between Newark and Point Pleasant. We had a pleasant, but plain meal and returned to the car. It was around 8:30 when we arrived at our hotel. It was on a private beach and even though the sun had set, it was pleasant enough for a stroll.

Carlos and I walked hand-in-hand along the beach. We stopped at a little cafe near the end of the boardwalk for a cup of coffee and cake. Well, Carlos had coffee and I had cake. I had a large slice of angel food cake that had a lemon filling and was topped with generous amounts of freshly whipped cream. It was delicious and I was completely unable to suppress my moans.

I think you can imagine what happened after that. Carlos practically dragged me back to the hotel and succeeded in making me moan for him. In fact, I think I might have screamed once or twice as well. Even if not, it was a wonderful night. We barely slept a wink and managed to enjoy a beautiful sunrise before crashing for a few hours.

We emerged for lunch but quickly returned to the room for a little afternoon delight. After that, we decided to spend a little time on the beach. It was a private beach for the resort but we were not the only guests. This didn't bother us too much because we were able to find ourselves a secluded spot at the corner of the beach. None of the other guests went there because it was near the edge of the private part of the beach.

The private beach ended only a few yards from where we sat, but there were no other people on the public part of the beach either. We were at the opposite end of the beach from the boardwalk and very few people liked this end of the public beach. They found it too pebbly. The private part had been dredged and a bunch of nice soft white sand had been transplanted in place of the natural pebbles that form this end of the beach.

Once our beach blanket was sitting on the sand, Carlos pulled me down beside him.

"Come here Babe, I'll put some sun block on you."

I scooted closer to Carlos and gathered up my hair so that my back was clear for the sun block. I took the opportunity to put my hair into a ponytail so that it would be out of my face. As I lowered my arms, I had that same feeling I had when I was being watched in Miami. I stiffened as I pulled my towel around me and looked around.

"Babe, what's wrong?"

I was looking around and said, "I have a feeling that we're being watched but there's nobody around."

Before I could even finish the words, Carlos had his phone out and was talking to somebody. They had a hurried but short conversation and when Carlos put the phone back in his pocket, he looked a little calmer.

"Who did you just call?"

"Detective Carter. He told me that if you ever had those feelings of being watched again, to contact him. He's contacting the local PD here and they're on their way."

I looked around and the only other people I could see were on the private part of the beach. There were small groups of people far off in the distance over by the main part of the boardwalk, but I couldn't make them out. Even with binoculars, I'm sure they'd still be too small. My search was interrupted by a police car pulling up to the cafe that was almost directly above us.

More to follow. I will do my best to stay on schedule, but unless I get better soon, that may not be possible. Fingers crossed.