Boys and Girls, Part II: Prince Charming

A/N: Just got minor surgery, so I've been updating a little more than usual. Anyway, enjoy and please keep those reviews coming! It'll help me recover faster!

Chapter 9 – A Moment Like This

Stephanie heard the shower turn off, and her eyes squinted open as she looked over at Joe’s digital clock. It was seven-thirty in the morning. She yawned and stretched before sitting up. She searched Joe’s room for her clothes and was able to locate everything…except her underwear.

She rose from the bed and grabbed at her bra and tank, which were sitting in a heap next to the bed. She put them on, so that she was only naked from the waist down. She located her skirt and pulled it on when Joe walked into the bedroom.

With only a blue towel wrapped around himself, he looked wet and gorgeous. His short, brown hair was still soaked. Thin rivulets of water traveled down the side of his face as he regarded Stephanie curiously.

“Did I wake you?”

Stephanie was momentarily distracted by Joe’s large, tan chest and his taut abs peeking back at her from above where the towel hung. “No,” she began, “I’m just looking for…um…my…

“Panties?” Joe asked unashamedly.

Stephanie blushed. “Do you know where they are?”

Joe ran his hand through his hair and sauntered over to Stephanie. “I might.” He stopped only inches in front of her and ran his large hands up her sides until they reached her breasts. He thumbed her nipples and they pebbled in response.

“Where are they?” Stephanie asked breathily.

Joe smirked before lowering one of his hands until they traveled under her skirt. He stroked Stephanie’s folds, which were beginning to moisten all on their own again. “Someplace where they can’t prevent me from doing this,” he whispered into her ear.

Stephanie’s eyes closed as Joe began stroking her clit. He then inserted a lone finger inside of her, and she gasped.

“Joe!”

“Shh,” he whispered into her ear again. His continued to stroke and finger her like a seasoned expert. Stephanie’s breathing grew faster and faster as Joe’s actions increased in speed. Joe pulled back a little, so that he could look at Stephanie’s face while he finger-fucked her.

She looked so beautiful. When her eyes finally opened, he was staring into large green jewels of ecstasy. He was pleased to feel Stephanie began to move in rhythm with his finger, trying to intensify the experience. Her long, wavy blonde hair shook behind her, and Joe had to fight an urge to bury his head in it.

Stephanie’s cries grew louder when Joe inserted a second finger into her now-slick pussy. He kept the pace quick, so that Stephanie wouldn’t lose her rhythm. The sound of her slick flesh wetting his fingers was music to Joe’s ears, and he could sense an impending orgasm.

Stephanie screamed out, and Joe left his fingers inside of her so that he could feel the walls of her already-tight cunt close around his fingers. He loved it. When Stephanie’s cries began to subside, Joe bent down and lifted the front of her pink skirt up. This was the first time he was looking directly at her down there. He patted the area affectionately, admiring the small patch of blonde curls before lowering his head and tasting the remnants of her most recent orgasm.

Stephanie gasped and ran her fingers through Joe’s wet hair. Joe groaned into Stephanie’s cunt, enjoying the sweet taste of her juices. Stephanie screamed at the luxurious feeling of Joe’s tongue licking at her moist folds.

When he had finished, Joe just rested his head against Stephanie’s lower abdomen and sighed.

“How the hell am I going to face your father at work today?”

Stephanie couldn’t suppress a laugh at that.

****

Stephanie shot Joe a warning look, but he just smiled innocently as his hands continued to creep further up Stephanie’s skirt. He was sitting next to her at a dinner party attended by Jason, Delaney, Jacy and Ryan, but none of their friends seemed aware of what was transpiring under the table. Stephanie attempted to ignore Joe’s teasing fingers, but he was such an expert at extracting some kind of evoking some kind of response from her that it was very difficult.

Summer was always a happy time for Stephanie, but she had never experienced a summer like this one before. Somehow, spending the off-school months in Paris, Australia, or the Caymans didn’t compare to spending time with someone – a guy – you truly liked. And she definitely liked Joe…a lot.

She was glad that she had waited to have sex with someone who clearly admired her the way that Joe did. Stephanie was aware that she brought out an inner child in Joe; she was able to make him forget about his filial responsibilities for a while, so that he could enjoy life and have a little fun with her. It made her feel as if she had a purpose whenever she was with him.

Stephanie began visiting her father’s office more frequently, which scared the old man initially; he had been certain that Stephanie was going to ask him for more favors. She didn’t tell her father what was going on between Joe and herself, fearing that it might compromise Joe’s position at the office.

Which was just as well. Joe and Stephanie both agreed that keeping mum about their relationship for a few months would be in the best interest for both of them. No one – not Jason, Delaney, Jacy or the others – knew what had transpired between the two of them. Joe and Stephanie wanted to keep it that way, if only for a little while longer. So whenever one or more individuals from their circle of friends arranged a get-together, Joe and Stephanie played it cool…only to fall into each others’ arms a few hours later.

Stephanie casually swatted Joe’s hands away as she dug into her tiramisu. Joe suppressed a laugh before returning to his own dessert. Stephanie noticed Jacy giving them the suspicious eye but didn’t acknowledge it.

Taking a bite of her cake, Stephanie tried to distract Jacy by making her big announcement. “Everyone, I just want to announce that my birthday will be in less than two months. Now, there will be a nice party at my apartment with food supplied by the best vegetarian caterers in Los Angeles –

Jacy and Ryan groaned. The others laughed at this, even though Stephanie sent a scowl their way.

“And,” Stephanie continued, “I expect presents only from the list that you guys should be receiving in your e-mails any day now.”

“Why haven’t we received them already?” Jacy grumbled.

“I’m adding the finishing touches,” Stephanie answered. “I want to make sure that you guys don’t mess up like last year.”

Delaney laughed in disbelief. “Hey, I got you something from the list!”

“By ‘you guys,’ I meant Jacy and Lani,” Stephanie answered.

Everybody laughed except Jacy and Ryan. Hmm, puzzle, Stephanie thought to herself. She knew why Jacy was offended, but Ryan wasn’t normally so somber.

“I got you something more practical than designer purses and shoes,” Jacy protested, interrupting Stephanie’s thoughts.

“You got her a stun gun,” Delaney reminded. “I don’t think Steph even knows how to use it.”

The guys, now including Ryan, burst into laughter. Jacy frowned. “There are a lot of murderers, thieves, and perverts lurking around.”

Yeah, like the one who’s trying to get his hands up my skirt, Stephanie thought with a grin.

“Uh, Steph?” Jason interrupted Stephanie’s thoughts. “Can Delaney and I both get you one present?”

Stephanie arched an eyebrow, and Delaney covered her mouth in shock. “Do you know who you’re talking to?”

Joe and Ryan laughed at this. Jacy shook her head in disapproval. “Talk to your man, Delaney. Tell Rich Boy, here, that he’s going to have to buy a separate gift for our little Stephanie.”

Delaney rolled her eyes, and Jason kissed her on the cheek. “If I have to use money to win your friends over…then so be it.” Stephanie laughed at the affection between the two, and she instinctively grabbed Joe’s hand under the table. She felt his large, warm fingers close around her smaller ones, and at that moment, it created the greatest feeling imaginable. Everything was going to be just fine.

****

“Why haven’t you told me that you’ve been having sex?”

The iced tea that Stephanie had just sipped almost came spraying back out. Boy, Jacy sure knew how to ease into a conversation. “Excuse me?” Stephanie asked, covering her mouth.

Jacy regarded Stephanie with the most serious of expressions. “I know how someone looks when they’ve been getting some, Steph. You’ve got the ‘tell’ written all over your face.”

“What tell?”

“I can’t describe it exactly,” Jacy began, “but you’ve got it.”

Stephanie scowled. “You’re nuts.”

“Plus you’ve been blowing me off a lot lately,” she finished. “I know how fun I am to be around, so I assume that the only thing that’s keeping you from demanding my company is hot sex with a hot guy.” Jacy lifted her eyebrows suggestively. “I’m right, aren’t I?”

Stephanie didn’t answer immediately. She didn’t want to outright lie to her best friend, but she didn’t want to tell Jacy everything just now.

Stephanie had met up with Jacy at an outdoor bistro for lunch. It was a beautiful, sunny afternoon. Stephanie and Jacy were seated on the patio underneath a giant yellow and white-striped umbrella. They were amid other dining couples, families, and business associates. Basically, there were a lot of other people around them. Stephanie didn’t feel so comfortable discussing what Jacy so desperately wanted to discuss at that moment.

“All right. I have been having…an intimate relationship with someone,” Stephanie barely managed.

“Who?”

Stephanie shook her head. “It doesn’t matter, does it?”

“Of course it does,” Jacy insisted. “If I don’t know who’s schtupping you, how can I properly execute my jokes and accurately form my judgments?”

The sad thing was that Stephanie knew Jacy was being entirely serious on the matter. Stephanie sighed. “His name’s Mason Winkler. You don’t know him.”

Jacy scrunched her nose. “Smells like phony.”

Stephanie took another sip of her drink. “Believe what you want.”

Jacy regarded Stephanie suspiciously. “When do I get to meet him?”

“In time,” Stephanie answered ambiguously
.
“Oh, is that sometime after ‘eventually’ and before ‘never’?” Jacy asked sarcastically.

Stephanie frowned. “I’ll introduce you when I’m good and ready.”

Jacy mumbled something incoherently. Stephanie sighed in exasperation. “What’s on your mind, Jacy?”

“Give me a hint.”

“No!” Stephanie cried. “Let’s just eat our lunch and forget about this!”

“What does his first name start with?”

“’M,’ I told you!” Stephanie insisted.

“Bull! What about his last name? Tell me his last name. I don’t know anybody’s last name, so you’ll be safe!”

“Eat,” Stephanie ordered.

“A, B, C – just stop me when I get to the right letter.”

Jacy started running through the alphabet, but by the time, she got to the letter ‘X,’ she’d given up and resorted to eating her grilled chicken panini in silence. Stephanie was more than thrilled by the desertion of their previous topic. She decided to change the course of their discussion while it was safe.

“Have you heard from Lani?”

Jacy shook her head. “I got an e-mail from her the other day. She was complaining about your b-day e-mail, you know.”

“I don’t see what she has to complain about,” Stephanie responded. “I made it as simple to follow as possible.”

Jacy rolled her eyes. “Lani says if she can afford anything on the list, you won’t get it until after she comes back, which is going to be almost a week after your planned party.”

“That’s okay,” Stephanie answered, taking a bite of her salad. “I’m not particular about when I get my present.”

Jacy chuckled. “Man, whoever’s courting you must be paying through the nose!”

Stephanie turned her nose up into the air. “I cost more, but I like to think I’m worth it.”

Jacy laughed again, and Stephanie smiled. Sure, she had a lot of high demands, but if Joe was upset about it, he wasn’t showing it. Stephanie was pretty sure that Joe was just a naturally laid-back kind of personality. She knew that he didn’t have a lot of money, but he just didn’t seem to mind spending it. And that was fine with her.

“Okay, have I ever met him before, and what color is his hair?” Jacy continued.

Stephanie just slapped her forehead and sighed.

****

A/N: For those of you who have Part I, you’ll know why Ryan gets so weird at the mention of Lani’s name. For those of you who haven’t read Part I…get started on your assignment!