Andrew Chapter 13

[sl97aq]

Andrew and Anthony led the whole group towards Ocean Drive.

?How do we get into the clubs?? Andrew asked Anthony. ?Except for you guys, we?re all underage!?

"That's why most clubs down here have a non-alcoholic underage section," Anthony informed him. "And the club we're going to happens to employ several of our team members as bouncers."

"Including you?" Andrew guessed. When Anthony nodded, Andrew said, "Now I know what you meant when you said your team has connections with the club owners."

"I could use my connection with the club owner to get you a job there," Anthony offered. "Then you won't have to look for a job down here, because you'll already have one."

"Actually, he'll have two jobs," Mark corrected him. "The owner of the South Beach Gym would like to talk to you tomorrow morning Andrew."

"Wow!" Andrew marvelled. "I get a job interview tomorrow?"

"And an On Job Evaluation as a bouncer at the club tonight," Anthony informed him. "We arrived at your hotel early, so I called the club owner to let him know you had arrived in South Beach. He insisted I bring you to the club tonight so that he can test your bouncer skills."

"You made that arrangement after you got jealous of me?" Andrew asked him, surprised by Anthony's revelation.

"Yes I did," Anthony replied. "At the time, I only did it because the club owner insisted on meeting you. But now that we've resolved our differences, with Mark's help I might add, it's only logical for you to replace me at both of my jobs in two years time."

"You're not taking a Master's Degree dude?" Andrew asked him.

"I'm not quite as smart as you man," Anthony reminded him. "In case you've forgotten, my jealousy of you proved that. Mark had to remind me that you're only replacing me when I'm gone; then my jealousy subsided."

"Don't worry, I won't try to replace you on the football field either," Andrew assured him. "The NFL scouts won't notice you if you're no longer on a dominant position on the field, will they?"

"No they won't," Anthony agreed. "Just as Coach Malcolm wouldn't have noticed you if you weren't the dominant player at your school!"

"You're right," Andrew agreed, forgetting about Ralph and Connor's contributions to each game Andrew's team had won. As they approached the VIP Line, he asked, "Are you really jealous of me man? Coach Malcolm raving about me can't have helped!"

"No it didn't," Anthony agreed. "But now that I think about it, he never said that you were going to replace me on the team. So I have nothing to worry about, do I?"

"No you don't," Andrew agreed. "Unless you try to get into the club without ID of course!"

"Oh, you don't think the bouncers know me on sight?" Anthony asked him. "I've been going to this club for years!"

"But I will have to check everyone's ID, at least at first," Andrew informed him. "I wouldn't want to lose my job by playing favourites, would I?"

"You haven't got the job yet!" Mark reminded him. "But I have no doubt that you will get it, since you seem to have such a firm grasp on the rules already!"

"As well as something else earlier!" Carrie whispered in Andrew's ear, as they approached the entry doors.

Andrew shushed her and said, "Thanks Mark. So, which entry doors do we use? It looks like there are two sets here."

"The underage people enter the left building," Anthony replied. "The Manager's Office is on that side as well; he'll be expecting you."

"Hello Mr. Anderson; right on time for work I see," the biggest bouncer said. He was standing at the entrance to the alley between the two club buildings. "Who are your new friends?"

"Actually, I don't work tonight," Anthony corrected the bouncer. He motioned to Andrew and said, "But one of my new friends, Mr. Andrew Pearson, does work tonight."

The bouncer's eyes widened slightly when he saw how big and muscular Andrew was.

"He's here for his On Job Evaluation, is he?" the bouncer asked, narrowing his eyes as he noticed Andrew smirking at him. When Andrew nodded, the bouncer said, "Right this way Mr. Pearson. Mr. Carlton is expecting you."

"Thanks dude!" Andrew said, holding Carrie's hand tightly as the other bouncers scanned their IDs at the left building entrance.

He followed the bouncer into the Underage Building, with Carrie, Mark, Ralph and Connor trailing behind him. Andrew diverted to the Manager's Office on the left, while the other four went to the main section of the club, which was on the right.

"Welcome to downtown South Beach," the Manager said, standing up to shake Andrew's hand. "I'm Mr. Carlton, the Club Manager and Owner."

"Pleased to meet you sir," Andrew said, sitting down after he shook Mr. Carlton's hand.

The bouncer stepped out of the room and started to close the door.

"Thanks for escorting Andrew in here!" Mr. Carlton shouted in gratitude. Carl smiled and closed the door all the way. Mr. Carlton sat down behind his desk and smiled at Andrew. "So Mr. Pearson, I've heard a lot about you from Coach Malcolm," he said. "Mark Stevenson has also been raving about you: saying he wouldn't be the Freshman Quarterback if you weren't such a great Personal Trainer!"

"Thank you sir," Andrew said, smiling at the good reputation he had created for himself. "Do any of the club patrons or employees need some Personal Training? I'd be happy to give them some tips if they'd like some."

"Actually, I'd like to get some tips: on what you've been taking to get so big," Mr. Carlton informed him. "I can't have you working here if you're on Steroids!"

"I'm not on Steroids sir," Andrew assured him, trying not to get mad at the veiled implication that he had cheated to get so big. He realized suddenly that Mr. Carlton must not have seen the news footage that explained how he got to be so big and strong. "I'd be happy to fill you in on how I got to be this huge and muscular."

Mr. Carlton nodded at him to go ahead and Andrew began telling him the Enhancement Story.

Andrew's friends meanwhile, were being introuduced to Club Life in South Beach by Mark and his freshmen football buddies. Andrew's friends were amazed at how popular Mark was; it took them five minutes to get to the bar along the back wall: the crowd of fans was so big. Mark was amazed himself, especially since he had only been the Freshman Quarterback for the last month! He made his way to the far wall and stepped out into the alley. There, he found Anthony waiting for him.

"Hey Big Guy, what's up?" Anthony greeted his friend.

"I'm just fine man," Mark replied. "The fans' response to another win was amazing!"

"I got the same response from them," Anthony agreed. "I got my shoulders slapped so many times, it's amazing that I'm not bruised all over! Luckily, I'm so big and strong that I don't feel a thing! That's why I have all these muscles, they serve as natural padding in rough crowds!"

"And in 'punch-out' contests like you and Andrew had earlier," Mark realized. He noticed Anthony's face turn red with anger and he said, "You still have a problem with Andrew, don't you?"

"Of course I do!" Anthony snapped. "How would you feel if some block-headed jock came into town and humiliated you in front of all your friends?"

"You started it by getting all mad and jealous," Mark reminded him. "Don't forget, that jealousy was based on an irrational fear: that Andrew would try to take your place in the Offensive Line! All he wants to do is join the team, not rule it!"

"Oh, so you're taking his side now?" Anthony asked, glaring down at Mark.

"Don't look at me like that!" Mark ordered Anthony, not intimidated by his size or angry glare. "I'm not taking anyone's side; I'm just stating the facts! They just happen to favour Andrew this time."

Anthony nodded, amazed that Mark wasn't imtimidated by him.

He must be so used to big guys by now that he's not scared of them!

The anger faded from Anthony's face as he understood the logic behind Mark's words.

"You're right man," he said, laying a gentle, but massive, hand on Mark's shoulder. "Maybe I'm the block-headed jock, not Andrew!"

"You're not dumb man!" Mark assured him. "It takes a lot of brains to play football so well and slide into college on a full scholarship!"

"I guess you're right," Anthony realized. "Thanks a lot for saying that man." He looked past Mark and said, "Hey, here comes my sister Amber! I think she wants to congratulate you personally on another successful game tonight! Have fun Little Brother!"

"What did you just call me?" Mark asked Anthony, his eyes widening in shock.

"I called you Little Brother: as in part of the Brotherhood of the Hurricanes," Anthony replied. He stared at Mark, wondering why he had looked so guilty asking that question. "Why, what did you think I meant?"

"Uh nothing man," Mark stammered, realizing too late that Anthony was not predicting that he and Amber would get married. Mark hoped that Amber hadn't told Anthony about how she had discussed marraige with Mark the night before. Only Mark and Amber knew that Mark would actually soon be Anthony's little brother-in law! "I'd better go help Amber down into the alley; it's pretty slippery tonight."

"Wait just a minute man," Anthony ordered him, catching hold of his arm gently. "You definitely thought I meant something else when I called you Little Brother! I may not be the smartest guy, but I can tell something's up!" He looked over at Amber, who was standing in the Underage Building doorway with a guilty look on her face. Anthony crossed his arms and added, "I think it would be a good idea if you both told me what's going on, don't you?"

Mark and Amber nodded quickly, intimidated by Anthony's size this time because they were hiding something from him. Mark helped Amber down into the alley and then led her over to Anthony. Anthony got a chair from inside his building and sat down, so that he was no longer towering over them. Then he bent forward so that he could listen carefully to what Amber and Mark had to tell him.

Meanwhile, back in the Underage Building, Andrew stepped out of the changerooms in the far corner. He was wearing the Bouncer's Uniform, which consisted of a skin-tight black t-shirt and slim black jeans. The outfit deliberately showed off all his muscles to maximize the Intimidation Effect.

"Hey, look at Andrew; he's a Bouncer now!" Connor shouted to his friends, pointing across the room to Andrew. Andrew heard his voice, turned and smiled at Carrie. Then he turned towards the front door and his expression changed to a 'Don't try anything' look. "Looks like Andrew's experimenting with Bouncer Mode for the first time," Connor added. "He looks pretty scary!"

"Yes he does," Carrie agreed. "If I didn't know him so well, I'd be really scared of him!"

"We are scared of him!" Ralph informed her. "Probably because we don't know him as well as you do!"

Andrew stepped up to his new bouncer colleagues, all of whom recoiled slightly, equally intimidated by his size and intimidating expression. Andrew noticed their faint looks of fear and rearranged his expression into a confident smile.

"Hey man what's up?" Carl greeted him, being the first to relax when he saw Andrew smiling.

"My weight!" Andrew replied, his confident smile getting wider. "I weighed myself in the back and I now weigh 352 pounds of solid rock-hard muscle! That's two pounds of muscle growth in one day!"

"Wow man!" one of the other bouncers marvelled. "How big are your biceps dude?"

"32 inches man!" Andrew bragged, flexing his massive pipes for everyone to see. He happened to be standing right by the front door and the guys waiting in line were amazed at the size of Andrew's arms. The girls in the line looked excited. "ID please," Andrew said, holding out one massive hand to the first guy in line.

"Uh sure man," the first guy in line stammered.

He handed over his license with shaking hands and Andrew examined it closely.

"Calm down man," Andrew advised him, handing his license back. He crossed his massive arms over his broad chest and stared down at the guy. "If you're not trying to get away with anything, then you have nothing to worry about."

"Thanks man," the guy said, feeling more relaxed. He stepped past Andrew and said, "Thank you sir."

"No problem man; have a good time," Andrew said, smiling slightly.

He turned back to the VIP line and so he didn't notice the guy staring at his massive muscles in awe. But Carl did notice.

"Hey bud, move along," he advised the guy, motioning into the club with one massive arm. "This is a club, not a bodybuilding show!"

"Hey Rick!" Andrew shouted, grinning at the next person in line. "How are you doing tonight?"

"I'm fine man!" Rick replied, not scared of Andrew's outfit because Andrew had been so pleasant on the plane. "Are you working here now?"

"Not yet man," Andrew replied. "It's an On Job Evaluation tonight. ID please."

"You don't need to see my ID," Rick told him. "You know I'm 20 years old. I showed you my ID on the plane!"

"Then you have nothing to worry about if I see it again," Andrew informed him. He crossed his arms and added, "I'm not going to ask again. ID please."

"Uh, sure man," Rick stammered, slightly afraid of Andrew now. He handed his ID over with a slight tremble to his hands, and shifted nervously as Andrew examined it closely. "I'm sorry about that Andrew."

"It's okay; your ID checks out," Andrew said, handing Rick's driver's license back to him. "Have a good time."

Carl nodded in approval of Andrew's professional attitude, pleased that Andrew wasn't playing favourites.

"Very good Andrew; you did very well," Carl said to him. "I'm just glad you didn't look at me like that; you're pretty scary as a bouncer!"

"Don't worry dude; as long as you don't try to sneak in here without showing your ID, you have nothing to worry about," Andrew assured him.

Carl nodded and then checked the ID of the next person in line. Noone noticed Mr. Carlton heading back to his office, having witnessed Andrew's handling of Rick's reluctance to show his ID.

For the next two hours, Andrew worked the rest of his shift alongside the other bouncers. Mr. Carlton stepped out of his office periodically to evaluate Andrew's performance and was very impressed with what he saw.

At midnight Mr. Carlton called Andrew into his office to give him his evaluation.

"I was very impressed with your work tonight Mr. Pearson," Mr. Carlton said. "I would be very pleased to have you join our staff over the Christmas Holidays. That exchange with Rick was the decision-maker. You're a very good bouncer Andrew."

"Thank you very much sir," Andrew said, smiling quietly at his success as a bouncer. "But I'm not sure I'll be here during the Christmas Break."

"I am," Mr. Carlton said. "Mr. Malcolm called me about one hour ago. He and your father are making plans for a vacation down here for you and your friends over the holidays. He thinks it will be the perfect opportunity to completely experience life in Miami and really relax over New Years."

"I'd say he's right about that," Andrew agreed. "Sounds like a great idea sir!"

"The owner of the South Beach Gym called me as well," Mr. Carlton informed Andrew.

"How did he know I was here?" Andrew asked him.

"Anthony told his dad that he was bringing you here tonight and his dad told the owner of the gym," Mr. Carlton replied.

"Ah I understand now," Andrew said. "But why did the owner of the South Beach Gym call you?"

"Because he wanted me to deliver a message that he did not get a chance to tell you," Mr. Carlton replied. "By the time you got to the gym, it was closed. So Anthony's dad, who was waiting outside to meet you, had to deliver his wish to have you come by for an interview tomorrow morning at 9 am."

"Well that explains everything," Andrew said. "Thanks a lot for telling me all that sir. May I go out into the club and have fun with my friends now?"

"Yes you can," Mr. Carlton replied. "You've certainly earned it, now that you have a job waiting for you down here! Just drop your uniform in the hamper and then have fun until 2 am: the closing time of the club tonight." "Thank you very much sir," Andrew said, standing up and shaking Mr. Carlton's hand. "I'll just go get changed now."

"Good idea Andrew," Mr. Carlton said. "Have fun and good job tonight!"

Andrew grinned and waved and then walked out of the office and down the hall to the change room.

"Hey Carl," Andrew said, as he entered the room. "Is your shift over as well?"

"Yes it is," Carl replied, as he put on his Clubbing t-shirt. "So, did you get the job?"

"Yeah man I did," Andrew replied, grunting with the effort as he tried to get his skintight bouncer's t-shirt off. "Now, if I can just get this t-shirt off, I can change into my tank top again!"

"Here let me help you," Carl offered, stepping forward to help him. "A few of our bigger bouncers have the same problem."

"Why are these t-shirts 'painted on'?" Andrew asked in frustration. "I thought my t-shirt was skintight, but this one is like a second skin! I can't even flex out of it either; it's too thick and well constructed!"

"Well you must know the reason why!" Carl shouted, surprised that Andrew didn't know the answer, even though Andrew had provided the answer to himself.

"Pretend I don't and tell me anyway," Andrew suggested, as Carl tugged futilely, trying to get the skintight t-shirt off him. "The shirts must be well constructed so that noone can damage them if they try to flex out of them. But bouncers wouldn't be tempted to flex out of them if their t-shirts weren't so skintight. Why are the shirts so tight-fitting?"

"It helps the bouncers look really tough and intimidating," Carl gasped, making a bit of progress in sliding Andrew's t-shirt up his massively muscled torso. When he finally got Andrew's shirt off, he added, "But considering how massively muscular you are, you don't need a tight shirt to look really tough and intimidating! Your muscles are really well-defined man!"

"You mean I'm ripped, don't you?" Andrew said, flexing his massive muscles with a smirk. When he saw Carl's jaw drop, he grinned and asked him, "Hey man, what's the matter? Are my muscles too much for you to handle?"

"Handle?" Carl repeated, snapping out of his shock. "I'm not trying to handle you! I was just helping you take your shirt off, that's all!"

"I think you'd better quit while you're ahead Carl," Andrew advised him. "Otherwise, people might think you want me! You're creeping me out man!"

"I ought to punch your face in for trying to insinuate stuff like that!" Carl snapped at Andrew, clenching his fists.

"Why don't you take a shot at these rock-hard abs instead," Andrew suggested, pointing at his ripped eight-pack. When Carl hesitated, Andrew frowned and asked, "What's the matter man? Doesn't Anthony show off his muscles like I do?"

"No man, he doesn't," Carl replied. "He's pretty shy and quiet, most of the time. You, on the other hand, are acting like a cocky jock man!"


"Yeah I know," Andrew said with a cocky grin. He didn't even get mad at Carl's description of him, because as he had told Carrie much earlier that day: 'I'm going to enjoy being a jock this weekend!' "Go ahead man, punch my rock-hard abs and see if you can dent them!"

"Get ready," Carl said, stepping forward. He punched Andrew's flexed abs and saw no effect, except to his own hand. "Owww! That punch hurt me!"

"I didn't feel a thing!" Andrew bragged. "You're even weaker than Anthony dude! And I wiped the floor with him!"

Andrew's goading plan worked, because Carl kneed him in the gut, glaring in rage. Andrew doubled over slightly as Carl bounced back, holding his knee. Andrew straightened up, rubbing his abs, and watched Carl shake his sore leg.

"Good job; you actually hurt me," Andrew commended Carl. "Maybe my abs are just sore from Anthony beating me up!" When Carl glared at him, Andrew decided to stroke his ego a little bit. "Or maybe you are stronger than Anthony after all!" When he saw Carl smiling at his compliment, Andrew grinned back at him and added, "Yeah, you are a muscle god; just like me!"

"Thanks man!" Carl said, as Andrew started to put on his tank top. "Your tank top is just as tight as the t-shirt was man!"

"Yeah, I love to wear skintight t-shirts and tank tops, just to be a jock and show off all my muscles!" Andrew shouted with an arrogant grin. He finally managed to slide his tank top down to cover his massive muscles. "Are you ready to come out and see my moves on the dance floor?"

"Sure man, since I don't turn 21 for six months, I'll be able to stay in your building," Carl said agreeably. "Let's go out there and have some fun! That's what we're here for!"

Andrew grinned at his new friend and led the way out into the main club area. Thanks to his height, Andrew easily found Ralph, Connor and Carrie. They were standing at the door to the "Over 21" building, talking to Anthony and Mark. As Andrew approached the edge of the crowd, he saw some of Anthony's linemen buddies join him at the door. Andrew led the way through the crowd, which parted to make room for him out of respect for his size. Andrew grinned and nodded at a few of the people he recognized from his bouncer duties. Then he saw Rick, who was stuck in a tight knot of people, unable to move.

"Hey Rick, want a hand out of that crowd you're caught in?" Andrew asked his new friend, grinning at him.

"Yes please," Rick replied. "The people tried to move to let me out, but it didn't work! Please help me get out of here; I'm getting clastrophobic!"

"Okay, calm down man; I'll get you out of this," Andrew assured him. He grabbed ahold of Rick's shoulder with one hand and tried to haul him gently out of the crowd. But Rick was wedged in there tighter than a sardine in a tin can. "Hey, let the man breath guys!" Andrew roared at the crowd. Everyone tried to move aside hastily, scared that Andrew would get mad, but it didn't work. Rick was still solidly wedged in place. "This is ridiculous!" Andrew raged to noone in particular. Then he noticed Carl smirking at the situation and Andrew's frustration. "You find this amusing?" Andrew snapped at him.

"A little," Carl replied, grinning broadly at Andrew's temper tantrum. But then Andrew narrowed his eyes in real fury and Carl's grin faded. "Well, maybe not," he added hastily.

"I didn't think so," Andrew agreed, turning back to Rick. He grabbed ahold of Rick's shoulders with both hands and told him, "Hold on man, this is going to be rough!"

He yanked Rick out of the crowd with one quick jerk, making Rick slam into his chest and knocking five crowd members down.

"Well, I got you out of the crowd, but it caused some unintentional damage," Andrew realized. He noticed Rick gasping for breath and he patted his back gently, trying to force some air into his lungs. "Take it easy; slow deep breaths man," Andrew urged Rick. He noticed Carl helping the fallen crowd members up and added, "Hey, sorry about that everyone, but I had to get Rick out of there before he passed out from suffocation!"

"He almost passed out from the impact of hitting your rock-hard chest!" Carl reminded Andrew. "You didn't have to pull him out of there so hard, did you? Your great strength knocked the wind out of him and knocked five crowd members down!"

"I already said I was sorry!" Andrew snapped at Carl. "You'd better accept my apology right now, or the next time I use my great strength, it won't be an accident!"

"Don't start fighting guys!" Rick gasped, still trying to get his breath back. "I don't want to be caught between two huge guys who start fighting! Then I'd really get squashed flat!"

"Sorry about that man," Andrew said, still holding Rick in mid-air effortlessly. "I certainly have to apologize a lot today, don't I?"

"At least you do apologize when you've done something wrong," Rick reminded him. "I've known some jocks who think they can get away with anything just because they're really big and strong!"

"Yeah, me too," Andrew agreed. "Good thing I remember what my dad told me so many years ago. It really has special signifigance now that I have superhuman strength!"

"What did he tell you Andrew?" Rick asked, curious to find out more about who had raised such a great guy like Andrew. "I'd like to meet your dad sometime and ask him what good advice he has given you over the years."

"I'll tell you later man," Andrew replied, still holding Rick in mid-air. "Now, why were you stuck in that crowd?"

"I was looking for my friend, the one I told you about on the plane," Rick replied.

"The one whose last name is Anderson; the one you're staying with this weekend?" Andrew guessed. "The offensive lineman who plays center on the Miami Hurricanes football team?"

"How do you know he plays the center position?" Rick asked Andrew in astonishment. "I never told you that!"


"No, but I saw the game today, just like you, and I met Anthony Anderson at halftime," Andrew explained. "I found out that he's Mark Stevenson's new personal trainer when I saw him later at the South Beach Gym!"

"This is all very interesting, but where is he?" Rick asked Andrew. "You're not holding me up high enough to let me see over the crowd and find him!"

"You don't mind me holding you up in mid-air effortlessly?" Andrew asked him, grinning at how light Rick felt. "I must tell you man, I could hold you up forever! Either you're really light, or I'm really strong!"

"I think it's the latter, because I'm not so light anymore," Rick informed Andrew. "I weigh 200 pounds now!"

"Is that why you're friends with Anthony, because you're a jock too?" Andrew asked Rick. When Rick nodded, Andrew added, "I'm a jock myself, you know."

"You're not just a jock, you're a Superjock!" Rick shouted in admiration, as Andrew slowly lifted him over his head effortlessly. "That's what benching 6-"

His words were cut off as Andrew took one hand off his waist and covered Rick's mouth quickly.

"Don't you dare mention anything about my maximum bench press dude!" Andrew warned Rick. "If I wanted everyone to know that I can bench 6000 pounds, I'd tell them myself!"

"I think you just told everyone in hearing range Andrew," Rick informed him. He was too amused by Andrew's sudden look of shock to be scared by the fact that Andrew was holding him over his head with one hand! "I thought you were supposed to be a smart jock! Now everyone's staring at you, since you blurted out your true strength!" Andrew looked around wildly, but not even Carl had heard their conversation; the music was too loud. "Made you look!" Rick chuckled, laughing at Andrew's look of wide-eyed panic.

"Why you little joker, I'll get you for that!" Andrew growled softly, grinning at Rick. He hurled Rick over his shoulder gently and made his way through the last few crowd members. "Okay, we've reached Anthony and the others." He set Rick down carefully and asked him, "How'd you like the ride man?"

"It was great!" Rick shouted in excitement. "You're so strong, yet so gentle! Apparently you can control your great strength after all!"

"Is your strength really that great?" Anthony asked Andrew. "Or were you just making that up to psyche me out during our confrontation earlier?"

"You'll have to find out tomorrow," Andrew replied. "I'd be happy to perform some strength tests then for you."

"So that you can show off tomorrow, like you were showing off tonight?" Anthony asked Andrew, grinning at Andrew.

"What are you talking about?" Andrew asked innocently.

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"Don't play innocent with me!" Anthony admonished him. "You loved carrying Rick above your head as you made your way through the crowd! And Rick seemed to love it as well!"

"Yeah I did!" Rick agreed. "Andrew's great strength doesn't scare me at all! Since he's only used it to help me twice, how could I possibly be scared of him?"

"I guess you can't," Andrew agreed. "That's good; that's what I was aiming for: using my great strength to help people, not scare them. But how did I help you twice Rick?"

"First you pulled me out of the crowd I got stuck in," Rick replied. "Then you carried me above the crowd so that I wouldn't get stuck in it again!" Rick reminded Andrew. "You're my hero man!"

"I'm not a hero!" Andrew protested. "I just wanted you to be able to see over the crowd and find Anthony. Then we were both able to make sure he was the guy you've been looking for all night!"

"Excuses, excuses!" Anthony laughed. "Come over here for a minute Andrew; I need to talk to you about something."

"Sure man," Andrew said. "Rick, you introduce yourself to my friends while we're gone. We'll be right back."

Andrew followed Anthony to an isolated corner of the alley. Andrew would have been afraid of the dark if he were a smaller guy, but being such a huge guy, he knew he had nothing to be afraid of.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Andrew asked Anthony.

"I know your secret," Anthony replied, with a triumphant grin.

"What secret?" Andrew asked warily, afraid that Anthony had discovered that Andrew would soon be in the Reserves.

"I know that you serve in the Canadian Army Cadets!" Anthony shouted triumphantly. "I know that you turn 18 in about one week and that you will then be able to serve in the Canadian Army Reserves!"

"What makes you think you know those things?" Andrew asked him, not letting his fury show on his face.

"Those fighting moves you used to subdue me were military fighting moves," Anthony replied. "Who else but a soon-to-be Canadian Reservist would have such quick reflexes, being able to catch one of my punches like you did on the beach??

"My father taught me those moves, which he learned when he served in the Canadian Army Reserves," Andrew informed him. ?That?s how I learned those fighting moves!?

"Does the name Colonel Mitchell mean anything to you?" Anthony asked him, hoping Andrew would slip up and reveal something.

"No it doesn't," Andrew replied, not lying. He thought General Mitchell, his dad's Lieutenant from 25 years ago, had only one son, Andrew's Lieutenant! "I think my dad told me that the Base Commander, his old Lieutenant, has only one son, who is now a Lieutenant at that base. Does he have another son maybe; one who's older from a previous marraige? Is that what you're referring to?"

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It's impossible to fake that kind of confusion! Anthony realized. Maybe Coach Malcolm was wrong!

"Coach Malcolm told me that you serve on that base once a month for Army Cadets," Anthony told Andrew. "He said that your dad filled him in on all that, and that Coach Malcolm was talking to you about joining the Reserves, trying to get you to admit to it. But when he couldn't, he managed to overhear you and Carrie talking about your military duties at the base."

"He must have also managed to overhear how Carrie and I wanted to be alone at night," Andrew realized. "That's why he arranged for us to have such a luxurious suite."

"Yeah, he did the same kind of thing for all of us, when we were recruited by Miami," Anthony agreed. "I suppose he took you and your fellow recruits on a limo ride to the Orange Bowl Stadium for the game yesterday?"

"Yeah he did," Andrew agreed, smiling at the tastes of luxury he had enjoyed so far that weekend. "I managed to figure out that he was showing us what an NFL lifestyle was like, to motivate us to earn our scholarships." He leaned closer to Anthony and said, "I'm glad that you have privately told me that you know I serve my country. Thanks for not blurting it out to everyone man."

"You're welcome Andrew," Anthony said, looking a bit guilty. "Coach told me that he overheard how Colonel Mitchell fit your Cadets duties around football so that they don't interfere with each other."

"Did I actually use the name Colonel Mitchell?" Andrew asked. "Wonder why I did that."

"Colonel Mitchell is the Staffing Officer at that base," Anthony replied. "And your guess was correct: Colonel Mitchell is General Mitchell's son from his first marraige. Your dad told Coach Malcolm all that last night."

"Even I didn't know that!" Andrew shouted in astonishment. "Why did my dad tell Coach Malcolm that?"

"Coach said your dad wanted to assure him that nothing would interfere with your preparations for Collegiate Football," Anthony replied. "So your parents had to tell him that you go away one weekend each month for army duties. Once Coach Malcolm learned what an important thing you were doing on those weekends, he really started bragging about you to the team!"

"How many people has Mr. Malcolm told?" Andrew asked Anthony. "I hope he hasn't told everyone on the team that I serve in the Canadian Reserves!"

"No, but you have just told everyone who might be listening to us!" Anthony informed Andrew, smirking.

Andrew whirled around with a panicked look on his face, but the alley behind them was empty. Then he completed his turn to find Anthony launching a fist at his face. Andrew quickly caught his fist effortlessly and backed Anthony across the alley until his back was against the wall.

"What do you think you're doing man?" Andrew growled in fury. "If you're going to punch me in the face, at least do it to my face, not my back!"

"How's this?" Anthony yelled in fury, launching his other fist towards Andrew's face.

Andrew caught that fist effortlessly and then slid Anthony up the wall until his feet were dangling above Andrew's belt. Anthony tried to kick Andrew in the gut, but ending up hurting his own feet instead. Andrew grinned as he held the squirming Anthony in place effortlessly and waited for him to give up.

"Okay Andrew, let me down please," Anthony begged him, as he finally ceased his useless struggle against Andrew's iron grip.

"Sure, no problem man," Andrew agreed, releasing his grip once he slid Anthony down the wall again. He looked around the alley and added, "Good thing noone saw us. I would have had to let you punch my face if others were around, and pretend not to be hurt."

Anthony grinned at Andrew's veiled compliment and shouted, "At least I know that I can hurt the big man now!"

"Yeah, but now it's time to help the big man!" Andrew advised him. "Why don't you tell me when Mr. Malcolm told you all about my military service?"

"He told me a couple of hours ago," Anthony replied, holding up his cell phone. "He called me just after I finshed talking with Mark, when we first got to this club. He wanted to make sure that I was showing you all the fun spots here in South Beach. When I told him about our surfing and arm-wrestling contests, he told me to be very careful aorund you because you're military trained! After fighting against you, I see why he warned me! You're scary strong man and you really know how to disable someone quickly!"

"I'm sorry about that man," Andrew apologized. "I never realized that superhuman strength and military fighting moves would be such a potentially lethal combination!"

"You mean you've never had to use those moves in simulated hand-to-hand combat?" Anthony asked him, looking confused.

"Of course I have Anthony!" Andrew snapped at him in exasperation. "I was just kidding man; of course I know how lethal my great strength and military training can be!"

"Then why did you pretend you didn't ?" Anthony asked him, still looking confused.

"I know that some people still think that big and strong guys are dumb and slow," Andrew replied. "I use that mistaken impression to my advantage, turning my back so that my opponents launch the first blow. Then I complete my turn and catch their fists effortlessly, just like I did with yours! It's too bad however that some people still think jocks are dumb; if the little guys really got to know us jocks, they'd realize that we're just big teddy bears in muscular armour."

"I know that Mark got that message loud and clear," Anthony assured him. "Your reputation as a kind gentle jock throughout public school is what led Mark to approach you for personal training in the first place!"

"Well how about that!" Andrew marvelled. "And my mentoring of him probably explains why Ralph and Connor approached me for personal training the next year!"

"You're right Andrew," Anthony agreed, slowly leading him back down the alley to their friends, who had come out of the club to wait for them. "I had plenty of time to talk to them during your On Job Evaluation earlier. I'm glad they told me that you can be a gentle giant, because when you're mad, your great strength is really scary!"

"I'm sorry about that man," Andrew aplogized again, laying a gentle hand on Anthony's shoulder. "I have to remember that I only have to use my great strength on the field and in the field, not in Civilian Life! But if you remember, I did restrain myself, until you made me mad! So don't make me mad again, if you know what's good for you! Do we understand each other Anthony?"

"Yes sir!" Anthony shouted, looking pretty scared.

"You don't have to call me sir Anthony," Andrew assured him, smiling slightly.

"And you don't have to call me 'Sir Anthony'!" Anthony chuckled.

"Funny man!" Andrew laughed, slapping his broad shoulder gently. "Now that our serious talk is over with, let's talk about something else: like what's going on tomorrow."

"I'm having a post-game celebration party at my house tomorrow night," Anthony replied, as they finally reached their friends. "Since your great ideas helped us win, it would be great if you could show up as the Guest of Honour."

"Now you're just trying to embarrass me!" Andrew shouted, trying to look mad, but grinning at the compliment.

"Hey I embarrassed the Big Man!" Anthony chuckled.

"Hey, what'd I just tell you about making me mad punk?" Andrew asked him, trying not to laugh. "Laughing at me makes me mad!"

"Yeah, you look real mad!" Anthony teased him. "What're you going to do Big Man, crush me like a bug?"

"I ought to!" Andrew snapped at him, trying to turn his grin into a frown but failing miserably. "Crushing you effortlessly will teach you not to make fun of me, if you're smart enough to learn the lesson that is!"

"Are you trying to say I'm a dumb jock?" Anthony snapped at him.

"Do or do not; there is no try," Andrew reminded him. "At least that's what Master Yoda said once. And you didn't have to try to call yourself a dumb jock; you just did it!"

"Shut up man!" Anthony yelled in fake fury, grinning as he shoved Andrew back a few steps.

"You first!" Andrew ordered him, shoving Anthony back a few steps in return.

Their friends smiled: pleased that Andrew and Anthony were slowly becoming friends.

"You never answered my question Andrew," Anthony informed him.

"I can't answer a question you never asked," Andrew reminded him, smirking slightly. "I thought you were supposed to be a smart jock, just like me!"

"I'm obviously not as smart as you are!" Anthony realized. "Now, are you coming to the party tomorrow night, along with all your friends?"

"We'd be glad to come,' Andrew replied. "Should we bring anything besides ourselves to the party?"

"Just strength test ideas," Anthony replied. "You'd better be prepared to show off your muscles, and your great strength at the party! All my big friends love to test themselves against muscle gods like yourself!"

"Stop trying to embarrass me!" Andrew roared, unable to keep a cocky grin from appearing on his face. "Why do you always have to fight dirty, just like you did on the beach a few hours ago?"

"Looks like I just found out how to defeat the Invincible Andrew!" Anthony bragged to all his friends. "All we have to do if talk about his great strength and muscles until he ducks his head in embarassment. Then we can jump him when he's not looking!"

"Now that I'm forewarned of your intentions, I can make sure that they fail!" Andrew shouted. He draped a massive arm around Carrie's shoulders and added, "As you found out earlier, all your earlier attempts to jump me failed! So don't try anything punk, or I'll try breaking you in half!"

He grinned at Anthony to let him know he was just kidding. Anthony grinned back, looking relieved that Andrew wasn't serious.

"If you guys are finished chirping each other, I'd like to take Andrew back inside," Carrie said. "I hear a slow song coming on and I want some time on the dance floor with my man!"

"You heard her guys; Carrie wants me, in more ways than one!" Andrew chuckled, letting Carrie lead him back into the Underage Building.

As they started slow dancing, Carrie squeezed Andrew's obliques gently, marvelling at how rock-hard they were. In contrast to his hard muscles, Andrew's grip on her shoulders was feather-light, almost too gentle!

"I can barely feel your fingers Andrew," Carrie whispered in his ear, having to stand up on her toes to do so.

"I'll try tightening my grip," Andrew whispered back, first bending down so that he could kiss the top of her head. "Just let me know if it's too much for you to handle."

"Only your muscles are too much for me to handle," Carrie informed him. "But that's because I'm astonished at how much rock-hard muscle you've packed onto your massive body in just three months!"

"75 pounds of muscle growth baby!" Andrew bragged, flexing his massive 32 inch bicep. "Not bad for someone who was once a skinny little runt seven years ago, is it?"

"Yeah I remember how I teased you when you first started working out," Carrie remembered. "I never thought you'd become so big and ripped!"

"Neither did I," Andrew agreed. "I thought I would get stuck at 275 pounds. If it wasn't for my 'Enhancement', I might still be able to see my ribs! But you brought up a good point about the teasing. That's what motivated me to take the small guys under my wing and train them to be jocks like me. Then they wouldn't be teased or bullied like I was."

"It worked with Mark, Ralph and Connor," Carrie realized, leaning her head against Andrew's massive chest. He smiled down at her and rubbed her back softly with one massive hand. "You trained each of them to be a football jock; Ralph and Connor in the same year!"

"Yeah and last year I got to enjoy the fruits of my labours: playing with all three of my trainees on the football field," Andrew remembered. "I trained Ralph and Connor just in time: they got to play a full junior year and now they've been recruited by Coach Malcolm, just like I have!"

"And when you look at Mark's performance on the field, you see the direct results of training him," Carrie informed Andrew. "It's great that he's the Freshman Quarterback of the Hurricanes!"

"Yes it is," Andrew agreed. "But don't forget that my trainees decided to take my training advice seriously during their personal time, not just when I was with them." He was trying to be modest, so he added, "They each transformed themselves into football stars, just like me! And now Mark wants to follow in his brother's footsteps and become a football star as well! It's pretty amazing that none of those guys played football before they met me, and now they're all really great football players! If I got Ralph and Connor onto the football team after one year of training, I should be able to get Mike onto the college team in ten months!"

"I can imagine he'd really like that," Carrie said. "I think the reason your previous trainees were so motivated to become good football players is your success on the field. They saw how popular and successful you are, and they wanted to experience the same thing for themselves! Ralph is the only one who knows you were once a small kid, isn't he?"

"Actually you, Steve and Darrell know that as well," Andrew corrected her. "If you recall, Darrell was the main big kid who bugged me in Grade Four. However, when I came into Grade Five 30 pounds heavier, and three inches taller, he never bothered me again!"

"I think you've forgotten how you sent him sliding down the hall, right to the teacher's feet!" Carrie informed him. "After you showed him the military moves your father taught you, then he stopped bugging you!"

"Hey, you're right," Andrew agreed, remembering all the events of seven years before. "But you're right about the fact that very few of my friends know that I was once a small skinny kid. Connor, Mike and Mark, as well as all my other friends and teammates, only knew me as a muscular jock! It may be due to the fact that it only took me three years to go from 5 foot 4 and 120 pounds to 6 feet and 200 pounds!"

"That is an astonishing growth rate when I think about it," Carrie realized. "That may explain why Darrell and Phil and Ralph never mention how small you once were; you transformed yourself into a jock very quickly!"

"Yeah, and six years after I was a small skinny kid, I was 6 foot 7 and 275 pounds," Andrew remembered, grinning smugly at the thought.

"And what are you now, you massive muscle god?" Carrie purred seductively, smiling and rubbing his ripped abs gently with her soft hands.

"6 foot 8 and 352 pounds of rock-hard muscle baby!" Andrew growled softly, smiling down at her. "And all that muscle is yours to fondle, so get busy little girl!"

"I have no reason not to get busy fondling your massive muscles big man!" Carrie informed him. "You're the perfect specimen of a god among men, just thin enough for me to see all of your muscles, but not thin enough for me to see your ribs! You were too thin last fall; I could actually see your ribs!"

"Yeah I know," Andrew agreed. "That is one benefit to my enhancement: I reached my current weight in three months instead of three years!"

"Yes, and as you not-so-subtly reminded me, that gives me more of your muscles to fondle!" Carrie realized, sliding her hands down his chest towards his ten-pack abs.

"Well go ahead girl, start pleasing your big man!" Andrew ordered her. "And in return, your big man will give you pleasures that you've only dreamt about!"

"I don't know, I can dream of a lot of pleasure!" Carrie informed him. "And I'm referring to my dream about you on the plane! And then I woke up in your massive arms and found out that the dream was nothing compared to the reality of being with you! I love you so much Andrew, and I want to be with you forever!"

Andrew was rendered speechless by her declaration of true love for him, and he could only gaze down into her beautiful green eyes and smile softly. When Carrie saw his great love for her shining in his eyes, she knew that he didn't need to tell her how much he loved her; the tender look in his eyes said it all. Andrew's massive arms circled her waist gently and he bent down to rest his chin on top of her head. Carrie decided to make her big man more comfortable and led him over to the side of the room as the slow songs came to an end. They sat down on a bench and then Andrew was able to rest his chin on top of her head gently without having to bend down. Carrie was glad that she had decided to sit on his lap instead of beside him; because he was so wide, he took up almost all of the room on the bench himself! Carrie realized that she would have been squashed like a bug if she had tried to sit beside him. Andrew folded his massive arms around her gently and allowed Carrie to snuggle against his massive pecs, almost getting her head buried between them! She listened to his strong steady heartbeat, marvelling at the sheer amount of muscle Andrew had packed onto his frame in just three months.

At first I thought Andrew was getting too big, but then I realized that his muscle growth just give me more of him to worship! she thought to herself.

Carrie also realized that Andrew became more gentle, at least with her, the bigger and stronger he got.

It's as if his own fear of his great strength leads him to control it more around me, so that my fear of him won't interfere with our love for each other!

It was a bitter admission for Carrie, admitting to herself that Andrew's great size and strength really scared her. She tried to comfort herself with the fact that he had never deliberately hurt her and that his great love for her was evident every day in the gentle manner in which he treated her. Carrie knew however, that one day soon she would have to tell Andrew just how much his great strength scared her. She knew that if they wanted to be together for the rest of their lives, they couldn't keep any secrets from each other.

"What are you thinking about?" Andrew asked her, stroking her hair softly as he smiled gently down at her.

"Just thinking about how lucky I am to have such a gentle giant for a boyfriend," Carrie replied, smiling up at him.

"You think you are the lucky one?" Andrew asked her in surprise. "I got the better end of this deal, getting such a beatiful girl to fall in love with me; one who isn't scared of my great strength I might add!"

Carrie smile deepened, even as she thought to herself, I'm either going to have to tell him how much his great strength scares me, or do something to conquer my fear!

As Andrew lifted one massive hand off her shoulder so that he could stroke her face gently, Carrie decided to get Andrew aroused. She slid her hands down his massive pecs gently, enjoying the feeling of his warm skin underneath her fingers. She began to fondle his ten-pack abs softly, letting her fingers explore each crevice of his muscular torso.

Andrew's gentle smile deepened as he felt the warmth of her silky touch. He knew that if he didn't come onto Carrie too much, she would come onto him even more, like she had in the hotel room! That's what really turned Andrew on: letting Carrie worship his massive muscles! Andrew didn't like to worship his own muscles; he just smirked at the reflection of his massive body in the mirror and flexed each muscle slowly. But he loved it when Carrie worshipped his massive muscles; it vindicated his status as a muscle god. Carrie was also the only person who didn't embarrass him with her admiration of his monstrous physique. Andrew had no idea that Carrie was just as scared of him as his other friends were; he thought that Carrie's occasional silences were due to her deep love for him.

Carrie smiled as she felt Andrew's massive hands massaging her back softly. When Andrew looked down at her, Carrie nodded for him to continue, whispering for him to fondle the front of her body! Andrew motioned towards the back door of the club and Carrie nodded, letting Andrew take her hands and help her to her feet. Holding hands, Andrew and Carrie walked out the back door of the club, waving goodbye to their friends as they stepped outside.

Once they got onto the patio, they noticed that they were alone. Andrew sat down on a bench and hauled Carrie into his lap.

"Now, what shall we do to each other?" he asked her with a cocky grin.

"You can do whatever you want to me big man," Carrie goaded him. "I'll be yours forever, so have your way with me, if you're man enough! Make the reality better than the dream I had this morning!"

"I'll make sure to do that," Andrew promised her, beginning to massage her chest as she massaged his.

"You mean you'll do me!" Carrie corrected him, moaning with pleasure as the warmth of Andrew's gentle tough flowed into her. "And I'll return the favour!"

Andrew smiled as he felt Carrie's hands gradually sliding underneath the waistband of his shorts. She began massaging him and he gasped with pleasure as he grew hard and firm underneath her grip. Carrie's sexy grin grew wide with pleasure and she got aroused herself, as Andrew continued his vigorous chest massage!

Andrew and Carrie worshipped each other for almost an hour on the patio, each of them getting swept up in the gentle touch of the other. Then Carrie stood up, having temporarily exhausted her passion for Andrew.

"That was wonderful Carrie!" Andrew complimented her. "I'm going to have to wash my shorts now!"

"I am going to have to wash mine as well!" Carrie agreed. "It's amazing that we brought each other such pleasure and we haven't even gone all the way yet!"

"Once we're engaged Carrie," Andrew promised her. "Nothing would ruin our plans more than for you to suddenly get pregnant now!"

"Gee, someone has confidence in his abilities!" Carrie teased him.

"Well, considering what you made gush out of me, why shouldn't I?" Andrew bragged, leading Carrie down to the beach. "Good thing the ocean's right here, we can clean off our clothes and each other!"

"I look forward to it big man!" Carrie said enthusiastically. "I'm glad you held me back: keeping me from seducing you!"

"You gave me enough pleasure to make the memories of this night last forever!" Andrew promised her. "This night was better than the last trip to Miami!" he added, as they stood beside the water. "And there is another reason I held myself back: I didn't want to take advantage of you and take away your virginity in a less than romantic location."

"What could be more romantic than South Beach at night?" Carrie protested, slowly pulling off his shorts. She couldn't resist massaging him again as she added, "You have somewhere more romantic in mind Andrew?"

"Yeah, the Honeymoon Suite at the hotel on our wedding night," Andrew replied, slowly removing Carrie's shorts. "I want complete privacy as I have my way with you; all night long!"

"Gee, someone thinks he has stamina!" Carrie teased him. "I'll be sure to take that massive body of yours to its limits and back again! I'm very glad that you're watching out for both of us Andrew; it makes me feel completely safe with you! But I do have some bad news for you!"

"What's that Carrie?" Andrew asked her, gently removing her top so that she was completely naked.

"Your responsible attitude makes me want you more!" Carrie replied, forcibly ripping his t-shirt off to get to his massive upper body muscles.

"Well, here I am; give me all the pleasure you can!" Andrew goaded her. "I don't think you want me; you just want my muscles!" He looked down and saw that he was getting hard again, just from the sight of her gorgeous naked body! "One muscle in particular, I'm sure!"

"May I?" Carrie asked him, preparing to get onto her knees and make him happy, so to speak.

"Go ahead Carrie, play with my head all you want!" Andrew replied, with a really big grin. He looked around to make sure that the darkness hid them completely from anyone who might see them. "And I'm not talking about the one on my shoulders!"

Carrie giggled and began to give him more pleasure than he had ever felt before, making him even happier than the last time! Andrew, meanwhile, massaged her breasts gently, making Carrie moan with pleasure.

Once they had pleasured each other a second time, Andrew and Carrie ran into the ocean and frolicked in the surf naked, just as they had promised each other they would! They also washed their bathing suits completely and then threw them onto the beach towel to dry. As Andrew and Carrie worshipped each other gently, the water around them splashed wildly as their fingers explored every inch of each other's bodies.

After half an hour of frolicking in the surf, Andrew and Carrie finally crawled onto the beach towel, completely exhausted. At least Andrew hoped Carrie was exhausted, because he was! Andrew was amazed by how passionate Carrie had been as she had worshipped him. He felt closer to her than he ever had before: because she had revealed herself as his wild girl, putting all of her effort into pleasing him!

"I love you so much!" Andrew gasped to Carrie, exhausted from the effort he had put into pleasing her! As Carrie lay on top of him, he rubbed her back gently and added, "This was the best time we've had with each other so far! Just imagine what it'll be like when we go all the way! Thanks a lot Carrie!"

"You're welcome Andrew," Carrie gasped, panting from the effort she had put into pleasing her big man. "I only want to go all the way home with you; no one else! But I think the trip to Third Base has exhausted both of us tonight! I know that I am all tired out now; I have nothing left!"

"That's good Carrie, because I am so tired that I wouldn't be able to stop you if you wanted to go further!" Andrew informed her. "You would be able to take advantage of me in my weakened condition! I guess I don't have unlimited stamina after all! It looks like you are the greatest challenge my muscles have ever had!"

"So now I know how to wear out my big man!" Carrie shouted in excitement, getting her breath back pretty quickly. "I'll just give you so much pleasure that you're completely exhausted! Then I can take advantage of you and take things all the way!"

"At least wait until we're engaged Carrie," Andrew begged her, finally getting his breath back. "Once we've set a wedding date, then we can go all the way with each other!"

?What if I don?t want to wait until after college to get engaged?? Carrie asked him suddenly.

?You know, I?ve been thinking about that myself,? Andrew informed her. ?If both of us are going to be of legal age in just one week, and everyone knows we?re meant to be together, why wait to get married??

?Are you serious Andrew?? Carrie asked him, taking her head off his chest so she could look right into his eyes.

?Absolutely,? Andrew replied, smiling softly as she smiled slowly. ?We talked so much on the plane and became even closer tonight, why not get married in the summer? We know that we can afford to get married before college, so if we?re in agreement, why not do it? Then when we go off to college together, we?ll be husband and wife!?

?That would be wonderful!? Carrie agreed, getting up off of Andrew, and helping him stand up. ?I?m so glad that you want to be with me forever, and not just for sex!?

?And I?m glad that you know I?m only a player on the field, not on the beach!? Andrew informed her. He picked up the towel and began drying her off. He couldn?t resist touching her beautiful body once more as he did so, and Carrie couldn?t resist touching him everywhere as well! ?I think my plan worked Carrie.?

?What plan?? Carrie asked him. ?If you?re talking about making me happier than I?ve ever dreamed of, you just succeeded! I knew that you would make the reality better than the fantasy, but I never imagined that you would propose to me on the beach in the moonlight!?

?I?d better make it official Carrie,? Andrew decided, getting down on one knee so that he could gaze up at her beautiful body and into her eyes. ?I know I don?t have a ring for you yet, but if you?d accept it when I do have one for you, you would make me the happiest man alive!?

?I will accept your proposal of marriage big man!? Carrie shouted in excitement. ?I knew you were the one for me since we first met 12 years ago, and my love for you has only deepened over that time! I want to be with you forever Andrew, and no one else!?

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Once again, Andrew was rendered speechless by Carrie?s declaration of true love for him and tears began streaming down his face. Carrie squatted down and wiped the tears of joy off his face gently, getting misty-eyed herself. They lay down on the discard towel and began kissing passionately again, getting lost in their love for each other. However, they agreed not to go all the way to Home Base until their wedding night, which was now less than one year away!

?I guess we?d better get dressed and get back to the hotel,? Andrew realized after another half hour had passed.

"I don't want to get dressed and go back Andrew," Carrie said tearfully. "I want this night to last forever."

"I know Carrie; so do I," Andrew agreed. "But not to worry, this will be the first of many wonderful nights as an engaged couple. The best is yet to come!"

"Thanks for reminding me of that Andrew!" Carrie shouted in excitement. "I had almost forgotten about that!"

"Gee, I'm insulted Carrie!" Andrew teased her. "I guess I'll have to work harder to make this night unforgettable!"

"How about you get harder?" Carrie suggested with an evil grin. "That should make sure I remember this night forever!"

"I already did that Carrie!" Andrew reminded her, "but you almost forgot anyway! I was talking about taking a picture of us: our first picture as an engaged couple!"

"Good idea Andrew," Carrie commended him. "You're really proving that both of your heads are really good!"

"Okay, okay Carrie, could yous top the sex talk please?" Andrew begged her. "I'm trying to be romantic here, and you keep trying to get me aroused! Can't you wait until we get to bed?"

"You mean when you take me to bed," Carrie corrected him, as Andrew bent down to get the camera out of the backpack. She rubbed Andrew's butt gently and worked her hands around to his crotch. Andrew gasped with pleasure and dropped the camera in the sand. "Looks like I distracted my big man!" Carrie realized. "My plan is working!"

"Okay Carrie, I'll set the timer and then we can get a great shot of us kissing passionately," Andrew said with a sigh. He realized that he might as well let Carrie seduce him, since she was really flattering him by wanting him so badly. He picked up the camera, set it on a tree stump and set the timer. Then he walked over to the water, dragging Carrie with him. "Come on girl; if you really want all that your big man has to offer, take it all!"

Carrie grinned and gave him a big kiss, wrapping her arms and legs around him. As she straddled him, Andrew held her up effortlessly with one arm while he stroked her face softly with the other. The camera flashed in the middle of their passionate embrace, but Andrew and Carrie were too caught up in their love for each other to notice.

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"So, when do you want me to give you the engagement ring Carrie?" Andrew asked her, hugging his fiance gently.

"You know, you just gave me the perfect early birthday present, proposing to me and making it clear that you want to be with me forever!"

"And you gave me a perfect early birthday present: accepting my first proposal to you," Andrew informed her. "I think just before Christmas would be the best time. I already have an idea which ring would be perfect for you. And there a few other things I want to take care of before we make the official announcent of our engagement to everyone. I think that if we tell everyone just before Christmas, it will be the perfect Christmas present for both of our families!"

"Well I'll let you take care of everything big man!" Carrie shouted in happiness, as Andrew led her over to the camera. They looked at the picture and smiled at how romantic they looked. "You've already taken care of making me happier that I ever dreamed of being! So I have complete confidence in your abilities to make our engagement as romantic as possible! And you're right: an official proposal before Christmas would be the perfect present for me! And then we can spend our first Christmas together as an official engaged couple!"

"Then it's settled Carrie," Andrew declared, smiling down at her softly. He looked at his watch and said, "It's about 2 am now; we'd better get dressed and get back to the hotel."

"Do we have to get dressed?" Carrie asked him, looking like she was sulking slightly.

"Now now Carrie, remember what we talked about a few minutes ago!" Andrew warned her gently. "Wait until we get into bed before you jump me again! But I will let you dress your big man, if you let him dress you as well!"

"Like I could even hope to stop you!" Carrie reminded him, taking their clothes out of the backpack. "You're so big and strong that no one could stop you if you decided to take advantage of them!"

"That's why I'm so gentle with you Carrie," Andrew informed her. "I don't want to hurt you and make you scared of me. I want you to feel completely safe with me, knowing that I'll protect you from anyone who might try to hurt you."

"I don't think anyone would try anything with me, once they see how big and strong you are!" Carrie informed him. "And no one knows how skilled I am in the same military moves that you are! Anyone who manages to get to me when you aren't around will have a nasty surprise waiting for them!"

"Good for you Carrie," Andrew commended her, handing her t-shirt and jeans to her. "But now it's time to dress each other and get back to the hotel."

"Are you sure we have to get dressed?" Carrie asked him, pouting slightly.

"Yes I am sure Little Girl!" Andrew roared at her with a big grin.

"Okay, okay Big Boy, calm down!" Carrie urged Andrew, raising her hands to keep him calm. She grinned at him and added, "I love it when you act all tough and bossy!"

"Then listen to me girl; get over here and help me get dressed; now!" Andrew yelled, grinning again.

"Yes sir!" Carrie said obediently, coming over and handing him her clothes. "If you're going to order me to dress you, then I'll ask you to dress me! Of course, that's only if you undress me later!"

"I'll be delighted to take advantage of that opportunity later," Andrew promised her. "But right now, if you'd dress me please, I'd appreciate it; before someone comes along and sees us standing here naked!"

"Whatever you say Big Man," Carrie said obediantly. "I don't need to be ordered to dress you, because it gives me the opportunity to touch all of your massive muscles once again!"

"Thanks Carrie," Andrew said gratefully, smiling as he realized why she was referring to all of his muscles being massive. "I'm glad you were impressed by my performance. But now it's time to turn off the sexy Carrie and turn on the shy Carrie, if there is one that is!"

"What do you mean?" Carrie asked him, as she sat down on the bench at the edge of the beach. As Andrew leaned against the palm tree beside the bench, she asked him, "Do you think I can't turn off my sexy nature? Once you dress me, I'm sure you'll find out how shy and respectable I can be!"

"I don't think it will make any difference whether you're dressed or naked Carrie!" Andrew reminded her with a big laugh. "Even fully clothed, you still came onto me and helped me get ahead on the Road to Home Base!"

"Shut up Andrew!" Carrie ordered him jokingly. "Get back behind those tall bushes with me and help me get dressed!"

"Why, can't you dress yourself?" Andrew teased her. "You're almost 18 Carrie; that's pathetic!"

"I can tell you what wasn't pathetic: your performance tonight!" Carrie informed Andrew with a big grin. "I've never had such wild passion in my life!"

"Well I should certainly hope not Carrie," Andrew said, frowning slightly. "If I ever hear that someone else has been trying to show my girl the sights and sounds of true passion, I'll show them the sights and sounds of true pain!"

"Calm down Big Man; noone would dare try to take advantage of me!" Carrie assured him, getting slightly scared of Andrew's quick temper. "Even Mike wouldn't try anything, though he was obviously attracted to me when I first met him!"

"That's because he's not blind!" Andrew informed her. "He knows a beautiful body when he sees one, and so do I! I for one can't wait to put my hands on your sexy body once again!"

"Well come get some Big Man!" Carrie ordered him. She laughed and added, "We already know that you're big in more ways than one, don't we?"

"Yes we do Carrie," Andrew agreed, looking down as he stepped closer to her. "I'm glad you enjoyed what I had to offer."

"Just don't get any ideas Big Man!" Carrie warned him, as he gripped her shoulders gently. "You're the one who wanted me to turn off my sexiness! So stop looking so sexy yourself, and while you're at it, stop getting aroused!"

Andrew noticed Carrie staring down between his legs and he looked down himself to see that he was getting hard again.

"You'd better put my jeans on first Carrie," he suggested. "Then my desire for you won't be so noticeable! I should be able to restrain myself until we get behind closed doors again!"

"Oh, so you want to take me to bed, do you?' Carrie asked him seductively. She slowly slid his jeans up his massive legs but then they got stuck halfway up his butt! She pulled and tugged, but couldn't get his jeans to go up any higher! "Good grief Andrew, you're certainly a big man below the belt, aren't you?"

"Bigger than usual, thanks to your sexy touch!" Andrew informed her.

He gasped with pleasure at he grew hard and firm again underneath her fingers!

"Stop that Andrew!" Carrie yelled in protest, but still getting a big grin on her face. "How am I supposed to zip you up if you keep bulging like that?"

"And how am I supposed to keep from bulging when you turn me on with your sexy touch?" Andrew asked, grinning at her.

"Okay, I'll stop," Carrie said, removing her warm hands from Andrew's crotch. "I'll let you suffer alone, without my gentle touch to keep you warm!"

"Gee thanks a lot Carrie!" Andrew yelled sarcastically. "I see that you really just want to take advantage of me! When I protest, you get all cold and distant and withdraw in a sulk, hoping that I'll take pity on you!"

"Funny man!" Carrie snapped at him, glaring at him. "Why don't you use your great strength to zip yourself up, now that you're calming down! It's obvious that I wasn't helping at all!"

"Okay, if that's how you want it Carrie," Andrew agreed, looking down and noticing that he was soft again. He was able to get his jeans pulled up all the way and then managed to get them zipped up without help. "Now it's my turn to put your jeans on you!" Andrew informed Carrie, smiling at her softly.

"I can do it myself!" Carrie pouted, pulling her jeans on easily and zipping them up without help. "See, I don't need you Andrew, and you apparently don't need me either!"

"Hey hey, don't pout Carrie!" Andrew urged her, coming over and grabbing her shoulders gently. Carrie tried to twist away but Andrew's iron grip was way too strong! "If you want me to let you go, all you have to do is ask!"

"I don't want you to let me go Big Man!" Carrie sniffled. "I just don't like it when you snap at me and push me away!"

"I've never put my hands on you in a violent manner!" Andrew protested. "You take that back Carrie! You know better than anyone how much more gently I have treated you since I attained superhuman strength!"

"I was talking about emotionally pushing me away, you big dumb jock!" Carrie yelled at him. "You're supposed to be really smart and able to read my mind, especially if you want to be my husband!"

Andrew's anger at her name-calling was smothered by his desire to ease the pain that he had caused her.

"Don't be mad at me Carrie, please!" Andrew begged her, as Carrie pulled away and stalked off down the beach. "Please come back!" he called after her, starting to follow her. His long strides overtook her quickly and he soon caught up and blocked her path. "There, now you have to stand still and talk to me."

Carrie tried to back away, but Andrew held out one long arm and kept her from going anywhere.

"Get out of my way Andrew!" Carrie yelled at him. "Leave me alone!"

"Fine Carrie!" Andrew yelled back. "Maybe I will stop acting like a big dumb jock!"

He began stalking down the beach, secretly hoping that Carrie would give in and follow him, like he had followed her! He was pleasantly surprised when he heard Carrie calling his name. He looked back and saw her standing alone on the beach, tears running her face. Andrew's desire to ease her pain erased his anger at her and he ran over to hold her in his arms.

"It's okay Carrie; I'm sorry I yelled at you!" Andrew apologized, rubbing her face softly as she sobbed softly, the tears running down his massive chest. "I guess it's true what they say: I do hurt the ones I love the most!"

"That's what scares me so much!" Carrie informed her, trying to stop crying. "I love you so much and the slightest displeasure you have with me hurts me so much! I just can't stand to have you mad at me, and your presence arouses such strong emotions in me that it's easy for me to be mad at you! I'm sorry for calling you a big dumb jock Andrew!"

"Including the words 'big dumb jock' in the apology doesn't make it very effective Carrie," Andrew informed her, frowning slightly. "You can do better than that, can't you?"

"How about this then?" Carrie asked him, standing on her tip toes to kiss him. Andrew bent down to meet her plump lips and they kissed for almost a minute. "How was that for an apology big man?" Carrie asked him with a seductive smile.

"Now that was the best apology I have ever had from you!" Andrew informed her, grinning with pleasure. "You should make me mad at you more often: your apologies more than make up for it! Now you have made me love you more than ever!"

"I feel the same way Andrew," Carrie informed him. "I think this fight explained why we have never spent more than a few days apart in anger since we got together!"

"Yeah, we'd miss each other too much!" Andrew realized. "When you walked away down the beach, I couldn't believe how many miles away you seemed! I could feel my heart aching for you even with you only a few dozen feet away!"

"Me too, and I'm glad you followed me when I stalked off!" Carrie informed him. "You really proved how much my love means to you, and how deep your love for me really is!"

"And I did exactly what I said I would do on the plane," Andrew informed her. "I let you go, just as I told you I would!"

"Don't ever let me go again, even if I start hitting you in anger Andrew!" Carrie begged him. "My heart was breaking as you stalked away, and I knew that if you had started running, I would never have been able to catch you!"

"That's why I didn't start running," Andrew informed her. "I was hoping that you would call me back, and you did!" He let a shuddering breath out of his massive lungs slowly and tears began streaming from his eyes. "Don't ever let me walk away from you again, Carrie! My life would be so incomplete without you and I don't know I would go on living!"

"I feel the same way Andrew!" Carrie sobbed, tears runnign down her cheeks as Andrew sat down on the sand. She sat down beside him and stroked his hair softly until they both stopped crying. Once their eyes were dry again, she said, "I think it's time that we made each other happy again, instead of sad!"

"How do you suggest we do that Carrie?" Andrew asked her, taking her hands and helping her stand up.

"How about I do this?" Carrie suggested with a smug grin, rubbing the massive bulge in his crotch again!

"I've got no problem with that now!" Andrew assured her. "I'm all zipped up now, so you can't cause any more damage now! It's amazing that these jeans of mine are actually tighter than yours! I guess I'll have to get a larger size from now on!"

"I hope not!" Carrie informed him. "Those skintight jeans show off both your front and rear assets for me to see, really clearly! I can see you getting bigger from here, and I can see that I was not exagerating when I called you big man!"

She rubbed the massive growing bulge at the front of his jeans until she could hear the seams straining to contain it. Andrew gasped with pleasure and he was too lost in that wonderful feeling to stop her.

When he felt himself getting ready to explode however, he begged her, "Okay okay Carrie, please stop!" He gently removed her hands from his massive bulge and added, "I'm telling you, I can't take it anymore! I'm going to explode!"

"Okay big man, I'll give in to your begging; this time!" Carrie said, grinning evilly as Andrew clenched his teeth. She laughed as he struggled to use his iron will to contain his immense desire for her! "I'm glad that my touch can still turn you on!"

"Yes it can Carrie!" Andrew gapsed, willing himself to calm down so that he wouldn't explode in front of anyone who might be watching! "I really appreciate how much you can turn me on, but it's just not appropriate for everyone to see it! Do you want to know why I insisted we get back into our clothes and not our bathing suits?"

"Probably because our suits were still wet and you didn't want to trail water along the marble floor of the hotel."

"That's right Carrie!" Andrew said, pleased that she could still read his mind. "Since Mr. Malcolm went to all that trouble to get such a wonderful suite for us, I don't want to get it all wet, do I?"

"You can get me wet whenever you want!" Carrie promised him. "And I'm not talking about throwing me in the ocean!"

"I know exactly what you're talking about Carrie!" Andrew informed her, grinning at how much she wanted him. "However, you'll have to wait until we get back into the hotel again."

"Okay Andrew," Carrie pouted, "I'll wait to get aroused again. I just have one question: if you didn't want everyone else to see how much I turn you on, why did you wear those skintight jeans? They show off everything you have to offer, even when you're not hard and firm!"

"These jeans were not skintight last night," Andrew informed her calmly. He tried not to get impatient with Carrie for not knowing that, remembering their big fight a few minutes before. "I noticed, when I got off work two hours ago, that my clothes had been washed while I was on duty! Someone must have put them into the dryer, on maximum heat!"

"It was probably one of those female bartenders who were checking you out last night!" Carrie fumed. "I noticed that blonde bimbo Brenda slipping away every few minutes. She was probably checking to make sure that your jeans would shrink enough! That little minx was trying to get a full view of your assets for herself! I ought to smash a barstool over her head the next time I see her!"

"Whoa whoa, calm down Carrie!" Andrew urged her, taking hold of her shoulders gently. When Carrie didn't try to pull away, Andrew knew that they had moved on from their fight. He smiled at her and realized just how much he loved her at that moment. He looked into her blazing hazel eyes and informed her, "You're cute when you get jealous; have I ever told you that?"

"I'm supposed to be scary when I'm jealous!" Carrie snapped at him. "Why doesn't my wrath scare you, big man?"

"Probably because you're not mad at me!" Andrew informed her. "You know, when you were mad at me, you didn't make me scared of you; you just made my heart melt! Of course, when you tried to push me away, then you made me mad, because I only want to be close to you and noone else!"

"I only want to be close to you as well," Carrie informed him, stroking his massive pecs softly. "I don't want anyone else to be able to feel your rock-hard muscles like I can! I get so jealous whenever I see any other girl even looking at you!"

"Yeah I feel the same way when I see other guys, like Mike, staring at you!" Andrew agreed. "You know, someone once said, 'Jealousy is the fear of losing someone you love; there's no pain greater than that.' I guess they were right, because the thought of losing you brings me more pain than I ever thought I could feel!"

"I feel the same way!" Carrie informed him. "And that's why I felt so jealous when I realized how sneaky Brenda's trick was!"

"You know, I think you've forgotten something Carrie," Andrew told her, stroking the side of her face gently.

"What's that big man?" Carrie asked him, closing her eyes in pleasure as she felt the tenderness of his soft touch.

"Brenda's plan to see my assets for herself failed, because I changed into my shorts, not my jeans!" Andrew informed her. "So, in the end, you are the only one who gets to see the effects of her sneaky trick! And you are the only one who gets to enjoy the warmth of my touch as well!"

"Why do you have to be such a great guy?" Carrie asked him, tears welling up in her eyes. "You always know the right thing to say to melt my heart!" she added, beginning to cry softly.

"I can't help it; I love you so much!" Andrew informed her.

He rubbed her face gently with one hand, wrapping his other hand and arm around her shoulders gently. As Carrie leaned her head against his massive warm chest, she broke down in tears, her shoulders shaking as she sobbed uncontrollably. Andrew realized that she was overwhelmed with joy by the fact that she was now his fiance. He gently wiped her tears away and then wrapped his massive arms around her softly, smiling with sheer joy. He realized how lucky he was that Carrie had accepted his first proposal. Andrew decided at that moment to make Carrie's life as his fiance even better than it had been as his girlfriend!

"I love you so much Andrew!" Carrie informed him, when she could finally speak again. She looked up into his soft blue eyes and her eyes threatened to well up with tears again. "You've made my life so complete since I've known you that I couldn't even imagine what my life would be like without you! You've filled my heart with such joy, and I didn't even know that I was missing that wonderful feeling!"

"Gee, I didn't know that I was so easy to miss!" Andrew teased her, trying to stop her tears from flowing by making her laugh. But when he saw her tears start to flow again, he realized that he had said the wrong thing. "hey hey Carrie, don't cry!" he begged her. "You know that I can't stand to see you in pain! What did I say this time that made you cry again?"

"You just reminded me of how much I miss you every time we're apart!" Carrie sobbed. "Especially our fight about twenty minutes ago!"

"Please don't remind me of that Carrie!" Andrew begged her, his own eyes threatening to well up with tears! "i just hope that I can bring tears of joy, not just sorrow, to your eyes!"

"Are you kidding?!" Carrie asked him in astonishment. "Do you have any idea how happy you've made me now that you've proposed to me? Can you even comprehend how lucky I feel to be your fiance now, not just your girlfriend?"

"Yeah I got a pretty good idea of how happy I make you when you accepted my proposal withot hesitation," Andrew informed her. He couldn't keep his own tears tears from flowing as he realized how happy Carrie had made him when she had accepted his moonlight proposal. "You have also made me happier than I ever thought I could be when you said 'yes' to being my wife!"

"You never had any doubts that I would say anything but 'yes', did you?" Carrie asked him, wiping his tears away. He returned the favour and she added, "I'd be an utter fool to say 'no' to you, no matter what you asked of me!"

"No matter what?" Andrew asked her with a big grin. "You'd better be careful Carrie! With talk like that, you'll make more than sweet talk gush out of me!"

"Like something else did earlier!" Carrie reminded him, chuckling softly.

Carrie's shoulders shook as she doubled over, roaring with laughter. Andrew took that opportunity to put her t-shirt on her, while she was distracted. He zipped up the backpack, leaving his t-shirt inside it, and then put the bag on his back. Andrew stood up as Carrie tried to stifle her laughter, getting a big grin on his face at all the ways he was able to pleasure her. He couldn't pretend to be offended by her 'gushing' comment; in fact, her description of his obviously unforgettable performance made him want her more!

"Oh yeah girl!" Andrew laughed, lifting Carrie up in his massive arms effortlessly. Carrie trailed her fingers along his abs and chest as he lifted her, feeling completely relaxed in his gentle grip. "Are you ready for the eight block jog back to the hotel?" Andrew asked her, smiling at her softly.

"You're going to carry me all eight blocks while jogging?" Carrie asked him in astonishment.

"Well I can't think of any better way to get you there, considering your name," Andrew teased her.

"Stop making fun of my name big man!" Carrie shouted with a big grin, trying to slap him in the face.

Andrew effortlessly caught her hand in the iron grip of his right hand, shifting her entire body to his left arm.

"Careful now Carrie; I wouldn't want you to break your hand punching my rock-hard face!" Andrew informed her.

"Okay big man; can you let me go now?" Carrie asked him, feeling a little scared and trapped.

"Will you promise not to punch me again if I do?" Andrew asked, frowning at her sternly.

"I promise," Carrie assured him, feeling even more scared than before. "I won't try hitting you again!"

"That's a very wise decision Carrie," Andrew informed her, releasing her hand. He kept her in his left arm as he stroked her face gently with his right hand. "Now, if you touch my face like this, then I won't be upset with you!"

"Good idea," Carrie said agreebly, running both her hands gently down the sides of Andrew's face. "I love you so much big man, and I'm glad you can keep me from hurting you!"

"Physically at least," Andrew corrected her, remembering their fight earlier. "Now, do you want me to tell you how I have the endurance, not just the strength, to jog all eight blocks while carrying you?"

"Yes please," Carrie replied, leaning her head against Andrew's massive chest as he began jogging down the South Beach Boardwalk. "I'd love to hear how my big man gets stronger and tougher defending all of us!"

"Okay Carrie, I'll tell you," Andrew agreed, getting slightly embarrassed at the mention of his military service. "You see, when I did my Reserves Training in the summer, it culminated in a 13 kilometer forced march with almost 100 pounds of equipment on our backs! Compared to that experience, carrying a 150 pound girl eight blocks while jogging will be effortless! And there is something else I should tell you! I can now curl over 100 pounds in each hand, which I found out when I lifted the back ends of cars almost above my head; one car per hand!"

Carrie gasped in shock, and Andrew grinned, having finally found a way to keep her quiet for a few minutes. As he continued jogging effortlessly down the South Beach Boardwalk, he was relieved that Carrie was not coming after him anymore. He noticed the fear on her face and was worried that he had scared her with the true limits of his great strength. But he knew that Carrie was afraid to tell him that she was scared of him, realizing that their fight on the beach earlier was probably the reason why. He stroked Carrie's face gently with his massive right hand, hoping to make her fear vanish so that she could tell him about it. He decided that he would confront Carrie about her fear of his great strength when they got to the hotel.

Carrie's fear of Andrew's strength vanished as she felt the warmth of his unbelievably gentle touch. She was uncomfortable with the fact that Andrew's great strength continued to scare her so much. She knew that she would see more of his great strength as time went on, since he was slowly becoming more dominant in their moments of physical intimacy. Carrie knew that Andrew was getting stronger literally every day and that even now, no one could control him! Carrie hoped and prayed that Andrew's gentle nature would remain intact, and she also hoped, unrealistically perhaps, that she would never see Andrew angry again! The image of Andrew's massive hand around Anthony's throat flashed through her mind and she internally shook with terror at the thought of Andrew using his great strength against her in anger! She was even more terrified when she realized that Andrew had her completely at his mercy at that moment! The only thing, besides his iron grip, that kept her from leaping out of his arms in terror was the fact that he did have mercy, as he had proven when he had let go of Anthony's throat. Though Carrie realized that he had only done that because she had begged him to. That is what gave Carrie some hope that Andrew could control his bad temper: if she was around, he would not become a raging muscle monster! His gentle touch, even while she was essentially trapped in his massive arms, proved that she did not have to worry about him ever raising a hand against her in anger!

"What are you thinking about Carrie?" Andrew asked her, though he already knew. As they got within sight of the hotel, he noticed that her fear of him was still in her eyes. "You'd better tell me now Carrie, so that we can talk about it and then go to bed."

"I'm just thinking about how lucky I am to be your fiancee now," Carrie replied. She was trying to stall for time until she could figure out how to tell Andrew how much his great strength scared her. Though Andrew's last words gave her the distinct impression that he already knew! "I can't believe how happy you've made me Andrew!"

"Well you'd better believe it Carrie!" Andrew informed her. "I can promise you that I will only make you happier as time goes by! But there is one thing you can do to make me happy!"

"What would that be Andrew?" Carrie asked him. She hoped that he hadn't seen the fear on her face during their jog, but she was now certain that he had! "I'll do anything to make you happy big man!"

"How long have you been terrified of my great strength Carrie?" Andrew asked her, setting her down on the bench at the west end of Ocean Park.

"What do you mean Andrew?" Carrie asked him, her fear of his great strength returning at the mere mention of it!

"Don't try to hide it Carrie; I saw the fear in your eyes during the entire jog here!" Andrew informed her with a frown. "I've given you pleasures beyond your wildest dreams; you've said so yourself! I've been as gentle as I can be with you and made sure not to scare you with my great strength! So, why are you still afraid of me? Do you have any idea how much it hurts me to see fear in your eyes when I look into them? I'd never hit you in anger Carrie; don't you know that?"

"That's what you say when you're calm!" Carrie informed him. "But we all saw what you did to Anthony when you were mad! That's what scares me so much Andrew; what you'd do to me if you lost control! Everyone else is too scared of you to tell you how scared they really are of you, but as your fiancee, I have to! We can't have an open and honest relationship if I don't! I have to tell you that I was more terrified than anyone else, because I am the smallest and weakest person you spend time with! If you ever got mad at me, you could snap me like a twig before you realized what you had done! And I know that you would regret what you'd done immediately and you wouldn't be able to live with the memory of what you'd done to me in anger!"

Carrie let out a deep sigh of relief at the conclusion of her speech and then looked over at Andrew to see his reaction. She was devastated when she saw him sitting at the base of the palm tree beside the bench, with tears streaming down his face. His shoulders shook as he tried to contain his sobs, to keep up an image of strength for her. But he failed to stifle his tears and so Carrie got off the bench and sat down beside him, cradling his head in her lap.

"I know I really hurt you Andrew, telling you all that just now," Carrie told him, stroking his hair softly. He looked up at her with a shattered look in her eyes and Carrie began crying as well. "I'm sorry Andrew, but you wanted me to tell you why I was so scared of you, and so I did!"

"I know Carrie, and I'm really glad that you told me the truth, even though it really hurts," Andrew said, as Carrie gently wiped his tears away. As he finally stopped crying, he wiped the tears of her face gently. "You have made me really scared of myself, now that I know how much I scare you! I can't believe I scare even the 'love of my lfie' with my great strength!"

"I know Andrew, and I'm sorry again," Carrie apologized. "I know that telling you the truth has crushed you, but I know that you will emerge from this revelation emotionally stronger than ever! Then we can move forward from this talk and have a more open and honest relationship from this moment forward!"

"You always know the right thing to make me feel better," Andrew said gratefully, slowly getting back to his feet. He took Carrie's hands and helped her stand up as well. "That's why I'm so glad that you said 'yes' to being my wife, even though it was an unofficial proposal!" They both sat down on the bench and Andrew wrapped his massive arms around his fiancee. Carrie leaned her hand against his massive shoulder and smiled with happiness. "Now that you have told me the truth, may I return the favour?"

"Go right ahead Andrew," Carrie said, feeling much more relieved now that she had told Andrew what was in her heart. "I'm ready to hear whatever you have to tell me, just as you were ready to hear what I had to say."

"Do you remember the last time I was mad at you?" Andrew asked her.

"Yeah, on the beach about half an hour ago," Carrie replied, looking like she was going to cry again at the memories.

"Hey, don't cry Carrie!" Andrew begged her. "You'll make me cry as well! Bur you do remember what I did when I was angry, don't you?"

"Yeah I do," Carrie replied. "You walked away from me when I yelled at you to leave me alone."

"Exactly!" Andrew agreed. "I walked away; I did not hit you in anger or restrain you or drag you away with me! I let you go and gave you your space! The thought of hitting you never entered my mind, not even once! That fight should prove that I would never hit you in anger, so don't be afraid that I will! Do you feel better now Carrie?"

"Yes I do Andrew," Carrie replied, breathing a giant sigh of relief. "So that is why you looked so hurt when I revealed my fear that you'd hit me if you got mad! I'm so sorry for thinking that Andrew! What can I do to make it up to you! I'll do anything to make you happy Andrew; I don't want to lose you! I don't know how I'd go on living without you!"

"I feel the same way about you," Andrew informed her. "Just promise me that you won't leave me because you're afraid I'll hit you in anger! Let me look into your eyes and hopefully I won't see any fear there!"



?Okay Andrew; I?ll try not to get scared,? Carrie said, smiling as Andrew held her face gently in his massive hands. She felt completely safe as Andrew slowly eased her face forward so that he could kiss her. He looked into her beautiful hazel eyes with his soft blue ones. ?So, what do you see when you look into my eyes now?? Carrie asked him. ?Do you see any fear now??

?No, I just see peaceful bliss; with no hint of sexual desire!? Andrew replied, chuckling softly.

?Funny man!? Carrie laughed, slowly getting back into the mood for more intimate contact. ?Can we go inside now??

?Yes we can Carrie,? Andrew replied. ?Let?s get a few hours sleep; then we can get to my 9 am interview on time and well rested!?

?Don?t worry Andrew, you?re an excellent personal trainer,? Carrie assured him, as they walked up the marble walkway to the back door. ?You?ve certainly trained me well in arousal during the past few hours!?

?Thanks Carrie,? Andrew said gratefully, stopping in front of the back doors. ?I?m glad that my performance helped make this night unforgettable for you!?

?What are you saying Andrew?? Carrie asked him with a mischievous grin on her face. ?Are you telling me that all your kind words to me tonight, and the proposal, was all an act??

?You?re a really funny girl Carrie!? Andrew laughed, stroking her face softly as he kissed her again. ?I?ll be sure to make it real, don?t worry about that! As soon as I slide the ring onto that dainty finger of yours, you?ll know that you?re really my fianc?!?

?That would be wonderful!? Carrie shouted in excitement. ?I have no idea how you plan to top this night though! This was the best night of my life, thanks to the proposal from my big man!?

?SHHH!? Andrew urged her, putting a massive hand over her mouth gently. ?Let?s keep the engagement quiet until you have your ring! I have a few things to take care of before then! I want to make the night of the official proposal better than tonight!?

?Well if you think you can top tonight, go right ahead,? Carrie challenged him. She grinned as Andrew gently swept her off her feet and into his massive arms. ?I?ll let you take care of everything; you?ve certainly taken care of making me happy: for the rest of my life!?

Andrew couldn?t keep the big grin off his face; very proud of himself for all the ways he was able to bring joy into Carrie?s life. As he opened the back door with his right hand, he shifted her to his left arm effortlessly. Andrew looked forward to having lots of fun in bed with Carrie before they fell asleep, and he was very relieved that she was no longer afraid of his great strength. Of course he was also relieved that Carrie was no longer coming after him; it allowed him the chance to be romantic with her for once.

As he carried her up the stairs effortlessly, with just his left arm, Andrew stroked Carrie?s face gently with his right hand. Carrie smiled at him softly, really turned on by how strong, and gentle, her big man really was. She instinctively sensed that Andrew wanted to be romantic, not sexual, so she held herself back. Of course, the fact that she was essentially trapped in his massive arm also contributed to her wise decision to behave herself.

When Andrew got to the top of the stairs, he kept Carrie in one arm and continued to stroke her face with his right hand. He walked down the hall to the double doors of their suite at the end. He tried to get into his pocket for the keycard, but he couldn?t fit his right hand in there.

?I can?t get the keycard out of my pocket Carrie,? Andrew informed her. ?My jeans are so tight that I can?t fit more than two fingers in my pocket!?

?That presents me with an opportunity that I intend to take full advantage of,? Carrie informed him with a smug grin, inching her fingers slowly below his belt.

?Stop that Carrie!? Andrew ordered her, taking her hand and placing it on his chest. ?I need to figure out how to get out my keycard and still hold onto you! Then you?ll be under control and you won?t be able to jump me while I?m distracted opening the doors!?

?Just rip the doors apart Big Man!? Carrie suggested. ?It should be an effortless task for a big strong guy like you, even with only one free hand!?

?And how do you suggest I put the doors back together after I?ve torn them apart?? Andrew asked, frowning slightly at her. ?I?m going to have to ask you to climb onto my shoulders for a moment; I need both hands to get the keycard out of my pocket.?

?And that also gets me out of the way so that I can?t distract you,? Carrie realized. ?That?s a pretty sneaky trick Andrew!?

?Hey, I?ll let you give me a shoulder massage while you?re sitting on them,? Andrew offered, as Carrie climbed onto his massive shoulders. ?That should make the ride worth it for you!?

?Good idea Andrew,? Carrie agreed, as Andrew used both hands to get the keycard out of his pocket.

He opened the door and ducked his head as he walked into the suite, so that Carrie wouldn?t hit her head on the doorframe. Andrew put the keycard back into his pocket and closed the doors again, smiling as Carrie?s gentle fingers massaged his massive shoulders gently. He carried her across the suite to the doors of the Master Bedroom. He opened those doors and then set Carrie down gently. He closed the doors behind them and then turned to smile at Carrie. He was amazed by how beautiful she looked, with her face outlined by the soft orange glow of the city lights outside.

?I?m all yours Carrie!? Andrew informed her, taking the backpack off. ?Come and get me!?

Carrie didn?t need anymore encouragement; she just lunged at him in a frenzy. Andrew caught her effortlessly with one massive arm, laughing at how strong he was. When he heard Carrie laughing as well, he knew for sure that she was no longer scared of his great strength. In fact, it now seemed to get her in the mood for intimacy! Andrew and Carrie began taking each other?s clothes off slowly. Carrie only had to take Andrew?s jeans off, since he had left his t-shirt in the backpack.

?What?s the matter Carrie; are you getting tired?? Andrew teased her, noticing her panting as she tried to get his skintight jeans off his massive legs. ?That?s too bad, because I have enough energy for both of us! But don?t worry, I?ll be gentle! Then we won?t get tired as fast and the fun in bed can last longer!?

?Sounds like a good idea Big Man!? Carrie gasped, smiling as she finally finished pulling his jeans off. She crawled under the covers completely naked and added, ?Come and get me Andrew; I?m ready for you!?

?We?ll see about that!? Andrew shouted in excitement. ?Here I come!?

Carrie laughed at his choice of words and then Andrew crawled under the covers, giving her more reasons to laugh! Andrew and Carrie gave each other lots of pleasure before they finally fell asleep in each other?s arms.