Rekindling Love at La Barca del Salamanca

La Barca del Salamanca is a super traditional restaurant in Barcelona, located in the area of Porto Olimpico, by the sea, next to the various boats anchored in the calm waters that bathe the city, alongside Nova Icaria Beach. Hundreds of locals and visitors from around the world come daily to enjoy its Mediterranean cuisine and seafood. I know all of this because I have always been eager to be one of the locals who frequents this place, but Carlos never brought me here, at least not until now. I walk towards the maitre who was finishing attending to a couple. I smile at him and then say:

"Good evening. A table for two, please."
"Under whose name is the reservation, ma'am?"
"Carlos Salazar...?" I reply more as a question than a firm answer.

The maitre looks at his computer for a while, and I think I probably guessed the name wrong. Then he smiles in my direction and says:

"Follow me, Miss Penedo. Mr. Carlos is already waiting for you."

I walk behind the maitre, observing the beauty of the place, which is far beyond what my thoughts could imagine. He leads me to the terrace, where my husband is sitting in a beautiful black suit, as well as his shirt and shoes. Carlos gets up and takes a few steps toward us.

"Miss," the maitre points to our table.

I nod slightly towards the maitre, who leaves the room, leaving Carlos and me alone. I give a half-hearted smile to my husband, biting my lips right after:

"Hello, Dália Penedo," my husband greets, taking one hand out of his pants pocket and lifting it towards the chair, pulling it for me to sit. "Welcome."
"Hello, Carlos Salazar."

I approach the chair, look at my husband, and then sit down slowly, adjusting my dress and my hair. Carlos then adjusts the chair, pushing it slightly towards the table. Then I feel his face approaching my neck. The touch of his breath close to the lobe of my ear gives me shivers:

"You look beautiful," Carlos compliments. I turn towards my husband, who keeps gazing at me. "Gorgeous."

He smiles, gets up, and then goes to his seat, where he sits down. He raises his hand cautiously, catching the waiter's attention as he approaches.

"A bottle of wine and our dishes, please."
"I haven't looked at the menu yet," I say to my husband.
"Don't worry, I've already been chosen by both of us," Carlos replies.

The waiter steps away, and I narrow my eyes, observing my husband. The only thing I can think of is where the hell this man was in my house.

"So, how are you?" my husband asks, starting the conversation between us.
"I'm fine. Actually, quite curious to know what you're up to."
"Me scheming?" my husband questions, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes, you," I confirm, leaning forward on the table - "Or did you make me put on this gift just on a whim?"
"Everything in life has its moment, Miss Penedo," my husband replies, mysteriously.
"And when will that moment be?"
"Rest assured that you will be the first to know," he stops talking, observing the waiter serving our wine glasses. Then he raises his glass and says, "A toast to our evening."
"A toast to our evening," I say, raising my glass and clinking it with his before taking the first sip.
"How has your weekend been?" Carlos asks.
"As I said, pleasurable. And yours?"
"Mine was very interesting," Carlos replies, taking another sip of wine.
"Oh, really, may I know the reason?"
"Of course. I spent a good part of the weekend with my son. Believe me, it was the best weekend in a long time," Carlos surprised me.
"Really? You have a son?" I ask, pretending not to know this information.
"Yes, I do. He is the result of a relationship with a wonderful woman. The kind of wife any man could want..." Carlos answers, then takes another sip of his wine.
"Why aren't you together today?"
"Because I managed to mess up everything," my husband replies, leaning back in his chair. Then he gives that smile that melts me entirely. "But I'm doing everything to get her back."
"Do you think you will succeed?"
"Even if I have to die trying," my husband replies. He clears his throat and then says, "Anyway, enough about me... Tonight is about you. I'm here to know everything about you."
"What do you want to know?" I ask. Then I shake my head and place my hand on the table, saying, "You know, my life isn't that interesting."
"For me, it is," Carlos insists, getting closer and then holding my hand - "Tell me everything. I'm all ears."
I smile, and then the words start coming out of my lips. We spent the dinner talking about my job, and my expectations regarding the offers. Carlos even gave me some tips to improve how I handle my clients. I had no idea how much my husband understood about business until that dinner. However, he was mostly listening to what I had to say, and it was wonderful to get to know this other side of my husband. We were so excited that we didn't even realize the time was passing, at least until the waiter approached and asked if we wanted anything else. My husband asks to close the bill, and then he hands me his suit, and we get up from the table to go to the maitre and settle the payment.

We are in line still talking about how wonderful the dinner was, and I can only think about the dessert I'll be receiving from my husband tonight. Carlos was paying when I felt the sensation of being watched. I turn towards where that feeling came from, and then I see a dark-skinned man, 1.90m tall, with black hair and several gray strands, slightly long, framing his face, almost touching the collar of his navy blue suit. His brown eyes stared directly into mine.

"It can't be..." I whisper.
"Let's go, dear," my husband says, holding my hand and drawing my attention - "Is everything okay?"

I look at my husband and then look back in that direction, making my husband follow my gaze: there was no one there anymore.

"Yes, it is," I reply with a smile. I lean towards his ear and then touch inside his suit - "I can't wait to get out of here."

My husband smiles and then holds my hand, leading me toward the street. Outside, he calls a taxi for us, and we get in, and he gives us our address. That could only mean one thing: he's coming back home.

***

My husband keeps talking to me in the car, but I don't pay much attention; I'm still thinking about what happened at the restaurant. I can swear I saw X, and he saw me, or am I going completely crazy? Either way, I can't let him back into my life. Suddenly, a wave of vibrations invades inside my vibrating panties, making me close my thighs. I look at Carlos, and he has his hand in his pocket, looking forward. But the vibrations intensify on my clitoris. I look at my husband once again while trying to get his attention. I hold his hand while pleading:

"Please, stop... I won't be able to control myself."

I was afraid the taxi driver would notice what was happening to me. I managed to disguise it well, despite the sighs and lip bites. The lust in Carlos's eyes, however, was visible. The first orgasm came after about 30 minutes of stimulation, and the second followed. While I writhed in pleasure, he just stood there, watching my orgasms.

When we finally arrived at our address, I practically drag Carlos out of the car. We enter the building while holding each other tightly. We go up in the elevator, and all I want is to touch inside my husband's pants. The elevator stops on our floor, and we continue holding each other until we reach the door when my husband simply steps away from me:

"I'm sorry, it's not right."
"Don't worry, love. I'm ready." I take my husband's lips, and he holds my hair, pulling to intensify our kiss. Then he pulls away, touching my lips with his finger while saying:
"I know, but I'm not ready, Dália."
"It's not what your body is telling me," I say, touching him over his pants. I kiss his neck, making him shiver. "Come on..."
"I know what my body is saying, but no," Carlos says, pushing me away even more.
"What's wrong?" I ask angrily - "You seduce me the whole weekend, and now you don't want to? Is that it?"
"Dália, I'm sorry. I know I seduced you," Carlos admits - "But I don't just want that."
"Then what do you want, Carlos? What you want is very confusing to me," I say, irritated.
"I want you to love me," Carlos replies, seriously - "I want you to love me again. I don't just want to go to bed with you, Dália. I know that if I enter that door, it will happen. But nothing will change. I want to prove to you that I deserve your love. That's what I want."

He steps back and then walks towards the elevator. My body urges me to take him inside and have the most torrid night of sex in years. However, he is right; I need to fall in love with him again. Am I still capable of it?