Everyone and anything familiar still belong to Janet. The mistakes are solely mine.
"Stephanie!" I called, sitting down on the bed and raising my voice slightly to be heard over the commotion happening in the bathroom. "Stop going Destructo on all the drawers and come out here and talk to me."
The door opened a half-beat later, and I took comfort in the fact that she had changed into her little boxers and tank top sans bra. No matter how upset she is with me, she clearly isn't pissed enough to go anywhere tonight.
"I'm not done being mad," she informed me, crossing her arms under the breasts I fantasize about ... not only tonight, but for the rest of our lives.
Now that I've had Stephanie living with me for the last month in all ways except vocally, I promised myself that she isn't going anywhere without me.
She'd shoot me if I smiled at how beautiful she is even while angry, so instead I stretched out on the bed and tapped her side of it with my hand so there won't be a door between us while we work this out. I could've picked the lock on the bathroom door, but I wanted her to choose talking over avoiding all on her own.
"I know you're angry, Babe, and I want to know exactly why so I can fix this. I need you smiling at me again. It's your choice ... we can discuss this in the bathroom, which is where I will follow you if you disappear into it again. Or you can get comfortable while you explain why you're so upset when I only did what I've always done - what I will always do - which is protect you."
I swear Tank was able to hear her sigh from his office on the fifth floor, but she did walk cautiously to the bed as if I'd pounce on her at the slightest provocation. That's always a possibility, but she has to be in the mood for me to even consider it.
"Did you think I wouldn't react to you almost getting killed today?" I asked her, equally cautious so she won't fly off the bed and decide to change back into her work clothes.
Clothes I want to burn just for the terrifying images I now associate with them.
She did the opposite of leap off the bed, she scooted over to where I was and sat cross-legged with her thigh pressing into mine.
"You told Vinnie I quit," she began. Her body may currently be still, but her voice is shaking. "You can't just go around telling someone else's boss that they're done working for him."
"I can. And I did. Three months ago, I told Vinnie that Tick Katar is to be handed directly to Rangeman if your cousin was ever stupid enough to bail him out again. I made it known that you were not to be anywhere near that asshole. Katar's dangerous by my and Tank's standards, and Vinnie purposely put you in a potentially deadly situation by giving him to you to capture. So I did what I normally do whenever your vehicle is going to put your life in jeopardy ... I got rid of Vinnie like I do your POSs. You had a gun pressed into your head today, Babe," I said quietly, the ice-cold fury taking over my body and mind again just at the thought of how quickly I could've lost her. "I've always doubted Vinnie's motives where you're concerned, but he ignored a direct order from me about you, which he knows is a deal-breaker. You're not safe working for him, so you no longer are."
"Exactly! That's why I'm so pissed."
Her leg stayed tucked next to mine, and she didn't look inclined to leave or turn this into an actual fight, yet I sensed an undercurrent of strong emotion flowing through her, so I treaded her waters carefully.
"I understand that you're angry," I told her, sitting up straighter to face her, "but you need to tell me exactly why. You knew when we got together - even before that - that I wouldn't take you being threatened, and almost killed, well. Trust me, quitting for you was the kindest option out of what I was thinking. Vinnie is thanking God right now that he's still breathing ... for now. If Tank and Bobby hadn't followed us to the bonds office, with Katar still chained up and bleeding profusely into their backseat, to stop me from doing what I had every intention of doing, Vinnie would be a rat's dinner at the dump right now."
Although I knew she'd forgive me for speaking for her in this case because it was out of fear and love for her, not as a way of controlling her, I hadn't planned on her reaching over and grabbing my hand to give it a comforting/I understand squeeze.
"I'm sorry I scared you," she told me. "Vinnie didn't tell me that you already called dibs on Katar. I admit, now I'm also sorry you didn't get to him before I did and 'accidentally' kill the fucker."
"Then why are you mad at me?" I asked, keeping hold of her hand to brush a kiss across her knuckles.
She didn't answer right away, and she looked at everything in our room except me.
"Babe?" I pressed. "Talk to me."
She sighed again. "Okay, truth is I'm not pissed at you exactly ..."
"Go on."
"I was mad at Vinnie and myself ..."
"Sure ... that explains all the slamming of the drawers here," I told her, trying to lessen her tension by gently teasing a little.
"Sorry about that. This healthy relationship-thing is new to me."
"To me as well, Steph," I said, pulling her down onto me. "We're learning how this works together, so you need to tell me what the silent treatment and all the storming around was about if you weren't angry with me for doing everything I can to take care of you."
"I was upset ..."
"Was upset? Meaning you're not anymore?"
Her arms came around me, trying to incorporate as much of my torso as she could into the half-circle her limbs made.
"No. I'm not mad at anyone anymore except Katar and Vinnie. Things ended how they were supposed to either way."
"Care to explain that one?"
"I was mad because I'd been prepared to tell Vinnie to take my job and shove it up his duck-loving ass, only to discover that I'd apparently already quit."
Now I understand why she let me drive her here from the bonds office, but went straight into the bathroom without saying anything the entire time. We had similar goals, but I didn't let her have the satisfaction of chopping Vinnie off at the knees herself.
"The whole ride from where I tracked down Katar to the bonds office with you to collect the money I was still alive to demand, I was trying to decide on the perfect way to tell Vinnie I'm done being his sacrificial/scapegoat out of all the creative 'Fuck yous' I came up with."
"But I had beat you to the punch and stole that moment from you by severing your working relationship with him while I was racing to get to you before Katar turned psycho and hurt you."
"Yeah. And now instead of getting to tell my mother, Mary Lou, Val, and every Burger I run into, that I told my cousin exactly where in hell to go, the rumor mill will be saying my boyfriend told my boss I'm no longer employed. And like a good little Burg-girl, I'm following orders ... the same way almost everyone pressured me to do with Joe. Plus, part of the 'I quit' speech I'd worked out was going to include telling Vinnie that Rangeman will appreciate me and my instincts more than he ever could, but now I can't take you up on the job you've always offered me."
"It doesn't matter what anyone says, Steph," I said, running my fingers through the curls resting on my chest, tickling the underside of my jaw.
"It shouldn't, but I haven't made a decision in my own best interest since divorcing Dickie, and of course recently telling you that I love you. And I wanted the Burg to know that I decided to quit Vincent Plum Bail Bonds on my own, with no input from anyone else. Grown-up Stephanie was going to kick ass and take names."
"The Stephanie you are now is already a kickass one, but if it'll help I'll tell Edna and Mary Lou that I begged you to work for Rangeman but you said no until I finally wore you down. I do have a variety of business ventures you would be an asset to that no one knows I'm the actual owner of if that will make your career transition less painful."
For the first time since I kissed her goodbye and good luck before work this morning, she smiled.
"No, it's okay," she assured me. "I wanted to be rid of Vinnie and be closer to you, so I guess how that happened really isn't important. It's past time I stopped caring what other people think and say about of me."
"How you prefer to do things is extremely important to me, but I'm not going to push the issue this time. I want you in my apartment permanently, and I would love to have you working here as a member of my team. I don't give a fuck about Vinnie or the Burg. Along with telling your cousin that you aren't his employee anymore, I also told him that he can no longer call on me or my company to save his ass. He's essentially on his own now that he has to rely on Lula, Joyce, or himself, to collect his skips and keep the money he waged on whoever he bonds out."
"Serves the little perverted weasel right."
I kissed the woman who thankfully refuses to be contained or tamed. "It does. So we're good?" I asked. "I wouldn't have spoken for you without a discussion first if I hadn't been shaken and livid at the thought of you being taken away from me."
She shifted in my arms until she covered my entire body with hers from toes-to-nose. "I'm sorry I overreacted to the situation not playing out as I'd planned."
"So you'll still work for me despite the rumors your career-change will generate?"
"Maybe."
"You know you can do better than a maybe."
Her arms slipped under me for a full-body hug. "You're right. I can do - and have done - better. I really want to be a Rangeguy when it comes to respect, skill, and sizeable paycheck, but I have to know I've earned my place here and I'm not just The Boss' Woman who requires constant babysitting."
My fingers toyed with the hem on her little tank top before I slid my hand completely under it to find the soft flesh it barely hid. "There's an 'unofficial' record of all your accomplishments, solved cases, and hunches that paid off, Steph. You've more than earned a seat at any table you're invited to. And I want it to be mine, just as you are."