Author's Note: I couldn't get this idea out of my head, so I finally wrote it. It didn't turn out the way I had hoped, but I hope you enjoy it anyway. Thank you to Stayce for editing and encouraging.
Originally posted March 31, 2011.
Turned On
Ranger entered the Vincent Plum Bail Bonds office with his usual stealth, his stance relaxing as he observed the three female co-workers.
"I'm telling you," Lula said, hefting a healthy thigh onto Connie's desk, "ain't no man ever said no to a woman who knows how to clean his gun right."
As he felt Tank freeze beside him, Ranger's lips began to twitch, and he realized exactly why he always tried to come personally to pick up the FTA files. The conversation was always worth the price of admission.
Connie was shaking her head. "I don't buy it. Even in my Family, most of the men don't want their wives or girlfriends carrying. If it comes down to it, we've got bodyguards for that sort of thing." She set down the bottle of blood red nail polish and turned to Stephanie. "What do you think? Isn't Joe always telling you to quit your job and find something safer so that you don't need to pack heat?"
Stephanie rolled her eyes. "Joe says a lot of things."
Despite his best efforts to keep his emotions under lock and key, Ranger felt a stab of… something at Stephanie's tone. It still wasn't the right time to make a play for his Babe, but knowing that she wasn't swooning over the cop gave his ego a boost. And his heart a funny stutter. But he wasn't going to think about that.
"You're missing the point," Lula said, swinging her faux Via Spiga-tipped legs. "That there was a metaphor. If you two were bettering yourselves at community college like I am, you would know all about this metaphor shit. Or maybe it was a double entendre. Yeah. It was more of a double entendre. 'Cause what I really meant was that if you give a man a real good bl—"
Ranger cleared his throat to cover the queer choking sounds emanating from his right hand man. "Ladies," he said, his steady voice giving no hint of the amusement he felt.
Connie started violently, tipping the bottle of polish. She scrambled to contain the poison bleeding over the files while Lula flapped her hands uselessly.
"Tankie!" she exclaimed. "We were just talking about—"
"Skips," Stephanie put in, elbowing her partner. "We were just going over our files." She glanced down at her empty hands. "I mean, we were waiting for Connie to give us our files."
Ranger nodded sagely while Tank maintained a stoic silence. "Good to see you planning ahead, Babe." He felt a quick flash of amusement when she flushed crimson. "Need any help?"
"Nope. We're good," she squeaked, silencing Lula with a glare. "You?" she asked. Her eyes grew wide when she realized that she had just implied that Trenton's baddest bounty hunter might require her assistance.
Ranger placed a hand on the back of Stephanie's neck and steered her to the door as he swept up a stack of files. "I'll let you know if we need a distraction," he said. "In the meantime, I do have a gun that needs cleaning…"
Stephanie's eyes grew wide as he tugged her into the alley. "You heard!" she accused, struggling uselessly in an attempt to whack his ribs.
"Babe."
She huffed out a long-suffering sigh, and Ranger could have sworn he heard her mutter something about a super-sonic hearing bat attachment. It didn't matter, though. She could be muttering about the price of tea in China, and he would still be turned on. With a last glance to make sure they were hidden from view of the bonds office and the street, he pressed her against the brick wall.
"So," Stephanie said, her voice breathless.
Since the statement didn't seem to require a response, he didn't bother with one. Instead, he lowered his head and hovered a millimetre away the tender skin beneath her ear. She arched into him, bridging the gap, and Ranger took full advantage. When he had used up the scant four hundred seconds he knew that he could afford before he lost control, he pulled away. He watched her eyes flutter open as he gently disengaged her fists from the front of his tight black shirt.
"Gotta go, Babe," he said, when he was sure that she could stand without assistance.
She nodded jerkily, her breathing still ragged. "Bat signal go off?" she asked, her eyes gradually changing from passion-clouded to their normal vibrant sparkle.
"Something like that," he replied, his lips quirking minutely. "Be safe."
He motioned to Tank, and the two men left as silently as they'd arrived.
Later that day, Ranger sat at his desk and rubbed tiredly at his temples. The paperwork was done, but so was he. It never failed to amaze him that he could spend weeks trapped in nameless hell holes and come out of them better rested than when he'd spent a few hours on paperwork. He went to shut down his computer, but paused when he saw that the audio sending receiver on Stephanie's current pos-mobile was transmitting. Frowning, he headed to the control room.
"Status of Miss Plum and her vehicle?" he barked.
Woody's eyes flickered nervously between his boss and the monitor. "Shady Hills Bay. She's been parked for an hour."
Ranger nodded. Surveillance. Probably related to the file she'd picked up at Vinnie's earlier in the day. "Any idea why she's transmitting? Is it a malfunction, or is she in trouble?" His voice was calm, but the room filled with tension anyway.
"Tank said he'd take care of it," Woody said, his eyes shifting to Tank's closed door. "Told me not to listen in unless he said so."
Ranger nodded, not displaying any of the surprise or irritation he felt. This was not standard operating procedure for dealing with Stephanie Plum crises. He moved swiftly to Tank's door, every muscle in his body tightly coiled. Entering without knocking, he was surprised to find his right-hand man engrossed in listening to a disembodied voice that could only belong to Lula.
"Dayum, it's hot," Lula complained, her voice tinny with a hint of static.
Ranger narrowed his eyes and scanned Tank's ear for a Bluetooth device before realizing that he was eavesdropping on the conversation taking place in Stephanie's car. Ranger shot him an irritated look. Mostly the look was comprised of his jaw tightening, but he knew that Tank would get the message.
Tank had the grace to look slightly abashed, but didn't move to turn off the sound.
"Maybe the extra hot and crispy wings weren't the best food to bring on a stake-out," Stephanie's higher, quieter voice pointed out.
"A full-figured beautiful woman like me needs to keep her strength up," Lula retorted. "You skinny white girls don't know much."
"Skinny?" Stephanie asked. "Really?"
Ranger felt his lips start to twitch. Only Stephanie would pick out the good part of an under-handed compliment.
"Don't this car have air conditioning?" Lula demanded. "I been pressing every button you got, and I ain't feeling no cold air yet."
Ranger and Tank exchanging knowing glances, realizing how the transmitter had been activated.
"Does this look like a car that has air conditioning?" Stephanie asked. "It barely has a forward gear. And I'm pretty sure the speedometer is lying to me."
Ranger winced.
The sound of Lula's beaded braids clacking told them that she was shaking her head. "I don't understand you," she said. "You got access to a fleet of fancy black vehicles, and you're driving a car that got short-changed on the day God was handing out parts. What's with that?"
Yes, Ranger couldn't help wondering. What was with that?
"Lula," Stephanie warned.
"No!" Lula was going into rhino mode. "You know Batman is more than willing to let you use his vehicles. I don't understand why we're sitting here sweltering. I'm suctioned to the vinyl seats!"
Ranger and Tank grimaced as they heard the unmistakable sound of Lula un-suctioning herself from the vinyl.
"I can't just let him give me vehicles!" Stephanie exclaimed, and Ranger could easily envision her throwing up her hands in frustration. "It wouldn't be right!"
"Just cause you worried about having to do butt stuff with Batman ain't no reason I should have to sit in this over-heated piece of crap car."
Tank and Ranger exchanged baffled looks. "Tell me you didn't make another deal with the Bombshell," Tank demanded, his voice low.
Ranger shook his head. "No deal."
"Lula!" Stephanie exclaimed, and both men turned their attention back to the conversation in the car. "Ranger wouldn't… I mean, he hasn't…Ug!"
"Maybe you're worried you'll like whatever price Ranger is asking," Lula suggested slyly.
The sound of Lula slurping her Big Gulp almost downed out Stephanie's muttered, "Too late. I already know I'd like it."
Lula's slurping stopped abruptly. "Dang, white girl! You been holding out on me!"
"Crap," Stephanie cursed. "I said that out loud?"
"You sure did. And now I need details. Lots of details. Juicy details. Details about the details. You get my drift?"
Stephanie snorted. "I don't think so. I'd kind of like to live to see another day."
"So you can spend it fighting with SuperCop? I don't know why you're still with that man. He may have the best ass in Trenton, but that don't make up for him being an ass."
"I'm not exactly with him," Stephanie pointed out.
Lula snorted, and Ranger was tempted to snort along with her. "Yeah," Lula continued, "but that's not exactly the same as being not with him." She paused. "I think. Huh. Now you got me all confused."
"Join the club. And I'm not discussing this anymore." A faint smacking sound told Ranger that Stephanie had slapped the dashboard for emphasis. He waited for the sound of the car protesting the violent treatment, but it seemed to hold together.
"Well, okay. I guess I can see you not wanting to talk about the Bat-loving. You don't look like you could handle no third-world country living." He heard her take a contemplative sip of soda. "But that don't mean we can't talk about those other men. There's more than one man that works at Rangeman, you know."
"Yeah…" Ranger couldn't blame Stephanie for sounding hesitant. He, too, wasn't sure where the conversation was about to go, but he couldn't bring himself to ask Tank to turn off the feed.
"Okay," Lula continued. "Let's leave Ranger out of this here discussion for the minute. And, for the sake of fairness, we'll leave out that fine Tank, too. Now, let's say you had to pick one of those Rangemen to sleep with it. Who would it be?"
"Lula!" Stephanie exclaimed. "Lula! You can't… I mean, I don't…"
"Oh, hush up. It's just a little surveillance conversation. You can't expect me to keep you company watching for that stinky old dog-napping skip without talking a little, can you? And I want to talk about those fine men." She smacked her lips loudly. "So, leaving off our first choices, who's next in line?"
Ranger and Tank both stared straight ahead at the monitor, even though there was nothing to see. Though he tried not to, Ranger could feel his shoulders square and his back stiffen. Though he didn't like the turn the conversation was taking, he couldn't help swelling with pride when Stephanie didn't dispute Lula's assumption that Ranger was her first choice.
"Oh, gee," Stephanie said, and Ranger recognized her 'distract at all costs' voice. "Isn't that our skip?"
"Not hardly," Lula returned, "unless he turned into a eight-year-old skateboarder."
"Oh."
"You're going to have to try harder than that," Lula told her. "This conversation ain't anywhere near finished. Now, where did those donuts go?"
"You ate them all already," Stephanie replied, her tone acerbic.
"Then how do you explain the jelly on your shirt?" Lula demanded.
Ranger smiled, picturing Stephanie cleaning the stain off her chest. When he noticed a similar grin on Tank's face, he cleared his throat. Tank immediately sobered, after swallowing hard.
"You bit into the last donut so hard it sprayed across the car!" Stephanie exclaimed. "And that was the only donut I got!"
"Uh oh. You haven't given up sweets, have you? Cause you know that's going to get you into trouble with the jelly hormones."
Ranger hid a smile, both at the memory of Steph's jelly hormone difficulties, and Tank's confusion.
"You got all those sweets urges, right? Just like last time. Well, if you don't satisfy them, they turn into other urges, if you know what I mean."
"They do not!" Stephanie protested. "And you better not have eaten all the Tastykakes."
"Keep your panties on," Lula scolded. "That is, if you're wearing any. If you've been fighting those sweets urges…"
Ranger balled his hands into fists, fighting the mental imagery of Stephanie wearing strategically placed jelly and no panties.
"Lula."
"Okay, okay. Where were we? Oh yeah. Talking about them fine RangeMen."
"No. No, we weren't."
"Well, we're going be! You want my assistance on this here stake out, you're going to talk."
Stephanie huffed out a sigh of exasperation. "Okay. You first."
"Hmm…"Ranger could hear a faint drumming, and assumed that Lula was tapping her fingers on the dash. He took a moment to be grateful for the fact that Stephanie's current POS car apparently didn't include a stereo.
"I think I'd have to go with Woody," Lula finally said.
Ranger hid a smirk as Tank's eyes narrowed.
"It's the whole cowboy thing," Lula explained. "Ain't nothing sexier than a man in chaps."
Ranger elbowed Tank in the side. "Got chaps?" he asked under his breath.
Tank swore. "Yeah, but they chafe something awf—" He stopped abruptly when Ranger's eyes crinkled in laughter. "Your turn's coming," he reminded him.
Ranger sank further into his chair and steepled his fingers under his chain. Tank was right, of course. He tried to prepare himself for whatever Stephanie might say, reminding himself that he was her first choice. At least out of the RangeMen.
"Quit stalling, white girl. Fess up! Which of those fine, fine men floats your boat? Lights your candle? Flicks your Bic?"
Stephanie's groan was heartfelt. "I can't believe you're making me do this! This goes no further than this vehicle, right?"
Ranger and Tank exchanged guilty looks.
"Of course!" Lula exclaimed, but Ranger could almost hear her crossing her fingers.
"You can't tell a single soul. Not even Connie," Stephanie warned.
"Yeah. Uh huh. Sure."
"I mean it, Lula. You tell anyone, and believe me, I'll know, and I'll tell Tank that the only reason you were carrying meat in your purse was to attract Joyce Bernhardt's dogs."
Lula sucked in a breath. "You wouldn't!"
"Try me."
The grim determination in Stephanie's voice had Ranger wincing. If Lula knew what was good for her, she'd keep her confidence. A sinking feeling grew in the pit of his stomach. He shouldn't be listening to her. It was eavesdropping, and it was a betrayal of trust. He glanced at Tank to see if he was having an attack of conscience, but he still appeared to be thinking about the chaps.
"Okay," Stephanie said with a heavy sigh. "Now, I'm not saying I would ever act on this, because I wouldn't, but…"
Lula's beads clacked as she leaned closer.
"If I had to pick a Merry Man, it would be…" Stephanie paused.
Ranger realized that he was holding his breath, and forced himself to release it.
"I'm running low on patience here," Lula warned. "And since you ain't got no donuts left to pacify me with, you best spit it out."
"You ate all the donuts!" Stephanie screeched. "All of them! There were a dozen! I took a two minute bathroom break, and you ate every last one! And it's Hector!"
A stunned silence fell over both the car and the office. Ranger felt the air suck out of his lungs. Hector? The ex-prisoner former gang member with two gang kills to his name?
"Hector?" Lula repeated. "Hector? All those fine muscle-bound men, and you pick Hector?"
"Hey! He's got muscles," Stephanie protested. "Just because he's not a million feet tall and as wide as a house doesn't mean he's not strong."
"Hector," Lula repeated, as if trying the name out. "Huh. Wouldn't have guessed that."
"Duh," Stephanie muttered.
"So, what do you like about him?" Lula asked, still turning over the idea in her mind.
"I don't know," she replied, and Ranger could see in his mind her accompanying shrug. "He's just so, I don't know, damaged. But strong. And angsty. But loyal. I don't know! It's not as if it matters. This is just hypothetical, right?"
"Yeah. Hypothetical. Stephanie, you have seen his tattoos, right?"
Stephanie spoke very quietly. "I've killed, too, you know."
The car and office went silent.
"Well, yeah, but that's different," Lula said.
"How?" Stephanie asked, her voice still quiet. "Are they any less dead?"
"You know it's not the same," she protested.
"We don't know Hector's circumstances. Maybe he had just as much reason to kill as I did. Who knows? Ranger trusts him, and Hector's always treated me well. That's all I need to know, really. And it doesn't matter! This is hypothetical, remember?"
"Huh. Yeah. Still, I thought you'd go for Lester."
Stephanie snorted. "Lester makes a really good friend. If I ever stayed at his place, though, I'd have to check for whoopee cushions before I sat down anywhere. Not for me, thank you very much."
"Dang, girl, are you using whoopee cushion as code for making whoopee? Cause—"
"Lula!"
Ranger made a mental note to have Lester's fourth floor apartment fumigated.
"You know what I could really go for?" Lula asked abruptly. "Subway. Wouldn't Subway be good right about now?"
"You're hungry already? Didn't you already eat a dozen donuts and a bucket of spicy wings?"
"Those were more like appetizers. I'm ready for some real food. Aren't you hungry? You didn't eat any of the chicken wings or the donuts. You're going to waste away to nothing if you're not careful," Lula warned.
"I'm not hungry," Stephanie muttered.
"Huh."
Ranger turned to Tank. "Vinnie been slow lately?"
Tank nodded.
"Have Cal and Vince 'accidentally' bump into them just after they pick up Pino's," Ranger instructed.
"Will do, boss." Tank made a hushed phone call and relayed the instructions in less than ten words. Ranger made his own phone call to Ella, requesting sandwiches in Tank's office. Cracking open a bottle of water, he slouched in his chair and stretched his legs, crossing his ankles. The feed from Stephanie's car was silent, except for the muffled sounds of the two ladies shifting and unsticking themselves from the vinyl seats. The silence lasted until Cal pulled up beside them.
"My, my, my," Lula said, whistling. "Look what the wind blew in."
"Hey, guys," Stephanie called. "What's up? We're not watching the same guy, are we?"
Cal's voice was further away, but still audible. "No, ma'am. We were just driving past and spotted you."
Ranger winced. Perhaps acting lessons for Cal were in order…
"We might not have stopped," Vince said, "but our order at Pino's got messed up, and we have some extra subs. I'd rather see you two eat them than watch Tank scarf them down. He gets kind of possessive about food," he confided. "It's not pretty."
"Huh. Now I know that Tank is always a fine-looking man, but probably it's best that we eat those subs. Wouldn't want no extra fat on that man."
Over the rustling of wrappers, Stephanie asked, "Are you sure? Here. I only need half."
"Nah," Vince replied. "We're good."
"Well, thanks," Stephanie said. Seconds later, Ranger was squirming as the sound of Stephanie enjoying the sub came through loud and clear.
"We should go," Cal said, his voice strangled.
Stephanie and Lula mumbled unintelligibly, probably saying goodbye. The feed went silent as the two women made short work of the subs. A sharp rap broke the silence, causing Ranger to flinch. He waited, but neither Lula nor Stephanie responded to the noise. The rap sounded again, and he realized that someone was knocking on Tank's office door.
Ranger winced, embarrassed at being caught unaware of his surroundings.
"Ranger? Tank? I have your sandwiches," Ella called.
Tank reluctantly moved to open the door and greeted Ella with a preoccupied smile. "Thank you," he said, taking the tray from her quickly.
Just then, Stephanie's voice came over the feed. "This is so good!" she said, moaning just a little.
Ranger felt a flush creep up his neck and he studiously avoided Ella's face. The sound of Stephanie sighing in contentment broke the uncomfortable silence.
Ella stuck her foot in the doorway in order to prevent Tank from closing the door. Arms across her chest, she stared at the men, forcing them to meet her eyes. "Do I want to know what's going on here?" she asked, tapping her foot.
Ranger cursed silently as Tank took a step back and looked to him for guidance. "We're checking out the feeds on some of the remote vehicle transmitters," Ranger said, his voice dismissive. "Thank you for the sandwiches, Ella."
Ella narrowed her eyes. Just then, Stephanie's voice filled the room. "I'm changing my mind," she declared."
"Bout what?" Lula asked. "Eating that sandwich? I hate to tell you, but you already ate the whole thing."
"Not the sandwich!" Stephanie said. "Hector. I'm changing my mind about Hector."
Ranger froze and stared at the computer screen, as if he could actually see her.
"If I have to pick a Merry Man," Stephanie continued, "I'm going with Ella."
Ranger dropped into his chair. Stephanie had a thing for Ella? He didn't know whether to be horrified or turned on. He didn't dare look at Tank or Ella, but he did note that both of them were standing perfectly still, listening for whatever would come next.
"What?! White girl! I had no idea you—"
"Not like that!" Stephanie said. Ranger heard the crinkling of the sub wrapper as she crunched it into a ball. "Men are too much work. Half the time I can't figure out what they want, and when I can figure out what they want, I don't like it. I'm better off with someone who can cook and clean." Her voice got quiet as she added, "I think Ella is the nicest person I know. And I have a shower massager, so no worries there."
Ranger stifled a laugh as Ella frowned. "What does she mean, she has a shower massager?" she asked.
Covering his own smile, Tank took her by the elbow and led her to the door. "Thank you for the sandwiches, Ella," he said, opening the door and gently coaxing her through it.
"I'm serious, Lula," Stephanie continued. "Men are more trouble than they're worth."
"Uh huh," Lula replied. "That sounds like the ramblings of a bitter woman who ain't getting any."
"Oh, I'm getting plenty," Stephanie replied, her voice bitter.
Ranger's teeth ground together.
"I'm getting plenty of aggravation, confusion, pressure…"
"Yeah," Lula agreed. "Men do seem to be pretty good at handing that stuff out, don't they?" There was a silence while both women made noises of agreement.
"Not all men, though," Lula said suddenly.
"What?" Stephanie questioned. "I thought your views on men would be even worse than mine. I mean…"
"Yeah, I know what you mean. And you're right. Most of the men I knew back when I was a ho… Well, ain't none of them were winning any prizes for how they treated a woman. But…" Lula's voice trailed off.
"But what?" Stephanie demanded.
"But not all of them are like that."
Stephanie's snort was loud and vehement.
"It's true," Lula insisted. "You remember what Ramirez did to me, right?"
Ranger sneaked a look at Tank out of the corner of his eye and noted his tightly clenched jaw.
"Yes," Stephanie agreed shortly. "I'm not likely to forget."
"Well, he did a real number on me. Not just my body, either," Lula admitted. "I healed up mostly okay. But I've had a real hard time getting close to a man ever since. Just couldn't get myself to get back on that horse."
"Lula," Stephanie interrupted, "you don't have to tell me any of this."
"I know that. But I think maybe you need to hear this."
Ranger found himself leaning forward, straining to catch Lula's surprisingly quiet voice.
"There was one man," Lula explained. "One man who was extra fine. He was big, and black, and mighty good looking. And I thought he'd be the perfect guy to get my groove back with, if you know what I mean."
Lula's beads clacked, and Ranger imagined her making an obscene gesture to illustrate her words.
"And I liked him. I liked him way better than any of the losers I'd gone out with after Ramirez. I thought he might be the one, you know?"
Ranger didn't have to look at Tank to feel the tension rolling off him.
"And he liked me, too, I think. He was real sweet, he was. But when it came time to do the nasty, well… let's just say he was even bigger than I'd thought he would be. And I panicked. This man wasn't no john, or a random hook-up. I liked him. For the first time, I worried that I wouldn't be no good in bed. How's that for irony?" Lula laughed bitterly. "An ex-ho worried about being good enough between the sheets."
"Oh, Lula." Stephanie's voice was filled with compassion.
"Hey, don't feel bad for me," Lula said. "This story ain't finished. Anyway, me and him were going at it, and I was really getting into it. He was all hands and mouth, he was."
Both Ranger and Tank shifted uncomfortably.
"And I started thinking that maybe we could do this, after all. But, like I said, he was real big. When he took off his pants, he didn't have no underwear on, and… well, I kind of freaked out. I shoved him off me, and I got a little hysterical."
Ranger heard indistinct sniffling noises, and he was pretty sure that Stephanie was trying to keep from crying.
"I tried to cover it up by screaming at him, but he wouldn't have none of it," Lula continued.
Stephanie gasped. "You mean he forced—"
"No! Ain't you listening? I was trying to tell you about the good men out there," Lula snapped.
"Oh," Stephanie replied, her relief evident. "So, what happened?"
"He held me, is what happened. He held me while I screamed at him. He held me while I hit him. And he held me while I cried."
The feed was silent except for Stephanie's sniffling, which soon built to actual crying.
"He held me until I fell asleep, and he didn't let go until I woke up the next morning. There's good men out there, Stephanie."
Ranger looked down, wanting to give Tank as much privacy as possible. Not for the first time, he regretted not shutting down the feed as soon as he'd walked into Tank's office. Or at least turning around and walking away himself.
Stephanie blew her nose loudly, and Ranger couldn't help remember Mama Macaroni's funeral, and the way he had held her as she broke down.
"That's beautiful," Stephanie said, her voice wobbly.
"Yeah, it is," Lula agreed. "Too bad I had to go and ruin the best thing that ever happened to me."
Stephanie continued to sniffle. "What do you mean?" she asked. "What happened?"
Ranger looked away, uncomfortable. Listening to this conversation was wrong on many levels, but he couldn't bring himself to stop.
"I panicked again," Lula admitted. "Just in a different way. He treated me so good that I started to wonder what it would take to send him running. I mean, he couldn't possibly keep putting up with me, right?"
"Lula! That's crazy!" Stephanie exclaimed. "Why wouldn't he want to stay with you?"
"It took a while, but I finally found what would push him away," Lula said, her voice flat. "I pressured him until he had to cut his losses."
"Oh, Lula," Stephanie said, her tone horrified.
"Hey, don't feel bad for me," Lula protested. "I made my own bed. I wasn't strong enough then to believe that any man could really love me, not for the long haul. It was better for both of us for him to leave. Wouldn't have been right to bring that fine man down with me."
There was silence while four people considered her words.
"What about now?" Stephanie asked. "Do you still think you'd be bringing him down?"
Ranger felt Tank's tension build as he awaited the answer.
"I think now I want the chance to try a real relationship," Lula said softly. "And to say thank you for what he did for me. He's a good man. I may not ever deserve him, but if he'd take me back, I'd sure try."
Tank stood up abruptly, his chair falling over backwards behind him. Without a backward glance, he stormed out of the office, the door slamming shut in his wake. Ranger winced.
"My point is," Lula continued, "there's good men out there. Don't be like me and mess it up."
Stephanie snorted. "Trust me, Lula. I don't have anyone offering to hold me all night long. Joe only has one thing on his mind when we're in bed, and Ranger…"
"What about Ranger?" Lula demanded.
Ranger went perfectly still, waiting for her to answer.
"I don't know," she finally said.
"What do you mean, you don't know?" Lula demanded.
"I mean I don't know!" Stephanie burst out. "What's so hard to understand about that!" She paused. "Sorry." There was another pause. "I really need coffee."
Ignoring her outburst, Lula walked through the points. "Well, we know the man wants in your bed."
Stephanie snorted.
"He ever been in it?" Lula demanded.
Stephanie huffed out a sigh. "Yes," she finally admitted.
Ranger knew his privacy was being invaded, but he couldn't manage to work up any outrage. Stephanie wasn't gossiping or bragging. This was something different.
"He stay the night?" Lula pressed.
"Yes…"
"And it was good, right? I mean, the man turns you on, right?"
"God, yes," Stephanie muttered, to Ranger's satisfaction.
"Well, what's your problem?" Lula asked. "The man rocks your world, stays till morning, and you're confused?"
"Yeah, well, he may have stayed till morning, but he ran as soon as the sun came up," Stephanie muttered. "He couldn't wait to make sure that I knew that the night meant nothing to him."
Ranger felt sick. That was not why he had left so abruptly. And it wasn't why he hadn't tried harder to work himself back into her bed.
"You figure?"
Stephanie ignored the question. "I used to think that if I just looked at what Ranger did, it would tell me everything I wanted to know. I mean, actions speak louder than words, right?"
"Sure," Lula agreed.
"But Ranger's actions don't seem to add up. He loans me cars and back-up, gives me a job when I need it, listens to me when I need to talk… And then he walks away. Like I don't affect him at all."
"You think it's because of your on and off relationship with Joe?" Lula asked bluntly.
Ranger waited for Stephanie to explode, but it didn't happen.
"I used to think that," she said. "But he's even less emotionally available when Morelli's out of the picture. He's an opportunist, Lula. If he really wanted me, he'd step up when Joe and I are on the outs. He knows damn well he could make me forget Joe without even trying. Hell, Lula, he wouldn't even have to wait for me to be single."
Ranger was so focused on Stephanie's words that he almost missed the muffled sound of knocking.
"Tank!" Lula squealed. "Roll down the window, Stephanie. Tank's here!"
Ranger heard the squeak and grind of the hand crank as Stephanie obeyed.
"Hey, Lula, Steph," Tank said. Though his voice was deep and calm, Ranger could sense his nervousness. "Lula, you want to go for coffee?"
"Well, sure. It's been a long day, and I could use a pick-me-up," Lula said. She grunted as she eased her legs off the vinyl seat. "You don't mind if I take off, do you, Steph?"
Stephanie snorted. "No. I'm calling it a day. Maybe we'll catch the dog-napper tomorrow."
"Sure we will," Lula agreed confidently.
Ranger heard the sound of a car door opening and closing, and then the choking gasp of the engine turning over. He closed his eyes, and then reached over to turn off the feed.
He sat in the darkness, in what he had come to think of as "his" chair. It was a garage sale relic, designed for discomfort, and ugly, but he had spent some of his most peaceful moments in that chair. He didn't move when he heard a key in the lock, the thud of a purse dropping to the floor, or lethargic footsteps. He kept his eyes trained on the door.
"Huh," he heard. "I could have sworn I left a light on in here."
Moving noiselessly, Ranger was beside her before she even realized that there was someone in her bedroom.
"You left a lot of things turned on," he told her, his mouth at her ear, "including me."
He pressed closer, trapping her against the wall. Her gasp was partially due to surprise, and partially due to desire, he thought. He could work with that. He teased her with his breath, and with the promise of his lips. Barely touching her, he took possession of the column of her neck, the hollow of her throat, the special place behind her ear.
She trembled, gasped, and sighed. He felt shaky hands clutch his arms, trapping him, drawing him closer.
He drew back far enough to capture her eyes. Though the room was dark, he could still make out her features. Her slightly parted lips, flushed cheeks, and hazy eyes told him that their encounter was affecting her as much as it did him.
"I want you to feel what you do to me," he told her, his voice rough and low. Though he'd been trying to leave his air of command behind when he talked to her, he found that he couldn't soften his words. His need was too strong, too overwhelming. Keeping his eyes locked on hers, he covered her hand that clutched his arm. It felt hot and feverish to his touch, and he wondered if his hand felt the same to her. Slowly, without breaking eye contact, he lowered her hand and placed it firmly on his erection. They both shivered at the contact.
He thought he would die. The pleasure was so intense he sucked in a breath as he struggled to stay in control. She pressed her hand against him more firmly, stroking tentatively, and he couldn't resist taking her lips in a heated kiss. Tongues stroked and plunged, cajoled and caressed. When she melted against him, though, Ranger knew that he had to speak again.
"We both know how you affect this," he said, grinding himself against her with one shallow thrust of his hips. "What you don't know is how you affect this."
Taking her other hand, he placed it on his chest. Ranger listened to the frantic thumping of his heart, and felt the vibrations pass through to her palm. "I haven't made it obvious, Stephanie, but don't ever doubt the effect you have on me."
Stephanie looked up at him, her eyes still cloudy with desire. "What are you saying, Ranger?" she asked, her voice low, throaty, and distracting.
"I'm saying," he told her, sucking the skin on her neck into his mouth, "that I'm yours. All of me."
"Good," she murmured. "Because this," she said, sliding her hands down to grasp his backside, pulling him tight, "isn't enough." She took her turn pressing kisses against his face, his neck, his chest. "I want it all."
"And you're sure that's enough for you?" he managed to ask, even as he slipped an arm behind her to support her as her knees grew weak.
Stephanie nodded against his chest as he swept her up and carried her to the bed. And as they explored and cherished each other, Ranger said a silent prayer of thanks for the one woman, the only woman, who turned everything on. Without even knowing it.