These are not my characters. They belong to the author Janet Evanovich and thank you for letting us borrow them and run with our fantasies.
I read several good stories and got the idea to write one about Ranger and Steph meeting and building a romantic relationship without the Morrelli baggage and other stuff. Steph gets to meet the Merry Men and build her relationships one by one. I made it light and angsty. I hope you like it.
Thanks to Mandyh my beta for all the help and patience with my questions!
Warning-Smut Coming. Pun Intended.
Operation Ranger Assault
Chapter 1
We were sitting across from each other in the same diner where we first met. He pushed the newspaper toward me. The headline in the Trenton news today was:
Rising local celebrity "Bombshell Bounty Hunter" helps clear vice cop of shooting charges.
"I'm proud of you Babe. You got your man and you got your money. How does it feel?"
"Nothing to get excited about. I can pay my rent and I can afford to replace my car."
I was eating pie and looking at him licking my lips. My God, this man was gorgeous. He was an Adonis, a piece of work sent straight from the Gods of eye candy. He had the beauty and grace of a wild cat and was just as deadly. I got the tingles every time he came near me and I had wanted to jump onboard the Ranger train and ride him till the end of the line since the first time I met him.
He was wearing a small smirk on his face as he watched my lips and looked in my eyes. "I eat my pie with enthusiasm too Babe."
"You didn't get any. I thought you don't eat empty….oh." I blushed. "Very funny." The smirk got bigger.
"Are you flirting with me?"
"No. I just made a statement."
"Some statement. You have a girlfriend?"
"The closest right now would be you. You're a girl and a friend. I don't do relationships."
My turn to flirt. "What do you do?"
His eyes twinkled and the smirk turned into a small grin.
"I try not to get into conversations like this with my friends."
"You started it."
"You were licking your lips and looking at me like you were looking at your dessert."
"So. I appreciate a handsome guy when I see one. I can look can't I?"
"You think I'm handsome?"
"Very."
"What do you want from me?"
"A late night call to rescue your naked and handcuffed body from the shower." He barked with laughter.
"Not going to happen Babe.
"How's your leg?"
"Healing."
"Can I see it?"
"Babe your playing with fire. Finish your pie and let's go."
Ranger drove me to a used car lot and helped me to negotiate a deal on a used Jeep Wrangler Sahara model. "See you tomorrow night Babe. Call if you need me." I watched his fine Cuban ass walking to his Cadillac Escalade, get in and drive away.
"Yum..sigh. Stephanie Plum wants some of that. It's going to be my mission."
I had met Ranger a couple weeks ago when I scored myself a new and unusual occupation as a bounty hunter; which I knew absolutely nothing about. I had been laid off from my lingerie buying job at E.E. Martin and went to ask my cousin Vinnie the bail bondsman for a filing job when this opportunity came up. Vinnie gave me a file on a fugitive as a trial run and Connie, Vinnie's secretary had advised me to call Ranger for some training help. The fugitive had been Joe Morrelli, a TPD vice cop and a pain from my past. He had fondled me at six in a game of naughty choo choo and taken my virginity behind a pastry case on the floor of the Tasty Pastry when I was still in high school. Then he had written about it on the restroom walls of a few Burg establishments and left to join the military. I had partially evened the score by running over him a couple years later in my Dad's Buick and breaking his leg. Finding his butt, delivering him to jail and getting paid for it had been even better. In the end, he had been innocent of the crime he was accused and was now back to being a vice cop.
I was feeding Rex and thinking about dinner for myself when the doorbell rang and I looked out the peep hole. "Shit, really?" I left the chain on and opened the door. "What do you want Morrelli?"
"Brought you a gift. Cupcakes for my Cupcake." He held up a bakery box.
"Joe, I'm not your anything." I took the chain off and opened the door.
"I just wanted to say thank you and I'm not angry at you for handing me over to the TPD."
"I don't really care if you were angry. You were my skip and I turned your butt in. Give me the cupcakes."
"Are you going out tonight?"
"No."
"Would you like to order Pino's and talk?"
"You buying?"
"Yes."
"Then okay. Let me make this clear. This is not a date and you keep your cannoli in your pants."
We ordered the Pizza and Joe ran out to get some beer. When the pizza came we sat down on the couch eating. Joe was looking at me. "You look good Cupcake. You just get prettier the older you get."
"Gee thanks Joe. You could have omitted the age part. Oh yeah, and I seem to remember you saying something like that while ogling me the night you handcuffed me to my shower." He laughed.
"Now that was a pretty sight too. Who rescued you by the way?"
"A friend of mine I work with, Ranger."
"Manoso? That guy and his goons are fucking scary. You shouldn't be getting mixed up with him."
"I already am. He's my friend and I don't have any reason not to trust him. All he's ever done is help me. I'm not talking about him with you."
"I actually did have another motive for coming here. I wanted to ask you out on a date."
"N.O. Nope. No way Morrelli. You, I have reason not to trust."
"You're kidding. You don't want to go out with me?"
"What? Nobody ever said no to you? Well I said no and I'm not convinced you've changed much. We can be friends. I'll probably see you a lot doing this line of work."
"I'm hoping to change your mind and your line of work is dangerous. How the hell did you end up doing fugitive apprehension?"
"Needed a job and my cousin owns a bonds office. Asked for a job. I actually like it." He shook his head.
"You're a piece of work Stephanie Plum."
"Thanks."
I walked in the bonds office and said hello to Connie. Lula came in behind me. "Hey Lula. How are you?"
Lula is now an ex-ho. I had met her a while back looking for Morrelli. She had been brutally beaten and left on my apartment's fire escape by a psychopathic boxer named Ramirez. Thankfully, he was dead now and Lula was beginning a new life.
"I'm Damn skippy girlfriend. Thanks to you. I got me this new job and new friends. It's all good girl."
"I'm happy for you Lula. I'm glad you're here."
"What are you holding Connie?"
"Got a new one here. Elvira Danby charged with human trafficking and prostitution. Word is, she owns an unusual kind of brothel."
The door opened and I felt a tingle on my neck. We all turned.
Lula was the first to speak. "Oh hot dayum!" The corners of his lips were twitching.
"Ranger, meet Lula. Lula this is Ranger. He's a bounty hunter and he's been teaching me the ropes." He nodded at Lula.
He looked at my folder. "What's on the agenda for today Babe?"
"Connie just gave me this one." He took it and a grin spread across his face.
"What?"
"We should do this one together."
"Why. You know this place? Is this woman dangerous?"
"Yes. In a good way."
"What does that mean?"
"You'll see."
"When do you want to do it? We still have that stakeout tonight, right?"
"Give me a couple minutes with Connie and we'll go."
I looked at Lula. "That man is fine girlfriend." She was fanning herself. We talked for a couple minutes and Ranger grabbed my hand and told the two women goodbye.
We got in his Escalade and he was grinning again and looked over at me and winked. "I don't get it. You're kind of freaking me out with that weird grin your wearing." He just turned and went into his driving zone. Ranger is a more action than words sort of guy.
In about thirty minutes we pulled up to this big dark gothic like old house with a wrought iron gate around it. It was three stories with big red double doors. I gotta' admit it was kind of creepy. I looked over at Ranger and thought I was glad that he was with me.
"Ready Babe?" I nodded.
We walked to the door and he rang the bell. An attractive young woman opened the door. "My name is Carlos and I would like to speak with Mistress Elvira." I cocked my head and looked at him.
The girl said, "Please come in and have a seat in the drawing room."
I rolled my eyes at Ranger and mouthed 'drawing room'. His eyes were full of wicked amusement. In a few minutes an attractive woman with long black hair and dressed in a skimpy black corset and leggings outfit with lace up leather boots approached Ranger smiling. "Carlos, it has been so long. You are more handsome than I remember. Is your visit for pleasure?"
"Unfortunately, Mistress; it's not. We're on official business. You missed your court date which makes you a fugitive. We need to take you to the police station. I have arranged for your bondsman to meet us there. I would like for my friend here to have a quick tour before we go if you would be so gracious."
"Oh yes. Those silly trafficking charges. Was a misunderstanding. My attorney was supposed to have arranged a new court date. I'll be happy to give you the tour if you'll just allow me to call him before we leave."
"What is your name darling girl?"
"I'm Stephanie Plum."
"You're very attractive. Follow me. I have some wicked and wonderful things to show you." I looked at Ranger and there was the wicked grin again.
We walked up the stairs and made a right and Elvira opened the door to the first room. She turned the light on and stepped in.
I walked in behind her and my eyes went huge.
"Babe, this is a BDSM Bed and Breakfast and Elvira is the mistress of this house. She does have employees who are available when patrons request participants."
I looked at the things in the room. The room was dark, crimson and black. There was a large canopy bed and an armoire. There were mirrors, there was a bed on a swing, a bench, a hanging leather contraption, hanging chains in one corner. Lining the walls were hooks with crops, floggers, whips, gags and chokers. One wall had an assortment of paddles and handcuffs. For once in my life, I was speechless.
The tour included an assortment of themed rooms including a dungeon, fantasy, a huge bath with showers and chains and a large whirlpool tub. After the tour, we were waiting for Elvira to make her call and I was looking at the floor. Ranger put his arm around my waist. "You okay Babe."
"Yep, good. Seen it before."
"I'm sure you have." He chuckled.
Elvira came back then. "Well let's get this done."
We all got into the Escalade and pleasantly chatted on the way. Elvira was actually nice and very interesting. Ranger explained to her that he would have to cuff her when we got to the station to take her in. She laughed at him. "You know I love handcuffs. I might just come from being manhandled by you." What? I raised my eyebrows and just continued to stare forward.
She spoke to me before she walked away. "Come for a visit and stay the night sometime darling girl." Then Ranger took her in and came back with my body receipt in several minutes. Okay so Ranger knows this woman and knows that place. Does this make him kinky and how do I feel about that. Does this change the way that I'm looking at him or my plans to try to get his attention?
"Somethings burning Babe? Ask your question?"
"Is that part of your lifestyle?"
"I wouldn't say that. I like vanilla sex just as well."
"Oh vanilla. But you like that too?"
"Vanilla refers to straight sex, normal sex. Yes, on occasion I have enjoyed being a dominate."
"Duh. I couldn't see you being submissive. I knew what vanilla meant."
"Babe, I have been in the submissive position before with someone I trusted. I just don't prefer it."
Then lord help my mouth and my brain. I belched out the question. "Do you want to have sex with me?"
"No."
"No? Why not? What are you celibate or something? I have all the right parts in all the right places. I'm not unattractive. Dammit, Morrelli wants to have sex with me!"
"There is nothing wrong with you and you are attractive. I just don't want that kind of relationship with you."
"I don't believe you. There's the sexual innuendo and then you asked to take me on the tour of that place." He shrugged his shoulders. He shrugged his damn shoulders. I was about to go rhino.
He stopped at the bonds office and before he could finish saying, "I'll pick you up tonight at 1900 hours", I was out of the truck and slamming the door. Then I realized I forgot my body receipt and I stomped back to his truck and opened the door. He was grinning and holding out the receipt. I snatched it and slammed his door again.
I stomped into the bonds office and handed Connie the receipt. She looked at the steam coming off my head. "What's up girl? What happened?"
"That place was a BDSM Bed and Breakfast. He took me on a tour of the place and knew the mistress and then he told me on the way back here that he didn't want to have sex with me."
Vinnie opened the door. "Ranger's my best hunter. Don't be messing with him and rubbing your bad luck all over him and BDSM on your own time!"
"Shutup Vinnie! Go back and mind your barn animal!" He slammed his door. Vinnie has a peverted history with barnyard animals. It was rumored that he had a fling with a duck some time back. I grimaced and pushed the thought out of my head.
Connie was cursing. "Dammit. Where is that friggin' bug!" She picked up several things and then her phone and looked under it. She grabbed the bug and dropped it on the floor and stomped it.
"Okay back to Ranger. You want to have sex with him?"
"Yuh! I wanted to jump him the first time I saw him."
"Well it's obvious there is some kind of chemistry with you two. He never asked you for anything for his help did he?"
"No never and I enjoy being with him and I think he likes being with me. By the way, Morrelli showed up at my place last night and asked me to date him."
"Now there is a fine looking man. He no doubt wants to have sex with you. What did you say?"
"I said no. I trust Ranger more than him. You know our history Connie."
"Well if you want Ranger then maybe you should come up with a sexual assault plan. He's a military man. He might appreciate that."
I grinned. "Connie, you're an evil genius. That's a great idea and I'm going to go home and start planning. Operation Ranger Assault begins tonight. See you girl."
TBC
