I sat back in the sky box seating enjoying the last inning of Seattle Mariners game. As the game wrapped up I chugged the last of my beer then headed to the exit with my client. Valeria Martinez looped her arm through mine. Together we strolled down to the locker room to wait for her husband , Dodgers pitcher, Alonso Martinez.

"Mister Santos you are sporting some serious guns here," Valeria flirted as she caressed my arms.

I wink playfully at her. Valeria was a huge flirt, she craved male attention and did not take well to being ignored. Her husband had hired Range man to be her personal bodyguards, but at times, it seemed more like babysitting. Valeria chattered away as we waited for Alonso to emerge from the locker room. After about an hour the freshly showered and shaven pitcher appeared, looking like he had stepped off the cover of G.Q. magazine.

"Thanks for taking care of my lady Santos."

"No problem Alonso, Let me know If you need security if you decide to go out tonight."

"Will do, thanks again Lester."

As I walked out to the parking garage I was frozen in my tracks. I shook my head in an attempt to shake off what had to be a mirage in front of me. I would know those baby blues anywhere as well as her chestnut curls. She laughed , this sound was something I had not heard in years. Her laugh was still the same , special, warm, and contagious. I stood in the shadows making sure to stay out of sight,watching her playfully flirt with her date. The man was tall and lean with an athletic build. His coloring was Café mocha and he wore his straight dark brown hair pulled back in a ponytail. I watched as he opened the door to his shiny expensive sports car to help her in. As they drove away I realized that she was with Isandro Gutierrez, a player for the Seattle Mariners.

What was Stephanie Plum doing in Seattle? My infatuation with her had worn off long ago in Trenton. Stephanie and Ranger were no good for each other. They had made a mess out of their relationship and it had spilled over making a huge mess for Rage man and the Merry men. Carlos continued to claim her and indulge her every whelm good or bad. He seemed to thrive on the Morelli love triangle. Stephanie became a weak spoiled brat waiting for someone to save her. She was no longer the vibrant ballsy Jersey girl I met in the bar that night. Long gone was the woman I had fallen in love with ,Ranger had ruined her. The last time I had seen Stephanie, she and Ranger were trying to make another go at it and failing miserable. Neither one of them was in the right state of mind to be with anyone, they were both too damaged.

Later on, that night Alonso had called and invited me to a party, not to work but as a guest. The location was hot spot night club. I was given V.I.P. access to everything. Top shelf liquor and the beautiful woman were everywhere. There was no shortage of entertainment, the ladies were all over me. Suddenly I saw her walk through the door. She was radiant, strong and self-assured. From the minute she walked in , Stephanie plum had dazzled half the men in the room. This was my Beautiful. She was back and better than ever. Wearing a simple pair of jeans , spiked heels and an off the shoulder blouse, Steph was captivating. I kept my eye on her throughout the night as she partied , danced and flirted. Once again she was the entertainment and I was enjoying the show. This was the person that had I wanted to make mine a few years ago, the woman Ranger had stolen from me.

"Yo, you like what you see man ?" A tall Latino man asked me.

"Huh?"

"The woman , I could hook you up word is she gets around," the man told me.

Just like that, the spell was broken. I guess maybe she had not changed all that much. Was Stephanie plum still looking for a man to save her? Had she continued to allow men to use her and then go on their way ? Jealousy sparked through me as I wondered just how many people she had slept with?

I spent the next few days in town following and watching Stephanie Plum. Something's never changed , she still was unaware of her surroundings. Despite her modest job, she was living an extremely comfortable life. The home she lived in was spacious with a huge yard. Her midsize mom-mobile she was driving was a huge step up from anything she had owned in Trenton. I would not call her lifestyle lavish but she was very comfortable. Was she supplementing her income by dating ballers and high rollers?

I had finished my surveillance of Stephanie plum but I still could not get her off my mind. There were so many unanswered questions in my mind about her and the lifestyle she was living. How did she get in on this upscale dating scene? Was she just dating or could Stephanie be working as some sort of high-end escort? Why was her roommate a former prostitute? What was Julie doing living with her? Stephanie had changed in so many ways. Her persona had become extremely complex. This woman was now a working single PTA mom. She now appeared to be more stable and responsible. I had once called her beautiful and that name still fit her. Stephanie Plum did not seem to be drifting through life aimlessly anymore. Her uncertainty had blossomed into confident navigation. This woman had my mind racing all over the place.

Once again Alonso had invited me out. This time, to hang with the team. We all met up at an upscale bar, the place was exclusive and catered to clients. When I got to the door the bouncer asked me for my name and after checking the list he opened the door for me. The player were all seated in two booths in the corner of the bar. As I made my way over I noticed Isandro Gutierrez. A leggy bleach blond with huge tits was working hard to get his attention. It was clear to see from the look on his face that he was bored with her brazen behavior. Gutierrez was too polite to tell her that she was not his type so I decided to help him out.

"You're wasting your time sexy. That man is just not that into you," I told her with a kind smile.

She looked up at me and licked her lips like I was a steak. "So what about you handsome?" she asked in a sultry voice.

"Sorry sexy you're not my type. I like my woman less aggressive," I told her.

Gutierrez Chuckled and the bimbo stormed away angrily.

"Thanks, man. I thought if I ignored her hard enough she would just walk away," Isandro explained.

"Not your type huh?" I laughed.

"How did you guess?" he asked.

"I saw what you were working with when you left the game yesterday. She's nice."

He shot me a half smile. "Yes she is , nothing like what just walked away."

"So that's your woman ?" I asked casually.

"No, but I wouldn't mind taking her home to meet Mama," he answered sincerely.

"YO, Santos get over here and stop fraternizing !" Alonso called from across the bar.

"Tell Martinez I said what's up and I'll see him in the offseason," Gutierrez laughed.

As I sat down with the guys I relayed the message to Alonso.

"What did he mean by that?" I asked.

During the season, we are not allowed to fraternize with the opposing baseball teams. During the offseason, a lot of us hang out, Isandro and I have been friends for years.

"So you know his lady ?" I asked a little too eagerly.

Alonso cocked an eyebrow at me.

"You got it bad for that brunette don't you man?" The guy who had offered to hook me up with her last night said.

"Not really, just curious," I said coolly."By the way, who are you?" I asked.

"Santos this my baby brother Julio we cal him J.J. J.J. this is Lester Santos, I've told you about him," Alonso said.

I work with some key players on the scene here in this city. Your girl gets around but only with the VIPs.

"So she is not his girl?" I said.

"Could be, he has enough money to afford her," one of the guys said from the across the booth.

"Your telling me she is a call girl".

"No, nothing like that. She is just a woman who likes to have a good time. If you have the right pedigree ,credentials or bank account, that woman is down to have a good time with you," another man told me.

"Yeah, they call her the good time girl in the Mariner's clubhouse," someone laughed.

"Still interested Lester? I can get you her number," J.J. offered.

"Nah ,I'd much rather have a drink", I muttered.

An hour and two bottles of Ciroc later , the bartender was refusing to serve me any more liquor. I decided to take an Uber back to the hotel when I was asked to pipe down for the fifth time.

~XO~XO~XO~

As my driver pulled up to Stephanie's house I saw her roommate Robin and the girls get into the car and drive away.

"Wait here," I told the Uber driver handing him a Hundred dollar bill as I exited the car.

Slowly I crept to the back of the house and picked the lock to the door. I made myself comfortable on her couch and waited for the good time girl to come home. I had never been high-quality enough for a roll in the hay with Stephanie. Tonight I was going to use some dirt I had on her to persuade Stephanie to let me sample her goods.

It had been two hours since Stephanie Plum had come home to find me sitting in her living room. To say things did not go as planned would be a huge understatement. She still did not keep a loaded gun but she was great with a blade. I was sitting in the emergency room covered in blood trying to come up with a story to explain my injuries that would not get me arrested. Playing the drunk role was what I went with. The staff stopped asking questions and when I blew a 0.18 on the breathalyzer. Most states considered a person legally impaired at .08. It took more that two hours for them to stitch me up. To make matters worse, Alonso had shown up when the hospital had simply called the last number on my cell phone as next of kin.

"I'm, sorry man you should have told them that you were a client. There was no reason for you to come out here," I muttered.

"Hey,we are more than that Lester, It was no problem," Alonso assured me.

"This is unprofessional and I am embarrassed. I owe you a huge apology and your wife."

"Don't worry bout it Santos , you were pretty wasted when you left bar tonight. I thought you were going to go back to your hotel and sleep it off." "Where did you go and how did you end up like this?"

I shook my head not wanting to expose my stupidity.

"I know that look. That's the look of a man who has done something extremely stupid. What did you get into Les?" he said with an impish grin.

"Nothing really, more like who I tried to get into."

"Nah you don't mean the chick you were asking about tonight ?" " Yo ! they were just screwing with you, man. She is not one to be treated like a casual encounter. If she even thinks you're trying to hit and quit it, you better watch you nuts. That woman has gotten the attention of more than a few high rollers. Some of them have walked away with more than their feelings hurt for coming at her the wrong way," Alonso laughed.

I smirked and then laughed for a full minute.

"You good Lester?" he asked with a voice full of concern.

"Just great man," I said as I walked out with well over one hundred stitches , some staple, a tetanus shot and a prescription of antibiotics.