Disclaimer: All characters belong to Janet Evanovich, except the ones that are mine.
Warnings: Graphic Smut, and Language, Angst.
A/N: Special thanks to Karen, my Editor; Christie, my Technical Advisor for Smut; and all the wonderful readers who leave those terrific reviews!
The Name Of The Game!
Chapter 3: Chutes and Ladders!
10 – 9 – 8
It took at least two days for everyone to recover from Tank's birthday party. The Belmar Police had been called so many times that they finally just parked a couple of squad cars out in front of the Club. Several drunken party goers were adamant about going for a midnight swim but luckily, never made it as far as the beach across the street before passing out. On Sunday night, two days after the party, Lester was still MIA, having been seen leaving the party and getting into a limo with his dates, an entire professional women's volleyball team.
Ranger had been quiet during the party and Steph had blamed it on his being tired. After all, he had been away on a job all day and had rushed home to get ready. But he made a humorous toast to honor Tank and chatted with the Tank's family, introducing Steph to them and other guests. They didn't get home until dawn and had crawled into bed and slept half the day away. Well, at least Steph did.
When she finally got out of bed, she found Ranger sitting in his office off the living room, just staring out the window. She leaned against the door frame and watched him rubbing his forehead as if he had a headache. She slipped into the room and stood behind his chair, sliding her arms around his neck and nuzzling her face against his. "Hey Baby, what's the matter?"
He pulled her around onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her. "Nothing now, Babe." He pressed a kiss against her hair then scooped her up into his arms and took her back to bed, making slow, sweet love to her. By the time she got up the next morning, she had convinced herself that she had imagined it all.
A week later, Stephanie woke up alone. At first she thought that he was out running with the Merry Men and had let her sleep in, something that he did if they had had a long night of love making. Last night had been one of those nights. It had felt like he couldn't get enough of her, touching and tasting her again and again. He had murmured words of love and lust against her skin, English, Spanish, hot and hungry, driving her over the edge of reason. They had finally fallen asleep, exhausted but sated, in a tangle of arms and legs, at about 4am. It wasn't until he didn't come home the next night that she realized that he was gone.
It wasn't unusual that he was away; he often went to Boston or Miami for a few days. He would always ask if she wanted to go along and more often than not, she stayed in Trenton. This time, though, he hadn't even told her he was going. She tried his cell phone, but the call went directly to voicemail. When she checked with the Control Room, all they could tell her was that Ranger had taken the Porsche and had left at 7:30am. He had turned off the GPS, and hadn't logged any destination or return time into the computer.
Steph had checked with Tank, Lester, and Bobby, but they hadn't heard from him and didn't seem surprised that Ranger had left with no word to anyone. Her first reaction was to be pissed, but as the long hours ticked away, the anger faded into nerves, and the nerves became fear. She didn't sleep that night, or the next, or the next.
The guys were all in the Break Room when Steph dragged in looking for more coffee. They knew that she hadn't been sleeping, roaming the building all night, sitting in the Control Room, watching the monitors, waiting for Ranger to appear. They knew she was exhausted and stressed and the last thing she needed was more caffeine. Lester stood, took her by the arm and led her to a chair at the table where they were all sitting.
Tank handed her a bottle of water and half a sandwich. "We gotta talk, Bombshell." Steph just looked at the plate.
"Look Slugger," Bobby said carefully, "You know that some of us still work government contracts, right?" She nodded. "Well, sometimes we get a call in the middle of the night and we have to get up and leave right away. Honey, we've all done this for years." He reached across the table and took her hand. "The fact that Ranger didn't make any preparations and didn't tell anybody, says to me that this is no big deal. He'll be back in a couple of days, and then you can kick his ass for worrying you." He picked up the sandwich and handed it to her. She automatically took a bite while she listened to what they were saying.
Lester took over. "Bomber, you two have been on a honeymoon for the past … what … nine months? Ranger put off all his government obligations and farmed out contract work just so he could stay here in Trenton." When he took in the stricken look on her face he hurried on. "No, no Steph. That was a good thing. You both needed that time together. But think about it. Before you two hooked up, how many times was he 'out of town' for months at a time? It's part of his job, it's what he does."
She seemed to be processing what he said while she finished the sandwich, still looking at the plate. She sighed deeply, she was just so tired. "I don't think you guys understand. This was always my biggest fear, that I'd wake up one morning and he'd be gone and I wouldn't know where to or for how long. He knew that. We had an agreement that this wouldn't ever happen. He promised that he wouldn't leave without letting me know, that he wouldn't just … disappear. He knew that it was a deal breaker." She looked around the table at her three friends, tears welling in her eyes.
Tank caught on immediately. "Steph, you have to know how much you mean to him. You don't doubt that, do you?" He studied her face and saw the questions written there. "Ranger would never jeopardize his relationship with you. You're the best thing that ever happened to him and he knows it. He probably just went into automatic pilot and didn't even realize it until it was too late. Now he can't call until the job is complete. I know you're worried, but remember, if anything had happened to him, we would have been notified."
Bobby touched her shoulder. "Why don't you let me take you upstairs so you can get some sleep? I'll stay up there with you so you won't be alone."
She leaned back in her chair and scrubbed her hands over her face. As tired as she was, her spidey sense was screaming and she had an uneasy feeling in her stomach. That alone wouldn't let her sleep, but add to that the dreams that plagued her every time she closed her eyes … No, no … she didn't want sleep to come.
"No thanks, Bobby. I'm gonna try to get some work done. Maybe it'll keep my mind occupied." She got up slowly, moving like an old woman and, taking her bottle of water, went to her office. What she didn't see was the looks that they exchanged as she walked away.
Half an hour later, when Tank went to check on her, he found her asleep on her keyboard. He smiled as he leaned over her and gently brushed the curls out of her face. She'd be pissed when she woke up, finding all those little square imprints on her face. Where the fuck are you, Carlos? He wished he knew what his best friend was doing, why he was risking the best thing that had ever happened to him.
Bobby stepped into the doorway and motioned to Tank. They moved out of earshot, afraid to wake her. "He's back on the grid, coming up from D.C. like a bat outta hell." He looked back at Steph's office. "Are you gonna wake her up and tell her?"
Tank stood, hands on hips, his anger clearly written on his face. He shook his head 'no.' "Not before I kick his ass. He's my brother, but if he was in D.C. with that blond bitch I swear to God I'll beat him bloody." Tank turned toward the Control Room.
"You'll have to get in line, man," Bobby grunted.
An hour later Ranger walked off the elevator onto the fifth floor to find Tank waiting for him.
Ranger looked toward Steph's office then at his friend. "Where's Steph?"
"Kinda late to be worried about her, don't ya think? You shoulda thought about her before you took off in the first place. Where the hell you been, anyway?" Tank's anger was evident.
"None of your God damned business! Now where's Steph?"
"Well gee, let me think." The sarcasm dripped off Tank's voice. "Maybe she's wandering the building like a ghost like she did for the last three nights. Or maybe she's sitting in front of the monitors, wishing you to show up on the grid like she did for hours on end. Maybe she's in the Break Room staring at a plate of food that she can't swallow, or up in the apartment wearing a path in the carpeting pacing back and forth from the door to the windows, lookin' for you."
"Can it, Tank! I'm not gonna listen to your bullshit."
Ranger turned to walk away but Tank grabbed his arm. Ranger's face took on a dangerous expression as his head snapped around to glare at his friend. "Where have you been?" Tank's voice was low and measured.
Ranger looked down at Tank's hand holding his arm, then back up to the big man's face. "Maybe I can't take you Tank, but I can do enough damage that you'll regret it."
"You've already done enough damage, Carlos. You listen to me. If you've been with another woman you go down to four and shower and change. You at least give Stephanie the courtesy of not going to her smelling like another woman."
Ranger's blank face fell into place. Tank could see that he was seething with rage. He wrenched his arm out of Tank's grasp and kicked open the door to the stairway, almost tearing it off its hinges. Tank couldn't tell if Ranger went upstairs to look for Steph, or downstairs to shower and change.
7 – 6 – 5
Ranger looked down at Steph, her face pressed into the keyboard. Even in sleep she looked exhausted. He could see the dark circles under her eyes and could almost see the veins under her skin, she was that pale. He knelt down on one knee next to her chair as he brushed the hair out of her face. That was when he noticed the dried tear tracks that ran down her cheeks. She looked so fragile, almost childlike lying there.
This was his fault, he thought. How could he have done that to her? He ran his hand down her arm and took her hand, "Babe? Wake up."
At the sound of his voice she jerked up off the desk. She looked at him, still half asleep and clearly confused. "Am I dreaming?" She reached out and touched his face with her fingertips and he could see her confusion clearly. "You came back," she choked out as she broke into sobs.
He put his arms around her and lifted her gently. "Let's go upstairs Babe. We'll talk up there." He carried her out of her office and down the hall past the Control Room. Every RangeMan on duty watched Ranger carry a sobbing Steph to the elevator.
Once up in the apartment, Ranger carried her directly into the bedroom and sat her gently on the edge of the bed. He knelt in front of her and started to unlace her boots. She looked like she would collapse any second, and every time he looked at her he felt as small stab of guilt for what he had put her through. She put her hands out to stop him and if he hadn't caught her, she would have tumbled to the floor.
He could tell she was struggling to keep him in focus so he knelt on the floor between her legs and put his arms around her to hold her steady. She licked her dry lips before she spoke, her voice small and young sounding. "You promised," was all she said.
He nodded at her. "Yes baby, I did. I should have told you that I was going, but it was just supposed to be a meeting, a couple of hours and then I'd be home. I didn't even consider the possibility of anything else going on. I thought I'd be home for dinner." She stared into his eyes without saying anything else, just waiting for him to continue. "I can't tell you where I was except that it was near D.C. and things got complicated. It's a secured location and I couldn't call or communicate with anybody in any way."
"I was so scared." Tears pooled in her eyes again, spilling over and trailing down her cheeks.
He held her face in his hands and looked into her tear filled eyes. "Babe, I give you my word; I'll never leave without telling you."
Her eyes drifted shut and she sighed as she sagged against him. He laid her back on the bed and undressed her, helping her into one of his t-shirts, then tucking her under the covers. He quickly shed his own clothes and slid in beside her. Instinctively, she turned into him and molded her body to his, slipping one long slim leg between his and wrapping her arm around him. In seconds, she was asleep.
Sleep eluded Ranger and he lay there for hours just watching Stephanie sleep. He remembered when he used to break into her apartment in the wee small hours and sit in that little chair by her bed. Watching the rhythmic rise and fall of each breath became his silent mantra. It was calming and relaxing, better than any meditation technique he had ever tried. Tonight was different, though. Tonight she startled awake every hour or so and would touch him, making sure he was still there. Guilt washed over him each time she woke and he swore to himself that he would make it up to her.
Ranger was true to the promise he made to himself. He made a special effort to show Steph how much she meant to him. He told her if he was leaving the building for any reason at all, and took her with him whenever possible. He would catch her watching him and realized that seeds of doubt, once planted, will grow with almost no attention given to them at all.
Ranger leaned against Steph's office doorway and watched as she reviewed a report. She had a RangeMan employment application in front of her, and a background check next to it. She had a yellow high-liter in hand, marking the salient facts with a flourish, all the while talking to herself about the guy who was the subject of both.
"Yeah, right! Graduate Degree, my ass. You dropped outta high school in Junior year. Pffffftt! Officer in the Air Force? Who the hell are you kidding? The only flying you ever did was on drugs, not a plane. Went to Police Academy! Only if you saw it at the movies!"
"Don't think he can hear you, Babe. Who is this guy?" He couldn't help but laugh at her outrage.
She swung her desk chair to face him. "Martin Kozlowski and he applied for a job here at RangeMan. He went to high school with Valerie and was the biggest stoner in the school. He hangs around with Dougie and Mooner … need I say more? Everybody knows him, so why would he bother to lie? It says right here on the application, in big red letters, that we'll do a comprehensive background check. The big dope! I wish I had one of those great big 'Reject' stamps like they have in cartoons." She acted out stamping the application.
Ranger laughed as he came around the desk and pulled her to her feet and into his arms. He kissed her thoroughly, and then pulled back a little. "You ready for lunch?"
"It's a little early for lunch, isn't it?" She looked up at him and licked her lips. "Unless you had something else in mind of course."
"I've always said that you were my temptation, Babe, but as tempting as you are, Alexander Ramos called earlier and want to sign those contracts today. He invited us to lunch in Deal."
"Us?" She asked with a smile as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
He grinned at her. "I think Mr. Ramos has a crush on you, Miss Plum. Maybe I shouldn't take you with me," he said with a smile. "He might convince you to run away to Greece with him."
She barked a laugh. "I'm pretty sure that won't be a problem. I can't imagine what he could offer me that would make me leave you. You're stuck with me, Mister. Better get used to it."
Ranger was in his zone on the drive to Deal, and when they pulled up to the gates, both Stavros and Costas, Ramos' bodyguards, came out to meet them. Costas opened Steph's door and helped her out of the Porsche, greeting her with a smile and asking for her weapons. Stavros did the same on Ranger's side of the car, adding a pat down after Ranger had turned over his weapons.
They were shown into the house and once inside the door, Steph was enveloped in Alex's arms.
"Chickie Baby, you look good enough to eat." He waggled his eyebrows at her and Steph thought that this is exactly what Lester would be like as an old man. "Come. Come. We talk business in the kitchen. I'm cooking today." Ranger took Steph's hand and they followed one of the world's most ruthless killers into his kitchen to watch him prepare their lunch.
He ushered them to the big table in the kitchen where they sat while he stood at the counter, chopping the vegetables for the salad and stopped in mid slice. He turned to Ranger, "Why do you dress her like that? You try to hide that she's a beautiful woman … why? So that no one steals her from you? Maybe I steal her from you. Eh, Chickie?"
Ranger turned to look at her as she smiled and batted her eyelashes at him. "Yes, Ranger. Alex has something that every woman wants." She smiled sweetly at Alexander and heaved a deep sigh. "A huge walk-in closet filled with designer clothes all in my size."
Ranger narrowed his eyes at her and growled. They all burst into laughter as Alexander brought the food to the table. They sat and ate the delicious meal under the watchful eyes of Stavros and Costas. When the table was cleared, they got down to business, going over the contract line by line. For all that Alexander Ramos was a character; he was an astute businessman with an eye for detail that missed nothing. The contract signed, they toasted it with a glass of ouzo, a colorless, anise flavored Greek liqueur. Swallowing the fiery liquid in a single shot, Steph gasped for breath as tears streamed down her face. A laughing Alexander pounded her on the back, while an amused Stavros brought her some water.
Later, as they made their way to the door, Alexander stopped and looked at them standing hand in hand. "You belong together, you two. You," he nodded toward Ranger, "Panthiras, the panther. Always moving through the dark, hidden, alone… And you, Stephanie, Selini, the moon. Pale, bringing light to the darkness. Yes, you are good together." Stephanie's hand automatically went to the pearl and she lifted it for Alexander to see. He nodded, "The perfect thing for you Selini." He kissed her hand and winked lecherously. "If he doesn't behave himself, you come to me. I show you how a man should treat a woman." She kissed the old man on both cheeks and hugged him good-bye.
In the car, on the way back to Trenton, Steph turned to Ranger. "Can I ask you a question?"
He nodded without looking at her.
"How come you agreed to do this job for Alexander? You said that you'd never work with anyone who didn't operate within the law. Alexander Ramos has an international reputation as a gun runner and killer and God knows what else. So why?"
He was quiet for so long that Steph thought he wouldn't answer at all. "I owe him." Steph waited for him to say more, but he didn't.
"Are you gonna tell me what?"
He cut his eyes to her. "He kept you safe. He took you to his home, he had his nephew take care of you, and he sent his personal body guards to keep you safe. This was the least I could do to repay that." He reached for her hand and lifted it to his lips. "And by the way, we're getting you different uniforms."
Steph rolled her eyes. "Oh I can hardly wait. What did you have in mind, a French maid's uniform, a dominatrix, a naughty nurse?
He gave her his wolf grin, "Maybe we could try them all, in private at least?"
4 – 3 - 2
Over the next few weeks Ranger left several times. While he never told her where he was going or for how long, he never failed to tell her that he'd be gone. Each time he came home, he was a little more tense, a little more distracted, a little edgier and it took him longer to settle back into his routine. There were phone calls at odd hours and she caught bits of conversation that sounded anything but business related. Steph would wake up during the night, alone in their bed and would find Ranger sitting in the dark. The world's most even tempered man now was moody, snapping at her, then apologizing, making love to her at night and ignoring her during the day. When she asked him what was wrong, his answer was always the same, "Nothing," and it frightened her.
This last time that he left, his phone had rung in the middle of the night. He answered it while still lying in bed. Stephanie couldn't hear the conversation, but she could tell it was a woman's voice. When Ranger realized that Steph could hear, he immediately got up and went into the dressing room, closing the door and lowering his voice. She sat up, leaning against the headboard and waited for him to come out. She didn't have to wait long. He came back to the bedroom fully dressed in faded jeans, boots, and a pale blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up. He had a duffle bag that he tossed on the chair and he came to the bedside table and took his watch, strapping it on his wrist. He picked up his gun and tucked in the back of his jeans, got the duffle and muttered, "Gotta go." He walked out without kissing her or even looking at her.
By the time she got out of bed, he was gone. Steph went to the window that overlooked the garage ramp, and minutes later, she watched the Porsche tear out of the garage and into the night. She watched the tail lights travel all the way down Haywood until he turned, headed for Rt I95.
The next morning Stephanie walked into Tank's office and closed the door. "Got a minute, Tank?" Her voice sounded so tired.
"Sure, Bombshell. Sit down."
She sat herself in one of his guest chairs and played with the pearl hanging around her neck. Tank looked up from the paperwork on his desk and studied her. He could see the change in her, just in the past couple of weeks.
"What can I do for you?"
"You can tell me what's going on."
"What do you mean, Steph?" He leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs, placing one booted foot on his knee and bounced the pencil he was holding on the boot sole. He knew damned well what she was talking about, hell everybody in the place knew.
"You know I'm talking about Ranger. He's tense and withdrawn. He's changed. He leaves and doesn't call me or you. I wake up in the middle of the night and find him sitting in a chair, staring at me. I need to know what's the matter. Tank, I'm scared."
Tank was silent for a minute, then blew out a breath. "I don't know what to tell you. He's a complex man Steph. Maybe you're just getting your first close up look at who he really is?"
Her eyes cut to his and irritation crept into her voice. "Please don't patronize me, Tank. I'm not stupid. I see you and Ranger with your heads together. Do you think that I don't notice that you shut up the minute I come close? Everybody in the place has seen the changes in Ranger … It's like he's angry all the time, jumping down peoples throats. They're asking me what's going on and I don't have any answers." She looked at him pointedly.
"What makes you think that I do?"
"You're his best friend. You've know him longer than anyone else here. He trusts you and confides in you, you're the one listed to contact in case anything happens to him."
The big man shook his head, "Steph, I'm sorry. I don't have any answers for you. You'll have to ask him yourself. I really don't know what's going on."
She got up and went to the door, her hand on the knob. She half turned back to him. "If you did know," she said softly, "would you tell me?" Tank just stared down at the pencil in his hand. She had her answer.
A soon as she closed his office door, Tank broke the pencil and fired the pieces across the room. Why couldn't he make Ranger see what a fool he was? It was a good thing that Hector had left RangeMan Trenton. Hector adored Steph and wouldn't have stood for this. He would have hurt Ranger. Tank rubbed his aching head. He had no fucking idea how to fix this.
- 1 -
This time when Ranger came back, he was a different man. He was cold and remote, like a tightly wound spring, the tension kept just below the surface. He was dangerous, quick to anger and no one wanted to be the one to set him off, afraid of what he might do. He used excessive force on skips, made no effort to keep his temper in check, and used his fists with no provocation. If Tank didn't know better, he would have thought that Ranger was on drugs.
And now this! Tank knew there would be hell to pay. At the very least Ranger would beat the shit out of the guys who had screwed up last night's redecorating job. Not that they were really at fault, but Ranger needed someone to blame for the mess. Their intel had been bad and as a result, two RangeMen had been shot and one of the druggies was dead. It had been a real FUBAR'ed job. They had been awake for almost two days, the last 16 hours dealing with the cops and complaints and threats of lawsuits from the building's owners and Ranger was beyond furious.
When Ranger stepped out of the elevator onto the fifth floor, silence descended onto the room and all RangeMen looked elsewhere, afraid to make eye contact. Steph had gone to dinner and then returned to her office to work and wait for him. The familiar tingle told her that Ranger was near and she turned to find him, relieved that he was back safely.
Her eyes found his as he stripped off his Kevlar, and he stilled for a minute, watching her. His eyes, cold and black, made her shiver and something close to fear coursed through her. Some primal instinct told her to flee, but his look held her in place, unable to move. The eye of the tiger, and she was his prey.
Never taking his eyes from hers, he pushed his automatic rifle into Cal's hands. The very air around him was charged and the men backed away, afraid to interfere. His purpose was all too clear as he stalked across the room to Stephanie, ripping the files from her hands and throwing them aside. His mouth was in a thin cruel line and he breathed raggedly, nostrils flaring with each breath. She tried to take a step back from him but he grabbed her upper arm and dragged her toward the elevator.
When the doors opened he shoved her against the back wall and pointed the remote at the camera. His eyes slid down her body, from her eyes to her mouth and she unconsciously licked her lips. Her breathing was ragged, her heart pounded wildly in her chest and she felt her nipples harden and strain against her clothes as his eyes focused on her breasts.
With a low growl he reached out and pulled her against his body, his mouth finding hers in a bruising kiss. She tried to pull away, but he threaded his hand into her hair, holding her almost painfully to him as he ravaged her mouth. With his free hand he opened his utility belt and let it drop to the floor, then ran his hand down her leg to her knee and lifted her leg to wrap it around his. Her little skirt had ridden up and his hand kneaded her butt, then stroked roughly over the silk of her panties as she whimpered into his mouth.
Strangely turned on and unable to help herself, she yielded to him, incapable of fighting her own desire. She wanted him inside of her, thrusting into her as hard as he could. He had lost control and she was spiraling after him.
She kissed him back with matching lust and ferocity, fingers curled into his shirt, holding him to her. They stumbled back against the wall, breaking the kiss. He grabbed the neckline of her shirt and ripped it right down the front, buttons flying. It wound up on the floor along with the shreds of her bra.
The door open and Ranger lifted her, his hands under her ass as she wrapped her long legs around his waist and toed off her shoes. She gave a cry when he lifted her higher, his mouth finding her nipple and sucking hard. Her head fell back and her hands fisted into his hair, holding him to her, as guttural, almost animal-like noises escaped her. She ground herself against him, frantic with need for him.
He carried her across the hall, oblivious to the cameras recording them, and kicked open the apartment door. Slamming it shut, he pinned her against it with his weight, his mouth again on hers, their tongues dueling for control. His hand fisted her panties and in a second, they were gone. His fingers found her core, slick and wet, and she moved against him, clutching him, her fingernails digging into him so hard they drew blood.
The unmistakable sound of his zipper sliding open made her quiver and her muscles clinch. He lifted her, then roughly pulled her down onto him and he groaned as he slammed into her in one long, hard stroke. He took her hard and fast, pounding her into the door over and over again, grinding against her, taking her higher and higher. When he sank his teeth into her shoulder, she fell over the edge and came hard, her muscles clinching him, bringing him with her.
He leaned his face against hers as they gasped for breath. Slowly, still buried in her, he slid down to his knees, her legs still wrapped around him. Her head fell onto his shoulder as aftershocks shuddered through her. Finally, he pulled out of her and sat back against the door, his head back and his eyes closed, while his breathing returned to normal. Neither one of them had spoken a word.
They sat like that for several long minutes until he stood and grabbing her by the arm, pulled her into the bedroom. Stripping her skirt off of her and shedding his own clothes, he pushed her back onto the bed and took her again. Finally sated, he pulled the blankets over them and fell asleep with his arm around her and his head on her breast.
During the night he woke her to make love to her again and again. Slowly and sweetly, his hands and mouth traveling over her body as if he were trying to memorize her. This was her Carlos, the man she loved and who loved her. They still hadn't spoken a word, they didn't need to. She was lying on top of him, her face hovering over his. His touch was so gentle, almost reverent, that it brought tears to her eyes and they fell onto his face, looking like they were his tears. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her head to his shoulder, and they slept.
- 0 –
She awoke to the sound of the shower running and she smiled to herself as she stretched her aching muscles. She had just about convinced herself to join him, when the water shut off. She plumped her pillow and leaned back, yawning, to wait for him. A few minutes later he came out of the dressing room looking like he had just stepped off a magazine cover. She smiled lazily at him and said only, "Yum!" as she held out her arms to him.
He didn't even look at her as he walked over to the bed and stood at the foot, hands on hips. "Look, Steph. We need to talk." His voice was as flat and emotionless as his face. "I'll come straight to the point. This just isn't working for me anymore." She sat up, her heart stuttering and her voice trapped in her throat. "I probably should have told you before, but this whole little domestic scene is getting old. It's time for you to move on. I already have." He reached over, took his watch off the night table and strapped it on his wrist.
"Ella will pack your stuff and ship it to you. Just let her know where. You can have the furniture, too."
He picked up his jacket and slipped it on, finally looking at her. "Stephanie, lose the wounded doe routine. It's not like you're a victim here. You can keep the car and the clothes, and the jewelry is worth big money. You can find another job. I'll give you a glowing recommendation. Hell, after that lap dance, you could make a fortune in any 'Gentleman's Club' in town."
"You'll need some money until you find someplace to live, so here." He reached into his pocket and took out a wad of cash and tossed it on the dresser. "You need to be out of here by 5 o'clock."
He walked to the bedroom door and opened it. He started to walk out, then turned back. "Oh, leave your keys on the sideboard on your way out." And he was gone.
She sat, staring at the empty doorway, trying to breath.
They had been happy and in love.
They had been friends and lovers and partners.
They had been together exactly eleven months, two weeks, four days, nineteen hours, and thirty-one minutes.
And now it was over.
TBC …
So, what does Steph do now? Where does she go? Who does she turn to? She really needs your opinions and ideas. Thanks for all of your wonderful reviews. Steph, Ranger, and all the Merry Men can't wait to read them. What? Oh, the MM want to know why you don't mention them more often in your reviews … they're just shameless! Lester said he'd take his shirt off for you. Thanks!!!!
