Janet Evanovich owns all the rights to these characters. Don't we all wish we had rights just with Ranger! But alas, he's all hers.

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Scent of a Woman

Chapter 4

Stephanie picked up a large box of donuts and drove over to Sally Sweets house. Sally's band consisted of a rag tag group of cross dressers, some straight, some gay. They were actually very nice guys, and they were excited to help Stephanie with her cover story. Sally had helped Stephanie with some skips on a couple occasions in the past and had single handedly saved her life last year when the slayers gang tried to kill her on Stark Street. She trusted him, considered him a good friend, and, as a bonus, he also had a great sense of style, especially when it came to glamour. Sally was at least 6'3" and that was without heels. Today he was wearing an off the shoulder, bright blue, peasant blouse with a multi-colored floral skirt that ended just below his knees. He had paired this outfit with pearl drop earrings, a matching necklace, and 2-inch heeled sandals that laced up his legs. All in all, an attractive look; if you ignored the hairy chest and legs. She was counting on him to design the perfect costume for her act.

When she arrived, the band was all assembled and waiting to rehearse in the basement. Stephanie spent a few minutes going over her ideas and the plan for Thursday. Together they came up with what she considered to be a good selection of songs that she would feel comfortable performing on stage. Cabaret music wasn't the band's regular "sound". They most often played 70's & 80's rock, and sometimes, depending on the audience, they played more contemporary rock, but they were talented musicians and easily adapted to her needs. They rehearsed for a couple of hours and decided to meet again the next day.

"Damn, Stephanie, you fucking surprised me. Shit, I didn't know you could do something like this! Where the fuck did you get that voice?" Sally had been working hard to limit his use of profanity. He was actually down about fifty percent.

"Thanks, Sally. Years of voice lessons in the Burg. I sang a little in college, too. There was a little café near the campus that would occasionally host a talent night. A few of my friends and I would work up a couple of numbers similar to this and perform. It was fun!"

"You are going to fuckin' knock them off their feet. My band dudes were impressed."

"If I can impress Andrew Sullivan and get him to notice me, it will be good enough for me."

"Oh he'll fuckin' notice you, baby. But we're not done. We are going to dress you in something fucking awesome. I'm thinking gold and sparkly shit, especially for that second number. Honey, even Brenda won't have any shit on you. I'm going to make you a fuckin' star."

"I don't want to be a star, Sally. I just want to do my job so I don't disappoint the rest of the team."

"Stephanie, no one will be fucking disappointed in you on Thursday night. Let me just take some measurements and you can go. Leave the fuckin' rest to me. Tomorrow I'll have some things for you to try on. Can you come an a couple hours early to do that?"

"Yeah, absolutely."

Sally pulled out a tape measure and began taking Stephanie's measurements and jotting things down. He even got her shoe size.

"I knew you would come through for me, Sally. This is really important. Are we still on for tonight?"

"Hell yes, Steph. I already talked to my dude at Dino's, and he's meeting with us at fuckin' 7:30." He'll give us a fuckin' tour of the place and give us some ideas on how to use their stage and shit. He also said that we could come in Thursday morning and do a practice run through with the whole fucking band."

"You didn't tell him why were doing this, did you?"

No fuckin' way. I told him that you were setting this up as a surprise for your boyfriend's birthday. He's an okay dude and was cool with it. Besides you will definitely be good for his fucking business."

"You're the best, Sally! I've gotta go. I'll be back around 6:00 to pick you up."

Stephanie grabbed a quick lunch at the McDonald's drive through and headed over to the Quakerbridge Mall. She gave Mr. Alexander the picture of Marissa Sullivan and told him she needed her own hair color to be similar to that of the woman in the picture. When he finished he also gave her some hairstyle suggestions for her performance. Two and a half hours later, Stephanie was a red head.

"Wow!" She was shocked. "I wasn't really sure red was going to be my color, but it's great!" Stephanie couldn't stop looking in the mirror. She was really going to do this. She was going to work undercover and gather intelligence to catch the bad guy. All those times when Ranger would go "in the wind" she imagined these kinds of missions taking place in far off exotic places. Now it was taking place in her own backyard. The thought of what lay before her was daunting.

She paid her bill, giving a generous tip to Mr. Alexander, courtesy of RangeMan. She then phoned Lula to join her. Despite her own often flashy wardrobe choices, Lula was actually very adept at choosing outfits for Stephanie that were tasteful and accentuated her best assets. She purchased several pairs of green contact lenses, and when Lula arrived, she gave her a brief rundown of her undercover assignment (swearing her to secrecy) and then they set their sights on some designer clothes and shoes! Lots of shoes!

"Girl, I can't believe Ranger gave you a charge card. That's one of them Black cards. No limit. Hell, you could buy a small island with that card. Are you sure you haven't been doing the nasty with him?"

"Are you suggesting that I slept with Ranger for money? That I'm some kind of... kept woman?"

"Well, I'm just sayin' that you just bought a shitload of expensive clothes and Ranger's payin' for it." Lula put her hands on her hips and glared at Stephanie. "In my experience a man don't do that for a woman that ain't puttin' out. You're holding back on me, girl. Spill it!"

"I just told you about the assignment I'm doing for Ranger's company. If you don't believe me, ask Tank. He'll tell you."

"Oh I will, believe me. I have ways to make Tank talk." Stephanie was sure that Lula had the skills to rival any torture Tank might face on the most dangerous assignment. She had seen the way Tank looked at Lula. That man had fallen hard and fast.

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With her little Ford Focus loaded up with all her purchases, Stephanie said goodbye to Lula and headed back to Sally Sweet's, stopping along the way to pick up dinner for the two of them. Stephanie was surprised to see Sally had dressed rather conservatively for a change. He had on stone washed jeans, a blue button down shirt and pink high tops.

"Sally, that's a different look for you, isn't it?"

"Shit, girl, I have to dress the fuckin' part. I can't be your manager in a club like this and wear my normal shit. I have to look fucking respectable."

"My manager? Sally, I don't think we need to go that far with this cover. You can just be the one in charge of the band. Remember I'm only doing this for a surprise for my boyfriend. I am not claiming to be a professional singer. I shouldn't have a manager."

"Well, fuck. Okay, but the boys and I are still going to dress respectable for the fucking performance on Thursday. We don't want to steal your limelight."

"I appreciate that, Sally. I know you prefer a flashier look when you're on stage." Stephanie had been to many of Sally's 'gigs'. For a short time, even Lula performed with the band as a back up singer. The outfits were often more outstanding than the show, frequently consisting of flyaway feathers, spandex, sequins and the exposure of lots of skin.

Stephanie and Sally drove the almost hour long drive to Dino's, excitedly discussing the assortment of outfits that Sally had come up with for Stephanie to try on. Some of them sounded a bit out there, but others had potential. She couldn't wait to try them on in the next day.

When they reached the restaurant, Stephanie took in the upper class atmosphere that the inside projected. So many times her distractions had taken place in dives that were almost too scary to consider sitting in. Stale cigarette smoke, beer, and sweaty smelling men with missing teeth were not uncommon denominators in the places she normally worked. This place was gorgeous. The lounge where she would be performing had at least three-dozen tables, each covered with black linen tablecloths and cozily surrounded with upholstered chairs. The bar was massive, maybe mahogany, detailed with ornate carvings. Behind the bar was a selection of what must have been every libation available on the planet. Imported and domestic whisky, brandy, wine, tequila…it was endless. Behind the bottles was the largest mirror Stephanie had ever seen. It made the room look even larger. The stage was small, but perfect for the intimacy she wanted to create. There was even a well-supplied dressing room that would be made available to her on Thursday.

Sally seemed very please with the sound system and lighting that had been added since the last time his band had performed there. The manager was very accommodating and was excited to be part of the ruse and, since Ranger had given her a large sum of cash, Stephanie gave him $200.00 for his time and willingness to help make her boyfriend's birthday memorable.

It was late by the time they returned to Trenton, and Stephanie dropped Sally back at his place. She debated about where to sleep. She finally decided to go back to her own apartment, because she wasn't ready to put herself back into the midst of temptation so soon. It was important that she take some time and stick with her plan to discover the new and improved Stephanie first. She also needed to unload her purchases and pack for her stay at the safe house, call her parents to let them know that she would be out of town for a while, and clean out the perishables from her refrigerator so she would not return to a stinky mess. In the morning she would load up her suitcases and Rex, take out the garbage, and then head over to Haywood to grab a shower in Ranger's apartment on seven. She would have called Ranger to let him know of her decision, but she knew that, between her car and her purse, she probably had a minimum of at least two tracking devices monitoring her position. Ranger would know exactly where she was tonight.

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When Stephanie pulled into the garage at RangeMan, she grabbed Rex and a small suitcase, containing some personal care products and a change of clothes, and took the elevator directly to seven. She used her key fob to access the apartment hoping that Ranger was already gone for the morning. She set Rex on the kitchen counter and headed for Ranger's bathroom. When she opened the bedroom door Ranger was standing there half dressed.

"God, Ranger, I'm sorry, I thought you'd be gone by now."

"It's okay, Babe, you know you can be here anytime."

"I know that, but I should have knocked. I'm sorry."

"Babe, stop. You don't have to knock; my place is your place. He looked down at the suitcase in her hand. Is that everything you brought?" He sounded rather amused.

"Oh, this…no, this is just for now. I thought I would use your shower, if that's alright. I put Rex in the kitchen and the rest of my luggage is still down in the car. Believe me there's lots more. I couldn't make up my mind on what to bring so I packed almost my entire closet, plus the new things I bought yesterday. I want to do this right for you, Ranger, I want to be prepared."

Ranger walked up to her, put his arms around her waist and pulled her in. Having Shirtless Ranger right up against her face was nearly unbearable; the scent of his Bvlgari Green soap filling her senses deeply enough that she could almost taste him. She was so transported in that moment that she almost didn't hear his next words. "Stop worrying, you'll be great. He kissed the top of her hair. Go take your shower, and I'll have Ella send up breakfast."

"Um…Thanks." She was struggling to remain coherent. God it was a good thing I didn't stay here last night. I wouldn't have stood a chance against this body.

"And, Babe?"

Oh damn, did I say that out loud? "Yes," she squeaked.

He tugged a ringlet and wrapped it around his finger. "I like the hair."

Stephanie reached up and touched her hair. She had forgotten that it was different. She smiled at Ranger and then headed to the bathroom. After her shower, Stephanie decided to run some product through her hair to tame the wild curls and then carefully used a blow dryer to finish. She wanted to leave it down so that she and Sally could tryout some hairstyles later in the day. At the last minute, she decided to put in a set of the green contacts. She thought it would be good to get comfortable with them right away. When she dressed and entered the kitchen, Ranger had a wonderful breakfast waiting at the counter.

"Did Ella make French toast?"

"She likes to spoil you, Babe." As he looked up to speak, Ranger noticed the green eyes immediately. He reached one hand to her cheek and gently rubbed his thumb under her eye. "Still beautiful."

"It's a whole new me. I kinda like it."

"Not a thing wrong with the old you."

Stephanie smiled, took a seat on one of the stools at the breakfast bar, and dug right in. She ate three pieces of French toast, smothered in buttered and syrup, bacon, scrambled eggs, and coffee. Ranger had one piece of French toast, topped with fruit, half a grapefruit, and coffee.

"Mmmmm." Stephanie moaned. "God, Ranger, you don't know what you're missing! You have to learn to appreciate the finer things in life, like warm maple syrup and crunchy bacon. Mmmmmmm."

"Babe, I'm looking at one of the finer things in life right now and believe me, I appreciate it." He gave her one of his famous wolf grins that made her all warm inside. He wouldn't stop looking at her, and she had to turn her gaze away before she blushed.

She blushed anyway. Damn, he did it again!

"After breakfast, can you stop down on five to pick up your document package and ID from Tank?"

"Yeah, I actually was planning to spend the morning here going over the research some more; then I have a costume fitting at 1:00 and a band rehearsal at 3:00. I should be ready to head over to the safe house around 6:00. I assume someone here is coming with me?"

"I'm going with you… in your new car. Tank said it would be delivered around noon."

"Can I drive it to my appointments today? What kind of car is it? What color is it? Please tell me it's not black!" Stephanie was as excited as a child at Christmas. It made Ranger smile.

"Yes, Babe, you can take it, but the rest is a surprise…but no, it's not black. When you come back to get me tonight, we'll have dinner first and then drive to the safe house.

"Okay, I'd like that."

They finished up breakfast and headed down the elevator together. Ranger headed to his office and Stephanie stopped in to see Tank. He handed her a thick packet containing all her documents to make her undercover persona credible. She pulled them out to look them over. When Tank noticed her smiling at the birth certificate of her child, the marriage certificate, and the death certificate for her husband, he grinned.

"What?" Steph asked.

"Did you tell him, Bomber?"

"No…did you?"

"No, he hasn't seen them."

"Good. Let's just keep this our little secret for now. It will be a fun surprise Thursday night."

"Oh, it'll be a surprise alright… Mrs. Ricardo Granger!" He was grinning from ear to ear.

"You don't think he'll send me to Siberia, do you?" She smiled, put everything back in the envelope, and left the office without getting an answer.

Stephanie spent the rest of the morning in her cubicle going over the files, conferring with Lester and Bobby about last minute details, and making a list of things she still needed to do and pick up. She wasn't able to find the Black Orchid perfume in Trenton. She would have to purchase it tomorrow in one of the stores located in Philadelphia. Throughout the morning she kept getting strange looks from the Merry Men, and she had to remind herself that they were probably taken aback by her appearance. Lester was the only one, other than Ranger, to actually say anything to her.

"My, my, Beautiful, you look…"

"Different?"

"Yeah…but…"

"Stunning?"

"Always, but…."

"Sexy?"

"Hell yes…, but…"

"Spit it out, Lester!"

"Damn, Beautiful, you look absolutely delicious."

"Oh,... well, thank you. That's just what I was going for." Stephanie gave Lester a peck on the cheek and went back to work.

Stephanie was so busy with last minute details that she worked right into the lunch hour. When she realized it was already 12:30, she grabbed her bag, popped into Ranger's office to let him know she was leaving and would return later, grabbed a sandwich, apple and bottle of juice from the break room, and ran down five flights of stairs to the garage. And there it was. Her car.

"Oh…. Oh…" Stephanie realized she was alone and could only look toward the security camera to make some kind of human contact with which to share her excitement. But immediately the stairwell doors opened and Ranger and Tank entered the garage with big smiles on their faces.

"Oh, it's beautiful…I love it…. it's…. It's blue…. It's not black…. It's…perfect…it's… it's so… expensive! Ranger, is this a Lexus? Oh God, you can't give me a Lexus. It will blow up…. Or someone will steal it…. Or it will catch on fire…. Or the space shuttle will fall out of the sky and land right on it. Ooooh it's so beautiful! You shouldn't let me near it. I have such bad car karma, Ranger. Tank, take it back, just get me a Honda or something. Really you guys can't let me drive this…Oooh it's so beautiful."

Ranger was smiling a 1000-watt grin. Tank was laughing his head off.

"Breathe, Babe, this is your car. It's perfect for your cover. This is a Lexus RX 450, in cerulean metallic blue, to match the real color of your eyes. It's the perfect car for a financially comfortable, widowed mother of a small child. I'm sure your husband wouldn't have wanted you to drive anything else."

Tank was still laughing at her reaction, but he managed to reach in his pocket to retrieve the key fob.

"Here you go, Bomber, it's all yours, but if you want to get in on the pool, I believe no one has put any money down on five days."

"Five days?"

"Yeah, the guys are placing bets on the number of days until it's destroyed. Five isn't taken yet."

Stephanie grabbed the keys with indignation, but when she turned back to the car she melted right back into utter joy at the sight before her. She gave Ranger a kiss on the cheek, opened the driver's door, and climbed in. After a few seconds, the engine started and the driver's window smoothly glided down. "It really is a beautiful car, Ranger. Tank?"

"Yeah, Bomber?"

"Put me down for $50 on five days."

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