Chapter 7-Pampered

Ranger leaned over and whispered in my ear. "Babe you can't let him know."

"We left a shredded envelope so he will think Bob ate the pictures." Cal whispered

I nodded and tried to get my anger under control but it wasn't working. I looked down at my hands and they were shaking. I immediately moved them under the table. Ranger grabbed one and pulled it to his knee where he held it. I was probably mistaken but it felt as if his hand was shaking too. I glanced over at him but he had on his stone face and his eyes were focused straight ahead. I struggled to find my own stone face.

Morelli strode over to us with his cocky walk. How come I never noticed before how cocky and full of himself he is? He said he had changed. He wasn't the same eighteen year old boy he had been. He was a man who had grown up and changed. Obviously he hadn't changed a bit. From choo choo to deflowering me to wanting pictures of the most humiliating moment of my life. Who was this man? Did I ever really know him at all? I looked him up and down and he smiled. I had a sick feeling in my stomach and tried to hide the look of disgust on my face.

"Hey Cupcake. What's going on here? A meeting with Thugs R us?" he smiled and leaned against the booth.

I glanced around the table to see what everyone else was doing. Cal had his fist balled up and was holding it with his other hand. Hal was sitting up straight and taking deep breaths. Tank was glaring at Morelli and Ranger was squeezing my hand. I needed to control myself, I felt like I was sitting on a powder cake and I was the only one who could keep it from exploding.

"Morelli." I nodded

"What's going on?" he asked with a confused look on his face.

"Lunch with friends." I answered

"Friends?" he laughed "Looks like you are being held against your will."

"Not at all. I choose to have lunch and enlightening conversation with these amazing gentleman." I took a deep breath as I worked to keep my anger under control.

"Why didn't you call me? I would have met you for lunch." he told me

"I didn't want to have lunch with you." I couldn't resist glaring at him

"Cupcake, what the hell is going on?" he moved his hands to his hips

"Quit calling me that." I demanded

"Am I supposed to call you Babe?" he glared

"Not if you want to live." Ranger told him in a voice that made me shiver.

"That's reserved for one man in my life." Ranger squeezed my hand

"In your life? So you and Manoso? What's that about?" he asked

"We're together." I spoke quickly and then worried Ranger might argue with me. Instead he let go of my hand and wrapped his arm around my shoulders.

"I see he's getting his moneys worth." Morelli shook his head

"Fuck you." I couldn't hold back the anger. Heads turned our way and I knew now we had extra attention.

"Sure thing Cupcake. Maybe we can find a alley out back." he teased

"Morelli." Ranger warned

"Go away." I told him as Johnny came over to deliver our subs.

Morelli waited for Johnny to leave the table."I'll go but soon you'll be calling me and wanting to be with a real man. I don't normally do sloppy seconds, but I had you first." he smirked.

"I think it's time for you to go." Ranger told him

"The mighty Manoso speaks and everyone is supposed to jump." Morelli kept the smirk on his face.

"You won't jump Morelli you will be flying through the air when I toss you out on your ass." Ranger informed him

"You seem to be forgetting I am a cop. Assaulting an officer will get you some time in jail." he told him before turning to me "and I don't think Cupcake here has the money to bail you out."

"I won't leave any evidence." Ranger assured him

I didn't know what to say or do. I wanted to jump out of the booth and beat the crap out of him. I wanted to let Ranger kill him. But most of all I wanted to wipe that smirk off of his face. "Morelli, I think you should go. I am fueling up so I can spend the next twelve hours letting Ranger ruin me for all other men. Once he's done with me I won't even remember your name."

His smirk dropped and I thought I saw smoke coming out of his ears. He tried to recover quickly. "Cupcake, you couldn't forget me if you tried."

"True or not at least the next twelve hours will leave me satisfied. Something you could never quite accomplish. Now I can stop sneaking away to those acting classes. But you have to admit I was a damn good actress"

"That's bullshit." he answered quickly but I saw a look of doubt in his eyes.

"I'm going to eat now." I told him as I picked up my sandwich. Hal and Cal followed my lead. Tank watched Ranger and Ranger watched Morelli

He stood there for a moment and watched me. Waiting for me to say something more. I finished my bite and looked up at Cal. "We need to hit the range tomorrow."

"Sure thing Steph, after you finish that work out." he winked as he followed my lead

"This is delicious, I'm glad you suggested it." Hal played along too

"That's fine Cupcake. I'll be on my way. I obviously can't afford you anymore." he dropped his hands from his hips. "Your mom invited me over for dinner tonight. Can't wait to tell her all about your new life. What do they call this a gang bang?"

Ranger shifted in his seat and I squeezed his hand. "If I was still with you I would definitely need more than one man. I don't have to worry about that anymore. Ranger more than satisfies me. It's fun to let him do all of those things I thought I would never do."

He suddenly got a look of shock on his face. "What?"

"I know." I opened my eyes wide and smiled. "Who knew it would all be so much fun." I leaned forward and dropped my voice "I have to admit I am really sore all over. I was worried I wouldn't be able to open my mouth enough to even eat lunch, but now I'm getting used to putting large things in my mouth.

"Go to hell Stephanie ." he glared at me before turning his attention to Ranger "Fuck you Manoso, enjoy your high priced whore." with that he turned and walked away and headed straight for the door.

I watched him walk out and waited for the door to close. I let go of Ranger's hands and brought both of mine back on to the table. They were shaking even worse and I could feel the tears well up in my eyes. I dropped the sub and felt my stomach lurch. I gently pushed against Ranger and he understood.

"I am so sorry." I told the guys as Ranger moved out of the booth.

I jumped up and ran to the bathroom. I barely made it to the bowl before I threw up the few bites I had taken. I felt a hand on my back and another pull back my hair. My stomach was still heaving but nothing more was coming out. I sat back onto my feet and just sniffled as the tears rolled down my face. His arms hooked under my arm pits and pulled me to my feet. He steered me to the sink and I glanced in the mirror. I knew it was Ranger before I even saw him. He turned on the sink and I cupped the water in my hand and rinsed out my mouth.

"I ..." I tried to talk.

"shhh" he said as he rubbed my back. He turned me to face him and moved a curl behind my ear.

I stared into his eyes and he relaxed his face. He nodded at me and I nodded back at him as I collected myself. I pulled away and went back to the sink as I gathered water to splash in my face. He handed me a towel and I dried myself off. He took my hand and pulled me out of the bathroom. We made it back to the booth and I slid in as he moved back in beside me.

"I'm sorry." I told the guys again.

"No Steph, don't apologize." Cal told me as he reached across the table and grabbed my hands.

"Can we kill him?" Tank asked

"No, don't waste your time. He's garbage." I sniffled as I held back the tears.

"He can't keep using the cop card. If he's off duty and he starts a fight it's not assaulting a police officer." Cal told us all.

"You can't just kick his ass because he's an asshole." I told them

"The pictures! Those had to be illegal to take, and if not they had to be illegal to pass on to someone else." Cal suggested

"I understand but..." I trailed off

Ranger took over. "If she wanted to file those charges the pictures would be introduced into evidence."

The three men each gave me an understanding nod. "Look, I can't apologize enough. I know he's an ass. I honestly don't know what I ever saw in him. There's not a thing I can explain about my relationship with him besides Burg pressure."

"Steph." Tank began but I held up my hand.

"No, wait please. I need to tell you all that I am sorry for ever bringing him into your lives. It kills me when he says anything bad about any of you." I was trying to speak quietly and keep the tears from my eyes. "Right now just trying to separate who is loyal to me and who has never really been there for me." I just shook my head

"We're here." Hal assured me

"I know that. And I do really appreciate it. But my family? The man who wanted to marry me? My friends? I can't trust any of them. for all I know the whole damn Burg believes I'm guilty." I fell back against the booth and breathed out a deep breath.

"They can't judge you." Cal told me

"They can, they do and they always have. It's never going to change." I admitted

"Why do you care?" Tank asked

I thought about it for a moment before I answered "I was taught to care about what they say."

"You need to let it go." Tank told me

"and Morelli? You need to let that go too. We will take care of him in the end, trust me on that." Hal assured me

"No! I don't want any of you getting in trouble for me. If I am found guilty." I paused "Maybe then I will marry him."

All three men dropped their jaws. I turned to look at Ranger but his face still hadn't changed. Tank watched me waiting for an explanation. I smiled "Then when he comes for his first conjugal visit I will be happy to remove his most valued body parts."

Cal wrinkled up his nose and Hal winced. "While that does sound like fun, you won't be found guilty." Tank assured me.

"We'll just have to see what Morelli does next." I nodded.

"He's staying on the suspect list." Hal said firmly

Ranger said nothing. He put his arm around my shoulder and didn't say a word. He just stared straight ahead. He slowly took his arm away and joined his hands on top of the table. He linked them together and bent them in as his knuckles cracked.

"I'm not hungry anymore." I announced.

"Tank, go back to Rangeman. Talk to Hector and Silvio and report back." he spoke with a quiet and controlled voice before looking at Cal. "Pack up our lunch and get back to following Morelli."

Everyone nodded and Ranger moved out of the booth. He turned around and held his hand out to me. Before I took it I looked back at the guys. "I am sorry for saying that stuff. I wanted to hurt him." I explained

"Don't." Tank shook his head "You never have to apologize to us. We know who you are and you never have to explain yourself to us."

"It worked." Hal gave a quick nod.

"It definitely worked." Cal agreed

I took Ranger's hand and he pulled me to my feet. He kept my hand in his as he pulled me out of Pino's. We went to the SUV and he opened the passenger door for me and I jumped in. He shut the door behind me and then waked around the back of the truck. He got in and started the engine. When he had driven for a few blocks I looked over at him waiting for him to speak to me. I wanted him to say something. I needed to know if he was mad at me. He was in the zone and didn't even glance my way.

I wanted to talk and thought about starting a conversation. I thought better of it and just went off into my own zone. I searched through my purse for mouth wash and when I found it I just drank some. I kept silent as I watched him drive. A million thoughts were going through my head. I wanted to go to the clubs in Atlantic City. I needed to talk to the bouncer at the club where Giulia was last seen. I needed to figure out what I was going to say to Ramos. I needed to find out more information about Nicole Palazzo. I had so much to do and here I was with Ranger as he drove through the streets of Hamilton. I saw Quaker Bridge Mall up ahead and was surprised when Ranger pulled in.

"What are we doing here?" I asked him as he pulled into a parking spot right in front of Macy's. Damn parking karma

He turned off the engine and then turned his whole body in his seat to look at me. "Babe"

As soon as he looked into my eyes they started to well up with tears. He shook his head no and reached out to rub my face with the back of his hand. "Stephanie, I'm not mad at you. I am furious with Morelli and if I don't focus on something else I am going to find him and kill him. I don't care if he's a cop." he took a deep breath "I'm was slightly amused by what came out of your mouth at Pino's. I admit it did inspire me, and I could definitely handle those 12 hours."

I started to apologize but he covered my lips with one finger. He pulled me across the console and onto his lap. "No more apologies Babe."

With that he kissed my lips and then my cheeks. His made his way across my entire face before he moved to my neck. I tilted my head.. His hands moved to my hips and slowly slid under my shirt. They moved up slowly and he cupped each breast in his hands. He pulled away from the kiss and leaned his head back with a sigh as he moved his hands lower and rested them on my stomach. I leaned forward and nuzzled my face into his neck.

"A part of the things you were saying really gave me ideas." he explained

"I didn't even consider that would be a bonus of pissing him off." I pulled back to look at him and we were both smiling.

"Come on Babe. We have things to do." he spoke softly as he grazed my lips and gently moved me back to my own side.

"What do we have to do here?" I asked as I got out and closed the door behind me.

"You'll see." he took my hand in mine and we walked together. I shot him a side glance

"What?" he asked

"People will see you holding my hand. You don't do public stuff unless we're hidden in an alley." I reminded him

"Today I do." he said as he winked at me. I shook my head a little trying to clear things up. Ranger was holding my hand and winking at me in public. Who is this guy? Was I in the Twilight Zone?

We went into Macy's but headed straight for the exit into the mall. Once we were inside he led me straight over to a salon. He spoke to the woman at the desk in some type of Asian language I wasn't sure about what he was saying. He turned to me. "Ana will take care of you. She speaks English as well as Vietnamese. I already told her what you need."

"Ranger" I argued

"I have errands to run. I will be back to get you and then we can find that dress for the Ramos meeting." he pulled me closer and kissed me on the nose.

"But..." I started as he walked away and Ana pulled me towards the back.

I was led to a pedicure chair and she turned on the water. I slowly took off my shoes and slid into the chair. I pressed the massage buttons and laid back as she began to work on my feet. It felt so good to feel my muscles relax. I never had a pedicure like this. She washed and massaged my feet. She did callous removal, she scrubbed them with different solutions. She wrapped my feet and calves in hot towels. Next was a hot rock massage. I closed my eyes and felt myself drift off. I was thinking about Ranger. He didn't correct me when I told Morelli we were together. I know he doesn't do relationships, but I appreciated him going along with it for my sake. I thought about the pictures in the envelope. I had them now in my bag and I wondered what I was going to do with them. I know I couldn't bare to look at them again.

"Stephanie." Ana called my name to get my attention.

"Yes?" I opened my eyes and looked down at my feet They were painted red and had a heart on each big toe.

"Come with me." she told me as she collected my bag and shoes.

I followed her to a table and sat down in the comfortable leather chair. She reached out for my hands and I placed them on top of the table. She placed my things beside me and went to work. She soaked, massaged and painted my short nails. Again she went with red and placed a heart on the fourth finger of each hand. I followed her instructions and waited for them to dry. Next she led me to a massage room where I was told to undress and lay on the bed. When she left the room I just stood there for a moment. I never had a massage before and wasn't so sure how I would feel naked in front of a stranger.

"You can do this. You deserve this. This may be your last chance to be pampered." I encouraged myself.

I slowly took off my clothes and wrapped myself in a towel. I laid on my stomach and made sure my behind was covered. Ana knocked and then came back in. She started with a warm oil and then added the hot rocks again. I felt like silly puddy on the table. I felt the tension leave my body as she rubbed. My shoulders, my back, my legs. It was amazing and I felt a giant release. The stress and anger slowly poured out of my body as I felt everything relax completely. I found myself moaning as she rubbed into my muscles. I wanted to stay like this for hours. When she was done I lifted my head up and looked at her.

"Wax?" she asked

I thought for a moment. I was a shaving kind of girl. I had never had any part of my body waxed. I shrugged my shoulders and she nodded as she gently pushed me and I moved to my back. I arranged the towel to keep myself covered as I felt the warm wax on my legs. It hurt like a bitch but I let her continue. She waxed my arm pits and my eyebrows. Then she headed down low and before I knew it she had added the warm wax to my lower area.

"Uhmm" I began but switched my tone when she pulled off the first sheet. "OUCH!"

"Almost done." she continued and I bit my tongue so I wouldn't cry out anymore. I was never doing this again. She offered to do my arms. I drew the line at my arms. Although I wish I had drawn the line at some other places. I was feeling definitely different. The lotion had relieved the soreness. She spread a second layer of lotion across me before she pulled me up into a sitting position.

"Get dressed she told me as she left the room.

My body felt like jello and I moved to my feet and pulled my clothes back on. I came out of the room and Ana was waiting for me. She lead me to another room where a different woman entered. They instructed me to lay back and I did. The woman got to work on my face. She cleaned and exfoliated me before adding some type of mask. When she finally peeled it off I reached up to touch my face. It was softer than I had ever felt it. I felt like a queen. I had never been this pampered in my entire life. I walked back out to the front desk and saw Ranger right away leaning against the entrance.

I walked over to him slowly. He was holding bags. He had a Victoria's Secret Bag, a Macy's bag, a Macy's garment bag and a small jewelry store bag. When I got face to face he grabbed my hand and lifted it up to look at my nails. I looked up at him and the corners of his mouth raised into a smile.

"I knew you would look good in red."

"You picked the color?" I asked

"Babe"

"I can't believe you did all of this." I shook my head but couldn't hold back the smile.

"I wanted you to feel as beautiful as you look." he said as I followed him back into the mall. he shifted the bags and took my hand in his.

"You went shopping? Am I in bizzaro world?" I shook my head as if I were trying to wake up.

"Babe" was all he said

I pulled out my phone and looked to check the time. "Oh my gosh! I was in there for three hours?" We made our way through Macy's quickly and headed for the SUV

"You needed it." he told me as he held open the passenger door.

"But Ranger, we need every second we can get." I sighed

"That's why I did the shopping. I got you some outfits to help you with your Ramos meeting and any others that may come up." he assured me as we pulled out onto the highway. "I got you something to wear tonight too."

"Now what?" I asked

"Now we get back to seven so you can get ready for dinner at your parent's house." he told me as he reached over and grabbed my hand. He held it in his before slipping back into his zone.

We got back to seven and I went straight to the bathroom to brush my teeth. "Thank you Ella for always making sure I had everything I needed." I whispered to myself.

When I stepped into the bedroom I saw the bags on the floor beside the bed. I opened the garment bag first and laid out the clothes he had chosen. There was a pants suit. It was grey and had a tailored jacket. There was a whit camisole under the jacket. I smiled to myself never qute realizing how sexy a sut could be. I checked the price tag. All of the suits I wore at EE Martin had cost less than this one suit. Next I inspected the dresses, all four of them beautiful. One dress was black and form fitting. It had a low cut front and and no back. The ties went around my neck. It was casual but dressy. Definitely made for the summer and sexy as hell. I knew I was saving this one for Ramos.

The next dress was red with short sleeves and hugged the body until it reached my waist. From the waist down it flowed out like a dress for a salsa dancer. I knew I would use this for when we club hopped. I moved the dresses around and smiled at the next one. It was a simple white sundress with red roses decorating different areas of the dress. It had spaghetti straps and a loose fit that made it look incredibly comfortable. The final dress was one I knew was specifically for Ranger. It was blue dress that was long like a gown. It had slits up both sides that reached to the thigh. It had thick straps, a low cut in the front and gathered at the waist. It looked like something a Greek goddess would wear.

Next I laid out the items from Victoria's Secret. There was a matching bra and panty set that followed the colors of each dress as well as a light pink one I assumed was picked to match the suit. Then I noticed there were a few negligee items to wear for bed. All of them various sexy slips. Some that were see through or simply had lace strategically added to expose certain areas of the body. I shoved those and the bra set back into the bag and noticed there was something else at the bottom. It was perfume. I pulled it out and read the name out loud "Bombshell"

I smiled as I sprayed it on me. It smelled flowery and sexy. I kept out the white bra and panty set and the white sundress to wear tonight. I put the rest of the items in the closet before walking back to the bed. I stood back and sighed as I looked at what I had laid before me. I looked down and realized I had forgotten to check out the final bag. I picked it up to set on the bed. When I pulled it open I saw three shoe boxes inside.

I opened the fist box labeled 'Michael Kors'. The first pair were silver with a zipper that went from my toes to my ankle. The next pair were red four inch FMP's. The final pair had a smaller heel. They were blue and tied around my ankle with ribbon like a ballet dancer. I shook my head as I carried the shoes into the closet but kept the red ones out for tonight. I pulled on the new bra and panty set before I stepped into the dress.

I stood in front of the bathroom mirror studying my soft face, I didn't want to ruin it with make-up. My hair was behaving today as it laid down past my shoulders in perfect curls. I decided for a boost of confidence I would add a few layers of mascara. I heard Ranger enter the room and glanced through the opening as he was heading towards the closet. He pulled his shirt off along the way and I couldn't help but stare at his muscular back. I closed the door and stared at myself in the mirror.

He had done so much for me in the last couple of days. Most important he got me a lawyer and got me bailed out. I told myself I was only staying here so he could guard his investment. I was lying to myself. I was staying here to spend more time with him. He believed in me and made me feel special. He always did that but now more than ever I felt it. I trusted him more than anyone else in my life. I wasn't afraid of what tonight would hold and I was looking forward to sharing his bed. Whether that meant a mind numbing orgasm or simply being cuddled against him.

There was a gentle knock on the door. "Babe"

I opened the door and called out "I'm ready." before I froze in place. We both stood in place for a moment staring at each other. He had dressed up a bit to match me. He was wearing khaki pants and a crisp white button down shirt. My eyes went immediately to his chest were a couple of buttons were left undone. I stepped forward and he crossed the floor to meet me.

"You look amazing." he told me as he pulled me into his arms.

I felt my body melt into his and took in the smell of Bvlgari. He pulled me back and I felt something hanging from my neck. I reached my hands up and felt a necklace. He took my hand and pulled me towards the mirror in his bedroom. He moved me in front of it as he stood behind me. The necklace was platinum and hanging in the middle was an infinity symbol. One side had sparkling diamonds and the other black diamonds. I rubbed my hand along it and then turned to face him.

"What's this?" I asked as I searched his eyes for some clue

"Babe"

"Ranger" I raised both of my eyebrows.

"It's to remind you of how long I will be at your side. How long I will believe in you. How long I will be proud of you." he explained

"I can't..." I tried to refuse the extravagant gift.

"Babe" he raised an eyebrow daring me to try and give it back.

"It's too..." I tried to explain the price

"Babe" he held my arms and stared into my eyes

I gulped and felt a hot flush shoot through me. "Thank you." I finally said before he leaned in and kissed me. This time I parted my lips as he slowly moved his tongue across them. I met him with mine and our kiss started off slow and gentle. He pulled me against him and our kiss deepened. His hands moved to my back and he stroked up and down my spine. His hands reaching from the top of my neck to right above my ass. I found myself grinding into him as both of my hands locked around his neck.

He broke the kiss when we both needed to come up for air. He kept me tight against him and I turned my head to lay it against his chest. He brought one of his hands up to the back of my hair and played with my curls The other one stayed against the small of my back. My legs were still weak from the kiss and I was glad to be held up in his arms. After a few minutes he took my shoulders and gently pushed me back.

"It's time to go. We don't want to be late for dinner." he flashed me that 200 watt smile and I suddenly had the confidence to face my family.