I do not own JE's characters, I just like to play with them. This will be my collection of one shots highlighting ways that Stephanie could break free of Morelli and break up with him.
I have about twenty chapters already planned, but none of them will be related unless it is by a request. I will take some suggestions. Just let me know what you think.
And now onto the way Steph breaks free of Morelli. This one is a little long, but I could not stop it:
#12 You Distracted Me
I was dressed to kill and I knew I looked good. My LBD had a halter neckline that was lined with sequins to give it a sparkly look. Really, it just made my cleavage look better.
Ranger had taken a very long time placing my mic, and he offered me a nightcap after the distraction. He said that he would make sure I had something sweet in my mouth. All I could think of was him covered in chocolate cake.
I hate that I had to turn him down. Stupid guilt. I told Morelli that I would be working late tonight. I did not specify what I would be doing, because who needs another argument, right? Anyway, at Ranger's request, I was wearing thigh high stockings with my 5"FMPs. The hem of my dress just barely hid the tops of the stockings.
I took Lula's advice earlier today and had a slight auburn rinse added to my hair. My curls were loose and they seemed to glow to me. I did not have too much makeup on, just mascara, a little eye shadow and lip gloss.
I strolled into the Golden Slipper and I could hear the guys inside saying things in my ear piece. I knew there was Woody behind the bar, Lester at the pool table and Manny at a table with some guys I did not recognize. Lester whispered that he would love to take me home after this was over and got called to the mats. Ranger was so touchy.
I sat at the bar and crossed my legs and the guys moaned again. Heh heh. I was waiting for Billy Desmond. He was wanted for date rape. He always took the girls back to their place and drugged them and there you go. Sometimes the creep would rob them, too. Vinnie was disgusting for bonding this guy out.
I am hoping that he will pick me tonight because I want to kick him in the nuts really badly. The creep. I drank three fake long island iced teas before Lester told me that Billy was coming my way. Wonderful. He sidled up to me and smiled his movie star smile at me and ordered a drink. He was good looking, but he had nothing on Ranger.
"Babe, focus." Dammit, did I say that out loud?
I turned my attention to Billy. He winked at me and I made myself blush.
"Are you here alone, Gorgeous?"
I grinned at Billy. "Not anymore."
He laughed at that and moved his chair closer to me. His cologne was way too strong. Was that Aqua Velva? What did he do, bathe in it? But still, I smiled at the creep. He had better not touch me.
"My name is Will." He holds out his hand. Dammit, I jinxed myself.
I held out mine as well. "I'm Michelle."
I took my hand back and surreptitiously wiped it on my dress.
"What are you drinking, Gorgeous?"
I giggled and acted a little tipsy. "Long Island Iced Tea."
He licks his lips at me. Ew. Why am I doing this? Oh, right. Because I will earn $15,000. Liar. You will do anything for Ranger. I do not have time to get nagged by my shoulder angel right now.
He orders me a drink and Woody makes a show of pouring extra vodka into it. Billy nods in appreciation, and when he turns back to look at me, Woody switches the glasses and hands me another fake drink. Maybe he used to be a magician.
I take the drink and allow Billy to think that I am really feeling it. I flirt really heavily. Everything he says, I turn it into a double entendre.
"What are you doing after you leave here, Gorgeous?" I bat my lashes at him.
"Myself if I don't get a better offer."
The guys moaned and Ranger said I should remember his offer. Billy leaned in and looked down my dress. "How are you getting home? You do not seem alright to drive."
"I could really use a nice long ride." I say it slowly and wink at him. He chuckles and Lester volunteers for more time on the mats with his bawdy response. It is a good thing that I am supposed to be drunk because I giggle at the guys again.
Billy really makes his move. "Why don't you let me take you home, Gorgeous?"
I open my mouth to answer him and Ranger curses in my ear. What was his deal? Lester says trouble at 6 o'clock and I look at my watch and figure out that someone is behind me. Great. With my luck it will be Joyce Barndhart.
I look at Billy. "Sure you can take me home and maybe then you can just take me." He smiles a smile of victory and then something awful happens.
"I knew you were cheating on me, Cupcake!"
Oh, man! Why does he have to ruin my op? I almost had Billy out of here!
Joe stands there breathing hard and I smile at him and shake my head. "You must have the wrong girl, man. My name is Michelle. Did you have one too many or something?"
He glares at me and I unconsciously move closer to Mr. Aqua Velva. I am between a rock and a hard place, or a dumbass and a smelly place. Can't Morelli see all of the Rangemen here?
"How long have you been stepping out on me, huh? I should have known something was up when you kept saying you were too tired for sex! We haven't fucked in a month!"
My mother will hear about this, I am sure. The music stops and the place gets quiet. Lester says, "No way."
I try to keep my face impassive. If I do not react, then he will look like a drunk, temper tantrum having idiot. He waves his arms and continues his diatribe. My nose is stinging from the cologne fumes.
"You don't cook. You don't take care of the boys and you have a horrible job. You claimed you were working late, but I guess this is what you have been doing the whole time, you lousy fucking tramp!"
I blacked out, because when I came to, I was strangling Morelli and banging his head on the floor while straddling his chest.
I keep mumbling, but I guess it is not mumbling because Lester cannot contain himself. He steps forward out of the crowd.
"Geez, man. She said your boys are tiny and hairy. That's jacked up."
Morelli screams at me because Manny has lifted me off of him.
"You cheating whore!" I reach back and punch him in the face as hard as I can, and just because he ruined my fucking op, I kick him in the crotch. He sinks to the floor again. Good. I look around and I do not see Billy.
Lester puts his arm around my shoulder. "Sorry, Doll. Your guy had to go. Maybe I can buy you a drink and we can get you some ice for that hand."
He winks at me. What? That was $15,000 that this asshole just lost me. I stepped forward to punch him again, but Lester held me back.
"Babe, we have Desmond. Nice twist with the distraction. Did you and Morelli plan that?"
Is he fucking kidding me? I growl and stomp out of the bar.
"I was kidding, Babe." I continue to ignore him all the way over to his car.
"It was not funny, Ranger. He meant what he said to me. How could he say those things to me? He was not even drunk or anything. He has no excuse."
He let me into the car and went around got in as well. "Babe, take off the wire." I sigh and take it off and give him the ear piece.
"Babe, do you want me to be honest, or do you want me to tell you what you want to hear?" Damn, it must be bad.
"I will take the honest answer, Ranger." He sighs again.
"Babe, he always yells at you and you take it. He screams insults at you in public so often; most people think it is normal. You yell at him, too, but you stay with him. That implies that you are willing to tolerate that behavior. I know he has accused you of cheating before. Today may be the first time he actually called you a whore, but he has thought it."
Is that true? Ranger keeps talking.
"He has not ever shown you respect, Babe. Has he ever offered to help you or to give you training? Does he ever congratulate you on your captures or crime solving? Has he thanked you for clearing his name?"
No to all of the above. I guess Morelli thinks that he does not have to. Ranger is not finished.
"I guarantee he will show up at your door thinking things will go back to normal. He might even get you to apologize for punching him. The money for the distraction will be wired into your account, Babe. You looked really beautiful tonight."
I had been staring at my lap for his speech, and I looked up and noticed that we were at my apartment. Ranger had just been brutally honest with me and as he talked, I pictured many scenarios in my head. He was right. Oh, God. How could I become that woman?
I think that the only reason I did not "take it" tonight, as Ranger said, is because he interrupted me while I was working. I did not want to ruin the job for Rangeman, so at first I was just irked that he showed up, but when he called me a whore, that was it for me. Even if I put up with all of the other crap, it was over now. Stick a fork in me, I am done. My night started out so well, too.
I look over at Ranger before I got out of the car. "Thanks for telling me the truth, Ranger. You have a nice night."
"Sure, Babe. Call me if you need me."
I went to my apartment and flopped down on the couch. I decided to be proactive. I called my mother.
"Hello."
"Hi, Mom. It's me."
"Stephanie Michelle Plum, do you know what time it is? Are you injured or something? I told you to get a nice job at the button factory or the personal products plant. Then you would not be calling me from the hospital."
"Mom, stop inventing gossip. I am not at the hospital. I just finished work and I earned $15,000 tonight and a rapist is back in jail. Guess who almost ruined that, Mom? Joe Morelli. He came into the place where I had almost captured the guy and started insulting me. He called me a whore and a tramp, Mom." She gasped.
"Yup. In front of all of those people, so I punched him in the face and I kicked him in the groin. I will not apologize for it and I am not getting back together with him, either. He lies to you and you believe him over your own child. I know he will call you in the morning, so you can believe what you want. I mean what I said. Goodnight, Mom."
I was about to hang up.
"Did you only punch him the one time?" What now?
"No, I stangled him too." She giggled.
"Good. Even if I hate your job because it is dangerous, I know you are not a tramp or a whore. The nerve of that man! I am calling his mother! Goodnight, Stephanie. You should probably put some ice on your hand. I am baking pineapple upside down cake tomorrow. See you at 6pm."
She hung up. Wow. That was almost like she hugged me. Go me!
There was angry banging on my apartment door. Why me? I dialed speed dial #1 and Ranger answered.
"Yo."
"Yo yourself. You said to call if I needed you."
"Do you need help with Morelli, Babe?"
"Nope. I need a ride, Ranger. I need a nice, long ride. See you soon!"
I hung up and congratulated myself on making him speechless and smiled.
I took a shower and I raced to my closet and dressed in the army pjs the guys bought me. Well, they had Ella buy them for me. The top was kind of tight and the shorts were really short. I think Ranger asked her to get the wrong size again.
Joe was still banging on the door, so I put on my robe to answer the door.
He was standing there looking agitated. He glared at me and I glared back. "What took you so fucking long? When did you change your locks? Did you have to punch me in the face, Cupcake?"
I ignore his first two questions.
"Nice shiner there, Morelli. What do you want?"
He scowled at me. You know, he spends most of his time around me looking angry. He is like a cartoon character. Madeyes Morelli. I hold in my giggle.
"I want you to let me in and take care of me tonight, Cupcake. We can make up." Hell no.
"We cannot make up. You do not want to be with me, Morelli. You do not respect me and you do not like me. If you did, you would have treated me better. I do not want to be with you. You are mean and you yell all the time and you are selfish. You never take me out and you are not supportive. Leave me alone before I punch you again."
He swells with indignation. "You know that no one else will want you, Cupcake. You live like a college student and you hang with thugs and hookers."
This is the best that he can do?
"Whatever. Go away. I am not your problem anymore. If you call me another name, I will shoot you in your tiny boys, Morelli."
He bangs on the wall and storms down the hall. I wave at my neighbors.
"Hello, Mrs. Katz. Tell Gram I said hello." She gives me the thumbs up and we all go back inside our apartments. I walk into my bedroom and see that someone is already in there.
The only thing stopping me from screaming is the smell of Bulgari. Ranger is sprawled on my bed in just a tee shirt and silk boxers. He also has a plate with a huge piece of chocolate cake on it. He knew my fantasy! I walk over to him and sit beside him.
"You climbed the fire escape looking like this?" He smiles.
"Nope. I had on more clothes, Babe. I was parked down the street when you called me and I saw Morelli drive by. I heard some of your argument at the door. Good job."
"Where did you get the cake?" He picked up the fork and fed me a bite.
"I asked Ella to bake it earlier in the hopes that you would come over tonight. When you called me back, I had it delivered."
I moan over the taste of the cake and at Ranger's nibbling on my neck.
"Thank you, Ranger. You are so amazing. You are sweet to me all the time and I ignore it. I am a horrible friend!"
He kisses me gently. "Stop that, Babe. You were maybe a little blinded or something before, but you always thanked me. You helped me when I asked and you never said no to me. You are a great friend, Babe."
I blush a little and he feeds me more cake until it is gone. "Didn't you want any, Ranger?" He gives me the wolf grin.
"I prefer pie, Babe."
With that, he attacked me. Hell yes, Batman! I am so glad that he prefers pie. He prefers it so well! When I come back to reality, I am shivering a little and my whole body is tingling. My voice sounds really husky when I make an observation.
"But what about my ride, Ranger?" He flips us and settles me on his lap.
"Giddy up, Babe."
