A Stephanie Plum/Merry Man pairing. I do not own the characters, they will forever belong to Janet Evanovich. I'm just having some fun. Will be written in multiple point of views. Not canon. In this alternate universe story, Stephanie never dated Morelli or had sexual encounters with Ranger. All rumours of her sexual encounters were lies orchestrated by Morelli or the Burg gossipers lead by her own mother.

Chapter 1

Stephanie (SPOV)

Sitting at my desk, I'm wondering what he looks like. He is the only Merry Man in the Trenton office I have yet to meet. If only I knew his first name, I could search the program to retrieve his photo. Unfortunately, you need their first name to run such a search. Searching by nicknames is completely useless too. Who is this mysterious man? Why did Rangeman have strict security measures within their organization?

My name is Stephanie Plum. I'm a 31 year old virgin with brown curly hair and blue eyes. Over the last 10 years, my mom has been actively trying to marry me off. She's under the illusion I gave my virginity to Morelli when I was 16. He was upset I never fell for his charms. When he arrived at the end of my shift at Tasty Pastry, he didn't know I had already called my godfather Joe Juniak for a ride home. I had a strong intuition that I needed the protection tonight and made the arrangements.

My godfather arrived as Morelli attempted to talk me out of my pants. Morelli wasn't taking 'no' for an answer. Finding the door locked, Uncle Joe quickly picked the lock in time to prevent me from being raped. Joe was so angry his attempt to steal my virginity was thwarted, he wrote all over the men's room walls; writing about an incident that never actually occurred. My mom being the judgement bitch she was, believed the rumours and not her own daughter. Thankfully dad was on my side. He believed me before my godfather confirmed the incident. One day I hope my mom would see the error of her ways, but I will not hold my breath.

Mom was too heavily influenced by the Burg gossipers. She believed I willingly accompanied Joe to his dad's garage for a game of Choo Choo. The neighbourhood children told their mothers, who told my mother, who never believed me when I said I didn't follow him into the garage. I told her the Morelli boy was trying to force me into the garage to play, but I kicked him in the face. He touched his bloody nose and grabbed the back of my skirt when I attempted to run away. Eddie saw everything and told her, but she didn't believe him either.

I'm working yet another pity job at Rangeman in order pay my rent. Not many of Vinnie's low range bond skips are missing their court date. Which means my bank account is now in the single digits. A few shifts and distractions will pad my bank account nicely. Rangeman pays their employees handsomely. Currently, I'm in the cubicle running the searches he left behind. Who is 'he' you ask? 'He' is the man who leaves all these search requests on my desk. If Ranger is Batman, then what should I call him? Who is that superhero working to save people without being seen? Invisible man? No... that doesn't seem quite right.

Ranger is gorgeous and looks like a Cuban Adonis, but I also know he's a player. He knows exactly how his looks affect the female sex. Women are constantly throwing themselves at him. A few times, I caught him having sex in alleys with various women. I always left the scene before he could notice. He doesn't seem like the type to lend himself to a relationship. I made a huge mistake by sleeping in his bed during the Slayer incident. He joined me the last night I stayed there, but thankfully, nothing happened other than spooning. A few times that night, I woke up as he stroked my breasts, each time I shut him down. Staying in his apartment was a mistake I promised myself to never repeat.

A few weeks later, he managed to pin me against the alley wall beside Vinnie's office. I threatened to charge him with sexual assault. After carefully creating an alliance with the Trenton Police department, he wouldn't risk damaging that alliance by a quick encounter with the police chief's goddaughter. He maintained his distance, only hugging and kissing my cheek as I allowed. Ranger will always be my Batman, but he will never win this girl's heart. I wanted a man to love me as I am; a man who wasn't a womanizer. Hoping for a man my age who has few sexual partners proved to be a challenge. Most men at Rangeman bragged about their latest conquests. I always turned down their date invitations. Being another notch on their bed post did not appeal to me. I want a man who is nearly as innocent as me.

Tapping my finger against my lips, I searched my memory, hoping to remember the name of that elusive Marvel superhero. Incredible? No... illusive? I giggled, that can't be right. Grabbing my phone, I quickly texted Lester. He owns a copy of every Marvel and DC comic book printed. He quickly texted back, 'You're thinking about Incognito.' I slapped my head. Of course it's Incognito. The answer was so obvious it was embarrassing to have asked.

I decided to check the webpage for his full name, but the Rangeman website only provides generic company information and services offered. In order to obtain more specific information, services, employment opportunities or general information, you need to fill out a form. The form is automatically emailed to and received by the IT department. After someone confirms its legitimacy, they forward the request to the appropriate department. Hector runs the IT department, Binkie and Manny help him with installations and service calls. Being a security company, I doubt they would release personal employee information.

Rangeman's internal programs do not contain the complete name of the employees. It lists employees by last name, military service and title, if applicable. No first name can be garnered from the list. I want to ask someone, but how do you go about asking that question? Tank will know his full name since he's responsible for scheduling. I could ask him or Ranger, but after working these pity jobs for the last year, I felt too embarrassed to ask. If I wanted to know his name or meet him, I should have asked someone years ago.

I started to run the final search in my inbox before I visited the break room in search of a snack and coffee. When I returned to my desk, I discovered another 50 searches in my inbox. I was only gone for 20 minutes. How does he do this without me catching him? Does he have someone drop off the files? I look around my cubicle and notice the small camera pointing at my face. Ah... the sneaky devil. That's how he knows when I'm away from my desk. I gave the camera a finger wave, knowing his eyes were watching me. Once 5 pm rolled around, I waved into the camera again and blew him a kiss. Stopping by Ranger's desk, I told him I was leaving for the day. I could sense his eyes following me as I walked through the building to the garage.

At home, I had limited dinner options. I decided to make myself a peanut butter and olive sandwich. A knock sounded on the door as I grabbed the olives from the fridge. I placed the jar on the counter beside the peanut butter and bread. As I walked towards the door, I could smell pizza. "Cupcake, answer the door before the pizza gets cold and the beer gets warm," I heard Morelli say. I rolled my eyes and opened the door.

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His POV

I used to be in the office beside Tank. Several months ago, Lester started handling calls for security consultations and writing new client contracts. I gave him my office to keep him closer to Ranger and Tank. He required privacy to handle the calls, sensitive information and core team meetings. I enjoy my new quieter location which provides a degree of separation required to do my job.

Once a year, it was my job to run detailed searches on all current Rangeman employees. It was a line written into our employee contracts. I would search through their detailed financial, military, family records and affiliates. If an employee was in serious debt or had questionable affiliates, they were placed on probation and had limited access to Rangeman resources. Only one person, other than me and Silvio, has security clearance to access all programs. I'm currently watching her tap her finger against her lip, seemingly lost in thought. I licked my lips, wondering how soft her lips would feel pressed against mine.

When Stephanie first entered the building a few years ago, she snuck into Ranger's apartment. He was in Atlanta sorting out a Rangeman management issue. The Atlanta's second in command was undermining the authority of his boss. He had other employees following his misguided lead, disrupting the operation of that branch. After receiving many client and employee complaints, Ranger decided to personally fix the insubordination before it affected the company nationally. As CEO of Rangeman, it is his responsibility to sort through these staffing issues. Before leaving, he gave Tank instructions to help Ms Plum in any manner she needed and only call him if absolutely necessary. Tank noticed her attempting to sneak into the building and called Ranger. He received instructions to grant her access to his apartment, since it was where she chose to hide.

Tank ordered me to discreetly watch over her as she parked Ranger's truck and walked into the building. For a few weeks, I would follow her around Trenton, keeping her safe from harm. Ram and Cal often stayed in the shadows to assist me when required. She always looked around, but never seemed to see us. One time, I swear she could see me. I watched as her head jerked in my direction, looking into the shadows that kept me hidden. Her hand would rub down her temple before she shook her head. A few times during the day, she did see me. Fortunately I was dressed in jeans and baggy T-shirt, so she would never made a connection between me and Rangeman. I saw her lick her lips in appreciation before taking off in the opposite direction. After the Slayers incident ended, I realized she was not Ranger's woman.

Over a year ago, she started working in the search cubicle temporarily occupied by Silvio. He was originally located in the office beside Tank, but I moved into it when my training began. I was hired several months earlier to head the search and Fugitive Apprehension department at Rangeman Trenton. Silvio was relocating to the Miami office where his wife was transferred to head a marketing office. Steph and Silvio became fast friends as he taught her how to use the proprietary programs designed by him and Hector. He often bragged about her natural ability to ferret out important details in a search. She was introduced to a few men on the floor and greeted men she previously encountered. I remember watching the security feed when Cal stated Ranger's woman was on the floor. Cal, Lester, Bobby and Ram often talked about 'Bomber' or 'Beautiful' as Lester named her.

A Trenton paper reporter called her the 'Bombshell Bounty Hunter' in reference to the number of explosions, cars mainly, that occurred around her. Knowing she wasn't Ranger's woman, I opened the security feed to watch her. She is very attractive, with gorgeous blue eyes and crazy curly hair. If I didn't keep my hair so short, it would be as crazy curly as hers. I would often fantasize how our children would look. Obviously they would have our crazy curls, but would they have her gorgeous blue eyes?

My amber eyes watched my computer screen as she waved at me. I blushed as I realized she knows I'm watching her. I know that wave was for me and me alone. It was obvious when she picked up the files I left on her desk, searching for how I would know she left for a few minutes. I noticed her the first day I saw her. She is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. My day always improved when she arrived in the building. I lightly touched my lips as she blew me a kiss.

She frequently visits the second floor, but has never visited me. My office is next to Hector's lab, but she doesn't realize it's here. She only walks down the hall as far as Hector's lab. If she walked 10 feet further, she would see my office door. I hope one day she would search for me, but she hasn't been quite that curious yet. Hector and Stephanie have become close friends. I often wondered how they communicated until I accidentally discovered his carefully guarded secret. He spoke English fluently. I watched as she kissed his tattoo, promising to keep his secret. Hector noticed me watching over his shoulder. I nodded and quietly retreated to my office. Hector knew I would keep his secret too.

I'm almost afraid to formally meet her. I've heard her complain about all the searches I've been leaving her. She has the best instincts I have ever seen, even better than Silvio. Lester always jokes with her about me, but he continues to protect my identity to pull her chain. Tank and Lester only assures her I actually do exist, but only refer to me by my last name. I wonder how long it will take before her curiosity leads her to me, Lucas Rodriguez.