Time Flies
Stephanie found Manny in her cubicle. He patiently waited while Stephanie talked to the boss. She ended the conversation a few minutes later. "Is the room ready?" Stephanie asked while approaching him. Manny nodded and guided Stephanie to the conference room.
Hector had set up a few laptops and lowered the screen at the back of the room. He placed three whiteboards with dry erase markers in every available colour. "Why aren't you doing this in your office?" Manny asked.
"It's getting renovated. I share an office with Lester, but Ranger and Tank decided I should have my own. I'm receiving more government searches and need the privacy. Until it's ready, I have to use the conference room when I need more space to work," Stephanie replied. "I got Hector to disable the cameras and audio."
"Who are we researching today?" Stephanie raised a finger as she sent a text to Ram.
"Um. Ram and I are researching Barney Lawrence. We received the request from the FBI. Every time they catch up to him, he slips through their fingers. Ranger suggested they get me to dig into his background," she answered.
Cal, Hal, Ram and Junior entered the conference room. They carried a stack of files inside. Ram closed the door and drew the blinds. He knew Stephanie preferred to work without an audience. If the blinds stayed open, the other men would walk past the room to see what she was doing. "Here are the files," Ram announced.
"You gathered all of Rangeman's FTA files for men between the age of thirty and forty?" Stephanie asked. Stephanie was surprised they had ten files fitting the age range.
"Yes," Hal replied. "What are we looking for?"
"I'll know it when I see it. I've seen Lawrence's picture before, but I can't recall the name," Stephanie distractedly replied. She furrowed her brows as she attempted to recall the name. The men organized the men according to their descriptions. They were able to eliminate half the files. The men were either too old or wrong ethnicity. "Is this everything we have?"
"Yes. We have one skip that Vince and Binkie are surveilling," Junior said. "They took the file and I don't recall the name."
She thought about it for a few minutes before saying, "We'll get through these files before calling the guys for the name. I can wait to grab the file when they return for the day."
Stephanie got busy checking every detail on other FTA men in the files. She located Bruno Portico and Juan Martinez at Dominos. Zip, Zero, Vince and Binkie got dispatched to collect the two men. Both were found on the same night. Callie, Lula's friend, had contacted Stephanie when the men arrived at the strip club. She never got approached by Bruno or Juan, but her best friend, Candi, got attacked. Both men were wanted for rape and assault.
They were drunk and climbed into the two SUVs thinking they were cabs. "What's funny?" Stephanie asked when the men returned to Rangeman.
"Bruno and Juan thought we were private cabs to take them home. We didn't have to cuff them," Vince confessed. Stephanie thought they got lucky.
Unfortunately for Zip, his next skip, Paul Chauncey, managed to stab Zip in the leg. Zip got four stitches and three weeks of monitor shifts. Zero assisted Ram in the field whenever possible. Stephanie used the time away from Ram to get more work done.
At the end of the second night, Tank told Stephanie to take the following day off. She had been working long hours to check every nook and cranny for the FTAs. "I need to find these guys," she complained.
"You and Manny need some downtime. Take a few days to recharge. I'll guarantee you'll see everything with fresh eyes," Tank retorted.
"Fine," Stephanie said. "Why am I getting punished?" she grumbled. Tank pretended he didn't hear her.
"Wifey, you deserve the time off," Manny said. Stephanie glared at him. He grabbed her hand and laced their fingers together. "Just think, we'll have time to decorate our home." Stephanie rolled her eyes but let Manny pull her toward the car.
Manny drove the few blocks to their home. Stephanie smiled when the house came into view. She climbed from the car after grabbing her purse. Using her keys, Stephanie unlocked the front door. She entered the code to disarm the alarm. Manny closed the door and engaged the locks. He leaned against her back and selected the option "stay" to arm the alarm for the night.
"We don't have much left to do," Stephanie stated. "I love the furniture you selected."
"I want your stamp all over our home," Manny said. Stephanie gave Manny a sexy grin. She knew exactly what… who… she wanted to put her mark on. "Whatever you're thinking, I'm on board."
Stephanie pulled her Rangeman shirt over her head, dropping it on the floor. She reached behind her back to unlatch her bra. Manny froze in his steps to see what Stephanie would do next. Stephanie tossed the lacy fabric at Manny. He scooped Stephanie in his arms and carried her up the stairs to their bed. Manny spent the night showing Stephanie his appreciation.
For the following two days, Manny and Stephanie spent most of their time in their bedroom. They only left the bed to shower, use the washroom and eat. "No more," Stephanie said.
"Are you sore?" Manny asked.
"A little. I don't think I can go another round," Stephanie confessed as she stroked the hickeys on his shoulder.
"Did you mark me again?"
"I got a little carried away," she replied. "At least your Rangeman shirt will cover these."
"How will you cover yours?" Manny wondered.
"Ella has stage makeup for me. I blot on the concealer and set it with the powder. Her friend works as the makeup artist at Newark theatre." Stephanie rolled over to place her chin on Manny's chest. "I never expected living with a man could be so easy."
"Thank you, wifey. You make it easy," Manny said. He kissed her forehead and pulled her until she lay on him. "I love you more every day."
"Ditto." Stephanie couldn't believe living with Manny didn't make her want to run away. She couldn't be happier cohabitating with him. "I'm all in."
"Me too, Stephanie. You're the perfect woman for me." Now didn't he just melt her heart. Stephanie wiped a tear off her face.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
Stephanie got too busy checking every detail on the other FTA men in the files. It was three weeks before she remembered the other file Vince and Binkie took. However, Rangeman captured everyone except Larry Barnett, the man in Vince's file.
"Now that we've caught our outstanding skips, I have time to review your file, Vince," Stephanie said.
"Binkie and I checked his home, girlfriend's apartment, last know employer and his favourite hangouts. We can't seem to find a lead on Larry," Vince said. He sat beside Stephanie to go over the details in the file. "We have two more days to catch him."
When she got to the updated photo, she shouted, "That's because his name is Barney Lawrence, not Larry Barnett. He's the man the FBI wants."
"Are you saying Lawrence was under our nose the entire time?" Ram asked.
"Yup. I know where he is, too," Stephanie announced. She quickly retrieved the data off the internet to show the guys. "There's a high stake poker tournament in Atlantic City tomorrow. Lawrence counts cards. Barnett registered this morning."
"How are we going to capture him?" Junior asked.
"Lawrence is into group sex with couples. He enjoys watching more than participating. Manny and I can run a distraction to get him," Stephanie replied. "That's if we have permission to capture in Atlantic City." Ram groaned when he remembered the first distraction Stephanie did for Rangeman. She used "group sex night" as a way to lure the skip.
"We do. However, we need one of the core team members with us," Manny stated. Stephanie was disappointed. She'd have to wait for Ranger to return from his mission. "Wifey, we can ask Tank and Cal to accompany us."
"Binkie and me, too," Vince added. "He's our skip. Besides, it would be harder for him to escape four ex-military special ops men."
"Having a second sniper on hand doesn't hurt either, does it?" Stephanie teased.
"What do you mean? I'll be the only sniper," Vince said.
"Nope. We have to take Ram and Junior too. They need to watch our backs," Stephanie stated. "Someone assemble the team. Manny and I need to pack." Stephanie refused to leave her and Manny's partners behind.
Vince summoned Cal and Tank to the conference room. "Ella will handle everything, Little Girl. What's the plan?"
Stephanie outlined how she would approach Lawrence with Manny. They would make him believe they wanted company in the bedroom. Tank and Cal would wait outside the casino entrance to grab Lawrence. Ram and Junior would be inside the casino with Stephanie and Manny, while Binkie and Vince would wait outside the hotel inside the SUV.
"Okay. Thanks, guys. I appreciate your help," Stephanie stated, appreciative that they devised a solution everyone could tolerate.
Manny gave Stephanie the keys to the Rangeman SUV they'd be using and sat in the passenger seat. He was one of the few men who didn't mind letting Stephanie drive. He never told Stephanie how to do her job. Since spending uninterrupted time together, Stephanie and Manny felt their relationship shift.
The small touches and private smiles warmed Stephanie's heart. Manny's behaviour when her apartment caught on fire was a welcome change. Stephanie didn't get yelled at as Joe was prone to react, and Ranger had not taken over the scene with his overbearing attitude. Manny gave Stephanie what she needed, making her feel appreciated and loved while ensuring she was clothed, warm and safe.
"Wifey, whatever put that beautiful smile on your face?" Manny asked.
"You, hubby," Stephanie replied. Manny grinned, showing Stephanie his perfectly straight, white teeth. She was temporarily mesmerized by Manny and didn't realize the red light had turned green until the person behind them honked the horn. A sudden idea popped into her head as they neared the destination. "If we catch this bastard, would you stay with me to celebrate?"
"We have tomorrow off, so I say we should go for it," Manny excitedly replied. Stephanie was glad they took a separate car from the other guys.
"Thanks. I could use some happiness tonight," Stephanie said. Manny placed his hand on her thigh, making her body hum. Stephanie knew how Manny could play her body. He could entice an orgasm without too much effort. He gently squeezed her leg when they arrived at the casino. Ella had spare clothes in the duffles she put in the trunk.
"If I asked a question, would you be honest with me?" Stephanie asked.
"Sure. I'm always honest with you, wifey," Manny answered. Stephanie wasn't surprised by his reply. A few times, he said things that had Stephanie wonder about the stories he had shared about his childhood.
"Are you related to Alexander Ramos?" she wondered.
"Ah. Figured it out already?" Manny replied. "I was curious when you'd finally ask. Alex is my uncle. We don't exactly have family reunions."
"He's a crazy man," Stephanie said, laughing. "But he's alright." Stephanie told Manny about the time she drove him to the bars in Deal to smoke and drink when Ranger got accused of murdering Homer. Manny shook his head and laughed. He thought her interactions with Uncle Alex were hilarious. "He asked me if I wanted to be his wife."
"Nope. You're my wifey," Manny joked. "I don't share." They climbed from the car to grab their bags from the back. Stephanie was shocked to see the garment bag draped across the bags. She grabbed the bag and left Manny to carry the duffles.
Stephanie rolled her eyes and approached the concierge desk to book a room for the night. Manny used his credit card to pay for the room. "Do you require a separate room, sir?" the man asked.
"We can share a room," Manny stated. They shared a bed at home, so booking separate rooms didn't make sense. Manny accepted the keys to their room on the tenth floor.
He carried their duffles in one hand while holding the keys in his left hand. Stephanie wrapped her free arm around his, letting him guide them to the elevator. She released her grip long enough to press the button for the elevator.
When Manny opened the door to their room, Stephanie gasped. Manny dropped the duffles on the bed to follow Stephanie around the room. The room was gorgeous, and she was taken aback by the modern decor. It didn't have the horrible carpet lining the hallway. Manny laughed when Stephanie found the soaker tub in the bathroom. "You like our room?" he asked, wrapping his arms around her waist.
"I love it, Manny," she replied. Manny turned her in his arms to press a kiss to her lips. "We should get changed. Tank and Cal were only half an hour behind us."
Manny kissed her again before releasing his grip. Stephanie moaned from the loss of his touch. "Later," he whispered before pushing Stephanie toward the bathroom to change.
Stephanie removed her Rangeman uniform and slipped into the short white dress. If she bent over, her lacy white panties would be visible. Smiling, Stephanie exited the washroom, carrying her three-inch FMPs. She waited until Manny turned around before bending over to slip on her shoes.
"Good Lord, woman," Manny moaned.
"Do you like what you see?" Stephanie asked.
"More than you know," he said as he gently stroked the back of her thigh with his knuckles. Stephanie peeked over her shoulder, catching Manny fixing himself. From the bulge in his pants, she knew mini-Manny appreciated the view too.
After she pulled on the other shoe, Stephanie ran her fingers up the back of her leg. Stephanie could hear Manny's ragged breath behind her. When Stephanie stood up, Manny grabbed her hips and turned her around. Manny slammed his lips against Stephanie's, pouring his feelings into the kiss. His tongue licked her bottom lip, and she opened her mouth to him. He pushed his tongue inside, battling with hers until he slowed the motion. "We have to go," Stephanie whispered against his lips.
Manny released Stephanie so she could fix her hair. She twisted it into a knot at the base of her skull and secured it in place with the pins Ella supplied. Stephanie used makeup to cover the hickeys on her neck. She used the powder to set the concealer. "You are evil," Manny moaned.
"Awe, Manny. I thought you liked my bad girl impression," she replied. "Would you like to play with the bad girl?"
"Don't tempt me," he groaned. Stephanie winked before swaying her hips as she walked towards the door.
"Are you armed?" Stephanie asked before opening the door. "I couldn't fit my weapon beneath my dress. By the way, we're playing flirty girlfriend and handsy boyfriend."
"I've got you covered." Manny swatted her ass as they exited the room. Stephanie giggled and waved over her shoulder. Manny knew the cover. He would play the role of overzealous boyfriend to perfection.
"If you play your role correctly, I may reward you later," Stephanie said using her sex kitten voice. Manny caught up to Stephanie and wrapped his arm around her waist. He whispered something about her being an evil woman, making Stephanie laugh. "Manny, hang on because we are going for the ride of your life," Stephanie promised.