I do not own any of these characters, although I would really like to meet
up with Ranger in a dark room somewhere. I simply borrow and gently use
them for my amusement.
Chapter Two A Night on the Town
Stephanie had spent the better part of the day primping. There was no other word to describe it. She showered, shaved, exfoliated, and moisturized. It was too late notice to get a hair appointment, and she wasn't the best at the hair. It took two tries to wash and style it before she got it right. She tried a new rinse, one that turned her curls into soft waves, and swept it partially up in the back, letting a few stray tendrils escape at the base of her neck and around her ears. It would keep her cool if the clubs were too hot, and once hair spray was applied it would be relatively difficult to mess up unless she was rolling around on the floor. As distraction, she shouldn't actually have to do the apprehending, so the hair would be safe.
Steph studied her hair in the mirror. It actually looked...nice...for a change. It framed her face and pulling it up exposed the natural highlights, variations of brown and red that didn't normally show. Deciding that it was a classy-do, she thought that the usual thick make-up might be too much. She choose a light pink lipstick, and topped it with clear gloss, making it look more natural. She lightened up on her eyeliner, still using the usual black but only applying a thin line halfway around. Eye shadow to match her lipstick and a hint of body glitter, and she stood back to observe herself in the mirror again.
"Not bad," she commented out loud to herself, turning this way and that to get a better look. "Maybe I do have the talent to become a make-up girl at Macy's." A glance at the clock told her that she had enough time for a manicure and pedicure before she needed to dress.
Again, she opted for the understated. By-passing Hooker Red nail polish, she dug out the supplies for an elegant French manicure. French manicure was a bitch, and it took some extra time and nail polish remover to get it right, but she was satisfied when it was done. Her toes were still drying and she was drinking a beer straight from the bottle when her mother called to remind her about dinner.
"Sorry, Mom," Stephanie tried to keep her voice sheepish. "But I have work I need to do tonight."
Her mother was appalled. "You can't stand up Harvey! He's driving all the way from Philly for this dinner! How could you embarrass me this way?"
Stephanie made no excuses. "I have to work. Just tell Harvey where I am. I'm sure he'll understand that it's the nature of the job."
Silence on her mother's end told Stephanie that Harvey had not yet been apprised of her profession. "Mom, what did you tell him that I do for a living?"
Steph's mother held her breath for a moment then let it out in a noisy rush. "I told him that you did office work for your cousin."
Stephanie sucked back another mouthful of beer. "If you're going to throw guys at me, you at least owe them the truth about what I do." What Stephanie purposefully left unsaid was that such honesty would eliminate the majority of suitors before a dinner invitation was even extended. After all, even a crazy Morelli couldn't handle her job.
"You could do something else. The button factory is hiring."
Stephanie rolled her eyes. "Gotta go." Then she hung up before her mother could start again.
Steph was REALLY glad she was missing dinner tonight. Her patience with this dating game of her mother's was really starting to grate. Good girl that she tried to be, the whole thing was just taking up too much energy. She took another hit off the beer bottle, finishing it. Her toes were about dry, and she really should finish dressing. Ranger should be here any minute and she didn't want to keep him waiting.
The black dress fit perfectly. She must have somehow lost the five pounds she had planned, but never actually tried, to lose. Fitting her four-inch pumps on, Stephanie looked in the full-length mirror on her closet door. She usually avoided it, but tonight she really wanted to see if she had pulled it off.
Yeah, she looked pretty good. But then again, considering her usual uniform of jeans and flannel, any dress clothes would probably make her look better. Steph just hoped that the whole get up wasn't wasted on the skip. After all, Ranger had asked for the dress. And Steph was tired of waiting for Ranger to move back into her bed. Morelli had been gone for months, and despite his warning (threat) after they sealed their deal, Ranger had not yet returned. Maybe this night could serve a dual purpose.
The knock on the door startled her; Ranger never bothered when it was so easy just to break in. A quick look through the peephole told her that it wasn't Ranger, though; it was Tank. She opened the door to let him in. "Hi, Tank." She couldn't help but let a little of her disappointment creep into her voice.
Tank, if he noticed, didn't seem to take offense. "Hey, Bombshell. Car's out back."
Stephanie picked up her itty-bitty evening bag and scrap of sheer shawl, asking, "Where's Ranger?" As she stepped out into the hall, Tank took her keys out of her hand, locking the door behind them. Steph was surprised for a second- how chivalrous.
Tank gave her an up-and-down appraisal. "Nice dress." His voice was a little raw. "You're pretty good at distraction."
Steph looked Tank in the eye, or as close as she could come to that, given his massive body and height. Was she just really hormonally challenged, and reading into the situation, or did she look that good? Tank couldn't possibly by affected by her appearance, could he? "Ranger picked it out."
That seemed to snap Tank back into short, terse sentences. "Good choice."
Yeah, must have been her imagination. That's what happens when you go into withdrawal from regular, spectacular sex. You get so desperate for another orgasm that every man becomes a possible partner. She must have it bad, considered Tank scared the hell out of her.
"He'll meet us at Vinnie's. He got held up turning in a skip." She and Tank headed to the elevators, Tank motioning her to go through the doors first. He also held the lobby door open for her, and opened her car door. This was unusual.
"Hey, Tank. What's up with the gentleman routine?" Steph popped out before she realized what it sounded like. "Not that you aren't gentlemanly other times," she babbled, "but it's a bit more, uh, pronounced, tonight."
Tank looked at her in the rearview mirror as he started the car and eased out onto Hamilton. "Those shoes make your legs look real nice."
Steph pursed her lips. That really wasn't a helpful answer. "Huh?"
Tank switched lanes, glancing at her again in the rear view. "I thought I'd dust off my manners. You're my partner tonight. Don't get me shot, okay?"
Steph shrugged. "I'll try."
They rode in silence for the five minutes it took to get to Vinnie's bail bonds office, where they found Ranger leaning, arms crossed, against his Porsche. There was a second black SUV with two big guys sitting in it. More of Ranger's Merry Men. He greeted Tank with a nod, and his eyes narrowed when he saw Tank help Steph alight from the SUV.
"Nice dress." Ranger commented. By the tenor of his voice, he wasn't looking at the dress.
"Thanks." Stephanie let go of Tank's hand and walked over to Ranger. "Nice enough dress for our skip?"
"He's not actually a skip." Ranger shrugged, nonchalantly he hoped. "I'm glad you went with the classy look. That will probably work better."
"What do you mean, he's not actually a skip? Then what are we doing?" Steph drilled him. A hollow thought hit her in the gut. "Oh, God, we're not kidnapping him, are we?"
Ranger laughed and opened the Porsche door for her and motioned her inside. "Not exactly."
Chapter Two A Night on the Town
Stephanie had spent the better part of the day primping. There was no other word to describe it. She showered, shaved, exfoliated, and moisturized. It was too late notice to get a hair appointment, and she wasn't the best at the hair. It took two tries to wash and style it before she got it right. She tried a new rinse, one that turned her curls into soft waves, and swept it partially up in the back, letting a few stray tendrils escape at the base of her neck and around her ears. It would keep her cool if the clubs were too hot, and once hair spray was applied it would be relatively difficult to mess up unless she was rolling around on the floor. As distraction, she shouldn't actually have to do the apprehending, so the hair would be safe.
Steph studied her hair in the mirror. It actually looked...nice...for a change. It framed her face and pulling it up exposed the natural highlights, variations of brown and red that didn't normally show. Deciding that it was a classy-do, she thought that the usual thick make-up might be too much. She choose a light pink lipstick, and topped it with clear gloss, making it look more natural. She lightened up on her eyeliner, still using the usual black but only applying a thin line halfway around. Eye shadow to match her lipstick and a hint of body glitter, and she stood back to observe herself in the mirror again.
"Not bad," she commented out loud to herself, turning this way and that to get a better look. "Maybe I do have the talent to become a make-up girl at Macy's." A glance at the clock told her that she had enough time for a manicure and pedicure before she needed to dress.
Again, she opted for the understated. By-passing Hooker Red nail polish, she dug out the supplies for an elegant French manicure. French manicure was a bitch, and it took some extra time and nail polish remover to get it right, but she was satisfied when it was done. Her toes were still drying and she was drinking a beer straight from the bottle when her mother called to remind her about dinner.
"Sorry, Mom," Stephanie tried to keep her voice sheepish. "But I have work I need to do tonight."
Her mother was appalled. "You can't stand up Harvey! He's driving all the way from Philly for this dinner! How could you embarrass me this way?"
Stephanie made no excuses. "I have to work. Just tell Harvey where I am. I'm sure he'll understand that it's the nature of the job."
Silence on her mother's end told Stephanie that Harvey had not yet been apprised of her profession. "Mom, what did you tell him that I do for a living?"
Steph's mother held her breath for a moment then let it out in a noisy rush. "I told him that you did office work for your cousin."
Stephanie sucked back another mouthful of beer. "If you're going to throw guys at me, you at least owe them the truth about what I do." What Stephanie purposefully left unsaid was that such honesty would eliminate the majority of suitors before a dinner invitation was even extended. After all, even a crazy Morelli couldn't handle her job.
"You could do something else. The button factory is hiring."
Stephanie rolled her eyes. "Gotta go." Then she hung up before her mother could start again.
Steph was REALLY glad she was missing dinner tonight. Her patience with this dating game of her mother's was really starting to grate. Good girl that she tried to be, the whole thing was just taking up too much energy. She took another hit off the beer bottle, finishing it. Her toes were about dry, and she really should finish dressing. Ranger should be here any minute and she didn't want to keep him waiting.
The black dress fit perfectly. She must have somehow lost the five pounds she had planned, but never actually tried, to lose. Fitting her four-inch pumps on, Stephanie looked in the full-length mirror on her closet door. She usually avoided it, but tonight she really wanted to see if she had pulled it off.
Yeah, she looked pretty good. But then again, considering her usual uniform of jeans and flannel, any dress clothes would probably make her look better. Steph just hoped that the whole get up wasn't wasted on the skip. After all, Ranger had asked for the dress. And Steph was tired of waiting for Ranger to move back into her bed. Morelli had been gone for months, and despite his warning (threat) after they sealed their deal, Ranger had not yet returned. Maybe this night could serve a dual purpose.
The knock on the door startled her; Ranger never bothered when it was so easy just to break in. A quick look through the peephole told her that it wasn't Ranger, though; it was Tank. She opened the door to let him in. "Hi, Tank." She couldn't help but let a little of her disappointment creep into her voice.
Tank, if he noticed, didn't seem to take offense. "Hey, Bombshell. Car's out back."
Stephanie picked up her itty-bitty evening bag and scrap of sheer shawl, asking, "Where's Ranger?" As she stepped out into the hall, Tank took her keys out of her hand, locking the door behind them. Steph was surprised for a second- how chivalrous.
Tank gave her an up-and-down appraisal. "Nice dress." His voice was a little raw. "You're pretty good at distraction."
Steph looked Tank in the eye, or as close as she could come to that, given his massive body and height. Was she just really hormonally challenged, and reading into the situation, or did she look that good? Tank couldn't possibly by affected by her appearance, could he? "Ranger picked it out."
That seemed to snap Tank back into short, terse sentences. "Good choice."
Yeah, must have been her imagination. That's what happens when you go into withdrawal from regular, spectacular sex. You get so desperate for another orgasm that every man becomes a possible partner. She must have it bad, considered Tank scared the hell out of her.
"He'll meet us at Vinnie's. He got held up turning in a skip." She and Tank headed to the elevators, Tank motioning her to go through the doors first. He also held the lobby door open for her, and opened her car door. This was unusual.
"Hey, Tank. What's up with the gentleman routine?" Steph popped out before she realized what it sounded like. "Not that you aren't gentlemanly other times," she babbled, "but it's a bit more, uh, pronounced, tonight."
Tank looked at her in the rearview mirror as he started the car and eased out onto Hamilton. "Those shoes make your legs look real nice."
Steph pursed her lips. That really wasn't a helpful answer. "Huh?"
Tank switched lanes, glancing at her again in the rear view. "I thought I'd dust off my manners. You're my partner tonight. Don't get me shot, okay?"
Steph shrugged. "I'll try."
They rode in silence for the five minutes it took to get to Vinnie's bail bonds office, where they found Ranger leaning, arms crossed, against his Porsche. There was a second black SUV with two big guys sitting in it. More of Ranger's Merry Men. He greeted Tank with a nod, and his eyes narrowed when he saw Tank help Steph alight from the SUV.
"Nice dress." Ranger commented. By the tenor of his voice, he wasn't looking at the dress.
"Thanks." Stephanie let go of Tank's hand and walked over to Ranger. "Nice enough dress for our skip?"
"He's not actually a skip." Ranger shrugged, nonchalantly he hoped. "I'm glad you went with the classy look. That will probably work better."
"What do you mean, he's not actually a skip? Then what are we doing?" Steph drilled him. A hollow thought hit her in the gut. "Oh, God, we're not kidnapping him, are we?"
Ranger laughed and opened the Porsche door for her and motioned her inside. "Not exactly."