Ranger reached over and grabbed her arms, pulling her into his chest. "She said and I quote: Make sure this one doesn't get away."
Stephanie jumped as if she had been shot. "Are you serious? Did she really say that?"
Ranger laughed, "Yup."
Stephanie thought about it a minute then laughed herself. "That bitch." she said softly.
Ranger's laughter increased and he replied, "That's my mom".
Eleven Days Later
Chapter 12
Eleven Days Later…
Ranger laid buried under his satin comforter totally at peace. Stephanie was curled up under his arm with her head propped on his chest. He watched her as her breathing slowed and she finally drifted off to sleep.
They had just had another amazing night. First it was dinner and a movie, then the inevitable rush home to get to bed. The first time had been quick and hurried because their need had been building all day. The second time was painstakingly slow and tender, ending with tears of emotions. The third time was fun and full of teasing which began with a simple swat of a pillow. Now completely spent, and totally satisfied Ranger remained still in his bed as a slow smile crept across his face.
He glanced back down at Stephanie and his heart skipped a tad faster as he watched the relaxed look on her face. She was so at peace and for the first time he realized just how much it meant to him to see her happy.
Since announcing their relationship to their parents, friends, and every other newspaper reading citizen of Trenton, things had only gotten better for the pair. At first they both endured the endless teasing from their friends.
Connie, Lula, and Mary Lou had forced Stephanie to a girls night out in order to squeeze every last detail from her.
Tank, Bobby and Lester had found it incredibly funny to blow up condoms of different colors and sizes and place them all around the Rangeman office building. He endured most of their teasing with a shrug, but he nearly lost it when he opened the door of his F150 one morning to find that it too had been filled with the condom balloons. He had cussed quickly under his breath, then proceeded to wake up every Rangeman employee in the building and threaten them within an inch of their lives if he found anymore condoms.
Of course, the threats didn't work, and that evening as he was about to step into his shower, he realized that it was overflowing with glow-in-the-dark, neon green, x-small condoms. He had a helluva time explaining that one to Steph.
Despite the good natured ribbing, everything was perfect in Ranger's world. Well, almost perfect. He still had one more thing to do before he could feel completely satisfied.
He had tried to think of a way to propose to Stephanie all week, but so far he was coming up with nothing but dead ends. She was such an unique and amazing woman he wanted to make sure that she got the proposal she deserved.
Three days earlier he and Tank had flown into New York to pick out the ring. He wanted to get the best so he headed straight towards Tiffany's. The moment he saw the three-stoned platinum ring he knew that he had found the one. It was a beautiful ring that would do nothing but flatter the hand of his woman.
His woman, he thought. That was a concept he never thought he would once again think about. In the past, commitments had always seemed like too much work. But something about this simple girl from the Burg, caused his security walls to crumble and made him realize that he would be a fool if he didn't hang on to her with all his might.
Even his mother had agreed. "Don't let this one get away." She had said. Ranger smiled as he thought about how angry she had made Stephanie. He knew for sure he would be breaking up arguments between those two for many years to come. They were both headstrong, smart, stubborn, caring women that would stop at nothing to protect the ones they loved. Ranger knew that eventually each would realize that and respect the other for it. He just hoped he could keep up with them until they did.
"Mfgphf… pizza…good." Stephanie mumbled in her sleep.
Ranger's chest bounced softly as he laughed. He pulled her into his chest tighter as a small puddle of drool began to form on his skin directly under her mouth.
God, this woman made him happy. If only he could figure out a way to propose to her that would make her as excited as food did.
"Hmmm. Food." Ranger thought about it a little more. Then slowly his lips curled upwards into a mischievous grin.
It could work, he thought to himself. It might embarrass the crap out of him but it would be a small price to pay to see the surprise on her face. After he mentally worked out the details of his plan he slowly fell asleep.
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Eleven Days Later…
As sunlight slowly drifted through the curtains, Ranger opened his eyes. Today was the day.
He looked down at the naked figure beside him and shivered at the thought of his nervousness. Everything has to go as planned, he thought to himself.
He rolled out of bed gently, trying not to wake up Steph. After a few splashes of water to his face he retreated to the living room. After getting the coffee started he reached for his cell phone.
What?
"Well, good morning to you too sunshine." Ranger laughed into the phone.
Ranger? Christ man, do you have any idea what time it is?
Ranger glanced at his watch. "It's 6:32am. Get up Tank, it's time to start the day."
It's Saturday Ric! Why can't you sleep in like a normal human being.
"You know good and well why. Today's the day and I need to make sure that everything is in order."
Oh come on man. You've double checked everything 100 times. Nothing's going to go wrong. Well, at least as long as she says yes.
"Not funny."
Lighten up Ric. Everything's going to go as planned. Lula, Connie and Mary Lou will take care of everything.
"I know, I know. I guess I'm just nervous."
Tank laughed. Well you should be. You're the dumbass that decided this would be a good idea. Everything's planned so it's too late to back out. Now go crawl back into bed with your woman then call me back when it's a decent hour. Click.
Ranger ran his hands through his hair and sighed. He wouldn't be able to relax until tonight. At least then things would be settled once and for all.
After pouring a cup of coffee, Ranger walked onto the balcony of his apartment and stared out over the streets of Trenton. It was a beautiful morning. The birds were chirping, the sky was blue, and just when he thought it couldn't get better he heard the balcony door open. A few seconds later he felt her warm body lean against his.
He was wearing nothing but boxer shorts so when her bare arms snaked around his waist he got an instant flashback to the previous night's sex. She pressed her body against his and buried her head between his shoulder blades. She nuzzled her lips against his skin before asking, "What are you doing out here?"
He covered her arms with his and held her tight. "Just looking at what a beautiful day it's going to be. What about you?"
She sighed then lifted her head from his body. "I woke up and you weren't there. It made me wonder if you were starting to get tired of me." She smiled.
Ranger turned his body until they were facing one another. With a gentle fingertip under her chin he raised her mouth to his. When they parted he whispered, "Never."
He wrapped his arms around her back and hugged her tight. They remained silent as they stared at the city below.
"I wish I didn't have plans with the girls tonight. I would much rather stay here with you." She finally said.
Ranger smiled but turned his head so she couldn't see. "It's for the best. I've got a stakeout with Tank tonight so I wouldn't be here anyway.
Stephanie smiled then gave his boxers a tug. "Well then, I guess we better get started while we still can."
Ranger laughed as he reached down to remove Steph's hands from his shorts. She kept tugging on them trying to get them to inch lower but Ranger kept a firm grip. She grabbed another handful of the silky material and gave it a big yank. At the same moment, Ranger jerked them in the opposite direction and the force of both caused the material to rip. Stephanie stumbled backwards with a handful of silk and Ranger caught his balance just as the leftover fabric fell to the ground.
"Babe."
"Yes Ric." She said as she batted her eyelashes at him.
"You better run."
Stephanie squealed in delight as she ran from the balcony back into the apartment. Ranger gave her a few seconds head start then followed her indoors.
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At exactly 8:30 that night, Lula, Connie, Mary Lou and Stephanie pulled into the parking lot of a new club downtown.
"I can't believe you guys talked me into coming here." Stephanie said as they all crawled out of the car.
"Oh come on Steph, it's going to be great!" shouted Connie.
"Yeah, and just because you got a hottie at home doesn't mean you can't window shop," followed Lula.
"Yeah Steph. This is going to be awesome. The only man I've seen naked in the past 10 years is Lenny. I'm due a change of scenery." pleaded Mary Lou.
The foursome made their way into the club and were immediately assaulted by the loud, booming beat of the music. After going to the bar for a round of drinks they decided to head toward the stage to find a table.
"Let's sit in the back girls." Stephanie said, making it more of a question.
"No way! I want to be up close to them naked men." Shouted Lula.
"It doesn't matter anyway, the only free table is right at the stage." pointed Connie.
The foursome made their way through the crowd and settled into the table. After gossiping, people watching and sipping the drinks, Stephanie was suddenly feeling more relaxed. Although she would give her right arm to be back at home in bed with Ranger, she still loved her friends. She hadn't seen them in awhile so she was determined to make the best of the evening.
Suddenly, the lights in the club went black. Everyone in the crowd gasped and just as quickly a spotlight appeared on the stage. A moment later, a tall dark, and extremely muscular man strutted across the stage.
He stared out into the crowd, then suddenly ripped his shirt from his chest. Every woman in the room stood up and shouted. Hoots and hollers rang across the stage and suddenly Steph was getting into it as well. She glanced around at her three friends and noticed how much fun they were having. Stephanie burst into laughter when Lula started chanting, "Take it off… take it off…"
Just when the women could scream no more, the man raised his hands as if to ask for silence. The room stood still and the man lifted the microphone to his lips. "Are there in ladies in the house ready to get freakyyyyyyyyy?"
And just as quickly as the silence came, the thundering cheers appeared. Woman were jumping up and down, screaming, and Steph thought she even noticed a few women flashing the guy on stage.
"Oh yesssss.. Ladies you've come here on goooooood night." crooned the half naked announcer. "We need to get this party started, and I have just the man to help. He's got a great big hose and he knows exactly how to use it! Ladies, put your hands together for the hot, sexyyyyyy… Fireman Bobbbbbb!"
The beat of the music changed quickly. Bomp-chika-bow-wow
Once again the room exploded with feminine screams.
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An hour later and several dollars poorer Steph and the gang were officially have a great time.
"This is awesome!" Yelled Mary Lou as she watched the last dancer strut off stage.
"I had no idea this would be so much fun." agreed Stephanie.
So far they had watched 6 dancers; Fireman Bob, Cowboy Dave, Parole Officer Cliff, Caveman Steve, Biker Mark and Doctor Jeff.
"Sit tight ladies, I'm going to go get us another round." said Lula as she rose from the table and made her way to the back of the club.
Just as she returned, the lights were once again lowered. The sexy announcer quickly found the spotlight.
"Alright ladies. This next performer is making is dancing debut right here on this stage tonight!"
The crowd screamed in delight.
"Now, he's a little nervous so we need to be extra nice to this one. And to help him feel more comfortable we need to get a volunteer to come up on stage and give us a hand."
Everyone in the room jumped to their feet. Everyone, that is expect Stephanie.
"How about you little lady." The announcer said as he pointed directly to Stephanie. The spotlight jerked away from the stage and highlighted her brown curls.
"Umm… I.. Don't think so…" she stuttered. But by the time the words were out of her mouth, Connie, Lula, and Mary Lou were lifting her from her chair and ushering her on stage.
The announcer grabbed her arm and lead her to a chair in the center of the spotlight.
"Now don't you worry about a thing missy, because our in-house Chef has agreed to take very, very good care of you."
The lights dropped from the stage and Stephanie was left all alone in the dark. She could hear something being pushed towards her but she couldn't make it out. The sudden change in going from the spotlight to the darkness had temporarily blinded her.
The music started slow at first, then suddenly Steph recognized the song.
"Take you to the candy shop
I'll let you lick the lollypop
Go 'head girl, don't you stop
Keep goin 'til you hit the spot"
Just as she heard Lula scream, "Go Steph, Go Steph!" the lights came alive on stage.
That's when Stephanie saw it. A giant cupcake. It was taller than she was, bigger around than Lula and covered in something that looked very much like chocolate icing. Just as she was about to slide her finger across the side of it, the music cranked up and the top of the cupcake burst open.
Startled, Stephanie jumped backwards and nearly fell off the chair. When the smoke and confetti from the cupcake had cleared she could see the backside of a very, very sexy man staring out over the crowd. From what she could tell the only thing he was wearing was a starched, white apron and a huge Chef's hat.
When she took a closer look, she thought for a moment that she recognized the dimples on the very firm ass attached to the chef. "It couldn't be." She said to herself.
But it was. The man threw his leg over the side of the cupcake and made his way towards Stephanie. When he finally stepped in front of the spotlight she could see his face for the first time. Ranger.
What the hell was Ranger doing in a strip club?
She couldn't make sense of what she was seeing. But he didn't give her any time to think about it, because before she realized what was happening, he was running his hands up and down her arms, gyrating his hips, and hovering over her lap making swift humping movements.
Her hands instinctively reached up for his arms and he quickly took a step back.
"Nuh huh. No touching the talent." He said as he gave her a wink then twirled back around toward the crowd.
She sat in the chair frozen from shock. Ranger strutted around the stage, playing up to the crowd and dancing his ass off to the music. At one point, he reached up, grabbed the hat and flung it into the audience. Several women in the crowd immediately started fighting over it.
As the song finally came to an end, Ranger returned to the cake. He ran his finger across the icing and walked back toward Stephanie. He didn't speak, instead he merely ran his icing covered finger across her lips.
The heat between the pair flared quickly. She took his finger into her mouth and eagerly sucked him clean.
Just as they both began to forget they were in front of a huge crowd of screaming women they were joined on stage by the announcer. He approached them quietly, handed Ranger the microphone then once again disappeared.
"What's going on Ranger." Stephanie whispered.
Ranger just smiled then raised the mike to his lips. "Ladies, I'm sorry to interrupt your evening, but I have something very important to do."
Stephanie nearly fainted when he reached into the pocket of his apron and pulled out a small, velvety box. He leaned forward and kneeled on one leg.
Everyone in the audience jumped up and began cheering wildly. After giving them a moment to calm down, Ranger once again spoke.
"Babe, I know I may never be able to excite you the way a good pastry does, but if you give me the chance I'd love to spend the rest of my life trying."
Stephanie slapped her hands over her mouth as her face flooded with tears.
Ranger reached out and took her hand. "Stephanie Plum, will you marry me?"
The crowd went silent as they waited for her answer and they didn't have to wait long. Within seconds, Stephanie jumped out of the chair and into Ranger's waiting arms. "God yes Ranger! Yes I'll marry you!"
Once again, the club was filled with the screams of a hundred women.
Eleven Hours Later…
"I can't believe you did that." Stephanie laughed. Her and Ranger were tangled among the sheets on the bed in her apartment. Ranger's head was laying on her stomach and his eyes were gazing upon her face. She reached down and brushed a stray hair behind his ear.
"I just wanted to make sure I got your attention babe."
Stephanie laughed again. "Oh, well you definitely did. You also got the attention of several other women as well."
Ranger rolled over and crawled his way up the bed toward her. When his lips were inches from hers he said, "There were other women there? Because honestly I didn't notice."
Stephanie smacked him playfully, wrapped her arms around his neck and brought his face to hers for the deepest kiss she could conjure.
When they pulled away a smile crossed her face and she asked, "Any chance you still have that sexy apron?"
Ranger's eyes darkened with desire and Stephanie knew that apron or not, they were about to have a good time.
The End
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Thanks to EVERYONE for all of the wonderful feedback you have given me about this story. I've truly loved writing this version of Steph and Ranger. In fact, I love it so much I'm going to continue… So stay tuned for more in the sequel called: WHITE WEDDING