~13~
Steph struggled to open her eyes when she heard her alarm going off. She reached over towards the alarm and ran into a person instead of the clock. The unknown person reached up and turned off the alarm. She grunted her thanks and fell back asleep. She had made no effort to find out who was in her bed. Ranger looked over at her and chuckled. He had a hard time getting her to leave Pino's last night and had to bribe her with another piece of cake to get her into the car. By the time they pulled into the garage, she was sound asleep, still holding on the piece of cake. He had to carry her upstairs to her apartment. He had gotten her into bed and then put the piece of cake in the kitchen.
He got up and headed out. He ran upstairs to his apartment to change clothes and then headed out. He returned about an hour later, loaded down with "The Cure". He dropped off a lot of it in the break room for the guys who made it into work and then headed up to the floor with staff apartments. Pounding on each door, he left a bag outside their door. He headed back into Steph's apartment and took her bag into the bedroom. She was still sleeping in the same position as when he had left.
He walked over to her side of the bed and shook the bag a few times. She mumbled a bit but still didn't wake up. He reached into the bag and pulled out the fries. He waved a few of them under her nose and her mouth opened up, although she still didn't open her eyes. He laughed and shoved a few fries in her mouth. She chewed and swallowed and then opened her mouth again. He repeated this a few times before she opened her eyes. "Babe, you want a drink? I got you a soda." She grunted and he handed her the cup. A few drinks and some more fries later, she was finally able to look at him and focus. "Babe, you drank way too much last night. Do you remember the shot contest with some of the guys?" She stared at him blankly and he laughed. He pulled out his phone and showed her the pictures. She groaned and closed her eyes again.
"Come on Babe. Let's get a shower and then you'll start to feel better. I was nice enough and brought all of the guys "The Cure" as well so hopefully they will get moving soon." He pulled her into the bathroom and stripped her clothes off and then started the shower. He pushed her into the shower and then followed. She stepped back into her bedroom an hour later, not ever remembering a shower taking so long or being so fun. She got dressed and headed out to the kitchen. Ranger soon followed and he made breakfast while she made coffee. She saw the piece of cake sitting on the counter and grabbed it and headed to the table. Ranger brought her a plate of food and took the piece of cake away. She glared at him but picked up her fork and started eating.
Ranger finished eating and then pulled out a folder and smiled at her. "Oh no you don't. Last time you gave me a folder, I had to exercise." He laughed and opened it up. He pulled out a RangeMan ID with her picture on it. "Babe, here is your official ID. Please make sure you have it with you when you go out on client calls. Also, here are your insurance cards and information about the benefits and retirement package we have here. You already have a company credit card to use for anything related to work expenses. And finally, here is your official RangeMan business card."
She picked up the card and looked at it. She glanced up at him and tried to crook one eyebrow, but failed. He chuckled and said, "Questions?" "Ranger, it says that I am the Head of Client Relations." "Yep, that's what you are going to be soon, so we just went ahead and had the cards made now so we don't have redo them in a few months. I'll give you the rest of the weekend to get situated with your new role here and then we'll start on Monday morning. I think you'll probably need about three months before you're in the role full time. For now, we'll go slowly and you can work some shifts in the control room too."
~14~
"How did you have time to get all of this together? How did you get the business cards printed so quickly?" she asked.
"Babe, once I saw that you were sticking with everything we threw at you, I knew you'd work until you finished and passed everything. I've had this folder put together for about three weeks," Ranger said.
She sat and shook her head at him. He smiled at her and then took their plates to the kitchen. He came out and she was still sitting there looking at the business cards. He reached over and pulled her up and into his arms. "Babe, don't overthink it. You'll be great in this job and we both know it. People are your forte, so much more than the rest of us. Come on, I don't want to take you out just for dinner tonight, I want to spend the entire day with you. Go get dressed for a trip to the beach and be sure to bring a change of clothes for dinner and dancing. I'll be back in half an hour to get you." He dropped a kiss on her cheek and left the apartment.
Exactly 30 minutes later, Ranger knocked on her door and then opened it. "Babe? Are you ready?" He walked towards her bedroom and saw her standing in front of her closet wearing only a very skimpy bikini. "Babe, you're killing me looking like that." She laughed and said, "I can't decide what to bring for dinner and dancing. Any suggestions?" He walked over to her and had to put his hands behind his back to restrain himself from grabbing her and locking them in the bedroom for the rest of the day. "If you don't go cover up that bikini, I'll have to call all the ambulances in Trenton because all of my men will be having heart attacks. I'll pick out something for you." She laughed and then headed into the bathroom. He looked through her closet and pulled out a dress and pair of heels. He opened her drawers and found the appropriate underwear and then put them in a bag.
She walked out of the bathroom covered up, thank god, and then grabbed the bag Ranger had packed for her. They walked out into the living room and he grabbed his bag and when he opened the door, Ella was just coming out of the elevator with a picnic basket. She smiled at them, handed Ranger the basket, winked at Stephanie when Ranger wasn't looking and then got back into the elevator. They headed to the garage and he led her to a Porsche that had its top down. She had never seen the car before and looked at him. "I keep it in storage and only get it out for special occasions." She laughed and said, "This is a special occasion?" "You bet your ass it is Babe." She laughed again and he helped her into the car, putting their bags and the basket in the trunk.
The drive to the beach took a little over an hour and they talked a bit about the guys, but every time Steph tried to bring up her new role at RangeMan, Ranger would change the subject. Finally, he could tell she was frustrated and he said, "Babe, no talk about work today, please. This day is just about us." She agreed and asked about Julie. "She's good. Last time I talked to her she was talking about a boy in her class that she thought was cute. How am I supposed to deal with knowing she's going to be dating soon? I told Ron I would run checks on any of them if he could get me their information." She looked over at him and smacked him on the arm. "Carlos, you will not run background checks on Julie's boyfriends. That's horrible." He looked over at her and seemed shocked. "How else will I know if he's good enough for her?" "You let her figure it out. That's part of being a teenager. First loves and first heartbreaks. I bet you didn't run this by Rachel, did you?" He shook his head and she smacked him again, while muttering under her breathe about calling Rachel.
Ranger was quiet the rest of the drive and pulled into a parking lot at one of the more extravagant hotels in the area. Steph looked at him and he smiled. "Come on Babe." He grabbed their bags and the basket and handed the keys over to the valet. She grabbed her bag from him and he reached out and grabbed her other hand. He smiled at her again and pulled her into the hotel. He walked over to the front desk and said they had a reservation under Manoso. Steph looked at him with a puzzled look on her face. He pulled her closer to him and kissed her. "Trust me Babe." He took their key card, handed over the basket to the desk clerk and pulled her to the elevator. The elevator went to the top floor and the door opened. Ranger pulled her out and walked to the end of the hall and used the key card to open a door. He pulled her inside, grabbed her bag and put both of their bags on the bed. He pulled her over to the window and she gasped when she looked out. They were able to look over the pool area which butted up to the beach. There was a small fence to separate the two, but the hotel had cabanas set up on the beach. Ranger pointed to one and said, "That one is ours. Let me go change and we'll head out. Look around if you want." He headed into the bathroom but Steph stayed standing, looking out the window.
Ranger came out a few minutes later and she looked him over. "Yummy", she thought. Ranger laughed and she blushed. "You never disappoint Babe. Let's go." He grabbed her hand and pulled her back into the elevator. They headed out towards the pool and he guided her past the pool and towards their cabana on the beach. The cabana had two chaise lounge chairs, a table with two chairs, a tv and stereo system and a small kitchen area. "Good God Ranger, this is bigger than my old apartment." He laughed and pulled out the bottle of sun screen. He helped her put some on and she returned the favor. He grabbed her hand and led her out into the sun, where two beach chairs and towels were set up. She dropped into one and looked over at him. "Thank you for doing this for me." "Anything for you Babe." She closed her eyes and was soon asleep. Ranger looked at her and smiled. He wanted her in his life permanently, but he didn't want to rush her. It was going to be hell to go slow.