OMG, you folks will not believe the awesome coincidence I had today. I'm attending a conference all weekend, and at one point was directed to the wrong building, As I was wondering around looking for the right one, a familiar word caught my eye, Bvgari. I had, completely by accident, wandered near one of only 17 Bvgari stores in the country. So, of course I had to go in and buy some shower gel, which for some reason took, like, 30 minutes, and involved a tour of the architecture of the store and a book on the history of the company. By the way, Stephanie is right, the shower gel is hellaciously expensive. About what I would spend on all personal care items, plus a haircut, in a year. But! I now smell like Ranger. I may even wear all black tomorrow to celebrate.

I case you are wondering, yes, it smells lovely. No, it does not smell so good that it's worth about 100x cost as the stuff I usually buy. I wish I was exaggerating the price. I probably won't use it much, but I may keep it on my desk so i can get good whiffs when I'm writing. Help me get in touch with my inner Ranger.

Super short chapter today, I need sleep and I have to be up in a few hours for the conference. I hadn't planned on updating all weekend, but totally had to tell about the shower gel. So I'm giving you the beginning of what would have been one chapter. It will end in a cliffhanger I probably can't finish until Monday or Tuesday, so if you don't want to be in suspense, wait until I post the next chapter.

Recap: Ranger takes Stephanie indoor skydiving, allowing her to finally fly.

Ranger's POV

Stephanie was so full of glee that she was practically skipping. I don't think I'd ever seen her so happy. It made me glad that I'd gotten a luxury hotel room nearby instead of having to go back into the city. I was fully planning on taking advantage of her mood.

We parked and grabbed our things, including the new suitcase that I really wanted to get a peek into. I'd checked my card's statement online while waiting at a red light on my way back to her, and was pleased to see she had spent plenty at a couple of lingerie shops, Nordstroms, and for some reason Spencer's gifts. I was glad she was willing to spend my money. I had plenty, and could think of no better use for it than dressing her up in skimpy clothes and tearing them off with my teeth.

We checked in, then went up to our luxury suite. I'd gotten one with a hot tub and balcony overlooking a small grove of trees. On the long, slow ride up the elevator Babe kept closing her eyes and smiling, and I could tell she was remembering the feeling of flying by the way her body kept swaying. We rushed to the suite when the elevator doors opened, ready to tear each other's clothes off.

Then she stopped and looked at me, mischief in her eyes.

"You know what I need right now?"

"Babe" I said. I sure as hell knew what I needed now. Her, naked.

"A Tastykake."

"What?" I said, actually dumbstruck for a moment.

"A Tastykake. I saw some in the little store in the lobby."

"Babe, tell me you aren't serious." I started to nibble on her neck, thinking maybe I needed to find her a chapter of cake-eater's anonymous.

"I'm serious. Can you go get me a Tastykake? Please?"

Dammit. She was looking at me with those big blue eyes. I'd literally killed for those eyes.

"Fine. I'll go get you a Tastykake. But we really do have to discuss your eating habits. Those things will kill you." And waiting any longer might kill me.

I left the room quickly, deciding that the stairs would be faster than the elevator. The shop did have Tastykakes, but it was closed and I had to get the desk agent to open it up. I was paying for the damn things when my phone rang. I answered it without looking.

"Yo"

"Ranger?"

"Yes."

"It's Stephanie Plum. I'm handcuffed to my shower curtain rod, and I need someone to open the cuffs. And besides, I'm naked."

Madre de dios. I raced out of the shop, leaving the change though I'd paid with a hundred. Again I decided to skip the elevator and raced up all 10 stories to our room. I entered that bathroom and there she was, straight out of my fantasies. Except in my fantasies she wasn't wearing a teal crotchless and cupless teddy, the handcuffs weren't fur-lined, and there wasn't a large bottle of lube sitting on the tub edge.

Looks like reality could beat fantasy after all.