I own nothing, make no profit, but have enjoyed playing with all of the MM.

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Thanks to Rena and the Mods for a safe place to come and play!

The two men left quietly and peacefully, thank goodness. That's when Lester leaned over and said to me in a conspiratorial tone, "Tomorrow is all about music, movement and blindfolds. I didn't think we were going to have to ready for that so quickly, but it looks like my time table has just been moved up. See you tomorrow afternoon, Steph. Oh, and either wear or bring a skirt and bring some comfortable high heels, it will make all the difference, I promise."

Oh boy.

Stephanie's Gamble

Chapter 6 February Part 2

The next day I knew better than to stop and see Ranger on my way to meet up with Lester, I wasn't too comfortable with the fact I had a duffle bag full of clothes and shoes and I wasn't even sure how I felt about that.

When I got to four, I marched down the hall with my head up high until I got to Lester's door. He was in sweats and looking like he had never been more comfortable or happier in his life. Again, he had no shoes. What was I getting into now?

"Steph, we are in for 'movie night' even though it is still the middle of the day. And then maybe something 'special'; it will depend on you. Seeing as you can't stay awake on the floor, we are going to try the sofa together this time."

"Sure, Les. Whatever makes you happy," I said convincing no one.

"Good, you sit here and wait while I get the popcorn. Beer, water or Coke to drink?" he asked casually.

"Water I think, thanks," I said.

"True balance isn't always achieved alone, sometimes you need a partner. That's what I was trying to do with the relaxation thing. Now we are going to try to do it differently. When I was a kid, I loved the old movie musicals, especially Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly, watched 'em with my grandma. Each time a couple danced, each dancer trusted the partner to complete the steps and make the dance whole. Trust is a part of being balanced, having faith in something outside of yourself over which you have no control but know the best possible outcome will be achieved. Got it?"

"Sure, I guess."

"Good, then we are going to start this lesson with one of my favorites, 'Top Hat'. It is a little corny by today's standards, but quite a hit in its time. I want you to watch the way Fred and Ginger move together."

The lights dimmed, the movie came on and I was enthralled. The way the two of the moved together was literally like poetry, it was magic, it was amazing, it was Lester's favorite?

Stop the bus and back up a minute.

Big, strong, macho Lester likes Fred and Ginger? He knows all of the words to the songs? Who has taken possession of the body of this Merry Man? Surely there is something in the Rangeman bylaws that prevents them from knowing the words to show tunes? This just seemed wrong on so many levels.

The lights came up and Lester got off the couch. He immediately put on some kind of quiet jazzy music and then went into his bedroom.

He bellered from his room, "I am just going to slip into something less comfortable. It is time for you to put on heels, the skirt is optional."

I brought a mediumish pair of heels in the bag and put them on, I opted against the skirt. I had just finished buckling the ankle strap when the bedroom door re-opened and out came Lester, with a pair of dress slacks and dress shoes.

"Time to get up off the sofa; time to work Bomber," he said with a grin.

I rose and stood next to him.

Somewhere music got a little louder, it was pleasantly familiar but I just couldn't place it.

"Dancing relates to everything you do in life. It impacts how you present yourself to the world, how you walk, how you sit, how you stand. Dancing makes you aware of everything in your surroundings, because if you are unaware you will bump into the person or couple next to you. If you look good doing it, it's just a bonus. Got it?"

"Yep," I said. Hey, I cold master the whole one word sentence thing.

"Now, have you ever had dance lessons before?"

"Les, I grew up in the Burg, where every little girl is required to take some kind of dancing. My mom made me take ballet." OK, more than one word but he got the idea.

"Good, your body will remember how to position itself and how to follow music. Unless you got pretty far, you probably never danced with a partner though."

"Nope, it was a bunch of little girls in black leotards, pink tights and flat slippers trying to move to piano music."

"No leotards or tights needed here and heels are better than flats. If you change your mind and would be more comfy in a leotard with tights, I have no objection, I might even take pictures. This is going to be a kind of intro to ballroom, no real tricky maneuvers."

"Street clothes are just fine, thanks for the offer," I said to him.

He turned up the music asking, "Are you ready to trust me?"

"I guess so."

"I can either turn off the lights or I can …"

"Please leave on the lights."

"Ok, but if Ranger asks, you had a choice," he said as he pulled a blindfold out of his pocket. He crooked his finger for me to move closer to him.

Oh boy.

"You sure about this, Lester, maybe turning down the lights is better."

"Nope, you made a choice. Time to deal with your decision."

Crap. Living with my choices and dealing with my decisions seems like it was becoming a theme. Maybe I should start paying attention when my options are being presented to me, someday.

I moved in front of him and turned around. The blindfold was secured. I stopped breathing.

"Now we begin. I am going to put my hands on your waist and your hands on my shoulders. We are just going to sway to the beat to start."

He counted and I swayed. Eventually his feet started to move and mine followed. It seemed like forever and it seemed like no time at all passed. I became aware of everything around me that I couldn't see. The sounds of each instrument on the recording, the steady beat of Lester's heart, the smell of the stale popcorn, the smell of Lester's skin, did I mention the sound of the beat of Lester's heart? I eventually moved in closer to his space and put my head on his shoulder, it just seemed like the right thing to do. I could have stayed and swayed and followed his lead all night. Once I realized that I could be happy in his arms for a long time, I moved out of his space, as much as he would let me, and became aware of my surroundings, again.

"Steph, I think you've had enough for one day. Time to take off the blindfold and come back to reality. Intro to dancing is now complete. Tomorrow we'll see what we can do with you when you can see," he said with a wink.

I reached behind my head and untied the silk scarf. After it was off, I blinked a couple of times to re-adjust to seeing in the light. The first thing I focused on was Lester's grin. He was looking oh so proud.

When I left, I felt better than I had in a long time.

The next day was the same, except we watched 'Silk Stockings.' We both changed shoes after it was over, but this time the scarf was used to tie my hands.

What the heck?

Lester told me that in ballroom, the man is in charge but women tend to want to lead. By tying my hands in front of me and placing them on his chest, I had to feel what he wanted and where he wanted to go. Oh brother. He was right, but I wasn't about to tell him that.

Just as I thought we were getting somewhere, everything changed. We had a pattern, I liked it. We were moving to different rhythms and making different patterns on the living room floor.

Ballroom lessons continued for the rest of the week in his apartment. I was proud of myself, I progressed enough that I was allowed to take off the scarf entirely; it was unsettling and sometimes off balancing at first to see what we were doing and at times I still closed my eyes.

After a three hour lesson in the living room, Lester took me back to my cube. It had gone exceptionally well. I was able to follow him in the basic box step, fox trot, and waltz. My eyes were shining and I couldn't get the grin to come off my face; then Ranger came up behind me.

"Nice lesson, Babe?"

"Yeah, the best. Lester doesn't even have to tie my hands up anymore."

"Come again?" Ranger asked.

"Bomber, gotta go. Rangeman, have a nice night," Lester said as he bustled down the hall.

"Stephanie," Ranger said, "have you had dinner yet? I was just about to call Ella and place an order."

Shit. Not Babe, not Steph, but Stephanie. He only used my proper name when he was really upset or needed to make a point.

"Yeah, Ranger, I'd like to join you for dinner," I said, smile somewhat faded fearing the "we need to talk" speech that was surely coming.

Ranger called Ella and placed a dinner order for two. We rode to seven in companionable silence, I didn't know if it was to stop possible the potential speech or whatever it was going to be. I just knew I liked the silence as a delaying tactic and was willing to go with it.

Once he opened the door and put his keys in the silver dish on the sideboard, he looked at me and said, "What's up with the tying up of the hands?"

"Well, Lester said it is easier for a woman to follow a man's lead if she can't use her hands. He's right."

"Babe," he sighed, "just how many ways are you following his lead?"

"You know, the usual. The stuff every girl needs to know to be a successful dance partner at a fancy party or a big wedding; the box step, fox trot, waltz. Like that."

We walked into the living room and took a seat on the sofa.

"Are you sure you aren't following his lead in any another ways?"

"He's offered to teach me salsa and mambo. He said if I had good enough rhythm he'd teach me to do the bachata, whatever that is."

"Babe, under no circumstances are you going to let Lester teach you bachata. If you want to, later, I'll teach you bachata. I don't know if I would survive Lester's lessons on that dance."

"Ranger, I don't even know what it sounds like, so I don't think I am missing anything."

Ranger went to his entertainment center and thumbed through some of his music CDs, found one and put it in the player. He brought the CD to me on the sofa, somebody named Juan Luis Guerra, the song was called 'Bachata Rosa'. It was soft but had a very consistent beat, kind of romantic, sexy. ( you don't want me to do anything romantic with Lester?"

"Babe, much of the music is romantic. The beginner level of the dance is pretty easy, but the level Lester would take it to would make you blush. Then you would have to have Tank around for every session in a room with no cameras."

"That bad?"

"Not that bad. It can be that sexy, that intimate, that sensual," he said as his voice got husky.

I decided to bait Ranger, we still had a couple of minutes before Ella was due with dinner. So I said, "Could you show me the difference between sexy and sexual?"

Quick as a flash, he grabbed my hand and pulled me up next to him. He said, "It's all done to a four or eight count."

The next thing I knew he had one leg between mine and we were doing "one, two, three, sexy hip" movements in his living room. After a couple of minutes, he started to move me in a pattern around the floor. Wow, Batman was really getting in touch with his inner John Travolta.

When he did an incredible dip, Ella knocked on the door. I was breathless, he was looking like a disappointed wolf, and I understood why he didn't want me to do this with Lester. If Lester was as good at this as Ranger seemed to be, I would have my panties melted off my body in under two songs. Sound like a nympho? Yep, that's me. Better safe than sorry.

We had dinner but no more dancing. I thought Ranger wanted to preserve the status quo, I was willing to throw the status quo away. It seemed like we were never going to get in sync.

After dinner, I sat in his lap and he held me while we listened to some more music, same artist some of the beats faster a couple were slower but it was all to that amazing four count. Who would have thought the numbers four or eight could get my blood moving so fast?

Before the hour got too late, he took me back to four so I could crash in the safety of my own apartment. Too bad he probably wasn't going to break in tonight. In some ways, I was regretting more and more that this hadn't turned into a "dating game." Ah, cold shower time once again, too bad they were becoming less and less effective.

The next day, lessons had been moved to the conference room. Evidently, there was going to be a Merry Man posted outside the door from here on out. Ranger could only take so much and he was at about his limit. Lester gave me more room in my "frame" of dance space than before. Probably he had some kind of talk with Ranger before this particular lesson; seems that Latin music was now completely off the table. Oh well, maybe I could talk Ranger into "private lessons" with him after February was over.

At the end of the second week, Lester told me to take Valentine's day off, so I could be well rested and prepared. In front of everyone, he made a point of telling me, "Prepare yourself to do something you have never done before, it will leave you both laughing and breathless, you won't want to admit to anyone you have ever done it, and I promise you will glow for days afterwards."

Ranger's fists tightened by his sides as he growled out, "Santos, what exactly do you have in mind?"

Lester replied with a devilish grin, "Boss, even though Valentine's day is Thursday, I can only promise it won't be group sex night. Valentine's day is special and a young lady should do something special on that day or that evening. I don't think you'd be comfortable going with us, but you are invited if you don't trust me."

"I don't know about you, Ranger," I said keeping my tone light, "but Les has been a perfect gentleman and has done nothing my grandmother couldn't witness."

"Babe, your grandmother watches pay per view porn, there isn't a lot she wouldn't mind witnessing."

"Ok then, nothing your grandmother couldn't witness," I said with a smirk.

I turned back to Lester, got the dress code and the time to meet him the next day. Jeans and a western shirt, comfy shoes, 6:15 pm at the parking garage.

Even though it was Valentine's Day and it wasn't really a date, I found myself doing extra primping. I wore my best butt enhancing jeans and a my shirt was unbuttoned a little more than normal for me. I couldn't forget kiss me senseless red for the lipstick. I had to have my priorities right.

Lester presented me with a corsage and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek for the cameras as we got into his Dodge pick up. He was dressed in snug jeans, oh boy, and his green button down shirt set off his eyes. I had never realized they were such a startling green before. Time for a mental head smack, I didn't look at Lester that way, did I? I mean, how could I have ever missed those eyes, that nose, those dimples? I thought I had been shot in the ass by one of cupid's little arrows and I was looking at Lester like he was on the dinner menu. This was not good.

We headed down the road for what seemed to be an eternity when we finally pulled off onto a country road. The traffic came to a crawl on the two lane road; seemed we were heading for a large non-descript building. The grange building turned out to be this multi-functional meeting place that was turned into something more for this occasion. Cupid went western! It seemed we were going square dancing. Yuck.

Lester took me to the beginners group, the oldest 14 year old girl in the group, yep that's me. I was paired with a gawky 14 year old boy who acted like he hit the jackpot. Lester played master instructor to my group of eight. He taught us the basic moves and what was required of each part. He also explained that the "caller" was in charge of the song; there were usually patterns but not always.

I did enjoy my hour on the dance floor's equivalent of the bunny slope, but was much relieved when Lester moved me into his "regular group"; he was no longer the caller and I was his partner for the rest night. I had learned enough from the first group to keep up, sort of, so that I had fun and didn't disrupt too much of the progress on the floor.

Turned out to be some of the most fun I had in years and Lester was right, I was breathless at the end, glowing and didn't want to admit to a soul what I had done. I also knew I couldn't wait to do it again! Who knew?

Lester made sure he returned me to my car in the garage before midnight. He kissed me gently on the cheek in full view of the camera and gave me a huge hug. I guessed that Ranger had given me a curfew and it was going to be enforced. I also guessed that Lester was trying to preserve his own hide. It really wasn't a sexy or romantic Valentine's Day but probably one of the best thought out and most enjoyable I had ever had. Lucky me.

Monday brought a "return" to normalcy; whatever normalcy was supposed to mean to me. But Lester no longer tried to get me to go to his apartment; I knew he hadn't run out of movies but I think he was feeling some pressure from Ranger to be observed a bit more.

The rules about no shoes and nothing in the pockets was back in effect, but now our location was changed to the gym, no audience and no chaperones, just the cameras which in so many ways were worse than chaperones.

Lester was in some loose white pants and a white tee that was painted on and outlined everything beautifully, yum. Cupid's little arrows were still working on my hormones and making me appreciate the work of art and sculpture known as Lester, ah.

Poor Lester, he had no such luck with his viewing 'pleasure'. I hadn't done laundry lately so I had on an old Snoopy as Joe Cool t-shirt and some less than flattering jeans, no holes but definitely not the stuff to attract anybody.

"Steph, you know how we've been doing that dancing lately? And remember how you told me that your mom had you in dance lessons as a kid," he asked.

I looked at him and just nodded.

"Well, we are going to take what we have been working on and combine it with martial arts. They have more in common than you know. You take some basic steps to a specified rhythm, vary the combinations and you can use some of it to defend yourself."

"Forgive me, but I don't get it."

"It is like this, when you do the fox trot there is a designated rhythm and a designated way you move your body, right?"

"Right, but when we do the fox trot, I don't generally get covered in mud or wind up on the ground," I said.

"You are right about that, but you are moving in a pattern that your body has learned how to respond to automatically. If you spend time feeling a rhythm and memorizing how it feels to do some of the moves, you will be able to translate martial arts into dance and vice versa."

If I hadn't known better, I would have thought Lester was nuts. I mean I thought he was nuts in a playful way, but this was more like nuts in an institutionalization kind of a way. Deciding on safety first, I decided to play along.

After some general dance and yoga type warm ups, we started with standing kicks, raising and lowering the body to change the destination of the kick. Then there was just general footwork that reminded me a lot of getting dizzy in ballet as a kid, but it was beginning to make some sense. We were there for what felt like hours, but was really much shorter than that. I didn't realize we were done until Lester took me in his arms and literally danced me out of the gym and out the door, show off.

"From here on in, we are going to be working in the gym. We may or may not have company. We will definitely have music. Don't forget that when I promise a girl a good time, I deliver."

I leaned in to kiss him on the cheek, then I whispered in his ear, "Don't I know it. Is there any chance I can square dance with you again, Lester?"

"We'll see, if you are good and pay attention it might, maybe, possibly happen. Now you need to get out of here before Tank comes in to review his martial arts moves on me."

Lester's new lessons still came with music, but who knew he was into the 80s? It had seemed that the 70s was really his thing, at least based on his apartment. Turned out that he loved "The New Romantics" and something referred to as Skaw in the 80s which to Lester basically meant Adam Ant, Squeeze and Madness. He had trained in a dojo when he was very young and his instructor played certain music for the drummer and not for anything else, Adam and the Ants had a drummer that the old instructor liked and Lester just didn't update.

Punches were trained to one beat and one specific song and kicks were trained to another. When it was time to go to the sparing action it, a real oldie was played it was Madness' "Baggy Trousers" for to learn the basic choreography and "One Step Beyond" for the actual sparing part. As I thought about it again Lester and Madness, it made a lot of sense. It seemed like he played these songs over and over to the point I thought I was going to go crazy, thankfully at one point Lester turned down the treble and all I could hear was the baseline. Even that became annoying in short order. Now I was beginning to understand how my mother felt when I was a teenager locked in my bedroom.

Lester "choreographed" several routines to different beats so that I could keep things going. What I found out later was that each move had a counter strike also choreographed, Lester knew both halves and started to "dance" the other parts with me music and all. Due to the amount of repetition we had it wasn't long before he could start something off and I could follow it. He said that while we were practicing it had to do with being aware of my surroundings and trusting my training partner, guess he was right.

By the time I "graduated from Lester's dancing and martial arts academy" on the last day of February, I was able to do some very basic martial arts, keep my wits about me and see what might be coming my way. I had a lot to be proud of and so did Lester.

"Steph, was it really all that bad?" he asked at the end of my last work out alone with him.

"Lester, I never would have thought that all of the stuff we did would work so well together. I am glad it did and I am glad you think outside of the box."

"Couldn't have asked for a better partner. Let me know if you want to keep any of it up, and how much of it you will want to continue to invest in. We make beautiful music together."

With that last comment, Ranger walked in.

He said, "Santos, it is time to change up the duty roster. Since you have both survived the month with no undue injuries, what duty or shift would you like to do next? "

"Why go to Disneyland, Bossman, of course," Lester said with a wink and a smile as he turned to go back down the hall.

Since the page on the calendar was going to turn tomorrow, my partner was going to change as well. Onwards and upwards to the Rangeman I felt I knew the least about, Hector. This was going to be fun?

A/N: Many years ago I trained in Kemp Karate and the instructor did indeed use music and dance references to teach various katas and moves; it sounded hinky and strange to me at the time, but it did work.

Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed, it means the world to me. Alf.