WHAT ABOUT TOMORROW?
By
Dimaris
Chapter 2: Joe
JPOV
Well, this has turned into a shitty Valentine's Day! I called my Cupcake, Steph, about getting together for pizza and a hockey game. Hell, I even told her that Bob and the "boys" missed her. For some reason she got pissed and turned me down flat. It's always worked before. Instead she kept saying words over and over but they made no sense.
Anymore it doesn't matter who's right or wrong
We've been injuring each other for far too long
And it's too late to try to say what might have been
It's over nobody wins
What does she mean "it's over and nobody wins?" Are we over? Does she mean that Manoso wins? When Hell freezes over! Stephanie is going to be mine and as soon as she stops working that stupid bounty hunter job, drops her low class friends like Lula and Manoso's gang of crooks, and tells Ranger to take a hike she is going to be my wife and mother to my children. I may not drive fancy cars like Manoso—there's no way those cars aren't stolen. I just can't prove it yet.
She's crappy at her job anyway and unlucky as hell. Steph calls it her career like anybody would believe that. She always shows up at the station covered in God knows what. All the cops at work give me fucking shit about her and bet on her all the time. When she's blows up another car, somebody wins another pot. That's going to change, too.
I've seen Manoso embrace her, kiss her with passion and encourage her idiotic escapades. Hell the whole town knows about it. She always looks at him with hero worship and devotion. She actually shows him affection. I sure as shit never thought she could be bought. There's no other explanation for how she treats him. I know she fucks him and, probably, his gang bangers, too. That is going to stop now!
She constantly pisses me off and we get into screaming matches over all the mistakes she makes. Hell even her mother tells her what's wrong with her but she just doesn't listen. The only person she listens to is Manoso. All he ever has to do is say "please." Dammit, I'm tired of her doing whatever he wants like dressing like a whore and going to some dive to lead out skips! God knows, she screwed up more of my cases than I can count.
I've heard a woman's got to love a bad man once or twice in her life to appreciate the good one. Man, her ex-husband, the Dick, and Manoso certainly are bad men. Since I'm the "good one," she not only appreciates me but loves me. She told me so.
Making believe in forever is just a lie
And it seems a little sadder each time we try
Cause it's a shame to make the same mistake again and again
It's over nobody wins
It's true we've tried to live together over and over, but she always bolts when things get too serious. Why she can't settle down and be a housewife and mother I can't understand. After all she's thirty years old and time's marching on. What I'm offering are things every woman wants. I have a good job, a home and a reputation as a great lover plus her mother adores me. What more is there? There will be a forever and that's no lie!
We've gone too far too long too far apart
The loving was easy it's the living that's hard
And there's no need to stay to see the way it ends
It's over nobody wins
I've told her over and over what I want and what she has to do so we can get married. True, the loving is easy because Cupcake is not only beautiful but really sexy. She's Italian like me, too, and has the temper to prove it; the Hungarian part is probably why she's so stubborn. Good thing I can handle that. Morelli men know how to deal with difficult women plus if she tries to withhold wild monkey sex, I'll just call up Terri. She's always good for a roll in the hay. As a matter of fact, she and I are going to get together to "work" the latest mob case. What Steph doesn't know won't hurt her. I'm a man after all and I've got needs—daily needs.
My relatives will just have to deal with her being in the family; they'll accept her once she marries me, keeps house for me and has my children. My mother, my grandmother and my cousin Mooch are always telling me she's not good enough for me. If they want me to still be around, they'd better accept her. Anyway, as soon she learns to cook—now she can't burn water—and learns how to take care of me and loses her crappy apartment, we can live together until the wedding. After that, everyone in the Burg will know I tamed Stephanie Plum, the Bombshell Bounty Hunter. By God, they won't call her that anymore. She will only be Mrs. Joseph Anthony Morelli for the rest of her life.
It's over nobody wins
Well, she's wrong and I'm going over there to tell her so as soon as I go to Pino's for pizza. Besides, she always caves when I'm near her. Today will be no different. Right now I don't need affection or tenderness just a lot of balls to the wall sex. Manoso can just go fuck himself because I AM GOING TO WIN!
Nobody Wins by Kris Kristofferson (1972)
A/N: Response to Black Heart Valentine challenge scenario (Perfect Plum) and Cara and Teena's Let's Talk about Love challenge (Babe_Squad). Oh, and of course, don't own Janet Evanovich's characters just like to play with them, especially Ranger. Sadly, I'm not making any money.
Word Count (excluding song lyrics) = 839