Previously-

Greg came over to me grinning. "He likes you." Then he bent over and whispered in my ear, "And so do I. I want to see you again."

"Uh okay...you can call me." Then he leaned in and gave me a sexy slow kiss. I opened my eyes and six pairs of big male eyes were glaring at me. Oh shit. Ranger minions. Greg looked over and saw what I was seeing and raised an eyebrow. "Something I need to know sweetheart?"

"Uh...we'll talk about it later if that's okay." I kissed him on the cheek and we all said goodbye.

Chapter 11

On the way back to the hotel Tank finally opened his mouth. "So you plannin' on dating this guy?"

"Guess so."

"I think you're making a mistake."

"It's been over a month and I'm going on with my life."

"Give it a little more time."

"I've said all I know to say to the man. I didn't get through."

"Little girl, I'm gonna' put it right out there and ask you a question."

I groaned, "Tank please."

"Tell me you don't love the man."

"What difference does it make? I'm finished with this conversation."

"I'm sayin' one more thing. Don't make a mistake you might regret. You had an...intimate relationship when this went down. Don't jump into anything with a new guy."

"Dammit, Tank. You're talking to me about my own sex life?" I felt rhino bitch coming on. This was embarrassing and intrusive. "That's the reason Ranger and I are no longer speaking! We fucked and fucked it all up and don't tell me who I can and can't fuck! Because I'll fuck anybody I want to fuck. I'll fuck Lester if I want! I'll probably fuck Greg and that new guy you hired, Vince. Totally fuckable. Hell, Lula, do you mind if I fuck Tank? Tank you wanna' fuck?" Lula looked shocked and then busted out laughing and Lester was cackling he was laughing so hard.

Tank snorted, "Are you done? Ain't no damn wonder you two can't communicate. He don't talk at all and you talk too damn much and don't make no sense when you do sometimes."

I made a rude fart noise with my mouth and said, "Shut it!"

"Nice. How old are you?" I flipped him off in the rearview mirror. He shook his head and looked at Lester. "You want to fuck tonight Beautiful? I don't have any plans when we get back." Tank reached over and smacked him in the head.

Just to aggravate Tank, I said, "Yes sweet cheeks, come to think of it, I am pretty horny. I'll meet you at your room and we'll hang the 'do not disturb' sign and fuck like bunnies all night." Lula was clapping; she was enjoying this too much.

"Yeah and I'll call Ranger and he'll be here in about an hour to break Santos' dick and then his fool neck."

"Uh...on second thought Beautiful, I don't think Elisa would be too happy." Lester turned around and I grinned at him. We loved pushing Tank's buttons.

Tank was grumbling, "You two and Ranger fuckin' give me indigestion. Gotta' put up with stubborn ass juvenile friends, run a damn company…" Lula patted his back, "Mama take care of you baby when we get back to the hotel. I brought my goodies from the PT store. I'll spank it and make it feel all better."

"Yuck...TMI…T.M.I.!" Lester was chuckling again.

"Cripes, I wonder what the topic of conversation is in the other cars."

Turns out the conversations were just as bad. Hal came in red as a pickled beet and Ram was shaking his head. Turns out Mary Lou and Connie instigated a dirty game of 'truth or dare' on the way back. I had no doubt it was bad because Mary Lou was a bored Burg housewife and Connie had no filter when it came to putting it out there. She was just pure Jersey. Poor Hal.

Everybody got comfortable and we lounged in the biggest suite and drank beer and acted goofy until the wee hours of the morning. It was nice to get to know Ram and Cal and Woody better. After Cal got a few beers in him, he shared the story of the flaming skull tattoo. Plastered in Tijuana. Note to self; stay away from Tijuana. That look wouldn't be good on me.

We got back to Trenton the next day before noon. About an hour after I got home Greg called. "Lo?"

"Hey sweetheart. How was your night?"

"It was good even though I had to do the hangover cure this morning."

"What's your cure?"

"Large Mickey D's fry and Coke."

"Really? That works?"

"Works for me."

"Would you like to do dinner tonight?"

"Sure. I got no plans. What do you like?"

"I like steaks, Italian, Mexican, Chinese, Japanese…"

"Oh Japanese...I had hibachi a while back and it was fun."

"You ever had sushi?"

"No."

"It's very sexy."

Uh oh...retreat. "I like hibachi."

"Trust me."

Crud. "Uh…okay I guess."

"Pick you up at 6pm. The apartment address you gave me?"

"Umm...yes."

"Okay…see you later then. Bye sweetheart."

I was nervous when the doorbell rang. Greg was my first real date since Ranger and I had kinda'…broken up. He arrived on time and he was grinning and holding a bouquet of flowers when I opened the door.

"Bringing out the big guns, huh?"

"Have you seen your friends sweetheart?"

I laughed. "Thank you. They're beautiful. Come in." I grabbed a vase out of a cabinet and filled it with water and put them in. "I'm ready."

We got in his car, naturally a Porsche Cayman. He drove us to a restaurant right outside of town and tipped the waitress well to seat us at a table close to a fountain and the sushi chef. He ordered a variety of sushi and sake and declared the fun was about to begin. He made me close my eyes. He fed me a bite with chopsticks.

"Yum, what is this?"

"Baby tuna sashimi. Ready for another?"

"Please." He fed me another bite. Yum.

"Ooh…This?"

"Mango wrapped with smoked salmon."

"So good. More!" He chuckled.

"Open. This is shrimp nigiri."

"Mmm...More!"

"Lobster rolls and a scallop roll."

"I hope you're just getting warmed up."

"Open. Caviar topped lobster."

"That's so good. Sweet and salty. Got something else there?"

"Yes." He put his lips to mine and kissed the little bits of seafood I missed and then kissed me deeper.

"That tasted good too. Can I open my eyes now?"

"Yes. How about we share one of my favorite hot dishes here and then make out like teenagers at your place?" I giggled. "Okay."

He ordered grilled Chilean sea bass with creamy peppered sauce and buttered asparagus tips and we finished off with sesame ice cream. "I'm pleasantly stuffed Greg. This was surprisingly one of the best meals I've ever had. Thank you."

When we got back to my apartment, I got us both a beer and we settled in on the couch. Greg said, "Ms. Plum, you are the most interesting woman that I have met in a very long time. I want to make hot sweaty love to you, but I'll settle for first or maybe second base if I'm lucky. What do you say?"

"Well, I can do the making out right now. More is too soon for me. I'm coming off a total relationship misfire."

"That reminds me. Tell me about the look from your bodyguards."

"Yeah that. Connected to the misfire."

"Which guy?"

"You haven't met him. It's Ranger, the owner of the company."

"What happened?"

"Well…Connie that you met hooked me up with him when I first went to work for my cousin Vinnie at the bonds office. She thought he might be able to help me get started. He has helped me ever since and we became really good friends and then we had sex one night and everything changed. Things just didn't go very well after. The guys are loyal to him and they tend to butt their noses in my personal business too much."

"That explains quite a bit. Although, I think they care about you too. I like those guys and so does Bruce. Admirable men."

"They are and I really care about all of them. They are ex-military, ex-gangbangers, and ex-cons, and Ranger demands respect in a way that makes it work. Just the mix and the occupation say a lot about the man. He likes to give second chances and he likes to keep people safe. He's just complicated where his personal life is concerned. He said he can't give me a future. Being a super hero has its price I guess. I call him Batman." He laughed.

"I hope Bruce hires the guys. They won't let him down. They are literally the best of the best. They would die for the life they're protecting. They rescue my ass on a regular basis."

He patted his lap. "Come here sweetheart." I reluctantly got up and sat down in his lap. He put his arms around me and pulled me to him and just held me and hummed a tune to me. That was it. He just gave me comfort and I appreciated it. It was what I needed and I snuggled into him and put my arms around him.

About an hour later, he leaned into me and kissed me; gentle sweet kisses and then he whispered in my ear, "I still want to date you and I don't mind giving you time."

"Thank you Greg." He sat me down on the couch and got up.

"I'll call you tomorrow. Sleep well."

"Thank you. You do the same." Greg was sure different where men were concerned. So far he was a man of few words and his actions were greater. Where Ranger was so complicated, he was just so simple and sweet in a good calming way. I found myself really wanting to find out more about him. He was a really decent guy.

Because of our classes with Gordy, Greg and I just got together one night after class at my place during the week. We just lounged on my couch and listened to music and talked. He was four years older than me. He told me about his family and his background. He came from a small loving family but they weren't wealthy people and he learned piano at a childhood school friend's house. He had expressed interest in learning and the friend's mother had taught him how to play. He hung out at music shops and played and when he was a young teenager he worked odd jobs until he could afford to buy a used keyboard and then he found a band to join and eventually ended up with a good reputation and became a studio player and eventually began playing on tour with well known bands and artists.

I admired him for choosing something he loved and then doing whatever he could to live his dream. He had one sister who was married with kids and two exes to my one and no kids. Again, a pretty simple guy except he played keyboards for the Boss of New Jersey himself. We kissed and cuddled for a little while before making plans for the weekend and saying goodnight.

Rangeman had secured a contract with Bruce for security and had picked up a couple of other clients per his recommendation. They were hiring and adding to the Trenton, Boston, and Miami teams as fast as they could to keep up with demand. Greg and I dated for two months and he asked me to his home one weekend. I had waited for Ranger to make a move that never happened. Finally, I decided it was time to give Greg the chance he deserved because he was a good man and I cared about him and I was horny as hell in a bad way.

We made love that weekend for the first time and it was worth the wait. He was a playful and thoughtful lover and very well endowed and the intimacy marked a change in our relationship. How did I go from Dickie to so much more, literally? Now I know I got lucky when he did Barnhardt on my dining room table. That was probably the best thing that ever happened to me.

We dated for just two more months when I woke up one morning in Greg's arms with a huge diamond on my ring finger. "I know I'm supposed to get down on one knee, but you brought me to both knees last night and they're still a little shaky so I figured you wouldn't mind. I love you Stephanie Plum. Please make me a happy man and be my future, whatever you dream." I smiled at him. He got it.

There was nothing not to love about Greg. He was gorgeous, sweet, gentle, loving, and supportive. He was simple in his life expectations and never asked me to change or made me uncomfortable. I did love him and he would probably make me very happy. So, I made a decision and said yes to his proposal. I was getting married.

We planned a small intimate wedding since we had both done the big wedding before. Just friends and family. I had not heard or seen anything from Ranger in months. I was finally told that he had been "in the wind" on a mission. Since that night a few months ago, Tank had not spoken a word about Ranger or my relationship with him again. I guess Ranger made it clear to him too that he didn't want me. Lula and Tank continued to date and they made a cute couple and seemed to be happy.

Elisa had come to Trenton and she and Lester were now serious. He was thinking about moving back down to Miami. Things were definitely changing. I hadn't blown up a car in months and Vinnie was giving Lula and I some of Rangeman's mid level skips now and we were making pretty good money, finally. I didn't have to worry about feeding Rex or myself anymore or paying my rent.

TBC