Thank you SO SO much to everyone who has read this story! Many of you have been so sweet about reviewing multiple chapters. The best part is that I've "met" some new authors on here whose work I am now in love with! You can blame them for me not posting for a few days.

Also, I wanted to say how helpful the reviews have been. When I wrote this story over ten years ago, there were many things left unexplained in the storyline, such as why Vinnie went FTA and why/how Joyce put the car on the roof. The comments and reviews I got really helped me to see those glaring errors and gave me incentive to tweak the story.

Of course, the standard disclaimer applies.

CHAPTER 10 (The End)

There are some people in the world that are old hats at traveling and get no longer get a thrill from flying. Not me; I'm the type of person that loves the hubbub of the airport, buying magazines from vendors, and the anticipation of going somewhere new.

Traveling with Ranger only made this experience better. As we pulled up to the curb at the airport, a valet immediately took charge of Ranger's car. We checked our bags and he guided me through the airport with his hand at the small of my back. I let him figure out where we needed to be while I enjoyed the people watching opportunities.

Thanks to Ranger's planning, it was a fairly uneventful plane ride. We only had to wait a few minutes before boarding the plane. It was my first time flying first class and I felt very fancy. I was able to settle comfortably in the seat, reading my magazine and looking out the window for the first part of the flight. After a while, however, the bumblebees returned and I felt the need to get up and move. Unbuckling my seatbelt, I gave Ranger's knee a little pat and told him I was going to find the little girls' room. He smiled at me before continuing to type on his laptop.

Imagine my surprise as I pushed through the curtain to see the Merry Men. Tank, Bobby, Lester, and Hal were all seated on the front row of seats. The guys all smiled or nodded when they saw me, completely unsurprised.

I stopped in confusion. "Where the hell did you guys come from?"

Tank smirked. "Need to be more aware of your surroundings, Little Girl."

Really? I know I'm not always 'aware of my surroundings' but how on earth did I miss seeing these guys at the airport?

I stuck out my tongue, making the guys chuckle.

When I got back to my seat, Ranger looked up from his computer and smiled. "Have a nice visit?" he asked, his eyes twinkling.

I played it cool. "You mean with the flight attendant?"

He chuckled. "Babe, admit it. You had no idea the guys were on the plane, did you?"

I gave him the same response I gave the Merry Men.

Ranger leaned over and spoke softly in my ear. "I could think of a lot better things you could do with that tongue, Babe."

Holy hot flash, Batman! I felt my eyes get big and my cheeks turn red.

For the sake of my dignity, as well as my panties, I changed the subject. "Can I ask you a question?"

Ranger quirked an eyebrow, which I took for assent.

"Why was Vinnie in hiding?"

For a moment, Ranger looked surprised, then he smiled ruefully. "I'm sorry, Babe. I owe you an apology. I had every intention of telling you this before now, but I guess I forgot."

I shrugged, making a go on motion.

"Vinnie said he had to hide until his blood test results came back negative."

My eyebrows shot up to my hairline. What the hell?

Ranger continued, "You know his court date was for a misdemeanor, and it's very likely that the charges would have been dropped. However, the day before his court date, his…friend told him that she had been diagnosed with syphilis. The weasel panicked. He knew he needed the blood test to see if he had it, but freaked out because of Lucille."

I could see that. Lucille might choose to turn a blind eye towards many of Vinnie's adventures, but she was a sharp woman. If Vinnie was wigged about something that serious, she would have been able to, well, weasel it out of him. I snorted. And if Lucille thought he'd exposed her to syphilis, she would have called Harry. Harry the Hammer would have rendered the blood test unnecessary, as he would have squashed Vinnie like the bug he is and hidden the body.

I shook my head. "It's really just too gross to think about, isn't it?"

Ranger smiled. "Babe."

I settled back in my seat to relax. Ranger was lightly tracing patterns on the back of my hand and seemingly lost in his zone.

I woke up a little while later to Ranger softly tucking my hair behind my ear and calling my name. "We're about to land, Babe."

Waiting at the airport for us was a shiny black BMW. Surprise, surprise. It wasn't the 850 Ci, but it was still nice. A black Explorer was parked behind it for the Merry Men. We all piled into our cars and Ranger led the way as we left the airport.

I had never been to Boston before, and was really impressed. I knew it was a big city, but I hadn't given any thought to the history you could clearly see in some of the architecture. As we drove, I felt a growing sense of nervousness about the party tonight. What would the other guests be like? How should I act with Ranger?

I was musing over these thoughts when we pulled up to a tall building, waiting for the gait to rise before entering the garage. Ranger turned to me and smiled. "Welcome to RangeMan Boston, Babe."

We stepped out of the car with the Merry Men close behind. Lester slung an arm around my shoulder and grinned. "Not nervous are you, Beautiful?"

I smiled sweetly up at him before sending a well-placed elbow in his gut. "Bite me, Santos."

We took the elevator up. The guys got off on the sixth floor, while Ranger held me back. "That's the control room, Babe. I can show it to you another time. I thought we'd spend the afternoon together before coming back to get ready for tonight." He lifted our joined hands and brushed a kiss across my knuckles. "Does that work for you?"

I gave a mock sigh. "I guess." It would have been more convincing if I'd managed to keep the smile from my face.

The elevator doors opened on the top floor. Much to my surprise, we stepped out into an apartment.

"This is where I stay when I'm in Boston, Babe," Ranger said, turning to me. "Like it?"

I looked around curiously. "It's great," I said, smiling. Our luggage had already been delivered and was waiting for us. Ranger gave me a quick tour of the one-bedroom apartment. It wasn't huge, but it was still bigger than my apartment by far. The apartment was decorated a lot like his house in Trenton.

"Hungry, Babe?"

I was suddenly brought back to the present. "Yep," I said, "that snack-sized bag of peanuts on the plane was barely enough to feed Rex."

"Let's get something for lunch. I know a great place that's close."

We headed down again. I gave the camera on the elevator a little finger wave, figuring if this was Ranger's building, it was likely someone was monitoring everything. About five minutes later we pulled up to a little restaurant called Neeve's.

Ranger was right; the food was good. I ordered a pasta dish that was great. Ranger ordered some sort of shrimp plate, and we ended up eating from each other's plates as much as our own.

After dinner was over I sat back and gave a big sigh of contentment. "So," I said.

He raised an eyebrow. "Nervous about tonight?"

I shook my head. "Uh-uh. Not me."

The corners of his mouth rose. "You're lying."

I blew out another sigh. "Okay, so I'm nervous. I don't even know what kind of people will be there! You haven't told me much," I said accusingly.

"Not much to tell. I own the business, as well as the building where it will be held. I'm more of a financial backer- I don't take part in any of the day-to-day management. It's a real estate business that manages most of the large-scale commercial real estate sales in the Boston area. The party is to celebrate the firm's 8th anniversary."

I was amazed. He didn't usually offer this much information about anything. Also, that didn't sound like it had anything to do with security services. "Anything else?" I asked.

"You'll be the most beautiful woman there."

My heart rolled over in my chest and I felt myself blushing furiously.

Ranger smiled. "Ready to go?"

"Yep."

We had a few hours to kill between lunch and party primping. I had no idea what the plan was, but figured it involved Ranger going back to the office to get some work done.

"Back to the office?" I asked Ranger when we were in the car again.

"Actually, I thought we'd drive around and see the city for a while, then go back to the apartment and get ready," he said to me. "Sound good?"

I leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Sounds great."

We pulled back up to the building at 3:45 after a relaxing few hours of sightseeing. Some of the time we stayed in the car, but we also got out and went for a walk in a beautiful park. We didn't talk much; just walked hand in hand, thinking our own thoughts. For once, I didn't feel the need to fill the air with chatter.

Back in the apartment I headed straight for the shower. Luckily, Ranger had two bathrooms, so we were able to get ready separately. I didn't want him to see me until I was absolutely perfect.

It took me right about two hours to get ready. I showered, touched up my nails, fixed my hair and put on make-up. My hair was pinned up, with a few curls hanging down by my face. I must say that my make-up and hair looked perfect. The last thing I did was carefully slip on my dress, wrap, and shoes. I took a deep breath and finally looked in the mirror. I was stunned. I looked pretty damn good! The bumblebees started doing the tango in my stomach.

Stop that, Stephanie, I told myself. Get a grip on yourself.

I heard a rap on the door. "You ready, Babe?" Ranger asked.

I slowly walked over to the door and opened it. "Yep."

I don't think he even heard my response. I heard his breath catch, and his eyes dilated black. We stared hungrily at each other for a few moments. He looked good enough to eat in a black Armani tailor-fit suit, charcoal gray tie, and black dress shoes. His hair was loose. There were diamond studs in his ears and a Rolex Submariner on his wrist. I almost fainted dead away.

"Babe," he said reverently. "You look incredible."

"Thanks," I blushed. "You do, too. Very successful, sexy businessman."

"I told you that you'd be the most beautiful woman in the room. Now I'm thinking more like the state." He paused. "I'm proud to say you're with me, Babe."

This immediately broke the tension and any nervousness I'd had. What was I worried about? I was with Ranger. I knew that I would always be fine, no matter where I was, as long as he was with me. We smiled at each other and Ranger offered me his arm, leading me out of the apartment.

The party was held at a big fancy building nearby. We met up with the Merry Men in the garage and were driven there in a huge black stretch limo. The guys gave me appreciative grins and whistles as Ranger and I climbed in.

When we pulled up to the building Ranger held my hand and kept me seated while everyone else climbed out of the limo.

"You okay, Babe?" he asked.

I smiled reassuringly at him. "I'm fine."

He smiled back. "You're a lot more than fine." He leaned in and kissed me. It was one of those kisses that made me melt and feel tingly all over. We climbed out of the limo and walked into the building.

When we walked in the room I was shocked to see there were literally hundreds of people, all nicely dressed and enjoying the scene. There was a noticeable dip in the noise level as we entered and dozens of eyes were upon us. I smiled, thinking that we probably made a good-looking couple. The contrasts of our skin tones and the pop of my wine-colored dress against his black Armani suit was striking. Not to mention, the man was hot.

Many people were staring, making me a little uncomfortable. I had the urge to look behind me to make sure Angelina Jolie hadn't just arrived. I'm pretty sure they were just staring at Ranger and how good he looked. Lots of smiles were aimed our way and people immediately surrounded us.

I was greeted with handshakes, cheek kisses, and even hugs. "Ms. Plum, how nice to finally meet you. We've heard so much about you" and "Ms. Plum, may I call you Stephanie? It's great to meet you. My name is..." and "Ms. Plum you're just as pretty as I'd heard..."

My head was spinning from all the compliments, names, and faces. I smiled, held out my hand, and did the meet-and-greet thing, feeling a little like Princess Di. These people were all so nice. Very different from Trenton, where people watched my every move, wanting to be the first report in the grapevine.

I made my way back to Ranger. He smiled and reached for my hand without stopping his conversation with a nicely dressed older gentleman. I stood contentedly, looking around the room, watching the happy people and dancing couples.

Two hours later, I was still sober and having a great time. Ranger and I had danced several times, and he kept telling me how beautiful I looked. I'd even danced a few times with the Merry Men and friends of Ranger's from Boston. I felt like I was walking on the clouds.

Ranger's voice broke into my reverie. "Babe, I need to go talk to a couple of people. Do you mind?"

I smiled teasingly at him. "Of course not! I'm not that much of a wimp, Ranger!"

He grinned back at me, giving me all the watts. "Good. I wouldn't want a wimpy girlfriend."

I watched as he walked away, smiling to myself. Just then a woman my age walked over and introduced herself as Nicki Arnold.

"Stephanie Plum," I said, sticking out my hand with a smile.

"I know who you are," she said smiling back. "Everyone knows about Carlos' date."

I was surprised to hear her call him Carlos. Everyone so far had called referred to Ranger as Mr. Manoso. I invited her to sit down.

"How do you know Ra-…Carlos?" I asked.

Nicki smiled. "I'm an interior decorator and I worked with him on a huge project a few years ago." She paused. "To be totally honest, we went on a few dates, too, but that was quite some time ago."

I could see Ranger talking and laughing with Tank and a group of guys across the room. Nicki saw me watching him and spoke up quietly. "You're very lucky, you know."

I turned to her in surprise. "Excuse me?"

"You're with Carlos. He's…quite a catch. Smart, successful, sexy as hell...," she trailed off. "Well, you know."

I smiled. "Yeah, I know."

She grinned mischievously at me. "How'd you do it? Several of us tried. We went on about two dates, but I could tell that his interests were elsewhere."

I decided that I really liked this woman. It's not often I meet a woman whom I feel like is shooting straight with me, and I felt Nicki was that type of person.

I laughed, "I blew things up."

She goggled at me. "You what?"

"Long story," I shrugged. "Suffice it to say that it certainly wasn't intentional. I've had my hands full enough during the last few years that I wasn't trying to reel anyone in. Luck, I guess. For once it's good luck."

We laughed and sat in companionable silence for a few minutes, thinking our own thoughts and watching everyone around us. Finally, I couldn't stand it any longer; my curiosity was killing me. "Why do you call him Carlos?" I burst out.

She looked at me in surprise. "You don't?"

I sort of blushed and shook my head.

"What do you call him then?"

"Ranger. He was introduced to me as Ranger."

She smiled. "I see. Well, at work he is Mr. Manoso. When we went out a couple of times he told me to call him Carlos, and I just kept calling him that, even after our dates."

"Oh," I said intelligently.

At that moment, the band announced they were taking a break and set a mixed CD to play. Nicki announced she needed to go find her husband. At this comment I raised my eyebrows in surprise.

She grinned. "I told you Carlos and I were done. Shortly after we went out, I met my husband. He's a great guy, and there he is now, so I'd better go. It was great to meet you, Stephanie."

I smiled back at her and stuck out my hand. "You too!"

She gave me a sly smile. "I bet I'll just see more of you in the future. Come see me the next time you're in Boston."

As she walked away, arm in arm with her husband, I saw Ranger heading back to me. I smiled warmly as he approached, loving how even his walk was powerful and sexy.

"Hey Babe. Having fun?"

"I really am, thanks," I replied. "Are you?"

"With you here, yes," he said, smiling that smile at me. "If it were just me…not so much."

Ranger took a seat very close to me. We sat smiling at each other and I could hear the music in the background.

He leaned over, nibbling his way along my jaw and down my throat. By the time he bit lightly at the base of my neck, I was a puddle of goo. My hormones were screaming in hope, my nerve endings were shivering in delight, and my heart was doing the happy dance.

His lips cruised back over my ear lobe. "Ready, Babe?"

The concentration required to clear my head and speak English in response was enormous.

"Ready?" I asked. "Ready for what?"

"Everything."

THE END

Another huge thank you to everyone for reading this story! Now that I've officially got the writing bug again, look for new stories to come soon!