A/N Everything you recognize belongs to Janet Evanovich. Thank you to Kathy's amazing beta skills, Heather for all her sound advice and encouragement and Lisa who did a little of both! Without you all, this story would not have happened.

~Chapter 4

***Feb 11

Sitting back in the booth watching Stephanie listening to Cal tell stories of his family I can't help but let my mind drift. Physically, Stephanie is progressing. She isn't back to where she was before her injury but since she started yoga, she seems to be getting more flexible. She also seems to be keeping the cop out of the picture but the vote is still out if she will cave or not. She's been coming to Shorty's with me and the guys but nothing more than a friendly hug when necessary. I know the guys would step in if I hadn't already made it known that she was mine. This is the only reason I allow her to hang out with my men. I know they would never overstep and I know that Steph needs some more time to decide what she's going to do about Morelli. If she goes back to the cop now, I'll be disappointed in her. He treats her like shit and she deserves better. I also know that time is slipping away and she wants a committed relationship so she may settle for him. I have often thought of what it would be like to be in a relationship with her. I just can't see myself being dependent on anyone for anything. I can't see myself checking in with her on every little detail. Getting her approval of what we do. Living my life any other way than what I want, when I want is unacceptable. I have responsibilities and anything more than a night here or there doesn't fit in my chosen lifestyle. I have never wanted the house in the suburbs with 2.5 children. Fuck, the minivan. I am not interested in having any more children. Julie was an accident, one I will not repeat. I can't give her that and I know I will lose her someday because of it but not today.

Today, I will start putting pressure on her to have the no commitment fling I have envisioned. I beat the shit out of Les for his "office romance" comment because of its implications that I was a love sick fool. I do like the idea of us fucking all over the office though. That would make coming back from the field worth it. I suppress the smile that threatens. Time to start applying pressure. She never has more than a drink or two when she is out with us. She's very careful since she's such a lightweight. I get out of the booth and head to the bar. I buy another round for my men and Steph. There are nine of us in total. Me, Steph, Cal, Bobby, Zero, Zip, Brett, Manny and the new guy Jose. As I'm waiting, I think about Jose. He's a newbie fresh out of the Army. He's 24 years old and found out the hard way that his pregnant wife was cheating on him. She went into early labor stranded in a cabin in the Poconos and had the baby with her lover helping her. She and the baby almost died and when it all came out, he took custody of his son divorcing the cheating bitch. I have little respect for wives or husbands that cheat. Just find someone unmarried. How hard is that? He has his son in day care and Ella watches him a couple of evenings a month so he can come out with us. He has really stepped up to the role of fatherhood. He got an early discharge from the Army to raise him. That's something I chose not to do. I wasn't in love with Rachel though. She was a one night stand. I only married her because of Julie. Plus, Julie had Rachel. She may have been a wild one, but she turned out to be a good mom. Jose's ex wanted a life with the asshole and let Jose have his son. Probably better for the kid. Glad it wasn't me.

I pay for the drinks and head back over to our table. I place the bucket of beers in front of Zip and look at Stephanie who is now sitting in my seat. She has a shit eating grin on her face. I raise an eyebrow. "Babe?" I ask and she gets up with all the men quietly watching. She had vacated her chair that was pulled up to the end of the booth leaving it empty for me to sit. I hate sitting with my back to anything but the wall and she knows this. I know she is trying to gauge my reaction. I sit and pull her back onto my lap, securing her with my hands around her waist. She is in a flirty mood and I am happy to oblige. It just makes it easier for me to get her back into bed. She scrambles off my lap and I let her go.

"We had a bet." Stephanie says. "We were trying to see if you'd sit in the chair if your seat was taken. I volunteered so none of these fine gentlemen would incur your wrath," she says with a grin. It's true, but the fact that she isn't scared to incur my wrath is a miscalculation on her part. She's not going to have to face me on the mats. She is going to have to face something else entirely.

"Is that so?" I tell her. "And you're not afraid?" I finish making it very apparent that I'm now actively pursuing her. She visibly gulps.

"Well, I'm injured. You can't call me to the mats," she recovers quickly. "Zip, come with me to play pool. I have some ideas on what you can do." She's nervous. Good, she should be.

"Yes ma'am." he says stupidly and earns him a slap to the back of his head. I smile as they head to the back of the bar. I look at the rest of the men questioningly.

"Zip likes Shondra, the new waitress. He's hoping Steph will hook them up. Steph asked if he liked her or just wanted a hook up. He didn't answer so Steph will probably grill him to get the answer and she won't help if he just wants a one night stand." Zero says.

"Yeah, I guess we're gonna find out if he is pussy whipped for this chick." Bobby says and is met with Steph's hand on the back of his head. "Hey, that hurt." Bobby complained not noticing Steph had come back to the table. Another reason to sit your back to the wall. You don't miss shit like that either. "You can't hurt the medic. Who's going to take care of you when you blow up Ranger's car?" he adds earning another smack to the back of his head. I find it amusing to watch this little white girl from the Burg beat up my men.

"Shut it, jerks." She says, then looks over at Manny. "Manny, I need you to come over in about 10 minutes and call me Wifey. Jump into our pool game and act like we're a couple," she says not looking at me. "This isn't an invitation to get all handsy. We're helping Zip. Don't make me stun you." Brett coughs in his hand muttering something that sounds like "pussy whipped" and Stephanie turns her glare to him. "You need to shut it. I know every woman around here and unless you want to have been just diagnosed with a contagious venereal disease you will keep your childish comments to yourself. Just because you are relationship-phobic doesn't mean everyone shares your opinion." She sees the blank looks everyone is giving her. "Oh hell, you guys suck," she says as she turns around, not wasting any more time preaching to deaf ears. A chorus of laughter follows her as she walks away, flipping us the bird over her shoulder. God, she's fun to have around.

The men continue to discuss Zip and his ball and chain but I'm only half paying attention to what they are saying. I sneak glances her way and see that she is being friendly but not flirty with Zip. She calls Shondra over to order drinks and works her magic like a seasoned wing man. Right on cue, Manny heads over and puts his arm around Steph's shoulders and I have to tamp down my irritation. I know it's an act but why didn't she ask me to play the part of her boyfriend? We did a pretty good job in Hawaii pretending to be married. I hear snippets of conversation and Manny calling her "Wifey" adds to my irritation. Shondra stays longer than normal waitress duties call for.

After she leaves, Steph stays with Zip and Manny for a while longer finishing up her game of pool. After a while, she leaves for the bathroom and sure enough, Shondra heads in that direction too. She's done it. She has hooked them up and with very little effort it seems. After leaving the bathroom, Steph heads back to the pool table and casually talks to Zip. Judging by the smile on his face he's very happy with the outcome of the night. They finish the game and Steph asks Manny to take her home. He glances in my direction and I shake my head enough for Manny to get the point. "Sorry Steph. Can you catch a ride with one of the guys? I have to get back to Haywood. I forgot, I have to do something for my mom and I need my pc to do it. If I don't get it done before she goes to bed, she'll be pissed," he lies.

"No problem, I'll just get one of the guys to drop me off," she says, kissing his cheek before she makes her way back over to us with Zip at her heels. I'm not happy about the kiss but at least I'll get to take her home. Maybe a sleepover, I think as I work to suppress a smile that wants to form. Stephanie quickly puts a stop to the teasing Zip is getting. She is only stopping it temporarily as the men will undoubtedly continue the ribbing as soon as she is out of earshot.

"Stop it. Leave him alone. Just because all of you are emotionally stunted teenagers doesn't mean Zip here can't grow up and try a mature relationship. Have fun being alone when you are old and have no-one to empty your urine bag" she says with color rising to her cheeks. She is really pissed at us. Interesting.

"I'll drop you off at your apartment." I say taking her by the elbow before someone says something stupid and she kicks them in the balls. I don't need anyone calling off sick so I quickly steer her out the door with her muttering more about our chosen solitary lifestyles. I really don't see a happy ending for me tonight as I shift into damage control. The ride home is much of the same muttering and since I'm not interested in bearing the full brunt of her anger, I slip into my zone. She has worked herself back up to cussing and I reach for her hand giving her a reassuring squeeze. She asks me a loaded question and the only response I could give was "Babe." This is my typical response that has no definitive meaning and is very much open for interpretation. Just as I want it to be. It's my go-to avoidance of any and all difficult situations with her.

I walk her up to her apartment and give her a quick kiss on her head. I leave without anymore muttering or cussing. Thank God I escaped with my balls in working order. It could have gone either way.

SPOV

The next morning I'm jolted awake by Joe sitting on my bed. "What the hell?" I scream at him. "You scared the shit out of me."

"Cupcake. I miss you. Please come back to me," he says pleadingly. "I miss you. Bob misses you." I grimace. Bob is code for the boys. His fucking boys can shrivel up and die for all I care.

"Joe, I told you. We're done." I reply, spinning off the other side of the bed so I can stand. I was at a great disadvantage lying in bed like I was. I shake my head to try to wake up faster.

"NO. We are on a break. We always get back together. This time, I won't yell at you. I just want us to be together," he begs.

"You should leave Joe," I say, letting the irritation creep into my voice. "You can't come in here uninvited." I leave the bedroom to move this party into the living room. I don't want Joe getting any ideas. He follows me and I stop. There's a huge bouquet of flowers and a pastry bag sitting on my dining room table. He'd never once given me flowers while we were dating and now that we're apart he's given me flowers twice.

"What are these for?" I ask, letting him hear the anger in my voice.

"Can't I buy flowers for my girlfriend?" he asks.

Oh hell no. "I am not your girlfriend. When I WAS your girlfriend, past tense, you didn't buy me flowers. You didn't take me on dates. All we did was watch games on TV and have sex. That's not dating. We were friends with benefits. No more. I require dates. I require a man to ask me out and take me places. I want to go dancing. I want to take walks in the park. I want to go to Point Pleasant and walk the boardwalk holding hands. I want to go out for ice cream..." I say before he interrupts me.

"I don't like ice cream."

"I don't care. I'm not going out on a date with you because WE. ARE. DONE." I say, emphasizing that last part.

"Are you fucking Manoso?" he says as he works up his anger.

I take a deep breath. I do not want to get involved in a knock down drag out fight with Joe. I'm tired of this crap. I am physically and emotionally exhausted.

"No Joe. This is about you and me. I'm not over the fact that you have never supported me or my job. You yell at me and seem to care more about how I embarrass you than how I'm really doing. I don't like the fact that my cars keep getting blown up. I don't like the fact that my job gets me covered in food and other gross things. I would love for you to have comforted me on bad days and been there to celebrate the good. I actually like my job and I'm going to keep doing it." He's quiet so I keep going. "The reason I'm drawn to Ranger is because he's the only one that encourages me."

"He's just saying that to get you to sleep with him." he interjects.

"If I were on a case and called you to help me, you would say that I was in over my head and that I should leave it to the police. You wouldn't help for fear you'd get in trouble even though I have never asked you to break the law and I wouldn't do that to you. If I were to call Ranger, he would find out what I need and come running." I say and again he interjects with a repeat of his last sentence.

"Fine. You both want to sleep with me but only one of you is helping me and the other is putting me down. The ridiculous part is that I was sleeping with the one that was putting me down. No more. I'm done with that. I may see exactly what Ranger is offering because from where I'm sitting, it looks like I would be replacing yelling and unhelpfulness with encouragement and actual help."

"I want to marry you and have children with you. He just wants to sleep with you and that's it. People like him are never happy with one woman," he sneers.

"That may be true about Ranger but you never wanted to marry me. Not really. Where's the ring if you were so interested in getting married? You spent your savings on a pool table. Plus, I don't want kids. I certainly don't want them right now and I'm pretty sure I don't want them ever. I can barely take care of a hamster. I'm afraid that I would make a terrible mother." I explain to him again.

Joe's face twists in disgust. "Yes, you would make a terrible mom. You would probably forget the kid or get them killed in one of those harebrained schemes you get yourself involved in. How could any man ever want to be with the disastrous Stephanie Plum? I can't believe I was even considering this. We are done. I wouldn't have you if you were the last woman on the face of this earth."

I understand that in order to end this with him, it has to end epically badly but this is awful. He's aiming to kill. I take a shaky breath and refrain from yelling back. I just want this to be over and I'll do anything to achieve that. I walk to the door and open it.

"You are a fuck up. You may be good as a fuck buddy but that is all you will ever be to him," he says as he storms out of my apartment.

The tears I'm holding back are now released. I cry for a solid hour. I know his words were said out of anger and that we did have some good times. I know that he didn't mean most of what he said but I can't shake the feelings he may be right about me, about Ranger. If Ranger really wanted a relationship with me, wouldn't he move heaven and earth? I guess my answer is in there somewhere.

I leave my apartment later that morning to give the pastries and flowers to my neighbor. I don't leave again until Tuesday morning. I had called Connie for a mental health day telling her that Joe and I finally had it out. It has been a long time coming and I'm glad for the final break. He has been telling people that we were getting back together since the article in the newspaper. I guess he was getting a lot of back-lash from that. I didn't know but apparently people really rallied behind me on that one. Connie also told me that he is now saying that we officially broke up for good since I was going to be a terrible mom and he had no choice. Fantastic. That part may be true but the asshole didn't have to shout it from the rooftops. Now I have to ignore my phone if I don't want to deal with the drama anymore.

***Feb 18

RPOV

The next couple of weeks were spent getting Kelsey, the new office manager, acclimated to our way of business. She is a spunky little blonde with a pit bull attitude. She wasn't Stephanie's choice, citing her Spidey sense, and since I couldn't explain that to the core team, we hired her. On paper, she was the top choice. In the interview, she solidified it for us. Stephanie confided in me that she had this quality that she couldn't name. She said that she knows how to manipulate. I asked her how she knew and she admitted that she could do it too. She quickly followed it up by saying she would never do that but it's easy to let it get out of control if you started.

"It's like the confidence to go into a bar and know you're not going to have to buy yourself a drink. I don't do that because it's not right," was all she said. I chalked it up to her being a little threatened because there was a new girl in town and Steph was going to have to share the attention with her.

Les seemed really attracted to Kelsey. She is very attractive and if I wasn't actively pressuring Stephanie to fulfill a friends with benefits role AND she wasn't my employee, I would definitely consider a one-night stand. I'm not an idiot and would never knowingly start something with an employee. Les on the other hand IS an idiot and I'm pretty sure they have something going on.

***Feb 25

We have a distraction scheduled for tonight and Les has asked Kelsey to participate. She was particularly interested in helping so I ran it by Stephanie.

"What do you think of Kelsey and Les acting like a couple in the bar?" I ask her. We are in my office going over the details for tonight.

"I don't trust her. She seems like she's trying to compete with me for the guy's attention. I don't know why, I am just friends with everyone," she says as she looks over the file. It's a simple distraction with Steph dressing sexy and enticing the skip out the door into our waiting arms. Something we have done countless times. "I think she has decided on Les though. Regardless, having them in the bar should be fine. Les can handle her if she does something stupid," she adds after several minutes.

Since Zip, Stephanie has been the wing man of choice in getting the men hooked up with girls. She'll only participate if both parties are interested in the same arrangement. If the girl is looking for more than a one night stand then Stephanie puts a stop to it. I think about smiling at that. Steph the little matchmaker.

She's been healing and is slowly getting back into shape. She wants to go back working for Vinnie and I don't like the idea but I keep my mouth shut. I'm not her boyfriend therefore I can only put in my two cents. I just suggest tips on how to be safer and more efficient at her job. We argued once about not having a partner and when she mentioned Lula I couldn't keep silent. She ignored me for a couple of days after that. I told her that not only was Lula a shitty partner, she was a shitty person. I have no love for Lula ever since she tricked Tank into thinking he proposed. What the hell? Some women are just evil and to trap a man like that was just that, evil.

"Les is a big boy. He can handle her. Look at the bright side. If they do hook up and it ends badly, she'll be gone," I say to her, Les is not going to get his heart broken so I'm not worried in the slightest. I don't dare mention that to the little matchmaker.

Steph has her outfit back at her apartment so that's where I'm headed. I left a little early in case we get distracted while I wire her. I love doing distractions. I love working with Steph. She has this quality that draws people in. I haven't met a man yet who is immune to her charms. I pull into her lot and park by the entrance. I don't even bother to suppress my smile as I take the stairs two at a time.

In a few seconds, I let myself in her apartment and am instantly disappointed when I hear Steph talking to a woman. Who the hell is here? I wonder as I work to blank my expression. I find them in the bathroom finishing up her hair.

"...you can't look like you're trying too hard." Steph explains. "It needs to look like the skip is making the first move. Some are more skittish than others. You just have to read the guy."

"I get it. I know exactly how to read a guy and I certainly know how to get what I want. I can have him groveling at my feet in no time." Kelsey says to her.

"It's not as easy as that." Steph tries to explain. "First of all, they're criminals. Second, they aren't what anyone would call attractive. You can't go in there and target the skip like that," Steph continues, trying to get Kelsey to understand.

"I get it. I can get any man to do what I want," she interrupts. Not a wise move. Steph really excels at this plus, Kelsey is wrong about one thing. She couldn't get me to do anything she wanted.

I'm glad we're using Steph tonight. Les wanted to try Kelsey but I'm now very sure she'd fuck it up. Jeanne Ellen never quite learned this either. Steph is the master at attracting men. And stalkers. And psychopaths. And pretty much everyone who meets her. Dammit. I guess you could add me. Fuck. I don't want to be predictable. I walk back to the door and let myself back out and knock. I don't want to let on that I heard their conversation.

A minute passes and Steph opens the door without checking the peep hole. "How did you know it was me?" I ask, admonishing her with a look.

"Because you said you would be here and YOU are never late," she says over her shoulder as she walks back to the bathroom. "I, on the other hand, am ALWAYS late." I hear before she ducks back into her bedroom. I smile. She looks fantastic in her short little skirt, and barely there top. I stare at her ass the whole time. After she disappears, I glance at Kelsey. She's giving me a smirk. I have to school my expression. I really resent her being here right now and may just have to punish Les for that on the mats tomorrow morning.

"So, what happens next?" Kelsey asks me, filling the silence.

"Steph finishes up, I wire her and we head out to the location." I tell her as I pull out my cell. I wasn't aware that Kelsey would be here with Steph and have to find out where Les is. I have the Turbo so Kelsey tagging along obviously isn't in my plan. It still isn't so I need to get Kelsey a ride.

Text to Les: Location? Kelsey needs a ride.

Text From Les: On my way. ETA 10 min.

I continue to look through my messages and Kelsey gets the hint and disappears looking for Steph. Ten minutes later there's a knock at the door and I open it to reveal Les.

"I didn't know Kelsey was going to be helping Steph get ready." I tell him.

"Steph thought she would learn more if she shadowed her," he tells me then smirks. Asshole knows that this ruined my plans. My second favorite part of any distraction is wiring Steph. The first is getting her to come home with me still in costume but that rarely happens. She usually has the cop guilt. Not now though. I shift my thoughts on the many ways to persuade my Babe.

The girls come out and Steph gives me more time to check out the front view and I definitely like what I see. Her top looks like a bandana and barely covers her. What is she wearing as a bra? I will just have to check it out. I dangle the wire in front of her and she holds her hand to take it. No way.

"I'll do it, I don't want you to mess up your outfit," I tell her as I grab her hand instead and lead her back to the bedroom. "Kelsey, have Les fill you in on the protocols and paperwork needed to apprehend a skip," I say, trying to buy me some alone time with Steph. I have my own investigating to do.

Steph rolls her eyes. She knows exactly what I want but she doesn't resist and I take that as consent.

"This is one of my favorite parts of field work." I tell her.

"I bet it is,." she says, starting to get a little nervous. I can read her easily and I know her tells. Her voice changes pitch and her body language is less fluid. All I have to do is put a little pressure by dropping my voice and touching her in a few seemingly innocent places. She's very reactive to my touch. I had already made sure the mic was off. I don't need my men hearing just how reactive she can be. I would love to have that sound bite but I don't want to share this with them.

I'm acutely aware that we are now late and that Les and Kelsey are in the next room. I know I don't have time to do much of what I wanted so I'm just going to have to be satisfied with leaving us both wanting. I'll just have to find a way to get Steph to stay with me tonight.

Much to my disappointment, I find myself alone in the Turbo on the way to the bar. Steph decided to ride with Kelsey to continue to teach her how to pull off a distraction. I really need to get her alone after this is over. I slip into my zone to reverse the situation that I found myself in after placing the wire.

Everything is back on schedule. We have completed the last minute checks and our FTA is in the bar. Communication is clear and we send Steph into the bar. Marcus Sterling is a 38 year old high bond white collar criminal. He's not considered dangerous but he has a gun registered in his name so we're taking precautions and doing it distraction style. Everything should go smoothly though. Les wanted Kelsey to get a front row seat so she's in the bar with Les. I almost put a stop to that but I could tell Les is pursuing Kelsey hard. I couldn't care less who he sleeps with and if this ends badly then he'll pay on the mats and shit jobs for the foreseeable future.

Everyone's in place. Woody's behind the bar. Manny is playing pool with Vince and Les and Kelsey are acting like horny college kids. Perfect. We have three men covering the front and back entrances. Tank and I are floating and can act as patrons or monitor exits, whatever is needed. All of us have ear buds except for Steph. She can't listen in and concentrate on the skip. He's worth 250k to Rangeman so I have a lot of men here. We have one shot at this. "Look alive everyone, Steph just entered the bar." I covertly speak into my mic.

Woody, glancing up from washing out the blender, says "She just spotted the mark." and he walks over to take her order.

"What can I get you, miss?" he asks in his southern drawl.

"Can I get a Lynchburg Lemonade? I am having the worst day and I need to just forget my life for a while, she says knowing she is in earshot of Marcus.

"Sure thing." Woody answers and Marcus looks up to see who ordered the drink. Gotcha.

Steph sits on the bar stool and patiently waits for her drink. She pulls out her phone to glance through her messages. Woody places the drink in front of her and waits. Steph glances up and smiles. "Thanks. Can you start a tab for me? I think I'll be here for a while," she says, handing him her card.

"No problem Ma'am." Woody replies.

Steph whispers under her breath disgustedly. "Do I look like a Ma'am? Fantastic. Way to add to my fucking fantastic day." She continues muttering while picking up her drink. She says cheers to no one and downs 3/4 of the drink. "Ahhh" she says, pretending it burns her throat. I know Woody has not included any alcohol in her drink so Steph is acting. She's really good at this. She finishes her drink and puts it down close to the back edge where Woody will know she needs a refill. He circles back and gives her a questioning look. "Same" she responds to the unasked question. A younger guy approaches her and she brushes him off with an I'm spending time with Jack Daniels and a maybe later wave to keep him moving along. After her 4th drink in 30 minutes, Marcus approaches. I just watch in awe at the master work.

"So, what brings you here?" he asks her. She glances at him and smiles lazily. If I didn't know better, I would think she is a little past the buzzed stage.

"My fucking ex-boyfriend is fucking my ex-best friend. You?" she says cheerily like she is discussing the weather.

"Wow. They must be fucking idiots." he says and she laughs and snorts. In all the years I've known her, I have never heard her snort. I'm mesmerized by her.

"What's your name?" she asks him. He holds out his hand and says "Brad. Brad Cutlip." Steph doesn't even blink at the fake name he's given her. She extends her hand and instead of shaking it, he brings it up to her lips and kisses the back. She smiles and says, "Nicole White. My friends call me Nikki."

"Nice to meet you Nikki, do you mind if I sit down?" he asks her.

"Please", she gestures to the empty seat next to her. She finishes her drink and places it on the bar.

"So, what do you do Nikki?" he asks her as he turns to Woody to order her a refill.

"I work in fashion." she hedges and he takes the bait.

"Are you a model?" he says with appreciation.

"Not really. I'm a buyer. I want to sound all glamorous but there is nothing glamorous about buying granny panties. All day long I look at these ginormous panties that I wouldn't be caught dead in..."

He cuts her off. "What do you wear then?"

"Ahhhh, wouldn't you like to know?" She's playing with him. She looks like she's thinking for a moment. "How would you like to participate in my revenge?" she asks him.

He nods his head and smiles. He's hooked. Not that I ever had a doubt but what she says next has my pants getting uncomfortably tight.

"I want to make a sex tape to get back at my cheating asshole ex-boyfriend. I want to send it to him with a dozen black fuck-you roses. You see, he always wanted to record us together and I wouldn't let him. Guess what? I want to now." She takes a deep breath, acting like she is trying to gather her inner strength. "Are you interested?"

She is fucking amazing. Everyone in this bar would follow her out in a heartbeat after that performance, even me. I'm interrupted thinking about what our sex tape would be like when I hear her continue on. I guess he said yes because she was telling him that he could come home with her..."What you have on will work. We may want to open a few more buttons." she says as she gives him an appraising look. "I'm dressed slutty enough so my clothes are good too. I want to include fucking on the dining room table. That's where I found them," she adds casually, like she's ordering from a menu. "I want you to do all of the things to me that I wouldn't let him do." She adds an innocent sounding "I can't believe I am going to do this. This isn't like me at all. I'm a good girl. I can't believe I'm doing this," she rambles, "We better go before I change my mind." She downs the rest of her almost full drink. She signals to Woody and he brings her the receipt. Marcus had been paying cash so he was ready to go. He's looking a bit stunned and I can't blame him. Stephanie is a force to be reckoned with.

She has been speaking in hushed tones so the whole bar wouldn't be privy to their conversation. Now I have several people with ear mics and I usually hear background noise or comments as Steph does her thing. This time it's silence. Total silence. I worry that the men in the front and back will not be able to do their jobs so I step in. "Men look alive, she'll be bringing him out in less than 20," I say into the mic. All of us are trying to frantically redistribute our blood flow so we can pull this off. I don't like the idea of my men fantasizing about Steph but there's nothing I can do other than threaten them with dismemberment if one of them acts on it.

Everything goes according to plan. We step in front of Marcus, announce who we are, cuff him and begin to search for weapons. Staying in character, Steph looks at him questioningly. "Who's Marcus?" she asks and is met with a disappointed look. She looks at me crossing her arms over her chest and asks, "Do you believe this son of a bitch?" She looks back at Marcus. "Maybe he wants to make that sex tape with me?" she says to Marcus, referring to me. She turns back to me and slips her arm in mine. "Hi, my name is Nikki." she says and I look at Tank.

"Take him to the police station. I'm offline until further notice." I say turning back to Steph. "Hi Nikki. I accept. My car is right over here," I tell her, guiding her to the turbo. When we were out of earshot, I turned off her mic and pressed her against my car.

"I am such a great actress. He was speechless. He would have done anything for me. I really had him going." She pauses and looks at me. "Don't even think about it. I am Not and I repeat, Not making a sex tape so just get that off the table right now. And speaking of tables, I am not interested in that either."I shut her up with my mouth. She's just giving me ideas with her 'no-go' list. I have plans for her and they don't include listening to what she won't do. I kiss her until I feel her relax. I want to get her back to my place but I want her in such a state that she'll be on board with the idea of fucking till dawn. "My place or yours?" I ask opening her door. I put her in her seat and she fastens her seat belt, thinking, while I go around and get in the driver's seat. I grab her hand and place it on my thigh. I spread out her fingers so that she is close to where I want her to be. I know I turned her on and I want to keep that up before she realizes that I am still not offering her the commitment I know she wants. She stays quiet and I'm reaching a point where I have to make a decision on where to go so I add a little pressure. "Ella will have breakfast in the morning if we stay at my place or I can call to have donuts delivered for us at yours." See what good a guy I am? I'm giving her two really good options. The fact that neither of them leaves me out of the equation is beside the point.

"Yours," she answers simply and I take the highway that puts me on that side of Trenton.