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. Thank you so much for the great reviews! I love reading them and if you have Facebook, head over to Janet Evanovich Fan Fiction, you'll see many fellow readers/writers that share your interests and offer great story suggestions as well as looking for lost stories, getting questions answered and all around wonderful conversations! Thanks again!

~Chapter 5

***Feb 26

RPOV

The next morning I'm awake by 5:00am. We didn't get much sleep last night and I'm not regretting it at all. We did get to do a little movie making but we definitely showed less nudity than I wanted. Another time perhaps, I tell myself as I go through my usual workout. I have to be careful that I don't let my thoughts wander too much or my gym shorts will give me away. I try to focus on the day ahead. I plan on waking Steph at 7:00 so she can get ready for her day by 8:00. I already ordered breakfast for us and plan on serving it to her in bed. Maybe a nine am start would work better for her?

I ask Ella to leave the tray and after she leaves, I carry it into the bedroom. I have her coffee ready and it's sitting on the tray, waiting to bribe her into wakefulness. I lean over to kiss her awake. I uncover her so that the cool bedroom air will help her wake up faster. Yeah, that's what I'm going with. I could stare at her all day. She's so beautiful. She has genuine beauty. I had been attracted to busty blonds not caring if they got that way from a bottle and a scalpel. I can't get over her coloring. Her pale skin in contrast with her brown hair. Her hair in contrast to her amazing blue eyes. What really gets me is her smile. It lights up the room. Her laugh is contagious and her spirit is addicting. I wish for the hundredth time that if only my life were different, I'd take anything she'd give me. I lazily caress her neck making my way down her shoulder before detouring to her breast. She starts to stir and I'm stopped from going any further by a stretch that blocks her chest. "Good morning Babe," I say with a smile. "I have donuts, coffee and bacon." I knew I would get her with bacon. If it's fat and sugary and unhealthy, then she loves it. Her eyes fly open and realization dawns. She sits up and pulls the covers back over herself, much to my disappointment.

"Good morning," she says as she reaches for the coffee first. She smells the sweet coffee aroma before taking a few sips. "I'm still really tired," she says stifling a yawn.

"You can go back to bed. I'll tell the guys I wore you out and you need to sleep more," I say baiting her.

"Sure you will. You're a chatty guy who loves when everyone knows your business," she says, calling my bluff. I smile. She knows me. "Thanks, but no. I'll get up as soon as I finish my breakfast," she says in between bites of bacon and donut. I feel her withdrawing from me. I can sense her mood and she's trying to pull back. If I pursue her now, she'll get the wrong idea of what this is. I have to wait and let her come to me. Not ideal. I shake my head and make my way to the bathroom.

When I emerge from the shower, Steph's in the bathroom. She has done her business and was contemplating a shower when I walk into the closet to get dressed. "What are you up to today?" I ask while pulling on my shirt.

"I was planning on working here for the morning and heading to the Bonds Office this afternoon," she says, turning the shower on. I come out in time to see her step in and moan at the very warm water washing over her. I stare at her for a few moments, wondering if I should push back my meeting with Tank. I want to ask her to eat dinner with me but I don't want to cross the line letting her think we're dating. I let that idea go. I mentally think about what outstanding skips we have and if I can set up another distraction job in the very near future. I don't want to let too much time go or she'll push me away again.

"If you need help, just call me. I have meetings but I'm always available to you," I tell her before grabbing my watch and heading into the kitchen. I eat my breakfast of fruit, oatmeal and a protein shake. I come back into the bathroom to say goodbye and find her in the closet picking out clothes.

"I have to go. Remember, call me if you need anything." I tell her as I kiss her head. I really hope she calls me. I don't want her to get into trouble but I need a reason to see her. I have meetings all morning and I don't want to send the wrong message. I hate the dance we do but unfortunately, it's necessary. In a perfect world...

SPOV

I try to keep myself busy while Ranger was still here. At least I didn't have to hear the same old 'my life doesn't lend itself' bullshit. I really don't understand why he won't just suck it up and try a relationship. It can be whatever we make it. I shove my legs into my cargo pants and pull on my shirt. I'm in a pissy mood now and I need a plan. I don't regret sleeping with Ranger since I've decided in my head I'd like to pursue a real relationship with him. I carry the tray into the kitchen and put it on the counter. I don't like when Ella has to do extra work for me. I pour myself another cup of coffee and mix in my flavors. I sigh.

What if I show him that he can't live without me? What do they say, fake it till you make it? Maybe I should try that? I know I'm taking a big gamble with my heart but what the hell? I'll be crushed anyway, why not give it a try? I leave his apartment at 8:05 with a better outlook. My new plan is taking shape. This plan is going to be good, really really good! I make it to my cubicle by 8:07 and sit down only to find that my inbox is full. I'm back to my pissy mood. Ugh! At my cubicle, I figure out part of the reason I'm in a bad mood - my period is due. Ugh I hate this. I really need to do something about it.

"Hey Beautiful. Nice work last night," Lester says, interrupting my concentration. I smile.

"Thanks. How did you like my performance? Don't you think I deserve an Academy Award for that?" I say giving him a fake smile and waving like I would on stage to my many fans.

"What can I say? You were awesome. Not one guy in the whole place would have turned you down. Even Ranger. I can't help but notice you didn't have a long commute."

"Shut it Les or I will tell Ranger that you and Kelsey are getting it on in the supply closet." I say giving him a pointed look.

He pales and starts, "No we're not. It wasn't what you thought...Oh shit," he finishes with his head down. "Fuck. You won't tell anyone will you?"

"As long as you keep your observations to yourself...and maybe get me ice cream to keep in your freezer. Some days, I need a couple of extra men in my life." I tell him

"Well, I can certainly help..."

"I am talking about Ben and Jerry. You're not invited." I interrupt.

"So do you like Kelsey or is this just an office fling?" I ask.

"I don't know. What do you think about her?" he asks. I really wish I hadn't brought this up. I don't like her but I don't want to hurt Les's feelings in case he really does.

"I don't really know her that well. What's important is that you like her," I say trying to get out of telling him how I really feel. "Now, let me get my work done before I get in trouble."

"Don't worry, I'm sure the boss will have you make up time in other ways," he says and I throw a pencil at him. He laughs as he struts away. Jerk.

My morning goes by quickly and I distribute my search results to the proper people. I say goodbye and leave for the Bonds Office. I stop by Cluck in a Bucket on the way and get a few extra things to share with the girls.

"Good afternoon ladies," I announce on the way in, setting my bags down and plopping on the couch. Connie is sitting at her desk looking at the computer and Lula? Hell, I don't know what she's doing. She is bent over on the floor looking under the couch.

"What's up with her?" I ask Connie.

"She lost something. It rolled under the couch and she's trying to find it."

"It's my lucky lipstick. I have to find it," Lula says, not looking up. I lean over to open the bags on the table and start pulling out my food. "Do I smell chicken?" she says.

"Yep. I got a couple of extra chicken nuggets meals if you're interested." I tell her.

"Hell yeah I'm interested. Just give me a minute. I need to find this lipstick," she says before her head disappears again.

"So Connie, do you have anything easy for me? I want to get my feet wet a little and see how it goes" I ask between bites.

"No, I have stuff for Rangeman. We've been slow. Good thing you're supplementing your income because we haven't had much for you lately," she says, looking at me. "Do you want to take the files back to Rangeman?"

"I'm not going back until tomorrow. Just call Tank and he'll send someone over."

Since I have the afternoon off, I call and schedule an emergency appointment with my gynecologist. Hey, it's an emergency to me. When they explained that being 'sick of my period' doesn't meet their standards of an emergency appointment I ask when their first available appointment is. Two months? Ugh, that sucks. I ask to be put on a waiting list so I can come sooner. I probably could have Bobby work his magic but there are some things that I need to handle on my own. They're already much too involved in my business.

I swing by my parents house to do laundry and check in. If I don't talk to my Mother every few days, she calls me asking me if I'm dead. Yeah, nice maternal guilt there Mom. We've been doing better since I unloaded all my frustration on her. She hasn't once compared me to so and so. Ahh progress.

When I arrive, my Grandmother is waiting for me on the porch. I see that her radar is functioning properly. "Hey baby granddaughter." She calls from the open door. "You're here kinda early for dinner," she says, opening the door so I can enter.

"Yeah, the Bonds Office is slow so I thought I'd catch up on some laundry." I tell her, carrying the basket to the basement stairs.

"Let me help. I have nothing to do," she says following me down the stairs. We chat while I throw in the first load. I hear all about her new boyfriend and all the drama at the Senior Center. She really leads an exciting life.

"Where's Mom?" I ask when we come upstairs to the kitchen. I assumed she was busy ironing ... something.

"She went to the Deli. There's a sale on salami and they usually sell out." I nod my head. My Dad loves salami and he eats it a lot.

"You know, Joe is getting crucified by the gossip. First he was telling everyone you guys were getting back together," she tells me.

"We're not getting back together." I assure her.

"Now he says he broke up with you since you won't quit your job and have his children."

"Ugh" I say in response to Joe's ridiculousness.

"Just be careful. He's probably trying to get you to quit your job and then he'll be back at your doorstep. Those Morelli boys are trouble. I'm glad you finally kicked him to the curb."

We chat for another couple of hours until everything is washed and dried . I stay for dinner and we have a nice meal that was actually peaceful and yummy.

I arrive home with all my clothes clean and folded plus a big bag of leftovers. It's 8:30 and I'm already tired. It may have had something to do with not getting much sleep last night? I put everything away and grabbed a bottle of Corona and take it into the living room. I plan on watching mindless TV until I can't keep my eyes open.

***Mar 7

I head back to Haywood from my doctor's appointment. They called me yesterday for a last minute appointment so I dropped everything and went. No more periods. Oh yeah! I'm so excited about this. I'm also so excited to tell Ranger the news. I got the birth control shot today and since I just finished my period a few days ago, it should be effective immediately. So far, I have always been anti-kids, I was always nervous I was going to miss a pill or somehow screw it up. I'm so happy that this method is very user friendly. Yay, this is going to open up a lot of interesting possibilities on the friendly part.

I pop my head in Ranger's office. This big bad drop dead sexy man dressed in cargos and a tight black t-shirt sitting behind his large wooden desk looks out of place. He's surrounded by top of the line equipment and high end furnishing yet he looks ready to invade a third world country.

"Hey, do you have a minute?" I say as I step in and pull the door closed behind me and lock the door. He looks up from the computer screen and pauses his fingers moving over the keyboard.

"For you? Always," he says as he leans back in his oversized leather office chair.

"I just got back from the doctor's office." I say and he immediately becomes hyper alert. "Everything's fine," I reassure him, "I just wanted to let you know that I got the shot I told you about and since I had my period last week, we don't have to use any other protection because they said it's effective immediately." A smile spreads across his face. The whole two hundred watts. "So..." I say as I go to sit on his lap. "Do you want to try out the new unrestricted...?" I didn't even finish my statement when his mouth crashes down on me. The kiss starts out hot and fuels our frenzied actions until we both lay in a tangle of sweaty body parts on his thankfully oversized couch. Yes! I am definitely going to enjoy this unrestricted access.

The rest of the day passes quickly. I'm not able to finish my searches but I was able to get home without anyone knowing that I spent part of the afternoon in the boss's office naked. I count that as a win.

***Mar 8

The next morning I arrive at work on time at 8:00am and wave to the guys on the floor . I grab a coffee from the break room and make my way to my cubby. My inbox is frustratingly full and I quickly check to make sure none are marked urgent. I sort in piles and pull out the FTA's. I recognize one of the three. I start my searches and put in a call into Mary Lou regarding Brian Strickland. Lenny was friends with his cousin. She was busy getting the kids ready for school but promised me she would call me back when they were all in class. The life of a busy Mom. That thought makes me grimace. I thought I would start feeling the proverbial clock ticking but I'm 34 and nothing so far. I start the next search and pull the first one off the printer. I'm marking it up highlighting possible patterns in his credit report when Mary Lou calls me back. The call was quick since I only need to have her ask Lenny about Brian. She says she will get back to me before lunch. I really like having the network that I have. I don't really like the Burg grapevine but you really can't have one without the other. I work through my morning, searching away, and even get a likely hideout for Brian. Nothing in the Burg is secret so it's stupid to hide out here. I distribute all that I have done and head into the break room to grab some lunch. Kelsey is there and talking with a few of the guys. When I come in, her whole demeanor changes. She was practically flirting before and now she's acting annoyed that I'm there. I roll my eyes as I stick my head in the fridge to pull out a roast beef sandwich. I decide to take it back to my desk. I really don't like Kelsey and I'm not up to being civil right now. My afternoon trudges along and I check my watch before I start my last search. I have nothing else to do so I didn't mind working past my normal 5:00pm. I hear a noise over by the monitors and peek my head out to see what's going on. It looks like a team just came back from the field. It sounds like it went well and I hear my name being called.

"Hey Bomber." Cal says and I get up to see what the commotion is. I see Ranger, Les, Cal and Bobby all dressed in black with smiles on their faces. "Nice work with Brian Strickland. He was just where you said he'd be." I smiled. I love when I feel like I'm a value to the team. I don't get that feeling much. Maybe just distractions and of course when my local connections help out.

"No problem. I'm glad the info was good." I say to the group.

"Yeah. You should have seen his face. He almost pissed his pants when we knocked on his door. He didn't even try to run. Not that it would have done any good since we had all the exits covered. We're going to go celebrate. Wanna come with us? It's just Shorty's so you don't need to dress up." Les says to me. "Plus, Ranger's buying."

Kelsey materializes from somewhere and is now standing by Les. How come she's working so late, I wonder. Maybe she and Les are going to make it public? Whatever. I contemplate whether I want to hang out and drink beer and eat yummy pizza or go home alone and eat leftovers. Tough call. "Sure, I'll come. Let me finish this last search. I can meet you there if you want to leave now."

"Nah Beautiful, we'll wait for you." He says and I see Kelsey grimace. She doesn't try to hide her feelings from me. Interesting.

The pizza arrives and we are happily talking and eating. Ranger even has a few pieces. I'm sitting next to him so I can attest to the fact that he ate three pieces. All veggie of course. I give him a questioning look. "Not a temple day Babe," he says, surprising me. "You are really good at finding people" he tells me and I can't help but smile. Ranger praise is a big deal to me.

"Thanks. It's nice to throw in some good work with all my disasters." I reply. He pushes a curl behind my ear.

"Stop. Those disasters come with the low bond territory. Those people are crazy" he says and I have agree. We continue eating our pizza and chat about the takedown. I got to hear again how he almost pissed his pants and then the trip to the station.

After we were done eating our pizza, Cal whispers in my ear that Shelby just walked in. He told me a week ago that he wanted to hook up with her and see where it goes. He made sure to tell me this while no other guys were present so he wouldn't get teased. I swear these are grown men and most of them can't admit that having a girlfriend is a good thing. Wussies.

"Okay. I'll talk to her." I tell him. Kelsey overhears and asks Cal loudly what's going on. He looks like a deer in headlights.

"It's nothing. Just a girl I know and haven't talk to in a long time," I lie.

Bobby coughs and it sounds suspiciously like bullshit. Cal turns red and the jig is up.

"Seriously Cal? You have a flaming skull tattooed on your forehead and you blush like a schoolgirl," I tell him and the whole table erupts into laughter. "He just wants a hookup. No big deal. I'll talk to her and make sure she's okay with that." I say to the frat boys.

"They're consenting adults. Why do you care if they don't want the same thing?" Kelsey asks. I tamp down my irritation.

"Uh oh." Bobby says. "She's gonna get mad."

I flip Bobby off and turn to Kelsey. "If they want different things then someone will get hurt. I just want to make sure that doesn't happen. Also, these men may look big and brave but as you just saw, they may be a little shy when it comes to girls," I tell her. "When they know the other person is interested, it makes it easier for them to relax and be themselves." I add, before getting up and heading to the bar to get a drink. I hear Les telling everyone that he doesn't have a shy bone in his body. That sounds about right. Shelby is standing there waiting as well and I start up a conversation.

"Hey, your name's Shelby right?" I ask her and she turns to look at me.

She smiles and says "Hi. Do you go by Stephanie or Bombshell or Bomber..."

"Steph is fine." I tell her, smiling. She orders her drinks and I get right down to business, knowing I don't have much time. "Hey, I know this is kinda personal but are you dating anyone? I work with a bunch of guys and one of them is interested in asking you out. He's really shy but he is such a great guy. They all are actually. Well, some are man-whores but not Cal. He's sweet." I ramble.

"You know, my friends all hate you. You have so many hot guys and rumor has it you are with Ranger and Detective Morelli and everyone at Rangeman. It's really unfair that you..." She begins but I cut her off.

"That's all gossip and bullshit. I have only dated Morelli and we had this weird on-off relationship. We are off permanently, by the way, but everyone else is just a friend." I tell her.

"Even Ranger?' she asks. 'He's so hot."

I take a breath and let it out. "Ranger is complicated. Unofficially I am his woman to protect me when I go after dangerous skips. Officially we are just friends but...like I said. It's complicated. ANYWAYS, Cal has the skull tattooed on his forehead and he is the sweetest guy. He's not looking for a hookup, just a date. He's pretty shy." I say trying to entice her.

"Sure, why not. I'm not seeing anyone. Here's my number. You know, you're not half bad." she tells me.

I give her a 'gee thanks' look as she takes her drink back to her friends. I order my drink and stare at the bar. I am not looking back at the table knowing all their eyes are probably on me. When I get my drink, I turn and look directly at Cal. I give him a head nod toward the pool tables and he gets up and meets me there. I give him her number and tell him that she would agree to a date. He gives me a kiss on the cheek and I smile. He really is a sweetheart. "Hey, don't I deserve a game of pool? I ask him. "I don't think either of us should go back to the tables. Those jerks are just going to tease you."

He looks down at his feet and shakes his head. "You're right. Let's play a game and then I'm going to head home. It feels awkward being here with her and her friends right over there."

I nod my head. We play two games because I lost so quickly the first time. He let me stay in it longer on the second one though. What can I say? I'm not patient enough to be a good pool player. A few of the guys have wandered over to watch us play. I glared at anyone smiling suspiciously like they are gonna give Cal shit. I yawn and then look at my watch.

"I think I'm going to head home." I tell them. I go back to the table to get my bag and Ranger gets up.

"I'll drive you," he offers. I nod and we leave the bar. The car ride to my apartment is quiet. I had fun. I liked helping Cal and seeing Ranger defile his body. I didn't like Kelsey or that Shelby's friends didn't like me. I hate my reputation and the gossip in this town is brutal. Ranger holds my hand as he walks me up to my apartment.

"Do you want to stay?" I ask. "I'll probably need a ride into work tomorrow morning but I'm not going in before 7. You have to agree to my terms or you can march yourself back to your car and sleep at your place tonight." Ranger gives me the thinking about smiling look and he nods. This means he has accepted my terms and I pull on his hand toward the elevator. I start to get excited about all the things I want to do at my sleepover that include Ranger and me naked.

True to his word, Ranger is waking me up at 6:30 and I groan. "It can't be morning already. I just went to sleep." I moan. He pulls the covers back and holds the coffee he made for me next to my nose. I take a deep breath, savoring the aroma.

"Get up. Get in the shower. We're leaving in twenty." he says like a damn drill sergeant. I feel like saluting him but think better of it. He IS holding a cup of coffee for me and he didn't wake me up in the five o'clock hour. I give him a pass as I grudgingly get out of bed and make my way to the shower, coffee in hand. The coffee and shower do their magic and I feel semi-human. Eighteen minutes later, I emerge from my bedroom. I come into the kitchen and grab a pop tart. I plan on eating at Rangeman too but I wanted to eat this to give Rex a treat. That's what I explained to Ranger. He didn't roll his eyes so he probably bought my excuse.

***Mar 27

Over the last few weeks we fell into a pattern of having sleepovers several nights a week. We either had distractions or nights at Shorty's or some other manufactured reason to see each other in the evening. It really feels like dating to me and I just go with it. What was my new mantra? Fake it till you make it? It could work?

Rangeman is hopping. We have a lot of fun at work and business is really good. There was a week that Ranger had to go down to Miami and I didn't see him much, even before he left. He only stopped by my cubicle to tell me he was leaving. I heard from the guys that they had some staffing issues and a big takedown they needed his help with. I'm not pleased with hearing more from the guys than I do from him but I let it go.

Les and Kelsey have been seeing each other for awhile now and it's no longer a secret. She still rubs me the wrong way but Les seems happy so I deal with it. Things are going great with Ranger. A couple of Merry Men have started relationships. Cal has been dating Shelby for awhile now. That makes me happy.

Les had made good on his promise to keep Ben and Jerry's in his freezer. I slip into his apartment on the fourth floor to have some but found out the hard way that I can't use the key he gave me. I walked in on him and Kelsey more than once but this time, it's in his apartment. This is not making my relationship with Kelsey any better let me tell you. I'm trying to like her since Les seems to be falling for her. It's not working.

***Apr 3

The mood at the office is fun. Everyone is happy and productivity is high. I even catch Ranger smiling at work. I know, right? I'm still the wingman of choice for the guys and am dragged out at least once a week. Who am I kidding, I have fun. Tonight I find myself in a sports bar. Not our usual haunt and a couple of the new guys have joined us. Ranger was unable to come tonight since he had a takedown planned with Tank, Les and Jose.

We're sitting at a large table in the back and the guys are complaining that there aren't many women.

"Hey, what do you expect? Women don't come to sports bars unless we come on a date." I say and it elicits several groans.

"So where should we go then?" Manny asks.

"Where did you used to go to pick up women?" I ask and Zero chimes in.

"Wherever Les would take us," he said.

"How did you guys ever manage to get anyone to take you home?" I wonder aloud.

"Well, when Les or Ranger would come out with us, the women would come to us." Zip says then adds "Fuck. Sorry Bomber. He wasn't a player like Les is...was." he corrects looking guilty like he just admitted that Les and Ranger were both man whores. Yeah, I already knew that.

"It's okay. We all have a past. It's no big deal." I say and leave it at that.

"Well gentleman. I don't think there are that many prospects here. Want to go to a martini bar or a dance club? Maybe we'll get lucky and come across a bridal party." I tell them.

Manny scrolls through his phone and says, "How about Infinity's?" he asks.

"I know that place." I tell them. "It isn't that far. Come on. I know a bouncer that works there. I went to high school with him. If he's working then we'll be able to skip the line." I add gathering up my bag and looking to make sure we have everything and everyone.

Fifteen minutes later, we arrive and sure enough Michael is working and after a friendly hug and a short conversation, we get in without paying or waiting in line. We scout the place and luckily find a table along the dance floor. Perfect. I guess Rangeman parking karma extends to dance club tables. My plan is to dance and alternate drinking regular drinks and water. I want to be sober enough to walk out of here unassisted. I take turns dancing with Manny, Zero, Zip and Woody. The new guys have the brilliant idea that we need to do shots. This is going to wreck my not getting drunk plan, I just know it. By the third shot, I'm really, really buzzed. I find myself dancing with one of the new guys, Quinn. He is getting pretty handsy and I move his hands up twice and I warn him twice. When he did it again, I brought my knee up and tagged him in the groin. Not hard but enough to get his attention.

"You fucking bitch" he yells at me.

"Now here's where I get a little fuzzy," I tell Ranger later that night. "Manny may have hit Quinn. I don't think Quinn fell after I kneed him in the balls. So he was fine, the big wimp. He did fall when Manny or whoever it was hit him. We all got kicked out after that. It all happened so fast." I say trying to sort out my memory.

"So who did you hit?" he asked me, looking at my scraped knuckles. He was massaging my hands and gently rubbing his thumb along my scrapes.

"I think I hit Sanchez. He called me a slut. I am NOT a slut." I defend myself.

"Of course not slugger." Ranger assures me as he kisses my knuckles. I wince. He puts the gel pack back on and helps me to his big bed. He feeds me some Motrin and a glass of water before I lay down. I relax as soon as my head hits the pillow. My last fleeting thought was that I love Ranger's bed.

***Apr 4

RPOV

The next morning, I'm up at my usual time and hit the gym. I have an appointment on the mats with Sanchez and Quinn. I wanted to wait for them to sober up but I don't want to keep them around if they can't understand how things work around here. They're going to have to show me they are fully aware of the rules of conduct here at Rangeman and are willing to follow them. I better see something that will convince me they're going to act professionally toward any females we have on staff and that Stephanie is mine. My anger resurfaces. I wanted to take care of them last night and am glad my men stepped in. They probably saved the two newbies from a trip to the emergency room and me an assault charge. Today should be much more civilized.

I arrive and strip down to my athletic shorts and tennis shoes. I start running on the treadmill deciding to warm up while I wait for them. Sanchez arrives right on time. No Quinn. Interesting. I don't like to start without everyone so I wait for another five minutes. Sanchez looks like wants to throw up. "Where's Quinn?" I ask. Sanchez looks at his feet.

I go over to the phone mounted on the wall and place a call to the control room. "Have Quinn and all of his possessions removed from the building. He's no longer employed by Rangeman." I say to Les. I turn back to Sanchez.

He can't look me in the eye. "Let's get started." I tell him and pull off my shoes and socks. I wait for him to strip down to his shorts before I step onto the mat.

We go around a few times. I let him have a few shots to give him some confidence. I really hate it when the person I'm trying to teach a lesson goes down and stays down in the first few minutes. I'm not hitting as hard as I can either, so that also gives him a false sense of security. He doesn't hit even half as hard as Tank so I don't think I'll even be bruised by this. I focus on the lesson. I give him some pointers and keep baiting him. I want him to get angry and he's pulling his punches. "You think that I will respect you if you pull your punches?" I ask him. "I will view you as weak, not even worthy to teach you a lesson." I add landing a few punches that are hard enough to get his attention.

"Do you have any defense of your actions last night?" I ask and he responds with a quick, "No sir."

"Are you ever going to treat a fellow Rangeman or any other women that way?" I add, with a few more jabs.

"No sir." He says again trying in vain to defend himself to my continuous assault.

"You are on probation for the next three months. If you so much as step out of line, you are gone." I tell him and then hit him with my full force, knocking him out with a single punch. I step back and allow Bobby to get to him.

"When he wakes up, make sure he remembers what I told him." I say and leave Bobby to deal with the unconscious idiot. I resume my workout and finish by 0730. I make my way back up to the apartment and find Stephanie still sleeping. Ella has already come and gone and I look under the dome at my plate and see my normal breakfast. I look under the one for Stephanie and see a large stack of pancakes with a cup of syrup and whipped cream. I have a fleeting thought that Ella may like Stephanie more than me now and I'm related to her. I shake my head and pick up Steph's coffee, a bottle of water and some Motrin and bring it into the bedroom. I set it on the table and sit down on the side of the bed.

"Wake up sleepyhead." I tell her as I run the back of my fingers down her exposed arm. She was drunk last night so I didn't get the opportunity to get her naked so she is clothed in my t-shirt and boxers. I have a drawer full of her pajamas she's left here but I don't point them out. It's an out of the way drawer that may or may not be hidden, I prefer her naked or in my clothes.

She shivers and tries to pull the covers up to block out me and the world. I'm sitting on the covers so that's not happening. "Come on Babe. I have Motrin and coffee. Plus Ella made you pancakes." I tell her and she flops over to face me.

"Is there syrup?" she asks not opening her eyes.

"Yes and whipped cream." I answer and her eyes fly open. She didn't wince and close her eyes so the meds and water she had before she went to sleep probably helped her. "How do you feel?" I ask.

She takes a deep breath and lets it out. "Not as bad as I thought I would" she tells me before scrambling out of bed to head to the bathroom.

"I'll be in the kitchen." I say through the door. I check my email on my phone while I wait for her to be presentable.

She appears three minutes later with her coffee in hand.

"How's your hand?" I ask as we sit to eat.

She looks at her right hand and flexes a few times. "It's fine. I can tell it's bruised but it'll be okay."

We talk about the day and I tell her I have meetings scheduled off site with the last one starting at 1700. I translate the time and estimate that I will be done and back no later than 5:30. I was hoping we could have dinner and an early night. If I have to choose, I'll pick sex with her over sleep every time but if I can have both, all the better. But, unfortunately she has other plans.

I'm disappointed that she has dinner with her parents. Since I'm not volunteering for that duty, I remain silent, resigning myself to a night catching up on work. The workload has been streamlined but I still have to sign off on reports and keep track of the daily notes with each office. I always have something to do.

At least we got to fool around in the shower before we headed down to five. I rode the elevator with Steph and as soon as the doors closed, the speaker started blasting Aerosmith's "Love in an Elevator, Livin' it up when I'm goin' down..." and I barked. "Santos! Mats 0600."

"Worth it" he laughs over the speaker. I look at Steph and the look of horror on her face is priceless. I wish she would accept that she is an adult woman that has adult desires. I hate that she makes excuses for it.

"Sorry." I tell her.

"He's an idiot. His relationship with Kelsey is making him bold. He's the only one that teases me about you."

"What does he say?" I ask, not liking that anyone, even my idiot cousin is giving her stress about what we have. I don't want anyone to screw it up. I have worked hard to get her on board with a no strings relationship and I don't want my cousin to fuck it up.

"It's nothing," she says nervously. "He just teases a little. Don't worry, I'll kick him in the balls if he gets out of line."

I feel a little better about her being willing to defend herself but I'll be having a discussion with him tomorrow so I'll bring it up then.