I didn't intend to turn one conversation into a whole chapter but I guess if you have Ranger and Tank's undivided attention, you should take full advantage of it. I'm trying to finish Gotcha before I go much further with this story, but I didn't want to leave it hanging either, so I have two more chapter ideas for Changes before I get into the wedding part of the story. Anything and everyone familiar belongs to Janet. The mistakes are mine.

Chapter 7

It was a little after two when Lester, Bobby, and Hal approached my cubby. Lunch was a distant memory now, and for the last half hour I'd been trying to convince myself to focus on my work instead of doodling on my notepad while thinking seriously about my life, so I was really glad to see them.

"Hey, Steph," Lester said,"we want to ask you something."

I looked at them warily. This could be completely harmless, or I could be three seconds away from being part of something I wanted nothing to do with.

"Oh, yeah?" I said to them.

"How would you like to have dinner with us tomorrow night?" Lester asked.

I didn't know what I'd been expecting, but it wasn't that and I didn't have an immediate answer for him.

"A few of us are getting together and we thought you'd like to come along," Bobby told me while I was thinking of how to respond. It sounded okay so far.

"Sure," I said, cautiously."What's the occasion?"

"Seeing as how you're going to marry Ranger," Hal said,"we feel like we should do something to celebrate."

"Is this like my bridal shower?" I asked them, smiling. Maybe they should have been more nervous around me than I was around them. This could be fun.

"Shit, Steph," Lester said,"don't call it that. You'll make us sound like a bunch of pussies."

"Lester ..." Bobby said, a warning clear in his tone.

"Sissies," Lester said."You'll make us sound like a bunch of sissies."

I couldn't help it, I laughed at them. I haven't had many opportunities in the past to play with them, and I was going to do my damndest to make up for lost time. Ranger did say he wanted me to feel comfortable around his men. I just might make him regret saying that.

"You're planning on having games, right?" I asked them."Every shower has party games. Like ... 'Bridal Bingo', 'Bridal Party Pictionary', 'Guess the Baby Photo'. I bet you guys were cute as babies. Oh, and I can't forget my favorite game, 'How Sweet It Is', where you match candy bar names with wedding themed words. I'll kick your butts at that one for sure, since you guys don't know a whole lot about junk food. And you'll need party favors. I saw something perfect for favors the other day in a magazine. It was a bottle opener that was shaped like a diamond ring. It was functional and pretty. Or maybe monogrammed picture frames. What do you guys think? And we need some of those little candy covered almonds, too. You'll probably need to get a truckload of them considering the size of all of you."

"Jesus," Lester said in disgust,"we weren't thinking about any of that shit."

"Yeah," Bobby said,"we were just going to buy you pizza and beer."

"Don't worry guys," I said, taking pity on them,"pizza and beer is perfect. I was just messing with you." When they all started sweating, I started feeling a little bad about tormenting them.

"You're an evil woman, Stephanie Plum," Bobby said to me.

"I hear that a lot," I told Bobby."So, is it just us? Or does Ranger get an invite, too?"

"How the fuck do we know?" Lester said."You're the woman. You should know how these things work?"

"Does the groom usually go to these shower things?" Hal asked, glaring at Lester for the language but not punching him like Bobby did.

"Sometimes," I said."Not in the Burg, though."

"I think we should definitely ask Ranger if he wants to come," Hal said.

"Kissass," Lester said to him.

"Be nice, Lester," I told him.

"Come on, Steph," Lester said,"you know there's no fun in that."

I rolled my eyes at him."Do you want me to ask Ranger?"

"Yeah," Bobby said."He probably wouldn't like his bride-to-be out of his sight for that long."

"He'd survive," I told Bobby."But I'll see if he wants to join us. Where are we going? Shorty's? Pino's?"

"Up to you," Lester said."It's your bride-thingy."

I was just about to say Shorty's out of habit, since it is the usual hangout for all the guys at Rangeman, but I stopped myself.

"Pino's?" I asked.

"Okay," Lester said."The pizza isn't as good as Shorty's, but it'll do in a pinch."

"Hey!" I said, sticking up for Pino and his restaurant."Pino's pizza is every bit as good as Shorty's."

"They do have a bigger menu," Hal said to us.

"Thanks, Hal," I said, giving him a big smile.

I don't know why I didn't just say Shorty's, but I thought this was a good way of combining my two lives. Once Ranger and I get married, Rangeman and the Burg are going to be forever intertwined. They already are to some degree, but the thought of having my Rangemen hanging out at some of my favorite places made me smile. The guys were becoming more mine every day. I'd never say that out loud to them, because they'd probably look at me like I had two heads. Then again, they could just as easily be flattered that I'd want to claim them. This group is a hard one to judge.

"Pino's it is," Bobby said, ending the discussion."What time?"

"Let me check with Ranger and get back to you, okay?"

"Sure, we've got until the end of our shift to let everyone know."

"Speaking of work," Hal said,"maybe we should be getting back to ours."

"Hal, Ranger isn't going to get mad if you take a few minutes to talk to me."

"Sure, I know that," he said, but I could still see the doubt in his face.

"How about I go distract him so he won't notice that you're not busy?" I asked.

"He really is a lucky son of a ..."

"Lester," Bobby said, cutting him off again.

I rolled my eyes at all three of them this time. I saved what I'd been working on and stood, stretching out the muscles that had stiffened while I'd been busy saving Ranger's company from a hostile takeover. Okay, so maybe that was an exaggeration, but if I didn't do a thorough enough check on someone Ranger was thinking about hiring, or doing business with, it could happen.

"Thank you, Lester," I said to him,"but I think I'm the lucky one." Thinking of not only Ranger, but these pains in the butt, too.

"Doubt it, Steph," Lester said."Bossman definitely got the better deal."

"Let's move it, Santos," Bobby said to him,"before you get your ass kicked."

"Why?" Lester asked."What'd I say?"

I shook my head at them as they walked off. I think I saw Hal do the same, but I couldn't say for sure. Ranger wanted me to move around freely in his space, so I decided to make use of my girlfriend/fiance privileges by asking him about dinner now instead of waiting until the end of the day. I wanted a break from my desk anyway, and the guys provided me with a good excuse.

I walked down the hall to Ranger's office and knocked on the door. I waited until I heard a 'come in' from the other side before I made a move to open it. I wouldn't mind interrupting him if the door had been open, but since it was closed there was probably a reason for it to be.

I poked my head around the door and saw Tank sitting in the chair in front of Ranger's desk.

"You guys busy?" I asked.

"What's up, Babe?"

I walked over to Ranger and somehow ended up sitting across his lap. I didn't bother arguing about it anymore. What was the point? Ranger wouldn't budge and I didn't really want him to. Tank had a small smile on his face as he watched us. I leaned back against Ranger's chest so I'd also be able to talk to Tank.

"The strangest thing just happened to me. I was asked out to dinner," I told them, and saw the nearly unshockable Tank raise his eyebrows."Actually, I was asked out by three men for the same night."

"Who do I have to kill now?" Ranger asked.

"Are you sure you didn't misunderstand, Steph?" Tank asked."No one is dumb enough to hit on Ranger's woman."

"Nope. I heard them correctly," I assured Tank."The Merry Men are throwing me a bridal shower tomorrow."

"That explains it," Tank said."Dumb asses."

"Babe," Ranger said, drawing my attention back to him,"my men can disable bombs, assassinate evil dictators, and live off of ground weevils if they have to, but they cannot throw a bridal shower."

"You're right about that," I told Ranger."They don't have the stomach for it. One mention of Bridal Bingo and I heard both Bobby and Lester whimper. That's why they asked me to accompany them to Pino's instead."

"Am I invited?" Ranger asked.

"I managed to wrangle you an invitation," I said to him.

"They were probably hoping to have you all to themselves for the evening," Ranger said.

I laughed."Not Hal. I think he's afraid he'll get in trouble by association."

"He's a good man," Tank said."And he knows what he's doing when it comes to his job, but any other time he's got the nerves of a fourteen-year-old girl."

"Don't pick on Hal, Tank," I told him."Just because he doesn't make people crap themselves with one look doesn't mean there's something wrong with him."

"Hal doesn't need you to defend him, Steph," Ranger said."He has his own reputation outside your cubby."

It was then that I remembered Ranger taking Tank and Hal to 'question' Anton Ward, the Slayer I sort of kidnapped when I was being threatened by Junkman. Maybe I underestimated Hal just as much as the guys needled him. I'd have to start looking at him as more than just Halosaurus.

"So, do you want to be my date tomorrow, too?" I asked Ranger.

"Sure, Babe," Ranger said."I wouldn't want Lester to confuse a bridal shower with a bachelorette party."

"I never thought about that," I said, more to myself than to Ranger and Tank."I wonder what a Rangeman bachelorette party would be like." God knows any one of the men could moonlight as a Chippendale's dancer. They could even star in their ownshow. Seductive Security Specialists, maybe. Or Beefy Bodyguards. Passionate Protectors? The Racy Men of Rangeman? No, Ranger would have a cow if his name was linked to anything like that.

"You can stop wondering," Ranger said, breaking into my thoughts,"because it's never going to happen."

"I had a feeling you were going to say that. What about you, Tank? You're coming, right?"

"Wouldn't miss it, Steph?"

"Good. So anything fun going on in here?" I asked.

"Not really," Ranger said."We're going over budget reports for the week right now."

"You guys do that?" I asked."Don't you have an accountant to handle that kind of stuff?"

"I do, but I don't sign anything I haven't read myself," Ranger said to me,"so Tank and I go over everything first."

"Wow." So much for thinking that Ranger had tech-savvy elves living in the basement cranking out money whenever he needed it. That was almost as good a fantasy as a Rangeman bachelorette party.

"I don't want to know, do I?" Ranger asked, studying my expression.

"Nope," I told him and kissed his cheek."Since you two are discussing budgets, am I getting a raise?"

"No."

I looked up at him."Why not?"

"You wouldn't accept it if I did offer you one," Ranger said.

As much as I liked the thought of more money, he was right. I wouldn't take anything more unless I had earned it. And I couldn't imagine wanting to spend any more hours sitting on my ass in front of a computer.

"Can I write off my lunches at least?" I asked.

"Sure, Babe," he said."What's mine is yours."

"Or it will be once you two get hitched," Tank said.

"I don't really need anything," I told him.

"You sure, Steph?" Ranger asked.

"Yup. You already gave me a car that's still in one piece," I said."I'm not pushing my luck."

Tank shook his head at us.

"Stop shaking your head, Tank," I told him."You could have all of this yourself if you wanted to."

"I don't," Tank said after a minute, probably reliving his near miss with Lula."At least, not at this point in my life."

"Jeez," I said, cutting my eyes to Ranger,"where have I heard that before?"

"When is this supposed to happen, anyway?" Tank asked.

"When is what going to happen?" I asked him."The dinner?"

"No. The wedding."

I looked at Ranger again."I don't know. We haven't really discussed a date."

"The only thing we've discussed is your not wanting Elvis there," Ranger said to me.

I smiled at him.

"Care to explain why Elvis would be at your wedding when he's been dead for over thirty years?" Tank asked."Even Ranger couldn't pull that one off."

"It was Ranger's attempt at helping me," I told Tank."He said if I didn't want to plan a wedding, we could always head to Vegas."

"It would work," Tank said to me,"but Ella would be pissed."

"So would my mother."

"Babe, they're not the ones getting married."

"True, but they are our family," I told him,"and I'd hate to not have them there."

"The guys are going to want to be there, too," Tank said."This is big news around here."

"Crap. I haven't given any of this much thought," I said."The only thing I'm sure of is that I want the wedding to be soon. I don't want to draw it out over a long period of time, where it'll be in danger of getting bigger and more complicated with every month that passes."

"How soon, Babe?" Ranger asked.

"I don't know. A month? Two months?" I said."Will that work for you?"

"Steph, tomorrow would work for me."

"You two are disgusting," Tank said."It's a good thing Trenton's criminal element can't see you now."

"I can take down every one of them single-handedly without breaking a sweat, and they all know it," Ranger said to Tank."And I've made it clear that they don't deserve, or inspire, this kind of treatment from me."

"See," I said to them,"I'm 'special'. That word has been applied to me many times since I was little, but now I see that it's actually a good thing. And that I am special. In all ways. Good and bad."

"You are, Steph," Tank said to me."Special in the good way. Don't let anyone tell you differently. You have to be something to put up with Ranger."

"Put up with him how?" I asked Tank."He's surprisingly easy to be with."

Tank looked doubtful.

"Thanks, Babe," Ranger said."I've been trying for years to get them to see that they're all lucky to have me for a boss."

"Ranger, you're easy to be with personally," I told him,"but you are a bit of a tyrant at work."

"That I'll agree with," Tank said.

"I'm not a tyrant, Steph."

"You demand gym time from everybody but me, a minimum of two hours a week at the gun range, only healthy snacks are allowed in the building. Need I go on?"

"That's not unreasonable," Ranger said."It's nothing that I don't do myself."

"And that's why the men respect you so much," I told him,"because you don't have the do as I say not as I do personality. But not everyone can handle that."

"You've coped with it pretty well so far."

"Thanks, but that's because Ella likes me, and I can stop at Tasty Pastry anytime the mood strikes."

"Maybe the men should have suggested having their 'shower' here, and have Tasty Pastry cater it," Tank said with a smile.

Hmm. Now that he brought it up, I was thinking that wasn't such a bad idea until I intercepted the look Ranger shot Tank.

Tank put both hands up in front of him."Just a suggestion."

"Yeah, a bad one," Ranger said.

I shot a look at Ranger."It's not a bad suggestion, but we should probably stick to Pino's. I can't imagine the guys on a sugar high."

"Good point, Babe."

"I'm surprised, Steph," Tank said to me."I'd think you'd be all for it."

"Ranger wouldn't be able to eat anything if we did that. And I think since this is for our engagement, it should be about both of us. Maybe for my birthday ..."

"Nice try, Steph," Ranger said,"but I know you're only saying that because you don't want to have to share."

I turned my head away from Tank and looked into Ranger's eyes again. They were amused, and I could feel myself smiling into them.

"You got me," I told him."It did sound good, didn't it?"

"Yes. Very noble."

"They do have a carrot cake doughnut," I said to Ranger."A carrot is a vegetable."

"It stops being a vegetable when it's mixed with four pounds of sugar, white flour, and hydrogenated fat."

"See, you're impossible to please. I try to find a compromise and you shoot it down."

"If I thought it meant that much to you," Ranger said to me,"I'd consider it, but you've already decided on Pino's. Bring it up again in October."

Tank chose that moment to cough, which sounded suspiciously like a muffled 'sickening'.

I took my eyes off of Ranger and narrowed them at Tank."Maybe you should be taking notes," I said to Tank."This may come in handy for when you finally meet someone."

"Fuck. I hope not," Tank said."I'm not ready for any of this shit."

My eyebrows rose halfway up my forehead."Excuse me? Did you just call what Ranger and I have together shit?"

"Sorry," he said."That's not what I meant exactly. Back to the wedding. So you're looking at thirty to sixty days from now. What else do you want?"

"I want it to be someplace small," I said to them."Only big enough for our family and friends."

"Are you thinking about inviting all the men here?" Ranger asked.

"Any who want to come."

"We'll need a bigger place then. I employ a lot of people here, unless you only want to invite the men you're closest to."

"No," I said."I don't want to pick and choose between them."

"Babe, remember this is about what you want," Ranger told me."The men will understand."

"I'm not changing things because of them," I said to Ranger."I honestly like all the guys. And if they want to come celebrate with us, I want them to be able to. But maybe we can limit it to just them and skip the 'and guest' part."

"They'll be fine with that," Tank said."It'll be less hassle for the ones who aren't seeing anyone right now."

"Like you?" I asked him.

"Steph," Ranger said,"stop picking on Tank."

"But he's making it so easy."

"Remember when you were scared shitless of me?" Tank asked.

"Not very well," I said, even though I can still picture Tank throwing that guy out the window when I first worked with him.

"I'm losing my touch," Tank said quietly.

"No, you're not," I assured him."It's just that I can see beneath the Terminator-like persona you all have. You guys are more like Kevlar-covered teddy bears to me now."

"Teddy bears?" Tank said, in a tone that said I'd offended him more with that comment than I would have if I'd insulted his mother.

"Babe, don't repeat that," Ranger said."We need to keep people afraid of us."

"I just meant that I can see who you guys really are under all your blank stares, standoffish dispositions, and multiple weapons," I told them."And you don't have to worry about still terrifying everyone, you'll see just how scared people are when you all descend on Pino's tomorrow."

"Is that why you chose to eat there instead of Shorty's?" Ranger asked me.

"Maybe the thought of Rangeman taking over the Burg had occurred to me."

"We've eaten there before, Steph," Tank said.

"But this is different. It will be a group of us together," I told him."Without any threat hanging over the evening, no stalkers to guard me from, just us out having fun celebrating something that we're all happy about. Everyone will be able to just relax and enjoy the night for once."

"Be careful, Babe," Ranger said."Lester, Bobby, and Ramon relaxed isn't something you want to witness."

"I'm sure we'll be able to keep an eye on them."

"Steph, if you think your nieces are a handful, they don't compare at all to Brown and Santos."

"They'll be fine," I told Ranger,"or I'll uninvite them to the wedding."

"No you won't," Ranger said.

"No, I won't," I said."But I can threaten to."

Tank shook his head at us again and I chose to ignore him this time.

"Since Tank brought it up, when do you want to get serious about a plan?" Ranger asked.

"Let's enjoy tomorrow night and then we'll get down to business."

"Sure, Babe."

"I should let you guys get back to work," I said, making a move to stand.

"Worried about losing your job?" Ranger asked, stopping me.

"Not really," I said."I think my job is pretty secure."

"Because you're marrying the guy who owns the place?" Tank asked.

"No, because no one else wants it," I told them."Everyone who stops in while I'm working says something along the lines of how they'd rather get tortured, shot repeatedly, or let loose in a swamp full of hungry alligators, than do what I do all day long."

"I see your point," Ranger said.

"Yup. I've got job security. I'd much rather do searches than any of those other things," I said."So my cozy little cubby is safe."

"Would you be interested in branching out?" Ranger asked.

"Doing what?"

"Learning about the instillation process, talking with clients before and after a break in, consultations which involve security placement," Ranger said."You did help out with the Summerburne account."

"Who?"

"The jewelry store owner."

"I remember him now," I said."Sure. Ihave beencurious about what goes on behind the scenes here. What about my skips?"

"We can work around them," Ranger told me."We'll figure out a schedule and the days that you don't have to apprehend anyone you can try your hand at something new until you decide what you'd like to focus on. Or if you're worried about being bored, you're welcome to keep up with all of it."

I looked over at Tank."And you're okay with this?" I asked him.

"Not my company."

"Tank."

"I think you'd excel at camera placement when setting up systems," Tank said,"since you have experience with what women are concerned about. And you also know where assholes like to hole up."

"Thanks," I told him."Is that your way of saying that I'm useful because I'm a girl who attracts a lot of unstable people?"

"It does give you an advantage," Tank told me.

"Okay, I'm going to let that one go. Remember what we talking about this morning?" I asked Ranger.

"Yes," Ranger said.

"Well ... it got me thinking, and you guys seem to be in no hurry to get back to work either, so I wanted to run something by you."

"I can leave," Tank said, starting to rise.

"Tank, sit," I told him."You can probably help me out, too."

"What is it, Babe?"

"Well," I said to both of them,"now that we're getting married and everything, I thought this would be a good time to get all parts of my life straightened out."

"What do you mean?" Ranger asked me.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, willing the words out of my mouth."I want to start working out regularly from now on." There, I said it.

"Huh?" Tank said, summing up the look that was on Ranger's face.

"You want to run that by me again?" Ranger said.

I smacked Ranger's chest."You heard me the first time. It's not that big of a deal. It's just that I'm about to be Mrs. Manoso, or Mrs. Plum-Manoso, or Stephanie Plum who is married to Manoso, and I don't want to embarrass you."

"Babe, you could never embarrass me."

"Yeah, Steph," Tank said,"no one views you as an embarrassment."

"Thanks guys, but what I should have said is that I don't want to embarrass me anymore. I think it's time that I stop using my inexperience as an excuse for being crappy at my job, and actually get some experience. Or have someone with experience help me out a little. I can't believe I'm actually saying this, but I need one of you to come up with a reasonable," I said, looking pointedly at Ranger,"workout routine that won't be boring and that will help me apprehend reluctant FTAs. One that will also keep my jean size from increasing."

"That's asking a lot, Babe."

"No jokes," I told him."I'm completely serious here. Instead of people saying, 'That's Ranger's wife?' I want them to say, 'Damn. That's Ranger's wife!' You see the difference, right?"

"I've been around you so much, Steph," Ranger said,"that I do see the difference."

"I don't," Tank said.

"That's because you're a guy," I told him."I'll try to explain it a little better. You know how men go through mid-life crises and dump their wives for twenty-year-olds with fake boobs and trade in their sedans for convertibles?"

"Yeah."

"Well, sometimes something similar will happen with women," I told him.

"I thought that was the menopause thing that everyone complains about," Tank said.

"No. That's something else entirely," I said."What I'm talking about is an event that suddenly makes you rethink your life. Like graduating from college, a divorce, the death of a friend, a suddenly empty nest if you have kids. That sort of thing, where you're left wondering how you're going to live the rest of your life. Thinking about becoming a married woman again seems to have triggered it in me."

"How so, Babe?"

Great, at least Ranger was still with me. I was having a hard time trying to say what I meant.

"I guess the easiest way to describe it is that I don't want just a different name when we get married - if I do decide to change mine - I want to become a different person along with it."

"Steph, I don't want a different person," Ranger said, cupping my face in his hand and making me look at him."I asked you to marry me."

I blew out a breath. This is why I don't like talking about these kinds of things. It's too complicated.

"Again, poor word choice," I told him."I just meant like a new and improved Stephanie, not a different one. I'm not giving up doughnuts or birthday cake. I'm still going to spend hours at the mall with Lula or Mary Lou, and irritate the crap out of you daily. But when it comes to my career, I want to change a few things. You guys have shown me a few ways of defending myself, but I need to learn more. I want to be able to chase someone down without worrying about having a heart attack before I catch them. And I never want to come in contact with rotting food ever again."

"And you want our help?" Tank asked.

"Yes," I told him."And if Ranger's busy, or you're not around, I want a backup hardass. I'm probably not going to be pleasant about this at first, or ever, but I really feel like I need to do this."

"Then we'll get it done," Ranger said."Are you going to start coming with me now without complaining?"

Hmm, spending time with Ranger or extra hours of sleep. Hard decision. But Ranger usually beat whatever he was up against. And I really did want this even if I didn't want to do it. I wasn't sure about not complaining, though.

"We can break up your routine if you want," Ranger said."Cardio in the morning and then weights and defense training in the afternoon or evening. How does that sound?"

"Better than mindlessly running on a treadmill."

"On the days you're in the building you can work on your endurance," Ranger said to me, slipping into boss mode,"and when you're out catching skips, or helping out on a Rangeman account, we'll consider it on the job training for future work."

"I guess that way both my body and brain are guaranteed a workout," I said to him.

"Quickest way to results, Babe."

"Do you have any preferences among the men here?" Tank asked."Any you feel more comfortable with than other's?"

"No," I told him."I can get along with all of them. You may need to stick with the ones who have a high threshold for pain and whining. Did I mention how much I hate exercising?"

"They can take it," Ranger said.

"And is someone finally going to teach me how to pick a lock?" I asked them.

"I'll take care of that one personally," Ranger told me.

"Thank you."

"Are you going to be asking Ella for cooking lessons next?" Ranger asked.

"No," I told him."I wouldn't want to become perfect. I still need a flaw or two to stay interesting."

"Babe, staying interesting is never going to be a problem for you."

"I didn't think so," I said."So if I learn how to prevent a break in, how to break into a place on my own, kick butt if someone comes after me, chase them down after they do, and cuff them without getting dirty, what else would I need to know?"

"You know what I'm going to say, Steph," Ranger said to me.

I blew out a sigh. I knew what was coming."Yeah, the gun range."

"It is necessary, Steph," Tank added.

"I know, I just hate that place more than the gym."

"I know you do," Ranger said,"but I'll help you get through it."

"Are you thinking up ways of distracting me from it?" I asked.

"Yes. Remember when you first started working here?" Ranger asked.

"Yeah?" I said cautiously, looking at him. I didn't know where he was going with this.

"I'm sure your 'uniform' could make a reappearance."

"Huh?" And then I knew exactly what he was talking about. The fight with Morelli, and how I'd changed my clothes to piss Joe off. The spandex pants I'd worn commando, and the little wrap shirt that left some of my stomach and most of my chest bare. My cheeks got warm when I thought of Ranger's hand nearing the waistband, ready to find out what I was wearing underneath them. I shifted on Ranger's lap and could tell that he was reliving the moment, too. We forgot all about Tank for a second until he decided to spoil the moment.

"Just make sure the cameras are scrambled," Tank said."We have impressionable minds working here."

I shook my head to clear the memory from it."You're getting to be just as bad as Lester," I told Tank.

"No need to be insulting," Tank said to me."I'm just thinking about you here."

"And I really appreciate it," I said, heavy on the sarcasm. I was almost positive that by the time the wedding date rolls around, Tank will be rolling his eyes right along with me."Okay, I'll add marksman to my list of talents. Will I qualify as a Rangeman then?"

"Babe, if you do everything that we've talked about, you'll be qualified for my job."

"That's okay," I told him."I don't want it. You work too hard. And you have to deal with high-maintenance clients. Plus, I can only boss around one person at a time."

"That's good to know," Tank said,"but it won't help tomorrow night."

"But you guys will be there," I said."What good is having a security company at my fingertips if you can't keep a few men in line?"

"You have Ranger at your fingertips," Tank said to me,"you don't need the rest of us."

"I still want everyone who can make it to come," I said."Maybe I should call ahead and warn Pino."

"Can he keep it quiet?" Ranger asked.

"For me he will. I think," I said."Okay, now I really should be going. I have to tell Lester that tomorrow's a go. Is there a time that's good for you?"

"Anytime after six," Ranger said.

"That okay with you, Tank?"

"Barring any emergency, I'll be there."

"It's going to be a great night," I said to them."I can feel it."

"Could go either way," Ranger said.

"Party pooper," I told him.

"Steph, you're the only one who could get away with speaking to your boss like that."

"I can't kick everyone's ass, but I can bait the man who can. That's something."

"Don't worry, Babe," Ranger said,"pretty soon you'll be able to do both. When do you want to start? I can work with you until we get a specific program designed for you."

I blew out a breath."Okay, if I'm serious about getting better, I guess I have to actually do what it takes to get there."

"That's the spirit, Steph," Tank said.

"What do you say, Babe, are you joining me?" Ranger asked.

"Yes," I said."You know, I'm seeing more men now than I did in all the years of my twenties combined."

"Babe."

"And I'm enjoying this more than I probably should," I told him."But how often does a woman get to have a building full of men as dates without being called a slut, or worse?"

"Get used to it, Steph," Tank said."I have a feeling tomorrow night won't be the last time this happens."

"If they don't watch themselves, it will be," Ranger said.

"They'll be good," I told Ranger, pressing a kiss to the muscle flexing in his jaw."And we're going to be good."

"We already are, Babe."

"Fucking disgusting," Tank said again.

"Don't worry, I'm leaving," I told him."I'll go fill Lester in and get the rest of my work finished. Are you going to be later than six?"

"No," Ranger said."In fact, we should only be another hour."

"So if I hadn't interrupted you, we would have had an early day?"

"You can distract me anytime you want, Babe."

"Yeah, Steph," Tank said."Feel free to interrupt next week when we have to go over all the new hires."

"You make it sound like your work is as exciting as mine," I said.

"Only some days," Tank said."The skips and break ins usually help with the monotony."

"Well I'm not going to wish for more break ins or any dangerous skips, so I'll just say that I hope you guys get everything done quickly," I said to them. I gave Ranger a quick kiss and slid off his lap."Are you picking me up at my desk when you're done here?"

"Yes," Ranger said.

"If I'm not there," I told him, walking to the door,"check with Lester. He's always trying to get me to do something he wants to avoid."

"Like what?" Ranger asked.

"Last week he wanted me to use one of my programs to find a woman he met at a club. And another time he tried to get me to pretend to be his girlfriend so his mother would leave him alone about settling down because he still prefers to meet women in clubs." I saw Ranger's mouth tighten. To protect Lester's overall health, I quickly finished what I was telling them."Needless to say, I didn't do it. And he got smacked by both me and Ram, who had been walking by and heard him."

"I always liked Ram," Ranger said.

"Lester doesn't get away with much around here," I told Ranger."If you're not here to watch out for me, I've got at least three guys around who are." It sounded like it should be confining, but once I realized they were doing it on their own, I felt more cared for than caged.

"I would say that's how I planned it," Ranger said,"but they're doing it because they like you."

"And I like them, too," I said,"but not enough to hover over them like they do to me."

Tank laughed and Ranger's lips twitched. I waved at them and went to look for Lester. I found him getting a bottle of water from the fridge in the control room kitchen.

"Dinner at Pino's at six-thirty tomorrow. Ranger's coming and so is Tank, barring an emergency." I said, quoting Tank.

"Cool," Lester said."I'll let everyone know."

"Do we have a projected number of 'everyone'?" I asked.

"Probably ten to fifteen including me, Bobby, Hal, Tank, you, and the Boss."

Yep, definitely a heads up for the people at Pino's, I thought.

"I'll be in my cubby if you need to ask me anything else," I said.

"Since you brought it up ..."

"No," I told him."Whatever it is, no."

"I just have one report that needs to be retyped," Lester said."You're so much better at that crap than me."

"Bye, Lester," I said, as I walked back to my desk fighting back a smile.

I never thought in a million years that I'd be here, getting complimented by Tank, goading Lester without worrying about payback, and looking forward to a dinner with all of them. But now that I am here, I plan on enjoying every second of it.