Stephanie's POV
Daddy noticed I arrived for dinner more frequently than my weekly command performances. It coincided with my dwindling bank account balance. I didn't take long to confess I had lost my job at E. E. Martin when Baldicott purchased them. The owners, Ernie and Edwin Martin, had to sell, or the FBI would close their doors. Through no fault of my own, Human Resources for Baldicott determined the Lingerie Purchasing Department was redundant, and everyone got laid off permanently.
I heard the rumblings several months earlier and found a one-bedroom apartment on the corner of St James and Dunworth in Trenton, New Jersey before I lost my job. The rent was cheap, and I wouldn't have to move in with my parents, which was for the best. Living in a three-bedroom semi-detached house with one bathroom was not ideal. I still remember fighting with Valerie in the mornings to prepare for school. She was a bathroom hog.
While Mom was in the kitchen grabbing dessert, Dad mentioned my cousin Vinnie was searching for a file clerk at his Bail Bonds office. Singing the alphabet song would drive me insane after a while, but I really needed the money. I wasn't above blackmailing Vinnie for a job. My perverted cousin was a sexual deviant, and I wasn't above using that knowledge to get what I wanted.
Mom thought I should find a nice Burg man and get married; then, I wouldn't need to find a job or pay rent. It would be my husband's responsibility to take care of me financially. I would have to serve dinner by six, clean the house and raise the children. Had Mom forgotten about my disastrous marriage to Dickie Orr? He was a Burg man. I refused to look the other way when he cheated on me. Mom was furious, but I never gave a damn. Why should I sacrifice my happiness to make her happy? The thought of marrying a Burg man and producing their spawn gave me hives.
I want to marry a man who would love the craziness only I could bring to a marriage. The thought made me smile. Grandma winked when I caught her eye. Alas, such a creature doesn't exist in the Burg. Mom bumped open the kitchen door with her hip as she brought pineapple upside-down cake to the table. I grabbed a large serving and added more whipped cream before digging into my favourite dessert. Mom asked a question, but I wasn't paying attention to anything besides my cake.
"What?" I mumbled around the food in my mouth.
"Have you considered what I asked?" Mom wondered.
Furrowing my brow as I chewed the cake, I tried to remember her question. Mom sighed, "Why me? Stephanie, I asked how you felt about me inviting eligible Burg men to dinner."
I jabbed my fork into my cake and ate a few bites before I lost my appetite. Mom waited expectantly, hoping I would answer prior to leaving their house for the night. Placing my fork on my empty plate, I said, "Mom, I don't want to marry a Burg man or stay home and raise children. I want a man who can handle my craziness. You know what the Burg does to women who don't align with their ideals. I'm still hearing rumours about divorcing Dickie, which was almost ten years ago."
"I don't understand why you never forgave him," Mom tittered. "Once I train you to cook, the men will be lining up at the door."
Slamming my hands on the table, I stood from my chair. "Mom, I am not a disobedient dog!" I screamed.
Grandma laughed, knowing what was about to happen. Dad quickly intervened, "Helen, Stephanie's thirty. She doesn't need to cook for a man. You cook for me and tend to my house because you insisted upon it once we married. I wanted to split the household responsibilities, but you wouldn't allow me to assist. Don't think for a second that I was complacent. It's time for you to stop meddling in Stephanie's affairs. She might remarry, or she might not. That decision is hers alone. Stay out of it."
I loved Dad. He was my hero. Daddy taught me to fire a weapon, including various handguns and rifle models. My favourite memories with Dad were hunting for deer and fishing. I often asked if he wished I was a boy. He always replied, "No. You are perfect, just the way you are." I missed our trips. They ended while the Army deployed Dad, and Joseph fucking Morelli stole my virginity on the bakery floor. I should have charged him with rape despite how it would make me look. Everyone learned about the incident because Morelli wrote it on every men's room wall in the Burg.
Dad ensured I knew how to defend myself. Nobody in the Burg, not even Mom, knew I held a black belt in most martial arts programs. I couldn't wait to see the look on those Burg bitches' faces when I knocked their precious Joseph Morelli on his ass.
Mom sighed. She took a long sip from her iced tea, which I suspected was half whiskey. "You're right, Frank. I'm sorry, Stephanie. I'll try to stop from interfering. Could you do me a favour?" Mom sweetly asked.
Narrowing my eyes, I replied, "It all depends on what you want." I wasn't going to give my mom a long leash. There I go with my dog analogies again. Sigh.
"When you find an eligible man, could you invite him for dinner?" Mom asked.
"I could do that," I replied, making Mom smile.
"Thank you," Mom said before excusing herself from the table. She returned with the leftovers from dinner. "This should hold you over for a few days. Send me a grocery list, and I'll fill your refrigerator and pantry. It's only until you find a job."
"Thanks, Mom," I replied, fighting back the tears. It was rare for Mom to be that considerate. She would wash my laundry or send me home with leftover food but never bought my groceries. I looked at Dad, and he smiled approvingly.
"Do you need money for your car payments?" Dad asked after accompanying me outside to my car. I hung my head from embarrassment. With a calloused finger on my chin, he raised my face to look into his eyes. "How many have you missed?"
"Enough that Lenny Gruber is hanging around to repossess it," I confessed.
"I'll take care of it," Dad said. He kissed my forehead and opened the door when I unlocked it. Dad went to the passenger side to get the information from the registration. He entered the information into his phone and called the number. Dad motioned for me to leave. I quickly kissed his cheek and climbed into my car to go home. Hopefully, Lenny Gruber wouldn't collect my car during the night.
I went to bed feeling that everything in my life would change forever—my dreams filled with flickers of a mysterious man. Whenever I tried to see his face, he would disappear. Then, he would appear, but I couldn't see him. My traitorous body gave me away. It felt alive. I felt alive for the first time since marrying Dickie Orr. The faceless man caressed my skin. Everywhere he touched ignited my senses. I had to have him. He buried his fingers in me, and I cried out in ecstasy. I woke up and found my room empty. My hand was in my panties, damp from releasing my horniness. After a trip to the bathroom to empty my bladder and wash my hands, I returned to bed, hoping to chase that man in my dream. He never returned.
In the morning, I climbed out of bed feeling too tired to manage the day. I peeked out the window, disappointed to find my car missing from the parking lot. It was too late for my dad to help. Oh well. I called Mary Lou and asked her to help me hock some small appliances at the pawn shop. She dropped me off and apologized for leaving me to stay with her children. I understood. My best friend helped until her husband had to go to work.
I walked the four blocks to the used car lot and haggled over the price of the piece of shit, which resembled crap, brown Nova. The man accepted my coffee maker in exchange for the registration and plates. He grinned as I drove away in the sputtering shit box. I went home to wash away the sweat from the excursion.
After my shower, I dressed in a skirt, red button-down shirt, pantyhose and three-inch heels. My hair cooperated for once, but I grabbed an elastic in case it went frizzy during the day. Walking past the front of my car, I kicked the wheel before unlocking the door. I was frustrated by having to drive the crappy vehicle. I only had a few hundred dollars left in my bank account. Thankfully, I have already paid my rent for the month.
When I arrived at the office, Connie informed me that the filing position was no longer available. I felt dejected until she mentioned needing a BEA - bond enforcement agent - to fill Morty Beyer's role temporarily. Morty had an emergency appendectomy. Connie explained the job. How hard could it be? Much harder than I anticipated. She called Vinnie from his office.
It took begging, blackmail and offering a one-week trial period for Vinnie to cave and give me the job. Vinnie warned that it was against his better judgment and he would have to face the potential retribution from his Aunt Helen - my mother - if things went south.
Connie handed me a file, grinning when I received the file to capture Joseph Morelli. "Time to pay, asshole," I mumbled. I wanted to pay back Morelli for everything he had done to me in the past. My reputation got ruined by Joe when he wrote crass poems of our sexual encounter around town before leaving for the Navy.
After a few hours and locating Joseph Morelli, I realized I needed help. Joe slammed the door in my face. I was unable to restrain him. "Watch it, asshole. I'm going to catch you," I promised before leaving. I called Connie for advice. Connie promised to call after contacting another BEA who owed her a favour.
"Hello," I cheerfully answered when my phone rang. Connie explained that Ricardo Carlos Manoso would meet me at the diner at two sharp. He would leave even if I were a few seconds late. I thought Ranger was a bit anal over his schedule. It was worse than Mom saying I ruined dinner by arriving a minute after six—stupid, rigid schedules.
Connie said, "His full name is Ricardo Carlos Manoso. He's a second-generation Cuban American. He works for Vinnie, making apprehensions only other agents dream about. Sometimes, he gets a little creative, but that's the way geniuses work, right?" She explained that Ranger didn't always play by the rules like Clint Eastwood in the Dirty Harry movie.
"Do you have more information on him?" I asked.
"Sorry, hon, but no. He's new to the area. I tried to find out more, but he lists his address as the empty lot near Twelfth and Major.
I was nervous as I parked at the curb for the downtown diner. A gorgeous black Mercedes had parked in front of mine. It was a sexy car. I wondered who owned it. When I imagined an equally sexy man driving the vehicle, I moaned. My bag had fallen on the floorboard when I took the corner at a sharp turn. I opened the passenger side door and bent over to grab my messenger bag. It felt like someone was watching me or staring at my ass. I stood up straight, squared my shoulders and walked toward the diner.
The place was nearly empty. Only the staff and a single, attractive, sexy and muscular man with a thick neck and drool-worthy biceps sitting in a booth with his back to the wall occupied the space. My neck tingled, catching me off guard and forcing me to touch it. I searched around for the source of the involuntary reaction and whispered, "Ranger." The sexy man was sitting at the table along the back wall, allowing himself to see everything in the diner and the front door.
Holy Hell! He was breathtakingly gorgeous. I caught the man's eye and he quirked a brow and smiled when I tripped over my foot. My face flushed from embarrassment. "Way to go, Stephanie," I admonished myself. The man looked around before settling his gaze back on me. Connie must not have mentioned the BEA was a woman. Squaring my shoulders, I approached the attractive man in black.
"Hi. I'm Stephanie Plum. Are you Ricardo Manoso?" I asked, extending my hand. I felt sparks when he engulfed my hand in his. The warmth of his skin moved through my arm and straight to my hoohah. Good Lord. Was it hot in here? His straight black hair was pulled back in a slick ponytail. He had biceps that appeared be carved from granite and shined with Armour-all. I guessed his height at five foot ten. His muscular neck and don't-mess-with-me body had me rubbing my thighs together. Ranger appeared to be in his late twenties.
He asked why I wanted to be a BEA. My hackles raised as I defended my decision. He chuckled when I mentioned blackmailing my cousin for the job. Ranger's brow rose when I leaned forward enough for him to see down my top. His hand dropped to his lap, but I was too indignant to wonder what he was doing. "Let me make myself clear. I'm out of work. My car got repossessed. I have no food in my cupboards or refrigerator. I'm this close," I snarled, spacing my index finger and thumb barely two millimetres apart, "from getting kicked out of my apartment. My feet don't fit in my damn shoes. I have zero energy to waste socializing with a pompous, egotistical, sexy, muscular man. Are you going to help me?"
"We're going to have fun. It will be like Professor Higgins and Eliza Doolittle Does Trenton," Ranger replied, grinning. I was temporarily mesmerized by the smile. It made him appear much younger and oh so damn sexy.
"What do I call you?" I breathlessly asked.
"Ranger," he replied. "It's my street name." Someday, I hoped to call Manoso my husband. Shit! Where the fuck did that thought come from? Yikes. I prayed he couldn't read the thoughts on my face. Ranger distracted me by asking, "Do you have the file?"
What did I have? I had to shake the sexy thoughts from my head. "Yes," I replied as my stomach grumbled, which embarrassed me slightly. "Sorry. I haven't had anything to eat for lunch today." I only ate a small piece of pineapple cake my mom had sent home the previous night. The other leftovers got consumed before I went to bed. He told me to call him Ranger, then insisted I order food. I smiled when he promised to pay for my meal. Sweet.
Ranger watched in horror, or was it in awe, as I consumed my early dinner. It was delicious, but I preferred to eat at Pino's. During the meal, we got to know each other a bit. I was shocked Ranger let his ex-wife's husband adopt his daughter. What was the story? Ranger carried himself like Daddy. I wondered if he was military. He didn't offer, I didn't ask, and Connie never said.
I suppressed a moan when Ranger stood behind me to correct my stance while holding a gun. His warm breath rushed past my ear as he whispered, "Shoot," before snapping down the ear protection. Ranger's muscular chest pressed against my back. Goodness. He better step back before I orgasmed on the spot. The last time I had sex with a man was over nine years earlier. I felt the electricity pass between us. Ranger got placed at the top of my spank bank.
"Babe," Ranger groans as he invades my personal space. "Say the word, and I'll help." I might have to take him up on the offer.
"I'm good for now," I reply. "Thanks for helping me. I should get to work." Ranger placed a protective hand on my lower back and guided me to the car. He tapped the roof when I closed the door. It took a few minutes for my vehicle to sputter to life. Black smoke engulfed Ranger as I drove away.
Holy hot bells. Ranger was H O T, smoking hot. My hormones are flying off the charts. I could still feel his fingers on my cheek. He left a fiery path where he touched. What was with the tingling sensation in my neck? I must confess it had intensified when his fingers caressed my skin. God knows I wouldn't mind feeling those warm, electrifying fingers touching me in other regions. I bet he could give me the mother of all orgasms.