A/N: Thank you for all of you're reviews I am so glad you are enjoying my story!

Chapter 7

Stephanie POV

I've been at Rangeman for three weeks now and I have loved every minute of it. After lunch on the first day I spent the rest of the afternoon meeting the different department heads and learning about each sector of the company.

I started on the third floor and met Silvio first. He was head of research and ran the searches on potential employees, potential clients, and criminals who failed to appear for their bonds. Next I spent some time with Hector, head of IT and Security Systems, since we already knew each other we spent most of the time reviewing the different security packets we offered and him showing me the storage room where he had gotten all the locks for my apartments. I skipped the medical suite since Bobby was still gone but I did learn he held the title of CMO, chief medical officer.

My next stop was in the basement with Ram and Vince who were the co-heads of training which meant they would be my instructors if I decided to go into the field and would train me on things like firearms and combat. Although I didn't see myself spending much time with them. After that I went back up to the control room to meet with Hal and Junior who led the bond enforcement teams. They explained the process and how we made money from the program. I can't say I envy their job. Finally I met Lester who held the official title of Chief Information Officer and oversaw the control room, bond enforcement, and contract work across all of the branches. He walked me through the process of the control room and the company structure.

Finally I ended my day the way it started with Tank who officially explained that his title was Chief Operating Officer but he was currently acting CEO. He oversaw office operations, HR, and all executive and general business for the company. I would be reporting directly to him and Ranger when he returned. When Ranger was active he split the same duties with Tank and also oversaw all things related to client, government, and public relations. By the time we reached 1700 or as Tank explained 5 pm he figured I had learned enough for the day though so we decided to start going through any of the programs the next day.

Over the course of my first week I had learned a new program each day starting with rosters, then payroll, purchasing, and all about the different types of reports the guys completed that would need to be approved by different department heads and then reviewed and filed by me. I was able to pick up all of the processes fairly quick, impressing both myself and Tank. However, I wouldn't say any of them were efficient as they were all quite intricate and time intensive so I already had plans to find ways to make them easier and propose them to the leadership team. The past two weeks I have been doing things the way they've always worked though so I could better understand the intricacies and needs of the company.

My second week I was able to make some real progress in starting friendships with all of the guys who worked here. It started when Lester invited me to poker night with the guys on the weekend. We all gathered at Lester's house that Saturday to play, eat pizza, and I had brought my signature treats at the request of the men and my favorite pineapple upside down cake so we enjoyed those as well. By the end of the night I felt more comfortable with all the guys and had decided to call them my Merry Men. Following that night I had guys showing up at my office at all times just to pick my brain on anything they could come up with and I was now having to eat in the breakroom everyday so I didn't have to pick between all of my lunch invitations.

I was feeling a little overwhelmed with all the attention though so when the guys asked if I could join them for a ski trip I turned them down stating that me and Hector had plans, lucky for me Hector backed me up. It turns out that they were all aware that Hector spoke English so when I spent the entire first week using my phone to translate to him they just found it funny. It wasn't until Tank told me that I stopped, turns out I just couldn't tell people outside Rangeman.

Hector had to work Saturday though so him and I made plans to hang out on Sunday night to which he convinced me to make my chocolate chip cookies with him and he would teach me how to use my new computer. I had learned that the cookies and other treats I made reminded him of his mother's who had died when he was twelve so he really appreciated anytime that he could have them but didn't want to have to keep bothering me. I spent Saturday sleeping in and lounging around. I made note of things I could get for my apartment to make it more homey like throw pillows and picture frames. I needed to get some items from the store before baking with Hector so I made a list for the next day.

I didn't sleep well that night though and I ended up waking up at the way to early time of 5 am. After showering, eating breakfast, and getting dressed I made it out the door to the grocery store. While the time of day had made me a little cranky. The trip turned out to be very productive as I got everything I needed and a date. I felt so bad when I accidentally ran into the mysterious man who had introduced himself as Carlos. However our brief interaction still had me feeling things I had never felt for another person in my life so far. To say I was excited for our date was an understatement. I just hoped he really showed up since we didn't exchange our phone numbers.

Hector arrived on time that evening as always and we decided to start with the cookies. I was halfway into telling him about my interaction with the mysterious Carlos when he asked me to describe him. I had learned that Hector was gay so me and him had spent many of our conversations discussing men and the various things we were hoping for out of our future relationships. Unfortunately both of us have been unlucky in finding love so far despite the amount of times Lester had already asked me out. Lester was attractive but his playboy flirtatious personality told me to stay far away and that was also one of the first things Bobby said to me after I had first met him.

"Let's see he was about half a head taller than me, mocha latte skin, latino, long black hair that he wore in a low ponytail, dark brown eyes, muscles that were defined by the shirt he had worn but he wasn't quite bulging like the men who I worked with, oh and he had a earring." I explained

"Interesting. I'm happy for you Hermana." Hector replied with a smile but there was also a curious look behind his eyes that I couldn't make out. We continued baking the cookies with Hector telling me about his shift yesterday and how Junior slipped on the ice chasing a dog that got out when they were picking up a skip and somehow ended up covered in the neighbors trash.

We were about to mix the dry ingredients so I opened my cabinet and pulled out the container where I kept my grandma's special spice blend. Hector raised his eyebrow when I added a few teaspoons to the cookies.

"I told you I would make cookies with you, not that I would give you my recipe. In fact I kinda can't because my grandma made me swear I would never reveal the recipe for the family spice blend unless the person is an official part of my family." I told him.

He tried to hide his disappointment so I decided to not let him be sad for too long. "Although that doesn't mean I can't give you a jar and the other part of the recipe" I said, pulling out a smaller jar of the blend with the recipe taped to the side for him to take home. He pulled me into a super tight hug and I gave him a kiss on his teardrop tattoo before turning on the mixer. We placed the first batch into the oven and spent the rest of the evening going between computer lessons and baking the rest of the cookies.

The next morning I arrived at the office to find the atmosphere completely different from the past few weeks. It was quiet and the men were even a little jumpy. They were also being extremely productive typing away on their desks and sitting up straight when watching the monitors. I stopped by the breakroom to grab some coffee and learned from Hal that the elusive Ranger was back in town and was currently meeting with Tank in his office. He also said that Ranger would be doing rounds later today to catch up with all of the departments so all the guys were trying to get their reports done before he did.

With that knowledge I made my way to my office that the guys had surprised me with at the end of last week. They had noticed that I spent a lot of my time on the phone with different suppliers, the other branches, and our accountants so they realized that it would be better if I had a more private space. There was an unoccupied office on the fifth floor since Bobby had decided he didn't need an office and the entire medical suite.

Ella and Luis who I had grown to love had helped the guys make it the perfect office for me. Luis had painted the office a calming light blue color, fixed up the lighting, and even added a bathroom in the room so I wouldn't have to go down to the first or second floor anymore. Ella had ordered furniture and decor that was exactly my style and moved the few personal items I normally kept in my cubicle into the office.

After putting my winter coat and boots away I moved to my desk and dug into the weekend reports that needed to be reviewed and filed. I was excited to meet the boss but he probably wouldn't be happy if I had a pile of paperwork waiting in my tray to be completed so I understood the guy's drive to feel productive this morning.

About three hours later there was a knock at my door. I was working on entering payroll into the spreadsheet so I didn't look up immediately after I granted the knocker entrance. I heard the door open and an electric shock suddenly ran down my neck. I thought to myself, it couldn't be the only other time I had felt that sensation was when I had run into Carlos in the grocery store. So I was shocked when I looked up to see the large frame of Tank standing next to the handsome man I met in the grocery store and was going on a date with on Friday standing next to him.

"Carlos?" I blurted out.

"Ranger, this is Stephanie Plum, the new office manager I hired. Wait, do you two know each other?" Tank said.

"You work here?" Ranger said to me ignoring Tank's question.

"Yes I do and You're Ranger."

"Indeed and You're my new office manager" We stared at each other both equally in awe of the other's presence before our eyes.

Tank must have been talking since I vaguely heard him say "I'm just gonna see myself out" to no one in particular and we were only brought out of our trance when the sound of my office door closing hit our ears.

"I don't know what to say." I told Carlos honestly.

"I can't believe you're here." He responded.

"Likewise. I've been here a month and no one has ever shown me a picture of you, only for me to meet you in a grocery store of all places."

"Do you like working here?" Carlos asked.

"I love it so far" I replied.

"Good to hear." He said as he moved directly across the desk from me sitting down in one of the chairs.

"So you're the infamous Ranger. The ultimate soldier away on top secret government business. The head honcho. El Jefe. The Bossman. Chief Executive Officer." At this point I was rambling so I was grateful when he finally cut me off.

"Yes I am indeed all of those things."

"Did you not think I might be the woman you met yesterday when Tank told you my name?"

"I was hopeful but you never told me your last name and Tank also didn't show me any pictures." He responded.

It took a little courage on my part to ask my next question. "So since you're my boss does this mean Friday's off the table?" I asked tentatively hoping the answer would be no.

Carlos contemplated my question for a minute before responding."Not a chance." Then he gave me one of his 200 watt smiles. I returned the smile as he leaned over the desk and said softly "Unless it would make you uncomfortable. You set the boundary babe but just so you know I would be disappointed."

"What should I wear?" I returned his smile hoping he would understand what I meant.

"Something nice but nothing fancy." He replied before giving me a quick kiss on the cheek before stepping towards the door. "Employee meeting in 30, conference room A and welcome to Rangeman Stephanie." and then he was gone.