Bobby and Lester arrive while Zip is making me hot chocolate. He found semi-sweet chocolate chips in my cabinet and boiled milk on the stove. I watch as Zip adds the chocolate chips to melt in the liquid. He raises an eyebrow before adding honey to the mixture. "I'm trying to cut back on refined sugars," he explains.
I smile and accept the mug he offers. Bobby waits until I sit on the couch before examining me. He takes my temperature by running the thermometer across my forehead. "When did you get that one?" I ask.
He blushes before replying, "Since the last time I took your temperature."
Zip raises an eyebrow. "I don't like thermometers getting stuck under my tongue, so I bit it," I explain.
"She snapped the metal off the end," Bobby adds. "I saw them using this type in the pediatric ward at the hospital. It's a more expensive model than what they use, but it's highly accurate." I roll my eyes at Bobby. He didn't mean to compare me to a child. I lacked the patience to wait two minutes until the thermometer was ready.
"I bet it's easier to sanitize," Zip jokes. Bobby grins in reply.
"Okay, Steph. Your temperature is fine, but your toes and fingers are still a bit cold. I have an electric blanket in the car that you should use tonight," Bobby announces.
I shake my head when I think about Zip being my electric blanket. My face flushes when I catch Zip's grin. He is up for the task. Lester leaves to grab the item from the car. He returns after a minute and throws it on my bed before plugging it into the electrical socket behind the headboard.
"Your blanket is warming up your bed," Lester states. He extends his hand for me to grab. When I place my hand inside his hand, he pulls me tight and kisses my head. "Take care of yourself, Steph." I feel him raise his head to look over my shoulder. Lester bends low to whisper, "Zip loves you. Let him in." I notice Bobby talking to Zip while Lester comforts me and wonder what he says to my rescuer.
Bobby and Lester hug me before leaving for the night. Zip promises to spend the night to ensure I am okay. He locks the door and engages the floor bolt Hector had installed after Joe and I broke up. It's also an insurance to prevent Ranger from entering my apartment while I'm asleep. "We're just going to sleep, Steph," Zip quietly says as he leads me to my bedroom.
I crawl into bed wearing a long shirt and boy-short panties. Zip groans when I pull back the blanket for him to get into my bed. He tugs me until my back presses to his front, spooning me for the night. "Thank you for everything, Zack," I say, yawning.
"Anything for you, Steph," he says. I felt him kiss my shoulder before nuzzling into my neck. With a smile, I close my eyes and let sleep take me away.
It feels like only minutes after I fall asleep when I hear someone calling my name, asking me to wake up. "Please, wake up, Steph. It's just a dream. You're safe," Zip said loud enough to break through the fog.
Startled, I sat up in bed to look around. Zip was kneeling beside me with his hands on my thighs. "I thought it was real," I whisper before launching myself into Zip's arms.
"What did you think was real, Steph?" Zip asks.
"The dream. Ranger came into my apartment. He said I had to give him the fob for Rangeman because I was not welcome inside the building anymore," I reply. "He said that I couldn't work part-time for Rangeman if I refused to have sex with him."
"He really messed with your head, didn't he?" Zip asks. I nod, unable to speak. "Steph, Bobby told me that Ranger left on a mission yesterday. He'll be gone between six months and a year. Ranger left two contracts for you to review. One for full-time and the other for part-time. He may not want a relationship with you but wants you to have a stable job with partners."
"Really?" I ask. It seems too good to be true.
"Have I ever lied to you before?"
"No. I guess I'll drop by Rangeman in the morning," I replied. I looked at the clock to see it was already 05:30. "Well, no time like the present." I hopped out of bed to head toward the shower. "Since you've already seen me naked, do you want to share the shower?" Zip grinned before hopping out of bed. He lifted me into his arms to carry me towards the shower. Before I can grab the tap, he dumps me inside the shower and turns on the cold water. I couldn't believe he shoved me under cold water after what happened last night.
"I'll pass on sharing the shower today," he says before leaving me inside the tub, cold and wet. "Don't worry, darling. The water isn't cold enough to cause hypothermia."
I ran the water as hot as I could tolerate to warm up my body from the sudden cold. It had been a few months since my last social orgasm, so I decided to give my showerhead a workout. When I got dressed in my jeans and shirt, I noticed Zip standing in the living room wearing a shocked expression. "What's wrong?" I ask.
His face turns red before replying, "I um… heard you in the shower. Did you?" My face flushes, giving him the answer. "Darling, that was the sexiest noise I have ever heard." He pulls me into his arms and presses his lips to mine. I felt a spark, causing me to gasp. Zip took advantage of my mouth opening to push his tongue inside to tangle with mine. His phone buzzes, making him break the connection. "Steph," he whispers, touching my forehead with his cheek.
"I felt it, too," I reply. "I want to get to know you before we take it further. It's important to base our relationship on something meaningful besides sex. We've known each other for a few years, but I need this to be different."
"Okay, Steph. I'll follow your lead." He entwines our fingers before guiding me towards the hook where I left my coat and purse. Zip helps me put on my jacket, acting the role of a gentleman that I knew he was at heart. I feel the tiniest bit of me heal from his attention and tell him about the Ranger's deal.
Zip drives us to Rangeman in complete silence. His hands keep clutching the steering wheel as he radiates anger. "Zack, what's wrong?" I tentatively ask.
"Nothing per se. I'm angry that Ranger never considered your emotions," Zip replies. I know he's furious regarding the deal Ranger proposed for us to have sex.
"Zack, I never would have agreed to the deal if I didn't want to have sex with Ranger. It was a way for us to give in to the sexual tension without ruining our friendship," I explain.
"I know, but I'm still angry. If we offered you that deal, Ranger would have taken us to the mats." Unfortunately, Zip isn't wrong. Ranger is overly protective of me. He doesn't want me to get hurt physically. However, Ranger can potentially destroy me emotionally and break my heart. With so many bits of me missing, would I notice when my heart breaks?
Zip parks in the employee section of the underground garage. I'm not surprised by the location, having received a ride from Lester last week. Lester's candy apple red Mustang is in its usual spot, with Bobby's green Escalade in the space to the right. Zip's designated parking spot couldn't have been farther from the elevator. "You could have parked in my spot," I say, grinning.
"Now you tell me," he sarcastically replies, accentuating his statement with a Burg-worthy eye roll. "Seriously, Hector is picking up your car. He needs your spot available."
"Cool, Merry Men valet service," I mumble.
"What did you call us?" Zip asks.
"Merry Men."
"Um, Steph, we don't work for Robin Hood."
"I know, but I had difficulty remembering all the guys' names. Using a generalized nickname seemed appropriate, considering you guys call me Bomber," I snap.
"You don't like the nickname," he says as a statement rather than a question.
"Not one little bit. It makes me feel inadequate and clumsy," I reply. "I know it makes the guys happy, so I don't complain."
"Which is why everyone loves you. But I want you to start thinking about yourself," Zip says before exiting the car. "Your mental health should be a priority. When you don't care for yourself, how do you expect to care for others?"
I exit the car on the passenger side without replying to what I assume is a rhetorical question. After the elevator door closes, he lifts my chin using his finger. I watch his eyebrow raise, questioning what I have in my mind. "Isn't that the same as saying you can't love others if you don't know how to love yourself?" I wonder.
"Yes, Steph," he whispers before kissing my forehead. Zip exits on the fourth floor to change for his workout in the gym. I continue on the elevator to the fifth floor, where Tank has his office.
"Enter," Tank barks when I knock on the door.
"Hey, Big Guy. I heard a rumour that you had contracts for me to review?" I ask, closing the door behind me.
A smile breaks across Tank's face before he opens and reaches inside his desk drawer. I'm temporarily blinded by the smile on the gorgeous man when he drops two thick contracts on his desk for me to grab. "Take a seat, Little Girl. I want to review them before you select one to sign," he demands.
I sit in the chair across from his desk. Tank moves his chair until it's beside mine. As promised, he reviews the contracts, listing the pros and cons of each. Personally, I feel the eight hours of gym and six hours of range time are slightly excessive. "I guess negotiating less training is out of the question?"
"Your contract states the minimum Rangeman requires. To work at Rangeman, you must abide by our rules and protocols," Tank warns. I nod, understanding the reason for their strict methods. Most of the men are ex-military who learned to trust their team during their military career. I need to get some training to protect my partner's back. They need the reassurance that I can protect them, too.
"Tank, I want to be treated the same as everyone else, but I don't want to get stuck at a desk all day. The chair in my cubicle makes my ass fall asleep."
He tips his head back to laugh. It's a pleasant noise coming from the big guy. Once again, I'm blinded by the gorgeous man. "Steph, the time you spend in the gym and gun range are identical for both contracts. We won't make you run at too early o'clock in the morning. There's an apartment available on four that we've held for you. It would make all of us feel secure with you living inside Rangeman. You are free to enter and leave at your leisure. I'll get you a more comfortable chair for your desk."
"Hmm… toss in Ella cooking for me, and we'd have a deal," I think to myself. Tank laughs and replies, "Deal. Ella would provide your meals if it gets you to sign the full-time contract."
I roll my eyes before signing the full-time offer. After Tank adds his signature, he runs to the door, opens it and yells, "She signed on for full-time duty."
Lester and Bobby rush into the office to pull me into their arms. "Is it true?" Lester asks.
"Yes, Lester, I'm a full-time Rangeman employee," I reply. He picks me up to swing me around.
"What about your job with Vinnie?" Bobby asks. I shrug because it doesn't matter to me anymore. My cousin could eat shit for all I cared.
"Vinnie's been giving most of my skips to Joyce Barnhardt. I've barely made enough to pay rent this month," I confess. "Tank, I will move into the unit on four."
Tank pulls me from Lester's arms to hug me tightly. I feel comfortable and safe in his arms - not in the same way as when Zip holds me, but it's still a pleasant feeling. "I'm happy, Little Girl. Les, Bobby, and I will make sure the men don't drop in for unexpected visits," he whispers. I kiss his bald head in thanks.