Chapter 38: Caught Off Guard
A/N: Conversations in Italics understood to be in Spanish. Also, if you have dub-con triggers, be prepared.
Armando’s POV
The call comes at noon, just as I’m leading my family from the church. I pull my girls back from the street and make them take their abuela’s hands.
“Yo!”
“Armando!”
It’s Thomas and he’s in a panic. I wonder what could have happened.
“What?”
“What the fuck man! The CO is here! Why didn’t you say anything?”
OH HOLY SHIT! She’s here? Today? It’s Sunday. We aren’t ready. My branch isn’t ready. We didn’t get any advance notice. We haven’t prepped. What the fuck is going on?
“I didn’t know she was coming, man. Just hold the fort. I’m coming in.” Click.
Mariela and my Mama are looking at me with frowns on their faces. Before I can say a word, Mariela cuts me off.
“Short of that building blowing up, you will not go in today. I don’t care what’s going on.”
“Querida, my boss just popped up. It’s her first visit to Miami as the head, and we know she’s doing management reviews. I don’t know if we’ll be graded on this, so I have to go.”
“No. You will not go. You will call her and ask her if you need to report in. It’s Sunday and you are spending time with the family. If she’s any kind of woman, she’ll understand and respect that, but if it is an emergency you can go in. Otherwise, you are a dead man if you leave my side today.”
My mama is nodding. I fear my wife as much as Ranger, so I make the call.
“Stephanie, it’s Armando. Thomas tells me that you are here. I apologize for not being there to welcome you personally.”
“Hi, Armando. Yes, I’m here for personal reasons. You can tell the men to stand down. I told Thomas, but he still looks worried. Hector is with me, and we’ll be in and out, but this is not your review. We aren’t staying long.”
I breathe a sigh of relief. Mariela was correct, as usual.
“OK, Stephanie. If you need anything, just call. I assume you’ve made it to Ranger’s apartment and you and Hector are settled in OK?” I hope that apartment was cleaned after Ranger left.
“Yup, we’re fine. Thanks a lot, Armando. Goodbye.” Click.
Mariela looks smug. “Not needed at the office, are you?”
I shake my head. Gracias a Dios. I need to make sure we’re ready. If she’s sneaking into offices, I never want to be caught off guard again.
The next morning, I’m on the floor at 0750. The men are waiting. I’ve already had a trying night. Hector called and requested assistance. I had no choice. Mariela was not pleased, but it was Hector. I didn’t even consider not going. I reminded Mariela of Hector’s rep and she nodded, pouting.
“Is this our review?” Pedro asks.
I shake my head. “No, the CO is here for personal reasons.”
Antonio sniffs. “This sneaking in shit is disrespectful. She could have given us a heads up so we wouldn’t panic. Every man here thought the review had started, and we didn’t like being caught off guard.”
I shrug. “She’s entitled to run her reviews as she pleases but as I said, she’s here for personal reasons. She doesn’t have to give us a heads up if it’s personal.” My response is not placating anyone.
“Who’s the guy with her? Scary looking fucker.” Matt is new, white, and clueless. We hired him for tech.
Pedro smirks. “Hector.”
Interesting to watch the white boy go pale. He’s now seen his boss, the gangland legend.
“Why is he here?” Antonio asks, curious.
“Dunno. Maybe he and Hal traded off,” I reply. I’m trying to be very careful with this answer. I don’t want the men to know that Hector is the CO’s partner. “Where do you guys have him set up?”
“In the best apartment on 7,” Thomas replies, joining us. “He’s up and moving. Better get in place. Even if this isn’t our review, he’s moving around like he’s doing his own review. Matt, you better look like you know what’s up. And call Silvio. Make sure he knows his boss is here and moving around.”
Antonio and Matt nod and walk to the stairwell, Matt a little shaky. Thomas and Pedro turn to me.
“I don’t know,” I tell them. “She didn’t say. All she said was that they wouldn’t be staying long.”
“Do I need to inform Piman?” Pedro asks.
I pale. “Hell No! Under no circumstances is Piman to be informed that the CO is here.”
“That’s a break with SOPs, Mando,” Pedro replies. “Piman is supposed to be kept informed when anyone in Leadership is here.”
“She’s not Leadership Core, so my decision stands. Piman is not to be told.”
Pedro shrugs. “OK.”
Pedro leaves and Thomas and I look at each other.
“Think you’re making a mistake on that one, Mando. SOPs are clear. Sure you don’t want to kick that one up to Leadership Core for a judgment?”
I frown. Perhaps he’s right. “Let me think about it.”
Thomas nods and we move to my office. “I checked with Maria yesterday before she left. The apartments were cleaned last week, so they’re fresh and tidy. I gave the CO Ranger’s car keys yesterday.” He smiles. “You should’ve seen her face when I handed her the Lamborghini keys. She started muttering something about ‘car karma’, which made Hector smile.”
I stop. “A real smile?”
Thomas chuckles. “Well, more of a smirk.”
I contemplate what that might look like on Hector’s face. It’s a scary thought.
“Once I stopped panicking, I realized that I might have a clue what she’s here for,” Thomas says, getting comfortable in my chair. I sit on the edge of my desk and raise an eyebrow. “Julie graduates middle school on Wednesday. I’m betting she’s here for that. I know from Juan and Mike that they keep in touch.”
Juan and Mike are Julie’s primary bodyguards. They keep us up to date on everything Julie is willing to share about her life. Now that she’s becoming a woman, we learn a lot less than we used to. I consider this and nod. Yes, if this is a short, personal visit, then she’s probably here for that. Ranger isn’t here, as far as we know, and she has no other ties to Miami. Other than a branch review, this is the only reason the CO could be in Miami.
“OK. Hector?”
Thomas shrugs. “Unknown.” With that, Thomas leaves.
I have more information than anyone. I haven’t shared the knowledge that Hector is the CO’s partner with anyone. I realized that this was a prime opportunity to allow my men to act as stupid as they wanted and get clobbered by the leadership.
I love my wife, daughters, and all the women in my life, and the attitudes of the men I manage disgust me. I’ve tried running an attitude adjustment, but it failed. Honestly, sometimes I think it’s like living in a frat house. Being managed by a woman over the next year will be a wake-up call for this office.
“Sleeping on the job?”
I jerk in my chair and find Hector standing grim-faced on the other side of my desk. I try to put myself in some kind of order.
“No. Thinking.”
Hector stares at me, then smirks. I notice that my office door is closed. Hector takes out a box and turns it on. Holy shit! He nods. Apparently there aren’t any bugs in my office.
“I have intel to follow up on for the CCO all week. Expect more late night calls. I’ll be in and out in his Mercedes.
I nod. I know better than to take notes.
“Stephanie is here for Julie’s graduation. Whenever the CO leaves this building, she will be with me.”
I nod. Thanks, Thomas.
“The CCO is back in the area. He will also attend the graduation. You have no knowledge of his presence and you will pretend surprise when the cameras are scrambled.”
Thank you, Hector. I had no idea. I’ll make sure my blank face is in place.
“We leave Friday morning.”
I nod.
“You weren’t here to greet your boss yesterday because . . . ?” He does not look pleased.
“My wife threatened to have my balls if I left her side for anything less than this building exploding. I got into enough trouble for my late night excursion.”
Hector stares at me, then smirks. “Would’ve been your ass had you not had a good excuse. Send her my apologies and take her out to dinner on me.” He walks to the door, stops, and turns around smiling that scary ass smile. “By the way, I’ll need your help again tonight. I’ll need to ‘interview’ those friends of ours.” With that, Hector leaves.
I go to the bathroom. Talks with Hector always leave me feeling a little weak-kneed.
Steph’s POV—Sunday
Miami! Hector tells me that now is a good time to visit. It’s May, not ridiculously hot, but nice. The spring break and snowbird crowds are gone but the summer crowds aren’t here yet. Wonderful. I’m officially out of the cast too, and I can finally move around with ease as long as I take it easy. No more wheelchairs!
This time I’m staying in Ranger’s apartment on 8, and it’s almost a complete carbon copy of the Trenton apartment with one twist.
I found a picture of myself and Julie in a nightstand.
It was buried under a few books and a phone book, but it’s the first personal item I’ve found in any of Ranger’s living spaces. I made sure to put it back in the correct spot, but I’m still surprised by it.
Ranger has a picture of me. And not some grainy security camera picture. This is the kind of picture you’d take with a high powered camera and lens and I was in one of my favorite distraction outfits. Tight black dress and 4″ FMPs with full makeup and hair. Julie’s picture was a recent school picture, complete with the braces she just told me about. She looked gorgeous, like a feminine version of Ranger.
I’m trying not to think about the significance of this discovery.
I hear a knock at the door and someone walk in. Must be Hector.
“Angelita?“
“Ready.”
Due to the estimated temperature, Hector suggested a maxi dress and low sandals. He also suggested no makeup, but I’m a Jersey girl. I don’t understand the meaning of that phrase.
I walk out and Hector grins.
“You’re going to regret the makeup. I promise you.”
“Fine. Find me a makeup counter and a consultant who can teach me Miami makeup, but I’m a Jersey girl. I will never walk around without it.”
We walk downstairs and Hector steers me to the bay holding Ranger’s five cars. Five! A Lamborghini, a Mercedes SL-550 convertible, a Mercedes S-600 sedan, a Ford F-150, and a Porsche Cayenne Turbo S.
“Least expensive one, please, Hector.” I can’t imagine blowing one of these cars up in Miami. I don’t think I could bear the shame.
Hector grins and steers me to the convertible. This cannot be the cheapest one. We climb in and Hector disables the audio monitoring. “I didn’t feel like climbing in and out the truck.”
I don’t want to consider what these cars cost if the convertible is the second least expensive car.
We head out to the mall. Today’s objective is to find something appropriate for Julie’s graduation. I have no idea what to buy and I’m hoping to be inspired.
Last week, I spoke to Rachel and she said that she had been in talks with Ranger, via Hector, to get Julie a phone, but they disagreed on which phone she should have. Rachel was pushing for something simple and inexpensive; Hector was pushing for an iPhone.
“Well, I can’t tell you what to get Julie, but I can say that I love my iPhone. I’m sure they’ve put tracking devices in here, but I love that I can text, video chat, keep up with my schedule and email, and surf the web all in one go. It’s literally become a life saver for me.”
“Yes,” Rachel replied, “that’s what Hector says, but those things are so expensive and it’s like having a ‘Rob Me’ tag around your neck with the white ear buds.”
“Well, you can always get her different ear buds, but consider this: if the phone is stolen, we’ll be able to get it back in hours with all the tracking I’m sure the RangeMen will put on it. And if something happens to Julie, god forbid, we’ll know her last known location because of the phone.”
Rachel laughed. “You really are selling this phone.”
I laughed. “I’m only telling you the reasons I’m sure Hector used to convince Ranger to buy this phone for me.”
Rachel called me Friday night and said that she had agreed to the iPhone. Hector was having it shipped to them. I asked her if she had heard anything from Ranger. No. Ranger had discussed this idea with Hector before he left and Hector was carrying out orders.
We finally arrive at the mall and I consider options. It doesn’t take long. I find a pretty pink and black leather wristlet designed to hold an iPhone on one side and credit cards/ID on another. It’s perfect. I have it embossed with Julie’s name and buy two $100 iTunes cards for her. It’s the perfect gift.
I’m glad I decided on this so quickly. My makeup is running and Hector is smirking.
“Macy’s?”
“Smug does not look good on you.”
That makes Hector laugh out loud. I notice that Hector is getting a lot of attention from great looking guys in this mall. I consider my partner. 5’9″, slim, muscular build, close cropped black hair, persistent 5 o’clock shadow. Wilmer Valderrama? Hector is definitely eye candy for either sex.
“Quit.”
“What?” I know my face has given me away.
“You’re trying to set me up with the men you see. Don’t.”
“Why not?”
Hector smiles. “I’m incredibly picky. You won’t come close.”
I wonder what Hector’s type is.
“Don’t. I won’t tell you my type.”
I pout. Just for that, we’re going to spend quality time in Macy’s, and tonight I’m going to work on my blank face again.
An hour later, I have everything a Miami girl needs to manage makeup and I have to admit, my face feels lighter. I don’t appear to have on less makeup, but what I have on is better. I’m certain they don’t sell any of this in Jersey. This was $400 well spent. Hector spent his time at the cologne counters. I’ve found my partner’s weakness; he has at least three bottles.
Hector is shaking his head. “$400 of war paint. It’s cheaper to tattoo.”
The makeup consultant and I are scandalized. What would I do when the seasons changed?
“What did you buy?” I ask.
“Issey Miyake. My personal scent.” I sniff the tester. This does smell like Hector.
I head to the cologne counters. “What’s Ranger’s?”
Hector smiles. “Scent is personal, chica.”
I spend at least an hour at the perfume counters trying to pick out Ranger’s scent. I fail completely, but I do pick out Tank (Polo Black), Bobby (John Varvatos) and Lester (D&G The One. Surprise surprise). I’m stumped and I have a headache.
“Stop sniffing, chica,” Hector says. “After about 10 scents, you lose the ability to distinguish subtleties between them. Let’s move to shoes and we’ll come back.” I glare at Hector, who smiles. “What? Am I supposed to be unaware that that was your plan?”
We head to the shoe department, where I immediately pick out the most beautiful FMPs I can find. I love my salary; FMPs are always within my reach now. I see Hector pick up a pair of BCBG’s, check the price tag, and shrug.
“I don’t get it. No matter how I try, I cannot understand high heels. Explain.”
I look at Hector, stumped. How do I explain high heels?
“Explain Issey Miyake to me.”
I see Hector consider it. “Understood.”
I smile.
Dinner is Cuban at a little restaurant Hector is familiar with. I’m certain he’s familiar with the place because the moment we walk in, the place falls silent. The Maître D’ hurries over immediately.
“Sir. Welcome to Amina. Your regular table?”
Hector merely inclines his head. He’s put on his ‘polite smile’ blank face. We are immediately shown to a table in the back. Hector sits facing the doorway, and I can see that no one can sneak up on our table in any direction without Hector seeing. It’s like dining with Ranger.
“You’re a regular?”
Hector smirks. “I was. At one point in my life.”
The meal is delicious. Hector merely lifts an eyebrow when I ask if I have to eat according to standards.
“If you can find something that meets standards.”
I checked the menu, but it was impossible. I also realize that the Spanish lessons with Hector are really paying off. I can read the majority of the menu. Everyone in the restaurant gives us excellent service and although I’m sure that everyone here is carrying, Hector is as relaxed as I’ve ever seen him in public.
“Safe here?”
“No. But no one will move against me.”
Well. There’s a thought. Here’s another: our entire conversation was in Spanish. I’m getting better!
I spend the evening working on my blank face. I’m determined to get this down before Ranger comes home. I can now control my eyebrows and shoulders and Hector now has to work to read my face. He’s only calling my cards 75% of the time now. Finally, Hector leaves for the night and I take a bath. The air is on, the bed smells of Ranger, and I have a busy day tomorrow. I need a good night’s sleep.
The air must have gone off. I’m hot and twisting in the bed but I can’t find any relief. I feel . . . I’m not sure.
Hot.
Heavy.
Tight.
Wound up.
I feel . . . I feel . . .
Like this had better be Ranger sucking my nipple.
The moment I have this thought, the orgasm hits. I’m sailing through time and space, when I hear Ranger moan in whispers.
“Yes . . . Oh God yes, Babe . . . yes, don’t stop . . . don’t . . . oh god Babe, you feel so good . . . so sweet . . . my sweet Babe . . . my sweet love . . . yes . . . oh, yes, Babe, more, yes, right, oh . . . “
I understand every word. Every word he’s moaning. I finally know what he’s saying to me! Studying every word he could possibly utter in my Spanish/English dictionary has paid off.
I’m kissing every inch of skin I can reach and I’ve wrapped my legs around his waist when I feel Ranger come deep inside me. I open my eyes to find him staring at me, eyes coal black and blazing. He’s panting, trying to catch his breath, and so am I. I lean up to kiss him and he takes over, nibbling my bottom lip and kissing me as if he’s trying to rob me of air.
He slides down my body and begins sucking my breasts again, rolling his tongue gently around my nipples. I realize the light blanket is gone and, without Ranger covering my body, I break out in goose bumps from the air hitting my skin. Ranger’s stroking my thighs, drawing small circles on my skin.
This is too much. I’m ready to crawl out of my skin. Ranger has amazing recovery.
“I want on top,” I whisper. Ranger’s eyes meet mine and he rolls us over gently.
Now that I have control, I slide back up his body slowly. I can feel him shudder and I smile. I start with his lips, his beautiful, sexy lips. He looks as if he’s thinking about smiling, and I use my tongue to gently outline his lips. Now he is smiling and he’s moved his hands to my waist. I take control of the kiss and enjoy the feel of his mouth, his tongue, the smile on his lips as he kisses me.
I use Ranger’s chest to lever myself up and place a leg on either side of his body. I’m rewarded with a bump from Ranger, so I grind back. I take my time and kiss every inch of skin I can see. There’s a lot of skin and, since I’ve already come, I can be patient, especially since some parts need more attention than others. Ranger smells fresh and clean, and sex-funky, but I don’t smell any lingering cologne. I wonder what cologne he wears.
Now that I understand Spanish, I can see Ranger likes to whisper dirty things to me.
“Oh you sweet little tease . . . Te extrañé . . . yes, kiss me right there . . . I’m going to make you pay later . . .oh yes . . . oh, te vas a to go me insane . . . sweet Jesus . . .yes . . .suck there, Babe . . .harder . . .harder . . .oh yes. . . oh shit. . .”
Success! I can understand most of what he’s saying. I can feel his penis knocking against my center as if to say “hurry it up!” I raise myself up, slip the condom on, line him up, and wait. The moment Ranger’s eyes open, I slam down and immediately begin to ride him hard and fast. I watch as he gasps and groans and the words flow in whispers again.
“Oh SHIT yes! That’s it Babe . . . ride me . . . me poseer. . . yes baby . . . this dick is yours . . . reclamarlo . . . poseerlo. . . oh shit . . .oh yes . . . you sweet little tease . . .you nasty girl . . . oh god yes . . . fuck me. . . usted pagará por ello . . . I swear . . .”
Hmm . . . I need to look up te extrañé, reclamarlo and poseerlo. I don’t know those but I get the idea. It’s taking everything I have to simply chant his name and not let on that I understand him. I’m not slowing down and only Ranger’s hands on my waist keep me from sliding off him. I can feel the orgasm. It’s right there. I just need. . . I need . . .
Ranger rolls me over and thrusts.
“Yo,” I whisper. My entire body feels boneless. Sex with Ranger is better than a two hour massage. It’s better cardio than anything Sarah can dish out.
Ranger’s eyes are still black and shining and I get the 1000W smile. “Yo.”
“Any reason I haven’t gotten any calls?”
Now he looks amused. “I expected you here this week. You’re offline with me.”
I blink. As usual, Ranger had a plan I had no idea about, but that still doesn’t excuse his lack of contact. He’s managed to contact everyone else. What about me?
Besides, I have a partner who will not be pleased if I simply disappear. Experience has taught me this.
“I have to tell Hector.”
Ranger rolls off me. “He knows.”
Really? Someone has a lot of explaining to do. He picks me up and carries me into the bathroom, where he runs a bath instead of taking us to the shower. He uses the Bvlgari in the tub.
“What’s your cologne?”
Ranger lifts an eyebrow.
I shrug. “I found Tank’s, Bobby’s and Lester’s, but I couldn’t find yours at the Macy’s counter.”
Ranger chuckles and settles me into the tub. He slides in behind me and I lean back against him. Perfect temp.
“I don’t wear scent.”
“Why?”
“It’s a marker, an identifier. A man can be identified by his scent, just as you identified Tank, Lester, and Bobby through theirs. In the field, I can’t afford anything that leaves a trace.”
Damn. There goes a potential birthday/Christmas gift.
“What about the Bvlgari?”
“It started as a one-off from Ella, but she continued to purchase it because you associate it with me. I like the scent so I allow it. But for ops, everything has to be unscented and I bathe with Dove unscented. Everything neutral.”
The rumble of Ranger’s voice in his chest is soothing. Combined with the warm bath and the great sex, I’m sleepy again.
“And when you aren’t on ops? Do you splash on anything?”
“I have a 10 year old bottle of Hermes D’Orange Verte. It’s what I wear for client dinners and it doesn’t clash with the Bvlgari.”
I make a note to write that down.
“Why haven’t you called?”
The bathroom is silent. “Running a domestic op like this one is new for me. I don’t want to do anything that puts you in jeopardy. Contacting RangeMan individuals is one thing. Contacting my woman is another.”
I smile. His woman. Wait, I’m RangeMan too!
“Yes, you are RangeMan, but you’re special. You . . .” Ranger trails off, thinking. He’s running the sponge over my breasts absentmindedly. “I don’t want to put you in any kind of danger. It’s enough that your name is associated with mine in the streets, and I recognize that on this op, it’s a double-edged sword.”
Ranger is running the bath sponge over my limbs. I raise my legs for him and he chuckles.
“I’ve only called Hector and Tank so far. Lester once about a company situation. My main contact in this op is really Hector. He’s the one passing info over to Tank this time.”
“I thought Tank was always your backup.”
“Normally, yes. But Tank thought I should allow Hector point on this one. Between Hector’s ability to get intel and Tank’s current location and inability to answer as quickly as normal, it makes sense.”
“Hector’s been getting intel?”
I feel Ranger smile. “When he isn’t tracking you, yes. Hector only sleeps about four hours a night. He finally has something to do with those extra hours besides hack.”
Hector and I are going to have a very long talk.
Ranger has washed all exposed skin, so I slide behind him and do the same.
“How’s it going so far?”
“Not bad.” Silence, then, “Not going to ask me about Joe?”
Is that jealousy I hear? This is Ranger. That can’t be right. “I wasn’t, since I didn’t know how much you would tell me, but since you brought him up, how is he doing?”
Silence.
“He’s making a name for himself. He should be able to write his own ticket when this is over.”
“I’m glad.”
I can sense Ranger tense minutely, so I kiss the back of his neck. He relaxes.
“You said I’m offline with you?”
“Yes.”
“What are we going to do?”
Silence, then, “You remember what I said about homes no one would know about?”
“Yes?” Is that where’s he taking me?
“Perhaps you’d like to see the main one?”
I’m stunned. “How? I can’t imagine how many trackers Hector has on me.”
“He told me so I could remove them. Looked mighty pissed too. I’ve been ordered to reattach them the moment you set foot back here.”
I laugh. Hector is definitely protective and I’m still having problems accepting it. The idea that I can get away from my personal bodyguard is a nice thought. I love my partner. I have problems with the bodyguard bit.
Ranger pulls the plug to the tub and climbs out. He returns with a fluffy towel and pats my skin dry. I grab the lotion on the way back to the bedroom. Ranger gives the best, most relaxing massages.
I hear Ranger whisper to me as I drift off.
“¿Estás listo Babe? ¿Usted finalmente me aceptan? ¿Estás listo para dejar de lado su pasado, del policía, de todo lo que te detiene? Te voy a dar todo lo que pueda. Necesito saber que no estaré aquí parado, sosteniendo mi polla, cuando todo esto termine. Te amo. Quiero Algún dia.”
Damn. Ranger talks a lot faster than Hector. I understood parts of that sentence. I know I recognized Te amo and Algún dia.
Back to the dictionary.
Ranger’s sentence: Are you ready Babe? Do you finally accept me? Are you ready to let go of your past, of The Cop, of everything holding you back? I’m giving you everything I can. I need to know I won’t be standing here, holding my dick, when this is over. I love you. I want Someday.
usted pagará por ello: you’ll pay for this
te extrañé: I missed you
reclamarlo: claim it
poseerlo: own it
me poseer: own me
te vas a: you will
