Disclaimer: The characters of the Stephanie Plum series belong to Janet Evanovich and are used here without permission. No copyright infringement is intended.
Notes: Since I found this on an old flash drive and have no clue where I was going with this, I figured I”d offer it as an Open Alternate Universe (meaning anyone who wants to write in it can). It’s based on the idea, “What if Stephanie had met ‘Corporate Ranger’ – Corporate Carlos? - first?”. Feel free to write whatever you’d like in it. :-)
Rating: Suitable for people over 13
Feedback: Email TT at: ttsmiscellany@yahoo.com
New Neighbor
By TT
Stephanie pulled her Mercedes into the driveway of her two-story Colonial complete with veranda and perfectly manicured lawn.
A smile curved her lips. She would have to be sure to send Matt another thank you gift. He was absolutely the best divorce lawyer ever.
Her disaster of a marriage to Richard “The Dick” Orr may have only lasted for two months, but, thanks to Matt, the shmuck would be paying forty percent of his income to her for the next forty-five years.
It was the price The Dick had to pay to ensure her silence and that she quietly faded away – forty percent for fifty years, non-negotiable, non-refundable. If he tried to change the terms, everything she had on him would be made public. The information she had might have been a set-back to his career when they were married, but it would absolutely ruin him now.
Thanks to her silence, Dickie had managed to exceed even his own wildest dreams with regard to success, thus allowing Stephanie a lifestyle she would never have been able to afford on her own.
The house she lived in had been given as part of a payment from one of The Dick’s clients. He had no use for it and Stephanie agreed to take it in lieu of monetary compensation, at least until the value of the alimony payments she would have been receiving equaled the value of the house. She figured she had three more months or one large case left before the checks started once more.
Fortunately, she had more than enough money to keep her in Tastycakes while the checks were stopped.
She wasn’t rich by any means, but she was certainly comfortable for now, especially since she brought in a paycheck of her own with her job at E. E. Martin.
Her mother and friends thought she was nuts for working when she didn’t have to, but sitting around idle was something she just couldn’t handle. And, though she would never admit it to anyone, there was only so much shopping and lounging she could do before she got board of it.
So, each day she traveled from her house a few minutes north of Trenton up to Newark to work buying plus-sized lingerie. Not exactly a glamour job, but the hours weren’t bad and the benefits were terrific. Now if only there was a little bit of excitement in her life, a little mystery or a little intrigue. It was one of her most closely guarded secrets that she still wanted to be Wonder Woman, to defend the defenseless and make a difference in the world. She’d done a few things in the community, helping out here and there, but she didn’t have the skills to be a true asset to most groups.
Despite her education, she didn’t have the ability to teach or tutor. She had no actual sports skills – unless you counted shopping. She couldn’t cook to save her life. She couldn’t even sew.
She had recently stopped helping out at the Cub scouts with Mary Lou because she got depressed when two six year olds managed to tie knots that she couldn’t.
Now she came home after work and tried not to get depressed.
She’d been contemplating taking some of he savings and investing it, maybe playing the stock market a little. She wasn’t bad with finances, but was no Wall Street wizard either. Still, it could be interesting, provided she didn’t have to sit through a boring class at the community college or try to stay awake through a self-taught course at home.
Slipping a key in the lock on her front door, a movement to the side caught her attention.
As she looked to her left, she noticed a black Mercedes pull into the house next door. Two weeks ago the ‘For Sale’ sign had disappeared. She’d tried to find out something about the new owner, but no one had heard a word or even met the owner. Apparently he’d bought the house sight unseen.
Having grown up in a neighborhood where everyone knew everyone else’s business, Stephanie had immediately gone out and purchased items for a housewarming gift basket. Most of the time, people would bring a meal over so the new arrivals didn’t have to cook their first night, but, given her dismal cooking skills, she figured the basket was a better option. Besides, she was good at making gift baskets.
Realizing she was staring, she opened her door and stepped inside.
She would just retrieve the basket and head over to greet her new neighbors.
There weren’t many of them yet. The sub-division was new and the houses, while not excessively extravagant, were definitely nice. The fact they were in a gated neighborhood didn’t hurt either.
Dropping her keys in the dish she kept by the door, Stephanie dropped her purse on the floor beneath and immediately kicked off her shoes. She hated having to wear business suits, pantyhose and heels everyday, but it was the price she paid to be a part of corporate America.
As she climbed the stairs to her master suite, she started stripping off her outfit.
By the time she reached her bathroom, she was down to just her underwear.
Following her normal end-of-day patter, she turned on the shower, stripped off her underwear and ducked under the spray. She would make this quick tonight.
She had new neighbors to meet, after all.
Thirty minutes later, she was in jeans and a t-shirt, her hair up in a ponytail. She stuffed her house keys in her pocket, grabbed the gift basket and headed next outside.
She noted that he Mercedes was still in the driveway and a black moving truck had pulled up in front of the house. There were several large, well-muscled men bringing furniture into the house.
Feeling a smile form on her face at the wonderful eye-candy that awaited her, she headed across the lawn and soon found herself on the front porch.
Just as she was about to ring the bell, one of the movers came out and nodded at her in greeting. Another mover followed on his heels. This one nodded, smiled, eyed her up and down and then informed her, “He’s in the living room. Just go on in.”
Feeling her cheeks color at his open assessment, she smiled and mumbled a “Thank you” before heading inside.
As she stepped into the foyer, she looked around. The house, while a different style than hers, still had the same feel to it – understated elegance, polish, or something like that.
Looking both ways, she spotted a man in a black business suit standing by the fireplace with a cell phone to his ear.
“Excuse us,” a deep voice said behind her.
Jumping slightly, Stephanie quickly moved to the side of the entryway and smiled at the men as they passed.
Once they were by her, she stepped into the living room and waited for her new neighbor to acknowledge her. It didn’t take long before he turned and she caught her first glimpse of her new neighbor. Stephanie felt gob smacked. He was hands down, flat out, no question about it, the most gorgeous man she had ever seen. He was in a finely cut suit, but from the front it did even less to hide his obviously buff physique. His hair looked short, black and straight, his eyes were almost hypnotic.
She mentally shook herself and smiled slightly at him as he finished his phone call.
When he finished, he smiled at her, showing beautifully white, even teeth.
Stephanie forgot to breathe for a few seconds before a small voice in her head screamed that he might be married. That was enough to snap her out of her daze. She offered a large, friendly smile of her own. “Hi,” she greeted, clearing her throat and hoping he hadn’t noticed how husky it sounded. “I’m Stephanie Plum. I live next door to you,” she greeted, tipping her head in the direction of her house. Holding up the gift basket, she continued, “This is for you. A welcome to the neighborhood, if you will.”
“Thank you,” he said, moving forward to take the basket from her hands. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Plum.”
“Miss,” Stephanie instantly corrected. She then blushed as she realized how he might take that. Seeing the amused smile on his face, she shrugged and added, “Divorced five years ago.”
“Ah,” the man said. “We have that in common,” he admitted as he set the basket on a chair that was temporarily set against the wall. Holding out his hand, his smile broadened when she shook his hand. “Carlos Manoso,” he identified.
“Are you new to the New Jersey?” Stephanie asked, her curiosity getting the better of her. He certainly didn’t sound like he was from the state.
“No,” he replied. “New to Trenton, though.”
Her curiosity going on high alert, Stephanie struggled to force it back. They were barely past introductions and she was ready to grill the guy for details. Well, that or jump him.
Stephanie blinked twice to clear the image of them together in her bed that seemed to burn itself in her mind. “Well, if you need to know where anything is, feel free to ask. My number is on the card in the basket if you need to call. The Griffins live next door on the other side. They don’t get home until after seven most days. The Kopec family is two houses down. They have two teenagers who, fortunately, seem to be the exception to the rule when it comes to behavior. The Dabo’s and Greens are across the street and the house next to that. Those are the only people here so far. They’re still trying to sell the rest,” she finished with a shrug, feeling her cheeks color as she realized Carlos hadn’t let go of her hand. “We’re pretty friendly, but respect each other’s privacy.”
“Best kind of people,” Carlos responded, his thumb idly stroking the back of her hand. “There when you need them and not when you don’t.”
The two stood there for several moments longer before a large throat was cleared.
Stephanie jumped and turned to see who was behind her. She tried to pull her hand away, but Carlos maintained his gentle hold on it.
Her eyes widened in surprise and awe as she took in the figure behind her. He was, perhaps, the largest man she had ever seen. He wasn’t fat, though. He just seemed to built on a larger scale than the rest of humanity. He had ebony skin and dark chocolate colored eyes. He easily fell into the category of beautiful. He was, perhaps, not as much as Mr. Manoso, but beautiful nevertheless. “Where did you want us to set up the office?” he asked, his voice a deep rumble.
“Upstairs, second door on the right,” Carlos advised.
The larger man nodded, shot a smile at Stephanie and then disappeared out the front door.
Turning back to her neighbor, Stephanie shook her head.
“Nervous, Babe,” Carlos teased.
Stephanie’s eyebrows drew down at the endearment, but she quickly shrugged it off. Shaking her head, she answered, “Nope. I’m just amazed. I can’t quite figure out how he fit through the door.”
Carlos rewarded her statement with a cascade of laughter.
Stephanie knew right then she was lost. He was the most beautiful man she had ever seen when he was just standing there. When he smiled he was breathtaking, when he laughed… words failed her.
Struggling to pull herself together, she cleared her throat and gently tugged her hand once more. It wasn’t that she wanted him to stop holding her hand or to stop stroking it with his thumb, but it really wasn’t proper. She bit back a huff of frustration when he refused to relinquish her hand once more. “I should probably leave you to get settled in,” Stephanie offered, not really wanting to leave. Never had she felt such a quick attraction for a man. What had shaken her is that it wasn’t just physical. Yes, he was utterly stunning and she would have to be dead no to want him, but there was something else about him. When he had taken her hand, it felt like a piece of herself fell into place. It was an intoxicating and enticing feeling. The feel of his hand on hers, his thumb stroking her hand… Again, she didn’t have the words to describe the feeling.
The two stood there, hand holding on, eyes locked on each other.
The silence stretched for a few minutes.
“Have dinner with me,” Carlos said suddenly.
Stephanie blinked. “Now?” she asked. She saw him nod his head. Taking a deep breath, she slowly released it. Could she take that chance? She already seemed to have lost her bearings in this conversation, introduction, whatever you wanted to call it. Could she chance going out with a man she didn’t know? Did she want to take a chance of being alone with him?
Whatever answer her rational mind might have developed was drown out by the rest of her crying out, “YES!” “Sure,” she agreed before the silence got too awkward. “Are you hungry for something in particular?”
She saw his eyes turn molten as they slowly scanned down her body. Stephanie suppressed a shiver of desire as she felt his gaze as a physical caress against her skin.
When his eyes met hers once more, she felt desire flash through her with such intensity she was shocked she hadn’t gasped out loud.
“How about something Italian?” he answered, his voice sounding much lower and husky.
Stephanie blinked and then snorted softly before a giggle escaped before she cleared her throat and got a handle on her amusement. It wasn’t his tone of voice that made her laugh. Truth be told, his voice when he spoke like that was enough to send her over the edge. But two weeks ago she’d been out with some friends from the office and a guy used those exact same words as a pick-up line.
When she saw his face begin to go blank, she thought she might have offended him and immediately apologized. “I’m sorry,” she said quickly, tightening her hand on his as he began pulling away. “It’s just that I was out with friends a few weeks ago and someone used that as a pick-up line with me. He was drunk as a skunk and a good four inches shorter than I am without my heels. It was funny then and the words just brought the whole thing back to mind.”
Stephanie pressed her lips together hoping the stem the tide of babble. When she felt she had sufficient control, she offered a smile, squeezed his hand once more and offered, “If you give me about fifteen minutes to change, I can show you Rossini’s. It’s just about the best Italian food you’ll find around here.”
Carlos smiled at her, a soft, genuine smile. “I look forward to it,” he answered, finally releasing her hand. “I’ll pick you up fifteen minutes.”
“It’s a date,” Stephanie replied, smiling brightly at him before turning and leaving the house to head home and change.
“Now, why exactly had she said that?” she wondered. Merely mentioning it as a date increased her nervous tension ten fold. Still, the night promised to be fun, though a small part of her was cursing her personal standards when it came to sleeping with neighbors and men she didn’t know well. Both were things she didn’t do, but, then she’d never been faced with anyone like Carlos before either. “Keep it in control, Stephanie,” she cautioned herself as she entered her house. “He’s probably got a girlfriend and if not, he probably has a whole string of beautiful women at his disposal.”
Shaking her head from such thoughts and trying to convince herself this was just dinner, she climbed the stairs to her room, already sorting out what she would be wearing.
TBC - maybe