Chapter 1

"Chris, when are you coming home?" his wife whined into the phone.

"It'll just be a few more weeks, honey," Chris Irvine said in a low voice into his cell phone. He softly moved a few strands of hair from the woman's face who was lying next to him and smiled. God, she was beautiful.

"Ok," his wife said sadly. "You know, you used to come home more. Now, things are different."

"I know. It's just that now I'm a top superstar around here," he said, trying to make her understand. "This place can't function without me."

"I can't function without you," she said. "I mean, I'm raising our son alone."

"Well, what do you want me to do, bring you guys on the road with me?" he asked, getting a little upset. He didn't want to raise his voice because he didn't want to wake up the sleeping beauty beside him, but his wife was starting to piss him off. He didn't know why she was starting to piss him off so much lately. Sometimes just the sound of her voice over the phone and the constant whining just got on his last nerve!

"I wouldn't mind that," she said, sounding a bit excited. "At least we'd be together. At least we'd be a family."

What? She expected him to actually take them on the road with him? He'd only been kidding!

"I'm not really crazy about that idea," he said, trying to maintain his low tone.

"Then why the hell did you suggest it?" she exclaimed.

"I wasn't-" he started but she cut him off.

"That's just like you, Chris. Get my hopes up and then shatter them, all in the space of five minutes," she said. She sighed. "I should be used to it by now."

He felt bad, he really did, as he detected the sadness and disappointment in her voice. But not bad enough to change his mind. "I'm sorry, baby," he said. He looked down at the woman lying next to him and sighed, stroking her hair. She smiled and slowly opened her eyes to gaze up at him. "I have to go."

"So soon?" She sighed again and her voice caught in her throat. He knew that she was starting to cry. "I love you, Chris. And I can't wait until these next few weeks are up."

"I..." He struggled to say the three words he knew she deserved to hear, wanted to hear. Those three words he just couldn't bring himself to say. "I... I'll see you in a few weeks." Then he quickly hung up the cell phone and turned it off.

He didn't know why he was putting his wife through so much pain. He couldn't help it. He loved her, sure, but there was someone else that he just couldn't stay away from.

Stephanie McMahon-Levesque looked up at Chris with sleepy eyes. "Was that your wife?" she asked him, yawning.

"Yeah," he said, leaning down to give her a kiss. "She's mad at me."

"As usual," she said, kissing him back. "I'd be mad at you, too, if I was in her position."

"Are you taking her side?" he asked, propping himself up on his elbow so he could study her face.

"No, I'm not taking her side," she replied. "I'm just saying, I don't know how she puts up with you being gone away for so long. If I was her I'd go crazy with the need to be with you..."

He looked down into her eyes. "Trust me, if I was married to you, I'd never act this way."

She matched his heated gaze head on. "How do you know?" she wondered.

"Because... I love you too much," he answered honestly. "I can't stand to be away from you as it is."

"Maybe you just love the idea of sneaking around," she suggested, getting up so she could get ready to leave. It was past two in the morning and she knew Paul would be wondering where she was. She couldn't use the excuse of partying with the divas for much longer.

He pulled her back into the bed. "I don't like sneaking around with you, Stephanie, just for the sake of sneaking around. I like sneaking around with you because I love you." He kissed her softly, then let her go.

"I love you, too, Chris," she replied, gazing at him as she got up for the second time so she could get ready to leave. "But, unlike you, I have to get back to my spouse. He's only a few floors away and he could totally kick my ass. Your wife can't."

"If he puts his hands on you I'll kill him," he said venomously. He was serious.

"Relax, Chris," she said, leaning down to stroke his face tenderly. She finished putting her clothes on as she talked. "Paul would never physically hurt me. I'm the Billion Dollar Princess, remember?"

"Yeah," he said, watching her get dressed. How he wanted to slowly undress her and make love to her all over again!

She leaned down to kiss him as he lied there in the bed, covered to the waist with only a sheet. The image of him lying there made her want to slide into the bed with him again, but she knew she really should get back to her shared hotel suite with her husband. "I'll see you tomorrow, ok?" She looked at the clock next to the bed. "Actually, I'll see you later on today," she corrected herself.

He kissed her back with as much passion as he could put into one kiss, then pulled back. "You better go," he said huskily.

"Good night, Chris," she said, then slipped out of his hotel room and softly shut the door.

"Good night," he said softly as the door closed. Then he looked up at the ceiling and thought about his life.

What was he doing? What was he thinking? Why was he cheating on his wife, the love of his life? And why was he cheating with Stephanie, of all people? He had always said that he would never cheat on his wife, would never have an affair or sleep around with any of the ever-present ring rats. At least he'd kept one part of his little promise. He resisted ring rats with ease. They were so pathetic!

But then there was Stephanie... He found her simply irresistible. Everything about her, he loved...

He looked at the clock, which read 2:48 A.M. He closed his eyes, knowing that he had to get at least a few hours of sleep. The next night he would have a match against John Cena and he knew he would need to be well-rested for that. He fell into a fitful sleep with Stephanie on his mind...