~Chapter 2~

The next morning Kaitlyn awoke to the sound of her phone ringing. Reaching for it sleepily she flipped it open. "Kaitlyn Stone."

"Good Morning Kaitlyn." Randy's voice rippled over her nerve endings.

Shaking her head she sat up "Good Morning Randy...what freaking time is it?" She asked running her hand through her tangle of red curls.

"Almost ten." He laughed.

"Damn...I was up late finishing up my Taker article." She responded. "So what time and where would you like to meet?" She asked.

"I was thinking we could go to Savio's, it's pretty quiet and the food is great. Say around six?" he said letting his voice take on a husky tone. If he was going to win this bet he knew he would have to employ every seduction skill he possessed.

"I know it." She replied at the mention of Doug's favorite restaurant. "Okay I'll meet you there at six."

"Why don't I pick you up?" He suggested.

"I...Uh..." she couldn't think of a good excuse as suddenly her brain refused to work properly.

"Where are you staying?" He asked grinning to himself.

"The Hilton." She admitted. "I'll meet you in the lobby."

"Great. I'll see you then Kaitlyn...have a great day." He said before hanging up.

Kaitlyn leaned back on the bed and sighed. She'd slept later than she had planned. She was supposed to be having lunch with Lexi, but she couldn't seem to clear the fog in her brain. Turning over she hugged the pillow to her body until the phone rang again.

"Morning Chica." She heard Lexi's voice on the other end of the line.

"Hey honey, can I beg off lunch?" She asked. "I don't feel to great this morning."

"No problem honey, I think I can find something to do with myself." Lexi giggled.

"I just bet you can." Kaitlyn responded. "Have fun, give that gorgeous man of yours a kiss for me."

"I will, I hope you feel better...aren't you having dinner with The Legend Killer?" She asked.

"Yeah, Savio's at six."

"Okay, try not to drool too much." Lexi laughed.

"Over the food or the company?" Kaitlyn responded.

Lexi giggled again "Well he is hot."

"Hot is not on my menu." She muttered "I'll talk to you later."

"Bye sweets." Lexi said before hanging up.

Kaitlyn spent the rest of the afternoon editing her finished article before taking a shower and getting dressed for her appointment. Fifteen minutes before six she was standing in the lobby of the Hilton waiting for Randy to arrive. She had dressed carefully, she hadn't wanted to look even the least bit suggestive. She heard him say her name and turned to see him standing behind her. She licked her lips involuntarily as she took in his appearance. A purple silk shirt, the top three buttons unbuttoned giving her a view of his tanned muscular chest, tucked neatly into a tight pair of black slacks that she could see clinging to his long legs. Mentally she kicked herself "Stop it." she admonished herself silently.

"Hey Randy, you ready?" She asked as she caught sight of the patented cocky grin on his face.

Randy offered her his arm "I've been ready all day." He said with a wink he'd seen the smallest hint of attraction in her eyes as she looked at him.

Kaitlyn took his arm and allowed him to lead her out of the hotel lobby and to his waiting Ford Explorer. Once he'd helped her into the truck she took a deep breath to calm her raging nerves.

"All set?" Randy asked settling himself into the drivers side seat with a sexy grin as he started the engine.

Kaitlyn reached for her seat belt "Buckle up." She commented, not meeting his eyes as she clicked her own into place.

Randy did as she suggested before starting the engine and pulling out of the parking lot. He chatted idly as he drove to the restaurant about the weather and how she liked Tampa so far.

Once they had arrived and had been seated Kaitlyn pulled her tape recorder from her purse. More to remind him of their purpose for the meeting than anything else. "We should get started." She said once they had ordered.

"Ask what ever you want, I'd like to be as open with the fans as I can without getting too personal." Randy said smiling as he reached for his glass of water. Just sitting across from her had his mouth going dry.

Kaitlyn cocked her head at him "Okay, to set some ground rules, what do you consider too personal?"

Randy smiled. "I'm not really sure I've really never thought of it before when ever one came up I just declined to answer." Randy said with a shrug.

"Okay how about this, I won't ask you anything I feel is too personal." She said with a grin. "I'm a stickler when it comes to privacy it's my number one rule."

"That's unusual for a reporter." Randy commented admiringly. "I always thought it was the more dirt the better."

"Well yeah if your writing for some rag like the enquirer...I take my writing very seriously. I want the fans to see the best of you guys. There is more to wrestling then short shorts and muscles. You train your asses off to get to where you are and you deserve the recognition." Kaitlyn murmured as the waitress brought their drinks.

Randy smiled a genuine smile "Thanks Kaitlyn, that's very nice of you to say."

Kaitlyn shrugged "One thing you will learn about me, I never say anything I don't mean. This will be a long article as we introduce The Legend Killer to the Smackdown audience."

"I take it you have some ideas running around that pretty little head of yours as to where you would like to go with the article?" Randy asked. "Where should we start?"

"I was thinking of doing a whole history type of thing...A legend in the making as it were." She said looking over at him "We might as well get the ass kissing out of the way from the start. I have to tell you I've been a wrestling fan all of my life. I know my wrestling as well as most of the roster and my personal opinion is that you and John Cena truly are the future of this business." she reached for her drink and gulped it down. "You both have the skills, charisma and looks to be huge stars and this company depends heavily on the two of you."

"So does that mean you think I can beat Taker at Summer Slam?" he asked with a crooked grin.

"It does." She responded. "In my humble opinion I'm looking at the heir to the Triple H legacy. You make a great heel, people love to hate you. And John will be the next Stone Cold. No matter what he does, people are gonna love him...you just can't help it."

"You've got a good eye. I wish creative had half as much sense as you do. I like the angle of the interview, do a whole timeline type piece what it was like growing up in a wrestling household being Bob Orton's kid...never knowing if the kids wanted to be friends with you for you or cause your dad was Cowboy Bob Orton. Perhaps we could even go to St. Louis do some stuff at my old school interviews with my teachers, do an appearance for the kids... what do you think?"

"That's a great idea, I love it. Do you still have issues with being Bob Orton's son?" She asked, idly running her finger around the rim of her glass.

Randy bit his lip and looked down at the table then back at her face. "At times yes I do...but at the risk of sounding conceited I'm better then my father ever was. I may have gotten a shot because he was my father but the rest was my doing."

"It's not conceit if you can back it up." She observed as the waitress brought their orders.

Randy gave her a small smile. "My father likes to try and remind me that if it wasn't for him I wouldn't be where I am today. It drives me insane. I love him but I can only handle so much of him which is why he lives in St. Louis and I live here in Tampa."

"Yes, you would. You are incredibly talented Randy. Don't ever let anyone tell you that you're not. I know it's part of your character to be conceited and cocky...but it never hurts to hear that people really do admire you." She said looking down at her plate. Looking back up at him she blushed "Now I'll remove my lips from your ass and eat my dinner."

Randy couldn't help but smile. "It's also nice to hear that someone admires and looks up to me it makes my job that much more fun... Do you know how beautiful you are when you blush?" He asked quietly.

The blush deepened as she shook her head wordlessly. She knew he was a compulsive flirt and the last type of man she needed to get involved with but the way her heart pounded when he smiled at her kept making her forget just what type of man Randy Orton really was.

Randy, not wanting to push her too far on their first outing smiled softly and began eating. While they ate they talked about various things, a little about him and a little about her. He couldn't understand why the guys called her the "'Ice Queen" she seemed to be warming up and was relaxed.

By the time they had finished eating she felt he had stopped flirting with her and she felt more relaxed and comfortable in his presence. When the bill came he insisted on paying it, even though she could claim it as a business expense. He once again offered his arm as they exited the restaurant.

When they arrived back at the hotel, Randy insisted on walking her up to her room. Once outside her door she turned and looked up at him with a smile. "Thanks for dinner Randy. It was nice. I'll call the office and get your schedule so I can work on setting up times to do more interviews and the trip to St. Louis."

"I had a good time Kaitlyn." He responded taking a step closer to her. "I'm really looking forward to working with you." he murmured reaching out to brush a stray red curl from her face.

Kaitlyn felt the uneasiness creeping along her spine as his finger brushed her skin. "Randy...I...Uh..." She stammered taking a step back and meeting the solid wood of the door.

Randy knew if he moved to fast she'd bolt "Sweet dreams Kaitlyn." He whispered before turning and walking back to the elevator. As he waited for the doors to open he glanced back at her and gave her a soft smile and a wink.