The Good Life

AN. Thank you to livelaughspear, getcraazysofia, sophia0401, DiivaLover, VanityMayhem, xSiimplyCrazeedx, xHalosandwings, KyraJane, ThatGirl54, xsostarstruck, Cena-Wilson-Crazy, bathpinkdog, xTwistedxImperfectionx, Nadia26, gabrielxdivaa, MizaniansGirl & keepthefaithx for reviewing the last chapter.

Thanks very muchly! :)


Chapter Nine – A Bet Made In Heaven


Despite only being at the Mizanin/Riley household for the second time, it felt like a natural occurrence for the girls to walk up the pathway, towards the porch, and discuss possible tactics for the poker game until someone decided to answer the door.

Tiffany was notably absent, having rung Layla a few hours beforehand and explained about the morning sickness being too much and calling for a rain-check while she recovered in bed. The British woman had felt sympathetic towards her – telling Drew to take proper care of her – before hanging up.

Eve had been all too happy to attend, however, after running into Mike yesterday and being told that Alex would have to work on the Saturday evening they were due to come over. The brunette's smile grew considerably after that little gem of information.

"Hey ladies, right on time."

... And now her smile, oh so pretty on a night like this, completely disappeared.

"What are you doing here?"

The company turned to her with strange expressions, but none stranger than Alex, who leaned against the doorway to reply. "The last time I checked I lived here."

"Are you feeling alright, Eve?"

She ignored Maryse's smirk, and pointed a finger at the man in question. "Mike said you wouldn't be here. He said something about the hospital needing you for the whole night."

"Well sorry to burst your bubble – as it turns out, they don't need me after all."

"But... but I've seen Grey's Anatomy! They always need people on the night shift."

"That's why I have my beeper with me," said Alex, thoroughly amused as he ushered everybody inside. "And sorry, but did you just compare my life to a television drama?"

"You clearly don't know Eve well enough. She lives vicariously through her television screen." The French-Canadian woman beside her laughed. "You name a show and she's watched it."

"That's... disturbing."

While the others agreed, the Latina didn't, but thought it would be too childish to carry on with the discussion; instead, she stuck her tongue out at his back.

"So," began Layla after seeing the gesture and shaking her head, "Is John around tonight too?"

"He's got a smoking hot date actually." Mike answered with a smirk as he appeared behind them suddenly, fresh from the kitchen. "Beer anyone?"

The housewife itched to know more about her ex-lover's evening, and luckily Eve was on hand to ask while she collected her beverage. "Good for him. Anyone special?"

"This girl he met at the wrestling centre the other day – Courtney something, I think."

"Sounds like a whore's name." Everybody turned to Layla in unison, bewildered. She faked a big smile and took a beer from Mike's hand. "So, poker game anyone?"

The group made their way into the entertainments room, and failed to notice Mike usher Maryse in by placing a tender hand on the small of her back. The gesture was intimate and she noticed straightaway, edging slightly away as she made to take a seat opposite him. She didn't know what was worse: the fact she hadn't been touched by her husband in that way for quite some time, or that The Miz had actually got her a little bit buzzed.

Layla chose to place herself next to the host – Alex Riley – himself, who she'd learned was quite the master at the game from last time. Though not bad herself, it wouldn't hurt to lean on someone when the going got tough.

Now that the seats had been taken up, taking away one chair for an absent John Cena, the set-up looked a little different. Most notably, Eve and Alex sat directly opposite from one another and had no choice but to look at each more often than none.

"I thought we'd make things interesting tonight. Raise the stakes a bit, I mean."

Raising a perfectly plucked eyebrow at Mr. Riley, the doctor to be, Maryse had to ask one question in particular. "It's not strip poker is it?" Both he and Mike looked at her challengingly and she was obliged to explain. "I got duped into it once in college. I still remember that awful night."

"Let me guess: you agreed to it but none of the guys did?"

"How did you know?"

The Miz laughed, shaking his head. "It's a classic move. Guys are dicks in college. They'll do anything to see a girl's clothes on their bedroom floor."

"In college? Guys are dicks all the time."

"We're personally offended, Eve."

"You really shouldn't be." Layla glanced in-between the guys. "She has a personal vendetta against everyone with the Y chromosome. Blame it on the ex-husband."

"Or," the brunette shrugged, "Blame it on guys being dicks." And with that said, she took a huge slug of her beer, placing it back down on the table with a loud thud.

"Noted." Alex chuckled. A beat later, he added, "So this might make my suggestion seem a little... difficult for you then."

She narrowed her eyes at him, somewhat intrigued. "What suggestion might you be offering?"

"It's not so much of an offer – or a suggestion really – than a challenge. A bet. I noticed last week that you're good at the game. Almost as good as I am." Before she could splutter an argument against that 'almost' emphasized by him, he moved on hastily. "Here's the deal: I think you like me, Eve Torres, and you just don't want to admit it. So I'm making a bet with you right here and now. If I win a special game with you, we go out on a date and I get to prove to you what amazing boyfriend material I could be..."

"And when I win?"

"No date. Simple as that."

"And you promise never to ask me out on a date?"

"Ah, I can't promise that." He smirked at her. She noticed the way he started to eye her up and down, just like he did when they first, and sighed loudly. That brought his attention back to her face. "So what do you say?"

Eve hadn't realized the attention their little conversation was getting. Both Maryse and Layla looked amused as they stared at their girlfriend, waiting for an answer—it was already obvious to them what the answer would be, knowing the woman could never back down from a challenge like this, especially when she had the chance to humiliate a member of the opposite sex.

"No answer yet?" Mike cut through the silence. He reached for the pack of cards in the middle. "You've got about five seconds to make up your mind... tick tock..."

The former Diva glanced at him, noticing his curious look, and then narrowed her eyes back on Alex Riley. He sure did look smug sitting there. He was probably thinking he had her beat already... "Okay," she shrugged as nonchalantly as she could. "It's a deal."


Logan had only been in Emily's room a handful of times, but on this particular occasion, he realized this had to be the longest he'd stayed there. The other moments had been just that: moments in which he only stopped by to either give her the answers to their homework or tell her that Tyler was outside his house in the car, feigning friendship with him for long enough so she could escape through her bedroom window, race across the perfect lawn, and ride off into the night...

Sat comfortably on her double bed, a mountain of pillows propped up behind his head, the teenager had his eyes trained on the television screen ahead while he played an old Smackdown vs. Raw game on the Xbox. He was currently playing as Ted DiBiase and beating The Undertaker to a bloody pulp – and just how cool was it to go to town on a legendary character?

"So what about this one?" Strutting back into the room from her en-suite bathroom, Emily glanced down at the little black dress she'd just changed into. "Do you think Tyler will like it? Is it appropriate for a school dance?"

"I think your Dad is a kick-ass player in this game. Oh, and here comes your mom to distract 'Taker—excellent move to pair them up together. Not that I need the advantage but I'll take it."

The blonde rolled her eyes at the virtual figures of her parents on the screen, and then turned back to the guy she was forced to call her school friend. "I'll be sure to call Daddy right away and tell him to add you to his ass-kissing list. Now will you pay attention to me? I have to find the perfect dress!"

"And he's down for the three count! Yeeeeah!" Logan did a ridiculous celebration, dropping the controller and fist pumping the air. It was clear that he was having a good time this evening. "Come on Emz, you know you want to celebrate with me. I just beat one of the most..."

"Stop being such a nerd!" She smacked his floppy brown head of hair. When he obediently sat back down, rolling his own eyes, she scoffed. "I'm sorry, but am I wasting your time? I know our Moms wanted us to spend time together so we don't get in trouble—"

"So you don't get in trouble."

"—But that means playing by my rules, especially when we're in my house. So will you just give me an opinion – not that yours matters – on my outfits? Please? And don't call me Emz." She added with a huff a moment later. "You haven't called me that since we were kids."

Logan sighed as he moved back into his comfortable position and looked her up and down. The black dress fitted her perfectly, stopping at a daring mid-thigh level. She played around with her hair while he made his decision; he had to stop and swallow lightly when she left her golden locks to cascade down her back freely.

Then, just a few seconds later, he looked away, shrugging nonchalantly.

"That's not an answer." By now she was angry. What couldn't he just tell her what he thought? She'd tried on at least ten different outfits and each had the same nonplussed, uncaring reaction. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

He ignored her, starting a new game. This time he allowed the game to simulate a make-believe match, and almost laughed when it came up with the option to play the virtual Eve Torres. Yeah right. He landed on William Regal next and shrugged to himself—the man was a legend in his own right.

"All I want to know is if I look okay." Emily shoved him. The move was harsh, but she was impatient and... well, in a very bad mood. "I swear one day I'm going to hurt—"

"What do you want me to tell you?" The screen faded to black, preparing for the match to begin by putting on a 'Now Loading' logo, but the guy didn't care. His focus was solely on her as she stepped back, surprised by the sudden intensity of it all. "That you look beautiful? Because you do, Emily. But I always think you look beautiful no matter what you wear, so my opinion doesn't really count for anything does it? And it's not me who you want to impress."

"Logan, calm down."

"It's Tyler who you feel the need to dress up for and change for." He shook his head. "And I doubt right now that me calling you beautiful will make you feel better about yourself because – ultimately – he's not even going to think of the word when he's with you. He'll call you sexy or something stupid you find endearing just because he's older, can drive and is just so cool. He'll barely notice the way you light up a room when you walk into it, how you're the most beautiful girl in school or how much you could mean to him if he treated you right."

The teenager stood up at this point, running his hands through his shaggy hair. What on earth had possessed him to say all of that? For so long he'd kept his inner thoughts inside—definitely the wisest thing to do—and now everything had just bubbled out, threatening an already unsteady friendship. Fantastic.

Emily stared at him. She appeared, for once, stuck for words.

"I'm going to get something to drink from the kitchen. Do you want anything?"

She shook her head and tied her hair back into a loose ponytail. Just as he was leaving, she wandered into the bathroom, shutting the door gently behind her. He lingered in the doorway for a moment or two—eventually, Emily began to sing quietly, something he knew she did when trying to block something that was troubling her out of her mind.

She sounded beautiful.

Nice one, dickhead. He almost hit himself as he made it downstairs, two steps at a time, and into the kitchen. He reached for a glass from the cupboard and poured some orange juice from the fridge in it. You could have just gone without saying a single thing... but no, somewhere in your thick head, you decided to tell the truth.

He was still cursing himself when he made it back up to her bedroom. Logan was surprised when she faced him, a black and pink creation framing her body wonderfully now, and asked, "What's this?"

"A new dress. What do you think?" She queried, devoid of emotion. So she was avoiding the moment now – like it hadn't happened?

Well fine. Two could play at that game. "You look good." He nodded.


"Do you think they're done out there yet?"

"I don't know. It's only been ten minutes – they could have another twenty in them."

"Oh God, I hope not." Maryse rolled her eyes at Mike as they moved around in the kitchen, helping themselves to various drinks and snacks. Layla stood by the door, peering through at the poker game contestants. "I don't know how much more I can take of this."

"Come on, Maryse, this is Eve we're talking about. She likes a challenge as much as the next girl." The British woman glanced at her briefly. "Though it actually looks like the game is winding down now."

"Finally." The former Diva's Champion smiled. It was fun being over here at the household she'd come to know recently—thanks to the outburst about her failing marriage to the guy standing opposite her—but when she only got to play one game before Alex and Eve decided they had to play theirs, things soon became stale. "This will either go very well for us or..."

"Can you believe I have to go out on a date with him?" Bursting into the kitchen, the raging brunette didn't seem to notice how she'd almost squashed Layla against the wall. "I had a full house – I had him beat! And then... and then... and a royal flush of all the... we're leaving now!"

The other housewives snickered – Layla even made a mental note to ring Tiffany up tomorrow and tell her all about Eve's disaster of an evening – while they collected their things. Maryse hugged Mike goodbye, their embrace lingering for a little too long, and cleared her throat as she shuffled out towards the door behind the other girls.

"So you were talking earlier about how you were free on Tuesday evening? Pick you up at seven then?" Alex Riley's smirk was overbearing as he leaned against the door, Eve brushing past him in a cloud of sweet perfume and ruffled dark locks.

"Whatever!" Her answer was immature, but so was her way out as she stomped down the porch steps.

"I can't wait to tell our kids the story of how I finally captured your heart. And to think, it all started when I won a bet in a poker game!"

Though it was dark, Alex was certain she flipped him off after raising her arm up high in the air. He only chuckled to himself, watching her let herself back into her house angrily, and then shut the door behind him to clear up after the very successful – on his part – evening.

Maryse and Layla allowed themselves a moment more of laughter at their friend's expense, already excited for Wednesday morning to arrive so they could rush over and see how the date went, before they decided to say their goodnights.

While the blonde made her way home to tell Logan it was time to go and to spend some time with her daughter, Layla arrived back to her house solo. She leaned against the door for a moment or two – her house completely quiet apart from the odd whir of the light on above her in the landing – and then picked herself back up, dumping her things down on the kitchen counter.

Though it was wonderful to be without her husband for two whole weeks, she was also quite lonely. It wasn't that she wished William Regal was back here, if only to provide her with some entertainment—oh God no, how could he possibly do that?—but she wanted someone to be around so she didn't have to sleep alone. Someone who didn't make her skin crawl...

Courtney.

Layla picked a few grapes from their storks in a sharp swipe, showing her brand new mood off easily. It had been simmering for the past few hours, but now that she was alone it was better to let her emotions out.

The fact that she was still jealous of John Cena and his freedom without her told her one simple thing.

She needed him back. Pronto.


So there's the next chapter. Please review :)

- In the next chapter: Sent over to Layla's to look at a busted pipe, John finds temptation too hard to resist.
In the meanwhile, Tiffany confronts Drew about what really happened on their honeymoon.