A thousand apologies for the how long it took to update. Life got in the way, work is super busy and my friends decided my birthday needed to be celebrated for an entire week so that was a bit rough. I want to thank you all for your kind reviews, I appreciate them so much and they genuinely help the writing process along. I love knowing what you think, the feedback keeps me motivated. I wanted to get something posted so no double update this time but the next chapter is half done and will be up hopefully today or tomorrow. I had planned on two chapters at once though so the last part of the preview will get pushed to chapter 15. Hope you enjoy the update and please keep the reviews coming!

Chapter 14…

Phil opened his eyes slowly, reluctantly allowing himself to wake up. He was exhausted and he could tell without looking that his back had bruised some during the night. In spite of that, he was indescribably comfortable. Jordan was curled up beside him, her head resting on his right shoulder, her body radiating warmth. At some point in the night, she'd gotten up and put on a t-shirt. He wasn't surprised. He could be a bit of a blanket hog. He looked down at her sleeping face, deciding at that moment that he definitely liked her best without any makeup. She looked beautiful.

"You know it's weird to watch people sleep, right?" she said sleepily, her eyes still closed.

"It's weird to pretend to be asleep when you're not," he countered, mussing her dark hair.

"I wasn't pretending," she said, sitting up slowly. "Just happened to wake up for a moment and catch you. What time is it?"

"No clue," he shook his head. He didn't really care honestly, he just wanted to go back to sleep.

She reached across him to grab her phone from the nightstand, "6 o'clock. I am not supposed to be awake right now."

"Shit, I am," he said, running a hand over his face and sitting up. "I have a radio interview in an hour."

"Sucks to be you," she made a face.

"Jerk," he said, reaching over and tugging a piece of her hair.

She stuck her tongue out at him and he laughed, leaning back against the headboard. He had no idea what he was doing with her. He wished he knew exactly what she wanted; maybe it would help him figure out what he did.

"I should probably go," he said. "I gotta leave for this thing in a half hour and I still need to take a shower."

"Okay," she said, running a hand through her unruly hair. Some of the curls refused to go where she directed them and he reached forward, brushing them away from her face. She leaned slightly into his touch and he moved his hand to the back of her neck, pulling her closer, capturing her lips with his. He intended for the kiss to be a quick one but when their lips touched, he found himself unable, or unwilling, to let her go right away. Their kiss deepened and he laid down, pulling her with him. She moaned as he pulled her leg, guiding her so that she straddled him.

"I thought you had to go," she pulled away, smiling down at him.

He shrugged, "I can stay a little longer."

Arden struggled to balance her coffee in one hand and the tea she brought for Jordan in the other. Her laptop bag was weighing her shoulder down, throwing her off a bit. They were both checking out early to make their flight to Vegas for Raw. She rounded the corner toward Jordan's room, slowing when she saw her friend's door open. She was about to ask for help with the drinks when Phil walked out of the room. His hair was all over the place and he was wearing the same clothes as the last time she saw him, leaving the arena the night before. He didn't seem to notice her and he turned, walking in the opposite direction. She knew Jordan and Phil knew each other but she had no idea they were close enough to be spending the night in each other's rooms. She finished her trek to Jordan's door and used her foot to tap against it. Jordan opened the door in a large Bears t-shirt. Her dark curls were more unruly than Arden could ever remember seeing them and she looked very tired.

"Hey Ginge," she said, her voice raspy. "What are you doing here?"

"We're supposed to be leaving in a few minutes, Sunshine," Arden said, handing over her tea.

"We are?" Jordan squinted, taking a sip of the tea. The warm liquid seemed to wake her up as her eyes opened wide, "Oh shit. I totally forgot we were leaving early."

"I can see that," Arden laughed, coming into the room and closing the door behind her. She took a sip of her coffee before asking, "Long night?"

"No not really," Jordan said, drinking more of her tea, not quite meeting Arden's gaze. "I'm still getting used to the different sleeping schedule, that's all."

In that moment, Arden learned something new about her friend. She was not a very good liar. At least not when she'd just woken up. Jordan pulled her suitcase up onto the bed and opened it, pulling out a pair of shorts and a t-shirt.

"So you just had a..boring night?" Arden asked.

Jordan nodded, her back still to Arden as she fished a bra out of her bag, "How about you? Did Cody get any more parking lot ass?"

"If he did I didn't have to hear it," Arden beamed proudly. "I almost forgot, I didn't tell you about what happened when he asked me out."

"He asked you out?" Jordan was fully awake now. "Why is this the first I'm hearing about it?"

"Come on, take your shower. I'll take your bags to the car," Arden offered, knowing they really needed to get moving. "I'll tell you the whole story on the way there."

Stephen tossed his gym bag into the trunk of his rental and slammed it shut. He'd just come back from the gym and he wanted to get an hour or so of sleep in before he had to be at the airport. He pulled his baseball cap lower on his forehead to shield his eyes from the bright sun and headed into the hotel. As he passed through the lobby, nearing the elevators, he heard a grunting noise that almost sounded like a frustrated child. When the source came into view, he couldn't help but laugh. Arden was in front of an elevator, struggling to pull out an extremely large suitcase while the door repeatedly tried to close on it. She looked more casual than the first couple of times he'd seen her, wearing white short sleeved shirt and blue shorts. He shook his head when he looked at her feet and saw another pair of 5 inch heels, this pair the same cobalt blue as her shorts.

He walked over to help her, "I thought we had a talk about these shoes."

She jumped when she heard his voice but smiled when she saw him, letting go of the bag's handle, "I realized this morning that I forgot to pack flats."

"Looks like you've got the wheel caught," he said, lifting the bag, pulling the wheel out of the door's track and allowing it to close.

"Thank you," she smiled gratefully.

"Feels like you're smuggling Hornswoggle in this thing," he smirked, noticing the heft of the bag.

"That's Jordan's," Arden explained. "Those are mine."

She pointed to two bags behind her. They were about the same size as the one he was holding.

"All of that and you didn't pack one pair of flat shoes?" he laughed. "I'll never understand women."

She looked like she wanted to get defensive but then she shrugged, laughing, "I'll pack much smarter next time. It's gonna take me a while to get used to this. The first thing I'm doing when I get to Vegas is buying a pair of gym shoes and flip flops."

"Probably a good idea," he smiled. "Now, where you headed?"

"Oh I can take it from here," she insisted. "I was just going to put these in the car."

"Come on," he grabbed one of her other bags, nodding toward the front doors. "You can get the other one."

"You really don't have to-"

"I'm already carrying them," he smiled at her. "Let's go lass."

She laughed, picking up the other bag and leading the way to her car, "You're gonna have to stop helping me so much. I might get used to it."

He turned to her after loading in the bags, "You can always let me know if you need help."

She smiled up at him, holding a hand up to block the sun, "I'll keep that in mind."

12:00 P.M.

"Thank you," Arden smiled at the hotel clerk as he handed over the room keys. She pulled her suitcase behind her, walking over to Jordan. "All set."

"Let's roll," Jordan said, heading toward the elevators.

Arden bit her lip, trying to figure out what to do. She hadn't mentioned what she saw that morning to Jordan yet but her curiosity was killing her. She didn't want to overstep the bounds of their friendship. She was still getting used to this whole 'girlfriends' thing.

When they got on the elevator, she decided to just bite the bullet, "So..I wasn't gonna say anything about this but I just have to ask…Why was Phil coming out of your room this morning?"

Jordan nearly choked on the sip of water she'd just taken. She twisted the cap onto the bottle and turned to Arden, "You saw him?"

She nodded, "Are you guys dating?"

"No," Jordan answered as they exited the elevator. "We're not dating. We're just friends."

Arden eyed her suspiciously as they walked toward their room.

"Friends who have sex from time to time," Jordan continued.

Arden felt her mouth drop open. She'd suspected something was going on when she saw him but the confirmation was still a bit of a surprise, "Since when? You never mentioned this."

"It hasn't happened that many times," Jordan answered. "And we said we weren't going to anymore."

"That's obviously going well for you guys," Arden laughed, opening the door to their room. They both went inside and set down their bags, plopping down on their respective beds.

"I know," Jordan shook her head. "I thought we were done and then last night he walked me to my room and…one thing led to another. I have no idea what's going on now."

"Do you know what you want?" Arden asked, kicking off her heels. "I mean, do you think you're even ready for a relationship after your last one?"

Jordan laughed, "Sometimes I forget you haven't actually met Dex. Trust me; he's almost shockingly easy to get over."

"You didn't answer my first question..do you know what you want?"

Jordan rolled over onto her stomach, propping herself up on her elbows, an almost shy smile touching her face, "I like him a lot…And I do think I could be ready for a relationship but…I don't know if he is."

Arden didn't really know what advice to give. Her one major relationship had been pretty disastrous and the more casual ones she'd had weren't exactly learning experiences. She shrugged, "Have you told him how much you like him?"

"I think he knows," Jordan sighed, rolling back onto her back. "Maybe. I don't know."

Arden couldn't help but smile. It was rare to see Jordan vulnerable. She was always so sure of herself.

"Well, I think you should make it clear," Arden said. "Just tell him how you feel. It can't hurt."

Stu walked into the locker room, sighing deeply. This was yet another Raw that he was told to show up for and then informed at the last minute that his return had been delayed. He was getting more frustrated by the day. His arm felt fine, he was in the best shape of his life. He just wanted to get back to work. He dropped his bag onto the floor, nodding to Cody, Nick, and Ted.

"You're full of shit," Nick pointed at Cody.

"It's the truth," Cody said emphatically. "She was all over me."

"I believe him," Ted said. "I saw her checking him out."

"Yeah but she just doesn't look like the type to put out like that," Nick shook his head. "She's..I don't know..timid I guess."

"She wasn't last night," Cody smiled, pulling a t-shirt out of his bag.

Stu frowned, wondering who they were talking about. Cody loved to share stories of his conquests with the entire locker room and Stu tended not to believe half of them. Anyone who actually got laid that much didn't need to talk about it as often as he did.

"Whatever you say man," Nick shrugged, still looking unconvinced. He usually seemed to buy into Cody's bull so his disbelief made Stu even more curious.

"Who are you guys talking about?" he asked.

"The new girl," Nick said.

"Jordan?" Stu laughed. Now he definitely knew it wasn't true.

"No," Cody shook his head. "Her friend. Arden."

"So Thursday night, we're doing the afternoon show. Then right after that, we're going to the theater and they're playing Batman Begins, then The Dark Knight. The Dark Knight Rises will start at midnight," Jordan excitedly explained her plans with Jason, Colt, and Arden to AJ.

"Okay I'm seriously jealous," AJ tried to glare at her. "I have a ridiculously early flight Friday morning and then media all day so I can't go see it until Friday night."

"I couldn't skip out if I wanted to," Jordan laughed. "Jason and I saw the first two movies together at midnight. If I didn't go for the third, he would kill me."

"I would kill you too," AJ laughed. Something over Jordan's shoulder caught her eye and she smiled, waving, "Hi Beth."

Jordan suppressed the urge to groan when she heard the other woman's name. She turned, prepared for another confrontation but to her surprise, Beth's expression was much softer than the last time she saw her.

"Hi Jordan," the blonde smiled.

"Hey," Jordan said, feeling extremely awkward, especially with AJ sitting next to her, completely oblivious.

"I just wanted to apologize to you for the way I acted," Beth said, sounding sincere.

Jordan raised an eyebrow, "You're apologizing? Why?"

"Because I realized that I was wrong," Beth sighed, seeming a bit embarrassed. "I was totally out of line. I should know better than to accuse another woman of getting a job that way."

Jordan could see AJ's confused and curious expression out of the corner of her eye. She wished Beth had decided to give her grand mea culpa in private. She couldn't blame AJ though. She probably wouldn't have walked away if the situation were reversed.

"What brought this on?" Jordan asked.

"You and Colt," she admitted, laughing.

Jordan wondered if the look on her face properly conveyed her confusion.

"I saw you guys on Twitter and I realized that I was clearly wrong," Beth said.

"Because Colt and I are…" Jordan wanted Beth to finish her sentence so she could be sure of what the other woman was implying.

"Dating," Beth said. "I got to know Colt when Phil and I were together. He's a really great guy."

Jordan just nodded, completely confused as to what was going on.

"Listen, I have to run but hopefully we can talk later," Beth said.

Beth walked away and Jordan stared after her, wide eyed.

She was jarred out of her stupor when AJ playfully slapped her on the arm, "You're going out with Colt? I didn't know that."

"Neither did I," Jordan said, shaking her head. "Last time I checked I wasn't."

"Then what's she talking about?"

Jordan shrugged, "Got me."

Arden speared her salad with her fork, reading an email from Bob. He was thrilled with how the pre-show had gone and congratulating her and Jordan on their work. She smiled, opening a reply email to thank him. Before she could start typing, she heard loud laughter and looked up to see Eve and Layla looking over at her. When they saw her looking, they quickly turned away, talking in hushed tones. Arden sighed deeply, frowning. She couldn't explain why but she'd had the strangest feeling that people were staring at her all afternoon. It was probably just because they were wondering who the hell she was but it was unnerving. She was accustom to going relatively unnoticed, flying under the radar. She hadn't heard girls snickering behind her back since high school. She tried to shake it off and turned her attention back to her Blackberry when once again she was interrupted. She heard footsteps coming in her direction, stopping directly behind her. She looked over her shoulder, smiling when she saw Stu.

"Hello," she said, putting down her phone.

"May I?" he gestured to the seat across from her.

She nodded, "Be my guest."

He wore a grave expression and she grew concerned, "Is everything alright?"

"Well.." he sighed, leaning on his elbows. "Listen, you and I don't know each other at all but I'm going to tell you something because I feel like it's the right thing to do."

"O..kay," she frowned, confused. "What is it?"

"Before I say anything, I just have to warn you, I don't do well with emotional women," he said. "So if you get upset, I apologize if I'm not overly comforting. It isn't really my way."

"Is it your way to be vague and ominous?" she asked. "Because you're freaking me out a bit."

"There's been..a rumor going 'round," Stu said, looking uncomfortable.

"Oh no," Arden sighed. "Is this about Jordan and Phil? Because it's not true, whatever you've heard."

She knew Jordan didn't want that information getting out and she wasn't about to tell anyone.

Amusement touched his face for a moment as he shook his head, "No it's not that. Although, I admire your devotion to your friend. I'm afraid it's about you actually."

"Me?" she laughed. "Who would start a rumor about me?"

Jordan knocked on the door to Phil's dressing room, crossing her arms while she waited for a response.

"Come on in," he called after a few seconds. Jordan walked in, closing the door and watching his back as he pulled a t-shirt on. This would be a good time for that rubber band. She whistled at him and he turned around, smiling when he saw her.

"So…were you a stop on Beth's apology tour too or was that just me?" she asked.

"She apologized to you?" he asked, perplexed. "Why?"

"Well that answers my question," she laughed. "Beth apologized to me because she realized that you and I are nothing more than friends."

"And what brought her to this realization?"

"My relationship with Colt," Jordan said, biting her lip to keep from laughing. The idea was just so ridiculous she couldn't help it.

"Your what?" Phil stared.

"Apparently Beth thinks Colt and I are banging it out," Jordan tapped her fists together to emphasize her point.

"You and Colt?" he said, hazel eyes wide. "Colt Cabana AKA Matt Classic?"

"Scotty Goldman himself," she shrugged. "She said something about reading tweets and realizing that we were obviously together. I don't know. It didn't make sense to me and AJ was sitting next to me so I didn't want to go too far into it."

Phil laughed, obviously entertained.

"You know, I actually feel bad," Jordan said, sitting in a folding chair. "I mean, I know we don't want Beth to think we're..whatever we are but I don't want to bring someone else into it to make our lie more believable. Especially not Colt. I'm gonna have to tell her that she's wrong."

"Can I please be the one to tell Colt about your secret relationship?" he smirked.

"No promises," she shook a finger at him. "Whoever talks to him first tells him."

"Deal," he agreed.

Jordan looked down at her hands, unsure of what to say next. She wanted to have the talk they said they would but she didn't want to seem needy by bringing it up. He pulled his chair over next to hers, sitting down beside her. The scent of his soap filled her nostrils and she held her breath for a moment, enjoying the smell of him.

"I can practically see the gears grinding in there," he said, pointing at her head. He tucked her hair behind her ear and her skin tingled where his skin touched her, "Talk to me."

"I don't really know what to say," she admitted. "And that is extremely rare for me so..enjoy it while it lasts."

"I like listening to what you have to say," he said, his shoulder touching hers.

"That's good to know," she smiled. She took a deep breath, trying to be serious. She absolutely hated talking about her feelings or anything in that wheelhouse. In fact, she avoided it at all costs but in this instance, she knew she was going to have to.

"So.." she rested her elbows on her knees. "Last night was..unexpected."

Phil nodded, "I swear I really was just trying to walk you to your room."

"I believe you," she said. "It's not all your fault. We seem to have a problem staying away from each other."

"You could say that," he laughed.

She looked down at her legs and then over at him, "What are we gonna do about that?"

Phil looked into Jordan's eyes, trying to figure out the best way to say what he wanted to.

"Jordan I like you," he said. "I like spending time with you."

She nodded, looking down at her hands, "I feel like there's a 'but' coming."

He meant what he said. He liked her a lot. He knew that from the moment he met her. She was right though, he wasn't done.

"I just think that you and I aren't ready for anything too serious," he admitted. "You just got out of a relationship you've been in since high school. You saw firsthand that things are still pretty tense between me and Beth."

"I'm getting this strange sense of déjà vu," she stopped him. "You gave me reasons that we should just be friends my first night here. But then last night, you kissed me. So I'm confused."

"So am I," he said honestly. "I want to be friends and when I'm not around you, I think I can handle that. Then I see you and all bets are off."

"But you don't want a relationship with me," she suggested.

"I don't want a relationship with anyone," he corrected. "And I don't think you do either."

"Oh you think you can read my mind now?" she smirked.

"I wish," he laughed. "What do you want?"

"I would be fine keeping things the way they are," she shrugged. "We're adults. We like each other. It doesn't have to be anything serious. I have my life, you have yours. Sometimes they intertwine…In bed."

He laughed, shaking his head.

"And out of bed sometimes," she laughed. "Whatever."

"You are an interesting woman," he said. "I've never had someone suggest being friends with benefits before."

"That's not what I'm suggesting," she said. "There doesn't have to be a label. We do whatever we want and it's nobody's business but ours."

"And you think that would work?" he asked.

She shrugged, smiling, "Why wouldn't it?"

Arden could feel her neck getting hot as she stomped toward the dressing room where Stu told her she would find Cody. She pushed the door open, rushing inside. She was immediately met with the sight of a naked Nick Nemeth. He had his back to her, in the process of wrapping a towel around his waist.

"Oh my God," she put up a hand up so she wouldn't see any more. "I am so sorry."

"No worries," he laughed. "I assume you're looking for Cody."

"I am," she answered.

"He ran to get his new trunks from wardrobe," Nick explained. "He should be back any minute. You're welcome to wait."

"Thank you," she said as politely as she could. "I'm so sorry for walking in on you. I usually knock before I enter a room. I'm just a little frazzled today and-."

"It's fine."

She felt his hand gently guide her wrist down and she turned, seeing that he was wearing a pair of basketball shorts. With most of his lower half covered, she was able to refocus her energy on her rage, "I take it you've heard what he's saying about me."

"Yeah but I didn't buy it," he shrugged, running a hand over his platinum blonde hair. "And I can tell by the way you came in here guns blazing that it isn't true."

"Good," she smiled. "Thank you."

"No problem," he shrugged. "Cody's usually full of shit."

He pulled a pair of boots out of his bag, "I've gotta run."

He walked toward the door, looking out. He looked over his shoulder at her, "Here he comes. Give him hell."

Cody frowned as Nick passed him looking amused. He wasn't a teenage girl or a gossip columnist so he never used the term 'frenemy' but if there was a single word that could describe their relationship that was it. They were compared to each other often throughout their careers but as of late, the company seemed to be behind Nick, hence his Money in the Bank win. He shook off his annoyance, walking into the locker room. He stopped short when he saw Arden there. She had her hands on her hips and he could practically see fire coming out of her ears. Her cheeks were as red as her was not going to be good.

"Hey," he smiled, hoping there was some way he could charm himself out of this.

"Hey?" she stared. "Hey?"

"You seem a little upset," he said, putting his trunks down by his bag. "Is everything alright?"

"Let me ask you something Cody," she narrowed her green eyes. "Have you always been delusional or is this a new development in your life?"

"What?" he laughed but inside he could feel himself growing tense.

"You told people we had sex," Arden said through clenched teeth. "How dare you?"

"How do you know I'm the one who said it?" he asked.

"Why would anyone else make that up?"

"Why would I?" he asked.

"Because I turned you down," she said. "And you obviously take rejection like a child."

"Look, it's not like I was devastated because you said no," he argued.

"I didn't say you were but you did walk away calling me a bitch so you obviously weren't happy," she said. "And now I hear about some completely fictitious night that we had together. Where else could that have come from?"

"Does it matter?" he asked.

"It matters to me!" she said. "I just got here. I don't know any of these people! And now they think I'm just another parking lot groupie."

"Is it really necessary to keep bringing up the parking lot thing?" he asked angrily.

"Yes!" she snipped. "Because it's ridiculous! Almost as ridiculous as the idea that I would ever sleep with you!"

"Something tells me the idea of you sleeping with anyone is ridiculous," he glared. "Cold fish usually don't get laid."

She looked like she'd been slapped in the face and he could immediately see he'd hit a nerve. He didn't feel guilty though. She was the one who made the conversation hostile, not him.

She walked closer to him, pointing angrily in his face, "You are going to tell everyone you lied to that I never slept with you."

Preview for Chapter 15...

John's wife Ashley comes to visit

Jordan and Arden are given more responsibility

Phil and Beth have a heart to heart