You can't be in love with her, Eric. You're an idiot for thinking
that. You've got to smarten up and act like an adult, which is what you
are. You're practically twenty years her senior! Not to mention, that
you've got a wife already, whom you dearly love. So grow up and act your
age!
Eric had always hated that little nagging voice in the back of his mind. It was that little voice that brought sense and reality into everything that he did and sometimes he wished that it would fly away. He rolled down the window in the back of the limousine, hoping that it would just fly away, out onto the highway with the night wind.
It was past two in the morning when Eric and Jade left the bar. She was pretty well sobered up from her drinking binge and Eric decided to let her be for the night. Besides, his personal revelation of his feelings for her had shocked him into silence. He could do nothing but sit and wallow in the silence of her beauty. She really was like an angel; the guys from the roster told no lies.
But was he getting sucked into something he didn't want to be a part of? Were his feelings just lies and deception of times well passed? Was her talent of making full grown, strong men fall to their knees before her engulfing him, too? Or were his feelings genuine and did he truly love her? Time would tell before he would, for his fear of rejection and failing a marriage was too prominent.
Back at the hotel, he was just settling in for the night when his phone rang. Wondering who could have the number to his room, he grumpily answered the incessant ringing.
"Miss me?" came the angelic voice from the other end. Immediately his heart leapt into his throat. Deciding to play it cool, he tried to go along with her game. "Terribly. My heart is aching this very moment." If only she knew how true that was.
"I was wondering if you wanted to get together."
"Now?"
"What better time than the present?"
"Jade, its ten after three in the morning. Most partiers are getting home at this time!"
He could almost hear her pouting on the other end of the line. "Okay, well, if you want it that way." She sighed as if the weight of the world were on her shoulders.
"Jade," Eric started out before stopping. He couldn't be heartfelt because if he was honest, then the real truth might come out. "Jade, it will take you at least half an hour to get ready and then another half an hour to get up here."
"We're in the same hotel, Eric."
"Yeah, but going anywhere with you takes an eternity. You stop to say hi to kids, pets and people and to talk. It seems you know everyone."
"Open your door."
Sighing, Eric got up and went over to the door. It was better than arguing with her. Standing outside in the hallway was Jade, with a cell phone pressed to her ear, her arm against the wall, supporting herself. She was wearing different clothes than before and looked absolutely stunning in a short tank top-even shorter than the one before-and a pair of tight blue jeans. Eric had to control his actions to avoid blurting out, "Let's go-now!"
"So? Want to get going?" Jade had a funny and seductive smile on her face and Eric felt himself nodding vigorously. He rushed to grab his jacket and the two of them hurried out the door, downstairs and into the chilly night air.
They walked along in silence for a few moments before Eric got up the courage to ask where they were going. Jade was silent for a moment before responding. "I was thinking about to a place I like to go to when we visit here."
"Can we walk there?"
"Of course. That's half the fun. Driving takes the fun out of everything."
"Not if you do it right."
Jade smiled again, and Eric wasn't sure if she had caught on to his innuendo correctly. Her smile led to silence once again, and Eric was content with just her presence.
Close to twenty minutes later, they reached a bridge. Eric thought that they would stand atop it and talk, but Jade had other plans. They just as soon hit the bridge when Jade veered off to the right and started down the gentle slope. Eric stood dumbfounded, watching her disappear. A moment later she reappeared. "Aren't you coming?" she asked. When he didn't respond, she tenderly grabbed his arm and steered him down the slope with her.
Once they reached the bottom, Eric noted that there was a rough, beat up old bench directly underneath the bridge. Jade sat down and motioned for Eric to sit beside her. "Is this thing safe?" he wondered aloud and Jade laughed.
"I hope so; I've been coming here for at least three years." She became still when he sat down beside her, random thoughts poking into her mind. But one thing remained apparent. "Eric, I want to make something clear to you. How I feel about you." Eric felt his heart lurch once again as he anticipated her response. If she tells me she's in love with me, what do I say? That I'll leave my wife for her? That I'll promise her the world? That I'll never let her down? "Oh yeah? How would that be?" he replied coolly, despite all the rampant thoughts running amok in his mind.
She took a deep breath. "I feel that I've been extremely unfair to you. I know how you feel about the business-you made that perfectly obvious tonight. And I want to apologize for making you feel so horrible. And for trying to ruin your reputation. And for making fun of you. And for hating you. And for treating you unfairly. And for undermining you. And for underestimating you." Silence reigned for a few seconds. "Actually, I'm going to apologize for being me because if I apologize for everything individually, we might be here until next week."
"Don't apologize for being you," Eric said fervently. "You are a sweet, charming, beautiful girl who had faith in her father, as most girls your age do. You had every right to be mad at me. I just wish you had taken it out some other way."
Jade giggled. "Well, being a McMahon isn't easy. We've been taught all of our lives to keep our feelings inside. I guess I didn't know any other way to express how angry I was. On second thought, I wasn't really angry. I was hurt and disappointed in my father. You're right; every girl should have faith in her Daddy, and I did up until then. I thought my father had lost his mind and gone insane. It killed me to see you come out there because I could practically hear Raw being flushed. I hated it. And I guess, instead of hating the situation, I started hating you."
"I understand, Jade. You don't have to worry anymore." Eric's smile melted Jade's heart. She felt so compelled by his compassion, his ability to forgive her for being so nasty to him. She felt so overwhelmed by his kindness that she found herself leaning towards him.
Don't kiss him, you idiot! her brain screamed. He's married! He's almost twice your age! He tried to put your father out of business! He's your enemy! But her body wasn't responding to the shattering thoughts that penetrated her brain. Before she knew what was happening, she was caught up in the blurry web and was kissing Eric Bischoff.
Eric had always hated that little nagging voice in the back of his mind. It was that little voice that brought sense and reality into everything that he did and sometimes he wished that it would fly away. He rolled down the window in the back of the limousine, hoping that it would just fly away, out onto the highway with the night wind.
It was past two in the morning when Eric and Jade left the bar. She was pretty well sobered up from her drinking binge and Eric decided to let her be for the night. Besides, his personal revelation of his feelings for her had shocked him into silence. He could do nothing but sit and wallow in the silence of her beauty. She really was like an angel; the guys from the roster told no lies.
But was he getting sucked into something he didn't want to be a part of? Were his feelings just lies and deception of times well passed? Was her talent of making full grown, strong men fall to their knees before her engulfing him, too? Or were his feelings genuine and did he truly love her? Time would tell before he would, for his fear of rejection and failing a marriage was too prominent.
Back at the hotel, he was just settling in for the night when his phone rang. Wondering who could have the number to his room, he grumpily answered the incessant ringing.
"Miss me?" came the angelic voice from the other end. Immediately his heart leapt into his throat. Deciding to play it cool, he tried to go along with her game. "Terribly. My heart is aching this very moment." If only she knew how true that was.
"I was wondering if you wanted to get together."
"Now?"
"What better time than the present?"
"Jade, its ten after three in the morning. Most partiers are getting home at this time!"
He could almost hear her pouting on the other end of the line. "Okay, well, if you want it that way." She sighed as if the weight of the world were on her shoulders.
"Jade," Eric started out before stopping. He couldn't be heartfelt because if he was honest, then the real truth might come out. "Jade, it will take you at least half an hour to get ready and then another half an hour to get up here."
"We're in the same hotel, Eric."
"Yeah, but going anywhere with you takes an eternity. You stop to say hi to kids, pets and people and to talk. It seems you know everyone."
"Open your door."
Sighing, Eric got up and went over to the door. It was better than arguing with her. Standing outside in the hallway was Jade, with a cell phone pressed to her ear, her arm against the wall, supporting herself. She was wearing different clothes than before and looked absolutely stunning in a short tank top-even shorter than the one before-and a pair of tight blue jeans. Eric had to control his actions to avoid blurting out, "Let's go-now!"
"So? Want to get going?" Jade had a funny and seductive smile on her face and Eric felt himself nodding vigorously. He rushed to grab his jacket and the two of them hurried out the door, downstairs and into the chilly night air.
They walked along in silence for a few moments before Eric got up the courage to ask where they were going. Jade was silent for a moment before responding. "I was thinking about to a place I like to go to when we visit here."
"Can we walk there?"
"Of course. That's half the fun. Driving takes the fun out of everything."
"Not if you do it right."
Jade smiled again, and Eric wasn't sure if she had caught on to his innuendo correctly. Her smile led to silence once again, and Eric was content with just her presence.
Close to twenty minutes later, they reached a bridge. Eric thought that they would stand atop it and talk, but Jade had other plans. They just as soon hit the bridge when Jade veered off to the right and started down the gentle slope. Eric stood dumbfounded, watching her disappear. A moment later she reappeared. "Aren't you coming?" she asked. When he didn't respond, she tenderly grabbed his arm and steered him down the slope with her.
Once they reached the bottom, Eric noted that there was a rough, beat up old bench directly underneath the bridge. Jade sat down and motioned for Eric to sit beside her. "Is this thing safe?" he wondered aloud and Jade laughed.
"I hope so; I've been coming here for at least three years." She became still when he sat down beside her, random thoughts poking into her mind. But one thing remained apparent. "Eric, I want to make something clear to you. How I feel about you." Eric felt his heart lurch once again as he anticipated her response. If she tells me she's in love with me, what do I say? That I'll leave my wife for her? That I'll promise her the world? That I'll never let her down? "Oh yeah? How would that be?" he replied coolly, despite all the rampant thoughts running amok in his mind.
She took a deep breath. "I feel that I've been extremely unfair to you. I know how you feel about the business-you made that perfectly obvious tonight. And I want to apologize for making you feel so horrible. And for trying to ruin your reputation. And for making fun of you. And for hating you. And for treating you unfairly. And for undermining you. And for underestimating you." Silence reigned for a few seconds. "Actually, I'm going to apologize for being me because if I apologize for everything individually, we might be here until next week."
"Don't apologize for being you," Eric said fervently. "You are a sweet, charming, beautiful girl who had faith in her father, as most girls your age do. You had every right to be mad at me. I just wish you had taken it out some other way."
Jade giggled. "Well, being a McMahon isn't easy. We've been taught all of our lives to keep our feelings inside. I guess I didn't know any other way to express how angry I was. On second thought, I wasn't really angry. I was hurt and disappointed in my father. You're right; every girl should have faith in her Daddy, and I did up until then. I thought my father had lost his mind and gone insane. It killed me to see you come out there because I could practically hear Raw being flushed. I hated it. And I guess, instead of hating the situation, I started hating you."
"I understand, Jade. You don't have to worry anymore." Eric's smile melted Jade's heart. She felt so compelled by his compassion, his ability to forgive her for being so nasty to him. She felt so overwhelmed by his kindness that she found herself leaning towards him.
Don't kiss him, you idiot! her brain screamed. He's married! He's almost twice your age! He tried to put your father out of business! He's your enemy! But her body wasn't responding to the shattering thoughts that penetrated her brain. Before she knew what was happening, she was caught up in the blurry web and was kissing Eric Bischoff.