Chapter 45
By the time Saturday had rolled around, Steiner and Hunter had come to blows again. Bischoff sanctioned a non-title match between the two men, but they had started things in a backstage hallway instead of the ring.
Hunter and Evie had been walking back from Bischoff's office after Bischoff had informed Hunter of the match, and Steiner appeared out of nowhere and attacked Hunter. Hunter had managed to push Evie out of the way before receiving a blow from Steiner. She backed away as the two men punched and shoved one another into the wall or anything they could find.
Finally two referees broke the men apart. Hunter stumbled and leaned against the wall for support as the two refs pushed Steiner down the hallway, away from Evie and Hunter. Evie came up alongside Hunter and looked at him. His lip was bleeding and she could see a bruise forming under one eye.
"Can you make it back?" she asked.
"Yeah, I'll be fine," he replied as he pushed away from the wall.
They made it back to the locker room without any interference from anyone else. Once inside, Ric, Batista and Randy surrounded them and Hunter told them what had happened in the hall. Ric was raring to go beat the crap out of Steiner, but Hunter talked him out of it, saying he'd get some payback on Monday night. With that, the four men sat down and started talking strategy for the night.
They all trooped back to the hotel after the show. The bruise under Hunter's eye was a bit more prominent now. Steiner had offered to give him another so he'd have a matching pair, but Hunter didn't bother replying. He let his wrestling do the talking and, with some help from his other cohorts, pinned Steiner for a three count.
Evie busied herself getting ready for bed. The adjoining doors were open and she could hear Hunter channel surfing in the other room. When she was finished, she walked into his room.
"Anything good on?" she asked as she approached his bed.
"Not really," he said as he dropped the remote on the bed and looked up at her.
"Man that's some shiner you've got there," she said. "You want something to put on it?"
He glared at her. "No."
"Okay, I was just asking. No need to be grumpy," she said softly as she wondered what was wrong with him.
Hunter turned his attention back to the TV. He really wasn't in the mood for company; even hers. Ever since he and Steiner had exchanged blows in the hallway, he had been furiously working his brain to come up with a way to deny Steiner another title shot. He really didn't want to give it up to anyone. Especially Steiner. The man signed with the company and immediately thought he deserved a shot or two at the title. Never mind the fact that Hunter had worked hard to get where he was. He shut the TV off and tossed the remote onto the nightstand. He leaned his head back against the headboard and closed his eyes, hoping she'd get the hint and leave him alone. He was tired anyway.
Evie nodded in response, even though he couldn't see her. Quietly, she left the room and pushed the adjoining door so that it was slightly ajar, in case Hunter changed his mind and wanted company. It was futile to even bother talking to him when he was in one of his moods. He had been quiet since he and Steiner had traded blows in the hall. Naturally she assumed it had to do with that. What else would it be? She shut off her light and climbed into her bed.
Staring up at the ceiling, she thought about the show on Monday instead. They would be in Chicago and through Hunter, Evie had procured tickets for her sister and her family so they could attend the show. They would also be coming backstage before the show, so the two boys could meet a few of their favorite wrestlers. Jacob had expressed an interest in meeting the Hurricane and RVD, while Colin asked about meeting Jeff Hardy and Booker T. She mulled over plans for meeting up with them and decided that it would be easier for them to come to the hotel first. Despite all the thoughts and plans crowding her mind, Evie quickly fell asleep.
Monday morning came quickly. They had arrived in Chicago late Sunday night and had all gone directly to their rooms. The house show had been grueling for everyone in their group. Hunter was still working on the problem of Steiner, while Ric complained about the lack of matches for Batista. Bischoff stated that since he was complaining, Batista and Hunter would face Kane and RVD Monday night in a tag team match. Hunter wasn't too pleased, but at least it put Steiner off for one more night.
Evie was up by 10 a.m. and dressed. She had slept in her own room again, as Hunter was still in his mood. She didn't bother him about it, but left him alone. As she buckled her belt, there was a knock at the adjoining door. She crossed the room and opened it.
"Damn, you're already dressed," Hunter commented with a small smile.
She returned the smile. "Sorry. I can take it all off if you want me to."
Hunter shook his head. "Maybe later. I wanted to ask you what was going on for today. I know your sister and her family are coming by this afternoon, but that's about it."
Evie motioned for him to come in while she put her shoes on. "I'm going to lunch with my parents at 12:30. I should be back around 3:30. Lauren's bringing everyone around 4:30. I figured we'd go early so the boys could meet a few people."
Hunter sat down on a chair. "So that gives me a free afternoon then?"
"Yeah, unless you want to got to lunch with us. They did invite you too," she replied.
Hunter shrugged. "I don't know. I thought maybe you'd like some time alone with your mom and dad."
"C'mon Hunter, you know they like you." Evie stood up and checked herself in the mirror. "But it's up to you. If you don't want to go, that's fine."
He sat back in the chair with a sigh. "I think I'll stay here. Besides, I can go down to the hotel gym for a little while."
Evie looked at him. Something in the way he had said that caught her attention. "You okay?"
Hunter nodded. "I'm fine, just a little tired."
She walked over to him and looked down. He lifted his eyes to meet hers. "Your bruise is fading a bit," she said softly as she gently touched the skin under his eye.
"I've been putting a cold compress on it. It got the swelling down at least. Not much I can do about the bruise though."
Evie's fingers trailed down his cheek, lightly caressing his skin. She pressed closer to the side of the chair. Her other hand pushed back a few strands of hair that had fallen across his other cheek. He looked at her expectantly and she laughed softly. Leaning down, she kissed his upturned mouth; gently at first, and then becoming a bit more insistent as his tongue pushed into her mouth.
A knock at the door made them jump and they separated. Evie straightened up and went to answer the knock. She found Ric on the other side.
He flashed her a smile when he saw her. "Good morning Evie. Is Hunter in here?"
"Yeah he is," she said as she opened the door for him to come in.
Ric walked in, spied Hunter sitting in the chair and made his way over to him. He sat down on the end of the bed. "So what's the story for today?"
Hunter gestured to Evie. "She'll be gone until 3:30 or so. And then her sister is coming by around 4:30. I was planning on going down to the hotel gym for a while." He turned his gaze to Ric. "Why? Something up?"
Ric shook his head. "I just wanted to be clear on what was on the agenda. I have a few things to take care of, and didn't know if you had anything else you wanted to go over before the show tonight."
"No. We took care of all that yesterday," he responded.
Ric turned his attention to Evie. "I hope the rest of us will get to meet your sister this afternoon."
"You will. The boys asked about meeting Batista and my sister is looking forward to meeting you," Evie replied as she unhooked her cell phone from its charger.
Ric's face lit up. "So your sister is a fan then?"
"Pretty much." Evie put her phone in her purse. Just as well she doesn't know what a creep you are. Yet.
"Is she pretty?" Ric asked nonchalantly.
Evie flashed him an acidic smile. "Her husband thinks so."
Hunter smothered a chuckle as he stood up. "I suppose you wanna get going Evie?"
"Yeah, I need to catch a cab to the River Road station and take the El down to Irving Park Road. They stayed at my aunt's house last night," she said as she put her coat on and fastened it up.
Ric stood up as well. "You're gonna take the train in this weather? Why don't you take the limo?"
Evie slung her purse over her shoulder. "I've managed in this weather most of my life, Ric. But thanks for offering." She looked at both men. "If you don't mind?" she asked as she gestured to the door.
"Sorry," Hunter responded as he headed to the adjoining door. Ric mumbled a good bye to her and followed Hunter into his room. The door closed behind them.
Hunter started gathering up his things to go down to the gym. Ric stood there, contemplating the adjoining door for a minute or two and then spoke up.
"So, how much longer do you plan on keeping Evie around?" he asked casually.
Hunter straightened up and eyed Ric with some suspicion. "Until she and I get sick of each other, I guess. Why?"
Ric shrugged. "Just wondering. I mean, it can't be easy having her around all the time." He glanced at Hunter. "Doesn't she get on your nerves sometimes?"
"No. And she's not around all the time," Hunter replied as he dropped his lift belt into a gym bag. "It's not easy having any of you around all the time. What makes Evie any different than you or Randy or Batista?"
"I don't know. Why don't you tell me?" Ric said, keeping an observant eye on Hunter.
He shook his head. "What are you getting at Ric?"
"I was just wondering what makes Evie different from the rest of us? Does she mean something to you?"
Hunter zipped up the bag. "Yeah, she's my friend as well as my employee."
"I see," Ric said thoughtfully. "A friend." He knew that wasn't the entire truth. He had been watching the two of them for quite some time now. There was something more to it, what with all the subtle teasing and flirting that had been happening between those two. It was more than just friendship.
"Why the hell does it make any difference to you?" Hunter demanded.
Ric made his tone as casual as he could. "Well, after being around each other for so long, it seems like it would be natural for some feelings to develop-"
"I am not having this conversation with you," Hunter said vehemently. "It is none of your damn business what goes on between Evie and me, so just drop it."
Ric held his hand up in a placating gesture. "All right. Don't get upset."
"I'm going downstairs,' Hunter said as he jerked the bag off the bed and headed towards the door.
Ric followed him out and watched as Hunter headed towards the elevator. He turned down the hall to his own room, contemplating the conversation. Seems I touched a nerve there, he thought with some interest. Too bad I couldn't get anything else out of him, but from his reaction, there definitely is something going on. But what?
************************
"Sorry I'm late," Evie said breathlessly as Hunter opened the adjoining door. "The train got held up at Harlem."
"It's all right. You're only a half hour late," he said with a smile. "They're not here yet."
She turned around and shed her purse and coat. "My parents said to tell you hello, and they were a bit disappointed you didn't come with."
"Sorry about that," he responded as he followed her into her room.
Evie smiled at him. "I told them you had a few things to take care of today. They understood, but they were still disappointed."
Hunter watched her as she hung up her coat. "I had an interesting conversation with Ric after you left."
"Really?" She turned around to face him. "About what?"
"You," he responded simply.
Her brow creased in puzzlement. "Me? Why on earth would you be talking about me?"
Hunter shrugged. "I don't know. I think he was fishing for information."
"Information about us?"
"Maybe." Hunter relayed the entire exchange to her. The whole conversation had been on his mind ever since he had come back from the gym. He had wondered why Ric seemed so interested in finding out what Evie meant to him. The possibility of Ric being interested in her had come up, but Hunter dismissed it. Evie wouldn't have anything to do with Ric anyway.
"That is interesting," Evie said when Hunter was finished. "It does sound like he was fishing for info. All though I can't figure out why. He knows I don't like him, so what would be the point?"
"I don't know. He had told me once that if I couldn't give him a concrete reason to leave you alone, then you were fair game."
Evie snorted. "Yeah, so much so, that he forced himself on me. I don't trust him Hunter."
"I know," Hunter said distractedly. He was wondering if Batista had said something.
Apparently Evie was thinking the same thing. "Do you think Dave let something slip?"
"Possible, but highly unlikely. He gave his word he wouldn't."
"You don't sound too convinced," she said as she sat down on the bed.
"I'll talk to him about it later. Just to make sure," Hunter said as he made his way over to her.
She eyed him speculatively as he sat down next to her, rubbing a hand across his face. "Tired?"
"Nah. Just one more thing to be concerned about besides Steiner." He gave a half-hearted chuckle.
Her hand ran up and down his back slowly. "Too bad my sister will be here soon. I know a good way to get your mind off things for a while," she said suggestively.
Hunter turned his face to hers. "Yeah," he said with a wry smile. "Too bad." His mouth lowered to hers and he kissed her passionately.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer, shifting her position so that she was sitting on his lap. He entwined his fingers in the hair at he nape of her neck and gently pulled her head back. As her lips parted from his, she let out a tiny sigh and his mouth touched her neck, giving the sensitive spot by her ear most of the attention.
"Hunter," she gasped softly. "We don't have time for this."
"I know," he murmured against her warm skin. He inhaled deeply, the scent of her tickling his nostrils. He loved the way she smelled. There were times he couldn't get enough of it. His tongue slipped out and gently touched her earlobe. He felt her shudder at the sensation.
Reluctantly, she pushed at him to break his embrace. "Hunter, they'll be here any minute."
He sighed and let go of her. "All right. But don't expect me to stop later on."
Evie stood up, adjusting her clothes. "Is that a promise or a threat?" she asked in amusement.
He said nothing; only gave her a predatory smile and she knew she was in trouble later. There was a knock at the door and as soon as she had opened it, two dark-haired objects rushed her and hugged her around the waist. She laughed as she looked down at her nephews. Lauren and her husband, Gavin, were standing behind them.
"Well, it's good to see you too," Evie said as she untangled herself from their arms.
Lauren moved forward and gave Evie a hug. "Hey you," she said with excitement.
"Hey Lauren." She pulled her sister into an embrace and then hugged her brother-in-law.
Hunter walked over and shook hands with Gavin. "How are you?"
Gavin nodded. "Doing okay. Had a hard time keeping these two under control though," he said with a smile as he gestured at Jacob and Colin.
Hunter grinned at the two boys. "A little excited huh?" he asked as he ruffled their hair.
"They wouldn't shut up all day," Lauren said as she came closer. "Hey Hunter."
Hunter gave her a quick hug. "Let me guess- 'Is it time to go yet?'" he said, imitating the boys.
The adults laughed, but the two boys didn't find it amusing at all. Evie looked from one to the other. "So who is it you want to meet again?"
"Batista," they said in unison.
"Who else?"
"Hurricane," responded Jacob. "And RVD," he added quickly.
Evie saw Hunter roll his eyes at the mention of RVD, and she grinned.
"Jeff Hardy and Booker T," replied Colin.
Gavin spoke up. "He's a bit bummed that Lita's not back yet."
Colin shot a glare at his father. "I am not bummed," he stated.
"All right," responded Gavin. In an aside to Evie, he whispered, "I remember my first crush too."
She chuckled in response. "Well as soon as she comes back, I'll let you know," she said to Colin.
There was another knock at the door. Hunter opened it, finding Ric, Batista and Randy in the hallway.
"Just thought we'd stop by and say hello," Ric said.
The three men entered the room and were introduced to Evie's family. The short time was spent in questions and conversation. Batista was talking quietly with the two boys as they asked him all sorts of questions. Randy stood close by, listening and interjecting every now and then. Ric spoke with Lauren and Gavin, turning on the charm and giving Lauren his 100-watt smile.
Hunter glanced at his watch. "We better get going if the boys wanna meet other people."
The two boys went with Evie and Hunter in the limo while Gavin and Lauren followed in their car. Hunter had secured a parking pass for them so they didn't have to park in the main lot. Jacob and Colin excitedly chattered away in the limo to Evie and Hunter as they traveled to the Allstate Arena. It had been decided that Evie would take her family around while Hunter waited for the other members of his entourage to arrive.
Hunter arranged for one of the security team to go with them. He told Evie that it was just a precaution in case Steiner or Jericho tried to pull anything. He didn't expect them to, but it was better to be safe than sorry.
Lauren had overheard him, and as the boys watched the set up team finish putting the ring together, she touched Evie on the arm.
"Are you in trouble or something?" she asked quietly.
Evie looked at her sister. "What do you mean?"
Lauren gestured towards the security guard, who was chatting with Gavin. "Hunter's precaution."
Evie shook her head. "He's just being careful."
"Is he expecting you to be attacked? I mean, he did say that it was just in case Steiner or Jericho tried to pull something." Lauren was a bit concerned. She remembered the brief match between Jericho and Evie and was wondering if harassment was an every day occurrence.
Evie dismissed Lauren's words with a wave of her hand. "Steiner has left me alone and Jericho, well, he's been satisfied with insults. He hasn't physically attacked me lately."
Lauren was surprised at Evie's nonchalant tone. "Doesn't it scare you though? I mean, these guys are all twice our size. And we both know what kind of damage they do to each other."
"I can handle myself Lauren, and Hunter knows that." She gestured to the burly security guard. "Greg is around as back up." When she looked at her sister, she could tell that Lauren wasn't quite comfortable about the whole thing. Evie chuckled. "Remind me to tell you how I gave Jericho two bloody noses."
Lauren's mouth dropped open in surprise. "Two? You gave Jericho two bloody noses?"
A nod from Evie. "Lauren, you don't need to worry about me. Honest." She watched as Jacob and Colin "helped" one of the set up team tie down the canvas mat. "Besides, if Hunter's not around, Batista and Randy usually are."
Lauren wasn't entirely comfortable with Evie's working environment, but she knew that Hunter wouldn't let anything happen to Evie if he could help it. "I don't like it, but it's your job, not mine." Then she laughed. "I still can't get over the fact that you clobbered Jericho outside the ring." She lightly punched Evie on the shoulder. "My baby sister beating on the former undisputed champion. Who would have guessed?"
Evie smiled. "I'll tell you about it later," she said as the boys came running over to them.
The boys were both talking a mile a minute about how they assisted in tying down the mat when they fell silent. Evie had been leaning up against the barrier at the end of the ramp and she twisted her head around to see what the boys were looking at. Rob Van Dam was walking down to the ring. She glanced down at the boys. They both looked like deer caught in the headlights.
Rob spotted her and walked towards them. "Hey, Evie."
She and RVD weren't exactly friends, but he was always polite to her despite the fact that she worked for Hunter. "Hey, Rob," she replied with a smile. "I'd like you to meet my two nephews, Jacob and Colin."
"Hey guys. What's up?" Rob asked he held out his hand to them.
Evie gently nudged them to get them to talk. They both shook Rob's hand, but remained silent. "Why don't you tell Rob why you like him, Jacob?"
Rob looked at Jacob expectantly. "Really? You like me, huh?"
Jacob nodded and croaked out a yes. Rob grinned and asked Jacob what his favorite moves were. Jacob remembered how to work his mouth and spoke up, and once he got started, kept going. Colin, encouraged by his brother, started talking to Rob as well. He took them over to the ring and told them to get in. The three of them climbed in and the boys walked around slowly, savoring the excitement of actually being in a WWE ring.
Rob horsed around with the boys, showing them a few simple moves and mock wrestling with them. Evie, Lauren and Gavin chuckled as the boys tried to pin Rob. He kicked out a couple of times and then finally let them pin him.
By this time, one of the production assistants came down and told Evie that they would be letting the fans in shortly. They rounded up Jacob, Colin and Rob and headed backstage.
Evie glanced over at Rob. "You seen Booker around?" she asked.
"Yeah. Check catering. He's usually in there," Rob replied. He looked down at the two boys. "It was nice meeting you," he said as he waved and then walked off.
The five of them made their way around the backstage area with Greg in tow. The boys got to meet their other favorites. When they were done, Evie escorted them out to the arena and gave them their tickets.
"I'll see you guys later, okay?" she said as she hugged the boys.
"What do you say to your aunt?" Lauren asked.
"Thank you Aunt Evie," they chorused.
As soon as they had walked off, Evie and Greg headed to Hunter's dressing room. Greg left her at the door.
"How'd it go?" Hunter asked when she had come in.
"Fine," she replied. "Once they got over their shyness, they were fine."
"So I'm not the only one," Hunter chuckled.
Evie grinned. "Jealous Hunter?"
He shook his head. "Nah. I just hope they won't hold it against me when Batista and I kick RVD's ass later."
Evie chuckled as she opened up her laptop. "I'm sure they'll get over it."
************************
Scott Steiner called out Hunter at the beginning of the show. Hunter had come out; wearing sunglasses to hide what was left of his black eye. Hunter picked up a mic once he was in the ring.
"Steiner, I'm wondering, when are you going to get it through your thick head that I'm better than you? You see this title?" Hunter asked as he adjusted the title belt on his shoulder. "You want this, don't you?"
Steiner nodded and mouthed that he would get it, one way or another. Hunter pretended to consider giving Steiner another shot and then stopped himself.
"When you ask for me, Steiner, you don't get just me. You get Ric Flair, Batista and Randy Orton."
The three men made their way out onto the stage and then headed to the ring. Steiner prepared to fight Hunter as Randy and Batista circled the ring. Randy feinted towards Steiner. Steiner pulled a lead pipe from his boot and hit Randy with it, causing Hunter, Ric and Batista to back off. They pulled a stunned Randy out of the ring and headed backstage.
Evie looked up as all four men entered the dressing room. She had seen what had taken place on the monitor. Ric promptly left to get a trainer to check out Randy and make sure he was okay. Randy lay out on the sofa as Batista got him a bottle of water.
Ric came back with the trainer and Randy was checked. He was fine, but would probably have one hell of a headache for the next twelve to twenty-four hours. Randy made himself comfortable on the sofa.
Evie busied herself with a few things as Batista and Hunter went over their match that was scheduled for later on. Ric stood nearby, speaking up with suggestions.
As Evie closed down her laptop, she noticed Jericho was on the monitor, talking to Terri. He said he was on his way out to explain what had happened to Stacy last week.
He made his way out to the ring, climbed in and grabbed a mic. He seemed like he was going to apologize for accidentally hitting Stacy last week, but instead, he started talking about his number one contender match next week against Scott Steiner.
Evie heard both Hunter and Ric swear at that announcement, and the door slammed shut behind them as they left the room. Evie figured they were on their way to see Bischoff. She chuckled. She didn't envy Bischoff being on the receiving end of Hunter's anger.
"Now I'm not a shallow person. Really I'm not. I'm sorry for what happened to Stacy. It shouldn't have happened at all. I mean, a grade two concussion? Man, I am sorry about that."
Before Jericho could continue, Christian came out. He got into the ring with Jericho. "Chris, it's not your fault. Stacy had no business being ringside at all."
Jericho interrupted Christian. "Now hold on Christian; you're out of line. Again, I'm sorry Stacy," he said and then paused. "Sorry you have such a wimp of a boyfriend in Test. If Test had any guts, he wouldn't have ducked that chair shot and none of this would have happened. For a guy that talks about his testicles a lot, he sure doesn't seem to have any!"
The crowd booed in response, but quickly started cheering when Shawn Michaels' showed up and interrupted.
"You know Jericho, a man needs to take responsibility for his actions," Shawn said from the top of the ramp. "It also takes a man to tell another man when he's coming for a fight." Shawn dropped his mic and ran down to the ring. He quickly gained the upper hand on both Jericho and Christian; tossing Christian out of the ring. Shawn tried to hit Jericho with Sweet Chin Music, but missed as Jericho quickly exited the ring and headed backstage.
**************************
The tag team match went as planned. Kane and RVD managed to take the advantage early in the match. Unfortunately, things went downhill for them when Kane was tossed out of the ring. While he was on the floor, Ric, Randy and Batista unmasked him. That sent Kane running backstage, covering his face. Batista climbed back in the ring and took control of RVD, power bombing him and pinning him for the win.
As soon as the bell rang, Steiner came running in, brandishing the lead pipe, but Hunter and Batista left the ring. Then Jericho came out, rushing down to the ring, where he received a blow from Steiner. As Steiner was distracted, Hunter, Batista, Ric and Randy swarmed into the ring and attacked Steiner, beating him down.
Batista gave Steiner a power bomb and then Ric and Randy kicked Steiner while he was down, causing Steiner to bleed. Hunter finished him off with a Pedigree and the four men left the ring. Jericho recovered and got to his feet. Seeing Steiner flat on the mat was too good of an opportunity to pass up. He quickly grabbed Steiner's legs and locked him in the Walls of Jericho as the broadcast ended.
Evie looked up as all four men burst into the dressing room. She glanced from one to the other, noting their grins. "I take it you weren't expecting Jericho to come out?"
"We thought he might, but weren't sure. Seeing as Bischoff gave him a number one contenders match against Steiner, odds were he couldn't pass up the opportunity to put a little hurt on him," Ric said as he straightened out his shirt and jacket.
Batista and Hunter quickly changed into their clothes and everyone was off. As they exited the arena to leave for the night, Evie spotted her sister standing by her car. Lauren waved Evie over.
"What's up?" Evie asked as she stopped in front of her sister.
"Just wanted to thank you for everything. The boys had a great time. I think they'll be the envy of their class when they go back to school tomorrow."
"I'm glad they did," she said as she glanced over to the limo. The door was open, the driver waiting for her.
"They were a bit pissed that RVD got clobbered, but they'll deal." She noticed Evie looking at the limo and gave her a quick hug. "Call me when you get the chance. I wanna hear about Jericho."
Evie returned the hug, promised her sister she'd call and waved goodbye to the boys. She slid into the backseat of the limo and the driver pulled out of the parking area.
"So did they have a good time?" Ric asked.
"Yeah," Evie said breathlessly. She directed her next remark to Batista and Hunter. "They were pissed that you two beat the crap out of RVD though."
"I figured they would be," Hunter said as he smiled.
The talk turned to the match and they rehashed it with relish. Hunter felt that Steiner had gotten what he deserved. Jericho's actions had been a bonus. Ric quickly turned the conversation to a night out on the town. Batista and Randy agreed enthusiastically and Ric looked at Hunter.
"Whaddya say champ? A few drinks and a few "friends" to pass the time?" Ric asked.
Hunter quickly glanced at Evie and a tiny smile flitted across her lips as she shrugged so only Hunter could see it. "Sounds like a plan to me," Hunter replied.
Ric turned to Evie. "You up for it Evie?"
"No, I don't think so. I'm gonna go back to my room and catch up on some sleep," she replied casually.
"What's the matter? You don't like us anymore?" Ric teased.
No Ric. Just you. She chuckled. "Oh I still like all of you. I'm just not the partying type. Besides, you four probably wouldn't have as good of a time if I were hanging around."
"She's got a point Ric," Randy spoke up, then grunted as Batista lightly cuffed his shoulder, signifying to him to be polite.
Ric shrugged. "Fine, if that's the way you want it. We'll drop you off."
*********************
Evie settled back in her bed with a new book, but before she could even open it, her cell phone rang. Muttering under her breath, she picked it up and checked the number on the display.
"What the hell?" she asked as she opened up the phone. "This is Evie."
"Hey doll," answered Shawn.
"Why are you calling me?" she demanded.
"Don't hang up on me, okay? I really wanna talk to you," Shawn said quietly.
Evie leaned her head back against the headboard. "This better be good," she replied tightly.
"Look doll, I just wanna... " He sighed. "I just wanna apologize for what I said to you."
Evie didn't quite know what to make of that. She hadn't expected it at all. Shawn had pretty much been the last thing on her mind lately. And it seemed a little weird that he would call out of the blue and apologize. It didn't seem quite right.
The sound of Shawn's voice broke her out of her thoughts. "Evie? You still there?"
"Yeah," she said vaguely and then cleared her throat. "Yes, I'm still here."
"I'm sorry Evie. I said things that I didn't mean and I know you've been pissed off at me."
"Well, I appreciate your apology Shawn," she said slowly. "I just don't understand why you would call me up now."
On the other end, Shawn smiled. Of course she would be suspicious. He probably would be too if she did the same thing. But then again, she didn't know what he had in mind. "I've been doing a lot of thinking and I know I shouldn't have taken my problems with Hunter out on you. It's not you that I have issues with; it's him," he said in a sincere tone. "I'm sorry Evie."
"Again, I appreciate that Shawn. And I'll give it some consideration," she said in a noncommittal tone.
"I can live with that," he said quietly. "I'll see you around."
"Goodbye Shawn," she replied and then disconnected the call before he could say anything else.
As she put the phone on her nightstand, she wondered what on earth had made him apologize. She didn't quite believe the answer he had given her. Something's not quite right here, she thought. She pondered the reasons for his call for a few more minutes before she gave up. Just keep an eye on him. You never know what anyone has up their sleeves around here. She settled down under the blankets and gave her attention to the book.
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Hunter smiled at the sight of Evie. She was on her back, asleep, with one arm flung above her head and the other clutching a book to her chest. He had come back from being out with Ric, Randy and Batista, more than eager to be with her, and had found her asleep.
He went back to his room, stripped out of his clothes, showered and toweled off quickly, and then went back to her room. He reached down and gently pulled the book from her grasp, placing it on the bedside table. She sighed softly and rolled onto her side, away from him. He turned the light off and slipped under the blankets, nestling up against her back. She continued to sleep.
Hunter was more than willing to risk waking her up. He definitely wanted to continue what they had started before her family had shown up. He carefully ran one hand down the curve of her hip and thigh and then back again. After a few more passes, she shifted her leg so that it fell forward over her other one. Grinning, he ran his hand over the smooth skin of her backside and then down the back of her thigh. She twitched again and rolled onto her back. Carefully, he wound his arm around her waist and drew her closer as he laid his leg over hers. His teeth and tongue grazed the tender skin of her neck and a small sigh escaped her. Hunter smiled against her neck.
"Evie?" he whispered.
"Mmmm?" she replied sleepily and tried to stretch. She found a muscular leg draped over her thighs and a strong arm around her waist. A tiny smile formed on her lips. "How long have you been here?" she whispered.
"Not long," he replied quietly; his breath hot against her skin. He gently nipped her earlobe and then began to caress it with his tongue.
She sucked in a breath as the tip of his tongue softly teased her ear. The action sent shivers down her spine.
His nails scraped up the side of her hip as he placed kiss after kiss on her neck. A smile appeared when he felt her shiver. He moved so that he was propped up on one arm. One of her arms slipped around his neck and he kissed her fiercely.
Evie moaned into his mouth as he slid his tongue in and entwined it with hers. The back of his free hand brushed over her shoulder and down over her breast to her abdomen, where it turned over and rested on her stomach. He continued to tease her mouth with his tongue. He broke the kiss and moved to pull the blankets off of her. Once he had done so, he was on all fours, straddling her.
"Hunter? What are you doing," she said huskily.
He simply smiled and then lowered his mouth to her collarbone. Starting there, he trailed kisses down the valley of her breasts, over her stomach and stopped at the tangle of curls between her thighs. With one hand, he deftly parted her legs and mercilessly licked and bit the inside of her thighs.
Evie whimpered at the sensations he was causing. Her hands clenched the sheet in response as he worked his way down her legs and then back up to her stomach, deliberately avoiding the one place she wanted him to taste the most. She cried out in disappointment as he kissed her above her curls and then gasped as his fingers deftly stroked the spot he had avoided. His mouth closed over her breast and he gently pulled and sucked as his fingers continued to tease and torment.
Both her hands pressed on the back of his head as he continued to lave her breasts. Her hips twisted up, wanting him to take her, but instead he kept stroking her with his fingers. His mouth enveloped hers in another fierce kiss. She moaned and writhed underneath him as his lips kissed her neck. He gently bit her shoulder and smiled against her skin as she panted his name.
Finally, unable to stand it anymore, he flipped her over so that she was on her stomach. "Get on your hands and knees, woman," he demanded roughly.
She quickly complied and his strong arm encircled her waist, bringing her back against his erection. Her breath was now coming in rapid pants. There was a tantalizing pause and then he hitched her into position and slid into her as far as he could go. Evie cried out at the impact.
Hunter's hands grasped her hips, his fingernails leaving crescents imprinted in the tender skin. As he moved inside her, he brought her with him as they rocked back and forth in rhythm. Evie clutched the sheet beneath her as the spiral began its ecstatic ascent. She moaned his name as he quickened his pace, almost becoming wild, animalistic. His shouts of passion mixed with hers as their motions became frantic. She climaxed shortly after he did and they collapsed on the bed in a tangle of arms and legs.
Their rapid breathing finally calmed enough for them to disengage themselves from each other and pull the blankets over themselves. He lay back on the bed with her in his arms; her head pillowed on his shoulder. His fingers absentmindedly drifted back and forth across her forearm. The sound of satisfaction soughed from the back of her throat and she buried her face in his neck. His smile quickly turned into a soft laugh as she gently licked the sensitive flesh of his neck.
"What?" she murmured against him.
"Don't tell me you're ready for more?" he replied in quiet amusement.
"I don't think I have the energy for more." She paused and then continued. "Besides, I think you broke me."
Laughter rumbled in his chest as his arm tightened around her. "I don't think I have the energy either. I think we broke each other."
She giggled and threw a leg over his thigh. "I love you."
He dropped a light kiss on her brow. "I love you too," he replied. "Go to sleep woman."
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Shawn didn't approach Evie at all over the next week. If he saw her, he would simply smile and nod his head at her. She couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking. She still wasn't sure what to make of his apology. One one hand, he did seem sincere about it. But on the other... She shook her head. It was possible that he hoped to achieve something by apologizing, but she couldn't think what that might be. She resolutely pushed the concerns out of her mind and resolved to keep an eye on him.
Another house show and Hunter and Steiner came to blows again. Hunter had been walking Evie back to the dressing room when Steiner attacked. Hunter managed to push her out of the way before he was nailed in the stomach by Steiner's fist.
As Evie moved back, two strong hands wrapped themselves around her upper arms and pulled back. She tried to jerk away, but they held her firmly.
"Surprised Red?" Jericho said in her ear. He swung her around and propelled her down the hall in front of him as he retreated. Hunter was distracted with Steiner and didn't notice the two of them leaving.
Jericho continued to push her along with him as Evie's mind worked furiously to figure out how to get out of the situation. She pretended to stumble over her feet as Jericho pushed her harder, causing him to almost trip over her. Quickly, she hooked a foot around his right ankle and pulled forward.
Jericho cursed as his leg gave out from under him and he fell, taking Evie with him. Evie braced herself for the impact and as soon as she hit the floor, she pulled her arms from Jericho's grasp and rolled away from him. Within seconds, she was on her feet, but so was Jericho.
His hand came up to hit her, but she leaned her head away to avoid it. Instead of hitting her with full force, the hand caught the corner of her mouth. She felt a warm trickle in the corner, but swiftly dismissed the distraction. She swung her right hand up as his left hand retracted, and delivered an open-handed slap that dropped him to one knee.
He glared at her as he touched the spot where she had smacked him. If looks could kill, Evie would have been dead on the spot. "You're gonna be sorry you did that," he spat out.
She was tired of Jericho and his mouth; tired of the comments and tired of his harassment. It was time to put an end to it. "You started it," she responded matter-of-factly as she backed up. "You want to come to me, or am I coming to you?" she asked.
Jericho came running at her with his arms out in front of him to catch her, or grapple her. As he closed in on her, she began to fall back. When he was almost on top of her, she grabbed the front of his shirt in both hands and pulled him back with her. Her right foot pressed against his stomach and as she rocked back onto her spine, she pushed her leg out and pitched him into the air over her head.
She heard him land with a thud and a groan. Before he could get to his feet, she grabbed a handful of his hair to pull him up. When he started to turn towards her, she let go of his hair and gave him a roundhouse left that landed on his jaw.
Jericho rolled with the blow and his hand flailed out and grabbed her shirt, pulling her down with him. He rolled so that she was pinned underneath him; one knee between her legs and his hands pinned her wrists to the floor.
"Beg for it Red. I know you want to," he said before lowering his mouth to her face.
"Get the hell off of me!" she spat out.
He didn't reply, only pressed his mouth to hers. She cringed as his tongue flicked out to lick the blood from her chin and then moved to her ear.
"GET OFF ME!" she yelled again.
"Oh I'll get off all right," he said hotly.
Evie felt his breath on her skin and then gagged as he licked her earlobe. She screwed her eyes shut against the swoop of nausea in her stomach. Suddenly he gave a grunt and his weight was gone. Evie opened her eyes to see Jericho rolling onto his side, clutching his head in pain. As Evie scuttled back, she looked up and saw Shawn standing over Jericho with a Singapore cane in one hand.
Shawn stepped forward and offered Evie a hand up. "You okay?" he asked.
She nodded in response; trying to calm her breathing as she kept an eye on him. She still didn't trust him.
"Good," he replied and then turned to Jericho, who was up on all fours and trying to regain his balance. "Attacking a woman again Jericho? You have no guts." Shawn's foot flicked out and caught him in the stomach.
Clutching his stomach in pain, Jericho gave a strangled heave and vomited. Evie turned away from the sight, not trusting her own stomach.
"Oh look! You do have guts!" Shawn said in vicious glee. Knowing that Jericho wouldn't be getting up anytime soon, he turned to Evie. "C'mon, I'll walk you back to Hunter's locker room."
Evie cautiously walked alongside Shawn as they headed towards their destination. She risked a quick glance at him. "Why?"
Shawn kept his face forward and expressionless. "Because Jericho deserved it and you don't need to be treated like that." He snuck a swift look at her. "By the way, what is the reason for that little scuffle?"
Evie shrugged. "Got me. I was minding my own business, trying to stay out of the way of Steiner and Hunter's fist fight and Jericho grabbed me."
"Yeah, but why did he grab you? Did you piss him off about something?"
"I don't know what Jericho's problem is," Evie answered truthfully. "For some weird reason, he's had it in for me ever since he and Stephanie had formed their little alliance last year. But since Stephanie left, he's kept on bothering me." She shrugged. "I don't know why."
Shawn shook his head. "At least it's not Flair," he said in a low voice.
Despite herself, Evie smiled. "True. He's pretty much steered clear of me since that night."
They stopped a few feet from the dressing room door. Evie looked up at Shawn. "Thanks for your help," she said sincerely.
He smiled. "No problem doll. I happened to be in the right place at the right time I guess."
Evie said goodbye to him and pushed the door open. She found the dressing room empty. Presuming that the other three had gone out to assist Hunter, Evie made a beeline for the bathroom to clean herself up. As she finished wiping the blood from her mouth and chin, the door to the dressing room opened and she heard masculine voices.
"Evie?" bellowed Hunter.
"I'm in here," she said loudly as she tossed the bloody tissue in the trash can. There were still traces of dried blood around her mouth and she wet the corner of a towel to remove it. As she was dabbing the stain from her skin, Hunter came in. As soon as he saw what she was doing, he immediately became concerned.
"What the hell happened?" he demanded.
"Jericho," she replied simply.
"What happened?" he demanded again.
She told him what had transpired after he had pushed her out of the way and she watched as his face got redder with anger. When she got to the part where Shawn had stepped in, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. Even though he grudgingly appreciated Shawn's intervention, he has the distinct feeling that something else was going on.
Pushing aside the thoughts, he calmed himself enough to talk. "Are you okay?"
Evie nodded in response. "All though I don't think Jericho is gonna have much luck keeping anything in his stomach tonight," she deadpanned.
His grin turned to concern as his fingers lifted her chin so he could look at her face. He turned her head from side to side and then took the towel from her. "You missed a spot," he said softly as he gently wiped it with the damp fabric. Satisfied he had gotten it, he dropped the towel on the counter. "You sure you're okay?"
"Yeah, aside from a few bruises I'll probably have in the morning, I'm-" she stopped abruptly as she saw Ric in the doorway.
Ric had been surreptitiously watching Evie and Hunter in the bathroom. He noted the way Hunter had touched her and cleaned the blood from her skin. He had done it tenderly; not something one would expect between friends.
Hunter glanced over to where she was looking. Ric straightened up and asked if everything was okay. Hunter let go of Evie's chin as he explained what had taken place. By this time Batista and Randy had appeared and heard the whole thing. As they moved out into the sitting area, all three men assured Evie that they would be making Jericho's life a living hell. She thanked them for their concern and reassured them that it wasn't necessary, as it might provoke Jericho even further.
"Still, he shouldn't get away with it," Batista growled. "Just like the coward to attack a woman."
"Don't worry, He'll get his. And when I'm finished with him, he'll wish he'd never laid a finger on anyone," Hunter muttered venomously.
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A/N: Many, many thanks to all of you for the reviews! They are wonderful to read! My apologies for posting so late. But as promised-there is a bit more "romance" in this chapter. Things got hectic again. I started a part-time job this past week, and my hours are sporadic as I'm working as an in-home caregiver. Plus I'm planning on going back to school (I hope), so I've been dealing with getting prepared for grant applications. I had at least half this chapter written, re-read it, didn't like it and scrapped it. I ended up rewriting the entire thing. Again, however much I read through, I don't always catch things, so if you find anything out of whack, let me know!
Jessi: Thanks! I kinda thought that had the potential for more mayhem somewhere down the line with Dave knowing, but we'll see!
Vronica03: Glad you're enjoying it. Sometimes I don't even know where this is going, because those crazy muses like to change things on me at the last minute. Sorry. I should know better than to mention other fics I've been working on, shouldn't I? But like I said, the idea is still being worked out and it may not get posted at all. Possibly might post a sneak peek on my website. How's that for teasing?
Lady Neptune3: Well, as you can see, Jericho didn't get his nose broken, but there's always that chance later on. Glad you love the story.
Karisma: Thanks! And like I mentioned to Jessi-that does have the potential for more mayhem down the line!
YoullNeverKnowMe: Wow! Thanks a lot! Batista? Hmmm... Maybe, maybe not. You'll just have to keep reading and see.
Disco Inferno1: Thank you! Yeah there is a lot going on and sometimes it's a bit hard to keep it all straight. I have to jot down who is doing what to whom as I go along, or I get confused. And trust me-it's not too difficult to confuse me these days! And neither Shawn or Flair has given up. Jericho will spill the beans eventually. Working that into another chapter for later.
Erica: Thanks! I may post a sneak peek on my website for that other fic, but I don't think it'll be ready for fanfiction.net for a while. If at all. I'll keep everyone posted on that.
iccess-america: Yeah, they are evil little things aren't they? My Hunter muse went on strike the other week because he wasn't getting any action other than wrestling. Such a temperamental little bastard. Where's the fun in Batista sliding the key under the door? Heh heh heh.
Maeve'sDarkPhoenix: Thanks! Yeah he'll keep it a secret, for now. I don't see their relationship remaining under wraps for much longer. I have a whole bunch of ideas brewing on that one. Yeah, well Bischoff is such a slime (his character anyway) that he deserves what he gets.
JenniferHyacinth: Thanks! Glad to see you're still reading it. And enjoying it too. Jericho's got quite a bit up his sleeve, but we'll see how that goes. Ric… he'll still be pestering Evie.
Princess-Muse v2.0: Wow! You did have some catching up to do. I thought it was particularly nice touch with the necklace. And we'll be seeing more of that necklace in later chapters. I'm sorry to hear about you and your boyfriend. I'm glad that I could make you laugh though. Lauren and Evie crack me up as well. I just thought it would be funny for Lauren to get all excited and wonder what it's like to be with a wrestler. Of course, since she's married and that won't be happening for her, she has to find out through her sister. Will the relationship between Hunter and Evie last? Keep reading and you'll find out. Bradshaw will be making another appearance soon. And I'm glad you like the wrestle heavy chapters too.