PART 9
Amy rested back on her hotel room bed, her cell phone in her hand. She dialed his number, swaying the phone back and forth in the air. She felt much more comfortable making the call in the privacy of her hotel room, where no one could walk in, or overhear her. Her stomach fluttered a bit as she heard him answer from the other line. His voice was just so damn sexy. Still, she had called to discuss business, and there was much business that needed to be discussed. And apparently her distress was obvious, as he picked up on it right away.
"Alright, what is it?" he asked, surprising her a bit.
Sometimes, it seemed he knew her better than she knew herself. She sighed into the receiver, pausing briefly before she responded.
"They're onto us, baby... well, onto me, I mean," she said. "They're absolutely clueless about you, but they're very much onto me."
"Who? Who's onto you?" he asked very calmly. "Jay? Trish?"
"Those two, and Chris, and Lisa Marie Varon," Amy replied.
"Lisa Marie?" he questioned, a little confused. "Since when did she have anything to do with this?"
"Since she overheard me talking to you in the locker room. I think she blabbed to either Trish or Jay, and whomever she told went straight to Chris," she explained.
"What makes you think one of them told Chris?" he asked her, his voice once again unbelievably steady.
Amy groaned, rolling her eyes emphatically. She loved him more than life itself, but the fact that he could remain so calm while she was majorly stressing out drove her up a wall.
"Because, babe, Chris asked me about it. He hasn't believed a damn thing they said till Lisa got involved, and the other night, I had him asking me if I was seeing another guy. I won't let them catch me before I get what I want. I won't lose this," she spoke fiercely, clenching her teeth together.
"Jesus Chris, Ames, calm down!" he cried, sighing loudly. "You're forgetting that these people are fucking morons. Chris is blinded by his puppy dog love for you, Trish is too naive to pick up on your scheme, and - if I know Jay like I think I do - he's too smart for his own good," he assured her.
Not so convinced, Amy questioned him, "Maybe so, but what about Lisa? It's obvious she wants Chris and I to split..."
"Lisa Marie is the least of my worries," he replied with a snort. "On the topic of Chris... are you sharing a room with him?"
"No, I'm not," Amy replied. "He doesn't believe in rushing things."
She knew how uncomfortable he was with her relationship with Chris, so when Jericho explained that he didn't want to permanently share a room just yet, she didn't argue.
"Good," he said with a mischevious laugh. "Because I'll be wanting you all to myself the day I get back there. It's been too long, I think we'll need more than one night to reacquaint ourselves."
Amy smiled at his suggestive response, licking her lips already with anticipation.
"Mmm..." she drawled, "I can't wait. How much longer do I have to be here without you?"
She knew he'd be back soon enough, but the mere thought of being with him again made her feel as though she couldn't wait another second.
"Don't worry," he said. "I'll be there with you very soon."
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Lisa Marie glanced up from the book she was reading, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She smiled at the blonde woman, gesturing for her to come in.
"Sure, Trish, what's up?" she asked, patting the cushion next to her.
Trish took a seat beside her, unable to contain an angsty sigh as she did so. Lisa noticed the distraught look on her friend's face, and she frowned. Placing a consoling hand on Trish's knee, she stared at her, concern filling her eyes.
"Well, I was hoping you could give me some advice," Trish explained.
Nodding, Lisa responded, "Well sure, honey, what's going on? Is everything alright?"
"I'm not really sure," she replied, continuing when Lisa eyed her expectantly. "See, last night after I finished talking to you, I went straight to see Jay..."
"Something happened between you two, didn't it?" Lisa cut her off, her eyes widening in surprise. She didn't mean to interrupt, but she had a feeling something was going to happen.
"No..." Trish began, taking a deep breath, "...well, yes. He... he kissed me."
"No way!" Lisa squealed with delight, clapping her hands together excitedly.
Her grin soon faded when she realized that Trish was not smiling. In fact, she didn't look happy at all. Her brow cocking curiously, Lisa took Trish's hand in hers, eyeing her worriedly.
"You're not happy?" she questioned, confused.
"I... I don't know," Trish shrugged, exhaling loudly. "I mean, at first, I was thrilled, I haven't kissed a guy I actually care about in so long. But then, something inside me just choked... I don't know, it just didn't feel right. He's my best friend. I know I shouldn't have, but I kind of... walked out."
Lisa's jaw dropped, and she gaped at her friend in shock. She had never envisioned Trish to be the type to leave someone hanging like that. And judging by the remorseful expression on her face, she was more than willing to bet that she wasn't that type.
"Oh, Trish, you didn't..." she breathed, shaking her head in disappointment.
"I'm afraid I did," Trish admitted, lowering her head shamefully. "And now I feel just terrible. I was so surprised, I just didn't know what else to do. Jay must hate me now... and I can't say I blame him."
"I don't think he hates you. In fact, I know he doesn't," Lisa replied, thinking back to the previous conversation she'd had with the Canadian man. "Trish, Jay absolutely adores you. With the right words, I just know he'd forgive you for what happened," she said, sending her reassuring smile smile.
Trish, however, didn't look too convinced.
"But how will I ever face him again?" she qustioned, tossing her hands in the air. "I don't know what I'd say. Have you ever had someone you cared about so much that just the thought of talking to them about it makes your heart stop?"
For the first time since Trish entered the locker room, Lisa's gaze fell to the floor.
"Actually, I have one of those," she said, much to Trish's surprise. "Unfortunately, he's got a redheaded girlfriend."
