Billy splashed cold water on his face attempting to wake himself since he had spent the better part of the night tossing and turning sleep evading him. All he could focus on was getting rid of Jason Morgan. So far none of his attempts had proven successful, much to his chagrin. He knew the longer Morgan remained at Ryan Racing the more entrenched his nemesis would become and that wasn't even taking into consideration his relationship, Billy felt the bile burn the back of his throat at that thought, with Pat Ryan's only daughter.

His altercation with Theresa leapt to his mind's eye. As much as Billy hated to admit it her words about Elizabeth and Morgan still stung and no amount whiskey had been able to drown them away. The two empty bottles beside his bed were proof of that. What the hell had happened to his nice ordered life he wondered? Not that long ago he was living the high life, Pat Ryan's golden racer ready to take NASCAR and Winston Cup by storm, yet now he was merely just another driver on the Ryan roster Jason Morgan garnered all the attention and lavished all the praise.

"Damn him!" Billy growled crumpling up the morning newspaper whose headline seemed to be laughing at him. Yes, the picture was him standing on the podium holding his trophy high in the air but the entire news article was consumed with all things Jason Morgan, Billy had been but a sound bite. "Damn you, Morgan!" he snarled again.

Out of the corner of his eye Billy caught sight of Jason's mechanic walking through the Ryan compound. The time for sitting back and waiting for Tom to come around to his way of thinking had long passed. It was time for him to set his plan in motion and Billy knew just the right sort of pressure to apply to Tom Boudean to get the man to finally fall in line.

Billy quickly pulled on a t-shirt, raked his fingers through his hair and darted out of his trailer hot on Tom's heels. "Boudean," he shouted after him. "Boudean, wait up."

"What do you want?" Tom asked when Billy caught up to him.

"Man, we need to talk."

"About?" Tom cocked his brow leery of anything that Billy had to say.

"Something of mutual interest."

"Like you and I have any common interests," Tom quipped, yet the fact that he had slept with Theresa Kennedy might qualify.

"Ah, my friend, but I think we do," Billy smiled.

Tom wondered if there was any way Weston could have known about him and Theresa. And if he had he didn't look in the least bit pissed off about it. "I'm not your friend," he stated simply.

"Maybe not," Billy agreed, "But that doesn't mean that we can't work together for a shared goal."

"And that would be?"

"I'm pretty sure you know." Again Billy smiled coyly.

"Spit it out Weston! I have somewhere I need to be," Tom said annoyed with Billy's games.

"I'm sure you do, but I thought by now you would have gotten tired of watching Elizabeth and Morgan falling all over each other." Billy watched the posture of the man before him stiffen and he knew that he had touched on a nerve. "Me personally, I find it appalling how they paw at one another in public. You might want to suggest to your friend that he get a room," Billy smiled when he saw Tom's fists clench at his sides.

Tom did what he could to control himself yet when it came to Jason and Elizabeth his emotions threatened to boil over. In the beginning he had struggled with the loyalty he felt for his longtime friend and the budding feelings he had for Elizabeth and how those two things were at war with one another. Yet as the weeks bled into months at Ryan Racing, Tom was losing the battle. The more he was forced to watch the growing closeness between Jason and Elizabeth that eventually turned into a relationship not to mention how easily Jason had seemed to forget about him had Tom seeing red. What he had once thought of as a tremendous opportunity, an opportunity he pushed Jason to take, had become an incredible nightmare. "Jason does what he wants," Tom said an edge to his tone that didn't go unnoticed by Billy.

"So I've noticed. You think he would be as loyal to you as you have been to him."

"What do you know about us?" Tom squared his shoulders turning to look Billy square in the face.

"I know enough to see how quick Jason was to drop you like an old habit. You think I'm the only one around here that's noticed how thick as thieves Jorgenson and Morgan have been lately? I know you aren't blind man! That used to be the two of you right?" Tom looked away and Billy knew he had hit a nerve. "And come on, you can't tell me he didn't know you had a thing for Elizabeth, but did he care? No, he went after her even when he knew his best friend wanted the girl for himself." Billy watched the vein in Tom's neck start to pulse. "Like I said he's lucky to have a friend as loyal to him as you are."

Tom felt his muscles tense and his body begin to quiver at Billy's remarks. They were all things he had thought of himself but had been able to push down and bury but having Weston waving them in his face like you would a red flag in front of a charging bull he was no longer able to deny them.

"I bet it's always been like that huh, you taking the backseat to your good 'ole buddy. You know him getting all of the glory, all the girls." Billy nudged him in the arm all knowing.

"You don't know what the hell you're talking about!" Tom huffed as he jerked away from his taunter.

"Sure I don't," Billy mocked him.

"What the hell do you want?!" Tom barked feeling as if his head was about to explode.

"The same thing you do – Jason gone."

For a moment Tom was stunned silent then his long standing loyalty to Jason kicked in no matter how angry he might have been. "Are you fucking crazy?"

"Hardly," Billy answered.

"You must be to say something that stupid to me of all people!"

"I would take a look in the mirror before you start calling me stupid. I'm not the one who has spent his whole life collecting Jason Morgan's sloppy seconds."

"Until now!" Tom shot back. "You can't stand that Jason's a better driver than you and that he's whipping your ass out there on the track week after week!" It was now Tom's turn to watch Billy squirm. "You thought you had the tiger by the tail but that's not the case now that Jason's here. He's Pat's new golden boy and that's killing you not to mention that he's dating Elizabeth." Tom did what he could not to choke on those last words.

"Like I said we have a mutual interest here."

"Like hell we do! Piss off Weston!" Tom turned on his heel and marched away leaving Billy able to do nothing more than stare at his retreating form.

Tom's head was swimming as he stormed through the maze of metal garage buildings surrounding him. He couldn't think straight his mind was flooded with all the things Billy said to him. He closed his eyes clenched his fists at his sides and took a deep breath thoughts of Theresa Kennedy and their night together spilled forth. Suddenly felt this incredible need to see her again if not just to stick it to Weston by sleeping with his girl but for his own need for physical release. He pulled his cell phone from his jeans pocket and began to dial her number but stopped short when he rounded the corner and came face to face with the sight of Theresa and Jason looking quite cozy standing next to his racecar.

Tom felt his mouth go dry and quickly turned and headed back in the direction he had just came from basically finding Billy exactly where he'd left him. "I'm in, what do you want me to do?"

Theresa paused taking in the view before her. Biting her red stained lower lip, she let out a sexy growl the sight of Jason Morgan's tight jeans hugging him in all the right places as he bent over the engine of his brilliant blue racecar. She felt her blood begin to race. Swiftly she made her way deeper into the garage thankful the blaring radio hid her approach. Easily Theresa straddled the object of her affection her long ruby nails trailing his taut back muscles. Finally being so close to Jason made her body quiver with excitement.

"I thought you said you had to check in at work," Jason said peeking under his arm fully expecting to see Elizabeth behind him. The sight of Theresa Kennedy had him dumbfounded. "What the hell are you doing here?" he asked quickly wiggling out of the cage she had made around him with her body.

"Anything you'd like," she cooed in response positioning herself closer in hopes on planting her lips on his.

"Oh, I don't think so!" Jason announced forcefully pushing her away.

"Come on now, don't be like that," Theresa wasn't about to give up so easily and began running her hands over Jason's tanned arms ignoring how he tensed under her touch.

"Enough!" he shouted disentangling himself from her grasp. "I know what you're trying to do but you are NOT doing it with me!" Jason threw the garage rag to the floor and made a hasty exit toward the open garage door putting as much distance between himself and Theresa Kennedy as he could get.

He had seen his fair share of racing groupies in his day some of them even back as far as when his father was racing. They came with the territory and Jason knew it yet Theresa Kennedy was in a class all by herself. He knew she was coming on hard and heavy because of his relationship with Elizabeth. Leo had finally filled him in completely on the whole debacle that was the demise of Elizabeth and Billy's relationship thanks to Theresa. It disgusted him the lengths she would go to continue to hurt Elizabeth.

Theresa stood there seething once more as he brushed off her advances yet again. She had had enough of it already. Elizabeth Ryan wasn't going to win this no matter what she had to do Theresa was going to make sure that she'd have Jason Morgan one way or another. With that thought she headed for the door the wheels in her head turning as a hand reached out roughly grabbing at her arm stopping her mid step. "Hey!" she said a bit startled. "You scared me."

"I know what the hell you are trying to do and it won't work!" Leo's harsh voice thundered as his blue eyes blazed at her.

"I was looking for Billy."

"Like hell you were."

"Kindly let go of my arm," Theresa said but Leo's grip only grew tighter.

"I don't think so. You know you are wasting your time. Jason isn't Billy. He's not going to get suckered in by the likes of you."

"The great Princess Elizabeth doesn't own Jason. Just because Jason drives for Pat doesn't mean Liz automatically gets him!"

"Just stick with Billy! He's definitely more your type. Hell the two of you are made for each other," Leo scoffed.

"And what makes you think Jason Morgan isn't my type?"

"Seriously? Jason had your number from day one, girl! He saw the likes of you coming from a mile away. Save yourself the embarrassment and just let it go. Jason is NEVER going to fall for your shit. He's way smarter than that."

Theresa was pissed and Leo knew it. He was enjoying toying with her for all the shit that she had done to Elizabeth this was the least he could do for his best friend, even though secretly Leo was more than pleased that Elizabeth was finally away from Billy Weston, he had just wished that how it happened hadn't cause her so much pain in the process.

"Elizabeth Ryan is a cold hearted bitch and deserves all she's gotten and then some!" Theresa spat.

Leo clenched his fingers around her forearm pulling her face squarely to his own. "Don't you dare say a word about Elizabeth. You don't hold a candle to her and you never will no matter how many of her leftovers you sleep with. So might I suggest that you get some self-respect and watch yourself because I'm watching you." Leo dropped his grip and shoved her towards the open door. "Now get out of here and word of advice stay away from Jason."

"And if I don't?" she asked rubbing her arm.

"I don't think you are going to want to find out," Leo menaced.