Chapter XIII: Aphrodisiacs of Wrestling: Relish and Wine
Stephanie had insisted Therese take the limo. In her opinion, it would better prove that she hadn't left her hotel room if the occasion arose in which she had to defend her actions that night. The sleek, black vehicle pulled up in front of the Duck Pond where other limos, much the same in appearance, waited. The place was swarming with people but she craned her neck to try to see which stars the other limos belonged. Here I am looking to see some star and I have Kevin Nash sitting in my, well, Stephanie's limo. Nash stepped out first and offered his hand to help her. They were blinded with cameras flashes by some hopefuls thinking to catch a famous actor or actress. "That's the closest I'll ever come to the red carpet," she laughed.
He smiled back. "It's not all roses, well, if they don't know who you are, it's not."
"And that means what?"
"You ever see Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II?" he asked as they joined the throng of people standing outside the entrance. She nodded. "That's me at the end in the Super Shredder costume."
"No way," she said, stopping.
"Yeah. And at the premiere, if you could call it that, no one had a clue who I was."
"I'm sorry," she muttered and followed him down the sidewalk.
"Don't be. It wasn't all that glamorous. Give me your hand, I don't want to lose you." They weren't even through the ticket gate before their palms were sweaty. Therese kept telling herself that it was just the excitement of seeing a Stanley Cup championship game. The couple threaded their way through the crowds milling about purchasing food and hockey paraphernalia. "Want to find our seats first?"
She glanced at her watch. "Yeah, warm-ups should be starting." Kevin never let go of her as he navigated the arena to their seats. The view was absolutely amazing as the players took the ice. Therese sat enthralled and Kevin grinned at her state of awe.
"Here, let me wipe the drool off," he commented and reached over to trace fingers across her chin. She tried to hide the shiver but it was no use. "Cold?"
"Um, yeah, but I'll be fine." Yeah, I'm sorry, too, she thought, imagining a warm jacket that smelled like Kevin Nash. "I'll go get a scarf when they're done." The only place in this town where you'll find one. "Okay?"
"I don't have a choice, do I?" he asked with one eyebrow cocked. She smiled back and tucked her hands between her knees to keep them warm. Several times he started to reach for her hands but didn't know how or what to say without her thinking he was trying to put a move on her.
Flirting came easy for Kevin. When he knew the road was a dead-end or that the woman just didn't care, he could put the moves on with no trouble. His ex-wife had easily fallen for his charming ploy. Not that he was saying she was easy, but obviously the relationship didn't last. Now that he was being serious, his brain shut down. He didn't want to do anything that would scare her away. There had been many dates since the divorce, only a few of them had made him this nervous.
As the players began exiting the rink, she stood up and held out her hand. "Money begs to be spent," she laughed.
He took her hand and replied, "And my stomach begs for food."
"I completely forgot we would get something when we got here." Therese glanced up at the countdown to the game. "Um…"
"I know. You don't want to miss one thing. You go get your scarf and I'll meet you back here with…" He trailed off waiting for her to answer with what she would like.
"Oh, a footlong hotdog smothered in mustard and relish and tater tots if they have them…" She stopped at the disappointed look on his face.
"Smothered in mustard and relish, huh?"
She smiled inwardly. We'll see if you think about a kiss after that. "Yeah, if you don't mind."
"Diet coke?"
"Yeah, right," she said with a bit of sarcasm, mildly annoyed that he would think that she was one who insisted on diet drinks. "Just whatever doesn't have caffeine in it. I'll be up all night as it is."
The two parted at the top of the stairs. Therese returned first with the scarf and a set of gloves that she could later give to Evan, one of many gifts to try to make up for leaving him in the company of a baby-sitter for so long. Kevin was not far behind, juggling their drinks and dogs. She laughed out loud when she couldn't find the meat for the mustard and relish.
"That's what you said you wanted," he replied with the best innocent look he could muster, which wasn't very convincing.
"And I thank you for it."
"So, hockey's your thing. How long…" From there that launched into a discussion that lasted the night about her obsession with the game, about his time as a basketball player, and all sports in general. Finding a woman that watched ESPN as much as he did was just about enough to win his heart over right there.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Stephanie pulled the door to a grinning Shawn. "Hey, doll!" She returned his smile as she took in his skin-tight black shirt and blue jeans and then ushered him in. "How ya feelin'?"
"I was tired this morning after shopping but now I'm just fine. I promise you and Therese both," Stephanie answered as she pulled a bottle of wine out of the small wet bar and handed Shawn two glasses. She opened the balcony door and beckoned him to follow out into the beautiful summer evening. The blonde settled in a one of the lounge chairs and propped up his feet as Stephanie poured the merlot. She took the dainty wine glass in her hand and settled in the chaise lounge. "So…what do you want to do tonight?"
He shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever you want, princess. I think we should out to stay in since you weren't feeling well earlier."
Stephanie rolled her eyes where he couldn't see her. "All right. I give. We'll stay in. You had supper yet?"
"Naw," he answered in his Texan drawl.
"Good," she responded, clapping her hands together. "I haven't either. We'll order room service."
"That's a little expensive," he replied with raised eyebrows.
"Daddy can afford it," she said with a devious grin. "Since we're staying in, there's a couple of movies coming on tonight and there's always pay-per-view."
"Sounds good to me."
Stephanie downed the last of wine in her glass and offered Shawn some more. He shook his head and set the glass down on the small table. "Let's see what we can find on the menu that'll give my father a heart attack when he sees the bill." We'll see who thinks "smartass" now, she thought as the two pulled out the room service menus.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Towards the end of the first period, Therese's cellphone rang. Panic shot through her chest as she tried to calmly pull it out of her pocket. She would have sighed inwardly from relief when the callerID indicated the call was from Evan but now she had to deal with him in an arena of cheering people. "This is Blair."
"You can't talk, can you?" he asked, knowing the answer just by the way she acknowledged the call.
"Yes."
"You can't talk because you're with Kevin Nash, right?" he said calmly, trying to bait her.
"No." How did he know that? she thought.
"Then you can't talk because YOU'RE AT THE ANAHEIM GAME!" Evan shouted. "Am I right this time?"
"Maybe."
"You know those two fights that broke out in front of you?"
"Yes," she answered with a nod.
"That's how I know," he replied emphatically.
"Oh."
"Why Nash?" he wailed.
"Let me call you back after the game," she said diplomatically.
"I'm mad at you. You know that?"
"Oh, yes, I'm very positive about that. I'll bring you something from the game."
"You promise to bring it to me?" Evan asked in his fake whine.
"Yes, but I don't know when."
"Alright. You're not off the hook, but that makes it better. Love you."
"Same." She ended the call shortly before the first intermission.
"Everything okay?" Nash asked, offering her a mint.
"Yeah, just fine," she answered, taking it. "I've got to go get a jersey or something to return a favor." She popped the little peppermint in her mouth. "Wait. You trying to say something about my breath?"
He shrugged his shoulders and glanced around the rink. "You're the one who asked for a ton of relish."
She smirked and then stated, "I'll be back." She was the first one up the aisle when the buzzer sounded the end of the period. First in line with an official Stanley Cup jersey, she muttered curses about Evan finding out. He wasn't supposed to know because of his exact reaction. However, from his comment about Nash, she wondered if he was madder at her being with him than being at the game.
She slipped back into her seat to catch the end of a peewee league exhibition. "What did you get?"
"Just this," she pulled the shirt out.
"Nice, must have been a big favor."
"More than you know." Therese stuffed the bag under her seat when she heard Kevin's name on the PA system. She jerked up to see them on the big screen, her eyes wide and her hair in disarray from slinging her head back up. Nash smiled and waved at the cameraman. Therese wanted to sink down in her seat into oblivion.
"Well, they know who I am this time." With that, Nash joined three other celebrities that had been greeted with the announcer's voice and the arena's applause.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Shawn laid his fork down and pushed his chair back from the table, rubbing his stomach. "Give my compliments to your father."
"I don't think I'll have to when he sees the credit card," Stephanie laughed, setting her napkin aside. "I'm so full, I could take a nap."
"We still have to watch the movie. I didn't come over for just a meal. I'm getting all I paid for," he said with a devilish grin.
She smiled and shook her head. "You're incorrigible."
"I'm a what?"
"Incorrigible, the inability to be—" She gestured at him as she tried to explain.
"I know, doll, I'm just pickin' at ya," he interrupted, leaning across the table and laying a hand on her arm.
"See what I mean," Stephanie stood and gestured toward him. Shawn followed suit and then poured them each another glass of wine. She took it from him and settled on the bed, delicately tucking her legs under her. "So, what did we decide on?"
"I think it was between—"
The phone rang and Stephanie immediately put her fingers to her lips. "Shhh. It might be Therese." She reached across the bed and picked the receiver. "Hello?" She put her hand over the mouthpiece. "It's the service desk," she whispered and then returned to the call. "Yes…fine, just great…thank you…I will do that…thank you again. Goodbye." Stephanie turned back to him. "Still safe."
"Does it really matter if she found out?" he asked, pulling his chair up to the edge of the bed and propping his feet up.
"Probably not. I just don't want to hear her bitch at me. She still thinks she's like my dorm mother or something." Stephanie pulled her knees up to her chest.
"Have you told her that bothers you?"
"It doesn't so much bother me. It's like, well…does Kevin act like your big brother every once and while?"
"Yeah, but it's Kevin," he answered, physically waving off the question with his hand.
"It's like that with me and Therese. Even though it's been, what, eight years since we were inseparable, we kind of picked back up where we started." I think I'm getting better at this as I go, Stephanie thought.
"Mmmm," Shawn mumbled. They grew silent as they sipped at their glasses.
"About that movie," Stephanie piped up to break the moment. "Comedy, drama, or…" She bounced across the bed and then, with a smile, drew out "…chick flick."
"Is there something that has all three in it?"
She flipped through the pages of the guide again. "You ever see Shallow Hal? It's a little lacking in drama but it's got the other two."
"Why not?"
Stephanie flipped the television channels to the movie and settled against the headboard of the bed. Shawn started dragging his chair to the head of the bed, but Stephanie patted the mattress beside her. "I don't bite."
"Now, that's not true. I've seen you do it," he scolded, wagging a finger at her.
"Then let me rephrase that. I won't bite you." She chomped at the air as he sat down on the edge of the bed.
"Ooo, how kinky could that get?"
"Is that what you always think about?" she asked, shifting her legs as he settled beside her.
"Shh! The movie's starting," he interrupted, pointing at the screen.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Aren't they cute?" Therese asked as a redheaded couple was shown kissing on the big screen.
When the camera cut to another couple who immediately swapped slobber, more than anyone really wanted to see, Kevin asked, "Now, explain this to me again."
"It's nothing much. They've done this at every hockey game I've been to. When they show you on the big screen, you're supposed to kiss."
"Really?" he muttered more to himself.
"Yeah, it's quite stupid." No sooner had the words come out of her mouth than the camera cut to them. She gave a tightlipped smile and dropped an inch in her seat. Kevin shrugged his shoulders and glanced over at her.
When they cut away, he asked, "I thought you said we were supposed to kiss?"
"No, other people are."
"But not us?" he queried with fake puzzlement.
"Exactly," she responded as the camera cut back to them. The arena laughed when she shyly smiled and shook her head. "And if you don't, then they keep coming back to you."
"Then we'll have to remedy that."
"How? Kiss the guy beside you?" Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the two of them on the big screen again. She didn't have time to turn away as he reached a hand underneath her hair and pulled her to him. Her heart stopped as his lips brushed hers. Neither was aware that the arena was cheering. When she didn't try to stop him, he deepened the kiss. With her body as a melted puddle in the seat, she couldn't have resisted even if she had wanted to. Only when the big screen came back to them and the crowd laughed did the two pull apart. Nash wiggled his eyebrows and she blushed crimson. "Um, wha-what were we talking about?"
"Kariya's stats," he promptly answered with a smile.
"Oh…oh, yeah," she mumbled.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Their interest in the movie was lost over half way through and the two started talking about their hopes and dreams. "I don't aspire to be in the Peace Corps like Gwyneth Paltrow's character or anything. I dream on a more personal, individual level."
"Isn't that what they call selfish?" Shawn asked with a cock-eyed grin.
She shot him a dirty look. "I mean, I'm not out to change the world. I want to start in my own little sphere of existence. I just haven't gotten started."
"What is it you want to start?"
She sighed. "I don't know. My biggest hope would be to see my family a family again, but I know that'll never happen. I have a personal vendetta to make sure that doesn't happen. I don't aspire to be a wrestling champion. I don't have to be on television for the rest of my life. I want to make WWE the best it can be but not at my expense or the expense of my future family."
"So, there's a man involved in this future family?"
"No, I divorced him and got custody of our three kids," she answered with a glare.
"Three? You don't think that's one too many? That'll mess up your figure," Shawn commented, looking her up and down
"Are you ever serious?"
"If I was, nobody would still like me," the alleged playboy said with a smile.
"You know that's not true. I would still like you."
"You're one of those all-around good people that likes everyone and everyone likes too," he said, shifting around to sit in front of her on the bed.
"You are sadly mistaken. Do you even watch my show?" the brunette asked, drawing her legs up Indian-style to accommodate Shawn.
"Of course. Gotta spy on the enemy."
"You haven't said what your dreams and hopes are," Stephanie prompted.
"I'm too old to dream anymore," he replied with a shrug of his shoulders.
"Say that to everyone else your age and see what they say."
"Fine," he replied, rolling his eyes. "I've done everything I wanted to in wrestling. So, I guess now I hope my wrestling school becomes one of the best in the country, so I can retire early and put all my effort into it and my family when I can't be on TV anymore."
"So who all's involved in this family?" she asked, turning his question back on her.
"My four children and my wife. We're not divorced," he said with a grin.
"Four? That'll ruin your figure," Stephanie commented, rolling her eyes.
"My figure?"
"You'll get all soggy in the middle and your butt'll disappear." She poked him in the stomach and then tried to tickle him. He grabbed her arms and twisted them around behind her back, pulling her to his chest. When she finally stopped laughing, she asked, "Think we'll be doing this with our significant others twenty years from now?"
The feel of the atmosphere suddenly changed. The two were quiet as they felt the electricity begin to surge in the room. He let go of her arms and she turned to stare up at him with her innocent blue eyes, mere inches from his hazel ones. "I would hope so," he muttered. Neither moved for what felt like an eternity, each waiting for the other to either look away or make the first move. Unintentionally and without thinking, Stephanie licked her lips. Shawn glanced down as she rolled her pink lips together. They both moved at the same time, creeping towards each other at a painfully slow but sweet rate. Their lips barely brushed together, sending chills throughout their bodies. Shawn wrapped his arms around her and drew her close. The kiss deepened and Stephanie could taste the wine on his lips. She ran her tongue across them and his eyelids fluttered closed. His embrace tightened on her as he captured her lips once again in a deep kiss.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Anaheim took the game in overtime. Neither was ready to leave. Therese's hands still hurt from banging on the glass throughout the game. She had even persuaded Kevin to join her on a couple of occasions. Still, she didn't want to leave. This had been the best three hours she had spent in a long time. Kevin wasn't sure when he would see her again with their opposite schedules. Here, he had her to himself without Stephanie or Shawn. The decision had to be made when a couple of kids came up to him asking for his autograph. The two boys broke the ice for other fans who now stepped up.
Therese pulled him down to whisper in his ear. "You want me to get you out of here without having to deal with giving autographs and whatnot."
While signing a woman's ticket, he asked, "You can do that?" She nodded. He then whispered, "I don't wanna be mean and shrug off these people, but, yeah."
"Does your cell phone have an earpiece?" she asked, her lips brushing his ear. He nodded in response, staving off a shiver. "Give it to me." He slipped it to her and she turned around, putting the earpiece in and slipping the wire into her jersey. "Ready?"
"Yeah, let's go."
Therese stepped in between him and the next woman trying to talk to him. "I'm sorry. Mr. Nash is leaving now. Excuse us." She put her hand to the earpiece and held her arm out in front of her with the phone in her grasp. "Please step back." She walked Kevin out into the lobby, acting as if the cell phone was some important piece of equipment and the earpiece was sending official commands. After speaking with one of the attendants, she ushered Kevin down a hallway away from the crowd. A few people were around before they stepped outside, not far from the waiting limousines.
Once in the limo, Therese handed back the cell phone and earpiece. They burst into laughter. "I would love to know what those people were thinking! Kevin Nash with a woman bodyguard smaller than him!"
"Where did you learn to do that?"
She shrugged her shoulders. "Movies, I guess." The two grew silent for the first time that evening. The ride back to the hotel was quick and quiet. Kevin walked her up to the room. In a way, she was itching to get back in and check on Stephanie, but, in another, she wasn't ready for the night to end.
"Let's do this again sometime."
"What? Go to another Stanley Cup play-off?" she teased.
"I'll call you tomorrow and we'll see what we can work out. That good?" he asked, stuffing his hands in pockets and looking all cute and innocent.
"Yeah. I'll talk to you then," she smiled bashfully and turned to open the door.
"Wait." She turned back around. "Why is it you're so shy when it comes to us but you can go crazy at a hockey game?"
"Don't know." She smiled and then pointed at the door. "I…gotta go. 'Bye."
"Wait." She didn't have a chance to stop him as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a kiss. He could feel her go limp against his chest and he tightened his embrace. Despite his own desires, he ended the kiss with a light brush of his lips on hers. "Goodnight."
"Same." She stepped back and fumbled with the keycard, finally getting it to work and the door open.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Stephanie quickly pulled out of the kiss when she heard the jiggling of the doorknob in the other room. "Do you hear that?" she whispered.
Shawn cocked his head sideways and listened. "How did you hear that?" he asked with a furrowed brow as the noise stopped.
"It must be Therese. Hurry!" Stephanie grabbed Shawn's shoes and shoved them at him. She kept searching the room. "Where's your jacket?" she asked exasperatedly.
"I didn't wear one," he answered as he finished pulling on his boots.
"You got everything you came with?" He nodded. The rattling started again. "Okay, um, I'll talk to you later. Um, be careful."
She pushed him towards to the door and he mouthed, "Be careful?" Shawn opened the heavy door and waved 'bye.'
"I'm back." Stephanie heard Therese shout from the other room as she shut the door behind Shawn. She jerked off her clothes and threw on a robe. Her head swam from the amount of wine she had had to drink that evening and she had to hold on to the wall to steady herself. "Enjoy yourself?"
"Yeah, it was great."
"Someone got a kiss," Stephanie taunted.
"Where's Shane?" Therese asked to change the subject.
"He just left. So, how was the kiss?"
"Why didn't he wait?" Therese asked, ignoring her.
"The movie went off and I knew you would be back soon, so I told him to go on," Stephanie replied, nonchalantly.
"I don't like it. But since nothing happened, I'm not gonna say anything." She yawned wide. "I'm going to bed. 'Night."
"'Night," Stephanie replied, then settled down at the vanity and brushed her hair out. She traced a finger over her lips and smiled. The one time I need to talk someone, I can't! She sighed and climbed into bed, succumbing to the somnambulant drinks.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
TBC…
Author's Notes: I'm not very happy with this chapter but I'm tired of working on it. Sorry it's not all that great. By the way, I promise with all promises that I had the kissing scene at the hockey game written LONG before I saw How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days. Please don't flame me!
Quick disclaimer: Unfortunately, I was not in attendance at the third game of the Stanley Cup. I took quite a bit of liberty with the game to suit my purposes and have absolutely no idea exactly what happened except the outcome of the game (I was in Bulgaria at the time of this game and did not get it recorded either.) If anyone has any suggestions, I am willing to listen.