Chapter 14 For the next month he was happier than she ever remembered seeing him. Finally, he was involved in some matches that really meant something. The fatal four way match was set up to include him, The Undertaker, Chris Benoit and The Rock. Glenn was excited about working with these men. “These guys are the best in the business.,” he told her. Getting into the ring with them was guaranteed to get you noticed. “It’s going to be interesting to see how we can combine all of our different styles. Mark and I are considered brawlers. Chris is probably more of a technical wrestler. And Rocky? “ He laughed softly. “I think he could just come out and stand there and people would scream.” He wasn’t kidding himself though. There was no way they were ready to push him to the title...not yet anyway. But just getting this chance...to be included with the biggest names in the federation? That was the opportunity he was looking for. Even his training rituals had changed. He approached her one afternoon and asked her if she had a few minutes to talk to him. “I always have a few minutes for you,” she said with a smile. “Well this isn’t personal,’ he said. “I wanted to talk about my training.” She looked at him in surprise. “Ok, sure.” They walked over to her desk and she pulled out the chart she kept on him. She had a chart for each performer. It helped her keep track of their progress and assisted her in setting up their individual programs. “What is it you’re looking to do?” she asked him. He paused for a second. “I’m gonna be in the ring with a couple of guys who are lighter and a lot faster than me,’ he said. “Now I know that isn’t my style. But I was thinking that I could probably work a little harder on my strength and conditioning...and maybe my stamina.” This was the first time he had ever approached her on a professional level since they had started their relationship. He had decided to let the other trainers work with him. “Are you afraid I’ll lose control during a massage?” she had teased him. “Oh no,” he stammered. “I just don’t want people thinking....” She cut him off with a laugh. “Honey it’s fine. You do what you think is right. Besides, who knows, I just might have lost control.” They sat together for over an hour working out a program of diet and exercise that would allow him to keep his overwhelming size advantage, but would greatly increase his strength and endurance. When they were done, he stood up and kissed her cheek. “What was that for?” she asked. “I can’t thank you enough for everything you’ve done for me. You believed in me....even when I didn’t believe in myself.” “That’s because I love you,’ she said softly. “I know,” he said, leaning down to be closer to her. “I love you too.”“Ah...young love.” They looked up to see Al in the doorway. “That’s it..... you’re a dead man,” Glenn laughed, as he chased him into the hall. She laughed and shook her head as she returned to work. The night of Unforgiven he was more nervous than he thought he would be. All he wanted was to make a good showing. He needed to prove to the fans and to himself that he belonged with the main eventers. Nothing was ever said...but he felt like he had something to prove to Vince and the bookers too. The four men involved had one last meeting to discuss their match. When they were all satisfied, they wished each other luck and went to finish their private preparations. She knew that before every match he liked to be alone, to run over the spots in his mind and get mentally focused. When it was time for his match, she took up her usual spot by the monitor. The match went pretty much like he’d told her it would. The Rock was WWF Champion, but Glenn had done a good job. Everything would have been just fine, except for one thing......Mark was injured. Chapter 15 Glenn helped him backstage. He sat in the trainer’s area, wincing with pain. “Damn,” he said. “I can’t believe this.” Lisa rushed in and knelt next to him. “What is it?” she asked. “I’m not sure,’ he answered. “All I know is that it hurts like hell.” “Maybe it’s just a strain,” suggested Glenn. “It feels like a lot more than a strain to me,” said, Mark. “You’re gonna need an MRI to make sure,” Lisa said. “Swell, just what I need. More injury time.” He struggled to get up. Glenn held out his hand. “I can do this,” Mark snapped. He looked up at his friend. “Hey, I’m sorry. I’m a lousy patient. Just let me deal with this, Ok?” He walked away slowly. “I have to go make arrangements for his test,” she said. “I won’t be long.” Glenn headed for the showers. He could tell that Mark’s injury was more than just a strain. He was one of the toughest men he knew. It took a lot to bring him down. As the hot water loosened his aching muscles, a thought suddenly occurred to him. If Mark was going to be out for any length of time, it could hurt his chances. It was a selfish way to think, and he knew it. But the bookers seemed to think that Kane couldn’t exist without The Undertaker. If Mark had to take some time off, that just might mean any storyline involving him could get pushed to the back burner. It didn’t take long for his fear to be realized. The next day they found out that Mark did have a more serious injury. He had a slight abdominal tear. Thankfully it would only require rest in order for it to heal. He was hoping to be gone three or four weeks at the most. While that news was good, the news he got when he arrived at the arena wasn’t. His name was nowhere to be found on the list of matches for that night’s RAW. “Well, that didn’t take long,” he thought. When she was done briefing her staff, she walked into the hall to grab a cup of coffee. She found him sitting there, resting his arms on his knees. “What’s wrong?” she asked him. “Oh nothing. I just found out that I could have stayed home tonight” “What are you talking about?” “I’m off the match list tonight. Apparently, if Mark is out, then so am I.” “I’m sure it’s just for tonight,” she said. “Let’s hope so,” he said, standing and walking down the hall slowly. He did have a part in the next night’s Smackdown, a very small one. She was standing in the doorway of the training room as he came down the hall. “Ted is free if you need a rub down,” she said. “Is that supposed to be funny?” he asked. “Glenn, I just...” “I was out there for a minute...tops. I’m pretty sure a shower is all I need.” He continued down the hall. “Oh please don’t tell me we’re back to square one again,” she thought. They drove back to the hotel in silence. More than once, she tried to say something, but she knew how he would react. They undressed and got into bed, still not having spoken a word. Finally she turned to her side and looked at him. “Glenn?” “Yeah?” “More than anything, I want to be able to help you. But right now, I’m afraid of saying the wrong thing.” He reached out and pulled her into his arms. “Just having you here helps. I’ll get over this. Right now, I’m just feeling sorry for myself.” “You know, Mark’s injury caught them off guard. Maybe they need a couple of days to figure out what to do with you.” “You’re right...I know you are,” he said. “And I’m sorry if I snapped at you.” “That’s Ok,” she said. “No it isn’t,” he replied. “You mean the world to me. I’m sorry if I hurt you.” “Well, you could make it up to me.” “How?” he asked, looking at her through narrowed eyes. She slid her hand under the sheet and stroked him gently. “Give you any ideas?” she asked. “A couple,” he said, shutting off the light and turning to her. Chapter 16 Unfortunately, for the rest of the month, the bookers, couldn’t or wouldn’t, come up with anything fresh for him. But he did his best to work through it. He continued to follow the regimen she had set up for him. He was working harder than he ever had before, and contrary to what he thought, his determination had not gone unnoticed. There was already talk about possible feuds with different stars. At this point he really didn’t care who they put him up against. He was experienced enough to know that the longer you were away from the ring the easier you were to forget. Even though he had no match scheduled, he was backstage at No Mercy, showing his support for his fellow wrestlers. When the show was over, he waited in the hall for Lisa, passing the time with Al and Mick. He loved talking to Mick. He had more wrestling stories than anyone he knew. Lisa came out of the trainer’s room yawning. “Somebody’s tired,” laughed Al. “Well, she ought to be, she worked hard,” said Mick. “Hey, we all work hard,” said Al, with fake indignance. “Yeah, sitting backstage and watching is tough work,” Mick joked. Al and Mick laughed. Glenn tried to join in, but she could see he didn’t find it all that funny. Driving back to the hotel, she searched his face carefully. “Mick was only kidding you know. I don’t think he meant anything by it,” she said. “Oh I know he didn’t. He isn’t like that at all.” They drove on a little longer. “I have a meeting with the bookers tomorrow,” he said finally. “You do?” she asked hopefully. “Why didn’t you say anything?” “I must be getting superstitious,” he said with a small laugh. “I guess I thought I might jinx it.” “Any idea what they have planned for you?” “Not really,’ he said. “But right now, all I’m looking for is a chance to get back in the ring on a regular basis.” He entered the booker’s room at ten o’clock on the nose. He was surprised to see Chris Jericho sitting there. “Hey,” he said quietly, sitting next to him. Chris looked up and smiled. “Something tells me, that Kane and Jericho are about to lock up,” he said with a grin. And he was right. “We want to build on this idea that Kane hates all of the “beautiful” people,” Vince said. “I think I’m getting a complex,” Glenn joked. “He’s going to view Jericho as one of those people. We think we can get at least two months out of this.” “Well that’s good news,” he thought. “How do you plan to start this feud?” Chris asked. Pat Patterson smiled. “We’re going to have Jericho spill some coffee on Kane. He’ll apologize, of course, but Kane will still go nuts...and the feud will start from there.” Chris and Glenn looked at each other in disbelief. “Coffee?” they said in unison. “It doesn’t really matter how it starts,” said Vince, quickly. “It’s what you do with it, that matters.” “I suppose,” said Glenn. “But coffee? I’m supposed to be a monster. Now you want me to get ticked off because of a little coffee?” Pat jumped in quickly. “It’s symbolic. You know....Kane being burned again? This time by a good looking, blond guy ......one of the beautiful people.” Glenn looked at Chris. “I’m game if you are,’ he said. “Let’s do it,” agreed Chris. They stayed for another twenty minutes, discussing how the angle would progress and possible outcomes. Glenn stood up to stretch. “Come on beautiful,” he said to Chris. “I’ll buy you some coffee....no wait...better make that a soda. We don’t want to take any chances, do we?” Chapter 17 He wished he had had a camera when he told her about the coffee. “You’re kidding right?” she asked. “Nope, I’m totally serious. This is my new angle.” “Are you Ok with this?” she asked. “To be truthful, I wasn’t at first. But I like Chris. You just know he’s going to cut some great promos during all of this.” “And what about Kane?” “ I think this may be good for Kane. Slowly but surely, they’re starting to give him a real personality,” he said. “Last year he just would have stomped on Jericho and left it at that. Now they seem to want to allow him to explain his actions more.” “Oh, so that means more mic time for you,” she said with a smile. “Yep,” he said, flashing that gorgeous grin. “Kane speaks!” “I never told you this before...but I think Kane is very sexy when he talks,” she said. “Oh do you now?” he said. “Yeah. It’s kind of a cross between a growl and a whisper. It really does something to me.” “Well, then maybe he’ll have to teach it to me,” he said, leaning down to growl in her ear. “Don’t you have to get ready?” she asked, giggling. “Yeah, unfortunately I do. But I’ll be back later. Promise to wait for me?” he growled. “Oh, you know it,” she replied, giving him her best seductive look. The promo went just like they planned. Jericho turned and spilled coffee all over Glenn’s chest. He tried to apologize. but it was no use. When the shot was completed, Jericho had been taken out and the coffee table had been sent flying. She always smiled when she saw him do things like that. He was such a sweet and gentle man. “Everyone should know how out of character that is for you,” she thought. The angle progressed through the month, with both men taking a lot of kidding. Their feud was referred to as everything from “The Sanka War” to a “Coffee Pot On A Pole Match.” But even while they were kidding them, everyone admired the matches the two of them were putting on. Each man was able to showcase their particular talents...a fact not lost on Mr. McMahon. A week before Survivor Series, he called both men in for a meeting. “I just wanted to let you two know that we’ve gotten some very good feedback from this feud. So good in fact, that we’re definitely going to carry it through for another month.” Both men looked at each other and smiled. Glenn had actually enjoyed working with Chris a lot more than he thought he would. He was funny and a damn hard worker. By this time, Mark had also returned. He was in a title match with Kurt Angle. He walked up to Glenn as he left his meeting with Mr. McMahon. “So, how’s the “Coffee Bean Battle” coming?” he teased. “You really want to know?” he asked showing him a fist. “Let me tell you....I like the way the two of you look out there,” he said. “I think it’s going to be a good match.” “Thanks,’ he said. “I think so too.” And it was. It wasn’t the longest match on the card, but both men were able to use their best moves, and the crowd gave them a good response. Backstage, they received a warm welcome from their fellow wrestlers, which always meant a lot. She was rubbing Chris’ shoulders when Glenn walked in. “Hey, he’s the enemy you know,” he teased. “Too late buddy, I got here first,” Chris said with a laugh. Glenn let Ted, one of Lisa’s staff members, work on him. “We were just talking about the house show in New York,” she said. “Chris said he could get us some hockey tickets for that Friday night.” “Yeah, my dad played for the Rangers,” he said. “He gets tickets all the time.” “You like hockey?” Glenn asked in surprise. “Ok, so another one of my secrets is out,” she laughed. “I’m a diehard Ranger fan.” Glenn looked over at Chris and laughed. “The woman never ceases to amaze me.” Chapter 18 The “coffee” feud went right on into December. Glenn had been right about Chris cutting some great promos. The mask certainly came in handy when it got just a little too funny. Armageddon was scheduled for December 10th. It was earlier than usual, because Vince had decided to give the guys some much needed and much deserved time off for Christmas and New Years. “When I looked at the schedule I thought there had to be a mistake,” said Glenn. “It’s gonna be nice to be able to relax for more than two days.” They had already made plans to be together for the holidays. “So what do you want for Christmas?” he asked her. “Now you know you don’t have to get me anything,” she said. “And you know you don’t really mean that,” he teased. “I got my present a couple of months ago.....the day you told me you loved me,” she said, slipping her arms around him. He looked down at her and smiled. “Boy you sure know what to say to get on my good side,” he laughed. “Now I’d better make sure it’s a darn good present.” “You’re not kidding,” she said, grinning mischievously. His match with Chris at Armageddon was a “Last Man Standing” match. Since he had won their first match, he pretty much figured that Chris would take the re-match. He wasn’t crazy about the idea, but as usual, after talking it over with Mark, it made a little more sense to him. “You gotta look at this logically,” Mark told him. “Chris needs more of a push right now. Beating Kane would go along way towards making him more visible. Now for him to beat you he’s gonna have to really pull off some kind of a major stunt. You’ll lose.....but you won’t lose any credibility.” “That’s easy for you to say,” he had teased him. “You’re in the title match every month.” “And do I ever win?” he asked with a laugh. “Ok, you have a point there,” he said. It turned out to be another good match. Part of the scenery for the Pay Per View was a wall of old oil barrels, welded together. In order to get Kane down and keep him down, Chris had managed to get him off his feet, and pushed the wall of barrels on top of him. Since there was no way he could get out, Chris became the winner. The last thing you saw was Kane’s hand snaking up from between the barrels, leaving you to believe that maybe he wasn’t really down at all. Mark had been right. He hadn’t won, but his character was still perceived as unstoppable. He knew he would have the next night off, so he was relaxed and fairly optimistic on their drive to the hotel. “It will be interesting to see where they go with the character next,” he said to her. “What ever happened to Kane’s feud with his brother?” she asked. “That’s a good question,” he laughed. “If you want to know the truth, I think they want to re-unite the two of them.” “How do you and Mark feel about that?” she asked. “Actually, it’s something we’ve both been pushing for. And I think it’s something the fans want too.” The last day of taping before the Christmas break, had been extremely loose by WWF standards. There was lots of laughter and gift giving . “I can’t believe we have five whole days together,’ he said, as they headed for their car. “The first thing we have to do when we get to my house, is buy a tree,” she said. “I can’t wait to get you under the mistletoe,” he said, stopping to nuzzle her neck. They pulled into her driveway, with their suitcases, a load of groceries and a fresh evergreen tied to the roof of the car. Half an hour later, everything was unloaded. She was putting away the food, when she felt him standing behind her. She turned and looked up. “Where did you get mistletoe?” she asked with a smile. “I carry it around with me,’ he laughed. “You never know when it might come in handy.” “Oh really?” she teased, trying to step around him. “Not so fast,” he said, holding her close with one incredibly strong arm. “You owe me a kiss.” “Well, it is tradition...” she began. His mouth gently covered hers. “Merry Christmas,” he whispered. “I love you,” she whispered back. Chapter 19 The next day they were busy, moving furniture and bringing boxes up from the basement. “Are you sure you need all of this stuff?” he asked, trying to catch his breath. She looked at him and smiled softly. “It’s been a long time since I’ve looked forward to Christmas this much. I really wanted to go all out.” He lifted her chin gently. “Hey, I’m looking forward to it too. Being with someone you love, really does change the way you feel.” It took more than a few tries, but eventually they got the tree up...and straight. “Are you always this picky?’ he asked. “Hey, be nice,” she warned, or that mistletoe comes down.” They were taking a break, when they heard a knock at the door. “Honey, I’ve got my hands full.” she said, looking up from the sandwiches she was making. “Would you see who that is?” He opened the door to find a little boy, no more than seven, staring up at him, wide-eyed. “Hi,” he said. “What can I do for you?” The boy paused for a minute. “Is Lisa home?” he finally managed to whisper. “She sure is. Hang on a second.” He turned to call to her. “Lisa? A friend is here to see you.” “A friend?” she thought wiping her hands on a towel. She walked to the door and smiled. “Hey Casey. What’s up?” “Mom is going to the store..she wants to know if you need anything? he asked, never taking his eyes from Glenn. “No honey. Tell her thanks, but don’t need a thing.” Casey continued to stare up at him. “You’re the biggest man I’ve ever seen,” he said. Lisa tried not to laugh. Casey looked at her and back to Glenn. Suddenly he remembered where she worked. “Are you a wrestler?” he asked him. “I sure am,” he replied. “Wow....do you know The Rock?” he asked with awe. Lisa had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing out loud. “Yeah....I know him,” he answered. “Casey!” his mother called. “Well, I gotta go,” he said, running down the porch steps. “Bye,” he yelled over his shoulder. Lisa shut the door and turned to look at him. He eyed her carefully. “I didn’t know you knew The Rock,” she said teasingly. “I’d just love to meet him.” “Oh that’s it,” he said, lunging for her. She laughed and jumped away from his grasp. “Now honey...I was only kidding,” she said. “You know you’re the only man I ever look at.” “Yeah, sure I am,” he said, pretending to glare at her. “Well, you’re the only man that I ever want to touch me,” she said, slowly moving her arms around him. “Go on,” he said. “And you’re the only man I want to kiss me,” she said, reaching up to place her lips softly on his. “And?” he asked. “And..... I’ll tell you the rest later,” she said, returning to make their lunch. “You.....are a wicked woman,’ he laughed. By the middle of the afternoon, they had finished decorating the tree. She knelt down to plug in the lights. “Not bad,’ he said. “I think it’s beautiful,” she said, reaching out to hold his hand. “What do you say we put on some Christmas music and start a nice fire?” he asked. “That sounds wonderful,” she replied. They cleared away the empty boxes. Glenn started a fire and Lisa brought in some wine with cheese and crackers. She spread a large blanket on the floor and they sat together, his arm draped across her shoulder, staring into the flames. “This is perfect,” she sighed. He bent his head down to kiss her slowly. “Now that’s perfect,” he whispered. He sat back and took their wine glasses and placed them on a nearby table. “Now...what was that other thing that you were going to tell me?” he asked, gently pushing her down. “I really can’t remember,” she teased. “Maybe this will help,” he said, kissing her passionately. She ran her hands up through his hair. “Now I remember,” she said. “Tell me,” he said, sliding his hands up under her sweater. “I’d much rather show you,” she said, unbuttoning his flannel shirt. She slipped the shirt from his broad shoulders, running her hands along his skin. Leaning forward, she placed, soft kisses on his chest, gently flicking her tongue against his nipples. He smiled with satisfaction when she leaned back and pulled her sweater over her head. He lowered her back to the blanket and undid her jeans, sliding then from her legs. Quickly, he undressed, and laid down next to her. She loved how the fire sent sparks of light dancing through his hair. He lowered his mouth to hers, his tongue softly parting her lips to explore her mouth. His hands moved over her slowly, touching and caressing. “I love the way you feel,” he said, sliding his hand down to gently stroke between her thighs. She groaned with pleasure. Reaching down, she slowly, ran her hand along him, smiling, as she felt him grow hard under her fingers. She sat up, easing him back. Lowering her head, she ran her tongue along him. “Oh yes,” he whispered. She moved over him, taking him deep in her mouth. He arched his hips in response. Waves of pleasure washed over him as she savored every inch of him. Slowly he pushed her back. “I need to be inside of you...please,’ he said. She pulled him down wrapping her legs around his waist. Almost immediately, they began to move together, straining against one another. She could feel herself reaching that wonderful peak. Arching upward she cried out as he brought her to a wonderful release. He felt her responding and he too let himself go. They laid together, hearts pounding, still entwined in each others arms. “Is that what you wanted to tell me?” he asked breathlessly. “That was it,” she said, kissing him once again. Chapter 20 For he next few days, they completely enjoyed just being together. They both loved their work, and the people they worked with. But extended time alone was something they seldom got. On Christmas Eve, she made them a special dinner. She placed candles on the table and had him open a bottle of champagne. “Going to an awful lot of fuss just for me, aren’t you?” he asked. “Do you have any idea when we might get to do this again?” she asked. “You’re right,” he said. “I should just shutup and enjoy it.” “Couldn’t have said it better myself,” she laughed. After dinner, they sat together in front of the fire. “Why don’t we exchange presents now?” he said. “Ok, if that’s what you want,” she replied. “To be honest..I can’t wait to see your reaction,” he said, standing to get her package from under the tree. He handed it to her and smiled. “I hope you like it.” She carefully opened the shimmering red paper. Inside was a red velvet box. When she opened it, she stared in wonder. Inside was a gold heart on a beautiful chain. The heart was covered with bright red rubies. “Glenn this is beautiful,” she whispered. She picked it up and held it so that the flames from the fire seemed to dance from the facets. “Help me put it on,” she said. She lifted up her hair as he carefully placed the chain around her neck. When he had it fastened, she walked to a small mirror she had on the wall. She gently ran her fingers over it. “As soon as I saw it, I knew how beautiful it would look on you,” he said. She turned and put her arms around his neck. “I just love it,” she said, kissing him tenderly. She walked to the tree, and bent down. “Now it’s your turn,” she said, handing him his present. He untied the gold bow and slipped off the paper. When he opened the box, he looked up at her in surprise. “Lisa, this is great,” he said. “I knew you needed a new watch..but I really wanted it to be special.” “Honey..this is,” he said, taking it from the box. “I had it engraved,” she said softly. He turned it over to read the back. “All My Love...Now And Forever, Lisa.” He looked up at her and took her in his arms. “You didn’t have to do this you know.....but I’m glad you did.” She reached out and helped him put it on. “It looks wonderful on you,” she said. He held up his wrist. “It really does,” he said with a smile. They sat together a while longer. “What do you say we head upstairs?” he asked, taking her hand and gently kissing her fingers. “You read my mind,” she whispered. The next morning, as she laid contentedly in his arms, a thought occurred to her. She leaned over and kissed him softly. “Hmmm, now that’s how I’d like to wake up every morning,” he said. “It’s funny you should say that,” she said. “Because I’ve been giving something a lot of thought.” “Oh?’ he said, raising up on his elbow to look at her. “Ok...so tell me.” “Well the last few days...the last few months really...have been absolutely wonderful.” “You won’t get an argument from me,” he said.” “Well, I was thinking. It’s so hard to find time for the two of us to be alone together. I was just thinking.....that is....I mean, if I’m being too pushy..” “Honey would you just say it?” he laughed. “Well, I’d really love it, if you moved in here with me.” He looked at her in surprise. “You want us to live together?” he asked. “I know...it’s a silly idea. You must think I’m some kind of a .....” Before she could get another word out, he had his lips pressed against hers. “I think it’s a great idea,” he said. “You do?” “Anything that gives me even one extra second with you, has to be a good idea,” he said, running his fingers along her cheek. “So, when do I move in?” he asked, his eyes twinkling. “Is now too soon?” she asked, throwing her arms around him. |
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