"ITVR: Chapter 33"
Flirts.
By Jadedoll, Penumbren, & Raising Kane
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I would have gone with Dumb and Dumber myself, but yeah... go for it. Cool. Now all Chris had to do was come up with a particularly wicked idea. He wasn't as insanely creative as Adam about such things, that stunt with Austin last night had been hilarious, but with a bit of thought and preparation he could be downright nasty. CJ's options were limited in the confined space of the car though, he had little to work with other than a couple of empty drink bottles, some gum and the sound of his own voice. MacGyver he was not and although sticking bottles to their foreheads with the gum would be fun, they would probably fall off before he even saw the reaction. Chris dismissed the tried and true 'ink glasses and moustaches' as being as unoriginal as the ice water, besides he'd have to check into the hotel with them soon. He could arrange the couple in some suitably erotic position, but given Jay and Bunnykins' current tensions, that would go down like a lead balloon. So that left the sound of his own voice. Regretfully CJ moved from under his lover's warm wandering hand and grinning at Adam, unbuckled his seat belt to twist and half climb back between the two front seats. "Don't have a crash in the next five seconds Babe," he asked Adam, before taking a deep breath and leaning in so his mouth was less than and inch from Ty's ear. Even with his experience, Chris couldn't quite master the note at the highest end of the register, but he was after results not accuracy. "I BELIEVE IN A THING CALLED LOVE, JUST LISTEN TO THE RHYTHM OF MY HEART. THERE'S A CHANCE WE COULD MAKE IT NOW, WE'LL BE ROCKING TILL THE SUN GOES DOWN!!!" Chris managed to complete the second line by ducking back in his seat and half hiding under the dashboard from Bunnykins' freakishly long, tattooed arm. Reso had nearly kicked him in the face with his foot, but seeing as Ty's reaction had caused him to be rudely dumped onto his own side, CJ felt he'd been successful. Should get points for sticking with the theme of the car ride too. "I BELIEVE... hey.... it was your... erg... turn to guess... stop... heh... don't… gahhh... distract..." muffled laughter, "... our...*gasp* ... driver..." Chris pushed Bunnykins back into his own section of the car. "You could cause an accident acting so childishly." He admonished with a not so straight face. While his 'friends' settled themselves in the back seat, no doubt plotting revenge, Chris resumed his own position, sitting upright on, rather than under his seat. He'd only just finished straightening his shirt, when Adam's question came to his ears. Of course he'd love to head over to Adam's for their few days break. He was supposed to fly to Florida to see if his house was still standing, so joining Adam at his place would be no problem. Now how to accept without sounding so eager he'd walk all the way if necessary. "I'm guessing we're on the same flight then, so it would be easier if we shared a cab home. I just want to check my place hasn't burnt down, then I'm all yours." Yeah, not too eager there Mr. Smooth. But it was true, he was all Adam's, any bat-time, any bat-channel. Chris was just holding back a bit on the whole 'happily ever after' and picking china patterns until perhaps they'd been together for more than... I don't know... a day maybe? Thing was, he'd known and liked Adam for five years, that was longer than most WWE marriages, let alone relationships. Still there really wasn't any rush with the whole declaring the heart and everything. Chris had time to show Adam that he was in for the long haul. They had all the time in the world. **** "That was weird. I wonder what's up with him. Usually he's more than happy to sit and talk." True. Usually he was. Scott was just as curious as Kevin was if not more so. Especially after that little wince in response to his completely innocent question. Wondering briefly if Mark would have issues with the new relationship that Shawn was entering into, Scott walked down the hall with Kevin to their room and slid his card through the reader. It seemed as if the Dead Man was currently unattached, at least if his reaction to Scott's question was reading true. Hopefully Mark wasn't hanging onto hope that he and Shawn would get back together, though from some of their earlier talks Scott hadn't gotten the impression that he was. True Mark hadn't been involved in anything serious since then, but that didn't mean he was looking to the past for something to materialize either. Maybe they should grab a bite with Mark later... just to feel things out. Grinning at Kev as he flopped back on the bed, Scott more or less expected some kind of salacious comment. It was Kevin after all and they had definitely been more flirtatious today than normal, but he was having a blast with it. Maybe he should spank Kev more often. At least Kevin hadn't suggested eating out again, Scott knew he would have objected if Kevin had. Kev wasn't quite ready for barely padded seats again... not yet anyway. Rolling his eyes at the suggestive look Kev sent him, Scott turned to hide a smile. As much as he would love to pounce on Kevin, it just wasn't going to happen. That didn't mean they couldn't keep the fires lit until later. Calling in a quick order to room service, he turned to look at Kevin's lazy pose on the bed and noticed that Kevin was looking at him as well. Hanging up the phone, he sauntered over to the bed and crawled up beside Kevin, a teasing smile on his face. Draping himself over Kevin's form, one leg slipping over Kevin's thigh and fingers drawing lazy designs on his chest, Scott kissed his lover's cheek gently. "So babe... you interested in making out with a desperate old man until room service shows up?" Returning Kevin's eyebrow gesture from earlier, Scott leaned in and licked slowly along the seam of Kevin's lips before pulling back. Cuddle time wasn't necessarily something they'd get a lot of until later tonight and Scott wanted to take advantage of it while they could. Shifting slightly, he slipped his leg between Kevin's, his knee brushing gently against Kevin's groin as he slipped his hand from Kevin's chest into his hair. Nibbling lightly at Kevin's lips, he gave a gentle tug on the golden locks, taking advantage of Kevin's growl to sweep his tongue into his lover's mouth. **** Hunter considered Dave's questions as he finished his meal. They were reasonable given the circumstances and totally deserving of a serious answer. The thing was, Hunter really couldn't be that serious about the first bit anyway. "Stephanie? Well let's see..." Hunt rested both elbows on the table and toyed with the rim of his water glass. "What she says won't actually be to me, it'll be a cell call to Shane and be something along the lines of 'I fucking told you so Nitwit, you owe me five grand.'" Hunter smiled softly at Dave's bemused expression. "Stephanie knows everything, and I mean everything about me and who I happen to have strong feelings for. Shawn was dead on when he spoke of our Billion Dollar Girl. She's a baby sister, a shrill mother-in-law and your best drinking buddy all rolled into one. I love her dearly, but I know for a fact she will tease me incessantly and demand excruciating detail of our relationship for the foreseeable future. As to their being three of us well..." Hunter shrugged. "... I imagine she'll want pictures or something. No shame that girl, none at all." He shook his head affectionately. Steph could be a pain in the ass, no question there, but she'd held Hunter together more times than he could count and he'd flat out die for his Princess if he had to. It was a good thing he and Stephanie were totally unattracted to each other sexually. There'd been many a time in their courtship when it would just have been so much easier to chuck all the pretending and actually become a couple. The difficulty there lay in their hearts belonging elsewhere: Steph's with her pretty blond P.A, banished until after the wedding by a firm Linda and Hunter's with two co-workers who thought of him as a friend. Even consolation sex hadn't happened between them, it would have been cheating and they both knew it. How about that, cheating on your non-existent lover with your spouse? Hunter had known he'd never lead a normal life, but that had taken the cake. "Steph will support any decision I make and trust me, that is a far more powerful thing than you might think." Shawn would understand the sheer determination of a McMahon; he doubted Dave had experienced it up close. "As to backstage and Vince..." this one wasn't quiet so easy. "No-one will give two cents backstage unless they're personally involved, but most of the time everyone with a partner is at least discreet. Especially around the new boys who may decide to run their mouths off if they feel they've been hard done by. It's happened before." This time a commiserating nod at Shawn. Most of the gossip about the Heartbreaker often stemmed, not just from his semi-public antics, but more from either jealous or hateful rivals out to bring down a legend. "Vince I think I better speak to privately. I don't really think he'll care really, only as it relates to Steph and she'll hand him his balls if he interferes in her life too much. But it would be a courtesy to let him know about us, so he doesn't get it third hand and go off the deep end." Hunter felt it would work out fine, he and Shawn were damn nigh untouchable in this company and their personal life was just as bulletproof. But Dave's questions had bought up some of Hunter's own concerns regarding the big man. Shawn's star and his own were permanent fixtures in the WWE sky, but Dave's was on the rise and bound to become something spectacular. The politics of both the management and the talent was a nice little ocean teaming with sharks. Dave had so far shown himself to be above most of the scheming, but an association with Hunter, beyond that of Evolution, may well bring 'the Animal' down for a dunking. His lovers had both asked him for reassurances of his feelings and he'd finally given them up. Now Hunt needed something as well. Not just for his delicate little ego... snort... but for his mental well-being. Dave had to understand what he was getting himself into. As Dave set down his own cutlery and napkin, Hunt touched the back of one strong tanned hand to get his attention. "Dave, I don't blame you for almost giving up on me over this 'us' that's going to happen. Shawn almost had to sit on you to keep you from running, but I have to give you the chance to leave me out of the equation if you want." Hunt was momentarily distracted by the visual of Shawn sitting on Dave, except they weren't dressed and they weren't in a restaurant. Ahh-hmmm. Right... Okay. "You've been in enough locker rooms to know about the sex and politics mentality there, but you've never been as up to your neck in it as I've been. Shawn can walk all over anyone who gets in his face, but you may get hit with a lot of feedback, mostly negative, for being with me. And I do mean with me Dave. Half the guys think I'm already doing Randy and I'm giving him the belt as gratitude for a good fuck, the rest think I've got Vince by the balls and are too scared to say 'hello' in case I get them fired. I'm not crying in my soup over this mind you, this is my life and I love it almost as much as I want you both in my life. But you have to understand Dave, you become closer to me, you may get caught in some of the crossfire and it won't be pretty." Realising he voice was sounding far too serious for the situation to warrant, Hunt shrugged and pulled his hand back. "I'm just saying I want you to be aware of what you're letting yourself in for. It may not be worth it." Sure, he was kinda digging for a compliment, but more than that, he really didn't want Dave going into this blind. The big man was too important to Hunter and too damned good to be mired in shit without fair warning. He'd demanded honesty from Hunter and this was it. Their relationship wouldn't be easy, office romances sucked for a reason, but if Dave knew what he was facing, their chances of remaining a trio for more than a week increased dramatically. Giving Dave the time to sort through his words, Hunter picked up his cell phone and dialed Greg's number by rote. Standing, he almost bumped into the waiter bringing their check. With a smirk and a raised eyebrow, Hunt looked from the bill to Shawn and back again. His look plainly said, 'I can't pay, I'm busy on the phone.' Answering Shawn's rude reply by going cross eyed, Hunt walked the three steps to the edge of the balcony and told Greg to get out his little black book. Hunter had some arrangements to make. **** Still smirking over the truly disgruntled pair in the back of the car, he was happy to note that they weren't so upset with each other that they couldn't stoop to plotting revenge together. Chris answering his question toned down his amusement, but only marginally. "I just want to check my place hasn't burnt down, then I'm all yours." Green light! Not that he'd thought otherwise, but knowing for sure now that Chris would be coming home with him, he allowed himself a moment or two to picture them together there. His thoughts ranged from romantic (candlelit dinner at home, midnight swim in the pool, cuddling on the couch to watch a movie) to downright erotic (Chris sprawled across his bed in the all-together with a come-hither smile, leisurely lovemaking in the grass beside the pool, a hot and rowdy fuck session in the jacuzzi). Tearing his mind away from such thoughts... he would have to walk into the hotel after all and preferred not to be pitching a tent while he did so... he leaned closer to Chris and whispered his last thought as they pulled up in front of the hotel. "All mine, eh? You might regret that when I've got you tied to the bed and covered in vanilla frosting." "Eww. And you say we're kinky? Frosting is too sticky. You should try..." Raising one hand and thrusting it towards Jay in the backseat, Adam made a gagging noise. "Please spare me any details involving you and Bu..." Realizing that he'd almost used Chris' pet name for Tyson by default, Adam laughed then corrected himself. "... Ty's sex life. I don't need to be traumatized, thank you very much." Quickly climbing out of the car to avoid retaliation, he unlocked the trunk and started tossing out Jay and Ty's bags, intending to grab his and Chris'. As they were standing there, Shelton drove by in a rental with his friends and nearly got rear-ended when he suddenly stopped the car to gawk at Chris. Amidst a blaring horn and crude words shouted from the vehicle, Adam laughed and reached out to pat Chris' cheek. "Awww, sweetheart, you've got yourself an admirer. Isn't that cute?" He had an odd sense of humor, so sue him. **** You might regret that when I've got you tied to the bed and covered in vanilla frosting. "I really don't think I'll regret anything about you Babe," Chris murmured under his breath as Adam laughingly jumped out of the car. Jay was muttering 'you started it' to Adam as he climbed out, while Ty was staring intently at CJ. He was trying to convey the depths of his displeasure and vengefulness, but Chris thought he looked kinda stoned. Grinning himself, he got out of the car and immediately went into a full body stretch to get rid of the rest of those kinks. Up on tiptoes with his hands behind his back, Chris managed not to lose balance at the blare of a car horn to his left. Seeing Shelton being yelled at by his car mates, CJ gave him a flirty finger wave and headed back to steal their luggage from Adam. His lover's smile was that 'fuck the world' one Chris just loved. you've got yourself an admirer. Isn't that cute? Chris' answering laugh hadn't the least tinge of embarrassment. "What can I say, Copeland. I just slay them by the thousands." Finally grabbing his bag before Adam did, he got in a half-hidden pinch to the butt as revenge for the frosting comment. "Besides he's kind of hot," a shrug to indicate his uncommitted views on the subject. "If I could stop the whole gawking thing, he might be worth the effort." Winking at Reso's horrified expression, Chris straightened his spine and, ignoring the height of the other three men, strolled like a king into the hotel. He lost the loftiness however, when he saw Steve Austin leaning against the reception desk, head in his forearms, either hung over or… "Lost your room again, Rattlesnake?" As Austin lifted his eyes hopefully to Chris' the blond ducked behind Adam quickly. "No can do Steve, I'm all booked up." **** Having jumped when Chris executed his little retaliation, it took Adam a moment to process his lover's further comments on one Shelton Benjamin. Snickering over Jay's look of horror as Chris turned towards the hotel, Adam trotted out the most serious tone he could manage at the moment. "That's just wrong on so many levels. I don't know what I ever saw in him." Ignoring the reactions of the other two, he followed Chris into the reception area. "No can do Steve, I'm all booked up." Paybacks were a bitch, weren't they? Leaning against the counter, he dropped his bags on the floor and offered up his name to the receptionist. Waiting until she moved back over to her computer, well away from their little group, he turned and smiled in commiseration at Austin. "Yeah, he's rooming with Shelton tonight, I don't think they'd appreciate the company." Tossing an evil grin over his shoulder at the man hiding behind him, Adam turned back to Austin, serious look firmly back in place on his face. "I'd offer to split with you, but I plan to spend the night jerking off over memories of this really hot blond I picked up last night and I just don't trust you to keep your hands to yourself." He did feel kind of bad... he'd been on the end of more than a few lost reservations himself, but at the same time he really didn't want to offer up their spare bed unless it was an absolute necessity. It would definitely curtail their activities for the night... not that he was at all shy, but he couldn't see Austin ignoring them fucking in the next bed over and he certainly didn't trust him to keep his hands to himself in that situation. Besides, he'd have to gag Chris to keep him quiet and although that idea had merit, it wasn't something he wanted to explore with an audience. Grabbing the keycards off the desk when the girl returned, Adam turned to look at Chris. He'd leave it up to Chris to make the decision. Steve was his friend, if he wanted to leave the guy to sleep in the lobby, then he'd have to make the call. Handing one of the cards to Chris, he shrugged. "Your call, sweetheart." Maybe Chris would suggest having him share with Jay and Ty, though that option was fraught with it's own set of problems if the two were still mad enough at each other to end up sleeping in separate beds. **** "I knew all about your reputation before I asked you out and I still asked." Just hearing those words bolstered Shawn's confidence in this budding relationship... as well as warmed his heart. Too many people, especially people he'd been tentatively interested in, had taken his reputation at face value and thrown it back in his face. The simple fact that Dave knew about his reputation and didn't care... that was new. The only other people who'd been like that were the Clique... and they probably didn't count. Ric had never really cared either, but then, Shawn had a lot to live up to if he ever wanted to equal that man's rep. "Once we've passed the brand-new stage, I most likely won't give a second thought to what we do or where we do it." That sounded promising. Shawn's smile widened a bit as he wondered if he could tempt the big man into "christening" Vince's desk. He had the sudden feeling that it wouldn't take much convincing... and he suspected somehow that his earlier wonderings about handcuffs were going to end up being answered positively. "...I imagine she'll want pictures or something. No shame that girl, none at all." Biting back the sudden urge to spit his drink across the table, Shawn couldn't possibly stop the laugh that came out of him. If she had any shame, she wouldn't be Vince's daughter, after all. The fact that she and Shane apparently had a bet going... well. He'd always loved those two. It was going to be interesting, being around them more, given the situation. Looking up, he caught a glimpse of Dave's face and had to bite his lip to repress another laugh. Looked like the big man wasn't too fond of the idea of pictures... hmmmm. Shawn filed that idea away for later reference. "...most of the time everyone with a partner is at least discreet." Shawn sighed a little at Hunter's nod. Okay, so he sucked at being discreet. Maybe if he hung all over Dave and kept his touching to Hunter at normal...? No. Hell no. Well, he'd have to try to tone it down... but he knew that he wouldn't be able to do that all the time. If nothing else, he always tried to be honest with himself, and he knew there was no way in hell that he'd be able to keep his hands off his lovers, especially once they made that word true in every sense. What Hunter was saying was incredibly true... in general. But for him and Hunt, nothing "general" ever held true. They were too much in the spotlight, too willing to put themselves there... just too damned visible. Every move they made would be scrutinised by somebody, whether Vince, other wrestlers, or the general public. He was going to have to try his damnedest to behave. "Vince I think I better speak to privately." Crap. He bit his lip again to keep from speaking, knowing that if he offered to go with Hunter, Hunt would be put in an incredibly awkward spot whether he knew it or not. He and Vince... well. They'd never been in love. Thank God. But they'd definitely been more than passing acquaintances in their day, and Vince never failed to make a point of making Shawn aware of just how well he remembered those times. Much, much better that Hunter do that alone... no matter how much Shawn didn't want him to have to. "...I have to give you the chance to leave me out of the equation if you want." What? Before Shawn could speak through the shocked outrage that comment had sparked, Hunter was plowing on. "I'm just saying I want you to be aware of what you're letting yourself in for. It may not be worth it." Oh, Hunt. Nothing could possibly be more worth it than the first real chance he'd had in years to be happy, could it? He understood what Hunter was saying, knew it first-hand. Casting a look at Dave, he could that the big man looked thoughtful, but... he suspected that he had a fair idea of what Dave's response was going to be. At least, he hoped so. He wasn't concerned for himself or Hunt---even if he and Hunter fucked on camera in the middle of the ring, Vince wasn't going to do more than fine them, probably suspend them. But Dave... Shawn remembered all too well Hunt's shocked pain at being told that he wasn't going to win King of the Ring after all in 1996. Not that something like that was really possible in today's environment, but still. Almost lost in his thoughts, he didn't realise the waiter had approached until Hunter practically bumped into the guy. Rolling his eyes at Hunt's exaggerated "oh don't look at me" expression, he reached for the check, taking out his wallet as he did. "I'll take it. The Golden Boy here is too busy arranging for flowers and candy to be bothered," he said with a smirk. Glancing over the bill, he pulled out a credit card and added a tip to the total before handing it back. As the waiter turned away, he stuck his tongue out at Hunter before looking at Dave. "Well... if he hasn't scared you off, Dave, he has raised some issues I hadn't thought of. I suck at not touching people, especially people I care about, but I'm known for that backstage, so it won't matter so much to me. In fact, I couldn't care less what other people think, including Vince. But... for you, it might matter, no matter what you think." Reaching out for Dave's hand again, Shawn let his lips curve into the smile that always seemed to threaten now when he looked at the other two men. "I do hope that you feel better now about Steph... and Vince." He couldn't quite stop the hardening of his voice when he said Vince's name. At one point in time, he'd cared quite a bit about the man, had been actually very close to him. Until he woke up to the truth about how he worked, anyway. Vince had his good points, but in Shawn's personal experience, those tended to get lost in the man's egomaniacal attitude toward his business. Shaking his head slightly, he pushed the memories away and inclined his head toward Hunter. "So, whenever he's off the phone, we should probably check in at the hotel and then head to the arena. We might actually have time to squeeze in a workout before the shooting starts." Shawn could've bitten his tongue as soon as the words came spilling out, considering that the "workout" that sprang to mind had nothing to do with weights or cardio... unless you really wanted to stretch the meaning of "aerobics". **** Yeah, he's rooming with Shelton tonight… "Hey," Chris objected as Adam removed himself from excusedom. The following comments about jerking off sent a nice little pulse to CJ's ego, but being abandoned to Austin's pathetic look was more revenge than the 'little' pinch had warranted. "C'mon Darlin'. I'll owe ya big time. I got 'somethin' on after the taping tonight and I need a place to get cleaned up. I don' wanna hafta stay too long at the arena or I'll miss... I'll be late. C'mon Chris, I won't mess with ya for at least... a week I swear." Chris looked from Adam's raised brows to Austin and back again. He could help a friend out of a tight spot, a plus on his karma chart or have mind-blowing sex with his delicious lover, a plus on his horniness chart. Karma or sex? No way, there had to be a third option. Ahhh. "Hello... Meredith. How are you doing today? I'm guessing this Big Scary Man did ask if any other rooms were available? Okay. Did he ask if there were any reservations not checked in? If there's a cancellation, could he be put on stand-by for any free room? Great. You are so very helpful Meredith, you have no idea what this means to me right now." Smiling successfully, CJ swung away from the counter and gave Steve a wink. "You can leave your gear in our room till Meredith finds you something, but if she's out of luck you're sleeping in the car." Joining Adam near the elevator, Chris watched Steve give his cell phone number to Meredith and follow them across the foyer. Something about Austin didn't seem right as he trudged into the lift with them. He'd seen the bald man hung over many times and this wasn't it, this was something different. Steve seemed almost... thoughtful. But that just couldn't be right. Stone Cold didn't do 'thoughtful'. CJ suspected it was a genetic impossibility for Austin to dwell seriously on a matter for more than ten minutes. Something must have happened after they left the bar last night. Something that had resulted in the pissed off expression on Steve's face at lunch and the too-quiet atmosphere around him now. 'Somethin' after the taping' that Austin, who generally didn't give a shit about time-frames, was reluctant to miss. So it seemed that while he and Adam were on the same page, all their satellite planets were going out of orbit in a big way. After talking to Ty he'd, god help him, see what was happening with Austin, see why he was acting so strangely. Well... strange for Steve. . As they stood in the lift, Chris leaned his head on Adam's shoulder and watched Ty and Jay keep a perfect eleven inches between their bodies. Just as the lift pinged to indicate their floor. "So you need help with that jerking off Babe? Shelton and I could come round and give you something to pace yourself by?" Ha. Those eleven inches dissipated like light speed as Reso reared back into Ty to give him some distance from CJ and Adam. Well, that had been one of the reactions he'd been hoping for. **** He wasn't really surprised at the answer to his question about Stephanie... well maybe a little bit at the part about the call to Shane and the pictures. He hoped like hell Hunter was joking about the pictures because Dave had a hard enough time posing for promo photos without fidgeting let alone thinking about someone taking pictures of them doing stuff like... that. The rest of the explanation made sense though, so he put his worries about Stephanie aside for the moment and concentrated on the rest of what Hunter had to say. He could see the sense in not flaunting things backstage, but since that had never been a problem in the past he wasn't too worried about doing it himself in the future. Unless of course one of the other two tempted him to it... look at what had happened on the plane. He figured common sense would rule there and they'd manage to at least keep the more outrageous stuff behind closed doors. Hunter could handle Vince. As long as it didn't end up causing Hunter or Shawn problems, then he wasn't worried about it. Vince could possibly fire him, but if it happened then it happened. He loved his job, but it wasn't the end all, be all of his existence. Which also applied to the warning that Hunter seemed determined to impart. He wasn't about to let other people's opinions or actions rule his life... except for Hunter's and Shawn's of course. He'd do absolutely anything to make them both happy... which was an indication of just how far gone he was, as if he hadn't already known. Managing to spare a smothered laugh over Hunter and Shawn's antics. He tried to look serious again as Shawn addressed him, but he was too busy picturing Hunter showing up at a door with flowers, candy, and a huge teddy bear all decked out and for some reason it just struck him as cute and funny at the same time. He knew he should be taking this more seriously, but he just couldn't. It wouldn't change his decision about what he wanted and they couldn't deal with any of it until it really happened so he would have to reassure them both that he wasn't changing his mind and handle the rest as it came. "So, whenever he's off the phone..." Grasping Shawn's hand in his, he lifted it to his mouth and kissed the back of his hand before squeezing it gently. "Sure thing, just give me a minute to deal with this," he said nodding his head in Hunter's direction, "then we can go do whatever you want." Finishing with a grin, he released Shawn's hand and waited for Hunter to walk back over to the table after he'd wrapped up his call. Inevitably he did and that's when Dave acted. Figuring he had to make it quick, though they should have a couple of minutes before the waiter returned with Shawn's card, Dave grabbed Hunter's hand as he approached and tugged him onto his lap. Wrapping his arms around Hunter's waist before he had a chance to protest, Dave took a second to rub his face gently against Hunter's back before speaking. "Listen, Hunter... I may not have jumped feet first into all the backstage politics, but that doesn't mean I'm not fully aware of them. It's just not my thing and to be honest I doubt it ever will be. I love my job, but that's all it is... a job. Those come and go, but what I feel for you and Shawn... that's not going to change. So if I had to make a choice between being with the two of you and working for this company... there wouldn't really be a decision to make." Pausing a moment to let that sink in, Dave didn't want them to think he was blowing it all off though. "If the guys I work with in the ring work stiff, I'll smile and knock them on their ass. If the writer's decide they just don't have anything, well it can't be too much worse than working with Maven, so I won't be any worse off than I am now. And that is not me whining over where I am... so don't try to fix it. That goes for both of you. I'm happy with where I am right now and if it's meant to be then someday maybe I'll get to wrestle with the big boys. I'm not saying I'm not ambitious, but not at the cost of things that are more important." Pressing a kiss against Hunter's spine, Dave finally loosened his grip to allow the man up if he so chose. The waiter would be back soon and he wasn't going to press his luck just yet, though growling at the guy would probably have him pissing his pants. "I suppose we should get going. If I don't do something before the show tonight, I'll get lazy and you two will have to support me after I lose my job for getting fat," he said with a smirk. Couldn't let it get too serious after all. **** "Good... yep... I meant it... yes, two, two of everything." Hunter dragged his eyes away from Shawn's tongue and his mind away from an intense desire to lick it. Looking down at the diners on the ground floor, he quickly finished up with Greg, ignoring the blatant surprise and curiosity in his friend's voice. So Hunt hadn't had a romantic dinner in the life of his P.A.'s employment. Didn't mean he wasn't capable, and if he got a bit carried away well... grand gestures never hurt anyone. Good thing, he didn't blush easily either. Flipping his phone closed, Hunter moved back towards the table only to feel two strong arms wrap around his waist. Sitting on Dave's lap was something he'd never given thought to. Pity, because the feeling it was generating would have given him fantasy material for weeks once upon a time. He just wasn't used to someone being bigger than him, in height as well as strength. Most of his programmes were with guys his size or smaller, really only Kevin came to mind as any lasting physical presence. He and Glen had both agreed, with a blood oath mind you, that the debacle of their work together had 'never happened'. Listening to what Dave was murmuring into his ear just managed to stop Hunter from freaking out and jumping off his lap like a frightened virgin. It was cool. He was cool. Just because it was the first time he'd sat on another guy's lap, wasn't any reason to cause more doubts about him in Dave's mind. If the guys I work with in the ring work stiff, I'll smile and knock them on their ass "Then they'll be hung, drawn and quartered," was Hunter's silent reply to that possibility. He would have absolutely no qualms about shredding any wrestler who worked stiff with Dave or anyone else Hunter cared about for that matter. Vince had made valiant attempts to stop personal issues spilling into the ring, but it happened a hell of a lot more than it should. Hunter and Steph had often come the heavies when people were put as risk or worse in the ring over stupid shit like 'no-selling' someone. It was a personal bug bear of Hunt's and if Dave got touched by that crap, he'd go ballistic. so don't try to fix it Dammit, now that wasn't fair. He'd been lectured plenty of times by the Clique for putting his two cents in when it wasn't needed. Now he had a beloved partner who he could help get a decent push and he was vetoed before his plans had even left the drawing board. Still, Hunt could make things happen on the q.t. or even through Ric, but it would certainly piss Dave off no end and Hunt didn't want that. Besides, Shawn would kill him and surprisingly considering their relative appearances, that was the more worrying concept than Dave's ferocity. He'd have a word to Stephanie tomorrow and then leave things as they lay. For a while. Till the end of Randy's run at least. Then they'd talk. Maybe even Wrestlemania 21 could be in the.... you two will have to support me after I lose my job for getting fat Hunt considered that possibility for all of a micro-second then dismissed it as the massive absurdity that it was. Released from that comfortable embrace, Hunter found he was having no inclination to get up, he'd almost pushed his limbs into a small wiggle/shift before he chickened out and stood up when the waiter returned with Shawn's card. Spinning he leaned forward and touched his palm to Dave's cheek in a hidden caress. "Glad I'm higher on the scale than the belt, Dave Bautista. You pretty much outrank anything else right now yourself." Grinning down and then up as Dave stood, Hunter took up the bigger man's completely unserious tone. "Fat? You? I don't think you're physically capable of putting on weight even if you ate fast food for a month. You either..." he shot at Shawn who was looking at them impatiently. "Yes, good idea Darling. Let's go before Dave goes from three to four percent body fat while we're being so lazy." Nodding at the overjoyed manager Hunter once again led the way down the stairs and into the heavy heat of the mid afternoon. Taking his usual seat next to the driver, he did lean back and run his eyes lazily over the two beautiful men in the back seat. "We should probably head straight for the arena after the hotel, rather than find a Gold's. It's as easy to get sweaty there as any place else." Yeah, the flirting part was easy. It was his follow through that left something to be desired. **** to be continued... |