Closing the door quietly, Tania didn’t want Shane to wake quite yet. He needed the extra sleep a little more than she did at that moment, and her stomach was desperate for food. There was a small restaurant on the bottom floor of the hotel which would serve it’s purpose perfectly.
Flipping the key card around in her hand, Tania pressed the down button for the elevator. It would be nice to have some time alone to think. Things were suddenly a little more confusing than what she had ever thought they’d be and it was time she figured out if it was all worth it. If Shane’s feelings and Randy’s companionship were all worth the pain she was bringing to herself.
Maybe Jake had been right in telling her to finally apply for her paramedic program. To get out of the full time part time job and actually do something with her life. Then again, that wasn’t easy anymore. She did care about Shane and she did want Randy’s friendship.
When the opening of the elevator doors caught her attention, Tania smiled when she realized that it wasn’t empty. “Hey trouble.”
“How are you feeling?” It didn’t take long for Tania to note that Randy’s voice was a little quieter than normal. It was easy to see that he was still feeling bad about the whole thing that happened the night before. “Headache?”
“No.” Tania shook her head. “Aside from finally getting my appetite back, I’m surprisingly good.”
Randy seemed to take in those words for a moment as Tania stepped inside the elevator. “I’m glad to see the asshole isn’t getting to you.” The last thing he wanted was for Adam to succeed at what he was planning to do. “So I guess we aren’t going to have to worry about Monday night anymore.”
“I hope not.” She hoped that his scare with the cops and the night in jail would be enough to have him drop everything. “But I’m sure after last night Shane won’t let me out of his sight.”
“Speaking of McMahon where is he?” They had been pretty much inseparable since the night before.
“Sleeping.” Tania gave a yawn of her own as she pressed the button for the floor she wanted. “So what are you up to today?”
Randy gave a shrug. “Not much. I actually have the day all to myself.” He hadn’t been booked for anything which was actually a nice change for once. He was a little more than exhausted from all the travelling around. “Why?”
“Care to join me for breakfast?”
“Only if I can buy.” Randy wanted to treat her to at least that much. Besides, it would be a good opportunity for the two of them to really talk. He missed his fun conversations from the first two days that they had met.
Tania laughed. “I won’t stop you.” Free food was good food as far as she was concerned. “You do whatever your little heart contends Rand.”
“So how are things with Shane?” He was curious as to what was going on as far as that relationship was concerned. He still didn’t trust Shane and couldn’t help but wonder if he was using her for something else.
“Honestly?” Randy nodded. “A little weird. I mean, definitely not the way I pictured things…”
“No?”
Tania was a little taken back by the shock in his voice. “Shane’s a great guy, and he makes me feel really good about myself. Still, there is this nagging feeling inside me that something just isn’t right. That something is off, but I don’t know what.”
“In a good way or a bad way?” Randy questioned, trying his best to follow along with Tania. He continued to watch her closely as the elevator doors opened and the two of them stepped out.
“Not sure. All I know is that I’m falling for him hard and fast, something that scares me when I step back and think about it. But Shane makes me feel good about myself, something that hasn’t happened in a long time.”
Randy frowned. “Are you sure this thing with Shane isn’t just from a need to feel loved?” The way Tania was coming across made it sound more like she was just desperate for the attention to the point she was confusing lust and love. “You haven’t slept with him yet have you.”
Tania broke out into laughter. “You’ve got to be joking me Randy. Lonely? Yes. Slut? No. I’ve got a little more self respect than that.”
“Damn, too bad.” Randy joked with a huge smile growing on his face. Of course most of the reason for the smile was in knowing that Tania hadn’t slept with Shane yet. That McMahon wasn’t getting quite the upper hand Randy had initially thought. “I was getting kind of lonely myself.”
“Nice try Rand.” Men.
“It was, wasn’t it?” It had actually been pretty slick. Then his expression turned back to seriousness. “I’m sorry about last night. It shouldn’t have happened.”
Tania rolled her eyes. “Like I said to Shane, you couldn’t have known what would happen.”
“Yes. There was that note remember?” Randy pointed out. Clearly the note was enough indication that Adam was going to try something.
“True.” Tania agreed. “But that indicated that something was going to happen on Monday, not last night.”
Randy still wasn’t buying into that one. “Didn’t mean he wasn’t going to try something before that. For all we knew Monday was just a way to make us paranoid of that day and forget everything else.”
“You got to me before anything bad could happen Rand, that’s all that matters.”
“You were knocked out.”
Tania let out an aggravated sigh. This was apparently one argument she wasn’t going to win with either Shane or Randy. “Yes. Which is actually pretty good compared to what could have happened.”
“Still. I’m not at all impressed with Shane. He’s pulled you into this Tania.”
“And what do you want me to do about it? What should I do to make things better for me then?”
Randy knew what he wanted Tania to do, but he couldn’t tell her to leave the company. He had no right to try and control her life. Just help her to see other options. “Do what your heart tells you to do Tania. Just because I don’t like Shane doesn’t mean that you have to dislike him as well. You’re a big girl…” It killed him to admit that much. He wanted her to hate Shane just as he did. Shane was a liar and a ladies man. It wasn’t his place to say, however, that deep down Shane didn’t have a heart. For all he new the guy really did care about Tania.
“Easier said than done.” Tania noted as Randy reached for the door of the restaurant and held it open for her. “Looks like we weren’t the only ones with this idea.”
“What?”
Tania gestured towards one of the tables near the back. “Dave and Lilian.”
“Want to go sit with them?” Randy questioned? At least with Tania there he wouldn’t have to listen to the two of them trying to get Randy to admit feelings for Tania that he was pretty sure he didn’t have. Why couldn’t they see that Tania was just a friend to him?
“Sure.”
---
“I swear to God Adam, this is going to be the first and last time that I bail you out of jail.” Jay warned as he watched the police officer unfasten to cuffs on his friend’s wrists. “Especially when it deals with her.”
“You mean the slut?” Adam snapped, still pissed off at how things had gone. “She’s the last thing on my mind right now.”
“Meaning?” Jay was more than concerned about what ideas were spinning through Adam’s mind at that moment. He knew his friend well enough to know that Adam didn’t drop things that easily. If he went down then he went down fighting.
Adam shook his head. “You wouldn’t want to know.”
Jay cursed under his breath. “Who are you going after now? Please tell me you aren’t going after Shane instead? That’s career suicide.”
“Not Shane.”
“Then who?”
Adam laughed. “Her other little guardian. The lap dog that seems to be attached to Tania’s hip when Shane isn’t. Man does she get around?”
It took Jay a moment to figure out who Adam was talking about. “Randy? Adam I don’t think that is such a good idea?”
“Why not?”
“Because Shane will come after you just as fast if you touch Randy. You don’t think he won’t do it for Tania?” Tania wouldn’t allow Shane to just stand there while Adam was targeting Randy instead. They were friends despite the fact Jay suspected something more.
“He won’t.” Adam was certain. “Shane wants Randy out of the picture as well. He sees the man as competition for the little slut. He’s not stupid Jay. Shane knows that there’s the possibility of something going on between Randy and Tania. If Randy were to show an interest in Tania there’s a good chance she would leave Shane.”
“You sound certain of it.” Sadly Jay could see the logic in what Adam was saying.
Adam gave a slight nod. “I am. I know Shane well enough to see what he’s doing.”
“Adam maybe he actually likes the girl. Did you ever think of that?” It wasn’t out of the realm of possibilities for Shane to actually be falling in love with Tania. In a way, he thought of them to be a cute couple. “You’re risking too much by going after Randy. He’s not the one you should be worried about.”
“He punched me out Jay. The little shit deserves it.”
“He found you threatening Tania. Of course he punched you out!” To be honest, Jay would have done the exact same thing if he had been Orton if not something much worse.
Adam snorted. “It wasn’t his right to get involved. It had nothing to do with him. It all came down to McMahon and the slut. Not Randy.”
“Randy’s her friend, of course it involved him. How can you actually think it didn’t?”
“Who’s side are you on anyhow Jay?”
Jay couldn’t believe the position his friend was putting him in. The only person that would get hurt in the entire situation would be Adam. “I don’t condone what you are doing Adam.”
“When have I ever really asked you for anything?”
“Almost every week Adam. I’m not doing this. I’m not helping you out.” Jay didn’t want to be involved in this if he could help it. Adam was taking things a little too far. If Adam wanted to get his ass either unemployed or back in jail that was fine with Jay, he just wasn’t going to end up in either of those situations. “You need to grow up man. What’s so special about Tania anyhow?”
“Shane wants her. That’s what is so special about her.” It was really the only reason that Adam wanted her now. Sure, he had found her to be attractive when he first noticed her with Randy, but things changed. Plans changed.
Jay sighed. He was going to have to think of something else to do with Adam and he was going to have to do it fast. “You’re fucking pathetic Adam.” Jay muttered under his breath. In a way he hoped that either Shane, Randy or Tania smartened up to Adam’s little game before it became too late.
“You pick Jay. Who do I go after, Shane or Randy? You can only pick on or the other.”
“I’m not picking.”
“Fine then, I’ll go after Tania again.”
Jay shut his eyes in defeat. “Shane. Go after Shane then. He’s the one you want. And like you said, Shane wants Randy out of the picture so you won’t have to worry about doing it yourself.” In all actuality he was hoping that in going after Shane, Shane would be able to end it all for Adam. Make him lose the most and give up on this silly game Adam was playing.