Untitled 41
�If I were you, I wouldn�t stare quite so obviously.�
The young man turned to face his new companion, both annoyed and embarrassed at having been easily read. �I don�t know what the hell you�re talking about.�
Billy Kidman raised an eyebrow. �Believe me, I know what you�re going through.�
A flash of jealousy shot through him, but he pushed it aside, frowning. �Like I said, no idea what you�re talking about.�
Kidman glanced at her talking with Rhyno, his gaze lingering momentarily on her lips. �So, you�re telling me that you weren�t just staring at Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley?�
�What? No!�
�Half the locker room is in love with her, man,� Kidman told him, voicing his own thoughts. �Don�t tell me you�re any different. Look at her, and tell me honestly, that you aren�t in love with her already.�
He felt confident he could say the words easily, but when he opened his mouth, nothing came out. He swallowed, trying again. Fortunately, before he could say anything � or rather, not say anything � Mike Awesome showed up to tell him that their match was coming up next.
He excused himself, turning away from his fellow WCWer, but not before seeing the knowing smirk on the other man�s face.
Kidman was wrong. He didn�t care about Stephanie. She was one of his bosses, the sister of Shane McMahon. Hell, she was a McMahon herself. And who could ever forget, the wife of one of the most dreaded wrestlers � Triple H.
He shook his head, laughing off Kidman�s words. He wasn�t in love with Stephanie! The mere idea was just ridiculous!
*
He wasn�t the least bit tired. It was nearly three am in the morning, but he was in no mood for sleep and rest. Far from it. Although most of the other wrestlers were already tucked into bed, fast asleep from the night�s show, he was feeling quite wired.
He supposed he shouldn�t have drank so much coffee during the day, having downed nearly twenty cups. He had to wonder what was going on with him, especially considering how much he hated the stuff. Oh, and yeah, there were all those cans of Coke. Couldn�t forget them.
He walked into his third club for the night, glad to see that not only wasn�t he being recognised, but the place was packed with nubile young women. Nice. Something to burn off the excess energy.
�Hey, baby,� he greeted loudly, smiling as winningly as he could at a pretty blonde standing by the bar. �You come here often?�
The blonde raised an eyebrow. �Cute, but lame.�
�You think I�m cute?�
She laughed. �Very. Let�s dance.�
However, a figure caught his eye, and he lost interest in the blonde.
�Are you coming or not?� she asked, sounding irritated.
He waved her away, his gaze not moving from the woman in the middle of the dance floor. �You go ahead.�
She left in a very audible huff.
The brunette on the dance floor had a couple of guys around her, but her movements belied the thought that she was with them. Her eyes were closed, and she was dancing to music only she could her. Her hips swayed, her arms intertwining above her head as she moved to the undetectable song. She exuded a confident sensuality without being too provocative. She was in a world of her own, and she obviously didn�t want anyone to come near her.
He felt his heart beginning to race and his feet beginning to move, even as his mind was tallying the numerous reasons for why he should get out of there as fast as he could. She�s a McMahon. She�s married. She�s the boss� sister. She�s a McMahon. She�s above him. She is a McMahon!
Even worse, she is a McMahon-Helmsley.
He was going to die, he knew. But for that moment, he didn�t care. Because he was here. She was here. Nobody would ever know. That was unless she laughed at him, and then slapped him in the face.
The two guys were so smitten with Stephanie that neither cared she was paying them no heed. However, they did mind him walking boldly up to her and tapping her on the shoulder.
�Hey, man, what�s your problem?� the bigger of the guys demanded, pushing him away from her.
But he ignored them, his eyes intently on Stephanie as she stopped and turned to look at what was going on. However, when she saw him, she smiled. �You.�
A look of fury crossed the guys� faces as they glared at him. �You know this asshole?�
Stephanie gazed at him. �Yeah, I do. Is it just me, or is it a little hot in here? I�m feeling a little parched.�
�Uh�I�ll get you a drink,� the smaller guy quickly said, obviously wanting to please her. �Whatever you want!�
�I�ll get it for you,� the bigger guy opposed.
�I am very thirsty, maybe both of you could��
Both guys nodded quickly, rushing off. But not before giving him a couple of evil eyes.
He had to laugh. �Must be nice having slaves such as those two.�
Stephanie shrugged. �Not exactly.� She looked closely at him. �What are you doing here? Shouldn�t you be at the hotel?�
�And shouldn�t you be at your husband�s side?� he shot back, stunned at his boldness, and suddenly afraid that maybe he�d gone too far.
A spark of fury flashed through her eyes, but it was quickly replaced by amusement. �Honey, if you ain�t careful you�ll find yourself out on your ass faster than you can say �I didn�t mean it�.�
His heart was beating so hard he was surprised that she couldn�t hear it. But he pushed on even more daringly, with assurance he wasn�t feeling inside. �On the fear of getting my face slapped, I have to say that you have bad taste when it comes to dancing partners.�
She arched one perfect eyebrow. �Let�s just say there wasn�t much choice when I walked in.�
�And now?� Oh, god. His heart was definitely going to beat right out of his chest.
�Oh, things have certainly picked up.�
As surreptitiously as he could, he wiped the palm of his right hand on his pants before offering it to her. �May I?�
A soft smile came over her face. �I�d be honoured.�
He pulled her easily into his arms, amazed at how flawlessly she fitted against his body. Stephanie slipped her slender arms around his shoulders, leaning her head against his chest. There was no way she could not hear his heart thumping wildly now. But she said nothing.
He breathed in the scent of her. Jasmine, with a hint of vanilla. He rested his hands lightly on the small of her back, closing his eyes and losing himself in the surreal fantasy. Having her in his arms like these�it was even better than his wildest dreams.
However, much too soon, she pulled away. She smiled at him. �It�s late.�
His throat tightened, and no words came out. He could only nod. For those few stolen moments, he had listened to her song, to a melody he would never forget. He felt his body hum at the resonance of its harmony.
Stephanie leaned in, kissing him lightly on his cheeks. �Thanks for the dance, Mr Helms. We�ll have to do this again another time.�
He could only watch as she walked away, knowing full well he would never again hear her song.