Try and stop me

Author's note: It's my story, so I make the rules, LOL! No brand extension, my choice of superstars and all other bets (including pre-existing personal relationships) are off if I deem them to be so! And since I haven't been watching for a while, I will ignore current storylines and events - including the unmasking and shaving of Kane, which I consider to be an act that "reeks of heinousity", to quote the once-lovely Edge. I will also at random use both wrestlers' real names and "stage" names - mostly where I don't know real names.

Actually, when I started writing this story, it had been so long since I watched, and since it does seem that some rampant insanity is at work in the WWE, it's probably best to consider this an alternative universe fic! Keeping the good stuff and chucking away the crap, making the wrestling fan fic world a nicer place to be!

This follows directly on from ". . . and dance like no one is watching". And the muses were working overtime, let me tell you!!

Oh, and apologies to anyone from Arizona . . . it's nothing personal, really!

Usual disclaimer - own nothing but my original characters Vivvie and Lexie, all the other people own themselves, WWE owns the trademark names, I'm doing this to exercise my creativity and for the sheer pleasure of writing. Ask my therapist!

@@@

Lexie watched Vivvie as she strode away from her office, on her way to a meeting. By some miracle, the Vivvie who had come back from Colorado was different, more like the old Vivvie. The way she had been before Arizona. That was the code for it around Titan Towers. "Before Arizona". Two words that explained a lot of changes in the WWE, from the extra security that was now a feature on the road to the closing of ranks that had occurred as a result of one of their own being hurt.

The biggest change had been in Vivvie, of course. She had been gone for so long, and when she came back, in some ways she had been like a shadow of her former self. It hadn't taken her long to gather back up the reins in terms of work, but there had been some vital spark missing. And now, it seemed it was back. She was more upbeat, more open. She smiled more. And Lexie realised she was starting to have more personal meetings being booked in her calendar - lunches with people just for fun.

Well, it was about time, Lexie mused as she turned back to her computer. She was too nice a person to keep herself shut off from the world forever.

@@@

Vivvie sat in the waiting area outside Jim Ross' office. She was a few minutes early for their meeting, so she took the opportunity to run through the papers she held in her arms, making sure she had everything she wanted to discuss with him. As she looked at one of them, she took out her pen and scribbled another thought on the cover sheet. Before long, she was engrossed in what she was doing.

Shawn Michaels rose from the chair in front of Jim's desk, and extended his hand. He and Jim had a long-standing relationship that encompassed business and friendship, and whenever he was in town, he made it a point to drop in, even if it was just to shoot the breeze with the older man.

As he turned to leave, the phone on Jim's desk rang. Shawn gave him a nod and opened the door in time to hear Jim's assistant, Paula, say, "Jim, they say it's urgent."

He closed the door behind him as Paula put down the phone and turned. "I'm sorry Vivvie, he won't be long, I'm sure."

Shawn did a double-take, and turned. There she was, looking as lovely as always. More so, she had a sweet look of concentration about her, obviously quite lost in her paperwork. He admired her single-mindedness.

"Hello Vivvie-anne," he said quietly. He wasn't sure how she'd react. They'd barely seen one another since she'd come back to work, and when they had, she'd seemed a little distant.

Vivvie looked up and nodded as Paula spoke, and then looked back at the paper in front of her. When he spoke, it was her turn to do a double-take. She looked at him, wide-eyed.

"Shawn?"

"You were expecting Fred Astaire, maybe?" he joked.

She laughed, putting down her papers and crossing to him. He noted with a pang that she still hadn't gained back all the weight she had lost. She was sleek and immaculately groomed, but he missed those lush curves. And then she surprised him again by hugging him. His arms went around her, holding her close to him for a long moment, and then she stepped back and he let his arms fall away.

"It's wonderful to see you, Shawn, you've been quite a stranger around here lately," she smiled, and he saw the old Vivvie in her expression. A random thought crossed his mind - what was the name of that movie? How Stella Got Her Groove Back? It seemed Vivvie had got her groove back, and he was delighted to see it.

Shawn had long since given up any notions of pursuing her, thoughts that had consumed him for almost six months after Arizona. He figured it was some kind of romantic ideal, born out of his guilt over not being there when she was attacked. He really didn't think he had it in him to be romantically involved with one woman. All the same, seeing her looking so lovely, and so like her old self, he couldn't help but be reminded of the rather incredible few nights they had shared.

"Well, you know how it is, Vivvie - I'm just a busy little bee. All those flowers to pollinate, you know," he winked at her and was delighted when she laughed. An honest-to-God laugh too, not a polite chuckle.

Vivvie hugged him again and grinned at him. "I admire your dedication to your work, as always. As, I am sure, do all those lucky flowers." She winked back at him. "If you're around for lunch, maybe we could catch up?"

He was so tempted, but something made him cautious, unusually for him. "I'd love to Vivvie, but I'm already booked. Next time? Or maybe you should come visit the circus Monday night - we can catch up then." That was better, keep this nice and casual. Vivvie had gotten under his guard before, and he didn't think he wanted that to happen again. He wasn't prepared to deal with the consequences of letting this particular woman too close to his heart.

Vivvie looked thoughtful. It had been forever since she'd seen a live show, probably unsurprisingly, given what had happened the last time she'd been along on the ride with the circus. It was time to get back on another horse.

"You know, I think I might just do that, Shawn. Thanks for the suggestion."

Jim picked just that moment to hang up the phone and Paula spoke. "Vivvie, you can go in now."

Vivvie turned to her and nodded. "Thanks Paula." She turned back to Shawn. "Maybe I'll see you Monday night, Shawn."

He could only nod as she turned to pick up her papers and head into Jim's office, once more the consummate corporate professional. He smiled at Paula and gave her a wave as he headed to the elevators, deep in thought. Had he made a mistake with Vivvie? He thought he might have - he had underestimated her depth as a person, her ability to get past his carefully constructed defences.

Well, what was done was done. He could continue to be friends with her though, just so long as he didn't think about what happened in Arizona - any of it. Like a lot of folk in the WWE, he was going to have to develop a blind spot about that state. His just might be a little bigger than others.

@@@

Vivvie made her way through the throng of fans outside the back entrance to the venue, and showed her "Access all areas" pass to the rent-a-cop on patrol there. He gave it a cursory glance and waved her through. She stepped away from the barricade a little way and then called him over.

"Yes?" He seemed a little surly.

She took out her pass again. "How do you know this isn't a forgery?"

"Well, I looked at it, didn't I?" he snarled.

She shook her head and pulled out her Blackberry. "Your name?" she asked as she called up the memo screen.

"Why?"

"Because I work for the WWE and I'm going to make sure you never do again, that's why," she snapped, leaning forward to read his name off his ID badge. "Your job is to check IDs. Not just glance at them, actually check them. You'll be relieved of duty as soon as I can find a replacement."

"You can't do that!" he protested.

"Can't I? You just watch me!" She turned and headed for one of the WWE security people, and the rent-a-cop watched as they spoke, and she pointed right at him. Sure enough, within a few minutes, one of the WWE security people was jogging up to him, telling him he'd been relieved and to report to his supervisor.

Vivvie stood just inside the doors, watching to make sure that the rent-a-cop didn't make a scene, and then turned to Pat, the head of Security. "Thanks Pat, I appreciate it."

"Hey, Vivvie, I'm the one should be thanking you - you should be chewing my ass out for having such sloppy security in place."

She chuckled. "Not your fault - he's not one of our people, or you're damn right I'd be chewing you out. But maybe we need to check our boilerplate with the rent-a-cops. We do need them for stuff like that, and I'd like to think our asses are covered in the event one of them really does screw up one day." She made a note in her Blackberry and slipped it back into her jacket pocket. "Have a good one, Pat."

"You too, Vivvie."

She waved as she made her way into the venue and the bustling hive of activity that was backstage before a show. The first wrestler to spot her was Jeff Hardy, and he gave an ear-splitting whoop as he raced up to her, grabbing her in his arms and spinning her around.

"Vivvie!! You never told me you'd be here!"

She laughed at his rather rambunctious greeting. "A spur of the moment decision, Jeffy. I figured it had been too long since I'd been to the circus. I was beginning to miss the roar of the greasepaint and the smell of the crowd."

He grinned and hugged her tight. "I think the crowd's missed you too, Vivvie. You're gonna be black and blue from hugs before tonight's out, see if you aren't!" he teased.

He wasn't wrong. Before she got too far into the backstage area, word had spread, and she found herself almost being passed from hug to hug. The wrestlers dispersed a bit when she protested that she felt like the star attraction at a game of "Pass the Parcel", but there was still a steady stream of people wanting to say hi and welcome her back.

This was the real welcome home, in a sense. The New Year's party had been the formal one. This was the shop floor welcome, and it was somehow even more satisfying. She had gotten back on the last horse to have bucked her, and so far, she was doing fine.

She looked at baby pictures and new tattoos, she hugged and was hugged. The three disgraces kidded her about still having that "major" glow about her, and all she could do was grin at the confusion on many male faces at that remark, a confusion she wasn't about to clear up any time soon.

Paul Levesque swept her into a huge hug, until she protested he was about to break her ribs. When he released her, with a grin, Mark Calaway had given a deep chuckle and picked her up, lifting her feet clear off the floor to hug her, somewhat more gently.

"It's good to see you, Vivvie-anne. You're looking well, but we need to feed you up, girl, you're nothing but skin and bone," Mark smiled as he set her down.

Vivvie chuckled, straightening her jacket and looking down at herself. Tonight she was wearing a pair of hipster jeans that Stacey had convinced her to buy a few months ago. She had been skeptical, but with the fitted camisole and her suede jacket, she figured she was looking pretty good.

"Mark, I don't see any bones showing. You need your eyes tested!"

"It wasn't my eyes that were making the observation, Vivvie-anne," he grinned, holding out his huge hands in a groping motion.

She burst into delighted laughter.

@@@

Glenn Jacobs set down his tote bag, wondering what the commotion was out in the halls. He'd arrived early tonight, and had been using the gym. Now, fresh out of the shower, with a towel wrapped around his waist, he had heard the noise.

He opened the door to the hallway and looked out, just as Vivvie side-stepped to avoid a props man and collided with not a solid wall, but a solid chest. She stepped away and turned, already apologising.

"So sorry . . . Glenn," her eyes finally made the trip from his broad chest to his face.

He smiled, his hand reaching out to steady her. "No harm done, Vivvie. You okay?"

"Perfectly, thank you," she murmured, licking suddenly dry lips.

Glenn laughed. "Jeez Vivvie, don't do that! You make me feel like I'm the main course at a dinner party and you skipped the entree!"

He was amused to see her blush, and bemused to note just how lovely it made her look, that colour in her cheeks. She shook her head a little and gave him a grin, her eyes twinkling.

"Sorry again, Glenn. But it's not every day a girl comes smack dab up against a mostly naked man. And you are mostly naked, and a whole lotta man," she chuckled.

It was his turn to blush, but then the absurdity of the whole situation struck him and he just laughed and pulled her into a hug. "Damn it's good to see you again, Vivvie."

Vivvie returned his hug, smiling. "It's pretty good to be seen, let me tell you. Gonna tear the place up tonight? I plan to be in the crowd - I'll even mark out totally for you!" She stepped back and winked at him.

He laughed, leaning against the door frame. "Oh I don't know. I think I need a demonstration before I'm convinced it's worth it."

She looked at him. "Demonstration, he says? You want a demonstration, I'll give you a demonstration!" She slipped off her jacket and handed it to him to hold, and took some deep breaths. "Just . . . gettin' my motivation, you know, gettin' the energy flowing." She shook her hands and arms.

Glenn grinned. "What are you, a method actor?"

She poked her tongue out at him. "You want a demonstration or a smack in the mouth? Now gimme a second here, I need to get my mojo working."

That did it for Glenn, he burst into laughter, while she stood looking at him, her hands on her hips, a big smile on her face.

"You know, if you can't let me practice my craft, I will find someone else to mark out for," she threatened as he wiped the tears of laughter from his eyes.

"My apologies, Ms Bernhardt. Please, continue," he said, still chuckling.

"Oooh, you better mean Ms Sarah and not Ms Sandra or I'mma bust a cap on yo' ass, homey," she growled and he went into fresh gales of laughter, while she stood there, trying not to grin.

Finally, he got himself back under control, still grinning broadly, and she stood in the hallway, looking at him, stifling her own grin.

"Ready?" she asked, arching an eyebrow at him, a la The Rock.

"As I'm ever going to be," he laughed.

She nodded and closed her eyes for a long moment. Just as he was about to say something, she started jumping up and down, waving her arms wildly, screaming, "Kane, Kane, I looooove you Kane, I wanna have your big red babies, Kane! Kaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnneeeeeee!!!"

Activity completely stopped in the hallway, and heads swivelled to watch Vivvie's antics, while Glenn stared wide-eyed at her. There was some fairly interesting bouncing going on inside her camisole while she was jumping up and down, but the sheer hilarity of it, especially when she started on about having Kane's big red babies, had him howling with laughter.

And as suddenly as she'd started moving, she stopped, pulled down her camisole, which had ridden up a bit during her mad moments, and reached for her jacket, shrugging into it and flipping her hair out over the collar, calm and cool, as if nothing had happened.

As Glenn struggled to catch his breath, she looked at him. "Well?"

"Well what?" he managed to gasp, still laughing, only now at her complete reversion to the normal woman he thought he knew. Having seen her in action though, he had to say, Vivianne Taylor was anything but normal.

"Well, are you going to tear the place down if I mark out like that for you?" she asked.

"Vivvie, I can say with absolute certainty that if you mark out like that for me when I'm in the ring, I'll be too busy busting a gut laughing to tear down anything!"

She gave him a wicked little grin. "Oh that sounds like a challenge, homeboy. Us Aussies can't resist a challenge!"

Glenn looked at her, trying to see if she were kidding. And then he grinned - who cared? This was the Vivvie everyone missed, the Vivvie from"before Arizona".

He gave her The Rock's beckoning hand gesture, complete with a raised eyebrow of his own, and it was Vivvie's turn to laugh.

"Just bring it, darlin'. And may the better man win," he laughed.

She looked him up and down, very slowly and deliberately, and smiled. "Oh, now that would have to be you, darlin'. Mmmm, yummy."

She winked at him, and he had a sudden urge to haul her into the locker room. Flirting with Vivvie was potent stuff, it seemed. But, damn, it was fun too.

"If I had time, I'd drag you in here and show you. But I gotta get changed. Unless you'd like to come in and watch?" he teased.

Vivvie grinned. It seemed that flirting muscle she'd been exercising in Colorado was in fine shape this evening. "Well, if you're offering . . ."

Glenn grinned. "On second thoughts, maybe I'd like to keep that as a surprise for you. Don't want to give away all my goodies too soon."

Vivvie laughed. "Glenn, one quick tug on that towel and I'd be able to get my hands on your goodies right here!"

That had them both laughing. Finally, Vivvie wiped her eyes and smiled.

"Okay, you big red goodie-hogger, I've got other fish to fry. More trouble to get into, you know the drill. Catch you ringside later. I'll be the one screaming your name."

She winked broadly and Glenn exploded into laughter again. She gave him a cheery little wave and actually skipped away, which made him laugh even harder as he closed the locker room door.

@@@

Shawn rounded the corner just as Vivvie bumped into Glenn, and watched curiously as they . . . flirted? What the hell, he thought. Vivvie wasn't a flirt, not like that anyway. Only now it seemed she was, and damn him, Jacobs was making the most of it.

He had a sudden urge to beat the crap out of the man. Where had that come from?

When Vivvie took off her jacket, he forgot to breathe for a minute. Suddenly the sleeker version of Vivvie was seeming pretty damn sexy. Those tight hipster jeans, and that camisole, clinging to her body - damn, but he wanted her all over again. So much for just staying friendly. He fought down those ideas, hard.

But seeing Vivvie in this playful mood, reminded him of that night in Arizona, in that magical time, "before". He was glad she'd found that part of herself again, even if a small part of him wished she'd found it flirting like that with him. Okay, so it wasn't such a small part, he thought, as he clenched his fists at the idea of Jacobs dragging her into the locker room.

This was very much not like him. He was lost in a rather futile self-examination to discover its cause when Vivvie's voice brought him sharply back to the here and now.

"Hello Shawn."

He looked up and there she was, so damned beautiful. For a moment he didn't think he'd find his voice. He smiled at her.

"Hello Vivvie-anne. I see you took my suggestion."

She smiled at him. "When you have a good idea, Shawn, it's a bottler."

He looked puzzled. "It's a what?"

"A beauty bottler. A ripper," she said, but he still shook his head. "A corker? A rip-snorter? A good one?" she finally offered.

He laughed. "Well, why didn't you say so in the first place?"

She poked her tongue out at him. "I did. It's not my fault you don't speak Australian."

All kinds of warnings went off in his head right about then, as he realised she was now flirting with him, and he was within a heartbeat of flirting right back. Within a half a heartbeat of reminding her of his first lessons in Australian from her, over tequila, and where that had led them. And that was so not where he wanted to go.

He laughed softly. "I'm just a poor country boy from Texas, ma'am. I apologise for my terrible lack of education."

She chuckled. Shawn smiled at her, and then checked his watch, leaning to kiss her cheek gently.

"Well, Vivvie-anne, it's time for me to go and get changed. You have a good time at the circus now."

She smiled. "I will, Shawn, and thanks again for suggesting it. Good luck with your match."

He smiled as she moved away, and then headed for Costuming, thinking about her despite his best efforts not to.

@@@

Vivvie could feel the adrenaline building in the backstage area, and spotted more and more wrestlers appearing in their ring outfits. She had missed this, by God - the excitement, the energy, all the million details coming together in concert for a spectacle that was a once in a lifetime event, because the shows were never the same. Even with the same matches, the same costumes, the shows were always individual.

She grabbed a Coke and found a perch out of the way of traffic, and sat to watch as the activity built towards the eventual start of the show. There would be a few "dark" matches, to warm up the crowd, and then the actual show would begin. Tonight, being Raw, the show would go out live.

At that point, she would find a place to watch the action in the ring, where she could hear the crowd. That was always the most fun. Besides, she had been challenged - she had to be there to mark out for Kane.

She leaned back against the wall and sipped her Coke. Tonight was turning out to be a lot of fun, and it hadn't even really started yet.

The bustle around her built to fever pitch, and then suddenly it was show time. Vivvie jumped down from her perch and moved around to take position near the security personnel, watching the matches with a keen eye. Some of the company's newer talent were taking part tonight, and she was interested to see which of them was developing that indefinable "star" quality, catching the audience's attention.

Then of course there were the well established superstars, all of whom gave the crowd their money's worth and more every night. Despite her joke with Glenn, she actually did cheer and boo with the crowd for most of the matches. She knew the company's performers craved that audience feedback to do the job they did.

Glenn's match was the final one on the card for the night, and there had never been any doubt that he would tear the place down. He was once again taking on Paul, or rather, Triple H's current faction, Evolution. And she knew full well that he was scheduled to take the match, despite interference from Dave Batista and Ric Flair. Before the superstars hit the ring, she took off her jacket and handed it to Pat with a wink.

The match was every bit as exciting as it promised to be, and Vivvie was as vocal as the rest of the crowd. But as the superstars left the ring, Vivvie stepped a little away from the security personnel, and as Glenn began his walk up the ramp, she threw herself into an all out version of the "performance" she had given him in the hallway earlier.

She was drowned out a little by the roars from the rest of the crowd, but her frantic bouncing made sure she caught his eye. She could see him tightening his jaw to stop from laughing, and gave it everything she had, including a loud wail of, "Kaaaaaaannnneeee, fill me with your big red babies!!"

He almost stopped then, and she knew she had him, but she continued her frenzied bouncing and calling until he was through the curtains, giggling as she stopped, a little breathless. Pat handed her jacket to her with a chuckle.

"That was quite a performance, Vivvie. You almost had the man laughing. You do know that there's a thousand dollar standing bet for anyone who can get him to truly lose it in character?"

She looked at him in surprise. "I had no idea! Damn, I threw everything I had at him, with the exception of flashing him, and I don't think I got much more than a chuckle. He's a tough nut to crack."

She pulled her jacket on and walked backstage with Pat, smiling at the congratulations that the crew were giving one another on a job well done. It certainly had been, she thought, looking around as equipment started to be packed up.

In hindsight, Vivvie thought, she should have realised something was up at the sudden hush and the way the mass of people in front of her parted. But she was thinking with pride about how well her people handled the logistics and it wasn't until the last moment that she saw the red and black chest heading straight for her.

She looked up at Glenn, laughing when she saw his broad grin. He bent down and hoisted her over his shoulder, despite her startled yelp. She hammered her fists against his back, laughing helplessly.

"Glenn! Put me down!"

"No way! I heard what you were yelling out there. Hell, half of America heard it - you want Kane's big red babies. Well, now seems as good a time as any," he turned and headed off down the corridor with a wave to the laughing crew and superstars.

Vivvie burst into peals of laughter at that statement, and added her own little wave to the crew, looking down and then grinning. "Hey, I like the view from here, Glenn!"

Glenn's response to that was to swat her butt and kick open the door of the locker room, to applause and catcalls from the crew. And a murderous stare from Shawn, which went unnoticed by anyone.

@@@

Once inside the locker room, Glenn gently lowered Vivvie to the floor, laughing.

"Oh damn, girl, you set yourself up for that one! Thank you from the bottom of my big red heart, I've seldom had more fun," he grinned at her.

Vivvie couldn't do anything but laugh. Glenn had certainly showed some serious comedic flair with that little stunt, and it was the kind of thing that always set folk in a good mood at the end of a long night when there was still work to be done. She leaned against the wall, watching as he pulled off his mask and wiped off the dark makeup around his eyes, still catching her breath.

Glenn watched her in the mirror, smiling at her. She was a good sport to go along with his prank. He turned, leaning against the long bench on the other side of the room, wondering what would happen next.

She pushed herself off the wall, wiping the last of her tears of laughter from her eyes, looking around curiously. "I've never been in the locker room at a venue before."

He watched her move, liking her easy grace. "It's nothing special, Vivvie."

She grinned at him. "Well no, but until you carried me through the door, it was forbidden territory. That always makes it interesting."

He nodded. "I guess. Kind of like how you're very interesting right now, because I know I shouldn't have you in here." He winked at her.

Vivvie chuckled at him. "I wasn't aware that you were planning to 'have' me at all, in here or anywhere else."

Glenn chuckled, pushing off from the bench and approaching her. "Well now, how else did you expect to be filled with Kane's big red babies?"

She looked up at him with a smile. "Immaculate conception?"

He grinned. "Now where's the fun in that?" He reached out his hand and brushed it over her hair, gently removing a lock that was caught under the collar of her jacket.

Vivvie grinned. "You're right, of course." She struck a tragic pose. "Then take me, ravish me, I regret I have but one maidenhead to give in service of my country."

Glenn bent and took her in his arms like the villain in a melodrama, and then stopped. "What the hell am I doing? Who in their right mind would let Kane reproduce?"

He let go of Vivvie and she gave a startled gasp as she began to fall backwards. She reckoned without his quickness though, for he had hold of her again a moment later. She clung to his arms in a moment of panic, and then looked up at him, murmuring, "You're very quick."

"You should see me tango," he quipped, gently standing her upright.

She shook her head gently, her hands lingering on his arms a moment longer than strictly necessary, looking up at him a little wide-eyed. That look, Glenn thought - a man could fall in love with a look like that, that sweet expression of surprise, her lips parted the tiniest bit. And before he knew it, he was bending to kiss her.

Vivvie leaned up to his kiss for a long moment and then allowed their lips to part, whispering softly, "I don't know about your tango, sir, but your lip lock is pretty wonderful."

She smiled up at him as he straightened, and he smiled back, his hand coming up to gently stroke her hair. They stood looking at one another for a moment.

Glenn was the one to break the silence. "I'd like to see where this takes us, Vivvie."

She nodded and said quietly, "Me too, Glenn."

"Nice and slow, though."

"I think that would be best, yes."

He smiled. "Alright, then I'm throwing you out. You are entirely too delectable, and I might just forget every word I just said about taking it slow. Now, shoo!"

Vivvie laughed softly, the blush coming back to her cheeks a little as she sketched him a little salute. "I know what you mean, I'm fighting the urge to climb you like a tree and not come down again until Fall." She hesitated a moment, and then smiled. "Call me? I think I might head home now, while my resolve is still strong."

"That's a promise, Vivvie," Glenn smiled at her.

"Goodnight, Glenn," she said quietly as she headed for the door.

"Goodnight, Vivvie," was his low response.

He watched the door close behind her and then smiled, shaking his head. Who would have thought tonight would end up like this?

@@@

Shawn was already in his street clothes when Glenn and Vivvie had broken the place up with their prank. And once again, he was overwhelmed with . . . was it jealousy? But seeing Glenn put his hands on Vivvie made him see red, even knowing it was in fun.

He stalked away down the hall, heading to the parking garage, where he threw his bag into the trunk and stood for a long moment with his fists clenched, leaning against his rental car. Finally he decided that this was all just a reaction to seeing Vivvie again, after so long. It would pass. In the meantime, he had shows, appearances, plenty to keep his mind occupied.

As he got into the car and turned the key in the ignition, he ignored the small voice in his head that quietly insisted that it was not going to be enough, not by a long shot.

Vivvie was on her way to her car, idly twirling her keys on one finger, her lips still quirked in a smile as she thought about the surprising turn of events this evening. One part of her was seriously doubting the wisdom of seeing Glenn though. She didn't want to gain herself a reputation as someone who did nothing but get involved with the talent.

She leaned on her car, chewing on her bottom lip. Perhaps she needed to talk to her mentor about this. Linda McMahon had proved a useful sounding board for her during her career with the WWE, and she respected Linda's opinions.

It didn't help that most of the men she met were involved in the business, but that wasn't really an excuse. She was sure there were nice men elsewhere, but she just didn't go many places to meet them. There was the gym, but the guys there were far more interested in themselves, or the young, blonde, pneumatic types. And she wasn't using the gym as a meat market - she went to keep her body in good shape.

She still felt like she had a ways to go before she got back to where she had been before Arizona. Joanie felt differently, but Vivvie knew in herself that she could still improve. Besides, she liked the challenge of keeping fit while doing a basically sedentary office job. So, that meant the gym wasn't a place to meet men.

That left bars and the supermarket. Or church. None of them particularly appealing prospects. It wasn't that there was anything really wrong with meeting a man through work, it was more the appearance of the thing. But then, it wasn't like she was a serial offender. She had been involved with Jeffy for over a year, and that hadn't happened until she had been with the company for almost six years. Before that, she'd been quite single.

She wondered idly how many people knew about Shawn, though. Jeff did, and she thought that others probably suspected. But she'd never heard a bad word about either of them. Perhaps because it was part of what had happened in Arizona.

Vivvie sighed and pushed off her car, turning to open the door. No sense beating herself up about this - she should count herself lucky that she met fine men like Jeff and Glenn. And Shawn. She heard a car approaching, and looked up, smiling as she saw Shawn behind the wheel, waving to him.

Shawn saw Vivvie leaning against her car, and felt oddly pleased to see her alone. Before he knew what he was doing, he slowed down, and lowered the window, smiling at her.

"Well speak of the devil, I was just thinking about you, Shawn," Vivvie beamed as she stepped closer to his car, sitting on the hood of her car to talk to him.

"Were you now, Vivvie-anne? Good thoughts, I hope," Shawn tried to keep his voice neutral.

"Excellent ones. I was reminding myself how lucky I have been to have such good men in my life, including you," she smiled.

"Thank you, Vivvie-anne. Though it's a long time since anyone referred to me as 'good'," he quipped.

She winked at him, eyes sparkling with humour. "My mother would say I was damning you with faint praise, actually."

He looked at her in surprise. "Your mother?" He remembered Vivvie's mother from that day at her parents's home, a nice lady, but very proper. "I didn't realise she would have an opinion."

"Oh yes," Vivvie grinned. "After she met you that day, she flat out asked me what you were like in bed."

Shawn stared at her, his face feeling hot. This was not the conversation he expected to be having, but part of him rejoiced to be quasi-flirting with her anyway. "And what did you tell her?"

Vivvie laughed, and pretended to be outraged. "I'm not the kind of girl who kisses and tells, Shawn!"

Shawn gave her his best bad-boy grin. "Vivvie-anne Taylor," he drawled, "I know exactly what kind of girl you are. And I wouldn't change you for the world."

She giggled, and Shawn felt his heart give a funny little lurch. She was doing it again, being a wonderful, warm, intriguing woman, not just a conquest, and she was getting through his guard like it wasn't even there.

Suddenly a car horn sounded, and then both looked up, seeing a black town car pulled up behind Shawn's car, unable to get past. Shawn gave Vivvie a rueful grin.

"That's my cue, Vivvie-anne. You be good now, and I'll see you again soon," he smiled and gave her a little wave before putting his car in gear and driving off.

Vivvie waved after him, remaining where she was, sitting on the hood of her car, for a little longer. She really liked Shawn, quite apart from the physical attraction that still sparked between them. But if she was honest with herself, the one horse she didn't think she'd ever be able to get back on was being with Shawn. That was too too close to Arizona, somehow.

She remembered how he had come to her at her parents' house, how he'd knelt in front of her and begged her to forgive him for what had happened to her. She didn't blame him, she never had, but her heart had gone out to him when she realised he'd been carrying that burden since that awful day. She had forgiven him, of course, but in truth, he had to forgive himself. She wondered if he ever had.

It might explain why he was a bit distant with her now. She was still musing on that when a voice sounded in her ear.

"Penny for your thoughts, Vivvie."

She turned and smiled up at Paul Levesque, looking impossibly golden and healthy for a man who'd taken such a beating in the ring earlier tonight.

"I'm not sure they're even worth that, Paul."

"You mean to tell me you weren't sitting there fantasising about the big red monster? I saw the way you were marking out for him, Vivvie - you want him bad," he deadpanned, giving her a sly wink.

Vivvie grinned at him. "Busted, for sure, you got me, Paul. That's exactly what I was doing."

Paul unlocked his Humvee, parked next to her car, and tossed his duffle into the passenger seat. "It was good seeing you at the show tonight, Vivvie, even if you were marking for all the wrong people." He grinned at her.

"Do they all have to be screaming your name, Paul? I don't think you were lacking in fans tonight!"

He leaned against his car and gave her his trademark smirk. "As a matter of fact, they do all have to be screaming my name. Because I am that . . . damn . . . good."

She laughed. "I like a man with a healthy ego!"

Paul smiled at her, no trace of the smirk, and asked, "Everything go okay tonight, Vivvie? No difficult moments?"

She nodded, smiling at his kindness. "Everything was fine. I guess I've gotten back on all my horses - well, except for Arizona. But I think that's probably a bit much to ask. Forty nine states is plenty for me, thanks all the same."

Paul looked at her, studying her expression, and finally nodded. "Good deal, Vivvie. Now, go home and stop hanging around parking garages. It's a school night!" With that quip, he got into his car, gave her a grin, and drove off.

She chuckled, raising her hand to him as she jumped down off her car, and got in behind the wheel. It had been a good night all round, she thought, as she drove home.

@@@

The following morning, Lexie noted again the change in Vivvie. She was glowing with happiness and good humour, the usual post-show staff meeting going swiftly as Vivvie's good mood transmitted itself to everyone in the team.

After her experience the previous night with the rent-a-cop, Vivvie had asked Lexie to make an appointment for her with Brad Davis in Legal Services, and she headed to his office to discuss the boilerplate for their standard agreement for hired security personnel.

"I'm telling you, Brad, we need to tighten this up. We've got no protection here if these bozos let someone suspect in through the perimeter. And believe me when I tell you they might - the idiot last night barely even glimpsed my pass and let me through. Our people rely on the perimeter guards to keep out unauthorised personnel. That means their level of scrutiny of people already in the arena is less intense. They watch to make sure folks don't wander where they aren't supposed to be. Which is fine if everyone of them has a legitimate pass. If they don't, it's inadequate."

"I agree with you, Vivvie. Perhaps we can beef up our internal security?"

"Not enough, Brad, we would need way more internal security to cope with that. And the cost would be astronomical, because they're WWE employees and we have to have them travel with us in some cases. That's why we outsourced perimeter security in the first place. It's low risk, and it's more cost effective. But only if our contracts offer us reasonable protection."

Brad nodded. "We need to introduce some clauses about what's considered reasonable protection and standards of service, and some way we're going to monitor that. That will cost you money in the beginning, Vivvie, no way around it. And we'll have to renegotiate all our current contracts - some of your suppliers won't like that."

Vivvie shrugged. "We have the right to renegotiate at any time. Either they are prepared to guarantee us a reasonable level of service or we go elsewhere, it's that simple. And while we're at it, let's include a minimum skill level for assigned personnel - I want people who've got the appropriate state certification for security personnel only. No more high school drop outs in loaner uniforms."

Brad raised his eyebrows, and grinned to himself. This was the Vivvie he knew, playing hardball and doing it like a pro. "I'll get someone to do up a new draft agreement and have it to you by tomorrow. And we'll do the letter to our current suppliers, explaining the termination and re-negotiation. You might want to think how you can cover us in the event some of these guys hold out though. Just in case."

Vivvie nodded. "We'll get some contingency plans in place, thanks for reminding me about that, Brad. I look forward to seeing the new draft agreement soon."

She headed back down to her office, musing over the contingency issue, thinking about who to pull together for a brainstorm to get some plans in place, and almost walked straight past her office. The fact that there was a large bunch of flowers decorating Lexie's desk outside it that hadn't been there an hour ago probably had something to do with it.

Peering around them for her assistant, she caught the scent of the delicate magnolias, and wondered who was sending Lexie such lovely flowers. Shrugging, she headed into her office, thinking she would ask Lexie about them later. She grabbed a dry-erase marker and started jotting down ideas on the board in her office, contingency plan points, who to invite to a brainstorm later, utterly engrossed in what she was doing.

She was tapping the marker against her lips, lost in thought, when the scent of magnolias invaded her office. Looking around, she saw Lexie carrying the flowers from her desk into the office.

"What are you doing, Lexie?" she asked, confused.

"These came for you earlier, boss. I was in a meeting when they arrived, so I guess they just left them on my desk instead of opening your office," Lexie said, handing her the small envelope. "You must have impressed someone though, they're gorgeous."

Vivvie put down the marker, her train of thought lost now, giving Lexie a small nod as she left, opening the florist's envelope curiously. The flowers were lushly beautiful, and the fragrance was the very essence of springtime. The card was typed, but the sentiment had her smiling from ear to ear.

Are flowers taking things slow? I hope so, or I'm already behind on points. Will call you tonight when I get in to Tennessee. Thinking of you.

There was no name, but she didn't need one to know they were from Glenn. And they probably weren't indicative of taking things slow, but they were so delightful she decided she could cut him some slack on that. She tucked the card into her pocket and went back to work, the scent of the flowers a gentle reminder of what might be.

As she packed up her desk at the end of the day, her eyes kept going to the flowers on the credenza. One part of her wanted to leave them here in her office, because they were so lovely to look at, but in the end she picked them up and carried them home with her. If she was going to get wistful and distracted by them, far better it should happen at home, not while she was supposed to be working.

@@@

She was curled up on the sofa in her apartment, engrossed in a book, when the phone rang. Slowly, she reached out for the cordless phone on the coffee table, still reading, wanting to finish the paragraph. As a result, she sounded a bit distracted when she answered.

"Mmmm, 'lo?"

A deep chuckle in her ear made her smile. "Nice phone manner, Vivvie. Makes a pleasant change from the usual "hello", let me tell you," Glenn laughed.

"Aw hell, I'm sorry Glenn. I was right in the middle of a paragraph in my book. Want to give me a second chance to be charming and telephonically polite?"

"Well, if it was a book that had your attention, you're already forgiven. If it was the TV, I think I'd be making my excuses and hanging up about now!"

Vivvie chuckled. "No TV, I promise. I'm in the middle of Stephen King's The Dark Tower, and it's kind of un-put-down-able. Well, it was, until I got a better offer from you."

"I'm flattered. But I'm not quite Stephen King," Glenn smiled, putting his feet up on the couch and stretching.

Vivvie tucked her bookmark into her book and set it down on the coffee table, curling into the corner of her sofa. "True. You're taller."

"My hair is longer."

"You're younger. I think."

"You think? Girl, you're pushing your luck here! First it's Little Miss Uninterested when you answer the phone, and now I think I'm being insulted!" Glenn grinned.

Vivvie giggled. "My bad?"

Glenn laughed. "Why Vivvie, I had no idea you spoke air-head! You're just multi-talented, aren't you?"

"I majored in shopping at school, and I was a cheerleader too," she gushed breathily, but she was grinning now. Something about Glenn just made her want to clown around.

"Yeah, I saw how you shook your pom poms at the arena last night," Glenn drawled and they both laughed.

"Thank you for the flowers, Glenn. They're just beautiful," Vivvie smiled, looking at them as she spoke.

"They were kind of spur of the moment, so I trusted to the florist to pick something nice. I just told her I wanted something lush and pretty, and out of the ordinary. Like you."

Vivvie smiled. "You're very kind, Glenn - thank you."

"You don't mind I sent them to your office? I mean, if you'd prefer not to mix work with pleasure . . . well, you know what I mean," he sounded, for the first time, a little unsure of himself, and Vivvie was surprised at how that made her feel.

She noticed her hands were trembling a little. "I didn't mind - they were a lovely surprise. And I was torn between leaving them in my office and bringing them home with me. But I figured that if I was going to get a bit swoony and distracted by them every time I looked at them and thought of you, I'd be better off bringing them home with me."

"Swoony and distracted? Mmmm, I like the sound of that, Vivvie. Makes me think that maybe I've been forgiven for perhaps not going slow enough by sending them to you," Glenn smiled, relaxing a little.

Vivvie smiled. "You were forgiven when I first smelled the magnolias. I've always loved their scent."

"Now I really wish I could take credit for picking the exact flowers! But I'm glad that the florist chose something you especially liked."

There was a bit of a silence then, with neither of them quite knowing what to say next. It was Glenn who broke it.

"Now why is it so difficult all of a sudden for me to talk to you, Vivvie? Before, we've always had things to chat about!" He sounded frustrated.

Vivvie felt relieved. "So it isn't just me? Well thank heavens for that! Perhaps . . . well, maybe that whatever might happen . . ." She stopped, not quite knowing how to say it.

"It feels kind of like the sword of Damocles, doesn't it? Like it might drop down and do something terrible if we aren't careful?"

"That's exactly what it feels like, Glenn! We've always been friends, but it feels somehow like we might be messing that up if we try to be something more," Vivvie chewed thoughtfully on her lower lip.

"Well," Glenn spoke slowly, "there is that possibility. But there's also the possibility that being something more could be pretty terrific too. I certainly felt that way last night. Did you?"

Vivvie smiled, and her voice was soft. "Oh yes. I thought so too."

"Now, I say we're both grown ups. So if it doesn't work out, neither of us is likely to indulge in any spitefulness, or name calling. I certainly don't plan to be writing nasty things about you on the walls of the little boys' room if we don't end up together forever."

Vivvie giggled. "And I solemnly swear that I won't get in a huddle and gossip about you with all my girlfriends, and there won't be any synchronised dirty looks from them either. Well, none that I orchestrate, anyway."

Glenn laughed. "Okay, so now we've got that behind us, what say we think about the future a bit more optimistically?"

"Sounds like a plan to me, Glenn," Vivvie hugged herself and smiled.

"Then my next question has to be - when can I see you again? Socially, I mean."

Vivvie chuckled softly. "Well I didn't figure you meant to talk about your contract. Let me get on my laptop, and we'll see when our schedules collide."

She rose from the sofa, taking the phone with her as she crossed to her dining room table, where her laptop was sitting. She sat down on one of the chairs, drawing one foot up under her. She hummed softly to herself as she tapped on the keyboard, the phone wedged between her shoulder and ear.

"Well, let's see. It looks like I'm in Los Angeles for some contract negotiations around the time the Pay Per View and Raw are next month. And your schedule means you'll have a few days free then. How does California sound?"

Glenn was looking at his more detailed itinerary, smiling as he heard Vivvie humming. "Looks good to me. I've got some personal appearances, but I'll be free at night. And I happen to know a great seafood restaurant that's kind of out of the way. That is, if you like seafood."

Vivvie smiled. "I grew up in Boston and Sydney, Glenn. Seafood and me go way back. I'm booking my nights for you as we speak."

He heard the tap of her keyboard, even the tiny clicking sounds of her nails on the keys. It made him smile, because he felt closer to her somehow, even though they were a thousand miles apart. Looking at his itinerary, smiling as he made the notation, "Vivvie - dinner" each night, he was struck by a thought.

"Vivvie, I don't mean to pry, but . . . well, was this how you and Jeff managed your relationship? Schedules and phone calls?" As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he realised what he'd said. "Oh hell, that's not what I meant, Vivvie, please forgive me!"

Vivvie frowned a little, not quite understanding why he thought he'd said something wrong, and then burst out laughing. "Oh Glenn, don't worry, I didn't even know that's what you meant! I mean, if you meant what I think you might have meant . . ." she had to giggle. "Jeff and I had to make our schedules fit so that we could be together, yes. And when we couldn't, we did what you and I are doing - we talked on the phone. Talked, Glenn," she couldn't resist teasing him.

He grinned. "You're a wicked woman, Vivvie, teasing me like that." Then his voice became serious. "Can a relationship survive the kind of separations we're talking about? Not trying to pry again, and not implying we have a relationship yet, but . . ."

Vivvie drew her other foot up, propping her heel on the edge of the chair, and rested her cheek against her knee. "It can, Glenn. What happened to Jeff and I was . . . I don't know, exactly. I care for Jeffy, very much, but neither of us were interested in anything more permanent." She paused a moment. "Funny though, once we decided that, both of us at one time or another wished that we did have something more permanent. But never at the same time. Looking back, it was the right decision to make, it just seemed a very hard one to have made after the fact."

Glenn nodded, even though he knew she couldn't see him. "I know that feeling, Vivvie. Looking back, things sometimes seem better then than they were, and always better than they are now. But you can't spend your life looking backwards."

"Very true. The only way through life is forward." Vivvie paused a moment, and remembered a fragment of song lyric she had heard earlier that night, and hummed a moment, before singing softly:

There's a light at each end of this tunnel, you shout
'Cause you're just as far in as you'll ever be out
And these mistakes you've made, you'll just make them again
If you only try turning around.
(Breathe {2.00am})

Glenn was struck by the sweetness of her voice, and almost didn't want to speak, just so he could keep the memory of it a little longer. At length he said, "Very apt."

Vivvie gave a little sigh. "Anna Nalick, I think the singer's name is. It's rather a bleak song, but that part . . . well, it's true, isn't it? We have to make our mistakes, just so we'll learn from them. Otherwise, what's the point?"

Glenn heard the distant pain in her voice. He didn't know what exactly it was she regretted, but he knew she did. He couldn't help what he said next, it just slipped out. "Oh Vivvie, what I wouldn't give to be there to hold you right now."

She was caught off-guard by the kindness and tenderness in his voice, and brought a hand to her face, brushing away sudden tears. "I won't deny that I'd like that, Glenn. But I think that's certainly beyond the bounds of taking it slow."

He heard the unspoken message there quite clearly, the shift in the conversation, the determined little note of cheerfulness in her tone, and took the hint. "Oops. My bad."

She giggled, and it was with genuine amusement. He had a way of making her laugh, she had to admit. "I'm thinking I might have to give you a penalty card if you keep that up."

"I'll be good, I promise!" he made his voice quaver with pretend fear and she giggled again.

"Oh you'll be better than good," she grinned. "For that little slip, I think the penalty will involve copious flowery compliments, and some serious sucking up."

Glenn laughed. She was going to regret that threat, and he knew just how to make her pay. But that was on his "to do" list for tomorrow, when she was back in her office. For now, he intended to just enjoy her company.

They talked for quite a while longer, the kind of conversation two people have when they are getting to know one another. Of course, Vivvie had known Glenn for almost eight years, and in that time, they'd become friends. Still, there was plenty more to learn about each other. Vivvie knew Glenn shared her passion for books, because of the work they had done together on the reading program, but she didn't know what kind of music he liked until now.

For his part, Glenn felt like they could talk all night and he still wouldn't get enough of her voice. He was aware of her in a way he hadn't ever been before. He liked how her laugh was all-out, but her chuckles had this little breathy quality to them. And when she giggled? Forget it, he was completely undone by that irrepressible little sound she made when she was truly tickled by something he said. He was tempted to dedicate his life to the pursuit of making her giggle every day, just for the joy that sound gave him.

But then he heard her yawn, and he looked at the clock over his mantlepiece. No wonder! It was after 1.00am.

"Oh Vivvie, I'm sorry baby, I should have kept an eye on the clock. I've kept you talking way too late," he apologised.

Vivvie smiled. "Mmmm, I rather like the way you called me "baby" there, Glenn. Do it again," she teased gently.

Glenn dropped his voice to a softer, lower tone. "Anything for you, baby."

"Ohhhhh, yeah, that's got me all swoony. Either that, or I'm just really tired and a bit spacy." She chuckled, and he heard that breathy quality, and damned if he didn't feel a bit swoony himself.

"Well if you can't tell if you're truly swooning, then it's definitely time you went to bed," he chuckled himself.

She yawned again, the sound muffled as she covered her mouth. "I'm sorry, Glenn, I don't mean to yawn in your ear like that."

Glenn gave a little sigh. "Vivvie, you could yawn in my ear anytime, but it would be much more fun if you were doing it in person. Now, time to say goodnight I think."

Vivvie unfolded herself from the sofa where she'd been sitting, and stretched with a contented little sound. "Okay, I'm going to bed. Going to tuck me in?" she smiled, carrying the phone with her as she turned off lights and walked into her bedroom.

Glenn stifled a little moan. "Damnit, Vivvie, it's not fair to give me images like that right before bed."

"Images like what?" she wanted to know, flicking on the bedside light and folding down the covers on her bed. She sat down on the edge of the bed, feeling langorous and sleepy.

"Images of you and a bed. My imagination is working overtime here!" he protested, but only half-heartedly.

She smiled. "We're edging into that not taking it slow territory again, Glenn."

"Yeah, I know. Fun, ain't it?" he grinned.

"Too right!" she laughed. "But I'm going to have to say goodnight, because if I don't, you risk having to listen to me snore in your ear." She yawned again.

"That's okay, baby. I should get some shut eye myself. Sleep well Vivvie. I'll talk to you again soon."

"Is that a promise?" she said sleepily.

"Pinky swear," he smiled. She giggled, as he hoped she would.

"I like how you make me laugh, Glenn," her tone was utterly unguarded. "I like it lots. I'm going to go to sleep smiling, thanks to you." Vivvie's eyes were slipping closed, and he could hear it in her voice.

"Goodnight, Vivvie," he said softly. "Sweet dreams."

"Mmmm, they will be. 'night, Glenn," was the murmured response, and then the connection was broken. He put down his phone, his expression thoughtful. And then he stood and made his way to his own bed, smiling as he thought of Vivvie. The smile was still on his lips as he fell asleep.

@@@

Vivvie woke up the following morning with a yawn, and was a little puzzled when she turned over to feel something unyielding under her. She reached to find it and looked a bit stupidly at her cordless phone.

"What the hell?" She looked at it, and smiled. "I must have been more tired than I thought last night," she chuckled to herself.

Yawning and stretching luxuriantly, she made her way to the shower, and an hour later, she was in her car and heading to work, tapping her fingers on the steering wheel to the music playing at high decibels from her car stereo. This CD was one of her eclectic mixes, and it was Adema's The Way You Like It that was blowing away the cobwebs at the moment.

In the parking garage, she pulled into her marked space, and collected her briefcase and purse, and headed for the elevator. She met up with some colleagues, and they chatted as they rode up to their floor. Lexie greeted her as she arrived at her office, and followed her in for their usual morning catch up.

Vivvie slid her laptop out of her briefcase and quickly connected it to the company network as Lexie set a cup of coffee on the desk for her. As usual, she booted up the laptop and let it replicate the work she had done last night to the company's servers while she and Lexie talked.

There was nothing out of the ordinary on the horizon today. A few meetings, a briefing for Jim Ross due tomorrow that she needed to cast a final glance over. And lunch with Linda McMahon. Vivvie chuckled to herself. After last night, it seemed she had made up her mind already that it was okay to see where things led with Glenn, but she valued Linda's advice and still felt the need to talk to her about it.

Lexie was talking about the travel budget when there was an insistent beep from Vivvie's computer.

"What the . . .?" Vivvie turned to look at her screen. This was just what she didn't need, a problem with the replication. But that had long since completed. This was an alert from her email program that she had an urgent message waiting. "Excuse me, Lexie, I should check this."

Lexie nodded, sitting back in her chair and sipping her own coffee, while Vivvie opened her email inbox. The subject line read "To Miss Vivvie", and the sender was listed as "Guess Who", which had her frowning a little. This sounded like spam, and the company's mail filters were supposed to catch that before it ever hit an inbox. She opened the message in the preview pane, just in case, and what she read had her stifling a grin.

Roses are red
Violets are purple
You're as sweet
As maple surple

She giggled to herself. Maple surple? Well, it did rhyme with "purple" that way. She suspected who the email was from now, but the email address of [email protected] wasn't giving anything away. Shifting the email to her "Personal" folder, she turned her attention back to Lexie.

"Sorry about that. Now, we were talking about the budget?"

Lexie nodded and continued her briefing. Not for the first time, Vivvie thought how lucky she was to have hired Lexie, who was proving a very competent manager in her own right.

Once their morning meeting was done, Lexie went back to her desk, and Vivvie sat for a few minutes, finishing her coffee, thinking. Her division had grown quite substantially over the last few years, and Lexie's role had expanded considerably beyond a mere executive assistant. In reality, Lexie was the business manager of the division, and Vivvie relied on her knowledge of who was doing what and when it was due to be able to meet her obligations to Jim Ross. It was time Lexie's true contribution was acknowledged. She resolved to discuss the idea with Linda over lunch.

That decided, she set down her coffee mug and turned to her computer to pull up the files she had been working on the night before. She was engrossed in the analysis of a financial projection for a change to the way the shows were structured when her email beeped at her again.

This time, the email subject was "To the sweetest little flower" from "Secret Admirer", whose email address was, suspiciously, [email protected] , read:

Roses are red
Violets are blue
Some poems rhyme
But this one doesn't

She chuckled, and filed it under Personal, and went on with her work. She was halfway through the new draft agreement for the outsourced security providers when the next one arrived.

Subject: Gosh you're pretty
From: Utterly Dazzled <[email protected] >

Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
When I look at you,
I need a brew.

She giggled helplessly and went back to the agreement, sending it back to Brad with her annotations and comments.

Just as she was about to head out to meet Linda McMahon for lunch, the next little gem turned up.

Subject: How did you get so charming?
From: Mesmerised < [email protected] >

Roses are red,
Azaleas are pink,
Diamonds sparkle,
And Backstreet Boys stink

She was still snickering about that one when another arrived.

Subject: Plagiarism is for the birds
From: Closet Intellectual < [email protected] >

Did you know you can find almost anything on the internet? Including some really bad love poetry. But you really deserve something original. I shall be composing odes to your little finger while you enjoy your lunch. Bon appetit!

She just shook her head and left for her lunch date. But she was smiling, very widely.

@@@

Linda looked closely at Vivvie as they sat at one of the tables in the Titan Towers cafeteria. There was something different about her. It was more than just the progress she'd made in getting back to how she had been before that dreadful time in Arizona. But Linda knew better than to pry - Vivvie would tell her when she was ready, if she wanted her to know.

The two women had become even closer while Vivvie had been recuperating, and Linda had been her informal conduit into the business. She knew that Vivvie had been chafing to know what was going on, and it became a ritual, a weekly phonecall to catch up on what was happening.

Vivvie knew that part of the reason she had been able to ease back into work so well was due to Linda's efforts at keeping her updated. And Lexie's incredible management skills. As the women ate their salads, Vivvie broached the subject of her earlier ruminations.

"Linda, I've been thinking about a change in structure to my division. Mind if I run some ideas past you?"

"Of course not, Vivvie. What are you contemplating?" Linda took a sip of her wine spritzer and listened.

"Well, it's Lexie. She's far too talented to stay as my executive assistant, but I don't want to lose her to someone else. I'm thinking of creating a new position for her - divisional business manager. Essentially, I want to free her up from managing my diary, and have her manage the work of the division the way she does now. With a commensurate salary increase of course," Vivvie sat back and waited to hear Linda's opinion.

Linda regarded Vivvie thoughtfully. It was just like her to come up with a win-win solution - for Lexie, for her division. "I think it's an excellent idea. I know Jim was very impressed with the work Lexie did keeping things moving with your pro tem, so I think he'll go for it. Will you want another executive assistant?"

"I was thinking of bringing someone on who could be an assistant to both Lexie and I. Manage my diary and travel, as well as learning what Lexie does. In fact, it's probably the kind of position that an intern would jump at. I'd have no problem having a series of people move through the job and on to other things in the company. So long as I have Lexie to keep an element of continuity."

"Vivvie, there are times when I think you would make an incredible Human Resources Manager. Are you sure you want to stay where you are?" Linda asked.

"Are you kidding? I love my job! I wouldn't be anywhere else, Linda. So you think I could get approval from Jim for this?" Vivvie wanted to know.

"Absolutely, if you sell it to him the way you just sold it to me. But it's not even a matter of selling it - it's a good move for the company," Linda said firmly.

Vivvie folded her napkin and laid it on the table, picking up her club soda. "I hoped you would see it that way." She sipped her drink, and Linda waited. Vivvie had more than that on her mind, she could feel it.

After a few moments, Vivvie set down her glass. "There was something else I wanted to talk to you about."

"Anything, Vivvie. You know that," Linda smiled.

Vivvie smiled. "Thank you Linda. I'm just wondering what you would think if I started dating another wrestler? From a business perspective, I mean."

"What I would think? Why does it matter what I think, Vivvie?" Linda was genuinely puzzled.

"Because I'm conscious of how it might look. I mean, I dated Jeff. And then I think it became common knowledge what happened in Arizona. I just don't want to seem unprofessional."

So it wasn't Shawn she was dating, Linda thought to herself. Not that it mattered, but she had seen them together at the Taylors' house, and there was something about them that just seemed very right. "Vivvie, this business requires us all to work long hours, and to travel with our colleagues. I'd be more concerned to find out you were having an affair with one of your managers, because that can get difficult. And it's one of the reasons we always insist that couples don't work together at headquarters. But I can't see anything wrong with you dating one of the superstars. Goodness, you're all adults, and we trust you to be adult about your relationships."

Vivvie chuckled. "I don't think Jeff and I were all that adult on occasion."

Linda laughed. "You think I haven't seen or heard of worse than what you and Jeff got up to? I've been around this business a long time, Vivvie. And no one minds pranks. What they do care about is the happiness of the two people concerned. The only trouble you'll have is if the gentleman in question treats you poorly - because you have dozens of "big brothers" in the company who will take that very personally."

"Oh, I can't imagine that happening, Linda. Not with Glenn," Vivvie smiled, and Linda realised that what was different. Vivvie may be only talking about dating, but it was pretty obvious that Glenn Jacobs was the reason she was lit up from inside the way she was.

Not that Linda could blame her. Glenn was a kind, gentle man, and Linda had never seen him be anything but respectful to women in all the years she had known him. And she hoped they would be happy together - she was very fond of Vivvie, and of Glenn. But she also knew that the kind of separations that this business forced on couples, except those lucky few who were both active performers, made relationships difficult. Vivvie knew that, of course. And she was level headed, too. Linda smiled.

"Then I wish you all the best, Vivvie. And don't worry, there's not a person in this company who will think you anything less than the professional you have always been. Unless you and Glenn take to short-sheeting beds and filling bathtubs with jello on the road," Linda grinned. She'd always suspected Vivvie and Jeff of going on that quiet rampage.

Vivvie gave her an innocent look. "I'm sure we won't, Linda," she promised.

@@@

On her way back to her office, Vivvie ran into Brad, and they detoured to his office to discuss the new agreement. It became a free-ranging discussion, which they moved into the conference room with a few of the legal staffers, as the issues with the draft agreement had unwittingly opened similar problems with other contracts.

Vivvie did take a moment to call Lexie, and let her know that she'd been called into another meeting, but it was a good two hours before she got back to her office. Lexie handed her a sheaf of phone messages, neatly categorised by urgency, and Vivvie smiled. The new interns who took this position would have some big shoes to fill. Which reminded her.

"Lexie, can you call Paula and see if you can get me in to see Jim sometime in the next week or so? Nothing urgent, but I'd like a half hour with him when he's free."

"Sure boss. Oh, I should warn you, you're likely to have a screen full of emails. I've heard the beep every fifteen minutes or so."

Vivvie's forehead creased and then she grinned. When she seated herself behind her desk, Lexie's prediction was dead on. Her inbox was full of messages, and she scrolled down to read them in order.

Subject: Originality is for the birds
From: Frustrated Poet < [email protected] >

Do you have any idea how hard it is to find rhymes for some of your best features? I may have to go back to plagiarising! Hope you had a nice lunch though.

Subject: Your lips
From: Talented Thief <[email protected] >

Bah, what does he know? Yours are like cherries. Berries. But definitely sweeter.

Subject: Your eyes
From: Inspired < [email protected] >

Limpid pools. Windows to your soul. Pretty.

Subject: Your hair
From: Honour Roll (think about it!) < [email protected] >

Dark. Wavy. Silky. And smells divine.

Subject: Your . . .
From: Dangerous Ground < [email protected] >

Oh boy. Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy.

Subject: That shower was COLD!
From: Shivering < [email protected] >

Now that I can think straight again, where was I? You know, pretty much everything else I want to praise about you is going to have me back in that cold shower again. But you're HAWT!

Vivvie was wiping tears of laughter from her eyes by the time she read that one. When the next one arrived, she clicked on it straight away.

Subject: Are we having fun?
From: Your Favourite Pest < [email protected] >

Have you remembered yet why this is all your own fault? I mean, apart from being HAWT and PHAT, what did you do to deserve all these emails?

Vivvie giggled, having no idea what Glenn meant. Well, she assumed it was Glenn. Email wasn't really Jeff's forte, and no one else she knew would tease her like this. The phone rang at her elbow and she picked it up.

"Vivianne Taylor," she said crisply.

"Well that's a damn sight more polite than the greeting I got last night!" Glenn laughed.

Vivvie laughed. "You're lucky my business training kicked in, you almost got me in fits of giggles."

"Hot damn! I'm hanging up and calling again - that sounds like fun!"

Vivvie couldn't help it, she was giggling again, and Glenn grinned. That was exactly what he had hoped to hear this afternoon, after his hard day's work. He leaned back, propping his feet up on his desk.

"So, get any interesting emails today?" As he hoped, that provoked another fit of the giggles. He could die a happy man if he got to hear that sound every day, he thought to himself.

"You're insane, Glenn. You know that, right?"

"Absotively, Vivvie. Hey, that rhymes! I'm a poet and don't even know it!" He paused while Vivvie giggled again, and then went on. "Now, have you worked out why? I mean, apart from being so h-a-w-t and p-h-a-t?" He drew the words out, and she giggled helplessly.

"Stop that! And I have no idea why you went mad this morning and decided to include me in your insanity," she grinned, shaking her head a little.

"Was it, or was it not, you, last night, who told me that, in order to get back in your good books after one of my unfortunate lapses from taking it slow, I would need to provide, and I quote, "copious flowery compliments"? Hmmm?"

Vivvie chuckled. "I demand to see the transcripts, I don't believe a word of it."

"Oh there was more. I haven't even gotten around to the serious sucking up part yet!" Glenn made slurping noises and Vivvie giggled, putting her hand over her eyes.

"You're killing me, Glenn, stop it!"

"Am I forgiven for my little lapses, then?"

Vivvie grinned. "You were forgiven the moment I read the one about maple 'surple'. But I still say you're insane."

"Ah, my best work that one. Excellent news then, my work day is done. How about yours?"

Vivvie looked at the papers littering her desk, and then up at the clock, with a little groan. "Oh, I'm an hour or so behind, so I'll be here a while yet I think."

"Aw hell, Vivvie, did I distract you that much? I'm sorry," Glenn was mortified. He hadn't intended to screw up her day to that extent.

"It's okay, this is because I had an unscheduled meeting this afternoon that took a big chunk out of my day. I could probably leave most of what's here til tomorrow, but I'd rather go home with a clean desk if I can. Makes it much easier to relax. I'll close the door, get Lexie to answer the phone, and I'll be finished in no time," Vivvie reassured him.

"Are you sure, baby?"

"Ohhh, there's that 'baby' again," Vivvie sighed softly.

"Uh oh, that just slipped out. But, for the record, how did it make you feel, seeing as how you're wide awake now?" Glenn smiled.

"It's definitely swoony," Vivvie said, and he could hear the smile in her voice.

"Then I'm going to quit while I'm ahead. Go back to work, beautiful girl. I'll call you tonight, if that's okay?"

"That would be wonderful. I'll talk to you then. Goodbye, Glenn."

"Goodbye, Vivvie."

She sat looking at the phone for a moment before hanging it up, shaking her head a little, and smiling. And then she pushed herself out of her chair and headed for the door.

"Lexie, I'm going to grab some coffee, then I really need to catch up after that meeting with Brad. Take my calls for me?"

"On one condition," Lexie smiled.

"And that is?"

Lexie held up her coffee mug. "Refill while you're down there?"

Vivvie laughed, and headed off to the kitchen with Lexie's mug and her own.

@@@

As she had predicted to Glenn, an hour with the door closed, and without the phone and its demands on her time, and Vivvie was dropping the last completed file into her out tray. She stretched back in her chair and then rose, picking up her empty mug, and crossed her office, opening the door.

Lexie looked up, giving her a grin. "You're breaking records there, Vivvie. I was sure you had another thirty minutes or so to go before you caught up."

"No way," Vivvie smiled. "I am woman, watch me multi-task."

"You da man, boss!" Lexie laughed.

"Thanks, Lexie! I'm going to pack it in for today, catch a class at the gym before Joanie comes after me with a whip. Don't stay late, okay?"

Lexie nodded. "I'm just finishing up myself, Vivvie, so I'll be hot on your heels. Although I think I'll pass on the gym session. I'm in the mood for a bubblebath and some chocolate chocolate-chip cookies in front of the tv."

"Each to their own, I guess," Vivvie smiled, and headed back into her office to collect her briefcase and purse, wishing Lexie a goodnight as she left.

She was fairly buzzing with energy, and bounded through her class at the gym with enough enthusiasm for two women, according to Joanie, who came to talk to her afterwards. Vivvie just patted her face with her towel and smiled.

Once at home, Vivvie opened the doors to the wide wrap-around balcony that had attracted her to the place the first time she saw it. Her apartment took up half of one floor of the building, and her bedroom and the living room both boasted huge bay windows with curving balconies to match. The evening was warm, and the sweetness of the jasmine flowers that espaliered over the dividing wall between those balconies wafted into the apartment.

She grilled a salmon steak while making a fresh salad, and caught a news program while she ate, listening to it as she tidied the kitchen afterwards, and then turned off the television in favour of the stereo, random tracks playing softly.

She poured herself a glass of white wine, and sat out on the balcony, sipping it slowly as she relaxed. The night began to cool off, and she burrowed her bare feet under the cushions on the outdoor setting, unwilling to move inside just yet. The muted ring of the phone roused her from a quiet reverie, and she reached for the handset, which was sitting beside her wine glass on the table next to her.

"Hello?"

"Hello Vivvie," Glenn smiled.

"Hi Glenn. See, I can be nice on the phone when I'm not at the office." Vivvie chuckled softly.

"So I see. And how are you this evening, Miss Vivvie?"

"I'm very well, but I'm just starting to get cold. I think it's time I came in off the balcony." She stood up, and picked up her wine glass, heading back to the living room. She set the glass down on the coffee table and curled up on the sofa, leaving the balcony door open a little, mostly for the scent of the jasmine, which mixed so beautifully with the magnolia fragrance that already perfumed the room.

"Warmer now?" Glenn asked, stretching out on the couch.

"Much, thank you. Don't you love that feeling though? Cool night air that encourages you to snuggle up under the covers, mmm, my favourite."

"I'd prefer snuggling with someone, but I know what you mean. How did your afternoon go, Vivvie?"

"About how I expected. An hour of peace and quiet was all it took to get me back up to date," Vivvie said. "But when I was driving home tonight, I had a thought. How did you get all those emails past the firewall? I mean, you were verging into spamming territory today."

Glenn gave a deep chuckle. "That's true, but most spammers don't have friends in the IT department. Everytime I set up a new address, I called my contact and got him to add it to the exceptions list."

"That . . . shows a level of rat cunning I never suspected. Glenn, I'm impressed!" she laughed.

"I know," he grinned. "Most women can't help but be stunned at my deviousness. How late did you get away from the office?"

Vivvie curled more into the sofa, resting her head on the back. "I wasn't late at all, I even got to the gym for a class."

"Is that what you usually do, after work I mean?" Glenn was intrigued.

She nodded. "Yep, I usually go to the gym most nights, unless I've had to work late. Do an aerobics class, or a workout with weights, and then come home and take a shower and have supper. Sometimes, I have work to do at home, or I read for a few hours and then hit the hay."

"No socialising?"

"Usually on the weekends. I prefer quiet nights during the week. How about you? What are your nights normally like?'

"Same as you - quiet. Only difference is where I spend them. At home here, I'm just as likely to be playing computer games. On the road, a good book and I'm happy."

"Does the travelling bother you?"

Glenn shook his head. "No, I'm used to it. That's not to say that when my active career is done I'm going to miss it though. I just think that you have to enjoy what you're doing, take the good with the bad as part of that. Look at it this way - how many people get to see as much of the world, their own country even, as we do?"

Vivvie smiled. "I like the way you think, Glenn."

"I like a lot of things about you too, Vivvie, but I'm not going there. We're taking things slow."

She chuckled. "Even if we wanted to do otherwise, we couldn't. Not while you're on the road."

"Are you kidding? If I wasn't flying out tomorrow for some house shows, I would have been in Connecticut the second I could get there. Three words, Vivvie - frequent . . . flier . . . miles," he laughed.

"Oh, I like a man who thinks laterally!"

They chatted for a little while longer, until Glenn smilingly said, "Time's up, Vivvie."

"I didn't realise we were on the clock, Glenn," she chuckled.

"Ah, well that's where you'd be wrong. Last night I kept you up much too late, so tonight I'm sending you to bed early. Besides, I need to pack if I'm flying out tomorrow."

Vivvie smiled. "That's very thoughtful of you. I'm adding something else to the list of things I like about you. Keep this up and it's going to end up a very long list."

Glenn bit down on any number of comments about keeping things up. "You've got a ways to go before you catch up to the long list I already have about you."

She chuckled. "Okay, it's official. Neither of us can do the 'take it slow' thing very well."

"You noticed that too? Well, we're relatively safe, seeing as how we're limited to the phone until next month."

Vivvie gave a surprisingly wicked little chuckle, and Glenn shifted on the couch, aware that his jeans were feeling rather snug suddenly.

"That was evil, Vivvie," he complained, but she could hear his grin in his voice.

"Definitely. I have been known to have my evil moments," she teased.

"This relationship just keeps getting more attractive!" he laughed. "Okay, so now I need a cold shower before I start packing."

Vivvie closed her eyes against the mental images that swamped her. "Now who's being evil?"

They both laughed, and then Glenn smiled. "I'll call you when I can, if you don't mind the occasional call during the day?"

"I don't mind at all, Glenn. I'll look forward to it. And to seeing you in LA next month."

"Me too. Goodnight, Vivvie."

"Goodnight Glenn."

Vivvie sighed softly as the connection was broken. One thing was certain - it was going to be a long month.

@@@

Fortunately, it was also a very busy month, so Vivvie had little time to reflect on how many days were left until she flew out to Los Angeles. She interviewed interns, much to Lexie's amazement, as Jim Ross had applauded her plan to appoint Lexie as divisional business manager.

She put up with a few days of noise and dust as the meeting rooms that adjoined her office were converted to an office for Lexie and a conference room, and happily hosted the office warming party when Lexie's appointment was made permanent.

The new intern, a bright young man named Ray, proved equal to the task of managing Vivvie's time, under Lexie's expert tutelage. Vivvie was delighted, but hardly surprised, and the three of them developed a smooth working relationship.

Vivvie and Brad spent a lot of time re-negotiating the perimeter security contracts, mostly via video- and tele-conference, and as a result, Ray spent a lot of time answering her phone. He always had the messages neatly categorised for her - more of Lexie's training, she surmised. She was a bit puzzled one day when, after handing her a stack of messages, he gave her another set. She raised an eyebrow.

"Uncategorised?"

He shook his head with a wide smile. "Glenn Jacobs. He calls often enough to merit his own category."

Glenn howled with laughter when Vivvie told him about that, and after that, he and Ray seemed to become quite chatty. Vivvie would have taken more interest in that, but a major contract wrangle with one of the WWE's few troublesome superstars took her out of town for a few days. Lexie kept her updated, and managed things in her absence as Vivvie knew she would.

She arrived back in Connecticut late one afternoon, coming to the office from the airport to brief Jim Ross in person about the debacle that had ensued. She had dropped by her office long enough to drop her luggage, and headed up to the executive suites with a quick smile at Ray and Lexie.

"Back soon, I hope. But don't wait for me - just because I'm kept late in the principal's office doesn't mean you should be too."

Ray nodded. And as soon as she was out of sight and Lexie had gone back to her office, he was on the phone, after first checking the faxed copy of Glenn's itinerary he had in his desk drawer.

"Glenn? It's Ray. Vivvie's just got back to the office from her trip," he said.

"How is she?" Glenn had been worried. There was no love lost between him, or anyone else on the roster, and the superstar whose demands had dragged Vivvie out of town, and he'd heard rumours that the negotiations had been particularly acrimonious.

"She looks tired. And a bit worried too. She's just gone up to Jim Ross' office."

Glenn thought quickly. It seemed like this was a good time to arrange one of the surprises he had been planning for Vivvie. He grabbed his day planner, and flipped through the pages. "Okay, Ray, here's what I want you to do."

Ray listened carefully, making notes on the pad in front of him, nodding. "I can do that, Glenn. Leave it to me. And if you don't mind me saying so, that's a really terrific idea. I may just steal it for myself, just in case I need it someday."

@@@

Vivvie came back to her office an hour or so later, and was pleased to note that both Lexie and Ray had left, as she'd instructed. She gave a deep sigh, looking at the in tray on her desk, which was full of papers that obviously needed her personal attention. But tonight was not the night for it. After the failure she'd had over the last couple of days, she didn't think she was in the right frame of mind to tackle anything work related.

She grabbed her pullcase and purse, and shut off her office lights. She needed a good night's sleep, a little perspective and she'd deal with it all in the morning. She mused as she drove home on what Jim Ross had told her when they dissected the events of the last few days.

"Sometimes, no matter how much we try to help people, they're just assholes. And there's no pleasing them. Best you can do is give it your very best shot and then walk away."

Well, she had certainly given it her very best shot, and in the end she had walked away. Jim had given her his blessing on that. But it still worried her.

She pulled into the security parking at her apartment building, and headed up to the lobby, giving the doorman a smile.

"Good evening, Miss Taylor," he greeted her.

"Good evening, Andrew." She had given up trying to get him to call her Vivvie.

She turned to the elevators, and was a bit surprised when he called her back. She was even more surprised when he beckoned to someone who was waiting in the lobby. The woman stood, shouldering a large duffle and picking up what looked like an artist's portfolio.

"This lady has been waiting for you, Miss Taylor."

"Thank you, Andrew," Vivvie said, turning to the woman. "Can I help you?"

The woman smiled. "Actually, I'm here to help you. My name is Natalie Thompson, and I'm a registered massage therapist. I've been sent to give you a massage."

Vivvie blinked at the woman in surprise. "Sent? By whom?"

"Glenn Jacobs made the arrangements, Ms Taylor."

"But Glenn isn't even in town. How did he . . ." Vivvie's voice trailed off uncertainly.

"I'm not sure, Ms Taylor. But I received a call at my office to tell me that tonight was the night I was to come here, and offer my services." Natalie's expression was serene.

"Well, I don't know what miracle told him that tonight I would need a massage, but your services will be most welcome. Please, come on up," Vivvie smiled, and led the way to the elevator.

Natalie followed, and exclaimed as Vivvie led the way into her apartment, "What a lovely view you have!"

Vivvie nodded, dropping her purse and suitcase in her small foyer and locking the door behind her. "Thank you. That's what attracted me to this apartment." Now that she looked at it, the artist's portfolio Natalie seemed to be carrying was actually a portable massage table. "Where would you like to set up?"

"I recommend your bedroom, Ms Taylor. I find that bedrooms have a more welcoming feel, allowing better relaxation. And if I do my job well, you might find it comforting to rest on your bed while I pack my things away. Then you can see me out, without undoing any of my work," she said, the serene expression still on her face.

"That sounds like a good idea. Please, let me show you the way."

Vivvie grabbed her bags and led the way into her bedroom, where the window showed the same spectacular view of the city's nightscape, the lights twinkling softly through the sheer drapes. Natalie looked around with a smile.

"Oh yes, there's a lovely calming energy in here. Now, I understand you were travelling. Perhaps you'd like to take a shower while I set things up?"

Vivvie nodded, still a bit bemused at how much this woman knew about her movements, given Glenn was out of town. She headed for her adjoining bathroom, closing the door behind her and undressing, aware of how tired she was, but how tense her muscles felt. As she stood under the shower, she yawned. She would have faced a long, possibly sleepless night without this massage. Towelling off, she put on her bathrobe and opened the door to her bedroom.

And stood, transfixed.

Natalie had set up her table so that Vivvie could turn her head and look out at the city lights. She had lit what seemed like dozens of small white candles, and placed them here and there on simple white trays. The table was covered in soft, thick white towels, and an oil burner sent soft scents of lavendar and patchouli into the air, mixing with the fragrance of jasmine coming in through the open balcony door. The drapes billowed lazily on the night breeze, and soft music played on a portable CD player.

"Oh my," was all Vivvie could say.

"The right atmosphere contributes to relaxation," the masseuse smiled, and gestured to the table. "If you'll take off your robe and lie down."

She held up a large towel, and covered Vivvie as she made herself comfortable on the table. The towels were luxuriantly soft, and Vivvie sighed softly, feeling some of the tension leave her immediately. She nestled her cheek into the towels, looking out the window through half-lidded eyes.

Natalie's hands gently smoothed over her shoulders, the warmth of the oil the perfect counterpoint to the slight coolness of the fresh air. She didn't chatter, preferring to work in silence. Her fingers sought out knots of muscle and soothed them as she worked down Vivvie's back, knowing when to work firmly or gently without a word from Vivvie.

What felt to Vivvie like a wonderful eternity later, Natalie spoke softly. "You can sit up now, Ms Taylor, but do it slowly."

Vivvie pushed herself up, slowly as requested, and Natalie held her bathrobe for her. She pulled it on and belted it closed with a sigh of pleasure, and Natalie helped her down from the table and settled her on the bed, placing a glass in her hand.

"It's a mineral salt mix that's useful to deal with the lactic acid dispersal. It's quite tasty."

Vivvie sipped the drink, smiling a little. Natalie was right, it was pleasant tasting. More importantly, her body actually seemed to be craving it. She looked out at the twinkling lights of the city as Natalie quickly packed away her equipment, leaving behind the myriad candles and the oil burner, though she did extinguish them. Vivvie smiled as Natalie turned to her.

"Thank you so much, that was utterly wonderful and very much appreciated. Do you have a card? I may just call on you more often."

Natalie handed her a small white card, and Vivvie placed it on her bedside table as she got up. "I'd be happy to come back any time you need me, Ms Taylor. I trust you will sleep well tonight."

After seeing Natalie out, Vivvie came back to her bedroom, turning out the lights in the apartment as she went, feeling relaxed and sleepy. Shedding her bathrobe, she climbed naked into bed, and was asleep almost the moment her head touched the pillow. She woke the next morning with a luxuriant stretch and a smile. She felt refreshed and still relaxed, and she had even woken before the alarm, so she enjoyed a few minutes lying peacefully in bed, looking out at the early morning light.

She was startled by the sound of the phone, and reached for it.

"Hello?"

"Good morning, Vivvie."

"Glenn!"

"Well, you sound happy to hear from me," Glenn smiled. "Thank God for that, I was afraid you might be getting tired of me."

Vivvie chuckled. "You are, right now, my absolute favourite person in the entire world. More so than usual, even."

"And why is that, Vivvie?" Glenn asked, propping another pillow behind his head in his hotel bed.

"Because of the incredible massage you arranged for me last night. Although I'm blessed if I know how you did arrange it, and how you knew that last night I would need it," Vivvie snuggled into her pillow as she spoke.

"Ah. Well I do have my ways - you should know never to under-estimate my deviousness, Vivvie," Glenn chuckled. "But I am glad you enjoyed it."

"Enjoyed doesn't seem to be a strong enough word. She relaxed me so well I had just enough energy to see her out and take off my bathrobe and then I was out like a light."

Glenn swallowed hard. Deductive reasoning said that meant that Vivvie was, right now, more than likely naked. As was he. This was so not a good thing when they were still trying to take things slow. He took a deep breath and tried to change the subject a little. "Sounds like she did a great job - Natalie comes highly recommended."

"Too right! I've got her card, for the next time I need to be pampered. Maybe one day I'll return the favour for you, Glenn," Vivvie smiled.

"I think I'd rather have you giving me a massage, to be honest," Glenn grinned. So much for changing the subject and not thinking about Vivvie naked.

Vivvie laughed. "Not that kind of massage, Glenn!"

"Why not?" he demanded playfully.

Vivvie just giggled, and Glenn smiled, his eyes closing as he listened to her. That wonderful little sound, he would never get tired of it. Not for the first time, he mentally counted the days until they would be together and found it too many.

"So, what's the agenda today, Vivvie?"

Vivvie stretched again. "Work. I have an in-tray with my name on it, if you know what I mean. The work doesn't stop just because I'm not in the office, unfortunately."

Glenn growled. "All because of that . . ."

"Glenn, please. It could just as easily have been someone else with a problem. Blame doesn't change anything."

"Oh darling Vivvie, you're a better man than I am," Glenn sighed, relaxing his hand, which had clenched into a fist at the thought of the cause of Vivvie's workload.

Vivvie giggled. "Glenn, if you think I'm a man, we're going to have some real problems in California next week, let me tell you!"

Glenn laughed. "Next week . . . will not come soon enough for me, Vivvie." He heard her happy little sigh, and he closed his eyes.

"Nor for me, Glenn, nor for me." Vivvie glanced at the clock beside her bed. "But the time to say goodbye has come. I need to get ready for work."

It was Glenn's turn to sigh. "If you must, Vivvie. You realise if I were there, you would be late for work." He grinned. "Often."

Vivvie laughed. "I wouldn't complain a bit."

"Sure about that? I can be very insistent in my demands," Glenn's voice dropped to a lower tone, one that made Vivvie tingle all over.

She gave a little moan, one Glenn echoed, and whispered, "We really have to stop doing this to one another."

Glenn nodded. "We really suck at taking things slow."

"Yes, we do," Vivvie agreed, closing her eyes. "I have to go, Glenn. Can you call me later today?"

Glenn sighed to himself. "Not today, Vivvie, I'm afraid. I'm tied up with appearances all day, and then there's a house show tonight. Tomorrow, for sure."

"I'll look forward to that, Glenn. Have a good day," Vivvie's voice sounded small in her ears.

"It already is, Vivvie. I'm starting it with you, aren't I?"

He could hear the smile in her voice when she answered. "You say just the right things, Glenn. It is a good day when I talk to you."

"Until tomorrow, Vivvie."

"Tomorrow, Glenn. Au revoir." Vivvie hung up the phone, smiling as she swung her legs out of bed. It was a good day, and tomorrow would be one day closer to California. She headed for the shower, humming to herself.

@@@

Vivvie was unaccountably nervous as the plane circled to land in Los Angeles. It wasn't the flight, or the contract negotiations. But the thought of seeing Glenn.

They had spoken almost every day, exchanged emails, and waited for this day. And despite knowing him for over eight years, Vivvie was as nervous as if she were meeting a complete stranger. She laced her hands together in her lap and breathed deeply, trying to calm her jangled nerves. This would be fine, she told herself. Even if they didn't click together as a couple, they certainly had a deeper friendship as a result of this time.

As the plane taxied to a halt, Vivvie rose, her briefcase and purse in hand, checking her watch. She had a few hours before her first meeting here in California, and should have time to check into her hotel, which was where the rest of the company was staying, before heading out for it.

She moved quickly down the jetway and headed for the luggage carousel, blessing her Red Carpet Club membership as her case was among the first offloaded. She pulled the handle out, and turned to head out and find a cab. To her surprise, there was a driver holding a sign with her name. She walked over, looking at him curiously.

"I'm Vivianne Taylor."

"Good afternoon, Ms Taylor, and welcome to Los Angeles. I'm here to take you to your hotel."

"I didn't arrange this," Vivvie was puzzled.

"It was booked through the hotel, ma'am." The driver reached to take her case and led the way out of the terminal, and Vivvie followed him to the stretch limousine at the kerb.

This was not something she had requested. She generally eschewed fancy trappings, and would certainly never bill the company for them. This might be something Ray had done by mistake. Well, there was nothing for it, she would have to take the car now.

She smiled at the driver as he opened the door of the car, and stepped into it. And sank onto the soft leather seat with her mouth open in shock.

The most gorgeous bouquet of flowers lay on the seat, lightly beaded with moisture and filling the car with heavenly fragrance. The florist's envelope sat on the centre console, with a single rosebud. She picked up the envelope and read the card as the car started.

The flowers aren't nearly as lovely as you. I'll meet you in the lobby for dinner at 7.00pm . . . and I'll be counting the minutes until then.

Glenn

Vivvie smiled softly, looking at the flowers, whispering, "Oh Mr Jacobs, you really know how to sweep a girl off her feet."

She tucked the florist's card into her purse, and picked up the rosebud. The pale creamy blossom would be perfect on her suit, and she noticed a pin in the florist's tape, as if someone had anticipated just that. She pinned the flower to her lapel, and leaned back in the seat, her fingertips gently touching the bouquet beside her. At least now she had solved the mystery of the car being sent for her, she mused. But it would be a miracle if she could keep her mind on her meeting this afternoon.

But, as usually happened, once she and Jim Ross were ready for their meeting, her mind had gone into business mode, and she was focused single-mindedly on the matter at hand. During the follow-up, she and Jim discussed the proposed contract, and drafted out their response to it, including a few counter-proposals. Sitting in Jim's suite, Vivvie typed up the formal letter and emailed it to the lawyers, giving Jim a thumbs up when it was sent.

"Now we wait and see," she said, leaning back in her chair.

"Oh, we won't be waiting long. They'll be requesting a meeting tomorrow morning," Jim prophesied.

"You think?" asked Vivvie. "This didn't have the usual feel of an ambit claim, Jim. I got the distinct impression this was an established bargaining position."

"Perhaps. But I noticed the looks the lawyers were giving one another. They realised once we started talking that we had drawn a pretty definite line in the sand. And you were brilliant in implying that we weren't going to be pussy-footing around on this. Once we formally reject their offer, they'll be eager to revise it, just in case we take even a possible contract off the table," Jim gave her a grin.

Vivvie returned it. "Hmmmm, that will be interesting then." She closed up her laptop and stood. "Care to make a wager about what time they'll propose for the next meeting?"

Jim nodded. "I'll take your money, any time. When do you think?"

"They'll propose lunch. Wine us and dine us to see if they can't squeeze a few concessions out of us. They won't give up without a fight, even if they know we have them over a barrel," Vivvie chuckled.

"I'm going with afternoon, around the same time as today. They won't want to be seen as too eager, and it will give them more time to re-craft their battle plan," Jim smiled.

Vivvie collected her purse and briefcase. "We'll see, I guess. I'll be here tomorrow morning, for our 9.00am meeting."

"Have a good one, Vivvie."

Vivvie left Jim's suite and headed for the elevators to her own, smiling. She hoped it would be a good evening. She had plenty of time to relax and then get ready before meeting Glenn at 7.00pm. As she opened the door to her suite, the scent of the flowers greeted her and she gave a little sigh of pleasure.

@@@

She stood before the mirror at five minutes before seven, checking her appearance for the final time. She wasn't sure exactly what Glenn had planned for tonight, and she hoped what she was wearing would be okay. She had chosen a dusty pink linen skirt, made whimsical with embroidered flowers in pale pink along the hem. She teamed it with a silk camisole in white, and a light three-quarter sleeve sweater in pale pink. She left her hair down, and tucked the rosebud into it. Taking a deep breath, trying to settle the butterflies in her stomach, she picked up her purse and took the elevator to the lobby.

Glenn resisted the urge to pace the lobby, but took a seat where he could see the elevators. Even then, he started every time their low chime sounded. For what seemed like forever, he waited, and then she was there. Looking fresh and lovely in pink. He stood and approached her.

Vivvie looked around the lobby as she got off the elevator, wondering if she was early. And then she saw him. He was wearing a striped cotton shirt loose over a pair of blue jeans, the sleeves turned up to mid-forearm. His hair was pulled back in its usual ponytail and for a moment she forgot to breathe. And then he was there, looking down at her.

"Hello Vivvie," Glenn said quietly.

"Hello Glenn." Vivvie smiled up at him.

For a moment, they stood and looked at one another, and then he chuckled. "Is this another one of those awkward 'I don't know how to act' moments?"

She laughed softly. "I think it is, yes."

"Then let's try a hug, shall we? We've always hugged in the past," Glenn smiled and held out his arms.

Vivvie smiled and stepped into them, hugging him close as his arms wrapped around her. They both sighed, almost in unison, which got Vivvie giggling, and Glenn lifted his hand to tilt her chin up, looking down into her face.

"I've been wondering what expression you have on your face when you giggle like that," he said.

"And?" she smiled up at him.

"It's unbearably cute," he said softly and bent his head to kiss her gently.

She leaned up to his kiss, her eyes closing, her hands spread out on his back. When their lips parted, her eyes fluttered open slowly and she smiled at him, her voice barely a whisper. "You know, for a second kiss, that was a doozy."

He chuckled softly, gently tucking her hair behind her ear. "You ain't seen nothing yet."

She stepped back from him, her hands slowly dropping from his back, smiling up at him, her eyes twinkling. "I always like having something to look forward to."

He took her hand with a grin. "Well, why don't we start slow, with dinner?"

She laughed as their fingers laced together, almost of their own accord. "Oh yes, and we're so good at taking things slow, Glenn."

He leaned down quickly to nuzzle at her neck, whispering in her ear, "Yes, I know. But you're going to need to eat to keep your strength up, trust me." He straightened up and looked down at her, smiling at that lovely surprised expression, the way her lips parted just so, and fought against the urge to just crush her against him and kiss her hard.

Vivvie blushed a little at his words, and her fingers tightened a little on his as she looked up at him. She took a deep breath and nodded. "Dinner. Yes."

He nodded back at her as they crossed the lobby, and she wasn't really surprised to see the limousine waiting. Glenn handed her into it then followed her, and she sat turned a little sideways to look at him.

Glenn smiled at her as the concierge closed the door and the car moved off.

"Thank you for sending this to the airport for me this afternoon, Glenn. And for those beautiful flowers," Vivvie smiled at him.

"I'm glad you liked them. This time I did choose them myself. But just so you know, normally I'm really not a limousine kind of guy. But some things call for a swanky car, and my first date with a beautiful woman is one of them." He took her hand again, lifting it to his lips to brush a kiss on it.

Vivvie gave a little sigh. "Oh boy, you're making me swoony already."

Glenn smiled. "On first dates, swoony is good."

Vivvie's smile was radiant. "Better than good. Wonderful."

The restaurant Glenn had chosen was like something from a fifties beach movie, to Vivvie's amazement. It was decorated like a fishing shack, complete with glass floats and fish nets draped over the ceiling. The deck out over the ocean was lit with a string of Japanese lanterns, and the tables were covered with red and white checked cloths, each with a flickering candle in a glass holder.

She looked around and smiled up at him. "I love it already. Though I feel like I should slip into the ladies room and tease my hair into a suitably bouffant style to match the decor."

He ran his hand gently over her dark wavy hair and leaned down to kiss her. "Don't. It's beautiful the way it is. You're beautiful."

Vivvie looked up at him, unable to speak. This man was so romantic! The waiter led them to a table on the deck, and Glenn held her chair for her. The night was warm, and the moonlight on the ocean was glorious. They ordered, and sat sipping the white wine the waiter had recommended.

Glenn set down his glass and rested his elbows on the table, looking over at her. The candlelight and the lanterns above gave the perfect soft light, picking out the pale rose, making her hair seem even darker.

"I can't quite believe you're here, Vivvie. I keep feeling like I'm going to wake up and find this was just another dream, like so many dreams I've had waiting for this moment."

Vivvie smiled at him over the rim of her wineglass. "I know the feeling well. So either we're sharing our dreams or it's real. I'm going for real, myself. You kiss so much better than you did in my dreams." A little flush coloured her cheeks.

Glenn chuckled. "Well, it's good to know I've got some scope to impress you."

She giggled. "I'll have you know those dreams were all PG-13."

Glenn grinned. "I'm definitely not PG-13."

Vivvie laughed. "God I hope not! That would ruin these few days almost as thoroughly as me being a man would, I think." She winked at him.

He laughed. "Come down on the beach with me where it's nice and dark and I'll find out for sure if you're a man or not."

She looked at him innocently, and said with a perfectly straight face. "How will you be able to tell that if it's dark, mister?"

At that, he threw his head back and howled with laughter, while she grinned at him and sipped her wine. He wiped streaming eyes and looked at her. "I don't care what else happens tonight, it's already the best night I've had in forever. Thank you, Vivvie."

She smiled at him. "I second that, Glenn - and thank you."

The evening passed all too swiftly, as they enjoyed the good food and one another's company. The conversation ranged far and wide, and they laughed and talked their way through a second bottle of wine. Finally, Glenn signalled to the waiter, smiling at Vivvie.

"I think I need to get you home, best girl."

Vivvie smiled, looking at her watch. "But it's still early!" she winked at him.

"I didn't say the evening was over, did I?" he winked back at her, and was pleased to see that little blush again on her cheeks.

She rose from her chair, and picked up her purse. "Will you excuse me a moment, Glenn?"

He stood as she did, and nodded. "Of course, Vivvie." He followed her with his eyes as she wended her way through the now bustling restaurant to the ladies room, giving a little sigh. The waiter set down the bill, and he handed over his credit card to pay it. He sipped the last of his wine as he waited for her to return.

Vivvie looked at her reflection in the ladies room mirror as she washed her hands, murmuring to herself, "You're a lucky woman, Vivianne Taylor." She touched up her light makeup, and went back to their table, where Glenn rose as she approached, in that lovely mannerly way he had. She smiled at him, not bothering to sit again.

"Are we ready to leave?"

He smiled, moving to her side and placing an arm around her shoulders, leaning down to press a kiss to her hair. "We are."

He nodded a thank you to the waiter, as did she, and they walked out of the restaurant. The limousine driver, seeing them approaching, quickly moved to open the car door for them, and Glenn smiled as he handed Vivvie in before getting in himself.

He sat close to her, his arm going around her shoulder. She gave a happy sigh and leaned against him.

"This is the life," she murmured.

He kissed her hair again and smiled. "Most definitely. So, what is your schedule like tomorrow?"

She rested her hand on his leg, liking the feel of strong muscle there. "I have a 9.00am meeting with Jim, and then we're waiting on a call from someone's lawyers, who will probably want to meet tomorrow sometime. How about you?"

He looked down at her hand on his leg and resisted the urge to drag her into his lap. That was not how he wanted to behave. Well, it was, but the back of the limousine on their first date wasn't the place for it. "I'm free until after lunch. So I guess staying up all night isn't going to be a good idea, if you have a morning meeting."

She turned her head to look up at him, a smile dancing in her eyes. "No, not all night. But I will be a bit disappointed if the evening ends this early."

Glenn was saved from having to say anything as the limousine pulled up at the hotel, but his mind raced with ideas. He got out, and then reached in for Vivvie's hand, to help her out. He drew her close to him and smiled. "The evening's not over, Vivvie. Not yet."

She smiled up at him. "I'm glad. So what did you have in mind?"

He gave her a wink. "Now if I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise, would it?"

Vivvie chuckled. "You and your surprises. Lay on, Macduff, and damned be he who first cries, 'Hold, enough!'!"

Glenn grinned at her. "Oh clever girl! Do you know how many people misquote the Bard on that one?"

"A lot, including me, because 'lead on' has become common usage. But I could hardly misquote from the Scottish play to someone who majored in English, now could I?"

Glenn hugged her close with one arm as they walked. "Oh Vivvie, you're a treasure. Smart, and funny, not to mention sexy as hell."

She looped her arm around his waist and smiled. "Why thank you, Glenn. May I just say I'm enchanted with you too?"

He pushed open the door to the gardens and led her into the moonlight. She hadn't had time to explore the hotel when she arrived this afternoon, and seeing the gardens at night made her exclaim with delight. The tropical plantings were highlighted with uplights and strands of twinkle lights, casting soft pools of light over the landscape around the pool.

"Talking of being enchanted . . . this is just beautiful, Glenn!" Vivvie breathed.

He turned to face her, his fingers tipping her chin up to look into her eyes. "No, this is beautiful. Next to this, everything else pales into nothingness," he said softly, and bent to kiss her. A slow, languid kiss as he pulled her to him and held her close.

Vivvie slid her arms around his waist as she leaned up to his kiss, losing herself in the moment. He nuzzled her cheek, his beard scratching gently against her skin, and smiled down at her, his voice low. "Don't think I didn't consider taking you upstairs to my room, Vivvie. But you have an early meeting, and I am, despite how it might appear sometimes, serious about not rushing things. So, how does a nice old-fashioned necking session sound to you?"

She looked up into his eyes and smiled. "It sounds like the perfect end to a lovely evening." She darted a glance around the pool and spied what she had hoped to see, then pointed over at it - a double sun lounger, tucked in among the palms. "Shall we get comfortable?"

Glenn smiled and nodded. "That's what I like, a girl who thinks laterally . . . or in this case, horizontally." He took her hand and led her to the lounger, stretching out on it and patting the space beside him. "Come here, beautiful Vivvie, please."

She didn't need to be asked twice, kneeling down on it and bending to brush a soft kiss to his lips as she lowered herself to the cushion. His arms came up around her, holding her close to his strong body, kissing her gently. She wound her arms around his neck, her fingers stroking the back of his neck as her lips parted under his.

She felt his soft groan of pleasure, rather than heard it, as his tongue dipped into her mouth, and her hands tightened on his shoulders as the kiss deepened and became more passionate. For a long, lovely time, there was nothing else for either of them but their kisses and caresses, soft moans and heavy breathing the only sounds.

Vivvie shivered as his lips left hers to kiss her throat, up to her ear, and moaned softly as he whispered, his voice husky and low, "I am exercising all the restraint I have right now. Because every part of me is aching to make love to you, Vivvie."

"Oh I know exactly how you feel!" Vivvie's whisper sent a wave of desire coursing through him, and he pulled her closer to him and buried his face in her hair with a low groan.

They clung to one another for long moments before gradually drawing apart, looking into one another's eyes. Vivvie's hand came up to caress his face, and he turned his head to press a kiss to her palm, and then bent to kiss her lips softly. From the way she arched up to him, she felt pretty much as he did. But he wasn't going to rush. More importantly, he had no intention of ending their first night together with one of them rushing off to an early meeting. But having Vivvie warm and inviting in his arms was making thoughts of waiting difficult.

"You are so tempting, Vivvie," he whispered, and she blushed.

"Don't think I'm not feeling the same way about you. I'm right on the verge of doing something utterly wanton with you, right here," she moaned softly, and he gave a helpless groan.

"Then I think we really need to go upstairs," he smiled. "Because there is always tomorrow night. Please tell me you don't have anything planned for early day after tomorrow!"

She gave him a slow, seductive smile and leaned in to nuzzle at his throat, whispering in his ear, "Not a damn thing, except hopefully waking up in your arms."

His response to that was to pin her back to the lounger and kiss her hard, his tongue deep in her mouth, his body covering hers. She clung to him, sucking greedily on his tongue, feeling the hard length of his erection against her thigh, her fingers twining up into his hair. When the kiss broke, they were both panting.

"Oh boy," Vivvie finally managed to say breathlessly.

Glenn looked down into her eyes, and smiled. "Oh boy is right. We need to go upstairs right now. But consider yourself booked tomorrow night, and the morning after."

She smiled up at him, and nodded. "Yes, please."

They sat up together and Glenn stood and offered Vivvie his hand, pulling her up and wrapping his arms around her as she chuckled. "That was smooth, Glenn!"

Glenn grinned down at her. "That was too good to pass up. Time for us to rejoin polite society, where hopefully I will be less tempted to ravish you. Slightly less tempted," he amended and she chuckled, wrapping her arm around his waist.

"I think you should take me home, Glenn. This has been the perfect evening," Vivvie smiled up at him.

He pulled open the door to the lobby and they stepped back inside, the lights and sounds feeling intrusive compared to the dark silence of the garden. Vivvie nestled close to his side as they made their way to the elevators, liking the way his arm felt around her shoulder, giving a soft, contented sigh.

At her floor, Glenn got off the elevator with her, walking her to her door, looking down at her, his eyes serious as he gently brushed the back of his fingers across her cheek. She nuzzled her face to his hand, smiling up at him, and whispered, "Kiss me goodnight?"

"Try and stop me," was his whispered response, and he bent down as she leaned up, their lips meeting in a slow, passionate kiss. Vivvie's arms went up around his neck, and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close to him as they kissed. When their lips parted, Vivvie lightly nipped at his lower lip before pulling away a little, a soft smile on her face.

"It's official, Glenn, I'm swooning," she whispered.

He groaned softly. "Go now, Vivvie, please baby. While I still have some semblance of control."

She gave a soft whimper, her hands falling reluctantly from his neck and unlocking her door. She looked up at him and whispered, "Goodnight, Glenn, until tomorrow."

"Tomorrow, Vivvie. Goodnight baby," Glenn whispered, his hand coming up to stroke her hair one last time before she ducked into her room and the door closed.

@@@

Glenn leaned back against the wall with a groan, his eyes closed. After a moment, he pushed off the wall and headed back to the elevators, lost in thoughts of Vivvie. So preoccupied was he that he didn't even register that there was someone else in the elevator when it arrived.

Shawn had chosen to fly into Los Angeles late in the afternoon, and was now regretting his decision. The flight had been delayed and as a result he was arriving what felt like him to be very late at night, even though it was hours earlier by the clock. All he wanted was to collapse into his hotel bed and sleep.

When the elevator stopped, he checked the display tiredly, and then realised it wasn't his floor. And somewhat slowly, he recognised the man entering the elevator.

"Hey, Glenn."

Glenn looked up, his expression a bit dazed. "Shawn? Hey, man, how's it going?"

The greeting sounded a little perfunctory, and Shawn looked at him more closely. "Everything okay, Glenn? You look like you just got gut-punched."

Glenn gave a low chuckle. "It was a bit further south, actually. And if I could, I'd go back and let her do it again. Oh man." He leaned against the wall of the elevator, shaking his head a little. Belatedly, he checked the buttons and realised that Shawn was heading to the same floor he was.

Shawn chuckled. "Ah, now I understand." The elevator doors slid open at their floor and both men exited. "Well, just keep reminding yourself it was your idea."

Glenn grinned. "Actually, it was our idea, and I think it's probably one of the best things I've ever had the pleasure of being involved in. Vivvie is just incredible, and I am one lucky man."

Now it was Shawn's turn to look dazed, and he covered it by looking at the keycard in his hand, checking for his room number. Vivvie? And Glenn? What the hell kind of cosmic joke was this, to have to hear about this so late at night, when he felt, uncharacteristically, worn and vulnerable? He realised Glenn was looking at him, and he shook the keycard a little.

"Sorry, Glenn, it's late, I'm tired and I've got maybe three working brain cells. But you're right - you are a lucky man. Vivvie-anne is a wonderful woman. You make sure you take good care of her, or you'll answer to me." Shawn took the sting out of his threat with a grin, but he meant every word. If Jacobs made Vivvie feel anything less that the joy that she deserved in life, he would regret it.

He looked at the room numbers, and stopped beside a door. "This is me, I guess. Talk to you tomorrow, Glenn - sometime when I'm not ninety per cent asleep, anyway," Shawn tried a smile.

Glenn clapped him on the shoulder and smiled. "Get some sleep, Shawn, you really look like you could use it. I'll catch you at the arena tomorrow probably."

Shawn watched Glenn walk off down the hall, and used his keycard to open his hotel room door. Once inside, he shoved the door shut behind him, not before hanging out the "Do not disturb" sign. He left his pull case near the door and sat on the bed. He felt as though he'd been the one punched in the gut, and he dropped his head into his hands with a moan.

Despite his best intentions, he hadn't stopped thinking about Vivvie, even though he knew it was fruitless. His beautiful Vivvie - so sexy, so warm and so giving. He wanted nothing but good things for her, but he wanted them to come from him, something he'd never felt for anyone before.

Jacobs was a good man, and he would never hurt Vivvie, but still, thinking of Vivvie with Jacobs, with anyone but him was a pain like he had never felt before. He swallowed a sob, and ground the heels of his hands to his eyes. If Vivvie was happy, then he would do his damnedest to be happy for her. And one day, maybe the sense of loss he was feeling might lessen. The way his guilt over Arizona might someday fade.

He stood up and grabbed his pullcase. Yeah, and that was gonna happen real soon. Ten minutes later, he was in bed, staring wakeful at the ceiling as the minutes and hours ticked away. Sometime just before dawn, he fell into a thin, exhausted sleep.

@@@

Vivvie arrived for her meeting with Jim a few minutes early, and he looked at her closely. It wasn't just the crisp lemon and white linen suit she wore, or the upswept hairstyle that spoke of an early morning beauty parlour appointment. Something else was different about Vivvie this morning. But it was a change to the good, so he wasn't concerned, just curious.

She poured herself a cup of coffee from the pot, turning to Jim as she did. "A warm up, Jim?"

He shook his head. "No thanks, Vivvie."

She added cream to her cup and walked over to sit at the table with him, putting her cup down and opening her briefcase for the papers they were working on. Mid-way through their discussion on another contract, Jim's phone rang. After a brief conversation, he hung up and grinned at her.

"Looks like I owe you money, Vivvie. Lunch today, at Spago no less. We are going to be schmoozed, I think."

Vivvie chuckled. "I told you so. Spago, hmmm? They must have some pull to be able to get a table there at short notice. I think we need to be prepared with a new bargaining position, Jim. A few small concessions, to let them feel they've won something, and then a hard edge bottom line."

Jim nodded, and drew a fresh legal pad in front of him. "Let's talk deals, Vivvie."

@@@

Vivvie and Jim stood on the sidewalk outside Spago, exchanging handshakes with the lawyers while they waited for the car from the hotel. It was only once they were safely away from the kerb that Jim gave Vivvie a broad grin.

"Score one for the good guys!"

Vivvie laughed. "Jim, that was some of the best negotiating I've ever seen, and in the face of such incredible toadying too. We earned that one!"

"I'm just glad it's done, to be honest. Now I can concentrate on the Pay Per View and leave everything else in your capable hands."

Vivvie nodded. "I think I can handle that."

"I know you can, Vivvie. Don't let the problems you had last week distract you - that was a special case."

"Don't I know it," mused Vivvie, almost to herself.

The car pulled up at the hotel, and the doorman opened the door and offered a hand to Vivvie to help her out. She stood waiting for Jim, and didn't notice Glenn, who was waiting with some of the other superstars for their cars to the next set of personal appearances.

Glenn saw Vivvie being handed out of one of the hotel cars. She looked so damn beautiful today, in that yellow and white suit, with her hair up. He gave Mark a grin and walked over to her, chuckling to himself as she remained unaware of him.

He leaned in, inhaling the scent of her hair, and slid his arms around her waist as he whispered in her ear, "Mmmm, you look good enough to eat, baby." He nuzzled at her neck for a moment.

Vivvie gave a startled gasp as she was grabbed from behind, relaxing the moment she heard Glenn's voice, her hands coming up to cover his as she leaned back a little. She giggled softly as he nuzzled at her neck, murmuring, "Your beard tickles, Glenn."

"Want me to stop?" he asked with a grin.

"Now did I say that?" she laughed and he bent his head to nuzzle her again, holding her against him.

Jim stepped out of the car and, as he watched Vivvie and Glenn, he realised that he now knew why Vivvie had looked different this morning. She was glowing with happiness as Glenn held her. Well, he wished them all the luck in the world.

"Glenn, when you're done man-handling my associate?" He chuckled as Vivvie tried to get Glenn to let her go and the big man refused. "Vivvie, I need to go and meet with some of the story writers, and with Jerry. If you can have the results of today's meeting typed up for me this afternoon, I can send them on to Vince. I'm sure he'll be happy to hear what we accomplished."

Vivvie nodded, even as she tried not to giggle when Glenn started growling playfully at her attempts to extricate herself. "I'll have it emailed to you in an hour or so."

"Pardon me for saying so, Vivvie, but that might be an optimistic estimate, given the hold Kane here has on you at the moment," Jim grinned.

"It would be, if Kane were going to be staying here. But he's got a personal appearance this afternoon, so he'll have to let go of me soon," Vivvie chuckled.

"Not if I take you with me, Vivvie," Glenn laughed.

"Oh now that's going to go down a treat! The Big Red Machine dragging a strange woman along with him. Although there might be something kind of kinky about the mask . . ." Vivvie grinned wickedly as Jim and Glenn laughed.

Shawn had finally gotten a little sleep, and was on his way to meet up with some of the other superstars for this afternoon's personal appearances. But he was transfixed when he saw Vivvie exiting a car, turning to wait for the other occupant.

His heart ached at how lovely she looked, and he watched with a sense of hopelessness as Glenn walked up behind her. The way they were together - it was obvious to anyone that they were happy, despite the small voice inside that insisted she could be just as happy with him.

He watched for a moment, and then squared his shoulders. No time like the present to start dealing with this. He walked out of the lobby, and over to where Vivvie, Glenn and Jim stood, giving Vivvie a grin.

"Need a hand, little lady? I can take care of this bozo for you," he jerked a thumb in Glenn's direction.

Vivvie chuckled and smiled warmly at Shawn. "I'm sure you can, but I'm fine. Bozo here . . . well, I guess you could say I've got a soft spot for him."

Glenn snapped his head up. "A soft spot? Oh you've got more than one, Vivvie. Like here," He bent to nuzzle at her neck again and she laughed. His head came up again. "And who are you calling 'bozo'?"

She looked up over her shoulder at him. "Ah, you?"

He scratched his head, and then shrugged, giving her a grin. "Okay by me, so long as you're calling me." He kissed her cheek. "I have to go, baby. See you later?"

Vivve nodded and smiled at him. "Try and stop me."

Shawn didn't miss the look on Glenn's face at her words, and his smile almost faltered. That look of hunger, of shared passion, directed at Vivvie, was almost more than he could bear. He watched as Glenn bent to kiss Vivvie gently and then headed back to where the other wrestlers were climbing into the convoy of cars to take them to the venue.

"That's my cue too, Vivvie. I hope I see you at the show tomorrow night," Shawn smiled at her, which was easier now she was alone.

"I'll be there, Shawn. I wouldn't miss it for the world. Enjoy your afternoon," Vivvie said, and he leaned in to kiss her cheek before making his way to the cars, his heart heavy despite the smile on his face.

@@@

Vivvie was deep in thought, her fingers dancing over the keyboard of her laptop, glancing at the notes laying on the table from time to time. True to her word, it had taken her less than an hour to type up the notes from the negotiations, and an executive summary of them, and send them on to Jim.

She moved onto the other contract negotiations, most of which were being accomplished via emails back and forth from management companies. An event like a Pay Per View was a gathering of the clan in a sense, and a good time to arrange meetings with people all in the one place. And most of these negotiations were going well. It was only when a superstar decided to flex a little muscle and try to wring concessions out of the company that sometimes things got sticky.

In most cases, depending on the drawing power of the wrestler in question, the WWE was willing to deal. Sometimes it was a new management company attempting to show a wrestler how they could play hardball and get him or her a better deal. That had been the case with the contract negotiations she and Jim had finalised over lunch today. The wrestler did indeed deserve an upgraded contract, but not on the level that his management company thought he did. Still, that had worked out equably for all concerned.

The situation with Bill Goldberg and his representatives the week before hadn't. The man wanted a contract better than that offered to some of the WWE's hardest-working and longest-serving superstars, solely on the basis of past glories. And without any real proof of his much-vaunted drawing power. In the few months he had been with the company, there hadn't been much difference shown in ticket sales. There had, however, been a difference in employee relations, as Mr Goldberg proved himself to be an extraordinarily abrasive personality.

As a result, the company, in Vivvie's persona, hadn't been willing to deal. Had his management representatives shown the slightest interest in making concessions, it may have been different. But they as much as admitted that they were acting on his instructions not to give an inch. So at the end of this month, Mr Goldberg and the WWE would part ways. He would continue to appear until then, to fulfill the terms of his interim contract, although such appearances would become more sporadic as time went on. There was no point in getting him involved in major storylines when he was on his way out of the company.

There would be no hard feelings from a business perspective. Failure to reach agreement over a contract was commonplace in the business world. The WWE would wish Mr Goldberg well in whatever his future endeavours were. However, Vivvie suspected that Mr Goldberg might just have some uncomplimentary things to say about the company once he had left it. They would not dignify such remarks with any reaction though, which would take some of the fun out of it for him.

A knock on the door broke her concentration, and she saved her document and unfolded herself from the chair where she had been sitting and walked to the door of her suite. Checking through the spyhole, she smiled broadly as she opened the door to Glenn.

"Hello bozo," she chuckled.

He swept her into his arms with a grin. "Hello yourself, beautiful."

She looked up at him with a smile. "Can you give me a few minutes to finish up with work? Then I'm all yours."

"Oh, I like the sound of that," Glenn smiled, bending to kiss her cheek. "Take the time you need, Vivvie. I'm not going anywhere."

She slipped out of his arms, padding barefoot back to the table, waving to the couches in the living area of the suite. "Make yourself comfortable, I won't be long."

Glenn settled on the loveseat, spreading his arms along the back, watching her. She curled one foot under her as she settled back on the chair, and bent her head back to her work. After a moment, her fingers began tapping on the keys again. His eyes travelled over the line of her neck, so delicate with her upswept hairstyle, and he gave a soft sigh of contentment. Just being in the same room with her was a pleasure.

@@@

Ten minutes later, Vivvie saved the documents she had been working on, and closed down her laptop. She picked up her notes and placed them back in her briefcase with the laptop and rose from the table, giving a stretch before turning to look at Glenn. He smiled at her and patted the cushion beside him. She crossed the room and knelt on it, leaning in to kiss him. His arms curled around her waist as she did, and he gently pulled her into his lap.

"Now that's better," he smiled.

"Mmmm, all kinds of better," Vivvie said, leaning against his chest, her head on his shoulder. "Did you have a good afternoon?"

Glenn smiled, resting his cheek against her head. "Yeah. Good fans, great energy. The show tomorrow night is going to rock."

"I'm glad. So, what's the plan for tonight, Mr Jacobs?"

"Well, Ms Taylor, I thought I'd take you out to a nice dinner," he said, his hand gently stroking her back.

"Dinner would be nice, thank you. And then?" Vivvie sighed softly, nuzzling her cheek to his shoulder.

"And then I thought I might take you for a romantic walk somewhere."

"That sounds lovely. Is there another 'and then'?"

Glenn bent his head to nuzzle at her neck, growling softly in her ear, "And then I thought I might just take you."

Vivvie whimpered helplessly, shivering in his arms, whispering, "Oh God, Glenn . . ." She looked up into his eyes, and when he bent his head to kiss her, she leaned in to him eagerly, her hands sliding up around his neck to hold close to him.

His arms wrapped tighter around her, kissing her passionately, breaking it slowly, nuzzling back to her neck, loving how she moaned softly and clung to him as he did. He whispered softly, "Of course, I am open to suggestions about tonight."

She drew back from him a little, looking at him, her breasts rising and falling with her quickened breathing. Finally she whispered, a little breathlessly, "Oh I think your ideas sound wonderful. But by my reckoning, we have a couple of hours before it's tonight. Whatever shall we do to pass the time?"

Glenn's hands moved to her back, warm and comforting on her shoulderblades as she leaned back, and he bent his head to place a kiss at the base of her throat. "You're right, that could be a problem. Let me think about it?" He dipped his head lower, darting his tongue out to lick at the warm, fragrant skin just above her neckline.

Her hands came up to his head, her fingers restless on his hair as she leaned further back, trusting to his strength to hold her, moaning softly at the feel of his warm breath in her cleavage. "I think I like the way you think, Glenn," she whispered.

Sliding his left arm behind her, his right hand came up to undo the top button of her suit, his fingertips gently brushing over her chest as he murmured, "I always think better when I have some nice warm skin to inspire me. You don't mind?"

Vivvie shivered lightly at his touch, her own hands busy taking his hair out of the ponytail he usually wore so that she could run her fingers through it, her voice soft as she arched a little to his touch, "Not at all, go right ahead."

He nuzzled into her chest as his fingers undid the second button, inhaling her scent, feeling the warmth of her skin through his lips. He gave a soft groan as her fingers ran slowly through his hair, and undid the third button, gently pushing her suit open as he ran his tongue down her cleavage to the barely visible edge of her lace bra.

She arched more to his mouth, clutching gently at his hair, shivering again as he quickly undid the remaining two buttons on her suit jacket, pushing it apart as he lifted his head to look at her. The jacket fell open, revealing the lacy bra that held her full breasts together, and he groaned, his eyes sweeping over her.

"How beautiful you are!" He pulled her to him, his arms wrapping around her, holding her close as he buried his face in the curve of her neck.

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, her fingertips still playing with his hair. She tilted her head to the side as he began nuzzling her throat, unable to stop her little moans of pleasure. Her fingers moved up under his hair to stroke lightly at the nape of his neck, and he whispered, "Oh how I love that, Vivvie."

His hands moved too, and slowly slid up under her jacket, warm against her skin, and she shivered. This seemed a natural progression from last night, where they had been careful to avoid one another's bare skin, for fear the leaping passion that they felt would overwhelm them, as it threatened to do now.

Vivvie pulled away from him a little, just enough to bring a hand between their bodies, unbuttoning his shirt, her fingertips brushing over his warm skin. He looked at her and pulled her in to kiss her deeply. She flicked her tongue into his mouth and stroked it slowly over his, setting them both to trembling.

When his shirt was open, her fingertips explored his chest, circling one fingernail around his nipple, making him groan into their kiss and pull her closer to him. She shifted on his lap, wriggling her skirt up so that she could straddle him, and he immediately pulled her hips to his, arching up from the loveseat so she could feel the hard press of his erection. She gasped against his lips and ground her hips against his.

Glenn captured her lips in a hard kiss as his hand moved down her thigh and back again, this time pushing her skirt up as it moved higher, slipping under it to cup her ass and hold her against him. She pushed his shirt open and brushed her breasts to his chest as her arms wound around his neck, deepening the kiss hungrily.

The feel of the lacy bra against his chest made Glenn groan and pull her closer still to him, sliding his other hand up her body to cup her breast. Vivvie arched her back and pressed her breast more into his hand, her nipples hardening at his touch. He gently rubbed his palm over that hard nub, making her moan and grind more against him.

His hand moved back under her jacket as he bent her backwards, lowering his head to capture her nipple between his lips, his tongue bathing the lace over it as she clung to his shoulders, trembling. He gently closed his teeth over it and her hips jerked sharply to his. She let go of his shoulders, her arms dropping down so that her jacket slid off to crumple on the floor.

Glenn flicked his tongue over the hard nipple in his mouth, his hand moving from her ass to cup the other breast, his fingers teasing at the nipple. Vivvie brought shaking hands up to her shoulders, pushing her bra straps down, and he gave a low moan, pushing the bra off her breast and palming her bare nipple a little roughly as he suckled hard on its twin through the soaked lace. She arched her back, grinding her hips harder to his throbbing erection, her hands moving restlessly over his broad shoulders and up into his hair, clutching at it, panting with excitement.

His lips left her breast and trailed kisses up her neck as he pulled her up to him, nuzzling at her ear, whispering hoarsely, "I want you, Vivvie, so much." His hand continued to caress her breast, and she moaned. She pulled away from him a little, looking into his eyes.

"Let's go into the bedroom, Glenn."

He could only nod, and she shifted off his lap. He stood quickly and swept her up into his arms, carrying her to the bedroom, setting her down on the wide bed. She knelt up, her hands reaching for him, pulling his shirt back off his shoulders, leaning in to kiss his chest, her tongue licking delicately at his nipple as she tugged the shirt out of his jeans and let it drop to the floor.

Groaning, his hands held her head gently as her teeth closed on his nipple, giving it a little tug. Her hands moved to unbuckle his belt and slowly unbutton his fly, and she gave his nipple another soft lick before looking up at him as her fingers brushed over the hard length of his cock, which twitched under her touch as he groaned again.

He stepped back from the bed with a little shake of his head, his breathing ragged. "Vivvie, what you do to me . . ."

Her eyes travelled over him hungrily before she looked up into his eyes, her voice husky as she spoke. "You do the same to me, Glenn, and more." Her hands moved to the zipper on her skirt and she climbed off the bed to wriggle it down over her hips and kick it aside before stepping close to him again. She slid her hands around his body, inside the waistband of his jeans, her fingertips brushing over his skin.

He reached behind him and took her gently by the wrists, bringing her hands one at a time to his lips and kissing them before giving a low growl, sweeping her into his arms and bearing her back onto the bed, his lips hard against hers, his tongue plundering her mouth.

She wrapped her leg around his and ground her hips up to his with a moan into his mouth, her hands caressing his back as he covered her. He kissed down over her jaw and she tipped her head back, feeling his beard scratch lightly as he trailed his tongue down her neck. He continued to kiss his way down, over her chest, licking delicately between her breasts before quickly engulfing her bared nipple in his mouth, sucking hungrily at it with a low moan that she felt rather than heard.

Her hands moved to his shoulders and into his hair, stroking through it as her back arched, pressing her breast more to the heat of his mouth, moaning with pleasure. His hands stroked up and down her sides, his thumbs hooking into her panties and tugging them down slowly, his lips never leaving her skin, except to nuzzle the lace down off her other breast so he could take that nipple into his mouth.

Vivvie writhed under him, loving the feel of his mouth on her breasts, her hands tangling restlessly in his hair. She whimpered as he planted a kiss to the soft fullness of her breast and kissed down over her belly, his tongue dipping into the well of her navel before continuing lower, his hands pushing her panties off completely before gently gripping her ankles and pushing them up, parting her thighs as her knees bent, so that he could lay between them.

Glenn looked up at her, her face flushed, her eyes dark, and lightly ran his tongue over her nether lips, barely parting them, and she bucked her hips up with a moan. It was all the invitation he needed, plunging his tongue into her as her movement opened her to his mouth. She cried out with pleasure as he curled his tongue through her folds and teased at her swollen clit, tasting her.

Her head tossed back and forth on the bed as he licked and sucked at her hungrily, her heels pushing down into the bed as she thrust her hips up to his mouth. He slowed his movements, gradually withdrawing and placing a soft kiss on her inner thigh, looking up at her and whispering, "I'm selfish, baby. I want the first time you come with me to be with me inside you."

He kicked off his loafers and stood up to push his jeans and shorts off, and Vivvie looked up at him with naked hunger in her expression, her eyes travelling over him avidly. She beckoned to him, her eyes locking with his, and he knelt on the bed between her thighs and slowly lowered his big body to cover hers. Her hands reached for him, caressing his skin, pulling him down to kiss him deeply, whispering, "I want you, Glenn."

He reached under her, undoing her bra and slowly pulling it off, looking down at her body under his with a moan. "God, Vivvie, you . . . " He bent to kiss her passionately, his arms wrapping around her and holding her close.

Vivvie kissed him hungrily, her hands stroking over the satiny smoothness of his back, slowly drawing her instep up along his calf, parting her thighs further, and they both moaned as his hard cock nudged against her pussy. He raised up a little and reached between their bodies to guide himself into her, her fingertips caressing his arm as he did so. He pushed forward with his hips and she nudged hers up to meet him, her eyes widening at the sensation as he entered her.

She wrapped her leg up around his hip as he took her in his arms, and at the look on her face he leaned down and whispered, "Am I too big, Vivvie?"

She shook her head and leaned up to kiss him softly, whispering against his lips, "You're perfect, Glenn. Wondrous." She kissed him again and breathed, "Make love to me, Glenn, please."

He smiled tenderly at her and whispered, "Try and stop me, Vivvie." He rolled his hips forward, entering her fully, moaning at the tight, hot feel of her.

She arched her back, crying out softly at the incredible sensation of fullness, and they were motionless for a long moment, looking deeply into one another's eyes. He bent to kiss her as he began to thrust gently and she gasped, a shudder running through her as they kissed, her hands clinging to his back.

Glenn took long, slow strokes, breathless at the feel of her, kissing her gently over and over. She hooked her ankle up high around his waist, opening herself more to him, giving him more of her depths, her hips rocking up to meet his thrusts. He groaned, sliding his hand down to hold her hip as he thrust deeper into her, and she cried out, her nails digging into his back, "Oh God, yes Glenn, yes!"

He looked into her eyes and continued to thrust deeply into her, and she pulled his head down, kissing him, her arms wrapped around his shoulders, fingers tangling in his hair. His thrusts began to speed up, and she panted against his lips, "Oh yes, yes!"

Her head dropped back to the bed, and he watched in wonder as her excitement built. He could feel it in her muscles, how they tensed, could see it in her eyes, see them hazing, could hear it as her gasps became more and more breathless. And with every change in her expression, he loved her more, wanted her more.

His thrusts were deep and powerful, shaking her body, and her ankle tightened around his waist as she began to keen, wonderful breathy sounds, and he knew she was close. He whispered hoarsely, "Oh Vivvie, baby, yes!"

Vivvie looked up into his eyes, and he knew it a split second before it happened, saw her eyes widen just before she screamed his name. Her body arched and she clung to him. Her hips bucked hard to his, and he could feel the pulsations of her silken inner walls around him, making him groan and pull her closer to him, burying his face in her neck.

It was a long moment before he began to thrust again, and Vivvie moaned, her hips rocking up to meet his again. She felt deliciously tighter and he knew he wouldn't last very long, but her breathing was steepening in his ear, becoming breathless again, to his delight. He began to thrust faster, wanting to bring her to a second peak, with him, his own breathing ragged and shallow.

She moaned again, panting in his ear, "Harder, Glenn, I'm so close!"

He groaned, a low passionate sound, and thrust harder into her, feeling her tightening with every movement. Looking into her eyes, hearing her moans echoing his, he abandoned the tiny shreds of control he still had, letting the passion take him. His powerful body tensed more with every thrust, his eyes locked to her face, drinking in the sight of her excitement, wanting to see that wonderful expression again as she climaxed.

But his own orgasm overwhelmed him first, and he howled her name as he thrust hard into her, losing himself in the bliss that was her body. Her hips thrust up to his and a moment later she was crying out her own pleasure a second time as her inner walls clenched around his cock. He thrust again, a bit unevenly, feeling the rippling of her spasms, and then collapsed forward, resting above her, his weight on his elbows, breathing hard.

Vivvie looked up at him, panting softly, her eyes still hazy and widened with a glorious look of surprise. He gently stroked her hair from her face, bending his head to kiss her with a smile.

She managed a whisper. "Oh, Glenn . . . "

He nuzzled her throat with a soft chuckle. "You called?"

She arched her head back with a low moan of pleasure. "Think yourself lucky I can speak at all, after that!"

"That? Darling Vivvie, that was only the beginning," Glenn raised his head and smiled at her.

Looking up at him, her eyes widened again, and her lips parted, and he sighed and bent to kiss her deeply, loving the way she looked when he managed to surprise her. As the kiss ended, she sighed happily against his lips and whispered, "Then I have lots to look forward to, don't I?"

He smiled and nuzzled behind her ear, loving the breathy little moan that caused. "I think we both do, precious Vivvie."

Mindful of his weight on her, he moved to lie beside her, gathering her against him, kissing her gently as his hands stroked her body slowly. She pressed close to him, her hands caressing him as they kissed. Her fingertips brushed over his back, feeling the hard muscle there beneath the smoothness of his skin. They lay together, lazily kissing and caressing, until the growing darkness reminded them of the time.

Vivvie nuzzled at his neck, listening to his groan of pleasure, and murmured, "We need to decide if we're going to go out, Glenn."

He stroked his fingers over her hair gently and sighed. "I'm very tempted to say no, and just order room service, but we'll be doing that after the Pay Per View and Raw. We need to take every opportunity to go out together, Vivvie. How else can I show off this beautiful woman who graces me with her company?"

She smiled and nestled her head on his chest as he spoke of future nights together. "I like the sound of that 'we', Glenn."

He chuckled, and she heard the sound deep in his chest. "Am I in trouble, Vivvie? Is it too fast to be saying 'we'?"

Raising her head to look into his eyes, she smiled. "No, I think it's officially 'we' now. It is for me, anyway."

Glenn kissed her slowly, holding her close to him, and smiled. "I'm glad to hear that, darling Vivvie. It's been 'we' for me almost since that night at the venue in Connecticut, I think. But last night and this afternoon have confirmed it." He kissed her again, stroking his hand over her hair. "We should get moving though. I did actually make reservations at a lovely restaurant tonight. Fortunately, I made the reservation for a late dinner." He chuckled and nuzzled her neck. "I guess I hoped that we might get distracted and not make it out of here much before then."

She laughed softly and ran her fingers through his hair, glancing at the clock. "Then I don't think it would be wise for me to suggest showering together. Because we'll certainly get distracted again."

He grinned at her. "Smart girl. I like a woman who understands my animal instincts."

She leaned in to nip gently at his throat, her hand sliding down over his hip slowly, moving between them to stroke his cock lightly, whispering, "You're not the only one with animal instincts, Glenn."

The touch made him groan and thrust his hips to her hand. He reached down to take her wrist and slowly brought it around behind her back as he dipped his head to take her nipple in his mouth, suckling on it slowly as she whimpered in pleasure.

He raised his head and they looked into one another's eyes. It was Vivvie who spoke, her voice a husky murmur. "We not only suck at taking things slow, we suck at showing any kind of restraint, don't we?"

He chuckled and nodded, leaning in to kiss her deeply and then getting up off the bed. "I think you're right, Vivvie. But I wouldn't change it for the world. However, I am going to take myself away from your beautiful naked self . . ." He groaned as she stretched luxuriantly on the bed, his eyes devouring her body. "And I'm doing it now, before I make us irretrievably late for dinner."

Vivvie pouted as he began to dress, her eyes taking in his body. "I'm not hungry for food, Glenn." But her tummy growled as she spoke, making a liar of her, and she giggled, looking down at it. "Hush, you!"

He laughed, and leaned down to kiss her as he pulled his shirt on. "You are going to need to eat, because I'm going to show you all about those insistent demands of mine, Vivvie baby."

She sat up, beginning to take the pins out of her hair, winking at him. "I can take anything you can dish out. Just bring it!" She chuckled softly. "So, what kind of restaurant is it tonight? What should I wear?"

Glenn tucked his shirt into his jeans as he answered. "It's kind of classy, I hope that's okay. I wanted to be able to dress up in a suit and really show you off."

Vivvie smiled. "Oh, I think I'll enjoy that, you look so handsome in a suit. And I have something suitably dressy."

He bent to kiss her again. "An hour long enough to make yourself . . . well, you're already beautiful, but dressed and ready to go out?"

She nodded, caressing his face. "More than enough time. I'll see you in an hour, Glenn."

He smiled and ran his hand over her hair. "It will be too long to be apart from you, but I'll be back in an hour."

She rose from the bed after he left and put the security chain on the door and then stepped into a hot shower, smiling to herself. 'We' was definitely a lovely place to be, she thought as she reached for her shampoo.

@@@

Vivvie checked the clock as she put the final touches to her makeup. Time to spare, it seemed, though she didn't discount the possibility that Glenn might arrive early. She had recreated her upswept hairstyle, leaving long tendrils curling at her throat, and her makeup was suitably elegant and sophisticated, a far cry from her usual working day look.

She moved away from the mirror and slipped out of the hotel bathrobe, spraying herself with fragrance. She sighed softly as the perfume warmed on her skin. An old favourite, Fendi, the lush scents of rose and sandalwood creating a musky, romantic mood for her. She slipped on her dress, slinky midnight blue with a deep v-neckline and a plunging back. It was a deceptively simple dress that looked like nothing until it was worn. She fastened the silver and rhinestone chain across the back of her neck to hold the shoulders of the dress in place, and looped the matching chain belt around her waist, adjusting the drape of the neckline with a little smile. She couldn't wear a bra under this dress, not that she thought Glenn would object.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Vivvie smoothed her stockings before putting on her shoes. The nice thing about dating someone as tall as Glenn was being able to wear her highest heels without any fear of ending up taller than him. The elegant four inch heels of her pewter sandals were the perfect touch, and she stood before the mirror, putting on the diamond earrings that were her only jewelry tonight.

She was just applying her lipstick when she heard the knock at the door, and went to answer it, checking the spyhole first. She stepped back from the door as she opened it, and smiled at Glenn, who wore a dark suit with a white dress shirt and a silk tie in a shade of dark blue that looked like it could have been chosen to match her dress.

Glenn looked at her in amazement. This elegant woman was a new side of Vivvie, and he just shook his head as he came in through the open door, closing it gently behind him.

"Vivvie, you look beautiful. Even more beautiful than I thought possible." He smiled at the faint blush that coloured her cheeks.

"And you look so handsome, Glenn. We're even in matching colours," she stepped closer to him and reached out to take his tie and hold it close to her dress.

As he looked down, he realised with a surge of desire that she wasn't wearing a bra under that slinky dress, and he took a deep if somewhat shaky breath. "You are too damn sexy for words, you know that?"

She looked up at him, a tiny smile on her lips. "Thank you Glenn, it's nice to be appreciated."

"If it weren't for the fact that I don't want to waste the opportunity to take you out and show you off in that invitation to riot, I'd be tearing it off you right now," he murmured and she shivered with pleasure.

"I'll get my purse, then. The sooner we have dinner, the sooner we can be back for the after-dinner entertainment," she purred, leaving him with his mouth open as she swayed towards the bedroom door.

"Vivvie?" he found his voice, and she stopped and looked over her shoulder at him.

"Yes, Glenn?"

"Don't plan on doing any sleeping tonight," he growled softly, and was pleased to see the little shudder that ran through her.

She reappeared a few moments later with a silk pashmina in delicate shades of silver and blue around her shoulders, carrying an evening purse that matched her high heels. He smiled at her. She looked more elegant now than out-and-out sexy, which was at once a good and a bad thing. He held out his arm to her and she took it, tucking her keycard into her purse as they left the room.

Glenn looked at her as they waited for the elevator, smiling. It wasn't every day a man got to go out to dinner with someone so beautiful, so sexy. He reached out and touched one of the curls that lay along the smooth skin of her throat and she smiled up at him.

The elevator doors opened and Glenn stepped aside to allow her to step in, and smiled, seeing the other occupant of the elevator.

"Shawn! Good to see you!"

Vivvie smiled at Shawn, who could only nod to Glenn as he looked, rather awe-struck, at Vivvie. "Vivvie-anne Taylor," he finally managed to say, "you are looking damn fine this evening."

Glenn smiled broadly. "I couldn't have said it better myself, Shawn."

Vivvie blushed, and murmured a thank you to them both, taking Glenn's arm again as the elevator opened at the lobby. Shawn smiled at her.

"You have a good evening, Vivvie-anne. Make sure he treats you right - I've already warned him he'll answer to me if he doesn't."

She chuckled softly. "I don't think you need to have any worries on that score, Shawn."

The look she directed at Glenn told Shawn all he wanted to know. More. She cared for Jacobs, and he cared for her. He reminded himself of his decision to be happy for Vivvie, and smiled at them both.

"Go on then, you two. I'll catch you tomorrow at the venue, I'm sure."

He strode off across the lobby with a wave, not wanting to wait for a response. There were limits to how happy he could be for Vivvie when he was seeing her with someone else. He watched from the bar as they crossed the lobby together, Vivvie's hand tucked in Glenn's arm. He was pleased to note a hotel town car waiting for them - if anyone deserved a limousine ride, it was Vivvie, especially looking as elegant as she did tonight.

Shawn slumped a little on a bar stool, and sipped his beer. He'd never seen Vivvie look so lovely. And so right. He remembered her parents' home, and realised that Vivvie came from money, which might explain it. There were some girls who were just born to wear elegant clothing, and obviously Vivvie was one of them. But she preferred to dress in smart corporate wear, or casual clothes, around the people she worked with.

Lucky Glenn, he mused. Vivvie felt enough for him to be elegant as hell with him. They did make a fine looking couple though, he had to admit. Then a monstrous hand clapped him on the shoulder, and he turned to see Paul Levesque grinning at him.

"Hey Shawn. Man, did you just see Vivvie Taylor with Jacobs? She looked like a million bucks, the lucky s.o.b. Come on, some of the guys know a great steak house, we're gonna go drink beer and eat like real men," Paul chuckled.

Shawn had to laugh, and he downed the beer he'd just ordered. "Count me in, then." A night out with the guys sounded like a damn fine idea. It was certainly preferable to sitting here alone and brooding, and he got off his barstool and grinned at Paul. "Lead the way, Paul."

@@@

Try as he might, Glenn found it hard to remember very many details of the dinner he and Vivvie had just had. The food had been good, and the wine, but his overwhelming memories were of how lovely Vivvie had looked in the candlelight.

They had talked, easily, naturally, deepening their friendship as they learned more about each other. Vivvie wanted to hear every detail of his life, but as she had leaned forward, his eyes had shifted to the depths of her cleavage and he had found himself quite speechless for a moment.

They traded stories, laughing and smiling, and Vivvie had reached out her hand to his over the table at one point, whispering, "Thank you, Glenn, this is just a lovely evening."

He had to admit, he had been a bit taken aback when she had conversed so easily in French with the waiter. She had laughed it off, telling him she had learned French at her mother's insistence, but hadn't spoken it much since she discovered that the reason was so that she would fit in at the Swiss finishing school her mother had chosen for her.

It seemed a very different world to the one he had grown up in, but she was genuine as she smiled and told him that it didn't matter where they had grown up, what mattered was where they were right now. He had to admit she was right, because, together, they felt very right.

He had paid the bill, and they had left the restaurant arm in arm, and he smiled at her. "Are you feeling up to a little walk?"

She smiled at him. "There was a promise of a romantic walk, so absolutely, yes, please."

He had led her to the limousine, and a few minutes later, they alighted at the entrance to one of the city parks, which featured a rose garden walk. She had exclaimed softly in delight, and stood on tiptoes to kiss his cheek. "Glenn, this is a lovely idea, thank you!"

She had nestled close to him, still holding his arm, as they walked slowly through the park, lit by soft spotlights, the scent of the roses rising around them in the warm evening air. The best part of the surprise still awaited her though, and she looked up at him quizically when she heard the soft strains of music on the evening air.

Ahead, there was a covered bandstand, in the very centre of the rose garden, and piped music played softly. She had that sweet look of surprise on her face when he turned to her.

"Would you care to dance, Vivvie?"

"Oh Glenn, thank you, that would be wonderful," she breathed, and he led her up the few stairs to the bandstand and pulled her gently to him.

It was a delight to hold her in his arms as the music played. She was divinely light on her feet, and he suspected that dance lessons had been a part of her growing up too. Which was all to the good, he thought as she followed his lead so easily.

They moved together with the music, Vivvie looking up in his face with a soft smile. "You are quite the most romantic man I think I have ever met, Mr Jacobs," she murmured.

"Is that a good thing, Ms Taylor?" he smiled.

"Oh my, yes. Most definitely," she smiled back, and he bent to kiss her softly.

They continued to dance, Vivvie floating into a graceful turn when he signalled it. He smiled as he took her into his arms and dipped her low, bringing her slowly upright as the song ended. "Told you that you should see me tango," he smiled and she laughed softly.

"I think all of your moves are pretty nifty, if you want the truth."

Glenn chuckled. "I haven't even laid any of my good moves on you yet."

Vivvie grinned. "Now see, that's the reason this relationship just keeps looking better and better!"

He winked. "Come on, let's head back to the hotel. I'm beginning to get . . . urges."

She laughed softly. "You say the sweetest things, Glenn!"

He hugged her close to him as they walked back to the town car, and as the door closed behind them, he hit the button to raise the screen between them and the driver and pulled her into his arms, whispering, "You're mine now, baby."

She pressed close to him with a soft moan, and whispered, "What about the driver?"

He nuzzled her neck and spoke softly. "He has instructions to take us on a nice long scenic drive before taking us back to the hotel." His hand slid slowly up her leg, edging under her dress.

She nipped his earlobe with her lips and breathed, "You think of everything, Glenn."

His hand continued its slow movement up over her silky stockings, smiling as his fingers encountered warm flesh at the top of her thighs. "I don't think I've ever kissed anyone in the back of a limo, Vivvie, but you are such a temptation. All bets are off now."

She chuckled softly against his throat, kissing the skin softly as her fingers caressed his chest through his dress shirt. "My bad?"

He tugged her into his lap, his hand moving farther up under her dress, his eyebrows raising as he encountered nothing but bare skin over her hip, groaning. "Vivvie, aren't you wearing anything under this dress?"

She chuckled softly as her hands slid up over his shoulders and her fingertips stroked the back of his neck. "Only really bad girls go out without wearing panties, Glenn."

He pulled her closer to him, smiling as his fingers encountered the lace of her g-string. "Now I know that's wrong, because you're a really bad girl, Vivvie, and I think these are panties."

She nuzzled at his neck and murmured, "I think you might be right. But those and my stockings are all that's under this dress."

He gave a low chuckle and his hand moved up her side to cup her breast gently. "Mmmm, so I can feel. This could be dangerous."

Arching her back to press herself to his hand, she whispered, "And why is that?"

He looked down at where his hand caressed her, and swiftly pushed her dress aside, baring her breast. "Because I can do this," he whispered, bending his head to take her nipple in his mouth, his arm wrapping around her to hold her as he did.

She moaned helplessly, stroking her hands over his hair as he suckled at her breast, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. Eventually he kissed his way up her neck, his hand moving to cup her breast again, caressing her skin, and whispered in her ear, "Vivvie, baby, I love all of you, but your breasts . . . they're utterly irresistable to me."

He continued to stroke her breast as he kissed her throat, and she whispered, "I think I'd already worked that out, Glenn."

Licking her earlobe, feeling her shiver against him, he whispered, "And do you mind my fascination with your breasts, my darling Vivvie?"

She smiled. "Not at all. Unless you forget about the rest of me."

He chuckled, holding her close. "Not likely, baby."

His fingertips teased her nipple into a hard point and he bent his head again to nuzzle at her breast, his beard scratching lightly against her skin. His arm held her as he bent her backwards, and she moaned with delight. He slid his hand slowly back up under her dress, his fingertips light against her skin as he traced along the edge of her g-string. His mouth engulfed her nipple as he slid his fingers under her panties to caress her, and she gasped, her hips jerking up to his touch.

To Glenn, that breathy gasp was a delightful addition to the feel of Vivvie's body under his mouth and fingers. She made such wonderful sounds when she was excited, although his fingers knew from the silky wetness between her legs that she was aroused even without a sound from her. But this was only a tease, he had no intention of letting things go any further in the back of a town car. Vivvie was worth more to him than that.

Slowly, he withdrew his fingers from her and placed a soft kiss on her breast. Still holding her slightly bent backwards on his lap, he brought his wet fingers to his mouth and licked them, groaning at the taste of her. He pulled her up to kiss him, and held her close as she moaned into his mouth, kissing him deeply.

Nuzzling at her neck, he whispered, "You're too much of a temptation, Vivvie."

She could only sigh with pleasure and press herself closer to him, whispering, "But I so love what you do to me when you're tempted, Glenn."

He gave a low groan and whispered, "I'm going to restrain myself until we're back at the hotel. It won't be easy, and I may just be a bit out of control when I get you alone again." His hand slid back under her dress to cup her ass, loving the feel of her bare skin against his palm.

Vivvie gave a helpless little whimper at the thought of Glenn being out of control, trembling slightly against him. He held her close, only releasing her when the town car slowed and the driver announced very quietly they were arriving at the hotel. Blessing the man's discretion silently, Glenn shifted Vivvie off his lap, taking her hand in his and bringing it to his lips to kiss it.

She took advantage of the few moments before the door was opened to adjust her dress, and when Glenn handed her out of the car, she smiled up at him serenely, even though her heart was racing a little. He drew her hand through his arm and led her into the lobby, both of them oblivious to the glances as they passed. They headed for the elevators, and as they waited, Glenn leaned down to whisper to her, "Your room or mine, Vivvie?"

She looked up at him, her eyes twinkling. "Flip a coin? Or perhaps it should be which one is closest, hmmm?" she murmured, and he laughed.

"Your room it is, then."

Vivvie smiled and nodded, her fingertips caressing his forearm as they stood together, conscious of the warmth of his body next to hers, the scent of his cologne. His solid bulk beside her made her feel intensely feminine, and her breathing quickened again.

He looked down at her, a questioning look on his face, and she could only smile and whisper, "There's something about being with you that has me feeling like I'm sixteen and dating the quarterback. It's making me a bit giddy."

The elevator doors opened and he handed her in, following her, only to wrap her in his arms as the door closed, leaning down to nuzzle at that spot on her neck that made her knees weak, murmuring, "I was hoping to be provoking some more primal urges than just "giddy", Vivvie."

It was all she could do not to moan out loud as she clutched at his shoulders, pressing close to him, her fingers stroking the back of his neck as she whispered, "I was trying to be ladylike, Glenn."

"I'm all for ladylike in public, baby, but once I get you alone . . ." He pulled her hard against him and she felt his erection, wriggling against it with a moan. He bent his head and kissed behind her ear, growling softly, "Keep that up and things are going to be wild once your door is closed."

Vivvie's only response was to slide her hands down to his hips as she ground hers against them, looking up at him through lazily half-lidded eyes. He crushed her against him and kissed her hard, and was delighted when she responded with equal passion. As the elevator doors opened on her floor, Vivvie stepped back from him, taking his tie in her hand, murmuring, "Come on, big boy. Let's go somewhere private and continue this."

He grinned at her, letting her lead him out of the elevator before capturing her from behind with an arm around her waist, pressing his hard cock against her ass, leaning down to lick her ear and whisper, "Hurry, baby. Or things could get interesting right here in the hallway."

Vivvie's hands shook the tiniest bit as she used her keycard to open the door to her suite, and Glenn pushed the door open and hustled her through it, pausing only to kick it closed behind him and put the security chain on. When he turned back to Vivvie, she had tossed her evening purse and wrap onto one of the sofas, and her hands were unfastening the belt around her waist, letting it drop to the floor as she looked up at him. Her hands went to the chain at the back of her neck, and once it was undone, she shimmied her shoulders and her dress slithered down off her body, pooling at her feet, leaving her standing in her stockings and g-string, and her high heeled sandals.

She licked her lips and he gave a low growl, gathering her up into his arms, crossing the suite in a a few long strides to sit her on the table where she had been working that afternoon. Her eyes were wide with surprise as he tore off his suit jacket and tossed it aside, leaning in to kiss her hard while he loosened his tie with one hand. As their lips parted, he panted, "I told you it was going to get wild, Vivvie."

His big hands slid down her body, and with one swift movement he tore her panties from her, his fingers sliding into her wet folds as the other hand undid his belt. Once she got over her surprise, her hands moved to help, unzipping his fly even as he unbuttoned the waistband of his pants, tugging his boxers down to wrap her fingers around his cock and stroke him, moaning deep in her throat as his fingers excited her even further.

She pulled her heels up onto the edge of the table as she lay back, one hand grabbing his tie again and pulling him down to her, leaning up to kiss him hard and moan, "Fuck me, Glenn, please."

He brushed her hand from his cock and leaned down further, rubbing the head slowly through her wet folds. "Try and stop me, baby," was his growled response.

She arched her back up, nudging her hips up to him, and as he slid into her, she moaned with delight. His hands moved to her hips, holding her as he began to thrust into her, and she brought her hands up over her head to grab the edge of the table to brace herself. He groaned, looking down at her, her full breasts bouncing with each thrust.

Vivvie could only whimper with pleasure, pushing down with her heels to drive her hips up to meet his thrusts, looking up into his face, seeing the wild passion there, knowing her own expression matched his. His thrusts grew harder and faster, and she knew he wasn't going to last long but that was fine, because she felt herself teetering on the brink of her own orgasm already. Panting with excitement, she spread her knees wider, letting him thrust even deeper, arching her back, her muscles already tensing.

Glenn knew there was little finesse in their coupling, but they were both hot and ready for it, and when she opened more for him, he bent forward and thrust deeper into her. She shrieked, her hands tightening on the table, her body tensing, and he groaned, feeling her inner walls clenching around him, knowing she was close to the edge, just as he was.

Her scream of pleasure was an echo of his own roar of release, her body shuddering under his as he buried himself deep in her, wracked with powerful tremors as he came. For long moments, neither of them could speak, both gasping for breath, eyes locked together. He propped himself over her, hands flat on the table beside her and shook his head with a smile. "Damn."

She grinned up at him, prising her fingers from the table's edge. "Amen to that. So, is this where I say, 'Thank you for a lovely evening, Glenn' and you go on up to your room like a good boy?"

He grinned back at her. "Oh no, Vivvie. I promised you that you wouldn't be doing much sleeping tonight, and I always keep my promises to beautiful, sexy women." He stood upright, and somehow managed not to look ridiculous with his pants down around his ankles and his dress shirt and tie still on.

Vivvie sat up and reached up to undo his tie and slide it from around his neck. "Then what say we get all the way naked and make use of some of the other furniture?" Her fingers moved downwards, undoing the buttons of his shirt as he pulled a chair closer and sat down to take off his shoes and kick off his pants. She chuckled and slipped off the table, shaking her head. "Tsk tsk, you can't leave good pants all crumpled like that on the floor, Glenn." She bent over to pick them up, and he ran one hand up her thigh with a smile.

"And why not?"

She turned to look at him, carefully folding the pants over the back of a chair, then reaching out to do the same with his jacket. "Because it's going to look . . . unusual enough, you wandering the halls in the morning in a suit and dress shirt, without the suit looking like it spent the night crumpled on the floor." She moved closer to him, and sat straddling his lap, facing him as she undid the last of the buttons on his shirt. "People will talk," she murmured, leaning in to nuzzle at his neck.

He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to him. "Well, we can't have that now, can we?"

Vivvie smiled, running her hands along his arms and unbuttoning his cuffs before pushing his shirt back off his shoulders, leaning in to kiss one of them before whispering in his ear, "I guess I probably shouldn't put a hickey on you, not before a Pay Per View and all."

He laughed. "Probably not. But I'm sure we can find other ways to amuse ourselves." He slipped the shirt off and draped it over the back of the chair beside him. "Now that the housekeeping's taken care of . . ." He buried his face in her neck, kissing along her skin as his fingers sought out the pins holding her hair up.

She caressed his chest and shoulders, and pulled his hair free from the tie holding it in its ponytail, running her fingers through it even as he did the same with hers as it tumbled down around her shoulders. He took her face in his hands and held it gently, bringing it down to his to kiss her slowly, feeling her lips part under his as she pressed close to him.

Vivvie wrapped her arms around his shoulders, her hands lightly caressing his skin, the tip of her tongue delicately tracing inside his lips, glorying in the feel of their naked bodies pressed together. Her fingertips found that place on the nape of his neck and stroked gently over it as they kissed.

He groaned, feeling her featherlight touch on his skin, his hands moving to cup her breasts as she broke the kiss and softly whispered against his lips, "I like this position, Glenn, it has all kinds of possibilities." She lightly ground her hips to his, her stockinged thighs brushing against his skin in a way that made him shiver.

Sliding one hand down her body to cup her ass, he pulled her closer to him so she could feel his cock beginning to harden again, kissing up her neck to whisper in her ear. "I do hope your possibilities included that, darling Vivvie."

She gave a soft moan, pressing closer to him, her breast pushing more to his hand, the other hard nipple brushing against his chest. "Oh yes, they most certainly did."

He looked deep into her eyes and then bent his head as he leaned her back, his lips closing over her nipple with a low moan of pleasure, suckling hard on that erect little nub, which made Vivvie rock her hips to his, shuddering against him.

Glenn couldn't quite believe how good she felt, how responsive her body was to his. His cock twitched as it hardened more, and she wriggled against him in a way that almost made him whimper. He nuzzled between her full breasts and then took her other nipple into his mouth, lashing his tongue over it.

Vivvie cried out as his tongue laved her nipple, her fingers clutching in his hair as she ground her hips against his hard cock. Raising up on her tiptoes, she slid a hand down between their bodies to stroke his shaft and guide it into her, very slowly sinking down onto it, moaning at the glorious friction against her still sensitive inner walls, her hips rocking slightly to accustom herself to his size.

His hands warm on her back, he held her close to him, nuzzling at her neck as she continued to rock her hips slowly against his. She moaned softly, her fingers stroking through his hair, "This feels so good, Glenn."

"Good doesn't even begin to describe it, Vivvie," his voice was low in her ear as he thrust up lightly into her, feeling her shudder in response.

She pulled back a little, her hands moving to hold the back of the chair as she rose up on her tiptoes again and began thrusting her hips to his, each time taking him a little deeper inside her, and he could only look up at her in awe. Her breasts brushed his chest as she rotated her hips and changed the angle of her thrusts, whimpering and moaning with delight as she felt his cock stroking all along her inner walls.

His hands cupped her ass as he met her thrusts, dipping his head to nuzzle his face between her breasts, his own moans sounding loud in his ears as her every move excited him more, grinding her hips to his with every stroke. Vivvie panted softly with excitement, feeling his warm breath against her skin, and began to thrust faster against him.

With a growl, Glenn pumped his hips up to hers, meeting her thrusts, latching onto the nipple of one bouncing breast and suckling hard, making Vivvie throw her head back with a cry of delight. Her thrusts came harder now as she drove her hips to his, and he groaned, his nails digging into her ass as he pulled her down to take more of his shaft with every thrust, sliding one hand around between their bodies to rub her clit.

He felt her shudder at his touch, and he nipped lightly at her nipple as his tongue flicked over it, making her slam her hips even harder to his, her sleek thighs flexing, her stockings brushing against his skin. He continued to rub the swollen nub of her clit, moaning as he felt his excitement nearing its peak, craving it but not wanting the exquisite sensations to ever end.

Glenn's fingers on her clit and his mouth on her nipple had Vivvie almost lightheaded with her desire for him, her thrusts coming harder and faster, feeling his cock throbbing inside her, moaning his name, "Oh god, Glenn, I'm so close baby!"

His response was to release her nipple, looking up at her as he groaned, "Come for me, Vivvie!"

Her eyes locked to his as she ground her hips to his, thrusting hard and fast, panting with excitement. He rubbed harder at her clit, and she nodded almost imperceptibly, her muscles tensing with her oncoming orgasm. Moments later, she was screaming as it burst through her, sending her hips bucking hard to his, her inner walls tightening around his cock. The increased friction and her last few thrusts as he pumped up hard into her were all it took to send him over the edge with her, groaning with pleasure, his eyes almost rolling back into his head with the bliss he felt.

Vivvie slumped forward against him, wrapping her shaking arms around him, and his arms came up to hold her close, both of them shuddering with aftershocks of such intense sensations. When he caught his breath, he nuzzled at her neck and chuckled softly, "Damn, I think you just kicked 'wild' up a notch or two, baby!"

She raised her head, giving him a wink, still a little breathless. "You aren't the only one with urges, Glenn."

He kissed her. "So I see - lucky me! You know, much as I love you in this position," he punctuated his words with a little thrust up into her, and smiled when she shuddered, "I think I'd like to take you to bed, beautiful girl."

She nuzzled her nose to his, smiling back at him. "I'll second that motion, Glenn."

With a tiny moan, she lifted herself from his lap, standing on slightly shaky legs. He rose and swept her up into his arms, carrying her in the bedroom of the suite and laying her down on the bed. She smiled up at him as he stretched out beside her, sitting up to take off her sandals and drop them on the floor beside the bed.

When she reached for her stockings, he laid a gentle hand over hers. "Leave them on, Vivvie. I like the feel of them."

She smiled, laying back down beside him and draping one stocking clad leg over his thigh, sighing with pleasure as he ran his hand along her thigh and pulled her closer to him. "Mmmm, that is nice."

He chuckled softly. "Nice? It's sexy as hell, and damn near perfect!"

She nestled her head on his shoulder, laughing. "Well thank you, Glenn."

Glenn sighed with happiness himself, one arm wrapped around her, holding her close to him, the other behind his head. His eyes were growing heavy, and he turned his head, pressing a kiss to Vivvie's forehead as he murmured, "I think it's time for a little nap, best girl. I want to be rested up for round two."

He felt rather than heard her low chuckle against his chest, and her lips left a soft open mouthed kiss against his skin, her voice sounding a little sleepy as she responded, "Mmmm, round two. You're fast surpassing my hopes and expectations, Glenn, I hope you know that."

Her voice trailed off, and he realised that she slept, and his hand stroked over her shoulder as he let himself drift off as well.

@@@

Glenn awoke with a startled gasp, aware at once of two things - one, that Vivvie was no longer in his arms, and two, that the feel of her beautiful mouth on his cock was nothing short of amazing.

In the soft pool of light from the bedside lamp, he could see Vivvie kneeling between his outstretched thighs, her dark hair hanging down over her shoulders, one hand lightly stroking his cock while she bobbed her head up and down slowly, her lips and tongue sliding wetly over his shaft. At his gasp, she looked up through the curtain of her hair at him, and the wave of lust that swamped him at the look in her eyes made him groan.

She curled her tongue lightly around the head of his cock before speaking, her warm breath puffing gently over the moistened flesh, making his cock twitch in her hand. "I hope you don't mind, Glenn, but I couldn't resist you."

"Mind?" he managed to croak. "Why the hell should I mind? Waking up to your mouth on my cock . . . god, Vivvie, you have no idea how good that feels!"

Vivvie gave him a wicked little smile, lightly teasing at the flare of his cockhead with the very tip of her tongue. "Oh, from the moans you were making in your sleep, I think I have an idea."

He moaned again, wide awake this time, his head falling back on the pillows as her warm mouth engulfed him slowly. The combination of her mouth and her lightly stroking hand was one thing, but when her other hand slipped between his thighs and she began to gently caress his balls, his hips came up off the bed involuntarily with a load groan. "Oh fuck, Vivvie!"

Her only response was to continue her ministrations, her mouth taking him deeper each time she bobbed her head down, her hand wrapping a little more firmly around the base of his shaft, pumping gently, while her fingers fondled and scratched lightly over his balls, making him whimper, his heels pushing down into the bed as he thrust his hips up into that incredible mouth.

After what seemed like an eternity of wonderful sensations, he managed to gasp her name breathlessly before he came, too far gone in pleasure to give her much more in the way of warning. To his delight, her lips remained firmly around his cock, and her fingers pumped his throbbing shaft gently as her tongue swirled around his cockhead, that sensation making him groan anew, his body shuddering.

Finally, as he began to get his breath back, she released his cock with one final lick, sitting back on her heels and smiling at him. He sat up swiftly and grabbed her, pulling her to him in a tight embrace, for a moment lost for words. She wound her arms around his neck, holding close to him, and he eventually managed to speak.

"That was . . ." was as far as he got before words failed him again.

Vivvie gently caressed his face, smiling. "That was my pleasure, and you're welcome."

"Holy God, best girl, you are amazing!" The grin on his face was huge. "Of course, this just reinforces my animal instinct to keep you chained to my bed from this moment on."

She grinned back at him. "Oh yes, those insistent urges I keep hearing about."

Glenn nuzzled at her neck, growling playfully. "Very insistent, you frisky little devil." He lay back on the bed, bringing her with him, his hands caressing her body. She gave a soft moan, her body arching to his touch, and he whispered in her ear, "This is why those urges are so insistent when it comes to you, darling Vivvie. The way you respond to me - do you have any idea how much it turns me on, hearing you moan that way? Or feeling your body writhing as I touch you?"

He lay her back against the pillows, lying on his side so that he could caress her as his lips trailed down her throat to her chest, his beard lightly scratching her skin, making her back arch off the bed. Her nipples were tightening to little hard points before he got to them, and he flicked the tip of his tongue across one, loving the breathy gasp that caused.

One hand slid slowly down over her stomach to caress her hip, and as he took her nipple into his mouth, his fingers dipped between her legs and parted her soft folds, making her cry out with pleasure. He suckled gently on that hard little nub while his fingers explored her, skating lightly over the little pearl of her clit, feeling it plumping as the silky wetness there increased.

Pressing a soft kiss to the swell of her breast, he moved down the bed, his big hands gentle on her ankles as he pushed them up, parting her thighs so that he could lie between them. He kissed up the softness of her inner thigh, feeling her trembling under his lips, and then gently held her nether lips open with his thumbs before taking a long slow lick through her pink folds.

Glenn moaned at the taste of her, as her back arched and she whimpered softly, her hands moving restlessly in his hair. He bent his head again, his lips suckling at her as his tongue probed and wriggled inside her, his hands moving to cup her ass as she began to thrust her hips up to his mouth, delighting him yet again with her passionate responsiveness. He nudged at her clit with his nose, making her buck her hips, and he tightened his grip on her ass as he continued to probe her with his tongue, loving the breathless cries she made.

Vivvie arched and moaned on the bed, her hands clutching at the sheets as she rocked her hips up to Glenn's mouth, which had her nearly insane with pleasure, his warm tongue in her, on her, the sensations so intense they were almost dizzying.

He could feel her muscles tensing, and her moans grew more and more breathless, and he slid his mouth up through her silky wet folds, bathing his tongue firmly over her clit again and again, sliding two fingers effortlessly inside her, curling them lightly upwards, rewarded with a renewed buck of her hips as his fingertips stroked over her g-spot.

She almost screamed as his fingers slid over that sensitive little spot, and her head rolled back on the pillows as she arched up hard, her muscles tensing as every pleasurable sensation seemed to focus in and intensify before exploding through her like a supernova, ripping a howl of delight from her before she collapsed back onto the bed, gasping and trembling all over.

Glenn gently withdrew his fingers, and brushed a kiss to her inner thigh, but the moan that came from her was one of almost protest, as her body shivered with a surfeit of pleasurable sensations, aftershocks of her orgasm rolling through her in waves. He took the opportunity to go into the bathroom and wash his face and beard before coming back to stretch out carefully beside her, brushing the backs of his fingers over the hand that lay curled limply at her side.

Vivvie turned her head towards him, and he leaned in to kiss her very softly, careful not to touch her, and she smiled at him, one shaking hand coming up to caress his cheek. "Thank you."

He smiled back. "Baby, one good turn definitely deserved another, believe me."

She chuckled softly. "Mmmm, you certainly give as good as you get. But thank you as well for knowing not to get grabby straight away after that."

Propping himself up on one elbow, he very gently caressed her arm. "I'm a big boy, and I know men and women are wired differently when it comes to orgasms. We guys tend to just melt into a puddle once we come, but you girls - oh baby, I just have to watch you to know that you're still feeling it for a while afterwards. Better end of the deal for you, maybe, but it does mean you might need a little longer to come down off the high before you're ready to be touched again if it's been really intense."

She stretched luxuriantly beside him, giving a little shudder of pleasure, her toes curling. "Intense and then some, thank you very much!"

His eyes swept over her and he licked his lips. "You, best girl, must be a witch!"

Leaning in to kiss him lightly, Vivvie chuckled softly. "Why do you say that?"

He placed a hand on her hip and pulled her close to him, grinding the length of his hardening cock against her thigh. "Because even after that earth-shattering hummer, one look at you, and I'm raring to go again! It must be witchcraft!" He winked at her and dipped his head to nuzzle at her neck.

Her arms went around him, wriggling against him with a little moan. "Mmmm, now I see why they call you the Big Red Machine, although I think it's more pink than red."

Glenn kissed her, his tongue dipping briefly into her mouth. "I just hope you aren't expecting swinging from the chandeliers, baby - hell, in all honesty, I'm not even sure I've got it in me to finish, but I want to be inside you so badly."

She moaned softly against his lips, her hands stroking over his shoulders, and whispered, "Then let's try this." Turning on her side, she pushed her ass back against his cock with a little wriggle, sliding her hand down his thigh. "Pull this knee forward a bit."

He could see what she was going for, sliding his knee up between her thighs, opening her to him, and he reached between their bodies to guide his cock into her as she draped her leg over his. His arm slid around her waist, pulling her back against him as he thrust forward, and with a moan, he was inside her.

Vivvie gave a soft shuddering moan, feeling him slide along her inner walls that still spasmed from her intense orgasm, and his hand crept up to cup her breast as he held her close to him, nuzzling gently at her neck. "Relax, best girl, I don't even feel like thrusting - I just want to fall asleep like this. Are you comfortable?"

She wriggled back against him and tugged the pillow down a touch, then turned her head to smile at him. "Divinely, thank you Glenn."

He leaned forward a little and kissed her gently. "Of course, you realise this does put me in the perfect position to wake you in the morning almost as wonderfully as you woke me a little while ago?"

Kissing him with a chuckle, she nodded. "I had picked up on that, yes. See me complaining?"

Laying his head down, he grinned, releasing his hold on her just long enough to turn the lights out, kissing the back of her neck in the darkness. "Goodnight Vivvie."

The only response was a soft exhale from Vivvie as sleep claimed her, and his hand caressed the fullness of her breast gently as his own eyes closed. Even the tiny movements she made as she breathed were enough to move her against his cock and keep his excitement simmering, but eventually tiredness won out and he slept.

@@@

Glenn woke the next morning with Vivvie still held in his arms, and a smile spread across his face at that fact as he softly kissed her shoulder. He didn't want to wake her, content to lay there with her body fitted against his, feeling the warmth of her skin as he gently caressed her. Last night had been an extraordinary one - not only did he thoroughly enjoy her company, but to find her passions matched his own was more than he could have wished for.

Thinking of her incredible responsiveness to him, the way her body reacted to his touch, the sounds she made, he could feel his cock stiffening again, and he slowly ran his hand down Vivvie's side, over her ass and down under her thigh, very gently lifting her leg up to open her to him. His lips kissed along her shoulder to the back of her neck as he rocked his hips forward, the head of his cock sliding against her folds without entering her, but even that movement sent shivers of pleasure through him.

His hand slowly travelled up her body to cup her breast, very gently teasing at her nipple with his fingertips. He had always been a breast man, and he was delighted to find that Vivvie's breasts were very much part of her erogenous zones. He stroked around the soft fullness in his hand, his fingers tracing the curve under her breast as his lips continued to kiss her neck, inhaling her scent.

She moaned very softly in her sleep, and he smiled, continuing to rock his hips to hers slowly as his hand caressed her, enjoying the languid feeling of this intimacy, his face buried in her hair.

Vivvie came slowly awake to his gentle caresses, feeling herself held safely in his arms, his cock rubbing against her in the most delicious tease, and she moaned softly, whispering, "What a wonderful way to wake up, Glenn."

His smile widening, he kissed slowly up her neck to her ear, whispering back, "You were too hard to resist, best girl. I hope you slept well?"

Nodding her head, she wriggled back against him more, arching her back lightly to push her breast more into his hand, her voice a murmur. "I'm not really awake though - I feel like I must be dreaming."

Glenn nuzzled her neck, whispering, "If I'm dreaming, then I never want to wake up, Vivvie."

She gave a long shuddering sigh, the sensations of his touches heightened in her sleepy state, feeling everything more intensely. He brushed the tips of his fingers over her hard nipple and she gasped, grinding her hips back against his, needing more than his teasing touches. With a soft whimper, she reached back, pulling his hip towards hers, whispering, "I need you inside me, Glenn, please!"

Her words thrilled him deeply, the knowledge that her hunger for him was as strong as his was for her arousing him even more, and he shifted position slightly, his hand lifting her leg, moaning as she reached down to guide his cock into her. The feel of her was nothing short of delicious, and he rocked his hips forward as he held her close to him, giving an involuntary gasp as he sheathed himself deep inside her.

Vivvie gave a soft cry, her hands clutching at his arm around her, feeling his shaft filling her so tightly. He slid his other arm under her, his big hand cupping her breast, while the other hand caressed her belly and held her close to him as he began to make slow thrusts into her. Her head arched back against his chest as she pressed close to him, held securely in his arms, her body shivering with pleasure.

Glenn tweaked her hard nipple with his fingertips, loving her moans as he did so, and his other hand stroked over her belly, brushing lightly over her skin. She whimpered again and placed her hand over his, guiding it to where she needed it, pressing his fingers into her folds. He groaned, his cock throbbing deep inside her, excited powerfully again by her passion, her need for him.

His fingers caressed her, drawing her silky wetness over her clit in the lightest of touches before rubbing it more firmly, shuddering with delight as her hips bucked hard to his touch and her inner walls clenched around his cock. They were both wide awake now, and the langour of their earlier caresses was replaced by a more urgent passion, his hips thrusting harder to hers as she whimpered and moaned, rocking back against him.

Her moans were becoming breathless, and he could feel her muscles become taut with her growing excitement. That passionate responsiveness fed his own desire, and he clutched her tighter to him as his thrusts became harder and faster, groaning in her ear, "That's it baby, god, you are so hot!"

Vivvie's nails dug into the back of his hands as she abandoned herself to the sensations, keening and whimpering his name over and over as she trembled on the edge of her orgasm for what seemed like forever until it flooded through her like a tidal wave, her body bucking hard against his as she shuddered with pleasure. The feel of her inner walls spasming as they tightened around his cock made him groan, and he made one last hard thrust into her as he came.

He collapsed forward against her, panting, feeling the shudders of her body and the rhythmic contractions of her pussy milking him. It was a long moment before he could gather his wits enough to roll back off her, but his arms remained around her, holding her close to him. She made some inarticulate sounds, nestling her head back onto his chest, feeling safe held against his big body.

As their breathing slowed, Vivvie turned her head to look over her shoulder at him, whispering, "Good morning, Glenn."

Laughter rumbled deep in his chest and he bent his head forward to kiss her. "Good morning, best girl."

She chuckled softly and wriggled against him. "You always wake up like this?"

Growling playfully, he nuzzled her neck. "Only when there's a beautiful naked woman in my arms. That does seem to provoke more of those insistent urges of mine, especially if she's moaning in her sleep."

Arching her head back for him, she smiled. "Can I help it if this big naked man in my dreams was doing all these delicious things to me?"

Glenn ran his tongue up behind her ear, smiling as she shuddered in his arms. "I hope I lived up to your dreams, Vivvie."

Her answer to that was to turn over to face him and kiss him deeply, pressing herself against him, whispering, "Exceeded them, Glenn, and then some."

He looked into her eyes, running his fingers through her hair as he gave a contented sigh. "Then I'm happy."

Vivvie nuzzled her head to his hand, smiling, and then lay her head against his chest. "So what shall we do today?"

Tucking her head under his chin, his hands stroked her back gently. "Well, breakfast would be a good start - I have to keep your strength up, best girl."

She nodded against his chest. "And I think perhaps a shower might be in order, too."

He grinned, his fingers tickling her ribs. "You trying to tell me I stink, best girl?"

Giggling, she squirmed against him. "I was thinking more of my own lack of freshness, actually!"

He held her close, laughing. "Okay, so we both need bathing, and food. My thoughts beyond that all involve dragging you back into bed, Vivvie darling."

She pulled back a little to look into his eyes, giving a little shiver at the barely banked lust she saw there. "Um, not that I'm complaining, but how will that affect your match performance tonight? I'd really rather not have Paul Levesque and Dave Batista hunting me down for making you too tired to wrestle at your best."

He brushed the backs of his fingers across her cheek, smiling. " Now this is truly why you are my best girl, Vivvie. I wasn't really thinking of tonight, so thank you for the reality check. Think you could stand to just spend the day with me out of bed?"

Leaning in to kiss him softly, Vivvie smiled. "I'd adore spending the day with you out of bed, Glenn."

Glenn held her close as he kissed her. "Good. So how's this sound to you? I need to go back to my room - apart from needing a shower, I have to pack my gear for Fan Axxess this afternoon and the show tonight. I'll meet you back here in an hour, and we'll go out to breakfast somewhere, and then find something to amuse ourselves with until I need to be at the venue this afternoon."

Vivvie smiled up at him. "It sounds good to me. But you might want to add something else to your list of things to do."

Stroking his hand over her hair, Glenn smiled. "And what's that, best girl?"

"Pack a change of clothes for tomorrow. That way there's none of this going back to your room to shower and change business." She grinned at him. "I absolutely insist on the opportunity of showering with you at least once this trip. And then there's that huge tub in the bathroom . . . "

He growled, pulling her closer as he bent his head to kiss her deeply. "Try and stop me, baby."

She moaned against his lips as she returned his kiss, clinging to him, breathless. As their lips parted, she looked up into his eyes, her breath catching slightly at the expression she saw there, knowing it matched her own need for him. She ground her hips to his, feeling his cock hardening again.

"Breakfast can wait," he murmured as he nuzzled at her throat, delighted when her nails dragged lightly down his back as she arched her head back.

She wrapped one leg around his hip, pulling him closer to her, her hands running over his arms and shoulders. She loved his big body, the feel of hard muscle under his smooth skin, the strength of him. He rolled her onto her back, settling between her thighs, and she moaned as he covered her, kissing up his chest as she wrapped her legs around his hips. "I'm only hungry for you, Glenn."

He could only groan at her words, reaching down to guide himself into her, her lips so soft against his skin as he rolled his hips forward in to her warm wet embrace.

Her head fell backwards as her hips bucked up to his as he entered her, making her shudder with pleasure, her heels pressing into his ass as she rocked her hips up to his. Her body was torn between wanting him and protesting that it was too much, but his head came down and he nuzzled at that spot on her neck that made her melt and she moaned at the sudden heat that flooded through her, her nails digging into his back.

Glenn made a few more slow thrusts and then stopped, holding her close, his face buried in her hair as he groaned, "Baby, I can't."

She knew exactly what he meant, as her own body renewed its objections, and her hands stroked over his back gently, pressing a line of kisses along his neck. "I know, Glenn. I'm tapped out myself."

She could feel rather than hear his chuckle, and he raised his head, smiling at her. "So, what? We both win by submission?"

Vivvie couldn't help but giggle, nuzzling her nose to his. "I'd say it was more a case of double disqualification. The spirit is willing, but the body . . . baby, you've worn me out with those lovely insistent demands."

He grinned. "And believe me, I've not been this horny since I was a teenager, so I still say you're a witch, best girl. But even your powers have limits, it seems. And for the record, baby, you can call me 'baby' all you want."

She leaned up to kiss him lightly. "Thanks, baby."

He rolled to his side, gathering her into a hug. She was an exceptional woman, no doubt about it. How else could you describe someone who was so loving about his, ah, failure to launch?

Snuggling into his arms, Vivvie sighed with contentment, and then raised her head to smile at him. "So, what say we take another shot at getting out of bed?"

He laughed, kissing her as he let her go and then sat up, giving a stretch. "Okay, so perhaps we have a third thing we suck at."

Kneeling up behind him, she put her arms around him as she kissed his cheek. "You mean getting out of bed? Yeah, but have you noticed we only suck at stuff that would get in the way of us having a really good time?"

He could only laugh at that, and she ran her hands back over his shoulders and over his back as she sat back on her heels, and he smiled at her over his shoulder as he rose to his feet and headed out of the bedroom. "There is that! An hour enough time for you, best girl?"

She slipped off the bed and picked up her bathrobe, putting it on as she followed him, perching on the arm of a sofa while he started to dress. "More than enough for me - will it be enough for you? I mean, you have to pack as well."

Clad in his boxers, he pulled his dress shirt on, and smiled as she came over to button it for him, stroking a hand over her hair. "Why don't you come up to my room when you're ready then? That way, it doesn't matter."

She smiled up at him, stepping away from him as he reached for his pants to put them on. "That's a good idea." She picked up his silk tie, carefully folding it up and tucking it into his jacket pocket where it hung over the back of the chair.

He sat down to put his shoes and socks on, then tugged her gently into his lap, kissing her. "Definitely need to bring some clothes back with me, Vivvie darling. Can't be running out on my best girl like this forever, can I?"

Vivvie gave a happy sigh, smiling at him. "Yes please, Glenn. But now I'm going to throw you out, or we'll never get any breakfast! I'll come up to your room when I'm dressed, okay?"

She stood up and handed him his jacket, and walked him to the door of the suite. When he had left, she turned to survey the room, giggling to herself at her clothing strewn about it. "A good evening's work, baby, I'd say!"

Collecting her dress and wrap, and her torn panties, which she tucked into the pocket of her robe, she went back into the bedroom, shedding the robe and sitting down to take off her stockings. It was only when she sat down that she realised with a rueful little smile that their good night's work had left her not just tapped out, but a little sore and sorry. Forget the shower, she thought as she went into the bathroom, she needed a little soak in the tub first. Even then, she winced a little as she settled into the warm water, but it was a good kind of soreness.

As she relaxed, she was actually very glad they would have to behave themselves today. Nice as it was to be dating someone so tall, there were some small downsides to Glenn being such a big man, especially since he was big all over. That thought caused a little blush to come to her cheeks, and she chuckled softly at the direction her thoughts were taking. Definitely time to hit the showers!

Vivvie's adventures will be continued . . . stay tuned!

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