Resolutions

Author: UtsSmutQueen

Rated: R-for possible SMUT, language

Disclaimer: Go right ahead and sue me. It’s your money Vinnie Mac-man. The only thing you’ll get from me is a headache and 43 cents. And I can’t guarantee I’ll have 43 cents.

A/N: In a perfect world, the men I’m writing about here would be single and readily available to do…whatever we wanted. But alas…they aren’t. HEY, it IS fiction, and it IS my story. So single they be. At least, until I deem them worthy of marriage to one of my characters…lol

Ah, and Lex…sorry babe, but I just cannot write smut with Kurt Angle. lmao…take heart, I’ve got a little something for you in the works

PROLOGUE

New Year’s Eve 2001

Ten minutes until midnight, and the start of a new year.

The party had been going on for almost six hours with no sign of slowing down. The ballroom of the hotel had been rented out for the entire night by the fed. For once, everyone seemed to be getting along.

“Miracles do happen,” Claire said to no one in particular.

“Why? Did the Bisch drown in the punchbowl?” Patsy asked, looking around the room. Claire shook her head. “Damn. Don’t get my hopes up like that.”

Claire laughed. “No…the fact that with the amount of alcohol being served there hasn’t been one screaming match, fist fight, or any other sign of unruly behavior.”

“The night is still young,” Mary said from her perch behind them. She’d dragged a stool into the corner where she had a good view of everything that was going on. If people wanted to talk to her, they knew where she was. She wasn’t in the mood for mingling; it had been Rhonda who had dragged her here tonight.

Of Rhonda there was currently no sign. She’d grabbed Shelly and pulled her into the ladies room, presumably to gossip about one of the guys. The only one unaccounted for was Trina; she’d put in an appearance then had disappeared.

For most of the night the six women had stayed where they were. The walls of the ballroom were lined with tables, and there were sitting areas in each of the corners. They’d staked this one out for themselves, wandering away for food or for fresh drinks. Occasionally they’d accept a dance invitation from one of they guys. (“Do NOT dance with Jeff,” Shelly had said when she’d limped back from her one outing with him, making the others laugh.)

This was the first time in a long time that all six of them were together. Each had a different job with the company, and their hours varied. The only reason Mary had finally agreed to come was because it gave her a chance to catch up with Claire. Claire was the only one who worked in the corporate office, so she didn’t travel with the company like the rest of them did. Mary was with the SmackDown brand, which was almost the same as being in a totally different company.

Rhonda, Shelly, Patsy and Trina worked with the Raw guys exclusively. They had, of course, preferred the way things used to be before the roster split, but the choice hadn’t been theirs. In the end, each had stuck with what they knew.

“Did we miss anything?” Rhonda asked, finally reappearing with a laughing Shelly behind her.

“Nope…noth…” Patsy stopped and started laughing. “Well, well, well. Trina’s back. And from the looks of her, I’d say she test drove a bed or two.”

Claire snickered, covering her mouth with her hand. It was true. Trina’s eyes had a faraway look, her hair was mussed, and she was smiling in a knowing way.

“Hi guys,” Trina finally noticed them looking at her and blushed. “Sorry. I had something to take care of.”

“I’ll bet…” Shelly started laughing. “I hope he…it…came out all right.”

“You are terrible,” Claire said, still trying not to laugh.

The music that had been playing since the party started had cut off with no warning. Vince McMahon climbed onto the small stage in the front of the room and grabbed a microphone.

“Can’t he stop hogging the spotlight for one damn night?” Rhonda stage-whispered to no one in particular. The other women laughed quietly, drawing amused looks from the people standing closest to them.

“Can I have your attention for one moment please?” Vince’s smooth, overly practiced voice came over the speaker, causing a momentary feedback squeal. He winced, then lowered his tone. “Ladies and gentlemen, I hope that you’re enjoying yourselves tonight. Relax, have fun. Let off some steam.” He paused and smiled down at his wife, who was standing directly in front of him. “Midnight is in exactly 3 minutes. Grab the one you love and lay a kiss on them. And then…grab your wife and do the same thing! We’ll be starting the countdown in just a few minutes! Happy New Year!” With that, he dropped the mic and stepped off the stage, getting a playful smack from Linda.

Claire sighed. “The New Year’s kiss.”

“Please refrain from slipping anyone the tongue,” Patsy imitated Vince’s deep voice.

“Oh come on. Let’s go out onto the floor and get smooched,” Rhonda said with a laugh. “You know we’ll get passed around.”

“I think I’ll pass on that one,” Trina said. She still sounded like she was lost in her own little world.

“Of course…” Patsy smiled sweetly at her. “Who knows where your mouth has been this evening.”

“Patsy!” Shelly was laughing at the way Trina’s face went an even brighter shade of red.

“I have an idea,” Mary said, getting down off of her stool. She smoothed out the front of her dress. “Let’s do as Rhonda suggested. Wander out into the crowd. Then at midnight…”

“We all grab a guy and throw him down and ravish him?” Patsy said with a laugh.

“In front of everybody?” Claire said with a smirk.

“No…be serious for a minute here,” Mary was smiling. “We all have our little crushes. Don’t deny it…” she looked pointedly at Claire. “So, how about this? We all go onto the floor and at midnight, if our respective guys give up a little kiss…we take it as a sign to mean that we’re supposed to go after them this year.”

“I’m in,” Patsy said, rubbing her hands together.

“There’s a shocker,” Rhonda said with a laugh. “It’s not like she dared you to do it.”

“Go after them?” Shelly laughed. “As in…what? Get a marriage proposal? Chase them with a knife?”

“No…we just make it a point to make ourselves more…available to them, so they know that we like them. And in one year…” Mary shrugged. “Well…we meet back up and see how it all came out.”

“What if the guy we’re crushing on doesn’t kiss us?” Trina piped up from her seat on the couch.

“Well…” again, a shrug. “How about…we accept fate and go after the first guy that does? Hell, you never know, it might be meant to be between you and Spike Dudley.”

Trina looked uncomfortable with that, while the others laughed.

“Leave Spike alone. He’s a sweet guy,” Rhonda said between giggles. “If we’re going to do this, we should go. We have like…less than a minute.”

“Well….let’s go,” Patsy grabbed Shelly’s arm and pulled her, ignoring her protests. Rhonda glanced at Mary with a worried smile, then followed them. Claire didn’t move.

“I rather like the idea of staying right where I am…” She said apologetically. Mary patted her arm.

“Up to you. But…it is just a kiss right?” with that, she headed into the crowd.

Trina hesitated for a moment, then followed her, trying to push her way to the other side of the room. Claire crossed her arms over her chest and watched the clock as it counted down the final seconds of the year.

First Kisses

Trina

Trina pushed her way through the crowd, keeping her eyes on the man across the room. If she was going to get a kiss and spend the year mooning over somebody, might as well make it someone she already knew and liked.

John, also known as Bradshaw, was standing against the wall, talking to a couple of the other guys. Trina paid them no attention. Her eyes were locked on the back of John’s dark head. They’d had an extremely heavy petting session in a small hallway behind the ballroom. Trina had finally pushed him away, laughing, telling him to wait until after midnight when they could slip out and go upstairs to one of their rooms.

She should have just dragged him on up there. As it was she’d spent more than an hour with him, in what she thought of as a high school grope. She seemed to recall the same thing happening at her senior prom.

The crowd around her began counting down as she neared him. Trina smiled when John turned and met her eyes. A lazy grin spread across his face as he watched her progress.

“3…2…” Trina suddenly lost her footing, her high heel slipping through someone’s spilled drink. She felt hands grabbing her arms and righting her, and just as the crowd yelled out the final number found herself looking into the eyes of…

Bubba Dudley. He was half-smiling, steadying her. The crowd around them starting cheering and screaming as the clock ticked over, making the end of the old year.

“Kiss for the hero,” He said with a laugh and a wink. Trina’s eyes widened but she didn’t have time to protest before he pressed his mouth lightly against hers. It was quick…she supposed she should be thankful for that. Bubba pulled back and gave her another wink before wandering out into the rest of the crowd, who had started singing along to the music that blared through the speakers.

Trina bit her lip and looked at John, who hadn’t seen her take her fall. Instead he was laughingly accepting a kiss from a very drunk Trish. She looked around, searching for any of her friends. None of them were in sight.

She couldn’t believe it. Bubba? Of all the guys to get a New Year’s kiss from…

And Mary’s little…dare? Bet? Trina seriously hoped she was kidding. There was no way she would throw herself at Bubba. She worked with him all the time; he was too…well…he was just Bubba for crying out loud. Such a normal, average guy that he tended to get lost in the general shuffle of things.

She had to get some air. And to track down at least one of her friends. No way was she going to give up being with John for Bubba. Not in a million years.

Mary

Making her way through the crowd, in no real hurry to get to anyone in particular, Mary actually counted down with the rest of the roster. She was actually half-hoping for a little lip lock with Adam, but from her viewpoint it looked as if Patsy had already snagged him. Too bad…she’d spent a fair amount of time wondering what it would be like to run her fingers through that gorgeous hair of his.

“Hey Mare…” a laughing Randy Orton stopped in front of her. He gave her a wink. “Wanna be my New Year’s sweetie?” He was obviously a bit tipsy.

Mary grinned and nodded. Hell, he was young but he could definitely make for an interesting year.

“3…2…” Mary stepped toward him, preparing to get her first kiss of the New Year. As the crowd shouted out the last number, her shoulders were grabbed and she was spun around and tipped backward. A set of warm lips met hers. Her fingers clawed at a pair of broad shoulders as she hung on so she wouldn’t hit the floor. A tongue slipped across her lips, and Mary’s first and automatic response was to let it in.

The kiss ended suddenly, and she was pulled back upright onto her feet, her head spinning a little.

“Mary, Mary….quite contrary…” Chris Jericho stood there, a wicked grin on his face, his eyes sparkling. “For an ice princess you don’t kiss half-bad.” With that, he turned and melted into the crowd.

Mary looked around, still stunned. Randy had taken off to parts unknown. And she’d gotten her first kiss from the biggest jerk on the roster. “Ice princess…” she muttered under her breath. Just because she didn’t bow at his feet like the rest of the women that worked for SmackDown…

Pulling herself together, she attempted to get back to her corner seat. She was stopped every few feet for playful kisses. None of them quite measured up to the first one though.

She finally broke through the crowd and sat on her stool, absently running a finger over her lips. So Jerky boy thought she was an ice princess? Maybe this would be her year to change his perceptions. She smiled and waited for everyone else to rejoin her.

Patsy

Patsy managed to pull Shelly all of ten feet before she lost her. Jeff had grabbed her again and was laughing as he spun her around. Patsy shook her head and pushed on through the crowd, not going after anyone in particular. She just wanted to get to a good spot on the floor where her options would be open.

Opposite from the stage, just as the crowd started counting down the final minute, she stopped and looked around. Adam was a few feet away; he’d watched her approach with a smile.

“Coming to the dark side?” He shouted over the general chaos.

“Nah…just came over here to check out your ‘dark’ side,” she said with a laugh. He was obliging, turning so she could check out his butt in the black leather pants he was wearing. “Damn…we need to get married,” Patsy commented with a laugh.

“I thought you’d never ask,” Adam wiggled his eyebrows at her, grinning. “So…you come here to get your first knee shaking, toe curling kiss?”

“Ah…no,” Patsy’s eyes had fallen on the tables behind him. “Much as I’d love to swap spit with you, I think I’m going to challenge myself a little.”

Adam noticed the direction of her gaze and then did a double take. “You courting a death wish tonight?”

Patsy smiled sweetly. “I must be. Mr. Grumpy over there looks like he could use a kiss.”

“Among other various…um…activities,” Adam said dryly. Patsy laughed and playfully pinched his stomach as she moved past him. “He’ll shoot you down!”

“Bang, bang,” Patsy walked backward for a second, doing Mick’s ‘Cactus Jack’ gun thing, making Adam laugh.

She turned and walked up to the table she’d noticed. Leaning down, she put one hand on the back of the chair and the other on the table. Mark looked up at her with a frown.

“What do you want?” Not even trying to be friendly. The tone of his voice made her grin.

“Baby, I love it when you talk all rough like that,” she said. Mark’s frown deepened as the crowd began the final countdown. “Cut that out, you’re going to get wrinkles.”

Mark didn’t even crack a smile. Damn but he was cranky. She couldn’t resist getting under his skin. He made it so damn easy sometimes.

“Funny…now go play with your friends,” Mark said. He’d put a little edge into his voice.

“Maybe I’d rather…play…with you,” with a smirk, Patsy leaned in closer.

“And maybe you’ve had too much to drink,” With narrowed eyes, he glared at her. Patsy started laughing.

“I’m the most sober person in this room right now. I’m the designated driver,” she licked her upper lip. “Kinda scary to think I’d act like this of my own free will huh?”

“3…2…” Mark didn’t move as Patsy lowered her head and kissed him softly on the lips. He didn’t kiss her back either; he was shocked that she’d actually done it.

Everyone around them was screaming and going crazy as the music started again. Patsy pulled back, a smile playing over her face. “There. Cheer your ass up. Your year’s just starting.” With a laugh she walked away, leaving him to stare after her. When she disappeared into the crowd, he finished his drink then stood up and stormed out of the ballroom.

Patsy watched him go, biting back a laugh. She sure knew how to pick them. Good thing she already had Mark on her list of people to torture this year. He was either going to cheer up or go insane once she got started. With a grin, she made her way back to Mary’s observation point.

Rhonda

Fighting through the crowd was fairly easy for Rhonda; she could pick little openings and slip through them unnoticed for the most part. A few of the guys stopped her along her way, but only momentarily. She had her sights set on the one man who’d never even looked twice at her, or so she thought. Mary had said go after their crushes, but there was no way she would just grab him and kiss him. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t bring in the New Year standing next to him.

She came to a halt and stood behind him, admiring his rear view. Rob certainly knew how to fill out a pair of dress pants, that was for sure. His hair was pulled back in his signature pony tail. From her viewpoint, he looked as solid as a rock, and as unattainable as a Ferrari.

Sighing, she decided to give it up. No sense in waiting for him to notice her. She turned as the crowd began counting down the final ten seconds.

Warm hands settled on her shoulders and turned her around. She found it hard to breath as she stared up into Rob’s warm eyes. He gave her a lopsided smile, then kissed her softly.

Pulling back, he grinned fully. “Last kiss of the old year…” Rhonda was too stunned to speak. The people were screaming down the last two seconds, and at “1” Rob kissed her again, this time cupping her chin in one hand.

‘Oh my God, Oh my God…” the phrase kept running through her mind as his lips pressed against hers. She was completely disappointed when it ended, trying to hide it as he let her go.

“And the first kiss of the New Year,” Rob winked at her.

“I…um…thank you,” She managed to stutter out.

“The pleasure was all mine,” another half smile and he was gone, moving off through the crowd to dance with his friends. Rhonda stared at him until she couldn’t see him anymore.

“I wish it was all yours,” she finally said to herself, not realizing she was speaking out loud.

“What did you say?” Jay had come up beside her, a glass of champagne in his hand. “You’re Rhoda, right?”

“Rhonda, you moron,” she said with a laugh. Jay knew her name, but he liked to say it wrong to annoy her. “And I was talking to myself.”

“Oh. Gotta watch that. People will start thinking you’re nuts.” He downed the last of his drink then palmed the glass off on a passing waiter. “Well…wanna dance or something?”

“Maybe in a little bit. I have to go see some people,” she could see that Mary was already back in the corner, a semi-dazed look on her face. Trina was standing beside her, her expression nearly mirroring Mary’s.

“Blah. See ya at work then,” with a laugh, Jay staggered off, leaving her to make her way back through the crowd to her friends. She mentally berated herself. Why was it she could talk to every guy on the roster except for the one she really wanted to talk to? And why had he picked tonight of all nights to notice her?

Shaking her head, she returned the way she’d come, wishing that Rob’s sweet kiss hadn’t ended so soon.

Claire

Claire watched as the other five women moved off through the crowd in search of…whatever it was they were looking for. She didn’t want to get involved in this one. As if she’d actually be able to just go up to some guy and plant one on him just because she thought he was good looking. She didn’t know any of the guys here well enough to do that kind of thing. Working in the home office while everyone else was on the road didn’t bring in many close relationships with the talent.

Sighing, she tapped her foot as the clock counted down the final seconds. “Hiding out in the corner?” A deep voice asked from behind her. Claire turned and smiled.

“As usual,” she said with a shrug. Shane was her boss, the only one she really knew besides her five women friends. They spent hours together, designing new web page layouts and going over sponsorship contracts. “I could say the same for you.”

Shane smiled. “Dad and his parties…” he shook his head. “I’m going to bow out as soon after the ball drops as I can.”

“That’s…” she was drowned out as the crowd began chanting along with the dwindling clock. When they reached ‘1’ there was a deafening cheer. Claire watched, amused, as hugs and kisses were shared. Some of the guys half-heartedly tried to sing that old New Year’s song, but gave it up as a lost cause.

“Well…Happy New Year, Claire,” Shane said over the roar of the crowd. Claire looked up at him, returning his smile. Before she knew it was coming, Shane had pressed his lips lightly against hers.

He pulled away, grinned, then moved out into the crowd, accepting hugs and handshakes from men he’d been around for years. A few of the women on the roster gave him kisses, but he didn’t linger on them.

Claire was still in shock from it. Ok, so she hadn’t wanted to go out and find her crush. Apparently something had made him come to her though. She suddenly found herself in need of a drink. Or a closet to lock herself up in. Shane was her boss, someone she had to answer to on a daily basis. To harbor any kind of romantic feelings toward him was asking for trouble. And here he had given her the first kiss of the new year. And Mary had said, the first guy…

Shaking her head, Claire decided to beg off of Mary’s little game. Sure, Shane was a good looking guy. And she did like him. But she liked her life as it was. She didn’t need to complicate it with carnal thoughts of her employer.

She caught the attention of a roaming waiter, and started to ask for a glass of wine, then changed her mind. Maybe she’d had enough alcohol for one night. She asked for a glass of juice, then told him to leave it here on the table. She needed to step outside for a few minutes before everyone gathered here again. She had to compose herself.

Shelly

Jeff’s little twirl around the floor had her dizzy and breathless. Shelly stumbled a bit when he let go of her, laughing. Damn him. She’d make sure to give him an especially painful session when he came in to see her before Raw.

She actually hoped that Jeff would give up a little kiss as midnight struck. He was interesting, to say the least. And she didn’t feel shy and clumsy around him. Bad dancing set aside, she wouldn’t mind trying to figure out what made his mind tick.

As the crowd began counting down the final seconds, she turned, looking for him. He’d disappeared, which was amazing considering his hair was a jumble of shades of pink and orange. Still giggling under her breath, she tried to push through the crowd to where she thought he was. A pair of hands grabbed her shoulders and spun her again.

Instead of Jeff’s smiling face, she was looking at a chest. Nice enough chest at that. But as she looked up, she had to bite back a groan. The crowd counted the final number and he lowered his head to kiss her.

How ironic that the one man she’d tried to avoid in her career with the fed was the one who’d grabbed her. She’d already spent six months of her life trying to figure out what went on in Paul’s mind. Their breakup had been rough, especially on her, because he flaunted the fact that he was now dating the boss’s daughter.

Before his mouth could touch hers, she was pulled roughly from Paul’s hands and cradled against a larger, higher chest. She had a half a second to realize it was Glen before he was kissing her, urging her to kiss him back. In shock but game, she let him slip his tongue into her mouth, aware that Paul was watching in disbelief.

Glen finally came up for air, tipping her a wink and a sly grin. Shelly had to bite back a laugh. Glen was the only one, other than her girl friends, that knew about the disaster that had occurred with Paul. Glen had been into the physical therapy room so many times lately that Shelly felt he was probably her best and most consistent friend on the roster. It was all too easy to open up to each other while they worked.

And here was Glen, coming to her ‘rescue’. Paul eyed the bigger man, but said nothing. He turned and stomped off, shoving anyone who got in his way.

“That was close,” Shelly said with a laugh.

“Yeah…wouldn’t wanna get his cooties again, now would ya?” Glen started laughing with her.

“Um…no,” Shelly pushed her hair back from her face. She couldn’t help but stare at Glen’s mouth. He was a good kisser. Even if it had been under false pretenses. “You keep doing things like that, and people are gonna think you’re my boyfriend,” she said jokingly.

With a wave of his hand, Glen indicated the people around them. “What makes you think they don’t already?” With a chuckle at the look on her face, he turned and went back to his own friends. Shelly watched him go, not sure if she should take him seriously or not.

She’d started back to Mary’s corner when she suddenly realized that Glen had been the first to make with the kiss of the new year. Shelly scanned the crowd, easily picking him out. She’d always thought he was a great guy. And now she knew he was a great kisser. But she’d tried to keep her thoughts on the friendship level. He seemed to be carting around some baggage of his own, and she hadn’t pried or asked about it. She assumed that he’d eventually come clean.

And now…well…she guessed she’d have to attempt to take their friendship a little farther. Not that it would be such a hardship. She liked the relationship they had though. Sighing, she continued on her way, hoping that nothing would happen to screw that up.

Prologue Part 2

“Why do you all look like you got hit by a speeding truck?” Patsy asked, looking from face to face. It had taken her the longest to get back to the corner. As usual, she’d stopped a few dozen times along the way to get on somebody’s nerves.

Nobody could come up with an answer. Mary finally cleared her throat. “Well…um…that didn’t go exactly as I thought it would.” Four other heads nodded in agreement. “I’ll confess first. Jericho laid one on me.”

“Ah…the jerk,” Patsy started laughing. “I feel your pain. I was going to go for Adam when I got a Taker urge.”

“Oh no…” Shelly leaned against the wall, giggling. “It was nice knowing you Pats. Too bad you’re not going to live to see next New Year’s.”

“Yeah, yeah…so who’d you lock lips with Snoozy?”

“Um…Glen…kinda sorta. I don’t know if it should count though…”

“If he kissed you then it counts,” Rhonda said.

“And who lit your fire?” Shelly turned the attention off of her. She was embarrassed enough as it was.

Rhonda blushed.

“Aww…could it be that R…V…D made pucker up faces at you?” Patsy did Rob’s thumb pointing thing, laughing. Rhonda nodded dreamily. “God…that’s sickening. I’m surprised you made it back to the corner. I would have thought you’d be a puddle on the floor.”

“Fess up Claire…and Trina…” Mary looked at the other two girls, who gave each other looks of sympathy.

“I…uh…got…” Trina mumbled unintelligibly.

“You got pubssaday?” Patsy mocked her, laughing again.

“Bubba Ray. Ok? Bubba.” Trina put her hand against her forehead, wondering if she had a fever. She suddenly felt hot.

“Wooo, Trina…get the tables!” Shelly said with a giggle.

“Trina’s gonna get her some wood,” Patsy said, snickering. Trina bit her tongue and refused to comment.

“And you Miss Claire?” Mary persisted. Claire just smiled a little.

“Oh, come on. We all told. It’s just in fun anyway,” Rhonda stated. She hoped it was true. If she had to do more than say hi to Rob she’d probably end up stuttering like a maniac.

“I’d rather not be involved if that’s all right with all of you,” Claire said, clearing her throat nervously.

“Don’t make me tell on you,” Patsy threatened. Claire looked at her confused. “I saw who you kissed…I saw who you kissed…” she said it in a sing-song voice.

“It wasn’t a real kiss. Just a peck. Really,” she bit her lip and shifted uncomfortably.

“Uh huh,” Mary eyed her, a smile on her lips. She had a pretty good idea of who it was. “Well…fine, be that way. But I’m sure that we’ll all find out eventually. Like when we get invitations to the wedding.”

This made all of the others laugh. Claire laughed too, but refused to say more on the subject.

“So what do we do now? Club them on the head and drag them upstairs for some new year’s bed bouncing?” Patsy asked with a laugh.

Mary shrugged. “It was just a little experiment. Just to see who’d do what to who. But I can pretty much guarantee you something…” she looked from one woman to the next. “The guys we each kissed tonight are going to have a profound impact on our lives. If only because I said so,” she laughed. “The power of suggestion rears its ugly head.”

“Cool…” Patsy shrugged.

“Doesn’t it bother you at all that you’ll be looking at the Dead Man in a different way now?” Rhonda asked curiously. She knew she liked Rob even more than she had before, if possible.

“Eh…I already look at him like he’s crazy. Might as well change my perception and work his last nerve,” she gave an exaggerated sigh. “Too bad he ditched the party. I reckon I have enough drunk guys here who would have helped me drag him upstairs and get him stripped nekkid.”

“Well…I’m glad one of us in enjoying who she kissed,” Mary said laughing. “So…anybody actually gonna pursue this?”

“Not me,” Claire said decisively.

“Me either,” Trina echoed her. She still had a slight flush on her face.

“I don’t think so…” Shelly sounded uncertain. Rhonda gave a shrug.

“Hell yeah. What about you Mary?” Patsy said with a smile.

“I’ll have to think about it I guess. I don’t know if I want to take on that ego,” Mary smiled. “Of course, I already knew you were all for it.”

“Not like I have anything better to do this year,” Patsy was looking off onto the dance floor, growing bored with the conversation. “Since the man of my…er…nightmares has left the building, I believe I’ll hit the floor with one of the runners up.” She waved over her shoulder and went off to find a dance partner.

“I think I’m going to head upstairs,” Claire said, rising from the chair she’d been sitting in.

“I’ll walk with you,” Shelly smiled, then turned back to Mary. “So if we do decide to…um...pursue these guys. What then?”

“Well…one year from now, we all get together. Another new year, another party. We’ll see what’s happened,” Mary shrugged one shoulder. “You know, kind of swap horror stories. Most of us got tagged by guys we normally wouldn’t think twice about. Maybe it’s some kind of sign.”

“I can only hope,” Rhonda said with a dreamy sigh. Her eyes were glued to Rob, who had moved toward the bar. Everyone else rolled their eyes comically.

“Ok. Then…in case I don’t see you for another year,” Shelly gave Mary a hug. “Good luck with Jerky boy. I have a feeling you’re going to need it.”

Mary laughed. “I have a feeling we’re all going to need it.” She got up from her stool and stretched. “And I think I’ll head upstairs too. If I’m going after the Jerk, I’m going to need my rest.”

January

Trina

Trina hated winter. She hated the long car rides on slick highways, hated the cold weather.

If she were being totally honest, it wasn’t just the lack of a warm front that bothered her. Ever since New Year’s Eve she’d been in a strange mood. She’d blown off John, telling him she didn’t feel good. He took it well enough. And for the last few weeks she’d put him off, almost completely forgetting about him at times. Instead of John, she had…Bubba.

Now, Bubba wasn’t a guy she would normally pay attention to. He was just so…quiet. He tended to blend into the crowd of people she say every day.

But not anymore. Every time she looked up from what she was doing, she saw him. Bubba here, Bubba there…in the gym, in the line for the catering, walking through the hallway. And he was scheduled for a costume overhaul, which would start bright and early in the morning. Trina’s job with the fed was costume designer. Which meant she’d be spending a hell of a lot of time with him in the upcoming weeks, getting ideas for where she wanted to go with his character.

When she finally reached her next destination, she’d fretted herself into quite a temper. Trina checked in at the hotel and threw her bag into her room, then made her way down to the bar.

This late at night, it was almost empty. She saw a few people she knew, most of them had arrived just before she had. She chose to sit by herself in the corner, where she could drink in relative peace and quiet.

She’d taken one small sip of beer with a hand dropped on her shoulder, scaring her. She turned her head and met the dark eyes of John as he smiled down at her. He’d been in the back, shooting pool with a few of the guys, and had caught her daydreaming.

“Mind if I sit darlin’?” He winked at her and slid into the booth across from her before she could answer. She summoned up a smile for him.

“Aren’t you up past your bedtime?” She joked.

“Nah…can’t sleep,” he eyed her suggestively. “Why don’t you finish that beer and keep me company til I get tired?”

Trina laughed. “Company huh? What kind of company are you looking for?” Hell, it was high time she remembered who she thought was hot around here. John was handsome, smart, funny. Sexy as all get out. And he wanted her. She couldn’t understand why she wasn’t more happy about that.

“What kinda company are you willing to give?” His hand reached across the table, and he brushed his fingers over her arm.

“Your room or mine?” Trina asked quietly, smiling a little. Screw thinking about Bubba. Maybe all she needed was a roll in the sack with John to get him out of her head.

John smiled and tossed some money on the table to pay for her barely touched beer, then took her hand and led the way to the elevator. Once the doors slid shut, he turned to her, dipping his head down and pressing his lips against hers.

Trina tried to relax against him, to let herself go as she had just a few weeks ago. It was starting to work…as his tongue moved over her lips and slid into her mouth, her body responded, and a soft moan escaped her. John slid his hands from her hips up to her ribs, his thumbs barely touching the bottoms of her breasts.

The elevator jerked to a stop and the doors slid open. John broke the kiss and smiled at her, then dropped his hands to take hers. Trina let him lead the way as he went up the hall to the door to his room.

“I’m sharing, but it’s Ok. He said he won’t be back til early,” John said softly.

Trina raised an eyebrow. “What if he comes back early?”

“He won’t…” he pushed the door open, and stopped. The lights in the room were on, and Bubba was lying on one of the two beds in the room, a book in his hands.

“Hey,” John managed to sound nonchalant, but Trina felt like the wind had been knocked out of her. John was sharing with Bubba? What was up with this man suddenly being everywhere she wanted to be?

Lost in thought, it took her a minute to notice that both men were looking at her as if she’d grown another head. “I…um…I have to go…early morning, got to work…” she kept mumbling, talking way too fast. Trina backed up until she was out of John’s reach and turned and hurried down the hall. She ignored him when he called out her name, and took the stairs instead of the elevator.

Once on her own floor, in the relative safety of her own room, Trina leaned back against the door and sighed. John didn’t know which room was hers, which was good. Whatever mood she’d managed to build up for him was now shot all to shit. She hated to have him think she was some kind of a tease, but…

“Damn it…” She said it out loud. “Why the hell can’t I stop thinking about…Bubba.” She said his name sarcastically, putting all of the venom she could find into it. “That’s it. Tomorrow. I talk to him, find something about him that really pisses me off or that I hate, and that’ll be it. No more Bubba in my mind.”

She moved to her bag and got out her nightshirt. She only hoped that it would be as easy as she’d made it sound.

January

Patsy

Spike almost didn’t live to see the end of the month, and all because of a snowball.

After spending 2 hours in a writer’s meeting (boring) and another hour arguing with Michael Hayes and Paul Heyman (annoying), Patsy had to go outside to let off some steam. It had been snowing all morning, and there was at least 3 inches of powder on the ground. It wasn’t quite noon yet, and most of the guys hadn’t made it to the arena from the warmth of their hotel rooms.

The only person she’d run into this morning was Spike, and that was just because he’d had a meeting with Vince. Patsy had bumped into him outside, and had tossed some snow in his general direction. And now…it was war.

There weren’t many cars in the parking lot, but there were enough that they made effective cover for some covert ops. Spike had thrown the first real snowball, pegging her in the leg. She’d reciprocated with a torpedo of her own; unlike his sloppy throw, she had taken her time and aimed, getting him in the back of the head when he’d turned to run away.

And now, she was crouched down, moving along the line of cars, looking for him. Kids stuff, yeah, but it was still fun as hell. And who was there to try and stop them? Patsy knew from experience that most of the guys on the roster did some weird things to break tension. This was just her way of doing it. For once, she was glad Spike had been around.

She stopped and leaned back against JR’s car, looking around. Instead of a snowball fight outside, she should have asked Spike to play hide and seek inside. She still didn’t see him anywhere, but she had heard him laughing a couple of times. He’d almost hit her with another snowball, but she’d moved at the last second and it had gone harmlessly past her head.

Patsy scooped up some snow, and pressed it in her hands. Might as well get prepared. Bouncing the ball lightly on her palm, she started to push away from the car but stopped when a large black truck pulled into the parking lot.

She grinned. Mr. Grumpy had arrived, most likely to go over that night’s bookings with Michael. He’d avoided her since New Year’s Eve. Patsy thought it was hilarious. Taking a last look around, she made her way over to his truck.

Mark climbed out and stopped, turning to stare at her. Patsy straightened up, smiling brightly at him.

“Hello Oscar,” she said sweetly. That one earned her a frown. Her smile grew.

“Oscar? What the hell does that mean?” She could tell it just about killed him to show any kind of curiosity toward her. He probably would have just liked to ignore her and go on about his business. As if she was going to let that happen.

“Oscar…Sesame Street…you know. The Grouch?” She laughed at the look on his face.

He mumbled under his breath then leaned into the truck to pull out his bag. Patsy put her hand to her mouth and shook her head. And now…he was going to ignore her. She couldn’t help herself though. She dropped her hand and leaned against the truck.

“Don’t move…stay right like that,” She said, her voice serious. Mark turned his head and looked at her over his shoulder.

“Why? What the hell are you doing?”

“Nothing. Just checking out your ass,” she laughed when he stood up too fast and knocked his head on the roof of the truck. “Nice. You should bend over in my presence at least twice a day.”

Mark rubbed his head and glared at her. Apparently he still hadn’t realized that she was unfazed by his whole attitude.

“You know…I’ve been thinking. And I believe I know what your problem is,” Patsy said, smiling.

“Besides you?” he said sarcastically. Patsy smirked.

“I’m touched that my mere presence turns you into an ogre,” She put her hand on her chest and batted her eyelashes. “Actually, after giving it some thought, I’ve come to the conclusion…” she took a few steps closer to him. Mark arched his eyebrow but didn’t move. He couldn’t really, the open door of the truck was against his back. She stopped directly in front of him and looked up at him, a look of mock concern on her face. “Well…I’ll just come right out and say it. You look like you need to get laid.”

Mark rolled his eyes but refused to comment. Patsy dropped her snowball finally, and reached out, straightening the front of his leather coat. “And being the nice person that I am…I am willing to offer my services in that capacity.”

He blushed. Patsy couldn’t help but grin. Mark finally managed to shake his head. “What are you…crazy?”

“Probably. Look at what I do for a living,” she shrugged. “You think I’m kidding.” She ran a hand down the front of his coat.

“From what I’ve seen, you think everything’s a big joke,” Mark said coldly.

She didn’t let it faze her. “And from what I’ve seen, nobody needs a laugh like you do. Well…a laugh and some sexual therapy.” She winked at him.

“Why me?” he asked it rhetorically, his hand going up to rub his temples.

“Cuz I think you’re hot?” Patsy answered him in question form. “Cuz I like my guys mean and caveman like? Cuz I enjoy getting under your skin? Who knows why?” She smiled. “So…how bout it? Plenty of empty locker rooms in the arena…”

Mark was looking at her as if she’d lost her mind. Which was not unusual. He always looked at her that way. “Maybe you should find one of your other guys to pick on. You never seem to have a shortage of them around.”

Patsy raised an eyebrow. “But I like picking on you the most,” she said sweetly. “Just cuz I know you don’t like it.”

“So…what if I took you up on your offer then?” Mark asked, eyeing her curiously.

Patsy smiled. “Does that mean you’re thinking about it?” She shook her head. “You think to much. Either you wanna do it or you don’t. Pick one.” She was actually kind of shocked he’d even acted intrigued. Maybe he wasn’t going to be a hard to crack as she’d at first thought.

Mark cocked his head to the side and studied her. When he started to lean forward, Patsy smiled softly and reached up to put her hand on his cheek. Just as his lips brushed across hers, as her eyes were closing, she saw movement from her left.

Without thinking about it, she dropped down, ducking, leaving a surprised Mark kissing nothing but air. Well…air and a snowball. Spike had managed decent aim that time. The white ball had slammed Mark’s upper chest and neck.

“Um…oops…sorry about that Taker,” Spike called apologetically from his position behind the next car over. “That was meant for Patsy.”

Mark wiped snow off of his jacket with jerky movements of his hands, obviously extremely pissed off. Patsy slowly rose back up and eyed Spike, not able to help but laugh. She looked at Mark then sobered. “Hey…uh…Spike. I think you might wanna consider…I dunno…running for your life.”

Spike finally noticed the look on Mark’s face and his laughter tapered off to hitching giggles. “Yeah…um…see ya!” He turned and ran, kicking up snow in his wake. Mark watched him with narrowed eyes.

“Calm yourself,” Patsy said, still smiling. “He was, after all, aiming for me.”

“So was I,” He said gruffly. He snatched his bag and slammed the truck door, then stalked off in the direction that Spike had gone. Patsy watched him go, leaning against his truck. Interesting. So he wasn’t as indifferent to her as he tried to act.

Sighing, she pushed away from the truck and made her way back to the arena. Thanks to Spike, any headway she’d made was probably erased. She’d have to remember to ‘thank’ him for that later. “Shouldn’t have told him to run I guess,” she said to herself. She started laughing, an image of Mark chasing Spike through the snow in her mind.

January

Mary

If she’d been asked how things were going with her New Year’s kiss, Mary had the luxury of claiming complete ignorance. She truly had forgotten about it, putting the whole thing in some dark corner of her mind. She was too busy at work to worry about what Jericho was doing.

That was, until the second week of January. When she found herself face to face with him for the first time, in a small conference room, going over his schedule for the week. He was wrestling and touring with his band, which put him in a time bind. Now she had to figure out how to get him where he needed to be without pissing off any of the bosses.

Sitting at the table, she rubbed her temples. Chris was annoying and that was putting it lightly. She’d offer suggestions and he’d shoot them down. After the tenth or so time, she’d finally realized he was doing it on purpose, just to see how far he could push her.

Grabbing her pen, she took the printout of his engagements and pulled it to her. “I have one last idea,” She said, glancing at him. He was sitting back in his chair, feet kicked up on the table, a smirk on his face. She was not a violent person, but the sudden urge to slap him came over her. With a smile, she used the pen to write something on the paper.

“Ya know…it’s rough being in demand all the time,” Chris said. Mary rolled her eyes. Did the man have to be so utterly full of himself all the time?

“I’m sure it is…” she said, biting back any sarcasm. She wasn’t about to let him get the best of her. “Matter of fact I know it is. Here.” She shoved the paper across the table and tossed the pen down.

Chris leaned forward slowly, taking the printout in his hands. His eyes went from her to the paper, then widened. “Ha…cute.” His only comment. Mary almost laughed out loud. She could see it bothered him. On the paper she’d written ‘Go To Hell Schedule Boy’ in big letters.

“What? I’ve narrowed down all your engagements into one appearance. Surely you can’t find fault with that.” Mary smiled, then rose from her chair.

“Where are you going?” Chris asked hatefully. “We’re not done here.”

“Oh, I think we are,” Mary said, gathering her things. “You obviously resent the fact that I can schedule your life better than you can. And you also don’t like that a woman is trying to ‘control’ you. So…you can give your shit to somebody else or figure it out on your own.” She snapped her briefcase shut. “I have four more people to talk to this morn…no…wait…this afternoon. Since you took up so much of my time, I’m at least two hours behind.”

“Ok…what if I said I was sorry?” Chris had gotten up from his chair and was now sitting on the table, staring intently at her. Mary opened her mouth but he waved a hand. “If I say it and mean it?”

Mary glared at him. “It would probably mean more to me if you could tear your eyes from my chest when you said it.” Chris started laughing. He had been blatantly checking her out since she’d walked in.

“How about I…take you out to make up for my rude and callous behavior?” He smiled boyishly, turning on the charm. Mary’s eyes narrowed.

“The way your schedule looks…you wouldn’t have time to do so for about three months,” She quipped, picking up her briefcase and her jacket. “Besides that, you’re obviously a controlling, manipulative jerk.”

“Then we’d be perfect together cuz I think you’re a contrary, frosty bitch,” Chris said with a laugh.

Too late, she realized she’d let her anger flash through for a second. Damn, he was good. “Then might I suggest you go away and leave me alone? Wouldn’t want you to get frostbite on that precious dick of yours now would I?” She smiled. She’d been called worse in her time, by better men.

“Maybe you’re afraid I’ll melt ya,” Chris said, his tone still light. “I know how you kiss…you might be all business here but I’ll bet you’re a regular tiger in the sack.”

“Is that the best pickup line you can come up with?” Mary asked. She remembered him grabbing her on New Year’s Eve and kissing her now. And her little deal with her friends. Hell of a way to kick it off.

“Who needs a pick up line? I’m just curious,” Chris said, standing up. He stretched lazily and Mary found herself staring as his shirt rode up and exposed his stomach. “Come on…dinner. Then we can test my theory on your bedroom behavior.”

She’d hoped he hadn’t noticed the intent way she’d watched him stretch, but of course, Chris didn’t miss much. His eyes were sparkling, a smile twitched at his lips. Mary flipped her hair over her shoulder and met his eyes. “My bedroom behavior is none of your fucking business. Pardon the pun. I’m not a ring rat. And I will not screw you just because you think you can goad me into it. Some women in the world have a little thing called scruples. It keeps us from falling into bed with assholes like you.” That said she stormed out of the room, leaving him chuckling.

She fumed all the way to her next appointment. Ok, so the New Year’s deal had been a bad idea. She’d thought getting to know the Jerk, as Patsy often called him, would be fun. Of course, she should have known all he thought about was himself. And his next ‘pin’. “Sure as hell isn’t going to be me,” she muttered under her breath. By the time she got to Adam’s locker room, she’d managed to push thoughts of Jericho aside. She still had to work here, even if she had to share a building with such a jerk.

January

Rhonda

Rhonda was ready to leave. She’d arrived early that morning, making sure the ring crew had begun the set up process. After talking to security and the arena’s management team, her job for the day was done. She was officially off the clock until the next morning, when she’d start booking arenas for the next month’s shows.

She wasn’t watching where she was going. After doing this job for so long, she felt like she navigated most arenas on autopilot anyway. As she rounded the final corner before the door to the parking lot, she smacked into a broad back.

“Sorry,” that was automatic too. She managed to catch herself before she fell, but her nose hurt.

“I…are you Ok?” Rhonda jumped at the sound of the voice, and her heart started pounding. “Geez. I’m sorry…” Rob put his hand on her arm, rubbing it a little, smiling down at her.

“No…my fault…” why was it she became a babbling moron whenever he was in hearing distance? Forcing herself to look up into his face, she offered him a tentative smile.

“Leaving already?” He asked. “You don’t stick around to watch the shows do you?”

“Not usually. My friend tells me what’s going to happen,” Rhonda amazed herself that she actually managed a complete sentence in his presence.

“That’s cool…” he smiled at her. She couldn’t stop looking into his eyes now that she was so close to him.

“I…um…I should go. You guys are going to be pouring in, I don’t want to be in the way,” she finally said when he showed no sign of saying anything else.

“Yeah? Ok…” He let go of her arm. Rhonda was disappointed, but what had she expected? Ok…so she’d been hoping he’d pick her up and carry her off into the sunset. Too many romance novels were coming back to haunt her.

She moved to step around him, but he stopped her. “Hey…I know you already know what’s going on, but maybe you should come back for the show. Maybe as my guest?”

She laughed at that. “Gonna get me a backstage pass?” She asked, tapping the one she had around her neck.

“Oh…um…I guess not…but you could kinda…ya know, come hang out with me before the matches. And maybe…go get something to eat after?” He was smiling at her again. And…blushing? Rhonda thought her eyes were playing tricks on her.

Then it hit her. Holy shit, Rob had just asked her out! She felt dizzy suddenly. “I guess that would be…fine,” she managed to squeak out. Fine? How about fucking fantastic? Rhonda wished she could kick her brain. Really.

“Cool. I’ll see you here then. About an hour before?” He looked at her questioningly.

Rhonda nodded. “Yeah. Perfect. I’ll be here,” she managed to smile.

Rob surprised her again by leaning down and giving her a little kiss on her cheek. “Great. See ya then.” With that, he went down the hall in search of his locker room.

Rhonda stood where she was, rooted to the spot, still in shock. She had to have dreamed that little interlude. A trick of her mind. That was it. Had to be.

She breathed in deeply. The cologne he wore lingered in the air. With a smile, she wondered if any had gotten onto her. He had, after all, kissed her again. She touched her cheek and finally made her feet move. She had to find something to wear, had to do her makeup, her hair, get her nails done…

She made herself calm down. It was just food…not like he’d proposed to her. “Take it slow, Rhonda,” She said under her breath. She’d spent so much time thinking about the man he was built up in her mind to be perfection. Of course, he’d do something that would send that crashing to the ground. So…just dinner. Right. Dinner and talking. And getting to know him.

Oblivious to the people who were coming in the parking lot door, Rhonda smiled happily and made her way to her car. She had a lot to take care of before she returned later that night.