The title comes from a Ricky Martin duet he does with Madonna on his latest CD. I do not own this title.
DISCLAIMER: I own no one in the WWF, but Lissy is a character I came up with.
DISTRIBUTION: Go right ahead, but let me know first
RATING: Mostly PG-13 but some scenes might be rather R or X.
CONTENT: Sex scenes, violence and language
SPOILERS: None that I’m aware of.
SUMMARY: When a jealous fan goes after HHH, muscle has to be brought in from the outside.

Part 1:

Lissy ran after the perp, wondering to herself why it was always the big guys who ran and the small ones who tried to stand and fight. And this big guy couldn’t think he was going to win a foot race. He was huge, like Viscera on shorter legs. The smile that curved her lips as she increased her speed was directed at her. Even after watching wrestling for almost twenty years, she still compared everyday men to wrestlers, knowing full well that wrestlers looked good on purpose, not by nature.
Lissy finally got close enough to try a flying tackle that would have made many an NFL player proud but it came nowhere close to slowing down the guy she was after. That son of a bitch actually kept on running as Lissy’s arms actually started to slip from his extremely round waist. She fell to the ground, cursing. She’d actually fallen to the ground.
She got up, dusted herself off and took off at what she usually referred to as her Carl Lewis speed. She took off like a shot, cutting across the lawn, catching up to Little Willy quickly. She came up in front of him and brought him down with a solid kick to his face.
“You made me fall,” she calmly informed him as she rolled him over and snapped the handcuffs around his surprisingly fine wrists.
As she heaved him to his feet, she said the usual litany of a citizen’s arrest as she walked to her dark green Ford Explorer.

Back at her office, her mother sat at the receptionist’s desk, sucking on a Popeye cigarette as her fingers ran across her keyboard.
“Did you get the fat bastard?” she asked, looking up at her daughter from the rim of her Donna Karan prescription glasses.
“Yes Mother, the fast bastard, a.k.a. Little Willy, will no longer be terrorizing little girls in the park by showing off his little willy.”
“Good. You’ve got a client. Waiting for you in your office.”
“You have a name?”
“Jim Dotson,” said her mother, “and he’s not married or engaged. I checked his hand.”
Lissy shot her mother an angry look over her shoulder as she opened the door to her office. She wasn’t surprised or shocked when she saw Jim.
She knew him, she knew who he was. He was head of security in her favorite wrestling federation, the WWF. He was her kind of guy, big, strong and she knew that in a fight, he might actually win. It was a novel concept.

Jim looked at Lissy Carlson and wasn’t disappointed. She was a strong-looking woman. About five ten or eleven, dark brown hair cut in a curly bob at her jaw, a swarthy skin tone that probably came from spending a lot of time out in the sun as a kid. She was nicely curved, in all the right places but none of those curves took away from the impression of strength one got from her. And from the look of her clothes, she’d had a busy morning. The front of her black jeans jacket was dusty and her beige khakis were torn at the knee.
“Mr. Dotson,” she said, offering her hand for a shake, “how are you?”
“Fine, thank you. And you?”
“I’ve had a hectic morning, but other than that, I’m pretty great.”
As the two shook hands, they took each other’s full measure. Both pulled their hands away with the assurance that the other was confident, strong and trustworthy.
“Now,” said Lissy, as she pulled a knee length skirt from her top drawer, “what can I do for you?”
“One of our wrestlers, Joanie Laurer, has been having some problems with a rather intense fan,” he started to explain as he watched Lissy pull the skirt on top of her pants.
“And?”
“Well, we’ve been having some trouble tracking him down. We would appreciate your help.”
“So why come to me,” asked Lissy, easing out of her pants, while maintaining her modesty by sitting down into the chair.
“A friend of mine, Michael Hickenbottom, told me how instrumental you were to getting proof about his wife’s adultery during their divorce last year.”
“How is Mikey?”
“Pretty good. Excuse me,” said Jim, “but did you just change out of pants and into a skirt with me in the room? A stranger?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because I hate the unexpected breeze I get from torn pants.”
“Don’t you get a breeze when you’re wearing a skirt?”
“That breeze I expect. The one from torn pants in unexpected and unwelcome.”
“I see. Back to the case. The fan’s attention turned lately.”
“To?”
“Paul Levesque. He and Joanie had a somewhat public break-up. Our boy’s decided to make Paul pay for making Joanie suffer.”
“He threatened him.”
“Yeah.”
“So where do I come in,” asked Lissy, making notes in a little notebook.
“We’re working on finding the fan. But we need your help protecting Paul. We need someone who won’t look out of place hanging around him all the time. And we need someone who’s good. Really good.”
“Two thousand dollar retainer and a thousand five a day, all expenses paid.”
“You charged Mike a five hundred dollar retainer and three hundred a day.”
“I was looking for a cheating spouse. Easy money and easy work. She wasn’t a light bulb. This job has potential of getting dangerous and I’ll be on the road a lot.”
Jim sat back in his chair while Lissy changed out of her ankle boots and into a pair of heels. He hoped she was as good as Mike had told him.
“Fine. You can now consider yourself on the WWF payroll.”
Lissy shook Jim’s hand and as the door closed on his retreating back, she did a little dance of joy.

Part 2:

Paul sat in a chair in a Boston terrace, one of the few and looked around. He spotted five security guys on the WWF payroll, looking mighty uncomfortable in the dainty little chairs. He wanted to laugh but remembered that he was probably bigger and certainly looking more out of place in the restaurant. He saw Jim Dotson and Shane McMahon make their approach and got up to greet them but when he realized he was about to knock down a series of chairs and tables, he sat back down quickly and waited for them.
“Gentlemen,” he said with a smile, “sit down.” “Are you okay?” asked Shane with a smile to his friend.
“Yeah. It’s just that whenever I come home to Boston, I remember all the good manners my mother taught me.”
“Cool.”
“Guys, I don’t mean to rush you,” said Jim, “but Lissy’s going to get here soon and I have to brief you on her.”
“All right.”

While Jim briefed McMahon and Levesque, Lissy was flying across her hotel room, trying to figure out what she was going to wear for the meeting. She had on matching beige bra and panties and black stay up stockings but that was all. She couldn’t decide between slacks or skirt, miniskirt or long skirt, shirt or tank top, jacket or vest or boots or heels. And then there was her hair. She took a quick look at her watch and her pulse picked up even more. She had to be there in forty-five minutes and she was nowhere near ready.
Thirty minutes later, Lissy sat in the back of a cab, in a tailored grey suit. The ankle-length grey skirt covered the top of her short boots and the matching jacket covered the bright red shirt. Her attaché-case was on the seat next to her and her purse was on her lap. The cab dropped her off a corner away from the restaurant and slowly started to make her way there. She immediately spotted Jim, Shane and Paul, and the security guys surrounding them. They were all trying to look inconspicuous, which was impossible, considering how big they all were.
Jim spotted her first and got up, waving to her. Shane and Paul got up, more slowly and carefully. Lissy smiled at them and took the seat Jim pulled out for her. She set her attaché down on the ground next to her feet and looked around the table with a bright smile.
“Hello gentlemen.”
“Shane, Paul, I’d like to introduce you to Lissy Carlson. She’s the private investigator I hired to take care of your personal security Paul.”
“Mr. Levesque, Mr. McMahon, it’s an honor to meet both of you. I’ve been a fan for quite some time.”
“Great Jim,” snickered Paul, “you go out there and get me a fan. For all we know, she might be the stalker.”
“Hey,” said Lissy, “I’m a fan but I certainly didn’t say you were my favorite wrestler. Now, if I had to protect Duane Johnson, Steve Williams or Andrew Martin, then you’d have to worry about me being a stalker. You, well, you know, you don’t do much for me in that area.”
“Well, she told you,” chuckled Shane, punching Paul’s massive shoulder. “Miss Carlson, you’ll have to excuse our prima donna. He doesn’t like to think he can’t look after himself.”
“He’d better get used to it. Paul, you can probably protect yourself when you know your opponent. I don’t doubt that. But there’s someone out there, someone you don’t know who wants to hurt you. My job is to find that person and make sure they can’t hurt you. Okay?”
“See, that already sounds better,” said Paul with a smile, “the way Shane and Jim were talking, it was like you were going to follow me around like a damn puppy.”
“Oh, I will.”
“Then I’m out,” said Paul, starting to get up.
“Not so fast,” said Lissy, grabbing his knee and squeezing the nerves, making him wince in pain, “sit.”
“That fucking hurt!”
“Good, it was supposed to. Now, until I find out who this person is, I have every intention of becoming more intimate with you than your g-string. I want to know what you eat, what you drink, what you think, what you do, what you dream and what gives you a woody in the middle of the night. If that stalker wants to get to you, he’ll have to deal with me first.”
“What gives him a woody in the middle of the night?”
Jim and Shane sat in the chairs, laughing their heads off while Paul and Lissy stared each other down. He looked at her angrily because she was usurping his control of his life. Since his break-up with Chyna, it was the last thing he’d somehow managed to maintain control of. But maybe, just maybe she had a point.
“Nitro Girls,” he said slowly, a smile curving his lips.
“What?”
“The woody in the middle of the night? Nitro Girls. Chae in particular. She’s got one of those tight little bodies that just doesn’t quit.”
“Isn’t that against company policy, Mr. McMahon?” asked Lissy.
“No, but it should be.”
Over lunch, the four set up the security contingent that would surround Paul. At first, Jim insisted on having two of his guys with Paul at all times but Lissy quickly shot him down, reminding him of how noticeable his guys were. Finally, after threats from Lissy about quitting, the head of WWF security finally agreed to have Lissy shoulder the full weight of Levesque’s security. The woman shook hands with her future charge and partners and walked away.

Mrs. Carlson met up with her daughter at JFK airport, the Popeye cigarette hanging on her lip.
“So?”
“Well, I have the job. But I’m going to have to be on the road a lot. We’re going to have to refer most of our work to other agencies, except for the little things you can take care of.”
“The case? Never mind the case. How are things with this lovely Jim Dotson? Honey, he seems like quite the gentlemen.”
“Mom, I work with the man. I don’t get involved with people I work with.”
“Oh, where did you get a ridiculous idea like that?”
“Dad…”
“Well, your father was… he was… a really good man. He’d be proud of everything you’ve accomplished. Just like I am.”
“Thanks Mom.”

The next day, Lissy was off to her new job as security consultant to the WWF.

Part 3:

Lissy’s investigation in Paul’s stalker started no further than the actual headquarters for the WWF. Upon her arrival in Stanford, she went to the office reserved for her personal use. It was fairly bare, with a desk, a few chairs, most important of all, a computer tapped into the WWF mainframe. Lissy sat down in front of it, adjusted her reading glasses on top of her nose and got to work. For over four hours, she pored over personnel files, cross-checked them with police and FBI files, looking for discrepancies and things that might grab her attention. As she’d suspected when she started the task, she came up empty. She swore rather colorfully and slumped into the chair.
“Discouraged already, come on, give it another try,” said a familiarly sarcastic voice from the doorway.
“Hickenbottom, don’t fuck with me,” said Lissy, going to him for a hug.
“Hey sweetie,” he greeted her, patting her bottom.
“Hands off,” she laughed, “you still haven’t found someone to satisfy you?”
“Well, until you agree to become my wife, you condemn me to celibacy.”
“Are you trying to make me believe that you’ve been celibate since the divorce?”
“Scout’s honor,” he replied proudly, smacking two fingers over his heart.
“Scout’s honor is with three fingers you moron, not two.”
“That’s why no one takes me seriously.”
Lissy laughed and gestured Mike into a chair in front of her desk. She hopped on the desk in front of him and took a good look at him.
“You’ve lost weight since the divorce,” she said bluntly. “Are you eating right?”
“Yes Momma.”
“Don’t fuck with me,” she whispered.
“I can’t eat. All I can think about is being inside that delivery room and seeing that baby come out, feeling so proud and happy and then seeing that face, that beautiful face, and realizing that a baby that dark could not have been mine. It still hurts. And then, the lies, the way she tried to cover. It was sickening.”
“I know, honey, I know.”
Lissy moved from the desk to the chair next to Mike, wrapping her arm around his shoulders. He took a deep breath and patted her hand, squeezing her fingers.
“Thanks.”
“For?”
“Giving me the proof about Rebecca. And for allowing me to say what no one else wanted to hear.”
“No problem.”
Lissy hugged Mike and looked at the door. Paul was standing there, a blank expression on his face, his hands digging deeply into his jean pockets.
“Paul,” she said, moving away from Mike slowly. “What’s up?”
“Shane said you would want to have a look at this,” he said, handing her a stack of papers he’d folded to fit into his back pocket.
“What is it?” she asked.
“Our new storyline. And how you fit into it.”
“I’ll leave you guys to work. And Lissy,” said Mike as he stepped out of the office, “don’t be a stranger.”
“Same goes for you sweetie.”
Lissy gestured for Paul to fill in the seat vacated by Mike, but he chose Lissy’s chair instead. She moved around the desk and started to look over the papers he’d given her.
“I’m going to be your valet,” she asked.
“No, not really. You’re going to accompany me. Kind of like Sable did a while back.”
“I refuse to hold on to your belt.” “You won’t have to. Jimmy insisted. He said you needed to be free to do whatever needed to be done. The thing is this, you’ll be my mystery lady, kind of. You’ll be a stranger, no one knows who you are, except for the fact that you accompany me. None of the guys will ever touch you. You won’t ever speak. You’ll be a mystery.”
“I see where this is going. It’ll be good. If no one knows who I am, I am free to investigate whatever lead I need. And if I can find a way to hide my face… oh, this could be good, really, really good.”
“But there’s another angle to it,” said Paul much more slowly. “Most of the guys know that you’re here to protect me. But since you and Jimmy seem to believe that one of my friends might be doing this to me, Shane figured it might be a good idea for you and me to act like we had something going on.”
“You and me? Together? Who’s going to believe that?”
“That’s what I told Shane.”
“The first part I agree with. The second one, I’m going to wait on. I don’t want to do something that might end up being more trouble than it’s worth.”
“What’s wrong with making believe that we’re going out?”
Lissy turned on him, laughter in her eyes. “Why not? Let’s just say we don’t fit each other’s profile.”
“We don’t?”
“No. Paul, your kind of woman is one of two types. She’s either built, shares your passion for wrestling, kind of like Joanie. Or she’s a delicate little miss who needs a big strong man to protect her. Like Chae. I don’t fit either of those profiles.”
“You’re a bit of both,” he said, surprising Lissy with the accuracy of his statement. “You work out, you’re built… and I think you would like one of those big strong men to protect you.”
“Come on,” she said, rolling her eyes, shaken up by his appraisal of her, “let’s get out of here. Don’t you have a show to get to?”
Paul laughed at the weary look in Lissy’s eyes as she walked out of the office, slinging her portable computer case over her shoulder. This, he thought, was a woman who needed to be pampered. And he was going to find someone to pamper her.

Over the next three weeks, Lissy and Paul eased into a routine that suited both their needs. In the morning, while Lissy did research and checked all sorts of data on her computer, Jim took Paul for his workout. When he came back, at around eleven or twelve, Lissy took over for Jim and looked after Paul during his personal appearances. She kept overeager fans at bay, all the while, keeping an eye out for anyone suspicious. Once Lissy was comfortable as a member of the WWF team, she made her first appearance as Mysteria.” It was an unforgettable night. And a great début.

Part 4:

Lissy’s stomach was filled up with butterflies and she was feeling a headache coming up. She sat behind the curtain that split the dressing room she now shared with Paul. The make-up artist had come by and done her face and the hairdresser had worked her hair into softer curls that framed her face and accented the strong lines of her face. Yet, Lissy lay on her back, her eyes closed, her hands cradling her stomach.
“I can’t do this,” she told herself. “I can’t go out there. That is… it’s a bad idea… I’ve got to tell Paul. I’ll find something else. Another way…”
“Oh no you won’t.”
Lissy turned her head and saw Paul standing there, wearing his itsy-bitsy wrestling pants and she was reminded of a story she had read on a wrestling website. It brought a smile to her lips as she was reminded of a line in particular… Hunter in itty bitty pants. The phrase kept on repeating itself in her mind until she burst out laughing.
“What’s so bloody funny?” he asked.
“I was just thinking about a story I read about you… and your itty bitty pants.”
“My what?”
“Too difficult to explain.”
“Whatever. So what is this about your not being able to do this?”
“I can’t go out there Paul. I’m going to make a fool of myself.”
“You are not!”
“I am too! I’m going to fall flat on my face, humiliate you and humiliate myself. It’s going to be awful.”
“It is not,” he chuckled. “You are going to be perfect out there. You have the attitude, the look… you’re going to knock them dead. Believe that.”
“But I don’t…”
“I do.”
Paul covered Lissy’s hand on her stomach, keeping his eyes on hers. He bent over and pressed his lips to her forehead. She watched him carefully, trying to read something in his eyes besides genuine care, but found nothing but a man who seemed to care about her and her well being.
“Are you ready to go?” he asked.
“Yes.”
Lissy swung her feet off the couch and stood, going to the full-length mirror. She checked herself out and smothered the smile curving her full lips. For her first WWF appearance, she was going to be the Silver Lady. From head to toe, she was in silver. Even her hair, streaked with silver hair make-up. It was a fantastic look, which was going to be completed with her large hat and the mask she was going to wear over her eyes.
Paul watched her from the couch, pleased with himself, Mysteria had been his idea, and he was pleased with her.

Tonight Paul was going to duke it out with Stone Cold Steve Austin. It was a title match and as the challenger, Steve came out first. Now, when Paul appeared, Mysteria on his arms, the audience went crazy with speculation. Was she Chyna, Debra or another female WWF star in disguise, or was she a new face? Paul walked slowly, matching his steps to the itty-bitty steps Lissy had no choice to make in her high heels. While he climbed into the ring, Lissy went around to a chair next to the announcers’ table and sat quietly, ignoring the idiotic comments from JR and Lawler. Her eyes scanned the audience, looking for a fan who might look like he or she was trying too hard to get too close to Paul but got nothing. She saw Jim doing his rounds across the crowd, knowing that him and his guys did their best to keep any overeager fans at bay.
And so, she focused on the match.
Lissy was a big Austin fan. She loved watching him fight. He reminded her of a little kid who got so involved in punching out his adversary that his whole body went into a single hit. But then, the fight started going Austin’s way and he set Paul up for a stunner. Mysteria’s hand went to her throat, silently crying out her lover’s name.
Paul saw Lissy’s reaction and was surprised. She knew that he wasn’t going to lose the title tonight. She had been in on that meeting. She knew that he was bound to win. So why in God’s did she look so worried? Why did she care? Paul finished the match with a Pedigree to Austin and quickly reclaimed the title, and collecting Mysteria. Steve came to when Paul and Mysteria started to make their way up the ramp. He ran up to them but Lissy stepped in Paul’s way. She didn’t do anything, she just stood there, silently, staring Steve down with a shy smile. And she succeeded. Steve bowed in defeat and let Paul and Mysteria make their way backstage.

Once they were in their dressing room, Paul picked Lissy up by the waist and twirled her around the room.
“You were fantastic,” he laughed.
“I was?”
“When you pretended to be concerned about me, that was good. But then, when Steve was about to clobber me over the head and you just stood there until he backed down, that was incredible.”
“Thank you,” said Lissy, trying not to focus on the incredibly handsome man who was cradling her in his arms.
“Not even Joanie could have been this good. It was incredible.”
“Well, we were lucky.”
“We weren’t lucky. You were great!!!”
Paul held Lissy in his arms and squeezed her tight. She looked at him and thought he was about to kiss her. And Paul thought about it too. Kissing her that is. She was still flushed from her appearance on stage. And it somehow made her glow, it somehow made him realize that he was working with a beautiful woman.
“Hey, let me have some of that,” said Shane, coming into the dressing room without knocking. “Lissy darling, you were fantastic!!!”
As Shane’s arms went around her, Lissy looked at Paul. Something had happened between the two of them, something she would not allow to go any further. But for that moment, to relive a moment of such bliss, she would give anything, absolutely anything.

Part 5:

Over the next couple of weeks, Lissy and her charge fell into a nice routine. In the mornings, Jim would take Paul to the gym for his workouts. In the meantime Lissy would take care of paperwork and follow up on what few leads she had. Then Jim would leave Paul in her care. Whether it was for personal appearances or flights and rides in and out of various American towns, Lissy became Paul’s shadow. And for house shows and tapings, for RAW and SMACKDOWN, they would get dressed in the same dressing room, talking about the match to come. And the schedule fit them both. Except for one part. Lissy insisted that Paul stop going out to bars and clubs after shows. They hadn’t gotten word from the stalker since she’d come on board and she wanted to play it safe. Paul and his friends wanted to go out and party. Actually, his friends got to go out and party. Paul had to call it an early night every night and hear all about it in the morning.
Until one night.
Lissy was walking Paul back to the car when her cell phone rang. She motioned for Paul to get into the car.
“Talk,” she said, keeping an eye on Paul.
“Hi Lissy. It’s Shane. Listen, you think you can come by my office for a few minutes?”
“Sure.”
“Leave Paul with the rest of DX while we talk. It’s something of a private matter. Okay?”
“Shane, can we do this tomorrow morning while Paul’s at his workout with Jim?”
“No. It’s kind of urgent.”
“Just let me get my hands on Jim. It won’t take me a minute.”
“No. I need to see you now.”
“I have a job to do Shane. I’m not leaving Paul without protection.”
“I think Sean, Kip, Brian and Mike are protection enough while you’re in a ten minute meeting right down the hall.”
“Fine.”
By the time Lissy got to Shane’s office, after dropping Paul off with his friends, she was fuming. Literally. She was going to give that point a big piece of her mind and explain to him how things worked when she was on a protection detail. She knocked on the door to his office twice and went in.
“Shane? Shane?”
He wasn’t there. Lissy went next door to Vince’s office and knocked once. Briscoe appeared in the doorway, a smile on his lips.
“How can I help you Lissy?”
“I’m looking for Shane.”
“Shane’s already left Lissy,” said Vince, coming to the door. “He had plans with Mike and the boys of DX.”
“Oh fuck!!!”

When Lissy got to the hotel, she went straight to the elevator and pushed the button for UP. While, she waited, tapping her toes on the nice marble floor, impatient got to her and before the bell rang, she was off to the staircase, climbing them two at the time. She ran to Paul’s room and eased the card key into the slot. Within fifteen seconds, she was sure that he was gone. She went to her bedroom to call Jim and found a note on her bed. From Shane.
We figured Paul needed time off with the boys. This will be good for him. Don’t worry about him. We’ll look out for him.
And, as if it was a get-well card, all the boys had signed, Brian, Kip, Sean, Shane and Mike. There were a few words scribbled at the bottom of the note. From Shane. Again.
Paul won’t sign because he says this wasn’t his idea but he send his best.
Lissy crumbled the note in her hand and headed out the door, calculating how long she would have to beat Shane until she was satisfied.

Shane had just stuffed a fifty-dollar bill in the bra of Sally the stripper to entertain Paul when a slim arm curled around his neck, cutting over his air supply.
“Don’t you ever do that to me again.”
“Sherrie?”
“No dumb ass, I ain’t your girlfriend. I’m much more dangerous.”
“Oh hey Lissy,” he said slowly, “how did you…”
“Fuck that! If you ever, ever do that or anything like it, I’m going to break you and you don’t want to know in how many pieces. Clear?”
“We just thought Paul could enjoy a night on the town, that’s all.”
“You should have told me.”
“So you could tag along to a strip club?”
“News flash Shane. This is a strip club and I’m in it, and I’m okay about it.”
“But look at Paul. He’s having a good time here.”
Lissy looked over and saw Sally strut over to Paul, giving him the full benefits of the 50$ lap dance. The exotic dancer bumped and ground her way through en extended version of Rick James’ Superfreak as Paul sat back and watched her work, all the while exchanging quips with Brian and Kip.
Lissy stood there, a bit jealous. Hell, she was a lot jealous. She would have given anything to have Paul look at her like that for just a moment.
“See,” said Shane, “that’s why this isn’t your kind of place.”
“Isn’t it?” she asked. “Give me a few minutes and I promise you, I’ll teach that little chick a thing or two about lap dancing.”
Lissy shucked off her jacket and dropped it in Shane’s lap, revealing a tight black tank top. Then, she walked over and stood in front of Paul as Sally finished her lap dance. When he saw her, Paul, sat up straighter and raised his hands in the air, as if to prove his innocence. Once Sally was done, Lissy looked at her and smiled, offering her hand for a shake.
“Hi. I’m Lissy. I was watching your act and I had a few ideas on how we could make it better.”
“What? Who the fuck…”
“Trust me, I know the business. I just want to help.”
“Fine. Show me your stuff.”
Lissy nodded and looked at the men sitting in front of her, already deciding that there was no way in hell Mike or Paul were going to get the pleasure of her lap dancing talents. Sean was too puny and Brian, well Brian would probably laugh his way through the whole thing. So she chose Kip, signaling him to bring his chair and himself forward. The Miracles’ Love Machine came on and Lissy started to move.
The PI’s body moved like a rope in front of Kip, making him hot for the lap dance that was coming his way. As she moved, Lissy commented to Sally on her moves, like how keeping your eyes half-closed made it look like you were just coming out of bed after a night of good sex. When Lissy loomed over Kip and spread his legs wide open and stepped between them, she felt Paul’s hot eyes on her. She shook the thrill that ran through her away and focused on her customer. She ran her fingers through his hair, rubbing her chest against his, grabbing the hands that suddenly gripped her waist and setting them back on the chair handles. She whispered sweet little nothings in his ear, all the while wriggling her body against his.
Lissy then started to slide down his body, slipping her legs under Kip’s chair until her head and her mouth hovered over his crotch. Her tongue snaked out and she licked at air the way some people licked at lollypops. Propping herself up on Kip’s knees, she finally got to her feet, her body still moving to the beat.
Lissy let go of Kip, took a few steps back, her eyes lost in his, and turned around. She stepped back into his open legs, brought a legs up to her chest, at full stretch, still telling Sally how men liked to think of their partners, real or imagined, as gymnasts. She brought that raised leg down on top of Kip’s strong thighs and swung her other leg into a similar position. From that moment on, she stayed on top of Kip, alternating between slow and fast hip bucks, simulating a doggie-style mating, as the song died out.
When Lissy finally eased herself off Kip’s lap, Sally gave her a quick hug and started to clap. The boys joined in, except for Kip, who was still dazed, hot and very bothered, and Paul, who looked angrier than ever.
Sticking her tongue out at Paul, Lissy followed Sally to the bar, where the dancer ordered them a couple of tequila shooters. They set the drinks down on the bar, licked the backs of their hands, shook salt over them, licked it off and threw the alcohol down their throats, enjoying the burn. They exchanged smiles as they bit into the sour lime, enjoying its juice. Lissy was about to take the lime rind out of her mouth and order another shot when Paul plucked it from her mouth.
“What?” she asked, waving a hand through the thin line of spit that went from her mouth to the rind.
“You seemed kind of good at that.”
“The lap dance? Oh well, it’s a talent.”
“And where does a nice girl like you pick up that kind of talent?”
“Why do you care?”
“Because you acted like a slut out there.”
“I did not!”
“In that case, I guess you’re hot for Kip. So go to him. You primed him for it.”
“Fine. I will.”
Lissy started to walk to Kip but Paul stopped her, “What are you doing?”
“Going to Kip. Your suggestion, remember?”
“What is your problem?” he barked at her.
“Oh, well, it’s easy.”
“Fine, then explain it to me.”
“I don’t see why I have to, but here goes anyway. Over the past few weeks, I noticed something.”
“What?”
“I’m attracted to you. And I think you’re attracted to me.”
“So?”
“So it’s true? You’re attracted to me?”
Paul looked down at his feet, then at his reflection in the mirror behind the bar. He shook his head in disbelief.
“Yes,” he finally bit out. “I am attracted to you.”
“I see. But here’s the real problem. I can’t allow either of us to do anything about it.”
“Why not?”
“Because. I have a code of ethics, rules I never break when I’m on the job. And one of those rules is not to get personally involved with the clients.”
“The WWF pays you, not me.”
“They pay me to protect you. Same difference.”
“So that’s why you did what you did with Kip?”
“Yeah. I want you. You want me. But we can’t do anything about it. Not while you’re a job.”
“Not while I’m a job. What about Kip?”
“I’m horny. And if Kip’s willing, I might be able to solve that problem.”
“Because he’s not a job.”
“Right.”
“Fine. Fuck whoever you want! Just not my friends!”
“Great. Maybe, I’ll find someone on my way back to the hotel.”
Lissy grabbed her jacket off Shane’s lap and stalked out of the strip joint’s VIP room.

Part 6:

The next morning, Lissy lay in bed listening as Jim got Paul for his workout. She rolled over and rehashed last night’s events in her mind. Paul and her had finally admitted what she’d dreaded knowing. They were attracted to each other. It was an uncomfortable situation if there ever was one. The woman shook her head and told herself to focus on work. She would have time to worry about her personal life, or lack thereof, later. But Lissy nonetheless took a very cold shower.

Lissy was just stepping into her temporary Stamford office when her cell phone ran from her belt clip.
“Talk.”
“Lissy, it’s Jim. Come to Shane’s office. And bring your forensics kit.”
“What’s up?”
“Just get up here.”
Lissy grabbed a small case she kept tucked under her desk and made her way up the stairs to Shane’s office. When she got there, she found Shane and Jim staring at a packet of envelopes scattered on Shane’s desk. Paul sat in front of the desk, and when he looked up at her, Lissy saw how incredibly pale he was.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“We got another letter,” said Jim.
“Anybody touch it?”
“Just me,” said Paul.
“All right,” said Lissy, squeezing Paul’s shoulder as she passed by him. “I’ll have a look at it.”
Lissy sat next to Paul and set the case down on the desk. She eased a pair of latex gloves on her slim fingers and grabbed a pair of long tweezers and a scalpel.
“Which envelope?” she asked.
“The black one,” said Jim.
Lissy pulled the black envelope from the pack and laid it out in front of her on a large piece of paper she’d taken from Shane’s nearby printer. Using the scalpel with the dexterity of a pro, she cut it open, following the lines of glue. Once the envelope lay open on the desk, its insides revealed, everyone in the room gasped in shock.
“Holy Shit,” swore Shane.
“Goddamn it!”
“Okay, we need to stay calm here,” said Lissy.
“Those are fuckin’ razor blades,” shouted Shane, almost picking up the envelope’s remains.
“Don’t fuckin’ touch that,” hissed Lissy, slapping his hand away. “For all we know, they could be poisoned.”
“Poisoned?”
“Yeah. Maybe not with something lethal but it could still be poisoned.”
Lissy then went on to open the note. It was pretty straightforward at far as death threats went.
Without Chyna, Hunter might as well be dead. Now, it’s up to you to let him live.
Lissy sat back and stared at the computerized note. She turned to Paul and saw how incredibly shaken he was.
“Jim, can you get this analyzed for me? I’ll give you the address of a lab I use. They’ll rush the job if you ask them to.”
“Done.”
“Shane, can you cancel Paul’s schedule until Monday?”
“Uh…” Shane finally looked at Paul and made his decision, “…sure.”
“Thanks.”
“Where will you be?” asked Jim.
“At my place,” said Lissy.”
“And where’s that?”
“I’d rather not say. Paul needs to be in a safe place and my place seems to be just that. Safe.”
“Paul?”
“Whatever.”
“All right,” said Lissy. “Jim, I want a complete analysis of the envelope and the note. Send me the results by email. Shane, Paul and I will be back on Monday morning.”
“Lissy,” said Shane, “I wanna say… thank.”
“It’s okay Shane. It’s all part of the service.”
“Well, consider your fee increased to an extra thousand a day, retroactively.”
“Not necessary Shane.”
“Very necessary,” he reassured her.
Paul didn’t say a word as he followed Lissy to her office, then to the hotel where they packed up all of their belongings. It was only when they got into Lissy’s grey SUV to go to her place that he opened his mouth.
“Thanks.”
“For?”
“Getting me out of there.”
“No problem. How are you doing?”
“Hell, I don’t have a fucking clue. It’s so fucking stupid, you know. All I did was break up with my girlfriend.”
Paul slammed his open hand on the dash and hissed a few curses. He nervously pulled his hair out of his face in a ponytail and started to fiddle with the radio. He turned the dial to a station that played Nirvana and Pearl Jam and Lissy had to stop herself from turning off the radio. She held off for over an hour during which Paul and her retreated into themselves, neither knowing exactly what to say.
Paul watched Lissy out of the corner of his eye. She drove like a guy, with only one hand on the wheel, her free elbow on the armrest. She drove fast, aggressively, as if their lives depended on it, weaving in and out of lines. He also noticed how often she glanced at the radio. He was about to turn it off when she pulled over by the side of the road.
Without a word, she reached into the backseat for a bottle of water and some Excedrin.
“Headache?”
“What gave it away?” she asked, throwing the pills down her throat.
“Do you want me to drive?”
“You don’t even know where we’re going.”
“I’m just offering to help.”
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to bite your head off.”
“It’s okay,” he said softly.
“I hate that music,” she finally admitted, turning off the radio.
“That’s what gave you a headache?”
“It helped.”
“Sorry.”
“It’s okay. It’s not your fault your choice in music stinks.”
“It does not.”
“It so does.”
“Okay, what do you like?”
“This,” said Lissy, leaning over his thighs to open the glove compartment.
Lissy picked up three tapes, checked them out, kept one and threw back the other two.
“This,” she said, sliding the tape into the appropriate slot, “this is good music.”
Paul did not quite know what to expect but even he had to bow down to the wonderful voice and music of Tina Turner.
“All right, I’ll give you that much. Tina is pretty great.”
“She’s a woman’s rock star.”
“Ain’t that the truth. Joanie loves her.”
“I don’t know a woman who doesn’t.”
As if Tina’s crooning brought all the repressed feelings to the surface, Paul started to talk about his relationship with Joanie. He talked about how great it had been, about their highs and their lows, about the happiness and the pride they’d both felt when the other had won their respective titles.
“We were perfect,” he said.
“So what happened?”
“Damned if I know.”
“You two broke up. Publicly. Something had to happen.”
“I guess that although we share almost everything, we both had expectations of the other one.”
“Such as?”
“I don’t know. I always expected her to be in my corner. Always. But then, she started calling me on things I did she didn’t like. And I didn’t like that.”
“You realized that she saw the flaws along with the qualities?”
“Yeah, I guess. And I didn’t like that. I wanted to be perfect in her eyes. But I didn’t want to change. I just wanted her to see me as perfect.”
“I can see that.”
“Yeah, but then I was an asshole. I started getting back at her.”
“What did you do?”
“I started making some disparaging comments about her appearance.”
“What kind of comments?”
“The kind of stuff that had hurt her in the past, about how feminine she looked and stuff.”
Lissy didn’t hesitate and slapped him upside the head and punched him in the arm. She hit him hard. “I’ve got a good mind to pull over and drop you off right here,” she said, “you fuckin’ bastard!”
“Hey, I heard it all before.”
“You are such a fuckin’ asshole. Can’t believe you said that to her. You fuckin’ idiot!”
“All right, thank you. I know what a stupid ass I was.”
“But do you understand how disgusting that was? What an awful thing that was to say to her?”
“Yes, I do.”
Lissy turned the volume dial to the maximum and kept on driving, biting the inside of her mouth, seeing Paul in a brand new light. She didn’t like the light she was seeing him in, but sometimes, the truth about a person hurt.

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