Part 7:

Lissy didn’t speak to Paul at all on the way to her house. She was so mad at him for saying all those hurtful things to Joanie. True, she wasn’t all that familiar with Paul’s ex, but still, she knew the sting of words for having been stung so many times in her youth.
They pulled into the driveway of her quiet suburban home and went straight into the garage. Lissy grabbed her bags from the trunk and waited for Paul to do the same. He quietly followed her inside the house, up one floor.
“This is going to be your room,” she said gruffly.
“Thank…”
But Lissy was already walking down the hall to her room and slammed the door. Paul dropped his bags on the floor by the bed and let himself fall on the bed. He wouldn’t have thought she would get so angry with him. It had happened between him and Joanie after all. What right did she have to be angry? It’s not like he had said it to her. God, she made him so angry. And he was going to give her a piece of his mind.
Paul got up from the bed and stalked to Lissy’s bedroom. He opened the door and found her… She was evidently changing… she only had panties, a bra and socks on. And for a guy like him, he’d never thought a pair of blue Hanes - Her Way panties and a white cotton bra could be so sexy. But on Lissy, it was sexier than a girlie magazine. She looked better than he could have imagined. Her breasts were heavy, full, encased in a cotton bra that gave her torpedo tits from hell. The bush between her legs was crammed beneath a thin layer of cotton but he immediately wanted to run his fingers through that curly hair. As for her body, it was perfect to him. Strong and curved in all the right places. He had only been able to guess at her beauty before. Now, he knew she was more beautiful than any wet dream could have made her.
“Done staring?” she asked, putting her hands on her hips.
“Uh…” Paul had two options: he could be cowardly and walk away or he could brazen it out and keep on watching her. He chose option no. 2.
“Actually, no I’m not. Would you mind turning around? I want to see if the back is a match for the front.”
Lissy laughed but turned around nonetheless.
“Do you approve?”
“Yeah. You’re well put together.”
“Thank you. I’ll tell my mother. Now, is there anything in particular I can help you with?”
“Yeah. What right do you have getting mad at me for something I said to Joanie? Granted, it was wrong and dumb but it was my mistake and my mistake alone.”
“Fine, but I’ve been on the other side of those insults and let me tell you, it’s hell.”
“You? Come on.”
“It’s true.”
Lissy went to her bedside table and pulled out a pile of yearbooks. She thumbed through a few of them, opening them on class pictures. She motioned Paul to get closer, “Look at this,” she said, pointing to a much younger picture of her. “That was me when I was fifteen years old. Check out how many guys are my height or taller.”
“Not many.”
“Not many is right. Now, think about it… all these guys had girlfriends but none of them wanted to go out with me. You know why? Because they all wanted a tiny little girl they could protect. I wasn’t that. I was a big and tall girl who didn’t need a guy for protection. I needed a guy for companionship, for affection.”
“Oh…”
“And look at all these pictures, I was always taller. It’s not so much that I wasn’t as pretty as the other girls. I was. And I knew that. But my height made me butchy, less feminine. Even today, guys my age would rather date a short defenseless looking girl than date me. I’m too tall, too independent for their tastes. I don’t suit their ideals of womanhood.”
“Their loss.”
“Oh, that is so fuckin’ easy to say. I could say something like that, but when I see all my short delicate, but dumb-as-a-post girlfriends going out on dates with great guys who won’t give me a second look because I’m so much taller than they are, I have to wonder.”
“Well, I don’t.”
“How many women proposition you in a day Paul? Try making a round number, I do have my pride here.”
“I don’t know. Four or five, maybe?”
“Hundreds or thousands?”
“I get it, I get it. I get propositioned a lot. Okay?”
“Yeah, but which ones do you go for? The ones who are tall and strong and who won’t die because you don’t give them the time of day, or the ones who are short and small and who see you as a big strong man who is the be-all and the end-all of their lives?”
“…”
“You know, I have a friend, Debbie. We’re both really tall. I’m six feet tall and she’s about an inch or so taller. Guys see us walking down the street and they look at us, undress us with their eyes. But will any of those cowards make a move? Of course not. We look like amazons, we’re scary… we’re lesbians. It’s so fuckin’ annoying.”
“I didn’t. I never thought.”
“Of course you didn’t. You’re a guy and most women drool all over you and they get bold, come on to you. It’s disgusting.”
Lissy sat on the bed, bringing a knee up to her chest. Paul sat next to her, leaning forward, putting her elbows down on his knees.
“I hated being so tall,” she said softly. “It was like a fuckin’ curse. Until I found my way. Until I found a way to channel my talent. Being a P.I. was the perfect way of doing that. But it took me so long to find that way. Debbie and I went to our prom together. We were the lesbian couple. We didn’t care anymore. We had thick skins by then. But when I saw the guy I liked dancing and fawning all over a little twit who couldn’t have been taller than five feet two inches, I wanted to scratch his beautiful blue eyes out. I hated him for picking her over me.”
“He was an ass.”
“And so were you. I can’t begin to imagine what things must have been like for Joanie. She had it hard. She suffered. That much I know. But hearing that crap from you, a man she loved. It must have broken her. I wouldn’t have hesitated to beat you to a bloody pulp.”
“She was in shock after I said that to her. She looked at me as if she was dying inside. I wanted to take it back. But it was too late. She ran out of our dressing room as quickly as she could.”
“So what happened when you apologized?”
“…”
“You did apologize?”
“…”
“Fuck Paul… when you fuck up, you fuck up big time. Well, on Monday, when we get back to work, you’re going to go right up to her and apologize.”
“She won’t let me. We haven’t spoken since.”
“You have to. Even if I have to beat up the two of you until you do apologize.”
“Who gave you the right to rule my life?”
“Nothing I guess. Let’s just say that I’m counting on your common sense. Now, get out of here and let me get dressed.”
“Oh I could watch you get dressed,” he said with a hopeful smile.
“Get out! Pervert!”
Paul laughed out of the room. He understood Joanie a lot better. And he understood how his words had hurt her. He had never thought about it that way before. She’d never told him about her teenage years, her high school days. He now wished she had. Paul wanted to smack himself. And he wanted to thank Lissy for making him see the light. He wanted to thank her in so many ways, most of them way she would never allow, what with him being a client and all.
When Lissy finally made her way down the stairs to the kitchen, she saw Paul slumped in front of the TV, flipping through the hundreds of channels at his disposal.
“I think Nitro is on. Channel 132 or something like that.”
“You expect me to watch the competition?”
“At least they wrestle. You guys just put on a nice show.”
“What?”
“It’s true. Except for Edge and Christian, the Hardy Boyz and a few of the other guys, you guys rarely show your technical skills.”
“Really?”
“Think back to the old days. Remember Tito Santana? Ricky Steamboat? That was wrestling, technique. It was a thing of beauty. I love the guys you work with, but can I tell by looking at them that they wrestle? Hell no, they put on a show.”
“My friends and I are skilled wrestlers.”
“Then show us.”
“But that’s not what the public wants.”
“Maybe not the general public who knows jack shit about wrestling but let me tell you something. For people who’ve been watching for a long time, like me, fifteen years or more, we switch over to Nitro every once in a while. Watch talent like Chris Benoît, Kanyon. Guys who can wrestle.”
“I’m telling you, my boys can wrestle.”
“Fine. But put Dwayne or Steve in a ring with Steamboat or Santana, they’ll run away like babies.”
“I thought you liked those guys.”
“Adore them. But I’m objective. I’m smart. Liking a wrestler doesn’t mean I think he’s perfect.”
“That’s novel.”
“I’m a novel kind of woman. Now, I’m not cooking. And neither are you. So what do you want to eat? Chinese, pizza, burgers?”
“Are we ordering out?”
“Of course.”
Paul and Lissy both looked at each other and smiled, “Chinese,” they both say at the same time.
Thirty minutes later, they sat on the hardwood floor in front of the TV, watching Dirty Dancing which was Lissy’s favorite movie. As she sat across from Paul, her legs crossed as she chewed on an egg roll, she hummed along with the music, shaking her shoulders. Paul was busy trying to figure out how to use chopsticks to eat rice when Lissy let out a surprising moan.
“What’s up?” asked Paul.
“I adore Patrick Swayze.”
“Ugh. He’s so puny.”
“But look at him dance. Look at him move. That’s what makes him so hot.”
“It can’t be that difficult.”
“Fine, we’ll test out your skills later.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
“I’m not. You said it couldn’t be that difficult. We’ll test out your skills after we eat.”

Part 8:

Paul was taking his sweet time eating his Kung Pao chicken. He relished each piece as Lissy waited for him impatiently. When he was down to four pieces of chicken, he started getting clumsy with his chopsticks, dropping each piece two or three times before he actually got a good hold on them. Lissy finally burst out laughing.
“What is wrong with you, you little coward? It’s just a few dance steps. I don’t want you to sign your life over to me or anything.”
“What are you talking about? I’m eating.”
“Paulie darling, we’re just going to dance. It’s not the end of the world.”
“I still don’t get it. I’m eating.”
“Fine, you just go on eating. I’ll dance.”
Lissy went to the stereo and picked out a CD. It was the Waiting to Exhale soundtrack. It wasn’t her usual kind of music but somehow, she just felt like exhaling. She sped past all of the Whitney Houston sappy crap and settled on TLC’s rendition of This is How it Works. As the funky beat filled the house, Lissy started to move, looking out to the big bay window which looked out onto the street. Her moves matched the lyrics of the song and she slowly became unaware of Paul and of his eyes on her.

This is how it works
Wrap your hands around my body

Lissy’s hands went around her body, moving sensuously around her waist and hips.

This is how it works
Go due south and

Even with her back to him, Paul saw Lissy’s hands curl around her hips and sink into the hollow of her legs.

This is how it works
Melt yourself into my body
This is how it works
Kiss my mouth

Lissy let out a gasp as she imagined Paul’s lips against hers. A cold shiver went up and down her body and she reminded herself that she was dancing for herself, not for him.

Some guys think they know the answers
Everybody knows how to make you scream
If most guys took time out their fantasies
Maybe we could stop our make believe
Make it smooth, take your time
Make it groove, in, out, it,
Make it last, kiss, kiss, kiss,
Kiss my---, ah, ah, ah

Paul set the Kung Pao chicken container down on the floor next to him and decided to watch. He’d never thought himself to be a great dancer but there was something about the way Lissy moved that made him want to dance. It was like she was a sorceress and he was the hopeless mortal trapped in her web.

Ready set go, you don’t have to know
We can take forever, learn together any flow
Touch me slow, watch it grow
Kiss the tip, gently flow, be my ho and take the show
We can watch it in slo mo, when the sweet & lo drips
Don’t forget to let me wet my fingertips
Write love letters back & forth across your lips
Spread my hips, count to eighty, eighty ways, eighty trips
Make it smooth, take your time
One time for your mind, two times if ya tense baby let is unwind
Make it groove, in, out, in
Three counts let it bou--ce to the motherf---ounce
Make it last, kiss, kiss, kiss
Here we go, now you know, 4th down, let if flow back around come on
Kiss my---
Kiss my, kiss my, mm-wah

As the song died down, Paul got to his feet and went to Lissy. She was breathing a bit hard, her eyes closed, her head thrown back.
“All right,” said Paul. “Let’s do it.”
“Let’s do what,” she asked, turning around to face him.
“Dance. You wanted to test my skills, right?”
“Right. Let me just change the music.”
Lissy went to the CD player and replaced the soundtrack with a CD her friend Debbie had given her called The Ultimate Soul Collection. She chose the Al Green track, Let’s Stay Together.
“We’re going to start with something slow,” she explained. “If you can do the slow dance, you can do anything.”
Lissy pulled Paul into position, his arms at the right places and smiled up at him.
“You lead,” she said softly.
Maybe it was because he was nervous. Or maybe it was because he just couldn’t dance. Whatever the reason, Paul found himself to be the shamed owner of two left feet.
“All right, that’s it,” said Lissy, getting her damaged toes out of harm’s way, “take off your shoes.”
“What?”
“I’m going to need my feet in the morning and the way you’re going at it, I’m not going to have toes by then.”
“Sorry.”
“Don’t do that face. By midnight tonight, you’ll be a fair dancer. And if we continue the lessons every night, by Monday, you’ll be able to trade secrets with Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly.”
“Lissy, they’re both dead.”
“It’s an expression dumb ass.”
Lissy lost her temper quite a few times during the night but she walked away with a smile on her face. In a way that was not unlike Patrick Swayze’s method in Dirty Dancing, Lissy taught Paul the basic elements of dancing. He had the necessary talent; he just had to redirect it. By the end of the evening, Lissy was satisfied that he could wade his way through a slow dance without endangering his partner’s life. When midnight came around, they both slumped on the couch, tired.
“That was fun,” he said with a smile to no one.
“Yeah, for you.”
“Oh come on… tell me you didn’t enjoy this one little bit.”
“I didn’t enjoy this one little bit.”
“Liar.”
Paul got up and went to Lissy’s CD collection. He flipped through it slowly, pulling out a few CDs for closer inspection. She watched him through half-open eyelids, wondering what he was going to do.
“All right, call this my exam in slow dancing,” he said, brandishing a CD in the air.
“What is it?” she asked.
“Barry White.”
Paul slid the CD into the stereo and turned to Lissy as the first bars of Love is the Icon filled the air.

Part 9:

“Come on,” he urged her, “this song doesn’t last forever.”
“Actually, it is kind of long.”
“Come on. I’m good now. I promise to stay off your toes.”
“And what if you don’t?”
“I’ll give you a foot massage.”
“You know what, let’s not and say we did.”
Paul slipped his large hands under Lissy’s armpits and pulled her to her feet. She smiled up at him and rested both of her hands on his shoulders.
“I guess I don’t have much of a choice, do I?”
“Right. So let’s just dance.”
Paul gathered his bodyguard into his arms and started to sway to the music. Lissy was rigid in his arms at first but slowly started to melt. She was too tired to put up a front for too long. She had taught him well, she thought to herself. He was definitely sweeping her right off her feet. She rested her head right beneath his chin and made up her mind to enjoy this moment she was stealing from the life she had had settled on for herself. It felt so good and so right to be in his arms. Almost right, but not quite.
Paul briefly wondered what kind of shampoo Lissy used. It smelled so good and her hair seemed so nice and silky. He buried his face in it, enjoying her company and the feel of her body against his. He ran his hands up and down her strong back, hugging her as tight as he could without hurting her. He knew she felt comfortable and safe in his arms but wasn’t sure of what she wanted out of it.
“Time for bed,” she announced as the song ended.
“I thought we could dance some more,” he stuttered as she turned off the CD player.
“That wouldn’t be such a good idea Paul. You’ve got to workout in the morning and I still have work to do.”
“So? We go to bed much later on the road.”
“Paul, go to bed.”
Paul turned around and started to go up the stairs to his bedroom while Lissy went through the house, locking the doors and securing the windows. When she finally made her way up the stairs and walked past Paul’s room, she saw him standing in the doorway, his silhouette framed by the light of the moon.
“Why didn’t you want to dance with me?” he asked.
“Paul, please.”
“Why wouldn’t you dance with me?”
“Because after one song, I wanted to do so much more than just dance that it scared me.”
“It scared you?”
“It scared the living daylights out of me. And it still does. Paul, I never got this close to breaking my most important rule about business. Don’t make me do that.”
“What about me? Why does it only have to be about your feelings, your rules?”
“Because once I solve this case, you’ll be gone, but my business will still be here. And what will I do then? What will happen then? What will happen to me once I break my rules?”
“…”
“That’s right Paul, you don’t have an answer for that, do you? But I’ll have to live with it.”
Lissy stalked off to her room and slammed the door shut. Tears ran down her face. It took all her strength and her determination not to open that door and run to him. She wanted to so much. She burned to run to him. She wanted, for the very first time in her life, the safety and comfort of a man’s arms. Her, Lissy Carlson, who had always stood on her own, wanted to have someone stand by her.

The next morning, Paul woke up feeling like he’d slept fifteen minutes instead of the full eight hours the digital clock by his bed indicated. He’d dreamt all through the night. Not about Lissy as he would have expected, but about his friends, Brian, Kip, Sean, Shane, Mike, Kevin, Scott, about his co-workers, Steve, Dwayne, Allen, Mick, Vince, about Joanie. He’d dreamt about her a lot. And he had made up his mind. He would apologize to her.
He lay in bed, his fingers linked into his hair when he heard Lissy moving around in her room. Paul listened as she walked past his bedroom and hurried down the stairs. He heard the front door open and close and ran to his window to see her do her stretching exercises in the driveway. Her running shoes and a sleeveless hooded sweater waited for her on the grass until she was done. Lissy pulled them on and took off at a slow jog. Paul stood at the window for a full forty-five minutes and waited for her return.
When Lissy came back home and saw Paul at the window, she didn’t know if she should be thrilled or angry. She was both. She was thrilled that he was waiting for her to get back from her run, but she was angry that he was exposing himself to danger in this fashion. Anyone passing by on the street could see him, and recognize him. The last thing she wanted to deal with was a mob of fans.
“Get away from that window,” she shouted from the door. “If I can see you, anyone can.”
Lissy hurried past Paul’s room and went to her bedroom to shower. She was sweaty but happy with her run. She’d needed to work off some of the adrenaline rush that always overwhelmed her after a sleepless night. She started shedding her sweaty clothes as she closed her bedroom door, somewhat hoping that Paul would make another unwelcome intrusion and catch her naked. He would be taken by her beauty, sweep her into his arms, sweat and all, and make wild passionate.
Lissy shook the thoughts out of her head as she turned on the taps of her bedroom. Laying down the rules was one thing but if she couldn’t keep her mind on business, it would make things that much harder. As steam started to fill her small bathroom, Lissy turned on the radio and slid in her Aretha Franklin tape. There was no one like Aretha to start up a morning.

From his bedroom all the way down the hall, Paul listened to Lissy’s off-key rendition of the women’s anthem, R-E-S-P-E-C-T. He grinned as he realized that Lissy sang the same way she did everything else. With everything she had. Without realizing it, he started to tap his feet in time with the song he could barely hear over her voice. She kept on singing after her shower, while she dressed, he guessed.
Finally, the recital came to an end and Lissy knocked on his door.
“Come on in.”
“Good morning,” she said with a smile. “I brought you some towels. Bathroom’s next door.”
“Thanks.”
“No problem. Now, I have cereal downstairs, no milk though. I can make coffee and tea. Will that be okay for today?”
“Do you have any fruit juice?”
“Definitely.”
“It’ll be fine.”

Breakfast was an informal affair during which Lissy made a list of all the groceries they would need for the next couple of days. Once, they were done, Lissy showed Paul the gym she’d set up in the basement.
“I’m going out for groceries,” she said, “so that means I’m leaving you home alone. I don’t think anyone knows where I am right now, but… oh fuck, Mom.”
“Mom?”
“My mother. She’s supposed to check my house every once in a while. I’ve got to call her.”
Lissy went into the living room and Paul listened to the conversation, his lips curving at the side of the conversation he heard.
“Hello Mom… I’m fine, you… Good… yes, I am eating right… Mom, please… I’m old enough to make sure I eat enough… I did not look skinny in the red outfit… I did not… your friend Gladys doesn’t know what she’s saying Mom. She thinks Rosie O’Donnell is anorexic… yes… I’ll call more often… listen Mom… Mom… Mom, would you let me talk for a second… I am not using a tone. just listen, okay? I’m home for a few days… no, no, no, do not come over… Mom, I do love you. oh mother! I’m still on the job. I just needed to come home for a few days, okay… No one hurt my feelings… I’m a big girl now… listen to me. Stay away from the house until I tell you differently, okay… Yes, as a matter of fact, there is a man here with me and we go at it every minute of everyday, okay? Are you satisfied now… Oh Mom, the fake tears don’t work on me anymore… why am I hiding him… It’s a job Mom… no, he’s not married… Mother, I am getting off the phone right now… be good, stay away from the house until I tell you otherwise. I love you… you crazy old woman.”
When Paul came into the living room, Lissy was tapping the phone on her thigh, a dreamy smile on her lips.
“You and your mom seem to get along.”
“You heard? Yeah, well, Mom’s funny. And we work together. Not getting along is not an option.”
“Cool.”
“Anyway, off to your workout with your bad self. I’ll be back in forty five minutes.”

Paul and Lissy settled into a routine during their stay at her house. They were friends. No more, no less, no matter how desperately they wanted more.
The forensics report came in on the envelope and the note Paul had gotten. As Lissy had suspected, the envelope and its contents, including the razor blades, had been covered with itching powder. Not a lethal substance as it were, but it served as an indication of how serious the stalker was. Jim also double-checked the visitors’ list for the Titan headquarters for that day, only to find out that the only people who had been in that day were accounted for. That meant one of two things.
Either the stalker had an accomplice at Titan or that the stalker was an employee of Titan.

Part 10:

Lissy woke Paul up at five on Monday morning. She told him to get washed up and dressed as quickly as possible. They had to be on the road by seven. While Paul wolfed down a bowl of Cheerios, Lissy loaded their bags into the car. The second the empty bowl hit the table, Lissy got him to wash it and gently pushed him into the car. Lissy hopped on next to him and was about to start the car when his fingers went right about her neck.
“I’ve been wanting to do this since the moment I ever saw you.”
His lips came down on her quickly and roughly. His mouth plundered hers, stealing the breath from her. She braced her hands on his shoulders, pushing him in earnest at first but as the kiss deepened, her fingers curled around the lapel of his jacket, pulling him to her. Too easily to her liking, Lissy allowed Paul to pull her onto his lap and went on kissing him until they had to come up to breathe.
“Finally,” he grinned.
“That was good,” giggled Lissy, smoothing her hands over his leather jacket. “Wrong but good.”
“Why do you keep on saying it’s wrong?”
“Because I have rules Paul.”
“Rules are meant to be broken.”
“That is so irresponsible of you to say.”
“It is not.”
“I’m not going to argue about this Paul.”
“All right. Let’s not, let’s just enjoy it,” he said, easing the back of his seat down and pulling Lissy on top of him.
“Mmmm, we shouldn’t,” she whispered as he rained kisses down the opening of her shirt.
“Fine, you don’t do a thing and I’ll do all the work.”
“You know, it’s rare to hear guys say that.”
“Just enjoy, okay? Enjoy.”
Lissy gave in to Paul’s gentle command and kissed him back. She took control of that kiss, straddling him and rubbing her chest against his as she kissed him. She buried her hands in his long silky hair, bringing his face to hers. She licked all of his mouth, running the tip of her tongue against his palate and battling with his tongue.
Suddenly, she felt his hands beneath the belt of her jeans, making their way down to her buttocks. Lissy gasped and looked into his suddenly dark eyes. He smiled back at her and squeezed her soft skin. She giggled and was going to kiss him again when her cell phone rang.
“Don’t answer that,” he said, kissing her collarbone.
“I have to,” she whispered, reaching for the clip at her belt.
“Please don’t…”
Paul heard the ring of the phone again and paid close attention to Lissy’s voice as she answered. He rubbed his closed fists against his eyes and sat up. It hadn’t been real. The kiss in her SUV, all of it had been a figment of his overactive imagination. Lissy was sitting by his side, driving her car as if the devil was after her but she hadn’t kissed him, not yet and probably not ever.
“Yeah Jim, we’re on our way back to Stamford. We’ll be there in about two hours. That’ll give Paul plenty of time to work out and you and I will be able to go over some details.”
Lissy put the phone back at the clip and turned to Paul.
“Finally come back to us, Sleeping Beauty?”
“I guess I was more tired than I thought, right?”
“I guess. By the way, you snore.”
“I do not.”
“You do.”
“I so do not!”
“How would you know? Do you tape yourself or something?”
“No!”
“Well, then take my word for it. You snore.”
“Well, you sing off key.”
“Oh, getting bitchy, are we?”
“Well, you started it. Saying I snore.”
“You do snore,” insisted Lissy with a smile.
“That is such a lie.”
“I heard you.”
Paul scoffed and folded his arms over his chest, pouting. Lissy gave him a friendly nudge with her elbow and laughed.
“But it’s a sexy snore,” she said with a grin.
“A sexy snore? Sexy how?”
“I don’t know. It just is.”
“Cool.”
“I lied,” she giggled, showing him the fingers she’d kept crossed. “You snore like a pig.”
The conversation maintained the same humorous tone all the way to Stamford. They laughed and made jokes until they pulled into the driveway, at the same time as Mr. Michael Hickenbottom.
“You two look like you had some fun,” said Mike, getting out of his fancy sports car.
“Some…”
“How are you Mike?” asked Lissy, giving him a quick hug.
“Not bad, not bad. I think I met a girl.”
“I don’t want to hear anything about it,” said Lissy, leading Paul back into the building.
“Come on, I’m sure you’ll like her. She’s a lawyer.”
“Where did you meet her?” asked Paul.
“Shane introduced me to her. She’s great. I’m sure you’ll like her.”
“Whatever.”
Lissy walked Paul down to the gym where one of Jim’s guys was waiting for him. She then made her way to Jim’s office. He was on the phone but he waved her in nonetheless.
“Yes Terry,” he said, “I’ll try to make it to Halifax this weekend, but we’ll be extremely busy. I can’t guarantee anything. No, I can’t talk about it right now. Terry-Lynn, please. You knew how busy my work kept me when you… all right, you know what, we’ll talk about it over the weekend. Maybe you could join me in Newark. I would love that. Really. Bye… luv you.”
“Girlfriend?” asked Lissy with a smile.
“Fiancée. If I keep my act on the straight and narrow that is.”
“Good for her. I say that’s what guys need women for, to keep them on the straight and narrow.”
“What about gay men?”
“That’s a whole other ball game. Now, did you do what I asked?”
“Yes,” said Jim, pointing to the stack of folders on a corner of his desk. “It’s a lot of paperwork.”
“Did you get started on it?”
“I glanced at everything. Nothing jumped at me. But you have more experience than I could ever have.”
“Right. All right. I’ll take this to my office. Paul’s in the gym with one of your guys. I’ll go pick him up and I’ll get him to the airport in time. Okay?”
“Sure.”

Lissy spent over an hour going over the files of all the WWF employees.
It was a long and boring procedure. That almost drove him mad. But all too quickly, time came for her to leave. She made arrangements for the files to follow the crew on their itinerary and grabbed about fifty of them for the plane ride. She made it to the gym entrance and gave Jim’s guy his leave.
“Paul’s getting changed,” he said before leaving.
“Cool.”
Lissy waited calmly on a stack of mats, going over some files as most of the other wrestlers made their way out of the gym. She had been waiting for Paul for over twenty minutes when she decided to check out the locker room. She saw Joanie cradled in Paul’s arms, their lips locked in a passionate kiss. What she saw made her realize two things.
Lissy finally realized that she was in love with Paul.
And she also saw the truth of his feelings for Joanie. He was still in love with her.

Part 11:

Lissy turned around, her eyes filled with tears. She put her hand up on the wall, steadying herself. She took several deep breaths as she blinked the tears away. She was making a mistake, she repeated to herself. She was getting personally involved in this. She wasn’t maintaining a professional distance. She knew better.
Or did she?
The door to the gym opened and Brian walked in. Lissy looked up at him, trying to smile bravely but the tears escaped, covering her cheeks.
“Whoa there, honey, what’s wrong? What’s making you cry?”
“Hormones,” she whispered, smiling through the tears. “It’s just freakin’ hormones.”
“Are you all right?” he asked, covering her shoulder with his hand.
“I’m fine,” she said, “I’m just fine.”
Lissy walked back to the mats and got a handkerchief from her purse. She quickly dabbed at her eyes, aware of Brian’s eyes on her.
“I’m fine Brian. Really. Just do whatever you have to do, all right?”
“If you’re sure.”
“I am sure.”
Brian walked into the locker room and in on Paul and Joanie’s kiss. He turned to Lissy’s back and he suddenly understood. Well, he thought he understood.
“Hey guys, is this good news?” he asked, walking into the locker room as Paul and Joanie suddenly jumped apart.
“Ah Brian,” said Paul, “what are you doing back here?”
“I forgot something. What’s up?”
“Uh… uh… I’m not too sure right now.”
“All right, just let me know, all right?”
Brian hurried out of the locker room and found Lissy in the weight room, checking out some of the equipment. She looked at him briefly and made a point of ignoring him. Brian didn’t push either. He respected her need to be alone. But he couldn’t help wondering what was going on.

Paul looked at Joanie, and thought about the love they’d shared. That had been the best time of his life. But it was over now, really over.
There was no chance of recuperating what was lost. It was irreparably so. And that last kiss with Joanie had sealed it. Compared to the passion that used to flare between them, that kiss had been as bland as oatmeal. And they both knew it. It was a truth they could not, they would not ignore.
“You’re about to tell me it’s all over, right?” she asked.
“Aren’t you about to tell me the same thing?”
“Maybe… probably. Hell, of course I am. Paul, why did it have to end?”
“Don’t ask me. I’m an idiot when it comes to these things. A big, fat, dumb-as-a-post idiot.”
“Well, you did pretty well by me when things were good.”
“Until the end.”
“Yeah. Then you turned into the world’s biggest asshole.”
“I know, I know. Lissy already gave me the appropriate lecture.”
“Lissy? What does she have to do with any of this?”
“I told her about our breakup. The hows and what I told you.”
“What happened?” asked Joanie, sitting down on a bench, looking up at Paul.
“She hit me… she called me all sorts of names and told me it was in my best interest to apologize to you.”
“She did? Why?”
“She went through a hard time when she was growing up,” explained Paul, “what with being so tall and all.”
“I never thought about it that way. Interesting. By the way, how’s the investigation going?”
“All right I guess. Lissy’s working on a couple of leads. I’m hoping things will work out soon.”
“So you can get back to your real life?”
“Yeah, I guess.”
“So this kiss,” she asked after a few moments, “what does it mean for us?”
“I’m thinking it means it’s over between us. We had a great run. And we were in love. I think.”
“We were,” said Joanie. “In love that is. And it was a great run. I can’t help hoping it wasn’t over yet but I guess it was for the best. Right?”
“Right.”
Paul pulled Joanie into his arms one last time and she walked out of the locker room. She found Lissy in the weight room, gently running her fingers over some of the free weights. She looked at Joanie with a shaky smile.
“Paul’s not done yet?” she asked.
“No.”
“Well, you can ride with us to the airport if you want.”
“That’s okay. I’m getting a ride with Stacey and Chris.”
“Don’t you want to ride with Paul?” asked Lissy a questioning look in her eyes.
“Not really.”
“But I saw the two of you in the locker room… you were…”
“That… that was good bye for the two of us. After all this time, we finally decided to call it quits.”
“Oh… I’m sorry. I didn’t know… I just saw the two of you and I assumed…”
“It’s okay. By the way, thank you for getting him to apologize. It means a lot to me.”
“I’m just sorry that I had to push him in the back to do it. Sometimes, guys are just…”
“I know,” chuckled Joanie. “I probably work with the biggest bunch of whiny little boys in the world. And they are just…”
Joanie and Lissy exchanged a quick smile and grin. Joanie walked out of the gym, slinging her big bag over her shoulder and waving at Lissy. The PI was going back to the files she’d left by the door when Paul came up behind her, tickling her ribs.
“What the hell?” muttered Lissy before hitting her attacker in the stomach and hitting him in the belly. Hard.
Paul landed on the floor hard, covering his belly with his hands. His face was contorted in pain and he glared up at Lissy.
“What the fuck was that for?” he asked, slowly getting to his feet.
“I didn’t know who the fuck you were,” said Lissy, “I defended myself.”
“I’m the only person in here besides you.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“So you fuckin’ hit me?”
“Quit whining,” she snapped. “We have to get to your place and then go to the airport. We don’t have any time to waste.”
“God, must you act like such a bitch?”
“Well, you persist in being an asshole.”
Paul slowly got up and stalked out of the room, muttering something about overly ggressive bodyguards and Lissy followed, thinking bad thoughts about wrestlers with overblown egos.

Part 12:

Paul was still pissed at Lissy when he stalked through the backstage area after his match with Dwayne. On the flight over to Dallas, Lissy had looked over her files, barely speaking to him. She was mad at him for something and he didn’t know why. The only time she was somewhat civil to him was when she was in character as Mysteria and that lasted five minutes, no more, no less.
He was so focused on why she was angry at him that Paul didn’t notice the man running toward him, a knife in his hand until Lissy pushed him against a wall, covering him with her body.
“Are you all right?” she asked quickly.
“Yeah! Yeah!”
And Lissy was off like a shot, making a liar of Joanie who’d maintained that running in heels was impossible. As he watched her run, Paul saw something that made his blood run cold.
Lissy quickly stored information about Paul’s attacker in her mind. He was 5’ 7”, about 180 pounds, built like a bull, clearly a bodybuilder. Her long white jacket got in the way as she ran and she shrugged it off, letting it float to the ground.
She rounded off a corner and ducked quickly as the perp sent the knife her way. His aim was wide and it missed her by a few feet but it could have been dangerous and it made her annoyed, which was a bad thing.
Lissy hit her Carl Lewis stride, stretching her long legs until she almost caught up with Steroid Boy. But before she actually did, he opened the door leaving to the parking garage and slammed it closed in Lissy’s face. By the time she swung the heavy door open, he was in a car he’d probably left running and was about to tear out of there like a bat out of hell. But he hadn’t counted on Lissy being this difficult to lose.

When Lissy saw the car head her way, she palmed the gun she’d nestled in the small of her back and aimed it at the lethal weapon on wheels barreling her way. She managed to squeeze off a few defensive rounds and opted for a more aggressive approach. She ran for the car, climbing on the hood and aiming her gun at the perp’s head. He panicked, threw the car in reverse, sending the unbalanced Lissy flying to the ground on her back.

Paul, Jim and Shane got to the lot in time to see Lissy land on her back and get to her feet in time to pull Allen Sarven, a.k.a. Al Snow, out of his car and drive away.
“Shit Jim,” said Paul, “we have to go after her.”
“No Paul. Right now, we have to keep you safe.”
“What about her Jim? She’s hurt.”
Jim looked at Lissy’s jacket and he realized why Paul was so worried.
Lissy was the one who’d been cut by the perp. The long bloody slit that ran across the back of her jacket was a proof of that.

Lissy slammed her foot down on the break and continued the wheel’s motion with both hands, making a crazy 180-degree turn. The smell of rubber permeated the air but she didn’t have the time to stop and feel sorry about it. Paul’s attacker was driving like a maniac and she would have to drive like a maniac to catch up with him. He exploded onto one of Dallas’s main streets, disrupting traffic and Lissy followed at breakneck speed. She wove in and out of lanes after him, burning red lights until a car got in the way. Lissy swore colorfully as she hit the breaks again, barely missing the car, and saving the lives of the passengers, including three kids who stared at her, their eyes wide with fear.
The young woman slammed both of her hands down on the wheel, grinding her teeth in frustration. She’d been so close to catching that bastard. She was starting to pull the car out of the way when a police car appeared in front of her. She knew the procedure all too well. Lissy rolled down the driver’s side window and stuck out both of her hands. A policeman appeared and opened the door, barking at her to get down on the floor, her arms stretched. The cop was slapping handcuffs around her wrists when Lissy saw his partner’s feet come into her very limited field of vision.
“She’s got no I.D.,” said the one who cuffed her, “and she’s got a nasty cut on her back.”
“Yeah, well, I know who she is,” said his partner. “Are you Lissy Carlson?”
“Yes.”
“Uncuff her. I just got a call from dispatch. She’s a PI working with the WWF. She was after someone who attacked one of their guys. She’s legit.”
Lissy was pulled up to her feet, none too gently, and the cuffs were taken off.
“That’s a nasty cut on your back ma’am, you want us to have a look at it?”
“No thank you officers. They’ve got EMT teams at the arena who’ll take care of that.”
“All right. Sorry about the disturbance.”
“It’s all right. You were doing your job.” Lissy drove back to the arena much more slowly, reviewing what little information that was at her disposal. First of all, she wanted to know how the perp had gotten past security and how come someone didn’t flag her or Jim about a car being left running in the garage. She would get to the bottom of this.

When she pulled Allen’s car into the garage, Lissy saw Paul about to get into a car, with Shane and Jim standing by the car, arguing with him.
“Where the fuck do you think you’re going?” she asked, parking Allen’s car behind his and opening the driver side door.
“Lissy,” asked Paul, “are you all right?”
“Where the fuck did you think you were going?”
“After you.”
“No! Damn it Paul, we have rules and I thought you were smart enough to understand them. Evidently I was wrong. If I have to take off in a hurry, Jim is in charge of your life. His main objective is keeping you safe. And yours is staying alive. Are we clear?”
“You were hurt!”
“And you could have been dead. I don’t ever want to have this discussion with you again. Is that clear?”
“Crystal.”
“I hope so. Now, where the fuck are those paramedics. Somebody’s got to have a look at my back.”

Lissy staunchly refused to go to the hospital. The only compromise she’d agree to was having the EMTs bandage her in the dressing room she shared with Paul. While a paramedic worked on her injured back, she gave her report to the police. Once they were gone, she went into her side of the room to get dressed. When she came back, Paul, Jim, Shane and Mike were waiting for her. They all looked like they’d just been to a funeral.
“I’m fine,” she said, “it was just a little cut. I’ve had much worse.”
“It was still dangerous. The way you ran on top of that car. You could have been seriously hurt,” said Shane.
“But I wasn’t. Anyway, Jim, we have problems with your security team. Big problems.”
“What are you talking about?” asked Jim, suddenly on the defensive.
“First of all, why was a car left running in the garage? We gave our suspect a perfect means of escape. Where was your guy? Why didn’t he shut off the car? Why weren’t we told about it? That kind of stuff can’t happen.”
“I’ll speak to my team.”
“I want to be there when you do,” said Lissy.
“I can get the answers.”
“I just want to be there Jim, okay? Now, another thing; how the fuck did this maniac get past your guys? I didn’t have the time to check if he had a backstage pass or anything but who let him in? With a knife, no less?”
“We have pictures of everyone who was issued a backstage pass,” said Shane. “It’s a new procedure.”
“Good. I want those pictures.”
“No problem.”
Everyone sat around the dressing room, not saying another word. The men didn’t know what to say and Lissy was lost in thought, trying to figure out her plan of action. Finally, she saw them sitting there, twiddling their thumbs.
“All right,” she said, waving Shane, Jim and Mike out of the room, “Paul has to get dressed and I have to get him back to the hotel, “out, out, out!!!”
“Fine.”
“Lissy,” said Shane, before leaving the room. “My family’s hosting a Millenium gala for all the wrestlers.”
“When is it?”
“December 29th. At the Waldorf Astoria in New York City. We expect to see you there.”
“Unless I catch the stalker by then, it can’t be avoided.”
“Cool. It’s a masquerade ball, so make sure you dress appropriately.”
“Fine.”
The door finally closed on Shane and Lissy turned to Paul.
“What’s up?” she asked.
“Even if we catch the stalker, would you come to the ball?” he asked.
“What? Why?”
“As my date.”
“That’s not a very good idea Paul.”
“But then it won’t be business anymore.”
“I’d rather not.”
“Why?”
“Because Paul, just because…”
“We’ll never be together, will we?” he asked softly as she started to stalk off to her side of the room.
“What?”
“You and me? It’s pretty much an unattainable goal, right?”
“Pretty much, yeah.”
“I thought so. Sorry I asked then.”

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