It was all originally intended as simply, part of the promo. The touches were supposed to be nothing more than Hunter working with him to help get some much needed heel heat for their re-started angle.

They weren't meant to be personal. At least that's what Randy thought.

Besides....he couldn't let them be. Not with someone waiting at home for him.

But...God...they felt nice.

Just a few featherlight strokes across his abdomen as he preened, shirtless, before the filled arena. He hadn't been expecting it. And he truly believed that he had hidden his shock quite convincingly. His verbal jousting with Mick Foley continued and the only indication he received from Hunter that it had even happened was a quick smile. More of a smirk really. One of those crooked, wiseass grins that just made you want to smile in return.

But it was something he always had a tendency to do. Read too much into a situation. Take a simple gesture and turn it into something much more complicated. Besides, Hunter was well aware that he was involved with Dave, even if he was still out with an injury. So he chalked up his reaction to a simple case of loneliness. The touches were more than likely unintentional anyway.

Of course if he had known right at that particular moment that Hunter had never once in his life done anything unintentionally, he might have turned down his little...invitation. But everyone knows hindsight is 20/20.

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Initially, Hunter hadn't paid Randy all that much attention. He was part of his new angle and nothing more. What he did outside of the ring made little or no difference to him. It was all business.

He was fresh off a devastating break-up and wasn't really looking for a replacement when the younger man came into his life. So at first he hadn't wanted anything to do with him...inside the ring or out. But Vince had dug in his heels, spouted something about the kid's legacy and Hunter knew he was trapped. He did everything he could to view him as nothing more than a co-worker. Conversations were limited to matches, storylines and occasionally travel plans.

But that didn't last long. Without even trying, Randy had slowly started to make himself noticed. With no effort at all on his part, he slowly insinuated himself into Hunter's life until the champion could no longer deny his presence. A warm smile, a simple friendly gesture like bringing him a bottle of water without being asked. Little things that made the anonymous rookie first an acquaintance then a friend.

But being together 4 days out of seven can do strange things to once casual relationships. Something Hunter had experienced first hand. He had no idea exactly when it happened. But he woke up one day simply knowing. Randy was more than someone who worked in the same place. He wasn't merely a fellow performer. Hunter wanted him. Wanted to get to know him...in all the ways that mattered most.

There was one problem though. And his name was Dave. But you didn't get to the position Hunter was in by letting something as trivial as a boyfriend get in the way of what you desired. He'd lost someone he loved because he failed to act. A decision he still regretted. So in a single moment he made a vow that he would never again be indecisive. Life was far too short to waste on regrets. A year in re-hab had taught him that if nothing else.

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It all evolved....no pun intended.... very subtly...for lack of a better word. A friendly arm thrown across his shoulders. A hug as they made their way from the ring after a hard fought match. Casual chats became intimate conversations. Hunter became Randy's sounding board and confidant. Someone to spend time with instead of spending it alone. And the younger man found himself growing closer to the man he once held in awe.

The once inaccessible champion became someone Randy trusted. Someone he thought had his best interests at heart. So in spite of what others told him. and in spite of his reputation....Randy believed what ever Hunter had to say. Like the fact that they weren't looking to replace Dave in their little faction. They were simply keeping the angle alive for when he returned. The same way he believed Hunter when he told him there were no phone messages for him while he was working out. Or that he hadn't seen any letters from Dave mixed among the fan mail.

It had to be the truth, Randy reasoned. Hunter had never lied to him...not even once. But when you aren't expecting a lie...you don't exactly go looking for one.

They would be seen as blatant deceptions to anyone else. But to Hunter they were simply the means to an end. A clever. brilliantly disguised way to break two people up without either of them knowing how or when it happened.

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* June 16, 2003*

Randy was more nervous than usual. The bulk of the promo would be resting on his shoulders. He would be in the ring with men he considered legends. And yet the focus would be on him. All three men had graciously spent as much time with him as possible and even though he still felt some apprehension at his ability to carry it off....Hunter was once more his source of support.

Knowing that his friend would be right behind him the whole time, eased his anxiety somewhat. And much to his relief....it went off without a hitch. The spot did what it was meant to, and Randy felt more at ease...more like he was actually starting to fit in, when it was over. There was only one thing that still had him confused.

The touches.

Those stomach fluttering, skin tingling, whisper soft caresses. And the more he thought about it… the more he was sure they were meant to have the effect that they did. And the more he thought about it...he wasn't so sure that he minded it all that much.

Dave it seemed, was becoming far to busy to call him while he was on the road or write to him the way he used to. Maybe it was a bit of jealousy as Hunter had suggested. Or maybe absence really didn't make the heart grow fonder...just more forgetful.

Either way...he was far too busy too ponder that particular question. He had just completed one of the most successful nights in his young career...and the man he had to thank for it had just offered to buy him dinner. Life did have it's rewards.

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It was a meal like any other. Just two friends sharing some conversation, a couple of steaks and a bottle of wine. The talk was subdued...even intimate. Hunter made sure that they were left alone. Intrusive fans were not on his agenda. Even the casual offer of a nightcap in hiss room seemed perfectly natural to the unsuspecting younger man.

And it wasn't until Hunter's lips were pressed to his sending a wave of want through him that completely caught him off guard, that he even realized how deep his own desire was. But then, when you're being played by an expert...you wouldn't know...would you?

*****************************************************************************

The feel of those long, lean legs wrapped tightly around his waist, drawing him closer...deeper.... was too exquisite for words. Damn....he was more like Rocky than Hunter had ever dreamed possible. Third generation crap aside, he had always thought there were startling similarities. But to discover that they were alike in ways that nearly made him dizzy with need, was almost too good to be true.

Maybe someday he'd tell Randy about his days with The Rock. Maybe...when the pain wasn't so fresh. When the need to end his loneliness wasn't so acute that he began to see bits of his former love in almost anyone who crossed his path.

Right now all he needed was to feel wanted. To feel the touch of a warm hand. The soft moistness of a tender kiss. Another body hard with desire for him. And he had all that in Randy. That and more.

It was probably jumping the gun. But every time he looked at his bright, youthful smile and heard the brash, eagerness in his voice he swore he could sense the future. A future that was laid out for the two of them. Wishful thinking? Maybe. But there had to be couples out there who had started with far less than that. In fact...Hunter was banking on it.

The love making was slow and gentle. The last thing Hunter wanted to do was frighten him. He was young....and for the most part, inexperienced. He knew if this was going to last, he had to take things slow. There would be plenty of time later on to introduce him to...other things. And this time he swore he would do it right. He wouldn't scare him off the way he had done with Rocky. He'd take it as slow as Randy wanted. Make him believe it was all under his control. What was a little deception when the end result was paradise?

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His hazel eyes glowed warmly as he watched Randy drift into a contented doze.

Phase one...complete.

Untangling himself from his new lover's embrace, Hunter stepped silently into the next room. Pausing only to make sure that the door to the bedroom remained open a crack. He wanted to be able to glance back and view his recently discovered treasure.

Without even looking, he punched in the number on his speed dial and waited impatiently for an answer.

"Hello?"

The voice was groggy. A sure sign of interrupted sleep. But right now Hunter didn't care.

"Have you given any more thought to what we discussed?"

There was a short pause...more than likely for the man on the other end to regain his composure.

"Damn it Hunter," Vince growled. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"I can tell time Vince," he shot back. "I want to know if you're going to go through with it."

A sigh of resignation drifted over the phone line. "Are you sure about this?" he asked, "Have you talked it over with Ric?"

"Of course I have," he lied. "We're in total agreement."

OK... so Ric knew nothing about it. He would in due time. And Hunter was confident that he'd end up agreeing with him. He was putty in his hands after all. That little "impromptu" post RAW tribute he had orchestrated had pretty much insured that Ric would always be willing to go along with anything that might strike Hunter as a good idea.

He could tell by the extended silence that Vince was doing that eye rubbing thing he did. The gesture he used right before he caved and gave Hunter what he wanted. "I suppose it does make some sense," he admitted.

"You're damn right it does," Hunter responded. "He's been gone way too long. The fans have lost contact with him. Even if he came back tomorrow he'd never fit in. Sending him back to Smackdown is the best thing. Let's just move ahead with the angle the way it is. Evolution will continue to search for a new member and Dave can become Stephanie's problem."

Vince hadn't become the success he was by not knowing each and every part of his business. And he knew damn well that Hunter's insistence on phasing out Dave had absolutely nothing to do with the angle. But he was far too weary to pursue it any further. In the long run, he probably would have decided the same thing anyway. Hunter had simply forced the issue. "OK...you win," he said with a stifled yawn. "I'll call Dave tomorrow and let him know that he's off RAW."

"It's a smart move," Hunter said in his most reassuring tone. "And it's the right thing for all of us." The last words were spoken as he gazed with longing, at what he was now convinced, was Batista's ex-lover.

Vince grunted something incoherent as Hunter gently laid the phone down. Then heading back to nestle next to Randy's warm, welcoming body he breathed in the sweet night air and smiled as the words to a familiar song played in his mind.

"It's all about the game...."

Read Story #2 Owned in the Game Plan Series