Chris Jericho leaned against the door to the bathroom, wearing nothing but a smile as he watched his young lover weave back and forth across the room. Randy Orton, now almost completely dressed, continued to scour every nook and cranny for his missing shoe.

"This is ridiculous.....it has to be here someplace."

Chris never moved. Content to watch the other man bend and stretch as he hunted the elusive footwear.

"Well where did you throw it last night?" he asked.

Straightening up, Randy sighed, his face still flushed. "I didn't throw it."

"That's not how I remember it," Chris laughed. If I recall correctly the air was filled with flying shirts, socks and boxer shorts." He paused to laugh as Randy blushed furiously. "You were quite eager."

"Oh...and you weren't?" he snapped back.

"I prefer to think of my mood last night as anticipatory," he replied evenly. "You, on the other hand seemed a little more frenzied......not that I'm complaining."

Randy could feel his lips tighten into a thin line. The problem was that he could feel something else tightening. And he still hadn't figured out how he felt about all of it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He strode down the hall to his dressing room, heart still pounding, breath coming in short gasps. He loved those short but intense moments in the ring even if they were a little over the top.

When they had approached him about popping out of a cake he had almost instantly had visions of some cheap stripper at a low cost bachelor party. But somehow they had convinced him that it would come off great. The fact that most of what they had convinced him of lately was pure crap had left him less than eager to go along with the stunt. But when you're the employee you do as you're told.

Oddly enough it had gone over well and even though he was currently smeared with sticky, sweet cake frosting, he felt good about the spot.

As he rounded the bend, he saw Chris Jericho leaning casually against the wall smiling broadly.

"Do you do private parties?" he quipped innocently.

Coming from anyone else it might have set Randy off. But he liked Chris....maybe more than he should. And they had always been friendly to each other.

"Ha, ha," he replied with a grin.

Chris stepped forward and looked Randy up and down slowly. "You're gonna need a shower."

The taller man looked down to where he was smeared with icing.

Randy knew it wasn't possible, but he could almost feel Chris' deep blue eyes traveling over his skin like a feather light caress. The goose bumps raised along his exposed skin made him visibly shiver.

"That's where I was headed," he explained quickly. "That is, I was before you decided to get wise with me."

Chris took one step closer and Randy felt a funny lurch in his chest.

"Then I won't keep you," he said, reaching out to scoop a fingerful of the creamy white frosting from Randy's chest.

Randy's eyes widened just slightly as he watched Chris' finger disappear into his mouth and then slowly slide out.

"Mmmm...my favorite," he murmured. Then with a wink and smile he was gone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Randy still wasn't sure how they had gotten from that one moment...that one insanely hot moment....to making wild love for half the night. But that was exactly what had happened. And now he was here, in another man's hotel room, searching for his shoe and what was left of his sanity.

His eyes darted left and right but suddenly came to a halt when Chris decided to amble across the room and slide back into bed. He watched as the thin cotton sheet was pulled up, barely concealing the body that had driven him to distraction the night before. Shaking his head noticeably he resumed the hunt as Chris looked on in amusement.

"I really don't understand what you hurry is," he said nonchalantly. "Didn't you say your flight wasn't until this afternoon?"

"It isn't," Randy replied. "But I have a couple of things I have to do and...."

"You mean like report in to your mentor?"

Randy froze in his search and looked up carefully.

"For you information I don't have a mentor. But if you're referring to Hunter...then yeah.......I usually talk to him after each show. I just never got around to it last night."

Chris laughed...a deep throaty sound that sent Randy into another reverie....much to his chagrin.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The kiss was nothing like he had ever imagined it would be.

It was so much better.

Demanding and primal...but at the same time filled with a tender passion he was surprised to feel.

He had been shocked to find Chris waiting for him when he stepped from the shower. Shocked...but somehow pleasantly intrigued. He held the towel loosely around his waist and returned the smile directed at him. "Something I can do for you?"

Chris, who apparently had no intention of hiding his reason for being there continued to stare at him, watching as water droplets made their way slowly down Randy's chest.

"No.." he said quietly. "More like something I want to do for you."

And before Randy could move he was being kissed. His face held firmly, but gently between two surprisingly soft hands as his mouth was covered by a delicious, wet heat.

Any other man might have pulled away out of sheer instinct. But Randy was so lost in sensation...so overwhelmed by the massive warmth that spread through his body like wildfire, that he was immobile.

He parted his lips almost immediately and welcomed Chris' tongue, moaning inaudibly as it searched every sweet corner.

When the moment ended, Randy could feel himself swaying on his feet. He wanted to say something...anything....but all he could do was gaze at the azure eyes trained on him. From somewhere far away he heard Chris' voice.

"I'll meet you here after the show. We can go back to the hotel together."

And in a moment that still defied explanation, Randy only nodded.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"What's so funny? he finally asked.

Chris propped his arms behind his head. "I'm just finding it amusing that a grown man feels the need to "check in." It's really none of his business what you were doing last night."

"I know that," Randy snapped. "But..."

"But what?" Chris questioned.

"I think maybe....this..." He gestured at the room in general, nearly blushing again at the disarray left by their desire. "This.....was a mistake."

"You think so?" Chris said. "Why is that? Are you telling me you didn't enjoy it?"

"Of course I enjoyed it," he replied a little too quickly, wanting to kick himself in the process.

"But Hunter thinks that getting involved with people you work with ....."

Chris rolled his eyes and laughed again. This time the sound wasn't filled with mirth. It was darker and held no humor.

"Who gives a damn what he thinks?" He sat forward and narrowed his eyes as he spoke. "Do you know where he was last night?"

"No...I don't," Randy began.

Chris' lips...the same ones that had held him under their spell not all that long ago, curled into a slight smirk. "Do you know where Dave was?"

Randy opened his mouth to speak and then it hit him.

"Hunter? And Dave? You're kidding me. Why wouldn't I know that? Why wouldn't they tell me?"

Chris shrugged. "Maybe because it's none of your business...and maybe because Hunter doesn't put much stock in living by the rules he sets for other people. It's called control."

Randy wanted to be angry. He wanted to understand why he had chosen to listen to every word that Hunter had ever said to him and worse...believe them. Even when he had questioned some of Hunter's motives, he took his word as gospel. Now he didn't know what to think.

Chris could sense what was going through Randy's mind. "It's OK to be pissed off you know. Even if he believes it himself, Hunter isn't God. You aren't the only one who's been taken in by him."

Randy looked up from where he had been staring at the carpet. "You mean you...?"

Chris nodded. "It's not something I'm proud of. But yeah...I was one of his "believers". That was until someone better came along and replaced me."

Randy ran a hand through his short dark hair. "But Hunter and I never even...I mean....I don't have those feelings for him."

Again the air was filled with a short, hard laugh. "This is Hunter we're talking about. Feelings don't matter. You're a hot property. And in Hunter's mind, you're his property. He would have gotten around to you as soon as he grew tired of Dave."

The bed creaked as it sagged under Randy's weight. He sat on the edge of the mattress and shook his head slowly. "OK...fine. So he's a prick. What about you?" His head swung around, soft gray eyes filled with question. "What's your motive?"

Head tilted slightly, Chris looked back at him. "You want an honest answer?"

"Yeah," Randy sighed. "It might be nice for a change."

"A couple of months ago," Chris said, "I might have just said it was nothing more than wanting to find out if you were as hot as you looked."

Randy kevpt his eyes focused on the blonde, searching his face as he spoke for any hint of betrayal.

"But now.....after last night.....I think maybe it might be nice to find out if you're a lot more."

"Good answer," Randy said sharply. "How long did you have that one rehearsed?"

Chris just smiled. "Take a look around. I'm not the one leaving...am I? But the choice is yours. You can go and we can pretend that none of this ever happened or you can make the decision to do what you want to do for a change." He laid back against the pillows his hair framing his face with soft tangles.

"By the way.....your other shoe is in the bathroom."

It seemed like an eternity but it was probably only a matter of seconds. Randy sat very still, jaw working as he let Chris' words sink in. Then he rose from where he was sitting and began to unbutton his shirt.

"I hope this isn't a mistake," he nearly whispered.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chris made no effort to hide his pleasure at seeing Randy's skin exposed inch by glorious inch. His own arousal was more and more evident as each article of clothing was discarded....this time with a little more care.

As he followed the sight of Randy's hands sliding his shorts down his long, perfect legs he unconsciously ran his tongue over his lips.

Randy turned in the direction of the bed and paused. He reached out and pulled back the sheet that covered Chris and the vision that met his eyes drove every logical thought from his mind. Moving carefully he settled himself between Chris' parted legs leaned forward and placed a hand on either side of his head.

Their erections rubbed together and both men barely held in a hiss of painful pleasure.

Randy groaned softly as Chris lifted both hands to stroke his sides gently. He looked longingly into the other man's cloud colored eyes and knew he still had lingering doubts.

His hands came to rest on Randy's thighs. They were as smooth and hard as marble. But infinitely warmer and far more enticing. "Do me a favor," he spoke quietly. "Stop thinking about that idiot. In fact.....screw Hunter."

Then he pulled his head down for a kiss as he uttered softly......

"Better yet....screw me."