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Adam had pretty much all but forgotten his aggravation as he and Amy made their way to the hotel cafe. He just couldn't stay mad at her for long, for the life of him. She was just too bright and sunny, and she made him happy. It was cheesy, but she brought rainbows into his gray skies.
His cheery disposition quickly waned, however, as he caught sight of some of the people who happened to be present in the restaurant. He could have laught at the irony of it. Over at a booth in the farthest area sat Lilian Garcia and John Cena. Then, at a table alone and toward the back of the restaurant near the kitchen, was Jay. Adam eyed his best friend suspiciously for a beat, wondering where Chris and Trish were. Lately, it certainly seemed as though the short-haired man was spending a lot more time with them. And then finally, his stomach nearly turned over as his gaze fell on Dawn Marie, also sitting alone and sipping a cup of coffee. His suspicion rose to epic proportions as he wondered why she wasn't sitting with Cena and Lilian. Something was up around here - he knew it. What exactly that was, however, was a whole different story.
"Right this way," the hostess said with a smile as she carried two menus and led them to a booth blessedly at the other end of the establishment. The only bad thing about being way over here was that one of them would be facing the direction in which they would have a perfect view of all those people he wasn't feeling too fond of lately. He decided that would be *him* - he would face the meddlesome, annoying foursome.
"Thank you," Amy said gratefully with a smile. She opened her menu and looked up into the tall Canadian's eyes before shifting her gaze back to the contents. "I'm starving."
"Well, you go and order anything and all you want," Adam said with a wink. He felt more at ease now and decided not to let any of them get to him. It was strange, but just sheer coincidence, that all of them were here right now. And why should he let their presence bother him? Except for Jay, none of these people had ever meant a damn thing to him. Besides, Amy was the one who was important.
They hadn't even ordered yet when the hostess headed back in their direction.
"Excuse me," she said gracious. "Are you Miss Amy Dumas?" Her friendly gaze was trained on the redhead.
"Yes," came the reply, a look of uncertainty crossing the pretty diva's features.
"There is an emergency at the check-in desk that requires your immediate attention," the woman replied. She handed Amy a small slip of paper she held in her right hand.
The redhead exchanged glances with Adam, who frowned. What could this be all about? She decided she had to find out immediately. After all, if it was an emergency, it could be very serious. She hoped nothing had happened to her mother...
... She stood up and thanked the hostess. Then, turning back to the blond man, she spoke again.
"I'll be back as soon as I can. You stay here and go ahead and order without me if I'm not back in ten minutes."
Adam shook his head and raised a hand in protest.
"But-"
"No, it's okay, Adam," she insisted. "Do it. I'll be back as soon as I can." She offered him a smile in spite of her nervousness over the situation - whatever it might be - and briskly hurried across the floor and exited the cafe.
The tall blond man sat there, full of wonder and suspicion as he glanced around at the others he'd felt such disdain for. Jay didn't seem to be paying any attention and had his nose in a menu. Cena was apparently talking to Lilian, his back facing, but the blonde woman was glancing his way. She didn't seem to be listening to her boyfriend. And then, there was Dawn Marie...
... The brunette was outrightly staring at him. He pressed his lips together tightly, annoyed by that. For how unwavering a gaze it was, she almost seemed to be beckoning to him.
A waitress headed over to the table, but Adam waved her off.
"Excuse me," he said, getting up and sliding out of the booth. He had to get to the bottom of this bullshit with Dawn Marie, and do so before Amy returned. And so, he made his way directly to the woman's table and sat down across from her.
"What do you think you're trying to pull?"
"Excuse me?" Dawn said innocently, looking up at him, confusion written all over her face.
"Don't play dumb with me," Adam snapped in a loud whisper. He raised both hands to his face as though using them as blinders, but for any witnesses rather than for himself. "I see you with those big dewy eyes of yours watching me - and sorry, sister, but it's not gonna work."
Dawn Marie's heart was pounding impossibly fast. She couldn't believe it... Was he going to offer her exactly the words she wanted him to say? Lord knew, he'd already spared her from going to him when he came over to her instead.
Squaring her shoulders, she looked him straight in the eye.
"I have *no* idea what you're talking about."
"Like hell you don't," the Canadian scoffed. His expression grew angrier still as he lowered his voice. "Look... What happend betwen us the other night was strictly a good fuck. I don't care about you, so get over it."
The words stung her, but the brunette swallowed and spoke again.
"So... What you're saying is... You *used* me."
"Yeah," Adam agreed. "I *used* you. Amy was out with my so-called best friend, and that's the *only* reason it happened." He glared at her for a beat, then leaned closer, his green eyes glittering menacingly. "And from now on, you're gonna just fuck off - understood?"
Dawn Marie's heart was still thundering, yet she felt a strange calmness.
"Perfectly," she replied in an even tone.
The tall blond man smiled and gave a nod of triumph as he rose, then made his way back to his own table. He didn't look back once.
The brunette looked away from him as she dug into her purse for some bills to pay for her breakfast. Without even caring that she was leaving the waitress an overly generous tip, she stood up to leave. Her gaze briefly met that of Lilian's, but not a word was spoken as she headed for the exit.
As she continued walking away, instinctively she reached up to pat the tape recorder she'd hidden under her clothing.