Under The Flame

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Torrie gaped at Matt in shock, her blue eyes slightly widened as she listened to him issue the proposal to her.

And so... in a nutshell, that's what I'd like you to do," the dark-haired man concluded.

The blonde diva stared at him, blinking in confusion. A whirlwind of emotions ran through her, including hurt, disappointment and uncertainty. What Matt had just said had been the last thing she'd expected and certainly not what she wanted to hear, either. It also made her question his character. It was shady and underhanded, and she wondered why on earth he'd asked *her*... Why *her*, of all people?

"But I don't understand," Torrie finally said, shaking her head. "From what I saw on the monitor, those two seem absolutely crazy about each other." In truth, the blonde had been beyond surprised when she'd witnessed the scene - and previous to that, when Adam Copeland had been in the ring and called Amy out. As the blond man had stated, only a handful of people had known of his relationship with the redhead. She, of course, had not been among that meager group. But once Amy had joined him in the ring, it had been more than obvious to Torrie that the two truly loved each other.

Matt snorted at her protestations.

"Well, yeah, I don't doubt *she* loves *him*... but him - that character is just another story," he said firmly. "Torrie, the entire time they've been together - over a year, mind you - they've been sneaking around," the dark-haired man told her. "Even going so far as to have sex in the locker rooms, from what I gather. I saw her comin' out of his locker room once myself - much to my shock!"

"So?" Torrie shook her head, arms out and shrugged. "That's *their* business... They didn't hurt anyone."

The elder Hardy brother smacked a hand against his forehead.

"*He* is hurting *her*! Don't you see? He's only using her, and I intend to put a stop to it."

The diva arched a perfectly plucked eyebrow, her mouth running dry at the evident obsession the man felt. In truth, it was a little bit scary. After the display in the ring, she doubted what he was telling her to be the case.

"Look... it's not only that. You noticed Amy's hands, right?"

"How could I *not*? I did, but I didn't feel comfortable about asking her about those bandages."

"Uh huh..." Matt said with impatience. "And why was *that*?"

"Because..." Torrie began, her head nearly spinning at this conversation. It had been most unexpected when he'd arrived at her hotel room. "... Amy and I are not exactly best friends. I didn't think it was my place."

But obviously, there's some private story behind them, right?"

The tall blonde blinked as she shrugged.

"I would *guess* so." She wondered what on earth Matt was thinking, what he was speculating, about the bandages on the redhead's hands. And he seemed more than a little obsessive.

"Anyway... I need your answer," the dark-haired man said. "What'll it be?"

Torrie gazed deeply into his brown eyes, every fiber of her being screaming at her to say no. What he wanted of her was so immoral, so underhanded. It was sneaky and just plain rotten. However, the diva knew that, with a sinking feeling in her belly, that she was going to do it.

Finally, she nodded resignedly.

"All right." She lowered her blue eyes to the floor, feeling horrible as she thought of what she would be doing. "All right, I'll do it..."

"Good girl," Matt said with a sly half-smile. "That's exactly what I was hoping to hear."
 
 
 
 

Part 4

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