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Stephanie agitatedly looked up from her desk as a shadow suddenly appeared from the door. She calmed down considerably when she saw who was there. Ric was standing in the doorway, an apparent smile adorning his face.
"Whoo! Well, Steph - what have you got to say now?" the man asked. He took a few steps so that he was now hovering over the desk.
The brunette shook her head in slight confusion, shrugging. She felt she should know what the heck her business partner was talking about, but she was coming up blank.
"I'm not sure I'm following you, Ric."
"I'm talking about Evolution!" he exclaimed. There was a look of excitement on his face, in his eyes. "So, it was a *good* idea to bring them here, wasn't it? You can admit it, sweetheart."
"Oh." Stephanie glanced from him down to some papers and other items on her mahogany desk. She didn't particularly enjoy his 'I told you so' attitude. It was as if he were gloating about making a successful business venture that she'd initially considered a very bad idea. She could admit defeat - she was woman enough to do that. Yet, at the same time, she still wasn't entirely convinced that having the band here at In The Raw as regulars was such a hot idea.
Shaking her head, she spoke up.
"Ric, I still don't know... The truth is, even though the regulars clearly like them, I... I'm not fond of their guitar player."
Flair's expression went blank.
"Who? Dave?"
"Well, he seems to have an anger management problem," she pointed out, "but now, I was talking about the guy who replaced Lita."
"Hunter? What's wrong with him?"
The brunette stood up and walked around her desk, wringing her hands in an almost helpless gesture. She kept her head down until she stood directly in front of Flair.
"Ric, the man hits on me every chance he gets." Her blue eyes were serious as she looked into his initially surprised ones. "He never does it in public view, only when he catches me alone. And frankly, I don't like it."
Flair stared at her wordlessly for a moment, then, to her shock, burst into booming laughter.
"Oh, c'mon, Steph! I'm sure he means no harm... Don't you think you're exaggerating a bit?" The man's blue eyes were jovial, but the woman was not at all amused.
"No. No, I *don't*," she replied sharply. "He acts completely inappropriate, and if it doesn't stop, I'm going to do something about it."
Ric's mild laughter ceased.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, since we're partners, I'll tell you what I mean... I'll ask Evolution to get rid of him."
Flair gaped at her.
"And if that fails, I'll ask *them* to leave. It's that simple."
"You can't be serious, Stephanie!"
The brunette, nearly at the end of her rope, eyed her business partner steadily and seriously.
"Oh, but I *am*, Ric. And if it comes to it and *you* dispute me on this, I will fight you tooth and nail!" With that, the young woman shouldered past him, leaving the man staring after her with disbelief.
As Stephanie walked away and up the stairs to the main club area, she failed to notice the person standing in the shadows. But it was too late, as the individual had heard everything. Smiling slyly, they glanced into the office at Flair's back before disappearing back upstairs in silence.