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Victoria eyed Chris as she sipped a paper cup full of Bacardi. She really wasn't much of a drinker, but she was making an exception in this case. And not that she was hoping he would get stone drunk so she could take advantage of him or anything, but she wanted Chris to unwind and relax a bit. Lord knew, he deserved to be able to do that after all the heartache and stress he'd been through.
"I'm glad we came here," Jericho said as he guzzled down some liquor. "This is so much cozier than being in that old bar, anyway." He squinted his eyes slightly as he examined the dark- haired woman's face. His gaze lingered on her throat as she daintily swallowed her drink, and he licked his lips. Victoria really was quite a beautiful woman. He noticed the way she licked her own lips as she glanced down into the cup she held in her slim hand, and found himself wondering what it would be like to lick the tiny drops of Bacardi on them...
... And hell, who was he fooling? As pathetic as he was, and so soon after getting his heart shattered by Trish the bitch, he couldn't deny the desire he felt to kiss Victoria. But she probably wouldn't appreciate it. For one thing, she'd probably say he was on the rebound, and he had a feeling she wasn't the type of woman to just have a fling. Not that he *wanted* a mere fling from her, but he was damn attracted to her and was having a lot of trouble repressing the urge to just jump her right here and now. And the other thing stopping him from making a move was that he doubted the attraction was mutual. She was nice to him and all, but Chris knew she had to only see him in a friendship sense and nothing else. After seeing him at his worst and lowest point, why *would* she be interested in him in any other sense?
Jericho sighed and ran a hand through his long blond hair. A feeling of hopelessness ran through him as he turned back to retrieve the bottle.
Victoria watched intently as the blond man poured himself another cup of liquor. She bit her lip, craning her neck as she watching from over his shoulder, as his back was now to her. She wondered what would happen, how he would react if she just reached out and grasped his shoulder, like she wanted to. She'd been daydreaming about putting her hands on him, running her hands through that beautiful golden hair and telling him how she truly felt. But she didn't want to do that just yet. She had to wait for the right moment - the *perfect* moment.
Chris turned around to catch the diva gazing at him, the strangest expression in those brown eyes of hers. In fact, he couldn't quite read what was in them.
He raised the bottle he still held in his left hand.
"Care for another drink?"
The raven-haired woman glanced quickly down into her paper cup. There were still a few sips left, so she shook her head.
"I think I'm good." She raised the cup to her lips, finishing off what little she had.
Jericho nodded and mumbled an almost unintelligible response, then drank some more of the Bacardi himself. After a few gulping sips that had Victoria watching him in shock, he spoke again.
"You know what? I'm sorry I ever gave that dirty, disgusting, filthy, brutal, bottom-feeding trash-bag ho the time of day..."
The diva arched a brow.
"Isn't that what you used to call Stephanie McMahon?" she questioned, a slow smile spreading across her lips.
Chris smirked.
"Yeah, as a matter of fact, it is... I don't mean to rehash any of my old witticisms, but the phrase just seems to fit."
"Oh, absolutely," Victoria agreed with a chuckle. She set her cup aside in case she wanted more liquor later on, and clasped her arms around her legs as she faced him.
"See, the thing is, I don't even know how I ever got mixed up with her in the first place," the blond man continued. "I mean, this is the same woman who had a sleazy affair with the Big Mac himself, *Vince*!" His face took on a look of disgust. "She's admittedly slept with half the male roster, and as a general rule, I don't go for whores."
"Hmm... Well, I can't say I blame you." Victoria reached up with one hand and tucked a lock of jet black mixed with auburn behind one ear. That was when she suddenly realized how intensely Chris was gazing at her.
"Someone like *you*, on the other hand... You're real, and don't use men - or anyone - for your own agenda. And you're beautiful - inside *and* out." As soon as the words had left his lips, the blond man found himself wondering why it was that he'd never even given her a second look prior to tonight. But he knew the answer, and that answer's name was Trish Stratus... He'd been so locked up with his feelings for the trashy blonde that he'd never looked anywhere else, at anyone else.
The dark-haired woman's lips parted, her mouth running somewhat dry as she absorbed his words. There was something about the way he'd spoken, about how he'd called her beautiful, that had her suddenly feeling weak in the knees.
Then, to her further surprise, Jericho scooted over, closer to her on the Queen-sized bed, his face suddenly so near hers. She held her breath as their eyes locked and held, and suddenly his hand was on her cheek.
Chris gazed into Victoria's dark eyes for a long moment, his emotions battling inside him. He wanted now, more than ever, in the worst way, to kiss her. And then, after a moment's more of a debate with himself, he leaned in, gently pulling her head closer to his...
... And he kissed her.