Amaranthine
~Sequel to Reverie~

 

 

Chapter 1

 

They say everything happens for a reason. 

They say if you love something, you should set it free. 

They say if it’s true love, people find their way back to each other.

Guess they missed the memo on how to deal with a broken heart from the person who walked away.

True love doesn’t exist.

Never has.

Never will.

 

Rereading her blog post for the day, she leaned back in her chair while twirling a pen between her fingers and contemplated posting it for the world to see.  Keyla heaved a sigh, narrowing amber eyes at the screen and finally pressed the post button before closing the lid of her laptop, slamming down a shot of Tequila.  Something to take the edge off.  She wasn’t a heavy drinker, not with all the traveling she’d done over the past year and a half.  Being rich had its perks because Keyla never had to worry about paying bills or rent again in her life.  However, it was also lonely out on the road with nowhere to go and no end in sight.  Philadelphia would always be her home, no doubt about that.  Even though she hadn’t been home much since receiving her inheritance from her parents’ untimely death, Keyla did stop by every once in a while to see her best friend and partner in crime.  Lennox begged her to stay put for more than a week every time Keyla came back home, but it was too painful.  Sure, she tried sleeping in her bed at her house, but every time Keyla closed her eyes…He was there.

 

On the road, Keyla did dream of her lost love, but not nearly as often as when she was home in Philadelphia.  So traveling became second nature to her.  Her other best friend, Sami Callihan, offered her a job to travel with him throughout the country at all the wrestling promotions he worked for just like she had with…Him.  Keyla couldn’t bring herself to think his name because then his face would enter her mind, her subconscious and dreams of him would ensue.  As much as it pained Keyla to be near a wrestling arena, a ring and backstage with Sami, she also found it oddly comforting.  Her passion for wrestling hadn’t dwindled, only ignited into a raging inferno and she loved watching Sami in the ring.  They became best friends over time, all the wounds of the past healed and put behind them.  Zero sexuality between them, though there were rumors throughout the organizations Sami wrestled for because Keyla was with him a lot.  If they only knew Sami was happily engaged to a beautiful woman named Gina and already planning their happily ever after.  People would think what they wanted though, so there was no point arguing or fighting the rumor mill.  Sami and Keyla knew the truth of their situation, how strong their friendship was and that was all that mattered.

 

Standing from the bed, Keyla poured herself another shot of Tequila and admired the sun rising over the horizon from her hotel window.  Madrid, Spain was beautiful this time of year and, surprisingly, being an American in the strange country was very fulfilling.  Everyone she’d conversed with was nice and polite.  She even took an online course to learn how to speak Spanish just so she could talk with the locals.  It’d been 2 weeks since she came here and Keyla didn’t plan on leaving anytime soon, having all the money in the world to do whatever she wanted in life.  Being rich didn’t make her happy though.  Money didn’t mean anything to her when her heart was permanently shattered.  Maybe another decade or so and she’d be over the heartbreak ready to love again. 

 

Keyla highly doubted it.

 

Sliding open the glass balcony door, Keyla stepped out and leaned over the iron railing to look out at the town, lighting up a cigarette.  She didn’t sleep more than 4 hours a night and stayed up throughout the night, sleeping during the day.  For some reason, she didn’t have nearly as many dreams about Him when she slept during the day as opposed to night.  Maybe because he was also a night owl.  Keyla shook her head, taking a long drag from the cigarette and closed her eyes, letting the nicotine work through every cell of her body.  It would help relax her along with the Tequila and hopefully make her drowsy enough to sleep for a couple hours.  Sometimes it worked, other times it didn’t.  However, watching the gorgeous sunrise wasn’t a bad way to start her day full of endless possibilities.  Just as she finished her cigarette and headed back inside, closing the dark curtains to shield the bright sunlight from entering the room, a vibration came from the nightstand.  Who the hell was calling her this early in the morning?  It was still night in Philadelphia and only two people knew her number.  Picking up the cell phone, Keyla read the name on the caller ID and reluctantly answered, not in the mood to talk to anyone.

 

“This better be important since it’s late where you are.”

 

A deep chuckle filtered through her ear in response. “Would I be calling you if it wasn’t?”

 

“I’m not in the mood for riddles, Callihan.” Keyla grumbled, pulling back the comforter on the bed and slid into it, the room currently pitch black. “Out with it.”

 

“Fine – fine, party pooper.” Sami joked, hearing the tension in Keyla’s voice and knew she was thinking about Jon again. “I need you to come with me for an audition – a tryout…”

 

Keyla rolled over on her side, holding the phone against her ear. “Uh huh sure, no problem…” She wasn’t really paying attention and had her eyes closed, fighting back a yawn.

 

“I’m serious, Kayleigh.” Sami would never stop calling her Kayleigh, no matter if it wasn’t her actual name anymore. “I need you to come with me.  Will you?” Gina had to work and was unable to do it or else Sami would take his soon-to-be wife.

 

Since when did ‘The New Horror’ Sami Callihan need a tryout? “When and where?”

 

“Tomorrow, which is technically today for you, but if you hopped on a plane, you could make it to Florida in time and meet up with me.” Sami already had it planned out in his head, ignoring her ‘where’ question to see if she asked it again. “Please?”

 

Even through her slight buzz, Keyla heard the state clear as day out of Sami’s mouth and she slowly sat up in bed, giving him her undivided attention. “Why Florida?  And where at specifically in Florida?” Her heart began racing and thumping madly in her chest, beating fiercely. “Samuel…”

 

“If I tell you now, you won’t come and I need you, Kayleigh.  Please.  I’m begging you to show up for me.  This is a HUGE opportunity for me…a once in a lifetime shot and Gina can’t make it…” Sami was desperate, not wanting to spill the beans on where exactly he was trying out at, but Keyla wasn’t stupid either.

 

Huge opportunity – once in a lifetime shot…Those were the words Keyla caught and she felt her stomach twisting violently, hoping it wasn’t the organization she was thinking of. “Say it.  Tell me where or I’m not getting on a plane.” It was an order.

 

“WWE.” Sami murmured quietly, lowering his eyes to the kitchen floor and leaned back against the kitchen counter. “Jon won’t be there, Kay.  He’s already on the main roster and…”

 

“Don’t.” Keyla didn’t want to know any details regarding Jon Moxley’s WWE tenure and felt her mouth go dry at the mention of his name. “So you’re telling me you got a call and WWE wants you to try out for them.  And you can guarantee he won’t be there?”

 

If he was, Sami would be shocked considering Jon had been on the WWE’s main roster under the wrestling name Dean Ambrose for over a year now.  It was currently late October in 2013 and he had debuted in a group known as the Shield in November 2012.  Sami kept up to date on Jon because they were still good friends, though not much contact happened because of how busy Jon was.  He watched Raw and Smackdown! every Monday and Friday night with Gina, cheering his friend on and eating popcorn.  The amount of joy he saw in Jon’s face every time the man stepped out in front of the arena full of thousands made Sami happy everything was going great for his friend.  However, he wanted that same exhilaration and feeling Jon experienced, so when WWE called him earlier that day, Sami immediately hopped on the first flight he could get to Tampa, Florida for his tryout.  It was only mere hours away, not days or weeks or months…and he was nervous to put it mildly.

 

“I promise he won’t be there.” Sami vowed, deciding against contacting Jon to let him know about the tryout. “Please Kayleigh, I need you here.  I’m a nervous fucking wreck and if I blow this, I’m gonna need your shoulder, sweetheart.”

 

Dropping her head forward, Keyla knew this was a decision she would probably regret, but Sami’s pleading didn’t fall on deaf ears. “Alright fine, I’m on my way, Sami.”

 

~!~

 

Tampa, Florida.

 

Was Keyla really here?  In the same city Jon Moxley left her for over 2 years ago to pursue his wrestling dream?  To say she was tense and nervous was the understatement of the century.  She wanted to hop back on the plane and fly anywhere else, to get as far away from Tampa, Florida as possible.  Sami needed her though.  She couldn’t let him down after all the long nights he stayed with her in her house crying over Jon.  No, she had to do this for him and this truly was a once in a lifetime opportunity.  If she missed it, Keyla would never forgive herself and, despite the fact it was the wrestling organization Jon worked for, it was also a dream come true for one of her best friends. 

 

“Kayleigh!” A voice shouted from several 100 feet away and her head snapped in the direction, amber eyes landing on Sami for the first time in a month. “I’m so glad you’re here!” He lifted her from the floor and twirled her around in a circle before setting Keyla back on her feet, the biggest grin on his face. “Thanks for coming.”

 

“You made me leave beautiful Madrid, Spain for this hell hole.  You owe me several drinks after this.” Keyla muttered in his ear, though she couldn’t stop the smile from stretching her lips either and tapped Sami’s nose. “How’s Gina?”

 

Sami’s green eyes lit up at the mention of his beautiful fiancée. “Sad she couldn’t make it.  Work is really killing her lately with all these long hours.  But she said it’ll be worth it when we have our dream wedding.  I really could care less, I just wanna marry her and knock her up as soon as possible.”

 

“Wow, I sincerely hope you don’t say that to her because then you’ll have to have her foot surgically removed from your ass.”

 

Sami chuckled, nodding and draped an arm around Keyla’s shoulders while they made their way to the luggage area to grab her bags. “Don’t I know it.  So how was the flight and Spain?  I’ve been there a few times with CZW and its kick ass.”

 

“Like I said, you made me leave beautiful Spain for this hell hole.  You owe me big.” Keyla reminded him vehemently, grabbing her bag and headed out of the airport with Sami. “So, what time is your tryout anyway?”

 

“It’s a dark before Raw tonight against a guy named Johnny Curtis.  Triple H is gonna be there to watch.  He’s the main cheese of WWE and runs the developmental show called NXT.” WWE had really expanded over the past several years ever since Vince McMahon gave up some control to his daughter, Stephanie McMahon and son-in-law Hunter Hearst Helmsley AKA Triple H. “We got time before we have to be there.  Wanna grab some grub or something?”

 

“No.” Keyla wanted nothing to do with this city, though she grudgingly admitted it was nicer than Philadelphia. “Let’s just go back to the hotel and relax.  You look like you need some R&R before tonight comes.”

 

“You know me too well.”

 

Raw was being held in Tampa that night.  Raw as in the main roster…Keyla’s eyes suddenly shot open and she yanked the steering wheel, forcing Sami to pull over on the side of the road forcefully.  She ignored Sami’s ranting and raving, jumping out of the vehicle, beginning to pace back and forth.  If she ran into Jon tonight…Keyla shook her head, not able to do this and went to grab her bag out of the backseat when Sami stopped her, having gotten out to check on her.

 

“Y-You lied to me…” Keyla stammered, tears filling her eyes and tried not to let them fall, but it was no use. “Raw Sami?  RAW as in the main fucking roster!  You told me that’s where he was now and you’re trying out RIGHT BEFORE THE SHOW HE’S ON!” Why hadn’t she put the pieces together sooner before hopping on a plane to come here? “I can’t do it.  If I see him…”

 

Sami could see the turmoil swirling through Keyla’s watery amber eyes and felt horrible for asking her to come with him to do this. “Come here…” He pulled her into his arms, letting her cry on his chest and stroked her dark blue hair, which was a lot longer than it had been when they reunited several years ago. “I’m sorry, Kay.  I’m really sorry…” Could he be more of a selfish dick?

 

“Y-You promised h-he wouldn’t b-be there…” Keyla stuttered through uncontrollable sobs, her whole body trembling from head to toe against him. “If I see him…”

 

“You won’t.” Sami pulled back to stare down into her eyes, cupping her face tenderly in his strong hands. “You’re gonna be sitting a few rows back and you can wear a hat or something to make you blend in with the rest of the crowd there.  I promise, he won’t see you and you won’t see him.” He hoped and prayed that didn’t happen because Keyla would likely have a nervous breakdown.

 

Pulling back, Keyla wrapped her arms around herself and looked up at the blue sky, feeling her heart breaking all over again. “I’m sorry.  I know I should be over him by now, but I’m not.  I miss him so much it hurts to even hear his name and I don’t know what to do to fix it.  I don’t know how to move on and forget him.  I don’t think I ever will.”

 

Sami knew firsthand how much Keyla loved Jon and he should’ve been livid at the man for destroying her.  However, Keyla didn’t tell Jon how she truly felt and let him walk out of her life in order to let him pursue his dream.  She should’ve been selfish back then and told him how she felt so they could at least keep in contact to try to be together.  Sami was torn between being on Jon’s side and hers because he understood both.  He just hoped Keyla healed from the heartache and pain before it completely devoured her whole.  Guiding her back inside the vehicle, Sami started on the road again heading toward the hotel and hoped they didn’t run into Jon Moxley for Keyla’s sake and sanity.

 

Chapter 2

 

“Are you feeling better?”

 

Keyla took the last bite out of her caramel and chocolate swirl ice cream, setting the glass cup it came in back on the food cart. “I’m getting there.  Thanks for the ice cream.” She murmured quietly, feeling Sami take her hand and cracked a small smile at him. “Don’t worry about me.  You should be focused on your match tonight.”

 

“I am.  It’s just another match.” Sami shrugged nonchalantly, though deep down he knew this would either make or break his wrestling career, changing it forever either way. “I mean, I’ve busted my ass for years to get to this point, but I can’t think of it like that or I’ll put too much pressure on myself.”

 

Squeezing his hand, Keyla had to do what she could to keep Sami’s mind on track and along with his confidence. “You’re going to do great.  They will see how talented you are and you’ll make your dream come true the same as…Jon.”

 

“Thanks for the pep talk, Kayleigh.” Sami kissed her forehead softly and glanced at the clock, seeing they had 2 hours before needing to leave for the arena.  However, he needed a workout before his tryout that night. “I’m gonna head to the gym.  The hotel has one and it seems decent.  Why don’t you stay here and take a nap?  I know you’ve gotta be jetlagged and tired after the long plane ride.”

 

Keyla couldn’t deny that, yawning and laid down on the bed facing Sami. “Sounds like a plan.  Wake me up when you get back.  I’ll set the alarm on my cell phone just in case.” She knew Sami would leave her behind at the hotel if she wasn’t awake by the time he finished with his workout.

 

Chuckling, Sami pulled the comforter over Keyla’s body and grabbed his workout bag, which had all the necessities he needed. “See you in a bit.  Don’t answer this door for anyone except me, got it?”

 

“Yes Mr. Overprotective.” Keyla retorted, rolling her eyes and stuck her tongue out when Sami flipped her the bird. “Now get outta here before I push you out the door.” The moment it closed, Keyla rolled over with her back facing the door and shut her eyes, her entire body sinking into the soft bed.

 

~!~

 

A few weight benches, squats, exercise machines and treadmills stared back at Sami as he stepped inside the hotel’s gym.  There was also a punching bag across the room, but Sami had to work on his speed and agility, so that required cardio and squats.  The punching bag would have to wait since most of his moves in the ring consisted of high flying and kicks.  Maybe kicking the bag would help out too.  Sami set his bag down, already changed into black cotton shorts and beater, his normal wrestling attire.  The beater would come off once he started working up a sweat, but for now it stayed.  Just as he set the treadmill where he wanted it, Sami’s cell phone vibrated in his pocket and he pulled it out to see who it was.

 

“Hey baby, everything okay?”

 

Gina smiled at the concern in her fiancé’s voice, missing him already and it hadn’t even been a day since he left. “Yes, everything is fine.  I miss you though and wanted to call to wish you good luck on the tryout.” She’d done it at least a dozen times ever since Sami received the call from WWE and he couldn’t help loving her more for the encouragement.

 

“Miss you more, trust me.”

 

“Did Keyla make it there yet?”

 

Gina had absolutely no qualms about Keyla and knew about their past history being together in high school.  For some reason, she didn’t feel threatened by Keyla as far as her relationship with Sami went.  Sure, there was a chance the old romantic feelings could come back to both of them and they’d end up together, but Gina highly doubted it.  Sami treated Keyla like a family member and the same went for Keyla, all 3 of them hanging out whenever Keyla came into town from one of her sabbaticals.  She knew all about Keyla losing her parents, the inheritance she received and what transpired between her and Jon Moxley, who Gina wasn’t fond of.  Maybe that was why she didn’t feel threatened because the woman’s heart belonged to Sami’s best friend and he didn’t even know it.  Not to mention, she was also good friends with Lennox and Danny, working with Lennox at her tattoo parlor.

 

“Lennox feels awful I couldn’t go with you, but she’s really short-handed at the shop again.  Tyler called off for the umpteenth time.  I think she’s getting ready to fire his stupid ass.” Gina tried to hide the annoyance in her tone, but Sami heard it clearly and knew Lennox had been having problems with her employees at the parlor lately. “She said if there was anyone else she trusted to do the shift, she would’ve let them.”

 

“I’m not mad at her, make sure you tell her that.  Yes I wish you could be here, but I understand work comes first, baby…” Green eyes widened as Sami looked up and suddenly whatever Gina’s response was turned to gibberish. “Holy shit.  Holy fucking shit.  I gotta go, babe.”

 

Gina blinked, not expecting the interruption and could hear the dismay in her fiancé’s voice. “Sami, what’s going on?  Sami, talk to me!  Is everything okay?!”

 

“Call you later.  Love you.” He hung up the phone quickly and shoved it in his pocket, his eyes not leaving the individual that just walked into the hotel gym. “Fuck, fuck, fuck – what am I supposed to do?  Ignore him?” Sami whispered to himself and turned to start the treadmill again, hoping Gina wasn’t angry with him for the abrupt end to their phone call.

 

Ignorance wasn’t meant to be at that moment.

 

“Are you fucking kidding me?”

 

Sami cringed at the gritty low voice behind him, knowing his hair stuck out like a sore thumb due to the wild style he had it in.  He turned around just as none other than Jon Moxley walked up and extended his hand, both not seeing each other in almost 2 years.  Two other men walked up to stand alongside Jon, one on each side and they towered over Sami.  One had long black ravenous hair that was pulled back in a low tail and had a tanned complexion.  If Sami had to guess, he’d say the man was a Samoan monster, but then again he could’ve been Mexican or some other culture too.  He had colored contacts in and they were currently a deep sinister grey.  The other had a quarter of his hair dyed yellow blonde while the rest remained black, all pulled back and his eyes were dark brown.  Due to keeping up with WWE, Sami knew exactly who the gentlemen with Jon were.  They were in a faction currently in WWE known as the Shield.

 

“Long time no see, bro!” Jon crowed with a grin, smiling back at Roman and Seth. “Just what the hell are you doing here, Sami?”

 

“Jon, who the hell is this, man?” Seth demanded, not appreciating having their workout cut short since he was a gym fanatic, CrossFit to be exact.

 

“Yeah bro, introductions.” Roman chimed in, curious as to why Jon was shocked to see the smaller man in the gym.  He didn’t recognize him from the company, so chances were it had to be one of Jon’s friends from his Independent days.

 

Jon rolled his eyes, slinging an arm around Sami’s neck and pulled him closer. “Sorry boys, didn’t mean to leave you out in the cold.  This here is none other than ‘The New Horror’ Sami Callihan, one of my best friends from the Indies.” He proved Roman’s suspicion without realizing it. “This fucker can go in the ring like no other besides yours truly and you two.  Sami, this is Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins.  We work together.” He had no idea Sami had kept up with his career after leaving Philadelphia.

 

“Sami Callihan…” Seth murmured to himself, stroking his beard thoughtfully and couldn’t get the name out of his head. “Did you work for ROH by chance?”

 

“A match here and there, but mostly for CZW and Dragon Gate.” Sami replied, already recognizing Seth Rollins, who was known in the Independents as Tyler Black and now Seth Rollins in the WWE. “Same as Jon, though he was in far more organizations than me…”

 

“So what the fuck are you doing here, Callihan?  Still living in Philly?  How are the guys?  I heard Drake was on his way up here, but he didn’t mention you.” Jon rambled, still in shock at spotting his long lost friend and little brother at heart.

 

Seth refused to stand here and listen to the banter, shaking his head. “I’ll be working out while you gossip away.”

 

He sauntered off away from the trio to start his CrossFit training, both Jon and Roman merely shaking their heads at each other.  They were close friends, instantly clicking while in the WWE’s developmental system and now they were huge stars on the main roster.  Seth was set for the main roster before them, but the WWE didn’t want to bring him in on his own.  It really angered Seth because he felt he was better wrestling alone than in a group.  Nevertheless, the guys made it work and now were the hottest commodity the WWE had in a very long time.  Eventually, they would go their separate ways, but for now each member was enjoying the ride they were on.

 

“What’s his problem?” Sami lowered his voice to where only Jon and Roman could hear, eyeballing Seth’s back disdainfully. “He’s just a bundle of fun now, isn’t he?”

 

“Not really, but we deal with it.” Jon wouldn’t hide his dislike of Seth either, especially from Sami. “So out with it, why are you here in Tampa?”

 

“Why do you think, bro?” Roman popped Jon upside the head, both of them always fooling around and making trouble for the Superstars and Divas at the shows. “You got a tryout tonight, right?  I think I heard Fandango running off at the mouth saying he was gonna take a rookie to school tonight in his dark match.  That you?”

 

“Guilty.” The big man was very perceptive, Sami surmised, grunting when Jon put him in an excited headlock. “Man, get off me before you pop my head off and I don’t make it to my dark!”

 

Jon released him with a smirk, ruffling Sami’s wild black hair to make it go all over the place and began jumping up and down to warm up for his workout. “Dude, you’re gonna wipe the floor with that asshole tonight.  Fandango is gonna wish he hadn’t run his mouth.  So, you here alone?” Jon already planned on taking Sami out for a night on the town after Raw and showing him what it felt like to be a WWE Superstar. “Because if you are, I know this hot strip club where the bitches finger each other on stage and shit…”

 

Keyla would have a field day if Sami left her to fend for herself in the same city Jon lived in, or so Sami thought. “No can do, bro.  Sorry.  My days of strip joints and one nightstands are behind me.”

 

Now Jon was confused, tilting his head slightly and planted his hands on his hips. “What do you mean?”

 

“I’m – uh – I’m getting married in a couple months.” Sami admitted sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck and cracked a smile at the thought of his fiancée. “Her name is Gina and she’s one of the tattoo artists at Lennox’s shop.  We met when she did my last one and hit it off…”

 

All Jon could do was blink at his former tag team partner and best friend, hardly believing the words coming out of Sami’s mouth. “Wow man, that’s…that’s great!  I’m happy for you.”

 

He tried sounding like it anyway.  The mention of Lennox made Jon’s chest tighten slightly because whenever he thought of her, his old roommate and fuck buddy popped in his mind.  A short dark blue haired and citrine eyed goddess had invaded Jon’s dreams for the better part of a year and a half, though he never admitted it to anyone.  Some things were meant to be kept secret and Jon would never hear the end of it if Roman found out he was dreaming about banging some chick he walked away from in order to pursue his WWE career.

 

“Danny doing okay too then?  I heard he got into some shit a few months back, but didn’t get the details.”

 

It wasn’t Sami’s place to talk about Danny’s issues lately, though he was incredibly worried about the man. “Right as rain, as far as I know.  I’ve been traveling around a lot lately to wrap up some shit in my career so I haven’t had a chance to talk to him.  Maybe you should give him a call.”

 

That wasn’t a bad idea, but Jon would do it once he went for his two days off on Wednesday and Thursday to Las Vegas, where he currently resided. “Well fuck the strip joint, how about a beer at the local bar?  We can catch up and celebrate your tryout.”

 

Now Sami regretted asking Keyla to come to the tryout because it sounded like Jon would be up his backside most of the night. “Let’s see how I feel after the tryout and I’ll get back to you.”

 

“Cool.  You got my number still?”

 

Jon hadn’t changed it, just upgraded the type of phone he had and still didn’t know how to use the stupid contraption except answering calls.  He was horrible at texting, hating whenever Roman or Seth did it because it made him look technically incompetent.  Sami nodded, promising to meet up with him later and watched the two men walk off to start their own workouts while he stepped on the treadmill.  What the hell was he going to do?  Keyla nearly had a breakdown earlier that day because he was having his dark match before Raw.  Maybe she would understand and stay at the hotel during the event.  Then what was the point of bringing her here in the first place? 

 

No, she was going and if they did run into each other, Sami would deal with the consequences then.  Speaking of consequences…he pulled out his cell phone and looked at the 50 text messages his fiancée sent him, demanding to know if he was alright.  He had scared the hell out of her.  Sighing, Sami quickly sent a message assuring her everything was fine and he’d talk to her about it later.  Then he started in on the cardio workout, hoping he could get at least an hour in before jetting up to the room to get ready for his tryout that night.

 

Chapter 3

 

Half an hour into her nap, Keyla’s cell phone rang throughout the room and woke her up, her eyes slowly fluttering open.  Who the hell was calling her?  If it was Sami, she would string him up by his toes when he came back to the room.  After convincing her to take a nap in the first place, especially!  Rolling over, Keyla reached for her phone and pressed the answer button along with speaker, hovering it over her mouth.

 

“There better be a damn good reason I just got woken up.”

 

“Keyla, it’s me.” A familiar voice whispered in her ear, pure terror in the tone. “I-I’m sorry for waking you, but…I need your help.”

 

Bolting upright in bed, Keyla was suddenly alert and wide awake, flipping on the lamp on the nightstand. “What’s wrong, Lennox?” This wasn’t the first time her best friend had called whispering in a terrified voice and Keyla would bet every last dollar she had to her name she knew the reason.

 

Sniffling, Lennox wiped the tears from her eyes and glanced over her shoulder from the kitchen to make sure her fiancé didn’t overhear the conversation. “I need your help.  Please.” Those words were code for Lennox needing a place to stay because Danny had raised his hand to her again. “I know you’re in Tampa with Sami right now…”

 

“Yeah…” Keyla rubbed the back of her neck, feeling her heart go out to Lennox because Danny had turned into a monster almost overnight. “Alright, I’ll fly you out here and we’ll go on a vacation.  Gina can watch over the shop while you’re gone recuperating, right?” She could only imagine what kind of damage Danny inflicted this time.

 

Lennox didn’t care about her tattoo parlor at the moment or anything besides getting as far away from Philadelphia and Danny Havoc as possible. “Thanks Key, I owe you big time for this.  I’m on my way to the airport now, so text me the details.  Gotta go.”

 

The phone went dead and Keyla assumed Danny had walked into the room Lennox called her from.  It always happened that way.  Abrupt endings to their phone calls were more frequent now that Danny had turned into a monster pumped fill of drugs.  He’d gone astray a year after Jon moved to Tampa and started working for WWE.  Danny felt cheated because he’d had a tryout with WWE, only for them to deny him.  Jon didn’t even have a tryout match to work for the biggest wrestling organization on planet Earth and it ate away at Danny.  He was consumed with making it big in the world of professional wrestling, but the more he tried, the harder he fell and failed.  Lennox tried reassuring him she loved him no matter how his career turned out to be and wanted him to focus on their future instead of downfalls.  All that did was make Danny furious and he started accusing her of not having faith in him anymore as far as his wrestling career went. 

 

One slap turned into two and soon they were punches instead of slaps.  Lennox didn’t understand what made Danny change so drastically, so she started snooping around his belongings at their house and came across a bottle of oxycodone.  It was halfway gone and along with the drug she also found small razor blades, a mirror and quickly put the pieces together.  Heartbroken and scared, Lennox went to Keyla and spilled what happened as soon as she came back from one of her vacations.  Keyla was floored while Lennox sobbed to her about Danny’s drug abuse and all she could do was hold her best friend, trying to figure out how to help her.  The option of leaving Danny was immediately taken off the table because Lennox truly believed he could change and stop the drugs again like he had when they first met.  She was the sole reason he stopped using oxycodone and Lennox helped him through the withdrawal stage. 

 

“He’s put so much pressure and stress on himself ever since Moxley made it big in WWE.  I don’t know what to do anymore.  I’m scared to death to go home because, if I say the wrong thing, he’ll beat the hell out of me.  I love him so much.  Why is he doing this?!”

 

Keyla had no answer to her question and felt like the worst friend in the world, offering to take Lennox on the road to help her escape her crumbling relationship.  Lennox refused to leave Danny’s side though, at first.  The more frequent the beatings came, the more inviting Keyla’s offer sounded and apparently Lennox had finally reached her limit.  While Keyla was on the road, Lennox stayed at her house a few days out of the week, but Danny quickly put a stop to that.  He demanded her to be home every night after she was finished with work because he wanted to spend time with her.  Just another way to control everything she did in life.  Every time Lennox would leave to go stay at Keyla’s, Danny hunted her down, beat on her and then forced her to come back home with him.  Lennox had made the grave mistake of calling the police one night when she thought Danny might kill her, only for Danny to smooth everything over with them, assuring the officers it was just a small spat between lovers.

 

Pre-wedding jitters is what he called it.

 

All Lennox wanted to do was help Danny anyway she could, but every time she confronted him about the drugs, a beating ensued followed by him apologizing and then making her submit to him sexually.  Lennox hated herself for what she allowed him to put her through over the past year and a half.  Her self-esteem had gone down the drain and she couldn’t look at herself in the mirror without cringing.  The dark circles under her eyes were a sign she didn’t sleep at night for fear of Danny flying off the handle and throttling her, which had happened a few times.  It was all part of the drug abuse.

 

Sighing, Keyla made the call to the airport and booked the first available flight for Lennox, wondering how she was supposed to explain this to Sami.

 

~!~

 

To tell Keyla or not…Sami was torn on what to do while walking back up to the room an hour later.  No doubt she would freak out and demand to stay at the hotel if she discovered his run-in with Jon.  Why did Jon, of all people, have to walk into the gym and spot him?  Was fate really out to kick him in the balls?  Maybe this was karma biting him in the backside for keeping the fact Keyla was on the road with him away from Jon.  Standing outside of the hotel room, Sami braced himself for what he had to do and the consequences.  Keyla wouldn’t go to the arena with him for the tryout, so her trip to Tampa would be for naut.  Still, he couldn’t keep the fact he ran into Jon away from her, not after her panic attack earlier on the way to the hotel.  Slipping the key card in the slot, Sami opened the door and was bombarded with unexpected news from Keyla.

 

“Danny crossed the line with Lennox.  She’s on her way here now.  I don’t know what time her flight will land, but she called me scared to death and now I’m scared for her.  I hope he doesn’t try to stop her.  She wouldn’t give me details on what happened.” Keyla rambled out in a rush of words, pacing like a caged animal in front of the bed and only stopped when she nearly collided into Sami. “I’m sorry – I didn’t-”

 

His finger pressing against her mouth stopped Keyla from gearing up for another rambling session. “It’s cool.  She’s my friend too and I don’t mind her coming here.” There’s no way Sami could deny Lennox coming to Tampa for a safe haven away from Danny. “What time is her flight leaving?”

 

“9 PM, so she should get here hopefully by 11, as long as there’s no delays or stops.” Keyla chewed her thumbnail nervously, sinking down on the bed while Sami started getting ready for his tryout match. “How was your workout?” She needed a change of subject.

 

It was crossroads time for Sami and he had no idea what to do, remembering his vow to never lie to Keyla again. “Kayleigh…” He could see the worry increase in her citrine orbs and looked away, stuffing his wrestling gear in his bag because he would change into it at the arena.  WWE had a strict dress policy, so he had to arrive in a suit unfortunately.

 

“Sami, what is it?” She approached him from behind and grabbed his arm, turning him back around to face her.  Nothing except sadness and guilt swirled through his green orbs, forcing Keyla’s stomach to clench violently. “No…” Keyla backed away, releasing his arm and tears instantly filled her eyes as soon as Sami nodded back. “You saw him, didn’t you?”

 

“I’m sorry, Kayleigh…” Now Sami felt horrible for asking her to come to his tryout. “I-I didn’t think I’d run into him this suddenly, at least not until after I was on the main roster.  I have to get through the tryout first to even be considered for their developmental system…” He was making excuses for begging her to come watch him and the tears in her eyes were nearly his undoing. “Please…Please don’t cry…”

 

Jon was so close to her now, almost within arm’s reach and all Keyla had to do was make the first move.  All the sadness and frustration throughout almost 2 years since his departure and not hearing a word from him stopped her from doing it, however.  Why should she bother reaching out to a man who was clearly unavailable and didn’t want to be with her?  Keyla had to protect herself this time and be there for the people who had helped slowly piece her back together after Jon left her a crumbled mess on the front porch of the house they all once shared together.

 

“You don’t have to come tonight.  You can stay here at the hotel…”

 

“No.” Keyla blinked her tears away, squaring her shoulders and took Sami’s bag to help him finish packing up.  They had to leave in a few minutes if they were going to make it to the arena on time. “I’m coming with you to watch you fulfill your lifelong dream.  I’m not gonna let you down.  Now come on, enough about Moxley.  It’s time to focus solely on you because tonight is your night, nobody else’s.”

 

Sami blinked in shock at the steadfast Keyla and couldn’t help admiring her bravery, knowing there was a very solid chance she would see Jon again tonight.

 

~!~

 

Sitting 4 rows back from the ring, Keyla waited anxiously for Sami to come out and start his match against his opponent named Fandango.  They were backstage going over some last minute ideas for the match and Keyla wasn’t interested in hearing the boring conversation.  So she made her way down to the ring and currently sat there with a WWE baseball cap on her head, her long dark blue hair that rested to the middle of her back hanging loosely.  Her attire was a simple black tank top and jeans with holes ripped in the knees, black and blue tennis shoes on her feet.  Nothing special, she had nobody to impress and tonight was all about Sami.  While checking her social media and blog, Keyla felt a presence beside her and lowered her phone, citrine eyes sliding over to come face to face with none other than the Cerebral Assassin himself, Triple H. 

 

“Hi there.” Hunter greeted with a smile, extending his hand to the timid dark blue haired woman he spotted the moment he stepped from the backstage area. “Didn’t mean to scare you…”

 

Keyla’s mouth went dry as a bone while staring back at a legend in the wrestling business and it took all of her willpower to simply shake his hand, swallowing hard. “I-It’s fine, sir…” Great, now she was stammering in front of him!  What the hell was wrong with her?!

 

 Hunter chuckled, feeling the tremors through her hand and knew she was incredibly nervous at the moment. “Hey, I don’t bite.  I just spotted you over here sitting alone and wanted to introduce myself.  I haven’t seen you around the company, so I’m assuming you’re with our potential new recruit?”

 

“Yes sir.” What else was she supposed to call this man?

 

“Mind if I ask your name?”

 

Why did he want to know that? “Keyla, sir.  Keyla Jensen.”

 

Something about the woman stood out to Hunter.  He couldn’t figure out what it was though.  Maybe it was her dark blue hair or the way she tried not to stand out.  Perhaps it might’ve been her timid yet respectful attitude towards him.  Whatever it was, Hunter could see potential money in the woman and he could already see her as the next WWE Diva commodity.  That is if Keyla took him up on his offer.  Presumptuous he was and Stephanie would kick his backside if this came back to haunt them, but Hunter couldn’t get rid of the feeling in his gut, refusing to ignore it.

 

“So how do you know Sami Callihan?”

 

“I – um – we grew up together and are good friends.  He didn’t want to be here alone tonight since his fiancée couldn’t make it, so he asked me to fill in.” Wow, that was a mouthful of personal information Triple H didn’t need to know or hear.

 

“I see…” Hunter was intrigued, stroking his beard while looking back at the ring while Fandango made his entrance. “Do you have any experience working in the business?  Ever been in the ring?”

 

“God no – no definitely not.  I couldn’t do something like that.” Keyla shook her head, laughing at how ridiculous these questions were because, honestly, who the hell would think she was wrestling material? “All I’ve ever done is some camera work for both Sami and…” Was she about to mention Jon Moxley to Triple H?  Yes, yes she was. “Jon Moxley.  I believe he’s on your main roster now as…”

 

“Dean Ambrose.” Hunter finished for her, blinking, not expecting to hear that because Dean was currently part of the WWE’s hottest faction known as the Shield right now. “You’re telling me you worked for Dean Ambrose in the Indies?”

 

Keyla nodded, unable to lie to him and felt more at ease the longer they conversed. “Yeah.  It was a fluke thing, really.  But his camera person bailed on him one night when he was supposed to film a promo to post on the internet for one of the companies he worked for.  He asked me to step in and do it and…the rest is history; I guess…”

 

“So you have experience using a camera then.” Hunter concluded, remembering a few of the technicians down at NXT complaining about the lack of camera people they had lately. 

 

He recalled watching a lot of Jon Moxley’s promos on YouTube as well, thanks to Joey Mercury practically begging him to check them out.  It was one of the many reasons WWE hired the man on the spot without a tryout.  His brown eyes looked toward the stage as Sami Callihan made his debut, already picturing several possible angles the WWE/NXT could go with him.  He was built well, a little short, but not enough to immediately be turned down.  Vince would get over it since he wasn’t fond of smaller guys since Hunter ran NXT solely.

 

No other words were spoken as Keyla and Hunter proceeded to turn their undivided attention onto the ring the moment the bell rang.

 

Chapter 4

 

“Kid, you definitely got skills in that ring.  With a little tune-up, you could be the next big star we’re looking for.” Hunter praised, shaking Sami’s hand and nodded toward Fandango, turning his eyes back on the smaller man. “You didn’t disappoint…and neither did your friend here.”

 

“Thank you, sir.” Sami didn’t know how to feel about the comment regarding Keyla, letting it slide for the time being until they were alone.  Then he would question what happened between Keyla and Triple H. “Yeah she’s a good gal, talented with a camera too.”

 

“Sami…” Keyla could feel her cheeks turning rosy at the compliment and lowered her eyes to the ground. “I’m not THAT good…”

 

Raising a brow, he wondered if Keyla was serious and draped an arm around her shoulders, grinning from ear to ear. “I’m not blowing smoke up his ass.  You are great at what you do and every company you’ve worked for would back up my words.  It may have started out as helping out someone, but you made it your own and now companies like CZW and Dragon Gate are begging you to come work for them permanently.” He’d spoken personally with both owners of the organizations and they had nothing except great things to say about Keyla’s camera ability.

 

“Alright, that’s enough about me…” Keyla tried deterring Sami from talking about her, but the man had other plans on mind.

 

“Did you ever watch some of Jon Moxley’s promos on YouTube?  She was behind the camera for a lot of them starting in mid-2010 and up until he came here to work for you guys.” Sami pointed out, not realizing Triple H and Keyla already had this conversation before his dark match transpired.

 

“Yes, we discussed that briefly.”

 

The gears in Hunter’s head were already turning, but he had to talk to both his wife, Stephanie, and Vince before making either of these people a job offer.  If Hunter had his way, NXT would have a new Superstar in Sami and a brilliant camera woman in Keyla within the next month or so.  Who knew what the future held?  There were so many possibilities and maybe Hunter could convince Keyla to step in the ring to see if she truly belonged there instead of behind a camera.

 

“Anyway kid, I gotta get backstage and get ready for Raw, but we’ll call to let you know if we’re interested signing you or not.” Hunter informed him, not bothering to mention Keyla and shook hands with Sami before walking past them.

 

Sami didn’t mind being called kid by the Cerebral Assassin, a dream come true of his to meet such a legend and game changer in the world of professional wrestling.  He hoped he made a good first impression in the match and WWE called him with an opportunity to work for them.  If they didn’t, Sami was thinking about hanging up his wrestling boots and pursuing something else since a wrestler couldn’t get higher than the WWE.  Being rejected by them would simply tell Sami whether he belonged in the squared circle or not.

 

“What the hell was that about?” Keyla demanded once they were alone and Triple H was out of earshot, smacking Sami none too gently on the arm.

 

“What do you mean?” Sami retorted, genuinely confused and groaned when she smacked him again. “What did I do?!”

 

“You know damn well what you just did, you sly son of a bitch!  You talked me up to Triple H of all people and tried getting me a job here!  I know you, Samuel and I can tell when that head of yours is cooking up an idea.  You’re an idiot.  Tonight was supposed to be all about you and, instead, you added me to the mix.  I oughta kick your ass from here all the way back to Philly.” Keyla fumed, planting her hands on her hips and saw the way Sami’s lips curved up in a smirk, shaking her head. “You are unbelievable.  I can’t believe you did that.  You should’ve talked yourself up to him instead of mentioning me.”

 

“And sound like a pompous asshole by bragging about all of my achievements in the Indies?  No thanks, I’ll pass.  I saw you two sitting together and figured you had a talk with him already.  Didn’t think you’d get this upset about it.  All I did was tell the truth, Kay.” Sami rubbed his arm, not believing it still stung from her blows and pulled her close to kiss the top of her head. “Besides, wouldn’t it be badass if we both ended up working for this company?”

 

That was the dumbest thing Sami could’ve said at the moment considering who they both knew worked for the WWE. “No – no it wouldn’t.  You must have temporary amnesia, or did you choose to forget a crucial problem with your master plan to try getting me employed here?”

 

“Kayleigh…”

 

“I have to pee.  I’ll be back.  Go change so we can get to the airport and wait for Lennox’s flight to land.”

 

Keyla walked away from him, needing a few minutes to herself and made her way backstage with a pass dangling around her neck.  Sami didn’t need one since he was well-known in the Indies for his work.  It took a few minutes, but she finally found the bathroom and slipped inside to empty her overfilled bladder.  She didn’t see the pair of eyes watching her walk into the bathroom or the fact they caught a glimpse of her long dark blue hair.

 

“Jon?” No answer. “Jon??” Silence. “AMBROSE!”

 

Jon couldn’t take his eyes off the women’s bathroom door, stopping outside of it for a minute or two.  Seth and Roman were with him, all 3 dressed in their Shield swat gear and ready to kick the crap out of someone that night.  They had walked by the restrooms on their way back to their locker room when Jon abruptly stopped.  Dark blue hair…Jon didn’t recall any of the WWE Divas or women in the WWE having that shade.  Just as the Shield members rounded the corner, that’s when Jon had caught a glimpse of the hair before the woman attached to it disappeared into the women’s bathroom.  He was curious to see what she looked like or if he was completely losing his mind since running into Sami earlier that day made Keyla Jensen sear to the forefront of his mind. 

 

“Yeah – yeah what?”

 

“You straight?  What’re you staring at the bathrooms for?” Seth demanded, pulling his black gloves on and folded his arms in front of his chest, looking at Roman like the man had lost his mind.

 

Maybe Jon had. “Jon, you look like you just saw a ghost, man…” Roman pointed out, worry in his grey eyes. “You alright?”

 

“Y-Yeah…” Jon shook himself mentally, slowly stepping away from the restrooms and heaved a sigh, looking down at his wrapped taped hands. “Sorry boys, didn’t mean to space out like that.  Thought I saw something.”

 

“What was it?” Roman asked out of pure curiosity, whipping his black hair forward to drench it with a bottle of water he took from catering.

 

They would all think he was insane, so Jon decided to chalk up the glimpse of dark blue hair to temporary insanity and waved Roman off. “Don’t worry about it, big man.  I’m good.  Let’s go kick some teeth in and then celebrate with a beer.  Hopefully Sami joins us too.”

 

“Bout time…” Seth muttered under his breath, glancing over his shoulder and raised a brow when he spotted a woman walk out of the women’s bathroom to head through the curtain toward the ring.

 

~!~

 

Sami stood outside of the arena leaning against the wall with a cigarette dangling from his lips, letting Gina rip him a new backside for the way he’d treated her earlier. “I’m sorry baby and I’ll make it up to you as soon as I get home…”

 

“Oh you damn well better!  It’s bad enough Lennox is going on a vacation with Keyla because of her bullshit with Danny and now my fiancé is being all sketchy with me.  Just what the hell happened earlier that made you think it was a smart idea to abruptly hang up with me like that?” Gina ranted, pouring a refill on her whiskey and downed it, enjoying the burning sensation sliding down her esophagus.

 

There was no point hiding the truth from her now that he was in hot water with Gina and Keyla was aware of his run-in with his old tag team partner. “Jon walked into the hotel gym I stopped by for a quick tune-up before my dark.  That’s why I hung up with you because I was in shock to see him.  I thought I wouldn’t see him until I made it to the main roster if WWE hires me on.” He admitted, sounding a little sheepish and tore a hand through his wild black hair. “I’m sorry…”

 

Taking a deep breath, Gina shut her eyes and let the anger drain out of her body, her heavy breathing being the only sound Sami heard on the other line for a few minutes. “How did Keyla react when you told her?  Or did you keep it to yourself?” She knew all about what Jon Moxley did and how Keyla hid her true feelings from him in order to let him make the decision that best suited his career.

 

“I thought she was gonna freak the fuck out and hop on the first plane out of here, but she sucked it up and came with me to the tryout.  Shocked the hell out of me.  You know me, I don’t shock easily and it happened twice in the span of a few hours.” Sami took another drag from his cigarette, glancing at the door opening and saw Keyla step out, waving her over where he stood.

 

“Really?” Gina was proud of Keyla for not bailing on her man and smiled, feeling marginally better. “I really wish I could’ve been there with you tonight, sweetheart.  And I forgive you for hanging up on me.  Don’t let it happen again.”

 

Sami chuckled, knowing Gina was giving him a hard time on purpose and handed Keyla a cigarette along with his lighter. “You have my word.” He held up his finger in a one second gesture and stepped away to finish his conversation with the love of his life.

 

Smiling at how much love shined in Sami’s eyes every time he talked to Gina, Keyla felt truly happy for both of them.  Gina was a hell of a woman and kept Sami on his toes, surprising him at every turn.  She was into tattoos, obviously, produced amazing designs and loved Sami with everything inside of her.  Keyla couldn’t wait to watch them walk down the aisle and say their vows, hoping one day she could move on from Jon Moxley in order to be that happy.  It was a long shot, but coming here tonight to support Sami made Keyla realize she couldn’t hide from Jon anymore.  If they ran into each other, so be it.  So far, it hadn’t happened and they were on the verge of leaving the arena, so maybe fate was meant to keep them apart for good.  Then again, she also couldn’t get her conversation with Triple H out of her mind either.

 

“We can stop and get something to eat before heading to the airport, if you want.” Keyla offered once Sami ended the call with Gina, flicking ash off the tip of her cigarette.

 

Sami opened his mouth to respond and instead his stomach did the talking for him, both of them laughing at the sound. “I didn’t really eat that much today and my body is demanding sustenance now.”

 

“Has…he tried contacting you about meeting up again?” Keyla asked once they were in the vehicle rental on their way to the first restaurant they came across.

 

Sami nodded, stopping a red light and glanced over at Keyla, wondering what made her go from having a near panic attack on the side of the road earlier that day to calm and mellow now. “I told him I couldn’t because I’m heading home to see my woman.  He called me right before Gina did and I had to end the call with him.  Didn’t give him a chance to convince me or anything.”

 

“Right…”

 

Keyla looked away from him to stare out the window, leaning her head against it and shut her eyes, recalling what happened while she was in the bathroom at the arena.  She heard his voice – the low gritty voice that had conquered her dreams for the past year and a half – just outside the bathroom door.  Apparently something made him stop outside the door and Keyla overheard the conversation from two other men he was with.  How she longed to open the bathroom door and see him again, but fear stopped her cold.  So all she did was hide out behind the bathroom door like a coward until she could no longer hear Jon’s voice and slipped out before he decided to make another appearance.  Sami didn’t need to know about it; it was a moment Keyla would take with her to the grave.

 

After a nice steak dinner at a local restaurant, Keyla ended up falling asleep on the ride to the airport.  She would be up until all hours of the night with Lennox talking about what happened with Danny, so a catnap was definitely in order.  Arriving at the airport, Sami put the vehicle in park and nudged Keyla, waking her up, both walking in the building together side-by-side.  The moment Lennox’s plane landed at a quarter to 11 PM and she stepped through the terminal, Keyla had to stop herself from slapping a hand over her mouth in shock.  The whole right side of Lennox’s face was nothing more than a gigantic bruise with a few lacerations cut into the skin.  Her right eye looked to be nearly swollen shut and she had a baseball cap on to try hiding the damage Danny inflicted on her.  Keyla ran to her side, leaving Sami standing several feet behind and Lennox couldn’t hold back the tears anymore, breaking down in her best friend’s arms. 

 

“It’s alright now, sissy.  You’re safe and he can’t hurt you anymore.” Keyla whispered in Lennox’s ear, not remembering ever seeing her friend in this much agony and heartache.

 

Every speck of Sami’s blood boiled inside his body, not believing the absolute destruction Danny was capable of.  With his own hands, he had hurt the woman he loved and wanted to marry one day, to have children with.  Danny always wanted to be a father and husband, vowing to never be like his alcoholic abusive old man.  Because he had delved back into drugs, this was the results of the oxycodone abuse.  Sami didn’t know what to do for his longtime friend because he knew Danny was sick, but beating the hell out of Lennox like this was uncalled for.  Something had to be done before she ended up dead at the hands of Danny Havoc.

 

Chapter 5

 

After bidding Sami farewell and a safe flight home to Philadelphia, Keyla and Lennox went back to the hotel for the night.  Keyla had flights scheduled for them to leave first thing in the morning to go to Cancun, deciding she would be dragging Lennox all over the world with her.  Gina didn’t mind watching the tattoo shop and if she needed a break, all she had to do was tell Lennox.  The woman knew about Danny’s abusive behavior toward Lennox, but didn’t say anything due to Lennox being her boss.  The last thing she wanted to do was anger the woman in charge and lose her job.  While Lennox sat on the bed with her head lowered, Keyla bustled around the room and made a call down to room service, ordering up two of every dessert they had available.  Luckily, they were open 24/7 and that meant a smorgasbord full of delicious sweets and anything else Lennox’s heart desired.

 

Once the comfort food arrived, it was time to breakout the alcohol out of Keyla’s mini bar and popped the cap off longnecks to start.  She handed it to Lennox and sat down beside her, rubbing the woman’s back and could feel the pain in her fingertips leaking from every pore of her best friend’s body.  It made her despise Danny Havoc further.  Keyla kept her thoughts about Danny to herself, not wanting to upset Lennox because she knew the man had a serious illness.  Addiction was a legitimate sickness and Danny needed help, but he had to be the one to make that decision.  Nobody else could make it for him or force him to go to a rehabilitation center to seek treatment.  It had to be something he wanted to do and, until Danny reached that point, there was nothing anyone could do for him.

 

“It’s getting worse, Key.” Lennox confessed an hour later, after a beer and a piece of chocolate cheesecake, taking the last bite as tears slowly rolled down her cheeks. “At first it was just the oxy and I thought he needed it because he kept complaining about his back.  So I let it go because I figured he could handle it and he’s a man, he can make his own decisions.  We’re not married or anything.  Only engaged.” She didn’t stop staring at the plate. “I didn’t realize how bad it was until I came home one night and found…the other shit he’d been doing.”

 

Keyla was almost afraid to ask while slowly eating her own piece of cheesecake, taking a sip of beer to wash it down.  Surprisingly, it was an appetizing combination and taste. “What did you find?” This was the first time Lennox had opened up in detail about her and Danny’s problems and Keyla didn’t stop her.  It had to come out before it drove Lennox crazy.

 

“You know how Danny was infamous for his parties after one of the CZW shows, right?”

 

Keyla nodded, staying quiet and waited for her friend to continue.

 

“It was another one of those, but instead of walking in seeing grass on the coffee table, I saw…white shit.  Lines of white powdery shit with mirrors and rolled up pieces of papers.  In the middle of the couch sat my fiancé and I watched in horror as he snorted the white shit up his nose like it was an everyday thing.  I knew exactly what it was and could only stand there watching him.  When he looked up and saw me, the horror on his face and in his eyes still gives me nightmares to this day.  He had no idea what to say to me because he’d been caught red-handed.  He said ‘I thought you were working later than usual, baby’ and I just shook my head at him and didn’t utter a single word.  I walked past him and everyone down the hallway and went to our bedroom because I didn’t want to make a scene in front of our peers and friends.  I didn’t want to cry in front of them and especially Danny…” Lennox had to stop for a few minutes to compose herself, standing from the bed and wrapped her arms around herself, hissing in pain since the upper part was heavily bruised like her face.

 

“I’m assuming it was coke.” Keyla didn’t know of any other white powdery substance unless pills were crushed into the same type of dust. “What happened next?”

 

“Everyone left and he tried to talk to me, but I ignored him.  It pissed him off until he shoved me into the wall and demanded to know what the fuck my problem was.  I finally exploded and screamed at him what a fucking idiot he was for putting our relationship through turmoil all so he could get high on coke.  He tried denying it was coke and said he would never do that heavy shit.  It was oxy crushed up and I shouldn’t overreact and accuse him of doing something he’s not.  But I knew, I could tell and feel it in my heart he was lying to me.  Like an idiot, I believed him though and made him promise me he would cut back on the oxy.  And I thought we were fine after that…”

 

“You weren’t.  He kept doing it and the lies started piling up.” Keyla added quietly, watching Lennox nod as more tears fell from her violet eyes. “And your love blinded you from the truth until the abuse started.”

 

Lennox felt shame course through her body at all the lies and deception from Danny, her heart breaking all over again. “I was foolish and fucking stupid, Keyla.  I bought every lie that came out of his mouth and I should’ve known better.  When he started hitting me, he blamed it on the pressure of making it to the big leagues like Moxley did.  I tried assuring him he would make it and stayed by his side through it all and he…he just kept saying how much of a failure he was and…and I didn’t believe in him anymore…” Her voice cracked and Lennox couldn’t talk about it anymore, touching her heavily bruised face while staring out the window, trembling. “I-I’m scared of him now.  I-I love him so much, but…I-I can’t do this anymore.  I-I can’t help him if – if he won’t get help for his p-problem…”

 

That was Keyla’s cue to wrap her arms around Lennox’s body and help calm her down because she was on the verge of becoming hysterical. “Enough.  Don’t say anymore.”

 

Lennox turned to bury her face in Keyla’s neck, hot tears soaking her skin and the spaghetti strap on her camisole.  None of it mattered to Keyla except doing what she could to help Lennox through this difficult time in her life.  If she went back to Danny, Keyla would not turn her back on Lennox, though she wouldn’t be happy about it either.  Something had to give and Lennox sounded like she was at the end of her rope with the shattered relationship.  Lennox didn’t know what to do about Danny, feeling hopeless and helpless because she wasn’t sure how much more she could take.  Maybe letting him go and moving on was what had to happen to make him open his eyes and realize the mistakes he was making.  Sometimes, the hardest decisions made were for the best.  After standing there holding Lennox for what seemed like hours, Keyla managed to guide her to the bed to lay down and covered her up, watching Lennox curl up in a tight ball under the comforter to continue sobbing. 

 

Who would’ve thought the man who brought her the most happiness could also bring her more heartache and devastation than any other man in her life?

 

~!~

 

Months passed by since Sami’s audition with WWE and he was afraid he didn’t make the cut or his match wasn’t as good as he thought.  Gina tried assuring him everything would work out and they were taking their time deciding, which was a good thing.  They could’ve brushed him off, but the fact they hadn’t made a decision yet meant there was still a chance he would get in.  Sami wanted to believe his girlfriend with all his heart and soul, but as each day passed with no word from WWE, his faith and hope slowly dwindled.  Everything in his life was banked on this decision because Sami wanted to give Gina a life she deserved that included marriage and kids.  They both required a lot of money he did not have and neither did she.  If WWE didn’t sign him, Sami didn’t know what his next step was as far as a career went because wrestling was all he ever known since high school.

 

Finally, the day Sami had both craved and dreaded arrived as his cell phone rang and it was none other than Triple H on the other line. “You’re in, kid.  I know it’s been a long wait.  Sorry about that.  As long as your testing and everything comes back clean, you can start in May.” It was currently mid-April.

 

The biggest wave of relief and happiness washed over Sami, but he maintained his composure long enough to finish the conversation. “Thank you, sir.  I promise you won’t regret giving me a chance…”

 

Hunter could hear the dedication and enthusiasm in the younger man’s voice, making him smile widely.  Truthfully, he had to fight tooth and nail with his father-in-law to sign Sami because of his small height and frame.  However, Hunter ran NXT exclusively and he finally convinced Vince to give the boy a chance to shine because he too wasn’t that big when he was signed back in the 90’s.  Vince grumped and groaned over it, but finally after months of fighting, Hunter won the war and immediately made the call to invite Sami aboard.  He wasn’t the only one Hunter wanted to hire, however.

 

“Now that you’re taken care of, there’s something else I wanna talk to you about.  Your friend Keyla, for instance…”

 

~!~

 

The Cayman Islands were beautiful this time of year.

 

Keyla currently sat on a lounge chair alongside Lennox, both of them soaking in some much needed Vitamin D with margaritas in hand, shades over their eyes.  The sky couldn’t have been bluer and the sand felt like silk squishing between their toes.  Over the past 6 months, Keyla had taken Lennox to 6 out of 10 tropical paradise locations.  They went to Cancun, Fiji, British Virgin Islands, Costa Rica, Mexico in a 5-star resort and now the Cayman Islands.  Each spot they spent one month in and Lennox had never felt so relaxed in her life.  She had to fly back to Philadelphia a few times to check on the shop and whatnot, but made sure to do it on a night CZW had a show so Danny was forced to be at the arena.  She hadn’t seen or spoken to him in 6 long months and changed her cell phone number when he continued blowing her phone up, demanding to know where she was.  Until he removed his head from his backside, she didn’t want anything to do with him.  Gina had been kind enough to offer to give daily reports on what Danny was doing and if he’d stopped the drugs or if he was cheating on Lennox since they were technically still engaged.

 

So far, the drugs hadn’t stopped and Danny had flirted, but hadn’t cheated yet.

 

“I wish we could stay here forever and never have to go back to Philly.” Lennox sighed out, staring up at the beautiful cloudless sky and turned her gaze onto Keyla, who nodded in agreement. “Don’t give me wrong, I love Philly, but this place is…”

 

“Paradise?”

 

“Wholeheartedly.”

 

They clinked their margarita glasses together, laughing softly and went back to enjoying the tranquility and serenity the Cayman Islands offered.  Just as Keyla felt her eyes droop, her cell phone went off and she sat upright, having a feeling she knew who it was.  Holding up her finger in a one second gesture, Keyla answered the call and walked away from Lennox, not wanting to disturb her peace of mind.

 

“Are you sitting down?”

 

“You got it, didn’t you?” Keyla beamed happily the moment Sami’s voice came over the line, jumping up and down squealing. “Fucking finally!”

 

“I hear ya.” Sami chuckled, feeling Gina’s arm around his shoulders and was on the verge of celebrating with his woman, but first he had to call Keyla to tell her the news.

 

Even though Jon leaving her to pursue his dream of wrestling, the fact Sami was doing the same thing made Keyla feel the opposite.  She was incredibly happy and excited for both him and Gina because now they could start the next chapter of their lives together.  Sami had talked about proposing to Gina prior to his tryout match with WWE, but he wanted to make sure they were settled and secured financially before making the step.  Now that he had a job with WWE, he could follow through with those plans and Keyla hoped she was invited to the wedding.

 

“Congratulations Sami, I really mean that.  You deserve this and I know you’re going to do great!”

 

‘Tell her.’ Gina mouthed, kissing the side of his neck and pushed him down on the bed to straddle his lap, getting their celebration underway. “Now.” She whispered in a command in his ear, nipping it with her teeth and tore the muscle shirt he had on right down the middle.

 

Christ, how was he supposed to focus on a conversation with his best friend while the love of his life was driving him crazy with her animalistic ways?  The way she took command in the bedroom sometimes was a complete turn-on because, mostly, it was Sami dominating her.  Apparently, the news had Gina in a sexual frenzy and Sami was more than ready to satisfy her every need as soon as the phone call ended.

 

“Congratulate yourself then too.” Sami croaked out, sliding his hand down Gina’s back to grip her backside and gave it a firm squeeze.

 

Keyla was immediately confused at Sami’s words, her eyebrow slowly rising almost to her hairline. “What do you mean?” Her stomach was suddenly in knots, twisting violently because the memory of her brief conversation with Triple H zipped through her mind. “Oh my god…”

 

“You are part of the NXT camera crew.  Gotta go, talk to you soon.”

 

Keyla stood on the beach of the Cayman Islands for an hour straight, staring at her phone and tried to learn how to breathe again.  She had no idea what to do, say or think about the news Sami just abruptly told her.  Lennox eventually made her way over to check on Keyla and all she could do was mutter the words ‘I’m hired’ over and over again.  Confused, Lennox sat Keyla down and asked for an explanation on what happened, listening to every word that came out of her best friend’s mouth.  For 6 months, Keyla had been there to listen to every sob and whim from Lennox and now it was her turn to return the favor.

 

“Go for it.  Take the job and see where it leads you.  Don’t worry about me.  You need to do what’s best for you, Key, and if you want to work for this company, do it.  I think it’s a fantastic opportunity for you.”

 

Having Lennox’s blessing was enough to make Keyla take her cell phone out and call WWE, accepting their job offer.

 

Chapter 6

 

Even though Keyla was behind a camera in NXT, she still had to be drug tested and required a full physical for WWE.  She called and made an appointment with one of WWE’s physicians in Tampa, Florida, where she would ultimately be living.  Just like Jon did.  However, she refused to give her grandfather’s house up in Philadelphia, offering it to Lennox as a safe haven since she didn’t want to go back to Danny’s.  Most of her belongings were there, thanks to Gina bringing little by little over whenever Danny wasn’t at home and busy with CZW.  The woman was truly a godsend and Sami was incredibly lucky to have her.  Keyla didn’t know if Sami was moving to Tampa permanently or only staying there for work and coming home to Philadelphia on his days off – Mondays and Tuesdays usually.  Figuring she’d get a hotel room for the days she worked at NXT, Keyla would be able to fly back and forth until she decided if she liked Tampa more.  Moving to a different state and out of her grandfather’s house wasn’t an option at the moment.

 

“Will you come to Tampa with me for the physical?” Keyla asked a week later, folding the remainder of her clothes and packing them away in her luggage bag, zipping it closed. “I mean; I understand if you have to get back to Philly.  I just hate doctors…”

 

Lennox could feel how nervous her best friend was and refused not to be there for her, not after everything Keyla had done over the past 6 months. “Of course I’ll go.  Just gotta square things away with Gina first.  I know she’ll probably end up leaving Philly to go wherever Sami is and that means I won’t be able to travel with you anymore.”

 

“Or you could, you know, give the tattoo parlor up and keep traveling with me.” Keyla offered, looking up at Lennox and watched her entire body freeze mid-fold, chewing her bottom lip. “That place still can’t mean that much to you, Len, and you can always start over in Tampa…”

 

As inviting as that sounded, Lennox knew she would be alone in Tampa the days Keyla went back to Philadelphia and would rather be somewhere familiar instead of a brand new town she knew zero about. “It does, but it doesn’t at the same time.  I don’t know.  I’ll move to Tampa permanently when you do, but until then, I’m staying in Philly and I’m taking you up on your offer to stay in your house while you’re gone.  If that’s still on the table…”

 

Keyla reached over, squeezing Lennox’s hand and nodded with a soft smile. “Of course it is.” Hopefully she would end things with Danny once and for all since they hadn’t spoken to each other in 6 months due to all the traveling the girls did together. “Remember, if he bothers you…”

 

“He won’t know I’m staying there.” Lennox cut her off, continuing to fold her clothes and finally sat on the bed, staring down at her tightly clasped hands. “I do miss him, Key.  I don’t know why since we haven’t talked to each other in 6 months, but…my feelings for him haven’t changed.  I must be a fucking mutant or something to love an abusive, self-righteous pompous dick like him.”

 

“No different than me loving a selfish asshole like Jon Moxley.” Keyla pointed out, leaning her head against Lennox’s shoulder and heaved a sigh. “And it’s been over 2 years since he left.  So 6 months is nothing.  Try going as long as I have and then start second guessing your sanity.”

 

That was a valid point Lennox could not rebuttal against. “I really hope I don’t end up pining for Danny that long or I might have to end my pathetic misery.”

 

“No you won’t.”

 

“How can you be so sure?”

 

Wrapping an arm around her best friend’s shoulders, Keyla gave the biggest smile she could muster up given their current life-changing situations. “Because I won’t let you.  We will both get through this and move on with our lives somehow, someway.  We can’t give up or there’s no point living at all.  And I’m not ready to throw in the towel yet.”

 

Tears poured freely down Lennox’s cheeks while staring down at her clasped hands, the small diamond on her left ring finger glistening mockingly at her.  For some reason, she couldn’t bring herself to remove it and wished she had the strength and heart Keyla did.  If Danny chose wrestling over their love, she would’ve fallen completely apart.  Then again, what the hell was the difference between choosing drugs over her instead of wrestling?  At least if he chose the wrestling path, he wouldn’t be messed up and slowly killing himself with the drugs.

 

“How do you do it, Key?”

 

“What?” Keyla raised a brow, standing from the bed to resume packing while Lennox did the same thing.

 

“Live your life the way you do.  Traveling all over the world with a broken heart from a man you’ll probably never see again, even if you work for the same company as him.  Where do you find your strength to keep waking up and living each day?” Lennox couldn’t help asking, wanting to know the secret on how to get over someone she thought was the love of her life.

 

Keyla lowered her eyes to the packed clothes and pressed her fingers against the material, doing her best to keep it together until Lennox went back to her own room. “I wish I could tell you.  I don’t know how I do it because I miss him every day and night.  Every minute, every second of every hour.  There’s not a moment that goes by I don’t think about him and I wonder if he’s happy.  Because that’s all I’ve truly wanted for Jon was for him to be happy.  Even if his happiness means my despair.”

 

The rest of the packing was silent, each woman deep in their own thoughts about the future to come.

 

~!~

 

The next day, Keyla and Lennox flew home to Philadelphia, holding hands the entire way.  They didn’t care what the other passengers thought because they were about to be apart for a while since Keyla had to learn the ropes of her new job.  Lennox would go back to working at the tattoo parlor and resume the owner position after 6 months of paradise.  It was time to face reality; Lennox couldn’t live in fantasy forever.  Stepping into the house after being away for 6 months, Keyla could smell the mustiness and saw everything was covered in a thick layer of dust.  Nothing was touched, even the clothes strewn over the couch remained in their spot.  Keyla would definitely be throwing them away, not trusting the stronger detergent in the world to clean the clothes.  Not like she couldn’t afford a new wardrobe and, truthfully, Keyla could use one with her new job.

 

“Don’t worry, I’ll clean the place up while you’re gone.” Lennox offered, coughing when a cloud of dust hit her in the face while pushing open the living room curtains.

 

Keyla waved her hand dismissively. “You don’t have to do that, Len.  Just relax and make sure to set the alarm system whenever you leave the house.  That’s all I ask.”

 

Cleaning was the least she could do since she would be living in the house while Keyla was gone. “Shut up, I’m cleaning it and there’s nothing you can do about it.” She stuck her tongue out and Keyla chuckled, shrugging before heading up the stairs to her bedroom.

 

“Knock yourself out.”

 

Once on the second floor, Keyla couldn’t help letting her citrine eyes look down the hallway at the door linked to the room Jon occupied.  It hadn’t been touched since he left.  Keyla had hope WWE wouldn’t work out for him at first and he would come back to her.  Even after 2 years, the hope still lingered, though it was slowly diminishing with each day that passed by since Sami’s audition – since she caught a glimpse of how happy Jon seemed to be in the WWE.  Setting her bags down on the wooden floor, Keyla slowly walked toward the room until she stood in front of it and her hand landed on the doorknob, turning and pushing it open.  Looking around, Keyla stepped inside and wrapped her arms around herself, remembering the walls covered in all the different schedules Jon had for the Independents.  She thought he was insane to take on as much as he did, but in the end it all paid off because now he worked for the WWE.

 

And now, so did Keyla.

 

Glancing in the far corner of the room, Keyla spotted something folded up and raised a brow, her curiosity peaked.  Crouching down, Keyla picked up the folded leather material and unraveled it, immediately covering her mouth with her hand.  Tears stung her eyes at what she held, the all-too familiar red letters staring back at her like a bright neon sign.  MOX.  Bright red bold print on the back of the leather vest he’d worn countless times in his Independent matches throughout the different wrestling organizations.  Why – How could he forget something this important?  A folded piece of paper fell from inside the vest to the floor and Keyla recognized the writing as Jon’s.  She hadn’t checked the room after he left because it held too many painful memories of their time spent together.  Wiping tears away, Keyla reached out shakily to pick up the piece of paper and unfolded it, clutching the vest tighter to her chest.

 

Keyla,

 

I’m a coward.  I wanted to give this to you in person before I left.  I couldn’t.  So here, it’s the least I can give you since you helped me throughout my career in the Indies.  Maybe one day I’ll come back for it.  Hold onto it and keep it safe for me in the meantime.

 

Thanks for everything, darlin’ and see you around.

 

Mox

 

“Jon…” Keyla whispered through heart wrenching sobs and hugged the vest against her, bringing it to her nose closing her eyes.  It still smelled like him, even after all this time. “What am I supposed to do now?” Rising to her feet with the note and vest, a gift from the man she still loved unconditionally, Keyla sank down on the bed they made love in so many times and cried her heart out to the silence. “Why did you have to leave me?”

 

Eventually, Keyla left the room and went to her own, folding the MOX vest neatly to set it on her dresser next to a picture of them.  It was the night he reached the top in CZW by capturing the World Heavyweight Championship after only one year in the company.  Keyla remembered that match vividly, especially when he asked to celebrate with her privately.  They spent the entire night making love and near the end of it, Jon took the CZW title, placed it on both of their laps with the sheets drawn up and Keyla snapped the shot with her camera.  There were a few other promiscuous shots taken and Keyla had them hidden to where nobody could find them.  They were for her and Jon’s eyes only.  Climbing in bed physically, mentally and emotionally drained, Keyla clutched a pillow against her chest and shut her eyes, hoping for once her subconscious took pity on her and gave her Jon-free dreams for once.

 

~!~

 

“What am I gonna do without you?”

 

Shutting her eyes, Keyla held Lennox tightly and tried not to cry, having done enough of that the previous night after her discovery in Jon’s old room. “Hell, I’m the one who is crazy and taking a job with the WWE!  I should be asking you that, not the other way around.  Maybe this isn’t a good idea…” Second thoughts and doubts had been on the forefront of Keyla’s mind from the moment she woke up at 6 AM that morning.

 

“Don’t second guess yourself now and stop worrying about Jon Moxley.” Pulling back, Lennox placed her hands on Keyla’s shoulders and could see pure apprehension in her friend’s citrine orbs. “You told me you took this job because it is a great opportunity.  Once in a lifetime.  This isn’t about him.  It’s about you making something of yourself and doing your best to move on with your life.  And every time you have doubts or second guesses, you need to remind yourself of that.  Your life and world can’t revolve around a man or else you’ll never know who you truly are.” That was a tough lesson Lennox had learned over the past 6 months being away from Danny. “You can do this, Key.  I know you can.”

 

“Right…” Keyla knew if there was anyone on the planet who could talk sense into her and break through the insecurity, it was Lennox. “It’s not like I’ll be alone since Sami and Drake have also been hired to perform in NXT.  Drake doesn’t know if he’ll be a wrestler though since his back is heavily scarred and WWE looks down on that.  Sami told me he’s thinking of refereeing and I hope it’s true since he’s put his body through enough turmoil over the years.”

 

Lennox smiled at that, recalling the conversation she had with Sami and Keyla via cell phone while they were on vacation. “I think he will.  Physically, his body can’t handle wrestling anymore, but refereeing would be perfect for him and he would still be able to perform in the ring.  Just not as one of the wrestlers.  Sami, on the other hand…”

 

“Oh don’t worry, he’s wrestling.  That man will be in a wheelchair, 80 years old and still rolling his ass down to the ring to perform.” Just like Jon, Keyla added in thought, not wanting to bring him up and upset Lennox.

 

“Now boarding Flight 393 to Tampa, Florida!” The intercom announced throughout the airport, both women frowning because they weren’t ready to say goodbye yet.

 

“Just remember, if things get too hairy in Philly, you’re more than welcome to stay with me in Tampa on the days I work.  And promise me you’ll stay away from Danny until YOU’RE ready to talk to him.  Don’t push yourself to do something you don’t wanna do.” Keyla ordered, picking her bag up and slung it over her shoulder, not needing anymore luggage than this since she would be back once her training in NXT was completed. “Promise me.”

 

Huffing, Lennox rolled her eyes and planted her hands on her hips, the fiery life slowly returning to her violet eyes. “Fine – fine I promise.  And I know not to let him in your house if I do decide to talk to him and try to work things out…” She didn’t know what to do about Danny Havoc, not wanting to think about him at the moment. “You better get going before you miss your flight.  Call me as soon as you land.”

 

Embracing one final time, Keyla reluctantly pulled away from Lennox and walked through the airport terminal to board her flight, hoping she wasn’t making the biggest mistake of her life by working for the WWE.

 

Chapter 7

 

Tampa, Florida was beautiful, sunny and incredibly muggy since summer was on the horizon.  It was now the beginning of June in 2013, which would skyrocket the humidity in Florida.  Granted, it was always muggy, but in the summer months the humidity increased tenfold and sometimes it was hard to breathe.  Keyla checked into the hotel she had called a few days after receiving her physical clearance from WWE to set up a plan to stay with them during her working days at NXT.  The hotel manager was incredibly understanding, a huge WWE fan and welcomed her with open arms, making sure to give her the best room they had available.  Keyla thought it was a little over the top and couldn’t believe just mentioning working for WWE acquired a lavish hotel suite instead of a simple room.  Nevertheless, she wasn’t complaining and not about to look a gift in the horse’s mouth.

 

Pulling on a pair of white shorts, a white tank top and slipping into white tennis shoes, Keyla flipped her dark blue hair forward to put it in a messy bun piled on the top of her head.  She wasn’t taking any chances with the intense heat Florida had.  Philadelphia was just not starting to gain temperatures in the 80’s with summer approaching and it was nearing 90 in Tampa at the moment.  She would definitely need to get used to this type of weather if she planned moving to Tampa anytime soon.  Pushing black shades over her eyes, Keyla grabbed her purse, key card to her room, notebook to take notes with during training and her NXT pass before heading out the door.  It was an hour and a half drive to Full Sail University and she had a little over 2 hours to get there.  Because she had zero transportation around Tampa, Keyla had no choice except to call a cab service that was willing to drive her to the vicinity.  Purchasing a vehicle was definitely on Keyla’s to-do list once she had a free minute to explore Tampa a bit more.

 

2 hours later because of horrendous mid-afternoon traffic, the cab pulled up to Full Sail University and Keyla felt her heart leap in her throat, her pulse quickening.  The place was huge; how was she supposed to find her way around?  WWE didn’t own Full Sail University and only used part of the school for NXT.  Tossing the cab driver a few $100 bills, Keyla thanked him and stepped out reluctantly, holding all of her belongings.  The cab pulled away, leaving her standing there in front of the university and Keyla felt out of sorts, looking around trying to find out where she was supposed to go.  After walking for a few minutes, Keyla turned the corner and noticed a sign in the far distance with the black and yellow letters NXT in bold print with an arrow pointing straight ahead.  Smiling with relief, Keyla jogged in that direction and soon entered the NXT part of the university, immediately feeling at place at all of the wrestlers – men and women – walking back and forth down the hallway she stood in.

 

“Keyla.”

 

Turning at the call of her name, citrine eyes widened behind the black shades she wore and Keyla immediately stuck her hand out, pushing them on top of her head. “Hello again, sir.” She greeted softly, trying not to be intimidated in front of Triple H, but it was impossible not to be.

 

Hunter smiled down at her, glad Keyla took him up on his job offer to join the NXT camera crew. “Welcome Miss Jensen.  And call me Hunter, please.  Not a fan of formalities.”

 

“None of us are around here.” A booming voice sounded from behind Hunter, both turning to see it belonged to and Keyla nearly fell over at the sight of Vince McMahon – the owner of the WWE and CEO. “So, this is the newest addition to the camera crew, eh?” The older man extended his hand with a huge smile. “Pleasure to meet you, Keyla.  I’ve heard a great deal about you.”

 

Vince McMahon knew her name.  Vince McMahon was standing in front of her.  Vince McMahon extended his hand to her.  Keyla was shell-shocked and somehow managed to pull her train of thought together long enough to shake the owner’s hand.  She certainly didn’t expect to meet Vince McMahon her first day on the job, but then again the man probably wanted to see his newest acquisition.  Maybe wearing shorts and a tank top was a little TOO casual, but WWE hadn’t given her a dress code of any kind.  She hadn’t asked either.

 

“Very nice to meet you too, Mr. McMahon sir.” Keyla managed to reply in a calm voice, already seeing the predatory smile crossing the owner’s face as he released her hand.

 

“And just why didn’t you hire her on as an NXT Diva, Hunter?  She certainly has the body for it…”

 

“I’m not a wrestler.” Keyla answered before Triple H could, unable to refer to him as Hunter yet and placed her hands behind her back. “Believe me, he already talked to me about being a Diva and I respectfully declined.”

 

Vince was impressed the woman actually spoke up to him and nodded in understanding. “Pity.  You’re a knockout and would make a great addition to the NXT Divas…”

 

“She’ll do great behind the camera and capture all the moments of the gorgeous NXT Divas and powerful wrestlers.” Hunter assured his father-in-law, who could be overbearing at times and wrapped a secure arm around Keyla’s shoulders.  NXT was his baby, his vision and Vince had zero say in what he did with it. “Athena!”

 

A dark auburn haired woman came jogging toward them in a black NXT t-shirt and black pants, her hair currently pulled back in a ponytail.  It was full of corkscrew curls. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you, Hunter.” She breathed heavily, holding her sides and eyeballed the dark blue haired woman in between the bosses. “You must be Keyla.”

 

“The one and only.” Keyla smiled warmly, trying to swallow down her nerves and fear being sandwiched between two very powerful entities in the WWE.

 

Athena returned the smile, chuckling. “I like her already.  She’s got fire and spunk.” Taking Keyla’s hand, she pulled the woman over to her side and draped an arm over her shoulders. “I’m your trainer, by the way.”

 

“Oh.”

 

Hunter chuckled at the easygoing attitude of Athena and knew he picked the perfect person to show Keyla the ropes. “Athena is the best on the camera crew and will teach you everything you need to know.  She already knows you’re not experienced with larger equipment, but was impressed with the promos she watched on YouTube.  She helped me make the decision in hiring you since I trust her and she’s the lead of the camera crew.  You’re in the best hands.”

 

“No kissing my ass either.” Athena warned, winking down at Keyla and shook hands with Vince, dragging Keyla with her. “Nice seeing you again, Vince.”

 

Vince was very fond of Athena and had respect for her since almost all the camera crew was made up of men. “Give her hell.”

 

“Within reason.” Hunter quickly added, knowing Athena could be a hard ass to the new people, but he had a feeling he wouldn’t have any complaints about Keyla’s work ethic. “You two go on and start.  Any questions, you know where to find me.”

 

Keyla watched Vince McMahon and Triple H walk away from them down the hallway and slowly looked up at Athena, hoping the woman took it easy on her.  They headed down the opposite direction of the hallway and soon, Keyla stood in front of a huge camera she would have to hold on her shoulder.  Athena explained some camera people were sat in booths on top of the arena in order to maneuver the cameras around while others stuck to ringside, following the wrestlers and Divas while staying out of harm’s way.  Accidents happened and she had to be prepared for absolutely anything.  Keyla let as much information as she could sink into her brain, not bothering taking notes because it was all hands-on training she would be doing.  Of course, her first day would be all talking and observing, which Keyla was perfectly fine with.  Before lunch, –it was actually dinnertime- Athena tossed an NXT t-shirt and black slacks at Keyla and ordered her to change since she stuck out like a sore thumb wearing all white.

 

The cafeteria provided for the NXT wrestlers and Divas was surprisingly empty.  Keyla walked inside slowly, taking in her surroundings and grabbed a few things to nibble on from the table.  She wasn’t hungry, too eager to finish up her first night on the job.  Athena let her handle the camera a few times and showed her what each button did, always asking Keyla if she understood before moving onto the next subject of the training.  Cracking open her bottled water, Keyla started taking a bite of her cold carrot dipped in ranch when her eyesight went dark.  Two hands stopped her from looking around the cafeteria and Keyla’s first instinct was to elbow whoever it was in the nose.  However, she was too tense to move, the carrot falling from her fingertips and her breathing turned slightly ragged.

 

“Guess who?”

 

Keyla smirked, knowing that voice anywhere and immediately relaxed, tapping her fingers against the table. “Oh I don’t know…maybe a Neanderthal wanting me to go blind?” She wisecracked, hearing a derisive snort and the hands left her eyes, letting her turn around to look up at none other than Drake Younger.

 

“Hey shorty.” Drake grinned, embracing Keyla tightly as soon as she stood from the table and cupped the back of her head in a purely platonic way.

 

Thank the stars she finally recognized someone and wasn’t a complete stranger to every single person on the NXT roster. “It’s so great to see you, Drake.” Keyla meant that more than words could say, both of them sitting down after a minute. “How are you?”

 

“Feeling good – great actually.  I don’t know if you’ve heard, but…I’m not here as a wrestler.” Drake figured it was better to let the cat out of the bag in the beginning since rumors had been circulating over the past few months what he would be doing in the WWE.

 

“So it’s true then.  You’re going to put on the stripes and officiate?”

 

Drake nodded in confirmation, snatching a carrot off of Keyla’s plate and popped it in his mouth with a grin. “Yeah and I’m looking forward to it.  Need a break after all the hell I put my body through in the Indies, ya know?”

 

She’d said the same thing to Lennox the last time they discussed Drake’s status with WWE and the rumor he would be hanging up his wrestling boots. “Whatever makes you happy, that’s all that matters.”

 

“So I have to ask,” Drake paused briefly, leaning back in his chair and folded his arms in front of his chest. “Why are YOU here?  How did you manage to join the camera crew?”

 

That was a whirlwind story and Keyla spent much of her lunch explaining how she met Triple H during Sami’s WWE audition.  They talked and she mentioned her work with Jon Moxley, Drake instantly noticing a flash of pain cross Keyla’s face.  She merely looked away from him for a minute to compose herself and finished the story, trying to keep the name Jon Moxley out of her mouth as much as possible.

 

“I see…” Drake stroked his chin thoughtfully, already knowing Jon was a sore subject, but also knew he too worked for the WWE. “So what made you decide to take this job?” He was curious, hoping she didn’t do it to get closer to Jon Moxley.  They spoke on occasion and the man was happy with his life for the first time ever. “Trying to get your foot in the door and more experience with the camera work?”

 

Keyla could read between the lines and snorted, shaking her head. “I’m not here for him, Drake.  This has nothing to do with him, as a matter of fact.  I need to get my life back in order and stop pining over a man who doesn’t want me.  So what if we work for the same company?  Doesn’t mean we have to see each other since he’s on the main roster and I’m here in NXT.  I accepted this job to better myself and that’s it.”

 

“Glad to hear it.” Drake reached over to squeeze her hand, smiling softly. “I’m glad you’re here, Key.  It’s always been great having you backstage at the Indy events and now you’re gonna be here filming matches and shit.  It’s awesome.  So, when is Sami boy joining us?”

 

“I’m guessing August or possibly September.  He already had his physical with WWE, so he’s just waiting to hear back with the results.  Plus, he has to finish up some unfinished lines and whatnot in the Indies.  Then he’ll be joining us and we’ll all be together again.” Keyla explained, crunching on an apple slice while looking around the cafeteria again.

 

“Well, I know you already know this, but I’m saying it anyway.  If you have any problems, any trouble at all with anyone on the roster, you know where to find me or Sami or both of us.  We’ll watch out for you since there are assholes in this company.” Drake had already met a few of the NXT wrestlers who thought the sun shined out of their backsides and he’d be damned if they used Keyla as a venting post.

 

Keyla chuckled, saluting Drake and laughed softly as he ruffled the top of her hair playfully before kissing the top of her head.  She watched him walk out and looked at the clock, knowing she had a few minutes left before heading back to Athena.  Standing, Keyla walked over to the trashcan to toss her plate away and whipped around, only to slam into a thick brick wall.  Or so she thought.  Luckily, the trashcan stopped her from landing on her backside and the collision only jostled her a bit.  Looking up at the monstrous man before her, Keyla swallowed hard and took a step back instinctively, citrine locked on dark, near blackened, eyes.  They were piercing and turned her insides to mush, a feeling Keyla hadn’t experienced since the first day she met Jon Moxley.

 

“My apologies, I didn’t see ya there.” His slight southern accent flowed out of his mouth while he extended his hand to the citrine eyed beauty. “What’s your name?  I’m Baron.”

 

Taken aback by the moment and what she currently felt, Keyla could only mumble a ‘sorry’ before hightailing it out of the cafeteria as fast as she could.  Baron watched her run away from him, a smirk widening on his face and dropped a few things to eat on his plate.  He had a feeling he would run into the dark blue haired beauty again and looked forward to it, heading out with a protein shake in hand to chug down.

 

Chapter 8

 

“So in a nutshell, you’re taking the reins tonight.”

 

Keyla snapped out of her deep thoughts about the past few days and blinked at Athena’s words. “I’m so sorry, what did you say?”

 

“You’re operating the camera tonight during the taping.  Or I was going to let you, but you seem to be in another dimension.  What’s going on?” Athena demanded, not wanting the camera broken because Keyla was in a daze.

 

“Oh.” Keyla mentally cursed herself out for being ridiculous and not paying attention to her trainer. “It’s nothing…I’m sorry, I’m here I promise.  I really want this opportunity.”

 

Athena eyeballed her, not believing it was nothing with Keyla, but she decided to give the woman the benefit of the doubt.  It was a lot to take in working for the WWE, especially on the camera crew.  She remembered her first day on the job; spilling hot coffee on Hunter had been her first impression and Athena was sure she would be fired.  That was until he laughed it off, hugged her and welcomed her to the world of chaos WWE revolved around.

 

“If you’re sure, then let’s go over a few things.  Get all the answers right and the camera is all yours.  I’ll be lenient on you and let you miss 2.” Athena informed Keyla, keeping their relationship strictly professional and pointed at buttons, asking what they stood for and how they were used.

 

Because she had so much experience behind a camera, the easy questions were a breeze, but once Athena started asking about the HD part of it, Keyla was hesitant.  Somehow, she pulled the answers out of her backside and impressed Athena enough to take control of the camera.  Her limit was missing 2 questions and she only missed 1, much to Athena’s relief.  Being as this was just a taping, if something went awry and had to be redone, it wasn’t a big deal.  However, she would be skipping around the ring filming matches with the camera on her shoulder and had to make sure she didn’t trip on cords or else Keyla would fall flat on her face.  Or on her backside.  Neither was an experience she ever wanted to have, so Keyla had to be on her game tonight and show she could do this job flawlessly.

 

Once the pyros went off and the show was underway, Keyla immediately became in sync with the camera and moving around.  She had to do this a few times for Dragon Gate and CZW when the owners needed extra camera people for their crew on certain nights.  This wasn’t any different besides it was much cleaner, safer and the bright lights beating down on her made Keyla perspiration.  The second match of the night featured Scott Dawson & Garrett Dylan with Sylvester LeFort against Travis Tyler and…Baron Corbin.  The same wrestler she ran into in the cafeteria a few days ago her first day of training!  Keyla hadn’t seen him around until now and felt her breathing quicken.  She honestly thought she imagined the whole encounter up until now.  For some reason, her heart rate sped up along with her pulse and Keyla had a hard time breathing while filming the match. 

 

Stay focused, Keyla mentally coached, glancing down to make sure she knew where the cord to the camera lay and immediately turned her attention back on the match.  It was over in a little less than 5 minutes with Baron losing unfortunately.  Good thing she could hide behind the camera or else he would spot her and then Keyla would definitely fall flat on her face.  The look on his face was one of disappointment and frustration, two emotions she was used to seeing on the majority of the wrestlers’ faces in the Independents.  He needed a new look, gimmick and the nearly bald look had to GO for sure.  The pants he wore were black spandex and hugged his powerful legs beautifully, so there were no complaints as far as that went.  Not to mention his chest tattoo that expanded from one side to the other was mouthwatering.  Keyla found herself wanting to trace every intricate pattern on his skin and immediately stopped that train of thought, chewing her bottom lip as he walked past her up the ramp to the backstage area.

 

There was a lot of potential with him and, with a few minor changes to his look and character, Baron Corbin could be a huge force to be reckoned with in NXT and eventually the WWE main roster.  Pushing thoughts of Baron out of her mind, Keyla focused on the next match and admitted, only to herself, the NXT Divas could possibly take out the wrestlers on the roster.  Alicia Fox only had a couple moves and had legs for days, but there was something about Bayley, a spark that made Keyla fully believe she would make it big one day.  The Fox lady wasn’t impressive and could barely move around the ring unlike Bayley, who carried most of the match.  Finally, the main event consisted of a wrestler named Bo Dallas facing off against a monstrous muscled up guy by the name of Big E Langston.  Rumors were floating around he was headed to the main roster, so it was no surprise when Bo Dallas captured the NXT championship to close out the taping.  The crowd seemed to be happy with the results and Keyla was sore to say the least, her shoulder throbbing from holding the camera for over an hour of action.  This new schedule would definitely take some getting used to, but she was determined to make it work and succeed in the WWE.

 

“Well done out there.” Athena complimented, nodding and clapped Keyla on the shoulder, making sure not to touch the one the camera had been propped.  She knew all too well what that pain was like. “Sore?”

 

Keyla knew better than to lie to her trainer and nodded, lowering her eyes to the floor while Athena took the camera from her. “I’ll get used to it.  Just gotta acclimate my body to the way things work around here.”

 

“It’ll take a good 3 months before you’re fully used to what we do around here and you no longer feel that soreness in your shoulder and arm.” Athena informed her, signing off on the camera equipment paper before turning it in to be locked up safely. “You did really well out there though for your first night.  Any questions?”

 

“Yeah, where is the trainer’s office to get an ice pack?”

 

Athena chuckled, guiding the trainee down the hallway toward the medical room and grabbed an ice pack while Bo Dallas was busy being tended to.  She snuck in, waved at the trainer and tossed the ice pack at Keyla, who immediately placed it on her shoulder.  Instant relief, Keyla shut her eyes and leaned against the wall, feeling her cell phone buzz against her side.  Whoever it was could call back, this felt too good to move or answer her cell phone right now.  The only thing to make this moment more perfect was a much needed nicotine fix.  She really had to quit the cancer sticks and would eventually, but right now her body craved one.  Keyla bid Athena good night, thanked her once again for the opportunity and headed out of the university, lighting up the tip of her cigarette as soon as she was far enough away from the exit.

 

10 minutes later, Keyla was starting on her second cigarette and enjoying the peaceful night when the exit door opened.  She had her back to it, leaning over the steel ledge and looking up at the night sky while flicking ash off the tip of her smoke.  Her dark blue tresses were currently braided in a crown on top of her head, allowing one of the hair stylists of NXT to do it for her before the taping earlier that night.  It was different for sure.  Keyla took a long drag and felt a presence stop beside her, the smell of cologne permeating the air around her.  Very familiar, she knew who it was standing beside her and did what she could to ignore the presence, but the man had other plans in mind.

 

“Rough night?”

 

Keyla didn’t look at him and didn’t understand why her body was reacting to his deep southern accented voice. “Somewhat.  You?”

 

“You should know since you filmed it.” Baron retorted with amusement laced in his tone, eyeballing the dark blue haired woman beside him and watched her head snap to the side to stare at him wide-eyed. “Didn’t think I noticed you out there, eh?  You’re hard to miss.”

 

Not knowing whether to take that as a compliment or not, Keyla shrugged it off and looked away from him, remembering Drake’s warning about dickheads being on the roster.  Baron didn’t seem to be one, but looks could be very deceiving.  She always followed her gut instinct and, at the moment, half of her wanted to talk to him and the other half wanted her to run away.  It’d been so long since a man paid any amount of attention to her and Keyla was sure her vibrator would give out on her any day.  Masturbating wasn’t cutting it anymore either.  Wait, why was she thinking about masturbating in front of this man?!  Keyla had to get her head out of the gutter and fast, taking another long drag from her cigarette and blew the smoke out away from Baron.

 

“Nice match tonight.” That was a lie, but Keyla felt like complimenting him about something.

 

Baron snorted, rolling his eyes. “Yeah.  Right.” He didn’t believe that for a second. “It sucked, you can say it.”

 

“You want me to be honest and blunt?”

 

Baron smirked, more intrigued than before with this woman and nodded. “Please.  It would be a nice change.”

 

“Alright,” Keyla paused, trying to think of the right words to say and glanced back at him, the near bald look once again bothering her.  For what reason, she had no idea. “Whose idea was it for you to shave your head almost bald?” There, hopefully that was blunt and truthful enough for him.

 

Rubbing a hand over his head, Baron frowned thoughtfully and never thought about his hair until now. “Uh well, I was in the NFL before I became a wrestler.  Kind of required, in a way.  Never really thought about it.  Why?  Is it that bad?”

 

“Honey, you’ve got the body and your attire is smoking hot, but the bald look does not go with the rest of your ensemble.”

 

What the hell happened to the shy woman who bumped into him in the cafeteria a few days ago?  Maybe having her be blunt and completely truthful with him wasn’t such a good idea after all.  Then again, Baron had never been more turned on in his life hearing a woman put down his hair style.  Nobody said anything, not even the trainers in WWE, so Baron stuck with the bald look.  Maybe it was time for a change.

 

“So what do you suggest I do then, sweetheart?” If they were using terms of endearment with each other, Baron decided that was the best one since it sounded a little condescending like ‘honey’.

 

“You really want my advice?” Keyla sounded both surprised and amused, taking the last drag of her cigarette before flicking it over the railing.

 

“Wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t.”

 

Keyla turned to face him fully, leaning against the steel ledge and narrowed her citrine eyes at him for a minute, pursing her lips in thought. “Grow it out shoulder length, or maybe a little above.  And you need to spice up your character a little bit.  You can’t just come out decked out in tattoos and smoking attire like that without having some kind of attitude behind it.  I would also grow out either a goatee or maybe a beard, but not a long one.  Don’t wanna be one of the Wyatt’s after all.”

 

He barely knew this woman and Baron was already making all the mental notes possible, agreeing he needed a change in character.  It’d been brewing in his head for several months ever since being put on NXT programming, but all the trainers and officials assured he was fine the way he was.  Finally, he found someone on the roster, even though she was part of the camera crew, who told him the truth and wasn’t afraid to be honest with him.  It was refreshing to say the least and Baron wanted to know her more, starting with her name since he didn’t know it yet.

 

“Any colors or a particular image in mind?” He pried gently, stepping closer to her and could see the hesitance in her eyes. “Tell me.” It came out a husky order and Baron had to fight the urge to wrap his arm around her waist to pull her closer.  She was already intoxicating him.

 

“I – um – I…” Keyla stammered, not able to come up with a single coherent thought and swallowed hard, tentatively stepping back to put some kind of distance between them. “No.  Can’t think of anything right now.  But just think of something you love and flow with it.  From what I’ve learned working in this business is the best characters are people who themselves with the volume cranked high.  Try that and see how it works for you.” It was time to leave and head back to the hotel since Keyla had a flight to catch in the morning back to Philadelphia.

 

“Hey, where are you goin’?” Baron demanded, stepping in her path when the woman tried walking away from him and his dark eyes locked on citrine.  So beautiful, he thought, reaching out to swipe a thin strand of dark blue away from her forehead. “Stay and talk to me some more.”

 

“I can’t.  I have to go.” Keyla walked past him and froze when Baron’s hand wrapped around her upper arm, not hard just enough to stop her from moving. “Baron…”

 

“You know my name and I don’t know yours.  That’s not fair.” Baron smiled warmly, tilting his head slightly and released her upper arm to grab her hand, pulling her closer to him once more. “Tell me your name and you can leave.”

 

Why did he want to know her name so badly?  Keyla felt her knees go weak at his smile and the hope in his dark eyes.  Would it be so bad to make a new friend on the roster she worked for?  There wasn’t anything vicious or creepy about Baron, so Keyla didn’t see the harm in telling him what he wanted to know.

 

“Keyla.” She murmured quietly, looking down at their connected hands and once again felt her body temperature rise off the charts, immediately yanking it away. “Good night, Baron.”

 

“Good night, Keyla.”

 

Her name rolled off his tongue in a smooth caress, sending shivers throughout her body and Keyla could already tell she was in big trouble with Baron Corbin.

 

Chapter 9

 

Before Keyla knew it, August had rolled around and she’d been with the company a little over 2 months.  Throughout June and July, Baron had asked her out for coffee at least twice a week and Keyla discovered she enjoyed his company.  He was a laid back country boy, born and raised in Lenexa, Kansas on a farm.  Explained his incredible muscle tone, Keyla observed secretly, sitting in the hotel lobby waiting for Baron to join her so they could head to Full Sail University together.  The man stood at 6’8, weighed 275 pounds and most of it was muscle.  There wasn’t much fat on the man, though he did enjoy the occasional cheat pizza and dessert.  Baron had asked about Keyla’s past and life, all of her answers short because she didn’t want to divulge her past to him.  Keyla did her best to keep Baron at arm’s length, thinking her past was not worth discussing and he respected her wishes.  She didn’t want to get too close to him for fear of losing him the same way she did Jon Moxley. 

 

However, that didn’t stop Keyla from finding him incredibly desirable and could feel her body reacting to him and ached to have those strong hands of his touch her.  The last time she got close to a man, he broke her heart and she still pined for him after over 2 years being apart with no contact.  Baron was a great man and deserved a woman who could give him her all and whole heart.  Keyla wasn’t capable of doing that because, unfortunately, Jon Moxley had stolen it long ago and she still hadn’t gotten it back.  She couldn’t help wondering if having a fling with Baron would be such a bad thing though since they were both single, enjoyed each other’s company and there had been a few times where they’d been close to kissing.  Keyla was always the one to pull away first or turned her head just before his lips could connect to hers, her cheek getting the honors. 

 

Jolting out of her deep thoughts about Baron, Keyla looked down at her ringing cell phone and read the name on the caller ID, smiling. “How did you know I needed to talk to you?”

 

“I’m psychic, remember?” Lennox retorted with a grin of her own, standing outside of her tattoo parlor enjoying a cigarette. “Been a couple days since we last talked and I wanted to make sure you were still alive.  How are things?”

 

That was a loaded question since Lennox knew about Keyla’s reservations regarding Baron. “What do you think?” She mumbled, sipping an iced coffee and leaned back against the wall.

 

“Woman…” Lennox shook her head, blowing smoke out of her mouth and nostrils before taking another drag. “Okay, I’m gonna ask you something and I don’t want you getting pissed at me for it.”

 

“I won’t, go ahead.”

 

“Do you plan on being celibate for the rest of your life?” It was a blunt legitimate question and one Lennox had wanted to ask Keyla for a while.

 

That was definitely not a question Keyla expected to come out of her best friend’s mouth.  It was also one she had asked herself on more than one occasion ever since meeting Baron.  She still had no idea what the answer was because Jon had such a deep strong hold on her heart.  Keyla didn’t have sex just to release tension and stress unlike some of the other people on the NXT roster.  Maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea to go that route and she already knew sex with Baron would be mind-blowing.

 

“So I should…”

 

“Get your fuck on already, Key!  Christ, you’ve waited long enough and that man wants you.  He’s hanging out with you every chance he gets, he’s tried kissing you several times and still hasn’t given up.  What more do you want?  What other signs do you need?  You need to just let your hair down and have fun for a change.  Jon Moxley isn’t the center of your universe anymore.” Lennox dictated, flicking ash from her cigarette and held her hand up when Gina came out to ask her a question about a client.

 

What it boiled down to was Keyla had needs like every woman on the planet and it was time to clean the cobwebs out.  It’d been over 2 years since she last had sex and, if Baron wanted to be the one to make her feel like a woman again, there was nothing wrong with that.  She wasn’t using him to get over Jon Moxley either.  If they did this, Keyla had to make sure he understood it was strictly sex between them and nothing more.  The last thing she wanted to do was give Baron false hope to have a relationship, only to pull the rug from underneath him once they were finished with each other.  Or rather Keyla was finished with Baron.

 

“Okay.” Keyla broke the silence with Lennox after a few minutes while she discussed something with Gina.

 

“Okay what?  Okay I’m full of shit and you’re going to go the rest of your life without sex or okay you’re going to fuck him?” Lennox demanded, flicking her cigarette across the street after a car passed by and headed back into the tattoo parlor to start on her new client.

 

Shutting her eyes, Keyla sucked in a huge breath and slowly let it out, not believing what she was about to say. “I’ll do it.” It was a rush of words, but Lennox’s squealing told Keyla she’d heard them clear as a bell.

 

“You’ll do what?”

 

Keyla nearly dropped the phone at the sound of Baron’s voice in her ear and hadn’t realized he sat down beside her, catching the contraption before it hit the hard floor. “N-Nothing…” She was caught red-handed and felt her cheeks flame up, putting the phone back to her ear. “I’ll call you later, Len.”

 

All Lennox could respond with was laughter.

 

Baron raised a brow at Keyla’s reaction to seeing him and folded his arms in front of his chest, curious about the phone call she just had. “Lennox, I’m assuming?”

 

“Yeah…” Keyla smiled sheepishly and tucked her phone in her purse before standing up, lightly smacking him on the arm. “Took you long enough to get your big ass down here.”

 

“Hey!  Not my fault I take a little longer to get ready than you do.” Baron shot back playfully, standing to his full 6’8 height and stretched his arms in the air, the black t-shirt he wore riding up his toned stomach before dropping back down again. “Ready to head to the university?”

Keyla had to learn how to breathe again when he did that and nodded, averting her gaze from his as they headed out the front doors of the hotel both stayed in. “So, are you gonna be on the taping tonight?” She asked once they were on the road with Baron driving.

 

“No.  I talked to Triple H about my character change and he agrees it needs to happen.  So I’m off TV until I come up with something and they’re giving me until the beginning of the year to figure it out.” Baron heaved a sigh, leaning his head back against the seat and stopped at a red light. “He finally told me that’s why they’ve been keeping me off the tapings lately.”

 

“Wow…” Keyla had no idea because Baron didn’t talk about his career or what was going on with his character often.  Not unless she asked. “I’m not an expert or anything, but…if you need help figuring out a character, I’ll help you anyway I can.” The last thing she wanted to do was lose Baron, one of the only friends on the NXT roster she had.

 

Baron smiled at her offer and took her hand, brushing his lips across the back of it, lacing their fingers together. “I’ll keep that in mind, sweetheart.  Thanks.”

 

For once, Keyla didn’t pull away when he did that and tightened her fingers slightly around his, moving her gaze to stare out the window.

 

~!~

 

“Big segment to kick off the show tonight.” Athena informed her trainee, feeling somewhat nervous since it wasn’t often WWE Superstars from the main roster came down to wrestle against the NXT clan. “You really need to be on your game tonight, Key.  No fuck ups.” Not that she had any since starting back in June, but Athena’s backside was on the line as well as Keyla’s. “Can you handle it tonight or not?”

 

“O-Of course.  Yes – YES.” Keyla affirmed, not able to pass up this opportunity to prove she could handle the camera work and could only imagine what the big segment consisted of.  It was top secret; nobody knew what was going down and everyone was told to be on their top game tonight. “I won’t let you or the company down tonight, Athena.  I got this.”

 

“Good, get your ass out there then.”

 

Dressed in the NXT black polo top with black pants and shoes, Keyla quickly went to the hair stylist to do something with her dark blue tresses.  She didn’t want them in the way during the huge segment she would be filming.  After a little contemplating, Keyla stepped away 20 minutes later with her hair pulled back in a tight bun, not a fragment out of place.  Gel and hairspray did wonders sometimes.  Keyla thanked the lady and jogged off to grab her camera, trying to watch where she was going so she didn’t bump into any of the NXT talent.

 

“Whoa!  Where’s the fire?” A somewhat high-pitched male voice demanded, stopping the woman in her tracks as she slowly turned around.  He smiled, stepping toward her and extended his black gloved hand, chocolate eyes alight. “I’m Seth.  Though you probably already know that.”

 

Seth…Seth…Keyla couldn’t place the name anywhere in her frazzled mind and shook his hand, cracking a small smile. “Nice to meet you, Seth.  Are you new to the roster?” She blinked when he started laughing boisterously and released his hand, wondering why his voice sounded so familiar to her.

 

“Doll no, I used to be part of the roster.” Then Seth’s eyes narrowed, seeing absolutely zero familiarity in her citrine eyes. “Wow, you must be new around here if you don’t know who I am.  I was only the first ever NXT World Heavyweight Champion and revolutionized the business.  And now I’m carrying one half of the WWE Tag Team titles.” Though he didn’t have the gold with him at the moment. “You really don’t recognize me?”

 

“No, sorry…” Keyla didn’t appreciate his arrogance and kept the smile on her face that did not reach her eyes. “Mind filling me in?”

 

“Seth Rollins, doll.  Memorize it because you’ll be seeing a lot more of me around here over the course of this month.” He informed her, watching all the color drain from her face and frowned, stepping toward her. “Hey, you alright?”

 

Seth Rollins…Roman Reigns…Dean Ambrose…They were collectively known as the Shield and the most dominant force WWE had ever seen.  Keyla was in the same building as… “I have to go.  Nice meeting you.” She didn’t give the man a chance to respond and hightailed it as fast as she could down the hallway, finding the nearest empty dressing room to hide in. “Oh fuck.  Oh god.  Oh fuck.” Keyla muttered, her stomach tightening and felt tears burn her eyes, wrapping her arms around herself.

 

What the HELL was Jon doing on the NXT roster?!

 

Keyla was on the verge of having a panic attack and checked the clock, knowing she had to be down at ringside in a couple minutes.  How was she supposed to hide from Jon if he was going to be out there near her?  Taking several deep breaths, Keyla knew she couldn’t let Athena and the company down just because she had history with one of the WWE’s biggest stars at the moment.  She had a job to do and if they ran into each other, maybe it was meant to happen.  Or maybe she was completely screwed and should run as fast as she could away from Full Sail University!  Pacing, Keyla spotted an NXT hat in the far corner and snatched it, placing it on her head making sure to hide as much of her dark blue hair as possible.  A lot of the camera crew wore hats to promote the merchandise NXT sold at the souvenir stands.  Glancing in a mirror, she double-checked to make sure nothing was out of place before exhaling shakily and stepped out of the room to head down to ringside.

 

~!~

 

“Hey Seth, you alright man?”

 

Seth looked over at Roman, who was the other half of the WWE Tag Team champions and nodded, still baffled over his run-in with the blue haired woman that apparently worked for NXT. “Yeah.  Just had an interesting talk with someone who works here.  She didn’t even know who I was.”

 

“What?” Jon’s ears perked up while doing push-ups in the middle of the room, a routine he did before every match he had. “How the fuck is that possible?”

 

Seth snorted, shrugging. “Beats the hell outta me.  She’s probably new to the roster here or something, but damn if she wasn’t hot.” He admitted, sitting down on a bench and chugged half a Gatorade down his throat.

 

“Maybe she was one of the NXT Divas?” Roman suggested in a deep baritone, wrapping his wrists in black tape before tightening the wrist cuffs he always wore to the ring. “What’d she look like?”

 

“Dude, seriously, you wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

 

Jon hopped up from the floor and walked over the sink to slick his hair back since they were part of the first segment that night. “Try us, bro.”

 

“Gold eyes, for one thing.  Who the hell has golden eyes these days?  She probably has colored contacts of something.” Seth explained, standing from the bench and grabbed his tag title, tossing Roman his. “And dark blue hair…”

 

Jon froze at the sink, both hands on top of his head and looked at his comrades through the reflection.  Gold eyes…dark blue hair…there was only one woman who fit that description in his head.  It wasn’t possible though.  It couldn’t be.  She wasn’t in the WWE.  He was imagining things like he had all those months ago when he thought he caught a glimpse of dark blue hair during Sami’s audition.  Sami hadn’t mentioned Keyla once and figured they didn’t talk anymore due to their rocky history.  He wasn’t about to bring her up in their conversations either.

 

“Dean, you straight man?” Roman asked, tossing the man his United States title and placed a hand on his vest covered shoulder. “Everything cool?”

 

“Yeah, never better, bro.  Let’s roll out and do this.”

 

The Shield left their dressing room and headed down to the gorilla position, prepared to make their return to NXT after months of being strictly on the main roster.

 

Chapter 10

 

Sierra, Hotel, India, Echo, Lima, Delta – SHIELD.

 

So beautiful and strong were Keyla’s first thoughts about Jon the moment he stepped out on the stage alongside Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins.  Jon had the microphone in hand, so she knew he was cutting a promo.  Luckily, she was down by the ring while Marley, one of the cameramen on the crew, took the opportunity to get close to the Shield.  The NXT crowd was lit on fire, boos and cheers mixing together when it came to the 3 men dressed in SWAT gear.  Keyla couldn’t help giving Jon a quick glance over, admiring how the black cargo pants hugged his muscular legs he used to showcase freely in the Independents.  The top he had on was skintight, covered with a vest and his curls were all slicked back neatly away from his face.  It was a new look for him and, as much as she enjoyed it, Keyla missed his curls hanging freely over his blazing cool blues.  He looked too corporate and clean to her compared to who he used to be, but she supposed the WWE had to change his image completely.  Jon Moxley no longer existed – he was now Dean Ambrose and one third of the dominating and ruthless Shield.

 

Corey Graves and Adrian Neville stood in the ring holding the NXT Tag Team titles when the Shield made their presence felt.  Instead of coming through the crowd, they stood on the entrance ramp running their mouths about how the Shield was back.  Each member held gold from the main roster and Keyla had to admit Jon looked amazing with the United States strap on his shoulder.  Once Seth finished taunting Corey Graves a bit, it was Dean’s turn to zero in on the other NXT star, Adrian Neville.  Keyla had to bite her tongue to keep from laughing when Jon called him ‘kiddo’ and accused him of being a thief and a crook.  It was an injustice, in the Shield’s eyes, he was a champion.  Somehow, Keyla managed to keep the camera completely steady while filming Adrian and Corey in the ring, though her eyes kept glancing back up the ramp at the Shield.  More importantly, at Jon.

 

“You just won the lottery.  I’m giving you a chance to touch greatness.  I’m laying out the challenge to you.  Step in the ring with Dean Ambrose – one on one.  So I can make you PAY for your crimes.”

 

Even in WWE, his promos were on the mark and flawless.  It really did Keyla’s heart good to see how far Jon had come in the 2 years she hadn’t seen him.  Her eyes moved away from the ramp to focus back in the ring, watching as Adrian Neville snatched a microphone from the ring announcer to accept Dean Ambrose’s challenge.  However, he wanted the United States Championship on the line in their match.  And he wanted the match tonight.  Keyla saw the astonished look on Jon’s face and he talked for a couple seconds with his fellow Shield brethren.  Did Adrian Neville really think he stood a chance against a third of the Shield?  Jon was going to rip him apart and make him his little bitch in the ring!  Adrian was good, but nowhere on the level Jon was and never would be, at least in Keyla’s eyes.  Even though Jon smashed her heart to pieces, she couldn’t deny what an unbelievable athlete Jon was every time he stepped inside a ring.

 

“Brother, do you know who you’re talking to?  You ain’t talking to some NXT chump, alright?  No, you’re talking to the United States Champion, the most important – the BEST single’s champion in this industry!  Oh yeah, we’ll do this.  Next week.”

 

That meant Jon wasn’t done in NXT yet and that made Keyla extremely uncomfortable, mentally cursing in her head.  What the hell was she supposed to do now?  There was no way she could hide from him until he went back to the main roster for good!  She listened as Adrian Neville vowed to destroy the Shield piece by piece, brick by brick and he was going to start with Dean Ambrose by winning the United States title.  Keyla knew he didn’t stand a chance against Jon and slowly shook her head behind the camera, watching Corey Graves cheer his partner on.  The Shield merely laughed at Adrian’s horrid attempt to stand up to them and the segment ended with them standing on the entrance ramp talking amongst themselves.  Lowering the camera once Keyla received the signal, she stretched her shoulder and arm out a little, slowly building muscle and endurance since it was a heavy piece of equipment.

 

This was going to be a long night if the Shield made another appearance.

 

~!~

 

“Hey – hey where’s the fire?” Baron called out, jogging to catch up with a fast walking Keyla headed straight for the exit. “Keyla!”

 

She couldn’t stop.  Jon could be anywhere in the building and she had to get back to the safety of her hotel room before he spotted her.  It was cowardly; Keyla should’ve confronted Jon and been done with it that night, but she couldn’t.  After running into Seth Rollins and then watching him only a few 100 feet away from her made Keyla’s anxiety shoot through the roof.  Now wasn’t the time.  Maybe when the Shield returned for Jon’s match she would have the courage to talk to him and let him know she now worked for the WWE, but not tonight.

 

“I have to get out of here.” Keyla muttered, gasping when Baron took her by the upper arm and dragged her into the nearest empty dressing room, shutting the door behind him.

 

“What the fuck has gotten into you?  What’s wrong?”

 

Telling Baron about her history with Jon would just complicate things between them, more than they already were.  Lennox’s words about having a fling with him went through her mind again.  If they became personally involved in each other’s lives, that couldn’t happen.  Keyla breathed heavily, not realizing tears were in her eyes until she blinked and they slid down her cheeks.  Why was it so difficult seeing him in person again after all this time?  Then again, she had also cried during Sami’s audition in the women’s bathroom to hide from seeing Jon again and overheard him talking to his fellow Shield members.

 

“It’s complicated and you wouldn’t understand, Baron.” Keyla broke the silence between them and felt her face cupped in his strong hands, wrapping hers around his wrists with their eyes locked. “Trust me.  You don’t want to know what’s wrong with me.”

 

Baron hated seeing the blue haired beauty cry and wished there was something he could do to take away the pain overtaking her citrine orbs.  What could’ve happened that made Keyla want to run out of the university?  He’d just seen her a few hours ago right before the show started and now she was a trembling mess in his arms – in his hands.  Was it him she was afraid of?  Was she running from him?  Did she feel as strongly for him as he did her?  Pulling her closer, Baron took a chance and softly brushed his lips across her cheeks, sliding his tongue out to taste the salty liquid.

 

“I won’t ask again.” Baron rumbled, resting his forehead against hers and both stood there for a few minutes, each battling their instincts to do what they wanted. “Tell me what to do to help you through whatever’s going on.”

 

Suddenly, a lightbulb went off in Keyla’s head and she stepped away from him, wiping the remaining tears away. “Get me out of here.  Take me back to the hotel and…”

 

“And what?” Baron slid his fingers down her cheek to cup her chin, forcing those citrine eyes to stay on him instead of lower. “Tell me, Keyla.”

 

She wanted to ask him to stay with her for the night, but after seeing Jon, Keyla also wanted to be alone.  She was torn on what to do.  Being alone meant she would wallow in pity and heartbreak over Jon.  With Baron, he could and would distract her from that pain somehow.  Hell, she KNEW what would happen if she asked him to stay with her.  It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that out and Keyla wasn’t sure if she was ready to take that step with Baron yet.  He would be the first man she slept with since Jon and that was if Baron wanted her to begin with.  He could be a hard man to read at times and Keyla honestly wasn’t in the right frame of mind to invite him over for a sleepover yet.

 

“Nothing.  Please get me out of here and take me back to the hotel.” Keyla requested, walking past him to open the door and stuck her head out to look down both ways of the hall.  The coast was clear for now and this was her chance to escape. “Come on.” Taking his hand, Keyla lead the way toward the exit and surprisingly didn’t run into Jon or any of the Shield members.

 

A few minutes later, Baron drove them back to the hotel and held Keyla’s trembling hand the entire time, wondering what was going through her mind, hoping she was alright.

 

~!~

 

Jon’s match against Adrian Neville took place the next evening, the taping a little different due to the men being on the main roster.  They were pulling triple duty with NXT, Raw and Smackdown!.  Keyla knew this was karma coming back to bite her on the backside for not telling Jon she was in the same company as him.  Athena ordered her to be one of the camera people at ringside to film the match.  So she had her dark blue hair swept up in a tight bun on top of her head to where she could wear an NXT hat, hiding most of it.  She called Lennox freaking out and that was her friend’s solution to the problem, or more like putting a band-aid over a gushing wound.  For now, it would work, but Keyla didn’t know for how long.  Luckily, Jon was zoned in on his opponent in the ring and didn’t pay attention to his surroundings or to the ringside crew.  Maybe luck was on her side this night because she managed to leave the arena without running into him or any of his Shield brethren.

 

“Due to outside interference…”

 

The Shield would return to face off against Adrian Neville, Corey Graves and Xavier Woods, who Keyla couldn’t figure out why he was in the match in the first place.  That wasn’t her main problem though.  Running into Jon or any of the Shield members, especially Seth Rollins, posed a major issue for her.  Something told her Athena would push her to run the camera near ringside too.  This was a big mess and it would only get worse until she talked to Jon.  Once outside, Keyla lit up a cigarette and leaned against the wall with her back facing the door.  She just needed a minute and took the NXT hat off tossing it to the side, exhaling somewhat shakily.  No doubt Baron would be looking for her since he still came to the university every time a taping occurred while trying to figure out his character.  Right now, Keyla just needed a minute alone to breathe Jon-free air and figure out what her next move would be to avoid him.

 

“Hey, you got a light?” An all too familiar low gritty voice asked from behind, the individual noticing the little orange ball of light cutting through the darkness.

 

Was the universe really out to get her this much? “Sure.” She murmured quietly, hoping to disguise her voice enough and pulled her lighter out, outstretching her hand.

 

Jon felt like an idiot asking a complete stranger for a favor, but he forgot his lighter back at the hotel and needed a nicotine fix. “Thanks…”

 

He tried to see through the darkness at who handed him the lighter, but it was pitch black where they stood.  It was a woman, at least he hoped with that softened voice.  Then again, he could be talking to a transvestite and it didn’t bother him a bit.  All Jon wanted was to light his cigarette, inhale the nicotine and be on his way back to the hotel for some rest before hopping a plane the next day home for a few days.  He’d recently moved to Las Vegas and missed it, hating the humidity Florida provided.

 

“No problem.”

 

Keyla took the lighter once he handed it back and felt their fingertips brush together, the spark shooting up her arm instantly.  It was still there and had never faded, not even after all this time being apart.  She wasn’t the only one who felt something as Jon raised a slow brow while staring at his fingers for a few seconds and then tried once again to see through the darkness.  There was something…familiar and Jon suddenly thought back to Seth talking about a woman with dark blue hair and golden eyes.  Could it be?

 

“Dumb question, but…”

 

Carefully swiping the hat from the ground, Keyla placed it on her head since her hair was in another tight bun and tried hiding her identity from Jon as much as possible. “Have a good night, Ambrose.” Before he could utter another word, she took off through the darkness, tossing her cigarette aside and hopped in her vehicle, speeding out of the parking lot.

 

Jon had chased after her, the tingling in his hand not ceasing, but she was too fast for him.  What the hell?  Why would a stranger run away from him like that?  All he wanted to ask was if she knew of a woman with dark blue hair and golden eyes that worked in NXT.  Maybe Seth was losing his mind or, hell, maybe Jon was too.  He was frustrated because, truthfully, Jon had looked high and low throughout the university most of the day searching for someone with that description.  All it ended in was disappointment, though he had run into his good friend from the Indies, Drake Younger, and they struck up a conversation about how his career was so far in WWE.

 

“Fuck it.  Just forget about it.” Jon muttered to himself, wishing it was easier than done and finished his cigarette before heading to his own vehicle, leaning his head forward to press against the steering wheel. “Forget about…her…”

 

Keyla Jensen.  Never a day went by Jon didn’t think about her and the lonely nights he spent on the road weren’t the greatest.  Why hadn’t he kept in contact with her?  Why hadn’t he kept his promise to always stay friends?  Why hadn’t she made the effort to contact him?  Maybe she didn’t feel as strongly for him as he originally assumed, not that Jon blamed her.  He was a douchebag back in the Independent days, especially to her.  Using her for his own gains and then forcing her to go on the road with him to be his personal camerawoman.  No wonder she wanted nothing to do with him!  Sighing, Jon lit up another cigarette and peeled out of the parking lot headed back to the hotel, ignoring his cell phone vibrating in his pocket, knowing it was Roman asking where he was at.

 

Tonight, he wanted to be alone.

 

Chapter 11

 

“Oh my god, are you serious?!”

 

“As a fucking heart attack.” Keyla ripped the curtains closed in her hotel room and made sure the door was locked, trembling like a leaf. “He had to know it was me, right?  I didn’t use my full voice and I ran away from him, but he’s not stupid.  Oh fuck, what if he knows it was me and pretended like he didn’t know?!  Or what if…”

 

Lennox could hear the panic building in Keyla’s voice and had to calm her down somehow, trying not to anxious herself. “Breathe Key, just close your eyes and suck in a deep breath.” She instructed, hearing Keyla obey over the phone and glanced over at Gina worriedly. “Alright good, do it again and keep doing it until you calm down.  Then we can talk about your run-in with Moxley.”

 

“I’m such an idiot.” Keyla muttered once she felt the adrenaline and panic leave her body, sinking down on the bed while holding the phone to her ear.  She didn’t trust speakerphone in case Jon was in the same hotel as her. “Why didn’t I just tell him it was me?  Why am I being such a chicken?”

 

Gina walked over and took the phone from Lennox since they did have Keyla on speakerphone, both finishing up the clean-up nightly routine in the tattoo parlor. “Because you still love him.  Because you’re hurt since he didn’t keep in contact with you all this time.  And you’re afraid of rejection if you do come forth and show him you work for the same company as him.” Sami told her all about Jon and Keyla’s confusing twisted relationship a few months after they started dating. “You’re doing what you feel in your heart is the right thing to do right now or else you wouldn’t be avoiding him like the plague.”

 

“And what about Baron?  He really likes you and I know you like him.  You’re just afraid to admit it.” Lennox chipped in, wishing Keyla would take a chance on a man who actually appreciated and wanted to be with her. “You never know what can happen unless you give him a chance.”

 

“Even if Jon still has my heart?” Keyla retorted quietly, hearing a beep in her ear and pulled the phone away to look at her text messages. “Speak of the devil…”

 

Both Lennox and Gina looked at each other perplexed. “What?”

 

“It’s Baron.  He’s texting me and asking if I’m okay.  I took off and forgot to tell him since we were supposed to meet up in the parking lot.”

 

Lennox knew Keyla hadn’t spilled the beans about her history with Jon, so she didn’t bother mentioning anything regarding talking to him about this situation. “Why don’t you get off the phone with us, call him and invite him to your room?  He’ll be able to keep you calm and get your mind off of what happened.” She suggested, Gina nodding in agreement.

 

“I don’t think that’s a good idea right now.” Keyla stood up from the bed and walked into the bathroom to start up the bath, needing to do something to relax her frazzled nerves.

 

“Why not?  Afraid you’ll end up jumping his bones and fucking like bunnies?”

 

“LENNOX!”

 

“What?!  You know she wants that man and so do I!  She’s just scared to make the move because of Moxley.” Lennox snorted, setting the phone down to start wiping down the front counter where the transactions were made.

 

“Or maybe she’s feeling vulnerable right now and doesn’t want to use Baron for sex.” Gina retorted, folding her arms in front of her chest and couldn’t believe how cold Lennox was being toward their friend.

 

Lennox rolled her eyes, knowing Gina would never understand what heartache was because she had a great guy like Sami in her life. “Key, do whatever you want.  You know I’ll support you, no matter what.  But you really should give Baron a chance to at least make you forget about Jon Moxley.  Remember what I said, make it clear what you want from him before pursuing.”

 

The girls talked for a little while longer before Keyla ended the call, staring down at the inviting warm liquid and chewed her bottom lip.  All she had to do was dial Baron’s number and he’d be right over.  Could she use him strictly as a fuck buddy though?  He was a great guy with a huge heart and the last thing Keyla wanted to do was hurt him.  Lennox was right, she had to lay out the ground rules and talk to him about it before rushing into anything.  So instead, she sent him a quick text promising to meet up for breakfast in the morning before her 9 AM flight.  Then Keyla set her alarm for 6 AM, took a nice relaxing hot bath and fell asleep just after midnight, wearing just a towel.

 

~!~

 

“Bro, if you mention her one more time, I’m gonna plant your face into the nearest fucking wall.” Jon growled, not amused with Seth STILL talking about the blue haired, golden eyed goddess of NXT.

 

Seth smirked, enjoying egging Dean on because rarely could anyone get under his skin.  However, ever since Seth’s run-in with the mysterious woman and noticing how easily agitated Dean became whenever he mentioned her, he’d stepped it up several notches.  Roman merely shook his head, knowing eventually Dean would explode and follow through with one of his threats toward Seth.  He wouldn’t stop it from happening since the little peon refused to leave Dean alone about the mysterious woman.  Truthfully, Roman thought Seth was making it up, but he did wonder what his friend had against blue haired, golden eyed women.  It was another mystery Dean had about himself and, sooner or later, he would hear about it privately.

 

“Come on man, you gotta admit she sounds smoking hot.” Seth pressed on, continuing his CrossFit workout while Jon stuck with the punching bag. “I know she works in NXT, so you need to hunt her down and turn on that charm.  Unless you want ME to do it for you?”

 

Every lethal punch Jon tossed against the bag he pictured Seth’s face and envisioned the teeth flying out of his mouth, one by one. “You didn’t see anyone like that and you’re just pestering me about it to piss me off.  Now knock it the fuck off, man.” He ordered vehemently, increasing the intensity of his punches and felt the heat building in his body from the sweatshirt he had on.

 

“I did too!” Seth argued, jumping down from the machine he’d been using for his workout and stepped up beside Dean. “Why would I make something like that up?”

 

“To piss me off, ruffle my feathers and eventually punch you in the face.” Jon grunted, watching Seth take a step back when one his fists whizzed right past Seth’s nose, nearly grazing it.

 

Seth planted his taped hands on his hips, shaking his head. “Why would I waste my time with something like that, Ambrose?  Anything pisses you off these days.” Not true, but Seth was scrapping the bottom of the barrel as far as insults went. “I’m not lying about this.  I saw her and if you don’t believe me, ask the boss.  Ask Triple H and I guarantee you he’ll tell you a woman with dark blue hair and golden eyes works in NXT!”

 

“Seth…” Roman said the man’s name warningly, noticing how red and irate Dean’s face was and knew a blowup was about to happen. “Knock it off…”

 

“No!  Why won’t you guys believe me?  She had an NXT shirt on and her hair looked soft to the touch.  And her eyes had little specks of brown in them mixing with the gold…”

 

Unable to hear anymore, Jon stopped punching the bag and instead yanked Seth by the front of his t-shirt, breathing extremely heavy. “Stop.” He ordered, every part of his body trembling with barely contained rage he desperately wanted to inflict on this skunk wanna-be cockroach they were forced to work with. “Don’t.  Mention.  Her.  Again.  I don’t give a fuck who she is or she even exists.  STOP talking about her when I’m around.  Got me?”

 

Seth was slammed against the wall, watching Dean storm out of the workout room and looked up at Roman through wide dark brown eyes. “What the fuck is his problem?!”

 

“You pushed him too far.  I tried warning you and you didn’t listen to me.  Maybe next time you will.” Roman patted Seth’s shoulder somewhat condescendingly and left the workout room to track down Dean, hoping his friend was alright.

 

~!~

 

The Shield was victorious against Adrian Neville, Corey Graves and Xavier Woods at the taping the following week.  Not a huge surprise there.  Keyla hid behind her camera as much as she could since her suspicions about Athena were right.  The woman made her work ringside again and to say Keyla was annoyed was an understatement.  She couldn’t turn down the opportunity though, not without spilling her history with Jon and that could never happen.  Nobody in WWE or NXT could find out what transpired between her and Jon Moxley over 2 years ago.  The NXT hat helped her blend in and hid her dark blue hair for the most part, though she did notice Seth Rollins glance in her direction a few times while standing on the ring apron.  Every time he did, Keyla was behind her camera in the nick of time.

 

After the taping ended and the Shield went back to working strictly on the main roster, Keyla breathed a lot easier.  It was the final week of August when her plane landed in Tampa, Florida, Keyla ready for whatever the WWE threw at her this time.  As soon as she exited the plane and grabbed her luggage from the pick-up area, Keyla was suddenly snatched from behind lifted off the ground, twirling around in a circle.  She squealed out in surprise, trying to break the grip on whoever had a hold of her and was set down a few seconds later, whipping around to come face to face with the last person she expected to see.

 

“SAMI!!” Another squeal left her lips and Keyla didn’t waste a second jumping into his arms, wrapping hers tightly around his neck along with her legs encircling his waist. “I’m so glad you’re here!”

 

Sami chuckled, not expecting this reception, but he wasn’t complaining and held Kayleigh tightly against him, shutting his eyes. “Sorry it took me a while to join you, but my tests had to be redone due to the fucking doctor screwing my results up.” He pulled back enough to look in her eyes, seeing the tears in them and hugged her again. “I’m here now, Kay.”

 

All she could do was nod, sniffling softly and felt her feet land on the floor a few minutes later, reluctantly pulling back from Sami. “Did Gina or Lennox tell you what’s been going on?” One of them had to and Keyla bet it was Gina since her and Sami never kept secrets from each other.

 

“Gi did.  Don’t be mad at her.  She’s just worried about you and so is Lennox.  I got here as fast as I could.  I was supposed to debut by now, but like I said the fucking doctor screwed up.” Sami grunted, lifting his luggage from the cart and draped an arm around Keyla’s shoulders, both walking out of the airport together into the humidity Tampa offered. “So I gotta ask, how the hell did you manage to hide from Jon the whole time he was down here?”

 

“Don’t ask.  I still can’t believe I pulled it off as well as I did, but now he’s back on the main roster and I can breathe easier again.” Keyla hoped anyway, walking alongside Sami toward their rental vehicles.

 

Neither saw a pair of dark eyes watching their every move as they left the airport or the bouquet of roses being tossed into the nearest garbage can.

 

~!~

 

Dark matches didn’t require a lot of camera attention, so Keyla was able to stand backstage with Drake, both of them watching Sami’s very first match in NXT.  It was against Buddy Murphy and he defeated him with ease, showing the fans there he was a force to be reckoned with.  It would take time, but Sami definitely fit into the WWE mold and adapted quickly.  The WWE ended up changing his name from Sami Callihan to Solomon Crowe, so that was something Keyla and Drake would have to get used to.  It wasn’t the worst name in the world and if Sami liked it, that was all that mattered.  Both of them cheered loudly the moment Sami pinned his opponent and tackled him as soon as he stepped through the curtain.

 

“We need to go out and celebrate tonight man!” Drake boasted, hugging Sami tightly and ruffled his slicked back black hair. “That was outstanding!”

 

“It really was.” Keyla grinned, taking her turn to hug Sami and kissed his cheek, citrine eyes glittering up at him. “You finally made it to the big leagues.  How does it feel?”

 

Sami shrugged, not knowing how or what to feel at the moment and rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s cool.  Just gotta get used to how things work around here.”

 

The show was PG rated, so hardly any curse words could be used and that was a challenge as far as doing promos went for Sami.  He briefly wondered how Jon made the transition so easily since the man used to cuss like a sailor in his Independent promos.  Maybe he would give Moxley a phone call in a couple weeks to talk about it, but for now celebrating sounded like a fantastic idea.

 

“You’re coming with us, Kay.”

 

Keyla blinked up at Sami. “What?”

 

“You heard me.” Sami smirked, holding her against his side and kissed the top of her head. “Wouldn’t be a celebration without you, babe.”

 

Drake was fired up, bouncing on the heels of his shoes and grinning like a fool.  He didn’t care. “Hell yeah!  It’ll be just like old times, Key!  What do you say?  Come on, this is Sami’s big moment and we have to toast him the right way!”

 

Groaning, Keyla knew it was 2 against 1 and if she tried getting out of it somehow or escaping back to her hotel room, the boys would just hunt her down.  Gina would be joining Sami on the road in a couple weeks once Lennox found a replacement in the tattoo parlor so once that happened, Keyla would barely see one of her best friends.  Sighing out a reluctant agreement, Sami lifted her up and twirled her in circles like he did at the airport before handing her over to Drake.  Sami needed a shower, so he told them both to meet him in the parking lot after the taping and then they would all head out together.  Drake knew of a bar down the street that was perfect for the celebration, both of them colliding knuckles with each other and everyone went their separate ways.  Keyla had a feeling this would be a night she’d never forget and jogged off to get ready to do the actual NXT taping, feeling great for the first time since working for WWE.

 

Chapter 12

 

After the taping ended, Keyla sent a quick text to both Sami and Drake letting them know she would meet them at the bar.  She recognized the name Drake gave her instantly since it was down the street from the hotel she stayed at while in Tampa.  Only a few times did she visit the establishment and it wasn’t the worst bar in the area.  Also not the cleanest or refined either.  It reminded her a lot of Nicky’s bar in Philadelphia where she used to bartend and work at.  Those were the good old days and they seemed so long ago because of everything that transpired in her life the last few years.  Tonight, Keyla was determined to have fun with two of her friends and decided to dress up a little.

 

Her outfit of choice was a white spaghetti strapped crop top that had lace trim on the bottom and top, showing off a portion of her stomach.  The light blue jeans she found online weren’t regular and had a crochet flower splicing style up the sides of the legs.  They were lace and see-through that went from the ankle up to her mid-thigh, also skinny and hugged every curve of her body to perfection.  She had 2 ½ white lace heels on that matched the top and jeans, also making the look somewhat posh.  Leaving her hair up for the moment, Keyla added a white lace flower clip on the side along with placing diamond studs in her ears.  Keyla outlined her eyes in thin black liner and smoked them out in dark blue eye shadow, making her amber orbs pop.  She plucked her eyebrows, fanned her lashes in mascara, painted her lips in a peach gloss and made sure her foundation didn’t stand out on the sides of her face.  Satisfied with her look for the evening, Keyla headed out carrying a small purse with her keycard, keys and wallet that held her driver’s license and bank card. 

 

It was time to let loose and have fun for a change.

 

20 minutes later, she pulled up in front of the bar named Breakers and stepped out, locking her vehicle sliding her keys in her purse.  Both Sami and Drake looked up when the small bell dinged throughout the half empty bar and grinned at the sight of Keyla headed toward them.  All Sami could think was what a monumental idiot Jon was for letting her go.  Then again, so was he.  Gina was great and beautiful, but Sami knew Kayleigh would always hold a piece of his heart.  Drake was happily married with 2 kids and loved his wife wholeheartedly, so other women didn’t faze him.

 

“Bout time you joined us, little lady.” Drake winked, ordering her a beer while nursing a longneck with Sami. “Kinda dead tonight, but hopefully it’ll pick up.”

 

Keyla shrugged, not caring if the bar was packed with people or just the 3 of them hanging out and held her longneck up. “To Sami.  Or should I call you Solomon?  Whoever you are, I know you’re going to have a fantastic career in the WWE and we couldn’t be prouder of you.  Give ’em hell!”

 

“Thanks Kay.”

 

“This is so cool.  I’ll be officiating some of your matches now.” Drake was extremely happy being a ring official instead of a wrestler, picking up the job rather quickly because of his in-ring experience.

 

“So you’re cool with donning the strips, eh?” Sami questioned, ordering a round of shots and slid them over to Drake and Keyla, enjoying the liquid burning down his esophagus.

 

Drake nodded without hesitation, swallowing down his own shot alongside Keyla. “Bro, it’s the best decision I’ve ever made and Dawson is happy about it.  She knows it’ll let my body completely heal and if I ever wanna get back in the ring one day, my health will be tip-top being an official.  I really do like calling the shots though.” It was a major change to his career in professional wrestling, but Drake didn’t regret the choice he made for him and his family.

 

“How is Dawson doing, by the way?” Keyla changed the subject, friends with Drake’s and couldn’t remember the last time they talked.

 

“Good, the boys keep her busy and…” Drake became sheepish, a big smile spreading on his face. “We – uh – we’re having another…”

 

“Another what?” Sami had only been paying half attention because Gina was texting him some frisky pictures.

 

Keyla smacked him upside the head, jolting Sami back into the conversation and shook her head, beaming brightly at Drake. “No way!  You’re having another baby?!” She tossed her arms around his neck, hearing Drake chuckle in her ear and pulled back to let Sami congratulate him. “How far along is she?”

 

“4 months.  We find out the sex of the baby in about a month and I’m secretly hoping for a girl since we have 2 boys already.” Drake knew that was horrible to say, but the boys ran their mother ragged and Dawson wanted one little girl to take after them. “My Mom is staying with her to help out with the boys until after the baby is born.  Then we’ll hire a nanny since I’m making a lot more money in WWE than the Indies.”

 

“I’m truly happy for you guys.” Keyla said sincerely, kissing Drake’s cheek and ordered another round of shots to celebrate the news of Dawson’s pregnancy.  She made a mental note to call Dawson once she was back in Philadelphia and to go pay her a visit. “I’m gonna put on the jukebox and liven this place up a bit.”

 

Sami watched Keyla walk to the jukebox and looked down at his phone when he received another text message, shaking his head.  Gina was being a pistol tonight and he sent her a message back letting her know he’d call once he was back at the hotel.  Then he turned his focus on Drake, thankful to have two of his friends from the Indies to hang out with while in WWE. 

 

“She’s come a long way, huh?” Drake glanced at Sami, nursing his beer and watched the man nod his head. “You know Jon was down here earlier this month.”

 

“I know.  Keyla called Lennox and Gina to vent about it.  Did he ask about her?” Sami had to know if Jon found out Keyla worked in NXT so he was prepared if the Shield made another surprise appearance.

 

“No, I don’t think he knows she’s down here.  But apparently she had a run-in with Seth Rollins and he described what she looked like.  He asked if a woman with dark blue hair and golden eyes worked in NXT.  I lied and told him no.” As close as Drake was to Jon, he felt an obligation to protect Keyla after what happened.  Not all of it was Jon’s fault, but he should’ve kept in contact with Keyla too over the years. “I still can’t believe she took the job offer to work for WWE.”

 

Sami remembered that night well and it wasn’t due to his audition against Fandango either.  Triple H had a talk with Keyla, one she still didn’t fully tell him about while he was in the ring trying to impress the officials with his ability and skills.  Her camera work in the Independents was her ticket to work for the most popular and biggest wrestling organization in the world.  Sami was proud of her, but also leery because of the Jon situation, not wanting her to get hurt again.  He would protect her at any and all costs and it seemed Drake would do the same thing, neither of them having any type of romantic feelings towards her.  If anything, Keyla was family to both men and they all had to stick together.

 

Breaking Benjamin flowed through the speakers of the jukebox while Keyla started swaying her hips gently back and forth, twirling to face Drake and Sami long enough to wink in their direction.  Then she turned back around while looking through the jukebox to see what other kind of music it offered.  Sami smacked Drake’s t-shirt covered chest when a hulking figure stood up from one of the darker corners of the bar and made their way toward Keyla.  He started getting up and Drake stopped him, shaking his head deciding to wait and see what transpired.  If they had to step in to protect Keyla from a creep, so be it, but Drake recognized the figure now standing behind her and wondered what they had in mind regarding their friend.

 

Warm hands planted on Keyla’s bare hips, resting just below the waist of her jeans and she tensed slightly, stopping her hip movement. “What are you-?”

 

“Don’t be scared, sweetheart.” A familiar husky voice murmured in her ear and the warm hands slowly began moving her hips to the beat of the music again. “Dance with me.”

 

“Baron…”

 

Swallowing hard, Keyla whipped around to face her dance partner and looked up into his dark eyes, the buzz from doing shots still in full effect.  Keyla slid her fingers down his t-shirt covered chest, not paying attention to the white design embroidered on it and felt him take her hand to twirl her back where she originally was.  The feeling of her back pressed against his solid chest did something to Keyla’s lower extremities and she didn’t protest this position, getting lost in the moment.  For a big man, he had excellent skill and Keyla wondered what kind of ability he had in the bedroom.  It had to be the alcohol clouding her mind and judgement, but then again she was tired of questioning and second-guessing everything in her life.  With Baron, being with him was as easy as breathing and they got along well, enjoying each other’s company.  No fighting whatsoever.  It was nice being with a man who wanted her, so why was Keyla pushing him away?

 

“Baron…” She breathed out in a slight gasp when his mouth sealed to the side of her neck, the facial hair he grew out over the past couple months tingling against her skin. “Oh god…”

 

He was slowly breaking her down while they danced, the same song playing on repeat, but neither cared. “Feel good, sweetheart?” Keyla looked exquisite tonight, the jeans and crop top causing his dick to jump in his pants from the moment she walked through the door. “Want me to stop?”

 

“N-No…god no…” Keyla slid her hand up his strong arm to hook around his neck, burying her fingers in his short black hair he’d let grow out along with his goatee.  It was just enough to grab onto, their hips never stopping moving in sync in front of the jukebox. “You’re burning me up, big man…”

 

“Good.” He growled in response, finally pulling back after a few minutes and whipped her around to face him again, taking note of her flushed face and heaving breathing. “Wanna get out of here?”

 

“I don’t – I can’t – I mean…” Keyla saw the rejection in his dark eyes and stopped him from walking away, grabbing his hand to make him look back at her. “I want this.  You.  I want you, but…”

 

“But what?” Baron gruffly demanded, pointing over at the bar where Sami and Drake sat, though his finger was meant for the man named Solomon Crowe. “Him?  You two together or something?”

 

Keyla’s jaw dropped, her molten golden eyes widening in both shock and surprise at Baron’s question. “N-No, of course not!” Why would he ask such a thing?! “We’re just friends from the Indies and he finally got signed by WWE.  We’re out celebrating tonight.  Why would you think we were together?”

 

“Because of what I saw at the airport earlier today.” There was no point hiding the truth from her and Baron didn’t want to be with a woman who was already spoken for.  He had morals and self-respect, after all. “I was waiting for your plane to land and…then I saw you run into his arms…” He didn’t mention the beautiful bouquet of red roses he’d bought, not wanting to look like more of a chump than he already did.

 

Baron was waiting for her at the airport because he wanted to see her and left due to thinking she was with Sami.  Keyla didn’t know whether she wanted to kiss the breath out of him or slap him silly for being assumptive.  Shaking her head and still buzzed from the alcohol she consumed, Keyla grabbed the front of his t-shirt in a fist and pulled him down closer to her, smiling softly.  It was incredibly sweet he’d been waiting for her plane to land, but Keyla also had no idea he’d be there or Sami for that matter.

 

“You sweet man.” Keyla purred, stroking his face and facial hair, enjoying Baron being this close to her.  The intense raw sexual chemistry they had couldn’t be ignored any longer either. “Ask me again.”

 

Baron lifted a dark brow down at her, wrapping a strong arm around her waist and bent down until his forehead pressed against hers. “Ask you what?”

 

“What you did earlier.  Ask me again if I want to do it.” Keyla instructed, her citrine eyes twinkling and slowly smoldering over to the hazy molten gold they’d been only minutes ago. “Come on, you may like my answer.”

 

One thing about Keyla was Baron enjoyed her playfulness and chuckled softly, black eyes locked on molten gold. “Wanna get out of here?”

 

Pulling back, Keyla didn’t let go of Baron’s hand and lead him toward the exit, winking over at Sami and Drake letting them know she was in good safe hands.  There was no reason to panic or stop them.  She hoped they understood why she was leaving the celebration early, but honestly Keyla needed to be alone with Baron right now.  Baron followed her lead until they were outside under the stars and moon before yanking her roughly against him.

 

“Are you sure you wanna do this?” He had to make sure he wasn’t pressuring Keyla into doing something she didn’t want. “I know you’re tipsy and…”

 

Keyla pressed her finger against his lips and shook her head, finally taking the plunge bringing his mouth down on hers.  Groaning at the first taste and touch of her mouth against his, Baron instantly lifted her from the ground and Keyla wrapped her legs around his waist.  It was their first kiss and Baron couldn’t remember the last time a woman intoxicated him this much.  A hard rock formed in his pants that pressed against Keyla’s backside and that fueled her fire further, moaning when his tongue swiped against her lips.  He wanted access to fully taste her and Keyla couldn’t deny him, giving into to whatever he desired.  The second their tongues touched, electricity and warmth flowed through both of their bodies.  Breaking the kiss needing oxygen, Baron and Keyla searched each other’s eyes while standing in the middle of the bar’s parking lot, knowing what would happen that night.

 

Both were more than ready for whatever came next.

 

Chapter 13

 

Pushing open the door to her hotel room, it slammed against the wall with Baron pressed against her, their mouths engaged in a deep passionate lip lock.  Keyla was nervous, excited and scared, the emotions spilling out in each motion and kiss she shared with Baron.  He was an amazing kisser and made her toes curl, her body heat increasing to the point where, if her clothes weren’t removed soon, she would surely shed them without Baron’s assistance.  She assumed he wanted to be the one who undressed her, but as long as they were both naked with his cock deep inside of her, that’s all that mattered to Keyla.  His strong hands pulled her away from the door to stumble further into the room, hearing the click of the lock echo in their ears.  They were completely alone with no prying eyes and Baron planned on relishing this night as much as possible.

 

“Baron…”

 

Keyla broke the kiss, gasping sharply and gripped the front of his t-shirt in both trembling hands, trying to maintain some type of control.  Her resolve and resistance against him had flown out the window and she was ready to give herself to him.  However, Keyla had to tell him one thing before they continued further or went too far in case Baron had second thoughts.  She wanted to give him every opportunity to run away, especially after she told him the piece of information that could change the entire complexion of the night.

 

“Easy boy, you’re like a wolf on the prowl…”

 

“A wolf, eh?” Baron didn’t disagree with her observation and went to kiss her again, but her hands firmly planting on his chest stopped him. “What’s wrong?  Not having second thoughts, are you?”

 

Shaking her head, Keyla took a couple steps from him and touched her swollen lips, turning away to look out the window. “No, but…you might, especially after what I confess to you.”

 

“Fuck I knew it.” Baron muttered, closing the distance between them and planted his hands on her hips much like he did earlier at the bar. “You’re really a man, aren’t you?”

 

Keyla did not expect that to come out of his mouth and laughed, shaking her head. “No, you fool.  I’m all woman, I assure you.”

 

“Okay, then you’re married with a dozen kids to some idiot back in Philadelphia.” He joked, trying to cut through the tension between them and nuzzled her neck, feeling how badly her body quaked against his. “Whatever it is, I’m not gonna change my mind, Keyla.”

 

She hoped with all of her heart he meant that, a frown marring her features and shivered at the feeling of his facial hair once again brushing against her skin. “This is important, Baron.  Please stop distracting me, so I can get this out.” Pleading was the only way to make him back off long enough to have the conversation. “I swear, if you still wanna rip my clothes off and fuck me into the mattress after hearing what I have to say, I’ll let you, but you have to hear this first, wolf man.”

 

Again with the wolf reference.  Why was she suddenly calling him a wolf of all things?  Granted, he loved wolves and they were his favorite animal, but that wasn’t something Keyla knew about him.  At least, not to Baron’s knowledge.  Then again, they had gotten tipsy with each other a few times, borderline drunk, so there was a chance he mentioned that fact in one of the many talks they had.  His eyes blackened more at the mention of tearing her clothes off and Baron already planned on doing it regardless of what she had to say.

 

“Out with it then.” He ordered somewhat gruffly, the tightening of his black jeans he had on extremely uncomfortable. “Come on, don’t get shy on me now.” Pulling her away from the window, Baron turned her around to face him and guided her over to the bed, sitting down on it so he wasn’t towering over her. “What’s on your mind, beautiful?”

 

Standing between his legs, Keyla felt her nervousness slowly melt away and appreciated the patience Baron had.  Not a lot of men would put up with this and call her a cock tease.  Not Baron though.  That made Keyla want to be with him even more.  First thing was her confession and then they could get down to business if he didn’t leave her high and dry.

 

“It’s been…a long time for me.” Molten gold eyes lowered from clouded black to stare at the carpeted floor, Keyla finding it more interesting suddenly than the man seated in front of her.

 

Baron was confused, clearing his throat and could see Keyla’s shy side surfacing again. “You’re gonna have to give me more than that, sweetheart.  I’m not good with riddles.”

 

“This.  Doing this.  Having sex, screwing, fucking, making love, whatever you wanna call it.  It’s been a long time for me.” Keyla confessed in a rush of words, shutting her eyes and started taking a step back from Baron when his arm encircled her waist, pulling her closer. “Baron…”

 

“Is that all you gotta say?” He asked patiently, already sliding his huge hand up and down her back to try soothing her as much as he could, Keyla nodding a few seconds later. “How long?”

 

Keyla had to think back for a minute, pretty sure she would have cobwebs in her vagina when the answer finally came to mind. “2 ½ years or so…” Had it really been that long since she felt the touch of a man or had a dick inside of her? “I – um – I’m probably really tight and…didn’t want you thinking I was a virgin or something.  Because that’s a huge responsibility to take someone’s virginity…” That sounded completely stupid and childish, Keyla chided herself mentally, finally looking up to stare in those black eyes again.

 

It would be an honor to take Keyla’s virginity, but Baron was silently thankful she wasn’t and just hadn’t had sex in a while.  He was mind-boggled, not understanding how such a beautiful creature like Keyla could go that long without a man touching her.  Every nerve-ending of her body had to be extremely sensitive and Baron would have to take extra care during their sexual bout.

 

“Alright…anything else you need to tell me?”

 

Keyla sucked in a sharp breath the moment his strong hands planted on her jean covered backside and shook her head. “No.” The ball was entirely in his court now and whatever happened next was solely on Baron.

 

A slow predatory smirk curved his lips as Baron pushed her back enough to lower on his knees in front of her, his hands never once leaving her beautiful backside.  It was very squeezable and perfectly round, fitting flawlessly in his hands.  They had talked enough; it was time to let his actions speak louder than words.  Pushing her forward until her jean covered crotch was eyelevel with his mouth, Baron massaged her outer thighs and backside while wrapping his mouth around the button of her jeans.  Keyla gasped, watching wide-eyed as Baron proceeded to not only unbutton her jeans with his mouth, but also brought the zipper down using his teeth. 

 

Apparently, her confession about not having sex in a long time didn’t faze or scare him away and he still wanted to be with her.  Her hands slid over his short dark hair to grip it again, pressing soft kisses to his forehead while Baron slid the jeans down her smooth pale legs.  Once she stepped out of them, Baron tossed the material over his shoulder to the floor at the foot of the bed and that left Keyla clad in a pair of baby blue cotton bikini panties along with the white crop top.  To say it was the sexiest vision he ever saw in his life would’ve been an understatement.

 

Instead of standing to push her on the bed and finish the undressing process, Baron had other plans in mind.  Eventually, they would get down to business and have sex, but he wanted to show Keyla what she’d been missing as far as the world of intimacy went.  It was a crime this woman had gone 2 ½ years without being touched by a man and Baron vowed to rectify that, to make her feel safe and wanted, no matter how long it took.  Something had to happen for her to be celibate as long as she was, a bad relationship perhaps.  Baron could speculate about it all night, but he had a job to do and that was making Keyla feel like a complete woman again.  All of his speculation and curiosity could be done at a later time.

 

Baron trailed hot kisses around her lower abdomen just above the waistband of her panties, using the newly grown out facial hair to add sensation.  Keyla’s fingers tightened in his hair a little more, her breathing quickening and could already feel her panties dampen at his administrations.  The smell of her arousal infiltrated Baron’s nostrils, making them flare and his mind instantly slid into a thick passion haze fog.  Hooking his thumbs in the waistband, Baron slid the material down her legs much like he had the jeans and noticed she had a little hair below.  That was fine with him, he would dig through a forest with his tongue if it meant tasting her sweet essence on his tongue. 

 

Growling at her strong scent, Baron helped Keyla out of her heels before standing to his full height, removing the t-shirt to join it with the building pile of clothing.  Then, he lifted Keyla against him and deposited her on the bed, pressing her down while he immediately lowered to his knees again, draping her soft legs over his broad muscular slightly tattooed shoulders.  His mouth now hovered over her dripping sex and Baron took both of her hands in each of his, lacing their fingers together to plant them on the bed.  It was time for his late night snack and one he’d been craving since the moment he met this dark blue haired beauty.

 

The assumption of the sensitivity of her body was right on the money.  Keyla whimpered, throwing her head back and tried pulling her linked fingers from Baron’s, but he was steadfast.  He didn’t want her touching him and it was complete torture!  All she wanted to do was bury her fingers in his hair while he pleasured her with his tongue and he wouldn’t allow it.  This was pure purgatory, though the moment his hot breath puffed against her clit, all Keyla could do was sink down on the bed and let Baron have his way with her.  Anything he wanted to do she was up for.  A soft cry echoed off the walls followed by another as Baron plunged his tongue in and out of her warm tight folds.  He growled at the first taste of her, the sweet ambrosia on his tongue forever seared in his brain.

 

The sound of his name coming from her mouth was pure music to Baron’s ears while he continued snacking, bringing Keyla to that razor edge and pulling back before she could fall over.  As much as he wanted her to climax in his mouth and surrender to him, it was fun watching her squirm and writhe breathlessly on the bed because of what he did to her.  What he made her feel.  Moaning uncontrollably and begging him to end her torment, Baron finally took pity on her almost an hour later, thrusting his tongue relentlessly in and out of her, suckling on her bundle of nerves.  Flicking his tongue against it to help build her climax faster, Baron could tell it wouldn’t be long and cupped his entire mouth over her sex, shutting his eyes the moment her release triggered.  Her screaming his name sounded better than the moaning version and Baron silently vowed to make her do it again.

 

While Keyla sunk further into the bed in a sweaty exhausted heap, Baron cleaned her up with his tongue and didn’t let a single drop escape him.  It was too addicting and wonderful to waste on the hotel bedding.  Slowly working his way up, Baron left a fiery trail up the length of her body until he came to the crop top.  That had to go if they were to continue further, which they would if he had anything to say about it.  Keyla had her arms already above her head, her chest rising and falling rapidly from the intense climax she just experienced.  Through hazy molten golden eyes, Keyla saw only Baron and nobody else, thinking of him alone.  Jon was nowhere in her mind during their time together and she was perfectly fine with it, wondering if this what it took to finally make Moxley disappear.  Once her top was gone, Baron lifted Keyla up by the hands to sit upright and captured her mouth in a passionate kiss, unfastening her bra with a few flicks of his wrist.

 

If she had to be completely naked, so did he.  Keyla broke the kiss and pushed Baron back enough to undo his jeans, using her feet to push them down his long muscular slightly hairy legs.  He didn’t show his legs off in his wrestling attire, so there was no point in shaving or waxing the hair.  Keyla wasn’t surprised to find he went commando either, finding it incredibly sexy and pulled him back on top of her, her eyes locked with him.  Their mouths connected with Baron settling between her soft thighs and lifting her legs to press against his sides.  Before Keyla removed his jeans, Baron had pulled out the condom from his back pocket and broke the kiss, picking it up from the bed.  He ripped it open with his teeth and pulled the lubricated object from the packet, sliding it over his pulsating cock.  All Keyla could do was admire his size and girth, hoping Baron managed to fit all the way inside of her.  She would’ve lied if she said she wasn’t nervous, especially from how big he was.

 

No turning back now, she thought, sucking her bottom lip between her teeth as Baron slid his condom covered cock up and down her wet slit.  Keyla was still soaking for him and hadn’t dried up even after all the foreplay he gave her.  Baron definitely knew what he was doing in the bedroom.  Pulling him down to completely cover her body, Keyla enjoyed the weight of his body on top of her and once again kissed him, gasping in his mouth when he began pushing past her slick tight folds.  Her thighs trembled along with the rest of her body at the invasion, but it was one she desperately wanted and needed.  Baron grunted out several times while pushing inside of her, not realizing how tight she was during the foreplay and nearly lost his breath, burying his face in the crook of her neck to try maintaining his own control.

 

Once they were fully acclimated to each other and Keyla was stretched to the limits, Baron began rocking in and out of her body slowly.  The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her.  It meant so much to Keyla how slow and affectionate he was toward her, taking her needs into consideration instead of simply screwing her to gain his own release.  They stayed in this position with her on her back and Baron above her, but he did lift both of her legs up to stand straight up in the air while his cock drove in and out of her.  Keyla lost count how many positions they switched in and out of or how much she came for him, crying out Baron’s name every time.  5 hours later, they both collapsed on the bed with her on top of him and covered in sweat, their slick bodies sliding against each other.  Baron held her tightly against him while trying to regulate his breathing and wasn’t surprised when Keyla passed out on top of him, chuckling softly.

 

“Sleep well, sweetheart.” He murmured, repositioning them on the bed so he spooned up against her and let the darkness overtake him as well, a content smile on both of their faces.

 

Chapter 14

 

September, October and most of November flew by almost overnight.  Keyla spent all of her free time with Baron, most of it naked in their hotel rooms.  Sometimes she stayed with him, but somehow they ended up in her room 90% of the time.  The sex was incredible; there were no issues between them as far as the bedroom went.  Baron kept his distance while they were at work because Keyla wasn’t a fan of public affection.  They hadn’t figured out what they were over the past 3 months and Baron was starting to wonder if all Keyla wanted from him was strictly sex.  Neither of them had brought up the subject and just enjoyed each other’s company, trying their best to keep feelings and emotions out of it.  Eventually, the talk would have to happen and Baron decided he would let Keyla be the one to bring it up.  The last thing he wanted to do was push her into a relationship if all she wanted from him was sex.

 

The night before Thanksgiving found Keyla’s hands pressed against Baron’s bare chest while she rode him, rolling her hips while his dick settled inside of her.  She had an early flight in the morning to go back to Philadelphia, planning on spending it with Lennox cooking.  Sami and Gina were also joining them since Sami’s family lived back in Ohio and Gina didn’t speak to hers much.  Baron was going home to Kansas to be with his family, though all he really wanted to do was spend the holiday with Keyla.  She hadn’t invited him, however, so he wasn’t about to force the issue.  Clamping his hands on her hips, Baron tried not to think about the impending problems between him and the woman currently riding his dick like a stallion.  Her moans made his dark eyes drift shut and his growls mixed with them, the sound reverberating off the walls of the hotel room.

 

Sitting upright, Baron began thrusting harder, faster and deeper inside of her, working their bodies into a moist frenzy.  Keyla didn’t mind the new position, gripping his shoulders for dear life and felt her nails dig into them, leaving half-crescent shaped moons embedded in his skin.  It didn’t bother Baron and just fueled the fire within him more, wanting to give this woman everything he had inside and out.  If she would only give him a chance.  His mouth sealed to the side of her neck while plummeting in and out of her body relentlessly, her whimpering a sign she was close to climaxing.  Truthfully, so was he.  Keyla lulled her head back while Baron’s tongue and teeth teased the sensitive spot just below her ear, the one spot that was sure to be her undoing every time they engaged in sexual activity.  It didn’t take long for Baron to find that spot and Keyla had zero complaints, thoroughly enjoying all the sex she’d had with Baron lately.

 

However, it wasn’t enough to make Jon Moxley disappear out of her mind or heart.

 

The first month after they had sex, Keyla would either leave Baron to be alone or escape in the bathroom to cry.  She felt guilty for screwing another man when her heart still fully belonged to Jon.  What was she supposed to do though?  Lennox was right; she had to stop pining over a man who didn’t want to be with her and start giving someone else a chance.  It killed her to think this way, but reality was reality and facts were facts.  If Jon wanted to be with her, he would’ve kept contact instead of cutting all communication 2 ½ years ago.  Baron still didn’t know about her past with Jon and, if Keyla had it her way, he never would.  It was nobody’s business and there was no reason to bring up her past relationships when all they were doing was having sex.  She had no idea how Baron felt about this situation because, if Keyla did, she would’ve stopped having sex with him immediately.

 

Meeting him for every thrust, Keyla’s thoughts and worries evaporated when Baron’s mouth lowered from her neck to her breasts.  Keyla looked down, watching her nipple disappear into his hungry mouth and buried her fingers in his longer dark hair, which rested against his neck by now.  The longer look suited him better and his facial hair was now a small beard with just enough length to tease her in all the right areas on her body.  He connected his sideburns with the beard, so he actually looked like a wolf, of sorts.  With Keyla’s help, Baron had found his character and it was just a matter of waiting for the higher ups in WWE to approve of it.  Keyla didn’t take any credit for it, but Baron gave it to her because she’d been the one to bring up the wolf idea in the first place by calling him ‘wolf man’.  Letting her mouth drop open as Baron gave her other breast the same treatment, Keyla was on the verge of completely falling apart against him.

 

“Cum for me now, sweetheart.” Baron ordered in a husky low growl, his blackened eyes looking up at her once he was done tormenting her breasts. “NOW!”

 

His command was all Keyla needed to hear and felt her body respond to his voice, hot juices flowing out of her body while her walls wrapped around his cock in a warm wet cocoon.  Her release triggered Baron’s, both of them bellowing out and he exploded dangerously inside of her, filling the condom he had on over halfway.  If only he could fill her with his seed, Baron would be the happiest man on planet earth if that ever happened.  Then again, he didn’t want to risk the chance of Keyla getting pregnant, knowing they were far – FAR off from discussing kids.  First, they had to figure out if they were a couple and in a relationship, then eventually that talk could take place.  Baron didn’t stop thrusting until his dick went completely limp and slid out of her receptive body, Keyla leaning against him with droopy eyes.  He had to wonder if she used him as a sedative because, every time they had sex, Keyla fell asleep almost instantly or soon after. 

 

Letting her collapse on the bed beside him with her leg draped over his, Baron laid back on the bed folding his arms beneath his head, staring up at the ceiling.  Eventually, he rolled over to pull her against him after making sure to set the alarm since they both had early flights to catch in the morning.  Just as the clock struck 2 AM, all hell suddenly broke loose.  Baron woke up to the sound of Keyla’s cell phone ringing off the hook, rubbing his tired eyes and answered it, wondering who the hell was calling her at this late hour.  A man’s shaky voice begged to talk to Keyla and Baron heaved a sigh, nudging her awake to give her the phone before sliding out of bed to go to the bathroom.  He wanted to give Keyla privacy and tried not to eavesdrop on her conversation while relieving his bladder.

 

“Hello?” Keyla greeted sleepily, scrubbing a hand down her face and felt her eyes snap wide open the moment she heard Danny Havoc’s voice on the other line.

 

“Keyla, she n-needs you…”

 

“Danny?  Why are you calling me?  Who needs me?” Then Keyla fully awoke and felt a tight knot form in the pit of her stomach, having a sinking feeling she knew who he was talking about. “Danny…”

 

Sniffling, Danny lit up a cigarette and tried to keep his emotions in check. “It’s Lennox.  S-She was attacked tonight at the tattoo parlor…” He took a long shaky drag, leaning against the outside wall of the hospital by the emergency room doors. “W-We’re at the hospital now…”

 

“Oh my god…” Keyla whispered, immediately jumping out of bed and started swiping her clothes from the floor, breathing extremely heavy. “Is she okay?!  What the hell happened?!  Why was she attacked?!” The hysterical questions flew out of her mouth one after the other, not giving Danny a chance to answer any of them. “What the fuck is going on?!”

 

Baron rushed out of the bathroom when he heard Keyla shouting and saw her trying to pull her panties on while holding her cell phone against her ear. “Whoa, whoa, calm down, Keyla…” He tried reaching out to help her and blinked when she pushed him away from her, noticing the tears flowing down her cheeks. “What happened?”

 

“I don’t know!” Keyla snapped, sitting on the bed and pulled her jeans on as fast as she could, listening to the explanation Danny gave her.  It was half-ass naturally. “So in other words, you have no fucking idea what happened to her and you went to the hospital after finding out from Gina she was there.  Do you even know how long she’s been in the hospital?” She wanted to strangle Danny for not being there to protect the woman he supposedly loved because of his drug addiction.

 

“Just tonight, from what Gina told me…” Danny muttered, feeling like the lowest piece of scum and could hear the anger in Keyla’s voice.  He didn’t blame her because he was a dick for not being there to protect Lennox. “I’m sor-”

 

“Fuck you.” Keyla wasn’t just angry, she was enraged and wanted to kill Danny just so he could be out of her best friend’s life forever. “Fuck your apology.  You have no right apologizing after everything you’ve done and put Lennox through.  Thanks for the call, I’ll be there in a couple hours, asshole.” Hanging up on him, Keyla tossed her phone to the side on the bed and buried her head in her hands, trembling from head to toe.

 

This wasn’t supposed to happen.  Her best friend had been attacked at her own tattoo parlor and now she was in the hospital the on Thanksgiving Day!  Keyla felt the bed dip beside her and knew it was Baron, accepting his arm wrapping around her shoulders because she needed the comfort right now.  She had to get to Philadelphia immediately and be by Lennox’s side instead of Danny.  Gina had to be there, but she wouldn’t stand up to Danny or force him out of the room the way Keyla would.  The last thing Lennox needed was her drug addict boyfriend making her miserable after she was viciously attacked.

 

“I-I have to get out of here.  I have to call the airport and try to get an earlier flight.” Keyla stated in a rush of words, trying to stand up from the bed only to be pulled back down, watery citrine orbs looking up into concerned dark brown. “Baron…”

 

“I don’t know what happened, but you’ve gotta calm down before you end up hurting yourself.  Then you’ll be no good to Lennox.  Now take a deep breath and tell me what happened.” Baron instructed in a low baritone, his voice still gruff with sleep since he wasn’t fully awake yet. “Talk to me.”

 

“My best friend was apparently attacked tonight at the tattoo parlor she runs in Philly.  I don’t know the details because I didn’t let her scumbag ex-boyfriend tell me.  He shouldn’t even be there since he hasn’t cared two shits about her in months.  Now suddenly he wants to pretend like everything is hunky dory and get back in her good graces?  Fuck him.” Keyla angrily explained, not bothering to sugar coat how she felt about Danny Havoc at the moment. “I need to get there and find out what really happened.” The problem was it was Thanksgiving Day and Keyla had a sinking feeling all the flights were booked going to Philadelphia. “I have to get to her and make sure she’s alright.  I have to see with my own eyes she’s alive and not dead.”

 

Baron could see worry and fear swirling in Keyla’s citrine orbs, his heart clenching painfully in his chest.  He didn’t like seeing her this uptight and upset over a situation that was out of her control.  There was no way he could let her fly to Philadelphia by herself, not in this current state of mind.  Knowing his luck, Keyla would be halfway to the hospital and crash her car into a pole or something because she wasn’t paying attention to the road.  No, Baron wouldn’t have that on his conscience and knew what he had to do, softly brushing his lips against her forehead.

 

“Everything is gonna be fine with your friend.  And I’m going with you to make sure you get to the hospital in one piece.”

 

Keyla’s head snapped up, her eyes wide in perplexity. “No Baron, no I can’t ask you to do that.  It’s Thanksgiving and your family is looking forward to seeing you.  I’ll be fine and-”

 

Pressing his finger against her lips to stop the rambling session, Baron quickly replaced it with his mouth and pulled her fully into his arms, only breaking the kiss when they both needed oxygen. “Don’t argue with me, sweetheart.  I won’t have any fun with my family if I’m constantly worrying about you.  Trust me, they’ll understand and if they don’t, that’s their problem.  I’d rather spend today with you anyway.”

 

His confession made her heart leap in her throat and Keyla had no words, simply chewing her bottom lip pensively.  She could tell Baron had already made his mind up and there was no changing it.  The airport would have to change his flight to hers and there was a huge possibility of that not happening.  If it came down to it, they would have to drive from Florida to Philadelphia, which would take 15 hours or more depending on traffic.  Sighing, Keyla wouldn’t argue with Baron anymore and simply kissed him as a way of thanks for coming with her.  Then she grabbed her cell phone and called the airport, praying they could somehow work with her and Baron with their flights.  It took an hour, but miraculously, Keyla and Baron managed to have their flights changed to 5 AM flights instead of 7 AM.  While Keyla was dealing with the airport, he packed their things away, or what was left lying around the room, and rejoined her on the bed to wait on the news.

 

“Are you sure you wanna do this?” Keyla asked, stepping out of the hotel room while Baron had both of their luggage in hand, looking up at him apprehensively.

 

Baron smiled, caressing her face with the back of his hand and nodded, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “Yes, stop worrying about it.  My family will understand.  I can always go home next week or something on my days off to see them.  Now come on, we have a flight to catch and a friend to check on.”

 

Satisfied with his answer, Keyla didn’t question Baron’s decision again and left the hotel with him, hoping and praying Lennox was alright when they arrived at the hospital.

 

Chapter 15

 

“What are you doing here?”

 

“What are you doing here?”

 

Both questions were asked simultaneously by Keyla and Sami upon running into each other at the airport.  The look of concern and worry in his green eyes told Keyla everything she needed to know.  Of course Gina would call and cry to Sami about what happened to Lennox!  Keyla had been so distraught and busy trying to change her flight, she didn’t think of calling Sami or Drake for that matter.  Baron watched the smaller man walk up to hug Keyla tightly, cupping the back of her head while she wept.  It was the reverse position he found them in back in late August when Baron waited at the airport to surprise Keyla with a bouquet of red roses.  He thought Keyla and Sami were together back then until she explained they were lifelong friends.  Still, the jealously remained and boiled inside of Baron, his dark eyes narrowing slightly when Keyla just held Sami tighter against her.

 

“It’s gonna be okay, Kay.” Sami mollified, ignoring Baron and focused solely on one of his best friends since she was incredibly upset. “We’ll find out what happened and deal with it.  Whoever hurt her will pay, I promise you that.”

 

Sniffling, Keyla looked up from having her face buried in Sami’s chest and wiped her tears away, nodding in agreement. “Damn right they will.” If Danny had anything to do with it, he was living on borrowed time. “I’m sorry I didn’t call you.”

 

“Don’t worry about it.  Gina called me immediately and told me what happened.” Then Sami directed his attention on Baron, folding his arms in front of his chest. “What’s he doing here?” This was a family matter and Baron wasn’t part of it.

 

“He’s coming with me to see Lennox.  He didn’t want me going alone.” Keyla rejoined Baron’s side and felt his arm wrap around her shoulders, not noticing the possessiveness in his dark eyes.

 

Sami did though. “I thought he was going home to Kansas to be with his family for the holiday?” Theirs was ruined due to Lennox’s attack, but that didn’t mean Baron had to sacrifice his holiday. “We have it covered; there’s no reason he needs to come to Philly.”

 

Not understanding Sami’s cold attitude toward Baron, Keyla linked her fingers with his and squeezed, cracking a small smile. “I already tried convincing him not to come with me and he refused to listen.  So I’m not gonna stop him from doing what he wants to do.  Besides, Lennox and Gina haven’t met him yet.”

 

This wasn’t a social gathering or the time to bring someone new into the Indy family, especially not knowing what Lennox’s status was.  However, Sami didn’t want to upset Keyla more than she already was, so he bit his tongue and merely sat down to wait for their flight to be called.  Baron could tell Sami wasn’t happy Keyla had defended him and smirked, bending down to kiss the top of her head.  From that gesture, maybe Keyla did feel the same way he did and wanted a relationship with him.  That talk would have to wait because the first priority was checking on Lennox as soon as they landed in Philadelphia.

 

A half an hour later, everyone boarded the plane.

 

~!~

 

Baron insisted on driving to the hospital since Keyla was a bundle of nerves.  She hadn’t stopped bouncing her knee the entire flight and lit a cigarette as soon as they were out of the airport.  It was nearing 6:30 AM, security taking a bit longer to get through than usual because of the holiday.  Sami offered them a ride so Keyla didn’t have to waste money renting a vehicle, but Baron declined.  He wanted some alone time with Keyla before they arrived at the hospital…and to get away from Sami’s scrutinized stare.  Slipping behind the wheel, Baron cranked the heat and put the car in reverse, peeling out of the airport parking lot moments later. 

 

He’d already put in the hospital’s address in the GPS, not wanting Keyla to worry about pointing out directions on how to get there.  All Baron wanted her to do was breathe and try to calm down, holding her hand the entire drive.  Pulling up to the emergency room sliding doors, Baron wasn’t surprised to see Keyla hop out of the vehicle and rush inside.  He offered to go park the car while she checked on her friend, shaking his head at how fast she moved.  Keyla stopped at the check-in counter, seeing a nurse sitting behind the desk filing her nails.  She wanted to reach over and strangle the troll, gritting her teeth before slamming her hands down on the counter harshly.  The woman jumped out of her skin, not realizing someone was standing in front of her and cleared her throat, setting the nail file down.

 

“May I help you?”

 

“Yeah, we’re looking for Lennox Sparks.  She was brought in earlier tonight and we’re close friends of hers.” Sami explained, placing a hand on Keyla’s tense shoulder and smiled warmly at the receptionist. “Any help you can give us would be much appreciated.”

 

How could Sami be so calm, cool and collected about this?  Keyla was a nervous wreck and just wanted to be by Lennox’s side.  The woman smiled back, clicking a few keys on her computer and informed them where Lennox was being held.  She had a private room and, even though the policy was family only, she would bend the rules just once.  Only because she recognized Sami from the wrestling organization CZW and was a huge fan, asking for an autograph.  Again, Keyla wanted to co-cock the receptionist in the face because now wasn’t the time to ask for a stupid autograph!

 

“Go see her.  I’ll wait for Baron and then join you.” Sami offered, handing over the pass to Keyla and nudged her gently toward the open double doors leading to the hallway Lennox’s room was in. “Tell Gina I’m here too.”

 

“Thank you.” Keyla whispered, kissing his cheek and took off down the hallway, looking for room 21. 

 

Then she realized Lennox was being kept in the ICU and swallowed hard, knowing whatever happened to her had to be horrible.  A few minutes later, Keyla spotted Gina sitting outside of Lennox’s room and joined her, both women embracing tightly.  If Keyla was here, she assumed Sami wasn’t far behind and that did Gina’s heart good because she desperately needed her man right now.

 

“What happened?” Keyla immediately asked, pulling back to look into Gina’s sky blue eyes that were red-rimmed and swollen from all the crying she’d done.

 

“I don’t know.  I was in the backroom pulling out supplies to fill the shop with and didn’t hear anything.  Lennox had stepped outside for a smoke and was supposed to join me.  Usually a smoke break is 5-10 minutes tops for her, so when 20 minutes went by, I went to check on her.  I walked outside and went around to the side of the building where she usually takes her smoke breaks and found her…face down.” Gina shut her eyes, sucking in a sharp breath and knew the image of Lennox laying lifeless would forever sear her memory. “There was blood from a cut on the back of her head and…the weapon had some on it too.  I freaked out and immediately called 911.  I didn’t try moving her in case she’d been hit in other…places…”

 

“Christ…” Keyla muttered, sliding fingers through her hair and glanced at the door, the curtains drawn to prevent prying eyes from looking through the huge window. “Is she awake?  Or is she still unconscious?”

 

“Shortly after she was brought in, she woke up with a massive headache and she’s sore from head to toe.  I think her wrist is sprained too…” Gina figured she might as well tell Keyla who else was in the room with their friend. “Fair warning, Danny’s in there and hasn’t left her side except for quick smoke breaks.  I asked her if she wanted me to call security to get him out of here and she refused to do it.  So they might be getting back together.” That left a sour bad taste in her mouth because Lennox deserved a lot better than some drug addicted prick for a boyfriend, in Gina’s opinion.

 

Keyla didn’t like the sound of that and would do whatever she could to shut down Lennox going back to Danny. “I’ll talk to her.  Sami’s here and will join us shortly.  I’m going in to talk to her if she’s up.  Don’t blame yourself for this, Gina.  You would’ve been attacked too if you walked outside too soon and then you’d be in a hospital bed as well.”

 

“Thanks…” Gina felt some of the guilt lift from her shoulders and went to take her seat when her eyes noticed someone turn the corner, her eyes instantly shooting open. “Sami…” Running into his arms, Sami caught her and Gina wrapped her legs around his waist, clinging to him for dear life.

 

Cracking the barest hint of a smile, Keyla knew Gina was in very good hands now and nodded toward Baron before pushing open Lennox’s hospital room door.  Danny’s head snapped up, his eyes bloodshot and swollen.  Keyla didn’t pay him any attention and walked to the other side of the bed, tears already stinging her eyes.  Lennox looked so fragile and pale lying there, her chest rising and falling steadily.  Her head was wrapped in a thick white gauze and her arm was in a sling with the wrist bandaged in medical tape.  Her eyes were black and blue, so either she was punched in the face or she’d suffered multiple blows to her head.  It was a miracle she wasn’t in a coma from this attack.  Blinking, tears slid down her cheeks as Keyla took a seat beside her best friend and took her left injured hand, holding it with both of hers.

 

“I’m here now, Len.  I’m not going anywhere.”

 

Danny felt incredibly awkward being in the same room as Keyla, knowing the woman hated his guts.  He didn’t know what to say about this situation.  There was a lot to make up for everything that happened to Lennox.  Even though he didn’t attack her, Danny felt responsible and would do whatever he could to make things right with Lennox.  If she gave him a chance.  Rubbing the back of his neck, Danny excused himself and walked out of the room for a much needed cigarette, leaving Keyla and Lennox alone.

 

“Is he gone?”

 

Keyla’s head rose and her eyes widened at the sight of Lennox’s violet orbs opening slowly. “Yeah…have you been awake this entire time?”

 

“Yeah…” Lennox didn’t have a lot of time with Keyla because Danny would come back to stay with her. “Been up for a while, but I don’t wanna talk to him.  I have no idea what to say and I’m in too much pain to deal with his sob story right now.”

 

“If you don’t want him in here, I’ll send him packing, Lennox.” Keyla offered, not releasing her friend’s hand and saw her slowly shake her head. “You don’t want him here though, right?”

 

Lennox frowned, shutting her eyes momentarily and scooted up in bed a little to get more comfortable. “I don’t know what I want anymore, Key.  I’m confused and hurt, both physically and mentally.  I don’t know how he found out I was here either because Gina didn’t call him.  She told me herself she would never call him.  The only person she called was Sami, which I understand why and I’m glad because he’s my friend.  It’s just too coincidental he managed to find out I was here and, as much as I wanna question why, I’m also afraid of the answer.”

 

“Do you think…he had something to do with this?” Keyla hesitantly asked and Lennox shrugged, honestly not knowing the answer. “Tell me what happened.  Maybe we can somehow figure this out.  Gina told me you went out for a smoke break and how she found you.  What do you remember?”

 

“Danny called me earlier last night asking about Thanksgiving and what I was doing for it.  We’ve been talking a little more lately and trying to figure out what to do about my living arrangements.  He wants me to move back in, but I don’t trust him yet.  Anyway, I told him I was spending it with you and he wasn’t invited because you hated him.  He started getting pissed off and told me if I wanted us to get our relationship back on track, I would spend the holiday with him.  I told him I’d think about it and we hung up.  I didn’t hear from him again and tried calling him during my smoke break, but there was no answer.  I was only halfway done with my cigarette when I felt a pain zip up my lower back and…that’s all I remember besides waking up here with machines beeping in my ear annoying me.” Lennox explained, wincing when another pain zipped through her back and had to shift to find a different spot on the bed.

 

“So because he didn’t answer his phone, that’s why you think he’s connected to this?” Keyla pried, watching Lennox nod and felt her teeth start grinding together, the bubbling hatred for Danny growing. “I swear to god, if he did this to you…”

 

Lennox took her hand out of Keyla’s to hold it up, shaking her head. “I didn’t say he did it, but…I think it has something to do with his drug dealer.  I can’t be sure though.” Danny told her about the money he owed and if he didn’t cough it up soon, he would end up dead in a dark alley somewhere in Philadelphia.

 

“Why do you say that?” Keyla could tell Lennox was hiding information from her and didn’t know how to feel about it, heaving a sigh. “Never mind, the important thing is you’re safe and alive now.  You need to get some rest and we’ll figure this out when you’re better.  I’m not going anywhere until Sunday, so I’ll take care of you and if you wanna go back on the road with me, you can.”

 

“You don’t have to…”

 

“I WANT to though.  You’re my best friend and I’m not leaving until I know you’re alright.  You worried me half to death with this attack, Len.” Keyla took her hand again, needing some kind of contact with the woman she considered more than a friend.  They were family, just as Sami said. “I probably should tell you I brought an extra guest to stay with us for the holiday weekend.”

 

Lennox arched a slow brow and immediately smiled at Keyla’s sheepish grin, chuckling. “Baron’s here, isn’t he?”

 

“Yeah…” Keyla glanced at the door, seeing him peeking in and winked in his direction before he walked away to give them more privacy, looking back at Lennox. “You don’t mind, do you?”

 

“Absolutely not.  I’m happy for you, Key.” Lennox let out a long yawn, her eyes becoming droopy and closed her eyes. “I’m gonna rest for a while.  If Danny comes back, tell him to go home.  There’s nothing more he can do here.”

 

Keyla nodded, already planning on kicking Danny out the moment he stepped through the door.  As soon as Lennox was released from the hospital, she was coming home with Keyla and Baron, not that lowlife.  Something in the pit of her stomach told her Danny was responsible for this attack, but Keyla couldn’t figure out why.  One thing was certain: If Danny didn’t get his head out of his backside and stop the drug use, he would lose Lennox forever.

 

It was either drugs or Lennox, but it was clear he couldn’t have both in his life.

 

Chapter 16

 

While Keyla kept watch over Lennox, Baron followed Sami and Gina outside to talk to Danny.  He was on the phone talking quietly to someone, a cigarette between his fingers hanging loosely at his side.  Danny was oblivious to the others, his main focus on the call and his back faced the emergency room doors.  Baron didn’t know why, but the vibe he felt from Danny wasn’t good or healthy.  Keyla had told him about Lennox and Danny’s rocky relationship over the past year, so he knew about the man’s drug heavy drug addiction.  Baron had his own assumptions on what could’ve happened to Lennox, but he wouldn’t voice them.  Not here where Danny could overhear.  The last thing he wanted was to throw the man in a rage with his estranged girlfriend in the hospital.

 

“Danny.” Sami greeted solemnly as soon as Danny finished with his phone call, extending his hand. “How are you holding up, man?”

 

“Been better.” Danny replied, ignoring Gina and leaned back against the wall to finish his half-burnt smoke.

 

Gina frowned, feeling the cold demeanor exude from Danny and clutched Sami’s hand tighter, worried sick about Lennox. “D-Did the doctor say anything about her condition?” Danny had been the one in there during the examination while Lennox was still unconscious. “And how – how did you-”

 

“How did I what?” Danny snapped, not in the mood to be questioned and felt his jaw tighten, taking another long drag from his cigarette.

 

Sami looked down at his girlfriend and could tell she was unnerved, pulling her against him for comfort. “What is it, babe?” He asked gently, seeing the tears in her eyes and felt his chest constrict. “Don’t cry, Lennox is gonna be just fine.”

 

Before Gina could open her mouth to question Danny again, the emergency room doors slid open with Keyla stalking out and didn’t stop until she stood directly in front of Danny.  Keyla felt so many different emotions course through her at once, her hand twitching to lash out and smack Danny as hard as she could across the face.  Baron noticed how angry and shaken up Keyla was, immediately standing beside her with his hand on the small of her back.  Danny raised a brow down at one of his closest friends and went to take the last drag of his cigarette when Keyla snatched it from his hand, dropping to the sidewalk before stomping it out with her foot.  With every stomp, she pictured Danny’s face and had to take several deep breaths to keep herself composed.

 

“Stay away from her, Havoc.” It was the nicest way she could come up with to tell him not to reenter the hospital. “She doesn’t want you in there.”

 

Danny snorted, pushing off the wall of the hospital and stepped up to Keyla. “What the fuck are you talking about?  Of course she does!  We’re together and-”

 

“No you’re not.  You’ve been talking and trying to work things out, but you’re not back together yet.  And you won’t be if you don’t remove your head from your ass and stop doing stupid shit.” Keyla snapped, keeping her voice low and stern, citrine eyes narrowing to slits. “I talked to her while you were out here and she asked me not to let you back inside.  She doesn’t want to see or talk to you right now.  And you have nobody to blame for that except yourself.  So take a long walk, preferably off a short pier, and leave my sister alone.  Or else you will answer to me and I’m not as nice and forgiving as she is.  When she’s ready to talk to you again, she will come to you.  Until then, stay the fuck away from her.”

 

“And if I don’t?” Danny taunted, already heading back toward the emergency room entrance and stopped in his tracks when Keyla’s flavor of the month stepped in his way. “Who the fuck are you?”

 

“His name is Baron Corbin, an acquaintance of mine.” Keyla answered, planting her hands on her hips with a cold smile. “If you try to go back into that hospital, you will be tossed out on your ass by security.  I have already informed the nurse’s station and security guards you are not allowed back inside for any reason unless it’s life-threatening.  Your life, that is.” She had all the money in the world to make sure Danny left Lennox alone and to find out what exactly happened to send her best friend into the hospital.

 

Growling, Danny couldn’t believe the audacity of this little bitch to keep him away from Lennox and wondered if he could outmuscle the security guards.  Then his text message music went off, making Danny look down at his phone and swiped his finger across the screen. I need time alone to think about things.  Don’t come back to my room.  This isn’t Keyla’s fault, so don’t argue with her and listen to what she says.  I will call you when I’m ready to talk. The message read clear as day and Danny couldn’t believe what he was reading, his acidic eyes looking back at Keyla with pure disdain and boiling hatred.

 

“This isn’t over.” Danny promised venomously before stalking away from the hospital toward the parking lot, gripping his head in his hands.

 

Keyla’s brave front diminished the moment she saw Danny speed down the street, a shaky breath escaping her lips. “Well that went better than I thought.” She murmured quietly, feeling Baron’s hands rest on her shoulders and reached up to cover one of them.

 

“Are you alright?” Baron was worried Danny would try throwing a fist at Keyla and that alone convinced him the man was the reason for sending Lennox to the hospital.

 

Nodding, Keyla leaned back against him and looked over at Sami, who was comforting his girlfriend at the moment.  Gina was still very shocked and shaken up over the morning’s events, tears spilling down her cheeks while her face buried in Sami’s chest.  As much as she wanted to talk to Sami about this situation, now wasn’t the time.  Keyla would cry once she was in the safety of her house out of the public eye.  Then again, she didn’t want Baron to see her cry, so maybe she would take a shower alone in order to let her emotions out.  Yawning, Keyla felt the fatigue kick in and turned around to look up in Baron’s dark eyes, noticing he was tired as well.  Everyone was running on pure fumes and it was time to get some much needed sleep.  They could solve this mystery later on since Keyla already planned on having a late Thanksgiving dinner once Lennox was released from the hospital tomorrow sometime.

 

“We’re heading back to my place.  If you wanna come with, feel free, but I’m exhausted and so is Baron.” Keyla would come back up to the hospital once she slept and ate to visit with Lennox, not wanting to leave her alone too long.

 

Sami looked down at Gina and wiped her tears away with the pad of her thumbs, kissing her softly. “What do you wanna do, Gi?” He would give her anything if she stopped crying and do whatever made her feel safe.

 

“W-Would you mind if we stayed at Keyla’s?”

 

They were already planning on it before Lennox’s attack and most of Gina’s belongings were at Keyla’s house.  She’d been staying with Lennox, with Keyla’s permission, ever since Lennox started working at the tattoo parlor again.  Lennox didn’t want to be alone in the big house and, since Sami was on the road with Keyla, it made sense for them to keep each other company.

 

“Whatever you want, babe.  That’s fine.” Sami looked over at Keyla and lifted Gina in his arms so she didn’t have to walk, feeling her cling to him for dear life. “We’ll meet you guys over there.” Then he walked off toward his vehicle while Keyla and Baron headed toward their rental.

 

~!~

 

“Home sweet home.” Keyla breathed in the scent of her house, stepping through the front door with Baron following, immediately heading toward the stairs. “My room is up here.  Do you wanna eat first and then go to sleep or sleep and then eat?”

 

Baron shrugged, not caring what they did and carried their luggage up with Keyla leading the way. “Let’s settle in and then figure out what we wanna do.” He suggested, arriving on the second floor and heard the floor creaking beneath his weight.  As old as the house was, Baron felt a sense of security and warmth throughout it, enjoying the atmosphere even though it was Philadelphia. “Nice room.” He commented once inside, setting the luggage down and took a look around, smiling. 

 

“Thanks…” The rainbow bedding would have to go sooner or later, but Keyla liked it and wasn’t sick of it yet.  Probably due to the fact her grandfather bought it for her before he died. “It’s not much, but this is home and I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.”

 

“Not even Tampa?” Baron reached out to take her hand, pulling Keyla closer to him and cupped her face with his free one, softly brushing his mouth against hers. “Or Kansas?”

 

Keyla blinked, not expecting those words to come out of his mouth and cleared her throat awkwardly. “N-Never thought about it…” She sat down on the bed, trying to put some distance between her and Baron.  He scared her with that Kansas question or maybe it was just the drowsiness kicking into high gear. “Kansas doesn’t seem like a place I’d want to live.  Tampa, not sure.  I’m a Philly girl at heart, so it’ll take a lot for me to move to a different state and out of this house.”

 

“Oh.”

 

Baron hadn’t meant to freak her out with his question and hadn’t expected it to come out until it was too late.  He felt strongly for this woman and, every time it seemed like they were making progress, she pulled away from him.  It was frustrating and being called an acquaintance earlier at the hospital hadn’t felt too good either.  None of this could be said though, not with Lennox in the hospital and Keyla on the verge of passing out.  Walking past the dresser, Baron caught something out of the corner of his eye and stopped, turning to look at the frame picture staring back at him.

 

“How do you know Dean Ambrose?”

 

Keyla let out a long yawn, kicking her shoes off and raised a brow back at Baron. “What?  Who is Dean Ambrose?” She watched Baron lift the framed picture from her dresser and swallowed hard, citrine eyes slowly widening. “Umm…”

 

“You don’t know who the man is and yet you took a picture with him.” Baron pointed out, tossing it on the bed and folded his arms in front of his chest. “That’s Dean Ambrose.  He’s on the main roster in the group called the Shield.  How the hell do you know him?”

 

The demand and slight anger in his voice took Keyla by surprise, her hand reaching out to hold the frame picture in her lap. “I don’t know who this Dean Ambrose guy you’re talking about is, but this isn’t him.  This is Jon…Moxley…” Her words trailed off and Keyla suddenly remembered the first talk she ever had with Triple H prior to signing with WWE.

 

“Do you have any experience working in the business? Ever been in the ring?” 

“God no – no definitely not. I couldn’t do something like that.” Keyla shook her head, laughing at how ridiculous these questions were because, honestly, who the hell would think she was wrestling material? “All I’ve ever done is some camera work for both Sami and…” Was she about to mention Jon Moxley to Triple H? Yes, yes she was. “Jon Moxley. I believe he’s on your main roster now as…” 

“Dean Ambrose.” Hunter finished for her, blinking, not expecting to hear that because Dean was currently part of the WWE’s hottest faction known as the Shield right now. “You’re telling me you worked for Dean Ambrose in the Indies?” 

 

“Oh my god…”

 

Keyla slowly looked up at Baron and chewed her bottom lip, wondering how she was supposed to get out of this without telling him her past with Jon.  That would lead into a huge discussion she was too tired to have right now.  Not to mention her past relationship with Sami!  What the hell was she supposed to do?  Baron wouldn’t let this go if she told him it was none of his business.  She had no idea what they were; it definitely wasn’t a relationship because she couldn’t be with another man while Jon still held her heart captive.  Tears swelled in her eyes, the pain filling her chest and Keyla had to push the frame picture away on the bed, standing to let her hair down with her back facing Baron.

 

“Keyla…”

 

“Look, we all have a past.  Yes, I have a past with Jon Moxley – Dean Ambrose – whatever you wanna call him.  And it’s not a good one.” Keyla moved past him to pull out one of her top dresser drawers, pulling out some fresh pajamas while desperately trying to keep the tears from falling. “You don’t want to hear about it, trust me.  I’m pathetic and that’s all you need to know.”

 

Frowning, Baron didn’t like Keyla calling herself names and stepped up behind her, gripping her hips in his strong hands. “No you’re not.” The amount of pain and anguish flooding off of her body made his own anger and frustration weaken. “You’re far from pathetic, sweetheart.  And I’m sorry I brought up a sore subject for you.” As curious as he was about Keyla’s past with Dean Ambrose, it was obvious they were over and done with or else she wouldn’t be this upset.

 

“You didn’t know.” Keyla murmured, shutting her eyes when Baron slowly turned her around to face him and her feet left the carpeted floor, her backside planting on top of her dresser. “What are you doing?”

 

Taking the clothes from her hands, Baron didn’t say a word and slid his hands up the sides of her top, pulling it over her head to leave her clad in a magenta cotton bra.  She was not a fan of lace or fancy lingerie, which Baron had zero problems with.  He was a born and bred country boy, remembering his mother buying her underwear at Walmart.  Apparently his father was happy because they were still together and married for 20 years.  Baron would love Keyla to meet them someday, but he had to take this one step at a time.  It was obvious Dean Ambrose – Jon Moxley – had done something to hurt her and he would do what it could to heal the wounds. 

 

Starting with loving her and holding her while she slept.  Keyla let out a soft moan, clutching his hair as his mouth sealed to her neck and Baron pressed her back against the mirror attached to her dresser.  One piece of clothing disappeared from her body after another, along with his, and soon Baron was balls deep inside of her, screwing her right on the dresser.  Eventually, they would make it to the bed to sleep, but right now sex was on the agenda and neither were complaining, pushing each other to the limit.

 

Chapter 17

 

The following morning was hectic and busy with Keyla starting the day at 6 AM.  Lennox called her a little after 7, asking to be picked up from the hospital since she was being discharged as soon as the doctor saw her.  He was scheduled to come in at 9, so that gave Keyla 3 hours to get everything she needed for their late Thanksgiving dinner.  It was a good thing she had the entire weekend off for a change and so did Baron because of the holiday.  Keyla let him sleep while she ran to the store to grab what she needed to complete the meal.  Lennox had gone shopping prior to the attack and had almost everything, but Keyla noticed a few key ingredients were missing while she sifted through the kitchen.  The first task was basting the turkey and preheating the oven to slow cook it for 5 hours.  It was a 20 pounder and Keyla hoped it was enough to feed everyone since she knew how much Baron and Sami ate.  With the countless sides and a few things Keyla added to the meal, it would have to be enough.  She flipped on the radio, the station classic rock and began prepping the turkey, freezing when a certain song flowed through the speakers.  As if in a time warp, Keyla was suddenly sent back to the first and only Thanksgiving she spent with Sami and Jon Moxley…