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…

 

~!~

 

Thanksgiving 2010.

 

6 AM found Keyla up with a cup of java and standing in front of a 30-pound turkey.  Why did she buy a huge bird?  Oh that’s right, she had two Neanderthals for roommates, who could eat horses for every meal they had!  Lennox and Danny were expected to come as well since neither of them had family in the Philadelphia area.  Besides, they were practically family and Keyla couldn’t imagine spending Thanksgiving with anyone else, not even her Uncle Raymond.  This was the first Thanksgiving she would spend without her now dead parents and Keyla didn’t want to spend the holiday alone, despite her hatred for the conniving people she had to call mother and father.  Pushing that train of thought firmly out of her mind, Keyla bobbed her head to the classic rock music filling the kitchen from the small radio she had attached to the wall. 

 

She kept the music down, not wanting to wake Jon up.  Sami went AWOL ever since their confrontation and his admittance of still wanting to be with her.  That confession still baffled her, especially since Keyla had sex with Sami and didn’t even remember who he was prior to her parents’ death.  Now suddenly he wanted her back after finding out who she was and Keyla couldn’t pick up where they left off.  She was in love with Jon; her love for Sami had died long ago when he left her with her wretched parents while he went off to make his wrestling dream come true.  Sure, she forgave him, but it was tough forgetting and Keyla couldn’t turn her feelings on and off like a light switch, changing it between the two men.

 

Just as Keyla finished basting the turkey, she heard the upstairs bathroom door open and close, footsteps creaking on the stairs. “Sorry if I woke you with the noise.” She apologized, keeping her back to her roommate and opened the hot preheated oven to pop the turkey in.

 

“What the fuck are you doing cooking at 6 in the morning anyway, woman?” Jon demanded through a long yawn, still half-asleep and made his way over to the coffee pot.  He wasn’t functional until he drank his weight in the dark liquid, always taking it black without sugar or creamer.

 

“Seriously?” Keyla glanced over at him with a raised brow and couldn’t believe he didn’t realize today celebrated one of the biggest holidays of the year. “I’ll let you wake up and mull over it a bit more…”

 

“Whatever.” Jon grunted, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly and lowered a hand to scratch his pajama pant covered crotch. 

 

They hung low on his hips and Keyla could tell he wasn’t wearing anything underneath.  Trying to busy herself around the kitchen, Keyla kept bumping into Jon without meaning to.  It seemed they were in sync with moving around the area and the electricity between them couldn’t be missed or ignored.  It’d been over 2 months since their last argument, which had been in August during CZW’s Southern Violence show.  Keyla still had nightmares about what she witnessed and wished she stayed in the back because she’d never seen something so barbaric in her entire life.  She was still his personal camerawoman and they were forced to travel together, but Keyla still held the ‘no sex’ clause over his head and meant it.  Jon had tried several times to seduce her over the past several months and somehow Keyla managed to turn his advances away.  However, her resolve was slowly weakening the longer they spent time together, especially being on the road alone.  Sooner or later, she would cave and let Jon have his way with her, but she would do her best to hold out as long as possible.

 

“Shit, its Thanksgiving today, isn’t it?”

 

Keyla smirked while cutting up vegetables while the rotini noodles boiled on the stove for her pasta salad. “Wow, it only took you an hour to figure that out.” She retorted, placing sliced cherry tomatoes in a bowl that already had carrots, broccoli, cauliflower and green onions.  All that remained was the cucumber, which was more for Danny and Lennox since she loathed them.

 

“Hey, in my defense, when I first wake up in the morning I don’t remember the size of my penis let alone what day it is.”

 

Christ, did he really have to mention his penis when Keyla was on the verge of throwing caution to the wind and tackling him? “Be that as it may…” She cleared her throat and began slicing up the cucumber. “Yes, it’s Thanksgiving and that’s why I’m cooking at 6 in the morning.  It’s going to take all day to make all the food.  Lennox and Danny are coming by whenever they pry themselves out of bed, so that’ll probably be after noon sometime.”

 

“Sami stopping by?” Jon moved to stand right behind her, enjoying the way her bluish black hair piled on top of her head since it’d grown longer throughout the year they’d known each other. “Or is it just us for now?”

 

His mouth was right by her ear and warmth flooded throughout Keyla’s entire body while she continued cutting the cucumber, sliding her tongue out to wet her suddenly bone-dry lips. “Unless Sami decides to come today, it’s just us until Lennox and Danny arrive.” She replied, swallowing hard when Jon’s hand covered hers and the cutting instantly stopped, his strong arm wrapping around her waist.

 

“You’re tense.” Jon pointed out, pulling her away from the counter against his muscular bare chest and buried his nose in the crook of her neck. “Ease up and relax a little, darlin’.”

 

“I am not.” Keyla tried desperately fighting back, but it was no use and she was pure putty in his hands, blinking as their bodies began swaying together to the song playing over the radio. “W-What are you doing?”

 

Jon didn’t respond and instead turned Keyla around to face him, their eyes meeting.  He took her hands in his, lacing their fingers together and began dancing in the kitchen, twirling her around a few times adding dips.  Keyla had never seen Jon act so carefree and silly in all the time she’d known him, enjoying the moment however long it lasted.  He even had a smile on his face, which didn’t happen often because Jon always put up a front with people, including his closest friends.  With Keyla, he was letting his guard down completely and moving to the beat of the song with her, their eyes never leaving each other.

 

“And all the bad boys standing in the shadows…” Jon sang softly while dancing with Keyla, hoping she knew what the next line was.

 

This was one of Keyla’s favorite songs and she knew it by heart. “And the good girls are home with broken hearts…” She sang back just as quietly, thinking her voice sucked when it came to singing, but it didn’t bother Jon. “I’m free – free falling…”

 

They sang the chorus in unison, Keyla’s arms now wrapped around his neck while both swayed to the music and her fingers found the curls at the nape like always.  Jon enjoyed whenever she did it, knowing Keyla had an obsession with his hair and didn’t mind.  It felt great having any part of her against his body and he didn’t know what possessed him to start dancing with her.  She looked stressed to the max over Thanksgiving dinner, so dancing was the first thing that came to mind to help ease her mind.  As well as his.

 

“When I glide down over Mulholland, I wanna write her name in the sky…” Jon started singing along with the song again since it was coming to an end, not wanting this moment to disappear.

 

Neither did Keyla. “Gonna free fall, out into nothing.  Gonna leave this world for a while…” She sang back, their foreheads pressed together and once again the chorus was done together, both completely lost in each other.

 

If there was one person on the planet Keyla wanted to free fall with and escape reality, it was Jon.  It was always Jon.  No other man compared and none ever would.  He was it for her in every way, but somehow Jon was slipping through her fingers.  She didn’t want to lose him, even if she had to be just his fuck buddy for the rest of her life.  As long as Jon was in her life, that’s all that mattered to Keyla and she was stupid for her way of thinking.  This man had complete control of her heart and feelings, crushing her every other day and then the next acting like nothing happened.  It confused her, made her frustrated and ultimately it would be her downfall. 

 

Jon Moxley would be her downfall.

 

“Feel better?” Jon asked once the song ended, not releasing her from his arms and watched Keyla nod, finally unable to resist what he really wanted from her.

 

Thanksgiving dinner was the last thing on Keyla’s mind the moment Jon’s mouth lowered onto hers, kissing all rational thoughts out of her body.

 

~!~

 

Touching her flaming cheeks at the memory, Keyla sucked her bottom lip remembering how late Thanksgiving dinner was that night.  They spent most of the morning fooling around in the kitchen, dancing and ultimately ended up teasing each other mercilessly on the couch in the living room.  Lennox and Danny showed up around 2 PM and hardly anything had been done besides the turkey in the oven and a few sides.  It was a great distraction away from Jon or else the meal would’ve never been finished.  Keyla didn’t regret it either, shutting her eyes humming the song even after it switched over to Scorpions.  She hadn’t thought about that Thanksgiving in a long time and it was one of her only truly great memories of Jon Moxley.

 

“Penny for your thoughts, beautiful?” A low baritone rumbled in her ear from behind, making Keyla and nearly slice her finger with the knife she had.

 

She’d been in such deep thought; Keyla didn’t hear Baron walk downstairs to join her in the kitchen. “You need to wear a bell or something.” She retorted softly, setting the knife down and felt his lips brush against her already thrumming pulse point.

 

“You’re worked up.” Baron noticed the heavy breathing and looked around the kitchen, seeing all the dishes Keyla already prepared. “What time did you get up?  You could’ve woke me; I would’ve helped you.”

 

Keyla knew it was wrong to think about Jon while she was in the company of Baron, letting out a shaky breath. “Just want everything to be perfect for Lennox.” It was the partial truth; she couldn’t sleep with her best friend in the hospital, not even after the many hours spent making love with Baron. “And I’m not asking a houseguest to help me cook.  That’s rude.”

 

Baron sighed, releasing her and walked over to grab a cup of java, wondering if now was the time to bring up the discussion he wanted to have regarding their relationship. “Keyla…”

 

Just then, her cell phone went off and Keyla held her hand up, knowing who it was immediately answering the call.  Baron watched Keyla jot down a few notes on a piece of paper she pulled from the drawer with a pen, glancing at the clock that had just struck 10 AM.  Damn, did he really sleep that long?  Baron thought for sure he’d be up sooner than this, feeling horrible for sleeping in while Keyla slaved away in the kitchen cooking a huge meal like this.  He knew it was all for Lennox, but still Keyla was going to kill herself if she didn’t start sleeping properly and worrying about her own health.  Maybe he was being overprotective and worried for nothing since she was a grown woman.

 

“Everything alright?” He asked once she ended the conversation, walking over to stare down into those citrine eyes. “Was it Lennox?”

 

Keyla nodded, already having her keys on hand and popped some aspirin since she had a small headache forming. “Yeah, she’s ready to be picked up from the hospital.  And she wants me to come alone, so I know she wants to talk about what happened.  So will you please take the turkey out once the oven goes off and just cover it with tinfoil?  I shouldn’t be too long.”

 

“Sure…” Baron glanced at the timer and saw there was another 20 minutes left before it would go off. “I’ll check the temperature on it to make sure it’s done too.” He knew a thing or two about the kitchen and cooking, thanks to his mother.

 

“Thanks, I owe you.” Keyla pecked his cheek quickly before flying out the door, jumping in her vehicle to go pick her best friend up.

 

Baron shook his head, wondering when he would finally drop his balls and talk to the woman about his feelings.  He was a man, but never one to hide what he was feeling from anyone.  It was one of the qualities he deemed worthy about himself.  Sometimes, the truth hurt, but it had to be said.  Keyla seemed to be preoccupied about something – or someone – and suddenly Baron started thinking back to the previous night with the photo he found of her and…Dean Ambrose.  What the hell happened between them to make her blow off the fact they knew each other?  The bedroom door upstairs opened and closed, Baron glancing up from sitting at the kitchen island, nodding toward Sami trekking down to join him.  Maybe he would talk to Sami about what was going on with Keyla and find out what exactly transpired with the Shield member.

 

Chapter 18

 

Tuesday arrived before long and it was time for Keyla to head back to Tampa for work with Baron and Sami.  Gina had taken over all responsibilities at the tattoo parlor while Lennox healed from her attack, on strict bedrest until the doctor released her to go back to work.  Keyla had a better security set up in the house, calling 5 different places around the Philadelphia area before she found what she wanted.  Lennox thought it wasn’t necessary, but Keyla wasn’t taking any chances and had begged the woman to come to Tampa with her.  She refused, too sore and not in the mood to be on a plane or stuck in a hotel room for hours on end.  At least in Philadelphia, Lennox felt at home and had her belongings, even though her personal life had gone to complete hell.  Besides, she didn’t want to be a burden to Keyla while she was working, wanting her full focus on the task.  Keyla finally gave up asking, but made Lennox promise if she needed anything at all, she would call.  Lennox agreed reluctantly and Keyla left Philadelphia with Baron and Sami, both leaving the people they cared and loved behind.

 

Baron was unusually quiet and distant, mulling over the conversation he had with Sami while Keyla had gone to pick Lennox up from the hospital.  He didn’t want to do it, but the curiosity burned a hole in his gut and before he knew what was happening, Baron asked about Dean Ambrose.  Sami seemed surprised by the question until Baron explained the frame picture he found in Keyla’s bedroom and how she clammed up about it.  That was a reaction Sami expected and he wasn’t sure how much to reveal to Baron, but at the same time the man seemed to care a great deal for one of his best friends.  So against better judgement, he spilled the story to Baron about being a former roommate of Keyla’s along with Jon.  He couldn’t refer to Jon as Dean Ambrose and never would, always thinking of the man as Jon Moxley from CZW.

 

“Roomies, eh?” Baron didn’t know what he expected to hear, but that definitely wasn’t it. “So I take it something happened between them?”

“Oh yeah, in more ways than one.” Sami didn’t mention his past with Keyla because it wasn’t necessary.  Baron was concerned about what happened between her and Jon, so he would provide that information. “They weren’t together, per say.  Hard to say what they really were, to be honest.  I know Keyla loved him and he loved her, but they never…admitted it to each other.  Jon left to join the WWE and, to my knowledge, hasn’t contacted Keyla since the day he went to Tampa.”

 

It was no wonder Keyla didn’t trust men easily or pushed to be in a relationship with Baron.  Dean – Jon had hurt her in the worst way possible by cutting all contact with her and she’d been in love with him.  What Baron didn’t understand was why Dean –Jon didn’t reveal his feelings before leaving?  Why didn’t she tell him how she felt either?  They were in a fuck buddy situation similar to what Baron had going with Keyla currently and that made him nauseous.  He didn’t want to be just another notch on her bedpost.  Baron wanted a lot more from Keyla – more than she wasn’t ready to give him.  Something told him she still had deep rooted feelings for Dean – Jon and until they were gone, there would be no chance for them to be together fully.

 

Baron jolted out of his deep thoughts when a soft hand grabbed his and his dark eyes locked on concerned citrine orbs, squeezing hers back. “Everything okay?  You’re quiet.” Keyla murmured, not wanting the other plane passengers to overhear their conversation.

 

“Yeah, just tired.  Nothing to worry about, sweetheart.” Baron lied, enjoying her hand rising to caress his face with the back of it and leaned into the soft touch. “What about you?  I know you’ve had a rough weekend with Lennox and everything…”

 

“I’m fine.” Keyla assured him with a nod, leaning against his strong arm and laced their fingers together. “I’m worried about her, but I know she’ll be okay until I can get back in a couple days.”

 

“Right…” Baron had no idea what else to say and simply rested his cheek on top of her head, not able to bring up his conversation with Sami to her. 

 

Not now anyway.

 

~!~

 

Valentine’s Day marked 2 ½ months since Lennox’s attack and she was nearly healed from it, her wrist back to normal for the most part.  Little stabs of pain zipped through it ever few days, but other than that it wouldn’t stop her from tattooing and drawing.  That was her love in life lately and Lennox immersed herself in drawing, creating all kinds of new designs to hang up in the tattoo parlor.  Whatever she felt that day whether it was heartache, happiness, sadness or serenity, Lennox made sure to draw as much as possible to keep her mind off of her estranged ex-fiancé.  She hadn’t spoken to Danny since the morning Keyla kicked him out of the hospital and she sent him the text message confirming her friend’s actions.  As much as she wanted to call and talk to him, she couldn’t bring herself to do it because Lennox was afraid of what she would discover.

 

She remembered every Valentine’s Day they spent together, both making an effort to make it as non-romantic as possible.  They called it a Hallmark holiday, so both wore black and watched horror movies while eating popcorn together, sitting separately.  Snuggling wasn’t allowed on this particular day.  The night always ended with them doing sexual acts that definitely didn’t constitute as romantic, including being tied down to have their wicked ways with each other.  How Lennox missed those times with Danny before he let drugs completely take over his life.  At this rate, they would never get back to the way things used to be between them, but if Danny would seek help to stop the drugs, their relationship could be repaired slowly.  The ball was completely in his court and it was up to him if he wanted drugs more than her.

 

Keyla called every morning and night to check on her, always keeping the lines of communication open.  She didn’t want Lennox going one day feeling lonely and helpless.  Baron was a little sullen when he invited Keyla to join him on his days off in Kansas and she declined because she had to go home to be with Lennox.  She was Keyla’s top priority for the past 2 ½ months and Lennox knew it was straining whatever they had going on between them.  However, once Keyla’s mind was made up about something, there was no changing it and Lennox honestly needed her best friend more than Baron did.  If he couldn’t understand that, he would have to deal with it; Lennox was being selfish with Keyla after everything that happened to her lately.  Because of Keyla’s countless denials to go to Kansas, things between her and Baron had become somewhat tense and sour ever since Lennox’s attack.  She simply told him she would go when her best friend was healed and he had to deal with her decision.  Speaking of Keyla, she would be home the following day and Lennox was excited to see her, not able to see hardly anyone outside of the house due to her injuries and Gina working nonstop at the tattoo parlor.

 

Looking down at her phone, Lennox frowned at the name flashing on her caller ID and made the mistake of answering it. “Why are you calling me, Daniel?” She demanded, leaning back against the couch and could hear the fear in his voice from the first word he said.

 

“I need your help, Lennox.”

 

Sitting upright on the couch, Lennox clutched her cell phone to her ear and swallowed hard, feeling a knot form in the pit of her stomach. “What’s going on?” Then another question flew out of her mouth before Lennox could stop it. “You know who attacked me outside of my parlor, don’t you?”

 

Danny shut his eyes at her questions, not sure how to answer either of them and felt his whole body quake from both fear and hesitation. “It was a…warning.  A message to me…” He admitted in barely above a whisper, regret flooding every part of his body over what happened to the woman he loved more than life itself. “Lennox, I’m so sorry, baby…”

 

“A drug lord?” Lennox demanded next, standing from the couch needing a beer suddenly to get through this conversation with her ex-fiancé. “Are you telling me I was attacked because of your drug problem??”

 

He couldn’t lie to her and nodded, though she couldn’t see it. “Yeah…and they’re gonna kill me if I don’t come up with the money I owe them.” Tears filled his eyes and his voice cracked. “I don’t wanna die…”

 

Despite everything this man put her through and did lately, Lennox still somehow loved him, not wanting to read his obituary in the newspaper either. “How much?” She lit a cigarette, her whole body trembling and tried letting the nicotine calm her down. “If you want me to take care of it, you gotta be honest with me, Daniel.”

 

“Half a mil.” Danny whispered, putting Lennox on speakerphone because he was on the verge of throwing up.

 

He wasn’t the only one.  How the hell did Danny get himself into a half a million debt with a drug lord?!  Did he really snort that much coke or whatever drugs Danny decided to pump in his body?  Lennox wanted to hang up and let him deal with the consequences, but the thought of reading him being killed in the newspaper stopped her from doing so.  If there was a chance to save and redeem him from the world of drug use, she had to do it.  Lennox didn’t want to have his blood on her hands, which would happen if she didn’t help him out of this mess.

 

“Give me the information to contact your drug lord.” Lennox ordered, glad she didn’t eat breakfast that day and her stomach was empty or else she would be tossing her cookies in the kitchen garage can. “Hold on, let me get a paper and pen.”

 

“What are you gonna do?” Danny had to know what Lennox was planning before he let her go through with it. “You don’t have half a mil, do you?”

 

Lennox didn’t have it in her bank account, but there was one thing she could offer the drug lord he wouldn’t be able to turn down. “Let me handle it and don’t ask again.  I’ll text you when it’s taken care of.”

 

“Lennox, wait-”

 

She hung up the phone before Danny could finish what he was saying, shaking her head and couldn’t believe the position he’d put her in.  Something told her at the hospital the attack had been his fault and she was right.  Now she was being forced to give up the only thing in life that made her happy these days.  All to save her moronic ex-fiancé from being killed because he had to delve back into the world of drugs.  With shaky hands, Lennox dialed the number Danny gave her and waited for someone to answer, shutting her eyes at a low evil baritone resonating through the phone.  Just from the sound of his voice alone, Lennox was terrified and had to swallow down her fear or else Danny would be dead by morning.

 

“Is this Mr. Malcolm?”

 

“Just Malcolm, and yes it is.” The man replied, raising a slow brow and waved away some of the whores he had surrounding him. “You must be Lennox Sparks, correct?”

 

How the hell did he know her name?  Her cell number was unlisted and for good reason, but somehow he still knew who she was. “Yes sir, I am.  I’ve called to discuss a business proposition with you…”

 

“In order to save that scumbag boyfriend of yours, hmm?” Malcolm smirked, the vicious tone to his voice sending a tremor of terror down Lennox’s spine. “So out with it.  What could you possibly offer me to pay off his half a million debt?”

 

“The only thing I have worth giving up and I hope we can make a deal with it.”

 

Malcolm knew all about Danny and Lennox, their relationship issues and even her precious business she owned. “You expect me to take over your tattoo parlor in exchange for Danny’s debt to be wiped clean?” This had to be a joke.

 

Lennox shut her eyes, not expecting the drug lord to take her offer, but offering it was the least she could do. “I’ll sign all property rights over to you and everything inside of it.  The equipment is worth a couple 100,000, at least and if you wanna change it into a different business to make a better profit, you’ll be able to since you’ll own the property.” She explained, trying to keep the professionalism in her voice and could hear only heavy breathing on the other end of the phone.

 

Stroking his goatee thoughtfully, Malcolm mulled over her offer and admired the balls this woman had to actually call him directly.  Danny must’ve given her his contact information. “Before I give you my answer, there’s something you need to tell me.” He was curious and knew the woman would give him whatever information he desired if it meant saving Danny’s backside.

 

“What is it, sir?” Lennox had to hold her tongue to keep from making a smartass remark, knowing her life was also on the line since this man had already attacked her once. “Ask away.”

 

“Why is it you want to save him?  This has nothing to do with you because you two aren’t together anymore.” Malcolm poured a tumbler of bourbon while sitting in his lavish study in the mansion he owned outright.  Being a drug lord definitely had perks. “Give me a reason and I’ll take your offer.”

 

Blinking, tears slid down her cheeks as Lennox thought about the drug lord’s question and there really was only answer to it. “Because I love him.  Even with everything he’s done, I love him and if there’s a way to save him, I have to try.  I have to fight for what we had.  If he’s dead…then I might as well be dead with him.”

 

Malcolm understood the majesty and consequences of love all too well, sipping his bourbon thoughtfully. “Very well.  Draw up the papers and have them sent to my office.  I will give you the address.  You have 24 hours to make it happen or else I will kill him.  Do we have an understanding, Miss Sparks?”

 

The deal was finalized hours later with Lennox signing away all rights to Malcolm and saving Danny’s life.  She collapsed on the couch and cried her eyes out, not knowing what she was doing anymore.  More importantly, what would she do for income now that her only resource was gone?

 

Chapter 19

 

“What do you mean you have no job and the tattoo parlor is gone?!”

 

Lennox was curled up on the couch with a blanket while Keyla towered over her, an incredulous expression on her face.  She didn’t know how else to tell Keyla about what happened with the tattoo parlor except to bluntly say it.  Of course Keyla wanted to know the details and reasoning, but Lennox wasn’t sure if she should tell the truth.  Keyla was already anti-Danny and this situation would cement her hatred further for him.  Still, they were best friends and Lennox had never kept a secret from Keyla, always being completely honest with her.  No doubt Keyla’s head would explode and possibly take half of Philadelphia with her once she heard why Lennox had to give up her dream job and business.

 

“I had no choice.” Lennox murmured quietly, not moving from the couch and could feel tears brimming her eyes. “I’m an idiot…”

 

“Len, why don’t you stop calling yourself names and tell me what exactly happened?” Keyla lowered to the wooden floor to be eyelevel with her best friend, sitting Indian style and could see all the turmoil bubbling in her watery violet orbs. “Oh sweetie, don’t cry…”

 

It was no use.  Lennox couldn’t stop the tears even a gun was pressed to her temple.  She’d given up everything to save the man she loved and didn’t know what the future held for them.  Danny hadn’t tried contacting her once and Lennox didn’t know why it hurt her so badly not to hear his gratitude.  He was probably nose deep in drugs while she sacrificed everything in order to keep him alive.  Keyla frowned deeply, wrapping her arms around Lennox’s trembling frame and tried soothing her, especially when the woman started hiccoughing.  It took a couple hours before Lennox finally calmed down enough to confess the truth to Keyla. 

 

All Keyla did was sit there and listened to every word, the anger inside of her boiling.  Once again, Lennox had to sacrifice her happiness in order to save the scumbag’s life and he couldn’t care less!  She remembered how kind and giving Danny Havoc used to be before drugs took over his life.  The Danny Havoc they knew and who Lennox loved was gone, never to return as long as he kept doing drugs.  Keyla was sorely tempted to call the police and turn him in, knowing he would be caught with a lot of drugs in the house…Lennox’s house.  It was in her name, not his and that was the only reason Keyla refrained from calling the police.  She didn’t want anything happening to Lennox because of Danny’s drug abuse.  The woman had suffered enough at his hands and now had lost the business she spent her life savings on to acquire.

 

“P-Please don’t hate me…” Lennox stammered out between soft sobs, not able to look Keyla in the eye. “I-I couldn’t let him d-die…”

 

Releasing her temper on Lennox wouldn’t fix or help the situation, so Keyla reined it in as much as she could. “I understand why you did it.” Truthfully, if the roles were reversed and it was Jon’s life at stake, Keyla would’ve done anything to save him too because she loved him just like Lennox did Danny. “I don’t condone it, but I understand.  And I could never hate you, Len.  We’re sisters; we’re family and we’ll get through this together somehow.”

 

“W-What am I going to do now?  Gina is out of a job too because of my decision to give up the business.” Guilt tore at her insides because Lennox never meant to put one of their dear friends on the unemployment line.

 

“Don’t worry, she’s wanted to quit for a while now, but didn’t know how to tell you.  Sami is looking for a place in Tampa and, once he finds it, he’s having Gina move down there with him.” Keyla had spoken to Sami about the possibility of moving to Tampa several times and hadn’t made her decision yet.  Sami had though. “He’s tired of flying back and forth from Tampa to Philly and wants to be closer to Gina while he’s working.  This way, he’ll be able to see her every night after he’s done at the university.”

 

This was news to Lennox and she didn’t know how to feel about Gina keeping her true feelings hidden. “I had no idea…” At the very least, the guilt subsided regarding Gina’s job loss, but there was still a ton left over regarding other problems in her life. “I’m happy for them.  Tampa seems to suit Sami better anyway than Philly.” Lennox looked up at Keyla and could see the gears spinning in the woman’s mind. “Are you thinking of making the move too?”

 

Keyla smiled softly, moving from the floor to sit on the couch beside Lennox since she sat up from the curled fetal position she’d been in most of the morning. “Even if I do move, you are coming with me.  I won’t leave you in Philly all alone, I promise.  I have been thinking about it, but only because I am also getting tired of flying back and forth.  It’s taxing and not to mention the jetlag sucks.  It would just be easier to move, but I’ll still keep this house in case I ever want to come back to visit.” Only when she was dead and gone would Keyla give up her grandfather’s house that meant the world to her.

 

“Danny’s here though…”

 

It was time for some hard truth and Keyla hoped Lennox didn’t get mad at her for what she was about to say. “Danny is gone, Len.  I know you love him with all your heart and you want to do what you can to help him, but you can’t force him to stop doing the drugs.  The only one who can help Danny right now is Danny and it’s clear to me he doesn’t want to stop what he’s doing.  He doesn’t want help because he hasn’t hit rock bottom yet.  Even with his life threatened, he STILL won’t give up the drugs and you’ve given your all to the relationship while he’s doing whatever the fuck he wants.  The Danny we knew is dead and gone.  You need to move on with your life and end things with him once and for all before you end up dead right along with him.  Do you understand what I’m saying?”

 

Keyla didn’t know about Danny’s confession on who attacked her and, after hearing the harsh words from her best friend, Lennox was taking that information to the grave. “I love him.  And I know it’s stupid and insane and idiotic, but I fucking love him, Keyla.  I can’t stop just like you can’t stop loving that prick Jon Moxley!” She snapped, rising from the couch and rubbed the back of her sore neck. “When you can let Moxley go, I’ll do the same with Danny.  And it doesn’t matter how many times you fuck Baron and try to forget the asshole that broke your heart because you CAN’T!”

 

“At least I’m pining over a man who is drug-free and hasn’t forced me to give up everything worthy in my life!” Keyla retorted heatedly, also standing from the couch and both women were face-to-face with each other, their bodies poised ready to attack. “And YOU’RE the one who told me to have a fuck buddy because it would be good for me!  So don’t you DARE throw that in my face!  Baron and I are fuck buddies and nothing more!  It’s just sex between us, just like you told me to do!  Danny Havoc is a no good, rotten piece of dog shit and he’s not worth the scum on your goddamn shoes!  But you can’t see that because you still love him and want to devote your whole life to the druggie!  Go ahead, keep helping him and watch how fast your life is flushed down the tubes!  Open your fucking eyes and realize HE’S NO GOOD FOR YOU ANYMORE!  You deserve BETTER than him, Lennox!”

 

This was the first actual fight Lennox and Keyla ever had besides a few minor arguments that ended with apologies and ice cream. “He’s SICK!  Addiction is a sickness, believe it or not and I want to do what I can to help him!  Yes, I gave up my business and everything to save his life because I BELIEVE HE’S STILL THE MAN I FELL IN LOVE WITH!  He just needs some help and I’m not gonna walk away from him like you did Moxley!  I’m not gonna let the man I love slip through my fingers and leave him alone like you did!  Unlike you, I’m not a coward, Keyla, and I don’t keep my feelings bottled up inside.  I love Danny and there’s nothing you or anyone can say that will change it!  I thought you’d understand.  I thought if there was one person on this planet who would understand how I felt, it would be my best friend.  But I was wrong.  You’re trying to take away my happiness because yours has been gone for almost 3 years and IT’S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!”

 

“Then go.  Get out and go back to him.  Let him beat you up some more while he snorts coke up his nose and treats you like shit.  Because that’s exactly what will happen and then you’ll be stuck in an unhappy relationship with a man who doesn’t even love you anymore.  Go crawl back on your hands and knees to the piece of shit and have babies with him so he can smack them around too!” Keyla knew she crossed the line as soon as that last sentence left her mouth, but she didn’t regret saying it either.

 

All the fight drained out of Lennox and all she could do was stand there letting huge tears slide down her cheeks.  The explosion between her and Keyla was a long time coming because both women were miserable, not knowing how to handle heartache besides taking it out on each other.  Keyla watched Lennox storm out of the living room, past the kitchen and upstairs to the room she had occupied ever since she left Danny.  As much as she wanted to go after Lennox, Keyla stood her ground and simply plopped down on the couch, staring up at the ceiling.  She wondered if their friendship could be repaired now that each woman knew how the other truly felt.

 

~!~

 

Wednesday morning found Keyla flying back to Tampa and looking for apartments in the area while waiting for the NXT show to start.  She sat on an equipment trunk in the hallway with her legs folded Indian style, the paper covering most of her face.  Just a speck of dark blue hair could be seen over the top of the paper, which is how Baron spotted her.  His fingers pushed the top of the paper down gently but firmly until dark eyes locked on troubled amber gold.

 

“There you are.  I’ve been looking all over for you.” Baron cracked a hesitant smile and sat on the equipment trunk next to Keyla, watching her fold the newspaper up to talk to him. “Everything okay?”

 

“No.” Keyla hadn’t slept much since her fight with Lennox transpired, not hearing a word from her friend either.

 

“What happened, sweetheart?” Baron wrapped an arm around Keyla’s shoulders and sighed when she pushed him away, hopping off the equipment trunk. “Keyla…”

 

Maybe it was the stress of everything that happened in her life lately, but Keyla didn’t want to be touched at the moment or coddled. “I don’t wanna talk about it.”

 

Baron snorted, rolling his eyes in response. “Seems like that’s all you ever do is keep shit to yourself.” He muttered, loud enough for her to hear and started to walk away.

 

“What is that supposed to mean?” Keyla demanded, staring back at Baron perplexed and somewhat offended. “My time off in Philly didn’t go well and I don’t wanna talk about it.  Now you’re gonna give me a piss poor attitude because I don’t wanna tell you everything that happens in my life??  Seriously?”

 

They would both get in trouble if an argument broke out where their colleagues and coworkers could hear, so Baron pushed Keyla into the nearest empty dressing room. “You always do this, Keyla.  Every time I try to get closer, you pull back and keep me at arm’s length.  I don’t understand why.  I thought you felt the same way about me as I do you.  Am I wrong to want to know what the fuck is going on with my girlfriend?”

 

“Girlfriend?” Keyla blinked, not expecting to be called that and already felt a huge knot form in the pit of her stomach.  It was time for some more cold truth. “Baron, I’m not your girlfriend.  I never was and I never will be.”

 

“And why the fuck not?  Why don’t you wanna be with me?” Baron demanded, his heart clenching painfully in his chest at the thought of losing Keyla because he had fallen in love with her. “What the hell have we been doing these past months together then?”

 

“I-I don’t know…” Keyla’s voice filled with agony and confusion, wondering how long Baron felt this way about her.  Was Lennox right?  Had she been using Baron as a way to try forgetting Jon Moxley? “This was…it wasn’t supposed to be this way…” She turned for the door and opened it halfway only for Baron to slam it closed, his big body towering over her with his hand over her head. “Baron…”

 

She wasn’t running away from him, not again.  Baron was tired of the games and it was time for them to hash this out, even if it was at work. “What was this supposed to be between us then, Keyla, hmm?  Why can’t you just let me in and be with me?  Why won’t you be my girlfriend?  I want you, every piece of you…”

 

Every other girl on the planet would’ve melted at his words, but Keyla was steadfast and could feel her heart breaking into pieces. “But you can’t have every piece of me.” She mumbled quietly, lowering her eyes from blazing black and shut her eyes, trying to will the tears to stay in her eyes. “I gave myself away a long time ago along with my heart and I’ve never gotten it back.  I don’t know if I ever will either.  And you deserve better than a half-ass relationship with a woman who can’t give you what you want and need.  I can’t give you all of me because…”

 

“Because of Dean Ambrose.” Baron finished, stepping away to put distance between them and could see the shock fill her watery amber eyes. “Be honest with me for once.  It’s because of him, isn’t it?” He wouldn’t rat out Sami because the man didn’t deserve to be put in the middle of their personal issues. “You still love him, right?”

 

“We were supposed to be fuck buddies and nothing more, Baron.  It was supposed to be just sex and, somehow, it developed into something else.” Keyla didn’t answer his questions because deep down Baron already knew the truth.  There was no point subjecting him to further pain by confessing her love for a man who didn’t want anything to do with her. “We’ve delved into this further than we should’ve and it’s my fault for not putting a stop to it sooner.  Whatever this is between us needs to end and you need to find someone who can give you every piece of them like you want.  I-I’m sorry…”

 

So she had been using him for sex all this time and Baron was too stupid to realize that’s all she wanted. “Sure you are.” There was nothing more to say as Baron pushed her away from the door to leave, needing to get away from Keyla at the moment.

 

All Keyla could do was stand there and wrapped her arms around herself, hoping Baron would be able to forgive her one day for what she did to him.

 

Chapter 20

 

After the blowout with Baron, Keyla kept to herself for the next couple weeks and only spoke to Sami, Drake and a few of the NXT women wrestlers she became friends with.  One of them was Alexa Bliss, who was one of Baron’s closest friends besides Paige.  They were both awesome girls to hang out with and Keyla lost track of how many laughs they shared together.  Even with the falling out between her and Baron, Alexa continued being her friend, assuring she wasn’t choosing sides.  Neither was Paige.  Sami and Drake were glad Keyla stopped seeing Baron because they didn’t receive good vibes from the man whenever he was with her.  She never realized until now how much she ignored her friends while hanging out with Baron and promised not to let it happen again. 

 

After the huge fight she had with Lennox, Keyla needed all the friends she could get since they hadn’t spoken in 3 weeks.  Sami tried encouraging her to call and apologize, but Keyla’s stubbornness kicked into high gear, not budging.  All she tried to do was open her best friend’s eyes to the truth regarding Danny and Lennox became defensive over it, blowing the situation completely out of proportion.  So until she came to Keyla with an apology, they would not be speaking.  Sami tried talking to Lennox about what happened and was hung up on, so instead of trying to mend the broken friendship, he decided to let them work things out their own.  Unbeknownst to Keyla, Lennox was currently sleeping at Sami and Gina’s place until she could find a job to support herself.  She hadn’t talked to Danny since giving her tattoo parlor up to his drug lord and made Sami promise not to say a word to Keyla about her living arrangements.

 

Reluctantly, he did.

 

With the final show in 2013 for NXT, Triple H had flown in from wherever Raw was located to have a meeting with the entire roster.  There were big changes coming in the year 2014 and he wanted to go over everything with the employees so there were no surprises.  However, the roster meeting wasn’t the only reason for Triple H’s visit and it revolved around the NXT camera crew.  More specifically, Keyla.  He’d received monthly reports on her progress since starting about 6 months ago from Athena and Keyla had caught on quickly to the equipment the WWE used.  After speaking with Athena through Skype a few times since she was head of the camera crew, it was clear Keyla was destined to be behind a camera and Hunter wanted to use her more industriously.

 

“Triple H wants to see you in his office before the show starts.” Athena informed Keyla as soon as the woman walked up to her, busy making adjustments on the camera.

 

Keyla blinked back at Athena, wondering what she did wrong and hoped Baron hadn’t mentioned anything about her calling things off with him. “Alright…” She wanted to ask if everything was fine, but Athena wouldn’t be able to reveal any details. “S-Should I leave my stuff here or…?”

 

“Take it with you.” Athena instructed, nodding when she finally got the adjustment corrected and glanced back at a nervous Keyla. “You better get going.  Don’t wanna keep the boss man waiting.”

 

Frowning, Keyla didn’t know what to say to that and just turned around to walk down the hallway toward Triple H’s office.  She’d passed it on her way down to ringside to get ready for the show to start.  It was near the entrance curtain – gorilla position – since Triple H liked keeping a close eye on his show.  Vince came down to the university a few times to check things out, but for the most part he stayed on the main roster while letting his son-in-law completely run NXT.  Arriving in front of Triple H’s office door a few minutes later, Keyla hesitantly rose her hand up to knock on it and heard his booming voice invite her inside.

 

“Ah Keyla!” Hunter smiled up at her, not giving anything away and gestured to the seat in front of his desk. “I take it you received my invitation from Athena.  Please have a seat.”

 

Keyla did as instructed, setting her purse on the side of the chair and clasped her hands in her lap, keeping her eyes locked on the boss.  Why was she here?  Had she done something wrong or maybe her work behind the camera at ringside wasn’t good enough?  So many possibilities and questions ran through her mind regarding this meeting, but nothing – absolutely NOTHING – prepared her for what was about to come out of Triple H’s mouth.

 

“So according to Athena, you’ve really adapted well to our equipment and you’re doing a fantastic job down here.” Hunter decided to ease the woman’s mind a little because it looked like she was going to have a meltdown at any second. “You’re not being punished, just so you know, Keyla.”

 

“Alright…” Then why was she here? “I’m glad to hear that, sir.”

 

“Hunter, please.” He smiled warmly, letting her know this wasn’t meant to be a horrible meeting.

 

“Sorry.  Hunter.”

 

“Better.  Now then, the reason I called you in here tonight is to discuss the possibility of a promotion, if you’re interested.” Hunter didn’t have a lot of time to prolong the meeting and decided to get down to business straightaway. “It would require a huge commitment on your part, though.”

 

Keyla’s jaw dropped and she quickly lifted it back up, not expecting this turn of events in her WWE career. “Of course.  What kind of commitment do you need?”

 

If he wanted her in Tampa fulltime, the move would have to happen because Keyla refused to give up this job.  She truly enjoyed what she did for a living, even though she was already rich and set for life.  Working gave her a sense of accomplishment instead of traveling all over the world, which was something she did not want to do for the rest of her life.

 

“Well, there’s a lady on Raw’s camera crew that is pregnant.  Her name is Marianne and she’s due in June, but she’s in need of a slower work schedule.  Being on the main roster is tough because, wherever the Superstars and Divas go, our crews are always one step ahead of them.  That includes the camera crew.  It would be easier for her to work in one place for NXT instead of traveling all over the place with the main roster.  I’ve spoken with Athena about you quite a few times and she thinks you’re ready to be moved up to one of the camera crews on Raw or Smackdown!.  The only opening we have is the one on Raw though because of Marianne’s situation.” Hunter explained, not going into too much detail regarding Marianne’s health and pregnancy because it wasn’t anyone’s business.  However, he wanted to stress the importance of this camera crew swap and it would be a huge promotion for Keyla, if she was ready for it. “So, what do you think?”

 

All Keyla could do was stare back at Triple H in shock, her heart hammering in her chest at this incredible and terrifying offer.  Moving to the main roster camera crew meant she would surely run into Jon Moxley.  She wouldn’t be with Sami and Drake anymore, who were her security blanket in NXT.  However, she would be away from Baron Corbin and that was the only upside to being moved to the main roster.  Jon still had no idea she worked for the WWE and, if she ran into him, Keyla didn’t know what would happen.  So did she take the risk and go to the main roster or play it safe and stay in NXT where she was comfortable?

 

Decisions, decisions.

 

~!~

 

“I can’t believe this is happening to me.” Keyla grumbled while holding a bottle of wine, not bothering to pour a glass of it since she planned on finishing the whole thing. “I mean; can my life get any more fucked up than this?”

 

Sami stared back at his best friend sympathetically, not sure what to tell her because the offer from Triple H was an amazing opportunity.  If he was told WWE wanted him to move up to the main roster, he would be gone in a heartbeat and never look back.  However, he understood Keyla’s trepidation because of Jon being on the main roster.  The whole reason she took the NXT job offer in the first place was due to the fact Jon wasn’t on it.  Yes, the Shield made appearances in NXT every once in a while, but it was easy enough to avoid them as opposed to working with them 5, sometimes 6, days out of the week.  That didn’t include overseas trips either where the roster and crews were split evenly to make sure they covered every part of the country they visited.

 

“Kay, you said you didn’t take this job because of Mox.” Sami pointed out, nursing a beer and popped a fry in his mouth.  She had ordered every ounce of junk food off the room service menu and that included desserts. “Jesus, these fries are fucking awesome…”

 

“No, I didn’t take the job because of him.  I did because I enjoy being behind a camera and in the world of professional wrestling.” And it was all thanks to Jon Moxley her love for the sport had ignited over the years. “But I also took this job because he doesn’t work in NXT.  He works on the main roster and now Triple H wants to send me to the same fucking show he’s on!!  Jon doesn’t even know I’m here, Sami.  He’s going to blow his stack when he sees me if I take this promotion…”

 

Sami would regret saying this later, but the beer was giving him liquid courage. “Maybe it’s time to come clean to him.”

 

“WHAT?!” Keyla choked on the drink of wine she’d taken, pounding her chest a few times and groaned from the burning sensation, coughing. “H-Have you LOST your MIND, Samuel?!  Are you seriously sitting there telling me I should walk up to Jon and say ‘hi, long time no see and by the way, I’ve been working for the WWE for the past 6 months or so’?  I see that going over REALLY well – NOT!” Snorting, Keyla slammed the bottle of wine on the nightstand and stood up from the bed, opening the sliding door that lead to the balcony connected to her suite.

 

“Okay fine, do what you want then.  I don’t know what to tell you anymore.  First you got into a huge fight with Lennox, who you claim is your sister and now you’re fighting with me.  I don’t understand you lately, Kayleigh.  Do you want to push everyone away who cares and gives a damn about you?” Sami demanded, approaching her from behind and could see the tears sliding down her cheeks in the reflection of the glass window. “You even pushed Baron away…” Even though he hated the man, he also made Keyla happy and Sami enjoyed seeing life flowing in her citrine eyes again. “Jon hurt you and I get that.  We all do, but you can’t stop living your life either because of him.  You have to make the choice that benefits you and fuck what everyone else thinks or feels about it.”

 

Feeling Sami’s hands on her shoulders made Keyla feel a little better and she wiped the tears away, heaving a sigh. “I never wanted a relationship with Baron.  I know it sounds really selfish and heartless, but I only used him for sex.  He was a distraction from thinking about Jon.  I know he wanted something more with me, but…I can’t give him my heart.  Jon already has it and I’ll never get it back, no matter how much time or how many years pass by.” She really was a callous bitch for hurting Baron the way she did and wished she could take it all back.

 

“Come here.” Sami turned Keyla to bury her face in his chest and wrapped his arms around her tightly, comforting her the only way he knew how. “I know this is a hard choice for you and I wish I had the answers.  I wish I could tell you what to do and that’d be the end of it, but I can’t.  This is your life and you have to make the decision on if you want to chance running into Jon or staying here with me and Drake.  Just so you know, I’d love it if you chose option 2.”

 

Keyla let out watery giggles because she knew how much he would miss her and, truthfully, she felt the same way. “You just want me around so you have someone to vent to whenever Gina gets on your nerves or makes you crazy.”

 

“True.” Sami couldn’t deny that, both of them laughing again and settled back down on the bed with her head on his chest. “You know I love her, right?”

 

“Yes and she loves you just as much.  I’m truly happy for both of you and I’m glad you finally found someone who completes you.  Don’t let her go either.” Keyla ordered softly, draping an arm over his stomach and enjoyed the feeling of his fingers running through her hair. “Hard to believe how far we’ve come in the last couple years, huh?”

 

Sami smiled at the memory of the talk in the snow in the backyard of the old house where everything was mended between him and Keyla. “I honestly thought you’d hate me forever for what I did back when we were teens.  I’m glad you forgave me and we’ve built a solid friendship.  You are my best friend, you know that right, Kay?”

 

“And you’re mine too.  You and Lennox, even though I’m not talking to her right now.” Keyla missed her fiercely, wishing they could make things right the way her and Sami did.  Then again, they barely spoke for 8 months prior to the snowy winter night that solidified their friendship. “Gina’s in that category too, I have to admit.”

 

“Hey!  I come first, don’t forget that.” Sami grumbled good-naturedly, kissing the top of Keyla’s head and saw Roseanne coming on the television.  It was one of their favorite programs to watch together. “So how long did Triple H give you to make your decision?”

 

“One week.” Keyla yawned, feeling the wine taking effect and Sami’s body heat wasn’t helping her stay awake either.  It was nice to have him close-by and if she moved to the main roster, all of this went away. “I have no idea what I’m going to do yet.  I need to sleep on it and mull things over.  It’s not a decision I can make on a whim and I’m glad Triple H understands that.”

 

The rest of the night was spent with the friends cuddled up against each other watching television and laughing, enjoying each other’s company.  It wasn’t the first time they’d slept in the same bed together, but Keyla feared those nights were numbered.  Gina knew all about them and didn’t mind because she knew Sami loved her and would never betray her.  Same with Keyla.  No matter how many laughs they shared or the distractions Sami provided, it didn’t stop Keyla from thinking about her decision to move to the main roster...and seeing Jon.

 

If she did, her life would never be the same again.

 

Chapter 21

 

“Are you serious?”

 

Keyla nodded, chomping on a celery stick and stared back at Paige, still not knowing what she was going to do about the promotion. “I’m so confused.  I mean, I know this is a dream for everyone who is in NXT, but…I love it here.  I love the people I work with, you and Alexa are two of the most open-minded genuine women I’ve ever met.  Even with our age difference.” She was in her late 20’s while Paige and Alexa were just starting their lives out.

 

“So tell Hunter you’d rather stay here.” Paige concluded in her thick English accent, a born and bred English woman. “I am sure they can find a replacement elsewhere.  Is there a specific reason you don’t want to go to the main roster besides missing little ol’ me?”

 

Chuckling, Keyla rolled her eyes and leaned back in the plastic chair, swirling a carrot around in her ranch dipping sauce. “Not as much as you think.” She retorted with a devilish smirk and laughed at Paige’s offended expression. “I’m kidding!”

 

“Uh huh, sure you are.  Bitch.” Paige stuck her tongue out at Keyla and fired a piece of broccoli at the woman, shaking her head.

 

“Yeah, but I’m your bitch.”

 

“Oh baby, don’t tease me with a good time now!”

 

“Hey, I already told you to buy the whip and you haven’t yet.” Keyla shot back, popping the carrot in her mouth and grinned, enjoying the play banter she always had with Paige. “Seriously though, what would you do?”

 

Paige raised a thick black brow, wondering if Keyla suddenly forgot her ultimate goal in life was to make it to the main roster and be the Diva’s champion. “I’d be on the first plane out of here if the WWE called me up.  And don’t think for a second Alexa wouldn’t either.  Or Baron or Sami or anyone down here.”

 

Paige and Alexa didn’t know about her past with Jon – Dean Ambrose – and Keyla was careful not to bring it up.  The less they knew about her past, the better off their friendship would be.  Keyla didn’t want people thinking she’d gotten the job with WWE because of Jon.  She wanted them to be 100% confident in her abilities and apparently they were or else she wouldn’t be offered the main roster position on their camera crew.  The only people who knew about her relationship and past with Jon was Sami, Drake and unfortunately, Baron Corbin.

 

“Shit, I gotta run and go over my match with Sasha.  We’ll talk later?” Paige stood from the table, squeezing Keyla’s shoulder and headed out of catering to go track down her opponent for the show that night.

 

Not having an appetite, Keyla decided to fold in eating and tossed her food away, too much on her brain to worry about sustenance.  What if she turned down the job offer?  Would she be fired and replaced by Marianne anyway?  That was a possibility Keyla hadn’t considered until now and the thought of being fired didn’t set well with her.  WWE could do whatever they wanted, but at least they were offering her a different position before simply jumping to the fired option.  Shaking her head, Keyla rounded the corner and headed toward gorilla position when she was suddenly yanked roughly into a dark dressing room.  Her back collided with the door and Keyla’s scream of surprise was swallowed by a mouth slamming down on hers.  The kiss was familiar, but Keyla was still unsure and petrified, using every ounce of strength in her small body to break the kiss, breathing heavily.  Her hands had the front of a t-shirt fisted tightly and Keyla tried adjusting her eyes to the darkness to see who had attacked her, but couldn’t make out anything.

 

“Take your panties off.”

 

That husky low baritone calmed Keyla down immediately because she knew who had dragged her in here from the hallway. “W-What are you doing, Baron?” She demanded breathlessly, feeling his big body pressing her harder into the door and his strong hands gripping her hips.

 

Either she missed his command completely or she was defying him, Baron thought, his mouth sealing to the side of her neck. “Take.  Your.  Panties.  Off.” Or he would rip them from her body, already considering that option. “Now.”

 

Wide eyed, Keyla swallowed hard and knew she didn’t have much time before the show started.  Baron wasn’t on tonight, which is why he was risking turning his thigh muscles to putty.  All Keyla had to do was squat and move around the ring with a camera on her shoulder.  The sexual workout would only help her and Keyla wouldn’t have to do pre-show stretches with the rest of the camera crew.  Still, she didn’t want to lead him on again like she had last time and tried pulling away, whimpering when Baron lifted her to wrap her legs around his waist forcefully.

 

“T-This won’t…change anything…” She managed to say while Baron continued devouring her neck with his tongue and lips.

 

“I know.” Baron growled, setting Keyla down on her feet and whipped her around to face the door, planting both of her hands against it.  This wasn’t the first time they had sex in the university, all those times flowing through Baron’s mind while he pressed his hardened erection against her pant covered backside. “I’m doing this to show you what you’re gonna miss by pushing me away, sweetheart.  Now keep those hands where I can see them or you’ll be punished.”

 

Keyla let out another whimper and could only imagine what the Lone Wolf had in store for her, already feeling her pussy quivering with anticipation. “W-What about my panties?” She questioned, glad she’d decided to put her hair up for the show because it completely exposed her neck and stayed out of Baron’s way.

 

“I’ll take care of them.  You stand there like a good girl and think about what I’m gonna do to you – what I’m gonna make you feel.” Baron grunted in her ear before squatting and squeezed her backside with his hands, finally going in for the kill by unsnapping her pants pushing them down her soft legs. “Mmm I can smell you already…”

 

This wasn’t fair to him and Keyla was tired of withholding the truth from people, waiting until he stood back up with his hand pressed against the crotch of her panties. “W-Wait…” Her mouth was completely dry from all the heavy breathing and moaning he forced from her body as Keyla wrapped her hand around his wrist, stopping him from continuing. “I have to tell you something…”

 

“Whatever it is can wait until after I fuck you.” Baron bunched the panties in his fist, ready to rip them from her body and growled when the pressure increased around his wrist, making him release the cotton material. “What is it, Keyla?”

 

Turning around to press her back against the door, Keyla flipped the light on to look up into his smoldering blackened eyes and felt her heart flip in her chest. “I-I might be moved to the main roster…” He deserved to know before they went any further.

 

If anything, that news fueled Baron’s fire more and made him determined to have at least one more round with Keyla.  If she was really leaving and going to the main roster, Baron knew it’d be a while before he saw her again.  He also knew who else was on the main roster and immediately pushed his jealousy to the side, wanting to focus solely on giving Keyla multiple orgasms to remember him by.  Lifting her once again, Baron waited until her legs wrapped around his waist before sliding past her slick hot folds, both of them groaning at the tight friction.

 

“I guess we shouldn’t waste any more time talking then.” Baron growled in her ear and captured her mouth in another searing kiss, no other words spoken between the two lovers.

 

~!~

 

Fighting for her relationship and future with Danny was Lennox’s only option.  She was tired of hiding out at Sami and Gina’s, wanting to make things right between her and Danny.  Maybe she could convince him to seek the help he needed and they could get back on the right path.  Lennox managed to get a part time job at the bar, so she had just enough money to buy Danny a Christmas present.  He was usually easy to buy for and Christmas was surprisingly one of Lennox’s favorite time of the year.  What better way to celebrate than making amends with the love of her life?  Lennox redid the streaks in her hair, choosing red and green since those were the colors of Christmas.  After wrapping Danny’s present in shiny green paper with a black bow on top, Lennox headed out to her vehicle to drive to the place she once called home.

 

She could only hope he liked what she picked out for him.

 

Since Sami and Gina only lived a couple blocks away from Danny, it didn’t take her long to arrive.  She pulled into the driveway, cutting the lights because it was somewhat late and there was a chance he was sleeping.  Then again, Danny was a night owl and was more than likely playing video games or at the gym working out.  If he wasn’t here, she would simply let herself in, still having her house key, and surprise him by crawling into bed completely naked with the present.  The thought made her smile as Lennox cut the ignition and stepped out of the vehicle with present in hand.  Her outfit consisted of a black leather skirt, black fishnet stockings and a black and red corset top that pushed her breasts up nicely.  Her makeup was smoked out violet eyes and black lipstick painted her lips, a black choker around her neck.  Two-inch knee high boots that zipped up the sides were her footwear choice.  It was all covered by a thick long leather trench coat, not wanting Danny to see what she had to offer him until they were inside the house and out of the cold.

 

Instead of knocking, Lennox decided to use her house key and opened the door quietly, the living room pitch black.  He must’ve been in bed already.  Lennox set the gift down on the coffee table, making her way around it silently and headed down the hallway, stopping in the middle when she heard noises coming from the bedroom.  At first, she thought it was a program Danny was watching, but then…moaning ensued.  Groaning followed.  The sound of the bed squeaking made Lennox’s heart lurch painfully in her chest.  Surely he was watching porn and getting off on it, right?  That had to be the case.  With each step she took toward the bedroom door, the fear of what could be happening consumed her.  And yet, she was still moving towards the inevitable and didn’t stop even when she arrived outside of the door or pushed it open.  Sure enough, the noises weren’t from a porn Danny was watching or had fallen asleep too.  Right before her eyes, Lennox saw a platinum blonde bimbo with her bra halfway off being pounded relentlessly by the man she had given everything up in her life to save.

 

This was how he repaid her, by screwing anything that moved on two legs.

 

Her watery violet eyes moved from the oblivious people screwing in the same bed she once shared with Danny to the nightstand full of white substance.  Cocaine.  Even after his life had been threatened, Danny was still abusing drugs and it was at that moment Lennox finally realized everything Keyla said was the truth.  He would never change.  He didn’t care about her and he was a piece of dog shit.  Lennox deserved better than to pine over a man who clearly didn’t want anything to do with her and just used her up until there was nothing left to give.  Blinking, huge tears slid down Lennox’s face and her sniffles broke Danny away from the sexual encounter he currently had with a whore he found on the street outside of the gym earlier on that day. 

 

“Lennox?!” Danny gaped, not believing his girlfriend stood in the doorway of their bedroom and immediately pulled away from the whore, stumbling a little.  He was still messed up from the last dose of coke he snorted up his nose. “W-What are you doing here, baby?”

 

Shaking her head, Lennox had nothing to say to him and knew it was officially over between them.  She needed a sign and received it by catching Danny in the act cheating on her.  He must’ve been doing it all along or maybe this night was a onetime deal.  She highly doubted it though.  Storming down the hallway, Lennox could feel Danny hot on her heels and felt his hand wrap around her upper arm, unable to stop her free hand from swinging back to connect with the side of his face.  The smack reverberated around the living room and Danny stumbled back, releasing her arm instantly.

 

“Don’t fucking touch me!” Lennox hissed vehemently, once again trying to make a breakaway to the front door and cried out when Danny’s hand suddenly buried in her hair, whipping her around to face him. “Let go of me, you prick!”

 

Laughing, pure venom burned in Danny’s eyes and, before he could stop himself, he backhanded Lennox as hard as he could across the face.  He watched her sprawl on the floor, hitting her side on the edge of the coffee table and laughed harder.  The sound was purely maniacal and evil, sending chills of terror down Lennox’s spine while she held the side of her bruising swelling face. 

 

“Don’t piss me off, baby, or I’ll hurt you like I did back in November outside of your precious parlor.” Danny warned, watching her scramble away from him and chuckled, bending down to grab her ankles. “Now that you’re here, it’s time we get a few things straight…”

 

If Lennox didn’t find a way out of this house, she wouldn’t be leaving alive.  So she did the first thing that came to mind as soon as Danny reached for her and swiped his legs from beneath him, watching his body crash to the floor.  His head bounced off the coffee table with a sickening thud and the whore witnessed the exchange, shrieking out in fright.  Lennox knew this was her only chance to escape and shakily rose to her feet, clutching the trench coat around her body tightly and hightailed it toward the front door.  Not before picking up the present she bought the cheating son of a bitch and hurled it against the wall, the contents inside smashing to pieces.  The whore was smart and followed Keyla out the door, running down the sidewalk while Lennox hopped in her car, speeding away down the road far away from Danny Havoc.  She didn’t stop until she was in the safety of her bedroom at Sami and Gina’s, burying her face in the pillow crying herself into a restless sleep.

 

Chapter 22

 

Stepping inside the house, Keyla was drained emotionally, mentally and physically, wanting to sleep for the next week.  She didn’t want to think about the life-altering decision hanging over her head.  Keyla had no idea what to do, torn between moving to the main roster and staying in NXT.  Not to mention having sex with Baron even after breaking things off with him.  Then there was the fight she had with Lennox looming over her head and heart as well, making her nauseous every time she thought about it.  Yes, sleeping for the next week sounded like a perfect plan and getting liquored up first was an even better one.

 

Dropping her luggage at the door, Keyla shut and locked it behind her, drawing all the curtains in the house closed.  She wanted complete darkness.  The ground had a few inches of snow on it and more was currently falling outside.  Her flight was delayed due to the winter storm, but luckily it cleared up enough for her to get home 5 hours later.  2 layovers sucked as well.  It was nearing midnight when she arrived in Philadelphia and almost 2 AM before the roads were clear enough to drive home.  Scrubbing a hand down her tired face, Keyla immediately shed her clothes on the way upstairs to the bathroom for a much needed hot shower.  Hopefully it would relax her enough to fall asleep before her head hit the pillow.

 

After 2 straight days of sleeping with her cell phone turned off, Keyla finally pried herself out of bed to start living again.  She spent 2 more days cleaning her house from top to bottom, even repainting the kitchen since there were chips all over the place.  Same color, just a new coat was needed.  Anything and everything she did was to keep Keyla from thinking about all the issues in her life.  Rest and relaxation was all she wanted to focus on.  Wine and movies came next when every speck of the house shined, including her newly waxed wooden floors.  She just had to remember not to wear socks or she’d slip and fall flat on her face. 

 

Day 5 marked New Year’s Eve.  Keyla stayed locked in her house and hadn’t left much except to grab a few things at the grocery store.  She finally turned her phone on and checked her voicemail messages, several from Sami and Drake, one from Triple H asking if she’d made a decision yet and…Lennox.  A crying Lennox begging her to call whenever she got the message.  Keyla frowned, having a sinking feeling Danny did something else to hurt her best friend.  Yes, she got into a fight with Lennox, but that didn’t mean they weren’t friends anymore.  That didn’t mean their sisterhood disappeared either.  She loved Lennox and wanted what was best for her, but the woman was so stubborn.  Love blinded her, just like it had Keyla and she didn’t want Lennox walking the same road she did for the past almost 3 years. 

 

“Damn it to hell.” Before Keyla could stop herself, she pressed the button linked to Lennox’s number and waited for an answer, already having her earpiece in.

 

“Keyla?” A raspy hard voice answered Lennox’s phone that sounded nothing like her.  It was from all the crying she’d done ever since catching Danny having sex with another woman in the bed they once shared.

 

Pure pain and misery was all Keyla heard in her best friend’s tone and it made her heart clench tightly in her chest. “Christ girl, what happened?” There was never a need to sugar coat or beat around the bush when it came to Lennox. “Sorry I didn’t get back to you sooner.  Had my phone turned off for the past 4 days.”

 

Lennox immediately broke down and started crying her heart and soul out to Keyla, unable to talk.  Every time she shut her eyes, all Lennox saw was Danny and the platinum blonde getting it on.  How could she have been so stupid to believe he would change?  He never loved her and only used her for survival while getting his jollies off anywhere and everywhere possible!  Lennox remembered years back when she read the local tabloid that floated around the Philadelphia area with Danny and the ring rat.  Danny swore back then he hadn’t done anything and she was foolish enough to believe him.  The veil had been removed from her eyes, brain and heart now; whatever love Lennox once had for Danny Havoc was extinguished 6 days ago and would never return.

 

“Do you want me to come get you?  We need to talk anyway and I’d rather do it face to face.” Keyla offered, regretting turning her phone off because she could’ve gotten to Lennox sooner than this. “I’ll pick you up.  Where are you?”

 

“I-I don’t want to burden you…”

 

“You’re not burdening me, sissy.  You never did.  We’re family and sometimes family fights.  Now tell me where you are and I’ll come get you.  I don’t want you alone right now.” Keyla ordered, already grabbing her keys and purse slipping her winter boots on to trek through the thick snow outside.

 

It was no surprise when Lennox revealed she’d been staying with Sami and Gina for the past almost week.  She’d been locked in her room and only came out late at night after they were in bed, blocking out the sounds of their lovemaking with music.  Crying had become a part of her daily life and wasn’t about to change anytime soon.  Who Lennox used to be was currently a mere shell of a woman and Keyla had to find a way to spark the life and fire back into her friend.  Triple H’s offer suddenly entered her mind and Keyla wondered if taking the job on the main roster wasn’t such a bad idea after all.  Lennox could travel with her all over the place and she would never have to deal with Danny Havoc again or risk running into him.  Hell, maybe she’d get lucky and acquire a job with WWE like Keyla had.

 

“I’m out of my mind…” Keyla muttered, not believing she was actually considering this knowing the consequences that awaited her. “One thing at a time…”

 

Pulling into Sami’s driveway, Keyla barely stepped out of the vehicle when Lennox walked out, closing the front door behind her.  Sami and Gina were spending the holidays in Tampa, Florida, trying to find a place to live as well.  The house would be put on the market in the next month, which had been another worry of Lennox’s because she had no idea where to go or what to do.  Tears slid down the woman’s face as Keyla approached her, taking her bag and could see how fragile Lennox was.  She lost a lot of weight, her faced was sunken in and her violet eyes were dead, not a shred of light anywhere in them.  Keyla wrapped her in a tight embrace, cradling Lennox’s head and blinked back her own tears, hating how much pain her friend was in.  It physically hurt her to see Lennox like this and Keyla had to do something before she was forced to bury Lennox underground.

 

“It’s okay, Len.  I’m here now.  Come on, it’s freezing out here and I got dinner cooking at home.” Keyla guided her to the car and opened the passenger door, pushing her gently inside before tossing Lennox’s belongings in the backseat. “Just breathe and calm down.”

 

Lennox leaned back in the seat, not bothering to wipe her tears away and winced at her raw cheeks.  Rubbing them too much made them sore, so she just let the tears dry.  Her hair was oily and Keyla was pretty sure she noticed a faint odor emanating from her friend.  First thing Lennox needed was a hot relaxing bath and a glass of wine.  Or hard liquor if she preferred.  Whatever Lennox wanted, she would get, but not until she cleaned herself up and then they could have a conversation.  Silence ensued between the women the entire drive back to Keyla’s house, even when she pulled into the driveway and cut the ignition.  Lennox robotically stepped out and walked toward the porch steps with a lowered head while Keyla carried her bag.  Once inside, Lennox lead her straight upstairs to the bathroom and turned the bath water on while Lennox sat on the toilet, not saying a word.

 

“Alright, time to get undressed.  Come on stand up.” Keyla instructed, removing Lennox’s coat, boots, socks, top, pants, panties and bra.  Then she helped her sink down into the hot water and began washing Lennox’s back while the woman drew her knees up. “Len, you gotta talk to me sooner or later.  You can’t keep this silence shit up.  We used to tell each other everything and you used to have this spitfire attitude.  What the hell happened?  Are you really gonna let that asshole take away your existence and reason for living?”

 

“H-He fucked me.” Lennox finally spoke, turning her head to rest her cheek against her knees while staring straight ahead. “He took everything from me.  I have nothing left…”

 

Keyla understood the meaning of the first statement and kept running the loofah sponge over her back, choosing her words carefully. “Tell me what happened.” She coaxed gently, leaning on her knees to continue bathing her friend. “What all did he do?”

 

Through crying and slight sobbing, Lennox confessed to going over to Danny’s on Christmas Eve to give him a gift and make amends.  She described in detail what the house looked like and what she walked in on.  Keyla bit back her anger, not believing Danny could be so cruel and heartless after Lennox sacrificed her own livelihood to save him.  That wasn’t the only thing Lennox had to tell her and she contemplated taking the last few moments with Danny to the grave since her face was healed up from his backhand.  No, they were best friends – sisters – and she wouldn’t hide or keep anything from Keyla again.

 

“It was him, Key.” Lennox finally looked up into confused citrine eyes and swallowed hard, reaching a hand up to touch her face. “The attack at my parlor the night before Thanksgiving.  He did it.  It wasn’t his drug lord like I originally assumed.  He fucking sent me to the hospital by bashing me over the head.”

 

Out of everything Lennox told her, that was the last piece of news Keyla expected to hear. “WHAT?!” She exclaimed, unable to hide her surprise and anger, brows furrowing. “He actually told you that?”

 

Lennox nodded, reaching for a cup to pour over her head to wet her hair, which still had red and green streaks in it. “Christmas Eve.  When I tried leaving the house, he…hit me.  Backhanded me in the face.  And then told me not to piss him off or he’d hurt me like he did back in November outside my precious parlor.  It was a warning.  I tripped him up, bashed his head into the coffee table and ran out of there as fast as I could.  The whore he was with did the same thing.”

 

“Christ…” Keyla was thankful Lennox got out of there alive because Danny Havoc wasn’t a small man by any means. “I’m glad you’re alright.  Has he tried contacting you?”

 

“No.  I changed my number just in case he tried.” Lennox assured, hoping she never had to deal with her ex-fiancé again as long as she lived. “Anyway, I’m sorry for being a bitch to you and for what I said.  I had no right and there’s no excuse for it…”

 

Keyla waved her off dismissively, shaking her head. “Don’t worry about it, it’s done and forgotten.  I understand why you said it and…you are right.  I am pining over Moxley and I need to stop it.  I mean, I got offered the opportunity of a lifetime from Triple H and I have a week to decide if I wanna take it or not…”

 

“What do you mean?” Now it was Lennox’s turn to be confused, her brow raising questioningly. “Keyla, what’s going on?”

 

“Triple H gave me an offer before I left for home 4 days ago.  There’s a spot open on the Raw main roster camera crew and it’s mine if I want it.  There’s a woman who is pregnant and needs a lighter schedule with the company, so they wanna swap us.  And I don’t know if I should take it because of…”

 

“Moxley.” Lennox finished for her, her voice low and quiet, violet eyes lowering back to the water. “You’re afraid of running into him again.”

 

Keyla nodded, unable to hide the truth from her best friend and it was her turn to let the tears flow. “I know it’s stupid and I shouldn’t care that he sees me there, but…I’m a love-struck idiot and I can’t help it.  But this situation with you and Havoc is making me realize all the opportunities we could have together.  So I’m gonna take the job if you come on the road with me.”

 

Violet eyes shot open and Lennox’s head whipped up to stare at Keyla bewildered, wondering if she heard that correctly. “Wait what?!  You want me to come with you on the road and that’s the only way you’re taking the job is if I do it?  Are you insane?  I have…”

 

“Nothing left here.  There’s nothing left for you anymore.  Your parlor is gone, Gina is on her way to Tampa to live with Sami and they’re selling the house.  Hell, even Drake is thinking about moving to Tampa with his family.  You could be far away from Danny Havoc and never have to deal with him again.  And we’ll find a way for you to work or I’ll simply pay for us both.  But I’m not losing my best friend again, so if I have to hogtie you and stuff you in a huge luggage bag, I’ll do it.  Don’t make me do that.  Just take the deal and let us both start a new chapter of our lives together.” Keyla wasn’t backing down for an instance, pouring body wash in the loofah and lathered it up before beginning to wash Lennox’s back. “Say yes and I’ll make the call right now to Triple H.”

 

Just then, fireworks began exploding all around them in the neighborhood and Keyla grabbed her phone, seeing it had just turned midnight.  2013 was over and 2014 had arrived.  If that wasn’t a sign for them to move on with their lives, what would it take?  Lennox knew this was a once in a lifetime shot for Keyla and didn’t want to be the reason she turned it down.  It wouldn’t hurt her to leave Philadelphia for a while and travel the world with Keyla and the WWE anyway.

 

“Happy New Year.” Lennox reached over and took the phone, finding Triple H’s number in the contact list and pushed the call button. “Take the offer.”

 

Grinning, Keyla did as instructed and waited for Triple H to answer, hoping he didn’t mind her calling during the New Year’s celebration. “I’ll do it, Hunter.” She said as soon as he answered, standing up from the tub to let Lennox finish bathing while she spoke with her boss. “I’ll go to the main roster.”

 

Chapter 23

 

January 6, 2014

 

It was Keyla’s first official night on the main roster and she was on the verge of having a nervous breakdown.  The show wasn’t a normal Raw like every other Monday night.  It was called ‘Old School’ Raw, which brought out a litany of veterans and stars such as ‘The Nature Boy’ Ric Flair, ‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper and Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts.  Others were in attendance, but those were the 3 major names that stood out.  Triple H had warned her it would be a crazy first night on the job and asked if she wanted to wait until the week after before starting.  Keyla was stubborn and assured him she would be fine at ‘Old School’ Raw, but now she was having second thoughts.  Currently, Lennox was doing everything in her power to try keeping Keyla calm, not knowing what she would do if she was in this position.

 

“3 years – almost 3 years.  What if I run into him?  What am I gonna say?  What will he say?  He’s gonna blow his stack, Lennox…” Keyla paced back and forth, chewing her thumbnail nervously while glancing at the clock every other minute. “Oh god, I have to be at the arena in less than an hour!”

 

Keyla had been there for Lennox throughout the whole Danny fiasco and took her on countless vacations to help get her mind off of things.  Now it was her turn to repay the favor and Lennox wouldn’t let her best friend down.  Standing from the bed, Lennox stopped Keyla’s pacing and grabbed her shoulders, tempted to shake sense into her.  No, that wouldn’t help matters any and the tears in Keyla’s eyes made Lennox’s chest tighten.

 

“You have to calm down before you end up having a panic attack.  Then I’ll have to call 911 and you’ll end up in the hospital instead of starting your first night on the main roster.” Lennox squeezed her shoulders, smiling softly. “Key, remember why you took the NXT job and apply it to this one.  It’s the same company, you’re just in a different part of it now.  Moxley isn’t the reason you worked for NXT.  You took the job because you genuinely love this business and that’s what you need to keep reminding yourself.  If you run into Moxley, we’ll deal with it then.  But right now you need to get your head on straight and chill the fuck out.  Worrying yourself like this won’t lead you anywhere good.”

 

As much as Keyla wanted to follow Lennox’s instructions and not have a freak out, it was a lot easier said than done. “I – I need a minute…” She escaped into the bathroom and locked the door, pressing her back against it shutting her eyes. 

 

What was she doing here?  Coming to the main roster was a huge mistake and now there was no turning back.  Triple H and the officials all had faith in her ability to work on the main roster, but Keyla didn’t believe in herself.  That was her problem.  The only thing she could think about was seeing Jon Moxley again and what his reaction would be.  She envisioned his head exploding and a rain of auburn blonde curls rained down on her.  It was a recurring nightmare for the past week, which made Keyla a tad sleep-deprived.  Her nerves were on edge ever since she hung up with Triple H on New Year’s Eve –technically, it was after midnight so it was New Year’s Day- to tell him she would join the main roster.  Now here she was, standing in front of the bathroom mirror in her hotel room and trying not to pass out or have a full-blown anxiety attack.

 

“How can I calm her down?” Lennox wondered aloud, staring at the bathroom door worriedly and suddenly heard the lightbulb click on in her brain. “Christ, why didn’t I think of this sooner?”

 

Knocking at the bathroom door made Keyla snap out of her deep thoughts, citrine eyes pulling away from her reflection. “I’ll be out in a minute; I just need…”

 

“We need to head out or you’ll be late.” Lennox stepped back as the bathroom door opened and held out a glass of water, keeping an encouraging smile on her face. “Drink this and we’ll go.”

 

Keyla’s throat was dry as a desert from all the heavy breathing, so she took the water and downed it, setting the glass on the nearby counter by the door. “Thanks Len.”

 

“No problem, sweetie.  Just keep breathing and everything will be fine.” Lennox walked out of the hotel room after her best friend and closed the door, a sly smirk curving her mouth. 

 

There was nothing an anxiety pill couldn’t fix.

 

~!~

 

“Shield boys, my office now.”

 

Jon, Roman and Seth all turned to look at Stephanie McMahon, wondering what she wanted.  Things always changed on a nightly basis in WWE, depending on injuries and time frames for the show.  Currently, all the Shield was set to do that night involved a segment on Piper’s Pit with ‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper.  Something told the Shield it was about to change and Jon hoped the segment with Piper wasn’t cancelled.  Working with a legendary figure like Piper was a once in a lifetime opportunity.

 

“What’s up, Steph?” Seth asked, the first to step inside her office followed by Jon and Roman.

 

Stephanie smiled at him, admitting only to herself that Seth Rollins was her favorite out of the Shield and hoped her husband did something more with him in the future. “It’s about the segment tonight.  You’re still doing Piper’s Pit with Roddy, but…we’re gonna add a match for the main event.”

 

“Against who?” Seth asked curiously, his brain already spinning with possibilities of the Shield having a match tonight on ‘Old School’ Raw. “I mean we’ve been feuding with Punk lately…”

 

“Exactly, but we’re gonna do things a little different tonight since its old school theme and whatnot.” Stephanie grinned evilly, her blue eyes moving to the door when it opened and sat down in her chair. “Right on time, boys.”

 

None other than The New Age Outlaws ‘Road Dogg’ Jesse James and ‘Badass’ Billy Gunn smirked back at the rookies from NXT who had run roughshod over the WWE for a little over a year. “Sorry Steph, you know how it goes.” Jesse popped a piece of gum in his mouth, eyes sliding to the side to take a gander at Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose. “So you boys are the ones causing chaos, eh?”

 

“Yeah, what of it?” Jon demanded, not afraid of anyone because he considered himself a veteran with 9+ years’ experience in this sport.

 

“Dean…” Seth’s voice held a slight tone of worry, not wanting to disrespect two legends like the New Age Outlaws. “Don’t mind him.  Big fan of you guys…” He extended a black gloved hand toward Road Dogg, hoping to smooth things over and keep the peace.

 

Roman respected these two men, but he wouldn’t kiss their asses either. “So what’s the match tonight, Stephanie?” He directed the attention back on the boss, ignoring the other men for the moment.

 

“Yeah, who gets to kick Punk’s ass tonight?” Now they were finally talking about something worthwhile and Dean hoped he was the one to battle Punk CM Punk in the ring tonight.

 

“Well, since Punk faced Seth last week…and lost.” Stephanie had to rub the fact in a little, folding her arms in front of her chest. “Aaaaand Ambrose lost to him several weeks ago on Raw.  And the Shield lost to Punk’s team last week…” Again, sometimes the heel came out in her naturally and Stephanie didn’t apologize for being who she was or try to change. “There’s only one option left.”

 

Seth frowned, suddenly realizing what Stephanie was about to say and shook his head, clasping his hands together. “No, please give me one more chance, Steph!  I know I can beat him; I just need another shot!  You can’t think…”

 

“Roman Reigns will face CM Punk tonight in the main event to close ‘Old School’ Raw out.  And the match will end in DQ with Punk going over and the Shield beating him down until…” Her grin looked as though it may split her face in half, this idea too grand to pass up. “The New Age Outlaws come to the rescue and the Shield battle against them.  And that’s not all, gentlemen.”

 

Christ, what else could there be, Jon wondered in thought, keeping quiet while Stephanie explained what else would happen in the final segment of the show. “So…you need a volunteer, in other words?” He questioned, finally locking eyes with the Billion Dollar Princess and stepped forward, squaring his shoulders. “Alright, Roman gets the match, so I’ll do it.”

 

“Really??” Everyone in the room somewhat yelled in unison, all eyes wide as saucers while Jon just stood there calm, cool and collected.

 

Jon raised a brow at his coworkers and boss, holding his hands up. “Why not?  Not like I’ll be in danger or anything.  And you only live once.  Besides, this doesn’t happen every day and who better?”

 

Stephanie admired Dean Ambrose’s spunk and bravery, thankful she didn’t have to choose one of the boys to do what had to be done. “Alright Ambrose, sounds like you really wanna do this and I see no objections from anyone else in the room.” Everyone shook their heads instantly. “Billy and Jesse, go over the plan with the Shield and finalize plans for the segment.  Here are your changed scripts.  Roman, if you have any questions, Punk should be in his dressing room.”

 

Now that business for the show had been taken care of, it was time to go find her husband and meet the newest member of their camera crew.

 

~!~

 

Lennox pulled into the Baltimore Arena parking lot and cut the ignition, noticing Keyla was marginally calmer than before.  The anxiety pill had worked like a charm, so Lennox made a mental note to talk to Keyla about possibly getting her own for the future.  She looked over at her best friend and handed over the keys, not bothering to ask if Keyla was ready to do this.  For all they knew, both would step through the entrance and run right into Jon Moxley.  Hopefully that didn’t happen because Keyla had just started calming down.  They both stepped out of the rental vehicle and headed inside the arena, Keyla flashing her work pass and Lennox wearing a backstage pass around her neck.  Triple H had been kind enough to overnight both to her so there would be no issues getting into the building.  The security guard looked them over and waved the women inside; Keyla and Lennox’s eyes grew wide as soon as they entered the chaos that would permanently be Monday evenings for the rest of their lives.

 

“This is insane…” Keyla murmured, not sure where to go or what to do because so many people were running around like chickens with their heads cut off. “Whoa!” She pulled Lennox back to collide against the wall when they were nearly bulldozed by one of the WWE Superstars. “Are you okay?”

 

“Yeah…” Lennox hoped so, pretty sure she just swallowed her tongue and glanced back at Keyla. “Are you?”

 

Nodding, Keyla chewed her bottom lip nervously and waited for an opening in the hallway before heading further down, doing their best to stay out of everyone’s way. “Okay here we go.” Keyla managed to find an empty dressing room and smiled apologetically at Lennox, already knowing they would have to part ways because of her job. “Thanks again for coming with me to do this, Len.”

 

“Anytime.  Now go before you’re late.” Lennox pushed her toward the door, having a backpack over her shoulder that held a laptop and drawing book that would occupy her while Keyla was gone. “Text me when you’re done and then I’ll meet you at the parking lot exit.”

 

“Sounds like a plan.” Keyla took another deep breath and opened the door, looking back at her best friend. “Wish me luck.”

 

Lennox winked, shoving Keyla and watched her head down the hallway, shaking her head. “You don’t need it.” Then she closed the door and sat down, pulling out her drawing book to start making new designs that popped in her head.

 

Somehow, Keyla managed to navigate through the arena without asking for help or running into any members of the Shield.  Jon, more specifically.  Triple H spotted her in the hallway and guided her to where she needed to be, introducing Keyla to Penelope Kingsley.  She was the woman Keyla would trade places with just as soon as her training on the main roster finished.  They shook hands and instantly clicked with Penelope, both of them setting up for the show that night.  Penelope wasn’t feeling the best because of her pregnancy, so she asked Keyla if she wanted to get her feet wet and take over the camera work for Raw.  Keyla was floored at the offer, but could tell there was a reason for it.  What Keyla didn’t know was Triple H ordered Penelope to make Keyla run the camera her first night to see if she had what it took to work the main roster.  He wanted her to prove herself; Penelope remembered the same thing being done to her when she joined the Raw camera crew.

 

“Get something to eat and drink if you want while you can before the show starts.  And tonight, you’ll be ringside.” Penelope informed her, sitting down to sip some ginger ale and wished the morning sickness would go away already with her pregnancy.

 

“Thanks again, Penelope.” Keyla took her advice and went to find Lennox, jogging down the hallway toward the dressing room her best friend was left in.

 

Lennox looked up when the door opened and took her ear buds out, frowning instantly. “What’s wrong?  Are you okay?” She didn’t expect to see Keyla until after the show in the arena parking lot like they originally planned on.

 

“Yeah, the show hasn’t started yet and Penelope told me to get something to eat and drink since I’ll be ringside tonight.” Keyla explained, already pulling Lennox out the door to go to catering. “I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.”

 

“Whatever you want, sweetie.”

 

Lennox couldn’t be prouder of Keyla and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, prepared for the long haul as far as being on the road went.  She didn’t know how long it would last or what the future held, but it looked bright being with her best friend and family.  As they entered catering, Keyla suddenly froze in her tracks while Lennox kept walking until she realized she was alone.  Then she looked back and saw the ghostly complexion on Keyla’s face and went to her side, wondering what spooked her friend.  Unmistakable laughter reached her ears seconds later and Lennox slowly turned to look straight ahead toward the back of the room, spotting Jon Moxley sitting at a table with two other men.  Keyla couldn’t be in the same room as him, not yet and not now, especially with this being her first night on the main roster.  No, it wasn’t the right time and she didn’t know if it would ever be.  Backing out of the doorway, Keyla turned and hightailed it away from catering as fast as she could, tears springing to her eyes.

 

Jon laughed at something Roman was talking about, feeling a presence in the room and looked up toward the doors of catering, tilting his head slightly not seeing anything or anyone out of the ordinary.  He shook his head, knowing he was slowly losing his mind and went back to conversing with Roman and Seth.  Not realizing how close he’d been to spotting someone from his past, Jon was unable to shake the feeling something big was about to happen in his life.

 

Chapter 24

 

Just seeing Jon again after all this time splintered Keyla’s heart to pieces.  Coming to the main roster and leaving the security of NXT was a huge mistake, one she couldn’t take back.  Keyla had no idea how she would react upon seeing Jon again, knowing it was inevitable and didn’t expect to hurt this much.  She was happy in NXT with familiar faces surrounding her like Sami and Drake.  Even Baron.  The main roster was one huge black hole threatening to swallow her whole.  Keyla wiped her tears away and gripped the iron railing that lead to the entrance.  She pulled out a much needed cigarette and walked around to the side of the building before lighting up, trying to stop crying.  Each tear that fell from her eyes was for Jon and all the pain he’d caused her almost 3 years ago.  What she should’ve done was track him down, beat the hell out of him, or tried, and made him feel a SLIVER of the agony she currently did.  Maybe then Keyla could move on with her life and start healing, but she wouldn’t do it tonight. 

 

Soon, but not her first night on the main roster.

 

Whipping her phone out, Keyla had to talk to someone other than Lennox and sent Sami a text message, knowing Monday was one of his days off. I thought I could do this, but I can’t.  I saw him and freaked out.  I’m standing outside now in the cold crying and have no idea what to do.

 

Not even a minute later, Keyla’s text message music went off and she knew it was Sami responding. You knew this was a possibility.  It’s going to happen since you’re on the main roster now.  Just talk to him already and be done with it.  Tell him how you feel and how much he hurt you.  Be real with him.

 

Are you out of your mind?!  I can’t talk to him and be real with him!  He’ll laugh at me and blow it off because that’s what he does!  Once an asshole, always an asshole!! Keyla texted back, feeling anger welling up inside of her at Sami’s words and shook her head, puffing wildly on her cigarette now.

 

Then avoid him and do your job.  I don’t know what else to tell you.  If he spots you, go the opposite direction.  If he chases you down, tell him to go fuck himself.  Not that hard. Maybe Sami sounded a little callous, but he was never one to sugar coat, especially when he talked to Keyla.

 

“Easy for you to say, idiot.” Keyla grumbled, trying to think of what she wanted to send Sami next and put the cigarette between her lips. You’re supposed to help me, not make things more complicated.  Thanks, I’ll figure it out.  Miss you and tell Drake I miss him too.  Talk soon.

 

Will do. Was the final text Keyla received just as a voice called her name, relief coursing through her body because it wasn’t Jon, so hopefully he hadn’t spotted her.

 

“Keyla?”

 

“I’m not going back in there.” Keyla muttered, taking another long drag from her smoke and flicked ash away, standing in the cold wintry darkness. “Not until the show starts.”

 

Lennox heard the finality in Keyla’s voice and joined her with a cigarette of her own, leaning back against the building. “Good.  I didn’t want to have to kick your ass back in there to do the job you love.  I know it was hard seeing him…”

 

“A lot more than you think.” Keyla cut her off, enjoying the frosty air flowing over her because it numbed her temporarily. “I didn’t think it would hurt so much to see him again and I haven’t even talked to him.  What if I can’t do it, Lennox?  What if I spend the rest of my career in the WWE running and hiding from him?  That’s no way to live…”

 

This was Lennox’s cue to say something that would hopefully give Keyla the courage she needed to walk back inside the arena. “Look Key, you don’t have to associate with Moxley.  You’re here to do a job and leave to go to the next area.  There’s no reason you ever have to talk to him.  Hell, I’m sure there’s plenty of people in this company who do the same thing and ignore assholes.”

 

Due to what happened with Danny, Lennox was currently in man hate mode and only wanted to look out for her best friend’s interest.  The wounds Danny inflicted were still fresh and Lennox didn’t know if she would ever get over his deceit and cheating ways.  However, this wasn’t about her.  This was about Keyla standing up for herself against the man she pined over for the past almost 3 years.  Unbeknownst to Lennox, Danny had texted the same advice to Keyla a little while ago.  After finishing their cigarettes, the women headed back inside with Lennox having another brainstorm.

 

“I’ve got an idea, but it’ll require finding out some info.” Lennox knew they didn’t have much time and stopped the first person to walk down the hallway, who happened to be WWE Diva Naomi. “Hi, can we bug you for a minute?”

 

“Sure, what’s up?” Naomi asked with a smile, not recognizing the women and wondered if they were fans or part of the ring crew.  One of them looked to be part of the company anyway.

 

Lennox didn’t feel any bad vibes coming from her and stepped to the side, remembering what happened earlier in the hallway. “My friend here starts her job tonight and we were wondering if there’s any merchandise around.  Like a hat, maybe?”

 

Naomi raised a dark brow at the dishwater blonde with red and green streaks before moving to the dark blue haired woman, assuming the request was for her. “Yeah, you can get some in wardrobe.  It’s by gorilla position.  Sorry gotta run, take care and break a leg tonight.” She took off down the hallway while Lennox and Keyla went on the search for the wardrobe department.

 

Sandra was a beautiful older woman with a heart of gold and immediately found what Keyla needed, handing over a WWE black baseball cap.  Lennox thanked Sandra for her help and dragged Keyla to a nearby bathroom, immediately turning her around to start the process of her plan.  It wouldn’t work forever, but at least Keyla would be able to conceal her identity for a little while until she was ready to confront Jon Moxley.

 

“This is never gonna work.” Keyla griped, pulling on the sides of the baseball cap and frowned, tempted to yank it off.

 

“Of course it will!” Lennox argued confidently, staring back at the reflection in the mirror and grinned, patting the top of the hat. “Your hair is the one thing Moxley would instantly recognize.  But if it’s hidden, he won’t take a second glance at you.  Besides, you’ll be moving all around the ring with a camera hiding your face most of the time.  Trust me, it will be fine.”

 

Lennox had swept Keyla’s waist length dark blue hair up into a tight bun on the top of her head, making sure to get as many stray hairs as possible in it.  Then the baseball cap was added to hide almost all of the dark blue tresses.  Keyla had to admit, Lennox had great ideas sometimes and could only hope this one paid off.  She turned to smile at her friend, hugging Lennox tightly and thanked her for the help.  Then hightailed it out of the bathroom and down to ringside because the show would be starting in less than 10 minutes.  Chuckling, Lennox left the women’s bathroom after emptying her bladder and smacked right into a brick wall.  Or so it felt like.  A hand shot out to stop her from hitting the concrete floor and Lennox slowly shook the cobwebs from her fuzzy brain, looking up until violet eyes met stormy grey.

 

“Sorry about that.” The man stated in a deep baritone voice that matched him well and sent shivers throughout Lennox’s body.

 

Not knowing what to say, Lennox pulled her hand out of his and suddenly had a flashback to when they were in catering.  He was sitting with Jon Moxley; Lennox had a photographic memory and the big man was very hard to miss.  Besides that, he also had on the same ring attire as Moxley had.  Talking to stormy grey eyes wouldn’t be in Lennox’s best interest and she took a step back then another before walking around him to go back to the safety of her dressing room.

 

Roman raised a brow at the retreating honey blonde, tilting his head slightly and stroked his black goatee thoughtfully.  Who was she?  He didn’t recognize her from the roster, admitting she had quite the backside in the snug black jeans she had on.  The streaks in her hair just made him more intrigued as well.  The door to the men’s restroom opened suddenly, breaking Roman out of his deep thoughts and looked at Dean, wondering if he was alright.  The man had been in his own world as of late and Roman couldn’t figure out what was going on with his friend.  He decided to keep the run-in with the honey blonde a secret for now, not wanting anymore distractions and walked down the opposite way of the hall to prepare for one of two segments they had tonight.

 

~!~

 

Keep your head down and focus on the job, Keyla mentally coached herself, listening to every bit of Penelope’s explanation about the camera equipment.  It was similar to what they used down in NXT, so it wasn’t that different or difficult.  Keyla would be able to use this without a problem.  As if the night didn’t have enough twists and turns within it, Penelope had yet another surprise for the newest camera crew member.

 

“You’ll be in the ring for the Piper’s Pit and Shield segment tonight.”

 

“W-What?!” Keyla blurted out before she could stop herself, swallowing hard at the perplexed expression on Penelope’s face and lowered her eyes.

 

“Is that a problem?” Penelope folded her arms in front of her chest, eyeballing Keyla and could tell she was nervous. “If you can’t handle it…”

 

No!  She had to do this and there was no backing down or running. “I got it, just surprised to have that much trust put into me.” She managed a soft smile, hoping that smoothed things over and Penelope bought it, patting her on the back before making her exit backstage.

 

Thousands upon thousands of fans packed the Baltimore Arena, the show sold-out and Keyla was in the middle of it all.  She couldn’t keep the smile off her face, thoroughly enjoying the atmosphere surrounding her.  Is this what Jon felt every time he stepped in the ring in front of so many people?  Keyla couldn’t remember him ever wrestling in front of a huge crowd like this in the Independents, wishing she could talk to him again to find out what his life was like now.  Was he happy?  Had he settled down with someone?  Or was he reckless and careless as ever, putting his body on the line for the sake of an adrenaline rush?  So many questions and not enough answers.  Keyla heaved a sigh, moving around the ring on the outside filming the match for the millions of people watching from home.  If she made a mistake, it would affect the quality, but luckily she wasn’t the only camera person out there.

 

Before long, the sound of bagpipes filtered throughout the arena and the crowd erupted, which was Keyla’s cue to step in the ring.  It was set up with a red mat cover with black stools for the Shield when they made their entrance.  Keyla couldn’t believe she was standing in the same ring as the legendary ‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper.  This had to be a dream come true for Jon; it HAD to be.  She felt giddy as a teenager, remembering watching old wrestling matches of Piper with Sami when they were younger in high school.  Jon, not so much, but she knew it still had to be something he could check off his bucket list.  Keyla shifted a little with the camera on her shoulder, being completely professional and watched Piper bring the microphone to his lips, talking for a few minutes.

 

Keyla’s heart nearly stopped when the Shield entrance filtered through the arena speakers, surprised she didn’t drop the camera.  All 3 members walked down the steps toward the ring, making their entrance and Keyla zeroed in on Jon with the new ring attire he had on.  No more black skimpy tights with the word MOX near the waist.  He was completely different, dressed from head to toe in black, his hands wrapped in black tape.  Jon NEVER used to wrap his hands in the Independents, but apparently that had changed since he came to the WWE.  A lot of things changed about him.  His hair was wet and slicked forward over his forehead instead of hanging over his eyes.  He had on black cargo pants that fit him in all the right places, including his cute backside and a black skintight muscle top with a zip-up hooded sweatshirt left open.  The sleeves were pushed up to his elbows and the hooded sweatshirt had some kind of logo embroidered on the back of it that looked like 3 dogs in a circle trying to maul each other.  Or so that’s what it looked like to her.

 

Stepping back as Jon slipped through the ropes, Keyla hadn’t been this close to him since the day he left her in Philadelphia.  If he only knew who was in the ring with him now…she shook herself mentally and watched Jon bring the microphone to his mouth, his voice gritty and low just like it was back in the day.  3 years nearly…Keyla always enjoyed filming Jon’s promos that were uploaded on YouTube.  It was surreal she was doing the same thing again, only in front of thousands of people and a wrestling legend with his two other Shield brethren.  Every word out of his mouth was pure gold – the whole segment was in fact.  WWE knew what they had in Jon and hopefully they continued treating him right because he was definitely world champion material.  Once the segment ended with CM Punk and the New Age Outlaws in the ring chasing the Shield off away from Piper, who was nearly beaten down by them, Keyla stepped out to resume her position ringside.  It wasn’t a surprise Keyla was finding a hard time breathing after being so close to Jon after all this time.

 

A few hours later, the familiar theme of the Shield once again sounded through the speakers and Keyla felt the hairs on her arms stand up.  Seth Rollins, the one she had bumped into during one of their trips down to NXT, stood ringside alongside Jon.  Roman Reigns was the only one wrestling tonight against CM Punk, who had nobody on his side to make it even.  Keyla tried not to steal glances at Jon throughout the match, but it was hard.  She had to keep focused or else she would make a mistake and ruin her shot at being on the main roster, possibly even the company.  Somehow miraculously, she performed with the camera flawlessly and felt her jaw drop when Jon and Seth jumped in the ring after CM Punk, after Roman Reigns speared him to pick up the victory.  The New Age Outlaws flew out from the back to help and the fight was on, everyone in the ring brawling.  Suddenly, another familiar theme that hadn’t been played in the WWE in YEARS played through the speakers, the Shield’s jaws dropping at the sight of none other than Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts walking down the aisle toward the ring.

 

Jon ended up over CM Punk’s shoulders and was ‘knocked out’ by a GTS, – Go to Sleep – falling to the ring selling the move perfectly.  Keyla was so proud of him in spite of all the pain he’d caused her while she filmed the segment.  Roman and Seth stayed outside of the ring, their eyes wide while Jake stood over their fallen comrade with a bag over his shoulder.  If Keyla hadn’t watched Roberts’ matches back in the day, she wouldn’t have known what was about to happen to the man she loved.  Keyla cringed as Jake Roberts opened the bag and dropped a yellow python on top of Jon’s face.  His SMILING face.  Why the hell was he smiling?!  Wasn’t he freaked out or scared out of his mind?  Keyla shook her head behind the camera discreetly, not believing the balls of steel Jon had to let a python slither all over his face and upper body.  She shivered, biting back a chuckle when Jake picked the python up to move toward the ropes where Roman was.  He immediately jumped back, holding his hands up wanting nothing to do with the python.  Who the hell would?!  The segment ended with Jon’s smiling face in a close-up with the python on top of him, the crowd laughing and cheering.

 

It was indeed one hell of a night to start working on the main roster and Keyla would never forget it as long as she lived.

 

Chapter 25

 

“So, I have a confession to make.”

 

Keyla quickly glanced over at Lennox while driving to the next area for the Smackdown! taping.  Turns out, Penelope worked both shows and since Keyla was taking her place, she had to do the same thing.  Triple H neglected to provide her with that bit of information and, to say Keyla was annoyed, was an understatement.  Still, she had a job to do and wouldn’t back down, coming up with a plan to always be one step ahead of the Shield – of Jon Moxley.  Instead of staying the night after Raw in the same city or town, Keyla would simply drive or fly at night to the next area the WWE performed at.  Lennox didn’t have a problem with it when Keyla approached her with the idea after Raw over a month ago and they’d been doing it ever since.

 

“I knew something was going on with you, but you were stubborn and always said you were fine.” Keyla didn’t know how to feel about Lennox keeping a secret from her and braced herself for what she was about to hear. “Out with it.”

 

“It’s nothing bad…” Lennox didn’t think anyway, but then again it involved a certain 6’3, 265 pound Samoan giant, who she had several run-ins with at the arenas lately. “I just don’t want you freaking out.  You’ve been doing well and I don’t want to ruin your progress…”

 

Keyla rolled her eyes and picked up a bottle of anxiety pills from the center counsel, shaking it at Lennox. “You told me to get them, so I did and now I’m not having panic attacks every 3 seconds.  Now tell me what the hell is going on with you.”

 

“Alright – alright…” Lennox couldn’t beat around the bush anymore and took a deep breath, violet eyes lowering to her clasped hands in her lap. “I’m assuming you know who Roman Reigns is, right?”

 

That name immediately made Keyla’s entire body tense from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. “What about him?” Her voice had changed from curious to low and guarded, eyes remaining on the road.  Of course she knew who Roman Reigns was!  He was a third of the Shield – the group Jon was part of and known as the Lunatic Fringe. “Please don’t tell me you’re…”

 

“Just a few quick encounters and nothing more.” Lennox said in a rush of words, trying to calm Keyla down because it looked like she was on the verge of having a panic attack. “I didn’t want to say anything because, every time it happens, I walk away and I haven’t said more than 3 words to him.  I don’t know why it keeps happening and, frankly, I’m getting ticked off about it.  What if he’s doing it on purpose?  Like stalking me or something?  I have nobody else to talk to about it, so that’s the only reason I’m bringing it up.”

 

“Was Jon with him during these encounters?” Keyla had to know because Jon would instantly recognize Lennox, even though she’d taken the red and green streaks out of her hair to replace with them with burnt orange. “Has he seen you?”

 

Lennox immediately shook her head, reaching over to take Keyla’s free hand and squeezed it. “No.  The Samoan idiot is always by himself.  If Jon was with him, I know better than to stick around and talk.  I know you don’t want him seeing me until you confront him.”

 

If that ever happened, Keyla added mentally, breathing a little easier since Jon wasn’t involved in this situation.  However, it did make her apprehensive knowing there was a possibility her best friend was being stalked by Reigns.  What was she supposed to do about it though?  Keyla couldn’t walk up to the Samoan monster and demand him to stay away from Lennox, not without exposing herself to Jon Moxley.  That was simply out of the question.  Lennox would simply have to be more careful and try to avoid Roman Reigns or else one of their encounters would result in Jon Moxley seeing her.  Then all hell would break loose in the WWE and that’s the last thing either woman wanted.

 

“Do you like Roman Reigns?” Keyla asked after a few minutes of silence, wondering what was going through Lennox’s mind regarding the Samoan. “I mean he is good looking and tattooed…”

 

“Are you nuts?  I just ended a very long relationship with my ex-fiancé and you’re asking me if I’m interested in another WRESTLER?” Lennox didn’t know whether to feel offended, amused or both, folding her arms in front of her chest. “Key, I’ve been down the dating a wrestler road and I really don’t want to venture it again.  Wrestlers are off-limits to me.”

 

The finality in Lennox’s tone told Keyla the conversation was over and a change of subject was in order.  She didn’t want to upset Lennox further, knowing the wounds Danny inflicted wouldn’t heal for a while.  It would take a miracle for a man to break through her walls and Keyla felt the same way since she’d been abandoned by the man she loved for 3 years.  The anniversary of his departure had recently passed and, since it was during her days off, Keyla spent it alone eating ice cream and crying. 

 

She still hadn’t found a place in Tampa, but they hadn’t flown back to Philadelphia either, so Sami and Gina invited both to stay with them until they decided what to do.  Their two story house in Tampa was gorgeous, on the outskirts of the city and had a huge backyard where Lennox spent most of her time, especially at night.  Keyla found a few leads to possible houses to look at, but so far nothing had really popped out and she made sure to pay Sami and Gina rent for both her and Lennox, refusing to live there for free.  With WrestleMania on the horizon, which would be Keyla’s first, she decided to wait until after the chaos died down in WWE before continuing to look for a place.

 

Valentine’s Day came and went with both girls wearing all black, renting horror movies and vegging out together with junk food.  They both made a pact not to mention any man during the dreaded V-Day, focusing on laughing and talking about anything else.  It worked…until Lennox broke out the hard liquor and liquid courage ensued, best friends venting about the dickhead men who hurt them.  Sami and Gina walked in on them sleeping on the couch downstairs together, managing to put them to bed without disturbance.  The next day consisted of thunderous migraines and vows to never drink again with Gina trying not to laugh at them.  Sleeping most of the day away was all they could do after being drugged up to make the migraine disperse.

 

~!~

 

The Shield had a busy night ahead of them, being booked in a six-man tag match against Christian, Daniel Bryan and Sheamus.  So Roman knew he couldn’t eat anything heavy prior to his match.  Afterwards was fine.  Walking into catering, Roman grabbed some of the fruit salad before turning to find a table.  Grey eyes zeroed in on the mystery woman he’d been running into lately and Roman wondered if she’d make an excuse to get away from him.  The closer he approached the table, Roman noted she had ear buds in and could hear the loud music pulsing from them.  How the hell was the honey blonde not deaf?  It reminded him of Ambrose’s warmup routine because the man blasted music as loud as he could while doing pushups, jumping jacks and shadowboxing.  Deciding not to startle her, Roman sat on the opposite side of the table across from her and smirked, wondering how long it would take for the mystery woman to notice him.

 

Getting lost in her artwork was all Lennox could do not to think about Danny, missing the man fiercely.  It’d been close to 3 months since she walked in on him having sex with someone else on Christmas Eve.  Why couldn’t she forget he existed and move on with her life?  Because Danny Havoc was supposed to be her past, present and future – her husband and father of any children they wanted to have together.  None of it would happen now.  Cheating was unforgiveable and deep down, Lennox knew he would never give the drugs up.  Then there was the fact he’d been the one to put her in the hospital the day before Thanksgiving, for what reason she still didn’t know.  Maybe one day they could reconcile and make amends, but not while he was nose deep in drugs screwing anything with two legs.  Lennox broke out of her deep thoughts, the black sketch utensil freezing on the paper, when she felt the table nudge from someone joining her.  She looked up and immediately felt the breath hitch in her throat at the sight of a smirking Roman Reigns staring back at her.

 

“Something I can help you with?” Lennox asked coolly, pulling the ear buds from her ears and set them on the table along with her drawing notebook, not appreciating being bothered by the Samoan.

 

It showed and Roman didn’t miss the slight disdain in her voice, shaking his head at her question. “No, just thought I’d join you since you looked lonely.” It was an honest answer as Roman popped a grape in his mouth, winking at the honey blonde and his grey eyes moved to the drawing she’d been working on. “What’s that?”

 

Lennox followed his eyes down to the sketch and shrugged, knowing it was dangerous to converse with this man.  Yet, she was doing it anyway. “Nothing, just something that popped in my head.”

 

So the mystery woman was an artist, Roman thought, stormy grey eyes unable to leave the design for some reason.  It called out to him and he wanted a closer look at it.  Standing, Roman moved to the chair beside the honey blonde and waited for her to tell him to take a flying leap or to simply leave him before he could talk to her further.  None of that happened.  Grey eyes once again took in the design and Roman reached out to turn the drawing notebook closer to him, tilting his head at the unique design she came up with.  It was black with a slight greying, or maybe she hadn’t finished yet.  It reminded Roman of the Spiderman logo, only it didn’t have multiple legs on either side.  Instead, it looked like two R’s back-to-back, the line separating them a wicked spike.  It was intriguing, just like the woman sitting beside him, and he couldn’t help admiring every inch of the design before finally locking grey on bewildered violet.

 

“This is awesome.  I dig it.” Roman complimented, watching her immediately start to close the drawing notebook and stopped her from standing up to leave. “Wait.”

 

“What do you want?” Lennox somewhat snapped, his hand on her upper arm turning her skin to molten lava along with the rest of her blood.  Christ, why did he have such an effect on her? “Let me go…”

 

“Come on, I just wanna talk to you.” Roman coaxed, keeping her seated with another smile and leaned closer, their eyes remaining locked. “What’s your name?”

 

Why did he want to know that?  Lennox didn’t feel comfortable with this situation, but for some reason she couldn’t pull her gaze away from the Samoan. “I’m not sure-” She was cut off by another woman approaching the table and managed to break eye contact with Roman Reigns, looking up only to face none other than Stephanie McMahon.

 

“Roman, there you are.  I’ve been looking all over for you.” Stephanie said by way of greeting, her cool blue eyes moving to the honey blonde he’d been somewhat holding hostage. “Who’s your friend?”

 

“She’s not-”

 

“Hi, I’m Stephanie McMahon.” She extended a hand to the honey blonde, introducing herself before Roman could say much and smiled. “And you are?”

 

There was no getting out of this situation and Lennox hoped she didn’t regret dropping her name to one of Keyla’s bosses. “Lennox, ma’am.  Lennox Sparks.” She slid her hand into Stephanie’s and felt the firm handshake, swallowing hard. “I-It’s nice to meet you…”

 

Stephanie had a natural intimidation factor about her, which could be both good and bad when it came to business. “You too.  How long have you known each other?  Roman, you know the rules…”

 

“I-I’m not with him…” Lennox immediately regretted saying that, watching Stephanie take a seat on her other side and felt boxed in at the table.

 

“Then who are you here with?” Stephanie reached out to finger the backstage pass around Lennox’s neck, arching a brow. “I don’t believe I’ve seen you around before.” If she had to call security to escort this crazed fan out of the building, Stephanie wouldn’t be happy.

 

Oh god, please don’t kill me Keyla, Lennox silently prayed, rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly. “My best friend is on the camera crew.  She invited me on the road and got clearance from Triple H.” She was very familiar with this woman and had watched Stephanie over the years because Danny had somewhat of an obsession with the man. “Her name is Keyla…”

 

Stephanie instantly relaxed, a genuine smile crossing her face and remembered her husband mentioning Keyla bringing an individual on the road with her.  Just for her own sanity and protection, she would talk to Keyla to make sure the information was legitimate.  Stephanie went to stand up from the table and stopped, noticing the design on the drawing notebook Roman had admired a few minutes ago.  Did Lennox draw this?  Was she an artist?  Stephanie already made a mental note to talk to her husband about Lennox Sparks, if her story about being Keyla’s best friend was true, not wanting an artistic talent to go unused.  It wouldn’t be prudent for business.

 

“That’s good.  Enjoy your time with us.  Roman, my office in 10.” Stephanie made her exit, leaving Roman and Lennox alone at the table to go back to her office.

 

“Great, what now?” Roman muttered, shaking his head and turned his attention back on the honey blonde named Lennox, that name fitting her to perfection. “So it’s Lennox then?”

 

She groaned, not bothering to hide it and closed her notebook before standing from the table, this time Roman not stopping her. “I-I have to go…” Lennox was frazzled and needed to pop one of her anxiety pills, every part of her body shaking from the encounter with Stephanie McMahon.

 

Roman stood as well, picking up the drawing notebook when Lennox dropped it at his feet and handed it to her, once again grey locking on petrified violet. “See you around.” It was a simple promise he intended to keep, finding this woman more intriguing every time they saw each other.

 

Not responding, Lennox flew out of catering like her backside was on fire and made her way down the hall to the empty dressing room, shaking like a leaf.  What the hell was she supposed to do now?  Why did she drop her name to Stephanie McMahon of all people?!  Now Roman Reigns knew her name and if he told Moxley about it…Lennox was in trouble, burying her hands in her hair.

 

She possibly just blew Keyla’s cover and had nobody to blame except herself, hoping Roman kept their talk with Stephanie quiet.

 

Chapter 26

 

All Keyla could do was stare and blink repeatedly at her best friend, listening to every word that came out of Lennox’s mouth.  She was shaken up and crying, apologizing profusely for revealing not only her identity to Roman, but Keyla’s as well.  She could wear the hat all she wanted to keep her blue hair hidden, but now…Roman Reigns knew her name.  As much as Keyla wanted to yell at and berate Lennox, she couldn’t because it wasn’t her fault for what happened.  Roman Reigns had been the one to approach her and sat next to her at the table, not the other way around.  It was a right place, WRONG time situation, especially where Stephanie McMahon was concerned.  One simply didn’t lie to the woman because there were severe consequences and Keyla didn’t want any distrust between her and the bosses.

 

“So that’s why Stephanie called me into her office after the taping ended Tuesday…” Keyla muttered thoughtfully, standing from the bed to stare out the window of her bedroom and pressed her forehead to the cool glass. “You only said Keyla – not my full name?”

 

“Yes…wait, why did Stephanie want to talk to you?” Lennox hadn’t missed that bit of information, not moving from the bed and hoped she hadn’t gotten Keyla into any kind of trouble.

 

Truthfully, Keyla didn’t think anything of it at first and figured Stephanie was just checking on things to make sure the job was going well.  It was natural for a boss to be concerned about an individual who wasn’t on the roster or employed by the company.  Keyla figured it was a ‘touching base’ type of meeting and answered all the questions Stephanie asked to the best of her ability.  Now that Keyla realized what happened prior to that meeting, the pieces of the puzzles had come to together and she didn’t know how to feel about it.

 

“She wanted to make sure you hadn’t lied about knowing me.  Apparently, there’s been incidents where crazed fans have snuck into the backstage area and lied about knowing one of the wrestlers in order to get close to whoever they’re nuts over.” Keyla explained, keeping her voice low and calm, lighting up a cigarette for a much needed nicotine fix. “She also asked me what you used to do for a living…” That had been weird, but Keyla was tired after the taping and meeting, so she put it out of her mind…until now.

 

Lennox lowered her eyes to the floor, having a sinking feeling she knew why Stephanie wanted to know more about her. “What did you tell her?” She was afraid to hear the answer, wrapping her arms around herself.

 

“The truth.  You owned your own tattoo parlor and had to give it up for personal reasons.  I didn’t tell her specifics and she didn’t seem interested in them.  She did say you are a talented artist though.” Keyla took a long drag from her cigarette and opened the window to let the breeze in, not pulling her gaze from looking out at the long stretch of land Sami and Gina owned. “I’m sorry Len, but I’m not lying to my boss, not even for you.”

 

“No I get it and I’m not mad.  She must’ve liked the design I was working on before that Samoan dick decided to interrupt me.” Lennox muttered, trying her best to loathe the man and found it hard to keep the animosity alive with him.  Hell, she started watching the Shield matches just to see him in the ring and thoroughly enjoyed the sheer athletic ability he had. “Here, look for yourself.  I don’t like it, but apparently she did…”

 

Turning, Keyla took the drawing notebook and stared at the design, settling down on the carpeted floor near the window to study it for a few minutes. “You do realize this looks somewhat like the Spiderman logo, right?  Only…its back-to-back R’s…” How did she come up with something like this? “Lennox…”

 

“It’s just a stupid design, nothing more.” Lennox snatched the drawing notebook from her best friend and closed it, setting it beside her. “I don’t think its R’s, but whatever.  Bottom line is your boss liked it and mentioned it to you, so maybe she’s gonna ask me to use it or something…”

 

Keyla knew better than to press the issue, noticing how agitated Lennox became every time Roman Reigns was brought up.  Did the logo have something to do with his name?  It was the only name in WWE today she could think of that had two R’s.  What the hell was going on with Lennox lately?  Did she like the Samoan and was afraid to say or admit it?  Maybe, maybe not.  Maybe it was just a logo and nothing more, like she’d said.  Keyla highly doubted it, leaning her head back against the wall and went back to the current obstacle in front of her.  What would happen if Roman Reigns mentioned her name to Jon?  Surely they were friends outside of the ring, right?  If they weren’t, Keyla would dodge a HUGE bullet and hopefully her name wouldn’t come out of Roman’s mouth.

 

Something told her it already had.

 

~!~

 

Saturday night before a big pay-per-view event found Jon at a local bar down the street from the hotel, knocking back a few beers with Roman.  Over the past several years, Jon had grown to know Roman personally outside of the ring and honestly thought of the man like the brother he never had.  Jon was a lonely child and didn’t have a huge family like Roman, so when his mother, Lisa, found out about his past the woman welcomed him with open arms.  Roman’s family had enough love to go around and they were the nicest people Jon ever met.  Hanging out with the Samoan changed Jon for the better and settled him down compared to how he used to be in the Indies.  No longer did he feel the need to be completely plastered to where he couldn’t remember his name or where he was the next day when he woke up.  His body was in the best shape it’d ever been, thanks to the incessant and grueling workout routine him and Roman did together at the gym.  Every day on the road, they made sure to work out and Jon didn’t feel right if they missed one, which didn’t happen often.  Jon was a better person both inside and out thanks to the Samoan sitting next to him and would never be able to repay him for helping Jon appreciate the finer things in life.

 

They truly were brothers.

 

“So, do you remember that honey blonde I mentioned a while back?” Roman had to talk to someone about her, unable to get Lennox Sparks off his mind no matter what he did.

 

“Vaguely, but yeah.  What about her?” Jon could tell something heavy had weighed on the big man’s mind lately, but hadn’t pried because he knew Roman would talk about it when he sorted everything out in his head. “Run into her again?”

 

That was an understatement. “Several times, yeah.  I saw her in catering at the taping last Tuesday and sat at the table with her.  She tried brushing me off again and this time I stopped her.  I actually put my hands on her…” Roman still felt guilty about doing that, taking a long swig from his ice cold beer. “I asked what her name was and she tried brushing that off too…until Stephanie walked in…”

 

“Oh shit.” Jon chuckled, shaking his head and could only imagine what happened, listening as Roman explained the situation.  He froze mid-drink as soon as the name Lennox came out of the Samoan’s mouth and slowly set his beer down, blue eyes sliding over to stare at his best friend. “Say that name again.”

 

“Lennox.  Come to think of it, I don’t recall her last name, but I know she said it to Stephanie.” Roman scrubbed a hand down his face, not seeing Jon’s demeanor change and continued talking. “She’s a fucking knockout, bro.  Curves for days, an ass that needs to be squeezed every second of every day and her purple eyes…”

 

Jon was officially losing his mind, remembering an incident with Seth when they were in NXT back late last year for a few weeks.  He’d run into someone with dark blue hair and blew it off, thinking Seth had gone mental.  Now the woman Roman had been fantasizing and having wet dreams over was named Lennox.  She had honey blonde hair and purple eyes…there was only one woman who fit that description in Jon’s head.  It wasn’t possible though.  There was no way it was THAT Lennox.  She was happily engaged to his friend, Danny Havoc, back in Philadelphia and probably popped out a few puppies by now.

 

“So, does she work for the company or what?” Jon pried, not bothering to hide his curiosity and could see the smile on Roman’s face spread wider.

 

“That’s just it, she doesn’t.  She’s here with some chick on the camera crew.  Name starts with a K, but I can’t remember what it is.” Roman didn’t have the greatest memory and he wasn’t interested in Lennox’s friend, just Lennox. “Dean, you alright man?”

 

All the color drained out of Jon’s face as soon as he heard that, immediately standing up from the bar to pay his tab for the night.  Dark blue hair and the name of Lennox started with a K…Jon needed fresh air immediately and walked out of the bar, leaving Roman sitting there perplexed.  It was still in the dead of winter in Minneapolis, Minnesota, which is where the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view event was taking place the following night.  Jon leaned against the wall of the bar and closed his eyes, sucking in as much of the cold air as possible, wondering if Seth hadn’t been lying several months back after all about the blue haired woman he ran into.

 

~!~

 

Lennox vowed to stay put in the dressing room and not leave for any reason, making sure to pick one that had a bathroom.  She’d caused enough problems for Keyla and really didn’t want to add to the list, locking the door as soon as her friend left to head down to ringside.  Tonight was huge for Keyla because it wasn’t just another Raw or Smackdown! show.  Tonight was Elimination Chamber, the last pay-per-view event before the biggest of them all – WrestleMania.  It was amazing watching how calm Keyla remained, but Lennox wondered how long that would last.  Pulling out her drawing notebook, she flipped to the page with the double R logo and started working on it, turning her music on to get lost in her work while glancing every once in a while at the monitor.

 

The Shield was about to go to war against the Wyatt Family in a six-man tag team match to see who was the more dominant force in WWE.  Naturally, Keyla was put at ringside and warned to stay out of the way because it would be a brutal match.  She wasn’t looking forward to watching the possibility of Jon getting hurt, but it was her job.  Keyla had to do it.  The preshow ended and the event began, the arena darkening as the titan tron lit up with a video montage of all the feuds happening in the company currently.  Keyla watched it, cracking a smile at the sight of Jon and knew he’d come a long way, having well-deserved, well-fought career in the WWE.  His dream had come true…without her in his life.  That reality bit stung, but Keyla shook it off and prepared for the show to begin, the first match of the night commencing.

 

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

 

Keyla watched the group make their way down to the ring, prepared for war and saw how intense Jon was.  He was ready for this and Keyla swore his arms were getting bigger every time she saw him.  Maybe it was just her imagination.  Then again, he was in tremendous shape and had meat on his bones unlike the Independent days.  He was muscular and filled out in all the right places of his body and Keyla found herself devouring him visually through the camera, somehow being discreet about it.  The United States championship looked amazing around his waist as well and how he wore it hanging from his crotch was a vision that would be seared in her brain for a long time to come, possibly forever.  She turned the camera as the Wyatt Family made their entrance and soon, both teams were in the ring face-to-face, nose-to-nose, ready to tear each other to shreds.

 

Before the match began, the crowd chanted ‘This is awesome!’ repeatedly, more than ready for the battle.  It was thunderous in the Target Center, the fans clapping their hands and stomping their feet, making the camera slightly vibrate for a minute or two. ‘Let’s Go Wyatt’s, Let’s Go Shield’ was the second chant from the fans and it was far louder than the ‘This is awesome’ one.  Not surprised when Jon threw the first punch, due to Bray Wyatt talking trash to him, Keyla could already tell she would have a rough time trying to keep up with the action.  Then again, she wasn’t the only one camera person out there and had to keep reminding herself of that, moving all around the ring from all the chaos.  25 minutes into the match turned the tide of the match with Jon and Bray Wyatt spilling to the outside to continue their brawl. 

 

Keyla’s back was turned toward the ring, filming the action and didn’t see the two bodies flying in her direction.  Until it was too late.  Jon’s body collided with the camera person, the body flying over the barricade and hitting the hard concrete flooring with a sickening thud.  Keyla was knocked out instantly, the hat she wore for the past almost 3 months soaring into the crowd several rows back.  Both Jon and Bray kept brawling with Jon sending Bray into the steel guardrail, his crazed blues turning back to stare at the individual lying on the floor.  Dark blue hair was the first thing he noticed about the individual as he stumbled over to look at the camera person they knocked over the barricade with them accidentally.

 

“Shit!” Jon cursed, squatting down to check on the woman and turned the body toward him, his heart stopping for a split second in his chest.

 

Lying prone and lifeless on the concrete was Keyla…HIS Keyla.  Jon covered his mouth with his hand, looking around to make sure cameras weren’t on him and did the X sign toward the officials, knowing Keyla was hurt.  She needed medical attention immediately.  Jon turned just as Bray came charging at him and pushed the man back away from the barricade, their brawl continuing backstage.  Once they were out of the cameras, Bray listened to Jon quickly explain the situation and sent him back to the ring while he waited for Keyla to be brought backstage.  All of his questions and suspicions were confirmed and now Jon knew without a shadow of a doubt Keyla Jensen worked for the same company as him.

 

She had some serious explaining to do.

 

Chapter 27

 

Running as fast as she could down the hallway, Lennox ignored all the Superstars and Divas she passed staring at her, Keyla the only person on her mind.  She had to be alright; she had to be.  Lennox had looked up from shading in the design with the double R’s just in time to watch horrified as Jon Moxley collided with Keyla, sending her over the barricade to crash and burn.  Hadn’t the man hurt her enough?!  Lennox was in panic mode, immediately flying out of the vacated dressing room toward the trainers to check on her best friend.  The camera was more than likely destroyed and, if Keyla was fired over it, she would make sure a lawsuit would be filed against WWE.  It wasn’t Keyla’s responsibility to stay out of the warpath of unpredictable, uncaring wrestlers!

 

Lennox turned the corner and skidded to a halt, locking eyes with the last man she expected to see waiting outside of the trainer’s room. “Hey Moxley.” She greeted coldly, keeping her distance from him and folded her arms in front of her chest, breathing heavily from running.

 

Roman’s Lennox was also…Lennox Sparks, Danny Havoc’s supposed fiancée and another piece of his past.  What the hell hadn’t Sami been telling him or Drake for that matter?!  He’d talked to both men since they worked down in NXT and neither told him about Keyla or Lennox being in the WWE!  Jon ignored her cold tone and looked past her at Roman jogging up to talk to him, both of them bumping fists.

 

“Lennox?  What are you doing here?” Roman blinked, not expecting her to be waiting outside of the trainer’s room, where he was instructed to meet Dean.

 

There was no denying it now.  The dark blue haired camerawoman hadn’t been a figment of Jon’s imagination and Seth hadn’t been lying months back. “It’s really her, isn’t it?” He grunted, trying to push the anger down and watched Roman look back and forth between the two of them.  The big man had no idea what he’d gotten himself into when it came to Lennox. “How’s Danny?”

 

“A druggie – how’s your receding hairline?” Lennox shot back coldly, keeping the smile on her face that did not reach her amethyst eyes. “Roman…”

 

“Would someone mind telling me what the fuck is going on here?” Roman demanded, wondering how Dean and Lennox knew each other, feeling as though his head would explode.

 

“Still bitchy as ever, I see.” Jon retorted, not remembering a time when he ever got along with Lennox and squared his shoulders, ripping the black tape off his hands. “Danny back into drugs, eh?  You probably sent him there.”

 

Lennox was 2 seconds away from lodging Jon’s balls in his throat permanently, storming toward him until Roman stepped in her line of vision. “Get out of my way.  This mother fucker has no business being here.  I’ll take care of Keyla and you’re not wanted OR needed, Moxley!” She growled, keeping her voice low and stern, not wanting to attract more attention than they already had.

 

“The hell I don’t!” Jon shouted, not caring who heard at this point and wanted to plow his fist right into Lennox’s face, even though he’d never hit a woman in his life. “I work here, you don’t!  So get lost, I’m not going anywhere, BITCH.”

 

“DEAN!” Roman’s deep baritone reverberated around the hallway around them, his grey eyes turning stormy. “Now is not the time-”

 

Lennox wasn’t through giving him a piece of her mind though and shoved past Roman, feeling his hand wrap around her upper arm. “Dean?  Really?  What are you a frat boy now, Moxley?  They had to change your name because you look like a frat boy compared to the badass you once were in the Indies, I see.” She snorted, feeling Roman pull her back to where he blocked Jon from her vision and planted her hands on her hips. “Hey Neanderthal, keep your fucking hands to yourself before I remove them.”

 

“Look, I’m just trying to help and you going after Dean isn’t the answer.” He knew the man as Dean Ambrose and would continue calling him that, already knowing about his past in the Independents. “Both of you need to calm the fuck down now and breathe.”

 

“I’m not leaving until I get answers.” Jon stated with finality in his voice, sliding down the wall across from the trainer’s room to plant his backside on the floor.

 

“Hey asshole, Keyla has nothing to say to you and you’re not gonna force her to talk to you either!  This is a JOB and it’s her personal life that you’re not part of!  So take your cocky arrogant ass and go take a flying leap off the nearest and shortest pier!  She wants NOTHING to do with you, Moxley!” Lennox tried moving past Roman, but he kept stepping in her way and finally stepped back, waiting impatiently for the trainer to let her in to see her best friend.

 

It didn’t matter what Lennox said; Jon would be the first one in the trainer’s room to talk to Keyla privately.  He tossed the balled up tape across the hallway and lightly bounced his head off the cinderblock wall, hating the waiting game.  If Roman was smart, he would get as far away from Lennox as possible.  Sure, she was a beauty, but had a smart mouth on her that made him want to cut her tongue out.  Clenching his fists in front of him, Jon’s thoughts turned to Keyla and still couldn’t believe she’d hidden from him for however long she worked for the company.  Lennox had planned his going away party back in 2011, so she knew he worked for the WWE too.  There was no excuse from either woman, no matter what kind of excuses they tossed his way.  Did he feel bad about plowing into Keyla and sending her over the barricade during the match?  Absolutely!  Didn’t mean he wouldn’t rip into her for lying and deceiving him this whole time though!

 

The door to the trainer’s room opened and Jon was instantly on his feet, hoping Roman kept Lennox where she was so he could check on Keyla alone. “Michael, is she okay?” Concern mixed with anger pulsated through Jon’s pale blues, relief coursing through him at Michael’s nod.

 

“Yeah, she’s gonna be fine.  She has a small concussion, so I’m giving her the week off to get over it.  If you go in to see her, be quiet.” Michael ordered, having heard the commotion outside the room while working on Keyla.  He wouldn’t hesitate to put any wrestler or Diva in their place if necessary. “She’s awake, but still a little out of it.”

 

“Thanks…”

 

“Moxley, don’t you dare go in that room!” Lennox shouted, trying to make a break past Roman, but it was no use and tears began sliding down her cheeks. “Get out of my way!  I have to check on her!”

 

Roman’s chest constricted at the sight of Lennox’s tears, but he couldn’t let her near Dean right now. “Just let him go check on her and then you can.  Come on, stop fighting me.”

 

“Bro, keep her out here.” Jon requested, watching Roman nod and stepped inside the room, closing the door quietly behind him.

 

“Don’t!” Lennox buried her fingers in her hair and squeezed, shaking her head. “You have no idea what you’ve done, Neanderthal.”

 

“The name is Roman.” He corrected, removing the vest he had on and tossed it to the side, folding his arms in front of his chest. “And no I don’t, but my buddy wants some time alone with your friend and you need to give it to him.”

 

~!~

 

The pay-per-view event hadn’t started yet. 

 

She stood outside of the Target Center with a cigarette in hand, enjoying the wintry weather.  Her sense of peace and tranquility shattered when she heard a familiar gritty voice in the same area as her…and he wasn’t alone.  Keyla slid between two trucks and stayed in the darkness, watching the scene unfold before her.  Renee Young, a backstage interviewer and preshow host, was giggling at something he said, nudging him with her arm and Jon wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close to him.  There was no cigarette like there should’ve been.  Had Jon quit smoking?  Keyla felt her heart clench with newfound pain and felt tears sting her eyes, having to look away when his mouth brushed against Renee’s cheek.  It’d been over 3 years since they saw each other.  What did Keyla expect?  Of course he moved on with his life and found someone else!  The man was too gorgeous to be single.

 

“Keyla?”

 

Frowning, the vision and memory Keyla had been in began to fade as she heard her name being called repeatedly, eventually managing to pry her glazed eyes open.  The trainer, Michael, hovered over her flashing a bright white light in her eyes to check how dilated her pupils were.  He asked her a few questions and Keyla managed to answer them all, her voice groggy along with her brain.  The voice stopped and her eyes closed, once again letting the darkness envelope her, but it was short-lived.  Keyla had no idea how long she laid there, the memory from earlier that night still fresh in her mind, but once she heard the low raspy voice resonate around her, her eyes snapped open again.

 

“Keyla.”

 

“W-Where am I?” She managed to ask in a whisper, not trusting her voice at the moment and reached a heavy hand up to press against her achy forehead. “What happened to me?”

 

Did Keyla even realize who was in the room with her?  Jon stayed near the door, not moving toward her and knew yelling wasn’t option right now.  He owed her that much after bulldozing her during the match, wishing she would’ve watched what was happening around her.  Then again, she was focused on filming the action in the ring.  That answered one of Jon’s questions at least – she was on the Raw camera crew.  How had Jon not recognized her sooner than this?  He suddenly remembered the hat she had on with a WWE logo and that made his blood boil, wondering if she’d purposely worn it to hide her identity from him.

 

“How long?” Jon demanded, getting down to business instead of making small talk with a concussed woman.

 

Keyla swallowed hard, the realization dawning on her who was in the same room as her and there was no escape.  She was powerless and hurt, the opportunity to come clean finally arriving.  Opening her mouth to respond, Keyla felt a sharp pain pierce her head and she clutched it tightly, slamming her eyes shut.  Michael diagnosed her with a concussion and already sent the order to Stephanie and Triple H to give her the next week off to recover.

 

“Answer me.”

 

She had nothing to say to Jon Moxley and didn’t have to answer any of his questions, remembering what Sami told her.  Avoid him and do your job.  If he spots you, go the opposite direction.  If he chases you down, tell him to go fuck himself.  Sami was absolutely right and Keyla planned on doing it, the past 3 years of pain Jon caused her flooding her entire body from head to toe.  Ignoring him was the best option right now while she tried to stop her head from exploding.  Turning her entire body until her back faced him, Keyla kept her eyes closed and blatantly refused to do what he wanted.  He ordered her around while they worked in the Independents together, but this was the WWE and a much different time in both of their lives.  Keyla wished anyone else was in the room with her right now, even Baron Corbin.  Where the hell was Lennox when she needed her the most?

 

“So it’s gonna be like that, huh?” Jon pursed his lips tightly together, waiting for any sign of life or words to come out of Keyla’s mouth.  None came.  Not even a twitch of her body. “This isn’t over, remember that.  You will talk to me sooner or later.” Irate and fed up with the silent treatment, Jon stormed out of the trainer’s room and slammed the door with authority, making both Roman and Lennox turn to face him. “Fuck it, she’s all yours.  Roman, let’s go.”

 

Lennox and Roman looked at each other before she flew past him into the trainer’s room, closing the door behind her.  Roman shook his head and followed Dean down the hallway, hoping Lennox was alright.  She was more than alright now that she saw with her own eyes Keyla was alive.  Sniffling resonated throughout the small room, breaking Lennox’s heart and she immediately went to Keyla’s side, holding both of her hands after taking a seat next to the bedding.  In spite of her concussion, Keyla couldn’t stop the tears from pouring out of her eyes down her face.  Both from the pain in her heart and concussion.  It was a struggle not to talk to Jon, but honestly why should Keyla give the man the time of day?  He cut her off 3 years ago and didn’t want her in his life, so now he was getting a dose of his own medicine.  It was hard not to get off of the bedding, jump in his arms and kiss the daylights out of him.  Keyla wanted to do that more than anything and be with him forever, but that’s now how real life worked.

 

Fairytale endings didn’t exist.

 

Michael came back a half an hour later with a bag of pain pills for Keyla to take and a medical release form signed by Stephanie.  She would not be allowed to return to work until the following Monday and that was only if her concussion was completely gone.  Keyla would have to pass all the medical tests before being released and until then, she was to relax and be on bedrest.  All she could do was nod, thanked Michael for his help and walked out of the arena with Lennox’s help.  Michael insisted Keyla wait to fly until the next day because he didn’t want her getting sick on the flight home.  Lennox assured him they wouldn’t be flying anywhere, her worry and concern for her best friend.  Nobody else mattered right now, not even Roman Reigns.

 

“What did the asshole say to you?”

 

Waving the question off, Keyla didn’t want to discuss what happened between her and Jon in the trainer’s room.  That was between them and Lennox didn’t need to have more hatred for Jon more than she already did.  He knew she worked for the WWE now; there was no need to hide anymore or wear the stupid hat over her dark blue hair.  Keyla was finally free to do whatever she wanted and to do her job without constantly looking over her shoulder.

 

Yet she felt far from being freed, the shackles around her heart tighter than ever with the name Jon Moxley emblazoned on the lock.

 

Chapter 28

 

How would Keyla handle the inevitable talk with Jon Moxley?

 

That was the one question she kept replaying repeatedly in her mind during her week off from work.  The concussion wasn’t as bad as originally diagnosed, but Keyla still had to take the time to heal.  Her whole body was sore from head to toe, bruises on her elbows, lower back, backside and legs from where her body struck the concrete floor.  It was a miracle she hadn’t cracked her tailbone or hurt worse because Jon wasn’t a small man.  Neither was Bray Wyatt.  Surprisingly, she’d received flowers from Bray with a card apologizing for what happened.  The man felt terrible about it, not meaning to collide into her with Jon and hoped she accepted his apology.  Of course she would; it was an accident and could’ve happened to anyone.  Keyla would talk to him once she was cleared to go back to work and put the beautiful flowers in a glass vase to set on her windowsill.

 

Before she knew it, the week whizzed by in what seemed like a flash and Keyla was on her way back to the WWE with Lennox beside her.  They had a long talk about how to handle Jon Moxley, but everything was easier said than done.  Lennox wanted her to ignore him and do her job like she had been for the past nearly 3 months.  Could she though?  Could she do ignore Jon and pretend he didn’t exist?  The only reason Keyla did it at Elimination Chamber was because she had a concussion and was in so much pain she wasn’t in the mood for a conversation.  Now that she was healed up and back to work, all bets were off with Keyla struggling on what to do.  The plane landed at O’Hare airport in Chicago, Illinois as the women made their way through the terminal, grabbing their luggage before heading out to check into the hotel.  Raw didn’t start for several hours and Keyla had to be checked out by Michael in order to get clearance to resume working.

 

Once checked in, Keyla pulled out her gear for Raw and walked into the bathroom to change, removing the long sleeved magenta top she had on.  The bruises were yellow tinted now, nearly gone, but a few would still show if any close-up happened of her at ringside.  Maybe having them covered up by one of the makeup artists wasn’t such a bad idea.  Keyla examined them for a minute, stretching the skin to see just how deep one of them were on her upper arm.  Vaguely she remembered what happened to her, only having flashes along with a pounding head in the trainer’s room.  Then Jon had been the one to visit her instead of Lennox, understanding why after her best friend’s explanation about Roman Reigns’ assistance.  Unfolding the WWE black polo shirt, Keyla carefully pulled it over her head and then swapped the blue jeans for black slacks.  She pulled her dark blue hair back in a high ponytail and then thought better of it, brushing it out to leave it down.  No reason to put it up anymore now that Jon knew she worked for the company.

 

Lennox was worried sick about Keyla and wished she would talk about what she felt inside.  Throughout the week, every time Jon was mentioned Keyla changed the subject immediately.  She didn’t want to talk about him or anything that was said in the trainer’s room.  Whatever it was couldn’t be good.  Lennox also feared Jon wouldn’t leave her best friend alone until they talked.  She couldn’t protect Keyla from Moxley forever and wasn’t stupid enough to try.  However, it would be on Keyla’s watch and when she was ready, not because Moxley demanded it.  Until that time, Lennox planned on doing everything in her power to keep him away from Keyla, knowing it wouldn’t be easy.  It didn’t help she had a meeting set up with Stephanie McMahon before Raw tonight and had no idea how long it would take.

 

“Ready to go?” Keyla asked, walking out of the bathroom and noticed how nervous Lennox was. “We need to head out so you can make it on time for your meeting with Stephanie.”

 

“Right.” Lennox murmured quietly, standing up from the bed and hoped her outfit was professional enough. 

 

It was a simple black skirt that fell just above the knee and a burnt orange long sleeved top, the sleeves sheer and flowy.  The neckline was round shaped and Lennox decided to curl her hair, a ton of hairspray throughout it.  It was all left down, resting in the middle of her back and black pumps adorned her feet to finish the outfit off.  No fishnet stockings or black fingerless gloves, though Lennox was tempted to show up in her normal clothing.  However, even if she didn’t work for the company she still represented Keyla and in turn, Keyla represented the WWE.  She figured dressing up nicely for the meeting and being professional would go in Keyla’s favor.

 

“You didn’t have to dress up, you know.  But you do look beautiful.” Keyla complimented with a smile, not remembering ever seeing Lennox dressed like this.  It wasn’t her style at all. “You sure you don’t wanna change back to who you really are?”

 

Lennox smirked, shaking her head and squeezed Keyla’s shoulder. “Gotta look good for the meeting and I don’t wanna look like scum walking into Stephanie’s office.  Now stop worrying and lead the way before we’re late and gave up my fishnets for nothing.”

 

A few minutes later, the women were on their way to the Allstate Arena. 

 

~!~

 

This was the longest week of Jon’s life.  From the moment he stormed out of the trainer’s office till arriving at the arena for Raw, Jon hadn’t had a moment of peace.  Every time he closed his eyes to snooze or rest on his 2 days off, Keyla popped in his head.  Jon replayed the morning he stood on her front porch in the dead of winter and said their goodbyes, the feeling of Keyla in his arms still branded in his memory.  He hadn’t forgotten her and figured she wanted nothing to do with him since he chose wrestling over her.  Keyla wanted something back then Jon simply couldn’t give her because he’d been consumed with making it in the wrestling business.

 

Y-You’re going to do great in WWE, I just know it.  You’ve got everything it takes to be the top guy in the company.  And don’t let anyone tell you differently.  You hear me?

 

Her words Jon carried with him throughout the past 3 years.  Their final kiss killed Jon because it made walking away and leaving much harder.  Even as he started the ignition and drove down the road away from Keyla’s, every fiber of his being wanted to turn the car around.  He wanted to beg her to come on the road with him, but didn’t want to ruin her life by dragging her all over like he had in the Independents.  Keyla deserved better than a scumbag like him and that mindset made it a little easier to walk away, to cut her out of his life.  Jon hadn’t been the only one not to pick up the phone, she hadn’t either, so they were both to blame in his eyes.  Whether Keyla liked it or not, she had to talk to him and he wouldn’t leave her alone until it happened.

 

Looking up from staring at the snowy asphalt, Jon noticed two women walking toward the arena and instantly noticed the dark blue hair.  Keyla.  She had returned finally.  He’d found out from Roman, who had somewhat of an obsession with Lennox, a few days ago Keyla would only be gone for a week to recover.  Silently, he hoped Lennox stayed home and off the road, but no such luck.  It wasn’t the first time he faced off against Lennox and wouldn’t be the last.  Pushing off the wall of the building, Jon stepped forward and watched both women freeze in their tracks.  They stood mere feet from each other for the first time in 3 years and Jon couldn’t believe he didn’t recognize the citrine eyes sooner.

 

Lennox still hadn’t forgotten what Jon said to her a week ago and felt the anger rushing back in one huge wave. “Leave her alone.” She warned, holding her arm out to block Keyla and blinked when her friend pushed it away gently but firmly.

 

“Go inside, Lennox.” Keyla murmured in a soft command, pushing Lennox toward the entrance of the arena. “I’ll be in shortly.”

 

“But…”

 

“I’ll be fine.  Go.”

 

Why did Keyla insist on torturing herself this way?  Lennox would never understand the amount of power Jon held over her best friend and felt nauseous, deciding to listen to Keyla’s wish. “Fine, don’t be long.” If he hurt Keyla again, Lennox wouldn’t be responsible for what happened to the so-called Lunatic Fringe.

 

“Overprotective little thing, isn’t she?” Jon commented, watching Lennox storm inside the arena and slammed the door shut behind her none too gently, turning his full focus back on the last woman he ever expected to see again. “How are you feeling, darlin’?”

 

“What do you want, Jon?” Keyla cut to the chase, not having time for this because Michael was expecting her in a few minutes for her checkup. “I have things to do, so make it quick.”

 

Scoffing at her attitude, Jon could already tell this wouldn’t be a pleasant talk and wondered if approaching Keyla was a mistake.  Even if it was, it wouldn’t stop him from crying to make amends with her.  They had a long past and now worked for the same company, so it would be a shame to at least not be friendly towards each other.

 

“Wanted to apologize for hurting you and make sure you’re alright.” Jon had been worried sick about her all week, glad there was no permanent damage.  He would never forgive himself if something happened to her, even if Keyla didn’t believe it. “I didn’t mean for it to happen…”

 

Keyla waved off his mediocre apology, thinking he was being forced to do this because she couldn’t remember Jon Moxley ever apologizing. “Don’t worry about it, accidents happen and that’s all it was.  You can sleep with a clear conscience tonight.  Now if you’ll excuse me…”

 

She tried to walk past him only for Jon to step in front of her, blocking her path to the arena entrance.  Being this close to her was enough to make Jon heady, her scent infiltrating his nose and surrounding him.  All the feelings he thought had been long gone were all rushing back to the surface and Jon didn’t know how to react to any of it.  Neither did Keyla.

 

“How long have you worked for the WWE?” He had to know, his hands itching to reach out and pull her against him, to feel her body pressed to his again.

 

“It’s a long story and I don’t have time to go into it right now.” Keyla murmured, trying to inject any speck or hint of anger in her voice, failing miserably.

 

Jon wasn’t giving up easily, reaching up to caress her cheek with the back of his hand. “Then tell me when you do have time.” He suddenly remembered Roman’s plan to ask Lennox out on a date that night after the show.  It was the perfect and only opportunity he would be able to talk to Keyla alone. “How about tonight after the show?”

 

The last thing Keyla wanted to do was spend any amount of alone time with this man who broke her heart into pieces and ignored her for 3 years.  She wanted to tell him to go to hell, to shout at him and make him suffer for everything he did to her.  The resolve for Jon Moxley wasn’t strong at all though and Keyla felt it deteriorating the longer she stood there staring into his pale blues.  Eyes she hadn’t stopped dreaming about and felt her knees weaken, the beginning to crumble around her shackled heart.  It felt like zero time had been lost between her and Jon, tears stinging the back of her eyes.  Keyla didn’t bother hiding them, letting them flood forward and looked away from Jon, hating how weak she was against him.

 

“Please Keyla.”

 

“Meet me in the parking lot after the show ends then.” Needing to put space between them and to breathe Jon-free air, Keyla quickly rushed away from him inside the arena and found the nearest bathroom.

 

She hoped she didn’t make the biggest mistake of her life by agreeing to talk to Jon later that night.

 

~!~

 

“So with that in mind, we want to officially offer you a job with the company.” Stephanie explained with a smile, talking for the better part of 10 minutes with Lennox about her artistic abilities and how she’d spoken with her husband about it.

 

Violet eyes shot open as Lennox stared at Stephanie wide eyed, wondering if she’d heard the woman correctly. “You’re offering me a job?” She questioned, feeling her heart pounding vigorously against her chest.

 

“Yes, for our design team.  Your talent shouldn’t be wasted and I know you can and will create some amazing designs for our Superstars and Divas.” Stephanie could see the apprehension on the woman’s face and didn’t blame her, knowing this was a bit of a shock since it was the WWE.

 

If Danny could see her now, he probably would’ve found a nearby gun and put a bullet in his head.  Lennox smiled at the thought of that happening and knew she couldn’t pass this opportunity up.  He took everything away from her and Lennox had searched for any kind of sign to tell her what to do next with her life.  This was it.  The encounter in catering was meant to happen and now Lennox was on the verge of working for the biggest wrestling organization on the planet.  She had the job Danny dreamed for so long of having, only she wouldn’t be in the ring like him.  Her designs would be embroidered and splashed on countless t-shirts that would be sold to fans all over the world.  Just the thought of her artwork being displayed in such a tremendous fashion sent chills throughout Lennox’s body.

 

“Where do I sign?”

 

Grinning, Stephanie pulled out the contract she’d drawn up for Lennox over the weekend and handed it over.  It was rather long and explained everything she needed to know.  Being a WWE employee meant she had excellent benefits, health insurance immediately instead of waiting 90 days due to the sport they were involved in and even a 401 K.  Lennox was smart and read the fine print, taking her time to make sure there were no surprises within the contract.  She nearly keeled over in her chair at the amount of money she would be making, not remembering ever making that much at her tattoo parlor.  Satisfied, Lennox signed on the dotted lines necessary and handed the contract back, standing to shake Stephanie’s hand.

 

“Welcome to the WWE, Lennox.  You start tonight.”

 

Chapter 29

 

The last thing Keyla expected to happen was Lennox working for the WWE and she couldn’t have been happier for her best friend.  Lennox had gone through hell and back, finally finding a new path in life to follow.  Stephanie and Triple H knew talent when they saw it and Keyla had no idea how to repay them for giving Lennox this incredible opportunity.  Losing the tattoo parlor ended up being the best thing that could’ve happened to Lennox because now she had a fantastic job that would use her artistic talent to the fullest.  Tattooing did to an extent, but now Lennox could sit and draw all day without worrying about clients who needed inked.  With the money she’d be making in WWE, Keyla and Lennox could finally find a place of their own in Tampa, Florida and move out of Sami and Gina’s.

 

“We should go out and get our drink on tonight.” Lennox suggested excitedly, feeling like she was on cloud 9 and never wanted this high to go away. “Paint the town red!”

 

Keyla should’ve agreed and blew Jon off, wanting to celebrate Lennox’s new job as much as her.  However… “I can’t tonight, but tomorrow night definitely.” She didn’t want to ruin Lennox’s evening by revealing her plans with Jon later that night, deciding to keep it to herself for the time being.

 

The smile disappeared on Lennox’s face as she eyeballed Keyla skeptically, planting her hands on her hips. “What happened with Moxley?” She demanded, hoping Keyla told him to leave her alone, go to hell or something along those lines.

 

“Nothing.  Talked for a minute and then I came to find you.” Keyla hated lying to her best friend, but it was for the best right now. “He apologized for what happened at Elimination Chamber and I told him not to worry about it.  Accidents happen.”

 

Why did Lennox get the feeling Keyla wasn’t telling her the truth? “That’s it?  No hounding about why you kept your job a secret or anything along those lines?”

 

Keyla shook her head, glancing at the clock on the wall and saw it was time for her to head down to ringside.  She passed all of Michael’s tests with flying colors and was ready to get back to work.  After her checkup, Keyla received a text message from Lennox to meet her in catering and as soon as she stepped through the door, she was clobbered with a hug.  Then Lennox spilled the phenomenal news about working for the WWE and another embrace ensued.  They hadn’t moved from catering, grabbing some food to nibble on before both had to go do their jobs for the company.

 

“Nope.” Keyla lied, finishing off her bottled water and tossed it in the nearby trashcan. “Come on, I’ll walk you down to wardrobe since the design department isn’t far from it.”

 

Grinning, Lennox hooked her arm through Keyla’s as they walked out of the dressing room together.  Keyla could tell Lennox was a bundle of nerves since she hadn’t expected to receive a job offer or to start on the same night.  Working for WWE taught Keyla a valuable lesson: Absolutely anything was possible.  It never ceased to amaze her what the company did or the decisions it made on a whim.  There’d been a few times Keyla was supposed to be a backstage camerawoman and she ended up ringside instead.  It didn’t bother her, but now that she’d been injured on the job, Keyla wondered if Stephanie and Triple H would keep her backstage for a while.  If they didn’t, she’d be surprised and do her best to stay out of the way when the wrestlers or Divas spilled out of the ring.

 

“Lennox.”

 

The ladies stopped and shared a look, both knowing who had just called out to one of them.  They turned together and Lennox felt her breath hitch in her throat at the sight of a half-naked Roman Reigns leaning against the wall just mere feet from them.  His right sleeve and chest tattoo were completely exposed; Lennox found herself devouring him whole and had to pull her gaze away from the tattoo before her eyes followed all the intricate designs within it.  She knew it stood for his Samoan heritage and, as an artist, it truly was a masterpiece.  Whoever Roman’s tattoo artist was knew what they were doing and nailed it, including making his nipple blend in with the rest of the tattoo.  That was surprisingly hard to do for a tattooist.

 

“Do you want to talk to him?” Keyla asked, jolting Lennox back to reality and nudged her, raising a brow at her best friend. “Or do you want me to send him away?” She was just as overprotective of Lennox and refused to let another man, especially a wrestler, hurt her.

 

What did Roman want now?  She called him a Neanderthal and warned him not to touch her.  Didn’t the man understand she wasn’t interested?  Or so Lennox tried convincing herself because of what happened between her and Danny.  She was scared and rightfully so, wishing Roman would leave her alone instead of popping up everywhere all the time.

 

“Go on Key, I’ll be fine.  Just like you told me earlier.  Go get ready for work.” Lennox’s schedule wasn’t nearly as taxing as Keyla’s considering all she would be doing is drawing and making up new designs for WWE merchandise.

 

Nodding, Keyla kissed the top of her head and shot Roman a warning glare before leaving them alone.  Roman took the warning glare from Keyla to heart and gave her a discreet nod, letting her know silently he wouldn’t hurt her friend.  Lennox didn’t catch it, folding her arms tightly in front of her chest and moved to stand against the wall with Roman, still creating a gap between them.

 

“What do you want, Reigns?”

 

Roman sighed, wondering what he would have to do to break through the tough shell and walls Lennox had. “How many times do I have to say it?  Roman.  R-O-M-A-N.  My name is Roman – not Reigns and not Neanderthal.” Yes, he remembered being called that finding it both adorable and irritating.

 

“You don’t have to spell your name out to me.  I get it.” Lennox retorted softly, keeping her gaze away from him as much as possible.  Being half-naked should’ve been deemed illegal; this man was dangerous and did not play fair at all. “What do you want, Roman?”

 

He smiled at the wary tone to her voice and turned to face her, slowly letting grey eyes scan her from the top of her honey blonde burnt orange streaked hair to the tips of her black shoes.  Roman was used to seeing her in fishnet, darker makeup and fingerless gloves, but tonight her style did a complete 180.  It wouldn’t stop him from the goal he created for himself the moment he laid eyes on this woman and found out her name, thanks to Stephanie.

 

“I want you to look at me.” Roman requested, closing the distance between them and reached out to lift her chin with his strong hand, those gorgeous violet orbs making his heart flip in his chest. “You’re beautiful.”

 

“T-Thanks…” Lennox pushed his hand from her chin and stepped back, hoping Roman got the message she didn’t want to be smothered. “Look, I have somewhere to be, so either say what you want or I’m leaving.”

 

“So hostile…” He pointed out, his voice dropping an octave and took her hand in his, pulling Lennox closer to him. “I wanted to apologize for what I did last Tuesday.  I was just trying to help Dean…”

 

Lennox would never get used to Jon being called Dean as long as she lived, knowing him as Jon Moxley and it would never change in her mind. “Water under the bridge, don’t worry about it.” She wasn’t angry about it after talking to Keyla, more scared the woman would think she had abandoned her more than anything. “Anything else?” Her hand seared in his and Lennox had to fight the urge to pull away, knowing the stubborn Samoan would simply reclaim it.

 

There had to be a reason for her cold demeanor and Roman wanted to find out what it was. “Go out with me.” He took her other hand, tempted to wrap his arm around her waist so she couldn’t run away, but Lennox seemed like the type of woman that would plant her knee in his genitals. “On a date – not a relationship.”

 

His clarification did nothing to stop Lennox’s mind and heart from racing, violet eyes shooting open. “What?!  No…no I can’t…” She tried extracting her hands from Roman, but instead his grip tightened. “Roman…”

 

This wasn’t the place to talk about this, so Roman walked backwards toward a door with his name on it and pulled Lennox inside. “Can’t or won’t?” He saw the terror in her eyes and wanted to take it away, to heal whatever pain Lennox endured.

 

“Both.” Lennox had to get out of here, the air around her stifling because all she could smell was Roman and it made her heady. “I-I’m sorry…”

 

“I like you, Lennox.  This is what a man does when he wants to treat a lady right.  He wines and dines her, treats her like she’s the center of his world.  And then maybe – just maybe – she’ll reward him with a kiss goodnight at the end of the wining and dining.  And maybe he’ll get a second date, a third and he just keeps dating her until she finally becomes his fully.  Something tells me you’ve never been treated that way.” Roman surmised, reaching up to stroke her cheek with the back of his large hand and noted the flinch from Lennox. “You’ve never been properly wooed by a man and treated like a queen.  So let me do that for you.  Let me give that to you.  I promise this isn’t a trick and I’m not trying to get you in bed either.  I just want to take you out to dinner and get to know you better.”

 

She wasn’t worthy of being treated like a queen or wooed, not after being with a drug addict and giving her all for years to a man who simply used her. “Believe me when I say this, Roman, you don’t want to get to know me.  You’ll run in the opposite direction…” Her resolve against him was crumbling quickly and if Lennox didn’t find a way to escape, she would end up agreeing to go out on a date with another wrestler.

 

“Why is that?  What makes you think I’ll run away from you?  I don’t scare easily, Lennox.” Roman assured, his voice soft and low, her name rolling off his tongue in a gentle caress.

 

“And what about Jon?” Lennox demanded, thinking back to her relationship with Danny and the fact he was best friends with Moxley.  Now Roman Reigns seemed to be Jon’s new best friend. “What about your best pal who is a complete asshole and doesn’t understand what all he’s put my best friend through?  They are at odds with each other and…”

 

“Are we them?  Hell no!  Look, I don’t know what happened between you and Dean or Dean and Keyla.  I don’t care about it either.  What I DO care about is the person standing in front of me and doing everything I can to take her on a date.  That’s what I’m worried about.  They’ll take care of their issues, doesn’t mean we have to be part of it.” Roman concluded, pressing Lennox back against the door and stopped her hand from reaching for the handle, instead placing it on his bare chest. “Just give me a chance.  That’s all I’m asking for.”

 

It was a night to remember for Lennox and she was a little hurt by Keyla’s refusal to paint Chicago red.  Would it be so bad to go out with a coworker for a drink or two?  It was a date, they weren’t together and if Lennox felt uncomfortable, she could always leave.  She wanted to celebrate her new job and next chapter of her life, sick of living in the past.  Danny Havoc was a fading memory and the only way Lennox would fully move on from him is giving another man a chance at her heart.  Roman was a wrestler though and Lennox couldn’t break her vow never to date within professional wrestling again, right?

 

“Just a date?  Nothing else?” Violet eyes slightly narrowed at the Samoan, trying to read him and found or felt no sense of deceit.

 

“Nothing else, you have my word.” Roman promised, holding both hands up with a boyish grin and chuckled at Lennox’s eye roll. “So, is that a yes?”

 

Lennox opened her purse and took a pen out, flipping Roman’s hand over to write something on it. “I’m not giving you an answer yet.  Let me think about it.  Text me after the show with a location where to meet you.  If I show up, it’s a date.  If I don’t, then you have my answer.” She would make him sweat it out a bit, putting the pen away and pulled the strap over her shoulder securely. “I do have to run now before I’m late on my first night.”

 

“First night?” Had Roman missed something? “I thought you said…”

 

“Apparently, Stephanie liked my artwork so much, she offered me a job on the design team.  And I accepted.  I start tonight, so catch you later, stud.”

 

Winking, Lennox walked out of the dressing room and left Roman standing there slack-jawed, not looking back when his head poked out of the door to stare after her.

 

~!~

 

“You sure you can handle being at ringside?” Hunter asked, his way of greeting Keyla before she could make it through the curtain to take her place. “You can always stay backstage and do segments.  No need to rush back into the fire.”

 

Keyla didn’t want to let the company down, but the more she thought about being ringside, her anxiety heightened.  Maybe taking a small break from ringside work wouldn’t be a bad idea until Keyla was fully healed.  Her bruises were covered up by foundation, but it would melt away if she sweat too much under the bright lights.

 

“I’ll do whatever you want, Hunter.”

 

Being backstage was a tad boring, but there was still plenty of action to film throughout the show and after it ended.  She watched the show, especially the Shield’s match against the Wyatt Family.  Seth Rollins had walked out on his partners after they missed several tags from him, thanks to the Wyatt’s taking them out.  It was a warzone with Jon and Roman being taken out and systematically decimated.  Keyla was sent into the empty hallway where Jon and Roman currently were, jumping as Jon kicked a nearby equipment trunk.  She followed the interviewer, not remembering his name and filmed the segment of Jon and Roman pushing the poor man around, demanding to know where Seth was at.  Roman ordered the interviewer to point them in the direction of Seth while he went in the opposite one, incensed by what their partner pulled tonight.

 

“He’s gone.  He’s halfway to Detroit by now.”

 

Once Keyla received the signal to end filming, she lowered the camera while Jon and Roman continued talking amongst themselves.  Seth joined moments later, all of them slapping hands and bumping fists on a job well done with the segment.  Keyla started to walk away and felt a hand on her shoulder, slowly turning her head until citrine locked on blazing blues.  Jon always did have a problem settling down after wrestling a match and remembered quite a few times they used his adrenaline rush in a sexual nature.

 

“Still on for tonight?” Jon murmured, searching her eyes and released her shoulder once she nodded, hoping tonight they could hash out everything. “Meet me in the parking lot in 20.”

 

“See you then.”

 

Chapter 30

 

30 minutes later, Keyla was finally able to leave the arena after checking in her equipment.  Naomi and Cameron had stopped her to talk for a few minutes and she refused to be rude to them.  They were a Diva tag team known as the Funkadactyls and had cheerleader type gimmicks.  Naomi was a classy lady and sweetheart while Cameron was more worried about her looks instead of her wrestling ability.  Somehow, they managed to get along and had decent matches mostly at house shows.  By the time Keyla arrived in the parking lot, it’d been an hour since she ran into Jon and she figured he hadn’t waited for her.  Looking around, Keyla didn’t see him anywhere and decided she wasn’t waiting for him, heading toward her rental vehicle to go back to the hotel.  She hadn’t taken more than 2 steps when the backdoor crashed open and Jon barreled out of it, breathing heavily.

 

“Oh good!  You’re still…here…” Jon wheezed out, trying to catch his breath and bent forward to plant his hands on his jean covered thighs, wearing a leather jacket with one of the Shield t-shirts beneath. “Sorry I’m late…”

 

“Yeah, I was about to leave.  I didn’t think you’d wait up for me.” Keyla felt incredibly awkward standing outside of the Allstate Arena and tightened the winter coat she had on around her body a little more. “So, you said you wanted to talk?”

 

There was no way in hell Jon was having a deep conversation with Keyla in the freezing cold.  He hated the cold, figuring winter would be gone by now in the Midwest, but apparently he was mistaken.  Hell, he should’ve known better considering he was born and bred in Ohio, the winters a lot harsher there than in Illinois.  Ever since he moved to Tampa, however, Jon spoiled himself with the everlasting heat and now loathed the cold, especially snow.

 

“Not here.  Too cold.  How about we go back to the hotel and talk in one of our rooms?” He suggested, immediately nixing the idea of going to a bar or public place because this conversation needed to stay private and between them. “Unless you don’t want to?”

 

The winter didn’t bother Keyla much, but Jon looked on the verge of turning into a popsicle if they didn’t get someplace warm. “I’ll meet you there.” She wouldn’t take the same vehicle as him, still keeping her walls and guard up around this man.

 

“Why when we can drive back together?” Jon stepped in front of her, jingling keys and took her hand to guide her to his rental. “You can call the rental service and they’ll pick your car up, free of charge.” It was an arrangement WWE had with the top 3 major car rental companies such as Enterprise.

 

Keyla was too tired to argue with him and simply did what Jon wanted, slipping into the passenger seat of a black Illumina.  She pulled the seatbelt across her chest, setting her purse on the floorboard and leaned her head back while Jon tossed his gear bag in the backseat.  This reminded her of when they’d travel late at night back when she worked with him in the Independents as his personal camerawoman.  Keyla supposed she owed Jon something for her success with WWE and the fact they hired her in the first place.  Maybe if the talk went well, she would thank him after their talk and hoped it didn’t end up in a huge screaming match between them.  There was a lot of animosity, hurt and pain to get off Keyla’s chest she kept bottled up for the past 3 years that was on the verge of bursting out.

 

“Holy fuck is it cold out!” Jon exclaimed, rubbing his hands together and blowing on them while flipping the heat on full blast, waiting for the vehicle to warm up a little. “I really need to learn how to bring gloves on the road during the winter.”

 

“It never used to bother you this much.” Keyla observed, wondering how many other changes she would discover about Jon.

 

“That’s what happens when you live in a place that’s warm 24/7.” Jon quipped, pushing on the gas to try warming the car up quicker and saw the window slowly start defrosting. “We should be able to go in a few minutes.”

 

Of course he would get used to the warmth and humidity Tampa, Florida provided as opposed to Philadelphia.  That was a stupid statement to make, Keyla berated herself mentally, turning her head to stare out the window.  Moving to Tampa didn’t sound appealing at the moment, but Keyla knew she had to get Lennox out of Philadelphia and away from Danny Havoc forever.  The only way to do that was moving and that meant she would unfortunately have to put her grandfather’s house up for sale.  It broke her heart at the thought and Keyla immediately pushed the moving issue in the back of her mind, not wanting to focus on it at the moment.

 

“So, how long have you worked for the company?”

 

Jon figured sitting here twiddling their thumbs was only creating further tension, so the talking might as well commence.  Did he really want to start the conversation out with that question?  Citrine eyes slowly slid to the left to stare at Jon and Keyla didn’t know if she should come clean to him or not.  It was obvious how curious he was about how long she’d been in the WWE and Keyla also knew Jon’s temper.  He wouldn’t be happy regardless of how the night played out and it was time to stop hiding the truth.  After tonight, Jon would know everything, including how Keyla felt about him before he decided to leave her in Philadelphia 3 years ago.

 

“Last June is when I started down in NXT.” Keyla answered, clasping her hands in her lap and slid her eyes to stare straight ahead at the still frosty windshield.

 

“I see…” Jon wasn’t sure if it was more pissed off at Sami, Drake or Keyla at this point for keeping this information away from him. “How did you get it?  The job, I mean.”

 

Sorry Sami, Keyla thought, knowing she was about to throw the man under the proverbial bus in more ways than one. “I went with Sami for his tryout match back in October 2012.” It’d been almost a year and a half since that night happened. “After you left, we became good friends and now I consider him family.  Him and Gina.  She couldn’t go with him because of work, so he asked if I would come to show him support in Gina’s place and I did.” She explained quietly, tucking a strand of dark blue hair behind her ear and finally felt the warm air from the vents flow across her face.

 

Jon suddenly recalled running into Sami earlier in the day in the hotel gym and specifically asked if he’d come alone.  He wanted to go out with Sami that night after his tryout to celebrate and Sami had turned him down.  Gina, he recalled the woman’s name Sami planned on marrying and apparently they were still together, now living in Tampa, but still hadn’t tied the knot.  The whole reasoning behind Sami turning down his offer had been because Keyla was in town with him.  He remembered catching a glimpse of dark blue hair near the women’s bathroom just as he stepped out of the men’s.  Thinking he’d lost his mind, Jon realized he’d been made out to be a complete fool and couldn’t believe Sami had blatantly lied to his face.

 

“You heard me that night, didn’t you?” It wasn’t a question, just a simple statement of truth.  Jon looked over at Keyla and saw the guilt-ridden expression on her face, squeezing the steering wheel to the point where his knuckles turned ghostly white. “You hid from me then and you’ve been doing it since you started your job in NXT.  I went down there to do segments and had a couple matches late last year and talked to Sami.  He didn’t mention you once and neither did Drake.  What the fuck?”

 

“Because I asked them not to.” Keyla revealed, the pieces of the puzzle finally coming together in Jon’s already frazzled mind.

 

Furrowing his brows, Jon didn’t understand why Keyla didn’t want him knowing about her job and scratched the back of his curly head. “Okay pause, we can finally go.  We’re hashing shit out tonight, so you better be prepared to get zero sleep.”

 

Keyla knew that tone of finality, hearing it quite a few times while traveling with Jon in the Independents and felt a shiver slowly slide down her spine.  He meant business.  She lied and kept the truth from him, having worked for the same company since June of last year.  It was now March – so nearly 9 months since she began her journey in the WWE.  Time really did fly by when one had a chaotic life every WWE employee, Superstar and Diva lived.  No other words were spoken between the two individuals on the way back to the hotel, traffic mostly gone.  Jon pulled into the parking garage of the hotel and cut the ignition, glancing over at the blue haired beauty who had held his heart for the better part of 4 years.  Finally, he had her back in his life and Jon would do everything in his power to keep her, no matter the cost.  Stepping out of the Lumina, Jon grabbed his gear and waited for Keyla to join him before heading inside the warm building together.

 

“Your room or mine?” He showered at the arena, not wanting to Keyla to pass out from the vile stench of his sweat after wrestling. “Fuck it, let’s go to yours.”

 

“Okay…”

 

Keyla lead Jon up to the second floor and slid the keycard in the slot that opened her door, the room beside hers adjoining, which belonged to Lennox.  She barely had the door closed before Jon rounded on her, dropping his gear bag to the floor and shuffled out of his leather jacket, tossing it to the side.  His arms had gotten bigger, it hadn’t been a figment of her imagination and the t-shirt he wore was on the verge of busting at the seams.  Averting her gaze to the carpeted floor, Keyla slowly removed her own coat and hung it up in the closet along with her scarf, finally turning to face her past and present head-on.

 

“You’re angry.” She detected, folding her arms in front of her chest and walked past him toward the bed.

 

“That’s a fucking understatement, Keyla.” Jon growled, electric blues following her every move and had to fight the urge not to push her down on the bed to kiss the daylights out of her. “You lied to me and had two of my best friends fucking cover for you and for what?  I’m missing something.  You didn’t want to see me for some reason and I wanna know why.”

 

How was she supposed to explain how she felt about him without sounding like a love struck idiot? “You’ve always missed the reason.  Always one step behind and blind to what was right in front of you.  Some things truly never change, Moxley.” The disappointment in Keyla’s tone of voice spoke volumes as she sank down on the bed, feeling her hands start trembling.

 

“Then enlighten me because I’m lost, confused and too pissed off to wrack my brain on why you didn’t want to see me.” Jon replayed the last minutes standing on Keyla’s front porch and didn’t recall any kind of animosity from her back then.  Unless he was really as blind as Keyla claimed. “We agreed to stay friends…”

 

“Yeah we did…and I thought you meant it.  I thought…” Keyla stood up from the bed, her emotions on the verge of spilling out and could already feel tears stinging her eyes. “I thought I meant more to you and I wasn’t just another notch on your damn bedpost!  Obviously, I was wrong when you decided to cut me off and never call me again or speak to me.”

 

Jon’s head was seconds away from exploding, her poisonous words only fueling his anger further. “Are you fucking kidding me?!  That calling shit goes both ways, Keyla!  How the fuck was I supposed to know how you felt if you didn’t tell me?!  I was busy as hell down in Tampa and figured you’d call me to see how shit was going!”

 

“You’re right.  It does go both ways, but I assumed you’d make the first call and I didn’t want to bother you while you were in developmental.  I know how hard you worked to get to where you were back then and where you are now.  All I wanted was to know you were safe and well, hell even happy!  And you cut me off for 3 goddamn years!  No phone calls, text messages, voicemails, emails, letters – NOTHING!  Obviously, I wasn’t that important to you or else you would’ve taken the time to contact me just once.” Keyla held her hands up in frustration, kicking her shoes off and one nearly hit Jon in the face, but he moved at the last second.

 

“Is that why you asked two of my best friends not to tell me you worked for the WWE?  Because you were pissed at me for not calling, and still are.  Do you know how petty and childish that sounds?” Jon wanted to strangle her, the muscles in his hands twitching and took a few steps toward Keyla, keeping his distance in case she decided to fully lash out at him. “Why the fuck are you still pissed at me after all this time?  Look, I’m sorry I didn’t call you, alright?  I wasn’t thinking back then and I’m an asshole, you know that!” He was missing something, another piece to the complicated Keyla puzzle and had to find a way to get it out of her. “Is that the only reason you’re pissed off at me?  Because I didn’t call you.  Or is there something else I’m missing?”

 

I love you – just say it, Keyla mentally coached herself, feeling Jon standing behind her and couldn’t turn around to look at him.  Her eyes remained staring out the window of her hotel room with her arms wrapped around herself and silent tears slid down her face.  She knew Jon could see them through the glass reflection of the window and didn’t bother wiping them away, flinching the moment his hands landed on her shoulders.  Even though she vowed to be completely honest and truthful with him, Keyla couldn’t bring herself to do it.  For whatever reason, the words refused to leave her lips and maybe that was for the best.

 

“It doesn’t matter anymore.” Keyla murmured, feeling Jon turn her around to face him and stopped his hands from wiping her tears away, so many unanswered questions burning in his pale blues. “Nothing does.  What’s done is done and nothing can change it.” Unable to face him anymore and not wanting anymore of her pain exposed, Keyla rushed past Jon to lock herself in the bathroom, crying her heart out. 

 

A few minutes later, the door to her hotel room slammed shut and Keyla cried harder, crumbling to the floor in a freshly heartbroken mess.

 

Their talk had gone straight to hell.

 

Chapter 31

 

To go or not to go.

 

Lennox’s first night on the job was fine and somewhat boring, basically going through the rules and regulations for the design team.  She clicked with the other 3 people, a woman named Jennifer and two men, Robert and Thomas.  They were nice, welcoming Lennox with open arms and complimented her artwork, especially the one with the two R’s.  It wasn’t completed yet because Lennox thought it needed more shading and always wanted to change something every time she looked at it.  She was a perfectionist and made sure her work was flawless when she owned the tattoo parlor.  Now that she worked for a huge billion-dollar company like WWE, the perfectionist in her would be nearly impossible to please.

 

Throughout training and listening to Jennifer, Robert and Thomas explain how the design department flowed, Lennox couldn’t get Roman’s date proposition out of her head.  What the hell was she thinking contemplating going out with a monster like Roman Reigns?  She thought Danny Havoc was a big man, but compared to Roman he was a shrimp!  Lennox had to admit he was beautiful from the top of his long ravenous hair to the bottom of his black wrestling boots with the cargo pants tucked in them.  His tattoo gave her dirty thoughts; Lennox wanted to trace every delicate line of it with her tongue.  It’d been way too long since the last time she felt the touch of a man and her body cried out to her for attention, but her brain and heart were at war with each other.

 

Frankly, Roman terrified her with his sheer size and strength, knowing he could snap her like a twig if he desired.  She had to remind herself not all men were like Danny, but it was hard not to have that train of thought.  Danny beat and raped her countless times, only caring about his needs instead of hers.  It didn’t start out that way though and that’s what Lennox feared would happen if she dated another wrestler.  Years had passed before Danny delved into drugs and started abusing her physically, sexually, mentally and emotionally.  What if Roman was putting up a front with her too?  Danny had done it for years, sinking his clutches into her and finally showed his true colors, making it nearly impossible for Lennox to trust another man again.  She didn’t want to be hurt again, to feel the pain and heartache Danny put her through.

 

The worst part was Keyla had no idea about Roman asking her out.  Lennox hadn’t gotten a chance to tell her and didn’t want to do it through text message.  Keyla had done a lot for her and she wanted her best friend’s advice on what to do, but with Moxley back in the picture, things had become extremely complicated.  Maybe it was best to keep this quiet and handle it on her own.  Lennox was a grown woman capable of making her own decisions after all.  Besides, she hadn’t given Roman a clear answer on if she would go on a date with him or not.  Her phone number was the only thing he received and that was only to find out where he wanted them to meet up for the date.  Yes, no, yes, no…her heart told her to give Roman Reigns a chance while her brain screamed reminders of what Danny did to her.

 

Receiving the text from Roman halfway through the night made Lennox’s anxiety heighten.  She couldn’t do it.  As much as she wanted to get to know Roman better, now wasn’t the time to pursue anything with him.  She was no good, used up and could never fully trust him.  Without trust, there was no chance for a relationship to happen and Lennox wasn’t in the mood to have a fuck buddy either.  Luckily, Lennox was able to leave the arena early before Raw ended and she immediately went back to the hotel.  Roman had to stay at the arena until Raw ended, so it was the perfect time to make an escape.  Lennox sent a text message to Keyla to let her know she was already back at the hotel and not to wait up for her.  The cab company she called didn’t take long to arrive and she gave instructions on where she wanted to go, looking through the back window as the Allstate Arena faded into the distance.

 

Once at the hotel and in the safety of her room, Lennox shed the dress clothes and jumped in the shower, trying to find a way to relax.  Roman would more than likely be angry at being stood up, but that wasn’t Lennox’s problem.  He bombarded her out of nowhere with the date idea and cornered her in a dressing room until she gave him some kind of answer.  It was overwhelming and it didn’t matter how handsome or charming Roman was.  Perhaps his words had gotten to her a little, claiming he wanted to treat her like a queen, to wine and dine her.  It was nice to hear a man wanted to romance her for a change since Danny never did anything like that.  However, it wasn’t enough to convince her Roman wasn’t like him and only time could prove her wrong.

 

Lennox stepped out of the shower, slipping into black boy short panties and a matching bra before pulling on sleeping shorts and matching camisole.  She brushed out her burnt orange streaked honey blonde hair, getting the tangles out and put it up in a messy bun.  The feeling of wet hair against her neck and shoulders felt weird, so she always put it up after a shower unless she was too tired.  Climbing into bed, Lennox turned the television on to flip through the channels, leaning back against the headboard to relax further.  She hoped Keyla was alright getting back to the hotel alone, sending her another text message to let her know when she got back.  Her stomach growled, telling Lennox she was hungry and now that she was relaxed after a hot shower, she felt the hunger pains start.  Reaching for the phone, Lennox barely pushed the first button when a knock sounded at her hotel room door.

 

“Probably Key.” She murmured, standing from the bed and walked toward it, not bothering looking through the peephole. 

 

That was a mistake.

 

Standing on the other side was Roman Reigns changed out of his wrestling attire and had a brown paper bag in hand. “Since you didn’t show up for our date, I figured you weren’t comfortable in a public setting.  So I brought the date to you.” He wasn’t angry at Lennox for not showing up, but wasn’t about to give up either. “May I come in?”

 

“You don’t take rejection well, I see.” Lennox shot back, folding her arms in front of her chest and honestly didn’t know what else to say. “What if I tell you no?  Gonna force your way inside and make me eat whatever food you bought?”

 

Roman merely smiled and shrugged his massive shoulders, taking a step back to give Lennox some room. “Nah, I’ll just take this delicious food and stuff my face with it alone.  Would be much rather enjoyable with company though.”

 

It was an incredibly sweet gesture on Roman’s part to bring her dinner and she didn’t want to send him away.  Besides, she was starving and the food smelled delicious, making her stomach rumble more with life.  Sighing resignedly, Lennox backed up into the room and pushed the door open, silently giving Roman the invitation to come in.  His smile would be the death of her and the way he had his long black hair pulled back in a bun at the nape of his neck didn’t do anything to quell her thirst for the Samoan either.  Roman set the food down on the table by the window and started setting out everything, trying to make it as elegant as possible.  Even with plastic utensils and paper plates, Roman learned from his parents, especially his father, a woman could be wooed with a wooden spoon if done correctly.  Once the table was set, Roman pulled out the chair and looked over at Lennox, patiently waiting for her to sit down.  Lennox swallowed hard, looking at the chair like it would jump out and attack her at any second, realizing how foolish that thought was. 

 

“Thank you.” She murmured quietly, once seated and violet eyes followed Roman, watching him take his seat across from her.  He even managed to grab a candle and had it lit in the center of the table. “So, do you do this with every girl you want to date?”

 

“I’m a firm believer that every woman should be treated like a queen.  You are a lady, no matter your appearance and deserve to be respected.  Any guy who simply takes a girl out just to fuck her is a scumbag.” Roman had to knock some sense into Dean a time or two when they first started in developmental together because the man was a huge womanizer. “I hope you like what I picked for dinner tonight.”

 

Since it was the Windy City, Roman decided on one of Chicago’s finest delicacies and pulled the white bag out next to set it on the side of the table. “You got us pizza?” Lennox couldn’t help laughing, not sure what she expected, but this wasn’t it.

 

“Hey, Chicago has some of the best deep dish pizza on the planet.” Roman countered jokingly, pulling the half cheese and half meat lover’s pie out of the bag, the steam rolling off of it. “Please tell me you like pizza.” He’d have an issue with her if she didn’t because this was one of his favorite foods.

 

“Of course I do.  Just cheese though.”

 

Lennox wondered how he found that information out, knowing Keyla wouldn’t talk to him about her.  Then again, she shared countless pizzas with Moxley over the years in Philadelphia, so more than likely Roman found out from him.  Picking up a few slices to put on her paper plate, Lennox watched Roman pull out a 6 pack of longnecks out of the brown bag next, cracking open one sliding it over to her before opening one up for himself.

 

“Beer and pizza.  Not a bad combination.” Lennox handled her alcohol like a pro and knew it would take a lot more than a measly 6 pack to do her in or get her drunk.

 

They ate in companionable silence, each enjoying the deep dish pizza and washed it down with the beer.  Afterwards, Roman stood up from the table and extended his hand to Lennox, guiding her over to sit on the bed.  Confused and mildly curious, Lennox simply watched while Roman cleaned up the mess, wrapping the pizza up so it didn’t go bad.  Then he joined her on the bed, keeping some distance between them and didn’t lay back or give any indication he would overstay his welcome.  She slowly looked up at him the same time he looked down, grey and violet clashing together in a swirl of hazy purple.  Roman took a chance and reached out, cupping her face tenderly with his hand to caress her cheek with the pad of his thumb, seeing so much fear and want in her eyes.

 

“What happened to you?” He rumbled softly, unable to stop the question from popping out of his mouth and took another risk, scooting closer to her. “And tell me what I can do to fix it and help you.”

 

This was too much.  Lennox could already feel the anxiety overtaking her and pulled her gaze away from him, standing from the bed. “Thank you for dinner.  Please leave.” She couldn’t tell him about her past with Danny, not wanting to relive it.

 

“Lennox, stop running away from me.” Roman ordered, taking her hand just as she tried walking past him and stood from the bed, keeping a firm grip on it. “You can trust me…”

 

“I don’t even know you!  How can you stand there and say that when I don’t know who you are or what you’re about?!  I’m not running away from anything!  You just don’t seem to get the fucking hint that I’m not interested in you!  Now get out!” Lennox snapped, overcome with intense emotion and tried pulling her hand away from his, but Roman simply tightened his grip, pulling her to collide against his chest.

 

Not wasting time or taking a chance of Lennox escaping, Roman planted his hands on her hips and lifted her body until her feet left the floor.  Lennox had no choice except to wrap her legs around his waist, gasping in both shock and fright, not remembering the last time she felt this exhilarated.  This man was testing her limits and breaking through the tough exterior to make his way to her battered, beaten and broken heart.  Roman lowered back on the bed and wrapped his arms around her waist, keeping Lennox locked against him unable to flee.

 

“There’s a reason you didn’t show up tonight for our date and why I had to bring it to you.  I see the want and need in your eyes, but I also see fear and I want to know where it comes from.” Roman was a patient man, but he couldn’t get answers from a woman who kept running away from him either.  This was the only way to subdue Lennox and make her talk about whatever scared her. “You may not know me and I don’t know you, but you can’t deny there’s something here.  You feel it, I know you do.  I’m not going to hurt you, Lennox.”

 

Tears erupted from her eyes and slid down Lennox’s face like two rapid rivers, unstoppable and unwavering. “W-Why can’t you just l-leave me alone?  I-I’m not good for you, for a-anyone…” Lennox stammered through her crying and lowered her head, burying her face in her hands.

 

“That’s not true.”

 

Roman pulled her head to bury in his t-shirt covered chest and cradled the back of it, letting her cry her heart out.  It killed him to hear her crying because it sounded like her soul was being physically removed from her body along with her heart.  Whatever happened to this woman, Roman was determined to fix it and make her feel like she was good enough for him.  The light in her eyes flickered with life, but it wasn’t completely there yet.  Someone had nearly extinguished her fire and life, so Roman’s main goal was to make it flare up all over again.  Maybe he wouldn’t find out about her past tonight.  Hell, it didn’t matter at this point if she ever told him.  Just those words she spoke and how low she thought of herself was enough for Roman to take action.  Lennox was a beautiful, talented, smart, funny and sexy woman.  In his eyes, she was the total package besides the low self-esteem, which he would fix.  For the rest of the night, all Roman did was hold Lennox close and let her cry, not saying a word.  Even when she fell asleep, he remained and eventually laid her down to be more comfortable, kissing her forehead softly.  Before he left, Roman pulled out the final surprise from the brown paper bag he brought in and left it on the nightstand.

 

It was a single violet rose in a clear glass vase and a small card with Lennox’s name on it.

 

Chapter 32

 

Things in WWE were crazy over the next several weeks, everyone preparing for the biggest event of the year – WrestleMania.  It wasn’t just any WrestleMania, though.  This was the 30th WrestleMania, which made it extremely special.  Everything had to be flawless and go perfectly.  Penelope moved down to NXT only 2 weeks after Keyla came on the main roster to swap places with her.  She felt Keyla was ready for the chaotic world WWE became around WrestleMania season, wishing her luck.  It showed the woman had faith in her at such an early stage of her WWE career and gave Keyla a small ego boost.  She didn’t let it go to her head, always remembering where she originally came from and counted her blessings every single day.

 

One week after Penelope gave Keyla the reins on the camera work, the Shield turned face and were geared up for a 6-man tag team match against Kane and the New Age Outlaws at WrestleMania.  Nobody expected it since the Shield had been the Authority’s goons for a long time, carrying out their dirty work.  They remained faithful to the Authority up until the ‘cracks’ started becoming more noticeable in the Shield.  Fans and internet critics all over the world thought for sure the Shield would split before WrestleMania, especially after Seth Rollins walked out on his teammates.  Instead, they became stronger than ever and finally showed their true colors by turning on the Authority’s Director of Operations.  Kane was no longer the Big Red Machine like he had been earlier in his career.  Now, he was nothing more than a stooge for the Authority to use up and dismiss when he no longer became an asset.  Other matches on the card were bigger, but all Keyla and Lennox focused on was the Shield.  More importantly, Jon and Roman. 

 

Lennox had come clean after the night she spent in her hotel room with Roman crying.  Keyla couldn’t be mad at her because she kept the fact she had a talk, or rather shout fest, with Jon Moxley the same night.  Both laughed at their situations and hugged each other, promising to be there to pick the other up if they crashed and burned.  Keyla could worry all she wanted about Lennox being with Roman, but she was a grown woman and maybe she was ready to move on with her life from Danny Havoc.  Whatever the reasoning behind Roman coming into Lennox’s life, all she could do was pray for the best and hoped her best friend didn’t end up with a slaughtered heart.  As far as her talk with Jon Moxley went, Keyla hadn’t said another word to him and focused on her job, avoiding him as much as possible.  It was hard since every time he came out to the ring, Jon locked eyes with her for a few seconds while making his entrance with Roman and Seth.  The situation between them was far from over and Keyla had a sinking feeling it would come to a head once WrestleMania passed.

 

She couldn’t have been more right.

 

Her first WrestleMania was somewhat of a blur, but also an experience Keyla would never forget.  There were so many people that packed the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.  It was the first WrestleMania the state ever had and the fans did not go home without a shock or two to their systems.  Including the Undertaker’s undefeated WrestleMania Streak ended by the ‘Beast Incarnate’ Brock Lesnar.  That was by far the shock of the evening, though Keyla couldn’t believe how small of a match slot the Shield received.  Their entrance was longer than the actual match against Kane and the New Age Outlaws.  Less than 3 minutes it took to subdue the once dominant team of the tag team division and the so-called monster Kane.  It was a beautiful moment to watch, especially when the Shield came out in masks that looked like dog muzzles.  They were the Hounds of Justice and it had been more than served on the grandest stage.

 

Raw and Smackdown! followed WrestleMania and everyone dragged their feet, several wrestlers injured.  Nobody could wait until April 9th rolled around, which was Wednesday, because the entire company had 5 glorious days off to recuperate.  They didn’t have to return to the road until the 12th for a house show and then the next night would be Raw.  Keyla thought about staying with Sami and Gina in Tampa for her days off, but she didn’t know when she would get another 5 days off either.  If she truly planned on moving to Tampa, her grandfather’s house had to be cleaned from top to bottom before she could put it on the market to be sold.  Keyla was confused on what to do and decided going back to stay in the house would hopefully make her mind up.  So she booked a flight for Wednesday morning to leave at 6 AM to go back to Philadelphia for the first time in nearly 4 months.

 

A little after 9 AM, Keyla stood on the front porch of her house with keys in hand and breathed in the morning dew.  Spring was on the horizon and the snow had melted away, but it was still chilly outside.  She loved it, missing Philadelphia more than she cared to admit and her grandfather’s house.  Slipping the key into the lock, Keyla turned it and pushed the door open to step inside, looking around at how she left the place.  It wasn’t bad, just incredibly dusty, but that was nothing airing out the house and cleaning couldn’t fix.  The first thing she planned on doing was showering and making something to eat, her stomach growling furiously at her for sustenance.  She had to get the stench of travel off of her first though and then would order some food since there was absolutely nothing in the house.

 

An hour later, Keyla stepped out of the shower feeling refreshed and pulled on yellow cotton shorts with an orange and yellow short sleeved top, ready to get busy cleaning the house.  She ordered some Chinese from down the street and began opening the windows since it’d warmed up outside.  No doubt it would be colder at night and she’d have to shut the windows possibly, but during the day with the sun shining brightly they could stay open to air the house out.  She went in the kitchen to turn her music on and started in there, noticing there were dishes in the dishwasher that hadn’t been put away.  Keyla hoped the dishwasher still worked after not being used for 4 months, deciding to rewash the dishes in there to test it out.  Luck was on her side because it fired right up and she breathed a sigh of relief, looking up at the ceiling blowing a small kiss to the heavens.  While she was home, Keyla planned on paying Grandpa George’s grave a visit as well, needing some advice on what to do about her life.

 

“Coming, hold on!” Keyla shouted out over the music, hearing the doorbell ring throughout the house and jogged over to the front door, knowing it was her Chinese food being delivered.

 

She was dead wrong on the assumption.

 

“Hey Keyla.” Danny Havoc greeted with his hands shoved in the front pockets of his jeans, his hair bushier than usual since he hadn’t had it cut in a while.

 

What the hell was this drug addict doing here? “Danny…” Keyla had no idea what to say to him, mentally cursing for not locking the screen door when she got home. “What do you want?”

 

“Look, I know shit between me and Lennox hasn’t been good for a while and you’re pissed at me.  But I just wanna talk to her.  I’m ready to get my shit straight and…I love her.” Danny declared, the dark circles around his eyes nothing more than bruises from lack of sleep he suffered.  It’d been a rough 4 months without Lennox in his life.

 

The last time Keyla and Danny spoke had been at the hospital for an attack he committed against her best friend Thanksgiving morning.  She’d been with Baron at the time, who protected her from Danny’s unpredictability.  Keyla had words with him, none polite or heartfelt, telling him to go away because Lennox didn’t want him back in the hospital with her.  She wanted nothing to do with him until she figured out what exactly happened.  Keyla hadn’t forgotten the crushing sobs she had to hear from Lennox over the phone or all the pain this douchebag caused her. 

 

“Even if Lennox was here, which she’s not, you wouldn’t see or talk to her because she wants nothing to do with you.  She’s found someone who treats her right and doesn’t choose drugs over her.” Keyla saw the anger flash in Danny’s venomous eyes and didn’t want him charging into her house, so she pushed the screen door open, letting it shut behind her. “And you really have nobody else to blame except yourself for losing the best thing that ever happened to you.”

 

“Y-You don’t understand!” Danny was on the verge of losing his mind, gripping his hair and began pacing in front of Keyla, not believing that words that came out of her mouth. “S-She can’t be with anyone else!!  We love each other!”

 

“Correction, you DID love each other and there’s no ‘we’ with you two anymore.  You decided to stick your dick in another woman and chose drugs over her to the point where she had to sell her life’s work to your drug dealer in order to save your pathetic life!  And you repay her by cheating on her.” Keyla scoffed, folding her arms tightly in front of her chest and squared her shoulders, refusing to show an ounce of fear. “She’s happier now than she ever was with you and she finally found her calling.  You’re not welcome here or in her life anymore.  You lost it all because of your selfish ways and let drugs control your life, ultimately pushing the woman you supposedly love into the arms of a much better man.  Deal with it and get off my property.”

 

Snarling through gritted teeth, Danny suddenly whirled around and stepped up to Keyla, wrapping his hand around her throat to throttle her. “I should rip your lying fucking tongue out!” He growled menacingly and slammed Keyla back against the screen door harshly, his hand tightening. “Or maybe I’ll just kill you here and now to send her a message not to fuck with me.”

 

“Wouldn’t do that if I were you, Havoc.”

 

Both Keyla and Danny went wide-eyed at the sound of an all too familiar raspy voice behind them.  Tears of relief filled citrine eyes as Danny’s hand left Keyla’s throat, making her press back against the screen door shaking from head to toe.  Danny took a step to the left and there her savior stood in all his glory, sending Keyla’s heart racing.  What the hell was he doing in Philadelphia?  They all had 5 days off and she assumed he’d be spending them with his girlfriend, Renee Young.  Instead, he stood outside of her house on the sidewalk in a leather jacket that he slowly peeled from his body, revealing a black t-shirt and blue jeans, black boots on his feet.

 

“Mox, didn’t expect to see you here.” Danny replied once he found his voice again, clenching his fists tightly at his sides while staring at one of his former best friends. “Something we can help you with?”

 

“Sure…” Jon made his way up the porch steps, his blues nothing more than ice and stopped directly in front of Danny, his jaw somewhat tightened. “You can help me decide how I’m gonna kick the shit out of you for putting your hands on her.”

 

Danny laughed, the sound bone-chilling and didn’t hold a touch of humor, bringing his hands up to crack the knuckles. “Oh really?  Just how do you plan on doing that, big shot?  I’m not finished talking to Keyla yet…”

 

“Yes you are.” Jon drove his enclosed fist into Danny’s stomach, making the man instantly double over gasping for air. “You were done talking to her the moment you put your hands on her.” Another punch was directed at the kidneys, which could be lethal if done correctly. “So say goodbye and get the fuck out of here.” Before Danny could utter a word, Jon sent him sailing down the porch steps, watching his body roll until it crashed to the sidewalk below.

 

Keyla rushed over to look down at the damage, but Jon’s arm shot out, preventing her from going too far.  Wordlessly, he backed both of them toward the screen door and opened it, pushing Keyla gently but firmly inside while watching Danny slowly rise to his feet.  He was conditioned to take hard hits in the ring, so it wasn’t a surprise he walked away from Jon’s attack.  However, it would be the last time Danny stepped foot on Keyla’s property or talked to her if he knew what was good for him.  Snorting, he slammed the front door shut and flipped the lock on it before turning to face the lady of the house, noticing bruises had already started to form around her throat.  He stepped forward to inspect them closer, but Keyla took one back, shaken up by the events that just took place.

 

“What are you doing here, Jon?” She didn’t bother thanking him for handling Danny and wrapped her arms around herself, perplexity filling her watery eyes.

 

Jon didn’t expect any other reaction from her and shrugged nonchalantly, looking around the house that held so many memories for him.  It hadn’t changed much since he left over 3 years ago.  He didn’t know what he expected to see besides maybe some new furniture and whatnot, but then again, Keyla wasn’t a materialistic person.  Never had been.  This was her grandfather’s house and she probably felt like she was disgracing his memory if she changed anything.

 

“Not sure.  Nostalgia, I guess.” Plopping down on the couch, Jon folded his hands behind his head and propped his feet on the coffee table, once again looking around the place.

 

That wasn’t a good enough answer as Keyla stormed over and kicked his boot covered feet from the coffee table, staring down at him through hardened amber eyes. “That’s bullshit.  Now I’m asking you one more time and then I’m kicking you out.  Why the fuck are you here?” It wasn’t a hard question to answer, at least not to her.

 

Jon sighed at her cold attitude and stood up from the couch, towering over her with softened pale blues. “I had to see you…and I don’t know why.  Boarding a plane home didn’t feel right.  And before you go off the deep-end, nobody told me you were here.  I just assumed you still lived here and decided to pay a visit.”

 

Keyla coming back into his life was no coincidence and there was a reason it happened.  There was also a reason why he’d only had one night stands for the past 3 years instead of an actual relationship.  Contrary to the rumors floating around about him and Renee Young, none of it was true.  They were friends and nothing more; she was a sweet woman and deserved better than trash like him.

 

“Now let me look at your throat.”

 

Not buying his lame explanation for coming here, Keyla shook her head and backed away, holding her hands up. “Don’t soil your hands on the dirty people, Moxley.  Oh I’m sorry, I mean Ambrose.” Storming past the kitchen and upstairs to her room, Keyla locked it collapsing on her bed, finally letting the tears flow from her eyes.

 

Jon refused to leave and instead made himself comfortable on the couch, flipping the television on knowing eventually Keyla would come out to talk to him.

 

Chapter 33

 

“So guess who is downstairs in the living room?”

 

Lennox had a feeling she wouldn’t like the answer to Keyla’s question and sat up a little more on the couch while Roman stepped outside to fire up the grill. “ET?” She didn’t have a clue, glancing toward the sliding glass door to make sure Roman was still outside.

 

“ET, really?” Keyla shook her head, curled up in her bed with the phone pressed to her ear.  She stopped crying an hour ago and needed to talk to her best friend. “No, it’s Jon.”

 

“WHAT?!” Keyla had Lennox’s full undivided attention as she walked out of the living room and went into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. “What the hell is he doing there?”

 

That had been the same question Keyla asked two hours ago when Jon showed up to save her from Danny.  Speaking of Lennox’s ex-fiancé… “Believe it or not, that’s not what I’m calling you about.”

 

What could’ve been more newsworthy than Jon Moxley showing up at Keyla’s house the ONE week she decided not to stay in Tampa? “If you think for a second I’d tell him you were going to Philly on your days off…”

 

“No sweetie, of course not.  I know you wouldn’t do anything to help Jon.” Lennox loathed the man almost as much as Keyla did Danny. “I had someone else show up before Jon did and…I have to warn you about it.”

 

“Oh no…” Suddenly, Lennox felt nauseous and shut her eyes, sinking down on the toilet lid. “It was Danny, wasn’t it?” She didn’t wait for a response, already knowing that’s who the warning revolved around. “What happened?  Are you okay?  Did he hurt you?”

 

Keyla touched her bruised throat with her fingertips and winced, still sore from being throttled by Danny’s hand. “He wanted to talk to you and I told him no.  I told him you were happy with someone else and he needed to leave you alone, that it was his fault you were pushed into the arms of another man.  He got pissed off, threatened to rip my tongue out for lying to him and then…said he would kill me to send you a message not to fuck with him…” She couldn’t keep the truth of what happened from Lennox just in case Danny got a wild hair up his backside and tried hunting her down.

 

“Jesus…”

 

Lennox suddenly had a quick flashback of Danny doing the same thing and shouting similar threats at her.  There’d been one time when she first caught Danny doing drugs and started pouring the white powdery substance down the sink.  Danny flew into a rage, shoved her away from the sink and backhanded her, threatening to kill her if she ever tried destroying his property again.  He actually referred to drugs as his property.  That was the beginning of the end to their relationship and Lennox ended up going to Keyla’s that night in tears, having a spare key since she’d been on one of her many vacations.

 

“Key, maybe I should come there and…”

 

“No, absolutely not!”

 

Sitting upright in bed, Keyla was thankful she had some salve in her bedroom Jon gave her for one of her nasty bruises she’d received while they were on the road.  Sometimes their sexual bouts became too fierce and marred her skin.  Currently, it was helping her throat and stopping it from swelling more than it already had.  There was no way she could go downstairs to get ice for it without having to deal with Jon Moxley.  He’d get the message sooner or later and leave, she hoped anyway.

 

“Lennox, this is the last place you need to be.  Stay where you’re at with Roman and enjoy your time with him.  Relax and stay calm, don’t worry about me.  Jon showed up, punched Danny a couple times in the gut and sent him packing.  I don’t think he’s stupid enough to show up here again and if he does, I’m calling the police.” Keyla would not let Lennox put herself in harm’s way and if that meant talking to Roman secretively to get it done, she would in a heartbeat. “Speaking of Mr. Reigns, how’s everything there?  Where are you again?”

 

“Pensacola, Florida…” It didn’t settle with Lennox to just let Keyla deal with Danny on her own, not when she was the one he was after. “It’s fine.  We’re grilling out and relaxing.  Nothing else has happened…”

 

“Good, you deserve to be with a guy who treats you right instead of like a piece of shit.”

 

They talked for a few more minutes until a tap on the bathroom door made Lennox hang up with Keyla.  She didn’t want him knowing who she was on the phone with.  Shoving her cell phone in the back pocket of her blue jean shorts, Lennox flushed the toilet to make it seem like she was using the bathroom and rinsed her hands in the sink.  Then she opened the door, coming face to chest with the huge Samoan and rose her head until violet orbs locked on concerned grey.

 

“Everything alright?” Roman asked in a deep baritone, reaching out to caress her cheek with his hand and frowned when Lennox stepped back. “What’s wrong?”

 

It had been an instinctive reaction, especially after Keyla’s confession on what happened with Danny. “Sorry…” She muttered, looking away from Roman and found the tiled bathroom floor more interesting at the moment.

 

Unbeknownst it to the girls, Roman received a call from Dean while he was outside on the back patio heating up the grill for dinner.  Dean told him everything that happened with Keyla and mentioned the fact Lennox used to date the attacker.  It made him wonder why she would ever be with an abusive dick like that and suddenly, all the pieces started falling in place in Roman’s mind.  How skittish and scared Lennox always seemed to be, especially when he touched her.  Something told him Lennox already knew about what happened with her ex and Keyla, not wanting to discuss it.

 

“Come here, baby girl…” Roman extended his arms to her, waiting for her to bury her face in his chest like she had a month ago in Chicago.

 

Angry, hurt and confused, Lennox suddenly lashed out, shoving past Roman to storm in the living room, tears already on the verge of falling from her eyes. “Just stop; stop all of this!  I’m not sleeping with you, so you can stop being nice to me and send me packing already!” She snapped, gasping when Roman grabbed her upper arm and whirled her around to face him.

 

His greys were nothing more than steel, nostrils flared and Roman had to watch his strength so he didn’t hurt Lennox. “If I wanted in your panties, if I wanted just sex from you, I would’ve had it by now.” He assured in a dark tone, stepping back releasing her arm and watched tears cascade down her cheeks.

 

Deciding to leave her alone for a little while, Roman walked into the kitchen to start prepping dinner and mentally cursed himself for being short with her.  It would take more than a month of wooing and one invitation to his house to break through Lennox’s distrust of men.  The walls she had built around her heart were made of iron and concrete, but anything could be broken through with a little time and patience.

 

~!~

 

Slowly opening her eyes, the following morning, Keyla couldn’t remember the last time she laid in bed staring at her ceiling.  It was nice to be home and the cool breeze blowing through her window felt wonderful.  However, there was a problem currently in her house sleeping on the couch.  Jon had fallen asleep on it, even though there were two other bedrooms in the house he could’ve slept in.  Keyla had gone downstairs late last night for a drink of water, taking a chance Jon might be up and instead heard loud snoring.  She was tempted to cover him up with a blanket, but that gesture would think he was welcome to stay in her house when he wasn’t.  Sitting up in bed, Keyla had to face the music sooner or later named Jon Moxley and there was no time like the present.  She stood up, walked past her dresser and stopped, noticing the MOX vest laying on it.

 

Why did he leave the vest behind?  It was a huge part of his wrestling career in the Independents and he wanted nothing to do with Keyla anyway.  Still, the small letter he left behind with it tugged at her heartstrings and Keyla had tucked it away in her shoebox of memories that meant most to her.  Pictures, letters, concert and wrestling event tickets from all the times she watched Jon wrestle and other things that were precious to her.  Picking the vest up, Keyla held it to her nose and inhaled deeply, the scent still strong as ever.  The man she loved was downstairs and had saved her yesterday from possibly being put into the hospital.  She tried moving on with Baron and it didn’t work because her heart always belonged to Jon Moxley.

 

“He still has to pay for hurting me.  And I’m not telling him how I feel unless I hear it from him first.” Keyla muttered to herself, setting the MOX vest back on the dresser and walked over to her bedroom door, unlocking it to head downstairs.

 

There was also the fact Jon had a girlfriend in Renee Young and she was more beautiful than Keyla ever thought about being.

 

“Bout time you got up.” Jon said over his shoulder, standing at the stove flipping another pancake on a nearby plate. “Hungry?  There’s coffee already brewed.”

 

Jon couldn’t function properly without drinking his weight in coffee at least that one fact about him hadn’t changed. “Okay…” Keyla grabbed a coffee mug out of the cabinet and filled it with half creamer and half coffee, stirring it with a spoon before taking the first sip.

 

“So, you still pissed at me?” Jon broke the silence between them and poured more batter on the greased pan, moving his shoulders to the beat of the music flowing through the radio. “You know you can’t stay mad at me forever.”

 

“You don’t know if I can or not.” Keyla retorted in a sleepy grumble and sat down at the island across from the stove, trying to clear her foggy brain from sleeping so much.

 

Shaking his head, Jon turned with a plate of pancakes in hand and set them in the middle of the island so both could reach to take what they wanted. “Look, I know I was an asshole for not calling you or keeping contact.  I should’ve and I didn’t.  But I didn’t forget about you…”

 

“Stop.” Keyla couldn’t listen to this, standing from the island because Jon had stopped directly behind her to talk in her ear. “None of it matters anymore.  The past is the past and it can’t be changed…”

 

Jon disagreed, closing the distance between them in the middle of the doorway that lead to the living room, taking her hand. “It may not matter to you, but it damn sure matters to me.  I don’t want you hating me anymore.  I’m trying to fix things between us and you’re not making it easy, darlin’…”

 

“Why should I?” Keyla retorted, deciding if they were hashing everything out now, it might as well start now. “You left to go pursue your dream in the WWE and left me here alone in Philly.  You said we could stay friends and, last I checked, friends keep in contact with each other.  You didn’t.”

 

“Neither did you!” Jon shouted, releasing her hand and tossed his hands up in the air, not sure what to think of this situation anymore. “Why didn’t you fucking call me?!  Why was it up to me to call you first?”

 

“BECAUSE I DIDN’T THINK YOU WANTED TO HEAR FROM ME!” Keyla erupted, the frustration, pain and heartache all flowing out at once along with tears. “Y-You were starting a new chapter of your life and…I wanted you to decide who you wanted to share the experience with.  I didn’t want to bother you…”

 

That wasn’t all and Jon could feel it in his bones, wondering what the final piece to the puzzle he seemed to keep missing. “Do you think it was easy for me to pack up and leave here?  To leave you?  Keyla, you told me to go and I did.  I don’t know what the fuck you want from me.  For fuck’s sake, tell me what the hell I’m missing because I can’t figure it out!  Just tell me what the hell this is really about because I know it’s more than just the contact bullshit.” Jon wasn’t above pleading at this point, taking both of her hands in his and tried searching her watery golden amber orbs for the answer.

 

“You’d already made up your mind to go and I didn’t want to stand in your way…” Keyla remembered walking into Jon’s room and seeing all the packed boxes of his belongings, her heart shattering at the hurtful memory. “You went because you wanted to.  I had nothing to do with your choice…”

 

“Because you didn’t tell me to stay.  You didn’t give me a reason not to go to WWE.” Jon confessed in a lower raspy voice, his own emotions rising to the surface. “Telling me to stay was all I needed to hear.  Telling me you…”

 

Keyla shook her head, trying to walk away from him and Jon stopped her, his hands planting on her hips to lift her to sit on the island so they were eyelevel with each other.  Now was the moment to tell him how she felt all those years ago and still did.  The words were bubbling up inside of her, threatening to spill out while gazing into his beautiful pale blues.  Never did she think Jon would step foot in this house again after he moved to Tampa.  She missed him every second, of every minute, of every hour, of every day he was gone and now he was back in her life, fighting her for the truth.

 

“Jon…” Keyla felt her mouth go dry and watched a piece of auburn blonde fall into his eyes, reaching up to brush it away from his forehead. “Fuck.  Don’t you have a woman or someone else to spend your off time with?” Mentioning Renee Young was out of the question because Keyla didn’t want him knowing she’d caught them together outside of the arena.

 

“I do, and I’m with her right now.”

 

Her head snapped up, citrine eyes wide as saucers at his declaration. “But I’m not your woman.”

 

“You will be.” Jon informed her confidently, fingering her chin gently with his strong hand. “I lost you once and I’m not letting it happen again.  So you might as well get used to having me around.”

 

“What makes you so sure I want to be with you?” To have her heart broken again, Keyla added in thought, and could feel his hot breath hover over her ear, sending tremors throughout her body.

 

“Because you’ve missed me as much as I’ve missed you and haven’t let yourself accept it yet.  But you will.  I’m a patient man and I’ll wait as long as it takes.  You wanna know why I’m really here?  There’s your answer.  I’m here for you.” Then Jon did something he’d wanted to do since the moment he saw her walk up in the parking lot several weeks ago and captured her mouth in a soft sensuous kiss that left both breathless and craving more.

 

Chapter 34

 

This had to be a dream. 

 

A beautiful dream Keyla never wanted to wake up from.

 

For over 3 years, she craved to feel Jon’s lips against hers again and never thought it would happen.  Keyla thought he was long gone, never to come back into her life after he moved to Tampa to work for WWE.  Fate was cruel, but could also be giving under certain circumstances.  What started off as a simple kiss quickly turned heated as Keyla fisted the front of Jon’s t-shirt he had on, pulling him closer.  Jon more than obliged, sliding his fingers through her hair to grip the back of it in case she tried breaking away.  It didn’t take long before Jon coaxed her mouth open and delved his tongue inside, tasting her, groaning because she was as sweet as he remembered.  Keyla’s head whirled the moment their tongues touched and she became lost in the moment, releasing his t-shirt to move her hands to cradle his face.  Growling in her mouth, Jon lifted Keyla from the island counter and felt her legs wrap around his waist, carting them into the living room to be more comfortable. 

 

Breakfast was the last thing on either of their minds.

 

Only when they both needed oxygen to breathe did the kiss break, molten gold locked on cloudy cerulean.  Keyla’s breathing was labored, her chest rising and falling rapidly because of how fast her heart hammered against her ribcage.  She wanted him in every way possible, never wanting to let him go again.  Apparently, Jon felt the same because he promised to never lose her a second time.  However, even through the thick passion haze, Keyla couldn’t ignore the fact Jon already had someone, or so she assumed.  The last thing she wanted to do was cause friction between her and Renee Young because the woman was an absolute sweetheart.  Keyla hated her brain sometimes and stopped Jon from claiming her mouth again, covering it with her hand.

 

“I want this.  I’ve missed you so much, Jon.  But if you’re with someone else, we can’t…” It was bad enough they just shared a passionate kiss.

 

Jon removed her hand from his mouth and stared down at the dark blue haired beauty questioningly, tilting his head. “I’m not.” Didn’t she hear him earlier when he claimed he was already with his woman?  She belonged to him and that kiss cemented it, no matter how angry Keyla claimed to be. “Darlin’, I’m single right now, but I’m hoping that changes by the time Sunday rolls around and we have to go back on the road.”

 

“So you and Renee…”

 

The rumors had reached Keyla’s ears and Jon rolled his eyes, pulling away from Keyla to sit upright on the couch. “Christ, can’t a man and woman just be friends?  No, Renee and I aren’t together and we never were.  She’s a great girl, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t wanna fuck her.”

 

All the broken pieces of her heart began slowly mending back together.  Jon was hers for the taking if Keyla had the courage to do it.  So many times she should’ve told him how she truly felt back in the Independent days.  This was her chance and if she didn’t take it, Keyla feared she would lose Jon.  Reaching out to take his hand, Keyla brought it up to her cheek and closed her eyes, letting out another shaky breath.  It was now or never.  There was one other thing she had to know first before spilling her heart to Jon, however.

 

“Why did you leave your vest here?”

 

Jon smirked, slowly turning to stare at her and tightened his hand around hers. “You always loved it.  I knew it’d be safe with you.  Didn’t wanna leave it anywhere while on the road.” The MOX vest meant a great deal to Jon; it was one of his most prized possessions and Keyla was the only one he trusted to keep it. “You still have it?”

 

“What do you think?” Keyla remarked in a soft voice, shifting to swing one leg over Jon’s lap until she sat straddled on him and pressed her forehead to his. “I could never get rid of it.  That vest was the only piece I had of you.  Never thought I’d see you again…”

 

“Same here.” Jon breathed every inch of her in while caressing her thighs with his hands, his mouth aching to feel her soft lips again. “Darlin’, there’s something I gotta know.  How did you feel about me back then?  And how do you feel about me now?”

 

The moment wouldn’t open up any more than this, Keyla thought, knowing it was time to come clean about how she felt. “I loved you, Jon.  And I still do.  I’ve been in love with you for almost 4 years…” Her head lowered, unable to meet his eyes and Keyla could already feel the huge weight lifting from her shoulders. “You thought you couldn’t give me what I needed back then.  You weren’t ready for a relationship and I was fine with it.  Any piece of you I had was better than nothing…”

 

Jon had thousands, possibly millions, of fans who claimed to love and adore him, some admitting they were in love with him.  He always told them they’d get over it.  Keyla wasn’t just another fan and she’d been the sole reason he couldn’t commit to a relationship with anyone while in WWE.  The one night stands were purely sex and to release frustration, nothing more.  It took a while for Jon to come to terms with his feelings for Keyla.  He was in love with her back then too, but refused to acknowledge it.  Jon Moxley wasn’t supposed to fall in love and be happy.  He was a gutter rat from Cincinnati, Ohio and enjoyed putting his body and health on the line every time he stepped inside a ring.  The sound of a ladder crashing on someone’s body made him giddy; he wasn’t a normal man by any means and didn’t try to be.  And yet, this beautiful amber eyed beauty looked past all of his flaws and loved him as much as he let her.  The years passed by while he was in WWE and not one single day went by where he didn’t think of Keyla.

 

“I’m not good with feelings.  Never have been.  Probably why I was blind back then and didn’t realize how you felt.” Jon rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand, feeling extremely awkward and decided it was time to come clean.  Keyla was courageous enough to do it, so he had to be too. “I loved you back then too.  And it hasn’t changed one damn bit, darlin’.  If you’d told me this the day I left Philly, I would’ve stayed and told WWE to fuck off.  Or taken you with me.  I didn’t know how you felt and figured the sex between us, to you, was just sex.  Now that I look back, there were plenty of times I should’ve noticed and didn’t.  I was wrapped up in my own shit and trying to make a name for myself in the Indies.  Still no excuse.  I just wish you would’ve told me the truth back then.  Things might be different and we wouldn’t have spent 3 years apart.”

 

“I felt I wasn’t good enough for you, that you deserved better.” Keyla admitted quietly, pulling back to lower her eyes to his lap and frowned, not believing how much Jon had changed over the past 3 years. “I told you I didn’t wanna hold you back.  Wrestling has always been your #1 priority in life and I didn’t want to be the reason you didn’t go to WWE.  I loved you enough to let you go and live your dream, hoping you kept contact with me.  You didn’t, which is why I was hurt and pissed off.  I blamed you for my broken heart all these years, but I’m realizing it was my fault all along.  If I would’ve just told you instead of taking the coward’s way out…”

 

Nodding, Jon lifted her chin until her eyes met his and softly kissed her lips then nose, trying to calm her down. “We were both dumbasses.  Let’s leave it at that and start over.  You are more than good for me and always have been, Keyla.  Taking in two complete strange men into your home and saving them from a shitty apartment was brave.  You saved me and Sami.  One of the reasons I loved you back then.  Please don’t cry.” Crying women still bothered Jon, but he’d learned it was part of life and he had to deal with it.

 

Keyla sniffled, blinking her tears away and caressed the five o’clock shadow on his face with the back of her hand. “Trying not to.” Starting over was the best idea Jon had since they first met. “So what exactly are we?  And how do you want to start over?” If he said friends, she would pop him in the nose and not think twice about it.

 

“What did I say earlier?” Jon tightened his arms around her waist, not about to make the same mistake he did 3 years ago. “You’re my woman.  Case closed, you’re taken and if anyone else tries taking you from me, I’ll kill them.”

 

“Geez, you don’t have to be so barbaric about it.” Keyla joked, enjoying the sound of being called Jon’s woman and felt complete for the first time in 3 years. “If I’m your woman, then you’re my man and the same threat goes for any female trying to take you from me.”

 

Jon chuckled, standing from the couch with Keyla firmly in his arms and walked back into the kitchen, where the stack of cold pancakes sat. “Fair enough.  I’m hungry, so how about we get dressed and I’ll take my woman out for some food?”

 

“Okay, but you have to set me down first.”

 

Reluctantly, Jon lowered Keyla to the kitchen floor and grabbed his bag from the living room, following her up to her room to change.  He’d already showered earlier that morning before making pancakes, so just a change of clothes was all he needed.  Keyla smelled incredible, her Dove shampoo and conditioner the same intoxicating scent it always had been.  Jon was glad that hadn’t changed about her and also had a lot of lost time to make up for.  If he had his way, they would be sharing a room on the road from now on because Jon wanted to spend as much time with Keyla as possible.  He sounded like a needy chick and didn’t care, vowing to never hurt Keyla intentionally again.

 

“Huh, you weren’t lying.” Jon commented, spotting the MOX vest on her dresser and picked it up, shaking his head from all the battles he’d had wearing it. “Did you sleep with it?”

 

Keyla giggled, shaking her head while pulling clothes out from the dresser drawers. “No, I probably would’ve if I found it sooner.”

 

“What do you mean?” Jon raised a brow, seeing the guilt cross her face and set the vest back on the dresser. “I left it right after I moved out…”

 

“I know…” Keyla pulled the light blue long sleeved top over her head and managed to remove the camisole without Jon seeing anything.  She wasn’t ready to sleep with him yet. “I – um – didn’t go into your room until after I got the offer from WWE to work for them down in NXT.  I found it in the corner by the window with the note.  Couldn’t bring myself to go in there sooner.”

 

Sinking down on the bed with his back to her, Jon scrubbed a hand down his face and fought urge to sneak a peek at her beautiful body. “Well fuck, if I would’ve known that, I would’ve put it somewhere else…” It pained him to know just how much he hurt her, making another oath to make it up to her, no matter what he had to do.

 

“It’s okay.  The important thing is I found it and I’ve kept it in here ever since.” Keyla smiled, not angry with where he’d left the vest and stood in front of him dressed, extending her hands to him. “Now come on, I’m starving and I know you have to be too.  We can talk about the past later.”

 

“Wait…” Jon stopped her from walking out the door and took her hand, pulling her against him to capture her mouth in another searing kiss. “I’m sorry…for everything…”

 

Keyla knew he was, believing Jon wholeheartedly and forgave him for all of it.  That’s what a person did when they were deeply in love.  She had no idea what Lennox, Sami and Drake would think of her decision to be with Jon, not wanting to think about her friends.  Was Jon perfect?  Far from it, but that still didn’t make Keyla love him any less or stop her from wanting to be with him.  This was their time now, all the puzzle pieces were connected and nothing would hold them back.  Sex would come eventually, but if Jon truly meant what he said about starting over, they had to take things slow.  Kissing, touching and exploring was fine, but it would be a while before Keyla fully gave herself to him since he already had her heart.

 

“Stop apologizing.  We were both dumbasses, remember?  There’s nothing to forgive.  Let’s just move on and start fresh.”

 

Agreeing, Jon guided Keyla out of the house to his rental vehicle and opened the door for her, trying to be a gentleman.  He wasn’t good at this sort of thing, but would try for her sake.  Slipping behind the wheel, Jon fired up the vehicle and took off down the street, heading downtown to a local diner he took Keyla on more than a few occasions back in the day.  Keyla hadn’t been here since the last time she came with Jon, citrine eyes sparkling at the small building they parked in front of.  It was the perfect spot for them to eat, converse and get to know each other again.  Breakfast consisted of ordering everything off the menu and Keyla gaping at how much food Jon ate.  No wonder he’d gotten bigger in the WWE.  His muscle definition was off the charts and he was no longer skinny anymore, a lot stronger than he’d been in the Independents.  Everything that changed about Jon had been for the better, including his attitude. 

 

When Keyla offered a cigarette after Jon paid the diner bill and he refused, she was floored not believing he quit smoking.  It was for the best considering all the wrestling he did nowadays for WWE.  She wondered if they had a no smoking policy, thinking maybe it was time for her to lay down the cancer sticks and think about her health.  After eating a huge breakfast, it was time to burn some of it off as they went back to the house to once again change before heading to the gym.  It’d been a while since Keyla worked out, but watching Jon sweat and work his muscles was enough to motivate her to do it.

 

Today marked a new beginning in their lives and Keyla could only hope it wasn’t a mistake in the end.

 

Chapter 35

 

Apologizing was the hardest thing to do.

 

Lennox hadn’t treated Roman fairly and felt horrible about it, especially snapping on him for no reason.  All he tried to do was help her and she freaked out, accusing him of only wanting in her panties.  The call from Keyla regarding her ex-fiancé was something Lennox hadn’t expected.  She knew how Danny operated and felt a little better knowing Jon Moxley was at the house, hoping he stayed until it was time to go back on the road.  Roman made dinner for them and left to go to the gym for an extended workout.  So Lennox was left all alone in Roman’s two story house and had no idea what to do or how to talk to him without clamming up.  A mere ‘I’m sorry’ wouldn’t cut it this time, not after how wonderful Roman had been towards her.  No, Lennox had to do something from the heart, something meaningful and remembered Roman saying how much he enjoyed cheesecake.  She hoped he had all the ingredients and walked into the kitchen to sift through the cabinets and fridge.  Surprisingly, everything she needed was in the house.

 

It was a long process because the crust had to cool first before she could pour the cream cheese mixture into it.  Lennox had all the time in the world and worried when Roman didn’t come back 3 hours later.  Did she really piss him off that badly?  Lennox was tempted to call him when hour 4 approached, the clock striking 10 PM and figured Roman had gone to an all-night gym.  More than likely, he’d be gone for the majority of the evening.  Lennox’s chest tightened, tears stinging her eyes as she covered the cheesecake with tinfoil and wrote Roman’s name on it.  She couldn’t stay up any longer, exhausted and needed sleep.  Shutting the lights off, Lennox made her way upstairs to the guest bedroom she chose to stay in and shut the door behind her, silent tears sliding down her cheeks.  Hopefully when Roman returned, he’d find the cheesecake and her idiocy would be forgiven.

 

Roman walked into the house just after 2 AM, freshly showered and on the verge of passing out.  He’d been at the gym for close to 6 hours straight, relieving built-up frustration.  Lennox wasn’t to blame for the way she acted and thought of him.  Her ex was and Roman wanted to plant his fist into the man’s face repeatedly for hurting Lennox.  Dean hadn’t gone into detail during their talk, but warned Roman to keep a watchful eye on Lennox.  Even though Danny wasn’t well-known, he had connections and Dean wouldn’t put it past him to take a trip to Pensacola.  Research on the internet would show where Roman resided unfortunately.  All Roman wished for was Lennox to open up and tell him everything her ex did to her.  He wanted to protect her in every way possible, but couldn’t if he didn’t know about Lennox’s past.  Saying what he did about her panties had been uncalled for and Roman was angry at himself for losing his temper with her.  It was the main reason he left the house for the night to go workout, giving Lennox the space she needed and wanted.

 

Walking into the kitchen, Roman opened the fridge to grab a bottled water and spotted something out of the corner of his eye.  He opened the refrigerator more, letting more light out and saw something round shaped sitting on the stove with his name scrawled across the top.  What the hell?  Was it Lennox who did this?  It had to be.  Roman had top notch security on his house, not wanting any intruders and lived somewhat on the outskirts of Pensacola.  His parents were just down the road and his sisters not far away either.  He had a gigantic family with one brother, 2 sisters and a lot of cousins.  Flipping the kitchen light on, Roman carefully removed the tinfoil and felt his heart melt at the sight of cheesecake.  His favorite dessert.  It smelled heavenly, almost as good as Lennox did whenever she walked past him.  Whatever perfume or shampoo she used lingered 5 minutes after she left the room and made his desire skyrocket for her.

 

Grey eyes moved toward the stairs past the living room and dining room, already knowing Lennox was asleep in her room.  He should’ve waited until morning to talk to her.  It was the right thing to do.  Yet Roman found himself moving toward the stairs, not bothering to shut the kitchen light off or grab his bottled water.  The only thing on his mind currently was the honey blonde beauty that made him a delicious looking cheesecake he wanted to share with her.  Eating it all wasn’t an option, not even on his days off.  His job required his body to stay chiseled and in shape at all times, so Roman had to watch what he ate.  The juicy steak dinner they had earlier from the grill was a huge splurge, but Roman had a taste for the type of meat.  There was another type of meat he craved to have, but that would have to wait until Lennox fully trusted him.

 

Only minutes later, Roman stood in front of the guest bedroom door and slid his fingers down the wood, fighting his conscience on what to do.  Did he wake her up or let her sleep?  Roman wanted to see her now, his selfishness making his hand grip the door handle and pushed it down, breathing a sigh of relief to find it unlocked.  He walked inside and felt the breath temporarily leave his body at the sight before him, almost dropping to his knees.  Lennox lay in bed with one arm over her head and the other across her stomach on her back.  Her honey blonde burnt orange streaked hair fanned all around her over the pillow.  Roman mentally shook himself and stepped up to the bed to stare down at her, instantly noticing the tear streaks on her cheeks.  He was to blame for them, guilt tearing at his insides and had to find a way to make it up to her.

 

Squatting to be level with her face, Roman reached out to gently caress her tear-stained cheek and slid his tongue out to wet his dry lips.  All he wanted was one taste of her mouth.  It was a stupid idea to kiss a sleeping woman who had trust issues, but Roman couldn’t resist temptation.  Lennox looked too peaceful and beautiful sleeping; Roman swore she had a glow surrounding her like an angel from the heavens would.  Maybe that was a little corny to think, but nevertheless he went for it and leaned forward, lightly brushing his lips against hers.  Her lips were as soft as he fantasized about, the gloss she wore having the taste of mango. 

 

Oh god not again, Lennox thought, awakening the moment the door opened.  She was a light sleeper these days.  Her body slowly came alive at the feeling of warm lips on hers and kept her eyes closed, trying not to tremble.  Danny wouldn’t like that.  She remembered the last time he kissed her awake and acted fearful, receiving a beating and rape session for her instincts.  Lying there letting Danny kiss her would hopefully make him happy enough, but she highly doubted it.  Wanting to make him happy, Lennox slid a shaking hand over his hair and gripped the back of it, returning the kiss.  Surely he wouldn’t need to hurt her if she gave him what he wanted, right?  It was her only option; Lennox whimpered softly the moment his tongue brushed against her mouth to coax her lips open and obliged.

 

Roman groaned from low in his throat at the feeling of their tongues touching, deepening the kiss.  He loved the feeling of her fingers delved in his hair and didn’t want the moment to end, not realizing Lennox thought he was someone else.  His dick instantly hardened in his black jersey shorts the longer the kiss went.  Rising to his feet, Roman didn’t break the kiss and lifted Lennox from the bed, setting her sideways on his lap holding her close.  Her trembling made him think she was enjoying what was happening, so Roman took another chance and slid his hand up the front of her camisole.  Soft silky skin felt like rapture against his long nimble fingers and the further Roman inched his hand up, the more Lennox quaked in his arms.

 

The moment his hand landed on her bare breast, -Lennox didn’t ever wear a bra to bed- she broke the kiss and knew there would be consequences.  Lennox pressed against a rock hard chest and snapped her violet eyes open, quickly coming to the realization she was not with Danny Havoc.  She was not in the arms of her abusive ex-fiancé.  Bewildered grey eyes stared back at her and all Lennox could do was stare at him in shock for a few seconds before scrambling off Roman’s lap, landing on the floor on her backside.  Her lips were swollen from the passionate kiss they just shared – a kiss she thought had been from Danny.  Tears of respite and guilt flooded her eyes as Lennox blinked, feeling them flow down her cheeks.  Roman stared down at her, breathing heavily and lowered his head in shame, wishing he hadn’t taken it upon himself to kiss her awake.

 

“Lennox…”

 

“You’re not him.” She cut him off in a soft voice, staying on the carpeted floor and drew her knees into her chest, wrapping her arms around them. “I thought…”

 

Roman cautiously lowered to the floor in front of her, sitting on his knees with his hands pressed on his thighs. “You thought what, baby girl?” It was his term of endearment for her and Lennox didn’t seem to mind for the most part.

 

This couldn’t keep happening.  If Lennox didn’t come to clean to him about her past with Danny, they’d never be able to move forward or make progress.  She wanted to be with Roman, to trust and believe in him.  All she thought about while making the cheesecake for Roman was how much she wanted to be in a relationship with him.  To be his girlfriend, at the very least.  First she had to tell him the truth and be completely honest with him, hoping he didn’t run for the hills once he heard the truth.

 

“I thought you were someone else.” Lennox didn’t look up at Roman and instead looked past him at the bedding, doing what she had to do to get through reliving her nightmare. “My ex-fiancé…”

 

Roman wasn’t going anywhere and could tell Lennox was finally ready to open up to him. “The one who attacked Keyla?” Violet eyes widened at the mention of her best friend and Roman held his hand up to keep her calm. “Relax, Dean called and told me what happened.  He didn’t go into details about you, just told me what happened to Keyla and asked me to keep an eye on you.”

 

“He did?” Lennox didn’t think Jon gave a damn about her, not moving from her stance and swallowed hard.

 

“Yeah, he seems to care about you more than he’s willing to admit.” Roman observed, slowly moving toward Lennox until he could at least touch her hand with his. “Continue what you were saying.  I didn’t mean to interrupt you.”

 

“The asshole’s name is Danny Havoc.  Don’t know if you’ve ever heard of him, but he’s been in the Independent circuit his entire career.  His work in CZW is what he’s known for.” She began, giving a small history about her ex and took a deep breath, trying to keep the courage rolling. “Anyway, long story short I met him when he came into a tattoo parlor I used to run and own.  I didn’t go to college and always had a dream to have a tattoo parlor because I love ink.  That’s where my artistic ability stems from.  I didn’t know how to use it and hated to paint, so I found tattooing.  Danny came in one day, we met and ended up dating for a while.  6 years, if I calculated the time right.  He was the love of my life, loved tattoos and I supported him completely with the wrestling because it was his dream.  We were both living our dreams and I thought nothing could ruin it…”

 

“Believe it or not, I know how that feels.  Thinking you have something good only for it to end up hurting you.  This is your story though, so continue.” Roman urged her gently, trying not to sound too pushy and squeezed her hand when she hesitated. “I’m not going anywhere, Lennox.  I promise.”

 

Nodding, Lennox tightened her arms around her knees and rested her chin on top of them, closing her eyes. “The man you call Dean Ambrose; I know as Jon Moxley.  I won’t call him Dean Ambrose, ever.  I think that is the most ridiculous idiotic name I’ve ever heard in my life, but I digress.  When Moxley got signed to WWE and left Philly behind, something changed in Danny.  He started working out more, his drinking increased and he was obsessed with getting a dark match in WWE.  He must’ve called them over 100 times a day because that’s what Moxley did back when he was cutting his teeth in the business.  I figured it would pass and let him do what he needed to do, being supportive like always.  Then one night, I came home and went in the bathroom to take a shower, finding the one thing that could push Danny right over the edge.  Drugs.  Coke, crack, heroin.  You name it, he had it and it was all in a baggy, the heroin in syringes.  I dumped what I could of it, screamed at him how stupid he was and poured the rest down the drain.  That was the night the abuse started…and it only got worse from there.”

 

Roman had to stop his blood from boiling and released her hand, stroking his goatee while listening to every word silently.

 

“The beatings became more frequent and then he started raping me…” Lennox shivered in dread at the countless memories of that happening and Danny always finding ways to get what he wanted out of her. “I couldn’t take it anymore after 2 years and left him.  Keyla was never home, so I stayed at her place while she was gone.  Eventually, she took me on vacations with her for a straight 6 months while our friend, Gina, watched over my tattoo parlor.  I did what I could to stay away from him and told him if he stopped the drugs and turned back into the man I fell in love with, I would help him anyway I could to get better.  Because I loved him that much and never wanted to give up on him.  He made me though and pushed me to my breaking point…” She finally looked up to lock teary violet orbs on cold steel greys. “Now do you see why I’m no good for you?  Why I told you to leave me alone?  I’m used up and I don’t know if I can ever fully recover from what that asshole did to me, Roman.  I want to move on with my life and be happy again, but I don’t know if it’s possible…”

 

Not able to hold back any longer, Roman drew Lennox in his strong arms and set her sideways on his lap again, cradling her against him to let her cry if she wanted. “Yes you can.” He believed that wholeheartedly, brushing his nose against the top of her head. “But the only way you can move on is if your love for him is gone.  So is it?  Do you still love him?”

 

Lennox looked up at Roman and shook her head, more tears falling. “No.  My love for him died long ago.”

 

“Then you can move on with your life and be happy again.  And I’m hoping it’s with me.  Because if it’s the last thing I do, I will make you happy again.  I will make you smile and rekindle the light and life inside of you.  All I need is a chance.” Roman declared, not hiding anything he felt and brushed her tears away with the pads of his thumbs. “So tell me right now, will you give me a chance?”

 

Instead of answering him, Lennox leaned up and softly captured his mouth with hers, knowing actions spoke far louder than words.

 

Chapter 36

 

“I don’t know about this, Jon…”

 

Placing his hands on her shoulders, Jon knew he’d have to ease Keyla into this.  It wasn’t easy for her to agree to do something like this, but there was always a first time for everything.  His hands moved from her shoulders to her hips, slowly rocking them back and forth to try relaxing her body.  This was no fun if she remained tense.  It’d been 3 days since Jon showed up in Philadelphia on her front porch, sent Danny Havoc packing with sore ribs and 2 days since they rekindled the relationship they once had.  Now Jon had to build trust with Keyla again and figured this was the best way to do it.

 

“W-What are you doing?”

 

“Trying to get you to relax and enjoy this.” Jon replied in her ear, enjoying having her back pressed against his muscular chest. “Come on, just let it happen.  We’ll go nice and slow.”

 

Taking a deep breath, Keyla would be lying if she said she didn’t enjoy having Jon’s hands anywhere on her body. “If I don’t like this, we stop.” She ordered, not compromising and heard Jon’s chuckle, the sound vibrating her entire body bending forward. “Let’s do it…”

 

Jon smirked at her tenacity, one of the many things he always loved about her and squeezed her hips, both staring straight ahead. “On the count of 3, we’ll send it in…”

 

Nodding, Keyla braced herself and slid her fingers where they were supposed to go.  Were they really doing this?  This was the last thing Keyla expected to happen with Jon, never imagining he would want to do something like this.  When he approached her with the idea, Keyla at first laughed at him because she thought he was joking.  Jon didn’t join in on it and simply folded his arms in front of his chest, a slight scowl on his handsome scruffy face.

 

“Oh god…” Keyla whimpered, closing her eyes as Jon’s hands covered hers while rocking her body back and forth again, getting the motion down. “Fuck…”

 

“We haven’t done anything yet, darlin’.  Relax and just let your body do what it’s supposed to.” Jon coached, a smirk curving his mouth and kissed the side of her neck, hearing her breathing accelerate. “1…2…3!”

 

They both watched the bowling ball roll down the lane until it crashed into the upright pins in the center, leaving a pin up on either side.  Keyla groaned, tossing her hands up in the air and couldn’t believe they split on her.  Laughing, Jon removed his hands from her hips and went over to the bowling ball conveyor, lifting Keyla’s to hand it to her again.

 

“Remind me again why you wanted to go bowling of all things?”

 

“Better than sitting in the house trying not to fuck each other.” Jon retorted, winking at her and waited for Keyla to take her second turn, which ended up a gutter ball. “Nice try, now move and let the master show you how it’s done.”

 

Keyla rolled her eyes, tempted to kick him square in the backside and sat down to watch Jon, admiring how the blue jeans he wore hugged all the right places. “Nice assets.” She smirked when he dropped the ball and ended up sending it directly into the gutter lane, giggling uncontrollably. “Oops, did I do that?”

 

“I’m gonna give you ‘oops’ in a minute when my hand ‘oops’ across your ass, woman.” Jon remarked in a soft growl, walking over to grab his ball and blinked when Keyla’s took two handfuls of his backside squeezing it. “You’re not playing fair…”

 

Payback is a bitch, Keyla thought, remembering all the times Jon drove her crazy while traveling together on the road in the Independents. “Didn’t think I had to.  You didn’t specify any rules to follow, Moxley.”

 

Ignoring her tantalizing words, Jon squared his shoulders and sent the ball down the lane, gaining a spare strike.  Keyla clapped, not recalling ever doing something like this with Jon and then remembered when they went mini golfing.  Danny had taken them to a waterpark his family frequented when he was younger and she ended up passing out from heat stroke during a mini golf game.  Since mini golf season hadn’t arrived yet, bowling was the best option for them since neither liked skating.  Keyla knew she would have a stroke if she watched Jon work out, her body already crying out for sexual satisfaction.

 

“I WON!!” Jon roared, getting a score of 170 while Keyla remained at 95 for the first game. “In your face!”

 

Much rather have something else in my face, Keyla retorted in thought, standing from the chair to congratulate Jon with a hug and held onto him longer than necessary. “Jon…” It was too soon for sex and yet that’s all Keyla could think about being around him completely alone. “This is hard…”

 

“Yeah it is.” In more ways than one, he added in thought, holding her close and breathing in her hallucinogenic scent. “Wanna get out of here and head home?”

 

Keyla nodded, taking his hand and let Jon guide her out of the bowling alley, making sure to turn their shoes in.  The moment they arrived at the car, Jon pushed Keyla back against the passenger door and kissed her, the hunger burning inside of him to feel her pussy wrapped around his dick again.  He wanted more than a fuck session this time and there would be no confusion, second-guessing or questioning.  Moaning, Keyla melted against him and gripped the back of his hair, her panties already drenched from watching Jon break a sweat bowling.  All she wanted to do was rip her clothes off and surrender to him, not caring about the consequences.  She missed Jon far too much to care about timing and gasped in his mouth as his strong hand cupped her jean covered sex, stroking gently.  That motion emanated deeper moans from Keyla, all of them muffled by Jon’s mouth and tongue, not stopping him either.

 

“Wait…” Jon was the one who had to pull away, refusing to take advantage of Keyla’s vulnerability and pressed his forehead to hers, both breathing raggedly. “Darlin’, I don’t wanna push you…”

 

So much had changed about Jon Moxley and most of it was for the better.  Keyla could see pure sincerity in his pale blues, remembering how selfish Jon was in bed back in the Independents.  Granted, she hadn’t complained at the time and let him have his way with her body, but it was nice to be thought of.  She loved this man with every fiber of her being, nobody else comparing to him.  Baron Corbin was great in bed and Keyla had a good time with him, but she didn’t love him.  He didn’t have her heart – Jon did.  The changes in Jon just made Keyla fall deeper in love with him, not thinking it was possible.  He was loving, caring, thoughtful and still held a sense of the old Moxley with his sarcasm and dry sense of humor.

 

“You’re not.” Keyla whispered against his lips, rubbing their noses together and kissed the tip of his, giving him another soft kiss. “I know I said we need to take things slow, but…”

 

“Finding me irresistible?” Jon rasped in a low deep gritty voice, finding it difficult restraining himself when it came to Keyla. “Do you remember when I won the FIP title and fucked you in the hallway?”

 

Keyla nodded, that moment being one of her fonder memories with Jon. “You want to fuck me against this car, don’t you?” It was rhetorical as molten gold mixed with dark cloudy cerulean, both desperately needing an itch scratched within their bodies.

 

“Not just here – everywhere, darlin’.” Jon asserted, nipping the sensitive spot on her neck he knew would turn her to putty in his arms.  It worked every time and he was glad that hadn’t changed about his Keyla. “I didn’t say it back then because I was fucked up about feelings.  You know about my childhood, I wasn’t brought up in a loving home like you, despite what your parents did to you and Sami.” A talk with his former tag team partner, roommate and best friend was in order in the near future.

 

“So what makes you sure now?” Keyla had to know, reaching up to brush a few curls away from his forehead and fingered his chin between her forefinger and thumb. “Be honest with me, Jon.”

 

“I barely survived leaving you 3 years ago and already know I can’t do it again.  I can’t survive without you in my life, Keyla, as mine.” It was too soon to drop the L bomb on her, though Jon could already feel the word burning on his tongue. “I can’t – I won’t lose you again.  I wanna do this right and rushing into fucking each other’s brains out is the last thing we should do.”

 

Brushing her lips across his strong jaw and chin, Keyla moved lower to lightly nip his Adam’s apple caressing his arms beneath the short sleeves of his t-shirt. “Doesn’t mean we shouldn’t either.” She heard Jon groan out in frustration and smiled, nuzzling his throat lovingly. “Okay – okay I’m sorry, I’ll stop pushing you...for now.”

 

“Tease.” He hissed out, cupping her sex again through the jeans and suddenly wished he could snap his fingers to make them dissolve. “You’ll pay for that, darlin’, trust me.”

 

Keyla did a full body shiver, smiling up at him and pecked his lips one final time. “Looking forward to it, Moxley.  All of it.”

 

~!~

 

“So how was YOUR 5 days off?” Lennox demanded, not bothering with a greeting and draped an arm around her best friend’s shoulders. “You look a little…flustered.”

 

“That’s an understatement.” Keyla muttered in response, leaning against Lennox while they walked down the sidewalk away from the hotel. “I forgave Jon.”

 

Lennox should’ve been shocked and appalled by the news, but she wasn’t.  Not after Danny’s attack and Jon saving her best friend from a hospital visit or worse.  The fact Jon also asked Roman to keep an eye on her was still a piece of information Lennox had trouble digesting.  Maybe it was why she didn’t rip into Keyla and accepted the confession so easily.

 

“I’m giving Roman a chance.”

 

Freezing mid-step, Keyla pulled away from Lennox to blink at her repeatedly, wondering if she’d heard the woman right. “Come again?  I think I’m hallucinating…”

 

“Shut up.” Lennox grumbled, smacking Keyla’s arm and continue walking down the sidewalk toward a coffee shop.  The hotel’s coffeemaker wasn’t working, so this was their only option to get some. “I didn’t judge you about Moxley, so you can’t judge me about this.”

 

“I’m not judging – just shocked.  How did that happen?” Roman Reigns had to be a special man for Lennox to let her guard down enough to actually date him, especially after what Danny Havoc put her through. “Details woman!”

 

Lennox explained for the next 15 minutes about what happened in Pensacola and how she made Roman a cheesecake to apologize for snapping at him.  She didn’t leave anything out, including the heavy intense make out session and admitting she thought it was Danny at first.  Keyla didn’t blame her considering she’d been sleeping when Roman decided to kiss her.  At the very least, everything ended up in Roman’s favor and Lennox looked genuinely happy, her violet eyes showing signs of life for the first time in 2 years.

 

“Now the most important question…” Keyla did a small drumroll on the table in the coffee shop, grinning evilly. “How was the kiss?  He good at it or what?”

 

Flushing from the roots of her hair to the tips of her toes, Lennox lowered her eyes and became shy, stirring the spoon in her coffee to do something with her hand. “There are no words.  I thought Danny was a good kisser, even though he always wanted to shove his tongue down my throat.  And I didn’t mind it, but there were times I didn’t feel like being rough.  Roman is completely opposite and takes his time.  He’s very attentive and doesn’t rush anything.  And his lips have to be the softest I’ve ever felt in my life.” It was surreal gushing about a man that wasn’t Danny.

 

“So to summarize, he made your toes curl without filling you with his dick.  Got it.” Keyla giggled as Lennox choked on a sip of coffee, leaning back against her chair to nurse her own. “Not every man can make you feel that way with just his lips and tongue.”

 

“Enough about me, what happened between you and Moxley?  Spare me the details if you guys fucked.” Lennox had heard enough about how incredible Jon was in the bedroom in the past to listen to it a second time.

 

It was Keyla’s turn to feel awkward, still not believing Jon rejected her advances several times throughout the 5 days they spent together. “We didn’t.” She didn’t miss Lennox’s brow rising almost to her hairline. “He wants to take things slow this time and…I tried getting him to throw caution to the wind, but he wouldn’t budge.  He’s definitely changed from the man we used to know.”

 

“But you still love him, right?”

 

“Of course I do.” Keyla had zero hesitation saying that, meaning it wholeheartedly. “It’s just…Jon’s always been the one to initiate what happened between us when he was in the Indies.  I maybe kissed him once to start something, but other than that it was all him and I just went with it.  I kinda miss my overbearing, bad attitude, bossy, take no prisoners Jon Moxley.  There has to be a way to get him back.”

 

To most people, Keyla would’ve sounded moronic and childish, but Lennox understood where she was coming from. “Kinda like I wish Danny would return to the man I fell in love with.” She muttered loud enough for only Keyla to hear, setting her coffee down. “So you don’t like the changes in Moxley.  You want the hardcore asshole to return and rock your world like he did before.”

 

This was hard to explain and put into words because it was how Keyla felt deep down inside. “He used to dominate me when we did anything sexual whether it was kissing, hugging, having sex, foreplay – all of it.  I just want him to throw me on the bed, tear my clothes off and have his way with me.  And I know that sounds ridiculous, but I miss it more than anything.  I didn’t think he would hold back on the sex, but he is and now I’m lost.”

 

Lennox tapped her fingernails against the table for a few moments, thinking what could be done about Moxley. “So outside of the bedroom, you’re fine with who Jon is now, but in the bedroom or wherever, you want the old Moxley back.” She summarized, watching Keyla nod and could see the desperation in her best friend’s eyes. “Alright, I think I know what to do…”

 

Leaning close, Keyla listened intently to everything Lennox said and took mental notes, hoping her plan worked or else she would end up imploding from sexual frustration.

 

Chapter 37

 

“So the blue haired hottie I ran into last year at NXT…”

 

Jon had to fight the urge not to bash the iron weight bar into Seth’s face, racking it and sat upright on the bench, beads of sweat all over his body. “Yeah, the hottie has a name and its Keyla.”

 

He didn’t bother hiding the possessiveness in his voice and walked over to a nearby corner.  There were extra weight bars in case one ended up damaged for whatever reason.  Jon lifted one of them and pressed it into the corner, sliding a few 50 pound weights on the end.  200 pounds to be precise.  Lowering it to the floor, Jon lifted it up until his arms were above his head before swinging to the side, moving it down and back up again.  This was one of the training exercises he did in the Independents that his trainer Cody Hawke taught him.  He always went back to the basics when training and working out at the gym, hating anything too fancy.  The hotter the gym was, the better because he burned more calories and sweat profusely.  Feeling like he was dying and killing himself just to achieve goals in his workout was a good day at the gym, at least in his mind.

 

“You must have it really bad for her, Ambrose.” Seth crowed and felt a large hand on his shoulder, turning dark eyes onto the muscle of the Shield. “What?  I’m just ribbing him a little.”

 

“Don’t.  I’m not bailing you out if you piss him off and push him over the edge.” Roman warned, already knowing Jon was on edge because of the situation with Keyla. “Just do your CrossFit and leave him be if you know what’s good for you.”

 

Seth snorted, rolling his eyes and walked away from Roman to continue his workout, wondering if it was time for the 3 of them to part ways in the company.  The Shield was on top of the world and had beaten everyone in WWE.  It was sad and almost boring facing off against the same opponents night in and night out, winning constantly.  Maybe he would have a conversation with the bosses and creative to stir things up a bit.  Of course, Dean and Roman didn’t have to be part of the meeting because more than likely nothing would come of it.

 

“Dean, you alright man?” Roman asked, squatting down with a bottle of water in hand while watching his best friend continue his workout with the weight bar.

 

“Yeah.” No he wasn’t and his dick hated him too.  Jon was doing what he felt best regarding Keyla, not wanting to do anything to screw up what they had. “How’re things with you and Lennox?” The malice he once held for the honey blonde had evaporated after Keyla finally gave him another chance.

 

Roman smiled at the mention of the current woman in his life, rubbing the back of his neck. “We’re good.  Hashed out some shit in Pensacola and taking thing slow…” He noticed the grimace Dean did, his words trailing off. “What?  Something wrong with a little romance and slow build?”

 

Suddenly wanting to punch something, Jon set the bar down on the floor and put the 200 pounds of weights back, turning to eyeball the punching bag. “When you’ve been away from someone you love for the past 3 years, taking things slow sucks balls, bro.”

 

Those words made Roman realize what was going on with Dean and he had a hard time keeping a straight face, feeling sorry for the man. “Sexual frustration is a bitch, but Lennox is special and she’s been through a lot.  I don’t know about Keyla, but I’m not gonna push her to do something she’s not ready for.  I take it you feel the same about Keyla or else you wouldn’t have a short fuse with anyone who mentions her name.” Roman was a very observant man and knew Dean well, both of them coming up through the ranks in developmental together.

 

“Too many times I fucked it up with her.” Jon admitted, pulling a sweatshirt on over his head and pulled on his personal boxing gloves, ready to beat the hell out of the punching bag with his fists. “It used to be all about what I wanted, never her.  I was a selfish dick back when we fucked and there was no relationship.  She let me have my way with her and I took advantage of her trust and feelings for me.  I knew she felt something for me, but she never said what it was or how strong her feelings were…not until I had to pry it out of her these past 5 days in Philly.  Now I’m scared if I make a move on her, she’ll resent me and we’ll end up fighting and I’ll lose her.  Can’t let it happen again, man.  I can’t.” Throughout the decree of his own viewpoint, Jon hammered the bag with hard punches, his eyes zeroed in on the bag while Roman held it steady so it didn’t swing back and forth.

 

“You really do love her, don’t you?”

 

Jon stopped punching to lock eyes with Roman, nodding affirmatively. “And I’m proving it one step at a time by putting her first.” He didn’t bother telling Roman about Keyla’s advances toward him, doing everything in her power to try getting him to jump into bed with her. “She may not like how I’m doing it, but the relationship will survive and thrive this way.”

 

“I hear you, bro.  That’s why I’m not jumping into anything with Lennox, not until she makes the first move.  She’ll have to be the one to initiate what happens between us.  Maybe you should try that with Keyla.” Roman suggested, not realizing it already happened and Dean turned her own every time, not without painful blue ball syndrome though.

 

“I just-” Jon was cut off by the ringing of his cell phone, not believing he forgot to shut it off.  It was a must every time he worked out either with the boys or by himself. “Shit!” Ripping the Velcro off the glove, Jon slipped it off and pulled his cell out of his gym bag, the name flashing on his caller ID a true blast from the past. “I gotta take this.” He answered on the 5th ring and held the phone up to his ear, stepping away from Roman. “Hey asshole, been meaning to call you.”

 

Sami sighed at Jon’s greeting, not surprised at the slight angry tone in his friend’s voice. “I know you’re pissed off at me and Drake…”

 

“No, not at all, dicks.  Now what the fuck do you want?” Jon slid down the wall, keeping his voice down and removed the sweatshirt he had on since he was done working out for the day. “You better have a damn good reason for calling me and it better start with an explanation on why you kept Keyla from me.”

 

“Jon…” Sami had no idea where to start with this situation and scrubbed a hand down his face, watching Gina cook from the kitchen oblivious to who he just called. “Look, I’m sorry about the Keyla thing…”

 

“The Keyla THING?  She’s a THING to you now?” Jon was 2 seconds away from flying to Tampa and punching Sami in the throat, clenching his fist. “She’s not just a THING, Callihan…!”

 

This was not going the way Sami originally planned and he felt a headache coming on. “I didn’t mean it like that.  Kayleigh and I are good friends – she’s actually one of my best friends.  After you left, we got close and not in a sexual way either because she was hung up on your stupid ass.” He also had a beautiful girlfriend, but Jon didn’t need to know that. “I had to hold her countless nights while she cried and sobbed for you.  It took a long time to even get her to smile again after you left and didn’t bother calling to let her know you were still alive.  She couldn’t even watch WWE and left the room anytime I turned it on because it hurt her too damn much.  So if you’re done being an asshole to me, I’ll tell you the reason I called you in the first place.”

 

Hearing Keyla actually cried over him after he left settled Jon down instantly, the guilt slowly eating away at his insides for what he did to her. “What is it?” His voice was low and gruff, glancing over at Roman nodding his head to let the big man know he was alright.

 

“It’s about Nick Gage.  I got a call from DJ this morning and the fucker broke out of prison somehow.  Nobody knows the details, but DJ wanted everyone from CZW, past and present, to know and be aware.” Sami explained, keeping his voice down so Gina didn’t overhear the conversation.  He didn’t want to upset or worry her. “I’m telling you this because of Kayleigh.”

 

Now Jon was confused, sitting up a little with furrowed brows. “What does she have to do with Gage?”

 

Sami thought long and hard about this decision to tell Jon what happened between Kayleigh and Nick Gage all those years ago in the back of her old bar job.  How he raped her and Sami stopped him from getting too far before taking Kayleigh back to the house to warm up.  She’d been unconscious throughout most of the ordeal and didn’t remember the incident until Sami confessed what happened to her.  It was the talk that cemented their friendship and Kayleigh started trusting him from that point on, forgiving the past.  Nick Gage ended up robbing a bank shortly before Jon left to pursue a career in WWE and was caught a day later, which was New Year’s Eve 2010.  With Gage locked up, Sami decided it was time to tell Kayleigh the truth and did so 2 months later.  He thought Gage would’ve been in prison for the full 5 years he was sentenced, but it wasn’t meant to be.  Kayleigh’s life was in danger with Nick Gage roaming the streets since she still lived in Philadelphia, so Sami had to make Jon aware of the situation…and reveal the reasoning behind his concern.

 

“I have to go.” Jon pressed the end button on his cell phone after hearing Sami’s confession and slowly rose to his feet.

 

“Dean, what happened?  Who was that?” Roman asked once he saw Dean end the call and could see different emotions flashing across the man’s face. “Dean??”

 

Shaking his head, Jon didn’t say a word and stormed into the men’s locker room to shower before dressing to go back to the hotel to talk to Keyla.  He tried staying calm the entire drive, but traffic was bad and he hated it.  Road rage ensued and he ended up pulled over, receiving a speeding ticket.  Luckily, he hadn’t gone 20 over the speed limit or Jon would’ve gotten a reckless driving violation and a second ticket.  It took 2 hours before the cop released him back on the road, which ended up being a blessing in disguise.  Jon managed to cool down while waiting for the officer to decide what to do with him and how much the ticket would be.  In that time, Jon came the conclusion he couldn’t confront Keyla about Gage’s attack.  Sami hadn’t told her about it until right before he left to go to the WWE.  Of course she wouldn’t tell him anything about it because he left!  He doubted Nick Gage would come after Keyla again, but Jon wouldn’t take any chances and vowed to protect her at all costs.  As soon as Jon stepped through the door of his hotel room, he was clobbered with a massive hug by Keyla and immediately wrapped his arms around her.

 

“I was about to call the damn cavalry to look for you.” She mumbled against his chest, trembling a little.

 

Had Sami called her? “I’m fine, darlin’.” Jon assured, stroking her back and kissed the top of her head, trying to soothe her anyway he could. “Just went for a drive.”

 

“What happened?  What’s wrong?” Keyla pulled back to look up into his eyes, hers full of concern and worry. “Roman called and told Lennox you left the gym in a hurry.  He was worried about you.  Are you okay?”

 

It was Roman who had set the girls off, Jon thought, making a mental note to smack his best friend upside the head. “Nothing’s wrong and nothing happened.  I’m fine, Keyla.” He walked past her to sit on the bed and patted the spot next to him, knowing he had to warn her about Nick Gage without giving too much away. “Just found out some news about someone we used to work with and I went for a drive to clear my head.”

 

“Okay…so what is it?” Keyla pried, taking Jon’s hand to hold it in her lap. “It’s not Scotty…”

 

Jon shook his head, keeping his eyes locked on the floor and took a deep breath. “Dumb question, but do you remember Nick Gage?  I wrestled him a couple times while I was the champ.”

 

The man who raped me in the back of Nicky’s bar, Keyla thought, remembering that night vividly after her talk with Sami. “What about him?” She asked quietly, feeling her insides tighten with both fear and anxiety. “He’s locked up; from what I’ve heard…”

 

The distress in her voice both angered and bothered Jon far more than Sami’s warning call. “Not anymore.  He’s out…and not because he was paroled either.” Pale blues looked down at her as Jon cupped her face in his strong hand, wondering if she would ever come clean to him about what happened.

 

“Oh god…” Keyla whispered, lowering her own eyes to the floor and tried not to panic, releasing Jon’s hand to wrap her arms around herself. “How did he get out then?” She already knew the answer and closed her eyes when Jon confirmed it. “Do they know who helped him escape?”

 

“No.” Jon stood from the bed to walk over to the window, planting his forearm against it. “There a reason he scares you so much?”

 

It didn’t take long for Keyla to realize who called Jon and she wasn’t angry about it. “You already know, so I’m not explaining it.  Sami called you, didn’t he?” Flopping back on the bed to stare up at the ceiling, Keyla didn’t bother hiding the truth from Jon. “He’s worried Gage will come after me because he didn’t get the job done the first time.  And he called you to make sure you kept me safe since I’m not in NXT anymore.”

 

Jon barked out a harsh laugh, forgetting briefly how perceptive Keyla could be. “He doesn’t want anything happening to you…and neither do I.  Philadelphia is off limits until the bastard is caught.  You can stay with me in Vegas on our days off.”

 

The subject wasn’t up for debate and all Keyla did was nod, hoping this didn’t put a wrench in their newfound relationship.

 

Chapter 38

 

Being back behind the camera was the perfect distraction from everything going on in Keyla’s life lately.  It was hard to believe a month had gone by since she agreed to give Jon a true chance.  They were in an actual relationship and he’d taken her on a few dates when they had spare time.  Mostly on their days off.  Jon introduced Keyla and Renee, even though they knew each other, but he explained who exactly Keyla was.  Prior to their reunion, Jon and Renee would talk about their past relationships and Keyla was brought up a lot.  Keyla found her charming, a sweetheart and extremely supportive of Jon’s choices.  As much as Keyla enjoyed being the center of Jon’s world, she also didn’t want his wrestling career deflating and made sure he was always focused for every match with the Shield. 

 

Mid-May found the Shield in a deep seeded personal rivalry with Evolution, who was a group led by Triple H.  It consisted of Batista -he returned one week after the Royal Rumble and ended up stealing the win in a fluke against Roman and Randy Orton.  The Raw after their 5 days off from the WrestleMania madness ended with the Shield in an 11-on-3 handicapped match, their opponents consisting of Alberto Del Rio, Alexander Rusev, Bad News Barrett, Fandango, Jack Swagger, Heath Slater, Drew McIntyre, Jinder Mahal, Curtis Axel, Ryback and Titus O’Neil.  Keyla’s heart shattered to pieces watching and filming the destruction, blinking tears back.  She was part of the camera crew and had to stay neutral while the man she loved was beaten to a pulp in front of her.  There was nothing Keyla could do.  She couldn’t imagine what Lennox felt backstage watching Roman being dismantled, knowing the design team had their own monitor in the office space.  It was even worse when Evolution came down to the ring to pick the bones of the Shield, the segment mercifully ending.

 

That night was rough for both men and it definitely wasn’t the time for Keyla to try seducing Jon – to bring her Moxley back to life.  Timing was everything.  So Keyla put the plan on hold for now and tried helping Jon anyway she could since this feud with Evolution would be the biggest test for the Shield yet.  He didn’t understand why the boss suddenly wanted to be in a storyline with them.  Nothing made sense.  It came out of left field, even though the Shield taking out Evolution would cement their legacy further.  That’s how Jon Roman rationalized it anyway.  Every time Jon started to get down about the feud and what the future held for him in WWE, Keyla picked him back up assuring he had a solid place in the company.  The Shield was the current biggest thing in WWE and they’d be foolish to screw it up by letting Evolution get the best of them.

 

“This is a lot harder to watch than I thought it would be.” Lennox commented the next day at lunch with Keyla, their men currently at the gym. “I know what the guys put their bodies through and I shouldn’t be so freaked out over it.  WWE is child’s play compared to CZW…and yet…”

 

“You are in a new relationship with Roman and you’re feeling protective of him.  It happens, it’s okay to feel that way.  How do you think I feel standing out there with a camera filming every time they are demolished?  It sucks.” Keyla reasoned, taking a bite out of her sandwich.

 

This wasn’t Lennox’s first time watching a man she loved destroyed in a wrestling ring and it wouldn’t be the last.  However, it bugged her why she felt differently between Roman and Danny’s destructions.  With Danny, she saw it coming a mile away and Danny warned her ahead of time if it was supposed to happen along with the type of dangerous match he was in.  Maybe that was the problem with Roman.  He didn’t warn her about what kind of matches he was in and what was supposed to happen in them.  It was against the rules for anyone in the company, that didn’t perform in the ring, to know about the scripts due to leaks on the internet and social media.  Lennox understood that, but it did make sense while she felt more upset with Roman’s beat downs than she had back in the day with Danny.

 

“I’ll get used to it, I guess.”

 

~!~

 

May 4, 2014 – Extreme Rules

 

Evolution versus The Shield was easily the match of the night.  It was brutal, barbaric and filled with a ton of action, including Seth Rollins taking a huge dive off one of the balconies of the arena.  He landed on Jon, Randy Orton and Triple H while Batista kept fighting against Roman in the ring.  Lennox suggested both of them popping an anxiety pill before the pay-per-view began and Keyla was thankful to her for the idea.  It kept her grounded and the worry to a minimum or else she would’ve been going out of her mind.  The match ended with Roman delivering a devastating spear to Batista and Keyla was sure the old man had been cut in half.  Nevertheless, Shield came out victorious and proved they were superior then Evolution.  Keyla wanted to go check on Jon, but she couldn’t leave her position at ringside without raising eyebrows or drawing attention to herself.  Sometimes being part of the camera crew was the worst job Keyla ever did in her life.

 

Lennox made a beeline for Roman, leaving the design room to greet and help him, seeing how much pain he was in.  It split her heart right down the middle. “Christ boys, you guys trying to kill yourselves out there?” She half-joked, pure affliction and alarm in her violet eyes. “Roman…”

 

“Fuck.” Jon collapsed to his knees, holding his side and had a hard time breathing, coughing out harshly. “Need…a minute…”

 

“Want me to get help?” Seth asked tiredly, his body sore from head to toe after taking the suicide dive off the balconies.

 

Lennox had a soft spot for Jon Moxley; no matter how big of a dick he was, he was still her friend. “No, he’s fine.” Taking his arm and ignoring the bewildered expression on his face, Lennox cracked a small smile back at him. “Come on Moxley, you’re tougher than this.  That was nothing out there.”

 

“Why do you call him that?” Seth demanded irritably, holding the back of his head and shoved his gloves in the front pocket of the vest he wore to the ring. “His name is Dean Ambrose.”

 

“Not to me.” Lennox shook her head, eyelevel with Jon since he was hunched over and did what she could to give him some leverage off his side. “Keyla and I know him as Jon Moxley and it’ll always be that way.  I won’t call him Dean and he knows it.  Any objections to that, Moxley?”

 

Jon smirked in spite of the pain, leaning into her while Roman took his other side since he was a lot bigger than Lennox. “Nope.  Don’t mind it a bit.  Thanks girl.” He sincerely meant that and was helped to the Shield locker room so he could sit down, all 3 walking past Seth.

 

Once inside the locker room, Lennox sat Jon down and squatted down to his side, waiting patiently for him to pull the top up enough to show off his bruised side. “Damn, that’s deep…” She murmured, gently pressing on a few spots to make sure he didn’t have busted ribs. “Put salve on it, pretty much all you can do right now.” Lennox used to doctor him and Danny up all the time along with Sami, Scotty Vortekz and Drake Younger whenever they needed it.

 

“You know, if I didn’t trust you completely, your head would be through that cinderblock wall by now, bro.” Roman remarked in a gruff rumble from deep in his chest, already naked from the waist up.  He too was covered in bruises throughout his body like Dean. “And I expect you to be as attentive towards me, baby girl.”

 

Lennox chuckled softly, nodding to assure Roman he would get the same treatment and more from her. “He can’t wait for Keyla, so I’m taking over until the show is over.  I hope you know you probably gave her a mini stroke out there tonight.”

 

“I’ll make it up to her.” Jon promised in a soft rasp, letting Lennox wrap his ribs in white medical tape he had left over from wrapping his hands earlier. “Hey, we got a minute and I wanted to say I’m sorry for what I said to you about Danny.” Sami informed him about Danny Havoc’s drug addiction and that was the reason Lennox left him. “I didn’t know or I wouldn’t have made that crack about you pushing him to do drugs…”

 

He really had changed.  Keyla wasn’t lying or exaggerating about anything concerning Jon’s behavior. “I’m sure seeing him attack Keyla and throttle her wasn’t easy for you to see either.” She continued wrapping the tape around Jon’s 6’4 torso and ripped it off, setting it to the side. “Thank you for showing up when you did and saving her from him…”

 

“Right place, right time.” Jon shrugged, trying to act nonchalant, but deep down he was relieved for showing up at Keyla’s house when he had. “I made him pay for what he did to her.  And if he comes near either of you again, I’ll finish the job.”

 

“Not if I get to him first, bro.” Roman interjected, unwrapping the glove from his right hand he used to deliver the ‘Superman Punch’, a move he had perfected and added to his in-ring arsenal. “He ever comes near Lennox again and I’ll bust his ass up.”

 

Jon chuckled, kissing Lennox’s hand and stood up from the chair, stretching his side out a little more groaning. “I’m taking over the shower first.” He didn’t wait for a response from the Samoan and flipped the sprays on, carefully shedding the rest of his clothes before stepping under them.


“You get jealous easily, don’t you?” Lennox jested, amusement sparkling in her violet eyes and took Roman’s right hand to brush her lips across the knuckles. “So, what parts of your body need attending?”

 

That was a loaded question, Roman thought, enjoying the feeling of her mouth on any part of his body, including his hand. “Don’t worry about me, baby girl.” Slow, they were taking things slow, Roman had to keep reminding himself, every part of his 6’3 frame wanting to shove her against the wall and kiss her senseless.

 

“I don’t think so.” Lennox pushed him to sit on the bench and straddled his lap, sliding her fingers through his sweat slicked ravenous locks, pecking his nose gently. “I know for a fact there’s a few body parts that need attention.  And I’m giving it to them.”

 

She’d gotten very comfortable around Roman over the past month and was almost ready to take things to the next level with him.  Much like Keyla, Roman was holding back and Lennox came to the conclusion she would have to make all the moves.  So be it, she thought, determined to put Danny Havoc behind her and the only way to do it for good was having sex with this gorgeous Samoan in front of her.  Danny was her past, Roman was her future and Lennox had spent too long mourning over a broken relationship.  Roman was kind, considerate, loving, caring, funny, smart – the entire package.  He brought her flowers for no reason, always finding ways to surprise her without being extravagant.  Laying in the same bed together with his arms around her while they watched movies was the perfect date to Lennox.  Pizza and beer were their first date and it was truly amazing, something different and unexpected.  The more she slept in the same bed as Roman, however, the sexual urges with him intensified.  It had gotten to the point where Lennox started having dreams about how it would feel to be penetrated by Roman’s cock and she always woke up right after he slid inside of her.  Of course he didn’t know any of this and Lennox planned on taking it with her to the grave, but Roman had courted her long enough.

 

“Lennox, you alright?” Roman asked apprehensively, noticing the woman had slipped into her own world and snapped his fingers in front of her face to regain her attention. “You still with me?”

 

Without preamble, Lennox leaned up and pressed her mouth against his, feeling his massive arms encircle her waist to pull her closer.  They shared thousands of kisses since the dating began and it never ceased to amaze Lennox just how incredible Roman was with his tongue.  The taste of him was pure inebriation and she’d become addicted to it, craving to find out what else this man could do to make her toes curl in her tennis shoes.  Taking a chance, Lennox grabbed Roman’s hand while interlocked in the kiss and placed it on her left breast, making him instantly break it.

 

“What are you doing?” Roman tried pulling his hand away from her shirt covered breast, but all Lennox did was apply pressure with her own. “Lennox…”

 

“It’s been a month.” She cut him off, pressing a finger against his lips to keep Roman from interrupting her. “Touching me is what I want you to do.  I want to feel every part of you against me.  Your muscular chest…” Lennox slid her finger from his mouth down his chin to his chest, violet eyes slowly smoldering over. “And this,” Pausing, she grabbed his half-erect cock through the black cargo pants he wore, giving it a teasing squeeze. “Inside of me.  I’m putting the ball in your court, big man.  I’m 100% ready.”

 

What happened to his shy timid Lennox?  This woman was making Roman’s head whirl and he didn’t know how to respond to any of it.  His dick jumped in his cargo pants the moment she touched it through the material, a low growl erupting from his chest.  She claimed she was ready for him, but Roman didn’t want any regrets between them.  Once they had sex, it couldn’t be undone and what if she didn’t like it?  What if they didn’t have chemistry in the bedroom?  Roman highly doubted that, knowing he was being paranoid for no reason, but he didn’t want to screw anything up with the honey blonde.

 

“You sure about this?” He asked gruffly, stormy grey searching dark purple to see if he could find any indication she wasn’t being completely truthful with him.  Roman found none.

 

“Take me back to the hotel and find out.” Lennox brushed her mouth against his and extracted her from his arms, needing to head back down to the design team. “See you in a little while.”

 

All Roman could do was watch the violet eyed vixen saunter out of the Shield locker room, wondering what the rest of the night had in store for them.

 

Chapter 39

 

As soon as Keyla received the green light telling her Extreme Rules ended, Keyla flew backstage as fast as she could in search of the Shield’s locker room.  Lennox sent her a text message explaining Jon’s injured ribs and all she could think about was checking on him.  She wanted to see with her own eyes he was alright and hadn’t been killed by Evolution.  Keyla rounded the corner and collided with another muscular flesh and blood wall, landing flat on her backside. 

 

“Damn it!” Seth hissed out, his midsection bruised from the match and looked down through narrowed dark orbs, tilting his head. 

 

Blue hair and amber eyes…she was the same woman he’d run into back in NXT.  What was her name though?  He couldn’t remember it, extending a hand to her and saw the hesitation instantly fill her eyes.  Didn’t she remember who he was?  Seth worked with her precious Jon Moxley – Dean Ambrose – whoever the hell she wanted to call him.  He couldn’t imagine what she saw in the idiot anyway, Seth wondered, already losing his already short patience.  Cautiously, the blue haired beauty slid her hand into his and Seth helped her back to her feet, hoping she was alright because he wasn’t in the mood to fill out an injury report with the company.

 

“You alright?”

 

“I think so, yeah.” Keyla responded, slowly regaining her equilibrium and cracked an apologetic smile at one of the Shield members. “I’m sorry, I should’ve watched where I was going.” There was no harm introducing herself since Jon worked with him. “I’m Keyla, by the way.  I don’t know if you’ve heard of me…”

 

Keyla!  Seth smiled back at her, glad she offered her name without asking for it and squeezed her hand, not releasing it right away. “Heard a lot and all is good – great even.” He hadn’t paid attention to Dean gushing over this woman, always blocking his fellow business partner out.  Same went for Roman. “Where’s the fire anyway?”

 

“I was looking for the Shield locker room and – JON!” Keyla immediately broke away from Seth, brushing past him and ran up to the love of her life, meeting him halfway with a very gentle embrace. “I’m so glad you’re safe…”

 

Jon wrapped his arms around her, pale blues locked on Seth while holding Keyla tighter. “I’m sorry I scared you out there.” He murmured, turning his full attention onto Keyla and pulled back to see the dread shimmering in her watery amber orbs. “Please don’t cry…”

 

Doing everything in her power not to shed tears over another wrestling injury Jon sustained, Keyla took several deep breaths and moved to his uninjured side to wrap her arm around his waist. “Lennox told me what happened and what she did.  You better not lie to me when I ask you this.  How much pain are you really in?” She demanded, slowly walking down the hallway with him and frowned at the grimace on his face. “Hospital?”

 

“Lennox patched me up and checked me out.  I’m fine, just really sore.  Some R&R is all I need, darlin’.” Jon tried not to let the sight of Keyla and Seth together in the hallway bother him, wondering what happened prior to his arrival. “So what did Seth want anyway?”

 

“Nothing.  I ran into him on my way to get to you and he helped me up.” Keyla sensed a little hostility and jealousy in his voice while they walked out to the rental. “We didn’t really have time to talk much before you showed up.”

 

Was tonight the right time Keyla had waited for to bring up her issues with Jon?  He was hurt from his match, tired and, as horrible as it sounded, he wouldn’t be able to fight her or storm off.  Honestly, there was no reason he should get angry with her because all Keyla wanted was to break the ice between them in the bedroom.  She did enjoy how attentive he was, but being steadfast in the intimacy department was an issue Keyla couldn’t ignore.  It had to kill Jon to hold her at night without having sex, making love, fucking, whatever one wanted to call it.  Maybe Keyla was selfish and needy, but she craved all of them wrapped in one to happen, missing them being locked in the throes of passion with each other.

 

“You’re quiet tonight.” Jon observed, side-eyeing his girlfriend and held her hand throughout the drive back to the hotel.

 

Normally, if a show was in a different town the next night, Jon made the drive at night to avoid heavy traffic.  However, he’d have to take the trip in the morning after getting some sleep.  His body was screaming at him to sleep in a cozy bed at a decent hour instead of staying up slamming back a few beers with the gorgeous woman to his left.  Hopefully traffic would be kind to them on the way to Albany, New York, where Raw was emanating from and Jon was indeed on the card.  They would have to get up at an insanely early hour to make the 2 ½ hour drive.  Being on the road was Jon’s life and it didn’t bother him, but he knew Keyla was still acclimating to everything since WWE’s schedule was a lot more hectic than the Indies.

 

“Something on your mind?”

 

Did Keyla lie to him and brush the issues away or did she come clean about her true feelings? “Yeah there is.” Lying to him wasn’t an option, not after both of them had hidden the truth about their feelings for each other.

 

“Having second thoughts being with me?” Jon bluntly asked, folding his arms in front of his chest while staring icicles back at her. “Out with it, Keyla.  What’s going on?” He was too old for games.

 

“No!  No nothing like that.” Keyla clinched, spotting the hotel just a few blocks away and stopped at a red light, glancing over at him. “I love you, Jon.  You have to know that and believe it.  If I wanted to leave you, I wouldn’t be as hesitant as I am now.  Not to mention I wouldn’t drive in the same vehicle as you or share a hotel room with you.  The last thought on my mind is leaving you.” The red light turned green and Keyla began driving again, her eyes moving back to the road.

 

If she didn’t want to end things, what the hell was the problem?  Jon stayed quiet while they took the elevator up to their room and slid the keycard in the slot, tossing his bag to the side.  He waited for Keyla to get somewhat settled in, watching her move around the room and admired how the black cotton shorts she slept in clung to her backside.  It looked just as juicy and firm as he remembered; Keyla definitely kept in shape during the 3 years they were apart.  He didn’t want to think about all the way that happened, swallowing his jealousy down.  She ordered them food, not surprised by what she got him and smirked, remembering all the times on the road in the Indies Keyla took care of him.  Once she slid into bed beside him, Jon turned on his uninjured side to face her, propping his head up with his elbow and hand to give her determined mien.

 

“What?” Keyla felt his eyes burning into her and chewed her bottom lip, flipping through the channels on the television absentmindedly. “Why are you staring at me?”

 

“I wanna know what’s bothering you.  You’re a million miles away tonight and it’s not the first night you’ve been deep in your thoughts.” Jon wished he was a mind reader because the curiosity was slowly killing him, eating his insides alive. “Is it Rollins?”

 

Shaking her head, Keyla settled back in bed and rolled on her side to face him, neither of them touching each other. “Why do you keep bringing him up?” She decided to start with that because it hadn’t been the first time Jon thought Seth was on the forefront of her mind.

 

“I don’t know.  You two ran into each other back in NXT when you worked there without me knowing and then I caught you together in the hallway at the arena tonight…” Jon sounded petty, already knowing he was screwing up the trust between him and Keyla, taking a deep breath. “Sorry…”

 

“I want to make one thing perfectly clear to you, Moxley.  I’m not interested in Rollins and I never will be.  Our run-in down in NXT was just like the one we had tonight at the arena.  Short without much talking.  I’m with the man I want to be with and who I’m in love with.” Mostly, Keyla added in thought, sliding her arm beneath the pillow to get more comfortable while they waited for room service to arrive. “Now stop with the jealousy.  There’s no reason for you to be, especially when it comes to Rollins.”

 

Nodding, Jon reached out to caress the side of her face and felt his entire body screaming at him to yank her into his arms. “What’s bothering you, darlin’?  You can tell me anything.  I don’t want any secrets between us.” He didn’t mean to play the guilt card, but if it meant he pulled the truth out of Keyla, it was worth it. “Tell me.”

 

Searching his pale blues glistening with apprehension, Keyla knew she had to ease his mind and sat up in bed, drawing her knees up to her chest while leaning back against the pillows. “Why won’t you make a move on me?” She blurted out, feeling her amber eyes widen and covered her mouth, cheeks instantly turning a deep burning crimson.

 

That was not a question Jon was prepared to be asked and he didn’t know how to respond, sitting up as well, clearing his throat. “Umm…I’m trying to take things slow with us.  Didn’t think you were ready for it.” That was a blatant lie, but it was the best Jon could come up with under pressure.

 

“You’re lying.” Keyla frowned, standing up from the bed and stared down at him sternly, planting her hands on her hips. “You said no secrets between us, so I’m being honest with you.  You’re not the same man you used to be.  I get people are supposed to change overtime, but…this is drastic, especially for you.  You used to be ruthless and took what you wanted from me.  And I never complained because – because I enjoyed it!  Now you’re just this shell of the man I’ve been in love with for 3 years, afraid to make the slightest move because you think I’m going to leave you.  Or that’s what I’m assuming anyway.  And I don’t wanna turn this into a fight.  I just…I miss you – I miss us and I miss that intense connection we had whenever we had sex.  You’re treating me with kid gloves, like a china doll and I’m tired of it.”

 

“What do you expect me to do?” Jon mumbled, lowering his eyes to the comforter and scrubbed hands down his tired face. “Like you said, people change and I have.  I’m not the guy I was back then, who treated you like a piece of trash and took what I wanted selfishly.  That’s not me anymore…”

 

Keyla knew that, agreeing with everything that came out of his mouth and felt her heart clench painfully in her chest, the frown deepening. “Then tell me what I gotta do to get him back.” Sitting on the bed on her knees, Keyla took his left hand and pressed it over her beating heart, their eyes locking. “Tell me what it’s gonna take to get back what we used to have.  The fire, the passion, the way you pounded me from behind while holding onto my throat without squeezing, the roughness, all of it.  What do I have to do to get it back, to make you have your way with me?”

 

“Keyla…” Jon tried pulling his hand away from her chest, but she was steadfast and instead placed it on her throat, feeling how fast her pulse raced against his fingertips. “Darlin’…”

 

“You know deep down you miss it as much as I do.” She purred seductively, scooting closer to him and could feel his resolve melting away. “All you have to do is let him out of his cage.  I know the same Moxley is in there somewhere and I want him back in the bedroom.” Keeping his hand around her throat, Keyla leaned in toward his ear and blew hot air on it, teasing him mercilessly. “Lose control, Jon.  I trust you…”

 

Trembling, Jon fought all of his instincts and slid his tongue out to wet his lips, shutting his eyes trying to keep what little resolve he had left. “Don’t wanna treat you like that again…” He muttered out, all the while not pushing her away from him like he had previously since they started dating again.

 

She had Jon right where she wanted, in her grasp, and just had to push him a little further until his resolution shattered. “Let go.  Come back to me, Moxley.” She pleaded in a whispery moan in his ear, gasping when he suddenly gripped her hips to plant her across his lap and straddled him, laying back with her on top. “That’s it, show me your power and make me beg…”

 

Just as Jon was ready to give Keyla what she wanted and craved, a knock sounded at their hotel room, jolting him out of the deep spell she’d had him in with her mouth.  He snapped his eyes open and sat upright when her still in his lap, wincing at his sore side.  It wasn’t as bad as he thought and the pain was already subsiding, so he knew the ribs would heal in no time.  Lifting Keyla to plant her on the bed, Jon stood up to answer the door and tipped the server, rolling in a tray with their food on it.  Disappointed, Keyla reluctantly took her plate and set it on the bed, her appetite gone.  Her sexual one raged on like a fiery inferno and she knew the only way to put it out was Jon.  He sat beside her, eating his double cheeseburger and fries without a care in the world.  It was almost as if what just transpired between them never happened and Keyla didn’t know how to feel about it.  On one hand, it hurt her more than words could say, but at the same time it was obvious Jon wasn’t ready to take the next step in their relationship.  Pushing him wouldn’t solve anything and only push him further away, so Keyla just had to be patient. 

 

At least he knew how she felt now, so maybe Jon would think it over and surprise her.

 

Keyla could only hope or else she would end up in a nuthouse from sex deprivation.

 

Chapter 40

 

If grabbing a handful of Roman’s dick through his cargo pants wasn’t enough of a sign that Lennox was ready to escalate their relationship, she didn’t know what else to do.  Every part of her body was filled with adrenaline, apprehension and excitement.  She left Roman with his thoughts while trying to keep her bravery in check, walking outside for a much needed cigarette.  Granted, Lennox had cut way back since starting her job with WWE and dating Roman, but occasionally she required a nicotine fix.  The good thing about dating Roman was, not only was he smoke-free, but Lennox didn’t go through a pack of smokes a day anymore.  She was lucky if she finished a pack in a week, which was outstanding progress.  Soon, she wouldn’t need them at all unless sex with Roman was so incredible she needed a cigarette afterwards.  Maybe that’s what she would do – smoke only after sex. 

 

Finishing her cigarette, Lennox quickly pulled out a travel sized bottle of mouthwash and swished the blue liquid around her mouth before spitting it out.  Then she spritzed her mouth with some spray, popped tic-tac’s and finally a piece of gum.  Lennox didn’t want anything interfering with her possibly getting laid that night.  Her vagina was probably webbed over and had little critters crawling all over because it’d been several years since she last had sex.  Being raped didn’t count in her mind because sex was consensual and it hadn’t been for a while with Danny.  Sure, there’d been tons of temptation thrown at her from the countless vacations she took with Keyla.  Cute island men with muscles for days, for instance.  Lennox almost took the plunge after a night of margarita binging with Keyla, but at the last second she ran away from the island man in tears.

 

This time, it wouldn’t happen.  No running, no hiding behind her heartache and pain and no backing down.  Everything was different with Roman and felt right in every way.  She promised to give him a chance and so far, he hadn’t disappointed, treating her the way a woman deserved.  Lennox lost count how many times Roman called her his baby girl – his queen.  He’d done so much for her in a short span of time and Lennox already knew she was slowly falling for him.  Little by little, the broken shards of her heart had slowly mended back together and leapt into Roman’s large muscular hands.  Lennox tried everything in her power not to relinquish her heart and was powerless to stop it, hoping Roman didn’t crush it like Danny had.

 

“I have to move on and Roman is a good man.  He’s healing me and treats me right.  I did what I could to fix what we had, but you chose your path and now I have to take mine.”

 

Walking further away from the arena, Lennox pulled out a black velvet box from her purse and flipped it open, staring back at the simple diamond ring glistening on a white gold band.  Her engagement ring from Danny was one of her prized possessions and she couldn’t get rid of it, try as she might.  Lennox tried everything including pawn shops, but in the end she couldn’t part with the piece of jewelry that used to symbolize the love her and Danny had.  East Rutherford, New Jersey was the last place she expected to do something like this, but at least it was near a place they both loved.  CZW had moved to Voorhees, New Jersey while the Arena underwent renovations, reopening sometime in 2012.  Danny had been distraught over it, but luckily the show hadn’t moved far away from Philadelphia, so he didn’t need to travel a long distance to wrestle.  Looking into the distance, the way Lennox knew if she took would lead her back to Philadelphia, she plucked the ring out of the box and brought it to her lips, tears stinging her closed eyes.

 

“Goodbye Danny.”

 

With as much force and strength as she could muster up, Lennox threw the ring in that particular direction, watching the moonlight catch one last glimmer from the diamond before disappearing into the night.  She dropped the empty velvet ring box on the asphalt, feeling the biggest weight lifted from her shoulders.  It was finally over and she had no more ties to Danny Havoc.  He was her past and the future was Roman Reigns.  Turning, Lennox gasped at the sight of Roman standing a few feet away and felt her violet eyes widen, knowing he’d witnessed what she did.

 

“H-How long have you been standing there?” She stammered out the question, wrapping her arms around herself and mentally cursed for not paying attention to her surroundings better.

 

“Long enough, baby girl.” Roman replied in a low rumble, swiping his gear bag up from the asphalt to thrust it over his shoulder, extending his hand. “Ready to go?”

 

This man was incredible and Lennox couldn’t help wondering how she’d gotten so lucky to have him in her life. “Yeah, I do believe I challenged you and I expect an answer when we get back to the hotel.” She slipped her hand into his, Roman pulling her into his side and sighed in contentment.

 

“Oh you will get one, believe that.”

 

Roman smirked down at her, already knowing what kind of ring she’d tossed away and felt his heart flip in his chest watching Lennox do it.  Maybe she hadn’t gotten caught up in the moment in the locker room earlier and was finally ready to take the next step in their relationship.  He was ready to fight her tooth and nail about this once they returned to the hotel, but after witnessing Lennox’s goodbye to her ex-fiancé, Roman wanted the same thing she did.  Even an ice cold shower did nothing to deflate his painful erection she’d caused by clutching it in her soft hand.  Whatever happened to his shy timid Lennox and turned her into this sexually charged vixen was a mystery Roman would never solve.  Zero complaints came from him; Roman enjoyed the change in her demeanor and attitude, hoping the fire in her violet eyes stayed.

 

As soon as the hotel room door opened and Lennox stepped inside, Roman captured her mouth in a fiery kiss, forcing her body to slam it shut.  Normally, their kisses were light, soft and sweet, but not this time.  Roman had a challenge to complete and he would do it to the fullest of his ability.  Gasping for breath once Roman released her mouth, Lennox arched her head back against the door and buried her fingers in his damp ebony tresses, relishing the moment for all it was worth.  She wanted this for weeks, her body crying and craving attention, but Roman had been steadfast, waiting for the first move to be made by Lennox.  Now there was no stopping him.  Roman sincerely hoped she wasn’t fond of the WWE t-shirt she had to wear for work because it was being torn from her body.  With brute strength, he pulled back and tore the material from the collar all the way down the front of her body, pushing the offending material down her arms to fall to the floor.

 

Standing in a dark red cotton bra, Roman had to stop for a second or two to admire Lennox’s beautiful body.  Beautiful didn’t do her justice and the tattoos up her sides just turned Roman on further.  Her left had an elegant black outlined branch that looked to be climbing up her side with beautiful violets attached to different parts of it.  Whoever did her tattoos were on target and had raw talent.  Lowering on his knees in front of her, Roman turned Lennox a little more to get a better look at the tattoo, pressing a kiss to the center of each violet flower.  Then his tongue traced the branch up and back down, forcing goose bumps to form over the expanse of her body.  He enjoyed the effect he had on her and proceeded to move to the right side, where another masterpiece awaited.  This one was a simple long feather in darker colors of the rainbow and the top of it had frayed pieces in the shape of birds.  The detail was astounding and Roman found his fingers tracing along the edge since it was outlined in thin black ink to make the colors pop.

 

“Beautiful pieces, baby girl…” He rumbled huskily, his voice coming out in a low growl against her skin and looked up, noticing a hint of black ink sticking out from the side. “Turn around.” It was an order.

 

Roman sucked in a sharp breath when her back faced him and stood up, stormy greys locked on the art painted on each of her shoulder blades.  The left had a perfect black outlined white wing that angled toward the middle of her back.  His gaze moved from it after a few moments to study the left shoulder blade, which was covered in a frayed torn apart black wing.  The concept reminded Roman of good and evil – an angel and demon wing.  Somehow, they matched Lennox perfectly and Roman found himself thoroughly enjoying a woman with tattoos.  It was exotic, hot and made her more beautiful, something Roman didn’t think was humanly possible.  This was also the first time he’d seen these tattoos since he held back all of his pent-up sexual frustration until Lennox was ready to make love.

 

Nuzzling the spot between the wing tattoos, Roman’s hands slid up his sides and unfastened her bra, pushing it down her arms much like he had her tattered shirt.  Then his hands moved around to cup her globes of flesh, burying his nose in her soft honey blonde tresses.  Lennox quickly turned to molten lava in his arms and felt her nipples harden against the palm of his huge hands.  Lulling her head back, Lennox whimpered as his fingers rolled her nipples and squeezed them lightly, not wanting to hurt her.  No man had ever taken their time and usually had her bent over the bed by now.  This agonizingly slow process was both enlightening and frustrating because the need to have Roman’s dick inside of her was severe.

 

As if reading her mind, Roman backed up away from the door still holding onto Lennox’s breasts until his legs hit the bed, not falling back on it.  He released her fleshy globes for the time being to unsnap the button on his jeans, shoving them down his muscular legs along with his boxer/briefs stepping out of both.  Then Roman whipped Lennox around and captured her mouth in another explosive kiss while his hands worked on removing her pants and panties.  It didn’t take long since Lennox helped with the process, the kiss not breaking and Roman sat down on the bed, the honey blonde beauty straddling him.  They were both completely naked, breathing heavily and Lennox took a minute to savor what would happen between them on this night.  She smiled, not a hint of fear or hesitance in her violet eyes and slid her fingers lightly down the side of his face, rubbing her nose against his.

 

Roman opened his mouth to ask the inevitable question and Lennox stopped him, pressing a finger against his soft lips.  There was no need for it.  Her eyes and body told him all he needed to know.  She was more than ready for this and had no doubts in her mind or heart.  Just to prove it, Lennox slid her hand down his muscular chest and past his hips until her fingers wrapped around his throbbing dick.  Roman got the message, not thinking this was the ideal position he had in mind, but if Lennox wanted to take the reins tonight, he wouldn’t stop her or rebuttal.  Stretching her legs out on either side of his body, Lennox planted her feet on the bedding and held onto his rippling shoulders, staying as relaxed as possible.  The Samoan was a lot bigger than she was used to, far superior to Danny, so Lennox expected a little pain.  Didn’t matter if she was wetter than all the oceans in the world combined and possibly the rivers and lakes too.

 

Being filled to the max like this was something Lennox never experienced in her life.  She wasn’t entirely sure Roman was fit inside of her, but he made it work somehow.  Lennox whimpered, feeling her walls stretching to the point where they might split to accommodate Roman’s massive size and girth.  Her chest rose and fell rapidly as Lennox waited for the burning sensation to subside and finally opened her eyes, not realizing she’d pressed her forehead to her current lover’s.  Experimentally rolling her hips, Lennox and Roman both groaned in unison at the euphoric sensation of finally becoming one.  Roman couldn’t have pictured it going down better, his dick sliding in and out of her velvety sex in smooth slightly hard thrusts.  With every thrust he produced inside her body, Roman increased the pace slightly and gripped her hips, not wanting to buck Lennox off of him.

 

Soon, Lennox had a death grip on Roman’s forearms while he plowed in and out of her, her backside bouncing off his muscular thighs.  Roman growled in approval at the position they were in, not stopping and determined to make this woman cum harder than she ever had in her life.  The sounds of their lovemaking reverberated off the walls of the hotel.  Everyone on planet earth could’ve heard what they were doing and neither cared, too focused on reaching their inevitable end.  Lennox felt the hot coil springing free deep in her abdomen and the heat surged directly to her loins, hot essence only her body made drenching Roman.  It’d been so long since she last felt a real orgasm that wasn’t battery operated and Lennox already planned on tossing her vibrator away.  Roman Reigns was the only one who could give her the mind-blowing orgasm she just felt, her toes curling into the bedding and going numb.

 

Once Roman emptied his hot seed inside of her receptive body, he collapsed back on the bed pulling Lennox to crash on top of his chest.  His dick went limp inside of her while both tried catching their breath, not expecting the first time to be as intense as it was.  Roman kissed her forehead and slid his fingers through the silky hair, feeling both of their hearts pounding against each other with just their chests being the only blockade.  Eventually, they scooted up the bed to where they could lay on the pillows comfortably with Roman spooned up against Lennox’s back.  Both had content smiles on their faces and their fingers laced together to rest over her settled heart.  Roman still had a challenge to answer, refusing to stop at one sexually crazed bout and slid from the bed only to crawl up from the end of it, licking his lips hungrily.

 

Lennox gasped the moment his mouth began devouring her sensitive sex and knew tonight was from over, relishing in all the attention.

 

Chapter 41

 

Nobody saw it coming.

 

It would always be frozen in the minds of Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns.  Not to mention their loved ones watching from home and one in particular being ringside filming the entire unforgettable Raw moment.  Sometimes things weren’t always as they seemed and the wool had been pulled over everyone’s eyes, even the millions watching from the comfort of their homes on television.  What started out as a beautiful gloating segment with the Shield talking about how they systematically destroyed Evolution at Extreme Rules the previous night ended in a tragic betrayal…by one of their own. 

 

WWE Payback pay-per-view happened the previous night with the Shield beating Evolution, eliminating each member back-to-back - no casualties of their own.  The match was a six-man tag team No Holds Barred elimination match.  It was a brutal historic night ending with the Shield on top of the world.  They beat everyone in the WWE at this point, including the legendary Evolution and it looked as though the Shield was an unstoppable force.  It seemed like they were a well-oiled machine and nobody had a chance of defeating or taking them down.  Evolution went to brutal lengths to try winning and eliminating the Shield members, but somehow they prevailed together and destroyed Evolution.  The fans were ecstatic and nearly blew the roof off the Allstate Arena in Chicago, Illinois.  Chicago was Jon’s favorite town to wrestle and perform in, so showing dominance the way the Shield had meant a great deal to him.  So many battles took place throughout Jon’s Indy career and he’d had great nights in the Allstate Arena while working in WWE as well – all being with the Shield.

 

Keyla could only stand there stiffly, holding the camera on her shoulder while Triple H came out with a sledgehammer over his shoulder, Randy Orton by his side.  The beginning segment of the night to open Raw found Dave Batista walking out of the WWE after Triple H denied him a World Heavyweight Championship match.  It was the only reason he came back to the WWE and Batista wanted what was promised to him.  Triple H refused and that left just Triple H and Randy Orton left of the Evolution team.  They had a long and difficult past, but apparently the Viper was steadfast when it came to sticking by the boss’s side.  Keyla watched Roman and Jon step up toward the ring ropes, ready to go to battle with Triple H and Randy Orton while Seth Rollins stayed where he was.  Normally, the Shield moved together as one and Keyla could feel a ball of dread forming in the pit of her stomach, especially with the last words that came out of Triple H’s mouth.

 

“There’s always a plan B.”

 

Both of their backs were turned so Roman and Jon didn’t notice Seth grab steel chairs.  The crowd assumed they would be used on Triple H and Randy Orton should the men step foot in the ring.  NOBODY saw what was about to transpire next.  Keyla had to fight back a gasp as Seth took the steel chair and blasted Roman from behind like a coward, the sound of steel cracking the vest he had on echoing throughout the arena.  Roman had been held down by Evolution at Payback across steel ring steps and was beaten with kendo sticks by his adversaries.  He had huge welts all over his muscular back because they stripped the vest off of him, his protective gear, just to make sure he felt every single shot.  Lennox was NOT happy to be forced to watch her man being beaten within an inch of his life in the middle of the ring like a dog.  Now, it was happening again and Keyla couldn’t imagine what was going through her best friend’s mind being stuck backstage, unable to do anything to stop this. 

 

The pure shocked and bewildered expression on Jon’s face told the entire story.

 

All he did – all he could do – was stand there staring at their Shield comrade with wide blue eyes and a dropped jaw.  Jon had no idea this was coming, Keyla could feel it in her heart and knew her man better than anyone on planet earth.  Neither man saw this betrayal coming and there was nothing they could do to fix it, to make things right.  Before Jon could fully snap out of his stunned mindset, Seth nailed him with the same steel chair and then proceeded to hammer it repeatedly against Jon’s back.  Every shot killed Keyla, tears stinging her eyes, but she couldn’t let them fall and had to remain professional.  Filming her man being beaten down like this was one of the hardest things Keyla ever had to do and she’d witnessed brutality worse than this in Jon’s career.  However, the raw pain in his eyes was new and it shattered Keyla’s heart to pieces, especially when he locked eyes briefly with her.  Once Seth wore the chair out on Jon’s back, he jumped out of the ring and handed the chair to Randy Orton before walking up the ramp to the back, a permanent scowl plastered on his face.  Randy took sick sadistic pleasure destroying Roman with the weapon, making sure the muscle of the Shield was incapacitated and unable to walk out of the ring of his own volition.

 

Jon and Roman had way too much pride to be stretchered out of the arena, refusing aid from WWE’s medical team.  Together, they helped each other out of the ring, using their bodies to lean on and stumbled up the ramp with deep hatred burning in their hearts for the man they once called a brother.  Their little brother had stabbed them in the back, in the heart and they would make him pay.  Jon had felt betrayal before, but it was always well-known to happen and never a last second decision.  Keyla lowered the camera from her shoulder and could only watch Jon and Roman slowly make their way backstage, so many questions swirling in her mind regarding what she just witnessed.  Jon hadn’t told her anything about this happening, so either he was sworn to secrecy and was a hell of an actor or he had no idea it was coming.  She went with option 2, already making her way to the back with her camera to check it in since the show was over.  All she wanted to do was check on Jon and make sure he was alright, not able to stop the echoes from Seth’s chair shots flowing through her frazzled brain.  Once she was behind the black curtain, Keyla took off as fast as she could to the Shield locker room and skidded to a halt at the sight of Lennox’s hand connecting against the side of Seth’s face.

 

“YOU ROTTEN BASTARD!!  HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO THEM?!  HOW COULD YOU HURT HIM LIKE THAT?!  DO YOU REALIZE WHAT YOU’VE DONE, YOU NO GOOD PIECE OF SHIT!?” Lennox exploded, tears pouring out of her violet eyes and Keyla could sense was about to happen next.

 

Seth was livid, not believing this woman was embarrassing him in front of his colleagues and rubbed his flaming cheek, pure disgust in his dark eyes. “You’ll regret doing that, bitch.” His gloved hand came up to strike Lennox and blinked when another small hand wrapped around his wrist, stopping him from making the blow.

 

“Don’t even think about it, Rollins.” Keyla hissed in a dangerously low voice, shoving his arm away and pulled Lennox out of harm’s way to stand behind her, knowing her best friend was still fragile from what Danny Havoc put her through. “Or you WILL answer to me.”

 

“Oh really?” Seth snorted, squaring his shoulders and stepped to the dark blue haired woman that caught his attention late last year in NXT. “And just what do you think you can do to me, cunt?” He was full of himself, all the cockiness in the world flowing out of every pore of his body and laughed in her face.

 

“This.”

 

Then Keyla committed the ultimate embarrassment and nailed Rollins between the legs as hard as she could with her steel toed boot, a required attire by the camera crew.  Seth hit the floor like a ton of bricks holding his throbbing junk, cursing violently while Keyla and Lennox stood over him, their arms folded in front of their chests.  Maybe that would teach Seth not to speak callously in the presence of a lady, though both women doubted it.  Keyla took Lennox’s hand, both stepping over Seth’s body and made their way to the Shield locker room to check on the men who mattered most to them.

 

“I can’t believe this happened…” Lennox murmured, still shaken up from slapping the taste out of Seth’s mouth and Keyla could feel every part of her body trembling.

 

“I can’t either.  We need answers, but only if the guys wanna talk about it.  I’m not gonna force Jon into it.  If you’re smart, don’t push Roman either.” Keyla advised, already knowing their men would be in foul moods from being betrayed by their Shield brother.

 

Lennox agreed, not wanting to upset Roman and hoped he was alright, wishing he would’ve been checked out by the trainer at the very least.  Damn Samoan pride of his would end up costing him one day, she thought, taking a deep breath as they arrived outside of the locker room.  Both women jumped when something slammed into the door and they looked at each other worriedly, hearing growling and brutal cussing by both Jon and Roman.  They were hurt and irate, not that the women blamed them.  Who could?  They were just humiliated on national television and destroyed with a steel chair by someone they thought was their best friend and Randy Orton.  Seth had sold his soul to the devil in Triple H and Stephanie McMahon – the Authority.  Keyla went to push the door open again and jumped back, swallowing hard at another hard bang.

 

“M-Maybe we should give them time to cool off…” Lennox suggested in a shaky voice, remembering when Danny would lose his temper and she would attempt to console him.  All she received for her efforts those nights were black eyes and a broken heart. “I know he wouldn’t hurt me, but…”

 

“Stay here and don’t go anywhere.” Keyla instructed in a soft, stern tone, releasing Lennox’s hand to push the door open and stepped inside, watching both men stop their harsh pacing to lock eyes on her.

 

“Where’s Lennox?” Were the first words out of Roman’s mouth as he moved toward Keyla, who stepped in his way to block the door.

 

“Scared shitless standing in the hallway outside, worrying about you.  While you were throwing a damn baby fit in here, she nearly had her head knocked off by Rollins and I had to stop him.” That confession gained Jon’s full attention, his blue eyes igniting.  Keyla ignored him for the moment. “So before you throw something else and destroy another particle of this room, maybe you should harness your temper and go check on your girlfriend to make sure she’s alright.”

 

“Seth did WHAT?!” Roman exploded, unable to stop his hands from shoving Keyla aside and tossed open the door, the amount of rage in the Samoan’s stormy greys making Lennox take several steps back from him. “Where the fuck is he?!  I’LL RIP HIM APART!!”

 

Keyla hoped Lennox could handle Roman because she had her own irate man to focus on, brushing herself off since Roman hadn’t been gentle with the shove. “You gonna shove me out of the way too, so you can go beat the shit out of the asshole?” She demanded irritably, planting her hands on her hips while Jon pressed her against the door, blazing blue on cool citrine.

 

“What happened?” His voice was calm, which was never a good sign when it came to Jon.  Calm was not his forte and it only fueled his temper further. “Are you okay?”

 

“Fine physically.  Emotionally and mentally, not so much.” Keyla answered truthfully, worry and concern quickly taking over her eyes the longer he stood in front of her. “Don’t worry about me.  What about you?  You didn’t know that would happen tonight, did you?”

 

Jon snorted, pushing away from her and shook his head, tearing hands through his hair angrily. “Fuck no!  Roman didn’t either.  We weren’t told a fucking thing.  We knew something was going on with that little fucker, but never thought…” He couldn’t get the words out, his back throbbing from the brutal chair shots earlier and that just made his temper flare further. “I’m gonna make him wish he hadn’t made whatever deal he struck with Triple H.  I promise you that, darlin’.”

 

There was no doubt in Keyla’s mind he would fulfill that vow, but it wouldn’t happen tonight. “I know you wanna check on Roman, so come on.  Then we’re going back to the hotel and I’m icing your back down.”

 

Sex was the last thing on Keyla’s mind surprisingly since it’d been the only thing she wanted from Jon lately.  They still hadn’t done the deed and it’d been a month since Keyla’s last attempt, which was the night of Extreme Rules.  Jon grabbed his gear bag, already changed in blue jeans and a t-shirt, not bothering to shower since he’d done so prior to Seth’s betrayal.  He’d take another one at the hotel, but right now Roman’s well-being was the only thing he was worried about.  Opening the door, Jon and Keyla could only stare at Lennox being pinned to the wall with Roman’s mouth firmly on hers.  Her legs were wrapped around his waist in a vise and her fingers tightened in his black tresses.  Apparently, Lennox found a way to subdue the Samoan and his temper.  She was never short of surprises and Keyla recalled Lennox using the same method with Danny Havoc a time or two before his drug abuse downfall destroyed their relationship.

 

“Come on, he’s in good hands.” Keyla murmured, not wanting to disturb the lovers and took Jon’s hand to guide him down the hallway toward the exit.

 

“You drive.” Jon tossed Keyla the keys, not in the mood to do it and knew she didn’t mind, letting her guide him wherever she wanted.

 

The ride to the hotel was made in silence with Jon and Keyla in their own thoughts.  She meant what she said to Lennox about not pushing Jon to talk about what happened with Seth.  Jon answered the burning question on her tongue and that was all she needed to know.  Holding his hand the whole time, Keyla did her best to keep him soothed and calm, classic rock music playing softly through the speakers of the rental.  The walk up to their room was also silent and it wasn’t until the door shut Jon finally did the only thing he could think of since Keyla walked into the Shield locker room at the arena.  Shoving her back against the door, Jon took the collar of her WWE polo shirt and tore it open, the few buttons bouncing off the walls.  Then his mouth descended like a vulture onto hers, his hands not leaving the material of her shirt and continued tearing it open until it hung loosely off her shoulders.  She wanted Moxley back in the bedroom, begging for it a month ago and Jon was ready to let him out to play.

 

Chapter 42

 

Under normal circumstances, a shirt being ripped from a woman’s body would’ve sent alarm bells ringing through her head. 

 

Not Keyla Jensen.

 

She wasn’t a normal woman and never had been, even before meeting Jon Moxley all those years ago.  From the moment Keyla picked him up on the side of the road he’d been stranded on -their first official meeting-, she knew he would become a huge part of her life.  And she couldn’t have been more right on that feeling.  He was her soul mate, the love of her life and it didn’t matter how many years passed between them with no contact or seeing each other.  Being with Baron Corbin had been a mere distraction from who Keyla really wanted and craved to be with.  Flashes of their dysfunctional relationship flowed through Keyla’s brain while clothes flew in all different directions around the hotel room, until both were only flesh and blood. 

 

Granted, being betrayed by one of his closest friends, someone Jon fully trusted and relied on, wasn’t the ideal reconciliation Keyla had in mind.  Any romantic notions had long flown out the window because that wasn’t who Jon was.  He wasn’t the type to give flowers, perfume or any other clichéd romance gesture.  Keyla never wanted him to be either because she loved the man just as he was; hardened, stubborn, mean, sarcastic and cynical.  Because behind all of those negative qualities was also a man desperate to be loved and wanted since he never received any kind of affection as a child.  Jon had his sweet moments and Keyla saw right through the wall he put up towards others.  She called him out when needed and threw his attitude right back in his face, standing up to him more than any other woman ever had.

 

Maybe that’s why they connected and kept finding their way back to each other.  Jon gave up fighting his feelings for Keyla after leaving her to take his WWE journey.  Then again, he never thought he’d see her or be with her intimately like this.  The moment he saw the wisp of blue hair down in NXT, he should’ve known it was her, especially when Seth bragged about running into a blue haired beauty while they did their few tapings in NXT.  Why didn’t Jon chase her down?  Why didn’t he ask questions and find out if she really was in the same company as him?  Denial reared its ugly head because Jon didn’t think Keyla would ever work for the same company as him.  Fate hadn’t been kind to him except in the wrestling business, so he was convinced no love would ever find him.  Jon also fully believed in his heart he wasn’t good enough for Keyla and she deserved a better man than him.  However, it was obvious she was in love with him as much as he was her, so Jon was done fighting what he wanted. 

 

Tonight wasn’t just about Seth’s betrayal, though he would deal with that in his own way on his terms.  Keyla had begged him to come back to her so many times over the past month, it was nearly impossible to keep himself in check any longer.  Kissing and tracing every square inch of her beautiful body was all Jon wanted to focus on that night.  In spite of everything that happened, Keyla had been on the forefront of his mind and the throbbing in his back from Seth’s chair shots just fueled his desire more.  She had been the one to fight for what she wanted and Jon admired his blue haired goddess for that.  Her mind was sharp and her heart was the purest he’d ever known.  Hell, compared to him she was pure in every way possible.  When Keyla wanted something, she went for it full throttle, so what made Jon think he had a chance dodging her?  There was none.

 

Her heavy panting and moaning was the sweetest sound in the world, the greatest music he’d ever heard.  He pulled back to stare down at her for a minute, admiring the way her long dark blue tresses fanned out all around her head and pillows on the bed.  Her body was flushed from the top of her head to the tips of her toes.  The tiniest smile curved her lips and her finger crooked to beckon him to continue to ravish her the way he had from the time they stepped foot in the hotel room.  Jon would not – could not – disappoint her, owing her for all the pain he’d put her through.  Tonight, he would start making it up to her and prove he was good enough to be with her – that he deserved the beautiful woman below him urging him to claim her as his own.  The possessiveness Jon had a hard time controlling began taking over, flowing through every vein in his body and his dick throbbed with need.  The thirst made his throat feel like a dry desert, a cactus without water and Keyla was his oasis, his only sustenance.

 

Claiming Keyla wasn’t enough – not nearly.  Not after being apart for so long and trying to take things slow for the past month.  Jon wanted this to be memorable, a night that would always be burned in Keyla’s memory and his for as long as they were alive.  So far, all he’d done was undress her and their lips sought each other out, only breaking apart long enough for Jon to gaze down at her before capturing her swollen mouth again.  Enough waiting, Jon thought, a deep growl erupting from deep in his chest before breaking the kiss to lock smoky cerulean orbs on molten gold.  Keyla gasped at the first touch of his lips against her neck, an area he had teased thoroughly over the past month.  It made every hair on her body stand up and uncontrollable shivers flooded down her spine.  Jon smirked against her succulent flesh, growling at her soft hands caressing his muscular shoulders and arms, unable to focus on what he wanted to do. 

 

Tossing both of her arms above her head to plant on the pillow, his reach was a lot longer and stronger than hers.  Pulling away from her neck, Jon smiled down at her deviously and all Keyla could do was lick her swollen lips in anticipation for what was to come.  If she only knew…Jon rubbed his nose against hers and nipped her bottom lip hard enough to let her know there would be consequences if she moved her arms.  They were to stay above her head until he gave her permission to move them.  Keyla whimpered, his eyes telling her all she needed to know and nodded, knowing better than to speak.  Moaning and whimpering couldn’t be helped, but talking was not in her best interest.  She loved feeling overpowered and dominated by this man, knowing her reward would be explosive if she kept her body under control.  Satisfied, Jon went back to tormenting the flesh of her neck and slowly made his way down the valley of her breasts.  Globes of precious flesh Jon wanted to sink his teeth into and leave his mark to make it known Keyla belonged to only him.

 

Nuzzling her right breast for a minute or two, Jon finally slid his tongue over the already hardened nipple and groaned.  His hand massaged and molded her other breast to give both attention at the same time.  Keyla was in purgatory, arching her upper body into his mouth and touch, somehow keeping her arms on the pillow.  Another growl emanated throughout the room meshing with Keyla’s relentless moans as Jon pulled on her nipple with his teeth, hard enough to where she felt pain and pleasure.  Then he dipped his head lower to lift her breast and traced the angle below her breast, also a sensitive area of Keyla’s body.  She trembled in response, the agony her body currently felt becoming stronger and Keyla was sure stars would explode from behind her closed eyelids.  Jon swapped breasts with his hand and mouth, giving the other the same agonizing attention as the first.  Keyla had to bite her bottom lip to keep from crying out and demanding him to end her torment, fists balled up in tight fists by now. 

 

It felt like mercy when Jon left her breasts alone to venture lower, his tongue starting at one side of the front of her body and moved back and forth across the length of her abdomen.  Licking every square inch of her body was a promise Jon had stated on more than one occasion over the course of the past month.  Keyla knew he was a man of his word and wouldn’t go back on it, so she continued lying there enduring whatever he wanted to do to her.  This was the Jon Moxley she remembered and Keyla relished in every second of it, unable to hold back whimpers the closer his mouth came to her promised land.  The part of her body aching the most and crying out for his attention.  The scruff he had on his face tickled and left a red mark to show where he’d use his facial hair to tease her.  Jon groaned, smelling her intense arousal and knew he didn’t need to bother checking to make sure Keyla was ready for him.  She was wetter than all the oceans on planet earth combined.  It made his mouth water and once again the need to taste her overpowered his dick’s need to be balls deep inside of her delectable body.

 

Please tell me he’s gonna let me touch him through this, Keyla silently begged, looking down at him watching her legs lift with his strong hands to drape over his shoulders.  His beautifully sculpted muscular shoulders that felt like fleshy stone.  Jon definitely took care of himself and he was in the best shape of his entire career.  Keyla was happy to discover he stopped the drug use and excessive drinking, but the smoking hadn’t…yet.  Roman had gotten on him a few times about it because of his heavy breathing during their matches.  So Jon was slowly cutting back on his smoking – another change Keyla was trying to get used to because she hated the disgusting habit.  Being in the WWE had changed him for the better, something Keyla knew from the moment he left Philadelphia would happen.  It was why she urged him to go in the first place, to leave her behind because she knew he would be a huge success in the WWE.  She loved him enough to let him go pursue his dream and had hoped he would’ve asked her to join him, which never happened.  Sometimes Keyla hated how much pride she had because all she wanted to do that day was stop him and beg him not to leave her.

 

Positioning his head at the entrance of her sweet dripping wet sex, Jon could see the plead in her molten gold eyes and decided to give her a reprieve. “Touch me, darlin’…” He murmured huskily, giving his consent and speaking the first words between them in what felt like an eternity. “Tell me how much you enjoy my tongue fucking your pussy…”

 

“Oh fuck, Jon!” Keyla didn’t waste a second obeying his commands, feeling his hot tongue caress her lower extremities for the first time in years. “Fuck it, fuck it so hard…”

 

Smirking, Jon planned on it and didn’t bother responding, letting his actions speak far louder than words.  He couldn’t stop his tongue from delving into her sweet tight folds, groaning quickly turning to deep guttural growls.  It vibrated throughout her whole body, especially her inner walls.  Keyla’s moaning and whimpering turned to fierce cries of pure insane pleasure.  Gripping her hips, Jon stopped them from bounding off the bed and maintained control of the situation.  His tongue thrusted relentlessly in and out of her tight sex, refusing to pull back until she came buckets for him.  He wanted an entire meal out of her tonight and would get it, no matter how many times he had to make her climax.  It didn’t take long for the first orgasm to ripple through Keyla’s body and her hot juices flowed right into Jon’s very willing mouth.  He drank from her greedily and fiercely, holding the lower half of her body down while she writhed in a sea of ecstasy.

 

“Christ…” Keyla rasped out, all the screaming she did making her voice hoarse since it’d been a long time for her. “Y-You’re trying to kill me…”

 

“Hardly.” Jon rumbled in a deep low raspy voice, flicking her swollen sensitive bud one final time with the tip of his tongue before making his way back up the length of her perspired body. “You taste just as I remember, Keyla…”

 

“I hope that’s a good thing.” Keyla retorted softly, trying to catch her breath and reached up to caress his face, enjoying the scruff against her fingertips. “I missed you so much, Moxley.”

 

Jon nodded, leaning back on his haunches with his dick standing at full attention and held his hands out to her.  Smiling, Keyla took them without hesitation and felt the upper half of her body leave the bedding until her chest collided with his.  With their eyes locked, Jon didn’t waste another minute and guided his pulsating dick where it wanted to be for the better part of nearly 3 years.  Far too long to be away from this woman and it would never happen again, not if Jon had anything to say about it.  Keyla lulled her head back while her body adjusted to his enormous size, not remembering ever feeling so full in her life.  Baron was a decent lover, but nothing compared to Jon.  Opening her dazed eyes, Keyla pressed her forehead against his and planted her feet into the bedding on either side of his thighs before rolling her hips experimentally.

 

“Fuck…” Jon hissed out in pleasure, not minding Keyla taking the reins for a minute and captured her mouth in another searing kiss.

 

“Harder, make me scream for you, baby…” Keyla urged in a mumble against his mouth, burying her fingers in his soft auburn blonde curls and felt him do exactly what she craved. “Yes, y-yes just like that…Fuck me, Moxley…”

 

Growling at the feeling of her fingers in his hair combined with her demands, Jon gripped her hair to pull her back enough to bury his face in her neck.  She kept arching back the harder he yanked until his mouth arrived at her breasts while still thrusting like a madman in and out of her receptive body.  Sure, Keyla was getting a head rush, but all of that was blanked out by how much pleasure her body currently felt.  Dipping his tongue into her bellybutton, Jon slid his tongue back up the length of Keyla’s body, lifting her body to an upright position until their eyes met once more.

 

“Cum for me now, darlin’, don’t hold back!” Jon growled loudly, not caring who heard him at this point and sank his teeth into the side of her neck over her pulse point. “FUCK NOW!”

 

Keyla didn’t have to be encouraged any further, the commanding baritone of his voice forcing her body to submit to whatever he wanted. “JON!!” She screeched his name to the heavens, the final climax tearing through her dangerously the same time his did and her entire frame buckled against him.

 

Holding her close, Jon didn’t move from the position they were in and stroked her hair, hearing her ragged breathing along with her thrumming heartbeat. “Look at me, Keyla.” He ordered after a long moment of silence between them and waited until those beautiful citrine orbs met hazy pale blue. “There’s my girl…” Cupping her face in his strong hands, Jon softly kissed her and slowly guided both of them back on the bed where it was more comfortable.

 

“I-”

 

Jon silenced her with a finger over her lips, already knowing what she was about to say and decided this time it would be him making the first move. “I love you, Keyla.  I know it’s taken a millennium for me to figure it out, but I did and…I won’t leave you again.  You’ll have to leave me this time.  And don’t think I won’t chase your ass down because I will.  You’re stuck with me, understand that?”

 

He loved her.  Jon Moxley actually admitted those words to her and Keyla didn’t know how to respond because she’d already said them a month ago.  Putting her heart on the line like always with the hope there would be some kind of payoff.  This was all she’d ever wanted from him and now that Keyla had it, she would not let him go for anything in the world.

 

“I love you too, Moxley.  But you already knew that.  Now show me how much you missed me again.”

 

Keyla brought his mouth down on hers again and rolled him over on his back, starting round 2 of their reconciliation.

 

Chapter 43

 

“You have a freshly fucked look on your face.”

 

“So do you.”

 

Both women stared at each other accusingly for a minute before bursting out in hearty laughter, holding their coffee cups up to toast.  Keyla couldn’t wipe the smile from her face and neither could Lennox, both of them currently floating on cloud 9.  Waking up earlier that morning to a mouthwatering scent of food, Keyla was shocked Jon had provided breakfast in bed for her.  He joined her in eating, stealing kisses and caresses since she was still completely naked.  A drop of yolk from her sunny side up egg fell on top of her breast and Jon immediately dipped his head to swipe it away with his tongue.  Breakfast in bed quickly changed to breakfast on her body, especially the syrupy tongue bath Jon gave.  After mind-blowing breakfast sex, they took a much needed shower, which lead to another round under the hot sprays.  They couldn’t get enough of each other; Keyla never felt more alive, wanted and beautiful in her life, hoping the bubble between them never popped.  The ache between her trembling thighs and glowing face spoke volumes.  Keyla was surprised she managed to pull herself away from Jon long enough to join her best friend for coffee while he went to the gym with Roman for their usual workout.

 

“So out with it.  What happened?” Lennox pressed, snapping Keyla out of her deep thoughts and took a slow sip since the coffee hadn’t cooled down yet. “And I want details.”

 

“Only if you do the same.” Keyla countered, a knowing smirk curving her mouth and watched Lennox’s cheeks instantly turn a deep crimson. “Spare no details, I wanna know everything.”

 

Now was the time to come clean about how much dirty sex Lennox was having with Roman. “It wasn’t just…once.  Last night, I mean.” Since when did she have a hard time talking to Keyla of all people? “Look, you were having a rough time with Jon because of the whole holding back shit and…I didn’t wanna make you feel worse about it.”

 

“Okay…” Keyla tilted her head slightly, leaning back in her chair and folded her arms in front of her chest. “So…when did you two…?”

 

“The night of Extreme Rules – a month ago.” Lennox kept her eyes fixated on her coffee cup, unable to meet Keyla’s eyes. “I made a move on him, gave him a challenge and…he accepted.  I wanted to tell you so many times over the past month, Key, but I wanted to wait until you and Jon reconciled.  We don’t keep anything from each other, but I didn’t want to hurt you more than you already were.”

 

For the past month, Lennox and Roman were having sex without Keyla knowing it.  How was that possible?  Keyla should’ve noticed the change in her best friend, but the situation with Jon had taken over every thought.  She felt like a terrible friend and reached across the table to grab Lennox’s hand, a genuine smile on her face.  After everything Lennox had been through, she deserved to find happiness with a man who treated her right and if that man was Roman Reigns, Keyla fully supported it.

 

“Len, you’re my sister and I’m so sorry I’ve been occupied lately.  You should never be afraid to talk to me about what’s going on in your life, especially after all the hell Havoc put you through.  Roman’s a great guy and I can now see how happy he makes you.”

 

Bringing Lennox on the road with her was the right move because the light had finally reignited in her violet eyes.  There was a spark of life that had been gone for so long and Roman had managed to bring the old Lennox back.  Keyla owed him and had no idea how she would ever repay the Samoan for making her best friend exceedingly happy.  That was all Keyla prayed and wished for because of all the heartache and pain Danny Havoc put Lennox through.  She knew it was a huge risk for Lennox to take since Roman was also a wrestler, but the man was honorable, family-orientated and a complete gentleman.  The complete opposite of Jon, though Keyla wouldn’t change him for the world.  It was obvious the changes Jon already made while hanging around the Samoan, but they didn’t change him to the point where he was unrecognizable.

 

“I’m so sorry, Key.  It was killing me not to tell you.” Lennox admitted, squeezing Keyla’s hand back and blinked to keep the tears at bay. “I really thought you’d hate me for keeping this secret from you.”

 

“Let’s get one thing straight, woman.  Nothing you do will ever – EVER – make me hate you.  You’re my damn sister, my only family besides Sami.  I could never hate you for being happy.  I’m a little disappointed you didn’t tell me right away, but…I’ll get over it.” Keyla winked, letting Lennox know everything was alright between them and she could rest easy. “Now, enough with the mushy shit.  I wanna hear how the hot Samoan was in the sack.”

 

Lennox let out a watery laugh, nodding and started giving all the details she knew Keyla wanted to know, not leaving anything out.  That included tossing her engagement ring Danny gave her into the dark night just outside of the arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey.  When it was all said and done with both women bragging about how their men were in bed, they embraced tightly before heading out to meet up with their studs to catch flights home for 3 glorious days off.  Stephanie informed Jon and Roman they weren’t needed for the Smackdown! taping and ordered to go home for some much needed rest.  Keyla requested the time off from Smackdown! to be with Jon and it was granted; the same went for Lennox with her job.  All they wanted to do was be with their men and help them heal up because Seth’s betrayal had hurt them a lot more than they were willing to admit openly.

 

~!~

 

“We weren’t healthy.  We had a cancer inside of us – little did we know.  And that cancer’s name…” Dean Ambrose tried his best not to lose his temper while uttering their ex-Shield comrade’s name. “That cancer’s name was Seth…Rollins.”

 

Keyla swallowed hard while filming what was left of the dominant faction known as the Shield in the ring.  She could feel the anger radiating off of both Jon and Roman, feeling horrible for both of them.  Neither saw Seth’s betrayal coming and they weren’t informed of the last minute script change the creative team did a week ago for Raw.  It was a last minute split decision and it wasn’t the creative team’s idea to split the Shield up either.  Jon nearly lost it when they were told by both Stephanie and Triple H that Seth came to them begging to go on his own.  The Shield was over in his mind and they had nothing left to do except go their separate ways.  Seth never once came to Jon and Roman about how he felt; he was a coward and did it behind their backs instead of facing them like a man.  He wasn’t a man, he was a piece of garbage and Jon planned on scraping the garbage off his boot one beating at a time.  Stephanie and Triple H wanted to bring the magical feud Jon and Seth had down in FCW/NXT to the big leagues to see if the fans would respond to it.  Tonight, all Jon and Roman had to do was cut a promo about how they felt regarding Seth’s betrayal and then they would interrupt Seth when he came out later in the night to discuss why the Shield was no more.

 

“Now when I get the opportunity to rearrange your face, which I will.” Dean Ambrose promised, continuing his masterful promo – one of the best Keyla had ever heard, even from his Indy days – and looked directly into the camera to make sure everyone knew how serious he was in everything he said. “Your nose isn’t going to be here anymore.” He moved his finger from his nose to where his ear was while speaking. “It’s gonna be over here, by your ear.  I say ear ‘cause you’re only gonna have one left.  I’m gonna rip your dirty, stinking hair out by the roots.  I’m gonna stuff it in your mouth; there’ll be plenty of room where your teeth used to be.  SETH ROLLINS!!” Pounding his chest fiercely with his fist, Dean Ambrose breathed heavier into the microphone and his eyes grew wider to the point where it sent chills throughout Keyla’s body. “My BROTHER, you are scum.”

 

He’s trying to kill me, I just know it, Keyla thought, watching Roman slowly walk back and forth behind Jon with an evil smile on his face.  He laughed at some of the things Jon said and, truthfully, Keyla had a hard time keeping a straight face herself.  Somehow, she managed to remain professional and kept the camera from shaking, staying right where she was in front of Jon.  Little did she know this would be the final night she saw Jon in his Shield gear because he had a plan to reinvent himself since the Shield was dead.  Roman took the microphone a few minutes later and spoke to Seth, grunting and growling from how angry he was about this entire situation.  However, his sights were set on Randy Orton since Jon was adamant about getting his hands on Seth.  His time would come for revenge against the piss ant, but for now his focus was primarily on the Viper and the leader of the Authority – Triple H.

 

“There’s things you don’t do in life!  You don’t tug on Superman’s cape, you don’t piss in the wind and you don’t EVER stab your brothers in the back!” Roman growled, his thick black brows dropping to his nose, which was a surefire sign he was enraged. “But you’re only part of the problem.  The other parts are Randy Orton and Triple H.  Randy Orton, he runs around here and he thinks everybody owes him something.  He thinks he’s the face of the company.  When I get my hands on you, Randy, you’re gonna be the ASS of this company!” The crowd cheered loudly, making Keyla smile behind the camera because she couldn’t wait to see that happen. “And when I’m done with you, I’m coming for you, Triple H.  We’re gonna have our own Game of Thrones.  BELIEVE THAT!” He tossed the microphone over his head and the Shield’s music blared through the speakers, ending one of the best promos WWE had seen in a while.

 

Lennox watched from the back, her eyes wide as saucers because she’d never heard Roman so angry.  Granted, they hadn’t been together long, but she knew better than to trigger his Samoan temper.  He unleashed it countless times in the ring and she was afraid one day he would hurt himself or go too far with his opponent.  It was no secret Roman and Randy hated each other both on and off-screen.  Roman wanted Randy’s spot and Randy refused to give it up, even though he was one of the locker room leaders in the company.  John Cena was the other.  He was the new blood and hungry for the top spot.  If he had to take it by force, he would, but one way or another the Viper would give it up.

 

“Fuck, this is gonna be all bad.” Lennox mumbled softly, shaking her head and went back to sketching, hoping the boys didn’t terrify Keyla that bad since she’d been the camera person in the ring during their promo.

 

After the show was over with, Keyla turned in her camera equipment and signed it out before heading down the hallway to find the Shield locker room.  She walked in a few minutes later and had to learn how to breathe again at the sight of Jon in just a towel.  There was no other clothing beneath it.  This was too much for her sensitive body to handle seeing, especially after that killer promo he delivered just a few hours ago.  The hunger and thirst was too real to stop her from shutting the door, flipping the lock on it.  Jon turned around the moment he heard the locker room door slam shut, only to see his sex-deprived vixen saunter toward him.  Each piece of clothing leaving her body made Jon’s dick jump behind the towel around his waist.  Without a word, Keyla reached out and balled the towel in her fist, ripping it from his beautiful sculpted body, the lust boiling in her molten golden eyes.  Jon growled, quickly turning the tables and whipped her around to face the cinderblock wall, planting her hands against it on either side of her head.

 

“Want me to fuck you right here, darlin’?” Jon rasped in her ear, knowing it was a loaded question and flicked the back of her earlobe with his tongue, his hands gripping her sides. “Enjoy what you saw tonight?”

 

“I wouldn’t take my clothes off if I didn’t want you to fuck me.  And yes I did, you were so powerful and vicious.  I can’t wait until we get back to the hotel.  I need to be fucked by you now, Jon.” Keyla wasn’t above begging at this point, her juices slowly coating her inner thighs from how wet she already was. “You ruined my panties, it’s the least you can do for me.”

 

Chuckling, Jon couldn’t argue that point and slid his cock home in her body where it belonged, both of them groaning at the friction.

 

~!~

 

“Oh Roman!” Lennox moaned, busy having her own sex fest in the bathroom of the Shield locker room with the Samoan balls deep inside of her. “Yes – YES!”

 

Apparently, Lennox had the same idea in mind as Keyla.  She couldn’t get the image of Roman stalking and growling in the ring out of her head, making it difficult to do her job.  Currently, she was trying to work on a design for one of the WWE Divas known as Paige, but it wasn’t happening.  Not that night anyway.  Jon had just stepped out of the shower when Lennox walked in, being pointed in the direction of the bathroom.  She heard the shower going and immediately undressed to join Roman, taking a handful of his wet ebony locks to bring his mouth crashing down on hers.  He didn’t push her away and pulled her closer, immediately engaging in their current sexual encounter.  Despite how sore he was from the match he and Jon had to end Raw, Roman couldn’t deny his beautiful honey blonde anything.  He was always ready for her, day or night.

 

“Hold onto the shower handle.” Roman ordered, wrapping her legs around his waist with his cock thrusting madly in and out of her. 

 

Lennox reached up to do as he commanded, gasping when the new angle gave her even more pleasure, if that was possible. “R-Roman…” She moaned out shakily, hoping and praying the shower handle held against the wall or else she would go down like a ton of bricks. “J-Just a little longer, baby…”

 

“Take as long as you want, baby girl.  I can go all night.” Roman grunted in reply, gripping her backside and leaned up to capture a nipple in his mouth, making the reach with no problem.

 

Being 6’3 had its perks.

 

~!~

 

“Arena sex is the best sex we’ve had.  Even if it’s in the locker room.”

 

Jon smirked, draping an arm around Keyla’s waist and grabbed a handful of her backside through the pants she had on. “Agreed.” His pale blues slid to the side to look at a devilish Lennox and his content Samoan best friend. “How about you two?  Enjoy the shower a little too much?”

 

“Not at all.  It was just right.” Lennox retorted, snuggling against Roman’s side and felt him kiss the top of her head. “And we plan on doing it again once we’re back at the hotel.  So you’ll have to go to dinner on your own.”

 

“What makes you think we’re going out for food?” Keyla countered, raising a brow and both women laughed, already knowing several rounds with their men would commence that night.

 

The happy blissful couples didn’t see the two pairs of eyes watching their every move, one of them spitting pure venom.

 

“They have no idea what’s about to happen to them.”

 

“We need to shake them up a bit first, rattle their minds and then strike when they least expect it.”

 

“Agreed, but just remember Keyla belongs to me.”

 

Bumping fists, the figures disappeared into the darkness of the arena and went to prepare the first part of their master plan.

 

Chapter 44

 

June 16, 2014 – Monday Night Raw

 

‘The Lunatic Fringe’ Dean Ambrose was officially born.

 

Black cargo pants and tight tops with the buckled vest were a thing of the past.  Jon had completely changed his gimmick and look, trading his SWAT clothes for street ones.  Blue jeans and a beater with a leather jacket.  Hair hanging in his face just like his Moxley days in the Indies.  It was amazing to witness, especially his first official debut with the new clothes.  Seth had been in the ring and was on the brink of finishing his match when a man in a black leather jacket slid under the bottom rope.  It was his old Shield business partner Jon made a beeline for Seth and began pounding the stuffing out of him, trying to get his hands on any part of the dick that he once called a brother and friend.  Keyla was ringside, a camera on her shoulder and had to push it up to film Jon, the leather jacket hanging off his shoulders while he stalked around the ring with crazed icy blues.  He wanted to rip Seth Rollins apart and Keyla didn’t blame him.  However, she was having issues of her own regarding her body temperature rising, mouth going dry and dampening panties.

 

“THIS AIN’T GONNA BE OVER, SETH!  This ain’t gonna be over until I get my hands on that smug, corporate, extremely punchable face of yours!” Dean Ambrose crowed into the microphone, sucking in a sharp breath through his nose.  Once again, his eyes were crazed and pure ice. “Now I know you don’t do anything without Triple H’s permission these days, but why don’t you save yourself some time and get this over with?  COME DOWN HERE AND FIGHT ME LIKE A MAN!!”

 

Christ almighty, those jeans fit him like a second skin, Keyla thought, watching through the camera as Jon leaned over the top rope screaming at Seth to fight him.  His backside looked perfectly delectable and all Keyla wanted to do was take a nice bite out of it.  She mentally shook herself, needing to focus on doing her job instead of lusting after the man who had given her mind-boggling sex over the past 2 weeks.  Focus and tear him apart later tonight, Keyla mentally coached herself, knowing they had to somehow make their relationship more than just sex.  She wanted everything with Jon and staying with him ever since Sami’s warning about Nick Gage’s prison break had been wonderful.  Keyla wondered how long it would take for Jon to invite her to live with him because she already knew the answer to that question, should he ever ask.  It’d only been a couple months since their reconciliation and 2 weeks since their full reunion, so Keyla had to let Jon take things at his pace.  One thing she had to learn was patience.

 

Instead of Seth taking the offer to get his backside handed to him, Triple H came to the rescue and informed Dean Ambrose on the Titan tron he would be wrestling Bad News Barrett.  The match was next while Seth made his way to the back like a coward.  It was clear he wanted nothing to do with Dean Ambrose that night…or so people thought.  The match was underway with Dean on the offense until he took a chance to try delivering a tornado DDT to his opponent.  That was until Barrett shoved him off the top turnbuckle to the floor, Ambrose hitting his shoulder with a sickening thud on the edge of the apron.

 

Keyla had to stop herself from screaming out Jon’s name, her eyes wide in fear and luckily the camera hid her facial expression.  He was hurt badly; there was no way in hell that didn’t at the very least pop his shoulder out of socket.  Scared for Jon’s safety, Keyla could only stand there helplessly and watched him writhe in pain, holding his shoulder.  Of course it was injured!  She was shocked to see the referee hadn’t thrown up the X sign, which signaled someone was badly hurt.  Why was he allowing this match to continue?!  Gritting her teeth, Keyla continued filming like she was supposed to and made a mental note to stick her foot up someone’s backside once the show was over with.

 

Somehow, someway Jon got back into the ring and continued the match.  Wrestling in jeans was second nature to him; he did it with stealth and poise, making it look extremely easy when it wasn’t.  Keyla became angry when Seth made his presence felt by standing on the announcer’s table, toying with Jon.  Naturally, Jon’s attention was averted and he immediately went after Seth, injured shoulder and all.  Because of that interference and distraction, Jon was counted out and lost the match against Barrett.  As always, Jon got his revenge by blasting Barrett with a lethal forearm in the back of the head to send him sprawling out of the ring.  She managed to peak over the camera while keeping it steady to check and make sure he was alright.  He wasn’t holding his shoulder, so that was a good sign.  Maybe he popped it back into place during the match without her realizing it.  Keyla highly doubted it, but it was wishful thinking on her part.  She couldn’t wait for Raw to be over with so she could be with Jon and check his shoulder.  Hopefully, Lennox was watching and would do it for her since she was stuck at ringside for the duration of the show.

 

What Keyla didn’t know about Jon was his shoulder was permanently damaged back in his FCW days.  He had a feud with William Regal and the man injured his shoulder to the point of it being permanent.  Keyla was livid, not believing she didn’t know this and wanted to kick the old man in his testicles for hurting Jon like that.  Jon managed to calm her down and told her he wasn’t angry at William for what happened.  He respected Regal and the Englishman had apologized every chance provided because he felt horrible for what happened.  That made Keyla feel a little better, but now Jon was prone to shoulder injuries a lot more.  It worried her that his wrestling career might be ended if the bad shoulder sustained any further damage.  Jon assured her everything would be fine and he knew what he was doing, including taking precautions to ensure he remained healthy.

 

“I’m in love with an idiot, you know that?” Keyla mumbled, leaning against his good shoulder while they lay in bed with heavy ice on Jon’s other one. “A complete buffoon.  I must be outta my mind.”

 

“Yeah you are.  And this idiot loves you too, don’t forget.”

 

Jon kissed her cheek and leaned his head back against the headboard, knowing no sex would transpire between them that night.  He still had Smackdown! to get through before they could head back to Vegas for 2 days off.  After his match with Barrett, he desperately needed it to try to heal his shoulder as much as possible because there was no way he could take time off.  His feud with Seth was just beginning and heating up, Jon would not throw it away because of his stupid shoulder he’d been fighting with for the better part of 3 years.

 

June, July and August rolled on by in the blink of an eye.  Dean and Seth’s feud had exploded and would continue at the third biggest pay-per-view event known as Summerslam.  To say Keyla was nervous would’ve been an understatement.  It was a Lumberjack Match, one of Jon’s choosing thanks to winning a Beat the Clock challenge a few weeks prior on Raw.  If she thought that match was bad, which it had been brutal and spilled out into the crowd, Keyla wasn’t prepared for what was to come.  After Summerslam ended with Seth getting the pin fall victory, Jon took a leave of absence from WWE to do a movie for WWE Studios.  It was called 12 Rounds: Lockdown, an amazing opportunity for Jon and Keyla was ecstatic for him.  He was approached back in the early months of the year and honestly forgot about it until the company reminded him of the obligation.  Jon didn’t mean to keep it from Keyla, he genuinely forgot about it.  So she wasn’t mad at him because he didn’t mean to keep it a secret from her intentionally.  It was rough to say goodbye to him for 32 days and she couldn’t stop the tears from falling while holding him close.

 

“What am I gonna do without you for 32 days?  Or more?” Keyla whispered, not trusting her voice at the moment and looked up into Jon’s beautiful electric blues. “I just got you back…”

 

“You’re not losing me, Keyla.  Look at me.” Jon cupped her face in his strong hands, kissing her lips softly trying to calm her down before his flight was called to board to Vancouver. “I’m not going anywhere.  I’m gonna do this movie and come back to you as quickly as I can.  You have to stay strong for me though and don’t lose your shit while I’m gone.  Now come on, be my strong woman.  I’ll call you when I can…”

 

Keyla sniffled, trying to stop the tears for Jon’s sake and took a deep breath. “Every night.  You call me every night; I don’t care what time it is.  You call me just to say a few words if that’s all the time you have.  But I want to hear from you every single night.” She gripped his wrists, watery citrine eyes begging him to agree with what she wanted.

 

“Every night, you got it.  And if I can’t call you for some reason, I’ll send you a quick text to let you know I’m alright.” Jon pulled her against him in a strong embrace, stroking her hair and let her cry some more on him, shutting his own eyes.  This would be harder than he thought being away from her. “Everything is gonna work out.  I’ll be back before you know it, darlin’.  Then we can pick up where we left off.”

 

Be strong for him, Keyla mentally chastised, knowing this was a once in a lifetime opportunity for the man she loved. “Okay.” She pulled back after kissing his chest and put on a brave smile, wiping her tears away. “I’m okay.  This is a good thing.  Absence makes the heart grow fonder and all that jazz.”

 

“Flight 432 to Vancouver, British Columbia Canada now boarding.” The announcement blared around the airport.

 

Keyla swallowed hard, knowing the inevitable moment of saying goodbye to Jon had arrived. “Go.  You’re a movie star now.” She cupped his face the same as he did to her a few moments ago and passionately kissed him, relishing every second of his mouth on hers.  It would be the last time they touched for a while. “I love you, Jon Moxley.  You’re going to do great, I just know it.”

 

Those final words reminded Jon of the painful memory back in 2011 when he walked away from Keyla and left her behind in Philadelphia.  He often thought about that day and wished things could’ve gone differently.  Such as bringing her with him on the road, despite his fears of commitment.  So why was he making the same mistake twice again?  No, Jon knew better and if he had to take a later flight out to Vancouver, so be it. 

 

“Come with me.”

 

“W-What?” Keyla stammered, not expecting him to say that and felt his forehead rest against hers, searching his eyes trying to figure out what he was thinking. “Jon, I can’t…I have a job and…”

 

“I didn’t offer it last time, Keyla, and I kicked myself in the ass for the past 3 fucking years.  I’m not making the same mistake again.  So come with me to Vancouver.” Jon would understand if she didn’t take him up on his offer, but he had to at least take a chance.

 

All Keyla ever wanted was for Jon to take her with wherever he went back in the Independent days.  So many things had changed and so had she.  Keyla wasn’t the same woman she was 3 years ago and Jon even had his changes too.  To go with him to Vancouver and give up her job with the WWE would mean relinquishing her independence.  She would have to solely rely on him for financial support because there was a very good chance WWE would fire her for going with him.  Could she do that?  Give up something she actually loved doing for the man she was sure was her soulmate?

 

“I love you so much for thinking of me and wanting me to come with you to do your movie.  I know this isn’t easy for you.  3 years ago, I respected your choice to leave and pursue your dream in WWE.  So I hope you respect my choice when I say no, I’m sticking with my job.  I love what I do in WWE and I’ve worked hard to get where I am today.  It’s because of you I’m in the WWE and working an HD camera.  You gave me my passion without realizing it and I never take that for granted.” Keyla explained, kissing him again and could see the disappointment shining in his eyes. “I’ll be here when you get back.  Remember what you said to me?  I’m stuck with you and you’re stuck with me, no matter what.  This isn’t the end for us, it’s just a small hiatus.”

 

She was a lot stronger these days and Jon admired her for it, unable to be upset with her decision.  All she ever did from the first day they met was support him, even when they were at each other’s throats and living together as roommates.  Keyla truly loved being behind the camera and Jon asking her to give that up for him was selfish.  He was a selfish dick and it had to stop or he would end up losing her again one day.

 

“Okay – alright, I’m sorry.  I just had to offer it because I didn’t do it last time.  You’re right and I’m just wigging out for nothing.” Jon took a deep breath, hearing the final boarding call for his flight and knew he had to get on the plane. “Are you sure I should do this?”

 

“If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t be pushing you so hard to go.  Now get your ass on that plane and make me proud.” Keyla ordered, doing her best to hold back fresh tears and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, hugging him as close as she could. “Remember to call me every day or night, I don’t care which one.”

 

Nodding, Jon didn’t want to let her go and lifted her from the floor, burying his face in the crook of her soft neck. “I love you.  See you when I get back.” Then he abruptly set her down on the floor and turned away to board his flight to Vancouver.

 

Keyla didn’t leave the airport until she watched Jon’s plane ascend into the sky and disappear, finally letting the tears she’d been holding back fall.

 

What would she do without him for over a month?

 

Chapter 45

 

“Miss Jensen, there’s been another intrusion in your home and we’ve reported it to the Philadelphia Police Department.  You may want to check and make sure nothing has been stolen.”

 

“Seriously?  This is the 5th time they’ve called and told me about a break-in.  What the fuck is going on?” Keyla wondered aloud to the silence around her while she sat outside perched on an equipment trunk, a cigarette dangling between her fingers.

 

The first time her house had been broken into, Keyla immediately upgraded her security system.  She didn’t want any of her belongings taken or Lennox’s since they still lived together.  Lennox never moved out and brought what she could on the road with her when Keyla invited her to the world of WWE.  They didn’t think WWE would give Lennox a job, so neither woman had been back to Philadelphia in months.  Also, Jon had basically kidnapped Keyla to Vegas because of Nick Gage’s prison break and Roman didn’t trust Danny not to make a move on Lennox every time she went to stay in Philadelphia.  So both women had been staying with their men with zero complaints.  However, now that Keyla thought about it, she hadn’t been back home since Jon saved her from Danny Havoc’s unwelcomed attack.

 

Maybe it was time to sell the house and find a place in Florida.  Keyla had held onto the house because of her grandfather and all the memories.  He took amazing care of her, gave her the love and affection her parents never did and Keyla honestly loved the house with all her heart.  These break-ins were a sign though, they had to be.  Was this Grandpa George’s way of telling her it was time to move on and sell the home they built together?  Keyla looked up at the sky painted all different colors and heaved a sigh, taking the last drag of her cigarette before flicking it to the side.

 

“I hope this is what you want, Papa…” Keyla murmured softly, hopping off of the equipment trunk just as the arena exit door flew open with an angry Seth stalking past her.

 

What the hell was his deal?  Keyla couldn’t recall ever seeing a smile on the man’s face except when he won the Money in the Bank briefcase at the pay-per-view designated for it, thanks to Kane’s assistance.  Jon had been inches away from capturing the briefcase and was screwed by Kane, much to the anger of the WWE Universe.  It was a crock and Seth had continued using the Authority every chance he got to win his matches.  It was hard to believe at some point, Seth would be the WWE champion because of that stupid briefcase.  He would probably cheat to achieve the ultimate dream too.  Jon would be a much better champion than Seth Rollins ever thought about being, but the company didn’t see the potential.  They didn’t believe in Jon, not believing he was champion material, which ticked Keyla off.  Didn’t they know Moxley held over 4 championships all at the same time at one point in his Independent career?  Apparently the Indies didn’t matter to the WWE and once a wrestler worked for them, their past wrestling history everywhere else was erased.  They had to start from scratch, essentially.

 

“What the fuck are you looking at?” Seth growled, noticing Keyla was eyeballing him and rolled his eyes at the disgust in her eyes. “Never mind, I don’t have time to deal with you right now!”

 

“Good, keep walking then.” Keyla shot back, not afraid of anyone in the company, especially this pompous ass. “Nice dye job, by the way.” Most of the blonde had faded from Seth’s hair from the Shield says, but he still let it linger at the tips and, honestly, it looked ridiculous.

 

“Fucking bitch.” Seth seethed, tempted to chase her down and make her regret those words, but he had bigger problems on his hands right now.

 

No sooner did Keyla step back into the arena, she was clobbered by an overly excited Lennox and coughed, forgetting how strong her best friend was. “Damn girl, you’re gonna crush my ribs!” She wheezed once the embrace broke and looked up into Lennox’s glowing violet orbs. “Uh-oh, why do you look like you just won the lottery?  Did you?”

 

Lennox was on the verge of bursting with happiness and couldn’t hold back what she just found out any longer. “ROMAN IS GOING AFTER SETH!!” She practically screamed, not caring who heard her and bounced on her feet, honey blonde locks flying in all directions.  The streaks had once again disappeared and she hadn’t bothered putting them back in. “At the next pay-per-view, they are finally gonna face each other!!  Can you believe it?!  My man is gonna finally get his revenge for the Shield bullshit!!”

 

All Keyla could do was stand there shell-shocked and felt her jaw drop, not believing what she just heard.  Jon had been feuding with Seth for months and now they were handing the reins over to Roman because he had a movie to do?  She was happy for Roman, but a huge part of her felt terrible for her own man.  When would he finally get what he rightfully deserved?  What he worked hard for?  Keyla didn’t want Lennox to know how she truly felt and plastered on a fake smile, hugging her tightly to show her support.

 

“I hope he beats the shit out of that asshole.”

 

“You and me both!” Lennox grinned, already knowing it would happen and pulled back to see the trouble in Keyla’s eyes. “Wait, are you okay?  What’s wrong?”

 

Lennox knew about every break-in that happened in Philadelphia, but she wasn’t worried since most of her belongings had been lost when she left Danny.  The last thing Keyla wanted to do was put a damper on Lennox’s excitement and Roman’s incredible news.  He was a hell of an athlete and monstrous.  She still didn’t understand why Seth was chosen to win the Money in the Bank briefcase when he barely weighed above 200 pounds.  Then again, this was the same company who allowed Rey Mysterio to be champion, so size didn’t really matter.  Roman had the look and physique for a champion though.  So did Jon.  Anybody was better off being the next champion than Rollins at this point and hopefully the company was starting to see the error of their ways.  Even with the incredible news and Lennox’s high mood, Keyla couldn’t ignore their Philadelphia problem any longer.

 

“Another break-in happened.  Got the voicemail from the security company and they reported it to the police…again.” Nothing had been done about these intrusions and it was aggravating to say the least. “I’ve been thinking about it for a while and I think we should move out of Philadelphia completely.”

 

Lennox blinked, wondering if she heard her best friend correctly and fingered some non-existent stuff out of her ears to act like she was cleaning them out. “Come again?  Did I just hear you say you want to move out of Philly permanently?  Who the hell are you and what have you done with Keyla?” She demanded playfully, seeing the seriousness in her friend’s citrine eyes and swallowed hard. “W-Where would we go though?  I’ve only stayed with Roman because you’ve been whisked away to Vegas with Jon.  But that’s our home, Key…”

 

Taking her hand, Keyla lead Lennox to catering so they could sit down and talk about this without hyperventilating. “Breathe, I’ve already thought about where we could go and I’ve narrowed it down to Florida.  I know it’s humid and there’s no snow in the winter months, but…Sami and Gina are there, so we wouldn’t be completely alone.  I also found out Drake is thinking about making the move from Indianapolis to Florida to be closer to work.  With all these break-ins, it tells me the neighborhood is getting worse and I don’t want to live there anymore, honestly.”

 

How long had Keyla been mulling over this idea? “So you’d sell the house – your grandfather’s house?  You love that place so much, Keyla.  Maybe you should think this through a little more…”

 

“No.” Keyla pulled her hand away from Lennox’s and clasped them in her lap, keeping eye contact with her best friend. “I’ve thought about it long and hard.  I’ve prayed to Papa for answers and every time I have, a break-in has happened.  I don’t know if this is the right decision or not, but I do know we don’t need to live in Philadelphia anymore.  The world is open to us; we have the money to do whatever we want.  Hell, we could move to Nebraska and build a house in the middle of nowhere, if you want.” It was too soon to bring up the possibility of Lennox and Roman living together.  Same went with her and Jon. “And I’m only staying with Jon until Nick Gage is caught and tossed back behind bars where he belongs.”

 

Once Keyla’s mind was made up, there was no changing it.  Lennox had learned that over the years they’d been friends and she had to respect Keyla’s choices in life, even though sometimes she didn’t agree with them. “If this is what you really want to do, I’m on board.  But we’re definitely not going to Nebraska, fuck that.” They both laughed and nodded in agreement. “I think Florida is the best spot, at least for now.  Maybe we can even ask Sami and Gina to use some of their storage space until we can find somewhere we both want to move?” Lennox suggested, knowing it couldn’t hurt to ask their friends to help in a time of great need.

 

“Maybe.  I’m sure they wouldn’t have a problem with it.  Gina said I could stay with them anytime I wanted whenever the WWE came to Tampa.  I’ll give Sami a call tonight and see about the storage idea.” Keyla already knew he wouldn’t care and neither would Gina, but she would still ask since it wasn’t her house. “The reason I brought this subject up is because I’m planning on going to Philly next Wednesday to start packing and putting the house up for sale.  You can come with me if you want; we could make it like old times with just us and no men.”

 

No men…Lennox tried not to frown at that, but she understood why Keyla didn’t want Roman to come with.  Jon was stuck in Vancouver doing his movie and they barely spoke over the past 2 weeks.  He kept his promise to call every day or night, but the conversations were limited to 3 minutes or less because of how busy he was.  They were pushing him to finish the movie quickly due to the WWE needing his star power back.  Keyla wasn’t happy with it, but she dealt the best she could and sent him a couple dirty pictures to let him know she was thinking of him.  She never received any in return and was fine with it; as long as Jon acknowledged her pictures that was all that mattered to Keyla.  It’d only been 2 weeks since his departure and she missed him fiercely, the dark circles under her eyes indicating her lack of sleep because of his absence.

 

“Okay let’s do it.  I’m sure Roman has things to do and I’ll just tell him no boys allowed.” Lennox winked, trying to cheer Keyla up a little and both groaned when they realized what time it was. “Time to get to work.”

 

In order to write Dean Ambrose off of WWE television for a month or so, the writers came up with the moronic idea to have Seth put his head through fake cinderblocks.  Nobody had heard from Ambrose since the night after Summerslam.  Seth and Dean ended up engaging in an unforgettable Falls Count Anywhere match, thanks to the WWE Universe deciding in an online poll.  Dean wanted to continue the chaos that started at Summerslam and Seth accepted, or rather the Authority did.  They didn’t hold anything back, using whatever weapons they could get their hands on.  Dean ended up being powerbombed through a sea of steel chairs in the ring and he answered by sending Seth’s body crashing through a table with a superplex.  Seeing the champion was in trouble, Kane – the Authority’s stooge – came to the rescue and had a full set of cinderblocks at ringside to send Ambrose through.  With Seth’s heavy boot and his ‘Curbstomp’ move, Dean’s skull crashed through the cinderblocks as they buckled around him and he didn’t move an inch, completely knocked out from the vicious assault.

 

Keyla was frantic watching this, especially when the paramedics rushed out to cart Jon away.  She honestly thought he was hurt and Seth had ruined his chances of being a movie star.  However, once she arrived backstage and saw Jon was perfectly fine, for the most part, she breathed a huge sigh of relief and ran into his arms in tears.  Jon felt horrible for not telling her what was going to happen out there, but it was against company policy to talk about scripts between wrestlers to other employees.  Social media and leaking of scripts had gotten out of hand in WWE, so they had cracked down on the rules of talking about each segment of the show to try keeping some of it a surprise.  The most important thing was Jon was safe and sound, his head perfectly fine too.  She still wanted to kick Seth below the belt for doing it, scripted or not.

 

Now 2 weeks later, it was about to happen again.  Roman had come to his brother Dean’s defense earlier in the night on Raw while Rollins and Kane spouted off at the mouth, giving a proper eulogy to Ambrose.  That didn’t set well with Roman at all.  The main event was set that night as a handicapped match with Roman facing both Seth Rollins and Kane.  They tried doing the same thing to the Samoan, which caused the referee to toss out the match and grant the victory via disqualification to Roman Reigns.  Seth bringing his Money in the Bank briefcase into the ring didn’t help matters either.  Thankfully, Roman narrowly escaped the same fate as his fallen brother and took one of the cinderblocks, hurling it at Seth as hard as he could.  He barely missed the piss ant’s head and that scared him off, leaving Roman standing tall breathing heavily wanting to continue the fight.

 

It was nice seeing Roman defending Jon’s honor and it just showed how tight of a bond they really had both on and off-screen.  Keyla locked eyes with the big man on his way up the ramp, mouthing if he was alright and he simply nodded at her.  It was a quick match, not even 3 minutes long and nothing compared to the 20+ minute one Jon had to go through before leaving WWE television to do his movie.  Once Raw ended and Keyla left the arena, she decided to make the drive to the Smackdown! location, making a call to a dear friend of hers.

 

“Hey Sami, long time no talk.”

 

Chapter 46

 

It took a while to convince Sami everything would be fine and Keyla had to swear she would call him every hour to the minute.  If she didn’t, he would know something wasn’t right and call both Jon and Roman since Lennox was also making the suicide trip.  Even Gina didn’t like the idea and wished Keyla would wait until Jon and Roman could go with them for protection.  Danny Havoc was still lurking around Philadelphia, as far as Sami knew, but he hadn’t talked to the man in about a year.  Nick Gage could be anywhere too, which worried Sami because of his history with Keyla.  He was out of his mind to let these women go to Philadelphia by themselves!!  Keyla was adamant about making it a girl’s only trip and he wouldn’t put Gina’s safety at risk either.  Calling every hour on the hour would have to suffice until the girls were out of Philadelphia.

 

“I gotta ask, does Jon know you’re planning to do this?”

 

Keyla didn’t know whether to lie to Sami or not, deciding it would be best to keep him in the dark as much as possible.  One little white lie won’t hurt anything, she thought, rubbing the back of her neck. “Yeah he does and he’s fine with it.  So is Roman.”

 

Why didn’t Sami believe her?  Would Keyla really lie to him about something this serious? “Alright, just checking.” Maybe calling Jon wouldn’t be a bad idea, just in case Keyla wasn’t being honest with him. “Anything else you wanna talk about?  How are you doing without Jon around?”

 

As long as Sami believed her and was on the same page as her, the preparations would go without problems.  Keyla planned on visiting her Papa’s grave before leaving too because it would be a long time until she came back to Philadelphia.  It was only 2 days and packing had to be done if they were moving out of the house.  Besides, Keyla also wanted to put the house up for sale, so she had to make sure everything she wanted to keep was out of there.  The furniture and large items would stay; it would make the selling easier with a furnished house, according to her realtor.

 

Another two weeks passed –Lennox couldn’t come the week before because Roman wanted to take her to his family’s barbeque they held frequently- and before they knew it, packing and moving day had arrived.  It was the week before the Night of Champions pay-per-view event, where Roman would finally get his hands on Seth Rollins and there was a tone of media for him to do, so he had Thursday off only.  Wednesday morning, the girls hopped on a plane to Philadelphia while Roman went to Pensacola.  Keyla convinced Lennox to lie to Roman since he was skeptical about them going off on their own for 2 days.  So she said they were going to visit one of Lennox’s old friends in upstate New York.  She would’ve said Indianapolis, but that was too close to Philadelphia and Lennox knew Roman would’ve questioned the location too much.  Upstate New York sounded legitimate and Keyla could only hope the Samoan believed the lie.

 

“For the record, I hate lying to my boyfriend.” Lennox mumbled once they were seated on the plane and it was preparing for takeoff.

 

“Well I hated lying to Sami and Gina, but I didn’t want this getting back to Jon.  He would leave his movie set and blow everything out of proportion.  This has to get done and we can’t wait for Jon to finish with his movie.  It has to be now.” Keyla reasoned, knowing she was right and looked out the window while munching on some peanuts the flight attendant gave them. “It’s only 2 days by ourselves.  Nothing is going to happen.”

 

Lennox didn’t want to bring this subject up, but she had to for her own piece of mind. “What about Gage?” She asked quietly, not wanting others to overhear their conversation. “He’s still on the loose and nobody can seem to find him.”

 

“Look, he broke out months ago and we haven’t heard a peep out of him.  I highly doubt he’s coming after me.  Hell, he’s on the run from the FBI and everything right now.  And if Danny shows his face again, we’ll simply deal with him.” Keyla took Lennox’s hand and squeezed it, trying to ease her friend’s mind somehow. “Now relax, this is supposed to be fun, remember?”

 

“I hope you’re right, Key.”

 

~!~

 

After calling Sami to let him know they landed safely and were on their way to the house, Keyla’s complete focus went to the house.  A little after noon, they pulled into the driveway and it was no surprise to find leaves starting to change colors on the trees.  Fall was on the horizon and Halloween would be approaching soon.  Keyla remembered so many times when trick-or-treaters came up to the house and she’d always have it completely decked out.  Grandpa George loved Halloween as much as she did; it was their favorite holiday out of the entire year.  Stepping out, Keyla could already tell where the burglars had broken in and shook her head, noticing how trashed the streets were along with the houses around them.  Lennox felt insecure and didn’t want to be there any longer than she had to be, sticking to Keyla’s side like glue.  Sliding the key in the lock and turning it, Keyla took a deep breath before pushing open the door and breathed in the musky scent, sneezing as a cloud of dust flew up her nose.  Cleaning was definitely on the agenda while they packed.

 

“So which room should we tackle first?” Lennox asked, setting her luggage near the door and took her zip-up hoodie off since it was chillier in Philadelphia.

 

“Our bedrooms need to be done first and then we can make our way downstairs.  Bathroom needs to be done too.”

 

Not wasting time, the girls began the unfortunate task of packing and cleaning the house from top to bottom, wanting to get as much for it as possible.  Keyla smiled while packing her belongings away she’d left behind, including the MOX vest of Jon’s.  Picking it up, she held it up to her nose and breathed his scent in, sighing softly.  Boy did she miss him and hoped he was having a blast in Vancouver doing the movie.  Keyla couldn’t wait to see it on the big screen when it was all put together and knew he would be perfect, even others didn’t.  Pressing a kiss to the vest, Keyla set it in the box and continued packing, wiping a few stray tears away from her cheeks.  Just a few more weeks and she would be back in his arms again.

 

~!~

 

“Come on Keyla, pick up the damn phone!” Sami growled, pacing back and forth in his living room while Gina chewed her fingernails nervously. “FUCK!  Voicemail again!”

 

“Sami, calm down sweetie.  Maybe she’s busy packing and doesn’t hear her phone.  It happens.” Gina tried easing his fears and stood from the couch, placing her hands on his shoulders. “I’m sure everything is fine.  You’re overreacting…” She hoped anyway.

 

He knew his fiancée was right and probably being a worrywart for nothing, but Keyla hadn’t called in over 2 hours and breaking her promise.  It wasn’t like her.  Then again, Sami knew how big that house was and how much work she had to squeeze into 2 days.  He wrapped his arm around Gina and rested his head on hers, deciding he would wait a little longer before making the two calls he’d wanted to all along.  If Keyla knew what was good for her, she would call him within the next hour.

 

“Come on, I’ll fix you something to eat while you wait for her call.  Don’t worry, it’ll come.”

 

~!~

 

“Whew!  Bathroom’s done finally.” Keyla announced, wiping her forehead of the sweat caked on it and stood up with the bucket of dirty water in hand, looking around the sparkling clean bathroom. “Not a bad job, if I do say so myself.”

 

Most of the packing had been done as far as the bedrooms, bathroom, kitchen and living room went.  Keyla had a lot of Grandpa George’s belongings in the storage out back, so they would have to clean that out before the house sold.  Then again, maybe she would sell some of it since she never used the equipment stored.  There were a couple boxes of his, but for the most part it was equipment for the yard.  He loved working on it to make it look nice and Keyla never understood why, but Papa definitely had a green thumb.  Lennox had cleaned her room spotless and almost had the kitchen done, both girls looking completely exhausted.

 

“Hey, how about we take a break and order a pizza?” Lennox suggested, her stomach grumbling fiercely and looked at the clock, seeing they’d been at it for the better part of 7 hours. “Please?  I’m starving.”

 

“Yeah me too.  Alright go ahead, we can afford ourselves a small break.  I’m gonna check my phone and-” Keyla’s eyes shot open almost out of their sockets when she realized what she did. “FUCK!”

 

Lennox jumped nearly out of her skin at the outburst, blinking at her best friend and could see the pale complexion wash over Keyla. “Oh no, what did you do?”

 

“Fuck – FUCK, I forgot to call Sami every hour!  He’s probably freaking out and – oh god, what if he called Jon and Roman?!” Keyla immediately dialed Sami’s number, kicking herself for not calling him sooner and paced back and forth, hoping he answered.

 

~!~

 

When hour 3 passed by without a peep from Keyla, Sami couldn’t hold back anymore and whipped his phone out to call Jon, his fingers trembling with each number he dialed.  Jon was going to maim him for letting Keyla go off on her own to Philadelphia.  It was bad enough he kept her secret about working for the WWE behind Jon’s back, but this…this was her livelihood and safety on the line.  Sami was in deep trouble and shut his eyes when the phone went to voicemail, wondering if he should leave a message.

 

“Hey Mox, it’s Sami.  Call me back when you get this message.  It’s about Keyla.”

 

“Couldn’t you have been a bit subtler than that?” Gina demanded once he hung up the phone, folding her arms in front of her chest. “I know it’s been 3 hours, but you have to calm down before you end up giving yourself a stroke, babe.”

 

“I know…”

 

Sami settled down on the couch and put his head in his hands, contemplating if he should give Roman Reigns a call.  What if something was wrong and the girls were in trouble?  Granted, the men knew where their women were and maybe Jon and Roman had flown out with them instead of letting them go alone.  Perhaps that was why Keyla hadn’t bothered checking in with him because Jon and Roman were with them.  Still, Sami had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach that wasn’t the case and made a split decision to call Roman.  He’d gotten the Samoan’s number when they first met through Jon, before he decided to move to Vegas.

 

“Who are you calling now?” Gina shut her eyes as soon as Sami answered and let out a loud groan. “This is just gonna be all bad, isn’t it?”

 

Sami nodded, swallowing hard when the deep baritone of the Samoan came through the speaker on his cell phone. “Hello?”

 

“Hey Roman, it’s Sami.  Sami Callihan.  I don’t know if you remember me…”

 

“Oh hey man, what’s going on?  Yeah, I remember you.  You’re Dean’s buddy from the Indies, right?” Roman smiled, cracking open a beer after busting his backside off most of the day in the backyard pulling weeds.

 

Great, that made Sami feel even worse about this situation. “Yeah.  Listen, I was just wondering if you’ve heard from Keyla and Lennox…”

 

“No, why?  They should be in upstate New York visiting a friend of Lennox’s.” Roman informed Sami, taking a huge swig of his beer and didn’t realize he’d been lied to by his girlfriend yet.

 

“Upstate New York?” Sami questioned, sharing a knowing look with Gina and mentally cursed Keyla for being so stupid, scrubbing his hand down his face in frustration. “Is that where she said they were going?”

 

Roman didn’t like the sound of Sami’s voice and set the beer can down on his kitchen counter. “Yeah.  Said she had a good friend she wanted to go see and Keyla was going with her.” Why did Roman suddenly get a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach he’d been lied to? “What’s this about, Sami?”

 

“Big man, you better sit down if you’re not already.  There’s something I have to tell you.”

 

~!~

 

“Shit – SHIT!!  He’s not answering.  Oh my god, if he called them we are so fucked, Lennox!” Keyla was on the verge of hyperventilating, hoping Sami hadn’t made calls to the men in their lives. “We’re fucked.  We’re so fucked.”

 

“Would you calm the hell down and relax?” Lennox snapped, snatching the phone out of Keyla’s shaky hand and tossed it to the side.  She’d already ordered the pizza and they were waiting for it to arrive. “I’m sure he’s busy with Gina and he’ll call back when he can.  Christ, it’s not like we’re 5 years old and need chaperones.  Nothing has happened, as you’ve said and we have too much work to get done to worry about checking in with Daddy Sami.”

 

Lennox was right, but they had both lied to Jon and Roman about their whereabouts for their days off.  Didn’t she realize that?  Keyla felt nauseous and had to sit down, accepting a beer Lennox handed her.  She went out and grabbed some snacks and drinks to hold them over until they were out of Philadelphia.  Granted, Lennox was freaking out on the inside about Roman finding out she lied to him, but at the same time she was a grown woman and could go anywhere she damn well pleased.  He wasn’t her parent, he was her lover and boyfriend.  So if he didn’t like the fact she had to lie to him to keep him from asking a million and one questions about this move, it was a risk she was willing to take.

 

A half an hour later, the doorbell rang and Lennox grabbed the money out of her purse to pay for the food.  Keyla was still trying to get a hold of Sami and had just dialed his number when a scream echoed throughout the living room.  She dashed from the kitchen and saw Lennox sprawled on the floor, scooting back from the intruders who just entered their house.

 

“Oh my god…”

 

“Hello ladies.”

 

~!~

“SHE WHAT?!” Jon exploded into the phone and didn’t care if he ruptured Roman’s eardrum, every vein in his body bulging out in anger. “SHE LIED TO ME!!  AND YOU!!  AND SAMI!!”

 

What the HELL was Keyla thinking going to Philadelphia with Lennox by themselves?!  Were they really that stupid?  Or did Keyla forget about Nick Gage being on the loose and Danny Havoc still prowling the area?  He was going to take her over his knee and blister her backside when they saw each other again.  There was no way he could stay in Vancouver, not when Keyla and Lennox were both in inevitable danger.

 

“I’m booking a flight out there.  If you get to them first, KEEP THEM THERE!”

 

Roman cringed when the dial tone blared in his ear and heaved a sigh, already booking his own flight to Philadelphia.  Dean was livid and so was he, but he would save his Samoan temper to unleash on Lennox once he got to the house.  The fact she lied to him made him question everything about their relationship and if she even felt the same way about him as he did her.  He was in love with her and hadn’t said the words yet, but Roman was on the verge of doing it.  Maybe Lennox didn’t love him and was just using him for fun to get over Danny Havoc.  Shaking those thoughts out of his head, Roman stalked out of his house with keys in hand and hoped the girls were safe.

 

Chapter 47

 

The appetite for pizza flew out the window as both Keyla and Lennox stared up at the two men who were after them for different reasons.  Sami had been right and Keyla was kicking herself for being stupid coming here alone with Lennox.  Putting her best friend’s life in danger all because she couldn’t wait until Jon finished his movie.  Now there was a very good chance she would never see the love of her life again.  Lennox had just found Roman and true happiness after years of being abused in all ways by the piece of garbage standing in front of them.  No, she wouldn’t let Lennox’s happiness go down the drain, not this time.  Keyla had a plan, but it was one she hadn’t told Lennox of and she only hoped the woman would forgive her one day for it.

 

“What’s the matter, baby?” Nick Gage leered, smacking his lips with his gangly teeth flashing in her direction. “Cat got your tongue?”

 

Lennox hadn’t moved from the floor, her eyes locked on the man she thought was the love of her life, the only one she wanted to spend the rest of her life with.  His acidic eyes burned a hole through her and it felt like her insides were on fire.  Not in a good way either.  Keyla had lowered herself to check on Lennox to make sure she was alright, both of them not taking their eyes off the intruders.

 

“Shut the door, Havoc.  We’re not leaving anytime soon.” Nick ordered gravely, not making a move toward the women yet.  He wanted to make Keyla sweat a bit and let her imagination run wild on what would happen tonight. “Don’t forget to lock it.”

 

Danny was getting fed up with Nick ordering him around, only agreeing to work with him to get Lennox back. “Shut the fuck up.  I know what the fuck to do, Gage!” He growled, not amused and felt the shove on his shoulder. “What the fuck, man?”

 

Making the mistake of taking his eyes off the women, Nick turned to face his partner in crime and cracked his knuckles, clocking Danny’s jaw. “You’re gonna listen to me.  This was my idea to lure them here with the break-ins, dumbass!  You had no clue how to get her back here!  Now shut the fuck up and listen to what I say!”

 

It was now or never. 

 

Keyla locked eyes with Lennox, hoping she received the message and saw both men were on the long carpet.  Lennox had landed just shy of it on the hard wooden floor because Danny had shoved her back from the door as soon as she opened it.  It was a blessing in disguise and one they had to take or else both would end up dead by the end of the night.  Keyla could only hope Sami had gone through with his promise to call Jon and Roman if she didn’t call him every hour on the hour.  Hopefully, their men were already on their way from Vancouver and Pensacola, but they were still states away.  The girls had to defend themselves from these lunatics and Keyla would have to find a way to make a call to the police.  If she played her cards right, Nick Gage and Danny Havoc would both be put in prison when all of this was said and done.  But first, they had to get away long enough to make it happen and subdue these bastards.

 

Mentally counting to 3, Keyla took the end of the carpet near them and yanked as hard as she could, making both Danny and Nick go flying face first into the door and floor.  Keyla didn’t waste a second, pulling Lennox up by her upper arm and ran out of the living room to the stairs as fast as both could move.  Both women were shaking like leaves and Keyla could tell Lennox was in no position to fight off Danny much less Gage.  What Lennox didn’t know, or the intruders for that matter, was the house was FULL of secret compartments.  Her grandfather often played hide & seek with her when Keyla was younger; it was their favorite game.  Now, she would have to pull off the game of a lifetime.

 

“THAT CUNT!!”

 

“GET UP AND GET THEM!”

 

“W-What are we g-gonna do, Key?” Lennox tried stopping her voice from shaking, but it wasn’t working.  She was scared to death and wished she’d listen to her gut instinct about this idea to come back to Philadelphia without their men. “T-They’re gonna k-kill us!”

 

Keyla didn’t answer her at first, busy locking the bedroom door and pushing her dresser with all the strength she had in her body. “No they’re not.” She sounded extremely confident and Lennox raised a brow at her best friend, wondering what was going through Keyla’s head.

 

“How do you figure?” Lennox immediately helped with the dresser and stepped back, knowing they didn’t have much time to escape.  Going out the window wouldn’t work since they were on the second floor. “W-What are you doing?”

 

“Just come here.” Keyla ordered, pulling Lennox by the hand and felt her jump when the first ram against the cherry wood door echoed through the room.  It sounded like a gunshot from how hard either Danny, Nick or both hit the door. “You have to trust me.  I know what I’m doing.”

 

“But…” Lennox winced again as another bang resonated off the walls while Keyla dug through her closet, looking for something. “Key, maybe we s-should go out the w-window…”

 

Again, Keyla ignored Lennox while hitting the back wall of the closet until the door finally gave way.  It’d been a long time since she opened it, but it held incredible memories for her.  And now, it would help save her best friend’s life and keep her away from the intruders.  Pulling back, Keyla finally locked eyes with Lennox and wiped her tears away, pointing at the hole in the wall in the shape of a hidden door.

 

“Get in, we’ll hide until Jon or Roman get here.  Sami called them, we just have to wait it out.” Keyla quickly explained, hearing another bang at the door and knew it would only be a matter of minutes before the intruders broke their way inside. “There’s no time to argue about this.  Now get inside and I’ll be right behind you.”

 

Lennox could only hope this worked and the hidden door stayed that way to her ex-fiancé and Nick Gage.  Climbing through the pile of shoes, Lennox ducked her head to get on her hands and knees, crawling into the hidden doorway.  She didn’t see the lock on the outside of the door or realize Keyla wasn’t following her.  Her only focus was getting as far away from Danny Havoc as possible and staying alive.  Once she was all the way inside, Lennox turned around just as the door closed and the lock slid into place, her violet eyes widening.

 

“KEYLA!?” She screamed, scurrying over to try opening the door, but it wouldn’t budge. “Oh my god, what are you doing?!  You can’t do this!”

 

“I won’t let him get to you again, Len.  I have to do this.  Don’t worry I’ll be fine.” Keyla murmured, pressing her forehead to the hidden door and could barely hear Lennox’s screams to let her out through it. 

 

Grandpa George built one hell of a house with great insulation, thankfully.

 

“NO!!  You can’t do this, Keyla!!  Let me out right now!!  We can figure something else out!!  PLEASE DON’T DO THIS!!” Lennox screamed at the top of her lungs, not caring who heard her and felt tears rush down her cheeks while continuously banging on the door to try opening it. “NO!”

 

Keyla crawled out of the closet and shut the door, wishing she would’ve put a lock on it.  Her eyes went to the MOX vest and she snatched it off the dresser, shoving it under the mattress as hard as she could to hide it.  She didn’t want Nick seeing it for fear of him destroying one of the only pieces Jon had from his Independent career.  Luckily, she had a house phone in her room; Nick and Danny hadn’t been smart enough to cut the power in the house or the phone lines, so it was in working order.  She jumped when one of the dressers flew out from the impact of another hard hit to the door, nailing her in the shin.  Keyla went down like a ton of bricks, keeping the phone in her trembling hand somehow and fought through the pain while dialing for help.  Another dresser drawer flew out seconds later, Keyla being smart enough to move to her bed away from the targeting area.

 

“Hello 911 operator, what is your emergency?” A woman answered a few seconds later, sounding way too chipper. “Hello?”

 

“M-My name is Keyla Jensen and my h-house is being broken into by Nick Gage and Danny Havoc.” She spoke in a frantic whisper, not wanting Nick and Danny to overhear her conversation as another drawer flew against the floor and wall.

 

Rattling off her address, Keyla begged for help to come before ending the call and tossed the phone under the bed.  She didn’t want them discovering what she’d done and curled up against the headboard on her bed.  Lennox couldn’t be heard thankfully and Keyla finally let the tears fall from her eyes, hating that she had to be the diversion.  There was no way she’d allow Lennox to be hurt by Danny, not after everything he’d put her through.  All that happened to Keyla was she’d been nearly raped outside of the bar she used to work at and Sami ended up saving her.  Since she called for help, there was no way Nick would get that far with her, so Keyla had to keep her composure, stall the men as long as she could and possibly take a beating in the process.  That was the best case scenario.

 

“COME ON, OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR BEFORE THEY GET AWAY!!” Nick roared while Danny continued ramming his shoulder as hard as he could into the hard wood.

 

“I’M TRYING!!  WHY DON’T YOU FUCKING HELP ME, ASSHOLE?!” Danny retorted in a scream of his own, feeling the door start to give and waved Nick over. “Come on, we’re almost through!”

 

Nick growled, deciding to help and within minutes, the door had finally crashed open with the dresser crashing to the floor. “You’re gonna regret locking us out like this, baby.” Nick promised in a malicious voice, shoving the dresser several times with his boot until he could step into the room with Danny.

 

Danny immediately noticed there was only one person in the room, not two. “WHERE THE FUCK IS SHE?!” He exploded, storming toward Keyla and felt a hand wrap around his upper arm to stop him from choking her again. “LET GO OF ME, GAGE!  SHE LET LENNOX ESCAPE!”

 

“You don’t know that, dumbass.” Nick grunted, shoving Danny behind him to slam against the closet door and noticed Keyla hadn’t moved an inch. “So baby, where is she?  Where’s Lennox?  Tell me, and I won’t hurt you.” That was a blatant lie.

 

So far, Keyla’s plan had worked like a charm. “You’ll never find her because she’s not here anymore.  I won’t let you hurt her again, Danny, no matter what you do to me.” She had to stay strong, keeping her eyes away from the closet door to give off any indication Lennox was behind it in a secret compartment.

 

“We’ll see about that.” Nick smirked, pointing at the closet door and shook his head, seeing the pulsating fear in her golden eyes. “She’s still here, you’re lying.” The sound of a backhand connecting to Keyla’s face resonated around the room that followed a scream of pain. “Every lie you tell; I will hurt you.  Now tell us where she is and make this easy on yourself.”

 

“Go fuck yourself.” Keyla spat blood at him, receiving another backhand for her smart mouth while Danny tore the closet apart, various items flying into the room at a rapid speed.

 

“NO – NO – NO!!  SHE’S HERE!!  SHE HAS TO BE!!  I NEED HER HERE!!  FUCK!!” Danny had completely lost his temper and rammed his fist against the back wall of the closet, not realizing he’d connected with the hidden door. “LENNOX!!”

 

Nick had lost his patience with the blue haired cunt and wrapped his hand in her tresses, dragging her out of the bedroom forcefully. “We’ll make her talk, Danny boy.  Don’t worry.  We have all the time in the world to make her suffer until she spills where Lennox is.” He promised, not realizing his time had been cut extremely short. “First, let’s play a little.”

 

Keyla was vaulted over the bannister and crashed against the hard wooden steps on her side, making her scream out again.  Her shoulder was separated and god knows what else had broken on her body.  The blurry vision had come and gone, but her head pounded viciously against her skull.  Keyla cried out at Nick’s kick to her side, making her roll the rest of the way down the stairs.  Hopefully, she didn’t have internal bleeding or that would require a hospital visit.

 

“Y-Y-You’ll n-never f-find h-her…” Keyla stammered out in a bloody smile, trying to block out the pain like she did with her shin, but it was excruciating and she didn’t know how much she could take.

 

Was she smiling at him?  Her teeth were filled with blood and Nick didn’t know how to respond, ripping her up to sit on her knees by her dark blue hair again. “TELL US WHERE SHE IS NOW!  Or die.” He whispered the last two words in her ear, squatting beside her and inhaled her incredible scent. “What’s it gonna be, Keyla baby?”

 

“Kill me then.  I’d much rather die than be with your ugly ass or allow my best friend to be in his clutches again.” Keyla stated, keeping her voice steady miraculously and heard the growl resonate out of Nick’s mouth, his hands positioning on her neck. “I love you, Jon…”

 

It would be quick and painless.

 

“Suit yourself, cunt.” Nick started twisting her neck to snap her head off her shoulders when the front door suddenly burst open, making him drop her instantly.

 

“GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM HER, YOU SON OF A BITCH!” Jon Moxley thundered, his face twisted in a sadistic facial expression with Roman standing beside him. “NOW!”

 

Keyla could barely tell what was happening because the pain in her body radiated every part, making her head fuzzy.  Through half-blurred vision, she could see Jon tackle Nick Gage while Roman took care of Danny Havoc, both receiving the beating of a lifetime.  Once they were taken care of and unconscious, Jon rushed to Keyla’s side who was being held by Scotty Vortekz. 

 

Roman was frantically searching the house for Lennox, his heart pounding furiously in his chest and fear clawing at it.  What if he was too late?  What if Lennox wasn’t safe and she was already dead, which is why both men had focused on Keyla?

 

“Keyla, Keyla darlin’, you have to open your eyes and stay awake for me.” Jon pleaded, his anger temporarily gone for fear of losing this woman permanently. “Keyla, please…”

 

“J-Jon…” Keyla mumbled out, blood coming out of her nose and mouth, her left arm hanging loosely at her side. “L-Lennox…”

 

Roman heard her name and stopped pacing, dropping to his knees in front of Keyla with wide pleading grey orbs. “Where?  Please tell me she’s okay.  Please tell me where she is!” He wasn’t above begging and just wanted Lennox back in his arms again.

 

In spite of how much pain she was in, Keyla nodded and took a deep breath to talk, fighting to stay conscious. “My room…closet…hidden door…” Her eyes closed then, the darkness overtaking her just as Roman pounded up the stairs to retrieve his woman and the police arrived at the house.

 

Sirens were the last noise Keyla heard.

 

Chapter 48

 

A soft low groan slipped out of her mouth as an annoying beeping sound thrummed in her ears.  The sterile smell made her slightly nauseous and Keyla didn’t have to open her eyes to know where she was.  The last place she wanted to be because hospitals had never been kind to her.  Grandpa George had died in a hospital and she’d been at his bedside when he finally passed on.  Keyla hissed out softly, slowly opening her eyes and blinked the blurred vision away.  The first thing she noticed was her left arm was in a sling and her face felt like it was on fire.  It didn’t take much for the events to rocket through her mind, reminding Keyla of what happened at the house with Nick Gage and Danny Havoc.  She also recalled Jon and Roman showing up right before Gage snapped her neck, threatening her life.  Or maybe they hadn’t and the police had arrived to save her.  The door to her hospital room opened and Keyla jumped, immediately regretting it biting back a soft cry.

 

“Oh thank god you’re awake.” Lennox breathed a huge sigh of relief, rushing to Keyla’s side and sat down in the chair by the bed, setting her coffee down. “How are you feeling?”

 

“Been better.” Keyla admitted quietly, trying to sit up a little in the bed and reached her uninjured arm up to touch her lips with her fingers, wincing. “A-Are you hurt?”

 

Lennox shook her head and took Keyla’s hand, bringing it to her face as tears began streaming down her cheeks.  She felt an overwhelming wave of guilt crash over her every time she saw the condition Keyla was in.  All because she wanted to protect Lennox instead of saving her own skin or joining her in hiding.  Why did Keyla insist on making herself the diversion instead of staying in the safe hidden room with Lennox?  It was a question Lennox needed answered, but now wasn’t the time to ask.  The most important thing was helping her best friend get well and out of this hospital.

 

“Please don’t cry, Len…” Keyla whispered, pulling her hand away from Lennox to stroke the woman’s hair while she continued crying. “I’m sorry for tricking you, but…”

 

“Why?” Lennox looked up to stare into watery golden eyes with her own swollen red-rimmed violet orbs. “Why did you do it?  Why did you lock me away and not come with me?  Why did you put yourself in danger?  You nearly died!”

 

Keyla heaved a shaky sigh and leaned her head back against the pillow, pulling her eyes away from Lennox to stare up at the ceiling. “It’s my fault this happened in the first place.  It was my idea to go to the house to pack it up and sell it.  I should’ve known the break-ins were all a ploy.  I figured since we hadn’t heard from Gage or Havoc, we were safe and they wouldn’t bother us.  I wasn’t gonna let that asshole hurt you more than he already has and I damn sure wasn’t letting Gage touch you.  Because if you think for a second Danny would’ve stopped him from hurting you, you’re wrong.  I did what I thought was best.  I knew I had a backup plan with Sami’s threat and my hunch was right.  I told Sami about our trip for that purpose, just in case those assholes decided to show up.  And they were stupid and forgot to cut the power in the house, including the phone lines, so I managed to call 911 before they could get into my room.  It was my idea and it was on me if something happened to you, Lennox.  So I did what I had to do to protect you.”

 

“So the fact you almost died doesn’t bother you at all?  Your blood would’ve been on my hands, Key.  If anything happened to you, besides your dislocated shoulder and bruised face, that would’ve been on me.  You told me to trust you and I did.  I just thought we were a team and we would work together to get out of any situation – good or bad.” Lennox sniffled, starting to stand up from the chair and felt Keyla grab her hand, golden eyes begging her not to leave. “I-I need some air…”

 

“Lennox…” Keyla frowned, watching her best friend storm out of the hospital room and shut her eyes, fresh tears falling from them. “Fuck…”

 

Hitting the hospital bedding with her injured hand, Keyla felt helpless being laid up when all she wanted to do was go after Lennox.  They were family and Lennox was really all Keyla had left since there was a chance she’d lost Jon already.  Looking down at her arm sling, Keyla wondered how badly injured it was because she vaguely remembered Scotty Vortekz informing her it was dislocated.  Maybe that was her imagination too since Jon was nowhere to be found and Lennox was the only one who bothered talking to her.

 

~!~

 

“You have to talk to her, bro.”

 

Jon paced back and forth in the waiting lobby a few feet away from Keyla’s hospital room, unable to step foot inside.  Lennox had just gone in and he knew the women had a lot to talk about.  He’d give them all the time they needed because he wasn’t sure what to say to Keyla.  She nearly died because of her deceit and if it wasn’t for Sami knowing where they were…Jon didn’t want to think about what would’ve happened.  Nick Gage was deranged enough to snap a woman’s neck without blinking or feeling an ounce of sorrow.  Keyla would’ve been dead if they hadn’t arrived at the house when they did.  Sami was on his way to Philadelphia with Gina to check on the girls and called several times to check on things with Keyla.  She was the only one hospitalized, thanks to Lennox being locked in the hidden room of her friend’s closet.

 

“Dean…”

 

“What do you want me to say to her, Roman?” Jon snapped, keeping his voice down because he’d already been warned by the hospital staff to keep his temper in check. “She lied to me and put herself and Lennox in danger.  Why are you not more pissed about this?”

 

“Because I’m just thankful Lennox is safe and unharmed.  Danny Havoc didn’t get his hands on her and that’s all my mind can process right now.  You should be in that room with Keyla right now holding her hand and thanking whatever god is up there she’s still alive.” Roman explained, clasping his hands together in front of him and tried not reminding himself of the fact Lennox had also lied about their whereabouts.

 

Snorting, Jon didn’t know if Roman was in denial about the harsh fact his girlfriend had lied to him or he simply didn’t care. “She’s with Lennox right now.  I’ll let them talk and then go in to see her…” Maybe, he mentally added, bouncing his knee while keeping his eyes zeroed in on Keyla’s closed hospital door.

 

A few minutes later, Lennox came barging out of the room and tried bypassing the men, but Roman quickly stepped in her path. “I need air.  I need to get out of here for a while.” She tried sidestepping him, but the Samoan wouldn’t get out of her way. “Roman please…”

 

Placing his hands on Lennox’s shoulders, Roman sucked in a sharp breath at the tears sliding down her cheeks and wiped them away with the pad of his thumbs. “What happened?  You’re not going anywhere in this damn city without me.” He ordered in a final tone, no room for a sliver of an argument.

 

“She said it was on her.  She didn’t want me to be hurt by Danny again and that’s why she trapped me in that hidden room.” Lennox couldn’t meet Roman’s eyes, taking a step back wrapping her arms tightly around herself. “S-She made herself the diversion and wouldn’t tell them where I was.  K-Key nearly died…for me…” Not able to take anymore, she shoved Roman aside and flew down the hallway toward the exit in tears, the guilt tearing her insides apart.

 

Roman didn’t want to leave Jon by himself, but Lennox was on the verge of having a breakdown and he had to be there for her too. “Dean…”

 

“Go after her.  She needs you right now, bro.  Don’t worry, I’m not leaving and I’ll talk to Keyla.  Find out what the fuck is going on in her head.” Jon had listened to every word from Lennox and growled under his breath, wanting to ring Keyla’s neck for being reckless with her own life.

 

Didn’t she want a future with him?  Isn’t that what she fought for to get out of him for years and now she was willing to throw it all away to save her best friend?  Jon had nothing against Lennox, but if came down to putting a bullet in her head for the sake of saving Keyla, he would do it in a heartbeat.  Keyla had no sense of self-worth and Jon didn’t understand it, beginning to pace again tearing hands through his auburn blonde curls in frustration.

 

Deciding he would let her stew and think about what she did a little while longer before going to see her, Jon didn’t move toward the hospital room and simply watched it like a hawk.

 

~!~

 

Running as fast as he could outside, Roman stopped at the sight of Lennox leaning against his rental car with a cigarette in hand.  She hadn’t smoked since they started dating, deciding to quit because he was a non-smoker.  That was her excuse anyway.  Roman was just happy to see her doing it because smoking did nothing to help the body stay healthy.  Now wasn’t the time to lecture her on the smoking, not when she was this fragile and vulnerable.

 

“I’m sorry.” Lennox murmured, taking a long drag of her cigarette and flicked some ashes off the tip, the tears not stopping. “I-I’m s-so sorry.”

 

Roman didn’t know why she was apologizing to him and stood a few feet away, giving Lennox space.  She needed it instead of being smothered by him. “For what, beautiful?” He asked quietly, shoving his hands in the front pockets of his black jeans.

 

“For everything.  For coming here and lying to you about where we were going.  Keyla told me a little white lie wouldn’t hurt anything and we deserved some girl time.  I had a gut feeling I was doing the wrong thing when I told you about my friend in New York, but I didn’t want to disappoint Keyla.  I figured I was just overreacting and convinced myself lying to you was the right thing to do.” Lennox explained, scoffing at herself for being stupid and took another long drag to try calming her nerves. “We just started dating and I’m already lying to you.  You must think I’m a complete fuck-up and I don’t blame you because I am.  I can’t even – I can’t even protect my best friend from being hurt by two psycho assholes because she tricked me!  Because she wanted to be the diversion and protect me from them!!  What kind of friend am I?  She nearly died!”

 

“But she didn’t.  You both are fine and she’ll heal from her injuries.  You can’t change what happened, including lying to me.  For the record, I am pissed about it and some of my trust is broken, but that also can be repaired.  You didn’t do nearly enough damage to push me away, Lennox.” Roman took a step forward and then another until he stood right in front of her, placing one hand on her hip before taking the cigarette out of her mouth to flick it away. “I’m just glad nothing happened to you and you’re not laid up in a hospital bed right now.  Keyla only did what she thought best in the situation and didn’t want you hurt.  Your friendship will be repaired too.  I owe her everything for protecting you the way she did.  I just hope Dean doesn’t end things with her over this.  He’s pretty pissed off right now.”

 

Losing Jon for a second time would be an event Keyla would not come back from.  She would never heal and the breakup would ultimately kill her.  Lennox couldn’t let that happen, not after all the hell and heartache she watched Keyla go through when Jon left to pursue the WWE.  There had to be a way to fix everything.  However, she had to make sure things between her and Roman were alright before trying to fix her best friend’s relationship.

 

“I hope you can forgive me, Roman.  And I swear to you, I will not lie to you again.  Not for anything or anyone.” Lennox vowed, reaching up to stroke the scruff on his jaw and felt her heart leap in her chest as he lifted her to plant her backside on the hood of the vehicle.

 

Roman wanted to be eyelevel with her and leaned into her soft touch, standing between her jean covered thighs. “Don’t break that promise.” Then he captured her mouth in a fire-ridden kiss that made her toes curl and both of them breathless.

 

~!~

 

“Give me one good fucking reason why I shouldn’t walk out of here and leave you.”

 

Keyla flinched at the amount of anger in his voice, surprised Jon finally came in to see her because she honestly thought he’d left the hospital already. “I-I don’t have one…” She shut her eyes, trying to fight back tears and felt her heart breaking piece by piece in her chest, just like it had 3 years ago.

 

“Damn it, Keyla!  Do you realize what could’ve happened - what ALMOST happened to you?!” Jon tried not to raise his raspy voice, but it was impossible hearing her infuriating response. “Don’t you care about yourself?  Don’t you care about LIVING?  Do you have any idea what the fuck you’ve done?!”

 

“What do you want me to say, Jon?  I fucked up, I admit that, but…I didn’t think anything would happen.  I told Sami as an insurance policy just in case, but I couldn’t wait for you to finish your movie.  I had to get the house ready to be sold because of all the break-ins…” Keyla hadn’t mentioned any of this to him until now, keeping her eyes lowered to her lap instead of staring in his icy blues full of disappointment.

 

“Break-ins?  What the fuck are you talking about?” Jon demanded, refusing to drop the subject and folded his arms in front of his chest. “Care to enlighten me?”

 

Keyla blew out a breath and explained the countless phone calls from her security system.  There’d been 5 break-ins within the past couple months and she thought it was hoodlums in the city trying to find something for a quick buck.  It wasn’t a safe place to live anymore, so she decided to clean the house on her 2 days off from work with Lennox’s help and put it up for sale.

 

“I-I kept it from you because you’ve had a lot on your plate lately with the movie and the WWE in general.  I didn’t want to add more to your plate when I didn’t even know what was going on.” Keyla sniffled, wiping her tears away, but they just kept coming and she finally conceded, knowing it was no use stopping them. “I love you and I’m sorry, Jon.  I made a mistake, but I swear I didn’t mean to hurt you and I didn’t know we’d be attacked by those pricks.  You were doing your movie and I figured I could get it done without any issues.  It’s my house and I had to take care of it for my Papa George.”

 

Jon understood her independent nature; it was one of the reasons Jon loved her so much and fell for Keyla in the first place. “When are you gonna get it through your damn thick stubborn skull that you are my world?  You mean every fucking thing to me.  Wrestling is nothing without you in my life.  The movie can go to hell for all I care if you’re not in my life.  Because you ARE my life, Keyla Jensen.” Sinking down on the hospital bed beside her, Jon buried his head in his hands and had no idea what to do about this. “I said you’re stuck with me and I meant it.  You can lie to me all you want; I’m not going anywhere.  But I need to know if I’m wasting my fucking time here.  I need to know if you care about your life and want to live or if you secretly wanna die and leave me.  Because I damn sure don’t wanna leave you.”

 

“I won’t lie to you again.” Keyla reached out with her free hand and sat up a little more in bed, wishing he would look at her. “But I don’t want you to stay with me just because you feel obligated.  I want you to be with me because you want to and you love me.  So if that’s the reason…”

 

“I fucking love you, Keyla.  Don’t you get it?  What do I have to do to make you believe that?  To make you understand what you mean to me?” Jon demanded, turning to face her and leaned forward to where their lips were mere inches from each other. “Now tell me I’m not wasting my time.  Tell me you want to live and you weren’t trying to off yourself to get away from me.” People were always leaving him in life and Jon refused to be with someone who didn’t have self-worth.

 

Keyla shook her head, cupping the back of his neck and stroked his soft curls. “Of course I want to live.  I never want to leave you.  I just…I felt responsible for putting Lennox in that situation with Gage and Havoc.  I was trying to make things right.  And I was afraid if I hid with her in the room, we’d never be found when you eventually came to find us at the house.  That’s why I told Sami, he was my backup in case something bad happened.  I love you more than you’ll ever know, Jon.  And you’re not wasting your time because I promise I’ll never lie to you again and I’ll never leave you, if I can help it.  I need to know you forgive me though.  I need to know you won’t leave me over this and it won’t tear us apart because of a stupid mistake I made.”

 

That was good enough for Jon and he captured her mouth with his, showing her with actions instead of words how much she meant to him.

 

Injury or not.

 

Hospital room or not. 

 

“Jon…”

 

Chapter 49

 

The next several months were insanely busy for both couples for different reasons.

 

Roman sustained an injury during Danny Havoc’s brutal beat down.  It was an old hernia he had since his football days and Danny nailed him in the right place at the wrong time.  Roman had to have emergency surgery to repair his hernia and therefore missed out on his revenge against Seth Rollins.  He wasn’t happy about it and Lennox felt guilt-ridden, hating that she was stuck at work on the road while he had to recover in Pensacola.  Luckily, Roman lived down the street from his parents and his mother took care of him when Lennox wasn’t there.  Every Wednesday through Friday morning she was in Pensacola catering to his every need, trying to heal him up as quickly as possible so he could get back in the ring.

 

Fate was on Jon’s side to kick the stuffing out of Seth some more because he didn’t have to go back to finish his movie.  They had enough film to work with and he was allowed to return at the pay-per-view Night of Champions.  The same pay-per-view event Roman was supposed to get his long awaited revenge on the piss ant.  However, his injury and emergent surgery left WWE no choice except to put Jon in the slot to beat the hell out of Seth.  Jon showed up via taxi cab to the arena, after checking on Roman since he’d had surgery earlier that day, and the fans went ballistic.  Even Keyla was floored because Jon hadn’t informed her of his return to the company this soon.

 

“DEAN AMBROSE!!  IT’S DEAN AMBROSE!!  THE LUNATIC FRINGE IS HERE!  THE UNSTABLE DEAN AMBROSE!!”

 

Wide citrine eyes watched while filming the brawl and Jon didn’t hold back, chasing Seth all over the arena, including through the crowd. “Is he trying to kill himself?!” She whispered frantically to herself, watching him do a suicide dive on top of multiple security guards and Seth Rollins with the Authority screaming to stop the Lunatic Fringe.

 

When it was all said and done, Dean Ambrose was carted to the backstage area while Seth took off with the Authority.  The crowd was still lit on fire from Dean Ambrose’s return and they wanted more – craved more of the Lunatic Fringe beating the hell out of Rollins.  It seemed as though nothing would stop Dean from inflicting as much damage as possible on the man who stabbed him in the back and put his head through cinderblocks.  At least, that’s what the WWE Universe was lead to believe.  Yes, the men legitimately hated each other, that was 100% completely true.

 

The rest of the pay-per-view was dull and boring compared to what Jon brought to the table.  As soon as it ended, Keyla took off to the backstage area and jumped into Jon’s arms, not sure when she would see him after they parted ways with her still in the hospital.  He had to go back to Vancouver to finish up the movie and Keyla understood that, assuring him she would be back on the road as soon as she left the hospital.  Dislocated shoulder or not, she had a job to do and would have to take a solid week off to make sure it healed properly.  Or else it would pop out of socket again.

 

“What are you doing here?!” Keyla squealed against his mouth, legs wrapped around his waist and arms draped on his shoulders. “You’re supposed to be in Vancouver!”

 

“I finished it before I left apparently and the WWE called me back because of big man’s injury.” Jon explained, enjoying this homecoming and reunion with his woman, missing her more than words could say. “I saw him before I came here to beat the piss out of Rollins.”

 

Keyla didn’t care why he was back or how, enjoying whatever force brought him back home where he belonged. “A little warning would’ve been nice.” She kissed him again and then proceeded to rain them all over his face, rubbing their noses together gently. “How is Roman anyway?”

 

“Good, his spirits aren’t down and he’ll be back soon.” Jon wasn’t worried in the slightest because Roman bounced back from any injury fairly quickly.  This business was in his blood; there’s no way he wouldn’t succeed and not come back. “How’s Lennox holding up?”

 

“She’s worried about him and wants to be by his side.  Roman told her she couldn’t give her job up for him, so that’s the only reason why she’s here instead of with him right now.  I think she’s having doubts about their relationship ever since what happened with Havoc and Gage.  She won’t talk about it much, but I know it’s bothering her.” Keyla admitted openly, feeling Jon carry her down the hallway to his dressing room and sat down in a steel folding chair, not releasing her for a second.

 

After Night of Champions, Jon was back on the roster full-time and told the director of his movie if they wanted him to do anymore scenes, he would have to do it on his days off.  So Keyla rarely got any personal time off with him over the next few months.  She was fine with it because it gave her time to go back to Philadelphia to finalize things with the house while Lennox went to Pensacola to be with Roman.  It didn’t take long to sell the house, which was surprising, but it went to a beautiful couple that just recently had a baby.  They also had a 4-year-old, so it was the perfect house for them to grow their family in.  Sami offered to go with her, but Keyla declined since she only had to go to Philadelphia a couple times. 

 

By the time October rolled around, the ink was dry on the paperwork and the house no longer belonged to Keyla or any of her family, what was left of it.  She flew back to Tampa and stayed with Sami, both of them hashing out what happened regarding her stupid idea to go to Philadelphia while Gage and Havoc were on the loose.  The ONLY reason she was allowed to go by herself this time around was because both were locked up tight and no amount of money would bail them out.  The trial was set for November where Keyla would testify against them, leaving Lennox out of it.  She had enough to worry about with Roman’s recovery.

 

It wasn’t a huge surprise when the judge sentenced both Nick Gage and Danny Havoc to life in prison for attempted murder, breaking and entering, assault and battery, among other multiple charges.  Robbery was also on that list.  Nick Gage apparently hadn’t learned his lesson with his first robbery and dragged Danny into it.  Keyla breathed a huge sigh of relief and leaned against Jon, letting a few tears of relief slide down her cheeks.  Never again would they have to deal with the two psychos that nearly took her life as well as Lennox’s.  They were finally free and Lennox could be completely happy with Roman for the rest of her life, or as long as she wanted.  It was obvious she loved him, but hadn’t admitted it yet.  Hopefully, Roman was patient and let her say it in her own time.  Rushing Lennox was the last thing he wanted to do, even if Roman knew how she truly felt.

 

November rolled into December and before anyone knew it, the TLC –Tables, Ladders & Chairs- pay-per-view event was underway.  It was Jon and Roman’s 2-year anniversary in the company, when they were the Shield with Seth Rollins and made names for themselves in a brutal TLC match.  It was an unforgettable match with a lot of extreme moments and the Shield made a statement that night.  Now, Jon was on his own in the pay-per-view and going against Bray Wyatt, the Eater of Worlds, in a TLC match that would surprisingly main event.  Nobody knew it, but a certain Samoan was in the building and made his return during Seth’s match against John Cena.  It was a Tables match and if Cena lost, he would lose his contendership for the World Heavyweight Champion against Brock Lesnar.  Big Show ended up getting involved in the match on Seth’s behalf and, just as it looked like Cena was about to be put through a table to lose his shot at Lesnar, the unmistakable music of Roman Reigns blared through the speakers.  One Superman Punch to Big Show and a spear through a table knocked Big Show out of the equation.  Then he Superman Punched Seth, which followed an Attitude Adjustment from Cena through a table to secure Cena’s shot at Brock Lesnar’s title.  After months of rehab and busting his backside in the gym, it had all been worth it to come back to do what he loved.

 

“You’re spending Christmas with me and my family.  I already invited Dean and he’s telling Keyla as soon as the show is over with.” Roman stated as soon as Lennox ran at him, jumping in his arms to kiss him breathless.  She was the happiest he was back, Roman was convinced. “You got a problem with that, beautiful?”

 

“Not at all.” Lennox nuzzled his neck, not caring about her job or anything else at the moment except being with her man. “I’m so glad you’re back on the road with me.”

 

“You and me both, baby girl.”

 

~!~

 

“So remind me again why we’re spending Christmas in Florida instead of in Vegas?”

 

Jon chuckled, stroking Keyla’s bare back while spooning against her, both of them in their glory enjoying each other immensely. “Mmm I told you, Roman invited us and I can’t say no to my bro.  Will it really be that bad to spend it with an actual family instead of by ourselves?” This was the first week in months Jon had free from his movie obligation and they were currently in Vegas sexing each other up as much as they could in the span of their 2 days off.

 

Smirking, Keyla kept up her movements and felt his dick throb against her pert backside, knowing he was torturing himself as much as her.  It was sweet torture though. “I suppose not.” She conceded, rolling over to drape her leg over his thigh to give Jon the opening he needed to take her anytime he wanted. “As long as you’re there, that’s all I care about.  I don’t care where we spend the holidays, baby.”

 

“Good.” Jon growled at her blatant teasing and took the plunge, sliding his dick home where it belonged and both groaned at the friction once more. “You like that, huh?  Does my dick feel good inside of you, darlin’?”

 

“Y-Yes…fuck yes…” Keyla moaned uncontrollably, loving how they fit together in any position like a glove with no problems or falter. “Oh Jon…” The last time they made love had been several weeks ago because of his busy schedule and it nearly killed them to go that long without being intimate. “Harder, make me scream…”

 

He planned on making all of Vegas hear her passionate shrieks, if possible.

 

~!~

 

Christmas Eve arrived with both women holding glasses of wine and the men chugging beers.  Florida was warm, which was normal, especially for Pensacola.  The girls were in red and green short-sleeved velvet dresses that hugged their hips and pushed their breasts out just enough to give a sneak peek.  Lennox wanted to look nice and festive, begging Keyla to dress up with her so she didn’t look like a moron.  The dresses went just above the knee and their hair was left down in loose curls, little makeup on their faces to accentuate their beauty.

 

Jon and Roman were lucky men.

 

Roman had been fidgety all night, wondering when would be a good time to spring his gift on Lennox.  Was it too soon?  Would she accept it?  They spent every waking moment together recently, even after his recovery because she didn’t want to be away from him.  Roman didn’t want her away from him either.  They couldn’t get enough of each other and it helped the sex was incredible.  Lennox still hadn’t dropped the L bomb though and Roman worried if she ever would because he’d been holding it back with every ounce of strength and willpower he had.

 

“Go on, bro.  No turning back now, remember?” Jon coached, squeezing the big man’s shoulder and could see the anxiety in his grey eyes. “She’s gonna say yes.  So just go do it already.” He had his own surprise in store for Keyla too that night, already knowing what her answer would be.

 

Roman didn’t.

 

Standing, Roman took a deep breath and walked over to where Lennox stood alongside Keyla, both of them in a light conversation with Roman’s mother, Lisa.  She was a doll and asked if they would help with some of the sides for the big Christmas Eve dinner.  There would be another one the next evening on Christmas Day – it was a tradition Roman’s family did every year since before he could remember.  Roman asked for Lennox to join him outside for a minute to talk, politely getting his mother’s consent first and smiled when she agreed.  Keyla stayed behind to continue helping while Roman guided his honey blonde beauty outside by the pool for a private conversation.  There were strings of lights hanging all over the clotheslines and around the pool, the different colors reflecting in Lennox’s baffled violet eyes.

 

“Roman, is everything okay?  You’ve been acting weird all night…” Lennox had to ask, voicing her concern and touched his arm, seeing how nervous the big man was. “What’s wrong?”

 

“Nothing, I hope.” Roman rumbled softly, unable to take his eyes off the woman in front of him and enjoyed how the red velvet dress clung to every curve of her body.  It was sexy and classy at the same time. “I just wanted to give you something without everyone hovering.”

 

“Oh.” Lennox’s heart leapt in her throat as she watched Roman reach into his dress pant pocket to pull out a small black velvet box, her breathing growing unsteady with each second that passed by. “Roman, oh my god…”

 

Taking her hand, Roman did everything he could to calm her down because it was obvious she was on the verge of hyperventilating. “Lennox, I know we haven’t known each other very long.  Barely 6 months, actually.  A half a year isn’t nearly enough time to really get to know someone.  And I know what I’m about to ask for is a lot, but I would kick myself in the ass if I didn’t at least try to take our relationship to the next level.  I know we’re ready for it.  And I know we haven’t said this to each other yet and you don’t have to say it to me tonight, if you’re not ready.  But I have to say it because I’m afraid if I don’t, it’ll burst out one day out of the blue and you won’t be prepared for it like you are now.  So now I’m gonna say it.  I love you, Lennox Sparks.” Roman confessed, already feeling the biggest weight lift off his shoulders and his heart thrum powerfully against his chest. “I love you, I’m in love with you and I want you to move in with me.  Please say you will.”

 

Flipping the box open, a simple silver key stared back at Lennox and she felt her knees weaken, the hand once again covering her mouth.  Roman loved her.  He admitted it on Christmas Eve and what she thought was a ring in that box was a key to his place.  He wanted to live together, to make it official and Lennox had no idea how to feel.  The last time she’d been in love with a man and moved in with him had ended disastrously and she didn’t want it happening again.  What if he changed just like Danny had?  Danny had been this sweet, kind and loving before their relationship went to complete hell because of drugs.  What if Roman started drugs and she ended up with another shattered heart and broken dreams of a future together?

 

“I can’t, I’m sorry.”

 

Rushing back inside the house before Roman could stop her, Lennox passed by the kitchen to the front door and stepped out to sit on the front porch, bursting into tears.

 

Chapter 50

 

“Roman, what happened?” Keyla demanded, stepping outside to check on the big man after watching her best friend fly through the house like her backside caught fire.

 

Hunched over sitting at the patio table by the pool, Roman couldn’t look at Keyla and simply shoved the box with the key still inside across the table. “You need to check on her.  She wants nothing to do with me.” He muttered, planning on getting plastered with some hard liquor because beer would barely give him a buzz.

 

“Oh shit…” Keyla murmured quietly, staring back at the silver key and frowned, knowing why Lennox freaked out. “You asked her to move in with you?”

 

“After telling her I loved her.  I bombarded her and now she probably thinks I’m crazy.” Roman scoffed, snapping the lid closed on the box and shoved it back in his pocket. “I couldn’t hold it in anymore.  And her answer tells me she’s not in love with me and she doesn’t feel anywhere near the way I do.  I got the message loud and clear.”

 

Keyla moved to sit beside Roman and placed her hand on his arm, trying to comfort the big Samoan somehow. “It is a lot for her to take in.  Roman, you have to understand something.  She was with Danny Havoc for damn near 8 years.  She was in love with him completely and gave up everything for him.  They moved in after only a year and it’s been 6 months for you guys.  Lennox doesn’t wear her heart on her sleeve because she’s afraid of being hurt again.  But trust me when I tell you this, Reigns, she DOES feel the same way about you as you do her.  She loves you.  I can see it in her eyes and it’s written all over her face every time she mentions you.  She’s terrified of everything going to hell though because that’s exactly how it went down with Danny.  They were happy, in love, engaged and then he started doing drugs and completely ruined everything they had together.  So she’s probably thinking this is too good to be true and she’ll end up hurt again.”

 

“So what the fuck will it take to make her believe and trust me?  She’s been staying with me on our days off anyway and I figured asking her to move in would just bring us closer.  I figured telling her I love her would gain me some damn trust points, at the very least.” Roman growled, balling his fist up and slammed it down on the table before standing, turning his back to Keyla. “I don’t know what more I can do to make her happy and trust me.  I’m out of options right now.  I don’t wanna lose her, but…maybe she’s not ready for this.  I love her and I want to be with her, but maybe she doesn’t wanna be with me.”

 

Honestly, Keyla didn’t know how to respond to that because she had no idea what was going through Lennox’s mind.  She couldn’t speak for her best friend.  Maybe Roman was right.  Maybe he was wrong.  There was only one person who had all the answers to these questions and she was currently on the front porch crying her eyes out.  Keyla had checked on her briefly before going after Roman to find out what happened, giving Lennox some time alone.  She looked up when the sliding patio door opened and Jon stepped out, tears shimmering in her eyes.

 

“Talk to him and keep him calm.  I’m gonna go talk to Lennox and find out what the hell is going on.”

 

Nodding, Jon kissed the top of Keyla’s head before letting her run off and stood beside Roman, handing him a fresh beer.

 

~!~

 

“Why did you say no to him?” Keyla asked after sitting down beside her best friend and pulled out a cigarette, handing one over to her.  They only smoked occasionally, doing their best to quit, but this moment required a nicotine fix. “He thinks you don’t love him.”

 

That made Lennox feel worse because it was far from the truth. “Of course I do!  Why would he think that?  I know I haven’t said it to him, but this is too much too fast.  How can I move in with him?  What if something happens and I’m back to square one again?”

 

Keyla had been right on the nose with her assumptions regarding Lennox’s feelings.  It all came back to Danny Havoc. “Look, I know shit with you and Danny didn’t pan out and you loved him.  I was convinced you guys would last forever too.  Getting married and having babies, all that jazz.  But you weren’t meant to be or he wouldn’t have destroyed your relationship by doing drugs.  It was his fault, not yours and you have to stop blaming yourself.  Roman is NOT, nor ever will be, Danny Havoc and you need to believe that.  Let the past go and be happy with Roman.  You deserve happiness just like everyone else, but you have to trust and believe in your man or else you’ll end up old and alone.  Is that what you want?”

 

“No…” Lennox took another drag of the cigarette and suddenly dropped it, burying her face in her hands crying her heart out. “I do trust and believe in him wholeheartedly, but…I don’t trust and believe in myself.  I’m in love with a man who is out of my league and I don’t deserve him because I’m so fucked in the head from what Danny did to me.”

 

Flicking her own cigarette away, Keyla wrapped her arms around Lennox and let her cry on her shoulder, trying to calm her down. “It’s time for you to open up to him and be happy, Len.  Forget Danny Havoc ever existed and realize this is your new life.  He’s nowhere in it and never will be again.” She pulled back to raise Lennox’s red-rimmed violet eyes to meet hers. “Roman is your future; do you understand that?  So if the man wants you to move in with him, do it.  He’ll never hurt you and will always protect you.  Put your faith, trust and belief in him.  He’s a great man and loves you so much.”

 

Lennox swallowed hard, wiping her tears away and knew deep down Keyla was right.  Roman was the best man she’d ever met in her life and treated her like gold, never once hurting her.  Even when he was injured and she was stuck on the road, he kept in contact with her, always proclaiming how much he missed being with her.  It wasn’t just wrestling he missed in those months, it was her too.  Why hadn’t she seen it sooner?  Roman Reigns was perfect in every way and he loved her.  Turning down his proposition to move in was incredibly stupid and Lennox had a lot of making up to do.

 

“Is he still in the back?”

 

Keyla nodded, smiling at the new determination on her best friend’s face and wiped away some mascara from beneath her eye. “He’s with Jon by the pool.  Come on, I’ll go with you so I can pull Jon away.”

 

“Thanks for everything, Key.” Lennox hugged her tightly for a brief moment before the girls made their way to the back of the house.

 

Jon hadn’t said a word to Roman and stood there for silent support, deciding if the big man wanted to talk he would.  He heard grass rustling and glanced over his shoulder, seeing Keyla and Lennox standing there.  Lennox was ready to talk to Roman again apparently, so Jon made himself scarce and joined Keyla’s side while Lennox took over his.  He wrapped his arms around Keyla’s waist and rested his head on her shoulder, both watching the scene unfold before their eyes.

 

“Is your offer still on the table?” Lennox asked, breaking the silence between them and looked up at Roman just as he stared down at her, violet and grey mixing together.

 

“Yeah, why?” Roman tried keeping the gruffness out of his voice and failed, pulling the box out of his pocket to hand it over to her. “You can keep it and decide when you wanna use it, I guess…”

 

Instead of replying, Lennox decided actions spoke volumes instead of words.  She leaned up, cupping his face in both of her hands and passionately kissed him, taking the box from his hand in the process.  Only when they both needed oxygen to breathe did Lennox break the kiss and she smiled through tears, not releasing the box for a second.  It was her Christmas gift from Roman and she’d be damned if he tried taking it from her.  Now, she had a gift for him and hoped it wasn’t too late for their rocky relationship to finally become settled.

 

“I love you too, Roman.  And I’m not saying it because you did.  I feel it in my heart and every part of my body.  Ignoring it as long as I did was stupid and I’m sorry for my insecurity.  I always felt like I wasn’t good enough for you, but you never once made me feel inadequate or gave me any sign you were sick of me.  I should’ve known better and seen the signs sooner.” Lennox pressed her forehead to his and felt his arm wrap around her waist, softly kissing him again. “My answer to your question is yes.  I’d love to live with you and make a home for us.”

 

Grinning, Roman had nothing more to say and lifted Lennox off the ground to hold her close, his shattered heart already mending from what happened between them earlier.

 

“Bout fucking time.” Jon muttered, grunting when Keyla elbowed him and growled in her ear, tightening his arm around her. “Not nice, darlin’.”

 

“Hey, at least it didn’t take them over 3 years to admit their feelings.” She shot back in a snarky tone and gasped when Jon nipped the side of her neck, immediately shutting her eyes. “You know I’m right.”

 

Growling again, Jon looked around the huge yard and lead Keyla away from the happy couple to have his own moment with the love of his life.  Both Jon and Roman had talked about it for a while before pulling the trigger on what they wanted to give their women for Christmas.  Jon stopped when they were behind the shed out of eyesight and pressed Keyla back against it, pushing her dress up to bunch around her hips.

 

“O-Out here?!” Keyla gasped, trying to stop him because she didn’t want to be caught by any of Roman’s family and felt Jon twist her around to where her backside faced him. “Jon wait, we can’t-!”

 

“Shut up and enjoy this.” Jon’s dick was already hard as a rock and pulsating with need to be buried deep in her beautiful soaking sex, sliding the tip up and down the crack of her backside.  He quickly removed the black t-shirt he had on, hating the feeling of being confined. “Don’t scream and nobody will find out we’re fucking like bunnies back here.”

 

How could she deny him anything?  For Christ sakes, this was the same man who screwed her in the middle of a hallway right after he won the FIP World Heavyweight championship!  He was capable of having sex anywhere, including in Roman’s parents’ backyard behind their shed.  The moon shined down on them and stars glistened in the sky above, making the moment that much more erotic.  Wrapping his hand around her throat, just like old times, Jon plunged inside of her welcoming body and bit into the back of her neck to silence his own groaning.  There was something about having sex in odd places with Keyla that made Jon want to claim her in every way possible.  Keyla had to slap a hand over her mouth while pressing the other one against the shed to keep herself silent as well, Jon’s balls slapping against her pussy lips at a hard fast pace making her entire body break out into a sweat.  The only sound to be heard was flesh smacking against flesh and heavy breathing through noses, both on the verge of falling over the edge in sheer ecstasy. 

 

Instead of emptying inside of her like he wanted to, Jon pulled out before he could explode and whipped Keyla back around to face him.  He could see the confusion registering in her wide amber eyes and smirked, lifting her up to sink his cock right back inside of her again.  His mouth claimed hers, pressing her back against the shed and began thrusting at a slow steady pace to build up their climax.  Keyla had no idea why he changed the position and wasn’t complaining, digging her nails into his broad bare shoulders while they continued muffling their moans and groans with each other’s mouths.

 

“Move in with me.” Jon mumbled against her lips once the kiss broke, continuing to go slow and knew he was driving Keyla to madness.

 

“W-What?!” Keyla blinked, feeling her jaw drop and couldn’t believe he was asking her this during sex.  Was he trying to coerce her into moving to Vegas? “Y-You’re really asking me this NOW?”

 

Pulling his mouth away from her ear, Jon nodded with a knowing smirk and increased his thrusts slightly, her whimpering telling him she was close. “Yeah, why not?  Just say yes and I’ll make you cum harder than you ever have before, darlin’.” He promised, nipping her bottom lip and held her closer against his body. “You already know you want to.”

 

Keyla couldn’t deny that, especially with his cock buried to the hilt inside of her and a pending orgasm threatening to explode out of her body. “Y-You don’t play fair.” She rasped out, trying to catch her breath and was sure someone would hear them out here.

 

“Never have and never will.” Jon promised, suddenly lowering them both to the grass with Keyla on top and his dick never leaving her body.  That took talent and Jon made sure they were still completely behind the shed. “Come on, fighting it like Lennox did is pointless.  I know you love me and you know I love you.  We enjoy fucking both on and off the road.  Admit it, you love my apartment.”

 

Did they really have to have this conversation now?  Keyla just wanted to focus on climaxing before her entire body imploded on her and her pussy went on strike. “Please let me cum.  I’ll tell you my answer if you let me cum for you.” She compromised breathlessly, rolling her hips as hard and fast as she could against him, taking full control of the bout they were engaged in. “Fuck, so close…”

 

Jon sat upright from the grass and wrapped her legs around his waist, using his strength and endurance to pound in and out of her. “Hold onto me.” If he wanted his answer, she needed to climax first and Jon had no problem with that agreement. “Let that pussy cum all over my dick, darlin’…”

 

“All over – yes…” Keyla wanted it more than anything, needing it and gripped the back of his hair to bury her fingers in his unruly curls, slamming her mouth on top of his.

 

Their releases triggered together, both exploding intensely and their screams of pleasure were miraculously muffled.  Jon didn’t pull away from her mouth until he was sure he’d emptied his seed completely inside of her.  Keyla sank against him, breathing erratically and finally pulled back to look in his beautiful pale blues she fell in love with years ago.  This man had gone from being her reverie, a relationship and love she thought was out of her reach, to her amaranthine.  An unfading and everlasting love that nothing and nobody could tarnish or break.  So why wouldn’t Keyla move in with the man who completed her in every way possible?

 

“Yes.” Keyla smiled, rubbing her nose against his and both fell back into the grass with her on top of him. “Yes to whatever you want, Moxley.”

 

Jon chuckled softly, bringing her mouth down on hers to seal the deal.  Neither knew what the future held for them, but as long as their love remained amaranthine, nothing would tear them apart.  Jon had run away from love his entire life until he met Keyla through Lennox with Sami.  Through hell, they found their way back to each other somehow someway and he wouldn’t waste a second being with Keyla.

 

After all, she was his amaranthine too.

 

The End.