Mirrors

Chapter 1

Another day at the office.

Oh what a joy it was working for a scumbag such as her boss, but it was great pay so she wasn’t complaining. Raking a hand through her honey blonde hair, her emerald green eyes scanned the hallway, knowing he was either in his office screwing another tramp or in a meeting. No matter, she had time as she walked into her own office and sat down, setting her briefcase on the desk, and started looking over the documents. Yes, this would definitely bring in the big bucks for ‘Thuganomics Recording Studios 101’. The name was lame as far as she was concerned, but then again, it really didn’t matter to her. She was here to do one thing and one thing only, which was to sign deals and rake in the dough.

John pushed open the double oak doors to the board room, allowing the producers and their talent to file out, nodding and shaking hands with them. When they’d all disappeared from sight, he sighed, unbuttoning his shirt, and raked a hand through his hair. He made his way to his own office, a slow sensual smirk spreading across his face when he seen one of his agents. Namine. Such a beautiful name for an even more gorgeous woman. He watched as she sat at her own desk in her office, crossing his arms over his broad, muscular chest, and leaned in her doorway.

“Hello gorgeous, how’s the work coming?” He asked, not really interested in that, but it would suffice for now.

This was how it went as Namine kept her eyes on the document before her, sighing deeply, and finally pulled he eyes from the paperwork to stare up into his blue eyes. Those cold, uncaring blue eyes that had every woman swooning over him within a 50-mile radius. The man had a radar on him and a magnet that attracted floozies from all over the place. Namine lost count at how many times she’d walked into his office and seen him zipping up his pants as yet another slut stared at him admirably. Womanizer was the only word Namine could truly describe her boss as, but of course, she’d kept her thoughts and feelings to herself.

It churned her stomach, but Namine couldn’t do anything about it and sighed heavily as she replied, “I got another deal signed today. I’m just looking over the contract to make sure everything is finalized, Mr. Cena.”

“Which deal is that?” John murmured, bending down on the pretense of reading the paperwork, but instead burying his nose in her hair. “Mmm…you smell delicious.” He purred, his voice dripping with seduction. “What scent is that?”

“The Coleman deal. He’s a huge hip hop rising star and I figured we could land a good deal with him, which I did.” She answered in that soft, meek voice, hating it when he got this close to her, and sighed heavily once more. ‘Why can’t he find someone else to annoy and harass?’ She wondered silently and pulled her head back abruptly from his nose. “It’s called shampoo and conditioner, Mr. Cena. You should try it sometime.” She smiled sweetly back at him, loving her rhetorical comebacks she always threw his way.

“Funny.” John replied, clearly not amused. He stood up and moved behind her, leaning down so his cheek was pressing against hers, and loved how soft she felt. “You got a mouth on you, Namine. Maybe you should try putting it to better use.” His voice was low and suggestive, obviously referring to something in particular. “Why don’t you come join me in my office for…lunch?”

“How about not and say I did?” Namine retorted once more, crossing her arms in front of her chest, and rolled her eyes, pulling her face away from him. This man unnerved her to no avail and no matter how many times she would threaten him to quit, Namine knew it would never happen. She loved her job too much, just not this part of it. “I already ate, Mr. Cena, but thank you for the offer anyway.” She respectfully declined, the professionalism once again in her voice, and raked a hand through her hair, trying to ignore his presence behind her.

“So come have a drink with me to celebrate your new friend.” He tapped the papers in emphasis, not put off by her refusal. If anything, the chase always made it more fun. Sometimes, he actually thought he loved chasing his prey more than catching it so easily.

“I’m not a big drinker, Mr. Cena, but once again, thank you for the invitation. Why don’t you go ask Stacy down in the recording department? I’m sure she’d love to join you for that drink.” She suggested, hoping that got his attention off of her, and started flipping through the papers once again. No matter how many times she declined his offers, he never stopped and it was getting rather old. After all, after a full year, wouldn’t’ anyone get tired of hearing the word no?

“Stacy?” John echoed, sounding like he didn’t recognize the name, and snapped his fingers when it came to him. “Oh…her. No, I’d rather not. Come on, Namine, I don’t bite…” He promised, his words trailing off with a sultry grin playing on his red lips. “I nibble.” He whispered, his mouth hovering right over her ear.

Swatting his mouth away from her ear, Namine groaned in discomfort and cracked her neck. It was moments like these where she really wanted to punch this moron in the nose, but refrained, knowing he’d fire her instantly. “I don’t want you nibbling, biting, or doing anything of the sort to me, Mr. Cena. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have work to do unlike SOME of us.” She stated in a low voice before scooting her chair into her desk. It was so tight, her stomach was pressing firmly against the desk edge, and started going over the documents once more.

John just chuckled, rolling up the sleeves of his white shirt and bent down over her again, one hand on either side of her, trapping her between his body and the desk. “You work too hard, you should try playing sometime, Namine. Relieve some of that pent up tension.” He suggested, his tone almost casual. Almost.

“I don’t play, Mr. Cena.” She replied vaguely, but her tone dripped with seriousness as she felt him leaning over her, knowing this would continue for a good hour or so. No matter, she could handle it, always did, and always would as she raked a hand through her hair. “Besides, if we don’t get this contract finished and signed, Coleman will go elsewhere and therefore, lose YOUR precious company more money.” Namine pointed out with a smirk on her face.

“Coleman isn’t going anywhere and we both know it, Namine.” John retorted, snorting, arrogant to a fault. “One, this is the best offer he’s gotten. Two, how could any man refuse a pretty face like yours?” He spun her chair around so she was facing him, lowering his head so they were almost nose to nose, and licked his upper lip slowly with the tip of his tongue. “You sure about that not playing?”

“Positive.” She answered without hesitation, her arms crossed in front of her chest, and stared back at him. Those cold, emerald green eyes stared back into his crystalline colored evil orbs and she wasn’t intimidated in the least. “Can I get back to work now, Mr. Cena?” She asked coolly, refusing to show her temper, and sighed nonchalantly.

John clucked his tongue, looking at her like she was out of her mind. How could she resist him? No other woman could! “I don’t understand you sometimes. All you do is work when you could be…doing something much more interesting.” Him mainly is what he was referring to and Namine knew it. “If I didn’t know any better, Namine, I’d think you were a lesbian.”

Namine raised an eyebrow at him, pursing her lips together tightly, and slowly snaked her tongue out to lick them. “Is that right?” She shrugged absentmindedly. Wasn’t the first time she’d heard that statement and it wouldn’t be the last as she leaned back in her chair, and kept arms crossed firmly over her chest. “Trust me, Mr. Cena, even if I WAS a lesbian, which I’m not, you still wouldn’t be able to watch.” She informed him, her voice low, calm and collected, refusing to allow him to get a rise out of her.

John grinned at her words, a grin that normally sent the other women in the company into spasms, his blue eyes twinkling, loving how feisty and stubborn she was. It was one of the many traits that attracted him to her and made him want her that much more. This only made the chase more thrilling to him as well. He knew when he finally caught her, and he would no doubt about that in his mind, it would be worth it. “Aww, why not?” He questioned, sounding mockingly hurt. “Afraid you might like being voyeuristic?”

Sighing, Namine stared at her nails, seeming undisturbed by what he just said, and ran a hand through her hair. “I wouldn’t let you watch even if you were the last man on the planet, Mr. Cena.” She stated in a sweet voice, smiling serenely back at him, her own green eyes staring at him knowing. “I know what you’re all about. I know what you want and going to tell you, like I’ve been telling you for the past year, the answer is and will remain no.” She was making it sound so simple, unnerving almost.

Still not phased, John decided to make at least one more shot before leaving Namine to do her work. He dropped one of his hands so he was gently squeezing the back of her neck, his fingers trailing gentle circles over her delicate skin. “What is it you think I’m all about, Namine?” He whispered in a question, his voice low and soothing. “Because I bet I can surprise you.”

“I’ll tell you exactly what you are, Mr. Cena…” Namine’s words trailed off as she brought her hand up, caressing his face with the back of it gently. "A womanizer who thinks every woman worships the ground you walk on and bows at your feet and every whim and wants to screw your brains out.” She simply finished, a bittersweet tone to her voice, and pushed his hand away from rubbing the back of her neck. “If I need a neck massage, I’ll go to a professional for it, Mr. Cena.” Crossing her arms in front of her chest once again, Namine stared at him, waiting for his next comeback. She loved spitting it back in his face every single time and sometimes thought she enjoyed it a little too much.

John’s eyebrows drew together for a brief moment before he stood up abruptly, pulling her with her by her upper arms. “A womanizer huh?” He questioned, wanting to clarify if he’d heard her right, and smirked, his voice dripping with raw sexuality. “Nice to know your opinion, Namine…” He trailed off, his mouth hovering over hers. “Mind if I try changing it?”

“As a matter of fact, Mr. Cena…” Her words traced off, her own voice dripping with mock seduction as she pressed her hands against his chest, shoving him away from her. “I do mind.” Namine finished, that same bittersweet tone in her voice.

Though, deep down inside, she was quaking and shaking from this man’s touch. Her boss was very persuasive, which is why he’d gotten his way with almost every woman that worked for his recording studio. He’d been very convincing with all the women he’d slept with and it was just a matter of time before she ran out of excuses and had to resort to more…physicality. She refused to give herself to a womanizer who would screw her and then shove her away like she was yesterday’s trash. Namine had more respect and morals for herself than that.

Chuckling, John shook his head back at her. “One of these days, Namine…” He licked his lips hungrily, eyes roaming over her appreciatively, and knew the catch would be that much sweeter. “When you’re done with that contract, bring it to my office. I want to look it over.” He informed her before winking obscenely and walked out of her office. The sound of him whistling merrily floating back to her.

As soon as he walked out of her office, the door closing behind him, Namine dropped down in her chair, her heart pounding furiously against her chest. Her entire body was trembling from being that close to her boss and couldn’t believe the effect he’d had on her. The power he held in those crystalline eyes, the sheer lust they held. Namine sighed heavily and shook her head mentally, trying to get back to doing her job, what she was there to do, though her mind kept straying to her boss’s antics. She knew he was on the verge of running out of patience with her, but she didn’t want to be just another notch in his playboy belt. Namine refused to do it as she closed her eyes, trying to calm her racing heart beat and pulse, and ran a hand down her face in frustration. Truth be told, she sometimes wondered what it would be like to screw her boss, but she had more self-respect and morals in herself than to do something that vile.

John was still grinning when he walked into his office, barely shooting his secretary, Jen, a glance, something he generally did. She’d always wear short skirts that showed off her incredible legs and creamy smooth thighs along with tops that showed off a good portion of her cleavage and he’d had her in his bed. He was too busy thinking about Namine…That woman was a stubborn pistol and that turned him on. He groaned, closing the door behind him, and walked over to the small corner bar, pouring himself a shot of scotch, and downing it.

He walked over to the window and stared out, his eyes thoughtful. John knew she’d come around eventually, they all did. Finally, another one of his patented cocky smirks spread across his lips, she hadn’t gotten away from him yet. She still had to come by this afternoon and he couldn’t wait for it. “Till then, gorgeous…” He murmured to himself before downing his second glass of scotch.

Namine took her time doing the Coleman contract, wanting to make sure every single detail was completed, and knew she’d have to face her boss eventually. Yet again, she’d have to break his heart. Oh what a shame! Namine rolled her eyes as she shook her head, trembling a little at the thought of being alone with him, but she had no alternative. All contracts had to be finalized and sighed through the boss, which royally sucked in her favor.

Still, she’d keep up with these games until it got down to brass tactics and would defend herself if need be. She didn’t take four years of self-defense classes for her health. After finishing the contract, Namine stood up from her chair squared her shoulders, and took a deep breath. She before walking out of her office, toward her boss’s, prepared for whatever he was about to dish out to her this time.

Chapter 2

Black shades covered his eyes as he walked inside the arena, his long black hair pulled back in a low ponytail with his long black, leather trench coat on. Even though he loved what he did for a living, his character change as of late had sucked. A slow smirk formed on the corners of his lips when he spotted her. The Billion Dollar Princess Stephanie McMahon. So innocent, so VERY innocent in his eyes. Made him want her even more, though it was just for the script.

It didn’t matter. He was a monster, a force to be reckoned with, a destructive source of diabolical nature. Sauntering down the hallway, passing right by her trembling form, he kept that evil smirk on his lips. Oh yeah, he’d DEFINITELY gotten under her skin, just by his presence alone. How he LOVED the mind games! They were what he fed off of and thrived on.

“Look at that one!” Jeff Hardy roared, his eyes nearly popping out of his skull as he looked at the screen before him, licking his dried lips. “DAMN! This woman has it bad for Stiffy…” He grinned lopsidedly when his friend nudged him, not even aware his voice was carrying. “I hope this site never closes…Oh, look at that one!” He started howling when he seen the next picture, acting like the goofball he was known well for.

He couldn’t help, but overhear the moronic Jeff Hardy raving about some ridiculous website on the internet. Probably some sick porno. He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, and finally couldn’t stand hearing the boy’s mouth anymore. Rising from the table in the cafeteria, he walked over, looking more menacing than ever, and slowly pulled his black shakes from his face. Fiery emerald green eyes bore a hole through the boy as his deep, dark voice rumbled, “Mind keepin’ it down, boy?”

Jeff swallowed hard, stepping away from the laptop, showing what he’d been looking at. “Sorry ‘Taker.” He apologized meekly, scared to death of this man who towered over him and could snap him in two.

On the laptop was an image of a woman with long black hair that cascaded down her back to her waist, smoky grey eyes, looking positively scrumptious in the picture. Her body was encased in a full body black suit with thin spaghetti straps and black open toed high heels. Delicate silver chains held her against a wall, which were locked to her wrists and ankles. On the wall was a mural of the Undertaker in his full Lord of Darkness regalia. His symbol, an altar with black candles, and a book on top of the altar.

His eyes were no longer on Jeff as he slowly lowered himself to sit down, just staring at the woman before him that was splayed across the screen, and stroked his goatee thoughtfully. Damned if she wasn’t a beautiful woman, but what got him was the fact that she actually used HIS regalia in the picture. A slow, evil smirk curved his lips as he continued to stare, knowing what he’d loved to do to her chained against that wall. A sacrifice would happen. A powerful, delicious sacrifice. He’d devour her whole and then force her to submit to him. Yes, she most assuredly would.

Standing up from the chair, he turned to Jeff with those same intense green eyes and demanded, “Where’s this located, boy?” His voice was the same tone as before as if the picture hadn’t phased him in the slightest.

Blinking, not sure if he heard right, Jeff didn’t hesitate, knowing better. He quickly brought up a different page on the site, knowing contact information including the address, a business number, and the woman’s name. “She uh…goes by Sin…” He coughed, trying to get rid of the lump that had formed in his throat. “There’s um…another girl on there if…” He trailed off, stepping back, not sure if he wanted to continue. The other woman seemed to have a Stone Cold Steve Austin fixation like Sin had with ‘Taker.

“Sin…” Her name flowed out of his mouth like a fine, sultry caress and stroked his goatee in thought even more. “Very interesting indeed.” Taking a nearby napkin and plucking a pen from Jeff’s hand, he began writing down the address of the website. Everything he could possibly find on it and decided to go have a talk with the Texas Rattlesnake. Not bothering to look at the picture of the other woman, too transfixed on Sin, ‘Taker walked down the hallway. His long, trench coat flowed behind him as he stuffed the napkin in his back pocket of his tight black jeans.

Steve was reading a script he’d been handed, flicking through it disinterestedly. He was almost relieved when his dressing room door swung open then frown upon seeing who stepped inside, definitely not expecting him. “Taker.” He nodded his head, getting to his feet. “What’s up?” He asked, curious in spite of himself all of a sudden. They weren’t exactly the best of friends and didn’t get along very well so this was quite a surprise.

“Austin.” He stated by way of greeting, his voice low, and slowly walked further into the dressing room. His black boots thudded against the ground almost ominously. Under his arm, he carried a black laptop, having threatened Jeff bodily harm if he didn’t let him “borrow” it to show his adversary what he’d found. “There’s somethin’ you need to see.” He spoke slowly, walking further over to the man, and set the laptop down on the table. He flipped the lid open on it and set the napkin on the keyboard part. It had the internet address and everything he could find on the site written on it. Crossing his arms, ‘Taker stood there, not saying another word, a slow smirk playing on his lips.

This wasn’t what Steve had been expecting. He kept one eye on ‘Taker while he punched in the web address, his blue eyes widened at what he saw. One of the small images attracted his attention and he clicked on it, his eyes widened even more at what he found. There was an imagine of a woman with honey blonde hair and stunning green eyes. She was standing before a mirror, her back to the camera though her face was clearly shown, the reflection.

She wore a one piece see through black cat suit with wide black lace trim at the bottom and over her breasts, wrapping up and around her neck like a choker. What threw him for a loop was what reflected back in the mirror in the picture, which was HIM. Her hands were splayed against the mirror, where his chest was, her full lips pouty as she stared at him with an expression that could only be described as longing/sensual. A whole mix of things that sent shivers down his spine. “Where the Hell did ya find this?” He demanded in a harsh voice, not able to tear his eyes from her.

That same smirk never left his face as ‘Taker raised an eyebrow, hearing the harshness of Steve’s voice, though it didn’t bother him. “One of the Hardy brothers was lookin’ at it and I figured ya had the right to know.” Though his voice was in his persona mode, it still held his natural southern accent, a combination no other possessed. “There’s another woman on there by the name of Sin.”

Steve was more interested in this…Ames…woman, but he clicked on the other button, his eyes narrowing slightly. “I see what got yer attention.” He snorted, closing down the laptop though not before going to the contact page and memorizing some information. “What’re ya thinkin’, ‘Taker?” He finally asked, folding his arms across his chest, knowing the man was contemplating something in that mind of his.

“Interested, Austin?” He mockingly asked, the amusement clearly shining in his emerald green eyes, and started stroking his goatee thoughtfully. A dark, demonic laugh escaped from his lips, rumbling from his chest as it bounced off the walls of his adversary’s dressing room. Oh what he wanted to do to this woman named Sin, who did drip with it. The name fit her to a T.

Smirking, Steve wasn’t fazed at all by ‘Taker. “I’m interested Deadman.” He said finally, his blue eyes darkening slightly as the image of that woman, Ames, floated before him again. “Very, very interested…” He murmured, eyes nothing more than slits now.

“I was thinkin’ of trackin’ these women down and finding out exactly WHY they chose US as their layouts. What do ya think, Austin?” ‘Taker asked, his voice filled with evil intentions, and rubbed his hands together. A demonic smile formed on his lips while his emerald green eyes stared holes through the man he’d fought and actually sacrificed on screen before. Scripted or not, they weren’t friends behind the scenes, each too different.

“I think fer once, ‘Taker, you have an idea I actually like.” Steve said slowly, a wicked smile of his own forming on his lips. “I’m in.”

“Good, I’ll call a private investigator to help us with our search after talkin’ to McMahon about givin’ us a few weeks off the road. We both need a break and I think these women can definitely give us one.” Just the mere thought of Sin beneath him, writhing in ecstasy. That look in her eyes that she had in the picture that was on the website caused ‘Taker’s body to shudder inwardly. He never showed much emotion on the outside, but when it came to the bedroom, he dominated and she would be no different. “I’ll call you when I have everythin’ finalized, Austin.”

Steve just nodded, closing the door behind ‘Taker when he left. He sank down onto the couch, rubbing his face with his hand. ‘Taker was right, he could use a break and what better way to kick back then with a gorgeous woman. He shivered, feeling himself coming alive at the mere thought of his mystery woman. She had no idea what was coming her way and Steve could hardly wait to see her face to face before taking her.

A few minutes later, ‘Taker arrived outside of his boss’s office door, squaring his shoulders, and brought his fingers up, lightly tapping on them. His emerald green eyes rolled in sheer annoyance at the sounds of moaning leaking through the cracks. ‘Taker growled, deciding to interrupt one of McMahon’s many ring rat encounters. This was more important in his mind as he thrust the door open, causing it to smash against the wall. The ring rat shrieked while Vince’s eyes bugged out of his head.

“McMahon, we need to talk.” He stated, turning to the ring rat that was half dressed, snorting, and pointed to the door. “Out. Now.”

Vince watched enraged as the ring rat bolted, quickly straightening himself the best he could and zipped his pants up. “Who the Hell do you think you are just barging in here?” He demanded angrily, not pleased with the interruption, momentarily forgetting who the Hell he was talking to as well.

A dark chuckle sounded from his lips as ‘Taker shook his head, cracking his knuckles in front of his boss. The sound of bones cracking echoed off the walls, his knuckles encased in black fingerless gloves. Ready for a fight at any moment, even behind the scene. “McMahon, do not force me to remind you of what I did when I first returned.” He threatened, his voice laced with danger, and squared his shoulders, looking more menacing than a Hell’s Angel.

“That won’t be…necessary, ‘Taker.” Vince said quickly, clearing his throat and putting his makeshift desk between them. “So, what can I do for you?”

“I’m here to demand two weeks off for both Austin and I…” He stated, not even bothering to ask for it. Not even bothering to ask for it, ‘Taker knew if Vince didn’t give it to him, he was going to beat the living shit out of him right here in his office. “We have some…personal business to take care of.” ‘Taker wasn’t going to give Vince the details, not feeling it was any of his concern. He flexed his hands in a silent gesture that told Vince he’d better give them the time off without any problems.

Vince didn’t want to give them the time off. They were both big draws to the crowds they performed for, but at the same time, he didn’t want his ass pounded into oblivion. “Fine.” He finally agreed, trying to sound like he was in charge. “But only two weeks, without pay of course.”

Smirking, the without pay clause didn’t faze or surprise ‘Taker in the slightest, chuckling darkly back at his boss. “Wise decision, McMahon. See you in two weeks then.” He then walked out, the door shutting behind him, and rubbed his hands together. That evil smirk played on his lips almost to the point of dancing. ‘I’m on my way, Sin. You better be ready, darlin’.’ He thought and walked down the hallway, everyone moving out to his way, afraid if they pissed him off, ‘Taker would kick their teeth down their throats. It was true.

Steve wasn’t surprised when he received that phone call, knowing ‘Taker had a habit of getting things done quickly and his way. After maybe a thirty second conversation, Steve was gone, his mind swimming with a lot of thoughts. All of them rating XXX. Ames was absolutely breathtaking and Steve wanted to run his fingers through her silky soft blonde hair, wanted to see if it was as soft as it looked on the pictures. His eyes wanted to bore into hers while he fucked her senseless, green mixing with blue, and Steve could already feel his erection pressing against the zipper of his jean shorts at the thought.

After kicking the shit out of his opponent that night and sending his Ministry to win the tag team championships, ‘Taker finally told them he was leaving for two weeks. Leaving Paul Bearer, his most trusted friend, in charge. He didn’t give them much information, just enough that they understood, and walked out, heading back to the hotel. His mind was swimming with thoughts of Sin, her delicious body in that see through suit she’d worn. Chained to the wall and knew those chains would come into play with this visit. That and a whole lot more.

Grinning, Steve studied the pictures of Ames, having decided to invest in a laptop, and browsed the site more leisurely before going to meet her. He had a beer cracked open, downing it from how hot she was making him, and growled. He seen some of the outfits, the layouts and props and got a fairly good idea of what he was going to wind up doing. “Ames, honey…” He whispered, shaking his head, trying to keep his mind clear for now. He didn’t need to get into a car accident or anything due to a wandering mind as he closed the laptop and headed out back to the hotel.

Chapter 3

Sine or Sin as she preferred to be called, stared at the pictures in front of her, trying not to smirk. She ran her own little business…basically it was bordering on porn photography, but it paid the bills and was actually pretty fun sometimes. Then her own little hobby of doing pictures kept her fairly entertained as well. She did some quick editing on the two newest pictures before posting them on her website, beginning to chuckle as she sent a copy to her best friend. Who also happened to be her partner in the business and entitled the header of the email as SCSA just to get her attention.

Closing down for the day and locking up the studio, Sine retreated to her apartment upstairs over the studio for a hot bath and a glass of wine. Afterwards, she played some music while shifting through backgrounds, grinning when she seen one she knew her best friend would like. “Hmmm…” She pondered and walked over to sit on the couch, carrying a folder filled with sample images and set her wine glass down on the coffee table. Curling her feet underneath her, Sine started sorting through them, placing them in junk and approval piles.

~!~

John was sitting behind his desk, a small glass of scotch in front of him, pouring over a report that’d just came in about one of the talents. He sighed when there was a knock on the door followed by his secretary poking her head in, announcing Namine’s arrival. “Send her in.” He said, his mood brightening considerably. He leaned back in his leather chair, unbuttoning the top three buttons of his shirt and waited, folding his hands behind his head.

“Thanks Jen.” Namine stated with a roll of her eyes and sighed, not believing how unbelievably disgusting the woman was. She wore skirts that barely covered her ass and tops that left little to the imagination. It didn’t make any sense to Namine, but it wasn’t her problem and knew Jen did it just to get the boss’s attention. It was no wonder the bitch made more than her, but then again, Namine had a second job that she enjoyed considerably. A smirk played on her lips as she sauntered into her boss’s office, carrying the contract with her, and handed it to him. “I just need your signature and then I’ll fax it to Coleman for him to sign.” Her tone was purely professional, not showing one ounce of backing down or intimidation.

John took the contract from her as she handed it to him. “Have a seat, Namine.” He said, standing up and laying the contract on the desk, walking over to get himself a refill of bourbon. “Would you like one?” He asked, knowing she wasn’t going anywhere without that signature. Not if she wanted to meet Coleman’s deadline.

“No thank you.” She replied with a sigh and reluctantly took a seat in the chair across from his desk. She crossed her leg over the other, leaning back against it, her arms folded in front of her chest. Namine could only imagine what her boss had up his sleeve this time around. “What can I do for you, Mr. Cena?”

Shrugging, John strolled over to sit on the edge of his desk, right in front of her. He sipped his bourbon, staring down at her from hooded blue eyes, his face almost unreadable. “You look tense, Namine. What’s wrong? Nervous about something?” The barest traces of a grin spread across his lips, which caused her to boil with anger on the inside.

“Not in the slightest.” She replied coolly as if what the just said hadn’t affected her in the least and kept her stance in the chair. She didn’t budge or move an inch though her foot was bouncing up and down lightly. A motion she did quite often along with raking her hands through her hair. It helped her to stay calm in a way as she stared at her nails, seemingly bored, and looked up at her boss. “You didn’t answer my question. You know that’s very rude, Mr. Cena.” She admonished softly, her green eyes holding a sense of amusement.

John shrugged once more nonchalantly, her words not bothering him. “I was trying to be nice. You already know what you can do for me, Namine and would it really hurt for you to call me John?” He asked, hating the formalities she’d set for them. Slowly picking up the contract, John looked like he was about to read it before lowering it again. “What are you bouncing for? Pent up tensions maybe?”

“And as I’ve told you several times, Mr. Cena, I don’t sleep with my boss and I prefer to call you what I do for a reason. I have more respect for myself than that.” Namine reminded him casually, spitting it right back in his face politely with a serene smile on her lips, and shrugged her shoulders at his question. “Just a habit I have.” She looked down at her watch that was on her right wrist and sighed, knowing she had more work to get done, and he was simply wasting her time.

“Fair enough, Namine.” John replied, obviously not bothered with using her first name. He stood up, towering over her, peering down at her with those blue eyes of his. “I didn’t ask you to sleep with me now did I? That wasn’t a very professional thing to say.” He chided, having technically not asked her, just made a…reference to her appearing to have some tension. John smirked, moving to sit behind his desk, staring at her with an arched eyebrow, clasping his fingers together.

Sighing, Namine rolled her eyes back at him, her body posture not moving or changing in the slightest, and stared back at her boss. Her green eyes held such intensity, yet an innocence that couldn’t be described. “Trust me, I know that’s what you’ve been referring to, Mr. Cena. I apologize for my un-professionalism, but if I may be forward for a moment, you weren’t very professional earlier on in my office…” She arched an eyebrow up at him when fire erupted in his eyes and smirked, loving to contradict him. “Were you?”

John’s grin only grew, looking cockier than normal if that was possible. “You see, Namine, that’s where being the BOSS and owning the company come into play. I have enough money and power where I’m allowed to act unprofessional. It’s very liberating actually, maybe you should try exploring it a bit more.” He suggested, leaning towards her, his hands flat on the desk. “I could help you with that.”

“With all due respect, Mr. Cena, I don’t need any help from you except your signatures on the contracts I give you.” She replied in that bittersweet voice, the tone she always used when it came to her boss, and slowly rose from her chair. “If there’s nothing more to discuss that has to do with this company, I’ll take my leave and get the rest of my work done.”

“Sit down, Namine.” John ordered in a firm voice, his eyes now on the contract before him, not looking up when she dropped back down or when she sighed. “You can wait until I read this and sign it I’m not going to have a messenger looking all over for you…” His voice trailed off as he read it, leaning back in his chair and turning slightly. Taking his own sweet time, John was more than aware of the beautiful woman sitting opposite of him and wanted to keep her with him as much as possible.

He was doing this on purpose. Purposely forcing her to stay in his office and it was unnerving her. Not to mention pissing her off to no avail. Even though Namine had a wry, playful side to her, she wasn’t afraid to let her temper flare when need be. Right now, it was at the breaking point as she sighed, leaning over in the chair, and rested her elbows on her knees. She wasn’t wearing a low cut blouse or anything so he couldn’t look down her shirt. His blue eyes were boring into her, she could feel them physically, and it was causing her insides to quake on the inside. Namine knew better than to say a word to him while he looked over the contract, even though he was taking his time doing it, and could only sit and wait. He was her boss, he made the rules, and when he snapped his fingers, she obeyed, as long as it was on a professional based ground.

John took his own sweet time, rereading it several times, just to annoy her. Finally, he laid it down on the desk, his fingers reaching for a pen. “Now, before I sign this, Namine I have one question for you.” He stated, staring at her, his tone perfectly serious and professional.

“Which is?” She asked impatiently, leaning back in the chair, and folded her arms in front of her chest, her eyebrow quirked in curiosity. Namine just hoped he didn’t try his blackmailing games with her again like last time and waited for him to answer her.

“What time should I pick you up for dinner?” John asked, his lips curling into a sly smile, the pen poised right above the dotted line.

“Never.” She answered, her tone sweet, but also laced with anger. He would never stop as she slowly stood to her feet, refusing to cave into him like this. “That’s fine, don’t sign it. Allow our biggest artist that we’ve signed yet to slip through this company’s fingers because of your selfish needs and wants. I could care less, Mr. Cena.” Namine meant every word that came out of her mouth as she challenged him, her arms crossed in front of her chest in a stance.

Scowling, John signed his name almost angrily on the dotted line, not believing she just tricked him again, and held it out to her hastily. “Take it and go, Namine. Tomorrow morning, first thing, I want you in here for a review.” His blue eyes gleamed with sheer wickedness. “I wouldn’t be late if I were you either.” John strongly advised, his voice dripping with seduction, but also importance.

“A review? Of what exactly?” She questioned, a smirk playing on her lips that she’d once again beat him at his own game, and loved every second of it. She took the contract form his hand, looking it over, and nodded, waiting for his answer. IF it was a PERSONAL review, he could blow it right out of his ass because she wasn’t showing up.

John’s upper lip curled into a mocking sneer as she fired the questions back at him about the review. “Don’t get too riled up just yet. All the employees are being reviewed. I’m doing assessments as well as going over the past year. Don’t worry, it’ll be perfectly painless.” He promised, his tone neutral though his eyes were suddenly sparkling.

“I’ll be here and just to make sure of it, I’ll show up fifteen minutes early. Ta-Ta, Mr. Cena.” Namine replied futility, waving three fingers in his direction, that same smirk on her lips, and walked out of his office, closing the door behind her. She looked down at the contract, the same contract she’d gotten him to sign when he tried blackmailing her again. She’d reversed it right back in his face and felt proud of doing so. Namine laughed softly to herself as she shook her head and headed back to her office, deciding to pack up for the night. She’d had enough of her boss to last her lifetime and needed to speak with her best friend about her other job.

Chuckling from low in the back of his throat, John shook his head at her attitude. “I’ll see you then.” He said to the closed door, clasping his hands together. “Oh yes, Namine…”

~!~

‘Taker sat in his hotel room, bare chested, wearing a pair of tight black jeans, his usual wear when relaxing. His muscles rippled with every movement as he sat down on the bed, staring at the pictures of Sin, and couldn’t believe how fit the name was for her. She was beautiful. Her hair, eyes, everything about her dripped sexuality and intrigued him to no avail. ‘Taker started getting ideas in his mind, visions of her in some of these layouts, and chuckled low in the back of his throat, downing his third shot of Jack that night. He needed something to take the edge off after all. “Sin…” He whispered, his voice husky, and ran his fingertips down the screen of the laptop. “My Sin.”

After staring at the screen for a long while, ‘Taker finally decided he couldn’t wait any longer. He flipped open his cell phone and dialed the private investigator’s number, that sly smile on his lips, and waited for his friend to answer “Kev, ‘Taker here.” His deep baritone said by way of greeting, and smirked when the man started to freak out. They hadn’t talked in a long time, ever since ‘Taker had hired him to follow his ex-wife around for a week, finding out she’d been screwing three different men at once. ‘Taker didn’t blame him for being so shocked by this sudden phone call. “I’m great man, listen, I need a favor….”

“A favor?” Kevin echoed, wondering what it was ‘Taker was needing after all this time. “What is it?”

Stroking his goatee in thought, ‘Taker stared at the screen for a moment before finally answering him. “I need you to look up some information for me, man. A woman named Sin. Has a website that she poses nude fer. I need to find out where she’s located. The website is www.eroticvisions.com. I need ya to find out where she’s livin’, man.”

Arching an eyebrow, Kevin was now curious as well and couldn’t stop himself from asking, “A woman named Sin…Erotic Visions…porn? And what the Hell did she do to deserve YOU?” He joked, chuckling gently.

“Trust me, man. When you look at the pictures on her site, you’ll know EXACTLY why I want to find her.” ‘Taker simply replied, a dark chuckle sounding from his lips as it bounced off the walls of his hotel room, and smirked wickedly.

“Right, I’m on it. I’ll be in touch.” Kevin replied before hanging up, interested now in this website, and punched it into the address bar on the internet.

~!~

Steve tried to lay down in his own hotel room, having no intentions of driving in his current distracted state, but he couldn’t. Every time he closed his eyes, Ames popped in his mind, only she wasn’t posing. “Fuckin’ A…” He groaned, sitting up, and glanced at the clock. Maybe it was time to leave, especially since it appeared either way he was going to have a hard time falling asleep or doing anything for that matter.

Chapter 4

Arriving back at her own apartment, Namine was ready to kick back and relax. She kicked her shoes off and sunk down in her comfortable couch, rubbing her sore feet, and allowed a soft groan to escape her lips while her eyes drifted shut. Damned high heels! Her boss gave her a headache out of this world and not to mention caused her body to tense out of control. It was no wonder she was starting to hate her job, especially with his strong advances he’d made on her lately. They were becoming more and more intense and Namine feared she wouldn’t be able to hold out much longer. He was breathtakingly gorgeous, his eyes a crystalline color of blue that mesmerized her in ways she never thought possible. Sighing heavily, Namine picked up the phone nearby and dialed her best friend’s number, needing to find out when their next installment to her second job was.

Sine answered on the third ring, grinning when she heard Namine’s voice. “Hey wench, I was wondering if you were home yet. How was work?” She asked after greeting her, stretching out on the couch, knowing Namine’s boss as a total cocksucker who tended to drive her up the wall.

Growling, Namine did not even want to think about her boss at the moment and sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose. “Don’t even ask. He’s such a prick.” She stated, downing a shot of Tequila Rose she’d poured for herself, and leaned further back against the couch. “I swear, remind me again why I put up with his shit and haven’t found another job yet?”

Sipping her own wine thoughtfully, Sine tapped her chin before replying, “Because the money is good and you enjoy what you do, minus the dipshit. You could always quit and come work full time with me.” She chuckled, knowing Namine would never do that, even though it paid well. “I’m starting to get requests for some interesting celebrity shots. Though some of the people asking for them you would not even believe.”

Giggling mischievously, Namine raked a hand through her hair and shook her head. “You’re right, I do love my job, minus my shitty, womanizing boss, but then again, I do love everything he says to me right back in his face.” She grinned, not able to hide it, and decided to change the subject. “Do I even want to know who’s been requesting your services?”

“Rich people with strange fantasies.” Sine answered with a laugh. “Stranger than ours if you can believe it. I’m not even going into detail, if it weren’t for the fact that these shoots didn’t pay so damn well, I’d turn them down.” She sighed, still not able to comprehend some of these requests. “Speaking of, I found some…interesting things for our next layout. You know I’m updating next week, right?”

Grinning, Namine nodded which brought them to the sole reason why she’d called her best friend in the first place. “Yes, which is why I originally called you.” She informed, laying down on the couch, and rubbed her bare stomach underneath her shirt, sighing. “What do you have in mind for our next layouts?”

Sine chuckled at her question and knew Namine would love what she had in mind for her next layout with the Texas Rattlesnake. “Well, remember that blue pickup I bought? I just had the hood painted with your boy on it. I was thinking your next shoot could be something outdoors, on the truck. What do you think?”

“My boy?” Namine echoed and scoffed, staring down at her glass broodingly, her eyebrows furrowed together. “Not in this lifetime or the next.” She laughed softly and stroked her chin in thought. “Hmmm, very intriguing. I could add some skulls to the mix too as far as my…repertoire is concerned…”

“That’s fine. Now, do you want it to be a daylight shoot or nighttime?” Sine asked, leaning down over the coffee table to pull a notepad towards her, ready to take notes.

Rubbing her chin in thought, tapping it for a few moments, Namine finally got the picture scenario in her mind. “I need you to get some trashcans and fill them with wood and gasoline. I’m going to have two of them right by the truck during the night so the firelight reflects off my skin. As for my outfit, I’m not sure about that part yet. What do you think?” Namine always loved having Sine’s input in her layouts because she was the artist and mastermind behind Exotic Visions after all.

“Leather or vinyl.” Sine said promptly. “It’ll reflect the light somewhat…or…we got some fine steel mesh I could have made into something like a bikini top. Put you in the cut off shorts.” She snickered, knowing there wasn’t a word yet on the market that described how short these would probably be and daisy dukes didn’t’ do them justice. “Unfastened or course and bare feet or do you have something else in mind?”

“I already have an idea for mine. I’m going to make it to where my hair is covering my breasts strategically while I’m wearing black, plastic shorts that ride up my ass and show off a portion of my cheeks.” Namine explained, smirking as she thought about how much attention would be reflecting on her, and sighed in contentment. Even though Namine wasn’t a very sexual person in the bedroom, she could do it in front of a camera and honestly enjoyed it. Just as long as her boss never found out about it or else she would be screwed and would have to quit her job. He’d be relentless with her if he ever found out about her second job.

Sine giggled, “You are so wicked, Namine.” She closed her eyes, smiling slightly as her own idea for her next layout flowed through her mind. “I’m doing mine where I’m in the water in a black robe, at dusk probably. The robe will be open and I’m going to have HIS symbol painted on me. Nude, but covered.” She started laughing and shook her head as he asked, “When will you be able to do this?”

“And you say I’m the wicked one?” Namine retorted with an evil smirk playing on her lips and grinned, knowing her best friend loved posing for the camera. They had met actually at ‘Thuganomics Recording Studios 101’ when she posed for a background cover on one of the artist’s CDs. She also snapped a few covers for the company and they hit it off instantly upon meeting. Sine introduced her to this new world of posing practically nude and Namine found it intriguing. At first, she was extremely apprehensive and skeptical, but after her first photo shoot, Namine fell in love with it instantly. It just came natural to her. “How does tomorrow sound? I have a “review” with Mr. Cena…” She trailed off and sighed, hating the fact that the man pulled his weight around just to get her alone. “In the morning, but after that, I’m free.”

Frowning upon hearing that, Sine wondered when this Cena prick was going to leave her sister alone. “What kind of review? That doesn’t sound too good. Why don’t you just kick him in the nuts and be done with it? You could work for any other label; you know you could. You’re way too dedicated to your job, honey.”

Sighing heavily, Namine took another swig of her alcoholic drink and nodded gently, knowing her friend was right, but she was too stubborn to do it. “I refuse to allow him to get the better of me, Sine.” She stated defiantly, her eyes straying over to the floor and had a sorrowful look come over her facial features. “He said everyone is having a review so hopefully, it’ll be quick, even though you KNOW he’s gonna try to blackmail me into going out with him on a date like always.”

“Of course he is, he’s an ass.” Sine had met John briefly and that was enough to last her a lifetime. “A review huh? Sounds like a load of bullshit to me, but good luck with that, sweetie. If he gives you any grief, let me know. I have a baseball bat and a bucket of nails just waiting to be introduced to his nice new car.”

Namine started laughing, loving how protective her sister was, and shook her head as she snorted a bit. “Trust me, if anyone is going to do that to him, it’ll be me.” She informed, though the thought of sticking nails in John’s head briefly crossed her mind, making her grin at the thought. “Now then, enough about that asshole. What time do you want me to meet you tomorrow for the shoot?”

“Hmmm…” Sine glanced down at the notepad, thinking for a second. “Probably in the afternoon, this way I can make sure we have everything. Plus, I got to get Brandon to get out his special camera.” She snickered, having only one actual full time employee and he was gay, which was a good thing. “See you then?”

“Good ol’ Brandon to the rescue, eh?” Namine giggled as she nodded, standing up and walking into the kitchen, her stomach suddenly growling with need for food. Her boss always forced her appetite to disappear, but now that he wasn’t thinking about him, she could actually eat something. “Sounds good girl, I’ll see you tomorrow around…three? Is that okay or do you need me there sooner, later?” She questioned, taking out some leftovers from the previous night and stuck it in the microwave.

“Three is perfect. That gives me time to wake up, shower and whatnot and get my cappuccino in me.” Sine laughed, never rising before noon except for when she had business to attend to or photos to shoot in the early morning. “You have a good night and don’t let dick get under your skin. That’s my job.”

Smirking, Namine nodded in agreement, though Sine rarely did get under her skin. They were practically sisters after all, even though they’d only known each other for almost a year. “Will do. Night sweets. See ya tomorrow.” She giggled before ending the call and leaned against the counter, downing another shot of Tequila Rose. After her food finished heating, Namine walked over to her couch and sat down, turning on the television, and finally began to relax. Though in the back of her mind, Namine cringed at the thought of having that review meeting with her boss the following morning.

~!~

After hanging up with Kevin, ‘Taker ran a hand through his long, black tresses, and decided to call his adversary who had a keen interest in this as well. He smirked, dialing the number, and chuckled as soon as he heard Austin’s gruff voice sound over the line. “Before ya start biting my head off, Austin, I have some news you MIGHT be interested in hearing.” His voice stated, knowing the type of temper Steve had on him when he was disturbed from his rest.

Steve hadn’t been sleeping. Pacing was more like it. Pacing a hole in the carpet of his hotel room. Just thinking about her was driving him insane as he answered his cell, hearing ‘Taker’s voice. “What’s that, Deadman?” He demanded, sounding cross.

“Yer not interested in hearing about HER?” ‘Taker shot back, arching an eyebrow, and emphasized the word her to him, loving how he got under Austin’s skin so easily. “Fine, if yer not interested, I’ll just go by myself…” He trailed off, waiting for Steve to stop him, and smirked wickedly when he did.

“No, what’d ya find out, ‘Taker?” Steve asked halting in his pacing, suddenly interested in what the man had to say. “Ya even think 'bout goin’ without me and I’ll plant my foot so far up yer ass…”

“Not if I tombstone you first.” ‘Taker cut him off abruptly, his voice dropping to a low, deadly octave, and stroked his goatee, deciding to mess with him a little bit. He always did love a good mind game. That was what he was most famous for when performing in the ring against his opponents. “Maybe I shouldn’t tell ya now, especially with you spewing these threats out at me…” He trailed off again on purpose, smirking.

“Yer not gonna tombstone me and we both know it.” Steve said calmly, more than used to these mind games from ‘Taker. They’d fought each other in the ring enough for him to realize when he was playing one. “Cut the shit, ‘Taker. What’s goin’ on?”

Sighing resignedly, ‘Taker ran a hand through his hair and smirked, knowing Austin knew him a little better than he’d given him credit for. “Fine, I’ll get down straight to business. I called my friend and he’s getting’ down to finding them. We have two weeks off to get this taken care of. When do you wanna leave, Austin?”

Steve smirked, “As soon as possible. Just like you.” He laughed coldly, knowing ‘Taker was just as impatient in meeting these women as he was. “Let me know when yer…friend finds out, then I’m outta here.”

“We’re gonna have to travel together for this, you realize that right, Austin?” ‘Taker asked, pointing out the obvious with distaste, and sighed, not really looking forward to it. They never did see eye to eye, but then again, they feuded mostly on screen and kept to themselves backstage. It was just the way they were and carried themselves.

Sighing as well, Steve rubbed a hand over his bald head, nodding. “Well, you keep yer mouth shut and I’ll keep mine shut.” He said finally, compromising with his adversary on this. It was the only way both men were going to get through this without murdering each other in the process.

“Fine, it’s settled then.” ‘Taker agreed, not really looking forward to this, but then again, he’d do just about anything at the moment to get his hands on Sin. “I’ll call you when I have the information, Austin.” He informed and snapped the lid of his cell phone shut, ending the call abruptly, and scrubbed a hand down his face. Kevin needed to call before he went out of his mind and went out to search for her himself.

A few hours later, after having himself a nice, long cold shower, Kevin finally called ‘Taker back with the information. “I got your information.” He said when ‘Taker answered and quickly rattled off an address. “I can see why you’re interested. She’s hot. So is the blonde.”

“Lay off of it, Kevin.” ‘Taker growled out dangerously, his muscles tensing as he heard the leer in the man’s voice, and wanted to snap his head off his shoulders at the moment. “They’re already taken, find yer own. You’ll be paid well for yer information.” He snapped his cell phone shut, hanging up on him, angry at Kevin for making those rude comments, and quickly called Steve back. They were leaving right now; he couldn’t wait any longer.

Chapter 5

John was at the office bright and early, a grin on his handsome face. He went straight for his office, pouring himself a mug of coffee before dropping down at his desk, pulling Namine’s file towards him, and flicked through it. “Hmmm…”

Arriving at the office, Namine went straight to her office, needing to situate herself before going to her meeting with her vindictive boss. Sighing heavily, Namine poured herself a cup of coffee, downing it quickly, and looked over at the clock, knowing she couldn’t put it off any further. Her outfit consisted of a black and white pinstriped suit. The skirt went one inch above the knee, not too short, not too long, the perfect length, and rested against her thighs. Her long, honey blonde hair flowed down her back and over her shoulders in glistening waves.

Walking down the hallway, her heels clicking against the marble flooring of the recording studio, Namine walked over to his slutty secretary, Jen, and stated, “Tell Mr. Cena I’ve arrived for my review.” She ordered sweetly, smirking when the woman scowled back at her.

Smirking when his secretary announced Namine’s arrival over the intercom of his phone, John bent forward and pressed the button in a reply, “Send her in.” He leaned back in his chair, the file still opened before him. John smoothed out imaginary wrinkles in his crisp white, buttoned down shirt, which had the top buttons undone, revealing a hint of his broad, muscular chest. He waited for her to enter, his blue eyes gleaming wickedly.

When she heard that, Namine turned around abruptly, not wanting for Jen’s approval to enter his office, and walked inside. She opened the door, carrying her folder full of files, and walked inside, closing the door behind her. The sound echoed off the walls as she stood there, squared shoulders, looking professional and pure authenticity etched in her features. “Good morning, Mr. Cena.” She greeted softly, her voice calm along with her even tone.

John looked up at her, his eyes slowly taking in her skirt suit before nodding, gesturing to the chair before his desk. “Good morning. If you want a cup of coffee, it’s there.” He pointed a lazy finger at the very expensive coffee machine that was in the far corner of his office. “If not, have a seat and we’ll…get started.”

“I already had my fill for the morning, but thank you anyway.” She replied and walked over, sitting down in the chair that faced his desk, and crossed her long, smooth tanned legs, leaning back against it. Her folded laid on his lap and ran a hand through her hair, hating that she had to be in the same room with this womanizer, but would manage somehow.

“So…” John began, flipping through her file yet again, not really interested in it. “Everything looks alright, quite good in fact.” He leered at her before his face went back to a completely neutral, professional expression. “Where do you see yourself in the company within the next year or so, Namine?” He asked, studying her, his tone calm and proficient as well though the question was a loaded one.

She thought about it for a moment, tapping her chin in thought, and smiled when the answer came to her a few seconds later. “I see myself in the same position, doing what I do best, and that’s making money for his company and bringing in the top artists. I’m not really looking forward that far, Mr. Cena. I like to keep my options open at all times.” Namine answered, a serene smile on her face the entire time she spoke, proud of her words.

John pursed his lips together, studying her thoughtfully. “That’s interesting, Namine.” He said slowly, clearly not expecting to hear those exact words. “I don’t know if I like that though. I’m interested in employees who are dedicated, who can see themselves having a long career with the company. Having your options open…” He smiled, though his eyes were ice cold as his words trailed off for a moment. “Makes it seem like you’re in the market for something else.”

“I would love to move up in this company because I sincerely love my job, but we can’t control what happens in the future, Mr. Cena. I just like to have my options open in case I find something more…worthwhile going after.” She said those last three words slowly, wanting him to understand she wasn’t planning on leaving, unless she had no alternative or she was terminated. “I am very dedicated to my job, I’m your highest agent yet. I bring in more money than all of your other agents combined and I’m a hard worker. I have no reason to leave this company unless a better opportunity presents itself.”

Nodding, John closed her file and laid it on his desk. “Well then, Namine, we’ll just have to do everything in our power to keep you here…” He trailed off again, his tone turning suggestive. “I’ll personally do everything in my power to keep you…here.”

Raising an eyebrow up at him, Namine kept a neutral look on her face as she leaned forward a bit in the chair. Her tongue slowly snaked out, licking her dried lips, and slowly curved her lips in a cold smirk as she stared at him. “Good, then you can start by giving me a raise and stop paying that…trash you call a secretary more money than me.” She demanded suggestively, crossing her arms in front of her chest, and kept that smirk on her face.

John arched an eyebrow up at her, not believing she’d actually demanded him to do something, and found it intriguing. “You want a raise hmmm, Namine?” He clarified and nodded, tapping his hands on the desk. “Well, Jen is a very good secretary. She’s worth what I pay. How about we discuss your value over brunch?”

Sighing, Namine shook her head in disappointment and stood up abruptly from the chair, smoothing her skirt out. “No thank you, Mr. Cena. I’ll just simply have to find something else that pays more.” She sounded almost saddened, regretful, though the amusement shined in her green eyes when he tensed. “I mean, I work harder than anyone in this company for you and I’m tired of being overlooked. I’ll stay until I find something else so you’ll have that Coleman account no matter what.”

Keeping his eyebrow arched, John stood up to his full height as well and walked around the desk so he was standing in front of her. “Really now, Namine, it’s just a friendly brunch. We’d be discussing your raise, which you will be getting. I just thought you might appreciate the added gesture.” He explained, sounding sincere.

She studied him for a moment, that skeptical look in her eyes, and wondered if what he said was true. “Just a professional brunch?” Namine finally asked, her arms remaining crossed in front of her chest. “No bribing or trying to get to go on a date with you?” If she was going to have a small brunch with him, it was going to be on her terms and was going to make sure he didn’t try to pull the same bullshit he always did with her.

“Just a professional brunch, Namine.” He clarified, that same proficient, neutral expression in his features and in his tone of voice.

“Alright, you have a deal, Mr. Cena, but I must leave no later than two o’clock. I have another engagement I need to attend.” She informed him in a cool tone of voice, her eyes masking the amusement, and her face remained proficient and neutral like his.

John nodded in understanding, “That’s fine.” He walked over to the door and pushed it open for her. “Shall we then?”

Nodding, still skeptical of her boss, Namine walked out of his office, running a hand through her hair, and smirked at the secretary coolly. ‘That’s right bitch, I’m getting a raise and I didn’t have to spread my fuckin’ legs to get it!’ She thought, not realizing just exactly what her boss had planned for this professional brunch.

~!~

Sine was unfortunately up earlier then she wanted to be, mainly because Brandon had called her. Insisting she come downstairs and have bagels and lox along with chocolate double fudge brownie cappuccinos with him. Apparently him and his boyfriend had just broken up. She showered, did her hair and makeup before slipping on a pair of black jeans that hung low on her hips and a purple tank top with the Undertaker’s symbol on it. She then headed downstairs, barely believing she was up this early.

Brandon was moping, sounding all depressed as he recounted the fight he and Kyle just had, accepting Sine’s sympathetic murmurs before beginning to rant. “And the worse part of it is…He took my favorite pants!! The leather ones you bought for my birthday!”

After talking with him for most of the morning, comforting being what she did, Sine sighed with relief when Brandon finally left to go buy his special film. Fairly certain she was going to start yanking out her hair if she had to listen to him rant about his leather pants one more time. She got up, pulled up the studio blinds, letting the sunlight stream in, and smiled, pleased that she’d chosen to run this place outside of the city. Anonymity was a big thing to her, especially with her photos out there on the internet. “Let’s see…” She murmured thoughtfully, walking over to the rack of clothes, flicking through them.

Sine hummed along with the radio as she set up the semi stiff curtain. She adjusted it so it showed the cutout in the material. A cutout of the Undertaker’s symbol. She had already laid out the shorts Namine had described. Then she called Brandon to send him on ahead to the shoots location to start prepping. She was actually excited about this photo shoot, not able to wait to see how the photos turned out.

~!~

Steve was almost ready to go nuts. He and ‘Taker had been on the road all night and so far, they’d had a fight over the music, which was now off. Over who was driving, which ‘Taker had informed him that since it was his truck, he drove and to deal with it or walk. Steve scowled, hating being the passenger, and started tapping his fingers on the dashboard in front of him. His eyes reading the sign as they passed yet another town, wishing they’d get there already. Ames was all he could think about, all he could dream about every time he dozed off, and no matter what he did, even if he was probably knocked unconscious with a steel chair, she was seared in his memory.

‘Taker couldn’t believe how hard it was traveling with this man and felt like knocking him out a few times on the ride there. The music was horrible that he’d picked out, according to Steve. Then he wanted to drive HIS truck! NOBODY drove his truck, but HIM and that was just the way it was. ‘Taker growled as he watched Steve drumming his fingers on the dashboard, and raked a hand through his hair. His hands gripped the steering wheel so hard, his knuckles turned almost ghostly white and finally shouted, “Would ya stop doin’ that?!”

The Rattlesnake’s response was to do it even louder, shooting ‘taker a sidelong glance. “Somethin’ stuck up yer ass, Deadman?” He asked, snickering.

“No, but somethin’ gonna be up yers in a minute if ya don’t stop drumming’ them damned fingers!” ‘Taker growled out threateningly, shooting him a nasty glare before focusing his eyes on the road again.

“You need to get laid more often.” Steve stated flatly, secretly enjoying goading ‘Taker. It gave him something to do on this long ride toward the women. “If ya cut the crap with that Lord of whatever bullshit, ya might actually attract LIVE women.”

“Austin, shut the fuck up before I pull this car over and show ya just how much of a dark side I have.” ‘Taker threatened, gripping the steering wheel with both of his hands even tighter, and fought every single bit of his anger off to keep from knocking his adversary out. Steve smirked, pulling his hand away from the dashboard and cutting it out. After about ten minutes, he started whistling. “Annoyin’ motherfucker.” ‘Taker mumbled under his breath and kept driving, the silence almost driving him mad, but they couldn’t agree on a radio station to listen to. ‘This Sin woman better be worth all this trouble or else I’m gonna snap her fuckin’ neck.’ He thought angrily, not believing the shit he was going through to meet her.

~!~

After arriving at a high class restaurant and ordering their food, John finally got down to brass tactics, turning to face her. “How much of a pay hike are you looking to get, Namine?” He asked, nodding when a waiter appeared to pour him a cup of coffee. He picked it up, staring at her over the rim, still playing the role of the professional boss to perfection.

Namine was surprised by how professional he was being, especially since they were so secluded, and took a sip of her water before speaking, “I was thinking at least past what you pay Jen. So possibly twenty dollars or so?” She suggested, knowing he paid his secretary just because of how she dressed for him.

John rubbed his chin thoughtfully, taking a sip of his coffee, looking like he was actually considering it, and finally replied, “Twenty, that doesn’t sound right.”

Raising an eyebrow up at him, Namine took another sip of her water, already having her two cups of coffee for the day, and swallowed it slowly. “What do you mean?” She asked in a soft voice, running a hand through her hair after setting her water down. “What DOES sound right to you then, Mr. Cena?”

He didn’t answer, suddenly distracted by their food being placed before them. He dug in with gusto, chewing a few bites before turning his attention back to her. “I’d say around thirty, thirty-five.” He answered finally in a nonchalant voice before resuming to his meal.

Namine blinked several times back at him, not believing what she just heard, and actually swallowed a fork full of eggs whole. She coughed a little as she dropped her fork on the table, some of the eggs having lodged in her throat, and took a quick sip of her water, trying to get her breathing under control again. “Thirty, thirty-five??” She managed to rasp out, not believing what she was hearing and suddenly became skeptical again, wondering what the catch was.

“Are you alright?” John asked, sounding genuinely concerned. At her nod, he continued after swallowing another fork full of food, “You’re right. You’re my top agent and you bring in more money than all the rest combined. You think that’s not a fair offer?” He asked, arching an eyebrow at her.

“That’s VERY generous of you.” She finally managed to talk, finding her voice, and cleared her throat a little from the after effects. Namine knew there was more than what met the eye and she could feel it in her stomach.

Shrugging, looking nonchalant again, John finished his plate and picked his coffee back up before simply stating, “You deserve it, Namine.”

“Thank you, Mr. Cena.” She replied graciously, her voice full of gratitude, and smiled genuinely back at him. That skeptical look was still in her eyes, but she hid it well as she took a sip of her orange juice and finished up her breakfast. When she crossed her leg over the other, she’d accidentally brushed up against his leg, causing him to jump, not realizing how long his legs really were.

Her eyes widened for a second when she brushed against him, not realizing how long his legs were, and scooted over a little, giving him more room. The sexual chemistry between them was intense and Namine couldn’t stop herself from finding her boss attractive. He was a gorgeous man. Beautiful eyes, the whole package, but what she loathed about him was his reputation. Taking a deep breath, Namine turned her head to stare down at the floor, suddenly more interested in it than her boss.

“Is there anything else we need to discuss about this?” She finally asked, breaking the silence between them.

Shaking his head in response, John was unable to hide the reluctance in his eyes to keep her there with him, and cleared his throat. “No, Namine that’s it. Thank you for coming to brunch with me.” He said, standing up and moving to help her up, still being the gentleman.

After saying their goodbyes, Namine stepped inside her car and turned the ignition on. She pulled out of the parking lot of the high class restaurant, still refusing to call him by his first name. He’d requested her to do it right before leaving and didn’t feel comfortable with calling him John, especially with him being her boss and whatnot. Namine was more confused than ever as she started driving toward the outskirts of town. The clock just turned two o’clock when she pulled into Sine’s driveway and smiled, knowing everything would be ready for their photo shoot.

Chapter 6

Finally arriving in the town where Sin and Ames were located, according to what Kevin found, ‘Taker pulled into a hotel parking lot, shutting the ignition off. He was so fed up with Austin that if he didn’t get out of the car with the bastard, he was going to end up sacrificing him for real! Stepping out of his truck, ‘Taker slammed the door shut and stalked inside the hotel, not even waiting for his adversary to follow. Imagine his surprise when he found out there was only one vacant room and ‘Taker scowled, knowing he’d have to share a room with the prick now. This was the only hotel in this little town and ‘Taker sighed resignedly, knowing he had no choice, and bought the room, forcing Steve to pay for half of it.

“There better be two beds in the room or I’ll knock the manager’s teeth down his throat.” He stated menacingly, growling when Steve followed him.

Steve ignored him and stepped into the room after ‘Taker unlocked it and stated, “Nope, just one bed, Deadman.” He glanced back over his shoulder, his face a mask of serious. “Tell ya what, promise not to rape me and I’ll share.”

Growling under his breath, ‘Taker could not believe this was happening and cracked his knuckles harshly. The sounds of bones snapping echoed off the walls as he shook his head and stalked over to the bed, laying down on a side he’d chosen. “Fuck you, Austin. I don’t swing that way, asshole.” He muttered under his breath, that same scowl on his face.

Shaking his head, Steve watched as ‘Taker actually picked a side before dropping down on the tiny couch that was against the wall. “Yer outta yer mind, Deadman. Like I’d share a bed with the likes of you.” He snorted for emphasis before laying down.

“Say one more fuckin’ word and I’ll put yer head through the wall, Austin.” He threatened in a snarl, folding his arms beneath his head, and stared up at the ceiling. His thoughts suddenly turned to Sin, beautiful, lustful Sin. Just the thought made his body light on fire and soon, he could feel his erection pressing against the zipper of his jeans. ‘Damn!’ he thought, trying to calm down, but he couldn’t get that image of her chained to the wall out of his mind.

Steve had a lot of energy at the moment however and was soon back up on his feet, pacing around the small room, his thoughts of Ames. Now that he was here, he was debating how he actually wanted to go about meeting her. Surely he couldn’t walk up to the door because that would scare the Hell out of her. Then again, who was Steve to judge the woman who apparently loved posing nude for the internet? Sighing, Steve continued his pacing, rubbing his bald head with both of his hands, trying to devise a plan of his own.

“Man can you keep still for TEN seconds?” ‘Taker growled at him, having sat up on the bed now, and scrubbed his face tiredly with his hand. Though sleep wasn’t coming any time soon. The only way he was going to sleep is if Sin was in his arms after he properly took care of her. The thought made him smirk as he watched Steve, knowing he was thinking about the blonde, and widened it on his lips. “Thinkin’ bout her, eh Austin?”

“Like yer not thinkin’ bout…What’s her name? Cindy or somethin’?” Steve shot back, smirking, purposely getting her name wrong.

“What the Hell are we waitin’ here fer or ya plannin’ on doin’ yer vampire act and showin’ that ugly mug of yers at night?” Steve demanded, more than a little eager to meet Ames, and couldn’t resist making fun of his adversary.

That was the last straw as ‘Taker shot up from the bed and shoved him against the nearest wall, his temper flaring, emerald green eyes sparking with rage. “Ya can’t keep yer mouth shut about that can ya, Austin?” He was now in Undertaker mode, voice and all, and growled low from the back of his throat. “I was thinking about how the fuck we were going to meet them, prick!”

Steve shoved ‘Taker back just as roughly, stepping away from the wall, his blue eyes shooting icy daggers in the man’s direction. “Ever consider maybe just goin’ on up and introducin’ yerself like a normal person?” He snapped, not impressed with the Lord of Darkness shit. He never was.

“Austin…” ‘Taker’s voice held a threatening tone to it, but suddenly, he started thinking and walked away from the man. “These women are not gonna just let us in. They take pictures of themselves with our gimmicks involved. They’re not gonna welcome us with open arms, man.”

Nodding, the smirk slipped away from Steve’s own face and resumed his own pacing. “Yer right.” He finally said gruffly, not liking admitting it, especially to the likes of ‘Taker.

Finally, they were getting somewhere! ‘Taker raked a hand through his hair as he sat down on the bed and stared at the wall. His hands were clasped together tightly as he cracked his neck a little, thinking of what they could do, and asked, “Any ideas?”

Steve snorted, shaking his head in reply. “A few…fer meetin’ Ames. I’m not goin’ there with ya. I don’t do the buddy system, man, especially when I’m prowlin’.”

“Fair enough, but they’ll most likely be in the same place.” ‘Taker pointed out the obvious, knowing women like this usually were in packs. “I mean, it takes time to set up the backgrounds of the pictures and whatnot, Austin.”

“Well the first thing is, ‘Taker, we need to see where the Hell this…place is that they do this. Yer friend did give ya an address right? What is it? Like a film place or somethin’?” Steve growled out the questions, hating to admit that this man was right again, but he had no choice.

“It’s somewhere on the outskirts of this town. Secluded. Bein’ in the type of business they’re in, I don’t blame them for doin’ it.” ‘Taker said thoughtfully, almost not wanting to disturb them. Almost. “We need a plan.” He finally said, raking a hand through his hair. “Somethin’ tells me these women won’t just welcome us with open arms, if ya catch my drift, Austin.”

“So call.” Steve said simply, making it sound like the easiest thing in the world to do, even if it wasn’t. “Ask some damn fucked up question that’s related to their…type of business.”

“Why don’t you?” ‘Taker shot back at him, raising an eyebrow, and crossed his arms in front of his chest. “I did enough already, Austin. Why don’t YOU contribute in this somehow?” He tossed the notebook at him that he’d written the information down on that Kevin had given him and sat on the bed. “Call ’em.” Steve groaned before reaching for his cell. He glanced down at the number that was written in ‘Taker’s handwriting and punched it in, hesitating over the send call button. “Scared, Austin?” ‘Taker taunted the man, a cruel smirk curving his soft red lips when he seen him hesitate, and chuckled wickedly when Steve scowled in return.

~!~

Sine sighed when the phone rang and turned down the radio, glancing at the phone and found it was the business line. She picked it up, trying not to smirk, having a fairly good idea it was another fucked up rich person with a twisted mind. “Hello, Exotic Visions, Sin speaking.” She greeted, lowering her already natural husky voice even lower.

Steve’s blue eyes widened before shooting ‘Taker a smirk, mouthing, ‘It’s Sin.’ He pulled out the notebook towards him, scanning the information quickly. “I’m calling about arranging for a picture to be done. Discreetly of course.” He said in a voice that wasn’t his, trying not to laugh.

Shaking her head, Sine figured as much as most of the pictures they did were done discreetly. “We’re always discreet, sir.” She assured him. “What kind of picture? Something with a celebrity maybe?” She asked, going for another guess, since that’s what they’d made a name based on.

‘Taker grunted something about Austin being a smartass, keeping his voice low, and listened in on Steve’s conversation. He smirked, suddenly sparking an idea, and did the cut throat motion to him. Steve pulled the phone away from his ear after telling her to hold on and ‘Taker said, “Tell her there’s two of us.” He knew it sounded wrong, but there was a point to this plan that was brewing in his mind. She wouldn’t deny any customers so this was the perfect plan to finally meet her without her trying to push him away.

“Two of us for what, moron? I ain’t posin’ with ya!” Steve snapped, keeping his voice low, his blue eyes turning ice again.

Not us TOGETHER, you fucker!” ‘Taker snapped back in a harsh whisper, his emerald green eyes flaring, and cracked his knuckles. “Just tell her that it’s fer us, just make sure she doesn’t know it. Austin and Undertaker, get it, moron?” His voice was lowered to a dangerous tone as he glared back at the man he considered an enemy.

Steve’s response was to say into the phone, “Hold on, Sin, the person I’m makin’ the call for wants to talk with you personally.” He thrust the phone into ‘Taker’s hand, ignoring the look on his enemy’s face before disappearing over to stare out the window.

Sine rolled her eyes and followed Namine, waiting patiently for whoever it was to come back and mouthed, ‘How was work?’ She sighed heavily and waited, pulling a bottle of flavored water out of the fridge.

Stepping out of the car, Namine smoothed her skirt out and walked toward the house. It was a nice two story brick building with a nice scenery and plenty of space. After all, they needed it for their shoots as she walked up to the front door. Sliding in the key, Namine pushed the front door open and walked in, seeing Sin on the phone, and grinned as she waved silently before walking into the kitchen. She was still baffled by her boss’s behavior and sighed, groaning in frustration. When she seen her best friend mouth that question to her, Namine just shook her head, giving her a look that said she’d talk to her later about it.

Growling, ‘Taker took the phone, clearing his throat a little, and used his southern natural accent. He’d barely spoken in that tone on camera so she wouldn’t notice the difference or figure out it was him for that matter. “Sin, is it?” He questioned, raising an eyebrow, and felt his body instantly erupt in flames at the sound of her sultry voice.

Sine arched an eyebrow, fanning herself, and grinned back at Namine. “Yes, this is Sin.” She clarified, her now husky voice dropped just because the sound of this man’s voice was turning her on. “How may I help you, sir?”

‘Taker was tempted to tell her actually what she could help him with, but refrained, knowing he had to pull this off as professional as possible. “Darlin’, do ya happen to take pictures for clients who pick ’em up?” He asked casually, stroking his chin in thought.

“You mean like in person?” Sine couldn’t keep the shock from her voice since, normally, she sent the photos to some P.O. box. “Yes, we can do that. What sort of pictures are you interested in?”

Grinning like a Cheshire cat, ‘Taker kept the amusement out of his voice as he cleared his throat again. “Forgive me, darlin’, I have a bit of a cold.” He apologized, perfecting the lie, and smiled. “It’s for a buddy of mine. He’s a huge Undertaker and Stone Cold Steve Austin fan. I noticed ya do them types of pictures on yer website, correct?”

Sine shook her head and put on the speakerphone, gesturing for Namine to be quiet but listen. “Yes…My partner and I do layouts with the Undertaker and Stone Cold in them, not the actual wrestlers of course, but digitally. Then, other items we have…laying around.” She grinned, laying around her ass, they made half the stuff they used or special ordered it. “What kind of photos is your buddy interested in?”

“Somethin’ sultry, seductive…” ‘Taker’s voice dropped an octave, not knowing he was on speakerphone. “Chains…” He couldn’t keep the amusement out of his voice this time, but refrained from chuckling, raking a hand through his long black hair. “For the Undertaker picture, of course. As for the Austin one, “He paused and put her on speakerphone so Austin could hear it as well. “My buddy here’ll tell ya what he’d like since he’s givin’ that picture to our friend.”

Nodding, Sine was already writing these details down. “Chains…” She echoed, smirking. “I see your friend enjoyed the website. Alright, now for the Stone Cold layout?”

Namine was listening intently to the conversation, raising an amused eyebrow, and smirked over at her friend. Sine was melting at this man’s voice, she could tell, and she found it downright funny. However, she kept perfectly silent while she listened in. When they came to the Stone Cold layout, she finally spoke up, “Yes sir, what did you have in mind since I’m the one who does the pictorials for him?”

Steve flipped ‘Taker the one finger salute though he was smirking, his eyes widening when he heard Ames on the phone now. “Our friend liked the picture with the mirror. He’d appreciate something involving another mirror. Maybe this one being above her. You said you can insert digital images? Maybe add Stone Cold with her instead of just in the mirror.” He stated, explaining what was in his mind for the picture, and grinned, planning on making that a definite reality with Ames.

Sine arched an eyebrow, glancing over at Namine, and was still fanning herself from the previous man’s voice. Namine felt her eyes widen at the request and bit her bottom lip, wondering if they could pull that off. She stared over at Sine with a shrug of her shoulders, nodding her approval, not ashamed to do anything of the sort. “Very well, sir. Your friend is a kinky one, I see.” Her voice had dropped to a seductive tone, grinning, and started writing the details down on the notebook Sine had handed to her. “Any specific outfit you’d like for me to wear in this picture for your friend?” She asked casually, almost amused by this upcoming photo shoot.

This time, Steve actually did speak what was on his mind and replied huskily, “Nothin’ or next to.”

Having to walk away to keep from giggling, Sine finally returned after a moment, amused by the look on Namine’s face. “Very well.” Namine replied, clearing her throat a little since a lump had formed there, and started writing it down. She could make it to where nothing was showing, but she was still in all her naked glory. Her birthday suit. “Alright sir, is there anything else you need to tell me or Sin for this pictorials?” She asked, sounding professional, though she couldn’t stop the amusement from entering her eyes.

Steve shook his head, looking at ‘Taker, already knowing if he spoke anymore, he was going to wind up saying something he shouldn’t. Sine grinned as she chirped in, taking over the phone for a minute, “Yes, for the Undertaker photo, anything particular besides…sultry, seductive, and chains?”

‘Taker chuckled softly to where the women couldn’t hear him and walked over, not believing what an effect this woman was having on him. Her voice was like a smooth caress as he bit back a groan and started thinking. “Strapped to his symbol. Ya know that T lookin’ one? With nothin’ on. Think ya can handle that, darlin’?” He asked, his voice low, but still in the southern accent.

“I’m sure I can manage, sugar.” She replied with a smirk, unable to resist and wrote the other details down. “So, how soon does your…friend want these photos? We’re not able to do it tonight, we have a different photo scheduled.” She informed them, trying hard not to snicker.

Smirking, ‘Taker started to think as he stroked his chin once more, looking almost thoughtful. “When’s the soonest ya can get ’em done so we can pick ‘em up for our friend?” He asked, smirking knowingly over at Steve, who had his eyes widened at the realization of what ‘Taker’s mind was brewing earlier on.

Sine exchanged looks with Namine briefly. “Hold on please.” She put them on hold and ran a hand through her hair. “I don’t know. ‘Taker waited as he was put on hold, the mere thought of her strapped to his symbol causing his body to shudder in desire for her. “We COULD postpone tonight’s shoot and do this one. Find out how much it pays first though, what do you think sweetie?”

“That’s fine with me. I don’t mind or we could do both of them.” Namine replied, shrugging her shoulders, not in a big hurry to go home anyway. She’d had a good day thus far and loved it when the camera started snapping on her. She felt like that time was hers and it was time to shine as he smiled softly back at her best friend. “Whatever you want, chica. I don’t mind honestly, but make sure it’s worth the money.”

Sine nodded, taking the callers off hold. “That depends on how much your friend is willing to pay. Our standard fee is fairly steep as it is, but if you’re in a hurry, we could do it tonight, for a price of course.” She said briskly, ever the opportunistic business woman.

“Money is not an issue, darlin’.” ‘Taker stated without hesitation, nodding back at Steve, who was pacing like a caged animal. He had to smirk, knowing the man was just as eager as he was to meet these extraordinary women. “If ya can get ‘em done and ready for us to pick up by tomorrow, we’d pay just bout anythin’, Sin.” Her name flowed from his mouth like liquid fire, a low rumble sounding from his throat.

Sine shot another glance at Namine. This man’s voice was just too fine, though she wouldn’t be surprised if he turned out to be a dog. “Tomorrow is fine…” That was probably when they’d finish their shoot anyway. “Around what time?” Steve shook his head at ‘Taker’s smirk and stopped pacing as he listened in.

“Hold please.” Sine did it a second time and looked back at Namine skeptically.

Once again, ‘Taker held with a smirk and looked over at Steve. “We’re in.” He whispered, making sure Sin didn’t get back on the line or overhear him.

“Alright, I need a change of panties.” She announced, chuckling softly. “What do you say, Namine? Do you have to work tomorrow? We could just have them come get the photos after we’re done…” She loved computers, made things get done so much quicker and easier. “Then we can just go home and sleep.”

“I have to work tomorrow so if they can pick them up after seven, that would be fine. I’m really interested in meeting the one with the sexy voice.” She giggled at the look on Sine’s face and smirked knowingly, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “I want to see the appreciation on their faces. It’ll be a first, but nothing we can’t handle. It’s up to you though. I’m up for anything.” She answered honestly, really not minding the men coming to pick the pictures up. Her curiosity was peeking her interest greatly, especially with the other man she’d heard.

“Alright.” Sine nodded at Namine’s words and took the guys off hold for the second time. “Is around seven at night alright for you boys?” Steve started smirking broadly as he emphatically nodded his head. Seven o’clock couldn’t get there soon enough!

“Splendid.” ‘Taker’s voice dropped another octave, a Cheshire, evil grin spreading on his lips, and licked them hungrily while nodding at Steve. “Is that alright fer ya, man?” He asked loudly and held the phone out for Steve to speak in it.

“That’s perfect.” Steve said, fighting to keep his tone neutral. “We’ll see ya then.”

For some ungodly reason, that man’s voice sent shivers up and down her spine as Namine ran a hand through her hair. Her breathing suddenly became ragged. He had a sexy drawl to his voice, southern almost, and if there was one thing Namine couldn’t resist, it was a sexy Texan. This is precisely why she chose Stone Cold Steve Austin as her number one pictorial inspiration. “Yes, see you then.” She replied softly back at them before walking away, needing to douse herself with a gallon of water.

“At seven then, bye.” Sine hung up, shaking herself mentally and physically. “Tell me those boys did Not sound absolutely yummy?” She demanded, fanning herself even more, and could already feel herself form a pool in her panties. She was fairly certain Namine was in the same condition as her.

“That’s an understatement.” Namine stated as she walked back in, holding a cool rag to the back of her neck, and breathed in and out deeply. “That one with the Stone Cold picture just…His voice…Sent shivers down my spine.” She admitted after stumbling over her words somewhat.

“Good thing I had that T symbol made up, huh?” Sine sighed, shaking her head, and glanced at the clock. “We’re going to have to do the shoots here then. Especially if we want to do the one shots at dark. We can make do with the studio.” She informed Namine before walking off to call Brandon.

Chapter 7

While Sine went off to call Brandon, their best buddy, Namine went to set up her own room, finding a bed, and started tapping her chin in thought. She stripped it off, replacing them with midnight blue silk sheets made in satin. She then found a mirror that would reflect the image perfectly. He’d requested her to be almost naked so Namine decided she’d wear a pair of see through midnight blue panties that went with the sheets and would place her hair over her breasts. His voice replayed in her mind, causing her to shiver inwardly, and had to shake herself mentally, “Wow…”

Sine returned, trying not to laugh when she seen Namine exhale shakily. “Brandon is pissed. He didn’t like having to tear all that shit down.” She informed, chuckling harder. “I’m going to go start setting up the white room.” The white room was their multi-purpose photo room. A room they used when they digitally entered backgrounds and whatnot.

Nodding, Namine smiled and laughed, feeling sorry for Brandon, and giggled as she quickly set up the room. She placed white candles around the bed, deciding to give it a luminous glow. She nodded her approval when she stepped back and seen everything was set up right. The mirror was placed on the side of the bed, her reflection mirroring the bed perfectly, and changed into the panties. Shedding the rest of her clothes and kicking them to the side in the process.

It took nearly the entire night to get the pictures to perfection, more Namine’s than Sine’s because of the digital picture of Stone Cold being placed in the bed with her. They finally got it done two hours before Namine had to go to work as she sighed, changing back into the outfit she’d worn the previous day. She’d go home and shower first as she hugged Sine, promising to be there later that night, and downed three cups of coffee before heading out. After showering and changing into a pair of black dress pants with a loved sleeved red shirt, Namine headed off to her job. She walked in the recording studio and immediately went to her office, needing another cup of coffee as she yawned loudly.

John strolled in late, having spent the night out clubbing with his woman-for-the-night. He’d gone casual today, blue jeans and a beater, not in the mood to wear a stiff suit. He nodded at Jen before slipping into his office, smirking when he seen the paperwork for Namine’s raise on his desk. He read it quickly before picking up the revised contract and decided he’d hand it to her personally. It’d give him a reason to see her and devour her whole with his eyes, as he always did.

Namine was sitting at her desk, trying really hard not to fall asleep, and smacked herself a few times to wake up. She’d downed around seven cups of coffee and was on her eighth, blinking rapidly, and kept looking over the documents. Her next case was a guy named Preed, another rap artist on the rising path to stardom. She’d heard him and knew ‘Thuganomics Recording Studios 101’ would be honored to have him. Another thing that was on Namine’s mind was that voice. The man’s voice who asked her for the photo the previous day. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but something was vaguely familiar and sighed when there was a knock on her office door.

“Come in.” She called out tiredly, not looking up from her desk.

John stepped in, blinking when he seen how exhausted Namine looked. “Are you alright?” He asked, arching an eyebrow up at her, and kicked the door shut behind him with his foot lightly.

“Yeah, just tired. Didn’t sleep well last night.” She admitted softly, lying somewhat, hearing her boss’s voice, and was surprised by the concerned tone laced in it. Blinking a little more, Namine looked up at him, her eyes sort of red from not sleeping, but smiled nonetheless. “What do you need, Mr. Cena?” She was not in the mood to deal with his antics today. Though that didn’t stop her from noticing how hot he looked in the white beater he wore.

Blinking, John set down the contract on her desk, and stated while dropping down in the chair that was across from her, the desk in between them, “You need to read and then sign. Let me know if you approve of the figures.”

Nodding, Namine grabbed the contract that showed what her new wage would be, impressed by it as she smiled, and looked back up at him for a moment. Taking the pen from her cup holder, Namine signed her name on the dotted line, after reading over the entire contract, and slid it back over to him. In the back of her mind, Namine wondered just exactly what her boss had up his sleeve, but hid the emotion well in her eyes. “Thank you, Mr. Cena.”

John took it, just staring at her for a few long moments. “You’re welcome, Namine.” He replied, smiling slightly, an all too familiar gleam in his eyes. “So, what’s your plans for tonight?” He asked, sounding almost casual.

“I actually have plans with my best friend. We’re just going to do the girl thing, hang out, that type of thing.” She answered, conveniently leaving out the fact that she was also meeting possibly a gorgeous man with a sexy voice. She raised her eyebrow up at him curiously, already seeing that knowing gleam in his eye and sighed to herself. It was never going to end.

“Oh-plans…” John’s voice dripped with disappointment before quickly brightening up again. “How about you join me for lunch then, Namine?” He suggested, leaning towards her. “I’ll order some take out; we could eat in my office…or here…” He flashed that famous playboy grin of his, the one that had all the rest of the women swooning over him.

She crossed her arms over her chest and felt like reaching over to strangle her boss, but refrained for the obvious reasons. “I don’t think having lunch together is such a good idea, Mr. Cena, but thank you for the offer.” Namine politely declined though her jaw was tightened slightly.

John smirked, drumming his fingers on his legs, looking like he had all the time in the world. In a way, he did. “And why not, Namine? You thought having brunch was a good idea…Oh…” His blue eyes widened innocently as if the realization just hit him like a ton of bricks, that wicked gleam still in his eyes. “I get it. There was something in it for you, is that it? Well-there’s something in it if you have lunch with me.” He leered at her, never missing a beat, and Namine couldn’t believe the audacity of this man!

Her eyes narrowed to dangerous slits back at him, her expression suddenly becoming hardened, and shook her head in disbelief. “That was a business brunch to talk about my place in this business, Mr. Cena. Strictly professional. What you want and what I’m not giving you isn’t.” Namine stated matter-of-factly. “Whatever you have to offer, I don’t want it.”

“You sure about that, Namine?” John asked, standing up to walk over and sit on the edge of her desk, peering down at her closer. “I know you can’t be all ice. What’s it going to take to melt you some?”

“I’m only ice when it comes to you, Mr. Cena. You are my boss and yet, you seem to not like hearing the word no.” She stated pointedly, staring up at him with those fiery green eyes of hers, and leaned further back in her chair. “What is going to take for you to realize I’m not going to be another notch in your belt, SIR?”

John just grinned, looking amused now. “I’m your boss yes, but I’m still just a man, Namine. And nobody likes to hear the word no…” He pursed his lips, studying her, his crystalline blue eyes darkening slightly. “Who said I wanted you to be another notch in my belt, Namine? Do you ALWAYS think about sex when it comes to me?”

“As a matter of fact, yes I do because that’s all you’re about. I know your reputation and I know your ways. Now for the final time, my answer is no. Don’t like it? Deal with it or fire me. Not like I can’t find another job out there somewhere else.” Namine stated as if it didn’t bother her to lose this job that she’d come to love. Little did her boss know she had another job on the sidelines that paid her more money than this, until now, but hid that fact well from him and everyone else. “Is there anything else BUSINESS related that you need, Mr. Cena or can I get back to work now?”

“My reputation?” John echoed and blinked. “Now that’s sexist of you, Namine. What about all the women I’ve been with? They’re completely innocent, huh?” He stood up, shaking his head in disappointment. “Maybe you ought to see the big picture. I’m a wealthy man, good looking.” Hey, he could admit it, his ego was pretty well seated. “You ever stop to think that they’re using me just as much as I’m apparently using them?” He shook his head, not even giving her time to answer any of his questions he shot back at her. “Well then, Miss…” He bowed mockingly at her. “I’ll leave you to your BUSINESS and go find someone else to notch my felt with.” He snorted before walking out, the door slamming behind him with authority.

Namine couldn’t believe what she just heard and growled from low in the back of her throat. Just the mere fact he basically tossed what she’d just said right back in her face caused her blood to boil out of control. Sighing heavily, Namine shook her head and got back to work, hoping he got the message now and left her alone. She knew it wouldn’t happen, that he couldn’t keep away from her. One way or another, her boss always got what he wanted and with his gorgeous looks and that sexy smirk of his, no woman could resist him, except Namine.

“I refuse to be another notch.” She whispered defiantly before getting back to her task at hand, which was Preed’s contract.

John was in a good mood, surprisingly. That might’ve been because one of the few female artists on his label had just slipped him her number with a very interesting personal note. He shook his head as he walked in his office, crumpling it and tossing it aside. He might’ve fooled with the office women and agents, but he did not fuck the talent. Even he knew better than that. He dropped down onto the leather couch, leaning his head back thoughtfully, thinking about Namine. That woman had turned him down from day one and it was beginning to bother him. He was actually curious to know if his attraction to her would cease once he’d had her.

“God I hope so.” He muttered, running a hand down his face, not sure if he could take much more of this.

After working most of the day in her office and looking over the contract from her newest client, Preed, Namine sighed heavily, knowing she’d have to walk down to John’s office and ask for his signature on it. Standing up from her chair, Namine stretched a little, seeing it was just going on four o’clock, and sighed. Time was going by way too slow for her liking as she ran a hand through her hair, looking positively exhausted. After downing another cup of coffee, Namine walked out of her office and down to his, seeing his secretary was gone. Big surprise there, NOT! The bitch always left whenever she felt like it and it ticked Namine off to no avail. That’s the type of boss John was though. She sighed resignedly and walked over to his door, knocking softly.

“Come in!” John called out, still laying on the couch, the shades drawn and his shirt off, trying to get rid of a throbbing headache after dealing with a seriously cocky rapper. He didn’t look up when the door opened and sighed heavily. “Jen, I’m telling you for the last time, no means no. Stop bothering me.” He’d been fighting her off all damned day! Yeah, he’d slept with her once and she was good to look at, but she honestly was a bigger slut than he was.

“It’s not Jen, though I don’t take offense to what you just said because its true.” Namine replied, smirking with her reply and had to tear her eyes away from him instantly. His bare chest flexed as just the tiniest bit of light came in through the closed screens and Namine suddenly felt her mouth go dry. ‘My god in heaven save me.’ She prayed in a thought, keeping her eyes glued to the floor, and held the contract in her arms.

John slowly sat up, surprise in his blue eyes upon seeing Namine in his office. “Sorry about that, Namine, thought you were someone else.” He apologized, slowly standing up from the touch, and pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes. Finally, he shook his head and walked over to stand before her, hooking his thumbs in the waistband of his jeans, staring down at her curiously. “What can I do for you?” He asked tiredly.

She knew she had to look up into his eyes and blinked a few times, shaking herself mentally, and slowly rose her head to stare into his eyes. “I…signed another client and I need your approval signature, Mr. Cena.” She softly responded, taking a step back to give them some space, and handed it out to him. No matter what, she was NOT going to look at his muscular, delicious bare chest and incredible body, knowing that would give him enough ammo to try to seduce her.

Grunting, John walked back over to the couch, not bothering with formalities. He gestured to a comfortable looking leather chair and stated, “Have a seat.” He picked up a remote control from the coffee table and clicked a button, dim lights appearing over them, not up for anything brighter.

Nodding, Namine walked over, the black leather chair looking way too comfortable to turn it down. She sat down in it and sighed, leaning back against it, and closed her eyes, wishing she could fall asleep right now. If she could and if she didn’t have an engagement to go to that night, she probably would fall asleep in this chair. “It’s another rap artist.” She quietly spoke, her eyes never opening, too relaxed right now.

John read the contract slowly, having to stop several times to blink, his vision becoming blurry with words running together. “Namine, when is this due back?” He finally asked, looking over at her.

Sighing heavily, Namine slowly opened her eyes to stare at hi, seeing the pain etched in his features, and pulled something out of her pocket. She handed him the pills and smiled softly, a look of understanding evident in her eyes. “Here, they’ll take the headache away instantly.” She whispered, placing them in his hands, and leaned back against the chair. “Unfortunately, I need it signed today, Mr. Cena.” She sounded regretful, hating to see anyone in pain, no matter who they were, good or bad.

Nodding, John stood up from his couch and walked over to the bar, leaning down to pull a bottle of water out of the mini fridge behind it. He popped the two pills, swallowing them down, and grimaced before returning back to the couch. He quickly went through the contract and finally halted, blinking. “They’re asking an awful lot to sign.” He commented, blinking again to make sure he wasn’t seeing things. “Honest opinion, is this guy really worth it?” He asked, looking at her, genuinely interested in her opinion.

“If he wasn’t, would I even bother with him?” She retorted with a cocky grin on her face, running the chair back and forth as she leaned further into it. Almost snuggling into it. “I’m definitely investing in one of these.” She commented to no one in particular, sighing in contentment.

“Good point.” John reached for a nearby pen before scrawling his signature on it, getting up to stand in front of her, holding it out to her. “That chair is comfy, isn’t it?” He smiled slightly. “I’m fixing to have my office redone, if you want, it’s yours.”

Slowly opening her eyes to stare up at him, Namine raised an eyebrow up at him and crossed her arms in front of her chest. “What’s the catch?” She bluntly asked, knowing he wouldn’t just give someone something without getting something for it in return. That’s the type of person her boss was and she wanted to cut the shit and ask him straight up what he wanted in exchange for the chair she was sitting in currently.

John frowned, dropping the contract in her lap. “No catch, Namine. Christ, I thought you liked it. It’ll just be tossed so I thought…” He raked a frustrated hand through his hair, moving to sit back at his desk, and stared at her almost coldly. “Never mind.”

“Hey, don’t give me that attitude! You were really rude to me earlier in my office, Mr. Cena. You didn’t think I’d just forget about that, did you?” She stated in a rhetorical question, pointing out and reminding him of his childish tantrum he had earlier on, and picked up the contract, skimming it with a nod. “By the way, did you ever find that notch to place on your belt?” She couldn’t resist asking.

“No Namine, I need a new one. The old one is all notched out.” He retorted, folding his arms across the desk. “Why? You looking to be the first one to break it in?”

“You wish.” She shot back with a snort, a cold smirk on her lips and raked a hand through her hair, sighing. “You were really cruel to me earlier after I declined your offer for lunch, which was childish on your part, Mr. Cena.” Her eyes had adverted to the floor, suddenly feeling her shy side peek out. “You made it sound like since you gave me a raise for my hard work, which I rightfully deserve and have earned, that I should give you something in return.” She was being honest with him, brutally honest, and didn’t look at him, not wanting to suddenly.

“I gave you the raise because you deserved it, Namine.” John said patiently. “If I wanted something in return, I would’ve flat out asked or demanded it then. You should know that by now. As for the lunch bit…” John shrugged, beginning to look cocky again. “Can’t blame a man for trying now can you?”

“Yeah, but you’ve made it a nuisance and have been since I got here.” She countered, turning around to finally face him, and sighed heavily. “John,” She began, using his first name for the first time. “Speaking from one adult to another, what you made it sound like earlier was the main reason why I said the things I did. I, unlike these floozies who work for you, have respect for myself and don’t sleep with every man I lay my eyes on.” Namine stood up from the comfortable chair, squaring her shoulders, and held the contract in her hand. “I will leave you to rest your headache since I’ve probably made it worse.”

John just waved her out, smirking when the doors closed behind her. He moved back to lay down on the couch, his headache not as bad as it once was. ‘Can’t attract a fly with vinegar. Gotta use honey.’ He thought, deciding he’d have to charm her in order to get her in his bed.

Chapter 8

Sine was woken up by Brandon screeching something about how fantastic the pictures had come out and groaned, sitting up. She looked down, surprised to find her ex-boyfriend/fuck buddy David still there, realizing he must’ve had one Hell of a night at the bar. He was a bar bouncer, especially with his size. Sighing, she slipped out of bed, sliding her feet into her favorite high heeled fuzzy slippers, a gag gift from Brandon and Namine. She knotted her black silk robe before walking out into the living room. “You have to stop finding my spare key!” She snapped, accepting the cappuccino he held out for her as a peace offering, and looked at the two poster sized layouts before her. “Wow, that body paint came out better than I thought.” She smirked before looking over Namine’s. “Hmmm too much flame, Brandon. We need to lighten it some, we want her curves to be accented by the shadows and firelight, not outdone by glare.”

After doing some last minute editing while Brandon retreated to the dark room, Sine went back upstairs to take a shower and dressed for the day. She was up, she knew it, sleep was out of the question now. She sighed, wondering what she felt like wearing today and opted on a pair of form fitting black pleather pants with a black tank top, matching heeled boots, and lots of silver bracelets around her wrists. It gave the outfit a splash of color. “Back to slave labor…” She giggled, thinking these two clients had better pay pretty damn good because this was cutting into her sleep.

~!~

‘Taker sat in the hotel room, staring at the wall, his knee bouncing up and down in anticipation in seeing Sin on this night. He was wearing a simple black leather vest that buttoned up the front, showing off just enough chest for a tease, though he didn’t realize it. He had on black jeans that were so tight on him, anyone could clearly see what religion he was. His thoughts couldn’t tear away from her and he’d been searching the website all day. Finding all sorts of pictures with his gimmick as well as celebrities. He’d tear their heads off if they ever came near her after he was finished with his sacrifice. The mere thought made him tingle with desire as he growled, wishing time would go by faster.

Looking up from his spot on the couch, his own laptop before him, Steve was thinking this was a seriously good investment. “What’s wrong with ya?” He asked, having heard the growl. He was in his normal tight blue jean shorts that firmed his tight ass and ripped waist, t-shirt that hugged his muscular chest, looking like it was going to bust off of him. His blue eyes narrowed thoughtfully as he waited for ‘Taker’s answer.

“Time is going by way too fuckin’ slow.” ‘Taker admitted openly, raking a hand through his hair, leaving it down for the time being. He’d be pulling it back in a low ponytail soon before they left as he sighed, scrubbing his face with his hand, and growled again, “I want to go now!”

Steve shut down the laptop with a heavy sigh, wanting the same thing. “Have ya even thought 'bout what yer goin’ to say to her?” He asked curiously, having been giving the matter some thought himself all day. “Ya know, ya goin’ to act…normal, right?” He chuckled, loving to rib the man when it came to his gimmick. ‘Taker just gave him the finger, using Austin’s patented one finger salute before laying back down in bed, Sin never leaving his mind.

A few hours later, around six thirty, Steve looked up as ‘Taker started tying his hair back, glancing over at the clock. “You ready to go meet these ladies?” He asked, trying not to smirk. He shook his head, trying to picture the expression on Ames face when she seen him, but couldn’t get past that pouty look from the layout he’d seen. “Damn.”

“I was born ready, Austin.” ‘Taker retorted cockily, smirking over at his adversary, and rubbed his hands together. His broad shoulders were squared while his arms were covered from wrist to shoulder in colorful, beautiful tattoos. “Let’s go, it’ll take a good half an hour to get there.” He ordered and walked out, his stuff in hand, not planning on leaving Sin’s house that night at all. Steve just shook his head and followed, muttering something about people taking their work home with them.

~!~

After filing the contract away in the file in her desk drawer, Namine looked at the clock and felt her eyes widen when she seen it was past six. She immediately gathered up her things and instantly ran out of the building, to her car, and got inside. She peeled out of there, squealing her tires, and drove at rapid speeds to Sine’s house, not realizing how much time she’d spent in John’s office. ‘Damn it!’ She thought, punching the car to eighty miles an hour, and finally stopped five minutes later, squealing to a halt in Sine’s driveway. Walking inside after using the key, Namine burst in and shouted breathlessly, “Sine?!”

Sine came walking out of the back room where they kept the photos, grinning like a Cheshire cat. “Hey honey…” She glanced at Namine. “You need a shower and to change. You just came from the office didn’t you?”

Sighing heavily, Namine nodded as she raked a hand through her hair, not caring what she was wearing at the time. “No, I don’t need a shower. I went home after leaving here before going to work.” She informed, walking over to hug her, and smiled when she seen her holding her picture. She snatched it and grinned as she looked at it, nodding in approval. “Very nice!” Namine loved it. It turned out perfectly and actually looked like the real Stone Cold was in her bed. Yeah, in her dreams!

“Tell me I’m a genius. I’m telling you, they’d best be paying really fucking well because it took me hours to get it looking like that.” Sine joked, picking up a half empty bottle of Strawberry wine, and taking a sip. “Brandon went home an hour ago so I’ve been finishing up…” She glanced at the clock, sighing. “How was your day?”

“Horrible as usual, but I think I’m slowly starting to make him understand the concept of the word no.” She answered, though she didn’t realize how WRONG she was in that statement, and sighed. She grabbed a glass, pouring herself some wine, needing to take the edge off, and downed it. “I’m just glad to be away from the office and here. Ready to meet these men who requested these pictures?”

“I’m ready to see if the man matches the voice.” Sine laughed, letting her hair down from the bun she’d pinned it in, shaking it down her back, the ends curling about her waist. “How 'bout you?” She teased, smirking when Namine’s cheeks tinged red. “I saw that look, that voice knocked your own ass for a loop.”

“You have no idea. I haven’t been able to get his voice out of my head.” She admitted, running a hand through her own hair, and leaned against the couch. She rubbed her eyes as she stifled a yawn. She’d taken a small nap during her hour lunch that day, but that was it, so she didn’t have much energy inside of her at the moment. “Even YOU have to admit, they sounded fine as Hell on the phone.”

“I admit it.” Sine agreed, not ashamed, and retrieved another bottle of wine, refilling both of their glasses. “Cheers.” She toasted, clinking her glass against Namine’s before swallowing hers half down. “Guess who paid me a visit early this morning?” She asked casually, walking over to a table, and studied the selection of pictures she and Brandon had put together for their new customers.

“David.” Namine knew exactly who it was, just by that sly smirk that crossed Sine’s face, and sighed. She hated the fact that the man wouldn’t leave her sister alone, especially after their rather cruel break up. Then again, if Sine didn’t mind having consensual sex then there was nothing she could do to stop her from doing so. “I really wish you would just stop seeing him already. He’s going to end up hurting you again.” She chastised, running a hand through her hair, and downed her second glass of wine, deciding that was enough for now.

“How?” Snorted Sin, flashing a photo of Namine with the digital Stone Cold entwined in the bed with her in her face. “We’re done, it’s just sex, right?” She shook her head and suddenly stared at her best friend helplessly. “I can’t help it, sweetie. He’s good in bed.” She giggled, quickly getting that smirk back on her lips that hid most of her pain.

“Whatever floats your boat, I guess.” She commented back when a knock sounded at the door, causing her eyebrow to quirk, and slowly stood up from it. It was time. It was the moment of truth. It was the mystery men as she looked over at Sine, an apprehensive look in her eyes and walked over to her sister. “Shall we?” She asked nervously.

Sine smiled slightly, knowing how shy Namine could be, and decided now would be a perfect time to get the girl somewhat over it. Or at least try. “Go for it. Coming!” She called out before slipping into the kitchen, trying not to laugh.

“You bitch!” Namine whispered harshly at her best friend and started to tremble a little. The nerves were building inside of her stomach and took a few deep breaths to calm her racing heart. Walking over, Namine mentally counted to three and opened the door. Her jaw literally dropped to the ground as her eyes bugged out of her head, blinking repeatedly. Her eyes were staring into the orbs of none other than Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Undertaker.

‘Taker stood there on the porch, Steve right beside him, that cocky smirk playing on his lips, and knew this was Ames. He recognized her picture instantly and had to admit, she was beautiful in person, but nothing like Sin would be. “Are you going to let us in or just stand there like a fish out of water, Ames?” He asked amusedly though his tone had gone into his gimmick.

Steve looked down at her, his blue eyes widening. This woman was even more beautiful in person! He offered a tentative smile, seeing the look on her face. “Hello…Ames.” His voice was soft, her name just rolling off his tongue.

This wasn’t happening This was NOT happening! How in the Hell could they be here?! Namine felt faint as he stumbled back a little, shaking from head to toe, and swallowed nervously when the men stepped inside. “S-Sine?” She finally found her voice and called out shakily, not able to take her eyes form the huge men, more importantly, the Texas Rattlesnake, and took a really big deep breath.

Sine frowned, hearing how shaky Namine’s voice was, and was instantly on guard. She was expecting some perverts because that did occasionally happen. Sickos. “Comin’ sugar.” She said, her husky voice low, hoping she was wrong. Setting down her wine glass and stepping out into the living room, Sine froze when she seen none other than the one and only Phenom, The Undertaker, standing in her presence, along with Stone Cold Steve Austin. “Oh my god…”

‘Taker’s emerald green eyes instantly locked on her as she stepped into the room, trailing them down her body, taking her completely in. She was gorgeous in her photos, but even more breathtaking in the flesh. He seen the shock in her eyes and had to smirk, knowing both him and Austin had thrown the women for a loop, and raised a questioning brow. “Hello there, Sin.” Her name dripped from his mouth in that low, baritone voice he used in the ring as The Undertaker.

Steve frowned slightly, having not expected this reaction from Ames. Well actually, he didn’t know what he’d expected. He knew the woman in the pictures was a brazen lady. However, the woman before him seemed seriously nervous. Possibly even petrified.

Namine kept slowly backing away, her gut instinct telling her to do so, and stood right beside Sine, trembling from head to toe. ‘What the HELL are they doing here?!’ She thought frantically, her big green eyes widened in shock and fear, knowing they’d found their pictures online.

Sine instantly felt a surge of electricity course through her body at that voice, her eyes widening, a mixture of curiosity, fear and something else she wasn’t about to describe filling her. She glanced at Namine and reached out to put a hand on her shoulder, offering a reassuring smile before taking a deep breath. “Look, the pictures are just for fun. We didn’t mean to offend you guys or anything.” She said calmly, wondering if that’s what this was about, somebody spotting them and what not.

“Relax.” His voice rumbled throughout the house, causing Sine’s insides to quake, and darkly chuckled as he crossed his massive arms in front of his chest. “We’re not here to hurt you or sue you. We simply came here to meet the women who use us so admirably in their pictorials. Isn’t that right, Austin?”

Steve seen Ames looked like she was about to bolt and offered his own reassuring smile, raising his hands up. “We’re not here to cause ya ladies any trouble.” He assured, his words for both of them though he was starting at Ames, nodding at ‘Taker’s words.

She couldn’t move, couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe, nothing! Her feet felt like they were super glued to the flooring beneath as the tears suddenly filled her eyes. What the Hell were they doing here? Namine instantly started to slowly calm down when she heard The Undertaker assure them that they were there to just meet them. That didn’t stop her insides from shaking as she sighed heavily, running a hand through her hair, and hid behind her best friend. No words came from her mouth, her vocal cords picking the time to stop working.

Sine actually blushed, something she hadn’t done since her first actual layout, wondering if maybe she should’ve stuck with someone semi-safer as a subject. Like maybe someone dead. “Um…” She was at a loss for words and raked a hand through her own black hair, feeling Namine behind her, and sighed inwardly. So much for pulling her out of that shell. “Meet us? Then why arrange those pictures? That was YOU wasn’t it?”

Steve felt bad when he seen Ames hiding. “Look, we’re not stalkers or anythin’, we just seen the pictures and wanted to meet ya.” He said softly, looking behind Sine at Ames, who was hiding from him.

“We had to find some way to meet you ladies without your fear overpowering.” ‘Taker simply replied, taking a step toward Sine, never uncrossing his arms, his emerald green eyes piercing her soul and knew he had her. Her eyes were smoky as he licked his dried lips. “Tell me somethin’, Sin, “He began, walking over to stand behind her, moving her hair from her neck while Ames instantly backed away from him. “Do you want to be sacrificed for real?” His voice was a whisper, a husky, low whisper as his hot breath poured on her ear.

Sine slowly turned around to stare up at him. “You’re…You’re joking right?” She whispered, feeling like she would melt at his feet at any given second now.

These men were gigantic compared to how they looked on television as Namine slowly moved away from Sine, her eyes never leaving Stone Cold’s. She swallowed nervously as she began to tremble again and suddenly bolted through the kitchen and out the back door. “No way, this is not happening, no fucking way!” She whispered to herself and ran down the stairs, tripping in the grass, and scrambled up to her feet. Namine winced as she headed over to the gate that lead to the front of the house, lead to her car, and lead to her freedom.

Chapter 9

As soon as he seen Ames bolt, Steve followed her almost immediately, letting himself move on instinct. He knew words weren’t going to be have any effect right now, not while she was panicking. “Ames, wait!” He called out after her, seeing she was heading for the gate, and caught her before she could reach it. His strong, massive arms wrapped around her waist, stopping her from leaving, and stated, “Calm down! I’m not here to hurt you!”

Namine was beyond being a panic by now and tried breaking his grip from around her waist. Tears were sliding down her face as she tried getting away from him. “Let me go!” She shouted, the fear evident in her voice and started struggling in his arms. She’d dreamed for so long to have Stone Cold in her presence. Just to MEET the man and now that he was here, she felt like bolting because of her pictures.

Steve haled her back towards the house almost effortlessly, knowing he’d have to calm her down another way. “Knock it off!” He ordered firmly, never releasing his hold on her. “I told ya once gal, I ain’t here to hurt you! Now quit actin’ like a fool before ya change my mind.”

“Please…Please let me go!” She pleaded with him, feeling his hand grasp her wrist in a vise grip, and winced in a squeak when he pulled her against his body. The tears never stopped as she bit her bottom lip, feeling it quiver beneath her teeth, and felt her heart thundering against her chest like a rapid beating drum. “I didn’t mean to…” She whispered, finally sagging against him. The exhaustion and shock took over mixed with only getting one hour of sleep in the past almost 48 hours.

Sighing, Steve scooped her up in his arms and walked back inside the house. He spotted Sin and ‘Taker on the couch and headed towards an open door, spotting a bed inside the room. He kicked the door closed behind him, moonlight streaming through the open window. His only light as he gently laid her down, shaking his head. Steve sat down beside her, just staring at her for a moment, admiring her beauty. He couldn’t handle it anymore and bent down, brushing his lips softly against hers.

A soft moan escaped her lips when she felt a pair of lips on hers, causing her entire body to light on fire, and instantly kissed him back. She hadn’t passed out completely, just felt her knees buckle from both exhaustion and shock as she sighed, not believing this was happening. When he broke the kiss, Namine stared up at him through wide green eyes, which were slowly clouding over, and felt her chest rising and falling rapidly. “Why are you here?” She finally asked, her voice quiet and meek.

Chuckling softly, Steve ran his fingertips gently down the side of her face. “I was shown yer pictures and wanted to meet ya.” He answered honestly, not believing what an effect this woman had on him. “Why did ya use me in yer pictures, Ames?”

Suddenly feeling shy again, Namine just laid there and bit her bottom lip, wondering how she was going to get out of this predicament. “I just…You’ve always been…You fascinate me.” She finally whispered out, stumbling over her words, and ran a hand through her hair. Exhaustion was the LAST thing on her mind right now as she stared up into his blue eyes.

“Hmmm…how do I fascinate ya, darlin’?” He whispered, bending down to trail kisses across her jaw line, unable to stop himself. Her skin was so soft, silkily under his lips.

All rational train of thought left her mind as Namine melted into his lips, another soft moan escaping them, and popped her eyes open. “No wait…” She whispered breathlessly, pushing him away from her as best she could even though he could overpower her at any given moment. “I can’t do this. I don’t even know you.” Her head was spinning, but she had some resolve left inside of her as she scooted up on the bed. Her back pressed against the headboard with her knees drawn up to her chest.

“Ya know me well enough to pose for me…” He whispered huskily, moving towards her, his hands on her thighs, holding her in place. “Ya were posin’ fer me, weren’t ya, Ames.” It wasn’t a question.

“I don’t sleep with people I don’t know, even if I do use them in my pictures.” She stated defiantly, that attitude suddenly coming out as she stared at him with hardened eyes. What was it about men and trying to get their way all the time with her? First John and now Stone Cold Steve Austin! Namine felt like ripping her hair out of her skull right now even though this man was seriously turning her on.

“Did I ask ya to sleep with me?” Steve retorted softly, his hands gently massaging her upper thighs now. “Now lose yer attitude.” He ordered, his tone soft but firm, his eyes boring into hers. “I’m not hurtin’ ya; I’m not doin’ anythin’, so there’s no call for attitude.”

“I’m sorry.” She apologized instantly, knowing it was out of sheer instinct since John refused to leave her alone for the past year of working for his record company. His hands on her thighs were lighting her on fire, burning his palms in her flesh, and leaned back against the headboard as she sighed. His touch felt wonderful against her, simply exquisite as she drifted her eyes shut, not able to fight it off much longer. “What do you want then?”

Steve chuckled, sounding rather amused at her question. “I told ya, Ames, I wanted to meet the woman who posed fer me.” His voice dropped to a low, husky whisper once more. “Does that bother ya?”

“I’m not sure right now.” She whispered in response and opened her eyes, the green suddenly a darkened forest, and bit her bottom lip as he continued massaging her thighs. “I can’t believe…you’re here.” She gasped out when his hand traveled a little higher and felt her body melting against his hand and the pleasure he was causing her to feel. Suddenly, she pulled back again, trying to fight him off, her conscience being pulled in two different directions.

He had enough of one second her warming up to him, then the next running cold, and pulled her up to her knees. An arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her up against him. He stared down into her green eyes, his own a deep ocean blue now. “Believe it, honey, I’m here.” He murmured and bent down to kiss her, coaxing her mouth open before tasting her with his tongue for the first time, groaning in the back of his throat.

Wrapping her arms around his neck while sitting on her knees, Namine kissed him back, her body instantly melting against him, and allowed a soft moan to escape her lips. Their tongues entwined in a dance of seduction as she moved her head from side to side, her heart pounding furiously against her chest, against his while her pulse raced rapidly. This man was such a great kisser, better than she’d ever dreamed of, and finally ran her arms from around his neck down his shoulders and t-shirt covered chest. Finally pulling away, Namine needed to catch her breath since it was extremely sporadic.

While she was catching her breath, Steve’s hands were guiding hers down his chest to the bottom of his shirt. He manipulated her hands, staring into her eyes while she pulled at his shirt, sliding it up and over his head. Then he finally let go, bending down to kiss her again, this time working off her top. The feel of her hands on his bare shoulders was almost more than he could stand. Her soft lips against his was heavenly, yet sinful at the same time, almost too wonderful to be true, but if this was all a dream, Steve never wanted to wake up.

She moaned out against his lips, them still touching, and loved the feeling of his soft flesh against her fingertips, breathing erratically against them. “I can’t…” She whispered out even though she was doing it anyway, her body betraying her, and kissed him again. “This is wrong…” Even if she was saying this, Namine was completely mesmerized by the man she could only dream of being with and knew she was doing it because of John. She pushed the man away for a year thus far, but yet, Steve walks in and she automatically melts for him.

“Yes, you can.” Steve countered against her lips in a whisper, knowing her mind and body were fighting each other. He had her upper half stripped and lowered his head to capture one of her nipples in his mouth. Circling his tongue around the stiff peak, his other hand kneaded and massaged her other breast, loving how soft she was to the touch.

“No…No I can’t…” She cried out softly and massaged the back of his neck with her hand, arching against him, completely melting like she was lava in a volcano. “I don’t know you…” She whispered out pleadingly, shaking her head even though she wanted this. Craved this. Dreamed of this happening. Her hand involuntarily trailed down his muscular chest to his jean shorts and went to unsnap them, but shook her head, pulling it away, still fighting.

“Yer gonna know me…” Steve murmured in a promise. “All of me.” His tone left no doubt that she’d come to know him both physically and as well as everything else. He was totally enchanted by this woman. Steve gently grabbed her hips, pulling her down so she was lying flat on her back beneath him, straddling her waist. He stared down at her for a moment before lowering her head, capturing her mouth in a passionate, soul searing kiss. A hand trailed down her body, his hard knuckles brushing against her pant covered crotch.

Namine gasped against his touch, his finger brushing against her pant covered crotch, which was absolutely soaked by now, and cried out softly. She couldn’t do it. She couldn’t fight him anymore and would suffer the consequences later. This was her dream man. The one she’d only had in her bed in her subconscious and now he was here in the flesh. Namine arched her body against his hand, her own running up to her hair as she ran her fingers through it, shaking her head back and forth.

Steve had them both completely undressed in seconds, returning to torment her, lowering his head to replace his tongue with his fingers. His tongue circled her clit a few times before trailing down her slit, groaning and lapping up her sweet juices. “Ya taste so damn good, Ames.” He murmured, licking his lips hungrily before kissing her, grazing his teeth against her clit, chuckling when her hips bucked.

She cried out again, her eyes squeezed tightly shut as her hips bucked against her will, not believing how much desire was coursing throughout her body. It was overwhelming her. Completely overpowering all of her thinking and rationality. Her breathing was labored as she ran her hands down to his bald head while her body arched against him even more. “Stop teasing…” She whispered out, at the breaking point of begging and cried out again when he raked his teeth against her slit.

Chuckling huskily, Steve slowly slid one of his huge fingers inside of her, shaking his head before resuming his torture, loving how she squirmed beneath him. “Not yet, darlin’…” He drawled in a murmur, crooking his finger into a come here motion, gently stroking her.

“Oh god please…” She begged in a whispered gasp, sweat slowly beginning to coat her body in a thin sheen, and could feel her walls instantly contract around his finger. It’d been so long since she’d had sex and could already feel herself beginning to cum for him. Just his voice was enough to make her cum in buckets as she gripped the sheets tightly with her hands and gritted her teeth, trying to fight it off. She failed miserably.

Steve watched her as she came, lowering his head to lap up her juices. When she finally calmed down, he kissed his way up her body, hovering over her. His lips and tongue nuzzled her neck tenderly and pressed the head of his cock against her still soaked sex. He groaned just by the feeling alone and couldn’t remember the last time he felt something this powerful. It was almost as if she had this spell on him that made him instantly desire her and couldn’t wait it out any longer.

“Mmm Steve…” She moaned out his name, hoping he didn’t mind, not sure what he wanted to be called.

Her fingers ran down his muscular back and up his neck. Her body was ignited in a raging fire and she wanted him to put it out. There was only one way to do that as she held onto him. Her legs wrapped around his waist, but didn’t lock her ankles, knowing he could go deeper with her legs spread. She felt him nuzzling her neck, smiling softly as her breathing was sporadic. Her fingers once more ran up and down his back, loving how his muscles twitched beneath her soft touch.

Almost sliding inside of her right then and there, but having enough sense to wait, Steve stared down at her. He gently stroked her ribs with his hands and asked her in a passion filled, gruff voice, “Are ya on any kind of protection Ames or do we need to use somethin’?”

“I-I’m on birth control, but if you want to use a condom, I’ll have to ask Sine where she stores them.” She shakily answered, her entire body trembling from head to toe. She was on birth control to regulate her monthly periods since they’d been out of control since she was a teenager. She ran a hand down her face, trying to get her breathing to stop being labored, and stroked his face tenderly with the back of her free hand. “By the way,” She paused, taking another deep breath. “The name is Namine.”

Steve shook his head, knowing full well if ‘Taker had his way, Sine wouldn’t be able to answer anything right now. He trusted birth control, the pill, but would pull out just so she didn’t worry. “Namine…that’s beautiful darlin’.” He whispered and slowly inched inside of her, studying her face, frowning when he felt her tense a bit. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s been…a long time.” She rasped out in between ragged breaths, her hair splayed over her shoulders and around her face as she hissed. The burning sensation of her walls was contracting against his cock as he slid further inside of her, and had to grip the sheets tightly as she cried out. She tried to breathe through it, like the first time, and finally felt him fully sheathed inside of him, tightening around and almost suffocating him.

Freezing, Steve was unable to move, afraid to actually. One move on either of their part and this would be over before it even began. He stared down at her, his eyebrows drawing together in concern. “You alright, Namine?” He asked softly, his voice huskily low and gruff with passion.

Nodding, Namine couldn’t speak, her breath caught in her throat. Just the feeling of him sheathed inside of her fully was enough to make her cum in waves. She knew she was already doing it. He didn’t’ even need to thrust inside of her because she could already feel her walls squeezing him for dear life. The burning sensation slowly deteriorated and when it did, what she felt was indescribable. She moaned out louder when she just felt him and it was the most wonderful feeling she’d ever experienced in her life.

Steve almost experimentally pulled out before sliding back inside of her, gasping when it felt like he was being pulled in. “Damn Namine, ya feel so good, honey.” He murmured, bending down to kiss her lips, and couldn’t hold back Thrusting in and out of her, Steve’s hands cupped her ass, pulling her up to meet him for every thrust.

Namine finally got the motion going and wrapped he legs around his waist, squeezing her thighs against his sides, and looked up into his eyes. She leaned up, her hips rolling and crashing against his, and whispered breathlessly against his lips, “Cum in me, Steve…I want to feel you.” Her forehead pressed against his and passionately kissed him, not wanting him anywhere else, but inside of her. The feeling of him sliding in and out of her was too much as she started cumming more, crying out his name repeatedly. Her thighs tightened around him even more as he drove deeper inside.

Her words were music to his ears. Though, when she tightened her thighs around him, he froze. His breath caught in his throat before shuddering and ramming inside of her one last time before exploding. His semen splashed against her back wall as he gritted his teeth, staring down at her. He watched her cum as well, loving her crying out his name and loved how her face contorted in passion for him. “Holy fuckin’ shit, Namine!” He grunted out harshly, still spewing inside of her, and felt her body trembling beneath him.

Her body trembled violently against him as she pulled him down, kissing him once more, and wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him tightly to her. She never knew a man could cum so hard and long as Steve did. She honestly didn’t mind though. Her breathing was so ragged; she could barely breathe let alone utter a single word. Laying on the bed, completely limp, Namine closed her eyes, fully exhausted from this bout.

Steve rolled onto his back, not wanting to crush her, pulling her with him so she was laying sprawled out on his chest. He ran his hands up and down her back gently, staring at the ceiling. His body was sensitive, feeling her every curve, her warmth, everything, amplified it by ten. “Namine, that was incredible.” He said at last, kissing the top of her head.

“I agree fully with you.” She replied softly, her head resting on his muscular chest, and her arm was draped over his stomach lazily. Her body was completely relaxed with a contented smile on her lips and yawned loudly, knowing everything was catching up to her. Lack of sleep, making love to Stone Cold Steve Austin, and working a full day shift at work while dealing with her boss. Yeah, everything was finally catching up to her as she closed her eyes.

“Tired honey?” He murmured in her ear, rolling them so they were spooned together, her back pressed against his muscular chest, draping an arm across her waist. “Ya look like ya had a tryin’ day. I’m sorry if I made it worse.” He apologized softly, but didn’t regret making love to her the way he did.

“No, it was worth it. Every second.” She whispered in reassurance, yawning once more, this time deeper, and snuggled against him, perfectly content with lying in his arms. She knew he’d most likely be gone in the morning, but that didn’t matter. At least she got one great night with him, and she could finally die happy. “Good night, Steve…Williams.” She murmured before finally falling into a restful slumber, refusing to call him Stone Cold or Austin.

Steve kissed the side of her head, nuzzling his face in her silky soft hair. “Good night, Namine.” He whispered, pulling her tighter against him. He buried his face against her back before falling asleep as well, feeling truly content for the first time in a long while.

Chapter 10

“Does it sound like I’m joking?” ‘Taker retorted, his voice a low, deep baritone, suddenly going into Undertaker mode, and gripped her chin firmly in his strong hand. “I came here for one purpose and that was to show you what it would REALLY be like to be with the Lord of Darkness.” He had a feeling she had a dark soul as he rolled his eyes in the back of his head before plundering his soft lips on hers, growling.

Sine did melt, everything suddenly catching up with her, slumping against him. When he finally pulled away, her eyes were closed, convinced she was dreaming. “This is a hallucination. Brandon put something in my cappuccino again…” She murmured, fairly certain when she opened her eyes, Brandon would be standing there laughing his ass off.

‘Taker caught her in his strong arms, seeing she was feeling faint, and looked down at her with those piercing emerald green eyes of his. He didn’t say a word and scooped her up in his arms, not believing how light she was. She weighed nothing more than a feather and carried her over to the couch. Sitting down with her in his lap, ‘Taker wrapped his arms securely around her waist and stroked her back. “Are you okay?” He quietly asked, his voice almost a whisper.

Nodding weakly, Sine finally admitted to herself that this wasn’t a dream. “How…Why…” She took a deep, calming breath. “Now, why are you really here?” She asked quietly, her voice barely audible.

That same dark chuckle sounded from his lips as he buried his nose in her hair, inhaling her scent, and instantly became drunk with it. “I told you why I’m here and I don’t like repeating myself.” His voice whispered in her ear, rumbling from his chest.

Sine shied away from him, trying to move off his lap, only to be pulled back instantly. “Look, I’m sorry about the layouts. I’ll take them down, I promise.” She whispered, trying desperately not to be attracted to him. Onscreen he was gorgeous. In person, she was in danger of signing over her soul.

“I don’t care about the layouts. Though I must admit, they’re quite extraordinary and beautiful.” He stated, his voice showing, but it was still in that deep, dark baritone voice that he used most often. He smirked when he felt her shiver. “I would hope you wouldn’t take them down, but the choice is yours, Sin. I’m here to fulfill all of your fantasies…” He trailed off, his lips barely brushing against the pulse point of her neck. “Every. One.”

Moaning softly against his lips on her neck, Sine reached up to entwine her fingers in his black, silky tresses. “Wait, no.” She moved away from him, trying to regain her composure, which was a serious task. “I don’t…do this with strangers.” She said firmly, her eyes focused on the wall above him, knowing she’d melt again if she looked into those smoldering green orbs.

Bringing her face to meet his eyes by gently grabbing her chin, ‘Taker stared back into hers and whispered inches from her lips, “Sin…” He loved the sound of her name coming from his lips. “I think we can skip the formalities.” He then plundered his lips on hers again, tasting her with his tongue, and held her on his lap firmly. His arms tightened around her even more.

Sine shuddered against him, all thoughts of not sleeping with strangers flying straight out the window. Instead, her hormones kicked in and she moved to straddle his lap. Thinking if this was a dream, she was seriously going to make it count. Her arms went around his neck, pressing her chest against his body, never breaking the kiss. The feel of his soft lips against hers caused her mind to spiral out of control.

‘Taker growled from low in the back of his throat, his lips instantly latching onto her soft skin. He wrapped his muscular arms around her waist, pulling her even closer to him if that was possible. “Tell me somethin’, Sin,” He began, his lips trailing down her throat to the side and down her jaw line. “Why did you use me for your pictures?”

“Because…” She tilted her head to the side, pushing her hair out of his way. “I like your on-screen character.” She smirked slightly, being completely honest with him. “But I’m fairly certain you guessed that already.”

“This is precisely why I plan on giving you a PROPER sacrifice tonight.” ‘Taker stated, his tone final, and lifted her up in his arms, her legs instantly wrapping around his muscular waist, and passionately kissed her again. “Where’s your room?” He asked once he broke the kiss again, seeing she was submitting to him.

Sine blushed for the second time that night. “I live upstairs, but…” She hesitated, chewing her bottom lip nervously. “I use…” She gestured off to a door, suddenly remembering her props were still up. “But I don’t want to go in there!” She squirmed against him, not sure exactly what was happening, but mostly wanting it. Except for one voice in her head screaming out a bunch of warnings.

“And why not?” ‘Taker challenged, his eyebrow slowly raising, staring down at her, and walked into the room without her consent. His eyes gleamed wickedly when he seen all the props up that she used for her photo shoots. What caught his attention though was a bed with silk black sheets and his symbol was right near it. “Perfect.” He purred in her ear and carried her over, placing her on the bed on her back, and instantly crawled over her. He’d kicked the door shut behind him with his foot before laying her down and began attacking her neck with his lips and tongue. “Now then, my poser, shall we get on with the sacrifice?”

Swallowing hard, Sine grabbed his hair, pulling his head up as their eyes locked. “What do you mean sacrifice?” She demanded, not sure if she really wanted to her the answer. Her gray eyes searching his, obviously trying to read him.

“Don’t worry, Sin. It’ll be nothing, but pleasurable, I assure you.” He promised, his emerald green eyes darkening slightly, having been that way since his eyes laid on her in the flesh. “Do you really want me to stop?” He asked rhetorically and bent down, trailing his lips down her throat to her chest while his massive hand ran down beneath her shirt, rubbing her soft skin. “Do you not want to be my victim, Sin?”

Sine arched up against him, sighing softly, surrendering herself to him. “Oh god yes…” She murmured, closing her eyes and shivered when she heard him chuckle darkly.

Growling against her soft skin, ‘Taker smirked wickedly as he continued to kiss down her throat. He lifted her body, pulling her shirt, exposing her full, voluptuous breasts to his vision. He immediately went on the attack, his lips trailing down to her chest and gripped her hips, rubbing them with his huge thumbs. “So soft…So very sweet.” He murmured in that dark voice against her skin and wouldn’t be able to stop even if his life depended on it now.

Not sure if she could handle this, Sine felt like this slowness would kill her. Having always been one to just dive right in. She gritted her teeth, hissing slightly, and moved her hands to his leather vest. Her hands deftly removed it from his muscular form before he could blink, smirking slightly. Running her hands over his bare chest, Sine moaned softly, loving how strong his skin was against her fingertips.

Growling, ‘Taker thought he would explode right then and there just by feeling her soft hands on his chest and hissed. He immediately made quick work of her clothes, along with his own, and licked his way down her chest. Down the valley between her soft globes as he massaged them in his strong hands. As he traveled further, he even dipped his long, slick tongue in her navel. ‘Taker grinned when she cried out and kept going lower, his strong hands rubbing up and down her sides, massaging them gently with his thumbs. “I wanna taste you…” He gruffly whispered.

Sine didn’t really care about what he wanted at the moment. He was driving her out of her mind! She growled, tugging on his hair not so gently! “No! Get up here!” She ordered, her voice harsh with passion, feeling like she was going to explode, crying out when he went lower. “Oh Christ!”

Smirking wickedly and arching his eyebrow up at her, ‘Taker slowly stopped, his tongue barely grazing her soft inner thigh. “You ordered the Lord of Darkness.” His voice dropped to that Undertaker voice again and sat up on his knees. “Do it again and I’ll make you so insane, you’ll be BEGGING me to end you!”

Fighting both the urge to give into that voice and the urge to get cocky with him, Sine was used to having her way in bed. Or at least most of it. She propped herself up on her elbows to stare down at him. Her hair cascaded down over her shoulders, hiding her heaving chest. “You’re just a normal person.” She said at last, sounding like she was also reassuring herself more than making a statement.

Staring up at her with an arched eyebrow, ‘Taker was truly taken aback by her words, and slowly crawled up her body. “Who do you want? Do you want the Undertaker, the Lord of Darkness, the Phenom, or do you want Mark Calaway?” he asked, his voice a deep baritone, his southern drawl barely peeking.

Sine stared up at him, her eyes growing thoughtful as she studied him. “Which one are you really?” She asked quietly, her husky voice steady.

Sighing heavily, he finally stopped the administrations for a minute and ran a finger down her cheek, staring down into her eyes. “Mark. My name is Mark.” He finally said, using his regular voice, which was a deep southern accent. Not dark either, but sexy nonetheless. “I can give you the Undertaker, but my name is Mark.”

She smiled slightly. “Mark.” She whispered out, loving the sound of his name rolling off her tongue. “The Undertaker is a fantasy. I normally prefer what’s under the mask if you don’t mind.” She bit her bottom lip for a minute. “My name is Sine, accent on the n and e.” She finally revealed, normally not giving out her real name to people who knew her by her nickname.

“That’s even more beautiful than Sin, darlin’.” He said in his real voice and slowly caressed her face with his thumb, running it along her soft lips, and kissed her again. This time, it was softer, yet passionate at the same time. Mark couldn’t believe he’d actually given out his real name. Couldn’t believe the intense, raw emotion he felt with her. He slowly began brushing against her wet sex with his hardened cock, but didn’t slide in yet. “Yer amazin’, Sine…” He drawled in a whisper, using her real name.

“Mmm…” She murmured, reaching down to grab his ass, pulling him against her as well as inside of her. Her eyes flew open at the contact, a hiss escaping her. “Mark!” She gasped out, staring up at him, and wrapped her legs around his waist to keep him in place so he couldn’t slide out of her.

Mark growled out at the contact. The sweet contact and closed his eyes as he gritted his teeth a little. The sound of his name. His REAL name coming from her lips caused Mark’s sexual intensity and desire to heighten even more. “Sine…” He choked out, the passion overwhelming him, and slowly began to move in and out of her, allowing her to adjust to his size. “Goddamn, are ya tight!”

“You’re just huge!” She gasped out, raising her hips up to meet him, feeling empty every time he’d pull back. She ran her hands up and down his back, raising her head to trail kisses across his chest. Flicking her tongue out against his nipple, Sine smirked when she felt him tense and murmured, “Turnabout.”

“I noticed.” He retorted in a heavy breath and grunted as he finally sheathed himself all the way inside of her. Enough to fill her completely whole. Something she’d never felt before, not even with David. “Darlin’, oh fuck, Sine…” He groaned out and started thrusting in and out of her, the tightness of her walls almost causing him to cum right then and there. He held her tightly to him while gripping her thighs, spreading them a little wider, and thrust even deeper, harder, and faster inside of her.

Sine just clung to him, holding on for dear life, moving against him the best she could, gasping. She felt like she was stretched to the limits and it was heavenly, just feeling him. “Oh god Mark…” She whispered, burying her face in the crook of his neck, biting when she felt the first waves of an orgasm start to shake her. Knowing she was getting off on just feeling him, Sine allowed herself to surrender completely to him.

Mark gritted his teeth, trying to work through it, riding out her first orgasm, but the feeling of her around him was too much. This was without a doubt the most intense sexual encounter Mark had ever experienced in his life. He couldn’t remember, not even with his ex-wife, and growled as he started moving in and out of her, pounding now. “Darlin’, this is gonna be over quick…” He grunted out, sounding sorrowful, not wanting it to end so quickly.

She didn’t care. She had a philosophy and that was when she came, the guy should too. Why drag it out when they could both be satisfied instead of aiming for that hours on end sex that wound up leaving the woman bowlegged and sore? “Cum in me, Mark.” She pleaded, writhing against him, and rolled her hips against him harder.

He couldn’t handle it or hold back any longer. He started driving full force inside of her. Deep, long strokes in and out that caused Mark’s senses to reel as he picked her body up from the bed and held onto her. Burying his face in the brook of her neck, Mark was breathing erratically as a fine layer of sweat started forming on their bodies. He never stopped his thrusting, wanting her to feel everything as she milked him dry. “I’m gonna…Oh fuck, Sine!” He growled out, thrusting even harder and faster. He finally exploded, bellowing out her name in his release as he came hard. So hard it caused him to lose his breath.

Sine hit a fairly high note all things considered, cumming harder than she ever had before, her inner walls milking him greedily. Afterwards, she just collapsed back on the bed, not caring that he was lying on her. Normally, she would’ve pushed him away, not liking immediate contact after sex, but she was too content to care. “Mmm.” She purred, completely and utterly satisfied.

His arms instantly went around her, pressing her chest tightly against his chest, which was heaving as he buried his face in the crook of her neck. “Christ…” He whispered out and kissed her chest as a warm down, loving the feeling of her warm body against his. Mark finally couldn’t hold himself up even more, finally stopping the flow of his cum inside of her, and leaned on his side. He pulled her with him in his tattooed arms, wrapping them around her body, pulling him closer to her, but not to the point of crushing.

A few minutes later, Mark heard something like a back snapping and looked down, his eyes widened in fear at Sine, and asked, “Damn woman, you alright?” Concern was laced in his voice and features.

Sine arched an eyebrow, opening one eye to look at him. “I’m fine.” She smiled suddenly, twisting her upper body almost violently, a serious of popping noises following. “Cracked my back.” She explained, looking amused.

“Woman, yer somethin’ else.” Mark growled softly against her ear, smirking when he felt tremors course throughout her body, and slowly ran his hand down to cup her already dripping sex again. “Care to go fer round two?”

Chapter 11

John smirked as he looked around Namine’s office. He had done a job well done if he did say so himself. The sly bitch thought she was cute. Always shooting him down and acting high and mighty when she was nothing more than some porn freak. He shook his head, studying one of the blown up posters he’d had made, hardly believing it was her. He’d been web surfing the night before, having nothing better to do, and had come across an interesting site.

A VERY interesting site. John sighed, shaking his head and glanced around the room one final time. Every inch of wall space was covered with her pictorials from the site. A life sized one adorning the back of her door. He smirked, knowing when she walked in and see this, she was going to flip out.

“Too bad kid…” He murmured, walking out, no remorse whatsoever in his body posture.

~!~

After waking up in Steve’s arms and slowly slinking out of them without disturbing his rest, Namine showered, knowing she had to get to work. She sighed, standing under the sprays, and just allowed her mind to wander to the previous night. What happened between her and Steve? It was absolutely spectacular and she was shocked when she woke up to find him sleeping beside her in his arms. Sighing dreamily, Namine quickly stepped out, dressing in a pair of blue dress pants that were pinstriped and a laced trimmed tan top underneath the match cardigan. Grabbing her keys and purse, Namine headed out to her car, driving to work, her mind solely on the Texas Rattlesnake.

When she arrived at work, Namine walked straight inside her office, needing to get some more work done first thing. Her eyes literally bugged out of her head as she seen her pictorials spread all over the walls of her office. Suddenly, Namine couldn’t feel her legs and instantly collapsed on them to the carpeted floor below. Tears were already burning in her eyes as she wrapped her arms around her stomach. She couldn’t believe someone would do this, would expose her second job like this. Namine’s eyes instantly narrowed to slits and hardened when she heard that voice behind her and stood to her feet, squaring her shoulders. The tears were no longer there.

“You know, if you were looking to do some…modeling, I’m sure I could’ve found something for you.” John’s voice sounded behind her, carefully moderated, and closed the door behind him. “Though I will admit, these, “He paused, gesturing toward the pictures that surrounded them. “Are very, very impressive Namine.”

“I can’t believe you did this.” She whispered harshly through gritted teeth, staring at all of her pictures that she’d done. Taking a deep breath, Namine finally turned around to face her evil, vindictive boss. “This is low, Mr. Cena. This is VERY low. What I do with my personal life is NONE of your business.” Her voice was surprisingly calm, though her eyes were spitting green balls of fire at him and her tone was cold as ice.

“Actually Namine, this is my business.” John countered, his voice cold as well. “You see, you work for me and you have a very memorable face. Suppose someone important were to see these…little spreads of yours and then find out you’re working for me? How the Hell is that going to make ME look?” Once again, it was all about John, never about anyone else.

“I’ll make this really simple for you then, Mr. Cena. Ready? I quit.” She stated and walked over, ripping the pictorials down that he’d blown up, shaking her head in disbelief. The tears were already running down her cheeks. Her beautiful work had been turned into a joke, a piece of trash, and it broke her heart. “You won’t have to worry about your image, even though you’re a sexual predator and stick your dick wherever it’ll fit.” She spat hatefully at him, her green eyes narrowed, and balls up her pictures up, leaving them a mess on the floor. “Good luck finding ONE person in this company who makes you as much money as I have and I did it without having to spread my fuckin’ legs like all the rest of these whores you employ.”

John’s eyes widened, staring at her in shock, not believing what she just said to him. “YOU CAN’T QUIT!” He bellowed, blocking the door, and crossed his arms in front of his chest. “A sexual predator?” He echoed viciously. “That’s rich coming from a slut who shows it all to the entire world!”

“Oh I can’t? What about your precious image? I will tell you this right now, Mr. Cena, I’m not a slut. I don’t spread my legs for my clients unlike you. That’s the only way you can get one fuckin’ deal in this place, but then I came along and everything was fine for you. My work is beautiful and I happen to be proud of my body and I happen to enjoy showing what I got. I don’t regret one single camera shot and I make MORE than enough money doing that then working for a piece of trash like you!” She stated in a cool tone of voice, crossing her own arms in front of her chest, and raised an eyebrow at him as if to challenge her. “I’m quitting.”

His eyes were sparking blue fire before cooling down, becoming icy instead. “Fine.” He stepped away from the door, mockingly gesturing towards it. “Go on, Namine. Go run. You wouldn’t want me to pounce on you or something since I’m a sexual predator.”

“Why wouldn’t I run away from this job when you just called me a slut?” She retorted, not moving just yet, and crossed her arms in front of her chest. Her green eyes were cold daggers shooting right back at him, refusing to back down. “Admit it, you’ve been trying to get in my pants since the first day I started this job.”

“Well Hell Namine, if I knew you dropped your clothes for money, I would’ve paid you!” John snapped right back, not about to let her talk to him the way she was. “Next time give a guy some notice. Not like everyone knows you charge!”

“Good luck finding someone else who makes you more money than me, Mr. Cena.” She stated, repeating herself from earlier and turned around, staring to pack up her office. Namine refused to allow him to see her cry, not believing what a heartless bastard he was. “I really hope that everyone sees you for what you truly are one day. I really hope you can get out of your debt without me around.” Namine had single handedly drug this company out of debt when she arrived on the scene a year ago. She signed the biggest stars out of all the agents and they were ALMOST out of debt. Almost being the key word.

“You’d be surprised, Namine. Now, don’t let the door hit you on that sweet ass of yours on the way out.” He replied, smirking, and licked his lips as he looked her up and down. “Of course that ass isn’t the sweetest thing about you…”

Namine didn’t say a single word to him as she continued to pack, feeling his eyes devouring her body, and ignored his presence. She jumped when the door slammed shut and snapped her head up, instantly putting the chair between them, and glared spitefully. “Get out so I can pack up my shit and get out of your sight for good and back to my “slut” job as you like to put it.” Her voice and tone was even and deadly, wishing she’d never come to work today.

John looked amused at what she said and simply stated, “I don’t have to get out, you forget Namine. I OWN this place. I’ll go wherever I damn well please.” He sat down in her chair, propped his feet up on the desk, and reached out to smack her ass one good time. “Go ahead and pack, who’s stopping you?”

That was all Namine could take as she spun around and brought her hand forward, slapping the taste right out of his mouth as hard as she could. She immediately gasped, not believing she’d actually done that as she put some space between them and glared. Not showing one ounce of fear in her eyes of him and shouted, “Don’t you EVER touch me like that again! You have no right and I can press sexual assault charges on your ass if you’re not careful, Cena!” She was through calling him mister, knowing he didn’t deserve it, and kept her front to him in case he lashed out.

“Prove it first.” John taunted calmly, feeling his jaw and narrowed his eyes at her slightly. “You know damn well I don’t allow cameras in the building besides the ones in the lobby.” He growled, standing up slowly. In lightening quick speed, John had her pinned against the wall, her wrists over her head in one massive hand, his knee trapping her legs. “Now Namine, how 'bout one goodbye kiss?” He murmured, bending down and kissed her passionately.

Namine immediately fought it off, wiggling and twisting her body violently against him. When he stuck his nasty, infested tongue in her mouth, she bit down. Hard. Drawing blood, Namine shoved him away from her as hard as she could. She stumbled away, wiping his blood from her mouth that had leaked on it, and felt the tears sliding down her cheeks as she stared at him in disbelief. She spat out the vile taste of his tongue in her mouth, gagging a little and watched as he held his mouth. “You’ll pay for this, mark my words, Cena.” She promised darkly, her eyes flaring dangerously, and already had a plan. In a quick jump, she was holding the folder with all their new clients in it and whipped out her candle lighter. “Come near me and I’ll set these on fire and put your ass back in debt, dick!”

John wiped away the blood, his tongue throbbing from how hard she’d bitten down. He stared at the folder that was grasped firmly in her hand and backed away. “Fine.” He grunted, giving up. “Get your stuff and get the Hell out.”

Deciding to say fuck it, knowing he couldn’t prove anything, she lit it on fire, throwing it in the waste basket. Her eyes watched as it burned right before his very eyes. All of her work over the year was gone, all the clients, everything she’d done for him had gone up in smoke in a matter of seconds. Finishing her packing and holding her box of stuff in her arms, Namine sneered back at him, “Oh how I so LOVE payback!” She walked straight up to him, showing him just how much rage was in her eyes. “Move so I can get the fuck out of this worthless, piece of shit company.”

He couldn’t believe she’d actually done that! He finally stepped aside, knowing this was far from over. “I’ll be seeing you, Namine.” He said in a low voice, pushing open the door, a note of promise in his tone.

“Don’t count on it, asshole.” She spat back at him, her eyes remaining narrowed, and walked out of the place she used to work for, carrying her box of things. She walked straight out of the building, her head high, and threw her stuff in her car. Peeling out of the parking lot, Namine finally allowed the tears to flow down her cheeks. She whipped out her cell phone and dialed Sine’s number, not able to stop crying.

Sine sighed, reaching over to grab the phone, cradling it to her ear as she stared up at Mark. “Yeah?”

“I quit.” She sniffled out and actually had to pull over, screeching her car to a stop. Her vision was blurred by her heartbroken tears and she didn’t want to get into an accident.

“You what?” Sine gestured for Mark to move, rolling off the bed when he did, and stood up. “You quit? Why? What happened?”

“He found me…He found the website.” Namine began crying, clutching her chest with her hand, and shook her head in disbelief. “He called me a slut and said that what I’m doing is a bad image for him so I told him I quit. I burned all of my work I did for that rotten bastard too.” She spat, trying to calm down as she locked her doors, being on a country road, and all. She allowed the tears to fall freely and whispered out, “He forced himself on me too…”

Sine groaned when she heard that, not surprised. “Oh honey, I’m sorry…” She murmured, having dreamt of the repercussions on Namine if someone had discovered the site. Her gray eyes widened. “HE DID WHAT? What exactly did he do?” She demanded angrily. “Have you gone to the police yet?”

“He shoved his tongue in my mouth and I bit down on it to the point where I drew blood.” She responded and wrapped her arms around herself, rubbing her arms up and down frantically. “I’m not going to the police because he’ll try suing me for destroying those documents. I just want to move on from him and this fuckin’ job and continue doing what I do best. Apparently, I’m a slut because I pose in sexy pictures. Who knew huh?” Her sarcastic nature was kicking into high gear as she sniffled and sighed. “I’m going home…” She sighed when she heard a beep on the other line. “I’ll call you later.” She hung up after Sine said okay and answered the other call, sounding gruff and hoarse from crying, but not caring. “Hello?”

“I want you to come back.” John stated without any greet of any sort. “Come back to work, Namine and we can forget this all happened. I’ll leave you alone.”

“Why so you can force yourself on me and call me a slut? No thank you. I’d rather be homeless than work for a scumbag like you.” She stated heatedly, though the tears continued to fall, and started crying out of nowhere. What he’d said to her really hurt her more than words could say and never thought her pictures could be used against her.

John sighed heavily, knowing he was a complete asshole to her, and was glad she hadn’t bit his tongue off. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done what I did. Any of it. You’re not a slut, Namine. I had no right to call you that or to judge you. What you do outside the office is none of my business. Please, just come back.”

Sniffling, Namine leaned back against the seat of her car, knowing she needed this job in order to make ends meet. John didn’t need to know though. “How do I know this isn’t another one of your luring tricks just to get me alone?” She wasn’t stupid. She was highly intelligent in fact and refused to put herself in danger. Truth be told, Namine had records of all her clients at her condo, but John didn’t need to know that either.

“No tricks, Namine.” John promised, knowing she had no reason to believe him, and honestly didn’t blame her. “I want you to come back to work, please? You wouldn’t have to come today. You could have the rest of the week off, with pay. Just agree to come back.”

“I’ll think on it. You’ll have my answer if I show up on Monday.” She informed him and snapped the lid of her cell phone shut, throwing it in the passenger seat. She felt her eyes fill with more tears. Truth be told, she loved her job. She loved what she did. She did like working for John, even though he was a womanizer. Then again, she honestly didn’t blame him for how he reacted to her pictorial. Her second life. Sighing heavily, Namine knew she was going back to work on Monday and drove to her condo. Pulling in the driveway, Namine parked her car and walked inside her home, locking the door, and collapsed on the couch in tears.

Chapter 12

Namine heard her house phone ring as her eyes slowly opened, wincing at the burning sensation they gave off, and sighed heavily. She knew it was because she’d cried herself to sleep that they were burning like a bitch now. Sighing heavily, Namine raked a hand through her hair as she tried to get them to stop burning while the phone continuously rang. She didn’t want to answer it, but knew it was probably Sine. Reaching over and turning over on her back, staring up at the ceiling, Namine put the phone to her ear and whispered out, “Yeah?” Her voice was hoarse and filled with heartbreak as she scrubbed her hand down her face. “I know it’s you, sis, and I’m fine.”

“Bullshit.” Sine said softly, dropping down onto her bed, sighing. “What’s going on, Namine? What’re you going to do?”

“I’m going back. He called me and begged me to come back to work. I can’t give this job up, Sine. I’ll deal with him in my own way, but I have to go back. This is a great job and I refuse to allow him to get the best of me. I’m still doing the pictures, but I’m going back. If he tries anything again, then I’ll quit and find something else.” Namine explained, sniffling a little, and wiped her tears away while raking a hand through her honey blonde hair in frustration.

Sine was silent for a moment, wondering if this was the right decision her best friend was making. “You know I’ll support you in anything you do, sis.” She finally said, her tone full of resignation for the obvious reasons. “If he tries anything, let me know, I dug out the nails.” She informed, chuckling silently and suddenly wanted to change the subject. “What are you going to do tonight? I KNOW you’re not planning on hiding out at home. Not when you have a gorgeous looking man, namely Steve, lurking around.

“Actually, I planned on staying home. I just don’t have the desire to do anything tonight.” Namine sounded so sad and regretful over the line as she stared up at the ceiling, holding the phone to her ear. “That took a lot of out of me dealing with that shit, Sine. Why, what are YOU doing tonight?” She smirked, knowing Sine was probably going to spend most her night in the bedroom with the Undertaker. Not that she blamed her for doing it or anything.

“I’m going to dig out some sexy clothes from my closet, grab that lovely makeup kit we generally use for shoots and come over there, kick your ass then doll you up.” Sine informed her best friend and Namine sighed, knowing she’d do it. If Sine said she was going to do something, nine times out of ten, it happened. “You aren’t sitting at home. You’re going to do something if I have to drag you kicking and screaming. Or I’ll have Steve drag you.”

“You wouldn’t dare!!” Namine squealed, shooting up from the couch, her eyes widened at her best friend’s threat and sighed heavily. She knew she couldn’t deny her big sister as she giggled just a little, knowing Sine would bring Steve over if necessary. “Please don’t bring him to my house. I don’t want him to know where I live.” She pleaded, truly wanting to be alone for the rest of the day and night. Then again, she did want to see Steve again and knew Sine wouldn’t take no for an answer. Basically, she had no choice in the matter. “I’ll do anything, just don’t bring him over here.”

“Then I suggest you get your ass over here.” Sine replied sweetly, batting her eyelashes just to emphasis her point, and knew Namine would comply. “Get out of the city for a few days. It’ll do you good, you know I always keep a room for you up here. We can hit the bar. I’ll even buy all your Tequila Rose.”

Grinning upon hearing that, Namine sighed, knowing she couldn’t resist that offer on top of seeing Steve again. Namine lived in the city since it was so close to her work in a small condo that had two bedrooms. It was small, but to her liking, not having time as it was to keep up with the cleaning and whatnot. It was just enough for her to handle and maintain. Since she did have one week off, courtesy of her boss, Namine decided she’d take Sine up on her offer to stay at her house for the week. “Alright fine, I’ll pack and be over there within two hours. Sound good?”

“Sounds great. That’ll give me time to pick out something simply luscious for you to wear. See you in two hours and if you’re not here in EXACTLY two hours, I’m bringing Steve THERE! Bye sis.” Sine threatened in that bittersweet, husky tone of voice of hers and hung up before Namine could protest.

Growling upon hearing that and knowing her sister would keep her word, Namine nodded as she put her phone back on the hook and started walking into her bedroom to pack. She decided on four pairs of jeans and a skirt with matching tops. Jewelry, shoes, and a few other items along with her clothing. An hour and a half later, Namine was on her way to her best friend’s house and arrived one-minute shy of 2 hours. She burst through the front door, breathing heavily since she’d ran from her car. “I’m here! Don’t do it, Sine!” She shouted, knowing her sister would send Steve after her if she wasn’t there on time.

Sine snickered, walking out into the living room to greet and help her with her things. “The guys will be here in an hour or so. They went off to doll themselves up.” She informed with a roll of her smoky gray eyes. “Now…Come see what you’re wearing!” She practically dragged a grumbling Namine to the bedroom by the wrist.

Sighing resignedly at the look in her best friend’s eyes, Namine had a sinking feeling she wouldn’t like the outfit Sine picked out. “Why do I have a feeling that I’m not going to like this?” She asked fearfully as they walked into the bathroom.

Laying on the bed before them was a midnight blue dress. The skirt part would reach Namine’s upper thighs. The seamless waist of the skirt would come up to about an inch or two beneath her navel. The stop part of the dress was a halter top of sorts. Two straps started on either side of the navel and ran up to meet about the neck, which would expose Namine’s sides, stomach, and show some serious cleavage.

“I’m NOT wearing that!!” Namine protested immediately the minute she seen how scantily it was and shook her head, crossing her arms defiantly. “No way, Sine. I don’t dress like that unless it’s in front of a camera.”

“You’re wearing it.” Sine stated in a final tone, laying out a pair of matching open toed heels that went with the dress.

“No I’m not.” Namine argued, refusing to wear that dress out in public, and shook her head. “That’s not me and I’m not wearing that. I’m not provoking more trouble for myself than what I’ve already done.” She wrapped her arms around herself and walked over to the window, peering out of it, referring to what happened between her and John earlier.

Sighing in resignation, Sine grumbled out, “Fine. You can wear this one.” She walked into the closet and emerged with a long sleeved, ankle length, high collar dress. Something she was given as a joke from Brandon. “Here ya go.”

“Can I pick out my OWN outfit?” She asked hopefully, walking over to the closet, and didn’t wait for Sine to answer. They raided each other’s closets all the time as Namine looked, grinning when she found what she wanted and pulled it out. It was close to the same dress that Sine picked out. Except it didn’t show off her sides or a lot of her cleavage. Just enough to make the men allow their imaginations to wander and the slits went to the thighs. “I’ll wear this.” Namine announced, pulling it off the hanger, and set it on the bed.

“Wench.” Sine muttered, snatching her own dress off the rack. It was a thigh high blood red dress that would cut across her shoulder with long flared sleeves. “You’re so no fun.” She joked playfully, selecting a pair of spiked heels to go with it.

“I know.” Namine replied sweetly as she quickly changed into the dress, sighing as she tried pulling it down. Honestly, she didn’t look half bad in it if she did say so herself. Not revealing too much, but enough to allow the imagination wander is what Namine wanted and the dress fulfilled it. She looked back at her sister and whistled, loving the look, and wished she wasn’t so shy. It was her though as she ran a hand through her hair and started doing her makeup. She decided to keep it natural, just outlining her eyes with a thin layer of midnight blue eyeliner, bringing out her stunning green eyes nicely. Her hair was left down, but curled down her back, giving it bounce and life. She had a midnight blue choker around her neck with silver bracelets on her wrists to give the dress some spice. “I wonder where the guys are…” She wondered aloud when she was finished getting ready.

Sine didn’t reply right away, busy at the mirror, having put on her own dress. She left her hair hanging loose before applying her makeup, going a bit more dramatic than Namine. Black eyeliner outlined her eyes with mascara, curling her eyelashes nicely. She had blood red lipstick that matched her dress that coated her lips and went to slip her jewelry on. She skipped her usual and simply opted for a black and gold arm band in the shape of a snake. “Hmmm…No idea. You look hot!” She complimented, smiling back at her best friend.

“Not as hot as you.” She retorted and grinned when Sine flipped her off. That was their game and what their friendship was built on as she sat down on the bed, crossing her legs, and leaned back a little. Her hair pooled around her on the bed as she smiled and stated, “You know you love me.” Namine stuck her tongue out playfully, causing Sine to growl at her.

“I’ll think on it.” Sine replied, smirking. She cocked her head when she heard thudding on the steps and knew the men had arrived. “They’re here.” She announced, heading down the hallway and sighed when Namine hesitated walking out after her. “Bring your sexy self out here, woman!”

Sighing resignedly, Namine reluctantly followed her best friend out to the living room, trying to pull the dress down a little lower. The slits. She smiled when they finally faced the guys, who had their jaws dropped to the floor. Namine giggled when she seen the expression on Steve’s face and blushed, biting her bottom lip, and crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Hi…” She shyly greeted, her cheeks turning a tinge of red.

Steve regained his composure and walked over to pull her into his arms, leaning down to lightly kiss her lips. “Hi.” He said back with a handsome smile. “You look incredible, Namine.”

Sine was watching Mark take her appearance in, a serene smile on her lips, and moved to stand in front of him as she asked playfully, “Well mighty Lord of Darkness, will I suffice?”

“Darlin’, Satan himself couldn’t be able to take his eyes off ya.” Mark stated and stood to his full height, walking over to her, and pulled her into his arms, passionately kissing her. “I’m not the Lord of Darkness, I’m Mark with you and that’s how it’ll stay.” He corrected her and licked his lips of her sweet gloss. “Didn’t mean to mess yer lipstick up there, darlin’.” He grinned, not sorry in the least.

“Thanks.” Namine softly replied, her shy side coming out even more, and leaned against Steve when he hugged her close. She wondered if he knew about what happened to her that day and decided not to say anything about it. She didn’t want to ruin his night or anyone else’s with her petty problems. “You don’t look so bad yourself.” She winked up at him mischievously.

Steve shrugged, his blue eyes twinkling. “I’m not the one who’ll be beatin’ people off with a stick, honey.” He teased, wrapping an arm around her waist, pulling her further against him. “So where is it we’re goin’?”

“I have no clue. Ask the master mind over there.” She gestured toward her best friend, who was in Mark’s arms, and cleared her throat. “Excuse me, people in the room!” She reminded teasingly with a smirk on her face.

Turning to arch an eyebrow over at Namine, Sine snuggled into Mark’s embrace and cockily asked, “Yes sugar? You screeched?”

“I said where are we going?” Namine reiterated, that same sly smirk on her lips and laughed at the look on Mark’s face at what Sine told him. “Hey, you wear makeup out in the ring so why should it matter if you wear it out in public?” She retorted, causing Steve to start chuckling, feeling his chest rumbling.

“Shut it, Austin.” Mark growled back at his adversary, not believing the tongue this little girl had on her. Though he had to admit, it was fiery and feisty. Her and Steve would get along famously.

Steve snickered, his eyes narrowing in on ‘Taker’s face. “That’s a great look fer ya, man. Really, almost sexy even.”

He growled even more and went to lunge at him, but the beautiful angel in red stopped him from doing so. “Darlin’, don’t step in the way. I’m gonna strangle him fer what he just said!” His emerald green eyes spit fire balls back at the man he was forced to bring along on this journey. “Just wait, Austin…”

Namine couldn’t help but laugh as she leaned against Steve for support, clutching her stomach with her arms, and shook her head. “Sorry Phenom, I couldn’t resist!” She laughed harder.

“Oh knock it off…” Sine laughed along with them good-naturedly. “No fighting or we’ve leaving you children here and going out our damn selves. Is the local place alright?” She asked, glancing at Namine briefly. “I don’t exactly feel like going into the city tonight.” Truth be told, she didn’t want to go in the city because of Namine’s womanizing boss, John.

“Neither do I.” Namine quietly agreed, stopping her laughing, and raked a hand through her hair, trying to forget about what happened earlier with her boss.

Steve was grinning broadly behind Sine’s back, raising his hand to make a just bring it gesture to ‘Taker before sighing. “Sounds good to me ladies.”

“Wherever you ladies wanna go, that’s fine. Just keep me away from big mouth over there before I snap him in two.” Mark advised dangerously, making a mental note to really tombstone Steve’s ass hard once they got back on the road.

“I saw that.” Namine chastised after elbowing Steve in the ribs, causing him to grunt out.

“On it. Namine, you riding with me?” Sine giggled, watching as Steve grunted, rubbing his stomach. She glanced over at Mark when he stared at her with a slightly narrowed eyes. “My car is a two-seater…and you’re kinda big to be riding in it. You’d look like you were in a clown car.” She giggled again at the mental image that popped into her mind.

Steve sighed, not believing how hard she’d elbowed him. “Oh that’ll be nice. Leave me all alone with the cross-dressing Phenom.” He grumbled with a roll of his eyes.

Namine giggled with her sister and sighed when Steve’s arm wrapped securely around her waist, sighing resignedly. She burst out laughing when Steve said that and elbowed him again. “Oh my God, you did NOT just say that!!” She then walked toward her sister, deciding to teach Steve a lesson. “Have fun boys, we’ll meet ya there.” She waved three fingers at Steve, who looked like he’d seriously put his foot in his mouth by now.

Mark grinned wickedly, his emerald green eyes gleaming, and as soon as Namine walked away from Steve, he stalked toward him, clenching his fists tightly at his sides. “I should’ve never brought ya with me, Austin. I knew ya couldn’t keep yer mouth shut.” He spat hatefully.

Steve didn’t back away, just rose an eyebrow up at the Deadman. “Are ya goin’ to stand there and flap yer gums when ya got a beautiful woman waitin’ on yer dumbass?” He drawled, sounding bored, loving it when ‘Taker actually started getting flustered.

“Fuck off, Austin!” Mark shouted before storming out of the front door, stalking toward his truck and got in the driver’s side. He was half tempted to leave Steve’s dumbass behind, but decided against it as he unlocked the passenger door. He started driving off when Steve was trying to get in the truck and smirked when the man somehow made it in. “Hey, ya reminded me 'bout my woman, man.” Steve just growled, not saying a word. They both remained silent as they followed the girls, deciding he’d have it out with ‘Taker once they were back in the ring.

Chapter 13

They arrived a local bar a few minutes later, one that Namine and Sine went to whenever they just needed to escape for a few hours from the photo shoots and their lives. It was exhausting living two lives, but Namine pulled it off expertly. They walked inside the bar and Namine instantly went for the Tequila Rose, ordering a double shot of it. She smiled when the guys walked in, but frowned upon seeing David working that night. Of all the nights they had to come to the bar HE was bouncing for that night. Sighing, Namine decided not to worry about it, knowing David wouldn’t do anything with her best friend, at least not in public.

Sine exhaled raggedly, heading straight for their usual table, and smiled when a waitress spotted them. They ordered their drinks like always and smiled when the guys joined them. “Nice to see you boys made it in one piece.”

“Barely.” Mark grunted, glaring over at Steve and shoved him toward Namine none to gently. “Just stay away from me, Austin.” He warned and sat down at the book with his woman, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, and ordered a shot of Jack Daniels.

Steve flashed Sine a grin, watching as the waitress set down a drink before each girl, followed by a bottle of whatever they were drinking before shooting ‘Taker a look. He dropped down next to Namine, deciding to let that shove slide for now. He ordered himself a beer and growled back, “Not a problem, Deadman.”

Namine smiled up at him and snuggled against his side, having her glass of Tequila Rose in front of her, and sighed in contentment. She could seriously stay there for the rest of her life, but knew that wasn’t happening. She would enjoy her time with Steve until he left. Then get back to her life, back to her horrendous boss. Back to snapping pictures of her naked body in front of a camera and back to living her double life.

Sine shook her head, picking up her glass of Black Velvet, and raised it in Namine’s direction. “To a peaceful night.” She said wryly, shooting it down her throat after toasting her best friend.

Lifting her glass up and toasting, Namine nodded as she downed her first shot in one gulp and ordered another. She was going to have a good time tonight even if it killed her. She smiled hesitantly at Steve’s questioning look he shot her, but she blew it off. The last thing Namine wanted to talk about was what happened that day with her and John. She still couldn’t believe the audacity of the man to actually blow up her life work, her beautiful pictures, and exposed them like they were trash.

Steve studied Namine thoughtfully, leaning back against the booth and asked softly in her ear, “How was yer day?” He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, squeezing it gently, and loved how she smelled. It was a mixture between strawberry and jasmine, very intoxicating.

“Uneventful.” Was the only word that came from her mouth, knowing it was wrong to lie to him, but she couldn’t help it. She didn’t want him to know what her boss had done to her because it was none of his business. She didn’t know what they were and until she knew, they were going to keep their personal lives out of the equation. “Yours?”

A smile tugged at the corner of Steve’s lips as he echoed, “Uneventful.” He bent his head down, not able to resist, and lightly brushed his lips against hers. They were so soft and felt wonderful against his own, making him drunk with desire for her even more.

Namine giggled softly at his answer, kissing him back, and licked her lips. She moaned softly at the taste of him, sighing in contentment and retorted, “You’re a smartass, you know that, Steve?”

“Better than bein’ a dumbass, honey.” He replied good-naturedly, taking a swig of his beer, his blue eyes scanning the bar, automatically locating the exits purely out of habit.

Sine smiled, winking up at Mark out of nowhere before moving her hand to his inner thigh, slowly moving it upwards. She giggled wickedly when his eyes narrowed down at her before slipping out of the booth. “I love this song.” She murmured, bending down to kiss his cheek before making her way towards the dance floor. “Ya coming Namine or sitting this one out?”

Mark sat back, not much of a dancer, and raised his eyebrow curiously over at his woman. He smirked when he watched Namine stand up from the booth, laughing at Steve’s facial expression, and shook his head. He downed another shot of Jack Daniels and asked casually, “What man, can’t handle yer woman showin’ what she’s got in front of crowds?”

Steve started to reply, but stopped, a slow smirk spreading across his face, his eyes on the dance floor. “I’d be takin’ a look at yer own woman there, Deadman.” He snickered, his gaze moving onto Namine.

“Hey, as long as she’s in my bed at the end of the night, I don’t give a damn.” Mark replied nonchalantly, though what he saw her doing caused his breath to catch in his throat as he blinked rapidly. “Damn…”


Take a good look at it
Look at it now
Might be the last time you’ll
Have a go round
I’ll let you touch it if you’d
Like to go down
I’ll let you go further
If you take the southern route


Namine grinned as she joined her best friend on the dance floor, one of their many traditions they always did. She flipped her hair over her shoulder as the music started flowing through her, and their backs pressed together. “You ready?” She whispered and smirked when Sine nodded before turning around. They whipped their hair out of their face once again and started grinding to the music like it was second nature.

Steve blinked, watching them, almost growling when he seen so was every other dick in the joint. ‘She’s not yers man.’ He had to remind himself, cracking his knuckles. ‘Not yet anyway.’

Sine was aware all male eyes were on them and that was alright. She and Namine were used to that. She placed her hands on Namine’s hips, leaning forward as their chests were mere inches apart. “I think you just gave Steve a reason for that “stone” name he sports.” She murmured, never stopping the movements.

Giggling softly, Namine glanced over at Mark and smirked wickedly. “Looks like the Deadman isn’t so dead after all.” She commented in a retort before pressing their foreheads together, her hands sliding down to rest on Sine’s hips, and started grinding together. She hiked her dress up a little more on her thighs for a little more leverage and room to move.

“Damn!” Mark grunted out, seeing all the men had stopped what they were doing to stare at them, and knew Sine would be coming back to him. Though that didn’t stop his erection from pressing against the zipper of his jeans and had to down his entire beer, ordering them to keep coming. “Jealous there, Austin?” He taunted, trying to get his mind off his dick for a moment.

“Not at all. Have another drink there, Deadman.” Steve retorted, smirking, and leaned back, looking nonchalant and casual. However, he was grateful for the tight jeans, even though it hurt, they held his equipment in place.

Sine smirked wickedly, rolling her hips against Namine’s, slowly tilting her upper body back, her long black hair cascading down. She glanced at Mark, watching him suck down the beer and snickered. “I love being naughty.” She whispered playfully.

Namine didn’t respond, her eyes drifting closed to the music that thumped throughout the place, and arched her body back. Her hair pooled down her back, resting against her ass, and started running her fingers through it. They went back to back again, getting on their knees, and arched their body while rolling their hips forward. Standing back up, both the women started dancing even dirtier, running their hands down each other’s body, feeling each curve. Feeling eyes boring into them like the sun did on a hot summer day.

John walked into the bar at that moment looking upset. He’d come to this shit hole town looking for Namine, wanting to talk to her, only to not be able to find her place. He halted next to a few guys loitering by the door when he spotted Namine. She was…dirty dancing with Sine, a woman he recollected from a while ago. He’d also recalled seeing her on the website. A slow smirk crossed his face as he moved to take a seat at the door, ordering a shot of bourbon. His blue eyes locked on Namine’s watching her body move and twist, gyrate to the music, and could already feel himself become aroused.

Namine didn’t notice him walk in, too involved in the dancing she was doing with her best friend, and turned so her back was pressed against Sine’s chest. She immediately grinded against her as she shook her ass a little, grinning from ear to ear. Her eyes watched as Steve’s jaw dropped and ran her hands down Sine’s body in a seductive, sexual fashion, licking her lips. She knew she was killing the Rattlesnake, but what a way to go! Giggling at the thought, Namine never missed a beat as the music kicked up a little.

Sine shook her head, seeing the look on Steve’s face before glancing at Mark, throwing him a smoldering stare. She then bent her forehead, pressing her cheek against Namine’s. Grabbing Namine’s hand and raising it in the air, Sine danced against her friend’s back. She moved her other hand to rest on Namine’s hip, her fingers splayed. A smirk formed on her lips as she closed her eyes, parting her lips just the slightest, and could feel the end of the song arriving.

“Good god in heaven…” Steve groaned, having to adjust himself, not believing what he was seeing. “She’s tryin’ to kill me.” He muttered, signaling for another beer. He’d already sucked five down, starting on his sixth. “Don’t let me run dry.” He told the waitress seriously, not diverting his attention from Namine for a second.

“She’s mine later on.” Mark promised, seeing the smoldering look in her eyes as she stared at him. He knew she wanted him just as badly as he wanted her. He downed another beer, being his fourth, and finally leaned back, not able to take his eyes from her spectacular body.

Sipping the bourbon he’d ordered, John watched on, wondering where the Hell the Namine he knew was. This wasn’t her. This was someone entirely different as he watched her body twist and gyrate to the beat of the music. Damned if she wasn’t beautiful while doing it though. He finished his drink and slipped off the barstool, moving his way around the men who’d gathered. John wanted a closer look at her, more importantly, her body.

Smirking devilishly as the song came to a close, Namine slowly turned around, never stopping the movement of the music. Never stopping the dirty, exotic dancing. She pressed her forehead to Sine’s before slowly snaking her tongue out, tracing her bottom lip, and smirked as the song ended. They both started laughing heartedly, hugging and leaning against each other as Namine gasped out, “That was great!”

“That was awesome.” Sine agreed while laughing. “You wait right here, sugar. I wouldn’t head back to the table just yet. You might get raped.” She advised and winked before retreating to the restroom, disappearing in the crowd.

Mark’s jaw had hit the floor as his emerald green eyes widened, blinking rapidly, and managed to glanced over at Steve, sputtering, “Did I…Did we…Did they…” Not a single coherent sentence came from his mouth as he blinked in shocked.

Steve had to take a long drink of his beer, his eyes widened in shock as well. “Yep, there was some tongue.” He said finally, sharing a look with Mark. “Think they’re…” He trailed off, not wanting to think of Namine as a lesbian, but after what he saw, he couldn’t help it.

“Nah because they hugged and laughed afterwards, man.” Mark stated confidently. There was no way Sine could be a lesbian, not after what they did the previous night. He’d ask her about it later just to be sure, but he was pretty certain she was strictly for men.

Arching an eyebrow back at ‘Taker, Steve stroked his goatee in thought as he sighed. “I don’t know. Maybe they’re bi…” He frowned, not sure if he really wanted to share Namine with anyone, including another woman.

Laughing softly and knowing Sine was right, Namine ran a hand through her hair, shaking it a bit and grinned. She made her way over to the bar for a water, having a dry mouth after dancing so much. After that dance, she needed to quench her thirst and waited for it, her back facing the dance floor. John watched as Namine moved to the bar, slowly walking up to stand beside her. Though not too close in case she lashed out at him again. “That was some show you put on out there.” He said softly after waiting a few moments.

Namine froze upon hearing that voice beside her and opened her water bottle, downing a third of it before finally pulling back. She slowly turned her back to him, refusing to speak to him after what he did to her earlier on that day. Where in the Hell was Sine when she needed her? Steve couldn’t’ see her because there was a massive crowd that night, which made her groan inwardly. Why her? Why did it always have to be her?

John frowned, moving so he was standing in front of her, his expression pleading. “I’m not here to start anything, Namine.” He clarified, wanting to put her fears and suspicions at rest. “Or to hit on you. I was doing some thinking about what happened earlier. I wanted to apologize to you in person, but I couldn’t get a hold of you on your phone so I thought…I thought I’d come see you.”

“I can’t trust you right now.” She blatantly stated, especially after what transpired between them earlier on that day. She sighed heavily at the look in his eyes, hating the fact that he could make her feel guilty just by one look in them. She completely missed the hidden passion within them as she took another drink of her water and rolled her eyes at his earlier comment. “I guess the “slut” gets around, huh Cena?” She shot back hurtfully, doing the finger quote gesture with her fingers to emphasize her point.

“I didn’t mean that, Namine. I was angry and irrational.” John said, not upset with her sarcasm, seemingly possessing infinite patience. “I’m trying to extend the olive branch here. I don’t want us to be like this. For one, it’s not conductive to a healthy work environment. Two, I really feel bad about what I did.” He rubbed the back of his neck, looking truly embarrassed as he spoke his feelings to her.

The look in his eyes told her that he meant what he said, but she still was leery about it. Rightfully so. “I’m coming back to work.” She finally revealed, raking a hand through her hair and sighed deeply. “I love my job and what I do and if anyone wants to call me a slut behind my back because I like to show off my body then so be it. I don’t honestly care what you or they think of me. I’m good at what I do on both jobs.” She was oozing with confidence, not trying to be cocky, but she was right on everything she said. She was truly that damn good at living and doing both jobs.

“Nobody in the office knows about your…other job, but you and me, Namine.” John assured her gently. “I personally removed all of that stuff from your office and disposed of it. Your fire in the wastebasket was quite motivating.” He smiled tentatively, knowing he deserved what she did with the documents. “It’s good to know you’re coming back.”

“Don’t think for one second that I’m coming back for you, Cena. I’m coming back because I love my job.” She wanted to make it crystal clear that it wasn’t because of him. It was because she loved the competition her job gave off and finally turned to face him. “I’m warning you right now, if you pull anything like what you did today, I will quit and this time, you won’t be able to beg me to come back. I have all the files that I burned in my house. I always make copies just in case something happens.” She informed him, smirking at the bewildered look on his face. Namine was thankful he didn’t know where she lived either even though he had her address and personal information.

John’s expression went from bewildered to admiration. “I always knew you were resourceful, Namine.” He said, sounding genuinely impressed. “Would you let me buy you one drink? Something like maybe…” He offered another tentative smile, trialing his words off. “And not because I’m trying to get into your pants either. I’ve found out they’re harder to break into than Fort Knox.” Now his tone was respectful with a hint of humor in it.

Smirking back at him, that skeptical look still in her eyes, Namine finally nodded as she scooted to sit on a stool, him sitting beside her. “I’m not resourceful. I just know how to do my fuckin’ job.” She corrected him and requested a shot of Tequila Rose.

“You’re resourceful, Namine and we both know it. Modesty is suiting only on occasion.” John replied, ordering another shot of bourbon for himself. “Several new talents have actually approached us today requesting meetings with you. They know you’ll treat them right and make sure they’re satisfied.” He informed and clinked his glass against hers once their drinks arrived. “Here’s to you.”

“And you, hoping this new start will be less hectic than the first.” She finished the toast before downing her shot in one gulp, not even wincing, which shocked John, and set her glass down on the bar. “That hits the spot.” She grunted and patted her chest, knowing she did it a little too hard. Nothing she couldn’t handle though. “I shall be there first thing in the morning. I don’t need the week off…Mr. Cena.”

“Informal situation, please call me John. Mr. Cena is really stuffy sounding.” He admitted, hoping he wasn’t making her feel uncomfortable. “I hate it, but you already know that don’t you?” He shook his head, waving away the bartender when he went to refill the glasses, tossing down a wad of bills. “Take the week off, Namine. You deserve it. The talents have been scheduled to meet with you next week, if that’s alright.”

Smiling softly back at him, Namine nodded her head as she turned around and slid off the stool. She extended her hand and smiled when he took it, shaking it firmly. “Fine John, I’ll call you that outside of the office.” She patted his shoulder, seeing the guilt in his eyes and waved him off. “Hey, don’t worry about what happened. It’s water under the bridge.” She assured him with a friendly wink.

John shook his head, chuckling softly, not believing how well she could read him. “I hope so.” He studied her thoughtfully for a moment, his brows furrowing. “Will you be alright to drive? I don’t’ see your friend…Sine right?” He glanced around once she nodded. “Do you need a ride?”

“No, I’m here with someone.” She immediately regretted saying that and bit her bottom lip, knowing she had to disappear fast. “See ya in a week, boss.” She quickly said before disappearing through the sea of people that blocked Steve’s vision as well as their table, and finally made it through. She slid in the booth with Steve and made sure to hide herself well, hoping John hadn’t spotted where she was sitting.

Shaking his head, John downed one final shot of bourbon before taking his leave out of the bar. Once outside, the minute the night air hit his face, a broad grin spread across his lips. She’d fallen for his charm yet again as he walked down the sidewalk toward his car, whistling happily.

Chapter 14

For the next week, Namine and Steve had spent every waking moment with each other, mostly having sex. She didn’t mind it, but had come to the conclusion that he’d never want a real relationship with her. Not with all the sex he wanted to have. Before she knew it, two weeks passed and it was time for the men to leave. Namine said goodbye to Steve, wishing him well, and walked away from him. It’d been a day since the men departed and Namine was miserable as she walked out into the kitchen.

Sine was up as well, apparently feeling the same way she was, and declined the offer of some coffee. “I’m going in early.” Namine informed solemnly and raked a hand through her hair, sorrow evident in her eyes. Even though it hurt, Namine wasn’t surprised when he didn’t ask her if they could become more than just what happened over the past two weeks. Sure, the sex was mind blowing and incredible, but Namine felt used. She’d become something she despised, one of the women her boss screwed on a daily basis.

The thought made her physically sick to her stomach, but she swallowed it down. Walking over, Namine patted her best friend’s shoulder affectionately, letting her know silently that everything was going to be fine. She then headed into the bathroom to shower. Namine was leaving that following day to go back to her condo in the city and she couldn’t wait, missing her bed immensely. Gas mileage was killing her driving all the way out here every day from her job, but it was worth it, especially since she loved spending time with Sine.

Sine shook her head, knowing Namine was having some troubling feelings where it concerned Steve. They seemed to like each other. What Sine couldn’t understand was why didn’t one of them make a damned move? She stood up, finishing her cappuccino and putting the mug in the sink, walking back to her bedroom. She was running her own errands today, restocking her pantry for one.

The guys had eaten her almost out of house and home! She also had to send off some photos to private clients. Sine wasn’t looking forward to being by herself after two weeks of having people over, but she’d deal with it. She’d have Brandon during the day. After finishing her cappuccino, Sine headed down to the white room to put last minute touches on the photos she was sending out that day.

The entire time in the shower, Namine pressed her forehead to the wall and allowed the tears to flow. How could she allow Steve to take her so many times? That wasn’t who she was. That wasn’t the type of person she was to spread her legs for a man just because of how gorgeous he was! John was the same way as Steve, but yet, she couldn’t resist the Texas Rattlesnake. Maybe it was from her admiration of him. Maybe she wanted her fantasies to come true. She didn’t know.

Sighing, Namine finally stepped out of the shower, dressing in a pair of black dress pants with a black long sleeved shirt. She brushed her teeth and hair, walked out of the bathroom, and headed for the white room, knowing that’s where Sine was. She told her she’d be back later on after work and slipped out of the house, heading toward her job. She’d been back at the studio for a week now and John had been nothing, but professional toward her. Hopefully, things stayed that way as she pulled out of the driveway and drove down the road toward the city.

John was going over the monthly financial reports, a pair of wire rimmed glasses on his face. He’d found out what the headaches were from and needed glasses only for reading. He didn’t’ like them, but he hated the headaches worse. John grinned when he seen profits were up, one of the talents Namine had signed only a month ago having released his first album a week before the report was compiled. The records were selling like hotcakes, which in turn was making him a lot of money.

Pulling into the parking lot of her job a half an hour later, Namine sighed as she pressed her forehead to the steering wheel, trying to stop feeling sick. She knew it was because of what she’d allowed to transpire between her and Steve for the past two weeks. It was also from what John had tried pulling on her, even though they’d come to a new understanding. Sighing, Namine resignedly stepped out of her car, briefcase in hand, and walked inside the building. She didn’t say a word to anyone, not caring if they thought she was a bitch or not, and went straight to her office. She closed the door behind her and walked over, sitting down in her chair, and pulled out the newest deal she’d signed. Her name was Kourtney and she was an R&B/rap artist. Kind of like Ashanti, but a little more hardcore and soulful.

A knock sounded on Namine’s door followed by one of the maintenance men coming in, pushing a big black leather chair inside. “Mr. Cena said you might want this, Miss.” He said, looking like he’d die if he had to take it out.

It was the same leather chair she’d loved in John’s office the previous two weeks and quirked an eyebrow. Seeing how tired the man was, Namine nodded, waving him in, and stood up from the chair she was currently occupying. She pushed the old chair away, taking the new one, and smiled when the guy started taking away her old one. “Leave it. I can use it.” She stated, lying partially, but she couldn’t’ help, but feel sorry for the man and watched him walk out of her office, the door closing behind him. As soon as Namine sat in the chair, she was in heaven as she leaned back against it, propping her feet up on her desk, and started reading over the contract for Kourtney.

John looked up when Jen walked in, holding out his appointment book. He grunted, gesturing to his desk before waving her out, not in the mood to deal with her today. He rubbed his forehead and groaned, standing up, stretching. John looked around at his newly decorated office and grinned, liking the dark blue leather then the black. The black had been getting depressing to him. He glanced down at the appointment book, not surprised to find Namine on the agenda today. Apparently, his best agent had signed yet another star.

Running a hand through her hair, Namine finished looking over the contract and nodded, pleased with it. She was surprised by how little sum the artist asked for. That wasn’t’ her business to change it or worry about it as she stood up, groaning since she loved her new chair, and grabbed a pen from her desk. She walked out of her office, her eyes locked on the contract, and arrived at Jen’s desk, who had a scowl on her face. “Tell Mr. Cena I’ve arrived for our meeting.” She ordered sweetly, her midnight blue eyes never leaving the contract.

“Oh right away…” Jen sarcastically replied and rolled her eyes before pressing a button on her desk intercom. “Mr. Cena, Nami is here.” She said slowly, smirking slightly at the look that flashed across Namine’s face at the name she’d called her by.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, John pressed the button back and stated, “Send her in and by the way Jen, you’re fired.” He leaned back in his chair as he ended the message and clasped his hands behind his head.

Namine’s eyes widened in shock as her jaw dropped, quickly closing it when she seen the fury erupt in Jen’s eyes, and held back a snicker. She immediately walked over to John’s office door and knocked on it, still blinking rapidly by what she just heard, and wondered what was wrong with him today. Taking a deep breath, Namine knocked before entering, trying so hard to wipe the smirk from her face. It wasn’t happening. “I’m here for our meeting regarding the Kourtney client, Mr. Cena.” She greeted, not able to mask the amusement in her voice either.

John looked up at her, an amused grin of his own spreading across his face when he seen her smirk and heard her tone. “I need a new secretary.” He said casually, shaking his head. “Anyway,” He paused, gesturing to a chair before his brand new desk. “Have a seat and tell me about Kourtney. How’d the signing go?”

“It went fabulous.” Namine replied immediately, her eyes lit up with excitement, and couldn’t sit down as she looked around his office. “Wow, nice set up.” She complimented with a smile before finally setting the contract down in front of him. “Kourtney is beautiful, intelligent, but she lacks confidence. That’s why I know you’ll be very pleased with the sum she requested to start out making with us.” Namine couldn’t stop smiling, the news of Jen getting fired being the highlight of her day thus far, and finally took a seat. “Her manager, Brillian, has also requested that she have a photo shoot done to up her status and get the public to recognize her faster.”

Nodding, John listened to her while reading over the contract. “Wow, that is quite a low sum.” He commented, looking really surprised, but he didn’t mind it. “Well then, get her in the studio as soon as possible and we’ll see if we can’t get her confidence up. Now as for the photo session, what exactly is…Brillian is it?” He asked, smiling when Namine nodded. “What’re they looking for?” He started flipping through a small book on his desk, his eyes scanning the various photographers he used for his artists.

“Something sexy and sultry. Something to catch the eye of the audience.” She answered, sitting down finally and crossing her legs, leaning back against the chair. “Believe it or not, those were his exact words. He wants to make her a huge sex symbol…” Namine trailed off, rolling her eyes before continuing. “Personally, I think she could dress in rags and do the hula and STILL land this deal with a bang, but that’s just me. That’s not my area of expertise.” She wasn’t afraid to tell him what was on her mind or anything for that matter, raking a hand through her hair, and stared back at him.

John looked thoughtful, rubbing his chin as he listened to what she had to say. “Please don’t take this the wrong way, Namine, I’m not trying to bring up ancient history, but what if we get your friend Sine and her assistant to do the shoot? What would you think about that?” He asked cautiously, not trying to offend her, but figuring if Brillian wanted to use some visual images to help Kourtney’s career, Sine would be the perfect person to use.

Biting her bottom lip, Namine swallowed past the lump that had formed in her throat and wondered what he was getting at. Yes, Sine could give Brillian exactly what he wanted and she’d done photo shoots for the company before, but now that John knew about her. Shaking herself mentally, Namine looked back up at him and took a deep, shaky breath. “I don’t see what it can hurt.” She finally said. “Do you need Sine’s number or do you already have it?” Namine asked, the professionalism back in her voice once again.

Pointing at the business card stapled to the page Sine had given him, John nodded and replied, “I have it, but why don’t you ask her? I got the impression that last time she did a shoot for me, she didn’t like me at all. I’m willing to pay twice what she generally asks for.” John stood up, raking a hand through his hair and sighed. “She’s good at what she does, Namine. I’m not trying to start anything with you if that’s what you’re wondering.”

“No, I don’t think that at all, Mr. Cena.” She replied softly and looked down at the floor, clasping her hands together as she sighed. “I’m actually,” She paused, wondering if she should even be telling him this, but figured it couldn’t hurt. “Thinking about quitting the photo shoot since you gave me that generous raise.” She looked up at him and cleared her throat. Damn, but he was so gorgeous and his eyes took her breath away. Namine sat there as she sighed heavily, trying to get those thoughts out of her mind about her boss. “I don’t want it ruining the career I’m building here and the more I think about it, it is degrading and stands against everything I’m about and that I stand for.”

John’s eyes widened as he studied her, raising a brow, and softly asked, “Are you sure about that, Namine? I thought you loved what you did…”

“John,” She began, calling him by his first name since they were on a more personal level right now, and stared solely at the floor. “After the past couple of weeks I’ve had, I’ve had a chance to reevaluate my life and those pictures aren’t what I want to be doing. I do enjoy doing them because my best friend does, but my talent is in this company. You were right. What if one of our clients came across that website and saw me in that…form? They would instantly cancel our deal without even blinking an eye.” Namine sighed again as she leaned back against the chair and looked up at him clearly. “I want to be something more in this company than just another pretty face and to do that, I’ll have to put more than one hundred percent into this and I’m willing to do it.”

John stared at her, sitting on the edge of his desk, folding his arms across his chest as he listened to what she said. “You already are something more in this company besides a pretty face, Namine.” He informed her with a slight smile, glad that she’d finally called him by his first name. “Here.” He held out the financial report he’d been looking over earlier. The part where the artist she’d signed bringing in some serious revenue after only a month was highlighted.

Namine took the sheet of paper from his hand, their fingers brushing momentarily together, and felt a shiver course through her. She hid it well. Her eyebrows furrowed together as she scanned it, her jaw dropping at how much revenue she’d made for this company in just the span of a month. “Wow…” She finally breathed out, blinking rapidly, and actually grinned proudly before handing it back to him. “I didn’t realize how much I’d actually done in the past month.” She was floored at the moment as she leaned back against the chair and knew NOBODY had EVER made that much money for this company before. She’d broken a record in a way and felt jubilated because of it.

Smiling, John slipped the paper back into the folder before clearing his throat, raking a hand through his hair nervously. “There’s going to be a party tonight in honor of that accomplishment of yours. I don’t know if you got the memo or not because it was short notice.” He figured she hadn’t since Jen had been a bitch that morning before being fired. John cleared his throat again before continuing, “I would like it very much if you’d allow me to accompany you…if you go that is.”

“There’s…a party being thrown for me?” She questioned, her eyebrows remaining furrowed, and hadn’t remembered getting that memo. Then again, Jen wasn’t the best secretary in the world and Namine couldn’t help, but grin at the thought of that bitch being fired. She deserved it. All she did was strut her shit and completely ignored her duties and responsibilities. “I don’t know…” she finally whispered out and looked down, her shy side coming out, and wondered if she should take him up on his office to accompany her. It would make her look more important if she was escorted by her boss, but after everything that’d happened between them. Namine was officially more confused than ever at the moment.

John sensed how nervous she was and offered a reassuring smile. “I’ll be a perfect gentleman, Namine.” He promised, his tone gentle, assuring her of it. “If you like, you can consider it a business thing because there will be media present. It’ll get our name out there even more than what it already is. I’d really like for you to attend.”

“But wouldn’t that make the media think we were…together?” She hesitated on that last word and bit her bottom lip again, not believing this sudden turn of events. She didn’t have anything to wear knew this was going to be a formal event if she did attend. John had a point though. It would get their name out there on the market even more, but she was worried about what the media would publish about them. “How dressy do I need to be?” She finally asked, caving in under pressure, needing something to get her mind off of Steve and knew this would do it.

John chuckled softly, “Formal wear. A cocktail dress or something. If you want, I could take you shopping for something. Help you pick out something suitable.” He offered, wondering if she’d ever done this before. “Or I could send one of my assistants out to get you something if you’d prefer. As for how the media will portray us, I’ll make sure it’s understood our relationship is strictly platonic. Does that make you feel any better?”

Grinning from ear to ear, Namine nodded, feeling much better after hearing he would do that with the media. “Yes, much better. I can handle finding my own dress, but thank you anyway, Mr.-” She trailed off and bit her bottom lip again, her eyes hesitating on whether or not to call him by his name formally or informally. ‘Damn!’ She thought and raked a hand through her hair. “Do you mind if I leave now so I can start looking for something to wear?” She finally asked, completely skipping over calling him anything at all.

“No, I don’t…and call me John please. I told you before, hearing Mr. Cena drives me nuts. It’s so stuffy sounding.” He requested gently, knowing she was hesitating on what to call him, and stroked his chin thoughtfully. “I’m on my way out myself, have to go get fitted for my tux. I’ll be wearing black with a dark blue undershirt by the way.” He added, raising his eyebrows. “This way we don’t clash.” He grinned at her playfully, his blue eyes twinkling. “So if you show up in pink, we’re going to look ridiculous in the papers. I’ll send a limo for you around seven, is that alright?”

Laughing, Namine shook her head with a smile on her face, not believing how easy going her boss was once she got past the whole womanizer reputation he obtained. “I will make sure to wear midnight blue then. If I wear black, that won’t look right. The dress should always match the color of the man’s dress shirt.” She informed, grinning when he raised another curious eyebrow at her and sighed exasperatedly. “John, this isn’t my first formal party. I DID go to prom and other events in college.” She winked at him playfully before standing up. “Do you know where to send the limo at?” She asked suddenly, wondering if he had her address so the limo wouldn’t get lost.

“Your address is in the employee records. I’m not that incompetent of a boss.” He retorted, his blue eyes twinkling amusedly, and took a step toward her without thinking about it. “I’m glad you’re going to come, Namine. It means a lot to me.” John softly said and cleared his throat, suddenly looking awkward, almost shy. “So I’ll see you tonight then?”

“Yes” Namine replied softly and nodded her head once, her green eyes sparkling back at him, and smiled. “Umm did you want to sign the contract now or should we wait and do it later? We’re running late enough as it is, but I’ll wait if you want to take care of t now.” She stated, always putting her work first, and wrapped her arms around herself since she was standing, a sudden chill flowing through the air.

“Leave it and I’ll look at it on my way to the tailors. I’ll give it to you tonight after the party if that’s alright.” He suggested and glanced at the clock as well, sighing heavily. “I guess you’d better go then. Time’s a wastin’.” He chuckled softly, knowing he had to get going as well for his fitting.

Nodding, Namine smiled back at him. “Sounds good, see you then, John.” She then walked out of his office, smirking when she seen a very pissed off Jen packing up her things. She shook her head and went shopping for her dress as she packed up her things, quickly heading out. She left a voicemail on Sine’s cell, telling her she had a formal affair to attend for her company that night and explained about Jen being fired. Sine always hated the whore just like Namine did so that would give them a good laugh later on.

John smirked as he leaned against the doorway of his office, watching Jen preparing to leave. “Your severance pay will be in the mail.” He informed coldly, slipping on his jacket since he was on his way out. “Oh…and don’t expect a good review if someone calls me asking about your work ethics. I’m afraid I might not make a very good reference.” He snorted before walking out. Once in his limo, he started looking over the contract, grateful for once he decided not to drive or else he might’ve not had the time to read it.

Chapter 15

Namine stared at the full length mirror before her, biting her bottom lip and sighed, knowing it would have to do. She loved the dress and everything, but it was a little plain for her taste. It was a satin sleeveless ball gown with an envelope back interest, which meant it was backless and had embroidered detail through it. It was midnight blue, hoping it matched John’s shirt, and her back was up in tons of spiral curls. Her makeup was done in midnight blue eyeliner with clear lip gloss on her pouty lips and she had black rhinestone jewelry on. It consisted of a necklace, bracelet, and dangling earrings that didn’t take anything away from the dress. To finish off the outfit, she was wearing two-inch midnight blue heels with black rhinestones on the belt buckles of them. The dress flowed all the way down past her knees, but not to her ankles.

“I hope this will suffice.” She whispered softly to herself.

The limo pulled up in front of Namine’s condo at seven o’clock sharp and John stepped out, closing the door behind him. He smiled as he walked up to her front door and waited almost nervously for her answer. He wore a simple black suit that was tailored to fit his chiseled form with a dark blue dress shirt. The shirt was unbuttoned at the top, showing off a chain around his neck. He held a single red rose in his hand, having bough tit on a last minute impulse, his other hand was shoved in his pocket, waiting.

Namine heard the doorbell ring, deciding at the last minute to leave her hair down so it would cover her bare back. Her hair was in spiral curls as they rested just in the middle of her back, but it looked better than being done up. She grabbed her purse and looked one last time in the mirror before walking out of her bedroom and toward the front door. It was seven o’clock as she smiled and opened the door, wearing a matching shawl that draped over her arms. She had to learn how to breathe again at the sight of her boss and greeted softly, “Hi.”

John was speechless as well, his eyes taking in her gown before finally roaming her hair and face. “You look gorgeous.” He said finally, holding out the rose to her. “I hope you don’t mind…” He trailed off, his blue eyes crinkling at the corners. “Are you ready?” He asked softly, extending his other arm to her.

“Thank you.” She softly said and took the rose from her hand, smiling gently back at him and nodded, looping her arm through his as they walked out of her condo. It was a long stretch limo and Namine knew she shouldn’t have been surprised. She sniffed the rose, inhaling the beautiful scent, and sighed to herself as the limo driver got out and opened the door for them. She slid inside, making sure not to wrinkle her dress and scooted over so John could have enough room to slide inside. Within moments, they were on their way to the party as Namine stared at the single red rose thoughtfully, “You do realize when a man gives a woman a single red rose, it means he loves her, right?” She asked out of nowhere, her eyes sparkling amusedly.

John blinked at her, raking a hand through his hair, spiking it obliviously. “No, I didn’t know that.” He admitted softly, clearing his throat. “I saw it and thought of you.” He smiled slightly, the nerves rising off the charts for him. “You excited about tonight, Namine?” He asked, changing the subject swiftly.

Giggling back at him as she watched him spike his hair, Namine gazed back at the rose and touched the petals before setting it aside on the seat and leaned back. “Yes, I’m actually thrilled about it because it shows the company has been getting more noticed.” She was keeping this on a professional level. Though, she could not get over how handsome John looked in his suit. She was happy their colors matched to as she tucked a curl of hair behind her ear and stared at her clasped hands in her lap.

Starting to say something back to her, John blinked when they pulled up in front of a large building, surrounded by people clamoring to get past the rails and security. He knew some artists had arrived and this was where the party was located. “You ready to do this, Namine?” He asked. She wasn’t given time to answer the door opened and he slid out, extending his hand to her, cameras flashing behind them. “It’s going to be a zoo. Just smile.” He whispered to her, letting her know everything was going to be fine.

Nodding back at him and sliding her hand into his, Namine felt another shock run up her arm as she slid out of the limo and smiled. The flashing lights blurred her vision temporarily, but she handled it like an expert. She lifted her dress with her hand as their arms lopped together and allowed him to lead her inside. Reporters wanted a chance to talk to them, but it was forbidden at this point. When they finally arrived in the banquet hall, Namine’s eyes widened as the beauty overwhelmed her, “Wow…”

“Wow is right.” John murmured in agreement, raising his hand in greeting to one of the board members. He flashed a charming smile at the few reporters who’d been allowed in as they circled him and Namine. He answered only a few of their questions with the vaguest answers possible, charming them as he did so. Finally, he excused himself, guiding Namine to a table at the head of the room, near a small stage, and pulled out her chair for her. “What do you think?” He asked her softly.

“It’s overwhelming.” She admitted, seeing a lot of the artists she’d signed over the past year she’d worked for John, and took a seat as he pulled out for her. She smiled graciously back at him, not believing how he charmed the reporters, and took a sip of her champagne that was already waiting for her. Her arm was around her stomach as she looked around, not believing the beautiful décor the place had. It was truly remarkable as she took another sip.

John spotted someone across the room and nodding, standing up. “Excuse me for a moment, will you?” He whispered in her ear, his hand on her shoulder before walking over to an older man, shaking his hand. He spoke with him for a few minutes, gesturing across the room to Namine, before returning to her. A broad smile was on his red lips as he sat back down, chuckling as he looked at her.

“What is that chuckle for?” Namine immediately asked, seeing the twinkle in his blue eyes, and raised an eyebrow at him speculatively, crossing her arms in front of her chest and eyed him.

Shaking his head, John sipped his own glass of champagne, and chuckled again at what the older man had informed him. He leaned over towards her, his mouth near her ear so she could hear him over the music that started playing. “Because you broke the record in such a short time, the committee decided to present you with some kind of award. A plaque or something.” He informed her, seeing the look on her face, and smiled brightly. “You won’t have to give a speech if you don’t want to, Namine.”

Blinking rapidly, Namine was flabbergasted as she raked a hand through her hair, not caring if she messed up her curls, and swallowed nervously. She was never one to talk in front of huge crowds, but if she had to, it would happen. “Oh my…” She whispered out in disbelief, rubbing the back of her neck, and suddenly started chugging her champagne, ordering another glass. She wanted to be relaxed instead of feeling like she was going to be sick, which is how she was feeling at the moment.

John frowned, gently taking the glass from her. “Calm down, Namine.” He soothed, taking her hand in his and stroked her palm gently. “You won’t have to make a speech if that’s what you’re worried about. They’ll have someone bring the award to you. All you’ll have to do is stand up, accept it and nod, wave to the room for a minute before sitting back down. It’ll be over before you know it.” He explained to her, smiling when she slowly started to relax.

Namine stared back into John’s blue eyes, seeing the concern swimming through them, and felt her head spinning as she took a few deep breaths to calm down. She could handle doing meetings, but there were over five hundred people here easy and all eyes were going to be on her. Slowly beginning to tremble and not even realizing her hand was in his own, Namine downed the rest of her champagne, her third glass. She took a few more deep breaths, trying to calm her racing heart beat and pulse. She froze when a spotlight landed on John, causing him to release her hand, and looked up at him with wide green eyes. This was it.

‘Just stand up, wave, sit back down. Do NOT make a fool out of yourself!’ She coached herself mentally, appreciating how gentle John was being with her.

John watched as the presenter started walking toward Namine, carrying what looked like a seriously expensive crystal plaque while the master of ceremonies read off her list of accomplishments from the podium. His blue eyes turned up onto Namine, pleased to see how well she was doing. He watched as she took the award, accepting a quick kiss on the cheek, and returned it before elegantly waving at the people applauding her. A bright smile lit her face and the room. When she finally sat down, he chuckled, patting her knee under the table.

He knew everyone’s eyes were still on them and didn’t want to embarrass her by patting a part of her body that could be seen by them, whispering in her ear, “You did great.”

“Thank you, John.” She replied shakily and looked at the crystal plaque, truly honored as she ran her fingertips over it. She took a few pictures and whatnot, handling it once again like an expert, and finally decided she needed some fresh air after everyone stopped staring at her and taking the pictures. She stood up from her chair and bent down, whispering in John’s ear, “I’ll be back.” Namine then walked away from him and through the dance floor, seeing a veranda nearby she’d eyed earlier on, and walked out on it, breathing in the fresh air. It was such a beautiful night out as she walked out to the balcony and leaned against the ledge, seeing how full the moon was. The stars were twinkling above her, making her dress shimmer, and sighed. Just the cool night air caused the sick feeling that was in her stomach to instantly disappear as she closed her eyes.

Steve watched her from his place across the room out of sight. He had heard something about this party on the news, about Namine breaking some sort of record and decided to attend, wanting to see her again. He wasn’t worried about his job since he hadn’t been scheduled for anything that night. They were just airing a promo he’d cut that morning. He had watched her walk in with some guy and felt his heart drop past his knees. When he seen her walk out onto the veranda, he glanced at her date, relief coursing through him when eh seen the man in conversation with another gentleman. He quickly made his way out to the veranda and just stared at her, having almost forgotten how beautiful she really was.

“Hello Namine.” He greeted softly, moving to stand behind her, looking slightly uncomfortable in his own black suit.

Her eyes widened as a gasp of surprise sounded form Namine’s mouth, causing her to slowly turn around, and came face to face with Steve. It felt like forever, even though it wasn’t even two days, since they’d last seen each other. She felt her jaw drop as she covered her mouth with her hand, the initial shock overtaking her. She did not expect him to be there. She didn’t even know he was in town! Taking a deep breath to calm her racing heart, Namine raked a hand through her curly hair and bit her bottom lip as she whispered, “Steve…”

He smiled tenderly back at her stepping forward to take her hand in his own. “I’m sorry about not callin’ beforehand, Namine.” He apologized, his blue eyes fastening on her green orbs. “I wanted to surprise ya, darlin’. I saw ya on the news…’bout breakin’ a record. That’s great.” He inhaled deeply, not believing how enchanting she looked. “You look beautiful, Namine…” He murmured, reaching out to caress her cheek with his hand.

She instantly melted into his hand as a small smile crossed her lips, her eyes widening when she’d heard she’d been on the news. Suddenly, she couldn’t breathe as she slowly wrapped her arms around her stomach, feeling like the wind had been knocked out of her, and held onto the balcony for leverage. “N-News? I was on the news?!” She exclaimed finally, the shock suddenly wearing off, and couldn’t believe John hadn’t told her about it! What the Hell was going on? She was going to find out, but now wasn’t’ the time, especially when Steve asked if she was alright. “Yeah, I’m fine, I just…I didn’t know about this until earlier today at work.” She admitted and finally looked up into his beautiful ocean blue eyes. “I can’t believe you’re here…” She murmured softly.

Steve shrugged, smiling slightly and leaned against the railing, not able to take his eyes from her. “I am, darlin’. I missed ya, Namine.” He admitted, running a hand over his bald head, and stared down at her. “There were a lot of things I didn’t say that I should’ve…” He trailed off, studying her face for a moment. “I’d like to say them now, that is, if yer not with anyone?”

“No, I’m not with anyone. I just allowed my boss to escort me here tonight.” She responded softly, biting her bottom lip, and had a sinking feeling she knew what he was about to say. It was going to break her heart, but Namine refused to put her heart on the line for him, especially when he traveled all the time. Before he could speak, Namine stopped him and stared out over the veranda, tears already swelling in her eyes. “I have a feeling I know what you’re going to say, Steve. Before you even begin, I just want you to know that the past two weeks have been times I’ll cherish always…” She trailed off and ran a hand through her hair. “I can’t do this.” She whispered out finally. “You travel so much and I’ve been hurt too many times. My heart can’t take dating someone who is on the road as much as you are. I’m sorry, Steve. I’m so sorry.” Her voice remained a whisper as the tears began running down her face. “There would be no stability in the relationship and I can’t have that, not when my career is just starting to take off…” She couldn’t look at him, knowing if she did, she would end up shattering right then and there.

Steve felt his heart breaking, but nodded stiffly, knowing she was right. It was unfair to him to ask this of her. He was constantly on the road and she was at the start of what promised to be one Hell of a career. “I’m sorry, Namine.” He apologized, unable to stop himself from pulling her into his arms. Pain coursed through him when he felt her shoulders shaking, knowing this was really hard on her. “I’m sorry, darlin’. I didn’t mean to hurt ya.” He soothed, resting his head on top of hers.

“I want this. I want this so bad.” She started crying and wrapped her arms around his neck, not wanting to ever let him go. Her face buried in the crook of his neck, her tears coating it along with some eyeliner, though it came off easily since it was waterproof. She sniffled as she finally released him, staring up into his eyes, and stroked his face with her hand. “Please understand this is for the best.” She whispered heartbrokenly before dropping her hand and ran away from him off the veranda. Nothing mattered to her, but getting as far away from him as possible. Her heart broke with every step she took as she stumbled up the stairs and out of the building. She knew she was making a scene, thankful most of the reporters had disappeared and just started running down the sidewalk.

John immediately stood from the table when he seen Namine flee the building, his eyes narrowed. He excused himself before following her, halting when he seen another man pursuing her. He grabbed the guy by the arm once they were in a semi secluded place and demanded angrily, “Who the Hell are you and what did you do to her?”

Not having time for this punk, Steve’s blue eyes widened when he realized this was Namine’s boss. “Son, ya best be lettin’ go of me if ya like that hand.” He advised in a grave tone. Namine admitting what she did had made him realize if they both wanted it bad enough, they could make it work. He wasn’t about to be detained by this jerk.

Not put off by this man, though he sensed he could back up his words, John stated in a cold voice, “I’m going to assume you don’t know who I am and let that comment slide. Now, I don’t know who you are or what you did to Namine, but I’m telling you this just once: Stay away from her!” Irrational anger coursed through him and he was tempted to punch this guy, but didn’t. Instead, John pushed him back and headed towards the door.

Steve followed, not surprised when he seen the man disappear into a black limo, already on a cell phone making calls about Namine. He shook his head and headed for his own rental, not having the first clue of where to look. He drove around, searching everywhere for her before heading back to the hotel. He had every intention of calling Sine and asking for Namine’s address. He planned on driving over to her place and forcing it out of her if she refused to give him the information, needing to talk to Namine again.

Chapter 16

Namine knew the town well as she ran as fast as her heels would allow her, the tears never stopping from streaming down her face. She finally stopped and leaned against a building, slipping her heels off of her sore feet, and buried her face in her hands. Why was she hurting this much? She’d already told herself over and over again that her and Steve would never work, but now she felt absolutely horrible. A monster for hurting him this way. She’d seen the pain in his blue eyes and it broke her heart completely in half. Once she regained her composure, Namine started walking down the sidewalk again, wrapping her arms around herself. She ignored the cold that cut through her and knew she’d have to walk back to her condo.

Eventually, Namine made it back to her condo, shivering from head to toe since she didn’t have a coat and it was around fifty degrees outside. Her face was tear streaked and she looked like a wreck. She stopped when she seen John’s limo parked outside on the curb of her condo and instantly felt like shit, not believing she’d overreacted like that with Steve. She couldn’t help it though as she ran a hand through her hair and knew she’d have to face the music sooner or later. She walked past the limo, hoping he didn’t spot her, and headed up to her condo. She barely made it on the second step when a hand shot out, grabbing her arm, and forced her to turn around, looking up into those crystalline colored blue eyes of John’s.

John stared down at her, his eyes searching hers with worry swimming through his own. “What happened back there, Namine?” He asked gently, lightening his old on her arm. “Who was that man? Did he hurt you?”

Sighing heavily, Namine slowly slid her arm out of his grip, trembling from head to toe from the cold, and sniffled a little. “C-Can we t-talk inside?” She stuttered out and started to chatter so hard. Crying always made her blood run cold as she tried wrapping her shawl around her, but it wasn’t helping any.

Nodding, John instantly looked regretful, not believing he hadn’t seen how cold she looked. He pulled off his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders, following her up the stairs. Once they were inside he put his questions on hold. “Go change into something dry, I’ll wait.” He said softly, standing near the door.

Staring back at him and biting her bottom lip, Namine took a deep, shaky breath. “Please have a seat, John. I’ll be out in a moment.” She then walked away from him and into her bedroom, setting the shawl aside, and stripped out of her dress. She slipped on a long sleeved black shirt with a pair of pajama pants. She didn’t worry about her hair as she walked back out, wearing two pairs of socks with her slippers, and turned the heat up on her thermostat. “Can I get you something to drink?” She asked, always being a good hostess to her guests.

John shook his head, still standing by the door, and looked her over before asking again in a gentle, but firm tone, “Namine, what happened tonight?”

Namine ran a hand through her hair and got herself a glass of Tequila Rose, her favorite alcoholic beverage, and downed a shot of it before finally walking over and sitting on the couch. “You’re going to hate me when I tell you this, but then again, we agreed to keep our personal lives separate.” She finally spoke, her voice low and quiet, knowing John would think even lower of her after she told him why Steve had been there. “He’s a fling I had for the past two weeks. It’s complicated.” She suddenly felt the urge to crawl into a huge hole and never come out again.

John arched an eyebrow, mildly annoyed that she had continuously shot him down only to go off and have some tryst, but he shrugged it off. That was her affair and her personal business. “Why would I hate you?” He asked gently, perching on the edge of a chair. “That’s none of my business, Namine, but when I see you run out and then he followed, I was worried about you. He has a bit of a temper doesn’t he?”

“No, he wasn’t hurting me.” She whispered quietly, the tears already swelling in her eyes again, and sighed heavily as she buried her face in her hands. “He a guy that I used in my pictorials. His in ring name is Stone Cold Steve Austin and he’s a professional wrestler. Somehow, he found out about the site and came to pay me a little visit. We had our fling for the past two weeks and I thought that was it. He came to the party tonight to ask me if we could have a relationship and I told him that I can’t trust a guy who travels constantly on the road and is never here with me. I’ve had my heart broken one too many times and I’m not about to let it happen again. I told him I was sorry and couldn’t take it and bolted from him before I changed my mind. I’m sorry if I worried you, John. I honestly didn’t mean to, but I had to get away from him.” Her voice remained low and quiet as she explained this to him, pouring herself another shot.

John blinked, staring at her. Steve sounded a bit like a stalker to him though he wasn’t going to mention that factor to her. Instead, he just rested his hands on his knee and sighed inwardly before asking quietly, “You love him don’t you, Namine?”

“No, I don’t love him. There’s a huge difference between infatuation and love, John.” She replied truthfully and downed her second shot before placing the glass in the sink. She’d drink more after he was gone, still not trusting him fully after what transpired between them two weeks prior to this moment. “He made my fantasies come true and left.” She shrugged, feeling dirty once again, but she didn’t regret being with Steve either. “It was great, but it’s over now and its time to face the cold harsh reality known as life.”

Standing up, not wanting to press the issue, John didn’t want to damage the fragile ground they were on. “Well as long as you’re alright…” He murmured with a sigh, raking a hand through his hair. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then, Namine.” He walked over to the door, opening it then freezing. “Oh…the contract is in my coat pocket, signed.”

“I half expected you to turn into that monster you were two weeks ago.” She said out of nowhere after he froze at the door, nodding at the contract, and crossed her arms in front of her chest as she laughed a bit. “I half expected for the whole party thing to be just one big joke. It just shows you how little faith I have in people these days, except Sine. She’s the only I fully trust.” She leaned against her couch and stared down at the floor, sighing deeply. “I wanted to apologize for thinking that way of you because you were a perfect gentleman tonight.” Her eyes finally met his with a small smile on her face. “Maybe I was wrong about you, John.”

John looked at her, aching an eyebrow. “I guess I can’t blame you for thinking that.” He admitted, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. “I was a scumbag. Don’t apologize, Namine, you were perfectly justified.” He laughed softly, meaning what he said.

“From now on, I’m not going to be so quick to judge you. I’m hoping you don’t think less of me because of this whole situation with Steve, but if you do, it’s understandable.” She stated, clearing her throat a little, and coughed out, knowing she was probably going to catch a cold from walking home in the cold weather, but she felt fine right now. “Thank you for a wonderful evening, John even though it was short lived.”

John smiled, walking over to take her hand, raising it to his lips and pressed a soft kiss to it. “I don’t think any less of you, Namine.” He murmured, staring into her eyes, slowly letting her hand go. “I’m glad you enjoyed yourself…well, for the first part of the evening anyway.”

This man sent shivers down her spine just by a touch of his hand on hers, though she knew he’d probably say it was due to her being cold. No, she wasn’t cold anymore. Her body was lit on fire though she hid it well from him. Her hand dropped at her side as she blushed away from him and walked over, standing in front of him, and opened the door. “I guess you should get going. You probably have engagements to attend to what with the party and all. Thank you again, John.” Her voice was soft, barely audible, and leaned her head against the wall that was near the door, Steve suddenly entering her mind again.

“No, I’m just going home.” He whispered, frowning slightly at the expression on her face. “Namine, what is it?” He murmured, concern evident in his blue eyes and tone.

“Nothing, I’m fine. I just need to relax a little and calm down from the night’s events.” She assured him, hoping to put his worries and concerns for her at ease. A soft smile spread on her lips as she crossed her arms in front of her chest while leaning against the wall, watching him.

“Well if you’re sure…” John seemed reluctant, apparently not convinced, but knew he couldn’t press the issue. He smiled again at her and softly said, “I just want to make sure my best agent is taken care of.” He was trying not to cross that fine line between professionalism and something else, though he wasn’t sure what it was.

“Best agent, eh?” She echoed with a raised eyebrow and suddenly, a frown appeared on her face as she cleared her throat. The ceremony, what Steve said about her being on the news flew through her mind as she stared into this man’s eyes and hoped he didn’t lie to her. “Did you know I was on the news for receiving that plaque tonight?”

John shook his head and stroked his chin thoughtfully at what she said. “No I didn’t.” He answered truthfully, his eyes showing the same honesty. “Damn publicists.” He muttered after a minute, sighing heavily. “I have a feeling I know how you wound up on the news though. Would you like me to handle it?”

“I would like to be informed first on who exactly would do it…” Her words trailed off as her eyes suddenly became cold, calculating, and finally muttered, “That bitch.” She raked a hand through her hair and shook her head in disbelief. “It was Jen.” It was a statement and a fact as she started pacing. “Damn it.”

“Jen?” John echoed and arched an eyebrow. “Why don’t we review the tapes in the morning, Namine? I’ll have a copy of tonight’s news on my desk by nine. We’ll see what was said before deciding who spilled.”

“They’re not going to say who spilled the story to them, John.” She stated matter-of-factly and took a deep breath as she stared back into his eyes. “She was jealous of me because of…of what you kept trying to do with me. She even cornered me one day in the cafeteria and told me to stay away from you because you were “her man”. Namine scoffed, doing the finger quote motions with her fingers around the words her man for emphasis. “she’s the only one who could’ve done it because she’s the only one who had all of the employees’ personal files.” It made perfect sense.

John didn’t bother mentioning that he had all the employees’ personal files as well, knowing she might think it was him when it wasn’t. He looked both shocked and disgusted when Namine mentioned the incident in the cafeteria. “Her man? Hell no!” He exclaimed, the anger welling up inside his huge body. “People think I have a reputation? It’s NOTHING compared to hers.” He groaned, raking a hand through his hair, feeling horrible for his best agent suddenly. “I’m sorry, Namine. I should’ve fired her sooner.

“You didn’t know what a psycho she was, John.” She protested and walked over, running her hand up and down his arm in a comforting fashion with a smile on her face. “Why do you think I couldn’t stop grinning in your office today? After hearing you actually fire her over the intercom at her desk, I wanted to jump for joy, but I also didn’t want to rile her up. Not that I couldn’t handle her or anything, but it would’ve looked really bad in the office.” She laughed softly and ran a hand through her honey blonde hair that was still in curls. “I’m just glad you finally opened your eyes and realized what kind of person she was.”

“I’ve known…” He admitted, catching her hands in his, and holding them between them. “It’s just that she was actually a good secretary. Though, maybe being obsessed with me had something to do with that.” He sighed, already planning on hiring a lesbian for his next secretary, just as a precaution. “You liked hearing me fire her, huh? When she called you Nami,” He paused, looking disgusted. “I don’t know, something just kind of snapped inside.”

“I can’t STAND being called that. That is my biggest pet peeve and she knew it because she overheard me saying it to Stacy one day while we were talking in the cafeteria. Though I don’t like Stacy, she is nothing like Jen was.” Namine sighed as she seen he was holding her hands in his and slowly slipped them out of his grasp with a shy smile that followed. “Sorry, didn’t mean to overstep any boundaries, boss.” She giggled and winked before walking into the kitchen to get a bottled water. “I will tell you this, John and I’m going to be honest with you. Rick is the one who told me about your reputation.” She admitted openly and popped the cap off of her water. “When you first asked me out and I said I’d think about it, he came to me and told me about how you slept with a different woman every night and you treated them like trash after getting what you wanted.”

John made a mental note to fire Rick in his mind, not believing the man would actually do something like that to him. “Besides flirting with some of the women, have you ever actually seen me take one home?” He asked gently, knowing damn well she hadn’t. He was way too cautious for that shit, knowing it wouldn’t look good if the reporters caught him.

“No, but I have walked into your office and seen you in…awkward positions with the women of the office.” She countered, crossing her arms in front of her chest with a smirk on her face. “John, what you do in your personal life is none of my business. I honestly don’t care what you do, but when you start trying to drag me into it, then it becomes my business. That’s the reason why I kept turning you down, still do, except tonight. I don’t want to be another one of those women who is caught getting dressed in your office.” She wasn’t being mean about it or crude, just telling him the truth, and raked a hand through her hair.

He nodded, not bothering to explain himself, none needed. Namine knew what she had seen, they both did. He shook his head, sighing, sounding both chastised and amused at the same time. “You’re turning me into a man with morals, Namine. I’m not too sure how that’s going to work out, but…” He trailed off teasingly. “I guess I’d best be going now. You’ve put up with me enough for one night.”

Smiling back at him, Namine walked over to stand right in front of him. “On the contrary, I’ve enjoyed your company and our talk, John.” She truthfully replied and bit her bottom lip when he raised an eyebrow up at her. “You’re definitely not who I expected, but then again, sometimes you have to tear that mask off to reveal the true person inside.” Her voice was low and soft and pressed her hand to his chest before pulling away.

His blue eyes gazed into hers for a moment, loving the color of them, before John cleared his throat and stepped back, opening the door again. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Namine.” He said softly before slipping out, closing the door behind him, and whistled as he started down the stairs.

Namine watched him walk out of her front door, closing and locking it behind him, and walked over to stare out the window. He slipped inside his limo, the driver closing the door, and sighed. A sense of admiration was in her eyes as she gazed at him longingly, wishing he didn’t leave so soon, but knew it was probably for the best. That didn’t stop the naughty thoughts from entering her mind about him as she sighed. Namine leaned her head against the cool glass of her window and finally pulled away after she watched the limo drive down the street. Closing the curtains and walking into her bedroom, Namine collapsed on her bed on her back and sighed, closing her eyes. John was the last person she thought of before sleep finally consumed her body and she hoped she didn’t regret opening up to him the way she had tonight.

Chapter 17

John was at the office bright and early the next morning, feeling wired. He hadn’t been to bed at all and didn’t understand why. Instead, he had worked out a lot and bounced from room to room of his home, unable to sleep. All he could think about was Namine. When it was time to leave, he’d been dressed for hours, still bouncing off the walls. Now he was at work, pacing the floor of his office, and going over applications for a new secretary, Namine still in his mind.

Namine walked inside the building, carrying her patented black leather briefcase in her hand, and sighed in contentment. Last night had really gotten a lot off her chest with John and she hoped they could move forward without any problems. Then again, she couldn’t get him off her mind no matter what she did. He was in her thoughts, her dreams, and sighed as she walked inside her office. Setting the briefcase down, Namine opened it and sat down in her favorite chair, grinning. She was wearing a black business skirt suit that went two inches above the knee with a silver tank top underneath her black cardigan. Her honey blonde hair was pinned up by two chopsticks and she had just the slightest bit of makeup on, never really needing it because of her natural beauty.

Grinning when he found what he was looking for, John looked over the application of an older woman in her fifties who was happily married. The grandmotherly type. One who wouldn’t fuck with him or his business. He put in the call for her to come start work before walking out of his office, heading toward Namine’s. He was carrying a paper bag in one arm and still had that grin on his lips.

She had her feet propped up on her desk, her heels off since her feet still from the previous night, and was smiling from ear to ear. The Kourtney case was coming along nicely as she reached down, scratching her knee a little bit, and finally noted the signature. She’d slipped her cardigan off her shoulders, draping it over the back of her chair. Her hair was down from the chopsticks, flowing down her shoulders and on the back of the chair somewhat. She looked completely relaxed and content as she stapled the file and put it in her drawer before going on to the next one.

John knocked once on Namine’s office door before opening it and poked his head in. “Special delivery.” He teased, holding out the paper bag and shaking it.

“Hey John.” She greeted warmly with a smile and slowly slid her feet off the desk, setting her papers down, and leaned back against the chair. “What’s that?” She asked softly, pointing to the brown paper sack he was holding in his hand, and Namine had to stop herself from staring at what he was wearing. Was there ever a time when this man WASN’T drop dead gorgeous? She hit it well apparently as she crossed her arms in front of her chest and waited for him to answer.

Stepping inside, John left the door open instead of closing it like he normally would have. He set the bag down on her desk and grinned before reaching inside and pulling out what was in it. It was the crystal plaque she’d been awarded the previous night with a dramatic flair as he said, “You forgot this.”

Her green eyes lit up as the smile turned into a proud grin an stood up from her chair, setting it on her desk so it was facing whoever would walk inside her office, and nodded. “Thank you for bringing it back with you, John.” She softly said before sitting back down at her chair and ran a hand through her hair. “So, how’s your day going?” She asked conversationally.

John chuckled, moving around the office restlessly, and answered, “Good, I got my new secretary coming. She’s 54 years old, married, grandkids, that kinda thing. So I’m hoping this will work out. How 'bout you? Getting any work done?” He asked, grinning, seeing how comfortable she was in her chair. “Like that chair then? You weren’t mad that I sent it over were you?”

“Not in the slightest.” She answered with a contented sigh, snuggling into her chair with a smile on her face and wiggled her toes freely as she moved her head back and forth. “Wow, you actually hired an older woman?” She asked, stunned, and smiled softly as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. “I am becoming an influence on you.” It was a simple fact as she smirked up at him knowingly. “Besides, age DOES have more experience than some big breasted bimbo.”

“Not to burst your bubble, Namine,” John began, sounding amused from what she’d said. “I hired her because I need a secretary who’s going to work and not try to sleep with me. I do have to get some work done you know. Though if this one starts to distract me, you have my permission to shoot me.”

“I will definitely take you up on that offer.” She giggled playfully, not feeling this happy and content in her life for a long time, and slowly stood from her chair to retrieve another file. “I was only kidding with you, John. I’m glad you actually hired someone who has a family and is married.” Admiration could clearly be heard in her voice as she turned around and didn’t realize he’d walked over so close as she bumped into his chest.

John caught her in his arms when she stumbled backwards, his hands on her hips, steadying her. HE stared down into her green eyes, almost becoming lost before stepping back, looking apologetic. “Sorry about that, Namine.” He said softly, not wanting her to think he’d done that on purpose.

Blinking a little, Namine didn’t’ realize how hard of a chest John had as she tried to regain her composure. “No worries, I didn’t realize you walked over.” She honestly didn’t mind having his hands on her hips, though they were on fire now. John didn’t need to know that though as she smiled reassuringly at him. “It’s fine, John really. I’m not mad at you or anything. I’m actually glad because if you hadn’t caught me, I probably would’ve busted my head open on the corner of the cabinet.”

John winced as she described what might’ve happened had he not grabbed her. “That would’ve hurt, though on the bright side you could’ve sued me for everything I own.” He commented, winking down at her, and took a step back. “I got to back to the office. Grandma should be there soon.” He joked and groaned when Namine smacked him hard on the arm.

“Don’t you DARE call her that! There’s nothing wrong with hiring elder women.” She admonished, though the amusement was clearly shown in her eyes as she tried not to smile at him, trying to keep that stern look. “You are so mean sometimes.” She muttered before sinking back down in her chair and shook her head, gettin back to her own documents.

He just laughed at her, “I can be on occasion. Talk to you later, Namine.” He winked at her again before walking out, his hands lit on fire still from touching her.

Steve watched as John walked away from Namine’s office, whistling. He shook his head and walked to the door, hesitating. He knew she wasn’t going to be happy to see him, but he had to talk to her. He had to at least say what was on his mind or he’d go nuts. Finally, after taking a few minutes to redeem himself, he brought his hand up and knocked.

“Come in.” She called out amusedly, her feet propped up on her desk as she moved them back and forth, soft music playing in the background from her small stereo that was in the corner. She didn’t’ look up from the documents and just made a hand gesture, knowing it was probably John again. “Be with you in one second, boss.” She stated, looking over the contract and nodded before making another change.

“Take yer time, darlin’.” Steve said quietly, closing the door behind him, and folded his arms across his chest nonchalantly.

Namine’s eyes bugged out of her head as she slowly lowered the documents from her face, knowing that voice anywhere. She swallowed hard when she seen Steve standing before her and felt her mouth go dry. “What are you doing here?” She asked in a shocked voice, keeping it low, and ran a hand through her hair as she immediately slipped her feet from her desk.

“I wanted to talk to ya without ya runnin’ off.” Steve answered, walking over to kneel in front of her, taking her hands in his own.

Staring down into his blue eyes, Namine bit her bottom lip, knowing he shouldn’t be here without an appointment, and sighed heavily. “What do you want, Steve?” She asked softly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, and knew what he wanted. Once again, she’d have to break his heart as well as her own, knowing it would never work between them.

“Last night ya said ya wanted it…” Steve reminded her softly. “I want to be with ya, Namine and I think ya want to be with me too. We can make it work, honey, if you’d only give me the chance.”

“Steve…” She sighed heavily, hating the look of hope that shined in his blue eyes, and felt her heart breaking all over again. “It won’t work between us. I only said that because I was upset and didn’t know how to let you go.” Her voice was quiet and low, but she refused to pull away from his eyes and raked a hand through her hair. “I can’t trust you out on the road, I’m sorry. I just can’t trust my heart with you. We’d never have a stable relationship.”

Steve didn’t blink, just stared at her longingly with hope. “You don’t’ know until ya give it a try, Namine.” He said quietly, determined not to let her push him away without a fight. “I’d see ya every week, honey and as for me bein’ out on the road, nothin’ would happen. I don’t want any woman, but you, Namine.”

“You say that now, but you don’t even know me. We had sex most of those two weeks, Steve. You don’t know me and I don’t know you, except your body and ring persona.” She stated and slipped her hands out of his, taking a deep, shaky breath, and sighed. “It was wonderful, I’ll admit it, but it was a fling between us. You only found me attractive because of my pictures online, but you don’t know the real me. I’m sorry, Steve, but I made a mistake in my past in a similar situation and I won’t let it happen again.” Her voice was full of determination and hurt mixed, causing her to rake a hand through her hair in frustration.

“Let me get to know you then, Namine.” He pleaded, his eyes begging her to give him just one chance. “Give me a chance, honey, let me show you that ya wouldn’t be makin’ a mistake.”

The tears finally started to fall down her face as she dropped her head forward, shaking her head back and forth, and stood up. She walked over to the window, wrapping her arms around herself, and stared out at the morning sky. Her day had gone so well too until Steve showed up. Now she was more confused than ever. “Why are you making this so hard?” She whispered finally, sniffling a little, and wiped her tears away. “This is my job, Steve.”

“I’m not tryin’ to make this hard, honey, but I know I feel somethin’ for ya and it ain’t just lust. I’m not 'bout to walk away from that without a fight. Without givin’ it one shot. I don’t want to step away from you, Namine and one day we both wake up realizin’ what we coulda had if only we would’ve tried. I don’t want a Romeo/Juliet thing on my hands, I wanna try.” Steve explained to her, hating that he was causing her to cry, but he honestly wanted to give this a real shot with her.

Namine heard what he said and knew that if they wanted to, they could make this work. She knew she was pushing him away because of her past and fear of having a broken heart again. It didn’t make it any less painful though to know that he’d be on the road constantly and they’d only see each other a few days a week. She’d gotten the gist of it from Sine about Mark, which was the same as Steve, and actually felt sorry for her best friend. “Are you absolutely sure you want to try?” She finally asked after a few minutes of silence between them, keeping her arms wrapped around herself, and wiped away a few more of her tears.

Steve nodded, reaching up to brush away her tears with his thumb before taking her hands, pulling them against his chest. “I want to try, Namine. Just give me a chance, honey, I’m not goin’ to break yer heart.” He whispered pleadingly, wanting nothing more than to kiss her tears and pain away.

Staring into his blue eyes, seeing all the pleading and hope shining through them, Namine finally nodded in approval. She wrapped her arms around his neck, standing on her tiptoes and kissed his lips softly before burying her face in the crook of his neck. “I’m giving you one chance, Steve. Please don’t break it.” She whispered almost pleadingly and held onto him for dear life.

Steve kissed her tenderly, stroking her back soothingly. “I won’t honey, I won’t.” He whispered in a promise, hugging her close to his strong body. “Thank you, Namine.” He whispered, burying his face in her hair, feeling like his heart would explode it was beating so fast.

Namine could feel how hard his heart was pounding in his chest and slowly pressed her hand over it, trying to soothe it down a little. “Relax big guy, I’m here and we’re together now.” She whispered soothingly, running her hand up and down his shirt covered chest, and kissed it before staring up into his eyes. “I need to get back to work…” She trailed off and walked away from him over to her. Pulling out a key, Namine turned around and handed it to him. “This is the key to my condo. You can stay there with me if you want until you go back on the road, unless you don’t feel comfortable.”

Steve didn’t reach for the key, his blue eyes boring into her own. “I’m more than comfortable with it, Namine, but I want ya to be, honey.” He said softly, running his finger down her cheek. “I know it seems like I’m rushin’ ya and I don’t want that. I want ya to be comfortable with this.”

“We’ll barely see each other enough as it is. I don’t want to be away from you any more than I have to be.” She quietly replied, still holding the key out to him, and bit her bottom lip suddenly. No, she wasn’t in love with him, not yet anyway. It would take time for her to truly feel that way about Steve and hoped they could make it through this without someone getting hurt. She doubted that would happen though. “I’m comfortable with you staying there otherwise I wouldn’t be handing you this key.”

Steve took the key from her, nodding after he heard her words. “I’ll see you tonight then?” He whispered, not wanting to waste any of his precious time, wanting to spend it with her and her only.

Nodding, Namine smiled back at him shyly before tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Yes, I’ll be home probably around five or so, depending on whenever I get done with my work.” Her voice was so soft and innocent as she raked a hand through her long, honey blonde hair. “If you need anything, just call.”

“I will.” Steve kissed her again before reluctantly stepping away. “I’ll see ya tonight then, honey.” He said, brushing her hand with his before walking out, shutting the door quietly behind him.

Namine had to sit down. Her mind was spinning and she didn’t understand what was going on. She’d just told Steve she wanted to be with him and didn’t even realize it until now. The realization crashed over her like a tidal wave as Namine buried her face in her hands, trying so hard not to cry. Taking a few deep breaths to calm down, Namine finally got back to work, no longer the same cheerful mood she was in prior to Steve’s appearance. What the Hell was she getting herself into with the Texas Rattlesnake?

Chapter 18

He’d just gotten through going over the paperwork and job description to his new secretary Mrs. McBee and was on his way to stretch his legs, heading for the cafeteria. John decided he was actually going to eat in the employee cafeteria, something he rarely ever did. Usually, he’d order take-out or go to some extravagant restaurant, but for some reason, John didn’t have the desire to do either. He halted in his walking when he seen the same bald man from the night before at the party. The one who’d scared Namine and forced her to run out on him and the company. John wondered how the Hell the guy got past security, momentarily forgetting exactly who he was, before deciding to pay Namine a visit.

It took everything in Namine to put her full focus into her work, diving into it. She started making discard and approval piles on her desk, trying to sort out some of this paperwork that’d stacked up on her. She licked her dry lips before taking a swig of water, nodding then shaking her head, not believing how much raw talent she’d found and beaten other agents out of from other companies. Her thoughts were broken when a knock sounded at her door and didn’t look up as she called out gruffly, “Come in.”

John stepped inside, this time shutting the door behind him, and looked down at her as he asked quietly, “Namine, what was that man doing here?”

“What man?” She asked, her mine solely focused on her work, and tapped her chin in thought as she slowly stopped. It registered in her mind who John was referring to. Steve. He’d seen Steve leave her office. Namine slowly looked up into her boss’s eyes and leaned back against her chair as she sighed. “He came here to talk to me, John. Is there a problem?” She sounded exhausted and the day hadn’t even begun.

“No,” John began slowly, dropping down to perch on the edge of her other chair and stared intently at her. “But you know nobody except clients and staff are allowed up here. I’m going to venture he wasn’t here for business.”

Sighing with regret, Namine knew he was right and lowered her head a bit, her hands clasped in her lap. “I know that and I’m sorry. I didn’t expect him to come here and I don’t know how he got past security. Then again, he is famous and all…” Her words trailed off, biting her bottom lip even more. “It won’t happen again.” She whispered finally.

“Famous? How is he famous?” John asked curiously, not even realizing the guy was a wrestler, figuring he was some pumped up body builder or something. Namine had told him who he was, but it slipped his mind. “Don’t look down, Namine. I wasn’t trying to bite your head off.” He assured her with a smile. “I was about to go grab something to eat. Want to join me?”

“Sure, I could use a break from all this paperwork.” She replied and stood up from her chair, smoothing out her skirt that rested against her thighs, and grabbed her purse. “Where do you wanna go for lunch?” Namine asked softly with a small smile of her own, knowing she could trust John now that they got a lot of the bad blood out of the way. They understood each other now better than they ever did.

“I was actually going to go to the cafeteria.” John admitted, chuckling softly, and raked a hand through his hair nervously. “Unless you’d rather go somewhere else?”

“Nope, cafeteria is fine.” She stated nonchalantly with a smile and walked past him, her scent wavering in the air and walked out of her office. Once inside the cafeteria, Namine sat down, John across from her, and pulled out her tea, taking a long swig of it, and sighed. “So you wanna know who Steve is? You mean you don’t recognize him?” She asked softly, mildly shocked, and temporarily forgotten she’d told John who Steve was already.

John shook his head, pushing around the food on his tray, trying to figure out what it was. “I think I’m going to have to make a bigger budget for the food here. Can’t have my employees dropping from bad food.” He half joked, finally opening his bottle of water and looked at her. “Nope, I didn’t recognize him…Steve is it? What’s he famous for?”

Namine couldn’t help, but laugh at John’s comment about the food budget, patting his hand gently, in a friendly way. “Now you know what I’ve been complaining about for the past few months.” She reprimanded playfully and sighed when he asked about Steve again. “Well, he’s an entertainer. Have you heard of the WWE?”

John stroked his chin thoughtfully for a moment. “Sounds familiar…” He snapped his fingers when it finally came to him, but he still hadn’t remembered Namine telling him prior about Steve and who he was. “They used one of our artist’s songs for something. Yeah, what about them?”

“He’s Stone Cold Steve Austin. The Texas Rattlesnake.” She announced proudly with a grin and started laughing when John’s mouth dropped open in shock. “Close your mouth, honey. The flies are getting in.” She advised playfully with a wink.

John shook his head, growling playfully at her laughing at him. “So, what’s he wanting with you then?” He asked casually, raising a fork of what he thought might be salad up, studying it intently, almost afraid to taste it. “Is this supposed to be blue?”

Namine started giggling as she shrugged her shoulders, not really paying attention to the salad. “I don’t know, but I wouldn’t chance eating it if I were you. Here…” She trailed off, slicing her sandwich in half and handed one half to him. “I hope you like honey ham and mayonnaise sandwiches.” She smiled and took a bite out of hers before setting it down, waiting to swallow before continuing. “You saw my pictures, John,” She began slowly, blushing a bit as she looked down. “Put two and two together to figure it out. He tracked me down and wants to try having a relationship.”

He took a bite out of the sandwich she’d generously offered him and listened, chewing slowly to himself time to think. Nothing, no emotion showed on his face, just a carefully neutral expression and in his eyes. “So…he seen your pictures and tracked you down? Sounds odd to me, but,” He paused with a shrug. “That’s just me. How’d he even find you?”

“The man he came with that was tracking Sine down.” She replied softly and bit her bottom lip, knowing it all sounded crazy, but it was the truth. She wasn’t lying. “He wants a chance with me and I told he gets only one.” Namine raked a hand through her hair and sighed heavily. She stared down at her sandwich, and suddenly didn’t feel hungry anymore as she pushed it away. “I’m sorry, John. I shouldn’t even be talking to you about this.” She apologized even softer and averted her gaze to her feet, her shoulders slumped in defeat. She was already having doubts about her and Steve, which was a bad sign, but she couldn’t help it.

John read her body language and reached out to touch the top of her hand with his, getting her attention. “Is everything okay?” He asked gently, concern laced in his tone of voice. “You sound like you might not be…like you might think something isn’t right.”

“He just travels so much…” She whispered, not minding his hand on hers, enjoying the comfort oddly enough. “I’m barely going to see him three days out of the week if I’m lucky because of how huge of a star he is.” Namine groaned and raked a hand through her hair again, not believing she was actually admitting this type of information to her boss. Then again, they were on the same page and were…friends, she’d guessed. “I’m fine, I’ll be fine.” She assured, trying to convince herself in the process.

Studying her thoughtfully for a moment, John looked sympathetic, knowing she was battling with her heart and mind, something he did far too much. “Well Namine, if he really cares about you, he’ll try to make it work.” He assured her, his tone gentle and understanding. “If things don’t work out then he’s a fool. There are dozens of men in this city who’d be lucky to have you.” He meant every word that came out of his mouth, every one.

That made her blush as she looked down, her hair somewhat covering her face, and felt her cheeks grow hot at his comment. “Men like you?” She suddenly asked, staring back up at him, her cheeks tinged with just the slightest shade of red, but not looking like cherries.

“I’d be more than lucky to have you, Namine…” He said softly, not afraid or ashamed to admit it because he knew it was true. “But I meant men who actually deserve you. I already know I don’t.”

A frown crossed her face suddenly as she sighed heavily and took his hand in hers, patting it reassuringly. “We all make mistakes, John, but that’s no reason for you to think so low of yourself. You just need to find her. Find that special someone who completes you. Trust me, when you’ve found her, you’ll stop at nothing, absolutely nothing, to have her as your own.” With that said, she stood up from the table and patted his shoulder comfortingly. “Thanks for the lunch, boss.” She winked with a soft joke and smiled before walking out of the cafeteria.

John stood up after she had walked out, tossing his tray in the trash can, feeling a heavy weight on his heart. “Like you’ve found with Steve?” He murmured to himself and headed back to his office, closing the door behind him and got on the phone to make a few calls.

The rest of the day went pretty much slow, Namine still questioning and doubting her relationship with Steve and it hadn’t even been ten hours yet! Groaning, she finally finished with her work and gathered it up, needing to go see John to get his signatures on them. Walking out and down to his office, Namine smiled at the new secretary and walked up to her. “Hello, I’m Namine, I’m don’t believe we’ve met.” Her voice was soft and comforting as she extended her hand to the older woman.

Mrs. McBee took Namine’s hand, firmly shaking it before releasing the hold. “Hello dear, I’m Mrs. McBee. Do you have an appointment with Mr. Cena?” She asked, peering over the rim of her glasses to get a better look at the young lady standing before her.

“It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. McBee. Yes, I’m his agent, Namine. I need his signatures on some contracts.” She answered with a smile, already liking this woman, and knew she’d be much better than Jen ever dreamed possible.

John sighed when Mrs. McBee buzzed him, informing him that Namine was there for their meeting. “Send her in.” He said, leaning back in his chair, looking relaxed and content. He laced his fingers behind his head, staring expectantly at the door, knowing she was there for his signatures on the contracts.

Peeking her head in his office door, Namine smiled at him softly, seeing he was relaxing, and immediately felt her mouth go dry since he was bare chested. Again. “Hey, is this a bad time?” She asked, her voice like a soft caress flowing over him.

Shaking his head slowly, John simply replied, “No, I’m just kicking back. Is that alright?” He stood up from his chair, his chiseled chest and stomach in plain view. The window blinds were open for once as the sunlight of the afternoon streamed in, giving him a golden glow.

Shrugging, Namine didn’t mind if he relaxed or not. “You ARE the boss after all.” She softly said and walked over, setting the contracts on his desk, and bit her bottom lip when he continued to stare out the window. “I’ll leave these here for you to look over…” She whispered before turning and starting to walk out the door. A gasp of surprise escaped her lips when she felt his hand wrap around her arm and spun her around to face him, staring up into his blue eyes, and swallowed hard.

John stared down at her for a moment, his eyes searching hers before lowering his head to gently kiss her. His lips were so soft and tender against hers, not wanting to scare her away again. He pulled away, not letting go of her, and whispered against her lips, “I’m sorry, Namine.” Their lips were merely inches apart. “You’re just…you’re special.” He ran a finger down the side of her face in a gentle caress. “I’ve never met a woman like you.”

Her heart was pounding so hard, she could hear it in her ears as her eyes widened, staring at him shock. Her entire body trembled while the feel of his lips still tingled against hers, causing her to rake a shaky hand through her honey blonde hair. Namine couldn’t even speak. Couldn’t do anything. Seemingly frozen to the floor beneath and tried to get her heart rate to slow down. Her boss just kissed her and she didn’t’ have one ounce of drive to push him away or slap the taste out of his mouth, like she’d done before. What the Hell was going on here? “I-I have to go…” She whispered, stumbling away from him finally.

He grabbed her hand, pulling her back and guided her over to his couch. “No, just…sit down and breathe. I’ll look at the contracts.” He murmured, knowing he had startled her. His blue eyes locked on her swollen lips, his tongue darting out to lick his suddenly dried ones.

Namine couldn’t fight him off, still too shocked from the kiss he’d just given her, and plopped down rather harshly on it. She touched her swollen lips with her fingertips, trying to decipher what just happened, and blinked rapidly. Why couldn’t she speak? Why wasn’t anything coming out of her mouth? Why wasn’t she screaming at him for forcing himself on her again? It didn’t make any sense as Namine ran over these questions in her mind and felt the tears swell in her eyes as Steve suddenly entered it. She knew they weren’t going to work out, especially after what just happened, though she refused to give into her boss either.

John sighed, leaning against his desk and started going over the contracts. He finally signed his name to them before pushing them aside, his attention on her now. He walked over to stand in front of her, staring down at her with those blue eyes, and softly asked, “What’re you thinking, Namine?”

“Why?” She finally whispered out, choking back a sob that suddenly racked her body, and felt the huge tears already sliding down her cheeks. Namine couldn’t bring herself to look up into his eyes. Those darkened, beautiful blue eyes of his or she would for sure melt. The only word she could muster up to sound out of her mouth she’d just asked him and wrapped her arms around herself. Steve had just asked her for a chance and she’d blown it in the same damned day!

John crouched down in front of her, taking her hands in his, his eyes searching her face intently for a moment. “Because I think I’m falling in love with you.” He answered matter-of-factly, never being one to beat around the bush or to sugarcoat anything he said.

Namine felt her jaw drop in shock as she stared at him, her boss, blinking rapidly. Her vocal cords refused to work along with the rest of her body as she just sat there, staring back into his eyes, and knew he was telling her the truth. How could the biggest bachelor and playboy in the city be falling in love? With her of all women? Finally finding some sort of movement in her body, Namine took a deep breath as she wiped her tears away. “I need to go…” She whispered, thinking about Steve, and knew they had to talk.

Nodding, John backed away from her, sighing heavily. He knew he’d just thrown her for a loop, but didn’t regret kissing her. “I’m sorry, Namine.” He apologized finally, watching as she headed for the door. “I just had to tell you.”

“I-I’ll see you tomorrow, John…” She whispered back in a disbelieving voice and shakily stood up from the couch, trying to keep her balance as she pressed her hand against the wall. The contracts were the furthest thing from her mind as she walked out of his office, in a daze, and proceeded to walk out of the building. She even drove in that same condition, still not able to believe what she just heard.

John Cena was falling in love with her and Namine knew she was already in love with him.

Chapter 19

When she walked inside her condo, the harsh reality crashed over her as she dropped to her knees on the floor and started crying her heart and soul out. Steve had been staring out the window when she walked in. He turned and immediately rushed over to her, picking her up in his arms, and stroked her back gently. “What happened, Namine?” He whispered tenderly, his heart breaking when he heard her sobs. “Honey, what happened?!”

Shaking her head repeatedly Namine broke away from him and stumbled back, raking a hand through her hair, needing space. “What is it with you men?!” She finally cried out, her anger overtaking her body, every inch of her, and started kicking the wall. “You think you can just waltz in my life and take what you want!!” Namine was having a nervous breakdown, John’s words echoing in her mind, and couldn’t fathom it.

Steve looked confused, taking a hesitant step towards her before halting, stuffing his hands in his jean short pockets. “Namine, what’s wrong? What brought this on?” He asked quietly. “I’m not tryin’ to take anythin’ from ya, honey. What happened today?”

“I’m so sick of this!!” She shouted, starting to swipe everything off the shelves she was near, and onto the soft carpet below, tears streaming down her face, and spun around to face him. “You wanna know what happened today?! Fine, I’ll tell you! My boss just told me he’s falling in love with me after you begged me to give you a fuckin’ chance!! MEN!!” She threw her hands up in the air and finally sunk down to her knees, wrapping her arms around her abdomen, and coughed out.

He ran a hand over his bald head before walking over to pick her up, careful not to step on anything. He sat down on the couch, pulling her onto his lap, his arms wrapped around her waist firmly. “And yer upset because ya don’t know what to feel 'bout any of this.”

“I’m so confused right now.” She cried out in a soft whisper, burying her face in her hands, and shook her head back and forth. “I don’t know what to think or feel, Steve.” She was being honest with him. John’s confession had really knocked her for a loop and she didn’t know how to handle it except lashing out. Lashing out was the only thing she could think to do at this point.

“Why don’t ya come with me?” He suggested suddenly, getting an idea in his head. “I gotta call from my boss an hour ago. There’s some promotion thing across country. I wasn’t scheduled fer it, but the sumbitch changed his mind fer some damned reason. It’d be just for two nights, honey. Get away with me.”

“I can’t, Steve.” She stated and stood up from his lap, walking over to the window, and wrapped her arms around herself tightly. “I have my job to do and I can’t just take off for two days. I can’t run away from this. I have to face it whether I want to or not and right now, I honestly don’t know what the fuck I want. I care about you, I really do, but I don’t love and I don’t know what the fuck I feel for him so don’t even ask.” She was so confused and hurt right now because Steve had been nothing but sweet to her, but yet at the same time, John had drastically changed and he was there.

Steve already knew she didn’t love him, but that was alright. He also knew love took time. He stood up from the couch, staring at her and stated softly, “I’m not goin’ then, honey.”

“No, you need to go, Steve. I understand, I really do. It’s okay, I need some time to think things through anyway.” She replied, knowing with him leaving, she could maybe fan out her feelings for both men. Even tough, she already had a feeling which one she wanted. The drew was just too powerful, but she had to be strong and fight him until she made her decision. Sighing heavily, Namine turned around to face him. “Go, Steve. Please, I need to be alone right now to recollect my thoughts.”

Nodding reluctantly, Steve looked sorrowfully back at her and sighed. “Alright then, Namine, if that’s what ya want.” He picked up his packed duffel bag near the door, halting to look at her one more time. “Call me when ya figure out what ya want, honey.”

Namine felt her heart tearing in two and immediately ran over to him, grabbing his arm, and pulled him to her. She grabbed his face in her hands and kissed his lips softly, knowing this was the only way to tell who she really wanted to be with. Namine’s lips feathered over his in a soft kiss, quickly allowing it to become more passionate, and whispered against them breathlessly, “Don’t leave.”

Steve stared into her eyes, searching them intently, and whispered back as he held her tightly to him, “Are ya sure?”

No. Namine wasn’t sure about anything at that moment, but she also didn’t want Steve to leave. She didn’t know what this attraction was that she felt for him. Maybe it was the fascination she felt for him. Maybe it was love. Maybe it was lust. She didn’t know as she stared into his eyes and bit her bottom lip. “There’s something I need to take care of first. I need to know if I truly belong with you. Do you trust me?”

Staring down at her, Steve brushed the back of his hand down the side of her face and nodded as he whispered, “Of course I trust ya, honey.”

She kissed him passionately one more time before picking up his bag and handed it to him. “I will call you and give you my answer soon.” She whispered, stroking his face with her hand, and felt the tears already sliding down her cheeks, not believing she was about to do this.

“I’ll be waitin’, honey.” He murmured softly against her forehead, pressing a kiss to it lingeringly, and walked out without another word.

After crying herself to sleep that night with thoughts of what John told her flowing through her mind and Steve wanting a chance, Namine finally couldn’t stand it anymore. She showered, changed into another skirt suit that was gray and blue, and quickly headed to work. It was five in the morning, but she didn’t care, not able to sleep anyway, and walked inside the building. She immediately walked into her office, closing the door behind her, and set her briefcase on the desk before getting started. She wanted to just bury herself in work, not wanting to think about Steve or John for the time being. Though that was close to impossible at this point.

John arrived at work at his normal time in high spirits, whistling as he walked into his office. He cheerfully greeted Mrs. McBee before slipping through the doors. He walked over to the window and pulled open the blinds, the sun streaming through it on his face. “What a beautiful day!” He sighed, watching the clear sky blue morning sky, a smile on his face.

Namine didn’t even realize what time it was she was so focused in her work. She’d managed to sign five more artists to the label and grinned, knowing she’d end up shattering her old record at this rate. Her eyes peered over at the crystal plaque and felt her bottom lip tremble when John entered her mind. ‘No! I’m not thinking about that right now!’ She scolded herself mentally, coaching herself, and ran a hand through her hair before standing up to fill her cup with more water.

After handling a lot of business that morning and spending a considerable amount of time on the phone, John decided to get himself a cup of coffee. He’d tried Mrs. McBee’s and decided while she was a competent secretary, her coffee making skills left something to be desired as well. “She’s something else.” He murmured with a smile, knowing he’d made the right decision in his choice.

Lunchtime came and went with Namine still working hard. She was typing up on her computer the contracts, beads of sweat starting to form on her forehead, and printed out the second to the last one. If she kept this up, she could get out of here by three o’clock and just leave these with Mrs. McBee to have John sign. She didn’t want to see him right now, not after the previous day, but knew she’d have to face him eventually. ‘I can’t right now.’ She thought and shook her head before getting back to work, skipping lunch completely.

John halted outside of Namine’s door, hesitating only a moment before knocking softly, poking his head inside as he asked, “Can we talk?”

“I suppose…” She softly replied, never taking her eyes from the computer screen, letting her fingers fly as she nodded. Her full concentration was on the screen as she stopped for a moment, tapping her chin in thought. “What did you wanna talk about?” She asked conversationally, hoping it wasn’t about the previous day, but knowing that was too good to be true.

Raking a hand through his short, soft brown hair, John stared down at her, seeing how hard at work she was. “About last night.” He answered, his tone neutral though his eyes were filled with concern. “I didn’t mean to startle you, Namine.”

“Oh that, don’t worry about it, John.” She replied, not looking back at him, and started typing again. She was making it sound like it wasn’t a big deal to her even though it was. It was her way of hiding from her true feelings and knew if she turned around to stare at him, she would instantly melt and breakdown all at the same time. “Here’s some contracts for you to look over.” Namine stated, gesturing to her desk, but never took her eyes from her computer screen.

John walked over to stand beside her, reaching down to take the contracts but instead grabbed her hand in his own. “Why won’t you look at me, Namine?” He whispered, sounding a little hurt.

“If I do, I’ll breakdown.” She admitted openly, closing her eyes as she felt him take her hand, and bit her bottom lip as it began trembling beneath her teeth. Namine was terrified right now, especially with how strongly she felt toward him, and hope he wasn’t just using her for another notch on his belt.

Sighing heavily, John heard her say that and slowly turned her chair around to face him. He reached down to gently grab her chin in his hand, forcing her eyes to meet his own, and whispered pleadingly, “Namine please, I’m sorry. I’m not trying to hurt or confuse you.”

That was all she could take. Just one look in those sorrowful blue eyes and Namine instantly melted in her chair as she took a few deep breaths. Not answering him, Namine pulled his face down to hers and passionately kissed him, needing to know the different. Needing to know if she belonged with John or Steve and felt this was the only way to find out. Her heart exploded the moment their lips touched, feeling unlike anything she’d ever felt before, not even with Steve.

John was shocked but kissed her back, toning down the kiss so it was gentle, not understanding where this suddenly came from. Finally, he tore himself away from her, staring down at her as his breathing became ragged. “Namine…slow down, baby. I don’t want to rush you into anything. I want us to take our time.” He whispered, cupping her face in his huge hands as he stared into her beautiful green eyes.

“I don’t have time.” She whispered breathlessly, her heart beating furiously in her chest, and slowly stood up from her chair as her eyes instantly grew cold. “This is what you wanted wasn’t it, John? Playing the nice, gentleman act to try to get me to trust you again?” She pushed him down in her chair forcefully and straddled him. “Isn’t this what you wanted? To fuck me?” She whispered harshly in his ear while the chair reclined back. “You don’t love me, I know you don’t.”

John grabbed her arms, holding them still at her sides, his blue eyes registering the shock. “No Namine! At first, back then I did, but not now! I want something more than just a fuck!” He told her, his tone serious as his voice shook a little from the intensity. “I want something more…”

“What do you want then?” She asked, the tears finally falling down her cheeks and buried her face in the crook of his neck, her arms wrapping around his waist. “What do you want from me if it’s not sex?” In her heart and mind, something was telling her, reminding her of what he’d pulled on her before and she couldn’t help, but challenge him with it.

John sighed, stroking her back soothingly with his hand. “I’d like a relationship with you, Namine. We’ve been getting to know each other these past few weeks. You said everyone wears a mask. I want to take mine off and be with you. I wasn’t lying when I said any man would be lucky to have you. You’re priceless. You’re something different, special.”

“I don’t know, John…” She skeptically said and pulled back to stare into his eyes. What she saw there took her breath away as she ran her fingers down his handsome face, not believing what she was hearing. “So much has happened between us…” She reminded him softly before slowly slipping from his lap or tried to. What did her heart want? John or Steve?

Nodding, John looked ashamed of himself, regret shining in his blue eyes. “I know, Namine. I was a real scumbag towards you. I have no right to expect anything from you but loathing…” He whispered, hanging his head.

Her heart wanted him, that much she knew, but her mind was screaming at her. Reminding her of all the horrible things he’d done to her. Sighing and deciding to listen to her heart for once, Namine gently lifted his chin with her hand, staring into his regretful eyes, and kissed his lips softly. “I told you, everyone makes mistakes.” She whispered and ran her fingers through his short, soft brown hair. “Alright, I’ll give you a chance. I’ll call Steve and tell him what my decision is.”

John stared at her blankly for a moment before a bright, warm smile crossed his face, wrapping his arms around her, and buried his face in the crook of her neck. “Thank you, Namine.” He whispered with relief. “You won’t regret it, I promise.”

‘I hope not.’ She thought and wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly to her, and allowed a few tears to slide down her cheeks. Slowly pulling back, she stared back at him while wiping her tears away and softly asked, “What about everyone in the office? What are they going to think now that we’re…together?”

He brushed her tears away with the back of his hand, his smile never fading, and replied, “Who cares what they think? It’s just you and me, Namine. Not us and them.” He reminded her, wanting her to be completely comfortable with doing this.

Smiling softly back at him, her green eyes stared into his beautiful blue pools and nodded in agreement. “You’re right, I don’t care what they think.” She meant what she said as she snuggled on his lap and kissed his lips softly. Tenderly. Loving the moment as her heart fluttered when his hands ran up her back. She nibbled gently on his bottom lip before pulling away and looked back at her work as she asked, “So, are we done talking for now?”

“Yes…for now.” John answered with a chuckle, reaching over for the contracts. “I’ll take these with me and look them over, alright?” He stood up, setting her down gently before stepping away. “Would you have dinner with me tonight, Namine?”

“Yes.” She answered without hesitation, a soft smile on her lips, and reached her hand up to caress his face. “I would love to, John.” All her reluctance and fight had drained out of her and was replaced with a need for him to be wither and her with him. Their chemistry was unique, something she’d never experienced before, and it made the smile on her face widen even more.

John smiled, raising her hand to his, brushing a soft kiss to the back of it while staring back into her eyes. “Then I’ll see you tonight.” He murmured softly before walking out, shooting her one last lingeringly gaze.

That one gaze he shot her sent tremors throughout her body as she sighed happily and sat down in her chair. She called Steve, her heart breaking at the sorrow in his voice when she told him she’d chosen John. The road was what she was so afraid of with him and sighed when he hung up on her. She knew he was upset, possibly bitter, but she couldn’t let it bother her. Now was the time to move on with her life and give this a shot with John. After that, she got down to business, finishing the contracts up by typing them on the keyboard. Her mind stayed on what would happen that night and she couldn’t wipe the smile from her face even if her life depended on it.

Chapter 20

John spent the afternoon whistling, reading the contracts before signing his name to them. Afterwards, he called his favorite restaurant, instantly getting a table, and grinned. Being wealthy had its perks. His mind suddenly strayed to the beautiful woman who had managed to change him into a completely different person. He still couldn’t believe she’d given him a chance and vowed not to mess it up. He’d messed a lot of relationships up because of his womanizing ways, but John was bound and determined to stay faithful to this one.

After getting the approval from his secretary, Namine knocked on the door of John’s office before walking in, carrying the rest of the contracts in her arms. She smiled as she closed the door quietly behind her, seeing he was laying on the couch, bare chested, and licked her lips hungrily. Light snoring could be heard from him as she stifled a giggle and walked over, setting the contracts on his desk. She got down on her knees in front of him, her hands clasped in her lap, and just watched him. He looked so peaceful when he slept as she smiled and knew he was probably exhausted. “Poor thing.” She murmured quietly before standing up and headed for the door.

“Poor thing.” John echoed sleepily, popping one eye open to look at her, smiling tiredly. “Sorry Namine, just catching forty winks.” He sat up slowly, stretching his arms over his head, his muscles rippling with his every move and yawned. “Was there something you needed?”

She lost all train of thought as she watched him, mesmerized by how his muscles rippled as he stretched, and shook herself mentally as she pointed at his desk. “I came to give you the rest of the contracts I finished.” She answered quietly, hoping he didn’t have another headache. “I didn’t mean to disturb your rest.”

“Don’t worry about it.” John assured her and walked over to his desk, picking up the contracts. He slid on his glasses, hating the damned thing but not wanting to suffer a headache because he was too stubborn to wear them. “Tonight around seven-thirty alright?” He asked, not glancing up, smiling slightly when he read them. “Nice work, Namine…”

“Seven-thirty is fine.” She replied with a proud smile, knowing he was gracious of her work ethic, and raked a hand through her hair. “It’s just my job.” She shrugged modestly, though she still had that proud smile on her lips. She suddenly became quiet and cleared her throat, trying to get rid of the lump that had formed in there. “I’ll let you look those over.”

John nodded, suddenly looking up at her, his eyes narrowing behind his glasses. “Are you alright, Namine?” He asked, concern laced in his voice again.

Turning back around to face him, Namine sighed as she nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine. I just…I don’t know how to act around you now.” She quietly admitted and rubbed her temples, feeling a headache approaching. It’d been a long day, especially after crying herself to sleep the previous night.

John walked over to remove her hands, beginning to rub her temples himself. “Act like Namine.” He said softly, not wanting her to treat him differently. “The woman who tells me how it is and in the next breath confides in me. We’re still friends as well as more, Namine.” He reminded her in that same soft tone of voice. “You look tired.”

“I am; I didn’t have a very good night sleep last night.” She admitted softly, running a hand through her honey blonde hair, and leaned against his hands as he rubbed her temples for her. “Don’t even try to postpone the dinner tonight either. I need to eat anyway so it’ll be nice to go out.” She stated, already knowing he was going to suggest doing it another time.

“I love it how you can read my mind, Namine.” John chuckled in a whisper, pressing his forehead against hers briefly. “Are you sure? If you’re tired, we can do it tomorrow. I don’t’ want you feeling tired.”

“What did I just say?” She countered, raising her eyebrow up at him, and placed her hands on her hips. Her fiery attitude was coming back full force now. “I’m not repeating myself. We’re going and that’s the end of it.”

John sighed dramatically with a smile on his face and moaned playfully, “Lord save me from a bossy woman. Alright, you look like you need to have a hot soak in a bathtub for a while. You look so damned tense. Am I overworking you? Do you need time off?” Questions left and right were shooting from his mouth, causing Namine’s headache to grow.

“No, I’m overworking myself and no I don’t need any time off, John.” She assured him, not believing how concerned he was for her. It was unnerving as she brought her hand up and patted his cheek lightly with it, smirking. “As for the tense part,” She paused and shrugged. “That’s nothing new.”

“You need a massage.” John stated, walking over to his desk. He flipped through a rolodex before coming back over to her, holding out a card. “Tomorrow morning, first thing, go see them. I’ll have Mrs. McBee make an appointment for you. They’ll take care of that tension.”

“No John.” She declined, crossing her arms in front of her chest, and took a deep breath. She had to remember he was still her boss as she smiled serenely back at him. “Thank you, but I Have work to get done in the morning. Don’t worry about the tension in my body, I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?” He looked concerned again. “It won’t kill you to take a few hours for yourself, Namine. It might actually benefit you.” His eyes narrowed shrewdly. “If you’re too tense, that could lead to stress, which might cause a decline in your work.”

Smirking coolly back at him, Namine raked a hand through her hair and rolled her eyes. “I’ve been here a year and my work hasn’t declined once. Don’t worry, the tension will decrease now that I have one of the weights lifted off my shoulders. Stop being such a damned worrywart!” Namine didn’t want any special treatment just because she was the boss’s girlfriend.

“It’s my job to worry.” He teased, smoothing out her hair before stepping away from her. “I booked us at a sort of semi-formal restaurant. Is that alright or would you prefer something low key?”

“No, that’s fine.” She replied, knowing John was more comfortable in the formal scene, and knew she could probably find something suitable to wear. Then again, her closet wasn’t the classiest, but she loved her look. “Do you want me to meet you here or what?”

“I’ll pick you up.” He said promptly. “And not in the limo either, if that’s alright with you?”

“Whatever you want, John. I’m a very laid back person and just go with the flow most of the time.” She replied honestly and wasn’t lying when she said that. She laughed when John raised an eyebrow up at her and smirked. “I said MOST of the time didn’t I?”

“Most being the key word.” John murmured, sighing when Mrs. McBee’s voice came over the intercom. She was reminding him it wasn’t prudent to spend too much time in his office. Her way of saying no hanky-panky while on her shift. “The woman is a godsend, but I think she might be my great-grandmother reincarnated.” He whispered softly, his blue eyes twinkling in amusement.

Pressing down on the button, Namine responded back to her, “Don’t worry Mrs. McBee, I won’t let him touch me.” She grinned back at the shocked look on John’s face and smirked as she turned around. “See ya tonight, big boy.” She wiggled her ass in his direction before jetting out the door, laughing as his growling followed her.

Mrs. McBee stared at Namine as she walked out, shaking her hand. Though, she was obviously smiling. “You two scamps…” She chuckled, pressing a hand to her heart. “I don’t know about you kids these days.”

Smiling hesitantly back at her, Namine could see it in her eyes. She knew about them. Her eyes widened slightly as she walked over and softly asked, “How did you know, Mrs. McBee?” The woman must’ve read her mind or overheard John talking and she wanted to know.

Smiling sweetly back at the beautiful young woman, Mrs. McBee reached out to pat her hand and said, “I’m old honey, not blind.”

“No, you’re wise and beautiful. It’s like that old saying goes: When you’re beautiful young, it’s a natural mistake, but when you’re beautiful older, you’ve earned it that which you created. You’re a beautiful person inside and out, Mrs. McBee and you keep the boss in line.” She giggling, causing the woman to laugh with her.

John was now leaning in the doorway, listening to them, and shook his head, chuckling when they finally noticed him. “My ears were burning so I thought I’d find out who was talking about me.” He teased with his blue eyes twinkling in mischief.

“That’s when your ears ring. Nice try, boss.” She smirked at John and shook her head, laughing when a bewildered look came over his handsome features. “Oh my, did I make the powerful John Cena blush?”

“You’re not funny.” He growled, trying and failing miserably to look serious, beginning to laugh at himself. He shot Mrs. McBee a look when she tittered at him, shaking his head, and sighed dramatically. “This is the respect I get…”

“Oh you hush, Mr. Cena!” She admonished, her eyes twinkling as her natural southern accent came into play. “You’re done for the day, Sir. All your obligations have been filled.” She browsed an open planner before her and nodded. “Though you do have a full day tomorrow.” She informed him.

“You only get as much respect as you dish out.” Namine countered swiftly, loving her smartass comebacks, and started laughing harder when Mrs. McBee spoke. “He should be getting to bed early then.” She pointed out knowingly with a smirk.

John tossed his arms up into the air. “Lord save me from women!” He pleaded before shaking his head. “Bed early huh? I promise I’ll be in bed by midnight just so I don’t’ turn into a pumpkin. How’ll that be?”

“As long as you don’t leave a glass slipper behind.” She retorted with a smirk, causing his secretary to laugh. This was too good and Namine was loving every single second of it.

“Glass slipper?” John echoed. “You’re something else, Namine…” He glanced at the clock pointedly. “Don’t you have a bubble bath waiting on you?” He asked, his voice low though his eyes sparkled impishly.

“Don’t you have anything better than worry about my tension?” She shot back at him playfully, crossing her arms in front of her chest, and ended up resting them on her hips. “I can take care of myself. I’m a big girl. I tie my own shoes and everything, I promise John.”

“Alright now youngsters.” Mrs. McBee intervened, waggling a finger at them. “This is turning into a conversation NOT suitable for the office.” She chided, smiling at the looks on their faces.

Giggling, Namine nodded back at her and shot a smirk back at John. “Sorry about that, Mrs. McBee.” She apologized, sounding like a scolded child, and silently shot John a look that said she should be spanked later, her eyes gleaming wickedly. “I guess I’ll head out to get ready for my night out on the town. See you later, Mrs. McBee.” She waved her three fingers at John before walking down the hallway toward her office to pack up for the night.

John listened for five minutes while Mrs. McBee chided him gently as well as encouraged him to not let Namine get away. He then dismissed her for the day, smiling at the sweet old woman. “I don’t plan on it…” He murmured thoughtfully once he was alone and got his own things around to leave.

~!~

He couldn’t believe it! He couldn’t believe she did that to him! After everything he went through to see that little bitch and this was how she repaid him! Steve was beyond pissed as he ordered another beer, downing it, and kept them coming. Namine had called him earlier on, telling him some bullshit excuse that they could never work out because of his job. What a load of bullshit!

Namine had broken his heart and Steve was going to make her pay. He didn’t know how and he didn’t know when, but mark his words, he was going to make her pay and pay dearly! He downed another beer, not believing he’d been sent to this stupid seminar only to have it be cancelled at the last minute. Steve didn’t understand it and knew if he didn’t come to this thing, he would still have Namine in his life and arms. All he wanted was a chance and the bitch couldn’t even give him that.

His cold, calculating eyes locked on a woman in the distance and licked his lips hungrily. He hadn’t been with any woman besides Namine, but figured fuck it. If she didn’t want him then he’d find someone else who did. He sauntered over to her, seeing the emerald green sequenced dress she was wearing, and cleared his throat. The woman turned around, her violet colored eyes peering into his, and Steve was instantly attracted to her. The dress barely covered her ass as he charmed her with his ways.

The woman was eating out of his hands with every word that came from his red lips and Steve knew he had her. He had her in the palm of his hands as he bought her another drink. His sexy, Texan drawl caused her blood to light on fire as she giggled back at him, teasing and flirting. Steve smiled back at her and rubbed his bald head, loving the conversation they were having. Though, he didn’t want to talk at the moment as he whispered sweet nothings into her ear.

Her long, brown hair pooled down her back in waves as she giggled and blushed at his words, knowing she’d end up sleeping with this man. She finally took his hand when he offered her to help her up to her room for the evening, playing the gentleman part expertly. As soon as they were in the elevator, Steve’s lips crashed down on hers, groaning and growling at her soft lips, and the woman instantly melted in his arms. Her feet popped up as she kissed him back, wrapping her arms around his neck, and moaned softly in his mouth. Steve parted her lips by coaxing them open with the tip of his tongue and delved inside, tasting her, and Namine was out of his mind within seconds.

Chapter 21

After taking a nice, hot shower, Namine decided to leave her hair down, knowing the outfit she picked out was backless. She blow-dried and styled it, putting just a little hairspray in it and curled it at the ends to give it bounce. She couldn’t wipe the smile from her face as she danced to her stereo while getting ready, giggling at nothing in particular. After her hair was finished, Namine walked inside her bedroom and smiled at the outfit she’d chosen. It was a simple lavender colored dress that went to mid-thigh and was backless with spaghetti straps.

It had a round neckline so she didn’t show off any cleavage. Along with the dress were black heels and black rhinestone jewelry. She had normal makeup on, wanting to keep it natural, and was just finishing up when the doorbell rang. She quickly headed out of her bedroom and toward the front door, trying to slide in an earring, and opened it. Her breath caught in her throat at the sight of John.

John stood before her wearing a black suit with gray pinstripes and had a lavender dress shirt underneath his coat. Namine had called him prior to picking out her dress, not wanting them to clash in color. This time, he was holding out a white rose to her and said by way of greeting, “You look beautiful.”

“Thanks.” She replied sweetly and took the rose, inhaling the scent of it with a smile on her face. “Come on in, I’m almost ready.” She informed, closing the door behind him, and walked into the bathroom to slip her other earring in. She then walked into her bedroom to grab her purse and black shawl before walking back out. “Okay, ready to go.”

John smiled, taking her arm in his before leading her out to his black Jaguar S-type, the newest off the Ford line. He grinned when he seen her eyes take it in. “Like? I’m a boy who likes toys.” He admitted, laughing at himself.

“Big toys I see.” She commented swiftly with a smirk, still holding the rose in her hand, and allowed him to guide her over to the car. He opened the door for her, causing her to slide inside, and looked around, not believing how luxurious this car was. Comfortable seats, a powerful stereo system from what she could tell, and the seatbelts didn’t go practically across her neck. “This is nice...” She whispered to herself and sniffed the rose again, gazing at it.

Normally, John liked showing off his ride, but actually felt kind of foolish with her in it. He knew she wouldn’t be impressed with how fast it could go or how loud the system would be. He flashed her a smile before pulling away from the curb, heading to the restaurant. The stereo was blaring as he turned it down immediately and apologized, “Sorry about that.”

“No worries. I can handle loud music. I’m not an old lady.” She winked at him with a breathtaking smile, her green eyes sparkling, and stared out the window. It was a nice car, but she wasn’t impressed by it, not interested in the materialistic things in life. She closed her eyes, running the rose over her cheek, loving how soft the petals felt against her skin, and sighed in contentment. “Hmm first a red one, then a white one…” She murmured to herself thoughtfully.

John glanced at her before turning his eyes back on the road. “So, what does white stand for?” He asked, remember the first time he had asked her out and showed up with a red rose.

Running her fingertips over it gently, Namine smiled as she looked back at him and replied thoughtfully, “Heavenly or worthy of you. Innocence, humility, secrecy and silence.”

Arching an eyebrow, John listened and looked thoughtful himself. “I didn’t know that.” He finally said, flashing her a smile before pulling in front of the restaurant. He opened the door for her before handing his keys over to the waiting valet, leading her inside.

They were quickly seated in a secluded area once again, sitting in a booth with each other. Namine ordered a strawberry daiquiri, needing something to take the edge off. She still held the rose, twirling it in her fingers, entranced by it. They were her favorite flower after all, but the black and blood red ones were her most. “This is a nice restaurant.” She commented gently, never taking her eyes from the rose.

John nodded, smiling at her, and accepted menu from the waiter. “They have anything you want. Well, except for things like pizza and cheeseburgers. It’s international food mostly. Order anything you want, Namine.” He didn’t even look at the menu, just rattled off his favorite dish.

Namine looked over to the menu, the waiter waiting patiently for her, and finally decided on spaghetti. She didn’t understand half the things the menu said so that was a safe choice as she handed it back. She watched as the waiter walked away before turning to face John and asked softly with a thoughtful expression on her face, “What’s on your mind?”

Shaking his head, John smiled amusedly back at her and answered, “I think that’s the first time someone ordered just plain spaghetti.” He teased. “I would’ve recommended something edible, Namine…”

“Hey now! There is nothing wrong with good ol’ fashioned spaghetti.” She chided playfully with a smirk and once again gazed at the rose. Her thoughts were on him. What he was thinking. What he was feeling inside. More importantly, what he’d said to her the previous day in his office. She was still having a hard time believing he was falling in love with her. Then again, if she didn’t believe him, then why was she here? It was simple. She was falling in love with him and had been for the past year.

John reached across the table to take her hand, squeezing it gently in his. “Thank you.” He whispered, adding when he seen the confusion in her eyes. “For coming here with me.”

“You’re welcome, John.” She replied softly, placing her hand over his after setting the rose down and brought her free hand up to caress his cheek gently with the back of her hand. “You are different than I thought you’d be.” She whispered, mere inches from his lips.”

“How am I different from what you thought?” John whispered back, catching her hand in his, and held it against his cheek, his blue eyes searching hers.

“From all the things I said and thought about you. I was wrong. You’re a really kind and sweet guy with a heart of gold. Though you just don’t like to show it.” She smirked back at him knowingly before closing her eyes. His hand was caressing her cheek now and sighed in contentment as she leaned into it. Yes, she was definitely falling for this man and would have a bruise on her ass from it.

John kissed the palm of her hand before lowering it on the table, still holding on. “The heart of gold is due to you, Namine.” He whispered, reluctantly pulling away when the servers appeared with their meals.

After having a delicious dinner and making small conversation, Namine and John headed back to her place. She walked inside her condo, the shawl slipping from her body, and walked into the kitchen. “Make yourself comfortable, John.” She softly said, kicking off her heels, and walked back out with two glasses of champagne. It wouldn’t hurt him as far as driving went as he knew it. “Cheers.” She clinked their glasses together before taking a sip of it and set it down on the coffee table. Her hands instantly began rubbing her feet and laughed softly as she arthritically asked, “Remind me why I wear heels again?”

After taking a small swallow of his own champagne and setting the glass down, John pulled her feet into his lap and began to massage them tenderly. “Because you’re a woman and make things difficult.” He answered teasingly. “You would’ve looked just as gorgeous in a pair of tennis shoes.”

A soft moan escaped her lips as she felt his strong, muscular hands massage her feet, leaning back against the couch, and sighed. Her hair splayed out beneath her, over her shoulders, and winced when he hit a sore spot. “No offense, John, but tennis shoes wouldn’t have gone with this dress.” She retorted with a smirk. “You don’t have to rub them if you don’t want to.” She could very well do it herself, not wanting him to feel uncomfortable.

“Namine, anything would look gorgeous on you. Even a potato sack.” John said lightly with a smile, not stopping the rubdown of her feet. “And I don’t mind.” He added and bent down to kiss the arch of her foot with his soft lips. “You have beautiful feet.”

“I didn’t know you had a foot fetish. Should I be worried?” She teased with a serene smile on her face and gasped when he hit another sore spot. She quickly told him with her eyes she was fine.

John gentled his touch, smirking at her. “No, I don’t have a foot fetish. I just appreciate beautiful things. Like your arch for example.” He trailed a finger over her arch, watching her facial expression.

“Uh huh, you have a foot fetish and you know it.” She teased even more and laughed at the playful glare he shot back at her. “Don’t be gettin’ that attitude with me, John.” She chided, crossing her arms in front of her chest, and laughed when he started tickling her feet. “Please, please don’t! Stop! Okay, okay I’m sorry!” She cried out, starting to breathe hard since she was extremely ticklish. “Don’t’ do that!” She smacked him for good measure on his arm.

John ignored him, moving his hands to tickle her ribs, grunting when she smacked him again. “You always so violent woman?” He joked, capturing her wrists in one of his large hands before resuming the tickling.

Her squeals echoed off the walls as she squirmed and twisted her body against him, ending up on his lap as she continued to laugh. “I’m sorry! If you don’t stop, I’ll tell everyone you have a foot fetish at work!” She threatened while laughing harder.

“Oh really?” John arched a knowing eyebrow at her though he did stop the tickling for a moment. “And just what are you going to tell them when they ask how you know?”

Smirking slyly back at him, Namine’s green eyes gleamed wickedly as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Come on, Johnny get with it already. If your great-grandmother reincarnated found out about us without us even telling her, it’s just a matter of time before everyone else does.” She pointed out matter-of-factly.

He shook his head, releasing her, but didn’t remove her from his lap. “Don’t call me Johnny.” He stated, shaking a finger at her. “I HATE that name. As for Mrs. McBee…” He raked a hand through his hair and sighed. “I think that woman knows what color my boxers are. I swear, she’s the nosiest and observant person I’ve ever met.”

Giggling back at him, Namine hopped off his lap, her dress having shown him just a peek of what she had underneath, but it was only for a second. She bounced over to her stereo system and finally settled on a CD before starting a fire in her electric fireplace. “Sorry, I like to relax when I’m at home.” She walked back over and smiled softly before sitting down next to him. “I had a really nice time tonight, John.” She softly admitted, running her thumb over the rim of her champagne glass that she’d picked up.

John smiled, listening to the song that played before leaning back against the couch, draping his arm along the edge of it. “I did too.” He said softly, reaching for his own glass, and drained it in two swallows, his mouth suddenly dry. “I’m glad you went with me, I wasn’t sure if you would.”

“I told you I’d give you a chance, John.” She reminded him softly, still not looking up at him, and downed the rest of her champagne as well before setting it aside. She leaned back against the couch and sighed contentedly. “Can I ask you something?”

He eyed her curiously before nodding, clearing his throat, and replied, “Of course you can, Namine.”

“Umm…” Her shy side was started to surface again as she took a deep breath, trying to slow her racing heart, and swallowed nervously. Why was this so hard to ask him especially when HE said it instead of her? “Did umm…Uhh…” She sighed heavily and finally stood up to stare out the window, deciding to forget it for now.

John got up and followed her, placing his hands gently on her shoulders, resting his face so they were cheek to cheek, staring outside as well. “What is it, Namine?” He asked softly, his tone low and caring.

“The caring note of his voice caused her heart to swell as she smiled, rubbing her cheek against his before turning around to meet his eyes. “Did you mean what you said yesterday?” Namine asked finally, the question having been burning in her mind, and couldn’t help it. She needed to know the answer.

“About falling in love with you?” John whispered, resting his hands on her waist, and stared down into her green eyes. “Yes I did, I think I’m falling in love with you, Namine. Every second I spend with you just convinces me more. Does that bother you?” He asked softly, not wanting her to be bothered by it.

“No, it doesn’t bother me, John.” She quietly whispered, her eyes never leaving his as she felt his strong hands on her waist. It was causing her heart to quicken as her hands rested against his chest. “I can’t explain what I feel for you, but I know its strong. I hope that’s enough for now.” Her voice was still low and quiet, yet had an innocence to it.

John nodded, his eyes shining as he stared down at her. “That’s fine, Namine. I want to take this slow, I want to prove to you I’m a changed man.” He whispered, meaning every word that came out of his mouth, and hoped she believed and trusted in him to do it.

Smiling softly against him, Namine wrapped her arms around his waist and just held him. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the moment, getting lost in it. “You’ve already proven that to me.” She murmured softly just as a beautiful song came on that was on her mix CD. She had a 500-disc stereo system that held that many CDs. She kissed his chest softly and stared up into his eyes, getting lost in those two ocean blue pools.

He stared down at her, slowly beginning to guide her into a slow dance. Their bodies were barely touching. His hands were still on her waist, playing the gentleman, having meant what he said. He wanted to take things slow with her. He did not want to ruin this. Namine said something to him that made perfect sense. That put everything into perspective for him. It was in the cafeteria when she said he needed to find that one person who completed him every way. When he did find her, do everything and anything to make her his. That’s exactly what Namine was to John. She was everything to him and more and was willing to change for her. Was willing to throw away his playboy life and womanizing ways. He was willing to do all of that just to have her as his own and to hold onto her heart forever.

Namine snaked her arms up around his neck, rubbing the back of it gently as a soft smile played on her lips. She couldn’t remember being this happy in her life and didn’t regret taking this chance with John. Steve’s schedule was too hectic, along with this job, and John was right here. Besides, Namine had a crush on John from the moment she walked into the doors of ‘Thuganomics Recording Studios 101’, but she refused to give him what he wanted. He’d changed considerably, drastically, ever since that day in her office that he’d blown up all of her pictures from online. It’d hurt her badly, but when he called and begged her to come back, Namine knew there was something there. Maybe it was a small twinge of hope in her heart, but it was strong enough to go back and give him another chance. Just like now, she felt that same twinge of hope and was willing to give him a chance to show her that he was a changed man.

As they danced, John rested his head against hers, inhaling her sweet, intoxicating scent that flowed from her hair. He loved how she always smelled. It was enough to make his knees weak. His knees weak, John had to grin at himself. He’d never thought a woman would actually make him feel that way. That was until Namine walked into his recording studio and completely turned his world upside down. He didn’t regret a second of it happening either.

She smiled as he twirled her around gently and brought her back to lightly rest against him as they continued to dance, her head resting on his chest. Her previous relationship was three years long and Namine regretted ever meeting the creep. His name was Terry and he was also a womanizer. She’d given him a chance though and regretted it when she walked in on him fucking his secretary in his office at his job. For some reason, that didn’t haunt Namine when it came to John. At least not anymore. There was something there. Something she’d never felt with Terry and couldn’t’ wait to find out. She knew she was in love with John, but she had to make sure before revealing it to him. She wanted to take this slow like him and hearing those words made her heart soar to the heavens.

John chuckled when the song changed to something a little faster and continued moving in time with her. Not getting too aggressive or demanding with his movements, just enjoying being with her. He wasn’t even thinking about sleeping with her. Something that honestly shocked him to no end. He was just loving being with and around her. She made him feel like a different person whenever she was around. John knew Namine was changing him into the man he wanted to be. He was slowly leaving behind the man he used to be moving on to something better. Something more worthy of her.

Namine slowly pulled away from him and took his hand in hers silently, guiding him back to the couch, and smiled when he sat down. It was like he read her mind as she snuggled into his lap, curling up as her arms wrapped around his neck, and buried her face in the crook of it. She loved how strong and powerful he was, yet so caring and gentle at the same time. It was amazing how much he’d changed and knew it was because of her. She’d finally started to make him realize what mistakes he’d made from what he was doing to himself. Nothing was worth going through that pain and loneliness constantly the way she knew John had. Sure, he’d gotten sex, but what was sex without emotion? Without no feeling? It was a bottomless pit and that’s what John’s heart used to be. Though, as she stared into his eyes, she knew it was slowly filling with life and love again.

John reached out to gently caress her face, his eyes shining with true contentment. Something he hadn’t felt since…well…he couldn’t even remember the last time he felt like this. He’d felt content when he’d squashed his rivalry companies, but that was always tinged with something else. Like a raw animal sense of victory. This was something gentle and sweet and he never wanted it to end. He lowered his head and brushed his lips softly against hers before pulling back. “A white rose…” He murmured, smiling slightly as he thought about what she said earlier on that night. "It was perfect for you. You’re heavenly.”

Regretfully, Namine hadn’t heard what he said because she’d ended up falling asleep in his arms, completely relaxed and not tensed in the least. She smiled a little in her sleep when she felt his lips on hers, knowing it was him, and snuggled further against his body. John lifted her up and carried her into her bedroom, gently laying her down on the bed, and tucked her in. He murmured her being a white rose before kissing her lips feather softly and walked out, leaving the rose on the night stand for her for when she woke up that following morning. Gazing at her for a few moments longer, John smiled as he finally headed out and back to his home, knowing he’d sleep peaceful tonight.

Chapter 22

~Three Months Later ~

John wasn’t happy. So far, he had two different artists storm into his office, making outrageous demands of him. Asking for more money than they were actually worth. He was tempted to fire them, but knew they had potential so he’d politely, but firmly sent them packing. He sighed, raking a hand through his hair before pulling off his shirt and going to lie down. He could already feel another throbbing headache coming on.

Nobody could wipe the radiant smile off of Namine’s face as she sat in her office, going over client contracts left and right, and sighed in contentment. The past three months with John had been amazing, absolutely amazing, something out of a fairytale. Every night he would take her out to dinner or somewhere else just for a change of scenery. They would always end up back at her place, listen to music, dance and she’d fall asleep in his arms. He was like her prince charming. The guy she thought would never come along and that made her smile even more. Her eyes were sparkling with happiness, glowing almost in the light green pools they were in, and sighed as she started typing up more contracts.

Finishing up the last of the contracts, Namine started scanning them, nodding approvals, and was finally satisfied with them before standing up. She walked over to get a cup of water and two pills out of her bag, knowing John was having a bad day. She wanted to help him out anyway she could and these pills seemed to make his headaches disappear. She sighed, hating that he got those headaches so frequently, but then again, he was too stubborn to admit he needed the glasses for more than just reading. Then again, maybe she was wrong. What did she know after all? Laughing softly to herself, Namine took a swig of her own water, deciding to wait a few minutes longer before heading down to see him.

~!~

John groaned when the doors suddenly slammed open, wishing Mrs. McBee wasn’t down with a cold and hoped it wasn’t another ungrateful rapper. He was fairly certain he would kill them if it was. “This had better be damned important!” He growled, his temples throbbing more.

Jen smirked, staring down at her ex-boss and started laughing wickedly. “Oh believe me, Johnny boy, this is very, VERY important so you might want to sit your ass up handsome and listen to what I have to say!” She smiled coldly he practically flew off the couch.

Glaring at her hatefully, John placed a hand against his head and sighed, walking over to get his glasses. He promised himself he was going to get contacts first thing in the morning, hating these things with a passion. “You have two seconds to get the Hell out of here before I call security to escort you out.” He stated coldly, folding his arms across his bare chest.

“I don’t think so John, you’re going to hear what I have to say.” Jen stated, glaring back at him. “I’m here because your slutty ass knocked me up! I’m pregnant Johnny, and guess what, it’s yours!”

He was about to say something back at her when a frown crossed his face, seeing something white poking under his door, and walked over. He opened it and the frown deepened, seeing they were contracts. He kneeled down, picking them up, and felt his face grow pale when he realized Namine must’ve been there and heard everything. “Fuck!” He cursed, instantly going to call security to come escort Jen out. “I’ll see you when its born for the paternity test.” He said coldly, knowing damn well it wasn’t his, but not about to let her get away with claiming it was. After she was dragged out kicking and screaming, he left as well, knowing he had to see Namine.

~!~

After waiting for a few minutes longer, Namine headed down the hallway, all smiles, carrying the contracts with the pills in her hand and was stopped to talk to Stacy. “Oh yeah definitely. Thanks sweetie so do you!” Stacy had complimented her on her outfit before letting her go on her merry way. She was wearing a pink and purple cardigan with a silver tank top underneath and the skirt was pinstriped like the cardigan. She started to talk into John’s office, but stopped, leaving the door only cracked and listened in on the conversation. Her blood began to boil when she heard Jen’s voice.

Namine gasped, covering her mouth with her hand, and felt the tears already pricking her eyes. Jen was pregnant and the baby was John’s?! Her stomach started churning at the bits as she dropped the contracts, not caring, and instantly ran away from the door. She packed up her things and ran home as fast as she could, driving at top speeds. She pulled into her driveway and ran up the steps to her condo, locking the door behind her, and collapsed on the couch. The tears of heartache and break flowed down her cheeks as she curled up in a tight ball, feeling her heart shattering within her chest, and coughed out, not able to breathe.

Loud banging at her front door caused Namine to groan out softly, feeling like her head was going to explode at any given second. The realization crashed over when she remembered what happened and instantly began to cry, burying her face in her hands. Why was this happening? They were so damned happy and that bitch had to come along and ruin it! Namine froze when she heard John’s voice behind the door and sniffled, walking over to it and pressed her forehead to it. “I don’t want to see you right now, John.” She called out hoarsely through it.

“Namine, it’s not mine!” John shouted through the door, his heart breaking when he heard her voice, knowing she’d been crying. “Baby, she’s just trying to cause trouble between us, I swear to you that kid isn’t mine!”

She wanted to believe him. God she wanted to believe him so much, but how could she when he’d slept with Jen. Granted, it was back before they were together. Back when he was pursuing, but that still didn’t make it hurt any less. She wanted to open the door and hold him, but she couldn’t. The doubts were swirling through her mind that had disappeared for three months, and now they were back full throttle.

“I’ll talk to you later, John.” She called back through it heartbrokenly and walked away from the door. Collapsing back on the couch and curling up in a tight ball, Namine allowed the tears to slide down her cheeks freely, not even bothering to stop them.

“I’m not going anywhere, Namine.” John said through the door, turning and sliding down to a sitting position, his back pressed to the door. He raked a hand through his hair, hardly believing what was happening. He’d finally got his life on track, was changing into a better person, and that slut had to come along and destroy everything. “I’m right here waiting…” He whispered, burying his face in his knees.

After having herself a long, decent cry, Namine finally stood up from the couch, stumbling a little, and could hear him on the other side of the door. Was he…crying? Her eyes widened as she opened the door and walked away from it, wrapping her arms around herself, and headed into the kitchen. She poured herself a shot of Tequila Rose, not caring how early it was, and leaned against the counter. The tears were still flowing. She didn’t know why she was letting in, but knew he did deserve to tell her his side of the story.

John stood up and followed her, frowning when he seen a drink in her hand, knowing Namine did not drink this early. He gently took the glass from her and emptied it before stuffing his hands into the pockets of his black slacks. “Namine…” He began, not sure how to start. “I honestly don’t think that baby is mine. If there even is a baby in the polluted womb of hers. I told her I wanted a paternity test done, just to prove its not mine.”

“What if it is?” She choked out, not able to even ask that question without feeling like she was going to throw up, and walked out of the kitchen. She closed her front door and walked over, sitting in her rocking chair by the window, and allowed more tears to pour down her face.

John did not want to mention he had used a condom and he knew it didn’t break. Everyone knew he’d slept with Jen once, but he didn’t want to bring that up just now. “Namine…please, we can cross that bridge when we get there. With the way Jen is, it could be anyone’s. You know she’s worse than I ever dreamt about being.”

Sighing heavily, Namine closed her eyes and wiped away the tears from her cheeks, knowing he was right. Jen was the biggest slut of this century by far. She’d even tried hitting on Namine one time and ended up getting clocked in her eye for her troubles. It was off company grounds and she’d never told John about it, so she did believe him as far as that was concerned. “If it’s yours, you need to take responsibility, John.” She stated, not about to allow an innocent child to be born without the father. She’d been there and done that and knew how much it hurt not to have a father around.

“You know I would.” John said quietly, hurt she’d even doubt he wouldn’t step up and take responsibility. “But I’m not going to start panicking until I know for sure, Namine. What I’m more concerned about right now is us and where we stand.”

“Everything was so wonderful…” She started crying again, not able to finish that statement, and drew her knees up, burying her face in them. How could her happiness be shattered within a matter of hours? It wasn’t fair! She couldn’t even speak to him right now, too distraught over the whole situation and what this left with them. Could she really be with him if that baby was his? She knew deep down Jen was lying and she was blowing this out of proportion, but at the same time, she couldn’t help it. John had a past of sleeping with women all the time and now it was coming back to bite him on the ass.

John dropped to his knees before her, the expression in his eyes one of sorrow, hating that his past was causing her such pain. “What do you want me to do, Namine?” He whispered pleadingly. “Tell me and I’ll do it.”

Slowly raising her head up to meet his eyes, Namine slowly slid her legs down as she raked a hand through her hair. She leaned down and kissed his lips passionately. The kiss was full of need, full of want, and full of desire as she wrapped her arms around his neck, refusing to let him go. Jen could go to Hell because there was no way the bitch was taking John away from her. She’d have to pry John from her dead fingers before it happened as she fell back on John’s chest when he leaned back on the carpeted floor. They still hadn’t made love and Namine was begging for it, aching, but they would wait until the time was right. Right now, she just needed to feel him and his comfort as well as reciprocate those feelings.

He stroked her back with trembling fingers, finally breaking the kiss, knowing now wasn’t the time. She was feeling way too many emotions. He didn’t want to take advantage of her because of her emotions. He kissed her temple and held her tightly against his chest, not believing she was actually staying with him. He’d thought for sure after overhearing about Jen being pregnant he was going to lose her. Once again, Namine surprised him.

Namine trembled against him as she buried her face in his chest, crying a little more, and looked up at him. “I’m not going anywhere. She’ll have to do more than this to scare me away.” She stated, determination swimming through her eyes, and buried her face in the crook of his neck, sighing deeply. “I’m sorry I ran out like that. I just…I was shocked as I’m sure you were as well.” Her voice was quiet, meek and full of hoarseness.

John smiled in relief, kissing her softly, his heart filling with love at her words. “Don’t apologize, Namine. I understand why you did it and yes, I was shocked. Shocked and madder than Hell. That bitch has some brass balls.” He sighed heavily. “You would’ve loved it though. Security carted her off like she was a prisoner.”

Namine started giggling softly as she snapped her fingers, sighing exasperatedly. “Damn, I miss everything!” She exclaimed sarcastically and smiled when John started to laugh. That’s what she wanted to hear. Her hand gently moved down, stroking his face tenderly with the back of her own, and kissed him softly before slowly standing up. “Come on, the couch is a lot more comfortable.” She extended her hand to him.

John took her hand and stood up, letting her guide him to the couch and sat down. He pulled her into his lap, smiling when she curled against him like so many times before. “This is better.” He murmured in agreement, wrapping his arms around her.

“Do you have to go back to the office?” She asked softly, running her hand up and down his chest since the top three buttons of his shirt were undone. She always loved it when he wore his shirts like this. Showing off just the slightest amount of chest and it drove her mad as she snuggled further against him.

“No, I took the rest of the day off. Thank god Mrs. McBee wasn’t there today. She probably would’ve had a heart attack.” John commented, smiling a little at the look his secretary would’ve had on her face with the Jen situation. “Why?”

“I was just wondering.” She replied innocently, staring up at him, and smiled softly as she snuggled further against him. “I want to stay in tonight and just relax. Just lounge around in my pajamas with my man and forget about what happened today. Sound good to you, blue eyes?” She’d gotten accustomed to calling him that, her nickname for him.

John nodded, smiling down back at her while rubbing her back. “It sounds perfect. Though the pajama pant part might not work too well.” He glanced down at his black dress pants he still wore. “But you go ahead and get comfortable baby.”

“You don’t have boxers on or anything under those?” She asked casually though a wicked gleam sparkled in her eyes as she kissed his Adam’s apple. One of the many favorite body parts she’d explored on him and loved. They did a lot of foreplay, needing something to put out the fires they ignited within each other, but hadn’t gone all the way.

John stared down at her, arching an eyebrow, and replied gruffly, “Yeah, I’m wearing boxers.” He caught her head and pulled it up so he could kiss her lips softly, not able to handle much more of her nibbling on his neck. “I didn’t know if you’d appreciate me lounging around in them though.”

“You go right ahead, blue eyes.” She winked at him and kissed him again lingeringly before standing up from his lap. She smoothed out the skirt that’d rode up her thighs and announced, “I’ll be right back, I’m going to change.” With that said, she disappeared into her bedroom, deciding to tease him mercilessly and giggled at the thought.

John groaned before standing up and slowly undressed until he was just in his boxers. He shook his head as he put his clothes and shoes in a neat pile beside the couch Then, he dropped back down, pulling a blanket over him, and grinned slightly when he heard her soft giggles echoing through her bedroom door. He could only imagine what she had planned for him. More important, what she was going to be wearing once she emerged from her bedroom.

Chapter 23

Namine emerged a few minutes later, wearing a midnight blue pair of lace short panties. The ones that rode up the crack of her ass, but they were quite comfortable. She was wearing a matching tank top that had lace trimmings on the edges and showed off the tops of her breasts. Her honey blonde hair cascaded down her back in lazy waves as she smiled. Her feet were bare and bit back a smirk as she innocently said, “John, close your mouth honey. The flies are getting in.”

It took John a full moment before he could actually close his mouth and push his eyeballs back in his head. “Come here.” He demanded in a husky whisper, pulling the blanket back, and gestured for her to come sit with him. He smiled when she did and wrapped the blanket around them both, murmuring in her ear, “You look gorgeous.”

“Glad you approve.” She purred back and snuggled against him, smirking when she lifted her cushion up. There was a black button underneath it as she pressed it, laughing at the look of shock that registered John’s face. The couch was now a layout bed, very comfortable, and snuggled further against him. “Mmm now I’m in heaven…” She whispered softly and took the remote from him, flipping through the channels.

John reclined while she channel surfed, more than content to have her lay on him. One hand lazily stroked the small of her back as he watched the television and finally laughed as he stated, “Just pick a station.”

She smacked him lightly on the arm and retorted, “I’m TRYING to find something DECENT to watch, thank you very much!” Her voice was stern even though the amusement clearly lit up her eyes and the smile on her face completely gave her away. “Damn, there’s nothing on.” She groaned, sighing. “I guess I’ll have to pick out a DVD.” She scooted off the bed and walked over, her ass swaying in his direction unnoticed. It was just how Namine walked.

He watched her walk away and smirked, loving how her hips swayed back and forth gently. “Namine, got some fries to go with that shake?” He teased, tossing one old as Hell line at her, but it amused him.

“Yeah, if you bring the dessert.” She winked back at him, laughing when his jaw dropped, and shook her head before looking down the movies. She picked one out and slid it in before walking back over to him and asked, “Do you want any popcorn or anything?”

John shook his head. “No, I’m not hungry…unless it’s for that dessert you mentioned.” He licked his lips slowly. “Since I forgot to bring one apparently.” He grinned, staring up at her beautiful form.

“Nah, it’s right here in my shorts, but you’ll have to be a good boy to get it.” She informed him with a tease and giggled before walking into the kitchen to get some waters for them. She walked back out and handed it to him, right on his lower region, and smirked as she climbed under the blankets next to him.

John groaned, closing his legs. “That was cold, Namine!” He growled, shivering, and moved away from her, muttering something about her being a wicked wench.

“Thank you,” She began with a grin and took a swig of her water. “I enjoy being a wench, buddy.” She then snuggled back against her pillow and started watching her movie, knowing John was just playing with her.

Wrapping an arm around her shoulder, John focused on the movie somewhat. Though he had to admit, he was distracted by her. What men wouldn’t be? He couldn’t believe what she was wearing. Just thinking about it made his mouth go bone dry. He licked his lips, trying not to look down at her, but was having a hard time doing so.

Namine could feel his heated gaze on her and just smiled innocently, acting like she didn’t notice. She did though. She’d been on the brunt of that stare on so many occasions before they actually got together. Running a hand through her hair, Namine leaned further against the pillow and him. Her hair was splayed beneath her as it framed her face, keeping her eyes glued on the television. She knew if she looked up at him once, she would for sure be a goner.

“Namine, is that what you normally lounge around in?” John asked casually, resting his head on top of hers. “Because if it is, you need to keep your door locked at all times with maybe a guard dog. I might start coming over more during the day.” He teased, causing her to giggle back at him softly.

She sat up a little and looked over at him with a raised eyebrow. “What, you can’t handle me wearing my usual night wear?” She questioned and tried not to laugh when she seen John’s eyes widen instantly. “I mean, I wear nightgowns and such, but this is what I usually lounge in. Sometimes pajama pants, depending how I feel.” She shrugged, not seeing a big deal about it.

John sighed, running a hand down is face and growled out, “You’re a wench.” He repeated his earlier statement though his blue eyes were sparkling. “Maybe next time you could give me a little fashion show.” He teased suggestively, grinning when she blushed. “Aww…you look cute!”

“Shut up!” She growled and covered her cheeks with her hands, not believing how on fire they were. “I’m sure you’d LOVE for me to give you a fashion show.” She retorted the obvious and tried to get her cheeks to cool down, pressing her water bottle to them. “See what you did! Now they’re gonna be burning me up, not that you aren’t already.” She grinned and laughed at John’s bewildered expression.

Groaning, John buried his face in her hair and growled as he pulled her on his lap, “You’re killing me woman. One minute you’re blushing and the next you’re trying to make me blush.”

Namine giggled as she felt him pull her on his lap and pressed the water bottle to his cheek. “Aww poor baby, does that cool ya down some?” She teased, knowing damn well it didn’t. John’s response was to take the bottle and stick it down her tank top between her breasts. Namine squealed out, immediately pulling it out of her shirt, and glared at him. She then lifted the blanket and pressed it against his throbbing cock, smirking when he hissed. “See how you like it.” She smirked and finally left it there before dashing toward the end of the bed away from him.

John grabbed her ankles and pulled her back toward him. He kept her so she was laying on her stomach, her legs on either side of him and bent forward, beginning to tickle her ribs. “You’re in trouble, Namine.” He growled playfully.

“No! You started it! Help!” She started squealing, wiggling and squirming beneath him as she laughed, moving his hands away as she flipped over on her back. She was still laughing as her head started bending over the edge of the bed, her hair touching the carpeted floor. “Mercy! MERCY please!!”

“Help? Who’s going to save you?” He taunted playfully, pulling her up so she was sitting on his lap, and held her wrists behind her back with one hand. He proceeded to tickle her with the other, loving the sound of her laughter.

Her breathing was ragged as she tried wrenching her wrists free from his grasp, tears of laughter streaming down her face, and buried her face in his neck. “MERCY!” She screamed, finally unable to breathe, and sagged against him. Her chest was rising and falling rapidly as she felt him release her and collapsed back first on the bed, coughing a little.

John hovered over her, his eyes filled with concern immediately, and asked, “Namine, are you alright, baby? I didn’t mean to make you sick.”

“F-Fine…” She rasped out through a smile, laughing a little, and coughed as she shook her head before turning back to face him. “I’m fine, just give me a minute to…catch my breath.” Her body had a fine sheen of sweat on it from laughing and trying to get away from him. Her hair was splayed wildly around her as she pressed a hand to her heart. “How did ya like that chill factor?” She giggled.

John shook his head, folding his arms in front of his chest defiantly. “You’re not funny.” He stated, trying not to laugh. “Keep it up, Namine. I’ll just have to tickle you some more.” He flexed his fingers warningly at her, tauntingly.

“Not if you can’t catch me!” She challenged and darted off the bed, laughing when he fell to the floor, and ran into her bedroom. She closed the door behind her and dived under the covers, wrapping herself up like a cocoon.

John pulled himself to his feet before following her. Knowing that this was probably going to lead to some dangerous territory, but promising himself he wasn’t going to cross that line. Not yet. He opened the door and smiled, seeing her huddled under the blankets, and dropped down heavily on the bed. “You think you’re cute don’t you?” He chuckled, running a hand over her through the comforter.

“As a matter of fact, I think I’m downright adorable.” She retorted through the blanket, muffled somewhat, and laughed when John grumbled about her being a smartass. “I’ll come out if you promise not to tickle me anymore.” She wanted to compromise, knowing he could hear her through the comforter clearly.

Sighing heavily, John sounded like he was contemplating it. “I don’t know. You DID get me TWICE with that bottle of water…” He said slowly, drawing out his words, watching as she had another silent giggling fit. “Fine, if you play nice, I will too.”

Sighing in mock resignation, Namine agreed and peeked her head out, giggling still and stared up into his blue eyes as she shook her hair a little. “Damn, it was stuffy underneath there.” She laughed softly and ran her hands up and down his arms from behind. “You’re tense…”

“I’m waiting for something cold to attack me.” He shot back, grabbing her and pulling her down on the bed. John drew the comforter up over their heads, her pinned beneath him, and looked down at her. “I don’t know, Namine. I don’t think it’s stuffy under here.” He teased, leaving a small cap so air could get down to them.

“It isn’t when you leave a small gap of air to breathe out of.” She pointed out and suddenly realized what they were doing. Where they were at. She stared up into his eyes, his beautiful blue eyes, and smiled. Reaching her hand up, Namine caressed his cheek with the back of her hand and finally pulled him down for a passionate kiss. Her body was lit on fire instantly and she wanted him to desperately put it out somehow. She cried out against his lips, wrapping her arms around his neck tightly, the feeling overwhelming her to no avail.

John was shocked, but he kissed her back, his arms going around her body, pulling her tightly against him. He groaned at how good she felt against him, her soft skin brushing against his. He coaxed her lips apart and deepened the kiss by delving his tongue inside her mouth. His tongue explored the crevices of her mouth, moaning softly at how sweet she tasted. John had never in his life tasted something so sweet as Namine and never wanted to let her go.

She moaned softly in his mouth and ran her hands down his smooth, muscular chest that she’d seen so many times in his office when he’d been laying down. Namine was in heaven in this man’s arms as he moved her head back and forth, deepening the kiss even more. Their tongues entwined together, dancing in competition of seduction. Each wanting to outdo the other. Namine whimpered as she finally pulled away, breathing extremely heavy, and her green eyes had grown to a forest color clouded over with desire.

“John…” She whispered out almost pleadingly to him, the fires of desire coursing through her making her go completely insane.

John forced himself to take a deep breath before meeting her eyes, his own a deep, ocean blue. “Yes Namine?” He whispered hoarsely, his heart beating a furious tattoo in his chest.

“Touch me. Don’t hold back. Just let it happen.” Her voice was a soft whisper, but it was filled with passion and desire. She ran her hand up, sliding her finger down his chest and back up again. She wanted him. She’d wanted him for over a year now and Namine didn’t want to wait anymore. She loved him. She just had to grow the confidence to tell him as she continuously stared into his eyes. “Please…”

His eyes widened briefly at her request before he nodded, bending down to kiss her gently. He ran his hands up and down her hands, her silky flesh against his fingertips almost more than he could stand. He slid a hand under her top, feeling her hot bare skin, and groaned, loving how it felt. “Are you sure, Namine?” He whispered against her lips, wanting her to be one hundred percent before they engaged in this.

“I love you, John.” She whispered out breathlessly, his touch lighting her on fire as she wrapped her arms around his neck and down his back. “I’ve never been so sure of anything in my life.” She meant what she said, almost never one to sugarcoat anything, and arched her body up against his touch. It was enough to make her soaking wet.

John stared down at her, his blue eyes filling with happiness at her revelation. “I love you too, Namine.” He murmured against her lips. “I have for a while now.” He ran his strong hands down her ribs before catching the bottom of her tank top. He slowly pulled it up, bending down to kiss every inch he exposed of her beautiful body.

Her eyes drifted shut, willing the tears to stay in her eyes, and focused on what he was doing to her body. His touch was like liquid fire, warm and gentle. Something she couldn’t describe. She felt him pull her tank top up and over her head before pulling him on top of her, kissing him softly, before rolling them over so she was on top. She straddled him and started raining fire ridden kisses down his throat, nibbling gently on his Adam’s apple, and down his smooth, rock hard chest. “Mmm simply incredible…”

His blue eyes stared up at her, gritting his teeth, and hissed softly at the couch of her small, soft hands. He ran his hands up her ribs, slowly straightening her up before cupping her breasts. He raised his head up to kiss his way up her stomach and whispered against her soft flesh, “You feel wonderful, Namine.” His fingers around her nipples, feeling them stiffen and smiled, moving his mouth further up to taste.

She cried out softly against his mouth as it captured her nipple, instantly wrapping her arms around his neck, and buried her fingers in his soft brown hair. This man was incredible and dripped sexuality. He was all hers as she bent down, raising kisses down his neck while running her fingers continuously through his hair. She instantly arched her body back and started grinding against him through her lace panty shorts. “John please…” She moaned out softly, loving every second of this. Every millisecond.

John chuckled softly, moving one hand to cup her wet sex, feeling how hot and soaked she was even through her panties. “Please what?” He whispered out against her skin, not only torturing her, but himself. Just touching her was torture. He desired her so bad. John stroked her through the lace, taking his time, wanting to make their first time together special.

Namine’s head was spinning as she arched her hips into his hand, her heat radiating through her thin panty shorts. Her lips were parted just the slightest while her face contorted in passion for him. She needed him as she pushed him on the bed and yanked his boxers down his long, muscular legs. Damned if the man wasn’t fit as she crawled on top of him. Smirking wickedly, her tongue snaked out, licking off the pre-cum that’d formed on his tip. She kissed her way up further, leaving a trail of fire ridden kisses in her path.

He was struggling to keep his breathing in check, his senses spinning out of control as she kissed her way up his body. Growling, he pulled her up so he could passionately kiss her. His hands moved down to her squeeze her ass, pressing her against him, letting her feel what she did to him. “See what you’ve started?” He murmured against her lips.

“Mmmhmm I started it, do you plan on finishing it?” She asked breathlessly against his lips, breathing erratically, and felt her panties brush against the head of his cock. That caused her to suck in a shaky breath. Her eyes were now a darkened forest green smoldered over with desire for him as she ran her hands down his chest. Using her nails for added effect.

John caught her hands, raising them to his mouth, taking his time in kissing each of her fingertips. “I’ll finish it alright.” He promised huskily before moving down her body, kissing her clit through the lace, and chuckled when she gasped. He slowly removed her panties, tossing them to the floor before kissing her again, running his tongue up her slit. “You taste so sweet, Namine…” He murmured, his voice vibrating against her wet sex, causing tremors to flow throughout her body.

“J-John…” She breathed out in a whispered gasp, instantly entwining her fingers in his short brown hair. He was sitting up on the bed wither legs draped over his and her back was lying on the bed in front of him. Her knees bent as they rested on the bed. Namine cried out as she felt his slick, hot tongue run up her dripping sex and gripped his hair a little more firmly. “John…please…Stop teasing…”

“Not just yet…” He chuckled, lapping up her juices, wanting each and every last drop for himself, greedy for her. Finally, he reluctantly lowered her, moving so he was hovering over. Pressing the head of his cock against her entrance, John stare down at her, licking his lips, and smiled tenderly as he whispered, “I love you, Namine.”

Her green eyes were filled with intense passion as she locked them on his ocean blue orbs, knowing he was telling her the truth. “I love you too, John. Make love to me…please.” She pleaded, her hands running up and down his chest, loving how his muscles rippled beneath her fingertips. Her thighs were parted, her feet planted on the bed, and gasped when she felt just the tip of him barely brush her, sending another tremor throughout her body.

John slowly, methodically started sliding inside of her, having to freeze just so he wouldn’t come early. His mind reeled at how tight she felt, her pussy walls gripping him tightly. Namine wrapped her arms around his neck, passionately kissing his lips, and moaned as she moved her hips against him. “John…You feel so incredible…” She moaned in her ear before moving down to trail hot kisses down his chest and back up again.

Nodding, John captured her lips with his hungrily before sliding back inside of her, groaning in her mouth as he slowly thrust deeper. Inch by inch. Halting to give her time to adjust, giving himself time to regain his control before finally sinking all the way in. Sighing at how tight she felt around him. “Damn, Namine…” He grunted, his whole body tensing at the intense feeling that overwhelmed him.

Her entire body was trembling against him as she held on for dear life, never experiencing an intense feeling like this. Every time he thrust out, she felt like a piece of her was missing. The fire grew only more intense and raked a hand through his hair as she started moving with him. He filled her to the core, fuller than any man ever did, and arched her body into him. She was surrendering to him. Everything. Her mind, soul, body and heart. It was his to do with as he pleased as she felt him grip her thighs, going even deeper and cried out, “Yes, oh yes!”

“You like that, Namine?” John whispered gruffly, his voice harsh with passion as he moved her to meet his thrusts. Groaning when he felt her walls gripping him whenever he thrust back into her, sucking him in like a vacuum. He lowered his head to kiss her, gentling his grip on her so he wouldn’t bruise her. John felt the muscles in his legs beginning to tighten and knew this was going to be over soon.

“Yes, god yes!!” She cried out harder against him and raked her nails up and down his back, down his shoulders and chest as she started thrusting her hips upward, wanting him to increase the pace. “Faster…” She demanded hoarsely, her voice laced with intense passion as she felt herself start to cave in around him. He felt so wonderful, so thick and his veins were leaving imprints on her inner walls. That’s how big he was. Namine gripped his upper arms tightly, her face contorted in intensity, and finally felt her orgasm begin to rip throughout her body.

“Fuck!” John cursed, feeling her spasm around him. He fought to keep control but when she writhed underneath him wildly, bucking her hips frantically, he knew it was a losing battle. “Namine!” John bellowed her name, unable to stop himself as he buried himself deep inside of her one last time, cumming harder than he ever had before. Gasping for breath as he released repeatedly inside of her, John buried his face in her neck as he held her tightly to him.

“John!!” She screamed out his name, shuddering from the massive explosions he’d shot inside of her, and made her release three more times. Her breathing was incredibly ragged as she fell back on the bed. She’d jolted up when he came hard inside of her and stared up at the ceiling. A fine sheen of sweat coated their bodies as Namine closed her eyes, trying to regulate her heart beat, pulse and breathing. Even though it wasn’t happening. That had been the most intense sex she’d ever had in her life!

John rolled off of her, not wanting to crush her with his weight, knowing once he was down, he wasn’t getting back up right away. He lay on his back, his eyes closed, panting. He raised a shaky hand to his face, wiping the sweat out of his eyes. His heart beat wildly. Like it would explode from his chest at any minute.

Namine just laid there with her eyes closed, heaving a little and took deep, slow breaths, knowing that’s how she was going to calm down faster. She didn’t’ care about the sweat on her body as she finally managed to calm down enough to say. “Wow…” There was no other word that would come to her head at the moment as she went to get up. It didn’t happen as she immediately laid back down, shaking her head. Nope, she wasn’t moving, not with her thighs trembling from the bout she’d just been in.

Chuckling, John rolled onto his side and propped his head up on his elbow, staring down at her. “Wow.” He echoed, reaching out with his free hand to lightly skin her ribs with his fingers. “That was the most intense…” He shook his head, trying to find the words. “I’ve never felt like that before, Namine. You’re simply incredible.”

Slowly managing to roll over on her side to face him, Namine smiled softly as she gazed into his eyes and nodded in agreement. “Me either, blue eyes. I can’t even find the words to describe how intense…and wonderful that was. I’ve never felt like that with anyone in my life.” She caressed his face with the back of her hand and had tears in her eyes, remembering what he said to her. “I love you. This is forever right?”

“I love you too and I certainly hope so. You’re stuck with me, Namine, until you decide you don’t want me anymore and even then, I’m not going anywhere.” John whispered, leaning forward to lightly kiss her, kissing away the few tears that escaped her eyes. “Don’t cry, Namine…” He pleaded, hating to see her cry. It literally broke his heart in two.

That was all Namine could take as she burst out into tears, curling up in his lap, and held onto him for dear life, clinging. She couldn’t help it. So many emotions were running through her body and she couldn’t handle them all crashing down on her at once. “you’re stuck with me too. I refuse to lose you after everything we’ve been through.” She whispered out through her tears, sniffling, and kissed his lips passionately as she buried her face in his neck. “Say it again…”

John smiled, gently forcing her to look at him, feathering kisses all over her face. “I. Love. You.” He said in between kisses, meaning it with all his heart. John knew he would never let her go as long as he had a breath left in his body after this. Namine felt the exact same way as they fell asleep in each other’s arms.

Chapter 24

It was in the middle of the night. Chilly, cold, just like his brown eyes as he crept up to her house. He knew she was there. Sleeping. Resting that beautiful body of hers. He’d heard she was pregnant and had a feeling that the baby was his. It had to be. There was no doubt about it. He’d fucked her without using protection, wanting to start a family with her, and hadn’t told her about it. Yes, they would be a family again soon enough. All three of them. Setting the package on the front door step, David finally backed away, smirking wickedly, and whispered, “I love you, Sine, but this is the only way.” He then disappeared in the shadows as fast as he’d appeared.

Sine woke up the next morning, feeling refreshed, not sick, which was a nice change. Thinking that maybe the morning sickness had finally passed she got out of bed. She used the bathroom quickly before going to make her morning cappuccino. She then headed to the door to check her mail and opened it, freezing. She felt something brush against her foot and raised a curious brow at what she saw. “What the Hell?” Sine picked it up and went back inside, opening it and smiling slightly, wondering if it was from Mark.

He watched in the shadows, since she lived in the woods. His brown eyes cold and calculating, smirking when he seen her small stomach. His son or daughter. Resting comfortable apparently. She didn’t look good though. Pale, white, sick. Probably morning sickness in his mind. He rubbed his hands together, watching her in the window as he perched in a tree. He’d been watching her for a while. Watched as her and Mark fucked each other in her bedroom. No matter. The last time they did it was right before he left, which was that previous morning.

Clamping a hand over her mouth at what she saw on her television, Sine was unable to rip her eyes away at first. It was Mark and some blonde woman…having sex. She could tell it was Mark. She’d memorized every inch of his body even though the blonde was on top. Riding him for all she was worth. Sine couldn’t take it anymore and stood up, hurling a lamp at the television, not moving as the screen shattered sparks flying everywhere. She dropped to her knees and let out a piercing, heartbroken scream, pressing her forehead to the floor.

His lips curled in a slow, sick smirk upon hearing her ear piercing scream. She’d seen it. She’d seen his masterpiece. He’d apologize to her in time, after he went through with his second part of the plan. He was going to take them away. All of them. Some place secluded, nobody could find them. Including that motherfucker who’d stolen her away from him in the first place! He had to smirk as he remembered the blonde he’d hired. Torrie. She was a good little fuck if he did say so himself, but she was also mouthy. He could still feel her bones crunching against his arms as he snapped her neck after doing the dirty work, ending her life. She deserved it.

Sine didn’t move from her place on the floor, ignoring her phone even though it rang constantly. She knew it was probably Brandon. She didn’t’ have the will to do anything, but lay there and cry. Her arms wrapped around her stomach, knees draw up. Her heart was breaking into a million tiny pieces and there was nothing she could do or say to stop it from happening.

He just watched her from his perch, running his hand through his hair, and sighed. He hated causing her so much pain. He hated to see her cry. To break her heart again. IT was for good reason though. They would’ve never worked out anyway and the child she was carrying was HIS! HIS DAMN IT! He would have his family even if he had to kill for it, which he already did. Torrie was the first victim. Mark would be the second if he came near her. Then again, Sine would never trust him again after this. Never. That made him smile even more.

Sine stayed in her house for three days straight. Not answering the phone or the door, living off her cappuccinos. She was exhausted, but only slept when she had too and never more than an hour at a time. She spent most of her time on the couch crying or pace the living room floor. Point blank refusing to go into her bedroom, Sine couldn’t stand it because his scent still lingered on the bed. She’d basically moved into the living room.

He’d given her enough time. She was wasting away to nothing as he jumped down from the tree, landing on his feet like a cat. He looked around, seeing it was once again night, and knew Mark would be there that next afternoon to see her. She wouldn’t be there. He was sure of it. Walking over to her front door, David brought his hand up and knocked. A look of sorrow and compassion washed over his features when the door opened, masking the truth.

Sine sighed, looking up from her place on the couch, knowing it was probably Brandon again. She was tired of him hounding her and grew angry, wanting to be left alone. She stood up, wrapping a blanket around her, and stalked over to the door, opening it. “I DON’T WANT TO BE-” The words died on her lips when she seen who it was. “What are you doing here, David?” She whispered, her hand going to quickly lock the screen door, remembering the last time they’d seen each other.

“I’m not here to hurt you.” His deep, soothing voice flowed to her, his brown eyes holding a sense of sadness and sorrow. “I don’t blame you for your reaction. I was an absolute asshole and I’m so sorry for hurting you. I would never hurt you intentionally, Sine.” He meant what he said, though he left out the part about unless she deserved it. He’d simply tell her later and kept the innocence act up for the time being. “How are you?”

“I’m peachy.” She muttered, staring up at him suspiciously, knowing she must’ve looked like shit. Snarled, ratty hair, gaunt face and black sweat pants and sweatshirt underneath the blanket. “You didn’t answer my question, David.” Then it dawned on her. “Brandon told you, didn’t he?” It wasn’t a question.

“Told me what?” David asked softly, his eyebrows furrowing together in question, masking the fact that he already knew about her pregnancy and THEIR baby. “Sine, why don’t you let me in so we can talk? Just talk, that’s all I want, I swear.” His voice was pleading and soft, soothing, knowing she couldn’t resist that mixture. Especially with his brown eyes peering into hers with the same emotions. “Please Sine?”

Sine sighed heavily and unlocked the screen door, walking back to sit on the couch, and curled back into a ball on it. She didn’t care anymore. What more did she have to lose? “I’m pregnant, David.” She muttered darkly, not bothering to look at him. “You didn’t know? Brandon hasn’t been able to keep his fucking mouth shut.”

His eyes shot open in shock as his jaw dropped, playing it off to perfection, and raked a hand through his hair, blinking repeatedly. “Wow, that’s…sudden.” He honestly didn’t know what to say, just wanting to get her the fuck out of here and to the place he had set up for them. “Is it his?” He asked softly, knowing he couldn’t show any hatred or else it would blow everything he’d put together so precisely and perfectly. His perfect plan.

“I don’t know.” Sine slowly sat up, her eyes studying him intently, wondering what was going on. “Probably not. I conceived right around the time he showed up so it’s most likely yours…” She sounded tired all of a sudden, burying her face in her hands.

“M-Mine?” David sounded shocked as he slowly walked toward her, sinking down on the couch beside her, and clasped his hands together. “You know, if you ever need anything, Sine, you know I’m always here for you. I’ve never left and I never will.” His voice was low and quiet as he took her hand in his, entwining their fingers together. “I still love you, Sine, but I understand you’ve moved on. I’m willing to accept that and be happy for you.” He sounded so saddened.

Sine suddenly burst into tears. “He fucking cheated on me! With some blonde bitch! You were right, you told me and I didn’t listen!” She cried, all the hurt and heartbreak obvious in her voice and body posture as she hunched over, seeming like she was in physical pain.

David instantly pulled her into his arms on his lap, wrapping his arms around her body, and crooned sweet nothings into her ear. “Ssshhh calm down, sweetie. It’s not good for the baby.” He stroked her hair and leaned back on the couch, just allowing her to cry on him, and hid the triumphant smirk well as he kissed the top of her head. “What happened?” He sounded concerned for her even though he was the one who had drugged Mark and hired Torrie to do the deed.

“I don’t know!” She cried her voice muffled since her face was buried in his chest. “He said he loved me. That he didn’t care if the baby was his or not, but then I got some fucking tape and he was…he was…” She shook her head, unable to finish the sentence. What she’d seen replaying itself over and over in her head sickened her. “I should’ve known better than to trust some guy who came to meet me because of a damn picture…”

“You couldn’t have known that he’d be a cheating prick, sweetheart.” David soothingly whispered in her ear, trying to calm her down, and held her closer to his chest. “Fuck him, Sine. He’s not even worth it. If he couldn’t see what a great, wonderful and breathtaking woman you are then he’s fuckin’ crocked.”

“Why didn’t I listen to you, David?” She whispered sadly, her fingers curling against his neck as she sighed, resting her head against his shoulder now. “I should’ve…”

“It’s in the past, baby.” He crooned softly in her ear, rubbing her back up and down soothingly with his hand, and pulled back enough to stare into her eyes. “But we have the future and we can start over. Just you, me and the baby. I love you, Sine, I never stopped. I would do anything to protect you and I would never cheat on you. I’m through with that life. I want one woman in my life as my companion, my best friend and my love. Please give me the chance to prove how much I love you, Sine.” His words were full of pleading, heartache and hope.

Sine just stared at him, her gray eyes wide. She searched his eyes intently, seeing those emotions and felt her breath catch in her throat. She closed her eyes, that blonde woman fucking Mark senseless popping into her head, and nodded. That one image was enough to tip the scales. “Alright, David…” She whispered, looking at him again. “Just one more chance.”

Elated that his plan worked, David passionately kissed her lips, wrapping his arms around her body, and held her tightly to him. “Let’s get outta here. Let’s just leave this life behind us and start over. You me, and the baby. I have a house in the mountains and it’s so beautiful there. It’s huge; you should see it, Sine. Please, say you’ll escape with me.” She just nodded, suddenly needing to get away from this place. From the memories of Mark. Also realizing he’d be there sometime the next day so she wanted to leave now.

David watched her pack as he sat on the bed. Watched as the tears that had welled up in her eyes. He seen the heartache he’d caused, but she would never know that. Mark was history now with that tape he’d put together. He was gone from her life and David planned on marrying her as soon as possible. As soon as things cooled down and the fucker gave up searching for her, they would wed. He made sure she didn’t strain herself too much, not wanting anything to happen to his baby girl or boy.

After everything she wanted was packed, mainly clothes, personal items and CDs. Sine stepped into the closet and stripped out of her sweats, pulling on a pair of jeans and an off the shoulder black top. She didn’t bother brushing her hair, just tied it back. She then slipped on a pair of shoes and walked out to stand in front of him as she whispered, “I’m ready.”

“Come. A new life with the love of your life awaits.” David stated as he extended his hand, being the perfect gentleman, and cracked a smile at her as she slid her hand into his. He grabbed her bags and guided her out of the house. Two hours later, they arrived at the airport, where a private jet was waiting for them. Sine didn’t think anything of it as they boarded it and a few minutes later, they were on a plane headed for the mountains of Colorado. That’s where David had bought the house at and where he would keep her, knowing nobody would be able to find them there.

Sine sighed, snuggling back into her seat. She’d tossed the envelope with all the pictures she’d done in the trash before walking out. She felt guilty for not leaving a note to Namine and Brandon, but knew she could call them. Finally, she fell asleep, resting her head on his arm as the plane took off. Her thoughts were on Mark throughout her dreams, not believing he’d actually betrayed her and broke her heart this way.

Frantic, Mark arrived at Sine’s house a few hours after she departed, looking frantic beyond belief. He was too late. She was gone and that cocksucker had her! He’d found out from his best friend Glen Jacobs that David had filmed him and Torrie having sex. David had drugged him and killed Torrie after she made it look like they were having sex on camera.

He had the tests done at the hospital and it was a powerful drug David had slipped him so it was still in his system. Even after three months. Mark started searching frantically throughout the house and immediately found it. The television had been knocked out, but there was another one in the bedroom. Tears filled his eyes as he slipped in it and shook his head in disbelief, not believing what was happening, and knew he had to find her before David ended her life as well as their child’s.

Chapter 25

Sighing, John wished Namine was there at work to distract him. He’d insisted she take the day off; afraid she was working too hard. He’d been tempted to take the day off as well, but knew he couldn’t. Things had been hectic lately with new stars pouring into the studio. Sighing, he rubbed his temples and glanced at the clock, counting down the hours until he could see her again.

Namine was at home cleaning her ass off. She’d dusted everything and anything she could get her hands on, bored out of her damned mind. John had forced her to take that day off and she fought him tooth and nail the entire way. Being the boss though, John always got his way and that unnerved Namine. She finally agreed reluctantly and decided she could clean on her day off. She grinned as the music was blaring through her speakers and she was wearing a pair of red cotton shorts with a black tank top. Her hair was up in a high ponytail to keep it out of her face.

Suddenly, a loud knock sounded at her front door, causing Namine to look toward it with a raised eyebrow. She walked over, turning down her music, and turned the vacuum off before venturing over to open the door. Her eyes widened in shock and surprise upon seeing Steve staring back at her. She didn’t like the look in his blue eyes that were icy daggers, but she didn’t look unnerved. Crossing her arms in front of her chest, Namine smiled back at him somewhat and greeted hesitantly, “Hey…”

Steve stared back at her, holding a manila envelope in his hand, and stated in a cold voice while his eyes scanned her almost indifferently, “This ain’t a social call, Namine.”

“I know. I can sense it. What are you doing here?” She demanded in a cool voice, keeping her arms crossed, and decided not to do this on her front porch. “Get in here. I don’t want my neighbors to overhear my business.” She stated, shutting the door behind him after he entered, and wiped the sweat from her forehead. Cleaning sucked, but she knew it had to be done. “What do you want, Steve?” He didn’t say a word to her, just handed over the manila envelope he was holding. He watched as she opened it and started to read the documents, his expression never changing.

The further down she read, the madder she became as she finally looked up at him, trembling from head to toe, and shouted, “You’re SUING ME for those PICTURES?!” She just stared at him incredulously, not believing what was happening, and started pacing back and forth in front of him. “What the fuck, Steve?! Why are you suing me? You enjoyed the pictures otherwise you wouldn’t have seduced me!” Namine was irate and had every right to be.

“Seduced you?” Steve echoed, that cold expression never leaving his eyes or face. “Hardly honey, ya wanted it just as bad as I did.” He replied matter-of-factly and shrugged when she started demanding a reason. “Ya used the pictures without my consent, Namine. Deal with it.” No remorse. No sorrow. No emotion whatsoever was in his voice, eyes or body posture.

“Those were digital photos from the WWE and we got permission for them, Steve! Your boss, Vince McMahon, gave us approval to use them! We had a disclaimer on all of that shit so what you have here means jack!” She shouted at him, throwing the papers down on the floor, and stalked into the kitchen. She needed a drink suddenly, especially with this sudden turn of events. First Jen and now Steve. What was next?

“But Vince didn’t secure MY permission, Namine. So sadly for you, it does mean somethin’.” Steve informed her, following her into the kitchen, and folded his arms in front of his chest. “The name whatever, but the images are of ME and as Steve Williams, an actual person, I can do whatever the Hell I want bout ’em.”

Whipping around to face him with tears in her eyes, Namine shot green daggers into his icy blue orbs, and stated coldly, “In those photos, you were Stone Cold Steve Austin, moron. We didn’t use ONE personal photo of you! They were all from the WWE. Try again, Austin.” She spat, downing a shot to calm her nerves and racing heart.

Steve just chuckled, not bothered in the least by her words. “Prove you have a disclaimer, Namine. Didn’t you know? The site has been shut down. I’ll be seein’ you in court, honey.” He revealed to her with an obscene wink before walking out, slamming the door behind him harshly.

Namine blinked repeatedly at the door, trying to register in her mind what Steve just said to her. The site was closed down? No. It couldn’t be. Namine bolted down the hallway and into her bedroom, where she kept her computer, and instantly got online. She went to the link for the site and clicked on it, tears stinging her eyes instantly. There it was. All of their hard work. All the proof she needed. Gone.

Tears of anger and confusion flowed down her cheeks as she buried her face in her hands, not believing this was happening to her. Why was Steve doing this? Why was he deliberately trying to hurt her when all she did was ever care for him? Granted, she hadn’t picked him, but she wasn’t in love with him. Besides, he was a wrestler. She didn’t know if he slept around with ring rats or if he made it a habit to visit women who posed nude for the computer. Like he had with her.

John sighed, pushing away his paperwork when Mrs. McBee walked in, carrying his lunch on a tray. She’d started insisting on bringing him home cooked meals from him that she made. The woman was sick of seeing the same take-out people day in and out, annoyed when she actually started to know them on first name basis. Mrs. McBee set the tray down on his desk, murmuring something to him before walking out. John stared at the food before reaching for the phone, punching in Namine’s home number, suddenly feeling strange.

She heard the phone ring and sighed, wiping away her tears, and coughed a little before standing. She immediately picked it up on the third ring and cleared her throat, trying to sound happy as she answered, “Hello?”

“Namine? It’s John, what happened?” He asked his voice filled with concern and worry, the feeling intensifying when he heard her voice.

“W-What do you mean, sweetie?” She asked softly, trying to sound confused even though she knew he had one of those sixth sense feelings that something wasn’t right. Still, she had to play it off until she figured out what she was going to do about this. Bringing John into it would only make the situation worse and she didn’t want that.

John sighed, getting out of his chair to walk over to the window, peering out of it. “Something’s wrong, Namine. I just know it. I got a feeling. Did something happen today?” He asked quietly after revealing to her what he’d been feeling.

“You worry too much. Has anyone ever told you that?” She chastised, feeling her stomach rumble when she walked out of her bedroom. Tears instantly filled her eyes as she seen the documents splayed all over her carpeted floor. Scattered. She started to feel a few tears slide down her cheeks. Sucking the sobs back and sounding happy, Namine walked over to pick them up. “John, I’m fine.” She tried to assure him, hating that she was lying.

He didn’t buy that, but didn’t press her either. “I’m about finished with work. I was thinking about taking the rest of the afternoon off and spending it with you.” He said nonchalantly, listening carefully to her reply.

“Oh…That sounds great, blue eyes.” She replied, hesitation in her voice, but quickly hid it as she wiped away the excess tears. “When will you be by?” She asked, needing to find a hiding spot for the documents so he wouldn’t find or see them.

She was going to handle this herself and the first person she had to get a hold of was Sine. Something in her heart told her that she was in trouble, but Namine couldn’t put her finger on it. They’d barely spoken in the past three months and Namine was worried sick about her, hoping everything was alright with her and Mark. As far as she knew, they’d been dating extensively throughout the three months her and John had been together. Namine just hoped she was alright, suddenly feeling guilty for not trying to talk to her sooner.

John had caught the hesitation, but didn’t say anything about it. “I don’t know. It depends on Mrs. McBee.” He answered, not liking to deceive her since he planned on leaving as soon as he hung up, but he knew something was wrong. If he caught her off guard, he could find it out and help her. “Is it alright if I come?”

“Of course!” She exclaimed, surprised he would even insinuate such a thing, and finished picking up the documents, feeling sick to her stomach. “When aren’t you welcome here, John? I love you, remember?” Her voice held a sense of hurt, even though she had bigger problems on her mind at the moment. Like getting sued from a certain snake named Steve.

“I didn’t mean to upset you, baby.” John cooed, sounding apologetic. He groaned loudly when Mrs. McBee walked back in, followed by another rapper. “I got to go.” He murmured, his eyes narrowing slightly. “I love you, Namine. I’ll see you in a bit.” Sighing, he hung up after she said it back and went to deal with what was sure to be another issue. So much for leaving right now to catch her off guard.

Namine sighed as she hung up with him, only to get another call a second later. She answered it, sounding truly upset, and felt her eyes widen upon hearing Sine’s voice. “You have explaining to do and I suggest you do it NOW.” Her voice was low and deadly as she went to hide the documents.

Sine frowned, dropping down onto the bed in her new house in the mountains. “About which part?” She asked hesitantly, not liking the tone of Namine’s voice one bit.

“Steve is suing me, Sine.” Namine stated bluntly as she walked inside her bedroom, stuffing the documents in her panty drawer. He’d find them there so she opted for the closet. He would never look in her closet as she stuffed them under some books. “He’s fucking suing me and the ONLY proof I had of us having a disclaimer is GONE! Why did you shut it down?”

Sine gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. Mark had warned her ahead of time two months prior to this moment about the possibility of Steve suing Namine for the pictures. She’d panicked and shut it down instantly, not even thinking about what the repercussions would be. “Mark told me he didn’t know if Steve would do it! I’m so sorry, Namine!” She apologized, feeling tears sting her eyes. “I did it because I didn’t want proof about…that and it was time for me to shut down the site.”

“Well genius, you just screwed me over because that disclaimer on the site was the ONLY evidence that proved we had rights to the pictures!” Namine shouted, frustration building up inside of her as she paced back and forth. “Where are you? You need to get over here and help me figure this out, Sine. Without you, I don’t stand a fucking chance in Hell against him!”

Groaning, Sine rubbed her forehead with the heel of her hand, knowing that wasn’t possible. “I can’t do that, Namine.” She said, sounding regretful. “Listen; there should be some sort of backup files on my laptop at the house. It’s in my bedroom. There’ll be one with the page with the disclaimer. You know my passwords.” She offered, sighing deeply. “I’m sorry…”

“Where are you?” Namine demanded again, hearing something in her best friend’s voice, and instantly quieted down as she sat down on the couch. “Sine, what happened? Something happened, I can feel it. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Namine. Don’t worry, I’m…” She hesitated, wondering if she should tell her best friend where they were located. “I’m in Colorado somewhere in the mountains.” She laughed softly. “Mark cheated on me, I had to get away, honey.” She didn’t bother mentioning her pregnancy or David, knowing Namine had enough on her plate to deal with at the moment.

“Mark cheated on you?!” Namine exploded, shooting up from the couch, and growled from low in the back of her throat. “I’ll fucking kill him, Sine!” She shouted, not believing the audacity of these wrestlers who had fucked up their lives. “Sweetie, wherever you are, you know I’m always here for you. I’ll get the laptop and make Steve pay for what he’s doing. I’ll talk to you later, I need to get to your house and find it.”

“You go do that, honey. You got my number so keep me informed. And Namine, please don’t tell Mark where I am. If you see him.” She pleaded softly, her voice cracking a bit. “I can’t face him, sis. I can’t. Bye honey.” She whispered before hanging up, curling on the bed, and began to cry. She couldn’t believe Steve would do something like that to her sister and felt helpless at the moment.

Namine felt her heart break at Sine’s words and immediately started changing out of her clothes after ending the call. She’d been in her bedroom when she was talking to Sine and staring out the window. She changed into a pair of blue jeans with a long sleeved red shirt, knowing it was chilly out that day. When she was finished, Namine slid on her tennis shoes and walked out of her bedroom, John completely leaving her mind at the moment. She had one goal and one goal only and that was to find that laptop of Sine’s and get that disclaimer printed out on paper. It was the only chance she had to beat Steve.

Just as she was about to walk out the door, her phone rang again, causing her to groan as she answered, “Hello?” She sounded frustrated and in a rush. The only thing she wanted to do was run out the door, get in her car, drive over to Sine’s house, and find that laptop that had the proof she needed to beat Steve in court. There was no way he was going to beat her with this, no matter what she had to do. Not only was this on her mind, but Jen’s pregnancy as well as wondering where her sister was factored in.

Steve smirked when he heard her pick up and greeted, “Hello, honey.” His smirk broadened when he heard her inhale sharply at the sound of his voice. “You in a better mood now?”

Chapter 26

“Cut the bullshit, Steve. What do you want?” She was tired of playing this game with him and could actually feel the smirk that was on his face over the phone. Namine didn’t have time for this. She gasped when a knock sounded at her door and walked over, immediately regretting answering it. John stared back at her in the face, but she masked the disappointment well and silently ushered him in. “Yeah, I understand.” She really wasn’t paying attention to what Steve said, but didn’t want John to get suspicious. John stepped inside, holding out the bouquet of flowers before deciding to put them in a vase himself. The strange feeling he had felt earlier was kicking into high gear now while he listened to her.

“Well honey, I did WANT you, but then ya shot me down fer what? Yer damn womanizin’ boss?” Steve sounded both hurt and angry, clenching his fists tightly. “Ya told me ya wanted to be with me and then a few hours later, ya broke my heart.” He stated gruffly.

“Can you hold on?” She asked softly, her heart suddenly squeezing with guilt as she smiled apologetically at John. “It’s a client o the phone, I’ll be right back.” She kissed him softly before walking out on the veranda, closing the door behind her fully. “Steve, I told you I didn’t want to be with you, but you wouldn’t take no for an answer. You begged me for it and I finally caved in, but that was only because I didn’t realize John was in love with me. I’ve loved him for a long time, you were just a fantasy.” She explained gruffly, not believing she was even having a conversation with this prick.

“A fantasy?” Steve echoed; disdain dripping in his tone of voice. “Fantasies, honey, don’t come true. What happened between us was very, VERY real.”

“But what happened between us was lust and that’s it. You didn’t’ know me and I didn’t know you. I knew Stone Cold, but I didn’t know Steve Williams and how heartless he could be.” Namine truly felt and sounded hurt as she raked a hand through her hair. “I don’t regret what we did, but I don’t regret choosing John over you either. I love him and he loves me. He’s changed so much and you’re just bitter because for once in your life, a woman actually didn’t choose the almighty Steve Williams.”

“But you weren’t interested in Steve Williams. Honey.” He countered, remembering her saying his real name after they made love for the first time, but he just blew that off. “You knew and wanted Stone Cold and that’s what yer gettin’ now. Ya fuck with the Rattlesnake and he’ll fuck back.”

“Why are you doing this to me?” She whispered, closing her eyes tightly shut, and willed the tears back in her eyes. “I gave you what you wanted. I slept with you for two weeks, but I had it in my head all along that if you did ask me to make us something more, I would decline. I don’t trust you. I never did and even though I wanted you, I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

Steve sighed heavily, fighting both hurt and rage at the same time. “You didn’t trust me, huh? Ya didn’t even know me, Namine! All I asked for was ONE damn chance and what did ya do? Ya acted like a bitch, said yes, then as soon as I was gone, ya fuckin’ dropped me!”

“I didn’t know John was in love with me though!” She cried out, the frustration and anger building up inside of her, and raked a shaky hand through her hair. “Is that what this is all about, Steve? The fact that I changed my mind, which people do all the time? Is that why you’re suing me because I refuse to be with you?” She sounded almost incredulous, but ticked off at the same time as her eyes narrowed.

Running a hand over his bald head, Steve sighed as he admitted openly, “Partly, Namine. Why couldn’t ya just said it outright again, convinced me, instead of leadin’ me on like that?”

“You refused to listen to me. At the party, I told you how I felt and even though I said I wanted it badly, that was my emotions playing tricks on me.” She replied and wrapped her arms around herself as the cool air blew through her hair. “Then you came to my office and literally broke my heart because of how much hope was in your eyes. I gave in because of the hope I saw there and I wanted to see if you could actually be faithful to me while on the road. Then John told me he loved me in his office later on and I finally decided I’d made a mistake. Why can’t you just let this go and move on with your life?” She was trying to convince him to drop the lawsuit, but never really said it, using her hurt voice and innocence to her advantage.

“Basically ya felt pity fer me? Is that it?” Steve demanded, now sounding both annoyed and enraged. “Ya fuckin’ felt bad fer me so ya decided to play a game? Well I hope ya enjoyed it cause yer damn well gonna pay fer it!” He promised darkly, meaning every word that came from his mouth.

“You can try to intimidate me, Austin, but here’s a fact you need to be informed on. Your plan is going to backfire and blow up in your face. See you in court, jackass!” She spat hatefully and closed the lid of her cell phone shut. Namine lowered her head as she sighed heavily, needing to regain her composure. Once she did, Namine headed back inside and smiled brightly over at her boyfriend, though evident anger was still in her eyes. “Sorry about that, sweetie. Pissed off client needing me to knock them down a peg.” She winked at him, masking the worry about her lawsuit and the anger from the conversation she had with Steve just now.

John stared at her, his blue eyes clearly stating that he didn’t believe her. “Who was the client and what was their problem?” He asked conversationally, leaning back against the couch.

“Reed and it was some public bullshit.” She lied, disturbed with how smooth it rolled out of her mouth, and walked into the kitchen for a glass of water. “Listen, I need to go to Sine’s house. She closed the down the site and she wanted me to shred some papers, go through some things. Do you mind if we postponed this for later?” She asked hopefully, making it sound important, but not to the point of urgent.

Sighing, John raked a hand through his hair and stood up, walking over to pull her into his arms. She was hiding something from him. He could feel it and hated that she was lying to him, but at the same time, he couldn’t accuse her without proof. “Yeah, that’s fine, baby. Do you want me to come with you?” He asked wanting to be there for her even though he knew her stubborn streak was kicking in.

“No, I kinda need to do this on my own. I’m sorry, please don’t be offended, but I just…I need to do this alone.” She softly replied, holding him close to her body, and wrapped her arms around his waist, kissing his chest. “I’ll be home in a few hours. If you want, stay here and catch a few hours of sleep while I’m gone.” She suggested, looking up at him and stroked his face tenderly with the back of her hand. “You look bushed, blue eyes.” She commented softly.

John raked a hand through his hair, staring down at her thoughtfully. He was tired. Truth be told, his headache hadn’t gone away yet, but also knew she wasn’t telling him something. “Yeah, I’ll crash on the couch.” He said finally, studying her closely, attentively. “You know I’m here for you, don’t you Namine?”

Sighing, Namine nodded as she raised up on her tiptoes, her lips mere inches from his own, and smiled. “My protector.” She murmured before passionately kissing him and pulled back, her lips still lingering on his. “I’ll be back, I promise.” She winked and hugged him one more time before walking out of her condo. She pressed a hand over her heart, feeling the guilt washing over her already. “I’m sorry, John, but this is something I need to do alone.” She whispered before heading down to her car and over to Sine’s place.

He sank down on the couch after she was gone, slowly pulling off his shoes, and sighed. John knew she was hiding something from him. He wished she trusted him enough to let him, but knew she was just trying to protect herself. Namine was the type of woman who loved being independent, which he didn’t mind most of the time. Another reason for it was because his past always came back to bite him on the ass and knew she didn’t trust him fully yet.

Twenty minutes later, Namine pulled into the driveway of Sine’s house. She took a minute to compose herself, having cried the entire way there, and finally stepped out. She pulled out the key and unlocked the door, stopping dead in her tracks at who was there. “What the fuck are you doing here?!” She demanded angrily, ready to lunge at the man who broke her sister’s heart.

~!~

Mark was on a mission.

He’d hired his friend to help him track them down; knowing David had taken Sine somewhere. It was Kevin, the same guy who’d found out where she lived when him and Steve went to see them. Mark groaned when they kept finding hints, but it never led to anything. He raked a hand through his hair frustrated, not believing this was happening, not believing he’d been too late to warn her. She was in danger and she didn’t even realize it! “We need to find her!” He growled the frustration and panic rising within him.

Kevin frowned, not appreciating Mark pacing behind him as he used the laptop Mark had provided. Sitting in what he guessed was Sine’s house, being called on location for this since Mark wanted to know everything as it happened and not wait for a phone call. “I’m trying man!” He snapped finally. “Any idea where they’d go? That might help some.”

“This motherfucker is slick, Kev. He’s like a fuckin’ snake, kinda like Austin.” Mark was still pissed at his adversary for actually going through with the lawsuit against Namine for the pictures. He’d found out he’d paid her a visit and decided he’d go see her to make sure everything was fine when this was all said and done. Mark would be on her side at the trial, if there was one, but first he had to find out where David took the love of his life. “Damn it!! Where are you, Sine?” He whispered heartbrokenly, pressing his forehead against the glass window.

Hours passed and Mark was pacing a hole in the floor, not believing they’d come up empty once again. He scrubbed his hand down his face, wishing he’d left sooner. Glen had reminded him of that one night at the bar two months back. He’d had maybe four beers and felt sick to his stomach. Next thing he knew, Mark was waking up in a strange hotel room alone, bare assed naked. He couldn’t believe he’d pushed it aside and brushed it off to be nothing. Glen had also found the REAL video tape that showed David and Torrie setting up the room and even had a romp of their own before drugging Mark.

He stopped dead in his tracks; his green eyes peering at the door as it opened, and felt a twinge of hope enter him at the sight of Namine.

~!~

Mark gestured to Kevin to continue what he was doing, facing Namine. From the expression that adorned her face, he guessed she’d already spoke to Sine. “I’m tryin’ to find Sine.” He answered gruffly. “David took her off somewhere.” He waited to see what she had to say to that before adding on all the rest.

“You have A LOT of balls, Deadman after what you did to her.” Namine stated in a deadly, vicious voice, crossing her arms in front of her chest. She threw her thumb over her shoulder at the door and ordered, “Get out, Sine wouldn’t want you here and right now, I can’t stand the sight of you. She’s gone and she’s not coming back. So move on with your pathetic, cheating ass life along with your buddy Austin and leave us alone.” She shouted, storming down the hallway toward the stairs that lead up to Sine’s apartment.

Mark followed her, his eyes darkening with anger. “Do ya want to know the whole damned story, Namine or are ya just goin’ to be stubborn? Sine is PREGNANT, off God knows where too with a fuckin’ psycho! So how about ya calm yer lil ass down and talk to me!”

Namine’s eyes widened when she heard Sine was pregnant and whipped around to face him, tears of anger in her eyes. “You impregnated her and then cheated on her?” Namine felt sick to her stomach as she shook her head and walked up the stairs away from him. “David will take care of her so you can stop with the caring bullshit.” She called back to him and walked through the kitchen of Sine’s apartment toward her bedroom.

Groaning, Mark still followed her, finally grabbed her by the arms and forced her to look at him. “Namine, listen to me, darlin’, I DIDN’T cheat on her. That sumbitch David drugged me and set me up! As fer the pregnant part…” He looked saddened, his green eyes full of sorrow. “We don’t know if it’s mine or David’s. Namine, if ya know where she’s at, ya gotta tell me. She’s in danger!”

The urgency in his voice shook her to the core and Namine wanted to believe what he was saying, but she kept hearing Sine’s heartbroken voice replaying in her mind. “Just leave her alone, Mark. She’s fine and she’s safe. She told me not to tell you where she was. She can’t see you now or ever. Just leave her alone, leave US alone.” She stated, referring to Steve, and ripped her arms out of his grasp before walking into Sine’s bedroom since he’d stopped her in the hallway.

Mark wasn’t about to give up that easily, knowing Namine knew where Sine was. “Yer not listenin’ to me.” He growled dangerously, not about to play these games when there wasn’t any time. “I’ve got proof about what’s been goin’ on with David. He’s done already murdered one woman, Sine could be next. As fer what Steve is doin’ to ya, I don’t have nothin’ to do with that and I’m on yer side! Namine, ya gotta trust me, if not fer me, then fer Sine.”

“What are you talking about, Mark?” Namine questioned, finally stopping her search for the laptop to briefly turn around to face him. “Why should I believe a word that’s coming out of your mouth?” She shot back at him, suddenly feeling angry once more. Everything was fine with their lives until him and Steve invaded them. Now her sister was off somewhere in Colorado with David, who she never trusted, but knew he’d never hurt her either, or so she thought.

He ran a hand through his hair, knowing she had every reason not to believe him, but he was telling her the truth. “I’m not lyin’ to ya, Namine. David killed a co-worker of mine…” He sighed, glancing toward where the movies were. “There’s two videos over there. One Sine seen and then the real one. I was set up by David; he knew how Sine would react and used it to his advantage.” He sighed heavily once again, the guilt eating away at his insides. “David has to be found, Namine before he hurts her and the baby.”

“Why would David kill a co-worker of yours though, Mark? I mean, I can see him setting you up with the drugging because he’s done that before, but why would he kill them?” She questioned, not surprised by the shocked, scared look that came over his emerald green eyes. “He drugged Sine’s ex-boyfriend Jerry.” She admitted quietly, raking a hand through her hair. “She wouldn’t listen to me, but it happened right after we became friends. David threatened my life if I told her about it, but I didn’t let that stop me. Sine found out about David’s drugging, but after she found out Jerry was screwing around on her, she figured David did it because he was trying to protect her, which is a load of bullshit. He did the same thing to you because he wants her for himself…” Sighing heavily and raking a hand through her hair, Namine knew Mark was telling her the truth about everything, and knew Sine was in danger. “I need to find that damned laptop!” She shouted out of nowhere in frustration.

Mark led the way back out and down the stairs into the kitchen, pointing at a still busy Kevin. “That’s her laptop and he killed her because…” He trailed off, frowning deeply. “Well actually I don’t know darlin’. Maybe ‘cause he didn’t want her runnin’ her mouth. Torrie never was one much for keepin’ a secret.” He looked alarmed when he found out all this had happened before with the drugging. “We got to find her. Do you know where she might be?”

“I could call her on her cell phone, but she probably has it off more than likely or he’s already smashed it to bits.” She suggested and started pacing back and forth, tears of frustration and fear running down her cheeks. She was fearing Sine’s life and her baby’s while the frustration was building around Steve’s idea of paying her back.

Raking a hand through his hair, Mark groaned, the fear intensifying inside of him. “Try Namine, just try.” He pleaded finally, knowing they had to do everything possible to find Sine before it was too late.

Chapter 27

David wasn’t stupid. He’d taken her cell phone right after they landed, lying to Sine about accidentally stepping on it. He smirked when she bought it and kissed her lips, deciding to buy her a new one. He was sitting in the living room later on that night, after going shopping with her, and was on the phone, nursing a beer. “She’s asleep so we can talk now. Did you bury the cunt?” He grunted, swallowing a drink of his beer. “She’ll never find out I drugged that big bastard and forced the cunt to fuck him in front of a camera.” He laughed darkly at something the guy said and shook his head. Oblivious to the fact that Sine was standing in the dark hallway of the house and had heard every word he just said. “Mark is history and I made sure of that with the drug. Thanks again, man. I owe ya twice now.”

Sine retreated back to the bedroom, her hands over her mouth, tears filling her eyes. She heard David crack open another beer and knew he would be in the living room for a while. She looked around frantically and began to change out of her night gown she was wearing. Searching for warm clothes, Sine pushed aside the guilt she felt for running off on Mark. Instead, she allowed to let the fear and panic take its place, knowing she had to get out of there and fast.

She dressed in the warmest clothes she owned, grateful she actually owned a pair of decent weather boots before slipping out the window. She shivered as the cold wind and snow instantly assaulted her body. She looked around, feeling afraid when she seen how dark and isolated they were. Reaching into her pocket, Sine pulled out a tiny flashlight she’d dug up and started running, using it to guide her way. She felt safer out here in the darkness and wilderness then with the killer she once loved.

After downing a few more beers, David decided to call it a night. He turned out all the lights, set the alarm, and headed down the hallway, walking straight into the bathroom, needing a shower. After he stepped out and wrapped a towel around his waist, he was all smiles as he walked into the bedroom. However, that smile quickly turned vicious as his brown eyes narrowed to slits and cracked his knuckles hard. “That little bitch!” HE spat and quickly dressed in a pair of jeans and shirt before going out after her, roaring, “GET BACK HERE NOW, SINE!”

Sine stumbled when she heard his voice echoing throughout the woods around her. She knew he wasn’t probably close to her though. It was just being where they were that it echoed so clearly. She moved faster, cursing the darkness and the snow, but never looked back. If she did, she knew David would be hot on her trail and had to keep moving, hoping she found a nearby town soon before she collapsed from exhaustion.

“SINE!” David’s voice bellowed as he hopped in his car and started on the hunt to find her. His hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, his knuckles almost turning white, and left the window down, bellowing her name over and over again. “SINE!!”

Sine figured she was near a road when she heard him and dropped down into the snow, hiding. She squeezed her eyes shut when she heard a car drive by, the tires crunching the snow. “God please let me live through this.” She prayed, waiting for what seemed like an eternity before getting up. This time, she tried following the road without actually getting on it, knowing a town was nearby. Sine felt something poking at her in her pocket and pulled it out, tears of relief burning her eyes when she realized it was a cell phone. The same one David had bought her that day after smashing her other one on accident.

David cursed up a storm, not believing the audacity of this bitch to run out on him like this! He loved her and she was betraying him! Being a VERY naughty girl. He’d make her pay. He’d make her pay for defying him. He loved her, but he had to teach her a lesson and grind it into her head that nobody else wanted her except him. “SINE!” He called out dangerously, hoping to put the fear into her to reveal herself.

~!~

After trying several times, Namine finally snapped the lid of her cell phone shut and looked down at the other man. “She said something about Colorado. In the mountains. I don’t know if it’ll help any, but there’s a start.” She sighed and plopped down on the couch, burying her face in her hands, and felt like breaking down. Her best friend was in danger and she couldn’t do anything about it.

Mark glanced over at Kevin, who was already searching, smiling grimly when Kevin found what they were looking for. He pulled up a list of flights that had left for Colorado around the time Sine disappeared. “Excellent.” He muttered, knowing they were one step closer to finding Sine.

“You didn’t erase anything off that computer did you?” Namine suddenly asked fearfully while Kevin searched, swallowing hard, and hoped to God he didn’t. All of the proof she needed was on that computer as she wrenched her hands nervously.

Kevin shook his head, looking back at her briefly and stated, “No, why?”

“No reason, just making sure.” Namine quickly responded and walked over to stare out the window, wrapping her arms around herself. They’d been at this for a few hours and she knew John was getting worried about her. Deciding to call him, she whipped out her cell phone and dialed her house number, knowing he was either sleeping or watching television.

John had been sleeping, but woke up when he heard the phone ringing. At first he hesitated to answer it, but then decided to incase it might be Namine. “Hello?”

“Hey blue eyes.” Her exhausted voice sounded over the line, raking a hand through her hair, and walked out on the patio. She’d decided not to tell him about Sine, not wanting him to worry more than he already was. “I just called to let you know I’m fine and that I’ll be home in a few more hours. This is just a little more than I thought.” She hated lying to him, but knew it was for the best right now.

“Is everything alright, Namine?” He asked instantly, hearing the weariness of her voice. “Is there anything I can do to help?” His tone dripped with concern, wishing she’d let him in so he could help her through whatever she was going through.

“Honey I’m fine.” She assured him, though it was far from the truth. “There’s a lot to do here and I want to get it finished. I should be home in a few more hours and then I’m all yours.” Her voice was soft and low, sounding exhausted, but determined at the same time.

John sighed reluctantly, knowing better than to press her at the moment. “Alright baby, I’ll be waiting.” He said finally, running a hand over his face in frustration. “I love you, Namine.”

“I love you too, John. Get some more sleep and I’ll see you soon.” She purred back, her heart swelling at his words, telling her he loved her. She knew he meant it, that he’d changed. He’d spent every waking moment with her if they weren’t at work so there was no time for him to cheat on her. After hanging up with him, Namine headed back inside and sighed when her cell rang again. “John, for the last time, I’m FINE.” She insisted shaking her head at the looks Mark and Kevin were giving her.

“Namine?” Came Sine’s whispered voice, dropping down to crouch behind a tree, clutching a stitch that had formed in her side. “Namine’s oh god, I need your help, sis!” She sounded like she was trying not to cry, panting for breath.

“Sine?!” Namine exclaimed, covering her mouth with her hand, and instantly looked at Mark, who had his emerald green eyes blazing on her. “Sine, where are you? Honey, are you okay?” Her voice was filled with fear; not believing what was happening, but thankful to hear her best friend’s voice. “Calm down and talk to me, sweetheart.” She soothed, knowing she needed to be the stronger one of the two now.

“No, I’m not okay! David…he’s fucking out of his mind!” Sine shouted, instantly shutting up when she heard his voice echo around her again. Knowing this time, he wasn’t near due to the weak sound of the echo. “I heard him on the phone with someone. He drugged Mark and he killed someone! Namine, I’m scared…if he finds me…” She couldn’t take it anymore and started crying.

“Ssshhh calm down, sweetheart. Calm down. Where are you? In the mountains?” Namine asked, trying to keep Mark back as she put her hand up, refusing to give him the phone right now. “Tell me where you are and I’ll come get you. Are you close to a town?” She asked, hearing her friend crying harder, and felt her heart breaking in half. “Focus Sine, come on, you need to think of the baby. Focus please.”

Sine took a few deep breaths to calm herself down like Namine instructed her to do. “Somewhere in the mountains. That’s all I know.” She started moving again, knowing she couldn’t stay in one place too long. “I don’t know where I am, Namine. It’s dark and it’s fucking cold!” She sounded like she was chattering through her teeth. “I AM thinking about the baby, that’s why I’m moving! Christ! Ouch!” She caught herself when she tripped over a log, landing in the snow. “Oh god it’s cold.”

Mark was about ready to yank that phone out of Namine’s hand. “Put it on speaker at least!” He ordered, needing to know if Sine was alright, guessing she wasn’t by what Namine was saying to her.

“Stay on the phone with me.” Namine ordered her best friend and looked back at Mark before covering the mouth piece. “She’s scared to death right now, ass! Stop shouting!” She demanded angrily before talking to Sine again. Only this time, she put her on speakerphone. “Honey, I want you to keep walking and see if you can find a town. I’m sure David isn’t that stupid to put you guys that secluded. You’d need food and supplies.” Namine knew David was smart, but not when it came to Sine and his obsession for her.

Sine sighed heavily, following the road and smiled when she seen a sign. “I’m a mile away from a town, Namine! It’s called; hold on…I gotta get closer…” She groaned, hating how cold she was right now. “This shit is too wet for jeans!” She rattled off the town’s name after seeing it clearly, which was Stratmoor.

As soon as that town came over the speakerphone, Kevin was on it, typing up the town name, and smiled when he pinpointed the location. “That dumb fuck took you to Colorado Springs?” Namine asked and couldn’t help, but laugh, knowing that was one of the most noticeable cities in the country. Stratmoor was a smaller town within Colorado Springs. Mark was already pulling on his coat while she stayed on the phone with her best friend and raked a hand through her hair. “You need to go find a shelter, a restaurant, something to stay in until someone gets there, Sine okay?”

“What do I do if shows up, Namine? You know he’s looking for me.” Sine retorted, picking up the pace, and chanced the road because it was quicker. She was prepared to dive into the ditch if needed though.

“Don’t worry about it. Just go as fast as you can and duck if needed. Stay on the phone with me.” She ordered, waving to Mark when he bolted out of the house, followed by Kevin. Who had left the laptop behind after printing out the information on the location where they needed to be. “Is there a Smokey Bones restaurant near that town?” Sine didn’t know yet as Namine sighed. “Well when you get there, go into the restaurant. It’s open 24/7.”

Sine sighed when the town came into view, quickly locating the restaurant, and muttered, “People are staring at me…” She was frozen through and through as she walked inside and immediately hid in the women’s restroom, seeing why when she looked in the mirror. “Oh god…I look blue…”

“Don’t worry about that. Find out an address from someone after you warm up a little and keep talking to me.” She encouraged, raking a hand through her hair, and walked over to the laptop, deciding to search for those files. “Where are the files on here that I need, Sine?” She asked, trying to get her best friend’s mind on something else besides David searching for her.

Sine sighed, sinking down onto the bench that was in the bathroom, and felt like crying. “Look under the file named schedule. I kept everything there. Too lazy to separate them. The file is going to ask for a password. You remember what one I used right?”

“I believe so.” She replied and started scanning the files when there was a knock on the door. She quickly closed the laptop, shutting it down instantly, and stood up on her feet when the door opened. It was none other than Steve as his blue eyes peered back at her. “I’ll call you back; I have a snake to deal with.” Namine stated and closed the lid of her cell phone, glaring hatefully back at the man. “Get out now. You’re drawing a thin line with me already, Austin.” She threatened, even though the man could snap her like a twig in a matter of seconds.

Sine ended the call with her best friend and curled up on the small bench, trying to stay warm. She emerged only once to find out the address, ignoring the looks she’d received from everyone else. She figured they were tempted to call the police on her, but stalled them by ordering a cup of coffee. She paid for it with the little chump change she found in her jeans. After trying to call Namine several times, Sine left a message on her voicemail, hoping her sister was alright and got back to her soon.

~!~

Mark drove while Kevin made arrangements, securing them a red eye flight after using ‘Taker’s personal wealth to do so. Kevin sighed when Mark wouldn’t stop ranting, knowing if he said one word, he’d probably end up eating glass. ‘God let this be over soon.’ He thought, not able to stand Mark much longer.

They’d found her. They’d really found her. Mark was on edge as he paced back and forth on the private jet, raking a hand through his hair, tears stinging his eyes. He knew she was in trouble. He could feel it and hoped David didn’t find her right away. Kevin had told Namine to tell her to stay at the Smokey Bones restaurant that was opened 24 hours, 7 days a week. They’d find her better that way as Mark growled out in frustration, “Damn it!!”

Chapter 28

Steve leaned in the doorway of Sine’s house, staring at her with those hardened blue eyes of his. “I wasn’t here to see ya. I wanted to talk to yer girlfriend about her little website. But since yer here…” He trailed off, stepping inside, and closed the door behind him ominously.

“I said get out!!” She shouted, pointing at the door, and backed away from him slowly. “Just remember, Austin, everything you do to me from here on out will reflect you in court.” She reminded him coolly, her eyes narrowed. Even though she could feel the fear gripping at her insides with the look in his eyes.

“Anythin’ I do?” He arched an eyebrow, looking innocent, even though pure evil intentions were in his eyes. “Honey, I told ya, I’m not here to see ya. Since ya mentioned it though, how would it reflect Namine, ya keepin’ cameras around still? Here I would’ve thought ya have learned by now.”

Namine felt her cell phone vibrating in her hand and looked down at it, knowing it was her sister, and sighed heavily. Steve as here and that wasn’t a good thing as she bit her bottom lip, never taking her eyes from him, and flipped it open. “What’s the address?” When Sine told her, she nodded, deciding to call Mark right away to inform him. He wouldn’t answer, but she could leave a voicemail on his cell as she hung up with her best friend and dialed Mark’s cell. “Mark, it’s Namine. The address is 2928 Walnut Street. She’s at the Smokey Bones restaurant and she’s scared to death. Kill the bastard if he comes near her. Bye.” She hung up and stared at Steve with narrowed eyes. “I’m not interested in this little game you’re playing with me right now, Austin. I will deal with you in court, but for right now, I’m focused on one thing and that’s finding my best friend. Now get out before I call the police.” She threatened, holding the cell phone tightly in her hand.

“Findin’ yer best friend?” Steve echoed, his eyes narrowing. “Oh…that lil slut partner of yers. No Namine, honey, I think we’ll deal with it right now.” He took a step towards her, pure wickedness in his eyes.

“Stay away from me!” She shouted, stumbling back, her eyes never leaving his. “Don’t do something you’ll regret, Austin, especially since you’re taking me to court. You wouldn’t want any evidence pending against you for assault would you?” She taunted, trying to mask the fear in her eyes, even though it was close to impossible.

Steve shrugged, looking like he didn’t really give a damn with what she just said. “Honey, ya already said Steve Williams was heartless.” He threw her own words back in her face from their earlier conversation. “I’m just makin’ it easier on ya.”

“I didn’t mean that, alright? I didn’t mean what I said. You’re not heartless. You’re just confused and hurt, which is understandable. Just please, I won’t fight you in court. I’ll give you all the money I have if you leave right now.” She coaxed, trying to make a deal with him, even though she wouldn’t live true to her word. He didn’t know that though.

Steve arched an eyebrow, glaring at her. “First off honey, I wouldn’t advise ya talkin’ to me like I’m some kinda mental case.” He said coldly, suddenly grabbing her by the arms and violently shoving her into the nearby wall. “Secondly, I don’t want yer damn money!”

Namine groaned as her back collided with the wall, causing her cell phone to drop as she coughed. He’d knocked the breath out of her as she stared up at him. His cold, calculating blue eyes peering back at her. “What do you want?” She whispered out, tears filling her eyes as she slowly stood to her feet, her back pressed against the wall.

His lips curled up into a cruel, amused smirk. “What do ya think, Namine?” He purred, tracing a finger down her cheek tenderly. “Ya offered me money, sympathy, why don’t ya try somethin’ else?”

“I have nothing else to offer you.” She stated defiantly and ripped her head away from his finger, hating his vile touch. Why hadn’t she let John come with her? Why hadn’t she told him the truth? Now she was screwed and there was nothing she could do about it. “If you don’t want my money, why the fuck are you suing me?” She was generally confused now as she stared down at her cell phone, which was underneath the coffee table.

His gaze followed hers to the floor, waggling his finger in her face when he seen her cell. “Nuh-uh, honey.” His eyes grew colder as he grabbed a handful of her hair, tossing her across the room away from it. “I want ya to feel the same way I did. Confused and hurt. How’s that comin’ by the way?” He sneered, no remorse or regret in his body posture or eyes.

“Why are you doing this to me?” She cried out, landing on the floor, and scrambled away from him. She wanted to call Sine. Wanted to make sure she was alright and David hadn’t found her yet! “Steve, my best friend is in trouble!” She cried out in fear and panic. “I need to call her before David finds her!” Tears were streaming down her face like two raging rivers, ignoring the pain in her back for the time being.

Steve shook his head, sighing in mock sorrow. “Don’t go tryin’ to feed me another one of yer lines, Namine. I fell fer it once, it ain’t happenin’ again.” He planted a heavy boot on her lower back, pinning her face down on the floor.

Namine yelled out in pain, her eyes squeezing shut, and groaned because he’d knocked the wind out of her again. Mentally counting to three, Namine turned the tables as she grabbed his ankle and twisted him to the ground, locking him in a step over, toehold face lock. It arched his neck painfully, which went in Namine’s favor since she knew about his neck injury from back in the day. She DID watch wrestling after all and screamed out, “DON’T EVER TOUCH ME AGAIN!”

Grunting in pain, Steve had to give her credit. She was a Hell of a lot stronger than she looked. He was stronger though. He pressed his hands flat on the floor and lifted himself up, like he was doing pushups, and brought his other foot up. He kicked her in the face, sending her sprawling back away from him, and growled as he got to his feet and turned on her, “Ya like playin’ rough, huh? I can play rough too, honey.”

Namine stumbled back on the floor and landed hard on it, banging her head against the chair leg, and coughed. Blood was coming from her mouth from where he’d kicked her as she spat it out somewhat. Tears of pain slid down her cheeks as she tried to stand up, failing miserably, and whispered out, “Please stop…”

“Why? Ya wanted to be a badass, Namine! Now get yer ass up and back it up!” He spat, kicking her outer thigh, smirking sickly when she cried out. “What was that? Stop? Say it louder, honey, I didn’t hear ya!” He kicked her again, this time in her other thigh.

“I was only defending myself!!” She cried out in pain, scooting away from him as her back hit the wall, and stared up at him with tear filled eyes. “Please, I’m sorry, Steve. I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to hurt you.” She wrapped her arms around herself and started rocking back and forth, curled up in a tight ball, heaving with the breathing even though she didn’t care.

“Ya didn’t mean to hurt me?” He mimicked nastily. “Ya led me on ‘cause I had such ‘hope’ shinin’ in my eyes, remember? But ya knew it wouldn’t work out. WHAT THE HELL DO YOU CALL THAT, NAMINE?”

She was trembling from head to toe from his shouting, not believing he would actually lay a hand on a woman. Namine started crying harder than ever as she shook her head and shot back at him while still curled against the wall, “I didn’t want you! I wanted John! You showed up out of nowhere! You think its right to show up and just flip someone’s life upside down the way you’ve done mine?!”

“I think yer gonna regret not just havin’ the balls to say what ya shoulda said instead of leadin’ me on.” Steve replied coldly, his hands busy removing his belt from his jeans as he approached her. His eyes didn’t change as he raised it into the air, ready to strike her with it.

“Wait!” She shouted, making him halt in hitting her again, and slowly rose to her feet, trying to breathe properly. “Besides beating my ass, what else do you want, Steve?” She asked softly, her voice low and full of pain as she winced a little, walking over to the couch, and sat down on it. “Just tell me what you want me to do about it. I can’t change what happened.” She winced a little more and just when Steve let his guard down, she struck. Namine grabbed the lamp and hurled it at him. He went down as she grabbed her cell phone and laptop before kicking him in the ribs a few times and bolted out of the house. She got in her car and quickly sped out of the driveway and down the road, back to her condo. More importantly, back to John.

John had had enough. Namine had been gone for an awfully long time now and he was worried sick about her. He finally snatched up the phone and punched in her cell number, raking a hand through his hair. “Pick up baby…”

Namine’s phone had died as she drove back to her condo, wincing at the pain that racked throughout her body, and finally pulled into her driveway. She looked over at the laptop, hoping it still had some battery juice left, and stumbled out of the car up to the front porch. She unlocked her door and stumbled in. The blood coated her lips and cheek from where Steve had kicked her and set the laptop down on the kitchen table. She kicked the door shut behind her and winced more, limping into the kitchen.

John stood up and followed her, his blue eyes widening when he seen her. He caught her when her legs gave out from underneath her, pulling her gently up against him. He took in her bruised face, wondering what else was injured on her. “Who did this, Namine?” He demanded, his voice showing concern for her with an undertone of barely suppressed rage.

“Steve.” She whispered out, hissing in pain as she tried to stand up, but her legs wouldn’t allow her. “He showed up today…here.” She started talking, crying out in pain when he ran his thumb across her lip, and sighed heavily, raking a hand through her hair. “He was going to sue me for the pictures, but…” She paused, wincing again. “That’s not going to happen now that he crossed the line.”

His jaw hardened, but he didn’t say a word, just picked her up and set her down on the counter. He gently removed her pants, his eyes widening when he seen the heavy bruises on her thighs, growling softly. “He’s going to pay for this.” He promised darkly, running his fingertips along them.

Namine couldn’t say anything as she leaned back against the cabinet, closing her eyes tightly shut, and winced when he ran his finger down her thigh. She didn’t blame him for being angry, knowing he had every right to be. She also knew if she didn’t knock Steve out with the lamp when she did, she would probably be in worst shape than this. She winced more as she felt him examining every inch of her body before going to her lips and cheek. They were slowly turning a dark purple along with the bruises on her thighs.

“Let me take you to my private physician.” John finally stated, trying to remain calm, but just the sight of the bruises caused his blood to boil. “We’ll get this handled…the legal way or the illegal way, whichever you prefer.”

“I’m fine.” She whispered out painfully, not wanting to see a doctor for this. Even though she knew she should because she could have some internal injuries. Steve had laid a few of those hard kicks in her ribs. “I don’t want to go anywhere.” She winced and cried out more, her body racked with pain, and sucked in a sharp breath when she went to yawn. Her lips stretched as more blood flowed from the laceration, courtesy of Steve’s boot. “What do you mean the illegal way?”

John grabbed a towel off the counter and pressed it to her lip, his eyes shining with concern. “Just that, the illegal way.” He said ominously. “I don’t like going that route, but…” He trailed off, his blue eyes darkening with more rage. “But when it comes to you, I’d kill with my own two bare hands.” He meant every single word that came from his mouth and his eyes told her that.

“John no!” She cried out, ignoring the pain, and grabbed his face in her hands, staring into his darkened blue eyes. “Please don’t! We’ll handle this the legal way and put him away for a long time.” She started crying, not wanting her boyfriend, the love of her life, to go down for something she did. “Please don’t go after him. He’ll hurt you. You don’t know and what he’s capable of. He’s just like he is on TV. A snake.”

John didn’t argue with her. Instead, he took her hands in his, squeezing them gently. “Then you’re going to see my doctor, Namine.” He ordered in a gentle, but firm tone of voice. “If you want to do this the legal way, this will help. We’ll have a physical report and we’ll have pictures taken of what that bastard did to you.” John explained, not really wanting to do this the legal way because he wanted to pound Steve’s face in for touching his girlfriend. However, this is what she wanted and he was willing to do whatever made her feel more at ease.

Sighing resignedly, Namine knew he was right as she simply nodded. She winced as she slowly slipped her jeans on and allowed him to help her down from the counter. She cried when a pain shot through her stomach, knowing he ribs were probably bruised. When she collapsed again, John proceeded to catch her and carried her out to his car. For once in her life, Namine accepted the help, knowing she couldn’t walk on her own right now.

Chapter 29

Mark was pacing like a caged animal and felt his cell phone vibrate, knowing he couldn’t answer it. He could check his voicemail though as he opened it, dialed the number, and listened. He relayed the message to Kevin and whispered to himself, “I’m comin’ darlin’. Hang in there a little longer.”

Sine whimpered, trying to sleep on the bench, shivering in her wet clothes. She ignored the person who came in to use the bathroom. When they left, she stood up and immediately went over to lock it, not wanting anyone else to just walk in. “God, Namine where are you?” She whispered out frantically, staring down at her cell, and couldn’t believe she hadn’t called him back yet.

David was close to snapping as he drove throughout the woods, finally going into town. There were several places she could be and he really didn’t feel like searching. “She’s going to pay for this!” He hissed out venomously, getting out of his car, and walked inside a mini mart that was open 24/7.

Sine couldn’t deal with it anymore. She was too cold. Too miserable to sit still and got up, beginning to pace. The tiny bathroom didn’t leave much room, but she managed. She wondered how long she would have to wait and sighed, raking a hand through her stiff hair.

After searching every other place, David finally walked inside the Smokey Bones restaurant, looking more menacing than the devil himself. “Is there a woman in here? She has black hair and gray eyes…” He relayed the rest of the information to them about her appearance. The lady at the counter stared at him skeptically, knowing exactly who he was asking about. She wasn’t about to tell him that though as she simply shook her head. David wasn’t buying it and decided to head to the bathroom.

Sine jumped when she heard someone twist the doorknob, glancing around nervously. When she heard David curse outside of it, rattling it even harder, she panicked. Sine looked around before spotting a small window up near the ceiling. She dragged the bench over to it and stood on it, pushing the window open. She cried out in alarm when she heard something behind her crack and slid out into the cold, harsh snow. That didn’t bother her as she quickly got to her feet and started running for her life.

They arrived at the small town, the flight having taken half the time it usually would. Mark parked the car to a skidding halt and got out, seeing they were standing right in front of the Smokey Bones restaurant. He was about to go inside when he heard a scream and knew instantly who it was. “SINE!” He shouted, running in her direction.

Sine spun around, slipping and landing on her ass, her eyes widening when she seen Mark. “MARK!” She screamed out, getting to her feet, and running toward him. She would never make it in his arms because another scream sounded from her mouth as she was tackled to the ground.

David immediately hopped out of the window of the bathroom and gave the chase, growling when he slipped in the snow. He heard her scream out that bastard’s name, knowing he was there, that he’d found them. The anger surged through his body as he seen her stop and instantly tackled her to ground when he seen her running toward Mark. His hand flew back and forward, slapping her across the face harshly and screamed out, “YOU FUCKING BITCH! ALL I DID WAS LOVE YOU!!”

“Get the fuck off of her now, David.” Came Mark’s menacing voice as it boomed from behind, his boots crunching with every step in the snow. He looked down at her briefly before meeting the man’s dangerous and deadly brown eyes. Mark was holding a gun in his hand as he pointed it at him, right at his head, and pulled the click back. “Do it or I’ll splatter yer goddamned brains all over this place!” He threatened, his tone dripping with malice.

Sine gasped, all the air leaving her body when she felt herself being jerked forward. Her eyes looked up to find a gun pointing at her, knowing David was using her for a shield. His hand wrapped around her throat, another pressing on her stomach, causing her to tremble with fear. She whimpered, staring at Mark pleadingly, knowing one move from David and she was dead. He wouldn’t think twice about snapping her neck in two, like he done with Torrie.

“What ‘cha gonna do now, Mark huh? What ‘cha gonna do? Shoot her to get to me?” David taunted sickly, running his hand down further to press against her abdomen. “This is mine.” He whispered wickedly in her ear, his grip on her throat tightening a little more. “Tell him that we’re together now, baby. Tell him you love me and not him.”

Deciding to take this matter to a different approach, Mark threw the gun away as he cracked his knuckles and growled, “Let her go and fight me like a man. I don’t have a weapon except these.” Before David knew what was happening, a fist plowed right into his nose, causing the hold he had on Sine to break. He picked him up by his throat and slammed him against the brick wall, growling furiously, “You think it’s right hittin’ on women and forcin’ them to do things against their will, boy?” He plundered a blow to the man’s stomach, causing him to double over with a grunt. “You think it’s right druggin’ a man and havin’ a woman sleep with’em while he’s out cold? Then killin’ her afterwards?” He asked, delivering blow after blow, allowing his fists to do the talking and punishment. “Yer gonna learn not to EVER fuck with us again!”

Sine crawled away from them, gasping for air. Her ribs were killing her from being attacked and tackled to the ground. Her face felt like it was going to explode from the harsh slap, courtesy of David’s hand. She finally curled up in a tight ball, burying her face in her knees, and listened to Mark’s words. Her body was trembling from head to toe, but it didn’t outweigh the amount of pain her body was racked with at the moment.

Mark pounded the bastard into the ground, blood on his fists, his bare fists, not caring if they were bruised or not. David’s face was a crimson mask of blood after he was through with him and finally stopped. The man’s body crumbled to the ground as Mark wiped his fists off and slowly turned around, seeing Sine in the darkness. “Sine…Come here, baby. It’s over.” He cooed to her, extending his hand, begging for her to take it as his emerald green eyes peered into hers.

Sine slowly looked up from her place on the ground. Her eyes quickly scanned in David’s prone form before shakily getting to her feet. She stumbled in the snow, but managed to toss herself at him. She almost fell, but he caught her in his strong, massive tattooed arms. Sine tried speaking, but a coughing fit overtook her, a hand going to her ribs.

He closed his eyes as he finally held her in his arms again, lifting her up, and carried her away from the scene. Away from David, who was dead as far as he was concerned. He looked over at Kevin, who was already on the phone with some people, and carried her over to the car. “It’s over baby, it’s over. Let’s go home now.” He crooned in her ear, holding her in his arms tightly as he slid in the passenger seat while Kevin drove them to the airport. Sine trembled against him, shivering from both pain and the cold, her clothes wet again. Finally, she just closed her eyes and let her exhaustion overtake her.

Once on the plane, Mark changed her out of her wet clothes for dry. Warm ones. He laid her down on the couch that was on the private jet and watched over her. He couldn’t believe he’d almost lost her as he ran his finger down her cheek and bent down kissing her lips softly. “I love you, Sine.” He whispered and leaned back against the couch, pulling her in his arms and held her as she slept.

Sine woke up warm, feeling safe and frowned, looking up. Her eyes widened when she seen Mark staring down at her and blushed, looking down. “I’m sorry, Mark…” She whispered softly, feeling her stomach clench tightly. “I should’ve trusted you and I didn’t…” She bit her bottom lip, feeling like shit.

“Don’t apologize, darlin’.” He whispered softly, holding her tighter in his arms, and kissed her lips passionately, pouring all of the love and feeling into it. He didn’t care that she hadn’t believed him, not blaming her with the tape, and pressed her body closer to him as he groaned.

Sine buried her hands in his hair, returning the burning kiss, and sighed when they finally parted for air. She rested her head against his shoulder, still playing with his silky tresses. “Is he dead or just seriously hurting?” She finally asked, fear evident in her tone.

“If I didn’t kill ’em, the people I called will. He’s gone baby, you can rest now.” He assured her soothingly, running his fingers through her soft black hair, and kissed her neck before nuzzling it. “God I missed ya. I was so worried. I’m so sorry I wasn’t there sooner, Sine…”

“I shouldn’t have gone with him. I should’ve known better. I was just so, the tape and that blonde…” Sine shook her head wincing when she shifted, a hand going to her ribs. “I heard him on the phone with someone, talking about what he’d done…”

“A buddy of mine found the real tape that showed more of what was going on.” Mark informed her, rubbing her back with his hand soothingly. “He told me about it the day before and I immediately came home to warn ya. David was stupid enough to actually tape him and Torrie having sex beforehand, which was on the tape.” He shuddered and held her tighter to him, squeezing her gently. “I love you so much; I would never hurt you like that. I have the drug test results as proof that he drugged me if ya need it.”

“No, I heard him admit he drugged you.” She whispered softly, reaching up to caress his face with the back of her hand. “I should’ve realized what was happening. He’d done this before with a past boyfriend, minus the murder and the kidnapping…” Sine shuddered at the mere possibilities that could’ve transpired had Mark not shown up when he did to save her. “Thank you…for coming for me.”

“I would die for ya.” Mark stated, no hesitation in his voice, and stared into her eyes as he ran a finger down her cheek. “I love you so much. Yer it fer me, darlin’. I didn’t stop searchin’ fer ya. I wouldn’t of either until you were back in my arms.”

Sine smiled up at him as she snuggled further against his strong body. “I love you, Mark.” She yawned, snuggling back against him even further, and sighed contentedly. She knew no matter what, she wasn’t running again. She’d trust in him not to hurt her.

Sighing in relief, Mark held her close to him as he stroked her hair and then brought his hand down. He pressed it to her stomach, her protruding abdomen, and asked with concern shining in his eyes, “Is the baby alright?”

Nodding, Sine replied, “I think so. It’s just here that’s really killing me.” She moved her hand to her side, wincing and pulling up her shirt. She had dark bruises all over her side, right near her ribs. “Is it bruised or am I just being a whiner?”

“It’s bruised darlin’. When we land, we’re goin’ to the hospital to make sure there’s no internal injuries.” He informed her, pressing his finger to her soft lips when she started protesting. “We need to make sure there’s nothin’ seriously wrong with the baby or you, sweetheart.”

Sine didn’t say anymore, just fell silent. She eventually dozed back off to sleep, only waking when Mark admitted her into the hospital. They were there long enough for her to be checked out. Sine had been awake long enough to rattle off some information before she fell back asleep, unable to keep her eyes open anymore. For safety precautions, the hospital admitted her overnight for observation and Mark was by her side the entire time. He still couldn’t believe he’d almost lost her and vowed right then and there to protect her and his child with his life. At any costs.

~3 Months Later~

“I like this one better.” Sine murmured, leaning over Brandon’s shoulder to point at the portrait they’d taken of the city’s new town hall. Their first actual job with their new studio. “It shows off the columns really nice…” She sighed, turning to look over at Mark, who was lounging on the couch, his arm draped over his face. “Are we boring you, sugar?” She teased, walking over to sit on his lap.

“Not at all, darlin’.” Mark murmured softly and slowly opened his eyes, staring into hers, and pulled her against his chest. He couldn’t believe how close he’d been to losing her and was glad he’d shown up when he had. David was sent to a mental institution for life, having claimed insanity for killing Torrie and drugging him. In Mark’s opinion, the bastard got off easy. “Just a little tired…”

“You look it.” She murmured back, brushing his hair away from his face. “Brandon, why don’t you go deliver that photo? I’m going to put my man to bed.” She giggled when Brandon muttered something about helping her with that before gesturing him away. “I think Brandon likes you.” She teased, causing Mark to grunt.

“Tough shit, I’m taken.” He grumbled and lifted her up in his arms, kissing her neck softly, and carried her into the bedroom. He laid her down on the bed and slipped in against her, running his hand through her hair. “Yer tired too, darlin’. I know the baby has been keepin’ ya up lately.” He winked down at her knowingly and then ran his hand down to stroke her 6-month old pregnant belly.

“No…more like heartburn and some interesting dreams.” Sine replied and started to say something else, but gasped. Her eyes widened and a hand went to her stomach as she whispered breathlessly, “Oh my god!”

Mark shot up in bed, his eyes widened as he stared down at her, pure worry and concern evident in his eyes as he asked frantically, “Sine what’s wrong? Is it the baby? Do we need to go to the hospital?!”

Sine started laughing at him, shaking her head. “No! I’m fine…the baby just moved!” She looked down at her stomach, which was now well rounded, being around her sixth month into the pregnancy. “He just moved!”

Mark swallowed hard as he reached his hand out shakily, rubbing her stomach, and felt tears burn his eyes. “Darlin’…” He wasn’t sure what to say and felt the baby kick against his hand, causing the tears to burn even more, and made his breath catch in his throat. “Wow…” It was the most amazing feeling he’d ever experienced in his life.

Sighing, Sine laid back down once the baby stopped moving, and murmured softly, “That was different.” She pulled her t-shirt back down and looked up at him, frowning. “Mark, are you crying? Honey what’s wrong?”

“No! I’m not cryin’.” He sniffled, turning his head away from her, and cleared his throat gruffly. His hand was still on her stomach, even after she pulled the t-shirt down over it. “I just got somethin’ caught in my eye.” He was lying but then again, he was a man and men didn’t cry in his eyes. No matter what the moment was or situation.

Sine knew better, but didn’t say anything. She just turned her head and started fiddling with the CD player beside them on the nightstand, giving him a moment. She knew feeling the baby move inside of her had truly moved him and was happy. Even after everything David had put them through, their love still burned strong and knew the flame would never die. They were soul mates and both knew it.

Mark jumped a little and smiled as he finally felt his tears dry up in his eyes. He leaned down, kissing her lips passionately and groaned from low in the back of his throat. “So, did ya say it was a HE?” He questioned, his emerald green eyes twinkling amusedly.

Sine nodded, smirking up at him. “It’s not MY fault you wouldn’t wake up when I had to go to my last appointment.” She teased. “Which was yesterday by the way. Brandon took me and yes, we’re having a boy. How’s that suit you?”

Mark grinned proudly as he pressed a kiss to her stomach, after lifting her shirt, and started raining kisses all over it. “I told ya it was gonna be a boy.” He gloated with a boyish grin on his lips.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” She grumbled, shoving his head away from her stomach. “That’s okay; I already have his name picked out.” She giggled, rolling away from him.

“What is it?” Mark asked, genuinely interested, and pulled her back against his chest as he spooned up against her, kissing her neck softly.

“Gavin.” Sine simply replied, staring up into his beautiful green eyes. “What do you think about that? If you have any suggestions or preferences, please let me know now. I don’t want to pick out a name you’re going to hate.”

“That’s a great name, darlin’.” Mark replied, stroking his goatee thoughtfully, and kissed her lips softly. “Gavin Calaway. Has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?”

Sine’s eyes widened upon hearing that, staring up at him blinking rapidly. “Calaway?”

“Yes.” He replied, smiling at the shocked look on her face, and reached over as he pulled something out of the nightstand drawer. It was a silver ring with a sparkling purple stone cut in the shape of a heart with two black onyx stones on either side of it. “Will you marry me?” He whispered in her ear huskily, handing it to her.

Sine stared down at the ring, looking up at him then back down at the beautiful jewelry that rested in her hand. “You-You want to marry me?” She whispered out in disbelief, sounding shocked.

“I wouldn’t of asked ya darlin’ if I didn’t want to.” Mark pointed out to her softly, running his fingers through her hair, and kissed her ear. “I told ya, yer it fer me. I wanna marry you and be with ya for the rest of my life. You and Gavin.”

Sine could only nod, not trusting herself to speak. She watched as he slid the ring on her left ring finger, raising her hand up to stare at it in admiration. She then tossed her arms around him, burying her face in the crook of his neck, and whispered, “I love you so much, Mark.”

“I love ya too, darlin’.” Mark whispered back against her, holding her against him tightly, never wanting to let her go again. He’d finally found his other half of what was missing and now that he had her, he was never going to lose her.

From the moment Mark laid eyes on her picture online, he’d instantly felt a connection with her that was indescribable. Those feelings only grew intensely as the months passed and he finally realized he loved her more than life itself. It wasn’t because of what he’d seen in her reflection, but what he’d seen on the other side, inside of her. He could tell just by the look in her beautiful gray eyes that she was different and he had to meet her. Not a day went by that Mark regretted tracking Sine down and making her his because now he could finally live his life with the woman he was destined to be with.

Chapter 30

~Three Months Later~

John smiled when Namine groaned as he walked inside her bedroom, carrying a tray in his hands. There was a simple breakfast on it with a glass of juice, coffee and a single red rose. “You’ll be going back to work soon enough.” He chided, knowing that was what she was going on about. He’d put his foot down though, insisting she take the time off, especially after getting hammered with a shelf full of books at work.

She growled back at him in response and crossed her arms in front of her chest, huffing. “This is so not fair! I have so much work to do! This is ridiculous!” She ranted, throwing her hands up in the air. It was a freak accident. She was in her office and somehow, the screws in the shelf had come loose enough to fall forward. Namine didn’t see it coming and luckily, there weren’t that many books within the shelf to cause her any serious damage. Her internal injuries were minimum and it was just a lot of bumps and bruises, but enough to make her stay on bed rest at home for three days. Those three days turned into two weeks thanks to John, who’d made the decision for her that she had to stay home to heal. “I’m gonna be swamped when I get back.” She groaned out, raking a hand through her hair.

“Not really. I’ve already set up different appointments with your prospective clients throughout the rest of the month. They’re willing to be patient since you’re such a good agent. Word has gotten around how you’ll get them a fair deal.” John explained, smiling down at her softly, and sat the tray down on the bed. He perched himself on the edge and crossed his arms in front of his chest as he asked, “Now, are you going to eat this or do I have to feed you myself?”

Raising an eyebrow up at him, Namine simply crossed her arms in front of her chest, turning away from him, and stared out the window. “I’m not hungry and if I was, I could get up and get my OWN food.” She was tired of being treated like a child when she was almost healed from the accident.

John sighed, raking a hand through his hair. “Namine, I don’t’ want to fight with you. I’m just…coddling you, I guess.” He admitted, wishing she’d just let him do it, let him take care of her.

“No, really? Ya think?” She sarcastically replied with a roll of her eyes, sighing heavily, and leaned further back against the pillows. “I hate being coddled almost as much as I hate being called Nami, John.” She stated, raking a hand through her hair, and groaned, feeling so restless. All she wanted to do was go back to work and catch up on everything. Was that so wrong?

“I know you do, Namine.” John replied and took her hand in his, entwining their fingers together. “I just like taking care of you. You don’t let me do it much.” He sighed wistfully. “Sometimes, baby, I don’t think you need me.”

“I needed you to take care of Steve and you did that for me, John.” She quietly reminded him, sitting up a little on the bed, and stared at him with sorrow filled eyes. “I love you, isn’t that enough?” She asked, feeling her voice crack, and immediately looked away. Her heart broke at his words and she didn’t want him to feel that way.

“It’s enough, Namine.” John assured her, pulling her into his strong arms gently, mindful of the tray and her injuries. “Is it wrong that I like babying you? You look so cute when you’re flushed.” He teased, stroking her cheek, trying to get her to smile. “Don’t be upset with me.”

She sniffled a little and looked up at him, into his sparkling blue eyes, and smiled softly. “I’m not upset with you.” She assured him, moving the tray out of the way, and snuggled against him as she wrapped her arms around his waist. “I’m still getting used to this whole relationship thing so please just be patient with me.”

“I will be.” He promised, pulling her back down on the bed, and stroked her back. “If it’d make you happy, you can come into work for a half day tomorrow. Mrs. McBee says you’re not allowed to come back full time until Monday.” He grimaced, thinking of the overprotective woman. “She also says you should get a lot of rest and try not to move too much.”

Namine growled upon hearing that and sighed heavily as she started smiling. Mrs. McBee had become like a mother to her, since she didn’t have one, and loved her very much. They’d become fast friends, but she was a mother at heart. Always fretting over both her and John. It was adorable. “I should just start calling her mom with the way she treats me sometimes.” She grumbled under her breath, but couldn’t stop smiling.

John chuckled. “Yeah, she acts like one doesn’t she? Momma McBee, thinks he’d mind that too much?” He tried picturing the woman’s face and started laughing whole heartedly.

“I’m not sure.” Namine replied through her giggles and shook her head ashes pulled the blanket back. She was wearing a red tank top and lace short sleeping attire as she studied her bruises, which were slowly fading. “I want to go back to work full time.” She grumbled and closed her eyes as she covered her legs up again. “I’m not a china doll even though you both love treating me like one.”

“As much as I would love to have you back, I got to think about what Mrs. McBee would say or possibly do to me.” He said seriously, his blue eyes twinkling back at her. “Come in tomorrow and see what she says. Though don’t be surprised if she says only if you use a wheelchair or something.”

Sighing exasperatedly, Namine suddenly felt her lips curve into a smirk as she raised an eyebrow up at her boyfriend of half a year. “Whatever happened to being the almighty powerful John Cena who got his way with everything no matter what and didn’t let anyone boss him around?”

“I let YOU boss me around now don’t I?” He shot back, cocking an eyebrow in her direction.

“Not when it comes to the office.” She retorted swiftly, her voice cool along with her eyes that smirk still playing on her lips.

“Oh sure.” John rolled his eyes. “I never got my way with you, Namine so I’m not that almighty or powerful.” He bent down to capture her lips with his in a passionate kiss. “Now stop trying to rile me up baby, it’s not working. I’m more scared of Mrs. McBee then I am of you. She keeps a thick, long yardstick and it looks dangerous.”

Namine giggled mischievously as she crawled over him, straddling his lap, and ran her hands down his muscular body. Even though it was covered with a shirt and pants, smirking wickedly. She didn’t say a word as she bent down, brushing her lips against his neck. Right on that spot that caused him to shiver and grinned when she felt it. “Is there anything I can do to change your mind?” She whispered seductively in his ear, running her hands up and down his muscular arms.

“This isn’t fair…” John moaned trying to gently push her away, but couldn’t. Half not wanting her to stop and half not wanting to hurt her either. “You’re being mean, Namine.” He chuckled, running a hand down her back to her ass.

“Mmm I love being mean though…” She retorted in a sultry whisper, nipping gently at his ear, and giggled seductively when she heard him groan again. “Come on, blue eyes. Let me go back to work. I promise I’m all better now.” She continued kissing up his neck to his jaw line and back down his throat, nibbling on his Adam’s apple. “Does it feel like I’m not one hundred percent?”

“What you feel and what you are is two entirely different things!” John groaned, gently rolling her so she was on her back on the bed, hovering over her. “You realize you’re trying to bribe me right?” He arched an eyebrow down at her, his blue eyes sparkling.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” She replied innocently, though her green eyes were twinkling with mischief back up at him as she stretched her arms above her head. “Are you hearing things baby? All I said was that I want you to allow me to go back to work.” She had that innocence to her tone that was mixed with evil. A dangerous combination.

John didn’t miss the innocent look or the evil tone, knowing better than that. “Uh huh…” He drawled slowly. “I don’t know, Namine. As your boss, I must say, you don’t look like you’re ready to come back to work…” He said, sounding slightly serious, trying not to laugh.

“What do I have to do to prove to you that I AM ready to come back?” She shot back seductively, running her finger down his chest, and then back up, staring into his sparkling blue eyes.

“I don’t know. Let me think.” John rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Well, for one, I need to know how well you can handle situations that might require your complete attention. Like how’d you’d…handle…a picky client?” He smirked at her. “How would you satisfy him?”

“Tell them to either deal with it or go blow it out their ass.” She started laughing at the look of sheer shock on his face and pushed him off of her, shaking her head, and walked out of the bedroom in her night clothes.

John growled before getting up, chasing her. He caught her in the hallway and picked her up against him, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissed her. “You’re a wench, Namine.” He said gruffly against her lips.

“I know, but you love me anyway.” She giggled against his lips, smiling widely as he lifted her up in his arms, and wrapped her arms around his neck. Namine couldn’t remember the last time she’d been this happy. This peaceful in her life as she kissed him again. “See, you’re picking me up and holding me like I’m better so why can’t I go back?”

John groaned, burying his face in her neck, and finally caved in. “Fine Namine, you can go back to work full time starting tomorrow. But at the FIRST sign something is wrong; you’re back into bed and on vacation, got it?”

“YES!” She shouted with joy and jumped out of his arms, bouncing up and down, and moved her head back and forth. “Thank god, I’m so SICK of staying in this house!” She exclaimed and spun around in a circle as the laughter drifted from her mouth. “I have so much to do.” She stated and starting grabbing her phone, needing to call her clients to see if they wanted their meetings moved up to that following day.

“That woman…” John muttered, raking a hand through his hair before going to help himself to her Tequila Rose. He sighed when he heard on the phone and couldn’t help it. He had to chuckle.

The following day, Namine was all smiles as she walked inside ‘Thuganomics Recording Studios 101’, John’s hand in hers. Mrs. McBee looked up from her desk when they walked in and instantly stood. “I thought you were supposed to be on bed rest?” She asked in a deceptively sweet tone, guessing John had Namine with him for protection.

John nudged Namine, gesturing to the yardstick next to the desk, and murmured, “Told you.”

“Hello, Mrs. McBee.” She greeted sweetly, wearing a gray and pink skirt suit, and walked over, kissing the woman’s cheek softly. “I’m all better now. I couldn’t handle being on bed rest anymore.” She had a look of sheer plead and hope the elder woman understood. “I promise, I’m fine.” She winked at her.

Mrs. McBee arched an eyebrow, looking back and forth between John and Namine, and finally nodded. “Alright dear…Mr. Cena, I sincerely hope you’re taking care of this angel because if not…” Her voice trailed off threateningly.

John swallowed hard, following her gaze to that yardstick. “I’m tryin’ to, ma’am.” He said quickly, shooting Namine a knowing look.

Namine giggled as she looked back at John, her green eyes sparkling, and winked before turning back to face her adopted mother. “I assure you, Mrs. McBee, he’s taking great care of me.” She smiled, her teeth showing, and looked over at the yardstick as she snickered. “Though if he gets outta line, don’t hesitate to swat him one good time with that.” She gestured toward the yardstick and giggled at the look on John’s face.

“Oh I won’t dear.” Mrs. McBee assured her before glancing down at her desk. “You’re nine o’clock appointment is waiting, Mr. Cena.” She gestured toward the office, never looking away from her planner.

John groaned softly, lighting kissing Namine on the lips. “I’ve gotta go. See you for lunch or are you going to work all day without a break?” He asked, knowing her like a book, especially since she’d been off for the past week.

“If I do that, I think she’ll have a heart attack.” She whispered against his lips, kissing him softly once more, and winked. “Just come get me whenever you’re ready.” She then watched as he walked away, sighing in contentment, and hugged her adopted mother before walking to her office. She walked in and started crying. There was so many balloons and get well cards that covered her office, causing her to cover her mouth with her hand. “Oh wow…”

Later that night, John was walking out of the bathroom of his house, wearing a pair of pajama bottoms, fresh out of the shower. He spotted Namine hunched over the coffee table, pouring over paperwork, and shook his head. “This is the last time I bring you home with me.” He teased gently. “I bring a girl home and what does she do? Brings her work with her.”

Namine looked up at him with a smile as she giggled, taking her glasses off, and set them on the table before walking over to him. She ran her hands up and down his sides, snuggling against him, and kissed his chest. She then took his hand and lead him over to the couch, sitting down with him. “It’s not work related.” She stated and handed him the paperwork she’d printed offline. In black and white print, there were figures and her condo was on the top. John’s eyes widened while she leaned back against the couch, grinning broadly.

John took the paper and blinked, staring at it for a long while, his eyes quickly scanning it before looking over at her, and finally croaked out, “Does this mean what I’m hoping it does?”

“It depends on what you’re hoping it means.” She softly responded, no sarcasm in her tone, and kept her eyes locked on her clasped hands that were resting in her lap. She’d been thinking about it for the past few weeks and decided since they basically lived together at her condo, she could sell hers and move in with him in his huge house. It was up to him though.

Turning his body to face her, John reached out to take her hands in his and softly replied, “I’m hoping it means you’ll be moving in here with me.”

She slowly rose her head up to meet his eyes, tears glistening in her own, and a huge smile broke out on her face as she sniffled a little. “Nothing has been finalized. I wanted to get your opinion about it first.” She softly replied, running a hand through her hair, and breathed out shakily. “As for Jen,” She paused and handed him another document, biting her bottom lip even harder. “There was no baby, John.” She whispered out as he looked over it.

His blue eyes read the paper, first widening them before a look of sheer relief crossed his face. He set the papers down and pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly to him. “Thank god…” He breathed, burying his face in her hair, inhaling her scent. “The only woman I want kids with is you.”

Smiling upon hearing that, Namine pulled back a little and stared down into his eyes, biting her bottom lip. She grabbed his hand and pressed it against her abdomen. “I’m glad you feel that way because I’m pregnant.” She softly revealed, her voice barely audible.

John blinked, staring up into her eyes, his hand searching her stomach questioningly. “How far along are you?” He finally managed to get out.

“Three months.” She answered softly, running her fingers through his hair, and sighed. “When your physician checked me out, he found out I was pregnant, but Steve didn’t harm the baby any. I protected my abdomen from where he kicked me, which was mostly on the thighs.” She explained, running a shaky hand through her hair, and hoped he wasn’t upset with her for not telling him sooner. “I’m sorry, John. I wanted to tell you, but I wanted to make sure this shit with Jen was taken care of first.”

John recovered from his surprise and shook his head gently. “Don’t be sorry, Namine.” He said, sounding hoarse before dropping down into one knee, burying his face against her stomach. “A baby…” He murmured, sounding awed at the thought.

Tears of joy slid down her face as Namine ran her fingers through his hair, a smile lighting her features and nodded. “Yeah, a baby.” She clarified in a whisper. “Are you…okay with this?” She suddenly asked, almost afraid to hear the answer, but knew it had to be asked as she bit her bottom lip.

John nodded, looking up at her from his place on the floor, tears shimmering in his blue eyes. “I’m more than okay with this, Namine…” He assured her, chuckling and standing up, reaching out to stroke her cheek. “Marry me.” He whispered suddenly, his heart beating rapidly in his chest.

Namine’s eyes widened as her breath caught in her throat, her mouth literally becoming as dry as a bone, and felt the huge tears slide down her cheeks as she croaked out, “What?”

He brushed away her tears with his thumb, his eyes never leaving hers, and repeated in a soft tone of voice, “Marry me, Namine.”

Her bottom lip was quivering so badly that she could actually feel her teeth rattling, causing her entire body to tremble, and raked a hand through her hair. “You’re serious.” It wasn’t a question. Just the look in his blue eyes told her the entire story. She’d changed him. She’d changed him into a man who wanted to settle down with her and have a family. Who didn’t want to playboy around and fuck a different woman every night. “Yes.” She finally whispered out and stroked his face with the back of her hand. “Yes, I’ll marry you, John.”

Their love and history was like mirrors. There are always two sides to a mirror. A good side and a bad side. What Namine met in John was the reflection, the bad side. A shell of a man compared to the one standing before her now and Namine was planning on loving and spending the rest of her life knowing the changed and good side of John Cena.

The End.